And in our discharge of this duty is the glory of God greatly con- cerned. The revenue of glory which God hath from any in this world ariseth principally, if not solely, from that profession which they make of the gospel and of their faith in the promises thereof. Hereby do they testify unto his authority, goodness, wisdom, grace,
and faithfulness. Other way of giving glory unto God we have not,
but by bearing witness unto his excellencies; that is, glorifying him as God. Now, when persecution and trouble arise about these things, a trial is made whether we indeed believe and put our trust in what we profess of God, and whether we value his promises above all present things whatever. And hereby is our heavenly Father glorified. This, therefore, is a singular privilege when it is given to believers, Phil. i. 29.
Again; by this means the souls of the saints have a trial and ex- periment of their own grace, of what sort it is; as Abraham had of his own faith and obedience in the great experiment which God gave him of it by his command for the sacrificing of Isaac. Tried
572 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [CHAP. IIL.
graces are exceeding precious, 1 Pet. i. 6, 7, and are evidences that those in whom they are do belong to the house of God.
There are other observations, which the words tender unto us, that shall only be named.
VIII. Interest in the gospel gives sufficient cause of confidence and rejoicing in every condition. “ Hold fast the rejoicing of your hope.” The riches of it are invaluable, eternal, peculiar, such as outbalance all earthly things, satisfactory to the soul, ending in endless glory; and he that is duly interested in them cannot but have abundant cause of “joy unspeakable” at all times.
TX. So many and great are the interveniences and temptations that lie in the way of profession, so great is the number of them that decay in it, or apostatize from it, that as unto the glory of God, and the principal [discovery] of its truth and sincerity, it is to be taken from its permanency unto the end: “ Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end,”
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16-18, “They answered and said unto the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery fur- nace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” They do not ask a moment’s space to deliberate in this matter. And a blessed end they had of their confidence. So Basil answered Julian, when he would have given him space to consult. “ Do,” said he, “ what you intend, for I will be the same to-morrow that I am this day.” This is readiness and alacrity to witness a good confession with boldness. So it is observed of Peter and John, Acts iv. 13. The Jews were astonished, observing their rayofav (the word in the text, which we there translate “ boldness”), that is, their readiness and promptitude of mind and speech, in their confession of the name of Christ, when they were in prison and under the power of their adversaries. Hence also they that fail in this duty are termed de/aor, “ fearful ones,” and are in the first rank of them who are excluded out of the new Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 8. Peter, indeed, instructs us to be “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us, werd péCov,’—“ with fear,” 1 Epist. iii. 15; that is, with reverence unto God and the sacredness of those things wherein his name isconcerned. But we must not do it werd deAas, with “a pusillanimous fear,” a fear of men, or respect unto what from them may befall us for our profession. These d¢:Ao/, “ fearful ones,” are those “ meticulosi” which shake and tremble at the report of danger; so that when persecution ariseth, straightway they are offended, and give over their profession.
And in our discharge of this duty is the glory of God greatly con- cerned. The revenue of glory which God hath from any in this world ariseth principally, if not solely, from that profession which they make of the gospel and of their faith in the promises thereof. Hereby do they testify unto his authority, goodness, wisdom, grace, and faithfulness. Other way of giving glory unto God we have not,
but by bearing witness unto his excellencies; that is, glorifying him as God. Now, when persecution and trouble arise about these things, a trial is made whether we indeed believe and put our trust in what we profess of God, and whether we value his promises above all present things whatever. And hereby is our heavenly Father glorified. This, therefore, is a singular privilege when it is given to believers, Phil. i. 29.