fo fenfible of thy affliction as thou art made unfit for the performance of the duties of the condition that God hath put thee in, furely it is more than meer fence of thy affliction.

Thirdly, If it were but meer fence of thy affliction, yet then thou couldst in this thy condition blefs God for the mercies that others have, but thy difcontentedness usually breeds envy at it; when any one is discontented with their condition, they have an envious spirit at the conditions of those that are delivered from what afflictions they bear, certainly then it is turn'd to be four and naught, when thou art fo fenfible of thy afflictions, and unsensible of mercies,as thou art unfit for the duties of thy condition, and envious at others that are not afflicted as thou art.

The fecond PLEA.

But will a discontented heart fay, I am not so much troubled with my afflictions, but it is for my fin rather than my affliction, and I hope you will give leave that we fhould be troubled and difcontented with our fin, and were it not for fin that I fee in my felf, I fhould not be fo difcontented as I am, Ob! it is fin that is heavie upon me, and it is that that troubles me more than my afflictions?

Deceive not thine own heart, there is a very great deceit in this, there is many people that when Gods hand is out against them,they will fay, they are troubled for their fin, but the truth is, it is the affliction that doth trouble themrather than their fin, their heart doth exceedingly deceive them in this very thing: For,

First, They were never troubled for their fin before this affliction came; but you will fay, It is true, I was not before,for my prosperitie blinded me, but now God hath opened mine eyes by afflictions: Hath he fo?

Secondly, Then thy great care will be rather for the removing of thy fin, than thy affliction; Art thou more folicitous about the taking away thy fin, than the taking away of thine affliction?

Thirdly, If it be thy fin that troubles thee,If God should take away thy af flictions, yet except thy fin be taken away,and thy heart be better, this would not content thee, thou couldft not be fatisfied: but we fee it ordinarily, that if God removes their afflictions, there is no more trouble for their fin. Oh! many do bely themselves in this, in saying, that they are so troubled for their fin, and especially those that are fo troubled, that they are in danger to mif. carrie, and to make away themselves, there is not one in ten thousand that are in fuch a condition as this is, but it is afflictions rather than fin that puts them to it; indeed you lay all upon this, as if it were the work of the Word, or the Spirit of bondage; I remember I heard not long fince of a Divine that being judicious, and used to fuch kind of things, there came a man to him mightily troubled for his fin, and he could not tell what to do, he was ready to despair, the Divine looks upon him, faith he, Are you not in debt? he confeft that he was; and at length the Minifter began to find it out, that that was his trouble rather than his fin, and fo was a means to help him that way, that his Creditours fhould not come upon him, and then the man was pretty quiet, and

would

would not make away himself any longer: For it is a ufual thing, that if any thing befals a man that doth cross him, Oh then it is their fin that doth trouble them. Sometimes it is thus with fervants, if their governours cross them, then they are vext and fret, and come to deal with them, Oh then they will fay they are forrowfull for their fin: but we must take heed of dallying with God, that is the Seer and Searcher of the fecrets of all hearts: many of you go fullen and dumpish up and down your families, and then you fay it is your fin that lies upon you, when God knows it is otherwise, it is because you cannot have your wills as you would have.

Fourthly, If thou beeft troubled for thy fin, then it will be thy great care not to fin in thy trouble, not by thy trouble to encrease thy fin, but thou art troubled in fuch a way as the truth is thou doeft increase thy fin in thy trouble, and fince thou fayeft thou wert troubled for thy fin, thou haft committed more fin than thou didst before.

And then laftly, If it be thy fin that troubles thee, then thou haft the more need to fubmit to Gods hand; and accept of the punishment of thine iniquity, as it is in Levit. 26.41. There is no fuch confideration to take away murmuring, as to look upon my fin as the caufe of my affliction.

The third PLEA.

O faith another, I find my affliction is fuch, that God withdraws himself from me in mine affliction, that is that that troubles me, and can any body be quiet then, can any body be fatis fied with fuch a condition, when the Lord fhall withdraw himfelf? were my affliction never fo great, yet if I find not God withdrawing bimfelf from me I hope I could be content with any affliction, but I cannot find the prefence of God with me in this affliction, as fometimes I have found; and it is that that troubles me, and makes me to be in fuch a condition as I am.

Now to that I answer thus, Firft, it is a very evil thing for men and women upon their affliction to conclude that God is departed from them, it may be when it comes to be examined there is no other reason, why? thou thinkest that God is withdrawn and departed, but because he doth afflict thee, now for thee to make fuch a conclufion,that every time God lays an affliction upon thee he is departed, this is a finfull diftemper of thy heart,and is very difhonourable to God, and grievous to his Spirit. In the 17. of Exod. 7. verfe, you may fee how God was displeased there with fuch a kind of diftemper as this is, And be called the name of the place Maffah and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Ifrael, and because they tempted the Lord, faying, Is the Lord amongst us, or not? Mark,they did murmur because they were brought into afflictions, but fee what the Text faith, therefore the place was called Massah & Meribah, because they tempted the Lord,faying, Is the Lord amongst us,or not? This was to tempt God. Sometimes we are afraid God is departed from us,& it is meerly because we are afflicted. I beseech you observe that Scripture,God calls it a tempting of him, when he afflicts any, for them to conclude and fay, that God is departed from them : If a Child fhould crie out of his Father, and fay, that his Father is turned to be an enemy to him, because he doth correct him,

this would be taken ill. I beseech you confider of this one place, it may be of very great ufe to you, that you may not be ready to think that God is departed, because you are afflicted.

Secondly, If God be departed,the greateft fign of Gods departing is,because you are fo difquiet, you make your difquiet be the fruit of Gods departing, and if it comes to be examined, your di quiet is the cause of Gods departing from you, if you could but cure your difquiet, if you could but quiet your own hearts,and get them into a better frame of contentedness under Gods hand in afflicting of you, then you would find Gods prefence with you: will you be thus difquiet till God comes again to you? Your difquiet drives him from you, and you can never expect Gods coming to manifeft himself comfortably to your fouls, till you have gotten your hearts quiet under your afflictions; and therefore here you fee how crofly you reafon; you reafon, I am difquiet, becaufe God is gone, when the truth is, God is gone because thou art difquier; reafon but the other way, Oh! my difquiet hath driven God from me, and therefore as ever I would have the prefence of God to come again to me, let my heart be quiet under the hand of God.

Thirdly, Doft thou find God departing from thee in thine affliction? Wilt thou therefore depart from God too? Is this thy help? Canft thou help thy felf that way? Because God is gone, wilt thou go too? Do I indeed feel God departing from me? It may be it is fo, it may be God for thy trial is departed a little from thee, and is it fo indeed? What unwife course do I take? I commit further fin,and fo I go further off from God, what a cafe am I in? God goes from me, and I from God: If the child fees the mother going from it, it is not for the child to fay, my mother is gone yonder, and I will go the other way, no, but the child goes crying after the mother; and fo fhould the foul fay, I fee the Lord is withdrawing his prefence from me, and now it is beft for me to make after the Lord with all my might; but I am fure this murmuring hu mour is not a making after Gód, but by this I go further and further off from God, and what a distance is there like to be between God and me within a little while? These are some of the Reasonings and Pleas of a murmuring and discontented heart. There are many others that we fhall meet withall, and endeavour to speak to your hearts in them, that fo this tough humour of dif content may (as it were) be cut with the Word,and foftened with the Word, that fo it may pafs away: for that is the way of Phyficians, when they meet with a body that hath any tough humour, then they give that that hath a piercing quality; when there is a tough humour that flops the water that it cannot pafs, they give that that hath a piercing quality that may make passage for it; and fo thou haft need of fuch things that are piercing to make way through this tough humour that is in the fpirits of men and women, whereby they come to live very uncomfortably to themselves and others, and very dishonourable unto God.

Ser

PHILIPPIANS. 4. II. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Ow there are many Pleas and Reasonings yet remain, for there is a great deal of do with a discontented murmuring heart. And I remem ber I find that the fame Hebrew word that fignifies [to lodge, to abide] it fignifies to murmur, they use one word for both, for murmuring is a diftemper that doth lodge in men, where it gets in once, it lodgeth, abideth, and continueth, and therefore that we may unlodge it,and get it out, we will labour to fhew what are the further Reasonings of a difcontented heart.

The fourth PLEA.

Me thinks I could be content with Gods band; (faith one) fo far as I fee the band of God in a thing, I can be content: but when men deal fo unreasonably and unjustly with me, I know not how to bear it, I can bear it that I fhould be in Gods bands, but not in the hands of men; my friends or acquaintance when they deal fo unrighteously with me, Oh ! this goes very hard unto me, that I know not how to bear it from men..

For the taking away of this reasoning, First, Though they be men that bring this cross upon you, yet they are Gods inftruments, God hath a hand in it, and they can go no further than God would have them go. This was that that quieted David when Shimei curft him, faith he, God hath a hand in it, though Shimei be a wicked vile man, yet I look beyond him to God. So, Is there any of your friends that deal injurioufly with you, and cross with you? look up to God, and fee that man but as an inftrument in Gods hands.

Secondly, If this be your trouble that men do fo wrong you, you are rather to turn your hearts to pitie them, than to murmur or be difcontented; for the truth is, if you be wronged by other men, you have the better of it, For it is better to bear wrong, than to do wrong a great deal; If they wrong you, if your heart can fubmit, you are in a better condition than they, because it is better to fuffer, than do wrong. I remember it is faid of Socrates, that being very patient when wrong was done

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to him, they asked him how he came to be fo? Saith he, If I meet with a man in the street that is a diseased .man, fhall I be vexed and fretted with him because he is diseased? Those that wrong me I look upon them as diseased men, and therefore pitie them.

Thirdly, Though you meet with hard dealings from men, yet you meet with nothing but kind, good, and righteous dealings from God: When you meet with unrighteous dealings from them, fet one against the other. that is for the answer to the fourth Plea.

The fifth PLEA.

And

Oh! but that affliction that comes upon me is an affliction that I never lookt for, I never thought to have met with such an affliction, and that is that I know not how to bear, that is that which makes my heart fo difquiet, because it was altogether unlookt for, and unexpected.

For answer to this, Firft, It is thy weakness and folly that thou didst not look for it and expect it: In Acts 20. 22, 23. fee what Saint Paul faith concerning himself, And now behold,I go bound in the spirit to Jerufalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there,fave,that the holy Ghoft witneffeth in every citie, faying, That bonds and afflictions abide me. It is true faith he, I know not the particular affliction that may befall me,but this I know, that the Spirit of God witneffeth, That bonds and afflictions shall abide me every where, I look for nothing else but bonds and afflictions wherefoever I go; fo a Chriftian should do, he should look for afflictions wherefoever he is,in all conditions he should look to meet with afflictions, and therefore if any affliction should befall him, though indeed he could not fore-fee the particular evil, yet he should think, this is no more than I lookt for in the general. Therefore no affliction should come unexpectedly to a Chriftian.

A fecond answer I fhall give is this, Is it unexpected? then the lefs provifion thou madeft for it before it came, the more carefull fhouldft thou be to fanctifie Gods name in it now it is come: It is in this case of afflictions as in mercies, many times mercies come unexpected (and that might be a third answer) to you, fer one against the other, I have many mercies that I never lookt,for as well as afflictions that I never lookt for,why should not one rejoyce me as well as the other difturbs me? As it is in mercies, when they come unexpected, the less preparation there was in me for receiving mercie, the more need f have to be carefull, now to give God the glorie of the mercie, and to fanctifie Gods name in the enjoyment of the mercie; Oh so it should be with us now, we have had mercies this Summer, that we never expected, and therefore we were not prepared for them, now we fhould be fo much the more carefull to give God the glorie of them: so when afflictions come that we did not expect, then it seems we laid not in for them beforehand, we had need be the more carefull to fanctifie Gods name in them, we fhould have spent some pains before to prepare for afflictions,and we did not then take fo much the more pains to fanctifie God in this affliction now. And that is a fifth reasoning.

The