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A44931
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A practical discourse of silence and submission shewing that good men should possess their souls in patience under the severest providences : and particularly in the loss of dear relations : preached at St. Thomas's Hospital, Southwark / by William Hughes ...
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Hughes, William, b. 1624 or 5.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing H3345; ESTC R2599
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45,851
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98
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As for thy Prayers how can they be Frustrate either to the Deceased or unto thyself Surviving If all things work together for good to them that love God this providence also must do so Suppose thee such And then to pass by lesser matters Thy Friend is not properly Gone away only Gone before a little Nor are Requests denyed because not answered as we expected God hath a better way to grant them in when he doth not give them to us our way Our dearest Lord was heard in that he feared altho he dyed the Death against which he so earnestly prayed Heb. 5.7 Obj. 3. There are those also with whom this Language is to be found I have lost at once my dearest Friend a comfortable Estate nay my Subsistance and Support How should I bound my Lamentation Ans Being taking for a Person fearing God thou deservest the Reproof that was given St. Peter by our Saviour O thou of little faith wherefore dost thou fear Doth man live by bread alone and not by every word that goeth out of the mouth of God Matt. 4.4 whose is the world and the fulness thereof who feeds the fowls and cloaths the lillies And art thou less to God than they But there is worse than this at bottom of this Complaint The guile and fraud herein is plain to Man much more to God It is not the Friend but what was His it seems thou dost Bewail the loss of But to spare thee there Who is it bids us Take no thought for our life no nor for our body Matth. 6.25 Let not Anxiety seize us either for food or raiment For if our Souls be now as they should be in Heaven our Bodies will make good shift enough on Earth never fear it Our Gracious Lord who cannot deceive us bids us Seek God's kingdom and his righteousness above all things else and he hath pass'd his Word and is both able and willing to make it good that all things necessary shall be added to us Verse 33. thrown in as Thread and Paper at the Grocers without distracting Cares about them Nature is contented with a little And Satisfaction Peace and Quiet with our Portion is never attained by an Addition to but a Substraction from our fond Desires I need not send these People to that Cloud of Witnesses recorded in the Book of God who in their greatest wants could cast their care on Him and found supply enough in him That blessed Name whereby we all are called although he made the World and had it wholly at his Command and Beck was notwithstanding pleased well enough when he had not where to lay his head Mat. 8.20 But the Morals of a very Heathen will cry shame on such a Christian Thence you shall often hear much to the purpose * Dici potest de Divitijs quod in Medicum gloriosum dictumest tuum remedium morbum gravorem facit Plut. de Cupid divit Is maxime divitije affluit qui minime indiget Sen. de Pauper Non in Paupertate vitium sed in Paupere c. Id. de Remed fort of contemning Wealth and being content with a mean Estate What danger 's there and what safety here and therefore how far from being repined at are lower Circumstances in the World The Divine Oracle assures us That Godliness with Contentment is great gain And if we be Godly whatever Portion God shall allot unto us that will certainly serve and ought to please us And so this Storm is calm'd Obj. 4. The Comfort of my Life is gone say others What Counsel Support Refreshment and Encouragement was I wont to have from the true Sympathy of ANOTHER SELF But all is vanish'd and gone for ever And who can bear it Ans And is' t no Comfort that thou sometimes hadst such a Comfort and didst so long injoy it Methinks thy cheerful Thanks for that should some-what check thy doleful Moanes for this But to deal more plainly Is' t so indeed No marvel if a Jealous God would not endure a Rival with him His Kindness he is liberal of unto his People but his glory he 'll not give unto any other Esa 42.8 We often lose our Mercies because we dote so much on them as to have God too little in our Thoughts by reason of them And should he like that when Reason and Religion tell us the Creator should have the Throne within our Hearts the Foot-stool serves the Creature well enough Nay this is real kindness to us that God diverts the muddy Streams to make us run to the Crystal Spring When the loving Master will not give the Trencherscraps unto his honest Servant but the while allows him a well-stor'd Larder hath he any cause to take that ill Or if an affectionate Husband liketh not to have his Pocket pick'd whilst he gives his Wife the Keys to take out Gold and Silver at her own discretion hath she cause to make Complaint for this No doubt but every good Man will say to God with David All my springs are in thee Ps 87.7 And with the Apostle to our Saviour Whither shall we go Thou hast the words of eternal life John 6.68 Now such a Providence calls aloud upon him to hasten to his Fountain and his Store-house Indeed suppose a Saint in this distress had not a God to go to or were he bar'd access unto his Presence when his desired Comfort were gone for ever there might I grant be a little pardon for his Impatience But blessed be the Lord His Eyes are ever looking after him His Ears stand always open to him His Hands are stretched out continually for him and His Heart never without yearnings towards him and surely this is ample Compensation for and abundant Consolation in the worst Affliction if People will duly apply their Souls to God 'T is that He aims at and urgeth us unto Call upon me in the time of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorise me Psal 50.15 Psal 55.22 Phil. 4.6 1 Pet. 5.7 Cast your burden on the Lord and he shall sustain thee Be careful for nothing But cast all your care on God What loss cannot he make up in Specie Puta Deum dicere quid habetis quod de me queri possitis Sen de Pro vid. c. 6. if he please And if he doth not give the Idem the Tantundem is as good To be sure tho Elkanah ask'd his Wife only was not he better than Ten Sons God who is his Peoples Portion in all Distresses is better than Ten thousand Worlds Obj. 5. But 't was my woful Folly or else mine Evils had not come upon me That Loss This Sickness The Other bad Accident had never happen'd to me if becoming Frudence had been my Conduct Such Means would have prevented all my Misery Now Woe is me for my hard Hap Ans Remember first That Hap was certainly God's Hand For Fortune Luck and Chance Sed te nos facimus Fortuna Deam Coeloque
and if we will be good Souldiers must we not follow and be like unto our Leader O how unlikre him do we acquit our selves who court this World which he so scorn'd and trampled on and pamper the Body which he made drudge of to the Soul and in God's service Is' t probable at this rate when Poverty Sickness Persecution or Death assault and how near any of them may be to us who can tell we should be dumb and open not our mouth submitting quietly to his Father's Hand as he did constantly At least let 's labour to tread in his Apostle's steps keep under our body as it were by Club-law and bring it into subjection 1 Cor. 9.27 that the vain Fancies and sond Appetites there may be restrain'd and curb'd and our Souls may fasten and abide on what will fully satisfie them and never can be rifled from them Direct 3. Lay not thy treasure up on earth but in the heavens Matth. 6.19 Excellent Counsel of our blessed Lord For where the Treasure is there will the Heart i. the Man himself be also And if a Man hath once his Heart viz. his Love Delight Desire and Hopes as high as Heaven with God and Jesus Christ above he can't be so concern'd with any Disaster here below as to be disorder'd greatly by the same As he that looketh down from some high Steeple sees every thing beneath him but as a small and little matter so Earthly Good and Bad must necessarily seem to one whose Conversation is in Heaven 'T is certain that there are those Mountains in the World whose tops will be serene and clear and calm when Thunder Storms and Lightning threaten to mix Heaven and Earth together at the lower parts thereof Could we take off our Affection from things Below to set and always keep them upon what 's Above how should we live as in a constant Sun-shine Nihil erus sentit in nervo cum animus in caelo est Tert. ad Mart. cap. 2. When Pestilence Famine Sword should range the Earth when Poverty Sickness Death should knock at our own Doors how little would the Disturbance be unto us Poor Archimedes was so intent upon his Mathematical Studies that he knew not when his City was storm'd and taken And verily as Christian that gets his Heart full bent towards Heaven will find the distracting Hurries of the Earth slip over him with but little observation by him The holy Apostle Paul was certified by the Holy Ghost in every City he pass'd through that bonds and afflictions waited for him at Jerusakm and yet he faith none of those things so much as moved him Acts 20.24 The Joy in finishing his Course and the Reward after it made even his life it self tho likely to be lost but a little matter with him We are very sure that Moses refused being a King's Grandson and chose rather an afflicted state with the People of God than sinful Pleasures in a Prince's Court valuing the Reproach for Christ as a Better Estate than the Exchequer of Egypt Heb 11.24 25 26. But what was that which betrayed so wise and good a Man into such a Paradox in the World's Opinion Why let them think so still but his Judgment was truly Orthodox notwithstanding For he had respect unto the recompence of reward Verse 26 fin And sure to be Heir apparent unto the Crown of Egypt deserves not to be compared with an undoubted Title to God's Kingdom And the Delights in Heaven are so surpassing that all Earthly Joys are not insipid only but nauseous fulsome Carrion and Poison to them Which having his Heart affected with by a Believing Prospect thereof what was 't to him to throw off the Courtier and take up the Clown Nay worse To skulk and hide a while for scaping of those Blood-hounds that were hunting after him And at the last to flee his Country and abide those many dangers and distresses that attend a Banish'd Outlaw Seculi hujus quem non decipit prosperit as non frangit adversit as S. Aug. de verb. Dom. Serm. 42. All that the Earth could do against him you see how little 't was unto him because his Treasure was in Heaven he had respect to the recompence of reward Were Christians heartily making after him although they should not fully overtake him how light and easie would their many great and heavy Burdens lye upon them To conclude The Author and Finisher of our Faith for the Joy above that was set before him endured the pain and despised the shame of the Bloody Cross whereon he suffer'd Heb. 12.2 And would the Christian duly look to Christ he surely would be like him much more than he is Direct 4. Lastly Let Sin be more uneasie and be sure thy Sufferings then will be easier far Wert thou worse able to endure Corruptions thou would'st be better to abide Afflictions When once Iniquity is our greatest Burden all others will be little felt The very reason why Distresses sometimes triumph is because we have not made a Conquest over our Transgressions They are these that bring Tribulations to us and make them sit more heavy on us when they are come Guilt is a most heavy Load to an Awarkened Mind although Another's Eye should not be able to espy so much as a light Feather on its back But the weight must needs be much increased when Actual Punishment cleaveth unto Guilt Whether the good Woman of Zarephath's words spoken to the Prophet Art thou come to call may Sins to remembrance and to slay my Son 1 King 17.18 do not imply that a fresh cognizance took by Conscience of her faultiness towards God had imbittered the Affliction to her tho it seem probable I will not determine But it is very plain that This added Chains as I may call them to the Confinement of Joseph's Brethren For their open Confession is We are verily guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear THEREFORE IS THIS DISTRESS COME VPON VS Gen. 42.21 Whence it must follow would we be more Innocent we should be less Unhappy most certainly our Misery would pinch and gall us less What made our blessed Lord so Easy Patient and Submissive in those worst of Evils upon him Verily because He had the best of Souls within Him No Sin had ever thouched it and how should Sorrow fetch Blood from it O let us grow in Grace and then our bitter Cup shall have no Dregs to touch our Lips Those are reserved for the Graceless Ones to wring them out and drink them up Ps 75.8 But thriving Christians tho' they must have Burthens shall not sink under them Such wait upon the Lord to purpose and so renew their strength They are enabled to walk without fainting and run and not be weary Isa 40.31 Wherefore abound ye in the work of God and your labour will not be in vain 1 Cor. 15.58 Not only by a more diligent Attendance on all Ordinances but especially about increasing Faith inslaming Love confirming Hope perfecting Patience and setting and keeping the whole Heart on Heaven This would advance the Spirit to its due Soveraignty and reduce the Flesh to just Subjection And what can bring Disorders then This will draw back Sin 's Fuel and then its Fire goeth out of itself But the neglect hereof is throwing off our Armour instead of girding it close about us and then we are easily Shot ands fall Meer Nature with all the strength that Reason brings it proves a weak Creature at the last however But Grace and when like David waxing stronger and stronger overcomes all Difficulties in the way to Glory And tho' a Pharoah be behind a Sea before and a Wilderness on both sides it will bear up the Soul until it see the Salvation of its God The Sum of all my Advice is this 1. Make sure of Saving Grace and being Right at Heart 2. Be not indulgent to the Flesh nor fond upon thy Earthly Tabernacle 3. Lay not thy Treasure up on Earth but in the Heavens and let thy Heart be with it there 4. Lastly Let Sin be more Uneasie to thee and thy Sufferings will be easier far Grow but in Grace and thou shalt Out-grow all Grief that can possibly seize thee here For Then thou wilt be the fullest Eccho to the Psalmist I was dumb I opened not my mouth because c. FINIS BOOKS Printed for and Sold by J. Salusbury at the Rising-Sun over-against the Royal-Exchange in Coruhill THE Harmony of the Divine Attributes in the Contrivance and Accomplishment of Man's Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ by William Bates D. D. The Changeableness of this World with reflect to Nations Families and particular Persons with a Practieal Application thereâ—f to the various Conditions of this Mortal Life by Timothy Rogers M. A. A Mirror for Athiests being some Passages of the Life and Death of the Right Honourable John Earl of Rochester written by his own Direction on his Death-bed by Gilbert Burnet Lord Ep. of Sarum An end of Doctrinal Controversies which have lately troubled the Churches by Richard Baxter The Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits fully evinced by unquestionable Histories of Apparitions and Witchcrafts Voices proving the Immortality of Souls by Richard Baxter The Protestant Religion truly Stated and Justified by the late reverend Mr. Richard Baxter prepared for the Press sometime before his Death Whereunto is added some account of the learned Author by Mr. Daniel Willams and Mr. Matthew Sylvester The Christian's Coverse with God or the Insufficiency of Haman-friendship and the Improvements of Solitude in Converse with God with some of the Author's breathings after him by Richard Baxter Recemmended to the Readers serious Thoughts when at the House of Mourning and in Retirement by Mr. Matthew Sylvester The Mourners Memorial in two Sermons on the Death of the truly Pious Mrs. Susannah Soame with some account of her Life and Death by Timothy Wright and Robert Fleming