into perpetual pain and anguish. They have a short time of mirth, but they shall have an eternity of mourning. The longer their prosperity is, their sins are the greater, and their sufferings will be more grievous. But, O believer, it is in mercy to thee, that God doth hedge up the way with thorns, that thou mayest not find thy paths; whilst he turns the wicked loose, and suffers them to stray and wander whither they will, to their eternal, ruin. God takes this method with thee to make thee meet for an inheritance, and prepare you for a crown of glory; but he takes a contrary way with the wicked, to fit them for destruction: therefore you ought not to be fretful under his hand, but thankful. We read of Queen Elizabeth, when she was in prison, how she envied the poor milk maid that was passing by, and would have thought herself happy to have been in her condition: But, had that afflicted princess known the glorious reign of forty-four years she was soon to enter upon, she would not have repined at the happiness of so mean a person. But, O afflicted believer, it is not a glorious reign for a set number of years, that is provided for thee; it is even a reign with glorious Christ thy Redeemer, for ever and ever: And hast thou any ground to be discontented or envious?

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DIRECT. VII. Guard against repining complaints and discontented murmurings against the providence of God under heavy sickness and affliction.

WE E see, the murmurers and complainers are class

ed with these that walk after their own lusts, Jude ver. 16. I know the people of God are liable to murmuring and impatience also under affliction; but there is a great difference betwixt them and the wicked, I will have occasion to speak of believers murmurings afterwards, when I come to speak of their case in particular; but here I shall handle the sin of murmur

D

ing in general, and as it appears mainly in the unregenerate, under heavy affliction.

This sin of murmuring is the froth of impatience, and scum of discontent; it is first cherished by repining thoughts, and then vented by unsuitable complaints and expostulations, taxing the administration of providence, as if God dealt too hard with us. Our very thoughts are audible with God, yea, as loud in his ears, as words are in ours; but it is yet worse, when repining thoughts are not crushed, but suffered to break out into words tending to the dishonour of God.

Quest. But is it altogether unlawful to complain of affliction whatever be our case?

Ans. Humble complaints are not murmurings, nor sinful in themselves: otherwise there would be no room for prayer, and for spreading out our distressed case before the Lord. We find God's children making complaints in affliction; but then they do not complain of God, but to God, with a humble inquiry into the cause and meaning of his dispensations, and laying all the blame upon themselves, as did Job, chap. x. 1, 2. "I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul, I will say unto God, do not condemn me, shew me where fore thou contendest with me." Thus the blessed Son of God himself did in his distress, when he cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" But there we may observe, he complains to God, not of God; he hath not a hard word or thought of God, but expresseth a holy confidence in God, My God, my God! he hath two words of faith for one word of fear. He humbly inquires into the cause of the dispensation, and desires to bring his will to God, not that God should bring down his will to him: If it be possible (says he let this cup pass; however, glorify thy name, provide for thy own glory, and do with me what thou pleasest. In this matter our Lord doth set himself as an example of patience to us, teaching us to beware of impatient murmuring and quarrelling with

God's providence in our affliction; which many times we are guilty of, either when we harbour harsh thoughts of God's dealings, or break forth into rash and unadvised speeches; when we charge God foolishly, and com plain either of too much severity, as Ezek. xviii. 2, 25. or of too long delay, as Isa. xlix. 14. or when our complaints are mixed with unbelief and distrust, as Psal. Ixxviii. 19. or when we complain more of our punishment than we do of our sin, and nothing will satisfy us but deliverance from trouble.

Now, to deter you from these murmurings and complaints in trouble, I shall lay before you the following considerations, 1st, They who deserve worst, do commonly complain and murmur most, and are most ready to think they are hardly dealt with. The unthankful Israelites were still murmuring. Ambitious Absalom was discontented. Bloody Haman, in midst cf all his greatness, cries out, What doth all this avail me? But humble Jacob saith, he was not worthy of the least of all the mercies and truth which God had shewed him. And holy Job blesses God, and patiently submits, when he took from him, as well as when he gave him.

2dly, Murmuring is a sin that God takes special notice of, and looks on it as an injury and an affront done immediately against himself, Numb. xiv. 27. "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me." He that gives ear to the groans of his own spirit, doth also hear the grumblings of thine, and will reckon with thee for theni.

3dly, It can no ways benefit or relieve us in distress. I may say of sinful complaining (as Christ of sinful care) which of you, by complaining, can add one cubit to his stature? What ease or relief can you get by contending with God? Nay, instead of easing you of your burden, it will make it the heavier; as a child, the more he struggles with his parents, he is the more beaten. The Israelites were once within eleven days journey' of Canaan; but by their murmurings they provoked

Chap. II. God to lead them forty years march in the wilderness before they could reach it.

4thly, Whatever be your distress, there is no just ground for complaints, whilst thou hast thy life for a prey. Remember that word of the afflicted church, Lam. iii. 39. "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? A man living, a man upon the earth, a man out of hell hath no cause to complain, whatever be his affliction. For let him compare his sin and punishment together, he will find there is no proportion; sin is a transgression against the infinite God; punishment is but an affliction upon the finite creature: sin strikes at the very being of God; but punishment only at the comfort of the creature. So that whatever your punishment be, you have more cause to give thanks than to complain, and to say with Ezra, thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve: It might have been a thousand times worse, if strict justice had been the rule: It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed.

5thly, When you murmur under sickness, you quarrel with the messenger of that sovereign God, who gave you your lives, and can take them again when he thinks fit and we know messengers ought not to be maltreated or abused, whatever be their commission, and far less when they are sent upon a good design. Now if you consider the design of this messenger and his errand to you, instead of fretting and quarrelling at his coming, you ought rather to bless God that sends such a suitable barbinger and forerunner to tell you that death is approaching, and that he vouchsafes to take so much pains on you, to wean you from the world and make you willing to be gone, by long continued trouble; when he might have seized you in a violent manner, and driven you away by main force, without using any means to obtain your consent. Have not many, who were most unwilling to die, at the beginning of a sickness, been brought, by the increase and continuance of it, to be well satisfied to leave the

world, and long to be with Christ! And was not this for their advantage?

6thly, Consider the great evil and sinfulness of impatient murmuring, complaints, and quarrellings un der affliction.

1. Murmuring hath in it much unbelief and dis trust of God, Psal. cvi. 24, 25. "They believed not his word, but murmured in their tents." They could not believe that the wilderness was the way to Canaan, that God would provide and furnish a table for them there, and relieve them in all their straits. So it is with us in trouble; we quarrel with God's providence, because we do not believe his promises; we do not believe that this can be consistent with love, or can work for good in the end.

2. It hath in it unthankfulness. While we complain of one affliction, we overlook a thousand mercies. The Israelites murmured so for what they had not, that they unthankfully forgot all they had. Whereas a thankful person is so far from fretting that God doth not give him every thing, that he wonders that God should give him any thing. "I am less than the least of all thy mercies," said Jacob, "We are perplexed, said Paul, but not in despair; we have God to go to, which is matter of praise." But the murmurer unthankfully overlooks all his present, and forgets all his former mercies; and gives not God thanks for any thing. Because God removes his comforts, his health, strength, and ease for a time; all the years he formerly enjoyed them, though most undeservedly, are quite buried in oblivion.

3. It implies much pride and self-conceit. He that complains of God's dealings, secretly applauds his own deservings. Only by pride comes contention. When men have a conceit of themselves, they pick quarrels with God's providence, being apt to think they deserve better treatment at his hands; whereas the humble soul is sensible he deserves nothing but D43 1