21th. and ult. Consideration, we may the more cheerfully surrender our souls to God when we die, when we have surrendered our will to God while we live. Our blessed Saviour had all along submitted his will to God ; there was but one will between God the Father, and Christ. Now Christ in his life-time having given up his will to his Father, at death he cheerfully gives up his soul to him, Luke xxiii. 46., " Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." You that resign up your wills to God, may at the liour of death comfortably bequeath your souls to him.
The second means to bring our will to God in affliction is, study the will of God.
L It is a sovereign will ; he hath a su- preme right and dominion over his crea- tures, to dispose of them as he pleaseth ; a man may do with his own as he lists, Mat. XX. 15., " Is it not lawful for me to do.what I will with my own ?" A man may cut his own timber as he will. God's sovereignty may cause submission, he may do with us as he sees good. God is not accountable to any creature for what he doth, Job xxxiii.
13., " He giveth not account of any of his matters." Who shall call God to account ? Who is higher than the highest ? Eccl. v. 8. What man or angel dare summon God to his bar ? " He giveth not account of any of his matters." God will take an account of our carriage towards him, but he will give no account of his carriage towards us. God hath an absolute jurisdiction over us ; the remembrance of this, God's will is a sovereign will, to do with us what he pleas- es, may silence all discontents, and charm down all unruly passions ; we are not to dispute but to submit.
2. God's will is a wise will, he knows what is conducing to the good of his peo- ple, therefore submit, Isa. xxx. 18., " The Lord is a God of judgment," that is, he is able to judge what is best for us, therefore rest in his wisdom, and acquiesce in hi will. We rest in the wisdom of a physi- cian, we are content he should scarify and let us blood, because he is judicious, and knows what is most conducible to our health ; if the pilot be skilful, the passenger saith, " let him alone, he knows best how to steer the ship ;" and shall we not rest in God's wisdom ? Did we but study how wisely God steers all occurrences, and how he often brings us to heaven by a cross wind, it would much quiet our spirits, and make us say, " Thy will be done." God's will is guided by wisdom ; should God some- times let us have our will, we would undo ourselves ; did he let us carve for ourselves, we would choose the worst piece ; Lot chose Sodom because it was well-watered, and Avas as the garden of the Lord, Gen. xiii. 10., but God rained fire upon it out of hea- ven. Gen. xix. 24.
3. God's will is a just will. Gen. xviii. 25., " Shall not the judge of all the earth do right ''" God's will is regula et mensura^ — it is the rule of justice; the wills of men are corrupt, therefore unfit to give law; but God's will is an holy and unerring will which may cause submission, Ps. xcvii God may cross, but he cannot wrong us severe he may be, not unjust ; therefore we must strike sail, and say, " Thy Avill be done."
4. God's will is a good and gracious will, it promotes our interest ; if it be God's will
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to afflict us, he shall make us say at last, it was g-ood for us that we were afflicted. God's flail shall only thrash off our husks. That which is against our will shall not be against our profit; study what a p^ood will God's is, and we will say, fiat voluntas, — « Thy will be done."
5. God's will is an irresistible will ; we may oppose it, but we cannot hinder it ; the risinji^ of the wave cannot stop the ship when it is in full sail, so the rising up of our will against God cannot stop the execution of his will, Rom. ix. 19., " Who hath resisted his will ?" Who can stay the chariot of the sun in its full career ? Who can hinder the progress of God's will ? Therefore it is in vain to contest with God, his will shall take place ; there is no way to overcome God, but by lying at his feet.
3d Means to submission to God in afflic- tion is, get a gracious heart ; all the rules and helps in the world will do but little good, till grace be infused ; the bowl must have a good bias, or it will not run accord- ing to our desire, so till God put a new bias of grace into the soul, which inclines the will, it never submits to God ; grace renews the will, and it must be renewed before it be subdued ; grace teacheth self-denial, and we can never submit our will till we deny it.