Secondly, Others take the phrase in a more restrained sense, to denote those particular seasons of our life, wherein more especially we meet with afflictions and suflerings. Beza reads it, tempore adverso, in the time of our adversity. Though our whole life be evil, if compared with heaven's blissful state ; our clearest day, night to that glorious morning; yet, one part of our life compared with another, may be called good, and the other evil, we have our vicissitudes here. The providences of God to his saints here, while on this low bottom of earth, are mixed and party-coloured, as was signified by the ' speckled horses' in Zechariah's vision, Zech. i. 8. lied and white, jieacc and war, joy and sorrow, checker our days. Earth is a middle place betwixt heaven and hell, and so is our state here, it partakes of both ; we go uj) hill and down hill, till we get to our journey's end ; yea, we find the deepest slough nearest to our Father's house : death, 1 mean, into Avhich all the other troubles of oin- life fall, as streams into some great river, and with which they all end, and are swallowed up. This being tJie comprehensive evil, I conceive, to be meant here, being made remarkable by a double article, en fe emera te ponera, that day, that evil day, not excluding (hose other days of tribulation which intervene. These are but so many petty deaths, every one snatching away a piece of our lives with them, or like pages sent before, to usher in this king of terrors that comes behind.
The phrase being opened, let us consider the strength of this first argument, with which the apostle reinforceth his exhortation, of taking to om-selves the whole armour of God, and that consists in thi'ee weighty circmnstances.
First, The nature and quality of this day of affliction. It is an evil day.
Secondly, The unavoidableness of this evil day of affliction, implied in the form of speech, ' That you may withstand in the evil day.' He shuts out all hope of escaping, as if he had said, You have no way but to withstand; please not yourselves with thoughts of shunning battle ; the evil da}' must come, be you armed or not ai'med.
Thirdly, The necessity of this armour, ' to withstand.' As we cannot run from it, so not bear up before it, and oppose the force which will be made against us, except clad with armom*. These would afford several points, but for brevity we shall lay them together in one conclusion.
CHAPTER VI.
SHEWETH THAT THE DAY OF AFFLICTION IS EVIL, AND IN WHAT RESPECTS; AS ALSO UNAVOIDABLE ; AND WHY TO BE PREPARED FOR.
Doct. It behoves every one to arm and prepare himself for the evil day of affliction and death, which unavoidably he must conflict with. The point hath three branches.
First, The day of affliction and death is an evil day.
Secondly, This evil day is unavoidable.
Thirdly, It behoves every one to provide for this evil day.
First, Of the first branch ; the day of affliction, especially death, is an evil day. Here we must shew how affliction is evil, and how not.
First, It is not morall}' or intrinsically evil. If it were evil in this sense, first, God could not be the author of it; his nature is so pure, that no such evil can come from him, any more than the sun's light can make night. But this evil of affliction he voucheth for his own act : ' Against this family do I devise an evil,' Mic. iii. 2. Yea, more, he impropriates it so to himself, as that he will not have us think any can do us evil beside himself It is the prerogative he glories in, that there is no evil in the city, but it is of his doing, Amos iii. 0. And well it is for the saints, that their crosses are all made in heaven ; they would not else be so fitted to their backs as they are. But for the evil of sin, he disowns it with a strict charge, that we lay not this brat, which is begotten by Satan upon our impure hearts, at his door : ' Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted wi h evil, neither tempteth he any man,' Jam. i. 13.
174 THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO STAND
Secondly, If affliction were intrinsically evil, it could in no respect be the object of our desire, which sometimes it is and 4nay be. We are to choose afflic- tion rather than sin, yea, the greatest affliction before the least sin. Moses chose affliction with the people of God, rather than the pleasures of sin for a sea- son. We are bid to rejoice when wefall into divers temptations, that is, afflictions.
But in what respects then may the day of affliction be called evil ?