saw Amasa wallowing in bloud 2 Sam. 20.12 every one that passed by stood still When we are in the hot pursuit of sin yea in the very chase bitter afflictions serve to give us a stand Psal 4.4 Stand in awe and sin not 2. They serve to awaken us out of sin How apt are we to take a sweet nap upon the Lap of our Delilah our beloved lusts And how unwilling to be disturbed Pro. 6.10 yet a little sleepe a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep How long did David sleep under the guilt of adultery and bloudshed before he was awaken by Nathan Sin hath a strong power to charme us into a deep sleep Pro. 23.34 Solomons Drunkard continues sleeping upon the top of a Mast Judg. 16. Sampson is dorming when enemies are upon his back Jonah 1.5 And Jonah hath his senses fast lockt up when there is but a poore planke or inch-boord betwixt him and death Who fallen into a lethargy can awake himselfe No more can men awake themselves out of this spirituall lethargy Secure sinners matter not though the house be on fire about their eares Now sanctified afflictions are meanes both to awake us and keep us wakefull Psal 77.4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking Both the eye of my body and mind How comes the Psalmist to be so wakefull Even by being plied with afflictions My sore ran I was troubled my spirit was overwhelmed I am so troubled that I cannot speake c. David in his heavy affliction of spirit could say My sin is ever before me Psa 51.3 and it was unto him as a Monster very horrid and formidable Whereas before in his jollity he was sensible of no such thing Looke up to God and beseech him in this glass to discover unto thee the thing that doth thee all the annoyance that sin may by little and little go out and grace drop in Many a soule had slept the sleepe of death if God had not sent some awakening affliction to shake them by the shoulder and shout aloud in their eares 3. They may be said to cure the soule of sin 1 Pet. 2.24 But what then becomes of the bloud of Christ by whose stripes we are healed Answer No great difficulty to unloose this knot take it in short chastisements may be said to cure the soule mediately but not immediately for they are meanes to bring to repentance which in its order and place leads us to the obtaining of pardon and God ever gives when he forgives Pardon of sin and power against sin are constant concomitants and a double portion from God given to the soule So then the bloud of Christ is the only foveraigne Medicine of souls and afflictions drive us to seeke the cure Meliores sunt ques ducit amor sed plures sunt quos corrigit timor Aug. To be wonne by love shews a spirit very Evangelicall and the love of Christ ought to constraine us yet many we see are brought home to Christ by the weeping crosse The Prodigall in prosperity had forgotten himselfe but having gone a season to the schoole of lad experience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at last he comes to himselfe The Dungeon preached to Manasses the doctrine of true Religion And fellowship with the beasts taught Nebuchadnezzar humility Afflictions and the Crosse are Gods file to take off our rust and make us bright Then let us not looke at present asperity but future profit At first Job something grudged the Lords visitations but in the issue of those great troubles he was of another mind No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous yet neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse No child takes pleasure in correction for the time it is unpleasant and irkesome he cries out O good Father good Master and thinkes he hath no worse enemies in the world But when he commeth to yeares of discretion he praiseth God he was not permitted to live as he listed Receiving of Pils and drinking of potions the cutting and lancing of a man and putting long tents into wounds Eadem est ratio disciplinae quae medicinae these are not joyous for the present And yet the health which is procured afterwards brings joy So afflictions though irkesome to the flesh yet they are wholesome to the Spirit In nature the body is most healthy when the spleen is smallest And the soule is at best when the body of sin that spirit in us that lusteth to envy is brought lowest Heavens designe in this dispensation is to kill that which would kill us The time is comming in which the soule shall say Psa 119.71 It is good that I was afflicted Blessed be those afflictions that helped to keepe me out of hell and to bring me to heaven I may say of sanctified afflictions as he said of vertue Amara radix dulcis fructus The beginning is as bitter as gall or wormewood But the end shall be sweeter than honey The second reason of the point doth respect grace Reason 2 God issueth out such bitter dispensations against his beloved ones To evidence grace To see if there be any sparke of a spirituall life in the soule We try whether instruments be in tune by smiting upon them our hearts are Gods Instruments and when he smites upon us they send forth either the sound of nature or grace God led Israel in the wildernesse to prove him and to know what was in his heart Deut. 8.2 Not that God is ignorant of our estate but to make us appeare what we are and give us a sight of our selves A Pilot is best known in a storme a Souldier in fight and a Saint in affliction This day will make us discerne betweene a tree and a man Some weeds being rubbed offend the sense whereas Pomander chafed yeelds a comfortable smell Afflictions discover the carrion-like corruptions of some but are as the breaking of a box of oyntment to others What is this man or that woman saith God Silver or Drosse Corne or Chaste Flesh or Spirit He shall no longer dissemble with the world and his own soule I le make him appeare in his colours Under the Crosse the godly pray the wicked often blaspheme To try grace We are commanded to prove all things yea our own selves 2 Cor. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To deale with our selves as the Goldsmith with his Gold bring our selves to the touchstone of triall the ballance of the Sanctuary to see if we be right metall and weight yea to pierce our selves thorough and see if we be sound at heart All is not Gold that glitters A varnished Paste-board or painted Post may shine till they come to scouring That may seeme to be grace which is not Jacob may mistake his Sons No flower in the garden but a weed may be found to resemble it in the wild wildernesse It is possible
13.26 Against me Against whom Job who or what are you Be pleased to take Gods own testimonie if heavens witnesse may passe I passe A perfect and upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill Cap. 1.8 Nay further One that speakes of God the thing that is right and is accepted of God in prayer Cap. 47.7 8. both for himselfe and others and yet He writeth bitter things against me We find in that Golden Psalme Psal 60.3 where David personates the Church she thus bespeakes God Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us to drinke the wine of astonishment Indâ— Pallor membrorum vino madentium tremor Senec. or trembling It is an allusion to men addicted to drunkennesse the effect of which being long practised oftentimes ends in a continuall and habituated trembling Thou hast mingled us such a bitter potion of providence as possesseth us with a Palsie making us to tremble in every joynt to reele to and fro and stagger like drunken men And this thou hast done not to strangers but to thine own people We must needs yeeld that Zion is the Mountaine of Gods Holinesse Psal 48. beautifull for scituation the joy of the whole earth the City of the great King and God is known in her Palaces for a refuge That she is the Orbe wherein God appeares glorious to the Sons of men Out of Zion Psal 50.2 the perfection of beauty God hath shined Psal 76. Nobile illustre nomen propter inaudita miracula That it is the Theater upon which God comes forth to act his terrible and wonderfull workes In Judah is God known his name is great in Israel In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion There brake he the Arrows of the Bow the Shield and the Sword and the Battell And the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his Habitation This is my rest for ever Psal 132. here will I dwell for I have desired it And yet the Daughter of Zion sits down weeping by the Rivers of Babylon bemoaning her selfe in this Language and blubbering out her complaint thus I am in bitternesse Lam. 1.4 And againe Cap. 3.5 He hath builded against me and compassed me with gall and travell And Verse 15. He hath killed me with bitternesse he hath made me drunken with wormwood And Verse 19. I remember my affliction and my misery the wormwood and the gall Here I stop I might be endlesse Having thus seen the truth of this Conclusion let us in the next place make some enquirie when and in what cases God may be said to deale very bitterly with his beloved ones which we may mainly demonstrate in these following particulars viz. When God smites in with an affliction Job felt the least finger of Gods hand far heavier than all his other massie and multiplied Crosses Job 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of God do set themselves in aray against me And it was not so much Babylonish Captivity as the apprehension of Gods displeasure that so deeply wounded the Churches heart Lam. 3.3 Surely against me is he turned he turneth his hand against me all the day As the love of God is better to a soule than the best things of this world Corne Psal 4.7 and Wine and Oyle nay better than life it selfe Psal 63 6. So the displeasure of God is worse than the worst things in this life nay than death it selfe One frown from God is more grievous than all the smiles in the world are joyous Eph. 6.12 The Apostle saith We wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers c. Whence I infer if it be so terrible to have the powers of hell how dreadfull is it then to have the powers of heaven engaged against us Here is God and not Man Spirit and not flesh It was once Eli's disswasive Argument to his Sons 1 Sam. 2.25 If one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall entreate for him In our contendings with men we may have Seconds but who dare joyne issue with us against God Man may deale it out with man nay in the strength of Christ man with devils But who can stand before Omnipotencie Psal 38.2 Thine Arrows stick fâ—st in me and thine hand presseth me sore This is very bitter Hidden afflictions When God hides from a soule the particular cause of an affliction Psal 42. Why art thou cast down O my soule and why art thou disquieted in me It was no little aggravation of Rebekah's trouble when she had those struglings in her wombe that she knew not the reason And therefore she goes to enquire of the Lord Gen. 25.22 Why am I thus Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas A disease found out is halfe cured but till then very hopelesse Alas saith the poore soule if I knew the speciall and particular cause why God so and so testifieth against me I would remove it that the effects might cease But seeing I am ignorant of this What hope I may walke in bitternesse all my daies Inward afflictions Such as are not only skin-deep but heart-deep Sinking down to the soule and weighing upon the Spirit These are very heavy and bitter For as those joyes which are kindled in the heart by the Holy Ghost are unspeakable So those afflictions which wound the soule and dart the conscience are intollerable Pro. 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can beare Not huge Atlas himselfe Corporis vita statumen est anima animae columen est Deus Cart. in loe No Herbalist could ever yet shew me amongst all those varieties of simples in nature the medicine that cureth a wounded soule No no in this all are Physicians of no value None can do it but the balme in Gilead and the Physician there Sudden afflictions are much disgusted and become very bitter When afflictions give us a surprize like a whirlewind or storme at Sea When we have our eye upon one point or quarter and afflictions come in at another Our expectations are from one end evils come in at another When they throng in at our back-doores then and there as we never expected them Suddennesse or unawares contributes very much to the bitternesse of afflictions Thus the wicked are threatned Pro. 1.27 that their destruction shall come as a whirlewind And Moab to be destroyed in a night Isa 15.1 And this renders Christ's comming to judgement more terrible That he will come as a Thiefe in the night suddenly and unexpectedly It is reported that the Basilisk and Man shoot such venenation at each other from the eye at a distance that whether hath priority of aspection is destructive to the other
in their doctrine would be carefull to lighten in their conversation Gregor Naziaâ—z We have an Age can readily retort Dost not thou feare God Luk. 23.40 seeing thou art in the same condemnation And againe Rom. 2.21 Thou that art instructed out of the Law and teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe Moreover you are not ignorant of my frequent returnes about this season how I was forced to afford so many buds and blossomes as little ripe fruit could be expected No more lest the Porch unbefit the Palace I here present you with what you had before something amplified Not waters of Meribah but Marah as more sutable to my own solitary temper and safe for you Accept my first-borne And if God give leave againe to turne the Cock perhaps the Cisterne may afford you sweeter Waters In the meane time and ever Phil. 4.9 The God of peace be with us Kingston upon Hull Jan. ult 1654. Christians I am your servant in Christ Iesus for the help of your faith Henry Hibbert Waters of Marah ZECHARIAH 12. Part of the tenth ver As one that is in bitternesse for his first-born THis Prophesie may not unfitly be compared with the yeaning of Labans flock Gen. 30.39 or those heavenly messengers mentioned in the beginning of it Cap. 1. Ver. 8. being chequered with various colours for it is mixed and made up of divers ingredients viz. reproofe exhortation comfort c. In this Chapter our Prophet an holy Herald fetteth the silver Trumpet to his mouth and in the name of God soundeth a gracious retreat to the Jewish Nation The firmament is not more full of spangled stars then Scripture is of precious Prophesies and promises concerning their calling and conversion And although they are as yet blinded and bowed downe yea Rom. 11. stark dead and dry yet God hath not cast away his people but will one day say of Israel his first-born as the Father said of the prodigall Child being returned Luk. 15.32 This my sonne was dead but now is alive If any aske how this people should be made capable of so great mercy Ver. 10. The answer is plaine I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications That is the presence operation gifts and graces of the Spirit who is both the worker of grace and former of prayer in the heart See Rom. 8.26 Note the best of men are but dry Cisterns and empty Casks untill such time as the Spirit drop upon them We are nothing we can do nothing not a prayer not a teare not a warme desire after Christ till the Spirit come And this effusion shall produce a double effect for First They shall looke upon Christ whom they have pierced Here is Conversion Formerly they turned their backs on Christ looking upon Moses and the Law Ceremonies and selfe-righteousnesse But now contrary winds shall drive them contrary courses These sweet gales of the Spirit shall make them face about they shall only mind a crucified Christ and seeke righteousnesse and life from him alone Truly Jer. 3.23 in vaine is Salvation hoped for from the hills and from the multitude of Mountaines Truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of Israel And secondly They shall lament over Christ They shall mourne for him Here is compunction Oh! That ever their fathers Mittunt legatot pro suis doloribus Lachrymas Cypr. and themselves by their sins should have so persecuted vilipended and crucified the Son of God! Now sadnesse is seated upon their hearts They are wholly clad in mourning All their Songs are Lachrymae And thus a poore soule made senfible of sin doth supple it selfe in teares of godly sorrow Which sorrow of theirs is further amplified and set out two manner of waies First By the particularity of it They shall mourne every Family apart Ver. 12. That is in this duty husbands and wives shall not stay for each other but every one shall so conceive sorrow and be big-bellied with griefe that they shall Joseph-like withdraw themselves seeking where to ease their hearts in showers of teares That is the best sorrow which is done in secret Note Commune with your owne heart saith David upon your bed Psal 4.4 and be still And our Saviour Christ who is the wisdome of the Father adviseth us very much unto retirednesse in duty and our heavenly Father which seeth in secret shall reward us openly Mat. 6. It is not dear Brethren it is not cutting of Antick-faces and contracting the countenance it is not grumbling forth vociferous groanes and uttering loud and hideous howlings to be seene and heard of men that will gaine acceptance No no Psal 51.17 The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit But when a poore soule can sequester it selfe from carnall Company and sinfull Society get out of the noise of the world creepe into a corner and there fit melting in Gods presence surely such sorrow will prove sweet and successefull doubtlesse whosoever thus soweth in teares shall reape in joy Psal 125.6 Secondly By the extremity of it to expresse the greatnesse of which the Prophet compares it 1. To that mourning which was made for that religious and zealous Prince 2 Chro. 35.25 good King Josiah when he was slaine in the midst of his so hopefull Reigne Whose lamentations were written and made an Ordinance in Israel that is they did not only mourne at his Funerall but also at the death of others made mention of his losse lamenting the same in all their dolefull Elegies Even so shall they look upon Christ and mourn 2. To the sorrow of an indulgent naturall and tender-hearted Parent which takes up my Text They shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne In which words there are two things considerable viz. 1. Comparatio a Comparison 2. Applicatio comparationis the application of that Comparison True it is the spirituall sense and maine scope of this Scripture lies in the later of these and would require a large prosecution but the first is for our present purpose The Comparison then is to be made out by a supplement thus Great is the sorrow and griefe of a naturall Parent for an only Son for a first-borne that is for the death of an only Son or first-borne The application is brought in by this particle of similitude as As one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne The Paraphrase runs thus Behold Heb. 12.9 any of you Fathers of the flesh that is an affectionate Parent and hath an only Child a sweet and tender Sprig an hopefull Bud should this Sprig be pluckt up and tender Bud nipped This Child be taken away by death O with what intensive griefe would you pore upon it With what reluctancy part with it With what
nature may Parrat-like counterfeit heavens language A man may walke in a Saints habit and speake with an Angels tongue and yet he himselfe a devill incarnate Therefore God will try grace whether it be of the right stampe or no. The Apostle speakes of the triall of faith 1 Pet. 1.7 Cap. 4.12 and concerning the fiery triall God hath his fire in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem and he will melt men for what else should he do to his people As God gives grace so he will try grace Saints look to your fincerity for one time or other God will in some way try you Here is a man saith God proclaimes his own righteousnesse and there is a woman hath much to say for her selfe put them into the fire bring affliction upon them let us see what metall they are of O my brethren I guess the times approach you and I may be tried to the bottome whether grace or no grace and whether true grace or feigned grace If ever it be put upon us whether we will receive the marke of the beast or lose all commerce and incomes in the world whether we will fall down to the Image or into the hot fiery furnace whether we will side with uncircumcised ones or suffer affliction with the people of God whether we will run with men into the same excesse of riot or by departing from evill make our selves a prey By that time our day grows so hot the hidden things of the heart will be much manifested In the fire the chaffe is consumed but Gold remaines and is purified Pinching weather searcheth unsound bodies To preserve grace Salt a very keene and searching thing yet preserves meat from putrifying And the Crosse a bitter peece of wood yet is a great preservative of grace Frost is sharpe and searching but very wholsome weather for sound constitutions Afflictions are very wholesome aire for grace to live in Search and you may find this true upon your own spirits Prosperity as a full feast is apt to make us dull and drousie in holy duties then have we lesse mind of God and pray seldomest and coldest An Army in peace is subject either to mutiny or mis-imploy themselves In prosperity is the greatest danger of our soules Then do we least feare and are soonest overtaken with pride hypocrisie security uncleannes and all evil Solomon who had the most prosperity fell the foulest But afflictions serve to mind us of our duty and to quicken us in the same Under the Law the fire upon the Altar must not go out grace is an heaven-borne-fire or holy flame kindled in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which the devill and flesh go about to extinguish therefore we had need 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.6 to re-kindle or revive it Afflictions help to blow it to a brighter flame To exercise grace Those are the sweetest and wholesomest waters that run amongst Rocks Stars shine brightest in the night and graces are most glorious under exercise Such shall be found unto praise honour 1 Pet. 1.7 and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ There are two exercises for the godly 1. The Scriptures 2. And the Crosse We must expect to be exercised in chastenings that is to undergo many One action makes not an exercise Habitus acquiritur erebris actionibus It doth not render a man a Souldier that he hath fought once or a marriner because he hath been at Sea once Neither is he exercised in afflictions that hath been once afflicted We must passe through many tribulations God will exercise us daily It is the use that maketh perfect He that is not used to running cannot run well and so of the rest The body grows corrupt for want of exercise and so shall we if we be not exercised by afflictions To encrease grace Saints are not perfect in this life but these bitter waters being sprinkled upon them are meanes to help their growth Zachary Nemo in bâc vitâ perfectè perfectus after he had been dumbe a season spake more devoutly the mystery of Salvation A man in danger of drowning stretcheth out his hand to the utmost extent to lay hold on some twig So will the hand of faith to lay hold on Christ God doth so turne these stones into bread that his people come forth very much improved out of afflictions Therefore saith Paul We glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh patience Rom. 5.3 and patience experience and experience hope And the trying of your faith worketh patience Jam. 1.2 Habits are strengthened by frequent acts The more we act grace the stronger it grows The more these Cedars are shaken with winds of affliction the more deeply they become rooted Crescit sub pondere Being like palme trees flourishing the more because of the weight that hangs upon them Or like Anteus in the Poets gathering strength by their falls Affliction is good with grace but freedome is evill without That condition can never be sad in which grace is gained Besides the sick child is most indulged God is very tender over his sick children They receive many a sweet visit from him during their affliction and no time like that for the hearing of prayer Zech. 13 9. No people so prevalent with God in prayer as those who are refined When these Sons of Levi are refined as Silver and purified as Gold Mal. 3. then are their offering's acceptable and pleasant unto the Lord. And frequent it is Christians treasure up more experience of God in a little time of adversity than in all their life-time before Afflictions found Job a good man but they left him an experienced man even to selfe-abhorring So saith the Text Job 42.5 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee Wherefore I abhor my selfe and repent in dust and ashes The last Reason doth respect glory Reason 3 Bitter afflictions make us long for glory How apt are we to sit down short of heaven Some in profits and pleasures and others in selfe-righteousnesse Deut. 3. The Reubenites and Gadites seeing a Countrey pleasant and fit for their purpose had no mind to passe over Jordan Had we no afflictions we should looke for no other heaven But afflictions bespeake us thus Soule there remaineth a rest to the people of God but here is not thy rest So long as thou livest here thou shalt find thou art upon a Sea of troubles tossed to and fro upon waves of misery and never shalt be quiet till thou harbour in heaven Whereupon the soule changeth choice Desiring to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better Nay hence she comes to be wholly made up of desires emptying her selfe in these breathings I see it will never be better with me till I be in heaven and bath my selfe soule and body in those rivers of joy Here is a wildernesse there is a Canaan Here