Chap. 34. An Expofition upon the Boob, of J o .s. Verf. 22. plain'd, (Pfal. r 3.i.) How long wilt thouhide thy face from me ? ). alwayes in the fpiritualiryof his own nature ; fo finful men would be hidden too : though they cannot be hidden as to their nature, that Ling corporeal, yet they would hide themfelves in their will, their wits are bentuponit, tomake covers and lhaddows for themfelves, that they may keep out of the fight of God, or that they maynot be feen of him, whocannot be feen, but is, in that fence, à godthat hideth himfelf. And as men cannothide themfelves from the fight of God, fo not, fecondly, from the revengingpower of God : This followeth . the former; for he that would keep out of the fight of another, dothit ufually thathe may be hid fromxhat danger and evil which he fears that other might bring uponhim. Thus it is with the fin- ner, he bath his hidingplaces, he would withdraw himfelf from the revenging power of God, like a malefator, who is unwilling to appear andcome to the Bar beforehis Judge, but all in vain. Meer natural or unregenerate men are much hidden from themfelves ; that is, they fee little what themfelves are, they knownot their own condition, nor upon what terms they Rand ;. evenarolyman is much hidden from himfelf, his life is hid with Chrifi to God, (Col. 3. 3.) his life is not onlyhidden from the world, but in agreat meafure from himfelf the excellency of his fpiritual date furpaffeth his prefent fight : but awicked man is much more hid from himfelf, he doth not fee the wickednefs of his ownheart, nor the danger, the defperátedanger he is in, he feeth not that he is within a flep ofthe pit, or that there is, as it were, buta wainCcot between him and hell fire ; he feeth none of there things. Thus awicked man is hidden fromhimfelf, and'tis his work to preparedarknefs and fhaddows of death to cover hi; deadworks fromGod. But there is no darknefswill fervehis pur- pole, norJhaddowof deathwhereinhemay,hide himfelf.. Hence Note. Firfl, It is ufual for, and natural to fa'nnert, to feek hiding places: When- Elihu faith; There is nodarknefs, &c. he plainly inti- mates, that it is the defigneandbufinefs of finners,to make da k-. nefs to hide themfelves ; it isasmuch their bufinefs tohide them- felves when they have done evil, ,as > it is their bufinefs todo evil. W iì1 . 64
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