Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

But now another that is under as great an affliction as thou art, can lie sweetly, and contentfully, and blessing God under any affliction, thou wonderest at it that he can lie so joyful, blessing of God under so much ⟨p. 355⟩affliction, the Lord hath taught him a way to worm his affliction, the Lord hath taught him a way to deliver his soul from the curse of the affliction, the curse is gone and he by exercising faith upon Christ hath comfort in removing of the curse, and this gives him Rest in time of affliction.

But now another that is under as great an affliction as thou art, can lie sweetly, and contentfully, and blessing God under any affliction, thou wonderst at it that he can lie so joyfull, blessing of God under so much ⟨p. 355⟩affliction, the Lord hath taught him a way to worm his affliction, the Lord hath taught him a way to deliver his soul from the curse of the affliction, the curse is gone and he by exercising faith upon Christ hath comfort in removing of the curse, and this gives him Rest in time of affliction.

Thirdly, Come to Christ and thou shalt have Rest in thy affliction, because that then not only the curse shall be removed, but there shall be this blessing upon it, that there is no affliction shall befall thee; but such as may stand with Gods love, yea, such as shall come out of Gods love, and from Gods love, love shall be the great principle, not only of thy affliction, but from thy affliction, to know this, that though there are these and these afflictions upon me, yet I thank God there is no want of Gods love upon me, for I would not know any thing of Gods love then, if any spiritual judgment were upon me, but these are no other but what may stand with the love of God. Yea, but that is not so much, that they may possibly stand with the love of God, but this, that they come out of Gods love, and come from Gods love, they come as really from the love of God, as any thing that thou dost enjoy in this world. Thou thinkest, if thou hast a prosperous voyage, that God loves thee, if thou beest recovered out of an affliction that God loves thee, but I say, that the Lords bringing thee into affliction, may stand with greater love to thee than deliverance out of affliction to another. The afflictions that are upon the Saints now, they do not come out of revenge, as they do upon the wicked, the same, affliction that comes from the principle of love to thee, may come from the principle of hatred to another, and although therefore in the outward view they be the same yet they are infinitely different in the principle. It is not so much what we see, or what we feel, but from whence that comes that we see or feel, and indeed, a gracious heart is ever solicitous about the principles of