ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity Nevertheless we must continue praying though the Lord seems inexorable for though he tarry long it may be that he only intends to exercise thy faith and patience and other graces And he will fulfil his promise for thy deliverance in his own time not thine The Rod of the wicked may rest a long time on the back of the Righteous but shall not alwaies With this direction too that thou observe when thou prayest against any affliction or calamity that thou chiefly prayest against the causes of them and those sins upon which God useth to threaten and denounce those calamities especially if thy conscience tell thee of any particular sin which might procure them And that thou submit to him who sends it with patience if his will be not to remove his hand confessing it to be his mercy that thou art not consumed and hear the Rod and him that appointed it And if by thy great afflictions thou beest deprived of all comfort and made the spectacle of all misery yet thou art to trust to thy amends at the last day Though worms consume thy flesh yet it may be comfort enough to support thee that thou know that thy Redeemer lives and thou shalt see him at the last day So Job By execution some go to Heaven as the Thief upon the Cross The promised Blessings and Enjoyments Benefits Deliverances and Immunities and earthly Comforts must not be taken or understood absolutely but subordinately and relatively viz. as may conduce and further the spiritual and eternal welfare of those who are heirs to them and have title to claim them therefore they must be sought with submission and modesty as we find Jacob praying but only for food and rayment and our Blessed Lord and Saviour when he prayed that the bitter cup of his sufferings might pass from him it was with submission Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done Because these prayers are the dictates of nature which the Saints and Servants of God do not use to inlarge but suppress albeit God oftentimes grants them with an overplus as when David asked life and God granted him long life viz. for ever Solomon wisdom and God gave him besides riches and honour And Jacob asked but food and rayment and the Lord increased him to two bands And Abraham a child and God granted him seed like the sand of the Sea But in these prayers too we do not find the dictates of Nature only but the dictates of the Spirit usually combining in the same petition For it is probable that Hanna did design the Glory of God in asking a child as the consecrating him to God gives reason to suppose although we read of another cause which was the contempts which she sufferd for her barrenness and her grief thereof conceived which drove her to seek to God for succour and praying vowed if God would give her a male Child then she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life which vow she performed If we also praying for ontward blessings vow and retribute to God our prayers are warranted and are spiritual Especially if we design the glory of God therewith Those who have received such prayers with an overplus are much more bound to consider what they shall retribute and if they they have vowed too let them perform lest they lose all again for their unworthiress and Ingratitude And with these cautions God doth sometims allow beggars to be chusers as 〈…〉 what sex her Child should be And so Lot got Zoar to be spared when God had appointed it to destruction The good Emperour Titus thought it an unbeseeming thing that any person should depart from his Princes presence sad therefore he granted all petitions then shall not his Prince be much more gracious To sue to God upon his own promise is an argument of faith much used by the faithful people of God as we find in many of the Psams And an argument wherein God delights as he doth in every work that is of faith And no man that ever prayed thus lost his labour I cannot affirm that they alwaies obtain the things of this life because they are not absolutely promised Though godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come and no good thing shall be wanting to those that live a godly life they that fear the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good Psal 34. Yet these worldly blessings are not absolutely good for every person in every condition therefore are not absolutely promsed But yet if we do seek these bodily comforts by use of means we ought to joyn prayer with the means else God will frustrate the means As we read 2 Chron. 16. he did when Asa sought to the Phsiycians to be healed and not to God But spiritual mercies and graces and the gifts of the Spirit are absolutely good and absolutely promised and every man may and must seek them evermore because they are commanded to have them and to seek them and they are promised to those that seek them and those who seek them not are threatned Those graces which we have we are not able to retain and keep of our selves the Church of Ephesus Apoc. 2.2 was labourious patient zealous against evil persons tryed the pretended Apostles and for the name of Christ Jesus laboured herein without fainting And yet for all that reproved in the next words Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love The like perils I suppose attend all the Sarvants of God Though some are of opinion that the Elect cannot fall away yet we see they do sall foully And therefore they shall do well to pray to God for supportation As David Psal 119. prayeth Hold thou me up and I shall be safe And he prayeth for all graces in particular but it cannot be supposed that he was destitute of all therefore it is certain that he prayed for many which he then had Probably because he was sensible of his weakness and danger of falling if God did not water him every morning and every moment as he hath promised to do or if God did not keep him watch over him strengthen him hold him up with his arm which the Lord hath promised to do Therefore we may be sure that we need it all And that he must be sought too to perform these gracious promises And the Lord will keep and encrease in us those graces which we have And deliever us and save us from those corruptions and lusts which we think we are free from otherwise we who seem both naturally and spiritually fortified against some sins may fall in the thing wherein we excel for so did Moses he spake unadvisedly with his lips though he was the meekest man upon the earth
priviledges which Jesus Christ hath purchased for us Give us more assurance of the pardon of our sins and our reconciliation to God and the joy thereof Give us the peace of conscience and the Peace of God which passeth all understanding Give us the Joy which is in the Holy Ghost which we enjoy in holy duties Let us taste and rellish these sweet enjoyments with more satisfaction and joy that the excesses of our souls may be in these enjoyments and we may keep them in our mouths and hide them under our tongues as we do sweet morsels And let the enjoyment of these carry us through all difficulties Give us more confidence in our accesses to the Throne of Grace and a belief that thou art more ready to give than we to ask for thy fulness is more full than our emptiness is wanting Thy fatherly care to provide for us is more faithful and careful to do it than we to seek it though we are resolved to be alwaies begging and craving because we know we shall alwaies be wanting in this life and we will not lose our desires and thy bountiful gifts for want of asking The cause which moved thee to make such gracious invitations to us and such great and precious promises of grace and mercy was only in thy self for thou invitest the thirsty to buy Wine and Wilk without mony or price What then is there that we can buy it with that is neither mony nor price it can be nothing but to exchange our thirst for the thing which we thirst for to relieve it to open our mouths Therefore as the cause which moved thee to make these invitations and promises was in thy self Lord seek in thy self the cause which may move thee to perform them The qualifications of thirst want and need we have and shall have as long as we have any life But if we be dead in trespasses and sins quicken thou us because thou only canst do it by thy holy Spirit In the assurance of thy free mercy then whereof thou by thy free promises hast convinced us and by the performance of the chiefest of them hast fully satisfied us inable us to assure our souls of thy readiness and willingness to hear and help us through the merits of Christ Jesus and in assurance thereof to come boldly and with confidence to the Throne of Grace And give us sure evidence of our interest in all other priviledges That our joy may be full assure us that our place of defence is the munition of Rocks That bread be given us and our water shall be sure Bless us and make us a blessing Let showers of blessings come down upon thy people Give us to lay hold of Christ for only Wisdom our only sufficient Righteousness our Sanctification and Redemption Tread Satan under our feet that we may bruise his head as often as he goeth about to sting our heel Destroy his works Let the Spirit of the Lord set up his standard against him And let not Antichrist any more deceive the Nations but destroy thou him and the Whore which is drunk with the blood of Saints Succour those that are tempted Be with thy people in the fiery Tryal that is to come upon all the world to try them as thou wast with Joseph in the prison Lord let not our sins stand as a cloud to hinder these our prayers from ascending to thee or cause thee to turn away thine ear For though they are so many that we scarce know how to confess them yet thou hast pardoned as great sinners as we when they turned unto thee and it is usual with thee to seek thy lost sheep and to receive thy returning Prodigals Lord thy free promises and importunate invitations by thy self and thy Son give us this boldness of access to thee for thereby we are assured that thou art more desirous to give than we to receive Hear us therefore through the merits of thy Beloved Son our Eternal High Priest in whom only we hope to prevail with thee in whom thy Promises are Yea and Amen And accept us in him who hath purchased this Access for us in whom we trust that he now intercedeth for us whilst we are praying to thee And that he persumes and presents these our supplications at the Throne of Grace To whom with Thee and thy blessed Spirit of Grace be all honour praise and glory Eternally Amen Enter not into Judgment with us O Lord for our best services for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified A shorter Prayer for daily use LOrd draw nigh unto me now that I draw nigh unto thee for thy promise sake for thy mercy sake and for Christ Jesus sake And assist me with thy Spirit that I may pray unto thee in the Spirit and in Faith believing that thou art more ready to give than we to ask or receive thy graces and thy mercies Lord relieve me according to all my needs and according to thy infinite goodness and according to thy gracious promises and invitations Relieve my spiritual blindness with that eye-salve which thou hast invited the blind to come unto thee for Relieve my spiritual nakedness with that fine white linnen which thou hast invited the naked to seek of thee and cloath me with humility patience temperance chastity and charity and every grace Relieve my spiritual poverty with that fine gold which will enrich our souls to eternity and make me rich in good works Relieve my spiritual hunger and thirst with the bread of life and the water of life so that I may never hunger or thirst after any thing else And make me more hungry and thirsty for thee and thy grace and more sensible of my needs Lord I pray not for my self alone but for me and mine and all the Israel of the Lord. Let my seed be a seed unto thee and all that shall come of them to the end of the world Remember the entail of thy blessings to us and to our seed for a thousand generations Let the Kingdoms of the world become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Let holiness to the Lord be writ upon all our common things Make us all to know thee from the greatest to the least Let us need no more to teach one another saying Know the Lord. Let us all be taught of God and let us hear the sweet voice behind us saying This is the way walk ye in it when we turn to the right hand or to the left and make Jerusalem a praise Love us freely pardon us and heal us Subdue our iniquities and cast our sins into the bottom of the Sea that they may never rise up against us Give us new hearts Put thy Laws into our hearts and write them in our inward parts Be thou our God and make us thy people Put thy Spirit into us and cause us to walk in thy Statutes and to know thy Judgments and do them Cause us to love thee with
in the deluge As thou art the God of our strength and therefore we need not to go mourning through fear of the enemy so art thou our exceeding joy whereby we are holily transproted to rejoyce in thee in singing thy praises Psal 43. Praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me Praise his holy name Psal 103 As thou art gracious and merciful patient slow to anger ready to forgive the sins of thy people for thy names sake so art thou also righteous in all thy waies and holy in thy works If a man will not turne thou wilt whet thy sword and bend thy bow thou wilt bring upon such all the curses written in thy book till thou hast destroyed them for so thou hast done to thine own people the Jews who would not believe thy threatnings to be warned thereby Thou who shewedst mercy to Niniveh repenting after the judgment pronounced and to Ahab going mournefully when he heard the judgment threatned against his house which shews that thy threatnings are conditional viz. if we turn not thou likewise laidest thy hand so heavy upon thy Servant David day and night that his moisture was like the drought in summer The light of his eyes was gone from him he was almost consumed by means of thy heavy hand he had no health in his bones nor no soundness in his flesh his teares was his meat day and night All the day long was he punished and chastened every morning because his iniquities were gone over his head these and many more as Eli Lot and Noah are set out in the word for examples of the truth of thy threatnings against sin though repented of Give me therefore thy grace that I may watch against sin and all temptations and occasions thereof and against the least degrees and beginnings of sin and all appearance of evil with prayer that I entter not into temptation and the Lord support me and hold me up that I fall not in temptations And when I pray unto thee in the name of Jesus Christ my Saviour for pardon for my manifold sins O Lord remember that thou hast declared thy self to be the Lord gracious and merciful slow to anger that forgivest the iniquities of thy people for thy name sake and let thy mercy be magnified by the greatness of my sins my sins are more in number than the hairs of my head But thy mercys as infinit thy thoughts are not like our thoughts For as far as the Heaven is above the earth so far are thy thoughts above our thoughts And let the greatness of my Redeemers merits be magnified by the greatness of my unworthiness He is mighty to save And though our sins be as scarlet he can make us white as snow by his blood which he hath shed for us for if he be Lord of all and the World was made by him then was he able also to reedeem all the World that come unto God by him for redemption do thou but assure me that the least drop of his blood the least sigh of his heart or the least degree of his humiliation was for my sins or had respect unto me among the rest and I do undoubtedly believe they are fully pardoned and I am saved from all the curse that is due unto them Lord since thou hast imputed to him my sins for it is said that he hath born the Iniquities of us all it is but just with thee that I should be acquitted and have his rightoeusness imputed to me else why did he suffer LET us then be made the righteousness of God in him since he was for that end and purpose made sin for us since thou hast given him for a covenant to the people give us also to find in our selves that we have him and with him all those promises of grace that belong to this covenant which in him are verified and fulfilled With him therefore give us thy Spirit in our hearts to cause us to walk in thy statutes to know and do thy judgements cause us to love thee with all our hearts to delight in thee and to fear thee to run and not be weary and to be holy in all our common things c. Of Afflictions Let him deny himself and take up his Cross are the first and second step to happiness therefore that we may not be so effiminately fearful to touch the Cross as we are nor be so longing and licorish to gratify our selves in whatsoever our heart desires is this meditation Afflictions are Christs School whereby he teacheth his followers in the discipline of holiness as he is said to have learned obedience by the things he suffered so he prescribes a suffering condition to his and they who are not partakers of his sufferings but are without chastisement are said to be bastards and not sons of their heavenly father so it concerns us to expect them and not beds of Roses oiled paths or the pleasures of the sences and that we make a sanctified use of them for those holy ends and purposes for which they are sent whether it be for our conversion from the state of nature and unbelief by true and unfeigned repentance or to renew our repentance after some fall to awaken us out of security or to improve our patience or holiness humility or any or all our graces and so to purify us to himself for as soon as they have attained their end he removeth them from us for he doth not afflict nor grieve willingly the sons of men to help me to make a sanctified use of them are these meditations Fides Fructifica 1 James 4. Let patience have her perfect work Meditation LORD teach us with thy blessed Apostles Paul and Silas to sing Psalmes in the midest of the Dungeon and with the three children when the furnace is made three times hotter than at other times And that we may have perfect patience make us sensible that the hand of God is upon us for our sins deservedly as the thief upon the cross was If we have no success either in our spiritual or Worldly affaires let us believe that it is the hand of God for our sins That we have not made better use of the afflictions which God hath laid upon us to purge us of some sin and do not search out the causes thereof and try our waies it is our sin for his hand is streched out still for if we know that God chastens and scourges every Son whom he loveth we may then understand that with one judgment God punisheth us for the sins passed and delivereth us thereby from sin and destruction for the time to come As when his Servant David had sinned by numbering the people God sent the Prophet to him to declare his will to punish him with one of those three evils he cried I have sinned so that whereever sin is there God detests and punisheth The righteous shall not go unpunished But the Sons of Ely when their Father reproved
The similitude also of natures may cause love for after the image of God man was made and is so renewed the necessity and the utility of Gods chastisments he that had had very good experience of them upon the same account with the same success confesseth in the Psa 119.67 plainly in these words Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learned the Judgements of thy mouth And It is good for me that I have been afflicted Psal 119.71 Unless we are pure in our own eyes And have better conceits of our own hearts than of him who was a man according to Gods own heart we cannot but see with the same eyes as he did That God doth afflict men for their good to sanctify them and teach them in the waies of eternal life as it is Psalm Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest and teachest in the way that thou mayest give him patience in time of Adversity c. Neither were his afflictions for the short season of a day or a year But constant Psal Even from my youth up thy terrours have I sufferd with a troubled minds and Psal All the day long have I been afflicted and chastened every morning Psal 119.109 My soul is always in my hand yet do I not forget thy law Wherefore St. Pet. 1 Epist 4.12 Bids them think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is happened unto you as though some strange thing had happened unto you which implys that afflictions in the highest degree are common and familiar guests to be daily expected Those were no light ones whereby Davids very soul was in his hand and in jeopardy Zach. 13.9 I will bring the third part through the fire It shewes the truth of our profession if we can go on cherfully without outward incouragements Therefore when God would shew the sincerity of Job by removing that objection of Satan Hast thou not made a hedge about him he let loose the tempter to afflict him with all sorrows and to deprive him of all comforts When God would perfect in us the grace of patience he doth it by affliction as it is Jam. 1.4 and that where it is makes a perfect Christian as we ought all to be as it is Mat. 5. ult Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Paul to the Philip. Cap. 1.12 Saith The things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather for the furtherance of the Gospel so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the pallace and in all other places So far are afflictions from hindering us in the heavenly race or from hindering the sowing of the seed of grace in the heart of others that the patient suffering of the Saints of God provokes others to imitation and to search and inquire what is that principle and Basis upon which such resolutions stand Psal 25.10 Though they are afflicted they acknowledge that all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies they know that of kindness God afflicts them the very same kindness is in afflicting them as was in adopting them His paternal love The assurance of which convinceth them that all things shall work for the good of them that love God This principle every true believer hath and this made Moses to chuse afflictions before the pleasures of sin viz. The assurance of his interest in the love of God and the glorious priviledges of the Saints by faith in gods promises through the merits of the bloody passion of our Redeemer and the Hope which they have of the repositum in the world to come Our Blessed Lord and Saviour was not only our example of suffering wrongfully and undergoing all griefs and sorrows whom being our captaine and head we ought to follow But being our King also hath made it a law for all that will come after him to deny enjoyments and to take up the contrary which our nature so much declines crosses The discipline which he trained up his disciples to and all his followers was suffering The parable of the builder sitting down and first to cast up what his building will cost him coucheth the cost and paines grief and self-denial which a Christian must resolve to undergo for Heaven and happiness He told his followers that the world would hate them pesecute them and kill them for his and the Gospels sake The parable of the Marchant who having found a field wherein was contained a treasure hid sold all to purchase it sheweth what we must part with for Heaven Consider the sharneful painful cursed death of our Lord. How they designed his derision in the robes Crown of thornes salutation in contempt spitting on his face c. If our hopes were in this life we were of all men most miserable What then can a Servant of God expect here The comfort of the Scriptures are suited to such a condition only and a great part of the Scripture would be useless if there were no such condition David in 119. Psal The same is my comfort in my affliction thy word hath quickned me Great are the troubles of the Righetous but the Lord delivereth him out of all Psal 34. v 19. and 7. The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him and delivereth them and the whole Psalm is made to shew the blessedness of them that trust in the Lord and the faithfulness of God toward such as trust in him in time of affliction and many other of Davids Psalms are to the same effect that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope He is a Father of the Fatherless and a help to the friendless Our heavenly Father will not endure to hear his children cry long though heaviness endureth for a night joy cometh in the morning and Psal 140.12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor The patient abiding of the meek shall not always be forgotten before the Lord 3 of the Revela ver I will be with thee in the fiery trial that is to come upon all the earth to try them I will be with thee in the fire that it shall not burne thee and in the Water that it shall not drown thee The hatred which the men of the world bear to the people of God is by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures set forth as a principal cause of their calamities the Cap. of the op of St. Cain was of that wicked one and slew his Brother wherefore because his works were evil and his brothers good conttariety of works is cause of hatred as well as contrariety of natures men blush not before them that are like them the contrariety makes them blush Galat. 4.29 As he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit So it is now he alludes to Ishmaels mocking of Isaac This is most fully set forth in Psal 37.
body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be manifest in our bodys with which agreeth that Rom. 8. Nevertheless afterwards they yeild the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Wouldst thou have the life of Jesus manifest in thy body or Jesus Christ to live in thy soul then be content with Afflictions sickness and paines continually or wouldst thou have an hyperbole on hyperbole of glory then embrace the Cross which worketh it for us and love God afflicting thee Wouldst thou have eternity of Blessedness hereafter then be content to be fitted and prepared for the injoyment of it by a moments misery if thou desirest these ends use those meanes Med. 6. The Lord hath said it in his word that the voice of joy and thanksgiving is in the dwelling of the righteous heaviness may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning He saith he creates Israel a rejoycing Trust thou then in the Lord O my soul that thy grief shall not always last That the Rod of the wicked shall not always rest on thy back That he hath not forgotten to be gracious to thee Thou hast found by thine own experience the truth of these gracious dealings of God and mayst break out into praises of his goodness with the words of the Prophet Isaiah 25. O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee I will praise thy name for thou hast done wonderful things thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth v. 4. Thou hast been a strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his destress a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall Therefore according to thy loving kindness of old now O Lord in the midst of thy wrath remember mercy Med. 7. What Son is there whom his Father chastneth not let me see the love of a Father in thy chastisements that it is the cup which my Father giveth that it is thy loving correction as David calls it Psal That it is but when need reguires That it is less than I deserve that it is that I should not perish with the World That thou dost not afflict nor grieve me willingly but as unwillingly as a Father his Son in whom he delighteth 't is affliction to himself That thou layest no more upon me than thou wilt enable me to bear That in all my afflictions Christ suffers with me and he that touches me touches also the Apple of his eye that when the Lord afflicts me with one hand he supports me with the other That he corrects me not in wrath That fury is not in him That his wrath endureth but a moment That he will save the afflicted people Psal 18.27 That it is an undoubted evidence to me of my Adoption and filiation And that it shall work in my soul Patience Humility meekness and all other peaceable fruit of righteousness in this life and an unspeakable weight of eternal glory hereafter That as a Father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth me If this I be assured of I shall count afflictions matter of joy and rejoycing for as I desire the ends grace and glory I must embrace the means that God useth to subdue my iniquities and to teach me obedience and make me better and account it loving correction Med. 8. If I would attain the end I must be contented with the trouble and difficulty of the means Heaven is purchased at no less a rate than All for it Whatever is dear unto thee as thy right eye in this thou must deny thy self Hast thou tryed and found the difficulty of mortification forsaking of the world and self-denial and of thy self thou art not able to attain to them to conquer thy passions viz. thy anger by an invincible patience thy revenge and malice by doing good for evil and by submission to him who hath said Vengeance is mine or else thy covetous mind of possessing much and trusting to the multitude of thy riches or else the lusts of thy flesh and youth pride or vain-glory love of pleasure and ease and indulging thy self What thou findest thou art not able of thy self to do those acts of mortification thou hast prayed to God to inable thee to do viz. that these messengers of Satan that buffet thee may depart from thee The Lord by his visitations and afflictions takes away the strength of thy corruptions weakens them and brings them under and so doth that for thee which thou wert not able to do thy self thou hast cause to say with holy David Psal 119. It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn the judgments of thy mouth whereas before I was afflicted I went astray Then thou hast cause to rejoyce also as the Apostle St. James bids the Brother of a high degree rejoyce when he is brought low It may be thou hadst need of subduing and keeping under thy body and instead thereof hast been rather inclined to pamper it feeding to the full and hast waxed fat and kicked The Lord out of his mercy to thee hath sent afflictions to purge thee and heale thee and to keep under thy body that thou shouldst subdue thy corruption and lusts which are ready to break out do what thou canst by mortification self denial fasting abstinance and prayer which dutys thou hast been unwilling to undergo or at least in such sort and measure as the Gospel requireth Thou must not only be conntent to use and undergo the means but if thou wilt have grace and glory thou must pray for the means also and desire it Thou knowest that visitations and loving corrections are those means which thy heavenly Father is forced to use to reclaim those that go astray and to improve those that are weak Thou knowest many of thy graces are weak and want improvement thou prayest to him to fulfil his promises of helping and strengthening his that are weak if so thou must pray for these means which he hath appointed and take up thy Cross that thou mayest be able to follow thy Saviour Med. 9. Thou knowest the Discipline which God useth to his prodigal and undutiful children If they forsake his waies he visits their iniquities with rods and their sins with scourges though he doth not utterly take his loving kindness from them We read not of any of the Saints of God who went unpunished for their sins Job cryed out that God made him possess the sins of his youth David's sins took such hold upon him that he was not able to look up he was even consumed by means of Gods heavy hand there was no health in his flesh nor rest in his bones by reason of his sin Psal 38.3 Then he confessed his wickedness and was sorry for his sins and they were ever in his sight when the rod was upon him v. 17 18. Though we also believe our selves to be the Garden
or like a dead Tree withered and plucked up In this forelorn and hopeless condition when no man regards our perishing we come to God for help and he in whose only power it is to help doth help us and deliver us and makes the dry bones live and we have seen the salvation of the Lord and the wonders that he doth for the Sons of men and have been transported with joy as the Israelites when they came out of Babylon were I acknowledge that there be some who come in no misfortune nor are plagued like other men But all those whom Christ Jesus hath chosen to be his souldiers he trains up in this discipline But if it were so that I had not gone thorow such perils such afflictions and such troubles as I see and hear to befall other men Have I not much more cause to praise God for keeping me in health than for raising me up again being fallen sick from keeping me from the perils which befall other men than for delivering me if I had been in danger and for keeping me from troubles wherein others are plunged If I consider the calamities of men far greater than my self As for instance of him who is more worth than thousands of us our Soveraign Lord the King Can I chuse but bless God that my distresses afflictions and perils of life have not been so many and great as his But how great and good above me was he that was after God's own heart What pains perils and troubles did he not go thorow first in his person his reins chastened him in the night he had no soundness in his bones then from his superiours Saul persecuting him as long as he lived from his inferiours his servant curseth him to his face from unkind neighbours as Doeg the Edomite from his Relations his wife scoffing him his Son rebelling and another commits a rape on his Sister c. Besides the temporal mercies he also tells us what God hath done for his soul too as Psal 103. and blesseth God for forgiving all his sin c. ib. For this we can never praise God enough Meditations and Ejaculations Go about Duties not as labours but thy only enjoyments Delight thy self in the Lord and expect the Reward LORD since thou hast promised thy holy Spirit to them who ask it of thee I beseech thee give it to me for without it I cannot serve thee nor walk in obedience to thy holy Commandments for by reading and hearing thy Word I can only know my duty I cannot retain my holy resolutions which are stirred up in the duties one hour Therefore do thou create in me a new heart and a new nature Regenerate me by thy Spirit and the immortal seed and write thy Law in my heart and give me thy holy Spirit the Almighty Helper the Comforter and hold thou me up and I shall be safe Make me willing to undergo conflicts with sin for hereby I shall have comfort in the hour of death and the day of trouble O give me peace of conscience the comforts of a well-spent life that I may be able to say with Hezekiah Lord remember how I have walked before thee in all simplicity when the day of death comes Make me wise to consider alwaies my latter end and what thoughts I shall have then of the world and all its comforts let this restrain me from giving up my self to them else I shall be a fool in my latter end as the wicked are and cry out that the world hath deceived them their consciences being then awakened which in their lime-time they stifled and then the Hypocrites have no hope Therefore Lord give me grace and prudence to make provision against that time that the sting of death may be taken out Let me believe the terrours threatned against the wicked that I may never come to feel them Let me find Christ my Advocate when death comes upon me And that I may not die in my sin make me by thy grace continually to die to sin Deliver me from every evil work and preserve my body and soul blameless unto the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Lord above all things give me to fear sin and the transgression of thy Law who art the great Soveraign of the world its Creator and Preserver to whom we owe both our persons and obedience and if the Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the Law much more let me who have as well the written Law and the Gospel as the Law of Nature do the things contained in the Law else how shall I escape thy wrath But having tryed our obedience thou hast found us all rebels and in thy justice mayest damn us all if thy mercy in Christ Jesus do not save us Since Jesus Christ our Saviour was made under a Law and the glorious Angels fulfil thy commandments and hearken to the voice of thy word and man hath no such perfection as his Saviour or the Angels but our wisdom and our perfection is in obedience to the Law Inable us to keep it for herein God hath shewed us what is good Micah 6.8 Every child of God is as a souldier keeping a garrison in an enemies Country Therefore Lord as I put on my apparel let me remember to put on the Armour of light and to watch and be provided to fight thy battels let me not be destitute of any piece of this Armour but give me all Christian vertues I am naked naturally and without this Armour but unless I have it of thy gift I cannot put it on but must perish by my nakedness for I cannot have any truse from my spiritual adversary who watches to destroy us And give me the skill of an expert warriour to use these Armes against the Devil the World and the flesh inable me to put off all sins which hinder the planting and growth of grace in our hearts for we cannot serve God and mammon let me depart from evil that I may do good Let me feel the power of Christ's death that I may partake of his resurrection Let the sense of my forepast sins make me the more diligent in thy service Since my darkness is passed let me put off the works of darkness Let me not delay considering my danger and the shortness and uncertainty of life and the greatness of the reward if I do thy service For to him that is faithful in much thou wilt give much ten Cities for improving his five talents to that number That I may fear sin and not make light of it or a mock of it as fools are said to do let me consider the great evil of it That it is the foolishness and brutishness of a man the darkness and nakedness the blindness and sottishness and death of the soul which makes us said to be dead in trespasses and sins and that the effects of sin are the worst of evils That it makes us like to the Devils That one sin makes us
them for their sins 't is said They hearkned not because the Lord would destroy them Therefore it appeares that it was a toaken of Gods Fatherly love to David that he punished him for his sin that he might repent of them and not lye in them and die in them But whom God suffers to run on in sin without any crosses and afflictions rebukes and chastisements they are none of his children Another reason why God afflicts his children is to take their hearts from off the love of the world that we may use the world as if we used it not Jer. 45. I bring evil upon all flesh and seekest thou great things If any one loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him But when we are in prosperity we say as holy David did Psal 30. Tush I shall never be cast down but it followeth Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled he then sees his weakness and vanity and too much security which he expressed in his prosperity the Lord was pleased to withdraw the light of his countenance that he might not set his affections upon the world nor rejoice in the things of the world but in the enjoiment of God and live upon that Thirdly consider that God doth suffer his people to be afflicted for the exercise of their graces as he did Jobs patience hope faith spiritual fortitude and his other graces Job 13.15 Though the Lord should kill me yet would I trust in him said he in his affliction James 1.23 Count it all joy when you fall into temptation Knowing that the tryal of your faith worketh patience Solomon said Chasten thy Son and thou shalt have comfort of him so doth our heavenly Father so that to the faithful afflictions should be cause of joy because they are the means of grace The worst creature that ever was will oftentimes make as great a show as the best in prosperity silver is tried in the fire consider God never laid any thing upon his children but he gave them strength to suffer it or did mitigate the pain He staieth his rough wind in the day of the east wind Isa 27. Psal 94.12 Blesis the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him in thy law 13. That thou maiest give him patience in time of adversity until the pit be digged up for the ungodly Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous c. My joy shall be in the Lord though the fig tree should not blossom c. yet would I rejoid in the Lord. No chastning for the present seems joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yeilds the peaceable fruits of Righteousness as David testifieth Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learned the judgments of thy mouth That is he learned the practising of them for though he knew them he went a stray and by affliction was reclam'd Psa 'T is good for me that I have been afflicted Meditation LORD let it be thy will to perfect my graces by my afflictions and to purify and refine me of all my corruptions as silver is refined in the fire for if I still feel pride and envy wrath scorn and contempt of my meaner brethren in my heart or be inclined to revile such as have fallen I may justly fear that though thou hast removed one judgment from me yet thou wilt bring another greater upon me and if I will not be thereby humbled and taught to bear with the infirmities of my brethren so as to pitty restore and help them thou mayest justly heap more and more plagues upon me and mine till thou hast destroyed me And since thou hast said that the same measure that we meet to others shall be measured to us again Teach me that I may forbear all distastful words and scornful behaviour and all passion and censure towards others that are under me though but my Servants least those who are above me or under me should requite me with the like If thou sufferest me to be railed at and reviled as thy Servant David was often and as all holy men of God and Saints have been and must expect to be let me not look upon the persons so railing but receive it as from God as he did saying if the Lord hath said to Shimei curse David who shall say why hast thou done so So let him curse for who can tell but the Lord will requite good for his railing and so the Lord did requite it and let me learn not to judge others by what they suffer but consider the bitter mockings which the Disciples of Christ underwent as the Lord had foretold them but chiefely let us consider what contradiction of sinners our blessed Lord and Saviour underwent lest we faint in our minds and be weary And let us learn thereby to speak evil of no man though most highly provoked no not in our passion lest we seem to disbelieve or contemn the blessing pronounced upon such sufferers Meditation IN their Affliction they will seek me early When by Affliction we are deprived of all worldly comfort then we will seek it in God therefore it is necessary for some people to be alwaies afflicted and I may be one of them Heb. 12.10 11. They viz. our parents Chastened us for their pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness Now no chastening for the present seemeth joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby So that the end of Gods Afflicting us is to improve our faith patience holiness and other graces and he will make these means efual Isa 26.9 Meditation O My soul let not lying lips slanders backbitings nor false accusations provoke thee to let loose the reins to revenge and wrath but rather give place to injuries lest thou justifiest the Sons of Zerviah saying let us cut off this dogs head and condemnest holy David And thou mayest hope for the like requital if thou do accordingly but thou hadst rather that the Lord would keep thee secretly in his Tabernacle from strife of tongue Another end why God afflicts his people is to make them like to Christ as it is 2 Tim. 2.12 For if we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him If we deny him he also will deny us and Rom. 8.17 Joynt heirs with Christ If so be we suffer with him we shall also be glorified with him we are chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world They suffer with him who suffer innocently The third end is the trial of faith as the St. Peter 6.7 Though now ye are in heaviness if need be through manifold temptations 7 v. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than Gold though it be tried in the fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory c. So they try our love too Meditation O
here am I. So the Lord speaks Jer. 31.21 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself so whilst Daniel was praying at the beginning of his Prayer God answered Dan 9. the Prodigal desired to be but as a hired Servant and the Father brings forth the Fatted Calf to entertain him so God gives us more than we ask Is any man afflicted let him pray it teacheth that Gods Children are not free from troubles nor can expect so to be It teacheth also that those prayers that are extorted from us by necessity are heard necessity may first set men awork to pray as it did Jacob. Though men would object against them who come to them in their necessities yet Christ and man had never come together had it not been for necessity necessities are not a putting us off but a drawing us to God as appears by these Invitations 'T is folly to neglect God in our trouble When Joab would not come to Absolom he sets his Corn on fire and then he came Dan. 9. Though all this be come upon us yet have we not made our prayers unto thee Gods aims are accomplish'd when thou comest to him Hos 5.15 I will hide my face and they will call upon me early Let not the affliction simply without regard to the precept and promise drive us to God 2. Cor. 1.10 11. God hath delivered me and will deliver me c. Your helping together in your prayers The qualification of the Persons and of the prayer are contained in this the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much Nothing will make us more fervent than afflictions Sometimes God doth not hear us at the first to make us more fervent his delays are no denials God hath several ways of deliverance that we know not of we must not obtrude our own model upon God David Ps 34. I sought the Lord and he heard me and deliver'd me out of all my trouble Sometimes God will not give a temporal deliverance that he may give a spiritual sometimes he will give both As St Paul said God hath delivered me from the mouth of the Lion and will also deliver me from every evil work The Martyrs in the 12th of the Hebrews would not accept of deliverance from men There is a Spiritual deliverance in part as Pauls from the Thorn in the Flesh or in the whole God sometimes delivereth us by death as Sampson was from the Philistines sometimes he delivereth by death from eternal death Again seldom doth deliverance fail when either we are inlarged to pray for it or incouraged to wait upon God for it when thou preparest the heart O Lord thou inclinest thy ear so Fathers teach their Children to ask what they have a mind to bestow Till we are past sinning we shall not be past suffering Because suffering follows sin as the effect follows the cause and suffering is the usual means which God makes use of to restrain us from sin and to set our graces on work which begin to decay in the Sun-shine of prosperity Though affliction be the fruit of sin it may be the mother of vertue where it is not the mother it may be and most commonly is the Nurse or foster mother making us renew our vows and resolutions for God brings good out of evil or otherwise he would not permit unjustice and opression to be done to his children by the men of the World of whom he saieth he that toucheth you toucheth the the Apple of mine eye And if the members suffer the head suffers also and our blessed Lord and Saviour saith that he that offendeth the least of the Children of God 't were better for that man that a Mill-stone were hanged about his neck and that he were thrown into the midst of the Sea than that he should offend one of those little ones Since Christ himself accompts their sufferings his as these and many other Scriptures prove he doth if in all theit afflictions he is afflicted if they affect him in the tenderest place the apple of his eye then surely he will not permit them to be inflicted in the least degree or quantity more than he seeth necessary fortheir good From hence viz. the sense of Gods tender love to his Children might spring that undaunted confidence and full assurance of faith which Gods people sometimes discover as Holy Job said Though he kill me yet will I trust in him David when the people talked of Stoning him encouraged himself in the Lord. Habakkuk the Prophet would rejoyce in the Lord though the Fig-Tree should not blossom neither should fruit be in the vine though the labour of the Olive should fail and the Field should yield no encrease though the Flock should be cut off from the fold c. The innumerable company of Martyrs in the late Queen Mary's days and in the 10 persecutions when the bodies of the Servants of God were given to be meat for the wild beasts and others burned with fire for the testimony of Christ and would not accept deliverance in hopes of a better resurrection Their faith was the substance of the things hoped for and it secured the possession of them which verefied that truth in Psal 107. He shall not be afraid for any evil tidings his heart is fixed and he trusteth in the Lord. Faith draweth off the mind from temporal things to eternal and then from the dark waies of Gods providence to his promises in his covenant and so makes a man to commit himself to God as it is 2 of Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have trusted Faith puts all into Gods hand and we are safe when we know our goods are in a sure hand Submission to God is an act of faith and love and an act of obedience thereby Job blessed God taking away David submitted himself to God Saying if the Lord hath said to Shimei curse David who shall say why hast thou done so c. Who can tell whether the Lord will requite good for his railing readily did Hezekiah submit to all that God pleased when the Prophet told Eli of the judgments threatned against his House 2 Sam. 15.21 His submissive answer is 'T is the Lord let him do what seemeth good in his sight he laid his mouth in the dust Guilt makes us fear when God removes the pillar of security from under our heads by any affliction but the knowledg of God by former experience fortifies faith This made the Apostle argue God would deliver him Psal 35. I trusted in thee for I said thou art my God His interest in God and Gods Interest in him made him trust in him 2 Chro. 13.18 The children of Judah prevailed against the Israelites because they relied upon the Lord. Another help of faith is prayer Thou shalt ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance Another is obedience the old Prophet went out of Gods way and the Lyon slew him The comfort of the Cross to the People of God
is greater than the joy of worldly men in their abundance of corn wine and oyle the Prophet Habakkuks joy in the Lord in the want of necessaries of life Hab. 3. Proveth it for what worldly thing can bear up the mind in Adversities Jobs hope and assurance that with those very eyes he should see his redeemer made him suffer all things patiently but all Hamans greatness and happiness did not avail against a disrespect But worldly joy kills the joy in the Holy Ghost They that live in pleasure the Holy Apostle saith they are dead while they live when Afflictions have taken off our heart from the love of the world then wee seek more durable joy then is Gods time to give his Servants joy in the Holy Ghost the peace of conscience and pardon of their sins Though for a season they are in heaviness through manifold temptations they rejoyce in the hope of glory to be revealed As sorrowing they are though they always rejoyce as having nothing yet they possess all things in value Their sorrow is but in semblance their joy reall and in substance Their seeming sorrow for a season their rejoycing perpetual Well then might they take joyfully the spoiling of their goods and rejoyce that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ and prefer afflictions before the pleasure of sin I had utterly fainted but that I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living Psal This anchor of hope kept up his fainting soul As Stephen being stoned then saw Heaven opened So doth faith give to the suffering Saints and Martyrs a prelibation of the joys of Heaven As it is resembled by the first fruits of Canaan which were brought to the Israelits in the barren wilderness 'T is usual with God to depress those which greatest afflictions whom he intends to exalt high And so those to whom he reveals himself most as St. Paul experienced This Apostle though afflicted had joy unspeakable and glorious and received abundance of glorious revelations Psal 23.4 David though he walked through the vally of the shadow of death would fear no evil for thou art with me said he this apprehension of Gods presence and almighty supportation will banish all fears but Psal 46.3 He was not so strong in faith as not to fear for he saith Though I am sometimes afraid yet put I my trust in the Lord. He recovers himself out of his fainting fits by the use of the means Twice in one Psalm we find him fainting and checking himself for it in these expressions Why art thou cast down O my soul and why so disquieted within me Then he raiseth himself up again to hope and trust in God by the experience he had had of Gods help and his interest in him as his God He is the help of my countenance and my God Therefore hope thou in God Bless God for this that he hath given us greater things than we are willing to lose and that he hath given us Christ whom we can not lose Let this comfort us consider if we are afraid of suffering here how should we be afraid of hell If we leave our present enjoyments for God it shall all be made up in Heaven God gives us good things that we may have somthing of value to leave for Christ Philip 1. They rejoyced and waxed confident by St. Pauls bonds Suffering adversity credits the Gospel and creadits thee who sufferest for Satan and his instruments are known to strike at the fairest and best according to that saying placet in vulnus maxima cervix Sen. If afflictions are cause of joy to a believer as the scriptures make out as that of St. James c. 1. Count it all joy when you fall into temptations knowing that the trial of your faith worketh patience c. Then in respect of their spiritual good they ought to contemn temporal losses as this holy precept teacheth The example of the practice of this duty was in those blessed martyrs who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods not accepting deliverance from their persecuters The like example we find in St. Paul Gal. 1.14 He glories in his afflictions saying God forbid that I should glory in any thing save the Cross of Christ by whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world It may be rendered by which the world is crucified to me c. i. e. Though the contemplation of the Cross of Christ and his bitter sufferings did throughly motify the Apostle the contemplation of the same operation of it to him made him glory Or the afflictions which he suffered for Christ which wrought such a mortification in him made him therefore glory in them The like is put in practice by other Saints as it is Rom. 5.2 By whom also we have access by faith c. v. 3. And not onely so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience And patience experience and experience hope Besides these graces and many others which are wrought in the soul by afflictions The reward which is given to those who do so suffer may well make them seem light and also matter of rejoycing viz. That exceeding and eternal weight of glory They do not only yeild the peaceable fruits of righteousness which alone were sufficient to make our lives happy but by these is wrought our eternal happiness also as before is expressed They work for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory This will prove the truth of Christs Doctrine Mat. 11. ult My yoak is easie and my burthen is light Which may be intended in this sense that all hardship and pains which humane nature can undergo is but light in comparison of sin or the punishment thereof or else that they are but light in respect of the reward here and hereafter or light in respect of the almighty suportation as it is in the Psal 119. v. Hold thou me up and I shall be safe And that of the Apostle Paul I can do all things though Christ that strengthens me for which supportation they may rely upon this promise I will never leave thee nor forsake thee And that I will be with the in the fire c. Another maine cause that makes light the burthen of Christ Cross or yoake is Love the Soul submits willingly to God because it sees in him all causes of love all exeellency of Power majesty glory are in him All perfection of beauty in him every excellent work from him His kindness love and beneficence to us above our merit Hope or expectation his paternal relation to us as his creatures and adopted children in Christ his pittying of us and pardoning our sins and not punishing us according to the fear of our guilty consciences his peculiar pitty to Humane Nature more than to fallen Angels the need we have of him and the benefit we expect from him on whom for all temporal and eternal good we depend
let me be strong and of good cheer and undaunted incouraging my self in the Lord let me not be so cowardly and fearful and base spirited as to lye down under afflictions Let me remember thy loving kindnesses of old that I may encourage my self with them Thou hast delivered me therefore let me trust that thou wilt still deliver me and therefore let me bless thy name when thou shalt take away from me remembring how freely thou gavest it to me LET the righteous be bold as a Lyon and daunt their enemies so that they may never rise up against them any more SINCE thou hast often given me clear and undoubted evidence of my Title to eternal life and hast shewed me that the way by which I must pass thither is through many tribulations make me willing to take the means with the end and to go to Heaven by that way as thou hast appointed to all Saints How can I imagin that thou hast exempted thy Servants from affliction when thou hast said the contrary and that Judgment must begin at the house of God and that through many tribulations they must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and I know by my own experience that it is good and beneficial to my soul that it should be so Therefore I do not only submit to them but chuse them as Moses did I chuse rather that Satan should prevail against me to impair my estate or to cast me into prison if thou wilt have it so as thou hast foretold thy Saints that some of them shall be Revel 2. For their probation That thereby I may be restrained from sin and made to walk humbly with my God and closely than that thou shouldst suffer me to fall into any sin that should wound my conscience ever after LORD If in our affliction we stand to thee we know thou wilt not leave us But will stand the by us and save us and break all the snares of ungodly to pieces therefore fear not worm Jacob. LORD cause the uncessant lies and slanders with which the world afflicts thy people that they serve to make their vertues more conspicuous because thy promise is to make their righteousness as clear as the light and their just dealing as the noon day therefore do thou assert their righteousness though for a while their enemies Eclipse them yet let their bright shining break out like the Sun out of a Cloud and dazel the eyes of their enemies and remember too thy promises to root out those false tongues which slander them and to stop the mouths of those that speak lies and since it is vileness that vilifies goodness and baseness debaseth honour let us contemne them and let us look to the weight of glory which they work for us The Soliloquy O my soul that thou couldst in this thy day see the things that belong to thy peace that thou couldst have grace to lay hold on this season of Prayer the time of thy affliction seasonable both to thee to Pray and to God to hear and to implore his mercy with strong crys and tears and give him no rest with thy Prayers who gives thee no rest with his Chastisments as his hand is heavy upon thee day and night so let thine eyes be ever looking unto him from whom thy salvation must come and let thy hands be ever lifted up to him and always be mindful of his promise and word wherein he hath caused thee to put their trust Saying call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee Let it be thy comfort in thy trouble to quicken thee in thy faintings that thy hope may not faile nor thy patience tire nor thy Prayers cease nor the holy fire of Zeal upon the Altar of thy heart go out That fire that came down from Heaven Divine love to him that made thee and redeemed thee and to his servants and all that bear his Image Let thy affections be set on things above and wait thou still on the Lord hold fast on him stay thy self on him though with Jonah thou shouldst be cast into the Sea or with the 3 children into the fiery furnace for his hand is not shortned that it cannot save now say Lord look upon my assliction and misery and forgive me all my sins Lord pitty and pardon and heal our souls let not thy wrath wax hot against the people of thine inheritance whom thou hast redeemed Let not thy jealousy burn like fire for ever Lord remember thy loving kindness of old wherefore hast thou made all men for naught Lord all thy waves and storms are gone over me yet is my soul resolved not to go back from thee nor to behave her self frowardly in thy covenant nor to charge God foolishly still I will learn obedience by the things which I suffer still will I make my Prayer unto God and cease not but increase them and still will I make my confession before him still will I believe that my Redeemer liveth and that I shall see him with these eyes though wormes consume my flesh for I shall utterly faint unless I can still believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and unless I can with patience tarry the Lords leisure and still put my trust in the Lord although he should seem to make me as his enemy still will I bless God though he should take away all my comforts for I can enjoy none in the want of health or inward grief of Soul Though my troubles and griefs are never so many I have Gods word that he will deliver my soul out of all and he hath delivered me and therefore will deliver me afflictions shall not always rest upon the back of the righteous in measure he will debate with them the end of the righteous is peace Bless the Lord O my Soul if he hath spared thee nothing but thy life and confess it to be his mercy that thou art not consumed and that it is because his compassion fails not And though he visit thy iniquity with rods and thy sin with scourges yet it is his Fatherly mercy that he doth not utterly take his loving kindness from thee That he thus bringeth thee to the sight of thy sins and restraines thee from others Meditations on several Scriptures of Zeal Rom. 10.2 They have a Zeal of God but not according to knowledg Med. LORD Teach me to bound and moderate all my affections and duties which I perform to thee according to the rules which thy word hath laid down lest I mis-serve thee as the Jewes did and Saul before he was converted and instead of a reward procure a punishment Teach me to labour first to know thy will then to do it and not to overdo it as Peter who would not have his feet only washed but his head also Let knowledg proportion my Zeal to thy will This teacheth me in repenting for my sins not to sorrow above measure and so
errours misdoings and mistakes ignorances and follies as procure to Men shame fear grief guilt and the Wrath of God due to sin Though meritoriously Christ only can deliver us yet he hath injoyned these operations of his Spirit as the means to make us Subjects capable of his merit And though it be said that while we were sinners he died for us and he justifieth the ungodly yet he doth not justifie ungodliness but they are changed by the renewing of the Spirit in the new Birth in all their faculties namely in the Judgement Will and affections whereby they are first enlightned to understand the principles of Christ's Doctrine and do believe and do resolve to practise the same as it is commanded resigning and submitting our wills to his who hath made us and redeemed us all which operations of the Spirit do excite joy in the Soul of the Regenerate viz. first it rejoyceth in knowing the truth and the good will of God and every particular discovery thereof rejoyceth the Soul but chiefly it rejoyceth to find Grace in it self and a conformity to that will of God and every degree of Grace in it self and in others rejoyce it for we find the Apostles rejoycing in the Graces which they found in others but they grieve at sin stirring in themselves and others King Solomon was sufficiently accomplished for his design in the pursuit of finding out the thing that was profitable What would give rest What would afford satisfaction What delight he could find in any thing What improvement he could make of knowledge But he did not nor could attain thereby with all his labour and industry any thing but to find out the vanity of all things below and so to fill himself with vexation restlesness much grief and encrease of sorrow Eccles c. 1. If so then we must account him no wise Man who takes any worldly thing for his contentment satisfaction repose profit commodity joy or delight but he is truly wise who can both discern the madness vanity unprofitableness restlesness vexation nausiousness and trouble with which these worldly things fill vex and disquiet and dissatisfie vain Man and seeks his joy comfort pleasure fruition content satisfaction and happiness in things more certain more lasting more excellent more spiritual Thus far also Philosophy went and hath defined happiness to be the operation of the Soul according to perfect virtue in a life that is perfect And what those virtues are Natures light hath shewed the knowledge of God and the worshipping him accordingly they defined to be happiness and virtue for thither tend all moral virtues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But what Nature could not find out God hath revealed viz. The Gospel of our blessed Saviour which was first made known by Angels to the Shepherds and by this Gospel or good tydings we are taught That happiness is To know God and Christ This is Life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Now if these operations of the Soul according to perfect virtue proceed from the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Saviour as they must if it be in the perfect life which is in Heaven then the Philosophers happiness is the same with a Christians for their graces proceed from this knowledge as it is said by David they that know thy Name will put their trust in thee they that know God to be All-sufficient will walk before him in perfection they that have tasted how gracious the Lord is and that he is a God hearing Prayer will come unto him this life is begun here from whence this certain conclusion may be drawn that there is happiness joy satisfaction and all sweetness of Life and enjoyment in the Soul that hath continual motions of Grace and none of sin or vanity quod quaerimus The Immense greatness of this Joy is not to be expressed Therefore the Apostle calls it Joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Pet. 1.8 but to prove the immensity of it we must consider the cause which is Infinite Eternal and Almighty such as the cause is the effect must needs be The assurance of God's love and favour in Christ Jesus for our Eternal happiness hereafter for our security and preservation here for our deliverance from all the evills of sin and the punishments due to it which coming into the Soul though but by a little glimpse ravisheth the Soul with infinite joy when God sheweth the light of his countenance and smiles if I may so express it or looks pleasant upon the Soul that thirsteth after him in this Land of barrenness It is satisfied When God owns thee by hearing thy Prayers and puts forth his Almighty Power at thy request for thy succour whereby thou knowest thou hast an Almighty power for thy assistance great is thy joy Especially because thou hast earnest thereby for the future that he will never leave thee nor forsake thee so that no time limits thy joy nor no degree of enioyment because the matter and cause is the infinite power and infinite goodness of God and the duration of it to Eternity and this enjoyment doth begin here when we know our interest that Christ is ours our Attonement our Passeover slain for us as a sacrifice for our sins our Reconciliation and Peace-maker our Redeemer who hath bought us Our Mediator our High Priest our King our Food our Bridegroom our Head our Life our Way our Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption the Hymenaeans of these holy Nuptials and the Song of the Lamb are everlasting When God doth assure us by his Spirit that we are reconciled to him through Christ and we are confident of his Almighty power and goodness ready always to succour us as his Children his Beloved his People his Portion and his Flock and that all things are his and whatever is his we have an interest in it as we have in him by reason of our Relation to him in Christ When we know Christ and God in him and are known by him and behold as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord and are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory being renewed after the Image of him that made us and when the Spirit of Grace and Glory rests upon us 1 Pet. 4.14 When the glorious Majesty of the Lord is upon us when we can serve him in the beauty of Holiness What do we want but to see him Face to Face whom now we see in a Glass And to have that in perfection which now is but in part and to have our vile bodies like his glorious body Of the Eating and Drinking the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist When our blessed Saviour plainly tells us that the words which he speaks are Spirit Why should I not understand a Spiritual meaning in those of this mystery namely a Spiritual eating of his body and drinking his Blood To as many as received him he gave Power and Priviledge to
renewing some holy duties which have been omitted or else by some judgment befallen to others we are warned and stirred up to do our first workes and to quicken the holy graces which are dying as by the return of the Sun in the spring-time the several Plants of the earth seem to revive and send forth their leaves and fruits again The causes of this deadness of faith holiness charity hope and other graces are various but may be found out and in some persons a wilful sin committed and unrepented of is the cause in some sloth in holy duties in others worldlyness in others pride some too much relying upon their own strength and opinion of the grace they have gotten already not endeavouring after a fuller measure every true Christian feels in himself some times these swoonings away of his graces and diligently endeavours to get more quickning by prayer to God for it and the use of Gods word and ordinances reflecting upon the first motives that excited and allured him to the pursuit of those dying graces and all such other motives as have since confirmed him in the liking of them and the rewards that he hath obtained from God for the service he hath done him and the hope of the eternal recompences The absolute necessity of it enforceth his awakned affections reflecting upon those texts which so absolutely press the necessity of it as Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye by the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live And v. 29. Whom he did foreknow them he also did predestinate to be comfortable to the image of his Son and in the Canticles ch The Spouse is said to be all fair That holiness is attainable is proved First because it is the main end of Christs passion and he cannot be frustrate of his ends Luke 1.74 75. That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives 2d Because he hath redeemed us unto himself that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works That we should no more serve sin nor live the remainder of our days after the flesh But that we should be conformed to the image of him that made us For whom he foreknew he did predestinate that they should be conformed to the image of his Son Therefore our old man is dead and we are borne again of water and the Spirit whoso hath the hope of Heaven purifieth himself as God is pure the man after Gods own heart testifieth that he had an eye to all Gods commandments and Zachary and Elizabeth walked unblamably And that this is the end of our blessed Saviour in our redemption is made out by that which was the Type of the Isralites deliverance out of the Egyptian bondage Psal 105.42 And he brought forth his people with joy and his chosen with gladness and gave them the lands of the heathen and they took the labours of the people in possession 44. That they might keep his statutes and observe his laws But expresly Luke 17.1 That we might serve him without fear in holiness c. The whole design and scope of all the Scripture is our holiness and the restoring the image of God in us all the precepts command this and the promises encourage and invite us to this and the promises of grace are for making us thus the threats and cursings drive us to it the rewards and punishments tend only to shew us that God will be sanctified in us and that every transgression shall receive a due recompence of reward all the history of the Scripture proves it by examples of Gods wrath and vengeance upon the wicked and deliverances wrought wonderfully for them that feared and sought God with an upright hart Under one of these heads might be quoted every text in the Scripture The History of the Creation of the World which sheweth forth Gods infinite power and goodness working so great benefits for the use of mankind sheweth us our dependance on him and the duty we owe to him for our being and well being The fall of men and Angels shews our frailty without Gods supportation and the miserable condition that attends sin Gods dealings with the two Sons of Adam one he accepted for his sincerity in his worship the other he rejected because his heart was not upright the deluge that swept away all save only Noah the Preacher of righteonsness the rest that were ungodly were drowned the reason alledged because they had corrupted their waies And Noah only God had espied upright wherefore was Sodom and Gomorra destroied and Lot saved wherefore did God bless Abraham and all the nations of the earth in him wherefore was profane Esau deprived of the blessing and Jacob preferred before him what caused Sampson to lose his eyes wherefore were the murmuring Israeltes destroied in the Wilderness for what cause did the Philistians hold them in bondage why was the Kingdom taken from Saul and given to his neighbour that was more rightious than he how did God deal by him when he had sinned in the matter of Vriah and for numbring the people his successors that were good Kings how were they blessed the bad how did God deal with them in judgment when Israel sinned their enimies oppressed them when they returned and sought the Lord he saved them and delivered them when the sins of the Amalakites were grown to the hight he destroyed them and planted the Israelites in their Country and when the measure of their sins were full he distroyed them and brought upon them all the curses threatned against sinners All the Prophets were sent of no other errand but to press them to forsake sin and turn unto God all the evil they foretold was conditionally unless they would repent and forsake their sin The promise of the Messiah was to bring salvation unto his people he was to deliver them from all their iniquities to purify to himself a peculiar people that might offer a pure offering to bring into the right way such as went astray to bring the disobedient to the wisdom of the just his preching proveth the truth of these prophesies for Matth. 4.17 Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand And Matth. 5. The promises of giving the Holy Spirit to them that ask it And of writing his lawes in their inward parts of making them a willing people that all shall know God c. What other end have they but to make us holy John the Baptist the fore-runner of Christ taught repentance and good works he practised the same in abstinence humility and piety Our Blessed Lord and Saviours Doctrine was the perfection of holiness teaching charity to our enemies to sell all to buy this Pearl of exceeding value and in Matth. 5.22 Whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in
will of him that sent me He would not suffer them to divulge his miracles nor be made a King 12. In his zeal 'T is said of him The zeal of thy house hath even eaten me up 13. In his Truth he saith To this end was I born that I should bear witness to the Truth 14. In his obedience to his Parents 15. In his publick spirit he was born and died and rose again upon a publick accompt Sic oculus sic ille manus sic ora movebat Those that are otherwise are not holy as they ought to be therefore let us press forward and pray that we may receive of his fulness grace for grace The last means but not the least is Repentance the same which was the first not a slight confession of our sins only with sorrow for a day as the Prophet Isaiah expresseth it Isa 58.5 To hang down our heads like a bulrush for a day Wicked Ahab did more than so Thy stony heart will endure more malliating than one daies contrition and not be broke But such sorrow as may work a change as that of the Ninevites Jonah 3.8 10. They turned from their evil way cloathed themselves in sackcloth and cryed mightily to God And since notwithstanding our repentance our corruptions and our spiritual enemies do sometimes prevail against us we must as oft as we fall rise again by repentance and mourn over the sinfulness of our nature as David did Psal 51. In sin hath my Mother conceived me And Paul When I would do good evil is present O wretched man that I am And this we shall have cause to do as long as we live and this causeth us to iterate our repentance which we first made upon our conversion as it did in holy David and Job calling to mind the sins of their youth For I conceive the method of the Argument of the penitent is that he believes that his sins were sharers in procuring those bitter sufferings to his Saviour which he cannot think of without grief and breaking off those sins and that grief leads him to believe that Christ in his sufferings had respect to his sins that affords comfort Meditations of Repentance Mot. The Sacrifices of the Lord are a troubled spirit Psal 51. When I have fallen into any sin I immediately perceive my loss of my innocency as our first parents did and the injury done to God And then I loath my self and would give all I have to be restored to my guiltless state again if I could but undo that which I have done and I resolve to spend all my life in weeping fasting and prayer if so be the Lord will have mercy upon me and pardon my sin and not destroy me then I see that nothing I can do or suffer can make attonement to God for my sin But my stedfast resolution is that I will never sin more O Lord give me the same minde now and ever that my sins may be ever in my sight to bewaile the loss of my innocency and the injury done to thee to loath my sinful self to endeavour night and day to undo those sinful acts by teares of repentance mourning humble confession prayers fasting charity and severe watchfulness against my corruptions the duties of mortification and self-denial And to renew my vows and resolutions never to sin more And for the remainder of my days to abstain from the least degree of every sin and not to go as far as I think I may lawfully do in the satisfying of my senses and passions least I be drawn in one degree too far That the Lord may behold my grievous sorrow and repentance as he did Peters and Davids and may have mercy upon me and pardon me and not destroy me and take his holy Spirit utterly from me as he did from Saul O Lord Though my sins are as scarlet do thou wash me throughly with the blood of my Saviour which onely can purge my sins and is the only propitiation to attone thy wrath and to reconcile me to thee and restore me to everlasting righteousness better than mine own which I lost and makes me white as Snow and being so washed and cleansed I shall have communion again with my God and peace of conscience and abhor those sins that caused my Saviours sufferings Lord thy mercy would have no object if there were no misery All that are descended from Adam have been prodigal Sons as he was and by their prodigalities have forsaken thee daies without number and have sought out to themselves many inventions I find in my own heart that I would stay from thee and never return to thee if I could but find empty husks to satisfie the thirst of my soul which are only fit for the voluptuous Swines of the world and can never satisfie Thou sittest upon a Throne of grace to this can we come by Christ only through him we may come boldly and find mercy in a time of need and all that come unto thee come by this and to this I desire to approach that I may find mercy in this time of need receive me I beseech thee as a returning Prodigal desirous to break off my sins by repentance and a new life Lord give me that Repentance that I shall never repent of that I may search and try my waies examine my own heart and discuss all my actions what I have done through the whole course of my life let me performe this duty by thy assistance that I may not run on in wickedness without regret as they did of whom the Prophet Jeremiah speaks Jer. 8.6 They said not What have I done I will therefore make this reflection seriously particularly and constantly In this Examination I will consider the bate that cought me and deceived me that I may abhor it as a mean base and vile thing to be put in the scales against that communion with God his favour and hopes which the soul had in God which it lost by that sin as to its present feeling and if it should at any time reinforce its allurements I will reject them utterly and not have to do with them any more I consider also the present and future evils brought upon my soul by this sin for though I must not dispaire of pardon through the alsufficient merits of my Saviours sufferings yet I find my self fearful and ashamed to approach the throne of grace least I should find him a consuming fire I am undisposed for every holy duty and deprived of the assistance of the Spirit And not only so but I am as it were left to my self with the tempter and see none to succor me and I know not what to take in hand with hopes of success I am at a loss what I should do because I seeme to have lost God who hath withdrawn himself for my sin and hides his face I am also made naked and destitute for he was my defence and shield my strength and refuge my hope and
and thou only dost mollify it by the word and thy Spirit I will therefore beseech thee for this grace saying with Ephraim Jer. 31.18 Turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord for of my self I am under thy Chastisements untamed as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoak But if thou turnest me thou wilt open my ear by discipline thou wilt open my eyes and mollify my hard heart I shall be instructed convinced of my errours and smite upon my breast and repent and be ashamed Thus Ephraim did Jer. 31.19 Surely after I was turned I repented after I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed and confunded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Lord we ascribe this and all our graces unto thee thou workest in us both to will and to do as St. Paul said That he labourd more abundantly than all yet not he but the grace of God in him It is not sufficient that thou commandest all men to repent but that godly sorrow which worketh repentance is from thee also By this we are sorrowfull for our sins for sins sake and not only for fear of the punishment as Esau when he sought repentance carefully with tears because of his loss as also Pharo repented of his sins but the plagues being removed he returned to his sin again And the Israelites when God consumed their dayes in vanity and their years in trouble and when he slew them they sought him but within a while they forgot God And God alone can give this sorrow because he alone can open the eyes to let us see our selves know our selves and let me ever seek my light in him Act. 26.8 For God is light and all light is from him The Spirit shews us our selves in the glass of the law which shewes us our sinfulness and our lost undone condition by reason thereof and that sin is the worst of evils because it is the cause of all other evils and without this conviction we cannot repent because we are destitute of light in our selves to see our selves for by sin our understanding is darkned Eph. 4.18 And 1 Joh. 2.11 He that hateth his Brother walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth He wanteth light and sight too Job 24.13 They rebel against the light and know not the waies thereof Naturally we shut our eyes against the light as the Jews Joh. 12.37 Though Christ Jesus had done many miracles among them yet they believed not in him though also he speak as no man spake his enemies being judges And because our natural estate is a state of unbelief therefore we in that estate oppose the light of Gods word as is said Luke 16.4 Though one should come out of Hell they would not believe Again I find I cannot repent of my self without Gods grace inclining me Because naturally my heart is proud and unhumbled and sees no use of Christ And therefore it must be humbled by grace for Christ came only to seek and to save that which was lost and sensible of their lost condition their Spiritual sickness and fly to Christ as the man slayer did to the Cities of refuge or the prodigal after he could not find relief in the husks would then returne to his Fathers house Again I find in my self that my nature when dejected is inclined to repentance too violently as the Corinthians who sorrowed over much or rather like that of Judas ready to make away my self if Gods supernatural grace did not help me by applying some word of comfort out of the Scripture Then if my repentance cause not a dejection I fear it is too cold like that of the Israelites when God slew them then they sought him but presently they forgat that God was their redeemer Therefore I pray for Gods grace so to convince me of sin that I may be also convinced of righteousness too for he hath said That if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive them That I may not sorrow as those who are without hope nor hang down my head like a bulrush for a day but that I may sorrow to amendment and better obedience for unless it attain to that end and proceed from these causes I must not account it a godly sorrow working to repentance But a worldly sorrow or a devilish sorrow for they also fear and tremble but they cannot turn unto God with their affections and endeavours and bring forth fruit meet for Repentance nor be renewed in the Spirit of their mind which is the only true Repentance I find in my self sometimes motions of the flesh suggesting that I have time enough to repent But I pray that whilst it is to day I may lay hold on the seasons of Grace that I may remember my Creator in the time of my youth least sin grow to a habit and by custom seem to be no sin and becomes a second Nature that it cannot be parted withal And in the first of Proverbs 't is said Because when I called ye answered not therefore ye shall call and I will not answer which our Saviour testifieth that the Jews found true when he wept over Jerusalem and he rejected those who made excuses when they were invited I fear and am jealous that my Repentance is not so sound as it ought to be because I am not so sensible of the evil of sin as I ought for though immediately after the commission of sin I apprehend great evil in it in making me liable to all Gods Judgements here and hereafter and that it deprives me of all good First my hopes of Eternal happiness hereafter and the great and precious promises made to the obedient And if not that for there remaineth hope of Repentance yet there is great loss and punishment to all sinners though they repent As David found when he numbred the people When God offered him his choice of the three Judgements And when he denounced that Judgement against his Family That the Sword should never depart from it And Lot for his drunkenness and lust suffered shame all the days of his life and the curse upon his Seed Besides the outward losses I cannot sufficiently value the inward Spiritual loss when I have no access to the Throne of Grace with any confidence but am afraid to approach to it nor can have any comfort in meditating of God's Word and Promises as if I heard a voice saying Why dost thou take my Laws into thy Mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my Commandments behind thy back or if I do meditate of Gods Word and his Promises and his Goodness I find not such sweetness and delight in my Meditations as I did before I had sinned On the contrary I find these Spiritual losses First Great advantage given to my Spiritual Adversary to insult over me as if I were guilty of all sins by this one sin and the same disobedience that lead me to this
crucified to us and we unto the world that is as well the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life which containes all that is in the world all which the faithful soul counts but dross and dung for the excellency of the knowledg of Christ Jesus whom as the Spouse in the Canticles she esteemes fairer than ten thousand And esteemes sin the most ugly vile eformed and abominable thing in the world pulling off its mask and vizard whereby it deceives the men of the world as it is said Rom. 7.10 Sin deceived me and thereby slew me The understanding thus inlightened ingageth all it can against sin as its enemy and sometimes by vigilancy it prevailes against all assaults of temptations whereby sin is quite excluded from entring and sometimes by flying the occasions of sin as Joseph fled from his Mistress and by the Spirit assistance we mortify the flesh God and Christ susporting Sometimes by prayer faith prevailes against the tempter the soul fearing its own weakness seeks for help of him who is able to succour and hath succoured it The last refuge which faith hath is repentance early and hearty sorrow for the sin committed as Peter when he had denied his Lord and Master immediately he went forth and wept bitterly By these means faith quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked The light of nature teacheth that the soul is borne to more noble things than to wait upon the pleasure of the senses But the supernatural life which the Apostle lived when he said I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Shews another inabling principle of life in the regenerate proceeding from that union which is betwixt Christ and his members because Christ and they are one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.10 Therefore he saith Not I because he is not the same man he was before that man is Crucified with Christ and buried with him he hath derived a new life from Christ as he expresseth I laboured more abundantly than all yet not I but Christ Christ is the spring of it the matter of it and end of it Consider the end of your conversation Jesus Christ and if Christ live in us we shall do think and speak as he did As all other graces of Gods children are sometimes weaker than they are at other times so is faith But thâ— decay of this grace is the cause of decay of many others and sometime the decay of others may cause a decay of this the Psal 51. Entituled a Psalme of David when Nathan the Prophet came unto him after he had gone in to Bathsheba the Title and the Psalme it self shew what sins and what punishments he lay under and because his sins were the cause of the loss of Gods Spirit or of the danger of it and of the loss of the joy of his salvation viz. His assurance he confesseth his sins first and prays for pardon through the multitude of Gods tender mercys then prays for washing healing cleansing and renovation Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me It followes Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation and support me with thy free Spirit This implieth that before he had it but now he had lost it and was deprived of it which was the cause of so great grief to him that he expresseth it to be the breaking of his bones Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce And the like doth every penitent broken soul feel in himself when he fears the loss of Gods holy Spirit and feels himself deprived of the joy of his salvation and this joy when it is restored is so great that it will make the broken bones rejoyce he apprehended the greatness of the joy now in the loss of it Psal I have roared for the very disquietness of my heart God deprives us of it for our sins that we may be the more careful to preserve it and fearful by sin to loose it or hazard it and to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling for though Gods lays not upon his children all that they deserve yet they shall not go unpunished Judgment shall begin at the house of God Jer. 22.24 Though Coniah the Son of Jehojakim King of Juda were the signet upon my right hand yet would I pluck thee thence Now for as much as the motions workings of the holy Spirit in the faithful people of God by inlightning them in the understanding of heavenly truths bringing to mind and applying the word of God to their comfort inabling them to converse and walk with God in holy Meditation contemplation prayer and thanksgiving making melody in their hearts to the Lord delighting them and rejoycing them in the want of all things as the Prophet Habakkuk expresseth chap. 3. Though the Fig Tree should not blossom nor fruits be in the vines c. And making them to abound with inward joy when their afflictions do most abound slighting and contemning alike both worldly joy and sorrow for the joy which they have in the Lord these are the study imployment and business of a regenerate person wherein he desires to be alwaies exercised because he cannot find satisfaction nor delight in any thing else hence he may be more truly and properly said to live by faith and by the Spirit than to live the life natural as St. Paul argues he did when he saith I am crucified with Christ yet I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God who hath loved me and given himself for me Therefore they are as it were out of their lives and void of all injoyment and comfort when they want the comforts and assistance of the Holy Spirit as Holy David did greatly resent the absence of it and fear lest it should be taken from him and that he should be cast away so do most of Gods people Isa 49.14 Sion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me Though God had graven her in the palms of his hands When God hides his face and withdraws himself they are cast down as Psal I said in my prosperity I should never be cast down but thou hidest thy face and I was troubled This withdrawing of God was the very bitterest of our Saviours sufferings If this should be our condition let us not be weary of well doing but wait on the Lord for God hath said Isa 49. That he that waits on the Lord shall be like an Eagle And consider that Christ Jesus suffered the like and therefore hath a fellow feeling of our suffering that he might succour us who are tempted But if Christ doth not succour us our heart cannot indure our hands cannot be strong in the days that God shall thus deal with us as it is Ezek. 22. v. 14. But he hath bid us to call upon him