into prison arraigned condemned executed in a most shameful and an accursed manner oh what was it for him to endure all this contradiction of sinners rage of the Devil and wrath of God in comparison of whom the most righteous person that ever was may say with the good Theif on the cross And we indeed justly Isa 53.9 but He what evil hath he done He made his Grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth Blessed be God my prison is not Tophet my burnings are not unquenchable flames my cup is not fild with wrath in a word this is not Hell Blessed be God for Jesus Christ 1 Thes 1.10 by whom I am delivered from wrath to come And thus as the Lord Jesus by the sensible experience of his own passion came perfectly to understand what his poor members suffer while they are in the body so we by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the remainders of his cross which he hath bequeathed us as a Legacy come in some measure to understand the sufferings of Christ or at least by comparing things of such vast disproportion to guess at what we cannot understand The twentieth and the last Lesson which God teacheth by affliction 20 Lesson is How to prize and long for Heaven In our prosperity when the Candle of God shines in our Tabernacles when we wash our steps in butter and the Rock powreth us out Rivers of Oyl Iob. 29.6 we could set down with the present World and even say with the Disciples Eccles 41.1 though not upon so good an account It is good for us to be here let us here build us Tabernacles while life is sweet death is bitter and Heaven it self is no temptation while the World gives us her friendly entertainments But when poverty imprisonment reproach and persecution sickness and sore Diseases do not only pinch but vex our hearts with verietie of aggravations we are not so fond of the Creature but we can be content to entertain a partly with death and take Heaven into our considerations Not that meerly to defire to be in Heaven because we are weary of the World is an Argument of grace or a Lesson that needs divine teaching self-self-love will prompt as much as that comes to But because like foolish Travellers we love our way though it be troublesom rather then our Countrey God by this Discipline taketh off our hearts by degrees from this present World and maketh us look homeward being burdened we groan 2 Cor. 5.4 and with the Dove we return to the Ark when the World floats round about us when David was driven from his Palace then wo is me that my Pilgrimage is prolonged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Septuagint renders it We should be contented like the Israelites with the Garlick and flesh-pots of Egypt if God did not set cruel Taskmasters over us to double our Burdens and when God hath thus lessened our esteem of the World he discovers to us the excellency of heavenly comforts and draws out the desires of the soul to a full fruition when shall I come and appear in thy presence EVEN SO come Lord Jesus Affliction puts Heaven into all those notions which make it Heaven indeed To the weary it is rest Isa 57.2 Revel 14.13 To the banished it is Home 2 Cor. 5.6 To the scorned and reproached it is glory Rom. 5.2 To the Captive it is liberty Rom. 8.21 To the conflicting soul it is Conquest Rom. 8.37 And to the Conqueror it is a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 Righteousnes 2 Tim. 4.8 Glory 1 Pet. 5.4 To the Hungry it is hidden Manna Rev. 2.17 To the thirty it is the fountain and waters of life and Rivers of pleasure Rev. 22.17 Psal 36.8 9. To the grieved soul whither with sin or sorrow it is fulnes of joy and to the mourner it is pleasures for evermore Psal 16.12 In a word to them that have lain upon the Dunghill and kept their integrity it is a Throne on which they shall sit and reign with Christ for ever and ever Rev. 3.31 and 22.5 Surely beloved Heaven thus proportioned to every state of the afflicted soul cannot chuse but be very precious and will make the soul with a stronger or weaker impulse desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. ◠23 which is best of all A Christian indeed is comforted by Faith but not satisfied or if satisfied it is in point of security not of desire because here we are absent from the Lord and walk by Faith not by sight 2 Cor. 5 6 7. Hope though it keep life in the soul yet it is not able to fill it he longs and thinks every day a year till he be at home in his Fathers Arms and sit down on his Fathers Throne crowned with his Fathers Honour and glory They that walk by Faith cannot be quiet till they be in the sight of those things which they beleive Jacob when he heard that Joseph was alive though he did beleive it yet could not be satisfied with hearing of it but saith he I will go and see him before I die so the beleiving soul He whom my soul loveth was dead but is alive and behold he liveth for evermore Rev. 1.18 I will die that I may go and see him as Augustine upon that answer of God to Moses thou cast not see any face and live Exod. 33.20 makes this quick and sweet reply then Lord let me die that I may see thy face Thus I have presented you with those 20 several Lessons which Jesus Christ the great Prophet of his Church teacheth his afflicted ones to take out in the school of affliction And now as I told you in my entrance upon this subject all these 20. Lessons may be reduc'd to three great summary comprehensive Instructions c. 1. The sinfulness of sin 2. The emptiness of the Creature 3. The fulness of Jesus Christ 1 Summary Lesson The sinfulness of sin The first summary comprehensive Lesson is the sinfulness of sin sin is alwayes very sinful but in our prosperity we are not so sensible of it the dust of the World doth so fill our eyes that we cannot make a clear and distinct discovery of the evil that is in sin but now by the sharp and bitter waters of affliction God doth wash out that dust and clears the Organ to make a perfect discovery and to discern sin as it is and not as usually it doth appear sin becomes exceeding sinful Rom. 7 13. God hath four Classes wherein he discovers to the soul the evil that is in sin 1. The Glass of the Law Jam. 1.23.24 2. The blood of Christ Rev. 1.6 3. Afflictions and chastisements in this present World 4. The torments of Hell Mat. 25.41 Indeed of all these Glasses the blood of Christ is the clearest and doth most fully perfectly
be none to deliver A fifth branch of Information may be to teach us thus much sc 5 Branch Informat They may be blessed whom the world judgeth miserable That they may be blessed whom the world accounts miserabl The World judgeth meerly by outward appearances and therefore may easily be mistaken They see the chastisement which is upon the flesh and thence conclude a man miserable but they cannot discover that divine teaching which is upon the spirit which truly rendereth him incomparably blessed The men of the world are incompetent judges of the estate and condition of Gods Children The godly mans happiness or misery is not to be judged by the worlds sense and feeling Nemo aliorum sensu misâ—r est sâ—a suo Salv. de gub Dei lib. 1. but by his own it lieth inward save onely so far as by the fruits it is discernable and the worlds faculty of judging is onely outward made up of sense and reason therefore said the Apostle The spiritual man judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man that is he is able to judg of the condition of the men of the world but the men of the world are not able to judg of his condition because it is above their faculty the natural man thinks the spiritual man under affliction to be miserable but the spiritual man knows the natural man in the midst of his greatest abundance and bravery to be miserable indeed Therefore may the Saints in their troubles think it with Saint Paul 1 Cor. 4 3 a very small thing to be judged of mans judgment This is but * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of mans day mans day of judging so the word signifieth Gods day is coming when things and persons shall be valued by another census or rate Christ in his day shall judg not after the sight of the eyes i.e. not as things appear to sense and reason nor after the hearing of the ears i. e. according to the report of the world but with righteousness shall he judg i. e. He shall judg of things and persons as they are and not as they appear Interim this is also another comfort We have the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2. last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the judgment of Christ by vertue whereof we are enabled in our measure to judg of things and persons as Christ himself judgeth A sixth branch of Information 6 Branch Insoâ—m To shew the wisdom power and goodness of God Is Chastisement a blessing when accompanyed with Instruction See then and admire the Wisdom Power and Goodness of God who can make his people better by their sufferings Who knows how to ferch oyl out of the scorpion to extract gold out of clay to draw the â—ichest wine out of gall and wormwood that can turn the greatest evil of the body to the greatest good of the Soul the Curse it self into a Blessing that can make the withered rod of affliction to bad Isai 27.9 yea to bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Behold I shew you a mystery Sin brought Affliction INTO the world and God makes * By this shal the iniquity of Iacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin Affliction to carry sin OUT of the world Persecution is but the pruning Christs Vine c. The Almond tree is made fruitful by driving nails into it Iust Martyr in Apol. letting out a noxious gum that hindereth the fruitfulness thereof God never intendeth more good to his children then when he seems to deal most severely with them Patrium habet Deus adversus bonos viros animum illos fortiter amat Sen. Our tonis viris mala accidant The very Heathen hath observed it to us God doth not love his children with a weak womanish affection but with a strong masculine love and had rather they suffer hardship then perish Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth God will rather fetch blood then lose a Soul break Ephraims bones then suffer him to go on in the frowardness of his heart Destroy the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 11 32 Vâ—ribus res disposita est lugea mus itaque dum Ethnici gaudent ut cumlagere caeperint gaudeamus c. Terr l. de spectic c. 28 7 Branch Inform. Sufferings not dreadful as Nature apprehends We are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world His Discipline is made up of severity and love he doth chastise but he will teach also that so his children may inherit the blessing the discipline is sharp but the end is sweet Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Seventhly It shews us That a suffering condition is not so formidable a thing as flesh and blood doth represent it It is ignorance and unbelief which slandereth the Dispensations of God and casteth reproach upon the Cross of Christ He that heard the words of God which saw the vision of the Almighty having his eyes opened could by way of holy triumph ask this quâ—stion Why should I fear in the days of evil Psal 49.5 q. d. what is there in an afflicted estate so much to be dreaded let any man shew me a reason and I will give way to fear and despondency And that is more observable which follows When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about This is an addition of the greatest weight and wonder imaginable the meaning is when my transgressions pursue me so close that they even tread upon my heels as it were when sin it self hath brought me into the snare when God is correcting me for my iniquities why truly Christians that 's the thing which a child of God doth most of all tremble at to consider that he hath sin'd himself into a suffering condition In sufferings purely Evangelical viz. persecution for righteousness sake a gracious heart can see many times more cause of rejoycing then of perplexity 1 Pet. 4.13 16 Phil. 1.29 and look upon them as a gift rather then an imposition but afflictions and miseries which sin brings upon a man seem to be judicial and penal and carry a face of wrath rather then of love I but observe it even in these the Psalmâ—st can see no just cause of fear Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about See when sin and sorrows besiege him on every side he is fearless and knows no reason to the contrary unless any one can tell him what it is How so surely upon the same account in my Text because David had a God that could teach as well as chastise and therefore though sin were as poyson in his cup of
17.3 This is life eternal to know thee our Saviour saith not it shal be life eternall but it is eternall life is begun already where these things be In the fiftteenth and sixteenth place to be taught the Duties and Priviledges of a suffering condition is a blessed Teaching for hereby the soul is enabled to taste and see what is good and sweet in every affliction and is set above all that which is grievous and intolerable to Nature for this cause we faint not c. 17ly The unum necessarium the one onely thing necessary must necessarily be a blessed thing It is saith our Saviour Luk. 10 42 the better part which shall not be taken away 18ly The Art of Time-Redemption is a blessing not less then an evidence of Soul-Redemption if ye compare the first Epistle of Peter Chap. 1. vers 17 and 18. together 19ly Ask S. Paul and he will tell you that the knowledg of the sufferings of Jesus Christ is an excellent knowledg in comparison of which all other things are loss and dung Phil. 3.8 9 10. And lastly To long for Heaven is the very first fruits of Heaven the evidence and seal of our conjugal CONTRACT with Jesus Christ The Spirit and the BRIDE say Rev. 22.17 Come Lord Jesus Eruditur ad bâ—atitudinem Greg. Moral Behold Christians to be taught of God when chastised by him is a Blessedness compounded of twenty several precious ingredients At least if ye will take in The Nature and Properties of divine Teaching 2 Demonst The Properties of Divine Teaching make up real blessedness which may make a second Demonstration that is to say to be taught all these 1. Inwardly 2. Clearly 3. Experimentally 4. Powerfully 5. Sweetly 6. Abidingly This must needs be a blessed teaching It being a Teaching which doth possess the Soul of the excellencies which it discovereth Doctrinal and notional knowledg is a blessing Blessed saith Christ to his Hearers are your eyes Mat. 13.16 for they see and your ears for they hear I but it is but an occasional preparatory blessedness blessedness in the offer and opportunity Oh but to be taught these Lessons with these qualifications to be taught as the truth is in Jesus 2 Cor 3. last to be taught into the nature and image of the truth to be taught into the possession of divine excellencies this is blessedness indeed blessedness in Being full perfect fruitional blessedness A third Demonstration 3 Demonst They are fruits of Gods distinguishing love A Teaching Chastisement is the fruit of Gods distinguishing Love Chastisements simply considered in themselves lie in common to all the sons and daughters of Adam since the Fall the fruit of that first apostacy as well as of actual and personal departures from God yea and deliverance also lieth in common Providence dispenseth Deliverance to the worst of men The 106 Psalm is a Psalm of Promises made to the Church but the next Psalm the 107 is a Psalm of Providential Dispensations to the World and there as you finde affliction so you may finde deliverance also out of those afflictions to be the portion of wicked men Rebels Vers 11. and Fools Vers 19 20. i. e. wicked fools Solomons fools all along the Proverbs Seamen Vers 23. for the most part not the most religious order in the world all these are delivered out of their troubles The worst of men I say share in this fruit of Gods Providential Goodness Deliverance but a teaching sanctified affliction is the privy seal of special love Psa 89.33 My LOVING KINDNES wil I not take from him whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth Heb. 12.6 that is to say with a teaching chastisement when Word and Rod meet together when Correction and Instruction kiss each other they are the fruit of paternal affection and therefore must needs have a blessing bound up in them Deut. 8.5 As a man chasteneth his son so the Lord chasteneth thee Fourthly 4 Demonst It is a branch of the Covenant of Grace Isai 54.13 Ier. 31.33 A Teaching-Correction is a branch of the Covenant of Grace which God hath made in Christ for the Children of Promise All thy children shall be taught of God They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest by vertue of Divine Teaching Affliction is adopted to be a clause in the Covenant of Grace That 89 Psalm is a Song of the New Covenant I will sing of the mercies of the Lord Vers 1. what mercies not providence mercies onely but promise mercies Covenant mercies vers 3. I have made a Covenant with my my chosen And amongst the rest of the branches of the Covenant you shall find the rod and the whip have their place Ver. 30 31 32. If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgments c. Then will I visit their Transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Behold rod and stripes standing here not upon Mount Ebal the Mount of curses as branches of a Covenant of Works but upon Mount Gerizâ—m the Mount of Blessings Deut. 11 as branches of the Covenant of Grace Affliction is not so much threatned as promisd to Christs seed My Covâ—nant will I not break ver 34. When God seems even to break the bones and hearts of his people by sore and heavy strokes of correction yet he doth not break his Covenant My Covenant will I not break it is in order to the Covenant when God chastiseth his children and instructs them by his chastisements Affliction separated from instruction is pure wrath a blast from Mount Ebal Deut. 28. but by a matrimonial Covenant those two Scriptures Psal 89.32 I will visit c. and Isai 54.13 I will teach are marryed together and made one spirit as in my Text and then they are pure grace The Covenant is the Magna Charta of Heaven and contains a list of what ever God the Father hath purposed God the Son hath purchased and God the Holy Ghost doth apply to the Heirs of promise The brests of the Covenant run nothing but the milk of spiritual blessing to the children of God Fifthly 5 Demonst The purchase of Christs Death A Teaching-affliction is the purchase of Christs death and bloodshed Christ dyed not to exempt his redeemed from suffering but to sanctifie their sufferings with his own blood I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world Ioh. 17.15 but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil whatsoever Christ purchas'd he pray'd for and this was one main priviledg not freedom from the evil of affliction but from the evil of sin Sanctifie them with thy Truth Vers 17. Gods Teachings are sanctifying Teachings Sanctifie them with thy Truth thy Word is Truth Christs blood purchas'd nothing but blessings Sixthly and lastly 6 Demonst It is the result of all Christs Offices A Teaching-affliction is the result of all the Offices of Jesus Christ As a
have layd the foundation of their own forrows their childrens ruine and the desolation of the Nation in the looseness and delicacy of their education and yet are not sensible of it to this day We have not corrected our children and therefore God is correcting us in our children We * God makes our children our rods because we have withheld the rod from them We gave them too much rest and therefore they give us none Pro. 29 17 Levit. 26 have not cross'd them in their wills and therefore God doth cross us in our wills We have walked even in this point exceedingly contrary to God and to his Discipline and therefore God is walking contrary to us and is punishing us seven times more for this iniquity And therefore Oh that Parents would at length awaken themselves to follow both the pattern and precept of their heavenly Father who as he correcteth whom he loveth so he commands them to correct Melius est perire in virga patris quam in blandimentis perire praedonis if they love their children Withhold not correction from the child for if thou correct him with the Rod he shall not dye If the Rod draw blood should need be it is ad salutem it is as the Physician deals with them to prevent a feaver a feaver of boyling passions here and of boyling fire and brimstone hereafter it is to cure not to kill yea thou killest if thou dost not wound and therfore again I say withhold it not Give the rod unto thy childe and he will one day give thee thanks for it Yea it is worth observation that the same word in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated withhold signifieth also to forbid meeting with another distemper in Parents who as they will not correct their children themselves so also they forbid others to correct them under whose tuition they put them As if they were afraid their children would not have sin enough here nor hell enough hereafter they lay in Caveats against the means which God hath sanctified for their reclaiming What tears of blood are sufficient to bewail this folly You that are godly-wise and wisely-loving take heed of it and when you commit your children to others hands do not in the mean while hold their hands if thou judgest them not wise why dost thou chuse them if thou chuse them why dost thou not trust them Well then if the rod be in thine own hand withhold it not if in thy friends hand forbid it not Certainly there is great need of this duty which the Spirit of God doth frequently inculcate all along the Proverbs I will conclude this branch of the Exhortation with inverting the Counsel of our Saviour In this sence be ye not merciful that you may be the children of your heavenly Father Mat. 5.44 45 for whom he loveth he correcteth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth Go thou and do likewise and this shall be your mercy and love to your children He that spareth the rod hateth his son Pro. 13.24 but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes Secondly 2 Exhort Add Instruction to Correction You that are Parents or in stead of Parents If you would have your children happy Add Instruction to correction imitate God in this part of patternal Discipline also let Chastisement and Instruction go together It is that which the Holy Ghost urgeth upon you Bring them up in the NURTURE and ADMONITION of the Lord Eph. 6.4 There be two words relating to both these Parental duties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in * Qua Pater erudit filium Bez. castigatione in the Chastisement or Correction and it is added of the Lord that is either in the Chastisement wherewith the Lord exerciseth his children or in the Chastisement which the Lord commandeth earthly Parents to exercise towards their children this is the first duty of which already And then there is another word which holdeth forth the end and design of Parental Correction and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Monitis ex verbo Dei petitis sive sanctis Deo acceptis Bez. in the Admonition and Instruction of the Lord i. e. in Counsels and Instructions taken out of the Word of God or such as are approved of by God The sum is this That while we chasten the flesh Proprie fignificat admonitionem non simpliciter sed talem qualem in mentem pueri ponas ingerasquae sunt illi ad salutem necessaria Zanch. in loc we should labor to inform and form the minde and spirit by infusing right principles pressing and urging upon their tender hearts counsel reproof and instruction as the matter requireth This is the duty of Parents to imitate God to let Instruction expound Correction and with a rod in the hand and a word in the mouth to train up their children to life eternal A dumb rod is but a brutish Discipline and will leave the child as brutish as it found him Chastisement without teaching may sooner break the bones then the heart it may mortifie the flesh but not corruption extinguish nature but never beget grace But the Rod and REPROOF give wisdom Pro. 29.15 Instruction added to Correction as it makes excellent Christians so it makes good Children There be Parents that are severe and curst enough to their children they spare for no blows in stead of breaking them of their wills by a wise and moderate correction they are ready to break their bones and their necks too sometimes in their moods and passions But they never minde the other branch of Paternal Discipline sc Instruction and Admonition of such Parents I suppose the Apostle speaketh Heb. 12.9 10. We have had Fathers of our flesh who corrected and chastened us after THEIR OVVN PLEASURE He speaketh not of all Parents but his meaning is there be such men and women in the world who are most unlike to God and in smiting their children rather please themselves then profit their children He for our profit but they after their own pleasure to give vent to their passion and satisfie their vindictive rage and fury and when is that truly when the Rod and Reproof do not go together it is an argument there is more passion then judgment more lust then love in such chastisements Such Parents do rather betray their own folly then take a course to make their children wise Schola Crucis Schola Lucis The Rod and Reproof give wisdom neither alone will do it the Rod without Reproof will harden the heart and teach the children sooner to hate the Parent then to hate sin Absque afflictione nulli utilia discunt and Reproof without the Rod will leave no impression Reproofs of instruction are the way of life Pro 6.23 or Corrections of instruction a lesson set on with a whiping is best remembred It is divine truth that must be the instrument of working saving grace