CHAP. X. Application. 1. Then the Anger and Love of USE, L TheFitur That make of the Point now, is this; That if Chrift be thus Angry with bis Difciples for their Unbelief; then the Anger of Chrift, and the Love of Christ may stand together. Here was great love; for what could be more than to be offended because they were not comforted in him, and refreshed with his prefence, and with the life that he had brought to light? Here he is angry, and upbraids them. And how could he be worfe angry? For as I told you in the Explication, Upbraiding was a difgraceful Reproof. Chrift can. take pleasure in us, and yet notwithstanding be angry with any thing that hinders us of our good. Angry he is with us because there is fomething in us that he loves not: and because we do not beleeve that he loves us as he doth. If there be fin in us, there cannot be then but anger in Chrift, because he is of holy and pure eyes. Anger is nothing elfe but a diflike of that which is evil. If in hinders us from good things, Chrift cannot but be angry, because he loves us for anger is a diflike of what hinders us of what we have a mind unto, or what we take delight and pleasure in. And if after Converfion Chrift can be angry, and love ; aly. Then much more before Converfion can Chrift be angry. I was (faith Paul) by Nature, and we whom God hath bleffed with spiritual bleffings before the foundations of the World were, we were by nature the Children of Wrath as well as others, Ephef. 2. 3. Chrifts anger inay ftand with his love, much more before Converfion, than after. For after Converfion Chrift hath a love of complacency: a love and delight in our perfons for our qualities: and th's is moft oppofite to anger. Before Convertion there is only a love of benevolence, a love to make our perfons his delight: but no complacency at all in him towards us; because there is nothing in us of love. 鼎 3ly. And upon the fame Reason, that love and anger may be to his People being Converted, and upon the fanie reafon that they may ftand together in Chrift before converfion: So alfo at the laft Day: For you fhall find in the Scripture, that we shall all give account unto God, even the righteous as well as others, as it is fpoken in Ecclefiaftes, Whether it be good or evil, God fhall bring it to judgement, Beclef. 12.14. We shall all stand before the judgementfear of God, to receive according to what we have done in the flesh, 2 Cor.10. And the Apostle fpeaks of the day of the Lord as a day of terrour, in 2 Cor.5. 11. In Pet. 3 14. the Apostle exhorts them to great exactnefs in holiness, that they may be found when | when Chrift fhall come again (for of that he fpeaks) without spot and blame. Without spot and blame. All thefe places makes it appear, That as there fhall be a judgement, fo there fhall be a blame alfo, that shall be caft even upon thofe that fhall be faved at the laft Day. Jefus Chrift will difown that in his People that hath been amifs, and taken notice of by others and which they died without teftifying their change, and convertion from. Jefus Chrift will declare before all the World, what a hand he hath had with fome beleevers, and how much they have provoked him: what Reproofs they have had from him, and what checks; although they have not walked with him,yet they have not been fuffer. ed by him. This may very well stand with the glorious ftate of Chrift: There is no impediment to him from that. For Jefus Chrift was now Rifen from the dead, and yet you fee being full of glory, he comes and upbraids, and is angry with his Difciples. And this Reproof may ftand with the state of Happiness in us, for this upbraiding did not pur the Difciples out of the ftate of Grace. And if it may ftand with the ftate of Grace,it may also stand with the ftate of Glory. For this fhall be the effect of it: As here it put the Difciples upon beleeving, fo that it fhall put beleevers npon wondring at the Grace of God, and afcribing all unto that goodness of his that hath born with fo much, and been fo plentiful with his Mercy, which hath been fo much abufed by them, from whom hach been fo much obedience due unto him,because they were his members through Faith. But I fay only by by the way. Love and Anger may stand together. God is angry with those whom he loves: he loves them that do beleeve: and he is angry with them because they do beleeve no more, and are no more apt to lay hold on the Comforts which he gives. That is the firft Ufe. USE, II. But Secondly, I tefeech you beloved fee from hence what you must look for, and what it will come unto at length, that you are fo hardly drawn to beleeve that any great thing shall be done for you, that you are fo backward to be comforted through beleeving. It will not reft alwayes in the difpucings of your hearts, and in the putting you on to feek good grounds to beleeve upon. hri ftians find a kind of life and activeness of Spirit arifing from their putting off, and far from them the confolations of the Lord as unworthy ones, and as being altogether too good for then: but it will not alwayes be fo. You shall be fure to have the anger of jelus Chrift, and be chid by him. And what then? if fo be there be no light in his countenance, all the world will be as darkness to you, you will be as men in a dungeon when you are Praying and Hearing. As men that are in fadness of Spirit,care, not for the light bur feek corners and dark places. Nor will that be all, but your Confciences will fall acculing of you for thofe very fins which are the root of unbelief. You faid before you were Un worthy: but Confcience hall fay you were full of Folly of heart, and fortithness of heart, and bruit Cinels of apprehentien of Gods dealing with you, and your own soul and from thence, will come much perplexity of spirit; from thence, the beauty of all the Mercies you have had, will be gone; bet M caufe caufe you fee Chrift upbraids for them: and when he upbraids, he doth as I fhewed you in the Expli cation, feem to repent that ever he had been fo kind to you. USE, III. Thirdly, From hence you may obferve the reafon of the Reproofs you meet with from Chrift in your hearts. You go to pray, and it may be you are troubled and distracted, that you cannot keep your thoughts together upon the things that you have need of. You hear, but your fins are difcover ed and fet home upon your Confciences. The Confcience that was quiet, doch afflict and wound: It fpake peace, but now it cafts your fins in your face. You come home, and come off from Duties and the practise of them with trembling, with a deader heart than you had before you fell to them. You are apt to think that this oft comes to pafs because you did comfort your felf, and were confident/in laying hold on the promifes of the Gofpel. Now I befeech you mark it: One Reafon why Chrift doth upbraid and reprove the Spirits of his People, is because they do not beleeve: and this you carry with you to Prayer. You fhould carry with you to prayer a hand to take what you want,as a tongue to ask it. Had you been as careful to provide a lap that you may gather the Manna, as you have been careful to complain that you have nothing to live upon, you would find that it had not been fo with you. As friends are wont to chide, and fall out with friends that they invite, because they fit Atrangely, and care not for any thing, that they like not, and fall not to any thing that is before them: So it's the cuftom of our Lord Jefus Chrift to be exceeding four, and to change his countenance, where |