: at the Good of others 3 either deliring their Portic'2, or being i troubled that they fare ſo well. Poſſibly this Verſe might more pro- 4 perly have been made the firſt of the nxt Chapter (as Luther ma- « keth it) where the Apoſtle greth on, preſiing further ſpiritual Du- \ {es common to all Chriſtians. « CHAP. VL -— 41 Fxlortation to divers Chriſtian Virmes reproof in Meekneſs, mu- a- mal Forbearance, an Examination and low Cpinion of our ſelves; a l- Motive thereto, 1 5. To maintaining their Miniſters, 4 mo- rp tre thereto; aj alſo to Liberality towards the Poor, and eſpecially thoſe pi” of the Faithful, 6mm 10. Fe concludeth, teſtifying bis Love and Efteem towards them, warning them of f.lſe Apoſtles, whoſe Ambi- Tf 101 and Hypocrifie he deſcribeth;, eppojeth to them his own Example, " L>— 14. True Chriſtianity, and its Hope and Promiſe, 15, WW 16, He admoniſheth that no man be further rroubleſome to him, ſince
Cl 23 tis Sufferings did clearly evidence the truth of bis Dofrin and his Conſtancy therein, 17. The Apoſtolical Benedidion, 18.
15 M14. 1
_ Rethren *, if a man be overtaken ina fault a, wap I5.1,
Fl ye * that are ſpiritual 6, reſtore ſuch a one in a: MW fic ſpirit of meeknels c, conſidering thy ſelf leſt thou
or 4 Wr.2,allo be tempted 4.
nent 4 Jn the Term [ Brethren ] there is a ſecret Argument perſuad- 7 AS Ing the Duty which he is preſſing, becauſe Chriſtians, particularly u, | Mcmbers of the ſame C hurch, are all Brethren. By Perſons over- ve in {te with a fault, he means {uch as do not make a trade of open and -x be {andalous tinning (for ſuch muft be rebuked ſharply but ſuch as may
lometime through infirmity overborn, and run down with a WMptation to in. b By thoſe that are Spiritual, he means not 4 Oy the Paſtors and Governours of the Church (though this care [0-0 0d duty js much incumbent upon them} but ach as have received
0 Spirit of Chriſt; more clpecially :uch as were more know-
TIANS. Chap. VI.
ing in the ways of God, and had ſpiritual Habits more confirmed in them 3 in which ſenſe Spiritual 18 uſed in 1 Cor 2.41.) oe The word tranſlated [reſtore] fhgnifies to put again into joint, or into right order and place. Sin is an inordinate action, and putteth the Soul that committeth it our of its due order ard place. Hje wileth the Brethren that are ſþ/7irual to uſe all due moans to "ut fuch a
Member in joint again z but not to do this roughly 21d wich "at- fion and ſevere correption, but meetlv, ſo as ma! be moſt pro- bable to win the Sinners Soul. 4 Having an Eye and Reſpect t9 themſelves, as neither being free from {in, nor from Ter: >tati- ons to Sin, dealing with others as they would have others deat by thera. ;
2 Bear ye one anothers burdens ce, and ſo fulfil the * law of Chriſt f.
e Tt is a general Precept, and may be either underſtood with re- 34+ ference to what he had faid in the former Verſe, { it hints our & 15+ 12- Duty ; tho' we diſcern our Brethren to have fallen into ſome fin or 1 John 4- error, yet it we diſcern that they are ſentible of their relapſe, and 27+ their {in is not a pleaſure, but a burden to them ; tho* we oueoht not to hear with them, or connive at them in their fins. yer we ought to ſympathize with them when we ſee their fin is become their load and burden, under which they groan and are de;<&tcd.
Or elſe more generally as a new Precept, commanding us to {vmpa- thize with our Brethren under ary load of "Trials and Afiaions whict God ſhall lay upon them. And {o it agreeth with that ire- copt. Rom. 12. 15, f By the Law of Chrifi; he means the Will of Chrift revealed in the Goſpel; particularly the Law of 19%; ſo much enjoined by Chrift, Fez 13. 15, 24, 35. and 15. 12. Which is not called the Law of Chriſt, becauſe firft given by him ; (for himſelf maketh it the ſum of the Ten Commandments :) but becauſe he received it and vindicated it from the Corrupti- on of the 7hariſees Interpretation, Marth. 5. 43, 44.. becauſe he ſo often-urg.:4 it, and ſo ſeriouſly commanded and commended it to his Diſciples, and ſet us the higheſt Preſident, and Exam- ple of it, and hath by his Spirit written it in the Hearts of his People.
3 For * if a man think himſelf to he ſomething * 1.Cor. S.
when he is nothing, he deceiverh kimſelf g. Mm
g It is a general Maxim, and the truth of it is obvious to every one that readeth it ; for ſuppoting a Man to be morhinp of wit he thinks bimſelf to be, he muſt needs deceive himſelf in nouriſhing and entertaining ſuch an Opirzon of himſelf. For the depen- dance of it upon what the Apoſtle had ſaid before, it is obvious.
Pride and Mens high Opinions of themſclves above what they ought, are the cauſe of their Cenſoriouſneſs, and moroſity in deal- ing with other Offenders; which modeſty would not ſuffer in them, if they apprehended themſelves to be as weak, and as much ex- poſed to Temptations as others are. Tt is Pride and OVErWecning Opinions of our ſelves, that make us deſpiſe or neglet others un- der their burdens, and fo forget the Law of Clrist; the Apoſtle therefore properly addeti this Precept for humility and modeſty to theſe former Precepts.
4 But * let every man prove his own work b, and + x Cor;
then ſhall he have rejoycing in himſelf alone, and not 11, 28.
* 7 Tot. 2
1n another 7z.
þ The Apottle by a Man's 6wn wort here, underſtands his own ations and manners, which he would have every Man to butie him- ſelf to ſearch, try and examine by the divine Rule, whether they be conformable to the Will of God yea or no; and then he laith i a Man ſhall (if he findeth his Work ſuch as is agreeable to the Will of God) have cauſe to rejoyce in himſelf 3 not in-the merit or per- feetion of his works, but in his own works, not in others; thaw is, he ſhall rejoyce in ſomething which God hath wrought in and by him, and not in others. This the Apoftle wiſely propounds, as a means to tring a Man to knuw his own Meaſures ; it being a great <rror for Men to meaſure themſelves by the Meaſures of other Men, their PerſcAions, L*' others ImperfeQions. :
5 For cvcry man ſhall bear his
J den |.