Further, The darkness that (as Elihu saith) hindereth man in o• dering his speech before God, may be taken, not only for the darkness of the man, or of the person speaking, as hath been showed already, but also for the darkness of the matter, or of the things about which he is called or occasioned to speak. As there is a darkness of the Subject, so a darkness of the object, which David thus expresseth (Psal. 49 4.) I will utter dark sayings upon the harp: And again (Psal. 78.2.) I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old. A pa•able is a da•k saying, that is, a mysterious saying, a sentence not obvious to every understanding; there is a secret in parables (Prov. 1.5, 6.) A man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels, to understand a proverb (or parable) and the interpretation, the wo•ds of the wise and their dark sayings. When Elihu saith, We cannot order our speech by ⟨p. 581⟩reason of darkness, we may take it in this latter sense, as well as in the former; for as there is, and will be, some mixture of darkness with light in our minds, till we come to that inheritance of the Saints in light (Col. 1.12.) so there may be a darkness in the matter to be spoken of. Some truths are so mysterious, secret and hidden, they are so obscure, or lye so deep, that they are, by us, even unsearchable and unperceivable; and then we cannot order our speech about them by reason of their darkness, though possibly our selves may have attained some good measure of light. And as there are many things in the doctrine of Faith very dark to us, so also in those dealings of God with us, which reach our sense; we see and feel that which we know not how to give a reason or an account of. The light of the Sun is clear and shines into our eyes, yet there is a difficulty to understand the nature of Light. We are in the dark, even about Light it self; how much more are we in the dark about the hidden and dark works of God, in many of his dispensations towards the children of men! And surely then, we cannot order our speech (concerning them) by reason of darkness.
Further, The darkness that (as Elihu saith) hinde•eth man in o• dering his speech before God, may be taken, not only for the darkness of the man, or of the person speaking, as hath been shewed already, but also for the darkness of the matter, or of the things about which he is called or occasioned to speak. As there is a darkness of the Subject, so a darkness of the object, which David thus expresseth (Psal. 49 4.) I will utter dark sayings upon the harp: And again (Psal. 78.2.) I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old. A pa•able is a da•k saying, that is, a mysterious saying, a sentence not obvious to every understanding; there is a secret in parables (Prov. 1.5, 6.) A man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels, to understand a proverb (or parable) and the interpretation, the wo•ds of the wise and their dark say•ngs. When Elihu saith, We cannot order our speech by ⟨p. 581⟩reason of darkness, we may take it in this latter sense, as well as in the former; for as there is, and will be, some mixture of darkness with light in our minds, till we come to that inheritance of the Saints in light (Col. 1.12.) so there may be a darkness in the matter to be spoken of. Some truths are so mysterious, secret and hidden, they are so obscure, or lye so deep, that they are, by us, even unsearchable and unperceivable; and then we cannot order our speech about them by reason of their darkness, though possibly our selves may have attained some good measure of light. And as there are many things in the doctrine of Faith very dark to us, so also in those dealings of God with us, which reach our sense; we see and feel that which we know not how to give a reason or an account of. The light of the Sun is clear and shines into our eyes, yet there is a difficulty to understand the nature of Light. We are in the dark, even about Light it self; how much more are we in the dark about the hidden and dark works of God, in many of his dispensations towards the children of men! And surely then, we cannot order our speech (concerning them) by reason of darkness.
