30 Cafes ofCon[cience. I.Booke. Icr. ;o,n,. iudgemwt, tliat is, fo as he will haue the whole A The fir!I is,to worke our deliuerance from ordermgorthecorrcd:ion in his owne hand. the crotfe: {•Uvponme (faith the Lord) in the lofeph tels his brethren, that when they intim~ DfthJtrQu6/c,Md Iwi!Ldc/iuer thee,P,al.so. tended euiiJ agaiuG him,in felling him to the 15. This promifemullnot beevnderllood lfhmaelitesfor filuer, God d>ffro{<d it forgood, Gmply,butwith an cxception,fo f•rre forth"' Gen.so.19,1o. WheoShemeicurfedDa· " {hallbefor ourgo.d. For all promifes of ternuid, bee forbade hisferuants, fo much as to porall deliueraucc,areconditionall,and mull meddlewith him,and why! becaufe(fairh he) beconceiued with tbislimiratio of thecrotfe the L!lrdbAdehimtocurft;andwhothmd~tre [11) and challifement, if God pleafeto impofe it. vnto him,Wh] haflthoudQnefs?'l.Sam. J6,Io, Some mayfay,hmv ifGod will not deliuer Andto this purpofethe ProphctDauid faith, vs,butleaue vs in the afficClion,whiu comfort I held"'}p<Aceand{aid nothmg: why/ becau[e lhall we then bane/ thou Lordh•ftd.., it, Pfal. 39· 9· An{.In thefccond pl~ce thcrefurewe mull Herefomewill(ay,if AflltClionsdidcome remember, thatGod will temper and mPdeonely from God,it werefomewhar,buroftenrate our affi1dions,fo as\\ ee mav beeable to times they come frorn meo that bearevs no B h<are them.Habbakuk praierh~nroGod,in good will; and therefore no rnarudl though the behalfc of rhe Church, th•• hee ,.ould in we be impatient. AH/.VVhencrolfcs docome wrath r~m(mbtrtmrcl, Hab. 3· z. And Paul from mcn,God vfeth them as inflrumrnu,ro faith,that the lm-dw•llnDt /ulf(rvs IDb~t(mpud executehisiudgemenrsvponvs; and in this 'l'lbr-u~thAt~Uilrcableto heare. hut»1iOgiur•n worke,God is rhechiefedoer,and they areas ij]Uewit.~ the tcmptAttDn. I.Cor. J 0.13. tooles,in the hand ofthe workman. And rhe Thrrdly,pur rheca(erhatGoddorhnot mo· Lord infliClerb them vponvs by mcn,rotrie derate our afH1dions, but (uffcr rhc:m to re. our pariencevndcr rhecrolfc.Iofeph,though mainevponvs, not ondy for fome time of beknewwcllthebaddealingof his brethren ourlife,but to the very death:yct then wil he towards him, yet bee looked notto them ateflrfie his holyprefence anotherway, namelone,bur roan higllercaufc,namdy,rhe Lord ly, by giuing rhe parrie dillrctfed,powcr and himfelfc, who cxecuterh his owne good will flrength ro beare hisaffiiCiionYnto}ou it idgi- Philr,•9· by them: God(fairh he}d•fPofedit togood, And "'"(fatth Paul)for Chri{l,rhat not onljJ' (hould ~~aine,Gtn.45·5·& 50.2o, Goddidjendm<bc6./muin him,but alfofi•Jferfor h,;ja~e. re you i11to E'gyptf(Jryourpre~ruation. Thefourrhground of comfortin affiiCliIV. I I. The fccond groulld is, Thecllmm~tundemtnt on is>that elltr} "jfliEfiOvpontbe(erm~ntsofGod~ Goodnc,of Gndscom- o(fjodto11ching the CrDj[t",audobtdience v11to him c harhfom<JPeciaN goodne JJe inir.Rom.8.18. We ailliaions, maundc. rha-mz. This commaundemcnt is exprelTed, b._nqwthat allthings work.e tDtdhtrforgood tmtD ment. Luk. 9· z3.whcr..ewe arc commaunded ro till<! themthatloue God. And in regard hereof, the vpour <rufl''""J d.J, and follow Chrill. Acrotfcs which arc enduredby the children of brabam wascommandcd,with his own hands God, arefo farre from beeing preiudiciall to tofacrificehisonelyfonnelfaac; and to this theirfaluarion, that theyarcratherhelps and commaundcmenr,(though orherwifea great furrherances of thefame, Now this Goodcrolfe vnro him,) hee addretfeth himfelfe to netfe is percemed two waies. Firll, by the yecld obedience. And in the prophecie of fr•it and ejfefJof it, and then by the qualiri< Micb.7.9. Micah,rhc Church faith, Sbu will btare the andconditionthereof. In bothwhich refpeCls, wrath of th< Lord, that is, 01c will performe o· affiidions are good, bedcencc to him rn the Crolfe, b.cauf'/he hari Touching thefruiw of Affiidions, be- FrHitesof a.Pet,s-s,~. finned againfl him, And Saint Peter faith, that caufe rhey are manifolde, I will reduce them Afthaion. qod rcfifhth th< proud, andgiutth grAC< to the ro fcauen principall heads. humble: therifor; hnm6/e JOHr f elues rmder the l. Afllidions do make men to fee and con- ConGdmmighty hand of qod.And this beeing the comD fider therr finnes. Iofephs brethren for twen-~tion. · mandementot God, that ••• 010uld yeeldory yearestogither,wercJitlcor not ~ralltrou.. !!· .; bedicncc to him,ineueryaffiidion,we ought bled fortherr wcckednes, in felling rhcir bro· to beno letfe careful! ro obeyit, then any one ther ;yetvpon theiraffiiCiion in Egypt, they commandement ofrhe morall Law. began to conlider what they had done: Wee/ . Ill.. The third ground is,rhat Godwillbeprefont haue (fay rhey)verlly (inntdllgAitif/o!lrbrothtr~ Gen.4l,11 Godspre. 'lrith hUforuAntsinth~ir "Jfl,EliDtJJ. Vpon rhis inthllt lr-tjAw the tmgmfoifhis foulr~when he6e. fence, ground,D.tuidcomfortshimfdfe;hu..uft G6d fought vs. andwe rrouldnDt her.rrhim:tbrrifD1'eil hadprDmifrd to lul!re him, to be rvithhirn in trcm· thistrou61~C&mrvpon VI. M2na1Tcs in rh~ time 6/~,andtod(liutrhim,P(al.9I.IS. And inanoofhis pcace,g;me himfclfc to witchcratr,and rherplace, ThMghl(hould>Valk!in the fh•d.., the worfhippingof (!range godr:burwhen he ofdrath. I W6u/d fearenoneiO :forthou artrrith was captiue in Baby/on, rhen was he brought me,&c.Pfal.l3·4· to the fight of his finnes,and mooed tohumNow tbar wee may the bettervndetfland ble himfelfe beforeGod for them. thisdoChinc, wee are ro confider what be rhe II. AfRiClions fcrue to humble men in Humiliativ Ends,or eH'cds ofGods beingwirh vs inafRithctr fou!es before God.Theyoung .-nthrift on. clion, whereby hetcllrfieth his prcfence; and .in the Gofpell, called the prodigal! childe, !heyare three. tvhile his portion lalled,beefpentlihtrally,& W41Sl
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=