gives the signal; which he never doth, until his providence brings us into such circumstances, that we must necessarily either sin or suffer, and no way is left open for us to avoid this dilemma. Then, indeed, when we are thus necessitated, if we choose affliction rather than sin, if we take up the cross rather than stumble and fall at it, if we are willing to undergo the sorest temporal evils that can befal us rather than dishonour God and pollute our own consciences, we do sufficiently declare that we are faithful and courageous soldiers of Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation; and, if we thus suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him; as the Apostle speaks, Rom. viii, 17.

This is the First Cautionary Rule: If thou wouldest glorify God by thy sufferings, beware that thou dost not rashly and unwarrantably precipitate thyself into them.

(2dly) Another Rule is this: If thou wouldest glorify God under sufferings, beware that thou attempt not to free thyself from them by any unlawful means.

Consider, that God hath thee now in his hands; and, if thou seekest violently to wrest thyself out of them, thou wilt certainly fall into worse. And yet, alas! what is more ordinary in the world than this? some renounce the faith, which they formerly owned; yea, and after they have endured many hardships and tribulations for it, fall away only for fear of worse to come: others betake themselves to wicked arts; and, because they are weary of the discipline of God, seek to the Devil to deliver them from it: thus Saul consults a witch, and Ahaziah, Beelzebub the god of Ekron: and, indeed, the whole world is full of such practices; and, by stealing and lying and forswearing, men seek to deliver themselves from the troubles lying upon them; and, so they can but get free from the chastisements of God, they care not though they fall into the torments of the Devil. Beware, therefore, whenever God brings any affliction upon thee, that thou use no indirect and unlawful means to escape it. It is better to keep thy trouble with thy God, than to lose thy God with thy trouble. And, know this, that, if thou violatest thy conscience to preserve thy body or thy estate, the wound, which thou makest there, will be far more insupportable than any temporal affliction that can befal thee: he, that buys off punishment with sin, makes a most sad and miserable exchange of a temporal for an eternal torment. Beware, therefore, how you thus traffic with the Devil: say unto him, when he presents thee with ith any such unlawful means to rid thee of thy sorrows and

sufferings, "No: I am now under the hand of God, and his corrections are infinitely better than thy relief. I will never destroy my soul, to deliver my body; nor run into hell, to get out of prison; nor wound my soul, to cure my body; nor renounce my God and faith, to keep my estate and goods; nor burn in eternal flames, to escape a stake and faggot. Far be such a thought for ever from me. My God is able to deliver me; and he also will deliver me: but, if not, I will not, to save a poor vile wretched carcase, ruin my precious and immortal soul." Certainly, whosoever thinks to save himself from troubles and afflictions by any sinful means, is as foolish as that mariner, who, to lighten his vessel in a storm and save it from shipwreck, should tear up the very planks of it, and cast them into the sea.

(3dly) Beware that your sufferings and afflictions do not exasperate your spirits, and embitter your hearts against God; that the more he smites you, the more you should revolt from

him.

By so doing, possibly the plague may be removed; but, cer tainly, the curse will be redoubled: and God may take away a judgment in more wrath and displeasure, than ever he first inflicted it: Isa. i. 5. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more. It oftentimes so falls out, that they, who are incorrigible under punishments, sin themselves into impunity. But, believe it, this is the most desperate course ye can take for, if temporal judgments harden us in sin, God may remove them as ineffectual; but then, assuredly, he will break us with eternal. It was a most cursed speech of that impious king, 2 Kings vi. 33. This evil is of the Lord: why should I wait upon the Lord any longer? If God command not deliverance at our prefixed time, we are apt to grow enraged at our sufferings, and to revenge ourselves upon the Almighty by our sins: we read of Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. that, in the time of his distress, he did trespass yet more against the Lord; and God sets a brand upon him for it, and makes him a notorious emphatical sinner for it: This is that king Ahaz. Beware, therefore, when God afflicts you, that you suffer not your hearts to rise in any mutinous thoughts or passions against him. How much gall and wormwood soever be mingled in the cup which your Father gives you to drink, let it not embitter your hearts: and, though he may mark you out, for afflictions; yet beware that you give no provocation to set his black niark upon you, for obstinacy and rebellion. Certainly, such sufferings as leave

a rancour and spleen in the heart against God, are but the preludiums of hell torments: for, there, the damned for ever fret under the acrimony of their punishments; and foam out blasphemies and curses against that God, whose dread justice and infinite power eternally triumph over them in their ruin and destruction. And, if thy sufferings do thus exasperate thee against God, know, that thou makest that a kind of damnation to thyself, which he made but an affliction; and fear, lest that, which doth so near resemble the torments of hell, do at last end in them.

And thus I have given you these Three Cautionary Rules: If you would glorify God, do not unwarrantably rush into suf ferings; use no unlawful means to free thyself from them; and, lastly, be not exasperated and embittered by them.

2dly. The next thing is to give you some Directive Rules how you ought to glorify God in an afflicted and suffering con. dition.

(1st) You ought to glorify God, by a meek patience, and humble submission unto his good will and pleasure.

Those, who murmur and tumultuate under afflictions, accuse God of injustice, and carry themselves as if he had done them wrong, and they suffered undeservedly. And therefore the Prophet Jeremiah expostulates with us the unreasonableness of this sin of repining, upon the consideration of God's justice: Lam. iii. 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

And there be Three considerations exhibited to us in this Scripture, that tend mightily to confirm our patience under the sharpest afflictions which we can suffer in this life.

[1st] That there is no affliction, but it is mingled and sweetened with a great deal of mercy.

Why doth a living man complain? Possibly, thou art racked with torturing pains, or consumest away in lingering diseases, reduced to extreme necessity and pinching want: yet, still, thou art a living man; and life itself is such a vast blessing, that all miseries and afflictions compared to it, are but drops to the

ocean.

[2dly] Consider, that thou art but a man: Why doth a living man complain, a man, &c.? a frail, feeble creature; naturally subject to many miseries and sorrows?

Thou hast received thy being sub hoc onere, with this burden affixed to it, quietly to bear all the various accidents and

troubles, which the wisdom of God shall see good to bring upon thee.

[3dly] Consider what thou hast deserved; and this will be a most effectual means to teach thee patience under what thou feelest. A man for the punishment of his sins.

If God should mix together all the bitter ingredients, all the stings and venom in the world, and compound of them all one unexampled affliction, and lay that upon thee all the days of thy life; yet this were nothing, to what thou hast deserved: this were nothing, to one gripe of hell torments; how much less is it nothing, to an eternity of them! This, thy sins have de merited: and why then should a living man complain for the punishment of his iniquities? When thou liest under any pain or sickness, or whatsoever thy affliction be, think with thyself "How happy is it for me, that I am not now in hell! God hath cast me here, indeed, upon my bed; but it is mercy, that he hath not cast me into eternal flames. If I now find so much pain, when I am but lightly touched by his hand; oh, what intolerable anguish should I feel, were I now under the unrebated strokes of his almighty arm! and shall I howl, and fret, and be impatient; when I have infinitely more reason to bless God, that it is not worse with me, than to complain that it is thus ? Whatsoever is short of hell, is mercy to such a wretch as I am; who have ten thousand times deserved to be scourged with scorpions, whereas my gracious Father only chastiseth me with rods."

Thus, I say, under all your sufferings glorify God, by a patient submission to his good will and providence: and let it appear, by the meek and calm resignation of yourselves to him in the saddest circumstances of your lives, that you think him neither unjust nor cruel.

(2dly) Glorify God in your sufferings, by a patient expectation of a happy deliverance out of them.

Wait upon God, in the way of his judgments: firmly rely upon his power and his goodness to release you. And, although he may not presently answer your expectations, nor fulfil your desires, yet still continue waiting for the Lord knoweth how to deliver the righteous out of temptation, and he will do it in the fittest and best season. And therefore we have that expression, Isa. xxiv. 15. Glorify ye the Lord in the fires: i. e. in the most scorching, afflictions that happen, depend upon him for deliverance, either from or by them.

(3dly) Glorify God in your sufferings, by putting good con structions and interpretations upon them.

Be not witty to torment yourselves beyond what God intends, by the afflictions which you endure. Do not conclude that he is casting you off, or become your enemy, or that they are only the pledges and foretastes of eternal sufferings and torments in hell: but reckon that all the afflictions, which he brings upon you, are only for your good; that they are corrections, not curses; and that the issue of them shall be joy and peace. Judge so justly and kindly of God, that he takes no pleasure in the woes and tortures of his creatures; that he chastiseth us only if need be, and corrects us here that he may not punish us hereafter. When we can thus look upon God, and bless him that he is pleased to take so much notice of us as to discipline us, this will be a most effectual means to glorify his mercy and goodness; and to make even a chastising God the object, not only of our fear, but of our love.

(4thly) Glorify God in thy sufferings, by bearing them not only with patience; but, if they be for righteousness' sake, with joy and triumph.

Be not ashamed of the cross of Christ, but glory in it as the greatest honour and ornament of thy profession. So saith the Apostle, 1 Pet. iv. 16. If any man suffer as a Christian, i.e. suffer upon the account of his being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. Indeed the sufferings and martyrdom of the saints reflect a great deal of honour upon God, in that it shews they prize him above all the world; and account no torments, no sufferings so considerable, as the loss of his love and favour. And therefore it is said, John xxi. 19. when Jesus had foretold to St. Peter somewhat obscurely what should befal him, that he spake this, signifying by what death he should glorify God.

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Thus I have shewn you how you ought to glorify God under outward sufferings, whether they be afflictions from God, or persecutions from men.

[2] Let us, in the next place, consider how we ought to glorify him under inward sufferings, which concern the soul. And these are reducible to Two heads: for they are either Temptations, which we suffer from Satan; or

Desertions, which we suffer from God.

1st. As for Temptations.