A35535:2767
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the book of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus near the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the booke of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus neare the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...
London: printed by M. Simmons, 1661
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.
The words seem to be the prevention of an objection. For some possibly might say, 'Tis true indeed, God hath a large knowledge, his eye seeth far, but we hope we may sometime be under covert, or compassed about with such darkness, that the Lord cannot see us. Therefore (saith Elihu) there is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. The Prophet gives a parallel proof and testimony of this knowledge of God both in the affirmative and negative part of it. ⟨p. 666⟩(Jer: 16.17.) where he first asserts that God seeth all, mine eyes are upon all their ways, and then denieth, that any thing is a secret unto him, They are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. These latter words of the Prophet are of the same signification with these of Elihu, There is no darkness, &c.
The words seeme to be the prevention of an objection. For some possibly might say, 'Tis true indeed, God hath a large knowledge, his eye seeth farre, but we hope we may sometime be under covert, or compassed about with such darkness, that the Lord cannot see us. Therefore (saith Elihu) there is no darkness nor shaddow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. The Prophet gives a parallel proofe and testimony of this knowledge of God both in the affirmative and negative part of it. ⟨p. 666⟩(Jer: 16.17.) where he first asserts that God seeth all, mine eyes are upon all their wayes, and then denyeth, that any thing is a secret unto him, They are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. These latter words of the Prophet are of the same signification with these of Elihu, There is no darkness, &c.
We may take darkness two ways; First, for natural darkness, that darkness which spreads it self over the face of the earth upon the going down of the Sun, 'tis the privation of Light. Secondly, there is artificial darkness, that darkness which men make to hide themselves, and their actions in, from the eye of God or man; many are very skilful, yea and successful in making shadows to hide their actions from men: They cover the evil which they have done with such cunning excuses or flat denials, and they cover what they purpose to do (how foul soever) under such fair trappings of words, and specious pretences, they gloss their worst actions and intentions with such appearances of good, that the wisest and best sighted men cannot find them out. When Absalom had a most unnatural as well as a most disloyal purpose to raise a tebellion against his king-father, he coloured it with a devout profession of performing a vow; This was artificial darkness. 'Tis reported by the natural Historian, of a little fish, which seeing its enemy near, casts out a kind of blackness from it self, which darkens the water, and so escapes the danger. Thus men indeed hide themselves from man, and they would hide themselves from God too; but there is no darkness, neither natural nor artificial, that can cover their ways from his eye; No, Nor shadow of death.