Chapter 5. The Words Opened, and What Is Meant by the Evil Day

WE come to the argument with which the Apostle urgeth the exhortation, and that is double.

The first has respect to the hour of battel, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.

The second to the happy issue of the war, which will crown the Christian thus arm'd, and that is certain victory, and having done all stand.

First of the first, That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day; But what is this evil day? Some take this evil day to comprehend the whole life of a Christian here below in this vale of tears; and then the argument runs thus: Take to your selves the whole Armour of God, that you may be able to persevere to the end of your life, which you will finde, as it were, one continued day of trouble and trial, Thus Jacob drawes a black line over his whole life, Few and evil have the days of my life been, Gen. 47. What day shines so faire that over casts not before night, yea, in which the Christian meets not with some shower or other, enough to deserve the name of an evil day? Every day has its portion, yea, proportion; Sufficient is the evil of the day. We need not borrow and take up sorrows upon use of the morrow, to make up our present load; as we read of daily bread, so of a daily crosse, Luke 9:23. which we are bid to take, not to make, (we need not make crosses for our selves, as we are prone to do) God in his Providence will provide one for us; and we are bid to take it up, but we hear nothing of laying it down, till crosse and we lie down together; our troubles and our lives are coetaneous, live and die together; here when joy comes sorrow is at its heel, staffe and rod go together. Job himself, (whose prosperity the devil so grudg'd, and set forth in all his bravery and pomp, Job 1:10. as if his Sun had no shadow,) heare what account this good man gives of this his most flourishing time, chap. 3. 26. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet. There were some troubles that broke his rest, when his bed was (to thinking) as sort as heart could wish, even now this good man tosses and tumbles from one side to the other, and is not quiet. If one should have come to Job and blessed him with his happy condition, and said Surely, Job, you couldest be content with what you have for your portion, if you might have all this setled on you and your heires after you, he would have said, as once Luther, that God should not put him off with these. Such is the Saints state in this bottome, that their very life here, and all the pompous entertainments of it, they are their crosse, because they detain them from their crown. We need nothing to make our life an evil day more than our absence from our chief good; which cannot be recompenced by the world, nor enjoyed with it. Only this goodnesse there is in this evil, that it is short, our life is but an evil day, it will not last long; and sure it was mercy that God has abridged so much of the terme of mans life in these last days, wherein so much of Christ and Heaven are discovered, that it would have put the Saints patience hard to it, to have known so much of the upper worlds glory, and then be kept so long from it, as the Fathers in the first age were. O comfort one another (Christians) with this; though your life be evil with troubles, yet 'tis short; a few steps, and you are out of the raine. There is great difference between a Saint in regard of the evils he meets with, and the wicked; as two travellers riding contrary ways, (both taken in the rain and wet) but one rides from the raine, and so is soon out of the showre; but the other rides into the rainy corner, the further he goes, the worse he is. The Saint he meets with troubles as well as the wicked, but he is soon out of the showre; when death comes he has faire weather: but the wicked the further he goes the worse; what he meets with here, is but a few drops, the great storme is the last. The pouring out of Gods wrath shall be in hell, where all the deeps of horrour are opened, both from above of Gods righteous fury, and from beneath of their own accusing and tormenting consciences.

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 sufferings. Beza reads it tempore adverso, in the time of our adversity. Though our whole life be evil, if compared with Heavens blisseful 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 bottome of earth are mixt and particoloured, as was signified by the speckled horses in Zechariahs vision; Red and white, peace 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 up hill and down till we get to our journeys end, yea, we finde the deepest slough nearest our fathers house. Death, I mean, into which all the other troubles of out life fall, as streames into some great river, and with which they all end, and are swallowed up. This being the comprehensive evil, I conceive to be meant here, being made remarkable by a double article [illegible], that day, that evil day, not excluding those 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 terrours that comes behinde.

The phrase being opened; let us consider the strength of this first argument, with which the Apostle reinforcs his exhortation, of taking to our selves the whole Armour of God, and that consists in three weighty circumstances.

First, the nature and quality of this day of affliction, it is an evil day.

Secondly, the unavoidablenesse of this evil day of affliction, implied in the forme 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 your selves with thoughts of shunning battel; the evil day must come, be you arm'd or notarm'd.

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 Armour. These would afford several points, but for brevity we shall lay them together in one Conclusion.

We now come to the argument the apostle uses to press his exhortation, which is twofold.

The first argument looks at the moment of battle: 'so that you will be able to resist in the evil day.'

The second looks at the happy outcome of the war — which will crown the Christian who is properly armed — and that outcome is certain victory: 'and having done everything, to stand firm.'

First, concerning 'the evil day': what is this evil day? Some take the evil day to mean the whole span of the Christian's life here in this valley of tears. On this reading, the argument runs: take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to persevere to the end of your life, which you will find to be, as it were, one long continuous day of trouble and trial. Jacob drew a dark line over his whole life in these words: 'Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life' (Genesis 47:9). What day shines so fair that it does not cloud over before nightfall? What day passes without the Christian meeting some storm or other, enough to be called an evil day? Each day has its portion — indeed, its proportion: 'Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.' We need not borrow sorrows from tomorrow to make up our present load. As we read of daily bread, so we read of a daily cross (Luke 9:23) — which we are told to take up, not to manufacture for ourselves, as we are prone to do. God in His providence will provide one. We are told to take it up — but we hear nothing of setting it down until the cross and we lie down together. Our troubles and our lives are of the same age — they live and die together. Where joy comes, sorrow is at its heels; staff and rod travel together. Even Job — whose prosperity the devil so resented, and which is displayed in all its brilliance and abundance in Job 1:10, as if his sun cast no shadow — hear what this good man says about even his most flourishing time (Job 3:26): 'I was not at ease, nor was I quiet, nor was I at rest.' Some troubles broke his rest even when his bed was, by all appearances, as comfortable as heart could wish. Even then this good man tossed and turned and found no peace. If someone had come to Job in those days and congratulated him on his happy condition, saying, 'Surely, Job, you could be content with your portion, if only all of this could be settled on you and your children after you,' Job would have said, as Luther once said, that God should not put him off with such things. The condition of the saints in this world is such that their very life here, with all its splendid comforts, becomes their cross — because it keeps them from their crown. Nothing more is needed to make our life an evil day than our separation from our chief good, which cannot be compensated by the world and cannot be enjoyed alongside it. Only this mercy lies in the evil: it is short. Our life is but an evil day — it will not last long. And it was surely a mercy that God shortened human life so much in these latter days, in which so much of Christ and heaven has been revealed. It would have tried the saints' patience severely to know so much of the glory of the world above and then be kept from it as long as the fathers of the early age were. Comfort one another with this, Christians. Though your life is full of troubles, it is brief. A few more steps, and you are out of the rain. There is a great difference between a saint and a wicked person in regard to the troubles they encounter — like two travelers riding in opposite directions, both caught in the rain and getting wet. One rides away from the storm and is soon out of it. The other rides into the heart of the rain; the further he goes, the worse it gets. The saint meets with troubles just as the wicked do — but he is soon out of the downpour. When death comes, fair weather arrives. But for the wicked, the further he goes the worse it becomes. What he meets here is only a few drops. The great storm is the last. The outpouring of God's wrath falls in hell, where all the depths of horror are opened — from above in God's righteous fury, and from within through the accusing and tormenting of their own consciences.

Second, others take the phrase in a narrower sense, referring to those particular seasons of life when afflictions and sufferings press in with special force. Beza reads it as 'in the time of adversity.' Though our whole life is evil compared to the blessedness of heaven — our clearest day being night compared to that glorious morning — still one part of our life compared to another may be called good, and another evil. We have our seasons here. God's providences toward His saints while they are on this low ground are mixed and varied, as was pictured by the spotted horses in Zechariah's vision. Red and white, peace and war, joy and sorrow — all checker our days. Earth is a middle place between heaven and hell, and our condition here reflects both. We go uphill and down until we reach our journey's end — and we find the deepest swamp nearest our Father's house. I mean death — into which all the other troubles of our life flow, as streams into a great river, and in which they all end and are swallowed up. This — being the all-encompassing evil — is what I believe is meant here by 'that day, that evil day,' without excluding the other days of trial that come before it. Those are but so many smaller deaths, each snatching away a piece of our life, or like heralds sent ahead to announce the arrival of this king of terrors who comes behind.

With the phrase explained, let us consider the force of this first argument with which the apostle reinforces his exhortation to take up the full armor of God. The argument rests on three weighty points.

First, the nature and character of this day of affliction: it is an evil day.

Second, the unavoidability of this evil day, implied in the wording: 'so that you may be able to resist in the evil day.' This shuts out all hope of escape — as if the apostle were saying: your only option is to resist. Do not comfort yourself with thoughts of avoiding the battle. The evil day will come, whether you are armed or not.

Third, the absolute necessity of this armor in order to resist. Just as we cannot run from the evil day, neither can we stand against it and resist the force that comes against us — except we are clothed with armor. These points could each be developed at length, but for brevity we will bring them together in a single conclusion.