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like a horse and a mule which have no understanding; but it understands things which are not seen; for "hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for?" Rom. viii. 24.

And of the same import with the present passage is that also which is written Psalm liv. 3, " For strangers, (behold here also are many, and strangers, that is, ungodly and adversaries,) are risen up against me, (that is, against me deserted and alone,) and oppressors seek after my soul: (here, see, there are strong ones, and they prevail against the one that is weak:) they have not set God before them." As if he had said, They do not believe that God is with me, but that I am in despair; and therefore they imagine that I am hated by God himself.

And of the same import also is that of Psalm lxxxvi. 14, "O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them." That is, I am left alone and am helpless, and they are multiplied and oppress me: I am impotent and distressed, and they are powerful, and rise and stand up against me: I am in despair, and they say there is no help for me in God; and they are confident and glory in their victory

over me.

Hence, we see that the life of a righteous man in this world, after the example of Christ, is made up of these three parts of the cross, solitude, impotency, and despair; that he may thus be a proper object to find in God, a helper, a glorifier, and a lifter-up of his head. And thus Joshua also, with the children of Israel, feigned a flight in the war against the people of Ai, chap. viii. 5; and by that very means destroyed them utterly. And so also, the children of Benjamin were slain by the children of Israel, Judges xx. 35, in the same manner; for the latter feigned a flight, and, returning afterwards, slew the former almost unto a total destruction. For the cross and suffering are most ensnaring, and are most destroying flights to the world : and the devil, the world, and the flesh are not overcome

by any powers more effectual than these: for here, by the wonderful counsel of God, while they conquer, they are conquered.

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It is clear, however, that "glory" in this passage is to be received as signifying glorying,' or 'the thing gloried in,' according to a figure of speech used in the scriptures, whereby it is said, Jer. xvii. 17, "Thou art my hope in the day of evil:" and also, Psalm xxii. 9, "Thou wast my hope upon my mother's breasts:" and again, Psalm cxlii. 5, "I said, thou art my hope:" that is, thou art that concerning which, and in which, I hope And so also it is said, 'my God' 'my mercy;' and also, 'The Lord my light' and 'my salvation,' &c. And it is in the same manner that it is said here, Thou art " my glory:" that is, that in which I glory. So that the sense is, They trust in their own glory, and glory in the multitude of their riches, according to Psalm xl. and their glory is their strength; but I do not glory in my strength, and yet I am not confounded in the impotency which I suffer; but I glory in thy strength, and thy power is my glory: according to that of Psalm lxxxix. 17,"For thou art the glory of their strength: and also Jer. ix. 23, 24, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me," &c. And so again, 1 Cor. i. 31, "He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord."

And, if any one wishes to enter farther into grammatical particulars,-that CABOD in this passage signifies, properly, that which the Greeks express by dota, glory) and the Latins by gloria (glory); and that therefore, it is a different thing from glorying, which the Greeks are considered to express by Kavxnua, and the Hebrew by PHEER or TIPHEERET;-if the passage, I say, be so received, it will not even then be improperly understood; for it will then make God to be the 'glory' of the righteous man, in the same way as Paul, 1 Cor. xi. 7, calls man "the glory of God," and woman "the glory of man:" because, God is glorified, honoured, and

praised in his saints whom he has redeemed: and on the other hand, they also are glorified on whom God has condescended to bestow so great a benefit; while they confess concerning themselves that they were holpen, not by their own strength, but by the power of God.

But, with me, there is but very little difference in these two words, especially with respect to the present passage: excepting that glory' being unconnected with the feelings of the person glorified, signifies the good opinion of others concerning him, and his fame and renown but glorying,' signifies the affection of mind in the person glorifying, and his confidence in God. Let each one adopt that acceptation of the passage which pleases him most; because, in the spirit and before God, there can neither be glory without glorifying, nor glorifying without glory. For, before thou canst glory and happily boast in God, thy opinion of thyself, as to what thou art in the sight of God, must be good; and thou must feel and firmly believe it to be so; and then, God being thy glory, and known and believed to be so, makes thee rejoice and glory in God. For who may not glory, exult, and, despising all things else, unspeakably rejoice, who knows and believes that his opinion of himself, as to what he is in the sight of God, is good? that is, that God thinks well of him, is well pleased with him, is willing to help him, will fight for him, and will give him favour in the sight of all.

But again, it is not enough, that thy opinion of thyself, as to what thou art in the sight of God, be good; that is, that thou art loved by him, praised by him, and well pleasing unto him, (that is, that thou art in his glory,) unless thou know and believe this. And be assured, that, when thou knowest and believest this, glorying and joy of conscience cannot by any means be wanting. Whence it is certain, that it must of necessity be, that the glorifying of God, and the glorying of the righteous, must go together: as we find it in Psalm c. 47," That we may glory in thy praise:" so that God is both the glory and the glorying of the righteous: their 'glory' is in God, and the 'glorying' is in

their own conscience. For the 'glory' is our good opinion concerning another; but the 'glorying' is our rejoicing and confidence in that object of our glory.

You see, therefore, what a greatness of faith and confidence is manifested in these words. Although, saith he, many rise up against me, imagine evil against me, and think the worst of things concerning me; yet I know that I shall not be confounded. The Lord is my glory; and I firmly trust that his thoughts concerning me are most favourable, and I glory in this my per

suasion.

"And the lifter up of my head."--Though I know that this "head," is received by some as signifying Christ himself; and also, the mind itself of Christ; yet this acceptation seems to be tropological and figurative. Therefore, (according to my bold way,) I rather think that it should be received as signifying more simply, and, by a figure of speech most common in the scriptures, 'glorification.' So that the plain meaning of the whole passage should be, "The lifter up of my head:" that is, he has lifted me up and set me up on high: according to that of 2 Kings xxv. 27, "Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison; and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon." Here it is clear, that lifting up the head,' signifies, to exalt the whole man, and to place him in a state of glory and in a kingdom. And so Christ, who was represented in a figure by Jehoiachin, king of Judah, when he had died and had descended into hell, and it was now said of him that all was despair, and that there was no hope for him in God, was soon after raised up by the right hand of God from the depths of the earth above the heavens, and above all powers, and was made King of kings, and Lord of lords! And so also, it is said after the same manner, Psalm cx. 7, " He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up his head;" that is, shall be exalted above all.

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And as, in the scriptures, to lift up the head' sig

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nifies a kingdom and power: so also, with no dissimilar figure of speech, to lift up the hand, signifies to prevail and to be powerful in working: as in Isaiah xlix. 22, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sons in their arms," &c. And so also Psalm lxxiv. Lift up thy hand against their pride.' And in the same manner, to lift up the feet,' signifies' to go quickly: as we have it Gen. xxix. 1, where we read, "Then Jacob went on his journey:" which is in the Hebrew, ' and Jacob lifted up his feet.' And we are used in the German language also, by a figure of expression, to exhort those whom we would have to go quickly, by saying, Lift up your feet.'

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I have dwelt upon these particulars somewhat at length, because, a great part of the knowledge of what is written lies in the figures of speech; and especially so in the Holy Scriptures, which have their peculiar idioms; an ignorance of which, sometimes raises great clouds where there is the clearest day. To have the 'head lifted up,' therefore, is to be exalted to a king, and to be glorified.

And I would continually inculcate and bring to remembrance, that these are the words of faith, hope, and love; whereby we are instructed in Christ, that we faint not in every strait: for all these things, as the apostle saith, Rom. xvi. 4, are written for our instruction and consolation, that we through patience might have hope.' For it is a hard matter, and a work requiring the power of divine grace, to believe in God as the lifter up of our head and our crowner, in the midst of death and hell. For this exaltation is a thing hidden, and that which is seen, is only despair, and no help in God. And therefore, we are here taught 'to believe in hope against hope:' which wisdom of the cross is, at this day, deeply hidden in a profound mystery. For there is no other way into heaven, than this cross of Christ. And therefore, we must take heed, that the active life with its works, and the speculative with its speculations, do not delude us: they are each very pleasing and quiet, and are on

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