crhe Great Driiy of Rejignation. lo;den wirh Iroris ihbu)d pailionardy inrreat, that 'his Chains fhould be gilded, not ' tooted. How many tpe)ld their zealous •AffeCtions in praying for Temporal Things, wherein their Happincls does not corilift! One of the Reafons why God heaps upon rebellious Sinners the gobd Things of 'this ,Life, is to inftrud us how defpicable they ;~:re in his Account, things ro.be rhro\vh ~war,, as he ~cems to do. And he ofrcn refu.- JCs rhc Pctiti~:ms of his Servant~ concerning temporal thmgs. "Yhcn Pelop'idqs interceded Nn• Audit Dtru ~yich Epaminondas rhc wife Go~crnor of ~he 'lbebans~ .for t!lc Freedom of a bafc Fellow Hij quDd_d1grhat for 10mc Crime was coinmtttcd to Pnfon, he dcmcd Ius Requefl:; and prcfenrly re- num ~~&'' [»il leafed him upon rhe Dcfirc of a vile I;:iar1ot: And gave this Reai?n, It w:as a Fa~ our bmeftmt. Ara~, not worthy the Dignity of Pelopidas, but furablc to t\lc Q,ral1ty of Inch a Peti· boner. ' . cor;;::,~ ~~~'~;~~i~~;;~!~~;'d ff~~~i~?~~~~'A~~~~~l;1 ~a:J:~~:u~o t~e~~ro~uf~!co~~:~c;~~s~~: fires. Let us therefore be rriore .intent and impormnare m our Petitions, that our Affhdions maY be rather £1nCtified than removed. \Vc have neither U~derfianding nor Strength; how to order our fdvcs, how to bear and impror? great Affh~ions. S. Paul declares, J have. ledr~~({ in C,7.Jf~} condition ·to !Je conten(. -By the Rcvelan?n of the Gofpel, and the Holy Sprnr's r~achmgthat all!~ EarthlyTroubles lhould end m the Heavenly Glory, he was infl:ructed in rhar Si:t_ence ?f :rh_e Sainr~ .. We arc rhcr~fo~c directed, Z.:·~/;~; '"J~b;rJ~i:·,)~:J t~' ];y~~~~~;;ga;:J~);;~f~:!:~~~enliYAm~~o~'~i~:ri a~JJ•m •. fudden, it is very hard to compote and fuJI)'Prt the Sp•rit. The Pailions arc Servants of SeniC, rather than obedient to Reaf?n , and ~Y thCtr lirfl: VIOlent M?ttons furpr,izc the Mind , and overcome' ir , bef~rc it perccn:cs rhc -*t1:1uJt; h~ that IS not a ~afier, :tc aa~!~~~ ~~ea*~:;~, ,~: J~~Ko~feed~'in~Z~~a~/~;~a¥~~;s ~~S~'~'·~~~~~ ~~:e:;;;~,;~i ~ouragc to cncou1iter a Lion~ yet he w:i._s f~ -~tfconfolate inlus Troubles, that he was fa_in c? argu~ againfi .his Sad. nefS?. . WhJ .al-t ~hou. cafl _:town,. ~ my 'Soul? ' wi.J] ~rt tb~uPfal. .. 2. difqu!eted wtthin me ? .And havlll!\, r'\lf<.~ .Ius .9roop1ng Sprms , yet he ~cla)'fcd to lus firft Fainrnefs, nil by Surrlies frbnr ·G~ll be" )VaS confirmed in ho~e :of 'Deliverahce. !he .Apoftle iry,I'Joros rh6 'gtoribl!s ,Pow#. ~fGod? th~r. tljf_9~ioffianl mlglit bdf/rengt/mgd CoJ. '· IVJth all m1g,ht, li}'to all fatl(~ce, and lfn:r,-fojf~r.mg rvdl{ !OJ(ulnefs. . ~f !houldfink und~r heavy Suffcnngs or b'~ tu~~ With the. length of ~Iiet;tcs ,' tl,~~\out Ius 1mmerral Strength. But if the Power of God ailift a wea~ Sj!ltit, . it will Be finally viCtorious over all the E~ils of the World. How many Martyrs of the render Sex, who would naturally rrcml5le at a drawn Sword, yer by Divine Support dcfpifed the Tormentors, and all the Infirumems of Cruelty? In them was an Imitation of that Miracle of Di- ~'ine Power, when the Three Children walked in the mid!l: of the flaming Furnace, untouch"d by the Fire. God is !tiled the God of patience and confolation. Ir is his foie Prerogative. ro comfort the Aillided: /, even I, am he that comforts you. ~he Woman iu the Gofpcl, that had a bloody Hfue, no . human Art could afford her A•d and Relief: And when her Eflatc was wafted on the Phylicians, and her Strength by her Dilcalc, fl1e came to our Sayiom: ~l)d by rguching r.he Hompf Jlis .Garment was prefent!y healed. Thus the affiided Spirit, whom no Worldly things arc able to fupporr and make joyful, finds evcrlafting Comfort m God. He fatisfies the Soul with his Love, and eftablifl1es thisPer[walion, T!Jatall thing,sjhall turn for the ~ej/ to his people. Now by Prayer the Dt_vmc Power and Fav~ur is engaged for ?ur Support and Deliverance._ How many Pfalms of Da'Vid begin m Tears, ?-nd end m Triumph? In his great Ex1gency, when ready to be fivallowed up by his Enemies, he difpatch'd a Aying Prayer to Heaven for Relref; Lore!, take hold offhield and !JHck!er, and f/and up for my help: And the .>\!mighty appeared m Arms for his Refcue. And he recounts another bldfed Experience of rhc Efficacy of Prayer;. In tbe day ,_vhe_H I cried_, ~hou anfiveredfl me_; andflr(ngthenedfl me wit~;j/re11gtb in my foul. The Affhdton was filllmcumbcnt, bur d1d nor overwhelm him· Pfai.J3 8 · \vluch was a more gracious teO:imony _of God's Love, than if it had mecrly been rake1~ ~way .. It is f.1id of_ the Dit1refTe? , _They looked to him, a11d_were ligbtned. It is the Pfal. H· S· l c rfcet~on and Propnety of the Samts mHeaven to fee the glonous Face of God withour_ Veil or Shadow; bur here fome Rays of hiS quickening Countenance comfort his af!JH:"ted Servants, while they lift up their Eyes and Hearts to his SanCtuary, a joyful L•ght breaks forth, that leads them out of the dark Labyrinth of their troubled Thoughts. Jf the Sa_mts remain. difconfolate, it is not for want of Mercy and Power in God to refre~.~ thetr Sorrows, but from negleC{ing ro improve their Inrerefi in him, and deriving Sprntual Comforts from his Fulnefs, by humble believing Prayer. When the Difciples were fhrpnzed with a Storm in rhc Sea of lr!Jeriar, they roil'd wich hard Labour ro fave
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