you must give it to the Son, to the second person as Mediator, as well as to the Father. Do duties so as you may honour Christ in them, and so,

The

First, Look for their acceptance in Christ. Oh, it would be sad if we were only to look to God the Father in duties! Adam hid himself, and durst not come into the presence of God, till the promise of Christ. hypocrites cried, "Who shall dwell with consuming fire?" (Isa. xxxiii. 14.) Guilt can form no other thought of God by looking upon him out of Christ: we can see nothing but majesty armed with wrath and power. But now it is said, that "in Christ we have access with boldness and confidence" (Eph. iii. 12). For in him those attributes which are in themselves terrible, become sweet and comfortable; as water, which is salt in the occan, being strained through the earth, becometh sweet in the rivers. That in God, which out of Christ striketh terror into the soul, in Christ begets a confidence. Secondly, Look for your assistance from him. You serve God in Christ, when you serve God through Christ. "I can do all things, through Christ that strengtheneth me" (Phil. iv. 13). When your own hands are in God's work, your eyes must be to Christ's hands for support in it. "As the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters," &c. (Psa. cxxiii. 2). You must go about God's work with his own tools.

Thirdly, When ye have an eye to the concernments of Jesus Christ in all your service of God. "We must live to him that died for us (2 Cor. v. 14); not only to God in the general, but to him, to God that died for us. You must see how you advance his kingdom, propagate his truth, further the glory of Christ as Mediator.

Fourthly, When all is done for Christ's sake. In Christ God hath a new claim in you, and ye are bought with his blood, that ye may be his servants. Under the Law the great argument to obedience was God's sovereignty. Thus and thus ye shall do," I am the Lord," as Levit xix. 37, and in other places. Now the argument is gratitude, God's love, God's love in Christ: "the love of Christ constraineth us" (2 Cor. v. 14). The apostle often persuades by that motive, Be God's servants for Christ's sake.

V. To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,] God looks after his afflicted servants: he moveth James to write to the scattered tribes. The

care of Heaven flourisheth towards you when you wither. A man would have thought these had been driven away from God's care when they had been driven away from the sanctuary. "Thus saith the Lord, though I have cast them far off among the heathen, and have scattered them among the countries; yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the places where they come" (Ezek. xi. 16). Though they wanted the temple, yet God would be a little sanctuary. He looks after them to watch their spirits, that he may apply seasonable comforts; and to watch their adversaries, to prevent them with seasonable providences. He looketh after them to watch the seasons of deliverance, that he may "gather her that was driven out" (Micah vii. 6), and make up his jewels (Mal. iii. 17), that seemed to be carelessly scattered, and lost.

VI. God's own people may be dispersed, and driven from their countries and habitations. God hath his outcasts: he saith to Moab, "Pity my outcasts:" and the church complains, “Our inheritance is turned to strangers" (Lam. v. 2). Christ himself had not where to lay his head, and the apostle tells us of some, "of whom the world was not worthy," that "they

wandered in deserts, and mountains, and woods, and caves." Mark, they wandered in the woods, (it is Chrysostom's note,*) ảλλà kaì èkɛì óvtes êpevyov: the retirement and privacy of the wilderness did not yield them a quiet and safe abode. So in Acts viii. 4, we read of the primitive believers that they were scattered abroad everywhere.' Many of the children of God in these times have been driven from their dwellings; but you see we have no reason to think the case strange.

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VII. To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,] There was something more in their scattering than ordinary: they were a people whom God for a long time had kept together, under the wings of providence. That which is notable in their scattering, is,

1. The severity of God's justice. The twelve tribes are scattered, his own people. It is ill resting on any privileges, when God's Israel may be made strangers. Israel was all for liberty; therefore God saith, "I will feed them as a lamb in a large place" (Hos. iv. 16). God would give them liberty and room enough; as a lamb out of the fold goeth up and down bleating in the forest or wilderness, without comfort and companion, in the midst of wolves and the beasts of the desert; liberty enough, but danger enough! So God would cast them out of the fold, and they should live a Jew here and a Jew there, thinly scattered and dispersed throughout the countries, among a people whose language they understood not, and as a lamb in the midst of the beasts of prey. Oh consider the severity of God's justice! Certainly it is a great sin that maketh a loving father cast a child out of doors. Sin is always driving away and casting out: it drove the angels out of heaven, Adam out of paradise, and Cain out of the church (Gen. iv. 12-16), and the children of God out of their dwellings, "Our dwellings have cast us out" (Jerem. ix. 19). Your houses will be weary of you when you dishonour God in them, and you will be driven from those comforts which you abuse to excess: riot doth but make way for rapine. You shall see in the sixth of Amos, when they were at ease in Sion, they would prostitute David's music to their sportiveness and common banquets. "They invent to themselves instruments of music like David” (Amos vi. 5). But for this, God threateneth to scatter them, and to remove them from their houses of luxury and pleasure; and when they were driven to the land of a stranger, they were served in their own kind: the Babylonians would have temple music, "Now let us have one of your Hebrew songs" (Psalm cxxxvii. 3). Nothing but a holy song would serve their profane sport. And so in all suchlike cases, when we are weary of God in our houses and families, our houses are weary of us. David's house was out of order, and then he was forced to fly from it (2 Sam. xv). Oh! then, when you walk in the midst of your comforts, your stately dwellings and houses of pomp and pleasure, be not of Nebuchadnezzar's spirit, when he walked in the palace of Babylon, and said, "Is not this great Babel which I have built?" (Dan. iv. 30.) Pride grew upon him by the sight of his comforts. Nor of the spirit of those Jews who, when they dwelt within ceiled houses, cried, "The time to build the Lord's house is not come (Hag. i. 1, 2). They were well and at ease, and therefore neglected God. But be of David's spirit, who, when he went into his stately palace, serious thoughts and purposes of honouring

* Chrysost. in Heb, xi.

God arose with his spirit. ark of God dwell within workings of their spirits.

"Shall I dwell in a house of cedar, and the curtains" (2 Sam. i. 2)? Observe the different Nebuchadnezzar, walking in his palace, groweth proud, Is not this great Babel which I have built?" The Jews, in their ceiled houses, grow careless, "The time to build the Lord's house is not come." David, in his curious house of cedar, groweth religious. What have I done for the ark of God, who hath done so much for me? Well then, honour God in your houses, lest you become the burdens of them, and they spue you out. The twelve tribes were scattered. 2. The infallibility of his truth. They were punished, " as their congregation had heard," as the prophet speaketh (Hosea xi. 12). In judicial dispensations, it is good to observe, not only God's justice, but God's truth. No calamity befel Israel, but what was in the letter, foretold in the books of Moses. A man might have written their history out of the threatenings of the law: "If ye walk contrary unto me, I will scatter you among the heathens, and will draw a sword after you (Levit. xxvi. 33). The like is threatened in Deut. xxviii. 64: "And the Lord shall scatter you from one end of the earth unto another among all the people." And you see how suitable the event was to the prophecy; and therefore I conccive James useth this expression of the "twelve tribes," when that distinction was antiquated, and the tribes much confounded, to show that they who were once twelve flourishing tribes, were now, by the accomplishment of that prophecy, sadly scattered and mingled among the nations.

3. The tenderness of his love to the believers among them. He hath a James for the Christians of the scattered tribes. In the severest ways of his justice he doth not forget his own, and he hath special consolations for them when they lie under the common judgment. When other Jews were banished, John, amongst the rest, was banished out of Ephesus into Patmos, a barren, miserable rock or island, but there he had those high "revelations (Rev. i. 9). Well then, wherever you are, you are near to God: he is a God at hand, and a God afar off. When you lose your dwelling, you do not lose your interest in Christ; and you are everywhere at home, but there where you are strangers to God.

VERSE 2.-My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers

temptations.

My brethren,] A usual compellation in the Scriptures, and very frequent in this epistle; partly because of the manner of the Jews, who were wont to call all of their nation brethren, and partly because of the manner of the ancient Christians,* who in courtesy used to call the men and women of their society and communion brothers and sisters; partly out of apostolical kindness, and that the exhortation might be seasoned with the more love and good-will. [Count it] That is, though sense will not find it so, yet in spiritual judgment you must so esteem it. [All joy] That is, matter of chief joy. Hãσav, all, is thus used in the writings of the apostles, as in 1 Tim. i. 15, Táons áπodoxñs äžios, worthy of all acceptation; that is, of chief acceptation. [When ye fall, orаν TEρITÉONTE] The word signifies such troubles as come upon us unawares, as sudden things do most discompose the

* See Tertul. in Apol., cap. 39; et Justin. Mart. in fine Apol. 2; et Clement. Alexand., lib. 5, stromat.

mind; but however, says the apostle, "when ye fall," and are suddenly circumvented, yet you must look upon it as a trial and matter of great joy; for, though it seemeth a chance to us, yet it falleth under the ordination of God. [Divers] The Jewish nation was infamous, and generally hated, especially the Christian Jews, who, besides the scorns of the heathen, were exercised with sundry injuries, rapines, and spoils from their own brethren, and people of their own nation, as appeareth by the epistle of Peter, who wrote to the same persons that our apostle doth; and also speaketh of “divers or manifold temptations" (1 Pet. i. 6). And again by the epistle to the Hebrews, written also to these dispersed tribes: "Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods" (Heb. x. 34); that is, by the fury of the multitude, and base people, against whom the Christians could have no right. [Tentations.] So he calleth afflictions, which to believers are of that use and habitude.

OBSERVATION I. [My brethren,] Christians are linked to one another in the bond of brotherhood. It was an ancient use, as I showed before, for Christians of the same communion to call one another brothers and sisters, which gave occasion of scorn to the heathens then. Quod fratres nos vocamus, infamant, saith Tertullian; and it is still made matter of reproach. What scoff more usual than that of "holy brethren ?" If we will not keep up the title, yet the affection which becomes the relation should not cease. The term hinteth duty to all sorts of Christians; meekness to those that excel in gifts or office, that they may be not stately and disdainful to the meanest in the body of Christ. It is Christ's own argument, "Ye are brethren" (Matt. xxiii. 8). And it also suggesteth love and mutual amity. Who should love more than those that are united in the same head and hope? Eodem sanguine Christi glutinati, as Augustine said of himself and his friend Alipius; that is, cemented with the same blood of Christ. We are all travelling homeward, and expect to meet in the same heaven: it would be sad that "brethren should fall out by the way" (Gen. xlv. 24). It was once said, Aspice, ut se mutuo diligunt Christiani! "See how the Christians love one another!" (Tertul. in Apol. cap. 39.) But alas! now we may say, See how they hate one another!

II. From that [count it] Miseries are sweet or bitter, according as we will reckon of them. Seneca said, Levis est dolor si nihil opinio adjecerit ; “Our grief lieth in our own opinion and apprehension of miseries." Spiritual things are worthy in themselves: other things depend upon our opinion and valuation of them. Well then, it standeth us much upon to make a right judgment. Therein lieth our misery or comfort. Things are according as you will count them. That your judgments may be rectified in point of afflictions, take these rules.

1. Do not judge by sense. "No affliction for the present seemeth joyous but grievous," &c. (Heb. xii. 11). Theophylact observeth, that in this passage two words are emphatical, рòç тò παρòν and dokε, "for the present" and seemeth:" [for the present] noteth the feeling, and experience of sense; and [seemeth] the apprehension and dictate of it. Sense can feel no joy in it, and sense will suggest nothing but bitterness and sorrow; but we are not to go by that "count" and reckoning. A Christian liveth above the world, because he doth not judge according to the world. Paul's scorn of all sublunary accidents arose from his spiritual judgment concerning them. "I reckon that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the joys that shall be revealed in us" (Rom. viii. 18). Sense,

that is altogether for present things, would judge quite otherwise; but saith the apostle, I reckon (i. e., reason) by another manner of rule and account. So it is said, that "Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ better than the treasures of Egypt" (Heb. xi. 26). His choice, you see, was founded in his judgment and esteem.

2. Judge by a supernatural light. Christ's eyesalve must clear your sight, or else you cannot make a right judgment. There is no proper and fit apprehension of things, till you get within the veil, and see by the light of a sanctuary lamp. "The things of God knoweth no man, but by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. ii. 11). He had said before, "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard," &c. (verse 9); that is, natural senses do not perceive the worth and price of spiritual privileges; for, I suppose, the apostle speaketh not there of the incapacity of our understandings to conceive of heavenly joys, but of the unsuitableness of spiritual objects to carnal senses. A man that hath no other light but reason and nature, cannot judge of those things. God's riddles are only open to those that plough with God's heifer; and it is by God's Spirit that we come to discern and esteem the things that are of God; which is the main drift of the apostle in that chapter. So David, “In thy light we shall see light" (Psalm xxxvi. 9); that is, by his Spirit we come to discern the brightness of glory or grace, and the nothingness of the world. 3. Judge by supernatural grounds. Many times common grounds may help us to discern the lightness of our grief-yea, carnal grounds. Your counting must be a holy counting. Those in the prophet said, "The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stones" (Isa. ix. 10). It is a misery, but we know how to remedy it. So, many despise their troubles: we can repair and make up this loss again, or know how to deal well enough with this misery. All this is not "a right judgment," but "vain thoughts;" so the prophet calleth their carnal debates and reasonings. "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?" (Jer. vi. 14); that is, carnal shifts and contrivances, by which they despised the judgment, rather than improved it. True judging and counting always followeth some spiritual discourse and reasoning, and is the result of some principle of faith or patience. As thus, It is a misery; but God will turn it to our good: God's corrections are sharp; but we have strong corruptions to be mortified: we are called to great trials; but we may reckon upon great hopes, &c.

III. From that [all joy] Afflictions to God's people do not only minister occasion of patience, but great joy. The world hath no reason to think religion a black and gloomy way. As the apostle saith, "The weakness of Christ is stronger than the strength of men;" so grace's worst is better than the world's best: "all joy," when in divers trials! A Christian is a bird that can sing in winter as well as in spring; he can live in the fire like Moses's bush; burn and not be consumed; nay, leap in the fire. The counsel of the text is not a paradox, fitted only for notion and discourse, or some strain and reach of fancy; but an observation, built upon a common and known experience this is the fashion and manner of believers, to rejoice in their trials. Thus, "Ye took the spoiling of your goods joyfully" (Heb. x. 34): in the midst of rifling and plundering, and the incivilities of rude and violent men, they were joyful and cheerful. The apostle goeth one step higher, "I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Cor. vii. 4). Mark that, úñeρπερioσevoμai Ty xapa, I superabound or overflow in joy. Certainly a dejected spirit liveth much beneath the height of Christian privileges and prin