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those near and dear mercies that now thou hast lost. Israel were very bad whilst they were in the wilderness, Deut. xxxii. 5. to the end; but they were much worse when they came to possess Canaan, that land of desires, Jer. v. 7, 8, 9. chap. ii. 31. and chap. xxii. 21. Hos. iv. 7. Man's blood is apt to rise with his outward good. In the winter, men gird their clothes close about them, but in the summer they let them hang lose; in the winter of adversity, many a Christian girds his heart close to God, to Christ, to gospel, to godliness, to ordinances, to duties, &c. who, in the summer of mercy, hangs loose from all.

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I have read of the pine-tree, that if the, bark be pulled off, it will last a long time but if it continue long on, it rots the tree. Ah! how bad, how rotten, how base would many have proved, had not God pulled off, their bark of health, wealth, friendship, &c? Near and dear relations, they stick as close to us, as the bark of a tree sticks to the tree; and if God should not pull off this bark, how apt should we be to rot and corrupt ourselves?. therefore God is fain to bark us, and peel us, and strip us naked and bare of our dearest enjoyments, and sweetest contentments, that so our souls, like the pine-tree, may prosper and thrive the better. Who can seriously consider of this, and not hold his peace, even then when God takes a jewel out of his bosom? Heap all the sweetest contentments, and most desirable enjoyments of this world, upon a

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man, they will not make him a Christian; heap them upon a Christian, they will not make him a better Christian: many a Christian hath been made worse by the good things of this world, but where is the Christian that hath been, bettered by them? Therefore be quiet when God strips thee of them.

12. Lastly, Get thy heart more affected with spiritual losses, and then thy soul will be less afflicted with those temporal losses: that thou mournest under. Hast thou lost nothing of that presence of God, that once thou hadst with thy spirit? Hast thou lost. none of those warmings, meltings, quicken-r ings, and chearings that once thou hadst ?: Hast thou lost nothing of thy communion with God, nor of the joys of the Spirit, nor of that peace of conscience that once thou enjoyedst? Hast thou lost none of that! ground that once thou hadst got upon sin, Satan, and the world? Hast thou lost nothing. of that holy vigour, and heavenly heat, that once thou hadst in thy heart?. If thou hast not, (which would be a miracle, a wonder,) why dost thou complain of this or that tem-1 poral loss? For what is this, but to complain of the loss of thy purse, when thy gold is safe? If thou art a loser in spirituals, why. dost thou not rather complain, that thou hast lost thy God, than that thou hast lost thy gold? and that thou hast lost thy Christ, than that thou hast lost thy husband? and that thou hast lost thy peace, than that thou hast lost thy child? and that thou art a loser

in spirituals, than that thou art a loser in temporals? Dost thou mourn over the body the Soul hath left? Mourn rather over the soul that God hath forsaken, (as Samuel did for Saul, 1 Sam. xv. 35.) saith one.

I have read of Honorius a Roman emperor, who was simple and childish enough, when one told him Rome was lost, he was exceedingly grieved, and cried out, Alas! alas! for he supposed it was his hen that was called Rome, which hen he exceedingly loved : but when it was told him, it was his imperial city of Rome, that was besieged by Alaricus, and taken, and all the citizens rifled, and made a prey to the rude enraged soldiers, then his spirits were revived, that his loss was not so great as he imagined. Now what is the loss of a husband, a wife, a child, a friend, to the loss of God, Christ, the Spirit, or the least measure of grace, or communion with God? &c. I say what are all such losses, but the loss of a hen, to the loss of Rome? And yet so simple and childish are many Christians, that they are more affected and afflicted with the loss of this and that poor temporal enjoyment, than they are with the loss of their most spiritual attainments. Ah Christians! be but more affected with spiritual losses, and you will be more quiet and silent under temporal losses. Let the loss of Rome trouble you more, and then the loss of your hen will not trouble you at all. Let these things suffice for answer to the second objection.

Object. 3. "Oh! but my afflictions, my troubles have been long upon me, and how

then can I hold my peace? Were they but of yesterday, I would be quiet, but they are of a long continuance; and therefore how can I be silent?"

To this I answer, 1. Thou canst not date thy affliction from the first day of thy pollution. Thou hast been polluted from the womb, but thou hast not been afflicted from the womb, Psal. li. 5. Many have been the days, the years, since thou wast born in sin; few have been the days, the years, that thou hast experienced sorrow: thou canst not easily number the days of thy sinning, thou canst easily number the days of thy suffering; thou canst not number thy days of mercy, thou canst easily number thy days of calamity; thou canst not number thy days of health, but thou canst easily tell over thy days of sickness.

2. Thy afflictions are not so long as the af flictions of other saints; compare thy winternights, and other saints winter-nights toge ther; thy storms and troubles, and other saints storms and troubles, together; thy losses and other saints losses together; thy miseries, and other saints miseries together; witness these following proofs, Psal. lxxvii. and lxxxviii. Gen. xv. 12, 13. Exod. xii, 40, 41, 42. Jer. xxv. 11, 12. Thy afflictions are but as a moment, they are but as yesterday, if compared with the afflictions of other saints, whose whole lives have been made up of sorrows and sufferings, as the life of Christ was many a man's life hath been nothing but a lingering death, Job xxi. 25. “And a

nother dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure." There are those that have never a good day all their days, who have not a day of rest among all their days of 'trouble, nor a day of health among all their days of sickness, nor a day of gladness among all their days of sadness, nor a day of strength among all their days of weakness, nor a day of honour among all their days of reproach, whose whole life is one continued winter's night, who every day drink gall and wormwood, who lie down sighing, who rise groaning and who spend their days in complaining. No sorrow to our sorrows, no sufferings to our sufferings: some there be who have always tears in their eyes, sorrows in their hearts, rods on their backs, and crosses in their hands; but it is not so with thee, therefore be silent."

- 3. The longer thy affliction hath been, the sweeter will heaven be to thee at last. The longer the Israelites had been in the wilderness, the sweeter was Canaan to them at last, Psal. cxxvi. 1, 2. 5, 6. The longer the storm, the sweeter the calm; the longer the winternights, the sweeter the summer days; long afflictions will much set off the glory of heaven. The harbour is most sweet and desireable to them that have been long tossed upon the seas; so will heaven be to those who have been long in a sea of troubles. The new wine of Christ's kingdom is most sweet to those that have been long a-drinking of gall and vinegar, Luke xxii. 18. The crown of

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