their faces harder than a rock, they have refused to return." There is little hope of a fcholar's minding his leffon, that is regardless of whipping. It is a dreadful fign to be like Pharaoh, fleeping in our fins, when God is thundering in his wrath. He that will fleep when his houfe is on fire, or lie ftill in bed, as if he was not concerned, may affuredly expect to be confumed in its Hames. As David could not bear it, when the messengers he fent to the Ammonites out of good will, were affronted and defpifed; fo neither God will endure it, when the meffengers he fends to finners are flighted; for he that flights a meffenger, affronts his master. Those who make light of affliction, make light of God that fends it, and make light of fin that procures it.

Queft. "But when is it that people are fuitably concerned under a heavy rod ?"

Anf. When they fee God's hand, hear God's voice, anfwer his intent, are curious to know his mind, defirous to do thofe things he requires, and reform those things he is difpleafed with. Remember every affliction is a meffenger from God, and deferves a hearing from you. It comes to thee with such a meffage as Ehud did to Eglon, Judges iii. 20. "I have an errand from God to thee, O King;" I have a meffage from God to thee, O Chriftian, O finner. Well, lend an ear, and hearken with reverence and attention to this errand; fay, "Speak, Lord, for thy fervant heareth, what wouldst thou have me to do " Believe it, that God fpeaks as really to you by his rod, as by his word; therefore he fays, hear ye the rod. God fpoke as truly by his ten plagues to Egypt, as he did by his ten precepts to Ifrael. And if the calm voice of the word were more regarded, we fhould hear lefs of the rough voice of the rod. As Gideon took briers and thorns of the wilderness, and with them taught the men of Succoth, who would not be taught by fairer means, Judg. viii. 16. So God takes the fharp prickles of 'fore affliction, to teach you his ftatutes, when you will not be taught by fofter methods. Beware then of grieving God's Spirit, by turning ftupid, and infenfible under fharp or long continued trials: But the more pains God is at with

you

you by his rod, hearken the more carefully to his voice, and labour to make the greater proficiency in the fchool of affliction, where he thinks fit to continue you; that fo you may inherit that bleffing, Pf. xciv. 12. " Bleffed is the man whom thou chaftereft, O Lord, and teacheft him out of thy law."

DIRECT. III. Beware of mifconftructing God's dealings towards you, and of charging him foolishly,

WE are apt to believe fatan's fuggeftions under heavy trials, and to entertain wrong thoughts of God and his difpenfations. Now, thefe you ought to guard against, as, for instance, 1. Beware of harbouring atheistical thoughts, as if there were no Providence, no wife Governor of this lower world, no diftinction between the good and bad; and that it is to no purpose to be religious, like thofe mentioned in Mal. iii. 14. "Ye have faid, it is vain to serve God; and what profit is it, that we have kept his ordinance, and walked mournfully before the Lord of hofts ?" Yea, even the Pfalmift, when he begins to compare his own fharp trials with the wicked's ease and profperity, is tempted to think all religion is in vain, and fay, Pf. lxxiii. 13, 14. " Verily, I have cleanfed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chaftened every morning." But thefe are nothing but the hellifh fuggeftions of fatan, that irreconcileable enemy of God and precious fouls, againft which we fhould clofely ftop our ears.

2. Beware of charging God in your hearts, with rigour and injustice in his dealings, like thofe, Ezek. XVIII. 25. Yet, ye fay, the way of the Lord is not equal." How highly unjuft, and injurious, are fuch thoughts of him who is the judge of all the earth, and cannot but do right?

3. Beware of thinking that heavy afflictions do always fpeak wrath in God against thee. No, fometimes they fpeak forth love, and God may be carrying on a love defign thereby to thy foul, viz. to fubdue thy strong

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lufts,

lufts, and draw thee nearer unto himself. As for those who think that the smarting rod, and Divine love, cannot dwell together, let them read that paffage, Heb. xii. 5, 6. "And ye have forgotten the exhortation, which fpeaketh unto you as unto children, my son, despise not thou the chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth he chaf-, teneth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he receiveth."

4. Beware of defponding and diftruftful thoughts of God under fharp afflictions. Some are ready to raze the foundation; quit their intereft in God, and the promifes; and caft away their hope and confidence, faying, with Gideon, Judg. vi. 13. "Oh, my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this evil befallen us?" So David was ready to draw a hafty conclufion, Pf. xxxi; 22. "I faid, in my hafte, I am cut off from before thine eyes." But this was the effect of unbelief; for he that believeth will not make hafte.

DIRECT. IV. Under fore Trouble and Diftrefs, labour to exercise a strong and lively Faith.

IT was a noble and heroic refolution in that holy man Job, under his fingular trials, Job xiii. 15. " Though he flay me, yet will I truft in him," q. d. Let my ftrokes be never fo fore and heavy, yet, I will not let go my grips of his words and promises, I will not raze thefe foundations of my hope. It was this way the Pfalmift kept himself from finking under his heavy burdens, Pf. xxvii. 13. "I had fainted, unless I had believed to fee the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Confider but a little the noble influence that faith hath to ftrengthen and fupport the foul under fore trials.

1. Faith grips to the great gofpel-promifes of falvation in and through Jefus Chrift, and fo fecures the foul's main intereft through eternity; which is enough to make the fou! eafy in every lot.

2. Faith views God in Chrift at the helm in the greateft ftorm, and fo it endures, as feeing him who is invifible, Heb. xi. 27.

3. Faith cafts the foul's anchor upon the rock of ages, and ftays itself on God and the faithful promifes; whereby, the foul is eafed and difburdened of its fears and melancholy apprehenfions, Pfal. iv. 22. Ifa. 1. 10.

4. Faith brings new ftrength and auxiliary fupplies of grace from heaven, when the former fupply is exhausted and spent ; whereof David had, the fweet experience, Pfal. xxvii. 13. As God doth plant and actuate grace in the foul, fo he is pleased to come in with seafonable fupplies and reinforcements to the weak and decayed graces of his people, anfwerable to their prefent exigencies and preffures; And thus he doth, from time to time, feed the believer's lamp with fresh oil, giving more faith, more love, more hope, and more defires; and hereby he gives power to the faint, and ftrengthens the things which remain when ready to die.

5. Faith keeps the foul from finking under heavy trials, by bringing in former experiences of the power, mercy, and faithfulness of God, to the afflicted foul. Hereby was the Pfalmift fupported in distress, Pfal. xiii. 6. Pfal. Ixxxvii. 4. O, faith faith, "Remember what God hath done both for thy outward and inward man ;' he hath not only delivered thy body when in trouble, but he hath done great things for thy foul; he hath brought thee out of a state of black nature, entered into a covenant-relation with thee, made his goodness pafs before thee; he hath helped thee to pray, and many times hath heard thy prayers and thy tears. Hath he not formerly brought thee out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and put a new fong in thy mouth, and made thee to refolve never to give way to fuch unbelieving doubts and fears again? And how unbecoming is it for thee now to fink in trouble?"

6. Faith fupports the foul, by giving it a pleasant view and profpect of a happy outgate from all trouble; when it shall be admitted to fee and dwell with Christ hereafter. Thus was Job fupported in his great distrefs, Job xix. 25, 26, 29. "For I know that my deemer liveth; and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. Whom I fhall fee for myself, and

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mine eyes fhall behold," &c. A believing view of the foul's meeting with its Redeemer, and receiving a crown of glory from him at laft, is an excellent fupport to a Chriftian under the heaviest affliction; and fo it was to Paul, 2 Tim.. iv. 7, 8.

7. Faith gives great fupport, by the encouraging reprefentations it makes of Chrift, and of his prefent concern for the believer while under affliction. As for intance, 1. Faith reprefents Christ to a believer under trials, as fympathizing with him under his diftrefs, feeling his pain, hearing his groans, bearing his burdens, and ready to relieve him in his own appointed time, which it well becometh him to wait for.

2. Faith reprefents Chrift as putting in his Almighty arm under the believer's head, and conveying invifible ftrength to fupport and hold him up under his greateft preffures.

3. Faith reprefents Chrift as pleading the afflicted believer's caufe with God, and anfwering all the charges of the law, the challenges of confcience, and accufations of Satan against him.

4. Faith reprefents Chrift as ftanding by the furnace as a refiner where his gold is melting; carefully overfeeing the trials of his people, that they may work for their good; and ready to bring them out thereof, when they are fufficiently purified from their drofs.

5. Faith reprefents Chrift as fmiling on his people under the croft, whispering peace into their ears, and faying, "Well done, good and faithful fervant."

DIRECT. V. Labour to bear with patience whatever load of trouble the Lord appoints for you.

WE will perhaps obferve fome, who are ftrangers to religion, contentedly enduring very painful evils'; and "this they may do, by virtue of a natural hardiness and refolution which fome are endued with; or, upon the account of arguments furnished with human prudence: This is only patience as a moral virtue, which fome

attain