Obs. VIII. As the use of this confidence is our duty, so it is a duty highly honourable unto the profession of the gospel.-Degeneres animos timor arguit.

In the application of this testimony, as taken from Ps. lvi. 4, the apostle supposeth that David spake these words not merely in his own person, and with respect unto his own case, or to the especial promises he had about it; but in the person of the whole church, or on the general right of all true believers. For it is the word of God, or the promises therein contained, which are common to all believers, which was the ground of what he said or professed. So the words in the beginning of the verse do testify, 'In God I will praise his word.' He would give unto him the glory of his truth and power by believing. Wherefore,

Obs. IX. Believers may use the same confidence that David used, seeing they have the same grounds of it that David had.-For outward circumstances alter not the state of things as unto faith or duty. We may use the same confidence with him, though our case be not the same with his.

And the apostle, in the application of this testimony, extends the case which he first applies his exhortation unto. For at first he speaks only with respect unto want and poverty; but here he compriseth in it persecution and oppression, which usually are the causes of distressing want and poverty.

Secondly. These things being premised, we may proceed to inquire what is in the testimony itself, produced unto the end of the apostle's exhortation. And we may consider,

1. That there is an opposition, a conflict, a contest between distinct parties, supposed in the words. And the persons concerned immediately herein, are believers on the one hand, and man on the other; whereon a third person, namely God himself, interposeth, and becometh a party in the contest. For,

2. God is here on the side of the church: The Lord is my helper ;' a helper unto me. Respect seems to be had in this expression unto Ps. cxviii. 6, 7, though the words also of Ps. lvi. are intended. And there are two ways whereby the Psalmist asserts this matter: 1. , ver. 6, 'The Lord is unto me,' for me,'' on my side,' as we render it, in this contest.' 2., say we, The Lord taketh my part with them that help me;' the Lord is for me among the helpers. Both these the apostle compriseth in this one, suo ConOoç, He is my helper.' Wherein the help of God in this case consists, we shall show immediately.. In the mean time, it is certain that believers do stand in need of help in that contest which they have with the world. Of themselves, they are not able to go through it with success. Yet have we no reason to fear an engagement in what is above our strength or ability, where we have such a reserve of aid and assistance. But in whatever befals us, we may say boldly, We will not fear. For if God be on our side, if God be for us, who shall be against us? Let whoso will be so it is all one, the victory is secured on our side.

3. There is a double opposition in the words, giving an emphasis

unto the sense of the whole. 1. Between God and man: 'The Lord is on my side, I will not fear, r moinsel μoi avłowrоs, what man can do;' and this man he calls flesh, Ps. lvi. What flesh can do.' 2. Between what God will do, He will help;' and what men can do, expressed in the Psalm by an interrogation in way of contempt, 'what can flesh do to me?' that is, whilst God is my helper.

4. This help of God, which believers are assured of in their trials, and under their persecutions, is twofold: 1. Internal, by supplies of grace, spiritual strength and consolation, enabling them with a victorious frame of mind to go through all the difficulties and dangers of their conflict with a certain success. 2. External, in actual deliverance by the destruction of their adversaries; both which are frequently exemplified in the Scripture, and present experience.

5. There is a double contempt cast on the adversaries of the church. 1st. From their state: they are but man; what man can do;' which he calls flesh in the Psalm, a poor, contemptible, dying worm, compared with the eternal, infinitely powerful God. 2. From his power: what can he do?' whatever his will and his desires may be, in his power he is weak and impotent. And that which we are taught from hence, is,

Obs. X. That all believers, in their sufferings, and under their persecutions, have a refreshing supporting interest in divine aid and assistance. For the promises hereof are made unto them all equally in their suffering state, even as they were unto the prophets and apostles of old. And,

Obs. XI. It is their duty to express with confidence and boldness, at all times, their assurance of the divine assistance declared in the promises, to their own encouragement, the edification of the church, and the terror of their adversaries, Philip. i. 28.

Obs. XII. Faith duly fixed on the power of God, as engaged for the assistance of believers in their sufferings, will give them a contempt of all that men can do unto them.

Obs. XIII. The most effectual means to encourage our souls in all our sufferings, is to compare the power of God who will assist us, and that of man who doth oppress us.-So is it prescribed by our blessed Saviour, Matt. x. 28.

Obs. XIV. That which in our sufferings delivereth us from the fear of men, takes out all that is evil in them, and secures our success.

VER. 7.-FROM a prescription of the foregoing duties of morality, and of obedience in them, the apostle proceeds unto those duties which concern faith and worship. Of these, he lays the foundation in that respect which is due unto them that declare unto us the word of truth, for their work's sake, and on account of the example which they give

unto us.

VER. 7.-Μνημονευετε των ἡγουμενων ύμων, οίτινες ελαλησαν ύμιν τον λογον του Θεου· ὧν αναθεωρουντες την εκβασιν της αναστροφής, μιμείσθε την πίστιν.

Ηγουμενων.

Vul. Præpositorum. Rhem. 'Your prelates;' but

yet they interpret the words of saints departed,' with such an usual inconsistency, as prejudice and interest produce. Syr. Your leaders.' Ductorum, Ducum. We, 'them that have the rule over you;' as indeed the word is sometimes used to express 'rule;' but it is not proper unto this place, in which the apostle speaks of them who are departed this life; and so, whatever they had, they have not still the rule over us.

Avale@povvTES, Intuentes, contemplantes, considerantes; 'looking into.' Ekbaow, quis fuerit exitus, exitum, 'the end,' 'the issue,' what it came to. The Syriac puts another sense on the words,' Search out the perfection of their conversation;' but to the same purpose.

VER. 7.-Remember your guides who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversa

tion.

That which the apostle designs in the following discourse, is perseverance in the faith, and in the profession of the truth, in opposition to an infection with, or inclination unto, various and strange doctrines, as he expresseth it, ver. 8. And this, in the first place, he commends unto them, from the formal cause of it, or the word of God, and the instrumental cause of it in them, which is the preaching of it, and those that taught it. For this is the method of believing: Faith cometh by hearing; hearing by the word of God; and the word of God by them that are sent to preach it,' Rom x. 14-17. The duty prescribed hath a threefold object, or there are three distinct parts or considerations of its object. 1. The persons of some men: their guides. 2. Their faith. 3. Their conversation, with the end of it. And so there are three distinct parts of the duty respecting them distinctly. 1. To remember them or their persons. 2. To imitate their faith. 3. To consider the end of their conversation.

First. We must consider who are the persons intended, rwv nyovμevwv vμwv. Our translation makes them to be their present rulers: 'them which have the rule over you.' So Erasmus, Eorum qui vobis præsunt. But it is an evident mistake. That which seems to have led them into it, is that youμevoç is a participle of the present tense. But it is most frequently used as a noun, and so it is here. But that their present rulers cannot be here intended, is evident. 1. Because there is another precept given with respect unto them afterwards, ver. 17, and that in words suited unto the duty which they owe them whilst alive and present with them, Obey them, and submit yourselves.' 2. He describes them as those which had formerly spoken unto them the word of God, and not as those who yet continued so to do. 3. They were such as had received, Exẞaoi avaorpoons,' the event and end of their conversation' in this world.

'Hyeoμaι is duco, arbitror, existimo; to think,' 'to esteem,' or 'to judge;' and so it is constantly used in the New Testament. But it also signifies præsum, præeo, duco, to go before,'' to rule,' 'to lead.' And youμevo is variously used sometimes for a ruler, Matt. ii. 6; Acts vii. 10, sometimes for a principal person among others. So

Judas and Silas are called, Acts xv. 22, avdpas nyovμevoVUÇ EV TOLS adeλpois, chief men among the brethren;' which one would have to be bishops over them, very absurdly for they are reckoned among those brethren of the church, which were distinguished from the apostles and elders. And sometimes it is used for them that are chief in any work. So it is said, Acts xiv. 12, that Paul, when he spake with Barnabas, was, ó nyovμevoç TOU λoyou, the chief speaker,' or he who was chief or most forward in speaking. It is used in this chapter only, ver. 7, 17, 24, for an officer, or officers, in the church; that is, such as go before, who guide and direct the church, which is the nature of their office; that is, bishops, pastors, elders, that preside in the church, guide it, and go before it. For they have such a rule as consists principally in spiritual guidance.

1. By the description following, it is evident that the apostle intends all that had spoken or preached the word of God unto them, whether apostles, evangelists, or pastors, who had now finished their course; not with any respect unto James, as some think, for he was yet alive, as appears, ch. xii. 4. Nor doth the apostle, in this case of retaining the truth, give any direction for peculiar regard to Peter, much less to his chair or successors; but unto all that had spoken the word of God unto them.

2. What is implied in uvnuovevεTE, remember them,' to be mindful of them, to bear them in our minds and memories? And this is done two ways: 1. Naturally; to retain them in our minds, as those whom we highly value and prize. So we are commanded to bear ourselves towards them whilst they are alive; namely, to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, 1 Thess v. 13. And the same respect we are to have for them, when they have finished their work. Suddenly to forget them, is an evidence that we have not profited by their labours as we ought to have done. 2. It is to retain them in our minds morally, with respect to the ends here mentioned. A bare remembrance of them, is of little or no use. But to remember them in what they did and taught, so as to follow them in their faith and conversation, this is a duty of no small advantage unto us.

In process of time, the latter of these, namely, to remember them so as to follow them in their faith and holiness, was much lost among the professors of the Christian religion. But the first was retained, and new ways invented for the continuation of it, which ended in various superstitions. For there were found out unto this end certain religious celebrations of the supposed times of their deaths, with assemblings at their tombs, wherein they placed much devotion, not without a great mixture of heathenish rites, which issued at length in prayer, adoration, and sundry acts of religious worship. But no such thing is here enjoined; no prayers for them nor to them; no dedications of temples or altars unto their memory; no reservation, much less adoration, of their relics or bones, nor ascription of miraculous cures or operations unto them; yea, the apostle, limiting the ends of our remembrance of them unto our imitation of their faith and holiness, doth sufficiently condemn all these superstitions.

Obs. I. This therefore is our best, this is our only way of remem

bering them who have been our guides, leaders, and rulers in the church, whether they have been apostles, or evangelists, or ordinary pastors; namely, to follow them in their faith and conversation.-And,

Obs. II. This ought to be the care of the guides of the church; namely, to leave such an example of faith and holiness, as that it may be the duty of the church to remember them, and follow their example. Alas! how many have we had, how many have we, who have left, or are likely to leave, nothing to be remembered by, but what it is the duty of the church to abhor! how many, whose uselessness leads them into everlasting oblivion!

3. The apostle gives the character of the persons whom he would have them to remember; and they are, οίτινες ελαλησαν ύμιν τον λογον, 'those who had spoken to them the word of God.' This is the characteristical note of church guides or rulers. Those who do not labour herein unto the edification of the church, let them pretend what they will, are no such guides or rulers, nor are so esteemed by Christ or the church; nor is the remembrance of them any duty. The word of God in this place is the written word, and what is contained therein. Probably some parts of the Scripture, as the Epistles of John, and the second of Peter, and certainly the Revelations, were written after this Epistle. But what was then written, was a sufficient, and the sole rule of faith unto the church. Yet I will not deny, but that the vocal speaking of the word of God, by virtue of new revelations in them who were divinely inspired, as the apostles and evangelists, may be comprised herein. And whereas the word of the gospel is principally intended, this speaking may comprise the apostolical writings, as well as their vocal preaching. For in and by them they spake, that is, delivered and declared unto them the word of God, 1 Thess. ii. 13. What they wrote, what they taught by divine revelation, what others taught out of their writings and other Scriptures, is this word of God.

Obs. III. This word of God is the sole object of the faith of the church, the only outward means of communicating the mind and grace of God unto it.-Wherefore, upon it, the being, life, and blessedness of the church, doth depend. And it is that alone that is to be spoken in, and unto it, in all things appertaining unto faith, obedience, or worship, even the whole discipline of Christ. To speak of traditions, canons of councils, human institutions of any sort, unto the church, belongs not unto them who have the rule of it. This they are confined to in their whole work, nor is the church obliged to attend unto them in any thing else.

As they preached nothing but the word of God, so the expression intimates their diligence therein: They gave themselves unto prayer and the word.' And this is the ground, the cause of the respect that is due from the church unto its guides, and this alone; namely, that they have diligently, carefully, and constantly spoken the word of God unto them, and instructed them in the way of life thereby.

Secondly. This remembrance of our guides is prescribed with reference unto the duty of following their faith: ὧν μιμείσθε την πίστιν, 'whose faith follow so mind them and their work in preaching the word of God, as to follow or imitate them in their faith.