Serra. i 5. when inward and outward Troubles meet, ? jealous God cannot endure to behold but with revenge & execration. 'P fal. z,7_ r 3. David had fainted (in his affliction) had he not belie - ved &c. Surely then thou muff utterly faint,becaufe thou haft not ob- tained an heart to underhand and believe to this day : The Children of God, norwi:haanding all their inward and outward preffures can fay as Paul fgghs for them arl,z Cor.4 8,9.We are troubled on every fide, yet not difirtfJed, ( fo as there is no way to efcape or bear up ; ) We are perpiexed,but nor in def> pair; perfcuted,but not forfaken ; caft down, but not quite deftroyed.l3ut if thou looked not to it betimes,fuch a day will come upon thee,aswherein thou (halt be fo befet with trouble,that thou wilt be abfulutely concluded,and (but out from all relief; fo per - plexed,that thou wilt defpair ; fo purfued ( by the avengers of blood) Chit thou wilt be quite forfaken of heaven and earth;fo call down,that thou wilt be utterlydellroyed, and dathed in pieces. Oh ! if trouble, fuc4h trouble may feize on Gods dear ones what reprobate fear and aftonifhment (hall take hold on thee that art a oranger a flave, an enemy, and yet fecure and prefumptuous in that condition ? 2. It is a word of Counfel to thee,as to be an alarm to thy fecurity,fo an Antidote to thy prefumption and cenforioufnefs in reference to the godly. The men of the world can eatly pafs over the beams of raging wickednefs in themfelves and their own , but they malicioufly and proudly aggravate the motes of infirmity in the godly. If they carry themfelves unbecomingly by any impatience under the hand of God : now they are hypocritesprefently,now they fink,notwithftanding they would feem to have fpecial interefi in, and acquaintance with God to bear them up. Thus was lob cenfured, even by his friends , for which God cenfures them, and that with wrath, ?ob 42.7. Thus Gods People -ferve themfelves, but efpecially they have this meafure from the men of the World, They fee them droop and walk heavily under fame out- ward burden,which they think is but ordinary; they fee them faint,ha. wing drunk of the cup of affli &ion which is commonut alas they con - -. tìder not what may be (the weight of their burden) within, what bit- ter ingredients may be in their Cup,as to their inward -man. Now the Spirit is the man,the mind is the flrength, and they are not aware how tender the love of God hach made that, and how grieved and broken that may be upon fome fpiricual account between God and them. 7oab reprovesDavid for mourning fo exceiiively forAbful4m,( &at fiat fight we may think it Change that io {:u i enc a Saint as David lhould fo take on for an outward lofs more as -it eetns than for the lofs of Gods favor & grace)but 7oab did not know & confider what vifitation there might be 3 t
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