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
and legs torn out of the body and to lie bleeding in their separation I know what it is to be cast into prison to be lockt up alone in the dark with no other company but fears and sorrows I know what it is to receive the sentence of death in our selves c. Shall not I pity and pray and pour out my Soul over such as are bleeding and languishing under the like miseries And this Argument yet makes deeper impression when a Christian compares and measures his lighter burden of affliction with anothers more grievous yoke and reasons thus within himself Imprisonment was grievous to me and yet I enjoyed many comforts and accommodations which others have not I had a sweet chamber and a soft bed when some poor Members of Jesus Christ in the Spanish Inquisition and the Turkish Slavery are cast into the Dungeon and sink with Jeremiah into the mire their feet are hurt in the stocks and the irons do enter into their Soul others lie bleeding and gasping upon the cold ground with their undrest wounds exposed to all the injuries of hunger and nakedness in the open ayr I saw the face of my Christian friends sometimes enjoyed refreshment in converse with dearest relations while some of Gods precious people are cast into dark and stinking prisons and do not see the face of a Christian not of a man possibly in five ten or twenty years together unless it be of their tormenters I had fresh dyet every day not only for necessity but for delight while other precious servants of God want their necessary bread lie starving in the doleful places of their sorrowful restraint and would be glad to eat bread that falls into the very loathsom excrements of Nature and perhaps for extremity of hunger never stand to wipe it possibly forced to rake dead and stinking carkasses out of their graves for their sorrowful food to eat the fruit of their own loyns yea to feed on their own dung and drink their own piss c. Oh shall not my bowels yern and my compassions be rouled within me towards such Objects of misery and compassion Truly Brethren we see it dayly in case of the Stone Toothache Gout Strangury and the like evils how experience doth melt the heart into tears of sympathy and fellow-feeling while strangers to such sufferings stand wondering at and almost deriding the heart-breaking laments of poor wretches Brethren that you may not wonder at this consider I beseech you what the Apostle speaks of Christ himself Heb 2.17 It behoved him in all things to be made like unto his Brothren that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God And again Cha. 4.15 We have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are And Chap. 5.2 Who can have compassion c. for that he himself also is compassed with infirmities A man would say within himself Why what need had the Lord Jesus to invest himself with a body of flesh to know the infirmities of our nature since he was God and knew all things Nay but my Brethren it seems the knowledg which Christ had as God was different frō that knowledgwhich he had as man that which he had as God was intuitive that which he had as man was experimental experimental knowledg of misery is the heart-affecting knowledg and therefore Christ himself would intender his own heart as Mediator by his own sense and feeling And if the Lord Jesus who was Mercy it self would put himself into a suffering condition that he might the more sweetly and affectionately act those Mercies towards his suffering Members how much more do we that by nature are cruel and incompassionate need such practical teachings to work upon our own hearts Certainly we cannot gain so much fense of the Saints sufferings by the most artificial skilful relation that the tongue of men or Angels is able to express no nor by all our Scripture-knowledg though sanctified as we do by one days experience in the School of Affliction when God is pleased to be the School-master This is one end why God sends us thither and the first Lesson we learn by Affliction sc Sympathy with and compassion to our suffering Brethren I come to the Second Lesson And that is 2 Lesson 1. To prize earthly comforts more By Chastisements God doth teach us how to prize our outward mercies and comforts more and yet to dote upon them less to be more thankful for them and yet less ensnared by them This is a Mystery indeed to Nature a Paradox to the World for naturally we are very prone either to slight or to surfeit and yet it is sad to consider we can make a shift to do both at once we can undervalue our mercies even while we glut our selves with them and despise them even when we are surfeiting upon them Witness that inculcated caution by Moses and Joshua When thou hast eaten and art full Deut 8 10 11 12. and 6 11 12. take heed thou forget not the Lord thy God Behold while men fill themselves with the mercies of God they can neglect the God of their mercies When God is most liberal in remembring us we are most prone to forget God Now therefore that we may know how to put a due estimate upon mercies God often outs us short that we may learn to prize that by want which our foolish unthankful hearts slighted in the enjoyment Thus the Prodigal who while yet at home could despise the rich and well-furnisht table of his father when God sent him to School to the Swine-trough could value the bread that the Hinds did eat How many of my fathers hired servants have BREAD enough Luk. 15 17 and to spare He would have been glad of the reversion of broken meat that was cast into the common-basket I do not believe David ever slighted the Ordinances yet certainly he never knew so well how to estimate them as when he was banisht from them Psalm 84. then a Porters place the Sparrows nest and the Swallows neighborhood to the Altar of God were matters of envy to him The remembrance of the company of Saints Psal 42 5 110.3 the beauty of the Ordinances and the presence of God Psal 63.2 fetcheth tears from his eyes and groans from his heart in his sorrowful Exile When I remember these things Psal 42.4 I pour out my Soul in me c. My tears are my meat day and night Verse 3. Oh how amiable are the Assemblies of the Saints and the Ordinances of the Sabbath when we are deprived of them In those days the Word of the Lord was precious 1 Sam. 3.1 What days were those It followeth There was no open Vision Word and Prophets were precious when they were not Carendo potius quam fruendo Sen. Ep. Want will teach us the
17.3 This is life eternal to know thee our Saviour saith not it shal be life eternall but it is eternall life is begun already where these things be In the fiftteenth and sixteenth place to be taught the Duties and Priviledges of a suffering condition is a blessed Teaching for hereby the soul is enabled to taste and see what is good and sweet in every affliction and is set above all that which is grievous and intolerable to Nature for this cause we faint not c. 17ly The unum necessarium the one onely thing necessary must necessarily be a blessed thing It is saith our Saviour Luk. 10 42 the better part which shall not be taken away 18ly The Art of Time-Redemption is a blessing not less then an evidence of Soul-Redemption if ye compare the first Epistle of Peter Chap. 1. vers 17 and 18. together 19ly Ask S. Paul and he will tell you that the knowledg of the sufferings of Jesus Christ is an excellent knowledg in comparison of which all other things are loss and dung Phil. 3.8 9 10. And lastly To long for Heaven is the very first fruits of Heaven the evidence and seal of our conjugal CONTRACT with Jesus Christ The Spirit and the BRIDE say Rev. 22.17 Come Lord Jesus Eruditur ad bâ—atitudinem Greg. Moral Behold Christians to be taught of God when chastised by him is a Blessedness compounded of twenty several precious ingredients At least if ye will take in The Nature and Properties of divine Teaching 2 Demonst The Properties of Divine Teaching make up real blessedness which may make a second Demonstration that is to say to be taught all these 1. Inwardly 2. Clearly 3. Experimentally 4. Powerfully 5. Sweetly 6. Abidingly This must needs be a blessed teaching It being a Teaching which doth possess the Soul of the excellencies which it discovereth Doctrinal and notional knowledg is a blessing Blessed saith Christ to his Hearers are your eyes Mat. 13.16 for they see and your ears for they hear I but it is but an occasional preparatory blessedness blessedness in the offer and opportunity Oh but to be taught these Lessons with these qualifications to be taught as the truth is in Jesus 2 Cor 3. last to be taught into the nature and image of the truth to be taught into the possession of divine excellencies this is blessedness indeed blessedness in Being full perfect fruitional blessedness A third Demonstration 3 Demonst They are fruits of Gods distinguishing love A Teaching Chastisement is the fruit of Gods distinguishing Love Chastisements simply considered in themselves lie in common to all the sons and daughters of Adam since the Fall the fruit of that first apostacy as well as of actual and personal departures from God yea and deliverance also lieth in common Providence dispenseth Deliverance to the worst of men The 106 Psalm is a Psalm of Promises made to the Church but the next Psalm the 107 is a Psalm of Providential Dispensations to the World and there as you finde affliction so you may finde deliverance also out of those afflictions to be the portion of wicked men Rebels Vers 11. and Fools Vers 19 20. i. e. wicked fools Solomons fools all along the Proverbs Seamen Vers 23. for the most part not the most religious order in the world all these are delivered out of their troubles The worst of men I say share in this fruit of Gods Providential Goodness Deliverance but a teaching sanctified affliction is the privy seal of special love Psa 89.33 My LOVING KINDNES wil I not take from him whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth Heb. 12.6 that is to say with a teaching chastisement when Word and Rod meet together when Correction and Instruction kiss each other they are the fruit of paternal affection and therefore must needs have a blessing bound up in them Deut. 8.5 As a man chasteneth his son so the Lord chasteneth thee Fourthly 4 Demonst It is a branch of the Covenant of Grace Isai 54.13 Ier. 31.33 A Teaching-Correction is a branch of the Covenant of Grace which God hath made in Christ for the Children of Promise All thy children shall be taught of God They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest by vertue of Divine Teaching Affliction is adopted to be a clause in the Covenant of Grace That 89 Psalm is a Song of the New Covenant I will sing of the mercies of the Lord Vers 1. what mercies not providence mercies onely but promise mercies Covenant mercies vers 3. I have made a Covenant with my my chosen And amongst the rest of the branches of the Covenant you shall find the rod and the whip have their place Ver. 30 31 32. If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgments c. Then will I visit their Transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Behold rod and stripes standing here not upon Mount Ebal the Mount of curses as branches of a Covenant of Works but upon Mount Gerizâ—m the Mount of Blessings Deut. 11 as branches of the Covenant of Grace Affliction is not so much threatned as promisd to Christs seed My Covâ—nant will I not break ver 34. When God seems even to break the bones and hearts of his people by sore and heavy strokes of correction yet he doth not break his Covenant My Covenant will I not break it is in order to the Covenant when God chastiseth his children and instructs them by his chastisements Affliction separated from instruction is pure wrath a blast from Mount Ebal Deut. 28. but by a matrimonial Covenant those two Scriptures Psal 89.32 I will visit c. and Isai 54.13 I will teach are marryed together and made one spirit as in my Text and then they are pure grace The Covenant is the Magna Charta of Heaven and contains a list of what ever God the Father hath purposed God the Son hath purchased and God the Holy Ghost doth apply to the Heirs of promise The brests of the Covenant run nothing but the milk of spiritual blessing to the children of God Fifthly 5 Demonst The purchase of Christs Death A Teaching-affliction is the purchase of Christs death and bloodshed Christ dyed not to exempt his redeemed from suffering but to sanctifie their sufferings with his own blood I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world Ioh. 17.15 but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil whatsoever Christ purchas'd he pray'd for and this was one main priviledg not freedom from the evil of affliction but from the evil of sin Sanctifie them with thy Truth Vers 17. Gods Teachings are sanctifying Teachings Sanctifie them with thy Truth thy Word is Truth Christs blood purchas'd nothing but blessings Sixthly and lastly 6 Demonst It is the result of all Christs Offices A Teaching-affliction is the result of all the Offices of Jesus Christ As a
single them out to encounter with unparalleld affliction so on the other side it is an incentive to compassion to them that are free to consider that they are liable to the same temptations therfore should measure out the same compassions to their suffering brethren that they would expect in the same tryals not knowing how soon the cup of trembling may be put into their own hand to be sure insensibleness of other mens miseries will hasten it They put far away the evil day Amos 6.3 4 5 6 they lie upon beds of Ivory c. eat Lambs out of he flock and Calves out of the stall c. drink wine in bowls c. i. e. they give themselves up to all maoner of sensuality and thereby drown the sense of their brethrens miseries they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph they lay not the affliction of the Church to heart it never cost them an hours sleep they abated nothing of all their sensual excesses they never turn aside to shed one tear over bleeding Sion in secret what follows why saith God therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive Verse 7. and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed as if God should have said As I live because you have not pityed your brethren in captivity you your selves shall be led away captive and the next turn shall be yours and there you shall learn by experience what it is to be plundred and what it is to lie in chains what it is to have cruel Taskmasters set over you what it is to want bread you shall banquet it no more you shall feel by sense what you would not feel by sympathy And therefore Christians set your hearts to the afflictions of the Church and people of God it is the great duty which the times call for and I am afraid God is now visiting England and London for the neglect of this duty We are verily guilty concerning our brethren in Germany in Ireland in England and Scotland c. in that we saw the anguish of their souls when they besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress come upon us We have not grieved their sorrows nor wept their tears nor sigh'd their groans nor bled their blood and therefore may fear lest God should say unto us also even unto us With the next that go into captivity they shall go into captivity with the next that are plundered and spoyled London shall be plunder'd and spoyl'd with the next that shall be imprison'd you shall be taken prisoners with the next that shall be slain with the sword you shall be slain with the sword you wives shall be made widows and your children shall be made fatherless and your dwellings shall cast you out and be left desolate And therefore let us look to it and know in this our day the things of our peace before they be hid from our eyes Shew compassion that you may not need compassion or if you need it you may finde it In like manner set your hearts to the other Lessons which God teacheth by his chastisements Prize Creature-comforts more and surfeit upon them less be more thankful and less sensual especially prize a Gospel while ye have a Gospel prize it by its worth Amos 8. ◠that you may not prize it by the want prize it that you may keep it lest you prize it one day when you cannot recover it that 's a dreadful word They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord Hosea 5.6 but they shall not FIND Him Amos 8.11 And I wil send a famine not of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the Word of the Lord c. and they shall run to and fro Verse 12 to seek the Word of the Lord and Shall not FIND IT Study self-denyal meekness of spirit labor to discover the hidden corruptions of your own hearts be still digging in that dunghill you will finde it a bottomless pit The heart is deceitful above all things Jer. 17.9 and desperately wicked who can know it I the Lord search the heart Oh entreat the Lord to discover your hearts to you Study Scripture-evidence for your interest in Christ rest not in any evidence which you will not venture your souls upon if you were to dye this moment Labor to maintain sweet communion with God to be able to say with the Apostle and to say truly Our communion is with the Father 1 Joh. 1.3 and with his Son Jesus Christ Make God your choyce and not your necessity and labor to maintain such constant converse with him that when you dye you may change your place onely but not your company Live up in the exercise of your grace add to your faith vertue to vertue knowledg and to knowledg temperance 2 Pet. 1.5 6 and to temperance godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity Be adding one grace to another and one degree of grace to another and one exercise of grace to another exercise of grace that you may not put God to add affliction to affliction and sorrow to sorrow while others are adding sin to sin drunkenness to thirst do you add grace to grace Be stedfast and unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord c. Acquaint your selves with God Iob 22.21 and good shall come thereby Study to know God more and love him better This is Life eternal c. Joh. 17.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. Hosea 6.3 Minde I beseech you while you are in your strength and peace that one thing necessary there is but one thing necessary Hoc age there be many may-be's but one must-be O take heed of industrious folly and dis-spirit not your selves in the pursuit of trifles minde your work Redeem the time the days are evil O that Christians would study the worth of time value a day say of every HOUR yea of every moment This is TIME Redeem time while you have it redeem time while time may do you good Evil days are coming wherein you will say I have no pleasure in them Yea the days are evil evil with sin evil with sorrow redeem the time to do good to receive good that neither you may be the worse for the times nor the times for you Happy shall that man be call'd who contributeth not to the heap of the God-provoking abominations nor receiveth impressions from the hypocrisie and prevarication of the present generation Study the sufferings of Jesus Christ Resolve with Paul to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified A due contemplation of the Cross wil heighten Christs Love and lessen your own suffrings And labor to get your conversation in Heaven Looking for and hastening to or as the word signifies * 2 Pet. 3 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. hasting the
coming of Christ Say Come Lord Jesus come quickly In a word brethren study and study throughly the Sinfulness of Sin Emptiness of the Creature Fulness of Christ And in all these and the like Lessons labor for an Inward Convincing Experimental Powerful Sweet Abiding Teaching Content not your selves Christians with a general slight superficial unsavory powerless flitting Knowledg rest not in notions be not satisfied with expressions without impressions nor with impressions that are not abiding impressions that are like figures written in the sand this is the ruine of professors Those professors their names shall be written in the dust who write divine instructions in the dust at least if God have a minde to do you good expect that he should send you into the house of Correction and there teach you with scourges and write his Instructions in your blood And therefore if you would prevent so severe a Discipline oh improve your time well in the School of the Word while you have the light Iohn 3.35 walk in the light lest darkness come upon you while you sit under the Teachings of the Gospel labor to get knowledg answerable to the means and grace answerable to your knowledg Thus much for the first Caution I come now to the second Caution 2 Caution Labor to profit by other mens sufferings If you would prevent affliction labour to be instructed by the chastisements which you see upon other men God deals with his children as Tutors do with the children of Princes whip them upon strangers backs Thus God scourged Israel upon the back of the Nations round about Zeph. 3.6 Zeph. 3.6 I have cut off the Nations their towers are desolate I made their streets waste that none passeth by their Cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is none inhabitant SHORT WORK But their punishment was Israels Caution I said Surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction The Worlds judgments are the Churches instructions and God lookt that his people should have made that use of this practical doctrine I said Surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instructions God had gracious ends in this dispensation his severity to strangers was his tender mercies towards Israel he spared not the Nations that he might have spared them Verse 7. so their dwellings should not be cut off God cut off the Nations vers 6. that he might not cut off Israel Behold as the Apostle saith in another case Rom. 11.22 the goodness and severity of God severity to the Nations but goodness towards Israel had they continued in his goodness had they received instruction by their neighbors destruction And as God punisht Israel upon the Nations backs so God punisht Judah upon Israels back Ier. 7.12 Go ye now to my place in Shiloh and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel Israels chastisements should have bâ—n Jerusalems teachings and by their stripes she should have been healed for the neglect whereof God is highly displeased and speaks concerning this in a very angry dialect And I saw when for all the causes whereby back-sliding Israel had committed adultery I had put her away given her a bill of divorce yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not Ier. 3.8 but went and played the Harlot also God took it ill that Ierusalem should slight the kindness of such a Caution and despise the counsel which was written to her in her sisters blood q. d. I would have made Ierusalem wise by Samaria's harms and taught her by a rod which she only saw but she feared not she hardened her heart through unbelief and either would not understand the Caution or dared me to my face to do my worst while by her shameless whoredoms she went on to provoke me to jealousie This hasteneth that judgment upon her self which she despised on others Iudah must feel Israels rod because she would not hear it As Israel must suffer those judgments on the Nations which she would not improve by those very Nations by whom she would not be instructed she must be destroyed Zeph. 3.8 So Iudah must feel what she feared not at a distance she that would not tremble at her sisters divorce must suffer divorce her self and be judged as women that break wedlock c. Ezek. 16.38 And bear her own shame for her sins that she had committed more abominable then they vers 52. Beloved Christians if we would prevent the like severity let us take heed of the like security God hath been a long time scourging England upon Germanies back and upon Irelands back and upon Scotlands back God hath for these many years scourged London on the back of all the Cities and Counties round about and God doth dayly scourge every one of us in particular upon the back of our suffering brethren in divers kinds his design is that we should fear him that we should receive instruction If we altogether fail his expectation we may fear that the same rods are preparing for our backs wherewith they have bled yea that their rods shall be turned into scorpions to us we sin worse then others when we sin those very sins for which others have been punisht before our faces and â—â—d contempt to their transgressions and how just will it be with God if as we aggravate their sins so He aggravate upon us their plagues we that would not be bettered by Gods warning pieces should be destroyed by Gods murdering pieces that we that would not see and learn should feel and perish Nocumentae documenta even particular judgments should be our documents Remember Lots wife her pillar of salt should season our hearts that when the judgments of God are abroad in the Earth we that are the inhabitants not of the Earth only but of Sion also may learn Righteousness Even those judgments which the Magistrate doth execute by Gods appointment are chiefly for caution to standers by Deu. 13.11 that others may hear and fear and do no more any such wickedness c. How much more those judgments which the Lord himself doth execute vid. Psal 64.7 8 9. 2 Pet. 2.6 When the father is correcting one child the whole family should fear and tremble * Ier. 7.12 Go to my place in Shiloh saith God to the Jews and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel If we would learn by other mens sufferings we should prevent our own This is the way to prevent sufferings The Lord make us wise to Salvation I come to the second branch of Exhortation 2 Branch of Exhort to such as are under affliction sc To such as yet lie under affliction and the chastisements of the Almighty Take notice Take notice of Gods design O thou afflicted Soul what Gods design is in afflicting of thee and make it thy design namely that thou mayst be taught that correction may be turn'd into instruction hear the