ture of Good and Evil; It is a Seafon of Trial, and Probation; God never defigned that we fhould live here for ever, or that we should live without Mifery. We entered upon it on no other Terms, than that we should be liable to the Troubles, to the Misfortunes, and the common Changes which attend Mortality: Thefe, I fay, are the Conditions of living in this World: No Man is wholly deprived of the Comforts, nor is any perfectly exempted from the Troubles of it. There is indeed a great Variety in the Mixture ; the Afflictions of fome, being as inconfiderable as the Enjoyments of others; but ftill without any Imputation of Injuftice on God's Part. All indeed do not equally deferve Evil from God; but all deferve it more or lefs. Let the Inftance still be continued in fob; he was a perfect and upright Man; a Man of fingular Piety and Integrity; and if he received Evil from the Hand of God, with Contentment and Thankfulness, how much more fhould we do fo, who fall vaftly fhort of his Perfection? When we fuffer Afflictions, our Hearts muft justify God, because they condemn us in fo many Things: Our own Confciences (would we attend unto them) are enough to stop our Mouths, and to filence our Murmurings. Surely then, if we, who are obnoxious to his Juftice, have yet received innumerable Benefits from him; it is unreafo nable to complain of him, though but in our Thoughts, if he fometimes lets us feel the Weight of his Hand; thereby to put us in 04 mind " mind of our Sins, and of his Juftice: That as he is a Gracious and Merciful, fo he is withal a Just and Holy God. And thus much shall ferve to have been spoken to the first general Obfervation, viz. The Proneness of Human Nature, to Impatience, and Difcontent, and murmuring under the afflicting Hand of God. Come we now to the Second. II. The Folly and Impiety of murmuring against the Afflictions of God. And this will appear by confidering. 1. The Nature of God himself. 4. The End for which Afflictions are fent. 1. I begin with the Confideration of the Nature of God, and therein of Two Things, Firft, His Wifdom, Secondly His Juftice. First, Let us confider his Wisdom. God is infinitely Wife, and diftinctly knows all Things, paft, prefent, and to come; all obfcure Adminiftrations, which feem to be fo many promifcuous Scatterings; fo many Disorders, and wild Contingencies, are to him a wife Contrivance; a juft and regular Proportion. All human Events, as well National as Perfonal, as well publick Calamities, as private Afflictions, are in the Hand of God; forefeen, defigned, and conducted to their refpective Ends, by by his Knowledge, and according to his good, Pleasure there's not the meereft Accident be; fall us, not a Hair of our Head perifbeth with- Luk, 21. out his Knowledge and Permiffion and this, 18. methinks fhould check all fecret Difcontents and Murmurings at our prefent Condition, (be it what it will) fince it was fo difpofed and ordered by an un-erring Wifdom. This Sure is but reasonable; for why fhould we find Fault with that which is incapable of Amendment which had there been any Error in it, would never have befallen us? Perhaps you will fay, it is very grievous and afflicting: It may be fo but has God but one Bleffing? If he deprives you of what you moft paffionately Love 3f Ezek. 24. be takes from you the Defire of your Eyes with 16. a Stroke can't he make it Good to you fome other Way? You will fay again, it might as eafily have been prevented, and ordered otherwife: True, if he had fo pleased; but are we wifer than God? He knows what is fitteft for us better than our felves. Alas! We can't fee into the remote, and future Confequences of Things. We often defire that, which, if granted us, would do us Mischief. Thus many Times we are difcontented because we are mean and low; we wish for Wealth and Honour, when, probably if we had them, they would prove dangerous Snares to us; they might foften and emafculate our Minds, and feduce us into Sin. We complain of the Troubles of the World, the Deadness of Trade, the Badnefs of the Times ; whereas we we understand not what Defigns God has to bring about, and how he may make thefe the Introduction to a future Settlement and Tranquility. Twas a Witty, but a fmart Reproof, which Luther gave to Melancton needlefly troubling himfelf about thefe Things. Definat Philippus effe rector mundi. Friend Philip do not you pretend to govern the World. God fits in Heaven, and doth whatsoever pleafeth him. Whenever therefore, we are disappointed in our Defires, or in our Choices; when any Accident, or Affliction lies heavy upon us, let us not only patiently, but joyfully fubmit to it: Let this Silence all Queftions, and Repinings, that God, (who is infinitly wife, and can't be mistaken) would have it fo. But Cadly. This will further appear, by confidering the Juftice of God. As we are his Creatures, God hath an abfolute, and indifputable Right over us Our Lives and Beings depend upon his Arbitrary Pleasure, and we have Nothing but what we received from his free Donation. When he chaftifes us with Afflictions, 'tis but to fhew the Authority, and the Care of a Father: When he deprives us of any of the Comforts of this Life, he takes but his own; nay, what we had forfeited by our ill Management and Abuse. We are Sinners, and therefore Correction is the just juft Retribution of our Fault. And, Wherefore Lam3.39 doth a living Man complain; a Man for the Punishment of his Sin? The Brethren of foSepb, had fo much Ingenuity, or at least fo much Confcience of their Guilt, as to acknowledge the Juftice of God in the Famine and the Dearth he brought upon the Land. And they faid one to another we are Gen. xlii, verily guilty concerning our Brother, in that we saw the Anguifh of his Soul when he befought us, and we would not hear: There fore is this Diftrefs come upon us. And may not we alfo make the fame Inference and Application to our felves? Verily, I am guilty concerning my Eftate, my Health, or my Reputation; therefore is this Chaftifement fent unto me. Did we diligently employ our selves in reflecting upon God's Mercies, and our own Guilt, we fhould find little Leifure, and lefs Reafon to accufe the Justice of Heaven. The fevereft Difpenfations of his Providence are merciful Abatements of the juft Demerit of our Sins, and indeed ought to be Matter of Thanksgiving and Praife. 21. 8.9. It may be we are troubled, but not diftreft. Cor. 4 perfecuted, but not forfaken caft down but not deftroyed; Holden in the Cords of Affli ction, but not under the Chains of Darkness. He vifits our Tranfgreffions with Rods, and pl. 89.3z our Iniquities with Stripes; when be Kings might chaftife us with Scorpions, and utterly take his loving Kindnefs from us. What's the Lofs of a Child, or a Friend, to the utter 12. 14 |