Clnp 6. SeC!: '5· f!e~pcrtencc5. SECT. 5· The conjidn·ariou of Experience! in a praUical courfe,orfome praHical RuleJ to be obforved. ] T were good for Chriftians, inten<;ling the praClical part, to obfcrvc thefe or the . like Rules. 5 Some Cautionary. (' Some DireClory. • 1 • T!le Cautionary Rules may be thcfc: --- I. Ingnhcring Expt-riences, BnMre ofmifpnfion of Gods Providen,·es. Therearc manv mithkcs now a days, and therefore tt ts out belt & only courfe, for our fecunty, to interpret all Cods works out of his Word: We muft n:ake the Scriptures [as we faid before] a conltruing book to the book of Gods Provtdences : Judge netthcr better of prufperity, nor worfc of advcrfity, than Gods Word warrants us. This was the Pfalmilts cure, his Experience put a Probatum eft to thts prefcnpt10n, .when I rl.ottJht tfJ k!1oW this, it n:a:r too painfulfer me, until !went into the Sa11[fuary of God, tben 1111 dcrftood itheir end: . God may profper a wicked m~n, and he may co?lb:ue this as an argument, and note •t as an Expmence of Gods gracJOus dealmg Wtth hm1, and dear love unto him: 0 t>kc heed! To the Law and to the Teflzmony, zf they JPeak not accor– dino to this \VOYd, tt is becarife there is no light in them. 2. In impruving E,t·periencos, obferve thefc cautionary rules. r. Beware. ho'!' we arg~te from one Ex.reriencc to another :. Judgements threatncd, arc not alwaycs mflttl:ed after one and the fame manner; God meets with the wicked fomctimcs in this life, and fomctimes he rcfcrves their plagues for another. !At like manner the g.racious P.rovidenccs of God ate not always difpcnfed after one and the fame manner; indeed .Davidcould fay, The Lord that delivered nie out of the paw ofthe Lyon, and om ofrhe paw cfrhe Bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philiftim; and Paul could fay, I n·a; delivered ollt of the mouth of the Lyon, and the Lord ]hall deliver me from ewry roil work_: and fo we may fay, that God many times hath delivered m, and doth deliver m, and therfore that he will deliver"' fti/1: But this manner of arguing,as it is demonlhative, fo it hath fome limitations, which we muft carefully take notice of; as·- i. That befides a mcer Providence, we take notice of fome Promife of God on. which we build: Thus Paul delivered from death at one time, argued that God would deliver him at another time; but in his arguing he eyes the Promife, he hangs on God, which (faith he) raifeth the dead. 2. That we confider the manner of the Promifc, becaufc, 1. Some Promifcs arc disjun.:tive; as when God in his mercy conveys any thing to us either in particular, or in the equivalent, by way of commutation and Compe11fation with Spiritual things. Thus a Chriftians Experience wori{f Hope, but not always of the feJf.famc outward iffue, and manner of deliverance out of his trouble , which he hathbefore-time found; No, we mull: hope according to the. word, or according to the quahty ofthe Promife: Pauls hope (after Experie11ce of many deliverances) was not expreOy or peremptorily, that the prickjn hisjlejh jlwu!d be removed, but that Godsgrace Jhould befujjiciem, and fo he had the fruit ofhis former Experimce, becaufe he obtained an equivalent fupply, but not otherwife. 2: Some. Promifes arc conditional in refpctl: of us; as when God promifeth pro– tc!hon from contagious fickneffe, and from trouble, and war: Ifmy people, which are called by my Name ]hall humble them(clves, and pray, andfeclvnyface, and tttrn from their 1Vtc/.::dn>ayes, then will I heartfrom heaven, and willforgive theirjinne, and will heal their land.. In thcfe orthc like promifcs, God may give us the Experience of his Word at -Qne t•mc, but deny 1t another, becaufe we fail in the condition of the Promife on our parts. Obfervc Chriftians! would we conclude a deliverance as formerly, be fun! then to look to thcframe and difpofition of our Spirits: If we are in the way of the Prom1fe > thcnwe may conclude it for certain ; ifwe meet God in the co;mrfc ofhis Provtdencc, or mthe improvement of the mcanes he hath appointed, then we may fet Jt dow~, That God wtl! do whatfoever he hath prom1fcd to gtve, in his own wav, or othcrw1f~ not. • 3· Son;1c Promifes arc indefinite; as that in Jam. 5. 14, I 5· Is any fick amongyou? Y · lei l{a 8. 20, 1 Sam. 17 36; 31· . 2 Tim 4 17,18 2Chrcri. 1. IS;
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