An Exposition upon the Book of Job (RHB and DA; 12 vols., 8,000 pages; 2001). This facsimile reprint is the first time Caryl's mammoth work on Job has been reprinted since the seventeenth century. The first ten volumes of Caryl's work are sermons that he preached at St. Magnus; the last two were completed after the Act of Uniformity. Believing that the Book of Job was relevant to the times, Caryl preached from it 424 times over a period of twenty-four years, averaging ten sermons per chapter.
It has been said that his congregation dwindled significantly during that time. History, however, affords no evidence to confirm this report. Besides, one must bear in mind that, over those twenty-four years, Caryl preached an average of three sermons on Job every two months.
Caryl's sermons are full of exegetical insights, experiential descriptions, and poignant applications. In true Puritan style, he brings all of Scripture and Reformed doctrine to bear on a text. His work is thus commentary combined with a comprehensive work on practical Christian living; it is a treasure of practical divinity. Because of its exposition, doctrinal content, organization, and Christ-centered focus, Caryl's work on Job has been called "the crown jewel of Puritan preaching."
His prefaces are also invaluable. They summarize the chapters explained in the volume and shed light on his hermeneutics and pastoral perspectives. For example, in the first preface, Caryl explains the contemporary relevance of the Book of Job. In the preface of the sixth volume, he stresses that preachers must promote righteousness by expounding true doctrine, reproving error, correcting evil habits, and promoting holiness. He stresses the need to compare Scripture with Scripture and refutes the notion that God does not use commentators and preachers to shed light on His Word throughout the generations. He acknowledges that human expositors, by no means infallible, are no better than spectacles for the vision-impaired compared to the clear view of truth that saints will enjoy in the coming glory. But, he argues, "Tis no wisdom for a dim-sighted man presently, to throw away his spectacles, though he be assured that within a while his eye-sight shall be cleared."
In the preface of the tenth volume (Job 32-34), Caryl defends Elihu and asserts that his address, as well as the entire Book of Job, may be summarized in six propositions:
1. No man can stand before God in his own righteousness.
2. God may afflict people, no matter how godly they may be, in whatever way and to whatever degree He deems fitting.
3. God's goals in afflicting believers are always wise and gracious.
4. Believers may not complain against God, as if He were "rigorous or unrighteous in the least," no matter how much or how long they are afflicted.
5. Complaining under or fighting against the afflicting hand of God yields no profit.
6. We should possess our souls with patience by glorifying God as just and good, even when everything seems to be going terribly wrong for us. We must wait by faith upon God until He grants a fresh experience of His goodness, either by "sweetening our troubles" and supporting us under them, or by bringing us out of them at His time.
Here's what others have said about Caryl's work on Job:
Spurgeon: "Caryl must have inherited the patience of Job to have completed his stupendous task. It would be a mistake to suppose that he is at all prolix or redundant; he is only full. In the course of his expounding he has illustrated a very large portion of the whole Bible with great clearness and power. He is deeply devotional and spiritual. He gives us much, but none too much. His work can scarcely be superseded or surpassed."
James Reid, an early nineteenth-century historian: "The whole work is strongly marked [by] sound judgment, extensive erudition, and genuine piety." In a memoir of Caryl, Reid said he had seen both editions of Caryl's commentary in the libraries of gospel ministers in various parts of Scotland and in many families. He recommended that it be included in the library of every minister and student of theology.
James I. Packer: "Caryl's control of his vast and complex canvas is masterly; he never loses the threads of the argument himself, nor permits his readers to lose sight of it, nor, in all his microscopic study of verbal detail and his proliferation of edifying inferences, does he go beyond the scope of his text. His analyses of the debate between Job and his friends in particular are models of lucid exposition."
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