A plain and familiar exposition of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the…A plaine and familiar exposition of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the…

Verse 11. The grave and destruction are before the Lord: how much more the hearts of the sons of men?

Verse 11. The graue and destruction are before the Lord: how much more the hearts of the sonnes of men?

THE grave] The darkest places in the ground, or deepest places in the waters, where any dead corpse is, or hath been covered, and consequently all others as obscure as they, or lower than they, even to the very centre of the earth: [and destruction] the place and state of the damned spirits: [are before the Lord] he seeth both how the bodies consume, and how the souls suffer, and what be the thoughts of them that sustain such infernal torments: [how much more the hearts] the counsels, and purposes, and discourses, and motions of all the faculties of the souls: [of the sons of men] of every one in every age that is descended from the race of mankind, so long as he liveth on earth. Yet is not this an argument from impurity, in respect of God, as though it were easy for him to behold some thoughts, and hard to find out others: (for all are equally comprehended of him) but in regard of men, which with greater difficulty attain to the knowledge of that whereunto their sense is not able to reach, and with more facility discern that which is subject to their senses: and so according to themselves they conceive of the Lord.

THE graue] The darkest places in the ground, or deepest places in the waters, where any dead corpse is, or hath beene couered, and consequently all others as obscure as they, or lower than they, euen to the very center of the earth: [and destruction] the place and state of the damned spirits: [are before the Lord] hee seeth both how the bodies consume, and how the soules suffer, and what be the thoughts of them that sustaine such infernall torments: [how much more the hearts] the counsels, and purposes, and discourses, and motions of all the faculties of the soules: [of the sonnes of men] of euery one in euery age that is descended from the race of mankinde, so long as he liueth on earth. Yet is not this an argument from impuritie, in respect of God, as though it were easie for him to behold some thoughts, and hard to find out others: (for all are equally comprehended of him) but in regard of men, which with greater difficultie attaine to the knowledge of that whereunto their sense is not able to reach, and with more facilitie discerne that which is subiect to their senses: and so according to themselues they conceiue of the Lord.