their Graces as Faith Hope Love Obedience Patience and Humility 1. Faith is exercised in Affliction by considering the causes of God's Permission and believing most assuredly his Promises concerning our Deliverance We look by an Eye of Faith beyond all outward Helps and Means to that unseen Hand of Power that is able and willing to deliver us and we believe and know it shall be so because of his Word 2. Hope By assuring our selves of the Rewards promised to those that suffer patiently hope keeps our hearts from breaking and it being a well-grounded hope 't is when exercised in the greatest afflictions comfortable 3. Love is exercised in affliction by considering the love of Christ in suffering for us and thereby we are engaged to suffer for him again 4. Obedience by conforming our wills to the will of God Must I suffer well says the soul I am contented seeing it is my Father's pleasure I freely submit because my Lord has taught me so to do and in obedience to God's will the soul will submissively say Not my will but thine be done tho it be never so contrary to nature tho never so hard to bear In the greatest afflictions the Child of God will submissively say Lord this is nothing to what thou didst undergo for me 5. Patience is exercised in affliction by suffering quietly willingly and cheerfully Thus was the Lord pleased to exercise Job's Patience and although God had permitted Satan to tempt him Job 1. his enemies to undo him his Children by sudden death to be taken from him his body to be afflicted with boils and sores having no part free from pain and grief his Wife to be an occasion of offence unto him which in these distresses should have been a comfort yet notwithstanding all this Job sin'd not against his Maker Thus was the Patience of the Apostles and Martyrs tried and exercised namely by and in Affliction who were so far from being impatient and from murmuring that they quietly and chearfully laid down their Lives for the Gospel 6. Humility by abasing our selves in the sight of God acknowledging that these Sufferings these Afflictions are nothing in comparison of Hell which for our Sins we have deserved tho our Affliction may be many times more than we are able to bear yet it is not so much as we do deserve Lastly The Lord suffereth his People to be afflicted that the greatness of his Power and the infiniteness of his Mercy might be shown in the delivery of us You read that when the Disciples ask'd our Saviour the reason why the Man was born blind He tells them Not for his own sins nor for the sins of his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him John 9.2 3. from which we may truly gather thus much That the Man was born blind that Christ might have occasion to shew the greatness of his Power in restoring his sight So 't is said of Lazarus Joh. 11.4 that he died to this end that God might be glorified in raising him from the dead Thus have I shewn you for what reasons God suffereth his People to be afflicted Now from all that hath been said we may see that Afflictions are rather helps than hindrances to us in this Heavenly Race therefore be not discouraged because of Afflictions for the Lord in his due time will deliver you out of them all rather pray that God would sanctify your Afflictions than remove them and endeavour to arm your selves with the whole armour of God Ephes 6.13 that so you may not by reason of Satan's Temptations and the prevalency of your own Corruptions fall under them And seeing Afflictions are so convenient for us let us learn to bless God for them for had it not been for these we might have been yet for ought we know in love with the World and Sin which at last would have brought us to Hell Thus by Divine Assistance have I spoken what I design'd on this Subject O that God would now be pleased to make it effectual for you Souls good for the stirring of you up to be more speedy constant and sincere in running your Race O that at the Day of Judgment I might meet you all that are here this day at the Right Hand of Jesus Christ which will be an assurance to us of our entring into Glory for 't is to these he will say Matth. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Now the little time that remains let us resolve to improve by being more speedy constant and sincere in running our Race O let us be stedfast unmovable 1 Cor. 15.58 always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as we know that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. FINIS
you not ashamed to see so many overtake you Are you not asham'd to make no further progress that have so many helps provided for you and tender'd to you Are you not asham'd that God should see you loytering by the way Are you not asham'd that every trivial matter should stop you O for shame cast away all your hindrances get rid of your Obstructions and run you 'll be be-lated O Souls Don't you see what haste Sinners make to Hell Shall they strive and run for Damnation more than you for Salvation O take this timely Reproof you lazy slothful ones What will become of you if you shall idle till Christ calls you to an account How will that word sound in your ears Matth. 25.26 Thou wicked and slothful servant The true cause of thy neglect is thy slothfulness and not thy Inability and when that follows Verse 30. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness throw him into Hell let him see my Face no more Then will you wish tho too late that you had been speedy in your Course that you had improv'd your Time and Talents but then no more Time nor Talents will be granted then you are undone to Eternity Are you Young Therefore do you loyter Do you not see Young die as well as Old Have you not a proof of this now before your Eyes Are you in Health and Strength Therefore do you loyter Don't you see as strong as the strongest of you and as healthy as the most healthful suddenly snatched away O therefore loyter no longer begin now to be speedy lest an hereafter be never granted Behold 2 Cor. 6.2 now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation This Life is the time wherin your Calling and Election must be made sure This Life is the time wherein you must work out your Salvation with fear and trembling This Life is the time wherein you must be admitted into the Kingdom of Grace if ever you expect to be admitted into the Kingdom of Glory This Life is the time wherein you must run with speed and patience the Race that is set before you if ever you expect to receive that great and glorious Reward that is prepared for such as are speedy constant and sincere in their Course O therefore mend your pace lest you should be be-lated to Heaven Let a second Use be a Use of Advice and that to two sorts of Persons First To those that having begun and continued for a time are now drawing back I advise you that have begun to run in this Heavenly Race to hold on and that to the end 't will be your own another day will not these Promises allure you Matth. 10.22 He that endureth to the end shall be saved Can you desire a better Reward for your Pains than Salvation 'T is no wonder if at any time we see a poor Sinner draw back from serving the Devil for he may well grow weary of his work because of his wages Rom. 6.23 he 'll be dreadfully Rewarded But indeed it may be admired at to see any turn their backs upon God and grow weary of his Service who will be so well rewarded greatly above what they do deserve To see Persons turn their backs upon Salvation we may admire at their Folly and Madness what think you of that other Promise Be thou faithful unto death Rev. 2.10 and I will give you a crown of life or an unfaidable Crown of Glory as the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 5.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sirs you that are weary of Gods ways that grow tired of that which will if you continue therein end in your eternal Happiness produce such a Promise as this from the World Sin or Satan if you can no they have no such Reward pray then be perswaded to hold on to persevere Sirs you can't imagine the misery you 'll bring upon your selves by drawing back you 'll incur God's hatred and you had better have the hatred of the whole World Hebr. 10.38 Read and consider resolve therefore whatever comes on 't to hold out to the end that so you may be happy But Secondly Let it be a Use of Advice to the Hypocrites you have heard how far a Hypocrite may go and yet be rotten at heart and you have heard something of the heinousness of Sin and the punishment that will follow I do now advise you if you tender your Souls good to go no further in such a state and condition for you 'll be damn'd for your pains O whatever you do be upright let God have your hearts in all your Actions make us no longer believe that you are what you are not for 't is you that will be the losers at last Read that Scripture often and I leave you at this time Matth. 5.20 Christ tells you plainly That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven Now what was their Righteousness Why truly 't was an outside Righteousness they were very Hypocrites as Christ often calls them Matth. 23.13 14 15. and in many more places And surely if any thing moves to Sincerity it will be the thoughts of the Punishment of Hypocrisy But then Thirdly Let us take up an Use of Lamentation and that upon the account of those poor Souls that instead of running in the ways of God that lead to Heaven they are running headlong to Hell Poor Souls don 't you tremble to think of your end methinks my heart bleeds for you O join with me Christians in my sorrow for these poor Souls Lord what a Grief must it needs be to any compassionate heart to think of their sad Condition O that poor creatures should with such delight work out their own ruin O that they will be their own butchers not of their bodies but which is worse of their precious Souls Who can forbear to weep to see sinners go cheerfully to Hell O that Christ and his Grace should be slighted by them that have so much need of both O that overtures of Reconciliation should be refused by such as are just dropping into Hell into the midst of Everlasting Burnings Lord pity them Lord open their eyes O that they might see their danger before they feel it that so they might timely turn back and escape it that we may have cause to rejoice in thy Mercy towards them One Use more and that shall be of Comfort to the godly to those that run speedily constantly and sincerely in the ways of God Lift up your heads with comfort for you are happy souls you are in the way of your duty and you shall be rewarded tho your Race be toilsome to the flesh let the Reward that will follow upon your continuing stedfast to the end be your Cordial and Comfort Consider 'T is but a little while and all your labour will be over Rev. 14.13 and you
shall have an Eternal Rest Do you object by way of Complaint I suffer so much by reason of many and great Afflictions and Troubles and by reason of God's taking away my Comforts my Children my Relations and Friends that I find my self greatly hindred in my way to Heaven and I fear that I shall not hold out long I doubt I shall not persevere to the end I shall endeavour to answer you fully and so close You must then believe this as a great truth That Afflictions must of necessity come upon those that run in this Heavenly Race nay 't is impossible to be freed from them all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer Persecution for whom God loves 2 Tim. 3.12 he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives We are Bastards and not Sons if we are free from Affliction Those Beasts that are appointed for the Slaughter are let run in Fat Pastures but those that are not appointed for such an end are daily wrought and subject to the yoke The Stones that were for Solomon's Building 1 Kings 7.9 were squared and hewn before they were laid therein and so must every Christian be squared and hewn too by Affliction that is to be a lively Stone in this Spiritual Building Psal 118.22 of which Christ Jesus is the Head Corner-Stone The Lord spareth some for a time that he may punish them for ever and he chastens some for a time that he may spare them for ever Dives that was spared on earth was tormented in Hell and Lazarus that was afflicted on earth was received into Heaven Luk. 16.19 ad finem He that would reign with Christ in the Kingdom of Glory must suffer for him in the vale of Tears He that would obtain Christ must follow him and he that does follow him must do it with his Cross Christ suffered before he entred into Glory and so must Christians before they can be glorified Surely the Servant must not be above his Master If we suffer we shall reign We must not expect to drink of those Rivers of Pleasures that run through the Celestial Paradice unless we are willing to drink of the bitter Cup of Affliction Many are the Troubles of the Righteous one affliction seldom comes alone for God is not like the wasp that having stung once can sting no more but there is a plurality of Crosses with God he can sting agen and agen As one sorrowful messenger came to Job after another even so one affliction visiteth the Christian after another Those therefore that run in the race of Godliness must not think this strange neither must they think to be free from affliction Thus you see that of necessity afflictions must come upon the people of God upon those that run in this Heavenly race You say further that God takes away your Comforts your Children your Relations your Friends and this makes you fear you shall not hold on but rather draw back In answer to this consider Hath God dealt worse with you than with others of his Children that have been as precious in his sight as you and have done as much for his Glory Pray compare your case with Job's read that Chapter seriously at your leisure you 'l there find that God depriv'd him of all his outward Comforts and of his Children too and blessed be God he hath not dealt so severely with you you have yet a great many blessings and comforts that God is yet pleased to continue to you Job 1. and particularly as to Children God has not taken your All and can't you spare God one Lamb or two out of your Flock without repining Observe what Job says when depriv'd of all his outward Comforts The Lord gave Job 1.21 and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord He acknowledges him to be both good and just in all his ways and blesseth him for all whether giving or taking O do you learn Job's spirit But by this time you may readily ask what reasons can be given for God's thus suffering his Children to be afflicted I answer there are many reasons that may be given for this I shall give you a few of them 1. God suffers his Children to be afflicted that he might wean them from the love of this world which we are naturally prone to dote upon but especially in a prosperous state then we are apt and ready to be forgetful of God and of our selves too then the weeds are ready to overgrow the corn and the flesh ready to domineer over the spirit but by affliction we are brought to hate that which before we loved and to embrace that which before we loathed In time of prosperity we are apt to pride our selves in our worldly enjoyments in our Goods and Possessions and to have high and lofty thoughts of our selves as Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.30 Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my Majesty But when the Lord takes him to task making of him to live with the beasts of the field and to eat grass like oxen then he was brought to acknowledg one above him Dan. 4.37 to acknowledg that he was able to abase all those that walk in pride By dealing thus with us he brings us experimentally to know that the world and the things thereof are vanity and that they are at his disposal to give and take away at his pleasure Thus therefore does God suffer his Children to be afflicted that he might withdraw their affections from the fading vanities of the world 2ly To draw us to amendment of life Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted says the Psalmist I went astray but now have I kept thy Word Affliction was the cause of his reformation when we sin and go on therein then God out of love strikes us with the rod of affliction to cause us to remember our sins and to repent of them The affliction of the Body many times proves wholesome Physick for the soul though it wounds the outward man it many times renews the inward man God can't endure to see the blemish of sin upon the faces of his Children but he presently washeth it off with the water of affliction 3ly God suffereth his Children to be afflicted that they might the more earnestly call upon him and the more speedily seek unto him 'T is hard to keep silence when in grievous pain Affliction makes us run to God for help and releasement Jon. 2. thus did Jonah when in the Whale Our requests are then commonly more earnest and fervent how earnest are they in their distress Jon. 1.14 We beseech thee Lord we beseech thee Thus therefore does God many times oppress us that we might cry unto him crying unto him he might hear us and hearing us might deliver us and delivering us he might be glorified of us 4. For the exercise of