to him no doubt to hear of the slaughter of 85. of the Lords Priests occasioned by his comming to Nob and all the Citty put to the edge of the sword 1 Sum. 22.17 18. Again into what distress was he and his company driven to when he was forst to become an eloquent begger and that to such a Churl as Nabal that in stead of an Almes or a good answer he term'd him no better then a Runnagate 1 Sam. 25.10 How many times was he in jeopardy of his life what hard shifts was he driven too he fained himselfe mad before Achish King of Gath. 1 Sam. 21.13 being in great feare there But never was he more neer it then when his own people and companions spake of stoning him his griefe was so great for the burning of his Citty Ziklag and the carrying away his Wives and Friends that he wept so much he could weep no more and yet in stead of comforting him they cause him to be deeply distressed when they spake of stoning him 1 Sam. 30.6 Now these were his sufferings before he was crowned King all which were but as a Praeludium to his after sorrowes his first may be termed as it were forraigne the latter domestical The first more on the body the latter more on the Spirit and both againe had a sufficient share What saddest disasters befell himselfe and family into what a notion of sorrows had he plung'd himselfe into by his committing adultery and hiding it with murder what a heavy doome did he bring upon his house what perplexity upon his Spirit and though God had pardoned him upon his true repentance yet the Sword did never depart from his house What a cutting Corasive was it to him when his beloved wife Michal shall scornfully jeere him and that in the service of God what griping griefes did even tare his tender heart in sunder to hear that his Daughter Tamar shall be abused and that by her own Brother 2 Sam. 13.14 and that afterward this incestious Son shall be slain by his Brother Absalom and at that time too when he was in his Cups that Absalom shall requite his Fathers pardon and indulgence with the worst ingratitude the greatest rebellion was ever heard off which we may read at large in 2 Sam. 15.16 17 18. That another of his darlings Adonijah will be so bould to step into his Fathers Throne and say hee 'l be King before his Father hath surrendred it up to nature And doubtlesse all those sorrowes were not to be compared to the sadnesse of his soule for sin which we may abundantly read in many of his mournfull Psalmes there he casts up the accounts of his sorrowes when and where and how they were inflicted his being slighted and forsaken by his friends abused and scorned by his enemies was not the least of his miseries yet for as much as sin became so heavy a burden to him he bore all the better for where sin is felt heavy there sorrowes will seem light he was conscious he had deserv'd that and worse and this made him in a sweet submission to kisse the rod which this Shimei whipt him withall suffer him God hath bidden him David being a man after Gods own heart knew the order of Gods proceedings so well that he must smart soundly for his sins of adultery and murder that God would be just in making good what he had threatned and not a sillable of it fall to the ground and therefore he meekneth his spirit to a quiet and humble submission to bear the anger of the Lord because he had finned against him and therefore he professeth Psal 39.9 that he was dumb and opened not his mouth because the Lord had done it In the 2 Sam. 12.10 Nathan from the Lord fearfully threatens a heavy judgement upon David for his sins Thus saith the Lord because thou hast despised me and done thus and thus the sword shall never depart from thy house but I will raise up evill against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy Wives and give them to thy neighbour and he shall lye with them for thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel and this Sun Now God goes roundly to work with David himselfe now every word must be fulfilled David had dealt treacherously with Vriah David shall be dealt withall in as treacherous a manner by his subject his bosome friend yea by his beloved Son He abused his neighbours wife he shall have the same measure redoubled into his own bosome He had caused the enemies of God to blaspheame his name he shall have his own name so spit upon that he shall become a scorn and a by-word to his enemies a stranger to his friends and a song to the very drunkards In these nine verses we may observe these four particulars 1 David's coming to Bahurim 2 Shimei's meeting and abusing David aggravated by four remarkable circumstancies 1 By his railing at David saying come out come out thou bloody man and thou man of Beliall charging him with all the blood of the house of Saul vers 7. 2 His cursing him all along as he went v. 5. 13. 3 By his throwing stones and casting dust at him 4 He pretends a sufficient warrant for what he did and would make him believe God had now found him out and would reckon with him vers 8. The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou hast reigned and the Lord hath delivered thy Kingdome into the hand of Absalom thy Son and behold thou art taken to thy mischiefe because thou art a bloody man 3 Here is Abishai's perswading David to avenge himselfe vers 9. Why should this dead Dog curse my Lord the King let me goe I pray thee and take off his head 4 We have David's humility under Shimei's inhumanity exprest in five circumstances 1 His indignation at the thoughts of revenge vers 10. what have I to do with you ye Sons of Zeruiah as if he should have said I will have nothing to do with those that cannot bear an injury 2 His looking off the stone to God that threw it vers 10 11. The Lord hath bidden him 3 His patient submitting under the hand of God vers 10. So let him curse because the Lord hath said curse David who shall then say wherefore hast thou done so 4 His justifying of God in his way of proceeding vers 11. Behold my Son which came forth of my bowels seeketh my life how much more may this Benjamite do it as if he should have said if it be good enough for me that my sin hath procured my Son to become a Rebell and Traytor to me his Father and lay my life in the dâ—st it is no wonder if a stranger take this advantage and trample upon me too seeing me so low 5 His comforting himselfe with hopes of being benefited by this affliction vers 12. It may be
that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day 1 David came to Bahurim in his flight from Absalom we may seriously observe to what afflictions and streights the Saints of God may be brought they may be brought to flee for their lives this was Davids case and this is the lot and portion of all the faithfull to endure affliction in one kinde or other Abraham the Father of the faithfull had his peculiar afflictions his great fears and his unparalel'd tryals Gen. 20.11 22. Isaac had his continual griefe of minde in the marriage of one of his Sons and of his being deprived of the other for 20. yeares together Gen. 26.35.36.27 See what afflictions Jacob had persecuted by his own Brother and driven from his Fathers house into a strange Land there he suffered many an injury and indignity from his Unkle with sorrowes he sustained from and in his children Surely if we would seriously read the whole story of his life we shall finde his troubles come tumbling one on the others back Like the waves of the Sea commonly the ending of one was but the beginning of another Moses whom God so dearly loved and entertain'd into the necrest familiarity talking with him face to face was notwithstanding exercised with grievous afflictions not to speak of his hardships and streights which he sustained before he could understand it being in danger of death every hour for 3. months space To omit many things what an affliction had he in carrying such an untoward people 40. yeares together in the wildernesse and what wordly comfort had he to cheer him in suffering all these afflictions but the remembrance of the Land of promise the fruition whereof he long expected But at last he is cut off from this hope and heareth Gods definitive sentence passe upon him that he must ascend Mount Nebo and dye there Deut. 32.50 And thus Job though he were the justest man that lived upon the Earth by the Lords own testimony yet did he endure manifold and grievous afflictions as we may read in the History of his life the spoyling of his goods the slaughter of his servants the untimely death of ten children all at once the outward torment of botches and boyles and the inward terrors of an afflicted minde the scornes of the wicked the strange behaviour of his Wife the unkinde usage and hard censures of his friends that in these respects he was thought to be the fittest man to be propounded by the holy Ghost as a pattern of patience James 5.11 And thus did all the Apostles suffer afflictions yea and cruel deaths except St. John Here with a Catalogue St. Paul makes of his sufferings 2 Cor. 11.44 unto which outward vexation of body and inward cares and distractions of minde we may add his spiritual afflictions as the fight between the flesh and spirit and the buffitings of Satan which were incomparably greater then all the rest for whereas out of the strength of his faith and patience he rejoyced yea even boasted himselfe in his other afflictions by these he is much humbled and cast down in the fight of his corruptions and forced to crye out in perplexity of spirit oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Now the causes which doth move the Lord to lay upon his children those great afflictions is because of sin Sin then is the meritorious cause why the Lord punisheth a place or Person Judgments never come down from God till provocations first go up from man and this the Church plainly affiâ—meth Lam. 3.39 man suffereth for his sin and this the Lord tels Israel Jer. 30.14 15. I have stricken thee with the wound of an enemy and with a sharp chastisement for the multitude of thine iniquities because thy Sons were increased why cryest thou for thine affliction thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquities I have done those things unto thee Object But doth God alwayes correct for sin are there not other ends which move the Lord to lay crosses upon his own children Ans It s very true God doth by afflictions as well make tryall of his graces in us as chastize us for our sins and that besides our transgressions there are in Gods secret counsels other causes of our crosses and calamities but seeing the Lord hath in his word denounced these miseries and afflictions against us as punishments and chastisements for our iniquities and doth not reveale unto us when he tryeth us and when he correcteth us Therefore leaving Gods secrets unto himselfe we are not to look unto his hidden counsels but to his revealed will and according thereunto we are alwayes to make this use of our afflictions that when we are judged we are chastned of the Lord and justly corrected and punished for our sins and thus the Saints in all ages have done still have they insisted on their sins which have primarily been the cause of their sorrowes So David complained Psal 38.3 there is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones by reason of my sins And thus the Prophet Isaiah chap. 64.5 cryeth out in his prayer for the people behold thou art angry for we have sinned Yea Job himselfe who was chiefly afflicted for the try all of his graces though he desires to defend his innocency against his three friends to maintain the integrity of his heart from their false aspertions yet having to deal with God he acknowledgeth and sayes I have finned what shall I do unto thee oh thou preserver of men and why doest thou not parden and take away mine iniquity Job 7.20 Again 't is good to make a holy use of every affliction Is there an insufficiency and impotency in creatures that they cannot help us or infidelity and treachery whereby they will not afford unto us that help which we expect from them we may very well conclude we rested too much on those earthen propts and when contempt and scorn waite upon our heeles pride and loftinesse was our Gentleman Usher before and so of the rest God is one that will do nothing wherein his word shall not justifie his deed what befalls us from him must needes be just though we conceive not our desert because he smothers our offences his justice is in no way detected and surely if we would seriously take notice of it we may oft times read our fin in our punishment for God usually retaliates and dealeth with men according to the manner and way of their wickednesse the sin and suffering oft meet in some remarkable circumstance Now as afflictions are punishments for sins past so are they preventions against sin in time to come Phisitâ—ans when they purge their Patients aime most at the cause of the disease for when that is taken away the effects will follow thus doth God with his own dearest children he purges them so
rod will not humble us we shall surely feel the smart God will first or last take us in hand and master our proudest hearts and stoutest stomacks and if fewer and lighter stripes will not serve the turn he will inflict more and harder till he hath brought us as he would have us And therefore 't is better to be taken downe in youth than to be broken in pieces by great crosses in age we shall be sure of a time of reckoning the best of us God will punish sinne where ever be find iâ— and in this world most severely to his owne they that have most of Gods heart do oftentimes feel his hand most heavy When the â—ins of Saints shall become a scandall to Religion no wonder if God will vindicate his honor and be severest against those that wear his livery yet inwardly side with Satan and their own lofts other offences God may punish this he must least the enemies of the truth triumph against him David had such a whip for this as never man had greater because he had by his fin caused the enemies of God to blaspheme his child must dye when he that had sung the purenesse of the God of Israel and proclaimed the noble acts he did of old and seem'd as one indeared to the Almighties love how would the Philistims rejoyce when he should thus become Apostate and with a milde licentiousnesse mix his lust with murder and ingratitude surely his sin and punishment God will have to stand upon record to the worlds end to be a warning to all that if God was so severe against one who lay so near his heart then let us with fear and trembling look to our wayes making streight steps to our feet least that which is lame be turned out of the way ever remembring that after the remission of a â—in the very chastisements of the Almighty may be deadly And this was it which made David so meek without murmuring seeing God as his justice required did justly execute his righteous judgements upon him for his sin and according to his revealed truth inflicted those afflictions which he had formerly threatned God is immutable as his course hath been towards his children in times past so will he deal with us and our posterity in time to come he will ever proceed by the same rules of justice and mercy punishing like finnes with like judgements And therefore let us justifie Gods wifedome in all his proceedings of providence concerning our selves and others his justice in punishing as well as his love in correcting his grace in giving and his mercy in taking away and in all things from the heart blesse the name of the Lord. Blesse his name and exalt his free grace that our punishment is no more nor no worâ—e What if we have many crosses heavily lying upon us truly if we had our due desert we should have more and greater the terrors of conscience here and torments of hell hereafter what if death have deprived us for a time of our children deerest necrest relations alas our fins have deserved to be deprived of the presence of God and all his holy glorious Saints Angells that to all eternity what if we have loâ—t our honor riches reputation and estimation with the world perhaps they were our Gods no wonder they were daâ—ht to pieces and we made to drinke of their dust what if our friends have lest us and have forgotten all their promises and purposes of friendly intimacy and have taken away all their love and have in stead repaid us with scorne and disdain what then they could not take away our God nor our Christ nor his spirit nor our interest in the promises nor our hope of Heaven why what have we lost then truly matters of no great moment the presence of our God without any of these is perfect peace but all these without God is but a little more cheerfull hell And therefore none could justifie God in his way of proceeding better then David so he says nay sings it too Psal 103 he hath not dealt with us after our fins nor rewarded us after our iniquities and this he intimateth Psal 51.4 by that ingeminating confession of his against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy fight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou art judged 5 David comforting himselfe with hopes of being benefited by this affliction it may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will requâ— good for his cursing this day And this should comfort us in our deepeft diftresse because Gods round reprehensions are ever gracious forerunners of his mercy Faith will teach us to say God hath chastised me according as he hath threatned therefore he will comfort me according as he hath promised now hath not God promised and assured us to uphold us in our afflictions and bring us through it and comfort us by it and gloriâ—ie us after it let us therefore with Abraham hope against hope and apprehend the certain accomplishment of these promises by faith whence fence and carnall reason see nothing but the contrary Ah! if we would seriously consider that as God is the supreame cause of all our afflictions so doth he govern and over-rule all secondary and inseriour causes and meanes by his most wise and powerfull providence that when they seeme most to oppose against him they do but effect that which he willeth and hath purposed to be done they serve to the furthering of his ends his glory and our salvation how opposite and contrary they are one to the other Now if God hath joyned his glory and our happinesse together it is â—it that we should refer our selves to his good pleasure that hath joyned his glory to our best good which is our salvation This was it which upheld the head of David the good which would follow he was sure that this wet seed-time would bring forth a plentifull harvest this he â—ings Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth weeping bearing precious seed shall doubâ—lesse come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him And again Psal 126.5 They that sow in teares shall reap in joy And thus many times God in mercy puts us to a lesser trouble for our greater good Thus did the Lord with the Israelites when he brought them into the wildernesse where they indured much affliction he did humble them and prove them that he might do them good at their latter end Deut. 8.16 Now God doth not only advance by afflictions the spirituall and everlasting good of his own children but many times turneth them to their greater benefit in the things of this life as we may see in the example of Joseph he was sould as a slave that he might be a great Commander he lost his patrimony at home that he might receive a much more large inheritance in a strange Countrey and therefore he professeth that when his brethren
last long that love is never lasting which flames before it burns and very rarely is that friendship found with the durability of affection which is so suddainely kindled enduring love is ever built on vertue which no person can see in another at once and therefore by a soft ascension does degree it selfe in the soule If we should tell those our sometimes great friends that their hottest love was never but fained I believe they would not take it well but they must know that love was never sincere that will not hold out length with life and therefore if God have snapt our fingers from such false friends we have the greater cause to be thankfull There will a great deale of sweetnesse flowe from this sower better to be debarr'd of their society altogether then be any more greeved with their falsehood and unkindnesse And thus the malice of enemies and the false fained and sickle love of supposed friends shall all turne for our eternall advantage and therefore though we have poured out many teares over their living Sepulchers yet we may comfort our selves in their losse then injoy their love with a continuall feare of loosing or incurring their displeasure by a Captious exception many times for a meere over-sight or unwilling miscarriage and unpurposed enour though generally we did ever observe them with obsequious love Let us not then be so greevously troubled when we are any wayes wronged belyed railed upon spurned at or trampled upon by the feet of honoured insolency or dunghill Malice slighted contemned and utterly cast off by our bosome friends but in a meeke and patient behaviour let us sweetly seriously and feelingly in our own hearts say this is from God for my good or with Eli it is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good There is a supreame providence wisedome and power which seeth and over-ruleth all their actions and ends that when they are most eager in pursuing their designes doth make them when they thinke least of it to serve him for the effecting of all his counsells and purposes and the furthering and advancing of those his maine ends even his owne glory and our greatest good both here and hereafter 2 not onely the Malice of man but the malice of Satan himselfe that sets them awork shall turn to our good He goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking what soule he may devoure 1 Pet. 5.8 He thrusteth fore at us and so worrieth us with unwearied temptations seeking nothing more then to dishonour God in our overthrow but this like a storme at sea drives us to our port even to the throne of grace by prayers and teares for help against hell 2 Chron. 20.13 When Satan hath fetcht us over to a sin by spells and Charmes of mercy he at length finding us bleeding and dying would make us beleeve there is no mercy for us when having made us sin against the Law he would make us sin against the Gospell also that so mercy her selfe might condemne us but after sin committed he steps in betweene us and God and begs out of our fathers hand therod to beat us for those sins we had never done but through his inticement Now say we we see the devills businesse added to his false-hood surely peace once made with our God we will never be thus cheated againe Ah! how wary shall we be ever after of Satans wiles surely the best of sin is shame and sorrow the forbidden tree will never yeild better fruit 3 Our fins worke our good while we carry this mortall body about us we doe and must carry sin within us Many unavoydable infirmities invincible necessities God in mercy and wisedome will have it to be thus 1 To subdue our pride and presumpion which else would advance it selfe against God 'T is said Deut. 7.22 That God did not drive out the Canaanites from among his people all at once least the wilde beasts should grow in upon them And saith David Psal 59.11 Lord slay not all the enemies of thy Church at once least thy people forget it So God that could at first have taken away all the corruption of our nature and the lusts of our hearts would not least the wilde beasts of pride and security growing in upon us we forget mercy Thus the Lord would not take away the thorne in the flesh of the Apostle Peul those buffettings of Satan but tells him his grace is sufficient for him 2 Cor. 12.8 Alas had we not these infirmities in us how soon like our first parents would we thinke our selves to be Gods Looke upon the Aposile Peter how consident of his owne strength how forward was he in his profession he would be first and singular if all should deny him yet would not he no he would dye first but God let loose but a small temptation the words of a poore filly maid shall so affright him with the seare of death that he will presently deny his Lord and Master nay forsweare him too but this fall did him much good Oâ— How warily did he walke ever after how cautious of his words And when Christ did ask him whether he loved him more then these he had done boasting now onely he pleades the sincerity of his heart Lord thou knowest all things and knowest that I love thee Job 21.17 Thus did Jobs impatiency bring him to the more humility to the more abasing of himselfe Yea to abhorring of himselfe in dust and ashes Job 42.6 So David after his falls he was the more Circumspect over himselfe the more eager against his sins and the more earnest with God by praver against them 2 As these infirmities serve us as to subdue pride and security so to a waken us from our spirituall sluggishnesse to carefull and constant prayer yea to watchfulnesse unto prayer with all perseverance Our infirmities are as it were the coales which Satan bloweth to consume us now when feeling the fire we labour to keep it out and by the contrary blasts of Gods Spirit to quench the flame we enter the combat which nothing else but death can put an end unto When there is no fear of the enemie our weapons rust and we remain unexperienced and what then shall we do in the day of tryal 3 By our falls we are made more pitifully tender towards our brethen whensoever overcome by a temptation because we our selves have been overcome and we cannot tell how soon again Thus when news was brought to a learned and experienced Divine that a professor was soully fallen Alas faith he he fell to day and I may fall to morrow And this the Apostle Paul exâ—orteth Gal. 6.1 It a brother be overtaken yea which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe least thou also beâ—empted Now many times we doe not know how fraile we are till we fall neither know what is our weaknesse nor what our strength is we see neither how poore we our selves are nor how