A35535:1389
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the book of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus near the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the booke of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus neare the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...
London: printed by M. Simmons, 1661
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The chastisements of God upon us are our documents.
When God sends sickness and grievous pains, he reproves sinners from Heaven and chides them for the errors of their lives. The chastenings of the Lord are speakings. He speaketh by his rods beyond all the eloquence of words (Mic. 6.9.) Hear ye the rod. The voice of God is in his rod; that speaks so loud from Heaven in many strokes, that the profanest sinners on earth are sometimes forced to hear and acknowledge it. As those Magicians were forced by the plain evidence of the fact to say (Ez. 8.19.) This is the finger of God; So they must say, This is the voice of God. He speaks to us, and speaks to purpose in these afflictions: The voice of God in affliction, exceeds all the rhetoric and persuasions of mortal-men. The cross is a school, in which they who are dull at hearing what God speaks to them in his word, are wonderfully quickened up by his rod. The words of the wise (saith Solomon) are goads. And surely these goads of affliction are pricking piercing words, for the promoting and putting on of a lazy soul in Gods work. Job had desired God to speak with him, Elihu answers, Why dost thou desire more answers or directions from God? Hath not God spoken to thee in these soars and sicknesses, in these chastisements, with pain upon thy bed? Is God wanting to thy instruction? hath he not clearly told thee his mind and thy duty? hath he not written, yea engraven his will upon thy diseased flesh? What are the pains, the corruption, the consumption, the strange deformity, and sad transfiguration of thy body, but as so many voices of God, speaking and speaking aloud to thee, repent and humble thy self? Therefore attend, hearken to and meditate upon the answers which he hath impressed or printed legibly upon thy head, face, and wrinkled ⟨p. 341⟩forehead. Thou hast his answer his own way, therefore be satisfied, and do not stand desiring that God would answer thee after thy way, nor complaining because he doth not. And we may reply not only to obstinate sinners, but to many of the people of God, when they enquire what the mind of God is, or what he intends towards them. His providences give you many items and memorandums; which if you can spell out and read you may know his meaning. This lesson, the signification of the word offereth us as the connection of the words offered in the former.