saw his sons and his sons sons even four generations After which the happy days he enjoyed here concluded in an unspeakably more happy Eternity And thus as Satan said doth Iob serve God for nought so we see that his great Patience and exemplary Submission to the Will of God under the sorest and severest trials was not in vain in the Lord but abundantly recompenced But before I conclude this Example of Resignation I must take notice that so great was Iob's Patience that some of the Rabbins of old and some of late have imagined the account that we have of him to be rather a moral fiction a Romance and Parable than a real History So very averse are men to think any higher degrees of goodness attainable than what they themselves are willing to come up to But that we may not doubt whether it were a true History besides other arguments that in Ezech. xiv 14. 20. doth evidently prove it so to be There it is twice said Though these three men Noah Daniel and Iob were in it they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness intimating that if there were any hope or help for a Nation none were more likely to prevail than these three persons most dear to God for their singular Piety A like expression there is Ier. xv 1. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be to this people Now Noah and Daniel Moses and Samuel being no imaginary but real persons why should it be thought that Iob onely was so Let it be farther considered that in Iam. 5. 10 11. we are directed to the Prophets and to Iob as examples of Patience Now the Prophets being no fictions but such as really spake in the name of the Lord how should Iob come to be joyned with them if there were never such a one in being Surely are not exhorted to the imitation of one who never was nor encouraged to a real duty by an imaginary and feigned reward If this Story were a mere fiction the argument to patience which St. Iames useth in those words Ye have heard of the patience of Iob and have seen the end of the Lord c. might have been thus excepted against by those suffering Christians to whom he there speaketh viz. What do you tell us of one Iob of his patience and reward there was never such a person there were never such things practised as are said of him and therefore how can what you have told us concerning him signifie any thing to our encouragement CHAP. X. Of the Example of ELI X. A third Example shall be that of Eli. He was both the High-Priest and Judge the chief of both Capacities Sacred and Civil and judged Israel fourty years But being greatly faulty in not using his power to the restraining his two sons Hophni and Phinehas that rendred the Service of God and the Priesthood vile by their Covetousness Luxury and Uncleanness God sent Samuel with this sad message to him namely that he would judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knew of but did not restrain by his authority That his two sons should die on one day that the dignity of the Priesthood should be taken from his Family and given to another This sentence though most righteous was so severe that it is said that both the ears of every one that heard of the execution of it should tingle 1 Sam. iii. 11. And it was an irreversible sentence for God saith that he hath sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever ver 14. A dreadful expression of his great displeasure And now how was Eli affected with this message His Resignation of himself and free Submission to the Will of God is exprest ver 18. in that speech of his It is the Lord Let him do what seemeth him good or what is good in his eyes Let him do not what I but what he thinks best who is both infinitely wise and just and knoweth better than I how to dispose of all for his own glory He is holy in all his ways and therefore 't is fit his will should take place His heart did not fret against the Lord nor was he cut to the heart when this sad cutting message was brought him which was no less than the cutting off of his arm and the arm of his fathers house As it is exprest Chap. ii 31. And he gave proof of it For when he heard that his two sons were slain in Battel which was the sign God gave of the approching ruine of his house Chap. ii 34. he seemed to bear this unconcernedly in comparison of the following tidings For when he heard that the Ark of God was taken that sad word strikes him backward and made him sink down in a deadly swound Then he fell off from his Seat and brake his neck with the fall Chap. iv 18. The good old man was so resigned to the Will of God as to his own concerns that he could patiently bear the departure of the glory of his house but the departure of the Glory from Israel of the Ark which was the token of God's special favour and residence among them this he could not bear CHAP. XI Of the Example of DAVID XI THe fourth Example I shall propose of Self-Resignation is holy David a man after God's own heart that would fulfill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all his wills as it is Acts xiii 22. He was eminent for obedience to the Divine Commands he delighted to do the will of God yea his law was within his heart Psal. xl 11. And had respect unto all his Commandments Psal. cxix 6. And he was likewise eminent for a patient submissive temper under great trials and sufferings That was an exceeding great trial when with his houshold and loyal Subjects he was forced to fly with all speed out of Ierusalem for the saving his life from the bloudy machinations of his own Son Absolom We have the Story in 2 Sam. 15 16. Chapters Absolom his third son by birth but now his eldest and therefore Heir apparent to the Crown being impatient to stay for it till the natural death of his Father designed first by flattering civilities to insinuate himself into the hearts of the people and afterwards by armed power to force his way into his Throne For his person he was of a very lovely aspect and taking presence so that in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absolom for his beauty from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him He had also a fair and smooth tongue was of a winning and insinuating behaviour so that he stole away the hearts of the men of Israel And having so done it was an easie business to get himself chosen and proclaimed King which was done by the men of Israel and
hardship when he sends it Should not the memory of his many and long continued mercies more sweeten and endear our good God to us than some present crosses and adversities imbitter our thoughts of him and sowre our spirits with discontent Oh the heighth and excellency of Grace in this holy man He was Vir ante Evangelia Evangelicus A person of the true Evangelical and Christian spirit before Christ or his Gospel came into the world How had patience its perfect work in him There could not be a braver spectacle a more lovely sight on the whole earth for God and Angels to behold than such a Soul in the midst of such trials the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit being in the sight of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of great price If Seneca could say of Cato Behold a sight which that God who diligently observes the work of his own hands may fix his eye upon well may it be said of holy Iob. This honourable Elogium is given of him Chap. 2. 10. In all this Iob sinned not with his lips And the like in Chap. i. 22. where it is added nor charged God foolishly He did not speak unworthily of God or his disposals nor had he any disbecoming thoughts of him or them Nay he was so far from repining and fretting at the severest of them that as was said he took them gratefully at his hands As deformed and diseased a Creature as Iob was as to his outward man he was most sound fair and lovely within Though his Body lay among the ashes and potsherds yet was he as to the inward Constitution of his Soul as the wings of a Dove beautified with such interchangeable colours by the Sun shining upon her that they are as it were covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold In the Song of Hannah it is said that God raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill But here we have a far greater wonder God exalted Iob even when he debased him to the dust and made him in his lowest estate a glorious person more glorious to all ages than ever he would have been had there been nothing in his story but that he was for his Wealth and Honour the greatest of all the men of the East So that Iob even whilst he was of this low degree might rejoyce in that he was exalted to allude to that of St. Iames Chap. 1. 9. Great afflictions accompanied with an unconquerable patience canonize men and advance them to a peculiar degree of honour and glory above the rest of mankind Behold we count them happy that endure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we call them blessed James v. 11. St. Chrysostom thus magnificently speaks of Iob's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Dunghill that it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more stately than any Kingly Throne And of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Sores that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 richer than any jewels and precious stones nay that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more splendid and glorious than the very Sun-beams And again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that no King sitting upon his Throne is so illustrious as was Job then upon the Dunghill honourable and glorious That very Ash-heap or Dunghill where the illustrious debased Iob sate was a Throne of glory no Royal Seat of Majesty or Chair of State was so glorious here his patience was inthroned here the humble Greatness and Majesty of his mind shined forth and the Spirit of Glory rested on him What a pleasure was it to Heaven to see this Champion come off so bravely and to baffle all the attempts and arts that the Devil could use to break his spirit and force him to impatience and unworthy reflections upon God and his Providence God said twice to Satan Hast thou considered my servant Iob that there is none like him in all the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hast thou set thine heart upon my servant Iob Hast thou taken special notice of him God seemeth to glory and make his boast of this excellent person as a more worthy sight than any that presented it self to the view of observation in any part of the world But he was much more worthy of esteem and admiration after he had been proved by such sore trials when the trial of his faith and patience was found unto praise and honour and glory So great was his Patience so exemplary his Resignation that the holy Scripture sets a special mark both upon it and him Upon it James 5. 11. Ye have heard of the patience of Iob upon him in that he is mentioned as one of God's three most peculiar Favourites Ezech. 14. And now having given some account of his woful afflictions and his great patience under them we will speak briefly of the reward this his submission and Resignation of himself to the Will of God was at last crowned with After the Apostle had said in the forementioned place Ye have heard of the patience of Iob it follows and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy And in the 42. Chapter of Iob we find him most amply rewarded even in this life In the seventh and eighth verses we read that he found such special favour in the eyes of God that his three friends who had added to the heavy weight of his afflictions and had not spoken of God that which was right as Iob had done could not atone his anger with a Burnt-offering without Iob's intercession in their behalf And in the tenth verse it is said that the Lord turned the captivity of Iob when he prayed for his friends also the Lord gave Iob twice as much as he had before And in the twelfth verse that the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning for he had fourteen thousand Sheep and six thousand Camels and a thousand yoke of Oxen and a thousand She-asses whereas he had before but half this number of each of these as hath been shewn Thus in his Goods and Possessions which were either destroyed by fire or carried away by his thievish Neighbors the Sabeans and Chaldeans and so were never to be enjoyed by him more God gave him in these double But as to his Children he gave him the just number he had before viz. seven sons and three daughters v. 13. These it is likely were not doubled because though they were taken away by death yet they were not utterly lost but their spirits returned to God that gave them they were still alive with God where their Father should again meet them in the other life But there is this said concerning these new daughters of Iob which was not said of the former that in all the land were no women found so fair as they ver 15. And lastly we read in ver 16. that after this lived Iob an hundred and fourty years and
But God will reward them with an eternal Reward with an exceeding and eternal weight of Glory So that well might the Apostle reckon the sufferings of this present time and consequently the services also not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us Rom. viii 18. Thou art not far from thy journeys end thou hast but a short life a little time to testifie thy love to God here on earth and he hath an Eternity to reward thee in which therefore should encourage our patience to persevere and hold out to the end Especially when we consider that though this Reward be future yet it is near at least part of it and a considerable part too Though there will be a further completion of our felicities at the Resurrection of the just and the great day of recompence yet the Souls of the faithful may expect to receive a very considerable part of the recompence of reward before that day And even in this life they have some earnests of that glorious Reward some foretastes of the pleasures of God's right hand some bunches of the Grapes that grow in the upper and heavenly Canaan And the more Christians endeavour to live the life of Heaven the more heavenly their affections and conversations are here the more shall they have here of heavenly Enjoyments And in these respects the Scripture sometimes speaks of those that are excellently religious even whilst they are in this life that they have eternal life John vi 54. 1 John v. 13. And that they sit with Christ in heavenly places Eph. ii 6. Lastly This Resignation to the Will of God is also highly conducing to our Temporal Good And that not onely because it hath the promise of the life that now is as well as of that to come but because it tends in its own nature hereunto Here I will particularly and very briefly shew that it makes for our profit and advantage as to our outward estate as to our ease and quiet and as to our health and strength 1. As to our outward estate This it doth 1. As it engages men against Pride and to Humility and Modesty By this means are avoided vast and needless expenses about Attire and Dressing Building Feastings and a great number of pompous Vanities And also the great charges which men of aspiring and ambitious spirits are at for the procuring of Dignities Honours and high Places and the supporting of their Grandeur that they may be the more esteemed reverenced and admired by the world 2. As it engageth to Temperance and Sobriety against all Sensuality and a delicious luxurious life And so expensive Divertisements Sports and Revellings Incontinence and making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof which impair and consume mens Estates and bring not a few to a morsel of bread are all avoided The desires of Temperance are cheap easie and soon satisfied 3. As it engages to Meekness in opposition to Wrath Malice and Revenge And by this means Quarrels which often cost men dear and abundance of expensive Law-suits are prevented It costs men much more usually to revenge Injuries than to bear them 4. As it engageth to Labour and Industry in lawful Callings in opposition to Carelessness and Sloth which as Solomon saith shall clothe a man with rags whereas the hand of the diligent maketh rich 2. It makes for our ease and quiet in the world And this 1. As it engageth to Meekness and peaceable spiritedness which as it is a grace most lovely in it self so it makes those that are indued with it lovely and acceptable to others and wins and attracts good will 2. As it engageth to Mercifulness both in giving and forgiving None but a Monster and one prodigiously wicked and unworthy will put affronts upon and procure trouble to those that are mercifull in these two respects 3. As it engageth to Justice Truth and Uprightness in giving to every one his due in not defrauding wronging or defaming any all which plainly tend to the procuring of Peace 3. It makes for our health and strength the good habit and constitution of our Bodies as well as of our Souls This it doth 1. As it engageth to Sobriety against Excess which both begets and feeds diseases and Distempers Incontinence and Intemperance weaken both the body and the mind shorten life and make it painful and uncomfortable while it lasts 2. As it engageth against heart-tearing Cares and such anxious Solicitudes as waste natural strength and prey upon the spirits 3. As it engages against all inordinate affections all fleshly as well as worldly lusts These make men lean and sick as Amnon's lust after Tamar made him 4. As it begets chearfulness and tranquillity of spirit which hath a proper efficacy to the preservation of health As a broken spirit drieth the bones so a chearful heart doth good like a medicine Prov. xvii 22. 5. As it engageth to honest labour in opposition to a soft and delicate life Exercise hath a natural tendency to the making men hardy strong and healthful Now then would we be fully and in all things resigned to the holy and good will of God let us observe this first Direction and labour after a great sense of the truth of the foregoing Principles and all those Considerations which have been proposed to our view which are most powerful arguments to perswade to this Duty CHAP. II. That humble and fervent prayer is a necessary and effectual means to the attaining the grace of Self-Resignation II. IN the second place Being humbled in a deep sense of thy Irresignation and Disobedience wherein thou hast hitherto walked to the hurt and danger of thy Soul beg of God this high and holy temper of Soul This one thing desire thou of God and seek after it all thy days Humble and holy Prayer is one of the greatest helps to the obtaining of any grace or good thing from God Let us then carefully apply our selves to him for this great blessing it being such a one as none but himself can give and he who is our Father in Heaven the Father of mercies will give this and all good things to them that ask him If any of you lack wisdom saith S. Iames let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Now this Resignation of our wills to the Will of God is the highest point of wisdom and this sort of wisedom is particularly meant in the Text as appears by the foregoing verses But then our Prayers must be with fervency and in faith First They must be fervent The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much James v. 16. Not cold and languid desires or faint wishes But we are not to judge of the true fervency of Prayer by the heat of the head or phansie but by the heat of the heart and the ardency of our affections My heart saith David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉