gold, though it remain in the fire many days, the fire cannot waste it; when it is once pure, it will hold its weight still for all the burning. Hence it

is that the Psalmist saith, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes;" and the apostle saith, "All things work together for good to them that love God." He is a froward and foolish person, who, being sick of a deadly disease, doth not patiently and cheerfully bear the gripings and sickness of stomach, when he knoweth this sickness, caused by bitter physic, is for his health.

You will say, if you could find that your afflictions did you any good, you should not only be patient, but cheerful under them.

I answer, Whatsoever you feel, faith in God's word will tell you, that they now do you good, and hereafter you shall feel the benefit of it. The benefit of physic is not always felt the day you take it, but chiefly when the physic hath done working. The chief end why God trieth and purgeth you by afflictions, is, that he may humble you, and prove you, to do you good at your latter end. should therefore be patient in the mean time.

You

Fourthly, If yet your heart remain disquieted, because of your affliction; consider with yourself, what harm impatience will do you, compared with the good that will follow a patient enduring of it. For, besides that it depriveth you of your right understanding, and maketh you to forget yourself, as I have said, even to forget your duty both to God and man; it is the readiest means to double and lengthen the affliction, not to abate it, and take it off. That parent who intended to give a child but light

correction, if he be impatient and rebellious under it, is hereby more incensed, and doth punish him more severely. But if, in any affliction, you do patiently submit yourself under God's mighty hand, besides the ease and quiet it giveth to the soul, and experience and hope which it produceth in you, it is the readiest means of seasonable deliverance out of it; for then God will exalt you in due time. God is wise, and too strong to be overcome by any means, but by fervent prayer and humble submission to his will.

Fifthly, If yet your mind be disquieted within you at any crosses; that you may quiet your soul, you must not, as most do, only consider the weight and number of your crosses, together with their several aggravations; but withal seriously think upon the manifold mercies and favours of God, both in the evils you have escaped, and in the benefits which you have received and do now enjoy, and which, through Christ, you have cause to hope to receive hereafter. But amongst all his mercies, forget not this one, which you have already, God hath given Christ unto you, whereby he himself is yours, as your allsufficient portion. Now, if you have Christ, you have, with him, all things also which are worth the having.

When you have thus weighed impartially blessings and mercies against crosses, you will tell me, that for one cross, you have a hundred blessings, yea, a blessing in your crosses, and you will say, that this one mercy of being in Christ, alone weigheth up all crosses, and maketh them as light as nothing; giving you so much matter of joy and thankfulness, even in

the midst of affliction, that you can neither have cause nor time to be impatient, or to repine at any affliction, but to rejoice even in your tribulations.

And as for the time to come, when you think upon all your crosses and sufferings of this present time, yet reckon, that "they are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in

you." For they are but short for time, and light for weight, being compared with the everlasting weight of glory which they will work for you, if you endure them patiently. I will say nothing of the shortness and lightness of your afflictions, in comparison of the far more intolerable and eternal weight of torments in hell, which you escape: and in comparing afflictions with glory, I will point out to you only the apostle's gradation; you shall have, for affliction, glory, for light affliction, weight of glory; for short affliction, an eternal glory; for common and ordinary affliction, excellent glory. And although it might be thought that he had said enough, yet he addeth degrees of comparison; yea, goeth beyond all degrees, calling it more excellent, far more excellent: for thus he saith, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more excellent and eternal weight of glory." Indeed, you must not look at the things which are seen with the eye of sense, but at things which are not seen, which are spiritual and eternal, seen only by the eye of faith.

You will say, If you did but bear afflictions for Christ, then you could rejoice in hope; but you ofttimes suffer afflictions justly for your sin.

I answer, Though this place principally points to

suffering for Christ's cause, yet it is all one, in your case, if you bear afflictions patiently for his sake. A man may suffer afflictions for Christ two ways: First, When he suffereth for his religion and for his cause. Secondly, When a man suffereth any thing which God layeth upon him, quietly, for Christ's will and commandment sake. This latter is more general than the former, and the former must be comprehended in this latter; else the former suffering for Christ's cause, if it be not in love and obedience, and for Christ's sake, out of conscience to fulfil his will, is nothing: whereas he that endureth patiently God's just punishment for sin for Christ's sake, endeavouring to submit his will to the will of Christ; this man suffers, that is, patiently endureth affliction for Christ, though he never suffer for profession of Christ: and, if such a one were put to it, he would readily suffer for Christ's cause. And such afflictions as these, thus patiently endured, work also this excellent weight of glory, as well as the other.

By these and the like reasonings of faith, you may possess your soul in patience, as David and others have done, by casting anchor on God, and on his word, fixing their stay and hope in him. Let the issue of your reasoning be this: I will wait on God, and yet, for all the causes of distress, praise him who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Thus David quieted his heart, when he heard tidings that his city Ziklag was burnt, and that his wives and all that he had, together with the wives and children of all his soldiers, were carried eaptive; and when he saw that his soldiers began to

mutiny, and heard them speak of stoning him, he encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And good Jehoshaphat, in his desperate condition, cast anchor here, saying, "O our God, we know not what to do, but our eyes are on thee." Thus, by the exercise of your hope in God, the heart may be wrought unto much patience and quietness in all dis

tresses.

A farther means of patience is, Observe the patience of others, as of the prophets and faithful servants of God, who are recorded in scripture, and left as examples of suffering affliction, and of patience. "We count them happy that endure," saith St. James; "you have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." But especially represent to your thoughts the patience of your head and Saviour Jesus Christ, whom you pierced by your sins, who as a lamb, dumb before the shearer, opened not his mouth. Now, if you

would consider him who is the author and finisher of your faith; who endured such contradiction of sinners, &c. and such intolerable anguish of soul, when he wrestled with his Father's wrath; then you would not be wearied nor faint in your minds, when affliction. any you are under If with Christ you set

the joy before you, you will be able to endure the cross, and despise the shame of all persecution for well doing, and so run that race which is set before you with patience, that you shall in the end sit down with Christ at the right-hand of the throne of God.

Sixthly, Pray much for patience, waiting patiently for it; and without doubt, the God of patience and