Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

speaking of those who were praying for Peter in ⟨p. 52⟩the night, says, That they were made by afflictions more pure then the Heaven. And some of the Ancients, as Chrysostom and Salvian, have called afflictions ¹the mother of Virtue. Manasseh his chain was more profitable to him then his Crown. Hebr. 12. 10. God is said to chastise his people for their profit, that they might be partakers of his holiness: God communicates of his own holiness unto the souls of his people by their chastisements, in a special manner: love is often increased in affliction; sheep run together when the dog is set on them: after the Church was delivered from violent persecution, it suffered much by divisions, the very bowels were rent by their dissentions, it was then in a worse condition then before, the fire of their dissentions being worse then the fire of their persecutions; the one hindered, but the other furthered their growth. John 15. 2. Every branch in me my Father purgeth, that it may bring forth more fruit: as Vines are made fruitful by pruning, so are Gods people by the pruning knife of afflictions; and hence it is, when the Lord hath some great employment, some great service for any of his people, he first sends them unto, and trains them in the school of afflictions, as Joseph and David. And as our Benoni's, our sons of sorrows, that which we get out of our sorrows, proves oftentimes our chiefest Benjamins; so Gods chiefest Benjamins, whom he useth as the sons of his right hand in special services, are first Benoni's, sons of sorrow. There is a great deal of difference, says Luther, between a Divine in outward ²pomp, and a Divine under the cross. It is a rare thing to have any mans eyes opened as Jonathans were, by tasting of honey, by prosperity; but in ⟨p. 53⟩afflictions many are: afflictions prove to them, as the clay to the poor mans eyes that gave him sight. They ³that are afflicted, do better understand Scripture, says Luther, but those who are secure in their prosperity, read them as a verse in Ovid. Amongst many others, this is one special means whereby an afflicted condition comes to be useful for the increase of grace, because in it the soul gains much experience; experience of God and of his ways, experience of the good there is in, and faithfulness of his word; as we read,