PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPINCOTT & Co.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 1871
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
"I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came (Job 3.26)."
So it was with Job, and so it appears to be with all the elect family. Job repeated this familiar theme later with: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble (Job 14.1)."
We know by personal experience these things are so, yet often struggle to find a suitable reason why. Jacob had lamented in his troubles, "...all these things are against me (Genesis 42.36)." This was a frequent complaint of Job, but not more so than many other sufferers. Much the same was expressed, too, regarding trouble by the psalmist. "They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end (Psalm 107.26, 27)."
The book of Job does not clear away all the fear and trepidation from the minds of those in trouble, nor can it be expected that full relief shall ever come in this life. Under the blessing of God, however, the book of Job, like no other book of the Bible, reveals to the poor afflicted children of God that He has a purpose in all their troubles. Moreover, Job's experience illustrates how others may mistake inordinate troubles as nothing more than justly deserved punishment from the Lord; punishment for every imagined evil and vile cravings. The three friends of Job did not draw such stern conclusions about themselves. Their bitter vitriol was reserved for Job at a time when he most needed comfort. They did not see any but Job deserving of such calamities.
Elder Durand followed another, and far more satisfying, path in pursuit of the root causes of Job's troubles.
Durand has given considerable thought to the case of Job. It shows in every chapter. He has written of Job and his associates in a manner far different from the general treatment dished up by those with shallow thought and hasty conclusions. He viewed Job as a type of the church in her afflictions, both collectively and individually. Durand has not carried the types to excess, as some in his day accused him. Rather, after suggesting the typology in the book of Job, he infrequently addressed the thought. His theme is the one we might expect from any commentator who has tasted the Lord is gracious. Durand explored with dignity and depth the sovereignty of God in the afflictions of Job as representative of the church.
Durand was somewhat severe – often harsh – with the three friends of Job, yet not nearly as severe or harsh as they were with Job. He labeled their speeches as just so much Arminianism, and took sufficient pains to fully establish this position. The publishers of this current edition of The Trial of Job agree without reservation.
We freely recommend this soul-searching work of Durand to the saints of God. It is one of the more spiritual books we have read.
It will be a mistake to draw any early conclusions of Durand's depth until reading the latter chapters of The Trial of Job. Should the Spirit of God rest upon the hearts of the readers while they explore this work, we can safely say they will be richer for the reading.
The Publishers (Welsh Tract Publishing)
September, 1997
TO ALL WHO LOVE THE TRUTH
THIS WORK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
ELDER SILAS H. DURAND
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REPUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF
THE OLD ORDER OF BAPTISTS
BY: WELSH TRACT PUBLICATIONS
P.O. BOX 1250
SALISBURY, MARYLAND 2 1802-1250
(not in business anymore)