faint, and grow weary, no sense of paterral love can enter into them, until they are rebuked, and brought into composure.

3. This way of dealing becomes the relation retween God and believers, as father ard children, viz. that he should chastise, and they should bear it patiently. This makes it evident, that there is such a relation between them.

VERSE 8.

But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

$1. The certainty of the rule. $2. What implied in chastisement. S. No true son exempted from it $4. Those who are not chastised are bastards, and not sons. (5 Hence the reasonableness of our not fainting under them. 6. Observations.

$1. THE rule which the apostle hath laid down concerning chastisements, as a necessary inseparable adjunct of that relation between father and sons, is so certain in nature and grace, that (as he new proceeds. to shew) those who have no chastisements are no sons, no legitimate children.

§2. There is in the words a supposition of a "state without chastisement." Take "chastisement" materially for every thing that is grievous or afflictive, and no man is absolutely without it. But comparatively, some even in this sense are freed from chastisement, Such the psalmist speaks of, "There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm; they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men,” Psal. Ixxiii, 4, 5; which he gives as a char(acter of the worst sort of men in the world.

But this is not the chastisement here intended. We have shewed before, that it is an instructive correction; and the design of the place requires that signification;

and this some professers may be without. Whatever trouble they may meet with, yet they are not under divine chastisements, for their good. Yet the apostle's design may reach farther, namely, to awaken them who were under troubles, but were not sensible of their being divine chastisements; and so lost all the benefit of them, since without that they could have no evidence of their sonships.

§3. To confirm his inference, the apostle adds the substance of his rule, "whereof all are partakers." The Syriac reads it: "Wherewith every man is chastised;" but it must be restrained to sons. This therefore the apostle is positive in, that it is altogether vain to look for spiritual sonship without chastisement. They who are sons are partakers of it, every one his own share. There is a general measure of afflictions assigned to the church, head, and members, whereof every one is to receive his part, Col. i, 24.

§4. The inference on this supposition is, that such persons are "bastards, and not sons." Their state is expressed both positively and negatively, to give the greater emphasis to the assertion. Besides, if he had only said, "ye are bastards," it would not have been so evident that they were not sons, for bastards are sons also. But now he clearly shews they are not such as have a right to the paternal inheritance. Gifts they may have, and riches, bestowed on them; but they have no right of inheritance by virture of their sonship, if without chastisement.

§4. Hence the great force and propriety of what is added. viz, that we should not faint under our trials and afflictions. For if they are all such divine chastisements, as without which we can have no evidence of our relation to God as a father; yea, without a real participation of them, we can have no right to

the eternal inheritance; it is at once unwise and wicked to be weary of them, or to faint under them. §6. And we may observe hence:

1. There are no sons of God, no real partakers of adoption, that are without some crosses and chastisements in this world. They deceive themselves who expect to live in God's family, and not to be under his chastening discipline. And this should make every one of us very contented with our own lot and portion, whatever it be.

2. It is an act of spiritual wisdom in all our troubles, to discern divine paternal chastisements, without which we shall never behave ourselves well under them, nor obtain any advantage by them.

3. There are in the visible church, or among professors, some that have no right to the heavenly inheritance. They are bastards; sons that may have gifts and outward enjoyments, but they are not heirs. And this is a great evidence of it in any;-that they are not chastised. They may be in trouble like other men, (for man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward) but they are not sensible of divine chastisement in them; they do not receive them, bear them, nor improve them as such.

4. The joyous state of freedom from affliction is such as we ought always to watch over with great diligence, lest it should be a leaving us out of the family of God. I do not say, on the other hand, that we may desire afflictions, but we may pray, that we may not want any pledge of our adoption, leaving the ordering and disposing of all things to the sovereign will and pleasure of God.

VERSES 9, 10,

Moreover, we have had fathers of our flesh, who chastened us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? for they verily for a few days chastened us, after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

$1. The design and nature of the argument. $3, 4 (I.) Exposition. The special end of divine chastening. $5. What God requires of us under them; subjeetion. $6. The consequent of this subjection. $7. (II.) Observations.

$1.THE design of these words is, farther to evince the equity of the patient enduring divine chastisement: which is done on such cogent principles of conviction as cannot be avoided, and which are of two sorts:the first is from the light of nature; that children ought to obey their parents, and submit to them in all things: the other is from the light of grace; that there is an answerable relation between God and believers, as is between natural parents and their children, though it be not of the same nature. The whole strength of the argument depends on these undoubted principles.

§2. (I.) "We have had fathers of our flesh." That learned man did but indulge his unbridled fancy, who would have these "fathers" to be the teachers of the Jewish church, which, how they should come to be opposed to the Father of spirits, he (as might be expected) could not imagine. Those from whom we derive our flesh "chastened us;" they had a right to do so, and they did it "as seemed good to them." It is not said, that they did it for their mere pleasure without respect to the rule or equity, for it is the example of good parents that is intended. But they did it according to their best discretion; wherein they might fail, both as to the causes and the measure of

chastisement. The exercise of this right is "for a few days;" either a few of our own days; or it may respect the advantage which is to be obtained by such chastise nents, which is only the regulation of our affections for a little season. And (εvipeñoμeda) we gave them reverence; an ingenuous, modest submission, as opposite to stubbornness and frowardness. We were kept in a proper dutiful temper of mind; we did not desert the family of our parents, nor grow weary of their discipline, so as to be discouraged from our duty. $3. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits," of our spirits? So the opposition requires; the fathers of our flesh, and the Father of our spirits; the rational soul, which is immediately created and infused, having no other father but God himself. See Numb. xvi, 22; Zech. xii, 1; Jer. xxxviii, 16, I will not deny, but that the signification of the word here may be farther extended, so as to comprise also the state and frame of our spirits in their restoration and rule, wherein also they are subject to God alone: but his being the immediate creator of them is primarily regarded.

And this is the fundamental reason of our patient submission to God in all our afflictions, that our very souls are his, the immediate product of his divine power, and under his rule alone. May he not do what he will with his own? Shall the potsherd contend with its maker?

His general end and design therein is our profit or advantage. This being once well fixed, takes off all disputes in this case. Men in their chastisements do at best but conjecture at the event, and are no way able to effect it. But what God designs shall infallibly come to pass; for he himself will accomplish, and make the means of it certainly effectual.

VOL. IV.

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