; But the Lord.
Doct. Observe this comfortable exception : God brijigs his children low, but he raises them vp arjain, if it be for their good: Ps. cxviii. 17, 'I will not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.' Nay, then espe- cially, when they are past all worldly means of recovery ; and as it is in sickness, thus also is it in other troubles ; and this God doth.
Reason 1. First, To ylorify Ids power the more.
2. Secondly, That his enemies mifjht not triumph still in overcoming us.
3. Thirdly, That we being thus delivered, mit/ht consecrate our lives and breath to him anew, as having received them from him, even by a new gift.
Use 1. The use hereof is, If God helps us above and against means, tve ought to hope above, yea, against hope, believe in the greatest extremities ; ' though he kill us, yet trust in him.' God is not tied to Galen's rules.* He can work above physical means, as he shewed in the cure of Hezekiah. Especially in soul troubles let not our faith foil us, for he hath absolutely promised his helping hand in them.
Had mercy on him.
Observe the language of the Holy Ghost, shewing the recovery of Epaphroditus, by the ground and cause of it, ' God had mercy on him.'
Doct. Observe, therefore, God's mercy is the spring of all God's dealing vdth us. Both his benefits and his corrections of us all comes from his * Tliat is, to the use of ordinary means ; e. g. Galen, a physician. — G.
46 OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
mercy ; all big ways arc mercy and truth. Wo are sick, well ; we live, we die ; all comes from Lis mercy. Seeing, therefore, all comes from his mercy, yea, our greatest extremities, because be might have dealt worse with us.
Use 1. Let us look that we iviljulhj ner/lect not or cast away mercy, in what estate soever we are.
Doct. In the next place observe, God's mercy extends to this temporal life. We think his mercy is only for things that belong to life everlasting. No. The same love and mercy that gives us heaven, it is the same that gives us our daily bread ; and therefore the same faith we must have to God for the things of this life that we have on him for the other life in heaven. And thus did the saints, as we may see in Heb. xi. 4, seq.
Use 2. This should direct us not to rest in deliverance, hut to look to the fjround of it, the mercy of God, and endeavour to taste the love and mercy of God in his gifts, for all his gifts are less than his mercy. This will cause us to have more comfort in our daily bread than the wicked have in all their abundance.
Use 3. Thirdly, We should learn from hence, in yivinrj, to give thy soul and affection ; let thy brother have thy heart with thy gifts, and thus shalt thou imitate thy heavenly Father.
Use 4. Lastly, If the very recovery from sickness comes from God's free love and mercy, what can we look for by merit? If health for Epaphroditus his body came from the free mercy of God, how can we expect for to merit the salvation of our souls. No. It must be from God's free grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.
And not on him only, but on me also.
As if he had said. It may be for him it had been good to have been taken away, and to have remained with Christ, but God had mercy on me in sparing him.
Ohj. But it may be objected, How can it he the mercy of God that sjmred him, whcnas God had rather shewed his mercy in taking him away from the evil to come, and in placing him with himself in glory ? and Paul, he desired * to be dissolved and to be with Christ,' and said it was far better for him so to be.
Ans. I answer, life, and especially health, is God's mercy, for without it life is no life. But why, and how ?
1. Because by it ive recover our sjjiritual comfort and assurance of heaven, Ps. xxxix. 13. To this end David prayed, ' Spare me a little, that I may recover my strength.'
2. Secondly, In regard of others' health, life is a blessing. Thus, Heze- kiah desired it, that he might get assurance of his salvation, and praise the Lord, Isa. xxxviii. 22.
3. Thirdly, Life is to be desired as a blessing from God, in regard of the church, that we might do good; for after death we are receivers only, and not doers. All the good we convey to others, we must do it while we live here. Therefore it is not unlawful to desire to live to see thy children brought up in the fear of God, and yet let that be with a resignation to God's will and purpose. We see Christ, that had contrary desires, who came to perform his Father's will and to die willingly, yet he said, ' Let this cup pass from me,' Mat. xxvi. 89 ; for the soul is to be carried to desire as the objects are offered. If thou beest well, rejoice in it, and count it as God's blessing. If thou beest sick, patiently submit thyself to God's will, and count it as