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more upon that which is contrary to his image, than upon that which is contrary to our own nature; more upon that which defiles, than upon that which pains us. Pharaoh cares for nothing but the removal of death: Simon Magus for nothing but to have perdition and the gall of bitterness kept from him. But good men, like wise physicians, cure the disease at the root, as Elisha did the waters by putting salt into the spring head. The angel was smiting the people with a plague; David betakes himself to the right remedy,-I have sinned, I have done wickedly he goes not to the physicians, but to the altar to make atonement for sin; and so the plague was stayed. Destruction was threatened against Israel for their calf, their murmurings, their rebellions; Moses stands in the gap to divert it. But how doth he do it? surely by praying against their sins; O this people have sinned a great sin, O that thou wouldest forgive them! Exod. xxxii.31. A sick man was brought to Christ to be healed, Matt. ix. 2; Christ overlooks the disease, and begins at the sin: Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee: and this being forgiven, the malignity of the disease was removed, though the matter should have remained. This was the usual method of David in his troubles, to throw over these Shebas that had wrought his woe; Blot out, wash thoroughly, cleanse, create, renew. He is far more importunate for pardon and cleansing, than for ease and comfort. Complaining in trouble is the work of a man, but repenting is the work of a christian.

The reasons of this point are these three:

1. If a judgment should be removed, while sin remains, it is not removed in mercy, but in anger: for many times God gives over punishing in displeasure, as a man throws away the rod when his scholar is

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incorrigible. Why should you be smitten any more? you will revolt more and more," Isa. i. 5. men be settled on their lees, and will not be reclaimed, there cannot a heavier punishment light upon them, than to be without punishment; to be left to themselves and the fury of their own wills, speedily to work out their own perdition, that their own pleasures may become their plagues, and the liberty of their own lusts their sorest bondage. God may take away in wrath that which he sent in anger, Hos. xiii. 11. as on the other side he may punish sin then when he forgiveth it, and may visit iniquity with rods then when he will not utterly take away his loving kindness from a people," Psal. xcix. 8. lxxxix. 32, 33.

2. If a judgment be removed, so long as sin remains, either the same or a worse is likely to succeed, for God will overcome when he judgeth. Pharaoh's stubbornness did but increase his plagues. God will not endure that the pride of man should outvie his justice. If we do not take Christ's warning to go and sin no more, we have great cause to fear his inference, that "a worse thing will come upon us,' John v. 14. If we do yet exalt ourselves, God will yet plead with us. If we will walk contrary unto him, he threateneth to do the like unto us, and to punish us seven times more for our sins. If we do not turn unto him that smiteth us, then his anger in smiting shall not be turned away, but his hand shall be stretched out still. God can bring clouds after rain, distresses in Ireland after distractions in Scotland, and distractions in England after distresses in Ireland, mischief upon mischief, and counsel against counsel, Manassch against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh, to vex, and weary out a sinful people, till they pine away in their calamities.

3. Sin being removed, though the afflictions should not be removed, yet they are sanctified and turned into good. Repentance, like the philosopher's stone, can turn iron into gold, can make golden afflictions: so the trial of our faith, that is, our affliction, is said to be 66 more precious than gold," 1 Pet. i. 7. Whereas sin remaining is like copperas which will turn wine or milk into ink. It converts the blessing of God into the provisions of lusts. It cankers learning with pride, and wit with profaneness, and wealth with luxury; like leaven which turns a very passover into pollution, 1 Cor. v. 8. As the pearl, which is an ornament to the woman who wears it, is a disease to the fish which breeds it; as the same perfume which refreshes a dove, is mortal to a vulture; as the same pillar and cloud was light to Israel, but dark to Egypt; the same deep was a path to Israel, but a grave to Egypt: so the same blessings which by grace are converted into comforts, by sin are abused into dishonourable services. Sweet powders can make leather an ornament, when the sanies (corrupt matter) of a plague-sore will render a robe infectious. As it was said of Naaman, he was a great man, an honourable man, a mighty man of war, Lut he was a leper: so whatever other ornaments a man hath, sin stains them with the foulest " but" that can be brought to deprave the fairest endowments; -a learned man, a wealthy man, a wise man, an honourable man, but a wicked man. This makes all those other good things tributary unto Satan.

And therefore, as the gold and silver of the Canaanites was to pass through the fire before it could be used by Israel, so all other blessings bestowed on men must pass through the spirit of judgment and burning, through the purifying waters of repentance,

before tney can bring honour to the author, or comfort to the enjoyer of them. When Christ overcometh Satan," he taketh from him all his armour, and divideth the spoils," Luke xi. 22. How doth he divide the spoils ? surely he maketh use of that wit, wealth, power, learning, wisdom, interests, which Satan used against Christ's kingdom, as instruments and ornaments unto the gospel. As when a magazine in war is taken, the general makes use of those arms which were provided against him for his own service. And as sin doth thus corrupt blessings, so on the other side repentance doth sweeten judgments, and can turn afflictions into matter of comfort. Repentance, though it should not remove a judgment, yet can feed upon it; and fetch meat out of the eater, and out of the strong sweetness.

There are two evils in afflictions-their thorns in the flesh, as they are matter of pain, and their snare to the conscience, as they are matter of temptation; as there are two things in a chain or fetter-the heaviness whereby it loads, and the hardness whereby it galls. Now a prisoner, though he cannot make his chain lighter than it is, yet by lining it with wool or other soft things, he can prevent the galling; so repentance, though it take not away the pain of affliction from the flesh, yet by meekening and humbling the soul, with silence and quietness to bear the indignation of the Lord, and accept of the punishment of sin, it removeth the temptation and malignity of it from the conscience. And thus as Protagoras by his natural dexterity ordered the burden which he was to bear with more ease and advantage, so piety by spiritual prudence makes judgments more easy to be borne; and the light yoke of Christ, as floats in a deep water, bears up the spirits of men from sinking, and lighteneth every

other burden. And therefore as he in Plutarch said of the Scythians, that though they had no music nor vines amongst them, yet they had gods; so whatever other things may be wanting to a people, yet if God be their God, they are not destitute of any happiness. Yea, as those roses usually smell sweetest which grow nearest unto stinking weeds, so the comforts of God's Spirit are strongest when a man is otherwise perplexed with the greater difficulties. It was promised unto Josiah that he should die in peace, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 28. and yet we find that he was slain in war, chap. xxxv. 24. His weeping and humiliation altered the very nature of trouble, and made war to be peace unto him.

Now for the use and application of this point.—It serves, first to instruct us how to deprecate calamities when God shaketh his rod over us. There is nothing in all the world that God is angry with but sin: for all other things are his own works, in the goodness of which he rested with singular complacency and delight. Sin is that against which God's arrows are directed; and as the arrow sticks in the butt unto which the mark is fastened, so the judgments which are shot at sin, must needs light upon us unto whom sin cleaveth. The way then to divert the arrow is to remove the mark. It is true, God doth sometimes bring afflictions without respect to the provocations of sin, upon his best servants. As if a man should shape out of a mass of gold some excellent vessel, though the gold be ever so pure, yet it must pass through the fire and under the hammer. But it is certain too, that no affliction comes in anger but with respect to sin; and the anger of God is the bitterest thing in any calamity.

Now for this turning from sin, there is no way but to get sin removed. Take the bark from a tree, and

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