Abrahams Humble Intercession for Sodom, Commentary on Genesis 18 · Verse 27
Verſe 27. And Abraham anſwered, and ſaid, Behold, now, I have taken upon me ſpeak unto the Lord which am but duſt and aſhes.
IN theſe words we have Abrahams ſecond humble Addreſs to the Lord, in further interceding to him in behalf of Sodom; wherein he labours to gain ſomething more of the Lord, that though there were not ſo many as fifty Righteous within the City, yet there might be five and forty, and therefore intreats that he would not deſtroy the place for lack of five.
There are ſundry Notes to be obſerved hence.
Doct. XII. FRom the Style and Title that he gives to himſelf, is this, That men, yea the beſt of Believers, are but duſt and aſhes.
Job 17.14. I have ſaid to Corruption, Thou art my father; to the Worm, Thou art my mother and my ſiſter. Eccleſ. 12.7. Then ſhall the duſt return to the earth as it was.
Queſt. 1. In what reſpects are men, yea the beſt and greateſt of them, ſaid to be duſt and aſhes?
Anſ. 1. In regard of the firſt Originall of mans body, Gen. 3.19. Hence Elihu ſayes, Job 33.6. I am formed, or (as the Hebrew hath it) I am cut out of the clay. Our bodies are pieces of Clay, and we out of the earth are faſhioned and formed, and cut out into that form that God hath put upon us: we ſprung from the earth, and thence we had our firſt beginning. All of us are Terrae filii; duſt is the matter that our bodies are made of, Gen. 2.7.
2. In regard of our laſt reſolution: Gen. 3.19. Ʋnto duſt thou ſhalt return. Our bodies muſt go to duſt, though they have been never ſo curiouſly faſhioned, and never ſo much imbroidery beſtowed upon them, as it is Pſal. 139.15. yet to duſt all the faireſt beauty muſt go, and be covered with earth, and aſſimilated to that out of which it was firſt taken. Hence the bodies of the greateſt Princes are laid in the duſt, and are ſaid to go to their earth, Pſal. 146.3, 4. and of all it is ſaid, Eccleſ. 12.7. The duſt ſhall return to the earth as it was.
3. In regard of our vileneſs: duſt and aſhes are vile things, ſo are we vile, Joh ſtyles himſelf ſo, Job 40.4. Behold, I am vile; not onelyonly by reaſon of ſin, which is the worſt vileneſs, but in regard of the meanneſs and baſeneſs of our Nature that we carry about with us. Hence we are compared to the vileſt things, Job 25.6. Man that is a worm, and the ſon of man that is a worm: that one word ſignifies an Earth-worm, and the other a Belly-worm; both which are vile, and hold out our vileneſs to us.
4. In regard of the contemptibleneſs of our eſtate: duſt and aſhes are contemptible things, every one treads upon them; ſo contemptible are we, unworthy to be looked upon, unworthy to be trod upon by the Lord, unworthy to come where he is, unworthy of the leaſt of his mercies, Gen. 32.10. even ſuch as may be juſtly aſhamed, and bluſh to lift up our faces unto him, Ezra 9.6. Jer. 3.25. Dan. 9.7, 8.
5. In regard of the foulneſs of our eſtate: duſt and aſhes are foul things, they leave a kinde of ſoil and filth behinde them; ſo is our ſtate by Nature, we are all defiled as an unclean perſon or thing, and all our righteouſneſſes as filthy rags, Iſa. 64.6. Hence the Pſalmiſt, and the Apoſtle after him, deſcribing the condition of natural men, ſayes, They are altogether become filthy; ſtinking, as it is in the Hebrew, Pſal. 14.3. there is a duſty ſoil upon us all.
6. In regard of our unprofitableneſs: duſt and aſhes are little worth, unprofitable things; ſuch are we, and we muſt ſay ſo, Luke 17.10. Say, (ſayes Chriſt) we are unprofitable ſervants. Hence the Apoſtle deſcribing the condition of all natural men, ſayes, They are altogether become unprofitable, Rom. 3.12. good for as little as the duſt under our feet: Ʋnprofitable unto God, Job 22.2. & 35.7. unprofitable to other men; how little good do we to them? we may be aſhamed of it that we do ſo little: unprofitable to our ſelves; we can deſtroy our ſelves, Hoſ. 13.9. but any way to do good to our ſelves, it is not in our power by nature to do it.
7. In regard of our fickleneſs and inconſtancy: duſt and aſhes are blown away with every wind; ſo are we by nature driven away by every wind of doctrine, Eph. 4.14. and with every puff of wind of favour and applauſe of men, as Haman was; and with every wind of Satans temptations: ſo that we are as duſt and aſhes hurled up in the air, and ſcattered with all winds that blow againſt us.
8. In regard of the ſudden change of our eſtate: duſt and aſhes are ſuddenly removed from the place they were in; ſo is man ſuddenly removed from one ſtate to another, from proſperity to adverſity, from health to ſickneſs, from life to death: how many ſudden changes do we ſee made, as if like duſt and aſhes men were ſuddenly hurled out of their place and ſtate? who but Haman one day with the King, and within a little after hanged upon the gallows, Eſth. 7.10. Such viciſſitudes and changes there are on a ſudden, as if the duſt and aſhes flew up into the air all on the ſudden with a fierce wind.
9. In regard of the ignominiouſneſs of our eſtate: To be laid in the duſt, is to be ignominious, Pſal. 7.5. Let him lay my honour in the duſt; that is, Let me become moſt ignominious. Our ſtyle therefore being duſt and aſhes, it holds out this, That our condition is, while we are here, to be laid low: hence we are ſometimes laid as low as the duſt by affliction, and are ſaid to put our mouthes in the duſt, Lam. 3.29. How low was Job brought? The greateſt man in the Eaſt, was brought to ſit in the duſt, yea ignominiouſly to ſcrape himſelf upon the dunghill.
10. We are duſt and aſhes in regard of the fothleneſs and weakneſs of our condition. Duſt and aſhes have no power to reſiſt any wind that blows: and truly ſuch feeble things we are, unable to reſiſt any wind of temptation, any tempeſt of perſecution. How many fall away in theſe times? Alexander, Judas, Demas, yea all forſook Paul he ſaith, 2 Tim. 1.15. & 4.16. Puffs of perſecution and favour, puffs of wealth and honour, which are but as wind, theſe feeble men have no power to reſiſt, but are carried away with them, as duſt before the wind, Luke 8.13. 2 Tim. 4.10, 14.
Ʋſe 1. for Information. 1. We ſee how little in our own eyes we ſhould all be, for when we look biggeſt, and have the moſt lofty eyes, and have the moſt goodly thoughts of our ſelves, we ſhould then reflect upon our ſelves, and give our ſelves a check and curb, and ſay, We are but duſt and aſhes, and why ſhould ſuch duſt ſo exalt it ſelf? It well becomes poor duſt and aſhes to be humble, and lay it ſelf very low: the richeſt and moſt honourable duſt hath done ſo, Pſal. 131.1, 2. and the wiſeſt of the duſty ſons of men have done ſo, Prov. 30.2. and ſo ſhould we.
2. We ſee how many ſerious thoughts we are to have of our mertality, and of our returning to the duſt, for we are duſt and aſhes, and ere long muſt be all covered with duſt. Princes muſt return to their duſt, Pſal. 146.3, 4. Prophets to their duſt, Zech. 1.5. the Wiſeſt men to their duſt; Solomon ſlept with his fathers, 1 King. 11.43. the Holieſt men to their duſt, 1 King. 2.10. David ſlept with his fathers; the Strongeſt return to their duſt, as Samſon, Judg. 16.31. and ſo it muſt be with us all, and this we had all need ſeriouſly to think of, and to prepare our ſelves daily for, Job 14.14.
3. We ſee how weaned we ſhould be from all the greateſt men in the world what they can do for us, for they are but gilded duſt, they may think to raiſe us up, but in the day of their death their hands are bound, and their goodly thoughts periſh, Pſal. 146.4. We are therefore to enjoy their favour weanedly, for when duſt is laid in the duſt, what can that duſt do for us?
4. We ſee that in a way of well-doing we need not fear any man, how great ſoever he is, for he is but duſt and aſhes; and how weak is duſt and aſhes before the wind? if the wind of Gods diſpleaſure do blow, how eaſily is ſuch duſt ſcattered, and brought to nothing? Luke 12.4. Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, were great Perſecutors, but they were all duſt: ſo are all thoſe that now rage againſt Gods people; and why ſhould we fear them that are but duſt and aſhes? Iſa. 51.12.
5. We ſee that there is no truſt to be put in Princes, nor in any ſon of man, for he is as ſoon taken away as duſt before the wind, Pſal. 146.3, 4. See how God curſeth ſuch, Jer. 17.5. and how he pronounceth them bleſſed that truſt in him, ver. 7, 8. Who in his right minde would truſt to duſt and aſhes, which any blaſt will take away? Man is duſt, and as eaſily carried away as the duſt before the wind: what folly then like this, to truſt in him? It is as if a man ſhould ſcrape a heap of duſt together, and there reſt himſelf, and the next puff of wind ſhould preſently blow it all away.
6. We ſee what longings we ſhould have for heaven, for we are duſt here, and dwell in duſty houſes and tabernacles, ſo the Greek word ſignifies, 2 Cor. 5.1. that houſe in heaven is made of better materials then duſt, that building is worth the dwelling in. Here we dwell in houſes of clay, whoſe foundation is in the duſt, Job 4.19. but that's a ſtately houſe indeed, to be earneſtly deſired after.
7. We ſee how humble we ſhould be in all our holy addreſſes to God: ſo was Abraham here, I am, ſayes he, but duſt and aſhes. [But of that in the next Point.]
8. We ſee that when our deareſt ones leave us, and are ſometimes ſuddenly taken from us, we may not wonder at it, nor be too much troubled, for they are but duſt and aſhes, 1 Theſſ. 4.13, 14.
9. We ſee how admirable a workman God is, that out of the duſt hath formed ſuch a beautiful work as Man is: As he is wonderful in counſel, ſo he is excellent in working, Iſa. 28.29. No works are like his, Pſal. 86.8. out of ſuch matter to make ſuch work, ſhews the workman what he is.
10. We ſee what a dreadful thing it is for a man to ſtrive with his Maker: How ſhould duſt and aſhes reſiſt the Omnipotent One? Iſa. 45.9. yet thus do they that ſtrive againſt his Saints, and ſhall periſh in ſo doing, Iſa. 41.11.
Ʋſe 2. for Terrour to thoſe that are Enemies to God: How dare duſt and aſhes thus rebel againſt him, that can as eaſily blow them all away, as the wind drives the duſt away?
Ʋſe 3. for Humiliation to thoſe that are afraid of men more then God, Iſa. 51.7, 8, 12.
Ʋſe 4. for Exhortation: 1. To look at our ſelves as we are, and lye low before God when he afflicts, 1 Pet. 5.6.
2. To be very ſerious about our mortality, and pray, Pſal. 90.12.
3. To lay the death of others to heart, Eccleſ. 7.2. Iſa. 57.1.
4. To long to be there, where duſt ſhall not cleave to us, and we dwell in a better houſe.
5. To breathe after the Reſurrection, 1 Cor. 15.44. Phil. 3.2.
6. To hold up theſe duſty houſes as long as we can.
7. To beware of diſputing, Rom. 9.20.
8. To come awfully before God in holy duties.