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

But a word or two of the other,¹ that is: That that which seems ill to us, may seem good to God. It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good. Certainly, for the present it did not seem very good to Ely: If that Ely's judgement had been asked of those things, Ely would have said, that they had been very sad. I, but as I remember, Luther once said, when he was Condemned and Railed upon at Nuremberg, saith he, There's one thing Concluded at Nuremberg, and another thing Concluded in Heaven: In Heaven there's not the same Judgment of my Cause, as at Nuremberg. And so it may be said concerning Affliction, There's one thing many times Concluded in my Wretched, Weak, Foolish, and Unbelieving Heart; and another thing in Heaven: One thing concluded in the world, and in mens rumours; ⟨p. 99⟩and another thing in Heaven. It's some comfort to a man though he hears rumours abroad in the world, if then he can have his own heart to contradict them. If he had nothing else to think but this, Well that that's spoken in the World is one thing, and that that I find in my heart is another; that's comfortable: But this is greater comfort, Thou art my portion, saith my Soul; saith the Church in the Book of the Lamentations; as if she should say, Well, the temptation saith that God hath left me, the Devil saith thus; I but thou art my portion, saith my Soul: That was comfortable. If so be that God speaks peace, it's more than if our own Souls speaks peace: Thou shalt choose our inheritance: Thy choice is better then our own. If we had always what's good in our own Eyes, woe were to us, we were undone. You would not think it, but certainly it is as heavy a judgment as can befall one in this world; that God should say, You shall do and you shall have what is good in your own eyes. Suppose that God should say but this morning concerning every one of you, Well, you shall henceforward have whatsoever is good in your own Eyes. why you would think that you might go away and be glad of this; Glad, you had cause of going away with ringing of Hands, and howling and crying, if God should say thus, concerning any of you. O no, it's better that our Lives, Liberties, Estates, Comforts, Happiness, and all be in Gods Hands than our own, to be disposed of so as seemeth good in Gods Eyes, rather than to be disposed of so as seemeth good in our own Eyes.

But a word or two of the other,