A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

376 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGcleaving close unto the Lord Jesus, hating all sin, andhaving respect to all God's commandments, they are notable at all, neither can any whit hinder, hurt, or any wayprejudice their spiritual state and everlasting salvation.3. Every servant of Christ hath his share in some afflictionor other, and is ever made in some good measure conformableto him in his sufferings. Those who have thereins laid and left upon their necks without curb or correction,are bastards and not sons. They may, as the HolyGhost tells us, prosper in this world, and pass peaceablyout of it, and have no bands in their death like other men ;**they may live, and become old, and be mighty in power:their seed may be established in their sight with them, andtheir offspring before their eyes : their houses may be safefrom fear, neither may the lod of God be upon them ; theirbull may gender and fail not; their cow may calve, andnot cast her calf; they may send forth their little ones likea flock, and their children dance : they may take the timbreland harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ : theymay spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go downto the grave" (Job xxi, 7— 13); at last die even like alamb. But when all is done, they are utterly undone andeverlastingly, by reason of the horror and anguish that shallcome upon their souls; the affliction, the wormwood, andthe gall : for horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation. they are immediately thrown down from tlie topof their imaginary felicity, and untroubled bed of seemingpeace, to the depth of extremest misery and bottom of theburning lake. But it is not so with the servants of God." He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Heb. xii, 6)." He hath only one Son without sin, none without suffering,"saith an ancient father. But here take notice, thatin this dispensation of fatherly corrections amongst his children,he ever, out of his unsearchable merciful wisdom,singles out and makes choice of those which are most suitable,and the fittest for their spiritual good. And therefore,both for the kind and particular, let us ever humbly andthankfully submit and wholly refer ourselves to the sweetand wise disposing of our most loving and dearest Father,who ever knows best what is best for us in such cases, bothin regard of his service and our sufferings, his glory andour gain ; what we are able to bear, how he hath furnishedus beforehand with spiritual strength to go through temptationsand troubles, what spiritual physic is most quick andoperative, and best suited to the prevention, cure, and recoveryof our soul-sicknesses, distempers, and declinations ; how^wisely to proportion and mercifully moderate in respect of