for in due season we shall reape if we faint not Where to perswade the Galatians and vs to go on coÌ„stantly in all good courses vnto the end he makes a promise of great reward which God will bestow vpon all them that shall so doe not so much in this life as the life to come when euery man shal receiue the things that are done in his bodie 2. Cor. 5.10 according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill and this he doth by a familiar and plaine comparison That as the husbandman though the seede-time be very painefull and costly vnto him so that both he buies his corne at a great price and hath many an hard iourney at the plow and meetes with many a boisterous storme yet he giues not ouer in the midst but comforts himselfe with the hope of haruest which in due time will come though long after and is perswaded that that will fully quite all his cost and recoÌ„pence all his labour to the full and when he hath gathered his corne into his barne he repents himselfe not one whit of his cost or trauell but rather is glad that by neither of them he was discouraged from following of that good course which now he seeeth to be so gainfull vnto himselfe So we in all afflictions and in all difficulties continuing in well doing must comfort our selues with the hope of that reward that God hath promised in the kingdom of heauen according to that that is said in the Psalme they that sow in teares Psal 126.5 shall reape in ioy they went out weeping and caried pretious seede but they shal returne with ioy and bring their sheaues Where the time of affliction is compared vnto a seede-time in a deare yeare when poore men because of the scarsitie and price of corne sow it with teares but the reward in heauen is likened vnto the haruest when the increase is so great that they reape carie in their corne with great ioy This is that then which we must set before our eyes that we might patiently vndergo the hardnes of affliction it beeing the readie way to bring vs to glorie And this Paul applieth vnto seruants whose condition of life especially of bondseruants and vnder heathen and vnchristian masters in those daies was very hard and willeth theÌ„ to doe their duties conscionably as seruing the Lord knowing that of him they shall receiue their reward when he saith Coloss 3.23 Seruants be obedient vnto them that are your masters according to the flesh in all things not with eye seruice as men pleasers but in singlenes of heart pleasing God whatsoeuer ye doe doe it heartily as to the Lord and not to men knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance for ye serue the Lord Christ Thus he would haue them to go on in their callings chearefully though they were very base and painfull in hope of that inheritance that was prepared for theÌ„ in the kingdome of heauen And truly if not onely seruants but all other men did beleeue that in all things they had to deale with God and that he would reward them if they did well though all other should neglect them the hope of that might comfort them in all difficulties And this made Moses the man of God to refuse all the riches and pleasures that he might haue inioyed in Egypt as beeing the reputed sonne of Pharaohs daughter and to choose rather to ioyne himselfe with the people of God though in great affliction Heb. 11.26 because he had respect vnto the recompence of the reward Which reward could not then be seene and therefore the Apostle saith that he did it by faith and truly if we did beleeue that great reward that is laid vp in heauen for them that serue God and is offered vnto vs in his word if all the pleasures of the world were laid before vs on the one hand and all the afflictions of the same on the other hand we should be of Moses his minde to choose rather to suffer aduersitie with the people of God then to indure the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches then all the treasures of the world because by faith we haue respect vnto the recoÌ„pence of that reward And so I may conclude with that most excellent exhortation of the Apostle in the chapter following Wherefore let vs also chap. 12.1 seeing that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses cast away euery thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs looking vnto Iesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the ioy that was set before him indured the crosse and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the throne of God Where he sets before our eyes the example of our Sauiour Christ who in those grieuous agonies he was in to sweeten the bitternes of his crosse did earnestly consider of the ioy and glorie which a little after he was to enter into that we might also in our sufferings hold our thoughts seriously vnto the meditation of the ioyes of heauen and for them indure them and treade vnder our feete for them all the shame reproach and contempt of the world that shall be cast vpon vs. Where also that we might not faint vnder the burden we are to consider of the circumstance of time when we shall reape the fruit of our labours Gal. 6. â— that is In due season if we faint not Which is partly in this life for godlinesse hath the promises of this life 2. Tim. 4. â— as well as of the life to come and the Lord as he doth in this life giue to his children the first fruits of his Spirit Rom. 8.23 so he doth giue them the first fruits of their labours as a tast of their happines which they shall enioy more fully hereafter and therefore Christ saith in the Gospel Mark 10. â—0 that he will reward those that are his an hundred fold in this life But this due time is meant principally of the life to come when they shall receiue their reward fully not onely in the houre of death when the soule entreth into happines as it is saide of Lazarus that when he died the Angels caried his soule into Abrahams bosome Luk. 16.22 but especially at the day of iudgement when soule and bodie beeing ioyned together they shall be in full possession of eternal glorie and felicitie for euer And seeing the Lord hath of his wisdome and goodnes set downe the time when we shall be comforted receiue our reward we must in faith and patience waite vpon him for it And as the husbandman that hath sowne his field doth not looke for his croppe the next day or the next weeke but tarieth till the haruest come so must we sow the seede of obedience vnto God euen vnder the crosse though with teares and looke for the fruit of it at the great day of haruest when we shall reape it with ioy eueÌ„ with that ioy that is vnspeakable and most glorious when he shal separate the sheepe from the goates and giue them their reward saying Come ye blessed of my father Math. â— take the inheritance of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world And seeing the Lord hath beene patient in waiting for our amendement from day to day let vs patiently expect the accomplishment of this his gratious promise from day to day and from yeare to yeare Setting before our eyes the example of the dumbe creatures which expect with a feruent desire to be deliuered from that bondage and corruption â—â—m 8.19 that now they are in into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God and this they doe with stretching forth their heads as the Apostle saith like vnto the poore prisoner that is condemned and puts out his head at the prison window looking for the gratious pardon of the Prince And if we can thus doe as we shall not be frustrate of our hope 〈◊〉 6 1â— so it shall maruelously vphold vs as an ankor fixed in heauen and not in earth in all the waues and tempests of this troublesome world till we ariue happily at the hauen of heauen we shall find the ioyes so to exceede all the miseries that we haue indured here that we shall not be grieued one whit that we are come to such a place of rest by so long and tedious a iourney Which grace God graunt vnto vs for his sonne Iesus Christs sake Amen FINIS
made to thinke that wee should offend God in praier But wee must then striue earnestly against this infirmitie of ours and so pray to God that we might pray and as the Disciples said vnto Christ Luk. 11.1 Lord teach vs to pray so let vs desire the Lord to giue vs his good spirit of prayer which if we will doe no doubt wee shall find his promise to be true that then The spirit of God in vs shall Rom. 8.26 make request for vs. For as our Sauiour Christ comforteth his Disciples in an other case Math. 10 1◠seeing that they should bee brought before the Gouernours and Kings for his sake But when they deliuer you vp take no thought how or what you shall speake for it shal be giuen you in that houre what you shall say for it is not you that speake but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you Euen so wee shall finde by experience that when we are most vnfit to pray if we will not yeeld to this infirmitie and slothfulnesse but striue against it there shall be a secret inward working in vs whereby we shall bee stirred vp to doe something and there shall be a labour of the heart and an endeauour of the minde aspiring vnto that which we may seeme not to attaine vnto and there shall be many sighings though few words many great desires though fewe voices yea there shall bee that which wee cannot greatly cōceiue of our selues and euery thing shall be vnspeakable according to the saying of the Apostle That when we know not what to pray as we ought the spirit of God shall make request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed For no doubt these men that we spake of before Hezekiah and Dauid euen at those times when they could not tell what and how to pray of thēselues yet the Spirit of God helping their infirmities they did pray in some good acceptable manner and there were at the least vnspeakeable sighs and groanes stirred vp in them for it is said of Hezekiah 2. king 20.3 that he then turned his face to the wall and praied to the Lord and afterwards it is said The Lord did heare his prayer And Dauid when as in his owne feeling he did but roare and sigh and mourne as he saith Psal 38.6 I goe mourning all the day I roare for the griefe of mine heart yet then hee made his desires knowne vnto the Lord in prayer and poured them our very plentifully before him And when hee did but mourne and make a noise he desireth the Lord to hearken vnto him and 55.2 and to answer him and when he saith that his groanings were like the Pellicans and the sparrows the shrike owles yet to shew that in them there was a worke of Gods spirit which made them acceptable to God hee beginneth the Psalme thus O Lord and 102.1 heare my praier let my crie come vnto thee incline thine eares vnto me when I call make hast to heare me And to shew that his example in thus praying was for the instruction and comfort of the Church it is thus intituled A praier of the afflicted when he shal be in distresse powre out his meditation before the Lord Shewing not onely that the afflicted in their distresse doe thus pray but that the Lord heareth them therein and graunteth their desire And thus is it saide of the whole Church of God in Egypt at what time Exod. 1.14 as they were greatly oppressed so that they grewe wearie of their liues by sore labour in clay and in bricke and in all worke in the fielde with all manner of bondage which was laid vpon them most cruelly so there was great ignorance and much weakenesse among them and therefore not knowing well many of them how to pray to God Chap. 2.23 They sighed to God for the bondage and cried and their crie for the bondage came vnto God and he heard their moane and looked vpon them and had respect vnto them and hee said vnto Moses 3.7 I haue surely seene the trouble of my people and haue heard their crie for I know their sorrowes therfore I am come down to deliuer them This is then a most notable comfort in all afflictions that wee beleeuing in Christ and made thereby partakers of his holy spirit it shall so helpe vs in all our infirmities that when we cannot tell what or how to pray as we ought it shall teach vs so to doe it as wee may haue hope and comfort of beeing heard For this is that which Paul addeth in the next verse Rom. 8.27 That hee that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the Spirit for he maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God Where by knowing he doth not onely meane that he vnderstandeth it as hee doth all other things but he accepteth and alloweth of it and doth most willingly graunt such requests as though they were made in farre better liking to our selues so is the word taken in the first Psalme where the Prophet saith The Lord knoweth the way of the Psal 1.6 righteous that is hee doth make account of them approoue and allowe of them regard and prosper them For as wee haue seene euen now hee heard the crie of the Israelites when they did but sigh make their moane and did deliuer them from their cruell bondage he did heare king Hezekiah chattering in his praier like a Crane and raised him vp from death and added fifteen yeares more vnto his life 2. Ki. 20.11 and to confirme him therein hee brought againe the shadow tenne degrees backe by the degrees whereby it had gone downe in the diall of Ahaz And hee heard Dauid when he roared for the extremitie of his paine and forgaue the punishment of his sinne that is forgaue him his sinne and remooued the punishment thereof And wee may remember our selues if we haue marked any thing how the Lord hath heard vs many times in our greatest need when we haue howled and cried rather then made any setled and well ordered prayer yea when we haue rather moaned then spoken rather sighed then vttered a word For the Lord in this case regardeth not so much the multitude of wordes as he looketh to the meaning of his spirit and granteth that though they speake neuer a word For euen as a father or mother hauing a young infant sicke of some sore disease though the childe cannot speake and call for this and that yet they are readie to helpe it and if it be elder and can speake yet being full of paine it cannot call for things as it ought neuerthelesse if they can by any signes guesse at the meaning of it they will accept as much of it as though the childe had spoken very distinctly and vsed many words Euen so the Lord who is infinitely filled with the bowels of compassion towards vs in Christ
â—7 before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keepe thy words so that by his affliction he was kept from going astray as he had wont to doe and was constrained in a reuerent feare to walke in the compasse of Gods holy law whereupon he concludeth thus by his owne experience 71. It is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I may feare thy statutes Thus affliction was a sensible kind of teaching to cause him to liue after Gods statutes and not after the common course of the world Fourthly afflictions in the Scriptures are called trialls because that by them the Lord trieth vs and prooueth what is in vs not that he is ignorant of it for Dauid saith vnto God Psal 139 2. Thou knowest my sitting rising thou vnderstaÌ„dest my thoughts a farre off thou compassest my paths and my lying downe and art accustomed to all my waies for there is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it O Lord. So that he hath full perfect knowledge of vs without any triall yet he trieth vs by affliction because thereby he would haue our selues and others throughly to know what is in vs and in what measure and that both in respect of the good and euill that is in vs which without the triall could not so well be knowne Which kind of triall serueth to this ende that if we haue receiued any good grace we might be thankefull to God for it and for the measure of it if not we might labor for it and if we haue any sinne in vs we might repent and striue against it if not we might take heede that wee fall not into it for the time to come and so euery way God might be glorified And thus speaketh the Apostle S. Peter of the afflictions of the church comparing them vnto fire whereby mettalls are tried wheÌ„ he saith Now for a season if neede require ye are in heauines 2. Pet. 2.6 through manifold tentations that the triall of your faith being much more pretious then gold that perisheth thogh it be tried with fire might be found vnto your praise and honour and glorie at the appearing of Iesus Christ Where the Apostle saith that if men by the fire will trie their gold to that ende that they might certenly know what is the value of it and yet it is but a thing that perisheth and therefore in no wise to be compared to faith and other most excellent graces of the spirit of God Then the Lord much more may make triall of them by affliction to the ende that all men may see them to be so pretious and so pure as they be and that they may be discerned from the hypocriticall and counterfeit shewes of vertue that are in the wicked and vngodly that so men might make sure reckoning of the one and not trust to the other so be deceiued by them Thus it is truly said that God did prooue Abraham Gen. 22.1 when he saide vnto him Take thine onely sonne Isaac whome thou louest and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering vpon one of the mountaines which I wil shew thee and he did so and therefore the Apostle saith that by faith he offered vp Isaac when he was tried Heb. 11.17 so that this was a great triall vnto him to sacrifice his owne sonne whome he so loued and in whome he had receiued the promise But when he stretched forth his hand Gen. 22.10 and tooke the knife to kill his sonne the Lord said vnto him from heauen Lay not thine hand vpon the child neither doe any thing vnto him for now I know that thou fearest God seeing for my sake thou hast not spared thine onely son The Lord knew the obedience of Abraham before but he speaketh according to mens vnderstanding that now he by good proofe and triall knew it and made it knowne to Abraham himselfe and to all posteritie And thus our Sauiour Christ in the Gospel by a parable sheweth how it is knowne who haue receiued the seede of Gods word into good hearts and who into bad namely they that continue in the obedience of it in the time of temptation and triall and they that fall away saying They that are on the stones Luk. 8.13 are they which when they haue heard receiue the word with ioy but they haue no rootes which for a while beleeue but in the time of temptation goe away Thus though they seemed to beleeue for a time yet when they fall away in temptatioÌ„ by this triall it appeareth that the word of God was neuer throughly rooted in theÌ„ And by an other comparison also he sheweth how vpon triall it is manifest who are profitable hearers of the word of God and who are not for he that heareth the word of God Math 7.24 doth it is like a wise man which hath builded his house on a rocke and the raine fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beate vpon that house and it fell not for it was grouÌ„ded on a rocke But he that heareth the word and doth it not is like a foolish man which hath builded his house on the sand and the raine fell and the floods came and the winde blew and beat vpon that house and it fell and the fall of it was great Temptations therefore and trialls which are here compared vnto stormes and tempests will shew what is in all sorts of men and whether they haue beene profitable or vnprofitable hearers of the word of God and this is a speciall ende of them thus to lay open men both to themselues and to the world when as it shall appeare that in affliction vnder the crosse they are the same that they were before or they are not but farre vnlike After this manner were the Israelites tried and prooued in the wildernesse by the space of fourtie yeares in which time some of them prooued themselues murmurers some fornicators some idolatours some disobedient some faithfull and all this was by the seuerall afflictions and crosses that did befall them And thus also by the great afflictions that did befall Iob in one day as the losse of all his goods and children it appeared what great vprightnes and sinceritie and faithfull obedience was in him when as he saide Naked came I out of my mothers wombe Iob 1.21 and naked shall I returne thither the Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken it blessed be the name of the Lord. And in all this great losse he did not sin nor charge God foolishly For though Satan tooke him to be like other men and that he serued God more for his commodities sake because he blessed him then of conscience and therefore said and 1.9 Doth Iob feare God for nought hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on euery side thou hast blessed the worke
of his hands and his substance is increased But stretch out now thin hand and touch all that he hath to see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face and then the Lord said vnto Satan Loe all that he hath is in thine hand and thereupon Satan destroied in one day all that he had and yet he continued in his vprightnes and was the same man that he was before by this great triall it appeared that that was true that the Lord had saide of him before that hee was an vpright and iust man indeede and one that feared God vers 10. and eschewed euill for all these great afflictions could not make him to fall from his former course And thus lastly by triall appeared the great weakenes of the Apostle S. Peter and the rest of the Disciples who though as a most resolute man he had said Mat. 16.13 Though al men be offended by thee yet will I neuer bee offended and then Iesus said vnto him Verily this night before the cocke crowe thou shalt denie me thrice Peter said to him againe Though I should die with thee I wil in no case denie thee and so said also all the disciples 47. yet when they saw a great multitude with swordes and staues from the high Priest and Elders of the people and Iudas with a kisse betraied him into their hands and so they tooke him led him away then all the Disciples fledde And whereas there seemed to be a little more courage in Peter then in the rest 58. for hee followed Christ though a farre off so came into the high Priests hall and sate downe with the seruants to see the ende yet when he saw greater danger like to ensue he was charged to be one of Christs Disciples at the voice of a maide he grew to be so timerous and fearefull that hee sware and forsware with cursing and banning denying Christ 74. euen that euer he so much as once knewe the man Neither himselfe nor any other would haue thought that so much weakenes should haue broake out from him before he came to this triall but thereby it was laid open Therefore if it bee good for vs not to be ignorant of our selues as indeede hath beene thought to bee a point of greatest wisdome for a man throughly to know himselfe that so he might not be deceiued with an ouerweening of himselfe if it be good I say for any man to see his wants weaknesses that he may be humbled by them and seek to haue them supplied if it be good to know certainely that we haue receiued such such graces of the spirit of God in that measure that wee haue that so wee may be thankfull to God for them comforted in our selues ouer them Then seeing that affliction and the crosse bringeth forth all this fruit at once and by triall wee finde what faith hope loue patience obediēce c. is in vs and what not insomuch that whatsoeuer we seemed to be before to our selues and to others yet now we know certainly that wee are thus and thus and no otherwise it cā not be denied but that affliction worketh much good vnto vs and wee ought vpon experiēce to say that we know it to be so euen as the Apostle doth here We knowe that all things worke together for the best to those that loue God Which also wee may so much the more cōfidently say when we shal see omitting to speake of many moe vses that the crosse hath that last and greatest of all which is spoken of in the verse following in these words For those whom he knew before Rom. 8.20 he also predestinate to bee made like to the image of his sonne that he might be the first borne of many brethren where he sheweth this one ende of the crosse namely that thereby wee might bee made like vnto Christ in his sufferings But before we come to that we must remember that hitherto we haue seene that there is great vse of affliction and that it worketh much good and therefore wee must consider that in euery crosse besides the present bearing of it the Lord offereth great cōmoditie vnto vs and worketh it in vs thereby according to the words of the Text All things worke together for the best to those that loue God So that as in all other things there is not onely the present possession enioying of them but there is the vse and comfort of them insomuch that men may haue great store of goods and possessions and yet haue no vse of them as Salomon by his great wisdome obserued and set it downe in the booke of the Preacher saying There is one alone Eccles 4.8 and there is not a second which hath neither sonne nor daughter yet is there none ende of his trauaile neither can his eie bee satisfied with riches neither doth he thinke for whom doe I trauaile and defraud my soule of pleasure Euen so many haue great and long crosses vpon them but make no good vse of them neither doe labour after the fruit of them but God worketh by them their good in those that bee his Seeing then afflictions are common both to the good and the bad and God layeth them vpon them both alike and they must beare them whether they will or no the one must labour for the good which the Lord offereth to them therby which the other not once so much as looke after of which dutie of theirs when Gods children are somewhat more carelesse of then they should then no doubt the Lord in wisdome and in mercie continueth his rod vpon thē longer yea and often increaseth thē because his purpose is to doe them good thereby and so herein dealeth with them as a most louing and tender father as indeede he is who spareth not the rod vntill his childe bee thereby humbled and brought to the confession and amendment of his fault because his purpose is by his fatherly correction to doe him good Wherein parents often put a difference betweene their children and their seruants for often they let their seruants alone and leaue them as incorrigible when they will not profit by words or a few stripes as not caring for them because they purpose not alwaies to be troubled with thē but their children because they see that they cannot cast off naturall affection from them therfore they leaue them not after once or twice correction but still follow them with the rodde till they amend So the Lord when he spareth the wicked in their sinnes and reserueth them for a further and more heauie iudgement at the last correcting his owne children in the meane season againe and againe he sheweth that his purpose is thereby to doe them aboue all other much good Therefore let no man in the continuance of his afflictions though long and grieuous be too much discouraged as though the Lord were continually angrie with him or had a purpose