Rom. 7, 48 Help withdrawn that we may know ourselves. An instance. JOB 33, is grass. Paul also had, by contemplating his own infirmity, 22. approached the destroyers, when he said, I see another law 23. 24.' in my members warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? To approach then to corruption, and to the destroyers, is for a man, on considering the infirmity of our human nature, to see that he is a sinner, as far as concerns his deserts, and that he possesses, of his own 1 arro- strength, no ground of boasting' in himself. For what are gantiam we, when bereft of the protection of our Maker? a protection which is considered to be less necessary, if always enjoyed. But it is withdrawn, generally, for our good, that it may be shewn to a man's own self how worthless he is without it. The hand of God, then, which bears us up, even when we know it not, in prosperity, brings us to a true knowledge of ourselves in adversity. And when we begin to fall, from being deprived of it, we are yet supported by its aid. It is a warning to us, that we are trembling to our fall, and His protection, that we remain stedfast. 34. 54. Let no one consider then that he has any real virtues, even if he is able to display any resolution: since, if Divine protection leave him to himself, he is suddenly unnerved and overpowered in that very point in which he used to boast that he was standing firm. For what is meant by the man of God, 1 Kings when directed to prophesy against the altar at Samaria, exerting 13, 1 in the king's presence the authority of bold speaking, by his miraculously withering the extended arm of the rash king, which he afterwards restored to health of his tender pity? by his refusing when invited, to eat in his house, because he kept the commands of the Lord, which forbade him to eat by the way? But yet he was afterwards seduced to eat on the same way, and perished when he had eaten. What do we gather from an accurate examination of this matter, what (if I may so speak) do we fear and suspect, except that he was perhaps silently boasting in himself that he had put contempt on the king in obeying the commands of the Lord? Hence it was that he was soon shaken from his inward stedfastness, and that sin stole on him in his work, from the same source as pride sprang up in his heart; in order that he might learn An instance to com of his c r what are protecti s enjored at it ma is wither Ten what nowled fall, fre . Ist Danger of death drives to the true safeguard of life. 49 XXIII. when deceived by the false prophet, that it was not of his Book own strength that he had withstood the commands of the king. But he rightly received the sentence of death from the mouth of that very person, by whose seduction he had turned away from the precept of life, in order that he might receive the true announcement of his punishment, from the same quarter by which he had through carelessness admitted a fault. Because then the grace of God more especially guards and instructs each of His Elect, at the very time when He seems to smite and forsake them, let it be rightly said, His soul shall approach to corruption, and his life to the destroyers; that so the more he is led by adversity to consider that he is in his own strength nigh unto death, he may, in all cases in which he has acted with resolution, have surer ground of life, by flying to the protection which comes from trust in God. JOB 33, i. BOOK XXIV. The last eleven verses of the thirty-third chapter and the eighteen first verses of the thirty-fourth chapter are expounded, and striking truths are taught concerning Christ the Mediator, contemplation, the course of conversion, and the pastoral office. 1. Ir was in speaking of the power of the Divine dis23. 24. pensation, that Eliu observed of the sufferings of each of the Elect, saying, His soul will draw nigh to corruption, and his life to the destroyers. And in speaking of the trials of a single person, he shews in what condition of trial the whole human race is placed; and in mentioning what specially befals individuals, he plainly intimates what takes place generally in all. For he so described the temptation of certain persons, taken in themselves one by one, that the temptation of all men in a body might be also understood thereby. For the whole body of the Elect suffers in this life under the pain of this labour. He therefore immediately introduced a general remedy to cure this general malady, saying, lxx. 9. Ver. 23, 24. If there shall be an Angel, speaking for him one of like things to shew the righteousness of man, he will pity him. ii. 2. For who is this Angel, but He who is called by the Is. 9, 6. Prophet, The Angel of mighty counsel? For because to declare is called "evangelize" in Greek, the Lord in anas Is.63, nouncing Himself to us is called Angel.' And he well says, If there shall be a messenger [or Angel] speaking for Rom. 8, him; because, as the Apostle says, He even intercedes for But let us hear what he says for us; One of like things. It is the way with medicine to cure disease sometimes by similar, sometimes by contrary, remedies. For it has frequently been wont to cure the hot by warm, and the cold by 26. us. e eighteen És iking truths ecourse of er Divine & each of the on, and i trials of the whe sperti Ses pla otation a Our Lord, being sinless, suffered for us freely. 51 cold, applications; and on the contrary, the cold by warmth, Book the hot by cold. Our Physician then, on coming to us from XXIV. above, and finding us oppressed with such great discases, applied to our case something of a like, and something of a contrary, nature. For He came to us as Man to men, but as a Just One to those who were in sin. He agreed with us in the truth of His nature, He differed from us in the power of His righteousness. For sinful man could not be amended, except by God. But it was necessary that He who was healing him, should be an object of sight; in order that He might amend our former sinful lives, by setting a pattern for us to imitate. But it was not possible that God could be seen by man; He therefore became man, that He might be seen. The Holy and Invisible God appeared therefore as a visible man, like ourselves; that while He seemed to be of like nature, He might teach us by His holiness. And while agreeing with our condition in verity of nature, He might put a stop to our sickness by the might of His skill. cata' 3. Because then the Lord, when coming in the flesh, did demn 18. 35. 24. su-cita edd. 52 Our Lord likened to us only in true Humanity. JOB 33, raised again like other men; because our resurrection is deferred to the end of the world, while His was celebrated on the third day. And we indeed rise by Him, for He rises by Himself. For He Who was God needed not, as we, to be raised up by any one else. In this then does His resurrection differ from ours, that we do not rise again of ourselves, as He did. For since we are simply men, we need some superior assistance to enable us to rise. But He as God Oxf. displayed the same power of raising' again with the Father and Mss.'re- the Holy Spirit, though He alone in His human nature had tionis. experience of it. Because then the Lord, though truly born, rising,' truly dead, and truly raised again, differs from us, in all these points, in the greatness of His power, but agrees only in the verity of His nature, it is well said that that Messenger speaks for us one of like things. For since He surpasses us in all His doings with His immeasurable power, yet in one point, the verity of His nature, He does not differ from us. 4. He speaks in our behalf to the Father, through that in which He shews Himself to be like us. For His speaking or intercession is His proving Himself to be Man for man's sake. And well, when he had said, He says one of like things, he immediately added, that he might declare the righteousness of man. Because, if He had not become like unto men, man would not appear just before Heb. 2, God. For He announces our righteousness, by the very fact 16. 17. that He deigned to take on Himself our infirmity. For that Gen. 3, fatal persuasion had polluted us all with the infection of sin from our very origin; and there was no one who, in speaking to God in behalf of sinners, could appear free from sin; because an equal guilt had involved all alike who were created from Rom. 5, the same lump. Therefore the Only-begotten of the Father came to us, and assumed our nature without committing sin. For it was requisite that one who could intercede for sinners should be free from sin, because doubtless He could not wipe away the infection of others' guilt, if He had to bear His own. It is well said then, that in appearing in our likeness He announced righteousness to men. For He proved Himself, in interceding for sinners, to be so righteous a Man as to merit forgiveness for others. It follows, 3. 12. very Ver. 24. He will pity him, and will say, Deliver him |