li. 36. can as eafily make the parching ground to become a pool, and the thirsty land, fprings of water, Ifa. xxxv. 7. as you find both elegantly joined together, Pfal. cvii. 33, 35. He turneth water Springs into dry grounds, & fic viciffim. Say not therefore with the captive Jews, Ezek. xxxvii. II. Our bones are dryed, and our hope is loft, &c. For God can cause even those dry bones to live. Say not with that low fpirited courtier; 2 King. vii. 19. If the Lord fhould make windows in heaven, might fuch plenty be in a Samaria? For he did accomplish it, and yet not rain it from heaven. But fay with Job rather, Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him, fob xiii. 15. And with the three worthies, Our God whom we ferve is able to deliver us out of thine hand, O king. iii. 17. So, he is able to deliver us out of thine hand, O enemy, O prifon, O fickness, yea out of thine hand, O grave. If we defpond, and be dejected both in mind and body at the fame time, then is our condition indeed fad and fhameful: nay, we do more reproach God by fuch a temper in our affliction, than he reproacheth us in afflicting us. Make it appear chriftians, that though God hath caft you down, yet you do believe that he hath not caft you off; and that you, although you be forely fhaken by him, yet are not fhaken off from him. Thus you fhall glorify the almighty power of God in the day of your visitation.

6. Converfe with the infinite and unfearchable wisdom of God: especially with the wisdom of God in reference to his judgments, and our afflictions. He is infinitely wife in reference to our afflictions. For,

1. He knows what and what manner, and what measure of correction we ftand in need of. 2. When and how beft to deliver us.

3. How to make the beft ufe of all for our good. First, He knows what, and what manner, and what measure of correction we stand in need of. He is that wife physician, that knows what humour is moft predominant in the fouls of his fervants, and what is the most proper medicine to purge it out: where the moft corrupt blood is fettled, and at what vein to let it out. He is infinitely knowing of the various tempers and diftempers of his fervants, and can apply himself fuitably to them all. And as to the measure and degree, he is also infinitely wife, and exact. He doth weigh out the afflictions of his people to a grain for quantity, and measure them to a day and hour for duration. He did not mifs of his time no not one day in four hundred and thirty years, Exod. xii. 41. So many years of bondage were determined upon the people, and after thofe years were expired, the very next day, the hofts of the Lord went up out of Egypt. And as for measure, he obferves a certain proportion, as you may fee in that full text, Ifa. xxviii. 27, 28. As the husbandman uses different ways of purging and cleansing different forts of grain, beating the fitches with a ftaff, and cummin with a rod, because they are a weaker fort of grain, and will not endure hard usuage; but bruising the bread corn, because threshing will not fuffice, and he is loth to break it all to pieces with turning his cart-wheels upon it. An elegant fimilitude, whereby God infinuateth his different ways of correcting his people, and obferving a fuitableness

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to their ftrength and temper, when less would not do, and more would over do. He muft correct fo far as to bruife; but will be fure not to break and spoil. He that faith unto the proud waves of the fwelling fea, Hither fhall ye come, and no further. Job xxxviii. 11. hath the fame command over these metaphorical waves, those floods of affliction, which he lets loose upon his people, and they cannot go an inch further than he hath appointed: he faith, hitherto fhall this fickness, this mortality, this perfecution go, and no further: and even these forms, and this fea obey him. Now we converse with this inftance of divine wisdom, not only when we obferve it, and acknowledge it; but,

1. When it begets in us a friendly and charitable temper towards fecond caufes: when we are at peace with the whole creation, even with enemies themselves, and in perfect charity with those very plagues and fickneffes that do arreft us: rather admiring and delighting in their subservency to God, than at all maligning their fevere influences upon us. A good man is fo much in love with the pure, and holy, and perfect will of God, that he defires alfo to fall in love with, at least he is at peace with every thing that excutes it, that ferves the will of his heavenly father. He fees no reason in the world to fall out with, and fret against any man, or any thing that is a means to afflict him ; but views them all as inftruments in the hand of God, readily ferving his will, and doing his pleasure, and under this notion is charitably affected towards them all. Obferve a little, and admire, how David was reconciled to the rod, because it was in' the hand of his father, and seems to kifs it for the

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relation that it had to the divine will, 2 Sam. xvi. 11. Let him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord bath bidden him. This gracious foul is fo won derfully in love with the will of God, that he could almoft find in his heart to be reconciled to fin itself, if it could accomplish it, and to be friends with the wrath of man, if it work the righteousness of God. And if David can be fo charitably affected towards a curfing Shimei, viewing him as an inftrument in the hand of God; methinks we may be almost in love with any thing under that notion, and much rather fay concerning a poor harmless sickness, let it alone, fo let it put us to pain, for God hath fent it. To this sense may a devout foul draw the words of his Saviour concerning the woman in Matt. xxvi. 10. Why trouble ye the woman? She hath wrought a good work upon me: why do ye interrupt and disturb this difeafe? Why do ye fret againft this perfecutor? Why do you repine at this prifon? It executes the will of my God upon me. What though these men pour out their venom in fuch abundance? What though disease spend its influences upon my body fo plentifully? There is no wafte in all this; there is need of just so much; God doth not lavish out his arrows in vain, nor fhoot at rovers, as Jonathan did, who couzened his lad, making him believe he shot at a mark when he fhot at none. A fou! overpowered with the fenfe of God's infinite wisdom in appointing, measuring, timing all afflictions, will eafily be reconciled to a poor harmless creature, which is set on, and taken off at his pleasure.

2. When it begets in us a holy acquiefcence and refting

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refting in God,which is opposed to a greater and diforderly haftning towards deliverance. Then do we indeed own and honour the fkill of our chirurgion, when we quietly fuffer the corrofive plaifters to lie on, and do not offer to pluck them off, notwithstanding the smart they put us to. And furely he that believeth the infinite wisdom of God, who knows, both what manner and measure of correction we stand in need of, will not make hafte to be delivered from under his hand; but compofeth himself quietly; as young Samuel laid himself down, and when he was called, answered chearfully, Speak Lord, for thy fervant heareth.

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A foul fenfible of God's infinite wisdom in this particular, argues thus, Who am I poor worm, fhallow creature, that I fhould contend with infinite wisdom about the time or manner of my ing in the world? Why did not I also undertake to appoint him the time and place of my being born? Shall I fay it is too much, when infinite wisdom thinks it is enough? Cease wrangling foul, and be at reft, for the Lord deals wifely with thee. Such a foul fo converfing with the all-wife God, dares freely refer all to him, venture all with him; if he fmite him on the one cheek, he dare turn to him the other; if he take away his coat, he dare offer him his cloak alfo; if he take away his liberty, he dare truft him with his life too; if he fmite him in fome of his comforts, he dare turn to him the reft alfo; for he knows that infinite wifdom cannot err in judgment, nor miscarry in his difpenfations.

Secondly, God knoweth when, and how, beft to deliver us. This neceffarily follows upon the

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