" refreshment, bleffed be he; and if he will have me to be in darkness again, bleffed be he, glory to "his name! yea, what though he should utterly re ject me, is he not for that to be accounted infinite"ly merciful in the faving of others? must he cease "to be praise-worthy for my fake? If he condemn, yet he is to be praised, being merciful to fo many "others; yea, even in fo dealing with me, he is to "be praised, for in that he is juft." Thus would pure love reafon for him, and render praise to him; but our ordinary way is moft untoward and unbefeeming his creatures, the beft of them, much more fuch worms as we are; that things must rather be to our mind than his; and we muft either have all our will, or else, for our part, he shall havę none of his praises. 3. Labour for that which, on these two, will follow, a fixed beart. If it be refined from creature-love and felf-love, fpirituality and love of God will fix it, and then shall it be fit to praife, which an unstable uncompofed heart can never be, any more than an inftrument can be harmonious and fit to play on, that hath loose pins, ftill flipping and letting down the ftrings, pins that never faften. And thus are the moft; they cannot fix to divine thoughts, to confider God, to behold and admire his excellency and goodnefs, and his free love. Oh that happy word of David, worthy to be twice repeated, when fhall we fay it? O God, my heart is fixed; well might he add, I will fing and give praife, Pfal. Ivii. 7. Oh that we would pray much that he would fix our hearts; and then he having fixed them, we would praise him much. Direct. II. If any due difpofition be once attained for praifes, then muft the heart, fo difpofed, be set to ftudy the matter of praises. And that, 1. The infinite excellency of God in himself; which though we know little of, yet this we know, and fhould confider it, that it is far beyond what what all the creatures and all his works are able to testify of him; that he tranfcends all we can speak, or hear, or know of him. 2. Look on him in his works. Can we behold the vaft heavens above, or the firm earth beneath us, or all the variety of his works in both, without holy wonder ftirred in us, and that stirring us up to fing praises? Oh! his greatnefs, and might, and wifdom fhining in these, Lord, how manifold are thy works, in wisdom haft thou made them all, Pfal. civ. 24. But above all, that work, that marvel of his works, the fending of his Son forth of his bofom. This is the mystery which the Apostles do fo much magnify in their writings, this is the chief incentive whereby our Apoftle was induced to close this epiftle with praife, afcribing glory to him. This praife looks particularly back to the ftyle in the prayer, The God of all grace, who hath called us to bis eternal glory by Jefus Christ. So many other mercies are not to be forgotten, but chiefly is he to be praised for that choice of mercies, to his glory, who hath called us to his glory. Then look through the work of faving his chofen, fo redeemed by the blood of his Son, his maintaining his own work in them, against all surrounding enemies and oppofitions; the advancing it in the midst of them, and even by those oppofitions, and bringing them fafe to glory; that perfecting and establishment, as in the foregoing words; it is that which fo affects the Apoftle in the very entry of this epiftle, that there he must break forth into praise, chap. i. ver. 3. Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead. He begins there in praise, and here ends in it, and fo inclofes all within that divine circle. And as we fhould confider these things in general, fo fhould we also reflect on his particular dealing with us; his good providence in fpirituals and temporals. Would we fearch, oh what a furcharge of innumerable mercies fhould fhould each of us find! and were we better acquainted with the holy fcriptures, had we more our delight in them, they would acquaint us better with all these things, and give us light to see them, and warm our hearts, and excite them to His praises, who is the God of all our mercies. Direct. III. The heart being fomewhat difpofed to praise, and then studying the matter of it, fhould be applied actually to render praise; and in order to this we must be careful, 1. To aim at God in all, which is continued praife, to eye his glory in every thing, and chiefly to defire that as the great end of all, that his name may be exalted. This is the excellent way indeed; whereas moft are either wholly for their felf-ends, or often fquinting out to them. That foul is most noble that fingly and fixedly aims at exalting God, and feeks this stamp on all it speaks and does, and defires; all to the greater glory of my God. 2. To abound in the exprefs and folemn return of praise this way. To him be glory, not a cuftomary dead faying of it over, as is ufual with us, but the heart offering it up. What is fo pure and high as this exercise, the praises of the ever glorious Deity? What is heaven but these? and were it not beft, as we can, to begin it here, and long to be there, where it fhall never end? To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Ver. Ver. 12. By Sylvanus, a faithful brother unto you, (as I fuppofe), I have written briefly, exhorting, and teftifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye Stand. 13. The Church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, faluteth you; and fo doth Marcus my fon. 14. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Chrift Jefus. Amen. THE THIS is a kind of poftfcript, and contains its teftimony of the bearer, and the Apoftolic form of faluting. Withal, he expreffes the measure of his writing, that it was brief, and the end of it, that it was to teftify the true grace of God. And this is, indeed, the end of our preaching; and we ought each to feek it by the word, and by mutual exhortations; and fometimes a few words may avail much to this purpose, to our hearty establishment in the faith; and not only are we to believe, but to remember that we have the best of it; that there is truth in our hopes, and they fhall not deceive us. They are no fancy, as the world thinks, but the true grace of God; yea, when all things else shall vanish, their truth shall moft appear in their full accomplishment. The entertainment and increase of Chriftian love, of due esteem of one another, and affection one to another, is no matter of empty compliment, but is the very stamp and badge of Jefus Chrift upon his followers: It is, therefore, molt carefully to be preserved entire, and unhappy are they that do by any means willingly break it. Oh! let us beware of doing fo, and follow peace, even when it seems to fly from us. This peace that is the portion of thofe in Chrift, is indeed within them, and with God; but through Him it is likewise one with another, and in that notion to be defired and wifhed jointly with the other. VOL. II. Y y They They that are in Chrift are the only children and heirs of true peace. Others may dream of it, and have a falfe peace for a time, and wicked men may wish it to themselves and one another; but it is a most vain and infignificant hope: But to wish it to them that are in Chrift, hath good ground; for all folid peace is founded in him, and flows from him. Now the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Jefus Chrift. Amen. END OF THE COMMENTARY ON FIRST PETER. EX |