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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26847	A posing question, put by the wise man, viz. Solomon, to the wisest men concerning making a judgment of the temporal conditions : wherein you have the ignorance of man (in knowing, what is good, or evil, for man in this life) discovered, together, with the mistakes that flow from it : and the great question resolved, viz. whether the knowledg of, what is good for a man in this life, be so hid from man, that no man can attain it / preached at the weekly lecture at Upton ... by Benjamin Baxter ...	Baxter, Benjamin, Preacher of the Gospel.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1662 (1662)	Wing B1172A; ESTC R39509	142,945	270

1 Cor. 3. 9. We are labourers together with God ye are God's Husbandry or God's Tillage And then God hath another sort that deal about a mans outwards and those are Such Instruments as he makes use of in Afflicting An Husband-man in his Field hath some to Plow and break up the Earth And he hath some to Sow and cast abroad the Seed Those that Sow are his Ministers who by their Preaching cast abroad the Seed when the Plough of Affliction hath broken up the Ground It is not the Husband-man's work to be alwayes Plowing he hath his time to be Sowing too As you may see Isa 28. 24. God's Afflicting may well be compared to Plowing and that in these respects 1. Plowing altereth and changeth the face of the Earth If you Plowe up a green Meadow you alter the Face of it It 's Verdure and Greenness and Beauty is gone The Plough turneth a pleasant Meadow into a fallow Field Thus Affliction changeth the face of a mans condition It turneth a Naomi into a Marah Naomi signisieth pleasant and Marah bitter Ruth 1. 20. It is said in Mic. 3. 12. Sion shall be Plowed as a Field Sion had been as a beautiful Meadow Fair Green and Pleasant But God by Afflicting her would make her look like a Fallow-field Thus you find the change God's Plough of Affliction made in Job's condition It quite altered the face of it Job 29. 2 3 6 c. he sheweth you how fair and flourishing his condition was before God's Plough went over him But Chap. 30. He telleth you what a change it had made of the face of his condition 2. The Plough overturneth the Earth and layeth the bottom uppermost It turneth that downward that was upward and that upward that was downward So doth Affliction Where that Plough comes it hideth that that was green and turns it out of sight viz. our Comforts and casteth earth upon them As the expression is Isa 24. 1. Behold the Lord maketh the Earth empty he maketh it wast he turneth it upside down This the Plough of Affliction doth when it cometh It turneth our comforts and worldly enjoyments upside-down 3. The Plough where it cometh maketh furrows And maketh such marks and prints on the earth that a man may know where the Plough hath gone So that we can for along time after say This ground hath been Plowed So Afflictions make furrows and leave marks behind them upon a mans Estate and Body and Family and Relations that one may say Here hath the Plough of Affliction hath gone Thus it did upon Shiloh Jer. 7. 12. Go ye to my place which was in Shiloh c. And see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel This was a long time after God had inflicted his judgments upon Shiloh yet she lay as a Fallow-field still The great work we have to do is this To see What work the Plough of Affliction hath done You must know Plowing is a relative work It is in order to some other and some further thing as to Sowing and to Harvest We are to see Whether our Affliction have been followed with a fruitful Crop I have told you before The Plough of it self doth no good there must be something else or else there will be no Harvest There must be Sowing as well as Plowing This we are to do to see Whether we are Sowed as well as Plowed And to see What Crop is brought forth and groweth in those furrows of Affliction Whether it be not weeds and hemlock as the expression is Hos 10. 4. 4. We are to look upon Afflictions as God's Physick and as those Physical means and remedies that God useth for the curing of our diseases As Physitians have their wayes of curing corporal Diseases by Diet-drinks and Sweatings and Purgations So the Lord hath his Wayes and Means of curing our Spiritual Diseases As there are diseases to which our bodies are subject viz. Surfets and Feavers and Dropsies and Consumptions so there are the like in our Spirits It is the saying of one That there is no Beast on the Land but it hath it's like in the Sea So there is no disease belonging to our Bodies but our Souls are spiritually subject to There is the Tympany of Pride the Dropsy of Covetousness the Consumption of Envy the Feaver of Passion The Spirit hath it's Surfets and Distempers Now Afflictions are some of those means and remedies God makes use of for the curing these Diseases The great thing we are to enquire after is What work the Physick of Affliction hath wrought upon us 1. Afflictions are God's Diet-drink It is made up with Gall and Wormwood So the Church telleth us Lam. 3. 19. So Isa 30. 20. we read of the Bread of Affliction and the Water of Affliction Psal 80. 5. We read of the Bread of Tears c. Physitians give things to their Patients that may not be toothsome yet may be wholesome We are to see What Operation this Diet-drink hath had upon us Whether it hath weaned us from the world There is a Disease Physitians call Pica which is a desire to feed upon Trash As some Women and Children will eat Earth and Coales and the Clay of Walls Such a Disease we are all suctject to having a strong appetite and desire after low earthly things too base for the Spirit to feed upon Now can you say This Diet-drink of Affliction hath cured you of this Disease 2. Affliction is God's Phlebotomy his blood-letting God's Afflicting is His takeing some blood from us And when God doth it He doth it in the right Veine When He takes away Riches and Honour c. then he bloodeth us in one Veine When he taketh away Wife or Children Then he letteth us blood in another Veine We are to see What good our Blood-letting hath done us Whether it hath taken down our high Colour and our high Looks We are to see Whether it hath taken away any of our corrupt Blood Whether it hath cured our Ranckness of Pride and Feaverishness of Passion There is an Expression Isa 17. 4. That the glory of Jacob should be made thin and the farness of his flesh should be made lean i. e. God would let them blood by His Afflictions to cure their Pride and all their other Spiritual Diseases 3. Afflictions are God's Purgations To purge out of us Peccant and Malignant Humours They come to purge out of us Pride Covetousness c. We are to see VVhether Afflictions have purged us not only by moving these corrupt humours but by removing of them Isa 27. 9. By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged This is our work To see what sinful humours affliction hath purged away How many Purges hath God given to some by Afflictions and yet they have not removed Obstructions Afflictions are to remove Obstructions to make way for the Word to come to the Heart It comes to the Ear but the work of Affliction

and never look what is within the condition That man that looks no further then upon the outside of a condition will never make a right choice He will be of the number of those of whom the Lord speaketh Isa 7. 15 16. Who were apt to choose the evil and refuse the good We are indeed children in making a choice of conditions Ready to take Rats-bane for Sugar Hemlock for Parsly and the Berries of deadly Night-shade for Cherries As there is need for a great deal of Spiritual Wisdom to judg of conditions so also to choose conditions The consideration of our weaknesse and folly should move us to make the Lord our chooser for us How quickly should we undo our selves if the Lord left us but to our own choice We should instead of Bread choose Stones instead of Fishes choose Serpents instead of Food choose Poyson and instead of Blessings choose things Burthensome and instead of what is Really Good we should choose only what is good in Appearance Men would choose Conditions as many do Wives viz. by their outwards not their inwards They choose Rich and Fine rather then fit Wives Whereas the comfort of Marriage lieth in fitness and suitableness of Spirit The fineness of a Shoo is not that that makes it easie but the fitness so it is not the fineness of a condition but the fitness that makes it good Plutarch telleth us this Story of a Roman He put away his Wife his Friends thereupon asked him VVhat fault he found with her Is she not Honest Is she not Beautiful He putting out his Foot shewed them his shoo and said Is not this shoo new Is it not finely made And yet none of you know where this shoo pincheth me So if we should be left to choose conditions by their outside we should choose that condition that doth look fine but yet may prove evil and uneasie to us 3. A third moving consideration is this We have a God that is Infinitely Wise and therefore there is great reason we should leave the choice of our condition to Him He made man and therefore knowes what is best for man He formed man and therefore knowes how to frame his condition Psal 103. 14. He knoweth our frame It is there meant of our outward frame viz. The frame of our bodies But it is true of our inward frame viz. the frame of our Spirits So He must needs know best what condition is best for us 1. He knows what is in man It is said of Christ which speaks his Divinity Joh. 2. 25. He knew what was in man God knowes man's inwards and knowes what outwards will best suit with him He that made us knows what condition is best for us He that hath taken measure of our Bodies best knowes how to fit us with a Garment And he that hath measured our Foot best knows how to fit us with a Shoo. And God that knowes our Spirits knowes best what condition will sit them Heb. 12. 9. He is called The Father of Spirits They come from Him who is the highest SPIRIT as from the Fountain And he is called Num. 16. 12. The God of the Spirits of all flesh He is the God of Spirits and therefore must know the temper of Spirits and what condition will best suite with them As He that hath the Measure of our Bodies is the fittest to make a Garment for us and he that hath the Measure of our Foot is fittest to make a Shoo for us So he that hath the measure of our Spirits is most fit to choose our conditions for us 2. As He knoweth what is in man so He knoweth what is in conditions He knoweth what Effects they will have upon men As he knoweth our Spirits so he knoweth what conditions will agree with them We are so ignorant that if we were left to choose a condition we should choose that that may be unsuitable It is with many in choosing conditions as it is with some in drinking Wine who as I have told you before swallow it greedily because it is pleasant but consider not it's Strength and Operation and so become Intoxicated and Drunken by it This sheweth He is fittest to choose our condition for us that knoweth both what is in us and what is in conditions and knoweth how our hearts and conditions will suit when they meet We read of Hazael That he knew not the Operation that Honour and Promotion would have upon his Spirit When he returned this Answer to the Prophet Am I a dog that I should do this How many have destroyed themselves by choosing those things whose Operations they knew not We many times know the Names when we know not the Natures and Properties of things VVe know Prosperity by Name when yet we know not it's Operations VVe know Conditions as some know Hearbs viz. their Names but not their Vertues but the Skilful Physitian knoweth them God knowes what is in Conditions and what Operation and Work they will have upon our Spirits And therefore is fittest to choose our condition for us 4. A fourth moving consideration is this God's Soveraignty and Lord-ship over us He is an Independent Majesty and we are dependent Creatures We have a common saying That beggars must not be choosers VVe are all beggarly creatures that have nothing but what we receive from God VVe live on Him and depend on Him every day for our daily bread Now to be our own choosers of conditions suits not with this He is a proud and sawcy beggar that will be the chooser of his own almes VVe must know God hath put us all into a state of dependency This should keep us humble and work us to a submission unto the will of God and to be disposed of by Him VVe read of Pharoah how he forgot himself in this particular Ezek. 29. 3. He waxed proud because his Land was watered by the River Nilus Thus it was in that Country They had not showres from Heaven as other Countries had For Nilus at a certain time did overflow and so did enrich the Land Upon this Pharoah thought that he depended not upon God for the fruitfulness of his Country and presumes to say Is not the River mine VVe must know we are all dependent creatures VVhat we have was first in God's Hand before it was in ours As what we give to a beggar was first in our hands before it was in his 5. A fifth moving consideration is Our own unworthiness VVhat do we deserve VVe forget this when we would have our own wills VVhen we would choose our Conditions may not the Lord Answer us as we do a proud beggar that is not contented with his almes VVhy what do you deserve Let God put us into what condition he will we should consider It is better then we do deserve It is the confession of Jacob Gen. 32. 10. I am less then the least of all thy mercies VVho is it that can look upon himself as such

crowded in with It and when Sin shall be no more these Miseries and Evils shall be no more Rev. 21. 4. There shall be no more Death c. The Thred followeth the Needle Sin was the Needle that drew in with it the Thred of Miseries and Afflictions Man had never known what Losses and Crosses and Miseries and Afflictions had bin had it not been for Sin 2. Afflictions of themselves do us no good of themselves they do not make a man better The Good by Afflictions comes from a Superiour Work from those admirable Influences and Concurrences of the Spirit of God on and with the Afflictions As our Saviour said Man lives not by Bread only So man is not amended by Afflictions only Put a Stone into the Fire it cometh out a Stone still No water either hot or cold will make a Blackmore White Empty Vinegar from Vessel to Vessel it will be Vinegar still So let a man be emplyed from Condition to Condition he is still the same We know the Plough breaks up the Earth but of it self doth not better it it leaveth it as it was there is nothing put in by the Plough If the Husbandman Dung it and cast in good Seed when he hath broken it up with his Plough then there is like to be a Harvest else there is nothing but Weeds and Nettles The Plough of Afflictions may break our Bodies and Estates and Spirits but there will be no Harvest without something more without an Heavenly Influence Afflictions will bring forth only Briars and Thorns The Expression of the Psalmist is Psal 94. 12. Blessed is the Man whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law It is then happy when Correction and Instruction go together 3. As Afflictions are fruits of Sin and of themselves do no good so oftentimes through Mans Corruption they prove occasions of Sin They are so far from making men Better that they often make men Worse I have shewed before what Evils are incident both to a state of Prosperity and Adversity Satan knoweth how to make Afflictions to become Temptations And therefore we find this to be the Reason why Agur prayed against Poverty Prov. 30. 9. lest I be Poor and Steal and the Name of God be taken in Vain q. d. Poverty may put me under a Temptation of using Unlawful means to the Dishonour of God Thus Afflictions prove somtimes occasions of Sin and we are taught to Pray That we may not be led into Temptation 4. Consider again this That the Saints and Servants of God have prayed against Afflictions So they have prayed for 1. The Preventing of them and Keeping them off 2. The Removing them and Taking them off 1. For the Preventing them and keeping them Off. Thus did Agur Prov. 30. 8 9. where you have his Prayer First Against the Evils of Sin Ver. 7. Take from me Vanity and Lying Next Against the Evils of Affliction Ver. 8. Give me not Poverty 2. They have prayed for the Removing them and taking them off And those have done it who got as much good by their Afflictions as any under Heaven Thus David Psal 39. 10. Take away thy Stroak from me Psal 119. 22. Turn away Shame and Reproach from me Thus did Job Job 9. 34. Let him take away his Rod from me Job 13. 20 21. Withdraw thine Hand from me c. Where he Prayeth for Gods taking away his Afflicting Rod and for his with-drawing his Afflicting Hand And these Two men got as much good by their being Afflicted as ever any did Thus in General You see what we Answer to the Question Whether Evils of Affliction may be Prayed against II. We come to give a more particular Answer to the Question And tell you That though we say It is Lawful to pray against Afflictions yet it must be with the Observation of some Rules and Cautions and Directions That as our Saviour said in another case concerning Hearing Take heed how ye Hear So in this case of praying against Afflictions we say Take heed how ye Pray So consider There is a double praying against Afflictions as I told you before 1. For the Keeping them off 2. For the Taking them off 1. For the Keeping them off So there is a Twofold praying for the Keeping off Afflictions 1. Absolute 2. Conditional and with Submission 1. Absolute When men Pray that in no Case the Evil may happen to them so making their Will a Law to God's This praying against Afflictions is Unwarrantable and Unlawful We must know for Moral Evils of Sin we may pray absolutely against but not so against the Evils of Affliction 2. There is a Praying against them that is Conditional with Submission to the Will of God This is Lawful Our Saviour himself prayed that the Cup might pass from Him but adds this Not my Will but Thine be done Our praying against Afflictions is then right when there is a sweet Submission of our wills to the Will of God So that though we know that Afflictions are grievous to our Natures yet because we know not what the Decrees and Purposes of God are concerning us and not knowing but that He may see them good for us and make them good to us we do sweetly submit our wills to the Will of God and Proclaim Liberty to Him to deal with us as He please And herein is the Work of Grace seen that though Nature desireth wholly to be freed from them they being such things as are bitter to It yet a Christian leavs himself wholly to the Will of God and saith Not my Will but Thine be done When Christians see the Cup of Affliction preparing for them or coming towards them they must pray against it only as our Saviour did It is then right when in praying against Afflictions we pray absolutely that God may be Glorified but for the things that concern our selves we pray with Submission to His Will Thus Christ did John 12. 27 28. Save me from this Hour but for this cause came I to this Hour Father Glorify thy Self Our Saviour is absolute in that request of his That His Father would Glorify his Name and received an Answer But for the other Request he sweetly submitted to His Father 's Will. Thus doth a Gracious Heart pray absolutely that God may be Glorified let it be in Relation to himself which way the Lord please Thus in desiring freedom from Affliction though a Gracious Heart looks upon it as desirable to Nature to be freed from Losses and Crosses Sickness and Poverty c Yet he looks upon Gods Glory as That that is to preferred before its own worldly Welfare Ease Quiet Contentment and Comfort Whereas some may say that Agur prayed absolutely against Poverty Prov. 30. 8 9. Give me not Poverty c. We Answer that though it looketh like an absolute Request yet it is not If we look upon the Reason of the Request Vers 9. we shall find that he prayed absolutely only in relation

Heavenly Art of Spiritualizing temporal Conditions and turning them into Heavenly Advantages The Gracious man is the true Alchymist that can extract something that is Spiritual out of that which is Temporal and what concerns another Life out of the things of this Life We must know there is an Art of Byassing conditions A Bowl runneth according as you set the Byass so conditions are according to the Byass you put upon them When a condition is Spiritually Byassed it moves a man Heaven-ward Consider how it is with Saylers though they have a Side-wind yea a Wind that seems to blow against them yet they have an Art of setting their Sails so that they will make an advantage of those Winds So Grace will teach every Man so to manage his Condition that let the Wind of it blow from what place or quarter it will yet it shall be Advantagious to him for the carrying him on towards his desired Haven which is Heaven We must know Outward conditions are common to Good and Bad. But here lieth the difference The Godly man from a Heavenly Principle makes a Spiritual Advantage of his condition when another doth not Some when they are in Prosperity or Adversity being Carnal understand not the Art of making a Spiritual Advantage of a Condition We know there are some actions that are common to Men and Beasts As to Eat Drink and Move c. The Beast doth it and Man doth it Now where is the difference In this when Man doth them they are Reasonable Actions they are guided with Reason and moderated by Reason but when a beast doth them they are the actions of a beast and so they are but brutish So it is in respect of conditions they are common to good and bad but here lyeth the difference A Godly man being indued with a Principle of Spiritual Wisdom makes a Spiritual Advantage of his condition be it what it will when the other haveing no such principle knoweth not how to do it It is with Godly Men in their worldly conditions as it is with the Planets which have a motion of their own contrary to that Rapt Motion of the Heavens whereby they are carried and whirled about in twenty four hours So it is with Godly men in their conditions they are carryed about as the world is in respect of conditions In respect of their outwards they are in the same condition with others sometimes Rich sometimes Poor sometimes High sometimes Low sometimes in Prosperity and sometimes in Adversity But in these conditions they have a different motion from others being directed by Grace and the Spirit of God they move Heaven-wards Even in those conditions that seem to carry them down-wards they have a motion upwards We know in Scripture Prosperity is called a Mountain and Afflictions are compared to and called Waters As for Prosperity which is called a Mountain Grace teacheth a man to get on the top of it from whence he may see Heaven the better as Moses did the Land of Canaan from the top of Mount Pisgah Some there are when their Mountain is made high they set it between them and Heaven And alas what can a man see when he is at the bottom and foot of a Mountain When a man is on the top of a Mountain then the Face of the Heavens lyeth open to his View Then a man may conclude A prosperous condition is good for him when it is not a Mountain to hide Heaven from him but to raise him up more towards Heaven So for an Afflicted Condition Afflictions are in Scripture compared to Waters Thus it is with some when they come into these waters they sink and are over-whelmed These waters run over them and drown them But with a Godly Man it is otherwise he swims upon these waters and is like Noahs Ark in the Deluge the higher the waters were the more it was lifted up towards Heaven So the rising of these waters of Affliction do but lift a Godly man up nearer to Heaven So then if a man would make a judgment of conditions he must see whether they are Spiritually good for him by what Spiritual Extraction he maketh out of them and what Spiritual Advantage he makes of them 9. That that makes a condition good for a man in this life is An holy indifferency of Spirit in respect of conditions When it is indifferent to him what condition he is put into submitting to the Will of God and resolving Gods Will shall be his Then is a condition good for a man when his Spirit is brought to this indifferency In respect of Salvation he is Absolute but in respect of outward conditions whether to be high or low he is indifferent and saith Let it be as the Lord will When there is this submission to God in a condition then it is good Some there are that have indeed an indifferency of Spirit in relation to Spiritual and Eternal Good Things but none in relation to those good things that are Temporal They are indifferent whether they have Grace or not c. But concerning the things of this life it is with them as with Rachel concerning children They must have them or else they dye Then it is right when there is an indifferency of Spirit in respect of outward things When our hearts are not set on this or that worldly thing but we are indifferent whether we have it or not If God will give them the things of this life such Spirits will be thankful if God deny them to them such Spirits will be content Such a Spirit had the Apostle Phil. 4. 11 12. Not that I speak saith he in respect of want for I know both how to be abased and how to abound c. And telleth us withal that he had learned in every condition therewith to be content q. d. As for these outward things it is indifferent to me whether I have them or have them not I will not be my own Carver but am content with whatsoever condition God shall put me into A Gracious Spirit is indifferent about all things save-only those that concern the good of his Soul As that Martyr Mr. Bradford answered when one asked him at parting What he would have to the Queen No more but this said he Tell Her Majesty If she will give me my Life I will thank Her if she condemn me to Perpetual Imprisonment I will thank her If she will Banish me I will thank Her If she will Burn me I will thank Her Herein the indifferency of his Spirit appeared that let the Queen deal with him how She pleased it would please him and he should therewith be content Thus it is with a Gracious Spirit It is content to be in what condition God seeth best for him And this indifferency ariseth from the Consideration of these things 1. From the consideration of Outward conditions and the Things of them that they can neither make a Man truly Happy nor truly Miserable Riches and

possess ye your Selves It telleth us that an impatient man doth not possess nor enjoy himself It is with an impatient man as it is with some children when you anger them by taking away what they have in one hand they throw away what they have in the other hand too Thus Satan tempts some to throw away themselves when they find that other things are taken away and so they lose themselves in a condition Let me tell you that condition in which a man enjoyes Himself is good in which he enjoyes his Reason and regulates his Affections and Passions by it As Solomon said That in the midst of his Aberrations his Wisdom remained with him i. e. he had his Judgment and Understanding about him We should bring our Affections and Passions to the Examination of Judgment and Reason If he rejoyce it teacheth him to put this question to himself What reason have I for it And if he grieve What reason have I for it Is the thing worth my joy and worth my sorrow So to close up this enjoyment of a mans self consists in this in a sweet tranquillity of Spirit and temper of Soul which neither Prosperity nor Adversity can alter It is an equal Minde in unequal Conditions 12. This makes a condition good for us in this life Our Adorning our Condition There are many that are a shame to their conditions doing that which is unbeseeming their condition No man need to be ashamed of his condition if he be not a shame to his condition The Apostle speaketh of Adorning our Generation Phil. 2. 15. Among whom ye Shine as Lights in the midst of a crooked Generation So should a man adorn his condition Though it be Dark yet he should Shine in it Quest. Wherein stands the Adorning of a man's Condition Answ In the Exercising and Acting the Graces of a Condition The Stars in the Firmament are an Ornament to it So the Firmament of our Conditions hath its Graces to Adorn it the shining forth of which is the Adorning of the condition There are prosperity-Graces and adversity-Graces and the acting of these Graces is the adorning of the condition A prosperous condition hath its graces by the acting and exercising of which a gracious Heart doth Adorn it So an Afflicted condition hath its Graces which adorn it It is sad to see how many are a shame to their conditions there being no appearance of grace shining forth suitable to their condition We must know as all Relations and Conditions have their Duties so their Graces Magistracy hath it's They must be men fearing God Ruling in the fear of God hating Covetousness Ministry hath it's Graces As the Apostle sheweth at large in his Epistle to Timothy Which Graces are for the Adorning of their Professions So conditions have their Graces too by which they are Adorned A thankful Spirit and a publique Spirit and a bountiful and inlarged heart adorn a Prosperous Condition As on the contrary a patient and meek and humble Spirit submitting wholly to the Will of God adorns an Afflicted Condition As a man by Unthankfulness and Self-seeking c. shames a Prosperous Condition So some by their Impatiency and Fretting and Murmuring c. shame an Afflicted Condition Of whom we may say They shame their conditions and their conditions are a shame of them How many are there that have made their condition to be evil spoken of by being a shame to their condition Thus I have finished the first sort of General Directions concerning what is to be known of those that will make a right Judgment of Conditions 2. I now come to give you in General Directions concerning what is to be done by those that will make a right Judgment of conditions 1. He that will make a right judgment of his condition must be much in inquiring of the Lord by prayer what his minde and meaning is in a condition As prayer is the means by which we come to know the mind and meaning of God in his Word so also in his Works and so in those conditions he puts us into We read of Jeremiahs inquiry concerning the prosperous condition of the wicked Jer. 12. 1. Why doth the way of the wicked prosper We are indeed to take heed of putting absolute Interrogatories to God as if he were bound to give an account of His Providences to us Yet we may lawfully go to Him in a humble way to see what is His Minde and Meaning in a Dispensation and in a Condition It is our Duty to get as near God as we can to know this This is one thing Job in his Afflicted condition did desire of God Job 10. 2. Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me i e. what this Affliction meaneth whether it proceed from love or hatred whether it intend good or evil Are you in a prosperous condition and would you make a judgment of it whether it be good for you Or in an Afflicted condition The way to make a judgment of your condition is to be much in seeking to God by prayer to know His minde and meaning in a condition Although the Apostle speaketh of prayer as a Duty most suitable to an Afflicted condition Jam. 5. 13. If any among you be afflicted let him pray Yet let me tell you Prayer is a duty that suits with every condition As we are to enquire into the meaning of God concerning Afflictions so concerning a Prosperous condition if he putteth us into it we are to begg of Him the interpretation of the condition Many there be that never say as Rebecca did Why am I thus In these enquiries concerning conditions we must know we are not so much to enquire after the reasons of Gods dealing so with us as of our duty what we are to do in that condition So then prayer is a means by which we must come to make a judgment of our condition We should get as near God as we can to hear what He speaks concerning our condition As it is the Psalmist's expression Psal 85. 8. I will hark what the Lord will speak So we should harken What the Lord will speak concerning our condition There is no man can give a right judgment of an earthly condition till he hear something from Heaven concerning it There was of old this custom among the Romans That it was not lawful to propose any matter of moment in the Senate priusquam de Caelo observatum erat before their Wizzards had made their Observations from the Sky and Heavens What they did Impiously and Superstitiously we ought to do Piously in respect of conditions viz. Not to make a judgment of them till we have heard from Heaven concerning them It is not by the observation of the houses of the Planets or their Aspects or their Oppositions or Conjunctions such an observation is forbid by a voice from Heaven But we are to hearken what the Lord speaketh to us concerning our conditions and Prayer is the means by which

trespass more against the Lord. And it is said This is that King Ahaz The meaning is That the Affliction did not make an Impression upon his heart suitable to the Providence and Dispensation To close this It is then right when our Hearts answer to Providences in laying Afflictions so to heart as to make suitable Impressions 9. This is some of the work we have to do in an Afflicted Condition We are patiently to expect and wait upon God Waiting is one of our Duties in an Afflicted Condition We are to wait upon God for comfortable Supports in it and a seasonable Deliverance out of it Isa 8. 17. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his Face from the house of Jacob. The Prophet resolved to walk dutifully when God walked strangely We shall find in an Afflicted condition This is the Duty that is Commanded Commended and Practised by the Saints in that Condition It is commanded Psal 27. 14. Wait on the Lord and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Lam. 3. 26. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the Lora It is spoken there in reference to an Afflicted Condition And so we find the Godly have made it their work in that condition to wait David telleth us He waited patiently for the Lord. Consider Waiting is an Act of Patience drawn-out The Scripture hath two Expressions concerning it viz. Waiting on God Waiting for God Waiting on Him for Comfort in Affliction And waiting for Him to deliver out of Affliction Thus did the people of God Isa 25. 9. Lo This is the Lord we have waited for him and he will save us This is some of the work we have to do in an Afflicted condition viz. To wait on God and to wait for God Affliction is apt to make us short-breath'd To make us weary not only in waiting but weary of waiting This we should look to That though we are weary in waiting yet not to be weary of waiting It was the saying of that wicked King of Israel 2 King 6. 33. This evil is of the Lord why should I wait any longer The great work we have to do in an Afflicted Condition is To wait upon God I have told you before It is God that brings a man and his Afflictions together and as it is He that openeth a fore-door to let a man into that condition so it is He that must make a back-door to let a man out There are many that would make a back-door of their own but God is wiser then they and knows how to deliver them Job 14. 14. All the dayes saith he of my appointed time will I wait till my change come And this is some of the work we have to do in an Afflicted condition viz. To wait till our change come Now waiting upon God in Affliction standeth in these two things 1. In a Silence of Spirit A waiting Spirit is a Silent Spirit it makes no Noyse or Clamour Lam. 3. 26. It will wait quietly for the Salvation of God Psal 62. 1. My Soul wait thou upon God According to the Original it is Be Silent before God Where there is waiting upon God there is no murmuring There are no impatient expressions There is a deep silence of the Soul in respect of passion though not in respect of Prayer There is a speaking to God but not against God A waiting Soul is a praying but not a passionate Soul Remember When God's hand is upon our Backs our hands should be upon our Mouths 2. In a sweet Submission of Spirit to God waiting God's time for Deliverance There is our time and there is God's time As Christ told Mary Mine hour is not yet come This is Waiting to stay the Lords leisure and to wait His time It was wickedly spoken by that King of Israel Who said This evil is of the Lord why should I wait any longer Whereas on the contrary he should have argued thus This evil being of the Lord therefore there is reason I should wait 10. Another work of an Afflicted Condition is this To make all out of God that we need in that condition Living on God and living by Faith are some of the great Duties that concern that Condition Isa 50. 10. Is there any that walketh in darkness and hath no light Let him stay himself upon his God While we are in a prosperous condition we have Creature-props and stayes and we are too apt to stay our selves upon them And therefore the Lord pulleth them away to make us stay our selves upon Him As the Lord speaks Isa 3. 1. Behold I take away the stay and the staff c. The Church in the day of her Affliction made all out of God Mic. 7. 8. Though I sit in darkness yet the Lord shall be a light about me Faith will help us to look upon God as an Universal Good We know there are many particular things and as it were pieces of comforts that must concurr to make a mans outward condition good Our good here below is a Compounded good A Wife is a part and Children a part and Riches a part and Health a part c. But a man by an Eye of Faith seeth that God is all this and more As Elkanah told Hannah Am not I better to thee then ten Sons So the Lord is more to a Christian then all worldly Enjoyments The things of the world though enjoyed in the greatest measure can never make a Condition comfortable without God But the enjoyment of God will make a condition comfortable without them It was Davids course to place God as his Strength where greatest danger was The Lord saith he is the strength of my life His Life was in greatest danger And it was his way to fetch supplies from God in his greatest wants When he wanted a Rock a Fortress a Comforter a Deliverer he made the Lord all these And this is some of the work we have to do in an Afflicted condition Thus we have finished the First thing by which a man is to make a judgment of an Afflicted Condition whether it be good for him in this life or not viz. By considering what he doth in that condition CHAP. XII 2 WE come now to shew you that you are to make a judgment of your condition by what you make of your condition and what you have gained by it The great Question you are to put to your selves is Whether you are Spiritual gainers or losers by your condition The truth is this Every Temporal condition is Evil for a man by which he is a Spirituall loser In an Afflicted condition all will confess they are Temporal losers They will tell you they have lost Houses and Estates and Wife and Children and this and the other Comfort But the Question is Whether you are Spiritual gainers by your temporal losses I have told you before An Afflicted condition is a condition that may be improved to

another life are the things that are primarily and principally to be sought after 4. Giving the things of another life the Preheminence appears by this viz. in making the things of this life serviceable to those of another life The Lord said concerning Esau and Jacob The elder shall serve the younger Thus many make the things of Heaven to serve their inferiors giving the better hand to the things of this life 5. Giving the things of another life the Preheminence will appear by this viz. The Advantages and disadvantages that relate to another life When an Heavenly advantage is more to us than an Earthly one And when an Heavenly disadvantage is more to us than a temporal one It will appear thus When we do that that is to our disadvantage when the disadvantage only concerns this life and the thing done concerns the life to come This did Moses in forsaking Egypt He did that that was seemingly disadvantagious to him in relation to this life We read of those Heb. 11. 35. They accepted not deliverance The meaning is They accepted it not upon the tearms upon which it was offered To have had deliverance was a temporal advantage But to have accepted it upon those tearms they found would have been an Eternal disadvantage to them Upon this accompt did the Martyrs of Old refuse life when it was offered them They saw a temporal advantage cloy'd with an Eternal disadvantage Thus for the Seventh thing that is good for a man in this life 8. This is good for a man in this life without dispute viz. So to live and so to walk what ever his condition be as that he may fetch comfort from the consideration of what his condition in another life shall be Some there are that being in a prosperous condition draw all their comfort from it Of such David speaketh They have their Portion only in this life They comfort themselves only with what is their Portion here without considering what their condition will be hereafter It is thus with gracious ones what ever their condition be They can say My refreshment and comfort floweth not from the things of my condition and the Springs below But from the consideration of this viz. What my condition shall be in Heaven and so from the Springs Above Thus in the saddest condition we find the Saints of God have comforted themselves with that As you may see 2 Cor. 5. 1. Heb. 11. 10. Rom. 8. 18. Heb. 10. 34. Heb. 13. 14. Heb. 4. 9. To close this It is good when our present condition in this life is sweetned with the consideration of what it shall be in another life It may be our house doth not please us but it is comfortable to think we shall have a Pallace It is the Psalmist's expression Psal 66. 12. Thou broughtest us through Fire and Water yet thou broughtest us forth into a Wealthy place Remember that the Wealthy place that is beyond our condition gives a gracious Heart comfort in the worst of temporal conditions 9. This is good for a man in this life without dispute viz. What ever his portion in this life be To make God his Portion Let his Portion be a Portion of Comforts or a Portion of Crosses It is good to have a Portion above all this viz. The God of all comfort As Jacob said to his Son Joseph when he was a dying Gen. 48. 22. I have given to thee one Portion above thy Brethren It is good in the best outward condition when we can say I have a Portion above all this We find in Scripture the Saints of God comforting themselves with this and that 1. When they had somewhat else to glory in 2. VVhen they had nothing else to glory in or fetch comfort from 1. VVhen they had something else to glory in and fetch comfort from VVhen they have had a large portion of outwards yet they have rejoyced in this That the Lord was their Portion Thus David Psal 16. 5 6. Psal 119. 57. 2. The Saints have Gloried in the Lords being their Portion when they have had nothing else to boast of Thus did the Church when in a sad condition Lam. 3. 24. The Lord is my Portion saith my Soul This the Church spake in the day of her Captivity You must know God is the best Portion VVere a mans portion in this life as larg as from Sea to Sea were it as Glorious a Portion as Solomons was yet it is nothing except we have the Lord for our Portion God is a Soul-Portion and must needs be the best Portion VVhich will appear if we consider these things 1. Excellency The Soul is an Excellent thing and base things such as the things of the world are can never be a fit portion for the Soul God is Supereminently and Unconceaveably Excellent and therefore in Scripture Great and Excellent things according to the Original are called the things of God 2. Spirituality The Soul is a Spirit God is a Spirit And nothing but a Spirit can be a portion for a Spirit The Soul is the spirit created and God is the Spirit Creating And nothing can be the portion of Spirits but he that is the God and Father of Spirits 3. Infiniteness Nothing but what hath Infinite Fulness in it can be the Soul's Portion There is an Image of God's Infiniteness upon the Soul It 's desires are Infinite and so needs an Infinite Portion 4. Everlastingness The Soul liveth for ever and seeketh an everlasting Portion VVhen Basil was tempted by the Emperour's Lievtenant with offers of Mony and Preferment He returned this Answer Give me Riches that will last for ever and Preferment that will indure to Eternity God is a Portion for ever Psal 73. 26. He is my Portion for ever He is the Soul's Portion in this life As David speaketh Psal 142. 5. Thou art my Portion in the Land of the living And he is the Soul's Portion in the world to come As the Apostle telleth us 1 Cor. 15. God will be all in all There he will be such a Portion as is above Expression above Comparison above present Sense and Feeling above Desire above Hope and Expectation above Imagination 10. This is good for a man in this life without dispute viz. To have Sin pardoned Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven and whose sin is covered He sets not the Crown of Blessedness upon the head of the Rich man or the Great man but on the head of that man whose iniquity is forgiven Pardon of sin is radically every good thing VVhen Israel had committed that great Sin the first thing Moses prayeth for is pardon of their sin Exod. 30. 32. Pardon of sin is that without which 1. The best worldly condition cannot make a man happy Let him be a Rich man a Great man yet he is not a happy man except his iniquity be forgiven and his sin be pardoned Worldly things cannot mount a man above the evill that