'J)ireifilms againft the Fear of St1jferings for Chriji. avenger of hi; childrtlt l He hath promife?, thougl~ h~ bear long to aveng~ tb.n!'-[pcedily, Luke 18.7, 8. Can you bdicve that day, and yet not thmk that tt ts foon enott.e.h. to )~fhhc you fi~Uy and fina~y, and ro make you reparations of all your wrongs? Cannot you 1\ay oll Chnll come to judge .t~le qutc~ d h dead? You will then be loth robe found with thofe that, as Sattl, made h,)jte to facnhcc, be– ;;pf/h~ could not flay till Samuel CJtne ~ whofe _fouls ~rew back, btcau[t tbty eo#Id not live by fait?· Mltth. 10 • 2 6. Fear tbem not therefore; for there JJ nothmg uvered tb~t jhaU HQt be rtvealed, and lml that fl 1 aV not be known. 2 ThefT. 2· 6,7, 8,9, JO• Seeing it i; a righteoU: thi1rg with God to rtcom– pence trib11 lati_on to them that trouble you, and to y~u t~.:t are .troubled rt.fl.With UJ, whm the Lord Jc[ZH jhaU be revealed from Heaven rritbbW mighty AnJ!,tlJ, r.n fiammg fire !akzng vmgea~tce, &c. When he 351 "jhaU come to beglorified in hM SaintJ, and admired i1t all them .th:z_t do be!teve. • • §. 21 . DireCl:. 2 I• Remcmbtr that the fearful aad tmbelzevm~ jhall. be jhu~ iut. ofHeaven, ReV.21·~· Dz.retf. 2 r. that is Thofe that fear men more than God, and cannot null: h1m Wtth the1r lives and all, but wtll rather ~enture upon his wrath by Gn, than on the wrath of man. 9. 22 • Diretl. 22· •].'urn your fc.zr of theinflru.meHtJof theDev~l into pity and compaffio~ to mm i!'" Direll. 22• Juch l.mmuable mifery : and pray for them as Chnll and Suphen d1d :. Fort[ee now the m1fery that IS near them. When you begin to be afraid of them, fuppofe that )Ufi now ~vere the day of Judge~ rncnt, and you faw how they will then trcm?le at ~he Bar of.God (as confc1ence fomet1mes makes fome of them do at the hearing or rernembnng of H; as Felzx before Paul): See them as ready to be fcntcnccd to tht: fire prcp;;red fvr tbe Devil aHd /;U A1tgc!J? as Matth. 2 5·. Can you (ear him that is n'ar fuch endlefS mifery, whom you fhould condole and p1ry ( as the a11t1ent Martyrs ufed to do)~ 1 Pet. 4 . '7· WhatjhaU the end of the perfecutors be, and whm ]hall the ungodly fi•ners app<ar, if judgtmmt btgin at tbe houfe ofGod, and tbt,rlghtroUf be favcd fl'zth fo much Jdo l Abom tlu fear of Death, I have writtm largely already iJt myTreatifi ofSelf-denyal, ttnd i;t the See :.fur S1ints Refi, and in The lafi Enemy D::ath, &c. and in The Believers Lafi Work: Therifore i';;, ~·.&1:.3o~ I fhall here pa[s it by. · · Tit. 9· 'DireUi2JE_ggainft ftnftd Qrief and Trotlbfe. 9· r. sorrow is planted in Nature to make nian a fubjetl: capable of Government, by making him capable of punilhment, that he might be kept f10m fin by the fear or fenfo of that which Nature hath made its punifhment : And that the beginnings of pain might help to prevent the fin that would bring more; and might drive the woundc:d foul to its remedy : or by fympathie might condole the mifery of others. 9· 2· Sorrow or gtief in it fCif confidered, is neither Mar.1lly <food nor 'f,vil: but it is a Natural Paffion, and Evil, that is hmtful to him that hath it, but Good that is, an apt conducible means to the Univerfal or higher Ends of Government to which the Creator and Univerfal King hath planted it in man:. The fame may be faid of all capacity of pain and natural mifery. ~· 3· Meer Sorrow in it felf confidered, is a thing that God command#th 11ot, nor taketh pleafure i~. Sorrow for our natural or penal hurt is in it felf no duty, but a neceffary thing. God doth not corn.. mand ir, but threaten it : Therefore there is no moral good in it. God will not command or intrtat men to feel when they arc hurt, or mourn under their corment; but will mak_! them do it whether they will 01 no: Therefore humble fouls mufl take heed of thinking they merir or pleafe Godmeerly by {orro'fr'ing for theu fufferings.. But yet farrow for mifery may accident~Sl/y become a duty and a moral good, I· Ratione principii, by rcfpeCl: to the Principle it procecdeth from: As when it is 1. The Evtn forrow Belief of Gods threatningi which caufeth the forrow; 2. When it cometh from a Love to God: th'~t prohneth 2. Ratione materie, for the matter! fake, when it is the ·abfence ofGod, and his favour, and his Spirit, not, may. and Image, which is the 'f1fiftry t~at we la.ment ( whi.ch t.he~efor~ favoureth of fome Love to ~e:~~n~ JUI~ God) ; and. not. ~eer fitfhl.y fenfiove fuffermg. }• Rauone .fimJ, m refped: of the md; when is faid by we jorrowwtth mtent to dnve our hearts to ChnU .our .SaviOur, and to value mercy and grace· Latrtiru, that and to recover us to God. 4• Ratione effrlii, in refped: of the effdl, when thefe fore-mentioned wbcn so!Dn Endi become the fruits of it. was reproved • for mourn~ Son, with :1 Nihil proficis, He aofwcred, At propter boc ipfum ,illachr}mcr qu! 3 :§ilfo;ro~:io. §. 4· S?rrow for fin is.a d~ty an~ moral good, . I· Formal!y in it fel.f confidcred: For to be forrowful for offmdmg God, aud VJOlaung h1s Law, ~ff~nually co~ltameth .a Wtll to pleaje God and obey hiJ Law. ~· It mufi be alfo made good, by a good prmctple, that IS, by fa.th and Love: 3· By a right end; that It be to .carry us froi? the fin to ~o.d: 4· And by a r1ght Gutde and matter, that it be fin indeed, and not a mdlakcn feemmg fin, that IS 1t we forrow for. But forrow for ji11 ( materiaf!y) may be made finful, 1. By an ilJ end and formal reafo.n, when we mourn not for fin)s fin, but as one fin hindertth another, or as it marred fame ill defign. 2. And by the effe!J, when ir doth but fink men in defpair, or torment them, and not at all feparate them from the fin. 3· When it cometh nor at all from any love to God, or care to pleafc him, but only an unwillingnds to be damned, and fo it is Zz lamented
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