Gospel-love, heart-purity, and the flourishing of the righteous being the last sermon of the…

for that's the meaning of it. Now it seems very strange, yet thus it doth. And then Patience experience, and experience hope. Here's a flourishing, and a growing up in all Graces, even in a time of tribulation. And it's the same thing that we have too in 2 Cor. 4. 17. Our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. That is, it works us into a greater fitness for glory, the afflictions that are upon us. We grow more up into Heaven, ⟨p. 100⟩more into glory. Our hope doth. (as it were) rise up into glory by our affliction: And this is flourishing like the Palm-tree. Affliction will make us the fitter for Heaven: they will make us better than we were, and so fitter for Heaven, fitter for glory. Grace improved is very near to glory. Thus we see how the Scripture holds out this thing, that the righteous flourish as the Palm-tree. They are bettered, and made fitter by their afflictions for glory.

I will give you an account in some grounds of it, why it is so, how it comes to pass.

First, The pressures and weights that are upon the Righteous from the world, do wean them from the world, takes them off from the world. Why now the love of the world, and cleaving to the world, and desires going after the world, are a mighty impediment to our growth in grace, to our flourishing in the world. You see what's said in Matth. 13. the ⟨p. 101⟩cares of the world, the pleasures of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and make it become altogether unfruitful. And truly the love of the world, and pursuit of worldly things, do exceedingly hinder grace in the fourth Ground, in those that are truly godly, it is a great hindrance to them till they get their hearts mortified to the world, and weaned from the world. Now certainly the pressures that we meet withal in the world, are an exceeding great means to take us off from the pleasures of the world, and the profits of the world. We are mortified to the world: as Paul saith of the Cross of Christ,