Perkins - BX9318 P47 1613 v3

__ t_he-=-'--'·-=-C_h-=- ap_.t_o_th_e_l-:l_e_br_.__~~--~"~k{-} ihre cifmany of Gods children: Pfal. 88. l· 7• My fon!e u jilledwith euills: thou haftve:.:cdmce with all thj waues,&c. f:/.!!.1!· How can t~1is fi:md w!th the truth of Gulfs word, whcrcm arc protmfes ofall man– ner ofblcffings both temporal1 and ~)iricual,to thofc rhar fcarc him: 'Dcut, 28. 1. 2. &c. If thou obry rhe voice oftlie Lord thJ Go&;alltheft blrjJi11gs {lyaflcomevpon thee, and ou~rtak,_ethet:: blej]it~gJ in the Citit, .ar,d in th~ jie!d:"#n· thefl~it of th) bodie,andofti'J .~rotmdandcattdl. PiaL H· 10. They that foef$ the Lord, /hall l.~ekt nothinf. that Wgood. For, Godlir.cjfo ·htuh the promifos of rhH life, and of the life to come, :. Tim. 4· 8. And therefOre Dauid ~ornparcth the godlym:m to z-h~ &reetb'!t h·planted6y the :W.ater'Jide,which 6ringethfo;·NJ nw.-cb.fruitt, and rigremt:indwclllikjng, Pial.1.3. How then comes-this to paffc, that Gods ownc feruanrs ihould'be thus opprcffcd,& laden not with one calamitic: or two,but V.:'ith fundry and gric:uous affii6l:ions at the fame time?An f. True ic is, the– Scripture is full ofgracious prornifcs oftempo– rail blcl!ings vnto GodsChildrcn:but they arc conditionall, and lDUfi be vndcrfiood with an exception,tO thiJ effect; Godt childr~njh(.tlha11e Juch and Juch h!tjfings, 'V>liejfe it plcafo (jod 6; Ajflilfion.t to mal;.! tri;t/lof hU gracu in rhem, or to chaftiJCihem for Jomcjinne: fo that•che ex– ception of the cro!fc,for che uialJ of gracc,ol' challifcmenrfor finnc, murt be applied to all promiics of tempo:-a\1 blclllngs. And hence it comes to palfc, that the moll: worthy and re. nowncd iCruants ofGod for their faitb,al'e fa:id to be affii&ed and ~n rniiCric. For, his prort1ifcs of tcmporall blcflings, arc not abfolutc, but condirionall,A/1 thingsare theirs(asPaut f.1ith) t. Cor. 3. 1 t. and tf1c:y !'hall hauc honour, wealth, fauour, &c. vnleffc lt plcaCe Cod ro prooue their faith,or to cltaftife their finnes by crofi'c:s and affiiCtions. ~How can Gods faruants be able tO beare fo many croifes and grieuous at once,fccing it is hard for a man tobeare one croffe patiently? Tllc anfwcr is here laid downe;to wit, hJfaith; for many and gricuous were the mifcries that lay on thefc !Cruams of God : and yet by bc– lccu.iqg tl1c promife of life in the Mdfia~,thc:y wcre·cnablcd to bcarc them all. ThiS ;safouc– raine ;:cmcdica~3infl imrt}oderate gricfC in the greatd1: dilheilc: arrd vhdoubicdly .the floods of affiitlion Jl1aU neucr oucrwhclrpe him, that hath his hcarraffuccd by faith of tbcmercic of God towards-him by Jcfus Chrifi.. 'lfhis made Dauid fay, Hee wouldnotfeaYc £uill,tliol'._'f.h bee fhould wa!lzf through the vai'J •f'rh</had•weof dwh, Pfal.2l· 4·•nd Pm<ifpcalcing of:.,ihllla– tiM, anguifh, famb;e, perfccutron, yea., .1md death it folfe, faith, ln.allthe{ewt:aremore then conqucrcrJ rhro1~~h him that hath.!orudvs,Rom : 8· 3]. And from this faith it was;that hc-·,vas a1 Ll~.ro Cndur~ al efl:atcs;tohe bung•j~ra·wJnt,c§·c 1 PbiL4.t2.r :;, • ~: !. Jf tb!s be true; that Gods children may bee A affliB:cd \'\'ith manifold calamides at onct;thcn . the: opinion of naturt'lll and vngodty ~~c~. i:;. falfc,who iudge him and thitikc him to be wic.. kC'd. and vngodly, whom God bc!eth':with n'la~ 1 n"ifold c~lamitics. This V\' as the iud~cmcnt of 1 Iob.Jthrufriends , and the ground of all their difputation againH hirn; that bcc:mfe God had !aid fo many <:roJfes vpon him, therefore bee was but an hypocrite• .Nnd tbis is the raf11 iudgemcnt ofnacurall,mct~in_our daycs, cfpt... cially vpon·rhorc that tll"akc pro'fcf!ion of reil.. gion :-when'Gods hand of niali 6r corrctlion lies vp?n them, t~cy prcfcntly "ccnfurc them, for-hypociitCs.: but this is a wrttc!lcd opinion; for Gods dcarefl childrenm>y be prcil'cd down with manifoiO c::.Iamitic5. B Secondly,feting faith in Clfrifl will !'upport the foulc vndcr n,anifold croffes,bc they ncuc:r fo gricuous; V..'cc muH labOUf in the tCar'-' of God, to haue our hearts rooted and grounded io this faith:and when atlliel-ions corn!!we 1nua Hfiur~.t~ fhe~ __forrh ~he fruitc and pOwer ofit_., by bcarmg them·patlcntly. · . And elms mn<:h of rh~ ftuerall i>ra~chcs of affiiCtioA, in ~his Iaft exampleofbc~lceucrs. ~ .. ~~~~~~~~~ ... ~ . IX~~ ~Y_L~~ !C~~ ".:J 1_-!.~-".j ~,.-~---~lt_., ~ "f.?.li . IJ •VERSE. J8. c 1Yhome the-world 1MJ not I WOrthie 0[, they 'WtJndered ,in I tke "Wildernes,~nd mountaines, and den,nes, 'and [aues of the \ earth. • N tnefe words, rhc holy' Ghofl doth anfwerto a fe• ercc obic6Hon or furmifc, 'Nhich anatural man might concciuc againfi: the bclec• ucrsfpoken ofbeforc, For, it bceing faid, Th4t they D rvandredvp anddowne: fOmc man might thinke thus :nomartmilc though they vvandrcd vp & downc; for h: may bet-, they were not worthy to liue iu thew,odd.This,the holy Ghofl dorh flatly dcnic;t.rlld auouchcth the deanc contrary ofthem: to wit, that they lMndredvp anddown byfaith_- and the Lord eauled them fo to doe, beClll!{e the wor/11 WIU not "»'OYth)' of them J they were too aooQ l:o liuc- in the vJOrld. ln this ~nfwerJto this furmHC, wc;e may ob– fcruc what is thC'opinion of n:uur:lll men con– cerning the chil-d'rcn of Cod, t0 wit, that they arc not worthy to liuc iu the world, but the canb whcr~on they tread, is too good for tht=. This bath be-<"ne, is , o.nd will bee chc \'z'or1ds I dlimation of Gods children, ].J1o.tth. 24. 9. Tt S f I - fl all\

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