in their doctrine would be carefull to lighten in their conversation Gregor Naziaâ—z We have an Age can readily retort Dost not thou feare God Luk. 23.40 seeing thou art in the same condemnation And againe Rom. 2.21 Thou that art instructed out of the Law and teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe Moreover you are not ignorant of my frequent returnes about this season how I was forced to afford so many buds and blossomes as little ripe fruit could be expected No more lest the Porch unbefit the Palace I here present you with what you had before something amplified Not waters of Meribah but Marah as more sutable to my own solitary temper and safe for you Accept my first-borne And if God give leave againe to turne the Cock perhaps the Cisterne may afford you sweeter Waters In the meane time and ever Phil. 4.9 The God of peace be with us Kingston upon Hull Jan. ult 1654. Christians I am your servant in Christ Iesus for the help of your faith Henry Hibbert Waters of Marah ZECHARIAH 12. Part of the tenth ver As one that is in bitternesse for his first-born THis Prophesie may not unfitly be compared with the yeaning of Labans flock Gen. 30.39 or those heavenly messengers mentioned in the beginning of it Cap. 1. Ver. 8. being chequered with various colours for it is mixed and made up of divers ingredients viz. reproofe exhortation comfort c. In this Chapter our Prophet an holy Herald fetteth the silver Trumpet to his mouth and in the name of God soundeth a gracious retreat to the Jewish Nation The firmament is not more full of spangled stars then Scripture is of precious Prophesies and promises concerning their calling and conversion And although they are as yet blinded and bowed downe yea Rom. 11. stark dead and dry yet God hath not cast away his people but will one day say of Israel his first-born as the Father said of the prodigall Child being returned Luk. 15.32 This my sonne was dead but now is alive If any aske how this people should be made capable of so great mercy Ver. 10. The answer is plaine I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications That is the presence operation gifts and graces of the Spirit who is both the worker of grace and former of prayer in the heart See Rom. 8.26 Note the best of men are but dry Cisterns and empty Casks untill such time as the Spirit drop upon them We are nothing we can do nothing not a prayer not a teare not a warme desire after Christ till the Spirit come And this effusion shall produce a double effect for First They shall looke upon Christ whom they have pierced Here is Conversion Formerly they turned their backs on Christ looking upon Moses and the Law Ceremonies and selfe-righteousnesse But now contrary winds shall drive them contrary courses These sweet gales of the Spirit shall make them face about they shall only mind a crucified Christ and seeke righteousnesse and life from him alone Truly Jer. 3.23 in vaine is Salvation hoped for from the hills and from the multitude of Mountaines Truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of Israel And secondly They shall lament over Christ They shall mourne for him Here is compunction Oh! That ever their fathers Mittunt legatot pro suis doloribus Lachrymas Cypr. and themselves by their sins should have so persecuted vilipended and crucified the Son of God! Now sadnesse is seated upon their hearts They are wholly clad in mourning All their Songs are Lachrymae And thus a poore soule made senfible of sin doth supple it selfe in teares of godly sorrow Which sorrow of theirs is further amplified and set out two manner of waies First By the particularity of it They shall mourne every Family apart Ver. 12. That is in this duty husbands and wives shall not stay for each other but every one shall so conceive sorrow and be big-bellied with griefe that they shall Joseph-like withdraw themselves seeking where to ease their hearts in showers of teares That is the best sorrow which is done in secret Note Commune with your owne heart saith David upon your bed Psal 4.4 and be still And our Saviour Christ who is the wisdome of the Father adviseth us very much unto retirednesse in duty and our heavenly Father which seeth in secret shall reward us openly Mat. 6. It is not dear Brethren it is not cutting of Antick-faces and contracting the countenance it is not grumbling forth vociferous groanes and uttering loud and hideous howlings to be seene and heard of men that will gaine acceptance No no Psal 51.17 The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit But when a poore soule can sequester it selfe from carnall Company and sinfull Society get out of the noise of the world creepe into a corner and there fit melting in Gods presence surely such sorrow will prove sweet and successefull doubtlesse whosoever thus soweth in teares shall reape in joy Psal 125.6 Secondly By the extremity of it to expresse the greatnesse of which the Prophet compares it 1. To that mourning which was made for that religious and zealous Prince 2 Chro. 35.25 good King Josiah when he was slaine in the midst of his so hopefull Reigne Whose lamentations were written and made an Ordinance in Israel that is they did not only mourne at his Funerall but also at the death of others made mention of his losse lamenting the same in all their dolefull Elegies Even so shall they look upon Christ and mourn 2. To the sorrow of an indulgent naturall and tender-hearted Parent which takes up my Text They shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne In which words there are two things considerable viz. 1. Comparatio a Comparison 2. Applicatio comparationis the application of that Comparison True it is the spirituall sense and maine scope of this Scripture lies in the later of these and would require a large prosecution but the first is for our present purpose The Comparison then is to be made out by a supplement thus Great is the sorrow and griefe of a naturall Parent for an only Son for a first-borne that is for the death of an only Son or first-borne The application is brought in by this particle of similitude as As one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne The Paraphrase runs thus Behold Heb. 12.9 any of you Fathers of the flesh that is an affectionate Parent and hath an only Child a sweet and tender Sprig an hopefull Bud should this Sprig be pluckt up and tender Bud nipped This Child be taken away by death O with what intensive griefe would you pore upon it With what reluctancy part with it With what
places unto all generations and so call your houses after your own names Rom. 12. The Gospel cals upon us to present our selves as Sacrifices unto God and therefore much more our Children which are but pieces of ourselves Hannah returnes her Son Samuel whose name declares him the answer of her prayer 1 Sam. 1. and a free boon from God as freely as he was given unto her And he is preserved the Lords faithfull Prophet and called to be a mighty Judge over Israel when Eli and his Posterity are cut off In nature transplanted trees become most fruitfull and Children are plants which flourish best in Gods garden David was a man much acquainted with the mind of God and he found no way so safe in his dangerous flight from his unnaturall Son as selfe-resignation into the hand of God If saith he I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord 2 Sam. 15.25 26. he will bring me againe but if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him Let the same mind be in us and say Lord if thou wilt yet intrust me with what I have I shall blesse thee But if otherwise thou canst take no more from me than what thou hast given unto me Behold therefore here am I my wife my children my all do to me and them as seemeth good unto thee Apoc. 4.10 The Elders in the Revelation cast down their Crowns before the Throne Pro. 17.6 Solomon tels us Childrens Children are the crown of old men and we ought surely to cast down these Crowns at the feet of Christ Let us confesse we had them from him and devest our selves of them to do him honour One uttered a divine Paradox Mr Palmer A Christian is one that gaineth by losing and while he loses he saves God will have us willing to lose before he make us to game To be ready to part with our children is the way to keep our Children The third use bids us moderate affections when such occasions of sorrow fall out Use 3 I do not bid you utterly to wave affections but moderate them Saint Paul prohibits not mourning but mourning without measure Religion abolisheth not affections but moderateth them Grace destroyeth not nature but rectifieth it In mortification it is the carnality of affections are struck at not affections themselves Stoicks are little better than Stocks Such an Apathy suits neither with Religion Reason nor Nature God hath imprinted affections in man with his own finger and will have them exercised When no crosse laid upon us from God neither losse of goods nor friends nor children will affect us to sorrow this is not Patience Jer 5.3 but rather blockish senselessnes Such stupidity the Lord complaines of in his own people Thou hast smitten them O Lord but they have not sorrowed I do not therefore interdict weeping upon this occasion nay Non igitur velut penicille quodam sermonis mei vesiras abstergam lacbrymas c. Ambr. in mortem Valent. Imper I say weep This is a speciall hand of God and he hath a dry heart that weeps not His eyes and heart are far asunder that affords not some teares Only set Grace on worke as well as nature Water this young plant we have this day set in the ground but drown it not Moderate sorrow God forbids Israel that heathenish practice of making themselves bald and cutting themselves for the dead And Christ excludes those artificiall mourners which were about Jairus daughter Mat. 9.23 24. to increase sorrow Seeing that affections in that case needed rather the bridle than the Spurre And the Saints of God have set limits to their sorrow to prevent excesse Hence Joseph mournes seven daies for his deceased Father Quid perdis tempora luctu And his great-grandfather Abram mournes for Sarah yet lest he should forget his measures desires to bury her out of his sight Gen. 23.4 Indeed some Saints have been excessive in this kind Rachel for her children would not be comforted And David for Absalom ingeminates his dolefull out-cries O my Son Absalom O Absalom my Son my Son But it is noted as their infirmity and in the judgement of some of the Ancients Aug. Bern. David did not so much bewaile the death of his Sons body as the danger of his soule But affections being turbulent and head-strong I propound a double meanes of moderation viz. And first we may moderate our sorrow by diverting it That is causing our sorrow to be conversant about some other object Thus Artists staunch violent bleeding by diverting the bloud and opening a vein in some other part of the body And Saylers when they are in a wrong course turne the Ship another way This was the Napkin wherewithall our Saviour wiped the eyes of his weeping attendants Daughters of Jerusalem Luk. 23 2◠weepe not for me but weepe for your selves and for your Children Spare some teares wherewith to bewaile your ensuing calamities And so much is plainely imported in and about my Text They shall looke upon me that is Jesus Christ whom they have pierced and they shall mourne c. which indeed is the spirituall and maine meaning of this Scripture had it been to our present purpose to have prosecuted it O say of present sorrow as Joab did in another case I may not tarry thus with thee 2 Sam. 18.14 There are many other things that claime interest in my sorrow and call for their due measure of teares And doubtlesse this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 7.10 c. godly sorrow is an excellent thing One observes very well That it is a good exchange to put away carnall joy for godly sorrow for then we exchange Brasse for Gold a sin for a duty Out of these brinish teares God is used to brew the wine of spirituall consolation your sorrow and consolation Joh. 16.20 Your sorrow shall be turned into joy It is good that present sorrow do not exceed sorrow for sin Say thus with thy selfe Whither can I looke that I see not cause of of mourning If I looke above me I have a Crucified Christ whom my sins have pierced to mourne over If I looke into mine own bosome there I find a sinfull soule deceitfull heart and corrupted nature yea there I view mine own ignorance atheisme hypocrisie pride covetousnesse blaspemous thoughts abominable lusts c. And if I look into the world I discover the monstrous sins of the time beastly drunkennesse hatefull pride abominable blasphemies presumptuous and daring profanenesse Magìs deploranda sunt quà m dicenda whereby God in all places is dishonoured and provoked In a word evils so horrid as are fitter to be lamented with teares than mentioned with our mouths Adde hereunto the miseries of the Church if thou hast not utterly renounced goodnesse Ecclesia in attonitu thou shalt find cause enough
together for Good to them that love God Such is the admirable power and goodnesse of God that he can bring light out of darkenesse and good out of evill yea he can so over-rule the nature of things that what of themselves would contra-operate he will cause to co-operate and make them serve for much good He can sweeten bitter waters and make waters of Marah become waters of life But lest any soule should be sick about this question 1 Tim â— 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and say Why am I thus These following reasons may minister some satisfaction unto sober minds viz. Reason 1 The first Reason respects sin Sometimes God inflicts them as Castigatory stripes because of sin It is possible whilest they are in the flesh Saints may sin nay it is impossible they should not sin True He that is borne of God doth not commit sin that is 1 Joh. 3.9 as some do unpardonably or as the wicked do continually as one in his proper element he sinneth not wilfully presumptuously impenitently c. yet not so as if he could not Deut. 32.5 or did not sin Gods purest people have their spots Pro. 20.9 Possumus quod jure possumus Jam. 3.2 Solomon bids a challenge to all the world Who can say I am pure from my sin None justly In many things we offend all The greatest selfe-justifiers will prove the greatest selfe-deceivers Take it in the Apostles own words If we marke we Apostles and Saints say that we have no sin 1 Joh. 1.8 we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Euseb Eccl. hist l. 2. Clem. Hypotypos l. 7. James sirnamed for vertue the just reckons himselfe amongst offenders There is a Generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthinesse And I guesse none to be blacker in Gods eyes than those that are whitest in their own Nitre Sope and Snow-water will not wash off their blemishes Nay further it is plaine Saints do not only sin simply but transitively even in performing duty and doing good So saith Solomon There is not a just man that doth good Eccl. 7.20 and sinneth not It was once the perverse dispute of some Pelagians Whether by the absolute power of God a just man might not live on earth without sin But what have we to do with the absolute power of God Quid in bâc vitâ uisi Aurora sumus Greg when his pleasure is otherwise we have cause here to be humbled for the imperfection of our perfection being at best like the gray morning not cleare day Though we do some things that are of the light yet we do not want the reliques of darkenesse Sin hath some life in us still on earth our sanctification being not yet absolute which God suffers mainely for three reasons viz. 1. For the exercise of our faith patience and constancy He leaves some enemies against whom we may fight the good fight of faith as the Canaanites were left in the Land to prove the Israelites 2. For our instruction to make us know how deeply we are obliged to Gods mercy and how excellent is that deliverance we have by Christ Hereby we come to know the benefit we have by grace to which we must make our recourse Did we not feele how powerfull sin is to over-rule us we could never have known the vile servitude of sin under which we lay by nature nor the excellent grace of Christ whereby deliverance is procured We find that if the reliques of sin be so turbulent how would it trouble us tyrannize were it in its full vigour 3. For his own greater glory and Sathans greater confusion Like Conquerours that slay not all enemies but reserve some alive Captive for the day of Triumph to be put to death for their greater shame and the Conquerours greater glory Josh 10.23 c. Thus Joshuah dealt with the five Kings that made war against Gibeon So Jesus Christ the Captaine of our Salvation subdues all enemies our sins yet some remaine enclosed within us as in a Cave restrained by his power from their former liberty and when the battle is ended he will utterly spoile them of life This being so men shall smart for sin where ever it is found Saintship is no shelter The best child will deserve it at one time or other and an offending Son shall lick of the whip yea Gods own Son if he undertake for sinners So long as we have in us this bitter root we may expect some bitter fruit Psal 91.30 31 32. If Davids children in Covenant with God breake his Statutes and keep not my Commandements then will he visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Saints themselves do never receive the full application of freedome from affliction till death Joh. 16.33 Yet these are castigatory not condemnatory They have the Cross but not the Curse Correction Rom. 8.1 but not Condemnation A good and a bad man may lye under a like calamity and yet here is the difference to the one it is a chastening to the other a punishment Sufferings may be alike in the nature and measure of them and yet differ in the acceptation A Merchant and Malefactor both crosse the Sea in one and the same Ship To the one it is the pursuit of his Calling and for gaine to the other exile and banishment Correction stands for a good caution Joh. 5.14 Piscu ictus sapit Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee The sins of Saints are more dishonourable unto God and cutting to the heart of Christ than others therefore a smarter rod may hang at their girdâ—es Greatnesse of mercy aggravates the greatnesse of sin Amos 3.2 and addes to misery You only have I known of all the Families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Againe sometimes God dispenseth afflictions as medicinal Pils or Potions to procure the soules health Let no man ascribe to afflictions more than is their due they cannot worke of themselves yet being sanctified of God they have a threefold operation 1. For the prevention of sin They are those thornes with which God hedgeth up our way that we may not find our paths Hos 2.6 Naturally we are like unto beasts desirous to breakeforth into wrong walkes and pastures God will by these prevent our extravagancy and keepe us within compass If they go on they shal prick themselves to the bone Physicians open a veine not only to cure but many times to prevent a disease God knows our disposition how inclinable we are to this or that evill And that we should not fall into these he sends us sicknesse in body sadnesse in soule losses in our goods friends children c. And these by Gods blessing become golden bridles to curbe and restraine us from that which otherwise we should rush upon and commit When the people
their cup by your rash and uncharitable censoriousnesse I discover a double distemper very Epidemicall amongst them which are called Christians 1. Their carriage is very superâ—iâ—ious towards the weake 2. And their censures very uncharitable towards the afflicted These two are very evill sicknesses which we ought to get cured Here I have liberty to pinch the latter to crush uncharitable censurings It is a very ill but common thing to judge of persons and estates whether good or evil by their outward condition and casualties that befall them Usually men charge great guilt upon them that are greatly afflicted Surely say they he is a man whom God hates He hath the most sorrow and therefore the most sin Thus Christ himselfe was numbred with the transgressours when he was only wounded for our transgressions For while he bare our griefes and carried our sorrows he was esteemed stricken smitten of God Isa 53. and forsaken Likewise those exemplary judgements which befell the Galileans and those upon whom the Tower of Siloe fell did render them very obnoxious to censure Therefore our Saviour takes it off Saying Luk. 13. Suppose ye that these were sinners above others I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish And the Barbarians of Melita presently shoot their fools bolt against Paul a great deale more venemous then the Vipers tooth Acts 28.4 No doubt this man is a murderer So apt are men peevishly and preposterously to descant upon the sufferings of others To disswade from this know 1. Censuring is against a Gospell-command of Christ Judge not that is rashly or rigidly misconstrue not doubtfull things exasperate not small things Mat. 7. Periculosum est de servo alterius judicare Hier 1. Cor. 13. Who art thou that judgest another mans servant 2. It is against Gospell-charity or Christian love which thinketh none evill 3. And lastly It thwarts the right use which every one ought to make of his own frailty Gal. 6.1 Considering thy selfe But alas It is naturall for men to reflect upon others with neglect of themselves Like Plutarchs Lamiae or Fairies which carried their eyes in their heads when they went abroad but when they came home put them up in a boxe Whereas Paul looking into himselfe was of another mind he thought himselfe the greatest sinner alive 1 Cor. 15.8 with 1 Tim. 1.15 withnesse his own words The least of Saints the greatest of sinners And did we but shake our own bosomes I meane marke the corruptions of our own hearts and aberrations of our own lives I am sure we should have little lust or leisure to censure others Doubtlesse sin is the ground of misery and misery the effect of sin And therefore whatever God principally intendeth it is good for us to acknowledge sin as the cause clearing God and accusing our selves it is righteously thus with me No affliction but is first thus merited Lam. 3.29 Man suffereth for sin The Position of one cause is not the removing of another where many concur Neither doth the affirming of the principall cause deny the lesse principall Yet both are to be considered and that according to their occasionall energy And therefore when the Disciples propounded that question about the blind man Master who did sin this man or his Parents that he was borne blind Christ answers Neither hath this man sinned nor his Parents but that the workes of God should be made manifest in him This he doth not speake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simply for both he had sinned and his Parents had sinned But the meaning is the sins of this man and his Parents were not the cause why he rather than all sinners was borne blind But that Gods glory might appeare in his cure And therefore one well observes Non art is sed potestatis Ambr. this giving of sight to a man borne blind was not a cure of Art but of power So that although sin be the meritorious yet it is not alwaies the moving cause of affliction Gods secret dispensations are not for us to descant upon Known unto God are all his own workes but none of us know either love or hatred by these common events that happen alike to all Eccl. 9. I might bring in a large enumeration Eli a Priest of God and a good man 1 Sam. 4.18 yet suddenly brake his neck by falling backward from his seat Jonathan a faithfull friend and sworne brother to David 1 Sam. 31. yet falleth by uncircumcised hands The Prophet that came to Bethel 1 King 13. passeth with most for an holy man yet is killed in his way a by Lion Josiah a religi-Prince none like him 2 Chro. 35.23 yet is cut off and slaine in the prime of his time in the Valley of Megiddo Jobs Children were well educated and inherited many prayers Job 1. yet a violent and sudden period is put to their lives What say we unto these Paradise and Purgatory are not more contrary notions than the estates of Saints are different as to this Some are led by a gentle hand others passe through many stormes before they reach the harbour How uncessant are the trials and conflicts of some A man would thinke it as impossible for them to reach heaven as to climbe up to the clouds But let us learne from hence If Gods hand be against them let not our tongue be against them To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed The Lord knoweth though we do not why he suffers such holy and humble soules to be so much disquieted Let us cease censures and rather tremble at and adore the soveraignty of God that hath it in his own hands how and by what way he will bring soules to heaven Be carefull of your own selves Rest not in any present immunity but prepare for future contingency Little knowst thou how soone God may cause this bitter cup to passe from thy brother and put it into thine hand Sufficient unto the day is the evill thereof Every day is a new life and bringeth its own cares along with it O have not your hearts so stupidly secure as to be insensible of the changes of Providence One asking his friend Will you please to dine with me to morrow Ego à mul tis annis crastinum non habui His answer was I have not had a morrow for these many yeares Soule thou hast seen what is and hath been but thou knowst not what shall be To day thou art rich Omnia quae eventura sunt in iâ— certo jacent To morrow thou maiest be poore To day in health to morrow sick To day alive to morrow dead To day children to morrow childlesâ—e The clearest day may ere night prove darke and cloudy Therefore two things first sit loose from your enjoyments Psa 62.10 1 Cor. 7.30 Set not your heart on them Vse them as if you used them not Be not so busie with
off two extreames 1. We must not faint under them breaking forth into passionate or desperate speeches Never was any so afflicted as I oh this is greater than I can beare 2. Neither must we despise them or set light by them for it is God that chasteneth whatsoever the rod or instrument be which he useth In the second place be humbled under it Sad affliction ought to worke the heart unto serious humiliation Thus Peter 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves therefore marke therefore under the mighty hand of God And David Psa 32.4 5. Thy hand is heavy upon me I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord. O let the weight of Gods hand upon you or your Families bring you to your knees Let the force of it make you fall down before him in the confession of sin This is another bough to make sweet these bitter waters The Lyon of the Tribe of Judah spareth a poore prostrate creature There is no other way to breake the violence of a divine stroake from God but humbly to run under his hand They have humbled themselves 2 Chr. 12.7 therefore I will not destroy them Nay more this is the only meanes to get the breach repaired God himselfe will dwell in the humble heart he will take up his quarters there O happy exchange O rich supply O gainefull losse I have parted maiest thou say with an Estate a Child c. But I have a God in reserve Blessed are those afflictions which fit a soule to be Gods second heaven In the next place take revenge upon sin When Gods hand is upon us it is good our hand be upon sin When God falls upon us by bitter affliction we should fall upon sin by bitter sorrow repentance mortification c. God eyes most of all what effects afflictions do produce We ought in a special manner to consider the death of those which are neare and deare unto us Son or Daughter It may be God hath deprived us of them for the punishment of our sin it may be they are taken from us because we were unworthy of them or because we gloried too much in them or were not so thankfull for them as we ought Such use as this the widdow of Sarepta made upon the death of her only Child 1 King 17.18 Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my Son upon a due search you will find Sin is the Achan that hath caused all this trouble do execution upon it When Jesabel heard that Elijah had slaine all Baals Prophets she takes a profound yet profane oath So let the Gods do to me and more also if I make not thy life as the life of one of them O say Sin hath opened the birter fountaine Sin hath brought this bitter griefe and if I suffer it will bring me more Sin hath bereaved me of my Children Sin hath wrought me all this mischiefe by the grace of God I will forth with labour the death of sin Pluck it out though it seeme a right eye cut it off though it seeme a right hand or foot spit it out though it be a sweet morsell out with it though it be a beloved Sin Constantine the Great hearing that nothing would cure his Leprosie but the bloud of an Infant ript out of its mothers wombe the good Emperour abhorred the very mentioning of it But sin is so cruell as it would have both the bloud of our Seed and of our Souls It is reported of the Bezor the creature which hath that cordiall stone being hunted and knowing by instinct the cause leaves the stone to the Pursuers to save his life Let the credit of that lye upon the affirmers But Brethren I le tell you afflictions are sent out from God and do pursue us to this end to get from us a stone And it is no precious but a most perniâ—ious stone the stone in the heart Ezek. 11.19 Surely it is not worth keeping O cast it away with your sins and lusts that these Beagles may not too sorely seize upon you Say O Lord discover unto me this sin which engageth thee against me and makes thee contend with me Tell me what it is and take it away that thou mayest withdraw thine hand and be at peace with thy poore Creature We must cast the head of this Sheba over the wall before ever bitter afflictions will make a retreat Againe Justifie God Sore afflictions do lay us open to strong temptations And as a learned man sheweth in his Exposition upon Job Anonymus it is the Devils defigne under such dispensations to provoke us to have hard thoughts of God and to be suspitious of his love and good will towards us How apt are men in affliction to say as that wretched Prince did Behold this evill is of the Lord It is a thing very connaturall with the Sons of Adam to lay their bastard-brats at other mens doores nay rather than faile to lay the fault upon God himselfe Gen. 3.12 The woman whom thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eate O Adam a neat evasion but this Sophistry will not serve your turne Know therefore by sad experience the fault was not mine in giving you the woman but your own in taking the fruit from her hand and eating it against the expresse prohibition you received from God And by this time where are you Adam Whose now is the fault Adam And thus mortall man would seeme more just than God Job 4.17 and more pure than his Maker O have a Care Get to be grounded in this Principle that God is essenally just justice and purity are his very nature he cannot be God and be unjust Therefore under the bitterest crosse give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him saying Jer. 12.1 Righteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee Psal 51 4. Be thou justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest And lastly Submit quietly to God Do not as Israel of old murmur at Marah When Sampson had burnt up the Philistines corne they asked Judg 15 6. Who hath done this Soule when thou art under affliction make inquiry not into the lower but higher causes Tolerare est patientia necessitatis amare tolerare patientia virtutis and thou wilt conclude God hath afflicted me God hath bereaved me of my Children the Almighty hath shewed me much bitternesse Let this quiet thine heart and silence thy spirit under Gods stroakes The snared bird the more she struggles the more she intangles her selfe God hath thee in a snare struggle not It will be but as one taking the Chaine from his leg and tying it to his neck It is no striving against the streame of divine appointment Art thou or thine under a mournfull estate Submit Cast up thine