56 How to oser cire patience in prefent crofter. t. Confi der God the orde- rer ofall con- ditions. Therefore give him the glory el his loveraigory. t Ki g. 20 3. lob. t . z s. Sam. 15.z5. Of hiswit; dom. The PerfeEfion ofPatience, or perfect Chrif{ians, and to be perfeél inpatience, Let patience have her perfea work. But all the queftion is, how a manmay get it. As there arc two forts ofafflidions in a mans life, fo Patience hath two offices. One affliction is thofe prefent evils that a man undergoech and fuffereth, 'Patience is to fupport him in thofe prefent miferies'andcalamities. Another fort of tryal is when the good that a man experts is delayed, and is not prefently granted , and here patience is neceffary in this cafe alto. I will thew ye how a man may fctpatience a work in both there, and fo conclude. Firlt, for the prefent calamitiesof a mans life, ( For crofles ofany kind,in name, Fate, friends, or families, or in whatfocver a plan hath, or goeth about, theymay all be reduced to this one head)when a mancometh from a Fate of health to a Fate of ficknefs; from a Fate of comfort to a Fate offorrow ; from acquaintance, and fociety, to be as a Pelican in the wildernefi (as Davidfpeaks) deflitute ofallfreinds and helps ; from inward rejoycing in his heart , in the affurance ofGods love , to fpiritual difertions, whereinhe lecmeth to be as in a cloud, under the frowns ofGod. When a man is in this cafe, how (hall he excrcife Patience? how Ihall . he come to it ? Briefly, the way for a man to get patience in filch cafes as theft, is this. Firf to confider, that there is no change in my life, there is no condition what- foever that I am calf into, but it is ordered by God. Set thy foul awork now , to give God his glory in that changeof thy life. FirF give God the glory ofhis abfo lute Soveraignty and Dominion. Secondly , give him the glory ofhiswifdom. Thirdly, give him the glory ofhis mercy in thofe changes of thy life that feemmof¡ grievous to thee. Frft, I fay, give him the glory, ofhisabfolute fovcraignty. Acknowlcdg him aril abfolute in-dependent Lord,that doth whathe will among the creatures.Hrs will isi the rule ofall his afious upon the creatures here below, and uncontroul'd, un queflionable. It is high arrogancy, and prefumption , and pride of fpirit, for the creature to contelf with his Creator,concerning his actions on earth. Let everyman rcafon thus ? I mufhgive God the glory ofhis fovcraignty, and acknowlcdg that he bathpower and right, to rule all thefamilies of the earth ; and why not mine as well as another ? Why not my perfon as well as anothers ? Why not to orderall the changesEf my life, as well as another mans ? That which Benhadad fpake proud ly to Ahab, thyfilver andthygold, thy wives and thy children , and thy knife, and thy (irieare mine ; Thatmay God fpeak truely, and by right; All that thou haft,: and all that thouart is mine, thereforegive him that glory that job did in the change Í of his life ; The Lord bath given, the Lord bath taken away, bleffedbe the name of the Lord. The Lord that gave bath right to take what he willl. There is nothing! that will keep the creature in his due place, but the confiderationofGods abfolute foveraignty. This confideration was that that meekned the fpirit of Eli, when that heavy meffage was brought to him, that there fhould come inch mifery upon his houfe, that whofoever heardit, both histares /hoold tingle, well, faith he, it is the Lord, let him do whatfeemetb him giod: It is the Lord, and it becometh not fervants to Fand and contend with their Lord So David, when the Pricfis offered him their fcrvice to go along with him to the field fromodbfolom, rf ( faith he) 1/hall findfa- vour in the eyes of the Lord, be will bring me backto ferufalem, and his tabernacle, bat ifhe thusfay, I have nodelgbt in thee, beholdhere am I, let him do to me as feem- ctb good unto him, Herewas that that humbled the fpirit ofDavid, when he con- fidered that he was under thehands of an abfoluteLord , let the Lord do with me what feemetlt him good. Secondly, as thou muf give him the glory of his fovcraignty, fo ofhis wifdom. Know that God ordereth all his wages with wifdomand counfel r he knoweth what is good for his children. Ye are content when ye are lick, that the Phyftian Ftoidd diet ye, becaufe ye account himwife, and one that hatfï skill in that courfe: If God diet thee for the purging out of fame corruption , and for the curingof fome fpiritual difeafe in thy foul, fubmit to God in thiscafe, be willing to refigne thy,
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