sackclothe upon all the beauty and bravery of the Creature and so hideth pride from man when God by some flashes of Lightning strikes us blind to the World then we can discover beauty and excellency in Christ infinitely transcending all the beauty and excellency in the World Thou art fairer then the Children of men grace is poured into thy lips when under the stairs Psal 45.2 Cant. 5.10 and in the Clifts of the Rocks then the soul can sing my beloved is white and ruddy the chicfest among ten thousand When the God of Heaven hath famisht all our Gods on earth when he hath hunger-starved us as to Creature comforts in any way whatsoever then we can hunger after and taste the sweetness the fulness which is in Jesus Christ O then Christ a King to govern a Prophet to teach a Priest to save how precious then none but Christ none but Christ give me a Christ or else I die In a word my Beloved when once it is come by what exigencies and surprises soever to an Oh wretch that I am who shal deliver me Rom. 7.24 then I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Truly God is forc't to exercise us with a severe Discipline that he may endear Jesus Christ to our hearts and secludes us from the World that we may study and improve his fulness As the Law is our School-master Gal. 3.24 so affliction is an Vsher to the Law affliction brings us to the Law and the Law brings us to Christ And thus I have dispatcht the first thing I undertook for the opening of the Doctrine sc The Lessons which God teacheth those whom he chasteneth both in their twenty particulars and in their three summary comprehensive heads to which all the rest may be reduced I come to the second thing namely The Nature or properties of divine teaching The nature and propetries of divine teaching For my Brethâ—en it is not every teaching that will make or evidence a man to be a blessed man under affliction There is hardly any man that is under affliction but he learns somewhat by it yet few are blessed the reason is because it matters not so much what a man is taught as who is the Teacher whither he be taught of God or no yea that is not all neither for we are not to enquire only whether we be taught of God but how There is a twofold teaching of God There is a common teaching which even Heathen men out of the Church Hypocrites Reprobates within the Church may have the very Philosophers have read excellent Lectures upon affliction Seneca others and there is a special teaching proper and peculiar only to the Children of promise A Covenant-teaching Isa 54.13 All thy Children shall be taught of God it is the Covenant of God with thâ— Redeemer Isa 54 13. A teaching without which no man can come to Christ John 6.45 Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Now this teaching hath a sixfold property The first property is 6. properties of Covenantreaching It is an inward teaching Inward in respect of the Object and inward in respect of the Subject Inward in respect of the Object 1. Property it is inward so our Saviour concerning the saving teaching of the Holy Ghost when the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth Ioh. 16 13 Man may lead you UNTO truth but it is the spirit of God that only can lead you INTO truth he only that hath the Key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth can open to you the door of truth and shew you the inside of truth And great is the difference between these two teachings He that comes to a stately house or place sees only the outward fabrick and structure and even that may take much but he that comes into it sees all the inward contrivances and conveyances he sees all the rich furniture and adornings of the several rooms and Offices of the house which are not only for use but for delight and ornament Surely the very out-side of truth is goodly but like the Kings Daughter it is all glorious within not pleasing only but ravishing this they see who are led into truth Psal 119.18 by verâ—ue whereof David saw wonderful things in the Law Objects which filld his soul with wonder and delight And as the teachings of the Covenant are inward in respect of the Object so inward also in respect of the Subject In the HIDDEN PART thou hast made me know wisdom Psal 51.6 and again I thank the Lord that gave me counsel MY REINS also instruct me in the night seasons Psal 16.7 the Reins are the most inward part of the Body and the night-season the most retired and private time both express the intimacy of divine teaching man may teach the Brains but God only teacheth the Reins the knowledg which man teacheth is a swimming knowledg but the knowledg which Christ teacheth is a soaking knowledg God who commanded light to shine out of dâ—rkness 2 Cor. 4 6 hath shined into our HEARTS to give the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ it is a loaden expression and holds forth the inward teachings of God on both sides both in reference to the Subject and in reference to the Object In reference to the Subject He that commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts Mans light may shine into the Head but Gods light doth shine into the Heart God hath his Throne in Heaven Cathedram habet inCaelis quicorda doâ—et Aâ—g but his Chair his Pulpit is in the heart he hath shined into our hearts And then you have the inwardness of divine teaching in respect of the Object he hath given us the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Man may give knowledg confused general knowledg but God giveth the light of knowledg in the lustre and brightness of it In thy light we shall see light Psal 36.9 the soul seeth by the same light whereby God himself seeth thy light and not only so here is not only knowledg and light of knowledg but the glory of that light the light which God brings in to the sanctified understanding is a glorious light a marvelous light 1 Pet. 2.9 the soul that the spirit taketh by the hand leadeth into truth standeth wondering at the glory and excellency of that light which shines round about it And then lastly all this in the face of Jesus Christ The face is the full discovery of a person Moses could not see Gods face but only his back-parts he might see Exod. 33. last But now by the flesh of Josus Christ God hath put a vail upon his face the vail of his flesh Heb. 10.20 through which we may see the face of God
1 Tim. 3.6 for now in Christ it is God manifest in the flesh the humane nature of Jesus Christ hath made God visible In this face now of Jesus Christ do they whom God teacheth by a saving Gospel-teaching see divine truth i. e. they see it now not only by borrowed representations and natural resemblances Ephes 4.21 but in its own native beauty and lustre as the truth is in Jesus He hath shined into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ 2 property clear convincing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist A Syllogisme whereby the respondent is forced to contradict himself either concessa negando or per negata concedendo This is the first property of Divine Teaching It is inward and that both in respect of Subject Object 2. Divine Covenant-teaching is a clear convincing teaching so our Saviour of the spirit when He is come he shall CONVINCE the world c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifieth a clear demonstrative conviction so the Apostle defines faith to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evidence or demonstration the evident demonstration of things not seen The Holy Ghost in his teachings brings in divine Truths with such a clear and convincing light that the soul sits down under it fully satisfied it is not only convinc'd to silence but to assurance it doth sweetly and freely acquiesce in the present truths Now I know saith Moses Father-law that the Lord is greater then all Gods He had heard of God before Exod. 13.11 but that bred but opinion only but now he is throughly convinced I know that the Lord is greater then all Gods So David concerning his afflictions Psal 119.75 I know Lord that thy judgments are right and that of faithfulness thou hast afflicted me He was fully satisfied both of the equity and fidelity of Gods chastisements right in respect of the merit and faithful in respect of the end And thus in all the Lessons before presented to your view and in all other what God teacheth he teacheth with such a clear evidence of truth that the soul is set beyond all peradventure 1 Thes 1.5 Our Gospel came unto you not in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much full assurance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word hath a double and a treble emphasis assurance full assurance and much full assurance such are the teachings of the Holy Ghost Common teaching may convince to silence but the understanding may remain doubtful still Formido oppositi there is that which the Schools call suspence or hesitancy in the understanding there is not a full and clear assent in the understanding to the truths propounded but a man remains in the Apostles Language a double minded man or as the word signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a double-sould man duplex amino a man of a double or doubtful or divided spirit floating between different opinions one soul as it were beleeveth this way and another soul beleeveth that way one while he beleeveth there is a God and anon the fool saith in his heart there is no God sometimes he calls sin evil and anon again he thinks it good He beleeveth and he beleeveth not sometimes what he heareth from the word is truth sometimes he thinks again it is but an invention of man there may be some mistake in it But now the teachings of God set a man beyond all those fluctuations and unsetledness in judgment there is that which the Apostle calls the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the Mystery of God Assurance of principles Col. 2.2 even when the soul may possibly want the assurance of application A third property of divine teaching It is an experimental teaching 3d property experimental The soul can speak experimentally of the truths it knows it is good for me saith David Psal 119.71 that I have been afflicted why but may not any man say as much as that yes few men there are but have the Notion in their heads in their lips I but mark I pray the Psalmist speaks experimentally to the point and doth instance the good which he had gained by affliction I have learned thy statutes He had learned more acquaintance with the word more delight in the word more conformity to the word He knew it more and loved it better and was more transformed into the nature of it then ever c. So Psal 116.6 The Lord proserveth the simple i. e. God stands by his upright hearted ones to secure them from violence a good notion but any man may have it in the proposition I but David hath it in the experience I was brought low and he helped me my faith was brought low and my comfort was brought low and my resolutions were brought low my feet had welnigh slipt Psal 73.2 but God helpt my faith revived my comfort strengthened my resolutions and stablisht my feet thou hast holden me by my right hand 2 Tim. 1.22 vers 23. Thus St. Paul I know whom I have beleeved c. I have experienc't his faithfulness and his All-sufficiency I dare trust my All with him I am sure he will keep it safe to that day And thus they that are taught of God in affliction can speak experimentally in one degree or other of the gains and priviledges of a suffering condition they can speak experimentally of Communion with God though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Psal 23 4 I will fear no evil why for thou art with me I have had comfortable experience of thy upholding councelling comforting presence with me in my deepest desertions so of other fruits of affliction this I had Psal 119.56 this I have got by my sufferings I bless God I have learned more patience humility self-denial c. to be more sensible of my Brethrens sufferings to sit looser to the World to minde duty and to trust safely with God to prepare for death and to provide for eternity one way or other it is good for me I could not have been without this affliction c. Common knowledg rests in generals lieth more in propositions then in application but they that are taught of God can say as we have heard so have we SEEN they can go along with every truth and say It is so I have experienc'd this Word upon mine own heart Iohn 3.33 they can set to their seal that God is true 4. 4 Property Powerful Divine Covenant teaching is a powerful teaching After a man hath got many truths into the understanding the main work is yet to do and that is to bring down holy truths to action to draw forth divine principles into practice a natural man may know much he may have an heap of truths in his understanding but they all lie strengthless in the brain he
affliction yet divine teaching could antidote that poyson and turn it into a cup of blessing unto him Thy rod and thy staff comfort me Psa 23 4. O that the children of God in affliction or entering upon sufferings would sit down and dwell upon this Consideration The fruit and advantage which God knoweth how to bring out of all their sorrows even the peaceable fruits of righteousness This would keep them from uncomely despondencies and dejections of spirit For this cause we faint not saith the Apostle for what cause 2 Cor. 4.16.18 while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen that is to say not at the visible sufferings but at the invisible fruit and advantage of our sufferings This holds up head and keeps up heart and maketh the Soul not onely to be patient but to glory in tribulation Knowing that tribulation worketh patience Rom. 5 3 4 5 Pericula non respicit Mar. yr coronas respicit Basil ad 40 Martyr and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us This is the way to counterpoise the temptation and in the conflict between the flesh and the spirit to come in to the succor of the better part Eightly 8 Branch Inform. Why we stay so long under affliction It shews us the reason why God doth keep some of his people so long under the Discipline of the Rod. Truly God doth not onely bring his children into the School of affliction but many times keeps them long there Psa 125.3 The rod of the wicked indeed shall not ALWAYS rest on the back of the righteous I but it may lie long for months for years for many years together seventy years were the Jews in the house of Correction at Babylon four hundred years in the brick-kils of Egypt Story and experience will serve in instances without number Hence you have the people of God so often at their How-longs in Scripture Psal 6.3 But thou O Lord HOVV LONG Psal 13.1 2. HOVV LONG wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever HOVV LONG wilt thou hide thy face from me HOVV LONG shall I take counsel in my Soul HOVV LONG shall mine Enemy be exalted over me In this Psalm where my Text is HOVV LONG shall the wicked HOVV LONG shall the wicked triumph twice How long before he can vent his complaint and yet again the third time HOVV LONG shall they utter and speak hard things HOVV LONG cries Jeremiah Ier. 4.21 shall I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet and Zechariah Zech. 1.12 O Lord of Hoasts HOVV LONG wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah The Souls under the Altar Revel 6.10 cry with a loud voyce i. e. in much anguish and agony HOVV LONG O Lord holy and true dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Verily God doth keep his people sometimes so long under their pressures that they begin at length even to give themselves up to despair and to conclude they shal never see deliverance Thus you finde not onely the common multitude of the Jews in the Babylonian captivity concluding desperately Our bones are dryed Lam. 3.53 our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts dry bones may as well live as our captitivity have an end but even the Prophet Jeremiah himself whether in his own person or in the name of the whole Church I know not possibly both They have cut off my life in the dungeon and cast a stone upon me He seems to himself to be in the condition of a man that is dead and buried and the grave-stone rould to the mouth of the Sepulchre a Metaphor expressing an hopeless and desperate condition yea hence it is that when deliverance is nigh they cannot believe it though a Prophet of God or an Angel from Heaven should report it Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favor her yea the set-time is come sings the Prophet Daniel or some other that lived neer the expiration of the seventy years captivity and yet in the mean time the Jews reply as before Our bones are dryed our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts q. d. tell not us of Gods arising c. we shall never see Sion again we are but dead men Observe it by the way They that would not believe the captivity while it was in the threatening Hab. 1.5 would not believe deliverance when it was in the promise A just judgment upon them that that they that would not beleeve God threatening should not beleeve God promising But that 's not all Deliverance was so incredible after so long a captivity that they could not bleeve it when they saw it When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion Psa 126.1 we were like them that dream They knew not as it fared with Peter half awake and half asleep Acts 12.9 whether it was true or whether they saw a vision onely Is this a real deliverance or are we in a dream onely Our Saviour tells us that when the Son of man shall come Luk. 18.8 i. e. with particular deliverances to his Church he shall not find faith on the earth there will not be faith enough in the people of God to beleeve it by reason of the long pressures and persecutions that have been upon them Now I say what is the reason that God suffers affliction to lie so long upon the backs of his children Truly one Reason is because they have lived long in sin they have been long a sinning and therefore God is long a correcting God puts them to THEIR How-longs because they have put God to HIS How-longs Exod. 6.28 HOVV LONG refuse ye to keep my Commandments and my Laws HOVV LONG will this people provoke me and HOVV LONG will it be ere they believe Jerem. 4.14 HOVV LONG shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee Hosea 8.5 HOVV LONG will it be ere they attain to innocency c. And truly if they have made God complain of THEIR How-longs no wonder if God make them complain of HIS How-longs But then again another and the main reason is because the work is not yet done they do not receive Instruction by their Correction else affliction would quickly cease God giveth not a blow he draws not a drop of blood more then needs For a season 1 Pet. 1.6 if NEED be ye are in heaviness if there be heaviness there is need of it and if heaviness continue long there is need of it It is not to gratifie their Enemies that God keeps them so long under their lash but to teach them not that God afflicts willingly Lam. 3.33 c. but that he may do them good in their latter end that by the rod
can heal our malady Pray thus for all your friends who are or have been in the furnace of affliction pray that they may come forth as gold purified seven times in the fire that they may lose nothing there but their rust Pray Lord what they see not teach them and if they have done wickedly let them do so no more One great use which Christians should make of reading the Scripture is to learn from thence the language of prayer And oh that the professors of this age would in this particular learn what to pray and how to pray for their brethren in tribulation O that they would censure less and pray more and in stead of speaking one of another speak more one to another and one for another that was the good old way Mal. 3.16 THEN they that feared the Lord spake often one To another But oh the tender praying healing restoring SPIRIT is departed and if Christians stir not up themselves to call it back again it is a sad presage that God is departing too Hos 9.12 and wo unto us when God departeth from us We are like water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again We judg before we enquire and reject before we admonish Our Brethren upon vain surmises are to us as Heathens and Publicans before we have been to them as Christians and fellow-members And this we think becometh us and we take a kind of pride and contentment in it But oh to inform to convince Gal. 6.1 Mat. 18.15 16 17. to exhort to pray to put the bone if out in joynt again this were done like the Disciples of Christ Violentia Sancta obtabilis rapina to shew our selves Christians indeed Professors not of the letter but of the Spirit and would gain our Brethren in stead of blasting them Consider what I say and the Lord give you a right understanding in all things And thus much for such as are come out of affliction and find that it hath been through free grace a teaching affliction But now secondly Exhort to them that have been corrected but not instructed To such as cannot evidence to their own Souls that chastening hath been accompanied with divine teaching in any Gospel-proportion or at least are not deeply sensible of the want of it here is a word of Exhortation for them suffer it I beseech you Roul your selves in the dust before the Lord smite upon your thigh sigh with the breaking of your loyns and cry out with Ephraim Thou hast chastised me Reader excuse the frequent use of this Scripture Ier. 31.18 Nunquam satis dicitur quod nunquam satis discitur that cannot be too often spoken which cannot be sufficiently learned Sen. Epist Hosea 9.11 Psal 58.8 and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke I have felt the blows of God but that is all I have received no more instruction by all my correction then a brute beast or if I had I have quickly lost it it is fled like a bird from the birth and from the womb and from the conception It is like the untimely fruit of a woman that never saw the Sun Truly thou hast cause to sit down and even wish for thy affliction again God had put himself into thy hands as it were and thou hast let him go without THE Blessing the blessing of saving Instruction how mayst thou even wish I say O that I were in prison again in my sick bed again in banishment again et sic in caet However humble thy self greatly before the Lord and wrestle mightily for the AFTER TEACHINGS of God upon thy heart pray Turn me Lord and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God what affliction hath not done Lord do thou set Omnipotency on work and it shall be done turn me and I SHALL BE turned that so thy Soul may yet speak to the praise of free grace AFTER that I returned I repented Ier. 31.19 and AFTER that I was instructed I smote upon the thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Urge the Lord as Sampson did after his victory Judg. 15.18 Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant and shall I now dye for thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised Say thou Lord thou hast given thy servant this great deliverance from danger and death and shall I now perish for want of teaching and go down to Hell among the uncircumcised TEACH me thy way Psal 86.11 O Lord I will walk in thy truth Vnite my heart to fear thy Name TEACH me to do thy will Psa 143 10 for thou art my God thy Spirit is good lead me into the Land of uprightness In a word desire the Lord that He would do all the work and then take all the glory Say Lord teach me as well as deliver me and I shall be blessed The fourâ—h and last Branch of Exhortation is to Parents and Governors To exhort them in the Education of their Children to imitate God Exhortat to Parents and that in two things 1. In affording their children due correction 2. To Correction to add Instruction First 1. Exhort Withhold not due correction Prov. 19.18 Afford your Children due correction It is the counsel of the Holy Ghost CHASTEN thy son while there is hope and let not thy Soul spare for his crying Behold God counselleth you that are Parents or in stead of Parents to do with your children as He doth with his wisely to use the discipline of the rod before vicious dispositions grow into habits and folly be so deeply rooted Pro. 22 15 Mr Trapp in his Comment on Prov. in locum that the Rod of Correction will not drive it out Error and folly saith one very well be the knots of Satan wherewith he ties children to the stake to be burnt in Hell and these knots are easiliest cut betimes or if you should make the child bleed in cutting of them let it not cause you to withdraw your hand for so it followeth Chasten thy son c. and let not thy Soul spare for his crying It is not only foolish but cruel pity to forbear correction for a few childish tears to suffer the child to howl in Hell for sin father then to shâ—d a few tears for the preventing of it Foolish fathers and mothers call this love but the Father of spirits calls it hatred He that spareth the rod Hateth his son Prov. 13.24 Surely there is nothing so ill spared as that whereby the child is spoiled such sparing is hatred and because you hate your children in not correcting of them they come afterward to hate you by not correcting of them But that is not all * Valde inutiliâ—â—er valdc perniciose sentiet filius patris lenitatem ut postea juste sentiat Dei severitatem Aug. in Psa 50. Ad interficiendum Pagn deriving the