Secondly, We, may imply the judgment of the visible church. The whole Christian church doth acknowledge the slain prophets happy, and celebrate their memory : /xaKapi^eiv, the word in the text, properly signifieth to make or declare happy. What is in the Hebrew, ' the daughters will call me l)lessed,' Gen. xxx. 13, the Septuagint render by fiaKaplcrovcn. So Luke i. 48, 'AH generations shall call me blessed ;' in the Greek, fiuKapiovai fi€ irdaai at yeveai. From this consideration I observe: —
^ 'Non diibito quin mngis laiulaverim truncam istain mantim Mutii quam cujiislibet fortLshiuii salvam ; melius est hoateui aiiiissa manu viciase, qnaiii arinata.' — Se7i€Cfi.
JaS. V. 11.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 429
Ohs. 2. That it is often the condition of God's people to live envied and persecuted, but to die sainted. We account the slain prophets happy, and celebrate the memory of those wliich endure ; the scribes and Pharisees garnished the tombs of the dead prophets, but killed the living, Mat. xxiii. 29, 30. They pretended honour to the saints departed, but in the meantime were injurious to the saints alive. So John v., the Jews pretended love to Moses, but showed hatred to Christ. It coraeth to pass, partly by the ]H-ovidence of God, who after death cleareth up the innocency and holy conversation of his servants ; posterity acknowledgeth them whom the former age destroyed ; partly because living saints are an eyesore ; by the severity of their lives and reproofs they trouble and torment the world ; dead saints do not stand in the way of their lusts, for objects out of sight do not exasperate : this may comfort God's children against the abasers of the present age : ' The day will declare it,' 1 Cor. iii. 13 ; when the heat of oppression is over, that which is now called heresy and anti-chris- tianism will then be accounted worship, and your sufferings will speak you not malefactors but martyrs. Men cannot discern the present truth, 2 Peter i. 12, because blinded with interests; but it may be truth itself may be the interest of the next age, and the bleak wind that bloweth now in our faces may be then on our backs ; there are strange revolu- tions. Again, this may serve for cauiion to us. Let us not rest in fond affection to saints and worthies departed ; the memory of Judas is not so accursed to us as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were to the carnal Jews in Christ's time ; Moses was dear to them, as Christ and the apostles to us. That is the best affection Avhich is expressed by imitation ; and stableness in the present truth is a great trial of our sincerity ; dead saints are out of our envy : how are we affected to the living, that walk in their ways ? It is good to examine what propor- tion and likeness there is between the case of the present hated par- ties, and the case of Christ and his apostles in the primitive times.
Thirdly, We, may imply (and so I think chiefly) the judgment of the children of God, as it is opposed to the judgment of the world : BeJiold, loe count them happy that endure ; we that are enlightened by the Spirit of God. I prefer this last consideration, because this sentence hath reference to a passage of scripture, ' Blessed is he that waiteth,' Dan. xi. 12, where the Septuagint have fiaKapto<i 6 vTro/xevcov. From hence note : —
Obs. 3. That the judgment of the saints and the judgment of the world about afflictions are far different; they have different principles — the spirit of the world, and the Spirit of God ; they have different lights and rules — that of faith and that of sense. A carnal man judgeth by appearance, but a spiritual man Icoketh within the veil ; the world judgeth afflictions miserable, they happiness. It is notable that all the beatitudes are affixed to unlikely conditions. Mat. v., to show that the judgment of the word and the judgment of the world are contrary. Well, then, do not hearken to the judgment of the world about afflictions, but to the judgment of the Spirit ; not to what sense feeleth, but to what faith expecteth. The men of the world are infeliciter f dices, miserable in their happiness, but the children of God are happy in their misery. But you will say, Wherein ? I answer —
430 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. V. H.
(1.) The very suffering for righteousness' sake is a kind of grace which God doth us : 1 Peter iii. 14. ' Happy arc ye,' &c., so ' Blessed are they,' etc.; Mat. v. 12; 'they rejoiced,' &c.. Acts v. 41. God forgive me this great unthankfuhiess for this exceeding great mercy, saitli Bradford, that he chooseth me for one in whom he will suffer. Secondly, Ye have gain by the afflictions, experience, hope, and grace, Kom. v. 3, 4 ; Heb. xii. 11 ; as also the sweet sense of divine consolations, 2 Cor. i. 5. (3.) God hath promised bountifully to reward it ; there is a blessing in hand, but more in hope : see James i. 12
Ye have heard of the patience of Job. — He instanceth in Job because he was an eminent instance of misery. From the citation we may note that the book of Job was not a parable, but a history of what was really acted.