s a c r. IX. OfGenverftan, or Turningunto God . 4Sí mourning then laughter, for the living will lay it to heart. The Prodigalnever came to bis true mmde, till hewas brought to bitter extremity : Oh then, if thou finde Gods band heavy uponthee, fay, This is the rime to get wifdom, (peak now Lord, for my heart is ready to hear : If thou doeft not know more, and underhand more then ever , thou lofeh the benefit òf thy of flietion. Thirdly,AffliElios mayfurtherconverfion,in that it dethfenfi6ly teacha man, how by fenGly. fad andbitter a thing itu to fin againft God : Sin is compared to gall andworm - teaching a maid wood; but it is never perceived tobe fo, till God bringus into external miferies how fad and Thus yeremy, Jer.a.r9. ThenAtliye know, it is abitter thing to depart fromGod: bitter athing Therefore thoughmen in jollity andoutward eafe, never think of turning unto x isto Ga a- God, yet how is it thatyou refufe, wholefins have found youout. ThereSer- pents have nowputout theirflings uponyou you finde your iniquities nolonger frniling on you, no longertickling and pleating of you, but theyhave laid you in a tormentingbedof forrow : Thou haft received thy good things¡ but now thy time is come for evil things : Everyman dot!) quickly fettleupon his lees, if he be not removed from affiietion to aflidtion : How fit then, andcongruous is itfor thatman, who lieth under the (mart of his fins, to depart from them ! What is the caufe of thy prefentmifery,of thy prefent troubles ? is itnot fin ? Whathath brought thee into that deep gulf thou art in ? is it not fin ? What bath turned all thywaters intoblood, as it was with the _Egyptians? all thole comforts anddelights thou ufeft to refrefh thy fell with ? is it not fin ? Then why doeft thou not fay ? Iffin nsake all this evil, if that bring all this mifery ¡ why (hall Iimbrace it any longer ? And a Chriftianwill further argue, Ifthefe beginnings be fo heavy, what will the after end be ? if in this life it fling and wound fo deeply, what will it in the life to come? What is hell and the tor- menting flames thereof, if now finbefo terrible ? Fourthly, In thisaffliElions mayalfo preparefor converfion, becaufetheyareapt 4. todeada mans heart, and allhis delights that he took in the creatures: Sin is an They areapi averfion fromGod, and converfion to the creatnre ; now grace is an averfion to dead a man; from fin, and converfion toGod ; and thereis nothingdotb fo prepareand take bghts. all off the heart from the creature, as when God af$ifts us in them, and by chem. lights. As thenthe breaft is madebitter,towean thechild foGodputsbitcernefs in every comfort, inevery condition, makes affliftion to grow up with every mercy, a thornwithevery flower; that fo thou mayelllay, Its not good to be here, we mull feek a better good then thefe things are : In their apt-lions they willfeekme arty, faith God, Hofeag.rç. Oh when God (hall make every thingbryars and thorns to thee I when thou lookeft for good, andbeholdnothing but bitternefs, now is the time to allurethy foul to God; fay, What wilt thou do? whether wilt thou go? Hath not that Star wormwood fallen into every flare thou art in ? Hath not God bid thee be called nomore Naomi, but Marah : Why then doeft. thou any longer leek for grapes on thorns ; for truehappinefs in the-way offin í' God took theChurch into the wildernefs, and thenhe fpake to her, Hofea 2.14: Ohwhen God bathbrought thee into a wildernefs, all comforts are kept from thee, then take theadvantage, then pray, then mourn; now, if ever, that iron ofthyheart is bathe fire, and it maybe beaten into a good frame ; and there- fore the more univerfal thy aftliétion is, if it takes thee off from all refuges; leaved: thee notone dropof comfort, the likelier it is to do thee good, for thy fpiritnal difeafe and corruption is contumelious, that it mufbe ftrong phyfick, elfe it will not workon thee : As long as thou canft catch upon any twig, any branch to fave thy felf, thou wilt not throw thy felfinto the arms of Chrilt: ThereforeGod hedged theChurches way with thorns, Hofa z.6. that the might notany way break through for herfins ; and when fhe was thus flopped, thew the refolveth to goback to her former husbandagain. Thus aflhiftíons in thefe particulars may helponour turning to God, not but that the word is the pro- Ivlmm pér
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