17.3 This is life eternal to know thee our Saviour saith not it shal be life eternall but it is eternall life is begun already where these things be In the fiftteenth and sixteenth place to be taught the Duties and Priviledges of a suffering condition is a blessed Teaching for hereby the soul is enabled to taste and see what is good and sweet in every affliction and is set above all that which is grievous and intolerable to Nature for this cause we faint not c. 17ly The unum necessarium the one onely thing necessary must necessarily be a blessed thing It is saith our Saviour Luk. 10 42 the better part which shall not be taken away 18ly The Art of Time-Redemption is a blessing not less then an evidence of Soul-Redemption if ye compare the first Epistle of Peter Chap. 1. vers 17 and 18. together 19ly Ask S. Paul and he will tell you that the knowledg of the sufferings of Jesus Christ is an excellent knowledg in comparison of which all other things are loss and dung Phil. 3.8 9 10. And lastly To long for Heaven is the very first fruits of Heaven the evidence and seal of our conjugal CONTRACT with Jesus Christ The Spirit and the BRIDE say Rev. 22.17 Come Lord Jesus Eruditur ad bâ—atitudinem Greg. Moral Behold Christians to be taught of God when chastised by him is a Blessedness compounded of twenty several precious ingredients At least if ye will take in The Nature and Properties of divine Teaching 2 Demonst The Properties of Divine Teaching make up real blessedness which may make a second Demonstration that is to say to be taught all these 1. Inwardly 2. Clearly 3. Experimentally 4. Powerfully 5. Sweetly 6. Abidingly This must needs be a blessed teaching It being a Teaching which doth possess the Soul of the excellencies which it discovereth Doctrinal and notional knowledg is a blessing Blessed saith Christ to his Hearers are your eyes Mat. 13.16 for they see and your ears for they hear I but it is but an occasional preparatory blessedness blessedness in the offer and opportunity Oh but to be taught these Lessons with these qualifications to be taught as the truth is in Jesus 2 Cor 3. last to be taught into the nature and image of the truth to be taught into the possession of divine excellencies this is blessedness indeed blessedness in Being full perfect fruitional blessedness A third Demonstration 3 Demonst They are fruits of Gods distinguishing love A Teaching Chastisement is the fruit of Gods distinguishing Love Chastisements simply considered in themselves lie in common to all the sons and daughters of Adam since the Fall the fruit of that first apostacy as well as of actual and personal departures from God yea and deliverance also lieth in common Providence dispenseth Deliverance to the worst of men The 106 Psalm is a Psalm of Promises made to the Church but the next Psalm the 107 is a Psalm of Providential Dispensations to the World and there as you finde affliction so you may finde deliverance also out of those afflictions to be the portion of wicked men Rebels Vers 11. and Fools Vers 19 20. i. e. wicked fools Solomons fools all along the Proverbs Seamen Vers 23. for the most part not the most religious order in the world all these are delivered out of their troubles The worst of men I say share in this fruit of Gods Providential Goodness Deliverance but a teaching sanctified affliction is the privy seal of special love Psa 89.33 My LOVING KINDNES wil I not take from him whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth Heb. 12.6 that is to say with a teaching chastisement when Word and Rod meet together when Correction and Instruction kiss each other they are the fruit of paternal affection and therefore must needs have a blessing bound up in them Deut. 8.5 As a man chasteneth his son so the Lord chasteneth thee Fourthly 4 Demonst It is a branch of the Covenant of Grace Isai 54.13 Ier. 31.33 A Teaching-Correction is a branch of the Covenant of Grace which God hath made in Christ for the Children of Promise All thy children shall be taught of God They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest by vertue of Divine Teaching Affliction is adopted to be a clause in the Covenant of Grace That 89 Psalm is a Song of the New Covenant I will sing of the mercies of the Lord Vers 1. what mercies not providence mercies onely but promise mercies Covenant mercies vers 3. I have made a Covenant with my my chosen And amongst the rest of the branches of the Covenant you shall find the rod and the whip have their place Ver. 30 31 32. If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgments c. Then will I visit their Transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Behold rod and stripes standing here not upon Mount Ebal the Mount of curses as branches of a Covenant of Works but upon Mount Gerizâ—m the Mount of Blessings Deut. 11 as branches of the Covenant of Grace Affliction is not so much threatned as promisd to Christs seed My Covâ—nant will I not break ver 34. When God seems even to break the bones and hearts of his people by sore and heavy strokes of correction yet he doth not break his Covenant My Covenant will I not break it is in order to the Covenant when God chastiseth his children and instructs them by his chastisements Affliction separated from instruction is pure wrath a blast from Mount Ebal Deut. 28. but by a matrimonial Covenant those two Scriptures Psal 89.32 I will visit c. and Isai 54.13 I will teach are marryed together and made one spirit as in my Text and then they are pure grace The Covenant is the Magna Charta of Heaven and contains a list of what ever God the Father hath purposed God the Son hath purchased and God the Holy Ghost doth apply to the Heirs of promise The brests of the Covenant run nothing but the milk of spiritual blessing to the children of God Fifthly 5 Demonst The purchase of Christs Death A Teaching-affliction is the purchase of Christs death and bloodshed Christ dyed not to exempt his redeemed from suffering but to sanctifie their sufferings with his own blood I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world Ioh. 17.15 but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil whatsoever Christ purchas'd he pray'd for and this was one main priviledg not freedom from the evil of affliction but from the evil of sin Sanctifie them with thy Truth Vers 17. Gods Teachings are sanctifying Teachings Sanctifie them with thy Truth thy Word is Truth Christs blood purchas'd nothing but blessings Sixthly and lastly 6 Demonst It is the result of all Christs Offices A Teaching-affliction is the result of all the Offices of Jesus Christ As a
sackclothe upon all the beauty and bravery of the Creature and so hideth pride from man when God by some flashes of Lightning strikes us blind to the World then we can discover beauty and excellency in Christ infinitely transcending all the beauty and excellency in the World Thou art fairer then the Children of men grace is poured into thy lips when under the stairs Psal 45.2 Cant. 5.10 and in the Clifts of the Rocks then the soul can sing my beloved is white and ruddy the chicfest among ten thousand When the God of Heaven hath famisht all our Gods on earth when he hath hunger-starved us as to Creature comforts in any way whatsoever then we can hunger after and taste the sweetness the fulness which is in Jesus Christ O then Christ a King to govern a Prophet to teach a Priest to save how precious then none but Christ none but Christ give me a Christ or else I die In a word my Beloved when once it is come by what exigencies and surprises soever to an Oh wretch that I am who shal deliver me Rom. 7.24 then I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Truly God is forc't to exercise us with a severe Discipline that he may endear Jesus Christ to our hearts and secludes us from the World that we may study and improve his fulness As the Law is our School-master Gal. 3.24 so affliction is an Vsher to the Law affliction brings us to the Law and the Law brings us to Christ And thus I have dispatcht the first thing I undertook for the opening of the Doctrine sc The Lessons which God teacheth those whom he chasteneth both in their twenty particulars and in their three summary comprehensive heads to which all the rest may be reduced I come to the second thing namely The Nature or properties of divine teaching The nature and propetries of divine teaching For my Brethâ—en it is not every teaching that will make or evidence a man to be a blessed man under affliction There is hardly any man that is under affliction but he learns somewhat by it yet few are blessed the reason is because it matters not so much what a man is taught as who is the Teacher whither he be taught of God or no yea that is not all neither for we are not to enquire only whether we be taught of God but how There is a twofold teaching of God There is a common teaching which even Heathen men out of the Church Hypocrites Reprobates within the Church may have the very Philosophers have read excellent Lectures upon affliction Seneca others and there is a special teaching proper and peculiar only to the Children of promise A Covenant-teaching Isa 54.13 All thy Children shall be taught of God it is the Covenant of God with thâ— Redeemer Isa 54 13. A teaching without which no man can come to Christ John 6.45 Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Now this teaching hath a sixfold property The first property is 6. properties of Covenantreaching It is an inward teaching Inward in respect of the Object and inward in respect of the Subject Inward in respect of the Object 1. Property it is inward so our Saviour concerning the saving teaching of the Holy Ghost when the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth Ioh. 16 13 Man may lead you UNTO truth but it is the spirit of God that only can lead you INTO truth he only that hath the Key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth can open to you the door of truth and shew you the inside of truth And great is the difference between these two teachings He that comes to a stately house or place sees only the outward fabrick and structure and even that may take much but he that comes into it sees all the inward contrivances and conveyances he sees all the rich furniture and adornings of the several rooms and Offices of the house which are not only for use but for delight and ornament Surely the very out-side of truth is goodly but like the Kings Daughter it is all glorious within not pleasing only but ravishing this they see who are led into truth Psal 119.18 by verâ—ue whereof David saw wonderful things in the Law Objects which filld his soul with wonder and delight And as the teachings of the Covenant are inward in respect of the Object so inward also in respect of the Subject In the HIDDEN PART thou hast made me know wisdom Psal 51.6 and again I thank the Lord that gave me counsel MY REINS also instruct me in the night seasons Psal 16.7 the Reins are the most inward part of the Body and the night-season the most retired and private time both express the intimacy of divine teaching man may teach the Brains but God only teacheth the Reins the knowledg which man teacheth is a swimming knowledg but the knowledg which Christ teacheth is a soaking knowledg God who commanded light to shine out of dâ—rkness 2 Cor. 4 6 hath shined into our HEARTS to give the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ it is a loaden expression and holds forth the inward teachings of God on both sides both in reference to the Subject and in reference to the Object In reference to the Subject He that commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts Mans light may shine into the Head but Gods light doth shine into the Heart God hath his Throne in Heaven Cathedram habet inCaelis quicorda doâ—et Aâ—g but his Chair his Pulpit is in the heart he hath shined into our hearts And then you have the inwardness of divine teaching in respect of the Object he hath given us the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Man may give knowledg confused general knowledg but God giveth the light of knowledg in the lustre and brightness of it In thy light we shall see light Psal 36.9 the soul seeth by the same light whereby God himself seeth thy light and not only so here is not only knowledg and light of knowledg but the glory of that light the light which God brings in to the sanctified understanding is a glorious light a marvelous light 1 Pet. 2.9 the soul that the spirit taketh by the hand leadeth into truth standeth wondering at the glory and excellency of that light which shines round about it And then lastly all this in the face of Jesus Christ The face is the full discovery of a person Moses could not see Gods face but only his back-parts he might see Exod. 33. last But now by the flesh of Josus Christ God hath put a vail upon his face the vail of his flesh Heb. 10.20 through which we may see the face of God
affliction yet divine teaching could antidote that poyson and turn it into a cup of blessing unto him Thy rod and thy staff comfort me Psa 23 4. O that the children of God in affliction or entering upon sufferings would sit down and dwell upon this Consideration The fruit and advantage which God knoweth how to bring out of all their sorrows even the peaceable fruits of righteousness This would keep them from uncomely despondencies and dejections of spirit For this cause we faint not saith the Apostle for what cause 2 Cor. 4.16.18 while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen that is to say not at the visible sufferings but at the invisible fruit and advantage of our sufferings This holds up head and keeps up heart and maketh the Soul not onely to be patient but to glory in tribulation Knowing that tribulation worketh patience Rom. 5 3 4 5 Pericula non respicit Mar. yr coronas respicit Basil ad 40 Martyr and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us This is the way to counterpoise the temptation and in the conflict between the flesh and the spirit to come in to the succor of the better part Eightly 8 Branch Inform. Why we stay so long under affliction It shews us the reason why God doth keep some of his people so long under the Discipline of the Rod. Truly God doth not onely bring his children into the School of affliction but many times keeps them long there Psa 125.3 The rod of the wicked indeed shall not ALWAYS rest on the back of the righteous I but it may lie long for months for years for many years together seventy years were the Jews in the house of Correction at Babylon four hundred years in the brick-kils of Egypt Story and experience will serve in instances without number Hence you have the people of God so often at their How-longs in Scripture Psal 6.3 But thou O Lord HOVV LONG Psal 13.1 2. HOVV LONG wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever HOVV LONG wilt thou hide thy face from me HOVV LONG shall I take counsel in my Soul HOVV LONG shall mine Enemy be exalted over me In this Psalm where my Text is HOVV LONG shall the wicked HOVV LONG shall the wicked triumph twice How long before he can vent his complaint and yet again the third time HOVV LONG shall they utter and speak hard things HOVV LONG cries Jeremiah Ier. 4.21 shall I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet and Zechariah Zech. 1.12 O Lord of Hoasts HOVV LONG wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah The Souls under the Altar Revel 6.10 cry with a loud voyce i. e. in much anguish and agony HOVV LONG O Lord holy and true dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Verily God doth keep his people sometimes so long under their pressures that they begin at length even to give themselves up to despair and to conclude they shal never see deliverance Thus you finde not onely the common multitude of the Jews in the Babylonian captivity concluding desperately Our bones are dryed Lam. 3.53 our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts dry bones may as well live as our captitivity have an end but even the Prophet Jeremiah himself whether in his own person or in the name of the whole Church I know not possibly both They have cut off my life in the dungeon and cast a stone upon me He seems to himself to be in the condition of a man that is dead and buried and the grave-stone rould to the mouth of the Sepulchre a Metaphor expressing an hopeless and desperate condition yea hence it is that when deliverance is nigh they cannot believe it though a Prophet of God or an Angel from Heaven should report it Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favor her yea the set-time is come sings the Prophet Daniel or some other that lived neer the expiration of the seventy years captivity and yet in the mean time the Jews reply as before Our bones are dryed our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts q. d. tell not us of Gods arising c. we shall never see Sion again we are but dead men Observe it by the way They that would not believe the captivity while it was in the threatening Hab. 1.5 would not believe deliverance when it was in the promise A just judgment upon them that that they that would not beleeve God threatening should not beleeve God promising But that 's not all Deliverance was so incredible after so long a captivity that they could not bleeve it when they saw it When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion Psa 126.1 we were like them that dream They knew not as it fared with Peter half awake and half asleep Acts 12.9 whether it was true or whether they saw a vision onely Is this a real deliverance or are we in a dream onely Our Saviour tells us that when the Son of man shall come Luk. 18.8 i. e. with particular deliverances to his Church he shall not find faith on the earth there will not be faith enough in the people of God to beleeve it by reason of the long pressures and persecutions that have been upon them Now I say what is the reason that God suffers affliction to lie so long upon the backs of his children Truly one Reason is because they have lived long in sin they have been long a sinning and therefore God is long a correcting God puts them to THEIR How-longs because they have put God to HIS How-longs Exod. 6.28 HOVV LONG refuse ye to keep my Commandments and my Laws HOVV LONG will this people provoke me and HOVV LONG will it be ere they believe Jerem. 4.14 HOVV LONG shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee Hosea 8.5 HOVV LONG will it be ere they attain to innocency c. And truly if they have made God complain of THEIR How-longs no wonder if God make them complain of HIS How-longs But then again another and the main reason is because the work is not yet done they do not receive Instruction by their Correction else affliction would quickly cease God giveth not a blow he draws not a drop of blood more then needs For a season 1 Pet. 1.6 if NEED be ye are in heaviness if there be heaviness there is need of it and if heaviness continue long there is need of it It is not to gratifie their Enemies that God keeps them so long under their lash but to teach them not that God afflicts willingly Lam. 3.33 c. but that he may do them good in their latter end that by the rod
dictate of their own lusts then of Gods Laws till at length God grew as weary if I may so say of counselling as they were of being counselled and gave them up to their own hearts lusts Psa 81.12 to walk in their own counsels That they that would not live by Gods counsels should perish by their own And therefore you that are come out of the house of bondage remember the sorrows of a suffering condition set not your heart so much upon the pleasure of your present enlargement as upon the bitterness of your former captivity The Church found great advantage in it when returned from Babylon Remembering mine affliction and my misery the wormwood and the gall Lam. 3.19 my Soul hath them CONTINUALLY in remembrance and what was the fruit of it it follows And is humbled in me The meaning is this The people of God among the Jews that desired to keep close to God after their great deliverance experienc'd a serious and constant remembrance of those seventy years sufferings to be an excellent preservative to that humble and gracious frame of heart which God wrought them into in their captivity And yet that is not all As remembrance of affliction preserved Humility so Humility strengthened Faith This I recall to minde therefore have I HOPE Tribulation wrought patience and patience experience Rom. 5.3 and experience HOPE c. By the kindly operation of the remembrance of former Dispensations she began to conceive good HOPE through grace that God had not chastened Her in wrath but in love and that all her Tribulations were the fruit of the Promise not of the Threatening a Blessing not a Curse Go you and do likewise Thirdly 3 Help Remember all your uncomely carriage in affliction Call often to minde the sad discourses and reasonings the fears and tremblings which you have had in your bosoms in the times of trouble and distress Thus the Church Lam. 3.17 I forgat prosperity She had been so long in a suffering condition that now she can scarce remember that ever she saw a good day in all her life and at length she sits down and giveth her self up to despair And I SAID my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord She remembreth what unbelieving conclusions she made in her affliction I SAID c. And so the Prophet Jeremiah Vers 54. Waters flowed over mine head then I SAID I am cut off when he began to sink in the mire he remembreth how his heart began to sink with fear he calleth to minde what faithless language his heart spake I SAID I am cut off Thus David I SAID in my passion c. Psal 31.22 and 116.11 and Jonah 2.4 THEN I SAID I am cast out of thy sight Hezekiah makes a large narrative of what discourses he had in his own Soul what time he had received the sentence of death and leaveth it in writing to all posterity Isai 38.9 THE WRITING of Hezekiah King of Judah Isai 38.9 10 when he had been sick I SAID in the cutting off of my days what did he say truly he uttered very strange complaints for such an eminent Saint as he was I shall go to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my years I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world mine age is departed and a great deal to that purpose The sum whereof is this I shall dye I shall dye I must take my leave of this world and worms must eat my flesh in the grave c. Such uncomely words he uttered but he remembereth them afterward and is contented to shame himself for them to all the world he puts his fleshly complaints in print that he may humble himself and caution yea and comfort others And thus Christians should we do we should call to minde our SAIDS i. e. we should sit down and recount the impatiencies and short-spiritednesses the murmur and unbelief the love of a present world the fear of death the hard thoughts of God all the irregularities and distempers of our own spirits in the time of Tribulation I said I said c. Doubtless it would be of singular use as to humble our Souls and to check corruption so to endear and proserve the Teachings of God upon your Souls while you might tune Davids Thanksgiving conceived upon some such like occasion Psal 25.8 Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he TEACH SINNERS in the way q. d. I sinned against the Lord in my affliction by my impatience unbelief unhumbledness c. yet He was pleased not altogether to leave me without the Teachings of his Spirit not because I was good but because He was good not because I pleased HIM but because Mercy pleased HIM not because I was upright before Him but because He was UPRIGHT true and faithful to his own Promise hath he done it Good and upright is the Lord and therefore HE hath TAUGHT me though I was a sinner in the way Fourthly Remember your Vows 4 Means Remember your Vows When God by the fire of affliction shew'd you your folly discovered to you the hidden corruption of your hearts and brought your ways and doings to remembrance which were not good you were ashamed yea even confounded and said as it is in Job Lord wherein I have done wickedly I will do so no more But take heed it be not so with you as it was with backsliding Israel of whom God thus complaineth Of old time I have broken thy yoke Ier. 2.20 and burst thy bands and thou saidst I WILL NOT TRANSGRESS q. d. I brought thee hundreds of years since out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondage and then thou madest me fair promises I remember the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals vers 2. Thou saidst I will do so no more Lord I 'l be covetous no more and idolatrous no more adulterous no more I will murmur no more I will no more depart from thee Thou art the Guide of my youth Good words had she been as good as her word but Oh read what followeth and tremble when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wandrest playing the harlot i. e. no sooner her old heart and her old temptations met but presently they fell into mutual embraces And this is the temper of out hearts for all the world * Nuper me cujusdam amici lanquor aâ—monuit â—pâ—imos esse nos dum infirmi sumus Plin. ep 26. l. 7 ad Max. we are very good while we are in affliction and promise fair but no sooner the tryal over but we forget Gods Teachings and our own Vows and return into the same course and fashion of conversation as before Now therefore if you would preserve the Teachings of God upon your spirits sit down remember your vows and spreading them before the Lord say with David Psal 66 13 14 I will pay thee