A choice Bed of 'Spices. that would weigh gold to a grain, muf+ weigh it in a quiet (till place : And fo a man that would make an exa& tryal of his fpiritual ell ate., he mull take his Soul when tis feri- ous, quiet, Rill, and compofed ; he mull take his heart when it is in the bell frame, and mofl difpofed to folernn and weighty work. There are fome times which are very unapt for a gracious perfon to fit as ladg upon his Spiritual elate, and to pals fentence upon his own Soul. The bell Chrif1i- ans under Heaven do meet with divers inward and outward changes, foinetimes the light alines fo clear that they can fee things as they are, but at other times all is dark and clou- dy, and'tempeffuous, and then they are apt to judg them- fe'ves by feeling and new reprefentationS, and not accor- ding to the ttite. Sirs, remember this once for all, that times of inward or outward difIreffes are bell for Praying, and wort} for judging. If a man will at fuch times pats fen- tence on himfelf, or his dive as a judg, he will certainly judg unrighteous j,idgment, for then the Soul is not it Pelf, and is very apt and prone to take Satans work for his own, and to fide with him againft it fell, yea, and then ufually it will fee nothing, it will think of nothing, it will dwell upon nothing but what makes againfl it fell. 4. When God exercifes a man with fome exceeding fevere and unufbal PrOvidences, when God Reps out of his ordinary way o1 Difpenfations in his dealings with a man When God fets a man up before all the world as a mark to fhoot at, as he did job. Now a poor Chriflian is ready to doubt and conclude, Surely the Lord has no regard of Me, he has no entire love for me, h:s heart is not certainly towards me, feeirg all thefe fore tryals make fo much againfl me ; but here the poor Chrifii in is miaaken, as faeob once was, Gen. 42. 36. And Jacoi?, their Father faid unto them, Me have ye tereaz el of my children, jofeph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye ails take Benjamin array; 411 theft things areagainft me. But 7acob was out, for all thole things made for him, and for the preferva- tion of the vifible Church of God in the. World. Certain- ly all the affli&ions that befall the people of God, are but his love-tokens. As many as I love I rebuke and cha lien, and there- fore The candle will nevelurn clear ' whilft there is a thief in it, fin in- dulged in the con. 3-b- nah in the Skip, which caufeth fuch a tempeft, that` the Co/Icel.': ence islike a troubled Sea) whole waters annot reft,or it is like a mote in the eye, which caufeth a perpe- tual trmble while it is there. job 7.2t, cas.i z Gel! 4$ '; %,-,0) Rev. 3. r9. Fleb. I. 6.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=