2. Let it check immoderate sorrow and uncomely dejection of spirit ; he is just in the afflictions of his people, but yet so that he is also faithful ; he is a father when he beateth and indulgeth, when he smiles and when he frowns. Afflictions do not make void our adoption, they rather increase our confidence of it, Heb. xii. 5. Whatever we do upon other reasons, we should not suspect his love because of our afflic- tions. God's strokes do not make void his promises, nor doth he retract his gift of pardon when he chastiseth. Mere crosses and troubles are not an argument of God's displeasure, but acts of his faithfulness ; so that we have reason to give thanks for his discipline, rather than ques- tion his love. In the book of Job it is made a mark of his love, as iu' those words which are so frequent, Job vii. 17, 18, ' What is man that thou art mindful of him ? that thou chastiseth him every morning, and triest him every moment ? ' We are not only beneath his anger, but imworthy of his care, as if a prince should take upon him to form the manners of a beggar's child ; it is a condescension that the great God should deal with us, and suit his providences for our good.
3. This should check our fears and cares; his judgments are right and full of faithfulness ; he will bear us through all our trials, and make an advantage of them, and perfect that grace which he hath begun, and finally bring us to eternal glory. The Lord's faithfulness in keeping promises is often propounded as a strong pillar of the saints' confidence : 1 Cor. i. 9, ' Faithful is God, by whom ye are called ;' 1 Tlies. V. 24, ' Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.' He dispenseth all things with respect to our eternal welfare. But I am afraid of myself ; I have provoked the Lord to leave me to myself ; but the Lord will pardon weaknesses when they are confessed: 1 John i. 9, ' If we confess our sins, he is just and faithful to forgive them,' speaking to reconciled believers; and when we fall, the Lord hath
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ways and means to raise us up again, that we perish not ; by checks of conscience : 2 Sam. xxiv. 10, ' And David's heart smote him when he had numbered the people;' Ps. cxix. 59, ' I thought on my ways,' &c. ; by the word, as Nathan roused up David, ' Thou art the man.' God, that foresaw all things, hath ordered them so that nothing shall cross his eternal purpose and promise made to us in Christ.
Use 2. Let us acknowledge God's justice and faithfulness in all things that befall us. For motives, consider—
1. It is much for the honour of God, Ps. li. 4, that, under the cross, we should have good thoughts of God, and clear him in all that he saith and doth, see love in his rebukes.
2. It is for our profit ; it is the best way to obtain grace to bear afflictions, or to get deliverance out of them. When God hath humbled his people, exercised their grace, he will restore to them their wonted privileges ; he waiteth for the creatures' humbling, Lev. xxvi. 41, 42.
For means : —
[1.] You must be one in covenant with God, for to them the dis- pensations of God come marked not only with justice, as to all, but faithfulness: Ps. xxv, 10 ' All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his covenant.'
[2.] You must examine yourselves; the Lord complains of the neglect of this, that when they were in affliction they would not con- sider : Jer. viii. 6, ' No man said. What have I done ?' If you would consider, you would see cause enough to justify God : Lam. iii. 39, 40, ' Wherefore doth a living man complain ? Let us search and try our ways, and turn to the Lord.'
[3.] You must observe providence, and your hearts must be awake and attend to it : Ps. cvii. 43, ' Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord ;' Eccles, vii. 14, ' In the day of adversity consider.'
[4.] You must be such as value not your happiness by the increase or decrease of worldly comforts, but by the increase or decrease of grace in your souls : 2 Cor. iv. 16, ' For this cause we faint not, because, though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.' If you value yourselves by your outward condi- tion, you will still be imbrangled ; you should more highly esteem of and be more solicitous about the welfare of your souls in a time of affliction than of all things else in the world : and you will more easily submit and more wisely consider of his doing, and the better under- stand your interest. When the main care is about your souls, you will value other losses the less, as long as your jewel is in safe hands.