Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Ver. 3. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments] The tattered rags of the old Adam, the nasty filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness that yet remained in him (though in part regenerate), and intermingled with his best works. Sin is the devil's excrement; it defiles the soul worse than any jakes can do the body (as the Hebrew word here signifieth, and as our Saviour shows, Mar 7:20), or than the sanies of plague sore doth a garment. Hence that of the Church, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags," Isaiah 64:6. And that of Job, "If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean, shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall make me to be abhorred," Job 9:30,31. This is the same in effect with that of Paul, "I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord," 1 Corinthians 4:5; who, when he comes to turn up the bottom of the bag, as the steward did Benjamin's (Sacco solute apparuit argentum. Ambr.), he will manifest the hidden things of darkness, find out our thefts that we dream not of, open all fardles on that great fair day, the day of judgment. As in the mean while, should the Lord but break open that filthy sink of sin that is in the very best of us, we should not only be loathsome to God, Zechariah 11:8, and to good men, Proverbs 29:27, but even to our own selves also, as Job was, Job 42:6. Judas was not able to abide his own stench, Matthew 27:4,5. Yea, and some holy men (as Mr Lever, for one), when they have desired to see their utmost uncleanness, their corruptions in the most ugly colours, God hath heard them. But yet his hand therewith was so heavy upon them, that they went always mourning to their graves; and thought it fitter to leave it to God's wisdom to give them a sight of their sins, and to mingle the potion of sorrow, than to be their own choosers. See that excellent text, Job 15:14,16, and then stand aloof with the leper and say, I am unclean, I am unclean: yet, Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean.
And stood before the angel] His filthy garments notwithstanding: though we cannot say our hearts are pure, and our performances perfect; yet if we wallow not in sin, allow it not; if, with the daughters of Zion, we look upon our former neatness as nastiness, and fineness as filthiness; if we be in any measure purged from the love and liking of sin by the "spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning," Isaiah 4:4, Christ will neither abhor our presence nor reject our services. Aaron was to bear the iniquity of the holy offerings, Exodus 28:38. Christ is this Aaron. And though there be an inequality of expressions in duty, quoad nos, in us; yet there is a constancy of intercession by Christ, propter nos, for us.