Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A41527
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Patience and its perfect work under sudden & sore tryals
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Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing G1251; ESTC R40909
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51,072
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174
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PATIENCE AND IT S Perfect Work UNDER SUDDEN SORE TRYALS LONDON Printed by S. Simmons for Rob. Duncomb to be sold at his Shop in Duck-lane 1666. PATIENCE AND ITS PERFECT WORK Meditated and Written that Week the Deplorable Fire was at London and upon That Occasion Upon this Scripture Chap. 1. James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad Greeting My Brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh Patience But let Patience have HEâ—… perfect work that ye may bâ— perfect and entire wanting nâ—thing If any of you lack wisdom 〈◊〉 him ask of God that giveth all men Liberally and upâ—â—â—â—… not and it shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him CHristian Patience is mâ— Subject and the Peâ—fect work of Patience 〈◊〉 4. But as an Introductâ—on thereunto I must first opeâ— some things of the words in 〈◊〉 1 2. § 1 As to the PERSONS 〈◊〉 writes to they were the Twelve Tribes scattered that had beeâ— and were bereft of their inheritance in their native Countrey and quitting that had betakâ—â— themselves to banishment muâ—titudes of them I doe not saâ— all as appeares Acts 8. 1. And at that time there was a great Persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered abroad thorowout all the Regions of Judea Samaria except the Apostles And Acts 〈…〉 We find them travell'd as far as Phaenice Cyprus Antioch who went from thence afterwards into other Countreys The other Apostle who wrote to the same Persons comforts them with this 1 Epistle 1. v. 4. That they were begotten again to a better Inheritance then that of Canaan which now they were deprived of 2. I observe that though these had been made thus sufficiently destitute and desolate already and driven from house home to seek their livelyhoods with their families in forraign countreys that yet still great and pressing troubles and miseries did follow them as one wave doth after another they were continually falling into divers and sundry tentations of all sorts God tryes us every moment as in Job we are chastned every morning and killed that is in danger of death all day long as Rom. 8. God had not yet done with these 3. He utters the strongest Paradox upon this occasion that ever was or can be uttered And begins with it v. 2. My Brethren Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations Thus bluntly and abruptly without any mollifying preface or sweetning Introduction unless that of My Brethren to make way for it The fore part Count it all joy seems to carry a morall contradiction in the face of it unto the latter part When ye fall into divers tentations And this latter seems to put an impossibility upon the former which is the duty exhorted unto Let us consider every word of each § 1. Were it simply that they are called upon to REJOYCE how uncouth is this to men in that posture and Circumstance they are suppos'd fallen into Well but yet Count it joy sayes he not only moderate keep in and smother your contrary passions which was the highest lesson that Phylosophy and the Stoicks the best of Philosophers had taught But the Gospel calls upon us Therefore c. or for and upon these Tentations to rejoyce Count it joy that 's the First 2. All joy The highest joy for so all joy must needs be supposed to be 3. And this not when they should see by experience the glorious issue and event these tentations doe produce But to Account it all joy afore hand as if they were possessed of what God promiseth shall be the assured and expected end and to be aforehand as sure of it as if they had it already 4. 'T is not when they are Assaulted with troubles but when tentations are actually broken in upon them and they lye under them 5. Nor yet when they are led into them by steps or had met with them as in their way But when they fall into them 'T is a downfall he speaks of and that suddenly at once and utterly unexpected by them 6. Not when you fall into one or Two but into Many Tentations as elsewhere the word divers here is Translated 1 Pet. 1. 7. Manifold And Many is imported in Manifold 7. And those not of one sort or kinde but Divers and so of severall sorts As in Good name reproach Revilements Divers also asto their Bodyes Souls their relations and families Friends wives children Inward outward man 8. When you fall into them as into a Pit and snare and so they falling round about you so as you have nothing to stand or leane upon but all about you falls with you and under you so as in all outward appearance ye are sunk and overwhelmed with the ruines In this case to Count. IT ALL JOY to shout as men in harvest or that have gotten great spoyles when their miseries are so great that they cannot be endured that yet their joy must be so great as more cannot be expressed This is the hardest duty that ever was required of the distressed hearts of men And yet God would not require it if it were not attainable and it is attainable by no other principles but of Christianity And argues that our Christian Religion which is the only true wisdom v. 5. hath so Spiritfull and Soveraign a vertue in it that it is able to raise Spirits up unto Thus high and glorious a pitch and perfection in this life § But they might say you have propounded this hard and strange duty to us what ground is there that may rationally and effectually perswade and bring our hearts to it what considerations that may procure us this joy and how may we be wrought up to it For God never gave any commandment but there was a full and sufficient ground and reason to enforce it He gives them two Grounds One at the 3. and 4. v. Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience But let Patience have it's perfect Work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting Nothing This is a Ground from what in this life The other is at the 12. v. Blessed is the man that endureth tentation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crown of life This is the reward that follows in the life to come In the hope and expectation of which you may count it all joy that Now you are tryed for the end and issue of them is a Crown of Glory which these doe work as 2 Cor. 4. 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory § I Begin with the first what ground there is in this life to cause us to rejoyce in such tentations This in the. 3. and 4. verses Knowing that is deeply considering and weighing this principle of our Christian profession that
which we almost every where meet with and which the Text calls for such as when sudden and unexpected Tryals and tentations which they fall into fall out as v. 2. And so is not meant of the difficulties that accompany our ordinary constant way of personal walking in performing the duties of our holy profession § Object But you will say My sufferings are not for the Gospel as theirs here intended were but they are meer providentiâ—â— accidents that have fallen upoâ— me out of common providence and but such as befaâ—â— wicked men they are not from outward persecution for Christ sake or my profession but from Gods hand Answ I shall answer this here once for all 1. The words of this verâ— Text may somwhat relieve us hereion for it is tentations at large that are spoken of and tentations arising from sudden downfalls into miseries and so of any kinde he doth not altogether restrain it to temptations by persecution though they are mainly intended but it may and ought to be extended to other providential occurrences And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used for Patience signifieth a remaining under any pressures unbroken and whole be they of what kind soever It respects indeed afflictions mainly for the Gospel yet not exclusively to afflictions in common 2. In the prosecution of this Argument the Apostle doth manifestly carry in his eye other Tentations or sufferings then from Persecution as appears from the Examples he alledgeth to press them to this Patience For among others and above all others he brings the instance of Job and His by Name only as well as of the Prophets in General whom Christ says they persecuted Thus chap. 5. 11. Ye have heard of the patience of Job His alledging the Prophets is but a General v. 10. Take the Prophets not naming any for an example of suffering and of Patience But that of JOB singularly and by name Now surely he would not cite His most eminent example to confirme his Exhortation to this Patience he intended of one whose case did not come within the compass and dint of his Exhortation Let us therefore have recourse to Jobs case and story His losses were but providential from God The Sabeans and Chaldeans plundred him of his goods and slew his servants And the fire of God or from God is fallen from heaven so his messengers tell him chap. 1. v. 16. 'T is true 't was the Devil out of spight that moved them that did it but they did it not in a way of Persecution but as common enemies As when the Clangs of one countrey break in upon another But it was God and the Devil agreed it together yea and 't was God gave first occasion to the Devil to move him to have leave to doe it So as that was not for the Gospels sake in way of Persecution nor did Job at all know of that transaction between God and Satan not all that while his Patience was in the exercise of it But took all as the hand of God though extraordinary § If you now ask a description of Patience as it thus respects suffering the will of God We must give it as it is in the Word of God in the height for that is the Rule it self that directs to it and not lown it to what is found in our hearts And yet that which afterwards followes and will confirm every tittle of it is drawn mostly from examples of the Saints either in the old or new Testaments which shew that it is attainable though with allowance to defects which accompany all Graces in this life It is a constant thankfull joyfull enduring with perseverance to the end of a mans life all the tryals that are grievous how great how long how hopeless soever as to coming out of them mortifying and compescing the inordinacy of opposite passions as Fear Grief Care Anxiety which will arise upon such afflictions with submitting to Gods will for Gods glory and his good pleasure sake still blessing and sanctifying God in all waiting on God and relieving ones self by Faith in what is to be had IN GOD and FROM GOD in communion with him and from his love in this life In expectation also of that Glory which is the Reward after this life ended I might in this place confirm every word and tittle of this description either out of Examples of holy men or the Rules which the Word gives But I omit the set collection of such proofs here because that scatteredly up and down in the particulars that follow this will be found performed II. GENERAL HEAD How Patience is wrought § BRethren while I shew you how Patience is wrought I do withall shew you the way and means to obtain it For by thâ— same it is wrought by the samâ— it is nourished and maintained And I shall not goe out of thâ— Text for this There are two principles here that work Patience The first iâ— FAITH verse the 3d Knowinâ— this That the trying of your Faitâ— worketh Patience And becausâ— in Gal. 5. 6. It is said Faitâ— worketh by Love that is Faitâ— worketh by Love whatever iâ— worketh Therefore we musâ— find also that LOVE workâ— Patience And that you have in the 12. v. too Blessed is the man that endureth temptations for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him Why doth â—he put in to them that love him whilest he speaks of him that endureth Tentations But because it is Love inables a man to endure temptation So that Faith in the first place and then Faith working by love in the second place works Patience or enduring And the confirmations of these Two will give Proofs to the â—atter parts of that Description I gave of Patience to wit Those of the Souls relieving it self by Faith by what is to be had in God c. § First how doth Faith work Patience Answ First in the General Faith is the substance of things hoped for and indeed of all things that are revealed in the Word That is It makes them subsistent and real to a mans Soul Faith does this as the eleventh to the Hebrews shews And thereupon Faith hath all the Motives and Considerations that the whole Word affords All which it brings in to the Soul and makes them subsistent to it to support it in tryals All is let in by Faith that is the Tunnell that fills the vessell And by thus bringing home to a mans Soul all the Considerations the Word affords which may induce a man to Patience it works it This is but General § These Considerations in the Word are infinite And I cannot â—tand to instance I will only give what are most proper to Faith First of all Faith hath a priâ—ative emptying work it empties â—he Soul of all its own worth and â—ighteousness and excellency in â—s own eyes and gives a â—hrough sight unto the Soul of â—he