Chap. 30. Expofttiort upon the Book? of J o a. Verf. 23; 217 Jy fay, The fins of men have unbuilt or pul'd downe their bo- dyes. `Deathis the wages offin, ( Rotia, 6. a3.) And Matter fin pa;eth all his fervanes, with this black and badmoney, death. The Pfalmift pure this into a negative CZeftion, ('pfd. 89. 48, ) what man ie be that liveth andfhall not fee death ? Shall he deliver hiefoulefrom the hand ofthegrave ? Selah, His meaning is, no man can avoyde the fight ofdeath, or efcape the grave. And therefore the Holy Ghoft doth not leave th's affertion bare, but clofeth it with that word of,:Marke , that emphaticall fignalt word, Selab, to feale and affure the truth of it, or to com- mand our utmoft attention to it. This is aSelah of meditation, and it layetb a kind of arreft upon our fpirits, not to paffe from the text, till we have ferioufly 'and feelingly contdered thefe words,What man is he that liveth, and Jballnot fee death ? And left any man fhould prefume he might not, ThePfalmift expref- fed) man not by that common word Adam, which tells him that his original is from the earth, and fo naturally weake and very bridle ware, Nor doth he exprefle man by that word Ens,, which implyeth his accidentali or rather providential infirmi- ties fìckneffes and forrowes ; But he calls himGeber, which reprefents man in his belt (fate of ftrength, riches, honour and worldly greatneffe; as if he had fayd, What rich', what Great, what mightyman is there that liveth, and (hall not fee death. David indeed fpeakes ofTome, ( 49. y, 8, 9, to.) That truft in their wealth, and604 themfelves in the fin :altitude of their riches : rich men can doe great things, but here is á thing that they cannot doe ; none of them canby any means redeom hrs Bro- ther, nor give toGoda ranfomeforhim. Frorn what cannot a rich roan redeeme his brother? it is true of fpirituall redemption, yea that is furthelt out of the rich mans reach, money will riot doe ir. (t Pet. t . i 8.) we are not redeemed with corruptible things, filch as filver, and gold, bat with theprecious blood of the Son of god ; but the Pfaimiftfpeakes of a lower redemption , to which all the riches of man cannot reach, none ofthem can by anymeaner redeem' hie brother, or give to God a ranfeonefor him ; the redempti- onof their foule(that is, oftheir perfon from thegrave) ùpreci- ous, and it ceafethfor ever: And that he fpeakes of their-redemp- tion from the grave, is more clearly expreffed at the t tthverfe, that kefhouldtill livefor ever, andnot fee corruption. Jelus Chrift f did
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