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them from destroying and devouring by any means whatever. It is with their mouths that they devour; and he that hinders them from devouring, may well be said to stop their mouths. In this sense it may be ascribed to Sampson, who, when a young lion roared against him, approaching to devour him, he rent him. to pieces, Judg. xiv, 5, 6. In like manner, David stopped the mouth of a lion, when he slew him, 1 Sam. xvii, 34, 35. But if the word be taken in its proper signification, to put a stop to the mouth of a lion, so that he shall neither hurt nor devour, though he be kept alive and at liberty, then it is applied to Daniel only; for so it is said of him expressly, when cast into the den of lions, that God had sent his angel, and "shut the lion's mouths," that they did not hurt him; Dan. vi, 22; and Daniel did it by faith; for although the ministry of angels was used therein, yet it was done, because he believed in his God, ver. 20.

§6. (Eoßeσav Suvaμ Tuрos) "they quenched the violence of fire." He doth not say, they quenched fire, which may be done by natural means; but they took off. abated, restrained the violence," the power of fire, as if the fire itself had been utterly quenched. This, therefore, belongs to the three companions of Daniel, who were cast into the burning fiery furnace, Dan. iii, 23. The fire continued still, and retained its burning power, for it slew the men that cast them into the furnace. But by faith they quenched or restrained the power and violence of it towards themselves, that not one hair of their head was singed, ver. 27. And the faith of these men consisted in their committing themselves to the omnipotence and sovereignty of God in the discharge of their duty,

§7. (Έφυγον στοματα μαχαίρας) “They escaped the edge of the sword;" the mouths of the sword from the He-.

brew () and a "tro edged sword," they call a "sword of mouths," as in the Greek (paxaipa diolopos. chap. iv, 12.) "They escaped" by flight from the danger. So was it frequently with David, when he fled from the sword of Saul, which was in a manner at his throat several times, and he "escaped by flight," wherein God was with him. So did Elijah, when he was threatened to be slain by Jezebel, 1 Kings, xix, 3. It may be said, Was not this an effect of fear rather than of faith, with all its good success? No; for it is the wisdom and duty of faith, to apply itself to all lawful means and ways of deliverance from danger. Not to use means when God affords them to us, is not to trust but to tempt him. Fear will be in all cases of danger, and yet faith may have the principal conduct of the soul. And a victory is sometimes obtained by flight.

§8. Some of them, (eveduvapalyσav año aoƉɛvɛias) “out of weakness were made strong." The term (aσEVELD) weakness, denotes any kind of infirmity, moral or corporeal. The words are taken almost literally out of Isaiah; "The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness,” Isa. xxxviii, 9; and that this was through faith is evident in the story, and was in part miraculous.

89. some of them through faith (eyevybav oxupor EV TOλEμ) were made valiant, waxed strong in fight or battle. As this may be applied to many of them, as Joshua, Barak, Gideon, Jephthæ, so David affirms of himself, that "God taught his hands to war, so that a bow of steel was broken by his arms; and that he girded him with strength unto battle," Psal. xviii, 34-39, which answers to what is here affirmed.

§10. Of the same kind is that which followeth, (παρεμβολας έκλιναν αλλοτριων) “They turned to flight the armies of the aliens." The original word (Tapeμßoλal)

properly denotes the camps, the fortified tents of an army; but it is used for an army itself, 1 Sam. iv, 16; an host encamped like that of the Midianites when Gideon went down unto it, Judg. vii, 10; which overthrow of that host is here principally intended; for so it was signified in the dream, that the tents should be smitten and overturned, ver. 13. But because the apostle useth the word in the plural number, it compriseth other enterprises of the like nature, as that of Barak and Jonathan against the Philistines, with the victories of Asa and Jehoshaphat, in all which there was an eminent exercise of faith, as the stories of them declare. And these "aliens," were those whom the scripture calls () strangers from aud enemies to the church of God,

$11. It is added, "Women received their dead raised to life again." These women were, the widow of Zarephath, whose son Elijah raised from death, 1 Kings, xvii, 17—24; and the Shunamitess, whose son was raised by Elisha, 2 Kings, iv, 33-36. And it is said of them, that they received their children from the dead; for in both places the prophets having raised them from the dead, gave them into their mother's arms, who received them with joy and thankfulness, Their faith is not expressed; but respect is rather had to the faith of the prophets, who obtained this miracuJous operation by faith. However, at least one of them, the Shunamitess, seems to have exercised much faith in the whole matter. And it is said, they received their dead, (εž avuclaσews) out of, or, by a resurrection. These ten instances did the apostle choose to give, out of the great things that had been done through faith, to assure the Hebrews, and us with them, that there is nothing too hard or difficult for faith to effect, when it is set on work and applied according to the mind of God.

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§12. We may now observe:

1. There is nothing that can lie in the way of the accomplishment of any of God's promises, but it is conquerable by faith. Or, whatever difficulties any one may have to conflict with in the discharge of his duty, if he abide in faith, he shall in the end obtain the things promised.

2. Faith, that hath thus "stopped the mouths of lions," can restrain, disappoint, and stop the rage of the most savage oppressors and persecutors of the church.

3. We ought to exercise faith about temporal mercies, as they are oftentimes received by it, and given on account of it.

VERSES $5---37.

-And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings, and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.

$1. Instances of another nature. The power of faith under various sufferings. 2. Some were tortured to death, $3 Yet accepted not deliverance. $4. The ground of their steadfastness. §5. Others bad trials of mockings, scourgings, bonds, imprisonments. $6. Stoned. $7. Some were sawn asunder. $8. Tempted. 9. Slain. 10. Some wandered about, $11. Meanly clothed, §12. and destitute of friends. $13. Observations,

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§1. He proceeds in the next place to instances quite of another nature, and which were more immediately suited to the condition of the Hebrews: for hearing of these great and glorious things, they might be apt to think that they were not so immediately concerned in them. For their condition was poor, persecuted, exposed to all evils, and death itself, for the profession of the gospel. Their interest therefore was to inquire what help from faith they might expect in that condition? What will faith do, where men are to be oppressed,

persecuted, and slain? To this he replies, that its power was great in preserving the souls of believers under the greatest sufferings. There is as much glory to a spiritual eye in the catalogue of the effects of faith which follow, as in that which went before. The church is no less beautiful and glorious when encompassed and seemingly overwhelmed with all the evils and dreadful miseries here recounted, than when it is in the greatest peace and prosperity. To look indeed only on the outside of them, gives a terrible prospect; but to see faith and love to God working effectually under them all; to see comforts retained, yea, consolations abound, holiness promoted, God glorified, the world condemned, the souls of men profited, and at length triumphant over all; this is beautiful and glorious. To do the greatest things, and to suffer the hardest, is all one to faith. It is equally ready for both as God shall call, and equally effectual. These things, as to the flesh, differ nearly as heaven and hell, they are both alike to faith when duty calls. The apostle takes most of these instances, if not all, from the time of the persecution of the church under Anticchus, the king of Syria, in the days of the Maccabees.

§2. "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." (Elupravis@nov) they were tortured; critics have remarked, that (Tuuzevov) tympanum, whence the word is formed, signifies either an engine whereon those who were tortured were stretched out, as a skin is stretched on the head of a drum; or the instruments used in beating them. So some render the word, fustibus multati, contusi, cæsi; but the word is frequently used to take away the lives of men by any kind of torture or tormenting pain, therefore the precise notation of it from the original is not here so much to be regarded: