gods éA'irri in bis C òrrefion>. 351 within us, concerning Godsdealing with us, inthetime ofour diftreffes. Apt we Gods children are to fpeak fooli(hly and unadvifedly concerningGod,andtomifconfterhis admi- prone to mtf- niftrations. This bath been the frailty of Gods deareft fervants in their. aflli&ion. conffet the in. 1 all one day faith `David erà by the hard ofSaid. Wnt ùme (faith slab tent o£God in ) p fh y ( f )their afllàfti for Iam undone; becaufe Iam a man ofunclean lips. The Lord (faith the Church) one. bath broken my teeth with gravelfrancs, andcovered mewith afhes, hebath removed r Sam... a, my fiat/far offrom peace , and Ifaid my f rength and my hope is peri.,%ed from the Efa. s. S, Lord. The Lord bath forfaken me ( faith Zion ) andmy Lord bath forgottenme. Ìjá "'3'tó,rs. fob though for a good while he carried himfelf very fairly,. and demeaned himfelf 49 ra, very warily toward God ; yet whenhe began to be wet to his skin, then he fpeaks foolifhly, and unadvifedly, falleth to the turfing of his day ; not to the curlingof his God, as,Satan thought he would, but of his day, though.that was toomuch, and ill befeemini fo holy aman. TheSaints,I fay,are"apt to miflske themfelvesthis way, and to over-(hoot thetnfclves in this cafe. We fhould therefore humble our felves before the Lord for thisdiftemper of foul,and labour to keepdown file) un- quiet thoughs,. and hard difputings that are apt to rife within us againft God, and his difpenfations : And confider , that whatfoever our thoughts are, yet theLord knoweth his r;en thoughts concerningus; as he himfelf fpeaks inTer. 29. howfoevet (faith he) you may think that I intend to cut youofffor ever,yet1+nowmythoughts that I thinti ts>vardsyou, eventhoughts ofpeace,andnot ofevil, to giveyou an cxpe5fed end. Again fecondly, it may ferve to comfort the godly concerningall the means and eft z. infirm-news of their fuffcrings, whetherthey be men or devils. Wickedmen and For comfort. devils whomGod uleth as a Rod to chafbfe hispeople, theirmalice is great, and their rage.violcnt, and theymarch on with much fury againft the godly ; they in- tend their utter ruine and devaftation, and purpofe nothing lefs. Rut O .dfyrian (faith God) the rod ofmineanger, and the Pfaffin their band is mine indignation : IIa, io. 57. howbeit he meanetbnotfo, neither doth his heart think fo, but it is en his heart to de greyandcueef5 But (faith theLord) whatfoever his meaning is, I know what, my intentions are; he is but the rod in mine hand, and 1 will give fuchltroaks with it, as my people may bear, and fuchas may befor theirprofit. This, I fay, fhould Simile. comfort us concerning all the inflruments ofour fuffering,whatfoever they be. The Phyfitian, you know, applicth the Norte-leaches to his diftempered Patent, the Horfe-lecen intendeth nothing but the Iodating and filling himfelf with the bloodof the tick party;but the Phyfitian bath another aim,even the drawing our of the putri- fied and corrupted blood. God fuffereth wicked menand devils as r-lorfe-leeches to fuck his people, todraw theirblood, but it isin order to their good ; it isno matter what wickedmen think, though Afhur think not fo, yet God purpofeth it, and aims at it, and in conclufioneffeelsit; and then (faith he) it than come to pat; that Ifa. e2. u; when the Lord hathperformedhis whale workupon mount Sion, Iwillpunefh thefrieze ofthefloat heart ofthe King ofAfrig, and the glory-of his high looks. Again in the third place. Seeing this is Godsaim in all his af lidtions, whatfoever oft j. the inftrumentbe, how (harp foever the colligation be, or ofwhatnature, whether Exhortation it be in a fpiritual way by fore temptations and buffetings ofSatan, or outwardly expeftanentof by lofies in our eftate, or death of friends, 6--e. feting, I fay, this is Gods purpofe eha;ehy of af- and intent that his people maybeprofited : Let us quietly and patiently apply our Yü &ion, felves unto God, and expe& the quiet andpeaceablefruit ofrighteoufnefs, tbat(hall. ifiringup in due time,to thofe that are this way exercàfed by theLord: Lookfor it and prefs on to this, quietly to wait on the Lord our God for a bleffedfruit of fuck') ad miniftrations. An argument ab utili, is an argument of great prevail t what will not men do for Profit r It isfor profit that men rife up early and go to bad late, and eat the bread of carefulnefs. The Husband-man takes much pains and plows hisground, endures many (harp ftorms,and piercing winters ; the Merchant runs divers hazards abroad, and all for profit : fo Iltould we be willing patiently and quietly to fubmit, to Godsdealing,humbly to applyour felves tohis wife and fatherly adminiftrations, feting he intendeth by it our profit, And take heed of murmuring and repining Z z againll
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