Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

hands; and that God is not holy with them, nor innocent, nor elect unto them. But they consider that whatever the godly do is altogether ungodly in the sight both of God and man: and therefore, they condemn the whole that the godly say or do as foolishness, error, sin, heresy. So that, all these words which are spoken in the person of the church, cannot be understood but by faith but they are true, though they appear to be quite the reverse in the sight and estimation of men; as I have often observed.

From these things we understand that the prophet in this place does not speak of the election of eternal predestination, nor of the first grace of justification, but of the fruit itself, the practice, the works, and rewards of justification. For he wishes to shew what the word and grace of faith work in men and obtain from God: according to that of 1 Sam. ii. "Him that honoureth me. I will glorify him: but they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." For man does not honour God first, before he is visited with grace, and honoured of God: but, when he has received grace, then he labours from that time, not to fall from grace on account of men, either friends or enemies, and not to do any thing that may offend God. Where, therefore, he suffers shame and ignominy from men for the sake of God, persevering all the while in honouring God, God gives him glory for this shame, and, contrary to the opinion of all, with the holy he will be holy, and to the elect he will shew himself elect.'

That this is the meaning of David is proved by what precedes and what follows; when he says, 'that he was recompensed according to the cleanness of his hands:" by which he clearly shews, that he was now in possession of first grace, and suffering evil, and in the way to be chosen (or held precious) and honoured of God. And he afterwards says, "For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks:" whereby he shews, that he was now in the exercise of grace received, and in the midst of the proud.

And I have observed before, that it becomes a

reader of the holy scriptures to observe diligently, that he apply not those words of God to the beginning of grace which speak of the fruits and work of grace. It is from this error that that poison of heresy took its rise, which ascribes to free-will the power of disposing itself to receive grace! And such erroneous ones fall into this error in their acceptation of that passage of Zechariah, “Turn ye unto me and I will turn unto you,” and the like scriptures.-Wherefore, we are in this passage to understand holy, innocent, elect, to signify a godly man, who is accounted in his own eyes, and in the eyes of the ungodly, the most wicked, the least innocent of all, and reprobate, altogether unworthy to live, and the most brutish and despicable of all men.-And God's being holy, innocent, and elect unto, or with, or to such an one, signifies nothing more or less, than that he is a despiser of all respect of persons, and looks only at these humble and despised ones, that he may make them manifest as being, and declare them to be, saints, holy, innocent, and elect; and that, because they openly confess, and in their hearts allow, him to be holy, innocent, and

elect.

Hence you may understand God to be holy with the holy, in two ways, both actively and passively :—in that he sanctifies them, and in that he is sanctified by them. And this is that which Christ also says, Matt. x.. 32, "He that confesseth me before men, him will I also confess before my Father." And again, John xii. 26, 'He that ministers unto me, my Father will honour him.' And how does he honour him? but by declaring and manifesting that he is a saint, holy, innocent, and elect; though the ungodly have accounted him, and declared him to be, profane, and an injurious and abandoned and lost character. These, therefore, are words of consolation to those, who, living godly in Christ, are despised by this world.

Again, "With the perverse thou wilt be perverse.' Here we have described and set forth that proud Moab who is always ready to teach God, and to judge of all things which God does and says in and respecting his

elect. And yet, all the while, he does nothing else but sound forth God from his mouth, presuming that he teaches all sacred and holy things. And this was the peculiar vice of the Jews above all other nations. But God is not perverse to them, as to his nature, he is only so as to his word and his works, in which he reigns in godly men.

Wherefore, we who observe that the prophet is here speaking in the Spirit, understand this perverse man to signify him, who is not only not perverse in his own eyes and in the eyes of men, but the only truly holy, innocent, and elect character, and one who is altogether a holy of holies; one that builds his nest among the stars, and considers that he is a ring upon the right hand of God; in the eyes of whom, all things are nought and polluted that the righteous do or say, and his own things all fair and bright. But by this very perverseness whereby he thinks perversely of God himself and all others, he deserves that God should pervert him as he perverts God, and that he should be made manifest to all as being perverse.

Ver. 27. For thou wilt save the humble people, but wilt bring down high looks.

You see that all these things are spoken in the person of the people of Christ, who are holy, innocent, elect, &c. but yet humble; that is, despised, and appearing to be any thing but this holy, approved, and elect people, in the eyes of these proud and perverse ones. Here, therefore, David gives a reason for all that he had before said, and proves and declares God to be good, and his judgment righteous. God (he shews) therefore sanctifies the holy, because he saves the humble: and the saints are humble, that is, vile and cast out by others. And God also therefore perverts the perverse, because he brings down the high looks of the proud: and the perverse are proud, and honoured and magnified by others. As if David had said, This, O Lord, is thy justice and equity, nay, thy nature,―to exalt and lift up the humble and to dwell with them; but to humble the proud and

to oppose them. Of which we have said much before, and the scripture is full of it.

And David very appropriately said, the eyes or looks of the proud,' not, the proud.' For the great vice of the proud is in their eyes; because they mind high things, and see those great things in themselves which have no existence. So that there is no necessity for talking about humbling those things in which the proud pride and boast themselves, because they have no existence it is only requisite to bring down their eyes and looks, by which they look with contempt upon the humble, and admire themselves. Hence, Prov. xxx. 13, "There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes, and their eye-lids lifted up." On the other hand, Paul says, Rom. xii. 16, " Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate." And Job xxii. 29, "When men are cast down, then thou shalt say there is a lifting up; and he shall save the humble person." Thus the ungodly have their eyes lifted up to their virtue, righteousness, and wisdom; but the humble have their eyes cast down to their infirmity, sin, and foolishness. Therefore, a bringing down shall attend the proud, and glory shall be the portion of the humble: as we have it, Prov. xxix. 23, “A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." And we have the same, Prov. xvi. 18. O what words! O what weighty scriptures!

[ocr errors]

Ver. 28.-For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will lighten my darkness.

It is quite clear that this also pertains to the people of Christ; for Christ himself has no darkness that wants lightening. What David says is this, Those proud ones, O Lord, have lofty eyes; and every proud one is to himself a light and a guide; he hears no one, he believes no one, not even God himself, whom, together with all those who are his, he perverts. But thy people are made fools that they may be wise; and, despairing of themselves, they give all glory unto thee, and subject themselves to thy government, willing and wishing to be

[ocr errors]

directed by thy light: as it is said, Psalm lxxxix. "They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. And Psalm iv. "Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us.' ." And again, Psalm xxxii. 8, "I will guide thee with mine eye."

And this the prefigurative journey of the children of Israel sets forth in Exodus; where they are said to have passed through a horrible desert, in which there were fiery serpents, scorpions, and vipers: as we have it Deut. viii. where it is said, that the children of Israel were not led by their own guiding, but by a cloud, and a pillar of fire by night: that is, by divine illumination. Thus also Jerusalem arose with Christ and was illumined, because its light was come and the glory of the Lord was risen upon it; so that even the gentiles should walk in its light, and kings in the brightness of its rising: as we have it, Isaiah lx. 19, "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory."

Concerning this light sufficient has been said, Psalm iv. that it is the Word of the Gospel: as Peter saith, 2 Epist. i. 19, "We have a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts." For in the midst of so many perturbations within and without, and, as it were, under and in the midst of this most dark tempest, we have no other star to steer by than the Word of God, by which all who are preserved and saved steer their course. And what is this "candle" of ours which is lighted by the illumination of the Word? It is without doubt our heart; and whether you call it the conscience, or the understanding, it is all one and the same thing.

And observe here, there is nothing ascribed to natural guidance, or the general prudence of the flesh; for David in open words here calls all that prudence and human guidance which is without the operation of the Word, "darkness;" and this is the darkness that he prays to

« AnteriorContinuar »