A81199:1297
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth chapters of the book of Job being the sum of thirty-seven lectures, delivered at Magnus near London Bridge. By Joseph Caryl, preacher of the Word, and pastor of the congregation there.An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth chapters of the book of Job being the summe of thirty-seven lectures, delivered at Magnus near London Bridge. By Joseph Caryl, preacher of the Word, and pastour of the congregation there.
London: printed by M. Simmons, 1655
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
But you will say, Do not good men, even the best of good men, decline sometimes, and go aside? or doth it argue every man to be wicked who declines at any time? I answer; Job speaks of what he had not done, not of what it was impossible for him to do; he had not declined, yet he might have declined. We find many declinings among the godly; how many are there that decline in degrees, who are godly in the main; They love still, but they have not the same warmth of love, the same heat of affection; They obey still, but they have not the same strength of obedience. There may be a declining also not only in the way, but from the way, to the right hand sometimes, and sometimes to ⟨p. 397⟩the left; there may be an exceeding, and there may be a coming short in those, as to actions, who, as to their state, are come home to God; these things are possible, yea common, but we speak of what many godly men do, and what should be the aim, and design of every godly man, that is, to keep the way of God, and not to decline, to keep himself up in spiritual strength, and to keep himself on in a spiritual course; yea every godly man may, and can say as David did (Psal. 18.21,) I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. Though every godly man cannot say as godly Job did, I have kept his way, and not declined, yet every godly man may say as David, I have kept his ways, and have not wickedly departed from my God; we should be afraid of declining and decaying, we should strive to be always advancing and increasing. And as Saints are under a command to be such, so they are under a promise to be such, (Psal. 92.12, 13, 14.) The righteous shall flourish like a Palm tree: he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God, they shall still bring forth fruit in old age: they shall be fat and flourishing. Here is not only a mention of growing, but of flourishing, and here's flourishing three times mentioned, and 'tis growing and flourishing not only like a tree, but like a Palm-tree, (which flourisheth under oppression) and like a Cedar (not growing in ordinary places, but) in Lebanon, where were the goodliest Cedars. Nor doth the Spirit promise here a flourishing in boughs an leaves only (as some trees do, and do no more) but in fruit;