his people. 1 For, brings in the Proof of the ſoreneſs of God's Puniſkment tc; be inflited on Apoſtates, from God's own Teſtimony about it which we who are converſant with the Scriptures, are well acouain. ted with, we know, what God hath ſpoken, and by whom he w_ ſpoken it, 7ohn g. 29, Their Knowledge of it was clear 2nd certain, it being ſpoken to them by Moſes, and written for them, Do1;, >. 35, 36. kh To me is Vengeance and Recompence ; which are the word of the Hebrew Text. To me,. the Soveraign Being, the Supreme and Univerſal Law-giver and Judge, doth belong the Uniyer(s! Right and Power of vindiQtive Juſtice. It is his Propricty, s He wy; avenge all Injuries againſt his People, He will much more avence t/... Sins and Injuries againſt his Son ; and will actually return to 641 Doers, as a Recompence for their Sins, the evil of Puniſhment, He 15 not only juſt and powertu!, but attually maniteſting both in h; Retribution on them, Deut. 32. 41, 43. Pal. 04. 1 Row, 15, 1: 2 Theſſ. 1.8. | Fehwoah ſaith it, who is faithful and true, Power. ful and conſtant to his Threatnings, as weil as his Promiſes, Thi. he ſaith to, and threatens Apoſtate Fein with, who revolted {r = God and ſerved Idols, Deut. 32.15, 15, 19. m A further Tellin; » is urged from God's Vindication of his People, when hc hath puniihcd Apoſtates, taken from Dent. 32. 6. and Yſ:/m 12 5. 14, The Sove. raien Being of Rizhteoutneſs, the ſame Jehovah as before will ry. juſtifie, ſave, deliver, and vindicate his Covenant-Peop!c from contempt and villitying of his Son and them, by puniſhing tvvere!, ſuch, wlio by their Apoſtacy from him and them are puwlty of it He will certainly take Vengeance on them, and ther:by cl; the j;;.
_
nocency, Truth and Goodneſs of his, who are trampled on by th: 31 r:s7 a tearful thing to fall into the bn the living God.
n The Puniſhment of theſe Apoſtates is further aggravate tron the Intlitor of it, the knowledge of which ſhould make tl:em tre. ble; the Thoughts of it might affe&t them, as the Haind-writin ©; the Wall did Belfhazzar, Dan. 5. 6. It thould firike horror int.) their Heart, trembling into their Perſons, Deut. 28. 55, 56. by A- poſtacy trom Him as a Father, to be ſubjeted to Him as a Jud-e, and as obnoxious to his ſevereſt Judgment. Him in whoſe Haud is Power 1nexpreffſible, 1 Chron. 29. 12. to avenge himſelf on his E- nemies, Pſal. go. 11. who have renounced Him as their God, and provoked Him to fury by it. A God that will not repent of Ver- geance, and who liveth ever to infiitt it; who lifts up his Hand to Heaven, and faith, 7 live for ever, Deut. 32. 39, 4%. to puniſh 2: everlaſting Burning, and a devouring Fire, ſuch Traitors to Incl! ed, His Vengeance 02 theſe Apoſtates is like Himſelf, everlaſting.
32 But o * call to remembrance the former dr in which after ye þ were illuminated, ye indurcd + 1 great fight of afflictions g.
q By their tufferings for him with Patience, and divine Fortitud willingly, cheartully, valiantly ; ye have borne, and overcom:. bearing, preſerving your Integrity, fo as your Faith wasimmove.! c and ſtrengthened you to endure the many, and moſt violent antun't- of the Devil and his Inſtruments, both within and without tc Church, who thought to force them from the Faith, by the many Evils which they inflited. If they were thus enduring theſe at thc firſt, hov! much more now, after fo long a continuance in it ? Am, 8. 18. 2Cor. 1. 6,7, 2 Tim. 1. 8. 1 Pet, 5. 9.
33 Partly whileſt ye were made » 4 gazing: ſtock, both by reproaches, and aiftictions, and ly whilſt * ye became s companions of them that were {o uſed.
7 Their Sufferings perſonal in this famous Inſtance, $2787: p3't, They were ſo publickly expoſed as on a Stage or Theatre, 10 +5 multitudes might ſport themſelves with them, 1 Coy. 4. 5. As m4- ny were expoſed to be devoured by Beaſts in their publick Shes, I Cor. 15. 32. Or, to deſtroy them, expoſed in their pubIick Courts of Juſtice, and there taunted and reviled, as Chri!t tore- told them, Matth. 10. 17, 18. They were ſuffering Keproache: and Afffictions publickly both in Word and Deed. What Nick-
”y\ 4» qt 4 .
| Names impoſed on them ? what Crimes imputed to them, which they
abhorred ? what buffeting, ſcourging, rormenting, ſhackhng, TIM priſoning, baniſhing, were they not exerciſed with, as their Fcllo- Chriſtians are- to this day? +s Their Sufferings by Participation i preſence, and Sympathy with their Fellow-Chriſtjans, This 1s 4807 ther kind of it ; they were Conſorts and Sharers of :!| thote Me- bers of Chriſt, who were ſo«abuſed by the Devil and his Inſtruments, and they bore their Burdens with them, were inwardly grievcd 10r them, publickly owned and comforted them, ſupplied and ſupported them as they could, as v. 34. 2 Cor. 11.25, 26.
34 For ye had z compaſſhon of me in my honds,
and * took joyfully x the ſpoiling of your goods, know 7 jan: ing || in your ſelves that + ye have in heaven 4 bet |
ter and an induring ſubſtance. t For ye /[ympathized in my Bonds,
thers, he inſtanceth in himſelf, as a Witneſs of it : for when it
in Bonds for preaching the Goſpel, both-at Feruſz/em, As 21+ 33 .,
37. and 22. 24, 25. at Ceſarea, Afs 23, and 24 if Zo _ n wit Min,
28* they fore-warned him of his Danger, bore hits Eurcc!
ſupplied, relieved him, and endeavoured what in them Jav,” his wo
7oc. 15 4 Proof of both kinds - ral
. . ; ; . of their Sufferings fore-mentioned. As to their ſuffering vo! go to VI< j
BE
And again, 3 + The Lord ſhall Judo *1
MC. 2 1G 1
«17 14s 'L
. k. © a
| Chap. Ls
leaſe. # And in their own Sufferings, by being rifled for the Gol: |
p21 ; their Goods, Eſtates, and Means of Sub\1ſtance, was either by
Fines, Condſcations, or Violence, raviſhed from them ; their Ene-
mies, like lo many Harpeys, preying on them, 1 7heſſ. 2.14 v0
as theſe Chriſtian Hebrews at this time had their reſpective Proper-
ties, and all was not levell'd among them. Though they were 10
impoveriſhed to make them comply with the Gentile Superſtition
and Idolatry,' yet they chearfully bore it, eſteeming 1t ther Honour
and Privilege thus to ſuffer tor Chriſt, and herein obeyed him, as
Matth. 3.11, and,1s the Apoſtles did before them in Acts 5+
41. w They were fully afſured of this by Faith in God's Promite,
and by Gad's Work on their own Hearts, qualifying and ftting them
for it, Rom. 8.15, 15, 17. That they have by Promiſe given them
as theirs, as fitted for them a ſpiritual Subſtance and Eſtate, be-