PATIENCE AND IT 's Perfect Work UNDER SUDDEN & SORE TRIALS LONDON Printed by S. Simmons for Rob. Duncomb to be sold at his Shop in Duck-lane 1666. PATIENCE AND ITS PERFECT WORK Meditated and Written that Week the Deplorable Fire was at London and upon That Occasion Upon this Scripture Chap. 1. James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad Greeting My Brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh Patience But let Patience have HE●… perfect work that ye may b● perfect and entire wanting n●thing If any of you lack wisdom him ask of God that giveth all men Liberally and up●●●●… not and it shall him CHristian Patience is m● Subject and the Perfect work of Patience 4. But as an Introduction thereunto I must first ope● some things of the words in 1 2. § 1 As to the PERSONS writes to they were the Twelve Tribes scattered that had bee● and were bereft of their inheritance in their native Country and quitting that had betaken themselves to banishment mu●titudes of them I do not sa● all as appears Acts 8. 1. And at that time there was a great Persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered abroad throughout all the Regions of Judea & Samaria except the Apostles And Acts 〈…〉 We find them travelled as far as Phaenice Cyprus Antioch who went from thence afterwards into other Country's The other Apostle who wrote to the same Persons comforts them with this 1 Epistle 1. v. 4. That they were begotten again to a better Inheritance then that of Canaan which now they were deprived of 2. I observe that though these had been made thus sufficiently destitute and desolate already and driven from house & home to seek their livelyhoods with their families in foreign countries that yet still great and pressing troubles and miseries did follow them as one wave doth after another they were continually falling into divers and sundry tentations of all sorts God tries us every moment as in Job we are chastened every morning Job 7. 18. Psal. 37. 13. Ps. 44. 22. and killed that is in danger of death all day long as Rom. 8. God had not yet done with these 3. He utters the strongest Paradox upon this occasion that ever was or can be uttered And begins with it v. 2. My Brethren Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations Thus bluntly and abruptly without any mollifying preface or sweetening Introduction unless that of My Brethren to make way for it The fore part Count it all joy seems to carry a moral contradiction in the face of it unto the latter part When ye fall into divers tentations And this latter seems to put an impossibility upon the former which is the duty exhorted unto Let us consider every word of each § 1. Were it simply that they are called upon to REJOICE how uncouth is this to men in that posture and Circumstance they are supposed fallen into Well but yet Count it joy says he not only moderate keep in and smother your contrary passions which was the highest lesson that Philosophy and the Stoics the best of Philosophers had taught But the Gospel calls upon us Therefore etc. or for and upon these Tentations to rejoice Count it joy that 's the First 2. All joy The highest joy for so all joy must needs be supposed to be 3. And this not when they should see by experience the glorious issue and event these tentations do produce But to Account it all joy afore hand as if they were possessed of what God promiseth shall be the assured and expected end and to be Jer. 29. 11. aforehand as sure of it as if they had it already 4. 'T is not when they are Assaulted with troubles but when tentations are actually broken in upon them and they lie under them 5. Nor yet when they are led into them by steps or had met with them as in their way But when they fall into them 'T is a downfall he speaks of and that suddenly at once and utterly unexpected by them 6. Not when you fall into one or Two but into Many Tentations The same word here and there as elsewhere the word divers here is Translated 1 Pet. 1. 7. Manifold And Many is imported in Manifold 7. And those not of one sort or kind but Divers and so of several sorts As in Good name reproach Revilements Divers also asto their Bodies Souls their relations and families Friends wives children Inward outward man 8. When you fall into them as into a Pit and snare and so they falling round about you so as you have nothing to stand or lean upon but all about you falls with you and under you so as in all outward appearance ye are sunk and overwhelmed with the ruins In this case to Count IT ALL JOY to shout as men in harvest or that have gotten great spoils when their miseries are so great that they cannot be endured that yet their joy must be so great as more cannot be expressed This is the hardest duty that ever was required of the distressed hearts of men And yet God would not require it if it were not attainable and it is attainable by no other principles but of Christianity And argues that our Christian Religion which is the only true wisdom v. 5. hath so Spiritful and Sovereign a virtue in it that it is able to raise Spirits up unto Thus high and glorious a pitch and perfection in this life § But they might say you have propounded this hard and strange duty to us what ground is there that may rationally and effectually persuade and bring our hearts to it what considerations that may procure us this joy and how may we be wrought up to it For God never gave any commandment but there was a full and sufficient ground and reason to enforce it He gives them two Grounds One at the 3. and 4. v. Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience But let Patience have its perfect Work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting Nothing This is a Ground from what in this life The other is at the 12. v. Blessed is the man that endureth tentation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life This is the reward that follows in the life to come In the hope and expectation of which you may count it all joy that Now you are tried for the end and issue of them is a Crown of Glory which these do work as 2 Cor. 4. 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory § I Begin with the first what ground there is in this life to cause us to rejoice in such tentations This in the. 3. and 4. verses Knowing that is deeply considering and weighing this principle of our Christian profession that the trying of your faith works Patience That 's one and the first In which the Apostle tacitly supposeth this maxim and builds upon the supposition of it it lies at the bottom and yet is enough employed It is this That to have our Graces especially to have our Faith and Patience tried and drawn forth and exercised in us to the glory of God is the greatest blessedness of a Christian in this life That this is the bottom Ground is evident For why else should he propose and hold forth this of all other with a For or Particle that gives the reason of what he had now said That seeing their Faith and other Graces as Patience etc. would be tried thereby That therefore they should count it all joy My Brethren If we had eyes to see & to consider it we might know that as to have grace that accompanies salvation is the greatest mercy can befall any one in the world so to have that Grace tried and exercised and drawn forth to the utmost is a thing of the greatest moment the greatest spiritual privilege that can come to us after that we have that Grace And therefore when Trials come we are to think with ourselves now will my graces be tried now is that befallen me which will do it this aught to be matter of the greatest joy to me For from this Ground and reason it is that the Apostle bids them Count it all joy And hereupon it is for no other doth he mention here this alone being the greatest advantage that a Christian is capable of in this life And in this life only it is that Grace is exercised And the Reason of it lies in this that for Grace to approve itself to God in a way of the greatest wellpleasing to him and so as to come to be approved of by God And for a man's sincerity to have God's approbation and testimonial as to Abraham now I know thou fearest me This is the greatest privilege a Saint can have and this aught to be matter of the greatest comfort And is our greatest Glory according unto that 2 Cor. 10. 17. He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord which he there speaks in reference unto what follows in v. 18. For not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth Both which the Apostle spoke as that which he comforted himself withal yea and gloried in even the Lords approving of him Job also comforted himself with this Chap. 23. 10. When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold The Apostle saith the trial of your Faith is more precious than Gold and he speaketh it of the very instrument or means by which your Graces are tried the very Chalcining est id per quod sit explaratio Grotius in Verba and so it differs from which notes the issue the experiment or fruit upon trial see the same Grotius on Rome 5. 4. even as from Pot or the Fire whereby it is tried his word is Even that is more precious than gold Then much more the Graces that are tried And therefore the Apostle by his intends and means these very afflictions and tentations by which we are tried They are the Refiners Pot and Fire You would rejoice if you had so much gold given you Then rejoice that you have so much affliction to try your Gold That your graces are so highly valued by God is the reason why he tries them he would not be at the pains and cost of it else And they being tried and holding to be right and true gold indeed they have thereupon his approbation upon that trial and he sets his Royal Tower Stamp and mark upon them secretly in this life and the same will openly appear to all the world at latter day so in 1 Pet. chap. 1. 6 7. Wherein ye greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations That the trial of your faith being much more precious then of Gold that perisheth though it be tried with Fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ It will be found unto praise then but it is unto praise afore God now as much as it will be then He mentions Faith For the trial of your Faith in the first and chief place as that grace which is the most tried and as that which being tried sets all the rest on work I need not much insist on it It is Faith that shall be counted for honour and glory at that day having been tried It is Faith which bears and by which we bear the stress of all tentations It is Faith by which we overcome 1 John 5. This is the victory which we have over the world v. 4. even our Faith Who is he that overcomes the World He that believeth etc. v. 5. § A second and more particular Principle or Maxim which concerns this life and should cause us to rejoice is that Faith being tried works PATIENCE and that if Patience have its perfect work it will make us perfect Christians But let Patience have her perfect work that may be perfect and entire wanting nothing He enlargeth no further upo● Faith Only gives it the honour that it is the mother Grace and of Patience especially whe● itself is tried But he ha● no sooner mentioned Patience but he runs out upon That and falls upon the greatest Encomium and praises of it Let Patience have its perfect work and it will make you perfect Now there is no occasion o● room nor work for Patience unless there be Tentations An● Patience its work is but so far as the affliction proves to be S● then his second Argument run upon this principle That the ful● work of Patience in our souls is of all other Graces the highest perfection of a Christian and therefore count it all joy to fall into tentations for thereby you will have that grace drawn forth to the fullest length wound up to the highest peg which is not done unless tentaons be answerable And in all your trials let it but have its swinge its perfect work and it will make your persons perfect that is as perfect as in this life you can be made § Quest But in what respect doth it make us perfect Answ. Not only in this sense for there is a double sense of that speech Either 1. As if when we had exercised all other Graces but yet have not had occasion for this one that when this shall be added that then they should be perfect Christians But this is not the meaning for this may be said of any other Grace As if a man hath exercised all other Graces if he begins to exercise any one new Grace it may be said there is a perfection in this respect As when he says to the Corinthians As you have abounded in every other Grace ● Cor. 8. 7. so abound in this also But there is another sense and that is his scope here Which is not to extol a perfection in common with other Graces but a singular perfection to be attributed to Patience that in this respect it makes a man eminently perfect For his scope is to comfort them against the greatest trials and occurrences of their lives Tentations And therefore a singular and special Encomion is attributed herein unto Patience which is the shield against them My Brethren to give the full sense of this I will make a supposition Suppose a Christian to have had the privilege to have lived in the exercise of all Graces in a way of acting or of an active life As to have lived in sweet communion with God and to have walked in the light of God's countenance all the day Psal. 89. 15 And withal to have had the opportunity of doing good and accordingly to have done much good in an active Way as having been abundant in good works holy duties Praying Reading holy Conference etc. But yet all this while with a freedom from suffering so as he hath not had the suffering part yet so as there hath been no need for or use of Patience Suppose another Christian who hath been obstructed & hindered and kept from such an active life of doing good with that freedom spoken of but the dispensation of God hath disposed him to a suffering life all his days and confined him thereunto and therein his Patience hath been exercised under all sorts of tentations And then withal suppose that Patience with all those gracious dispositions of heart that are proper to it hath had its free and full passage thorough his heart such as I shall hereafter describe hath had its operations all sorts of ways according as his afflictions have been Thi● alone would so draw out and exercise all Graces and head them that you would say this man is perfect Christian shall I say mor● perfect then the other at leas● the text says that this makes him a perfect man Or again if you will suppose one that hath been very active i● the foregone part of his life and done God great service with a● enlarged heart and that at last after he hath done the will o● God further to crown all God will exercise this man's Patience with great sufferings and draweth it forth according to these his trials that man is perfect every way and he lacked till then that which is his greatest perfection and he was not before every way accomplished For Proof That Patience is the eminent perfection of a Christian § ITAke the Instance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ What was Christ's perfection He had been perfect in all active obedience complete in all Graces yet the Glory of his perfection is put upon his sufferings and his Patience Heb. 2. 10. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many Sons unto Glory to make the Captain of their salvation PERFECT through sufferings This of Patient enduring was that which enhanced and exalted his obedience so Phil. 2. He humbled himself and was obedient to death etc. This of patient enduring was obedience learned Heb. 5. 8. Though he was a Son yet he learned obedience by what he suffered The Active part of obedience was natural to him he being as the Natural Son the Holy One of God having the Law of God in his heart and it Pf. 40. 8. Heb. 10. was his delight his meat and drink to do his will That is this was natural to him But for him to suffer who was the Son and so to be patient in suffering who was so great a Person this was to be learned as that which was improper for such a Person The Son And yet as I may say this perfected the natural accomplishments of him this was a lesson out of the road utterly uncouth and extravagant He must go to school therefore to learn this For so that text implies this he was to learn as that which would perfect him above all And so indeed to this purpose it follows in the 9 ver Being made perfect that is by what he suffered as in the verse afore and chap. 2. He had also said And as that which did perfect him more than all his other obedience and rendered him more acceptable to his Father Now it was his Patience and enduring wherein that his obedience Principally lay which accordingly is so often spoken of him as Heb. 12. 2 3. He endured the Cross and v. 2. He endured such contradictions of sinners v. 3. the same word that here is used for Patience that the Verb this the Noun Enduring is put to express Patience And is the word used up and down the New Testament and in this Epistle most to express Patience by as chap. 1. v. 12. chap. 5. v. 8 10 11. Now Christ did so endure He was led as a sheep to the slaughter he opened not his mouth Hog's cry but sheep make no din when led to the slaughter or when their throats are cut And this was Christ's Proper and Super perfection who is therefore proposed as an example of suffering and Patience to us and likewise of that glorious end and issue of it in these words of that chap. 5. 11. Ye have heard of the patience of Job And you have seen the end of the Lord namely of the Lord CHRIST Which many of these Jews he wrote to had seen with their eyes or it was transacted in their times and so in their view they saw him suffer and they see him crowned with Glory and Honour Heb. 2. That was the END of our Lord and his sufferings which made him perfect And as it was Jesus Christ's perfection so it was of the most eminent Saints Look again into this Epistle chap. 5. v. 11. and you find the primitive principle that was in Vogue to be Behold we count them happy which endure it is still the same word which is used for Patience as was said that is we Christians generally esteem them the happiest men in the world that are most exercised with sufferings and armed with patience to endure them They are happy to a BEHOLD and so to a perfection in our common esteem Behold WECOUNT them happy It was a common cried up maxim amongst them in those Times and the thing itself in greatest request Then 3. Take the Prophets for an example says he chap. 5. 10. He commends them also for their Patience as well as for their Prophecies And though he describes them by this Character and Periphrasis that have spoken in the name of the Lord yet that was but to set out and celebrate the example of their sufferings and Patience the more He sets the Crown upon the head of that Grace Nor doth he mention any of the good they had done Nothing of that but their sufferings only And then by name he instanceth in Job God boasted of him to Satan for his former active life in holiness but you have no mention of that by the Apostle nor in the New Testament but he cries him up for his suffering and his Patience only as that which had endeared him to God more than all the former part of his life Lastly take the Apostles The Apostle in the Revel puts it into his Coat of Arms as a piece of his Nobility and a part of his Heraldry I John who am your Rev. 1. 9 Brother and Companion in Tribulation and in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ Now upon all these grounds if you be true and right Christians and know as the Apostles word is how to put a due estimate upon what is your greatest interest and privilege in this life viz. the proof and trial of your Graces and of this Grace of Patience above all as the highest perfection of a Christian yea of Christ himself and which was the most eminent praise of Prophets and Apostles if you value your being rendered most pleasing unto God then count it all Joy when you thus fall into tentations For now you have God and Christ the great the chief Master Orderer and Designer of these consticts setting his most gracious eye upon you pleasing himself to behold how valiantly wisely and gallantly you be have and acquit yourselves He sits in Heaven as the great Spectator of these Justs and Tournaments which are to him as Spectacles which are sports to us to which the Apostle alludes 1 Cor 4. 9 For I think that God hath set forth US the Apostles last it were appointed to death fo● we are made a spectacle unto th● World and to Angles and to Men Rejoice therefore as good Soldiers would to enter into these Lists in the sight of their Grea● General and Emperor whom they have given themselves up to please Thus 2 Tim. 2. 4. man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of thi● life that he may PLEASE HIM who hath chosen him TO BE A SOLDIER Therefore get your hearts free and loose from all those entanglements that arise from adherency to the things of this world from inordinate passions ●hat cleave unto the things of this ●ife which will hinder and wea●en you as to a bearing●he ●he losses and crosses you meet with in it Knowing also that ●ou cannot please the Captain of ●our salvation nor approve your ●elves more to him then by a patiented endurance which is in ●he words afore that passage in ●hat place to Timothy exhorted ●o v. 3. Therefore endure hardness ●s a good Soldier of Christ And ●n its Coherence this follows it ●leaseth your General to see it And in the 1. of Col. he first in the General prays v. 10. That they might walk worthy of the Lord ●nto ALL PLEASING Which Pleasing as it consisteth in fruit fullness in good Works or the active life of a Christian Being fruitful in every good work in the same verse So i● being strengthened with all might unto all patience and long-suffering as that which is the second and chiefest and most glorious part that a Christian is to perform to consummate the other And which therefore requires a more glorious power to work it than the former the Active part did as verse 11 shows Strengthened with a might according to his glorious Power unto all Patience and long-suffering Thus much for the opening o● the words in Order to that I am more setly to handle which followeth I I. Section I have Three GENERAL HEADS to treat of 1. What Patience is 2. How Patience is wrought 3. What it is for Patience to have a perfect Work I. HEAD What the Grace of Patience is § TAke it at large that is in the full Comprehension of it It is a constant persisting whether to do the will of God without fainting or to suffer the will of God with submission and quietness and cheerfulness to the end of a man's days And thus taken it respects doing as well as suffering The good Ground is said to bring forth its fruit All its fruit with Patience in the Parable of the Sour It respects § First Doing the will of God Rom. 2. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well doing The Greek is The Patience of good work seek for glory and honour etc. And the Reason why Patienc● is required to every good work is because there is a difficulty that accompanies every duty and Patientia it a Dei rebus proposita est ut nullum prae●eptum obire quis possit à Patientia extraneus Tertul. De Patientia to the putting forth of every grace that we need have Patienc● to perform the duty constantly and to continue in the practice o● that grace There is a difficulty not only from our own corruption unto which the Commands o● God are grievous but from th● circumstances of times places persons we live in and amongst though they should not persecute As not to run into the same excess of riot to speak or do what we know doth not please the company we are in Thus to be chaste in Sodom was to Lot a trial to condemn the world by a different carriage as in being stricter than others on the Lord's Mat. 5. 47. day or in family duties etc. to cross the stream to be singular and the like Heb. 12. 12. Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees Wherein I observe that in doing good in any kind we are not only lame creatures and walk as those that halt which breeds an aukerness unto any duty but further we are apt by reason thereof to turn out of the way as there if rugged The members we should walk withal are feeble our hands we should act with are hanging down And so the performance hath a difficulty To go up the hill of good duties though private and personal without weariness to keep straight paths not to pick and choose our way and not to balk the way or work which God finds us to do especially not Eclesiast 9 10. to faint towards the end when we come to the brow of the hill These all have a wearisomeness in them Now that which principally heartens and strengthens us to all this is Patience as in v. 1. he had prefaced Let us run with Patience the Race that is set before us we need Patience for every step of it in doing as well as in suffering And in the verse immediately afore that exhortation now opened 't is verse 11. the Apostle puts and devolves an even and quiet walking upon Patience obtained first by suffering in these words Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby So as a quiet resolute and strong performance of all the duties of righteousness is from Patience and is much the fruit of that Patience we get by chastisements The suffering life helps and contributes much to the active life for as there is a Patience required in doing Gods will so suffering his will fits the heart for it But this of Patience in well doing is not in strict sense that Patience which is here in my ●ext to be understood Patience is therefore Second●y God●n ●n any kind And this doth Patience eminently respect And that is the Renowned Patience which we almost every where meet with and which the Text calls for such as when sudden and unexpected Trials and tentations which they fall into fall out as v. 2. And so is not meant of the difficulties that accompany our ordinary constant way of personal walking in performing the duties of our holy profession § Object But you will say My sufferings are not for the Gospel as theirs here intended were but they are mere providential accidents that have fallen upo● me out of common providence and but such as befall wicked men they are not from outward persecution for Christ sake or my profession but from God's hand Answ. I shall answer this here once for all 1. The words of this ver● Text may somewhat relieve us hereion for it is tentations at large that are spoken of and tentations arising from sudden downfalls into miseries and so of any kind he doth not altogether restrain it to temptations by persecution though they are mainly intended but it may and aught to be extended to other providential occurrences And the word used for Patience signifieth a remaining under any pressures unbroken and whole be they of what kind soever It respects indeed afflictions mainly for the Gospel yet not exclusively to afflictions in common 2. In the prosecution of this Argument the Apostle doth manifestly carry in his eye other Tentations or sufferings then from Persecution as appears from the Examples he allegeth to press them to this Patience For among others and above all others he brings the instance of Job and His by Name only as well as of the Prophets in General whom Christ says they persecuted Thus chap. 5. 11. Ye have Mat. 5. 12. heard of the patience of Job His alleging the Prophets is but a General v. 10. Take the Prophets not naming any for an example of suffering and of Patience But that of JOB singularly and by name Now surely he would not cite His most eminent example to confirm his Exhortation to this Patience he intended of one whose case did not come within the compass and dint of his Exhortation Let us therefore have recourse to Jobs case and story His losses were but providential from God The Sabeans and Chaldeans plundered him of his goods and slew his servants And the fire of God or from God is fallen from heaven so his messengers tell him chap. 1. v. 16. 'T is true 't was the Devil out of spite that moved them that did it but they did it not in a way of Persecution but as common enemies As when the Clangs of one country break in upon another But it was God and the Devil agreed it together yea and 't was God gave first occasion to the Devil to move him to have leave to do it So as that was not for the Gospel's sake in way of Persecution nor did Job at all know of that transaction between God and Satan not all that while his Patience was in the exercise of it But took all as the hand of God though extraordinary § If you now ask a description of Patience as it thus respects suffering the will of God We must give it as it is in the Word of God in the height for that is the Rule itself that directs to it and not lown it to what is found in our hearts And yet that which afterwards follows and will confirm every tittle of it is drawn mostly from examples of the Saints either in the old or new Testaments which show that it is attainable though with allowance to defects which accompany all Graces in this life It is a constant thankful joyful enduring with perseverance The Description of Patience to the end of a man's life all the trials that are grievous how great how long how hopeless soever as to coming out of them mortifying and compescing the inordinacy of opposite passions as Fear Grief Care Anxiety which will arise upon such afflictions with submitting to Gods will for God's glory and his good pleasure sake still blessing and sanctifying God in all waiting on God and relieving one's self by Faith in what is to be had IN GOD and FROM GOD in communion with him and from his love in this life In expectation also of that Glory which is the Reward after this life ended I might in this place confirm every word and tittle of this description either out of Examples of holy men or the Rules which the Word gives But I omit the set collection of such proofs here because that scatteredly up and down in the particulars that follow this will be found performed II. GENERAL HEAD How Patience is wrought § BRethren while I show you how Patience is wrought I do withal show you the way and means to obtain it For by th● same it is wrought by the sam● it is nourished and maintained And I shall not go out of th● Text for this There are two principles here that work Patience The first i● FAITH verse the 3d Knowing this That the trying of your Fait● worketh Patience And because in Gal. 5. 6. It is said Fait● worketh by Love that is Fait● worketh by Love whatever i● worketh Therefore we mus● find also that LOVE work● Patience And that you have in the 12. v. too Blessed is the man that endureth temptations for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him Why doth Admonet Victores omnium Tentationum fore qui Deum amant Nec aliâ de ●●usâ nos animo defici cum tentamur nisi quia prevalet MUNDI AMOR. Calvin in Verba ●he put in to them that love him whilst he speaks of him that endureth Tentations But because it is Love enables a man to endure temptation So that Faith in the first place and then Faith working by love in the second place works Patience or enduring And the confirmations of these Two will give Proofs to the ●atter parts of that Description I gave of Patience to wit Those of the Souls relieving itself by Faith by what is to be had in God etc. § First how doth Faith work Patience Answ. First in the General Faith is the substance of things hoped for and indeed of all things that are revealed in the Word That is It makes them subsistent and real to a man's Soul Faith does this as the eleventh to the Hebrews shows And thereupon Faith hath all the Motives and Considerations that the whole Word affords All which it brings in to the Soul and makes them subsistent to it to support it in trials All is let in by Faith that is the tunnel that fills the vessel And by thus bringing home to a man's Soul all the Considerations the Word affords which may induce a man to Patience it works it This is but General § These Considerations in the Word are infinite And I cannot stand to instance I will only give what are most proper to Faith First of all Faith hath a privative emptying work it empties ●he Soul of all its own worth and ●ighteousness and excellency in ●s own eyes and gives a through sight unto the Soul of ●he sinfulness of sin of its spiritual sins and contrarieties of ●LL in its self unto Holiness●nd ●nd Faith And withal fully convinceth it of its just deservedness to be utterly destroyed and ●herefore much more of its due desert of all or any Afflictions whatever they being any or all●f ●f them far less than destruction it ●elf And in the sight and sense of ●hese Faith lays the Soul a poor empty naked wretched CREATURE in all Spiritual respects both in the sight and presence o● God and in its own eyes And thi● helps greatly towards working Patience You shall observe● in that golden chain of Grace● whereof each latter link depends upon the former Ma● 5. v. 3 4 5. How poverty of sp●rit is placed first Blessed are poor in Spirit that is That emptied of themselves loo● upon themselves as having n●thing deserving nothing able do nothing spiritually And th● true poverty of Spirit the● have from Faith wrought F●● blessedness is only pronounced them that believe and of th● fruits of Faith in them according to that Rom. 4. 7 8 9 Then Secondly follows Bless●● are they that mourn namely their sins that in the second pla●● And then Thirdly Blessed are meek that is those who in th● sight of their poverty and sinfulness lie at God's feet so subdued and affected as God may do what he will to them or with them Thus it is with them when they are thus emptied which is when they have seen their sins and deservedness to be destroyed and are humbled for them and mourn for them These foregoing dispositions work meekness submission to God They have nothing to ●ay against whatever he shall do but to justify God in all and to condemn themselves And all these make them willing ●nd Patient to take any thing well at the hands of God It is ●n excellent speech to our purpose of the Church in that humbled frame of heart you ●●nd her in Lam. 3. 39 Wherefore doth a LIVING man 〈…〉 a MAN for the 〈…〉 of his sin The Church expresseth it as the mos● brutish improper incongruity unbecoming a man such as ther● could not be imagined a greater What for a man to complain and think much at the punishment of his sins A man to murmur as the word is against God a sinful man against the ho● God his righteous Judge And is certain that thinking much the ground of all impatiency An● on the contrary a submiss temper of Spirit unto God is th● ground of all Patience But wh● doth she put in besides to convince such an one of the foll● injustice and iniquity of it th●● he is a living man why do● a LIVING man complain Art thou alive Art a living still in this world Then hast th●● little cause to complain wha● ever thy misery be Whilst th● art alive thou art not destroye● Consider how Hell and Destr●ction is thy portion and the due punishment of thy sins And so thou hast infinitely less than thou deservest and therefore ●hou hast no Reason to complain The Church out of her own sense ●nd apprehension of this had ●aid before v. 22. It is of the ●ords mercies that WE are not consumed She saith not that our ●oods are not consumed or that ●ur Houses are not burnt For indeed that was the Churches very ●●se when she spoke this Jerusa●●m was burnt their Women ravished their Goods plundered Bodies famished as you ●ad in the same Lamentations most every where But yet ●ere was a remnant of Persons were not consumed and this she is of the Lords mercies his tender mercies out of his wells as the word there is And is being less than Destruction being consumed is her Reason for that expostulation forementioned v. 39 As also of that her so great submission from that v. 22. unto the 39 verse You find the very same to this as a ground of Patience expressed elsewhere after the captivity ended Ezra 9 13. Thou our God has● punished us less than our iniquities deserve after all that is com● upon us for our evil deeds sa● they and for our great trespasses Shall then a living man complain for the punishment of his sin when it is so infinitely far le●● than he deserves This consideration works Patience as it hat●… reason If a man deserves to b●… Hanged Drawn and Quartered and he is but burnt in the hand shall this man complain let th●● man down on his knees at th● Bar and thank the Judge o● Prince that he had not his du●… desert The Gallows And th● consideration of this is that also which makes a man accept the punishment of his iniquity as you have it in Levit. 26. 41. If ●e accept the punishment etc. That is if ye kiss the Rod. And what makes a man come to accept the punishment of his iniquities Oh the punishment of my iniquity is infinitely far less than I deserve For thinks he Damnation is my portion This is the first thing that works Patience the consideration of our own deservedness to be destroyed and this is from the emptying work of Faith Secondly Faith brings home to a man's Soul the dominion of God and the Sovereignty of that dominion over a man's Soul and Person to do what he will with them and that may very well hush and quiet a man In the ninth of Job 12. BEHOLD HE TAKETH AWAY destroys City a Nation suppose as in the 12. chap. v. 23. He increaseth the Nations and destroys them enlargeth the Nations and straitens them again AND WHO CAN HINDER HIM as in that chap. 9 And who will say unto him what dost thou As it follows If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helper● stoop under him Or the helper● of strength as in the margin they bow under him He took away your Goods and who could hinder him The Fire burnt thi● City notwithstanding all th● Inhabitants that were interested and able to have quenched it ye● the strong helpers stood helpless looking on weeping shaking their heads and crying Alas fo● why Who could hinder him they ALL bowed under him An● again Job 34. 31. Surely it is mee● to be said unto God I have bor● chastisement I will not offend an● more For as v. 33. Should IT the evil or the good he is pleased to bring on thee be according to thy mind Hebr. Should it be from with thee that is from what is in and with thee must he ask counsel first of thee & know what thy mind is He will recompense it or dispense it as he pleaseth whether thou refuse or whether thou choose that is whether thy mind be for or against it And not I This is the speech of Elihu in the Person of God and on his behalf That is shouldst thou dispose of all these things for me and NOT I myself says God This may and must silence all and every man as well as it did Job there For it follows Therefore speak if thou hast any thing to say against this what thou knowest As if he had said this is not to be contradicted but to be wholly submitted to But my Brethren Faith brings home to the heart a message of an higher Sovereignty even of love from God born to you and tells all you that sincerely profess an interest in God that God hath shown his absolute Dominion already towards you in saving your Souls It is an absolute Dominion that as Rom. 9 shows And what else is the meaning of that speech I will be merciful to whom I will be merciful It is a speech of Dominion Well Hath God showed his Dominion in saving thy Soul with difference hath he shown it on this the good side Then truly thou mayst very well give him leave to exercise his Dominion over all else that thou hast thou mayst very well be content He show his Dominion upon thy lumber and thy appurtenances He might have shown his Dominion in destroying both your Goods and Souls too as he did the Sodomites when he burned their City But Thirdly Faith brings home the love of God the Souls interest in God with a Communion and fellowship with God which may well serve to strengthen Patience in the greatest Distresses This you see in David at Ziglag when the City was burnt I therefore instance in it and his Goods all plundered and his Wives carried away And David was greatly distressed the people talking of Stoning him Then it is said But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God His interest in him and the coming in of his love as being his God did hearten and strengthen him against all 1 Sam. 30. 6. Likewise in extremity of famine when there was not bread nor Oil nor Wine nor meat to eat this wrought the like Hab. 3. 17 18. Although the Figtree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat the stock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stall Here are all those things enumerated as wanting that are the means to support life and nature and it is the want of food and raiment for you and yours is that you fear in the loss of y●●r goods and loss of your livelihoods YET says he I will rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation A man hath all in God afore him still And Faith brings home all in God or carries the heart out unto God to fetch in comfort from him in these the greatest extremities There are two things there distinct He first says He will rejoice in the Lord Even in what the Lord is in himself A God blessed for ever Amen! And If God be happy and blessed for evermore I cannot be miserable says that Soul that can rejoice in this that However God enjoys a perfect blessedness And I do so rejoice in that that whilst God continues to be God and these apprehensions and disposition of heart do but continue in me I have enough The second is that he is my God the God of my salvation so Habbakuk I will joy in the God of my salvation And then to be sure while he is happy I shall be happy indeed The Lord is my portion saith my Soul Lam. 3. in the midst of those troubles The Lord help us to Faith My Brethren the love of God brought in by Faith will help a man to bear up under any condition You know that place Rom. 8. He had triumphed in the love of God v. 31. If God be for us who can be against us and v. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall Tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword Mark his resolution expressed thereupon in v. 37. NAY IN ALL THESE THINGS we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us That speech Nay in all these things etc. is a triumphant slighting of all he had reckoned up and it was all any way formidable or that might be judged opposite to our comforts in this world And yet speaks at that rate as if Faith on the love of God and Christ scorned such low and weak and poor adversaries as not enough or not of might enough for them to try their strength upon and is as if he had said are these all that come out against us and threaten to hurt us But are these all indeed NAY then says he if these be all we are safe enough We are more than Conquerors in all these But how comes this to pass 'T is added Through him that loved us Not only in that he loving us joins his strength to ours to support us But it is also meant Objectiuè that the love of God and Christ coming in fresh upon our hearts the apprehension of that is sufficient and in that respect he says through him that loved us 'T is Objective spoken of Christ's love as it is the object of our Faith and not only assistenter We are more than conquerors through his love taken in by us and shed abroad in our hearts and by reason that his love comes in and supports us under all and helps us to Conquer all As Faith hath all in God to rejoice in and so helps the Soul to Patience So especially it hath his love in all sorts of distresses Fourthly Faith tells us that there will be a good issue of all as to the other world yea and in this world also in such things that relate to that World Luke 21. 18 19 He had spoken afore in that Chapter of the greatest distresses that could befall men as if you read the verses before appear and also of such as should fall upon the people of God amongst them personally as well as upon the Nation of the Jews in their final desolation And besides that common Calamity which befell the people of God with the rest of that Nation he says over and above they shall first lay their hand on YOU v. 12. And persecute you delivering you up to the Synagogues and into prisons and shall put some of you to death It is in all three Evangelists And in the 16. v. Ye shall be betrayed both by Parents and Brethren and Kinsfolks and Friends and ye shall be hated of all men for my Names sake But says he Comfort yourselves with what will certainly be the issue v. 18. There shall not an hair of your head perish How Not an hair of your head perish What a strange saying is this When he had said just afore they should be persecuted and put to death How doth he say then not an hair of your head shall perish Why because the issue shall be such as should make amends for every hair The soul shall say I have not lost an hair Nay besides those of you they cannot put to death shall have an hundred fold and that in this life as elsewhere in spiritual blessings And Faith eyeing these things relieves the Soul Observe but what follows there as to our purpose in hand for which I quote this place in v. 19 the very next v. In your Patience possess your Souls the meaning from the Coherence is you may well possess your Souls in Patience for I have told you the issue will be most blessed and Glorious Fifthly Faith brings in Heaven as the Reward of patient enduring thus in Chap. first v. 12. of our Apostle Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him And this is the conclusion of his persent discourse about patient enduring When he is tried that is when his trials are finished and gone through with And his Faith hath all along wrought Patience in his course 't is persevering Patience or endurance receives this Omnes virtutes certant sola Patientia vincit & coronatur Crown Other Graces strive but Faith and Patience they are Crowned And further in proportion is holds that as man's Trials and Temptations have been and his Patience suitable such shall the greatness of his Reward be and accordingly measured forth unto him And Faith in the intuition of that Glory heartens Patience Rom. 5. Faith having caused us first to Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God v. 2. causeth us also to Glory in Tribulations v. 3. in the strength of our hope in that Glory Which Hope is said further to be increased in us through Tribulations their working Patience v. 4. As thus Patience works experience v. 5. that is many a fresh experiment of our own graces and God's dealings in those Trials And those experiences do work up an Hope or assurance of Glory as I John 3. ● to that degree of firmness that maketh us not ashamed not in respect only of the real disappointment of that Glory at death but not in a man's own hope thereof in his own heart For in respect to that hope of his this is spoken because that over & above and besides those foresaid experiments The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost himself immediately who is given to us which shedding etc. of God's love is no other than the earnest and prelibation of that Glory And this is given as the reward of our Patience and Tribulations which are but the loss of things Earthly in Exchange for which we receive this hope and beginning of Glory If thou hadst had all the Brass and Pewter that was in thy house and hath been melted by this Fire therewithal turned into Gold & the stones that paved thy yards or the bricks or lime that raised thy walls all changed into precious stones thy glass windows that were dissolved converted into Diamonds thou hadst little cause to complain at the loss Now read Is 54. 11 12. O thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted Behold I will lay thy ●tones with fair Colours and lay by foundations with Saphires I ●ill make thy Windows of agates ●●d thy Gates of Carbuncles and thy borders of Pleasant stones And if thou hast gotten any increase of Grace by these losses then hath much of this in Isaiah been truly and spiritually fulfilled in thee And these repairs are in this life But besides that Thou hast a building made without hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5. 1. Which stands ready for thee Those believing Hebrews might well suffer the spoiling of their Goods with joy whilst they found sealed and put into their hearts Bills of Exchange to receive all again in Eternal treasures in heaven But this was their very Case Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your Goods knowing in your selves that ye have in heaven better and an enduring substance Heb. 10. 34. And this happy lot will come to be thine if thou exercisest upon thy losses Faith and Patience It follows in that Heb. 10. the following verses Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward For ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise This fo● Faith's working Patience II. Our LOVE to God works PATIENCE § LOve to God in us works Patience or Faith by Love a● I showed out of v. 12. Love to God makes us cleave to God and so to follow him through all weathers and endurances That great Convert in whom at his Conversion Faith and Love were so abundant as 1 Tim. 1. 14. his Heart through Love to the Name of Christ caused him in the highest passion to utter What mean you to weep and break my heart for I am not ready to be BOND only but also to DYE at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 21. v. 13. It was Love to that Name that fired him yea his Love was wrought up to such an intense degree as he could have wished to have been accursed from Christ for God's Glory in the conversion of his brethren Rom. 9 I wonder how he would have done for Patience under that curse if in Hell But that Love which wished that curse would have wrought it and so thought he or he would never have wished this Upon the like account of Love to this Name Those two Apostles rejoiced to suffer shame for his Name as Acts 5. 41. Love makes the Glorifying of God and Christ and the will of God which is always for his Glory dearer than all things to us Yea that God should have his Will for his own Glory if it be the will of God says the Apostle of our Sufferings abundantly stills the heart in all 't is true I may be punish● in my afflictions for my Sin and I humble myself for that But beyond that it is the good pleasure of God so to have it and I rejoice in that says Love That his Will is done As truly that 't is done upon me as that by me And Good is the word of God in both and Hallowed be his Name In that Rom. 8. where as you heard We are more than Conquerors in all these things through him that loved us that love of His to us is alone indeed openly or expressly mentitioned yet withal it is our love to him that tacitly is insinuated to be a concurrent cause therewith you must take that in too For the intent of those very words is that the Soul apprehending his Love Who is THAT LOVER as that word imports out of a reciprocated Love to him again doth hearten us in the conflict unto this Conquest And yet there is one small word put in that further argues this 't is in v. 26. For thy sake we are killed all the day long Our lives being in jeopardy every hour and we are counted as sheep for the slaughter and this For thy sake you have in the 44. Psal. And he quotes it out from thence As it is written says he For thy sake etc. Now therefore it is evidently the Love that is in us to him and our cleaving to him therewith that is there held forth as that which makes us willing to suffer and endure in that it is for his sake And although the Apostle in his discourse runs upon the magnifying God's Love and Christ's Love to us as that which apprehended and taken in by us doth principally work this effect Yet the Psalmist on the other side sets out The Love of the Church to God as the concurrent cause v. 17. All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we deal● falsely in thy Covenant And v. 18 19 20 21 22. Our heart is not turned back neither hav● our steps declined from thy way Though thou hast sore broken u● in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death If we have forgotten the Name o● our God or stretched out ou● hands to a strange God shall no● God search this out For h● knoweth the secrets of the heart Yea FOR THY SAKE are we killed all the day long we are counted as sheep to the slaughter If Faith and Love once but says It is for thy sake oh God Why then says Patience I can bear it yea rejoice in it for his sake that loved me And look as the Apostle says he could do all things through Christ that strengthened him so Love can do all things for Christ that loved him and gave himself for him And to conclude this If Love to our Brethren which springs from Love to God works so great a Patience towards them as in that Scripture Love suffereth long and is kind envieth not rejoiceth not in evil bears all things hopes all things endures all things 1 Cor. Chap. 13. All which is spoken of as in those words of our Love to man Though it was our love to God that is urged and spoken of in all the words afore and is the Spring of this our love to man Now if love I say unto man works so much Patience in things perhaps that are yet injurious to us and not only burdensome from them And in a manner all those Eulogies of love there do run upon and speaks Patience that Patience being the proper fruit of that love What else do suffering long bearing and enduring all things with the rest sound and signify Then much more I say will love unto God the cause of this love to our Brethren enable us to do the like towards him who can do us no wrong nor hurt but is Holy & Righteous in all his works and all whose ways and goings forth to us are Mercy and Truth And for whose sake also it is that we bear so with our Brethren and who hath loved and given his Son for us It was a great speech of an holy Soul in an unkindly trial from man That man should deal thus with me I should have much ado to bear it as David said But it is God and I can take any thing Psal 55. 12. well at his hands And this for the second general Head III. Section III. GENERAL HEAD What is the Perfect Work of Patience § IN General A thing than is perfect when all the parts that belong to it are finished As then the Creation of the world is said to be perfect when as Gen. 2. 1 2. The heavens and the earth were finished and the hosts of them So when all the whole of the work of Patience in its several parts etc. is accomplished than patience hath its perfect work There are four BRANCHES of this HEAD that complete it 1. It 's Privative work 2. It 's Positive Acts. 3. It 's Positive Fruits 4. Its Adjuncts of perfection All which go to make Patience perfect And the Proofs thereof will confirm every tittle of the forepart and body of that description I gave of Patience pag. 46. I. Branch It 's Privative Work § I Begin with its Privative work And that lies in this when Faith by Patience doth mortify turbulent passions that still arise and are opposites thereto And as love when PERFECT casts out fear 1 Joh. 4. 18 So than PATIENCE is PERFECT when it expels those contrary Passions or else likewise too intense thoughts or poring upon our misery and crosses so as our minds are chained and tied to those objects and taken off from all other I take THOUGHTS in because Christ says Luke 24. 38. Why do THOUGHTS arise in your hearts Why are you TROUBLED For when troubles sink deep they send thoughts up fast as when weights are hung upon a clock or jack they make the wheels run swiftly And so inordinate affections cause an inordinacy of thoughts and a fixing our minds to one thing as upon what we have lost or are ●ike to suffer Now perfect Patience corrects and order the extravagancies of all these reduceth a man to possess his own soul as Christ's phrase is in Luke 21. 19 In your Patience possess ye your souls and thereby to dwell in ae man's self whereas the violence of such affections hurry us out of ourselves and throw our soul out of doors that we are not within or ourselves To instance in some particular passions 1. Inordinate Grief You know how Jobs Patience is cried up and that by our Apostle Fo● when he suffered the loss of all both his children and estate &c yet he expressed no grief n● trouble at all that we read of upon the hearsay and tiding thereof and sure if there had been any upon those occasions the story would have told it as doth his other impatiences whic● were upon other and highe● pressures of another kind after wards But all you read of hi● upon occasion of those outward losses in chap. 1. is All mere Patience and submission to God Th● Lord says he gave and the Lor● hath taken away and 't is th● Lord who hath done both an blessed be the Name of the Lord for both And in ALL THIS charged not God foolishly says the last verse 2. Envy and Passionate Anger 1. Envy which is apt to rise when others have no such afflictions or losses As that such and such an one and of my rank should escape with his goods etc. when the loss falls heavy on me saith the sad heart This secretly regreets Good people are greatly apt to this The Spirit that is in US in us Saints lusteth to envy But God in the end gives more Grace that is when men are humbled as there 't is said and broken which is usually when they have been exercised with great sufferings The different condition of the holy Apostles and some other Christians in those primitive times gives demonstration of such a Patience in this case There were no men so eminent for sufferings and Patience next the Lord Christ as the Apostles were who yet viewing other Christians as take the Corinthians 1 Cor 4. 8 9 how they were full etc. Now ye are full now ye are rich ye have Reigned as King's without us It was a Cit● very rich and the Christian● in it had a fullness of outward things when he wrote this they were full and rich Bu● as for us says he God hath forth us Apostles last as it wer● appointed to death etc. Ye are honourable but we are despised both hunger and thirst and ar● naked and are buffited and hav● no certain dwelling place and labour working with our hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defame● we entreat we are made as th● filth of the world and are the offscouring of all things unto thi● day And yet he did not at all envy this their fullness in the least No he wisheth them all true prosperity would to God ye did reign v. 8. that is in true and spiritual respects he wisheth them all good rather in all inward enjoyments of God and Christ together with their outward riches etc. Now what was it that had so much rooted up envy etc. in him and the other his fellow Apostles It was his sufferings and wants and their being made spectacles to Angels and men as there This had wrought his and their Spirits to this In the old Testament Joshua though he proved a man of a choice Spirit yet when he was young in years and but a young beginner in Grace envy rose up in him for his good Master Moses sake Eldad and Medad Prophecy says he Num. 11. 29. But Moses said to him Enviest thou for my sake and so reproved him and thereupon expresseth his own heart thus Would God that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them Now whence arose thi● blessed disposition of heart thu● free from envy in him In the very next chapter you meet with another instance which give● a true account both of his not envying others as also in bearing the envy of others against himself sharpened with the highest provocations unto ANGER which was the second It being as unkindly as unreasonable 'T was the envy of his own only Brother and Sister for this that God had chosen him to utter his mind by unto his people and reveal himself so as never to any man as God's testimony of him is in that 12. Chap. Whereupon they had said v. 2. Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses hath he not spoken by us Thereupon follows the Account or bottom disposition of Spirit which made him bear both this and the former v. 3. Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth And so good man he would himself have passed this ●y and have taken no notice at ●ll of this affront but that God 't is there said heard it as noting ●hat HE would not put it up so for Moses sake Now what was ●t had tamed and made Moses●hus ●hus meek and calm and passive Certainly His great Afflictions And his Faith having been exercised thereby had wrought Patience in him Heb. 11. By Faith v. 24 he chose v. 25. Rather ●o suffer afflictions etc. and accordingly had lived forty years ● mean shepherd a servile life ●n exile a banished man from Pharaohs Court-Honors and pleasures of it as an underling i● hardship and durance And i● was a sudden Trial for he fle● for his life at an hours warning as well as a sore and long Trial of forty years and these sufferings as great as any man's in tha● age made him Meek ver● Mee● which word the Dutch Annotators render Patiented The Hebrew word hath affinity with afflictions saith Ainswort● which had taught him Patienc● Heb. 5. as sufferings did Christ who●● type he was These had subdue● anger and envy in him unto th●● so high a degree And Patienc● had its perfect work For otherwise we find he could be angr● at times Exod. 11. 8. and 26. 20 and 31. 19 Leu. 10. 16. Nu● 16. 11. and 31. 14. and chap● 20. 10 11. as Ainsworth hath collected them Jesus Christ hath taught us lesson against this envy Mat. 20. 15. Shall I not do what I will with mine own Are not all things mine And wilt thou envy that I have taken them from thee and not done so from another Shall thine eye be evil because I am good Shall a man be sick that another is in health 3. Inordinate Fears When too much trouble comes upon us we use to fear too much at the present And are apt to project a thousand things for the future as that poverty and beggary will follow many such fears lay hold upon us because we see God's anger hath begun and we know not the worst nor when or where●twill ●twill end But saith Christ Rev. 2. 10. Fear none of those things that thou shalt suffer Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of life Faith and faithfulness unto God or constancy in enduring unto death he here opposeth to Fear and Faith works Patience and Patience eats out fear Fortitude and courage differs from Patience in this that a stout courage in a man of a great Spirit will indeed overcome FEAR i● so be he sees any hope of evading and so will rouse a man's Spirit up to resistance and defence But Patience though it sees no hope as to this life yea nothing but present death afore it it will yet strengthen the heart to bear it and make a man Faithful unt● death and constant without prevailing fears even unto death 4. Murmuring against God● Patience works out that As i● Job The Devil projected hi● blaspheming He will blasphem● thee to thy face He made sure account of it and would needs turn Prophet and prophesy what Job would do and that before God But the devil was befooled and proved a lying Prophet Job instead of blaspheming God he blesseth God In all this Job charged not God foolishly I may say of it as in the Revelation twice 't is said of the Saints Here was the Patience of Job And it was that patient frame of Spirit that God had wrought in him which the Scripture so extols that enabled him hereunto 5. Faith by Patience mortifies inordinate CARES Against the times of those great distresses that were to come upon the Jewish Nation and among them upon the Christian Jews in that nation afore the destruction of Jerusalem which would try every vein in their hearts Christ gives two special exhortations besides divers others Luke 21. The first In YOUR Patience that is that Patience which is truly Christian and properly Yours possess your own souls v. 19 The second Take heed to yourselves least at any time your hearts be overcharged with the cares of this life Cares do as the word imports distract the Soul scatter it into wild thoughts and wand'ring anxieties But Patience which Christ first exhorts to calls all in and orders all to keep home and not stir out of doors abroad composeth all so as a man possèsseth his own Soul In Phil. 4 6 7. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God etc. I instance likewise for this in the difference of the two grounds in the Parable of the Sour 8 Luke 14 15. Of the Thorny ground 't is said That the word was choked by the CARES of the world But of the good ground oppositely that it brings forth fruit with PATIENCE Patience is contrary unto cares as well as unto unquietness or to other inordinate affections This for Patience its privative Work II. Branch of the III. HEAD I Come secondly to POSITIVE ACTS and workings of Patience which are many To begin with the lowest and so rise to the higher § 1. Patience includes and comprehends an Act of WAITING upon God and his good pleasure Waiting is an act of Faith continued or lengthened out and where Faith would of itself be short-winded Patience eeks it out The daughter helps the Mother with an expectation of anhappy issue 5. Jam. You find waiting involved in Patience as an eminent act thereof v. 7. Be patient therefore Brethren unto the coming of the Lord behold the Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it until he receive the early and latter rain Look how and in what manner the Husbandman waits so he sets out and exhorts a Christian Patient man should do Mic. 7. 7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my Salvation my God will hear me etc. UNTIL he plead my cause and execute judgement for me etc. v. 9 2. It is a waiting with quietness And that 's Patience work too Patience is not an enduring simply by force which we call patience per force but with quietness In the third of Lament the Church in her doleful condition expresseth the actings and workings of her own soul Although she speaks in the third person which is usual in the Scripture yet means herself v. 26. It is good that a man should bothhope and QUIETLY WAIT for the salvation of the Lord This was uttered when she was under the yoke and so was a fruit of Patience v. 27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth It is the Nature of Faith to quiet the heart in God Isaiah 26. 3. Thou wilt keep him 〈…〉 habet vim quietativam in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee And chap. 30. 30. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength And when Faith hath wrought Patience it quiets the heart much more Patience speaks quietness in the very sound of it And the reason is because it hath a strength accompanies it 1 Col. 11. Strengthened with all might unto all Patience and long-suffering And thence so far forth as Faith and Patience do strengthen the heart so far we are able to bear and that with quietness Let not your hearts be troubled saith Christ John 14. Why You believe in God believe also in me Faith on them will cause trouble to fly away Which is a great part of Christ's meaning when he says in patience possess your Souls that dwell quietly in your own Spirits as a man doth in his house which our Law terms his Castle 3. Patience carries on the heart without FAINTING or discouragement Isaiah 42. 4. The Meekness and Patience of Christ is there first set forth v. 2. He shall not cry nor list up his voice to be heard in the streets Th●n follows v. 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged not be broken as the Hebrew is that is in Spirit so as to cease from what God had given him to do or suffer he should go on with his work till he had perfected it 4. Patience in all sufferings submits to God and the will of God The Apostle sedulously puts in if it be the will of God when he had occasion to mention their sufferings and he doth it twice 1 Pet. 3. 17. If it be the will of God that ye suffer And chap. 4. v. last Wherefore let him that suffers according to the will of God etc. And in chap. 1. 6. If need be that is if God see it requisite to bring them on you And the Apostle would needs bring these clauses in though by way of Parenthesis so in two of these places mentioned The stronger the sufferings are the stronger is the will of God in bringing those sufferings And it is Patience in the Soul that works the heart to submission to that will Psal. 39 v. 9 I was dumb I opened not my mouth BECAUSE THOU DIDST IT Then when he confessed his sin of Bathsheba and murdering Vriah he considered not the wrong done them in comparison of That he had done against God therein Against THEE against THEE only have I sinned and Psal. 51. done this evil in thy sight And now when a retaliation for that sin in the rebellion of his own Son Absalon came upon him and Shimei had likewise bitterly cursed and reviled him which some latter expositors have deemed to have been the occasions of that Psalm * See Piscator and the Dutch Annotat And the Ground why it may be so judged is the conformity which these passages in the Psalm verse 8. Make me not the REPROACH of the foolish and this specially v. 9 I opened not my mouth because THOU DIDST IT do hold with that story 2 Sam. 16. 10 11. When Shimei did curse him upon occasion of which David simularly spoke thus The Lord hath said to him curse David Who shall then say wherefore hast thou done so Let him alone THE LORD HATH BIDDEN HIM Which is just as here THE LORD HATH DONE IT He in like manner in this his punishment layeth aside the consideration of all instruments that had brought those evils on him whoever they were whether it were these or some other and looks only unto God and submits because thou hast done it And though he confesseth that he was in a fume at first notwithstanding his fixed resolution to have been dumb as for speaking any thing that should savour of murmuring afore men Yet his flesh and corruption boiled within him as that useth to rise and work in us first so v. 2. 3. I was Dumb with silence I held my peace even from good And my sorrow was stirred or my distemper wrought the more my heart was hot within me whilst I was musing the Fire burned Then spoke I with my tongue And what he spoke savours of a man weary of life itself For he would needs know of God when his life should be at end thus v. 4. So impatient was he Yea but then when his grace came more deeply and throughly to be stirred and Patience to have in perfect Work he than considers God's hand alone in it how that it was HE had stirred up the Spirits of these wicked One● against him and found tha● himself had to do with Go● alone And then he was and silent indeed to purpose An● truly his heart at that time the occasion were that of Shime● and Absalon had been wrought up into as blessed a frame of submission to God as ever afore after in all his life time as hi● words in that chapter afore mentioned do declare 2 Sam● 15. 25 26. And David said if shall find favour in the eyes o● the Lord he will bring me again and show me both it viz. th● Ark and his Habitation BUT IF HE THUS SAY I HAVE NO DELIGHT IN THEE BEHOLD HERE I AM LET HIM DO TO ME AS SEEMETH GOOD UNTO HIM He herein perfectly gives up himself to God's good pleasure And it is as if he had said If it be good in his eyes so to deal it shall be so in mine I wholly give myself up unto whatever his design is upon me Yea he casts away himself into the supposition of Gods having no delight in him which is the most afflicting supposition a Godly man can make to himself of all other so perfectly did his will apply itself to God his will He had professed his waiting on God just before in that Psalm Now Lord what do I wait for My hope is in thee And now he adds I am dumb so for the present and I will be Dumb so for the future I will never open my mouth about it Piscator and the Dutch Annotator read it thus in both Tenses 5. Patience makes a man not Dumb only or not to open his mouth through submission But it makes him put his mouth in dust whereby a deeper humiliation and submission is yet expressed 'T is a farther humiliation to lie at God's feet with hi● face on the dust which is as low the person can go that if Go● will tread and trample upo● him there he is and in the posture presents and declare himself ready for that or an● dispensation from God Lam. The church did not only wai● v. 25. And wait quietly v. 26 and then sit down and keep lence v. 28. But did put mouth in the dust v. 29. But you will say all this done when the Soul hope as appears in those words in that 3. of Lam. v. 26. It is good that a man should hope and wait quietly and v. 29. He puts his mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope and indeed David in the 29. Psal. and likewise in those places cited of him out of Samuel he had hope concerning that particular thing he yet submitted unto God in as at the seventh verse of that Psalm appears And now Lord what do wait for my hope is in thee And then mentions the deliverance where in his hope lay in v. 8 9 10. And thus when Shimei cursed him his Soul in like manner did gather up hope the more upon it that God would bless him 2 Sam. 16. 12. IT MAY BE the Lord will look on mine affliction and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day But yet I confess his hope here and the Churches afore did each rise up but to an it may be 6. But Gospel Patience sixthly will work an effect when there is no hope as to the things and concernments of this life David and the Church said if there may be hope but Patience will say if there be no hope that is in this life that ever I should come out of this trouble I differenced Patien●● from Christian fortitude afore by this The Apostles did put primitive Christians over to the day of the Restitution of things and the Refreshing that should be then Thus Jam. 5. 7 8. Be Patient therefore Brethren UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD Behold the Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long Patience for it till he receive the early and latter rain Beye also Patient establish your hearts FO● THE COMING OF THE LOR● DRAWETH NIGH. As if he had said As for your pressures I can give you no hope of release out of them during this life but let your hearts fixedly make account of no other outward refreshment but that which shall be then by the coming of Christ which will be Spiritual And his similitude of the Husbandman's waiting for the harvest declares thus much v. 7. Behold the Husbandman waits for the precious fruits of the earth etc. Poorman he doth not reap this precious fruit of the earth until the Harvest He parts with precious seed And as unto him it is until the harvest time as good as lost The Psalmist hath the same comparison They sow precious seed and they go weeping as loath to part with it but shall return rejoicing bringing their sheaves with them Brethren there is an har●est a coming and joy sown for the upright in heart against that time It is now but sown but must come up one day But although the Husbandman in all appearance looks upon all as lost until the Harvest yet however he hath afore then in the mean while the early and the latter rain And they give hope of an harvest whilst he sees and finds God blessing and following his Corn with rain upon his Ground This as to the Husbandman's Hope which is the Apostles similitude And as to the Christians hope I understand by the early and latter rain according to the course of the similitude to be signified those illapses from heaven those refreshing bedewments which the holy Ghost vouchfafeth all along to such an expectants Soul as earnests of heaven and pledges of Gods certain intending to give him his expected harvest accord ing to the proportion of his Patience and waiting But still all these hopes wholly respect that other life But as to this life the Apostle gives no other hopes for them Nor no more doth the Apostle to the Hebrews chap. 10. 36. whilst he thus speaks Ye have need of Patience even to the end of your lives For it follows that after you have done the will of God you may inherit the Promises Still you will need Patience to your very last We use to speak the same to a man whose case is remediless you 'd need of Patience for your condition is not like to be bettered These had suffered the spoiling of their goods already v. 33. and had endured a great sight of afflictions as there Well but the storm is not yet over you have need of Patience still you are like never like to have your goods and estates again and I can give you says he no other hope but that you would patiently wait for the restitution of all things which is to be at the day of judgement for so it follows v. 37. For yet a little while and he THAT SHALL COME WILL COME and will not tarry And therefore cast not away your confidence which hath great recompense of reward verse 25. So that all the hope in this life is That the time will not be long § A seventh Act or Work of Patience is it causeth the Soul to sanctify God in a man's heart all sorts of ways I shall still instance as I have done more specially in Job's carriage whose Patience is so cried up by our Apostle When his outward losses of children etc. had their full accomplishment and the sad tidings thereof had filled his ears and heart chap. 1. by messenger after messenger till he had no more to lose the text tells us v. 20. He fell down on the ground AND WORSHIPPED He had been frequent in worshipping afore and that upon occasion of his children that they might not sin so you read v. 5. but all those his foregone worship sacrifices and prayers could not prevail with God to preserve them nor his goods neither But now when they are all gone the first thing he does is He falls down and worships Quest What may that contain in it Answ. I shall limit myself unto what his speech thereupon doth utter and the Posture of his worshipping doth signify both plainly showing what was in his Heart that moved him so to do and moved within him in the doing it 1. He adores God in his Sovereignty both in his falling down as also in those words The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken He is Lord says he the Lord of all All was his own and shall he not do what he will with his own as 10 Mat. 15. I am the Clay he is the Potter He is the Lord of me and all Job had prayed for his Sons as we did for the City so far as he had then in his view what might then concern them but for all his good prayers for them God took them away by a violent death and herein God seemeth angry with his prayers as with ours for the City yet Job begins to worship him afresh and adores him after all And 't was the first thing he applied himself unto Faith and Patience will cause the heart to apply itself to God in all sorts of dealings and will vent and utter gracious dispositions some way or other And to adore God which was most suitable to this condition he was in is an higher act then to pray simply considered though it be done mostly in prayer And as thus at first so he retained this practice and Principle all along although he did grow very unquiet when his Sins and God's wrath came in upon him Yet however impatient he otherwise were he still afterwards continued in this manner to adore and fall down afore God at times Thus in Chap. 23. 11 12. You shall see how this poor man falls down before God and submits to him He first professeth his integrity at v. 10. And his Faith as to the issue of his Trials that all would be for good He knoweth the way that I take when he hath tried me I shall come forth as Gold My foot hath held his steps etc. As if he had said But yet for all my holy walking with him his resolution and design upon me thus to tri● me went on And all my prayers aforehand could not turn him therefrom as follows v. 13 14. But he is of one mind and who can turn him And what his Soul desireth even that he doth for he performeth the thing that is appointed for me What is my Lot from him as this was I must take it and submit to it And Many such things are with him Many such strange and wonderful unusual dealings are with him and we must magnify him in all It is God's Sovereignty you see which he here adores and falls down afore And this passage you may set upon the score of those eminent speeches wherein he expressed his Patience which the Scripture commends it for and in the issue of his worst fits we find him still adoring and submitting to God § Secondly He humbles himself to the dust falls down to the ground First as himself was a Creature poor and emptied of all Alas What am I says he or what have I to challenge or assume to myself as mine What have I or am I that I have not received A poor naked thing I came into the world at first and but as poor and naked am I now when bereft of all my goods and as naked I must return I had nothing at first and I have but nothing now and I shall carry nothing with me into the other World Thus spoke Herald When Jacob was in hazard of and thought he should lose his goods and children and all as Job here actually lost both see how aforehand he humbles and debaseth himself as you read 32 Gen. 10. and how greatly before the Lord I am less than the least of thy mercies I am not worthy of a bit of bread and thou gavest me all I have And what was I once He considers as Job his original condition both as to matter of estate and children I came over Jordan but with this staff I had no more says he and now I have two bands both of cattle and Children And if God take all I am but where I was and where he once found me And truly Jacob his best Policy and design was to have compounded the matter and if he could but save half of either v. 8. if he might have half his estate and half his children he should have been considering the hazard of all something well appeased but now he puts in with God for the whole His thus Humbling of himself was afore he had lost any thing to the end to preserve it and Jobs was when he had lost all but both express the same Humility And as you find him here humbled as a poor Creature as poor as ever any was so elsewhere as deeply broken for his being a sinner and professing himself to be as naked and empty in respect of any righteousness of his own or of any thing he had to stand upon in the sight of God The great Apostle doth not more divest himself thereof in Ph. 3. then holy Job doth in chap. 9 23. I know it is so of a truth but how should man be just with God If he will contend with him he cannot answer him ONE OF A THOUSAND And yet more deeply and expressly v. 20 21. If I JUSTIFY myself mine own mouth I sinning in all my speeches and even in this now whilst I speak it shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse His meaning is had I never so perfect an inherent holiness yet if I come afore God to be justified I know not mine own Soul as he 'T is such a phrase as when Christ says I know you not there adds that is I look at nothing in my own Soul I utterly renounce all in it yea I would despise my life that is all that holiness I have in the course of my life exercised and had in me I despise it I count it dross and dung Though as for an integrity in point of sanctification he stood upon his points with God himself We find other Saints in their distresses to have been patient in the sense of their Sins I might instance in David how he humbled himself in that great distress which we spoke of and which silenced him so as you heard in that forecited 39 Psalm Deliver me from all my transgressions saith he verse 8. The remembrance of those struck him dumb afore God for that speech immediately follows v. 9 So the Church 7 Micah 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord for I have sinned against him A third Act comprehended in Jobs worshipping God is his blessing God as his words therewith also uttered show which blessed frame and disposition of Spirit his Faith by Patience had wrought in him upon this occasion Lo his high sufferings cause him to bless the Lord Blessed be the Name of the Lord says he He blesseth him that he had given him at first and that he had afforded him those blessings of children and goods so long And he was thankful for that and thought it but reasonable that if he received good he should also receive evil as the pleasure of God was chap. 2. 10. He blesseth God also because he found that God had blessed him with such things and blessings Heavenly which could not be taken away He found the love of God the same still It is a sure rule We never bless God but when we find that God blesseth us first As we do not love God but because God loves us first Now when the Soul finds that in afflictions and tentations God doth bless it this draws out from the Soul a blessing of God again And then doth the Soul say it is not only the will of my father & therefore shall I not drink the Cup he gives me But it is the blessing of my Father and shall not I bless him for it In every thing give thanks saith the holy Apostle 1 Thes. 5. 18. That is whatever the condition be still there is matter of thanks and so of blessing God III. Branch of the II. HEAD THE FRUITS OF PATIENCE THese the Apostles terms the Peaceable quiet fruits of Heb. 12. righteousness which chastening yieldeth after ye have been exercised thereby and that is through Patience gained by those afflictions § The 1. Fruit it works contentment an holy contentment And that adds a perfection to the Other former works of this grace 4 Phil. 11. 12. I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I know how to be abased and I know how to abound Every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need And he had learned it as Christ learned his obedience through sufferings and by his having run thorough so great a variety of conditions A man may be content when he is not fully satisfied When God frames a man's estate to his will than he is satisfied as Psal. 17. whose belly thou fillest with thy hidde● treasure But to be content is another thing It is not when have an estate according to my will but my will is brought to my estate And then I have as much content in that as in the greatest estate for life says Christ that is the comfort of life lies not in abundance 'T is true such a man would choose rather as the Apostle speaks a full estate yet patience boweth his judgement to such an approbation of his present condition as that which is best for him as being that which out of God's judgement and wisdom is allotted to him He so bends his Will unto such a correspondency with Gods will as he rests content 2. A second fruit of Patience is self-sufficiency the word is so 1 Tim. 6. 6. But Godliness with contentment is great gain The word translated Contentment is a more reaching word by far To say Contentment that 's too bare and scant a word but this more amplysignifies self-sufficiency In 2 Cor. 9 8. the same word is there translated sufficiency but still in the Greek it hath self added to sufficiency which imports a sufficiency within a man's self that he needs not go abroad for any thing he is sufficiently supplied from what is within The words of that verse are And God is able to make all Grace abound towards you that ye always having all self-sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work which let us consider 'T is true that in the Word all Grace he includes an outward Grace of giving such an abundance of external Blessings as they might always and in all things have enough for themselves and to spare yea to abound in every good work to others But yet the main of that Grace h● Centres in is an inward self-sufficiency in a man's own heart as without which they would never have satisfaction at home much less an heart to scatter abroad but a man's Natural self-unsufficiency as oppositely I call it would make his heart clung and narrow never contented in himself much less abounding to others though he had all the whole world So as indeed that is the Grace which the Apostle puts the weight upon THAT i● the Grace he Predicates So as the inference or Corrolary as to our purpose from thence may justly be That if on the other hand a true Christian be in never so great want or fallen into a condition of extreme poverty Comparatively either unto what himself once had which is the case of many a good Soul now Or unto others who still abound yet if God give him this All Grace of inward self-sufficiency he may be and is still as content and sufficient within himself as those in that abounding condition which the Apostle wisheth unto those Corinthious And the Reason is that the self-sufficiency of him that hath the most of such things lies not in those things but depends utterly upon that inward Grace spoken of or that inward frame of Spirit which this Grace composeth his Soul unto And this is evident from that place to Timothy first cited where it is that the Apostle ufoth the same word on purpose to comfort the Saints that were in a scant and bare Condition as to this World as the Coherence of verse 6 7 8 shows GODLINESS with SELF-SUFFICIENCY says he is great gain even virtually as much yea infinitely more than gaining all the World as Christ's speech is which moreover is spoken with a Connexion to these words For brought nothing into this World And it is certain we carry nothing on 't And therefore if we hav● nothing but food and raiment let us therewith be content so it follows And for so much God hath undertaken And the holy Apostle verifies this in himself that he had learned thus to be as Content when he wanted as when he abounded And in this frame we find elsewhere his mind to have been in the midst of all not wants only but pressures of all sorts Which also shows that Patience and Endurance through sufferings had been his Tutors and Instructiours thereunto For in a Cor. 6. chapter He having first reckoned up his sufferings v. 4. and made a Catalogue of them then in his final conclusion v. 10. he sums up all in this As SORROWFUL yet always REJOICING As poor yet making many rich As HAVING NOTHING YET POSSESSING ALL THINGS In which few words he compendiously speaketh what either out of that to the Corinthians 9 chap. I have now insisted on or that Paradox in my Text doth amount unto For those words as sorrowful in respect of divers Temptations yet always rejoicing are all one with Count it all joy when ye fall into divers Tentations as in the Text. And His having nothing yet possessing all things there is adequate and equivalent to the Corinthians supposed outward abounding always and in all things But then his being poor yet making many rich Therein he exceeded and transcended what they or any the most liberal-hearted rich man that ever was in the World could boast of in any of their or his abounding in any or every good or Charitable Works in relief to others So we see it is possible and attainable that a Christian may in the want of all have an all-self-sufficiency supper abounding the fullness of him in outward things who aboundeth most And all this was the fruit of his Patience and continual abiding under sufferings For he speaks this of himself whilst he is enumerating his sufferings which in that Chapter he doth at ●arge Thus perfect will Patience make you that as here the Apostle in my Text speaks you ●hall want nothing even in outward things when you have lost ●ll § If you ask me Whence hath a a Christian this self-sufficiency within himself and wherein lies it I answer if God and Christ dwell in the heart if I have the earnest of the Spirit for my salvation Or am partaker of his holiness and that Grace which accompanies salvation and do delight in the will and glory of God and in pleasing him and the like to these then I have a self-sufficiency within me If as in the 1 Joh. 4. 16. We have known and believed the Love that God hath to us God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwells in God and God in him The we have all within ourselves And is like as a man that hath provisions in and about his ow● house so plentifully as he need not go forth for any thing s● is it and will it be with us § A third Fruit is JOY I Colos● 11. Srengthened with all might unto ALL PATIENCE and long suffering with JORFULNESS You have it also in the Text it all joy etc. And Rom. 5. 8 We glory in Tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh Patience You will say to me how can this be doth not the Apostle say Heb. 12. 11. No chastning seems to be for the present joyous but grievous And our Saviour you shall weep when the world shal● rejoice And many the like I Give these Answers 1. The object of your joy is not simply your afflictions No no man can delight in them alone they indeed are grievous as saith the Apostle But your joy lies in looking unto what is the issue and event the end and reward of your Trials by them and that is it you are to Count the matter of your joy and ALL JOY To rejoice in the thing or the affliction itself is one thing And to rejoice in the expectation of the event and issue is another Then Secondly If you observe it the word in the Text is favourable Says he Count it all joy that is esteem it so He doth not say you shall have all joy at present But though you have not you may count it all joy that is you may reckon it as matter of all joy as many Interpreters paraphrase the words and so Reason yourselves into joy in your Judgements and so esteem it all joy Appretiatiuè as the School speaks though the passion of joy be wanting Thirdly Jesus Christ himself when he did endure the Cross and whilst he hung upon it and likewise afore whilst within the Garden he was not in a joyous frame of Spirit at that present as to the passion of joy nay his Soul was heavy unto death that while Yet it is said Heb. 12. 1. THAT FOR THE JOY that was set before him he did endure the Cross etc. And he therein is set forth as an example unto us in the same verse Let us run WITH PATIENCE the race that is set before us Looking unto Jesus etc. It is well if you look to the joy set before you as that which you certainly expect to come although you want the Passion of joy in that which you expect to come Fourthly You may perhaps not rejoice at present with great joy yet afterwards through much exercise of Patience it may grow up in you And this answer the Apostle himself gives in that Heb. 12. Distinguishing between what for the present and what for afterwards in time v. 11. Now no Chastning for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of Righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby And upon the hopes of that he bids them to lift up the hands that hang down and strengthen the feeble knees Yet Fifthly Some Christians have had and you may have actual joy at that present in the midst of your afflictions These Two great Trials and great Joys may well meet and stand together in the heart at once as in divers respects For the Apostle hath reconciled those two 1 Pet. 1. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice though Now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations That speech wherein ye greatly rejoice reacheth and riseth higher than to an accounting it matter of joy about what is to come but doth further absolutely speak of joy for the present And therefore to have the affection of inward joy itself greatly raised up and yet at that instant in the same Now as he speaks in outward respects to be in heaviness are compatible And 1 Col. 11. The Apostle speaks of such a glorious power accompanying the Saints in trials as shall work Patience and Long-suffering with JOYFULNESS And why else doth the Apostle also say Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice He contents not himself to have said it once as if to have them rejoice a little but he professeth to say it again because they should rejoice abundantly and this always and therefore in all times and in all conditions Of the coexistence of which two himself proposeth himself an example As sorrowful yet always Rejoicing FOUR BRANCH Some eminent Properties or ADJUNCTS of Patience which added do make it and its work Perfect § WHen a man's Spirit is brought to do these things with ease so as he shall not need to chide his Spirit into a Patient frame nor force himself into it But like as Ezra is said to be a ready Scribe Ezra 7. 6. that is he was perfect at his work his heart was prepared for it and enured to it v. 10. Thus Patience hath had a perfect Work when it frames the heart to a Readiness to those actings forementioned Thus the Apostle Acts 21. 17. I am not only ready to be bound but I am ready to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus His heart was so fully prepared as he stuck not at all at it yea it was an heart-breaking to him that his friends should offer to dissuade him What mean you to break my heart etc. 'T was his being enured to endurance and Patience that had begotten that Habit of it in him his heart was not to seek for it § A second Adjunct or Property which adds a perfection to all these is when the practice of it is DURABLE and hath some constancy in it As first Not by fits only That was Jonahs' fault Oh he was a Broken humble man when in the Whale's belly but how outrageous when out In Moses Patience had its perfect work in respect of the constant exercise of that Grace And therefore it was he had the honour to be styled the meekest man on Earth And truly it was not that meekness of his natural Temper nor merely as a moral virtue in him ●or which he is so extolled though these might contribute thereto But it was a Grace that was Spiritual in him the Grace ●f meekness and consequently ●f Patience which the holy Ghost had wrought in him and which he by sufferings had learned And my reason among others principally is that he was a Type of Christ therein according as God's promise was t● raise up a Prophet like unto Moses Like as in other Eminencies so especially in this Grace for which as Moses is commended there so Christ in the Evangelists and therein proposeth himself as an example Learn of me for I am meek etc. Now how CONSTANTLY did Moses bear along with that perverse murmuring and rebelling Nation both against God and himself with an invincible Patience and still interceded for them and thus Christ doth with us and for us And although we rea● how Moses was and could b● sometimes angry yea exceeding wroth as the words are where●● I gave the collection out of Ainsworth yet it was often in God's cause and still but so as the usual and constant frame of his Spirit was otherwise for which he had that renowned denomination and never was greatly out or overcome with impatiency we read of but once Num. 20. 10 11. compared with Psal. 106. 32 33. Secondly Patience is then perfect when it continues to the end As a Colour is said to be perfect when 't is Durable as a die in grain or as the India colours which while the cloth remains they ENDURE Now it is he that endures to the end Math. 24. that shall be saved You shall therefore find that unto LONG-SUFFERING Patience is added in two several places 1 Col. Strengthened unto all Patience and LONG-SUFFERING Patience there respects the weight or grievousness and heaviness of the affliction we are under And Long-suffering respects the duration and time The other is in an instance of the Apostle of himself 1 Tim. 3. 10. Thou hast known my long-suffering charity patience In 4 Jam. 7. 'T is said of the Husbandman whose case is made the persuasive unto Patience he hath LONG Patience This is a perfection indeed to bear long and to the end Be thou Faithful to death Revel 2. 10. To carry a great burden a quarter of an hour is an effect of some patience but to carry it a day or more or for a week there is long-suffering Why is it said that When you have done the will of God you have need of Patience but because still in the last part of your life after an active life for a long while ran through even then when you are near the promise your patience may be then at last most of all put to it § A third Property or requisite to perfect Patience is that it be universal which is either when a man hath been every way tried and hath passed thorough all sorts of Tentations Or when he hath still come off with Patience in some good measure in all those wherein he hath been tried although his trials have not been of all sorts A man's natural Spirit will help him to be patient in some things but in other things his heart is weak and cannot bear Oh not such such a Cross of any other But it is certain As GOD tried Abraham in his Isaac so GOD will the Sons of Abraham in what is dearest to them and yet enable them to bear it as I Cor. 10. and go thorough therewith Hence in the Epistles you meet with ALICE added to Patience and long-suffering both when Patience is prayed for as 1 Col. and exhorted unto as 2 Tim. 4. 2. But though this universality is to be prayed for and exhorted unto as that which makes it perfect yet it is well if in the great trials of our Lives we come off with some Patience suitable and from henceforth resolve with endurance so to do and so much is expected And it may seem strange that many that should be able to bear great trials between GOD and them with much quietness and submission are yet easily disadvantaged upon smaller occasions between men and them For which some reasons might be given FOUR Section ALthough I have dispatched the subject I first intended yet I find myself obliged to proceed a little further in the opening the fifth verse in order unto a relieving against a great DISCOURAGEMENT which I know hath or may have been in many Readers hearts whilst I have been thus discoursing these great things about the Perfect Work of Patience etc. And also to leave behind me the most apposite DIRECTION how to obtain this Patience in the perfect work of it and I will not go out of my Text for these things neither An Exposition of the 5. verse If any of you lack Wisdom let him ask of GOD that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him § THe Discouragement I know is Oh how remote are and have our hearts been from this perfect work of Patience Which yet some Saints have in so great a measure attained as those great examples given have shown both of Saints out of the Old and New Testaments what then shall I think of myself for the present will such a Soul say or for the future what shall I do Why truly GOD hath provided sufficiently in the Text for Answer to these Queries and Complaints of yours whereby both to relieve you against your Discouragement at your want of the exercise of these things And also to direct you to the most proper and effectual if not the only means to obtain them 1. As to this present Discouragement about your want and so great falling short of this hitherto which you are so sensible of Those first words in the Text If any of you lack Wisdom will be found greatly speaking to your relief therein 2. As to a Direction what you should do for the future to obtain it those other words Let him ask of GOD point us to the most proper and effectual remedy and way of supply in the case 3. With this great Encouragement added first drawn from the nature of GOD Ask of GOD that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not Then seconded with this Promise And it shall be given him Of these three HEADS of what follows briefly I. To the Discouragement § THe opening of these words If any of you lack Wisdom will greatly conduce to ease your heart as to that The effect of which is that the Apostle plainly supposeth that true believers may both really and in their own apprehensions especially be found greatly lacking in point of Patience when Trials do befall them And this I am sure hath reason to relieve you in what is like to be the great discouragement that usually falls out This to be the supposition of the Apostle is made good by opening four things 1. That by Wisdom here is plainly meant Patience together with the perfect Work of it which he had spoken of 2. That he speaks this unto those that were true believers If any of You. 3. How it may or can be said that true believers who have all Grace and the principles thereof in them to lack such or such a grace 4. The intimate reason and occasion upon which the Apostle utters himself in this supposition If any etc. § For the first Wisdom sometimes is taken largely for all Grace and gracious actings whatsoever Sometimes strictly for a particular Grace To find out the difference of which the measure is to be taken from the scope of the place where either of these is mentioned Now wisdom in this place is to be taken strictly that is for that particular Grace or piece of gracious Wisdom whereby to know how to be able to manage a man's self under Trials especially great sore and sudden ones Patiently which is done when we have taken in and digested by Faith such principles as our Christianity affords plenty of as grounds that instruct and enable the Soul joyfully to entertain such Trials and Tentations and to endure and go thorough them with a constancy of joy For look as the word Grace is taken either strictly or largely that is either for all Grace and yet again for any or every particular Grace each of which are called Grace also As ye abound in every Grace so ye abound in this Grace also Thus All Grace is called Wisdom in a large sense as usually throughout the Book of Proverbs But withal a particular Grace is called Wisdom too as the third Chapter of this Epistle ver 13. shows The Grace of meekness shown in speech and conversation he styles it meekness of Wisdom or a wise meekness or a meekness accompanied with and proceeding out of wisdom And thus Calvin and most others understand Sapientiae nomen ad circumstantiam praesentis Loci restringo Calvin in Verb. wisdom here in this my Text of this special Grace The scope and coherence with the former words carrying it thereunto True Patience being from such a Wisdom as whereby the Soul hath the skill and ability to manage a man's self patiently under Tentations to such an issue as that Patience should have a perfect work in us and unto this it is here to be restrained For this Grace it is he had been and still is discoursing of And there is a special and more peculiar reason why this skill of Patience should be styled Wisdom in a more eminent sense For what he had before uttered of rejoicing in afflictions and tentations and exhorted unto that Patience should have its perfect work these things being the hardest lessons in Christianity do there fore need and require the highest principles of Divine Wisdom both Doctrinal and Practical to be deeply inlaid and fixed in the Soul so as to bow and frame the heart unto a real practice and willing performance of such Dictates and conformity thereunto For than it is that knowledge is termed Wisdom and for that reason it is that our whole Religion is styled Wisdom because it rests not in bare Notional knowledge which is a differing thing from Wisdom but makes men proportionably wise to the practice of the things in which it instructs And particularly this skill of renduring Tentations such as hath been described doth deserve this stile more eminently for it so far outvies and is above the sphere of all Principles whether of Philosophy or what other profession or professors of Patience whatsoever who whilst in a sullen Patience for all of theirs was no better they professed to be wise they became foolish and Christianity infinitely out-shoots them in what they most gloried in § Secondly That he speaks this to them whom he supposeth true Believers and unto them as such is evident Although at the first blush as we say the words would seem to point at and speak to unregenerate men who wholly want all true wisdom and grace and so the drift should be an intended Direction to or for such to seek true Grace which they lack at the hands of God by Prayer But the Coherence manifestly shows that he speaks to such whom he supposeth to be already true Believers For in the next words he exhorts the same Persons whom he speaks to in these words to ask in Faith and therefore supposeth them to have true Faith already whom he directs this Exhortation unto And otherwise it had been more proper yea requisite to have exhorted them if he had intended it of unregenerate men first to seek Faith itself and then out of Faith and in that Faith to seek for this Wisdom or Grace of endurance And again he speaks to them that were Brethren so he calls them And in this passage says if any of YOU and such who being true professors of Christianity were exposed unto those sundry Tentations from persecutions especially And 't is such also whom he exhorts to count it all joy etc. and here to ask a Wisdom of GOD whereby to be able to suffer for their holy profession Furthermore this Wisdom lying in Patience having its perfect work in them it supposeth the persons such as had some Work of Patience and of other Graces begun in them already And indeed to have exhorted Unregenerate Men that were as yet utterly destitute of all Grace and so out of harms way as to any sufferings for the Gospel and to direct them to make this the first of their addresses to GOD and of their requests that they might be able to endure Tentations and that Patience should have a perfect work in them and so to have taught them that which is the hardest lesson in Christianity afore ere they had learned the first letters thereof this had been utterly improper and a lesson at too great a distance for men in their Natural state first to learn Thus much for the PERSONS viz. That he speaks it unto men already Regenerate and supposed in the Faith § The third thing Proposed was How it could be he should speak in this manner of Believers that they should lack this Grace of Wisdom whenas if such they must be supposed to have all true Graces in them why then should he yet say even of them If any of you Lack etc. Answer This expression to say such and such a Christian Lacks such or such a Grace is not uncouth nor unusual in the Scriptures when he or they have wanted the EXERCISE of it For though Christians do receive the Principles of all Graces as 2 Pet. 1. 3. yet they may neglect to stir up all graces or may have been disused to the exercise of some Why else and to what end doth the Apostle in the same place stir them up to add Grace to Grace as in verse 5. And in those cases a Christian may be said yea charged to lack that Grace or Graces which he wants the exercise of For so in the same Chapter ver 9 speaking of a Dozed negligent professor though true he useth this very language of him He that lacks these things as I have elsewhere opened that Scripture For Idem est non esse et non uti 'T is all one for a thing not to be and not to be used when the being of a thing is wholly ordained for use and operation Now such a thing is Grace and such a thing if not used is as if it were not And the opposition that is between adding Grace to Grace v. 5. that is the exercise of one Grace after another & the lacking Grace in that v. 9 evidently shows that phrase to be so understood not of the utter want of the Grace but of the exercise § The Fourth thing is The intimate Reason or occasion whereupon the Apostle doth utter himself in such a supposition If any of you lack This will appear by considering these three things First In respect that the had Siquis vestrum non potest intelligere V●ilitatem Tentationum postulet a Deo toibui sibi tentum Beda in Locum exhorted to so hard and difficult a Practice to Count it all Joy etc. Which requireth such high principles to be drunk in about the good and benefit of Tentations in the issue and end of them which principles must also have been thoroughly concocted in their hearts first who shall attain to this And Secondly There being many poor Souls as of such that were weak and some New Converts amongst them whom he wrote to who might and did then as many  that yet are sincere-hearted in the sense of their own weakness find and apprehend themselves so far off and remote from such high principles and attainments and therefore upon his thus discoursing were like to be utterly discouraged thinking with themselves judging themselves by the present frame of their infirm Spirits both that their hearts had never yet nor would ever be wrought up to this Pitch What to count it all joy think they is that it you exhort us unto Alas our hearts tremble at the very thoughts of entering into such sudden and so great tentations as you here forewarn us of And of all graces else it is this of a Patient suffering frame and strength of ● Spirit thereto that is and hath been our want This is it WE LACK nor do we know how to manage ourselves wisely under such Trials so as to glorify GOD yea and not shamefully to dishonour him Nay if we should fall into such trials and sufferings we are liker utterly to fall away under them rather than to rejoice when we fall into them Further Thirdly There might be many strong Christians as to the active part of the life of Christianity who yet might be to seek as fresh Soldiers at the first when such trials come unexpectedly and thick and threefold upon them and that they fall into them as downfalls and Precipices And in this dreadful a manner he had set them out to them as impendent on them as was opened And even such Christians being surprised might be at a loss at first in respect of that Confidence of Spirit to bear them till by Prayer and Faith recollecting themselves they should anew obtain or regain this Wisdom Even strong Christians are apt to be stounded at first as men are with a greatblow and cannot well stand or keep their ground Now unto such either of these doth the Apostle in this Language If any of you lack apply himself and therein speaks to their very hearts But especially to the first sort of weak Christians And indeed speaks their very fears and most inward thoughts and apprehensions they had or might have of themselves And so utters their misgiving of heart in their own Language Oh I lack these things says the Soul If any of you lack says the Apostle And it is no small comfort to such to hear an Apostle from the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost to suppose that very true and sincere Christians may thus be lacking and thus surprised Thus as to the Removal of their main Discouragement which was the first thing proposed II. THE DIRECTION Let him ask of God HAving thus spoken their hearts as to the fears & apprehensions of themselves in respect of their falling short of this high duty of Joy and Patience etc. He now DIRECTS them to the most proper and sovereign MEANS for the obtaining of it of all other and that is faithful instant PRAYER Let him ask of God etc. And herein also he speaks the hearts of all true Christians also even of the weakest whose refuge in all their wants is to cry to God for a supply of what they lack especially when they feel or are apprehensive of their lack and want in any Grace that should help them in time of need And look what effectual supply of this Grace in Tentations all the Apostles persuasions alone would not have effected That Faith venting itself in constant and fervent Prayer will bring in and obtain and their hearts will in the end be raised and wrought up unto So as they shall be able to abound in this Grace also Weak Faith when it cannot find in its heart to suffer or so much as to enter into trials can yet pray and so doth beg with desires unutterable to have this Grace to be able to suffer these trials in this joyful manner as the Apostle exhorts unto And the weak heart continuing so to pray and importune God in the end THIS shall be given him As here he promiseth I shall not enlarge on this further For when an Apostle shall single forth a MEANS And that One single One whereby to obtain any eminent Grace one needs that means aught to be with all diligence put into use and practice and so there needs no more to urge it Only observe how in this directive part he puts them not upon praying chiefly to have Tentations and trials averted or kept of nor to ask deliverance out of them though that is lawful and may be done Not a word of these in this his exhortation but he draws the main and great intention of their Souls unto praying for Grace how to be patient and joyful etc. This as to the direction III. HIS ENCOURAGEMENTS TO PRAY § HIs ENCOURAGEMENTS That by seeking a believer shall obtain are drawn first from that gracious wont and disposition Of God that giveth to all men liberally etc. As being a God 1. That giveth to all men And this also is to be limitedly understood of all those men who thus do have or shall apply themselves Cum dicat omnibus intelligit qui Petunr Calvin in Virba unto God by faithful and importunate Prayer For he had said first Let him ask of God And therefore God's Giving here must be supposed to be a giving to him that asketh Again although it be said that Faith works Patience yet it is prayer that fetcheth and brings down the power from God into the heart that works both Faith and Patience and all Prayer is the Midwife by which Faith the Mother brings forth Patience in the heart II. His gracious disposition in giving is further set out 1. That he giveth liberally The word both signifies a free hearted giving in a pure way of simplicity of heart as being neither moved by any respect in us as of worthiness or the like But singly and simply out of such motives and considerations as are in his own heart and which his own great and gracious divine Nature prompts him to FREELY We generally use to say out of his free Grace which comes all to one with the import of the word which the Apostle useth here Therefore make that Grace as thy plea to him in thy Prayers for it or whatever else thou seekest at his hands 2. It signifies largely abundantly liberally RICHLY as the word is used in 2 Cor. 8. 2. And so translated there You have both in that passage of david's 2 Sam. 7. 21. According to thine own heart there 's freely or simply hast thou done all these GREAT things There 's Liberally AND UPBRAIDETH NOT. THat 's a second property or disposition in God & his giving The sense where of is First that when he hath given liberally never so often nor so much yet he upbraideth not as men are wont to do Among men he that is most liberal yet if the same man he hath formerly given unto will come often to him to be relieved in the end he at least will excuse himself or else say Why do you come so often thus again and again Which is a  and implicit way of upbraiding or insinuation of foreg on benefits Surely NECEXPROB●T Hoc additum est Ne quis deum sepi us adire metuat ●ui ex Hominibus maximè sunt Liberales rametsi identidem quispiam juvari se postuler priora beneficia commemorant at que ita excusant IN POSTERUM Calvin in verba Vel certe ideo addit nequis deum sepius adire vereatur Calvins very words nun enim dicit jam toties dedi quid adhuc me obtundis Ut solent homines etiam qui maximè sunt liberales Calvins very words again Sed Deus ut est Fons inex●austus ita ad dandum modo pet●ssicut oportet paratissimus imo i●●e ultro nos invitans ad semper petendum etc. Aestius in verba Calvin and Aestius from him have hit it who put this scope and drift upon this Clause That no man should be afraid or solicitor to come though never so often to this free and generous Giver nor be discouraged within himself that he should need to come so often to him nor forbear to continue his incessant importunities though it be never so long a time ere he obtains And thus understood it is as if he had said God is so free so simple-hearted and liberal in giving as the oftener you come the welcomer especially when for Grace yea HE hereby inviteth us of his own free heart to come always to ask and pray continually and incessantly as that Parable Luk. 18. 1. made on set purpose shows So then a frequent constant importunate continuing in prayer to obtain is hereby exhorted unto A second scope in his adding this clause is That though we find that God doth indeed upbraid impenitent men for their sins as Christ those Cities yet he never did or ever will do any sinners in this case wherein it is proposed namely when they shall come and humble themselves for their sins seeking for more Grace to help in time of need against their corruption and this much rather then for deliverance from or out of troubles in this case he will not twit them with any of their unworthiness that hath been past He will pass by their iniquity and not upbraid them And this is a great encouragement indeed For the guilt of sin and former ingratitude do above all things deter men from coming to God lest He should remember their iniquities and upbraid them with them And it shall be given him HE follows and confirms this hope of obtaining with this sure and certain promise And it shall be given him For when the Souls of men being made thoroughly apprehensive of their own wants of a Grace are carried forth to choose to seek for Grace or such or such a gracious disposition and that before and above all deliverance out of the trials they are in as was afore observed the Apostle had directed In this case God that is the God of all Grace is the most ready giver of Grace that he is of any thing else There are no requests more pleasing to him or that suit his divine and blessed disposition so as THIS doth of praying for Grace as thus stated For the bestowing and giving of Grace thus prayed for doth tend above all things else to the glorifying of himself And it is the aiming thereat that must and doth carry out such an heart to make this to be the Top and Chief of its most earnest petitions The God of Grace is the most free of Grace Thus Christ says If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give THE HOLY SPIRIT to them that ask him Our Apostle hath also told us that though the Spirit that is in us lusteth to envy that yet God gives more Grace that is a counterpoise of Grace unto that lust unto all them that humbly seek for it as Chap 4. 5 6 7. Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain the Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy But he giveth MORE GRACE He resisteth the proud but giveth Grace to the HUMBLE § I shall now go forth of my Text but to fetch in one thing I observe when the Apostle particularly comes to that part of his Prayer made for the Colossians that they might have all Patience and Long-suffering with Joyfulness which exactly agrees with what is the matter exhorted unto in this Text He implores the GLORIOUS POWER OF GOD in these words 1 Col. 11. That ye may be strengthened with all might ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS POWER unto all PATIENCE and LONG-SUFFERING with JOYFULNESS And to draw and fix your hearts on this Glorious Power of GOD and point your prayers thereto is the thing which I mean & intend And indeed the consideration of this one thing will have a general influence into ALL those three Heads have been treated of in this last fourth SECTION As first It may be no great wonder 1 Head if many of us have been so deficient and LACKING in this Grace For it is not an Ordinary Power such as in ordinary walkings holily doth assist us but a GLORIOUS Power is requisite to perfect this Grace which argues this to be so difficult an exercise above any other and that our Natures are infinitely remote from it of ourselves which we not minding nor considering have not perhaps with answerable vehemency implored the aid of so Great a Power And secondly This gives us a clear reason why prayer of all other means 2 Head should be directed by the Apostle and extraordinarily set upon by us as the most effectual yea as an only means to obtain this For seeing that Power lies out of ourselves in GOD which must effect this in us then surely nothing can be judged so prevailing as Faith and Prayer which are the Graces in and by which the Soul going out of itself in a sense of its utter insufficiency supplicates the Grace in God's heart to exert this power of his good pleasure and so do draw it forth and bring it down into the Heart And then thirdly This 3 Head gives us the highest encouragement that we may obtain this perfect work of it however remote from it the present temper of our Spirits may seem to be to us Seeing that no less than such a glorious power is requisite to effect it in the strongest Christians And a power so glorious is able to work it in the weakest Let us Pray therefore with all vehemency for ourselves as the Apostle did for those Colossians that this glorious power may come upon us and strengthen our inward man as 't is elfwhere with all might which might in us is the Ephes. 4. 17. effect of that power in God as the cause For as this Patience is to be an All Patience or else it hath not its perfect work so this MIGHT it must be an all might you must be strengthened with unto such A Patience of you will not be perfect at it That MIGHT you had in such or such a Trial will not serve to strengthen you against the next trial that shall come But you must still have a new special might for every new trial Your dependence therefore is great upon God for this perfect work of Patience And yet your encouragements are great For as it must be that if God will please to strengthen us under any great unusual Tentations that he should put forth no less than this Glorious power So we have heard how in our Apostle he hath promised he will give it and give it freely and liberally to them that make it their main constant earnest business to ask it And therefore his Grace if applied to is engaged to put this POWER forth It cannot but be a great support to a weak heart that finds itself so remote and distant from such a work of Patience and weak also in comparison of finding such an inward might that it should have Ground and Cause to think and to believe that God's glorious power is engaged most sreely to be abundantly and readily put forth if continued to be sought unto Why this says the weak heart will do it namely this glorious power And I have found by some Trials already that the strong God and a weak heart will be too hard for any thing yea for the whole World And therefore when you think your present trials that are come upon you far greater than you can bear think withal of the glorious power of God that is at hand to help you 'T is a great word That his GLORIOUS POWER A greater attribute could not have been named or found out for our comfort And is a word of virtue force and power to hearten to or against anything whatever 'T is true thy present trial may be and is above that in ward strength which serves and hath served hitherto to act thy graces in thy ordinary walkings with God holily and sincerely A child may by its ordinary strength be able to walk up and down a room by stools suppose supporting it without any other extraordinary help But if it be to go up a pair of Stairs the strength that enabled it to these lesser performances will not be sufficient thereunto He must be carried and held up in the arms of one who is strong and mighty And so it is here That other part of our Christian obedience the active ●ife of a Christian prayed for by the Apostle in that place to the ●olossians also whereby he walks fruitfully etc. as in the seventh ●erse of that chapter requires indeed God's power for by it it is we are kept unto Salvation all-a-●ong But when it comes to Patience and Long-suffering and ALL PATIENCE and that such ● trial comes as will try all Patience in you than it is He makes ●ention of that glorious Power ●nd not afore For it must be no ●ess that must go to that than God's GLORIOUS POWER And ●he promise therefore is in such case that the SPIRIT OF GLO●Y shall rest upon us and not ●he Spirit of Grace only as I Pet. 4. 14. Relieve and comfort therefore yourselves with these things and specially with this That as your trials abound so this glorious power of God will abound also towards you for your support AMEN FINIS Some Slips and Omissions PAge 4. Line 11. For strongest Read strangest Page 18. Line 15. After to Patience Read Let Patience have but its perfect work and that alone will make you eminently perfect And his scope etc. Page 24. line 25. For And they Read And now they Page 58. line 16. After In the world Read Which he had reckoned up Page 90. line 21. After Discouragement Read For this cause we faint not Page 99 line 9 For Spiritual Read In Glory Page 106. line 1. For But yet for all my Read But for all he knew my Page 109. line ult. Read His meaning further A. Page 111. line 18 After So long Read The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken Blessed etc. Page 119. line 12. After Sums up Read The Frame of his Spirit Page 131. line 20. Read Unto Patience LONG-SUFFERING is added Page 148 Margin For Toibi sibi tentum Read Tr●bui sibi sensum