Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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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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locamus Juv. Sat. 10. are meer Heathen Deities altho the Wiser there did laugh thereat The Almighty Wise and Righteous Providence governs even our Inadvertencies and Mistakes and directs them to the issue they arrive at Nay all Events whatever are so much influenced Thence as to be Effected or thereby Permitted Gen. 45.8 Acts 4.28 Such hand it had about the selling Joseph into Egypt and the villanous Murder of the blessed Jesus that neither That nor This were brought to pass without it Yet wicked Men and Devils are the sole Efficients of all Moral Evil. Sin is hateful unto God Psal 45.7 Psal 5.5 Hab. 1.13 and Sinners too who persist therein and they shall be punish'd to a sad Eternity for the same So tho it be highest Blasphemy once to conceit it that God is the Author of Iniquity yet He undoubtedly sets Bounds thereto as to the Raging Sea and saith Hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy Proud Waves be staid Wherefore notwithstanding All our Culpable Errors are to be truly and fadly repented of with Supplication for God's Pardon yet we may not overlook his Hand in ordering of them to their Issue Under which being humbled duly we may expect seasonably to be lifted up 1 Pet. 5.6 But most especially let 's never forget the Lesson that our blessed Saviour taught his most dear Disciples That not one of the poor Matth. 10.29 little and * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magna hic emphasis Diminutivi Bez. despicable Sparrows fell to the ground without our Father his License Order or Appointment that is Fear ye not therefore ye are of more value than many Sparrows Vers 31. is our dear Lord's Inference thence And so we may conclude That the most unhappy Accidents in Estate Health Relations or any other way are of God's wise and good sufferance or sending to us Then as for the Lives of the Saints of God if their Hairs be all numbred v. 30. and their Death be precious in his sight Ps 116.15 as both are certain with what exactness will he keep the reckning of their Abode on Earth Surely no single Day nor Hour nor Minute shall carelesly or casually be cast away Yea doubtless not only our times are in God's hand Psal 31.15 but our days are determined and the number of our months are with the Lord our bounds are appointed which we cannot pass Job 14.5 And then we need not fear but that we shall reach up thereto whatever may be thought unto the contrary Indeed the Will of Purpose in the Lord is unknown to us until the Event declares it And 't is our Duty only to attend his Will of Precept We must use lawful Means which he approves yet be content that the Almighty's pleasure be effected by them And as for Means suggested to be omitted Either it was really so or not If not how childish is it to complain for nothing If so 't was either through thy fault or not If this Not through thy fault And how unlikely is it that the fear of God and love of one so dear would suffer Means to be omitted wilfully Suppose it thine Unhappiness 't is not thy Sin and should not be thy Torment Therefore such Fears and Jealousies which often overcome afflicted Spirits must be withstood and banished Obj. 6. Some yet may say But I am ignorant of God's meaning towards me in his heavy Dispensation And what to do but Mourn I know not Ans Admit thou art to seek therein wil't make thy self yet more uncapable to find it out This is the readiest way of all thereto Excessive Grief both blinds and deafs the Soul at once And what is to be seen in Midnight-darkness or heard at the Cataracts of Nilus or by the beating of a Drum Thou raisest Clouds and makest Clamours within thy Bosom that put thee to confusion and astonishment Be therefore Master of thy self in patience and thou mak'st it possible to enquire to purpose Whil'st Job was in this Hurry he saith indeed to God Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Job 10.2 c. But this came from such discontent that it return'd without its Errand Tho afterwards when he came fully to himself and dealeth in a quiet humble and submissive way with God abhorring himself for his past frowardness and impatience Job 42.6 c. per tot and repenting in dust and ashes he quickly meets with blest success unto abundant satisfaction as may be read in the Chapter quoted in the Margin Observe beside it is no easie matter ordinarily and doubtless oftentimes impossible to assign the special Message of such or such a severer Providence toward those that truly sear the Lord. 'T is true it sometimes happens that the Judgments carry such visible Tokens of the Sins that sent them written as it were in Capital Letters on them that it becomes no difficulty to understand the special Errand that they bring You saw it the Case of Holy David Example 4. Supra spoken of before But commonly and for the most part as I said 't is otherwise And the Pious in affliction if they find not full satisfaction in our Saviour's words to Peter spoken of before What I do thou knowest not now but shalt know afterwards yet I am very confident that under the smartest darkest and most uncouth Providence let them nut loath themselves in their own sight for all their offences be numbled under the mighty Hand of God run to the Fountain open'd for Sin and for Vncleanness die more unto the World and lay up their Treasure and Heart too more in Heaven have none but God Above and God above all Below unto them Let them make this their Business under their saddest Sufferings and persevere thereat And most undoubtedly as God obtains his End they shall not miss his Mind Thus all Afflictions shall serve his greater Glory and surely issue in their greatest Good And then I conclude with confidence This will not only still a distressed Saint but turn his weeping into laughter and put off his Sackeloth for more beautiful Garments and exchange his Lamentations into Songs of Praises unto the God of his Salvation who commandeth light to shine forth out of darkness and will bring Good from Evil to them are good and upright in heart before him 3. The last Thing undertaken was Some Guidance for the better Application of the whole unto our selves for good And this I shall dispatch in these two or three following Inferences Infer 1. Since it is so That c. Then certainly pious People must not expect all Halcyon Days on Earth nor flatter themsleves with hopes of a Summer that shall last their life without any storm or cloud attending it but they must reckon on 't and be content to take their share of trouble that happens to them How otherwise could it be a Duty on them To be quiet in Distresses if none should ever reach them
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