upon it as Gods minde that you should embrace it for Gods distributing of abilities for an employment is one principal ingredient in those things which concur to the making out of our call to that employment 1 Cor. 7.17 As God hath distributed to every man as God hath called every one 3. Consider how God enclines your heart after you have sought him for Gods call to an employment may be gathered by his inclining of the heart unto it as in the case of the Levite Deut. 18.7,8 The ardent desire of his minde was one way of evidencing his call to Ministers in the Name of the Lord his God 4. Observe Gods providence which way that guides and leads you whilest you are waiting upon God for counsel for that is one way by which God guides and directs us namely by his providence Ps 32.8 I will instruct and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eye By the eye of God with which he will guide us we may understand his providence for so the eye of God is oft-times used to signifie his providence as Psal 34.15 Psal 33.18,19 It is true many men run into great mistakes by pretending to follow providence but this doth dot hinder but that such as regulate their lives by the word of God may in many cases receive light and direction from his Providence 5. Consider what Calling hath least temptations and snares in it and chuse that rather than a calling where you are like to be exposed to many temptations We ought as much as in us lieth to avoid temptations else why do we pray Lead us not into temptation Mat. 6.13 SECT 11. Obj. 11. I am afraid this Judgment came in wrath and that God is angry with me because he hath consumed and burnt all my Estate and that is it which most of all disquiets and troubles my minde namely that I look upon this Judgment as coming in wrath and do apprehend God is angry with me Answ 1. When God sends such great and dreadful Judgments upon any place as the late Fire was it is a token of his fierce anger and of his hot displeasure Psal 78.21 The Lord heard this and was wrath so a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger also came up against Israel Isa 66.15 Behold the Lord will come with fire to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire 2. If this Judgement did come upon you in wrath yet you must bear it with a patient submissive spirit Micha 7.9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him To free or murmur at the taken of Gods wrath is not the way to appease but to increase the indignation of the Lord. 3. If you conceive that God is angry with you do what you can to pacifie his anger Solomon observes Prov. 16.14 The wrath of a King is as messengers of death but a wise man will pacifie it The wrath of God is more dreadful thâ—n the wrath of all the Kings in the world and therefore if you do apprehend God to be angry with you endeavour to get the Lords anger pacified and turned away from you If you ask How shall we get Gods anger pacified and turned away from us I answer 1. Turn from your sins and God will turn away his anger from you Jonah 8.9 Let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not Jer. 3.12 Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you When the people of Israel did at the call of God turn from their sins God saith of Israel Mine anger is turned away from him Hosea 14.1,2,4 2. Turn to the Lord Jesus embrace and lay hold on Christ by a lively Faith and then Gods anger shall be turned away from you and the Lord will be at peace with you Isa 27.5 Let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace with me By Gods strength here understand Christ who is called 1 Cor. 1.24 Christ the Power of God and the wisdom of God By taking hold of Gods strength understand believing in Christ if then you desire to make your peace with God follow the counsel which God himself giveth you to this purpose namely take hold of his strength for upon so doing you shall make peace with him God testifieth concerning Christ Mat. 3.27 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased If you flee for refuge from the wrath of God unto Jesus Christ and cast your selves into his armes the Lord will be well pleased with you 3. Yield your selves to God to do and suffer his will what Solomon saith Eccles 10.4 Yielding pacifieth great offences 't is true in this case though you have greatly offended God if you yield your selves unto the Lord he will be pacified towards you and turn away his wrath from you 2 Chr. 30.8 Be ye not stiff-necked as your fathers were but yield your selves unto the Lord and serve the Lord your God that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you 4. Though this Judgment be the effect of Gods wrath yet there may be much love in it to many persons that have been great sufferers by this Fire The Lord sheweth love when he takes away our outward comforts and enjoyments and chastneth us with his rod as well as when he loadeth us with his benefits Heb. 12.6 Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth Psal 107.39,43 They are minished and brought low through oppression affliction and sorrow who so is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindeness of the Lord. Now if you would know whether this affliction whereby you have been deprived of so great a part of your Estates came in love I will mention two or three things whereby you may know this and they will be of use to you in other afflictions also 1. Such afflictions as draw your souls nearer to God come from love for it is Gods love which causeth him to draw our souls to himself Jer. 31.3 With loving kindeness have I drawn thee Hosea 11.4 I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love Now how do you finde it with your selves in this respect do your losses put you upon seeking reconciliation with God do they stir you up to seek communion with God do they cause you to live and depend more upon his providence and promises if in any respect you finde them drawing your souls nearer to God you may conclude that God hath taken away your Estates out of love to your souls 2. Such afflictions as make us zealous in renewing our repentance come from love Rev. 3.19 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent 3.
of any way how I should do to live answered six wayes 176 to 179 Oject 2. I am shiftless and friendless and therefore I shall not be able to live now my Estate is gone and my Calling faileth answered 179 to 181. Object 3. I cannot work therefore I am afraid I shall perish by want answered 181 182 Object 4. I begin to be in want already I and my family are pinched with hunger and I am afraid we shall be starved answered 183 to 186 How such as are in danger or under fear of being starved to death may be encouraged to trust in God to relieve them answered 186. to 192 Object I am afraid my unbelief will hinder God from taking care of me answered 192 193 Sect. 11. Be not dismayed if God bring you into great straits 193 194 How they that are in such great straits that they know not what to do may be encouraged to trust in God answered 194 to 198 Though we are brought into our straits by our sins this should not hinder us from trusting in God 198 199 Sect. 13. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation where several temptations are instanced in that persons under great afflictions had need to watch against 200 to 251 1. Tempt Satan is wont to tempt such as are under great afflictions to have hard thoughts of God and of his wayes 200 201 How to keep up good thoughts of God in our greatest afflictions answered in 6 particulars 201 to 205 How to keep up good thoughts of the wayes of God in our greatest afflictions answered 206 207 2. Tempt Satan is wont to tempt such as are in great afflictions to forsake God 207 How a man may be kept from forsaking God when he is under affliction answered 207 to 213 3. Tempt Satan often tempts such as are in affliction to change their Religion 213 214 Eight Arguments to perswade us not to forsake the Protestant Religion because of Afflictions that we may meet with for adhering to it 214 215. 4. Tempt Satan is wont to tempt persons under great afflictions to self-murther 219 220 How such as are tempted to self-murther upon the account of their sins or their afflictions may overcome this temptation 220 to 227 Five Arguments to prove that self-murther is a damnable sin 220 221 Three wayes of resisting Satan 222 223 Three encouragements for tempted Souls to flee to Christ 223 224 Pleas for self-murther answered 1. Plea My troubles are so great that I am not able to bear them answered 3 wayes 227 228 2. Plea I have lost or at least I am likely to lose my reputation and I had better dye than be slighted and fall under disgrace 229 230 3. Plea I shall come to want or be driven to beg or live upon and be a burden to others answered 230 to 233 Considerations to perswade such as are brought from an high condition to live upon Alms and beg their bread to comply with this condition 231 232 4. Plea My sins are greater then can be forgiven and are such an heavy burden that I cannot bear them answered 233 234 The case of such as are ready to despair of the pardon of their sins because they cannot repent consisidered 235 236 5. Plea I have committed a shameful sin which if it come to lighe I shall be weary of my life 236 237 6. Plea I am tempted to steal to kill my Children and to commit other foul sins and I had better make away my self then fall into any scandalous sin answered 237 238 7. Plea God hath cast me off and I am sure to go to Hell when I dye yea I feel the beginnings of Hell already and the longer I live here the more I shall encrease my torments in the other world answered 5 wayes 239 240 241. 8. Plea I will confess my sins and repent before I murther my self and if I do so I hope I may go to heaven when I dye answered 241 Four propositions concerning self-murther which conduce much to the helping of the tempted to withstand this temptation 242 to 248 Five Arguments to prove there is hope of salvation for a man as long as he liveth though his case seem very desperate 244 to 247 5. Tempt In time of distress Satan is wont to tempt us to use sinful and indirect means to help our selves 248 249 Three Argument to disswade such as have lost their Estates from using unrighteous caurses to help themselves 249 250 Sect. 13. Temporal losses should put us upon making sure of spiritual and eternal blessings 251 252 Sect. 14. God is to be sought unto to make up our losses 252 Four motives to such as have lost their Estates to seek them of God 253 254 What is the best and surest way to get riches answered in 10 particulars 254 255 256 Sect. 15. We should get our losses made up in better blessings 256 How to get our losses made up in better blessings 257 258 Sect. 16. They that have lost their Houses and Estates should make sure of a better house and better substance in heaven 259 How to make sure of an house in heaven 260 261 262 Sect. 17. This affliction should be a warning to prepare for other afflictions 262 263 Sect. 18. They that have been sufferers by this Fire should comfort and encourage themselves in God 264 Five grounds of comfort and encouragement to the servants of God that have suffered great losses by the late Fire 265 to 370 Great calamities are often followed with great mercies 270 to 274 Sect. 19. Such as purpose to build should so carry on the work of building as to prosper in it 274 How to prosper in Building answered 274 to 292 Four reasons why such as set upon building should give themselves unto prayer 275 276 Three encouragements to set upon the work of Building in Faith 277 to 282 Building of desolate Cities is a good work proved by several arguments 277 278 Several promises to encourage Building 280 281 How we may be built up a spiritual house unto the Lord answered in 6 particulars 288 to 291 Quest 3. What shall they render unto the Lord for his mercy whose Houses and Goods were preserved from being consumed by the late dreadful Fire page 293 Several propositions premised in order to the answering of this question 293 to 296 Sect. 1. They must render to God their love 297 How to express our love to God answered three wayes 298 Sect. 2. They must render praise to God 299 300 Two motives to praise God for sparing us from this Fire 301 302 Sect. 3. Gods mercies should lead us to repentance 302 303 Three reasons why Gods mercies should lead us to repentance 304 305 Sect. 4. We must not judge them to be the greatest sinners that are the greatest sufferers 305 Four reasons against judging of mens sins by their sufferings 306 Sect. 5. They that have escaped this Fire should put on bowels of Compassion towards