from crosses and afflictions? though they made him wretched in the eye of the world, yet he rejoiced in these, 2 Cor. xii. 10; but the grief was that he could not do the good he would, Rom. vii. 18, 19, and that made him cry out, "O wretched man that I am." But God's children learn in whatsoever condition they may be, to resign themselves into God's hands: Lord, if thou wilt have me suffer, I will suffer-if thou wilt have me afflicted, I yield myself-if thou wilt have me enjoy prosperity, well, I know thou canst sustain me in it, I know it shall be for the good of others as well as myself. There is a variety in the life of a christian, he is now afflicted and now comforted, not for his own sake only, but for the good of others: and when he shall be afflicted, and how long, and what comfort he shall have, and how much he leaves to the wisdom of God. It is a blessed state, if we could think of it aright, to be a christian, whatever befals us. We need care for nothing but to serve God-we need care for nothing but to keep a conscience void of offence. Let God alone with our estate, for God will enable us to want and to abound in our own persons, and likewise he will sanctify our estate for the good of others. A christian will be willing to be tossed, and to be changed from vessel to vessel, from state to state. If his afflictions may benefit any one, he is content that God should withdraw his blessings from him, and humble him with crosses: if his example may be good to others, he is joyful when God gives him rest and causeth an inward peace. He hath learned selfdenial on his first entrance into christianity, not to live unto himself, but for the glory of God and the good of others, as much as may be. We should labour, therefore, to content ourselves in all conditions, knowing that all is for the best. God when he takes things from us, when he afflicts us and when he comforts us, intends that it shall work together for our good; so we should reason when we endure anything. Let us carry ourselves then, so that God may not be dishonored, and others may have edification and comfort; we are but God's stewards to convey what is his to others that are of the same body as ourselves. Therefore, in our communion with others, we ought to express the blessed experience of the comforts God has bestowed upon us. This is the practice of holy men in their meeting with others: "Come, I will show you what God hath done for my soul," saith the Psalmist. A dead, sullen, reserved spirit, is not a christian spirit; and, if by nature we have such, we must labour to improve it by grace, for grace is diffusive and communicating. And mark the extent of the loving wisdom and providence of God, how many things he doth at once; for in the same affliction ofttimes, he corrects something in his children, in the same affliction he tries some grace, in the same affliction he witnesseth to his truth in them; he doth good to others, besides the good he doth to themselves. In the same affliction that others afflict, he hasteneth the ruin of the ungodly that inflict it, while he ripens grace in his own children, making them examples to others, and all in the same action, so large is the wise providence of God. This should teach us to follow that providence-to see how many ways, anything we suffer may extend; that if one way will not comfort, another may. When we suffer and are grieved, let us consider withal, that he, that doth the wrong, hastens his own ruin and judgment. As Pharaoh, when he sought the overthrow of the children of Israel, hastened his own overthrow in the Red Sea. Thus a pit is digged for the ungodly, when they dig a pit for the godly, Psalm lvii. 6. And consider, to comfort thyself, thou hast some sin in thee, and God intends not only to witness his truth, but to correct that sin in thee, or thou hast some grace in thee, and he intends the trial of it. Look to these things. Consider what God calls us to, for God looks to many things in the same act. Wherefore doth God give us reason, but to be able to follow him in his dealings towards us? Before there be comfort, there must be suffering, for God hath established this order even as in nature-there must be night before the day, winter before summer. So in the kingdom of Christ, in his ruling of the church, there is this divine policy, there must be suffering before comfort. God will as soon break the league and the covenant between day and night, as this league between suffering and comfort, the one must be before the other; it was so in our head Christ, he suffered, and then entered into his glory; so all his members must be conformable to him in suffering, and then enter into glory. The reasons of this are diverse : First of all, because God finds us in a corrupt state, and something must be wrought out of us, before we can be vessels meet to receive comfort; therefore there must be a purifying one way or other, either by repentance, or if not by repentance, by affliction to help repentance, there must be suffering before comfort: till then the soul is unfit for comfort. Secondly, the order commends and sweetens comfort to us; for fire is sweet after cold, meat after hunger, so is comfort sweet after suffering. God endears comfort to us by this; to those that have felt the cross, comfort is indeed comfort to them; heaven is indeed heaven to him, that hath had a hell in his conscience upon earth, that hath been afflicted in conscience, or outwardly persecuted, it sets a price and value upon comfort. It likewise sharpens our desire of comfort; for suffering breeds sense, and sense stirs up desire, and desire is eager. By this means likewise, God comes to his own end, which is our eternal happiness, therefore have we that which is ill in the first place. Wo to us if it should be said to us as to Dives in the gospel, "Son, thou hadst thy good things here, and now thou must have thy ill." God intends not to deal so with his children, but they taste the worst wine first and better afterward, because He intends eternal happiness for them; He observes this method, first ill, and then good, the best at last. If this be so, why should we be offended at God's order? The afflictions that God sends to prepare and fit us for happiness-to sharpen our desire after real happiness—to make it precious to us. Certainly it is a ground but of joy and com not only of patience and meekness, fort, in all the things we suffer. Will a patient be angry with his surgeon for searching his wound? He knows that that is the way to cure him. This is the method in · nature, the ground must be first ploughed and harrowed, and then comes the harvest; let us be content with this method and rejoice in any suffering, knowing it will have a blessed issue. It is that which sweetens the cross. All our discomforts and afflictions are but by the way here we are travellers, and here we are but in a travelling state, and must expect discomforts on our journey. And it should strike terror into those who will not endure so much as the lightest cross-that will endure nothing. Do they consider that this is God's order? Do they seek to avoid crosses in any degree? and do they think to have comfort? No, God will U not change his order for them; He hath established this order, and heaven and earth shall pass away, rather than God's order shall not be sure. If we will have comfort, we must suffer-if we will avoid suffering and think to go to heaven another way than God hath ordained, we may take our own way, but we must give Him leave to take his way in comforting and advancing whom he will; and that will not be us, because we will not frame ourselves to His order: "If we will not suffer with him, we shall not reign with him." XCVII. Lord, I believe a rest remains, To all thy people known : A rest where pure enjoyment reigns, A rest, where all our soul's desire O that I now that rest might know, Now, Saviour, now the pow'r bestow, Remove this hardness from my heart, This unbelief remove; To me the rest of faith impart, I would be thine, thou know'st I would, And have thee all my own; Thee, O my all-sufficient good! I want, and thee alone. |