A treatise of the divine promises in five bookes : in the first, a generall description of their nature, kinds, excellency, right use, properties, and the persons to whom they belong : in the foure last, a declaration of the covenant it selfe .../ by Edvvard Legh ...

3. To helpe us to beare them, and in due time to remove them.

GOD promiseth to helpe us to beare afflictions, and in due time to remove them.

Though he fall hee shall not be utterly cast downe, for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand,* 1.1 Psal. 37.24.* 1.2 As their afflictions abound, so shall their consolations also, 2 Cor. 1.5.* 1.3 They shall have the Comforter himselfe, Ioh. 14.16. Ioh. 15.26. & 16.7. GOD of∣ten promiseth to his people to be a sure and speedy helpe in all troubles, David had great expe∣rience thereof.

The booke of Psalmes is full of those speeches: GOD is my Rocke, my Tower, my Refuge, my Shield and Buckler, my Health and Strength, Psal. 18.2. Psal. 31.3. Psal. 71.3. Psal. 94.22. & 73.25, 26. All which speeches shew, that what helpe any man in any dan∣ger, may finde in any earthly meanes whatsoever; GOD is the same and much more to all his people in all their necessities, bodily or spirituall.

The like are those speeches, that GOD will lighten our darkenesse, he will keepe the feet of his Saints, hee

will not forsake them, nor for∣get their complaint, that they shall not be confounded in the time of trouble: Hee will hide them in his pavillion, Psal. 27.4, 5. And cover them with his feathers, Psal. 91.1, 4. His An∣gels shall pitch their tents a∣bout them, hee will set them up on high from such as rise against them, he will heale their wounds, Ier. 30.17.

GOD sees our affliction and knowes it well, Exod. 3.7. Hee heareth our sighs, and remembring his Covenant helps us, Exod. 2.23, 24, 25.

All afflictions come from him, the Almighty hath afflicted mee, saith Naomi, Ruth 1.21. it is of∣ten called the Chastening of the LORD. When we are iudged,* 1.4 saith the Apostle, we are chastened of the LORD, 1 Cor. 11.32. And the same GOD which imposed the affliction, takes it away, Deut. 32.39. 1 Sam. 2.6, 7. Iob 5.18.

Vna eadem{que} manus, vulnus opem{que} tulit;

GOD will be the strength of the righ∣teous in their trouble, and their salva∣tion out of trouble.* 1.5 David had great proofe hereof, and therfore after a mighty deliverance, composed that excellent Ps. 34. See 7, 17, 19. verses.

I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace to give you an expected end, Ier. 29.11. Reioyce not (saith the Church) against me O mine enemy. When I fall, I shall arise, when I sit in darkenesse, the LORD shall be a light unto mee, &c. Micah 7.8, 9. Light is sowne for the righteous, and ioy for the up∣right in heart, Psal. 97.11. The latter part of the verse ex∣pounds the former; by light is meant joy, and by righteous the upright in heart. Ioy is sowne for these, and as sure as an harvest followes a feeding; so to these comfort followes mourning, If wee sow in teares, we shall reape in ioy.

I will be content (saith D. Hall) with a wet spring, so I may be sure of a cleare and joyfull har∣vest.

Your sorrow shall be turned in∣to ioy, Ioh. 16.20. if CHRIST had onely promised that their sorrow should be mitigated or shortly ended, it had beene a great comfort, but this ministreth abundant consolation. Never was Gold-smith more curious and precise to watch the very first season, when the gold is through∣ly refined and fitted for use, that he may take it out of the for∣nace;* 1.6 then our gracious GOD waites in such cases with an holy longing, that he may have mercy upon his children, and deliver them.* 1.7 He shall deliver thee in sixe troubles, yea in seaven there shall no evill touch thee, Ioh. 5.19. Many of the Learned say, that here by sixe and seven, the Spirit of GOD alludeth unto the daies of the LORDS worke in Creating the world, and his resting on the

seventh day; that so must his ser∣vants labour under afflictions all the daies of their life, and shall rest from those labours in the per∣petuall Sabbath. Rather sixe or seaven are to be understood in∣definitely,* 1.8 certaine numbers for uncertaine things: seaven referred to humane evills importeth many, Pro. 24.16.

See Psal. 91.14, 15. Pro. 11.8. Psal. 50.15. Psal. 149.4. 1 Cor. 10.13. 2 Cor. 4.8.

The meditation of these gra∣cious promises may comfort GODS people in trouble.* 1.9 GOD assures me, hee will lay no more upon me, then I shall be able to beare, either my burden shall be made lighter, or my faith stron∣ger.

We should goe to the LORD then in our afflictions, and say, LORD, it is part of thy Cove∣nant to deliver me from such a crosse and calamity; LORD thou hast said, that the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of

the Righteous; that thou wilt af∣flict, but in measure, according to our strength, and for our good. O sanctifie thy hand unto me, give me faith and patience to waite up∣on thee, wisedome to make a good use of this chastizement;* 1.10 let it purge mee from my drosse, and breed the quiet fruit of righte∣ousnesse.

The end of chastizement is amendment of life, whence it re∣ceiveth the name of correction, which signifieth to set right or streight. Therefore we must first labour to finde out the sinne, for which GOD correcteth us. For which purpose let us remember that place, Iob 36.9. If they be tyed with the cords of affliction, then will I shew them their workes and their sins. When we have found it out, let us be humbled for it, make our peace with GOD, and reforme our selves, Ioh. 5.14. and then we may expect comfort from GOD. This the LORD both promised and performed to Iob,* 1.11

and in him to all that are afflicted. Zophar telleth Iob, that which GOD himselfe did make good at last: If iniquit be in thine hand, put it farre away, and let not wicked∣nesse dwell in thy tabernacles. It must be the care of the afflicted to purge his hand and house of all manner of wickednesse and sin. Then it followeth, verse 15. Thou shalt lift up thy face without spot, yea thou shalt be stedfast and not feare, that is, Thou shalt enjoy the comfortable assurance of the re∣mission of thy sinnes, and shalt rest perswaded, that the staine thereof is quite done away before the LORD. And for his out∣ward estate hee addeth, ver. 16. Thou shalt forget thy misery. He shall be quite freed from all the trouble of it, Thou shalt remember it as waters that are past: which cause the meddowes to be more fat and fertile, then they would have beene, ver. 17. Thine age (saith he) shall be clearer than the noone day, thou shalt shine forth and

be as the morning. The comfort of a sinner reformed by correcti∣ons, shall be plentifull and excel∣lent as the brightnesse of the noone-tide sun, and withall, con∣stant, durable, and on the growing hand, as the light of the mor∣ning.

Faith makes us depend on GODS promises in our afflicti∣ons, and patiently expect the issue that he will give, and that with∣out prefixing any time, for Hee that beleeveth doth not make hast, * 1.12 Esay 28.16. or prescribing any meanes to him, as faithfull Mo∣ses when he said, Stand yee still and see the salvation of the LORD, Exod. 14.13.

Faith doth not limit GOD for the measure of affliction; Iob saith, He will trust in GOD though he kill him, Job 13.1••. It was a grievous affliction for Da∣vid to be driven out of his king∣dome by his owne Sonne, yet he saith in that slight, If he say, I have no delight in him, behold here

I am, let him doe unto me as see∣meth good in his eyes, 2 Sam. 15.26. Therefore in all our afflicti∣ons, let us set faith a worke, for this stirres up prayer, and prayer stirres up * 1.13 GOD, and GOD stirres up all the crea∣tures.

Faith gathereth one contrary out of another, life out of death, assurance of sweetest deliverances out of deepest distresses; For the LORD shall iudge his people and repent himselfe for his servants, when hee seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up or left, Deut. 32.36. 2 King. 14, 26. Going into captivity, was a signe of the Israelites returning out of Captivity.* 1.14 Faith will teach us to say, he hath chastized me accor∣ding as he hath threatned, ther∣fore he wil comfort me according as he hath promised, Ier. 32.42. It will extract abundance of com∣fort, in the most desperate distres∣ses, from those places, 2 Chron. 20.12. Prov. 18.10. Esay 33.9, 10. For

the nature of it is to beleeve GOD upon his bare word,* 1.15 and that a∣gainst sense in things invisible, and against reason in things incredi∣ble, Heb. 11.1. David, Psal. 56.10. though sorely afflicted, yet rejoyceth in GOD, because of his naked promise; the woman of Canaan could picke comfort out of the reproachfull name of dog. Hath not GOD promised and assured me not to faile nor forsake me, but to uphold me in affliction,* 1.16 and bring me through it, and com∣fort me by it, and glorifie me after it? therefore I should with A∣braham hope against hope, and ap∣prehend the certaine accomplish∣ment of these promises by faith; when sense and carnall reason see nothing but the contrary.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 73.23.
• * 1.2

  2 Cor 7.3.
• * 1.3

  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in time of trou∣ble, Psal. 9.9. See v. 18, Psal. 46.1, 2, 3 Vnto the upright there ariseth light in darknesse, Psal. 11••.4. that is com∣fort in affli∣ctions.
• * 1.4

  Heb. 12.5.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 37.39, 40.
• * 1.6

  Mal, 3.3.
• * 1.7

  Esay 30.18.
• * 1.8

  Numeri defi∣niti pro inde∣finitis.
• * 1.9

  Faith loo∣keth unto God, and acknow∣ledgeth his hand in all afflictions, Amos 3.6. and this will ca••se pati∣ence, 1 Sam. 3.18. Psal. 39 19. Iob 1.21. Hos. 6.1.
• * 1.10

  God hath made a swee••e pro¦mise of gi∣ving liberal¦ly even wis¦dome to behave our selves under the crosse, if we aske it. Iam. 1.4, 5. See Ier. 33 2. Lam. 3.39, 40.
• * 1.11

  Iob 11.14.
• * 1.12

  It may be understood either as a precept, Le•• him not make hast, or as a pro∣mise, He shall not make haste.
• * 1.13

  Prayer of the Saints in time of afflictions, can doe more then all the witches in the world can doe (to whom di∣vellish min∣ded people seeke in their trou∣bles) for they can but set the Divels a∣work, but prayer will set God a∣worke,
• * 1.14

  S Ierome saith it was a proverbe among the Hebrews, God will help us in the Mount, Gen 2••.14 and it is an english pro∣verbe, mans extremity is Gods oppor¦tunity.
• * 1.15

  Ibi incipit auxilium di∣vinum, ubi defici•• huma∣num. Psal. 61.2, 3.
• * 1.16

  Psal. 27.10.