A learned commentary or exposition

Again, if Gods Children complain, that their sufferings are above their strength, and above measure, and desire God to weigh their afflictions, they are so great, as Job saith; It is the speech of sense, and not of faith, it is the speech of the fit, and not of the state (there is a fit and a state) it is no matter what they say in their fit, then the flesh and sense speak, and not grace and faith at that time; If they judge by sense, then they judge so, but we know that reason corrects the errors of sense, and faith corrects the errors of reason; but what do they say in their constant state? their comforts are answerable to their crosses, either in suffering or afterwards, though not alway at the same time. So much for that.

Againe, if Gods Children complain, that their sufferings are above their strength, and above measure, and desire God to weigh their afflictions, they are so great, as Job saith; It is the speech of sense, and not of faith, it is the speech of the fit, and not of the state (there is a fit and a state) it is no matter what they say in their fit, then the flesh and sense speak, and not grace and faith at that time; If they judge by sense, then they judge so, but we know that reason corrects the errours of sense, and faith corrects the errours of reason; but what do they say in their constant state? their comforts are answerable to their crosses, either in suffering or afterwards, though not alway at the same time. So much for that.

But this will be abused by carnal persons, we speak of abundance of comfort, but it is to those that have interest in it: the book of God speaks ¹no comfort to persons that live in sin, and will do so: we speak comfort to those that are broken-hearted for their sins, that are content to endure the reproach of religion in despite of the world, that will bear the cross of Christ: For the other, as their jollity increaseth in the world, so their crosses and troubles shall increase. As it is said Revel. 18. 17. of mystical Babylon the Church of Rome, that hath flourished in the world a great while, and sate as a Queen and blessed her self, As she gloried herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her. So it is true, of every wicked man, that is in an evil course, and will be, and as the Scripture phrase is, blesseth himself in an evil course, they shall be sure of the curse of God, and not of comfort: for in what proportion they have delighted themselves in this world in sin, in that proportion they shall have torment of conscience (if conscience be awaked) in this world, and in that proportion, they shall have torment in the world to come: As sin is growing, so rods are growing for them; wicked men, saith St. Paul, they grow worse and worse, the more they sin, the more they may, they sink in rebellion, and the more they sink in rebellion, the more they sink in the state of damnation, they fill up the measure of their sins, and treasure up the wrath of God against the day of wrath. Whosoever thou art that livest in a sinful course, and wilt do so in spite of Gods Ordinance, in spite of the motions of the spirit, that hast the good motions of the spirit knocking at thy soul, and yet wilt rather refuse comfort then take comfort together with direction: go on still in this thy wicked course, but remember as thy comforts increase in this world, so thy torment is increasing. And here is the disproportion between Gods children and others, they have their sufferings first, and their comfort afterward, but others have their pleasure first, and their torment after, theirs are for a time, but others for ever. Thus we see what we may comfortably observe from this, that comforts increase as crosses increase.