OF

AFFLICTIONS;

THE BEST PREPARATION FOR THEM, AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEM,

AND OF

OUR DELIVERY OUT OF THEM.

JOB V. 6, 7.

ALTHOUGH AFFLICTION COMETH

NOT FORTH OF

THE DUST, NEITHER DOTH TROUBLE SPRING OUT OF THE GROUND:

YET MAN IS BORN UNTO TROUBLE, AS THE SPARKS FLY UPWARD.

JOB's friends, though in the particular cafe of Job they were mistaken, yet they were certainly very wise, godly, and obferving men; and many of their fentences were full of excellent and useful truths, and particularly this fpeech of Eliphaz, which importeth these two ufeful propofitions:

1. That the general state of Man in this World, is a State of trouble and Affliction; and it is fo common to him, fo incident to all degrees and conditions of mankind, that it seems almost as univerfal, as that natural propenfion in the fparks to fly upwards; no person of whatsoever age, fex, condition, degree, quality, profeffion, but hath a part of this common state of mankind; and although some seem to have a greater portion of it than others, fome feem to have greater and longer viciffitudes and intermiffions and allays thereof than others, yet none are totally exempt from it; yea, it is rare to find any man, that hath had the ordinary extent of the age of man, but his troubles, croffes, calamities, afflictions, have overweighed and exceeded the measure of his comforts and contentments in this life.

2. That

2. That yet thofe Afflictions and troubles do neither grow up by a certain regular and conftant course of nature, as plants and vegetables do out of the ground; neither are they mere accidental and cafual, but they are fent, difpofed, directed, and managed by the conduct and guidance of the most wife Providence of Almighty God: and this he proveth in the fequel of the chapter. And as in all things in nature, the most wife God doth nothing at random, or at a venture, fo in this part of his providential difpenfation towards mankind, he doth exercise the fame, with excellent wisdom, and for excellent ends; even for the very good and advantage of mankind in general, and particularly of those very perfons that feem moft to fuffer and be afflicted by them; fometimes to punish, fometimes to correct, fometimes to prevent, fometimes to heal, fometimes to prepare, fometimes to humble, always to inftruct, and teach, and better the children of men.

And indeed, if there were no other end but these that follow, this feeming Sharp Providence of Almighty God would be highly justified: namely, first, To keep men humble and difciplinable. Man is a proud, vain creature; and were that humour conftantly fed with profperity and fuccefs, it would ftrangely puff up this vain humour: Afflictions and troubles are the excellent and neceffary correctives of it, and prick this fwelling impoftumation of pride and haughtiness, which would otherwife render men intolerable in themselves and one to another. Secondly, To bring mankind to recognife Almighty God, to feek unto him, to depend upon him; this is the moft natural and special effect of Afflictions, In their Afflictions "they will feek me early!! The rough and ftubborn mariners in a storm, will cry every one to his God 2. Thirdly, To tutor and difcipline the children of men in this great leffon, that their happiness lies not in this world, but in a better; and by this means, even by the croffes and vexations and troubles of this world,

Hos. v. 15.

2 Jonah i.

and

1

and by these plain and fenfible documents, to carry mankind up to the end of their beings. God knows thofe few and little comforts of this life, notwithstanding all the troubles and croffes with which they are interlarded, are apt to keep the hearts, even of good men, in too great love of this world. What would become of us, if our whole lives here fhould be altogether profperous and contenting, without the intermixture of croffes and Afflictions? But of these things more hereafter.

Now fince the state of mankind in this world is for

the most part thus cloudy and ftormy, and that ordinarily we can expect it to be no otherwise, there are thefe confiderations which become every wife and good mind to acquaint himself with:

1. What preparation is fit to be made by every man before they come.

2. How they are to be received, and entertained, and improved, when they come, and while they are incumbent.

3. What is the best and fafeft temper of mind when any of them are removed.

1. Touching the firft of thefe, namely, preparation before they come; and the best preparatives feem to be these :

1. A right and found conviction, and confideration of this most certain experimental truth; namely, That no man whatsoever, how good, juft, pious, wife foever, can by any means expect to be exempt from them, but must be more or lefs fubject to Affliction, of one kind or other, at one time or another, in one measure or another; for man is certainly born to trouble, as the fparks fly upward. And this certain truth will be evident, if we confider the feveral kinds of Affliction that are common to mankind: And herein I fhall forbear the inftances which concern our childhood and youth as fuch, which yet notwithstanding are subjec to Afflictions, that though they feem not fuch to men of

riper years, yet are as real and pungent, and deeply and fenfibly grievous to them, as thofe that feem of greater moment to men of riper years: But I fhall apply myself to thofe inftances which are more evident, and of which thofe that have the exercise of their reafon may be more capable.

Afflictions feem to be of two kinds: 1. Such as are common calamities, befalling a nation, city, or fociety, of men: 2. Or more personal, that concern a man in his particular.

1. Touching the former of thefe, namely, common calamities, fuch as wars, devaftations, famines, pestilences, fpreading contagions, epidemical difeafes, great conflagrations: experience tells us, and daily lets us fee, that they involve in their extent the generality of men, good and bad, juft and unjuft, pious and prophane; and although the gracious God is fometimes pleased, for ends best known to himself, ftrangely to preferve and refcue, as it were, fome out of a common calamity, yet it is that which I do not know how any man can promife himself, though otherwife never fo pious and juft, because I find not that any where under the Evangelical difpenfation God Almighty hath promised to any perfon any fuch immunity; and common experience fhews us, that good and bad are oftentimes involved in the effects and extremities of the fame common calamity. And indeed it would be little lefs than a miracle, and fomewhat above the ordinary courfe of the Almighty's regiment of things, to give particular exception in fuch cafes. If a man receive any fuch biefling from God, he is bound eminently to acknowedge it as a fignal, if not miraculous intervention of the Divine Mercy, but it is not that which a man can reasonably expect; because, although upon great and momentous occafions Almighty God is pleafed not only to give out miracles, but even to promise them also, as in the justifying of the truth of the Gofpel in the first publication thereof, yet it is not equal for any particular perfon to fuppofe, that for the prefervation of a

particular

particular intereft or concernment, God Almighty fhould be, as it were, engaged to put forth a miracle, or little lefs than a miracle; and the reafons hereof are,

1. Because under the Evangelical Di penfation, the rewards of goodness, piety, and obedience, are of another kind, and of greater moment, namely, eternal happinefs, and not exemption from temporal calamities. If Almighty God grant fuch an exemption, it is of bounty and abundance, not of promife. It is true, under the Old Covenant with the people of Ifracl, their promises were in a great measure of temporal benefits, and the administration of that church, as it was in a great measure typical, fo the Divine Administration over them was very ufually miraculous, both in their bleffings, prefervations, and exemptions: And there was fpecial reafon for it; for they were to be a monument to all mankind, and alfo to future ages, of a special and fignal Divine regiment; and confequently the obedient might, upon the account of the Divine promife, expect bleffings and deliverances, even in public calamities, that might befall the people in general: But we have no warrant to carry over thofe promises of temporal benefits and exemptions to the obedience under the Gofpel, which as it is founded upon another covenant, fo it is furnished with better promises.

2. Because, the best of men in this life, have fins and failings enough to juftify the juftice of Almighty God, in expofing them to temporal calamities; and yet his mercy, goodness, and bounty, is abundantly magnified in referving a reward in heaven far beyond the merit of their best obedience and dutifulness; fo that though they are expofed to temporal calamities, Almighty God ftill remains not only a true and faithful, but a liberal and bountiful Lord unto them in their everlasting rewards. What are light Afflictions, and but for a moment, in comparison to an eternal weight of glory? And the latter is the reward of their obedience under

12 Cor. iv. 17. Rom. viii. 18.

the