what should befal the third part that should be left I will bring the third part through the fire and then adds a gracious promise that they should be refined by passing through the fire that is God thereby would purge and purifie their hearts and conversations urge God daily with these promises plead them at the Throne of Grace and rest upon God for the performance of them SECT 6. 6. Comply with Gods ends and designs in sending this affliction upon you The Lord doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Lam. 3.33 but when ever he sends any affliction upon any man he hath gracious ends and designs in those afflictions and therefore as the Jews made enquiry when they were brought into great distress Wherefore doth the Lord our God all these great things unto us Jer. 5.19 And as the Apostle Paul when he was struck blinde with the vision that appeared to him as he was going to Dumascus enquires of the Lord Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9.6 So should we make enquiry when the Lord afflicts us wherefore it is that he afflicts us and what it is that he aims at what he would have us to do when his afflicting hand is upon us We are enemies to our own good when we do not study the minde of God in our afflict ons and labour to comply with his ends for he alwayes chastneth us for our profit Heb. 12.10 and aims at the doing of us good Deut. 8.16 If you ask what are Gods ends and designs in sending this affliction upon us I answer The resolving of this question concerning Gods ends in afflicting us what he aims at and what he would have us learn when his rod is upon us may be gathered from Sect. 3. I shall adde a few things more besides what are mentioned there 1. Gods design in this affliction is to take away all pride and to make and keep you humble Isa 2.11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day This may refer to the day of affliction spoken of Isa 1.7 Your countrey is desolate your Cities are burnt with fire In that day when God should bring this desolation the lofty looks of man should be humbled c. When God afflicted the Israelites in the Wilderness with fiery Serpents that and all other afflictions were sent for this end to humble them Deut. 8.15,16 That he might humble thee and prove thee and do thee good in the latter end Elihu tells us that when God speaks once and twice to men It is that he may hide pride from man Job 33.17 When the Apostle Paul was afflicted he telleth us twice that the end of God was to prevent his being exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.7 If then you would comply with Gods design in this affliction you must be no more proud of your riches beauty parts duties or any other thing but must put away all pride of spirit all high conceits of your selves and all proud looks and all pride of life and you must be of a lowly heart and go alwayes clothed with humility 2. God aims at the making of you more zealous Christians by this affliction Lukewarmness is a very odious detestable sin Rev. 3.15,16 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot so then because thou art luke-warm and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth this being so odious in Gods sight for a man to be luke-warm in his Religion When God findes any whom he loves to be in a luke-warm temper he chastens them for this very end to make them more zealous lous Rev. 3.19 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore Now this is one way and a very sharp one of rebuking us when God contends by Fire Isa 66.15 The Lord will come with fire to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire If therefore you were cold or if not wholly cold yet but luke-warm before God sent this Fire it concerns you now to grow zealous If you ask in what your affliction should make you zealous I answer 1. Be zealous in all acts of service and all religious duties which you perform to God shake off all drowsiness and formality and slightness of heart in prayer and in hearing and reading Gods Holy Word and be fervent in spirit when you are about these or any other holy duties Rom 12.11 Not slothfulness in business fervent in spirit serving the Lord. What is said of the Apostle Paul Acts 22.3 I was zealous towards God and of Phinehas Numb 25.13 He was zealous for his God Let the same be true of you put on an holy zeal for God and shew your zeal for God in all that you do either for or to the Lord. 2. Be zealous against sin strive against sin not in a faint cold manner but with all your might Be zealous and repent Rev. 3.19 Your zeal must be manifested in your repentance When a man is zealous against his sins and zealous in his repentance his zeal will breed indignation against sin a vehement desire to be rid of it a fear and carefulness that he do not commit it again See an example of zealous repentance 2 Cor. 7.11 Behold this self same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge 3. Be zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works We should not only do good works but be zealous of and in doing good works We should be so zealous of good works as not only to embrace opportunities of doing good when they come in our way but we should covet earnestly and follow diligently after opportunities of doing good works 1 Tim. 5.10 If she have diligently followed every good work We should not only do good works but be careful to excel and continue constant therein whatever difficulties and discouragements we meet with in doing of them Tit. 3.8 This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works You see if you would answer Gods design in your affliction that you must be zealous and in what you must be zealous only let me adde here two or three cautions 1. Look that your zeal be regulated with knowledge There may be a zeal which is not guided by knowledge Rom. 10.2 I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge Zeal without knowledge is dangerous Paul in a blinde zeal persecuted the people of God thinking therein
Councils as they illustrate his Glory as they promote our good c. they may be said to please him Now that which pleaseth God should not displease us It is said of David who was a wise and a gracious Prince Whatsoever the King did pleased all the people 2 Sam. 3.36 The Lord our God infinitely transcendeth David in Wisdom and Goodness and therefore whatsoever the Lord doth should please all his people 7. It is God that made you who hath taken away your Estates from you and it is not meet that the Creature should quarrel murmur at or finde fault with any thing that his Maker doth Isa 45.9 Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it what makest thou SECT 2. 2. Consider what it is which God hath taken away from you and this Consideration will minister several Arguments for the quieting of your mindes under all your losses though they have been very great For 1. God hath taken away nothing but that which was his own Your Houses your Goods your Silver and Gold and all that you have or ever had is the Lords 1 Chron. 29.11 All that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine Psal 24 1. The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein Hos 2.7 Therefore will I return and take away my corn and my wine and my wool and my flax What Benhadad said to Ahab and Ahab replyed to Benhadad 1 King 20.3,4 Thy Silver and thy Gold is mine thy Wives also and thy Children even the goodliest are mine and the King of Israel answered and said My Lord O King according to thy saying I am thine and all that I have The like may God say to us Thy Silver and thy Gold is mine c. And we may say to the Lord O my Lord according to thy saying I am thine and all that I have Now we take upon us to dispose of those things which are our own as we see good Mat. 20.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own And shall not we allow unto God that liberty which we take unto our selves shall we murmur against him when he taketh away nothing from us but that which is his own 2. God hath taken away nothing from you but what you were unworthy to enjoy Jacob was a great man the Angel that wrastled with him saith of him As a Prince hast thou power with God and Men and hast prevailed Gen. 32.28 Yet he looked upon himself as unworthy of the least of all the mercies that ever God bestowed upon him Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant As the Woman of Samaria said to Christ John 4.12 Art thou greater than our Father Jacob So may I say unto you Are you greater and better than Jacob if not then you must confess your selves unworthy of the least of all Gods mercies as he did and if you are unworthy of the least of all Gods mercies then you have no cause to repine at your losses seeing God hath taken nothing from you but what you were unworthy to enjoy 3. God hath taken nothing from you but that which you must of necessity have shortly parted with though this fire had not consumed any thing of your Estates It is but a very little while and you must leave this world and though you have never so much of this worlds goods you cannot carry one penny with you out of the world 1 Tim. 6.7 We brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and upon this account the Apostle urgeth Christians to be content though they have never so little nothing besides food and raiment ver 8. Having food and raiment let us be therewith content And as we can carry nothing with us out of the world so it is altogether uncertain who shall possess what we leave behinde us Luke 12.20 This night shall thy soul be required of thee then whose shall those things be that thou hast provided If we have children to inherit the substance that we leave behinde us yet who can tell but the Extortioner may catch all that they have and Strangers devour their wealth Psal 109.11 Or if they should enjoy what we leave them yet who can tell whether they will spend it well or ill who can tell whether they will be wise men or fools Such thoughts as these weaned Solomon from the world and made him repent of all the pains he had taken in erecting stately Buildings and gathering together much Treasure Eccles 2.18,19 I hated all my labour which I had taken under the Sun because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured and wherein I have shewed my self wise under the Sun 4. That which God hath taken from you is but vanity yea more that which often proveth a vexation to the Soul and Spirit which is the better part of a man Solomon speaking of all worldly things saith of them Vanity of Vanities all is vanity Eccles 1.2 and afterwards reckoning up his outward enjoyments he doth tell us that his stately Buildings and his great Treasures were vanity as well as other things Eccles 2.4,5,8,17 I made me great works I builded me houses I made me Gardens and Orchards I gathered me also Silver and Gold and the peculiar treasures of Kings All is vanity and vexation of Spirit Should a wise man disquiet himself for the loss of a vanity or vex himself because he is deprived of that which is but vexation of Spirit 5. Riches are not that which most men think them to be They have less of good and more of evil in them than we are aware of I do not mean that riches are evil of themselves they are good blessings of God yet our corrupt natures are apt to turn them to an evil use VVherefore view your riches which you have lost not according to that estimation which men of the world have of riches but according to the judgement which the Holy Ghost giveth of them in the Scriptures where they are stiled Deceitful Riches Mark 4.19 Uncertain riches 1 Tim. 6.17 The Mammon of unrighteousness Luke 16.9 Vanity and vexation of Spirit as was hinted before Thorns Mat. 13.22 That which is not That which should be so far from disquieting our hearts that they are not worthy that such a noble creature as man should set his eyes upon them Prov. 23.5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not for riches certainly make themselves wings they flye away as an Eagle towards Heaven The Scriptures inform us that all that disquiet themselves about riches disquiet
great soever your losses have been you may well be content I will put you in minde of some things which God hath left you which are far better than those things which he hath taken from you 1. God hath left you his Holy Word in the reading and meditation whereof you may delight your self night and day Ps 1.1,2 Now Gods word is more worth than all the Gold and Silver in the world Psal 119.22 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of Gold and Silver And with this David comforted himself when he was robbed and spoiled of his goods by the means of wicked and ungodly men ver 61. You may see also Psal 19.10 and Psal 119.14 2. God hath left you himself for your portion and though a man hath lost all that he had in the world as long as he hath God for his portion he is well enough When the Jews who were carried captive into Babylon were spoiled of all their goods and had seen their dwellings burnt with fire they comforted themselves with this that they had God still for their portion Lam. 3.24 The Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore will I hope in him All things in all Nations compared with God are less than nothing and vanity Isa 40.17 All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity And why then should a man that enjoyeth this great God for his portion not rest satisfied in God but disquiet himself for that which is less than nothing and vanity 3. God hath left you his Spirit which is in you and shall abide with you to teach sanctifie and comfort you as long as you live John 14.16,17 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth he dwelleth with you and shall be in you When David had offended the Lord in the matter of Uriah he wat more afraid of having the Spirit of God takenaway than of losing his Kingdom and therefore he doth not pray take not my Kingdom but take not thy Holy Spirit from me Psal 51.11 And though he was told by Nathan that the Sword should never depart from his house and that God would raise up evil against him from his own house 2 Sam. 12.10,11 Yet he resolveth if God would but pardon his sin and continue his Holy Spirit with him his tongue should sing aloud of his Righteousness Psal 51.12,14 4. God hath left you the true riches which are far better than all the riches of this world To be rich in Grace is better than to be rich in Money or Houses or Lands or any other worldly thing He that is rich in worldly Possessions but is not rich towards God is a miserable man Luke 12.19,20,21 but he that is rich in Grace though he be a very poor man as to worldly things is an happy man for he is an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven James 2.5 There is not any one Grace of the Holy Spirit but it is much better than all the Riches of the world I will instance in three or four Graces by which a man may give judgement of the rest 1. Wisdom and Understanding by which we know God and the things of God is of such a precious Nature that there is nothing in the world worthy to be compared with it Prov. 3.13,14,15 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding for the merchandize of it is better than the merchandize of Silver and the gain thereof than fine Gold She is more precious than rubies and all the things that thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her 2. Faith is more precious than all the gold in the world 1 Pet. 1.7 That the tryal of your faith being much more precious than gold that perisheth Faith is not only as precious but more much more precious than Gold 3. The fear of the Lord that is precious treasure Isa 23.6 The fear of the Lord is his treasure 4. A meek and a quiet spirit is a rich ornament far above gold or silver for these only commend us to men but a meek and a quiet spirit is an ornament of great price in the sight of God 1 Pet. 3.3,4 5. God hath left you all the promises he hath not taken away one promise from you The covenant which comprehends under it all the promises is in all things ordered and sure 2 Sam. 23.5 When God makes the greatest alterations in our conditions there is no alteration in his covenant Psal 89.34 My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Isa 54.10 The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindeness shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Though you should have lost all that you have you are as rich in promises as ever and the promises are more worth than the whole world and may you not then quiet your mindes with what promises God hath left you seeing you have promises not only for the life to come but also for the supply of all your wants in this present life 1 Tim. 4.8 Phil. 4.19 6. God hath blessed you with all spiritual blessings in Christ where they shall not where they cannot be taken from you You have lost only earthly blessings you have not lost any one spiritual blessing Now this may be a great comfort to you that notwithstanding what you have lost yet you are still blessed with all spiritual blessings The Apostle Paul who had suffered the loss of all things for Christ Phil. 3.8 was not troubled for his losses when he considered what God had laid up for him in Christ but breaks out into blessing and praise Ephes 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ SECT 9. 9. Consider what God hath laid up for you in Heaven and that will quiet and comfort your hearts though your goods be spoiled and your houses burnt and you have lost all the estate that you have in the world Heb. 10.34 Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and a more enduring substance There are such excellent things treasured up for you in Heaven that the tongues of men are not able to express the goodness or the greatness of them Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee We have seen many desirable and excellent things with our eyes and possibly we may have heard of better things than ever we saw and we can conceive of better things in our minds than ever we saw or heard of but those things which the Lord hath prepared for us in Heaven are far better
and more excellent than ever we saw or heard of or can conceive in our minds 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Such is the excellency of those things which God hath laid up in Heaven for us that the thoughts and hope of enjoying the glory and joys of heaven may fill our hearts with joy and comfort under all the losses and crosses that we meet with in the world Rom. 5.2,3 We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and not only so but we glory in tribulations also 1 Pet. 1.3,4,6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations Though a servant of God hath lost never such a fair Inheritance on Earth yet he hath more cause of rejoycing in that incorruptible Inheritance that fadeth not away which is reserved for him in Heaven than of being troubled for the loss of his earthly Inheritance SECT 10. 10. Consider what a great evil it is to murmur and to be discontented at your losses and how pleasing and acceptable it is unto the Lord that you should be content and patient under this affliction which it hath seemed good unto the Lord to lay upon you The Israelites went through many difficulties whilst they wandered up and down by the space of forty years in the Wilderness and because they murmured multitudes of them were destroyed neither the greatness nor the long continuance of the affliction did excuse them from punishment and this example of Gods justice on them is set down for an example to us that we might for ever be deterred from murmuring under any of our afflictions 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer To murmur because God hath taken away our Estates is the ready way to provoke God to take away our lives Psal 106.25,26 They murmured in their Tents Therefore he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them in the Wilderness There is more evil in one repining discontented thought than there is in all your losses though they be very great for the one hath only the evil of punishment the other hath in it the evil of sin And there is more of evil in the least sin than in the greatest punishment All Gods dealings towards his people are managed with infinite wisdom and infinite love in order to the promoting of their good and his own glory and what an hainous sin and how offensive to God is it for a man to murmur when God is doing of him good and bringing glory to his Name seeing also that whatever way God takes to bring about our good is contrived with infinite wisdom and is accompanied with infinite love And as it is is a great evil to be discontented at any of Gods dealings so it is an excellent heavenly frame of spirit and that which is highly pleasing to God for a man in all things to submit himself to God and to lie at his foot and to be content with his will and to say in his heart It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good That is of great excellency which is an ornament to a man in the judgment of a wise holy judicious man that may be deemed more excellent which is accounted an ornament by the Angels of Heaven but that is most excellent which is an ornament in the sight of God and of this nature is a meek and quiet spirit 1 Pet. 3.4 The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price When the Lord hath brought us to lie at his foot he is so pleased with this submissive frame of spirit that he is wont to bestow very great blessings on such as are brought to his foot and are content that he should do what he pleaseth with them Isa 41.2 Who raised up the righteous man from the East called him to his foot gave the Nations before him and made him Ruler over Kings Contentment under the cross makes great afflictions to seem but small ones and small afflictions none at all The Apostle went through very great sufferings as we may see 1 Cor. 4.9,10,11,12,13 2 Cor. 11.23,24,25,26,27 yet having learnt in every estate to be content Phil. 4.11 he maketh a light matter of all his afflictions 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light affliction c. Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us But a discontented mind thinketh small afflictions great and intolerable burdens The loss of a gourd which sprang up in a day and withered in a day was but a small loss yet Jonah being under a discontented mind is so troubled at this loss that he faints under it and wisheth that he might die and is angry with God and justifieth himself in his frowardness and saith I do well to be angry even to the death Jonah 4.7,8,9 Discontent is like a nail in a yoke which frets and galls and pains the neck far more than the yoke it self doth When God layeth the yoke of affliction upon us discontent troubles and perplexeth the soul far more than any affliction can do SECT 11. 11. Consider how patiently and contentedly others of Gods servants have endured and gone through far greater losses and sorer troubles than you have met withal Job lost a very great Estate and seven Sons and three Daughters even all that he had in one day yet all these losses did not provoke Job to repine or speak one foolish word against God or do any other iniquity but he bore all with such a quiet spirit that in stead of fretting and repining he blesseth God Job 1.21,22 The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord in all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly When David was driven from Jerusalem by his son Absolom who conspired against him to take away not only his Crown and Kingdom but his life also this was a very great affliction and it was the more heavy because it was his own son that came sorth of his bowels that sought to take away his life 2 Sam. 16.11 and this affliction came upon him for his sin in killing Vriah which he knew very well being foretold of it by Nathan the Prophet 2 Sam. 12.9,10,11 yet he submits himself to God under all that was come upon him and is willing that the Lord should lay whatever else he saw meet though he should say of David I have no delight in him 2
happiness is it not unreasonable for any man to doubt whether there be that in God which may give him full and compleat satisfaction in all estates and conditions whatever 7. As there is full satisfaction to be had in God so true rest and contentment is to be had no where but in God Take every creature upon the face of the Earth a-part or take them all together adorned with all their excellencies and if you consider them abstracted from God and Christ they are all vanity and vexation of spirit Eccles 1.2 Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity Eccles 2.17 All is vanity and vexation of spirit This judgment and determination concerning what is in all creatures was given by Solomon one of the wisest of men that ever lived it was given by Solomon that had as much as his heart could wish of the things of this world and made it his work business to search into and study what was in the Creatures that might delight and content the heart of man Eccl. 2.3 and in this his scrutiny he tells us V. 10. Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them I withheld not my heart from any joy Yet after all his diligence and all his experiments to try what was in the creatures he gives this account All is vanity and vexation of spirit yea which is more than what hath been said He was a Pen-man of holy Scripture he was inspired by the Holy Ghost when he gave this judgment of the creatures that all is vanity and vexation of spirit Now what wise man would seek for his rest in that which is vanity and vexation of spirit As it was with Noah's Dove when gone out of the Ark Gen. 8.9 The Dove found no rest for the sole of her foot and she returned unto him into the Ark. So it will be with us though we seek for rest every where we shall find it no where but by returning to God in Christ It is said of the Jews Jer. 50.6 They have gone from Mountain to Hill they have forgotten their resting place If we think to find rest in any place or any condition and do not seek it in God we do but delude our selves with vain hopes for it is to be found only in him Mat. 11.28,29 Come unto me and ye shall finde rest for your souls Seeing then that satisfaction is to be had in God and no where else 〈◊〉 in God it is impossible that any man should have â—…nd lasting contentment that doth not take up his 〈◊〉 in God and therefore whosoever would learn to be content in all estates must learn how to satisfie himself in and with the Lord and that is the next thing I am to enquire into namely How we may come to take up our rest and satisfaction in God in all Estates and Conditions 1. We must get acquaintance with God We must acquaint our selves with his greatness his transcendent goodness his infinite mercy and loving kindeness and the rest of his glorious attributes Raised and right apprehensions of God lay a good foundation for our taking up our rest in God Job 22.21 Acquaint thy self with him and be at peace and thereby good shall come unto thee John 14.8 Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us We can desire no more in order to our satisfaction than to be filled with all the fulness of God Now the knowledge of Gods loving kindeness conduceth much towards the obtaining of this fulness Eph. 3.19 And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God 2. We must oft-times set our selves in a solemn and serious manner to meditate upon the glorious attributes of God the more we think and contemplate upon God the more sweetness and satisfaction we shall finde in him Psal 63.5,6 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches Psal 17.15 I will behold thy face I shall be satisfied Psal 104.34 My meditation of him shall be sweet Our contemplating on God will change us into the image of God and make us like God 2 Cor. 3.18 We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now the more of Gods image is found upon us the more like we are to God the more satisfaction we shall finde in him Psal 17.15 I shall be satisfied with thy likeness But here it will not be amiss to mention two or three cautions to be observed when we set our selves to contemplate on God as 1. We must not be curious to pry into Gods Essence but must content our selves to contemplate on his Attributes When Moses desired to see the Glory of God he tells him Exod. 33.20 Thou canst not see my face which many expound thou canst not see or know my Essence and in way of answer to Moses his request he proclaims his name and thereby discovers his Attributes Exod. 33.19 Exod. 34.5,6,7 which teacheth us that if we desire a sight of God the best course that we can take to behold him is to take a view of his glorious Attributes whereby he hath discovered and made known his name to us 2. We must regulate all our conceptions of the Attributes of God by the Scriptures This caution is necessary because Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and present false Idea's or Representations of God to our mindes instead of true ones he dealt thus with our Parents in innocency he mis-represented God to them as though he had envied their happiness and were not a God of his Word Gen. 3.1,4,5 and he will much less fear to try us with the like temptation in our fallen estate It is necessary also because of the vanity and corruption of our mindes which are apt to form strange idolatrous notions concerning God divers instances might be given of this Some have thought God to be altogether such an one as themselves are Psal 50.21 Others have fancied God to be like the Birds or Beasts Rom. 1.22,23 But when we conceive of God according to that revelation which he hath made of himself in his word then we may be sure we conceive of him aright 3. We must contemplate on God according to that discovery which he hath made of himself in Christ Jesus of which the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ for we cannot finde sweetness in God out of Christ it will fare with us when we consider God out of Christ as it did with the Psalmist Psal 77.3 I remembred God and was troubled A man that hath been a finner can take no comfort in God
without reflecting upon Christ for he is in himself a consuming fire But when we look upon God in and through Jesus Christ then we may see him to be a reconciled Father 2 Cor. 5.19 and to be the Father of Mercies and the God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1.3 3. If we would take up our rest in God we must labour to get and to keep Gods Presence with our Souls When we enjoy Gods gracious and blessed presence we finde that in God that giveth us rest and satisfaction under our greatest troubles Exod. 33.14 My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest Moses had been brought up by the space of forty years in Pharaohs Court where he had fared deliciously every day and he was now in a dry barren solitary Wilderness which afforded nothing that was good but was attended with many evils as Serpents and Scorpions c. What manner of place this Wilderness was we may see Jer. 2.6 Deut. 8.15 Here he was to continue and wander up and down by the space of forty years and that in the midst of a perverse and froward people that in all their straits did murmur against him for bringing of them out of the Land of Egypt his troubles sometimes were so great that we finde him praying to God to kill him out of hand and to make a sudden dispatch of him that he might not see his wretchedness Numb 11.15 Yet though the troubles he met with in the Wilderness were exceeding great and many and of long continuance viz. forty years his soul had rest in God by vertue of the Divine Presence that went along with him We may see also the virtue and power that is in Gods Presence to quiet and satisfie the Soul in the times of greatest trouble in Jer. 46.27,28 Jacob shall return and be in rest and at ease and none shall make him afraid fear thou not O Jacob my servant saith the Lord for I am with thee In the former part of the Chapter the Lord had threatned very sore calamities that they should be compassed about with fear on every side ver 5. that the Sword should devour round about and be satiate and made drunk with blood ver 10 14 c. and though these calamities should fall most upon other Nations Jacob was not to go wholly unpunished but was to have a share therein yet Jacob having a promise of Gods presence should thereby have rest and ease in all his troubles 4. We must maintain and keep our communion with God The oftner we draw near unto God the oftner we shall finde him drawing near to our souls according to what we finde James 4.8 Draw nigh to God and God will draw nigh to you and the oftner God draws nigh to our souls the more delight and contentment we shall finde in him The Psalmist speaking of such as approach unto God saith they shall be satisfied with the goodness of Gods House Psal 65.4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and cansest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house even of thy Holy Temple There is much in conversing with good men for the filling and satisfying the spirit of one that is truly gracious he hath his greatest delight in the company of the Saints and Servants of God Rons 15.24 If first I be somewhat filled with your company Psal 16.2,3 My goodness extendeth not unto thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight If there be such delight and satisfaction in conversing with good men there must needs be much more in conversing with the great God One main cause of the disturbance of our mindes when we meet with crosses is immoderate thirsting after the things of this world communion with God will take off this kinde of thirst from the souls John 4.14 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life The oftner we go to God the more we shall ask and crave of him and the more we ask of God the more and better things we shall receive from him in order to the satisfying of our souls Psal 105.40 The people asked and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven Were but our desires after God greater we should finde more abundant satisfaction in him for He satisfieth the desire of every living thing Psal 145.16 5. If we would take up our rest and satisfaction in God we must set our love upon him As it is between a man and his Wife if a man have an entire love to his Wife he will be so satisfied in her that he will have no hankerings after any other women so much is implyed Prov. 5.18,19 Rejoyce with the wife of thy youth let her be as the loving hinde and pleasant roe let her breasts satisfie thee at all times and be thou ravisht alwayes with her love So it is between a man and God when a man hath an entire love to God he will be so abundantly satisfied in God that he will have no great desire after any other thing besides God compare Psal 18.1 with Psal 73.25 I will love thee O Lord my strength Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee When God hath set his love upon his people he resteth satisfied in them Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion The Lord hath chosen Zion This is my rest for ever Psal 132.13,14 Zeph. 3.17 He will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love he will joy over thee with singing So also it will be with us when we have set our love upon God we shall then take up our rest in God 6. We must labour to get good evidences of Gods love to our souls and get our interest in God made clear Clear and well-grounded apprehensions of our interest in God and of Gods love to our souls do tend much to the bringing of our souls to take up their rest and satisfaction in God Deut. 33.23 O Naphthali satisfied with favour Psal 90.13 O satisfie us early with thy mercy that we may be glad and rejoyce all our dayes John 14.8 Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us When we know the Father and know him to be our God and Father in Christ we have enough we have that which sufficeth us 7. If we would take up our rest in God and abide satisfied in him when ever any thing disquiets our mindes and we have any load and burden upon our Spirits we must repair to Jesus Christ and cast our selves and our burdens upon the Lord Jesus in so doing we shall finde grace and vertue coming out of the Lord Jesus to preserve and sustain our souls in a quiet peaceable satisfied frame in all
admiration of Gods goodness ver 19. O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee And Psal 73.1,10 Truly God is good to Israel God is good to them when they are forced to wander up and down and are full of affliction ver 10. His people return hither and waters of a full cup are wrung out to thems When Doeg the Edomite had accomplished his mischievous design in causing the Priests of the Lord to be slain for entertaining of David which could not but be a great grief to David yet still he extols Gods goodness Psal 52.1 Why boastest thou thy self in mischief O mighty man the goodness of God endureth continually When the Jews that were carried captive into Babylon had lost all their substance and met with such sorrows that they thought none ever met with the like they notwithstanding all their afflictions think honourably of Gods goodness Lam. 3.25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him unto the soul that seeketh him 3. When you are ready to have hard thoughts of God because of your afflictions turn your eyes from looking at Gods Providences and look upon his Promises they represent God to be full of love when his Providences represent him to be terrible There is a thousand times more sweetness in the Promises than there is shapness in your afflictions David viewing his afflictions cryed out Psal 60.3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment But when he turns his eye to the Promise he forgets his sorrow and is filled with joy ver 6. God hath spoken in his holiness I will rejoyce 4. When hard thoughts of God arise in your minds because of your afflictions behold God as he hath manifested himself in and through Jesus Christ and there you shall see him to be a God of unspeakable love God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son John 3.16 When you look upon God in Christ you shall finde him without fury towards such as believe in his Son when he is executing his greatest judgments Isa 26.21 Behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity Fury is not in me And to whom is it that he saith Fury is not in me it is to such as take hold of his Son who is his strength ver 5. When you look upon God in Christ you may behold him a reconciled Father a God pardoning iniquity transgression and sin 2 Cor. 5.19 a God that hath blessed you with all spiritual blessings Eph. 1.3 a God that will deny you nothing that is good on t will give you all things freely Rom. 8.32 Did he pass by the fallen Angels and look upon you and yet will you not have good thoughts of him Can you harbour any hard thoughts of God whilst you look upon him in Christ Jesus Shall some light and short afflictions make you overlook all the spiritual and eternal blessings which God hath treasured up in Jesus Christ for you If you say this helps me but little because I cannot make it out that God hath given Jesus Christ to me if I could see that God had given Christ to me I think I should never entertain an hard thought of God any more I answer God hath made a free offer of his Son Jesus Christ with all his benefits unto your soul as well as to any other ever since you have heard the Gospel and doth still continue to offer him to you and calls upon you by his Ministers and by his Holy Spirit to come and take him freely Mark 16.15 Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel unto every creature Rev. 22.17 The Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely By the water of life is meant Christ and life through him Christ and all his saving benefits and the Spirit of God who searcheth the deep things of God and knoweth the minde of God and of Christ assureth us that whosoever will may come and take this water of life freely 5. When you finde hard thoughts of God arising in your mindes by reason of your affliction call to minde what God hath been doing for you from all eternity and what he will do for you in heaven to all eternity God hath been setting his wisdom on work from all eternity to make you happy in the enjoyment of himself and he hath prepared such things for you in heaven as eye never saw the like neither hath ear heard neither can it enter into the heart of man to conceive the worth of them When David in time of temptation was ready to think hardly of God and of his wayes Psal 73.13,14 After he had overcome the temptation he saith ver 28. It is good for me to draw near to God and what caused him to take up this conclusion among other things this was one he had his eye upon that blessedness he should enjoy with God in heaven to all eternity ver 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me unto glory 6. If you would keep up good thoughts of God in your afflictions observe what goodness God manifests to you in your affliction and what good he designs to you by your afflictions If you did observe the dealings of God with your inward and outward man you might see much of the love and meroy and goodness of God in your greatest afflictions The people of Israel met with variety of afflictions when they were in the Wilderness yet there was much of the love and goodness of God in all his dealings with them Isa 63.7,9 And as for the ends and designs of God in out afflictions if you consider what they are you shall finde that in every affliction God aimeth at your good Heb. 12.10 He chastneth us for our profit Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God And as you should keep up good thoughts of God so also keep up good thoughts of his Service and believe firmly in your greatest sufferings that it is not a vain thing to wait upon God and this you will easily do if you keep up good thoughts of God so that there is little need of adding any thing more concerning this temptation I shall therefore but briesly hint two or three things and then proceed to the next temptation 1. It is very unreasonable to think that there is no profit comes by walking in the wayes of God when as the Scripture assure us that Godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 God never did stir up any man to seek his face in vain Isa 45.19 I said not unto the seed of Jacob seek ye me in