wherefore hast thou done so? It may be God uses him as his rod to lash me, because I by my sin made his enemies to blaspheme him; and shall I be angry with the rod? How irrational were that? This also was it that quieted Job; he doth not rail and vow revenge upon the Chaldeans and Sabeans, but eyes. God as the oider of those troubles, and is quiet; the Lord hath taken away, blessed be his name, Job i. 21.

Object. But you will say, to turn aside

the right of a man, to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not, Lam. iii. 36.

Answ. True; but, though it fall not under his approving, yet it doth under his permitting will; and there is a great argument. for quiet submission in that: nay, he hath not only the permitting, but the ordering of all those troubles ; did we see more of an holy God, we should show less of a corrupt nature in such trials.

7 Rem. Consider how you daily wrong God, and you will not be so easily inflamed with revenge against others that have wronged you.

You are daily grieving and wronging God, and yet he bears, forgives, and will not take vengeance upon you; and wi!!

you be so quick in avenging yourselves upon others? O what a sharp and terrible rebuke is that, Mat. xviii. 32, 33. O thou, wicked and slothful servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? None should be filled with bowels of pity, forbearance, and mercy, to such as wrong them, as those should be, that have experienced the riches of mercy themselves : methinks, the mercy of God to us, should melt our very bowels into mercy over others; it is impossible we can be cruel to others, except we forget how kind Christ has been to us; those that have found mercy, should shew mercy. If kindness cannot, work, methinks fear should; If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses, Mat. vi. 15.

8 Rem. Lastly, let the consideration of the day of the Lord, which draweth nigh, withhold your hearts from anticipating it by acts of revenge.

Why are you so quick? Is, not the Lord at hand, to revenge all his abused servants? Be patient therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord: behold, the husbandman waiteth, &c. Beye

also patient, for the coming of the Lord draws nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned. Behold, the judge standeth at the door, Jam. v. 7, 8, 9. This text affords three arguments against revenge; 1, the Lord's near approach; 2, the example of the husbandman's patience; 3, the danger we draw upon ourselves by anticipating God's judgment; vengeance is mine, saith the Lord he will distribute justice more equally and impartially than you can. They that believe they have a God to right them, will not so much wrong themselves as to avenge their own wrengs.

1 Object. But flesh and blood are not able to bear such abuses.

Sol. If you resolve to consult flesh and blood in such cases, and do no more but what that will enable you to do, never pretend to religion. Christians must do singular and supernatural things.

2 Object. But, if I pack up such abuses, I shall be reckoned a fool, and every one will trample upon me.

Sol. 1. You be reckoned among may fools, but God and good men will account it your wisdom, and the excellency of your spirits. 2, It must be a base spirit indeed, that will trample upon a meek and forgiving christian, And thus learn to keep

your hearts from revenge under all your provocations.

8 Season. "The next season, in which 66 we are in danger of losing our hearts, "is, when we meet with great crosses and 66 provocations; then sinful passion is apt "to transport the heart. It is the fault "of many good men, to be of hasty and "quick spirits when provoked: though "they dare not concoct anger into malice, "for that would be a note of wickedness; 86 yet are they very incident to sudden an66 ger, which is a sign of weakness. Be66 za, in the life of Calvin, observes, that "he was of a keen and hasty spirit and "he that writes the life of great Came66 Fon, saith, that his anger was soon stir"red towards his near and familiar friends; "but then he would soon depose it, and " acknowledge his weakness. Alas, when provocations and trials of our patience come, we know not what spirits we are "of. The eighth case therefore is this; 8 Case. How the heart may be kept meek and patient under great crosses and provocations.

There are three sorts of anger, natural, holy, and sinful anger. 1, Natural, which is nothing else but the motion of the irascible appetite towards an offensive object: and this in itself is no sin; they are pro

passions rather than passions, the infelicities rather than the sins of nature, as Jerome calls them. Reason (saith Platarch) is the driver, the soul is the chariot, and the two horses, that draw it on in all its motions, are the concupiscible and irascible appetites; whilst these ar rightly managed by reason, they are no only lawful, but very useful to the oul. God would not have us to be stupi and ing sate, though he would have to and patient. In Eph. ive allows the natural motion, but folds the sinful exorbitancy. 2, Holy ger, which is a pure flame, kindled by heavenly spark of love to God, and in cripture is called zeal, which is (as on saith) the dagger which love draws in rod's quarrel. Such was Lot's against the Sodomites, and that of Moses against th idolatrous Israelites. When Servetus condemned Zwinglius for his harshness, his answer was, in other cases I will be mild, but in the cause of Christ, not so. That which the world calls moderation and mildness here, is in God's account stupidity and cowardliness. Neither of these is that which I am now persuading you to keep your hearts against. But, 3, there is a sinful passion, that is the thing which endangers you. Now anger becomes sinful, when it is either