n s z OfConvirfians or taming-ante God. Sn c per initrument, only thismayfmooth andprepare theway for the word to en- ter ; infomuch that a man, who bath no affli &ions, and who liveth in all the eafe and delightof his foul, he may be in a defperate condition, and moll dan> gerous, though hebiefs himfeif. Its related of Ambrofe, thatbeing in the houfe of a man, who boaftedhe never hadany calamity in all his life ; Come, faithhe, let us make hafte out of this honk, left Come remarkable vengeance of God fall upon us t He thought thofe were moil unhappy, that had fo much earthly happi- nefs, NihilinfeliciouTemperfelici. Here is one doubt tobe anfwered, and that is, Why Ihouldmenbeprelfedin times of calamitiesand miferies to turn untoGod, Peeing that is utually brand- ed for hypocrifie ; all is out of fear, and extorted, and fo not thank worthy : If lfrael return to God, becaufe he is framing evil againft them, its meetly for fear of evil, and not love of God, or what is good. Doth notthe Prophet call theIfraelitesfafings and mournings, when they were under Gods judgements, by no other name, then howlings, as if they were fo manybeafts kept up in a den, ready to be familhed, that cryed for food onely, Why then. Ihould this be urged upon us? I Anfwer, Thefe calamities mull be the oicafion one!, and initial motive; they rnufi prepare andmake way, but they muff not be the principal ground, northe onely: Evenas the needle draweth on the thread; or as in matterof faith, the true ChurchesAuthority, makes way to receive the truth of God, but af- teswardswe believe for the divineAuthority thereof ;fo thofe outward miferies, they give the firft hint, they begin tomake the firft (hake, but afterwards the foul forfakes fin, and cleaveth to God, notout of fearonely, but love tohim : Wedo not therefore preisyou tomake your afflictions the onely ground, but let them be fanftified introductions : And fo I proceed to the Ufes. Firft, That noman bathtaule toboaft and rejoyceof his outward profperitys that he is not afflicted as others,he liveth and is dandled, as it were, in the worlds lap : Who knoweth, but that this is the fattingof thee for the fhambles? Who can fay, but that God is molt angry with thee, while he feemeth not tobe an- gry : Oh howmuch betterwere it, that God did follow thee by one affliction after another, by one miferyafter another ; this great calm is but the forerunner of a terrible form ; knowfinbath it flings, and it willone time or other be ter- rible. As itsPaid, the Magillrates bath not the (word invain.; fo neither are all thole threatnings, all thofe arrowsand fwords of Gods vengeance invain, But Whobelieveth oar report Secondly, That we thepeople of England, ofanyNation inthe world,fhould be a converted generation to him : It fhould be matter ofamazement and alto- nifhment, if every finner be not turned from his evil ways; for God bath not onely framed evil againft us, but poured it onus; he bath not onely whet his glittering (word, but run it in our bowels ; theLyon hath not onely roared, but torn in pieces : In vaindo we fpeak and hope of Gods turning his wrath from us, till we have turned from our iniquities : We look not to the true caufe of all our judgements; the fins we lie in, we live in; the fins that every Town and Village walloweth in, thefe have been our undoing : Oh then you who fay, Your have loll thusmuch and thusmuch by the times, beable to fay, Youhave loft your fins alto, and found God. vfe t: Z'fe 2. Sault;
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