A39658:39
The balm of the covenant applied to the bleeding wounds of afflicted saints First…
The balm of the covenant applied to the bleeding wounds of afflicted saints First composed for the relief of a pious and worthy family, mourning over the deaths of their hopeful children; and now made public for the support of all Christians, sorrowing on the same or any other account. To which is added, A sermon preached for the funeral of that excellent and religious gentleman John Upton of Lupton esq; by John Flavell, preacher of the gospel at Dartmouth in Devon.The balm of the covenant applied to the bleeding wounds of afflicted saints First composed for the relief of a pious and worthy family, mourning over the deaths of their hopeful children; and now made publick for the support of all Christians, sorrowing on the same or any other account. To which is added, A sermon preached for the funeral of that excellent and religious gentleman John Upton of Lupton esq; by John Flavell, preacher of the gospel at Dartmouth in Devon.
London: printed for J. Harris, 1688
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Observation I.
That Gods Covenant People may be exercised with many sharp Afflictions in their Persons and Families.
Even David's House was the House of Mourning. Although my house be not so with God, though he make it not to grow. All sorts of outward Afflictions are incident to all sorts of men.1 All things (saith Solomon) come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the clean, and unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not. The Providences seem one and the same, ⟨p. 18⟩though the subjects on whom the• fall be vastly different. Estate and Children, Health, and Libel ty, will still be like themselv•• vanishing Comforts, whoever the Owners of them. No ma•• spiritual Estate can be known b• the view of his temporal Estat•• A godly Family cannot be a mis• rabble, but it may be a mournful F• mily. Religion secures us fro• the Wrath, but it doth not secure us from the Rod of God. Th• Lord hath chosen another way o expressing his love to his people than by temporal and external things: therefore all things come alike to all. The Covenant exclude the Curse, but includes the Cros If his children forsake my Law, &c then will I visit their iniquity with the rod, and their sin with stripes nevertheless my loving kindness will not utterly take away.