400 Chap. g. ,finExpoftion upon. the Boni, of j .O.B. Vert. _cauft he correfls them, .fo alfo do they, who fay, they care not how long he,correEl;s them, or let him corrcd them, as long as he will. It is as a fign when a_child will not pray his;parent to parehim, when hers about to .chafren.him, . or to flay, his Band when he is .chattening,of him, as it is to refill' his chaltifement. There may begreater contempt.of.Godin lyingunder afitaion, then .in refiffingit. Now, as it is our duty to pray for deliverance out of trouble; fo it is one end why the Lord calls us into.trouble, .thatwe maybe engaged to pray for deliverance. .Bur take it with a caution, wemuff not pray abfolutely for de- liverance, or the removal of afidions, but at kalt with an;im- plicit limitation. While we are ftriving earnetlly for the taking away of the rod, we should be ready to fubmit, if the Lord will not takeìfaway. A believer may fay to the Lord ( as wreltling Jacob) Iwill not Let thee go except thou bici! me ; but he mutt not lay, 1 will not let thee.go, .except Cho t.nowdeliver me. Time, and meaaas`,a dmanner mutt ail be laid at Gods feet, and fubmitted to his wifdotn. And we mutt honour.God, though he will not re- move the rod , even, while we are.praying that he would re- move it. For the doleof this point'confder, -the rod may be removed,, not only by a total releaic from afllï ion; But .Firtt,Byan abatement of the afifkìon.; as we arefaid-to leave -off Chafe graces,from the degrees and lively adings ofwhich w.e tall and decline : He that lacked; theft thing,: (that .is, whoa- boundeth not,.. as he hathheretofore, in the exercife of them) is (a:iPct.:1.00.Thou haft left tray firfLlove, faith C.hrilf.to theAngel ofEphefitc, when theheat of his former. love was cool- ed : So the Lord may be faid.to remove our troubles,.when he re- mits the.extremity, and cools the heat of ,them. Secondly,Tbe,rod ds removed, ,when .itis fandified tons,when the Lord (who is excellent in working) ,caufeth it to do us good. The Saints die, yet death aabolifhtd, as to the Saints, by the death of Chrift (a Tim. 1.1o.) becaufe Chrift hath plucks out the tfing oftheir death, and made it again.to them. Thus while Chrilt makes temporal l.offes or fufferings an advantage to the fpiritual ehtate of his,people,he takes.them away. Andas-outward bictíit gs ate taken- away, 'from wicked men, while they ,poffcfs them,riches are,not riches to them, nor.is their honour an honour to them,becaufe they_ are:enfnared,by them; So the outward crófs 1s
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