Divine Conduct, or The Mystery of Providence

It may be thou hast a crazy, diseased, weak body; thou labourest under often infirmities: in this, the Wisdom and Care of God over thy soul is manifested; for wert thou not so clogged, ⟨p. 203⟩how probable is it, that much more guilt might be contracted? Your poverty doth but clog your pride; reproaches clog your ambition: want prevents wantonness: sickness of body conduces to the prevention of many inward gripes of conscience, and groans under guilt.

The Providences of God may be observed to §3conduce to our holiness, not only by preventing sin,¹ that we may not •all into it; but also by purging our sins when we are fallen into them, Isa. 27. 9. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin. So Dan. 11. 33, 34, 35. they are of the same use that fire and water are for purging and cleansing; not that they can purge us from sin in their own virtue and power, for if so, those that have most afflictions would have most grace also; but it is in the virtue of Christ's blood, and God's blessing upon afflictive Providences, that they purge us from sin. A Cross without a Christ never did any man good. Now in God's afflictive Providences for sin there are many things that tend to the purging of it. For

The Providences of God may be observed to §3conduce to our holiness, not only by preventing sin,¹