the foregoing examples of faith. 103 thrown into it. Yea, let us behold those who endured its un- SECT. quenched violence, and turned all those painful and terrible xviii. sensations, into an heroic occasion of expressing the superior verse ardour of their love to God, and the steadfastness of their faith 34, 35 in him. Let us remember those youths, and children, and women, among the rest of these worthies, indeed among the worthiest of them, who were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. In vain were all the terrors of persecuting rage and cruelty opposed to these triumphs. They submitted to imprisonment, 36 and banishment, how dear soever liberty, and their native 37 country might be; they quitted their commodious habitations for rocks, and caves, and their comfortable apparel for sheep skins 38 and goat skins. And when deserts and dens could no longer shelter their wretchedness, but they were seized by their bloodthirsty enemies, they beheld, and endured, undismayed, the most horrid instruments of death. When the piercing sword entered their vitals, when overwhelming stones dashed them in pieces, 37 when the torturing saw was tearing out their very entrails, there was a principle within superior to all these, which nothing could pierce, which nothing could rend away, which nothing could overwhelm. God hath done an honour to our nature in raising up such illustrious persons, of whom the world was not worthy, 38 and whose distinguished worth could never have been manifested in the eyes of their fellow creatures, had it not been called out to such rigorous trials. Well might they rejoice on any terms in their dismission from a state of existence, so far beneath the elevation of their views. And though their names may be perished from among men, and the distinct history of each lost in the crowds of countless multitudes, yet are they all in remembrance before God; and the death of each of his saints, in such circumstances, peculiarly precious in his sight. They are now bathing in those rivers of delight, which flow through the celestial paradise, and waiting the full consummation of their hope in that better resurrection, in the views of which they suffered so 40 bravely. In the mean time, they look down, as it were, from the battlements of heaven upon our combats, upon our race. O, let them not see us basely shrinking back, or loitering! Let us lay aside every weight; let us, especially, guard against the sin chap. which most easily besets us. And to establish all our fortitude, and xii. 1 to awaken all our ardour, let us look to an object brighter and nobler than all these, even to the Son of God, the Sun of right- 2 eousness, shining in high preeminence above all this cloud, and as it were gilding it by the reflection of his effulgent rays. Let us look to Jesus, who leads us on; to Jesus, who will complete the triumph of our faith, and set the crown on the head of every one who overcometh! Let us daily think, what agony, what igno miny, he endured for us; and let every consideration of noble 104 They should further consider the example of Christ : SECT. ambition, of duty, and of gratitude, fire our souls, and add wings xviii. to our zeal : so shall we at length share in his joy, and sit down victorious with him on his throne, as he hath also overcome, and is set down with the Father on his throne. SECT. xix. Heb. SECT. XIX. The apostle animates the believing Hebrews to bear and improve the afflictions to which they were exposed, and to exert themselves vigorously to promote the united interests of peace and holiness. Heb. XII. 3-14. HEBREWS XII. 3. HEBREWS XII. 3. endured your minds. N order to encourage you, my dear breth- FOR consider him ren, in your Christian course, I have di- such contradiction of rected you, and I must again direct you, to the sinners against himXii. 3 Lord Jesus Christ; for what can be more im- self, lest ye be weaportant than to consider him, who with patient ried, and faint in fortitude, endured such obstinate and perverse contradiction of ungrateful sinners against himself. Think how great and illustrious a Person he was, and what severe things he suffered, that you may not grow weary in your Christian course, nor faint in your minds, when called to 4 share in some degree of his trials. And in 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. deed you will be inexcusable if you should desert his cause, on account of any such trials as you have yet endured; for you have not as yet undergone the severest proofs of your integrity, nor resisted unto blood, striving against sin, as he did, who made his life a sacrifice to duty. 5 And ye seem to have forgotten the exhortation, of the word of God, which speaketh to you, as unto you as unto chilto his sons, (Prov. iii. 11, 12,) saying, My son, dren, My son, dedespise not the chastening of the Lord, as if it spise not thou the chastening of the were a small matter; nor faint and sink, when Lord, nor faint when a Consider him: avancgioαode.] The original word is very emphatical; and as Erasmus Schmidius observes, is a metaphor taken from arithmetical and geometrical proportions. So that it signifies the great accuracy and exactness with which they should consider the Author and Finisher of their faith, and especially the analogy between his case and their own. Resisted unto blood] It has been justly observed by several commentators, that there are many agonistical terms in this context. In the phrase before us there 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh seems to be an allusion to the pugiles, or boxers, who fought erect, with their hands stretched out, and were often besmeared with blood Mr. Saurin just observes, in his beautiful illustration of this text, (Serm. ix. p. 90,) that sometimes men were killed by the blows of the cestus. See also Dr. Whitby in loc. Ye have forgotten the exhortation.] Beza, and some others, choose to read this clause with an interrogation, Have ye forgotten the exhortation? him. teneth, and scourg be receiveth. For correction is a proof of adoption; 105 Heb. thou art rebuked of thou art rebuked by him; but avoid the ex- sECT tremes of proud insensibility, and entire de- xix. 6 For whom the jection. For whom the Lord loveth, he corLord loveth he chas- recteth, and scourgeth, with seeming severity, xii. 6 eth every son whom every son whom he receiveth to peculiar fa vour. It is evident therefore, that if ye endure 7 7If ye endure chas- chastening, God dealeth with you as wise and tening, God dealeth with you as with affectionate parents deal with their beloved sons: for what son sons; for what son is there whom the father is he whom the fa- chasteneth not, more or less? There are scarce ther chasteneth not? any children, who do not sometimes need correction, and no wise and good parent, who will 8 But if ye be with- always forbear it. But if ye are without 8 chastisement, chastisement, of which all the genuine children whereof all are par takers, then are ye are partakers, then are ye treated as men often bastards and not treat bastards, about whose education they are SODS. often careless as being ashamed of them, and 9 Furthermore, we which a child left to himself, without correc- our flesh, which cor rected us, and we Now if when we had fathers of our flesh, gave them rever- who corrected us, we gave [them] reverence,s 9 f Now if] Instead of ula, the Syriac version seems to have read a de, but if. This reading is followed by Curcellæus ; Beza expresses some approbation of it. The learned Albert, and Raphelius, consider the clause as a smart and animated interrogation, and produce various passages to shew that this is the force of the Greek particle ulα. Whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, neglected, so as to come almost into a and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.] proverb. There seems to be a beautiful gradation in these words. To receive, signifies here to have a particulur regard for. Compare Isa. xliii 1, in the Seventy. The passage is quoted from Prov. iii. 11, 12; and the last clause of the apostle's citation, which is, And scourgeth every son whom he receiv eh, is by our English version, and the old Latin, there rendered, Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. And this is agreeable to the modern pointing. But without any change in the Hebrew letters, the clause may be translated as it is by the apostle, agreeably to the render ing of the Seventy, and some other ancient versions. See Mr. Hallet in loc. But 8 When we had fathers of our flesh, we gave them reverence.] It had indeed been more literally rendered, We had fathers of our flesh, who corrected us, and we gave them reverence: which some consider as a Hebraism, as if he had said, Who corrected us that we might give them reverence. • Bastards.] In those dissolute ages it seems more natural to understand the there were among the heathen many base particle, x2, as connecting the two born children. And it is highly proba- clauses. We had fathers of our flesh, and ble, that as for such, their education, we gave them reverence. In which view (like that of Jephtha, whose fatal error the version I have given fully expresses might perhaps be owing to it,) was much the apostle's design. 103 xix. Heb And God correcteth us for our spiritual advantage : 10 For they verily ness. SECT. and submitted patiently and quietly to their ence: shall we not discipline, shall we not much rather, on the much rather be in subjection unto the justest principles of filial duty, be in subjection Father of spirits, xii. 9 to the great Father of our spirits, by whom that and live? noble part of our nature was produced, in the production of which our earthly parents had no share? And indeed we know this to be necessary, if we desire to live, since rebellion against him will be infinitely fatal, and expose us to a dreadful and capital punishment. 10. But not to insist on considerations of terror; let us attend to those of a more ingenu- for a few days chastened us, after their ous nature, and particularly those which arise own pleasure: but from the reason of things, and a view of what he for our profit, will on the whole be most conducive to our that we might be own truest advantage. As for our earthly partakers of his holiparents, they indeed for a few days, while we were in a state of infancy and childhood, corrected [us] as they thought good, and there might sometimes be a mixture of weakness and arbitrary passion in their chastisements; but we are sure this can never be the case with respect to our heavenly Father. O, far from that if he take the rod into his hand, it is for our advantage, and that we may be partakers of his holiness; which is indeed the greatest dignity, beauty, and glory of the rational nature, and what most immediately tends to the hap11 piness of time and eternity. Now it is true, ing for the present that all chastening for the present seemeth not to seemeth to be joybe [matter] of joy, but of grief: it is painful to ous, but grievous: the flesh, and human nature would rather de- nevertheless, aftersire to be excused from it: but afterwards it ward it yielded the peaceful fruit yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness, to righteousness, unto : 11 Now no chasten of Pos And live.] This awful, yet tender in- comfortable intimation, that this whole life, sinuation of the terrible consequences of when compared with our future being, is rebellion against the Father of spirits, (in but as a few days: indeed infinitely less which there is an allusion to the capital than the days of childhood to those of the punishment to be inflicted on a disobedi- longest life of man upon earth. ent child, Deut. xxi. 18, &c.) is very re- Peaceful fruit of righteousness.] markable; and an instance of the apostle's sibly alluding to the crowns of olive giv forcible manner of suggesting the most en to the victor in the Olympic games, weighty thought, sometimes in an oblique which was also an emblem of peace. The manner, and in very few words. Com- learned Bos would translate the word, pare Rom. xii. ult. 1 Tim. iv. 16; Tit. ii. 15; Phil. i. 29; Heb. xii. 28. And many passages to be found in all his writings. For a few days.] This is to be applied both to our earthly parents, and our heavenly Father, and it contains a beautiful and espavinov, pleasant, joyful, it being usual to express pleasure and happiness by peace: Wolfius is of opinion, that the expression refers to that peace with God which we obtain by faith. See Cure Philolog. Vol. IV. p. 783. Wherefore they should be steadfast and courageous. 107 Heb. them which are ex- those that are in a suitable manner exercised SECT. ercised thereby. therewith. It produces and improves those xix. virtues which afford peace and joy to the mind, and like a nobler crown than that which many endure so much to obtain, richly rewards the most strenuous labours, and most afflictive struggles. 12 Wherefore lift xii. 11 Therefore rally your languid spirits, lift up 12 up the hands which the hands that hang down, that they may exhang down, and the ert themselves in this glorious combat, and feeble knees; strengthen the feeble tottering knees, that they may hold out to the end of this important race. 13 And make And by the proper exercise of discipline in 13 straight paths for your Christian societies, and by all the other your feet, lest that offices of true and faithful friendship, make turned out of the straight paths for your feet. Regulate matters way, but let it rather so, that the way of duty may be as obvious and which is lame be be healed. easy as possible, that the infirm, the lame, and 14 Follow peace And while the jarring interests of this world 14 with all men, and so often occasion scandalous contentions be- 1 Exercised therewith.] Not only corrected, but instructed and edified; setting themselves to search out the proper lessons which afflictive dispensations are intended to teach. Lift up the hands that hang down.] The connection of these words in Isaiah xxxv. 3, from whence they are borrowed, leads us to understand them of assistance given to others. But this must by necessary consequence suppose a care to exert ourselves with vigour and resolution. It is certain that these are likewise agonistic VOL. 6. 15 phrases, by the following expression, make straight paths for your feet, which some understand, ordering their lives so that others might be directed and encouraged by their example. Diodate gives it a singular sense, as if it had been said, By your voluntary and cheerful obedience, make the rules of the gospel seem easy. I have in the paraphrase endeavoured to unite both the views to ourselves and others, as it is certain one could not be intended as exclusive of the other. |