A posing question, put by the wise man, viz. Solomon, to the wisest men concerning making a judgment of the temporal conditions : wherein you have the ignorance of man (in knowing, what is good, or evil, for man in this life) discovered, together, with the mistakes that flow from it : and the great question resolved, viz. whether the knowledg of, what is good for a man in this life, be so hid from man, that no man can attain it / preached at the weekly lecture at Upton ... by Benjamin Baxter ...

THE CONTENTS.

The Text, Eccles. 6. 12. The first part of the Verse,

CHAP. I.

SOlomons Design in the whole Book Discovered.

• Mans Felicity consists not in Riches.
• Proved by
  • Some Arguments; Chap. 5.
  • 4. more Arguments, Chap. 6.

The words, a Questionary Proposal.

• Doct. No man infallibly knoweth what is good, (and so on the contrary) What is evil for a man in this life.

The Doctrine Explicated,

• 1. Of what Good to be understood,
  • Five Distinctions of good.
• 2. Of what Men,
  • Of All
    • Good.
    • Bad.

The difference shewed, between a Godly mans, and another mans knowledg, of what is Good or Evil, for a man in this life, in 4. Particulars.

A Godly mans Ignorance, shewed in 2. Particulars.

CHAP. II.

Confirmation of the Doctrine, by

• Scripture.
• Reason.

The Reason of 2. sorts.

• 1. Some respecting God.
• 2. Some respecting Man.

• 1. Respecting God.
  • God hath hid this knowledg from man.
  • Why God hath hid it, shewed in 9. Particulars.

CHAP. III.

• 2. Respecting Man, (viz.)
• Man's Inability to know it.
• This is shewed in 7. Particulars.
  • 1. Man's Ignorance of mens Spirits and Dispositions.
  • 2. Not knowing how they will manage their Condition.
  • 3. Not knowing, to what Evils and Dangers, their Condition may expose them.
  • 4. Not knowing, what Snares Satan may lay in a Condition.
  • 5. Not knowing, what the Wheel is, within the Wheel.
  • 6. The sudden Change of Conditions.
  • 7. Want of the Right Art, of making a Judgment of Conditions. Most judg of them

By

• Opinion.
• Sense.
• Affection.

CHAP. IV.

Questions Resolved.

• 1. Question, Whether it be lawfull to Pray against Afflictions, since a man knoweth not, but they may be good for him.
• Answered
  • 1. Generally, in 4. Things.
  • 2. Particularly in 2 Things.
• It is lawful to Pray for the
  • Keeping them off.
  • Taking them off.
• 1. For keeping them off. But we must Pray for that
  • Not Absolutely.
  • But Conditionally.
• A double praying against Afflictions,
• viz.
  • The things themselves.
  • The Evil of the things.
• ...

• 2. For the taking them off; shewed in 4. Particulars.

CHAP. V.

2. Question, Whether it be lawful to pray for the things of this life? Since we know not but they may be for evil to us.

Answered

• 1. Generally.
• 2. Particularly.

• 1. In General, shewed it is lawful in 6. things.
• 2. Particularly, Not to pray for them
  • Absolutely.
  • Vltimately.

God's Glory chiefly to be eyed, in praying for outward things.

How a man may know, he eyes the Glory of God in praying for outward things; shewed in 4. Particulars.

3. Question, Whether man's Ignorance, of what is good or evil for him in this life, doth warrant him to ad∣venture upon businesses, hand over head,

Without

• Consideration.
• Circumspection.

Answered in 6. Particulars.

CHAP. VI.

Application.

• 1. Information. Of three sorts of Persons, mistaken about Conditions.
• 1. Some about a Prosperous Condition, Thinking it good for them.
  • Four Grounds of their mistake.
  • Their Grounds Examined.
• The fallaciousness of them discover'd in divers particulars

CHAP. VII.

• 2. Some mistaken about an Afflicted Condition.
  • ...

• ...
  • Five sorts of things about which they are Mis∣taken.
  • The Grounds of those mistakes Examined.
  • Several Queries put to such, who so mistake.
• 3. Some mistaken, in thinking it is good for them, be∣cause they are Afflicted.
  • The Ground of that mistake
    • Discovered.
    • Examined.

CHAP. VIII.

• 2. Information. That we should be content to re∣ceive Evil, as well as Good, at the Hand of God.
• Seaven Reasons for it.
• The great Question Resolved, (viz.) Whether the know∣ledg, of what is Good or Evil for a man in this life, be so hidden from man, that no man can attain to it.
• Answered; and Directions given:
• The Directions of 2. sorts
  • 1. General.
  • 2. Particular.
• 1. General. Something is to be
  • Known.
  • Done.

• 1. What is to be Known.
  • 1. Who is the Framer of Conditions.
  • 2. What is the right way of judging of Conditions.
    • That shewed in 6. Particulars.
  • 3. What it is makes a Condition good for a man in this life.

• 1. An Interest in the Covenant.
• 2. The Enjoyment of God in a Condition.
• 3. Suitableness of Spirit to a Condition.
• 4. Peace within.
• 5. Doing the work of our Condition.
• 6. Living above our Condition.

• ...
  A twofold living above it,
  • 1. Sinful.
  • 2. Holy living above its
    • Comforts.
    • Crosses.
• 7. Watchfulness against the Temptations of a Condition.

CHAP. IX.

• 8. Spirituallizing a Condition.
• 9. An holy Indifferency of Spirit, in respect of Conditions.
  • Five Reasons for that Indifferency.
• 10. Right Behaviour in a Condition.
  • Nothing of God's must displease us.
  • Nothing of ours must displease God.
• 11. Enjoyment of our selves in a Condition.
• 12. Adorning our Condition.

Thus for what is to be known, by those that will make a Judgment of Conditions.

2 What is to be Done.

• 1. Inquire by Prayer, What is the Mind and Meaning of God in a Condition.
  • Two things to be inquired after
    • 1. God's End
    • 2. Our Duty
      • in it.
• 2. Searching our selves, What we are in a Condition.
• 3. Taking a right view of Conditions.
  • How to take a right view of conditions.
    • 1. View them by Scripture-Light.
      • How the Scripture helpeth us, in Viewing of Conditions. Shewed in 6. Particulars.

CHAP. X.

• 2. In Viewing a Condition, take a right standing: Particular Directions about that.
• Quest. How a man may know, Whether a Prosperous Condition be good for him?
• ...

• ... Answered,
  • 1. If Temporal, hinder not Spiritual Prosperity.
  • 2. Vsing the things of that Condition, with right considerations.
  • (viz.) Of their
    • Changeableness.
    • Dangerousness.
    • Vsefulness.
    • Inferiority.
    • Emptiness.
    • Our own Mortality.
    • Our Accompt.
  • 3. Not forgetting the Afflictions of Joseph.

CHAP. XI.

• Quest. How a man may know, Whether an Afflicted Condition be Good for him.
• 1. He must make a Judgment of himself.
• Two Questions to be put to our selves in that Condition.
  • 1. What we do in it.
  • 2. What we make of it.
• 1. What a man is to do in that Condition?
• 1. To find out, What an Affliction comes in Order to.
• 2. To set in with the Affliction, and to further it in the work, for which it is sent.
• 3. To eye our Passions and Affections, more than our Afflictions.
• 4. To eye our Sins, more than our Sufferings.
  • Five things to move us to it.
• 5. To keep our Hearts open Heaven-ward.
• 6. To keep the Ear open to Counsel.
• 7. Framing the Heart, to a Pious Submission to God.
• 8. Laying the Affliction to heart.
  • A two-fold laying Affliction to heart.
    • 1. Carnal, sinful, hurtful.
    • 2. Spiritual, holy, helpful.
• ...

• 9. Patient Waiting
  • On God.
  • For God.
• 10. Making all out of God, that we need in that Con∣dition.

CHAP. XII.

• 2. What do you make of an Afflicted Condition:
• Affliction is, 1. God's Furnace, to
  • Melt.
  • Refine.
• 2. God's School.
• In a School, there is a
  • Book.
  • Rod.
• Affliction is God's Rod, to beat somewhat
  • Into us.
  • Out of us.
• Five Queries, concerning what Instructions, Afflictions have Sealed.
• 3. Affliction is God's Plough.
• The work of the Plough, shewed in 3. Particulars.
• 4. Afflictions are God's Physick.
• What kind of Physick, shewed in 3. Particulars.

CHAP. XIII.

Quest. What Counsel and Direction to be given, con∣cerning the Choosing or Refusing Conditions.

Directions

• General.
• Particular.

• 1. General.
  • 1. Be not your own Choosers.
  • Man's unfitness to be his own Chooser of his Condition.
  • Quest. How a man may know he is not his own chooser.
  • Answered in 8. Particulars.
  • Quest. Whether Lawful, to wish things had fallen

• ...
  • out otherwise than they did.
  • Answered in several Particulars.
• 2. Particular Directions.
  • 1. Seek not great things, but only what is Convenient.
  • The Good of desiring what only is Convenient.
  • 1. It freeth us from Temptations.
  • 2. It is the most Easy, in respect of a burthen of
    • Cares.
    • Duties.
  • 3. It is Safest for us.
  • 4. Most Commodious for us as Christians, whose life is compared to a
    • Race.
    • Warfar.
    • Pilgrimage.

CHAP. XIV.

• Quest. What is to be Accompted
  • Competent.
  • Convenient.
• Answered in 4. things.
• 2. Direction, Seek those things that are good, with∣out Controversy and Dispute.
• Quest. What those things are?
• Answ. 1. In General. Godliness, which is good and profitable
  • For all Persons.
  • For all Things.
  • At all Times.
  • For both Worlds.
• 2. In Particular. This is Good without Dispute.
• 1. To Eye more the Enjoyment of God, than En∣joyments from God.
• 2. To Rejoyee more in the God of our Mercies, then in the Mercies of our God.
• ...

• 3. To serve God chearfully, however He serve us.
• 4. To keep God, what ever we lose for keeping Him.
• 5. To remember God and his Glory, in all our wayes.
• 6. To Consecrate all we have, to His service.
• 7. To give the things of another life the Prehemi∣nence. Wherein giving them the Prehemi∣nence, shewed in 5. Particulars.
• 8. What ever a mans condition be in this life, to fetch comfort from the consideration, of what his condition hereafter shall be.
• 9. What ever his Portion be, to make God his Portion.
• Reasons, Why we should make God our Portion.
• 10. To have Sin Pardoned. Set out in 2. Par∣ticulars.
• 11. To lay up Treasure, where things are
  • Purest.
  • Surest.
• 12. To seek after Distinguishing Favours.
• 13. To keep Peace Within, however things are without.
• 14 To keep our selves in a continual preparation for Death.
  • This is shewed in 5. Particulars.