afflicted me." Mark the emphasis: he doth not barely acknowledge that God was faithful, though or notwithstanding he had afflicted him, but faithful in sending them. Affliction and trouble are not only consistent with God's love plighted in the covenant of grace; but they are parts and branches of the new-covenant administration. God is not only faithful notwithstanding afflictions, but faithful in sending them. There is a difference between these two: the one is like an exception to the rule, quæ firmat regulam in non exceptis: the other makes it a part of the rule, God cannot be faithful without doing all things that tend to our good and eternal welfare: the conduct of his providence is one part of the covenant engagement; as to pardon our sins, and sanctify us, and give us glory at the last, so to suit his providence as our need and profit require in the way to Heaven. It is an act of his sovereign mercy which he hath promised to his people, to use such discipline as conduceth to their safety. In short, the cross is not only an exception to the grace of the covenant, but a part of the grace of the covenant. The meaning is, God is obliged, in point of fidelity, to send sharp afflictions: "I will visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes" (Psalm lxxxix. 32). Sharp rods and sore stripes not only may stand and be reconciled with God's lovingkindness and truth, but they are effects and expressions of it: it is a part of that transaction; viz., his covenant-love.

3. The third thing to be explained is his sense of these truths, “I know." Knowing implies clearness of apprehension and firmness of persuasion; so that "I know" is, I fully understand,' or else I am confident, or well assured, of this truth.' But from whence had David his knowledge? how knew he all God's judgments to be right? Not from the flesh, or from natural sense. No; the flesh is importunate to be pleased, will persuade us the contrary. If we consult only with natural sense, we shall never believe, that, when God is hacking and hewing at us, he intendeth our good and benefit, and that, when sore judgments are upon us, his end is not to destroy, but to save; to mortify the sin, and save the person. Sense will teach us no such thing, but will surely misinterpret and misexpound the Lord's dealings; for the peace of God is a riddle to a natural heart (Phil. iv. 7). Whence, then, had David his knowledge? Partly from the word of God, and partly from his own observation and particular experience.

(1.) From the word of God; for it is a maxim of faith that God can do no wrong, that he "is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Psalm cxl. 17); and again, "He is the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is he" (Deut. xxxii. 4). These are undeniable truths revealed in the word of God, and must satisfy us, whatsoever sense saith to the contrary: the causes and ends of God's particular judgments are sometimes secret, but they are always just : "Clouds and darkness are round about him righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne" (Psalm xcvii. 2). Therefore, when we see not the reason of God's particular dispensations, we must believe the righteousness and goodness of them.

(2.) David knew by his own observation and particular experience: he had much studied his own heart, and considered his own ill-deserving and soul-distempers, and therefore saw the Lord's discipline was necessary for him. We should better understand God's work, and sooner justify him both in point of justice and faithfulness, if we did use more observa

tion, and did consider what need and profit there is of affliction: “Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience" (Rom. v. 3, 4). We see what need there was of affliction, and how seasonable the Lord's work was. This is a more sensible way of knowledge than the former: faith is a surer ground; but spiritual observation hath its benefit. Natural conscience doth represent our guilt; but experience showeth God's faithfulness, how seasonably God took us in our month, and suited his providence to our present condition.

DOCTRINE. That it would much quiet the minds of the people of God about all the sad dispensations of his providence, if they would seriously consider the justice and faithfulness of them.

So did David silence all his murmurings when the hand of God was sore upon him; so should we silence all our murmurings, all our suspicions of God's dealing, when we are under the cross: 'I know the Lord doth nothing unjust, but is faithful; he will not retract his covenant-love, and I know his covenant-love binds him to lay on us seasonable affliction and correction.' I shall do two things:

First, Illustrate the point by some considerations.

Secondly, Show that there is much of justice and faithfulness in all the troubles and afflictions of God's people.

Consider, 1st, We are not only to grant in the general that God's judgments are right, but that he hath in faithfulness afflicted us. So doth David when the stroke of God was heavy upon himself. Many will assert the righteousness of God when they speak to others in their afflictions, but do not indeed justify him in the afflictions that come upon themselves. We are hasty to censure, but backward to humble our own souls before God: they will give him the praise of his justice when he chasteneth others, but think God dealeth harshly and rigorously with them, when his scourge is upon their own backs. Such a difference is there between knowledge speculative and experimental; between that conscience which we have in others' concernments, and that knowledge which self-love giveth us in our own. David here doth not only own the general truth, but sees God's faithfulness when the stroke lighted upon himself. So, Job iv. 3—5, you shall see this was objected to Job, that he could comfort others; but now the hand of God was upon him, his soul fainted. They that stand upon the shore, may easily say to those that are in the midst of the waves and conflicting for life or death, 'Sail thus.' When we are well, we give counsel to the sick; but, if we were so, how should we take it ourselves? So can we say patiently all is just, and keep silence to God?

2ndly, We must not only grant this truth, that God is faithful, when at ease, but when under the sharpest and smartest discipline. We use to praise God in prosperity, but we should bless him also when he seemeth to deal hardly with us, speak good of God when under the rod. When we view a cross at a distance, or in the doctrinal contemplation of this truth, we say that God may exercise us with the greatest evil, and that we need these methods to bring us to Heaven; but, when afflictions come thick, and near, and close, and we are deprived of our nearest and dearest comforts, credit, liberty, health, life, children, then we have other thoughts. It is more easy to speak of trouble than to bear it. We read of Jesus

Christ that he learned by experience (Heb. v. 8). He had an actual experience by the things he suffered; and he saith, "Now is my soul troubled " (John xii. 27). There is a vast difference between the most

exact apprehension in the judgment and the experimental feeling of it in the senses the one may be without so much vexation as the other will produce. Though Christ understood perfectly what his sufferings should be, and had resolved upon them, yet, when he came to feel it, his very righteous soul was under perplexity, as a glass of pure water may be tossed and shaken. Affliction is another thing to present sense and feeling, than it is to guess and imagination. Much more doth it hold good in us; for we have not such a perfect foresight of sufferings as Christ had. We suppose they may be avoided, or shifted off, one way or other. I speak this, that we may not depend upon our present resolutions when out of trouble, but labour to be more prepared than usually we are, that, when trouble cometh upon us, we may glorify God.

3rdly, This acknowledgment must be the real language of our hearts, and not by word of mouth only: thus we must give unto God the praise of his truth and righteousness. We tip our tongues with good words, and learn such modesty in our language, as to say God is just, and do not rave against his providence in wild and bold speeches; but justice and faithfulness must be acknowledged not with the tongue so much as with the heart. It is the language of the heart which God looketh after. When the soul keepeth silence to God, and a due and suitable impression is left upon it of his justice by a meek and humble submission, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him" (Mic. vii. 9). When God is angry and chastiseth for sin, we must stoop humbly under his afflicting hand, bear it patiently and submissively; for the rod is dipped in our own guilt, that stoppeth our mouths and checketh repinings; so seeing his faithfulness, it maketh us accept the punishment of our iniquities (Lev. xxvi. 41); that is, yield to it, as a man would to a bitter potion or a medicinal preparative for his health. So to afflict is as a means to get rid of sin, which would be the bane of the soul.

4thly, It is not enough to acknowledge justice, but we must also acknowledge faithfulness; not only his just severity in the punishments of the wicked, but his fidelity and love in the correction of his children. It is not enough that we justify God, and forbear to murmur against his afflicting us; but we must see his love and faithfulness in it, and that he performeth his covenant-love. His wisdom and justice, that suppresseth murmurings; his love and faithfulness, that giveth hope, and comfort, and courage: the one concerneth the honour of God, he righteth himself by his just judgments; the other concerneth our benefit and eternal welfare. Faithfulness is to us, and for our good. Pharaoh could own justice: "The Lord is righteous; and I and my people are wicked" (Exod. ix. 27). But it is a higher thing to own faithfulness; that supposeth faith, as the other doth conviction. Guilt will sooner fly in our faces, and extort from us an acknowledgment of God's justice, than we can own the grace of the new covenant; especially when carnal sense and smart seemeth to speak the contrary. The sight of his justice checketh murmurings; the sight of his faithfulness, fainting and discouragement. God's dispensations are just with respect to the sentence of the law, faithful with respect to the promises of the Gospel. In short, the cause of all affliction is sin, therefore justice must be acknowledged; their end is repentance, and therefore faithfulness. The end is not destruction and ruin, so they might be acts of justice, as upon the wicked; but that we may be fit to receive the pro

mises, such to whom God will perform the promise of eternal life, and so acts of faithfulness.

5thly, Faith must fix this as a ground, not once to be questioned, much less to be doubted of or denied, that God is just, upright, and faithful in all his dealings, though weak man be not able to conceive the reasons of them. His justice may be dark, as when he permitteth us to the will of wicked men, who afflict us without a cause, and lay on without any mercy and pity, and God seemeth to befriend their cause; at least, doth not restrain them, nor give check to their fury. We are apt to be tempted to thoughts of rigour and injustice in God's dispensations; but we must consider, not men's dealing, but God's: it is unjust as to men; but we have no cause to be angry with God, and complain of God, as if he did not do right. No; though we do not see the reason of it, yet it is just. God's judgments are a great deep (Psalm xxxvi. 7): we should believe the righteousness and goodness of God in the general, before we can find it out. The people of God have maintained their principle, when they have been puzzled and imbrangled in interpreting God's providence: "Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee" (Jer. xii. 1); and, "Truly God is good to Israel" (Psalm lxiii. 1). In all such cases, it is best to acknowledge our own ignorance, and rather accuse ourselves of blindness than God of injustice. This is a fixed truth, that God is righteous, though we cannot so clearly make it out. And sometimes we are tempted to doubt of his fidelity and truth, when we feel nothing but the smart of the rod: the benefit is future, not an object of sense, but faith; and it must be evident to faith, before it is evident to feeling: "No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Heb. xii. 11). When all is sharp and hard to sense, faith can see all is for our profit, for our good. Here is nothing repugnant to God's truth, nothing but what is necessary to make good his truth. Faith must determine it to be, when sense will not find it so. God's works are misexpounded when we go altogether by present sense, whether internal or external: many times we know not what God is about to do, as Christ told Peter, "What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter" (John xiii. 7). That which the Lord is doing tendeth not to ruin and wrath, though through our ignorance and mistake we so interpret it. Alas! no wonder we are in the dark, when we so judge of his work, who is "wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working;" who will not always satisfy our sense and curiosity, but chooseth such a way as will most suit his intent. But ever in all such cases faith must determine that God is just and faithful, and will cast all things for the best, though we see it not: we must assent by faith, when we cannot find it by sense internal or external: "I know, &c., thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."

Secondly, I am to show you, and prove to you, that there is much of justice and faithfulness to be observed in all the afflictions which come

upon us.

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1st, There is much of justice in all God's judgments. I prove it from God's nature: Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments" (Psalm cxix. 137): his work is as his being is, holy and righteous; all his providences carry a condecency and becomingness with his nature. We presume it of a righteous man that he will do righteous things; and

shall not we believe so of the holy God? We cannot be infallibly persuaded of a righteous man; for a righteous man may leave his righteousness, because the creature is mutable; and the most righteous and innocent man hath mixed principles, and his rule is without him, and sometimes he may hit it, and sometimes swerve from it: but God is unchangeable, his will and nature is the supreme reason and measure of all things; his acts are accordingly, he cannot err. A carpenter who hath a line in his hand, may chop right or miss; but, if we could suppose a carpenter whose hand were his rule, he would always hit right. We may be confident the Judge of all the earth will do right: his righteousness and the righteousness of men differ infinitely more than a candle differeth from the sun: "The just Lord is in the midst thereof, he will not do iniquity" (Zeph. iii. 5): God will not; yea, he cannot it is contrary to his nature. Abraham might seek to wriggle out of danger by a shift, Noah might fall into drunkenness, Lot pollute himself with incest, Moses trip in his faith, David destroy his innocent servant Uriah, Jonah fall into fear and rash anger, the angels may depart from their rule, if the Divine goodness should cease to support them for a moment; but it is impossible that God, who is holiness and righteousness itself, can err and fail in any of his actions.

2ndly, God never afflicteth or bringeth on judgment without a cause : "For this cause many are weak and sickly" (I Cor. xi. 30): there is something done on the creature's part before punishment is inflicted. If we consider God as a Lord dispensing grace, he acts sovereignly, and according to his own will and pleasure: "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Matt. xi. 26); for he may do with his own as he pleaseth it is no wrong to show his grace to some, and pass by others; but, if we consider God as a judge, he never punisheth without a foregoing cause on the creature's part. God, who is arbitrary in his gifts, is not arbitrary in his judgments: there is a rule of commerce between him and his creatures stated, and set forth, and allowed and appointed by him, and consented unto by us: the directive and counselling part is the rule of our obedience, and the sanction or comminatory part is the rule of his judicial process. In acts of grace, and in dispensing with the violations of his law, he sometimes maketh use of his prerogative; but not in punishing, there he keepeth to his law; and therefore it is that the saints do give him the honour of his justice: "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, &c.; because we have sinned," &c. (Dan. ix. 7, 8); "Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly" (Neh. ix. 33): all our trouble is the penalty of his broken law justly inflicted on us. In short, the breach is first on our part, there is some violation of his law, or contempt of his grace; but God loveth us first, there he hath the precedency: he beginneth in all acts of grace, but the reason of his judicial dispensations is first with us. We are first in the offence, and provide fuel for his wrath before it break out upon us.

3rdly, When there is cause given, God doth not presently take it, but giveth sinners time in his process against them, and doth not presently execute the sentence of his word till they are found incorrigible. He giveth them warning before he striketh: he wooeth and soliciteth by many kind messages to return to their duty, and speaketh to them sometimes in the rough, sometimes in the still voice: "Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light," as the Prophet speaketh (Zeph. iii. 5): he doth