does it found in the ears of this world! whofe favourites are ready to conclude themselves ruined, when afflicted. If the body be not well, and all things about them, to please the fenfe; that is a mifery against which they have no defence. Nay, that which they fo dread to fall upon themselves, puts them in a fright, but to fee it in others. They abhor the afflictions of one under the hand of God, and stand aloof from his fore: like the fearful herd, running away from the wounded deer. Even Chrift himself, as a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief, they do not much care for acquaintance with him. Upon this account, he was rejected of men; who hid their faces from hin. And O when will fuch come to the wife Mofes his choice, Heb. xi. 25. To fuffer affliction with the people of God, "rather than enjoy the pleasures of fin?" Is it all their care, to pafs fmoothly through the prefent world; and their pride, to escape fo eafily in this life? but will this ferve their turn? and do they think, fo to come off always? when Job cries out, the arrows of the Almighty ftick in me: and David complains, I am confumed by the blow of thy hand: my foul," if these things be done in the green tree, "what fhall be done in the dry?" Luke xxiii. 31. If the Lord fo chaftens whom he loves: O what will be the portion of them whom he hates! were they not dead in fin; they would quake to hear the rod among the children of God: and if these are beat with rods, expect themselves to be lashed with fcorpions. For as fearful a thing as it is, to fall into the hands of God; 'tis yet more fearful, to fall out of his care and difcipline: to be left wild and untutored; to out-run the yoke of Chrift, and let alone to be filthy fill; to lie foaking in all their fins, as veffels of wrath, fitting up for deftruction.

O my foul, inftead of envying their profperity, do thou defpife their folly; and condole their mi

fery.

Ι

fery. And if God will be pleafed himself to preach home to my bone and flesh; and teach me the best things in the school of afflictions: if he will fo break me of my carnal will, that he may break me of my damning fins: if he will loofen me from this dan gerous world, that I may not be condemned with it; and give me all my hell in this life; and by croffes, prepare me for the crown; and through many tribulations, bring me to the kingdom of heaven what harm then in all this does he do me! nay, how exceeding kind is he to me! and when he does not afflict me willingly; but as oft only as he fees neceffity; chaftens me for my profit; and makes me a lofer one way, that I may gain much more in an infinitely better: then may I not only be patient under his hand; but fweetly acquiefce in his will, and heartily blefs his name. For, alas! do not I know, by many a fad experiment, how prone I am, here to fet up my reft, and to forget my God and myself; and go all to naught; when all is easy with me, and I have nothing to trouble me? and ftill to have my own will, what does it, but put me in danger to be my own executioner? O the wounds and bruises that I have had, in the house of my feeming friends! and how often have I come home from the world's highest entertainments, and dearest careffes, by the weeping crofs! But have I not perceived the Lord doing me good, even by the apparent evils? and cannot I take up the motto of him, that fo well understood himself, when he said, (periiffem ni periiffem,) I had been undone, if I had not been undone? i. e. undone indeed, and for ever: if not undone in my own fenfe, and in the judgment of this world. Such a course I was fet upon; directly bent for ruin and a good hand from heaven came, and hedged up the way, q. with briars and thorns before me. And by his terrors and afflictions, the Lord of love ftartled and took me off.

Again, in such a supine sluggishness, and wretched careleffness of my duty, I was wrapping up myself, and folding my hands to fleep: and my gracious Father came, and thruft his goad into my fide; and by the most merciful kind of feverity, roufed and quickened me into fuch a concern and activity, as beft becomes, and moft behoves me. Now if he vifit my tranfgreffions with the rod, and my iniquities with ftripes, what does he, but (in mercy and love to thee, my foul,) promote my best intereft, according to his own covenant of grace! Here I must not promife myself more than he has promised; nor count the fiery trial ftrange, of which he has forewarned: but expect my fhare in that tribulation, which he hath said, all fhall have. And O what are all the fufferings of this time, compared with the glory to be revealed in us! One fmile of his face, how much more does it than recompenfe for all the frowns of the world! yea, what heavenly hopes does it give, to be under his fatherly nurture! though it is not every fufferer that is a martyr; nor are all who be born to trouble, the heirs of falvation there is no certain conclufion of God's favour and heaven, from a fuffering ftate, and troubles upon earth. For many forrows fhall be to the wicked and fools, becaufe of their tranfgreffions, are afflicted: nor can all their fufferings compound for their fins; as if God were obliged to pay them down everlasting falvation, becaufe they had a hard time, for a while, in the world. Some are incorrigible ftill, under all the methods; and nothing does good of them; but they are the fame, or worse, whatever befals them; and ftill makes thift to hold their fin, for all their fmart: which indeed is fuch a doleful condition, as gives a very painful confide

ration.

Yet it is thy own fault, my foul, if thou do not make thy benefit of every chaftifement, which (in VOL. I.

S

its

its own tendency, and God's appointment,) is a means of grace, and opportunity of improvement. And by making us fick, the Lord goes about to heal us of worse difeafes: by making us poor, he would help us to better riches; by throwing us down, raise us up; and by the ftorms of croffes, drive us out of our fins, away to the haven of our reft. He makes the evils which look moft against us, work for good to us; and that which threatened to undo us, the beft thing that could have befallen us. To fuch a happy account do afflictions turn, when God fanctifies the crofs to us; and we bend our ear, to hear the rod, and who has appointed it; and apply our care, to answer the ends for which he fends it: even to humble us, and pull down our hearts; and to reform us, and purge away our drofs; to make us more meet for the mafter's use, and more near to the joy of our Lord.

Under afflictions then, my foul, be curious to inquire into the reafon; and full of concern, to comply with the defign of them: not in fuch care, to get from under them, as to be bettered by them. See thy Father's love in them: and then do not faint or fume, when tried by them: but submit to his will, believe in his mercy; and still hope for his glory. Call upon him, in thy trouble, for inftruction, affiftance, fupport, and comfort under it; and a timely, gracious, and bleffed iffue out of it. That what was grievous for the time, may prove glorious in the end; and thy light affliction for a moment, work for thee a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

66

TH

"HOUGH I cannot be in love with pain; yet I defire, O LORD, to love that bleffed hand "of thine, which lays it upon me. For thou doft

"not afflict without need, nor without designs for my good thou feeft, that I could not do fo well, "without it; and that it is better for me to endure "it; for prevention of worse tribulation, and for "the promoting of my everlafting falvation. There"fore, O my Father! I take it to be in faithfulness " and mercy from thee: and bless thee for thy wife "and gracious care of me. O teach and help me, "fo to take it, and use it; that I may be improved "under it, and afterwards refreshed, with the fweet " and happy fruits of it; and may come to give "thee thanks and praife, even for the fharp appli "cation; in that future glorious condition, where "I fhall feel no further trouble; but be eafy and " joyful for ever. Amen."

MEDITATION. XXX.

Of fubmitting to God's afflicting band.

'S not man born to trouble? and muft not even good men look for their fhare; when our Lord has told them, in the world you fhall have tribulation? What then I cannot avoid, 'tis my wifdom and intereft, O my foul, fo to arm myself against, that I may be able to abide. And not only to put on a sturdiness, to bear it, because I muft; but to take it in good part, because it is the will of God; and comes not upon me, as a mere contingent thing; but by the direction of his hand: nor fpringing as a brier-bush out of the earth; but fent as a meffenger from my heavenly Father. And that