.. A Cb p. t 6. S.:et + ,eatnts fuffertngs. - - be~-:~~ re,;, hath htard the voyceofmy f uppli,·atiun. 3. God h"ith fcalccl up our a<ioptiotl and fun-fh ip; zf ye endure c:haj!emng , Uoddealcth ~1th~'Oil tU n.·ahfonnc.r, fm· what f o_rme 15 he lWJom tbc j,uhtr ciMft'r:n.ahnot l our Patlnos m thts cafe hath been o~r Para~ift., wherein he hath given us h1s loves. 4· God hath confccratcd our Jiiffmngs; aff11cb– ons have taken order.r, as it were,and !land no longer in the ranke of ordmary provrden· ces, but fervc now in the o~er of gofpel-ordm~nces: a pnfon,a bed of ficknefs,1s tur– ned into a 1choole, into a 1emple, whcrem God hath taught us mto !11s own ltkenefs. 5 . As G oc\ h:ith confccrated our fuffcrings, fo he hath confecratcdus alfo by o~r fuf· fcrings, )'Cha'IJCneed r-Jpattence ~ that rvhc~1 you ha_'Ve done the wdt of G~d,you may mbent the promiji·s . when we have done Gods w1ll , al11s not done , there iS fomewhat to be Jiiffered and therefore we have need ofpatience, to carry us through the fitffcring part of our wo'rk.as well as the doing,that fo king perfect,wemay inherit the prom;fes. 6. God hat)! trO\~ned os with the bleffing;BlrJTed tS the man whom thou chajfenrft and teache(t: by this means God turncs the crown of thornes into a crown of gold,and fcts it on our head, and now brings us forth wearing this ~rown, and !hews us to the world as a monument of free grace. 0 then fay with David,wha' jlw/1 I render umothe Lordf o;· all h.s benefits to .vard;m!? Go:l .bimfelf gives t\e anfwer, I will deliver rhcc,ani thu< jl~.tlr .~lurifie me. 2 . Study how' to prefcrve and maintaine .that fwcct gracious frame ot heart, into which God hath brought us by affl1ct10ns: 1t IS a dmy wh1ch we lhould pract1fc as oft as we come from the word,or from any other divine ordinance: If an ordinance-frame, if a gracious imprcflion be on our hearts, we lhould rejoyce in it, and bleffc God for it, and labour to keep up fuch a frame in our hearts, till our next folemn approach unto God. But how much more fhould this be our care and ftudy, when we come out of Gods furnace, that folcnm ordinance of affliction, to labour and maintainc that melting frame ofhea'rt, that warmth, and heate, that life, and vigour, which we have brought with us out of affli<'tivn? Look_ to ;•ourfelves that ye lofe r10t thofc thin.(s which God hath wro~<ght in )'Oil. And to that purpofe, I. Be often reading over the lcffons which God hath taught us, frequently revive the remembrance of them in our hands, and work the imprcffions of them upon our hearts. 2. Renew often upon our fouls ,the remembrance of the fharpnefs and bitternefs of the affliction: . the Church found great advantage this way. Rcmembrmg mme ajjlzElzon, and my rm{ery, the wormewood and thegall, my foul h,tth them G"OilJtinually in remenibumet,and is lmmbled in me. The meaning is this; the people of God among theJews thatdefired to kecpclofe to God after their great delive– rance from Baby/on, expericnce a ferious and conflant remembrance of thofe·feventy years fufferings, to be an excellent perfervative to that humble and gracious frame of heart, which God wrought them into in their captivity , and yet that is not all; us remembrance of affliction preferved humility, fo humility ftrengthen ed faith i thi, I ree,./lro minde , tl1erej ore have I hope, by the kindly operation of the remembrance o f former difpenfations, !he b~gan to conceive good hope through grace, that God had not chafiened her in wra.th, but love. 3. Call often tv mind the fad difcourfes and rea)onings, the fears and,tremblings which we have had in our bofoms in the times of fuffering. 1f orger profperiry (faid the Church) and I f aid, myjfrength and my hope i.< pcrifhed from the Lord : So Jtremiah, watersflowed over mine head. then If aid, I am cut off Thus David, I fa id in my P"Jlion. AndJonah, I f aid, I am<aft oltt of thy jighr. Thus lhould we call to mmd our Saids; ( i. '· ) we ihould fit down, aud recount the impatienees, and lhort-fpiritedneffes, the murmur, and unbclcef, the love of a prefent world ,the fear of death, the hard thoughts of God, all the irregularities and diitcmpers of our own fpirits in the timeoftribulation : doubtlcffe it woul~ beoffingular ufe, as to humble our fouls, and to check corruption, fo to endear and preicrve the '""binus <Jf God upon our fouls. Good and ~tpright i<the Lord, therefore will he reacbJrj"m·s ~n rhe lMJ, q. d. I finned againfl the Lord in my affliction, by my impatience, unbcleef, ~nhnmbl~dnelfe, &c. yet he was plcafed not altogether to leave me Without the reach– "'$s of h1s Spmt, not becaufe I was good, but bccaufe he was good; not becaufe I p~cafed hun, but becaufe mercy pleafed him; nor bccaufe I was upright before h1m, but bccaufe he was upright, true , and faithful to his own promife: good and uprzght u ;he Lord, and therefore he hflth tatwht me, though I was a finmr in the waJ. . 4· Attend conll:antly, and confcionably upon the miniflry of the \,\lord. The truth iS, the \Vord and the rod teach the fame Icffons; the rod many times is but the words remembrancer; and therefore as the rod quickens the word, fo the word back again will revive an<\ fanC!ifie the teachings of the rod; they mutually help to fet on z z one P[nlm 116. c Hd1. 12 7 !l .b. 10 . JS P{a'm rr6. 11. l'j~lrn 5o. 1S 2 Jo.\n 8. lam. 3· IJ L11m. 3· 17 Lttm.~. 1~ ~fd 3f.2l ] AlaJ 2 4 T'fa'm::! $. g
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