A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Hebrews · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
1. WHerefore ſeeing we alſo are compaſſed about with ſo great a cloud of witneſſes, let us lay aſide every weight, and the ſin which doth ſo eaſily beſet us, and let us run with patience the race that is ſet before us.
1. Seeing then we that are now called out to Tryal, have before us the Inſtances of all the Faithful that have been before us, who have conquered all the impediments of their Salvation, by the effectual Beleif of God's Promiſe of unſeen things, let us quit our ſelves like men; and, as Runners in a Race, let us be ſo far from turning to the World, as to caſt off all worldly Incumbrances which would hinder us, and to avoid all ſin, in which, without great care, we ſhall be entangled, and let us run with patience and perſeverance the Race, in which, by God and our Covenant, we are engaged; (for it is for our Salvation.)
2. Looking unto Jeſus the author and finiſher of our faith, who for the joy that was ſet before him; endured the croſs, deſpiſing the ſhame, and is ſet down at the right hand of the throne of God.
2. Let us fix our eyes on Jeſus, the Author and Leader of our Chriſtian Faith and Courſe, and the Perfecter of it; who hath by his Doctrine and Example, propoſed it to us in that perfect form which he will own and crown; who himſelf was moved by the future propoſed Joy, which was to be the Reward of all his Mediatorial Works; for which he endured the pains of his Croſs and Sufferings, and deſpiſed the Shame and Reproach that attended it, in compariſon of the deſired End, which he hath now attained; and is ſet down in Triumph and Glory, next the Throne of God.
3. For conſider him that endured ſuch contradiction of ſinners againſt himſelf, leſt ye be wearied, and faint in your minds.
3. If you will well ſtudy Chriſt, and conſider how, and why he endured ſuch Oppoſition and Contradiction of wicked men, who by ſin, falſly accuſed him of ſin, it will greatly ſtrengthen you againſt weary Tiredneſs, or fainting Cowardize.
4. Ye have not yet reſiſted unto blood, ſtriving againſt ſin.
4. It is but little which you have yet been put to. If you will be crowned, you muſt be prepared to lay down your lives, rather than wilfully to ſin.
5. And ye have forgotten the exhortation, which ſpeaketh unto you as unto children, My ſon, deſpiſe not thou the chaſtening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art, rebuked of him.
5. Have ye forgotten the Lord's gentle words, as of a Father to his Children: My Son, &c. Prov. 3.11.
6. For whom the Lord loveth, he chaſteneth, and ſcourgeth every ſon whom he receiveth. 7. If ye endure chaſtening, God dealeth with you as with ſons: for what ſon is he whom the Father chaſteneth not? 8. But if ye be without chaſtiſement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye baſtards, and not ſons.
6, 7, 8. Note, 1. Chaſtiſement is one ſort of puniſhment, diſtinguiſhed from deſtructive puniſhment, in that it is not only for a warning to others, but alſo for the amendment of the Offender. No man correcteth another; but for a fault, and that maketh it puniſhment. 2. It is not any derogation from the perfection of Chriſt…s Satisfaction, that we are puniſhed; for he never intended to make us lawleſs, or that our ſins ſhould not be puniſhed at all: His Law of Grace hath penalties annexed. A Father hath fatherly juſtice and puniſhment for his Children; and Chriſt is not a King, without ſuch Juſtice. 3. Even the Sufferings of Martyrs are of a mixt na…ure, partly for ſin, even Adam's and their own, (God not on Earth taking off all the firſt curſe, but making a Medicine of it for good) and partly for the tryal and reward of Faith. 4. Pardon of ſin is not perfect in this life; elſe, no chaſtiſing penalty would remain.
9. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our fleſh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: ſhall we not much rather be in ſubjection unto the Father of ſpirits, and live?
9. We reverently ſubmitted to the Correction of our Parents (whoſe Authority was leſs, and they were liable to do it amiſs:) And ſhall we not much more ſubmit to God, who is the Infinite Spirit, and Father of Spirits, as well as of our fleſh (and is of infallible Wiſdom, and never doth amiſs) and will fit our Spirits by ſuffering, for a better Life.
10. For they verily for a few days chaſtened us after their own pleaſure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holineſs.
10. For they chaſtened us as fallible and paſſionate men, as they thought good, though ſometimes in cauſeleſs anger; but God doth all in Wiſdom and Mercy, for our good, to make us more holy, which is to be more happy, as liker to himſelf.
11. Now no chaſtening for the preſent ſeemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheleſs, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteouſneſs unto them which are exerciſed thereby.
11. Indeed, Suffering, as ſuch, is grievous, as a hurt to Nature (and a Fruit of Sin to be chaſtiſed:) It is not to be expected that Pain ſhould be pleaſant; but it is the Fruit of it which is good, which is Peaceable Rig…teouſneſs, making us more righteous and holy, which is Peace to the Soul, as Health is to the Body. This is the Fruit, when we have been tryed and exerciſed by it.
12. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees: 13. And make ſtraight paths for your feet, leſt that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed.
12, 13. Therefore ſeeing Nature is weak, and young unſettled Chriſtians are apt to diſcouragement and fear, and fainting, labour to ſtrengthen and encourage your ſelves and one anothe…, and avoid tempting Seducers, and keep under the …elps, in publick and private, which God hath appointed for you; and avoid all Scandals which may turn the Weak out of the way, who already go but lamely in it; but rather labour to heal ſuch weakneſs.
14. Follow peace with all men, and holineſs, without which no man ſhall ſee the Lord.
14. Let Peace with all men, as much as in you lyeth, be (not only your deſire, but) your ſtudy, care, and diligent purſuit; and holineſs and purity of heart and life, without which, none are capable of the bleſſed ſight of God's pleaſed Face, either here by faith, or hereafter in glorious fruition, Mat. 5.8.
15. Looking diligently, leſt any man fail of the grace of God, leſt any root of bitterneſs ſpringing up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled:
15. Make it your diligent care that none of you fail of ſound believing, obeying and enjoying that Grace which is offered you by Chriſt in the Goſpel, and you have profeſſed to accept; leſt any ill and dangerous Doctrine, or fleſhly Luſt or Practice ſpring up among you, and caſt you into trouble and danger, and the Churches be defiled by them, while the Weak and Unſtedfaſt are carried away, and catch the Infection.
16. Leſt there be any fornicator, or profane perſon, as Eſau, who for one morſel of meat ſold his birthright.
16. Leſt Seducers and fleſhly Luſt draw any to Fornication; or any be ſo prophane, and ſet ſo light by Chriſt and Grace, and Glory, as to loſe them all for the baſe things of the World, and to prefer Wealth and ſenſual delights before them: Like Eſau, that ſet ſo light by his Birthright, as to ſell it for one Diſh of Meat.
Note; What a baſe price all ungodly men do ſet on Chriſt and their own Salvation! What hath the Fornicator, the Drunkard, the Glutton, the Worldling, the Ambitious, Proud, and Oppreſſors, for all, but the baſe portion of a Beaſt?
17. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the bleſſing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he ſought it carefully with tears.
17. For the Text tells you, that after, when he would fain have had that Bleſſing of Primogeniture which he ſold, and ſought it of Iſaac with tears, Iſaac rejected him, and would not retract what he had ſaid of Jacob.
Note; This intimateth a warning of the danger of the contempt of Grace, leſt God withdraw the Offers, or leave men to the power of Temptation as deſerted. But, 1. It determineth not any thing about the damnation of Eſau. 2. Nor that he truly repented of his ſin againſt God (but only of his loſs of the priviledge of the elder Brother;) and yet could not be forgiven (but that this loſs could not be recalled.) 3. Nor that any one that truly repenteth, and is converted, ſhall not be forgiven: For the contrary is a great part of the Doctrine of the Goſpel.
18. For ye are not come into the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire; nor unto blackneſs, and darkneſs, and tempeſt, 19. And the ſound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard, intreated that the word ſhould not be ſpoken to them any more.
18, 19. For ye are not in the Infant and Wilderneſs-ſtate of Iſrael, when they muſt hear from God out of a Mountain on Earth, which was touchable (but muſt not be touched) and which terrified them with flames of Fire, and Blackneſs, and Darkneſs, and Tempeſt, ſignifying the diſtance of unreconciled Man from God: where they heard the ſound of a Trumpet, and a terrible Voice of words, which fear made them deſire that they might hear no more.
20, 21. For they could not endure that which was commanded: and if ſo much as a beaſt touch the mountain, it ſhall be ſtoned, or thruſt thorow with a dart. 2. And ſo terrible was the ſight, that Moſes ſaid, I exceedingly fear and quake.
20, 21. This ſignified, how little they could bear the things commanded. And the diſtance and dreadfulneſs was ſuch, that a Beaſt muſt dye if it touched the Mountain. And Moſes himſelf (as we may gather by Conſequence and Tradition) did fear and quake.
22. But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the City of the living God, the heavenly Jeruſalem, and to an innumerable company of angels: 23. To the general aſſembly, and church of the firſt-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect: 24. And to Jeſus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of ſprinkling, that ſpeaketh better things than that of Abel.
22, 23, 24. But the ſtate of Relation to which ye are brought, as Chriſtians, is more ſpiritual and ſublime: You are come in Faith, Relation, Hope and Initial Participation, to that ſtate of holy Worſhip which Mount Zion typified, and to that bleſſed Church which is gathering on Earth, and conſummate in Heaven, which Jeruſalem typified, and may well be called the Heavenly Jeruſalem, the bleſſed City of immortal ones dwelling with the living God: And to Myriads, or numberleſs multitudes of Angels, inhabiting thoſe vaſt and glorious Regions (where you ſhall ſee that the number of the glorified Spirits were not few:) And to that advanced ſtate of the Church, in its triumphant, joyful Communion, which anſwereth a General Aſſembly of the Princes of the Tribes of Iſrael, who had the honour of Primogeniture; even thoſe who are the enrolled Citizens of Heaven; (here they have Right, and there Poſſeſſion.) And more than all this, you are come as adopted Sons to God the Judge of all; and to the Spirits of the conſummate, or perfected, juſt Men, with whom, as we are here united by one Spirit and Love into one Body, ſo there we ſhall live in the perfection of this Love, and Union, and Communion: And to our Glorified Saviour, the Mediator of the New Covenant; by whom it was purchaſed, made, ſealed and executed; and who, according to the Tenor of it, mediateth for us with God, and from God to us: And, as the way hereto, to the real Purification by his Sprinkled Blood, which the Blood of the Paſſover and Sacrifices typified; and which cryeth not againſt us, as Abel's Blood did, for Revenge, but ſaveth us by ſatisfying Vindictive Juſtice. This is the Society and State of the Faithful.
25. See that ye refuſe not him that ſpeaketh: for if they eſcaped not, who refuſed him that ſpake on earth, much more ſhall not we eſcape, if we turn away from him that ſpeaketh from heaven.
25. Therefore your Motives, both of Fear and Hope, being ſo exceeding great, with your greateſt care, ſee that n… Temptation draw you to refuſe him that is the great Teacher and Author of Salvation; for if they ſcaped not who rejected Moſes, and the Law delivered by him, who was but a man like us on Earth, certainly we ſhall not ſcape, if we turn away from God, who ſent his Son from Heaven, and thence alſo ſpeaketh to us by his Spirit.
26. Whoſe voice then ſhook the earth, but now he hath promiſed, ſaying, Yet once more I ſhake not the earth only, but alſo heaven. 27. And this word Yet once more ſignifieth the removing of thoſe things that are ſhaken, as of things that are made, that thoſe things which cannot be ſhaken may remain.
26, 27. Whoſe Voice ſhook the Earth, when he delivered the Law. But now he hath promiſed, once more to ſhake even Heaven, as well as Earth. Which ſignifieth, that he will remove the things ſo ſhaken, as made to be tranſitory in their uſe; that the things, whoſe deſignment, uſe and nature are perpetual, may remain without them: that is, that the Law of Moſes ſhall be removed, to make way for Grace; and the corrupted form of Heaven and Earth to make way for Glory, even the new Heaven and Earth that muſt follow.
28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may ſerve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29. For our God is a conſuming fire.
28, 29. Seeing therefore that the Goſpel is the Doctrine and Gift of an unmoveable Kingdom of Chriſt in Glory, which we receive in Right when we are true Believers, and in poſſeſſion at the laſt; and ſo we have the ſtrongeſt motives to Holineſs and Perſeverance; let us ſerve God with the greater diligence and reverence, that we may be meet for his Acceptance, and with a Godly fear of falling off, and of his Diſpleaſure if we ſhould prove Hypocrites or Apoſtates. For the Goſpel is not only a word of Promiſes, but hath its. Threatnings and Terrors, as well as the Law, againſt all refuſing Unbelievers, Hypocrites and Apoſtates, to whom even our God, ſo rich in Grace, will yet prove a Conſuming Fire.