something of a publick nature but as to Aaron more of a private And truly as to a private temporal affliction this of Aarons was very heavy You all know that As Children are sometimes great Comforts So often times sad afflictions The sin of our Children's lifes and the suddennesse of our Children's deaths make sore afflictions Aaron might at present reflect upon both and that reflexion no doubt was his affliction But although he was troubled yet he carryed it wisely and well He covers his sadnesse with silence His practise is our Pattern upon it I build my Point And 'pray now mind it Let the dealings of Gods providence be never so sad we must be silent we must hold our peace What Aaron did now David did afterwards in Psal 39.9 I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it This therefore I would stand upon and oh that God would strengthen me to speak it to you That it is our great duty under the saddest providences to hold our peace I shall onely speak one word of caution to prevent a mistake about the Point and so go on And the Caution is but this I am not now speaking of all our duties that are incumbent upon us in the day of adversity in the hour of afflictions no my Brethren there are many duties besides this when the Lord afflâ—ct's there are many duties to be done Indeed here are two duties that I find are to be done in this Chapter in our afflictions and in a desire endeavour to do these duties by the light and strength of the Lord in this Scripture am I this day present which otherwise I had not been to Preach unto you For I find it was Aarons duty in his affliction to do his work and to be submissively silent before the Lord. These are the duties I meet with here as I said in this Chapter the one in the Text the other in the 12. ver where it is said and Moses spake unto Aaron and to Eleazar and unto Ithamar his sons that were left Take the meat-offering that remaineth of the offering of the Lord made by fire and eat it without leaven besides the Altar for it is most holy The meaning of it is They are dead but go thou about thy work do not keep off from the Lord's service do not let God lose that which thou owest to him This is a great duty indeed for us to go about the work of God in our place whether Minister or Magistrate or other It 's our fault and folly under our affliction we are apt Child-like to lye down and cry Joshua lay upon his face when he ought to have been up and doing his businesse Josh 7.10 O Sirs whatever God layes upon us let not us lay aside our duty Let us strive to do while we suffer Cast not off any duty that God requries and which our place calls for even under the greatest affliction This is one maine peece of Satans policy by affliction to make us cast off duty But certainly we must not say as it is Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain washed my hands in innocency for all the day long I have been plagued and chastned or as it is in the Hebrew my chastisement was every morning Psal 73.13 14. No we must not entertain such thoughts But whatever affliction the Lord brings morning or evening we must do our work all the day long That besides others is a great part of our duty in the day of adversity But I shall speak to this in the Text. Two things I would do First 1. Shew you wherein this duty lyeth what it is to be silent and to hold our peace under sad providences And 2. Why this is so great a duty For the first what 's this silence what 's this holding our peace We have mention'd in the Scripture a two fold silence the Phrase is used in a bad sense in a good sense there is a sinful and there is an obediential silence There is a sinful silence and a sinful holding the peace which is not our duty but sin and so is not required of us and this is four-fold 1. A sottish silence 2. A sullen silence 3. A Stoical silence 4. A self-soul secret afflicting silence But you and I must take heed of these and therefore I will shew you the rock that you might not come near it 1. There is a sottish silence Some hold their peace because like fools they know nothing observe nothing can do nothing This doth not become the Lord's people they should be sensible not sottish Jeremiah complaines of such a sottishuesse in the 4. Chap. 22. vers For my people are foolish they have not known me they are sottish Children they have no understanding c. What was this sottish silence will you look back to the 19. vers and that will open it where saith Jeremiah My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart my heart maketh a noise within me I cannot hold my peace because thou hast heard O my soul the sound of the Trumpet the Alarme of Warr. Jeremiah observed God he saw a Storm understood a Judgment he was not sottish his bowels melted for it but my people are sottish c. As if he should fay Though I am sensible they are sottish There is a sottish silence beware of that If the Lord smite be not as a Sott that sees nothing who therefore does not speak because indeed he cannot we must hold our peace not as dumb-men but as duty-men He is not wise nor dutiful that cannot speak and is therefore silent But he is both that can but yet refraines Sottish silence is a sin not a duty But then there is 2. A sullen silence A silence that as we say of some they are dumb because they are dogged they do not speak because they are sullen and will not speak That should not be our frame a sullen silence when we refrain from good word's that was David's fault in the 2 verse of the 39. Psal When he said I held my peace even from good We may say The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken and say Lord what 's my duty c But to say as Jeremiah once said in the 20. Chap. 8 9 I 'le speak no more in his name because the people took on at what he said that was a peece of his failing And truly its a great fault under our affliction not to speak at all we may and must speak to God and Man To God in duty to man both to ask advice and to open our case for counsel and comfort He that holds his peace as sullen and dogged sinneth and this silence is to be avoided I presse it not upon you Nay I advise you against it But 3. There is a Stoical Silence Schollars know what was the opinion of the Stoick's They were silent shall I say out of a high humour it was an humour
an earthly humour they must mind nothing I do not think it a good speech of that Heathen who when he heard of the death of his Child said I begat him mortal No my Brethren God hath given us affections that we might make use of them for he hath made nothing in vain we may mourn we may weep we may be sensible of the hand of God There are a company of poor Creatures amongst us you call them Quakers that are much infected with Stoicism most of ther principles and much of their practise is but a reviving of what some Philophers counted their glory long ago But truly it is the shame of Christians to turn Stoicks I may say Stocks To mind nothing be affected with or for nothing is a shame and not a glory I therefore reckon that as a sinful silence The Stoicks silence is the Saints shame Aarons was and ours must be of a higher a holier nature But to passe on 4. There is a secret soul-afflicting silence There are deep souls that run like deep water's they make no noise they are very silent I am apt to think it was Hezekiah's failing when he said He hath done it I shall go softly all my years in the bitternesse of my soul Isa 38.15 It was well he eyed God but to say he would go softly that is he would bleed within and not open the wound was his failing I know that speech Ille dolet verè qui sine teste dolet Secret silent sorrow is truest but not best It is sorrow with a witnesse as we say because without a witnesse To mourn in a corner silently to weep and not to word it To let Grief swallow up Language and not to speak but to be drowned and silent in a depth of grief this is an evil silence The Lord keep you and me from it I do mention it as the other three to be a voided not to be practised Aaron was not we must not in any of these senses be silent for this silence is an evil and therefore noted that it may be avoided Well this is the first silence and this sinful holding our peace is not our duty under any hand of God But Secondly 2. There is an obediential silence a silence that is founded in wisdome and manag'd with reverence and this silence is our duty It is said of Saul when the Children of Belial flouted him he held his peace in the 1 Sam. 10. ult that was a silence of wisdom And in the 13. Job 5. saith Job to his friends O that you would altogether hold your peace and it should be your wisdom My Brethren such a holding our peace as is our wisdom that 's our duty indeed under every providence a wisdom-silence a reverential silence Job speaks of this in 29. Chap. 9 10. where saith he The Princes refrained talking and laid their hands on their mouth the Nobles held their peace and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth that is out of reverence And what saith the Prophet in the 2. Zech. ult Be silent O all flesh before the Lord. Saith God to Moses I 'le be sanctified I 'le be glorified And Aaron held his peace but wherein doth that lye I 'le open that but in three words An obedientiall silence or holding our peace doth eminently lye in 3 particulars 1. It is a Soul-quieting silence I think so that phrase is to be understood in the 2 Kings 2.3 where it is said The sons of the Prophets which were at Bethel came forth to Elisha and said to him Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy Master from thy head to day and he said yea I know it hold your peace As if they should say in our Language Do you know that the Prophet will dy to day Do you know your Wife your Child your Husband will dy to day Hold your peace saith the Prophet as if he should say Be not distracted O my Brethren We are ready to take on like frantick people but here 's our duty to hold our peace You know the story of Ammon and Tamar in 2 Sam. 13.20 where saith Absolom to Tamar Hath Ammon thy brother been with thee but hold now thy peace my Sister he is thy Brother regard not this thing It is in the Hebrew do not fix thy heart the meaning is Sister it is a sad thing but hold thy peace do not distract thy Soul do not set thine heart upon this thing Such a silence as to quiet our Spirits not to torment our souls that is our duty This silence is the Soul 's quiet in it the heart rests not tormenting its self with tumultuous thoughts nor foaming forth tempestuous words certainly Christians should in quietnesse possesse their Souls with patience A patient Soul-quieting silence is both commanded and commended So to be silent as not to stirr to our distraction but in our silence to quiet our Spirits is our duty and therefore I mention it Aaron was thus silent his childrens death was not his distraction But this is not all For I add 2. There is a sincere submitting Silence Silence you know is consent and to hold one's peace is a great phrase in Scripture to consent to what is done you have it twice in one Chapter in Numb 30.4 12. And surely my Brethren this is our duty such a holding our peace such a Silence which giveth our consent to what God doth is an obedientiall one Unto me saith Job 29.21 men gave ear and waited and kept silence at my Counsell Job was accounted a wise man and what he did they did viz. held their peace and gave their consent and that 's our duty God is a wise God when he strikes or speaks we must hold our peace at least our silence should be so submissive as not to wrangle You have a phrase in Tit. 2 9. It is spoken to Servants that they should be obedient not answering again You account it a fault if your Servants grumble O what a great fault is it in us when a God smites for us to grumble Without doubt silence in this sense is a great part of our duty in affliction Thereby we shew we consent to what the Lord dorh Will God take By silence give consent Doth God by providence say I 'le have that Child that Creature that Relation Oh! let us by silence declare our assent and consent to what the Lord doth Our silent suffering is an yielding to the Lord 's doing and 't is our duty so to do But lastly 3. There is a studying silence A great Schollar was wont to say when he would study such a thing I must be silent In our studies we don't use to talk a man cannot study and talk therefore one of the first Lessons Pythagoras gave to his Schollars was Silence Affliction is a School when the Lord brings an Affliction upon us and puts us into that School we must be silent as Scholars if ever we intend to
have been well enough this is to charge God foolishly I have heard one say Any loss but such a one Another Had I been afflicted in any thing but this A third In case my tryall had been so I should not have misliked it Many such speeches there are but I pray beware of them Doth not the wise God do all And is not infinite wisdom found in every divine action Providence in all things is understanding Oh avoid these speeches which charge the most Wise with foolishness 2. Be sure thou do not say God could not afflict me worse O we are apt to cry out The Lord could never have afflicted me worse O beware how you speak so What saith David Psal 90.11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger You do not know my Brethren how a God can strike Some have said God could never have afflicted me worse but in a very few years he hath given them such an affliction which hath been far worse Beware how you provoke God to strike sorer whil'st thou sayst God could not afflict thee worse Thou provokest the Lord to silence and confute thy speech by sending a sharper affliction and thou maist feel to thy sorrow the folly of thy speech If God smite a second time thou wilt find he can afflict thee worse than he hath done But 3. Beware how you say There is no affliction like to this We are apt to be prating and as the ordinary phrase is Never any bodies affliction is as mine beware of such a speech Will you remember this It argues a proud heart for us to say No body can be worse than us Is no bodies Jewel so rich as thine no bodies losse so great as thine Thou overvaluest thy self and undervaluest others thereby provok's God He that saies No body could lose such a child such a yoke-fellow c. doth he not proclaim his pride in thinking himself a None-such and in preferring his things before and beyond all others Take heed therefore of such speeches Thou knowest thine own losses not anothers Never aggravate thy grief by pride in over-valuing your own and under-rating anothers losse 'T is a sinfull speech No sorrow like mine you were better hold your peace But then 4 Beware how thou saist You cannot bear it Beloved God loves not that we should return a Cannot If thou saiest Thou canst not God will try thee I cannot hold my peace God will give thee two blows to make thee hold thy peace Do not say I cannot Non posse praetenditur non velle in causa est It may be you can but you will not and God is purposed to compell you Certainly God is resolved to make the whole World to bow and if thy proud heart say It cannot God will say I 'le make thee and better submit to a little blow then to make God to make us submit by a greater But 3 ly I would give you a few directions and I shall conclude The great Question now is How shall I do this Aaron held his peace but alas I am not Aaron David held his peace but I am not David Let me say but this word You little know what you say when you speak so I would not speak to make you proud but this I say Gospel dispensations carry little Saints as high as David Is it not said A little one shall be as David Suppose we are lesser Creatures we have higher Hills to stand upon But know There are some things which David did not as a strong Saint but as a Saint It is a mistake to think David is not to be imitated because he was great I told you Aaron here is not to be considered as a Minister but as a Saint There are some duties common to all And this amongst the rest You know It is said that David was a man of Prayer I am no David therefore shall not I pray Yes But How shall I be able to come up to do as Aaron did and as David did To hold my peace I 'le give you but three heads of direction 1. I pray Before an afflicting providence com's take heed that you do not make it to yourselv's and others more afflicting than it would be My beloved before the sad providence com's you may do that which may make it worse when it comes As it is with sick men in a Feaver or Ague men do that before the Fit comes which makes it worse when it comes They eat and drink do tâ—is and that which when the Feaver comes or Ague comes make's the Fit more tedious and worse then it would be otherwise So it is here Before an affliction we may do that which may make it more bitter then else it would be We do that often which makes the afflictions of God the greater I have two heads in this if you mark it 1. That it may not be the worse for others 2. Nor for our selves Do that under an affliction which in regard of thy self may not make it worse then it would be I 'le open it in an instance thus Thou art it may be a Relation a Husband or a Wife a Child c. When ever God takes thee away it will be a sad businesse to thy Relation which is left behind Now live so as when you die you may not encrease the affliction of thy Yoak-fellow or of thy Parent I will put it to Husbands and to Children Husbands So carry it that when ever God snatches you hence your wives may know you are in the Lord's bosome O ye little ones before the Lord Live so that if the Lord make your death an affliction to your Parent 's it may not be so great as otherwise it would be when the Parent can hope through grace my Child lived so that it is now with my God It is not in the Father's bosome but in Abraham's bosome this lessens the affliction You that are little ones Live so that if thy death be thy Parent 's affliction thy life may make it lesse And well I know that nothing more silenceth a parent or a yoke-fellow's spirit under the loss of Child or Husband I say nothing more silenceth and quieteth the heart then some good hopes that the Husband or Child is in heaven So then as to others labour that way to make the affliction lesse And secondly for your selves Whatever affliction God may lay upon you beware that before hand you do not make it worse A passionate spirit a proud heart makes an affliction very sad when it comes A passionate man one given to passion a little thing disturbs him A proud man before it comes he cannot stoop to it when it comes Live so as whatever affliction shall befall you it may be lesse then otherwise it would be 2. Lay up something before hand that may silence you in the day of affliction There are many things which will silence a soul in the Language that I am speaking of silence There are sweet thoughts which