I 26<J GOD COMPARED TO A GIANT. Book II. at fir£1:, we ought with Patience to bear them, and humbly wait, till God is pleafed to lhew us his Mind and Plcafure in them. 7· We mu£1: confider, that it ;sour Dmy to acknowledge all our Troubles and Af– flictions, and whatever they be, as coming from God ; and look beyond In£l:ruments and fecondary Caufes: Is there any Evil in the City, a11d I have not done it? He breaketh me with Breachupon Breach, and runneth upon me like a Giant. He; why Jome may fay, It was the Devil and Ius Agents, vzz. the Sabeans, and Chaldeans, &c. Job knew that no Devil or wicked Man could hurt or touch him, if God did not gi ve them Leave, and open the Door for them. Thefe Things being premifed, I now fhall ~ive you five or fix ReafiJns, why God ran thus upon Job, or breaks forth after this Manner upon fincere Perfons, when Sin is not the Caufe. It is necelfary to note this by the Way, That God cloth frequently fingle out the mo£1: emment and ch01ce£l: of hts Ch1ldren, to undergo the fharpe!t and foreft Affliction, becaufe they have the greateft Strength. Jofeph excelled for Grace and Virtue, and therefore he is lingled out from all his Brethren to hard Works and Sufferinas. No M an like Job in all the Earth, in his Day, for a perfect and upright Man; and what a Man of Sorrows and Afflictions was he? Thofe that have received moll: Grace from God, are able to bear moll: Afflictions from God. A General of an Army' chufeth out the mo£1: valiant and experienced Soldiers, to put them upon hard Adventures. It is not prudent to put a Frefh.water Soldier upon difficult Service. As Chri£1: faith, I have many Things tofay untoyou, butyou cannot bear them now ; and therefore deferred, till they had got more Strength: So God faith of a young Chriftian, one that is newly converted. Thou ha£1: great Afflictions to undergo before thou dieft, but thou art not fit to bear them yet, I will defer thy Trial, till thou art grown more hardy, and fit for that Encounter; as our Savior told Peter, Job;, xxi. I 8. I Reafon. One Reafon why God ran thus upon Job like a Giant, or brings fore and fevere Trials upon his deare£1: Servants, is, that he may fit them for eminent Work and Service. H ereby they learn Experience and Knowledge, not only ];pw to carry them– felves in dark and difmal Days, but to teach others alfo, how to behave themfelves under Trials. z. That God might crucify them unto all the Things of this World: They do not only this Way come to fee the Vanity and Emptinefs of them, but to be dead unto them. In Profperity the Hearts of the be£1: of Men are ready to be enfnared with the Worlrl, therefore God brings Adverfity upon them. And indeed it is every vVay as good and ufeful for a Saint, as Winter and !harp Fro£l:s are to the Fruits of the Earth, which kills the Worms and Weeds, that otherwile would greatly hurt and injure them. God's Jobs have a Body of Sin and Death in them, as well as others, and nothing like Affliction tends to deftroy it. The Corruptions of our H earts are compared to Chaff and Drofs, which the Furnace of Affliction burns up, and purges away. No Man is fo pure and clean, but he needs to be made more pure, and more holy. Job was very good before, but God made him much better by the Rod, before he had done with him: He was Gold before his Trial, but afterwards refined Gold: When I am tried, I jhall come forth as Gold, (to wit, refined Gold.) Job xxiii. IO. 3· God brings his Jobs under great Exercifes and Afflictions for the Trials of their Graces. Grace never lhines forth m Its real Splendor and Glory, unttlit comes robe tried. A Saint knows not what his Faith can do, until it is brought under Exercife. Abraham knew not the Strength of his Faith and Love, until he was called to ofrer up his Son IJaac: H e wirh.held not his Son, his only.Soil: Ifaac,. whom he loved; fuch was his Love to God: And If we refpect h1s Fatth, It 1s fa~d, R om. IV. I8, 19, ·w. He believed in Hope againfl Hope, that he might become the Father of marry Nations.– According to that which was fpoken, fo jhall thy Seed be. He being not weak in Faith, confidered not his own Body betng now dead, when he was about an hundred Years old, neither the Deadnefs of Sarah's Womb, Gen. xv. 5·. He flaggered not through Unbelief, but wasflrong in Faith, giving Gwry to God: By Fa1th he offered hzm up, accountmg tbat God was able to raife him up even from the Dead: From whence .alfo he recezved,hzm m a Figure, Heb. xi. '9· How did 7ob's Patience Oune forth, when 1t came under Exerc1fe, by all thofe fore and bitter Afflictions he met withal. :r·he greater the Temptation or Trial is, if the Soul can refi£1: tt, and bear up under Jt, the greater Demonftratton there is of the Strenath and Power of that Grace the Soul polfelfeth. The Almighty 0 01ews
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