On HEBREWS XII. 5• thy Heart, that tJJ aMan chaj/ens hiJ Son, fo the Lord tf',Y God chaf/ens thee. In Children Reafon iS not fully difclouded, they are not capable to govern themfelves, and are only taught with fenfible Pleafure or Pain/ So that a Father is obliged t<:join CorreClion ~~:~r~~~~~~r~n:0rf~;,!!Jt~~1i~~~,~~l:};~mTt~is ~o;0af~~;;~:"r~er~~eirn~o~~~w~:~~ on plea!antly in Sin without due Punifhment, is pure Cruelty difguifed under the Mask of Pity: for by the negleCl of Difcipline he is cqnfirm'd in his vicious Courfes, and e"- pofed to Ruin. The Apofile therefore adds, Whdm· the Lord 107Jes, he chafl.ens : ·As from the fevereil: Wrath he fometimes forbeareth to flrike, fo from deareil: Love he affliCls. Humble Believers through a Cloud of Tears may fee the Light of God's Counten:!oce : for having cleCled them oy fpccial L_ov~ to a glorious Inheritance above, he difpenfeth all things here 10 order to the preparmg-them for it; and all Temporal Evils,as Means, are transform'd into the Nature of the End to which they are fubfen'ient. So that the r~~~:~ ~~~~:~~YI. a~~:a~~:rt::fu~l;·::~;~~~~~~~t~far~Ji~e~ffig:ti~~t~u~o0~~~~i~ pitate them into Hell : God tries them in the Furnace of AffiiClions, to purify and pre' pare them for Heaven. . ( 2.) 'Tis a il:rong Cordial againil:-fainting, to confider that by virtue of the Paterrlal Relation he fcourges every Son whom he recei'Ves : for no Troubles are mote affliCtive ~nd il:inging than thofe that are unexpeCled. Now when we are a!fured that there is no,Sori whom the He•venly Father cloth not chail:en, we are le(s furprized when we meet 'with Crolfes. Indeed there is hardly any kind of AffliCl:ion that may befal us, but we have fome inflance in S.cripture of the Saints fuffering the fame. Are we poor and mean id the World/ we fhould confider that Poverty with Holinefs is 'a Divine Complexion : Je!Us Chriihhe holy and beloved Son of God, had not where to lay his •Head. Are we under oodily Diil:empers / good Hezekiah was il:ruck with an uncomfortable Difeafe ~~~0d~l~~ ~~~:frn~fr!~~n·~~.~;;·~~~~.aa~duz~;"} l~~u~~~: ;f~g~i~~~n:bi';err!]~ Strokes. Are our Spirits wounded with the fen(e of God's Difpleafure / Jol and Heman were under !lrong Terrors, yet the Favourites of Eeaven. Briefly, how many mo!l dear to God were called forth to extream and bloody Trials for Defence of the Truth 1 How many Deaths did they endure in one Torment? How many Torments in one Death 1 yet they were fo far from faintinf?, that the more their Pains were exafperated, the more their Courage and Joy was flumng and confpicuous; as the Face of the ffia. vens is never more ferene and clear, than when the fl1arpeil: North Wind blows. 'Tis the Apoil:le's Inference, Suing we are compaf[ed wich fuch a Cloud of Witneffes, let us run with Patience tbe Race that ufet hefore us. aU '!"~:~~~{~~~s:r :,~~~C:fy~1~~~!J}, 10~~~~o~v%:!s~· f(~~d 'd~t:·~o~h;~~~~"f.re~:·:~{ ver. s; Mercy of his Rod, 'tis evident we are not part of his Fatherly Care. The Bramble is negleCled, while the Vine is cut till it bleeds. 'Tis a miferable Privilege to be exempted from DivineDifcipline, and by Eale and Profperity to be corrupted and made fit for Deil:ruCl:ion. St. Auf/in .reprefents one Expoil:ulating. with God.: 0 Deus, i/1• eft Juf/itia In Pial, , , tua, utmalzjloreant, f!f lon• lalorent 1 0 God, it iS nghteouswith Thee, that the Wick- f ;;a~ftu~~Je~o2,e~, :;: e~~~~~~~;~!if,; ~jc~~,~~o/iJf.~.'!}.~~i:;: ~~ai~ f~uf.e;}J,'1:~ reres, f!f in inferno pof/ea torquereris I God replies ro him, Is this your Faith/ Did I promife you Temporal Profperity / Were you a Chriil:ian for this, that you might flourifh in this World, and bemiferably tormented m Hell/ The Apoflle reprefents the fpecial Prerogative of God tJJ the Father of Spirits, and fo V er. , ; bath a nearer Cla~m to us than the Fathers of our Flefh, and that he lS not liable to thofe ImperfeClions that attend the Earthly Relations. They for a fe~v days chaf/ened us for their o1vn Pleafore. Human Love is a troubled irregular Paffion, mixt with Ignorance, and prone to Error in the Excefs or DefeCl. Sometimes Parents are indulgent, and by a cruel Compaffion !pare theif Children \V hen they arc faulty : fometimes they correCl: without Caufe, fomerimes when the Reafon is juil:, yet they err in the manner or mea• Cure of the CorreClion, fo that their Children are difcouraged. But in God there is a perfeCt Union ofWifdom and Love, of Difcretion and Tendernefs; his Affedion is without the leail: ImperfeClion. His Will is always guided by infinite Wifdom. If his Children offend, he will chail:ife them with the Rod of Men, that is, moderately; for as in , saru,7. 14 Scripture things are magnified by the Epithet, Divine or of God, (o they are lelfened ' ~~~~:~~~~hl~d ~}aa:.n;h,:,e/,~~7,~,~1~ste,~.\'~~;~.dM!~r,esb~~ ~~d ;;'}:ft~(~:· ,:h~a~7u , cor. ,..,1 , not
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