and therefore are so dejected and discontented when affliction comes. O that we did count the cost, when we first begin to make profession of Christ; and that we had had such full persuasions of the incomparable worth and excellencies of the Lord Jesus, as that we could willingly part with all things for his sake! O that we had such believing apprehensions of the wisdom, faithfulness, righteousness and mercy of God, such sights of his reconciled face, and such tastes of his fatherly love to us in Christ, as that we could quietly submit to his holy will, and be well satisfied with all his dispensations towards us. So much of this first particular.

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Secondly, The disciples of Christ, under the afflictions which they meet with in this world, are apt to be troubled in their hearts, to be disquieted in their minds, to be dejected and discouraged. It was so with holy David, Psal. xlii. 5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me?" He was sensible of his afflictions, and that disquieted him, and cast him down. God's people are subject to such disquietments, because they are flesh and blood, subject to the same passions, made of the same mould, subject to the same impressions from without as other men, and their natures are upheld with the same supports and refreshments as others, the withdrawing and want of which affecteth them as well as others. And besides those troubles they suffer in common with others, by reason of their being called out

of the world the world hates them, and they are therefore more exposed to tribulation than others, and so are apt to be cast down and discouraged this our Lord foresaw would befal his disciples after his departure from them; and therefore he counsels them against the same; let not your hearts be troubled.

Quest. But it may be demanded, "Whence ariseth this heart trouble and disquietment of mind under affliction ?"

Answ. There are many causes of it, which is necessary for us to know, that so, knowing the causes, we may the better find the cure, there are outward and inward causes.

First, Outward causes. And the first may be God himself. He sometimes withdraws the beams of his countenance, withholds the sense of his love, hideth his face from his children; (which the saints in scripture so bitterly complain of, and so earnestly pray against.) Whereupon the souls, even of the strongest christians are disquieted. This caused trouble to the soul of Jesus Christ himself, John xii. 37. when a poor child of God, together with his affliction, apprehends God to be his enemy and that his troubles are mixed with God's displeasure: and it may be his conscience tells him that God hath a just quarrel against him, because he hath not walked so holily, so humbly, so evenly and so strictly with God, as he might had he been more watchful, careful, and circumspect: and that he hath not renewed and kept his peace with God as he

should, and might have done and this sense of God's displeasure puts a sting into all his afflictions, and this causeth trouble of heart and disquietment of mind. And justly may such a soul be troubled that has ever felt the "joys of God's salvation, the sweet influences of his love, that has tasted that the Lord is gracious, seeing, that in his favour is life, and his loving kindness is better than life," Psalm xxx. 5. and lxiii. 3.

Secondly, The devil is the cause sometimes of the heart trouble of God's children. For he being a cursed spirit cast out of heaven, full of disquietment and discontent himself, labours all he can to trouble and disquiet others, to bring others, (as much as in him lies,) into the same cursed condition with himself. He being cast out of paradise himself, envies us the paradise of a good and quiet conscience, for that is our paradise until we come to heaven: and this paradise a poor child of God may possess in a prison, in a dungeon, on a dunghill.

Two main designs the devil hath upon men; the one is, if possibly, by all imaginable slights, temptations and inticements, he may keep men in a course of ungodliness, to hinder them from coming to Christ by faith and repentance, to deter them from his holy ways. And when he cannot prosper in this, but that unsearchable rich and free grace takes hold of some poor souls, and they are snatched out of his hands, their captivity led captive by that mighty redeemer, then all the devil's labour is

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to hinder their comfort, and to interrupt their peace, and to make their way to heaven as hard and uncomfortable to them as possible, pursuing them with all dejecting and heart troubling temptations.

Thirdly, Wicked men are also active in the troubling of God's people; they are indeed the true troublers of God's Israel. They load God's people with reproaches, and there is nothing that the nature of man is more impatient of than reproaches, for there is no man so mean but thinks himself worthy of some respect; now a reproachful scorn shews an utter disrespect of a man, which flows from the very superfluity of malice. Reproach hath broken my heart, saith David, Psalm lxix. 20. and nothing more doth he complain of than reproach, and nothing more are God's people liable to than this. These are the

causes from without.

Secondly, There are inward causes also of heart trouble and despondency: when God's people are in affliction, most time that black cloud of melancholy also surrounds them, and darkness makes men fearful and dejected.

There are many causes within ourselves, as ignorance of God, and of Christ, of the covenant of grace, of the name of God. They that knows God's name, will trust in him, and not be dejected. Also, forgetfulness of God, and of what he hath done for us. We forget God, when we are afraid of man. looking, and passing by the many comforts we

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enjoy, even while we are under affliction, taking little notice of our mercies, but let them be all swallowed up in our miseries; as Abraham, because he had no heir; and Rache!, who said, give me children, or I die; though she had all other earthly comforts, yet the want of this one so troubled her, that all the rest seemed nothing.

It is an evil thing for us, to be wedded to our own wills. None more subject to discontent, than those who would have all things after their own way, and are mere strangers to self denial. Likewise, false apprehensions of things cause heart trouble; to think God hates us because he corrects us, and when he takes from us that it is all in wrath. Another common cause is our own watchlessness and carelessness, our neglect of keeping our hearts and consciences pure and clean; and in time of affliction, these former neglects of duty come to our minds, then conscience awakes, and tells our former faults, and this brings trouble of heart, 1 Kings xvii. 18.

Moreover, unnecessary scruples cause disquietness, solitariness, idleness; when persons will not do what is needful, they are troubled with that which is needless; and idleness tempts the devil to tempt us and trouble us : if we cannot find work for ourselves the devil will make work for us.

Also when we are guilty of neglecting doing good to others, as to our relations, not reproving, admonishing, or encouraging them as we