hast thou done so And thus elsewhere he patiently submitteth himselfe to be afflicted at his good pleasure 2 Scm. 15.26 But if saith he he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies So good old Elie when he heard from Samuell what a fearefull worke God would doe to his house quietly he humbleth himselfs saying it is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him best 1 Sam. 3.18 Thus likewise Job once have I spoken yea twise but I will proceed no further I will lay my hand upon my mouth and abhor my selfe repenting in dust and ashes Lo Hezechiah sweetly submits when he looketh up to God what shall I say For he hath said it to me and he hath done it Isa 38.13 It is the safest way when Gods hand is on our back to lay our hand on our mouthes and do as Aaron did at the fearefull death of his sons when he heares Moses to tell him that God would be sanctified in those that did draw neere unto him He held his peace Lev. 10.3 Thus those Saints in the 21. Acts. 14 Conclude their arguments with words of submission concerning Paules journey to Jerusalem the will of the Lord be done Now as all events whatsoever are by and according to the will of God so to this will of God must we sweetly submit in all crosse accidents whatsoever we either feele or feare This have the Saints in all ages done when they saw once the the mind of God they quietly yeil ded So Mauritius the Roman Emperour when after the butchering of his loving wife and tender children before his face at the command of the Tirant Phocas he was to act his owne part in that mournfull tragedy in his flesh at first like a grudging Israelite began to repine and draw back but after some passionate panges he humbly submits with these words just art thou O Lord and just are thy judgements And this is patience indeed when we are content without murmuring or repining to resigne our selves into Gods hands to be dealt withall even as it shall seeme good to him both for the time and measure of our affliction We must not only not sink under them but not shrink from them Stay in them till he that laid them on shall please to take them off 1 If we would seriously consider who this is that afflicts us Why it is the Lord who is infinite in glory power and Majesty who having created us of nothing may dispose also of us according to his pleasure for why should the clay murmur against the potter dust and ashes against the glorious King of heaven and earth Who measureth the earth with his span and poyseth it as in a ballance who upholdeth all things by his word and ruleth them at his good pleasure In him we live move and have our being so that if he sustaine us we continue but if he blow upon us we are presently gone and returne again unto our dust 2 As God is infinite in majesty and power so is he just in his judgements his wayes are past finding out Hath he corrected us sharply surely 't was no more then we deserved hath he taken away our dearest friends by death why he took away nothing but what he gave he never gave any thing absolutely and for ever but only to use for a time till he againe did call for it and therefore seeing the Lord hath taken nothing but his owne let us not say we have lost it but only restored it to the right owner 3 Let us beare patiently whatsover comes from God because he is goodnesse it selfe from whom there can come no evill It is he that ruleth the world and ordereth all things for the best taking care of every particular person neither doth nor hath any evill in him God is the fountaine from whence all goodnesle flowes if he be good to all he is abundantly good to his owne if he be so sweet to those that seeke him how beyond expression will he be to those that finde him Now who may better chastize us then he that created us who more right to correct and nurture us then he who feedeth and nurseth us We see the most savage beasts which will not indure the looke of a stranger will take stripes from their owner who feedeth and tendeth them and shall we more brutish then they snarle and repine when the Lord who not only giveth us food but also maketh it nourishment doth chastize us for our good The Lord is our King and Soveraigne unto whom we are to yeild absolute obedience and therefore if earthly Princes doe punish their subjects and judge them insolent if they repine and rebellious if they resist not enduring expostulation or to have their actions called to account nay though they be unjust How then shall we be acquitted when being corrected by God we impatiently murmure and by using unlawfull meanes to free our selves as much as in us lieth resist him in his most righteous judgements which are all disposed for our good if we submit our selves unto them Seeing by ruling us thus on earth he fitteth us to raigne with him in heaven Ah! Therefore let us not looke to the interiour causes by which our crosses are immediately imposed but unto the Lord our God who is the cheife and supreame cause of all our afflictions Let us not looke to instruments and aggravate our sorrowes by circumstances as looking upon our afflictions with an impotent impatience because our enemies are malicious proude and insolent in the carriage of the matter but to God which aymeth at nothing but our good Thus saith Christ to Pilate thou couldest have no power except it were given the from above Thus likewise doe we make our burdens in supportable when we too much looke upon the treachery neglect or unkinde dealing of some friends of whom we have deserved well and therefore least of all suspected to have received from them such hard measure Alas if our thoughts mount no higher then those broken reeds we may sit down and die of discontent And therefore 't was sweetly said of a holy and experimentall Divine lately that unlesse we learne to suffer from the hands of Saints as well as from ungodly persons we must never looks to live a merry day So say I unlesse we can beare the fallings off the falsehood and treachery of a beloved friend we shall never come to possesse pure patience indeed And thus many times when ought befalleth us through our owne default negligence or want of providence we adde unto it the weight of many criminations and oftentimes false accusations against our selves as though it were not heavy enough in it selâ—e to presse us downe unlesse we added thereunto the loade of bitter invectives against our owne negligence and of sharpe censures for our owne faultinesse as being the cause which hath brought upon us those crosses and calamities
that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day 1 David came to Bahurim in his flight from Absalom we may seriously observe to what afflictions and streights the Saints of God may be brought they may be brought to flee for their lives this was Davids case and this is the lot and portion of all the faithfull to endure affliction in one kinde or other Abraham the Father of the faithfull had his peculiar afflictions his great fears and his unparalel'd tryals Gen. 20.11 22. Isaac had his continual griefe of minde in the marriage of one of his Sons and of his being deprived of the other for 20. yeares together Gen. 26.35.36.27 See what afflictions Jacob had persecuted by his own Brother and driven from his Fathers house into a strange Land there he suffered many an injury and indignity from his Unkle with sorrowes he sustained from and in his children Surely if we would seriously read the whole story of his life we shall finde his troubles come tumbling one on the others back Like the waves of the Sea commonly the ending of one was but the beginning of another Moses whom God so dearly loved and entertain'd into the necrest familiarity talking with him face to face was notwithstanding exercised with grievous afflictions not to speak of his hardships and streights which he sustained before he could understand it being in danger of death every hour for 3. months space To omit many things what an affliction had he in carrying such an untoward people 40. yeares together in the wildernesse and what wordly comfort had he to cheer him in suffering all these afflictions but the remembrance of the Land of promise the fruition whereof he long expected But at last he is cut off from this hope and heareth Gods definitive sentence passe upon him that he must ascend Mount Nebo and dye there Deut. 32.50 And thus Job though he were the justest man that lived upon the Earth by the Lords own testimony yet did he endure manifold and grievous afflictions as we may read in the History of his life the spoyling of his goods the slaughter of his servants the untimely death of ten children all at once the outward torment of botches and boyles and the inward terrors of an afflicted minde the scornes of the wicked the strange behaviour of his Wife the unkinde usage and hard censures of his friends that in these respects he was thought to be the fittest man to be propounded by the holy Ghost as a pattern of patience James 5.11 And thus did all the Apostles suffer afflictions yea and cruel deaths except St. John Here with a Catalogue St. Paul makes of his sufferings 2 Cor. 11.44 unto which outward vexation of body and inward cares and distractions of minde we may add his spiritual afflictions as the fight between the flesh and spirit and the buffitings of Satan which were incomparably greater then all the rest for whereas out of the strength of his faith and patience he rejoyced yea even boasted himselfe in his other afflictions by these he is much humbled and cast down in the fight of his corruptions and forced to crye out in perplexity of spirit oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Now the causes which doth move the Lord to lay upon his children those great afflictions is because of sin Sin then is the meritorious cause why the Lord punisheth a place or Person Judgments never come down from God till provocations first go up from man and this the Church plainly affiâ—meth Lam. 3.39 man suffereth for his sin and this the Lord tels Israel Jer. 30.14 15. I have stricken thee with the wound of an enemy and with a sharp chastisement for the multitude of thine iniquities because thy Sons were increased why cryest thou for thine affliction thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquities I have done those things unto thee Object But doth God alwayes correct for sin are there not other ends which move the Lord to lay crosses upon his own children Ans It s very true God doth by afflictions as well make tryall of his graces in us as chastize us for our sins and that besides our transgressions there are in Gods secret counsels other causes of our crosses and calamities but seeing the Lord hath in his word denounced these miseries and afflictions against us as punishments and chastisements for our iniquities and doth not reveale unto us when he tryeth us and when he correcteth us Therefore leaving Gods secrets unto himselfe we are not to look unto his hidden counsels but to his revealed will and according thereunto we are alwayes to make this use of our afflictions that when we are judged we are chastned of the Lord and justly corrected and punished for our sins and thus the Saints in all ages have done still have they insisted on their sins which have primarily been the cause of their sorrowes So David complained Psal 38.3 there is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones by reason of my sins And thus the Prophet Isaiah chap. 64.5 cryeth out in his prayer for the people behold thou art angry for we have sinned Yea Job himselfe who was chiefly afflicted for the try all of his graces though he desires to defend his innocency against his three friends to maintain the integrity of his heart from their false aspertions yet having to deal with God he acknowledgeth and sayes I have finned what shall I do unto thee oh thou preserver of men and why doest thou not parden and take away mine iniquity Job 7.20 Again 't is good to make a holy use of every affliction Is there an insufficiency and impotency in creatures that they cannot help us or infidelity and treachery whereby they will not afford unto us that help which we expect from them we may very well conclude we rested too much on those earthen propts and when contempt and scorn waite upon our heeles pride and loftinesse was our Gentleman Usher before and so of the rest God is one that will do nothing wherein his word shall not justifie his deed what befalls us from him must needes be just though we conceive not our desert because he smothers our offences his justice is in no way detected and surely if we would seriously take notice of it we may oft times read our fin in our punishment for God usually retaliates and dealeth with men according to the manner and way of their wickednesse the sin and suffering oft meet in some remarkable circumstance Now as afflictions are punishments for sins past so are they preventions against sin in time to come Phisitâ—ans when they purge their Patients aime most at the cause of the disease for when that is taken away the effects will follow thus doth God with his own dearest children he purges them so
expectations And then we fix this sure anchor upon Gods never decaying truth now hope lookes for comfort in him alone when all things appeares false and deceivable And now when God shall answer hopes expectation in help and deliverance then doth this experience cause hope not to be ashamed Ah! the sweet refreshments and comforts of hope She supports us and makes us merry in all estates and conditions 'T is the best companion that ever bore a distressed soule company It will never leave us till it hath brought us to heaven gates When afflictions like the lead in the net would finke us downe and that sin and sorrowes labour to drowne us hope like the Corke upholds us and sustaines us So that according to the Proverbe Were it not for hope the heart would breake And this the Apostle faith 1 Cor. 15. If in this life only we have hope we are of all men most miserable And thus hope makes us to doe to suffer and to die Oh! therefore let not those deliverances which are delaied be the fainting of our hearts but let hope beare then up cheerfully in a constant expectation of that mercy which in due time shall be made good unto us Let us take what he gives and wait for what he promiseth as well knowing that he cannot slack as the world accounts slacknesse but will surely keep his owne time though not ours 10 Afflictions manifest the truth of our love Alas Many in the time of prosperity love God for his left-handed blessings as Satan objected to Job And if God deny them but a fond desire they are ready to overlooke all the mercyes they enjoy and fling them as it were in the face of God But now to love God when he takes away all To read love in an angry looke This is love in deed Love is that lovely motive which makes our obedience full T is that virtue which comprehends all other virtues for if we do and suffer out of love we are at the highest pitch possible attainable Love saith the Apostle fullfills the Law nor can any virtue hold out so long faith and hope bring us to Heaven Gates but love enters with us and abides for ever Here what the Mayden Martyr said at the Stake Farewell Faith and welcome Love See what a sweet interpretation love puts on all Gods dealings when the flesh objects and sayes like Jobs wife What blesse God and dye serve him and be thus rewarded but love answers What and shall we not receive evill at the hand of God as well as good do they not both proceed from the same fountaine yea from that Ocean of Love from whence Christ came Againe in streights and wantâ— flesh will object Can the servants and the dogs be served and shall a Child of God want necessaries want bread but saith Love The Love of God as God and the Love of a Father in Christ do much differ as God he is good to all makes his Sun to shine and his Raine to fall on the just and unjust as a Father he is especially good to his Children to whom if he gives not much in this world yet gives he so much as he seeth best for them with a comfortable use thereof this however to be his Child is more then if he gave us all the World to enjoy When we are at any time scorned reproached reviled scandalized Love goes away silently with this heavy burden reasoning with her selfe behold the love of my God! do they fling borrowed dirt in my face what a mercy is it that God doth not discover to them the filth of my heart my secret sinnes how would they blaze them And so for losses of friends husband children goods Love lookes upon nothing as lost but restor'd or laid up thinking alwayes upon what she doth enjoy that in her greatest wants she enjoyes innumerable blessings from God whereas our sins have deserved that all should be taken from us and his judgements and punishments inflicted as a fit wages for all our sinfull services Love makes us rest sweetly contented with what we have and not repining for wanting something but rejoycing that the Lord affordeth us any thing Ah! saith Love if I am not so happy as others for what I do enjoy yet in this I am happy for the evils I might have had and have escaped surely if we have a little and cannot be contented we have even too much And this is the nature of Love the more the world magligneth and persecuteth us the more our love is weaned from the world and the lesse we love the world the more is our affections inflamed towards God Ah! we shall in our outward crosses feel the inward comforts of Gods Spirit so pleasant and delightfull that they are sufficient to sweeten a world of miseries and this made David to sing Psal 116.1 Oh how I love the Lord And surely many of the Saints of God do never love him so solidly as when they have beene soundly whipt And as by afflictions we come to love God more so are we made to compassinate and pitty our brethren we can never give comforts rightly till we have gotten experience of what we say there cannot be any place in our hearts for compassion of others griefs till passion and suffering of the same evills have been there before no Phifitian is more able to cure a nother man than he who hath first cured himselfe of the same disease because unto his art is injoyned experience whereby it is made perfect and therefore when we go to comfort others we can from our own knowledge say I have been thus afflicted and thus and thus did I receive consolation and was strengthened in patience to bear my crosses here God did support me with his might when being feeble in my self I was ready to faint and fall thus was I refreshed with spirituall consolations and the inward feelings of Gods love and mercy thus did he powerfully deliver me when in respect of all outward meanes my case was desperate And thus doth David take upon him to comfort others upon his own experience Psal 34. O tast and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him I was brought low and he helped me I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my feares And this as a Caveat by the by when ever you are afflicted either in body spirit goods or good name do not vent your griefs to them that have never been afflicted for as they cannot give you any experimental comfort so your griefs cannot make any great impression in their hearts they can be no more affected with your complaints than if you discoursed of the causes symptomes and malignity of that disease they never felt they may sigh and say its very sad but it cannot long sink into their mindes it s commonly but tedious discourse at the best some can speak it by wofull experience that the