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[4.] Some pretend, that they are discontented and uneasy because the affliction they are under, was altogether unexpect ed; and therefore they were unprovided for, and so less able to bear it. To this it may be replied;

1st, That a Christian ought daily to expect afflictions in this miserable and sinful world, at least, so far as not to be unprovided for, or think it strange that he should be exercised with them, 1 Pet. iv. 12.

2dly, We have received many unlooked for mercies; and therefore, why should we be uneasy because we meet with unexpected afflictions, and not rather set the one against the other.

4thly, Some of God's best children have oftentimes been surprized with afflictive providences, and yet have been enabled to exercise contentment under them. Thus the messengers who brought Job heavy and unexpected tidings of one affliction immediately following another, Job i. 13, & seq. did not overthow his faith, or make him discontented under the hand of God; for, notwithstanding all this, he worshipped and blessed the name of the Lord, ver. 20, 21.

[5.] Others allege, that the change which is made in their / circumstances in the world, from a prosperous to an afflicted condition of life, is so great, and lies with such weight upon their spirits, that it is impossible for them to be easy under it. But to this it may be answered,

1st, That when God gave us the good things we are deprived of, he reserved to himself the liberty of taking them away when he pleased, as designing hereby, to shew his abso lute sovereignty over us; and therefore, before this affliction befel us, it was our duty, according to the apostle's advice, to rejoice as though we rejoiced not, and to use the world as not abusing it, i Cor. vii. 30. and not to think it strange, that we should be deprived of it, inasmuch as the fashion thereof passeth away.

2dly, The greater variety of conditions in which we have been, or are, in the world, afford more abundant experience of those dealings of God with us, which are designed as an ordinance for our faith; and therefore, instead of being discontented under them, we ought rather to be put hereupon, on the exercise of those graces that are suitable to the change of our condition, as the apostle says, I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound, Phil. iv. 12.

[6.] Some allege, that they have the greatest reason to be discontented, because of the influence which their afflictions have on their spiritual concerns, as they tend to interrupt their communion with God; and they are often ready to fear, that these are indications of his wrath, and, as it were, the begin

aing of sorrows; which leads them to the very brink of des pair.

To this it may be replied; that it is certain nothing more sharpens the edge of afflictions, or has a greater tendency to make us uneasy under them, than such thoughts as these; and not to be sensible hereof, would be an instance of the greatest stupidity; yet let us consider,

ist, That if our fears are ill-grounded, as they sometimes are, the uneasiness that arises from them is unwarrantable.

2dly, If we have too much ground for them, we are to make use of the remedy that God has provided; accordingly we are to have recourse by faith, to the blood of Jesus, for forgiveness; and this ought to be accompanied with the exercise of true repentance, and godly sorrow for sin, without giving way to those despairing apprehensions, that sometimes arise from a sense of the greatness of the guilt thereof, as though it set us out of the reach of mercy; which will add an insupportable weight to our burden; and,

3dly, If under the afflicting hand of God, we are rendered unfit for holy duties, and have no communion with him therein; this may be owing, not to the affliction, but that discontented, uneasy frame of spirit which we too much indulge under it. Therefore we are not to allege this as an excuse for that murmuring, repining frame of spirit which we are too apt to discover while exercised therewith.

The last thing to be considered is, the remedies against this sin of being discontented with our present condition; and these

are,

1st, A due sense of that undoubted right which God has to dispose of us, and our condition in this world, as he pleases; inasmuch as we are his own, Matt. xx. 15.

2dly, Uneasiness under the hand of God, or repining at his dealings, when he thinks fit to deprive us of the blessings we once enjoyed, is not the way to recover the possession of them; but the best expedient for us to regain them, or some other blessings that are more than an equivalent for them, is our exercising an entire resignation to the will of God, and concluding that all his dispensations are holy, just, and good.

3dly, Let us consider, that God oftentimes designs to make us better by the sharpest trials, which are an ordinance to bring us nearer to himself. Thus David says, Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now have I kept thy word, Psal. cxix. 67.

4thly, We ought to consider that God's design in these dispensations is, to try our faith, and that it may be found afterwards unto praise, honour, and glory, as it will be, with res

pect to every true believer, at the appearing of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. i. 7. And to this we may add,

5thly, That there are many promises of the presence of God, which have not only a tendency to afford relief against uneasiness or dejection of spirit; but to give us the greatest encouragement under the sorest afflictions; particularly, that comprehensive promise, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, Heb. xiii. 5.

QUEST. CXLIX. Is any man able perfectly to keep the Com-mandments of God?

ANSW. No man is able, either in himself, or by any grace received in this life, perfectly to keep the Commandments, of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.

AVING considered man's duty and obligation to keep the Commandments of God; we are now led to speak of him as unable to keep them; and, on the other hand, chargeable with the daily breach thereof, which is an argument of the imperfection of this present state. We have, under a foregoing answer, endeavoured to prove that the work of sanctification is imperfect in this life; so that all the boasts of the Pelagians, and others, who defend the possibility of attaining perfection therein, are vain and unwarrantable. We have also considered the reasons why God orders that it should be

And therefore, we shall, without enlarging so much on this subject, as otherwise we might have done, principally take notice of what is to be observed in this answer, under two general heads.

I. In what respects, and with what limitations, man is said to be unable to keep the Commandments of God; and, accord, ingly it is said, that no man is able, perfectly, to keep them. By which we are to understand, as it is observed in the Shorter Catechism †, no mere man, whereby our Saviour is excepted, who yielded perfect obedience in our nature. This is farther explained, with another limitation, namely, that no man is able to do this since the fall; to denote that man, in his state of innocency, was able, perfectly to keep the Commandments of God. For he was made upright, and had the image of God instamped on his soul; which consisted in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, Eccl. vii. 29. Gen. i. 27. having the law of God written in his heart, and power to fulfil it. And, indeed, to suppose the contrary, would be a

*See Quest. LXXVIII. Vol. III. 170.
* See Vol. II. 44.

+ See Quest LXXXII.

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reflection upon the divine government, and would argue man to have been created under a natural necessity of sinning, and perishing; which is contrary to the goodness, holiness, and justice of God. It is farther observed, that no man is able, in this life, thus to keep God's Commandments, which contains an intimation that the glorified saints, in heaven, will be enabled to yield perfect obedience; notwithstanding the many imperfections they are now liable to. Moreover, as man is not able, of himself, or without the aids of divine grace, to obey God; so he is not to expect such assistance from him as shall enable him to obey him perfectly. There is no doubt but the grace of God could free us from all the remainders of sin in this world, as well as in our passing from it to heaven: but we have no ground to conclude that it will. For,

1. The whole creation is liable to the curse, (a) (which was consequent upon man's first apostasy from God,) under which it groaneth, unto this day, Rom. viii. 22, 23. and shall not be delivered from it, till the scene of time, and things shall be changed, and the saints shall be fully possessed of what they are now waiting for, to wit, the adoption, or the redemption of

their bodies.

2. God is pleased to deny his people that perfection of holiness here, which they shall 'attain to hereafter, that he may give them daily occasion to exercise the duties of self-denial, mortification of sin, faith, and repentance, which redound to his own glory, and their spiritual advantage. This leads us, II. To consider that we daily break the Commandments of God, in thought, word, and deed.

1. In thought; to wit, when the mind is conversant about sinful objects, in such away, as that it contracts defilement. It is a sign that the wickedness of man is very great, when, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil, and that continually, Gen. vi. 5. Now the sinfulness of the thoughts of men, consists in four things;

(1.) When they chuse, delight in, and are daily conversant about things that are vain, empty of what is good, and have no tendency to the glory of God, or the spiritual advantage either of ourselves or others. The least vain thought which contains an excursion from our duty to God, brings some degree of guilt with it; but when the mind is wholly taken up with vanity, so that it is turned aside from, or takes no delight in those things that are of the highest importance, this will have a tendency to vitiate the mind, and alienate it from the life of God.

(2.) The thoughts of men may be said to be sinful, when

(a) Kok these mean the animal part of man.

they are not fixed, or intensely set, on God and divine things, when engaged in holy duties; and that either, when worldiy cares or business, how lawful soever they may be at other times, have a tendency to divert our thoughts from them, being altogether inconsistent therewith. Or when our minds are conversant about spiritual things unseasonably, so as to be diverted from our present design; as, when we are joining with others in prayer, instead of bearing a part with them, in having the same exercise of faith, and other graces, which supposes that our thoughts are employed about the same ob ject with theirs, we are meditating on some other divine subject, foreign to the present occasion.

(3.) Our thoughts may be said to be sinful, when they are conversant about spiritual things, without suitable affections, and, consequently, meditating on them as common things, in which we are not much concerned; as when we are destitute of those holy desires after, or delight in God, when drawing nigh to him in holy duties, which his law requires. And this will more evidently appear, when, by comparing the frame of our spirit therein, with what we observe it to be in other instances, we find, that our affections are easily raised, when engaged in matters of less importance, but stupid, and unconcerned about our eternal welfare, in holy duties; which is accompanied with hardness of heart and impenitency, and sometimes with uneasiness and weariness, as though they were a burden to us.

On the other hand, our affections may be raised in these duties, and yet we be chargeable with a sinfulness of thought therein; as,

[1.] When the affections are raised by things of less im-, portance, while other things that are more affecting, are not regarded. As, supposing a person is meditating on Christ's sufferings, and he is very much affected with, and enraged at the treachery of Judas, that betrayed him, or the barbarity of the Jews, that crucified him; but not in the least with the sin of the world, that was the occasion of it, or the greatness of his love, that moved him to submit to it.

[2.] When our affections are raised in holy duties, and this is all that we depend upon, for justification and acceptance in the sight of God, vainly supposing that our tears will wash away our sins, being destitute of faith in the blood of Christ.

[3.] When we are concerned about the misery consequent on our sins, but are not in the least inclined to hate them, nor grieved at the dishonour brought to the name of God thereby.

This leads us to consider the causes hereof, and remedies against it. If we do not find that our affections are raised in these religious exercises, as they have been in times past, we

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