3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;



Ver. 3. The Father of mercies] Only it must be remembered that as he is Pater miserationum, so he is Deus ultionum, Psa_94:1. As he hath ubera, breasts, so he hath verbera the whip. Christ is girt about the paps with a golden girdle, to show his love, but yet he hath eyes like flaming fire, and feet like burning brass, Rev_1:13-16, to look through and keep under his enemies.



The God of all comfort] It is he that shines through the creature, which else is but as the air without light. It is he that comforteth by the means. It is not the word alone, for that is but as the veins and arteries that convey the blood and spirits. So the Spirit being conveyed by the promises, helpeth the soul to lay itself upon Christ by faith, and so it is comforted. Sometimes comfort comes not by the use of the means till afterwards, that he may have the whole glory: Son_3:3, the Church found not him whom her soul loved, till she was a little past the watchmen. The soul is apt to hang her comforts on every hedge, to shift and shirk in every bycorner for comfort. But as air lights not without the sun, and as fuel heats not without fire; so neither can anything soundly comfort us without God.



" Una est in trepida mihi re medicina, Iehovae



Cor patrium, os verax, omnipotensque manus."



Nath. Chytraeus.