$1.THE apostle in these words proceeds to a new argument, whereby to press his exhortation to patience and perseverance under sufferings, from the nature and end, on the part of God, of all those sufferings; for they are not only necessary as testimonies to the truth, but they are chastisements wherein God hath a blessed design towards us. And this arguhe enforceth with sundry considerations, to the end of ver. 13.

This multitudes have found by experience, that their outward pressing sufferings from the world have been purifying chastisements from God to their souls; by them have they been awakened, revived, mortified to the world, and, as the apostle expresseth it, made partakers of the holiness of God. to their inexpressible advantage and consolation. And,

Thereby doth God defeat the counsels and expectations of the world, having a design to accomplish by their agency which they know nothing of; for those very reproaches, imprisonments, and stripes, with the loss of goods, and danger of their lives, which the world applies to their ruin, God at the same time makes use of for their refining, consolation, and joy. In all these things is the divine wisdom and goodness for ever to be admired.

§2. (I.) "And ye have forgotten the exhortation." There is in the foregoing words a tacit rebuke, that they were ready to faint under their lesser trials; the reason, saith he, why you are so ready to faint, is because you have not attended to the direction and encouragement provided for you. This indeed is the rise of all our miscarriages, and it is the height of pride and ingratitude not to comply with God's entreaties.

"You have forgotten;" a thing we mind not when we ought, and as we ought, we may be justly said to have forgotten it; whether by the exhortation we understand the divine words themselves, as recorded in scripture, or the things exhorted to.-Note, The want of a diligent consideration of the provision God hath made in scripture for our encouragement to duty, and comfort under difficulties, is a sinful forgetfulness, and of dangerous consequence to our souls.

For "whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope," Rom. XV, 4.

§3. "Which speaketh unto you, as unto children.” The scripture is not a dumb and silent letter; it hath a voice in it, the voice of God himself; and speaking is frequently ascribed to it, John vii, 42, &c. And if we hear not the voice of God in it continually, it is because of our unbelief, Heb. iii, 7-15. The word which was spoken so long before by Solomon to the church in that generation, is said to be spoken to these Hebrews; for the Holy Ghost is always present in the word, and speaks in it equally and alike to the church in all ages. He speaks as immediately to us as if we were the first and only persons to whom he spake. It argues, it pleads, it maintains a holy conference with us; it presseth the mind and will of God upon us; and we shall find the force of its arguing if we keep it not off by our unbelief.

What infinite condescension is it in God, that he speaks unto us as unto sons! for whereas these words have respect to a time of trouble and chastisement, it is of unspeakable concernment to us, to consider God under the relation of a Father, and that in them he speaks to us as unto sons. The words originally spa

ken by Solomon, were spoken by God himself; "He speaks unto us as unto "sons," because our gratuitous adoption is the foundation of God's gracious dealings with us; and this, if any thing, is calculated to bind our minds, in the firmest manner, to a diligent compliance with this divine exhortation. Note, Usually,

God gives the most evident pledges of their adoption to believers, when in their sufferings, and under their afflictions; then do they most stand in need of them. then do they most set off the love and care of God towards us.

"My son," is an application that a wise and tender father makes use of to reduce his child to consideration and composure of mind, when he sees him nigh to despondency, under pain, sickness, trouble, or the like; "My son, let it not be thus with thee." God sees us under our afflictions and sufferings, ready to fall into discomposures, with excesses of one kind or another; and thereon applies himself to us, with this endearing expression,

$4. "Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord." "Despise not thou," that every individual person may conceive himself spoken to in particular, and hear God speaking these words to him: What is this chastening of the Lord? The word (Taideia) is variously rendered; doctrine, institution, correction, chastisement, discipline; and it is such correction as is used in the liberal, ingenuous education of children by their parents, Ephes. vi, 4. They are indeed God's chastisenients of

us,

for our education and instruction in his family; and if we duly consider them as such, applying ourselves to learn what we are taught, we shall pass through them more to our advantage than usually we do.

That which we are cautioned against, with respect to the Lord's chastening, is (un oxyge) that we despise

it not. The word is no where used in the scripture but in this place; it signifies to set lightly by, not to value any thing according to its worth and use; and not to esteem them as we ought, not to improve them to their proper end; not to comply with the will of God in them, is, interpretatively to despise them; wherefore, the evil cautioned against, is, want of a due regard to divine admonitions and instructions in our troubles, either through inadvertency, or stout heartedness. Note, It is a tender case to be under troubles and afflictions, which requires our utmost diligence, watchfulness, and care about it; God is in it, acting as a father and a teacher, if he be not duly attended to, our loss by them will be inexpressible.

§. The next caution is, that we "faint not when we are (ɛλɛyxoμɛvoi) reproved;" for this is the next evil we are liable to under troubles and afflictions. The word signifies a reproof by rational conviction; the same thing materially with chastisement is intended; but under this formal consideration, that there is in that chastisement a convincing reproof. God, by discovering to ourselves our hearts and ways, it may be in things which we before took no notice of, convinceth us of the necessity of our troubles and afflictions. He makes us understand, wherefore it is that he is displeased with us; and what is our duty hereon is declared, Habak. ii, 1-4. Namely, to accept of his reproof, to humble ourselves before him, and to betake ourselves to the righteousness of faith for relief.

§6. We now observe;

1. It is a blessed effect of divine wisdom that the sufferings we undergo from men, for the profession of the gospel, shall be also chastisements of divine love for our spiritual advantage.

2. The gospel never requires our suffering, but when, as we shall find if we examine ourselves, we stand in need of the divine chastisement.

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3. When by the wisdom of God we can discern that what we suffer is, on the one hand, for the glory, of God and the gospel; and is, on the other, necessary, for our own sanctification, we shall be patient and persevering.

4. Where there is sincerity in faith and obedience, let not men despond when called to suffer for the gospel, seeing it is the design of God by those sufferings to purify and cleanse them from their present evil frames.

§7. 1. When God's chastisements in our troubles and afflictions are reproofs also; when he gives us a sense in them of his displeasure against our sins, and we are reproved by him; yet even then he requires of us, that we should not faint nor despond, but cheerfully apply ourselves to his mind and calls. This is the hardest case a believer can be exercised with, when his troubles and afflictions are also in his own conscience reproofs for sin.

2. A sense of God's displeasure against our sins, and of his reproving us for them, is consistent with an evidence of our adoption; yea, may be itself an evidence of it, as the apostle proves in the next verses.

3. The sum of instruction in this verse is, that a due consideration of this sacred truth—that all our troubles, persecutions, and afflictions are divine chastisements and reproofs, whereby God evidenceth to us our adoption, and his instructing of us for our advantage -is an effectual means to preserve us in patience and perseverance to the end of our trials.