13.26 Against me Against whom Job who or what are you Be pleased to take Gods own testimonie if heavens witnesse may passe I passe A perfect and upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill Cap. 1.8 Nay further One that speakes of God the thing that is right and is accepted of God in prayer Cap. 47.7 8. both for himselfe and others and yet He writeth bitter things against me We find in that Golden Psalme Psal 60.3 where David personates the Church she thus bespeakes God Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us to drinke the wine of astonishment Indâ— Pallor membrorum vino madentium tremor Senec. or trembling It is an allusion to men addicted to drunkennesse the effect of which being long practised oftentimes ends in a continuall and habituated trembling Thou hast mingled us such a bitter potion of providence as possesseth us with a Palsie making us to tremble in every joynt to reele to and fro and stagger like drunken men And this thou hast done not to strangers but to thine own people We must needs yeeld that Zion is the Mountaine of Gods Holinesse Psal 48. beautifull for scituation the joy of the whole earth the City of the great King and God is known in her Palaces for a refuge That she is the Orbe wherein God appeares glorious to the Sons of men Out of Zion Psal 50.2 the perfection of beauty God hath shined Psal 76. Nobile illustre nomen propter inaudita miracula That it is the Theater upon which God comes forth to act his terrible and wonderfull workes In Judah is God known his name is great in Israel In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion There brake he the Arrows of the Bow the Shield and the Sword and the Battell And the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his Habitation This is my rest for ever Psal 132. here will I dwell for I have desired it And yet the Daughter of Zion sits down weeping by the Rivers of Babylon bemoaning her selfe in this Language and blubbering out her complaint thus I am in bitternesse Lam. 1.4 And againe Cap. 3.5 He hath builded against me and compassed me with gall and travell And Verse 15. He hath killed me with bitternesse he hath made me drunken with wormwood And Verse 19. I remember my affliction and my misery the wormwood and the gall Here I stop I might be endlesse Having thus seen the truth of this Conclusion let us in the next place make some enquirie when and in what cases God may be said to deale very bitterly with his beloved ones which we may mainly demonstrate in these following particulars viz. When God smites in with an affliction Job felt the least finger of Gods hand far heavier than all his other massie and multiplied Crosses Job 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of God do set themselves in aray against me And it was not so much Babylonish Captivity as the apprehension of Gods displeasure that so deeply wounded the Churches heart Lam. 3.3 Surely against me is he turned he turneth his hand against me all the day As the love of God is better to a soule than the best things of this world Corne Psal 4.7 and Wine and Oyle nay better than life it selfe Psal 63 6. So the displeasure of God is worse than the worst things in this life nay than death it selfe One frown from God is more grievous than all the smiles in the world are joyous Eph. 6.12 The Apostle saith We wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers c. Whence I infer if it be so terrible to have the powers of hell how dreadfull is it then to have the powers of heaven engaged against us Here is God and not Man Spirit and not flesh It was once Eli's disswasive Argument to his Sons 1 Sam. 2.25 If one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall entreate for him In our contendings with men we may have Seconds but who dare joyne issue with us against God Man may deale it out with man nay in the strength of Christ man with devils But who can stand before Omnipotencie Psal 38.2 Thine Arrows stick fâ—st in me and thine hand presseth me sore This is very bitter Hidden afflictions When God hides from a soule the particular cause of an affliction Psal 42. Why art thou cast down O my soule and why art thou disquieted in me It was no little aggravation of Rebekah's trouble when she had those struglings in her wombe that she knew not the reason And therefore she goes to enquire of the Lord Gen. 25.22 Why am I thus Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas A disease found out is halfe cured but till then very hopelesse Alas saith the poore soule if I knew the speciall and particular cause why God so and so testifieth against me I would remove it that the effects might cease But seeing I am ignorant of this What hope I may walke in bitternesse all my daies Inward afflictions Such as are not only skin-deep but heart-deep Sinking down to the soule and weighing upon the Spirit These are very heavy and bitter For as those joyes which are kindled in the heart by the Holy Ghost are unspeakable So those afflictions which wound the soule and dart the conscience are intollerable Pro. 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can beare Not huge Atlas himselfe Corporis vita statumen est anima animae columen est Deus Cart. in loe No Herbalist could ever yet shew me amongst all those varieties of simples in nature the medicine that cureth a wounded soule No no in this all are Physicians of no value None can do it but the balme in Gilead and the Physician there Sudden afflictions are much disgusted and become very bitter When afflictions give us a surprize like a whirlewind or storme at Sea When we have our eye upon one point or quarter and afflictions come in at another Our expectations are from one end evils come in at another When they throng in at our back-doores then and there as we never expected them Suddennesse or unawares contributes very much to the bitternesse of afflictions Thus the wicked are threatned Pro. 1.27 that their destruction shall come as a whirlewind And Moab to be destroyed in a night Isa 15.1 And this renders Christ's comming to judgement more terrible That he will come as a Thiefe in the night suddenly and unexpectedly It is reported that the Basilisk and Man shoot such venenation at each other from the eye at a distance that whether hath priority of aspection is destructive to the other
contrariwise 2 Kin. 4.14 it was a miserable blank in the Shunamites estate that she had no child 2 Kin. 20.3 And this is conceived to be one cause why Hezekiah melted into teares when he received the fatall message Even because he had no heire-male his Son Manasses being yet unborne And Abraham himselfe complaines of a great defect amidst all his fulnesse Gen. 15.2 Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childlesse And therefore there was a provision made in the judiciall Law Deut. 25.5 6. That if a man dyed without issue his brother should raise up seed unto him that so his name might be revived and kept alive in Israel Children are nothing else but Parents multiplied Bena Banah aedificavit est enim totius structura seu aedificatio parentum and do in some sense immortalize and perpetuate them especially Sons which have their name originally from a word which signifieth to build because they beare up the name and are a support to the Family Therefore the Church prayeth Psa 144.12 That our Sons may be as plants grown up in their youth that our daughters may be as corner stones polished after the similitude of a Palace When the Father dyeth the Child riseth up in his roome and so Parents have a kind of resurrection in their Children A fourth Reason may be this Reason 4 Scripture upon some accounts reckoneth up steriâ—ity and barrennesse as a curse And who is not utterâ—y unwilling to bespit in the face with a Curse Doubtlesse that may seeme a strange Petition the Prophet puts up in the peoples behalfe Give them O Lord Amos 9.14 what wilt thou give them Give them a miscarrying wombe and dry breasts Comparing it with the context you shall find so great is Ephraim's sin that the Prophet is almost ashamed to pray for such a people and seemes very doubting what he should pray for yet foreseeing the fearefull plagues that were to fall he supplicates a mitigation That rather than women with child should be ripped up by the enemy or they should bring forth to the slaughter and see as Zed kiah did their Children murdered before their eyes 2 King 25.7 he prayeth to God to make them barren A paralell place is that of David who in his great straight chose to fall into the hand of God 2 Sam. 24. rather than into the hand of men That is a lesser judgement rather than a greater And yet this was a sore one three daies pestilence by which there fell seventy thousand men Even so the Prophet as if he should have said O Lord this do I beg in behalfe of this people thou wilt thus much remit the stroke It is the lesser judgement of the two not to have children at all than after they are borne bred and growne to maturity to have them slaughtered and therefore seeing the decree is gone forth give give in mercy O Lord give this mitigation of barrennesse So that the Petition serves to aggravate the ensuing judgements It is a most miserable case when that which is in it selfe a curse is to be prayed for as a blessing Coniah's curse is thus threatned Write ye this man childlesse Jer. 22.30 I do not conceive Coniah dyed without issue Ver. 28. the contrary being apparent but that he had a curse which was equivalent to being childlesse and therefore very great for so it followeth in the next words A man that shall not prosper in his daies for no man of his seed shall prosper sitting upon the Throne of David and ruling any more in Judah And this must not only be spoken but written Litera scripta manet Write ye this man childlesse as a notable judgement to be left on record to Posterity And this was Michals punishment for vilifying her husbands person Because she conceived contempt against him in her heart she never conceived child in her wombe Therefore saith the Text Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death That is 2 Sam. 6.23 she was punished with perpetuall barrennesse Doubtlesse among the Jewes want of children was a reproach both to man and woman This may be gathered from that of the Psalmist Psa 127.5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them viz. his Family well fraught with hopefull children which are those polished shafts they shall not be ashamed but they shall speake with the enemies in the gate 1 Sam. 1.6 Thus Hannah her Adversary provoked her sore for to make her fret because the Lord had shut up her wombe and she cals her barrennesse her affliction O Lord of hosts Ver. 11. if thou wilt indeed looke on the affliction of thine handmaid c. And Elizabeth being with child after a long time of sterility bespeakes her selfe on this wise Thus hath the Lord dealt with me Luk. 1.25 in the daies wherein he looked on me to take away my reproach among men I would not have any gracious heart stumble at this truth so as to hurt it selfe Good men and women may be destitute both of Children and Nephews And yet this is not so great an affliction to them because God comes in and makes up this want with a far more precious supply A worthy Grectan being mortally wounded by the Spartans a friend told him he much lamented that he dyed without Issue To whom he replied my famous victories are as so many children to renew my memory But here is more for if God have denied any of his the benefit of Children yet he hath given them a name better than of Sons and Daughters Isa 56.6 They are called the children of God Mat. 5.9 They have right and priviledge to become the Sons of God Joh. 1.12 And John speaks it with admiration Behold 1 Joh. 3.1 what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God! He that hath the Spirit of Adoption and is heaven-borne that can call God Father and speake to Christ as his brother and is allied to all the Saints shall find a fulnesse in this spirituall relation A name on earth how honourable soever is perishable But a name written in heaven shall never wither but flourish for ever It is no great matter to him or her that wants Children if they themselves be the adopted ones of God But to a wicked man it must needs be a curse because he hath nothing to make up this vacuum and relieve this want He that at once is both Childlesse and Christlesse too hath reason to weepe for his Children and not be comforted because they are not Reason 5 Last of all to touch the ultimate Period of this Point frequent it is for the first-borne to be the first Dolens profere and to fit highest in Parents esteeme And there is reason with due limitation it should be so Gen. 49.3
these Cockle-shells and toyes upon the sea-shore as to forget the tide which sweeps away all on a sudden Say to thy selfe I know not how soone God will bereave me of my only beloveds and take away from me the pleasure of my heart and that which is precious in mine eyes At present I have plenty and prosperity my belly is fully fed and my back warmly cloathed Now my house is richlyfurnished and my Vine and Olive branches wife and children sit round about my table But I know not how soone stripping times may come that mine eyes shall behold none of all these These things may give us the slip and salute us with an abrupt Vale when we least expect it Commonly when we thinke our selves most exempted from trials then are they at our heeles It is our wisdome to suspect our selves when our path is most pleasant I read of Nero that Tyrant who having a beautifull Lady to his Empresse would sometimes salute her with these words O goodly face and neck but when I list it shall be cut off Say to thy sweetest outward comforts O faire mercies but when God will ye must all be cut off Nay secondly Sit loose from your own selves Selfe-deniall was our Saviours Doctrine Mat. 16.24 and is the very institution of a Christian One way or other sooner or later God will try what you will do God will see if he can prevaile so far with you as to and câ—eave cling unto him when all is gone Beleeve it God will not harbour such as he knows not what to make of I speake after the manner of men None shall want their trialls Soule under colour of Religion thou maiest retaine a great deale of selfe in thee and God will put thee to it Selfe-deniall is of large extent Thinke not alwaies to carry thy course even and faire and to go on smoothly with peaceable living and formall praying and hearing God will surely take a course further than thus to try what is in thine heart The wind may blow long and loud upon the sound side of a tree and the tree make a shift to stand But when it gets into the hollow of the tree and affronts it on the rotten side then it puts it hard to it ten to one to lay it under feet O know that smooth and unblameable walking will not serve your turne there is a greater worke lies upon us to stick and stand to our tacklings when the Lord effectually tries us Now soule see and consider well what thou hast to do If it be so brought about thou canst not both hold God and thine enjoyments God and thy Children God and thy Life canst thou close with God be faithfull unto him and content with him without these Here thou art put to it indeed Mat. 16.25 Whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it And this may serve for them that are free The Use in the next place is to the afflicted Use And to them also it speakes two things The first is comfort It is said of the waters of Marah that when they were so bitter as the people could not drinke Exod. 15. upon Moses his crying unto the Lord the Lord shewed him a tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet The Doctrine is a bough of that tree The Lord may deale very bitterly with his beloved ones And so it is Lord Joh. 11.3 behold he whom thou lovest is sicke which is also applicable to all other sufferings Lord behold he whom thou lovest is bereaved of his Children deprived of all Heb. 〈…〉 c. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth That is into his love and favour in this life and into his Kingdome in the life to come And yet the scope of that Scripture marke the place speaketh unto us lovingly as unto Children 2 Sam. 23.5 This was Davids comfort Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my hope although he make it not to grow The meaning is though my Family have not that flourishing prosperity but there are many enemies against my house and my Children mutiny amongst themselves yet all this shall not frustrate the free promises of God made unto me and grounded on the Messiah And this was his comfort and his hope in the want of outward prosperity Besides they come from a Father not an Avenger out of love not rigour and he that hath one hand upon us hath another under our heads and the one is not more stretched out to smite than the other is to consolate When by reason of sin and suffering the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint Christ laies down himselfe as a Pillow for the soule to be refreshed upon by the application of his own righteousnesse and the consolations of the spirit And though all should be taken away yet there can be no want where there is Gods love in Christ The second thing which this Use speaketh is counsell and that in some particulars viz. If the Almighty have dealt very bitterly with any Be sensible of it Not only of the smart of the suffering but who sends it and for what end Be not like senselesse Ephraim Hos 7.9 whose strength strangers devoured but he knew it not and though gray haires were sprinkled upon him yet he knew not It is the Lord that giveth being to all things actions and motions both in the decree and in their actuall existence Amos 3.6 Malum culpae poenae Shall there be evill in a City that is not the evill of sin but of suffering and the Lord hath not done it He formeth light Isa 45.7 and createth darkenesse he maketh peace and createth evill As we see by the motion of the Celestiall bodies the aire becomes either light or darke even so by the change of Providence we meet with prosperity or adversity peace or trouble God is the ruler of the whole Universe wisely ordering it partly by his direction and partly by his correction in both which we ought to see a divine hand Job 19.21 Therefore saith Job The hand of God hath touched me And this good woman Ver. 13. The hand of the Lord is gone out against me Christians look neither to the right hand nor to the left but upward Know that afflictions spring not out of the dust Blame not chance blame not instruments blame not secondary causes The Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me The Scripture is Lex loquens and speaketh this Language My Son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither be weary of his correction Whence we learne that when trialls are laid upon us and we saile in bitter waters we must be carefull to steere
none of the best even for the sakes of their godly Parents although long before deceased Read these places Gen. 26.24 1 Kings 11.12 32.34 1 King 15.4 2 King 8.19 2 King 19.34 Isa 37.35 Cap. 45.4 c. Not that I in the least impute these allaies of judgement and mixtures of mercy to the merit or worth of their Predecessors but to the promises of God made unto them who also endued them with care and good conscience to keep the condition annexed thereunto This is plaine out of Psal 89.20 forward And the Saints in their wrestlings with God have pleaded it as a strong Argument Thus Moses Exod. 32.18 and 2 Kings 13.23 So that in some cases the Child that is unborne may blesse God that he had a religious Father or Grandfather And if so ye may eftsoone guesse what is like to follow upon the contrary Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul saith David 2 Sam. 9.1 remembring his promise that I may shew him kindnesse for Jonathan's sake And afterwards thus saith he to Mephihosheth Feare not Ver. 7. for I will surely shew thee kindnesse for Jonanathan thy Fathers sake Even thus Children may receive much kindnesse from the King of heaven for their godly Parents sakes Surely a man may be either blessed or cursed not only personally but also in his posterity The blessings of Children are the blessings of Parents and Childrens punishments may be Parents punishments Psal 109. The Psalmist shews sufficiently in those his imprecations that wicked men are plagued in their Children Thus Cham was cursed in his Son Canaan marke the Text not cursed be Cham but cursed be Canaan Gen. 9.25 And contrariwise bounty and kindnesse to Solomon is called bounty and kindnesse to David his Father 1 Kin. 3.6 And Joseph was blessed from his Father in his two Sons Manasseth and Ephraim So saith the Text He blessed Joseph how did he blesse him Gen. 48.15 16. The Angell which redeemed me from all evill blesse the Lads Object But Scripture tels us Ezek. 18.20 Gal. 6.5 The Son shall not beare the iniquity of the Father But every man shall beare his own burden I answer Sol. Here is no contradiction for 1. The Proposition is most true if it be taken away by regeneration 2. The Son shall not beare it in reference to eternall punishment Ver. 4. The soule that sinneth it shall dye God will never send a Child to hell for the Parents sin 3. Neither as I conceive shall the iniquity of the Father devolve upon the Child except he imitate his Fathers iniquity But ye must know 1. Children are Parents goods as is plaine in the case of Job which may justly suffer loss for the owners sake 2. Children are as it were a part of Parents so that when they are punished Parents are punished and this is a more cutting Corrasive and torment to Parents 3. Parents sin is ost a cause of Childrens fin For God in his just judgement may curse a wicked mans Posterity by leaving them to themselves Mat. 23.32 that so they may fill up the measure of their Fathers And when the Child hath not only sins which belong to his owne individuall person but also revives his Fathers by approbation and imitation then the sin is made his own As a man catching the plague dyeth of his own disease wherever he had the infection So that we Object may conclude Children are very proclive to tread in Parents steps And when they appeare to be their Children not only naturally but morally In such case it is usuall for the jealous God To visit the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children to the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him Now Fathers and Mothers be not as Zipporah once said bloody Parents For your Childrens sake looke to your selves That none of yours when you are dead and in your graves may have cause to curse your dead ashes say Woe alas that ever I was born the wretched Child of so unworthy a Parent See to your God Disobedience to the most High will render you very unnaturall and unmercifull to your Children Sinning Parents do what they can to make their Children miserable It was Sampsons Plea unto his Charge for firing the Philistines Corne Judg. 15.11 As they did unto me so have I done unto them Beloved take heed how ye deale with God Psal 18.26 With the froward he will shew himselfe froward Lev. 26. If ye walk contrary unto him then will he also walk contrary unto you If ye provoke him whom you ought to love most he will bereave you of that which ye love most If ye have one Child dearer to you than another by one meanes or other he will deprive you of it If ye love your Children love your God If ye desire to keep them keep in with God he gave and he can take away at pleasure The best way to keep our Children is to serve him who gave us our Children See to your Children That ye carefully performe those Parentall Offices towards them which God in Scripture calls for at your hands We shall particularize some of the prime viz. First then Let Patents have a care they do not provoke their children This the Apostle prohibits most plainly Eph. 6 4. And ye Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath And againe Col. 3.21 Fathers provoke not your children to anger Some Copies adde above what is fitting So that Parentall power hath its limits Docter Davenant observes Davenant an Colos that Parents may abuse their authority and provoke their children severall waies 1. By denying them necessaries which by the Law of God and nature they ought to afford them according to their power As food raiment c. A sin so foule as the Apostle blusheth not one bit to say 1 Tim. 5.8 Such a one hath denied the faith and is worse than an Infidell 2. By burdening their Children with wicked and unjust commands Such was that of Saul 1 Sam. 20.31 when he commanded his Son Jonathan to fetch his innocent friend David that he might be slaine 3. Parents may irritate and provoke their Children when they do passionately and undeservedly affect them with contumeâ—ious and disgracefull language And thus Jonathan in his Fathers rage is called Ver. 30. Son of the perverse rebellious woman Reproachfull Language leaves a sting behind it very difficult to be endured 4. And lastly by immoderate chastisement Which is when the grievousnesse of the punishment exceeds the greatness of the crime Thus the same Saul casts a Javelin at his own Son for defending innocent David whereupon the Text saith Ver. 33. Jonathan arose from thetable in fierce anger And it is too ordinary for fathers of the flesh to chasten their children according to their own pleasure The reason which the Apostle annexeth to this prohibition is Lest they
off two extreames 1. We must not faint under them breaking forth into passionate or desperate speeches Never was any so afflicted as I oh this is greater than I can beare 2. Neither must we despise them or set light by them for it is God that chasteneth whatsoever the rod or instrument be which he useth In the second place be humbled under it Sad affliction ought to worke the heart unto serious humiliation Thus Peter 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves therefore marke therefore under the mighty hand of God And David Psa 32.4 5. Thy hand is heavy upon me I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord. O let the weight of Gods hand upon you or your Families bring you to your knees Let the force of it make you fall down before him in the confession of sin This is another bough to make sweet these bitter waters The Lyon of the Tribe of Judah spareth a poore prostrate creature There is no other way to breake the violence of a divine stroake from God but humbly to run under his hand They have humbled themselves 2 Chr. 12.7 therefore I will not destroy them Nay more this is the only meanes to get the breach repaired God himselfe will dwell in the humble heart he will take up his quarters there O happy exchange O rich supply O gainefull losse I have parted maiest thou say with an Estate a Child c. But I have a God in reserve Blessed are those afflictions which fit a soule to be Gods second heaven In the next place take revenge upon sin When Gods hand is upon us it is good our hand be upon sin When God falls upon us by bitter affliction we should fall upon sin by bitter sorrow repentance mortification c. God eyes most of all what effects afflictions do produce We ought in a special manner to consider the death of those which are neare and deare unto us Son or Daughter It may be God hath deprived us of them for the punishment of our sin it may be they are taken from us because we were unworthy of them or because we gloried too much in them or were not so thankfull for them as we ought Such use as this the widdow of Sarepta made upon the death of her only Child 1 King 17.18 Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my Son upon a due search you will find Sin is the Achan that hath caused all this trouble do execution upon it When Jesabel heard that Elijah had slaine all Baals Prophets she takes a profound yet profane oath So let the Gods do to me and more also if I make not thy life as the life of one of them O say Sin hath opened the birter fountaine Sin hath brought this bitter griefe and if I suffer it will bring me more Sin hath bereaved me of my Children Sin hath wrought me all this mischiefe by the grace of God I will forth with labour the death of sin Pluck it out though it seeme a right eye cut it off though it seeme a right hand or foot spit it out though it be a sweet morsell out with it though it be a beloved Sin Constantine the Great hearing that nothing would cure his Leprosie but the bloud of an Infant ript out of its mothers wombe the good Emperour abhorred the very mentioning of it But sin is so cruell as it would have both the bloud of our Seed and of our Souls It is reported of the Bezor the creature which hath that cordiall stone being hunted and knowing by instinct the cause leaves the stone to the Pursuers to save his life Let the credit of that lye upon the affirmers But Brethren I le tell you afflictions are sent out from God and do pursue us to this end to get from us a stone And it is no precious but a most perniâ—ious stone the stone in the heart Ezek. 11.19 Surely it is not worth keeping O cast it away with your sins and lusts that these Beagles may not too sorely seize upon you Say O Lord discover unto me this sin which engageth thee against me and makes thee contend with me Tell me what it is and take it away that thou mayest withdraw thine hand and be at peace with thy poore Creature We must cast the head of this Sheba over the wall before ever bitter afflictions will make a retreat Againe Justifie God Sore afflictions do lay us open to strong temptations And as a learned man sheweth in his Exposition upon Job Anonymus it is the Devils defigne under such dispensations to provoke us to have hard thoughts of God and to be suspitious of his love and good will towards us How apt are men in affliction to say as that wretched Prince did Behold this evill is of the Lord It is a thing very connaturall with the Sons of Adam to lay their bastard-brats at other mens doores nay rather than faile to lay the fault upon God himselfe Gen. 3.12 The woman whom thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eate O Adam a neat evasion but this Sophistry will not serve your turne Know therefore by sad experience the fault was not mine in giving you the woman but your own in taking the fruit from her hand and eating it against the expresse prohibition you received from God And by this time where are you Adam Whose now is the fault Adam And thus mortall man would seeme more just than God Job 4.17 and more pure than his Maker O have a Care Get to be grounded in this Principle that God is essenally just justice and purity are his very nature he cannot be God and be unjust Therefore under the bitterest crosse give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him saying Jer. 12.1 Righteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee Psal 51 4. Be thou justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest And lastly Submit quietly to God Do not as Israel of old murmur at Marah When Sampson had burnt up the Philistines corne they asked Judg 15 6. Who hath done this Soule when thou art under affliction make inquiry not into the lower but higher causes Tolerare est patientia necessitatis amare tolerare patientia virtutis and thou wilt conclude God hath afflicted me God hath bereaved me of my Children the Almighty hath shewed me much bitternesse Let this quiet thine heart and silence thy spirit under Gods stroakes The snared bird the more she struggles the more she intangles her selfe God hath thee in a snare struggle not It will be but as one taking the Chaine from his leg and tying it to his neck It is no striving against the streame of divine appointment Art thou or thine under a mournfull estate Submit Cast up thine