God's Righteous Judgment

The evils which we suffer are from the meritorious evil of sin. It is sin that makes God to bring evil upon the creature. We must know that the evil of punishment is the good of justice, because it does good to them that are punished, either to cause them to return, or if they will not, to show the glory of his justice in condemning them.
In all our afflictions we are to go to heaven and make our peace with God, and not go to secondary causes. For all evil of punishment comes from him. Let us make our peace with God by repentance and new obedience; and then he will overrule all secondary causes so as to help us. Go not to the jailer, or to the executioner, but go to the judge. Let us make our peace in heaven first, and then there will be soon a command for our ease. Let us learn this lesson, and not fret against the instrument God uses to correct us. Job said, 'It is God that gives, and God that takes away' (Job 1:21). But it was the Chaldeans that took it away. Yes, but God gave them leave. Let us carry ourselves patiently in all troubles, submitting ourselves under the mighty hand of God, from whom we have all evil of punishment.
Here we have another mystery of divine providence. For it may be objected: will God bring evil upon his own church and people and that by idolaters? Where is divine justice now? Hold your peace. He knows what is best for us - better than we ourselves. We must not call God to our bar, for we shall all appear before his. God uses servants and slaves to correct his sons; worse men than his people to correct his people. Let us not call into question God's providence when he punishes his people. It is the will of God so to dispose, and the will of God is the height of justice. Let us make our peace with him, and not demand to know why he does what he does.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
Josiah's Reformation, pp. 161-64 [123-25]
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