1Answ. Gods love and his anger towards his children are not opposita, but diversa, they may stand together, he is angry in love; *As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. A bitter pill may be as needful for preserving health, as a julep or cordial: God afflicts with the same love he adopts: 3Deus irascitur cùm non irascitur: God is most angry, when he is not angry. Affliction is an argument of son-ship. If you endure chastenings, God dealeth with you as with sons*. God had one Son without sin, but no son without stripes: Afflictions are refining, Prov. 17.3. The fining pot is for silver; and the furnace for Gold. Fiery trials make golden Christians. Afflictions are purifying, Dan. 12.10. Many shall be tried, and made white. We think, God is going to destroy us, but he only lays us a whitening. God will ⟨p. 53⟩make us at last bless him for our sufferings. Oculos quos peccatum claudit, poena aperit:5 The eyes that sin shuts, affliction opens. When Manasseh was in chains, then he knew the Lord was God. Every Christian must go to heaven upon the cross. First, the stones in Solomons Temple were hewn and polished, and then set up into a building: first, the Saints (who are called *lively stones) must be hewen and carved by sufferings, as the corner-stone was, and so made meet for the celestial building.7
1Answ. Gods love and his anger towards his children are not opposita, but diversa, they may stand together, he is angry in love; *As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. A bitter pill may be as needfull for preserving health, as a julip or cordial: God afflicts with the same love he adopts: 3Deus irascitur cùm non irascitur: God is most angry, when he is not angry. Affliction is an argument of son-ship. If you endure chastnings, God dealeth with you as with sonnes*. God had one Sonne without sinne, but no sonne without stripes: Afflictions are refining, Prov. 17.3. The fining pot is for silver; and the furnace for Gold. Fiery trials make golden Christians. Afflictions are purifying, Dan. 12.10. Many shall be tried, and made white. We think, God is going to destroy us, but he only layes us a whitening. God will ⟨p. 53⟩make us at last bless him for our sufferings. Oculos quos peccatum claudit, poena aperit:5 The eyes that sin shuts, affliction opens. When Manasseh was in chaines, then he knew the Lord was God. Every Christian must go to heaven upon the crosse. First, the stones in Solomons Temple were hewn and polished, and then set up into a building: first, the Saints (who are called *lively stones) must be hewen and carved by sufferings, as the corner-stone was, and so made meet for the celestiall building.7
- 1Answ.
- *Rev 3.19
- 3Bern.
- *Heb. 12.7.
- 5Greg.
- *• Pet. 2.5
- 7Col. 1.12.
