5 And ye p have forgotten the 7 exhortation,which pezketh to 7 you as to Cliliren, * My ton, deſpiſe * 1or thou / the chaſtening of «the Lord, nor z faint when thou art rebuked of him. |
p +217 r G;, whether rendred viterrogatively, have ye forgotten ? or poſitively, ve have forgotten, ter way 1t carrietn a check upon ter tor: effulncls of what was of the greateſt nmportance for them to remember 10 the time of Perſecutious, and 1np!icth a direftion C: tom to their Duty, tht they ouzit to remember the Counlc] or CG ommnmnd given Sy God to them, how to interpret theſe Perte- £
i inrroduccth a further help to their running of the Race of God
be hi.hly fuch to them, and a Dehortatimn from an Evil which would greatly prejudice them ; when 1t 15 1a1d, to ſpeak, it 1s a Me- tonomy of the Ette& for the Efficient ; the Lord in the Exhor- tation tpcaking this to them. »- Theſe Words were written by S-:!:mon, from God unto his Children 1n that time ; and God ſpeaks no lcfs by him to theſe Hebrews, who were his Children now, as to all others who are ſuch, or ſhould be ſuch Children to Him. And whereas it is ſpoken ſingularly, My Son, 1t 15 to every Child of God in Chriſt Jefus, and fo collettively includeth all of them. / The Dehortation is written in Prv. 3. 11, that not one of theſe Chil- dren ſhould care /ittle for, or ſet light by, denying all regardleſneſs, ſ-nileſneſs of, and incorriziblencſs under ſuch ſmart corredion as a
Parent gives to a Child, cither by Himſelf, or by any other to
whoſe carc it is committed ; but this Chaſtening 1s from the Lord, te moſt gracious and tender Father, who can do them no Evil, and will profit and bencht them by it. As they come from their Perfecutors for the ſake or Chriſt, they are Injuries, but as ordered by God their Father, they are ſo many Favours to them, preventing Sin, preſerving in Duty, and preparing them for Blefledneſs, # Nor to nauſeate his Rcbukes, or to faint under them ; neither to let our Faith or Hope in our Father fail, nor to fink jn our Love to Him, his Way, or Truth, or Religion; nor to be weary, and give over our Courſe, becauſe of Perlecutions, vut continuing Faithful to Him to the end, ver. 14, 15. Matth. 10, 22. Luke 22. 28, 29,
6s For whom the Lord loveth he chaſteneth, and
{courgerh every Son whom he receiveth.
u For, ſheweth this to be a ſuaſory Reaſon againſt fainting under God's rebukes, and enforcing the foregoing Duty.; ſince whomſoever, Son or Daughter, every Cluld that God the Father choicely loveth, taketh into his Boſome, tendereth as a Parent doth a Child, Ephe/. 5. 1. He nurrureth, inſtru&s, corre&s by his Word and Rod in its reſpeive meaſure, for their ſpiritual profit and advantage, 1 Cor, LM. 32. w Scorgeth, noteth the higheſt degree of Chaſtening, cven with the ſharpeth and moſt fmarting puniſhment, wherein God proceedeth with all and every Son or Child, not any excepted, whom he hath adopted and received 1ato his Boſome with compla- cency and delight, chap. 5. 8. compare Prov. 3. 12. Matth, 17, &, Rev. 3.19. where, tho' the words do vary, yet the ſenſe is one and the fame; God ccrrefting as a Father, the Son in whom he de- 11 hteth.
7 If ye x endure chaſtening, God dealeth with you 42S with ſons : for y what fon is he whom the fa- tncr chattenerth not e
x His reaſon he illuſtrateth from the convertibility of ſuffering Aff\tion and Chaſtening from God the Father, and being his Child, it ye have a child-like ſenſe of Chaſtening, ſuch Afffidttons and Suf- ferings from him, as the Father ordereth to you ; ſo as quietly and patiently to bear them, and by Faith expecting a ſaving flue from tems God the Father in Love chaſtening you, beareth, carricth, and ofereth himfelf to you as a Father to his Son, full ot Grace and Love, Levit. 25. 41. 7eb 13.15. Pal. 89.30. Micah 7.9. » No Son or Child of Gofl can he initanced 10, who was capable of enattcmng, but more or Icfs hath telt it, even God's only and beft bcloved one, chap. 5. 8. for our ſakes felt it, Ja. 53. 5. The Inter- r274ti6n 13 4 vchement Afecrtion, and fo to be reſolved.
> But - if ye be without chaſtiſement, whereof all are partakers, then are ve baſtards, and not ſons.
7 But 11 God chaſten ye not, or if he do, and ye have nt Grace, & ay not rightly endure it, are not managins your ſelves well under f, nv are profited by it, when all, azd every one of his Children are palaxers of 1t,* then are ye a falſe and ſpurious Serd, and not
HEBREW S.
Chap." |
God's genuine Off-ſpring, Baffurds in his account ; and indecd fo the molt forlorn, wretched perſons of all others, lett under the Power and Dominion of Sin, hurrying them on to their utter De. ttcuciion, Zorn, 41. Thele viſible Church-Members have a bafiarg. ly diipolition, Hearts alienated trom God and his Law, and inclined to the W Il and Works of the Fleſh, exprefling it in their converſ: t10n, running into the exceſs of Sin, having no chaſtning to reſirain them, and are deſerted by God for it, 1ſa.1.4,5,6. H/. 4. 14,17.
9 furthermore a we have had tathers of our &:ſh who corrected us, and we b gave ther reverence, ſhall we not much rather be c in ſubjection unto * the {1 ther of ſpirits d and live?
a He entorceth the Duty of not deſpiſing nor fainting under the iſ1,-> |
Lord's chaſtening, from the conſideration of his being our Father and better than any Earthly one, and from his Gocdnefs in that Re- lation, and therefore we ought to ſubmit to it: We have tad our natural Parents, as we are Children, and who were the ſubordinztc cauſe of our Being as to our Bodies, chap. 7. 5, 10. and they werc Inſtructors and CorreRors of us; made uſe of the Rod as well as thic Word for our nurture; they have whipt and chaſtiſed us, putting us to Smart and Pain, 2 Sam. 7. 14. Prov. 22.15. b Erire:m wine; 1mports a turning of Bywels and Spirits within thens towards their 64- thers, covered with ſhame and bluſhing for thezr faults, and airaid to look them, when offended, in the Face ; reverencinz then. chaſtening and ſubmitting to the Penalty, fo as to retorm and cur from the taults for which they were corredted. c The Fxpr'tu! cri/n ſhews the vehemency of the Arzument more than a fimple Þ-tition, It 1s the higheſt reaſon, of all right we muft and ought (cn as well our Priviledge as Dury) to deny our ſelves, and he in that iu