heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. When Ephraim was in affliction and found a refractory spirit Thou hast chastised me and I was as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke and went to God and bemoaned the hardness of his heart and prayed to be turned God promiseth I will surely have mercy upon him that is out of my mercy towards him I will both pardon his rebellious and disobedient carriage under his affliction and subdue his refractory and rebellious spirit That Gods having mercy on him implies both the pardoning and subduing his sins may be gathered from Mic. 7.18,19,20 When the Jews were carried captive into Babylon and found that notwithstanding all the great things that they suffered during the siege and at the destruction of Jerusalem they were not turned from their sins they go to God and pray to him to turn them for they were perswaded that though their afflictions had not turned them yet if the Lord would put forth his Grace and turn them then they should be turned Lam. 5.21 Turn thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Prayer is of that prevalency with God that no iniquity shall be able to stand long before a praying Christian but Prayer will soon subdue the power and dominion of it Psal 119.2,3 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart they also do no iniquity Prayers and tears will prevail over God himself Hos 12.3,4 By his strength he had power with God yea he had power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him Now if Prayer will prevail over God fear not but it will prevail over all manner of sin 4. When you feel any workings and stirrings of the Spirit of God upon your hearts take heed of quenching or resisting the Spirit when the Spirit of God worketh upon you either in a way of conviction or by stirring up godly sorrow for sin or exciting purposes and resolutions against sin or working in any other way upon our souls and yield your selves to God joyn in and comply with the motions of the Spirit all the workings of Gods Spirit upon our hearts are in order to the bringing of us to repentance that he may prevent our eternal misery Job 33.16,17 He openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction that he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man See also ver 29 30. Lo all these things worketh God often times with man to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightned with the light of the living We had need attend to the workings of the Spirit because there is no mortifying of any one sin but by the help of the Spirit Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live And though we can overcome no sin but by the help of the Spirit yet with the Spirits help we may overcome any sin whatever Gal. 5.16 This I say then walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh What would God have done for Israel if they had hearkned to him Psal 81.13,14,15 O that my people had hearkened unto me I should soon have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him The same will the Spirit of God do for those that yield up themselves to be led and guided by him he will soon subdue their sins and turn his hand against their iniquities and make all their spiritual enemies become subject unto them 5. Look unto Jesus Christ to give you repentance and to turn you from your iniquities God hath exalted Christ to give us repentance Acts. 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins Because we cannot of our selves turn from sin God sent his Son to turn us from our iniquities Acts 3.26 Unto you first God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities If after you have applyed your selves to Christ in order to his turning of you from your iniquities your sins should still prevail over you yet be not discouraged but hope in Christ that in his own good time he will redeem you from all your iniquities and you shall finde that he will not fail your expectation Psalm 130.7,8 Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Psal 65.3 Iniquities prevail against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away 6. Rest upon God by virtue of his promises to sanctifie your afflictions for the purging out of your sins and leading of you to repentance The Lord hath made many gracious promises of sanctifying those afflictions which he layes upon his people and causing of them to purge and refine their souls I will mention two or three Isa 27.9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin Here are two things remarkable in this Scripture 1. The end and design of God in afflicting his people which is that he may take away his sins This is all the fruit to take away his sin 2. A promise that the affliction which God sends upon his people shall have this effect upon their souls to purge out their sins By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged Jer. 24 7. I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return unto me with their whole heart This promise relates to a time of affliction when the Jews were carried captives into the Land of the Caldeans ver 5. and herein the Lord promiseth among other blessings that this captivity should produce in them an unfeigned repentance They shall return unto me with their whole heart Another promise to this effect we have Zach. 13.9 I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tryed they shall call on my Name and I will hear them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God In the former verse the Prophet speaks of a time of great mortality Two parts therein shall be cut off and die but the third part shall be left therein and then he foretels
have any man to say God hath cast me off and utterly separated me from his people Isa 56.3 Let not the son of the stranger that hath joyned himself unto the Lord speak saying The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people We are very subject to mistakes and to think that God hath cast us off when as we have found grace in his sight Psal 31.22 I said in my haste I am cut off before thine eyes nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee Zion thought and said God had forgotten and forsaken her when as she lay near Gods heart and was in his thoughts night and day Isa 49.14,15,16 2. Suppose God did cast you off yet you must not cast him off but acknowledge before God that it is just with God to leave you and cry to him and follow hard after him and hang upon him and hope in his word even at such a time as he casteth off your souls When Heman complained Psal 88.14 Lord why castest thou off my soul He did not cease calling upon God Ver. 9. I have called daily upon thee I have stretched out my hands unto thee Jonah when he thought God had cast him off yet resolves still to wait upon him Jonah 2.4 I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again towards thy Temple When David thought himself cast off by God he encourageth his soul to hope in the Lord Psal 43.2,5 Why dost thou cast me off why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope in God 3. Say not I am sure to go to Hell when I dye for it is yet a day of salvation and the door of hope stands open there is yet time and place for repentance 2 Cor. 6.2 Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation Though a man be a perfect slave to sin and Satan yet there is a possibility that he may be brought to repentance 2 Tim. 2.25,26 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil who are taken captive by him at his will and if God give thee repentance though thou hast been as wicked a man as lives upon the face of the earth yet thou shalt surely be saved Ezek. 33.15,16 Prov. 28.13 Isa 55.7 4. Suppose thou apprehendest thy self to have as it were the beginnings of Hell in thy soul yet thy case is not desperate Others that have had pains and horrors in their souls like the pains of Hell have found relief from God Jonah after he had fled from the presence of the Lord and was cast into the Sea and swallowed up by a Fish felt himself in such a distressed condition that he compares his condition to the belly of hell yet he crying to God in this condition was delivered out of it Jonah 2.2 I cryed by reason of mine affliction to the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardest my voice When David was in such a state that he compares his pains to the pains of Hell by crying to the Lord he was delivered Psal 116.3,4,6 The sorrows of death compassed me and the pains of hell got hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow then called I upon the Name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul I was brought low and he helped me 5. It is true that all the while a man liveth in an impenitent condition he treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath and as he encreaseth his sins so also he encreaseth his torments Rom. 2.5 Thou after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath Yet this should not cause any man to destroy himself it should only make a man more earnest in seeking unto God to give him repentance As long as there is life there is hope God may give a man repentance God gave one of the thieves that was crucified with Christ repentance but a few hours before he dyed He calls some into his vineyard at the last hour of the day But after death there is no place for repentance Eccles 9.10 Plea 8. I will repent of my sins and confess them to God and pray God to pardon them before I make away my self and if I do so I hope God will pardon my sins and receive my soul into his heavenly Kingdom as soon as I am dead Answ As long as you have any bloody designs and purposes in your hearts your prayers will avail nothing with God Isa 1.15 When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of Blood Lo here though you make many prayers as long as you have any bloody projects either against your selves or others God will hear none of them Psal 66.18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me Now so long as you harbour a purpose and resolution to make away your selves you do regard iniquity in your hearts It is said Prov. 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall finde mercy You mistake the meaning of the Promise if you think that you shall finde mercy upon your confessing of this sin when as you still retain a purpose to commit it I might mention other pleas but I should then enlarge too far upon this head I shall therefore only adde a few propositions concerning this temptation of self-murther that may be useful to those that are exercised with it and so dismiss this point 1. Whensoever any man hath any suggestions or motions put in his minde to murther himself it is not God but Satan puts those motions into his minde how specious pretences soever do attend those motions What is said of the motion that was in the heart of Judas to betray Christ John 13.2 The Devil put into the heart of Judas to betray him the same may be said of the motions that come into our hearts to destroy our selves it is the Devil puts them into us If a man be perswaded to make away himself I may say here as the Apostle in another case Gal. 5.8 This perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you That it is not God by his Spirit but Satan puts these motions into your hearts is evident for 1. God tempts no man to any sin James 13. Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man 2. The Spirit of God moveth no man to do any thing contrary to the word Now the word saith expresly Thou shalt not kill The word forbids us doing our selves any harm as well as doing harm unto others Acts 16.27,28 The keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep and seeing
me in the day of his fierce anger Dan. 9.12 Under the whole Heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem yet Ezra confesseth that all that they had suffered was far less than they deserved Ezra 9.13 After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great trespass seeing that thou our God hast panished us less than our iniquities deserve Our sins deserve eternal damnation Ezek. 18.4 The soul that sinneth shall die They deserve to be punished with the loss of God and the loss of the Kingdom of Heaven to all eternity 1 Thess 1.9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord Matth. 7.23 Depart from me ye that work iniquity Now what are the losses and crosses that we meet with in this world compared with the eternal loss of God and the Kingdom of Heaven and with the torments of Hell that must be endured to all eternity 2. What ever we suffer for our sins we our selves are the causes of those sufferings and therefore have no reason to blame the Lord but our selves for provoking the Lord to lay such afflictions upon us Jer. 2.17 Hast thou not procured this unto thy self in that thou hast forsaken the Lord that led thee by the way Hos 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Jer. 30.15 Why cryest thou for thine affliction because thy sins were encreased have I done these things unto thee SECT 6. 6. Consider what abundance of mercy you have enjoyed in former times as well as what afflictions you under go at present this was one argument wherewith Job quieted himself and wherewith he laboured to quiet his wife when she advised him to curse God and die Job 2.10 What shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evil As God in the way of his Providence intermingleth prosperity with our adversity and sets the one against the other that no man may find out any cause of complaining against the Lord Eccles 7.14 In the day of prosperity be joyful but in the day of adversity consider God also hath set the one against the other to the end that man should find nothing after him So should we for the taking away of all occasions of murmuring under our afflictions set our mercies against our crosses our former and present mercies against our present afflictions and that will convince us that we have much cause of thankfulness but no cause to murmur under our greatest afflictions For 1. We may wonder more that God bestoweth one mercy upon us than at his sending of a thousand afflictions for we are altogether unworthy of the least of all Gods mercies Gen. 32.10 and have deserved all sorts of judgments Dan. 9.7 To us belongeth confusion of faces 2. Though we deserve all kinds of misery and no mercy yet they that have met with most and greatest afflictions if they take a view of Gods dealings with them from the day that they were born to this present time shall find that their mercies have been far more and greater than their afflictions Do we meet with some cross or other every day if we do yet the mercies of the day are greater than the crosses for God sends new mercies every day Lam. 3.23 They are new every morning We enjoy so many mercies every day that we are said to be loaded with them Psal 68.19 Blessed be the Lord who dayly loadeth us with his benefits Have our afflictions lyen long upon us Gods mercies have been of a longer date than our afflictions Psal 103.17 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him There are intermissions in our afflictions He doth not alwayes chide Psal 103.9 but there is no intermission in Gods mercies there is not one moment all our life long but he is conveying some good things to us Isa 27.3 I will water it every moment Lam. 3.22 His compassions fail not 3. Every affliction that we meet with in this life is allayed and tempered with mercy yea the bitterest cup that ever Gods people drink of hath more of mercy than it hath of judgment Psal 145.9 His tender mercies are over all his works Psal 25.10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Covenant and his Testimonies If we consider the sharpest affliction that God lays upon his servants in their procuring cause which is sin if with the good intended by them if in the principle from which they flow which is Gods love to their souls we shall be easily convinced that there is more of mery than severity in them and so consequently that we have much cause in every thing even in every affliction to give thanks but no cause at all to murmur at the hand of the Lord. SECT 7. 7. Consider that it is the will and command of God that we should be content with such things as we have Heb. 13.5 Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee It was but little which those persons possessed to whom the Apostle wrote this Epistle for they had suffered much for Christ their goods were spoiled and taken from them as we may see Heb. 10.34 yet he telleth them it was the will of God that they should be content with such things as they had If we have nothing more than food and rayment we ought to be content 1 Tim. 6.8 Having food and rayment let us be therewith content It is not said having dainty meat and rich attire let us be therewith content but having food and rayment though never so plain and mean we ought to be therewith content Though you have lost much and have very little left yet there are weighty reasons that may perswade you to be content with such things as you have As 1. Though you have very little left you have more left than you brought with you into the world and more than you can carry with you out of the world 1 Tim. 6.7 For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out Job 1.21 Naked came I out of my mothers womb and naked shall I return thither 2. Though you have very little you have as much it may be more than Christ or the Apostles of Christ had when they were in the world Our Lord Jesus Christ lived in a very poor condition when he was in the world 2 Cor. 8.9 Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might become rich He was so poor that he had not an house to dwell in Mat. 8.20 The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head His diet was mean when he had nothing but barly bread and two small
Sam. 15.26 If he thus say I have no delight in thee Behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him It was a sad message which God sent to Eli by Samuel it is ushered in with this Preface 1 Sam. 3.11 Behold I do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle yet Eli upon the hearing of the whole message lyeth down at Gods foot and speaketh not one repining word against the Lord Vers 18. Samuel told him every whit and hid nothing from him And he said it is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good The sufferings of Jesus Christ were exceeding great yet how patiently did he bear them Isa 53.7 He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he openeth not his mouth We are exhorted to take notice of the patience of Gods servants in their afflictions in order to the helping us to bear our afflictions with patience Jam. 5.8,10,11 Be ye also patient Take my Brethren the Prophets who have spoken in the Name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience Behold we count them happy that endure ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy Thus much may suffice by way of consideration I shall now advise you some things by way of practice for the obtaining and promoting a quiet cheerful contented frame of spirit under this affliction of the loss of your Estates which may be useful under other afflictions which the Lord doth at present or may hereafter trie you withal SECT 1. 1. Lay hold on Gods Covenant wherein he hath promised to give his people contented and satisfied minds under all his dealings with them even when he afflicts them most sorely and taketh away their most endeared comforts and enjoyments from them I will mention some promises to this purpose Psal 37.19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time and in the dayes of famine they shall be satisfied Famine is one of the sorest of Gods Judgements it is worse than War which is also a very heavy judgment David chose the Pestilence rather than War as being the lesser evil but famine is worse than War Lam. 4.9 They that be slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger Yet in the evil time in Famine though the Famine last many dayes God promiseth that his righteous servants shall be satisfied Isa 58.11 The Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfie thy soul in drought or as 't is in the Margin in droughts The Prophet useth the plural number to signifie that God will satisfie his peoples souls in all droughts or in the greatest drought that ever did or ever shall come upon any place When God promiseth to satisfie our souls in drought it implies 1. That he will give us satisfied mindes under the penury and want of all outward comforts for drought brings a consumption upon all earthly enjoyments Hag. 1.10,11 2. That he will stay and support and satisfie our mindes under our greatest sorrows No afflictions bring greater sorrows than Famine which is the companion of drought Jer. 14.2,3,4,17,18 Lam. 2.11,12,18,19 3. It implieth that God will give us satisfied mindes when we walk in the view of death when we see our children and relations dying and our selves are ready every hour to faint and give up the Ghost for want of bread The Prophet describing the Famine that was in Jerusalem saith Lam. 2.11,12 The children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the City they say to their Mothers where is corn and wine when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the City when their soul was poured out into their Mothers bosom The wilderness which was a land of drought is called a land of the shadow of death Jer. 2.6 In times of drought God takes away that which is the stay and staff of a mans life Isa 3.1 The Lord doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water Drought consumes our corn and wine and oyl as was hinted before from Hag. 1.11 And of these the Psalmist saith Psal 104.15 Wine maketh glad the heart of man and oyl makes his face to shine and bread strengtheneth mans heart So that when the Lord promiseth to satisfie our souls in drought there is implyed in this promise that when the joy of our hearts when our glory and strength is taken away when all means of supporting life fail when we are in the most desolate places or desolate conditions imaginable he will under all our troubles give us satisfied mindes The Lord hath not only promised to give us contented satisfied mindes under all our troubles but he hath promised to continue us under a contented frame of spirit that whatever changes or alterations we pass through we shall abide satisfied and contented in all estates and conditions Prov. 19.23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life and he that hath it shall abide satisfied he shall not be visited with evil The latter clause of this promise is not to be understood as though they that fear God should not meet with any afflictions but when God doth visit them with afflictions they shall have such abundant satisfaction in God and from God that they shall not feel any evil in their afflictions Another promise of the like nature made to such as fear God we have Psal 25.13 His soul shall dwell at ease dwelling implyeth the continuance of the ease and quiet that their souls shall enjoy that fear the Lord though their outward condition may be full of trouble yet their souls shall dwell at ease Psal 119.165 Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them Which promise Junius interprets to this effect They that love the Law of God shall enjoy such great peace and tranquility of minde that nothing that doth befal them shall take away their peace They may and do fall into troubles and afflictions as well as other men but their troubles shall not take away their peace from them To be content in all estates and conditions is one way whereby we partake of the divine nature and do resemble God now it is by and through the promises that we become partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature wherefore in order to the obtaining of a contented spirit under this and all other afflictions be much in meditation upon the promises of God and apply them to your own souls and plead them daily with God until you have obtained all that fulness of grace and peace which
are not greater than our Father Jacob yet he saith of himself Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth that thou hast shewed unto thy servant We are not better than those Jews that were captives in Babylon for there were many of Gods precious Servants as Ezekiel Daniel Hanniah Mishael and Azariah who chose rather to be cast into a fiery Furnace than to fall down before an Image Nehemiah Ezra c. yet they acknowledged that they had deserved all the evils that they suffered and a great deal more and that it was meerly from the mercy of God that they were not consumed Daniel acknowledged the sufferings they met with to be so great as that they could not be parallel'd Dan. 9.12 yet he saith ver 14. The Lord our God is righteous in all his works The Prophet Jeremiah lamenting the great evils that were come upon the Jews acknowledgeth that though their sorrows were such as scarce any met with the like Lam. 1.12 Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow Yet he saith Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed If we were fully convinced that we are less than the least of all Gods Mercies we should not repine when God taketh away our Estates our Health our Friends or any other mercies from us And if we were fully convinced that we have deserved to be destroyed and cast into everlasting burnings we should not repine when God sends poverty sickness or any other evils upon us 2. Mis-judging of the nature and quality of Gods Providences and of the ends and designs of God in afflicting causeth some to murmur and rep ne at those Providences for which if they understood them aright they would bless and praise God Gods bringing Israel out of Egypt by the hand of Moses was a great mercy his leading them through the Wilderness was to bring them into the Land of Canaan and the straits they met with in the Wilderness were to humble them and prove them and do them good in their latter end Deut. 8.15,16 Yet because they judged amiss of this Providence of God and thought they were brought into the Wilderness to be slain when they were in straits they murmured against the Lord Numb 14.2,3 Exod. 16.2,3 If our discontent spring from this root the way to remove it is 1. To judge nothing before the time but to wait with patience till we have seen the end as well as the beginning of our afflictions Gods dispensations towards Job were very terrible at the first coming of his troubles but the end of them was very comfortable and full of mercy Jam. 5.11 Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pittiful and of tender mercy 2. We must judge of our afflictions by Faith and not by sense we must judge of them according to that sentence which is given of them in the Word of God and not according to the opinion of the world or of our own corrupt mindes Sense saith it is a miserable thing to be in affliction but the word saith Job 5,17 Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth James 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him Sense looketh upon afflictions as hurtful things but faith judging according to the word saith Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy Statutes 3. We must look at the wholesome fruit of afflictions as well as their present smart Heb. 12.11 No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby As the cloud that parted the Israelites from the Egyptians had a dark side and a bright side Exod. 14.20 so have our afflictions now if we would not sink under our tryals we must look at the bright side as well as the dark side of them at the spiritual and eternal advantages that we reap by our troubles as well as the smart and inconveniences that our outward man sustaineth by them 3. Unbelief and distrust of God is another cause of murmuring when we are brought into straits Ps 106.24,25 They believed not his word but murmured in their tents If our discontent arise from unbelief the way to remove it is to do what we can to strengthen our Faith in the Attributes Providence and Promises of God for if we can but stay our mindes and rest our souls upon God he will keep them in perfect peace Isa 26.3 I might instance in other grounds and causes of discontent but because they will fall more properly under the next head I shall now proceed to the third and last branch of my answer to this question which is The answering of those Reasonings and Objections that arise in the mindes of those that have suffered loss in their Estates by the late Fire which hinder them from sitting down contented under this hand of God Objections that hinder the contentment of those that have suffered loss in their Estates removed SECT 1. Object 1. My loss is exceeding great I have lost thousands of pounds if I had lost but a small matter I could have born it but in regard my loss is so great it troubleth my minde exceedingly and I know not how to bear it with patience Answ 1. Your loss is not greater than Jobs who was the richest man in the Eastern part of the world and lost all his Substance and his Children too in one day yet he did not repine at the greatness of his loss but quietly submitteth himself to God Job 1.21 The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. 2. How much soever it be that you have lost God is able to give it you again and much more also 2 Chron. 25.9 But what shall we do for the hundred talents God is able to give thee much more than this Though God took a great Estate from Job yet it is said Job 42.10,12 The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning Though you should be brought to poverty yet God oft-times raiseth poor men to such an high degree that he maketh them equal to Princes Psal 113.7,8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghil that he may set them with Princes even with the Princes of his people 3. It may be God saw that you had too much and therefore out of his infinite Wisdom and Love he hath brought you low There is danger in having too much as well as too little Agur prayeth against too great riches as well as against poverty Prov. 30.7,8 Give me not riches lest I
my self of much unrighteousness in the getting of my Estate and now my Estate that I get unrighteously is gone my guilt remains and I am full of horror in my conscience because of my sins and especially for this sin of unrighteousness Answ 1. Such as have been guilty of unrighteousness in their dealings have great cause of being troubled for they have committed an hainous fin which without repentance will most certainly shut them out of the Kingdom of Heaven 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God It is a sin which brings down great wrath from God 1 Thess 4.6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter because the Lord is the avenger of all such as we also have forewarned you and testified It makes a man an abomination to God Deut. 25.16 All that do unrighteously are an abomination to the Lord thy God 2. If you be troubled in conscience for your unrighteousness in your dealings with any man your way to get the trouble of your Conscience removed and to get true and solid peace is to do these things 1. Confess your sin to God You have wronged God as well as your neighbour by your unrighteousness in your dealings and therefore 't is meet that you should confess your sin to God and humble your souls in his sight and if you do confess your sin to God he will pardon this sin of unrighteousness as well as other sins 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1. Leave off and cease from all unrighteous courses for the time to come and then the Lord will pardon all your former unrighteousness although your sin in that kinde hath been exceeding great Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Isa 1.16,18 Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool 3. Flee to the Lord Jesus Christ and lay hold on him by a true and lively Faith Jesus Christ hath satisfied his Father for all our unjust dealings and all our other sins 1 Pet. 3.18 Christ hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God And such is the efficacy of his death and sufferings that whatever guilt troubleth the Conscience the Blood of Christ is able to remove it 1 John 1.7 The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin And every one that believeth in Christ shall partake of the vertue and efficacy of his Blood for they shall be justified from all things whatsoever they have done either against God or men Acts 13.39 By him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses The Corinthians were guilty of unrighteousness in their dealings 1 Cor. 6.8 You do wrong and defraud and that your brethren And ver 11. Such were some of you that is unrighteous thieves covetous extortioners c. as is expressed ver 9 10 Yet he adds ver 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Whence you may see that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all kindes of unrighteousness as fraud theft extortion c. 4. Labour to get into Covenant with God It is one branch of Gods Covenant to pardon his peoples unrighteousness Heb. 8.10,12 This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more 5. Make restitution to those whom you have wronged whatever you have taken from any man by fraud or extortion or any other unjust way restore it to him again Ezek. 33.15,16 If the wicked restore the pledge give again that he had robbed walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity he shall surely live he shall not dye none of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him he hath done that which is lawful and right he shall live thereby Without restitution where God gives ability and opportunity there can be no true peace of Conscience Job 20.18,19,20 According to his substance shall the restitution be and he shall not rejoyce therein because he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly he shall not save of that which he desired Other Scriptures concerning restitution you may see in Levit. 6.2,3,4,5,6,7 Luke 19.8 If any say we are not able to make restitution the wrongs we have done are so great and we have so little left us by the Fire I answer 1. The Scripture even now mentioned may give some direction in this case According to his substance shall the restitution be If you are not able to restore the whole restore as far as you are able 2. If you be not able for the present resolve as soon as God makes you able that you will restore whatever you have gotten unjustly and perform your resolution and God will accept of your willing minde although you want ability to perform what your minde stands to 2 Cor. 8.12 SECT 16. Obj. 16. I am one that serve God and make conscience of keeping his Commandments and both I my self and many others that walk close with God have lost all our Estates and are undone by this Fire when as many that have no fear of God before their eyes but live prophane and dissolute lives have suffered nothing at all by this Fire and this troubleth me very much when I consider how God hath dealt with many of his servants and let others that serve him not go free I am ready to fret at the prosperity of the wicked and to repine at my own afflictions Answ 1. Such a temptation as this did sorely assault David when he looked upon his own afflictions how he was plagued all the day long and chastened every morning and looked also upon the prosperity of the wicked and saw that they were not in trouble or plagued like other men he was envious at the foolish and ready to stumble at this providence and was almost brought to say that all the pains he had taken in Religion was to no purpose Psal 73.2,3,4,5,12,13,14 And if such an eminent servant of God as David was assaulted with this temptation we need not wonder if some of Gods servants in these dayes meet with the like 2. When we
of any way how I should do to live answered six wayes 176 to 179 Oject 2. I am shiftless and friendless and therefore I shall not be able to live now my Estate is gone and my Calling faileth answered 179 to 181. Object 3. I cannot work therefore I am afraid I shall perish by want answered 181 182 Object 4. I begin to be in want already I and my family are pinched with hunger and I am afraid we shall be starved answered 183 to 186 How such as are in danger or under fear of being starved to death may be encouraged to trust in God to relieve them answered 186. to 192 Object I am afraid my unbelief will hinder God from taking care of me answered 192 193 Sect. 11. Be not dismayed if God bring you into great straits 193 194 How they that are in such great straits that they know not what to do may be encouraged to trust in God answered 194 to 198 Though we are brought into our straits by our sins this should not hinder us from trusting in God 198 199 Sect. 13. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation where several temptations are instanced in that persons under great afflictions had need to watch against 200 to 251 1. Tempt Satan is wont to tempt such as are under great afflictions to have hard thoughts of God and of his wayes 200 201 How to keep up good thoughts of God in our greatest afflictions answered in 6 particulars 201 to 205 How to keep up good thoughts of the wayes of God in our greatest afflictions answered 206 207 2. Tempt Satan is wont to tempt such as are in great afflictions to forsake God 207 How a man may be kept from forsaking God when he is under affliction answered 207 to 213 3. Tempt Satan often tempts such as are in affliction to change their Religion 213 214 Eight Arguments to perswade us not to forsake the Protestant Religion because of Afflictions that we may meet with for adhering to it 214 215. 4. Tempt Satan is wont to tempt persons under great afflictions to self-murther 219 220 How such as are tempted to self-murther upon the account of their sins or their afflictions may overcome this temptation 220 to 227 Five Arguments to prove that self-murther is a damnable sin 220 221 Three wayes of resisting Satan 222 223 Three encouragements for tempted Souls to flee to Christ 223 224 Pleas for self-murther answered 1. Plea My troubles are so great that I am not able to bear them answered 3 wayes 227 228 2. Plea I have lost or at least I am likely to lose my reputation and I had better dye than be slighted and fall under disgrace 229 230 3. Plea I shall come to want or be driven to beg or live upon and be a burden to others answered 230 to 233 Considerations to perswade such as are brought from an high condition to live upon Alms and beg their bread to comply with this condition 231 232 4. Plea My sins are greater then can be forgiven and are such an heavy burden that I cannot bear them answered 233 234 The case of such as are ready to despair of the pardon of their sins because they cannot repent consisidered 235 236 5. Plea I have committed a shameful sin which if it come to lighe I shall be weary of my life 236 237 6. Plea I am tempted to steal to kill my Children and to commit other foul sins and I had better make away my self then fall into any scandalous sin answered 237 238 7. Plea God hath cast me off and I am sure to go to Hell when I dye yea I feel the beginnings of Hell already and the longer I live here the more I shall encrease my torments in the other world answered 5 wayes 239 240 241. 8. Plea I will confess my sins and repent before I murther my self and if I do so I hope I may go to heaven when I dye answered 241 Four propositions concerning self-murther which conduce much to the helping of the tempted to withstand this temptation 242 to 248 Five Arguments to prove there is hope of salvation for a man as long as he liveth though his case seem very desperate 244 to 247 5. Tempt In time of distress Satan is wont to tempt us to use sinful and indirect means to help our selves 248 249 Three Argument to disswade such as have lost their Estates from using unrighteous caurses to help themselves 249 250 Sect. 13. Temporal losses should put us upon making sure of spiritual and eternal blessings 251 252 Sect. 14. God is to be sought unto to make up our losses 252 Four motives to such as have lost their Estates to seek them of God 253 254 What is the best and surest way to get riches answered in 10 particulars 254 255 256 Sect. 15. We should get our losses made up in better blessings 256 How to get our losses made up in better blessings 257 258 Sect. 16. They that have lost their Houses and Estates should make sure of a better house and better substance in heaven 259 How to make sure of an house in heaven 260 261 262 Sect. 17. This affliction should be a warning to prepare for other afflictions 262 263 Sect. 18. They that have been sufferers by this Fire should comfort and encourage themselves in God 264 Five grounds of comfort and encouragement to the servants of God that have suffered great losses by the late Fire 265 to 370 Great calamities are often followed with great mercies 270 to 274 Sect. 19. Such as purpose to build should so carry on the work of building as to prosper in it 274 How to prosper in Building answered 274 to 292 Four reasons why such as set upon building should give themselves unto prayer 275 276 Three encouragements to set upon the work of Building in Faith 277 to 282 Building of desolate Cities is a good work proved by several arguments 277 278 Several promises to encourage Building 280 281 How we may be built up a spiritual house unto the Lord answered in 6 particulars 288 to 291 Quest 3. What shall they render unto the Lord for his mercy whose Houses and Goods were preserved from being consumed by the late dreadful Fire page 293 Several propositions premised in order to the answering of this question 293 to 296 Sect. 1. They must render to God their love 297 How to express our love to God answered three wayes 298 Sect. 2. They must render praise to God 299 300 Two motives to praise God for sparing us from this Fire 301 302 Sect. 3. Gods mercies should lead us to repentance 302 303 Three reasons why Gods mercies should lead us to repentance 304 305 Sect. 4. We must not judge them to be the greatest sinners that are the greatest sufferers 305 Four reasons against judging of mens sins by their sufferings 306 Sect. 5. They that have escaped this Fire should put on bowels of Compassion towards
why hast thou made me thus 2. It is for our good to pass through variety of conditions for thereby God awakens the fear of his Name in our hearts and shakes off our security and promoteth the holiness of our hearts and lives A continued course of prosperity without some changes oft-times breeds a great deal of security and forgetfulness of God Psal 55.19 Because they have no changes therefore they fear not God Jer. 48.11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth and he hath settled on his lees and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel neither hath he gone into captivity therefore his taste remained in him and his scent is not changed If God by this change beger or promote the fear of his Name in your souls that will be better treasure than any that you lost by the late Fire Isa 33.6 The fear of the Lord is his treasure 3. The Lord would have us be so far from being dejected at our crosses that he would have us esteem them a ground of joy Jam. 1.2 My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations He would have men of high degree rejoyce when they are brought low as well as men of low degree to rejoyce when they are exalted James 1.9,10 Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted but the rich in that he is made low 3. Remember how contentedly our Lord Jesus Christ bore his state of humiliation Though he was Lord of all things yet for our sakes he became poor and took upon himself the form of a Servant and made himself of no reputation to bring us unto eternal glory 2 Cor. 8.9 Ye know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be rich Phil. 2.5,6,7 Let this minde be in you which was in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant Yet there never came one discontented word out of Christs month neither did there arise one repining thought in his minde throughout all the dayes of his humiliation Observe also how contentedly the servants of God have born their changes when God hath brought them from an high to a low condition When David was driven from his Kingdom and necessitated to flee to save his life he quietly submits himself to God 2 Sam. 15.26 When he that was honoured by all the Princes and Elders of Israel had a man of Belial came and cursed him to his face David puts up all his railing language with a meek and quiet spirit 2 Sam. 16.5,6,7,8,9,10,11 5. Though you be brought very low and those that were your friends in the day of your prosperity should now slight and dis-regard you yet if you continue to serve the Lord he will respect and regard you as much as ever he did Psal 136.26 Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever Psal 106.43,44,45 They provoked him with their counsel and were brought low for their iniquity nevertheless he regarded their efftiction when he heard their cry and he remembred for them his Covenant and repented according to the multitude of his mercies If your hearts be lowly as well as your conditions low the most high God will respect you more than all the great men upon the face of the earth that are of a proud spirit Psal 138.6 Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect unto the lowly but the proud he knoweth afar off Whatever account men may have of the Servants of God the Lord esteemeth very highly of them He counts them his Jewels Mal. 3.17 It is said of them Isa 62.3 Thou shalt be a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal Diadem in the hand of thy God This high esteem that God hath of you may abundantly satisfie you under all the slights and dis-respect that you meet with from men 6. If you be brought to fare hard and meanly by this providence whereas before you had a very plentiful table this should not trouble you for 1. God can make a course and mean diet conduce as much to your health and nourishment as the richest fare in the world Daniel and his three companions who eat nothing but pulse and drank water were of a fairer countenance and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the Kings meat Dan. 1.12,13,14,15 2. Though you should be brought to fare very hard yet as good and better men than you are have fared harder than you and yet did not murmur against God We read of an hundred men that were the Lords Prophets that lived in a cave with bread and water 1 Kings 18.13 John the Baptist was a great person Our Saviour telleth us that among them that were born of women there was not a greater than John the Baptist Matth. 11.11 Yet both his habit and diet were very mean John had his raiment of Camels hair and a leathern girdle about his loins and his meat was locusts and wilde honey Mat. 3.4 and he drank neither wine nor strong drink Luke 1.15 Our Saviour himself eat very course diet and yet was thankful for it When many of his friends were about him that came to hear his word he had nothing better to refresh himself after his labours and to give to his Disciples and those that followed him but Barley Bread and Fish and they had no seats to sit upon at their meat but the grass yet Jesus Christ lift up his eyes and gave thanks John 6.9,10,11 Another time being weary and thirsty he had nothing better than water to quench his thirst and he could not with once asking obtain a draught of water to quench his thirst John 4.6,7,9 Jesus being wearied with his journey sate on the well There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water Jesus saith unto her give me to drink then saith the woman How is it that thou being a Jew askest drink of me which am a woman of Samaria 3. The meaner your diet is the less will be your temptation to excess Such as fare deliciously every day are under a great temptation to make their belly their God which is a fin that will bring unavoidable destruction Phil. 3.19 whose end is destruction whose belly is their God 4. God hath given such of you as are his servants his Son who is the bread of life the bread that came down from heaven John 6.48,51 and the water of life John 4.10 and why should you be discontented because your dyet is mean who have meat to eat that the world knows not of hidden Manna yea who have the bread of life and the water of life SECT 9. Obj. 9. I had a very sweet and commodious dwelling where I lived very comfortably and now I am greatly unsettled I
their sin more than the loss of their dignity They do not say wo unto us the Crown is fallen but wo unto us that we have sinned Jer. 3.21 A voice was heard upon the high places weeping and supplications of the Children of Israel for they have perverted their way and forgotten the Lord their God Their Cities were burnt as we may see Chap. 2.15 Yet they bewail the perverting of their way more than the burning of their houses 4. So lay to heart this affliction as to be restless until you have gotten the sins pardoned that brought down this Judgment upon you Psal 25.18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins Psal 79.7,8,9 They have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling-place O remember not against us former iniquities let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low help us O God of our salvation for the glory of thy Name and deliver us and purge away our sins for thy Names sake When they were brought low and their dwellings were laid waste they beg twice with great earnestness for the pardon of their sins O remember not against us former iniquities purge away our sins for thy Names sake 5. Lay to heart this affliction till you finde your hearts willing and resolved by Gods Grace to part with all your sins This is Gods end and design in all afflictions to purge out our sins Isa 27.9 By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin And this is our duty when we are corrected by God to abandon and forsake all our sins Job 34.31,32 Surely it is meet to be said unto God I have born chastizement I will not offend any more that which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more 6. So lay to heart this affliction as to give glory to God Mal. 2.2 If ye will not hear and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my Name But of this more afterward SECT 3. 3. Minde the teachings of God under your present afflictions consider and see what it is which God would have you to learn from this dreadful Fire which hath consumed so much of your and other mens Estates As God instructed the Jews out of the midst of the Fire Deut. 4.12 The Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the Fire So if your ears were open you might hear God speaking to your souls and instructing you by this Fire God is wont to teach his people something or other by every affliction if so be they listen diligently to the voice of his rod Psal 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law It is true that some persons learn nothing by their afflictions but the reason is not because God communicates no instruction to them but because they either regard not or do not understand the voice of God Job 33.14 God speaketh once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not Prov. 1.24 I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded We wrong our own souls when we slight the instruction of the Lord whether he instruct us by his word or his rod Prov. 15.32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul and do provoke God to depart from us Jer. 6.8 Be thou instructed O Jerusalem lest my soul depart from thee lest I make thee desolate If any say what is it that God would have us learn by our great losses that we have sustained in the late Fire I answer The way to understand the voice of the rod is to make use of the word by searching into the word we may come to know the meaning of the rod and to understand what it is which God would have us to learn by our afflictions as may be gathered from Psal 94.12 I shall hint a few things to you from the word that God would teach you by this sore affliction 1. God would have you learn that it is an evil and a bitter thing to sin against the Lord Jer. 2.15,19 His Cities are burnt without inhabitants Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my fear is not in thee saith the Lord God of Hosts 2. God would have you learn to fear and stand in awe of his great and glorious Majesty and to be afraid of thinking speaking or doing any thing that may displease him Zeph. 3.6,7 Their towers are desolate I made their streets waste that none passeth by their Cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is none inhabitant I said surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction 3. God would have you learn righteousness by this judgment Isa 26.9 When thy judgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness 4. God would have you learn obedience by what you have suffered It is said of Christ Heb. 5.8 Though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered This was the lesson that God learn't David by his afflictions Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Wherefore endeavour to obey God more readily and cheerfully more exactly and more sincerely than you have done heretofore 5. God would have you learn contentation in every condition both how to want as well as how to abound Phil. 4.11.12 I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need When the Apostle wrote this Epistle he was in bonds Phil. 1.13 and had suffered the loss of all things chap. 3.8 and under his sufferings God taught him this excellent lesson of being content in every state 6. God would teach you by this affliction to pray ofther and to pray better to pray more spiritually more fervently more humbly and more believingly James 5.13 Is any among you afflicted let him pray When Gods judgments are abroad God stirs up his people to pray early in the morning and late at night and to pour out their souls and spirits in prayer Isa 26.8,9 Yea in the way of thy judgments O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee with my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early for when thy judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness Our Lord Jesus alwayes prayed fervently as we may see Heb. 5.7 Who in the dayes of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to
a man to kill himself for our time of life and death is only at Gods disposal Psal 31.15 My times are in thine hand Deut 32.39 I kill and I make alive Now as 't is unlawful for us to avenge our selves because it belongs to God to take vengeance Rom. 12.19 Dearly Beloved avenge not your selves for it is written Vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord So because our times are in Gods hands and it is his Prerogative to kill and to make alive it is utterly unlawful for us to kill our selves 4. We are not our own 1 Cor. 6.19,20 Ye are not your own for you are bought with a price and therefore we must not take upon us to dispose of our selves as we see good but our lives and all that we have are to be at Gods disposal The Lord Jesus died for this end that he might be Lord of our lives and persons and therefore he that takes upon him to live as he list or to die how and when he thinketh good himself sinneth greatly against Jesus Christ for he goeth about to make void the death of Christ Rom. 14.7,8,9 None of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself for whether we live we live unto Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords for to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living 5. He that kills himself breaths out his soul in the very act of sin and that not of a small but of a crying hainous sin Now we look upon their case to be very sad who die when they are drunk or who are cut off in the act of Adultery or who die cursing and blaspheming God and so it is But is not their case as sad who die in the act of murther 6. He that kills himself tramples under foot one of the choicest of Gods mercies for what mercy is of greater value I mean what outward mercy than life Life is beyond riches or honour c. and therefore it must needs be a great sin to cast away life 2. When Satan presseth upon you with this temptation to make away your selves resist him and thereby you will overcome him Jam. 4.7 Resist the Devil and he will flee from you if you yield he will trample upon you but if you resist him he will flee from you If you say How should we resist the Devil when he tempts us to destroy our selves I answer 1. Resist him by Prayer pray to God to take this temptation from you or to give you grace to overcome it and though the temptation continue after you have prayed to have it removed be not discouraged but pray still The Apostle directing us how to deal with Satan after he hath set down several pieces of the spiritual armour that are useful in our combat with this Adversary exhorts us to pray alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and to watch thereunto with all perseverance Ephes 6.18 If we continne to pray against the temptations of Satan either God will remove them or give us sufficient grace to hold out in the conflict 2 Cor. 12.7,8,9 There was given to me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me and he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee 2. Resist the Devil with the Word When he tempted Christ to cast himself down from a Pinacle which was in effect to destroy himself Christ resisted this and all his other temptations with the written Word Matth. 4.4,7,10 Three times doth Christ repel Satan with the written Word to teach us to make use of the Sword of the Spirit in resisting all our temptations Doth Satan tempt thee to destroy thy self remember it is written Thou shalt not kill It is said of Luther that he was so violently assaulted with this temptation to destroy himself that for some hours together he was necessitated to press that Scripture upon his heart Thou shalt not kill 3. Resist the Devil by Faith There is a great efficacy in faith to resist and subdue the temptations of Satan Ephes 6.16 Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked 1 Pet. 5.8,9 Be sober be vigilant because your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour whom resist stedfast in the faith 3. When Satan follows you with this temptation to destroy your self flie for refuge from this roaring Lion to Jesus Christ cast your selves into his arms commit the keeping of your souls and lives to the Lord Jesus rest upon him to preserve you from being vanquished by this temptation Take some encouragements to flie to Christ and to rest upon him for relief when you are persued with this or any other temptation 1. The Lord Jesus is able to succour thee in all thy temptations Heb. 2.18 In that be himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted He conquered all the powers of darkness at his death Col. 2.15 Having spoyled Principalities and Powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it He hath all the Devils in Hell under a lock and he keeps the keys of this lock in his own hands Rev. 1.18 I have the Keys of Hell and of death How easily can he command down any temptation that hath the Keys of Hell and that hath triumphed over all the powers of darkness and spoyled them of their strength In the dayes of his humiliatio he had all the Devils at his command he dispossessed them with speaking but a word Luk. 4.36 With authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits and they come out If in the dayes of his humiliation when he was in the form of a Servant he had such power over the Devils what power hath he in his Exaltation now that he sitteth at the right hand of God in the highest Heavens 2. Jesus Christ is very pitiful to such as are under temptation What God saith to the Israelites Exod. 23.9 Ye know the heart of a stranger seeing ye were strangers in the Land of Egypt The like may be said of Christ he knoweth the heart of such as are in temptation seeing he himself was tempted in all points as we are only he never sinned under any of his temptations That Christs being tempted doth encline him to be pitiful and merciful to us in our temptations you may see Heb. 4.15 We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin He was tempted to this very sin to destroy himself by casting himself down from a pinacle of the Temple and therefore knows how
ask and entreat several things of you he entreats you to give him your heart Prov. 23.26 My son give me thine heart He beseecheth and prayeth you to be reconciled to him 2 Cor. 5.20 We are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God He beseecheth you to leave off your sins Jer. 44.4 Oh do not this abominable thing which I hate He beseecheth you to present your bodies to him Rom. 12.1 Now if the great God condescend to ask several things of you why should you be so proud and high-minded as to chuse rather to starve or to murder your selves than to ask relief of your fellow creatures 4. Job was a burden to himself as he himself telleth us Job 7.20 I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men why hast thou set me as a mark against thee so that I am a burden to my self He was also by reason of his sores and other afflictions a burden to his friends so that neither his wife nor his servants nor his friends cared to come at him Job 19.14,15,16,17,19 My kinsfolk have failed and my familiar friends have forgotten me they that dwell in mine own house and my maidens count me a stranger I am an alien in their sight I called my servant and he gave me no answer I entreated him with my mouth my breath is strange to my wife though I entreated for the childrens sake of mine own body all my inward friends abhorred me and they whom I loved are turned against me Yet though Job was become a burden to himself and to all his friends he durst not put an end to his life but resolves Job 14.14 All the dayes of mine appointed time will I wait till my change come 5. If you destroy your selves and thereby provoke God to cast your souls into hell you will be in greater want there than ever man was upon the face of the earth for there is nothing good in hell there is nothing to please the eye or the ear or any of the senses there you shall be tormented with hunger and thirst for ever and shall not have so much as a drop of water to cool your tongue The rich man that fared deliciously every day though he begged hard for but one drop of water to cool his tongue he could not obtain it Luke 16.19,23,24,25,26 In your wants here you may have relief by going to God you may have comfort from the word but there is no relief to be had from God neither is there any comfort to be had from the word of God in hell Your wants here continue but a little while if you go on to serve God you shall shortly be in heaven where you shall want no good thing but if you destroy your selves God will cast you into hell where you shall suffer all sorts of wants in the utmost extremity to all eternity and therefore it is great folly for any man to destroy himself for fear of being brought to want Plea 4. My sins lie as a heavy burden upon me and they are greater then can be forgiven and I know not how to be eased of this heavy burden but by making away my self Answ 1. Say not thy sins are greater than can be forgiven for all sorts of sins are pardonable by vertue of the Blood of Christ 1 John 1.7 The Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Mark 3.28 Verily I say unto you all sins shall be forgive unto the sons of men and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme And though it be true that the sin against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven the reason is not because the Blood of Christ is not of sufficient value to wash away that sin but because such persons as commit the sin against the Holy Ghost do not repent and believe in Jesus Christ but do despise and trample under foot the Blood of the Son of God 2. Self-murder will not lessen but encrease the number of your sins it will not take off the burden which is upon your consciences but will make your burden a thousand times heavier for if a man dye in his sins all his sins go down to hell with him and there will lye as so many mountains of lead pressing and loading his conscience to all eternity and the sence of sin which men shall have in hell will torment them a thousand times more than it doth in this life for then they shall know more of the evil of sin and more of the Majesty of that God against whom they have sinned than they do now Then they shall see more sins than they do now and feel more of Gods wrath for their sins here they have some few drops there they shall have full vials of wrath then they shall have certain knowledge that there is no possibility of obtaining the pardon of any one sin for ever Here though they may be under great fears yet there may be some hope of mercy at least as long as they live they are not under an impossibility of being pardoned 3. Though thou art under despair and ready to say there is no hope that God should ever pardon such a great sinner as I have been yet set upon the work of repentance and returning to God and God will pardon all your sins Jer. 3.22 Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings These persons to whom this promise is made had been exceeding great sinners as you may see ver 5. Behold thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest and were in a despairing condition chap. 2. v. 25. Thou saidst there is no hope Yet to these persons that had done evil things as they could and said there was no hope of mercy for them God promiseth if they would return he would not cause his anger to fall upon them ch 3. ver 12. but would pardon and forgive their sins ver 22. God also by the Prophet Isaiah promiseth pardon to the chiefest of sinners if they will but forsake their sins Isa 1.16,17,18 Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Come now and let us reason together though your sins be as searlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Obj. It is true if I could repent then though my sins were never so great I know the Lord would pardon them but alas I cannot turn from my sins to God repentance is hid from mine eyes Answ Though you cannot repent of your self yet you should not despair for God hath exalted his his Son Jesus Christ to give you repentance Acts 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins It may be you will reply Christ is
and did eat of the corn of the land Josh 5.12 The Manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land The water also that came out of the rock followed them up and down in all places whereever they went to give them drink 1 Cor. 10.4 Now as it was with the Israelites whilst they were in the Wilderness so will God deal with all his servants whilst they are in the Wilderness of this world he will guard them and guide them by night and by day he will send in a suitable and seasonable supply of all their wants Isa 27.3 I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day Isa 49.10 They shall not hunger nor thirst neither shall the heat nor Sun smite them for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them even by the springs of water shall he guide them When your wants are many and you know not how or which way they shall be supplyed remember what is said Phil. 4.19 My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus And be assured of this that God who hath been good to you will follow you with goodness and mercy as long as you live Psal 23.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life It may be you will say I have enough to comfort me if I were but sure that goodness and mercy should follow me all the dayes of my life but though David was sure of this it doth not follow that I may rest assured that it shall be so with me I answer They that come to and close with Jesus Christ shall be blessed with the same mercies that God bestowed upon David Isa 45.3 Encline your ear and come unto me hear and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David 5. Great calamities are oft-times followed with great mercies and this is true both as to Nations and particular persons when those Nations and persons are humbled and brought nearer to God by their afflictions Jobs afflictons were exceeding great both in respect of what he met with in his soul body name estate and relations yet God turned the captivity of Job and made his Estate more glorious and prosperous than ever Job 42.12 The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning I will instance in some mercies which God is wont to bestow upon his people either in or soon after they come out of great troubles 1. God is wont at such times to give his people greater and stronger consolations than at other times Psal 71.20,21 Thou which hast shewen me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth Thou shalt encrease my greatness and comfort me on every side Psal 66.3,5,6 How terrible art thou in thy works Come and see the works of God he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men he turned the Sea into dry land they went through the flood on foot there did we rejoyce in him When God is doing terrible things he is making way for his peoples joy After David had spoken twice of Gods being terrible in his doings he adds there did we rejoyce in him In the night of affliction God puts such comforts into his peoples hearts as makes them sing for joy Job 35.10 None saith Where is God my maker who giveth songs in the night When they are deprived of outward comforts and are in a solitary straitned condition he giveth them internal and spiritual comforts Hos 2.14,15 I will allure her and bring her into the Wilderness and speak comfortably unto her and I will give her her Vineyards from thence and the Valley of Achor for a door of hope and she shall sing there as in the dayes of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt When our troubles abound he causeth our consolations to abound also 2 Cor. 1.5 As the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also abounded by Christ 2. Great troubles are oft-times followed with great pourings out of the spirit and great measures of grace The Prophet Joel having foretold times of great distress Chapter 1. Chapter 2. to the 12. verse tells us what God would do for his people after those great calamities Joel 2.28 It shall come to pass afterward that I will poor out my spirit upon all flesh The Prophet Zephaniah also having foretold great judgments promiseth that they should be followed with great measures of grace Zeph. 3.8,9,13 My determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousie Observe now what mercies follow these judgments Then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth see also Isa 32.10,15 Many dayes and years shall be troubled until the spirit be poured upon us from on high After the Jews had been under sore troubles by their long captivity in Babylon what an encrease of grace and other choice mercies doth God promise them Ezek 36.25,26,27,28,29 3. In times of great trouble God is wont to afford his people more clear manifestations of his love and to give them more communion and fellowship with himself than at other times Zech. 13.9 I will bring the third part through the fire they shall call on my Name and I will hear them I will say It is my people and they shall say The Lord is my God In the day time the Lord went before the Israelites in a pillar of a cloud but in the night by a pillar of fire Divers of Gods servants that are much clouded in the day of prosperity have clear and bright discoveries of Gods love to their souls in the night of adversity When the three Children were in the fiery furnace the Son of God was so evidently with them that their adversaries themselves could not but take notice of it When the Spouse was as a Lily among Thorns compassed about with sharp afflictions the Lord Jesus conversed with her in a very familiar manner He put his left hand under her and embraced her with his right hand Cant. 2.2,6 And as it is thus with particular persons so also with Nations after God hath afflicted them with great judgments he is wont to bestow upon them great mercies when his judgments lead them to repentance After Judea which was like the Garden of Eden was by Gods judgments made like a Wilderness Joel 2.3 The Inhabitants of the Land being brought to repentance
whom resist stedfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world Fear weakens the heart and makes it faint at approaching troubles Luke 21.26 Mens hearts failing them for fear Now Faith conduceth much to the fixing and establishing the heart against fears Psal 112.7 He shall not be afraid of evil tydings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Psal 56.11 In God have I put my trust I will not be afraid what man can do unto me And therefore it conduceth much to the preparing of a man to undergo his afflictions I might shew you here what you should believe in reference to your afflictions to enable you to bear them with chearfulness among many things that might be instanced in I will mention only these three 1. Believe that no affliction doth or ever shall befal you but by the wise and gracious providence of God and that not only every affliction but every circumstance in every affliction is ordered and disposed by the infinite wisdom of God This is agreeable to such Scriptures as these Rom. 11.36 Of him and through him and to him are all things Ephes 1.11 Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will Amos 3.6 Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Matth. 10.30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered The believing that Gods hand is in our afflictions will bow our hearts and make them stoop and submit to God though it be a smarting Rod wherewith the Lord corrects us They were dreadful judgments which Samuel denounced against Eli yet he submits himself readily to it because it came from God 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good 2. Believe that in every affliction God designeth the bringing glory to his Name and the doing good to your own souls you have good ground to believe this for the Scriptures do assure us that God aims both at our good and his own glory in all our afflictions 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 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Rom. 11.36 To him are all things All things are not only of God as the efficient but they also tend to him as their end Isa 5.16 The Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment This made the Apostle joyful in his afflictions that they did illustrate the glory of God 2 Cor. 12.9,10 Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake He rejoyced also in his afflictions because they did promote the good of his soul When some preached Christ out of contention with a design to add affliction to his bonds Phil. 1.14 Was he troubled at the affliction they created to him No for he saith I therein do rejoyce yea and will rejoyce ver 18. And what made him to rejoyce herein He gives us the reason of his joy ver 19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your Prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ 3. Believe that you shall be delivered out of your troubles this will be a means to support you under them Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living You have good ground from the Word of God to believe that you shall be delivered out of all your troubles though they be very many Psal 34.19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all And though they be great as well as many such as you never met with or heard of the like yet you may rest upon God that he will deliver you out of them Jer. 30.7 Alas for that day is great so that none is like it it is even the time of Jacobs trouble but he shall be saved out of it What is your affliction Is it the rod of men God will not suffer it to lye over-long upon you Psal 125.3 The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous lest the righteous put forth their hand unto iniquity Is it the Rod of God that is upon you Do the arrows of the Almighty stick fast in your soul doth he contend with you This will not last alwayes Isa 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wrath for the spirit should fail before me and the soul which I have made Doth the Lord do more then contend with you doth he seem to reject and cast off your soul you may be assured that he will not deal thus with you alwayes because he himself hath said it that he will not cast off for ever Lam. 3.31,32 The Lord will not cast off for ever but though he cause grief yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies Is it a temptation of Satan that disquiets you wait but a while on God and he will tread Satan and all his temptations under your feet Rom. 16.20 The God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly Is it some sin that vexeth and troubleth your soul wait a while upon God and he will deliver you from your sins as well as your other troubles Mich. 7.19 He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities Psal 130.7,8 Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities When David was under many sorrows that disturbed and cast down his soul he bore up himself with hope of a better state that though for the present he was in a mourning condition the time would come wherein he should praise God for helping him out of his troubles Psal 42.5 Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance 3. If we would be prepared to undergo every affliction that God shall lay upon us we must labour to get Gods strength engaged with us for us Though of our selves we can do nothing yet through the help of God we shall be able to do and suffer great things Psal 60.11,12 Give us help from trouble for vain is the help of man Through God we shall do valiantly Psal 18.29 By thee have I run through a Troup and by my God have I leaped over a Wall By the help of God we may do and suffer every thing Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me If a man have God for his strength he
diffioulties to us have no difficulty at all in the account of God Zech. 8.6 If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these dayes should it also be marvellows in mine eyes saith the Lord of Hosts Isa 55.8,9 My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my wayes higher than your wayes and my thoughts than your thoughts 2. When you are at that pass that you know not what to do as God knows what to do for you so he is able to help and deliver you his Power is equal to his Wisdom Gen. 18.14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord Luke 1.37 With God nothing shall be unpossible Even such things as men judge impossible and what they do not only judge so but those things which are real impossibilities to men are possible with God Luke 18.27 The things which are unpossible with mien are possible with God When the difficulty of your case discourageth you from believing consider what a great and hard work it was to make the heavens and the earth and then you will conclnde that nothing can be too hard for God Jer. 32.17 Ah Lord God behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arme and there is nothing too hard for thee Suppose there was no way extant whereby you can be delivered out of your troubles God can make away for you to escape he can create deliverance 1 Com. 10.13 God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye ars able but will with the temptation also make a way to efcape that ye may be able to bear it Isa 4.5 The Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion and upon hen assemblies a cloud and smoke by days and the shining of a flaming fire by nights for upon all the glory shall be a defence 3. The Lord is not only able to help you out of great straits but he bath promised that when you are in such distress that you know not what to do if you call upon him and trust in him he will deliver you Psal 25.15 Mins eyes and ever towards the Lord for he shall pluck my feet out of the net When Davids feet were entangled in a net that he knew not which way to winde and turn himself he eyes and rests upon Gods promise He shall pluck my feet out of the net Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me They day of trouble taketh in the grearest as well as lesses troubles and the Hebrew word that is used in this place for trouble is the same that is used Daniel 12.2 where the Prophet speaketh of such a time of trouble as never was since the Creation so that the promise implyes thus much when it is a day of trouble with you though your pressures and troubles be such as never any person or people met with greater since the creation of the world if you call upon God be will deliver you Job 5.19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles yea in seven there shall no evil touch thee The Hebrew word for trouble here is the same with what was mentioned before and is sometimes translated a strait 2 Sam. 34.14 I am in a great strait So that the promise implies thus much that when we are in straits in great straits in many straits God will deliver us and bring us out of them all Psalm 71.20 Thou which hast shewen me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth 4. Though you be in such straits that you know not what to do yet trust in God for your help doth not stand in your own wisdom or in your own strength but in the Lord Psal 124.8 Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth Your deliverance from trouble doth not come partly from God and partly from your selves but from God only Psal 62.6 He only is my rock and my salvation he is my dofence I shall not be moved When all help faileth he will be a very present help in trouble Psal 46.1 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble Now seeing your help standeth only in the name of the Lord though your wisdom and your ability to help your selves faileth you this should not hinder you from trusting in God to help you 5. Consider what God hath done for others in their straits when they cried unto God he helped them though their troubles were such as that their souls melted under them and they have been at their wits end Psal 107.26,27,28 They mount up to the heaven they go down again to the depths their soul is melted because of trouble they are at their wits end Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he bringeth them out of their distress Psal 34.6 This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles David was delivered out of a great strait when he penned this Psalm as you may see by the title compared with 1 Sam. 21.10,11,12,13 David gives us divers instances of Gods delivering him out of very great straits such as to an eye of fence seemed inextricable and invincible Psal 18.29 By thee I have run through a troop and by my God have I leaped over a wall Psal 40.2 He brought me up out of an horrible pit out of the miry clay And he telleth us that it was the will of God that those deliverances which God had given him should encourage others to trust in the Lord Many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord ver 3. 6. The Holy Ghost recommendeth it to us as that which is very good and profitable for us and very acceptable and pleasing to God that we should trust and hope in God in our greatest straits Lam. 3.26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. This was spoken to those who were in great distress and saw no way how they should get out of their troubles ver 7. 9. He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out he hath made my chain heavy he hath enclosed my wayes with hewen stone he hath made my paths crooked Hereupon they were ready to despair of deliverance and to say ver 18. My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord. Yet to them the Holy Ghost saith It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. And as it is good for us so also it is pleasing to God that we should hope in him under our greatest troubles Psal 147.11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy If any say I have brought
my self into my straits and my troubles by my sins and this keepeth me from trusting in God because my troubles are the fruit of my sins Were it purely the hand of God to try my faith and patience I could in such a case hope in God Ans Though our troubles do come upon us for our sins yet if we humble our souls for our sins and cry to God in our distresses he will raise up deliverance for us Psal 107.10,11,12,13,14 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death being bound in affliction and iron becanse they rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel of the most high therefore he brought down their heart with labour they fell down and there was none to help Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distress he brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and brake their bands in sunder And again ver 17 19. Fools because of their transgression and because of oheir iniquities are afflicted then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble he saveth them out of their distresses When David was under such a great sense of sin as made his heart to fail he did yet hope in God for deliverance out of his troubles Psal 40.12,17 Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinketh upon me thou art my help and my deliverer make no tarrying O my God When Jonah was cast into the Sea and swallowed up by a Whale it was for his sin in flying from the presence of the Lord yet when in his affliction he cryed to God God heard and delivered him Jonah 2.2,10 I cryed by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardest my voice And the Lord spake unto the Fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land SECT 12. 12. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation Satan useth to be very busie to tempt us when we are in affliction The two seasons wherein the Devil did in a more eminent manner set upon Christ with his temptations were when he was in the Wilderness Mark 1.13 He was in the Wilderness forty dayes tempted of Satan and when he was entring upon his Passion Luke 22.53 This is your hour and the power of darkness The Devils at that time bestirred themselves to the utmost of their power in tempting and afflicting the Lord Jesus Now God hath stripped you of all or the greatest part of your enjoyments and brought you as it were into a Wilderness now that you must expect to suffer more hardship and difficulties then formerly you may look to meet with more then usual temptations The Devil is ready to take occasion from others afflictions to tempt us 2 Thess 3.3,4,5 How much more will he take advantage from our own afflictions to assault us with his temptations If Satan be busie to tempt had you not need to watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation I might here caution you against several temptations I will instance in four or five 1. Take heed of entertaining hard thoughts of God as though God dealt hardly with you or of his wayes as if there were no profit in serving of God because you have suffered so deeply notwithstanding you have endeavoured to serve the Lord Satan hath baffled very eminent persons with this temptation Job in his haste uttered such an expression as this Job 30.21 Thou art become cruel to me Jeremiah in his distress le ts fall such words as these Jer. 15.18 Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed wilt thou be altogether unto me as a lyard and as waters that fail David being exercised with many afflictions said lin his hast though upon second thoughts he called in his words again that all the pains that he had taken in serving God was ladour in vain Psal 73.13,14 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my bands in innocency for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning To fortifie you against this temptation of calling in question the goodness of God or thinking there is no advantage cometh by serving God let me advise you to do these things 1. Judge of God according to that representation which he maketh of himself in his Word Now the Scriptures represent God to be a good God Ps 86.5 Thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all that call upon thee When the Lord proclaimed his Name to Moses he proclaimed his name after this manner Exod. 34.5,6 The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness He is so abundant in goodness that his goodness fills the whole earth Psal 33.5 The Earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. He is so good a God that there are some expressions of his goodness towards every person and every creature upon the face of the earth Psal 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works His goodness is so great that no words can express it we may admire it but we cannot deciare the greatness of it Zech. 9.17 How great is his goodness and how great is his beauty Even in his most terrible acts there is abundance of goodness Psal 145,6,7 Men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts they shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness 2. Consider what good thoughts of God the servants of the Lord have had in their greatest afflictions though in time of temptation some of Gods servants have uttered some rash expressions derogatory to the good ross of God yet afterwards they have humbled themselves greatly for such speeches as we may see Job 42.3,6 David calls himself fool and heast for speaking dishonourably of God in his afflictions Psal 73.13,22 Take the servants of God when they have been freed from or gotten the victory over temptation and you shall finde them admiring and speaking highly in the commendation of Gods goodness in their greatest afflictions Psal 119.68 Thou art good and dost good and this David spoke when he was spoiled of his goods ver 61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me and when his sorrows were so great that his soul melted under them ver 28. My soul melteth for he aviness Neither his losses nor his sorrows made him question Gods goodness but he saith under both thou art good and dost good In another Psalm after he had expressed the greatness of his sorrows Psal 31.9,10 I am in trouble mine eye is consumed with grief yea my soul and my belly for my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing He breaks out into