below 't is this that 〈◊〉 the Iâ—gredients and makes up the whole Compound 2. It shews us the happy condition of every Child of God All things work for his good the best and worst things Psal. 112.4 Vnto the upright ariseth light in darknesse The most dark cloudy Providences of God have some Sun-shine in them What a blessed condition is a true Believer in when he dyes he goes to God and while he lives every thing shall do him good affliction is for his good What hurt doth the fire to the gold only purifie it What hurt doth the Fan to the Corn only separate the Chaffe from it What hurt do Leeches to the body only suck out the bad bloud God doth never use his staff but to beat out the dust Affliction doth that which the Word many times will not it opens the ear to Discipline Job 36.10 When God lays men upon their backs then they look up to Heaven Gods smiting his people is like the Musicians striking upon the Viol which makes it put forth a melodious sound How much good comes to the Saints by affliction when they are pounded and broken they send forth their sweetest smell Affliction is a bitter root but it bears sweet fruit Heb. 12.11 It yeeldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse Affliction is the High-way to Heaven though it be Flinty and Thorny yet it is the nearest way Poverty shall starve our sins sicknesse shall make grace more healthfull 2 Cor. 4.16 Reproach shall cause the Spirit of God and of Glory to rest upon us 1 Pet. 4.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 death shall stop the Bottle of Tears and open the Gate of Paradice A Believers dying day is his ascension day to glory Hence it is the Saints have put their afflictions in the Inventory of their riches Heb. 11.26 Themistocles being banished his own Country grew afterwards in favour with the King of Egypt whereupon he said Periissem nisi periissem I had perished if I had not perished So may a Child of God say If I had not been afflicted I had been destroyed if my health and estate had not been lost my soul had been lost 3. See then what an encouragement here is to become Godly All things shall work for good Oh that this may tempt the world to fall in love with Religion Can there be a greater Load-stone to piety Can any thing more prevail with us to be good than this All things shall work for our good Religion is the true Philosophers stone that turns every thing into Gold Take the sowrest part of Religion the suffering part and there is comfort in it God sweetens sufferings with joy he candies our Wormwood with Sugar oh how may this bribe us to Godlinesse Iob 22.21 Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace so good shall come unto thee No man did ever come off a loser by his acquaintance with God thereby good shall come unto thee abundance of good the sweet distillations of Grace the Hidden Manna yea every thing shall work for good Oh then get acquaintance with God espouse his Interest 4. It shews us the miserable condition of wicked men To them that are godly evill things work for good to them that are evill good things work for hurt illis qui oderâ—â—t deum etiam bona cedunt in malum 1. Temporal good things work for hurt to the wicked Riches and Prosperity they are not munera but insidiae as Seneca speaks Worldly things are given to the wicked as Michael was given to David for a snare 1 Sam. 18.21 The Vulture draws sickness from a perfume so do the wicked from the sweet perfume of Prosperity Their mercies are like poysoned bread given to Dogs Their Tables are sumptuously spread but there is a hook under the bait Psal. 69.22 Let their Table become a snare All their enjoyments are like Israels Quails which were sauced with the wrath of God Numb 11.33 Foeâ—us pecuniae funus animae Pâ—ide and Luxury are the Twins of Prosperity Deut. 32.15 Thou art waxen fat then he forsook God Riches are not only the Spiders web unprofitable but the Cockatrice egge pernicious Eccl. 5.13 Riches kept for the hurt of the Owner Et transeunt et vulnerant The câ—mmon mercies wicked men have are not Loadstones to draw them nearer to God but Milstones to sink them deeper in Hell 1 Tim. 6.9 Their dilicious dainties are like Hamans Banquet after all their Lordly fare death will bring in the Reckoning and they must pay the reckoning in Hell 2. Spiritual good things work for hurt to the wicked from the flower of heavenly blessings they suck poyson â— The Ministers of God work for their hurt The same wind that blows one Ship to the Haven blows another Ship upon a Rock The same breath in the Ministry that blows a godly man to Heaven blows a prophane sinner to Hell They who come with the Word of Life in their mouth yet to many are a savour of death Isa. 6.10 Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy The Prophet was sent upon a sad Message to preach their Funeral Sermon Wicked men are worse for preaching Amos 5.10 They hate him that rebukes in the Gate Sinners grow more resolved in sin let God say what he will they will do what they list Ier. 44.16 As for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee The word preached is not healing but hardning And how dreadful is this for men to be sunk to Hell with Sermons 2. Prayer works for their hurt Pro. 8.15 The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. A wicked man is in a great strait if he prays not he sins if he prays he sins Psal. 109.7 Let his prayer become sin It were a sad Judgment if all the meat a man did eat should turn to ill-humors and breed diseases in the body So it is with a wicked man that Prayer which should do him good works for his hurt he prays against sin and sins against his prayer his Duties are tainted with Atheism fly-blown with Hypocrisie God abhors them 3. The Lords Supper works for their hurt 1 Cor. 10.31 Ye cannot eat of the Lords Table and the Table of Devils Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie Some of the Iews kept their Idol Feasts yet would come to the Lords Table saith the Apostle Do you provoke the Lord to wrath Prophane persons feast with their sins yet will come to feast at the Lords Table This is to provoke God To a sinner there is death in the Cup he eats and drinks his own damnation 1 Cor. 11.29 Thus the Lords Supper works for hurt to impenitent sinners After the Sop the Devil enters 4. Christ himself works for hurt to desperate sinners he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence 1 Pet. 2.7 He
doubtful the Apostle doth not say We hope or conjecture but it is like an Article in our Creed We know all things work for good Whence observe That the Truths of the Gospel are evident and infallible A Christian may come not onely to a loose opinion but to a certainty of what he holds As the Axiomes in Logick and Aphorismes in Physick are demonstrated to Reason so the Truths in Religion are demonstrated to Faith We know saith the Apostle Though a Christian hath noâ— a perfect knowledge of the Mysteries of the Gospel yet he hath a certain knowledge We see through a glasse darkly 1 Cor. 13.12 therefore we have not perfection of knowledge but we behold with open face 2 Cor. 3.18 therefore we have a certainty The Spirit of God doth imprint Heavenly Truths upon the heart as with the point of a Diamond A Christian may know infallibly there is an evill in sin a beauty in holiness He may know that he is in the state of Grace 1 Iohn 3.14 We know that we have passed from death to life He may know that he shall go to Heaven 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that if our earthly Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house made without hands eternal in the Heavens The Lord doth not leave his People at uncertainties in matters of Salvation The Apostle comes with his Probatum est in the Text We know we have arrived at a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or holy confidence we have both the Spirit of God and our own experience setting seal to it Let us not rest in Scepticisme but labour to come to a certainty in the things of Religion As that Martyr woman said I cannot dispute for Christ but I can burn for Christ. God knows whether we may not be called forth to be witnesses to his Truth therefore it concerns us to be wel-grounded and confirmed in it If we are doubtful Christians we shall be wavering Christian whence is apostacy but from incredulity * Men first question â—he â—ruth and then fall from the Tâ—uâ—h O beg the â—piâ—it of God not onely to anoint you but to seal you 2 Cor. 1.22 CHAP. II. Containing the grand Proposition 2. I Passe to the second the excellency of the Priviledge All tâ—ings work together for good This is a Iacobs staffe in the hand of faith with which we may walk cheerâ—ully to the Mount of God what will saâ—isfie or give content if this wiâ—l noâ— Aâ—l things work together for good This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 work together is a Physical expression Several poysonful ingredients put together being tempered by the skill of the Apoâ—hecaâ—y make a Soveraign Medicine and work together for the good of the Patient So all Gods Pâ—ovidences being divinely tempered and sanctified do work together for the best to the Sâ—inâ—s He who loves God and is called according to his purpose may say to his soul Soul take thy â—ase for there is much good laid up for thee every thing in the woâ—lâ— shall be for thy good This is a Christians Cordial which may cause the colour to come in his face and make him like Ionathan who when he had tasted the honey at the end of the roâ— hiâ— eyes were enlightened 1 Sam. 14 27. Why should a Christian exenteraâ—e himself why should â—e kill himself wiâ—h care when all things shall sweetly concuâ—â—e yea conspiâ—e for his gâ—od The result of the â—ex is this Doct. That all the various dealings of God with his Children do by a special Providence turn to their good Psal. 25. â—0 All the paths of the Lord are mercy unto such as keep his Covenant If every path hath mercy in it then it woâ—ks for good 1. What things work for good to the Godly 2. Why all things work for good to the Godly 1. What things are they which work for good to the Elect 1. The best things 2. The worst things CHAP. III. Shewing that the best things work for good to the Godly 1. THe best things work for good to the Godly There aâ—e eight of these 1. Gods Attributâ—s work for good these three in perticular 1. Gods Power works for good It is a glorious power Col. 1.11 and it is engaged for the good of the Elect. Out of this strong comes forth sweetness The Power of God works for good four wayes 1. In supporting us in misery 2. In supplying our wants 3. In subduing our corruptions 4. In conquering our enemies Gods Power works for good 1. In supporting us in misery Deut. 33.27 Vnderneath are the everlasting Arms. What upheld Daniel in the Lyons Den Ionah in the Whales Belly the three Children in the Furnace only the power of God Is it not strange to see a bruised Reed grow and flourish How is a weak Christian able not only to endure â—ffliction but rejoyce in it He is upheld by the Arms of the Almighty 2 Cor. 12.9 My strength is made perfect in weakness 2. In supplying our wants God creates comforts when means â—ail He that brought food to the Prophet Elijah by the unnatural Ravens will bring sustenance to his people God can preserve the Oyl in the Cruse 1 Kings 17.14 The Lord made the Sun on Ahaz's Dial go ten degrees backward So when our outward comforts are declining and it is almost Sun-setting God often causeth a revival and bâ—ings the Sun many degrees backward 3. In subduing our corruptions Mic. 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities The Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will put them under the yoak Is thy sin strong God is powerful he will break the head of this Leviathan Is thy heart hard God will dissolve that stone in Christs blood Iob 23.16 The Almighty maketh my heart soft When we say as Iehoshaphat We have no might against this great Army the Lord goes up with us and helps us to fight our battels he strikes off the heads of those Goliah-lusts which are too strong for us 4. In conquering our enemies He stains the pride and breaks the confidence of adversaries Psal. 2.9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron There is rage in the Enemy malice in the Devil but power in God How easily can he rout all the Forces of the wicked 2 Chron. 14.11 It is nothing for thee Lord to help Gods power is on his Churches side Deut. 33.29 Happy art thou O Israel O people saved by the Lord who is the shield of thy help and the sword of thy excellency 2. The Wisdom of God works for good Gods wisdome is our Oracle to instruct us As he is the Mighty God so the Counsellor Isa. 9.6 We are often times in the dark and in matters intricate and doubtful know not which way to take here God comes in with light Psal. 32.8 I will guide thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with mine eye EYE there is put for Gods wiâ—dome Whence is it the Saints
themselves so much against it The more violent others are against the truth the more valiant the Saints are for it Living fish swim against the stream the more the Tyde of sin comes in the more the Godly swim against it The impieties of the times provoke holy passion in the Saints that anger is without sin which is against sin The sins of others are as a Whet-stone to set the sharper edge upon us they whet our zeal and indignation against sin the more 5. The sins of others work for good as they make us more earnest in working out our salvation When we see wicked men take such pains for Hell this makes us more industrious for Heaven The wicked have nothing to encourage them yet they sin they venture shame and disgrace they break through all oppositions Scripture is against them and Conscience is against them there is a flaming sword in their way yet they sin Lam. 5.9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives Sinners eat the bread of wickednesse with the peâ—il of their souls Godly hearts seeing the wicked thus mad for the forbidden fruit and hacknying our themselves in the Devils service are the more emboldned and quickned in the wayes of God they will take Heaven as it were by storm The wicked are swift Dromedaries in sin Ier. 2.23 and do we creep like Snails in Religion shall impure sinners do the Devil more service than we do Christ shall they make more hast to a Prison than we do to a Kingdom are they never weary of sinning and are we weary of praying have not we a better Master than they are not the paths of vertue pleasant is not there joy in the way of duty and Heaven at the end The activity of the sons of Belial in sin is a spur to the Godly to make them mend their pace and run the faster to Heaven 6. The sins of others work for good as they are Glasses in which we may see our own hearts Do we see a flagitious impious sinner behold a picture of our hearts such should we be if God did leave us what is in other mens practise is in our nature Sin in the wicked is like fire on a Beacon that flames and blazeth forth sin in the Godly is like fire in the Embers Christian though thou dost not break forth into a flame of scandal yet thou hast no cause to boast for there is much sin raked up in the Embers of thy nature thou hast the root of bitterness in thee and wouldst bear as hellish fruit as any if God did not either curb thee by his power or change thee by his grace 7. The sins of others work for good as they are a means to make the people of God more thankfull When you see another infected with the plague how thankful are you that God hath preserved you from it It is a good use that may be made even of the sins of others to be more thankfull why might not God have left us to the same excess of riot Think with thy self O Christian why should God be more propiâ—ious to thee than to another why should he take thee out of the wild Olive of nature and not him how may this make thee to adore free grace What the Pharisee said boastingly we may say thankfully Luke 18.11 God I thank thee that I am not as other men are Extortioners Vnjust Adulterers c. So we are to adore the riches of grace that we are not as others Drunkards Swearers Sabbath-breakers Every time we see men ranâ—ing it in sin we are to blesse God we are not such If we see a franâ—ique person we blesse God it is not so with us Much more when we see others under the power of Satan we are to make our thankfull acknowledgement that it is not our condition 8. The sins of others work for good as they are a means to make Gods people better Christian God can make thee a gainer by anothers sin The more unholy others are the more holy thou art The Roses that grow neer Garlick are sweetest So anothers unsavouriness makes a Christians graces send out a more fragrant perfume The more a wicked man gives himself to sin the more a godly man gives himself to prayer Psal. 109.4 But I give my self to prayer 9. The sins of others work for good as they give an occasion to us of doing good Were there no sinners we could not be in such a capacity for service The Godly are often a means to convert the wicked their prudent advise and pious example is a lure and bait to draw sinners to the embracing of the Gospel The disease of the Patient works for the good of the Physician by emptying the Patient of noxious peccant humours the Physitian enricheth himself So by converting sinners from the errour of their way our Crown comes to be enlarged Dan. 12.3 They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever Not as Lamps or Tapers but sicut Stelia as the Stars for ever Thus we see the sins of others work for our good 2. Our own sins shall work for good This must be understood warily when I say the sins of the goâ—ly work for good not that there is the least good in sin Sin is like poyson which corrupts the blood infects the heart and without a Soveraign Antidote brings death Such is the venemous naâ—uâ—e of sâ—n 't is deadly and damning Sin is worse than Hell but yet God by his mighty over-ruling power makes sin in the issue turn to the good of his people God can make a Treacle of this poyson Hence that golden saying of St. Austin God would never permit evil if he could not bring good out of evil The Reliques and remains of corruption in the Saints work for good several wayes 1. Sin makes them weary of this life That sin is in the godly is sad but that it is a burden is good St. Paul's afflictions pardon the expression were but a play to him in comparison of his sin he rejoyced in tribulation 2 Cor. 7.4 But how did this bird of Paradise weep and bemoan himself under his sins Rom. 7.24 Who shall deliver me from the body of this death A Believer carries his sins as a Prisoner his shackles Oh how does he long for a Goal-delivery This sensibility of sin is good 2. This in-being of corruption makes the Saints prize Christ more He that feels his sin as a sick man feels his sickness how welcome is Christ the Physitian to him He that feels himself stung with sin how precious is the brazen Serpent to him When Paul had cryed out of a body of death how thankful was he for Christ Rom. 7.25 I thank God through Iesus Christ my Lord. Christs bloud saves from sin and is the sacred oyntment which kills this Quick-silver 3. Sin works for good as it is an occasion of putting the soul upon six rare