fowls in a rainy day if at any time they be blasted in their reputation they become pale and heartlesse as if they could not live but in the popular air Some turn impatient murmur and blaspheme God in the course of his providence so did the people of Israel in the wildernesse Exod. 16.2 3. They murmured and said Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the flesh-pots and when we did eat bread to the full for ye have brought us forth into this wildernesse to kill this whole assembly with hunger Others become desperate and blaspheme God in his truth and mercy as wicked Jehoram 2 King 6.33 Behold this evil is of the Lord said he what should I wait for the Lord any longer And such as are desperate of Gods help use unlawfull means for relief as Ahaziah 2 King 1. Therefore I would offer some considerations as so many bases to balance unstable souls Considerations to ballast unstable souls that they be not too much lifted up with prosperity nor too farre dejected with adversity First Against temptations in prosperity thou who art ingrateful to God and dost not by humble thankfullnesse acknowledge God thy benefactor consider this provokes jod to send a change in thy estate Hos 2.8 9. She did not know what I gave her corn wine and oyl and multiplied her silveâ— and gold and therefore will I return and take away my cornâ—â— the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof Secondly Thou who art proud and boastest in thy riches consider that pride and vain boasting is the moth of prosperity it is a swelling in the high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant Isa 30.13 Pride in prosperity is an evident prognostick of a fall and change Dan. 4.31 While the word of pride and boasting in his prosperity was in the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar there fell a voice from Heaven saying O King Nebuchadnezzar to thee it is spoken the Kingdom is departed from thee here was a sudden and great change he that was lifted up above the ordinary condition of men in plenty and honour is brought down so low that he runs mad and wilde amongst the beasts of the Field and eateth grasse as oxen 3. Thou who abusest thy plenty to riot and excesse consider thy surfet and repletion will turn to a consumption and bring a change Prov. 23.20 Be not amongst wine-bibbers among riotous eaters of flesh for the drunkard and the glutton will will come to poverty and drousinesse shall clothe a man with ragges 4. Thou that art unmercifull to the poor in the day of thy prosperity consider this provokes God to bring a change on thy estate Prov. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet encreaseth and there is that withholdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to poverty The rich Glutton gave not a crum and in hell he got not a drop of water to cool his tongue 5. Thou that in thy prosperity mis-knowest thy self and despisest the poor in his adversity thou sinnest against God who only of rich and free bounty hath made the difference between thy condition and his Prov. 14.31 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth but he that hath mercy on the poor happy is he 6. Thou that in thy prosperity abusest thy power to the oppression of the poor and addest affliction to the afflicted thou reproachedst God his maker who entitles himself the defender and judge of the poor and indigent Psa 72.4 Thou provokest God to deliver up thy estate into the hands of the spoiler Isa 33.1 Wo to thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled and dealest treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee when thou shalt cease to spoil thou shalt be spoiled Next I would offer these considerations both to direct and uphold a weak spirit in the day of adversity 1. Thou that art senselesse of Gods visitation consider that of Prov. 3.11 Heb. 12.5 Job 5.17 Despise not the chastening of the Lord sleight it not but take notice of it This froward senselesnesse provokes God to encrease thy troubles Lev. 26.18 As the Physician doth cure a Lethargy by casting the Patient into a Fever and by this means doth quicken his senses so the Lord doth cure this spiritual Lethargy many times by some sharper and more corrosive affliction that toucheth them to the quick 2. Thou that faintest in a time of adversity consider that of Pro. 24.10 If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small This fainting is an evidence of a pusillanimous and weak spirit Against this soul-fainting the only cordiall is faith in God and his gracious promises Psa 27.14 I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the Land of the Living Psa 43.5 O my Soul why art thou disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him By faith as the saving Organ the sweet smell of Gods mercies is carried into the heart and revives it Psa 138.7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me 3. Thou that art impatient and secretly in thy heart murmurest against the good Providence of God consider in time thy fretting impatience doth more disquiet thy soul then the crosse it self can by patience thou possessest thy soul Luke 21.19 but by impatience thou dispossessest thy self of that dominion thou shouldest have over thy thoughts speeches and actions it so distracts thee that thou knowest not what thou thinkest speakest or doest By thy impatience thou provokest God to encrease and continue thy crosse Thou art as the Fowl in the Net the more thy impatient spirit doth flutter thou art the more intangled Num. 11. when the people complained It displeased the Lord and his anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burnt among them Num. 14.34 Because the people murmured at the difficulties in their journey to the promised rest the Lord lengthened their troubles forty years whereas if they had been patient and obedient they had got an expected end in fourty daies Impatience puts men to much pains which might be saved if in patience they would submit to Gods providence in a time of great difficulties Consider it is a fearfull thing in the time of thy impatience to get thy desire of ease and delivery satisfied at such a time it is far better to want it then to have it It is a feeding for the slaughter Num. 11.33 The people were impatient for want of flesh God gave it to them But while the flesh was in their mouth the wrath of the Lord was kindled It is far better to live in want then to be consumed in thy abundance 4. Thou who in a desperate unbelief casts away all hope of deliverance in a time of great trouble Consider thou blasphemest God in his power as if our God were not able to deliver thee Thou saist as Israel did in their unbeleef Can the Lord prepare
a Table in the Wildernesse Psa 78.19 Such Unbelief in a time of a great and common calamity may provoke God to seclude thee from the comfort of the common deliverance That unbeleeving Lord who blasphemed God in his power was trod down in the gate and was not partaker of the common benefit 2 King 7.19 20. 5. Thou that usest unlawfull means to be freed of thy trouble consider in time such means provoke to more wrath Ahaziah his consulting with wizards in the time of his sicknesse brought him to his death 2 King 1. The Jews did persecute the Prince of life thinking thereby to preserve their place and nation Joh. 11.48 but such a means brought upon them desolation and destruction Mat. 23.37 38. This Doctrine serveth for a seasonable warning to the children of God who are subject to the like passions within Vse 2 Directions how to behave our selves in all estates 1. In prosperity and to the like temptations from without how they should carry themselves in an equable tenour both in prosperity and adversity In thy day of prosperity 1. Be thankefull to thy God Deut. 8.10 When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God for the good Land which he hath given thee So did good Jacob Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant For with my staff I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands Remember that wrath was upon good Ezechias for his ingratitude 2 Chron. 32.25 2. Walk humbly with thy God remembring thou hast nothing but what thou hast received It is the Lord who of rich and free bounty makes thee to differ from the poor Remember the rich and poor meet together Pro. 22.2 they are alike in their birth both come naked out of the womb and alike at their death they return naked to the womb of the earth the difference only is for a moment of time Remember Ezechias his pride in his treasures provoked God to give them to the spoiler 2 King 20.17 3. Walk in charity toward them that want the good things of the world Remember as this is the day of thy receiving so there will be a day of reckoning when thy Lord will say Give me an account of thy Stewardship Profession of love to God without this is but hypocrisie 1 Joh. 3.17 Whoso hath this worlds good and seeth his brother hath need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him yea thy outward performances of publique worship and solemn humiliation by fasting is abomination before the Lord without this labour of love Isa 58.6 7. The Lord requires that thou deal thy bread to the hungry c. If God send a change the remembrance of thy mercifull dealing with the poor will comfort thy heart in adversity Augustine It was Jobs comfort in his saddest hour Job 31.16 17. c. Augustine saith well God made the rich man that he might help the poor and he made the poor man that he might try the rich 4. In thy abundance moderate thy affections Let not thy desire joy and delight dwell on things worldly Phil. 3.20 Let your conversation be in heaven The Merchant though he trade in a forreign Countrey for a time and be never so well entertained there yet his more frequent thoughts and stronger affections are on his own Countrey and the comforts there here thou art a sojourner Amidst all thy transient pleasures here let thy minde and heart be set upon the things that are above Col. 3.2 5. Of thy worldly commodities make a spirituall use as the skilful Chymist extracts subtil spirits out of the grossest Minerals so the spiritual man draweth a spiritual use out of things earthly Out of any sweetnesse he tastes in the creatures his appetite is inlarged toward that full joy and pleasures for ever at the right hand of God as a profane worldling in a Church-meeting many times hath earthly thoughts so the spiritual man even in his civill meetings in the midst of his earthly pleasures is a heavenly-minded man He looks through the creatures to heaven He can at once look both to the earth and to the third heaven From earthly objects his heart is raised to things heavenly and after such thoughts he returns to the use of the creature with great moderation as a man refreshed already with more excellent delicates then the creatures can afford In the day of adversity carry thy self also in an equal way 2. In adversity I know also saith our Apostle how to be abased 1. Be not regardlesse of thy Crosse Heb. 12.5 It is the Lords visitation and thou must take notice of him when he visits thee humble thy self before him with Ephraim bemoan thy self Jer. 31.18 accept the punishment of thy sin and justifie the Lord in all his dispensations Lev. 26.41 and seek to God by praier for comfort Isa 26.16 They poured out a praier when thy chastening was upon them 2. Be not faint-hearted this is another extremity whereunto the dear children of God are subject in time of oppressing troubles Good Baruch fainted in his sighing in a time of adversity and dis-appointment of his hopes Jer. 45.3 Jonah fainted in a time of great perplexity Jonah 2.7 Prepare cordials against this fainting As men subject to fainting in the body carry alwaies about with them some preservatives lay up store of the precious promises with faith to them in thy understanding and with love to them in thy heart The taste of this bread of life will keep thee from fainting Carry Christ and his Crosse in thine heart and the smell of his Crosse and the sweet fruits of it will keep thine heart from fainting If at any time thou faint then with Jonah Jon. 2.7 Remember the Lord and his former kindenesses He is unchangeable in his love He loveth to the end Joh. 13.1 The meditation on former experience and on the unchangeablenesse of his love is a Restorative to a fainting soul 3. In thy adversity be patient Jam. 1.4 Let Patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and intire wanting nothing It is not perfect in any man in a perfection of degrees but in the purpose of their will and affection of their hearts The godly should be willing in all things present or to come to submit to the good will of God Patience is joyned to hope as the Cable to the Anchor 1 Thes 1.3 Patience of hope As in a stresse of weather the more the Cable is lengthened there is the lesse agitation of the Ship so in a time of trouble the more our patience is encreased the commotion of our spirit is the lesse It is true the dear children of God may have their own fits of impatiency as Moses at Meribah Job had his Job 3. Jeremiah Jer. 15.10 and Jonah had a sore fit Jon. 4.8 It is
as thou renewest thy duty because our heart is verie unstable soon and easily drawn away from thoughts of God and our duty Therefore we have great need to pray that our hearts may be established by grace for continuing in gracious actings according to the good and acceptable will of God And that we be not like unto some foolish strangers in their through-fare taken up with the sight and esteem of some pleasant toys by the way whereby they both spend their time and moneys that should have carried them forward to their own countrey upon things unnecessary in the way Therefore go to God for grace to settle thine heart upon himself and his goodness and to keep it fixed and unmoved in the time of thy pilgrimage and through fare amidst the inveigling and intangling pleasures of this world and pray with David that the Lord would uphold and establish thee by his free Spirit Psal 51.12 Quest Quest What means must I use that I may persevere in a course of wel-doing Answ 1 Answ 1. Consider the necessity of perseverance Mat. 24.12 The means of perseverance 13. Because iniquitie shall abound the love of many shall wax cold but he that shall endure to the end the same shall be saved he that endureth in love to God and to his truth in a time wherein God is dishonoured and his truth oppressed by iniquity and violence the same shall be saved in the day of the Lord as there is a necessity of perseverance in our active so in our passive obedience and patient suffering the good will of God Heb. 10.36 Jam. 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation Heb. 12 7. If ye endure chastening God dwelleth with you as with sons 2. Set God and his word always before thine eys Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved when we set him before us in his rich and free mercy in his almighty power and unchangeable truth we are not moved in a time of temptation to unbelief despair or impatience Psal 18.21 22. I have not wickedly departed from my God for all his Judgements were before me he set Gods Judgements and Testimonies before him as his rule and this kept him from departing wickedly from his God though the dearest of Gods children depart out of the way in much weakness like as weak children going toward their father may through a violent wind against them be driven from the straight path yet they do it not out of wicked wilfulness so in Gods children there may be a departure out of weakness from the course of godliness for a time but never out of wickedness from the purpose of Godliness 3. Entertain the fear of God in thy heart this is the golden bridle whereby God moderates and over-rules all affections Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Phil. 2.12 Work out your salvation in fear and trembling 4. Look before you to that rich recompence of reward Our Lord for the joy that was set before him endured the cross Heb. 12.2 So did Moses for he had respect unto the recompence of reward so did those worthies take joyfully the spoyling of their goods knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance upon this ground the Apostle in that place Heb. 10.34 35. exhorts them to perseverance in the faith Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward When ever thou perseverest and standest in an hour of temptation Vse 3 Give God the glory of our perscverance give all praise to God for perseverance is his free gift we cannot advance one step in the way of righteousness without his special conduct Consider Thy strength to stand in the hour of temptation is from God alone It was his special help preserved Joseph under a great temptation whereas David not having so great a temptation fell under the power of it in the matter of Bathshebah It may be thou hast at one time withstood a greater when at another time thou hast fallen under a lesser temptation Praise God who made the difference It may be thou continuest in doing duties acceptable to God at such a time when some of the children of God of greater knowledge and abilities then thou art do fail in the performance thereof acknowledge to the praise of the excellency of his grace that this difference proceedeth only from his special help and assistance So did Paul 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more then they all Not I but the grace of God with me It may be in bearing the burden of crosses thou hast greater patience at one time under a greater then thou hadst at another time under a lesser burden It may be thou endurest the spoyling of thy greatest worldly comforts with more patience then Jonah did the want of his gourd bless God who giveth unto thee strength to stand under thy burthen Remember thou bearest not the root but the root thee If thou become forgetful and ungrateful thou wilt thereby provoke Gods displeasure though thou were as godly as Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32.25 Therefore after that thou in the strength of the Lord hast done any acceptable duty or stood out in a time of tryal retire thy self and in secret upon thy knees give all praise to God this is the way to be helped in a new exigent Ingratitude will weaken thy confidence at another time of thy great necessity of Gods help Thou wilt not have a heart or face to go to God for help conscience of former ingratitude doth fill the heart with diffidence A sick patient who proves ungrateful to his Physitian for his pains and help toward his former recovery in a new fit of sickness hath not a face to go to him As of ingratitude so beware also of self-reflecting and sacrificing to thine own abilities as if by thy own strength thou hadst overcome a temptation done a duty or born a cross This pride and self gloriation provokes God to desert thee at another time that thou mayst be humbled and learn to glory only in the Lord and in the power of his might Therefore let all flesh be silent before him and let him that glorieth glory in the Lord who is only to be praised for of him through him and for him are all things to whom be glory for ever Rom. 11.36 The other main point to be considered Point 2 is the certainty of perseverance in these words Being confident that he will perform the good work in you until the day of Jesus Christ Before we raise the doctrine some things would be cleared in the text 1. What is meant by the good work 2. What is meant by performing the good work until the day of Jesus Christ which is his second coming Luke 17.24 1 Thes 5.2 Is not the work of our Sanctification perfected at our death What is