Chap. 32, an Expefition upon the Book, of .1 o B.. Verf. 12. 79 darkoiefs, but rather reprove them. And again ( TIM: ç. 2o. ) Them that fin ( that is, either openly, before all, or whole fin harh been proved beforeall ) rebuke before all ; and, as the fame Apoíile direcfs (Tit: 2, 2 5. ) Rebuke them fbasply. Thirdly , The word fignifieth, as to prove and reprove, fo to chaflen and corre6 , to rebuke by the hançi as well as by the tongue (Hob: 12. S.) Te haveforgotten the exhortation which o'olaw éA_y- fpeaketh unto you aU unto children; my fon, defpife not thou the chaflning of theLord, nor faint when thou art rebuked ofhisses. "1 e0 argue- When thou art rebuked of him by blowes, or receiver fencible conviaions..( Rev: 3. 19.) whom I love I rebuke and chajlen. Here in the Text we muff underífand the word in the fire fence. There is none ofyou that bath convinced'fob ; That is, ye have not proved what ye have fayd ; Ye have called him an hypocrite, and told him that he bath oppreffed the poore, and detained the right of the fatherlefs ; But ye have proved none of thefe evills againff him. Ye have not proved the matter of faet,that he might fit down penitentially confefïing himfelfe fuch an ofender,as ye have accufed him to-be. Hence note. we-can never convince-another by what we fay, untill weprove what wefay. Ifwe reprove any man for an errour in his judgement, and doe not prove it tobe an errour ; or if we reprove a man for fin in pra&ice, and doenot prove his practice finfutl, or that he hack prayfired that fin, no convicîion follows. What is fayd and not proved comes to the care only, not to the çonicience. Therefore faith Chriff ( John 8. 46.) 144:c; of you convinceth me of fin. Find a fpot in my life ifyou can. I know you are ready to flander me will, but you cannot convince me of evill. It is iayd of A- pollos ( Aels 18. 28.) He mightily conv;ncecl theJewes. How did he convince them ? not by reproving them only, for not recei- ving the Me(; as ; he didnor barely tell theist, ye are a company of unbelievers : but he reproved them by prov'ng the neceffi*.v of their receiving Chriff he MeíTiás. and the evill of rejediog him, fhewing by the Scriptures that 'j flue war the (7rrifl; Here was proofe , and fo convi&ion followed. He convinced them by authority, by the tetlimony of the word, comparing Scripture with.
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