rable: 5. or nakedness; that is, shame and difgrace, and fuch pinching poverty as they can hardly get their nakedness covered, and this is moft grievous to generous fpirits: 6. or peril; fo as their life fhall be ftill in jeopardy, being still under fear and in danger: 7. or fword; that is, any kind of violent death. That he might not be thought needlefly to affright and terrify believers with fuch dreadful calamities; he therefore proves, that fuch do attend them, and that the worst of these enumerated, were ordinary, and that the peo ple of God have been acquainted with formerly; and for this caufe citeth a paffage out of Pfalm Ixiv. 22. faying, As it is written, for thy fake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as Sheep for the got his feet fastened upon good ground, and feen Chrift manifefting the ftrongeft love that ever was heard of, dying, rifing, fiting down at the right hand of God, and daily interceeding for him and all believers; and therein alfo feen the love of God in Chrift to all believers, juftifying them for Chrift's fake, whom he welcomed, as being fully fatisfied with what he paid, and fet him down upon the throne of majesty and power as their head, he now crieth our, Who shall feparate us from this love? is there any evil in a world which fhall hinder us from meeting with the fruits of that love? or hinder it from favingly fhin ing upon us? and he fays, who, in the mafculine gender, and not what, in the neuter, as it were, thereby giving these particulars which he mentioneth afterward, all advan-flaughter: as if he had faid, I do not of tage imaginable, feting them forth as fo many valiant champions and perfonable men, the more to make the victory, over fuch, famous. Now in particular, he reckonech up feveral of thefe evils, which do ordinarily attend believers in a world, and which do ordinarily jumble them, and put them to question God's love towards them, and fufpect that he had given up with them, and that they fhall never enjoy the purchased inheritance and bleffing; and he reckoneth them up by way of interrogation, as it were, cafting the gantlet to all of them, and to every one of them, in way of holy defiance: And 1. Shall tribula tion; that is, all affliction which is like to opprefs and break a man, John xvi. 33.: 2 or diftrefs; this is more, the word pro perly fignifies, a ftraitness of place, whereby one being pinched, fuffereth pain; and is tranflated to the mind, fignifying fuch anxiety of fpirit, as they know not what courfe to take, or what hand to turn them to: 3. or perfecution; that is, fuch tyrannical violence as drives them from the land of their nativity, and makes them forced to wander in ftrange places: 4. or famine; that is, extreme fcarcity of all neteffaries for the life, which is most intole mine own head mention thefe troubles that attend the juft, but I make it out to be the common lot of God's people in all ages; for in that Pfalm, which has been penned upon occafion of the church and people of God their being perfecuted for adhering to the Lord (whether under the Philiftines, or under Antiochus, or fome other) and is, as it were a prophecy of the cafe of the church of God in all ages, the people of God are flaughtered, and, as it were, taken to the shambles, and no more valued than as many fheep flaughtered for meat. Having thus reckoned up the worst that can befall the people of God hereaway in a way of holy defiance, he adds the ground of his triumph, verse 37. aud therein coucheth an aufwer unto the former queftion, as if he had faid, All these things, how fad and grievous they seem to flesh and blood, and hard to be endured, and how ready foever carnal reason be to conclude from thence God's hatred, and make fouls queftion the love of God, yet cannot feparate us from the love of Christ; thefe clouds cannot hinder the influences of his love from coming down unto us, nor fhould they make us queftion his love towards us; and then addeth the ground Christ? Chap. VIII. are fate from the reach of any juft accufa II. Tho' believers being now in Christ, or a mifguided confcience, and have an intion or condemnation at the hands of Satan, tereft in Chrift, dying, rifing again, and fiting down at the Father's right hand, and have a strong friend at court; yet all that will not ral forts of hardships in a world: for even exeem them from fad exercises, and fevefuch as may fay, It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is rifen again, who is even interceffion for us, will meet with tribulaat the right hand of God, who alfo maketh tion and distress, &c. of this his confidence, faying, But in all | What shall separate us from the love of thefe, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us: the word is moft emphatical, fignifying, to overcome over and above, to overcome above measure, and exceeding gloriously, to have the better by many degrees. So fays he, thefe external croffes are fo far from pnfhing us off our ground, these enemies are fo far from over coming us, that on the contrary we over come them, and more than overcome them; We are more than conquerors and leaft believers should hence wax proud, or impute any thing to their own ftrength, he addeth, through him that loved us; to fhew that their stability was not caused through any thing in themfelves, but in and thro' the ftrength of God, who had loved them freely. Here likewife is a ninth motive unto a christian carriage under fad difpenfations, which may be framed thus, If no fort of affliction or tribulation, which the people of God may meet with in a world, is able to feparate them from Chrift's love, or do them any fkaith in that kind; then believers need not be much troubled with thofe things, but ought to walk chriftianly and valiantly under all thefe: But fo it is, that no fort of affliction is able to feparate us from the love of Chrift, yea, in all these we are more than conquerors; There fore, &c. From verfe 35. OBSERVE, I. As believers are confcious of their own weakness and impotence to ride out ftorms, and fo are oft afraid that fore and fad calamities fhall make them turn their back on Chrift; fo they are ready alfo to look upon fharp and preffing afflictions as not flowing from love, but rather from hatred, and thereby are ready to queftion the love of God to them, when he is pleafed in his wife providence to exercife them fo for this caufe the apoftle doth frengthen believers against thefe, and lay, look to meet with in a world, are not light III. The afflictions that believers may fharp, fo as they fhall be fqueezed as in in themfelves, but fuch as are preffing and a wine-prefs, to speak fo; they will meet with tribulation, and be, as it were, in the boots: for the word rendered tribulation, cometh from a verb that fignifieth to prefs and pinch, as a strait fhce doth the foot. preffures, if the mind and fpirit were at IV. It were little to be under outward liberty; but believers will not only have the fame time may expect to have their outward affliction preffing them, but at fpirits bound in on all hands, that they fhall fee no poffible way of efcaping, but be in hazard of concluding themfelves dead be fo invironed with trouble, as and gone, as 1 Sam. xx. 3. and they will xxiv. 14, and fo be filled with anguish and know to what hand to turn, as not to vexation of fpirit, fo will they meet with 2 Sam diftrefs. wicked against the godly, that if they have V. So enraged and embittered are the any power, they will not fuffer them to live in peace and quietnefs, but will uf force and violence against them; and be lievers may expect no lefs at their hand (if the Lord restrain not) than open per fecution fecution; and therefore they should keep | of God, as never thinking themfelves fafe fo long as they, are in the land of the living; they must even look for the fword, and this is the utmoft that perfecutors can win to, Matth. x: 28. Fear not them which can kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul. a loofe grip of houfe and harbour, and refolve to quit all their accommodations, and to be put, when the Lord thinks fit, to wander in defarts, and in mountains, and in caves, and in dens of the earth, Heb. xi. 38.: for amongst the rest of the evils which attend believers in the world, perfecution is one; it were good then to be looking on this world, not as our home, but as the place of our exile. VI. The portion of the godly not being in a prefent world, they need not expect much of it, but may lay their account to wrestle with penury, pinched bellies, and fcarcity of all things neceffary for a prefent life, and to be from hand to mouth, and fometimes not fo well; they may refolve even to meet with famine. VII. So favage, barbarous, and cruel will the perfecutors of the godly be fomnetimes, that they will not only banish them in deferts, where they fhall have no liveli hood; but strip them naked alfo, and expofe them to the injuries of wind and weather; and tho' the wicked cannot enough fet forth themfelves in gorgeous apparel, and glory in that which is but a covering to their fhame and nakednefs, and wear frange apparel, Zeph. i. 8. yet the truly godly may be fo pinched, as fcarce to be able to procure what may cover their nakedness in honefty, yea, and may be expofed to fhame and fcorn, as having their nakednels uncovered; fo will they meet with nakedness. VIII. Yea, fo hard may the life be that believers may have in a world, that they may know little what peace meaneth, and be daily in hazard of their lives, and fo fpend much of their time in jeopardy: thus they may be in perils. See 2 Cor. xi. 26. IX. Not only may believers look for dangers and perils, but even may refolve to meet with the worst that men can do, who will be fatisfied with no lefs than the death and utter deftruction of the people X. Howbeit thefe difpenfations be fad which believers may meet with in a world, yet doth not one, nor all of them, raise fuch a thick cloud between Chrift and them as to intercept the allurements and beams of love; nor ought they to be fo looked on by believers as fmelling of hatred in the Lord, or as evidencing his want of love towards them, and thoughts of cafting them off; nor ought thefe in the leaft to cool their affections to him, or make them fufpect his affection towards them for his challenging these, and faying, Can fuch and fuch things feparate us from the love of Chrift, fays as much as that they will not do, nor should not do it; there is a negation in this, Who fhall feparate us from the love of Chrift? XI. Faith taking a view of Chrift in his humiliation and exaltation, and all for poor unworthy finners, will fee fo much unfpeakable love in every piece thereof towards them as nothing can quench, and will fo animate and encourage the believer that fees his interest in all that, as that he will be carried above the reach of all trouble, and will be able to endure the worft of storms, and so fore-cast the worst that can come, and not be fhaken or dif mayed; and when faith is little in this exercife of reading lectures out of Chrift's dying and rifing again, and acting the part of a priest for ever in heaven, that makes believers fo ready to faint in a day of adverfity, and fo foon fhaken with the very fears of evil: That which made the apo file thus triumph and cry out, Who can feparate us from the love of Christ? &c. was his poring in by faith upon Chrift's laying down the price in his death, geting a fubfcribed discharge in his refurrection, enter entering heaven as our attorney, and waiting at the bar as our established advocate, mentioned in the former verfe. From Verfe 36. OBSERVE, I. Believers are so ready to promife great and fweet things to themselves, that it is hard to cause them believe that they may expect nothing but a hard lot in a world; and the worse the affliction be, they are the readier to imagine an exemption therefrom: and therefore when the apoftle is fpeaking of the word, he must confirm this, and fay, As it is written. if not a worse cafe, and this to allay their grief which they might conceive at what he faid: As it is written, For thy fake we are killed all the day. From the paffage cited OBSERVE, I. It is no uncouth thing to fee the followers of Chrift perfecuted and abufed by wicked men; it has been the lot of the church of God in all ages from the begining, to be wading through a sea of tribulation, and oftentimes the has been perfecuted even to the death; for at this time they were killed. The followers of Chrift must refolve on death, and must not fave their lives when Chrift calls upon them to lose them for his fake, for that were the high-way to lose them altogether. II. As minifters fhould be loth, upon the one hand, to footh up people, and promife them greater things than they have warrant for; fo fhould they beware, upon the other hand, to propofe needless fcarcrows; and whatever, of the one kind or of the other, they hold forth, fhould be according to their warrant; as the apo-ing, rather than decaying, and will never ftle doth here, faying, As it is written. III. The Spirit of God fpeaking in the Scriptures, being a Spirit of truth, fhould only be rested on as the ground of our faith, and hence only will confciences receive fatisfaction, and not from the bare teftimony of any man; and therefore, as minifters fhould propofe this as the only ground for folks faith to fettle on, Thus faith the Lord, or, thus it is written; fo people fhould try all things by this rule, and receive nothing by an implicit faith: therefore faith he, As it is written. IV. It may abundantly certify believers, that they have caufe to expect a hard lot in a world, to know that it has been the lot of God's children in former generations; and it will help much to allay their grief and forrow, when they are ready to look upon their cafe as fingular and unparalleled, to hear how this is not their cafe alone; and therefore the apostle proves what he was faying, by citing a place out of the Pfalms, where the church and people of God are held forth to have been in as ill, II. The malice and ill-will of the enemies of the church and people of God, is not foon at an end, but is lasting and grow end so long as there is any of the feed of the ferpent to the fore: for fay they, We are killed all the day long. III. Such fympathy ought to be betwixt all the children of God, that whenever any of them are fuffering under the feet of perfecutors, it fhould go to the heart of all; all being members of one body, no part fhould be wounded but all fhould grieve and refent it, and fympathize with it, as fufferers, and fo weep with them that weep, Rom xii. 16. and remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them wich fuffer adverfity, as being alfo in the body, Heb. xiii. 2. Therefore fay these that were left alive from the fury and rage of the perfecutors, We are killed all the day long. IV. Though the wicked have no other quarrel against the godly, but that they are fincerely ferving their Lord and Master, and adhering to his worship and commands, yet that will be enough to ground their malice and perfecution; and this is always the root of their malice and malicious acts, under under whatsoever fpecious pretexts they act their cruelty; therefore fay they here, for thy fake. V. The wicked, in their rage and heat against the godly, value no more their lives, (tho' they be precious in the eyes of the Lord, Píalm cxvi. 15.) than if they were fheep appointed for flaughter: they have always bafe thoughts of them, and think the world were the better to want them, and their death would tend to their advan tage: We are counted, fay they, as sheep for the flaughter. See 1 Cor. iv. 13. From verse 37. OBSERVE, I. Tho' the main thing that Satan is driving at, in raising perfecution and tribulation against the godly, be to feparate them from Chrift, and fhake their union loofe; yet notwithstanding of all that, the knot shall hold, and when perfecutors have done their worft to them, and got their lives, yet are believers victorious then, and are brought as clofe to Chrift as they can be, being taken up to glory with him; and this they may be affured of before ever they enter into a difpute or conflict with affliction of any fort: In all thefe things they are more than conquerors, and glorious conquerors. II. The ftrength and ftability of the children of God, whereby they are kept in a day of temptation, is not from any flock of ftrength in themfelves, but allenarly from Chrift their head and husband: therefore it is added, through him. III. The victory that believers get over all their enemies, is not procured and merited through any good carriage in them felves, or any other thing as worthy, but it floweth only from the love and free undeferved grace and good will of Chrift; and whatever favour or kindnefs we meet with, we should look upon it as flowing merely from love, that our hearts may warm with love towards him, and we may be fired up to thankfulnefs: therefore doth he put them in mind hereof, saying, through him that loved us. VERSES 38. 39. For I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, fhall be able to feparate us from the of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord. 7Hat he faid laft, viz. That nothing What could feparate us from the love of Chrift, being fo good news, and such an excellent ground of triumph, and fuch an encouragement to a comfortable chriftian walk under afflictions, he further confirmeth and illuftrateth in these verses, faying, I am perfuaded; I am, and all Chriftians may be perfuaded; it is fuch a truth that no Chriftian fhould once doubt of it, yea, not only not doubt of it, but also should reft fully perfuaded and convinced of the truth thereof, viz. That nothing can fepa-. rate us from the love of God in Chrift Fefus our Lord. And this he amplifieth by a more particular enumeration of fuch things as believers might be most affraid of, or are most in hazard by, and reckons them up for the most part in fo many pairs; as, 1. Neither death, nor life; that is, neither adverfity, or fuch things as procure death, nor profperity and abundance of all things which ferve for this life. 2. Nor angels, principalities, nor powers; which are fometimes the titles that good angels get, Eph. i. 21. Col. i. 16. 1 Pet. iii. 22. and fometimes evil angels are fet forth thus, Eph. vi. 12. Col. ii. 15. this fame ftile alfo is given to civil magistrates, Tit. iii. 1. We think it needlefs to take ingood angels, and make a fuppofition, that they would labour to wrong the faints; and whether we take angels for evil fpirits, and principalities and powers, for princes, potentates, and powers, in a world, or as holding |