Here the apostle cometh to charge more closely their
arrogant presumption of outward success upon their consciences, especially it
being aggravated by professed acknowledgment and avowing of it, against the
threatenings of the word.
But now ye reioice in your boastings. - It is
not easy to define of what boastings the apostle meaneth. The persons to whom
he wrote are charged, chap, ii., with glorying in their riches, and afterward
for bearing up upon a mere profession of godliness, and glorying in their
supposed religion; after that he chargeth them with glorying in a presumption
of wisdom, manifested in their censorious insultations over the failings of
others, chap. iii.; and now, last of all, for their glorying in their carnal
hopes, or fond prognostications of the success of their own endeavours, as if
their lives and actions were in their own power, and exempted from the dominion
and government of providence. Probably all these may be intended, for the
apostle's expression is plural, alazoneiais, 'ye glory in your boastings;'
though I conceive the latter is principally intended, their avowing their
confidence, notwithstanding the many threatenings which were ready to be
executed upon them. For, though the apostle's doctrine be of general use, and
at all times we must conceive our purposes with submission to the will of God,
yet his chief drift is to check the security, carelessness, and carnal
confidence of their hearts, judgments now approaching, and the happiness of the
Jewish affairs running low, even to the bottom and dregs. For you shall see in
the beginning of the next chapter he presently ringeth them a loud peal of
threatenings, and representeth the avenging judge as at the door, or at hand,
to recompense their iniquities. Now, because they would justify their
confidence, yea, glory in it, what sad thoughts soever others had of the times,
he saith, 'Ye rejoice or glory in your boastings.'
Such rejoicing is
evil; that is, though you think it a brave confidence, yet certainly it is but
a carnal security. He saith no more of it, but it is evil, because they
defended it as good; it is evil, as coming from an evil cause, pride, and
wretched security; it is evil in its own nature, as being an outbraving of the
word; it is evil in its effects, as hindering you from good, and putting you
upon traffic and aspiring projects, when you should more solemnly mind humbling
duties, and 'be afflicted, and weep, and mourn,' &c., as is pressed before,
ver. 9. And this I conceive is the mind of the apostle in this verse, which is
usually passed over by interpreters slightly, without that necessary regard
which should be had to the scope of the context and epistle. Note hence: -
Obs. 1. That such is the degeneration of human nature, that it doth not
only practise sins, but glory in them. Man fallen is but man inverted and
turned upside down; his love is where his hatred should be, and his hatred
where his love should be; his glory where his shame should be, and his shame
where his glory should be. Many count strictness a disgrace, and sin a bravery.
The apostle saith, Phil. iii. 19, 'They glory in their shame.' It cometh to
pass sometimes through ignorance; men mistake evil for good, and so call
revenge valour or resolution, and prosperity in an evil way the blessing of
providence upon their zealous endeavours, and presumptuous carelessness a
well-built confidence. God charged it upon his people that they had made great
feasts of rejoicing when they had more cause to mourn: Jer. xi. 15, 'The holy
flesh is past from thee; when thou dost evil, then thou rejoicest.' Usually, by
our fond mistakes, thus it is we are blessing and praising God when we have
more cause to humble and afflict our souls. Sometimes it is through stupidness
and sottishness of conscience; when men have worn out all honest restraints,
then they rejoice in evil, and delight in their perversities, Prov. ii. 14. The
drunkards think there is a bravery in their strength to pour in wine, and can
boast of the number of their cups; the soaken adulterer of so many acts of
uncleanness; the swearer thinketh it the grace of his speech to interlard it
with oaths; and proud persons think conceited apparel is their best ornament.
Good God! whither is man fallen! First we practise sin, then defend it, then
boast of it. Sin is first our burden, then our custom, then our delight, then
our excellency.
Obs. 2. That we have no cause to rejoice or glory in our
carnal confidence. It seemeth to come from a generous bravery, but indeed from
lowness and baseness of spirit. It is but a running away from evil, not a
mastering of it. Men dare not lay it to heart, because they know not how to
fortify themselves against it. Faith and true confidence always supposeth and
prepareth for the worst, but hopeth the best: it meeteth the adversary in open
field, and vanquisheth it. The fool in the Gospel durst not think of his death
that night, Luke xii. 16, 17, &c. This is the baseness of carnal
confidence, to put off trouble when it cannot put it away; and however it
scorneth the threatening, it feareth the judgment, and are so ill provided to
bear it that they durst not so much as think of it.
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