A81199:1398
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.
Fourthly, I answer; When God is said to repent, the change is not in God, but in us, God is always the same, but we are not. God is so much the same, that he never alters, and man is so little the same, that he is always altering; and, when he hath done evil, it is good for him that he is so. God did not change, but Nineveh changed by turning from sin, and Hezekiah changed by improving more in prayer, and therefore he dyed not at that time, ⟨p. 429⟩nor were they then destroyed. The change is in the creature, not in God, when that is changed which God speaks concerning the creature. He is still unmoveable in the same mind; all the motion is in the mind of man. It is in this case as with a ship putting out to Sea. When a ship sets out from the harbour, and sails by the shore, the unexperienced passenger thinks the shore moves from the ship, whereas indeed the ship only moves from or by the shore. So when we think God changeth, or is moved, the change or motion is only in our selves In one dispensation we take notice of the love of God, and in another of his wrath, in a third of his justice, and in a fourth of his mercy. These are changes upon us, but not in God. And these show that God changeth his course towards us, but they are no proofs of a change in God. For the love of God, and the wrath of God, the justice of God, and the mercy of God are still the same, but we changing are cast sometime under the effects of his love, and sometimes of his wrath, we are sometimes under the saddest droppings of his justice, and sometimes under the sweetest influences of his mercy. As when a man changeth his aspect, and turns about his body to another point, That part of the heaven which was before at his right hand, is now at his left; yet the heavens are as they were, they do not change either their position, or their motion, but the man hath changed his. Thus the wrath, and love, the Justice, and the mercy of God stand always at the same point; but man turneth sometimes Justice-ward, and sometimes mercy-ward; now he faces the wrath, and anon the love of God. And doing so, he meets with many changes in the dispensations of God toward him, but there is no change in the mind of God toward him.
Fourthly, I answer; When God is said to repent, the change is not in God, but in us, God is alwayes the same, but wee are not. God is so much the same, that he never alters, and man is so little the same, that he is alwayes altering; and, when he hath done evill, it is good for him that he is so. God did not change, but Noneveh changed by turning from sin, and Hezekiah changed by improving more in prayer, and therefore he dyed not at that time,