fli&iopisOot good initfelf) but affii&ioH, if chofen.trtayprove* goodj it tnaybe verygood to iis,it may bring inmuch good to u': and therefore there is wifdome, not only in chufing any affliction, rather than fin, blit in chufing fome ode affli&ion rather than another. ‘But what good doth he chufe, that chufesfin ? Happy is the man that endurescorre&ien, 'or aflftf&ioti, faith the Scripture inmanyplaces; but doth it fay any where, Happyis theman that commits iniquity Mf you chufeaffli&ion.rather than iniquity, you chufe agreat deal of good. Firft, Davidcould fay upon try- al ( p lf i 119. fj i.y i t isgeod for me that1 have been affixed, that I mightlearnthyfiatuteSifoDid cvet Davidfay, it is good for me that I have finned, which is;to unlearnor breakStatutes -? did he ever pleafehimfelfinthinking that he had-finned? he did even pleafe himfelf that he had been -affixed; that was good, becaufc he learned Commandments by it j he grew a better Scholler, then he was inthat beft learning of all, the knowledge*. Of theCommandments of God: : Again, Secondly, -It isgood to be affli&ed; why? afflictions are the exercifes of our Graces, the exereifeof our Faith,the ex- ercife of our patience, thfftxercife of onr felf-denyal. ‘Tisja good thing tohavOour Graces excrcifed, for thereby they are encroafed. If you chufe affliction, you fhall probably have that good by it, the encreafeof yourbeft things, your Graces.* Thirdly, Affliction purgeth out our corruptions, and that is good. Is it notgood to have adifeafe, ©ran HIhumour, purged out ? (hisgoodcomes by affliction. But doth the committing ■offinpurge fin ? doth the Stockof fin abate byfinning ? does the ill humour fpend it felf ? no, thi ill-humour rather increafeth. When you chafe fin, you weaken your Graces, and cherifh your corruptions; but-when you refufe fin, your corruptions weakenor fpend their ftrengtb. Do you think when you have committed one fid,that the foul ismademoreunable to, or msre averfe fromthe fameor another fin? .When you hafre fattsfied the call of one luft, will it now let you alone, and call.no more ? no, not at all ; the more you fin, the more you may gj the emore you fin, the more doth the Stock of fin increafe andigfowin you. .. , Fourthly, Affl-Ction is a means to takeus.offer weanus from the World : O what a good is that j we being Co apt to dote, , upon V$rf<11. uponthe Beo{^of J o®. Chap. 36.
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