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 chastisements 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 oyger) 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 (ελeyxoμɛvoi) 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.

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.

VERSE 6.

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

$1. The same divine testimony continued. §2. The first part of the testimony explained by several instructive particulars. §3. The second branch explained. §4. Observations.

$1. THE

HE apostle proceeding with the divine testimony, retaining the sense of the whole exactly, changeth the words in the latter clause; for instead of, “and as a father the son in whom he delighteth," with whom he is pleased, he supplies "and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." In the Proverbs the words are exegetical of those foregoing, by an allusion to an earthly parent; "For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." In this text they are farther explanatory of what was before affirmed; but the sense in both places is absolutely the same.

This, saith he, is the way of God; thus it seems good to him to deal with his children; thus he may do, because of his sovereign dominion over all; may not he do what he will with his own? This he doth in infinite wisdom, for their good and advantage; as also to evidence his love to them, and care of them.

$2. In the first part of the testimony given to the 'sovereignty and wisdom of God, in the ways and methods of his dealings with his children, we are instructed,

1. That love is antecedent to chastening; he chastens whom he loves. The love, therefore, here intended, is the love of adoption; that is, the love of benevolence, whereby he makes men his children, and his love of complacence in them when they are so.

2. Chastising is an effect of his love. It is not only consequential to, but springs from it: wherefore, there is nothing properly penal in the chastisements of believers. Punishment proceeds from love to justice, not from love to the person punished; but chastisement is from love to the person chastised, though mixed with displeasure against sin.

3. It is required in chastisement, that the person be in a state wherein there is sin, or that he be a sinner; so that sin should have an immediate influence to the chastisement, as the meritorious cause of it: for the end of it is, "to take away sin," to subdue it, to mortify it, to increase holiness. There is no chastisement in heaven or in hell. Not in heaven, because there is no sin; not in hell, because there is no amendment. Chastisement, therefore, is a companion of them that are "in the way," and of them only.

4. Divine love and chastening in this life are inseperable. "Whom he loveth;" that is, whomsoever he loveth, "he chasteneth;" none goes free. It is true, there are different degrees and measures of chastisements, which comparatively make some seem to have none, and some to have nothing else. But absolutely the divine (idea) instructive chastisement, is extended to all the family of God, as we shall see.

5. Where chastisement evidenceth itself not to be penal as it doth many ways, with respect to God the author of it, and those who are chastised-it is a broad seal set to the patent of our adoption, which the apostle proves in the following verses.

6. This being the way and manner of God's dealing with his children, there is all the reason in the world why we should acquiesce in his sovereign wisdom therein, and not faint under his chastisement.