LETTER VI.

2.

On the Afflictions of ferious Chriftians, and the Predictions, which may comfort them in the Times of their Troubles. When they have been under many Afflictions and are brought into great Perplexity, there are Predictions, which may fupport them: AFFLICTIONS are of two Kinds, Temporal, and Spiritual: I. Of temporal Afflictions particularly. 1. By the Death of Children. The Death of Hufbands. 3. The Lofs of dear and useful Friends. 4. The Falling under falfe Accufations, with the Predictions which may afford Relief under fuch Sorrows. II. Of Spiritual Troubles particularly. 1. Of an habitual Defpondence. 2. Of the Anguish and Distress of the Soul, after the Commision of fome heinous Sin. 3. Of the great Troubles and Sorrow occafioned by the violent Temptations, and Affaults of the Devil.

HERE are Times of great Afflictions and Diftrefs even with ferious Chriftians; and there are Predictions in the Holy Scriptures, which may relieve, and comfort their forrowful Hearts: Bleffed be our Compaffionate God for them!

Sometimes

Sometimes Afflictions come quick, one after another, and are of long Continuance, and the Troubles are great, and the Afpect of Providence feems to threaten greater.

They are under thick Darkness, reduced to great Extremity, and they can fee no Way in which Deliverance can come to them; and they are ready almost to give up their Hope.

Yet in fuch a difmal Time as this, there are Predictions proper for their Support and Comfort.

For in Ifa. xli. 17. we read thefe Words, I the LORD will bear them, I the God of Ifrael will not forfake them: that is, thofe who are his People, he will not forfake: Comfortable Predictions And in many Places God has promised to deliver his People.

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And may not ferious Chriftians think that with God, their own God, all Things are poffible; and may they not think he has Bowels of Pity, as well as boundless Power?

May they not pray? May they not fay to their Father which is in Heaven? O my Father! Thou art the mighty God, which doth great Things p.ft finding out, yea, and Wonders without Number.

Have they not Leave to pour out their Complaints before Him? may they not say?

Confider all my forrows, Lord,
And thy Deliverance fend;
My Soul for thy Salvation faints,
When will my Troubles end?

Yet have I found, 'tis good for me
To bear my Fathers Rod,

Afflictions make me learn thy Law,
upon my God.

And live

I know thy Judgments, Lord, are right,
Tho' they may feem fevere;

K

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The fharpeft Sufferings I endure,
Flow from thy faithful Care.

WATTS'S Pfalms 119.

O my merciful God, purge away the Drofs of my Sin from my Soul, by thy Chastisements; and forgive, and fave thy Servant that trufteth in Thee!

True; to an Eye of Senfe, my Deliverance appears as a Thing impoffible; and thus appeared the Deliverance of the Children of Ifrael, when they had the Sea juft before them, and their Enemies juft behind them: And thus did appear the Deliverance of Abraham from his agonizing Trial, when his Arm was lifted up to flay his Son, and the only Son of the Promife, as a Sacrifice to God; and yet thou didst deliver the Children of Ifrael, and didft deliver Abraham in the laft Extremity, and thou canft deliver me. May I not say?

Oft in the laft diftreffing Hour

The Lord difplays delivering Power,
The Mount of Sorrows is the Place,
Where we shall fee furprizing Grace.

WATTS.

Why then art thou caft down, O my Soul? And ky art thou difquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for 1 fhall yet Praife him, who is the Health of my Countenance and my God. Pfal. xlii. 11.

Our good God in his Predictions has provided for the Comfort of his People, under the various Afflictions wherewith they may be exercised.

The Afflictions incident to Chriftians, are either of a Temporal, or of a Spiritual Nature; I fhall briefly take notice of both Sorts.

I. Of the Afflictions of a temporal Kind, these are many, but I fhall take notice of fome that are very frequent; particularly the following.

1. If their Children die, they may confider that there is a Name better than of Sons and of Daughters, which God hath foretold that he will give to them that keep his Sabbaths, and choose the Things that please him, and take hold of his Covenant. That he will give them an everlasting Name, that fhall not be cut off. Ifa. lv. 4, 5.

Serious Chriftians under the Lofs of their little Ones, may take Comfort as David did, by confidering that although their Children cannot return to be with them again in this World; yet, that they fhall in a little Time, go to be with them in the other World; and they fhould imitate David's Example, and instead of fecreting themselves, and indulging an unreasonable Grief, they fhould give their Bodies all needful Refreshment, and go to the House of God and worship him in the Seafons of it; whofe Providence wifely and rightly manageth all Things.

2. When Hufbands die, our compaffionate God has provided for the Comfort of the Widows, and of their fatherlefs Children.

In Jer. xlix. 11. God fays, Leave thy Fatherlefs Children, I will preferve them alive, and let thy Widows truft in me. Thefe Words plainly imply a Prediction, that God will take care of, and provide for the Fatherlefs and the Widows.

In Pfal. lxviii. 5. it is faid, A Father of the Fatherlefs, and a Judge of the Widows is God in his Holy Habitation. Thefe Words fignify a Prediction that God will defend and provide for the Widows, and their fatherless Children.

And the Confideration of thefe Predictions may well comfort the Minds, and rejoice the Hearts

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of ferious Chriftians in fuch an afflicted Condition; and more especially as the divine Providence is always fulfilling the Predictions recorded in the Sacred Scriptures.

In Exod. xxii. 22. God fays, Ye fall not affit any Widow, or fatherless Child. And to enforce this Law, he adds, If thou afflict them in any wife, and they cry at all unto me; I will furely hear their Cry, and my Wrath fhall wax hot, and I will kill you with the Sword, and your Wives fhall be Widows, and your Children fatherless, ver. 23, 24.

Thefe awful Threatnings fhould not only make all Men afraid of injuring the Fatherless and Widows; but excite all Men to fhew them Kindness as there may be Occasion; because their doing fo will be pleafing to God, as may well be concluded from the aforementioned Law, enforced with fuch terrible Threatnings against the Tranfgreffors of it.

3. Serious Chriftians may likewise be in great Affliction by the Death of dear and ufeful Friends, who were a principal Support and Comfort to them: Or if not by their Death, yet by their ceafing to be Friends, and fometimes by their becoming Enemies.

A Chriftian thus afflicted, may take Comfort in confidering, that although earthly Friends die, yet their Father which is in Heaven lives for ever; and can, and often doth raife up new Friends in their ftead, and more ufeful than thofe they have loft: Or if God fuffers our Friends to forfake us, he teaches us never to truft in Man, Nor in an Arm of Flefb.

This Affliction befel David, as appears from what he fays, in Pfal. Iv. ver. 12, 13, 14. For it was not un Enemy that reproached me, then I could have born it; neither was it be that hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would