Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
Ver. 24. Then is he gracious unto him, and saith] If the sick man, thus counselled and comforted, repent and believe the gospel, delivering himself up to God, and to that his messenger by the will of God, mercy and truth shall be with him, he shall be cured on both sides, as that palsy man was, Matthew 9:2, the Lord shall raise him up, if it may stand with his eternal welfare. But howsoever, if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him, James 5:15. Both the guilt and filth of them shall be taken away, so that he shall be able to look death in the face with everlasting comfort, as being made to him ianua vitae, porta coeli; a postern, to let out temporal, but a street door, to let in eternal, life.
Deliver him from going down to the pit] Tell him from me, that he shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord, as Psalms 118:17. Nay, say to this righteous man, tell him so from me, that it shall be well with him, and very well, Isaiah 3:10. Redeem him from going down to the infernal pit; that is, declare that redemption to him wrought for him by Christ, and apply it to his conscience, pour the oil of grace into his broken vessel, and assure him in my name, and by mine authority, that I am his salvation. Whose sins soever ye, my faithful ministers, remit, they are remitted unto them; and whatsoever ye loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven, Mat 18:18 Job 20:23. But all this ministerially and declaratively, not absolutely and out of a full liberty and power, as Popish priests arrogate. I have known one (saith a very grave divine, Mr Ley, in his Pattern of Piety) who neither by education nor affection was disposed to Popery, who having the ill hap when his conscience was perplexed to fall into the hands of a Popish priest, for this reason (because, as the priest suggested, that religion afforded more comfort, because it had, and exercised, a power to pardon sin, which our ministers neither did, nor dared assume unto themselves) he became a Papist. But it is honour enough to ministers, and may be comfort enough to their hearers, that God gives them commission to deliver a penitent man from hell; not as the means (for that is Christ alone), but as instruments: 1. To apply Christ crucified, or rather risen again, unto him. 2. To pronounce his safety and salvation, upon the due use of that means. And this is the greatest honour that ever was done to any mere creature. Angels never had such a commission. They indeed are ministers for the good of those that shall be heirs of salvation, Hebrews 1:14; but ministers are called Saviours, Obadiah 1:21 1Ti 4:16 James 5:20 .
I have found a ransom] Or, an atonement; a cover for his sin; as a thing is covered with plaster; or as, under the law, the ark covered the decalogue, the mercy seat upon it, and over them two cherubims covering one another; all which showed Christ covering the curses of the law, and expiating the sins of his people: which things the angels desire to pry into, as into the patterns of God's deep wisdom, who hath found out such a ransom, which he now professeth to accept for this penitent man, 1Ti 2:6 Psalms 32:1 .