Gods Sovereignty Displayed from Job 9:12, Treatise 1 · Chapter 10 – Chapter 11
CHAP. X.
IF God doth & may take away from us what he pleaſeth, then under your great loſſes learn to acknowledge God the Author of all the evil and afflictions that have come upon you; perhaps you are ready to cry out on this or that Inſtrument, this or that thing. When Peter drew his Sword in the defence of Chriſt at the Mount of Olives, and ſtruck off the ear of Malchus, the Lord preſently ſaid unto him; Put up thy ſword into thy ſheath: Shall I not drink of the Cup which my Father hath given me? Joh. 18.11. Might not one ſay, Lord why ſayeſt thou, Thy Father put this Cup into thine hand? This Cup, did not Judas Iſcariot thy Diſciple, did not Annas and Caiaphas, did not Herod and Pilate mingle it? Did not thoſe five Apothecaries compound and make up this very Wormwood, this meer Aloes, this bitter Gall? Why then ſayeſt thou, The Cup which my Father hath given me? This Cup was the Cup of his ſufferings, which God put into his hand, ut Pater, non ut Judex; as a Father, not as a Judge, ſaith Rupertus; amore non irâ, voluntate, non neceſſitate, Rupertus.gratiâ non vindictâ; it was of love, not of wrath, it was voluntary, not of neceſſity, it was of grace, not of vengeance, that this Cup was given to him: This Cup, ſaith Chriſt, cometh to me from a moſt loving hand, is it not fit that I ſhould drink it? the Father drinketh to me; and though there be many things which commend this Cup, as the reſtoring and redemption of the world, the enlargement and augmentation of the Kingdome of heaven, yet above all theſe my Fathers hand doth moſt of all commend this Cup unto me: it is indeed a moſt bitter Cup, but my drinking it will be profitable to many people; therefore becauſe my Father gives me this Cup to drink, I will drink it. As my Father gave me Commandment, ſo I do, Joh. 14.31. And ſaith he, Luk. 24.46. Ought not Chriſt to have ſuffered theſe things? We are apt under our loſſes to cry out, ſuch a one hath done me a miſchief, the Devil ſet ſuch a one on to fire my houſe, to conſume my goods, Satan himſelf hath thrown down his Thunderbolt upon me: Oh ſuch complaints are fooliſh; as it pleaſed the Lord, ſo things have been, are, and ſhall be done; nay, ſo they are beſt done; not ſo much as one hair of thy head falleth to the ground, but God foreſeeth and willeth the ſame: What hurt is it if fire conſume thy houſe, if God himſelf be thy habitation? What evil is it though an Enemy tear thy body to pieces, when as thy God numbreth thy hairs? Whoſoever was the Apothecary to mingle the Cup, yet drink it off if thy Father put it into thy hand. The Prophet Micah ſaith, that evil came from the Lord to the gate of Jeruſalem, Mic. 1.12. Behold againſt this Family do I deviſe an evil, from which ye ſhall not remove your necks, Mic. 2.3. Shall there be evil in a City, Amos 3.6and the Lord hath not done it? All loſſes, croſſes, all evils of puniſhment do come from God, and from his divine will. God is not the Author of any ſin, but he is the Author of all puniſhment for ſin, nor are we hurt by him,Origen. Homil. 23. in Numer. but only corrected for our amendment, ſaith Origen. Remember this word, ſaith S. Auguſt. The Lord hath given, the Lord hath taken away, as it pleaſed the Lord, Auguſt. in Pſa. 72.ſo come things to paſs. They were unjuſt who ſate by Job on the dunghill, yet he was ſcourged and received; they were ſpared to future puniſhment; God reſerveth all to his own judgement: Good men labour, and are puniſhed as ſons; the wicked rejoyce, and are puniſhed with condemnation: That which afflicteth us, ſhall exerciſe us, not hurt us.
CHAP. XI.
IF God hath taken all away from you, then content your ſelves with Gods promiſes; if thou haſt an intereſt in the Promiſes, thou haſt enough: Anſwer all wicked worldlings as Eſau did Jacob, I have enough, I have enough my Brother; ſo ſay thou, I have a heavenly Manſion in the promiſe, which is more worth than my earthly houſe which is conſumed; I have heaven in the promiſe, which is more worth than a thouſand worlds in preſent poſſeſſion: Eternal glory is better than fading honour, eternal delights are better than momentany pleaſures, eternal habitations are better than our Claytabernacles; what if I have loſt my goods, in heaven there is a more enduring ſubſtance, worth more than all preſent enjoyments? What if the world be a Wilderneſs, ſo long as I have Canaan in the promiſe? and thither I am going. Oh how good is it for Chriſtians to ſtore up promiſes afore-hand, and to let the Word of God dwell richly in our hearts, eſpecially the promiſes, which are the quinteſſence of the word: we uſe to ſay of a rich man, he is worth God knows what; this may we ſay truly of him who is rich in promiſes, we are ſubject to variety of eſtates and conditions here; no mans Mountain is ſo ſtrong, but it may be removed. Now as the Aſtronomers ſay, there is no herb growing on the earth, but hath its ſtar in heaven from which it receiveth ſweet influences; ſo there is no eſtate or condition, wherein a Chriſtian poſſibly may be in this life, but there is a promiſe to it in the holy word of God, from which he may receive ſweet influences by faith. And conſidering that all Promiſes are yea and Amen in Chriſt; under all your loſſes and afflictions labour wiſely to apply them, depend on Chriſt in them; he will faithfully perform all and every promiſe in due time to thee, for faithful is the Promiſer: urge him with his promiſes, produce to him his hand and ſeal, Lord thou haſt promiſed this or that good thing, oh make it good, be it to thy ſervant according to thy word: that ſoul may walk on thorns, on tempeſtuous Seas, whoſe feet are ſhod with the Promiſes; he may walk in the very valley of the ſhadow of death, who hath the ſtaff of a promiſe in his hand: he may fear no ill, but expect all grace, glory, and every good thing, who hath a promiſe from Chriſt.