A little cabinet richly stored with all sorts of heavenly varieties, and soul-reviving influences.: Wherein there is a remedy for every malady, viz. milk for babes, and meat for strong men, and the ready way for both to obtain and retain assurance of salvation: being an abridgement of the sum and substance of the true Christian religion; wherein the cause of our salvation, the way, the guide, the rule, the evidence, the seals, &c. and the connection of these points together, and dependancy of them one upon another: this I have endeavoured to do orderly, exactly, methodically, with much plainness and clearness. / By Robert Purnell.

Of afflictions, why God doth afflict his own peo∣ple, and how to know what Sin God aims at in affliction; and when a man may be said to suffer for wel-doing, and when for evil doing.

VVE read in Scripture that man is born to trou∣ble as the sparks flie upward, and although his dayes be few, yet they are full of trouble; nay we may find in the Scriptures of truth, that the Lords own dearest ones have been exceedingly exercised this way, Job 6. 4. Job the justest man alive, was fought against by the terrors of the Lord; and David a man after Gods own heart had no rest in his bones, because of his sin, and was so wasted with the grief of his heart, that his moisture was turned inth the drought of summer, Ps. 32. 3, 4. and Hezekiah who walked in the truth and with a perfect heart, had the anger of the Almighty to break his bones like a lyon, Isa. 28. 13. Was not Abel murthered by his brother? Noah mocked by his Son? Job scoffed by his wife? Jacob threatned by his bro∣ther? banished from his Father? abused by his uncle? in the day consumed with heat, in the night with frost? Gen. 31. 4.

Did not the son of God himself lie bleeding upon the cross, and cry out in the bitterness of his spirit, my God my God why hast thou forsaken me? Isa 53. 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, and brui∣sed for our iniquities, persecuted in his child hood by Herod, Mat. 2. 16. tempted by the Devil, reviled by the High-priests, branded for a babler, wine-bibber, blasphemer, mocked by the Jews, stript of his garments,

crowned with thorns, the first fruits of the curse, he was hanged between two thieves, and nailed his hands to the cross, and pierced his side with a spear, &c.

Some reasons why the Lord doth afflict his own people.

1 Cor. 11. 32. VVE are chastned of the Lord, that we should not be con∣demned with the world: sometimes he doth afflict a few, that the rest might beware, Luke 13. 5. And sometimes he doth afflict his people for the tryal of the truth, and strength of their graces, Job 1. 21. Again, sometimes he brings his own dear ones in∣to misery, that he might magnifie the attributes of his mercy in healing them; so it was with him that was born blind: and sometimes he doth af∣flict them, to keep them humble and low in their own eyes, and to put them upon the use of means, whereby sin may be subdued. Sometimes the Lord doth afflict, for the prevention of sin for time to come; he doth punish those that serve him, and lets the world go free, this was Davids temp∣tation, Psalm 73. 13. Affliction is a seal of adop∣tion, no sign of reprobation▪ for the purest corn is cleanest fanned, the fine••t gold oftest tryed, and the sweetest grape hardest pressed, and the truest Chri∣stian heaviest crossed; affliction doth many times make a bad man good, but it doth alwayes make a good man better; nay God can look sowrly and chide bitterly, and strike heavily, even where, and when he loves dearly: it is a common thing for all

men to be afflicted, but it is an extraordinary thing to be bettered by it: in all afflictions consider three things.

• 1. The fountain from whence it comes, and that is from Gods love, Eccles. 7. 14.
• 2. The end whither it ayms, (our good) It was good for me that I was afflicted, Psalm 119.
• 3. Consider, our punishment is less then our de∣sert; the consideration of this made Aaron to hold his peace, Lev. 10. 3. and Hezekiah to wait for de∣liverance, Isa. 38. 13, 14. This made David to be dumb, Psal. 39. 9. This made Ely to say, it is the Lord, let him do as seemeth him good, 1 Sam. 13. 18. yea, this made Job to say, blessed be the name of the Lord.

The Lord doth try the truth and strength of his own people to the highest, and yet layeth no more upon the weakest, then he doth enable him to bear.

IF Job do exceed all others in patience, as he did, Job 5. 11. then the truth and strength of this patience shall be tryed to the utter∣most.

1. The Sabeans take away his Oxen and his Asses, Job 1. 15.

2. A fire from heaven came down and burnt up his sheep, Job 1. 16.

3. The Chaldeans came and stole away all his cam∣mels, Job 1. 17.

4. His servants that were plowing and keeping the sheep, were all slain by the edge of the sword, fire from heaven.

5. His sons and daughters were all at once slain by the fall of an house, Job 1. 18, 19.

6. Then his body was smote, and became full of boyls from the crown of the head, to the sole of the foot, Job 2. 7.

7. Then his wife that lay in his bosom, tempts him to curse God and dye, Job 2. 9.

8. His three near and dear friends came to him, and stayed with him seven dayes and seven nights, and spake not one word of comfort to him, Job 2. 13.

9. The presence and favour of God was hid from his soul, Job 19. 8. and all this to try the truth and strength of Jobs patience.

If Peter will boast of a greater love to Christ, then the rest, saying, though I should dye with thee, I will never deny thee, Mat. 26. 35. And when this love came to the tryal, instead of dying, he came to de∣nying of Christ. So again, although Peters love made him to go out of the ship to meet Christ upon the sea. I say, although his love was strong, yet his faith was weak, and he began to sink: here his truth and strength was tryed to the highest: If Mo∣ses will exceed all the men upon the face of the earth in meekness, Num. 12. 3. the truth and strength of that meekness must be tryed, first in his absence, the people make a calf and worshipped it, Exod. 32. 19. After this the people speak against Moses, Numb. 21. 5. A little after this, when they wanted water the people chide with Moses, saying, would

God we had dyed in the wilderness, Numb. 20. 3, 4. So he was continually vexed with a perverse and crooked generation, Deut. 32. 5. And at last so pro∣voked by them, that he spake unadvisedly with his lips, Psalm 106. 33. and so his meekness was tryed to the highest: Again, to instance one more for all, if Paul have a greater revelation then the other Apo∣stles, he must have a thorn in the flesh, even the messenger of Satan to buffet him: so the woman, Mat. 15. 22. to the 28. She had a strong faith that Christ was able to help her daughter, and the mercy she desired was but external, to wit crums; now Christ did try the truth, and strength of this faith, in a threefold seeming denyal; but in all tryals the Lord doth proportion them according to the strength of those that he doth afflict, See 1 Cor. 10. 13. The Lords people have divers corruptions, and so do need divers corrections.

How to know what sin God aims at in af∣fliction.

THE Lord saith in his word, hear the voice of the rod, Micah 6. 9. which if we did heed∣fully observe, we might find out the sin that God ayms at in the affliction.

1. When we find in Scripture that such and such a punishment is denounced against such and such a sin, we may find by the effect the proper cause; pride with dejection and contempt; whoredom with barrenness; idleness with poverty; worldly sorrow with death.

2. Consider, if thou wouldst find out the sin God afflicts thee for, consider God doth punish thee by way of retaliation, like for like; as when we have dis∣honored God, he doth cast dishonour upon us, and having wronged our inferiours, our superiors wrong us, or if we lavish our tongues against others, we are paid home with the scourge of tongues, thus David was justly dealt with, 2 Sam. 12▪ 10, 11.

3. When we are taken in the very act of sinning, so Jon. 1. 12. flying, was followed with a tempest, and the I sraelites murmuring for flesh, were punished by God, whilst it was between their teeth, Numb. 11. 33.

4. When our sin in its own nature bringeth forth such a punishment, so a lazy Christian doth always want four things, comfort and content, confidence and assurance. Idleness in natural things, brings forth beggery and want, drunkenness begets dropsies and surreits: so the sin of uncleanness brings forth weak∣ness and filthy diseases, so immoderate carking, is attended with consumptions.

5. If thou wouldst know the sin that brought these afflictions on thee, observe what thy conscience doth most check thee for. Josephs brethren in their trou∣bles calls to mind their cruelty to their trou∣bles calls to mind their cruelty to their brother Jo∣seph, which was indeed the cause of their cross, Gen. 42. 21.