Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 2 · Section 3
SECT. 3.
3. Minde the teachings of God under your preſent afflictions, conſider and ſee what it is which God would have you to learn from this dreadful Fire, which hath conſumed ſo much of your, and other mens Eſtates. As God inſtructed the Jews out of the midſt of the Fire, Deut. 4.12. The Lord ſpake unto you out of the midſt of the Fire. So if your ears were open, you might hear God ſpeaking to your ſouls, and inſtructing you by this Fire. God is wont to teach his people ſomething or other by every affliction, if ſo be they liſten diligently to the voice of his rod, Pſal. 94.12. Bleſſed is the man whom thou chaſteneſt, O Lord, and teacheſt him out of thy Law. It is true, that ſome perſons learn nothing by their afflictions, but the reaſon is, not becauſe God communicates no inſtruction to them, but becauſe they either regard not, or do not underſtand the voice of God, Job 33.14. God ſpeaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. Prov. 1.24. I have called, and ye refuſed, I have ſtretched out my hand, and no man regarded. We wrong our own ſouls when we ſlight the inſtruction of the Lord, whether he inſtruct us by his word, or his rod, Prov. 15.32. He that refuſeth inſtruction, deſpiſeth his own ſoul; and do provoke God to depart from us, Jer. 6.8. Be thou inſtructed, O Jeruſalem, leſt my ſoul depart from thee, leſt I make thee deſolate—If any ſay, what is it that God would have us learn by our great loſſes that we have ſuſtained in the late Fire? I anſwer, The way to underſtand the voice of the rod, is to make uſe of the word; by ſearching into the word, we may come to know the meaning of the rod, and to underſtand what it is which God would have us to learn by our afflictions, as may be gathered from Pſal. 94.12. I ſhall hint a few things to you from the word, that God would teach you by this ſore affliction.
1. God would have you learn that it is an evil and a bitter thing to ſin againſt the Lord, Jer. 2.15,19. His Cities are burnt without inhabitants—Know therefore, and ſee that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou haſt forſaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, ſaith the Lord God of Hoſts.
2. God would have you learn to fear and ſtand in awe of his great and glorious Majeſty, and to be afraid of thinking, ſpeaking, or doing any thing that may diſpleaſe him, Zeph. 3.6,7. Their towers are deſolate, I made their ſtreets waſte, that none paſſeth by, their Cities are deſtroyed, ſo that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant, I ſaid ſurely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive inſtruction—
3. God would have you learn righteouſneſs by this judgment, Iſa. 26.9. When thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteouſneſs.
4. God would have you learn obedience by what, you have ſuffered: It is ſaid of Chriſt, Heb. 5.8. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he ſuffered. This was the leſſon that God learn't David by his afflictions, Pſal. 119.71. It is good for me, that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy ſtatutes. Wherefore endeavour to obey God more readily and cheerfully, more exactly, and more ſincerely than you have done heretofore.
5. God would have you learn contentation in every condition, both how to want as well as how to abound, Phil. 4.11.12. I have learned in whatſoever ſtate I am therewith to be content; I know both how to be abaſed, and I know how to abound, every where and in all things I am inſtructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to ſuffer need. When the Apoſtle wrote this Epiſtle, he was in bonds, Phil. 1.13. and had ſuffered the loſs of all things, chap. 3.8. and under his ſufferings God taught him this excellent leſſon of being content in every ſtate.
6. God would teach you by this affliction to pray ofther, and to pray better, to pray more ſpiritually, more fervently, more humbly, and more believingly, James 5.13. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. When Gods judgments are abroad, God ſtirs up his people to pray early in the morning, and late at night, and to pour out their ſouls and ſpirits in prayer, Iſa. 26.8,9. Yea in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee? the deſire of our ſoul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee: with my ſoul have I deſired thee in the night; yea, with my ſpirit within me will I ſeek thee early; for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteouſneſs. Our Lord Jeſus alwayes prayed fervently, as we may ſee, Heb. 5.7. Who in the dayes of his fleſh, when he had offered up prayers and ſupplications, with ſtrong crying and tears unto him that was able to ſave him from death, was heard in that he feared. But when he was entered upon his ſufferings, he prayed more earneſtly than ever, Luke 22.44. Being in an agony he prayed more earneſtly.
7. Learn hence the vanity and uncertainty of riches, and all worldly enjoyments. This ſudden and unexpected deſolation which is come upon this great City by this dreadful Fire, wherein ſuch a multitude of Houſes, and ſuch a great quantity of Goods have been conſumed, and many thouſand Families have been impoveriſhed, doth plainly teach us the great uncertainty of worldly things; and the great uncertainty that is in riches, and all other worldly things, may teach us ſeverall leſſons; as,
1. Seeing we have no aſſurance of worldly things, we ſhould not ſet our eyes, or our hearts upon them, we ſhould not deſire them inordinately when we want them, nor delight in them inordinately when we have them, or mourn beyond meaſure when we loſe them, Prov. 23.5. Wilt thou ſet thine eyes upon that which is not, for riches certainly make themſelves wings, they flee away as an Eagle towards heaven. They ſhould be ſo far from drawing our hearts, that they ſhould not draw our eyes after them, 1 Cor. 7.29,30,31. The time is ſhort, it remaineth, that both they that have Wives be as though they had none, and they that weep, as though they wept not, and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not, and they that buy as though they poſſeſſed not, and they that uſe this world as not abuſing it, for the faſhion of this world paſſeth away.
2. Seeing riches are uncertain things, we ſhould not truſt in them, but in the ever-living unchangeable God, 1 Tim. 6.17. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor truſt in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
3. Seeing we have no certainty that we ſhall enjoy our Eſtates one day, we ſhould not defer doing all the good we can with what God hath given us, Eccleſ. 11.2. Give a portion to ſeven, and alſo to eight, for thou knoweſt not what evil ſhall be upon the earth. Luke 16.9. Make to your ſelves friends of the mammon of unrighteouſneſs, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlaſting habitations. We ſhould not ſlip any opportunity of doing good, Gal. 6.10. As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, eſpecially unto them who are of the houſhold of faith. We ſhould not defer doing good with our Eſtates, ſo much as one day, when God gives us ability and an opportunity to do good, Prov. 3.27,28. With-hold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it; ſay not unto thy neighbour, go and come again, and to morrow I will give, when thou haſt it by thee.
4. Seeing there is ſuch an uncertainty in the things of this world, this ſhould teach us the vanity and folly of ſeeking to get the things of this world by unjuſt juſt and unrighteous courſes, Prov. 21.6. The getting of treaſure by a lying tongue, is a vanity toſſed to and fro of them that ſeek death. They that ſeek to get riches by lying, or any other ſinful means, do ſeek their own death and deſtruction. And what folly is it to caſt away an immortal ſoul, and to loſe an eternal Kingdom (for, Know ye not that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6.9.) for gaining of that which a man is not ſure to enjoy one day? There is a greater uncertainty in riches that are gotten unrighteouſly, than in thoſe that are gained by honeſt means; for God threatens ſuch perſons with this Judgment, that they ſhall enjoy what they get diſhoneſtly but a very little while, Jer. 17.11. As the Partridge ſitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not, ſo he that getteth riches, and not by right, ſhall leave them in the midſt of his dayes, and at his end ſhall be a fool. Prov. 13.11. Wealth gotten by vanity ſhall be diminiſhed, but he that gathereth by labour ſhall encreaſe. And as ſuch riches continue but a very little while, ſo the Owners have little or no comfort in them while they do enjoy them. The accuſations of a guilty conſcience, and the curſe of God that goes along with their Eſtates, troubles them more then their Eſtates do them good. Zophar ſpeaking of a man that is unjuſt in his dealings, ſaith, he ſhall have no joy in his riches, nor quietneſs in his Conſcience, Job 20.17,18,19,20,22. He ſhall not ſee the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter, that which he laboured for, he ſhall reſtore, and ſhall not ſwallow it down; according to his ſubſtance ſhall the reſtitution be, and he ſhall not rejoyce therein, becauſe he hath oppreſſed, and hath forſaken the poor, becauſe he hath violently taken away an houſe that he builded not, ſurely he ſhall not feel quietneſs in his belly—In the fulneſs of his ſufficiency he ſhall be in ſtraits, every hand of the wicked ſhall come upon him. Divers other paſſages there are in that Chapter, very dreadful to ſuch as get their Eſtates in a diſhoneſt way, which I forbear to tranſcribe. And this is farther to be conſidered concerning thoſe riches that are gotten unjuſtly, that although ſuch riches are of very ſhort and uncertain continuance, the ſin and guilt which is contracted in the getting of them will remain upon the conſcience a long time; and if there be not a timely, and ſincere repentance, a mans ſin will accompany him to the Grave, Job 20.11. His bones are full of the ſin of his youth, which ſhall lie down with him in the duſt, and fromt hence his ſins ſhall go along with him to the Judgment-ſeat of Chriſt, Eccleſ. 12.14. God ſhall bring every work into judgment with every ſecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. And from thence a mans ſins ſhall go along with him to Hell, and there vex and torment him like fire to all eternity, Jame: 5.3. Your gold and your ſilver is cankered, and the ruſt of them ſhall be a witneſs againſt you, and ſhall eat your fleſh as it were fire; ye have heaped up treaſure together for the laſt dayes.