Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Afflictions, Part 3
A twofold Caution from this Doctrine:
1. Study theſe Leſſons well while ye are in the School of the Word.
2. Labor to be inſtructed by the chaſtiſements and afflictions which you ſee upon other men.
Firſt, 1 Caution, To prevent affliction, labor to profit by the Word.If you would prevent chaſtiſement, ſtudy theſe and the like Leſſons well, while ye are under the Teachings of the Word: Therefore doth God ſend us into the School of affliction, becauſe we have been non-proficients in the School of the Goſpel: becauſe we will not hear the Word, we force God to turn us over to a ſeverer Diſcipline, and to have our ears bored with affliction, and then ſaith God, now hear the rod, and who hath appointed it. O my beloved, labor, I beſeech you, to profit much by the Teachings of Jeſus Chriſt in the Gospel: ſet your hearts to all the truths and counſels of God revealed to you therein. foreign. 2 I am. 1.13The Goſpel is the model or platform of ſound words, able to make you ſound Chriſtians, wiſe to Salvation: O let your profiting be made known to all men. In ſpecial, ſet your hearts to thoſe Inſtructions or Leſſons propounded in the Doctrinal part of this ſubject; for the neglect whereof God is fain to ſend his people into captivity, that there he may teach them with the bryars and thorns of the wilderneſs. In particular,
1. Learn, in the time of your peace and tranquillity, to lay to heart the ſufferings of the reſt of your brethren that are in the world. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them: Heb. 3.13Think of them that are in priſon, whoſe feet are hurt in the ſtocks, and the irons do enter into their ſoul, with the very ſame affection and affliction of ſpirit, as if you your ſelves lay bound in chains by them in the ſame dungeon; put your Souls in their Souls ſteads: and content not your ſelves with thoſe looſe, and fruitleſs, and tranſient glances, which thoſe that are at eaſe in Sion do uſually caſt upon men in miſery; Be thou warmed and filled. Iam. 2.16a cold Lord have mercy on them, and there's an end: Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and that you may know you are not to confine your compaſſion to priſoners onelyonly, it follows, And them that ſuffer adverſity, &c. Learn to ſympathize with all the people of God under any adverſity whatſoever; hide not your eyes, and ſhut not up your bowels of compaſſion, from any that are in a ſuffering condition; and that upon this account, As being your ſelves in the body: If the duty reſpect thy brother, the motive reſpects thy ſelf; thou art yet in the body: and while you remain in the fleſh, you cannot promiſe your ſelves one hours exemption from troubles; but are expoſed to the ſame common calamities which attend a ſtate of mortality; as it is an argument of comfort to them that are in affliction, 1 Cor. 10 13that their temptations and tryals are common to men. God doth not ſingle them out to encounter with unparalleld affliction: ſo on the other ſide it is an incentive to compaſſion to them that are free, to conſider that they are liable to the ſame temptations, & therfore ſhould meaſure out the ſame compaſſions to their ſuffering brethren, that they would expect in the ſame tryals: not knowing how ſoon the cup of trembling may be put into their own hand: to be ſure, inſenſibleneſs of other mens miſeries will haſten it: They put far away the evil day; Amos 6.3, 4, 5, 6they lie upon beds of Ivory, &c. eat Lambs out of he flock, and Calves out of the ſtall, &c. drink wine in bowls, &c. i. e. they give themſelves up to all maoner of ſenſuality, and thereby drown the ſenſe of their brethrens miſeries; they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joſeph: they lay not the affliction of the Church to heart, it never coſt them an hours ſleep, they abated nothing of all their ſenſual exceſſes; they never turn aſide to ſhed one tear over bleeding Sion in ſecret: what follows? why, ſaith God, therefore now ſhall they go captive with the firſt that go captive, Verſe 7.and the banquet of them that ſtretched themſelves ſhall be removed: as if God ſhould have ſaid; As I live, becauſe you have not pityed your brethren in captivity, you your ſelves ſhall be led away captive, and the next turn ſhall be yours; and there you ſhall learn by experience, what it is to be plundred, and what it is to lie in chains; what it is to have cruel Taskmaſters ſet over you, what it is to want bread; you ſhall banquet it no more: you ſhall feel by ſenſe what you would not feel by ſympathy. And therefore, Chriſtians, ſet your hearts to the afflictions of the Church and people of God; it is the great duty which the times call for; and I am afraid God is now viſiting England and London for the neglect of this duty: We are verily guilty concerning our brethren, in Germany, in Ireland, in England, and Scotland, &c. in that we ſaw the anguiſh of their ſouls, when they beſought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this diſtreſs come upon us: We have not grieved their ſorrows, nor wept their tears, nor ſigh'd their groans, nor bled their blood; and therefore may fear, leſt God ſhould ſay unto us alſo, even unto us, With the next that go into captivity, they ſhall go into captivity: with the next that are plundered and ſpoyled, London ſhall be plunder'd and ſpoyl'd; with the next that ſhall be impriſon'd, you ſhall be taken priſoners; with the next that ſhall be ſlain with the ſword, you ſhall be ſlain with the ſword; you wives ſhall be made widows, and your children ſhall be made fatherleſs, and your dwellings ſhall caſt you out, and be left deſolate: And therefore let us look to it, and know in this our day the things of our peace, before they be hid from our eyes: Shew compaſſion, that you may not need compaſſion, or, if you need it, you may finde it.
In like manner ſet your hearts to the other Leſſons which God teacheth by his chaſtiſements.
Prize Creature-comforts more, and ſurfeit upon them leſs: be more thankful, and leſs ſenſual: eſpecially prize a Gospel while ye have a Goſpel; prize it by its worth, Amos 8.….that you may not prize it by the want; prize it that you may keep it, leſt you prize it one day when you cannot recover it: that's a dreadful word, They ſhall go with their flocks and with their herds to ſeek the Lord, Hoſea 5.6but they ſhall not FIND Him: Amos 8.11And I wil ſend a famine, not of bread, nor a thirſt of water, but of hearing the Word of the Lord, &c. and they ſhall run to and fro, Verſe 12to ſeek the Word of the Lord, and Shall not FIND IT.
Study ſelf-denyal, meekneſs of ſpirit; labor to diſcover the hidden corruptions of your own hearts; be ſtill digging in that dunghill, you will finde it a bottomleſs pit: The heart is deceitful above all things, Jer. 17.9and deſperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord ſearch the heart. Oh, entreat the Lord to diſcover your hearts to you.
Study Scripture-evidence for your interest in Chriſt: reſt not in any evidence, which you will not venture your ſouls upon, if you were to dye this moment.
Labor to maintain ſweet communion with God; to be able to ſay with the Apoſtle, and to ſay truly, Our communion is with the Father, 1 Joh. 1.3and with his Son Jeſus Chriſt: Make God your choyce, and not your neceſſity; and labor to maintain ſuch conſtant converſe with him, that when you dye, you may change your place onelyonly, but not your company.
Live up in the exerciſe of your grace: add to your faith vertue, to vertue knowledg, and to knowledg temperance, 2 Pet. 1.5, 6and to temperance godlineſs, and to godlineſs brotherly kindneſs, and to brotherly kindneſs charity: Be adding one grace to another, and one degree of grace to another, and one exerciſe of grace to another exerciſe of grace, that you may not put God to add affliction to affliction, and ſorrow to ſorrow: while others are adding ſin to ſin, drunkenneſs to thirſt, do you add grace to grace: Be ſtedfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, &c.
Acquaint your ſelves with God, Iob 22.21and good ſhall come thereby. Study to know God more, and love him better: This is Life eternal, &c. Joh. 17.3. Then ſhall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord.Hoſea 6.3
Minde, I beſeech you, while you are in your ſtrength and peace, that one thing neceſſary: there is but one thing neceſſary; Hoc age.there be many may-be's, but one muſt-be: O take heed of induſtrious folly, and diſſpirit not your ſelves in the purſuit of trifles; minde your work.
Redeem the time, the days are evil: O that Chriſtians would ſtudy the worth of time; value a day; ſay of every HOUR, yea of every moment, This is TIME: Redeem time while you have it: redeem time while time may do you good: Evil days are coming, wherein you will ſay, I have no pleaſure in them. Yea, the days are evil; evil with ſin, evil with ſorrow: redeem the time to do good, to receive good, that neither you may be the worſe for the times, nor the times for you: Happy ſhall that man be call'd, who contributeth not to the heap of the God-provoking abominations, nor receiveth impreſſions from the hypocriſie and prevarication of the preſent generation.
Study the ſufferings of Jeſus Chriſt: Reſolve, with Paul, to know nothing but Jeſus Chriſt, and him crucified: A due contemplation of the Croſs wil heighten Chriſts Love, and leſſen your own ſuffrings.
And labor to get your converſation in Heaven: Looking for, and haſtening to, or as the word ſignifies, *2 Pet. 3 12 foreign, &c.haſting, the coming of Christ: Say, Come Lord Jeſus, come quickly.
In a word, brethren, ſtudy, and ſtudy throughly, the
Sinfulneſs of Sin.
Emptineſs of the Creature.
Fulneſs of Chriſt.
And in all theſe, and the like Leſſons, labor for an
Inward
Convincing
Experimental
Powerful
Sweet
Abiding
Teaching.
Content not your ſelves, Chriſtians, with a general, ſlight, ſuperficial, unſavory, powerleſs, flitting Knowledg: reſt not in notions; be not ſatisfied with expreſſions without impreſſions; nor with impreſſions, that are not abiding impreſſions; that are like figures written in the ſand: this is the ruine of profeſſors. Thoſe profeſſors, their names ſhall be written in the duſt, who write divine inſtructions in the duſt: at leaſt, if God have a minde to do you good, expect that he ſhould ſend you into the houſe of Correction, and there teach you with ſcourges, and write his Inſtructions in your blood.
And therefore if you would prevent ſo ſevere a Diſcipline, oh improve your time well in the School of the Word; while you have the light, Iohn 3.35walk in the light, leſt darkneſs come upon you: while you ſit under the Teachings of the Goſpel, labor to get knowledg anſwerable to the means, and grace anſwerable to your knowledg. Thus much for the firſt Caution.
I come now to the ſecond Caution.2 Caution, Labor to profit by other mens ſufferings.
If you would prevent affliction, labour to be inſtructed by the chaſtiſements which you ſee upon other men. God deals with his children as Tutors do with the children of Princes, whip them upon ſtrangers backs. Thus God ſcourged Iſrael upon the back of the Nations round about: Zeph. 3.6. Zeph. 3.6I have cut off the Nations, 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: SHORT WORK! But their puniſhment, was Iſraels Caution; I ſaid, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive inſtruction: The Worlds judgments are the Churches instructions, and God lookt that his people ſhould have made that uſe of this practical doctrine; I ſaid, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive inſtructions: God had gracious ends in this diſpenſation; his ſeverity to ſtrangers, was his tender mercies towards Iſrael; he ſpared not the Nations, that he might have ſpared them, Verſe 7.ſo their dwellings ſhould not be cut off: God cut off the Nations, verſ. 6. that he might not cut off Iſrael; Behold (as the Apoſtle ſaith in another caſe, Rom. 11.22.) the goodneſs and ſeverity of God; ſeverity to the Nations, but goodneſs towards Iſrael; had they continued in his goodneſs, had they received inſtruction by their neighbors deſtruction. And as God puniſht Iſrael upon the Nations backs, ſo God puniſht Judah upon Iſraels back: Ier. 7.12.Go ye now to my place in Shiloh, and ſee what I did to it, for the wickedneſs of my people Iſrael: Iſraels chaſtiſements ſhould have b…n Jeruſalems teachings, and by their ſtripes ſhe ſhould have been healed; for the neglect whereof God is highly diſpleaſed, and ſpeaks concerning this in a very angry dialect; And I ſaw when for all the cauſes whereby back-ſliding Iſrael had committed adultery, I had put her away, & given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous ſiſter Judah feared not, Ier. 3.8.but went and played the Harlot alſo. God took it ill, that Ieruſalem ſhould ſlight the kindneſs of ſuch a Caution, and despiſe the counſel which was written to her in her ſiſters blood, q. d. I would have made Ieruſalem wiſe by Samaria's harms, and taught her by a rod which ſhe only ſaw: but ſhe feared not; ſhe hardened her heart through unbelief, and either would not underſtand the Caution, or dared me to my face to do my worſt, while by her ſhameleſs whoredoms ſhe went on to provoke me to jealouſie. This haſteneth that judgment upon her ſelf which ſhe deſpiſed on others: Iudah muſt feel Iſraels rod, becauſe ſhe would not hear it: As Iſrael muſt ſuffer thoſe judgments on the Nations which ſhe would not improve; by thoſe very Nations by whom ſhe would not be inſtructed, ſhe muſt be deſtroyed, Zeph. 3.8. So Iudah muſt feel what ſhe feared not at a diſtance; ſhe that would not tremble at her ſiſters divorce, muſt ſuffer divorce her ſelf, and be judged as women that break wedlock, &c. Ezek. 16.38. And bear her own ſhame for her ſins that ſhe had committed more abominable then they, verſ. 52.
Beloved Chriſtians, if we would prevent the like ſeverity, let us take heed of the like ſecurity: God hath been a long time ſcourging England upon Germanies back, and upon Irelands back, and upon Scotlands back; God hath for theſe many years ſcourged London on the back of all the Cities and Counties round about; and God doth dayly ſcourge every one of us in particular upon the back of our ſuffering brethren, in divers kinds; his deſign is, that we ſhould fear him, that we ſhould receive inſtruction: If we altogether fail his expectation, we may fear that the ſame rods are preparing for our backs wherewith they have bled, yea that their rods ſhall be turned into ſcorpions to us; we ſin worſe then others, when we ſin thoſe very ſins for which others have been puniſht before our faces, and …d contempt to their tranſgreſſions; and how juſt will it be with God, if as we aggravate their ſins, ſo He aggravate upon us their plagues; we that would not be bettered by Gods warning pieces, ſhould be deſtroyed by Gods murdering pieces; that we that would not ſee and learn, ſhould feel and periſh; Nocumentae documenta.even particular judgments ſhould be our documents: Remember Lots wife; her pillar of ſalt ſhould ſeaſon our hearts, that when the judgments of God are abroad in the Earth, we that are the inhabitants, not of the Earth only, but of Sion alſo, may learn Righteouſneſs. Even thoſe judgments which the Magiſtrate doth execute by Gods appointment, are chiefly for caution to ſtanders by, Deu. 13.11that others may hear and fear, and do no more any ſuch wickedneſs, &c. How much more thoſe judgments which the Lord himſelf doth execute? vid. Pſal. 64.7, 8, 9. 2 Pet. 2.6. When the father is correcting one child, the whole family ſhould fear and tremble. *Ier. 7.12.Go to my place in Shiloh, ſaith God to the Jews, and ſee what I did to it for the wickedneſs of my people Iſrael. If we would learn by other mens ſufferings, we ſhould prevent our own: This is the way to prevent ſufferings.
The Lord make us wiſe to Salvation.
I come to the ſecond branch of Exhortation. 2 Branch of Exhort. to ſuch as are under affliction.ſc.
To ſuch as yet lie under affliction, and the chaſtiſements of the Almighty.
Take notice, Take notice of Gods deſign.O thou afflicted Soul, what Gods deſign is in afflicting of thee, and make it thy deſign, namely, that thou mayſt be taught, that correction may be turn'd into inſtruction; hear the rod, and who hath appointed it. It is the great miſtake and folly of men, that they make more haſte to get their afflictions removed then ſanctified: The captive exile haſteneth that he may be looſed, and that he ſhould not dye in the pit, &c. q. d. men would fain break priſon, or leap … the window, before God open … But this their way is their folly: ſo the following words imply; But I am the Lord thy God that divided the Sea, whoſe waves roared, Verſe 15.the Lord of Hoſts is his Name; q. d. Men would fain be delivered, but they take not the right courſe: Deliverance belongs unto me, I am the Lord thy God that divided the Sea, and made it a way for my ranſomed to paſs over, and that when it was moſt tempeſtuous, when the waves thereof roared: When I will deliver, no obſtruction can ſtand in the way; and yet Iſrael now in captivity will not look to me: I am the Lord of Hoſts, that have all the Armies in Heaven and Earth at command; and yet when they are beſieged with troubles and dangers, I cannot hear from them, they run to the creature, and neglect God; or if they cry to me in their diſtreſſes, it is for deliverance only, but not for teaching, though I have put my words in thy mouth, verſ. 16. that is I have given them my Laws and Statutes, wherein I have made known my deſign in affliction, why I ſend them into captivity, namely, that there I might TEACH THEM; that I might humble them, and prove them, and make them know what is in their heart. This is the ſhorteſt way to deliverance, and in this path if they had trod, I would have planted the Heavens, and layd the foundations of the Earth, verſ. 16. even the NEVV HEAVENS and the NEVV EARTH of Ieruſalems Reſtoration, and ſay to Sion, Thou art my people, in the ſame verſe. This is Cods method wherein he will own his people, and wherein if they meet him, they ſhall not ſtay long for their deliverance.
And therefore be wiſe, O thou afflicted, toſſed with tempeſt, and not comforted; Iſai. 54.11be inſtructed, leſt Gods Soul depart from thee; make more haſte to be taught, then to be delivered; and chuſe rather to have thy affliction ſanctified, then removed.