upon time of tryal and temptation. Fire tryes mettals what Cap.6. drofs is in them; ftrong winds, ftorms, and tempefts, try what our foundation is, whether we be built upon the rock, or upon the fands: they discover what fap the leaves have from the root; withered leaves when the wind rifes, fall off, the green leaves that have fap holds on: they try what foundness is in us: if you hang heavy weights upon the boughs of trees that are rotten, they prefently break, but if found, they bear them: hard weather tryes what foundness and health there is in the body; fo affliЄtions and troubles, what foundness the Spirit hath. Wooden or earthen veffels, if they be fet to the fire empty, they are foon riven, and break, but not when they are filled with liquor: fo empty hearts, when they feel the heat of afflictions, they foon break, but if filled with grace, and the comforts of the holy Ghoft, they hold found. When a mans cloaths are on, the deformities of his body cannot be seen: but when he is ftripped naked, then all appears. In Summer time, when the trees are covered with leaves, Nemo viyou cannot fee the knots, and rifts, and moffinefs of res fuas in the tree; but in winter when the leaves are gone, then ace cognoyou may fee all. Hence the Hebrew word that is bella deused for Winter, comes from a word, that fignifies funt,virtidifgrace and fhame, becaufe winter takes away the glory and beauty of the earth, and puts a kinde Thame and difgrace upon it. The deformities and distempers of mens hearts, are much difcovered in the winters of their affliction: although there was much glory and beauty on their profeffion before, yet now they appear moft vile and bafe. We read Luke 2.35. That Chrift was appointed for the fall of of חרפ feit, fi cnim um expeimcuta on prode unt Improsidus est miles qui fortem fe in pace glo tur. Greg. or 1.23. c. 18. : Cap.6. of many, and for a rock of offence, that is, in regard of the fufferings that should follow upon the profeffion of the Golpel: and mark what God ayms at in this, it is that the thoughts of mens hearts might be revealed; there are many fecret thoughts, fecret haunts of evil in mens hearts, fecret windings and turnings of mens fpirits, that are not revealed until then when the cause of God,and our own ends come in competition, when they must part one from the other, then is the tryal what we are: as when a ferving-man follows two Gentlemen, you know not whofe he is, until they part one from the other as we read Ezek. 21. 21. the King of Babylon stood at the parting way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination, the best divining of men, is at the parting way: although the times of afflictions, in regard of the darkness of them, one way be called the night of afflictions, yet they have light in them, and may be called a day, in regard of the discovery they make of a man what he is. In profperity a man is apt to judge amifs of himself, not onely because ignorance deceiveth the minde; but because of the prefent contentment he hath, he is unwilling to be difquicted with any thoughts of difparagement: Adverfity though it be a hard Tyrant, yet it is a true Judge, though it fpeaketh roughly, yet it speaketh truly. Orat. 28. We read Deut.8.2.that God led his people through the wilderness to humble them, and to prove them, and to know what was in their hearts: God knew before, but he would make themselves and others to know. I read of Nazianzen, walking by the Sea shore, feeing how the fea wrought in a storm, that it caft up light and empty things,but not things folid Cap. 6. and heavy; he applies this to afflictions, and says,that light and empty fpirits are toffed up and down by them, and keep not their conftancy; but folid fpirits are like the rock that stands firm, and abides the fame: men do not know their own hearts, they finde their hearts otherwife when troubles come,then ever they thought before; they, never thought they had had fo much pride, fo much impatience, fo much unbelief; they thought before they could have fubmitted to the hand of God, that they could have born more then is now upon them with patience and meekness; but now they finde their wretched hearts murmure, repine, fret, vex; now they finde corruptions ftir exceedingly: they had thought they could have depended upon God in straits; but now they finde their hearts finking, they finde they have base shifting hearts. When the fire comes to green wood, there comes out abundance of watery ftuff that was not difcerned before; fo when the fire of affliction comes, much evil runs out that you faw not, that neither you nor others thought to be in your hearts before. When a Pond is empty, then appears the mud and the filth, and Toads in the bottom: fo when God empties men, when he takes from them his bleffings, then much filth, many crawling lufts appear that did not before: fometimes more grace appears in afflictions then did before: fome of Gods people are low in their own eyes, they fufpect and fear themselves, they think their graces will fail them in trouble, that their peace. is falfe; yet when it pleafes God to bring them Cap.6. into trouble, they finde more peace, more affurance, more strength then ever they did before,or then they thought they fhould have done; never fuch fweet joy, never fuch full affurance, never fuch ufe of faith, and patience, and love, as in the foreft and strongest afflictions. This indeed is very rare, there are few that finde more good in their hearts in afflictions, then they thought they had before; but where this is, it may be a fweet feal to the foul, of the fincerity of it ever after. When Corn ftands in the field we may guess what it may yield, but we cannot know fully, till it come to the flail, and then it yields fometime more, though often lefs then we made account of. When grapes come to be preffed, then is difcerned what is in them. 4. grace Fourthly, an afflicted condition gives opportunity for much exercise of grace, it calls forth whatsoever there is in the heart to the exercise of it. Rev. 13. 10. St. John fpeaking of the fufferings of the Saints, Here (fays he) is the faith and the patience of the Saints; here is matter for their faith and patience to be exercised about, this calls for the working of their faith and patience; and fo for other graces, as humility, felf-denyal, love to God. Phyfick ftirs up natural heat, and makes it active, so affictions the fouls Phyfick. What mighty prayers, and lively ft rrings of fpirit are there many times in afflictions? Efay 26. 16. They pour out a prayer, when thy chaftening was upon them: our prayers do but drop out before, now they are poured out, and one work of heart do's fo follow another, that there is no intermiffion, it is all but one prayer they have poured out,not prayers, but a prayer, and it is obfervable, the word that that here is tranflated prayer, is a word that is used Cap.6. for inchantment w becaufe fuch words were conceived to be full of efficacy, containing much in a little room. So the prayer now is not an empty thing, but full of efficacy, containing much in a few words. The graces of Gods Spirit are the most lovely things in the world in Gods eyes, and therefore God delights much to fee the exercise of them. When fpices are beaten, then they fend forth their fragrant fmell, fo when Gods fervants are in afflictions, then their graces fend forth their fweetness, in the activenefs of them: when the box is broken, and the precious oyntment is poured forth, then it fends forth its delightful favour, fo when the heart is broken with afflictions, and the grace is poured forth, then they give a sweet finell in the noftrils of God and men. A tool that is daily used, is kept bright and fhining; and fo grace, when it is most exercifed, it it is most beautiful: The glory of the things of the world minifhes in the use of them, but grace is ever better for the wearing. The Fifthly,in afflictions the power of grace does much appear; the abiding ftrong against oppofition, is a true argument of ftrength: this was the honor of Fofephs ftrength in his bleffing, Gen. 49. 23, 24. archers have forely grieved him, yet his bow abode in ftrength. It is nothing for a man to go on in the profeffion of Religion, while all things are well about him, while he feels no trouble, but God hedges about his way if God fhould always profper his people in outward things, who would not be a profeffor of godliness? When the people faw how Mordecai was raifed, then many became Jews. I read of : one 5. |