we be croffed. 3. ·Our zeal; !}, little water call: upon the fire makes it \/urn hotter and brighter; So fuould afflictions m.ake us ':lore _ze_alous and fiery for God.' and for 349 d caufes and for good men ; The WICked m affitchons are many ttmes funous, but g~~er zealo~~- they arc often like wild beafts that grow mad with bating, if croffes or loffes rulh in upon tliem, they fall to the language of Jobs wife, Curfc God and die, or t? th t of the King of Ifraels Meffenger, Why fhould I fcrve God 11ny longer l 4· Our ~ King 6 33 Si~ccrity · Thus was Jobs fincority difcovered by Satam; malice; after all his loffes, he faycs.no ~ore but, .The Lordgiveth, llnd ~h~ Lord tak.fth. --In all thi~ did '!"t Job,(tn wtth his lips. 5 . Our Patience: When 1t IS calmc weather, the Sea IS qUiet and frill as ariy River but let tbe wind,s arifc once, and we fhall fee a difference: for then the Sea foams, a~d rages, and cafteth out mir~ and dirt. Wear~ that indeed which we arc in t~mptation · ifwe ~annot ab1de a drawmg pla1ftcr to dram away corrupt blood and humours, ho1~ fhould we abide cutting off joynts and members? howpulling oltt eyes, which repentance mull do? . . . . . .. 2 Let us exercifc our graces. Affi.t~tOn g1ves. 9pportumty for th1s; it calls forth wh;tfoever grace there is in the he~rt to the exercifc of it.' The A,poi1Je fpeaking ?f 1 1 . t<i Saimsfi.!ffi:rings, fatth thus, H ere " the patte~ce and theJatt~ ofSamts. (t.e.) H_ere IS Rev • J matter for their pattencc andfatth to be exerctfed about; thts calls for the workmg of their patiMce andfi!ith ; .and fo for other graces, as h~<mtltty,fclf-den_val, love to God, meek.peJs ~ .waiti,.,g on Chrift '. lovm~~ o~~r enemzes? _not rejijJ1ng of evzl~ ferv.ent pr~y~r, 0 what mighty prayers, and lively flmmgs ofSptrtt are there many ttmes m affit~tons? 'Jhey powered our a pr.I)'Cr wbcn th)' cha[fenmg was tJpon them, our prayers do but drop I[A.>6.t6 , l out before, now they are powred ou.t. And this is it that many times makes God w atRiCl: us becaufe God delight3 mpch to fee tbe ex!!rcifc of our graces: When fpices :)re beat~n then they fend forth their fragrant fmell; fo when Gods fervants are in afl\i~ions, ;hen thejf graces fend forth their fwectnefs in the a<'tivenefs of them 1 grace is ever better for wearing. 3 . Let us improve our graces. Every branciJ fn .""(faith Chrifl) that bea~eth fruit, he purget!> it tb4t innay brmg fmb.more frmt. Thts IS the ~ndof Chnfis purgmg us, that John IJ, • we may be more fruitful;, as vmc~ qre made more fruttful by pruning , (o are Gods people by the pruning-kntfe ofaffittl:wns; Now they find more peace, more affurance, more flrength, then ever they did before ; Never fuch fweet joy, never fuch full affurance, never fuch ufe of faith,and p_atience, and loye as in the foreft and longell affii~ions · Ts it thus with us now? 0 thts may be a fweet feal to our fouls of their lincerity eve; afttr afflictions. Gods people never thrive fo much in grace , as when they arc watered in their own tears ; Manaffes his chain was more profitable to him then his Crown. There is a great deal ofdifference (could Luther fay ) betwixt a divine in outwardpompe , and a divine under the crof{e ; They that are affliHed do better underftand Scriptlm, but thofc th4t arefecure in their profperity re"d them as v<rfcs in Ovid. But what graces mull: we improve? I anfwer,every grace, onely I fhall inflance in thefe. I bur lpiritual wifdome. To this purpofc God is faid to open theearJ ofmen, even by their !lJfliflions, We are be(l: intl:ru~edwhen we are a'ffli~ed : It isgoodfor methat I have Jo6H 16 lmn aJflifled (faid David) that I might learn thyftatutes. AlgeriJtS a martyr ~ould fay, P{al. 119 7 ; that he received more light in the dark_dungeon, thtn ewr Ire re<eived bef•re in ~tll the world. ' And Lutherprofelfed, that he never underfloodfame of David~ Pfalms till he was in affliCtion. When all is done ( faid he) tribulation is the plaineft t~nd moft Jincere divinity. Prayer, reading, meditation, and temptations make a divine. :.1. Our patience.• To this purpofe, We rejoyce in tribulation (faid the Apotl:le) k_nowing that tribulation bringeth R . forth Ntience. My Brethren (faith James) count it p:ceedingjoy whenyefall into diverfc 1::::.~:;~.3 temptations, k.z,owing thdt the tryal ofyour fttith hrir~geth forth p~<tience. The maJice of our enemies both proves and improves our patience. See it exemplified in Da7Jid; when Shimei curfed, and call: fiones at David, and called him murtherer, and wicked ~an ; poor afl\icted Davidwas fo.far from revenging it, or fufl'ering others to revenge 1t, that he makes that very thing an argument ofhis patiel)ce, which was the exercife of it. Behold my'fonne (faith he) which cameforth of my bowelsfeek!th my lif{, how mltch 2 S•m,J6·ti more now may this Benjamitc do it l , 3. Our faith. To this end God affii~s us that our faith may inereafc: As it is faid ofthe palme-trec, that it groweth higher, and firon~er, and ~or.e and more fruitful, by how much the more weight it hath ,hanging upon tt: or ~s tt ts faui of the Lyon that lhe feemes to leave her young ones till they havealmoftkdlcd themfdve$Wi~hroaring and'\)ooling, butatlaft gafpfhe relieves . . - ili=,
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