a poor distresseed soule it is the very extreamity that malice can doe or affliction suffer 'T is a hellish disposition how to watch to give a blow to the man that is already reeling Again Shimei charges David peremptorily with the blood of the house of Saul why should we conclude that which neither our eies did see by proofe or our eares heare by report but Calumny and conjecture will injure innocence it self In matter of censure nothing but a certaine knowledge should make us give a certaine judgement fame and aire are both too weake foundations for unspotted truth to build on only deeds are liable to the downe-right taxe In things uncertaine a bad construction must needs flow from a bad minde and therefore Malice and basenesse ever dwell with Calumny And the desire to disgrace another springs from the same fountaine Censures will not hold out waight that have life only from the spungy cels of the common braine why should any passe a definitive sentence against any one whom we know but superficially As if I were a God to see the inward soule Nature art report may all faile Yea sometimes probabilityes There is no certainty to discover a man by but time and conversation Besides Shimei rips up Davids faults and layes them to open view David had polluted his hands in the blood of Vriah though not of Saul But God had washt them cleane Who then durst call David a bloody man It s bad raking into those sores which the blood of Christ hath heal'd He is justly to be condemned for a traitor to reputation and society That tells the private faults of his friend to the publick and depraving world certainly they have no worke or businesse at home in their owne consciences That have so much leasure in sinfull curiosity and unnecessary medling and enquiring into other mens carriages Oh! What Malice Spite and pride doe shew it selfe many times in those Pharisaicall false-hearts and finde-faults to mistake and missinterpret an innocent neighbour yea and often times to proclaime with great noyse and selfe applause their own idle Malignant forgeries and fancies for faults of those who are more righteous then they 'T is an usuall custome for malevolent Detractors to disparage others upon slight grounds and little instances and in a matter of a discourtesy to dive into a mans minde beyond his owne comment Stirring up a doutbfull indignity without proofes that carry waight or conviction And many times for want of matter they will snatch a report from the invenomed tongue of a tale-bearer And so with his wicked wit and wide conscience worke a World of revengfull villany Ah! there are too many which thinke it best to raise their reputations with the ruines of anothers and to hold every insolent detraction from other mens sufficiencies an addition to their owne Let all censorious busi-bodyes take heed how they speake of the infirmities of Gods people Thou mayst speake the truth and yet be a slanderer and whilst thou makest thy tongue the whipper of thy neighbour thou oftentimes provest a murderer By mangling and martering his reputation which if it live to recover its wound yet seldome or never its scarre and therefore there can never be a sufficient recompence for an unjust slander Let these motives prevaile with us what if he be a Saint thou so defamests if he be a Saint he is one for whom Jesus Christ hath dyed between whom there is a neerer relation and union then betweene a man and his wife will a loving husband indure to see his wife abused before his face seriously thinke the Lord stands by and sees all He heares all those contumelious reproaches and will weigh from what minde they doe proceed whether from weakenesse or willfulnesse And accordingly he will repay consider that place Num. 12.8 What saith God to Aaron and Miriam Saints were you not afâ—raid to speake against my servant Moses and then reason shall I upon the malicious instigation of a viperine broode deride disgrace discredite any one that is so neer to the Lord Jesus shall I cast a malicious glance coy or contemptuous looke against one of the bridegroomes friends shall I admit any false and forged calumniation against their spotlesse innocency Shall I invent intangling snares to inveigle their charitable and credulous simplicity shall I have the least sinister conceips against their upright conversations What if they are blacke in regard of sufferings and afflictions outwardly And in regard of their often frailtyes and infirmityes inwardly Why yet let me thinke they are amiable and lovely in respect of their practise of piety inward sincerity and Christs righteousnesse and sanctification begun and kindled which will never goe out What if they are deformed in their owne eyes and esteemed vile in the eyes of others Nay hardly gracious in the eyes of a very few yet are they honorable in the esteeme of God Ah! How dare we to speake ill of a Childe of God Or greive one that is so indeared to such a fathers affections God loves his owne so tenderly that whosoever offers a disgrace to them shall be sure to pay for it Either by teares or torment Let us therefore study and practise a right religious ordering of our tongues and let them be alwaies the touchstone of our hearts whereby we may easily discerne whether they be heavenly mettall or of earthly drosse And let us never speake evill of any man though truly But with a designe of charity to reclaime him from that evill and never use more words against any mans sins in publicke Then we would make prayers for their soules in private Let us take heed how we handle the reputation of another It is like a white ball which sullys by being tost from hand to hand There be few which doe not sometimes such actions as they would not have discretion scan unadvised words may sometimes fly from the tongue that the heart did neither hatch nor harbour integrity it selfe would not be awed by a blabbing spy And therefore in all our commerce let us make frequent appeales to our consciences would I have this measure meted out into mine owne soule Oh! Let us abhor to speake that of another which we would not have another speak of us or ever condemne that in any one which we would not have but pard oned in our selves and what ever we doe or speake to thinke first what will become of it when it s done And though we cannot make a man worse to himselfe yet we may render him vile to others How too many are there which pretend to meet for better ends doe under Christs livery carry a pack of false and slanderous tales which they have raked and scraped together from their owne dunghill surmises insinuating listenings malicious whisperings pragmaticall inquisitivenesse into other mens businesses and hear out of an inching humor of tattling they lay abroad their rotten wares defame their innocent harmelesse neighbours which if any
hast thou done so And thus elsewhere he patiently submitteth himselfe to be afflicted at his good pleasure 2 Scm. 15.26 But if saith he he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies So good old Elie when he heard from Samuell what a fearefull worke God would doe to his house quietly he humbleth himselfs saying it is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him best 1 Sam. 3.18 Thus likewise Job once have I spoken yea twise but I will proceed no further I will lay my hand upon my mouth and abhor my selfe repenting in dust and ashes Lo Hezechiah sweetly submits when he looketh up to God what shall I say For he hath said it to me and he hath done it Isa 38.13 It is the safest way when Gods hand is on our back to lay our hand on our mouthes and do as Aaron did at the fearefull death of his sons when he heares Moses to tell him that God would be sanctified in those that did draw neere unto him He held his peace Lev. 10.3 Thus those Saints in the 21. Acts. 14 Conclude their arguments with words of submission concerning Paules journey to Jerusalem the will of the Lord be done Now as all events whatsoever are by and according to the will of God so to this will of God must we sweetly submit in all crosse accidents whatsoever we either feele or feare This have the Saints in all ages done when they saw once the the mind of God they quietly yeil ded So Mauritius the Roman Emperour when after the butchering of his loving wife and tender children before his face at the command of the Tirant Phocas he was to act his owne part in that mournfull tragedy in his flesh at first like a grudging Israelite began to repine and draw back but after some passionate panges he humbly submits with these words just art thou O Lord and just are thy judgements And this is patience indeed when we are content without murmuring or repining to resigne our selves into Gods hands to be dealt withall even as it shall seeme good to him both for the time and measure of our affliction We must not only not sink under them but not shrink from them Stay in them till he that laid them on shall please to take them off 1 If we would seriously consider who this is that afflicts us Why it is the Lord who is infinite in glory power and Majesty who having created us of nothing may dispose also of us according to his pleasure for why should the clay murmur against the potter dust and ashes against the glorious King of heaven and earth Who measureth the earth with his span and poyseth it as in a ballance who upholdeth all things by his word and ruleth them at his good pleasure In him we live move and have our being so that if he sustaine us we continue but if he blow upon us we are presently gone and returne again unto our dust 2 As God is infinite in majesty and power so is he just in his judgements his wayes are past finding out Hath he corrected us sharply surely 't was no more then we deserved hath he taken away our dearest friends by death why he took away nothing but what he gave he never gave any thing absolutely and for ever but only to use for a time till he againe did call for it and therefore seeing the Lord hath taken nothing but his owne let us not say we have lost it but only restored it to the right owner 3 Let us beare patiently whatsover comes from God because he is goodnesse it selfe from whom there can come no evill It is he that ruleth the world and ordereth all things for the best taking care of every particular person neither doth nor hath any evill in him God is the fountaine from whence all goodnesle flowes if he be good to all he is abundantly good to his owne if he be so sweet to those that seeke him how beyond expression will he be to those that finde him Now who may better chastize us then he that created us who more right to correct and nurture us then he who feedeth and nurseth us We see the most savage beasts which will not indure the looke of a stranger will take stripes from their owner who feedeth and tendeth them and shall we more brutish then they snarle and repine when the Lord who not only giveth us food but also maketh it nourishment doth chastize us for our good The Lord is our King and Soveraigne unto whom we are to yeild absolute obedience and therefore if earthly Princes doe punish their subjects and judge them insolent if they repine and rebellious if they resist not enduring expostulation or to have their actions called to account nay though they be unjust How then shall we be acquitted when being corrected by God we impatiently murmure and by using unlawfull meanes to free our selves as much as in us lieth resist him in his most righteous judgements which are all disposed for our good if we submit our selves unto them Seeing by ruling us thus on earth he fitteth us to raigne with him in heaven Ah! Therefore let us not looke to the interiour causes by which our crosses are immediately imposed but unto the Lord our God who is the cheife and supreame cause of all our afflictions Let us not looke to instruments and aggravate our sorrowes by circumstances as looking upon our afflictions with an impotent impatience because our enemies are malicious proude and insolent in the carriage of the matter but to God which aymeth at nothing but our good Thus saith Christ to Pilate thou couldest have no power except it were given the from above Thus likewise doe we make our burdens in supportable when we too much looke upon the treachery neglect or unkinde dealing of some friends of whom we have deserved well and therefore least of all suspected to have received from them such hard measure Alas if our thoughts mount no higher then those broken reeds we may sit down and die of discontent And therefore 't was sweetly said of a holy and experimentall Divine lately that unlesse we learne to suffer from the hands of Saints as well as from ungodly persons we must never looks to live a merry day So say I unlesse we can beare the fallings off the falsehood and treachery of a beloved friend we shall never come to possesse pure patience indeed And thus many times when ought befalleth us through our owne default negligence or want of providence we adde unto it the weight of many criminations and oftentimes false accusations against our selves as though it were not heavy enough in it selâ—e to presse us downe unlesse we added thereunto the loade of bitter invectives against our owne negligence and of sharpe censures for our owne faultinesse as being the cause which hath brought upon us those crosses and calamities
hath wrought the worke of our redemption we may at the same time mourne in the fight of our sins because we have difhonoured by them a gracious father and yet rejoyce in that our sorrow assureth us that they are forgiven us and we received into Gods favour We may mourne in the sence of our pain and smart but rejoyce in it as it is a figne of our adoption when God correcteth us as his children that we might not be condemned with the world So that we may spend our dayes in a joyfull mourning or a mournfull joy And thus by sence of paine the Lord maketh the flesh to mourne that it may be mortified restrained from sin for feare of punishment and by this spirituall joy apprehended by faith our good God refresheth the spirituall parâ— that it may not faint and yield when the flesh tempteth it to murmuring and dispaire Ah! Iâ— is the sweâ—nâ— oâ— God's love that allayeth the sowâ—nesse of all our afflictions This made David to say Psal 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts which are within me thy comforts delight my soule Labour we then for patience under all our pressures it will lighten all our crosses and lesson our paines Patience in afflictions as a father saith will make us Martyrs without either fire or sword And therefore misery it selfe cannot make us miserable Let us then rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great will be our reward in heaven And let the consideration of this sweeten the bitternesse of our cup that according to the weight of our afflictions here shall be the weight of our glory hereafter Who would not then be content to drinke of Christs viniger and gall in this world so he migh drinke that new wine with him in his heavenly kingdome Oh. But how shall we obtaine this patience and a Cheerfull bearing up the head under all our pressures Answ We must know that patience is no naturall faculty or inherent quality which is borne and bred with us for naturally we are peevish and impatient if we are â—ever so 〈◊〉 crossed of our wills murmuâ— and repining against Divine providence and therefore this flower is not to be found in the barren desert of corrupted nature where it never grew neither is patience attained by the help of naturall reason and Philosophy whiâ— propoundeth unto us only shadowes of comforts that have a seeming shew a far off but vanish away when we seeke to catch them These props which uphold patience are guilded over but with humane Wit Art and Eloquence which seem to be of some strength so long as our patience is unburthened but when once patience is pressed with the least weight of afflictions then they faile and breake bewraying their weaknesse and insufficiency together with the folly of those who invented them and of us who trusted in them Alas The Philosophers for the most part were ignorant of the chiefe causes of all afflictions not ascribing them unto God and his most wise and just providence but unto fate and destany chance and fortune never looking unto the chiefe deserving cause which is sin but imagined that all crosses hapned by the guidance of blinde fortune which put no difference betweene the good and bad just and unjust and so accordingly did they apply false remedies which were as loathsome as the disease which they sought to cure Epictetus was one of the wisest of all the Philosophers and yet what cold counsell doth he give as namely that we must beare patiently that which we cannot avoid whereas that alone is enough to make a man break out into all impatiency when he shall consider that his miseries which are presently intollerable are also inevitable for the time to come that we doe beare those burthens which are common to many and that we have innumerable companions in our griefes that all mankind are subject to manifold miseries and afflictions and therefore we must not take it ill if we be not exempted from the common lot but in the mean time theyâ—make no mention of Gods providence disposing of all our afflictions and turning them to our good they do not shew that they are proportioned to the measure of our strength so as they shall never overwhelme us nor that they are the chastisements of a gracious Father and the fruits of his love again they put us in no hope and assurance that God is present with us in all our troubles and in his good time will deliver us out of all our afflictions and therefore we are not to trust to those who are but miserable comforters at the best Now if we will be sure to have true patience in our afflictions indeed we must seek for it where it is to be found and that is from the Father of lights from whom every good and perfect gift doth come now God hath promised that what ever we ask according to his will beleeving we shall obtain since therefore we have a promise let us go to God by prayer and in a humble boldnesse put him in mind of that word call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and thou shalt glorifie me and truly we never glorifie God more then when we seek deliverance from God and patiently expect it from him alone God doth many times as tender Mothers doe with their children that stray away from them which cause them to be frightned that they may return and cast themselves into their armes for protection so doth our good God cause these bugbeares of afflictions to meet and terrifie us when we have run away from him and suffereth us to be deprived of all other helps and comforts that we may with fulnesse of affiance rest wholly on him Ah! if we would consider that so ready is the Lord to hearken unto the suites of those that pray unto him that when he seeth this disposition in them he promiseth that before they call he will answer and while they speak he will hear Isai 65.24 and again Psal 91.15 he shall call upon me and I will hear him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and glorifie him so in Psal 145.19 he vvill fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also vvill hear their cry and vvill save them And indeed there can never be a stronger prop to uphold our patience then fervency in prayer saith the Apostle James chap. 1.5 if any of you lack wisedome namely that wisedome specially which inableth us to beare the crosse with comfort and patience let him ask of God which giveth to all men liberally and reproacheth no man and it shall be given him Oh! how it easeth us of our griefer and lighteneth our hearts of the burden of our afflictions when as we lay open our grievances before God and pour out all our complaints into his bosome now if it be an ease to our afflicted minde if we may communicate our griefesto a deare friend that at least we may be
to honour him and after he had ushered him over Jordan in the presence of all he fell downe before him and said unto the King vers 19. Let not my Lord impute iniquity unto me neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversly the day that my Lord the King went out of Jerusalem that the King should take it to his heart for thy servant doth know that I have sinned therefore I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to goe downe to meet my Lord the King c. Now were there not here a parcell of fine words co 〈◊〉 Tavil or any expect or require more then conâ—ition confession begging of pardon in the greatest humility this 〈◊〉 passe with David and ought so with us but it will not so with God he knew the person and what were his pretences that the next occasion might make him do the like again And indeed there is no tryall of an enemy in prosperity but when we are in an exigence in distress then you shall see he commonly shews himself and tells what a one he is 'T was unlikely Shimei would ever have proved a worthy friend he was so base a for For as one saith he that can be a worthy enemy will reconcil'd be a worth yer friend But to give a blow to a man that is already reeling to insult over adversity to whip a flai'd back is the greatest cruelty Besides take notice that when Shimei came Ziba comes with him this according to the proverb birds of a fether flock together Traitorous backbiters and slanderers goe together and truly we may joynâ— the tale-hearer with the tale-bearer they are so neer of kin there is but this difference betweene them that whereas the one hath the devill in his tongue the other hath him in his ear David puts them together Psal 15.3 Those that shall inherit Gods holy hill doth not backbite with his tongue nor doth evill to his neighbour not taketh up a reproach against him Ob. But may it stand with Gods justice to punish the afflictors of his children when they but execute his will did not Nathan foretell the troubles would befall David from out of his own house and did not Shimei serve him but right had not he caused the enemies of God to blaspheme his name was it not just his owne name should be rent for such dishonour Answ Very just indeed in regard of God but not so in respect of man this will not serve for their excuse nor any way at all extenuate their faultinesse for how ever they did doe the secret will of God which no creature in heaven or earth is able to withstand yet this makes nothing for them seeing his hidden will was never propounded as a rule unto which they should conform their actions Gods revealed will was to be their guide where they could find no warrant or command for what they did As one sayes There is a vast difference betwixt the instrument of Gods providence and the ministers of his ordinance the one fulfils his purposes the other his commands When Jehu destroyed the posterity of Abab he sinned not in the fact for besides the prediction of the Prophet he had his speciall commission from God for which he had his reward 2 Kings 10.30 But when Zimri slew Elah there was indeed the like prediction but no commissions therefore hath he a fearfull punishment 1 Kings 16.18 Thus we see if we doe what God prescribes we are accepted with him though perhaps in the issue we crosse his secret determinations But if we violate his precepts though we fulfill his secret appointment we are obnoxious to the wrath of God Well then from all which have been said let Shimei's example be a Caveat for ever how any one abuses a Saint of God Shimei payes dearely for it though Davids piety can pardon him upon his humiliation God will not let him scape so he 'l avenge Davids quarrel and Solomon shall reckon with him for his former dealings he shall fall into a new fin of disobedience against the King and now he is paid for all himselfe is made the judge that the sentence of death is most just Thus we see it 's bad medling with any of Gods children especially when they are under the correcting hand of God a father will not take it well that another shall come and lash that childe he is correcting no more will God heare what he saith Isay 47.6 I was wroth with my people I have polluted mine inheritance and given them into thine hand thou didst shew them no mercy upon the ancient hast thou heavily laid the yoak vers 11. therefore shall evill come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it riseth and mischiefe shall fall upon thee thou shalt not be able to put it off and desolation shall come upon thee suddainly which thou shalt not know So Zachariah 1.15 Saith the Lord I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease for I was but a little displeased and they helped forward the affliction every soule that misuses a childe of God must be sure to pay for it either by teares or torment Oh! Tremble all you which make so little account of injuring or persecuting a Saint that have caused them to shed either red or white teares surely their teares are as well bottled up as their blood and both are precious with God and both doe cry though not with an equall voyce yet loud enough to be heard Can you feare to soile or demollish the palace of a Prince or Peere and can you presume once to endeavour to ruinate or contaminate the lords owne temple founded and built upon Jesus Christ can you be affraid to harme or hurt the sheepe servants children brethren consorts or members of mortall Princes whose breath is in their nostrels and must returne to their dust and dare you adventure to defame and perplex the sheep servants children brethren spouse and members of the Lord Jesus can you doe any thing out of the all-seing eye of God or Gods deputy conscience and though that may not alwayes speake yet it ever writes 't is a shrowd remembrancer and will tell all yea the very least aggravateing circumstance If Ishmael will be mocking the son of the promise he shall be rejected for a persecutor Gal. 4.29 And shall be turned out of his fathers house for ever Remember seriously and sadly the little children of Bethel that did perhaps but as they were taught when they call'd the Prophet Elisha bould head Alas their years might something have excused them and yet behold a fearfull example of Gods severest judgements for the smallest abuse of a Prophet two she bears shall have a command to tear in pieces two and forty of them 2 Kings 2 24. Take heed therefore how your tongue smite a childe of God or traduce their innocency how you move it in the least motion against them doe not invent