Secondly, There must be a submission to God in every affliction, for the time and continuance of the affliction. It may be saith one I could submit and be content, but this affliction hath been upon me a long time, a quarter of a year, a year, divers years, and I know not how to yield and submit to it, my patience is even worn and broke; yea it may be it is a spiritual affliction, you could submit to God you say in any outward affliction, but not in a soul-affliction, or if it were an affliction upon the soul, trouble upon the heart, if it were the withdrawing of Gods face, yet if this had been but for a little time I could submit; but seeking of God so long a time and yet God doth not appear, Oh how shall I bear this! We must not be our own disposers for the time of deliverance no more than the kind and way of deliverance, and I will give you a Scripture or two about this; That we are to submit unto God for the time as well as the kind, in the latter end of the 1. Chap. of Ezek. When I saw it I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake, (the Prophet was cast down upon his face, but how long must he lie upon his face) And he said unto me, Son of man stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee, and the Spirit entered into me, when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet. Ezekiel was cast down upon his face, and there he must lie till God bid him stand up, yea and not only so, but till Gods Spirit came into him to enable him to stand up: So when God casts us down, we must be content to lie till God bid us stand up, and Gods Spirit enter into us to enable us to stand up. So you know Noah he was put into the Ark, certainly he knew there was much affliction in the Ark, having all ⟨p. 24⟩kind of creatures shut up with him for twelve months together, it was a mighty thing, yet God shutting him up (though the waters were assuaged) Noah was not to come out of the Ark till God bid him: So though we be shut up in great afflictions, and we may think there may be this and that and the other means to come out of that affliction, yet till God doth open the door we should be willing to stay; God hath put us in, and God is to bring us out: As we read in the Acts, of Paul, when they had shut him in Prison and would have sent for him out; Nay, saith Paul they shut us in, let them come and fetch us out:
Secondly, There must be a submission to God in every affliction, for the time and continuance of the affliction. It may be saith one I could submit and be content, but this affliction hath been upon me a long time, a quarter of a year, a year, divers years, and I know not how to yeild and submit to it, my patience is even worn and broke; yea it may be it is a spiritual affliction, you could submit to God you say in any outward affliction, but not in a soul-affliction, or if it were an affliction upon the soul, trouble upon the heart, if it were the withdrawing of Gods face, yet if this had been but for a little time I could submit; but seeking of God so long a time and yet God doth not appear, Oh how shall I bear this! We must not be our own disposers for the time of deliverance no more than the kind and way of deliverance, and I will give you a Scripture or two about this; That we are to submit unto God for the time as well as the kind, in the latter end of the 1. Chap. of Ezek. When I saw it I fel upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake, (the Prophet was cast down upon his face, but how long must he lie upon his face) And he said vnto me, Son of man stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee, and the Spirit entered into me, when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet. Ezekiel was cast down upon his face, and there he must lie till God bid him stand up, yea and not only so, but till Gods Spirit came into him to enable him to stand up: So when God casts us down, we must be content to lie till God bid us stand up, and Gods Spirit enter into us to enable us to stand up. So you know Noah he was put into the Ark, certainly he knew there was much affliction in the Ark, having all ⟨p. 24⟩kind of creatures shut up with him for twelve monthes together, it was a mighty thing, yet God shutting him up (though the waters were asswaged) Noah was not to come out of the Ark til God bid him: So though we be shut up in great afflictions, and we may think there may be this and that and the other means to come out of that affliction, yet till God doth open the door we should be willing to stay; God hath put us in, and God is to bring us out: As we reade in the Acts, of Paul, when they had shut him in Prison and would have sent for him out; Nay, saith Paul they shut us in, let them come and fetch us out:
