2. God having intended to bestow eternal blessings upon us, will take a liberty in disposing of outward things. Jesus Christ, when he
448 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR, CLIV.
purchased comforts for us, did not purchase only or chiefly earthly comforts and blessings : Eph. i. 3, ' The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.' He did not purchase worldly blessings as our chief happiness. The world is a common inn for sons and bastards, where God will show his bounty to all his creatures ; our inheritance is elsewhere, in heavenly places ; for though all things come alike to all, we cannot murmur and say, God is unjust ; nay, though a child of God should be in a worse condition than the wicked are. A child during his nonage is kept under more severe discipline than a slave, which doth more live at large. We distinguish between the care of a father and the indulgence of a mother. The father loves his child ; ay ! but he breeds him up in a strict way. But mothers are fondly indulgent, and would have them pampered and cockered ; so evil habits increase upon them. We, that so quarrel for worldly things, would have God show the fondness and indulgence of a mother, and not the wisdom and care of a father.
3. It is fit, before we go to heaven, that we should be tried ; there- fore God will so manifest his love to us that there may be room to exercise faith and patience, Heb. vi. 12. Never any came to reap the comfort of God's promises but there was a time to exercise their faith with difficulties, and their patience with delays ; and therefore God will try our sincerity when we have no visible encouragements. God would have us live by faith, and not by sense or present appearance only, 2 Cor. v. 8, to see if we can look above the clouds and mists of the lower world, and encourage ourselves, and grow bold upon the hopes and concernments of the world to come. Nature is purblind, but it is the property of faith to see afar off, 2 Peter i. 9. There is the excellency of faith, if we have but an eagle's eye to see afar off. If we had the fruition of the whole blessing, alas ! there were no room for faith. And then for patience, we are not only to be conformed to God, but to Christ ; not only to God in purity and holiness, but to Christ in patience and submission and self-denial. There are some of our duties which imply perfection, as justice, holiness, purity, and mercy ; of these we have a pattern in God : and some of our duties imply subjection and obedience, and of these we have a pattern in Christ. Now all the heirs of promise God hath conformed to the image of his Son, Eom. viii. 29. If we must have all graces, then we must have those graces that are conversant about misery. We should be ignorant of one part of human affairs were it not for these suffering graces ; therefore it is agreeable to God's justice that these suffering graces should have their exercise sometimes. Then the Lord will try our sincerity, whether we follow Christ for the loaves, John vi. 26, out of external encouragements, or out of affection for internal reasons, upon pure obedience. God's holiness consists in loving himself, but man's holiness consists in loving God ; therefore his holiness need to be tried whether it be a sincere love to God : Ps. xliv. 17, 'All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.' There is a trial of love ! A man of strength seeks a fit adversary to deal withal. It is no trial to a man of strength and courage that he can bear down a child. If we would try our strength, fortitude, sincerity, and courage, we had need be exposed to
VeR. 137.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 449
•difficulty sometimes ; as the skill of a pilot is seen in a storm and tempest, and a valiant soldier's in a battle. Verherat nos ? lacerat nos Jehovah ? patimur; non est scevitia, certamen est. — Sen. Doth the Lord scourge us ? doth he break us, and teai: us in all our concernments in pieces ? Bear it ; it is not cruelty, it is a trial. Eeligion must cost us something, else it is worth nothing. It will give you no comfort till it be tried, and therefore there is a necessity that we should be tried.
4. Afflictions have their profit and use, and conduce to our good, Heb. xii. 11. It yields grace and comfort to us ; it is the fruit of righte- ousness, and the peaceable fruit of righteousness ; that is, that righte- ousness which brings peace. Outward troubles occasion an increase of inward blessings. Outward things are but shadows of better. If God •deny the shadow and give us the substance, have we cause to mur- mur ? If Grod do deny the picture, but give the thing itself, hath that man cause to complain ? If we have not abundance, yet if we grow rich in faith, rich in grace, James ii. 5, we have no cause to repine against God. Though we flow not in ease and plenty, yet if we have a full tide of spiritual consolation; if we have no respect in the world, yet if we have the favour of God, we have no reason to complain. Levi had no portion among his brethren, but God was his portion. So it is here ; good men have comfort and support, at least in all their troubles; they may be accounted miserable, but they are not so ; especially if we •consider that a great part of their goodness lies in their mortification and contempt of the world. So that to a man that is as God would have him to be, that which is a misery to others is none to him, for his affections are weaned. Therefore, if we have an increase of grace and spiritual comfort, we have no reason to quarrel against God's providence.