The Compleat Chrifliañ. 57 thy felf to be otdered by him. A man that bath a Gangreen, or fah a dange . ous difcafe in his body , fubmitteth to the Chirurgeon in his courfe, though it be to the cutting and (awing off a limb, though it be never fo painful, and the lofs be never ogreat, yet he is ( for the Paving of his life ) willing tohave that taken away. God is a wife God, that knoweth what efface is bell for thee; not only when Tryals are Cater than Coinfores,but what one kind of tryal is better than another c It may be it is better to exerci(e one with poverty, another with difgrace, another with fptricual ,rouble,another with re(lraint of liberty, which particular tryal is ueceffary to cure that di(eafe,and which this,that is in my soul : The heavenly Phyfician will bring that up- on thee as a fpiritualprefcription, anda heavenly courfe that he takes in infinite wit. dome to cure thee. Lafly, give him in all this the gloryof his Mercy. What haft thou loll, but Of his mercy, thou maieff have loft a great deal more What doff thou fuller, but thou máieft have fuffered a great deal more ? As Alcibiades when he was told chat one;had (ollen half his plate, I have caufe ( faith he ) rather to be thankful that be took nó more, then to be troubled that he took fo much ; I are fure it is true of God in this cafe Wuat hathGod took from thee ? Some part of thy efface, Come friend, fome comfort of thy life, fome one or other particular comfort : Could he not have done more ? He affiuiteeh thee in chy body, he might have aflliéted thee in thy foul, and wounded Spirit who can be.vr? He bath aflidted thee in tome one Member of thy body, he could have cafl body and foul intó Hell. There is not a tryal upon thee, but God could have made it heavier: Let that make thee therefore to fubmit with a more meekheart, and willing fpirit to God, as a merciful Gad : /tithe Churai in the Lamentations; It is the Lords mercy that we are not confumed: The Church Lam. a1 was in great añlietion, when the Babilontanscame upon them, and they were drivenj from the houfe of God, and their. own houles, but yet it wasGods mercy that they wire not confirmed. So the Prophet Jeremy telleth Baruch in the Captivity, Seek thou great things for thy fc/f? Thou fhalt have thy life fora prey: Baruch was Iet;45:3: wonderoufly difquieted, he complained that the Lordhad addedgrief to kit forrow; What grief was that 5 ThatHe muigato Egypt, and after to Babylon; Well faith theProphet, thy cafe is not fo heavy, as thou feemcfc to make it, Thou Ault have thy life for a prey, in all places wherefoever thoagoefl. God might have taken away life and all,buc thy life thou (halt have fer aprey ; Therefore be content with fo much. So I fay to thee, when great afflictions come upon thee, they might havebeen greater, therefore confider that, that thou maieff give God the glory of his mercy. And fo much for the firft direetion ; that is, to acknowledge God in all the changes of life that befalleth thee. Secondly, look to fin, as that defervingcaufe that draweth on all the affliétfins a. Confider of this life. Confider, thou half fallen by thy fin into Gods difpleafure, therefore the defect of whatfoever afilietion bcfalleth thee, thy fin bath deferved that at the handsof God. fin. Tne Lord now dealt with thee as a juft God ;; though not its the extremity of rigor; yet neverthelefs there is Righteous proceeding in ir, as the Church confef ech; ugh- Dan. 9. teaufsieft belongeth to thee, O Lord, though they were in great affliélion, yetGod Ezra. tv. was righteous: in it. It is profitable to confider this ; nay, not only that thou iufferelt righteoufle, (as the Thiefon the Crofs raid, We fuller according to our d (errs ) bitt thou fuffereli not fo much as thy finsdeferve, thy fins deferve greater things at the hands ofGod,then yet he bath infflidted on thee. We fee,that a Commutation, and change of Punilhmenc, a left for a greater, bath the place of a Mercy upon a Maw lefaetor that defervethgreater, when he deferveth to beExecuted and to die, he is not only content to be burnt in the hpnd,but he donfeffeth it to be a Mercyof the Prince. So it is with us, whatfoever affliction God hath laid on thee, thou inaiell conclude, I have defervedgreater. Therefore,faith the Church/0y is the living man farramful ? Lam: 3: Man fufferetb for his fn, let to fearcband try our ways, and turn again to theLord, So let thisbe the main bufinefs of thy life in this cafe, rather bethink thy felf how to get the favour of God, their to be eared of f.tch a trouble. Let a man look to fin in all this, I Laftly,
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