ness. In order to prevent this, I will endeavour to shew,
I. What manner of persons those were, to whom the apostle says, Ye are in heaviness: II. What kind of heaviness they were in. III. What were the causes, and IV. What were the ends of it. I shall conclude with some inferences.
I. 1. I am in the first place to shew, what manner
of persons those were, to whom the apostle
says, Ye are in heaviness. And, first, It is beyond
all dispute, that they were believers, at the
time the apostle thus addrest them. For so he
expresly says, ver. 5. Ye who are kept through the
power of God by faith unto salvation: again, ver.
7. he mentions, the trial of their faith, much more
precious than that of gold which perisheth. And
yet again, ver. 9, he speaks of their receiving the
end of their faith, the salvation of their souls. At
the same time therefore that they were in heaviness,
they were possessed of living faith. Their
heaviness did not destroy their faith: they still
endured, seeing him that is invisible.
2. Neither did their heaviness destroy their peace, the peace that passeth all understanding, which is inseparable from true, living faith, this we may easily gather from the second verse: wherein the apostle prays, Not that grace and peace may be given them, but only, that it may be multiplied unto them; that the blessing which
