A soveraigne salve to cure vvounded spirits, or, The ready way and meanes to give spirituall ease and comfort to distressed consciences collected out of the Word of God and the writings and experiments of the most approved soule-physitians, both of this and former ages, which either for learning or experience, or both, have excelled in this healing part of divinity and fitted to the capacity and use of the meanest of Gods afflicted ones.

SECT. XVIII.

BUt it may be, this is not thy case, it is not so much the measure of thy pre∣sently-felt afflictions that doth make thee to doubt of Gods love towards thee, as thy long continuance under the Crosse.

And if this be thy case, know this for thy comfort,

1. That long continuance under the crosse; may betide the best of Gods chil∣dren, and those whom he loveth most dear∣ly. For were not the Israelites of old more dearly (a) beloved of God, then any Na∣tion in the world besides? And were not they for all this in the land of Egypt, in the (b) house of bondage, under great (c) misery and affliction for the space of (d) foure hundred yeares together? Were not the same people afterwards carried away captives ••ledge••nto Babylon, where they lived in as great misery for (e) seventy yeares more? Againe. ••ledge•• was not this the case (f) of Joseph? (g) Of David? (h) Of Habakkuk? And of sundry others that we reade of in the Scriptures? All which no doubt God loved dearly, and ••ledge••et continued them under the crosse for a ••ledge••ong time together. And (i) therefore why

may not this be thy case too, though for the present thou canst find neither end, nor ease of these thy so long continued afflictions?

2. Thou must consider, that God ever in continuing these thy afflictions upon thee may more dearly love thee, then if he shoul••redge•• take them speedily away.

Perhaps he seeth that thou art not ye••redge•• sufficiently humbled: And will a Father tha••redge•• loves his child, lay aside the rodde till h••redge•• have brought his stubborne and disobedie••redge•• Sonne to his knees? Perhaps he seeth th••redge•• there is a great deale of proud flesh yet i••redge•• thine heart: And will a skilfull and lovin••redge•• Chirurgion take away his Corrasives from the wound of his Patient, as long as th••redge•• proud flesh remaineth? Perhaps he espiet••redge•• in thee a great deale of drosse, not yet re¦fined, and purged off: And can we bla••redge•• for want of love to his gold, that Goldsmi••redge•• that will suffer his gold to remaine in th••redge•• fire till † the drosse be all off? Or if no••redge•• of these, it may be he foreseeth, that if th••redge•• rodde were once off thy back, thou would to thy old sinfull courses againe; and there¦fore for his greater glory, and thy great••redge•• good, he thinketh it fittest to keep thee ••redge•• under the lash: For some are of that disp••redge••¦sition, that they are never well affected, ••redge•• when afflicted; And it may be this is t••redge•• case: Which way soever it be, resolve ••redge••

this, either God (if thou wilt be content to waite his leisure) will, in his good time, set an end to these thy crosses here; or, if he see not that expedient, he will crowne thee with glory and immortality in the world to come, which he knoweth will be better for thee.

Notes

• The Distresse
• The Comforts.
• (a)

  Psal. 135. 4.
• (b)

  Exod. 20. 2.
• (c)

  Exod. 3. 7.
• (d)

  Gen. 15. 13.
• (e)

  Jer. 25. 11.
• (f)

  Psal. 105. 18, 19.
• (g)

  Psal. 13. 1, 2.
• (h)

  Hab. 1. 2. & 2. 3.
• (i)

  Multi humi∣••ledge••iantur, & humiles non sunt. Bern. in Cant. 34. Plectimur à Deo, nec ••ledge••ectimur tamen; corripimur, scd non corrigimur. Salv. de provident. l. 5.
• Medicus cru∣delis est, qui ex∣audit hominem, & parcit vulne∣ri, & putredini. Aug. in Psal. 34. & in Psal. 90. & in Psal. 98. & in Psal. 130. & in 1 Joh. 6. & alibi.
• †

  Vide Chry∣sost. ad popul. Antioch. 4. de patientia.
• Esay 40. 31. & 49. 23. & 64. 4. Hab. 2. 3.