of Others, but by their own Judgments on themselves, from the Senfe of their prefent Mifery and Trouble. Thus we find the Former of These in the Bitternefs of his Soul crying out, Ch. vi. The Arrows of the Almighty are within me, the Poison thereof drinketh up my Spirit; The Terrors of God do fet themselves in array against me.- He teareth me in his Ch. 16. Wrath He hath also taken me by my Neck, and baken me to pieces, and fet me up for his Mark Breach upon Breach. He breaketh me with After the fame Manner we see the Pfalmift Roaring for the pf. 38. very Difquietness of his Heart. Soul (fays he) is full of Trouble My Pf. 88. •Thine Pf.102&c. Indignation lieth hard upon, and Thou haft vexed me with all thy Storms. Lord why abhorrest Thou my Soul, and hideft Thou thy Face from me! Thy wrathful Difpleasure goeth over me, and the Fear of Thee bath undone me. I have eaten Afbes as it were Bread, and mingled my Drink with Weeping: And That because of Thine Indignation and Wrath But will the Lord caft off for ever? &c. The Prophet Jeremy alfo had a very large Share of Mifery and Trouble; He has wrote a whole Book of Lamentations, not only of the Diitreffed Condition of his City and People, but also of his own. I am the Man, (faith he) that hath feen Affliction by the Rod of his Wrath Wrath He hath bent bis Bow, and fet me as a Mark for the Arrow- He hath What then? What fhall we say to thefe Men? Muft we give them over as Loft and Caftaways, because God has sometimes been pleafed to lay his Hands upon them? No, None had more fpecial Evidence and Teftimony than They of his Particular Approbation and Favour. Nay, though the Affliction should plainly appear to be a Judgment, (as the Strokes of Gods Hand are fometimes in fuch Legible Characters, that the very Nature of the Punishment does manifeftly point to the Crime;) yet even This is fo far from being a Sure Sign of Final Rejection, that God may by his Judgments only be fhowing Mercy; And it is Certainly fo, if thofe Judg. ments are fent to rouze up the Careless Sinner, to bring his Sins to his Remembrance, and to mark out to him those very Sins that most need his Repentance. But be the Cafe what it will, and the Judgment never fo Terrible, Ecclus 35. Mercy, the Son of Sirach tells us, is Seafonable in Time of Affliction; Is it not then the Vileft Inhumanity to Infult over the Miserable? To perfecute those whom Pf. 69. God has Smitten, and contrive how to Vex thofe those whom he has wounded? Vexing their very Souls, (as Job's Friends did, Day by Job xix.2. Day, with their Cenfures and Reproaches;) and finally concluding them to be Children of Wrath from the prefent Visitation. But 'tis to be hoped, that many that have been doom'd to Perdition by the Judgment of Men, will be relieved at the Judgment-Seat of Chrift: And 'tis well if Many, That, (Pharifeelike,) trufting in themselves that they were Righteous, have Defpifed and Condemned Luk.xviii. Others, do not help by their Unchari- 19tableness towards Others, to bring themselves into Condemnation; As Nebuchadnezar's Servants whilst they were in their Zeal, heating the Burning Fiery Furnace feven times hotter than it was wont to be, and Dan. iii, cafting Others into it, were only them-22. felves confumed in the Flames: And that wicked Servant in the Gospel, that Matxviii would have no Compaffion, by the Severity of his Sentence on his FellowServant, only provok'd his Lord, and brought heavier Judgment upon himfelf. The excellent Author of the Book of Wisdom taking Occafion to represent to us the Judgment of the Great Day, brings in the Proud Defpifers, and Prefumptuous Cenfurers of Others, as Aftonish'd with Horror and Confufion, when they should come to fee the Miferable 32. &c. 1 ferable and Afflicted, the Lazarus's of This World, whom they fo Defpis'd, admitted into Heaven, and numbered with God's Saints in Glory Everlasting, and they themselves thrust out. The Scene we find thus defcrib'd, Chap. v. Then Shall the Righteous Man ftand in great Boldness before the Face of fuch as have Afflicted him, and made no Account of his Labours. When they fee it, they all be troubled with terrible Fear, and shall be amaz'd at the Strangeness of his Salvation, fo far beyond all that they looked for. And they Repenting and Groaning for Anguish of Spirit, ball fay within themfelves, This was He, whom we had fometimes in Derifion, and a Proverb of Reproach. But how is he numbred among the Children of God, and his Lot is among the Saints! And then we find them as faft Condemning themselves, as they had before condemn'd Others. -Therefore 'tis we that have Erred from the Way of Truth, and the Light of Righteoufnefs hath not fbined unto us, and the Sun of Righteousness rofe not upon us. What hath Pride profited us, or what Good Thus much for the Cafe of those whom God has wounded; whom he has has Vifited (as the Prophet expreffes it) with the Rod of Affliction. And from what has been faid we may learn these Three Things. I. If Afflictions are not always. fent in Wrath, but sometimes for Trial, fometimes for Fatherly Correction, and for many other gracious Designs of God's Providence, we fhould thence Learn, not to Censure those on whom they fall, as Greater Sinners thanOther Men,or as lying under God's heavy Displeasure, and fet forth as Monuments of his Justice and Vengeance. 'Tis thefe Rafh Cenfurers that our Saviour Reproves, Luke xiii. 1. Think ye, that thofe Galileans, whofe Blood Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices, that is, whom Pilate fet upon and flew, as they were Slaying and Offering their Sacrifices? Or thofe on whom the Tower of Siloam fell, were Greater Sinners than all Others? I tell you, Nay; But except ye Repent, ye shall All likewife Perish. 2dly, This may give Eafe and Quiet to some that are Uneafy to themselves ; That Afflict themselves in Heart and Soul, because they are Afflicted in Body or Eftate. They are under Croffes and Troubles; The World does not favour them; and from thence they are ready D to |