Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 2 · Section 7 – Section 8
SECT. 7.
7. The loſſes and other afflictions which you have ſuſtained by this dreadful Fire, ſhould ſtir you up to glorifie God, Iſa. 24.15. Wherefore, glorifie ye the Lord in the Fires, even the name of the Lord God of Iſrael. In the former part of the Chapter the Prophet ſpeaks of a time of great deſolation, as ver. 1. Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waſte, and turneth it up-ſide down, and ſcattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof: ver. 3. The land ſhall be utterly emptied, and utterly ſpoiled—ver. 11, 12. All joy is darkned, the mirth of the land is gone; in the City is left deſolation, and the gate is ſmitten with deſtruction—and then tells them what uſe they ſhould make of theſe ſore Judgments, Glorifie ye the Lord in the fires. When God is executing any remarkable Judgments, it ſhould awaken all men to glorifie God, Rev 15.4. Who ſhall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy name? for thy judgments are made manifeſt. We read, Rev. 14.6,7. That when it was an hour wherein God was executing his Judgments, that an Angel cryed, to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, ſaying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come—If this judgment that is come upon you will not prevail with you to give glory to God, God will curſe your bleſſings, Mal. 2.2. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, ſaith the Lord of hoſts, I will even ſend a curſe upon you, and I will curſe your bleſſings; yea, I have curſed them already, becauſe ye do not lay it to heart.
If you ask, how and wherein you ſhould glorifie God under this affliction which he hath laid upon you?
I anſwer, 1. Accept of the puniſhment of your iniquity, and acknowledge that the Lord is juſt and righteous in all that is come upon you. Then we give God the glory of his Judgments, when we confeſs him to be juſt and righteous therein, Rev. 15.3,4.—Juſt and true are thy wayes, thou King of Saints, Who ſhall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy Name—Thus Daniel gave glory to God when Jeruſalem was laid waſte, and the Jews ſpoiled of their goods, and carried captive into Babylon, Dan. 9.14. The Lord hath watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works that he doth, for we obeyed not his voice. Yea, do not only confeſs God to be righteous, but alſo acknowledge him to be gracious in this diſpenſation; ſay, whereas our Houſes and Eſtates are conſumed by this Fire, it is of the Lords mercies that we our ſelves are not conſumed, even becauſe his compaſſions fail not. Thus Lot gave glory to God, when his houſe and goods were conſumed in Sodom, he looked upon it as a great mercy that he himſelf was not conſumed alſo, Gen. 19.19. Behold now, thy ſervant hath found grace in thy ſight, and thou haſt magnified thy mercy, which thou haſt ſhewed unto me, in ſaving my life.
2. Though your ſufferings have been very great, yet give God thanks, and praiſe his Holy Name for what he hath done for you; by ſo doing you ſhall glorifie God, Pſal. 50.23. Whoſo offereth praiſe, glorifieth me—Iſa. 42.12. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praiſe in the iſlands. This relates to a time of Judgment. I will deſtroy and devour at once, I will make waſte mountains and hills,—ver. 14. 15. Even when God is riſing up to judgment, and devouring, and deſtroying, we muſt declare his praiſe, and ſo give him the glory of his Judgments. Let not this ſeem ſtrange to you, that I exhort you that have ſuffered great loſtes by this Fire, to praiſe God, and give him thanks; for 1. Job did thus, when God had taken away all his Eſtate, and Children, he bleſſeth God, Job 1.21.—The Lord hath taken away, bleſſed be the name of the Lord; and Job did not ſin, or act imprudently in bleſſing God for his loſſes, for it is ſaid in the next words, In all this Job ſinned not, nor charged God fooliſhly. 2. It is the will of God, that in every eſtate and condition, and under every diſpenſation of his providence, we ſhould give thanks, 1 Theſſ. 5.18. In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God, in Chriſt Jeſus concerning you. 3. There is much mercy mingled with the affliction; it is mercy that your Eſtates were conſumed, and not your Lives: it is mercy that your Houſes only were burned, whereas you might have been caſt both body and ſoul into everlaſting burnings; and if you cannot give God thanks for the affliction it ſelf, yet at leaſt, give him thanks for the mercy that was mingled with the affliction.
3. Let this affliction put you upon ſearching and trying your wayes, and renewing your repentance, and returning unto God, of which you heard before; for in ſo doing you ſhall give glory to God, Rev. 16.9. They repented not to give him glory.
4. Let this Judgment awaken in your ſouls a more lively fear and dread of God, let it cauſe you to ſtand in ſuch awe of God as to be afraid to offend him; for then we give glory to God when we are afraid to ſin againſt him, Rev. 14.7. Fear God, and give glory to him.
5. You ſhall give glory to God by this Judgment, if you be ſtirred up by it to live a more holy and righteous life, Iſa. 60.21. Thy people ſhall be all righteous—that I may be glorified. If alſo it make you fruitful in good works, John 15.8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.
6. Let this Judgment awaken you to a more diligent practice of what is commanded, 1 Cor. 10.31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatſoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. It was your duty ever ſince you were born, to make Gods glory the higheſt and chiefeſt end of all your actions; if you have not done ſo, you have great cauſe to humble your ſouls before God; for you have neglected the great end of your Creation, Iſa. 43.7. Every one that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. If you did ſeek to advance the glory of God, before this Judgment came upon you, yet now be awakened hereby to ſeek Gods glory more zealouſly, with more ſingleneſs of heart; and do all your works, both the works of your Calling, and your natural Actions, as your eating and drinking, and your Religious Actions, with more explicite intentions to glorifie God.
SECT. 8.
8. Let the loſſes which you have ſuſtained by this dreadful Fire, take you off from laying up your Treaſure upon the earth, and put you upon laying up treaſure in heaven. That treaſure which you lay up on earth, may be taken from you ſeveral wayes; you may loſe it all in one day, or if you do not loſe it, you muſt leave it all behinde you when you dye: But that treaſure which is laid up in heaven, can by no means be taken from you, but you ſhall enjoy the benefit of it to all eternity. Remember therefore, and follow the counſel and command of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, Mat. 6.19,20,21. Lay not up for your ſelves treaſures upon earth, where moth and ruſt doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and ſteal; but lay up for your ſelves treaſures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruſt doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and ſteal; for where your treaſure is, there will your heart be alſo. If you ask, What is that treaſure which we ſhould lay up in heaven? I anſwer, All the good thoughts which you think, and all the good words that you ſpeak, are treaſure laid up in heaven, Mal. 3.16. They that feared the Lord, ſpeak often one to another, and the Lord hearkined, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. You ſee here that God treaſureth up in his book of remembrance, all the good words which we ſpeak when we meet together, and all the good thoughts which we think. All the tears we ſhed for our ſins, and all the ſighs and groans which we ſend up to God by reaſon of our ſins, are treaſure laid up in heaven: for God puts ſuch tears into his bottle, and all ſighs and groans that come from a penitent heart aſcend up to heaven, Pſal. 38.9. Lord, all my deſire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. All the prayers that we put up to God in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, are treaſure laid up in heaven, Pſal. 18.6. In my diſtreſs I called upon the Lord, and cryed unto my God, he heard my voice out of his Temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. This is plain from the forementioned Scripture, All my deſire is before thee. All the alms we give to the poor in a right ſpirit, are treaſure laid up in heaven, Luke 12.33.—Give alms, provide your ſelves bags which wax not old; a treaſure in the heavens that faileth not—Matth. 19.21. Sell that thou haſt, and give to the poor, and thou ſhalt have treaſure in heaven. Acts 10.4. Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. All the prayers that we make, and all the alms that we give to the poor, are recorded in heaven, as precious treaſure. All the good works that we do, are treaſure laid up in heaven, Epheſ. 6.8. Whatſoever good thing any man doth, the ſame he ſhall receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. All the ſins that wicked men commit, are treaſure laid up in Hell to augment their torments, Rom. 2.5. After thy hardneſs and impenitent heart, thou treaſureſt up unto thy ſelf wrath againſt the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. If all the ſins of wicked men, are treaſure laid up againſt the day of wrath; then ſurely all the good actions of good men, are treaſure laid up in heaven.