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<DATE>2009-04-20</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<BIBNO T="umi">99859684</BIBNO>
<VID>111779</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DRY ROD BLOOMING AND FRVIT-BEARING.</P>
<P>OR, A Treati&s;e of the Pain, Gain, and V&s;e of Cha&s;tenings.</P>
<P>Preached partly in &s;everall Sermons, but now compiled more orderly and fully for the direction and &s;upport of all Gods Cha&s;tened that &s;uffer either in CHRIST, or for CHRIST in the&s;e dayes.</P>
<P>By <HI>G. Hughes, B. D.</HI> Pa&s;tor of the Church in PLYMOVTH.</P>
<Q><P>Legi apud quendam &s;apientem, Non e&s;t vir fortis cui non cre&s;cit ani|mus ni ip&s;a rerum difficultate: ego autem dico, Fideli homini magis &amp; inter flagella fidendum.</P>
<BIBL><HI>Bern. Epi&s;t. 256. Ad. D. P. Eng.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q><P>It is good for a man, that he bear the yoke in his youth.</P>
<BIBL><HI>Lam.</HI> 3 27</BIBL></Q>
<Q><P>My yoke is ea&s;ie, and my burden is light.</P>
<BIBL><HI>Mat.</HI> 11.30.</BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>T. Paine</HI> for <HI>John Rothwell</HI> at the <HI>Sun</HI> in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard. 1644.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL, the Major, Recorder and Aldermen of the Town of <HI>Plymouth,</HI> with all that love the Lord I &s;us in &s;incerity even unto deepe&s;t &s;ufferings in that place.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Honored and Beloved,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_GOds <HI>Furnace</HI> of affliction, and refining <HI>Fire</HI> hath beene vi&s;ibly &s;et up among you, as in other parts of this di&s;tre&s;&s;ed I&s;land, the furnace hath beene as hot, and the flame as great, as in any of Gods <HI>work-hou&s;es</HI> in the land: Me thinks pity &s;hould be &s;hewed, to you &s;o deepely afflicted and to&s;&s;ed with tempe&s;t, by your friends. Your enemies, and the Churches oppre&s;&s;ers wil not &s;pare to add to your afflictions, per&s;ecuting you as evill doers, and charging you with <HI>Di&s;|loialty,</HI> a Crime more bitter than your &s;ufferings, were the charge but ju&s;t; unju&s;t a&s;per&s;ions will turne to greater ho|nour at the la&s;t, therfore may be pre&s;ent comforts; I pray both for my &s;elfe and you, the abhorring of that <HI>Sinne</HI> next to Rebellion again&s;t the Lord of Glory; I tru&s;t we &s;hall &s;trive
<PB REF="3">equally again&s;t it, &amp; be approved before the Reproacher in the latter end. But why di&s;loyall? if I may a little rea&s;on) becau&s;e obedient to the lawfull commands of the true funda|mentall power ordained by God over us? &s;uch obedience cannot be Trea&s;on, unle&s;&s;e that power bee Traiterous; and before this Age it was never known that a true Parliament was a &s;ubject capable of the crime of Trea&s;on; and truer than this rais'd according to the fundamental con&s;titutions of this Kingdome never was any, let the enemy him&s;elfe be Judge. In this ca&s;e it is &s;afer to be accounted a Traitor for obedience to &s;uch a power, then to bee one indeede by re&s;i|&s;tance of it. To the accu&s;ers returne, The <HI>My&s;tery of In|iquity,</HI> as it covers &s;inne in poy&s;oning, &s;o it hides the cau&s;e in per&s;ecuting; It pretends Chri&s;t, when it would convey into the Soule the very <HI>Hell</HI> of Antichri&s;t, and it cries out Faction, Trea&s;on, when it would murther outright Chri&s;t in his Members; And this devi&s;e is too well knowne now, than that Gods cho&s;en &s;hould bee deluded by it; wi&s;h them againe to leave calling Traitors, and waite for the Chroni|cle in the next Generation, which will more truely tell the generations to come, who have beene indeede Traitors in this Age: And tell them once more, it little concerns the Saints in this matter to be indged in mans <HI>day</HI> or of mans <HI>judgement;</HI> Gods <HI>day</HI> and <HI>judgement</HI> are ha&s;ting on, unto which alone doe we appeale: There &s;hall they an&s;wer Chri&s;t and us, and untill then wee will patiently beare and wait for &s;entence from our Iudge.</P>
<P>Your great &s;uffering in the eyes of others both God and Men will finde, I hope, better acceptance, and draw &s;weeter expres&s;ions for returne: God hath not hid his face from you in yours deepe&s;t darkne&s;&s;e; in the flame he hath kept your Bu&s;h from burning, and in the furnace your &s;elves and
<PB REF="3">&s;ub&s;tance yet from con&s;uming All that I pray for you is, ye may not be found unthankful nor unfruitful, but that ye may tread in the &s;teps of Gods <HI>bo&s;om-&s;onne</HI> to learne obedi|ence by all that ye have &s;uffered, and returne unto the Lord according to mercies received.</P>
<P>For your helpe in this cour&s;e, I am bold to pre&s;ent this worke to your eyes and hearts to be &s;eene and &s;tudied: My fir&s;t conceptions of it (I confe&s;&s;e) were occa&s;ioned by my owne afflictions, for my owne u&s;e, which though bitter to the fle&s;h, I hoped to &s;weeten by the Spirit of the&s;e truths bound up in this Apo&s;tolicall adverti&s;ement to the Chri&s;ti|an Hebrewes: and I ble&s;&s;e God, my hope did not altoge|ther faile nice in this matter. Afterwards my thoughts were inlarged to &s;ome Sermons upon this &s;ubiect, with de|&s;ire not to keepe clo&s;e the&s;e reviving cordialls, but to impart them in mea&s;ure for the comfort of Gods afflicted; The de|&s;ire of &s;ome of the&s;e to have tho&s;e words under their eyes, which did but touch their eares, hath prevailed with me to compo&s;e all in this Treati&s;e, &amp; now to make it of publike u&s;e. Yet in &s;ending it abroad my hearts de&s;ire is to give it a &s;pe|ciall direction unto you, and my prayer to God, that it may a|bundantly be profitable to your &s;oules: To the love and care wherof as I am ingaged by the more &s;peciall bonds of Chri&s;t; &s;o if you may better pro&s;per under chastenings by this first fruit of my labour on you, it will be my full rejoycing.</P>
<P>I pre&s;ent this worke to you, and the afflicted Church, the rather at this &s;ea&s;on, to bee both a remedy again&s;t pre&s;ent pre&s;&s;ures, and an Antidote again&s;t the malignity of future troubles in the fle&s;h, which the Holy Gho&s;t &s;eem's to bid us to expect in the&s;e la&s;t dayes of te&s;tifying again&s;t the Anti|chri&s;t, and his va&s;&s;al creatures, if we be the Saints of God: he points at our time, and all that &s;pace remaining to the
<PB REF="4">harve&s;t of Antichri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 14.12.</NOTE> with that finger, <HI>Here is the pati|ence of the Saints;</HI> Here and now trialls enough &s;hall be rai&s;ed to exerci&s;e the patience of Gods Saints, but no cau&s;e to undervalue Saint&s;hip for this. Ble&s;&s;ed Saints in this time that &s;tore up patience, that <HI>keepe the Commande|ments of God and the faith of Ie&s;us;</HI> The victory and Kingdome &s;hall be theirs. If any afflicted &s;oule may by this Treati&s;e be directed to its due exerci&s;e under the rod, and help't on to the receiving of the de&s;ired fruit, it is all I aime at, that God may be glorified in it.</P>
<P>Vpon you <HI>(dearely beloved and longed for)</HI> J ca&s;t this &s;eede with a great hope of a &s;weete returne of a treble fruit, <HI>toward the rod, toward your God, toward your &s;elves,</HI> which I be&s;eech the Father of mercies by the word of ble&s;sing to perfect, &amp; you by your obedience to helpe on, that we be not a&s;hamed. <HI>1. Towards the rod,</HI> I &s;hall long and hope for your returne of <HI>patience</HI> in a &s;weete bearing of it, that ye neither faint under it nor de&s;pi&s;e it; of <HI>obedience</HI> in a due hearing of it, that like the Bee, yee may worke hony out of every netle; and of <HI>diligence</HI> or watchfulne&s;&s;e to be conformed to Gods Covenant, for which the Rod pleads, that it may be as the <HI>thorne</HI> at the Nightin|gales brea&s;t, your con&s;tant <HI>Awakener</HI> unto God.</P>
<P N="2"><HI>2. Towards God,</HI> no le&s;&s;e &s;hall I de&s;ire and wait for, the eminent <HI>Piety, Holine&s;&s;e,</HI> and zeale for his cau&s;e in the power of them, to give him <HI>Glory</HI> his <HI>Peculiar,</HI> in word, in waies, in wor&s;hip, this he will have, either from you, or upon you: How well &s;pent are we, if we be con&s;umed and God glorified? Saints are but <HI>Lamps</HI> or Candles of God, they burne and &s;hine to &s;hew his beauty, and at la&s;t are done,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. Gould.</NOTE> goe out &s;weetly and expire in his glory. Such a <HI>Lamp</HI> is lately gone out with you, that is burnt &amp; &s;pent for Chri&s;t,
<PB REF="4">his Church and you; His life was <HI>light,</HI> and that de&s;ired, his death darkene&s;&s;e, not in yours onely but the kingdomes Hemi&s;phaere, and that lamented: I cannot thinke upon &s;uch a publike <HI>Man</HI> but with Honour, and though <HI>Envy</HI> barke, the memory of the iu&s;t &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed; I mention him onely to move you to a repaire of &s;uch a Light, Be all &s;o; burne and &s;hine, and &s;pend &s;tate, and parts, and lives to become at la&s;t Gods <HI>Glory</HI> in expiring.</P>
<P N="3"><HI>3. Towards your &s;elves,</HI> I pray and waite for out of all your troubles the fruit of <HI>Love</HI> &amp; <HI>Vnion;</HI> though in times of peace Chri&s;tians may perhaps grow fat, and proud, and wanton, and kick with the heele, yet me thinks the rod and afflictions &s;hould tame them; Though in the palace the Martyres may contend, the stake did &s;urely make them friends: One &s;courge upon all backs for one cau&s;e, by one Adver&s;ary, will certainely whip the hearts of them together that &s;uffer: Either ye are not all <HI>indeed &s;ufferers</HI> in the &s;ame cau&s;e of Chri&s;t, (if &s;o, let Hypocrites unmaske them|&s;elves) or el&s;e ye must bee of the &s;ame heart and minde; O let that cur&s;ed <HI>&s;elfe</HI> dye, and let <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> live in you, then ye &s;hall bee of one heart and of one minde. <HI>Selfe-conceit, Selfe-ends, Selfe-plea&s;ing,</HI> let them peri&s;h; Is this a time to &s;eeke things for our &s;elves? Seeke Chri&s;t, &s;erve and plea&s;e one another in him; no way &s;o holy and &s;o pro&s;perous. Let the rod have &s;uch an an&s;wer: or if by any other argu|ments I may, let me now beg you into mutual love and &s;weet accord; I will &s;trive by the Apo&s;tles &s;trength: <HI>Beloved, if there</HI> be <HI>any con&s;olation in Chri&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2.1, 2.</NOTE> <HI>any comfort in love, if any fellow&s;hip of the Spirit, if any bowells and mercies, fulfill my joy to be like-minded in the Lord.</HI> With this hope I &s;end this token to you, in this hope I am ha&s;ting towards you, your union and mutuall <HI>love</HI> in Chri&s;t
<PB REF="5">will be my joy, your divi&s;ions from him my greate&s;t <HI>griefe:</HI> Honour Chri&s;t, and comfort me, and ble&s;&s;e your &s;elves in yeelding this fruit. Take now this pledge of my love and u&s;e it. I al&s;o &s;hall bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, that while ye are reading, the Spirit of life and light may fall upon you, and change your hearts into the likene&s;&s;e of every Truth; Hee teach and &s;tabli&s;h, and comfort, and perfect you unto Gods Heavenly Kingdome; Into his bo&s;ome I now commend you through the Beloved, In whom I mu&s;t &s;ub&s;cribe my &s;elfe,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Lond.</HI> <DATE><HI>May. 11^t^h. 1644.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your unworthy Pastor, de&s;i|rous to be your faithfull &s;ervant for Je&s;us &s;ake. <HI>GEORGE HVGHES.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>A DRY ROD BLOOMING AND FRVIT-BEARING, OR A Treati&s;e of the Pain, Gain, &amp;c. u&s;e of Gods Cha|&s;tenings upon his own Children, i&s;&s;uing from this Text, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.11, 12, 13.</HEAD>
<P>Now no cha&s;tening for the pre&s;ent &s;eemeth to be joyous, but grievous, neverthele&s;&s;e afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto them that are exerci&s;ed thereby.</P>
<P>Wherefore lift up the hands which hang downe, and the feeble knees.</P>
<P>And make &s;treight (<HI>or</HI> even) pathes for the feete, le&s;t that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather bee healed.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>THE FIRST PART.</HI> Of the Paine of Cha&s;tenings.</HEAD>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. I.</HI> The &s;cope and inference of this Scripture-ground leading to the work.</HEAD>
<P>_THe Text in its &s;cope is a <HI>Lenitive</HI> prepared and pre|&s;cribed by the highe&s;t and mo&s;t able hand to ea&s;e the &s;mart,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Scope.</NOTE> and cure the faintings of his cho&s;en portion under all afflictions: Such care doth God expre&s;&s;e to the true &s;eede of <HI>Abraham</HI> the <HI>Hebrew</HI> his old Friend in their deepe&s;t &s;ufferings.</P>
<P>The inference is thus;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The illation.</NOTE> The Apo&s;tle had fini&s;hed the maine doctri|nall part of this Epi&s;tle touching the <HI>glory, &s;ufficiencie</HI> and <HI>efficacie</HI> of the great Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, chap. 10. v. 18. The &s;ummary drift
<PB N="2" REF="6">of all which was, That every Soule both of <HI>Jew</HI> and <HI>Gentile</HI> for all things toward God mu&s;t onely &amp; wholly acquie&s;ce or re&s;t &s;atisfied in that one Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Sonne of God, by whom alone the Father hath revealed his bo&s;ome-thoughts and purpo&s;es concerning that one way of &s;aving poore &s;inners: This ground worke being laid, he thence laboreth to draw them to practi&s;e and duties &s;utable to &s;uch a Doctrine; 1. To neerer acquaintance with God by this new revea|led Chri&s;t. v. 19, 20, 21, 22. 2 To boldne&s;&s;e and con&s;tancy in the pro|fe&s;&s;ion of this Sonne of God, v. 23. 3 To mutuall care for &s;tirring up each other to walke worthy of &s;uch a Mini&s;try, and not to &s;inne again&s;t this revealed truth, with mighty arguments to inforce it, from v. 24. to 32. 4 To patience under any cro&s;&s;e that may accompany this profo&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t; he toucheth their pa&s;t experience of &s;coffes re|proaches &amp; &s;poylings of their goods, he advi&s;eth to &s;tore them&s;elves with patience for the future, for as much as they &s;hould finde neede of it. &amp; from the certaine and &s;peedy comming of their Redeemer in|courageth them to faith as the only ri&s;e and maine &s;upport of pati|ence which clo&s;eth that chapter. In the whole 11^t^h c. he reports the effects &amp; notable exploits of this victoriousfaith in many, Worthies of their owne nation, that made them endure to the nullifying of torments, and a&s;toni&s;hment of their bloody per&s;ecutors, therein ex|emplifying the power of faith working patience. In the 12. chap. v. 1 he re&s;umes with greater &s;trength from the cloud of witne&s;&s;es his former coun&s;ell and pre&s;&s;eth them to runne out with patience the race that was &s;et before them, with the addition of &s;ome forcing con|&s;iderations. 1 From the leader in this cour&s;e, Chri&s;t the Sonne of God, to whom all mu&s;t bee conformed in &s;ufferings that beare his name, v. 2.3, 4. 2 From the Author and inflicter of the&s;e &s;mart rods, it is God the Father, and he takes not this paines in cha&s;tening any but his children v. 5 6.7.8. 3 From the end of the&s;e cha&s;tenings, it is not from plea&s;ure as earthly parents may doe, but for our pro&s;it, that we might be partakers of his holines; &amp; &s;hould we decline &s;uch rods? v. 9.10. 4 From the future, certaine event which every exerci|&s;ed &s;oule &s;hall finde from all &s;ufferings in Chri&s;t, &amp; for Chri&s;t, this is the peaceable fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, one maine clau&s;e of the text; and would a Belcever lo&s;e this for e&s;caping the cro&s;&s;e? Summe wee up all premi&s;ed in the&s;e collections, Gods care is very tender to his af|flicted; Chri&s;t their hope may be the occa&s;ion of many &s;trokes unto them; patience will be needfull to overcome the bitterne&s;&s;e of their afflictions: Faith is powerfull to make patience victorious; and the
<PB N="3" REF="6">future fruit of &s;ufferings will incourage grace to hold out its cour&s;e unwearied. Now to fall clo&s;e to the text and matter.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. II.</HI> The order, parts, and letter of the Text di&s;covered.</HEAD>
<P>THe &s;pirit of Chri&s;t &s;eemes to order this &s;cripture by way of anti|cipation to &s;ilence &s;ome ri&s;ings of fle&s;h in the&s;e Chri&s;tian He|brewes, which might ea&s;ily appeare again&s;t this bearing worke in &s;uch returnes as this. <HI>Ob.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Obiection.</NOTE> Alas! what fle&s;h and blood can indure tho&s;e burdens unto which you would have us &s;ubject our &s;elves? doe you think there is no &s;mart in them? <HI>Sol.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Solution.</NOTE> The &s;pirit here an&s;wereth, yea &s;ure God knowes that every cha&s;tening is &s;mart, and worketh griefe, but is it not &s;weet too? take this with that, and then judge what cau&s;e ye have to withdraw from the&s;e &s;ufferings. In the Text then the&s;e generalls are ob&s;ervable.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. A propo&s;ition concerning the true &s;tate and i&s;&s;ue of all Gods cha&s;tenings upon Chri&s;ts members; which is double.
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. By way of conce&s;&s;ion, granting that which the af|flicted &s;ay, concerning the evill of their &s;ufferings; True, no cha&s;tening for the pre&s;ent is joyous, but grie|vous.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. By way of correction yet to their mi&s;conceit as if no|thing but bitterne&s;&s;e were in them, therefore he adds, neverthele&s;&s;e, &amp;c. v. 11.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. An Inference of duty, which is twofold.
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Of incouragement, lift up the hands, &amp;c. v. 12.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Of direction for rectifying waies and walking, make &s;treight &amp;c. and this urged by a double motive.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Inconvenience of neglect, the lame may be &s;o perverted</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Convenience or benefit of doing, &s;o the lame may be healed, v. 13.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The propo&s;ition of conce&s;&s;ion yeelds the <HI>paine,</HI> that of correction gives the <HI>gaine,</HI> and the inference brings home <HI>the u&s;e</HI> &s;harpe&s;t cha&s;te|nings to the &s;oule. The&s;e three are the chiefe heads which I &s;hall here treate of for the &s;upport of Gods afflicted. As for the let|ter I &s;hall open it in all, as they fall into an orderly pro&s;ecution: Here onely of &s;o much as concernes the fir&s;t propo&s;ition. Three
<PB N="4" REF="7">termes are here con&s;iderable; The Subject, that is <HI>cha&s;tening,</HI> which for the notion is &s;uch a &s;mart correction as a father would u&s;e to his child,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> be it by what in&s;trument &s;oever; and here notes the affliction or evill of what kinde &s;oever that God is plea&s;ed to exerci&s;e his chil|dren withal, even his &s;marting rod. 2 The Attribute two waies expre&s;|&s;ed. 1. Negatively, it is not joyous; 2 Affirmatively; but it is grie|vous: In the letter, it is given in genitives of the &s;everall affections, no cha&s;tening is <HI>of joy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>but grief,</HI> that is, matter of joy, but of griefe; &s;or|row, not mirth is is the affection proper to this evill of affliction; therefore full enough rendred in the&s;e adjectives, not <HI>joyous</HI> but <HI>grievons.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> vide|tur, non e&s;t qua&s;i tantum appirens e&s;&s;et onus, Theophyl. Aquin. intextu.</NOTE> 3 The manner of attribution, <HI>It &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">meth to be &s;o,</HI> the words are not &s;o po&s;itive, as to &s;ay, no cha&s;tening is joyous, &amp;c. which hath made &s;ome to glo&s;&s;e irrationally the uncertainety of this Attribute, as if it onely &s;eemed to be grievous for pre&s;ent, but indeede were not &s;o; This is not the minde of God as if he did mock his afflicted, but hee grants really to them as much as they feele, that the rod is truely grievous for the pre&s;ent; therefore this <HI>&s;eeming</HI> is of &s;en&s;e by which it is felt to be &s;o, not of uncertainety. So that God &s;peakes plainely in the letter to us, and grants as much as fle&s;h can &s;ay it feeles.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. III.</HI> The fir&s;t conclu&s;ion and its explication.</HEAD>
<P>HAving thus under&s;tood the letter, remembring it to be a propo|&s;ition of conce&s;&s;ion; Let us now ob&s;erve in it the&s;e particulars, 1 Who grants this? It is the &s;pirit of God. 2 What he grants? It is that which the fle&s;h of the Saints feeles, that no cha&s;tening is joyous but grievous. 3 What limitation he makes to this grant? That hee &s;urely puts in touching the time, it is &s;o but for the pre&s;ent. 4 To whom he grants this? It is to his cha&s;tened or afflicted children; the re&s;ult from all will be in this conclu&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>God him&s;elfe accounts all the afflictions or cha&s;tenings of his people, not light but heavie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cenclu&s;. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> <HI>and allowes them not joy but griefe under their pre&s;ent pre&s;&s;ures.</HI> To take the full weight of this, the&s;e foure things mu&s;t bee more clearely opened, 1. The condition judged, <HI>no cha&s;tening is light but heavie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>3.</HI> quia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">it?</NOTE> <HI>or not good but evill.</HI> 2 The affection allowed, not <HI>joy,</HI> but <HI>griefe.</HI> 3 The Author or Judge of both, it is the Lord, by his &s;pirit that grants this. 4 The due limitation for the time or &s;ea&s;on, It is &s;o for the pre&s;ent. To the 1. the condition here judged and the &s;en|tence pa&s;&s;ed on it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The conditi|on indged.</NOTE> is clearely carried in that &s;peech of the Spirit, <HI>no cha&s;tening is matter of ioy,</HI> therefore not good, not light or ea&s;ie,
<PB N="5" REF="7">but <HI>matter of grief,</HI> therefore evill, heavie, and &s;mart. Two things mu&s;t have &s;ome light here. 1. The Subject whereof this is &s;poken. 2. The Attribute or &s;entence given of it.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Subject here is <HI>Cha&s;tening,</HI> one kind of the evills of paine, and, as will appeare, the ea&s;ie&s;t of them all; To conceive aright of it, we &s;hall di&s;tingui&s;h to find it out, and then di&s;cover it more fully. The evils of pain in the Scripture dialect are threefold,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, Ezek. 14 21.</NOTE> &s;o many dif|ferent titles we have of them. 1. Some are called <HI>Judgments;</HI> The&s;e for the matter of them may be of any &s;ort of pain (as all the re&s;t) ei|ther &s;word, famine or pe&s;tilence; but the form or &s;peciall being of them, is made up of the<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Jer. 23.19.</NOTE> principle or ri&s;e of them, which is the wrath of God,<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 34.5.</NOTE> a Judge of the rule for the execution, which is the cur&s;e of the Law, and<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Exod 9.16.</NOTE> of the end of their inflicting, which is Gods Glory in the creatures ruine on whom they fall;<NOTE PLACE="marg">A Judge.</NOTE> The&s;e are peculiar to the wicked onely.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Others are called Cha&s;tenings,</HI> as in the text;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> The&s;e al&s;o in their generall or materiall con&s;ideration, may be any kind of affliction or painfull evill, but in their &s;peciall nature, they are &s;pecified by the love of God a father the root of them,<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.6. P&s;al. 89.30.34</NOTE> by the promi&s;e of grace the rule of their execution, and<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.10.</NOTE> by the communication of holine&s;&s;e for Gods glory to the&s;e afflicted, the certain end whereunto they are intended; The&s;e are proper onely to Gods children.</P>
<P N="3">3. The re&s;t are called <HI>Trials,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> which agree with the two former in the materiall part, the &s;ame evils upon &s;tate, name and life may be in all. The end gives the name to the&s;e, fora&s;much as God intendeth and u&s;eth them as the Refiner his fire, to try the &s;ilver, to put a diffe|tence between dro&s;&s;e and metall, to con&s;ume that and poli&s;h this;</P>
<P><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Revel. 3.10.</NOTE> So by the&s;e afflictions God trieth &s;pirits, di&s;covereth the refu&s;e, rotten, vile and reprobate, to &s;eparate them to &s;hame, and<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4.12.</NOTE> the choice, &s;ound and approved &s;ouls to re&s;erve them for honour: The&s;e befall good and bad, children and ba&s;tards, whereby the one appeares dro&s;&s;e, combu&s;tible matter, and the other gold of eternall durance: yet in fine to the children the&s;e prove cha&s;tenings, but to the out|ca&s;ts in&s;ufferable judgements.</P>
<P>Cha&s;tenings then are the &s;ubject wherewith we are to deale, the nature and extent whereof are toucht in the text. 1. The nature is in the name. It is &s;uch a correction as God the Father in care for the profit of his owne children, is plea&s;ed to inflict upon occa&s;ion of their &s;lips or wandrings, le&s;t they &s;hould run into the condemnation of the world; which though it be &s;mart, yet in compari&s;on with the other, is the &s;weete&s;t rod.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="8">
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Chry|&s;o&s;t. in text.</NOTE> The extent is in that univer&s;all note, <HI>No</HI> cha&s;tening; which im|ports both univer&s;ality of kinds, no kind of cha&s;tening neither bo|dily nor &s;pirituall, inward nor outward; and of degrees al&s;o, no cha&s;tening at all by the lea&s;t twigge, or the greate&s;t rod, from the <HI>Ague-&s;haking</HI> to the <HI>Fire-&s;corching,</HI> or <HI>rack-terrifying,</HI> none as good, but evill, all matter of griefe, not of joy. Thus is the &s;ubject &s;tated.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Attribute here is the &s;entence given; the&s;e are not <HI>matter of joy, but of griefe.</HI> In &s;hort, if we can determine what is the due mat|ter of a Chri&s;tians joy and grief, wee &s;hall ea&s;ily gather the Spirits mind in this. The proper object or matter of joy to a man, is &s;ome humane good in pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion; &s;o the &s;peciall matter of griefe is &s;ome painfull burden or &s;en&s;e of evill in pre&s;ent. Now then the pre|&s;ent enjoying of the Chri&s;tians good, is the matter of his joy, and &s;en&s;e of his peculiar evill, is the &s;ubject of his grief: Determine the&s;e, and we have all we &s;eek for. 1. The Chri&s;tians good prima|rily and in chiefe, is God him&s;elfe, his favour, and the light of his countenance immediatly is the chiefe&s;t portion that he pitcheth on. Let <HI>David</HI> &s;peak for all in this, among the many &s;earchers and &s;ui|ters in the world for good, crying all &s;everall wayes,<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.6.7.</NOTE> <HI>Who will &s;hew us any good?</HI> he lookes to heaven, and &s;ueth thus; <HI>Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.</HI> This makes gladne&s;&s;e of heart, when it is &s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n, more then the riche&s;t harve&s;t or fulle&s;t vintage. Again, the effects of this in the pledges of his favour, the ble&s;&s;ings of the right hand and of the left, are as a &s;econdary or derived good, which are &s;ometimes carried in that expre&s;&s;ion, the light of Gods countenance, the whole &s;alvation of the Church is the content of that, in their own confe&s;&s;ion;<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 80.7.19.</NOTE> <HI>Cau&s;e thy face to &s;hine, and we &s;hall be &s;aved.</HI> The fruition of all this is matter of joy.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Chri&s;tians evill is the want of all the former, the pre&s;ent apprehen&s;ion of nothing but frownes from God, and &s;en&s;e of all the effects of them in &s;marting troubles: It is the &s;adde&s;t draught of an evill and calamitous condition to the Saints, that the Spirit hath made, to pre&s;ent God either<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 74.1. P&s;al. 88.14.</NOTE> ab&s;ent, or far off, or angry and di&s;plea|&s;ed, or hiding away his face; inundations of evils mu&s;t follow upon this. If this be then the Chri&s;tians good &amp; evill, let us &s;ee what cha&s;te|nings are according to this in Gods account; the Spirit &s;peaketh ex|pre&s;ly, they are not <HI>matter of joy,</HI> that is, not good in the pre&s;ent &s;mart of them, no light of Gods countenance, no &s;miles of his face, no &s;en|&s;ible pledges of his favour are in the vineger &amp; gall while it is in drin|king, but it is &s;aid, they are <HI>matter of griefe,</HI> that is, evill and burden|&s;ome, frownes of Gods brow, grimne&s;&s;e of his face, weight of his
<PB N="7" REF="8">hand, are onely &s;een and felt in the tokens of his di&s;plea&s;ure, the grinding pains that fall upon the creature; are not the&s;e evill and heavie? Thus God him&s;elfe determines of the&s;e cha&s;tenings.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. IV.</HI> The Affection, Authour, and Limitation opened.</HEAD>
<P N="2">2 ACcording to the judgement pa&s;&s;ed on the condition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The affection allowed.</NOTE> the Spirit &s;idy &s;utes the affection, in the &s;ame breath denying one un|&s;uteable, allowing another proportion'd thereunto. 1. In this &s;tate of evill there mu&s;t bee no <HI>joy,</HI> that cannot bee meet for a &s;oule upon which God frownes; two things at lea&s;t are prohibited in this. 1. Lightne&s;&s;e of heart, and plea&s;antne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, the &s;ecret ticklings of the &s;oule which are fit to be in the day of good things, all this in|ward joy of heart mu&s;t not be now;<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 16.10.</NOTE> gladne&s;&s;e goeth away, when plenty failes in harve&s;t; and joy, when the vintage cea&s;eth? Who can rejoyce in evill, unle&s;&s;e &s;innes hardned &s;lave? 2. Lightne&s;&s;e of car|riage, in laughing, leaping, &s;inging, and all cheerfull deportment; this is &s;utable for a faire Sun-&s;hine day, but not for the day of darkne&s;&s;e; no &s;inging, when God is chiding, nor leaping, when he is whip|ping, nor laughing under the rod for thee Chri&s;tian, le&s;t thou be taken to laugh at it. See the Church declining &s;uch &s;infull Invitati|ons in the day of Gods revealed di&s;plea&s;ure on her.<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 137.1.2.</NOTE> <HI>By the Rivers of Babylon,</HI> the place of our cha&s;tening, <HI>we hung our harps upon the wil|lows;</HI> no harping here, unle&s;&s;e<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 16.11.</NOTE> harping bowels, that make a dole|full tune; nor could &s;cornes, or threats, or any invitations, drive us to mirth or &s;inging. Alas, <HI>how &s;hould we &s;ing the Lords &s;ong in the land of a &s;tranger,</HI> the land of our captivity and &s;evere correction? None of this therefore, none of this lightne&s;&s;e doth God allow in his cha|&s;tening time.</P>
<P N="2">2. In this &s;tate of evill there mu&s;t be <HI>griefe.</HI> This is &s;utable, to bee grieved when God is grieved, and for the griefe we have laid upon him: As much is here allowed as on the contrary was prohibited, 1. Heavine&s;&s;e of &s;pirit within, di&s;covering that we are deeply affected with Gods frownes and cha&s;tenings. The afflicted of the Lord have &s;hewed us this in expre&s;&s;ions, as deep as their &s;en&s;e,<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Lam. 1.20.</NOTE> <HI>My bowels are troubled,</HI> is one; bowell trouble, bowell-&s;ounding, bowell harping, cannot but note deep impre&s;&s;ion of Gods: If this be not enough, hear another word,<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Lam. 2.11.</NOTE> <HI>My liver is powred upon the earth.</HI> O poore &s;oule! the liver is the very blood of life, that is made there, and i&s;&s;ueth
<PB N="8" REF="9">thence, and this liver-powring is nothing el&s;e but blood-dropping from within in &s;en&s;e of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, as the teares did &s;treame down from her eyes without: this is heavine&s;&s;e impre&s;&s;ed. 2. Hea|vine&s;&s;e of carriage, or outwardly expre&s;&s;ed, is under this affirmation and allowance al&s;o:<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 22.17.</NOTE> weeping, fa&s;ting, mourning, cloathing with &s;ack-cloth, and all &s;ad deportments are called for in the day of e|vill; God expects this and no other carriage to an&s;wer his rod. Heare the reply of that &s;weet Saint, to a kind of Court-revelling que&s;tion,<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Neh. 2.2.3.</NOTE> <HI>Why is thy countenance &s;ad?</HI> It was halfe a Court-wonder the Kings favourite &s;hould be &s;ad at the Kings elbow; but the Per&s;ian Empire could not comfort him, when God &s;eemed to frowne upon the Church and him: Hee returneth therefore thus, <HI>Why &s;hould not my countenance be &s;ad, when the Citie, &amp;c.</HI> Gods rod mu&s;t make &s;ad hearts and faces too among&s;t his owne people. This match is of Gods owne making between his rod and our griefe.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Author.</NOTE> Look we then next upon God the authour both of this judge|ment and allowance; concerning whom, as in this matter he mu&s;t be conceived as a<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.7.</NOTE> Father, for none but a parents hand can cha&s;ten, &s;o in this giving judgement upon the &s;ad condition of his children, the&s;e farther con&s;iderations mu&s;t be taken of him. 1. In his being<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Exod. 32.4.</NOTE> as <HI>Truth it &s;elfe,</HI> which cannot lie, neither deceive nor bee deceived, it is he that &s;aith, his rod is &s;mart, and his &s;troakes painfull, calling out griefe; great authority then mu&s;t this &s;entence have i&s;&s;uing from &s;uch a Judge;<NOTE N="v" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 13.8.</NOTE> again&s;t the <HI>Truth</HI> there is no prevailing, it winnes or overcomes all oppo&s;ites at la&s;t. This God-Truth &s;peakes, none can gain&s;ay. 2. In his working, as he is Heavens and Earths Creator, &s;o he is<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">I&s;ai 45.7.</NOTE> the Rods former, the maker of darkne&s;&s;e, and evils Crea|tor. He the Lord doth all the&s;e things: can we deny him to bee Judge of what he makes? He appoints every grain and &s;cruple of the gall and wormwood that make up the afflictions of his people, not a jot more or le&s;&s;e bitter can they be, then he ordains them. The ma|ker of cha&s;tening &s;aith it is grievous. 3. In his exact and con&s;tant in|tuition, view and knowledge of all that he hath made, hee growes not carele&s;&s;e nor forgetfull of the worke of his hands, that he &s;hould mi&s;take in &s;uch a matter. If he call &s;word, famine and pe&s;tilence,<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 14.21.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ore Indgements,</HI> he knows them &s;o to be: though it be too low for him to &s;peak after the manner of men; yet as in others, &s;o in this ca&s;e he u&s;eth it for our profit:<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Exod. 3.7.</NOTE> <HI>Seeing I have &s;een, or I have &s;urely &s;een the affliction of my people that were in Egypt,</HI> are his words, who crea|ted all tho&s;e burdens for them for their good, therefore mu&s;t needs
<PB N="9" REF="9">know the bitterne&s;&s;e of them: God then the onely Truth, Creator, and knowing Governour of all events, both &s;weet and bitter, good and evill, he &s;aith, the cha&s;tenings of his children are grievous things. But doth he &s;ay it univer&s;ally and without bounds? not &s;o, the fol|lowing correction cleares that, and no le&s;&s;e the re&s;triction in his ve|ry grant, next in order to be con&s;idered.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Limitation re&s;traines this judgement to the pre&s;ent time;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Limita|tion. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> no cha&s;tening is joyous but grievous for <HI>the pre&s;ent:</HI> as in the former part of the &s;entence cha&s;tenings are mea&s;ured by weight, and all found to be heavie, pre&s;&s;ing out griefe, &s;o in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">his expre&s;&s;ion they are mea&s;ured by time, which doth &s;omthing allay the &s;mart, and make amends for the bitterne&s;&s;e of them; cha&s;tenings are painefull, yet for the pre&s;ent onely. This mea&s;ure then more expre&s;&s;ely dictates to us, The continuance, the &s;hortne&s;&s;e, and the expiration of the &s;mart of the&s;e afflictions.</P>
<P N="1">1. The continuance of the burthen and bitterne&s;&s;e of cha&s;tenings is for the pre&s;ent,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> that is, <HI>for all the pre&s;ent</HI> wherein they lye upon the fle&s;h: This may bee more or le&s;&s;e according to the will of God in|flicting either <HI>Jobs</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Iob 7.3.4.</NOTE> <HI>moneths of vanity, daies of breaking,</HI> and <HI>nights of terror,</HI> w^c^h were many but not all, or<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.18.</NOTE> <HI>Pauls pre&s;ent time of &s;ufferings,</HI> which is the whole time of life; &s;o long as the rod is kept on, that wholly is the pre&s;ent of its bitterne&s;&s;e, and griefe is permitted &s;o long its abode an&s;werable.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;hortne&s;&s;e of the &s;mart is carried in this mea&s;uring word al&s;o, it is but for the <HI>pre&s;ent,</HI> and this compared with time pa&s;t or to come is a very little portion,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> &s;o that <HI>for the pre&s;ent</HI> is but for a very little while; The longe&s;t <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> for tearme of life,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> by the Apo&s;tle is paraphra&s;ed, and not untruly,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.18.</NOTE> The <HI>now</HI> or <HI>in&s;tant</HI> timenay; all &s;uf|ferings at the longe&s;t here, are worthy of no larger expre&s;&s;ion with him, then the afflictions of a<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.17. <GAP DESC="foreign">. i. in hoc vel ift hoc puncto.</NOTE> <HI>momert</HI> It is but as a point or minute of time that mea&s;ures the bitterne&s;&s;e of all cha&s;tenings in the account of God; It is but one &s;hort &s;pan that finds them longer.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the expiration of all this evill is certainely carried in this mea&s;ure, for it lives and dies with the pre&s;ent time; now we know that every pre&s;ent lookes to the after that is to come, and when it is come, that pre&s;ent ends, and expires in the &s;ucceeding time,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> and its end is good or bad, according as that &s;ucce&s;&s;ion brings: now the <HI>afterward</HI> &s;ucceeding this pre&s;ent is by the judgement of the &s;ame truth a good &s;pace of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">weet fruits, of peacefull righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and li|ving com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">orts; this end wee are directed to looke unto in the very notion of pre&s;ent griefe. The Church beares the in&s;ulting taunts of
<PB N="10" REF="10">her enemie the better in the &s;en&s;e of this, Though for pre&s;ent <HI>I</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Micah 7.8.</NOTE> <HI>fall I &s;hall ari&s;e;</HI> this <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> of &s;corne mu&s;t expire, in the &s;ucceeding <HI>af|ter,</HI> and that will be my joyfull re&s;urrection above all the&s;e &s;orrowes. With this mea&s;ure are we to take this &s;entence from truth it &s;elfe; cha&s;tenings (though the be&s;t of evills) yet are they painfull things to Gods owne children.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT V.</HI> The demon&s;tration of this Truth.</HEAD>
<P>TO prove that the rods were &s;mart, were as needle&s;&s;e as to hold a candle to the Sunne, every mans &s;en&s;e &s;peakes this out: The matter of proofe &s;hall be Gods indulgence, grant, and judgement for his people in this ca&s;e, of which many afflicted &s;oules are hard to be per&s;waded, that the God of Heaven &s;hould be &s;o &s;en&s;ible of, or have re&s;pect unto, or be affected with their afflictions, as to &s;peake &s;o fee|lingly of them, and grant &s;o much unto them; Light to this may proove comfortable, I &s;hall therefore &s;hew, 1 <HI>Qu&ograve;d &s;it,</HI> that God doth &s;o. 2 <HI>Cur &s;it,</HI> why he doth thus towards his afflicted.</P>
<P N="1">1. The&s;e three evidences will cleare the fir&s;t; Gods notice of his peoples burdens within him&s;elfe, his re&s;pect to the afflicted, and his carriage to their adver&s;aries the in&s;truments of their affliction. 1 That God tenderly accounts the burdens of his people heavie, may be evi|dent from the notice and ob&s;ervation he takes of them, which is ex|act and full; if any expre&s;&s;ions after the manner of men may helpe us to conceive this, we have variety that God u&s;eth, and yet all fall &s;hort of that which God doth in this re&s;pect, becau&s;e the ob&s;ervati|on of God is beyond the expre&s;&s;ion of man: yet if<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Exod. 2.25.</NOTE> &s;eeing, con&s;ide|ring and looking upon the afflictions of a people argue tenderne&s;&s;e, or if<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ier. 31.18.</NOTE> hearing, hearkning to their groanes prove a carefulne&s;&s;e,<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 56.8.</NOTE> or if telling the Pilgrims wandrings, or botling or booking the mour|ners teares, &s;hew a right valuing of their &s;ad condition; this God hath done, this he doth, this he will doe for his people, 2 Hee doth not o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ely note thus the griefs of his people, but is &s;utably affected towards their &s;ufferings, in his owne way above creature compre|hen&s;ion, becau&s;e he cannot &s;uffer from any object; his affection is all act, and to bee di&s;cerned by the effects upon the creature; yet the&s;e things in the language of men are &s;poken of him. 1 His pity to his cha&s;ti&s;ed: he &s;peakes him&s;elfe of mourning <HI>Ephraim,</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">r. 31.20.</NOTE> <HI>My bowels &s;ound</HI> or are troubled for him, and it is &s;aid of him, his &s;oule
<PB N="11" REF="10">was grieved for I&s;rael, &s;traitned or &s;hortned, put to di&s;tre&s;&s;e or paine from them; &s;trange expre&s;&s;ions for God, and &s;trangely true beyond our imagination; nay as if beeing God he could not be pitifull e|nough, becau&s;e he could not &s;uffer he &s;ends his Son<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.17.</NOTE> <HI>to bee made like unto his brethren</HI> in the fle&s;h, that hee might bee feelingly <HI>mercifull</HI> to the tempted. 2 His care to mea&s;ure and moderate the afflictions of his people, that they exceede not their &s;trength, and to make way for e&s;caping when they overcharge.<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.13.</NOTE> Hee is faithfull in this, and therefore tenderly yeelding to the moanes of his afflicted. 3 His ten|der bearing with, kind interpretation of, and gratious pleading for, all the ha&s;ty words, froward and un&s;eemingly carriages of his chil|dren under their &s;ad pre&s;&s;ures, which fellow-creatures would &s;carce indure: So God pleads for <HI>Job</HI> again&s;t Satan,<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Iob 2.3.</NOTE> <HI>Seest thou my &s;ervant Job &s;till holdeth his integrity, although thou moove&s;t mee again&s;t him to de&s;troy,</HI> or &s;wallow him without a cau&s;e? &s;o hee excu&s;eth all <HI>Jobs</HI> ha&s;ty language, which by his unfriendly comforters were turned to his reproach, and charged as brands of his hypocri&s;ie, yet after all God giveth him this witne&s;&s;e again&s;t his mi&s;taken friends,<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Iob 42.7.</NOTE> <HI>Ye have not &s;poken of me the things that is right, as my &s;ervant Job hath:</HI> It is Gods returne as was <HI>Eli&s;ha's</HI> to his &s;ervant about the <HI>Shunamite,</HI> in her &s;ad un&s;eemely &amp; pa&s;&s;ionate carriage holding the Prophet by his feet; <HI>Gehazi</HI> is pre&s;ently at her to deale roughly with her, and thru&s;t her away, but <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> is more tender,<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">2 King. 24.7.</NOTE> Alas, let her alone, for her &s;oule is bitter or vexed within her. This is a Spirit from God, like him|&s;elfe, yeelding to the infirmities of a cha&s;tened &s;oule.</P>
<P N="3">3. His carriage to the very adver&s;aries of his people, the in&s;tru|ments of their &s;orrowes, &s;peakes his tender indulgence towards his burdened ones, and argues that he grants the rod is &s;mart and pain|full; &s;ee it and judge of it in the&s;e particulars. 1 In his limiting and re&s;training the Adver&s;aries which are his rod, that not a &s;troke more &s;hall bee laid on but what hee commands him&s;elfe for his chil|drens good:<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 76.10.</NOTE> <HI>The wrath of man &s;hall prai&s;e him,</HI> &s;o farre therefore he will u&s;e it, but <HI>the remainder of wrath,</HI> that which takes away his prai&s;e, <HI>he will con&s;traine;</HI> So he bounds Satan in afflicting <HI>Job,</HI> fir&s;t touch not his body, then touch not his life; God yeelds there is bitterne&s;&s;e in the afflictions of his &s;ervants, therefore he will not &s;uf|fer them to overflow. 2 In his reproving of men for their unkind and mercile&s;&s;e carriage to his cha&s;tened people; &s;ee how hee handles <HI>Eliphaz, Bildad,</HI> and <HI>Zophar,</HI> for dealing &s;o har&s;hly with his afflicted <HI>Job,</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Iob 42.7, 8.</NOTE> he chargeth them they &s;pake not right, and no le&s;&s;e then a &s;e|venfold
<PB N="12" REF="11">&s;acrifice can purge away their &s;inne or folly, and that too by the interce&s;&s;ion of de&s;pi&s;ed <HI>Iob,</HI> &s;ure he is contrary to what hee re|proves, and if mans folly thinke afflictions light, Gods wi&s;edom accounts them heavie. 3 In di&s;covering his wrathfull di&s;plea&s;ure upon the per&s;uers of his afflicted; what matter were it, how afflictions were multiplied, if there were no burthen in them? but God is an|gry with them that increa&s;e the &s;orrowes of his cha&s;tened, therefore he mu&s;t thinke them grievous: Heare what hee &s;peakes for poore af|flicted <HI>Zions,</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ms</HI> &s;ake,<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Z<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ch. 1.15.</NOTE> <HI>I am very &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ed with the heathen that are at ea&s;e, for I was but a little di&s;plea&s;ed, and they helped forward the affliction.</HI> Gods di&s;plea&s;ure then upon the di&s;tre&s;&s;ers of his people declares his grant that their cha&s;tenings are grievous.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> Why God giveth this Judgement of indulgence, and alloweth this carriage under their cha&s;tenings, the two great cau&s;es Efficient and Finall will &s;oone determine.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 1.</NOTE> 1 The Efficient is God-Love him|&s;elf, who from eternity hath purpo&s;ed the di&s;covery of him&s;elf in the notion of his good wil and plea&s;ure to the&s;e &s;oules whom he thus in|dulgeth; This love being declared in giving them to Chri&s;t, in ac|cepting them into Covenant, in calling them out of the world by his Word and Spirit, in cha&s;ti&s;ing them as children, mu&s;t now looke to the perfecting of his purpo&s;e in their appointed glory: therefore needes mu&s;t it worke &s;o towards them in all conditions, that they may be furthered in all to their determined end; hence it is, that hee cha&s;teneth them, when they neede cha&s;tening, and &s;upports them, when they neede help, &amp; pitieth them, when they are pained, and in|dulgeth them, when they begin to faint, and di&s;covereth thoughts of compa&s;&s;io~ to their griefs, when they think them&s;elves for&s;aken. This love made him fal upon <HI>Ephraim</HI> neck in the mid&s;t of his bemoanings under the rod,<NOTE N="s" PLACE="marg">Ier. 31.20</NOTE> Ah poore <HI>Ephraim,</HI> ah deare child, the &s;on of my de|lights, how ha&s;t thou been chid and whipt, and yoaked and di&s;tre&s;|&s;ed, and none regard thee? I remember thee, &s;ince I &s;pake again&s;t thee, I know thy burthen is heavie, &s;urely I will have mercy on thee; Love makes God of this minde.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 2.</NOTE> The End which God aimes at no le&s;&s;e nece&s;&s;itates this pre&s;ent judgement, and in re&s;pect of us is twofold onely that I &s;hall now touch. 1 More generally for all, to leave a rule of truth unto his crea|tures, therby to order their judgements and affections what to think and what to doe to their brethren in like ca&s;e of afflictions: for God doth not judge &s;o becau&s;e it is truth, but it is truth, becau&s;e hee doth judge &s;o, he makes truth in his creatures, he findes none el&s;e to &s;teere
<PB N="13" REF="11">him&s;elfe by: nothing more cleare then this, that God laieth him&s;elf a rule to his creatures, in his Attributes and workes; As in that,<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Levit. 11.44.</NOTE> <HI>Be ye holy as I am holy,</HI> &s;o in this,<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Luk. 6.36.</NOTE> <HI>Be ye mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull;</HI> otherwi&s;e vaine creatures are apt to call heavie light, and bitter &s;weet, and put off thereupon all bowells towards the Lords cha&s;tened; God &s;aith cha&s;tenings are heavie, yet we might know it, and &s;ay &s;o too, and &s;ub&s;cribe unto it, and expre&s;&s;e &s;utable, indulgent affections to our afflicted brethren. 2 More &s;peciall for his cha&s;tened ones, and that is to bee a &s;tanding comfort to them at every cro&s;&s;e, when lovers and friends may &s;tand fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">re off, and none regard their &s;ad condition; though creatures thinke our burdens nothing, and &s;hew no pity to the afflicted, it is no &s;mall refre&s;hing that God knowes our &s;orrows, and judgeth them grievous, &s;it for his compa&s;&s;ions. <HI>David</HI> was often put to the u&s;e of this, and &s;ound no little comfort, when an exil'd pilgrim hee wan|ders heavily driven from hou&s;e and home, and &s;prinkles his &s;teps with teares, and yet no man pitying or taking him in, then he is com|forted with this thought,<NOTE N="v" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 56.8.</NOTE> <HI>Lord thou telle&s;t my wanderings, and bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">l|le&s;t up my teares.</HI> Againe, when his &s;pirit is overwhelmed with grief, and hee lookes on the right hand, and beheld and no man would know him, no man cared for his &s;oule, then he can &s;ee and &s;ay,<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 142.3.4.5.</NOTE> <HI>O Lord thou art my portion and my refuge,</HI> thou care&s;t for me, and coun|te&s;t my burthen heavie. Thus therefore God &s;heweth his certaine judgement of his peoples cha&s;tenings, that in ca&s;e of creature comfort failing to &s;hew him&s;elfe to be above all, that it might be a &s;tanding cordiall to the afflicted &s;oule.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VI.</HI> Some Corollaries, or inferences for in&s;truction.</HEAD>
<P>VVIthin the bo&s;ome of this &s;entence pa&s;t by God lyeth this u&s;efull truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>V&s;e</HI> 1. <HI>In&s;t.</HI> 1. God indul|geth, yet grieves his children.</NOTE> As God that cha&s;tens his owne judgeth their &s;ufferings grievous, &s;o he him&s;elfe &s;pares not to put his holy ones to griefe; He knowes the rod is &s;mart, and yet he laies it on, though he pity hee will not &s;pare to grieve his children; Hee that knowes its griefe, him&s;elfe inflicts it; Hee cha&s;tens, yet pitieth them for their paine, he pities, and yet he cha&s;tens and &s;ets on &s;orrow: It doth not gaine&s;ay Gods gratious indulgence to afflict his people. Three things God eyes, Their &s;inne, Their profit, His owne Covenant, all which inforce the unin of Gods indulgence and correction.</P>
<PB N="14" REF="12">
<P N="1">1. God indulgeth, yet &s;courgeth &s;ons with an eye unto their &s;in, not for &s;atisfaction, this were a detraction from Chri&s;t, who alone can make it: And what can the pain of the body recompence for the &s;in of the &s;oul? but for correction, having marked former er|rors and mi&s;carriages in them: It is no le&s;&s;e then Athei&s;me to deny God &s;uch a &s;ight of &s;in in his children, te&s;tified by his cha&s;tenings, and intended not &s;o much to afflict the &s;oul as &s;in; as may appeare in the&s;e aims of God therein.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Every cha&s;te|ning re&s;pects &s;in.</NOTE> To render &s;in more evident to the creature, which perhaps be|fore lay hid and unob&s;erved, or mi&s;taken to be better then it is; but when the de&s;erved rod comes and grieves the fle&s;h, this di&s;covery is pre&s;ently made. All the grief is &s;in, which either hath provoked this painfull cha&s;ti&s;ement, or at lea&s;t made a way for it, that the glo|ry of God may appeare in the manife&s;tation of &s;ins bitterne&s;&s;e by it. None knowes the fire better then he that hath been &s;corched, nor can any better tell what cold is, then he that hath been frozen, and benummed by it: and no man can &s;peak of &s;in &s;o well, as he that knowes it in the &s;mart. It is a truth unque&s;tionable,<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.39.</NOTE> <HI>Man &s;uffers for his &s;in:</HI> &s;in then is his &s;uffering, and its malignity in the &s;mart of this.<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Compare Gen. 34.30. and Gen. 35.1.</NOTE> <HI>Jacob</HI> never &s;o &s;melt the &s;tench of his &s;in in the neglect of his vow at Bethel, as when it made him &s;tink among&s;t the inhabitants of the land.<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 33.11.12.</NOTE> <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> never thought &s;in &s;o burden&s;ome, as he found it by the iron chains in Babylon.<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 38.3.</NOTE> So <HI>David</HI> &s;eeth his &s;in to be the racker of his bones. And<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.24.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> acknowledgeth it his death. Thus &s;ometime God teacheth men the knowledge of &s;in by its bitter evils,<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Iudg. 3.16.</NOTE> as <HI>Gideon</HI> taught the Elders of <HI>Succoth</HI> with thorns.</P>
<P N="2">2. To render &s;in more odious to his people, doth God put them to grief: He that loves wine, its likely he doth not love poy&s;on, and if one cannot be had without the other, if rea&s;on be left in the man, the loath&s;omne&s;&s;e of this will marre the plea&s;antne&s;&s;e of that, and make both equally odious. It is u&s;uall with God to put gall and wormwood upon &s;ins de&s;ired Teat, to wean his peoples affections from it, that they might feel it the bitterne&s;&s;e of their &s;oules, and hate it.<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2.6.7.</NOTE> When thornes and adulterating &s;educing lovers are bound together, the Church for&s;akes both the&s;e and them; when Idols have no better companions but<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 30.20.22.</NOTE> bread of adver&s;ity, and water of afflicti|on, they &s;hall have a quick di&s;patch from the cha&s;tened &s;ouls, with indignation they &s;hall &s;ay, Get ye hence.</P>
<P N="3">3. To render &s;in le&s;&s;e pernitious or de&s;tructive, and to give the &s;pee|dier, and the &s;urer death unto it, God grieves the &s;oule, which he &s;o
<PB N="15" REF="12">much tenders; Fle&s;h and &s;in are &s;o neerly related and united, that one cannot be, but the other mu&s;t be al&s;o; neither can that lie weakned, or afflicted, but the other likewi&s;e &s;uffers, when the cha&s;tening hand of God laieth on the corro&s;ive upon the Fle&s;h: when this weakens fle&s;h, it weakens &s;in; and when it kills fle&s;h, it kills &s;in, that it may &s;ave the &s;oul from &s;ins malignity in reigning, and in killing. It is the Apo&s;tles &s;ure word,<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.32.</NOTE> <HI>We are cha&s;tened of the Lord, that we &s;hould not be condemned with the world.</HI> The life and power of &s;in brings condemnation in the world, Gods cha&s;tening kills that life, and prevents that condemnation in his own afflicted: See then indulgence and &s;everitie in Gods rod towards his own in re&s;pect to &s;inne: it is great mercie to lance that he may not kill. With the&s;e purpo&s;es did God intimate his care of correcting the promi&s;ed &s;eed.<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 89.30, 31, 32, 33.</NOTE> If his children for&s;ake my Law, &amp;c. then will I vi&s;it their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions with the rod, and their iniquitie with &s;tripes; yet I will love them too, though I make it &s;mart: See cha&s;tening and yet indulgence, love and yet the rod laid on.</P>
<P N="2">2. God puts his children to grief, though he count it grievous,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha&s;tening looks to chil|drens profit.</NOTE> with an eye to their further profit; the full &s;ucce&s;&s;e is given in that expre&s;&s;ion,<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.10.</NOTE> <HI>That they might be partakers of his holine&s;&s;e.</HI> But this falls in the &s;econd part of the treati&s;e, touching the gain of cha&s;tening, I &s;hall therefore re&s;erve it for that place.</P>
<P N="3">3. God weighs the &s;mart, and yet he whips his children,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha&s;tening &s;erves to fulfill the covenant.</NOTE> with re&s;pect to his covenant made in Chri&s;t with them. The &s;um thereof is, to be<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Gen. 17.7.</NOTE> <HI>God to them,</HI> that is, to be all good to them; the goodne&s;&s;e of their End, their Portion, Inheritance, eternall life and glory; and no le&s;&s;e their goodne&s;&s;e in the way, their guide, their rule, their &s;trength, to bring them to their appointed end. Now in drawing the lines to glory, one con&s;tant pa&s;&s;age both to his naturall Son in the fle&s;h, and his adopted ones in affliction. Chri&s;t taught this of him&s;elfe to his mi&s;conceiving Di&s;ciples,<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Luke 24 26.</NOTE> <HI>Ought not Chri&s;t fir&s;t to &s;uffer, and then enter into his glory?</HI> The Apo&s;tle no le&s;&s;e for the ge|nerall &s;tate of Chri&s;tians affirmeth,<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Acts 14.22.</NOTE> <HI>We mu&s;t through much tribula|lation enter into the Kingdome of God.</HI> It is then a clau&s;e in the cove|nant, as the Lord will perform all good to his people, &s;o to let them ta&s;t the good of the rod; he knowes they will need it as much as daily bread: and therfore though it &s;mart, yet will he &s;o manage it, that it &s;hall work together with his love, the good of his promi&s;es to their poore &s;ouls: &s;o farre then, and no further, will he afflict, but to &s;hew him&s;elfe faithfull in his covenant to his own. Therefore in
<PB N="16" REF="13">the mid&s;t of all the &s;tripes he &s;peakes of to be laid on the &s;eed of <HI>David,</HI> the children of promi&s;e, he orders and mea&s;ures all by his covenant and truth to them: However I vi&s;it them with &s;courges,<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 89.33.34.</NOTE> <HI>I will not &s;uffer my faithfulne&s;&s;e to fail, nor make void my faithfulne&s;&s;e to lye, My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips.</HI> I mu&s;t cha&s;ten them upon their failings; yet no other|wi&s;e then that thereby my covenant of grace may be accompli&s;hed to them. Gods Amen-covenant implies the rod as u&s;efull to its end: when God corrects, he &s;aith not <HI>Nay,</HI> nor contradicts his <HI>Yes</HI> to love and &s;ave his people, the &s;courge &s;aith <HI>Amen</HI> to &s;ave the &s;oul, as much as the &s;taffe of bread, or comfort. <HI>David</HI> &s;weetly acknow|ledgeth this, and accepts of his cha&s;tening thankfully,<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119, 75.</NOTE> <HI>I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are righteou&s;nes, and that thou in faithfulne&s;&s;e ha&s;t afflicted me.</HI> To prove thy Amen, or &s;etled truth in thy promi|&s;es of grace ha&s;t thou cha&s;tened, therefore is it good for me. Learn this then Chri&s;tian, and be encouraged; thy God, who knowes and grants thy burden heavie, and pities thee, he, he inflicts it, and puts thee to pre&s;ent grief for future comfort, his Amen-covenant a&s;&s;ures this.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">In&s;tr. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> Another inference floweth from the former truth, if cha&s;te|nings be grievous to the &s;ouls, whom yet God indulgeth, dread|full, a&s;toni&s;hing, confounding and intolerable mu&s;t judgements be upon the &s;ouls that God abhorreth; pack the&s;e con&s;iderations to|gether, and then &s;ee if their burden be not inexpre&s;&s;ible: Their ri&s;e is the wrath of God, a con&s;uming fire; their rule by which they are executed, is the cur&s;e of God, a word and &s;entence more bitter then gall or wormwood; their &s;ubject, all the outca&s;ts of Gods family; their end, Gods glory in vengeance upon, and perdition of ungodly creatures. Woe then to tho&s;e inhabitants of the earth upon whom judgement is powred forth before the Lord, no wonder if <HI>Cain</HI> cry out,<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.13.</NOTE> <HI>My puni&s;hment is greater then I can beare.</HI> Heare and fear &s;in|ners, le&s;t wrath implacable beat you as &s;tubble before the whirle|wind, and judgement un&s;ufferable &s;eize on you, and &s;mite you to everla&s;ting torments; Judgements here in the fle&s;h, are but earne&s;ts of greater to come, and in their time to be revealed upon the workers of iniquitie. There is no &s;triving with the Judge, <HI>Iob</HI> doth but think him&s;elfe the mark of his di&s;plea&s;ure and is in horror, but ye are in|deed the very <HI>But</HI> he &s;hoots at in his fierie indignation, except ye re|turn: no more is left for you; Repent, or die.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="section">
<PB N="17" REF="13">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VII.</HI> Conviction of &s;in to divers from the light of this truth.</HEAD>
<P>ANd doth that God indeed that makes the rod,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;e 2.</NOTE> and u&s;eth it on creatures, count it &s;mart, and grant their grief? Sinners then are they, who &s;ute not with him in judgement and affection about this matter. Three &s;ins I &s;hall touch to di&s;cover them, if it may be, to remove them, all again&s;t God in his commands; yet &s;omething di&s;tinct by their immediate objects: one again&s;t our &s;elves, another again&s;t our brethren, and the la&s;t more directly again&s;t God.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> If painfull cha&s;tening call forth grief, and Gods indulgence to us, direct us to a pen&s;ive feeling of our own &s;mart, &s;infull then is that Apathie, or &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e &s;tupiditie under burdens pre&s;&s;ing our owne fle&s;h; naturall light con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">es that Stoici&s;me, there can be no patience where there is no &s;en&s;e of evill, much more divine judgement and practice to the creature. I &s;hall not &s;tay long in convincing the&s;e; they are all either fooli&s;hly hard<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 25.25.37.</NOTE> <HI>Nabal-&s;tones,</HI> drunkenly be&s;otted,<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Prov. 23.25.</NOTE> though they be &s;tricken, yet they are not &s;ick, and though beaten throughly, yet they feel it not: or el&s;e they are maliciou&s;ly hard a|gain&s;t the rod,<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Exod. 5.2.</NOTE> <HI>Pharaoh-hearts</HI> out-daring judgements. The con|tent of all their living fellow-creatures will convince the fir&s;t, and the experience of all the hardened rout will teach the la&s;t, that they are &s;inners; and in fine, the conquering judgements of the great God, will conclude both to have been rebellious. The&s;e &s;in again&s;t them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="2">2. If Gods thoughts and carriage toward his peoples &s;ufferings, be a rule for ours among our &s;elves,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> then the tenderne&s;&s;e and indul|gence of his, taxeth the har&s;hne&s;&s;e and &s;tiffne&s;&s;e of ours toward Gods afflicted to be tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion: unnaturalne&s;&s;e in our carriage toward our cha&s;tened brethren, is the &s;in di&s;plaid, and reproved by God. It was <HI>Jobs</HI> note in his &s;ad condition,<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Job. 16.14.</NOTE> <HI>To the afflicted pitie &s;hould be &s;he|wed from his friend;</HI> nature hath this impre&s;&s;ion from the mo&s;t High, therefore he convinceth the pitile&s;&s;e bowels of &s;in, <HI>He for&s;aketh the feare of the Almighty:</HI> Gods feare and unnaturall affection are in|con&s;i&s;tent. This &s;in &s;heweth it &s;elf in neglecting, or want of feeling, in &s;lighting, or want of pitying the griefs of the Saints, &amp; more emi|nently in aggravating, or adding thereunto&punc; of the one the Widow-Church complaineth,<NOTE N="v" PLACE="marg">Lam 1.12.</NOTE> <HI>Is it nothing to you all ye that pa&s;&s;e by?</HI> Hard|hearted pa&s;&s;engers, mercile&s;&s;e &s;pectators, doe ye look a&s;ide from the
<PB N="18" REF="14">afflicted? So it is &s;ometimes,<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Job. 12.5.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;lipping foot,</HI> which is wrencht and grieved, <HI>is as a lamp de&s;pi&s;ed,</HI> or a light going out very un&s;avoury <HI>in the thought of him that is at ea&s;e.</HI> Of the other many of the Saints cry out, one &s;aith,<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 142.4.</NOTE> <HI>None careth for my &s;oul;</HI> another,<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 88.18.</NOTE> <HI>Lover and friend are farre from me.</HI> A third begges heartily,<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Job. 19.21.</NOTE> <HI>Piti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> me, O my friends;</HI> and complaines &s;adly,<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Job. 16.20.</NOTE> <HI>My friends &s;corn m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, but mine eye powreth out teares unto God.</HI> The la&s;t is the greate&s;t &s;in to adde to that affliction w^c^h they &s;hould ea&s;e, and this not unu&s;uall in friends of the better &s;ort, <HI>Eliphaz, Bildad,</HI> and <HI>Zophar,</HI> Church-friends, men of skill and under&s;tanding to &s;peak for God, Chri&s;tian-friends, from whom Gods afflicted do expect &s;upport; and yet the&s;e may prove mi|&s;erable comforters. 1. By over-&s;evere animadver&s;ion of the cha&s;te|ned &s;oules &s;in, which yet God hath pardoned, or an unju&s;t charge of that which mo&s;t it hates; nothing more odious then hypocri&s;ie to|ward God to <HI>Job,</HI> and yet he is made to own it by his friends. 2. By making God an enemy to the afflicted, urging his power and ju&s;tice again&s;t his cha&s;tened, to kill them, which he puts forth to &s;upport and &s;ave them. This may be in &s;ome degree the infirmity of the Saint, as it is height the malignity of the wicked; God doth not leave any &s;uch a patterne; the groaning defence or Apologie of burdened &s;ouls, and Gods &s;entence for their clearing, may muzzle the mouthes of &s;uch unkind ob&s;ervers: It is <HI>Jobs</HI> defence, and a ju&s;t one, <HI>Will you &s;peak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?</HI> Gods name mu&s;t not be pretended fal&s;ly again&s;t the poore&s;t creature. And it is Gods owne &s;entence at la&s;t for <HI>Job</HI> again&s;t his accu&s;ers, <HI>Yee have not &s;poken of me the thing that is right, as my &s;ervant Job hath.</HI> A &s;weet ju&s;tification of the guiltle&s;&s;e, laying &s;in at the unkind repro|vers doore: See then, here is &s;in again&s;t our brethren.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> If God indulgeth his &s;courged children, the &s;oul that an&s;wers not his indulgence, is in this, a &s;infull child. Impietie again&s;t a cor|recting, yet a yerning Father, is a &s;in in equity condemned from this pre&s;ent truth.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> This is expre&s;&s;ed either in exce&s;&s;e of &s;pirit ri&s;ing up again&s;t the rod, de&s;pi&s;ing Gods cha&s;ti&s;ement; or in defect of &s;pirit, falling under the &s;courge, while the &s;oul con&s;iders not Gods love in it, or indulgence with it. <HI>Ephraim</HI> was faulty in the fir&s;t, when he kickt and flung under the rod, as a<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.15.18.</NOTE> <HI>Bullock unaccu&s;tomed to the yoke;</HI> and <HI>Rachel</HI> in the &s;econd, when &s;he refu&s;ed comfort, and undervalues Gods &s;weet indulgence. Sinners again&s;t God are they whom either &s;everity in the rod doth not humble; or if it doe, goodne&s;&s;e in the &s;ame cannot revive, let us heare and feare thus to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="section">
<PB N="19" REF="14">
<HEAD><HI>SECT VIII.</HI> Conn&s;aile to duties inforced by this Truth.</HEAD>
<P>LEt this then be granted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;e <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> that God doth weigh the burdens of his afflicted, and tenderly allow them griefe under their &s;ad pre&s;|&s;ures, two duties will be inforced upon Chri&s;tians hence, one towards Gods cha&s;tened ones, the other re&s;pects them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1.</HI> Duty to others.</NOTE> Gods way and worke binds Chri&s;tians to conformity in minde and practi&s;e; &s;ee we then our brethren &s;courged, &s;ome groaning un|der &s;en&s;e of wrath and &s;ad de&s;ertion, others wrackt with grinding pain, &s;ome wa&s;ted with pining &s;icknes, others pained with &s;ores and breaches on their fle&s;h, &s;ome in wants, &s;ome in wandrings, exiled from their hou&s;e &amp; home, &s;ome &s;poiled of goods &amp; &s;ome of name, &amp; &s;ome of liberty, the iron entring into their &s;oules: Doth God looke upon &s;uch in pity? doth he grant their bitterne&s;&s;e and allow their moanes? And &s;hould we &s;tand aloof off as bowel-le&s;&s;e &s;pectators? or el&s;e look off, that it may not move us? or el&s;e &s;light it with a tu&s;h, its nothing? or el&s;e unkindly charge it as good enough for them, and &s;o &s;mite the afflicted reproachfully on the cheeke? God forbid: If wee bee his people, &s;urely his thoughts mu&s;t bee our thoughts and his waies our waies in this matter: Accord we ought with God in a pitifull judg|ment, &s;en&s;e and carriage toward his di&s;tre&s;&s;ed; think as Chri&s;t thinks their burdens heavie, feele as Chri&s;t feeles their &s;mart with them, and in pity helpe and beare as Chri&s;t helps and beares their burthen for them, this were to fulfill his law.</P>
<P>All this is urged &s;trongly upon the &s;eede of Chri&s;t, and with &s;uch ingagements as they mu&s;t yeeld, or be content to deny their intere&s;t in Gods eternall love, thus &s;peakes the Apo&s;tle,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Col. 3.12.</NOTE> <HI>Put ye on, as the E|lect of God, holy and beloved, bowells of mercies;</HI> See how hee doth in|gage them, if ye bee Elect of God cho&s;en from eternity to glory in him&s;elfe, or if ye be Saints &s;anctified by the Go&s;pel of his Son, or if ye be beloved of God, of Chri&s;t, or would have a proofe of it in your &s;elfes, oh put on the bowells of mercies: each word hath weight, Mercies are &s;weet them&s;elves exerci&s;ed to men in mi&s;ery; bowells of mercy more, the tendere&s;t mercies are meant by this; no fuller Em|blem of pity, tendre&s;t pity, then bowells, yorning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">His toti nos ornamur. Zanch. in text.</NOTE> and &s;ounding bow|ells: but the putting on of the&s;e adds yet more propriety and mea|&s;ure of this grace; his mind is, cloath or clad your &s;elves with bow|ells, that ye may bee &s;ure to have them as the cloathes upon your
<PB N="20" REF="15">backs, and put them on all over you from top to toe, it is a robe long and large enough, bowells upon head, let minde and thoughts bee bowells, the tendere&s;t mercies, bowels upon face, the eare bowells, pi|tifull when it heares their &s;orrowes, the eye bowells in looking and weeping over them, the tongue bowells in &s;peaking tenderly and &s;weetly to them, bowells upon all the members, the hand bowells pitifully to &s;upport, and all bowells compa&s;&s;ionately to deale with the afflicted. The&s;e thoughts may perhaps quicken us to this. 1 It is the Law of Chri&s;t, that wee &s;hould thus beare each others burthens, what Chri&s;tian then will not &s;ubmitt? 2. It may bee our owne con|dition to come into the afflicted &s;oules &s;tead, what bowells then &s;hould we de&s;ire? 3 It is an evidence of Election, the &s;tate of grace, and of being in Chri&s;ts body; and who would not gladly be found there? It is duty from Chri&s;ts command, It is equity from our owne lot&punc; It is comfort from the evidence of a greater good: take then this clo&s;e, deare chri&s;tians, pity, &ocirc; pity Gods afflicted ones, and bee mer|cifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>2.</HI> Duty for our &s;elves.</NOTE> This Gods indulgence teacheth the cha&s;tened them&s;elves &s;ome duty under the rod in returne to the hand that &s;mites them, hereunto our next coun&s;aile is to drive them; &s;utable demeanour to a cha&s;te|ning Father is the duty, that doth concerne us, and Gods allowance is command and direction enough for us in the pre&s;ent ca&s;e. Severall Items are given in the context for our behaviour under cha&s;tening; &s;ome negative, as<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Heb. 22.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>De&s;pi&s;e not the cha&s;tenings of the Lord;</HI> This is an extreame of patience in exce&s;&s;e, to hardne&s;&s;e, ob&s;tinacy, overlooking, &s;lighting and contempt of Gods &s;courge: And againe, <HI>Faint not when thou art rebuked of him;</HI> This is an extream in defect, to fainting, langui&s;hing, and hopele&s;&s;e drawing out of &s;pirit, under Gods rebuke; Gods Soveraignty and power in cha&s;tening forbids the fir&s;t, and his grace and tenderne&s;&s;e in rebuking &s;hould heale the other. Other po&s;itive notes of duty are al&s;o added for the cha&s;tened &s;oule, as <HI>Patience,</HI> in feeling, bearing and waiting for the ble&s;&s;ing of the rod, and <HI>Filiall &s;ubjection</HI> unto the Father of &s;pirits by reverencing his power and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion unto his will in this matter; but the con&s;ideration of the&s;e will fall in other places: therefore no other duty &s;hall be touched here, but that which Gods allowance in the pre&s;ent truth di&s;covered put's into our hands, when God &s;mites or &s;courgeth, griefe not joy is now our duty; It is the match which God hath made betweene his cha&s;tening and our &s;orrow; laughing and lightne&s;&s;e at this &s;ea&s;on may argue di&s;pi&s;ing of the rod: but yet
<PB N="21" REF="15">to per&s;wade &s;moothly to this duty, the rubs in the way mu&s;t bee re|moved.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Objection.</NOTE> Apo&s;tolicall practi&s;e and coun&s;aile &s;eeme to cro&s;&s;e this directi|on; of their practi&s;e, thus we reade,<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.3.</NOTE> <HI>We glory in tribulations,</HI> and this is the height of joy in the wor&s;t condition: of their counfail it is thus written,<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.2.</NOTE> <HI>My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptati|ons.</HI> If the&s;e be true, &s;mart and joy are the fitte&s;t couple.</P>
<P>To take this block out of the way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solution.</NOTE> let us remember all afflictions in the world fall under the threefold notion forementioned, and ac|cordingly varietie of affections are &s;uted to them. 1 Judgements are the terrible&s;t of evills that God inflcts, killing evills therefore pa|raphra&s;ed by tempe&s;ts, whirlewinds, thunderings from heaven and roaring of lyons, whereunto trembling in the creature is the duty &s;uted,<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Amos 3.8.</NOTE> <HI>The lyon hath roared, who will not feare?</HI> when evills i&s;&s;ue from Almighty wrath, creature hearts mu&s;t feare, and knees will tremble. 2. Trialls are probation-evills, for matter or paine of them it may be, the &s;ame with the former, but in their formall con&s;ideration infli|cted for proofe of graces and of &s;pirits; gold indures the hotte&s;t fire, and comes out of the furnace purer, where dro&s;&s;e peri&s;heth and is con&s;umed, &s;o grace, and gracious &s;pirits indure and thrive under fiery tortures, when dro&s;&s;y formality, and guilded grace vani&s;h and die away in &s;uch &s;corching tryalls. Iu&s;t and due to this kinde of trou|bles is the practi&s;e and advi&s;e of tho&s;e heavenly Mini&s;ters, the high|e&s;t joy and not lea&s;t of griefs is now the meete&s;t, and mo&s;t honours Chri&s;t; when for his &s;ake by cruell mockings, &s;courgings, bonds, impri&s;onments, by &s;toning, &s;awing, wandring, and killing the faith and holine&s;&s;e of Saints &s;hall be tried, not to give place for a moment, &s;o much as by a teare, or &s;ecret melting is now proper to Chri&s;tian magnanimity; and it were unworthy of God, of Chri&s;t, of the Go&s;|pel to yeeld the lea&s;t to the&s;e by mourning;<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4.14.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;pirit of glory,</HI> which mounts up the &s;oule above all the&s;e terrors, and makes it &s;it and &s;ing aloft, is mo&s;t honnorable and &s;utable for this &s;tate; and of this onely it is certaine, the Apo&s;tles &s;peak.</P>
<P N="3">3. Cha&s;tenings are <HI>loving,</HI> yet <HI>angry</HI> &s;troakes of God, marking out the &s;in and unevenne&s;&s;e of his childrens walking; all which naturally and properly teach griefe unto the cha&s;tened &s;oule, for grieving its father; and no le&s;&s;e is godly &s;orrow due in this ca&s;e, than glory in the former: this is all we &s;trive for in former evidences; and no way weakned by the objection pretended.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Objection.</NOTE> Speciall charges which God laieth upon his &s;ervants not to
<PB N="22" REF="16">grieve in this ca&s;e, &s;eeme to cro&s;&s;e the foregoing truth; So upon the death of <HI>Nadab</HI> and <HI>Abihu,</HI> he commands <HI>Aaron</HI> and the re&s;t,<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Levit. 10.6.</NOTE> <HI>unco|ver not your heads,</HI> there mu&s;t be no &s;ign of mourning with them: And to <HI>Ezekiel</HI> upon the taking away of the de&s;ire of his eyes his charge is,<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 24.16</NOTE> <HI>Thou &s;halt not mourne and weepe:</HI> And to the lamenting mother, weeping to exce&s;&s;e over her lo&s;t children, this word is given,<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Ierem 31.16.</NOTE> <HI>Re|fraine thy voyce from weeping, and thine eyes from teares:</HI> All this was under cha&s;tenings, and yet here griefe prohibited.</P>
<P>It were enough for &s;atisfaction to returne to all the&s;e; extraordi|nary ca&s;es and exce&s;&s;e in &s;orrow do not prejudice ordinary and mea|&s;ured rules of God; yet I &s;hall reply to the &s;everall in&s;tances. 1 To <HI>Aarons</HI> ca&s;e, it was extraordinary, therefore not exemplary in or|dinary &s;courges: Two great rea&s;ons are evident of griefs prohibi|tion here. 1 Its oppo&s;ition to Gods glory, which hee had now by a dreadfull judgement gotten to him&s;elfe upon vile creatures that did profane his Holine&s;&s;e; In &s;uch ca&s;es, the Churches joy commends Gods Acts, their griefe condemnes them: &s;o<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Revel. 18.20.</NOTE> Heaven is invited to re|joyce over the ruines of Antichri&s;t. 2 Its incon&s;i&s;tency with Gods &s;ervice, which lay upon the hands of his mini&s;ters at that time; there|fore upon no le&s;&s;e then the paine of death was mourning now forbid|den. There may be a time when the dead mu&s;t bee left to bury their dead, but Chri&s;ts &s;ervants mu&s;t attend on him and preach the Go&s;|pell.</P>
<P N="2">2. To <HI>Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">kiels</HI> ca&s;e, it was extraordinary al&s;o, but in another kinde, and to another end; for neither is it di&s;covered to be an act of wrath upon his wife, nor that he was to refraine for glorifying God in his worke of ju&s;tice; but herein it was Gods plea&s;ure, that the pro|phet &s;hould bee an extraordinary &s;igne of the Lords indignation a|gain&s;t the Iewes; that as his wife died, and he mu&s;t not mourne, &s;o they &s;hould be taken away utterly with a &s;troke, and God would not once be grieved for them. It is very &s;ad to die unlamented by men, none to &s;ay, Alas my friend; but unexpre&s;&s;ibly dolefull, for God to laugh at a peoples de&s;truction. To teach man this, God forbids his &s;ervant griefe, which otherwi&s;e were due; but this is not every cha|&s;tened &s;oules ca&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. To <HI>Rachels</HI> ca&s;e, it is cleare, &s;he is called off from exce&s;&s;e in grief, &s;he refu&s;ed to be comforted, neither was any exce&s;&s;e allowed in Gods grant; grieve we mu&s;t, when we are &s;mitten, but not exceede, future hopes of reliefe were to lay bounds to her lamentation, and &s;o to ours. The&s;e then &s;atisfied, if the regulating of this duty be de&s;ired
<PB N="23" REF="16">I &s;hall proceede to that, as the Spirit drawes the lines in the pre&s;ent Scripture.</P>
<P>The materiall part of cha&s;tening, which is the evill, bitterne&s;&s;e, and &s;mart of the rod, requires grief as its yoke fellow; but yet this leaves it at large&punc; neither regulated nor limited: The right ordering then of this affection, wil be by rules i&s;&s;uing from the Author, Form, End and Duration of the&s;e kind of afflictions; whereunto it mu&s;t be good to li&s;ten.</P>
<P N="1">1. Cha&s;tening is <HI>a di&s;plea&s;ed Fathers Scourge,</HI> checking within, and &s;marting without; nay, in this ca&s;e it is our heavenly Fathers &s;troke. It mu&s;t be then a fillall or child-like grief, an&s;wering to the Fathers correction. Now the notions of Father and Child in this matter, the one inflicting and the other &s;uffering, mu&s;t regulate both in their &s;everall re&s;pects, the one in &s;miting, the other in bearing and grie|ving. A child then &s;mitten of his father, may and mu&s;t grieve, as be|comes him&s;elf: a grief with &s;hame, a grief with feare, a grief with &s;ubjection, be&s;eems a child.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rule <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> Shame and &s;orrow, this for &s;mart, and that for &s;inne again&s;t a Father, God requires in the ca&s;e of <HI>Miriam,</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Num. 12.14.</NOTE> <HI>If her father had but &s;pit in her face, &s;hould &s;he not be a&s;hamed &s;even dayes?</HI> Shame is as due for offence to fathers, as grief for the &s;mart we feele. So<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.18.19.</NOTE> <HI>Ephraim</HI> &s;hames and mournes. 2. Grief and feare &s;ute well a corrected child toward his father; grief with ob&s;tinacie and rebellion, is murmuring, not gracious bemoaning &s;in and &s;mart, and becomes &s;laves, not &s;ons. It is the Apo&s;tles note,<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.9.</NOTE> <HI>Our fathers in the fle&s;h corrected us, and we gave them reverence.</HI> It was indeed a dutie for children &s;o to doe; and is it not much more due to the Father of Spirits? O let us grieve and fear, for he is our Father. 3. Submitting grief is &s;utable to a re|buking Father from the &s;onne of the rod. To cry and howle with &s;orrow, and charge God fooli&s;hly, or bla&s;pheme him, is a reprobate &s;tate: Children will grieve, &s;ubmit, and fall downe at the foot of a di&s;plea&s;ed father, to honour him, and be guided by him; God looks for this at all times.<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">. 1.6.</NOTE> <HI>If</HI> I <HI>be a Father, where is my honour?</HI> And rea&s;on yeelds it him, e&s;pecially while pleading again&s;t his children with the rod;<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.9.</NOTE> <HI>Shall we not be in &s;ubjection to the Father of Spirits, and live?</HI> Thus Father rod, and Childrens grief are &s;weetly &s;uted; let us do like &s;onnes.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rule <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> Cha&s;tening is <HI>the rod of love:</HI> Grace or Love is the very diffe|rencing form of it, that &s;ingles it out from all other evils: Grief and love then is the an&s;wer to this affliction; loving teares, to loving
<PB N="24" REF="17">checks: God doth rebuke, yet love; God doth afflict, yet love; God whips, and yet he loves: Now we mu&s;t thus return, complaints and love, remor&s;e and love, lament and love mu&s;t be our rule. This is the compo&s;ure of the clouded Spou&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5.6.8.</NOTE> &s;he weeps and loves, and faints and loves, and groanes and loves, &s;courged with the ab&s;ence of her de&s;ired, yet di&s;plea&s;ed Lord. It was <HI>Davids</HI> po&s;ture under Gods cha&s;tening hand in his &s;ad a&s;cent to mount <HI>Olivet,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 15.26.30.</NOTE> <HI>bare feet, covered head, weeping eyes, and loving heart,</HI> his pre&s;&s;ures heavie, and his love great to honour God with the nullifying of him&s;elf: <HI>Here I am, if he will have no delight in me, let him doe what &s;eems him good.</HI> Let me be any thing, or nothing, &s;o he be glorified in his will done. It is <HI>Jobs</HI> &s;train under his pre&s;&s;ures, e&s;pying the love that put him to grief,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 13.15.</NOTE> <HI>Though he &s;lay me, yet will</HI> I <HI>tru&s;t in him.</HI> Loves wounds and &s;laugh|ter makes no enemies; beleeve, and weep, and love, are &s;weet returns to love cha&s;ti&s;ing. Grieve and love.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rule <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> Cha&s;tening is a profitable correction, God doth it for our pro|fit, that we might be partakers of his holines, this is the End, &amp; the Rule then is, It mu&s;t be grief and good, grief and amendment, refor|ming grief turning to holine&s;&s;e that an&s;wers &s;uch a rod. Moaning and turning are <HI>Ephraims</HI> work when God is cha&s;tening. <HI>David</HI> re|lents and turnes to his affliction, therefore in proof he &s;ings, <HI>It is good for me that I have been afflicted;</HI> repenting teares, and returning &s;orrowes, are &s;weet characters of Gods cha&s;tened ones, and duties to a cha&s;ti&s;ing father.</P>
<P N="4">4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rule <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> Cha&s;tening is but a pre&s;ent burden, the &s;horte&s;t time, if we look back to pa&s;t, or forward to that which is to come, the Rule is ju&s;t, pre&s;ent &s;mart &s;hould have but pre&s;ent grief, and &s;horte&s;t &s;cour|gings &s;horte&s;t &s;orrowes. The night may mea&s;ure out our groanes, the day mu&s;t cut them off. The nature of evils points out the affe|ction due,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth 6.34.</NOTE> and their time its mea&s;ure: and if, by divine Oracle, <HI>Suffi|cient for the day, be the evill thereof,</HI> (&s;o Chri&s;t metes our affliction by the day, not to over-pre&s;&s;e his &s;uffering members) then &s;ufficient for that day, is the care and &s;orrow of it; the length of the pre&s;ent day mu&s;t make even both &s;mart and grief: God hath judged it, a dayes &s;pace is mea&s;ure &s;ufficient for one and other. It may be &s;ullen &s;tub|bornne&s;&s;e, or childi&s;h frowardne&s;&s;e, to keep a &s;obbing when the rod is gone. Deare Chri&s;tian, &s;ee the indulgence of thy heavenly Father, and thy heart mu&s;t love him; it is but pre&s;ent &s;miting, this dayes or houres &s;mart that he inflicteth, and it is no longer plaints of tears that he expecteth; pre&s;ent, not future &s;ucceeding, wa&s;ting or con&s;u|ming
<PB N="25" REF="17">&s;ighes that he requireth: Manage the dayes trouble with pro|portion'd and &s;utable care and &s;adne&s;&s;e. Bring not the morrowes weight into this dayes burden, <HI>The morrow &s;hall take thought for the things of it &s;elfe.</HI> If providence lengthen out thy life &s;o long, it can command it to come in with joy; but if mu&s;t be gloomy &amp; clou|dy too, thy God will have the pre&s;ent trouble pa&s;t, before that &s;hall come: As he never did nor will,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jerem. 33.20.</NOTE> while his covenant &s;tands with day and night, clap two dayes together into one, neither will he joyn two dayes burdens into one upon thy back, nor ask of thee two daies &s;orrowes at once; one dayes grief well managed is enough at once. I &s;hall leave thee, Chri&s;tian heart, with this note to chew up|on the re&s;t, <HI>It is the harde&s;t and &s;weete&s;t work for Chri&s;tians to keep clo&s;e to pre&s;ent duty.</HI> O then yeeld, I will live, I will love, I will pray, I will walk, I will grieve, as the pre&s;ent call from God commandeth. Summe up all now, and take we the dutie regulated, <HI>The cha&s;teneds grief to the cha&s;tenings rod:</HI> Grieve we ought, when God rebukes; yet as children to their fathers &s;courge, with &s;hame, with feare, and with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion; and as children to their fathers love, with hearts enlarged, and love redundant, weep and love; and as children to their fathers aim, with holy change and fulle&s;t reformation; and as children to their fathers bounds, with eye to pre&s;ent time for pre|&s;ent duty: keep this compa&s;&s;e and it is well. Pre&s;ent, purging, lo|ving, obedient, childlike grief, it is the dutie fitted to Gods pre&s;ent, refining, indulgent, and fatherly cha&s;tenings on his people. In all this ye &s;hall not &s;in, nor will it need to weep again over the&s;e teares, nor grieve for thus grieving. Expect your comforts hence, and you &s;hall have them.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. IX.</HI> Comforting incouragements from the pre&s;ent truth.</HEAD>
<P>IN the very wor&s;t of cha&s;tening there is &s;ome good, in the bitter there is &s;weet; in very pain, &s;ome ea&s;e; and in the faintings a cordi|all, poore afflicted &s;oule, to &s;tand between thee and peri&s;hing under the harde&s;t pre&s;&s;ures. Look but upon this again, God indulging thy pre&s;ent &s;mart, and &s;uck the honey, the &s;weet of heaven, reviving comforts by the&s;e frequented meditations.</P>
<P N="1">1. Think, and think it &s;eriou&s;ly, and think it throughly, that in this matter you have to doe with God; it is he, independent in his being and judgement upon creatures, that &s;aith of thine affliction, It
<PB N="26" REF="18">is heavie, and of thy &s;orrow, Alas poore &s;oul, for it is bitter, none can blame thee. O thou afflicted! put thy ca&s;e now in the &s;adde&s;t &s;tate of cha&s;tening; How is it with thee? Surely comfortle&s;&s;e e|nough, I am the man that hath &s;een &s;orow, my dwelling hath ca&s;t me out, and my place knoweth me not, I wander as a bird from her ne&s;t, in danger of devouring every moment, yet no doore is opened to me, man looks not toward my di&s;tre&s;&s;e; I am con&s;umed with pi|ning &s;ickne&s;&s;e, &s;poiled of goods, my fle&s;h worn with iron bonds, and I become a reproach and by-word, yet this is nothing to loo|kers on; nay, when I labour to hold fa&s;t my integrity, when I humble my &s;oul with fa&s;ting, yet this is turned to my reproach; I &s;uffer as an outca&s;t of God and Men, lover, and friend, and kin&s;men, get farre off; nay, God is &s;ugge&s;ted to be my enemy by the adver&s;a|ry, and they per&s;ecute me as a for&s;aken &s;oule; yet no man careth for me: and what more ab&s;olute mi&s;ery, then in the depth of &s;orrows to be denied pitie? Alas, deare heart, thy right and left hand com|forts from the creature fail. But why looke&s;t thou not upward? No thoughts of God in this matter? O remember, no &s;oul truly mi&s;e|rable, but that whom God looks not after, write him wretched when God careth not for his &s;oule. But, O thou cha&s;tended of the Lord, thy God &s;tands by thee, he tells the &s;teppes of thy wandrings, he bottles and books up thy tears, he weigheth thine affliction in &s;cales, and knows, and &s;ayes, it is heavie, he &s;eeth the iron marks upon thy fle&s;h, and trea&s;ures up all thy &s;ighes; let the whole creation ca&s;t thee off as loft, yet this is comfort invincible, in thy affliction God know|eth thy &s;oule: Weigh but his greatne&s;&s;e, his grace, and his faithful|ne&s;&s;e, and then be comforted; His greatne&s;&s;e &s;hall not terrifie nor di&s;may thee, but it &s;hall help and &s;upply thy weakne&s;&s;e under bur|dens; his grace &s;hall blot out &s;in, that gives a &s;ting to thy afflictions; and his faithfulne&s;&s;e &s;hall e&s;tabli&s;h thee in peace and comfort, when thine own unevenne&s;&s;e would make thee fall. See <HI>Jobs</HI> practice about the&s;e, when they were urged again&s;t him for his wounding by un|kind comforters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 23.6.</NOTE> and doe likewi&s;e: <HI>Will he plead again&s;t me with his great power? No, but he would put &s;trength in me.</HI> Say thou &s;o too, and be revived; &s;hall his greatne&s;&s;e &s;et it &s;elf again&s;t me in my trou|ble, to drive me like a leaf, or cru&s;h me as a worme, when his grace hath accepted me, and his faithfulne&s;&s;e is engaged to make good his Covenant of love unto me? No, no, though creatures prove a lie, &s;tones in &s;tead of men, and oppre&s;&s;ors in &s;tead of friends, they think it glory in revenge to pur&s;ue a Flea,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 24.14.</NOTE> a weak thing that cannot re&s;i&s;t
<PB N="27" REF="18">them, yet God is truth and the &s;ame for ever, his power and grace and faithfulne&s;&s;e are one undivided beeing, he will not &s;o glory over his poore, weake cha&s;tened ones, but will put &s;trength within them, and make them &s;tand under their burdens, his &s;trength &s;hal be theirs to make them more the conquerors over all afflictions, for hee knowes their griefs: re&s;olve then, Chri&s;tian, and &s;ay, though creature-com|forts faile, and creature-power doth rather oppre&s;&s;e than ea&s;e me,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Habak. 3.18.</NOTE> yet I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my &s;alvation, he pitieth and will heale me.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thinke upon thy very &s;mart, and thinke rightly, with the thoughts of God concerning it, and &s;ome comfort mu&s;t ari&s;e; It is not ab&s;tracted paine, but paine with purging, paine with &s;courging, paine with refining; In &s;hort, it is thy &s;mart, but &s;ins death, the &s;pirits purging, but the fle&s;h its con&s;umption. The mo&s;t tearing phy&s;icke is comfortable in its very torture, for then it killes the di&s;ea&s;e and &s;e|cures the patient from dying by it. So great hath beene the evidence of the good of &s;uch afflictions, that the Holy ones of God have made it their petition in the fornace, Lord let thy &s;courge abide, and &s;inne be gone; it is good for us to bee here, where &s;inne doth lea&s;t annoy us. It is true comfort under wounds of fle&s;h to have &s;pirit healing: This keepes tho&s;e heavenly &s;oules from fainting;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.16.</NOTE> the paine and p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ri|&s;hing of the outward, is the reviving, poli&s;hing, and daily renovation of the inward man; what ever workes ruine to that, and repaire to this, is no cro&s;&s;e but comfort. Such thoughts will ea&s;e thy paine and make thy burthen lighter, refre&s;h thy &s;pirit and make thy joy the greater.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thinke upon the bound, and mea&s;ure of thy &s;mart, it is &s;ome comfort to know it is &s;hort; It is but a <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> paine, a <HI>moment,</HI> a ve|ry <HI>now</HI> of affliction to be indured; and &s;hould this &s;wallow up &s;pirits and hopes too? Art thou a man but of a day, and ha&s;t an eternall &s;pirit, and everla&s;ting hopes pre&s;ented? Let this refre&s;h thee, thy paines are &s;horter lived then thou art, thy hopes outreach them, and thy &s;pirit &s;hall outlive them; give not up the Gho&s;t then for pre&s;ent pre&s;&s;ures. It was a Saints reviving once,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 30.5.</NOTE> <HI>Weeping may indure for a night,</HI> or <HI>for an evening,</HI> I &s;hall outlive this to &s;ee the day, and <HI>then joy, &s;inging &s;hall returnne in the morning.</HI> To clo&s;e this part of the paine of cha&s;tening, and leave &s;ome ta&s;t of &s;weet with the afflicted, and de&s;ire of more to bee expected in the &s;ucceeding portion, adde but this thought to continue thy attendance upon that which followes; Thinke upon the <HI>After,</HI> that <HI>&s;weet After,</HI> that <HI>long After,</HI> wherein all
<PB N="28" REF="19">pre&s;ent griefe &s;hall bee &s;wallowed up, and all transformed into that <HI>After fruit,</HI> &s;o that no remembrance &s;hall abide of former &s;orrowes; Comfort thy &s;elfe a while with the thoughts of this, untill more ful|ly it be revealed; it is the next worke, whereunto for thy greater con&s;olation I &s;hall proceede.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="part">
<HEAD>THE SECOND PART. Of the gaine of Cha&s;tenings.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><P>Neverthele&s;&s;e afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of rigteou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto them that are exercised thereby.</P>
<BIBL><HI>v. 11.</HI></BIBL></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. I.</HI> The true &s;tating of the &s;econd propo&s;ition from the text, with its due partition, and partiall explication.</HEAD>
<P>THe Spirits Method in giving &s;entence upon cha&s;tenings is to pa&s;&s;e from conce&s;&s;ion unto &s;en&s;e, to correction unto faith: Hee grants the <HI>pre&s;ent, the now</HI> of paine unto their feeling; True, the cha&s;te|ning is for the pre&s;ent grievous, yet would he not, they &s;hould thence conclude nothing but bitterne&s;&s;e in their cha&s;tening; He therefore &s;uddenly corrects &s;uch mi&s;conceits, by adding an a&s;&s;ertion of its <HI>af|ter gaine,</HI> commending it to faith to bee realized and &s;etled in the &s;oule, for &s;trength again&s;t &s;en&s;e of pre&s;ent evill, and victory over pre|vailing griefe. Neverthele&s;&s;e afterwards, &amp;c. The Summe is in this &s;econd conclu&s;ion.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Conclu&s;. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> <HI>All cha&s;tenings (however painfull, yet) are indeede very gainefull things,</HI> or more largely in the Apo&s;tles owne termes, <HI>All hastenings for the afterwards yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto them that are exerci&s;ed thereby.</HI> Of which I &s;hall treate in the former order: The truth, the manner, the certainty, and nece&s;|&s;ity of this gaine i&s;&s;uing from the rod mu&s;t bee declared, then faith may worke kindly on it.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1</HI> Qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">d &s;it.</NOTE> The truth will eminently appeare in the right unfolding of the termes in the text; they be generally two. 1. The Subject. 2. The Attribute. The &s;ubject in this propo&s;ition, is the <HI>Root,</HI> or <HI>Ri&s;e</HI> of all this gaine, and it is onely the <HI>dry Rod,</HI> that Cha&s;tening,
<PB N="29" REF="19">which was opened in the foregoing part; which onely wee may re|member in its formall con&s;ideration, is the <HI>rod of love,</HI> u&s;ed by the Father of mercies upon his owne children; The other part is the worke here.</P>
<P N="2">2. In the Attribute &s;everall particulars fall under inquirie. 1 The gaine &s;elfe. 2 The condition unto which it is de&s;igned. 3 The &s;ea|&s;on of its returne. 4 The manner of its ri&s;e from the former &s;tocke. What may all the&s;e meane?</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> The full account of this <HI>cha&s;tening gaine</HI> is given out in three expre&s;&s;ions. Fruit, Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and Peace. 1 The generall nature of it is touch't, in that it is &s;tiled <HI>Fruit,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a. 27.6. Mic 7.13.</HI> Fructus impor|tat dulcedinem unde fructus e&s;t, delectari in fine adepto. Aquin. in text. <HI>P&s;al 92.14.</HI></NOTE> a word of no bad notation of it &s;elfe, unle&s;&s;e &s;pecified by &s;ome adjunct, <HI>Fruit of &s;inne,</HI> or <HI>Fruit of our owne doings,</HI> &amp;c. Two co&s;inderations it imports which doe much commend this gaine. 1. Sweetne&s;&s;e of goodne&s;&s;e; it mu&s;t bee good becau&s;e it is fruit, unle&s;&s;e made evill by &s;ome other bitter ingre|dient; it is therfore a common paraphra&s;e of a &s;weet &amp; good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, <HI>They &s;hall bring forth fruit,</HI> when the Spirit would de&s;cribe the pro|&s;perous condition of any: Fruit therefore is good enjoyed, wherein &s;tands mans delight or plea&s;ure; So then, when fruit is promi&s;ed, &s;weet and good is intended by the rod, which when enjoyed is fruit, and being fruit is plea&s;ant; This is no reproach, no cha&s;tenings.</P>
<P N="2">2. Abundance or fulne&s;&s;e is implyed in this al&s;o;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 28.4.</NOTE> Fruit in this kind is a collective terme; As the fruit of the land, is not one eare or &s;heafe, but the crop,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 22.9.</NOTE> and the fruit of the vineyard is not one grape or clu&s;ter in the u&s;uall &s;peech, but many clu&s;ters or all the gathe|ring; &s;o not one &s;weet or good can bee the fruit of cha&s;tening com|pleatly, but the harve&s;t and crop of many <HI>goods</HI> and <HI>&s;weets:</HI> &s;o that the weight of this generall word commends thus farre the gaine of cha&s;tenings, It is a full cup of all good things for &s;oules delight; And yet adde one thing more, for honour of Gods Scourge, if this bee <HI>fruit</HI> of cha&s;tening, it is as firmely intailed on the rod, as the grape upon the vine, or the apple on its tree, or the cherry on its graffe; All this is carried in the terme of fruit.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;peciall nature of this gaine is <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> the fruit is therefore &s;pecified le&s;t any doubt its goodne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> it is <HI>fruit of Righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e;</HI> This &s;pecification is not from Earth, it is not fruit of ground, nor fruit of body, nor fruit of vine or figtree, nor fruit of cattel, the&s;e are too low to grow upon Gods rod, the word is from heaven, and thence the meaning of it mu&s;t be fetch't. Now as given us of God, the u&s;e of it is either proper, or figurative. In the proper u&s;e of it there
<PB N="30" REF="20">be two &s;ignificats. 1 Gods work upon us, changing our conditions, not our natures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. Ier. 23.6.</NOTE> wiping out our guilt, not our &s;taines, which is the gift of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or our ju&s;tification in and by the Lord our righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e. This cannot bee intended here, for cha&s;tening &s;uppo&s;eth men the adopted and ju&s;tified of God already; this then cannot bee gained by it. 2 Gods worke in us by the &s;anctification of our natures, even an univer&s;all frame of rectitude in our hearts conforme to the revealed will of God: it an&s;wers to that holine&s;&s;e whereof God aimes to make us partakers by his cha&s;tening, which in effect is the fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; it is &s;ummed up intirely together in tho&s;e titles, <HI>the new creation, the forme or image of Chri&s;t, and the divine na|ture:</HI> In its parts or members de&s;cribed, it is knowledge of God, faith in God, love to God, walking with God exactly in the right way and due &s;ea&s;ons of his wor&s;hip; it is obedience, meekne&s;&s;e, pa|tience, contentedne&s;&s;e, humility, bowels, cha&s;tity, goodne&s;&s;e, up|right conver&s;ation, and whatever el&s;e is required to the integrity of a Chri&s;tian,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1.11.</NOTE> with the&s;e fruits of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e the Apo&s;tle praies the Church of God may bee filled by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us: The&s;e in their collection and growth are the fruit of &s;courgings; no de&s;picable gaine. Againe in the figurative or metonymicall u&s;e of this terme, it notes all the in&s;aperable adjuncts and con&s;equents of this righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, in &s;hort, eternall life, kingdome of glory, throne and crown of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;o &s;tiled becau&s;e a&s;&s;igned to it: It plea&s;eth &s;ome to grant the former, but deny this to bee the intended fruit of cha&s;te|nings;<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;tius in text.</NOTE> I confe&s;&s;e that more immediately i&s;&s;ueth from the rod, but why &s;hould we not &s;uppo&s;e life as neere to righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e to the rod? nay it will be nece&s;&s;ary with this intaile to con|ceive this fruit, if we duely con&s;ider one rule which I thinke will not faile us, <HI>That what&s;oever righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is promi&s;ed, or expre&s;&s;ed as a re|ward or con&s;equent of a precedent duty, it may or mu&s;t be under&s;tood with the latitude of all its effects.</HI> And therefore as containing heaven it &s;elfe, &s;uch is the u&s;e of it in this place; &s;o it is u&s;ed el&s;ewhere vari|ou&s;ly;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea 10.12.</NOTE> to touch but one in&s;tance, <HI>Sow to your &s;elves in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, breake up the fallow ground, for it is time to &s;eeke the Lord, till hee come, and raine righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e upon you.</HI> Here raining righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is an effect propo&s;ed to &s;eeking the Lord, breaking up barten hearts, and &s;owing in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; here is one righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e the reward of another; who can denie in rea&s;on, this raine of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to be &s;howres of greater grace and following glory upon their obedi|ence? Like is the u&s;e of it here, adn therefore we open to its large&s;t
<PB N="31" REF="20">bounds. To &s;umme up this parcell, much gaine was from the rod, in that it was fruit i&s;&s;uing &s;weet and abundant good, but more that this fruit is <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> The name and thing are of divine origi|nall, &s;o that fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e mu&s;t be fruit of God, that is, ex|cellent fruit; and two excellencies at lea&s;t it notes here. 1. Diviue nature, created indeed, and &s;uch as is communicable, but exactly conformed to <HI>Jehovah Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> the very image of it. 2. Di|vine ble&s;&s;e, which is the confluence of all glories, communicable al&s;o, and depending upon this righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e derived from God, and roo|ted in him. And is not this excellent fruit? Would any but a bea&s;t grudge to be whipt into God, into the divine nature, into the image of Chri&s;t? Who would not be willing to be &s;courged and beaten into heaven, into glory, into life from the wayes of death? The&s;e are the &s;ure gain of cha&s;tenings, but yet more good.</P>
<P N="3">3. The in&s;eparable property of this heavenly fruit, is peace; the terme &s;eemes to an&s;wer to the former griefe, vexation, or torture that might be in the rod, which di&s;quiets the man, and fills the fle&s;h with pain and trouble, this is but for the pre&s;ent, working of Gods phy&s;ick, the <HI>after fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> brings peace, and &s;ettles and quiets all again: it is like a &s;tomack &s;etling cordiall after a tearing vomit. The Syriack reads it by conjunction, the <HI>fruit of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e and peace,</HI> not lo&s;ing any thing of the gain; yet, me thinkes, not uniting clo&s;e enough that &s;weet paire by a <HI>conjunction,</HI> when the Spirit &s;huts up Peace in Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as the in&s;eparable fruit of that, and &s;o makes in a manner one of both, to &s;hew their undivided &s;ocietie: Peace as &s;ure a fruit of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e can be of cha&s;tening, is Gods own di&s;covery,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 32.17.</NOTE> <HI>The work of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e &s;hall be peace, and the effect of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, quietne&s;&s;e and a&s;&s;u|rance for ever.</HI> But what then is this peace? I &s;hall not &s;tay long in variety of tran&s;lations of the word to &s;earch this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pacatum fructum.</NOTE> onely to take the be&s;t; That is not good that reads pa&s;&s;ively, quieted or appea&s;ed righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, farre from the word; It is neerer that renders it actively, quieting,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Paci&s;icum, tranquillum.</NOTE> or pacificall righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, for it brings peace with it: but neere&s;t is the ab&s;olute reading of it, as in ours, peaceable, or peacefull righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, abundance, or fulne&s;&s;e of peace hath this fruit in the compa&s;&s;e of it. But what is it &s;till? I &s;hall return in &s;hort, as in the generall u&s;e of it, Peace is the confluence of all good, and therefore points out a pro&s;perous &s;tate, when all things are in peace; &s;o in the &s;peciall application of it here, it notes all tho&s;e kinds and degrees of good which onely can
<PB N="32" REF="21">be the cure of the &s;everall evils in the rod: for that way alone looks this peace. Now there be the&s;e &s;ore evils u&s;ually in Gods &s;courge. 1. Frownes and di&s;plea&s;ure di&s;covered in the face of a cha&s;ti&s;ing God. 2. Smart, and trouble, and vexation upon a &s;uffering fle&s;h. 3. Doubts, and feares, and terrours, ari&s;ing from both the former, in a tender and afflicted &s;oul: in all is great bitterne&s;&s;e. The fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, this <HI>peace,</HI> hath &s;overaigne vertue again&s;t the&s;ee, and cures them all.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.165.</NOTE> <HI>Great peace have they which love Gods Law</HI> (&s;uch one|ly are like unto it) <HI>and nothing &s;hall offend them:</HI> they &s;hall have no &s;tumbling-blocks to vex them; great peace i&s;&s;uing from that right frame of heart, conforme to Gods Law, takes away all offence, no reigning griefe to &s;uch. 1. This turnes frownes of God into &s;miles, and di&s;plea&s;ures into pitie, when the rod hath got the victory, and brought home the wanderer to righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; then it is all peace, God frownes no more,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.20.</NOTE> but loves and pities: &s;o he &s;peakes to retur|ned <HI>Ephraim, It is my deare child, he is my plea&s;ant &s;onne.</HI> Peace then is Gods &s;mile and favour fixt on his cha&s;tened, righteous &s;eed. 2. This peace hath a good or vertue in it contrary to all di&s;ea&s;es, maladies, or &s;ores that the rod can make, and therefore mu&s;t carry healing in it; every yoke it ea&s;eth, and every burden it removeth; it is a &s;alve for every &s;ore, no pain can afflict the fle&s;h, but peace can ea&s;e it: This is honour in reproach, &s;upply in wants, health in &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e, a guide in wandrings, &s;ecurity in dangers, reliefe in injuries, life in deaths: this is a &s;helter again&s;t the &s;torme, and &s;hade again&s;t the &s;corching Sunne; there is no malady whereunto this is not a &s;uted remedy, it comforts all &s;orrowes, and wipes away all teares from the eyes of Gods cha&s;tened children.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3.5.6. P&s;al. 31.22.</NOTE> By this <HI>David</HI> may be kept &s;ecure, &s;leeping in the &s;iege of ten thou&s;and adver&s;aries; this &s;heweth him his acceptance with God, and ea&s;eth his terror, when he judgeth him&s;elfe a reprobate, and an outca&s;t from heaven. Nay this a &s;ure guard again&s;t all the in-rodes of Satan upon the &s;oule, and invincible &s;hield again&s;t his fiery darts. This peace of God, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e will guard,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.7.</NOTE> or keep &s;afe our mindes, our bodies, our all in Chri&s;t Je&s;us. This is peace, the ea&s;e of every &s;mart laid upon the fle&s;h.</P>
<P N="3">3. Once againe, as no rackings &s;o full of torture, as tho&s;e of a doubting, fearfull, &s;elf-condemning heart; &s;o no remedy &s;o &s;ove|raigne again&s;t the&s;e, as the peace of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. In a word, this is <HI>a&s;&s;urance,</HI> or <HI>confidence</HI> &s;etled upon the righteous &s;oule, that an|&s;wereth every doubt, and quells every feare ri&s;ing up from the ap|prehen&s;ion
<PB N="33" REF="21">of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure in the rod; it is &s;o &s;weetly &s;tiled,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> I&s;a. 32.17.</NOTE> the &s;ervice, work, or effect of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is <HI>a&s;&s;urance.</HI> It doth in|deed a&s;&s;ure God, a&s;&s;ure life, a&s;&s;ure deliverance, a&s;&s;ure glory to the &s;oule again&s;t all cavils; it puts every good out of que&s;tion, and makes the heart live confidently above every cro&s;&s;e; &s;ee now the gaine of cha&s;tening, Fruit, Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and Peace: the rod brings forth a fruit, that de&s;troyes it &s;elfe, &s;weet abundant grace and glory, with Gods &s;miles, griefs ruin, and hearts a&s;&s;urance to triumph over every doubt and evill: who would think that &s;uch a dry &s;tick &s;hould bring forth this ble&s;&s;ed fruit? yet thus it doth. But now to whom? That is the next quaere.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. II.</HI> The condition of the fore-going Fruit opened.</HEAD>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>2.</HI> Condition. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> THe character or condition of tho&s;e &s;ouls, who onely find this fruit of the rod, is thus expre&s;t in the Text, <HI>To them that are exerci&s;ed thereby,</HI> to them this fruit is yeelded from the rod; There is much weight in this clau&s;e, and yet I find it little con&s;idered, our gain or lo&s;&s;e by all afflictions, depends upon the <HI>Yea</HI> or <HI>Nay</HI> of this. It will be fit therefore to &s;ee what is in the letter, and then take more &s;eriou&s;ly to thought the matter intended. Three termes there are in this clau&s;e. 1. The Subject, the men here pointed at. 2. The Con|dition, Exerci&s;e. 3. The Occa&s;ion, or Incentive of it, the Rod; no difficulty here but about the right taking of the condition: It is for the mo&s;t part onely rendred pa&s;&s;ively, <HI>They that are exerci&s;ed thereby,</HI> that is, they that &s;uffer, and are pre&s;&s;ed, and afflicted by the Rod, and &s;o u&s;ed to &s;orrowes; but this cannot be the mind of the Spirit here: For then all that &s;uffer afflictions would have this fruit of cha&s;tening. which we &s;ee eminently fal&s;e, many the wor&s;e and not the better by the rod; but all that are exerci&s;ed as here meant, fall not &s;hort of this ble&s;&s;ed fruit. It mu&s;t needs therefore have an active &s;ignification implied here to this purpo&s;e, <HI>To them that are exerci&s;ed thereby,</HI> that is, all &s;uch as by the rod are provoked and &s;tirred up to exerci&s;e them&s;elves duly under Gods cha&s;tening, for obtaining the fruit pro|mi&s;ed; &s;o that not onely pa&s;&s;ion is here noted, a meere &s;uffering of pain, but action, &s;tirring and Chri&s;tian exerci&s;e moved by the rod, to work together with it for the de&s;ired fruit. This is in the letter. But now it will be more expedient to look into the nature of the thing; what may this exerci&s;e be, whereupon depends &s;o much ad|vantage
<PB N="34" REF="22">to Chri&s;tians? The di&s;covery of two things, the Manner and Matter of this action, will &s;atisfie that quaere, both which will be &s;upplied from the words duly weighed. 1. The manner of this action (becau&s;e the &s;horte&s;t) &s;hall be fir&s;t touched, to &s;hew how Chri|&s;tians &s;hould buckle them&s;elves to this work; The very word of <HI>Ex|erci&s;e</HI> teacheth this in three particulars. 1. The originall expre&s;&s;ion i&s;&s;ueth from a term denoting <HI>Nakedne&s;&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, from <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> or <HI>a naked man,</HI> and there|fore hath been properly u&s;ed in prophane Authours, to &s;et forth &s;uch exerci&s;es, which men acted in their &s;hirts, or naked, as wra&s;tling, running, foyling, or fencing, wherein garments or clothes would be a great incumbrance; activity, nimblene&s;&s;e, intention of &s;pirit, are intimated in this form of exerci&s;e. He then that would find this fruit from the rod, had need labour in his &s;hirt, ca&s;t off all carnall incumbrances, and wra&s;tle it out with God; holy activity and &s;weat of the browes, great intention, and fervencie of &s;pirit become the practitioner in this work, to gaine the prize, and obtain the fruit promi&s;ed: what is done, mu&s;t be done with all the might of man, in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. Idle husband-men, let &s;eed, and ground, and &s;ea&s;on, be never &s;o good,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s; 9.10.</NOTE> in vain expect a crop where no labour was. The greate&s;t pains this way, brings the greate&s;t gains.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Frequencie.</NOTE> Exerci&s;e in this place notes frequencie of action, it is no work|ing by &s;purts and fits, that will make a man thrive in this way, or become eminently fruitfull: Exerci&s;e and u&s;e are here <HI>Synonymaes,</HI> He is exerci&s;ed indeed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 9.24.</NOTE> to whom it is u&s;uall to &s;tudy Gods mind in the rod, and who is daily like the Bee, &s;ucking and making hony out of it; As the daily influence of Gods love, is called the exerci&s;e of his loving kindne&s;&s;e to his creatures;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 22.29.</NOTE> and the common thiefe is &s;aid to exerci&s;e robbery; &s;o the &s;oule that meets Gods &s;courge, and cha&s;tening every morning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.14.</NOTE> and falls to work about it, is here the truly exerci&s;ed Chri&s;tian. The daily labourer thrives the be&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;tancie.</NOTE> Exerci&s;e here intends con&s;tancie and continuance in labour untill the fruit comes: many plucks may be had at a bucket, yet to &s;top before it be full up, is but to lo&s;e all former labour; draw home we mu&s;t and reach the mark, if we mean to carry back the price of our high calling: to work two daies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai 64.5.</NOTE> and leave off the third, when we &s;hould be parfected, is as fruitle&s;&s;e as never to begin. As in all the wayes and works of God, con&s;tancie crownes the action, <HI>In tho&s;e is continuance, and we &s;hall be &s;aved:</HI> continuance and &s;alvation are yoa|ked; &s;o no le&s;&s;e in this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10.22.</NOTE> <HI>He that endureth to the end &s;hall be &s;aved,</HI> that is, he that abides in bearing, in doing, in working after Gods mind
<PB N="35" REF="22">under the rod, the &s;afe fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, life and peace, &s;hall be to that exerci&s;ed &s;oule. Thus mu&s;t their labour be ordered. But then what is the worke it &s;elfe?</P>
<P N="2">2. To come to that, Let us diligently con&s;ult the text againe, it is &s;aid, they are exerci&s;ed by it, that is, by this cha&s;tening they are a|wakened, provoked, and &s;tirred up to the worke or exerci&s;e &s;utable to the condition under which they are, and to the end or fruit which they de&s;ire. Now both the Ri&s;e or Incentive to this labour in the rod, and the end of it, which is here expre&s;&s;ed Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or Ho|lines in God, &s;weetly point out unto us together the variety of work that mu&s;t take us up for exerci&s;e in this ca&s;e.</P>
<P>The <HI>rod</HI> that awakens and puts upon this worke, points us to it, to our &s;elves, and unto God for &s;peciall exerci&s;e; &s;o <HI>Holine&s;&s;e</HI> unto which cha&s;tening is intended, no le&s;&s;e directs us to looks to the rod, to our &s;elves and to God, for &s;ome &s;peciall worke; if we would bee partakers of it: Hence then wee may gather the exerci&s;e that doth concerne us is threefold. 1 About the rod that &s;marts. 2 About our hearts that feele. 3 About God that doth inflict and cha&s;ten. 1. Much worke there is to doe about the rod,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Worke about the Rod.</NOTE> if wee expect the ap|pointed end, or fruit, it is all taken up in <HI>hearing, bearing,</HI> and <HI>doing</HI> after the rods voice.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hearing-worke.</NOTE> There is <HI>hearing work</HI> for the &s;oule; for there is a voyce or &s;peech in every cha&s;tening, and a &s;peciall duty is it to under&s;tand the mea|ning of the rod, which yet cannot be had, without hearkening or li|&s;tening thereunto: The one is therefore a&s;&s;erted a truth from God, and the other commanded a duty to him: upon a wi&s;e heart that would have profit by cha&s;tening,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 6.9</NOTE> <HI>The Lords voice cryeth to the city</HI> (the wi&s;e will &s;ee his name in it) <HI>heare ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.</HI> If it be enquired, what voice the rod hath? It is fully replied, The Lords voice cryeth in it: But what is the matter of all this cry? In &s;hort, virtually it takes in the whole contents of Gods covenant, and calleth for all re&s;tipulations due unto God from a covenanted peo|ple. It is &s;poken of the rod,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Levit. 26.25.</NOTE> which is the &s;word; <HI>I will bring a &s;word up|on you, that &s;hall avenge the quarrell of my Covenant;</HI> vengeance ab&s;o|lute of wrath it takes up on reprobates for their rebellion, but onely a &s;mart exaction or correction of love upon his cho&s;en, to convince them of former errors, and awaken them to future care in obedience to his Covenant. Whether it bee vengeance to one or cha&s;tening to another, this is certaine, the rod carries in it the voice of Gods whole Covenant, and requires obedience to it, where it comes, God
<PB N="36" REF="23">appoints it for this purpo&s;e: That one Notion under which <HI>word</HI> and <HI>Rod</HI> are &s;ignified,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.20.30.</NOTE> even <HI>Judgements,</HI> is enough to evince the &s;ub|&s;tance of one to bee carried in the other; The word of covenant is <HI>Judgement,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 14.21.</NOTE> that is, a right word of truth to bring to God, and the rod as <HI>Judgement</HI> al&s;o a right &s;troke upon the creatures default, to re|quire the abu&s;e of &s;o right a covenant. The rod then doth &s;peake, though it be a word in a blow, for God who &s;ends it; therefore is the cha&s;tened &s;oules duty to heare, that is, to li&s;ten, to &s;tudy out: and under&s;tand, and to beleeve what the Lord &s;peakes in his cha&s;tenings. But what cryeth the rod more di&s;tinctly?</P>
<P>The&s;e three words plainely are uttered in every &s;courge, and mu&s;t be &s;o heard, by the wi&s;e &s;oule that would be fruitfull under the rod. 1. The &s;troke cries aloud unto the &s;oule, Thou ha&s;t &s;inned, thou ha&s;t &s;inned; affliction could never fall upon a creature, where &s;inne had not made entrance for it: and however God &s;eeth not iniquity in <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;o as to lay to Iudgement to the rule, to ca&s;t away his people for ever, and forget his covenant of grace to them, yet in every rod hee notes their corruptions to convince of them, to lay &s;trokes of death upon them, and keepe from them for time to come. It was the cry of I&s;raels fall before <HI>Ai</HI> to <HI>Jo&s;hua;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;. 7.11.</NOTE> <HI>I&s;rael hath &s;inned,</HI> and no le&s;&s;e <HI>Davids</HI> family troubles and Kingdom &s;hakings &s;ound in his eare, did the matter of <HI>Vriah:</HI> every cha&s;tening &s;peakes the &s;ame to Gods Sonnes.</P>
<P N="2">2. Another note the whip &s;ounds out, God is di&s;plea&s;ed, God is di&s;plea&s;ed: though in love God take up the rod, to keepe his chil|dren from the worlds condemnation, yet every &s;troake &s;hews a frown upon their &s;in: Though <HI>David</HI> be Gods deare, and <HI>Solomon</HI> his be|loved one, and <HI>Ephraim</HI> his joy, yet his di&s;plea&s;ure is again&s;t their &s;in. God loves his Saints,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 12.14.</NOTE> but not their &s;ins, and were he not di&s;plea&s;ed he would not &s;mile, God &s;paring <HI>Miriam</HI> &s;hewed that hee loved her, but &s;pitting in her face, argues his indignation again&s;t her folly. Notably doth this appeare,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 44.24.</NOTE> when the cry of Gods afflicted returnes, Why hi|de&s;t thou thy face from us?</P>
<P N="3">3. The plaine voyce of the rod to the cha&s;tened &s;oule is, <HI>Returne, Returne,</HI> becau&s;e you &s;trayed abroad, God &s;ent out his appointed &s;courge after you, to call you home, and to &s;et you right in the way of life againe: when <HI>Ephraim</HI> was unruly in this kinde, the &s;courge pur&s;ues him, and whips and cries, Come backe <HI>Ephraim,</HI> come backe; and at la&s;t he heares it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.18</NOTE> &amp; replies, <HI>Turne me</HI> my God and <HI>I &s;hall be tur|ned.</HI> Thus every rod cryes repentance to the cha&s;tened child; and his
<PB N="37" REF="23">worke it is to heare, to under&s;tand, to be convinced, and beleeve all this revelation by the rod, if ever that excellent fruit of righteou&s;nes appeare.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bearing-worke.</NOTE> There is <HI>bearing worke</HI> al&s;o for Chri&s;tians in reference to the rod; The nece&s;&s;ity of this patience is urged by one, and the perfecti|on of it advi&s;ed by another Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.36. James 1.4.</NOTE> to give men po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the promi&s;e, and render them intire, wanting nothing. The Church commends it to her children, <HI>It is good for a man to beare the yoake in his youth;</HI> good to beare,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.27.</NOTE> and to beare betimes, and &s;he re&s;olves to do it in con&s;cience of her owne guilt de&s;erving it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 7.9.</NOTE> <HI>I will beare the indig|nation of God, becau&s;e J have &s;inned again&s;t him;</HI> this is the way to that de&s;ired gaine, <HI>He will bring me forth to the light, and I &s;hall behold his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e;</HI> &s;ee the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of bearing &s;mart.</P>
<P>But how mu&s;t we beare, to be &s;ure of this?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE></P>
<P>Three words will direct &s;afely.<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> 1. We mu&s;t beare feelingly, that is, feele and beare, or el&s;e what patience here? little hope of whip|ping a dry po&s;t into greene, alas there is neither life nor &s;en&s;e in it, the Anvile-bearing may make wor&s;e and harder, never &s;oft nor bet|ter. It is &s;tupidity, not patience, where there is want of &s;en&s;e; no thanke for bearing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 1.20.21.22.</NOTE> where no paine is felt: poore <HI>Iob</HI> feeles and beares, and takes all kindly from the hand of God; in this hee did not &s;inne.</P>
<P N="2">2. Wee mu&s;t beare freely and willingly; forced &s;uffering again&s;t our wills is not worth the name of patience; over-powered &s;trength may beare in policie, when it mu&s;t yeeld of nece&s;&s;ity, but little thanks for &s;uch a bearing in re&s;pect of God; to choo&s;e to beare rather than not, when God cha&s;ti&s;eth and his will is &s;o, to take up the cro&s;&s;e, when fle&s;h might finde the way to &s;hift it, Chri&s;t calling thereunto, this is action, and truth of duty, not dull pa&s;&s;ion, or patience perforce. <HI>Correct me O Lord, and that in judgement,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 10.24.</NOTE> mea&s;ur'd by the rule of thy &s;aving truth, was the de&s;ire of a gratious &s;oule, rather then bee left unrebuk't and hated.</P>
<P N="3">3. We mu&s;t beare waitingly al&s;o, if we expect the fruit; to grow weary after &s;ome &s;trokes born,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Chry&s;o&s;t in text. <HI>26.8.9</HI></NOTE> is but to forfeit all former paines to lo&s;&s;e; to hold out and indure bearing to the utmo&s;t point of the wil of God is the onely way to get the crowne: It is therefore a true pa|raphra&s;e of the condition in the text by an Antient, to bee exerci&s;ed is to beare, and to hold out: The practi&s;e of that good Prophet and people of truths &s;utes &s;weetly with this rule, <HI>yea in the way of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee;</HI> that is, in all the journey
<PB N="38" REF="24">round or circuit of Gods &s;courges, though he take rod after rod, and leade them from fire to fire, and from water to water, they keepe him company throughout the way, and waite unweariedly till the fruit do come, that they may be exactly skil'd or learn'd in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. No hope of healing the wound, if the plai&s;ter lye not long enough, nor expectation of harve&s;t by the husbandman, till winter bee pa&s;t and the &s;ea&s;on come: thus beare the rod, and the rod &s;hall beare his pretious fruit.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Doing-work.</NOTE> There is yet more <HI>doing worke</HI> about the rod, to compleate this exerci&s;e, and helpe on the de&s;ired gaine: to heare and beare the rod will prove but idle worke without doing, or be&s;tirring our &s;elves in action &s;utable to its demands; the&s;e three Acts I &s;hall commend for compleating your exerci&s;e about the rod, and inlarging the intailed fruit.</P>
<P N="1">1. Ki&s;&s;e the rod in your Fathers hand; no &s;torming, no &s;natching, nor biting at it, if you con&s;ult your peace: Aske ye what I meane by ki&s;&s;ing the rod? I &s;hall &s;hortly tell you, <HI>Honour</HI> it as the Scepter of God, &s;et up above you; <HI>Feare</HI> it as the &s;word of God, &s;ent to require all failings again&s;t his Covenant; <HI>Love</HI> it as Gods medicine appoin|ted for healing your &s;ores, and preventing death, and condemnation, the ki&s;&s;e is but the token of love and homage due.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron 33.12</NOTE> <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> did thus under the iron rod in <HI>Babylon</HI> and pro&s;pered.</P>
<P N="2">2. Ca&s;t away the &s;inne that hath provoked God; &s;ay unto it, what ever it be, Get thee hence; and within your &s;elves parly, What have we any more to doe with evill?<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30.22. Ho&s;. 14 8. Iob 34.31.32.2 Sam. 20.22.</NOTE> <HI>Elihu</HI> &s;weetly notes this to <HI>Job</HI> in his affliction, <HI>Surely it is meete to be &s;aid unto God, I have borne cha|&s;ti&s;ement, J will not offend any more; That which J &s;ee not teach thou me; if J have done iniquity, J will doe no more.</HI> It was the &s;peedie&s;t way the woman tooke to &s;ecure <HI>Abell,</HI> &amp; make <HI>Joab</HI> retreat, to throw the Traitors head over the wall; no other way to calme the &s;ea but by ca&s;ting out <HI>Jonah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1.12.</NOTE> nor &s;horter cour&s;e can be found to &s;till the rod, and ripen the &s;weet fruit of holine&s;&s;e, than to thru&s;t out that &s;inne that angers one, and contradicts the other.</P>
<P N="3">3. Imbrace the covenant of God for which the rod pleades, This is the me&s;&s;age about which the &s;courge is &s;ent, to teach you your folly in tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing, and wi&s;edome for a timely imbracing the covenant of the Lord.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 43.30. Gen. 35.1.2. &amp;c.</NOTE> That rod which made <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;tink in the no&s;trills of his Neighbours, tells him of his forgetfulne&s;&s;e of his vow at <HI>Bethel,</HI> and mindes him to purge his family, and ha&s;te to performe his covenant with God; upon obedience to this his feare was removed, his &s;mart
<PB N="39" REF="24">ea&s;ed, and his grace &s;trengthened. Gods Covenant embraced, brings Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and Peace with it, This is the Fir&s;t peece of our exerci&s;e about the Rod.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. III.</HI> The exerci&s;e about Hearts, and about God, opened.</HEAD>
<P N="2">2. THe next work to be done for perfecting the plea&s;ant fruit of the Rod, is about our <HI>Hearts,</HI> upon whom the &s;trokes are laid. Now being &s;tir'd up and excited by the &s;courge, to this exerci&s;e, the <HI>Heart-work</HI> will be taken up in the&s;e particulars, <HI>Heart-weighing</HI> of the Rod, <HI>Heart-breaking</HI> under it, and <HI>Heart-bending</HI> to it; by the&s;e the cha&s;tening is furthered to its end.</P>
<P N="1">1. It will be our duty to lay to heart the affliction inflicted on us; in other termes if you will, to con&s;ider and ca&s;t in our thoughts the evill incumbent, what it is, whence it comes, by what provoked, to what intended, this is that <HI>heart-weighing</HI> mentioned. It is the Prea|chers rule of wi&s;edome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 7.14.</NOTE> <HI>In the day of adver&s;itie con&s;ider.</HI> Now, if ever, it concerns men that have hearts to u&s;e them. Silly Doves, and heart|le&s;&s;e <HI>Ephraims,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 7.11.</NOTE> mu&s;t pine away and peri&s;h in their troubles, they have not hearts to bethink them&s;elves, nor to work good out of their e|vils: but men of hearts mu&s;t doe more wi&s;ely, if they re&s;olve to be gainers by the rod. A &s;olid con&s;ideration of the Nature, Authour, Motive and End of cha&s;tening, becomes that &s;oule, who would be afflicted for his profit.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 1.5.</NOTE> The Lord him&s;elf pre&s;&s;eth this on &s;ome, <HI>Con|&s;ider your wayes,</HI> when he pleads again&s;t them with his &s;courges, that is, <HI>Set your hearts on your wayes,</HI> bethink your &s;elves what you have done to pull the&s;e burdens on you, and what mu&s;t bee done for re|movall of them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 42.25. Ier. 12.11. Ier. 8.6.</NOTE> And no le&s;&s;e doth he complain of others, that they lay nothing of his judgements to heart, nor &s;o much as once do &s;ay, What have I done? He that &s;eeth the my&s;tery of the rod, and under|&s;tands the deeps of God in it, is in a way to reach the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it, but of the fooli&s;h incon&s;iderate heart, that either &s;otti&s;hly neglects, or ra&s;hly runs over the &s;tudy of affliction, there is as little hope it &s;hould be holy, as that it can be wi&s;e; skill in the my&s;tery of the rod, as well as of the word, is requi&s;ite for holine&s;&s;e. This heart-work then is needfull, to think, and think, and &s;tudy throughly this work of cha&s;tening.</P>
<P N="2">2. It mu&s;t be no le&s;&s;e our exerci&s;e to <HI>plough</HI> or <HI>break</HI> up our hearts,
<PB N="40" REF="25">with Gods cha&s;tening plow-&s;hare, if we hope for that good fruit to grow upon them. Thi&s;tles and weeds are the be&s;t return that fallow grounds make to the ble&s;&s;ings of heaven, untill the plow turn it up, and fit for the &s;eeds, and future bearing: no better can the heart of man yeeld in &s;pirituals, untill God plow and fit it for his hand. This though the mighty <HI>Spirit</HI> of the Lord can onely doe, yet &s;uch in&s;truments as <HI>Word</HI> and <HI>Rod,</HI> he u&s;eth to dig through our fle&s;h, and calls no le&s;&s;e for our concurrence with him in the work.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">m 4 3. Ho&s;. 10.12.</NOTE> <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord, Breake up your fallow ground.</HI> It mu&s;t be then our exerci&s;e as well as his hand-work; this is nothing el&s;e but heart-renting, heart-afflicting, and heart-humbling; &s;uch a one is a &s;weet &s;oile for holi|ne&s;&s;e, and a de&s;ired re&s;t by God, to come and dwell there, and fill it with him&s;elfe. Requi&s;ite is this heart-breaking exerci&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. It is work al&s;o <HI>heart-bending</HI> to the &s;cope of Gods rod, if we would pro&s;per; our hearts are not fully &s;uted to the intended profit of cha&s;ti&s;ement by thinking, and by breaking, &s;omthing el&s;e mu&s;t be done to reach the mark: Incon&s;i&s;tencies with holine&s;&s;e mu&s;t be removed, and di&s;po&s;ition and re&s;ignation of the heart unto it, mu&s;t be &s;etled, &s;tones mu&s;t be pickt out, and weeds pluckt up, and ground manur'd and fitted for the &s;eed, where we expect a full crop. Rebellious ri&s;ings are the&s;e &s;tones, carefull, lu&s;tfull thoughts and affections about the creature are the&s;e weeds, our hearts them|&s;elves unapt &s;oile to nouri&s;h the &s;eed of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, all mu&s;t be pickt, and pluckt, and clean&s;ed, that we may &s;ee the holy fruit a|bound. Circumci&s;ing and wa&s;hing hearts &s;o oft enjoyned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 4.4.14.</NOTE> have the force of this duty in them; our hearts gain not on God, till God bath gained on them; when once our hard is &s;oftned, and our &s;tiffe made &s;toope and yeelding, that our hearts lay down gain&s;aying, and are at the beck of rod, to goe and doe its plea&s;ure, an&s;wering to God, Lord, what wilt thou have us doe? then come the &s;howres of grace, then righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e raineth downe, then peace abounds, and the dry rod gives forth its plea&s;ant blo&s;&s;ome, and pretious fruit. This heart-work then mu&s;t needs fore-goe the crop.</P>
<P N="3">3. The la&s;t peece of our exerci&s;e concernes that God who is Fa|ther of his cha&s;tened, Lord and commander of the rod, to u&s;e it at his plea&s;ure, to burn it when he will: our work will be to eye God in all our afflictions, as the &s;overaigne that appoints them, that we may doe him honour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mic. 6.9.</NOTE> if we look to &s;hare in holine&s;&s;e with him. It is <HI>Micahs</HI> expre&s;&s;ion upon Gods cry in his rod, The man of wi&s;e|dome &s;hall &s;ee thy name, that is, eye and take notice of Gods known
<PB N="41" REF="25">and famous Maje&s;ty, and perceive he hath to doe with God in this matter. I confe&s;&s;e there are other readings of this pa&s;|&s;age; that of the Vulgar is wide from the letter, <HI>Salvation &s;hall be to them that feare thy name,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lorin. in text.</NOTE> though the Je&s;uiticall glo&s;&s;e &s;eekes to maintain it for good. There is another reading which the Learned have, and our Tran&s;lators expre&s;&s;e in their variations, <HI>Thy Name &s;hall &s;ee that which indeed is,</HI> making it an <HI>Apo&s;trophe</HI> to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Junius.</NOTE> and intimating the rea&s;on of his cry unto the Citie, <HI>viz.</HI> his over&s;eeing eye beholding what was there in being; this cannot be denied to be very congruous to the letter; yet by &s;everall learned in the originall, is the fir&s;t reading only u&s;ed, as is expre&s;&s;ed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ar. Mont. Va|tal.</NOTE> The difference ari&s;eth from one word, which &s;ignifieth either &s;ub&s;tance, e&s;&s;ence, and truth of being, or el&s;e wi&s;edome,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> vertue of any thing, and the Law it &s;elfe, for the &s;table and &s;etled being of the&s;e; the word in &s;hort &s;ignifieth any thing that is &s;olid and &s;ub&s;tantiall; there|fore tran&s;lated to expre&s;&s;e wi&s;dome, &s;o that we mu&s;t read then, <HI>Wi&s;edome &s;hall &s;ee thy Name,</HI> but not unfitly tran&s;lated here, <HI>The man of wi&s;edome,</HI> that is, the &s;olid &s;ub&s;tantiall wi&s;e man will eye the noted Maje&s;ty of God, when in the rod he crieth to him: but this looking to him is for a further work, to honour that Name, that &s;eeth and hath found him out with his rod. It is a full expre&s;&s;ion by another Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 24.15.</NOTE> <HI>Glorifie ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of I&s;rael in the I&s;les of the &s;ea,</HI> that is, in the hotte&s;t fierie trials, and in the remote&s;t parts of your &s;olitude, or exile mi&s;ery, glorifie the name of the Lord. His glorie is deare to him at all times, he will not give it to another; and becau&s;e it's &s;tolen, or limited, or &s;poi|led by creatures, therefore by fierie tortures comes he to re|quire it. Now then, if ever, give glory unto God, unle&s;&s;e yee would that he &s;hould glorifie him&s;elfe upon you in &s;miting to de&s;olation.</P>
<P>How mu&s;t we then glorifie God in our afflictions?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t. An&s;w.</NOTE></P>
<P>In generall, to glorifie God, or give glory to him, cannot be by adding any thing to him, but by acknowledging and manife&s;ting the fundamentall glory that is in him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Glorificare e&s;t clarificare. Augu&s;tin.</NOTE> Now the glory of God, is his excellencie, wherein hee out-reacheth, or over-commeth all created being; as his excellencie of Power,
<PB N="42" REF="26">excellencie of wi&s;edome, excellencie of holine&s;&s;e, of maje&s;tie, of ju&s;tice, and of goodne&s;&s;e, is that which is unparallel'd, that cannot be matcht, and therefore truly glory: were this given unto God, that is, manife&s;ted to the world to be in him by his people, in their &s;utable demeanour to &s;uch a glory by their words, duties, wayes, and conver&s;ations, while it is peace, our feet might be kept from &s;tumbling upon the dark mountaines. But when creatures deny this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 13.16.</NOTE> how ju&s;t is it for that glorious maje&s;tie to require it by his rod? and now it mu&s;t be yeelded, or we yeeld our &s;elves to perdition. His glory he will have, and we mu&s;t thus a&s;cribe it.</P>
<P N="1">1. By aba&s;ing, abhorring, and nullifying our &s;elves as un|worthy to be, who have lifted up a word or thought again&s;t &s;uch a glory. Impudent pride of heart is in creatures, while they &s;et their &s;in above God, which they doe, when they obey it in the lu&s;ts of it; obedience is a debt to glory, and is there glory in &s;inne, poore man, that thou &s;houlde&s;t obey it? or is there none in God, that thou denie&s;t it him? Is &s;hame become glory, and glory &s;hame? Thy &s;in thy God, and thy God ba|&s;er in thy thoughts then &s;in? O abhorre thy &s;elfe in du&s;t and a&s;hes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 42.5.6.</NOTE> that God may yet be glorified in thee. <HI>Job</HI> was never right untill he came to this pa&s;&s;e, <HI>I have heard thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye &s;eeth thee; wherefore I abhorre my &s;elfe, and repent in du&s;t and a&s;hes.</HI> Goe we mu&s;t as low, and let God be exalted in our aba&s;ement.</P>
<P N="2">2. By ju&s;tifying God in all the wayes of his judgements, and proceedings again&s;t his creatures;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.39.</NOTE> if man &s;uffer for his &s;in, as who doth not? why doth living man complaine? Yet &s;ee what &s;ots &s;in makes us, to provoke the Lord to jealou&s;ie, and then quarrell with him for being angry, &amp; &s;o &s;poile him twice of his glory: Learn, learn, poore &s;oule, of <HI>Jeremy,</HI> though his &s;pan-long thoughts could not reach Gods exqui&s;ite procee|dings in his judgements, yet this he laies down as undeniable, <HI>Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 12.1.</NOTE> Or learn of <HI>David,</HI> Again&s;t thee, thee onely have I &s;inned, &amp;c. <HI>that thou might&s;t be ju&s;tified when thou &s;peake&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.4.</NOTE> <HI>and bee clear when thou judge&s;t.</HI> Say thou al&s;o, I have &s;inned, thou Lord, ha&s;t all the wrong, I have rob'd thee of thy glory, for this am I &s;courged,
<PB N="43" REF="26">and it is righteous: yet this is mercy, my ju&s;t recompen&s;e is Hell; Thus &s;hould cha&s;ti&s;ed &s;inners glorifie their God.</P>
<P N="3">3. By a &s;utable demeanour toward the glory of Gods being, e&s;pecially now under the rod: deepe&s;t trembling to highe&s;t Maje&s;tie, greate&s;t feare to Supreme Holine&s;&s;e, fulle&s;t obedience to greate&s;t Power, &s;tronge&s;t faith to glorious Truth, and lar|ge&s;t love to Excelling goodne&s;&s;e are equall matches, if man bee judge; All wee are are and have, and can, is but his debt, who gave all this, and is more then all to our poore Soule.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 6.5.</NOTE> No le&s;&s;e can &s;uch a glory crave than all the heart, and all the Soule, and all the mind, and all the might; and yet our all too little for the lea&s;t of him. <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> began to &s;tudy this at la&s;t, when &s;hame was fallen on him, to honour God, it is be&s;t at fir&s;t: Aime at this, &s;trive for this, Gods glory is our true&s;t gaine.</P>
<P N="4">4. By going to this onely living fountaine, and drawing from him the ble&s;&s;ing of the rod; He that praieth, as well as he that prai&s;eth, honoureth him, and declares him to bee the Ab|&s;olute and al&s;ufficient Author of all good. It is neither rod nor word that of them&s;elves can make us fruitfull in holine&s;&s;e, hee onely ble&s;&s;eth, and the fruit appeares. It is his owne word, <HI>J am the Lord thy God that teacheth thee to profit.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 48.17.</NOTE> Our profit in|deede in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace is the appointed end of cha|&s;tening, but ala&s;&s;e the rod it &s;elfe cannot give this, no &s;trokes can beate grace into a &s;oule, divine light and life and wi&s;edome and power onely can effect this, to &s;tamp holine&s;&s;e to the Lord upon any &s;oule; The prai&s;e then is not to the rod, but to the Lord; This mu&s;t bee acknowledged by the &s;oule that would be ble&s;&s;ed in &s;uffering, therefore mu&s;t the Lord bee inquired of by him for all this good; This praying worke al&s;o blazons the glory of the Lord, and &s;peeds a ble&s;&s;ing on the rod, to make it of a &s;anctifying nature and vertue in us; This is our exerci&s;e, and thus the &s;aints have con&s;tantly done and pro&s;pered. Sum we up now the whole worke to take it at one view, The indi|&s;pen&s;able condition of the Saints receiving the full fruit of af|fliction is their activity, and &s;tirring exerci&s;e under the &s;courge; worke they mu&s;t about the rod in hearing, bearing, and obey|ing the voyce of it; &s;tirre they mu&s;t about their hearts, in pre&s;|&s;ing,
<PB N="44" REF="27">breaking, bending them to the will of the cha&s;ti&s;er; Ex|erci&s;e they mu&s;t to Godward in giving him his glory, by &s;elfe abhorring, by ju&s;tifying his &s;courge, by a worthy demeanour to him &amp; by a faithful &s;eeking of the ble&s;&s;ed fruit of cha&s;tening from him; to all this they mu&s;t buckle &s;trongly, as wra&s;tlers, la|bour in their &s;hirts, as Arti&s;ts, at it every day, and as Racers run till they reach the marke: this labour &s;hall not be in vaine, the full crop is intail'd upon it, and in&s;eparably follows it, in its appointed &s;ea&s;on; Afterward the &s;weet fruit abounds: but how long after? that we &s;hall &s;ee in the en&s;uing &s;earch of the &s;ea&s;on.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. IIII.</HI> The Sea&s;on of the fruit stated.</HEAD>
<P N="3">3. ALL the helpe the text gives us to find out this &s;ea&s;on is in that one large expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Afterward,</HI> which yet con|&s;idered with the re&s;t leaves us not un&s;atisfied.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> It hath beene no|ted of the fruit fore-mentioned, that compleatly taken and in its compa&s;&s;e it is Grace and Glory, all the effects of Gods fa|vour here begun, and the perfection of it in heaven; for all this is life truly, and life is the fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: According|ly this <HI>afterward</HI> may be of grace, &amp; that is more neere at hand, or el&s;e of glory, and that hath its &s;tated time, the in&s;tant of our tran&s;lation. But yet to give you a &s;tricter account of this time-&s;pecifying expre&s;&s;ion, it is evident that it points at a future &s;ea|&s;on for gaine, contradi&s;tinct unto that pre&s;ent of the paine of cha&s;tening, and in this future notation three things are carried that concerne this fruit, The Order, Speede, and Duration of it.</P>
<P N="1">1. In this <HI>afterward</HI> is carried the <HI>order</HI> of this fruits appea|rance, it &s;ucceedes, not foregoes, it is after, not before the paine and Chri&s;tian exerci&s;e under it: folly would brand that hus|bandman, who expects his crop, before he till, or winter bee over; and madne&s;&s;e in that Chri&s;tian who lookes for peace, before his exerci&s;e performed and rod removed: It was the method God keepes with his owne Sonne (not in way of cha|&s;tening, unle&s;&s;e the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our peace) he mu&s;t fir&s;t &s;uf|fer,
<PB N="45" REF="27">and therein manage his &s;uffering well, and then enter into his glory; the &s;ame order is to his members,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 53.5. Luk. 24.26.</NOTE> fir&s;t griefe and exerci&s;e under the rod, then after fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace.</P>
<P N="2">2. In this <HI>afterward</HI> is intended <HI>&s;peede,</HI> that is, &s;oone after, or immediatly after labour this fruit is return'd; The travelling womans paine after labouring through &s;ome throwes, brings forth the child anon; it is at the very heeles of her travaile: (un|le&s;&s;e it be a cro&s;&s;e birth, whereof no feare in pre&s;ent ca&s;e) &s;o &s;oone comes fruit of grace and peace upon the Chri&s;tians tra|vaile under the rod; atlea&s;t the beginnings or fir&s;t fruit, though not the full expected harve&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 66.7.8.</NOTE> It is a &s;weet propheticall note, a|bout the miraculous and fruitful return of the Iewes to Chri&s;t, after their long rejection and many paines, when they beginne to exerci&s;e and labour under the rod and word indeede, <HI>As &s;oone as Zion travelled, &s;he brought forth her children,</HI> Nay if that be not &s;oone enough after, take a neerer expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Before &s;hee travelled &s;he brought forth, before her paine came, &s;he was delivered of a man child:</HI> Then &s;hee neede not &s;tay to labour: but under|&s;tand it rightly, it is an expre&s;&s;ion, that noteth &s;peede in fruit-bearing, yet not excluding paine in the due labour of the Church; but a rhetoricall phra&s;e it is to &s;et forth the &s;wiftnes of the flocking of the Iews to Chri&s;t, as afterwards, <HI>Shall a nation be borne at once?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hyperbole.</NOTE> This was never &s;eene, but &s;uch an income &s;hal there be of the&s;e unto the Lord much like to this; As if to expre&s;&s;e the quicke deliverance of a woman in her paines, wee &s;ay, &s;hee had her child, before &s;he cryed; joy came &s;o &s;peedily after, as if it had beene before. I &s;hall clo&s;e this with an eye to the pre&s;ent matter, the harder labour under the rod, the &s;peedier returne of the de&s;ired fruit.</P>
<P N="3">3. In this <HI>afterward</HI> there is duration noted, it is a long after|ward, when once its come, alwaies afterward doth this fruit a|bide with the exerci&s;ed &s;oule; It is like that in the P&s;almi&s;t, Thou &s;halt guide me with thy coun&s;aile,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.24.</NOTE> and <HI>afterward</HI> receive me to glory, that is, for ever after never to leave glory againe; no After &s;hall follow this to cut it off, but this fruit &s;hall bee from generation to generation; eternity is long enough, and that of joy, to recompence a pre&s;ent, an in&s;tant of griefe: ye have
<PB N="46" REF="28">the burthen of this note of time, it tells when, how &s;oone, how long this ble&s;&s;ed fruit of cha&s;tening may be expected. But how doth the rod bring forth? This will be &s;atisfied in the la&s;t in|quiting of the manner.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT V.</HI> The manner of this fruit-bearing.</HEAD>
<P N="4">4. ALL that toucheth upon this in the text,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> is in the&s;e, <HI>it yeeldeth,</HI> that is, the cha&s;tening yeeldeth this fruit, or giveth it out from it &s;elfe: What, doth the dry rod or &s;mart upon the fle&s;h, carry in it &s;uch &s;pirituall effects as righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. or el&s;e how can it give them forth? It is firmly a&s;|&s;erted in the text, Cha&s;tening yeelds this fruit, which that wee may take aright, two things are to bee remembred concerning cha&s;tening. 1 The materiall part of it, which is nothing but the &s;mart. 2 The formall part, and that is the &s;pirit of the rod, or the &s;pirituall energie, which it receiveth from that <HI>Hand</HI> of <HI>power, holine&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>grace</HI> that u&s;eth it toward the children of his bo&s;ome; when therfore we &s;peake of cha&s;tening it is meant the <HI>Re&s;ult</HI> of both the&s;e, not &s;mart ab&s;tracted, nor &s;pirit ab|&s;tracted, but both united in this cha&s;tening and of this it is tru|ly &s;aid, <HI>It yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e;</HI> and in the particulars following I &s;hall &s;hew you how. 1 Orderly, for as there are many ingredients in this cha&s;tening, Smart, and Love, and Spirit; It is Spirit that is active, working this good unto the creature, for Spirit mu&s;t be in the cau&s;e, if Spi|rit bee the effect: Now this mighty &s;pirit workes through &s;mart, and through love to bring forth this fruit, yet in this method, ob&s;erving the&s;e &s;teps. 1 Through the paine and griefe upon the fle&s;h, as by its in&s;trument it works priva|tively to take away &s;tubbornne&s;&s;e and indi&s;po&s;ition unto righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e; true, &s;mart it &s;elfe doth rather anger, but &s;pirit and &s;mart will make men yeeld. This cha&s;tening knocks downe rebellion, weakens corruption, takes away gaine&s;aying to the will of God; for there is the &s;pirit that overpowers, and the &s;mart that in bitters &s;inne unto the fle&s;h, &s;o that it becomes wil|ling to leave the dug though its delight, when nothing but
<PB N="47" REF="28">wormwood is ta&s;ted in it. This &s;pirituall effect of cha&s;tening, lieth in that promi&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 27.9.</NOTE> <HI>By this &s;hall the iniquity of Jacob be pur|ged, and this is all the fruit to take away his &s;inne.</HI> Spirit in paine doth this fir&s;t. 2. Po&s;itively, by love and &s;mart it drawes to God, and formes the fruits of love and purpo&s;e of the rod up|on the heart. Now that love of the Father that doth cha&s;ti&s;e, carries all the effects of grace in it, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is but his love, and peace his love, and life his love, that is, the i&s;&s;ues of it, and the rod makes way through the fle&s;h to bring the&s;e in|to the &s;oule, and the Spirit through both perfects the effect, and leaves Gods image more eminently &s;tampt upon the heart, that more exactly we might &s;ubject our &s;elves to the Father of &s;pi|rits and live.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 15.17. Ier. 31.18. P&s;al. 119.67.</NOTE> By this the prodigall was brought to him&s;elfe, and <HI>Ephraim</HI> tamed and turned, and <HI>David</HI> e&s;tabli&s;ht and per|fected in the way of God. Thus then conceive the way of this increa&s;e; the Spirit by his power &s;trikes out this bloom and fruit&punc; through the dry rod; that is but the &s;talke, yet &s;uch a &s;talk there mu&s;t be, the Spirit is the &s;eminall vertue that gives forth the fruit; and in this order, by the &s;mart awing, hum|bling purging an untoward fle&s;h, and by love adjoyned draw|ing and conforming the &s;oule to God, &s;o making righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e and peace to abound.</P>
<P N="2">2. Freely doth this rod thus give the fruit; the very word imports it, yeelding it from it &s;elfe: No green tree yeelds its fruit more naturally, none &s;o freely as this: For <HI>Grace</HI> is in it, which every way is free, and works mo&s;t freely toward the creature. Nothing more free then gift, and that gift the free&s;t, which comes onely from and for the Donors &s;elfe. Thus the love of God, through the rod, gives forth this gain: it is not by force, nor charm, that this dry rod is quickned, and made fruitfull, onely by Grace and Promi&s;e, becau&s;e the cha&s;ti&s;ing father &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea 5.15.</NOTE> I will afflict, and <HI>they &s;hall &s;eek me early.</HI> It is not for thy exerci&s;e, but to thy exerci&s;e, that the Lord commands his rod to yeeld this ble&s;&s;ed fruit.</P>
<P N="3">3. Certainly &s;hall this fruit be rendred from the Rod, to the exerci&s;ed &s;oule: It is not doubtfully delivered, it may yeeld, or it may not, but peremptorily affirmed, it doth yeeld. If the power, promi&s;e, or truth of the Father
<PB N="48" REF="29">of &s;pirits, can give certainty enough, all is put to it to a&s;&s;ure this fruit. He that workes, and none can let it, hath thus &s;po|ken,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 48.11.</NOTE> <HI>For mine owne &s;ake, even for mine owne &s;ake, will I doe it.</HI> What will he doe? Even refine his people, and make them choice ones in the Furnace of Afflictions, righteous and glorious; nay, it &s;tands him upon, otherwi&s;e his Name would bee polluted, and his glory lo&s;t, in his Churches bar|renne&s;&s;e under the Rod. From all the premi&s;ed explications we mu&s;t take the &s;tate of the truth concluded; the &s;um where|of is this, Gods cha&s;tenings, his &s;marting loving Rods for the afterward yeeld, that is, in their appointed time and manner, give the peaceable fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, both grace and bli&s;&s;e to them that are duly exerci&s;ed by them. Yee &s;ee the gain of the Rod di&s;covered.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VI.</HI> The demon&s;tration of this Truth.</HEAD>
<P>ADde we to the&s;e the Certainty and Nece&s;&s;itie of this truth, then faith may freely feed and get &s;trength from it: Each particular indeed hath its light in opening enough to convince of all being put together; yet to leave no doubt, the intire truth &s;hall be demon&s;trated in its certainty, that it is &s;o, and in its ne|ce&s;&s;ity, why it mu&s;t be.</P>
<P N="1">1. That this is true in the whole propo&s;ition,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> will be evi|dent from two great Arguments, Gods Revelation, and Mans Experience.</P>
<P N="1">1. God hath &s;poken it, therfore it is certain. Take we &s;ome te&s;timonies;<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 26.9.</NOTE> This is divine, <HI>When thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> The&s;e judge|ments in the earth, are cha&s;tenings to Gods portion there, the&s;e inhabitants of the world, are not all, but &s;ome, and they the people of truths, who&s;e &s;ouls are &s;aid to de&s;ire after Gods Name (for the re&s;t abide wicked) the&s;e learn righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, this is their gain, but how come they by it? Not by idlene&s;&s;e, but exerci&s;e: they mu&s;t goe to &s;choole for it, and learn it. This al&s;o is his Oracle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 126.6.</NOTE> <HI>He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
<PB N="49" REF="29">pretious &s;eed, &s;hall doubtle&s;&s;e come again with rejoycing, bringing his &s;heaves with him.</HI> Here's grieving and going, and working, and &s;owing in the day of mans affliction; but what return? He that goes forth, &s;hall as &s;urely come to his home, he that &s;prinkles his way with teares, &s;hall come leaping and rejoy|cing, and he that beares and &s;owes his &s;eed, &s;owing to the Spirit, &s;o &s;hall he reap, for every &s;eed he &s;hall bring his hand|full, or for every handfull he &s;hall have a &s;heafe, aboundance of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace, and everla&s;ting life.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Saints have found it, and experience is a vi&s;ible de|mon&s;tration, then which nothing &s;urer.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.71.</NOTE> <HI>It is good for me that I have been afflicted,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David;</HI> and good for me, &s;aith <HI>Job,</HI> and for me, &s;aith <HI>Je<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">my,</HI> and for me, &s;aith <HI>Daniel,</HI> and for us, &s;ay <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Jacob;</HI> all the Saints,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23.4.</NOTE> Patriarchs, and Prophets, &s;ub&s;cribe to this. And this &s;teels <HI>David</HI> again&s;t di&s;tractions, Thy rod comforts me, what needs more witne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P N="2">2. The nece&s;&s;ity why it mu&s;t be &s;o, depends upon one un|deniable ground, that is, the &s;upreme irre&s;i&s;tible ordinance of God, then which nothing can be &s;tronger to convince. The alone decree and ordinance of that great God, who&s;e coun&s;ell none can cro&s;&s;e, hath &s;o linked this cha&s;tening cau&s;e to this effect, and this condition, and this &s;ea&s;on, that they cannot bee &s;eparated. If we allow his Soveraignty in le&s;&s;er matters, wee may not deny it here, unle&s;&s;e we ungod him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 33.20.</NOTE> The &s;ame power that hath decreed the Winter &s;tormes, and Summer calm, the cold and the hot, the wet and the dry, the fro&s;t and the thaw, to fit the earth that it may yeeld its &s;trength to the labouring man in the time of harve&s;t, and none can alter one link of the&s;e, or change his mind; to that Soveraigne might we mu&s;t grant, that his coun&s;el mu&s;t &s;tand what ever he determine: In an high|er and more excellent way hath he ordained, that the rod to the labouring &amp; exerci&s;ed Chri&s;tian, &s;hould ha&s;ten and give out the &s;weet fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace in the appointed &s;ea&s;on. His authority is the highe&s;t rea&s;on. Now that his Name and &s;tamp is upon this truth to own it, and make it his, is vi&s;ible in every peece of it, as before declared. It is all then his ordi|nance, and thereforeour duty to beleeve, and love, and honour God in obedience thereunto.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="section">
<PB N="50" REF="30">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VII.</HI> The inference of &s;ome truths depending.</HEAD>
<P>HAving thus &s;tated the Apo&s;tles Propo&s;ition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e <HI>1.</HI> In&s;truct.</NOTE> it will be profitable for us to gather tho&s;e pretious truths that fall from it: foure fruitfull le&s;&s;ons I &s;hall teach naturally i&s;&s;uing thence. 1. It being in the &s;cope a correcting a&s;&s;ertion, to allay the bitterne&s;&s;e of the former concerning pre&s;ent &s;mart of cha&s;tening, and to rectifie mi&s;guided thoughts, that from &s;en&s;e might be ready to conclude, nothing but evill in the rod, learn this truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> <HI>A right &amp; perfect judgment of the &s;tate of cha&s;te|ning, cannot be made from pre&s;ent &s;en&s;e, but from future &s;ucce&s;&s;e.</HI> The judgement of faith is better then that of &s;en&s;e in this matter; this &s;eeth nothing but pre&s;ent griefe, therfore judgeth it all evill, but faith perceiveth love &amp; faithfulnes of God in his &s;courge, &amp; di&s;covers the in&s;uing good of it in the promi&s;e, ther|fore determines it good, very good, and nothing better; while <HI>Jeremy</HI> looks no further then pre&s;ent &s;mart,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 15.10. Job 3.3. Jer. 20.24.</NOTE> he bewails him&s;elf, <HI>Woe is me,</HI> he takes him&s;elfe as a man undone. So <HI>Job,</HI> while his &s;en&s;e is judge, cur&s;eth the day of his birth, as the other al&s;o. Sen&s;uall judgement upon Gods dealings, mi&s;guides men to perver&s;e thoughts of Gods rod, and lets loo&s;e pa&s;&s;ion, and whets the tongue again&s;t the Almighty; Thus they tumble in the net, and are fa&s;ter taken, and murmure them&s;elves into greater torture: for God will have the ma&s;tery, and whip his own out of &s;en&s;uall ra&s;hnes and complaints. I note this for the profit of Gods own in this day of darkne&s;&s;e; &s;en&s;e never deals well with Gods word, nor with his rod; lay that a&s;ide, rectifie your thoughts of the pre&s;ent troubles on the Church by belee|ving; let faith looke through the providence which now cha|&s;ti&s;eth us, it will di&s;cover the after part of it to be very good, &s;o full of glory to Gods people that they would not avoid the &s;mart, to lo&s;e the gaine. Ea&s;e and deliverance in this ca&s;e, would be &s;purn'd away by a beleeving &s;oul. It was I&s;raels &s;in to live by &s;en&s;e, to murmure in &s;traits, to be barren in mercies. Unhappy &s;en&s;e, unhappy men that live by it! Sen&s;e makes Murmurers, Beggers and Apo&s;tates from God in time of
<PB N="51" REF="30">trouble; but faith makes Martyrs, gainers, and fruitfull, prai&s;|full admirers of God in fiery tryalls: beleeve throughly, and then judge aright of Gods cha&s;tening providence.</P>
<P N="2">2. Looke we upon the linking, of rod, of exerci&s;e &amp; of fruit; all this gaine is given in to exerci&s;e, this exerci&s;e is daily la|bour, this labour mu&s;t be under the rod, this note is worth the taking; <HI>The more exerci&s;e under affliction, the greater fruit to Gods people;</HI> the longe&s;t labour under the rod hath the large&s;t income of peace and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> <HI>The more paines, the greater gaines in the trade.</HI> If there be a rich veine of metall in a mine, the longe&s;t, the harde&s;t labour brings the greate&s;t and the riche&s;t profit.</P>
<P>Now there is abundance of heavenly good hid in Gods cha|&s;tening, as much as his love can compa&s;&s;e, and all this to bee wrought out by exerci&s;e, therefore the longe&s;t travell will bring the large&s;t fruit: Yet not the longe&s;t continuance of the &s;courge ab&s;olutely gives this advantage, but the longe&s;t that can &s;tand with the Chri&s;tians exerci&s;e; for there is an appointed time for the kindly working of every affliction, and exce&s;&s;e in it may cut off a mans hands and barre from exerci&s;e, kill and not quicken to the work: As there is a &s;tated time for the &s;eede to lye under ground, &amp; if exce&s;&s;ively it be kept under, it dies for ever and cannot get up to fruit, but within the &s;et &s;ea&s;on the longer it lies, the root is deeper, and the fruit greater. There is a time al&s;o that the refiner &s;ets for the golds triall, in the fur|nace, and within the&s;e limits the longer it continues, the purer it comes forth, but in outlying the&s;e, it lo&s;eth it &s;elfe as well as dro&s;&s;e: So in our pre&s;ent ca&s;e, the time of the rod is mea&s;u|red for doing good, while Chri&s;tian &s;pirits are &s;pur'd to work, and quickned to labour by it, within the&s;e bounds the mo&s;t continued labour brings forth the greate&s;t crop; but beyond this &s;tint the rod breakes and kills: The&s;e bounds of time our refiner the Lord him&s;elfe onely knowes; but this we may build on, if it &s;hould be all the daies of the &s;tanding of our Taberna|cle, &amp; all tho&s;e daies we &s;toutly exerci&s;e under our afflictions, as our &s;trength is not over-wrought, &s;o our returne of fruit will be exceeding great. The&s;e &s;ugge&s;tions will evince it. 1 Gods inlarged thoughts of tenderne&s;&s;e and re&s;pect to the long &s;uffe|rings
<PB N="52" REF="31">of his people, to have them relieved and ea&s;ed; Note one in&s;tance to his deare Ieru&s;alem,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40.12.</NOTE> <HI>Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, &amp;c. for <HI>&s;he hath received at the Lords hand double for all her &s;innes.</HI> How double? Neither &s;he nor any creature can pay a &s;ingle debt to God; bat yet the Lord &s;o indulgeth the long travailing &s;oule, that he accounts every la&s;h two, and pro|vides treble comfort; Its not enough to comfort her once, but againe comfort her, nay and againe &s;peake comfortably to Ie|ru&s;alem: &s;ure there is nothing lo&s;t in the longe&s;t &s;ufferings, if God &s;o account of his peoples paines.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.7.</NOTE> Gods inlarged hand for returne to the hard and long tra|veiles of his children; Heare his proportion, <HI>For your &s;hame you &s;hall have double; for confu&s;ion they &s;hall rejoyce in their portion; therefore in their land they &s;hall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the double; Everla&s;ting joy &s;hall be unto them.</HI> In this reading, we have good gaines, two for one, in joy for &s;uffering, in honour for reproach; No cau&s;e then of repenting bargaine in this paines. But if wee take ano|ther as may be fit; For your double &s;hame and confu&s;ion, they &s;hall prai&s;e their portion; (it is u&s;uall thus to change the per|&s;on) as if he had &s;aid, ye &s;hall be no loo&s;ers by your multiply|ed afflictions, for your double &s;hame, ye &s;hall have a worthy portion, your &s;elves, and all that &s;ee it, &s;hall commend it; or if this may bee thought two little, eternitie hath enough in its compa&s;&s;e to &s;atisfie you, everla&s;ting joy &s;hall bee upon you. Make not ha&s;t then, brethren, from under the rod, but labour in the fires, your worke &s;hall be well rewarded, and long tra|vailes crown'd with everla&s;ting peace.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note 3.</NOTE> Remembring that this exerci&s;e is &s;uch &s;tiffe, frequent, con|&s;tant labour, age and growth mu&s;t needs be requi&s;ite to this; a|nother u&s;efull note will i&s;&s;ue hence: <HI>The right managing of af|flictions to the full purcha&s;e of the &s;weet fruit intailed, is a manly worke,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5.13.14.</NOTE> <HI>and be&s;eeming a growne Chri&s;tian.</HI> Exerci&s;e truly &s;tated is the character of di&s;tinction which the Spirit makes between men and babes in Chri&s;t. It is true, as in meates there is diffe|rence, milke for babes, &s;trong meate for men, yet both eates and dige&s;t though not the &s;ame; So in workes there is variety, &s;lighter for Children, harder for men; yet both are doing: &s;o
<PB N="53" REF="31">in rods al&s;o, there is di&s;tinction, twigs for children, but cud|gells and whips for them of &s;tronger growth, yet both &s;uffer; God hath &s;o fitted correction as well as foode and worke for &s;everall ages in his Kingdome; but &s;o to indure affliction, and manage it to the greate&s;t advantage as may bee attained, to bring in the abundance of peace and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, this will exerci&s;e the &s;tronge&s;t Chri&s;tians: le&s;&s;e &s;trength may gaine a little fruit, but greater mu&s;t be had and u&s;ed to bring in plenty: grown knowledge in the waies of God, grown faith, growne patience, growne experience, and grown &s;trength in grace are needefull to a through exerci&s;e and a well managing of afflicti|ons for the greate&s;t advantage.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.16.</NOTE> The <HI>wi&s;edome</HI> of the Father would not put weake di&s;ciples upon the &s;trong &s;ervice of fa|&s;ting while they were as old garments ready to teare upon eve|ry little &s;tre&s;&s;e;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 24.49.</NOTE> nor would hee have them venture on the hard conflicts with the world, nor on the bitterne&s;&s;e of &s;uffering un|till they were indued with power from above. How &s;weet is the proportion betweene abilities and worke which God hath &s;etled? Medications hence ari&s;e &s;uting all ages: Art thou &s;trong to beare afflictions? pity and tender the weake, that &s;ink downe under burthens, take them in thine Armes and beare for them. Art thou weake in &s;uffering? Infirmity mu&s;t &s;hame thee, it is thine owne fault to ob&s;truct thy growth; yet Gods pity may revive thee, hee will not for all this overcharge thy life: And now up and be growing, ble&s;&s;ings are promi&s;ed from heaven, and meanes afforded on earth; O heighten thy mind to great gaines, therefore to much paines and high abilities: This marke I drive at onely in giving this note; not to da&s;h the babes becau&s;e the worke is manly, but to put them upon growth, that they may be men and worke &s;trongly, &s;o beare the yoake, and weare the crowne.</P>
<P N="4">4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note 4.</NOTE> Con&s;idering this pretious fruit in&s;eparably intail'd upon this kind of affliction, take this note of di&s;crimination between rods. <HI>It is judgement not cha&s;tening that leaves a man fruitle&s;&s;e, or void of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> No clearer &s;igne of a man plagued in vengeance &amp; under the cur&s;e, that to grow wor&s;e, or of a man under grace, and cha&s;tened in love, than to grow better under
<PB N="54" REF="32">the rod: <HI>Saul</HI> and <HI>David</HI> are a paire of in&s;tances fit to exem|plifie both parts;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 28.7. 1 Sam. 30.6.</NOTE> he the wor&s;e, this the better by all afflictions, hee running to the devill, and this to God in time of trouble; therefore he judged in wrath, and this cha&s;tis'd in love. Iudge all the variety of &s;courges in the world by this evidence, &s;uch as the fruit is, &s;uch is the tree; the rod of vengeance if it harden and make wor&s;e, of cha&s;tening if it correct and make the &s;oule better. I doe but hold this out to the world, as a black note of perdition, to Pharaohs, and to <HI>Ahabs,</HI> anvill-&s;oules, that grow harder by every &s;troake from God: but as an Item unto Chri|&s;tians for &s;peciall care in this matter for improvement of the rod, to gratious fruit: oh let not a cro&s;&s;e, a lo&s;&s;e, a &s;ickne&s;&s;e, a griefe pa&s;&s;e over you, but &s;ee &s;ome fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e pro|ceeding from it; &s;uch profit in holine&s;&s;e by the rod will prove you &s;onnes and not ba&s;tards: Make this good, that ye bee not di&s;inherited.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VIII.</HI> Conviction of &s;inne to many.</HEAD>
<P>IT will not be ami&s;&s;e in the next place to glance a little light to &s;inners from this truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;e 2.</NOTE> that if they will open their eyes they may &s;ee their &s;inne and mi&s;erie to e&s;cape them.</P>
<P N="1">1. If exerci&s;e under the rod be Gods ordinance upon his peo|ple, for gathering fruit, then idlene&s;&s;e in affliction mu&s;t needs be a &s;inne; and &s;uch a one as will bring utter beggery and un|doing upon the &s;oule at la&s;t, while it opens a way to the &s;courge to weare &amp; wa&s;t, and impoveri&s;h the creature &amp; makes no re&s;i&s;tance, nor &s;uffers the man to make any &s;hift for turning away the bitterne&s;&s;e of the evill. God him&s;elfe &s;ets a marke up|on the&s;e, and lifts a cry again&s;t them, that in the time of his &s;haking the rod, and &s;courging his creatures, are profe&s;s'd idlers, neither &s;tudy the rod, nor under&s;tand its voice, nor &s;earch hearts, nor looke unto God; nay not &s;o much as &s;ay within them&s;elves, What have I done? Ab&s;olutely &s;tupefied are the&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 32.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">21.</NOTE> or willingly bent with <HI>I&s;&s;achar</HI> to lye under every bur|den, and take no notice. Heare how God calles them, women
<PB N="55" REF="32">at ea&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. 56.10. Amos 6.1.</NOTE> carele&s;&s;e daughters, &s;leepy dogges, neither &s;hall they goe without their doome, feare, a&s;toni&s;hment, and woes un|utterable, &s;hall awake them, and make them howle for ever. I confe&s;&s;e it may be an infirmitie upon Gods owne, for a mo|ment; but it will be their &s;hame and &s;orrow at their awake|ning. It was much that Pagans &s;hould be&s;tirre them&s;elves in a &s;torme more then <HI>Jonah,</HI> and bee his remembrancers to rai&s;e him from his &s;leep, that he might call upon his God; yet &s;o then it was, but it co&s;t him deare for it afterward, when he is impri&s;oned in the belly of hell, hee was taught through|ly never to &s;leep out an affliction againe. Sluggi&s;hne&s;&s;e may fall upon the Saints, but it is their burden, and abides not with them. But habituated and accu&s;tomed idlene&s;&s;e, is the provocation, upon which God returnes his heavie di&s;plea|&s;ure. I &s;hall commend one word to the&s;e for their &s;erious thoughts, a character of them&s;elves, and pre&s;age of Gods dea|lings with them, except they repent,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. 26.11.</NOTE> <HI>Lord, when thy hand is lif|ted up they will not &s;ee;</HI> they wink, or &s;leep, here's their chara|cter: <HI>but they &s;hall &s;ee, and be a&s;hamed, the fire of thin: enemies &s;hall devoure them.</HI> This is their doome.</P>
<P>If it be work for God to bee done under cha&s;tening, &s;uch as may help in holine&s;&s;e, then counter-working is &s;inne, when men &s;hall give God blow for blow, and &s;troke for &s;troke, they are bu&s;ie under the rod indeed, but wickedly imployed. Fruits of &s;uch exerci&s;e are Hardening, Impatiencie, Fret|ting, Fuming again&s;t God, more hatred of his wayes, and bla&s;pheming of his Name. Here's worke enough, but all for the Divell, and to bring forth greater ungodline&s;&s;e: It was that fooli&s;h Womans advice to her afflicted Husband,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 2.9.</NOTE> <HI>Cur&s;e God and dye;</HI> Folly indeed to fight again&s;t God, to be &s;cour|ged with Scorpions; and it was that wicked <HI>Jehorams</HI> pra|cti&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings. 6.33.</NOTE> This evill is of the Lord, what &s;hould I wait for the Lord any longer? Seeing he is thus angry, as little care we for him, as hee for us. See the proud creature. No more to the&s;e but this, God will have the victory, and will certainly out-cur&s;e you. Tremble, and returne; if not, the everla&s;ting cur&s;e &s;hall get glory over you.</P>
<PB N="56" REF="33">
<P N="3">3. If gracious fruit mu&s;t &s;pring from the rod of cha&s;tening, then &s;inners are all unfruitfull &s;ufferers. No great difficultie to evince this, &s;eeing it is again&s;t the command for &s;uch returnes, as well as again&s;t the helps mini&s;tred by the rod, to make men fruitfull. Returne, returne, is Gods call upon every &s;miting, and no le&s;&s;e the love,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.7.</NOTE> &s;mart, and &s;pirit of the rod given out to them that will make u&s;e of them, are &s;weet helps ingaging to work together with them, to bring forth the fruit of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e. It is &s;in indeed again&s;t grace, as well as again&s;t com|mand, to be thus unfruitfull, yet &s;inners there are of le&s;&s;e and of greater guilt: the le&s;&s;e, that ri&s;eth of infirmity, is dangerous indeed, but not deadly; to be lamented and abhorred, yet not de&s;perate: &s;uch the &s;oule will be a&s;hamed of, and for it con|demne it &s;elfe and repent. This I onely call for here; as for o|ther &s;cruples concerning the&s;e &s;oules, I &s;hall an&s;wer them a|mong the ca&s;es. The greater, which is of &s;trength and habitua|ted ob&s;tinacie, is fatall; &s;uch is evident by mens content and delight in barrenne&s;&s;e. I have but little to &s;ay to the&s;e; yet a me&s;&s;age heavie enough. As love, and rod, and labour, and fruit, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace, are in&s;eparably linkt in Gods cour&s;e of cha&s;tening: &s;o wrath, and &s;mart, and cur&s;e, are individed from idlene&s;&s;e and barrenne&s;&s;e in mid&s;t of afflictions. The &s;en|tence is gone out again&s;t all barren ones under Word and Rod, cut them downe, why &s;hould they cumber the ground? they are cur&s;t already, and now fit for nothing, but to be &s;uell for ever|la&s;ting flames to feed upon. Con&s;ider the terrors of the Lord, that they may not be to de&s;truction, but correction. Repent, or die.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="section">
<PB N="49" REF="33">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. IX.</HI> Coun&s;ell for duty bence concerning us.</HEAD>
<P>IN all this Concatenation of Rod, Fruit, Exerci&s;e and Time, there is but one thing that concerns us as duty, wherein, if we fail, all the re&s;t are &s;cattered, and become vain; True it is, Gods hand mu&s;t temper rod and love, to make a cha&s;tening; and he mu&s;t ble&s;&s;e this cha&s;tening to produce kindly fruit, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and Peace, and time or &s;ea&s;on in his power, but his ordinance calls in our exerci&s;e, as an indi&s;pen&s;able duty, wherein we are to expect this ble&s;&s;ed gain, and without which we &s;hall be but as the barren field, and dry heath, neerer to a cur&s;e then a ble&s;&s;ing, fit for nothing but the fire.</P>
<P>To this noble Chri&s;tian Exerci&s;e then under the Rod, is the work now to per&s;wade men, nece&s;&s;ity lyeth on us to be doing, either to e&s;cape (otherwi&s;e inevitable) de&s;truction, or to gain that &s;weet and de&s;ired fruit intailed on Gods cha&s;tening. As for the matter of the duty, not needle&s;ly to repeat, learn it in the premi&s;ed draught of the work: There is, hearing, bearing, doing-work about the Rod, there is con&s;idering, judging, breaking, bowing-work about the heart, and that great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of all, giving glory unto God. And in all the&s;e, if we exerci&s;e aright, our labour mu&s;t be hard, even in our &s;hirts, and frequent, every day mu&s;t we be at it, and con&s;tant, no giving over untill the fruit come.</P>
<P>But alas,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> what fle&s;h and blood can indure thus to labour in the fires? Who can &s;et about that <HI>Rod-work, heart-work, God-work,</HI> when he is under the la&s;h, and no re&s;t in the bones, nor ea&s;e in the fle&s;h?</P>
<P>I &s;hall ea&s;ily grant, fle&s;h and blood cannot do it;<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> nothing but judgement is determined upon reprobate fle&s;h, nor any thing ex|pected from it but murmurings, and &s;inking under the rod; yet from gracious hearts, who only can be the cha&s;tened of the Lord, better things are not only hoped, but mu&s;t be returned. True, becau&s;e there is fle&s;h in them, lu&s;ting again&s;t the &s;pirit, they cannot do what they would in this matter: It will be needfull therefore to &s;ugge&s;t &s;ome helps, to cool the fire, or to &s;teel their fle&s;h again&s;t &s;mart or &s;corchings, that without di&s;tractions they may attend on their ap|pointed exerci&s;e: the&s;e three directions only I &s;hall move.</P>
<P N="1">1 Have a watchfull eye over the &s;tings of the Rod to pluck that out, it cannot torment and vex when the &s;ting is gone; thou mai&s;t play with the A&s;pe, and make &s;port with the Adder, when their &s;ting and poy&s;on are taken from them, no hurt can they do, nor by torture indi&s;po&s;e to work. It is the right method, that <HI>Sam&s;on</HI> took,
<PB N="50" REF="34">he fir&s;t kils the Lyon,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 14.6.9.14.</NOTE> and then the Eater gives meat, and the &s;trong gives forth &s;weetne&s;&s;e: Honey and meat, not bitterne&s;&s;e, roaring, and death, are the fruits of a &s;lain Lyon; &s;o ea&s;e and quickning, not tor|ture and a&s;toni&s;hment are the i&s;&s;ues of the Rod without a &s;ting; the affliction is as good as dead for hurting, when the &s;ting is out.</P>
<P>But what is then this &s;ting of the Rod?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> and how to be taken out?</P>
<P>Surely it is no other,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> but that which is the &s;ting of death, that makes every evill of puni&s;hment an evill indeed, and that is <HI>Sinne:</HI> could a man lie in the fires without &s;in, the &s;corching flames &s;hould not di&s;ea&s;e him, as to put him be&s;ide his work in glorifying God; &s;ing and rejoyce may Gods &s;ervants in the &s;tocks, when &s;in doth not make the &s;tocks to pinch, nor the iron to &s;trike angui&s;h into the &s;oule. Now the main &s;trength this &s;ting hath to &s;trike and hurt, and torment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.56.</NOTE> is from the <HI>Law;</HI> it is expre&s;ly &s;o averred, the <HI>&s;trength</HI> of &s;in is the <HI>Law;</HI> The Law? doth that &s;trengthen &s;in? yea, but not &s;infully; not by adding any thing of the &s;ame kinde, to make it more &s;in, but by aggravating the &s;infulne&s;&s;e of it, to make it more pain and terror: Thus the Law &s;trengthens &s;in to vex the &s;oule in the&s;e &s;everall wayes. 1. By making it &s;in; for without the Law, wher|of it is a breach, &s;in were not; where there is no Law, there can be no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, at lea&s;t none to be imputed: but now the Law be|ing given,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.13.</NOTE> and that in ab&s;olute holine&s;&s;e, rectitude and goodne&s;&s;e, it makes every tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion ab&s;olutely vile, corrupt and &s;infull; yea, &s;infulne&s;&s;e in the ab&s;tract, the <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> the <HI>heart,</HI> the <HI>hell</HI> of &s;in; it can be no le&s;&s;e, being extremely oppo&s;ite to the very <HI>heart</HI> and <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> and <HI>heaven</HI> of holine&s;&s;e in the Law, and this mu&s;t make the &s;courge &s;trike like a Scorpion to torturing and a&s;toni&s;hment: how terrible is it, meerly to &s;uffer as evill doers with &s;in upon us?</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.7, 8, 9, 10.</NOTE> The Law &s;trengthens &s;in to vex, by making known the &s;inful|ne&s;&s;e of it to the con&s;cience: <HI>I had not known &s;in,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, but by the Law; and again, <HI>by the Law is the knowledge of &s;in:</HI> and &s;uch a glance it was the Law gave him, that he was dead with the &s;ight of it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.20.</NOTE> <HI>Sin revived,</HI> and <HI>I died;</HI> It is torment for a man to &s;uffer with his guilt ca&s;t in his face, written upon his fore-head, and &s;trucken to his heart; no marvell if that &s;oule faint.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.10.</NOTE> And yet further the Law &s;trengthens &s;in to torment a &s;oule in affliction, by di&s;covering the wrath from whence it comes, the cur&s;e of God that hath whet and &s;harpened it, to wound deadly, and that it is but the earne&s;t of &s;eventie times &s;even plagues more to come upon it for &s;in: Now dreadfull is this condition. Alas, what &s;oul
<PB N="51" REF="34">can labour for good under the frownes and wrath of God, or give him glory, when the effects of his furic drive them like a whirle-winde? Surely none; care then mu&s;t be, that this &s;ting and &s;trength of the Rod be de&s;troyed, if ever a &s;oule be fitted for that great exerci&s;e under Gods cha&s;tening. Again, there is be&s;ides this another life, and &s;trength of &s;in in the fle&s;h, where it lives natu|rally: As a man is &s;aid to be living in or by the Law, when it acquits him, and condemnes him not to take away his life, yet he is naturally alive al&s;o, by the principles of life within him; &s;o &s;in is alive by the Law, when it is made &s;trong thereby to condemne and kill the man; yet it's naturall, rooted life, whence all the motions and &s;tir|rings come, are in the fle&s;h;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.23, 24</NOTE> of which no le&s;&s;e is the Apo&s;tles com|plaint, in bemoaning that Law that wars in his members, and coun|ting him&s;elf a wretched man, untill he be freed from that body, wherein raigne only &s;in and death. Now this double &s;trength of &s;in mu&s;t be &s;poyled to kill the &s;in, and the &s;ting mu&s;t be pulled out to give the &s;oule ea&s;e to labour in the mid&s;t of the fires.</P>
<P>But how then may this be done?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE></P>
<P>The great charmer of this Serpents &s;ting, is Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w. 1 Cor. 15.57.</NOTE> it is &s;o acknow|ledged in that doxologie, <HI>Thanks be to God, who hath given us victo|ry through our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Yet this victory over the &s;ting of afflictions and death, is gained from &s;ome &s;peciall piece of Chri&s;t, and that his <HI>death,</HI> the only powerfull Antidote again&s;t &s;in, to take away all the life and &s;trength of it; effectuall for ju&s;tification, and &s;o to kill &s;in in the Law; and no le&s;&s;e for mortification, and &s;o to kill &s;in in the fle&s;h; This is Go&s;pel doctrine in plain a&s;&s;ertions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.5. Hebr. 9.14.</NOTE> <HI>Wee are ju&s;tified by his blood,</HI> and again, <HI>The blood of Chri&s;t &s;hall purge our con&s;ciences from dead works;</HI> which is nothing el&s;e, but his death, and the vertue of it both wayes a&s;&s;erted.</P>
<P>The true vertue of this remedy again&s;t this &s;ting and it's &s;trength, and the right application of it, are two things needfull to be known by them, who de&s;ire to finde this help by it in the day of their afflicti|on, to be &s;o quieted, as then to &s;it clo&s;e to their appointed exerci&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. The death of Chri&s;t hath a force predominant over the Law, to take away all the &s;trength it gives to &s;in, that it can no longer ac|cu&s;e nor make guilty, nor terrifie the con&s;cience, nor lay on the tor|menting cur&s;e, which &s;hakes the &s;oule out of all abilities of perfor|ming duty to God: this power is &s;een in the&s;e effects. 1. In that it is the full payment of mans debt to the law, beyond which nothing more could be de&s;ired for &s;atisfaction, which the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> that
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<PB N="52" REF="36">heavenly one hath paid for all his &s;eed; hence is the mouth of Law &s;topt from laying any thing to their charge; for the Law being ju&s;t, can demand nothing but that which is right and due, all that is here di&s;charged. 2. In that it purcha&s;eth forgivene&s;&s;e, or the gift of righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e from the Law-giver to his &s;eed, &s;o that now &s;in is no &s;in, debts are no debts, all hand-writings being cancell'd by this pur|cha&s;ed pardon, neither is the Law in this re&s;pect a Law, or in force to burthen the &s;oule with feares, and drive it from it's work.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;ame death of Chri&s;t hath an over-ruling power, quelling the motions, weakning the &s;trength, and wa&s;ting the life of &s;in in the fle&s;h; for from thence is the heart of man no le&s;&s;e indi&s;po&s;ed to du|ty, than from the Law; &s;in by the Law frights a man from his work by &s;caring feares, but in the fle&s;h by a direct oppo&s;ition to the Will of God, warring again&s;t all light and power that &s;hould help one to this exerci&s;e; it doth &s;o hinder, put back, and thru&s;t off from the work, that a man cannot &s;et to it, unle&s;&s;e the force be quelled; now admirably efficacious for this, is the death of Chri&s;t; To give a right under&s;tanding of this, how the death of Chri&s;t wounds, and weakens and kils &s;in in our fle&s;h, is a work of great skill, &s;uch a My&s;terie, that I almo&s;t de&s;pair of a fit, and compleat expre&s;&s;ion to make it plain and ea&s;ie for every minde to conceive; yet, becau&s;e it is a thing &s;o profitable, and &s;o de&s;irable by Chri&s;tians, to be acquainted with that one only way of baining, of killing their corruptions, tru&s;ting on the guidance of the Spirit of truth, I &s;hall indeavour to give &s;ome help for this. To pre&s;ent therefore this &s;ingular way of &s;ins morti|fying by Chri&s;ts death, conceiveable to a believer, I &s;hall labour in the&s;e propo&s;itions, to &s;et down the &s;tate of it.</P>
<P N="1">1. As the fundamentall ground for framing our thoughts aright about the precedent My&s;terie, we mu&s;t lay this truth, That the Lord Chri&s;t in this, as in all other in&s;tances of giving out, and communi|cating grace, is to be con&s;idered as the &s;econd <HI>Adam:</HI> Thus is he &s;et forth as the <HI>Truth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.14.</NOTE> or <HI>Auti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ype</HI> of the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> who &s;hould have conveyed life, but indeed gave out nothing but death to his poore &s;eed;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.45.47.</NOTE> and &s;o is he expre&s;ly &s;tiled, the <HI>la&s;t Adam,</HI> and the <HI>&s;econd man,</HI> with his characteri&s;ing excellencies, to &s;pecifie him to the Church: Now the true &s;ignifica<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e of this notion, fir&s;t or &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> is a <HI>Man</HI> by way of eminency, in &s;ome notable and &s;peciall re&s;pect, a <HI>Root-man,</HI> one made as a <HI>Fountain</HI> of Nature to convey it with it's advan|tages or di&s;advantages to the derived &s;eed, &s;uch was the fir&s;t man made after Gods Image, which had he kept, he &s;hould have propa|gated
<PB N="53" REF="36">to his &s;ucceeding i&s;&s;ue, but having given it to the &s;poil, nought el&s;e could he derive to his Po&s;terity, but the mi&s;erable effects of his own wilfull ruine, &s;in and &s;hame; <HI>&s;o he begat a Son in his own likene&s;&s;e;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 5.3.</NOTE> and &s;uch like mu&s;t be all the generations of men that ari&s;e from him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.12.</NOTE> It is the plain a&s;&s;ertion of Gods &s;pirit in this matter: <HI>By one man &s;in entred into the world, and death by &s;in, yea, and death pa&s;&s;ed upon all men, for that all have &s;inned.</HI> That <HI>one</HI> being the fountain of humane nature, and having in the fountain corrupted it by &s;in, could not con|vey this nature any further, but with the deadly attendants of it, guilt imputed, enmity again&s;t God, and an univer&s;all depravation in&s;ued upon, with tho&s;e bitter con&s;equents of death and hell, fol|lowing after it. This is the line of our mi&s;ery, which God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;pirit hath drawne; It is not my purpo&s;e to &s;tay upon the proud cavils which fle&s;h and blood make again&s;t this, that charge God fooli&s;hly for &s;o ordering, and cur&s;e &s;uch parents for their natures thus deri|ved: I &s;hall only &s;ugge&s;t this thought to &s;uch a Di&s;puter. Had&s;t thou been the fir&s;t <HI>Root-man,</HI> to have rai&s;ed mans &s;eed, that nature which was &s;o treacherous in him, would have been no better in thee, and thou would&s;t have tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed even as hee in the very &s;ame particular; Let not pride vain man, deceive thee, humbly &s;eek by the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> to be healed, and be not fooli&s;h to deny or cover the wound, which otherwi&s;e will prove incurable by &s;elf-conceit, and confidence. My digre&s;&s;ion &s;hall be no longer; The rea&s;on of mentioning the fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI> here was for the &s;ake of the &s;econd, that as it may appeare not only po&s;&s;ible but rea&s;onable, the way of con|veyance of &s;in and death from him upon his &s;eed, &s;o no le&s;&s;e the probability of receiving &s;ins death, and deaths plague from the &s;e|cond <HI>Adam</HI> may be apparent. For &s;uppo&s;e this man al&s;o, as wee mu&s;t, to be a <HI>Root-man,</HI> a fountain of Nature <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">um<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ne, &s;pirituall, heavenl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> to give out to his &s;eed, no more difficulty can there be of conceiving the way of communicating what is communicable from him to his &s;eed, than of the fir&s;t to his; nay more ea&s;ie to be con|vine do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> influence coming from the &s;econd, if we take up but the&s;e additions; This is the <HI>quickning-&s;pirit man,</HI> that by &s;pirit can migh|tily work upon his members, to conforme them to him&s;elf, and every piece of him&s;elf, death, re&s;urrection, &amp;c. This is the <HI>Lord-man,</HI> that hath all dominion and &s;overaignty committed to him by God to work what hee will to work upon his own for the per|fecting of his Kingdome; yea, this is the <HI>heavenly-man</HI> &s;et again&s;t and above the &s;in and corruption of creatures, to de&s;troy them in his
<PB N="54" REF="37">&s;eed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sermon, Em|balming of dead Saints.</NOTE> (of which I more largely dealt el&s;ewhere): All which con|&s;idered facilitates the way of our conceiving ver<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ue flowing from Chri&s;t to his.</P>
<P N="2">2. This truth is next to be &s;ugge&s;ted, As Chri&s;t in whole and in|tirely con&s;idered carryeth in him&s;elf the compleat work of our &s;al|vation, to give out unto his &s;eed; &s;o the &s;everall &s;tates and conditions of Chri&s;t have &s;ome &s;peciall and proper pieces of that &s;alvation de|pending on them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.5. Col. 3.1. Joh 14.19.</NOTE> as death of &s;in upon his death, re&s;urrection to grace upon his re&s;urrection, and life of God on us upon his life; the&s;e ne|ce&s;&s;ary dependances of our graces on his &s;everall works, the Scrip|tures fully declare, which revelation may help on to conceive the &s;peciall vertue of the death of Chri&s;t in the pre&s;ent ca&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. More neerly to the point in hand, this is a main truth, The death of Chri&s;t, as it was intended of God, &s;o indeed it carryeth in it a direct contrariety to all that with&s;tands his &s;eed in the way of their &s;alvation, and not only that it weakens, but a &s;overaign contrariety, able to quell and over-power every thing that oppo&s;eth the &s;alva|tion of his people; The&s;e oppo&s;ites are &s;in in the fir&s;t place by the guilt and poy&s;on of it, then the Law with it's dreadfull cur&s;e, wher|unto are joyned the Devill that hath the power of death, the bitter|nes of death it &s;elf, and the terrors of hel, with all the powers of dark|ne&s;&s;e; all the&s;e con&s;pire to de&s;troy poore &s;oules, and again&s;t all the&s;e hath the death of Chri&s;t a ver<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ue oppo&s;ite and predominant, as hot medicines to overcome cold di&s;ea&s;es, and cold to quel the hot, there|fore very rea&s;onable that it &s;hould eate out the very heart of &s;in, the &s;ting of our afflictions.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.2, 3. Ephe&s;. 2.16.</NOTE> The frequent oppo&s;itions of the death, blood and cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, again&s;t &s;in, cur&s;e, enmity in fle&s;h toward God, &amp;c. and the victory of that averred over all the&s;e adver&s;aries, are evidence without exception, &s;ufficient to conclude this truth.</P>
<P N="4">4. Adde wee this, The death of Chri&s;t is not only contrary un|to &s;in, but in the my&s;terie hath actually killed and de&s;troyed the en|mity which is in the fle&s;h of his members again&s;t him, as well as all other adver&s;aries of our life without us;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.14, 15. <GAP DESC="foreign">. Hebr. 2.14.</NOTE> The Act pa&s;t is plainly re|corded, <HI>He blotted out the hand-writing, which was contrary to us,</HI> (not only that of Ordinances which peculiarly concerned the <HI>Jews,</HI> but that of his Law that was again&s;t every man) <HI>and tooke it out of the way, nayling it to his Cro&s;&s;e, and &s;poyled Principalities and Powers, &amp;c.</HI> that is, tho&s;e of hell, that con&s;tantly oppo&s;ed the &s;alvation of Chri&s;ts &s;eed; which el&s;ewhere is thus expre&s;&s;ed, By death heed'd de&s;troy him that had the power of death, which is the <HI>Devill.</HI> The world
<PB N="55" REF="37">al&s;o a grand enemy is crucified to believers by Chri&s;ts Cro&s;&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6.14.</NOTE> Here are blotting out, taking quite out of &s;ight, and nayling to the Cro&s;&s;e for dead law and cur&s;e that were again&s;t Chri&s;ts people, to note their utter abolition, &s;o is there a de&s;troying or making void and u&s;e|le&s;&s;e all the power of the Devill to kill, &s;o againe crucifying the world, making it as a thing hang'd out of the way which every one abhorreth, and no le&s;&s;e by the &s;ame death or cro&s;&s;e a killing of all <HI>enmity</HI> in the creatures again&s;t God, not only by pardoning, but by aboli&s;hing it in the fle&s;h, in&s;omuch,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.2.</NOTE> that the Apo&s;tle concludes for him&s;elfe and fellow-believers, an impo&s;&s;ibility of their abiding un|der the life of &s;in, being actually dead to &s;in by the death of Chri&s;t. Now all this, as is &s;aid, was done by Chri&s;t in the my&s;terie, and that expre&s;&s;ion teacheth us, that what-Chri&s;t &s;o doth, is done by him as head of his body, and therefore in reference to it, and with influ|ence of all tho&s;e &s;ecret my&s;ticall acts on it: the plain effect of this My&s;terie is mo&s;t fitly and pithily expre&s;&s;ed in tho&s;e termes of con|junction which couple the &s;oules with Chri&s;t, as being together within all his works and travells for their &s;alvation: So we reade that his members are <HI>crucified together with him,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2 20.</NOTE> and <HI>their old man cru|cified with him,</HI> and they again <HI>buried with him,</HI> and <HI>ri&s;en with him:</HI> So the my&s;terie is di&s;covered to the <HI>Gentiles,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.4. Col. 2.12. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> that they &s;hould be <HI>fellow-heirs,</HI> and of <HI>the &s;ame body,</HI> and <HI>partakers of his promi&s;e;</HI> all which are expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>withs, cons,</HI> and <HI>together,</HI> and knitting <HI>par|ticles,</HI> which can import no le&s;&s;e, but the &s;haring of the&s;e joyned &s;oules with Chri&s;t in all the vertue of tho&s;e works, &s;ufferings or pri|viledges wherein by God him&s;elfe they are joyned with him: &s;o that if they be planted together with him in his dying,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s; 3.6. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> though they cannot die for &s;in as he did, yet a likene&s;&s;e to that death they mu&s;t have in effect, even a death to &s;in in them&s;elves; therefore they are joyned with him in that &s;uffering of his,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.5. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> becau&s;e they do hold out a &s;utable effect to that his death, i&s;&s;uing from it in their own fle&s;h; and the &s;ame rea&s;on is of their conjunction with him in his other works tending to their &s;alvation, &s;utable effects are wrought in them from all. This is actually done by Chri&s;t; as for the time of the actuall manife&s;tation of this &s;in in his united members, more wil be declared in the application of this vertue of Chri&s;t hereafter; but for pre&s;ent &s;ome help is given from hence to conceive of the effica|cie and nece&s;&s;ity of &s;ins fall by the death of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="5">5. Yet the difficulty is not cleared, How &s;hould cro&s;&s;e, or blood, or death, the&s;e dead things, work the fall or death of &s;in in my
<PB N="56" REF="38">fle&s;h and &s;pirit? The la&s;t po&s;ition will come home to this: There is a living &s;pirit purcha&s;ed, given, and annexed unto all the&s;e &s;aving works of Chri&s;t, which applies the vertue of his death, &s;ufferings, and re&s;urrection, to produce &s;utable and due effects upon mans &s;oule: This, this is that active principle that &s;ets Chri&s;t death on work to kill &s;in, that brings men to a fellow&s;hip of his &s;ufferings, and makes them conformable to his death. The va&s;t difference between blood and blood, death and death, together with the ground of it, is fully declared by the Apo&s;tle in comparing the legall &s;acrifices with Chri&s;ts one perfect offering,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.9.13, 14.</NOTE> <HI>Alas the blood of Buls and Goats could,</HI> but at be&s;t, <HI>&s;anctifie to the purifying of the fle&s;h, it could never per|fect concerning the con&s;cience, but the blood of Chri&s;t purgeth con&s;ciences from dead works to &s;erve the living God,</HI> which is the &s;ame with killing &s;in within us, and freeing our hearts from the bendage of corrupti|on to that glorious liberty in &s;erving God. But what makes the difference, that &s;o worthle&s;&s;e, this to excell for purging &s;in? The &s;ame Text will &s;atisfie: <HI>It was the blood of him, who through the eter|nall Spirit, offered him&s;elfe without &s;pot or fault to God;</HI> wherein the&s;e excellencies are ob&s;ervable. 1. It was a pure blood, without any poy&s;onous tincture of &s;in by participation, therefore a remedy fitted again&s;t it, &s;uch is no blood of creatures be&s;ides, but all, either by inheritance, or participation, defiled. 2. It was a powerfull, &s;pi|rited blood, for that eternall Spirit, by which he offered him&s;elfe, works in it and by it, to purge con&s;ciences from Spirituall death of &s;in, but the other to a weak &s;piritle&s;&s;e blood, therefore altogether u&s;ele&s;&s;e for the&s;e high effects; No &s;ope nor nitre, no fire nor blood materiall can work out &s;in, no &s;pirit in the&s;e; only that <HI>Ful|lers</HI> &s;ope,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.2.</NOTE> and that <HI>Refiners</HI> fire, and that <HI>Sacrificers</HI> blood can purge from &s;ins powerfull pollutions, into which the eternall Spirit gives influence, and whereby it works &s;ins perpetuall de&s;truction. It is not ob&s;cure, that our Lord, upon leaving the world, de&s;ignes his Spirit in his own place, to put his Church in remembrance of what he hath told them, to &s;hew them the things of Chri&s;t in the power of them, and to bring home the &s;pirituall energie and force of all his &s;atisfaction, death and re&s;urrection to their &s;oules; how|ever therefore the death of Chri&s;t be the plague of &s;in, when wee come to feel the vertue of this death, we mu&s;t by the Spirit mortifie the deeds of our fle&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.13.</NOTE> by yeelding to that Spirits effectuall appli|cation of this killing power to our indwelling corruptions. It is ob&s;ervable in tho&s;e former conjunctions mention'd, <HI>We are buried
<PB N="57" REF="38">with him,</HI> and <HI>ri&s;en with him (i. e.</HI> we have in our &s;elves the in&s;eparable effects of his death and re&s;urrection a death to &s;in and life above it.) Something els is added for perfecting the effects in us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.12. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> Even <HI>through the faith of the Operation of God;</HI> Faith draws on our parts, but Gods powerfull Spirit works upon the other, killing &s;in by his death, and quickning by his re&s;urrection, &amp; hereby onely becomes his bloud &s;o victorious over &s;in: So that now from all the&s;e con&s;iderations put together, Chri&s;t acknowledged the <HI>Adam,</HI> or principle of propaga|tion, his death the &s;pecial remedy intended again&s;t &s;in, having a &s;ove|raigne contrariety to quell it, &amp; having actually given the deaths|blow to it upon the Cro&s;&s;e, which the Spirit at this day puts in force upon every united member, we may clearly conceive the powerfull vertue of this means again&s;t the life of &s;in in the fle&s;h, and withall not onely a rea&s;onable po&s;&s;ibilitie, but an ordained nece&s;&s;itie upon Chri&s;ts part of giving out its force for the thorough &s;ubduing, and utter aboli&s;hing &s;inne in his &s;eed; yet a que&s;tion is behind, But how &s;hould we draw this mortifying virtue from Chri&s;t upon our own fle&s;h, &s;o as to feele the effect in the dying of our corruptions? The &s;econd part mu&s;t an&s;wer this.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is now needfull having &s;een the waters at the gate of <HI>Beth|lem,</HI> and known that &s;overaigne &s;in-killing vertue in the death of Chri&s;t, to con&s;ider the way of getting of it through all difficulties, and of having the actuall experience of it upon our own hearts; and in &s;hort, the way that we mu&s;t take is but one, even that &s;ingular way of faith, wherein this &s;aving i&s;&s;ue may be expected. Nothing can be clearer than this in the revelation of God, that every vertue is drawne out of Chri&s;t by beleeving: It is true, Chri&s;ts death and bu|riall kills and burieth us to &s;in in the my&s;tery, as conjoyned with him, but yet this is not done,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.12.</NOTE> but by the <HI>Faith</HI> of the operation of <HI>God,</HI> this actually in&s;tates us into all the priviledges of Chri&s;t. It is the Apo&s;tles profe&s;&s;ion of him&s;elfe in communion with the head,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.20.</NOTE> <HI>I am c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ucified with Chri&s;t: Neverthele&s;&s;e I live, yet not I, but Chri&s;t liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the fle&s;h, I live by the faith of the Son of God.</HI> Death and life he confe&s;&s;eth he hath i&s;&s;uing from Chri&s;t, and &s;utable to him, death to the law and &s;in as well as life to God; but how are the&s;e drawne out? Onely by beleeving, for he dyed as we'l as lived by the faith of the Son of God: So that it is que&s;tionle&s;&s;e, That by faith the vertues of Chri&s;t are brought into the &s;oule: all the difficulty is of the way and manner how faith &s;hould obtaine them from him, whereunto I &s;hall labour to give &s;atisfaction in the&s;e fol|lowing determinations.</P>
<PB REF="39">
<P>In generall I &s;hall premi&s;e that all the operative force of <HI>Faith</HI> in this, as in other parts of &s;alvation is onely in&s;trumentall, &s;erving a &s;u|perior Agent, and effectuall onely in his hand: The mighty Spirit of God hath created and fitted this in our hearts to &s;ute with his graci|ous di&s;pen&s;ation, that by it the whole good-plea&s;ure, and free pur|po&s;e of God to life might be accompli&s;hed in us; he onely working him&s;elfe all acts of grace upon us, and this &s;erving his hand &amp; work|ing (nothing els being meet to joyne with grace) untill he fini&s;h the whole mind of God in us. This in&s;trumentall vertue is frequently averred in &s;ubordination to that power that u&s;eth it: As, by grace ye are &s;aved <HI>through</HI> faith;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2.8. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> and againe, Ye are kept <HI>by</HI> the power of God <HI>through</HI> faith unto &s;alvation, Gods power and grace is the Saviour, Faith but the in&s;trument, whereby he brings &s;alvation to us; and that too is properly its in&s;trumentall con&s;ideration,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.5. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> as it is in his hand, and not ours; for it is our grace given and worke acted, but his in|&s;trument onely in us. Now this faith &s;erveth that Spirit to bring in the &s;everall vertues of Chri&s;t for perfecting our &s;alvation in the&s;e &s;peciall wayes.</P>
<P N="1">1. In an&s;wering the Spirit to his worke of union; for as that from Chri&s;t takes hold of us, &s;o faith in us moved by the Spirit takes hold of him, whereby the &s;oule is actually united to him, and by this union made partaker of all &s;aving vertue in him, therfore of the power of his death.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.20.</NOTE> Hence it is &s;aid, that <HI>we are ingrafted into Chri&s;t by faith,</HI> and no le&s;&s;e that <HI>Chri&s;t dwels in our be arts by faith.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 3.17.</NOTE> Now the work where|unto faith moves us in this matter, is to yeeld to the Spirits offer, and to clo&s;e with Chri&s;t as members, whom he reveales as &s;ent of God to be our head, and &s;o with him to become one Chri&s;t my&s;ticall; thus our minds by faith are moved to clo&s;e with him by apprehend|ing, knowing and acknowledging him to be our head, our wills by choo&s;ing him, and yeelding to him as head, and our hearts by faith al&s;o cleaving to him as head, in loving, fearing, and delighting in him; thus by con&s;ent of faith are we brought to union with Chri&s;t, and thereby to communion in all his fulne&s;&s;e; whence we draw from his death that fruit which his death doth yeeld, and from his re&s;ur|rection, that good which it carrieth for us; and in a word, from him thus we have grace for grace: as the graft &s;ucks out the juice and fatne&s;&s;e of the good Olive.</P>
<P N="2">2. In an&s;wering to the Spirits worke of revelation, faith is &s;er|viceable, which faith doth and indeed onely can doe by making evident and reall to the &s;oule, what the Spirit by the word reveals:
<PB N="59" REF="39">Now indeed the greate&s;t works of the Go&s;pel on mens hearts are effected by revelation, the Go&s;pels light hath a mighty influence up|on all &s;aving effects, Nothing of grace is wrought in a &s;oule but by light, this works life and all to men. To the pre&s;ent ca&s;e, the Spirit reveales Je&s;us Chri&s;t the compleat &s;alvation to his people, his death the plague of their &s;in, his re&s;urrection the cau&s;e of their life to God, and therefore a nece&s;&s;ity of dying and living with him; this revela|tion being made evident &amp; reall by faith unto a &s;oule, becomes not a <HI>Platonicall Idea,</HI> or vaine &s;peculation, but an over-powering truth, working it &s;elfe into the heart and moulding it into its owne like|ne&s;&s;e of death or life. The power of &s;uch revelation is eminently a|verred by a mighty Apo&s;tle, that was once a bitter enemy to the Go&s;pel, yet thus he &s;peaketh,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1.15.</NOTE> <HI>When it plea&s;ed God to reveale his Sonue in me, immediately I conferred not with fle&s;h and bloud;</HI> It was &s;o power|full, being evidenced by faith, that it pre&s;ently takes him from all carnall con&s;iderations, knits him &s;o fa&s;t to Chri&s;t, that fle&s;h &amp; bloud can never take him off; &s;omewhat like that fiery charret that &s;epa|rated <HI>Elijah</HI> from <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> and took him unto God: indeed &s;uch fire there is as well as light, in the&s;e revelations realized by faith. And that this is faiths &s;erviceable worke to the Spirit &s;o to evidence is cleare enough, when it is &s;tyled the Evidence of things not &s;een,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.1.</NOTE> faith will convince, when no light els can move: The Spirit of revela|tion therefore meeting with faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1.17.19.</NOTE> leaves great and mighty works upon that &s;oule, no le&s;&s;e than the might of the power of God revea|led to them can effect. Such is that in the pre&s;ent in&s;tance, when the Spirit revealing and faith evidencing the death of Chri&s;t to be &s;innes de&s;truction, the &s;oule is hereby le&s;t dead unto &s;in. Let faith there|fore worke upon this revelation to evidence it, that the minde may di&s;cerne it, and heart re&s;t upon it, the life of &s;in will &s;urely fall, as the hearts of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> at the &s;ight of <HI>Goliah,</HI> or as the man dyes at the pier|cing of the Cockatrices eye.</P>
<P N="3">3. Faith &s;erves the Spirit to bring in the vertnes of Chri&s;t upon the &s;oule, in an&s;wering its application and direction concerning this matter, by receiving one and obeying the other, which being fitted for this in&s;trument, none but faith can an&s;wer. It hath been declared before that the maine worke of bringing chri&s;t and his excellencies into the &s;oule, is upon the hand of Gods mighty Spirit; This unites to him, and reveales the force of him, and by its &s;pirituall energie gives or applies him intirely for life, and every piece of him for the &s;everall effects of grace, with command &s;o to receive him, and ex|pect
<PB N="60" REF="40">the revealed force or vertue from him; Now nothing but faith can &s;ute the an&s;wer, this onely receives what the Spirit gives, and o|beyes what the Spirit commands, and &s;o doing makes the &s;oule have actuall experience of all that good of Chri&s;t mini&s;tred by his Spirit; So that the obedientiall act of faith in receiving Chri&s;t as he is gi|ven, in eying of him, and depending on him, as the onely &s;alvation of his people, is the onely way of faith to draw &s;alvation from him. So the like work of faith upon his death, to evidence it the onely baine of &s;in in our fle&s;h, &s;o to receive it in mind and will and heart, and re&s;t on it onely for this effect, is the way to find the de&s;ired i&s;&s;ue, even the death of &s;in in our fle&s;h. To them therfore who are puzzeld with that que&s;tion, How faith &s;hould draw vertue out of Chri&s;t or his death, I &s;hould onely reply, (premi&s;ing that union with him, and evidence of him fore&s;poken) it is by an obedientiall receiving the truth of him, and re&s;ting on it to be made good by the Spirit of pro|mi&s;e, upon which reception all the benefits of per&s;on, death and life, are conferred by the arme of God upon that &s;oule. If God &s;end this word to <HI>Naaman,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 5.10.</NOTE> <HI>Goe wa&s;h in Jordan &s;even times, and be cleane;</HI> though the water in it &s;elfe had no more vertue to heale his lepro&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, than anothers, yet upon his obedience, He that commanded did effect it; Or a little more neer the ca&s;e, God commands <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> when the people were bitten with the fiery Serpents,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 21.8, 9.</NOTE> <HI>to make a brazen Serpent, and &s;et it upon a Pole,</HI> with expre&s;&s;e word, that if any bitten &s;hould look up unto it, he &s;hould be healed and live: If any now &s;hall aske, how did their looking to the bra&s;&s;e, draw vertue for their recove|ry? No &s;atisfaction can be given but this, their obedience being therein te&s;tified, God fell not &s;hort of his word, he healed, while they were looking. Our Lord him&s;elfe applieth this to our pre&s;ent ca&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh 3 14, 15.</NOTE> <HI>As Mo&s;es lift up the Serpent in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, &s;o mu&s;t the Son of Man be lifted up, that who&s;oever beleeveth in him, &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life:</HI> As eying the brazen Serpent, healed the fiery bite, &s;o looking upon Chri&s;t lifted up, crucified and dying, heales the poy&s;onous bite of that old Serpent, and the &s;ting of &s;in, that the &s;oule &s;hall not peri&s;h by it, but live. Some difference there is here in the objects, for power indeed is in Chri&s;t to kill up fin, no vertue in the bra&s;&s;e it &s;elfe to heale the Serpents bite; but the acts are of the &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e force, for looking there and beleeving here, were both Gods ordinance, to the obedience whereof the effect is made &s;ure by God him&s;elfe: &s;o is all the glory of Chri&s;t made over to the obedience of faith, the very receiving of him given, and the looking on him,
<PB N="61" REF="40">and re&s;ting in him for the effecting of all grace in us. The preroga|tive and nature of Sons is a&s;&s;ured upon this beleeving,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1.12.</NOTE> <HI>As many as re|ceived him, to them he gave power or priviledge to become the Sons of God:</HI> Onely in this obedientiall receiving of him by faith, wee mu&s;t con|&s;ider the&s;e Rules.</P>
<P N="1">1. To look unto him with a &s;ingle eye of faith; as he is revealed the onely &s;alvation of his Church, and his death the onely plague of &s;in, &s;o mu&s;t faith onely eye him for &s;alvation, and his death to kill &s;in by it; No other looking but the brazen Serpent onely could prevent death; Con&s;ideration of wayes, humbling &s;oule with fa&s;ting, cir|cum&s;pection, and watchfulne&s;&s;e, are a good way of diet, for remo|ving &s;ins &s;trength and recovering the health of God, but diet may not be u&s;ed for medicine, that which onely can kill &s;in in us is the death of Chri&s;t, unto this onely mu&s;t we look for our cure, and no other way: And this one eye hath like force with that of the Spou&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t 4.9.</NOTE> to ravi&s;h the heart of Chri&s;t, and pull any vertue that is in him for the helpe of the poore &s;oule; &s;in dies while it looks to the death of Chri&s;t onely, expecting the likene&s;&s;e of it, or the &s;utable effect there|of to be produced in the &s;oule.</P>
<P N="2">2. It mu&s;t be a full eye of Faith al&s;o, that receiveth this vertue from Chri&s;t; that is, Faith gathering it's full force, turning all the thoughts of the minde, all the purpo&s;es and re&s;olutions of the will, and all the affections of the heart to clo&s;e with Chri&s;t in his dying, and to draw vertue thence conformable thereunto, even death to &s;in; &s;uch an ey, when all the &s;pirits in the &s;oul give their joynt in|fluence unto it, mu&s;t needs have a piercing &s;ight; &s;uch as Chri&s;t mu&s;t, and will yeeld unto: with &s;uch a full Spirit of Faith came that woman to touch the hem of Chri&s;ts garment, and &s;utably drew ver|tue out of him for &s;topping the i&s;&s;ue of blood; Neither was it pro|perly her drawing again&s;t the knowledge and will of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.21.</NOTE> that did this, but his free giving out vertue from him&s;elf unto that full Faith, which made her &s;ay: <HI>If I may but touch his garment, I &s;hall be whole.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. It mu&s;t be a fa&s;t ned waiting eye of Faith, unto which this grace is vouch &s;afed, un&s;et led; wandring eyes, now off, now on, draw little knowledge, or any good el&s;e from their objects; the fixed look is that, which turneth Chri&s;t unto it; believing to the end, will certainly make the effect to come. Such a fixed eare and eye of Faith, had that poore Criple, that attended on <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o int<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n|tively and firmly, that he drew back the Apo&s;tles eyes &s;tedfa&s;tly up|on
<PB N="62" REF="41">him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 14.9, 10.</NOTE> who perceiving he had Faith to be healed, that is, Faith every way proportioned to receive an healing, <HI>&s;aid with a loud voyce, Stand upright on thy feet: and he leaped and walked:</HI> &s;ingle, full and con&s;tant believing cannot go off from Chri&s;t empty, but while men are <HI>&s;o beholding him</HI> in death or life, <HI>they &s;hall be changed into the &s;ame Image from glory to glory,</HI> from one &s;tep of excellency to another, in &s;innes ruine, and graces reviving, <HI>by the Lord the Spirit:</HI> Faith only looks, and the <HI>Lord-&s;pirit</HI> works all effects of grace upon poore &s;oules, while&s;t they are &s;o earne&s;tly looking for good from Chri&s;t. According to their Faith, &s;o the Lord dealt graci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;ly with the blind, and deaf, and lame, and &s;ick, they believed for all, and hee performed all for them, and gave eyes and eares, and limbs and health to Faith, while it eyed and received him. Thus far is that way, that only way declared of taking out the &s;ting of afflictions by faith's working upon the death of Chri&s;t, which done, the tor|ment of the &s;courge is allayed, and then may the &s;oule &s;it clo&s;e to it's exerci&s;e, even give glory to God in the fires, and thereby bring home the full de&s;ired fruit of peace and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to them&s;elves.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. X.</HI> A &s;econd direction to inable Chri&s;tians for exerci&s;e under the Rod.</HEAD>
<P N="2">2. TO tho&s;e poore &s;oules, that in the vallies of trouble, hemm'd in with unpa&s;&s;able hills upon every &s;ide, would &s;it clo&s;e to work without di&s;traction, my coun&s;ell is, <HI>that they earne&s;tly and &s;ingly eye the Spirit of the Rod, to draw that out,</HI> and not &s;o much pore upon the gro&s;&s;er part of it, which is nothing but &s;mart upon the fle&s;h; This Spirit of the Rod is lenitive for the pain, active for the work which concernes a cha&s;tened &s;oule; The gro&s;&s;er parts of un&s;avory herbs may be bitter, and invalid, or dull to give out their vertue, yet the &s;pirit of the&s;e may be &s;weet, and operative for &s;pe|ciall ends, being rightly extracted. It is very true in the pre&s;ent, the more &s;en&s;ible and carnall part of the Rod is irk&s;ome and inef|fectuall of it &s;elf for good, but the more invi&s;ible and &s;pirituall part of it is mo&s;t plea&s;ant, full of energy, and vertue to make the &s;oule live above affliction, and according to God to labour in it. This is a my&s;terie, (but a great truth) as there is a &s;pirit in the word Covenant, &s;o there is in the Rod of the Covenant, one and the &s;ame is the very &s;oule of the Rod, as is al&s;o of the Word, without which the Word is but a dead letter, and the Rod but a dry &s;tick; but
<PB N="63" REF="41">with it, Word and Rod are not only God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> power to awaken,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vna cadem&abque; manus vulnus opemq<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> tul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</NOTE> wound, afflict and kill towards &s;in, but to quicken, heal, comfort, and &s;trengthen in all duties toward Chri&s;t. Two things at lea&s;t will be inquired concerning this, which I &s;hall re&s;olve, and then leave this direction to Chri&s;tian practice.</P>
<P N="1">1. What is this &s;pirit of the Rod?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P N="2">2. Where is this e&s;pecially to be eyed, and whence procured?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P>To the fir&s;t;<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> In &s;hort this Spirit is that divine power or &s;pirituall energy and vertue &s;ecretly put forth in the Rod, by the Lord him|&s;elf, to bring his purpo&s;e to pa&s;&s;e by it, what ever he intends for the good of his children: As for the Rod, take it by it &s;elf, of what kind &s;oever it be, it is of a &s;marting, vexing, angring quality, when it meets with fle&s;h, and &s;tirs up corruption again&s;t it &s;elf, as it falls out, but &s;ubdues it not; It is this Spirit, the very &s;oule of cha&s;tening, that overpowers &s;in by it, and quickens, and rectifies, and &s;trengthens the cha&s;tened ones for their pre&s;ent work; This in &s;hort is no other, than the awakening power, the awing power, the convincing power, the &s;oftning power, and reforming power of the Rod over the fle&s;h; whoever have experience of this, they are put in, not beaten off from pre&s;ent duty under afflictions. The being of &s;uch a Spirit is demon&s;trable, as well by divine revelation, as by reall ef|fects from the execution of the Rod.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is revealed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4.14.</NOTE> that together with fiery and wa&s;ting trialls there is <HI>a Spirit of Glory</HI> and <HI>of God</HI> given to the Saint; that is, a migh|ty excelling power, that &s;hall ma&s;ter and over-rule all &s;ufferings, reproaches, &s;corchings that may befall them, and make them &s;o to live above pain, as to glorifie God, in the mid&s;t of torments; This is the &s;pirit of the Rod, intayl'd on it, for them that &s;hall be heirs of &s;alvation, which &s;hallinable them to pre&s;ent duties, and &s;mart &s;hall not turne them back from a con&s;cionable attendance on their work: this is that only which overcomes corruption, and cau&s;ed the Rod to do good and no hurt.</P>
<P N="2">2. The different effects of affliction upon &s;everall hearts mu&s;t conclude this Spirits pre&s;ence in one Rod, and it's ab&s;ence in ano|ther; what rea&s;on el&s;e can be given,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">.11, 12, 13.</NOTE> that the very &s;ame Rod &s;hould convert one, and not &s;o much as move another to any goodne&s;&s;e: <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> was bound with a Babyloni&s;h chain, and affliction was great upon him in that bondage, no lighter irons were upon <HI>Jehoi|akim,</HI> and <HI>Zedekiah,</HI> yet he converted unto God, and accepted, but not they: what may be the rea&s;on of this? Surely the &s;pirit of the
<PB N="64" REF="42">iron was upon him by it to pre&s;&s;e him unto God, but nothing &s;ave Iron upon the&s;e to pre&s;&s;e them under &s;in. O let our eyes be then in our afflictions toward this Spirit, that we may gain it; Surely this will weaken affliction and &s;trengthen us.</P>
<P>But where may this be found,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> and whence is it to be obtained?</P>
<P>For &s;atisfaction unto this al&s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> nothing is more cleere then the Apo&s;tles expo&s;tulation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.2</NOTE> <HI>Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith?</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e not by that, but by this; It is true, this is meant of the Spirit of the Covenant, which &s;ame al&s;o is the &s;pirit of the Rod by gracious di&s;pen&s;ation annexed to it; This is not parcha&s;ed by any labour or work of ours, but by the hearing of Faith; that is, by that doctrine or word of promi&s;e (here op|po&s;ed to the Law) which Faith heareth and receiveth: &s;o that no Spirit or divine power from God tending to life, is any where to be found but in the promi&s;e, nor from any place to be expected, but from the Word of Grace. The former expre&s;&s;ion notes both terme whence, that is, the promi&s;e; and means whereby this Spirit is drawne forth, and that is Faith; the word of Grace carryeth in it this power, and Faith is the only in&s;trument to worke it out. Such promi&s;es as the&s;e are as the trea&s;uries of the Spirit; whence variety of power is given out to the cha&s;tened and believing &s;oule.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 5.15.</NOTE> <HI>In their affliction they will,</HI> or indeed, <HI>they &s;hall &s;eeke me earely;</HI> for the forme of words is promi&s;&s;ory, and here is a Spirit or power given out to by a&s;&s;e the &s;oule in afflictions unto God, and to &s;peed it too in &s;eeking earely in the morning after him; and &s;o it appeared in the effect,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 6.1. I&s;a. 43.2, 3.</NOTE> when immediately they call upon each other: <HI>Come, let us return unto the Lord;</HI> &s;o againe it is promi&s;ed, <HI>When thou pa&s;&s;e&s;t thorow the waters, I will be with thee, and thorow the rivers, they &s;hall not over &s;low thee, when thou walke&s;t through the fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e, thou &s;halt not be burnt, neither &s;hall the flame kindle upon thee: For I am the Lord thy God, &amp;c.</HI> Here lyeth the &s;ecuring &s;pirit, and the pre&s;erving power for the Saints in the hou&s;e of affliction, that may make them &s;it and &s;ing, and worke &s;ecurely; God gives it out from him&s;elfe in his promi&s;e to them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Z<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ch. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.4.</NOTE> and Faith mu&s;t receive. Yet further, <HI>I will bring a third part,</HI> (that is, his cho&s;en remuant) <HI>through the fire, and will r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">fine them as &s;ilver is refined, and will try them as gold is tryed; They &s;hall call on my Name and I will heare them; I will &s;ay it is my people, and they &s;hall &s;ay the Lord is my God;</HI> See here the trying, refining, &s;pirit, working in the fires upon poore &s;oules, yea, the covenanting, clo&s;ing, obedient &s;pirit, that through all cha&s;tenings knits the
<PB N="65" REF="42">&s;oule clo&s;er unto God; Let faith now work throughly upon the&s;e promi&s;es, it will ingage the power and Spirit of the Lord, to refine and fit the &s;oule for God, and to unite it with him. It is evident what this Spirit is, and where to be obtained: Obedience to this direction is now required; eye more the &s;pirit of the rod by faith, than the &s;mart by &s;en&s;e; this will be the benefit, the &s;ticke of the rod cannot &s;o much di&s;turb, as the &s;pirit &s;etles, nor that &s;o much grieve, as this doth comfort, nor that &s;o much weaken from worke, as this doth &s;treng|then to it; for Spirit is &s;tronger than fle&s;h in any kind; and in this is given out of God to over-power affliction, that it &s;hould not hurt or hinder, but help and further them in the way to glory: Gaine this Spirit, and thou can&s;t not be lo&s;t under the rod.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. XI.</HI> A third direction.</HEAD>
<P N="3">3. TO the &s;oule that would be indu&s;trious in keeping clo&s;e to this &s;pirituall exerci&s;e under cha&s;tening, the la&s;t word that I &s;hould give for help is, <HI>To eye the Mediator of the rod, and make &s;ure of him to be &s;iding with it.</HI> Je&s;us the Son of God the Mediator of the Covenant, mediates al&s;o for his in re&s;pect of the rod, to make this worke together with that, for the eternall good and comfort of his cho&s;en; There is no pa&s;&s;age of providence from God to us, but it comes through the hand of a Mediator;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8.6.</NOTE> <HI>All things</HI> are therefore &s;aid to <HI>be by</HI> him, and among tho&s;e <HI>all,</HI> cha&s;tenings of his people mu&s;t fall in; O &s;weet and ble&s;&s;ed rod that falls upon any poore &s;oule, through its Mediators hand; it cannot be evill, but good unto him. The very notion of a Mediator is full of &s;weetne&s;&s;e; Some &s;mattering light of this, <HI>that it is be&s;t to have to doe with God through a Mediator,</HI> &s;ome of the Gentiles had,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heroes, Da|moues, Dea|&s;tra, Mediantes dignitates no|tans.</NOTE> for which in their way they canonized &s;uch as they conceived to be Heroicall Spirits while they lived, to be the Fa|vourites of the High-gods when they died, by whom they expected to draw downe &s;ome favours upon them&s;elves. But the true light of God gives us to know, <HI>one Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by whom are all things, and we by him,</HI> one <HI>Lord Mediator</HI> indeed, Jehovah is in him, fulne&s;&s;e and goodne&s;&s;e of beeing, and that <HI>(quatenus)</HI> in the very re&s;pect of Me|diator&s;hip, that by Mediation he might bring downe all from the highe&s;t God to the lowe&s;t creature: Now put what you will into the hand and power of a Mediator, it mu&s;t turne to good unto them, for whom he hath undertaken this Mediation; His hand intends nothing els but help to the weaker part, for whom he mediates, as it obtaines
<PB N="66" REF="43">nothing but grace from the mighty God, to whom he mini&s;ters for them. Take we this in&s;tance; Nothing could be more contrary and hurtfull to Man a &s;inner than the Law, that found him guiltie, and accordingly cur&s;ed him to death;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.19. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> yet this <HI>ordained in the hand of a Me|diator,</HI> though but an Earthly one, mu&s;t be revealed with Evangeli|call purpo&s;es; the hand or Mini&s;try of a Mediator, mu&s;t needs be gracious; how much more the hand of that heavenly Mediator, wherein is power and grace it &s;elfe (more than commonly mini&s;te|riall) can and will turne all within its reach, &s;courgings them&s;elves to the comfort of Gods cha&s;tened ones? Now nothing clearer than this, that the rod as well as Covenant is in his hand, therefore over|ruled, and tempered by him for the afflicteds comfort: He com|mands the &s;pirit of the rod, and he takes out the &s;ting of it. Ravi&s;h him with the piercings of the &s;ingle eye of faith, and you are &s;ure of him your Mediator, and he &s;ure &s;o to order afflictions for good, that they &s;hall not pre&s;&s;e you out of your working frame. Two &s;peciall mediating helpes are ob&s;ervable.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Mediator &s;teps in between wrath and us, to interdict that; no fury nor effects of it, can i&s;&s;ue from God upon the people of Me|diation; he &s;uffers nothing but love to proceed toward them, and if that love bring the rod to try or purge, he yet againe interpo&s;eth, ei|ther to hold off the &s;mart, or to allay it that it &s;hall not di&s;tract: no affliction comes but he &s;weetens and meekens it. The rage of man could not aggravate a torment more,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 3.19, 26, 27.</NOTE> than that proud Monarch did in his &s;even times over-heated fornace, for tho&s;e three valiant Con|fe&s;&s;ors of the true God; yet throwne in and comming out, the &s;mell of fire was not upon them, nor a finge upon their cloaths. How came this to pa&s;&s;e? There was a fourth went in with them, and &s;tood be|twixt them and harme, the Son of God, who&s;e hand ma&s;ter'd and cool'd the fire; The Mediator &s;weetens the Cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Mediator as he &s;teps in again&s;t the rod, &s;o for us, as to al|lay the bitternes of that, &s;o to &s;trengthen our weakne&s;&s;e for bearing the remaining &s;mart. It is marvellous that a creature &s;hould doe and &s;uffer that &s;o triumphingly, which the Apo&s;tle profe&s;&s;eth of him|&s;elfe;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.11, 12, 13.</NOTE> <HI>I have learned in what ever &s;tate I am, therewith to be content.</HI> He was able contentedly to goe on in his worke, under the harde&s;t con|dition, not content onely with a little, but whether he have any thing or nothing, it is all one with him, he hath &s;ufficiency within him; He can <HI>be aba&s;hed,</HI> and <HI>be hungry,</HI> and <HI>&s;uffer need,</HI> and nothing turnes him out of his bia&s;&s;e to the worke of God. How comes he to
<PB N="67" REF="43">be &s;o un&s;haken? He tells us, <HI>I can doe all things thorough Chri&s;t that &s;trengtheneth me.</HI> It was the Mediator that &s;upported, putting his own neck into the yoke, &amp; his own &s;houlder to the burden, that it might not over-charge this poore &s;oule. Let us eye him, and overcome him by looking in faith to him as Mediator; he cannot deny but he will doe for us likewi&s;e. With a carefull eye to the&s;e directions, we may reach the marke that is &s;et before us, even in the mid&s;t of roaring Seas, tumultuous pre&s;&s;ures, &s;corching fires, and heart-breaking bur|dens, to give glory unto God, our ble&s;&s;ing &s;hall not then be far be|hind the fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace, with abundant following con&s;olations.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="12" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. XII.</HI> Con&s;olations i&s;&s;uing from the precedent Truth.</HEAD>
<P>AS the Con&s;olations of Chri&s;t are &s;weet and many, in varietie of conditions, &s;o in none more &s;weet and abundant, than in the &s;tate of &s;ufferings; the abundance of the&s;e brings forth plentie of them. It is worth our view to &s;ee what &s;tore of them, the di&s;po&s;iti|on of the rod with its appendents in the pre&s;ent truth, &s;ends forth to Gods afflicted; It will be very injurious to hide them from the ex|erci&s;ed wra&s;tlers under Gods rod, &s;eeing he hath ordained them for &s;uch; though perhaps they may receive a pinch upon the thigh, that makes them halt, yet they &s;hall not goe away without a ble&s;&s;ing; Though God whip them, yet will he ble&s;&s;e them. Every word in the Text &s;peaks comfort unto the&s;e, and no man may take it from them.</P>
<P N="1">1. The hand of love that cha&s;tens, as a Father cheers up the &s;oules labouring in the furnace; Faint not poore heart, when thou art re|buked, my dear, my darling, the child of my delights art thou;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31, 20.</NOTE> I re|member thee when I &s;peake again&s;t thee, every &s;troke goes to my heart, my bowells are troubled for thee, and I will &s;urely have mer|cy on thee. I delight not to afflict, but now it is needfull, becau&s;e I love I cha&s;ten you, and cha&s;ten that I may &s;ave you;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.19.</NOTE> better cha&s;tened than condemned; Let not &s;orrow over-lay your hearts, God-love cannot afflict his &s;eed for evill.</P>
<P N="2">2. The rod it &s;elfe that &s;mites them, &s;peaks nothing but good un|to them; &s;care not, thou to&s;&s;ed and afflicted &s;oule,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23.4.</NOTE> behold I will com|fort thee: although I &s;mart and wound the fle&s;h, yet it is but to heale the Spirit, my commi&s;&s;ion is to awaken, not to &s;tun thee, to kill thy &s;in, not to hurt thy &s;oule, to refine and not con&s;ume thee, to take a|way thy dro&s;&s;e, and make thy gold more glorious. Lift up thy head,
<PB N="68" REF="44">I am from God on thy &s;ide, to &s;ave not to de&s;troy; Love hath &s;ent me, to check &s;in, and &s;pur on grace, to turne thee out of the wayes of death, and keep thee in the paths of life; Had not I come, how many lu&s;ts would have preyed upon thee? How many deaths might have devoured thee? How would hell have &s;triven to &s;wallow thee? I am Gods Scepter to over-power thee, as well as his rod to di&s;cipline and guide thee to heaven. Be not di&s;con&s;olate.</P>
<P N="3">3. The work it &s;elfe, though hard and irke&s;ome in the very fires, yet yeelds &s;weet comforting &s;ugge&s;tions to the cha&s;tened and exer|ci&s;ed &s;oule. Three grounds of con&s;olation at lea&s;t may hence be pre|&s;ented, to incourage the afflicted heart.</P>
<P N="1">1. There is life above affliction, when the rod hinders not from motion unto God: Mi&s;erable he that can neither &s;et hand to worke, nor feet to walk in the valley of trouble; but ble&s;&s;ed, who&s;e heart is not falne, nor turn'd a&s;ide from the work of God, amid&s;t all blu&s;ters: Happy <HI>Job</HI> that could give glory by beleeving unto God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 13.15.</NOTE> though he &s;hould kill him.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is &s;trength of grace in that &s;oule, which can &s;o ma&s;ter the rod, as not to be di&s;quieted by it from its appointed worke: As it argues &s;mall &s;trength for the heart to faint in the day of affliction, &s;o it no le&s;&s;e evidenceth great power not to be &s;haken.</P>
<P N="3">3. There is a reward certainly following after, and that a &s;weet and full one.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.16.</NOTE> It was <HI>Rachels</HI> con&s;olation, <HI>Refraine thine eyes from teares, thy worke &s;hall be rewarded.</HI> No wor&s;e the i&s;&s;ue of all Gods cha&s;ten|ings; It is &s;weet to live the life of God above afflictions; It is hono|rable to be of the Worthies, and mightie ones of God, to doe excel|lently; Its greate&s;t gaine to have Gods reward; Him&s;elfe is the re|turne; <HI>I am thy Shield,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 15.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>and thy exceeding great reward,</HI> was his word to travelling <HI>Abraham;</HI> and no le&s;&s;e his voice to the &s;oules labouring faithfully under his rod. Be comforted then ye cha&s;tened of the Lord, life and honour and riches are yours, if God can &s;atisfie you; your worke &s;hall be well rewarded, then be comforted.</P>
<P N="4">4. The promi&s;ed end and certain i&s;&s;ue both of the fathers &s;courg|ing, and of thy laborious exerci&s;e under the rod, conclude infallibly &s;weet con&s;olation to thy &s;oule: Three expre&s;&s;ions in the text which carry in them the gaine of affliction, are very cordiall, and worth ap|plying to the heavy heart.</P>
<P N="1">1. Fruit is intailed upon Gods rod, and thy worke; which i&s;&s;uing from God in this line, is a notion of good &amp; not of evill, and &s;ounds abundance, &amp; not &s;canty mea&s;ure of this &s;weet, that doth ari&s;e from
<PB N="69" REF="44">bitter; It is &s;ome comfort to know a mans end &s;hall be good, though his beginning and way be darke and evill. Woe to him who&s;e good &s;hall end in evil, and joy in &s;orrow, but ble&s;&s;ed he who&s;e &s;orrow &s;hall be turned to joy, and teares fini&s;hed in laughing: Good, much good is re&s;erved for thee in the latter end, thou afflicted of the Lord; doubled &s;weet had <HI>Job</HI> for all his &s;owre, and &s;o &s;halt thou,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 42.12.</NOTE> let not pre&s;ent &s;orrow &s;wallow up thy hopefull comforts.</P>
<P N="2">2. Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, the &s;peciall kinde of this fruit, if &s;erious thoughts work on it, mu&s;t inlarge thy heart, and heighten thy joy again&s;t all &s;mart, whatever it co&s;t thee: It is of the kinde of &s;piri|tuall and heavenly good, not low, vi&s;ible and earthy, all which mu&s;t peri&s;h: This is a piece of Gods holine&s;&s;e, whereof by cha&s;tening he intends to make us &s;harers with him&s;elf; this is fruit, this is good indeed: This heavenly rectitude helpt on in mans heart by cha&s;ten|ings, is the face or Image of God in a mirror, the divine nature car|rying in it the whole Set of Graces, an&s;wering to the Graces of Chri&s;t, and Attributes of God; none &s;o neer God as the&s;e in reality of nature, and dignity of place; The&s;e are in the Spirits expre&s;&s;es, the heavenly Gold, Pearles, Diamonds, Agats, Carbuncles, Rubies, &amp;c. Ble&s;&s;ed &s;oule that is fraught with &s;uch riches! what will one &s;cruple of &s;aving faith, of true holine&s;&s;e, &amp;c. be worth, when God comes to &s;eek his Jewels? Beggarly world &s;hall then be &s;hut out, no worth in the Gold of <HI>Havilah</HI> or <HI>Ophir,</HI> only excellency will be in the Gold of Heaven, a little righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e more worth then a world, and thou, poore cha&s;tened of the Lord, &s;halt have fruit, a whole crop, and abundance of this, while&s;t thou laboure&s;t in the fires to glorifie the Lord; He will inrich, and honour, and comfort thee.</P>
<P N="3">3. If there be not good enough in that heavenly kinde of fruit to comfort thee, (excellent, becau&s;e it is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, the face of God, a &s;park from heaven) take in it's adjunct or &s;weet a&s;&s;ociate <HI>Peace,</HI> that clings unto, and ki&s;&s;eth the righteous &s;oule. This is the ble&s;&s;ing that cannot be denyed thee, thou cha&s;tened of the Lord, <HI>Peace be unto thee:</HI> The Lord him&s;elfe &s;peaks it unto thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 14.27.</NOTE> the God of Peace; Chri&s;t bequeathes it, the Prince of Peace, <HI>My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you,</HI> even to his troubled and afflicted Di&s;ciples; and the Spirit of peace &s;eales it upon your hearts, de|&s;igned the only Comforter in Chri&s;ts &s;tead to be alwayes pre&s;ent, quieting and comforting the hearts of his di&s;tre&s;&s;ed members: Nay, the Rod it &s;elf &s;peaks peace, and not evill; nay, if thou wilt look up and &s;ee the goodne&s;&s;e of God in his &s;courge, thy heart mu&s;t, and
<PB N="70" REF="45">&s;hall &s;ay truly, It is peace, God &s;miles on me while&s;t he whips me, my &s;mart is allayed, my feares are gone; perfect love &s;hines forth in cha&s;tening, Why &s;hould I be afraid? God ownes and holds mee, though his hand be heavie upon me; he calls mee darling, childe of his delights, when he &s;eems to ca&s;t me off; he rebukes mee indeed &s;harply, yet hee remembers mee; hee &s;trikes, yet his bowels are troubled for me; he hath afflicted, but hee will &s;ure have mercy on me; I will therefore cheerfully beare his hand, becau&s;e it is good, and comfort my &s;elf in my &s;orrowes, and &s;ing to my God in the very fires; for the fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace &s;hall be with me for ever. My God and Father &s;aith &s;o, my Redeemer &s;aith &s;o, my Com|forter &s;aith &s;o, yea, my afflictions &s;ay &s;o, and therefore my heart is per&s;waded to a&s;&s;ent, and &s;ay, Surely it is &s;o: Peace is my &s;olace in the mid&s;t of &s;ufferings, though the world &s;ee it not; Con&s;ider, and be comforted, yee cha&s;tened ones.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="13" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. XIII.</HI> Ca&s;es ari&s;ing from the premi&s;es re&s;olved.</HEAD>
<P>AGain&s;t clo&s;ing with the&s;e comfortable con&s;iderations, I know the troubled hearts of Gods deare&s;t are di&s;&s;waded, &amp; that upon &s;ome &s;eeming ground of rea&s;on, which, unle&s;&s;e removed, mu&s;t make their conditions comfortle&s;&s;e, and their burthens doubly burthen-&s;ome. Let us heare then what they can &s;ay, and weigh that &s;trength of pretended rea&s;on, to &s;ee if it be forcible to keep out comfort in this condition, if not, to take it out of the way, that it may per|plex no more.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca&s;e <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> Our &s;oule refu&s;eth comfort, and concludes nothing but wrath from God in it's affliction, being moved thereunto from the great|ne&s;&s;e of the evill lying upon the fle&s;h. It argues like <HI>Gideon,</HI> my mi|&s;ery is too great, to admit a dram of love or mercy in it; As he to the Angel,<NOTE PLACE="marg">J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">dg. 6.13.</NOTE> <HI>If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befalne us?</HI> No, no, God cannot be favourably with a people in &s;uch extremities as are b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">falne us; Never &s;ay the Lord is with mee, or upon my &s;ide: or like that <HI>widow-Jeru&s;alem,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 1.12.</NOTE> Was ever any <HI>&s;orrow like unto my &s;orrow?</HI> therefore a token of the day of Gods fierce anger, and who can comfort again&s;t this?</P>
<P>Surely none can beare up when God puls down,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> nor comfort, when he &s;peaks di&s;plea&s;ure; if he be not graciou&s;ly pre&s;ent with poore &s;oules in their afflictions, no rea&s;on indeed is there at all to be comforted; The inference is good thus far; but &s;tay now, Doth
<PB N="71" REF="45">the greatne&s;&s;e of our outward evill argue infallibly, the ab&s;ence of Gods love, or the pre&s;ence of his wrath? This is the que&s;tion, which to take for granted, is a great mi&s;take, the Negative part of it is Gods known Truth, otherwi&s;e ca&s;t <HI>Job,</HI> and <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Jere|miah,</HI> yea, the Sonne of God in the fle&s;h, (whom it plea&s;ed the Fa|ther to brui&s;e or grinde with grief; &s;o that his evils named him the Man of &s;orrowes) out of the number of his darlings: For in the generations of men, who have felt heavier &s;trokes, or more bitter pangs in body or &s;pirit? yet the Lord was with all the&s;e, and though he grievou&s;ly afflicted, yet hee hated them not; his love and pity was with his holy ones. To &s;atisfie this ca&s;e, three evidences of Gods love I &s;hall &s;hew alwayes with his in their greate&s;t di&s;tre&s;&s;es, which will &s;ufficiently evince, that the greatne&s;&s;e of outward evill is not incon&s;i&s;tent with his love toward his cha&s;tened ones.</P>
<P N="1">1. His temperance alwayes ob&s;erved in afflicting or cha&s;tening his own; It is true, wrath in taking vengeance doth over-match, and over-beare the power of the creature; who can &s;tand when he is an|gry? who can dwell with everla&s;ting burnings? Alas, not one, no not one among poore creatures: but love in cha&s;tening doth &s;upport; Grace metes out affliction to the &s;trength of the poore &s;oule, and &s;upplies &s;trength to the mea&s;ure of affliction. Let me in Gods &s;tead challenge all the generations of the righteous, from <HI>Adam</HI> unto this day, produce anin&s;tance if you can; did ever God over-match the &s;pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">its of his people in cha&s;tening? No, he will not, he can|not; for he cannot deny him&s;elfe, and of him it is &s;poken in the everla&s;ting Truth, <HI>God is faithfull,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.13.</NOTE> <HI>who will not &s;uffer you to be tempted above that you are able.</HI> It was his word to <HI>Jacob,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 30.11. Jer. 40.28.</NOTE> <HI>I will cor|vect thee in mea&s;ure, yet will I not cut thee off utterly;</HI> or, <HI>not alto|gether leave thee unpuni&s;hed.</HI> I conclude then hence, the greate&s;t affli|ction on Gods children is &s;o tempered, that it exceeds not their &s;trength; therefore very con&s;i&s;tent with his love, which alone tempers the Rod &s;o &s;weetly for them.</P>
<P N="2">2. The pre&s;ence of his Grace con&s;tantly with them in their &s;uf|ferings at the greate&s;t, mu&s;t evince his love, and not his hatred; would the God of heaven be familiar with any &s;oule in any condi|tion whom he doth not affect? This cannot be; It is a tran&s;lation of ours, which admitted, de&s;cribes the neerne&s;&s;e of God unto his cha&s;tened, or if not, it is a true Paraphra&s;e of the letter;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a. 63.19.</HI> Inchotib no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="foreign"> in Rec. ejus <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>in all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the Angel of his pre&s;ence &s;aved them.</HI> There is one Particle in this clau&s;e that by variety of point|ing,
<PB N="72" REF="46">hath a very different &s;ignification; one way it is a Relative, he, or his, as our tran&s;lators reade it, In all their affliction was his af|fliction, or he afflicted, as before; but the other way, it is a meer Negative, and &s;o read here, makes this &s;en&s;e, In all their afflictions, was no affliction to them; and indeed how could there, if he bore the burthen, and took the affliction to him&s;elfe, as the former read|ing expre&s;&s;eth? and this is warranted from the &s;equele, <HI>The Angel of his pre&s;ence,</HI> or <HI>of his face</HI> (which mu&s;t needs carry favour in it) <HI>&s;aved them.</HI> It was the Me&s;&s;enger or Angel then, who could carry Gods face or pre&s;ence to the afflicted Church, by who&s;e pre&s;ence they were &s;o &s;aved, that affliction became no affliction to them: And this in Chri&s;t is not for the cha&s;tened <HI>Jew</HI> only, but for the <HI>Gentile</HI> al&s;o. Greater evils on the fle&s;h cannot be, than &s;word, fa|mine, pe&s;tilence, de&s;olation in great part, yet in the&s;e was the pre|&s;ence of the Lord &s;o to dimini&s;h, that they became no afflictions; Gods &s;aving pre&s;ence is the undeniable evidence of his love; but greatne&s;&s;e of evill, not of his fury, unle&s;&s;e ab&s;olute, and over|pre&s;&s;ing creatures to perdition.</P>
<P N="3">3. In the greate&s;t pre&s;&s;ure of his Saints, as God tempers the rod, and &s;weetens it with his pre&s;ence, &s;o perpetually doth hee make it ea&s;ie to them by his a&s;&s;i&s;tance; and will God a&s;&s;i&s;t, where he doth not love? It is the great con&s;olation which God gives unto his Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 41.14.</NOTE> <HI>Feare not,</HI> thou <HI>worm Jacob</HI> (thou worm-Church that lie&s;t in harmes way under every mans foot) <HI>nor yee men,</HI> or indeed <HI>dead men of I&s;rael,</HI> (&s;o oppre&s;t, as even pa&s;t hope of life,) why &s;hould not the&s;e feare? who more in danger, or le&s;&s;e able to re&s;i&s;t than the worme? who more hopele&s;&s;e than the dead? yet feare not, for <HI>I will help thee, &s;aith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy one of I&s;|rael.</HI> So theu where God helps he loves; but his help is not with|drawn from greate&s;t troubles; ca&s;t not then away your comforts upon this ground; God doth help his people at harde&s;t &s;traights, and therefore mu&s;t needs love them in their greate&s;t mi&s;eries.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca&s;e <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> Another of Gods cha&s;tened, though hee can beare up again&s;t a brunt, be it never &s;o great, yet repetition of evils, and frequency of bitter &s;courgings are ready to kill the heart of him; &s;o that his cry is this: God hath &s;et me as his mark to &s;hoot at, he breaks me with breach upon breach, from morning to evening he is making an end of mee; one blow followes another; if God did love in cha&s;tening, his rod would not be &s;o often upon my back; his hand is &s;tretched out fir&s;t on goods, and then on name, and then on chil|dren,
<PB N="73" REF="46">and then upon my fle&s;h, Gods frequent &s;trokes &s;trike off my comfort: This was <HI>Jobs</HI> wearine&s;&s;e &s;ometimes, that made him bitterly complaine.</P>
<P>And is all this &s;ufficient to expunge Gods love from com|forting his cha&s;tened in their paines?<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> I mu&s;t determine contra|ry; Frequency in &s;courging is no &s;ure argument of Gods wrath again&s;t his owne. One or two in&s;tances will cleare this, that wee may proceed: The &s;weet <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> was a tender one in Gods eye, yet heare him tell how &s;everely God u&s;eth him beyond his very &s;laves, the wicked of the world; <HI>They,</HI> &s;aith hee, <HI>pro&s;per in the world, they increa&s;e in riches</HI> &amp;c. But <HI>all the day long have I been plagued and cha&s;tened every morning,</HI> or my rebuke and cha&s;ti&s;e|ment was in the mornings, that is, every morning, or morning after morning; as if hee had &s;aid, I was as &s;ure to be rebuked and whipt by God every morning as I did ri&s;e; And this began to &s;hake him al&s;o into perver&s;e conclu&s;ions, he was &s;aying, <HI>Ve|rily I have clean&s;ed my heart in vain,</HI> but that he &s;hould therein have &s;inned again&s;t the generation of Gods children, with whom &s;uch was his cu&s;tome to deal; therefore no argument to conclude a child of wrath. Number the dayes of &s;orrow upon Gods own Son, from the Manger to the Grave, and &s;tifle this objection: Nay, rather con|clude good then evill from frequent cha&s;tenings; The&s;e &s;weet be|nefits intended in, and effected by them are forcible for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. The often and daily awakening of the &s;oule hereby upon &s;ins the weakening of it, and barres again&s;t it; this is no &s;igne of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50.4, 5.</NOTE> hatred to his people: <HI>He wakeneth me morning by morning,</HI> was the Prophets note; and what the i&s;&s;ue? <HI>Hee wakened,</HI> and <HI>opened mine eare,</HI> and <HI>I was not rebellious, neither turned away back:</HI> ble&s;&s;ed Rod that keepes from &s;leep in &s;in, the more ble&s;&s;ed, the oftner it comes: It wakes the &s;oule, nay, more, it wakens &s;in; death and &s;in get more &s;trength the more one &s;leeps in them, and &s;till are weakened, when the &s;oule awakes and is in lightened; affliction wears out the fle&s;h, and &s;o con&s;umes the &s;in that lives in it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.16.</NOTE> when ordered by that <HI>&s;in-killing &s;pirit,</HI> no wrath but love in this, &s;in &s;hould decay with fle&s;h, that &s;pirit and grace may thrive: Yea farther, every Rod is a barr again&s;t &s;in, and every affliction a thorn-hedge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2.6.</NOTE> to keep us in from roving after our inchanting lovers, our lu&s;ts that bewitch us unto hell; who would not &s;uffer any thing to avoyd the&s;e Charmes? Well, trouble not my &s;oule with this; my God whip mee every
<PB N="74" REF="47">houre of the day, if every time thou wilt quip out &s;in; I will ki&s;&s;e that Rod every time it comes, that awakes my &s;oule, and weakens my &s;in, and barres again&s;t perdition.</P>
<P N="2">2. The frequent and daily purging of the &s;oule; cleanne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit is a &s;weet frame, mo&s;t like to God; Blackmoores, children of the <HI>Aethiopians</HI> in the &s;pirituall notion are mo&s;t unlike God, and mo&s;t di&s;ta&s;tefull to him; cleanne&s;&s;e, I &s;ay, not only privative from &s;in (which is toucht in the former) but po&s;itive, noting an ab&s;olute purity of &s;pirit, unto which God provokes his own by his coun&s;els, drawes them by his promi&s;es, and drives them by his rods: <HI>The blewne&s;&s;e of the wound clean&s;eth away evill,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 20.30.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;tripes the inward parts of the belly;</HI> outward &s;mart may be, and u&s;ually is inward health to Gods owne cha&s;tened: By &s;adne&s;&s;e of countenance the heart is made better; that is, the Rod that makes &s;ad, betters the &s;pirit, by the over-powering hand of grace, that cha&s;tens with it; &s;uch cleanne&s;&s;e found <HI>David,</HI> re&s;tored to his &s;oule by the Rod, af|ter his defilement with <HI>&V;riahs</HI> blood and <HI>Bath&s;hebas</HI> pollution. Peace then, fooli&s;h fle&s;h, grumble not again&s;t often cha&s;tenings; did not God love thee, he would never take &s;uch pains with thee: away, away repinings; My God, &s;courge and purge, purge and &s;courge me, as often as thou wilt; clean&s;e me throughly, though thou afflict me hourely: Let mee be clean, though a man of &s;or|rowes all my dayes; then I &s;hall know thou love&s;t me.</P>
<P N="3">3. The frequent and daily triall of our graces; know we what this is, we &s;hall not con&s;true hatred in often cha&s;tenings; There is &s;omething in this that one Apo&s;tle tels us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.7.</NOTE> <HI>The triall of your Faith is much more precious than gold that peri&s;heth, though it be tried with fire:</HI> and another,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.2, 3. <GAP DESC="foreign"> as much as <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> <HI>Count it all joy when yee fall into divers tempta|tions,</HI> variety and &s;o frequency of afflictions with him is a joyous thing, but why &s;o? <HI>Knowing that the triall of your Faith worketh patience,</HI> &amp;c. The word in both is the &s;ame, and notes an excel|lent effect upon grace by the trying and di&s;cerning power in af|flictions commanded on them: Faith lo&s;eth nothing by the Fur|nace, or fiery triall, but gaineth rather, and becomes more precious, <HI>Faith of proofe, Grace of proofe,</HI> no violence can pierce or &s;poil it: And as grace is better then gold that peri&s;heth, &s;o tried grace, pro|ved faith, more pretious then the tried gold, and &s;even times re|fined in the fire; and the more tried, &s;till the more glorious; The&s;e advantages grace alwayes get by trialls, more lu&s;tre, more purity, and more perfection, to beautifie, inrich, and perfect &s;oules. Heare
<PB N="75" REF="47">what one &s;ayes, <HI>It is unto prai&s;e, and honour and glory,</HI> with re&s;pect to God; and heare the other, <HI>It makes us perfect, intire, and wanting nothing:</HI> Now who would not be whipt every day out of wants, and &s;courged every moment into integrity and perfection? Nay, who would not be beaten every morning, to prai&s;e, and honour and glo|ry with God? If this be the wor&s;t of frequent cha&s;tenings, give glo|ry to God, poore Chri&s;tian, and comfort thy &s;elf, he doth not hate, but mightily love in this; My &s;oule choo&s;e this portion, and beg it from heaven: Try, and refine, and perfect thy graces in me, O my God, and &s;courge, and teare, and wa&s;te my fle&s;h as plea&s;eth thee; This is the dro&s;&s;e, and that the gold mo&s;t precious.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="14" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. XIV.</HI> Other Ca&s;es an&s;wered.</HEAD>
<P N="3">3. YEt more hardly again&s;t comfort under the Rod,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca&s;e <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> it is urged by other poore &s;oules; Alas, it perplexeth not me for the great|ne&s;&s;e or multitude of my afflictions, &s;aith another; my burthen is, I cannot exerci&s;e, I cannot work under them, I am &s;o to&s;&s;ed, I can do nothing, either about heart, or God, or Rod; I can neither pray, nor beare, nor con&s;ider; how &s;hall I be comforted, when all the good of cha&s;tning is intail'd upon exerci&s;e, and my hands and knees are &s;o feeble, that I can do nothing?</P>
<P>But is it &s;o indeed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> that &s;uch amazement is falne on thee by the Rod, that thou can&s;t do nothing? What, not pray, nor look unto God that &s;mites thee? In good earne&s;t thou mu&s;t be chid, for this is utterly a fault: There is &s;upport and not confu&s;ion in the Rod, awakening, not a&s;toni&s;hing; and doe&s;t thou draw this, and not that, to thine own undoing, and Gods di&s;honour? Surely, this is thy &s;hame, to eye only the &s;tunning bitterne&s;&s;e, and utterly neglect the reviving &s;weetne&s;&s;e of the Rod. Yet not to trample upon this dejected &s;oule, who&s;e burthen as well as &s;in this condition is, and therefore makes he this complaint, and refu&s;eth to be comforted; I &s;hall adde but two words of incouragement, and advi&s;e, to remove the difficulty of this Ca&s;e, which keeps off the &s;oule from comfort in affliction.</P>
<P N="1">1. Be not yet di&s;mayed, poore &s;oule, there is hope concerning this thing, though but little action yet appearing; it may be the di|vine Wi&s;dome would aba&s;e thy pride, and make thee &s;ee thy &s;elfe how low thou art, and therefore hath &s;truck and left thee for a mo|ment without &s;trength; this is his goodne&s;&s;e &s;ometimes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 2.13.</NOTE> and his way to &s;ave men: thus <HI>Job</HI> &s;ate &s;even dayes dumb before his friends
<PB N="76" REF="48">in a&s;hes, his griefe tooke away his &s;peech; Yet againe con&s;ider thy &s;elf-condemning is one piece of work, thy teares and &s;orrowes for thy deadne&s;&s;e another,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jerem. 31.18</NOTE> &s;utable for thy condition and plea&s;ing unto God; though thou can&s;t not compa&s;&s;e all the work, yet it is &s;ome comfort to move a little: yet further God will give in reviving from his holine&s;&s;e to thy dejected &s;pirit, and &s;et thee upon thy feet, and lift up thy hands to work,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57.15.</NOTE> and through him, yet &s;halt thou la|bour abundantly, and thy labour &s;hall not be in vain.</P>
<P N="2">2. Be advi&s;ed al&s;o, to take that cour&s;e, which may &s;trengthen heart and hands to the de&s;ired exerci&s;e; eye therefore not only the grief, but the comfort of the Rod; not only it's dejecting, but it's &s;upporting vertue; not only the wounding &s;mart, but the healing &s;weet that &s;till accompanies; This will be a cordiall con&s;iderati|on again&s;t fainting.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">. 27.5.</NOTE> Adde to this the greate&s;t care of laying hold on Gods &s;trength, &s;o &s;halt thou make and keep peace with him in all e&s;tates, and nothing &s;hall offend thee: Chri&s;t is that &s;trength of God, given out to poore believers, what can they not do in the wor&s;t condition through Chri&s;t that &s;trengtheneth them? In &s;hort, &s;trive again&s;t feares of future evills, as well as &s;mart of pre&s;ent; cheer up thy heart, and &s;tirre up thy &s;elfe to worke together with Chri&s;t, in &s;triving thou wilt finde greater influence of life from heaven; This is thy duty, in a carefull performance whereof thou wilt finde the &s;ure&s;t cure of feares, and an&s;wer to thy doubts; but to this, I mu&s;t &s;peak in the &s;peciall u&s;e of cha&s;tenings which the Apo&s;tle makes hereafter.</P>
<P N="4">4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca&s;e <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> Yet another &s;top is put in to keep out comfort from the af|flicted &s;oule, It is the &s;ad complaint of &s;ome from the &s;en&s;e of fruitle&s;ne&s;&s;e under the Rod; Alas, why &s;hould I be comforted in my &s;orrows when no good comes of all my &s;ufferings? I am &s;cour|ged every day, but never the better; If the end of Gods cha&s;ten|ings be &s;haring in his holine&s;&s;e, or the fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, I am a &s;tranger unto God, and the&s;e; therefore may I conclude, ven|geance hath &s;ei&s;ed on me from my Judge, not cha&s;tening from a father, for I am unholy, and unrighteous &s;till in the mid&s;t of the fires, barren and vile under all the prunings of God.</P>
<P>Poor &s;oule,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> more to be pitied, becau&s;e &s;o &s;evere again&s;t thy &s;elfe! But is it all true, that thou ha&s;t &s;aid, and are there no i&s;&s;ues of good from the Rod upon thy heart? Give me leave a little to &s;earch, and try what an&s;wer thy &s;pirit in truth can make to &s;ome queries. Tell mee, deare Chri&s;tian, after all thy &s;courgings, how are thy
<PB N="77" REF="48">thoughts concerning God and Chri&s;t, and &s;in and &s;elfe? Truly I think my &s;elf the vile&s;t of creatures; I have cau&s;e to do &s;o, even as loath&s;ome as the Devils, and &s;in I judge to be wor&s;e then death and hell it &s;elfe; and God I know to be that High and holy One (O that I were like him!) and Chri&s;t I confe&s;&s;e the only way to God; O that I could reach him, and by him move unto the Father! Now pray tell mee, are not the&s;e right thoughts? Hath not the time been that thou ha&s;t had harder thoughts of God, and better of thy &s;elf? har&s;h of Chri&s;t, and plea&s;ant concerning &s;in? Ha&s;t not thou called &s;ometimes &s;weet bitter, and bitter &s;weet? Is not this the rectitude or righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God &s;tampt upon thy minde? Is not this a de|gree of &s;haring in his holine&s;&s;e? Tell mee then, how is thy heart, how &s;tands thy affections? what doe&s;t thou hate, what doe&s;t thou love, what doe&s;t thou feare, and what doe&s;t thou de&s;ire, where is thy delight? Speake Chri&s;tian; and can&s;t thou &s;ay otherwi&s;e than thus, &s;urely I would love God, de&s;ire after him, and delight in him; I would feare to grieve, I would hate &s;in, and abhor my &s;elfe for ever: And is not this rectitude in thy affections? and hath not the Rod turned thy heart more this way? Nay, once again tell me, O thou afflicted! which way is thy face? whither bende&s;t thou in wayes and walkings? Is not God thy mark? yea, I would hit that, and reach him, if I could, but alas, I do not, I cannot, it's but little, it's but little that my heart or wayes are tur|ned to God-ward. Yet a little is worth as much as life: &s;hall wee deny any, becau&s;e we have not all? Doe not &s;o poore &s;oule, le&s;t thou wrong God in denying his grace; acknowledge this and ki&s;&s;e the rod, &s;o will greater grace appeare. But &s;uppo&s;e the fruit were &s;o little, as &s;carcely vi&s;ible; yet there is hope, by exerci&s;e, waiting and ble&s;&s;ing from heaven, the dry rod may blo&s;&s;ome, and bring forth abundantly: kill not thy &s;elfe with faithles doubts, with tho&s;e wret|ched ones, that &s;ay there is no hope, and therefore conclude no far|ther labour is here u&s;efull, no, no, there is yet hope in the latter end, the &s;plitting of an oake by &s;torme may &s;pread the life of it into new &s;prouts, in &s;tead of killing it; beleeve, beleeve and be e&s;tabli&s;hed, abide in Chri&s;t clo&s;e, and yee &s;hall bring forth much fruit to your fa|thers glory. Ca&s;t not then away your comfort.</P>
<P N="5">5. Yet once more the &s;haking &s;oule replies, and will not be chee|red;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca&s;e <HI>5.</HI></NOTE> Alas grant this, &s;ome &s;mall &s;parkes of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e may have a little kindling, yet there is no warmth or influence in them; if it were righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e indeed it would bring peace, but I am &s;ure I
<PB N="78" REF="49">have no peace, I &s;ee frownes in Gods face, but no &s;miles, I find trou|bles within, but no ea&s;e, heart-akings, no heart-revivings. Were they cha&s;tenings of God, they would bring peace, but they are judge|ments, they are vengeance, therefore have I nought but trouble.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e this ca&s;e will prove harde&s;t to &s;atisfie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> not from the weight of rea&s;on, but from the di&s;po&s;ition of the creature, that feels nothing but di&s;quietne&s;&s;e in the fle&s;h, and therefore concludes no|thing but wrath in its affliction: rea&s;on will not &s;atisfie &s;en&s;e, and &s;en&s;e onely undertakes here to judge of peace, no more peace will it grant, but what it feels, though to the &s;pirit God &s;peake never &s;o much: yet to quiet this heart too a little, if it will but heare, I &s;hall pre&s;ent the&s;e con&s;iderations to be dige&s;ted, &amp; weighed with the ca&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is the &s;urer and the clearer fruit of cha&s;tening, bearing witnes of the love of God in it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;cientia bo|na &amp; iniquic|ta, <HI>Bernard.</HI></NOTE> though peace may &s;eeme the &s;weeter; and yet a con&s;cience may be pure and troubled; flight from &s;in, pur&s;uit of holines &s;hall te&s;tifie Gods grace in every rod, though the powers of hell may rack the &s;oule to torture;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.67.71.</NOTE> <HI>keeping word,</HI> and <HI>learning Gods &s;tatutes,</HI> is <HI>Davids</HI> evidence of the good of his affliction, peace is not mention'd. If righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e appeare, be comforted, though peace be not come.</P>
<P N="2">2. Though peace be in&s;eparably united unto righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and given of God together, yet are they not alwayes coaetaneous in their exi&s;tence upon the heart: The &s;prouting out of both is re&s;erved for the <HI>afterward</HI> of the affliction in the very text; and indeed though &s;ometimes they may ri&s;e together, yet many times long after righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, doth peace appeare in the &s;oule. It &s;eemes to be &s;o in that holy man of God, who in the height of holy affections wanted the light of Gods countenance, and therein peace, yet thus he be&s;peaks him&s;elfe;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42.5.11.</NOTE> <HI>Why art thou ca&s;t downe, O my &s;oule? and why art thou di&s;|quieted within me? hope thou in God; for I &s;hall yet prai&s;e him for the help of his countenance; who is the health of my countenance, and my God.</HI> His face or pre&s;ence is &s;alvation, and that the health, and chearefulne&s;&s;e of mine, all my peace is from it, this makes my countenance health|full: and though I &s;ee it not now, yet I will hope, and I &s;hall prai&s;e him for it; peace will come. Conclude not then, deare &s;oule, no grace, becau&s;e no peace; wait, for it will come, and will not tarry, abundance of peace to ble&s;&s;e thy &s;oule for ever.</P>
<P N="3">3. There is peace upon thee in pre&s;ent, were but thine eyes clea|red of teares, and thy heart of cares, a little to con&s;ider, and look to|wards it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.19.</NOTE> Can this word fayle us, <HI>Whom I love Ir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">buko and cha&s;ten?</HI>
<PB N="79" REF="49">and can he love and not be at peace? All this thou doe&s;t not feele, and therefore wilt not beleeve: Faintings oppre&s;&s;e thy &s;en&s;e, and &s;en&s;e thy faith, that now thy hands hang downe, and knees be feeble, no &s;trength is left in thee to &s;ee the good, the peace of thy condition: No remedy but this to &s;hake thy &s;elfe from the du&s;t, to be&s;tirre thy &s;elfe to lay hold upon mirth and healing. Strive not again&s;t thy com|forts &s;till, but yeeld thy &s;elfe to reviving coun&s;ells; In this way righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e and peace &s;hall meet upon thee, and crowne thee, and ki&s;&s;e each other; Onely up and be doing, to make that u&s;e of the cha&s;tening Providence, which the Apo&s;tle here commends. It is the la&s;t generall propo&s;ed, and now more &s;trictly to be con&s;idered.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The third part of the Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Concerning the true u&s;e of Cha&s;tenings, as taught by the Apo&s;tle.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><P>Wherefore lift up the hands that hang downe, &amp;c.</P>
<BIBL><HI>ver. 12, 13.</HI></BIBL></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<P>_IN the&s;e is couched the &s;weet clo&s;ing inference from all the former di&s;cour&s;e had with the&s;e Chri&s;tian <HI>Hebrews</HI> about their patience or &s;uffering for Chri&s;t under the hand of God, which teacheth the duties we owe unto, and the true u&s;e that we &s;hould make of the cha&s;ten|ing providence of our heavenly Father. Two things are eminently ob&s;ervable.</P>
<P N="1">1. The terme of Illation: whereabout al&s;o are con&s;iderable,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The true premi&s;ed ground, whence it takes its ri&s;e, which is not onely the end of cha&s;tening immediately foregoing, but indeed the whole cha&s;tening Providence, with the pie|ces of it as mention'd in the former part of this Chapter.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The true force of it upon the con&s;equent duties, it lays ne|ce&s;&s;itie upon Chri&s;tians, To lift up, &amp;c. To make &s;treight or even paths, &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<PB N="80" REF="50">
<P N="2">2. The matter inferred, which is a double duty upon the cha&s;tened,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Incouragement, They mu&s;t &s;tirre up them&s;elves from their &s;ad po&s;tures, Lift up hanging hands and feeble knees.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Amendment, They mu&s;t make crooked, &s;treight, &s;et them|&s;elves to rectifie and levell their wayes to God. And both the&s;e I conceive joyntly urged by a double Motive.
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The danger of the neglect, It will be greater Apo|&s;ta&s;ie.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The benefit of the performance, It will be the hea|ling of the lame.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I &s;hall take the inference with its force upon the fir&s;t dutie, and af|ter the re&s;olution of the Metaphoricall termes into their proper &s;ig|nification, I &s;hall conclude in plaine termes the fir&s;t u&s;e here injoy|ned from Gods cha&s;tenings. Two things are obvious in the fir&s;t du|tie, both repre&s;ented in a fit Embleme.</P>
<P N="1">1. The object, <HI>Hands hanging down,</HI> &amp; <HI>knees feeble,</HI> like a pal&s;ie man.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. De&s;criptio ho|minis inertis guem <GAP DESC="foreign"> vocat He&s;iodus, Ber. in Text. <GAP DESC="foreign"> d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> eo dicitur cujus manibus nulla indu&s;tria ine&s;t, cujus manus &s;unt minime indu|&s;triae, vel cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">us <GAP DESC="foreign">. 1. mambus n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hil roboris ine&s;t. Steph. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> The Act, which is <HI>lifting up,</HI> a fit remedy for the foregoing e|vill. Could I hand&s;omly pre&s;ent this man to view, with the&s;e hanging fallen hands, and the&s;e feeble, loo&s;ened, di&s;-joynted knees, it were a mo&s;t &s;weet Embleme of a mo&s;t &s;ad and di&s;con&s;olate condition. Suppo&s;e a man either by age, or weaknes, or &s;urpa&s;&s;ing paines &s;o worne, wa&s;ted, and &s;pirit-fallen, that his hands &s;inke downe, fall from his worke, having no &s;trength, and yeelding unto death; Or againe looke upon an aged pal&s;ie-man, or one &s;mitten with a&s;toni&s;hment, as <HI>Bel&s;hazzar</HI> at the hand-writing, that his joynts are loo&s;ed, &amp; knees &s;mite one again&s;t another, what a picture of amazing and confound|ing &s;orrow were this? nothing but fainting and trembling to be &s;een here, even to the yeelding up of the gho&s;t. And if &s;uch be recovered, it mu&s;t be by &s;tirring, chafing, or lifting of the&s;e fallen members up; him&s;elfe rou&s;ing, his friends about him &s;upporting, were as fit a re|&s;emblance of the comforting part. To &s;peak plainly, the&s;e <HI>hands</HI> and <HI>knees</HI> intend no other but <HI>fainting</HI> and <HI>pal&s;ie hearts;</HI> when poore &s;oules &s;eeme to be over-wrought with affliction, &s;o that as a wing-fallen bird, they are &s;topt from motion; &s;trength, &s;pirit, and all even yeeld|ing unto death; the terrors of the Almightie make them &s;it trem|bling, and drinke up all their &s;pirits; In this conflict, what creature can hold up? yet this mu&s;t not take away our hearts, wee mu&s;t even now lift up &s;uch hanging hearts, &s;upport and comfort our &s;pirits in &s;uch pal&s;ie fits, and &s;trive again&s;t our yeelding unto death; by no means mu&s;t we give way in cha&s;tenings to uncomfortable faintings,
<PB N="81" REF="50">but cheer up and revive again&s;t the face of death it &s;elfe; &s;pirituall liftings up there mu&s;t be for &s;pirituall faintings, and &s;etting hearts againe in right frame of comfort and reviving for the worke of God. This then hence is the rule for that Chri&s;tian u&s;e wee mu&s;t make of cha&s;tenings, inferred from &s;trong pren<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;es.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Gods cha&s;tening providence inf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rceth his children to comfort, and cheerfulne&s;&s;e under all their &s;uffe|rings.</HI> Gods rod of cha&s;tening is not intended to breake, and kill, and da&s;h in pieces, but to bind up, revive, and comfort tender and dejected Spirits; Griefe may become us under a Fathers frowne; but dejection and hopele&s;&s;e fainting, the rod it &s;elfe gaine&s;ayeth, and injoyneth &s;oules to a better u&s;e of it for their reviving. The ri&s;e of this rule here is evident, comfort is the dutie, the inference layes the injunction, and the Authority rai&s;ing it is the cha&s;tening providence, with all particulars &s;pecified therein, and declared by the Apo&s;tle in his foregoing di&s;cour&s;e. Now for a more fruitfull treating on this, the&s;e particular quaeries mu&s;t be re&s;olved. 1. What is that cha&s;ten|ing providence, and wherein it doth con&s;i&s;t, that hath &s;uch influence upon this dutie? 2. What is that force, which that Providence hath upon this dutie concerning our hearts? 3. What that dutie is, which is with &s;uch nece&s;&s;itie urged upon Chri&s;tians from this work of cha|&s;tening? The two former will cleare and evince the truth the la&s;t is properly th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> u&s;e, which I &s;hall together unfold and pre&s;&s;e practical|ly upon our &s;elves, ob&s;erving the Apo&s;tles &s;cope in this place, which is to per&s;wade to dutie, when he had toucht the &s;tate of it.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. II.</HI> Of the nature of Gods cha&s;tening Providence, and its force.</HEAD>
<P>TO &s;atisfie the fir&s;t inquiry,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1. What is Gods cha|&s;tening Pto|vidence.</HI> Po&s;lquam docui<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> Deum &s;alut<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> no|&s;trae pro&s;picere, dura nos co&s;ligat, inde nos ad ala|critatem horta|tur; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">hilen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">m quod n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s magis debilites, adeo&abque; exan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> pror&s;us quam <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">um fal&s;a imaginatione oc|cupati, nullum gratiae Dci gu|&s;tum hebemus in rebus adver&s;is. Calv. in Text. <HI>Heb. 12.7.</HI></NOTE> it concerning a peculiar piece of Gods &s;peciall providence over his own about their afflictions; this generall de&s;cription may give light enough: Gods cha&s;tening providence is his &s;peciall care toward his cho&s;en, about the rod or afflictions here befalling them, to order and di&s;pen&s;e them &s;o, that they may not hurt, but help to bring about all that good which the faithfulnes of God in the Covenant of grace is ingaged to doe for them. This is a generall repre&s;entation of that cha&s;tening care, which inforceth cheerfulne&s;&s;e on Gods afflicted, &s;o that the Apo&s;tle injoyneth therefore or for this cau&s;e, lift up the hands, &amp;c. In this combination &s;everall particulars concur, all carrying in them revi|ving vertue, that who &s;o &s;uffers in this way hath rea&s;on to be cheered.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Author of this &s;harpe di&s;cipline, it is God, as the whole
<PB N="80" REF="51">fore-going context declares, and he not onely as the Father, but as their Father al&s;o in Chri&s;t; he owns the child for his whom he cha|&s;teneth, he meddles not with ba&s;tards; It is not a fruitle&s;s addition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 8.</NOTE> that in the mid&s;t of this work he is called the <HI>Father of Spirits:</HI> The&s;e notions of comfort at lea&s;t are &s;weetly held forth in this fountaine of providence.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 9.</NOTE></P>
<P N="1">1. In this Father mu&s;t needs be conceived the &s;pring or ri&s;e of the childes beeing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.26.</NOTE> the <HI>fountaines of I&s;rael</HI> gave beeing to their i&s;&s;uing &s;treames, even their children; and can there i&s;&s;ue from that &s;ame &s;pring, any thing to hurt or de&s;troy the beeing it gives out? Surely not; but all for maintenance and perfection of it; God that made his Children will have mercy on them, &amp; not by rods de&s;troy the works of his own hands.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57.16.</NOTE> Nay eye this, he is Father of their <HI>Spirits;</HI> &s;oules had beeing from him, therefore to their comfort and &s;u&s;tenance, he will &s;urely look, when he afflicts the fle&s;h; and &s;pirits are the fitte&s;t receptacles of joy and griefe; the father of them mu&s;t therefore look unto them, to perfect not impaire, to &s;ave and not de&s;troy them by cha&s;tenings.</P>
<P N="2">2. In this Father onely is the power of cha&s;tening over the child; this power carrieth in it two &s;ignificats, Right unto the correcting of a child, and Strength to manage it; both are in God this Father, whence the&s;e reviving con&s;iderations ari&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, pote|&s;tas.</NOTE> 1. God will not part with his right, nor give the beloved of his &s;oule into the hands of the Enemy, that he &s;hould have right to puni&s;h or afflict; what he doth again&s;t Gods children &s;hall be counted greate&s;t injury, and oppre&s;&s;i|on of Gods people.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>po|te<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">a.</HI> P&s;. 17.13, 14.</NOTE> 2. God keeps all the power of cha&s;tening in his own hand, none can doe as he plea&s;eth but God; Now however the wicked may be Gods &s;word, he leaves not the &s;word to hew and &s;lay where it plea&s;eth, but gives it the charge, beyond which it cannot goe; now will God u&s;e his power and &s;trength to de&s;troy his chil|dren? It is incredible.</P>
<P N="3">3. In this Father is tendernes of bowells eminent toward his cha|&s;ti&s;ed ones; and can a mans bowells be hardned again&s;t the fruit of them?<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103.23.</NOTE> It cannot be, unles &s;in make unnaturall: Now no Father can pitie his child &s;o as the Lord pitieth them that feare him. Let the&s;e notions &s;pecifie the &s;pring or Author of all cha&s;tening &s;orrows; how will de&s;perate complaints and repinings dye? how will vertue &s;pring and i&s;&s;ue out, to the great reviving of Gods humbled, and cha|&s;tened ones? This is one thing that inforceth the Apo&s;tles <HI>Where|fore &amp;c.</HI></P>
<PB N="81" REF="51">
<P N="2">2. The Mediator of this providence;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Mediator of rod. 1 Cor. 8.6.</NOTE> for as God hath committed all judgement now unto his Son, and governs the world by a Media|tor, &s;o e&s;pecially all things towards his Church, his rod as well as his &s;taffe is ordered by the hand of Chri&s;t unto them: By one Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t are all things, that is, for beeing &amp; pre&s;ervation of all events, and we by him, that is, the Church in all its conditions. Now a Me|diator is a notion full of grace, and what ever pa&s;&s;age of providence comes through him, it mu&s;t &s;avour of grace; as the water of the &s;ul|phareous veines of the earth, or the wine of the perfumed bottle; No rod but gracious can pa&s;&s;e through the hand of Chri&s;t. Now to this yet the re&s;pect which this Mediator hath to the &s;ufferings of his Clients, carrieth much life for us; and it is three-fold. 1. He him&s;elfe is their <HI>leader,</HI> or foregoing patterne in this hard way; thus is he &s;et before us to incourage in our following, <HI>Look unto Je&s;us,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.2.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c. who for the joy that was &s;et before him, &amp;c.</HI> He eyed the end, and made no &s;top in the way, but <HI>indured Cro&s;&s;e and de&s;pi&s;ed &s;hame, and then &s;ate downe at the right hand of the throne of God.</HI> Its comfort to have a leader in an uncouth way, but excellent &s;uch a one, who&s;e foot&s;teps we may tread &s;afely, and &s;o reach the de&s;ired end.</P>
<P N="2">2. He is a guide as well as leader, he takes us by the hand as well as goes before us; He is therefore knowne by tho&s;e helpfull expre&s;|&s;ions, Eves to the blind, Eares to the deafe, feet to the lame, hiding place from the heate, refuge from the &s;torme, and guide to &s;uch as walke in darkne&s;&s;e, in &s;ad and di&s;con&s;olate wayes: This is a reviving notion, no darknes falls upon us but by the Mediator, and he is &s;ure|ly a guide in it.</P>
<P N="3">3. He is a Conqueror over the&s;e har&s;h paths, as well as a guide and leader in them: It is his word to his Di&s;ciples,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 16.33.</NOTE> In the world yee &s;hall have tribulations, but be of good cheare, I have overcome the world, yea and all the tribulations of it, therefore Gods children &s;uffer under nothing but conquer'd afflictions, and vanqui&s;h'd tribu|lations; who would be dejected for the&s;e? this al&s;o makes the <HI>where|fore</HI> &s;trong.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Care of rod.</NOTE> The Providence or care it &s;elfe di&s;pen&s;ing and managing the&s;e rods, is one thing more con&s;iderable in this combination, to make the inference &s;trong upon us for the following dutie; and it is emi|nently carried in all tho&s;e acts of cha&s;tening mention'd before the Text: Now the&s;e cordiall notions are hence ari&s;ing.</P>
<P N="1">1. The perfection of this &s;peciall care of God, over his children, &s;et out &s;weetly in that Embleme of <HI>&s;even eyes of the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 4.10.</NOTE> the eye
<PB N="84" REF="52">&s;tates the providence, it is a &s;eeing, and a fore&s;eeing care for good, the number argues it's perfection, not one eye, but &s;even, a perfect number in the Spirits u&s;e: which it plea&s;eth the Son of God to de|mon&s;trate by it's effects upon Gods little ones;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10.30.</NOTE> <HI>the very haires of your head are all numbred:</HI> See the exact care of our heavenly Father over his afflicted; he tels their haires, he will &s;ee none of them be mi&s;|&s;ing, not a haire of theirs mu&s;t fall to the ground, nor the lea&s;t hurt betide them by their &s;ufferings: and againe, hee tells them, as ac|counting highly and preciou&s;ly of them; ba&s;er things are not kept by tale, not &s;tones, but gold and things of price; &s;uch are the haires on the heads of Gods children; therefore he numbers them, much more their teares, their prayers, their &s;ighs, their wandrings; &s;hould not this make us to lift up?</P>
<P N="2">2. The activity of this &s;weet care; As God is purely Act it &s;elf, and therefore no pa&s;&s;ion, or &s;top from others, can take impre&s;&s;ion on him: So is his care about his childrens cha&s;tenings active, and al|wayes &s;tirring to do them good by them: It is therefore noted, that the <HI>&s;even eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the earth;</HI> no re&s;t nor &s;top with this providence, day nor night, from working good to his children out of the&s;e afflictions; This is good.</P>
<P N="3">3. The humility or lowline&s;&s;e of this providence is &s;weet, it &s;toopes to every, the ba&s;e&s;t, poore&s;t, mi&s;erable&s;t condition that may befall Chri&s;ts members; it lookes to &s;ores, and i&s;&s;ues, and ulcers, and boyles, and &s;tripes, and wants, and burthens of all &s;orts that may be upon Gods people: if they be in the dungeon, it is there, or in the &s;tocks, there it is with them; in fire or in water, or in mire with <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> thither &s;toopes this providence to rule all the&s;e di&s;tre&s;&s;es for good. This is the care it &s;elf, which &s;trongly pre&s;&s;eth the con&s;equence, wherefore, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="4">4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Rule of Rod.</NOTE> To the&s;e the Rule of cha&s;tening comes in yet to make the in|ference the &s;tronger, and inforce afflicted &s;pirits unto comfort; it is wholly delivered, according to the intimation in the context, ei|ther in coun&s;els of incouragement, or comforting promi&s;es, bearing up again&s;t faintings; In &s;umme, the Covenant of grace takes in all, wherein that excellent goodne&s;&s;e and faithfulne&s;&s;e of God revealed may well injoyn to lift up hanging hands and feeble knees.</P>
<P N="5">5.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reb. 12.10. <GAP DESC="foreign">. Rom. 8.28. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> The la&s;t particular in this cha&s;tening providence is the end of is, which expre&s;ly is declared to be the profit, good of Gods children, holine&s;&s;e, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace, the very good of grace, and glory, both here and hereafter to be injoyed, of which with the for|mer,
<PB N="85" REF="52">much hath been &s;poken before, only here mu&s;t it be noted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Manus, inquit, remi&s;&s;as habe|tis, genua ve|&s;tra ideo la|be&s;cunt quia non agno&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> quae vera &s;it in rebus adver&s;is con&s;olatio, <HI>Calv.</HI> n text.</NOTE> as giving in it's &s;trength with the re&s;t, to per&s;wade Gods cha&s;tened unto cheerfulne&s;&s;e, wherefore, even for this end al&s;o, as for the re&s;t, lift up the hands that hang downe, &amp;c.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. III.</HI> The force of the precedent providence and duty thence concerning the cha&s;ti&s;ed.</HEAD>
<P>TO the &s;econd Quere, what force this cha&s;tening providence hath upon the following duty of incouragement in Gods af|flicted?<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> The very terme of illation can conclude no le&s;&s;e, but that there is a vertue in that drawing out of this duty by the&s;e premi&s;es, otherwi&s;e weakly mu&s;t it be pre&s;&s;ed, wherefore lift up, &amp;c. Now we know the Spirit of God argues not weakly, but upon forcible grounds. In &s;hort then, I &s;hall reply, there is a double force, one of nature and influence, another of rea&s;on and con&s;equence which hence i&s;&s;ue out to inforce the cha&s;tened to comfort and reviving.</P>
<P N="1">1. There is a power of the &s;everall concurrents of this cha&s;tening providence, to give out naturally vertue for refre&s;hing and rai&s;ing up the heart. As the &s;unne gives influence to the matter it animates, and therefore it mu&s;t live, becau&s;e it partakes of that quickening power: So no le&s;&s;e, nay much more this highe&s;t providence mu&s;t nece&s;&s;itate the creature to expre&s;&s;e the influence of it, and give out it's effect in return of duty, unto which it doth incline. Now in this &s;peciall con&s;ideration of providence about the Rod, both the cau&s;e ordering it, and effect upon the &s;oule produced by cha&s;ten|ing, mu&s;t needs incline it to receive incouragement. In the Cau&s;e we have the Father primarily putting out in this Rod his power and his love, the Son next to him Mediator-like, &s;weetening the Rod, with all the gracio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s fruits of his merit and interce&s;&s;ion, be|fore he will &s;uffer it to be laid on, or to &s;mart upon the fle&s;h; the Spirit proceeding from both the&s;e, who&s;e name is therfore eminent|ly the Comforter, manageth the Rod, brings all the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t with it to his members, and effectually &s;o applyeth the over|powering grace, that it mu&s;t needs keep up the &s;oule from fainting, and incline it to &s;weet and heavenly refre&s;hing in the very fires. The promi&s;e the rule of this providence carryeth no le&s;&s;e the arme of God to help, and his coun&s;els too are all inabling words in this mat|ter, <HI>Strengthen the weak hands, and confirme the feeble knees, &s;ay to them that are of a fearfull heart, Be &s;trong, Feare not.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 35.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">4.</NOTE> No &s;ooner
<PB N="84" REF="53">&s;poken thus from God by his Spirit, but it is created, and &s;o &s;et in the &s;tation of comfort, unto which God calleth the poore &s;oule. In the Effect al&s;o of this providence, which is all the &s;oules profit, the hearts good, and that evidently effected upon the man, eminently is this force &s;een, for good, and nothing but good, of which this is the be&s;t here intended, can cheer a &s;oule, and that mu&s;t, and will do it, if it be not mi&s;taken; Let me therefore, in &s;hort, thus argue and conclude with our Apo&s;tle, Your eyes are opened, and light pre|&s;ented, therefore you mu&s;t &s;ee; or your eares boared, and voyce &s;ent out, therefore yee mu&s;t heare; or the the Sunne is now in the ver|nall Aequinoctiall, therefore the earth mu&s;t &s;pring, all nece&s;&s;arily follow by influence imparted. So here as &s;trongly, Gods cha&s;ten|ing providence hath &s;weetly touched you, therefore lift up the hands that hang down, and feeble knees, be cheerfull and revived; yee mu&s;t be &s;o, if the &s;weet vertue of that providence have an in|fluence upon your &s;pirits.</P>
<P N="2">2. To add to this, If &s;trength of rea&s;on have force upon a man to per&s;wade him to any thing, the &s;tronge&s;t rea&s;on is here, from &s;weetne&s;&s;e of cha&s;tening to draw the afflicted to the duty of re|viving. Take a little draught of rea&s;oning, the Fathers love is in the Rod, therefore &s;hould we be comforted, not dejected; The Me|diator &s;weetens it, therefore &s;hould not we faint, but be refre&s;hed; the Spirit mea&s;ures it, and &s;anctifies it, therefore &s;hould we be glad under it; the Promi&s;e is the rule of di&s;pen&s;ation, and the effect our true and eternall good, therefore &s;hould we be incouraged, and live cheerfully above the &s;mart. If we be men, here is rea&s;on, the &s;tronge&s;t rea&s;on of God to draw us to revivings, when we begin to faint: if from ability to duty, and from free and glorious mercy to duty be a &s;trong way of rea&s;oning, then this mu&s;t prevaile, God cha&s;tens, therefore &s;hould we be cheerfull, and not let our &s;pirits &s;inke, when &s;uch &s;upport is given to hold us up.</P>
<P>To the third Quere then,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. What is the Duty?</NOTE> What is the afflicteds duty? it will now be needfull to returne; we &s;ee the providence cha&s;tening, the comfortable con&s;iderations therein pre&s;ented, and their force to revive and comfort; all the vertue and force of con&s;olation is up|on Gods &s;ide, but the duty in the u&s;e and application is upon ours; God gives the rea&s;on of our cheerfulne&s;&s;e in his work, and we mu&s;t returne performance an&s;werable in our duty, God gives the life, but we mu&s;t lift up hands and knees our &s;elves. But what is this lifting up preci&s;ely? Surely it concernes us to know who&s;e duty it is to
<PB N="85" REF="53">do it; It is an expre&s;&s;ion fitted to the former metaphor of hanging hands, and pal&s;ie knees, however friends may be about &s;upporting, cha&s;ing, cheering the&s;e fallen, fainting and dying members, yet the very patient him&s;elfe mu&s;t put forth the &s;trength hee hath to rai&s;e the&s;e di&s;ea&s;ed parts out of this &s;ad and pining po&s;ture, and &s;o &s;trive to di&s;po&s;e them that the remedies applied may bring forth the de|fired ea&s;e and reviving. Re&s;olve the precedent dolefull Embleme properly into hearts fallen, trembling and fainting under Gods cha|fli&s;ement, and this lifting up mu&s;t note a &s;utable work in the cha&s;ten|ed for removing this &s;pirit-pal&s;ie, and heart-failing. The notation of the name or word it &s;elf, may help in this; it is plainly in it's pro|per &s;ignificate, to erect or &s;et upright in it's place, &s;omething di&s;|joynted, or fallen from it's proper &s;tation; wee reade it u&s;ed by Chri&s;t to expre&s;&s;e his cure upon the crooked woman,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Luke 13.13.</NOTE> <HI>Shee was made &s;treight,</HI> that is, her parts and members were re&s;tored to their pro|per place, &s;ite and po&s;ture, and this was her comfort: So God &s;peaks of the ruin'd Tabernacle of <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Act. 15.16.</NOTE> by way of comfort to his people, <HI>I will &s;et it up;</HI> that is, put it into it's right &s;tate and frame again. No le&s;&s;e here is it a Paraphra&s;e of comfort to the &s;oule bowed downe, and heart infeebled; to lift it up, is to &s;et it in it's right &s;tate and po&s;ture towards God, for receiving the comfortable influences of his cha&s;tening providence, which it cannot do while it hangs down, and lyeth in it's pal&s;ie fits: Now then a right po|&s;ition, or erecting of the heart, that it may be capable of, and meet with the con&s;olations of God in his &s;courging love, is the duty con|cerning us; when the &s;pirit is &s;et right and even with God for his revivings, then is head and all lifted up with comfort, when it de|clines, or hangs down another way, it &s;werves from Gods intended refre&s;hings. The nature, &s;ubject and condition of this duty would be known to guide us to it. Fir&s;t, the nature of this duty, in &s;hort, is to di&s;po&s;e our &s;elves by the help of that gracious influence given out by the &s;pirit of the Rod, to receive the&s;e cordiall revivings which the cha&s;tening providence hath ordered to us: How unwor|thy is it, that God &s;hould hold out &s;uch &s;weet incouragements to his cha&s;tened children, and they, in a kinde of unbelieving di&s;con|tent, never regard him? So troubled are they with the &s;mart, that they will not once minde the &s;weet of the Rod: This is utterly a fault; therefore let us know Gods Will in this, and do it.</P>
<P>But how mu&s;t wee do it?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE></P>
<P>Plainly thus, by putting out that &s;pirituall &s;trength we have,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> into
<PB N="88" REF="54">activity or motion, for &s;etting the heart in the right frame to &s;ure with the con&s;olations of God; in the Prophets phra&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64.7.</NOTE> <HI>by &s;tirring,</HI> or rou&s;ing up our &s;elves, or <HI>Davids</HI> expre&s;&s;ion, by calling unto our &s;pirits in time of fainting and di&s;tre&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42.5.11.</NOTE> <HI>Why art thou ca&s;t down, O my &s;oule?</HI> &amp;c. This is our work, to call up, and &s;tir up our hearts from over-powering dejection to reach to the con&s;olations of a cha&s;ti|&s;ing father held forth in the very Rod. But whereunto &s;hould we call or &s;tir them for attaining this? Even to the&s;e duties following, that &s;et them in a right frame for comfort.</P>
<P N="1">1. To believing, and by Faith, to a &s;ingle and attentive eyeing of all the&s;e comfortable con&s;iderations which the Fathers care di&s;po|&s;eth in every Rod for the good of his cha&s;tened ones; So to view them, that Faith may make them evident, which were formerly ob&s;cured, under &s;mart of outward evill, and make them really &s;ubject, which to &s;en&s;e &s;eem not to be where they are; and to ap|ply all, and make them properly our own, which is Faiths pecu|liar; it doth but touch and take, God him&s;elf, and all that God hath. It was the ground of the Prophets complaint, <HI>There is none that &s;tirreth up him&s;elfe to take hold of thee;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64.7.</NOTE> What was the rea&s;on, they &s;aw Gods face hid from them in their dark and &s;ad condition, and them&s;elves con&s;umed by the hand or means of their own iniqui|ties; but they could believe no good in this &s;evere hand of God toward them; therefore they lye &s;till in their &s;inking, and will not &s;o much as &s;tir them&s;elves to take hold of God. This is great di&s;ho|nour to the holy One. Stir up our hearts wee mu&s;t to Faith on the comforting part of the Rod, if wee would have them right and &s;et to meet with the revivings of God.</P>
<P N="2">2. To hoping, and waiting for the giving out of the&s;e cordials from the cha&s;ti&s;ing hand; Thus <HI>David</HI> calls to his &s;oule in his per|plexities; <HI>Why art thou di&s;quieted within me, hope thou in God, for I &s;hall yet prai&s;e him,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42.11.</NOTE> <HI>who is the health of my countenance and my God.</HI> The patient &s;oule &s;hall never looke for help or comfort from God in vain; &s;uch hope cannot make the &s;oule a&s;hamed; O &s;tirre up fainting hearts to hope we mu&s;t; that &s;weet hand that &s;courgeth, will give out gracious &s;upport to that good heart that hopeth, activity is our duty in this al&s;o.</P>
<P N="3">3. To crying, and earne&s;t &s;upplication to our cha&s;tening God, to &s;end out &s;weet out of the &s;mart, and meat out of the eater, then we &s;et our &s;elves in a right po&s;ture for receiving mercy, when our drooping hearts are &s;tirred up to pray, and cry for tho&s;e gracious
<PB N="89" REF="54">di&s;coveries: It was al&s;o <HI>Davids</HI> activity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.6.</NOTE> when he wanted the com|forts of his God, he falls to crying, <HI>Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me;</HI> The heart is &s;et upright, when it can pray un|der the harde&s;t pre&s;&s;ures; and this is duty to pray and cry for com|fort: Though we &s;hould be neer the &s;hadow of death, yet mu&s;t we not let our hearts fall downe; It is a di&s;mall fall, to be thrown from prayer; If God hold out &s;o much &s;weet comfort in his cha|&s;tening government, and &s;evere&s;t di&s;cipline, it is the lea&s;t wee can do to fetch it out by prayer; Lift we up then our &s;oules to God, that he may lift up his favour upon us; This is the duty.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;ubject of this duty is the cha&s;tened and dejected &s;oule; they, even they mu&s;t rou&s;e up their drooping &s;pirits, and &s;trive for comfort, God gives the grace, but they mu&s;t look narrowly to re|turn the duty for their own reviving; It is all I &s;hall note here, that to them is this &s;poken, and on them is only this duty pre&s;&s;ed; the afflicted mu&s;t not be only pa&s;&s;ive under comfort, but active for it, lifting up them&s;elves, and putting forward to it.</P>
<P N="3">3. The condition of this duty I &s;hall only touch in the property of the act, which mu&s;t needs be here free and voluntary; &s;o that as it be|coms the people of God to be willing in all duties, no le&s;&s;e doth God expect it from them in this; that as he is ready and willing to admini|&s;ter his reviving influence unto his cha&s;tened, &s;o they with an&s;wer|able de&s;ire, &s;hould &s;et them&s;elves to look for and receive it: much wil in this makes the duty more obediential, &amp; the effect more &s;weet and comfortable to the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;oul; yet from this u&s;ually cha&s;tened &s;ouls are mo&s;t aver&s;e, altogether unwilling to becomforted; therefore unto this &s;hal I labor to per&s;wade the~ in the in&s;uing applicatio~ of this truth</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. IIII.</HI> The application of the former point.</HEAD>
<P>THe very name of duty, me things, &s;hould be &s;overaigne and binding to them that make con&s;cience of all duties unto God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE>&s;ave only this of making after comfort; A fault &s;urely among ma|ny, if not mo&s;t of Gods cha&s;tened, who will pray, becau&s;e it is duty, and mourn, becau&s;e it is duty; and &s;trive to the denyall of them&s;elves, to the &s;ubduing of all corruption, becau&s;e it is duty; and yet move not once them&s;elves toward comfort, though as nece&s;&s;ary a duty as any of the re&s;t. My work therfore now is to pre&s;&s;e that obedience to Gods comforting will in his cha&s;tenings, which we acknowledge a duty to his commanding will in all other particulars. If God intend this in his Rod, not to kill, but to quicken, not to de&s;troy, but &s;ave, not to ca&s;t down, but to rai&s;e up; and therefore hath &s;pirited his
<PB N="90" REF="55">Rod to incline his afflicted to lifting up, and by all the rea&s;on of his di&s;cipline ingageth them not to fainting, but to cheering hearts: Let me &s;peak to you for God, and from God in this matter, Come yee afflicted of the Lord, gird up your loynes, hearken unto me, will yee keep tho&s;e hearts &s;ad, which God will not have kept &s;ad? O &s;in not again&s;t God in this, as yee would by no means &s;in in other ca&s;es; if he &s;ay lift up your hands, do not yee hang them downe, if he call to rectifying and &s;trengthening feeble knees, let them not fall into pal&s;ie fits; if hee cheere up your hearts under the Rod, do not yee make them faint through unbeliefe, and &s;o kill your &s;elves. I need not &s;tate the duty againe, what God would have you do in this ca&s;e. Reade over tho&s;e cordiall con&s;iderations in the &s;courging Provi|dence under which yee lie; &s;et before your eyes the relation, power and tenderne&s;&s;e of a cha&s;tening Father, &s;tirre up your &s;elves to hope for, and call out all the &s;weetne&s;&s;e in that Fountain, both of your be|ing, and of your affliction; view the Mediator of the Rod, and rou&s;e up your hearts to take hold of him your Pattern, your guide in this uncouth way of trouble, he will bring you out: Con&s;ider the rule of the Rod, it can do no more hurt than what the promi&s;e hath in it, for this orders it, and nothing but good can i&s;&s;ue from the Word of promi&s;e: or, in a word, looke to the end of all your afflictions, it is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace, and joy in the Holy Gho&s;t; now &s;tirre up your &s;elves, and feed and live upon the&s;e comforts, account it your work, and as naturally a duty as any, to call up your &s;ouls out of troubles, to lift them up in Faith, in Hope, in Prayer to meet the reviving in|fluences of God given out with the Rod unto you; let mee over|come you but in this; that it is your duty to be comforted as much as to be humbled; and if rea&s;on or truth may prevaile, be&s;ides the moving con&s;iderations in the Text, which I &s;hall pre&s;&s;e toward the clo&s;e of the work, the&s;e few convincing grounds I &s;hall lay down in this place.</P>
<P N="1">1. The command, coun&s;els, and care of God, concerning this comfort to his afflicted, infallibly evinceth it a duty on their parts to attend on it, and reach forth unto it. Now, are not the&s;e com|mands, Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.14. Jam 1.2. Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. 5 11, 12.</NOTE> Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; Rejoyce, and be exceeding glad when yee are reviled and per&s;ecuted, &amp;c. In all which was matter of cha&s;tening as well as triall, &s;mart that did make &s;ad, as well as a cau&s;e that did &s;upport; Coun&s;els are frequent, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, lift up your heads, &amp;c. And the
<PB N="91" REF="55">exceeding great care of God to have this effected, &s;trongly proveth, it mu&s;t not be by them neglected; two evidences of this care are in &s;ight: Fir&s;t, in providing a &s;pring of comfort for all ca&s;es of di|&s;tre&s;&s;e and dejection among his own children,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 14.16, 18.26.</NOTE> therefore h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;ends Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h full of con&s;olation, and when he leaves the fle&s;h, ne procures another comforter, even the holy Spirit, to whom he de&s;ignes the office of reviving and comforting every afflicted &s;oule,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertul.</NOTE> he comes in Chri&s;ts name, and is in Chri&s;ts &s;tead to &s;upply his place of refre&s;hing his grieved members: Will yee then re&s;i&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t? as yee do, while yee refu&s;e to be comforted: Secondly, in providing means and mini&s;tery purpo&s;ely to bring the&s;e con&s;olati|ons of Chri&s;t to his afflicted; How doth he call upon his Prophets, <HI>Comfort yee, comfort yet my people?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40.1. I&s;a. 54.11.</NOTE> How doth he in them call upon his afflicted, <HI>O thou afflicted, and to&s;&s;ed with tempe&s;ts, and not com|forted?</HI> And doth this care of God call for no care from you, to &s;ee that his end be not fru&s;trated, and your hearts left comfortle&s;&s;e? Rea&s;on mu&s;t convince you, that yee mu&s;t be like-minded with God, to &s;uffer as hee would have you &s;uffer, and be humbled as hee would have you humbled, and be comforted as he would have you comforted. Now then, if it be your duty, be as con&s;cionable and carefull to di&s;po&s;e your &s;elves for the comforts of God, as for any other duties to him: So yee mu&s;t be, if yee deale truly with him, for as much as this is honour to him as much as any other &s;er|vice. What a reproach ca&s;t yee upon God, to make the world judge, God cannot comfort his people? O therefore lift up the hands that hang down, and be&s;tirre your &s;elves for comfort.</P>
<P N="2">2. The comforts of God are not only ingagements, but inablings of poore &s;oules to all other duties expected from them; &s;o that &s;leight the&s;e, yee lo&s;e your &s;trength, and become fruitle&s;&s;e. It is ob|&s;ervable in the delegation of the Spirit by Chri&s;t to be his Churches comforter, the marke therein &s;pecially intended, which is &s;till &s;ome main duty or other; for comfort is not given for it &s;elfe, but for far|ther ends thereby attainable; therefore when Chri&s;t would have his di&s;ciples know his minde, and keep in remembrance his dictates, his way is: <HI>The Comforter, which is the Holy Gho&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 14.26.</NOTE> <HI>hee &s;hall teach you all things, and bring them to remembrance:</HI> Nothing &s;o powerful|ly in&s;tructs as comfort; for as much as it revives and ingageth thereby the heart fir&s;t unto it &s;elfe, and &s;o brings the &s;oule with de|light to hearken to the Word made knowne; and none can &s;urpa&s;&s;e that good Di&s;ciple, who learnes Je&s;us Chri&s;t with delight. So
<PB N="92" REF="56">when the Lord would have his &s;ervants be faithfull and bold in the te&s;timony of him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 15.26, 27.</NOTE> or bearing witne&s;&s;e of his truth; this is his cour&s;e to effect it by con&s;olation, <HI>I will &s;end the Comforter to you from the Father, hee &s;hall te&s;tifie of mee,</HI> and &s;trengthened by his comforts, <HI>Yee al&s;o &s;hall beare witne&s;&s;e.</HI> Con&s;olations &s;hall con&s;train you to do that for me, not to leave my glorious work without witne&s;&s;e to the world. Againe, If he would have people convinced of &s;in in a &s;aving way to melt them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 16.7, 8.</NOTE> and to drain their &s;oules from filth, and draw them unto God in him&s;elfe, this is his way, <HI>If I depart, I will &s;end the Comforter unto you,</HI> It is &s;till the Comforter that he makes u&s;e of (a &s;weet and ble&s;&s;ed notion) <HI>And when hee is come, he will convince or reprove the world of &s;in;</HI> See the Comforters work, and if he re|prove and make men know their &s;in, &s;ure it is in a comforting way, to &s;eparate from it, and to leade &s;oules &s;afe unto Chri&s;t. Nothing makes &s;in appeare &s;o exceeding &s;infull, as comfort pre&s;ented to a wretched, rebellious, and di&s;obedient &s;oule; the Comforter, if any, will make them a&s;hamed, and abhorre them&s;elves. It is the method of all the Apo&s;tles, to ingage, inable, and fortifie &s;oules again&s;t harde&s;t oppo&s;itions, and for greate&s;t duties, by the con&s;olations of Chri&s;t;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4.14.</NOTE> when they would &s;et them above fiery trialls, the C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">mfort of the <HI>Spirit of glory,</HI> mu&s;t mount them, and the con&s;olations of Chri&s;t harden them again&s;t death it &s;elfe; as for his own experience, the Apo&s;tle labours with his <HI>Corinthians.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.3, 4, 5, 6.</NOTE> Now then, yee afflicted of the Lord, who&s;e &s;trivings of heart are to be h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ly under the Rod, to &s;earch out &s;in, to hate it, to be fruitfull to Chri&s;t, to mortifie cor|ruption, to make a good confe&s;&s;ion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to be faithfull to the death; con&s;cience bindes you to exact care and watchfulne&s;&s;e for the&s;e, and it is well; but how do you think to do the&s;e, if you cannot live under the Rod? or, how do you think to live without comf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">t? I know no way. If it be duty for a man to labour, it is no le&s;&s;e his duty to eate and drink, and refre&s;h him&s;elfe, without which long labour hee cannot: Nay, with as ardent and &s;trong de|&s;ires is he to reach after his refre&s;hings, as his work; the &s;ame God injoynes both equally. Deare Chri&s;tians, know it then no le&s;&s;e your d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ty to &s;trive after comfort in your &s;adde&s;t &s;tate, that mu&s;t quicken and maintain your life, than after any office of that life, which God calls for at your hands; This I mu&s;t indeavour to per&s;wade it is your duty to reach after comfort, and &s;et your hearts in a right po&s;ture to meet with it; the &s;oule cannot be profitable to God, that refu&s;eth to be comforted by him; O then &s;tirre up your &s;elves by
<PB N="93" REF="56">Faith, by Hope, by Prayer to call in the con&s;olations of Chri&s;t into your &s;oules; the&s;e will be your &s;trength, and being comforted ye &s;hall worke michtily. The Church cryeth out for this, <HI>Stay me with fla|gons, comfort me with apples, for I am &s;icke of love:</HI> Support, comfort, and reviving is that &s;hee calls for, the means were fruits cordiall and effectuall thereunto, as Pomegranates, or &s;uch like; and good mea|&s;ure of the&s;e cordiall receits &s;hee cryes for; flagons at lea&s;t; her &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e puts her upon, and not terrifies her from it, &s;hee was &s;icke with love, longing de&s;ires to Chri&s;t were in her, and de&s;ire not &s;atisfied made her &s;ick, and &s;ickne&s;&s;e now makes her call for comfort, that &s;he may yet be &s;treng th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ned to follow Chri&s;t; O do yee likewi&s;e, in all cha&s;ti&s;ements, whether upon &s;pirit or fle&s;h, rou&s;e up &s;inking hearts, ye your &s;elves mu&s;t heartily make after comfort, unles ye mean foo|li&s;hly to give up the gho&s;t, and become dead and unprofitable to God.</P>
<P N="3">3. Yee will be more per&s;waded, that this is your dutie to make af|ter comfort, if yee doe rightly con&s;ider, what plots the Devill hath to keepe you from it; he knows if he can keep you comfortles, he will make you fruitles, and at la&s;t Apo&s;tates from God, as his hope was concerning <HI>Job;</HI> and he thought he put faire for it, when he brought him to cur&s;e the day of his birth, &amp;c. I would alwayes con|clude this for truth, <HI>That from which the Devill drives me, is &s;urely the dutie unto which God draws me.</HI> If he for bids me comfort, I will be|le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ve that God commands it. Let me but touch the wiles of this &s;ub|tle Serpent a little, which I ob&s;erve at three &s;tates of time. 1. In bring|ing men into &s;in; 2. In keeping men in it: 3. In killing tho&s;e that doe e&s;cape it, as much as in him lyeth. The fir&s;t the Apo&s;tle notes about <HI>Eve,</HI> that the <HI>Serpent-devill</HI> beguiled her by his &s;ubtletie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor 11.3. <GAP DESC="foreign">. Ephe&s;. 6.11. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> by his &s;leight of hand, turning every way for his own purpo&s;e; he is very craftie in per&s;wading men into &s;in. The &s;econd he warnes of to the <HI>Eohe|&s;ians,</HI> what wiles, methods, mazes, labyrinths, maeanders he hath to puzzle men in &s;in, that they &s;hould not find the way out; &s;hrewdly guilefull is he this way to hamper men, as the cunning hunter doth his game in the net. The third is his la&s;t fetch, that if God mightily deliver the &s;oule, and by the power of God it e&s;capeth out of his dominion, then his devices are, to &s;wallow up that &s;oule, with hope|les feares, doubts, and unbeliefe, that he might never ta&s;te the good comforts of God, but peri&s;h in a de&s;pairing way; therefore he powres out flouds of temptations after him, if po&s;&s;ible, to de&s;troy him. Of the&s;e inventions the Apo&s;tle makes mention in the ca&s;e of that &s;inner in the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> whom God by his Church had cha&s;tened
<PB N="94" REF="57">with that &s;evere &s;entence of Excommunication; The man was &s;o de|jected, that he was even now &s;wallowed up of a kind of de&s;pair|ing &s;orrow; The Apo&s;tle therefore timely interpo&s;eth, de&s;ires the Church to pardon, and receive in this cha&s;tened humble &s;oule; le&s;t Satan &s;hould over-reach them, and while they thought by ca&s;ting out and delivering to Satan to &s;ave the &s;pirit, the Devill might thereby de&s;troy it, wilily &s;ugge&s;ting a de&s;perate ejection of him at once out of the Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 2.11. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> and from God: It is S^t <HI>Pauls</HI> note, <HI>We are not igno|rant of his devices;</HI> &s;hrewd ones they be indeed, and de&s;tructive, un|le&s;s warily prevented. See then yee cha&s;tened &s;onnes, and daughters of God, who&s;e wile it is to &s;tave you off from &s;aving comforts under cha&s;tening, if Satans, no cau&s;e to cheri&s;h &s;uch motions, Gods way is quite contrary, and his will and care is to comfort his afflicted peo|ple. Say then in this ca&s;e, as the Lord Mediator &s;aid to the Devill, or his in&s;truments, upbraiding his poore Church, to keepe them in a di&s;con&s;olate condition,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ech. 3.2.</NOTE> <HI>The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath cho&s;en Jeru&s;alem rebuke thee.</HI> Turne him off with his wiles for God to deale with him, the Almightie will certainly plead your cau&s;e again&s;t him: Beleeve God in this matter, and yee &s;hall pro|&s;per; lift up your hearts to take in the con&s;olations that he gives out; this will defeat the Devills plot, &s;trengthen your &s;elves for your de&s;ired obedience under the rod, and &s;o inable you to glorifie God in the very fires. Thinke it, O thinke it then your dutie to reach after the comforts of Chri&s;t in your afflictions, be &s;tirring and active in it, becau&s;e your adver&s;ary night &amp; day laboureth to drive you from it; chear up, chear up deare &s;oules, that yee may abound in the work of the Lord, and your reward may be full in the latter end.</P>
<P>But how would you have us cheared?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> Is it fit under &s;uch &s;ad di&s;|coveries of God to laugh and &s;ing, or to be light and joyfull? is mirth &s;utable for the rod?</P>
<P>Surely not that mirth of the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w. <HI>Eccle&s;. 2.2.</HI> Si&s;eme<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> corre|ctus fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rit in no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">as usm as ille crucis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">i|mor, &amp; ad to|lerantiarn com|po&s;ite &s;imus, nulla <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> pars no&s;tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> q<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> non <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">m D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;tand<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">m, Cal|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">at.</NOTE> which ju&s;tly the Preacher calls <HI>madnes;</HI> no, &s;ober mirth, or Chri&s;tian &s;pirituall chearfulne&s;&s;e, is that which is pre&s;&s;ed on Gods cha&s;tened Children, not carnall jovia|litie, or fle&s;hly plea&s;ure which the world takes to throw out &s;orrow; not this, but tho&s;e cordiall revivings of God, that may keep up the &s;oule from fainting and dying under the rod, and &s;et right the heart bowed downe, to be above all di&s;couragements that might make it halt with God, &amp; to fall off from du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ie which God requires of them, &s;uch rai&s;ings and ravi&s;hings of God yee mu&s;t &s;eeke after, that yee may yet be &s;erviceable unto him.</P>
<PB N="95" REF="57">
<P>But what &s;oule can take incouragement,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> when it &s;ees its uneven|nes with God, and haltings, and imperfect walkings under the rod every day?</P>
<P>Surely the more need of comfort, becau&s;e thou art faint,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> and of &s;upport, becau&s;e thou art lame and halte&s;t: Thinke&s;t thou to cure thy fainting and heale thy halting, without the con&s;olations of God? This cannot be; ob&s;erve the Apo&s;tles method in this ver&s;e, he aimes at it by the rod to bring us to an upright &s;tation and even walking with God, but this cannot be while dejection is predominant over heart and fle&s;h; fir&s;t then he labours to &s;upport hands hanging downe and feeble knees, and then directs to make right paths for lame feet to walke in. It is the naturall cour&s;e of curing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nitendum e&s;t D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">i con&s;olat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o|nibus, ut &s;imus ad bene agen|dum fortes &amp; &s;trenui, at&abque; ill a e&s;t full u|ra no&s;tra. Cal|vin in Text.</NOTE> if any have broke a leg and grows faint upon it, the Chirurgion will give &s;ome cordiall to revive the patient for pre&s;ent, and maintaine his life, afterward he goeth about to &s;et bones right againe: So Gods Spirit here aimes no le&s;&s;e at amendment of &s;oules by the rod, than the incouragement of them, but becau&s;e this concernes the pre&s;ent maintenance of life, therefore he comforts fir&s;t the wounded, and after heales. In this method mu&s;t we walk; if therefore yee will yeeld to be comforted in the fir&s;t u&s;e, wee &s;hall proceed to better you, and make you walke more evenly with God in the &s;econd, which now follows in order to be pre&s;&s;ed.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. V.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><P>The &s;econd &V;&s;e of the cha&s;tening Providence,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> even Amendment of &s;oules under the rod, pre&s;&s;ed by the Apo&s;tle in this clau&s;e;</P>
<P>And make &s;treight or even paths for your feet,</P>
<BIBL><HI>ver. 13.</HI></BIBL></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>NOw poore Chri&s;tian, here is the mark thou aime&s;t at, to be good, that thou maye&s;t be glad and chearfull, unto which by the A|po&s;tles line I &s;hall now labour to direct thee, that I may helpe thee home. Cha&s;tenings are no deviations from this mark, but indeed directories, and helps as well as goads, pricking on the &s;oule hore|unto. If we bring the terme of illation clo&s;e to this direction <HI>(Where|fore make &s;treight, &amp;c.)</HI> the force of all the precedent cha&s;tening pro|vidence runs out into this dutie of the afflicted, which is al&s;o the ef|fect of Gods cha&s;ti&s;ing: God gives through the rod a &s;treightning power, and then puts on the cha&s;tened &s;oule to worke by him and with him for walking in that right and even path with him&s;elfe. The matter here inferred, together with the force of the inference is
<PB N="96" REF="58">here to be weighed, that we may know Gods mind herein, and more &s;trongly conclude what here he teacheth us. The u&s;efull coun&s;aile here given is &s;hort and pithy, rhetoricall and rationall, clothed in a metaphor, as the former, but carrying in it and pre&s;&s;ing on us a &s;olid truth, and whole&s;ome advice for rectifying our wayes, and making even our hearts with God, being put upon it by the &s;courge. The Act of provi&s;ion or making: The object, right paths or wayes; The &s;ub|ject for what, <HI>for your feet,</HI> are all expre&s;&s;e termes in the dutie, and &s;uted in this borrowed &s;peech one unto another. <HI>Feet</HI> are the in&s;tru|ments of motion, which here mu&s;t note all that of man that mu&s;t move to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> gre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ivae, ita op<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">at<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> claud<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">at, quondo non &s;e|qu <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">r r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ula <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">gis divinae, <HI>Aquin.</HI> in tex. <GAP DESC="foreign">. &V;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">bitas, S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">mi|tas, vias, &amp;c. E&s;t prae<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">pt<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="foreign"> contentionis qua&s;i in curri|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="4 letters"> vi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ae &s;an|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ae &amp; religio|&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e, <HI>Can<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ernr.</HI> Locus not ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">s pro libcro ar|bitrio &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters"> &s;uin moven<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e ad bona opera, <HI>E&s;tius</HI> in text. Sern tas &s;ac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">re re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">tas, hoc e&s;t, quatum in vo|bis e&s;t, dare <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">|peram ad <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">c, &s;ed propr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e re|ctificare <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;i &s;o|lius De<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>A|quin.</HI> in Text. <HI>P&s;al. 25.4.</HI></NOTE> in the cour&s;e appointed for the creature; and therefore not onely affections as one, or mind as another, nor any one part &s;ingly, but the whole man mu&s;t be here intended; which the heart may well comprehend; the&s;e al&s;o as we are guided by the following expre&s;|&s;ion, mu&s;t be conceived <HI>lame feet,</HI> halting, maimed hearts, cripple or limping &s;oules, that walk not perfectly with God, like a foot brui&s;ed or out of joynt: then is a leg or foot truly lame, when it followeth not the rule of the going or moving facultie, which is to tread even, and &s;o to walke at ea&s;e; No le&s;&s;e our hearts and works toward God are lame, when they follow not the rule of the divine law. Againe for the&s;e, <HI>right or even paths</HI> mu&s;t be prepared, that is, a right cour&s;e or frame by that unerring truth, mu&s;t be &s;et for the&s;e to move in. I &s;hould not &s;tand critically to paraphra&s;e upon that word in the text <HI>(paths)</HI> which &s;ignifies &s;trictly &s;uch a way or tracke, that a wheele makes upon the ground, &s;uppo&s;e of chariot or the like; (for I am per|&s;waded here mainly it intends a way fitted for a man to walke in, whether drawn out by a wheele, or trodden by a foot, it matters not, either may &s;erve, and &s;o doe to pre&s;ent the way of Gods coun&s;ells to us, fitted for Chri&s;tians to walk in:) but finding it occa&s;ioning a pi|ous conceit, that it &s;hould pre&s;&s;e &s;peed in the way, as well as evennes (as the charret-wheele runs in its tracke when the foot but walks in its cour&s;e) I would not reject it; yet not concluding it nece&s;&s;arily from this expre&s;&s;ion; A right cour&s;e to God is the maine here pre|&s;cribed. Once more, the&s;e we mu&s;t <HI>make;</HI> for the direction is to us; not favouring free will, as the Je&s;uite notes, as if this were pre&s;ently in our owne power; their Seraphicall Doctor may teach him better from the Text; <HI>Make &s;treight paths,</HI> that is, &s;o much as in you lyeth, indeavour to it, but it is Gods onely worke properly to rectifie or make &s;treight hearts and wayes, for which cau&s;e <HI>David</HI> prayeth, <HI>Shew me thy wayes, O Lord, teach me thy paths.</HI> God him&s;elfe by the
<PB N="97" REF="58">Spirit given in the rod, inclines and orders the heart to a right frame &s;uted to his coun&s;ells, but then the cha&s;tened &s;oule being quickened and acted by God, mu&s;t work under him &amp; with him to bring heart, words, and works to this right rule, &s;o that indeed God onely recti|fies, and we are rectified by him, all our motions being onely in him and by him; as he &s;aid, <HI>Now I live, yet not I</HI> properly and of my &s;elfe, but <HI>Chri&s;t liveth in me;</HI> So indeed God properly and by his &s;trength makes &s;treight the crooked, we are but &s;treightned by him, however moving in his hand; It is a certaine truth, our duties depend upon Gods promi&s;es, as the effect upon their cau&s;e. This word the Lord of heaven &s;peaks,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 35.6.</NOTE> <HI>The lame man &s;hall leap as an Hart:</HI> and &s;peaking doth create it, the lame &s;tands upright, and walks and leaps in the wayes of God. In &s;hort, the dutie here concerning us, is not unfitly paraphra&s;ed, Make &s;treight running paths for your feet, or,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, Camerar.</NOTE> Runne &s;treight and uprightly in the wayes of God; this is the worke char|ged on us: How careful would a man be for a lame foot, to have &s;hooe even, ground even, all even to keep from hurt? more &s;hould we care for lame hearts, to have frame even, and paths even for them to walk and run in, if our marke be bli&s;&s;e. The former <HI>wherefore</HI> indi&s;pen&s;ably pre&s;&s;eth this upon Gods cha&s;tened ones, Gods care in cha&s;tening mu&s;t put them upon care in rectifying or making &s;treight their wayes for him; the la&s;t rule then for our practicall u&s;e of cha&s;tenings is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Gods cha&s;tening Providence is his rectifying hand upon his halting Children;</HI> or thus, <HI>The rod providence inforceth the cha&s;tened as much to rectitude to|wards God, as comfort for them&s;elves;</HI> no le&s;&s;e injoyning to make even wayes for lame feet, than to lift up hanging hands and pal&s;ie knees. I &s;hall not need here againe to &s;tate the nature of this cha&s;tening Pro|vidence, the &s;pring that moves to this dutie, that being done above. The&s;e three things mu&s;t be di&s;patched, and then &s;hall I &s;et the period to this worke. 1. A di&s;covery what vertue, force, or help, this <HI>rod|providence</HI> yeelds for rectifying mens hearts. 2. The &s;tate of the af|flicteds dutie under this help. 3. The motives added in the Text in|forcing to this dutie, all which more di&s;tinctly handled, I &s;hall then draw up the clo&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VI.</HI> The vertue or force of the cha&s;tening Providence for rectifying hearts and wayes.</HEAD>
<P>THat there is a force in this &s;courging care of God to con&s;traine the cha&s;tened to this rectitude of heart and wayes, the illative terme <HI>(wherefore)</HI> doth evidently determine, which pre&s;&s;eth from
<PB N="98" REF="59">thence upon the dutie: The que&s;tion here to be &s;atisfied is the <HI>(quid &s;it)</HI> what force this is? Which opened, will carry its proof within it &s;elfe. The vertue or power then of this cha&s;tening is two-fold. 1. Phy&s;icall or naturall, which is the cau&s;e naturally producing this dutie, as the fire warmth upon that which is applied unto it; The rod makes right in beating to it; this force con&s;traines by inabling. 2. Mo|rall or rationall, forcing the rea&s;on of man to command his heart to this rectitude, and bend towards it. In all works and means of grace, as God dealeth powerfully, &s;o he doth rationally al&s;o with man his creature; The&s;e de&s;erve a little weighing.</P>
<P>To the fir&s;t, Take we in but tho&s;e grand concurrents to this cha|&s;tening di&s;pen&s;ation the Author, Mediator, Spirit and Rule of the rod, (not to &s;peake of them di&s;tinctly) they joyntly give out their power to effect this rectitude in the cha&s;tened &s;oule, and that effici|ciently nece&s;&s;itating the man to this &s;treightne&s;&s;e of heart and way, and that in this order, God the Father, in his Son and by his Spirit, and through his promi&s;e, or according to that word of grace, &s;o or|ders the rod, that it &s;hall reduce the wanderer, rectifie the crooked, and help the halting to walk at ea&s;e in right and even paths, there|fore they mu&s;t make &s;treight paths for their feet; All the&s;e per&s;ons are coordinate in the rectitude of their own being, the ground of this effect produced in the creatures, and in their power and in their pur|po&s;e of working it this way on the afflicted;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.4. P&s;al. 19.8.</NOTE> <HI>Right,</HI> or <HI>Rectitude</HI> is the Name of God in every per&s;on; No le&s;&s;e is <HI>Right</HI> the &s;ingular proper|tie of his word, and if &s;o, what&s;oever i&s;&s;ueth from this hand, accord|ing to this rule, by the rod, mu&s;t needs be an an&s;werable like effect. Now the joynt power given out from this cha&s;tening Providence, to frame the &s;oule to this dutie, is various.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">A teaching power.</NOTE> Directive, which is properly a teaching power, that dictates this uprightnes of heart and walking to the cha&s;tened, and prompts them &s;uccesfully to it; The rod hath a voice in its &s;mart &s;peaking righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but of it &s;elfe weake, untill he that prompted it, put forth his voice in it; here the Providence cha&s;ti&s;ing, or God him&s;elfe correcting, teacheth by it reformation or rectifying of a mans waies, and if he teach, he makes impre&s;&s;ion upon the &s;pirit, though creature teaching pa&s;&s;e off too &s;leightly. It is the note of Chri&s;t, in recording that promi&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6.45.</NOTE> <HI>They &s;hall be all taught of God; Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me;</HI> God doth not teach in vaine, or in any ca&s;e, &s;o not in this way of in&s;tructing by the rod; his uprightnes prickes the le&s;&s;on, and his power teacheth it to
<PB N="99" REF="59">the purpo&s;e: The P&s;almi&s;t ob&s;erves this, <HI>Good and upright is the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.8, 9.</NOTE> <HI>therefore will he teach &s;inners in the way,</HI> that is, the right way; he ex|pre&s;&s;eth no le&s;&s;e immediately, The <HI>meek,</HI> or humble, or afflicted, <HI>will be guide in judgement,</HI> that is, the right path ordered by him, and <HI>the meek will be teach his way.</HI> And the happie effect of this teaching is proclaimed to the Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94.12.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man whom thou cha&s;tene&s;t O Lord, and teache&s;t him out of thy law.</HI> No rea&s;on to proclaime him ble&s;|&s;ed, unles crown'd with the highe&s;t good, and attained unto God in his very uprightnes, and even thither doth God draw him by cha|&s;tening and by teaching. Needs then mu&s;t that &s;oule learn to walk in right wayes, when God him&s;elfe by the rod &s;hall teach him.</P>
<P N="2">2. Effective al&s;o, or a creating power is this i&s;&s;uing from the rod-providence to make Gods cha&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ned cleave to even paths, God him|&s;elfe is in the rod, therefore mu&s;t worke like him&s;elfe, to bring about his purpo&s;e of gra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e, that none can let it. In his word he &s;peaks, and it is created, and in his rod he &s;peaks, and his plea&s;ure is effected; He &s;ends his word and &s;ayes to the dead live, and they live, and to the crooked, be made &s;treight, and they &s;tand upright; and no le&s;&s;e doth he &s;end his rod, and cryeth to the wandring &s;heepe returne, and it returneth, and to the lame &s;oule walke in even wayes, and he walk|eth; The words of promi&s;e are therefore peremptory, <HI>The lame &s;hall leap as the Hart, &amp;c.</HI> It in creati<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">g darknes and evill, afflictions on his people, he &s;peaks to heavens and skies to drop downe righteou&s;nes, it mu&s;t be, if he be God, <HI>I the Lord</HI> have created it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 45.7, 8.</NOTE> <HI>David</HI> found this upright frame really made and abiding on his &s;oule, for which he ble&s;&s;eth the houre of his cha&s;tening. <HI>It is good for me,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.71.</NOTE> <HI>that I have been afflicted,</HI> &s;aith he, the effect was evident, the learning of Gods upright &s;tatutes; which was no other, but the framing of his heart unto them; needs then mu&s;t they walk rightly and run in even paths, for whom God makes &s;uch hearts and wayes.</P>
<P N="3">3. Active likewi&s;e and a power of doing or &s;tirring according to the bent, or byas of the rod, doth God give out to his cha&s;tened ones, that they may be &s;tirring and make them&s;elves right wayes. So that not onely skill for dutie, and will for dutie is hence brought home to them, but actively, diligence, and earne&s;t motion to walk in the&s;e up|right wayes is hence &s;upplyed; not onely outward pricks to &s;purre on from without by the rod &s;marting, but inward motions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non aculcos addit tantum ab extra, &s;ed impetus ab in|tra movet. <HI>Ho&s;. 6.1.</HI></NOTE> quick|nings and &s;tirrings to this by the &s;ecret hand that manageth the rod upon the heart. See this force upon the Church afflicted, they egge one another forward to return and walk with God. <HI>Come,</HI> &s;ay they,
<PB N="100" REF="60"><HI>let us return unto the Lord. &amp;c.</HI> This then is the fir&s;t part of the power of this cha&s;tening providence naturally inabling the afflicted to make right paths for their feet to walk in.</P>
<P>To the &s;econd, the morall force of this afflicting hand upon the following duty, is the &s;trength of rea&s;on, which is &s;o great, that it mu&s;t needs over-power men, and make them yeeld to give out them&s;elves to the utmo&s;t for obedience, unle&s;&s;e they refu&s;e to be drawne with the cords of a man, and declare them&s;elves unrea|&s;onable: let the&s;e &s;trong rea&s;ons be weighed for this purpo&s;e, i&s;&s;u|ing from this divine providence.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is the will of the Cha&s;ti&s;er, the command of the highe&s;t God, even your <HI>amendment</HI> by the Rod, to have your feet &s;et even in his right path;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezck. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">3.11.</HI> D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;idero al|qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">d audi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e de Cwlo.</NOTE> can there be &s;tronger rea&s;on to per&s;wade obedience from a Law, ba&s;e creature, than that word from heaven, <HI>Turne yee, Turn yee, why will yee die?</HI> It is all the warrant for duty which rea|&s;on can require, that which he &s;aid, <HI>I de&s;ire to heare &s;omething from heaven:</HI> unle&s;&s;e yee are &s;tronger then God, and can over-top him, it is mo&s;t unrea&s;onable to re&s;i&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">is will.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is the love of the Mediator to put in between God and you, and direct the &s;troak through him&s;elf, to beare the bitterne&s;&s;e him&s;elf, and to let out only &s;o much of the &s;mart, as to &s;tartle you out of your wandrings and crooked wayes, and per&s;wade you to returne, and take the &s;treight path, that yee may be conformed unto him. Is it not the ju&s;te&s;t rea&s;on now, that yee &s;hould comply with this love of the Mediator? is it not mo&s;t unrea&s;onable to reject his love without a cau&s;e, and by your frowardne&s;&s;e, returne hatred for his good will?</P>
<P N="3">3. It is the Spirits free motion, that as he would &s;eale you for God with his owne character, &s;o he would drive you to him by the Rod, and therefore ruleth in this cha&s;tening, to by as your hearts to the right path; is it rea&s;on then to deny this &s;weete&s;t motion, to &s;adden this Spirit, to lame our &s;elves more, and turn out of the good way of God? The Oxe and the A&s;&s;e &s;hew more re&s;pect to their guides than this. In a word, through all the&s;e hands the Rod is the la&s;t means to rectifie a &s;oule, and if this do it not, it is perver|ted to perdition; Re&s;erving other con&s;iderations in the Text for their own place: this is the &s;umme of the precedent arguments. Ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary it is to reach that conformity of heart and wayes to God in rectitude, the Fathers will, the Sonnes love, the Spirits motion through the Rod drive the afflicted unto this marke;
<PB N="101" REF="60">can rea&s;on deny to yeeld to this power, which is for the mans &s;al|vation, and not de&s;truction? Surely not; we &s;hall then take it as un|deniably pre&s;&s;ed upon cha&s;tened &s;oules from this &s;weet Providence, therefore make &s;treight paths for your feet. But what is our duty here? That is the next part.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VII.</HI> The &s;tate of our duty in making &s;treight paths for our feet.</HEAD>
<P>THe power of Providence to help us, and rea&s;on from the Rod to convince us of duty, have before appeared; That we are to be doing &s;omething being &s;ummoned by the Rod, is evident, what we mu&s;t do, is now the que&s;tion. <HI>Make right paths for lame feet,</HI> we mu&s;t, this the Rod would have, that we &s;et our halting feet in Gods even wayes, to make our treadings or &s;teps &s;utable thereunto; Now, halting here is an unperfect or uneven walking with God, when by feares or other bla&s;ts, we are kept from the &s;trict and right tract of conver&s;ation, from which we &s;hould not &s;werve; Amend|ment then, or thorow reformation, is the morall of right paths, and right feet joyned together, which is our work to look unto; to make our thoughts right concerning God, concerning &s;in, con|cerning duties, and our affections right, &s;uted to various objects according to the rule, and our indeavours right, &s;triving to keep clo&s;e to the line of Chri&s;t in all our conver&s;ations.</P>
<P>But who can make an old heart new? or a foule one cleane,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> or that which is crooked to become &s;treight?</P>
<P>Surely not a creature; Therefore badly was it glo&s;&s;ed by him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> that this is a notable place for Free-will, and little rea&s;on was there for that note here, it being but a &s;imple command of God here, and Gods commands do argue the creatures debts, not their abili|ties; otherwi&s;e no need of the Covenant of Grace, wherein God ingageth him&s;elfe to his covenanted ones, for inabling them to all duty, and then requires their an&s;werable re&s;tipulation. Our duty then an&s;wering to this command, as in all like ca&s;es, con&s;i&s;ts in two parts.</P>
<P N="1">1. A pa&s;&s;ive reception of all that influence which God hath pro|mi&s;ed in his Covenant, for rectifying our hearts;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Agere no&s;trum e&s;t &agrave; Deo pati.</NOTE> and which by correction hee indeavours to bring in upon our &s;oules; this upon our parts is the fir&s;t work of Faith, which alone is the receiving Grace, by rea&s;on of which reception we are &s;aid to do, what in|deed God properly doth alone: As by Faith wee are &s;aid to be|come
<PB N="102" REF="61">come the &s;onnes of God, as if we moved our &s;elves to this ho|nour, when indeed Chri&s;t him&s;elfe ca&s;ts this upon us, and we only thus receive it: So are wee &s;aid to be &s;aved by Faith, and live by Faith, as if we were the chief movers in the&s;e, when indeed God on|ly &s;aves, and Chri&s;t lives in us, we are meerly in this re&s;pect receivers. So are we commanded to redeeme time, to ca&s;t off our tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|ons, and make us a new heart, &amp;c. when alas, wee cannot do the work of one day, only wee receive by Faith a double portion of grace from God, in circum&s;pect walking, in which re&s;pect our time is &s;aid to be bought out or redeemed: Neither can we, poore crea|tures, make an hard heart &s;oft, and an old heart new, only by Faith we receive the impre&s;&s;ions of him that &s;aith, I will give them a new Spirit, I will take the &s;tony heart out of the fle&s;h, and give them an heart of fle&s;h: So here are wee pre&s;&s;ed to make &s;treight paths for feet, and even feet and walkings for paths; but indeed our making is primarily receiving this impre&s;&s;ion from the hand of God, who&s;e Name is right, who alone can rectifie hearts and wayes; <HI>David</HI> therefore turnes his work concerning this into a prayer of Faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51 10.</NOTE> <HI>Renew a right &s;pirit within me;</HI> hee is on the receiving hand, if God will give it. This then is the fir&s;t peece of duty, Faith mu&s;t open the man within and without, to receive the impre&s;&s;ion of Gods rectitude on all; In the minde mu&s;t be received right thoughts, right under&s;tanding, right judgement; In the will, a right bent or yeelding to the Will of God; In the affections a right frame, feare and love, and joy, and hatred, and griefe, &s;et where they &s;hould be: And in the eye a right &s;eeing, in the eare a right hearing; in all the mem|bers a right moving power unto God. This, this is our work to make right paths.</P>
<P N="2">2. An active expre&s;&s;ion of what is received from God; Faith works this way al&s;o by love to God, giving out tho&s;e right impre&s;|&s;ions which the &s;oule hath received from him: Now this active part of duty Faith performes in the&s;e particulars, intimated in the very terms of the Text.</P>
<P N="1">1. By evidencing and &s;etting before the &s;oule the right wayes, or Lawes of God, which are called his paths, and that in the power and &s;overaignty of them; as being &s;et up to command obedience and conformity from creatures to them: As the Prophet &s;peaks for God, <HI>The wayes of the Lord are right, the ju&s;t &s;hall walk in them;</HI> they are &s;overaign wayes, and mu&s;t have walkers in them. Faith makes the&s;e &s;upreme, or highe&s;t in the thoughts and e&s;teem of Gods &s;er|vants,
<PB N="103" REF="61">no le&s;&s;e in their affections and indeavours. Now this is a great &s;tep to rectitude of heart and walking, to acknowledge the &s;o|veraignty of the right wayes of God over our bodies and &s;pirits; And indeed, Gods wayes, as they are all higher than mans, &s;o are they &s;overaigne and commanding, as him&s;elf is, which he will not &s;hall be under check. Thus Faith e&s;tabli&s;heth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.31.</NOTE> or &s;ets the Law in power over the believers heart, and &s;o &s;ubjects it in right and due order to Gods command: Here is one act toward making of right paths for our feet, or &s;teering a right cour&s;e of life from the in&s;tiga|tion of the Rod. So hee makes right paths for his feet, who &s;ets them by faith to command his feet to walk in them.</P>
<P N="2">2. By &s;etting our lame and halting feet in this right track drawn out for them; that is, plainly, by an exact and watchfull keeping of our hearts &amp; conver&s;ations in due order and re&s;pect unto tho&s;e right and even wayes of God; thus our making right paths, is our &s;trict attendance on them; This u&s;e <HI>David</HI> made of the Rod, hee kept Gods Word, and learn'd his Statures better. Now, if Faith do &s;o evidence the excellency of Gods right wayes, and &s;tirs up love in the &s;oule vehemently to them, obedience &s;utable mu&s;t be the effect, which will be the demon&s;tration of that upright frame, unto which by char&s;tening the Lord hath drawn them. I believe, therefore have I &s;poken, &s;aith the Prophet, Wee believe, therefore we &s;peak, &s;ay the Apo&s;tles; &s;ure it is, Faith &s;tirs up all the affections of the &s;oul and members of the body, love, feare, delight, eyes, eares, hands, and feet to that right worke which it holds forth; &s;o he makes right paths for his feet, that by Faith makes him&s;elfe to walk in them.</P>
<P N="3">3. One act more of Faith &s;utable to Gods care in afflicting his, as it is hinted by an expre&s;&s;ion in the Text, I &s;hall only touch, and that is &s;wiftne&s;&s;e of it's operation, making men not only walke, but run, in this &s;treight cour&s;e of an holy conver&s;ation; Faith makes the &s;oule active, yea, and &s;peedily active, even to run in the way of Gods Commandements, or contend for conformity to Gods uprightne&s;&s;e, as one &s;triving in a race. This indeed is not an Act di|&s;tinct in kinde from the former, but only in degree, putting on the &s;pirit to a greater &s;peed in the&s;e right wayes; Faith ha&s;tens in the right, and therein a man cannot run too fa&s;t. Such &s;peed <HI>David</HI> promi&s;eth to make upon inlargement of his heart from God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119 32. It is &s;afe e|nough, if <GAP DESC="foreign"> be car|ryed in that terme <GAP DESC="foreign">; that is, if our running be implyed in this track of a ranning wheel.</NOTE> by greater mea&s;ures of Faith. <HI>I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou &s;haltinlarge my heart:</HI> This pious conjecture from the wheel
<PB N="104" REF="62">track in the Text (&s;uppo&s;e of a Chariot) I could not omit, to put on to &s;peed as well as rectitude in wayes of God; &s;o may we admit that glo&s;&s;e, Make right races for your feet; that is, Run rightly in the race which God &s;ets before you. This is the cha&s;teneds duty; unto which, having added the motives in the Text, I &s;hall labour to conforme their practi&s;e, and then clo&s;e all.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. VIII.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> The fir&s;t motive to both precedent duties as given by the Apo&s;tie, <HI>Le&s;t that which is lame be turned out of the way.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IF farther rea&s;on be de&s;ired to move the afflicted for reaching af|ter comfort to them&s;elves, and rectitude toward God, I &s;hall adde no more, but what the Apo&s;tle here &s;upplies him&s;elf unto us, <HI>viz.</HI> Two main Con&s;iderations, both which have &s;trong influence upon the two foregoing duties, to per&s;wade unto them. The fir&s;t is from the inconvenience that nece&s;&s;arily followeth upon neglect of both or either of them; thus he rea&s;ons; It is needfull yee &s;hould cheer up your hearts, and make right paths for your feet, to &s;trive for incouragement and amendment under the Rod, for yee are lame and halt already, very unevenly yee walke with God already for want of comfort, &s;trength, and rule, I &s;ee your fle&s;h is offended, and hurts it &s;elfe by Gods &s;courge; It concernes you therefore to get reviving and rectifying power into your &s;oules, le&s;t it be wor&s;e with you, and from halting or imperfect walking, yee turne quite out of the way to utter Apo&s;ta&s;ie; be cheered therefore, be rectified, put forth your &s;elves to your appointed duties, &s;o may yee prevent another wayes unavoidable mi&s;chief. To &s;can the terms a little here; The <HI>lame</HI> is here a concrete, and notes the &s;ubject ill affected with lamene&s;&s;e or halting; This, as was ob&s;erved, is an imperfect going, a piece right, and a piece wrong, if wee take it as Natures common expre&s;&s;ion;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Claudicatione vocat cum m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">mmum alternant nec &s;incere &s;o D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o add cant, <HI>Calv.</HI> in text. <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> King. 18.21. Galat. 2 14.</HI></NOTE> Here it fitly &s;ignifies a perver&s;e or un&s;ound conver&s;ation between the right wayes of God, and fal&s;e wayes of the creatures; when a man would be for God, and yet he hankers after Idols too, as the&s;e halt|ing <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Claud<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;unt qui nondum per&s;pec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">er is faeder is &amp; novi di&s;crimine, it a ince|dunt, ut non in alteram part<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">m inclinent: Beza in Text.</NOTE> whom <HI>Elijah</HI> upbraids, for this uneven dealing; or tho&s;e Cripple-Chri&s;tians, that hung between <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and Chri&s;t, as between two crutches, and walked haltingly, not right in the Go&s;pel-faith; of which &s;ort is conceived by &s;ome, that the&s;e <HI>Hebrewes</HI> were, and there|fore here are warned of this halting: Such are many apt
<PB N="105" REF="62">to be under the Rod, while pre&s;&s;ed with pain, or overcharged with feare, they &s;eek any deviations for &s;helter from God, complying with worldly devices, and not wholly &s;haking off their profe&s;&s;ion of the Lord. This lamene&s;&s;e or halting then, is an un&s;ound wal|king with God, unto which the fle&s;h of Gods cha&s;tened doth much incline, while it is under the Rod: A carefull eye mu&s;t be then upon the hurt, le&s;t it prove fatall, and proceed to the utter &s;ubver&s;ion of the &s;oule: no le&s;&s;e is &s;ugge&s;ted in that expre&s;&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;t elegan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> haec locutio: multo enim de|terius e&s;t erra|re quam clau|dicare: jam qui claudicare inci|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">unt, non &s;ta|tim avertut &s;e a via, &s;ed pau|latim magis as magis ab <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">a re|cedunt, donec in errorem ab|repti in medio Satanae labyrintho haereant, <HI>Calvin.</HI> in text. Praeceptum e&s;t cure &amp; &s;tudii in vitus emendandis, &amp; corrigenda pravitate, ne ultima corruptio neglecta &s;anatione &s;equatur, ut cum clau|dicans pes per in&s;ignem perver&s;itatem detorquetur, <HI>Camerar.</HI> in Text.</NOTE> <HI>iurn'd out of the way,</HI> ever&s;ion, or utter falling off from God, and de&s;perate Apo&s;ta&s;ie is the truth of this metaphoricall Paraphra&s;e; as a lame foot is quite undone and killed, if it have no boltering, but is wre&s;ted &s;till into perver&s;e and crooked wayes; the very la&s;t corruption that is, the perdition of the &s;oule is here the mi&s;chiefe held out to move the cha|&s;ti&s;ed to a timely pur&s;uit of comfort, and reformation of their hearts under the Rod, this they mu&s;t &s;eek after, unle&s;&s;e they mean to peri&s;h. There be two truthes carried in this moving clau&s;e, one implied, the other expre&s;&s;ed, which mu&s;t be a little opened, that the &s;trength of this motive may be the better given out to inforce the former duties.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> <HI>The cha&s;tened of the Lord are u&s;ually apt to be lame and halt; that is, walk imperfectly with God under his &s;courge.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> <HI>This lamene&s;&s;e doth incline to utter Apo&s;ta&s;ie from God, and perdi|tion of the &s;oule, unle&s;&s;e prevented by timely comfort and reformation.</HI> The i&s;&s;ue of both the&s;e, is but to pre&s;&s;e the nece&s;&s;ity of attendance upon the former duties.</P>
<P>To the fir&s;t, <HI>Quid &s;it;</HI> that this is &s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. <HI>Quid &s;it.</HI> Gen. 12.13. Gen. 20.2.</NOTE> will appeare in a full in|duction of the afflicted Saints in all ages: See <HI>Abrahams</HI> halting with God in <HI>Egypt</HI> before <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> in <HI>Gerar</HI> before <HI>Abimelech.</HI> In the &s;ame kinde and place did <HI>I&s;aacs</HI> lamene&s;&s;e appeare under the &s;courge of Famine, he walked not perfectly with God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 26.7.</NOTE> So <HI>Jacob</HI> halted in the matter of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> wor&s;e then that was with Gods pinch;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 27.19.</NOTE> and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> halted in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially at the waters of <HI>Meribah,</HI> and poore <HI>David</HI> confe&s;&s;eth him&s;elfe ready to halt in all his &s;orrowes;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 20.11. 13. &amp; 38.17. Mat. 26.14.</NOTE> and terrified <HI>Peter</HI> halts quite down-right in the hight Prie&s;ts Hall. I need name no more in&s;tances of the&s;e; I &s;hall touch only the ground, which is univer&s;all in all Gods cha&s;tened.</P>
<P>The ri&s;e therefore and demon&s;trative ground of the Saints halt|ing in their affliction,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>2.</HI> Cur &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> is that &s;inful fle&s;h, which is as univer&s;all as
<PB N="106" REF="63">that naturall wherein they live, which being contrary to the Rod, and too weak for it, doth &s;uffer by it, becomes offended at it, not from the intention of the &s;courge, but from the corruption of the fle&s;h; thence is it grieved and hurt, even to lamene&s;&s;e and halting, a very uneven and imperfect walking with God; The&s;e un&s;eparable properties of the fle&s;t, will ea&s;ily evince this event under the Rod.</P>
<P N="1">1. Carnall &s;en&s;e of the &s;mart and bitterne&s;&s;e of affliction; Now this can di&s;cover nothing but evill, vexing and angring the crea|ture; therefore turnes it to &s;ome di&s;affection, both to the Rod, and him that did appoint it: This becomes di&s;mall hatred to God, in the wicked, who&s;e fle&s;h is predominant, but &s;tirrings of di&s;affection only in Gods own, who have the Spirit &s;upreme in them, which yet unregarded may become more dangerous: See this is <HI>Jehoram,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 6.33. Jon. 4.9.</NOTE> who threw off God upon it; and this in <HI>Jonah,</HI> who was &s;omething di&s;contented with him.</P>
<P N="2">2. Gro&s;&s;e love of the creature, which, though it cannot be in do|minion where grace is, yet may it greatly incline the man to it, e&s;pe|cially when the Rod comes to beat him off. How deeply this wounded <HI>Demas</HI> is &s;ad to read the Story; and how it lamed <HI>Peter</HI> the &s;econd time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4.10. Gal. 2.12, 13, 14.</NOTE> &s;o far, as to make him di&s;&s;emble the truth of Chri&s;t before his adver&s;aries, is too too evident.</P>
<P N="3">3. Ba&s;e feare of men, and crearture terrors, proper to this fle&s;h, do prompt to halting with God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mens homin's omni metu &s;u|perier, tantum quod Deo pro|be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ur reputa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, timor ad quae|renda diverti|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">s inge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">us e&s;t plus &s;atis, <HI>Calv.</HI> in text.</NOTE> when danger appeares, and &s;mart drawes neer the fle&s;h; this wounded <HI>Abraham</HI> with a lie, as well as <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> by a &s;ad back&s;liding from Chir&s;t: This hath been the laming, and almo&s;t the baining of many Saints in &s;everall age<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, when Gods hand hath been gone out in triall again&s;t his Church: Feare is &s;ubtile to finde digre&s;&s;ions from God, and make the &s;oule walk unevenly, and full of danger, yet this the univer&s;all affection of &s;infull fle&s;h.</P>
<P N="4">4. Fooli&s;h hope, to ea&s;e the &s;mart by complying with Gods ene|mies, and &s;o halting between both. This however it is not allowed in Gods children, yet are they &s;ubject to &s;uch motions from their fle&s;h helpt on by the power of Satan, whereby their hearts may be dampt,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 27.10.</NOTE> their limbs lamed, their pace may faulter towards God: See &s;omething of this in <HI>Davids</HI> carriage before Chri&s;t. Thus then the Saints have been, and may be in danger in their afflictions to be lamed and brought to halting, therefore but need by reviving and reform|ing to prevent this very lamene&s;&s;e; yet, if this be neither preven|ted, nor healed, greater danger than this is at hand, that may more orderly per&s;wade to the former duties.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="section">
<PB N="107" REF="63">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. IX.</HI> To the &s;econd part of the fir&s;t motive.</HEAD>
<P>TO the &s;econd, haltters in affliction are very apt to become Apo|&s;tates; if comfort may &s;top, and reformation prevent this mi&s;|chie&s;e, all rea&s;on will per&s;wade the lame &s;oule to make earne&s;tly af|ter the&s;e.</P>
<P>But why &s;hould &s;uch an argument as this be u&s;ed to Gods chil|dren, le&s;t that which is lame be turned out of the way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> when it is certain they cannot fall off from God unto perdition?</P>
<P>It is not irrationall to u&s;e &s;uch motives for duty to the mo&s;t &s;table and un&s;haken &s;oules in the Church here Militant,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> and therefore not unu&s;efull with the Spirit of God to pre&s;&s;e them upon the be&s;t of men, to keep them clo&s;e to their obedience; The&s;e con&s;iderations may evince the nece&s;&s;ity of &s;uch arguing toward the&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they are rationall creatures, grace hath not &s;wallowed up rea&s;on, nor de&s;troyed the man, though it over-power and innoble it for heaven. Now to all &s;uch, all <HI>rea&s;on-foreing</HI> and convincing ar|guments are &s;utable; now prevention from finall Apo&s;ta&s;ie to per|dition, is a forcible con&s;ideration to every rationall creature to take heed of the halting evill that leads unto it, and make u&s;e of all pre|&s;ervatives, comforts, coun&s;els, for rectifying and e&s;tabli&s;hing that will certainly keep the &s;oules from it; therefore meet for the be&s;t as well as for the wor&s;t of men.</P>
<P>Secondly, they are (even the be&s;t) in great part carnall, and &s;old under &s;in, as the Apo&s;tle was, and every one is, in the fir&s;t great bill of &s;ale by mans tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, however in Chri&s;t redeemed, and &s;et above the power of corruption; yet even in this &s;tate of grace &s;in is in them as thornes in their &s;ides, and pricks in their eyes; and therefore &s;trongly inclining them to fall from God, however they be kept by the power of God unto &s;alvation. This did &s;o terrifie that holy man, that he cried out, <HI>Who &s;hall deliver me from this body of death?</HI> Where then di&s;ea&s;es are, though not predominant, it is not unrea|&s;onable to pre&s;&s;e for care to prevent death.</P>
<P>Thirdly, con&s;ider the ground of their e&s;tabli&s;hment; That they cannot fall away from God, is not from any &s;trength or ability in them&s;elves to &s;tand, nor indeed from any creature Con&s;ideration, for mutability and change is the creatures adjunct, but it is meerly grounded upon the Covenant of God to Chri&s;t and to his &s;eed, wherein his power, wi&s;dome, ju&s;tice, truth, and immutability are
<PB N="108" REF="64">freely ingaged to keep the&s;e &s;oules from perdition unto eternall life. Now, that wi&s;dome that hath contrived the per&s;everance of the&s;e to glory, who are &s;o fraile and un&s;table in them&s;elves, hath al|&s;o ca&s;t the way whereby he will accompli&s;h this promi&s;ed end, and deals with them, as well rationally as powerfully to effect this pur|po&s;e; It plea&s;eth therefore this <HI>God-wi&s;dome,</HI> to &s;ute arguments to the &s;tate of his creatures, he &s;eeth the remainders of pride in their fle&s;h, that upon conceit of priviledge, may puffe up, and make &s;e|cure, and thence thinks fit to pre&s;&s;e &s;ome terrible con&s;iderations to &s;uppre&s;&s;e &s;uch &s;wellings, and keep the &s;oule in an humble and be|lieving feare, whereby it is inabled to &s;teer it's cour&s;e directly un|to God, and to reach home unto him; however indeed the argument of it &s;elfe cannot prevaile, but the power of God in it drawes over the heart to yeeld obedience: no unrea&s;onablene&s;&s;e then to pre&s;&s;e the fixed ones of God with &s;uch &s;haking rea&s;on, for this way God doth fa&s;ten them in his Kingdome. This rub removed, two things mu&s;t be declared to open the force of this motive: fir&s;t, that halting doth incline to Apo&s;ta&s;ie: &s;econdly, that there is a death-preventing vertue in the former duties, to keep from this fall. For di&s;covery of the fir&s;t, the demon&s;tration will be cleer in their properties of halt|ing, which are in&s;eparable from it, however vincible by grace.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Claudicatio partim decla|rat tarditate, partim etiam incon&s;tantiam in doctrina, <HI>Beza</HI> in Text. &amp; <HI>Rob Steph.</HI></NOTE> The &s;lowne&s;&s;e or backwardne&s;&s;e; the indi&s;po&s;ition of the lame feet to walk, loth they are to put forward in motion; now &s;uch re|tarding of an halting heart in the way of God, doth not only increa&s;e the indi&s;po&s;ition to move, but gives occa&s;ion to all the enemies of &s;alvation, the world and devill as well as their owne fle&s;h, more mightily to with&s;tand them, and beat them backe againe, or turne them quite out of Gods even track; delay or &s;lackne&s;&s;e is no where &s;o dangerous, as in the way of God, &s;o many lu&s;ts and temptations there be, that upon the lea&s;t &s;tand do overtake us; every &s;tep in Gods race is a &s;tep backward in event. Now with this evill the halting Saints are infected,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> King. 18.</NOTE> and therefore in danger of back&s;liding them&s;elves, though graciou&s;ly prevented by God. How &s;lacke the&s;e halters were in <HI>Elijahs</HI> time, and how neer thereby to be driven off from God, the Story makes very cleer; they were halfe inclining unto <HI>Baal.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The crookedne&s;&s;e or uneven treading of the lame walking feet mu&s;t needs incline to greater wandrings; perver&s;ne&s;&s;e in, tends directly to aver&s;enes from the wayes of God. A member disjoynted, and &s;et in a po&s;ture &s;utable to its mi&s;placing, mu&s;t needs grow di&s;|torted,
<PB N="109" REF="64">and ugly in proce&s;&s;e of time. So doth the uneven pace of the halting heart incline to a de&s;perate defection in the progre&s;&s;e, unle&s;s forbidden by the great God. The Lord therefore chideth his Di&s;ci|ples out of their crooked and perver&s;e di&s;po&s;ition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 17.17.</NOTE> <HI>O perver&s;e genera|tion, how long &s;hall I be with you? how long &s;hall I &s;uffer you?</HI> It was but infirmitie in them, yet not to be &s;uffered, for it tended to greater ruins, as it proved with another &s;ort of fal&s;e Chri&s;tians,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.5.</NOTE> from whom <HI>Timothy</HI> was advi&s;ed to withdraw.</P>
<P N="3">3. The weaknes of the halting feete, and thence pronene&s;&s;e to be driven out by oppo&s;ition, or to fall out of the way of God utter|ly of them&s;elves for want of &s;trength; every weakne&s;&s;e in the very entrance inclines to more habituated di&s;tempers, and then to death; and no le&s;&s;e infirmity in the Chri&s;tians life, and walking, tends to greater perver&s;ene&s;&s;e and fatall danger: The duski&s;h evening leads into the darke&s;t night, and the weake&s;t evill brings ever to a wor&s;e, unle&s;&s;e in time re&s;i&s;ted. This made <HI>Paul</HI> &s;tand up &s;o &s;ternly again&s;t tho&s;e at Antioch, which did <HI>not walk rightly,</HI> that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.14. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> they did halt in the way of the Go&s;pel, and he did re&s;i&s;t their di&s;&s;embling, le&s;t it &s;hould proceed to greater wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;o to the ruine of their &s;ouls. It is evident in the&s;e now, that halting doth of it &s;elf incline to pernicious Apo&s;ta&s;ie, and the &s;ouls de&s;truction. But why this a motive to comfort, and conformity or rectifying wayes to God? The rea&s;on of this mu&s;t be the vertue of the&s;e duties for prevention of this di&s;mall evill: The next con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>To the &s;econd. The power in the former duties effectuall for cure of this evill, is twofold. 1 Primitive, to turn away tho&s;e pernici|ous maladies that breed and bring forth this Apo&s;ta&s;ie. 2 Po&s;itive, to keep the &s;oul in a true and perfect &s;tate with God: this more pro|perly is con&s;iderable in the &s;econd motive for healing, the former is the work for pre&s;ent to &s;tate that. Now the&s;e two duties, encou|ragement and amendment, are &s;weetly fitted again&s;t two &s;orts of evils, that work this overthrow of poore &s;ouls; &s;ome are weakning evils that di&s;able the &s;oul to &s;tand again&s;t it, others are perverting evils, thru&s;ting the &s;oul out of Gods way into perdition: Comfort is the cure of the&s;e, and Reformation the bane of the&s;e; whereof &s;omething would be di&s;covered more di&s;tinctly.</P>
<P N="1">1. The con&s;olations of Chri&s;t where&s;oever they come, remove the&s;e weakning and di&s;-inabling evils which lay the &s;oul more open, naked, and obnoxious to the mi&s;chief of all Apo&s;tarizing corrupti|ons; the &s;tating of tho&s;e evils with the application of this remedie
<PB N="110" REF="65">will be here convenient. 1 The fading of light for di&s;coverie of God in Chri&s;t reconciled, makes the &s;oul very weak, apt to be turn|ed a&s;ide from the truth, having lo&s;t God out of the eye; for want of light indeed many times a poore &s;oul is turned into an hell of &s;in and mi&s;erie; for who can be &s;olicitous to keep clo&s;e to God, who &s;eeth him not, or at lea&s;t not reconciled? To this the comforts of Chri&s;t do give &s;overaigne help, for which cau&s;e it mu&s;t be, that the Apo&s;tle in hsi method of bringing the Churches to the abundant knowledge of the my&s;terie of God in Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.2.</NOTE> he &s;trives fir&s;t <HI>that their hearts might be comforted:</HI> and thence would he draw them <HI>to the ri|ches of the full a&s;&s;urance of under&s;tanding to the acknowledgement of,</HI> or in&s;ight into, the <HI>my&s;terie of God, of the Father, and of Chri&s;t.</HI> And tru|ly no &s;oul can be &s;o intimately acquainted with the &s;ecret of God in Chri&s;t, the great pre&s;ervative again&s;t Apo&s;ta&s;ie, but that &s;oul that ta&s;tes of his &s;weet and ravi&s;hing con&s;olations, and hath his heart re|vived by him: reach after Chri&s;ts comforts then they mu&s;t, that de|&s;ire fully to &s;ee him, and &s;eeing to be e&s;tabli&s;hed by him.</P>
<P N="2">2. The fainting of hope, and therewith the decay of vitall &s;pi|rits is a very great weaking, and expo&s;eth of it &s;elf to death, un|le&s;&s;e a remedie be timely; and none better than the con&s;olations of God for removing of this dangerous ob&s;truction, and reviving the drooping &s;pirit. Alas, the dying of hope leaves the &s;oul as a live|le&s;&s;e thing, turns it into a mi&s;erable &s;tate of confu&s;ion and di&s;tracti|on, that it is even readie to cur&s;e God &s;ometimes unawares and die, and lieth liable hereby to the tempters furie to be hurried into a &s;oul-killing de&s;pair. Now to give life to this hope, the Apo&s;tle im|plores God for his poore Romanes; but under what notion? hear his words,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.5.13.</NOTE> once the <HI>God of con&s;olation,</HI> or the comforting God: and again, <HI>the God of hope,</HI> even that makes to hope, <HI>fill you with all joy, and peace in beleeving, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the holy Gho&s;t.</HI> It is then the comforting and hope-rai&s;ing God, that can create hope, and by hope joy, and by joy e&s;tabli&s;hment, for his poore creatures; Con&s;olation and the comforting power in God bears all this work. The P&s;almi&s;t found this vertue of divine con|&s;olation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94.19.</NOTE> <HI>In the multitude of my thoughts within me</HI> (confu&s;ion of thoughts were within him what cour&s;e to take, whether to &s;tick to God, or leave him) <HI>thy comforts delight my &s;oul;</HI> The&s;e revive and keep from &s;inking: Who would not catch after the&s;e grcedily ra|ther then die?</P>
<P N="3">3. The failing of duties and vitall actions are a &s;ad pre&s;age of
<PB N="111" REF="65">death, as well as a great weakning in pre&s;ent to the &s;oul; every o|mi&s;&s;ion or weak performance is like a ga&s;pe before giving up the gho&s;t; Now no way to cure this but by cordials, and none like the comforts of Chri&s;t. When Chri&s;t him&s;elf was in the conflict, buffet|ed by Satan to make him deny his Father, to let us &s;ee that our fle&s;h in him needed &s;upport, Angels are &s;ent to mini&s;ter to him, and &s;up|port the fle&s;h; how much more need hath our poore &s;piritle&s;&s;e fle&s;h of this?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 4.12.</NOTE> For want of praying, and for want of walking, the &s;oul may be &s;ubverted utterly, and for want of comfort it can do neither; nothing &s;trengthens the hands more to the work of God than the con&s;olation of Chri&s;t, and nothing keeps more from Apo&s;ta&s;ie, then to walk circum&s;pectly in the wayes of God, and abound in his work. In &s;ad di&s;tempers <HI>Jeremiah</HI> re&s;olves to do no more work, not to &s;peak again in the name of the Lord, but when the fire burnt within him, and the comforting &s;pirit inflamed him, he could not hold his tongue. Never did <HI>David</HI> fall fouler then when his heart flag'd, and fell off from dutie; and never was it well with him again, untill Gods comforts had rai&s;ed him to his former communion.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.1.&amp;c.</NOTE> See how the&s;e con&s;olations as well as convictions mini&s;tred by <HI>Nathan,</HI> put him upon prayer again,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42.5.11.</NOTE> to recover his fall; Nay frequently is he forced to beat the comforts of God upon his own heart to keep him from defection, and that by rea&s;on of weakne&s;&s;e was growing on him: dutie &s;aves from Apo&s;ta&s;ie, and comfort keeps up to duty; It is but rea&s;onable then, to prevent &s;ubver&s;ion we labour for &s;trength of action towards God, and for &s;upport in this, we &s;trive to take hold of comfort in our afflictions: The Go&s;pels comfort can onely cure &s;uol-killing faintings; &s;eek it, then &s;eek it ye afflict|ed of the Lord.</P>
<P N="2">2. Other evils there are not onely perverting, but indeed &s;ub|verting the &s;oul, and &s;eparating from God, unto which the &s;econd dutie carrieth a vertue contrary and &s;overaigne to de&s;troy them. The evils &s;o incident to halting, and &s;o efficient to Apo&s;ta&s;ie are &s;uch as the&s;e: unbeleef, inordinate affection, and uneven walking, whereof we may note the malignitie in them&s;elves, and the remedie in the duty. 1. Vnbeleefe is the &s;trong inducement of a perpetuall back&s;liding from God; It was therfore but a rea&s;onable Item of the Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 3.12.</NOTE> <HI>Take heed, brethren, le&s;t there be in any of you and evill heart of unbeleef in departing from the living God:</HI> Vnbeleef will make Apo|&s;tates if it prevail; but now con&s;cience in making right paths for our feet, mu&s;t needs drive us from haltings in faith, and if we &s;ecure
<PB N="112" REF="66">our &s;ouls from them we are &s;afe from falling. This is evidently pro|vided for in the dutie pre&s;&s;ed, for if care be to make all tracks to Heaven right, then that of faith (without which there is no having God or life) mu&s;t needs be rectified; &s;et right upon its object God in Chri&s;t, and right upon its work to make evident the un&s;een ex|cellencies of Heaven, and to give &s;ub&s;i&s;tence to, and pre&s;ent com|fort from our hoped glorie: Where this care is exerci&s;ed, lamene&s;&s;e of faith will be relieved, and an utter Apo&s;ta&s;ie &s;weetly pre|vented.</P>
<P N="2">2. Inordinate affection is as dangerous a furtherance to finall de|fection from God; when affections break their bounds, tran&s;gre&s;&s;e their rule, and grow turbulent in the &s;oul, pre&s;&s;ing their own way, they expo&s;e the &s;oul to all dangerous con&s;equences; As when fear is more of man then of God, and love more of the creature, then of the Creator, and joy more in vanity then in reall good, that &s;oul mu&s;t be hurried to for&s;ake God, as it fared with <HI>Demas,</HI> and other fal&s;e named Chri&s;tians, in whom affections were inordinate, and out of place; But now by this rectifying work, affections are &s;et in their right places, and to their right imployment, to honour God onely; &s;o fear brings home to God, and love clo&s;eth with him, and joy is perfectly upon him; where the&s;e &s;o work, great &s;ecuritie is given again&s;t Apo&s;ta&s;ie. The Lord Chri&s;t therefore gives charge for right ordering affections,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10.28. 1 Ioh. 2.18.</NOTE> <HI>Fear not them that can kill the body, &amp;c.</HI> And his beloved di&s;ciple followeth his &s;teps, <HI>Love not the world, &amp;c.</HI> the Fathers love is not con&s;i&s;tent with it, this is rea&s;on &s;trong enough. The right &s;tate of the&s;e keep us right with God for ever.</P>
<P N="3">3. Vneven walking with God, is the u&s;uall means of bringing him in contempt with creatures, and then of turning the heart farre from him: one crooked &s;tep allowed, &s;tirs up the heart to quarrell with the upirght God, becau&s;e his way is too &s;treight for us, and we willing to approve our own wayes rather then his, and if &s;in be &s;uf|fered to proceed, it will &s;hake off from God for ever. One &s;tragling &s;tep put <HI>Peter</HI> at a great di&s;tance from Chri&s;t, and had he not been recalled, how pernitious might his &s;lip have been? Right paths, and right di&s;po&s;ition of feet in them is the onely way to cure this evill, and to keep from utter back&s;liding. It is a &s;weet expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Davids, I will walk in mine integritie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 26.11.12.</NOTE> but what cour&s;e takes he for that? <HI>My foot</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;tandeth in an even place,</HI> right and &s;treight with God, to that po&s;ture he holds it, and what the i&s;&s;ue? <HI>In the Con|gregation, I will ble&s;&s;e the Lord,</HI> and he that ble&s;&s;eth &s;hall never leave
<PB N="113" REF="66">him. <HI>Ezekiels</HI> cun&s;ell &s;hall clo&s;e up this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.30.</NOTE> <HI>Repent, and turn your &s;elves from all your tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions:</HI> &s;et right, and keep right hearts and wayes to God; &s;o, <HI>&s;hall not iniquitie be your ruine:</HI> but crooked wayes lead &s;urely to perdition.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. X.</HI> Second Motive.</HEAD>
<P>THe &s;econd Motive,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>But let it rather be healed.</HI> It this the word of Gods own Spirit? Surely then God had rather that poore &s;ouls, lame and halting, under affliction &s;hould be healed, than be hurt more, maimed, and utterly turn'd off as unu&s;efull for him: And as his mind is, &s;o is the means he u&s;eth, inclined to work the health, and not the death of his cha&s;tened ones. His rod therefore is intended, and not onely &s;o, but effectually commanded, to pro|duce comfort, and correction, which will cure any hurt occa&s;ioned by its &s;mart. If health then, yea &s;aving health be in it &s;elf de&s;irable, reviving and reforming under the rods di&s;pen&s;ation mu&s;t be the mark to which the &s;oul mu&s;t reach; no health to be hoped for with|out them.</P>
<P>The moving Con&s;ideration then to Con&s;cience in former duties from the pre&s;ent word may be thus propo&s;ed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> Gods choice is to have his rod prove rather healthfull then hurtfull to his cha&s;tened children; healing not killing is the prime intention of the rod, which mu&s;t pre&s;&s;e them to u&s;e the rod for incouragement, and amendment, who ever de&s;ire life, and not death. Two Queres mu&s;t be &s;atisfied to open the &s;trength of this Motive. 1. What is this health or heal|ing? 2. What vertue is in former duties with re&s;pect unto the rod, for healing the lame and halting &s;oul. The&s;e being apparent, may put on to more circum&s;pection in dutie.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">itas corporis in duobus &s;ita e&s;t in deb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ta humo|rum &s;ymmeiria, &s;ecundum quan|t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">tatem &amp; quali|tatem, &amp; in &s;pongio&s;o quodam habitu nu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">lis ob|&s;tructionibus im|pedito, us &s;pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">us &amp; &s;anguis libe|rum per omnes pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s habeat di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ur&s;um. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;. de Val. com. c. 5.</NOTE></P>
<P>To the fir&s;, I &s;hall &s;hortly reply; healing here is a borrowed ex|pre&s;&s;ion fitted to that lamene&s;&s;e or halting mentioned before; both termes fetting out the evill and good e&s;tate of the body, but here appiled to a &s;pirituall u&s;e; that nothing the bad, this the good con|dition of the &s;oul: Health is the effect of healing, and in the naturall acception thus conceived. It is the good or pro&s;perous &s;tate of life con&s;i&s;ting in a due proportioned temper within, as in the right di&s;|po&s;ition of parts without, and in a free communion of blood and &s;pirits through the whole &s;ubject; whereby a man is &s;aid to live well, or be well; life above di&s;turbance, or life in peace is truly health.
<PB N="114" REF="67">Let this be &s;piritualized, and it may fit here; &s;pirituall life (of which here) is the re&s;ult of the union of the &s;oul with Chri&s;t; the health intended is the good and pro&s;perous &s;tate of this life, which inward|ly con&s;i&s;ts in its duely proportioned union with Chri&s;t, and free communion of &s;pirit from him, without fatall ob&s;tructions of &s;in, and outwardly in the light of Gods countenance, and favour, ex|pre&s;&s;ed in externall ble&s;&s;ings, which make this life, &s;weetly comfor|table. Vpon interruption of either, this life is weakned by inward ob&s;tructions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5.8.</NOTE> as it was with her that cried, <HI>I am &s;ick of Love:</HI> and by outward ob&s;tructions al&s;o is it &s;omething impaired, whereupon in ca&s;e of any outward affliction on the Church, a &s;eeming eclip&s;e of Gods countenance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 5 13. Jer. 8.22.</NOTE> It is &s;aid to be &s;ick, and the health of it out gone up nor recovered. This &s;tate of health then mu&s;t needs be very &s;weet, therefore evey de&s;irable; unto which the rod by its comfort|ing and reforming influence being duely received, doth very much advantage. The view of the &s;everall healing vertues in the duties urged, will clear this, and more forcibly pre&s;&s;e to a due, and con|&s;cionable ob&s;ervance of them, which &s;hall now be laboured.</P>
<P N="1">1. The healing vertue of true comfort &s;overaigne over all &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e, lamene&s;&s;e, or halting of &s;pirit to God-ward, cau&s;ed either by &s;infull ob&s;tructions, or dangerous &s;tumblings, will be evident in the&s;e &s;peciall &s;aving properties of it.</P>
<P N="1">1. The clo&s;ing or uniting vertue of it in ca&s;e of any breach, or &s;e|paration, made by ob&s;tructive &s;in between the &s;oul, and Chri&s;t its life; oyl, and balme are therefore &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions of comfort, they clo&s;e the breaches of the fle&s;h, and &s;o heal; no le&s;&s;e the con&s;olations of God: The&s;e reviving influences ari&s;ing from God, do both give forth God unto the &s;oul, and draw the &s;pirit back again to God. <HI>Chri&s;ts name,</HI> that is, his &s;weetne&s;&s;e are comforts manife&s;ted, <HI>is as oint|ment powred forth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1.8.</NOTE> (which is attractive upon the &s;en&s;e of &s;tanders by) <HI>therefore the virgins love him,</HI> pure &s;ouls &s;eparate from unclean|ne&s;&s;e, by love cleave to him, and are clo&s;ed with him. O that broken and afflicted hearts, who refu&s;e comfort would but con&s;ider, every touch of comfort is a clo&s;e of the &s;oul with Chri&s;t, they would catch for this, that they might clo&s;e with him.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is a gladding influence from this comfort, it chears the &s;pirit, and makes life light&s;ome and plea&s;ant, this is health; grief makes the heart &s;ick, but joy re&s;tores it: The healing medicine of
<PB N="115" REF="67">Chri&s;t, his comfort is therefore &s;tiled, the oyl of gladne&s;&s;e; it makes glad the heavie &s;pirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 35.7.</NOTE> and by chearing heals the &s;ad di&s;tempers of it; no cure to be hoped for him, who&s;e &s;pirit is overwhelmed, and will take no gladding cordiall. Con&s;ider thou &s;ad heart, not com|forted, joy revives, and grief mu&s;t kill; take heed of &s;elf-de&s;troying, by rejecting gladne&s;&s;e, that will heal.</P>
<P N="3">3. There is an heart inlarging vertue in this comfort of Chri&s;t, and the more open the heart is to God, the more &s;aving health there; Oble&s;&s;ed healthy &s;oul, where all influences of Chri&s;ts Spirit have roome and pa&s;&s;age to diffu&s;e them&s;elves through the man, he mu&s;t needs be well. Grief draws up the heart like a pur&s;e, and &s;hortens the &s;pirit, therefore it mu&s;t make &s;ick; but Comfort opens it wide, and gives God full &s;cope. Life may expatiate here, and de|light it &s;elf, this is health indeed. O that the contracted heart, that cries out of its &s;traitne&s;&s;e unto God, would think, to be comforted is to be inlarged; every drop of this oyl opens the heart, and gives way to the Spirit of Chri&s;t to run to and fro freely; this is the &s;a|vingly healthfull man.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 27.4.5. P&s;al. 119.32.</NOTE> No man more hunting after comfort then <HI>David,</HI> and none more inlarged to God then he, he cals for this, and for that al&s;o. De we the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="4">4. There is a &s;oul-quickning power in the&s;e con&s;olations, joy inlivens, and makes man active; not onely to live, but to be lively, this is health. This very &s;ight of comfort, made the Spou&s;e run to her beloved, and ha&s;ten him with her cries unto her,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1.4. and 8.14.</NOTE> <HI>Draw, and we will run,</HI> is her expre&s;&s;ion, and <HI>Ha&s;te my beloved</HI> is her call: The active &s;oul for God mu&s;t needs be healthfull: &s;ad heart, lie not &s;till com|plaining, thou art dead and dull, it is thy &s;ickne&s;&s;e, drink in the con|&s;olations of Chri&s;t, the&s;e will re&s;tore and quicken; why refu&s;e&s;t thou to be comforted? The God of comfort, by the Son of comfort,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57.18.</NOTE> through the Spirit of comfort, out of the promi&s;e of comfort, &s;up|plies all this to his lame, and halt, becau&s;e he will have their heal|ing, not their peri&s;hing, and perpetuates them hereby in a good &s;tate of health, that it may abide with them for ever. Weigh thia in|ducement to obedience.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="section">
<PB N="116" REF="68">
<HEAD><HI>SECT. XI.</HI> The healing vertue of the &s;econd duty.</HEAD>
<P N="2">2. THe force of healing in the &s;econd duty which is equally pre&s;|&s;ed with the former, that we may no le&s;&s;e urge it from this motive, is there con&s;iderable. The duty is <HI>rectifying wayes,</HI> or <HI>re|formation,</HI> which God urgeth from his Rod, not to hurt, but to heal: God would certainly have healing of &s;oules rather then fe&s;tering or de&s;troying; therefore his coun&s;ell is, to make &s;treight paths, that we may be healed, rather then &s;ubverted: The healing vertue then in this duty,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Heb. 9.10.</NOTE> would be di&s;covered to incourage more earne&s;tly to lay hold upon it; and this will appeare in the effects of this <HI>rectifying our paths,</HI> or of <HI>reformation,</HI> if it be that <HI>thorow righting</HI> of the &s;oule as is intended by it, the&s;e are a three-fold rectitude left upon the man.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Recta di&s;po&s;it to part<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">m.</NOTE> A right di&s;po&s;ition of the parts con&s;iderable in this living crea|ture, which is the new creature, or Chri&s;tian now exerci&s;ed under Gods Rod. As it is in man, or any other living creature, it is not well, unle&s;&s;e &s;oule and body have a fit harmonicall union and con|&s;ent; nerver can health be expected there, where life was never well &s;eated: &s;o, unle&s;&s;e there be a right cementing (as I may call it) or di&s;po&s;ition of the &s;oule with Chri&s;t the fundamentall life of it, it cannot live, and therefore not live well, or be in health. The&s;e con|ditions are requi&s;ite hereunto.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mons &s;ana in corpore &s;ano.</NOTE> That the parts &s;o di&s;po&s;ed for union between them&s;elves be true, the truth of Chri&s;t to the truth of men, to phan&s;ie, or make an imaginary Chri&s;t to be coupled with man, or an ima|ginary man to be united to Chri&s;t, is but to erre, not to rectifie. A mon&s;trous, imperfect, or a cra&s;ie body joyned with the mo&s;t ex|cellent &s;oule, can never make an healthy man; both true and &s;ound make the man found indeed. In this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e wary we mu&s;t be not to mi&s;take Chri&s;t in re&s;pect of our &s;elves,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">h. 25.1, 2.</NOTE> nor our &s;elves in re&s;pect to Chri&s;t; He the true Vine, and we the true branches, are like to make a noble plant to God: Heart to heart, &s;pirit to &s;pirit mu&s;t be &s;uted.</P>
<P N="2">2. That the di&s;po&s;ition of the&s;e each to other be reall; imagina|ry unions are as u&s;ele&s;&s;e here as imaginary parts, a reall habitude or re&s;pect of each other mu&s;t be here; health is not in imagination, but reall fruition.</P>
<P N="3">3. That this di&s;po&s;ition be immediate between Chri&s;t and the
<PB N="117" REF="68">&s;oule without any intervening &s;odering; Chri&s;t for the &s;oule, and the &s;oule for Chri&s;t, without other mediating cau&s;es; The&s;e may prove ob&s;tructions, and de&s;t oy our life in Chri&s;t, not &s;ave it.</P>
<P N="4">4. That this placing of the&s;e parts be orderly, Chri&s;t in Supre|macy, the &s;oule in &s;ubordination: That body is not well, who&s;e members are out of place; it mu&s;t be deficient in beauty, if not in health; and indeed an uneven and unfit di&s;po&s;ition of members, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s reformation puts all right this way, and makes a good foundation for &s;aving health, when body and &s;oule &s;tand in a right a&s;pect to Chri&s;t, all mu&s;t be well to God-ward there.</P>
<P N="2">2. A right di&s;po&s;ition of faculties and inward affections,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rectad &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">tio <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> when judgement, will and affections &s;tand right with God in that Euan|ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">call rectitude promi&s;ed to, and wrought in the true members of Chri&s;t, which is a true conformity to the minde of God, though not in pre&s;ent reaching in degrees, yet to be perfected in Gods appoin|ted time. This is quite contrary to all crooked and perver&s;e di&s;po&s;i|tions, and therfore mu&s;t be the healing of them, if di&s;tempers be be&s;t cured by contraries; a cleane heart and a right &s;pirit, is that which <HI>David</HI> calls for, to recover his hurt that befell him by his fall.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.10.</NOTE> When minds &s;tand right with Gods mind, and will with Gods will, and love where God would have it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3.21.</NOTE> and feare where God appoints it, and zeale where God calls for it, &s;o that an&s;wer of con&s;cience is directly to Gods call,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 27.8.</NOTE> according to that, when God &s;aith, <HI>Seek yee my face,</HI> the heart an&s;wers in very termes, <HI>Thy face, Lord, will I &s;eeke;</HI> this is a &s;ound &s;pirit in good &s;tate of health; rectifying therefore mu&s;t be healing.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ctad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">po&s;io <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> A right di&s;po&s;ition of acts and conver&s;ation; exerci&s;e as it is a token and effect of health of body, &s;o no le&s;&s;e a pre&s;ervative of it, rightly ordered. Surely in the pre&s;ent ca&s;e it is very true, right wayes with God are the effect of an healing reformation, and do al&s;o perfect it; right hands, and right feet, pitching upon right works and right wayes, argue an healthy &s;oule indeed, and &s;o keep it in that good condition from over-powering di&s;tempers by &s;in, &s;uch <HI>do no iniquity,</HI> here &s;ecurity from &s;atall &s;icken&s;&s;e or halting;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.3.</NOTE> but whence this? <HI>They walke in his wayes;</HI> This right di&s;po&s;all of wayes and godly exerci&s;e, p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">vents &s;pirituall di&s;ea&s;es, and I keeps the &s;oule in health. Thus far we &s;ee the &s;weet healing vertue of the&s;e duties, &s;uch a benefit of them as may make them truly de&s;ire|able
<PB N="118" REF="69">by Chri&s;tian &s;oules: Heaving therefore thus touched the good|ne&s;&s;e of the&s;e motives, which is their drawing force, for a clo&s;e of all, as God directs, I &s;hall only labour to move by them to the practice of tho&s;e duties which concernes the cha&s;tened in the right u&s;e of their afflictions.</P>
<P>Heare now, yee afflicted of the Lord, Doth God &s;o pity the halt and the lame, that are any way maimed by the Rod, that he choo&s;eth healing for them, not greater ruptures or &s;ubver&s;ions? Be then of Gods minde, and cloo&s;e your own life, not your death; for this purpo&s;e rea&s;on will guide you to take hold on comfort, and perfect reformation; The&s;e are the binding, hearling wayes for the &s;icke and broken; if health, yea, &s;aving health, in God be &s;o good, &s;o de|&s;irable, catch at comfort in Chri&s;t, cheere up, lift up hanging hands and pal&s;ie knees, pur&s;ue a through righting of the &s;oule, a full re|formation, the&s;e will be health to the navell, and marrow to the bones. The duties have been &s;tated already, looke there what is to be done; The rules of right pro&s;ecution I &s;hall only adde here, that wee may walk by line, and not &s;werve, they are &s;uch as the&s;e:</P>
<P N="1">1. Pro&s;ecute the&s;e really; true comfort, and true reformation mu&s;t be truly pur&s;ued, with reall care, purpo&s;e of heart, and affecti|on of &s;oule, to pro&s;per.</P>
<P N="2">2. Pur&s;ue them equally; as much &s;trenght and vertue are in one as other; &s;eek after reviving or con&s;olation of Chri&s;t, as much as after rectifying or amendment, &s;weetne&s;&s;e of life, health and &s;trength are equally promoted by both.</P>
<P N="3">3. Follow them orderly, it may be needfull &s;ometimes, fir&s;t to comfort and &s;trengthen hands and feet, before we exerci&s;e them to works or wayes, but then the in&s;eparable i&s;&s;ue of comfort mu&s;t be amendment, and right walking; be not &s;hie of the con&s;olations of God upon pretence of unworthine&s;&s;e, the&s;e mu&s;t make us worthy, at lea&s;t, as they are un&s;eparably united, let them be joyned in the pro&s;ecution; take one to di&s;po&s;e more &s;weetly to the other.</P>
<P N="4">4. Pur&s;ue them earne&s;tly, as a man would &s;trive for life and health, yea, and with that con&s;tancy, as is &s;utable to that de&s;ire of living ever; &s;uch pre&s;ervatives of health make a ble&s;&s;ed life, while they are in u&s;e, health is maintain'd, and life perfected; as yee de&s;ire to live, then labour to be comforted, and recti&s;ied in Chri&s;t; Cheere|fulne&s;&s;e and rectitude will e&s;tabli&s;h you for ever; Be eager, be con|&s;tant in their pur&s;uite; con&s;cience in duty will &s;igne you the true
<PB N="119" REF="69">members of Chri&s;t, and &s;ervants of the great God. Neither will your Lord forget his promi&s;es or covenant of his truth; In your duties he will meet you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14.4. Zeph. 3.19.</NOTE> <HI>He will heale your back-&s;lidings, and love you free|ly,</HI> hee will <HI>&s;ave the &s;oule that halteth:</HI> though the Rod &s;mart a while, your pain &s;hall be your gain; it is your Father that cha&s;ti|&s;eth, he &s;eekes not your fainting, but reviving, not your evill in hardening, but your good in reforming, not your &s;ubver&s;ion, but conver&s;ion to him, not your &s;ickne&s;&s;e, nor your death, but your life, and everla&s;ting health: &s;eek yee al&s;o and yee &s;hall finde. The cha|&s;tening Father, the mediating Sonne, the comforting and quickening Spirit, are all ingaged to give in the &s;weet and full fruit of cha&s;ten|ing providence to your &s;oules; &s;trainten not your own bowels, but open to them, and labour with them. By that Spirit of joy and love, through the Prince of peace, and Son of love, give glory to that tender Father, who is God-Love, ble&s;&s;ed for ever: from him this one God in three are all things, to him be glory in the Churches for ever and for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
