As if he had said, As thy Magicians cannot, so I will not undertake to reveal the secret, but God both can and will, He will surely do it, yea, he is now doing it; the text speaks as of a present act, He maketh known to the King, &c. Thus (according to the exposition before us) Elihu say h here, Lest ye should say, we have found out wisdom; I tell you plainly, I will not undertake him, and I am much assured ye cannot, therefore Let God thrust him down, let God deal with him, and conquer him, not I, not you, not man, not any man. If God will use me as a poor instrument to do it, ⟨p. 89⟩I am ready, but the whole efficacy and power must be from himself. This carrieth a profitable and a holy sense; every good man ascribes the effect of all that he speaks in persuading others for good to the power of God. God must convert the sinner, not man, not the preacher; God must humble the proud, not man, God must cast him down from his high thoughts or cast down the high thoughts that are in him, not man; God must soften and break the hard heart, not man; in a word, 'tis God who both thrusteth man down by a gracious work of repentance and self-abhorrence, and raiseth him up by a powerful work of faith and holy confidence in Jesus Christ: when man hath done his best, he can do no•hing effectually, only God can. Whatsoever good man doth, God doth it in him and by him. Hence those creature-abasing and Christ-exalting questions (1 Cor: 3.5.) Who is Paul? and who is Apollo? but Ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. Paul puts a slight upon himself, and a slight upon all instruments, that the whole power might be of God, as he concludes (v. 7.) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. God only thrusts man down from his vain and carnal state, God only lifts him up unto a blessed and a heavenly state. This, you see, is an improvable interpretation, as the words are supposed spoken by Elihu.
As if he had said, As thy Magicians cannot, so I will not undertake to reveale the secret, but God both can and will, He will surely doe it, yea, he is now doing it; the text speakes as of a present act, He maketh knowne to the King, &c. Thus (according to the exposition before us) Elihu sai h here, Lest ye should say, we have found out wisdome; I tell you plainly, I will not undertake him, and I am much assured ye cannot, therefore Let God thrust him downe, let God deale with him, and conquer him, not I, not you, not man, not any man. If God will use me as a poore instrument to doe it, ⟨p. 89⟩I am ready, but the whole efficacy and power must be from himselfe. This carrieth a profitable and a holy sence; every good man ascribes the effect of all that he speaks in perswading others for good to the power of God. God must convert the sinner, not man, not the preacher; God must humble the proud, not man, God must cast him downe from his high thoughts or cast downe the high thoughts that are in him, not man; God must soften and breake the hard heart, not man; in a word, 'tis God who both thrusteth man downe by a gracious work of repentance and selfe-abhorrence, and rayseth him up by a powerfull worke of faith and holy confidence in Jesus Christ: when man hath done his best, he can doe no•hing effectually, only God can. Whatsoever good man doth, God doth it in him and by him. Hence those creature-abasing and Christ-exalting questions (1 Cor: 3.5.) Who is Paul? and who is Apollo? but Ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. Paul puts a slight upon himselfe, and a slight upon all instruments, that the whole power might be of God, as he concludes (v. 7.) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the encrease. God only thrusts man downe from his vaine and carnal state, God only lifts him up unto a blessed and a heavenly state. This, you see, is an improveable interpretation, as the words are supposed spoken by Elihu.
