end with the beginning, sees the first mould, the
first foundation stone, and the last completing, all flowing from himself,
and returning thither, and ending in himself. He hath made an interchange
in nature, which might teach us--the night alone hath no beauty. Nay, but
it beautifies the day. Your darkest hours and tempests, public and
personal, are they perfect works? Yes, certainly, if ye compound them with
your sunshines and calms. Several colours make pictures beautiful,--the one
is as needful as the other, and if ye did consider your profit more than
your honour and pleasure, ye would say so. He doth not model his works
according to our fancy to please us, but our good to profit us, and he is
wiser than we, and so then it is the most perfect work in itself, that
possibly displeaseth us most. Therefore ye would judge of his dealing by
another rule than your own satisfaction, for please you and perish you. If
he spared the rod, he should hate us indeed, fond love is real hatred.
Christians, if ye would judge his works by his word, and not by your
sense,--by your well, and not by your will, certainly we would say, as the
men did of Christ, "He hath done all well." The world would discover to
you a perfection, even in imperfection, a perfection in infirmities, that
ye should not only rejoice in them, but glory in them. "Most gladly
therefore will I glory," &c. saith Paul. Are infirmities a perfect work?
Or is the suffering of Paul, to be buffetted and tempted, a perfect work?
What comfort is in it? Yes, much. Infirmities alone are infirmities
indeed, nay but infirmities in me, and strength in Jesus, weakness in me,
and strength dwelling in me,--these make up one perfect work that could as
little want the infirmities as the strength. The glory of God, and our
well and consolation, require the one, as well as the other, they could
not be complete without any of them. What do ye think of the times now?
Are England's apostacy, and Ireland's desolation,(262) perfect works? That
great work of reformation, that seemed to be above our shoulders, is now
razed to the ground, and the very foundations removed? Is deformation a
perfect work? Certainly, if we look on these things in the scripture's
light, and consider them in relation to him who is the chief builder, and
doth in heaven and earth what he pleaseth, that deformation is a perfect
work, though not a perfect reformation. Though we could not inform you of
the perfectio