f 48 The PerfeSion of patience, or Definitionof fatieuct. Rom.i,I. Gal.staa Mat. as. Ed} 1 will it-levy, what is meant by Patience, Secondly, what is meant by Patience having her perfebl work, Thirdly, what is meant by this, that doing of this, they (hall be pesfeEl and in. tirewanting nothing. Patience(in a vvord) it is 4 Grace or Frgit of Gods fpirit, whereby the heart ofa Believer willing!, fulunitteth it [elfte the will ofdad in dlaffliblions, and changes this life. I fay,it is awork or fruit ofGods fpirit. In serpeaof this work,the efficient iscal- led, the 6.d of Patience and long-fifering ( which is the fame with PatiOnee )is made a fruit of theSpirit, Gal. 5. 22, The fubjel.ft of this, is theHeart. The a6t of this Patience, is to Music amawfelf willing° to God in affliblions ; [faywillingly, for there is a fubmillion which it by force ; whenGod fubjeets a man tohimfelf,noc bya gracious and fweet inclining of the will, but by a powerful Tub- cluing of the Perfora. , Novv,vvhen I fay there is fuchawillingMori/ion to god in afflaient ; themeaning is thus ; chat there may be in a Believer,in a child of God,: Veliet7on inclination of the will, a natural defire tobe freed from AffliCtions, yet neverthelefs there is in him thatwillingnefsthat ishere the Patienceof aChrillian. There may be a willingnefs, and anunvvillingnefs inone and the fame perfon arifingfrom divers principles. In eve- ry renewed foul, there is a principle of nature, and a principle of grace, ( I fpeaknot now ofcorrupt nature,but of purenature, for vve may fo fpeak.) There isa defire that arifeth from nature,and that tendeth co the conferva donof a mans beeing, and to the confervation of a man in allthe comforts, and concentments of his beeing : This is andmay be in a Childof God. But then it is over-fvvayed byGrace, which makes' a man now refign up this Will of his to Gods hand, to be content againft his own natural &fires, ) co be difpofed of according to Gods will. This we may fee inour Lord and Saviour : rather ( faithhe ) f it be pogible, let this Cappap fromme. Here isa defire tokeep, not only in this Natural beeing, but to keep in thecomfort of Nature and Life : And this is lawful and a good acare ; for thefe affeaions, are the works of God upon the Said of man. The will of ratan moveth naturally by there affeetions, thefe delires they are the fruits of Nature, and fo the works of God in natureAnd therefore not (imply to be blamed. Bot now that which keepech them within cornpafs, is anover-ruling workof Grace, whereby the Creature is made to acknowledge his dillance from 'the Creator, and that fubjeCtion he oweth to God, as the foveraign Lord of Nature, andof all Creatures. And in this fenfe our Savi- our Chrift doth check his natural defires ; If it be poffible let this Cup?aftfrom we, neverthelefs, not as I will, but as thou wilt, faith hc So here is a work of Grace, ordering an over-ruling nature, that it might not exceed that propbrcion of the Crea-, ture, and chore defires that (hould be innature. So then you fee what kind ofwillingners wemean, filch akind ofwillingnefs, as in the iffue and dote refteth in Gods will. The °We& of this Patience is,Affialions, and the changes of this life. Afflietion s properly any thing that is grievous to a mans fenfe; any thing that crolfeth a mans will. There are tome things that indeedare Affhetions, but not to this or that Per- ton, becaufe he is not fenfille of them, or becaufe he is not carried with any &fires againff them : But vvhena man is croft in his will, that is an afThetion to him ; but Cpecially when this is (et on him with a change, when God brings, as 3.; (peaks, changes upon him, when a man is in another turning andcurie of life, this is an affli6tion indeed. Aman that hath tailed the fvveetners of profperitv now to be left in affliCtion, this was Fobs cafe, and this is fpecially the obits of Patience. ton have heardof the Patience of Job'. Bet how did JobsPatience appear in the affliEtions,in the changes of this life ? That notWithftanding he had felt the fweetnefsofa profperous effete, and thecomfort of Friends, yea, and thecomfort of Gods favour thining upon hisheart, and many o. thee particular mercies, yet when Girl turned his hand, and took away the com- forts ofhis life, the comfort and fociety of his friends, the comfortable expreffioni of
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