The reason of it is clear. For in a succession of contraries there must * That is, 'experiences.' — G.
140 COMMENTAKY ON
be a removing of one contrary before another can be brought in. If a ves- sel be to be filled with a contrary liquor, the first must have a vent ; it must be emptied of the worse, that the better may come. So it is with us. We are full of self-confidence, as a vessel of naughty liquor. Out must that go, that better things may come in. So it is in ploughing, and in everything else. This is taken as a principle in nature. The order gene- rally is this, that we should not trust in ourselves, that we might be brought to trust in God. He brings us low, to ' receive the sentence of death,' to drive us out of ourselves, that he may bring us to rely on him.
Use 1. The use we should make of it, among many others, is this, that we should not take off'enee at God irhe)i he is about t]iis strant/e ivork, as we think. When he is making us sick with physic, with afflictions, and troubles, let us not think that he hates us. Doth the physician hate the patient ■when he makes him sick ? Perhaps he stays a good while from him till his physic have wrought throughly, but he doth not hate him, but gives it time, and suffers it to have its work, that so he may recover himself. Doth the goldsmith hate his precious metal when he puts it into the fire, and suficrs the fire to work upon it ? What is lost ? Nothing but the dross. What is lost in the body by sickness ? The ill humours that load the body and distemper the actions and functions of it, that it cannot work as it should. There is nothing lost but that that may well be spared. So when God goes about his work, he afflicts thee and follows thee with losses and crosses. He takes away friends and credit, this outward thing and that. All this is to give thee a purge. He works a strange work, that he may work his own work, that he may bring thee to himself.
Therefore let us be far from murmuring at this blessed work of God : let us rather bless God for his care this way, that he will not sufler us to perish with the world. God might have suffered us to rot upon our dregs, that we should have no changes, as the world hath not. But he hath more care of us than so. The husbandman will not plough in the wilderness. The heathy ground shall go unploughed long enough. He loves it not so well as to sow good seed there. So when God takes pains, and is at cost with any man ; when he purgeth him, and ploughs him, and hammers him ; aU this is to consume that which is naught, to plough up the weeds, to fit him for the blessed seed of grace, to fit him for comfort here and glory in an- other world. Why then should we murmur against God ? Let us rather be thankful, especially when we see the blessed issue of this, when we see our earthly-mindedness abated, when we see ourselves more heavenly- minded, when we see ourselves weaned from the world, when we see ourselves take more delight in communion with God. Then, blessed be God for crosses and afflictions, that he hath taken the pains, and would be at the cost with us to exercise us. It is a ground not only of patience, but of thankfulness, when God humbles us. Be not discontent, man ! Grudge not ! murmur not ! God doth a work that seems strange to thee, and which is not his own proper work, that he may do his own work, that he may bring thee nearer to himself. Why dost thou mm-mnr at thy own good ?
The patient cries out of the physician that he torments him. He hears him well enough, but he will not be advised by his patient. He means to advise him, and to rule him. He would fain have comfort. He is in pain, and cries for ease. But his time is not yet come. So let us wait, and not murmur under crosses. God is doing one work to bring to pass another. He brings us out of ourselves, that he may bring us nearer to himself. Vse 2. And another use that we may make of it, let us examine ourselves
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VEH. 9. 1 11
whether our affiictions mid crosses have had ihis efect in us, to bring us to trust in him more. If they have, all is well. But if they make us worse, that we fret and murmur, and feel no good by them, it is an ill sign ; for God doth bring us low, that we may not trust in ourselves, but in him. Qitem prtcsentia iiiala non corrif/unt, &c. Whom the presence of ill and grievance amends not, they bring to eternal grievance. ' This is Ahaz,' saith the Scripture, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22 : a strange man, a wicked king, that not- withstanding God followed him with judgments, yet he grew worse and worse. This is Ahaz ! He might well be branded. When a man belongs to God, everything brings him nearer to God. When a man is brought to be more humble, and more careful, and more watchful every way, to be more zealous, more heavenly minded ; it is a blessed sign that God then is working a blessed work, to force him out of himself, and to bring him nearer himself, to trust in him. This we cannot too much consider of.