recovered and set vpon his legs againe This comes to passe more ordinarily in the diseases of the soule then in the distempers of the body The more bitter bee the words of Ieremy and the more extreamely we heare Ionah to take on the more deepely let vs iudge of them that they have drunke of the cuppe of affliction the bitter cup of worme-wood and gall And this I finde God himselfe to have taken notice of and in a tender regard and compassionate feeling of her sorrowes thus to comfort his poore distressed Church by the Prophet Isaiah Awake awake stand vp O Ierusalem which hast drunke at the hand of the Lord the cuppe of his fury thou hast drunke the dregs of the cup of trembling and wrung them out A man in drinke we vse to say is not himselfe and therefore I finde added in the same place and with it I conclude the point Heare now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine thus saith the Lord the Lord and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people Behold I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling even the dregges of the cuppe of my fury thou shalt no more drinke it againe but I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee which have said to thy soule bow downe that we may goe over and thou hast laide thy body as the ground and as the streete to them that goe over Fourthly But now lastly let mee adde the conclusion of the whole matter what 's the conclusion of this whole dispute contention or contestation betweene the Lord and Ionah A Song of praise a Meditation of due thankfulnesse Blesse the Lord o my soule and all that is within mee blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord o my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction might Jonah well say and crowneth thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies let every one who hath tasted the same cup with Ionah consesse O Ionah how great was thy offence how heavy Ionah was thy anger wherefore came not thy saying to passe or why did not death prevent thy wish since thou thoughtest it no sinne to be angry with God had it not beene too light a recompence for this thy rebellion to have sent thee hastily quicke into the grave with thy sinnes vpon thy head Behold death even called for doeth not appeare the Lord is more mercifull to Ionah then Ionah to himselfe man is angry with God God is not angry with man What shall we say The case is not Ionah's alone O David how troubled doeth the course of many of thy Psalmes runne why doest thou forget mee o God why art thou absent from the the words of my complaint o God Awake o Lord stand vp and iudge my quarrell Thus speakes David and much more as a man not well pleased with his God and as though the Lord were asleepe or deafe or blinde or forgetfull as if hee would not or could not regard the cause that was equall Yea but this same Dauid at other times hath recollected himselfe from this errour and hath as plainly noted the reason of the Lords more gracious and louing dealing both with himselfe and all Gods childrenels For hee knoweth whereof wee bee made saith hee in the Psalme before cited he well vnderstands our frame he remembreth that we are but dust therfore like as a father pittieth his owne children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him and shall set our sinnes as farre as the East is from the West Therfore also sayth another Prophet speaking in the person of God I will not contend for euer neither will I be alwaies wroth For the spirit should faile before me and the soules which I haue made For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seene his waies and will heale him I will lead him also and restore comforts vnto him and to his mourners Isay 57. Here is the goodnesse of our God and the whole worke of our saluation this is his glory which he will not impart to others nor to our merits or any desert in vs for we are a froward and most vntoward generation in our selues And this is the whole benefit he expects at our hands the calves of our lippes and herevnto he hath ordained vs in his beloved before the foundation of the world that wee should render vnto him the sacrifice of praise a thankfull acknowledgement from the ground of our hearts Blesse ye the Lord as before For this cause is it that the Saints in glory whose felicity in part is shadowed by those foure and twenty elders Reu. 4 fall downe before him that sirs on the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their crownes before the throne as acknowledging their owne vnworthynesse but thus they say Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Sing we vnto the Lord a new songe for old things are forgotten and all things are made new a new heaven and a new earth a new Ierusalem from aboue And old things are cleane passed away for there shall bee no more sorrow nor crying nor paine saith S. Iohn there shall be likewise no longer infirmity nor disease of minde nor body there shall not be those vexations nor yet those vexing causes which here we both meete and carry about with vs. The tempter cannot reach vs there temptations shall be banished for euer Anger hath no place in heauen Ionah thy branch shall flourish and thy gourd it shall not wither the Sea shall not tosse thee the whale shall not eat thee the Sun shall not smite thee the fire shall not burne thee Who then can be angry or euill affected when God shall shew himselfe most willing to please vs when he shall make all things worke for our contentment O Lord I am ashamed now saith Ionah when I consider this thy most wonderfull goodnesse I doe repent of this my foolish anger and begin to waxe exceeding angry that euer I was mooued to anger against so good so mercifull so gracious a redeemer who doest not onely passe by our offences when we haue most hainously prouoked thy iust displeasure but hast also reserved laid vp in store for vs most vndeseruing wretches such good things as passe mans imagination to conceive O Lord God mercifull and gracious long suffring abundant in goodnesse and truth accomplish thy good word vnto thy servants and shew vs thy glory that we may live and never dy that we may live and praise thee eternally Amen NOw to call thee backe a little friendly Reader to the matter of my text and withall if I may persume to communicate my selfe vnto thy
indignation or anger hath it wrought Yea what revenge What anger will you say Why be angry saith Saint Basil against your sinnes the divell lies vanities your selues What revenge Be revenged vpon your sinnes the divell lies vanities your selues Oh when will the edge of our anger of our revenge bee turned this wayes This is a noble anger to be angry with what God is angry a worthy revenge when vertue doeth chastise vice Behold saith the Apostle hee speakes it with an Ecce the same that ye sorrowed as ye ought what anger what revenge c. This is a victory most acceptable vnto God and shall be crowned of him with a crowne of glory There is a time also wherein wee may be angry with our brethren but with greater caution ought this to bee tempered For we are but seldome angry with our selues but often with our brethren but a very little angry with our selues very much with our brethren making that to be but a mote in our owne eyes which is a beame in our brothers The Apostle hath a very apt and wholesome admonition to this purpose in the first verse of his fourth Chapter to the Galatians each word containing a secret argument to innocent anger Brethren if a man be overtaken with a fault yee which are spirituall restore such an one in the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe least thou also bee tempted More specially in our anger to others obserue wee these two the manner the measure for the manner walke according to the old rule well knowne little practised hate the offence love the person How can this bee I answere how is the father angry with his childe Even so that though hee chastise the fault he loveth the childe so be angry with thy brother that yet thou be in charitie with him This is an hard lesson may some say both to hate and love at the same time but in other matters of lesse waight thou knowest wisely enough how to distinguish For if thou have a garment that is bespotted thou knowest how to take out the spot from thy garment not to reiect the garment for the spot even so take out the moth that is in thy brothers eye but preserue and doe not destroy the eye because of the mote in the eye So for the measure of our anger I shall not neede in many words to prescribe It was prohibited to the Iewes in correction to their brethren that they should not exceede the number of fortie stripes wee being for the most part in cases of priuate revenge culpable of that which was obiected against the Israelites by the Prophet Obed in their dealing against their brethren of Iudah vnder the raigne of Ahaz viz. that they persecuted them with a rage that reached vp vnto heaven Our Saviour in the 5. of Saint Mathew doth mention three degrees besides actuall murder which is to bee punished with death by mans law of vnlawfull anger The first in thought he that is angry with his brother the second in gesture or signe hee that saieth to his brother Racha which word signifies anger and in the speech of our Saviour doth forbid all signification of our anger to our brethren either in looke or countenance or by any other signe or gesture The third sort of vnlawfull anger there mentioned is expressed by word or tongue hee that saith thou foole or gives any other reproachfull prouoking termes or speeches to his brother The whole text runnes thus Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Counsell but whosoeuer shall say Thou foole shall be in danger of hell fire Then beware of offending in the first kinde being angry in thy secret thought against thy brethren take heede more especially it be not manifested by some outward signe take heede most of all these it breake not out into intemperate language If thou feare not the Iudgement feare an assembly or counsell if you feare not the counsell stand in awe and tremble at hell fire But heere now a very necessary question doth arise If anger be so strictly forbidden as we see what course or remedie is then left vnto vs in all iust provocations of wrath and concerning the manifold iniuries which are daily offered to our persons how are we to behave our selues A question truly well worthy to bee discussed and the same very apt and pertinent to the Treatise of Anger Wherefore I answere that we ought at all times abstaine from anger even to our very thoughts saving in the manner as is before spoken to be angry with the sinne not with the person Howbeit we are not debarred the vse of lawfull courses in the remedying of wrongs and preventing further dammages when we are iustly thereunto provoked and cannot otherwise maintaine peace But wilt thou know wherein tread not the path of revenge and goe not in the way which thy intemperate anger would leade thee But follow the counsell of thy blessed Saviour whose words in this cause are so plaine I wonder any man should mistake whose aduise is so wholesome I wonder all men doe not more regard it Matth. 18.15 These be his words If thy brother shall trespasse against thee goe and tell him of his fault betweene thee and him alone if hee shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if he will not heare thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established and if hee shall neglect them tell it vnto the Church but if he neglect the Church let him bee vnto thee as an Heathen man or Publican Where you see all meanes by Christians lawfull to bee vsed to be expressed by our Saviour the first priuate the second more open the third most publike all friendly but if all will not serue he is no longer to be esteemed as a friend with whom we are to deale The two first are well knowne but how little vsed therefore the right vse of the last is vnknowne or most abused By which last the Church I doe vnderstand such as are deputed in the stead of Christ for well ordering causes called by some the Church representiue For our Saviour here speakes from the manner of the Iewes Common-wealth who had Elders in every Citie the first beginning whereof was from Iethro whose office was to heare and iudge of controversies and end suits in law Answerable whereto in our Common-wealth comparable I thinke I may boldly say to that of theirs and inferiour at this day to no other for matters of Policie and Church-government if as truly executed for Ecclesiasticall matters are the spiritualitie and such as study the Civill lawes in matters temporall the Magistrate and they who studie the Common lawes for the maintenance of outward peace and tranquillitie in this our Church and Common-wealth Let this be the Church then in this sence Tell the Church not a Presbyterie compacted of I know not who as
cleere example of all others vpon Moses that man of God and Prophet likewise greater then whom none did rise till Christ came He is reported for the meekest man vpon the earth then living yet cannot be excused for speaking vnadvisedly with his lippes at the waters of Meribah Or if we could be content to passe by this what shall we say to that which fell out a little after the consumption at Taberah What great reason had Moses there to grow weary of his charge so weary that he desired to dye so desirous of death that he prayeth the Lord to slay him as plainly appeareth in the 11. Chapter of Numbers Is this the meeke man spoken of yea let him be so accounted secundum partem saniorem so that yet wee suffer not Ionah to want a companion in his impaciencie and my text receive confirmation from his example in like manner Come we to Eliah one that rode vp to heaven in a fierie Chariot called by a Father a Waggoner in the ayre a man ordained for reproofes saith Syrach Yet a man subiect to the same passions with others and not voyde of reproofe himselfe It proceeded from the heate of his spirit when he fell into that mistake as if there were none righteous but hee alone But whereas he saith O Lord take away my life he sympathiseth directly with the words of Ionah before my text who wished in himselfe to dye and said it is better for me to dye then live And however I cannot bee bold to say that he would have returned the same answere with this of Ionah in the defence of his anger yet sure God might well at that time have put the same question to him which is to Ionah Doest thou well to be angry Eliah I neede not to say much of Iob nor doe I finde him ranked among the Prophets yet sure he is well worthy to bee honoured with the title You have heard of the patience of Iob saith Iames t is true and of his great impatience too who knowes not that who is but meanely converst in his story or the substance of reasoning by his owne hand left in writing Now come we to Ieremy of whom and to whom I finde the Lord himselfe thus speaking See saith he I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdomes to roote out and to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe to build and to plant But how much griefe and vexation this cost him you may behold In the fifteenth Chapter I heare him pleading thus woe is mee my mother that thou hast borne mee a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth In the twentieth Chap. thus O Lord thou hast deceived mee and I was deceived thou art stronger then I and hast prevailed I am in derision daily every one mocketh mee Who saith that Ieremy had not iust cause to be angry sure vnlesse himselfe had thought and beene perswaded so hee would never have broken out into these tearmes of heate and displeasure against the Almighty But towards the end of the same Chapter he growes horne-madde and then hee falles to cursing Iobs fit hath taken him and thus he takes on Cursed be the day wherein I was borne saith he let not the day wherein my mother bare mee be blessed Cursed be the man who brought tydings to my father saying a man-man-childe is borne vnto thee making him very glad And let that man bee as the Cities which God overthrew and repented not and let him heare the cry in the morning and the shouting at noonetyde And why Ieremy and why because hee slew mee not from the wombe saith he or that my mother might have bin my grave and her wombe to be alwaies great with me Behold a man even drunke with sorrow and thus hee reeles and thus he staggers yet an holy Prophet a man sanctified from the wombe Take but one example more and in a word let Ezechiel be the man prophesying at the same time and perplexed with the like vexations in his calling He was most vnwilling to goe amongst them of the captivitie howbeit when needs he must in this manner doth he expresse it The spirit lifted mee vp and tooke mee away and I went in bitternesse in the heate of my spirit or hot anger but the hand of the Lord was strong vpon me Chapter 3. What now then shall we say to these things since such sturdy oakes Ionah Ieremy Iob Eliah Moses by the violent blasts of temptations are laide flat vpon the ground what shall we say to these things 1. First as before I saide againe I say let him that thinketh he stands take heede least he fall If it were so that wee could command the winds from blowing or beate downe the foming sea if we could restraine the bottles of heaven or repeale the crackes of thunder then happily we might square out the limits and appoint the measure of our most wished peacefulnesse and drinke downe pleasures as Leuia than the river Iordan But when I heare the groanes of dying men doe see the gaspings as it were of many after breath when I heare the horrible rage and rushing of the billowes mightie flawes renting downe the tackling When strong men fall downe wounded the valiant ones cry bitterly and the shield of the mightie be broken alas for me then thinke I how shall I bee able to stand in the day of battell David was not well advised when he said in his posteritie I shall never bee mooved thou Lord of thy favour hadst made my hill so strong What followes vpon the same thou diddest hide thy face and I was troubled The place is remarkable concerning Hezekiah in the history of the Kings of Iudah where it is said that in such a businesse the Lord left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart Alas what vertue is in vs and what power to vanquish evill is all from heaven whose influence if it descend not into our fraile soules wee presently send forth cryes as from the depth of hell Adam left vnto himselfe in Paradise fell so did Hezekiah so did Salomon the most glorious King that ever swayed a scepter And hence proceede even all those bitter words of the holyest Saints that ever lived to shew that their holynesse was not inherent properly in their owne persons for which cause the most sanctifyed have ever retained the most sober and humble conceits in themselves of themselves And therefore away with all proud and swelling thoughts of the flesh and againe I say let him that thus thinketh he stands take heede least he fall Secondly So againe in the second place to comfort weake ones in their manifold slippes and falles this doctrine may not vnfitly be applyed For why I am not a Moses I am not an Eliah a Iob a Ionah or a Ieremy a meaner portion of grace shall content mee Howbeit by the grace of God I am that I
good nature I would intreat thee for the Author thus to iudge That he fell not by his hap-hazard vpon his text or that hee hath not had a feeling of the same What learning call you that which doth carry in hir bosome a sense or feeling of hir knowen principles It hath the name of knowledge experimentall which cannot be attained by all the search of meere study and is to bee preferred before all humane learning acquired by the documents and precepts of men Who can describe the image of God the father or pourtray out the shape of the holy Ghost or expresse the glory of the blessed Trinity The meanest Christian who hath God in his heart doth retaine a sounder knowledge of his maker by those hidden operations felt within then the stoutest Philosopher in the height and sublimity of his soring speculation or those better learned clearkes who can dispute subtilly aboue the Trinity yet want power to please the holy Trinity O but that knowledge is full of danger my text speaks of and who would wish to be possessed with such a feeling as Ionah was not I not thou nor any man yet take heede thou maiest be over-rash in iudging For why anger doeth sometimes and that ordinarily presuppose love O fearefull case is Ionah angry with God saist thou an other is of this minde is it possible in a fraile man to conceive anger against the great God whence springs this familiarity betweene heaven and earth aut quam nuper è coelo descendisti Ionah how lately camest thou out of heaven O Ionah yea sure by the very nature of the speech must be implyed a certaine intercourse of favour and loving commerce betweene the heavenly God and vs. Why els is any man angry with his fellow but in a conceyt that he hath bin requited euill for good and the fruits of hate where hee looked for the effects of loue Why then euen hence in like manner arise those manifold heart-burnings and great disturbances of the Saints quiet since they have bin assured of Gods love but want all signes thereof in their distresses Is this the part of a loving father think his misbeleeving children to neglect their suites who call day and night vnto him what 's become of his promises and those mervailous workes our forefathers have told vs of wherefore doth he not arise and helpe vs and that early O my God I cry in the day time and thou hearest not and and in the night season also my soule refuseth comfort Here our faith begins to stagger for what hath God forgotten to be gracious and will he be no more intreated and is his mercy cleane gone for evermore Then the spirit is almost tyred with waiting and the flesh growes monstrous vnruly God is not so good as his word for he hath promised if in trouble we call vpon him he will helpe vs but he regards neither our calling nor cryes nor teares O now the spirit waxeth hot and the blood doth boyle within the veines and thus our anger ariseth against God a thing not impossible as you see nor yet allowable to the Saints most incident and to the best of Saints more ordinarily then to the worst of hypocrites or any other to the state of grace not yet called Indeede for these I doe not reade of many or any examples in this kinde to have entred Contestation with the Lord as Ionah here hath done nor is it the Nabals of the world but the Davids who mourne in their prayer and are vexed For vpon what grounds can they challenge God of his promise and expostulate where hath God bound himselfe vnto these with an oath that he will be their God and of their seede for ever how oft have they called vpon him in faith and wept vnto him in zeale what love to his ordinances what trust to his Word what assurance of his mercies what consolation in his promises hath beene at any time in their hearts residing I am not angry with the Sunne when it shineth to the Antipodes nor with the Starres because they runne round I am not angry with the Windes at Sea when my house by fire is burnt at home or lastly why should the Malefactor who cryes guiltie at the Barre be angry with the Iudge who gives sentence according to the law vpon his offence Even so truly the wicked foolish who say in their hearts there is no God and doe impute their good and bad hap to blinde chance or fortune who are men of an other world and strangers to godlinesse I see no reason their anger should reach whether their beleefe doth not Yea truly when they are haled before Gods iudgement Seat as Malefactors arraigned their guiltie consciences proclaime woe immediately but then begins their anger and desperate rage when the scalding plagues of Gods wrath doe begin to torment their bodies and the horrour of deadly darkenesse doth cease vpon their soules for their wilfull blindnesse and folly and their rage is not only against God but in a remarkeable kinde of iustice against their owne members they gnawed their tongues and blasphemed Rev. 16. But if their malice breake out against God or his Saints sooner as oft it doth it is then a fearefull preparation to these eternall woes mentioned and hath more properly the name of malice then of anger For what difference is there betweene the anger of Gods Saints and of his enemies even such as I have shewed as is the anger betweene two friends and two most contrary enemies These things gentle Reader I have more deepely searcht into by occasion of my Text not that I presume herein to commend vnto thee any rare point of skill for that which may fall out to be rare in the course of my studies may have beene more soundly noted in the labours of other men and perhaps is not new vnto thy iudgement nor to this end doe I it to commend the feeling of this knowledge vnto any not so farre experimented in this kinde of learning which wee have from Ionah but to this end rather that wee may bee wise to put a difference and be suspended from rash iudgement concerning the state of divers Gods Elect wrastling here in this vale of misery falling and rising foyled and sometimes foyling like prevailers and that herein we studie true thankfulnesse to the sole-worker of our salvation who preserveth the soules of his Saints from going downe into the pit of desperation For my selfe Christian Reader I was angry with my God and knewit not very angry but did not well consider it How manifold are thy tryalls O how various and wonderfull art thou in the exercising of vs thy fraile creatures Vsque quo Domine vsque quo shal not my griefes and groanes my deepe sighings and often teares and strong cryes be full effectuall in thy fight to manifest thy power within to vtter thy praise abroad O those hills of peace where are they why hast thou caused me to hope in thy word hast nor furnisht me vnto the battel why was I called but returne now vnto thy rest O my soule and hope yet confidently I was angry and mourned in my prayer and was vexed was it not in thy temple O God in thy temple that my soule was exceedingly cast downe and troubled in thy temple therefore will I praise thee because there thou spakest peace vnto my troubled soule and did'st allay the heat of all my discontented passions saying as sometime thou didst vnto thy servant Ionah Doest thou well to be angry Thus even thus thou rebukedst the windes and the waves of all my inward commotions and there followed immediately a great calme praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name For it was not flesh nor blood then which then was in the strength of impariency and stamped with the foot it was not flesh and blood that did reveale that did put this good motion into my breast but my father in heaven therefore praise the Lord O my soule At this time I was assigned to the Crosse had not yet chosen the Text I meant to treat of the choise was soone made For what more acceptable service to our God more pleasing to his Church more effectual for the preachers of his word to deale in then to expresse their minds vpon those Themes the power whereof hauing first subdued their owne affections doth with greater force from them flow forth vnto others and procure more ample glory to his name vnto whom the whole action and efficacy of the worke is in speciall wise to be referred Thus have I made my selfe a foole in glorying but it is in my infirmityes and if for this I be disdained of the Michals of the world I will study to become yet viler in their eyes that Gods power by my weaknes may be exalted Is not this the end of all our beings and ought we not by all meanes whether by precept or example or however labour here vnto whether we be besides our selues saith S. Paul to the Corinthians it is to God or whether wee bee sober it is for your cause and hee is no follower of Paul as hee followed Christ in this who will not thus indeavour to become all things to all men that of all sorts he may gaine some to God and he that respecteth his owne credit private opinion and speeches of others before the winning of souls he is ashamed of the Gospell of Christ a shame of all others most shamefull and one most vnworthy to be a minister of the new Testament Thus Christian and friendly Reader and one of the houshold of faith whose love I doe onely imbrace have I not made my selfe strange vnto thee and for this cause desire the fruit of thy prayes to be assistant vnto me that I may open my mouth with boldnesse in the cause of the Gospel whervnto I have traviled and am yet in paine I beleeved and therefore did I speake saith David but I was sore greived I also beleeved the same have I preached the same againe have I penned Now to all those who love the Lord Iesus I conclude Grace be vnto them and Mercy and vpon the Israel of God FINIS