The Practice of Piety

Whilst thy sickness remaineth, use often (for thy comfort,) these few Meditations; taken from the ends, wherefore GOD sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten.

WHilest thy sicknes remaineth, vse often (for thy comfort,) these few Meditations; taken from the ends, wherefore GOD sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are tenne.

1 That by afflictions, God may not only ^*correct our sins past: but also work in us, a deeper loathing of our natural corruption; and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit: like a good Father, ⟨p. 823⟩who suffers his tender Babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware of falling into a greater fire. So that the child of God may say with David, ²It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy Statutes: for, before I was afflicted, ³I went astray, but now I keep thy Word. And indeed (saith S. Paul) we are chastened of the Lord, ⁴because we should not be condemned with the World. With one Cross God maketh two cures: the chastisement of sins past, the prevention of sin to come. For though the eternal punishment of sin (as it proceedeth from Justice,) is fully pardoned in the sacrifice ⟨p. 824⟩of Christ: yet we are not (without serious judging of our selves) exempted from the temporal chastisement of sin; for this proceedeth only from the love of God, for our good. And this is the reason, that when Nathan told David,