into His rest hereafter Now a little to speak farther of the right sanctifying of the Lords day summarily and we have done Our care must be over-night having laid aside all our earthly affairs to begin to fit our selves for the Lords-day and His Service thereon Rising as early or earlier on the Lords day as we do on other days for our own businesses as David said O Lord thou art my God Psal 63. 1. early will I seek thee when we are dressing our selves let us have heavenly thoughts as to put on the garments of Christ's righteousness to be as a Bride trimmed to meet the Bridegroom of our Souls Then to retire our selves and pray to God that He will prepare our hearts aright for the preparation of the Psal 10. 17. Prov. 16. 1. heart is from the Lord. That God would enable us for to sanctifie His holy name in all our duties of worship for He will be sanctified of all that draw Levit. 10 3. near to Him Then if we are governours of families to call our family together and strive to prepare them likewise so to Psal 42. 4. Josh 24. 15. Acts 16. 14. Mat. 15. 10. go to the house of God together that we and our family may serve the Lord Attend diligently to the Word of God hear and understand and hear as for our lives so to hear as our souls Isai 55. 3. Deut. 30. 19. may live it is not a vain thing it is for our lives take heed also be not forgetful hearers of the Word but doers of it Jam 1. 22. that we may be blessed in the deed else we deceive our own souls and that is the greatest deceit and of most dismal consequence Let us joyn with the Congregation in Prayer Sing with the Spirit and sing with understanding also 1 Cor. 14. 15. If the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper be administred having duely prepared ourselves let us receive it When the Sacrament of Baptism is administred Pray for the party baptized give thanks to God for adding one member more to His outward visible Church and remember we our vow made to God in our Baptism to be humbled for the breaking of it and resolve by God's Grace to perform it better for the future And depart not from the Church before the Minister hath pronounced the blessing And so let us not turn our backs on any of God's ordinances When we come home let us feed in fear and season it with meditation and speeches of holy things After Dinner let us meditate confer on and repeat what we have heard examine and catechize our families and strive to make that we heard to be our own ruminating upon it as those only were clean beasts under the Law which did chew Lev. 11. 3. the cud Then to return in season to the afternoon Publick Worship and demean our selves as in the morning When we return home then to do as before we did after dinner If we are enforced to walk through the fields then to contemplate the works of God His Providence and Mercies After Supper to confer read meditate sing Psalms instruct exhort encourage c. And close the day with Prayer craving pardon for sin and for the iniquities of our holy things Pray for more Grace to profit by all we have heard for it is God alone that teaches us to profit and that we may persevere therein Isai 48. 17. unto the end blessing God that hath given us one Sabbath-day more and hath in any measure assisted us in the performance of our duties Thus sanctifying the Sabbath God hath made it not only our duty so to do but also an essential means of His bestowing Mercies Blessings and increase of Grace on us in this our religious observation of the same Thus God blessed the Sabbath-day Isai 56. 6 7. When we lye down in our beds examine we our hearts how we are bettered what increase of knowledge and Grace what strength against corruptions what heavenly-mindedness more we have obtained And so repose our selves to sleep in the arms of our heavenly Father having heavenly thoughts in our hearts that we may be able comfortably to say How precious are thy thoughts to me O God that is my thoughts which I have of Thee how great is the sum of them when I awake Psal 139. 17 18 I am still with Thee Be not weary of Sabbath-duties and exercises like those wicked Jews who said When will the sabbath be gone that Amos 8. 5 Mal. 1. 13. we may go to our worldly businesses and what a weariness is this and so snuffed at it These men and women are far from tasting how gracious the Lord is and from those who by reason of use 1 Pet. 2. 3. Heb. 5. 14. have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil They see no such excellency and preciousness in Christ they find no sweetness in His ordinances to say with Peter Lord it is good for us Mat. 17. 4. to be here They are far from David's temper to have their souls to long yea even to faint for the courts of the Lord Psal 84. 1 2. and cry out when shall I come and appear before God our blessed Saviour for us spent a whole night in Prayer to Luk. 6. 12. God Heaven will be no Heaven to Rev. 4. 8. 11. such persons as these where we shall for ever be praising God And like as God rested the seventh day from all His works Heb. 4. 4. 10. as one would say God did retire Himself to the quiet enjoyment of Himself His glory and blessedness So we being by death freed from the works of this life from all our labours and toâ—ls from all sin and suffering from all sorrow and misery when God shall wipe away â—â—v 7. 17. â—â—â— 35. 10. all tears from our eyes and sorrow and sighing shall flee away then shall we altogether live with God in the perfect rest of glory For there remaineth a rest or keeping an everlasting Sabbath â—â—â— 4. 11. to the people of God Sabbath in Hebrew signifies Cessavit Addition quievit vacavit a sabbath-Sabbath-day is a day of rest It signifies not such a rest as when one sitteth still and doth nothing but a resting and ceasing from doing that which he did before So God called this day a Sabbath which He dedicated and consecrated to His own publick Worship 1. Because on that day God rested from His creation of all those new species but not from conserving and propagating of them by the continual generation of individuals 2. Because the Sabbath is a representation of that spiritual rest from sin and of that rest in everlasting life 3. Because that we must on that day cease from all our secular and worldly employments that devoting our selves wholly to God's Worship He may work His work upon our hearts and exercise His works in us 4. That our
justice and judgment and so opened to him a way that he might run head-long to his own utter ruine and destruction So God confounds his implacable enemies two ways here 1. By hardness of heart which ariseth as we said before when God with-draweth His Grace from a man and leaveth him to himself so as he goeth on from sin to sin and never repenteth to the last gasp And we must esteem of it as a most fearful and terrible judgment of God for when the heart is possessed therewith it becomes so flinty and rebellious that a man will never relent or turn to God This was manifest in Pharaoh for though God sent most grievous plagues upon him and all the Land of Egypt yet would he not submit or humble himself save only for a fit while the hand of God was so heavy upon him for when the hand of God was removed he returned to his former obstinacy wherein he persisted until he was drowned in the red Sea And this judgment of God of hardness of heart is the more fearful because when a man is in the midst of all misery he feels no misery 2. God confounds His enemies as by hardness of heart so by final desperation I say final because all kind of desperation is not evil for a man may despair of himself and of his own power in the matter of Salvation which tends to his everlasting comfort But final desperation is when a man utterly despairs of the pardon of his sins and of everlasting life Examples we have in Saul that slew himself in Achitophel and Judas that hanged themselves c. This sin of desperation is caused thus so many sins as thou committest without repentance so many wounds thou givest to thine own soul and in life or death God will make thee to feel the smart of it and the weight of them all whereby the soul sinks down to the gulph of despair without recovery The sins which thou committest lye at the door of thy heart though thou feel them not as God said unto Cain Gen. 4. 7. sin lyeth at the door and if thou dost not prevent them by speedy and timely repentance God will make thee to feel them once before thou dyest and raise up such terrours in thy Conscience that thou shalt think thy self to be in Hell before thou art there They that were sent from the chief Priests c. to apprehend Christ though He had acknowledged I am He and they were astonished and fell to the ground and He had miraculously healed Joh. 18. 12. Malchus his ear yet for all though they had seen his wonderful power both in word and deed they proceed in malice against Him and bind Him as a Malefactor In this we note what a fearful sin hardness of heart is The danger whereof appears in this that if a man be possessed with it there is nothing that can stay or daunt him in his wicked proceedings no not the powerful words and deeds of our Saviour Himself And indeed among all God's judgments there is none more fearful than this of hardness of heart and yet how rife is it among us even in these our days For it is very evident that the more men are taught the Doctrine of Gods Law and Gospel the more hard and senseless are their hearts like unto an anvil the more it is beaten upon with the iron hammer the harder it is So that that denunciation against the Jews Acts 28. 26 27. is fulfilled in them It is such a terrible judgment of God into which when a man is fallen he feels neither pain nor grief Therefore we have cause with fear and trembling to look into it lest it take such hold of us that we be past all hopes of recovery Sin is a deceitful thing and custom in sin brings hardness of heart therefore read that Heb. 3. 13. and Rom. 2. 5. Let us bewail and be humbled for our hardness of heart whereby we are hindered from knowing and acknowledging God aright and from discerning His glory and Majesty from acknowledging God's judgments or our own sins dreaming we are safe from God's vengeance and such perils and miseries which arise from sin whereas all those out of Christ and in this estate have nothing stands between them and vengeance EXERCITATION THE TENTH Exod. 31. 13 14 15 16 17. Verily my Sabbath ye shall keep for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore for it is holy unto you every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death for whosoever doth any work therein that soul shall be cut off from among his people Six days may work be done but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest holiness to the Lord. Whosoever doth any work in the Sabbath-day he shall surely be put to death Wherefore the Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual Covenant It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and on the seventh He rested Exod. 20. 8. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy HEre we have the Commandment of God for the strict observation of the sabbath-Sabbath-day No one Commandment so often iterated or so much pressed This Commandment requireth at the hand of every man one day of seven in every week to be set a-part unto a holy rest and requireth all persons to separate themselves from their ordinary labour and all other exercises to God's Service alone on that day that so being severed from their worldly businesses and all the works of their Labours and Callings concerning this Nehem. 13. 15. 22. life they may wholly attend to the Worship of God alone wholly to separate themselves to the Worship and Service of God that they may with more freedom of Spirit perform the same If Adam in his perfection had need of this holy day as it was first enjoyned in the state of innocency much more Gen. 2. 2 3. have we To teach man from time to time on the Sabbath-day to withdraw himself from the cares and labours of this life to apply himself in freedom and tranquillity of mind to the meditations and actions of a spiritual life Q. But some will say this fourth Commandment is ceremonial and so it is taken away by the death of Christ A. I answer No but it is constantly and perpetually to be observed 1. For it is placed in the number of the ten Commandments which are perpetual otherwise the Moral Law should consist but of nine which is contrary to God's Word And He declared unto Deut. 4. 13. you His covenant which He commanded you to perform even ten Commandments 2. Because this fourth Commandment among the rest and in the middle of them as a Diamond in a ring was written
by the finger of God whereas Exod. 31. 18. no part of the ceremonial Law was 3. It was written in tables of stone to signifie the perpetuity of it 4. It was before any ceremony of the Law yea before Christ promised for it was instituted in Paradise Gen. 2. 2 3. 5. The ceremonies were as a partition-wall betwixt Jews and Gentiles but God extends this Commandment not only to the Jews but also to strangers Exod. 20. 10. Herein I say the Moral Law which is the ten Commandments is preheminent above the ceremonial or judicial Law 1. Because the Moral Law is a foundation of the other Laws and they are reducible to it 2. The Moral Law was to abide always but not the ceremonial nor judicial 3. This was immediately written by God and commanded to be kept in the Ark which the others were not The ceremonial Law was to continue but until Christ came The judicial Law Gal. 3. 19. was for the Jews political estate for the time being But of the Moral Law it is spoken The Lord came from Sinai with Deut. 33. 2. ten thousand of His Saints from his right hand went a fiery law for them The Service and Ministery of the Angels in promulgating of the Law makes much to the honour of the Law for we never read of a Law enacted by so solemn sacred and august a Senate as the Moral Law was where Jesus Christ accompanied with thousands of Angels was the Speaker and gave these Precepts Acts 7. 53. Heb. 2. 2. Psal 68. 8. By how much the more glory God put upon this Moral perpetual Law the greater is their sin who derogate from it I have read a story of Stesâ—chorus that when in some words he had disparaged Helena's beauty he was stricken with blindness but afterwards when he praised her again he obtained his sight It may be because some men have not set forth the due excellency of this Moral Law God hath taken away their eye-sight not to see the beauty of it but let them begin with holy David to set forth the excellent benefits of it and then they may see the glory perpetuity and morality of it more than ever How careful then should men be that they transgress not this Law which hath so sacred authority It was Christ that appeared to Moses in the bush He is also called the Acts 7. 35. Isai 63. 9. Angel of the Covenant because He made that Covenant of the Law with the people on Mount Sinai And it was no created Angel for thus He beginneth I am Jehovah thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt Well might Paul then speaking of the Moral Law say It is holy just and good Rom. 7. 12. Away then with those prophane opinions and licentious Doctrines of some against the Sabbath-day which is a taking away of one of the Commandments The Sabbath hath its morality and perpetuity from the meer positive Commandment of God Pardon this digression and come we to a more practical discourse The Sanctification of the Sabbath is Description whereby we rest from labours and outward work that man together with his family and beasts may be refreshed that the whole day may be spent in the Worship and Service of God So there are two parts of this 1. Rest from labour Parts of it 2. Sanctification of this Rest To sanctifie the Sabbath is not to make it holy so it is already by God's institution but to separate it from prophane uses and to devote it to the Worship of God We must omit upon this day the works of our outward temporal Vocation which must be done in the six dayes of the week But the proper works of the Sabbath are these three 1. Works of Necessity which are allowed for our bodily sustentation 2. Works of Charity both to man and beasts which can no ways be deferred to another day So our Saviour which of you having an Oxe or an Ass Luk. 14. 5. fall into a pit will not help him out on the Sabbath day 3. But especially of works Piety which are the proper works of the Sabbath as to frequent the publick Assembly to read and hear to meditate and speak of the Word of God sing Psalms receive the Sacrament to exhort and encourage each other to Piety to build up Jude â—0 each other in our most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost c. And to refrain all those things which may hinder divert or distract the mind from the Service of God and everlasting benefit of our Souls such as vain thoughts idle worldly and unsavoury speeches which no ways tend to edification pastimes recreations and such-like which are Isai 58. 13 14. expresly forbidden in the Prophet Isaiah as some well observe which may be explained thus Turn thy foot from the Sabbath that is from spurning at it and this is Paraphrased by not doing our own ways nor finding our own pleasure nor speaking our own words Herein is the negative Sanctification of the Sabbath Affirmatively it consists as the same Prophet farther goes on 1. In calling the Sabbath our delight that is in a real account of it to be such and using it as such both in desiring it before it comes and rejoycing in it when it is come as a good and joyful day 2. In calling it the holy of the Lord that is by faith to apprehend it to be of His holy institution and so set it apart from all other worldly time to sanctifie it 3. In calling it honourable or a glorious day a portion of time honoured with the name of God stamped upon it as the day of days and so accounting and using of it 4. In honouring Jehovah herein by declaring His holiness and goodness in His Sabbath setting forth His praise from morning to night The due sanctifying of the Sabbath is hedged about with many great and precious promises both of the upper and nether springs Judg. 1. 15. heavenly and earthly blessings to keep men close to their obedience why should not these cords of love bind and engage men They who abhor Sabbath-performing in duty drive the Lord from promise-performing in mercy bitterness will be to them in the latter end I have observed that a serious strict and conscientious observation of the Sabbath is the outward greatest character of an upright and gracious person The 92 Psalm entituled a Psalm for the Sabbath-day declareth that it is a good thing to begin the day with Praises to God early in the morning and continue the same until it be night Q. Some will say this strict observation of the Sabbath belonged only to the Jews A. Nay but as the most Reverend Arch Bishop Vsher and others very well say we are bound more strictly to observe these Sabbath-duties than they were and that because of the greater measures of Gods Graces upon us than ever were given unto them Q. But the
day is altered The Jews did and do observe Saturday because upon that day God rested from the work of Creation which now is changed into the first day of the week A. This was done not by humane but by Divine authority which appears by the practice of Christ and the Apostles Joâ— 20. 19. 26. 20. 7. which should be a sufficient rule to us especially because the Apostles have added a Commandment thereunto And 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. there is no other reason but in regard of the Lord Christ's special institution Rev. 1. 10. why it should be called the Lords-day as the Lords Prayer because of His making and the Lords Supper is so also 1 Cor. 11 2â— called because it was of Christ's immediate institution therefore there is no special mention made of it in the New Testament because there was no question made at all of this change in the Apostles time it was so commonly known and another reason which I imagine why it is not mentioned in the New Testament not to deter the Jews from coming into the Church for we read in several places of the Acts of the Apostles how much and how far they Acts 15. 29. 21. 24. condescended to the Jews to win them to Christ So this day is specially dedicated to the Lords service for otherwise all the dayes of the week are the Lords dayes and he is to be served and worshipped in them but on this day wholly and more especially For Christ alone could change the sabbath day who is the Lord of the Sabbath Mat. 12. 8. Athanasiuâ— plainly saith that Christ himself did change the day There are many more arguments for the change of the Sabbath which we read of but I spare prolixity As God rested from the works of Creation then he sanctified and blessed the seventh day on which He rested so it was meet that our Lord Jesus Christ having finished the work of our Redemption on the Cross when He said It is finished and Joh. 19. 30. bowed His head and gave up the ghost and rested in the grave and was declared to be the Son of God with power Rom. 1. 4. by His resurrection from the dead this same day in which Christ rested from His labour and the work of our redemption which was greater than the work of Creation this day did He sanctifie unto Himself This day as Christ sanctified by His resurrection so by twice Joh. â—â— 19. â—â— Acts 2 â— â— appearing to His Apostles on the same day and by sending the Holy Ghost upon them on the same day which day Acts 20. â— 1 Cor. 16. â— Apoâ— â— â—â— the Apostles observed and the Churches also But in the words at first read God said that the Sabbath was a sign between Him and the Children of Israel therefore some say it is a type or a ceremony or a representation of something to come We have proved it not to be a ceremony but we may well and will also grant it to be a type or representation of our heavenly rest that perpetual Sabbath Heb. 4. 3. 9. of rest we shall keep there But sign signifies here as much as a document so Christ said By this shall Joh. 13. 35. all men know that ye are My Disciples if ye love one another In the observation of the Lords Day there is a common and publick profession made of that Communion which is between God and us So then every solemn profession is a sign of that thing of which it is a profession so also the Sabbath is called a Sign in that common reason But some will say this Sabbath was enjoyned only to the Children of Israel what is that to us This belongs also to the spiritual Israel and not only to the bodily which Rom. 9. â— were of that lineage by corporal generation The Jews alone were Israel 1 Cor. 10. 18. after the flesh but we also after the spirit for the believing Gentiles are called the Israel of God Gal. 6. 1â— The word Remember is prefixed to this fourth Commandment to shew that although all the Commandments are needful diligently to be observed and remembred yet this more especially The word Remember is to put us in mind 1. Of our natural forgetfulness of this Commandment 2. Of the excellency and worth of it 3. To prepare our selves for the due keeping of it For we are naturally most negligent in it suffering our selves to be with-drawn by our worldly businesses from the Lords Service upon the Lords day and therefore such a special warning is needful to be added And as to keep it holy when it is come so also to prepare our selves for it and put our hearts our selves in a ready Sabbath-days posture and to dispose our worldly businesses so that if possible we may have no avocation lett or hinderance on the Lords day To speak a little more of the words read at first in Exodus 31. 13 c. for this word Verily the Septuagint render it see to it or look unto it that ye keep My Sabbath then we have the reasons annexed 1. It is a sign between Me and you of which word Sign we have spoken already 2. That ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you as ye expect a Sabbath-blessing or for Me to instamp My image of holiness upon you see that ye keep holy My Sabbath Observe here also the frequent iterated injunctions ye shall keep it holy therefore 3. It is fenced with such dreadful Comminations Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death And whosoever doth any work therein that soul shall be cut off from amongst his people And again he shall surely be put to death and more such expressions here are So then it is not at every man's liberty if he will observe the Sabbath or no. God as He is faithful in His promises of mercy so also in His threatnings of vengeance Although Sabbath-prophaners may escape punishment here God will assuredly without great repentance make them suffer for ever hereafter for slighting neglecting and breaking of His Covenant of the Sabbath For the breaking of the Sabbath is a violation of the whole Worship of God Wo therefore to those prophane ungodly Sabbath-breakers who are also usually addicted to Oaths Cursings and Blasphemies to Whoredom Drunkenness and other notorious abominations for one such hainous sin never goes alone whose judgment lingreth 2 Pet. 2. 3. not and their damnation slumbreth not Wo also to those who idle away the Sabbath spending it in worldly discourses gadding gazing idleness and such-like as if the negative part of keeping the Sabbath thou shalt do no manner of work were enough never looking to the positive part to keep it holy to spend the whole day in God's Service to His glory and for their own spiritual edification and advantage They that will not sanctifie God's rest here shall never enter
Servants and Beasts may rest as well as we The Church of the Jews under the Old Testament had various Sabbaths as of Days Months and Years 1. Their Sabbath of days every seventh day of the Week So also their Sabbaths of days were their other Festivals as the Feast of Passeover Pentecost Tabernacles Expiation Trumpets c. for in all these Feasts they were commanded to rest as well as on the Seventh day Of all these read at large in Levit. 23. and 25. Chapters 2. Their Sabbath of Months every New-Moon 3. Their Sabbath of years every seventh year in which they were not to till the ground Levit. 25. 8. and I may add hereto the Jubilee which was once in seven times seven years or the 49th year The word remember in the Hebrew signifies to call to mind somewhat before or to keep in mind somewhat for after and sometimes it signifies both as it may well here be taken for this ordinance of God of the Sabbath was instituted long before and was to continue for afterward The word Sanctifie or hallow doth signifie these four things 1. To make a thing Holy by putting holiness into it morally 2. To acknowledge a thing to be Holy 3. To appoint a thing to Holy and Religious uses 4. To use things to those good uses whereto they were appointed This day hath no more Holiness in it than any other that for it self it might be accounted more Holy than other only God hath appointed it to holy uses and would have us to use it thereunto The reasons why God commands us to keep holy this day 1. God gives us six days to labour in and hath reserved but one in seven for Himself therefore good reason is it we should obey 2. God requireth no more than that which Himself hath done therefore ought men to do so 3. God hath blessed and hallowed this day to this end Therefore it must be kept We must spend our strength in sanctifying of the Sabbath in the duties of of the day they that worship God to purpose spend their bodies and their strength in nothing so much as in the worship of God stirring up themselves to take hold of God Jacob wrestled Isai 64. 7. Gen. 32. 24. with God in Prayer now wrestling is a hard exercise therein men put forth all their strength It will be a sad thing another day when this shall be charged upon very many that they have spent their strength upon sin and upon their lusts but never put forth any strength in Holy Duties or Sabbath-Performances there they are as cold and dead as may be It is a sign of the breath of life when it is warm but artificial breath is cold As the breath that comes out of a living body is warm but the breath out of a pair bellows is cold So the breath of many people in Prayer is discovered to be but artificial breath it is so cold but if there were spiritual life than it would be warm There must be strength and heat of affection So I might instance in hearing the Word we must hear as for our lives Isai 55. 3. so hear that our Souls may live c. But you will say the Sabbath is a time of rest I confess it is a time of rest from outward labours but it is a time of spending strength in a spiritual way They that will worship God aright upon the Sabbath will find it a spending of a great deal of strength And blessed is that strength that is spent in the Worship of God EXERCITATION THE ELEVENTH Luk. 21. 19. In your patience possess ye your Souls VVE are not able to enjoy our selves or any of the blessings which God affords us without patience While we are here in this life let us expect troubles and afflictions and discomforts even from our nearest relations crosses and losses It is our blessed Saviours Legacy in the world ye Joh. 16. 33. shall have tribulation and through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdom of heaven Expect them therefore Acts 14. 22 and prepare for them then when they come they will wound us the less Praevisa minus feriunt tâ—lâ— Let us enjoy this present life and the comforts thereof so long as it shall please God to afford them unto us exercising our selves in continual patience and by it enduring all Behold we count them Jam. 5. 11. happy which endure we have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pittiful and of tender mercy Patience is a Christian vertue whereby Definition by faith resting on the Providence Power and Goodness of God we sweetly and quietly submit our selves to His hand in all afflictions which by Him are sent upon us The afflictions of the Godly are 1. For Correction 2. For Tryal 1. For Correction if we were without chastisement whereof all God's Heb. 12. 8. 10 11. Children are partakers then were we bastards and not sons He chastifeth us for our profit and He seeth it is needful for us for a season if need be we 1 Pet. 1. 6. are in heaviness through manifold temptations So that at length we may say it is good for us and we could not have been without it Though at present no Psal 119. 71. affliction is joyous but grievous yet afterward it yieldeth the quiet fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby This is all the fruit to take Isai 27. 9. away their sin 2. The afflictions of the Godly as they are for correction so also for tryal to try our faith and other Graces if we will quietly submit unto God and humble our selves under His mighty 1 Pet. 5. 6. hand to be dumb with silence and not open our mouths that is in a fretting and repining way because Psal 39. 8. Micah 6. 9. God hath done it To hear the rod and who hath appointed it For the rod of God hath a voice with it and the man of wisdom will see it and hear it and endeavour to understand the meaning of it as well as to feel the smart of it Affliction ariseth not out of the dust neither Job 5. 6. doth trouble spring out of the ground Say therefore with the Church I will Micah 7. 9. bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him when He hath truly tryed me He will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold His righteousness Let us not therefore like a dog snarl at the stone but look to the hand that flung it A sparrow shall not fall to the ground without the will of our Father and we are of more value than many sparrows This will Mat. 10. 29. help us in our patience to possess our souls because God hath done it and so acknowledge it is His hand and that the Lord hath done it Psal 109. 27. Let us examine and