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…

that is, while ye expect good times and things, ye fall into the worst, or the worst befall you. Now as these words, the shadow of death, signify the worst of, both in spirituals and temporals; so here they signify the closest concealment of moral evils; some sinners think themselves, as much out of sight as a buried carcass, and they veil their wickedness with such darkness as is like the very shadow of death. Sin is it self a shadow of death, yea death it self, and they who are dead in sins and trespasses, will do their best that their sins may be no more seen then the dead are. But there is no darkness nor shadow of death ⟨p. 668⟩Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

that is, while ye expect good times and things, ye fall into the worst, or the worst befal you. Now as these words, the shaddow of death, signifie the worst of, both in spirituals and temporals; so here they signifie the closest concealment of moral evils; some sinners think themselves, as much out of sight as a buried carcass, and they vail their wickedness with such darkness as is like the very shaddow of death. Sin is it self a shaddow of death, yea death it self, and they who are dead in sins and trespasses, will do their best that their sins may be no more seen then the dead are. But there is no darkness nor shaddow of death ⟨p. 668⟩Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

What it is to be a worker of iniquity, was opened at the 8th verse of this chapter, and thither I refer the reader. Only in general know, Workers of iniquity are more then ordinary sinners, they are cunning at the committing, and cunning at the hiding of sin. Some are but bunglers at sin, they cannot sin with such an hellish skill as others do, and when they have sinned, they have not the art of hiding it; but others are (as we say) their crafts-masters both ways, and they are properly called workers of iniquity. Yet (saith Elihu) the very workers of iniquity, they that make it their profession, their study, and their business to do evil, and to hide the evil they have done, to work mischief in the dark, and to keep their works in the dark, even they cannot be hid in any darkness. And when the Text saith, there is no darkness, &c. wherein the workers of iniquity may hide themselves; the meaning of it is, they stand naked, and in the open light before the eyes of God.