So Hagar, she never had an Angel to comfort her till she wept by the well, and was cast out of her mistresses house. And so in the story of Joseph, we shall not find it expressly said that God was with him, till he was in prison, ⟨p. 341⟩and there you shall find these very words. Not to name all passages to this purpose, in Dan. 3. Those three 1children, as they are called, they never had the familiar presence of the fourt• man, till they were cast into the furnace. They might have gone long enough, and served God, and faithfully too, and yet never have had that interview, that presence in a visible manner of the Son of God standing by them if they had not been cast into the furnace. So Christ himself till he sweat drops of blood, we read not of Angels sent from Heaven, but then they were present to comfort him, Luke 23. 43. And so in the 2history of the Acts we shall find still the Apostles when they were brought to any danger, any trouble, any imprisonment, or the like, evermore there were messengers sent from Heaven to them. So we may assure our selves out of all these promises and experiences of the Saints of God, that then we are likeliest to have the quickest commerce, and the clearest interview between Heaven and us, we are like to hear oftest from Heaven, and have more plenty of comforts from God, when we are deepest in trouble; when we are plunged in troubles in the World, then the Lord reacheth most plenty of joy from Heaven. Therefore as Christ saith John 16. concerning his presence with his Disciples, It is expedient that I go, the Comforter 3cannot come else, but if I go I will send him to you. So I say it is true, it is expedient for us that God depart from us in outward things; for till he leave us in these, the comforts of the Holy Ghost come not so purely to us, I say there is need that they should leave us that we may have those comforts. This is the sixth means, for us to assure our selves, and know this with Saint Paul, that all things shall work for the best.
So Hagar, she never had an Angel to comfort her till she wept by the well, and was cast out of her mistresses house. And so in the story of Ioseph, we shall not finde it expresly said that God was with him, till he was in prison, ⟨p. 341⟩and there you shall find these very words. Not to name all passages to this purpose, in Dan. 3. Those three 1children, as they are called, they never had the familiar presence of the fourt• man, till they were cast into the furnace. They might have gone long enough, and served God, and faithfully too, and yet never have had that interview, that presence in a visible manner of the Sonne of God standing by them if they had not been cast into the furnace. So Christ himself till he sweat drops of blood, we read not of Angels sent from Heaven, but then they were present to comfort him, Luke 23. 43. And so in the 2history of the Acts we shall find still the Apostles when they were brought to any danger, any trouble, any imprisonment, or the like, evermore there were messengers sent from Heaven to them. So we may assure our selves out of all these promises and experiences of the Saints of God, that then we are likeliest to have the quickest commerce, and the clearest interview between Heaven and us, we are like to hear oftest from Heaven, and have more plenty of comforts from God, when we are deepest in trouble; when we are plunged in troubles in the World, then the Lord reacheth most plenty of joy from Heaven. Therefore as Christ saith Iohn 16. concerning his presence with his Disciples, It is expedient that I go, the Comforter 3cannot come else, but if I go I will send him to you. So I say it is true, it is expedient for us that God depart from us in outward things; for till he leave us in these, the comforts of the Holy Ghost come not so purely to us, I say there is need that they should leave us that we may have those comforts. This is the sixth means, for us to assure our selves, and know this with Saint Paul, that all things shall work for the best.
- 1Dan. 3.
- 2Luke 23. 43.
- 3John 16.Iohn 16.
