Ver.28. the 8th Chapter to the ROMANS. him alone. They are defperateand irrecoverable, and referved for eternal torments; this is the Coral judgment to be given up to our own ways, Without any check from Divine Providence. On the other fide God doth corn& us in love, not in anger, when he doth bring good out of it, and by it ; if it produce a thorough repentance and cháùge, 'tis a pledg of Gods love, and our eternal glory ; Godsfaithtulnefs maybe thèn obferved, Pfal. r 19. 75. Iknow O Lord, that thy judgments me. right, and that thor, in fai¡hfúlnefr halt alrüed me. That he is purfuing his Covenant-love, andcarrying on your lalvati- on,thobv a way not fo pleating to the fleth. 3. That 'tis y xr part to get benefit by the a 1gfian, but G dr to remore it : For the getting benefit by theafflruion,falleth within thecompd., of ourdurÿ, but the remo- ving the affliction is a bare even', belonging to Gods Providence. We mull do what is our part, and then God will do what is his ; not but that God helpeth us in the ipt- provement, for we obtain this Grace by prayer, and the füpply of the Spirit of Chriflt But the removal is wholly Gods work, and mutt be referred to him ; tht refm a your en- quiry íhould be, What am Iobliged unto in fuch a condition ? And charge yt.u, feives with yoùr own proper work; Elihu telleth you what rcflettions you íhould have, Job 34 31, 3z. Sere/1 ititmcetto be raid unto God, I have born ch:füfenere, i tr 11 n,.t of.. fend any more: that which Ifee riot, teach ,bon me; if I have do, e mg ity, I :anti do NO more. This is work proper for us; what fins will God have to be mo. triad ? What va- nities.left ? What duties more effectually performed ? What Graces ft,engthned ? And then let God alone to take off the trouble when it hath done its errand ; for furely he delights not to grieve and difpleafe his people further i han is for their hr, fi ; and hé would not continue the afliftion if he had not more work to do; his pit mover h hits to fpare thewicked when they relent under his ftrokes, much more to deliver the godl j when theyfetioufly profit by it. 4. If the conflitution , f our heart, were right, we wau /d delire to profit by tie 1 ¿lion; rather than to get rid of it. This is everywhere reprefented as the ti mper of t.. god ly, 2 Cor. 4. 16. For which caw he we faint not, but ¡ho our outward man peril& yet the in- ward man is renewed day by day. 2 Cor. 12. 10. I will rejoice in infrni,ier. Sutelr fpiritual and heavenly things Mould be Valued above earthly and carnal ; not by a bare fpecâlative app. (Motion, but by a pra &ical efleem ; now a practical efleem is manifefl- 'ed.by three fond fels ; by owe caring orfeeking for the one rather than the other,. Mart. 6.43. But fîrfi feekthe kingdom of God, and hisrighteoufnrj. arad oll th. f things than bé added xntoyou. By quitting the one for the other, when ncceffi y fo requireth, Matth. 13. 45,46. Again the kingdom of Hearten it like Onto a merchant man, feel ¿.ng goodlj pearl, who when he bathfound one pearl of great price, he went and fold all t bat he had, and bought it. By our fubmifûon to Gods dtfpenfation, when he blatteth and taketfi away the one, to promote the other ; we íhould be glad that it goeth well with the in- ward man, by the fois and decay of the outward ; the lower, degree of fipcerity that.the lofuf outward concernment, Mould trouble us the lee; but Purely if grace be ire any good degree of ftrength, we íhould rejoyce and be abundantly fatistied; that God thinketh fit to take away earthly things,. that thereby he may Mike us more mindful of that which is heavenly; and doth leffen us in the world, that he may thereby exci, a us to a more lively exercife of grace, and retrench the interdis of the fleth, that the fpirif may be enlarged, and kept ingooi plight; therefore to a child of God, an exemption from troubles is not fo good, as an improvement of them : Our Lord when he taught us to pray, would hade us indeed deprecate the temptation; but our chief requefl by way of referve, Msttb 6. a 3. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver ur from evil ; fo in his Prayer, John t 7. i 5 I pray not that thou flsoaldelt take them oat of the world, bra ¡bah tboxfhoxldele keep them from the evil. Teaching us, our defireefhould be not for much to bedelivered from the world, as the evil of the world; from fins rather than afffih i- ons; and that we íhould leek grace, rather than deliverance : The deliverance is a com- mon mercy, the improvement,a fpecial mercy ; carnal men may efcape out of afflielion; but carnal men have no experience of grace in Can &ifying ajfli &ions ; and bare delive- rance is no iign of 1pecial love, but improvement is; Paul rejoiced it this, that God would deliver him from every evil work, 2 Mx. 4.18. Therefore we thould'fubmit to endure the evil of chatifemenr,that we may efcape the evil of fin; 'tis worfeto be tin- t-fit than miferable ; to be unclean, than to be fick;to be volupteuus , than to be poor 5 and lò the of hic ion bringeth greater good, titian it taketh from you 5 therefore Chrifti- ans íhould be careful that they murmurnot againti Gods difpenfitions ; for there are two evils that we bewray thereby. r. 'Adefpifing of God: 2. A defp fng of holinefo. And a Chrit1iaa íhould be tender of either.. 9 M 2 1, 4
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