ing to be reconciled, and has brought up to court, they cannot fully and finally fall from that state of friendship, and become enemies again; this state is a standing, abiding Itate; it is grace wherein we stand.

From the last words of the verse, And rejoice, &C. OBSERVE,

I. The life which believers are to have hereafter, is a life of glory, wherein they thall wear a crown of glory, 1 Pet. v. 4. after they are raisid up in glory, 1 Cor. xv. 43. and have upon them an eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17. being poffeffed of that glorious habitation of the faints, which is the paradife of God, 2 Cor. xii. 4. and enjoying the fellowship of glorified faints and angels, Heb. xii. 22. 23. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, so that they shall be free of all toil, trouble, and mifery, Rev. xiv. 13. and xxi. 4. of fin, and temptations to fin, &c.

II. This glory, whereof believers shall one day be put in poffeffion, is excellent and incomprehenfible, for it is the glory of God; a glory which the most wife and glorious God has appointed for them; a life of glory in full enjoying of himself, and of that unspeakable life of blessedness with himself, beholding him as he is, 1 John iii. 2. and face to face, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. Rev. xxii. 4. Matth. xviii. 10. viz. apprehenfibly, in so far as they are capable, tho' not comprehensively, he being invifible, Col. i. 15. 1 Tim. i. 17. and vi. 16. fee Eph. i. 18.

selves a right to glory, and have a groundless hope, which may puff them up, but will perish and prove unserviceable, Job viii. 13. 14. xi. 20. and xxvii. 41. Pfalm xi. 7. yet a true well-grounded hope of glory, is the privilege only of believers, Eph. ii. 12. and i. 18. 2 Cor. iii. 12.

1 Theff. v. 8. 2 Theff. ii. 16. and floweth from justification by faith, Tit. iii. 7. Heb. vi. 19. 1 Pet. i. 3. For, being jultified by faith----we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God: This is another fruit that flows from justification by faith.

V. However the wicked may look upon the hope of the godly as a dream, and account them fools in hoping for that which is out of fight, seeing themselves take nothing for certain which is only promised, and is not apprehended by fenfe; yet really it is no fancy, but a real thing, founded upon solid and lasting grounds, and yielding true matter of joy and confolation: We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

VI. Albeit the day of uninterrupted joy be but to dawn, and the full harvest of rejoicing be yet to come, when all tears shall be wiped from their eyes, Heb. xxi. 4. yet the Lord, in this valley of tears, alloweth his own people to joy and rejoice in him, Pfalm xxxiii. 1. Job ii. 23. Phil. iii. 1. and iv. 4. and that at all times, 1 Theff. v. 16. even in fufferings, Col. i. 24. Acts v. 41. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

VII. One main ground of rejoicing, which may bear up the spirits of his peo

many special privileges, as the earnest of more to be had afterward; yet he hath thought good to referve the main, till corruption hath put on incorruption, fo that the best share is yet but hoped for, and is not had in poffefsion: We rejoice in the bope of the glory of God. See Eph. i. 18. IV. Howbeit carnal perfons, who are yet in black nature, may fancy to them

to look to that inheritance which is incorruptible, which they have good ground to expect, 1 Pet. i. 4.5.6. Lukex. 20. therefore, favs he, We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

VERSES 3. 4. 5. And not only fo, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Y 2

:

And

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed.----

T

Hat the former fruit of juftification by faith, which the apostle mentioned, might be more amplified, he feteth down another effect, by way of preventing an objection, which might seem to arife from the benefit last mentioned, thus: You say believers rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, how can that be now, feeing they have a forry, poor, afflicted life of it? how can they either rejoice, or have any hope of glory, that are in fuch a miferable condition here away? He answereth, That afflictions and tribulations which they endure, are fo far from maring their bope of glory, that they rather promote the fame, and that they no way hinder their joy and rejoicing; both which he cleareth by saying, And not only fo, but we glory in tribulations; even in tribulations we rejoice, the worst of them cannot daunt our courage; we know they are but momentary, and they cannot make a separation betwixt God and us, Rom. viii, 28.35- yea, they do us much good, even here away: For, 1. Tribulation worketh out patience, not by way of merit, (for the word never imports that, but always the producing of an effect, either as the first cause, 2 Cor. v. 5. or fecond efficient, be it of evil, Rom. i. 27. ii. 9. and vii. 8. 1 Cor. v. 3. 1 Pet. Iv. 3. or of good, 2 Cor. ix. 11. Eph. vi. 13. or instrumental, Rom. iv. 15. 2 Cor. iv. 17. James i 3. and fo here) but as an instrumental cause, or occafion, through God's grace making believers become obedient in fuffering, not repining and grudging against God; knowing that as formerly he has wrought good to them thereby, and at length delivered them therefrom; so alfo he is able to do in their prefent trouble. And, 2. Patience produceth experience; as tribulations and croffes, which God fends upon his own, for the uial of their faith, works

patience, James i. 3. fo patience, under God's sharp ditpentations, whereby they wait for deliverance, helps them to tee many proofs of God's kindness, in the mean time, and of his faithfulnets in delivering them in the end, and so helps forward experience. And, 3. Experience helps forward hope; it helps them to expect a mitigation of the prefent evils, and a future deliverance out of all troubles whatsoever. And, 4. Hope maketh not ashamed; hope thus prompted by frequent proofs and experiences of God's faithfulness and goodnefs, maketh the foul to rejoice in the fadest days it can be in. And thus tribulations are fo far from maring believers hope of glory, or yet their joy, that they rather help them forward; for being now juftified by faith, they rejoice even in hope.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. Howbeit fuch as are justified by faith in Christ, are free from the lashes of God's curfe and wrath, yet are they not free from the lashes of the indignation of men and devils; so that juftification is fo far from keeping them from tribulation, that the rather they will meet with persecution at the hands of Satan's inftruments, and Satan will not be flack to bring on affictions; the Lord ordering all wifely, and permiting all for his own glory and their good; for here such as are jusufied meet with tribulation, that is, preffing affliction: See John xvi. 33.

II. Though juftification will not exeem folk from tribulation in a world, yet fuch as are justified by faith may rejoice in the darkest day of distress they can meet with. The grounds of a believer's joy are such as cannot be shaken by all the strong blasts of perfecution and croffing difpenfations in themselves, however they may be hid from the eyes of believers, upon those, or o ther occafions, whereby believers may droop and hing their heads: But we glory in tribulation.

III. Whatever carnal stoutness and hardinefs

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dinefs carnal ones may have in the day of trouble, whereby they may feem courage ous, and no way daunted or moved with all the afflictions they lie under, which even heathens may attain to; yet true joy, courage, and magnanimity, is proper only for believers, and is a fruit flowing from juftification: Bring justified by faith, we gary in tribulation.

IV. The joy of believers is not of the pature of the joy of the hypocrite, which is but for a moment, Job xx. 5. but it grows in the fouleft, coldest winter weather, no less than in the hotest and fairest fummer; as in profperity, when all is fair before them, and they enjoying fair and clear views of the crown of glory, which they have a right to; so in adversity, when all feemeth black about them, they rejoice not only in the hope of the glory of God, but also they joy in tribulation: fee Hab. iii. 17. 18.

V. As it is a greater matter for a believer to joy in tribulation or perfecution, than to rejoice when heaven is within their view; so one may no lefs conclude themselves justified, from their spiritually and heavenly joyful deportment under croffes, when they cannot win to a clear fight of the inheritance, or of their interest thereto; than if they were never so ravished with joy thro' the hope of the glory of God: Therefore it is added, as another fruit and effect of justification, and that with a but also, (which makes it a greater matter) that they joy in tribulation; and nct only fo, but we joy in tribulation also.

VI. This rejoicing in tribulation, which believers may, and often-times do attain to, is far beyond the capacity and reach of carnal men, who walk only by fenfe, and do not perceive, how even then the believer is upon the gaining hand, and reapeth advantage; fo, that as this joy of believers feemeth groundless and unreafonable unto blind natural people, so is it a joy, which they are not acquainted with.

This is the objection which the apoftle answereth, by saying, and not only fo, but also we rejoice in tribulation.

VII. The want of a clear uptaking of the great advantage which redoundeth to believers, by the fadeft afflictions which they can meet with, doth much mar their rejoicing under fad difpenfations; and that we may rejoice according to the Lord's allowance in the darkest days, we would study the advantage we will get thereby: Wherefore, fays he, knowing that tribulation worketh patience.

VIII. Howbeit afflictions in themselves be matter of fadness and grief, and means to drive from God, when they are not fanctified; yet, thro' God's bleffing, whereby all things work for the best to them that love him, Rom. viii. 28. they are ufe- ful and advantageous, for correction, 1 Cor. xi. 30. humbling, Job xxx. 16. 17. difco- vering our weakness, Pfalm xxxix. 11. encouragement to duty, Pfalm xxxix. 12 ;.. and in particular, believers are hereby get-ing occafion to exercise their patience, this grace hereby is put to work, tribulation worketh patience; it puteth them to a humble fubmiffion and condescendency, accepting chearfully what the Lord carves out for them, and puting their mouth in the dust, and fiting filent, because he doth it..

IX. So long as a foul freteth and repin-eth against God's difpenfations, and is like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord, Ifa. li. 20. and is not fiting down handsomly and contentedly under the yoke, and has not learned to wait on the Lord, until his time come, with patience and fubmiffion of spirit; afflictions are not working kindly, and the foul is hereby hindered from that life of joy, in the midit: of them, which otherwise he might have;: when tribulations work kindly, they work patience, and when this is done, then they joy in tribulation; we joy in tribulation;; knowing that tribulation worketh patience.

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