280 SEVENTH SERMON them, as the fruits of sin, leading to repentance, and teaching righteousness, nor as the arguments of God's displeasure, humbling us under his holy hand, and guiding us to seek his face, and to recover our peace with him. This is the spiritual and prudent way of knowing judgments, Mic. vi. 9. Isa. xxvi. 8, 9. xxvii. 9. Lev. xxvi. 40 -42. True wisdom looks on things in their causes : resolves judgments into the causes of them, our sins to be bewailed, God's wrath to be averted ; makes this observation upon them Now I find by experience, that God is a God of truth ; often have I heard judgments threatened against sin, and now I see that God's threatenings are not empty wind, but that all his words have truth and substance in them. The first part of wisdom is, to see judgments in the word before they come, and to hide from them : for as faith in regard of pro- mises is the substance of things hoped for, and seeth a being in them while they are yet but to come ; so is it.in regard of threatenings the substance of things feared, and can see a being in judgments before they are felt. The next part of wisdom is, to see God in judgments, in the rods when they are actually come, and to know them in order unto him. And that knowledge stands in two things ; first to resolve them unto him as their author, for nothing can hurt us without a commission from God, John xix. 11. Satan spoils Job of his children, the Sabeans and Chaldeans of his goods ; but he looks above all these unto God, acknowledging his goodness in giving, his power in taking away, and blesseth his name, Job i. 21. Joseph looks from the malice of his brethren, unto the providence of God ; " He sent me before you to preserve life, Gen. xlv. 5. If the whale swallow Jonah, God prepares him, Jonah i. 17. and if he
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