whom he peculiarly loves; whom he receives and treats as children; and whofe troubles, calamities and afflictions, whatever they may think of them, are of the nature and intention, of parental chastisements. Thefe are afflictions peculiar to true believers. None but fuch have a right to confider their diftreffes in the light of fatherly corrections. With regard to perfons who have no intereft in Christ founded on a faving union to him, their troubles and calamities of every kind are branches of the curfe of the law, and first fruits of that wrath and fiery indignation, which will be inflicted upon them forever if they die out of Chrift. But as the apoftle confiders the afflictions of thefe chriftian Hebrews in a manner peculiar to true faints as evidence of their adoption and fonship, hence he can be understood to speak to none but fuch. This application of the words is neceffary, from their whole connection; and the description which shall be given of this fainting in the fequel, will only be juft and true in regard to real christians.

Secondly, the fainting here spoken of cannot be understood of any bodily or mere animal affection, but of that kind which respects the state of the foul, and is wholly of a fpiritual nature. It regards the views, feelings, exercifes and experiences of the heart towards God, the gospel of Chrift, and towards itself, its own state and condition. The nervous spirits and and animal vigour may fink and fail under the weight of fome grevious afflictions, when the strength of the mind remains comfortable and firm. Or at least it is not affected in any confiderable degree with that unhappy frame against which we are here exhorted. The fainting here referred to is not of a bodily kind.

Thirdly, when we are exhorted not to faint under the di vine rebukes, it is not intended to warn us against a fenfibility of heart or a feeling of our afflictions, confidered either as na. tural evils, or as inftances of the difcipline of heaven. Infen Sbility of afflictions in the former view, is ftupidity and bru

tiffinefs; in the latter, it is grofs profanity and irreligion. Such infenfibility is a most complicated vice, and an argument of extreme depravity of heart. When therefore we are exhor ted not to faint under rebukes, the meaning is not, that we fhould not feel the affliction, and be affected with it, be perfectly eafy and think little about it, or that we should not be grieved, and pained, and diftreffed with the fame ; it is defigned to point out God's difpleasure at fin, and to indicate to us, that there is fomething in our hearts and conduct amifs, and offenfive in his fight. In proportion to the degree of our calamities, we ought to be affected with and mourn under them, and be in bitterness as an ingenious child under the frowns and rod of a kind and indulgent parent. A fuitable measure of this fort of feeling and affection is not that fainting prohibited in our text, neither has it a tendency to produce this evil effect. But

"No

Fourthly, It forbids a defpondency and dejection of foul under trying and afflictive difpenfations from God. "chaftening, faith our context, for the prefent feemeth to be "joyous, but grievous," even to the faints themselves. The natural production of afflictions is grief, diftrefs and pain. Sin gives poignancy to rebukes, and caufes them to pierce the heart in the most fenfible manner. "The fling of death is "fin;" fo the fting of all afflictions is fin, as the true original fource of them, and as the effect of God's holy difpleasure and hatred of it, and an evidence of his inflexible refolution to punifh it. Viewing afflictions therefore in their procuring caufe, no comfort can flow therefrom, nothing but regret, forrow and repentance. Thus contemplating them in their fource, we ought to mourn and our hearts be broken for our transgreffions. A different and a more fpecial confideration both of troubles and of God as the author of them, is neceffary to enable us to poffefs our fouls in patience, and rejoice in tri

bulations. The foundation of a blessed confideration of trials, and sweet support and confolation in them is laid in the mediation of Jefus Chrift, and the doctrines of the glorious gofpel. When God enables his people to view him in the glafs of the gospel, and in the face of Jefus Chrift and applies thefe views to their hearts, the unfailing effects are peace, sweetness, comfort and joy. From hence arife to true chriftians the greatest confolations and fupports under the preffure of afflictions and in feafons of the feverest trials. And thus troubles have been rich bleffings to many.

But alas, there are too many inftances of true christians fainting under rebukes, alfo of the fame perfons enduring them at one feafon and failing at another. In the gloominess, defpondency and dejection of their fouls, they have funk under their trials and not fuftained them with decency, compofure, firmness, and humble confidence in God, to which christianity is defigned to raise its fubjects, and to which every true chriftian ought to afpire, that he may adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour. This finking and defpair of heart which is mentioned as an inftance of this evil fainting, is that state of mind in which the chriftian abandons his comfort, refufes hope, lofes confi dence in God, and truft in the promifes through Jefus Chrift. He does not in reality renounce God and deny the Saviour, this no real christian will ever be permitted to do, but his heart is filled with dreadful mifgivings and fearful forebodings that God will renounce, and have nothing to do with fuch a finner as he is; and caft him from his hand into eternal burnings, as a man shakes a viper from his hand into the fire. In this apprehenfion of things his foul is caft down, he dares not to look up, and refufes to be comforted; God appears to him in the afflictions of his providence as cloathed with terrors; darkness is his pavilion and thick clouds are round about him. Hence the foul beholdeth him not; he thinks of him and is troub led. His dealings with him wear a dark and threatening af

pect his heart faints within him. He gives way to that une happy frame of spirit which is here forbidden.-But let us enter a little more particularly into this gloomy condition, and obferve,

Fifthly, this fainting under afflictions arifes fometimes from ignorance, fometimes from wrong views respecting the nature of afflictions, their tendency and defign, and from wrong views of God as the author of them, and often from wrong conclufions which are drawn from these mistaken apprehenfions of things. Sometimes the trials with which God vifits his own people are exceedingly grievous in their nature, and attended with circumstances that give them an exquifite keenness and edge. They come home to their hearts in the most fenfible manner. From the greatnefs of them, their complicated nature, their accompanying dreadful peculiarities, they penetrate the foul, and wound the fpirit. They fee abundant caufe and demerit enough in themselves and in their own conduct for much worse treatment from God, yet they cannot easily reconcile it with his fpecial love to them. Their hearts mifgive them and they become diffident as to their intereft in that favour which God bears to his own. The impreffion takes hold on their mind that there is fomething fingular in their calamities, therefore they cannot help fearing that all is wrong, they cannot refift the dark furmife, that God confiders them not as friends but as enemies. When afflictions bring perfons into such a state, they become defpondent, they fink, they faint. "The spirit of a man will bear his infirmities, but a wounded "fpirit, who can bear?" When God's favour and friendfhip, become questionable from the nature of his difpenfations towards them, a chief ground of their fupport is removed, and more or less they faint.

The apostle appears to have a particular reference to this caufe of fainting under rebukes in the enfuing verfes, and he

enforces his caution by this comforting confideration. "Fcr "whom the Lord loveth he chafteneth, and fcourgeth every "fon whom he receiveth. If ye endure chaftenings, God deal. "eth with you as with fons; for what fon is he whom the Fa"ther chafteneth not?" Fainting implies in it a difruft of God and fearful apprehensions that we are not in a state of grace; the apoftle obviates this conclufion, and fhows that it does not follow from being under great and grievous afflictions. Instead of this being just, christians ought to draw a different inference, that divine rebukes are rather an evidence of his love and fatherly care. He argues that chastisements are fo far from being an argument that we are not his children, that we are related to him as fuch, and ought to expect them. Those he loves he chaftens, therefore we ought not to faint under trials, but rather view this conduct on the part of heaven as a mark of his friendship and distinguishing affection. We have much greater reason to doubt, fear and faint, if we fare fumptuously every day, and continuall float before gentle gales on the tide of profperity. Hence le not chriftians faint in times of trouble, but rather improve them for their encouragement and comfort, for the quickening' their graces, to induce them to draw nearer to God and more firmly to truft in their Saviour. They should ever remember. "That those who are without

chastisements are bastards and not fons." Hence then when we are afflicted, instead of fainting, we fhould receive it joyfully, and improve it to ftrengthen our hopes, and encrcafe our confolations.

But here fome tender confcience, fome pious creature may be ready to fay, "My ftrcke is heavier than my groaning, I am furrounded with calamities on every side and all darkness within, never was forrow like unto my forrow, oppressed beyond meafure and God has forfaken me; he is teftifying his wrath for my fins, and there is no hope, nor help, nor deliverance for me." But, O fainting chriftian, recollect the afflictions of