crifice to the rage of their persecutors and oppressors. It is added, He doth not resist you which, if applied to Christ, points at his meekness, he was slain without resistance; he came to suffer, therefore would not resist. If applied to suffering christians, it points at their weakness and inability to make resistance, as well as at their meekness and patience under sufferings: Ye have condemned and killed the just, and he doth not resist you.

7 Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Observe here, 1. The duty exhorted to, patience: Be patient, brethren. Patience is a sense of afflictions without murmuring, and of injuries without revenge. It is the duty of christians to be patient under their sufferings, though they be long and sharp. Observe, 2. The argument to enforce this duty, The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. This may be understood of Christ's particular coming to judge his murderers at Jerusalem, which was then at hand, or of his general coming to judge the world at the Jast day. As if our apostle had said, "Have a little patience, and when your Lord cometh he will put a period to all your af flictions; with desire long for his coming, and yet with patience wait for it." Observe, 3. A pattern of patience, propounded in the husbandman, he waiteth, and waiteth long for the time of harvest; and in order thereto, for the former and latter rain, to prepare the corn for the day of a joyful harvest. Now, in imitation of the husbandman, the patient christian thus argues with himself: "If the husbandman waits with patience for the coming of the harvest, shall not I wait with perseverance for the coming of my Lord? The approach of harvest is precious to him, and shall not the appearance of Christ be so to me? Shall he endure so much for a little corn, and not I much more for an heavenly kingdom?" Observe, 4. The direction given in order to the obtaining of this patience and long suffering, establish your hearts; that is, in a firm expectation of Christ's coming, believe that he will come

certainly, and may come suddenly, and sooner perhaps than you may apprehend. Learn hence, That it is the duty of christians, in and under their afflictions, to stablish their hearts in a firm belief of the coming and appearance of Christ, to put a final period to all their sufferings, and to reward their victorious faith and patience: Be ye also patient, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the Judge standeth before the door.

not one against another: that is, do not Observe here, 1. A prohibition, Grudge

murmur or repine, groan or grieve, as impatient men use to do under their pressure; complain not of God, because the time of your deliverance is delayed. Thirst not after revenge against your persecutors, and envy not those who are exercised with fewer troubles than yourselves; Grudge not. Observe, 2. The enforcement of this prohibition from the danger of the fact, Lest ye be condemned. As if he had said, "Impatience and discontent, envy and distrust, will expose you to greater miseries than you complain of; your sufferings here are but for your probation, but your grudging and repining will be your condemnation. Observe, 3. The anticipation or forestalling of an objection, which some might make: "What! must we suffer, and may we not complain? Must we by tamely bearing many affronts, invite more, and revenge none?" Yes, says the apostle, be patient, and commit your cause to him that judgeth righteously: for, behold, the Judge standeth before the door. Where note, 1. A judge, the supreme and universal judge, Jesus Christ, who was here judged by his creatures, but is now coming to judge his judges. 2. His posture, He standeth: which is the judge's posture when he executes judgment. St. Stephen saw Christ standing, Acts vii. 55. at God's right hand; not as an advocate to plead his cause, (Christ is said to sit at God's right hand when he does that,) but he stood now as a judge, to take speedy vengeance on St. Stephen's murderers for that bloody act. Note, 3. The place where the judge standeth, Before the door: that is, he is coming to judgment, and he is just at hand: he has put on his robes, and is ascending his tribunal. Observe lastly, The note of attention, Behold!

this ushers in the whole, Behold, the Judge standeth at the door. Learn hence, That the consideration of Christ's near approach to judgment should awe the consciences of

men, and mould their conversations into a dutiful compliance with divine commands.

10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Here the apostle exhorts suffering christians to patience, by the example of the Old-Testament saints, who were exceeding dear to God, employed in special services for God, yet exercised with long and sharp afflictions for him. Now, their nature was as tender and as frail as ours, and we have the same blessed Spirit to comfort and assist us with them. Note thence, 1. That the examples of excellent persons who have gone in the thorny path of affliction before us, and beaten it for us, are of excellent use to suppress our fears, to support our spirits under all our conflicts, and to rouse our courage in all our encounters. Note, 3. That it is our great duty to eye the encouraging examples of those that have trod the path of sufferings before us, and strive to imitate and follow such worthy patterns. The first sufferers had the hardest task: strange and untried torments are most terrible; they knew not the strength of their enemy which they were to engage; but we fight with an enemy which has been often beaten and triumphed over by our brethren that went before us; certainly we that live in these last times have the best helps that ever any had to subdue our fears; Take we then the prophets, and primitive saints, for an example both of grievous sufferings and of great patience.

--Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

That is, "Ye have heard how eminent Job was, both for his sufferings and his pa tience, and you have seen, (it is set before your eyes in his story,) what an end the Lord made with him, giving him double in

this world for what he lost; therefore, though you may be losers for God, yet fear not that you shall be losers by him." Learn hence, 1. That it is good and useful in our afflictions, to propound Job's pattern and example to our own imitation. He was famous for his sufferings, and as famous for his patience. Do you suffer various kinds of affliction? do you suffer in your body, in your spirit, in your nearest relations, in your dearest of earthly comforts? and under all these do you suffer the heaviest censures for hypocrisy? It is but Job's portion, and if you compare notes, not half of his condition neither. So for his patience, let us propound that for our pattern too, and take this encouragement to do it, namely, that though Job discovered much impatience, cursing the day of his birth, &c. yet that is not here mentioned, but mercifully pitied and.pardoned, and graciously overlooked. Where the heart is upright with God, infirmities are not mentioned by him. Learn, 2. That our afflictions ought not so much to be considered in their nature and beginning, as in their issue and end: You have seen the end of the Lord. God gives always a gracious end and a glorious end to the afflictions of his people, and sometimes a temporal end also. Job had all these: let us under the rod wait upon God with Job's patience, and he will give us Job's end. Learn, 3. What an affectionate regard God bears to his children in and under all their

That is, "All persons do judge and pronounce those that have suffered death for righteousness' sake, to be in a very happy condition; though they live persecuted, yet they die sainted. Living saints are an eyesore; by the strictness of their lives, and the severity of their reproofs, they torment a wicked world; but dead saints do not stand in the way of their lusts, they will therefore have a good word for the dead saints, whilst they hate and persecute the living: Behold, we count them happy which endure.

word signifies, truly compassionate, very pitiful, and of tender mercy. As he has pardon for their sins, so he has pity for their afflictions; he is pitiful as well as merciful, yea, very pitiful, and of tender mercy. Observe, lastly, That the book of Job is a real history, not a parable. There was such a man as Job, how else could his patience be propounded as a pattern? And whence is it that we find him numbered with Noah and Daniel? Ezek. xiv. 14. As they were real persons, and truly prevalent in prayer, so was he, Job xlii. 10.

12 But above all things, my bre

too often we never hear our people are sick, till the bell tells us they are dead. If therefore by any means we gain the knowledge of their condition, let us apply ourselves with all our might to their consciences, lest God be more angry with us for not going to them, than with them for not sending for us; imitating our Lord, who was found of them that sought him not.

-Anointing him with oil in the nanie of the Lord.

Some make this anointing with oil to be a medicinal practice among the Jews, and that they administered it physically. But why then must the elders administer it ? the physician might have done it as well as they. True, but the elders are sent for, that they applying this corporal remedy, might join with it spiritual physic, or prayer, good admonition, and comfort. As if a sick person should send for the minister at his taking of physic, that he might then pray with him, counsel, and comfort him. Others make this anointing with oil a religious act. Christ empowered his apostles to work miracles, and, amongst others, they had the gift of healing the sick, whom they anointed in the name of the Lord, or by the authority of the Lord; but the gospel being sufficiently confirmed, this gift of healing is ceased, and therewith the rite of anointing therefore the church of Rome keep up an idle ceremony in anointing the sick, unless they had a miraculous power to heal the sick. To keep up the rite, unless they could produce the effect, to pretend to the anointing, without the power of healing, is a mere piece of pageantry: besides, they anoint those that are given over for dead, and the apostle's anointing was for the benefit of the living, as appears by the following verse:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up ;

Here our apostle shows the good effects of this anointing and praying; yet note, that he ascribes the sick man's recovery, not to the oil, but to the prayer: The prayer of faith shall save the sick. The moral means is taken notice of before the ritual and ceremonial: The prayer of faith shall save the sick. There was required to the miracle, faith, both in the elder, and in the sick person, to save, that is, to recover the sick; yet mark, it is said,

the Lord shall raise him up, to note that the efficacy of faith lies in the object of faith: it is not faith properly, but God called upon in faith, that saveth the sick; the efficacy of faith is not from its own merit, but from God's power and grace.

-And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

If he have committed sins: Why, is there any question to be made of that? No; but if he has committed such sins as brought this sickness upon him, they shall be forgiven him, upon this prayer of faith; if any special or particular sin has drawn down this disease upon him, it shall be remitted, and the disease removed; where the sickness is by way of chastisement, the healing is a testimony of God's forgiveness. Learn hence, How absurd is the Popish sacrament of extreme unction; how can they gather a perpetual ordinance from an action that was extraordinary and miraculous, and long since ceased? or apply a sacrament to dying persons, from a rite used upon persons who were not to die, but to be raised from sickness? Or how can they promise to him forgiveness of sins, to whom they cannot promise that recovery which was the token of it?

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

Note here, 1. That there is a time and season when it is our duty to confess our sins, not only to God, but to one another, to a pious and prudent minister, to an injured and wronged neighbour, to those that have been tempted by us, and have consented with us in sinning. Note, 2. How absurdly the Papists ground their practice of auricular confession upon this text,here is not one word spoken of a priest, nor of our confessing to him; and if so, the text proves it the priest's duty to confess to the people, as much as the people's to confess to the priest, for the duty required is mutual, Confess one to another: accordingly the words are generally understood of confessing private injuries one to another; that the sick person must reconcile himself to his neighbour as well as to God, that he may recover: for so it follows, Pray for one another, that ye may be healed; intimating, that it is the duty of christians to confess their miscarriages and private injuries one to another, and by their prayers to succour, help, and relieve each other;