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The text is a kind of condensation of practical wisdom for the direction of life. It has reference to those dealings of God with men which have a stern and severe aspect, which are in themselves painful and unwelcome, and under which the human soul cannot well be satisfied or sustained aside from the two considerations, first, that they are the appointments of God, and second, that they are designed to be instrumental of our good. One of the most striking and unusual marks of human destiny is to be found in the afflictive dispensations which trouble us. The general counsel of the text is aimed at one of the common errors of men, viz., not being affected by our trials in a wise and beneficial manner.

I. CONSIDER OUR AFFLICTIONS AS CHASTENINGS, CORRECTIONS.

1. They are of God, and God takes no pleasure in the miseries of His creatures. They must be disciplinary — a part of the discipline of His love. It is a wonder that God should love us at all; no less a wonder than that, loving, He should afflict us.

2. The rule or order of human afflictions indicates their corrective intent. All of them do not come under this principle, indeed, but many of them do. God makes the miseries of life follow close and visible the sins and crimes of life to a very wide extent. They follow the sins of individuals and of nations. But we cannot rank all miseries under this rule. If we could know as God knows all the secondary causes which He employs, it is extremely probable that we should attribute many human miseries to human sin which we now attribute to the just and naked sovereignty of God. Whenever we can see the connection, and trace our unhappiness to a fault, that unhappiness is clearly the blow of a rod of discipline.

3. A state of entire innocence would have kept the world from all suffering.

4. The nature of our afflictions has in it something very remarkable. They are not so heavy as to crush us. They have many accompanying alleviations. For the most part we are able to bear up under them. They are not destructive, they must be disciplinary.

5. Consider the manner in which our afflictions ordinarily come upon us. They commence gently, and if the chastised do not amend, they are increased.

6. The alleviations which accompany earthly afflictions furnish almost a demonstration that the afflictions are designed for amendment.

II. THE IMPROVEMENT OF THIS SUBJECT. It becomes us, who have so many distresses to bear, to consider well the design of them. The world we live in, with its mingled chastisements and mercies, perfectly accords with the declarations of the gospel, that God is displeased, but waits to be gracious. And we shall soon have done with this system of disciplinary affliction for ever.

(I. S. Spencer, D. D.)

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KJV: My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

WEB: My son, don't despise Yahweh's discipline, neither be weary of his reproof: