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Reflections on Divine chastisements.

SECT. terable decree, for ever to exclude those souls xix. in which sin reigns, from that sight of him in the celestial world, for which their tempers and xii. 14 dispositions render them altogether unfit, even to a degree of utter incapacity.

Heb.

IMPROVEMENT.

verse In what clearer words can those exhortations of the apostle be expressed! by what more powerful motives can they be enforced! Behold, the whole of our duty comprehended in one word: 14 to follow after peace and holiness! Behold the most awful engagements suggested, that no man, whatever his profession, or hope, or confidence may be, can possibly see the Lord without it! What a solicitude should it awaken to cultivate holiness in ourselves, to promote it in others, and to remove every obstruction 12 as much as possible. "Awaken our spirits, O Lord, by thy 3 good Spirit, that the most languid hands, and feeble knees, may be strengthened and confirmed." And that they may be 4 strengthened, let us look to our great Leader, to him who passed through so many years, in the midst of the most violent opposition, the most perverse contradiction. Surely we might see enough to animate us to maintain the combat, even till we left the last drop of our blood in the place, when we strive against sin, against his enemies and ours, to deliver us from the power of which, he assumed flesh and blood, and died.

He, the best beloved Son, was distinguished by his Father's chastisement, though there was not the least degree of failing in him to deserve it. But the chastisement of our peace was upon him. And shall we who have merited to be chastised with scorpions, mourn at the rod? Let this scripture be attentively reviewed, and laid up in our mind, to dispose us to the most exemplary patience under affliction; and to guard against the op5 posite and dangerous extremes, of despising Divine corrections, 8 or fainting under them. Would we wish to be excused from the tokens of God's paternal love? Would we wish to be neglected, as if we were bastards, rather than cultivated with the discipline of beloved children? Were we submissive to our earthly parents, and shall we rebel against our Father in heaven? Shall we not be 9 in subjection to the Father of our spirits, and live? May our souls remember the unanswerable argument and the awful motive to this subjection.. In what would opposition end, but in death? and how unreasonable would that opposition be? Is God in these later ages of the world become an arbitrary and tyrannical being, that his proceedings should now be suspected and censured? Is he no longer concerned for the profit and advantage of his chil10 dren? or is it no longer desirable to be partakers of his holiness? of that holiness, which is to fit us to see and enjoy him for ever?

They should not fall short of the grace of God:

109

versé

Lord, should each of us say, I bless thee, that thou hast made SECT. me partaker of thy providential bounties, of thy gospel, of thy xix. grace, in any degree: but, Oh, my soul longs to be partaker of thine holiness, to bear thine image more completely, as the great For this therefore would glory and blessedness of my nature. I submit to thy corrections, though for the present ever so grievous, and wait those peaceable fruits of righteousness which will be 11 so rich an equivalent for all.

SECT. XX.

The apostle solemnly cautions them against despising the blessings
of the gospel, and sacrificing them to any secular views, or ani-
mal gratifications; and enforces the caution by representing the
incomparable excellence of those blessings, and the wonderful
manner in which they were introduced; which even the intro-
duction of the Jewish economy, glorious as that was, did by no
means equal.
Heb. XII. 15-29.

HEBREWS XII. 15.

LOOKING dili

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HEBREWS XII. 15.

HAVE been earnestly exhorting you to SECT. gently, lest any cultivate holiness, in your own hearts and xx. man fail of the grace lives; and I must farther press of God; lest any root

defiled;

you

it upon you,

Heb. xii. 15

of bitterness spring- that endeavour to maintain a friendly and ing up, trouble you, brotherly inspection over each other. Look to and thereby many be it, therefore, with the greatest attention and care, for yourselves and one another, lest any one, by apostasy from the Christian religion, fall short of the grace of God, under the day of grace and dispensation of the gospel; lest any root of bitternessa and poison, springing up unheeded occasion trouble to the society in general, and by it, before you are aware, many disturbed and defiled, through the contagion of Lest there [be,] for in- 16 or stance, any fornicator, who should abuse the profane person, as liberty of the gospel into an occasion of gratifying his fleshly lusts; or any other voluptuous and profane person, who should put an

16 Lest there be so bad an example : any fornicator,

be

• Root of bitterness and poison.] The a profane contempt of it in the infamous word p, which is used, Deut xxix. 18, properly signifies an infectious kind of plant, which by its influence taints other vegetables which grow near it.

Profane person] Esau is called a profane person, because as a prophetic blessing went along with the birthright, there was

bargain here referred to. And as an immoderate eagerness in the gratification of appetite, would naturally imply a contempt of spiritual and Divine blessings, to be sacrificed to such gratifications, it was properly expressed by profaneness.

110

Heb.

For they were not come to mount Sinai,

17 For ye know

when he would have

SECT. Open contempt upon spiritual blessings, sacri- Esau, who for one XX. ficing them to the hope of some present indul- morsel of meat sold his birthright. gence; as Esau, who for so mean a thing as xii. 16 one meal, gave away his birthright, even all the peculiar and religious honours, as well as 17 revenues of his primogeniture. For ye know, that when afterwards he would gladly have in- how that afterward herited the blessing, which was its most valua- inherited the blessble attendant, he was rejected; for when he ing, he was rejectwould have persuaded Isaac his father to have ed: for he found no revoked and transferred that which he had just place of repentance, though he sought it before pronounced upon his brother Jacob, he carefully with tears. found no room for repentance, no possibility of changing his father's mind by all his submissions and entreaties; though he sought it earnestly, and even with tears, yet still Isaac persisted in what he had done, and said, "I have blessed him, yea, and he shall be blessed." Gen. xxvii. 33.

18

18 For ye are not that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto

come unto the mount

The inestimable privileges and prerogatives, which the gospel brings along with it, so superior to the Mosaic law, add great weight to these exhortations and cautions; for ye, who are proselyted to Christianity, are not come to blackness, and darkness, and tempest, Sinai again, to the awful mountain which was the object of touch, though the touch of it were prohibited on so high a penalty; and to the burning fire that surrounded it, and the thick cloud, and darkness, and dreadful tempest, which

For one meal gave away his birthright.] That seems the just rendering of avπ Bpeσews Mids aredolo τa @pallonia au78. Dr. Barrow, I think, would render it, for one little eating bout: but that seemed not sufficiently grave.

He was rejected] From comparing the blessing of Jacob and Esau, Gen. xxvii. 28, 29, 39, 40, it will appear that there must be something spiritual in the blessing of Jacob; else Esau would not have been said to be rejected, considering what he obtained. See Dr. Goodwin's Works, Vol. I. p. 43. * No room for repentance.] We render it no place for repentance. The meaning of this undoubtedly is not, that he would have repented, and could not; but that there was no room for his repentance, it would not be regarded, or, in other words, that his father's mind could not be changed.

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f Mountain which was the object of touch : ope Inλaqœuevo.] Dr. Wall, in his note upon this place, declares himself inclined, if he had the authority of any manuscript or version to support him, to read & quera, which might not be touched, referring to the prohibition in Exod. xix. 13, and which the apostle mentions in the very next verse. But there is no necessity at all for this alteration. For it is not intimated by the expression, that the mountain might lawfully be touched, but that, as I have translated it, it was the object of touch, which indeed is implied in the very prohibition itself. And in thus characterizing mount Sinai, it was his intention to intimate that it was an earthly mountain, not like mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

But to mount Sion, the city of the living God :

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XX.

19 And the sound were the tremenduous signals of God's descent SECT. of a trumpet, and upon it; And to the sound of the trumpet, which the voice of words; which voice they that at length waxed exceeding loud, (Exod. xix. 18, Heb. heard, entreated that 19;) and the voice of distinct words, spoken xii. 19 the word should not with a sound which reached all the thousands be spoken to them of Israel, and with which they who heard, were any more : so powerfully affected, that they entreated the word might not be continued, or carried any farther to them but that the remainder of what the Lord had to say to them, might be deliver20 (For they could ed by the mediation of Moses : For they 20 not endure that were not able to endure that charge which was which was commanded. And if so pronounced; so that there seemed little room much as a beast for the caution given, and that with so much touch the mountain, severity, that it was added, If so much as a it shall be stoned, or beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with struck through with a dart, if it escape immediate death from the tempest and the lightning. 21 And so terrible (Exod. xix. 12, 13.) And the appearance was so 21 was the sight, that dreadful [that] Moses himself, who was happy ceedingly fear, and in such unparalleled degrees of the Divine faquake.) vour, and accustomed to converse with God in so intimate a manner, when urged by the people to act as their mediator in this awful transaction, said, Though I consent to undertake the charge, I do nevertheless exceedingly fear 22 But ye are come and tremble.8 But ye, my dear brethren, are 22 unto Mount Sion, so happy as to be come to a dispensation, the and unto the city of the living God, the reverse of all these terrors, even to the mild and heavenly Jerusalem, gentle discoveries which God makes of his presand to an innumera- ence on Mount Sion, and to the holy and joyous

a dart.

Moses said, I ex

solemnities which grace the city of the living
God situated there, even the Heavenly Ferusa-
lem, his sacred and everlasting abode; and to

2 Moses said, &c.] This circumstance cumstances, in which it was more amiable is not recorded in the Mosaic history. Some imagine, that the apostle received it by Divine revelation; and others resolve it into a tradition, the truth of which his inspiration enabled him to distinguish. Mr. Calvin supposes Moses spoke these words in the name of the people.

than the latter. Sion was the city of God. In the temple, which stood there, cherubim were the ornaments of the walls, both in the holy, and most holy place, to signify the presence of angels. There was a general assembly and congregation of the priests, which were substituted instead of Mount Sion.] There seems to be the first born, of whose names catalogues throughout this whole period a reference were kept. There was God as the suto the manifestation God made of himself preme Judge of controversies, giving forth upon Mount Sion, as being milder than his oracles. The high priest was the medithat upon mount Sinai. And the heavenly ator between God and Israel, (compare Society with which Christians are incor- Luke i. 8—10,) and the blood of sprinkling porated is considered as resembling the was daily used. former, (that is, Mount Sion,) in those cir.

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XX.

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.

SECT. myriads of surrounding angels, whom it is im- ble company of anpossible to number. Ye are come to the great gels, 23 To the general Heb. general assembly, and church of the first born, assembly and church xii. 23 the priests of God, who are written in heaven, of the first born whose names are registered among the inhab- which are written itants of the place, the denizens of that city, God the Judge of in heaven, and to and ministers of God's temple there. Above all, and to the spirits all, it is to be remembered, that ye are come of just men made to God, the supreme Judge of all, from whose perfect. sentence there can be no appeal; and to the spirits of the righteous, whose guilt being entirely expiated, they are made perfect, and com plete both in holiness and happiness, so far as may consist with the separate state, in which they are joyfully waiting the appearance of their 24 Lord. To this society you are related, and 24 And to Jesus ye shall shortly arrive at that world where it the Mediator of the new covenant, and to holds its supreme residence; since you have the blood of sprinkhappily drawn near to Jesus, the Mediator of ling, that speaketh the new and better covenant, far exceeding that better things than established with Israel of old by the mediation that of Abel. of Moses and to the blood of sprinkling which speaketh better things than [the blood of] Abelm crying for pardon, whereas his cried aloud for vengeance.

25

And since this is the nature of the dispensa- 25 See that ye retion under which we are now brought, let me solemnly charge it upon you, to see to it, that

The general assembly: @avnjugu] The learned Albert shows, (Obsero. Philolog. p 441,) that this word properly signi. fies a stated convention upon some joyful and festival occasion; particularly that it is applied to the concourse at the Olympic games. In which view it expresses a very lively and elegant opposition to the case of the Israelites, who were struck with a general terror, when they were convened before Mount Sinai.

* First born.] Saints are called the first born, because under the law, the first born were peculiarly appropriated to God, and heirs of a double honour and inherit

ance.

Just men made perfect.] Fustified before God, sanctified in their natures, and holy in their lives. Dr. Watts thinks the apostle here uses the expression just, or righteous, to intimate that he included the patriarchs, or Jewish saints; and that

there was a peculiar propriety in doing it as he is writing to the Hebrews. Watts' Death and Heaven, p. 72. Mr. Baxter urges this as a proof of the distinct existence of the soul in a separate state.

[Blood of] Abel.] By This some understand the blood of sacrifices in general, called the blood of Abel, because he is the first of whose animal sacrifices we read: but there is a harshness in that expres. sion not easily paralleled; I should there. fore rather understand it of the blood of Abel himself, as referring to the gentle and gracious character of Christ, and the blessings, instead of vengeance, drawn down by his blood There is certainly some transposition of what one would have thought the most natural order here : but it must be ascribed to the rapturous manner in which St. Paul conceived of these things, and his fulness of matter when he touched upon them.

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