The truly blessed man

6. He doth it to humble his Children for, and cure them of their Guile. These are terrible temptations, but they are to humble them, and do them good, Deut. 8 16. There usually is not a little of anger in this Dispensation, however there is love in the bottom of it. He seeth that in his Children that he liketh not, but his spirit is grieved at, and because he loveth them, he will heal them of it; and this is the course he taketh; by this they are ⟨p. 183⟩taught what it will cost them to indulge any sin, and keep silence at it, which embitters it to them, and so brings them to Repentance: they humble themselves before him, and the breach thus cometh to be made up, and they restored; and so also it is a happy mean to prevent the like afterward, by giving them a remembrance that abideth by them, and maketh them more watchful as long as they live.

USE I. For INFORMATION, in two Particulars.

1. Learn hence the great folly of those who make no great matter of sinning against God. The generality of mankind have low and slighty thoughts of sin, and therein discover themselves to be egregious fools: nor are the Children of God free from the remainder of this folly; but we have a clear evidence of the madness of it, in that hereby they lay themselves open to the anger of God, and provoke him to lay his hand heavy upon them, and this is the very consequent upon such an esteem of Sin; it is a weighty question the Psalmist propounds, Psal. 90.11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Surely there are very few that believe it, they would else alter their principles and practices; The burnt Child will dread the fire, but Sinners have not felt the scaldings of Gods anger, the weight of his hand; and so they despise, otherwise they would think it a more dangerous thing to sin than they do. Sinners! did you but know what some have felt, you would