Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

Secondly, It's a means to compose the Heart, to strike the Heart with awful Fears and Reverence of God, when we look at Him in our Afflictions, and beyond the Creature. It is a Way to make us search and examine our Hearts, what there is between God and us; when once we take notice it's God that doth it, this presently puts the Heart upon a Scrutiny; What is there between God and my Soul? What is there between God and my Family?

And then it is a special means to put the Soul on to seek God for Help, for Assistance, for Blessing, for a Sanctified Use of what ever Affliction is upon it. There's ⟨p. 79⟩a great deal of good in seeing the Lord in an Affliction, in seeing that we have to deal with Him; but the special good is, that that we shall come to in the second Point: The working of the humble submission of the Heart to God. Only for the present, let this Rebuke such who are of Carnal and Atheistical spirits, That whatever befalls them, look no higher than the Creatures by which God works. It's an Argument that they have little to do with God, that they know not what it is to Converse with God, that will cry out of their Afflictions: They howl upon their Beds, as the Holy Ghost saith in the 7th. of Hosea, But they seek not to Me, or turn not to Me. And such as have slight and vain hearts in the time of their Afflictions, it's a very ill thing that; for Men to think to take Courage to themselves, so as not at all to be sensible of the Hand of God. God expects we should be so, though we should not have dishonoured Hearts, yet we should have precious Hearts. For when one have to deal with God in any thing, we had need be serious, the Presence of God should work our Hearts to Seriousness: And therefore slightness and vanity of Spirit in the day of Affliction, it is very unbeseeming. Thou doest not sanctify the Name of God in that Administration of His towards thee, who hast•• vain and slight Spirit in the Day of thine Affliction? And surely that's an Argument that thou never sawest God in His Mercy, when thou doest not see him in thine Afflictions: but that thou didst enjoy Gods Mercy but in a Brutish way, when thou doest behave thy self under thine Afflictions in a Brutish way. But this shall suffice for the first.