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not hell. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ, by whom I am delivered from wrath to come.

And thus, as the

Lord Jesus by the sensible experience of his own passion, came perfectly to understand what his poor members suffer while they are in the body, so we by the remainders of his cross, which he hath bequeathed us as a legacy, come in some measure to understand the sufferings of Christ, or at least by comparing things of such vast disproportion, to guess at what we cannot understand.

20. The last lesson which God teacheth by affliction, is HOW TO PRIZE AND LONG FOR HEAVEN. In our prosperity, when the candle of God shines in our tabernacles, when we wash our steps in butter, and the rock poureth us out rivers of oil, we could set down with the present world, and even say with the disciple (though not upon so good an account) It is good for us to be here; let us here build us tabernacles; while life is sweet, death is bitter; and heaven itself is no temptation, while the world gives us her friendly entertainments: But when poverty and imprisonment, reproach and persecution, sickness and sore diseases, do not only pinch but vex our hearts with variety of aggravations; we are not so fond of the creature, but we can be content to entertain a parly with death, and take heaven into our consideration. Not that merely to desire to be in heaven, because we are weary of the world, is an argument of grace, or a lesson that needs divine teaching, self-love will prompt as much

as that comes to. But because like foolish travellers, we love our way though it be troublesome, rather than our country; God by this discipline taketh off our hearts by degrees from this present world, and. maketh us look homeward, being burdened we groan, and with the dove, we return to the ark when the world is afloat round about us; when David was driven from his palace, then woe is me that my pilgrimage is prolonged; so the Septuagint renders it. We should be contented like the Israelites with the garlick and flesh-pots of Egypt, if God did not set cruel taskmasters over us to double our burdens; and when God hath thus lessened our esteem of the world, he discovers to us the excellency of heavenly comforts, and draws out the desires of the soul to a full fruition; when shall I come and appear in thy presence?

-EVEN SO, come Lord Jesus. Afflictions make heaven appear as heaven indeed. To the weary, it is rest To the banished, home-To the scorned and reproached, glory-To the captive, liberty-To the soldier, conquest-and to the conqueror, it is a crown of life, of righteousness and of glory-To the hungry, it is hidden manna-To the thirsty, the fountain of life-To the grieved, fulness of joy-and to the mourner, pleasures for evermore-In a word, to them that have lain upon the dunghill, and kept their integrity, it is a throne, on which they shall sit and reign with Christ for ever and ever.

Surely beloved, heaven thus proportioned to every

state of the afflicted soul, cannot but be very precious,, and will make the soul with a stronger or weaker impulse, desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, which is best of all. A christian, indeed, is comforted by faith, but not satisfied; or if satisfied, it is in point of security, not of desire: because here we are absent from the Lord, and walk by faith, not by sight. Hope, though it keep life in the soul, yet it is not able to fill it: he longs, and thinks every day a year till he be at home. They that walk by faith, cannot be quiet till they be in the sight of those things which they believe. Jacob, when he heard that Joseph was alive, though he did believe it, yet could not be satisfied with hearing of it; but saith he, I will go and see him before I die: so the believing soul, He, whom my soul loveth, was dead, but is alive, and behold he liveth for evermore. I will die that I may go and see him: as Augustine, upon that answer of God to Moses, thou canst not see my face and live, makes this quick, and sweet reply, then Lord let me die that I may see thy face.

Thus have I presented you with those twenty several lessons which Jesus Christ, the great Prophet of his church, teacheth his afflicted ones in the school of affliction.

I now come to the second thing; namely, the

NATURE OR PROPERTIES OF DIVINE TEACHING.

For

my

brethren, it is not every teaching that will make or evidence a man to be a blessed man under

affliction. There is hardly any man that is under affliction, but he learns somewhat by it, and yet few are blessed; the reason is, because it matters not so much what a man is taught, as who is the teacher, whether he be taught of God or no; yea that is not all neither; for we are not to enquire only, whether we be taught of God, but how; there is a twofold teaching of God. There is a common teaching, which even the heathen, men out of the church, hypocrites, and reprobates within the church, may have; there is a special teaching, proper and peculiar only to the children of promise. A covenant teaching; all thy children'shall be taught of God; it is the covenant of God with the Redeemer. A teaching without which there is no profit, I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, i. e. to profit by chastisements and corrections: so it followeth; which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. God's teachings are not only directing teachings, but leading teachings; not only to shew the way, but to enable to go in the way.

Now this teaching hath six properties.

1. IT IS AN INWARD TEACHING. (1.) Inward in respect of the object; so our Saviour concerning the saving teaching of the Holy Ghost: When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. Man may lead you unto truth; but it is the Spirit of God only that can lead you into truth; he only that hath the key of David, that openeth and no man,

shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, can open to you the door of truth, and shew you the inside of truth. And great is the difference between these two teachings. He that comes to a stately house or palace, sees only the outward fabric and structure; and even that may take much; but he that comes into it, sees all the inward contrivances and conveniences; he sees all the rich furniture and adornings of the several rooms and offices of the house, which are not only for use, but for delight and ornament; surely the very outside of truth is goodly; but, like the king's daughter, it is all glorious within; not pleasing only, but ravishing; this they see who are led into truth; by virtue whereof David saw wonderful things in the law; objects which filled his soul with wonder and delight. And as the teachings of the covenant are inward in respect of the object, so (2.) inward also in respect of the subject; in the hidden part thou hast made me to know wisdom. And again, I thank the Lord who gave me counsel, my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. The reins are the most inward parts of the body; and the night season the most retired and private time; both express the intimacy of divine teaching. God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Christ; it is a full expression, and holds forth the inward teachings of God, both in reference to the subject, and to the object. In reference to the sub

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