for all kinds and degrees of sufferings, whether from God, or man, or Satan; whether sufferings for sin, or sufferings for righteousness' sake. And for the doctrinal part of the point, I shall endeavour these four things:

I. To shew you what those lessons are which God doth teach his people by his chastisements.

II. What the nature and properties of divine teachings are.

III. In what tendency correction lieth in order unto these teachings: or, what use God doth make of affliction for the carrying on of the work of instruction in the hearts of his people.

IV. I shall lay down the grounds and demonstra tions of the point: or considerations to evince the happiness of that man whom God is pleased to teach by his corrections.

I begin with the LESSONS which God doth usually teach his people in a suffering condition. Amongst many which may fall within the experience of the suffering saints, I shall observe unto you these twenty.

1. God teacheth by affliction, COMPASSION tówards them who are in a suffering condition. Truly we are very prone to be insensible of our brethren's sufferings, when we ourselves are at ease in Zion: partly by reason of that sensuality which is in our natures; whereby we let out our hearts so inordinately to the creature-comforts which we possess, as to quench

moved within me, towards such objects of misery and compassion?'

Truly, we see it daily in case of the stone, gout, strangury, and the like evils, how experience doth melt the heart into tears of sympathy and fellow-feeling, while strangers to such sufferings stand wondering at, and almost deriding the heart-breaking lamenta❤ tions of poor wretches. Brethren, that you may not wonder at this, consider I beseech you what the apostle speaks of Christ himself: It behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God. And again, We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are.

A man would say within himself, Why, what need had the Lord Jesus to invest himself with a body of lesh, that he might know the infirmities of our nature, ince he was God, and knew all things? Nay, but my rethren, it seems the knowledge which Christ had as God, was different from that knowledge which he had s man; that which he had as God, was intuitive; hat which he had as man, was experimental; experi hental knowledge of misery is the heart-affecting nowledge; and therefore Christ himself would inender his own heart, as Mediator, by his own expeience: and if the Lord Jesus, who was mercy itself, would put himself into a suffering condition, that he might the more sweetly and affectionately act those