Examine I beseech you, when you were low any of you, say, had you not more of Gods presence with you 1then, than you have now? did not God know you more then? did not you know God more then? had not you more sweet communion in those times than now you have? Oh! God made you know him by gracious visitations of his Spirit, and there were gracious workings of your spirit towards him. Are not you grown flat, dead, and drossy, and carnal now more than before? do not you seek greedily after the world to fill your selves? and do not you begin to be exalted in your own hearts? do not you begin to be puffed up? have you none of your friends so? If you know but any of your friends that when they were lower than now they are, knew God better than now they do, and God knew them, and there was more sweet converse between God and them than now there is, put them in mind of this text, I knew them in the wilderness, in the Land of great drought, but now according to their Pastures they are filled, and their hearts are exalted, and they have forgotten me: God deliver them from the remaining part of the text, I'll be a Lyon, and a Leopard, and Bear to them to tear them. You seldom find in 2Scripture any of Gods Saints worse for afflictions; give me any one example, for my part I know not one in all the Book of God that came worse out of an affliction than when they went in; But I can tell you of many, even of Gods dear people that came worse out of prosperity than ⟨p. 454⟩when they came in; therefore it's observable in 2 Chron. 17. 3. it's spoken in commendation of Jehoshaphat, it's said that Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of David his Father; David his Father at first was in an afflicted 3estate, afterwards in a more prosperous estate; he was hunted like a Partridge at first, but when he came to prosperity, his ways were not so good, therefore the holy Ghost doth put a commendation upon his first ways rather than upon his after ways. I fear it may be said so of some, that their first ways when they were low were a great deal better than their after ways. This for the connection. According to their Pastures, so were they filled.4
Examin I beseech you, when you were low any of you, say, had you not more of Gods presence with you 1then, than you have now? did not God know you more then? did not you know God more then? had not you more sweet communion in those times than now you have? Oh! God made you know him by gracious visitations of his Spirit, and there were gracious workings of your spirit towards him. Are not you grown flat, dead, and drossie, and carnal now more than before? do not you seek greedily after the world to fill your selves? and do not you begin to be exalted in your own hearts? do not you begin to be puft up? have you none of your friends so? If you know but any of your friends that when they were lower than now they are, knew God better than now they do, and God knew them, and there was more sweet converse between God and them than now there is, put them in mind of this text, I knew them in the wilderness, in the Land of great drought, but now according to their Pastures they are filled, and their hearts are exalted, and they have forgotten me: God deliver them from the remaining part of the text, I'le be a Lyon, and a Leopard, and Bear to them to tear them. You seldom find in 2Scripture any of Gods Saints worse for afflictions; give me any one example, for my part I know not one in all the Book of God that came worse out of an affliction than when they went in; But I can tell you of many, even of Gods dear people that came worse out of prosperity than ⟨p. 454⟩when they came in; therefore it's observable in 2 Chron. 17. 3. it's spoken in commendation of Jeboshaphat, it's said that Jeboshaphat walked in the first waies of David his Father; David his Father at first was in an afflicted 3estate, afterwards in a more prosperous estate; he was hunted like a Partridg at first, but when he came to prosperity, his waies were not so good, therefore the holy Ghost doth put a commendation upon his first waies rather than upon his after waies. I fear it may be said so of some, that their first waies when they were low were a great deal better than their after waies. This for the connexion. According to their Pastures, so were they filled.4
- 1Applic.
- 2None of the Saints worse for Affliction: many for Prosperity.
- 3David.
- 4Text.
