March 29
“A Frowning Providence”
“Though he slay me, I will hope in him”
Job 13: 15.
Now, for your better performance of service for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: O it is hard work to pocket up the reproaches of all the foolish people. As if we had found great spoil; and to suffer all their revilings, lies, and slanders, without cursing them, as Elisha did the children [of Israel]. To answer them with [our] prayers and blessings for their cursings. It is far more easy to give them taunt for taunt and reviling for reviling and to give them blow for blow. Yea, to [even] call for fire from heaven against them. But to “bless them that curse you, and to pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.” Even of malice, of [an] old grudge, and on purpose to vex and afflict our mind to make us break out into a rage! This is work above us; now our patience should look up to unseen things. Now remember Christ’s carriage to them that spilt his blood, or all is in danger of bursting and you of miscarrying in these things. I might here also dilate [enlarge] upon Job’s case, and the lesson God set him, when, at one stroke, he did beat down . . . [Job] (Job 1:15). O when every providence of God unto thee is like the messengers of Job, and the last to bring more heavy tidings than all that went before him (Job 1); when life, estate, wife, children, body, and soul, and all at once, seem to be struck at by heaven and earth. Here are hard lessons; now to behave myself even as a weaned child now to say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
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