Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 2 · Section 13 – Section 14
SECT. 13.
13. Let the loſs of your Eſtates put you upon ſeeking after, and making ſure of thoſe mercies and bleſſings, which ſhall never be taken from you to all eternity; I will mind you of ſome bleſſings, which if once you can get your ſouls poſſeſſed of them, they ſhall be yours for ever.
1. Get an intereſt in God; if you once get the Lord for your God and portion, he will be your God and your portion for ever, Pſal. 48.14. This God is our God for ever and ever, he will be our guide even unto death. Pſal. 73.26. My fleſh and my heart faileth; but God is the ſtrength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
2. Get the grace of God implanted in your hearts; when God hath beſtowed ſaving grace upon a man, that ſhall remain with him for ever, Pſal. 19.9. The fear of the Lord is clear, enduring for ever,—Joh. 4.14. Whoſoever drinketh of the water that I ſhall give him, ſhall never thirſt; but the water that I ſhall give him, ſhall be in him a well of water, ſpringing up into everlaſting life.
3. Make ſure of the favour of God, and labour to get into Covenant with him, and you ſhall be poſſeſſed of theſe mercies for ever, Iſa. 54.10. The Mountains ſhall depart, and the Hills be removed; but my kindneſs ſhall not depart from thee, neither ſhall the Covenant of my peace be removed, ſaith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee.
4. Seek unto God to give you the Comforter, and when once you have gotten him, he ſhall abide with you for ever, Joh. 14.16. I will pray the Father, and he ſhall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth;—he dwelleth with you, and ſhall be in you.
Now the way to make ſure of theſe, and all other ſpiritual bleſſings, is to make ſure of Chriſt; cloſe with Chriſt, cleave to Chriſt, and abide with him for ever, and then all ſpiritual bleſſings ſhall be yours for ever; for all ſpiritual bleſſings are treaſured up in Chriſt, Epheſ. 1.3. Bleſſed be the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who hath bleſſed us with all ſpiritual bleſſings in heavenly places in Chriſt; and if we abide with Chriſt, he will abide ours for ever, Joh. 15.4. Abide in me, and I in you.
SECT. 14.
14. Seek unto God to reſtore what he hath taken from you, and to make up all your loſſes. There are two wayes of having your loſſes made up: 1. When God ſhall give you as much riches as he hath taken from you. 2. When he ſhall give you that which is as good or better, than what you loſt by this fire. You may lawfully ſeek to God to reſtore your Eſtates which he hath taken from you, ſo you ſeek them in Gods way: Take your directions from Gods Word for the getting of riches; and becauſe many that ſeek after riches, do not ſeek them in Gods way, and ſo either fail of them, or have them not with the bleſſing of God: I ſhall 1. propoſe ſome encouragements to ſtir you up to ſeek riches from God in Gods way. 2. I ſhall lay before you ſome directions out of Gods Word for the getting of riches. Now to move you to ſeek your riches of God, Conſider
1. Riches are Gods gift, he gives them to whom he ſeeth good, 1 Chron. 29.12. Both riches and honour come of thee,—and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give ſtrength unto all. Deut. 8.18. Thou ſhalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.
2. God is able to make up all your loſſes, though they be never ſo great, and to give you as much and more than ever you had. After Job had loſt all his eſtate, it is ſaid, Job 42.10,12. The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before,—The Lord bleſſed the latter end of Job, more than his beginning. 2 Chron. 25.9. What ſhall we do for the hundred Talents? And the man of God anſwered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. Though a man be brought very low, even to beggery; God can eaſily make him a rich man, 1 Sam. 2.8. He raiſeth the poor out of the duſt, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghil, to ſet them among Princes, and to make them inherit the Throne of Glory.
3. It is uſual with God, after he hath brought a man low, and humbled him, to raiſe him up again, as we ſee in the caſe of Job, to whom God gave twice as much as before; ſee to this purpoſe, Pſal. 66.12. We went through fire and through water; but thou broughteſt us out into a wealthy place. 1 Sam. 2.7. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
4. Thoſe riches that are obtained in Gods way do us moſt good, and convey moſt comfort to the owners, Prov. 10.22. The bleſſing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no ſorrow with it.
If you ask, What courſe ſhould we take that we may obtain riches from God? I anſwer,
1. Let your firſt and principal care be to get heaven, and the grace of God, that may make you meet to enjoy his Kingdom; and when you do thus, God will not only give you heaven when you die, but will add alſo as much of this world as he ſeeth to be good for you, Matth. 6.33. Seek ye firſt the Kingdom of God, and his Righteouſneſs, and all theſe things ſhall be added unto you. When men are over-eager in ſeeking after the world, they oft-times miſs both of heaven and the world alſo, Prov. 28.18. He that haſteth to be rich, hath an evil eye, and conſidereth not that poverty ſhall come upon him.
2. Embrace by faith, and ſet your love upon Jeſus Chriſt; he promiſeth to fill their treaſures that love him, Prov. 8.20,21. I lead in the way of righteouſneſs, in the midſt of the paths of judgment; that I may cauſe thoſe that love me, to inherit ſubſtance, and I will fill their treaſures.
3. Repent of your ſins and turn to the Lord, and then though you be brought low, he will build you up again, and will give you plenty of ſuch things as he ſeeth to be good for you, Job 22.23,24,25. If thou return to the Almighty, thou ſhalt be built up, thou ſhalt put away Iniquity far from thy Tabernacles; then ſhalt thou lay up Gold as duſt, and the Gold of Ophir as the ſtones of the Brooks; yea the Almighty ſhall be thy defence, and thou ſhalt have plenty of ſilver.
4. Walk in the fear of God, and be careful to keep his Commandments, Prov. 22.4. By humility, and the fear of the Lord, are riches, and honour, and life. 2 Chron. 17.4,5. Jehoſhaphat ſought to the Lord God of his Fathers, and walked in his Commandments, and not after the doings of Iſrael; Therefore the Lord eſtabliſhed the Kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought to Jehoſhaphat preſents, and he had riches and honour in abundance.
5. Follow your employments with diligence: There is a bleſſing of God goeth along with diligence and induſtry in our Callings, Prov. 10.4. He becometh poor that dealeth with a ſlack hand; but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Prov. 22.29. Seeſt thou a man diligent in his buſineſs? he ſhall ſtand before Kings, he ſhall not ſtand before mean men.
6. Seek after knowledge, and manage all your affairs with wiſdom and diſcretion, Prov. 24.3,4. Through wiſdom is an houſe builded, and by underſtanding it is eſtabliſhed; and by knowledge ſhall the Chamber be filled with all precious and pleaſant riches.
7. Be faithful and upright in all your dealings, Prov. 28.10,20. The upright ſhall have good things in poſſeſſion: A faithful man ſhall abound in bleſſings. Pſal. 112.3,4. Wealth and riches ſhall be in his houſe;—Ʋnto the upright ariſeth light in darkneſs.
8. Shun thoſe vices that bring men to poverty and hinder their thriving in the world, ſuch as prodigality, and love of pleaſure, Prov. 21.17. He that loveth Pleaſure, ſhall be a poor man; he that loveth Wine and Oyl, ſhall not be rich. Idleneſs, and drowſineſs, a negligent and ſluggiſh management of our affairs, Prov. 6.9,10,11. How long wilt thou ſleep O ſluggard! when wilt thou ariſe out of thy ſleep? yet a little ſleep, a little ſlumber, a little folding of the hands to ſleep; ſo ſhall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. Prov. 18.9. He that is ſlothful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waſter. Gluttony and Drunkenneſs, Prov. 23.21. The Dunkard and the Glutton ſhall come to poverty; and drowſineſs ſhall clothe a man with rags.
9. Be liberal to the poor; there may be a liberal ſoul, where there is but a ſmall eſtate; and the more liberal any man is, the more likely he is to be a rich man, Prov. 11.24,25. There is that ſcattereth, and yet encreaſeth; and there is that with-holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty: The liberal ſoul ſhall be made fat; and he that watereth, ſhall be alſo watered himſelf. He that ſheweth mercy to the poor, honoureth the Lord with his ſubſtance, Prov. 14.31. And when a man honoureth the Lord with his ſubſtance, God will multiply it greatly, Prov. 3.9,10. Honour the Lord with thy ſubſtance, and with the firſt fruits of all thine encreaſe; ſo ſhall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy Preſſes ſhall burſt out with new Wine.
10. Be content with what God giveth you, and then though you have never ſo little, you are a rich man, 1 Tim. 6.6. Godlineſs with contentment is great gain.