all in and orders all to keep home and not stir out of doors abroad composeth all so as a man possèsseth his own Soul In Phil. 4 6 7. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God c. I instance likewise for this in the difference of the two grounds in the Parâ—ble of the Sower 8 Luke 14 15. Of the Thorny ground 't is said That the word was choaked by the CARES of the world But of the good ground oppositely that it brings forth fruit with PATIENCE Patience is contrary unto cares as well as unto Vnquietness or to other inordinate affections This for Patience its privative Work II. Branch of the III. HEAD I Come secondly to POSITIVE ACTS and workings of Patience which are many To begin with the lowest and so rise to the higher § 1. Patience includes and comprehends an Act of WAITING upon God and his good pleasure Waiting is an act of Faith continued or lengthened out and where Faith would of it self be short-winded Patience eeks it out The daughter helps the Mother with an expectation of anhappy issue 5. Jam. You find waiting involved in Patience as an eminent act thereof v. 7. Be patient therefore Brethren unto the coming of the Lord behold the Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it until he receive the early and latter rain Look how and in what manner the Husbandman waits so he sets out and exhorts a Christian Patient man should doe Mic. 7. 7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my Salvation my God will hear me c. VNTIL he plead my cause and execute judgement for me c. v. 9. 2. It is a waiting with quietness And that 's Patience work too Patience is not an enduring simply by force which we call patience per force but with quietness In the third of Lament the Church in her doleful condition expresseth the actings and workings of her own soul Although she speaks in the third person which is usual in the Scripture yet means her self v. 26. It is good that a man should bothhope and QUIETLY WAIT for the salvation of the Lord. This was uttered when she was under the yoak and so was a fruit of Patience v. 27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoak in his youth It is the Nature of Faith to quiet the heart in God Isaiah 26. 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee And chap. 30. 30. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength And when Faith hath wrought Patience it quiets the heart much more Patience speaks quietness in the very sound of it And the reason is because it hath a strength accompanies it 1 Col. 11. Strengthened with all might unto all Patience and long-suffering And thence so far forth as Faith and Patience doe strengthen the heart so far we are able to bear and that with quietness Let not your hearts be troubled saith Christ John 14. Why You believe in God believe also in me Faith on them will cause trouble to fly away Which is a great part of Christs meaning when he says in patience possess your Souls that 〈◊〉 dwell quietly in your own Spirits as a man doth in his house which our Law tearms his Castle 3. Patience carries on the heart without FAINâ—ING or discouragement Isaiah 42. 4. The Meekness and Patience of Christ is there first set forth v. 2. He shall not cry nor list up his voyce to be heard in the streets Thâ—n follows v. 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged not be broken as the Hebrew is that is in Spirit so as to cease from what God had given him to do or suffer he should goe on with his work till he had perfected it 4. Patience in all sufferings submits to God and the will of God The Apostle sedulously puts in if it be the will of God when he had occasion to mention their sufferings and he doth it twice 1 Pet. 3. 17. If it be the will of God that ye suffer And chap. 4. v. last Wherefore let him that suffers according to the will of God c. And in chap. 1. 6. If need be that is if God see it requisite to bring them on you And the Apostle would needs bring these clauses in though by way of Parenthesis so in two of these places mentioned The stronger the sufferings are the stronger is the will of God in bringing those sufferings And it is Patience in the Soul that works the heart to submission to that will Psal 39. v. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth BECAVSE THOV DIDST IT Then when he confest his sin of Bathsheba and murdering Vriah he considered not the wrong done them in comparison of That he had done against God therein Against THEE against THEE only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight And now when a retaliation for that sin in the rebellion of his own Son Absolon came upon him and Shimei had likewise bitterly cursed and reviled him which some latter expositors have deemed to have been the occasions of that Psalm He in like manner in this his punishment layeth aside the consideration of all instruments that had brought those evils on him whoever they were whether it were these or some other and looks only unto God and submits because thou hast done it And though he confesseth that he was in a fume at first notwithstanding his fixed resolution to have been dumb as for speaking any thing that should savour of murmuring afore men Yet his flesh and corruption boyled within him as that useth to rise and work in us first so v. 2. 3. I was Dumb with silence I held my peace even from good And my sorrow was stirred or my distemper wrought the more my heart was hot within me whilst I was musing the Fire burned Then spake I with my tongue And what he spake savors of a man weary of life it self For he would needs know of God when his life should be at end thus v. 4. So impatient was he Yea but then when his grace came more deeply and throughly to be stirred and Patience to have in perfect Work he then considers Gods hand alone in it how that it was HE had stirred up the Spirits of these wicked Oneâ— against him and found thaâ— himself had to doe with Goâ— alone And then he was 〈◊〉 and silent indeed to purpose Anâ— truly his heart at that time 〈◊〉 the occasion were that of Shimeâ— and Absalom had been wroughâ— up into as blessed a frame of submission to God as ever afore 〈◊〉 after in all his life time as hiâ— words in that chapter afore mentioned doe declare 2 Samâ— 15. 25 26. And David said if shall find
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
more then all the former part of his life Lastly take the Apostles The Apostle in the Revel puts it into his Coat of Armes as a piece of his Nobility and a part of his Herauldry I John who am your Brother and Companion in Tribulation and in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ Now upon all these grounds if you be true and right Christians and know as the Apostles word is how to put a due estimate upon what is your greatest interest and priviledg in this life viz. the proof and tryal of your Graces and of this Grace of Patience above all as the highest perfection of a Christian yea of Christ himself and which was the most eminent praise of Prophets and Apostles if you value your being rendred most pleasing unto God then count it all Joy when you thus fall into tentations For now you have God and Christ the great the chief Master Orderer and Designer of these consticts setting his most gracious eye upon you pleasing himself to behold how valiantly wisely and gallantly you be have and acquit your selves He sits in Heaven as the great Spectator of these Justs and Turnaments which are to him as Spectacles which are sports to us to which the Apostle alludes 1 Cor 4. 9. For I think that God hath set forth VS the Apostles last 〈◊〉 it were appointed to death foâ— we are made a spectacle unto thâ— World and to Angles and to Men Rejoyce therefore as good Soldiers would to enter into these Lists in the sight of their Greaâ— General and Emperour whom they have given themselves up to please Thus 2 Tim. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 man that warreth entangletâ— himself with the affairs of thiâ— life that he may PLEASE HIM who hath chosen him TO BE A SOLDIER Therefore get your hearts free and loose from all those entanglements that arise from adherency to the things of this world from inordinate passions â—hat cleave unto the things of this â—ife which will hinder and weaâ—en you as to a bearingâ—he â—he losses and crosses you meet with in it Knowing also that â—ou cannot please the Captain of â—our salvation nor approve your â—elves more to him then by a â—atient endurance which is in â—he words afore that passage in â—hat place to Timothy exhorted â—o v. 3. Therefore endure hardness â—s a good Soldier of Christ And â—n its Coherence this follows it â—leaseth your General to see it And in the 1. of Col. he first in the General prayes v. 10. That they might walk worthy of the Lord â—nto ALL PLEASING Which Pleasing as it consisteth in fruit fulness in good Works or the active life of a Christian Being fruitful in every good work in the same verse So iâ— being strengthened with all might unto all patience and long-suffering as that which is the second and chiefest and most glorious part that a Christian is to perform to consummate the other And which therefore requires a more glorious power to work it then the former the Active part did as verse 11 shewes Strengthned with a might according to his glorious Power unto all Patience and long-suffering Thus much for the opening oâ— the words in Order to that I am more setly to handle which followeth I I. Section I have Three GENERAL HEADS to treat of 1. What Patience is 2. How Patience is wrought 3. What it is for Patience to have a perfect Work I. HEAD What the Grace of Patience is § TAke it at large that is in the full Comprehension of it It is a constant persisting whether to doe the will of God without fainting or to suffer the will of God with submission and quietness and cheerfulness to the end of a mans dayes And thus taken it respects doing as well as suffering The good Ground is said to bring forth its fruit All its fruit with Patience in the Parable of the Sower It respects § First Doing the will of God Rom. 2. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well doing The Greek is The Patience of good work seek for glory and honour c. And the Reason why Patiencâ— is required to every good work is because there is a difficultâ— that accompanies every duty and to the putting forth of every grace that we need have Patiencâ— to perform the duty constantly and to continue in the practice oâ— that grace There is a difficulty not only from our own corruption unto which the Commands oâ— God are grievous but from thâ— circumstances of times places persons we live in and amongst though they should not persecute As not to run into the same excess of riot to speak or doe what we know doth not please the company we are in Thus to be Chast in Sodom was to Lot a tryal to condemn the world by a different carriage as in being stricter then others on the Lords day or in family duties c. to cross the stream to be singular and the like Heb. 12. 12. Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees Wherein I observe that in doing good in any kind we are not only lame creatures and walk as those that halt which breeds an aukerness unto any duty but further we are apt by reason thereof to turn out of the way as there if rugged The members we should walk withall are feeble our hands we should act with are hanging down And so the performance hath a difficulty To goe up the hill of good duties though private and personal without weariness to keep strait paths not to pick and choose our way and not to baulk the way or work which God finds us to doe especially not to faint towards the end when we come to the brow of the hill These all have a wearisomness in them Now that which principally heartens and strengthens us to all this is Patience as in v. 1. he had prefaced Let us run with Patience the Race that is set before us we need Patience for every step of it in doing as well as in suffering And in the verse immediately afore that exhortation now opened 't is verse 11. the Apostle puts and devolves an even and quiet walking upon Patience obtained first by suffering in these words Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby So as a quiet resolute and strong performance of all the duties of righteousness is from Patience and is much the fruit of that Patience we get by chastisements The suffering life helps and contributes much to the active life for as there is a Patience required in doing Gods will so suffering his will fits the heart for it But this of Patience in well doing is not in strict sence that Patience which is here in my â—ext to be understood Patience is therefore Secondâ—y Godâ—n â—n any kind And this doth Patience eminently respect And that is the Renowned Patience
therein 2. As to a Direction what you should doe for the future to obtain it those other words Let him ask of GOD point us to the most proper and effectual remedy and way of supply in the case 3. With this great Encouragement added first drawn from the nature of GOD Ask of GOD that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not Then seconded with this Promise And it shall be given him Of these three HEADS of what follows briefly I. To the Discouragement § THe opening of these words If any of you lack Wisdom will greatly conduce to ease your heart as to that The effect of which is that the Apostle plainly supposeth that true believers may both really and in their own apprehensions especially be found greatly lacking in point of Patience when Trials doe befall them And this I am sure hath reason to relieve you in what is like to be the great discouragement that usually falls out This to be the supposition of the Apostle is made good by opening four things 1. That by Wisdom here is plainly meant Patience together with the perfect Work of it which he had spoken of 2. That he speaks this unto those that were true believers If any of You. 3. How it may or can be said that true believers who have all Grace and the principles thereof in them to lack such or such a grace 4. The intimate reason and occasion upon which the Apostle utters himself in this supposition If any c. § For the first Wisdom sometimes is taken largely for all Grace and gracious actings whatsoever Sometimes strictly for a particular Grace To find out the difference of which the measure is to be taken from the scope of the place where either of these is mentioned Now wisdom in this place is to be taken strictly that is for that particular Grace or piece of gracious Wisdom whereby to know how to be able to manage a mans self under Trials especially great sore and sudden ones Patiently which is done when we have taken in and digested by Faith such principles as our Christianity affords plenty of as grounds that instruct and enable the Soul joyfully to entertain such Trials and Tentations and to endure and goe thorow them with a constancy of joy For look as the word Grace is taken either strictly or largly that is either for all Grace and yet again for any or every particular Grace each of which are called Grace also As ye abound in every Grace so ye abound in this Grace also Thus All Grace is called Wisdom in a large sense as usually throughout the Book of Proverbs But withal a particular Grace is called Wisdom too as the third Chapter of this Epistle ver 13. shews The Grace of meekness shewn in speech and conversation he stiles it meekness of Wisdom or a wise meekness or a meekness accompanied with and proceeding out of wisdom And thus Calvin and most others understand wisdom here in this my Text of this special Grace The scope and coherence with the former words carrying it thereunto True Patience being from such a Wisdom as whereby the Soul hath the skil and ability to manage a mans self patiently under Tentations to such an issue as that Patience should have a perfect work in us and unto this it is here to be restrained For this Grace it is he had been and still is discoursing of And there is a special and more peculiar reason why this skill of Patience should be stiled Wisdom in a more eminent sense For what he had before uttered of rejoycing in afflictions and tentations and exhorted unto that Patience should have it's perfect work these things being the hardest lessons in Christianity do there fore need and require the highest principles of Divine Wisdom both Doctrinal and Practical to be deeply inlayed and fixed in the Soul so as to bow and frame the heart unto a real practice and willing performance of such Dictates and conformity thereunto For then it is that knowledge is tearmed Wisdom and for that reason it is that our whole Religion is stiled Wisdom because it rests not in bare Notional knowledge which is a differing thing from Wisdom but makes men proportionably wise to the practise of the things in which it instructs And particularly this skill of renduring Tentations such as hath been described doth deserve this stile more eminently for it so far outvies and is above the sphere of all Principles whether of Philosophy or what other profession or professors of Patience whatsoever who whilst in a sullen Patience for all of theirs was no better they professed to be wise they became foolish and Christianity infinitely out-shoots them in what they most gloried in § Secondly That he speaks this to them whom he supposeth true Believers and unto them as such is evident Although at the first blush as we say the words would seem to poynt at and speak to unregenerate men who wholly want all true wisdom and grace and so the drift should be an intended Direction to or for such to seek true Grace which they lack at the hands of God by Prayer But the Coherence manifestly shews that he speaks to such whom he supposeth to be already true Believers For in the next words he exhorts the same Persons whom he speaks to in these words to ask in Faith and therefore supposeth them to have true Faith already whom he directs this Exhortation unto And otherwise it had been more proper yea requisite to have exhorted them if he had intended it of unregenerate men first to seek Faith it self and then out of Faith and in that Faith to seek for this Wisdom or Grace of endurance And again he speaks to them that were Brethren so he calls them And in this passage says if any of YOV and such who being true professors of Christianity were exposed unto those sundry Tentations from persecutions especially And 't is such also whom he exhorts to count it all joy c. and here to ask a Wisdom of GOD whereby to be able to suffer for their holy profession Furthermore this Wisdom lying in Patience having its perfect work in them it supposeth the persons such as had some Work of Patience and of other Graces begun in them already And indeed to have exhorted Vnregenerate Men that were as yet utterly destitute of all Grace and so out of harms way as to any sufferings for the Gospel and to direct them to make this the first of their addresses to GOD and of their requests that they might be able to endure Tentations and that Patience should have a perfect work in them and so to have taught them that which is the hardest lesson in Christianity afore ere they had learnt the first letters thereof this had been utterly improper and a lesson at too great a distance for men in their Natural state first to learn Thus much for the PERSONS viz. That he speaks it unto men already