SERMON VI. ~dly. They are mcapable of the Comforts proper to an affiiCl:ed State Thole fe' Rev l from the Behef, t!Jat GodIO"Ves wbom he cha.f/eiiS: for the leall Sm IS a greater Evd ~~~n the greatell Trouble.; and h1s delign IS to take that away, and from the expedanon of a happy Hfue. Hope IS the Anchor w1tlun the Vad, that m tlie m1dll of Storms d toughell Seas, preferves from Slupwrack. The CharaCl:er of Chnll~ans IS, that th~ .Rom " " are re;oycmg rn Hope< Butwh~rtthe Affiu~{ed are under fearfu!Imprellions that God y a~ meconcdable Ehemy; and fadly conClude-rhe~r !V!ifene~ are pall Redrefs; ·rhofe o\~ vme Comfortsthatareabletofweetenthe.moll·bmer Suffermgs to Believers are of n Eflicacy.. Their deep S;>r!ows ate not lili~ tMPains of a tra'vailing Woman'that end i~ a JO~ful B1rth, but the ktlh_ng Tortures of the Stone that are fruitlefs to the Patient. At> fi~~~~~:,~~~e~f ~;:~t riJ~~~~a~h:f~~~~~t~;~~.~f~a~?b::~!~:5Tan~;o~he~w~riJ th~ IV. tre;~~ Y!b1J~~~'e ~~:x~~ed~~~~n'~~~r~:~~n~~~tth~e gk;gjlin~~n~':Jie ~~rJ~~;~ ~~~~ ~;~~'7,?~ fa~~~~~~~Id icr~~ ~~~~so~~~~~~r;in~ri!;~'~i:1~~~ ~?8~ and Depend: • '- With an humble Reverence of his Hand. This Temper ;is abfolurely neceffary a?d, moll congruous wuh. refpe.Cl: to God, upon the account of his Soveraignty, . Jull1ce and Goodnefs declar d m Ius, Challemng~; and With refpeCl: to our Frailty, our Dependance upon h1m, our Obnoxwufnefs m his Law, and our Obhgations to him tl>at he will pleafe to affiiCl: us for our good. - ' Amos l· •· This is the reafon of that Expofrulation, WiU a Lion roar in the Forej/, when he hath ~::}eif ~g!~;l~f:.~d:.J;~:;~~!'!!s ~odJe~~~:k~~~;'ro~d'~o ~~~~h, ~~: :;!i ~:~ib;: and fevereAttribute when it is incens'd? Are wef/ronger than be I Can we encounter of. ~~1~~d'~i~~~o~~nuc!a~e,cb~,Wrucl:tl~ ";r~di~lo~[ ~~~e~P~f'1~Wi:~d ~~r;ig;J:[r ~~; would think 'twere imJ>ollible ." reafonable Creature were capable ofit. Yet 'every Sin. Job rps.><· ney unreformed by AffiiCl:wns IS thusdefperate: He.f/retcbes.out his Hand again.fl. God, and.f/rengthens b!mfelfagaznj/ the Almrghty ; he .runnetb upon hrm, /!'Uen on his Neck upol tbe tbick Boffes of his Bucklers. Such a furious Rebel was Ahaz, who in tbe time 'of his • Chron, , g, Di.f/refs, did treJPafs more agatn.f/ the Lord: Tlm is tbat King Ahaz! But God hath moll: folem·nJy declared, that he will be viCl:orious at !all over the moll fierce obdurate Enemies. As I live, faith tbe Lord, every Knee foal! /;ow to me. His Power is infinite, and Anger puts an Edg upon his Power, and makes it more terrible. If our SubjeCtion be not voluntary, it mull be violent. 'Tis our Wifdom to prevent Acts of Vengeance by Job H·l' '"· ~tui~~~e;~:F:~fd':~ G~~·B~~~h;:~~Z~~~~:s~xJ~!;~n~~ ~o:ill;~ ;;;:~ 'f:::~ knoru not, teach thou me: If I bave cion~ Iniquity, I will do fa no more. Add further, upon another account Reverence is due to God's Chaftenings: for when Love is the Motive that incites one to give us Counfel, tho it be mixt )Vith Reproofs, and his Prudence is not great, yet a RefpeCl: is due to the AffeCl:ion. Now God who is only wife, qhallifes Men from a defire to make them better and happy; he in· tends primarily to reline, .not toconfume them by Al!liCl:ions: fo that a ferious regard to his Hand is the moll jull and neceifary Duty of the Creature. Briefly, every Chafrifement fhould leave deep and .permanent Impreilions upon us; the Senfe ofGod's Difpleafure fl10uld make our Hearts mournful and molified, broken and contrite, that his Will may be bone by us on Earth as it is in Heaven. ~. Let us always preferve an humble Dependance and firm Hope on God, for a bleffed Iifue out of all our Troubles : The Support and Tranquility of the Soul arifeth from hence. Chrillian Patience fuffers all things as well as Charity, being incouraged by.a continual expeCl:ation ofGood from him. Patience confirms all other Graces, and IS tothewholeArmourofGod, what the Temper is tomaterial Weapons, thar.keeps them from breaking in the Combat. Now to maintain a conllant Hope in AtlhCl:wn, 'tis neceifary to confider the Reafon of the Exhortation as 'tis admirably amplified by the(~~~ll~jlC Relation God fullains when he affiiCl:s Believers. He is a Judg invdled with the Q!lality of a Father. The Covenant ofGrace between God and Jefus Chnfl, our true DtrUid, contains this obfervable Claufe, If tby Clnldren forfake my Law, and Pf•L 19, 30 , 4Valk 110t in my Judgments, If t/Jey Break my Statutes,. and keep not my CommandmeNtS; Jr ,p. then will I vijit t!Jeir Tranfi,re.ffions wrth a Rod, a11d therr Inzquzty wrth Strrpes. . The Love that arifeth from this Relation, rho it cannot hate, yet 1t may be d11JeaD<ut, a, r. fed, and ~hafiife them for their follies. )lfojes tells the /fraelites, Tbou fbalt conft "1~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=