all the Saincs • Paul had a racking pain, which he exprelfeth by crx.~M.-f, Cl! Cfri.~K-t, -~ thorn in the fiefh, 1 Cor. 11. 7, 8, 9• and coulCl have no other Anfwer- but only .~Wy gr~tce u fu.fficient for thee" : He alludeeh to fuch a kind ofpuniiliment as'flaves, or men not free,. were put to for great offences ; they lharpened a fiake, and pointed it with Iron, and put it in at his back, till it came out at his mouth, and fo with his face upward he dyed miferably : And therefgre by that exprdlion the Apofile intendeth fome bodily dillemper and racking pain; fuppofe the Stone, the Gout, the Strangury, inward h corpt1Yts ~va .. Ulcers, or fome like ~ifeafe: Of.this mind is b CJirit~tn ~mong t~e· via , & "!uf>tz Fathers ; the word a..&ivHa., wbtch we tranflate mfirmzt), but IS '"'~e11ra mu /- ufually put in the New Tefiament for ftck..nefs, ~onfirmeth it. Cer_. /lgtr. Cypnan. tainly he fpeaketh of fuch inftrmitits in which he wouldgltH'1, becaure ofconcomitant grace, and ruch as were apt to cure pride, and therefore it cannot be meant offin .or fome prevailing lufr,as is ufu– ally expounded. Therefore comfort your felves; Gods Jeareft Saints may have experience of{oreft pck_nt.Jfes; and ifGod affiict you with an akjng head, you•l have abundant recompence, ifthere– by he giveth you a better he11rt; and ifhe make your bones fore, bear it, ifthereby he breaketh the powtr ofyour corruptions. ·ris c 1\aiah 37 no unufual thing for Saints to c ch11tter ilk.! Cranes, as He:t.ek,iah did; and for heAlth] Souls robe troubled with aWell~ ~,dJ, as . G.-ius was, 3 epifr. /oh. v. 1. Sicknelfes are not tokens ofGods difpleafure. "fwas the folly of ro~s friends to judg of him by his calamity : urually men [mite with the tongue, where God bath fmitcen b7 hu hand. Alas, the children ofGod have bodies of the fame make with others; and in this cafe •// things eome 11/i~e tt~ all: He~ek.J•h, Jeb,David, Epaphrodit'Hs, they were all correEled, but not condemned. "Twas Popi(h m:dice·to upbraidCAiviDwith his difeafes, ToH "'tiiJ fee whllt he u (fay they) by h~jick,nefes ,,.J aif-' e.t{es: He was indeed a man of an mdet:uigable indutlry, but ofa fickly weak body ; and the fame bath befaln many ofthe precious fervams of the Lord. · obforv/lt. 2. 2. From that [Let him Cllllfor the Elders] note, Thttt the chief care oft~ fie~ mt~n fhould be for his SoH/. Ifany be fick,the ApolUe doth nqt fay, let him fend for the Phyfician,bur. the Elders: Phyfi..· cians are to be called in their place, but not firft, not chiefly ; •rwas Afs"s fault, 2. Chron.I6.Il.ln his difeafe he[ought not to the Lord, but tt~ the PhJ{i&ians. _Sitknc:fs is G_ods mcffenger to call.us to: · 111eet
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