thou to escape more then any other art thou any iote the more safe because of thy securitie No verily For when thou shalt say Peace and safetie then shall there come upon thee sodaine destruction As Paul saith 1. Thess 5. Secondly this may serue to reproue such as immoderately do seeke after wealth being as vnsatiable in secking riches as if they and their children were not mortall but immortall as if indeed they were to liue here alwayes and were to make prouision for an earthly eternitie O foolish and filthy couetousnesse when wilt thou say It is enough O vaine man thou prouidest with the danger of thy soule for many yeares when it may be this night thy soule shall be taken from thee and then whose shal these riches be which thou hast vniustly gathered Thirdly it may make for the iust reproofe of them which labour to perswade others that they shall liue long These are like vnto them which promise others libertie and are themselues the bondslaues of corruption And in this many Physitians are too much to blame which will make such large promises to their patients as though it were in them to recouer health at their pleasure when as in the meane time the poore patient dieth vnder their hands The second vse is an vse of Instruction ction for considering that mans life is thus fraile therefore hence we should learne to be humbled in our selues We must remember we are but dust and ashes and therefore we must not haue high conceits of our selues neither must we affect the too much pampering and pranking of the body Alas it may be thou art feeding nicely and curiously to day it may be thou art now pranking thy selfe in pride and in strange attire or painting thy face with Iesabel and before to morrow thou mayest be dead O earth earth earth heare the word of the Lord humble thy selfe before the Lord in consideration of thy mortalitie If thou wilt not humble thy selfe thou hast iust cause to feare that the Lord will humble thee and bring thee low Secondly the consideration of our frailtie must teach vs not to deferre or put off our repentance but whilest it is called to day to call our selues to a secret examination of our wayes and courses to humble our selues for them to renew our couenants with God of our obedience and to turne from the power of Sathan to God Thou thinkest thou mayest do this soone enough when thou art old but how doest thou know whether thou shalt liue to be old or no Or suppose thou liue to be old how doest thou know that God will giue thee repentance at the last when thou hast hardened thine heart against him by thy sins Therefore whilest it is called to day either now turne or neuer either now repent or perish Either seeke the Lord in time whilest he may be found or else neuer seâ—ke him Thirdly the consideration of our frailtie must teach vs first to seeke Gods kingdome and righteousnesse and to lay vp for our selues a good foundation against the time to come We must labour to be rich in faith that when death comes vpon vs we may not slauishly feare it but rather chearefully embrace it as a most welcome messenger It is lamentable to see what paines men take to go to hell how they labour for the obtaining of their lusts and vnsatiable desires and in the meane time remaine altogether voide of care how they might attaine heauen O awake awake remember out abode here it is but for a short time but that estate which is to come whether it be for happinesse or woe it is eternall and whithout end Therefore striue and take paines to enter in by the straire gate We find by experience things of value in the world to wit riches and honours and high places they are not attained without great meaneâ— vsed and shall we thinke that sauing grace Gods kingdome will be obtained without great striuing Let no man or woman deceiue themselues for if the righteous which labour hard in the vse of meanes as in hearing in reading meditating in the vse of the Sacrament in conference in keeping â—aith a good conscience in prayer and such like if such I say shall scarceâ—y be saued notwithstanding all their â—are and striuing then what shall beâ—ome of such as striue not at all or if â—hey do striue it is very coldly and negligently Surely such vnlesse they â—end their pace they can neuer each their iourneys end which is the glorious kingdome of heauen They will be found like trauellers dead in â—he way before they halfe reach â—ome The third and last vse is for comâ—ort and consolation For considering â—hat mans life is so fraile therfore first â—t may be a comfort to such as enâ—ure exile or banishment or imprisonment or hard vsage or pouertie or sicknesse or the like they may remember that their afflictions here cannot be long because their liues are but short Peace shall come and they shall rest in their beds Esay 57. 2. and Blessed are they which die in the Lord yea saith the Spirit they rest from their labours Reuel 14. 13. Secondly the consideration oâ— shortnesse of life may be matter oâ— consolation and comfort vnto such aâ— beleeue for now their saluation iâ— nearer then when they began to beleeue What knowest thou but thaâ— there is but a step betweene thee anâ— heauen Thou art here this yere thoâ— mayest be in heauen before the next thou art here this moneth thoâ— mayest be with Christ before thâ— next Yea thou art here to day thoâ— mayest be in blisse before to morrow O thrise happie estate how woulâ— men admire the happinesse of such begger as were in possibility euery houre to be aduanced to a kingdome And how much more admirable is the estate of euery true Christian who standes in continuall possibilitie to be aduanced to such an estate as neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard neither can it sufficiently enter into the heart of man to conceiue 1. Cor. 2. 9. Thirdly the consideration of our shortnesse of life may comfort all such faithfull Christians as do desire to be freed from sinne Though Satan and the world and their owne corruptions do disquiet them for a time yet they shall not alwayes disquiet them Death will come and that quickly and then thou shalt sinne no more neither shalt thou be tempted â—o sinne any more but thou shalt be â—ike vnto an elect Angell yea like vnto Iesus Christ in perfect holinesse righâ—eousnesse Which estate Gods children more affect then they affect the very happinesse or ioyes of heauen And thus much for the first doctrine Moneths of vanity Hence obserue we in the next place That afflictions sanstified are an especiall meanes â— bring a man or woman to a cleare sight of the vanitie of earthly things Iob being greatly afflicted and hauing his affliction sanctified vnto him was enabled
Apostle Rom. 11 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his wayes past finding out Secondly this consideration of the vsefulnesse of afflictions must be an especiall meanes to perswade vs to patience vnder the crosse and to a willing submitting of our selues vnder the mighty hand of God He is a wise and prudent Physitian he knoweth indeed what Physicke is best for vs. We haue a great God to deale with when we are vnder afflictions and if we submit vnto him he will raise vs vp But if we walk stubburnly against him he will walke stubburnly against vs. Gods wrath is like to the thunder lightnings which commonly hurt not soft and yeelding bodies because they do not resist but they exercise their force vpon stout oakes and iron locks and barres c. So God deales gently with such as submit themselues but if any resist he will surely crush them and make them tame They shall be sure to gaine nothing by obstinacy against God but increase of their miseries Yea God will walke obstinatly against his very elect if they resist his proceedings as we see in the example of Ionas how did God persecute Ionas with winde and tempests yea how did he tosse him into the seas and plunged him into the hell of the whales belly and neuer left him vntil he had brought him to submit to go to Nineue And therefore make a vertue of necessitie that which thou must suffer of necessitie suffer it with patience and willingly It may be the Lord aimeth at greater good towards thee in thine affliction then thou art aware of And therefore as thou art content to receiue many a bitter potion at the hand of a physitian in hope of health so be content to drinke of the cup which God hath tempered in hope that it shall worke for thy good In the third place we must duly examine our selues if at any time we haue bene afflicted whether our afflictions haue wrought thus with vs or no viz. whether they haue brought vs to the sight of the vanity of earthly things If they haue we may be perswaded that they are sanctified vnto vs and we haue great cause to be thankfull to God for them But if we haue bene scourged and yet are neuer the better we haue iust cause to be humbled and to feare that our afflictions were neuer sanctified vnto vs. The Lord hath smitten vs but we haue not grieued he hath consumed vs but we haue refused to receiue correction we haue madeour faces harder then the rocke we haue refused to returne as the Lord complaineth against the disobedient Iewes Iere. 5. 3. And thus much for the second Doctrine to wit That afflâ—ctions sanctified are speciall helpes to bring vs to the sight of the vanitie of earthly things Painefull nights Or as it is in the originall nights of labour Whence obserue we That it may befall the deare children of God to be visited with painefull and tedious visitations They may be sicke and grieuously pained and that not for a night or for a day but for nights that is for many nightâ— together The truth of this we see first here in Iob Nights of labour or painefull nights haue bene appointed vnto me for thus he complaineth And that Gods children may be visited with grieuous paine and with laborious sicknesse it is further manifest by examples as first by the example of Dauid a man after Gods owne heart For how doth he complaine in the sixt Psalme That his bones were vexed that he was weary of his groning that his eye was consumed with griefe and in Psalme 39. 10. That he was consumed by the blow of Gods hand but especially in Psalme 38. Where he saith That the arrowes of God did sticke fast in him and his hand pressed him sore That there was no soundnesse in his flesh because of Gods anger and that there was no rest in his bones because of his sinne That his wounds did stinke and were corrupt that he was troubled and bowed downe greatly That he went mourning all the day That his loines were filled with a lothsome disease That he was feeble and sore broken that he roared for the very disquietnesse of his heart c. And the like we see in the Church Lamen 1. 11. 12. where she saith Behold and see if there be any sorrow like vnto my sorrow which is done vnto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger from aboue hath he sent fire into my bones and it preuaileth against them Yea what paines did Christ himselfe endure in the Garden when he sweat water and bloud and what torment vpon the Crosse when he cried My God my God why hast thou forsaken me I suppose that at that time the paines of hell came about him as it is said also in Psal 18. 5. I suppose that then Christ descended into hell when he felt the very fire of Gods wrath in his soule for our sins when the Lord withdrew the light of his countenance and left him to the intollerable sence and feeling of his indignation Now if Dauid a man so deare to God if the Church bought with so deare a price yea if Christ Jesus the Sonne of God were left to this extremitie of paines then it followeth vndeniably That Gods 〈◊〉 deare Saints and children may be 〈◊〉 with very grieuous paine and sicknesse with painefull nights yea with nights of paine And for the proofe of the second clause of the Doctrine to wit that Gods children may be visited with long and tedious sicknesses as well as with extremity of paine consider we first the example of Aeneas who kept his bed and was sicke of the palsey for the space of eight yeares Acts 9. 33. Secondly the example of the poore man Iohn 5. 5. who had an infirmity for the space of eight and thirtie yeares lying at the Poole of Bethesda Thirdly the example of the faithfull woman Luke 8. 43. who had an infirmitie twelue yeares together and had spent all her substance vpon Physitians and could not be healed of any Yea as Saint Marke is bold to say She was neuer the better for her tampering so much with Physicke but rather much the worse Mar. 5. 26. I might be large in the proâ—fe of this point but I will abstaine Come we to the reasons And there be many causes wherefore God doth thus heauily and tediously afflict his seruants First that hereby he might correct some remainder of dangerous corruption lurking in them according to that in Esay 27. 9. By this shall the iniquitie of Iacob be purged and this is all the fruite to take away his sin Some of Gods children are subiect to spirituall pride some to rash anger some to worldly-mindednesse some to infidelitie some to neglect of the best things some to discontentednes with their estate And the
well to be angrie Yea he may come to curse the day of his birth with Iob and Ieremiah Yea he may come to haue his words swallowed vp that he cannot pray Iob 6. 3. Thirdly the very elect may possibly be comfortlesse in their affliction according to that in Esay 54. 11. O thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted Yea they may die mourning their gray haires may go with mourning to the graue as Iacâ—b speakes of himselfe Gen. 42. 38. And there be great reasons why afflictions are thus irksome to Gods children as first because our nature is traile and weake our strength is not the strength of stones nor our flesh of brasse as Iob speaketh Iob 6. 12. but we are flâ—shie bodies and therefore very sensible of the least paines Secondly the diuell doth especially tempt vnto impatiencie in the time of our affliction we haue then of all other times the strongest temptations When did Satan most tempt Iob to curse God but in the depth of his miserie and calamitie And therefore it is not much to be maruelled at if we descrie naturall frailtie and weaknesse in our brethren and sisters at such a time God deliuers his children to much frailtie that in their weaknesse his power might be seene For how admirable is the power of God in the preseruing of such a man or woman to eternall life which oftentimes neither know what they do nor what they say It is a great worke of God to bring any to heauen though they pray though they call for mercie though they giue euidences of faith and repentance but to bring such to heauen which for the present cannot pray it is a woâ—ke rather to be admired then conceiued God also suffers his deare children to die vncomfortably for their cause which stand by as either for the warning of his Saints standing by to teach them to take heede of nourishing corruption lest it trouble them at the last and to forewarne them also to prepare great strength against the needfull time Or else the Lord doth it in his iustice to be a stumbling blocke to the wicked that stand by that they may depart and say Lo these are the Professours these are the holy people these are the runners to Sermons and yet you see what ends they make God blesse me from their profession c. A iust iudgment of God that forasmuch as the wicked will not receiue any good by Gods people in their life time either by their good counsell or good example that therefore they should receiue hurt and bane by their death But here some may possibly obiect Doth not Christ himselfe say that The Comforter shall remaine for euer with his Elect Iohn 14. 16. Yea doth he not say further that No man shall take away their ioy Iohn 16. 22. Which being true how can it possibly be that the child of God hauing had at any time sound ioy should die vncomfortably To this I answer that indeed it is true soundioy shall neuer vtterly be taken away from any elect vessell but it is not to be denied but the sense feeling of that ioy may be taken away Though Christ was alwaies the Sonne of Gods loue and remained for euer in his fauour yet he was not alwayes sensible of that loue which caused him to crie My God my God why hast thou forsaken me If any shall obiect further and say Do we not reade that the Apostles reioyced In that they were thought wothie to suffer rebuke for Christ Acts 5. 41. And do we not heare of those holy Martyrs in Hebr. 10. 34. who suffered with ioy the spoyling of their goods Yea do we not behold with our eyes many Christians which depart out of this life with much heauenly ioy Therefore it may seeme that the end of Gods children is a ioyfull end I answer it is true that many Christians yea I hope the most of Gods children depart with ioy But this is not the condition of all There be some that go weeping to heauen as well as there be others which go triumphing There be some that are carried in fiery chariots with Elias and as it were in a whirle-wind when others are carried in a more mild manner or as it were in a horselitter If any shall obiect yet and say Do we not reade in Psal 37. Marke the vpright man behold the iust the end of that man is peace Therefore how is it possible that the end of the child of God should be vncomfortable It is most true that the end of Gods children is peace but this peace is especially obtained in the world to come for so saith the Prophet Peace shall come and they shall rest in their beds Esay 57. 2. Yea what saith our blessed Sauiour In the world ye shall haue assliction but be of good comfort I haue ouercome the world Iohn 16. 33. But to come to the vse and application of this point Is it so that afflictions may be thus troublesome and tedious to the very children of God Then this must teach vs not rashly to censure all such as in whom we discouer much weakenesse and signes of impatiency For in so doing we might quickly come to condemne the generation of the righteous Shall we iudge Iob to be an hypocrite if we heare him cursing the day of his birth God forbid Theresore iudge not that ye be not iudged For with what iudgement ye iudge ye shall be iudged and with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you againe Matth. 7. 2. In stead of iudging and censuring other in this case rather learne to iudge thy selfe thinke thus with thy selfe when thou seest signes of impatiencie in good people first that surely their pangs paines are exceeding great for otherwise they would not thus complaine and secondly suspect thy selfe that if thou were in their case and didst endure that which they endure thou thy selfe wouldst be farre more impatient Secondly is it so that afflictions may be thus tedious vnto the children of God Therefore this must teach vs to be thankfull to God when our brethren and sisters make a comfortable end How great cause had the sriends and kindred of holy Martyrs to praise God when they beheld with their eyes the stedfast faith the vndaunted courage the maruellous patience which appeared in those worthy seâ—uants of God And so when we behold our friends vpon their death-bed iustifying God condemning themselues laying hold of saluation by Christ giuing good instruction vnto others and commending their spirits into the hand of their Lord which hath bought them surely I lay in this case we haue great and iust cause to glorifie God And so much the rather are we bound to be thankfull for this because it is not giuen to all the Saints to haue this comfort at the last but some vpon their death-beds are coÌ„strained with Christ Iesus to cry in
Lord he layeth an heauie chaine vpon their loynes to correct and mortifie their coâ—ruptions in them And herein God dealeth like a skilfull Goldsmith he casteth his children into fierie afflictions not because he meanes vtterly to cast them away but because he meaneth to take them out more pure and purged from their drosse of sinne yea he fineth them seuenfold that yet they may be more pure Secondly God doth heauily afflict his people of purpose to weane them from the vaine delights and pleasures of the world And in this the Lord deales like a nurse he annointeth the teates of the world with bitternesse to the end that his children sucking them might desire them no more How came Iacob to distaste and to forsake Labans family but by the affliction which he found by the change of Labans countenance Gen. 31. How came the Prodigall sonne to be weaned from the citizens seruice Luke 15. but by the affliction of hunger and want which he found in it And lastly how come many of the deare children of God to be so farre mortified to the world as that they desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ but by the bitternesse of afflictions Thirdly God doth thus scourge his Church and afflict his children for the triall of his graces in them according to that in 1. Pet. 4. 12. Brethren thinke it not strange concerning the fierie triall which is come vpon you to trie you c. God afflicts his Church partly for the triall of their patience to see whether they will submit themselues vnto him as well in suffering as in doing his will partly for the triall of saith to see if they will beleeue against sence and feeling and whether they will say with Iob Though the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him Iob 13. 15. Yea the Lord afflicts for the triall of wisedome to see if his children will endeauour to make good vse of their afflictions and of their crosses Thus God I say afflicts for triall In the fourth and last place God sorely afflicteth his Church in this world that he might the highlier aduance it in glorie in the world to come For howsoeuer The afflictionâ— of this present time are not worthie to be compared to the glorie that shall be reuealed as the Apostle speakes Rom. 8. 18. yet our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for vs a farre more excellent and eternall weight of glorie 2. Cor. 4. 17. Thus the holy Martyrs as they suffered most so no doubt they are glorified most And thus many deare Saints of God which haue endured a very hell of torment here no doubt but they receiue a more â—xcellent heauen of comfort hereafter as they haue bene partakers of the suffering so they are of the consolation But to come to the vse and application Is it so that God doth sorely afflict his deare children Then this should teach vs in the first place not to iudge or censure those which suffer as though they were greater sinners then others You know what Christ himselfe saith in Luke 13. 2. Suppose ye that those Galileans were greater sinners then all other Galileans because they suffered such things I tell you nay c. And it was the sinne of Iobs friends to iudge Iob an hypocrite or a notorious offender because the hand of God was so heauy vpon him Let vs therefore learne on the contrary with Gods Church Iam. 5. 11 To esteeme them happie which suffer Let vs hope that afflictions layed vppon our brethren or sisters are signes of Gods loue towards them and not of his hatred For whomsoeuer the Lord loues he chasteneth and scourgeth euerie sonne whom he receiueth as we reade Hebrews 12. 6. 7. And therefore leud and vncharitable is the practise of all such which take vpon them to iudge and to censure many a sound Christian by their very afflictions to be hypocrites to be dissemblers to be some way notoriously wicked For else say they God would neuer thus haue punished them O most vniust and rash censure Doth not God scourge euery sonne whom he receiueth and shall we not through many tribulations enter into the kingdome of God Therefore let God be true and euery rash iudger shall be proued a lyer Secondly are Gods owne deare children subiect to grieuous and tedious afflictions Therefore this may be iust matter of terror to the wicked vngodly For if iudgement begin at the house of God what shall be the end of such as obey not the Gospell of God as the Apostle speaketh 1. Pet. 4. 17. If God correct his owne with strokes surely he will punish the wicked with scorpions If he afflict Lazarus here with pouerrie and sicknesse surely he will punish Diues hereafter with hell fire Yea if God spared not his Angels which sinned but cast them downe into hell and deliuered them into darknesse to be reserued to iudgement then how shall the wicked thinke that the Lord will spare them going on in their sinfull courses Oh therefore let all the sharp corrections layed vpon Gods children in this life be so many warning peales to the vngodly speedily to repent and to turne to God in time lest worse punishments seise vpon them then euer seised vpon the elect Thirdly the consideration of this truth to wit that Gods children are subiect to so great afflictions it must teach euery one of vs to be prepaâ—ed to endure great trials We must be prepared to endure losse of our dearest friends losse of good name losse of our whole estate losse of libertie losse of health extremitie of paines in the body that for a long time together yea we must be prepared for the firy triall for what do we know what God hath in store for vs Lastly we must be prepared to endure troubles of minde and vexations of conscience we must be content to be brought to heauen by hell-gates Brethren we must not thinke it strange if these things befall vnto vs. The like haue befallen vnto Gods owne sons and daughters that are in the world or haue bene Let vs learne to get strength now in the time of our peace we may haue more vse of it hereafter then it may be we are aware of Fourthly considering that Gods elect are subiect to so great afflictions let vs which enioy freedom from these tormeÌ„ting miseries be the more thankfull to God for our freedome We might liue in sicknesse in paine in pouertie in persecution in distresse of minde and yet remaine the true children of God Therefore what cause of thankfulnesse haue we with whom the Lord deales more mildly and yet giues vs the same hope of glorie which he hath giuen vnto others which suffer great trials God deales with vs as he dealt with Henoch he takes vs away and we hardly see or feele death whereas many others are carried as it were in a fierie chariot to the kingdome of heauen
Consider this all ye which sit vnder your owne vine and vnder your owne figtree and be thankfull Fiftly considering that Gods children are subiect to so great afflictions therefore this must teach vs to haue a fellowfeeling of the miseries of others We must not make small reckning of their paines as though they ailed nothing but we must compassionate them and vse all the meanes we can to comfort them and to support them as we our selues desire to be comforted and to be supported if we were in their estate Be it therefore farre from vs to adde affliction to affliction or to increase the sorrowes of such whom God hath wounded But let vs rather thinke with Iob that he which is in affliction ought to be comforted of his friends It is a cruell practise to lay on more weight vpon a poore beast when he is ready to sinke vnder that burthen which is vpon him already So much more it is a tyrannous fact to adde to the sorrowes of them which are already heauie laden And thus much may suffice to haue spoken concerning the third doctrine to wit that Gods deare children are subiect to painfull and tedious sicknesses Many painfull nights haue bene appointed vnto me Where obserue that Iob doth not say It was my hard fortune to see much miserie or by euill lucke and hard chance I came to this affliction but many painfull nights haue bene appointed vnto me wherein is intimated vnto vs this truth namely that There is no affliction befalleth any of the children of God be it neuer so sharpe or tedious but it befalleth by the determinate counsell and purpose of God This is manifest out of diuerse texts of holy Scripture as out of Esay 45. 7. I forme the light and create darknesse I make peace and create euill I the Lord do all these things And out of Amos 3. 6. Shall a trumpet be blowne in a citie and the people not be afraid shall there be euill in a citie and the Lord hath not done it But yet this point is more especially proued by that in Acts 4. 27. where it is said Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do vnto Christ that which Gods hand and counsell had determined before to be done Yea indeed all things both great and small are gouerned and guided by the prouidence of God there is not a sparrow which falleth vnto the ground nor an haire which falleth from our head without our Father as Christ himselfe saith in Matthew 10. 29. And this truth the Saints haue acknowledged from time to time If Shemeâ— curse Dauid and raile vpon him Dauid will acknowledge that the Lord bids him curse 2. Sam. 16. 17. If the Sabeans take away Iobs oxen or his asses and the Chaldeans depriue him of his camels if a fire from heauen take away his sheepe aad the winds stirred vp by Satan destroy his children yet he will acknowledge that the Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away Iob 1. 21. Yea but this might seeme to be an hard saying that God should be the author of all afflictions For suppose that a man be robbed of all that he hath is God the cause of the robbery or suppose a man be wrongfully slandered is God the cause of the slander This might seeme to make God the author of sinne Nothing lesse For howsoeuer God is the author of the actioÌ„ yet he is not the author of the euill of the action he tempteth no man to steale he infuâ—eth malice into no mans heart to moue him to curse or slander But the euill of the action is partly of the diuell and partly of man himselfe Therefore let no man when he is tempted say that he is tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with euill neither tempteth he any man but euery man is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne lust and is enticed Iam. 1. 13. 14. But it may be obiected further Do not many crosses fall out by meere ill lucke Doth not a mans experience tell him of many ill chances which haue befallen him Doth not a man sometimes breake his necke falling from his horse Doth not a child vpon a sudden fall into a pit and is drowned Doth not an axe head fliâ— from the helue when no such thing is intended and slayes a man And what is this but hand lucke or bad fortune These indeed may seeme to be meere casualties vnto vs in respect of the suddennesse of them and because we see not alwayes the causes of them But with God these things are certaine and proceed from his decree according to that in Pro. 16. 35. The lot is cast into the lap but the disposing thereof is from the Lord. Therefore we must not be like the very heathen ascribing that vnto chance and fortune which we should by right ascribe to the prouidence of God But to come to the vse and application Is it so that all afflictions come by the prouidence of God Then this must teach vs in the first place not to murmure but let vs say with Dauid in Psal 39. 9. I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou diddest it If we consider we haue no cause indeed to murmure against God For first he layeth not vpon any of vs the thousandth part of that which we do deserue And secondly he causeth those afflictions which he doth lay vpon vs to worke for our good so that we haue more cause to giue him thankes then in any sort to murmure against him Secondly considering that all our afflictions are from God therefore it must teach vs to feare God aboue all Let vs not feare the diuell nor tyrants nor our professed enemies For none of these can hurt vs without God But let vs feare that great God who when he hath afflicted vs here is able to cast both soule and body into hell fire Luke 12. 5. It is a miserable thing that we can feare a great man because he is able to hurt vs and that we cannot much more feare God which is able to damne vs. This bewrayes a great deale of infidelity in vs this shewes that we do not beleeue the certaintie of Gods threatnings We consider God onely according to his mercie and so make an idoll of him but we feare him not for his iustice We pretend that we loue God but where is that awfull respect which we owe vnto him Thirdly is it so that all afflictions are from God Therefore this must teach vs that whensoeuer God doth afflict vs in any kind whatsoeuer either in our good names or in our goods or in our friends by taking them away or in our bodies or such like it must teach vs I say to â—ie our selues and to fanne ouâ— selues what the Lord hath against vs or for what cause he doth afflict vs. Thus did Moses Psal 90. 7. 8. We are
charge and calling in which I am and to discharge it in the conscionable feare of God This our sister was not onely faithfull in her generall calling but also in her particular For first she was a very faithfull wife her very desire was subiect to her husband I am perswaded that if her husband had commanded her to dothe vilest drudgerie about the house she durst not haue refused in verie conscience of Gods Law And moreouer whereas in her carnal estate it was her common practise to put forth her children to be nursed abroad according to the practise of the proud women in our times when the Law of God beganne to be written in her heart she durst no longer nurse her children abroad but tooke paines to nurse them with her owne breasts Againe she did most diligently ouersee the wayes of her family and she eate not the bread of idlenesse but still she employed her selfe in some commendable employment And as for her children and seruants she did diligently instruct them in good wayes She was grieued at any prophanenesse found in them she mourned for them she prayed for them she pitied their estate and as for the soule of her louing and kind husband she had an especiall care Now it is an especiall maâ—ke of a true conuert to be found faithfull in the particular calling As we see it is giuen by Paul as an euidence of the truth of the conuersion of Onesimus that now he was become profitable vnto his maister Philem. 11. The sixteenth Marke I desire to glorifie God by a fruitfull profession The faith of this our sister was no dead faith To my knowledge she was exceeding fruitfull in good workes What money she had of her owne in the time of her health she distributed it freely partly to poore Preachers about this Citie partly also to poore Christians She was like vnto Dorcas she made garments and that both woollen and linnen gaue them vnto poore Christians and to their children She was a friend of the fatherlesse and of the widow and what she had not of her owne to releeue Gods poore she intreated her husband to supply Yea she was a very patronesse for such as were in distresse she was a blessed instrument to stirre vp her willing husband to many secret gifts and bountifull almes-deedes especially vnto them which were of the houshold of faith To my knowledge she hath giuen gold and siluer plentifully to some more and to some lesse And amongst the rest of her charitable workes I remember that she gaue to the Minister which was the means vnder God of her conuersion as she supposed She gaue I say vnto him by the consent of her husband the summe of fiftie pounds besides a large portion which she begged of her husband to be distributed after her death vnto charitable vses The sicke had cause to blesse God for her in her health for she visited them with meate with bodily presence with necessarie helpe both by her selfe and by her maides And many that enioy health haue great cause to blesse God for her in her death in respect of her liberall gifts And for mine owne part I haue especiall cause to blesse God in her life and in her death for a most kind mother and nurse she was vnto me Now this fruitfulnesse did argue the goodnesse of the Tree for how doth a Christian shew his faith but by his workes And the Lord as you know promiseth a Prophets reward vnto such as do good vnto his members Matth. 10. 42. Yea at the day of iudgement Christ will say vnto all such fruitfull ones Come vnto me ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gaue me meate I was thirstie and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye tooke me in naked and ye clothed me I was sicke and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came vnto me The seuenteenth Marke I find a daily holy strife to preserue graces giuen vnto me and to preuent falling away She continued faithfull to the end in the most substantiall graces For howsoeuer shee mourned for the want of that degree of ioy which she had felt in former times yet she continued in repentance in the practise of holinesse and righteousnesse in a tender loue to God and to his word and children in holy zeale and fruitfulnesse euen to the last period of her dayes And indeed her want of full ioy was so sanctified vnto her that it was a furtherance to a better grace namely to repentance and selfe-deniall and base esteeme of her selfe And I call repentance a better grace then ioy because howsoeuer ioy is a most excellent gift of the Spirit yet vnto vs repentance is more profitable For I make no doubt but that a mourning Christian may be saued without rauishing ioy that Christ may wipe away his teares in heauen but no Christian shall be saued without repentance and selfe deniall Now constancie and perseuerance in a good and holy course is an vndoubted argument of a blessed and happie estate as doth appeare by the words of our blessed Sauiour himselfe Marth 10. 22. He that endureth to the end shall be saued and Reuel 2. 10. Be thou faithfull to the death and I will giue thee a crowne of life The eighteenth Marke I find an vniuersall change in my selfe from that which I â—â—ue bene in former times This marke and the two following I propounded vnto her vpon her death-bed which I mention now because they are as vseful for the church as the former markes which I found nâ—ted in her paper And that this signe was in our sister as well as the former it was euident For there was a maruellous change wrought in her mind and vnderstanding She that before knew not the right hand from the left in religion she was growne to a very great vnderstanding in so much that she was able both to speak diuinely to instruct her seruants and children and to write letters in the very language of Canaan with great sufficiency Secondly she found a change in her will and affections For she that was dead before vnto any sound pietie now she was reuiued aboue all things to affect and to seeke Gods kingdome Thirdly there was an euident change in her life and conuersation this we all knew which knew her and can testifie Now wheresoeuer this vniuersall change is from darknesse to light from euill to good from the power of Satan to God it is an euident signe of effectuall calling and effectuall calling is an vndoubted signe of election 2. Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new The nineteenth Marke I find an vtter deniall of myselfe I know that in me that is in myflesh abideth nothing which is good This blessed seruant of God had attained a