These are the blessed and profitable ends, 1wherefore God sendeth sickness and affliction upon his Children; whereby it may plainly appear, that afflictions are not signs either of God's hatred, 2or of our reprobation; but rather tokens and pledges of his fatherly love unto his Children, whom he loveth, and therefore chasteneth them in this life, where upon repentance, there remains hope of pardon; rather than to refer the punishment to that life, where there is no hope of pardon, nor end of punishment. For this cause, the Christians in the* Primitive Church, were wont to give God great thanks, for afflicting them in this life. So the Apostles rejoiced, that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ's Name, Acts 5. 41. And the Christian Hebrews suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had in Heaven a better, and an enduring substance, Heb. 10. 34. And in respect of those holy Ends, the Apostle saith,† That though no affliction for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous; yet afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness to them who are thereby exercised. 5Pray therefore heartily, that as God hath sent unto thee this sickness, so it would please him to come himself ⟨p. 386⟩unto thee with thy sickness; by teaching thee to make those sanctified uses of it, for which he hath inflicted the same upon thee.
These are the blessed and profitable ends, 1wherefore God sendeth sickness and affliction upon his Children; whereby it may plainly appear, that afflictions are not signs either of God's hatred, 2or of our reprobation; but rather tokens and pledges of his fatherly love unto his Children, whom he loveth, and therefore chasteneth them in this life, where upon repentance, there remains hope of pardon; rather than to refer the punishment to that life, where there is no hope of pardon, nor end of punishment. For this cause, the Christians in the* Primitive Church, were wont to give God great thanks, for afflicting them in this life. So the Apostles rejoyced, that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ's Name, Acts 5. 41. And the Christian Hebrews suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had in Heaven a better, and an enduring substance, Heb. 10. 34. And in respect of those holy Ends, the Apostle saith,† That though no affliction for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous; yet afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness to them who are thereby exercised. 5Pray therefore heartily, that as God hath sent unto thee this sickness, so it would please him to come himself ⟨p. 386⟩unto thee with thy sickness; by teaching thee to make those sanctified uses of it, for which he hath inflicted the same upon thee.
- 1Malum pati malum non est: malum facere malum est.
- 2Chrys. de Prod. Ind.
- *Cum vexamur ac premimur, tum maximas gratias agimus indulgentissimo Patri, quod corruptelam nostram non patitur longius procedere, sed plagis ac verberibus emendat.
- †Heb 12. 11.
- 5Lact. lib. 5. cap. 23.
