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Were our labours more successful, we should rest more upon them, but by want of success we are weaned from them. This is comfort even in the want of comfort.

But in this case, why should not that comfort and support Isa. us, which did comfort and support Christ himself? xlix. 2, ye read of his call to his work: "The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother he hath made mention of my name. ." Here is his clear call to work, verse 2, ye have his divine assistance, "And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft in his quiver." Then verse 4, ye have his want of success expressed in many words: "Then said I, I have laboured in vain." Is that all? No: "I have spent my strength for nought." But is that all? No: "and in vain " again. Then at verse 6, God the Father comforts him against this discouragement: "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob: I have given thee for a light to the Gentiles." Though thou hast little success in this work amongst the Jews, thou shalt have great success in a greater. But wherein doth Christ comfort himself in this case of no success in his work amongst the Jews? That we have in verse 4: "Surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God." Whatever judgment men do make, it matters not much, for "my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God." I have done the work which God gave me to do, and therein I have approved myself unto God; and therefore though I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought, yet I have comfort in my work, for my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God; I have not lost my labour, for my work is with God. And thus may you also comfort yourself in the want of success; true, I have laboured in vain as to others, but not in vain to myself; I have lost my labour as to others, but not as to my God; for my reward is with God, and though I have spent my strength for nought in regard of men, yet my work is with my God; and in all this work I have approved myself unto him; and therefore whatever the success be, yet will not I be discouraged; for my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. *

* Proprie autem dici non potest quod Christus frustra laboravit ne quidem

And thus I have done with this eighth instance, whereby it doth appear that a good man hath no reason or cause to be discouraged in regard of his work or service, however it may fare with him therein.

SERMON XII.

A LIFTING UP IN CASE OF DISCOURAGEMENTS DRAWN FROM THE CONDITION ITSELF.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted within me ?" &c.-Psalm xlii. 11.

IX. SOMETIMES the discouragements of God's people are drawn from their condition, the condition itself.

Oh, saith one, my condition is exceeding sad, both for soul and body; there is no condition that is like to mine: my affliction and my condition are twisted and woven in together; my affliction, misery, and my calamity are seated in my very condition: they do not only grow upon my condition, but are in the condition itself, and therefore I am thus discouraged; have I not cause and reason for it?

No: I will grant and must confess, it is possible that a godly man's condition in regard of outwards, may be very bad, Cum bene sit malis, et male bonis; when it goes well with those that are bad, and ill with those that are good, I am strongly solicited to believe there is no God, said the heathen but we have learned better divinity than this. A man's condition may be very bad, and yet the man himself may be very good, and God may be good to him. Yea, respectu judæorum tum quod Christus omnium conversionem vere non intendit sed tantum eorum quos efficacitur convertere voluit qui principaliter sunt electi tum quod opus predicationis Christi apud eos qui non erant convertendi, usum suum tamen habuit vel quod erat futurum hoc illis in testimonium in die judicii vel quod ad consolationem nostram id fecit ut videlicet predicatores non nimium dolerant et animum abjicerent si semen ab illis projectum aliquando viderent in animis audientium non fructificare. Estius in Loc.

Sensus igitur hoc loco sio esse poterit; consumpsi frustra vires, &c. quasi, dicat; non est quod quisquam existimet id circo me frustra laborasse, quod non missus venerim aut aliter atque oporteret rem tractarim in aliquove deliquerim conditio (sic enim significat DWDD) studia et actiones omnes me sic significat imo omnia mea a Deo meo a patre omnium Deo disposita et ordinata fuere. Forerius in Esai, cap. 49.

It is possible that a godly man's condition in regard of the world, may be worser than the condition of a wicked man; for what else is the meaning of the parable of Dives and Lazarus? Jacob was driven out of his father's house and lodged in the open fields, in the night, whilst wicked Esau, profane Esau, stayed at home, and lay in his warm bed: ye do not read that ever Esau did serve so hard a service in Laban's house as Jacob did, nor are ye able to parallel Esau's misery with Jacob's; yet saith the Lord," Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated." So that it is possible for a good and godly man's condition, in regard of the world, to be worser than the condition of the wicked. Yea,

It is possible that a godly man's condition may be worser in regard of outwards, after his conversion, worser I say, than before his conversion. Grace is fain sometimes to wear sin's clothes; and a gracious man, sometimes, doth wear the punishment of that sin which he hath committed before his conversion. What think you of Paul? Do you read that ever Paul before his conversion was put into the stocks; that he was whipped up and down the streets like a rogue; that he was imprisoned; that he was stoned by his countrymen? But after his conversion he was so used. In the beginning of that xixth chapter of the Acts, he breathed out threatenings against the saints, and goes out to kill the people of God; but no sooner is Paul converted, but the Jews sought to kill him: so that I say, possibly a gracious man's condition, in regard of outwards may be worser, at least for a time, than it was before he was converted and drawn to God.

But now, take a godly man's condition, and though it be never so sad, yet there is no reason why he should be discouraged or cast down because of his condition, in itself considered. For,

1. By way of demonstration. If his condition be carved out unto him by the hand of his Father, who is of infinite wisdom and love; then he hath no reason to complain, or to be disquieted. Now look into Psalm xvi, see what David saith of Christ, and Christ of the saints, at verse 6, "My lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place; yea, I have a fair heritage," or a goodly heritage; Why? (verse 5.) "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup."

Three things are most considerable here. First, these words are plainly spoken of our Lord and Saviour Christ, and of his great sufferings, as appears by verse 10. "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." "Men and brethren, (saith the apostle in Acts ii. 29.) let me speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day; therefore being a prophet and God had sworn unto him, that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;" he seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ. At the 27th verse of the iind chapter ye have the same words that you have here in Psalm xvi, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." So that plainly the words of the Psalm are spoken of Christ, and of his great sufferings. But now in the second place; though his sufferings were very great and many, yet saith he, " My lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place, and I have a goodly heritage," but why so? The reason is, in the third place, in verse 5, “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup;" the Lord, my Father, saith he, hath drawn out my lines for me, he hath measured out my condition and the Lord himself is my portion and the portion of mine inheritance. Thus now, may every godly man say; my lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place, yea, I have a goodly heritage. Why? for the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: surely, therefore, he hath no reason to be discouraged, whatever his condition be. Again.

2. If a man do not live upon his condition itself, but upon his call into his condition; then he hath no reason to be discouraged in regard of his condition itself. Now as our Lord and Saviour Christ said, "Man lives not by bread but by every word of God;" so say I, man lives not upon his condition, but upon God's call into his condition; and if God call a man into a condition, he will maintain him in it: therefore you find these two go together, in Psalm xvi," Thou maintainest my lot;" at the latter end of verse 5, " And my lines are fallen to me in a pleasant place." And thus it was with the children of Israel, when they went through the Red Sea; it is said, "The waters stood like a wall on each side

of them;" ye never read before of a wall of water, and yet then the waters were as a wall unto them; a strange kind of wall, made of waters: but saith the text, "the waters were as a wall," stood as a wall on each side of them. Beloved, God's call is our wall, which will bear off, and bear up one's heart under troubles and discouragements. Oh, saith a gracious soul, what abundance of opposition do I meet withal in my condition; but yet the Lord hath called me into this condition, and therefore I am quiet, I am contented, I am satisfied; I confess I did not think to have met with so much affliction in my condition as now I do; but God hath called me into it, and therefore I have comfort. Thus it is with all the saints, they are led by God's call into their condition, and they can shew their patent, they can say, Here is my call. Now, if a man do not live upon the condition itself, but upon God's call into his condition; and God doth call his people into whatsoever condition they are; then they have no reason to be discouraged by reason of their condition. Again,

3. If there be no condition that a godly man can fall into, but there is some mercy that is mixed with it, and Jesus Christ hath paid for that too, then a man hath no reason to be discouraged, whatever his condition be. Now you know what Solomon saith: "Shall a living man complain? is not a living dog better than a dead lion?" Some mercy still that is mixed with misery, and Jesus Christ hath paid the reckoning; godly men have nothing to pay, not anything to pay. Suppose you were invited to a great feast, and some of the dishes were not so well dressed or cooked up as you desire, would you find fault; would you complain? No; why? Because this feast doth cost me nothing. The master of the feast may find fault, but I am a guest and it cost me nothing, and therefore I have no reason to complain. Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ is the great master of the feast, and of all the comforts which you have, and he hath paid all your reckoning, there is nothing for you to pay; and if you bring in your prayers, your tears, your obedience, as matter of payment, they will not be taken; no, saith Christ, I have paid all myself, witness these empty purses, these empty veins of mine; as for you, O my friends, ye are welcome, but you have nothing to pay, not a penny, not a farthing. I say there is no condition that a godly man can