Chap. 34. ,,dn Expofation span the Lokof J o B. Verf. 23. 667 aline of light coming in to them, deathwraps us up in extream- eft darknefs. And we finde in Scripture, thefhaddow of death put lids, to exprefs the'extreamef} of fpiritual darknefs, or the dark eft fpiritual Rate, (Ifa. 9. a.) he people that walked in darlfnefr, have feesa great Irght, they that dwell in the land of the fhaddow of death,upon them hatjs the lightfhined : that is,rhey that werewrap- ped up in the ignorance & utter unbelief of God inChrift,to thefe is Chrift,the true light of God, the Sun of righteoufnefs preached and openly revealed,and they preffed tothe receivingof him,that their fouls may live further as the fhaddowof death is put for the worfl of fpiritual evils, or to note man's natural fiate before conversion, fo likewife, it is ufed in Scripture tonote the wort of his fpiritual evils, who (being converted) is ina fpiritual fiate ; He that is in a fpiritual flare, maybe under great fpiritual evils, great foul afflictions and troubles may fall upon him ; which conceive `David intended while he Chewed fuch high confidence, (Pfal. z3, 4.) Though Iwallt through the valley of the Padden, of death, Iwillfear noneevil: as if he had Paid, Though I were in the worft of foul. afflictions, having no light of the favour of God aliningupon me, nor any comfort in my fpirit, though (asHeenan bemoans his deferred condition (l'fal. 88. 3.) My foul is fall of troubles, and my life draweth nighunto thegrave, though I am laid in the lowest pit, in darknefs, an the deep, yet I will fear no evil, for thouart withme, thy rod and thy ftaff'e they comfort me. Again, the fhaddow of death is often put in Scripture for the wort of outward worldly evils , (Ter. 13, 16.) Give glory totleLord your God before he Golfe darknefs, &c. and whileye look for light, he turnit into thefhaddow of death ; that is, while ye expe6t good times and things, ye fall into the worff, or the worft befal you. Nowas thefe words , the fhaddowof death, lignifie the worfi of, both in fpirituals and remporals ;, fo here they lignifie the clofeft concealment of moral evils fome linters think themfelves ,as much out of fightas a buried carcafs, and they vail their wicked - nefs with fuchdarknefs as is like the very fhaddow ofdeath. Sin isitfelfa(haddowofdeath, yea death it fell, and they whoare dead in finsand trefpaffes, will do their heft that their fins may beno more feen then the dead are. But there is no darknefs nor fhaddowof death C..c19o..
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