baft afflicted me. • It is an act of thy sovereign mercy, fays Dr. Hammond, upon the place, which thou haft promis'd to make good to me, to fend me fuch af⚫flictions as these. These are but a neceffary part of discipline, and so a mercy to me; and having pro⚫mifed not to deny me real and principal mercies, thou

art obliged in fidelity to fend them.' And that they are for our benefit, and come therefore out of mercy, and for our good, the apostle St. Paul also acquaints us: (q) When we are judged, we are chaftened of the Lord; not out of paffion and displeasure, and to our own confufion, but for our advantage, and the promotion of our best and trueft intereft, the eternal salvation of our fouls, that we should not be condemned with the world. Our good and gracious God aims at our reformation and falvation, by his neceffary corrections, when he fees us going aftray from his commandments; the proper intent of them being to make us fenfible of our folly and wickedness, and what is like to be the dreadful confequence of them, if perfifted in. And, (r) Happy is the man whom be correcteth; therefore despise not thou the chaftening of the Almighty: for he maketh fore and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole. In a word, (s) He is the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; and fo orders his vifitations, when received as they ought to be, that he comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Philog. Our Lord Jesus Christ, that spotlefs Lamb of ·God, (t) who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth, enter'd not into glory, but by the cross. So fays the apostle, (u) We fee Jefus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for fuffering death, crowned with glory and honour. And it is not very reasonable for fuch who profefs themselves his difciples, to expect that they fhall attain to the poffeffion of a heavenly

(5) 2 Cor. 1. 3, 4.

inheritance, by living always in joy, and health, and all temporal felicity; but rather by patiently taking up the cross, and thankfully receiving whatfoever it pleases God to lay upon them. (x) The difciple is not above his Mafter, nor the fervant above his Lord. And accordingly our Saviour declares, that (y) whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after him, cannot be his difciple. Which, though fpoken with a particular refpect to the cafe of fuffering perfecution, for his name and religion's fake, will yet hold good in all other inftances whereinfoever it pleafes God to call us to suffer; and amongst other, Anchithanes, when any come to be in the circumftances you fo complain of, which, how hard foever you think them, are nothing like to what our Lord condefcended to undergo for your fake and mine, and all of us.

Eufeb. In St. John's Revelation, we read, that thofe (z) who are arrayed in white robes, and are continually before the throne of God, and ferve him day and night in bis temple, are fuch as came out of great tribulation.

Theoph. You fay right; for fuch, in truth, are fittest for the kingdom of God. Neither are the voluptuous worldlings, who tafte of no crofs, but have their fill of mirth and pleasure, and ftudy only to gratify their carnal defires, ever like to attain to the joys of Heaven. It is too much to expect, that we should live here, in a conftant uninterrupted enjoyment of all earthly fatisfaction, and yet hereafter be admitted to reign gloriously with Chrift in Heaven. (a) Ye cannot ferve God and Mammon. And whatsoever therefore tends to withdraw our affections from these transitory delufive fatisfactions, and in any measure to wean us from the world, and the things in it, as afflictions naturally do, is confequently of great use to us; and we are highly to blame, if we do not improve it to our own advantage. So that you fee, my friend Anchithanes, what juft occafion you have to thank Almighty (x) Matth. x. 24. () Luke xiv. 27. (z) Rev. vii. 14. . (4) Luke xvi. 13. I 3

God,

God, that it has pleased him fo far to remember you, as to lay his hand upon you, to remind you of your own frailty, and both the unfatisfactorinefs and uncertainty of all fublunary enjoyments; and to put you upon feeking after a better and an enduring fubftance; which having once obtained, you will be in no danger of ever being fick, or grieved, or tormented, or in trouble or want, any more. You are alfo to look upon your fickness as a trial of your patience, to fee whether you can bear it as you ought. And I cannot therefore but heartily recommend to you, the advice of the wife son of Sirach: (b) My fon, if thou come to ferve the Lord, prepare thy foul for temptation; fet thy heart aright, and conftantly endure, and make not hafte in time of trouble. Cleave unto him, and depart not away, that thou mayft be increased at thy laft end. Whatsoever is brought upon thee, take chearfully; and be patient, when thou art changed to a low eftate. For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adverfity.

Anchith. Your advice, I confess, is good, and I will fet myself to put it in practice; which I fhall be the better able to do, because I am fenfibly affected with what has been fo plentifully alledged out of the Holy Scriptures. Believe me, Sirs, it is a reviving cordial to my foul, to hear fuch plain evidence from the word of God, that this fickness which I now labour under, may probably be a loving vifitation of God, and an inftance of his good-will towards me.

Theoph. It is matter of unfeigned joy to me, that you have attain❜d to a conviction of this comfortable truth. And I beg of you not to doubt, but that your benign and gracious God, and moft tender and loving Father, who has promis'd, that all things shall work together for good, to them that love him, will crown this your forrow with joy and comfort in the end. (c) He is faithful, and will not fuffer you to be tempted above what you are able; but will with the temptation alfo make a way to escape the overpreffure of it, that you may be able to (6) Ecclus ii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. (c) 1 Cor. x. 13. bear

bear it, without prejudice to yourself, or dishonour to the holy religion you profefs. (d) His wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye, and in his pleasure is life; beaviness may endure for a night, but it fhall not laft long, for it is often feen, that joy cometh in the morning. This the royal pfalmift experimented in his own case, and he held himself obliged to own God's goodness in it, and to blefs him for it. (e) Thou, fays he, baft turned my heaviness into joy; thou hast put off my fackcloth, and girded me with gladnefs. Therefore fhall every good man fing of thy praife without ceafing; O my God, I will give thee thanks for ever. And at another time, (f) Ob! what great troubles and adverfities haft thou fhewed me! and yet didft thou turn and refresh me; yea, and broughteft me from the deep of the earth again. Thou haft brought me to great honour, and comforted me on every fide. Therefore will I praise thee with faithfulness, O God, playing upon an inftrument of mufick: unto thee will I fing upon the harp, O thou Holy One of Ifrael. And again, (g) They that fow in tears, fhall reap in joy. He that now goeth on his way weeping, and beareth forth good feed, fhall doubtless come again with joy, and bring his heaves with him.

Anchith. Amen, Amen, good Lord. I trust thou wilt deal thus gracioufly with me; who am now dejected and weak, but hope to be again in a better capacity to ferve thee.

Theoph. Be not difcouraged, nor fuffer yourself to queftion, but that if you (b) call on the name of the Lord, you shall be delivered, and fhall find great comfort. To this end, hear again the declarations of the forefaid royal prophet, profeffing what fingular manifeftations of divine goodnefs, in this refpect, he had opportunity to obferve. (i) The righteous crieth, and the Lord beareth, and delivereth him out of all his troubles. The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart; and (e) Ver. 12, 13. (f) Pfal. lxxi. 18, (b) Joel ii. 32.

(d) Pfal. xxx. 5. 19, 20. (g) Pfal. cxxvi. 5, 6. xxxiv. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, I 4

(i) Pfal.

will

will fave fuch as be of a contrite fpirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken. The Lord redeemeth the foul of his fervants; and none of them that trust in him fhall be defolate.

Eufeb. These are comfortable paffages of Scripture; and, if seriously laid to heart, muft needs be of great ufe to an afflicted foul; which cannot fail of being delighted with the thoughts of a gracious Divine Providence, continually watching over us for good, that will never be wanting to any of us, unless through our own fault. When men once forfake God, no wonder if he forfake them, and leave them to be toffed about by every blaft of an adverse fortune, till at length they become overwhelm'd with evils, and ready to fink under them. But whilft we duly fear him, and put our truft in him, he will let us fee, to our comfort, that this is the fureft way to get rid of our burden, So himself profeffes by the pfalmift: (k) Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. And the apostle St. Peter exhorts, to rest upon him in all our ftreights and neceffities, from this confideration, that he will not neglect us when we do fo; (1) Cafting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. He careth for us, and oftentimes works deliverances, beyond all we could have an expectation of.

Philog. So that here you fee, Anchithanes, that as afflictions are no proof of any one's being out of God's favour, fo has he fhewn himself ready to remove them, when fitly applied to, to do it.

Anchith. This is comfortable indeed.

Eufeb. But not more comfortable than true, as divers relations in Scripture plainly testify.

Anchith. Will you please, Sir, to repeat fome of them, if it be not too much trouble to you?

Eufeb. Do not think, my friend, that I can reckon any fervice, that is in my power to do you, troublefome. It would rather be a great delight to me. And (k) Pfal. 1. 15. (2) 1 Pet. v. 7.

ac