An Expo[ition of the Epifile ~·and if temptations of fevcral l<inds befel them, they aforehand were prepared Serm, I V. and inflrutl:ed to account it all joy : for their faith· and experience prompted V""V"'J them, that now God was about to blefs them with an increafe in fuch Spiritual graces of faith and patience,&c. the leaft trial of which hereby, much more adrPcr.r.6,7. dition unto which, they accounted more preciotts tha11 gold: and bteffed is the man that m dttrn temptatioll ; and the more or greater thefe are, the more bleffed he is. Thus God often makes but an advantage of a man's outward con– dition; fets up a man or woman that hath all affiuences and nccomplilhmems of riches, honours, abilities, pleafures, beauty, wit, &c, and beftows them on them but as it were only to "fford but fo many crolies and af!liCl:ions in the fpoil of them; and to heighten thefe af!litl:ions the more, when yet God's defign in and by the lofs or ruin of all thefe, is to make that man or woman great and rich, and glorious, in and unto this heavenly world, unto the higher and greater pro– portion, as he was in all thefe outward things in this world. Doth God greatly thafiife and af!liCl: thee, and withal teach thee out of his Law, further inftruCl:ing thee in thy duty, and framing thy heart thereunto? Hear 'David, Pfal.94· I~· Eleffed is the man whom tho11 chajlnejl, and teachejl ottt of thy Law. Doth a great lofs of a Child, a Wife, put thee upon making one more fervent prayer than otherwife thou lhouldfl have made? God harh really and more abundantly bleffed thee thereby, than in the continuance of that outward enjoyment to thee. God often bleffeth us when we are nor aware of it. God lets thee fall H<br. 4 .u!r. into a fin perhaps, and that drives thee to the Throne of grace, with out·crifS t:o63<~<>· for help, as the Apoftles word is, as a man undone utterly and for ever, if God pity thee nor. This Prayer, though in it felf a lefs good rhan thy fin was evil; yet unto thee is turned into a far greater blelling than thy fin hath evil in it (as ro thee :) fuch is his goodnefs. Thy lin fl1all be pardoned, and though it be a lofs in it felf; yet to thee, having rhis fo great a confequenr and effect of it, thou comeft off a gainer: And lo,God bath bleft thee by occafion of it with a further increafe in Heavenlies, which do abide for ever, and Jhall never be taken from thee. A~b;.utr, Ill. Heteby alfo we m•y judge of our own fpirirs, whether yea or no at all made fpirirual and heavenly, or to what degree, and fo whether in this ftate of Gofpel bleffednefs, or the contrary. What blellings are they thy heart is drawn out to feek, when thy Soul is in neareft approaches unto God, and thou findeil: thou haft hold of him in wrefiling with him, as '}acobhad ufually at fuch times? What a'ie the choiceft defircs of a mans Soul he pours forth to him, and fays, as Jacob there did, I wi!J not let thee go, exapt thottblefS me thus or thus l And what are the blellings rhy heart rheri with higheft contention affetl:eth? Some– times perhaps that God would communicate himfelf to thee, which (as you heard) was the fum and fubftance of all blellings and blelfednefs, Oh blefs me with thy felf,thy felf, Lord ; and thy heart is fo filled, and overpour'd and [wal– lowed up with this, is fo ad.,quately filled and environed about with this, that thou canft not find in thy heart wherewith at that rime to ask any thing elfe; but the utmofi foie intention of thy mind and Soul are held up, fixed and united un– to this, and this alone. Another time ,or prefently thereupon,as violently carried forth to be bleft in holinefs and unblameablenefs in love towards this God.Oh that thou wouldeft blefs me indeed, and keep me from the evil! So we find ,7a6ejb broke forth, I ehro11.4.1o. and his Prayer is recorded for the eminent zeal and holinefs of heart in it; and it ftands there alone, like to a fmall fertil fpot of earth in the midft of a long traCl:of ground, that bears nothing but names and genealogies round about it. . Oh keep me from the evil, fays he, that evil of evils, Sin, (as Chrift in tlJe Lord's Prayer alfo exprelfeth it,) that it may nor grieve me : for, Lord, to fin againft thee would be to my fpirir the greateft crofs and af!liCl:ion, though otherwife I abounded in all earthly blellings; and thou didft n_ev~r ~o much enlarge my coaft(as he had there alfo prayed, )and to be kept from It, ts 10 rny efteem and delire the greateft mercy I have to defire of thee , to blefsme; blef" me, Oh Lord, by tttrni11gmefrommille iltiqttitits, as Peter, by tnab!ing me tokeep thy commalldme.tts, \vhich is the greateft bleffednefs, as Revel.22.14, Are thefe, and fuch as thefe tqe top defires of thy Soull Thou art bteffed
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