Verse 15. For he is lunatick]
Or, he hath the falling sicknesse, as the symptoms shew. A common disease, but (besides that) the de∣vil was in it. The old manslayer makes advantage of our naturall humours (which are therefore the bath of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and the bed of diseases) to exercise his cruelty upon the poor creature by divine permission: seeking by the infirmities of the body to bring sin upon the soul.
The devil pushing him in, as it were, to destroy him, but could not. He is limited, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 doe as he would, else he would soon end us. If God chastise us* 1.1 with his own bare hand, or by men like ourselves, whip us as it were privately and at home, let's thank him, and think our selves far better dealt with, then if he should deliver us up to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 officer, to this tormentour to be scourged with 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at his pleasure. The wicked he oft casts into the fire of lust, and water of drunkenesse, and they complain not: like a sleepy man (fire burn∣ing in his bedstraw) he cries not out, when others haply lament his case that see afar 〈◊〉〈◊〉, but cannot help him. It hath set him on fire round about, yet 〈◊〉〈◊〉 knew it not: and it burned him, yet he layed it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Isa. 42. 25. See Prov. 23. 34. 35.