aâ— seemeth good in thine own eyes I know the best way to have my own will is to resign up my self to thy will and to say Amen to thy Amen I have read of a Gentleman who meeting with a Shepherd in a misty morning asked him what weather it would bee it will bee saith the Shepherd what weather pleaseth mee and being courteously requested to express his meaning Sir saith hee it shall bee what weather pleaseth God and what weather pleaseth God pleaseth mee When a Christians will is moulded into the will of God hee is sure to have his will But Eighthly and lastly A holy a prudent Silence takes in a patient waiting upon the Lord under our afflictions till deliverance comes Psal 40. 1 2 3. Psal 62. 5. My soul wait thou onely upon God for my expectation is from him Lam. 3. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly or as the Hebrew hath it silently wait for the salvation of the Lord. The Husbandman patiently waiteth James 5. 7 8. for the precious fruits of the earth the Mariner patiently waiteth for wind and tide and so doth the watch-man for the dawning of the day and so doth the silent soul in the night of adversity patiently wait for the dawning of the day of mercy the mercies of God are not stiled the swift but the sure mercies of David and therefore a gracious soul waits patiently for them And thus you see what a gracious a prudent Silence doth include The second thing is to discover what a holy a prudent Silence under affliction doth not exclude Now there are eight things that a holy patience doth not exclude First A holy a prudent Silence under affliction doth not exclude and shut out a sense and feeling of our afflictions Psal 39. though he was dumb and laid his hand upon his mouth vers 9. yet hee was very sensible of his affliction vers 10 11. Remove thy stroak away from mee I am consumed by the blow of thine hand When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth Surely every man is vanity Hee is sensible of his pain as well as of his sin and having prayed off his sin in the former verses hee labours here to pray off his pain diseases aches sicknesses pains they are all the daughters of sin and hee that is not sensible of them as the births and products of sin doth but add to his sin and provoke the Lord to add to his sufferings Isa 26. 9 10 11. No man shall ever bee charged by God for feeling his burden if hee neither fret nor faint under it grace doth not destroy nature but rather perfect it grace is of a noble off-spring it neither turneth men into stocks nor to Stoicks the more grace the more sensible of the tokens frowns blows and lashes of a displeased Father Though Calvin under his greatest pains was never heard to mutter nor murmure yet hee was heard often to say How long Lord how long A religious Commander being shot in battel when the wound was search'd and the bullet cut out some standing by pittying his pains hee replied though I groan yet I bless God I do not grumble God allowes his people to groan though not to grumble It is a God-provoking sin to bee stupid and senseless under the afflicting hand of God God will heat that mans furnace of affliction sevenfold hotter who is in the furnace but feels it not Isa 42. 24 25. Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the Robbers did No judgement to a stupid spirit a hardned heart and a brazen brow not the Lord he against whom we have sinned for they would not walk in his waies neither were they obedient unto his Law Therefore hee hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and the strength of battel and he hath set him on fire round about yet hee knew not and it burned him yet hee laid it not to heart Stupidity laies a man open to the greatest fury and severity The Physician when hee findeth that the potion which hee hath given his patient will not work hee seconds it with one more violent and if that will not work hee gives another yet more violent If a gentle plaister will not serve then the Chirurgion applies that which is more corroding and if that will not do then hee makes use of his cauterizing knife So when the Lord afflicts and men feel it not when hee strikes and they grieve not when hee wounds them and they awake not then the furnace is made hotter than ever then his fury burns then hee laies on Irons upon Irons bolt upon bolt and chain upon chain until hee hath made their lives a hell Afflictions are the Saints dyet-drink and where do you read in all the Scripture that ever any of the Saints drunk of this dyet-drink and were not sensible of it Secondly A holy a prudent Silence doth not shut out prayer for It is an old saying Qui nescit or are discat navigare Hee that would learn to pray let him go to Sea deliverance out of our afflictions though the Psalmist layes his hand upon his mouth in the Text yet hee prayes for deliverance vers 10 Remove thy stroak away from mee and vers 11 12. Hear my prayer O Lord and give ear unto my cry hold not thy peace at my tears For I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner as all my Fathers were O spare mee that I may recover strength before I go hence and bee no more James 5. 13. Is any among you afflicted let him pray Psal 50. 15. Call upon mee in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Times of affliction by Gods own injunction are special times of supplication Davids heart was more often out of tune than his harp but then hee prayes and presently cries Return to thy rest O my soul Jonah praies in the Whales belly and Daniel praies when among the Lions and Job praies when on the dunghil and Jeremiah praies when in the dungeon c. Yea the Heathen Mariners as stout as they were when in a storm they cry every man to his God Jonah 1. 5 6. to call upon God especially in times of distress and trouble is a lesson that the very light and law of nature teaches The Persian Messenger though an Heathen as Aeschiles observeth saith thus When the Graecian forces hotly pursued our host and wee must needs venture over the great water Strymon frozen then but beginning to thaw when a hundred to one wee had all died for it With mine eies I saw saith hee many of those Gallants whom I had heard before so boldly maintain There was no God every one upon his knees and devoutly praying that the Ice might hold till they got over And shall blinde nature do more than grace If the time of affliction bee not a time of supplication
28. Job 40. 4 5. chap. 42. 1 7. Surely this affliction shall issue in the purging away of my drosse Isa 1. 25. Surely as plowing of the ground killeth the weeds and harrowing breaketh hard clots so these afflictions shall kill my sins and soften my heart Hos 5. ult chap. 6. 1 2 3. Surely as the plaister draws out the core so the afflictions that are upon mee shall draw out the core of pride the core of self-love the core of envy the core of earthlinesse the core of formality the core of hypocrisie Psal 119. 67 71. Surely by these the Lord will crucifie my heart more and more to the world and the world to my heart Gal. 6. 14. Psal 131. 1 2 3. Surely by these afflictions the Lord will hide pride from my soul Job 33. 14 21. Surely these afflictions are but the Lords pruning-knives by which hee will bleed my sins and prune my heart and make it more fertil and fruitful they are but the Lords potion by which hee will clear mee and rid mee of those spiritual diseases and maladies which are most deadly and dangerous to my soul Affliction is such a potion as will carry away all ill humours better than all the benedicta medicamenta as Physicians call them Zach. 13. 8 9. Surely these shall encrease my spiritual experiences Rom. 5. 3 4 Surely by these I shall bee made more partaker of Gods holinesse Heb. 12. 10. As black sope makes white cloaths so doth sharp afflictions make holy hearts Surely by these God will communicate more of himself unto mee Hos 2. 14. Surely by these afflictions the Lord will draw out my heart more and more to seek him Isa 26. 16. Tatianus told the Heathen Greeks that when they were sick then they would send for their gods to be with them as Agamemnon did at the siege of Troy send for his ten Counsellors Hos 5. 15. In their afflictions they will seek mee early or as the Hebrew hath it they will morning mee in times of affliction Christians will industriously speedily early seek unto the Lord. Surely by these trials and troubles the Lord will fix my soul more than ever upon the great concernments of another world Joh. 14. 1 2 3. Rom. 8. 17 18. â— Cor. 4. 16 17 18. Surely by these afflictions the Lord will work in mee more tendernesse and compassion towards those that are afflicted Heb. 10. 34. chap. 13. 3. As that Tyrian Queen said Evils have taught mee to bemoan All that afflictions make to groan The Romans punished one that was seen looking out at his window with a Crown of Roses on his head in a time of publick calamity Bishop Bonner was full of guts but empty of bowels I am afraid this age is full of such Bonners Surely these are but Gods love-tokens Some say if a knife or needle be touched with a loadstone of an Iron-colour it will cut or enter into a mans body without any sense of pain at all so will afflictions when touched with the loadstone of divine love Rev. 3. 19. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten Seneca perswaded his friend Polybius to bear his affliction quietly because hee was the Emperours favourite telling him that it was not lawful for him to complain whilst Caesar was his friend So saith the holy Christian O my soul bee quiet bee still all is in love all is a fruit of divine favour I see hony upon the top of every twig I see the rod is but a Rosemary-branch I have sugar with my gall and wine with my wormwood therefore bee silent O my soul And this general Conclusion that all should bee for good had this blessed effect upon the Church vers 28. Hee sitteth alone and keepeth silence because hee hath born it upon him Afflictions abase the loveliness of the world without that might entice us It abates the lustiness of the flesh within which might else ensnare us And it abates the spirit in his quarrel against the flesh and the world by all which it proves a mighty advantage unto us Secondly They shall keep them humble and low vers 29. Hee putteth his mouth in the dust if so bee there may bee hope Some say that these words are an allusion to the manner of those that having been conquered and subdued lay their necks down at the conquerours feet to bee trampled upon and to lick up the dust that is under the conquerours feet Others of the learned look upon the words as an allusion to poor petitioners who cast themselves down at Princes feet that they may draw forth their pitty and compassion towards them As I have read of Aristippus who fell on the ground before Dionysius and kissed his feet when hee presented a petition to him and being asked the reason answered Aures habet in pedibus hee hath his ears in his feet take it which way you will it holds forth this to us That holy hearts will bee humble under the afflicting hand of God When Gods Rod is upon their backs their mouths shall bee in the dust A good heart will lye lowest when the hand of God is lifted highest Job 42. 1 7. Act. 9. 1 8. Thirdly The third soul-quieting Conclusion you have in vers 31. For the Lord will not cast off for ever the Rod shall not alwaies lye upon the back of the righteous At even-tide loâ— there is trouble but afore morning it is gone Isa 17. 14. As Athanasius said to his friends when they came to bewail his misery and banishment Nubecula est cito transibit 't is but a little cloud said hee and will quickly bee gone There are none of Gods afflicted ones that have not their lucida intervalla their intermissions respites A little storm as one said of Julians persecution and an eternal calm follows breathing-whiles yea so small a while doth the hand of the Lord rest upon his people that Luther cannot get diminutives enough to extenuate it for hee calls it a very little little cross that wee bear Isa 26. 20. Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment or for a little space a little while until the indignation bee overpast The indignation doth not transire but pertransire pass but over-passe The sharpnesse shortnesse and suddenness of the Saints afflictions is set forth by the travel of a woman John 16. 21. which is sharp short and sudden Fourthly The fourth soul-silencing Conclusion you have in vers 32. But though hee cause grief yet will hee have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies in wrath God remembers mercy Hab. 3. 2. Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Psal 30. 5. their mourning shall last but till morning God will turn their winters night into a summers day their sighing into singing their grief into gladness their mourning into musick their bitter into sweet their
wilderness into a paradise the life of a Christian is filled up with interchanges of sickness and health weakness and strength want and wealth disgrace and honour crosses and comforts miseries and mercies joyes and sorrows mirth and mourning all hony would harm us all wormwood would undo us a composition of both is the best way in the world to keep our souls in a healthy constitution it is best and most for the health of the soul that the South-wind of mercy and the North-wind of adversity do both blow upon it And though every wind that blows shall blow good to the Saints yet certainly their sins die most and their graces thrive best when they are under the drying nipping North-wind of calamity as well as under the warm cherishing South-wind of mercy and prosperity Fifthly The fifth soul-quieting Conclusion you have in vers 33. For hee doth not afflict willingly or as the Hebrew hath it from his heart nor grâ—eve the children of men The Church concludes that Gods heart was not in their afflictions though his hand was hee takes no delight to afflict his children it goes against the hair and the heart it is a grief to him to bee grievous to them a pain to him to beâ— punishing of them a death to him to bee striking of them hee hath no will no motion no inclination no disposition to that work of afflicting of his people and therefore hee calls it his work his strange work Isa 28. 21. Mercy and punishment they flow from God as the hony and the sting from the Beâ— the Bee yeeldeth hony of her own nature but shee doth not sting but when shee is provoked hee takes delight in shewing of mercy Micah 7. 18. hee takes no pleasure in giving his people up to adversity Hosea 11. 8. Mercy and kindness floweth from him freely naturally hee is never severe never harsh hee never stings hee never terrifies us but when hee is sadly provoked by us Gods hand sometimes may lye very hard upon his people when his heart his bowels at those very times may bee yerning towards his people Jer. 31. 18 19 20. No man can tell how the heart of God stands by his hand his hand of mercy may bee open to those against whom his heart is set As you see in the rich poor fool and Dives in the Gospel and his hand of severity may lye hard upon those on whom hee hath set his heart as you may see in Job and Lazarus And thus you see those gracious blessed soul-quieting Conclusions about the issue and event of afflictions that a holy a prudent Silence doth include Sixthly A holy a prudent Silence includes and takes in a strict charge a solemn command that conscience laies upon the soul to bee quiet and still Psal 37. 7. Rest in the Lord â—or as the Hebrew hath it bee silent to the Lord and wait patiently for him I charge Matth. 8. 25 26. The Heathen could say A recta conscientia ne latum quidem unguem discedendum man may not depart an hairs breadth all his life long from the dictates of a good conscience thee O my soul not to mutter not to murmure I command thee O my soul to bee dumb and silent under the afflicting hand of God As Christ laid a charge a command upon the boisterous winds and the roaring raging Sea bee still and there was a great calm so conscience laies a charge upon the soul to bee quiet and still Psal 27. ult Wait on the Lord bee of good courage and hee shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Peace O my soul bee still leave your muttering leave your murmuring leave your complaining leave your chasing and vexing and lay your hand upon your mouth and bee silent Conscience allaies and stills all the tumults and uproars that bee in the soul by such like reasonings as the Clerk of Ephesus stilled that uproar Act. 19. 40. For wee are in danger to bee called in question for this daies uproar there being no cause whereby wee may give an account of this concourse O my soul bee quiet bee silent else thou wilt one day bee called in question for all those inward mutterings uproars and passions that are in thee seeing no sufficient cause can bee produced why you should murmure quarrel or wrangle under the righteous hand of God Seventhly A holy a prudent Silence includes a surrendring a resigning up of our selves to God whilst wee are under his afflicting Psal 27. 8. James 4. 7 1 Sam. 3. 18. 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. Act. 21. 13. 14 c. hand the silent soul gives himself up to God the secret language of the soul is this Lord here am I do with mee what thou pleasest write upon mee as thou pleasest I give up my self to bee at thy dispose There was a good woman who when shee was sick being asked whether shee were willing to live or dye answered which God pleaseth but said one that stood by if God should refer it to you which would you chuse truly said shee if God should refer it to mee I would even refer it to him again this was a soul worth gold Well saith a gracious soul the ambitious man gives himself up to his honours but I give up my self unto thee the voluptuous man gives himself up to his pleasures but I give up my self to thee the covetous man gives himself up to his bagges but I give up my self to thee the wanton gives himself up to his minion but I give up my self to thee the drunkard gives himself up to his cups but I give up my self to thee the Papist gives up himself to his Idols but I give up my self to thee the Turk gives up himself to his Mahomet but I give up my self to thee the Heretick gives up himself to his heretical opinions but I give up my self to thee Lord lay what burden thou wilt upon mee onely let thy everlasting arms bee under mee Strike Lord Luther strike and spare not for I am lyen down in thy will I have learned to say Amen to thy Amen thou hast a greater interest in mee than I have in my self and therefore I give up my self unto thee and am willing to bee at thy dispose and am ready to receive what impression thou shalt stamp upon mee O blessed Lord hast thou not again and again said unto mee as once the King of Israel said to the King of Syria I am 1 King 20 14. thine and all that I have I am thine O soul to save thee my mercy is thine to pardon thee my blood is thine to cleanse thee my merits are thine to justifie thee my righteousness is thine to cloathe thee my Spirit is thine to lead thee my grace is thine to enrich thee and my glory is thine to reward thee and therefore saith a gracious soul I cannot but make a resignation of my self unto thee Lord here I am do with mee
As a Pilot that guides the Ship hath his hand upon the Rudder and his eye on the Star that directs him at the same time so when your hand is upon the means let your eye bee upon your God and deliverance will come Wee may tempt God as well by neglecting of means as by trusting in means it is best to use them and in the use of them to live above them Augustine tells of a man that being fallen into a piâ— one passing by falls a questioning of him what hee made there and how hee came in O! saith the poor man ask mee not how I came in but help mee and tell mee how I may come out The Application is easie But Eighthly and lastly A holy a prudent Silence doth not exclude a just and sober complaining against the Authors contrivers abettors or instruments of our afflictions 2 Tim. 4. 14. Alexander the Copper-Smith did mee much evil the Lord reward him according to his works This Alexander is conceived by some to bee that Alexander that is mentioned Act. 19. 32. who stood so close to Paul at Ephesus that hee run the hazard of losing his life by appearing on his side yet if glorious professors come to bee furious persecutors Christians may complain 2 Cor. 11. 24. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one They inflict saith Maimonides no more than forty stripes though hee bee as strong as Sampson but if hee bee weak they abate of that number They scourged Paul with the greatest severity in making him suffer so oft the utmost extremity of the Jewish Law when as they that were weak had their punishment mitigated Vers 25. Thrice was I beaten with Rods that is by the Romans whose custome it was to beat the guilty with Rods. If Pharaoh make Israel groan Israel may make his complaint against Pharaoh to the keeper of Israel Exod. 2. If the proud and blaspheâ—â—ous King of Assyâ—ia shall come with his mighty Army to destroy the people of the Lord Isa 37. 14 21. Hezekiah may spread his letter of blasphemy before the Lord. It was the saying of Socrates that every man in this life had need of a faithful friend and a bitter enemy the one to advise him and the other to make him look about him and this Hezekiah found by experience Though Josephs bow abode in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob yet Joseph may say that the Archers or the Arrow-masters as the Hebrew hath it have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him Gen. 49. 23 24. And so David sadly complained of Doeg Psal 109. 1 21. yea Christ himself who was the most perfect pattern for dumbness and silence under sorest trials complains against Judas Pilate and the rest of his persecutors Psal 69. 20 30 c. yea though God will make his peoples enemies to bee the workmen that shall fit them and square them for his building to bee Gold-Smiths to add Pearls to their Crown to bee Rods to beat off their dust skullions to scoure off their rust fire to purge away their dross and water to cleanse away their filthiness fleshliness and earth liness yet may they point at them and pour out their complaints to God against them Psal 142. 2 ult This truth I might make good by above a hundred Texts of Scripture but it is time to come to the Reasons of the point Why must Christians bee mute and silent under the greatest afflictions the saddest providences and sharpest trials that they meet with in this world I answer Reas 1. That they may the better hear and understand the voice of the Rod. As the word hath a Schola â—rucis est Schola lucis voice the spirit a voice and conscience a voice so the Rod hath a voice Afflictions are the rod of Gods anger the rod of his displeasure and his rod of revenge hee gives a commission to this rod to awaken his people to reform his people or else to revenge the quarrel of his Covenant upon them if they will not beat the rod and kiss the rod and sit mute and silent under the rod. Micah 6. 9. The Lords voice crieth unto the City and the man of wisdome shall see thy name hear yee the Rod and who hath appointed it Gods Rods are not mutes they are all vocal they are speaking as well as smiting every twig hath a voice Ah soul saith one twig thou sayest it smarts well tell mee is it good provoking of a jealous Jer. 4. 18. God Ah soul saith another twig thou sayest it is bitter it reacheth to thy heart but hath not thine own doings procured these things Ah soul saith another twig where is the profit the Rom. 6. 20 21. pleasure the sweet that you have found in wandring from God Ah soul saith another twig was Hos 2. 7 it not best with you when you were high in your communion with God and when you were humble and close in your walking with God Ah Christian saith Micah 6. 8 another twig wilt thou search thy heart and try thy waies Lam. 3. 40 and turn to the Lord thy God Ah soul saith another Rom. 14. 6 7 8 Gal. 6. 14. twig wilt thou dye to sin more than ever and to the world more than ever and to relations more than ever and to thy self more than ever Ah soul saith another twig wilt thou live more to Christ than ever and cleave closer to Christ than ever and prize Christ more than ever and venture further for Christ than ever Ah soul saith another twig wilt thou love Christ with a more enflamed love and hope in Christ with a more raised hope and depend upon Christ with a greater confidence and wait upon Christ with more invincible patience c. Now if the soul bee not mute and silent under the rod how is it possible that it should ever hear the voice of the rod or that it should ever hearken to the voice of every twig of the rod the rod hath a voice that is in the hands of earthly Fathers but children hear it not they understand it not till they are hush'd and quiet and brought to kiss it and sit silently under it no more shall wee hear or understand the voice of the rod that is in our heavenly Fathers hands till wee come to kiss it and sit silently under it But Reas 2. Gracious souls should bee mute and silent under their greatest afflictions and sharpest trials that they may difference and distinguish themselves from the men of the world who usually fret and fling mutter and murmure curse and swagger when they are under the afflicting hand of God Isa 8. 21 22. And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry and it shall come to pass that when they shall bee hungry they shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God and look
this world I shall now address my self to answer those Objections and to remove those Impediments which hinder poor souls from being silent and mute under the afflicting hand of God c. Object 1. Sir did I but know that I were afflicted in love I would hold my peace under my affliction I would sit mute before the Lord but Oh! how shall I come to understand that these stroaks are the stroaks of love that these wounds are the wounds of a friend I answer First If thy heart bee drawn more out to the Lord by the affliction Psal 18. 1 8. Psal 116. 1 2 3 4 5. Psal 119. 67 71. Isa 38. then the affliction is in love if they are so sanctified as that they draw out thy soul to love the Lord more and to fear the Lord more and to please the Lord more and to cleave to the Lord more and to wait on the Lord more and to walk with the Lord more then they are in love Oh! then they are the wounds of a friend indeed It is reported of the Lioness that shee leaves her young whelps till they have almost killed themselves with roaring and yelling and then at last gasp when they have almost spent themselves shee relieves them and by this means they become more couragious and so if the afflictions that are upon us do encrease our courage strengthen our patience raise our faith inflame our love and enliven our hopes Certainly they are in love and all our wounds are the wounds of a friend But Secondly If you are more careful and studious how to glorifie God in the affliction and Dan. 3. 6. chapters Heb. 11. how to bee kept from sinning under the affliction than how to get out of the affliction then certainly your affliction is in love where God smites in love there the soul makes it his work how to glorifie God and how to lift up God and how to bee a name and an honour to God the daily language of such a soul under the rod is this Lord stand by mee that I sin not Josh 7. 7 8 9 10 uphold mâ—e that I sin not strengthen mee that I sin not hee that will not sin to repair and make up his losses though hee knew assuredly that the committing of such a sin would make up all again hee may conclude that his affliction is in love I have read of a Noble man whose Son and Heir was supposed to bee bewitched and being advised to go to some wizard or cunning man as they are called to have some help for his Son that hee might bee unwitched again hee answered Oh by no means I had rather the Witch should have my Son than the Devil his Son should suffer rather than hee would sin him out of his sufferings Hee that will not break the hedge of a fair Command to avoid the foul way of some heavy affliction may well conclude that his affliction is in love Christians what say you when you are in the Mount do you thus bespeak the Lord Lord take care of thy glory and let mee rather sink in my affliction than sin under my affliction if this bee the bent and frame of thy heart it is certain the affliction that is upon thee is in love the primitive times afforded many such brave spirits though this age affords but few Thirdly If you enjoy the special presence of God with your spirits in your affliction then your Psal 23. 4 5 6 affliction is in love Isa 43. 2. When thou passest thorow the waters I will bee with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee The bush which was a type of the Church consumed not all the while it burned with fire because God was in the midst of it when thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not bee burnt neither shall the flames kindle upon thee Hast thou a special presence of God with thy spirit strengthening of that quieting of that steeling of that satisfying of that chearing and comforting of that Psal 94. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts that is of my troubled intricated insnarled intertwined and perplexed thoughts as the branches of a tree by some strong wind are twisted one within another as the Hebrew word properly signifies thy comforts delight my soul Here 's a presence of God with his soul here 's comforts and delights that reaches the soul here 's a cordial to strengthen his spirit When Knoles Turk Hist pag. 164 all things went cross with Andronicus the old Emperour of Constantinople hee took a Psalter into his hand and opening the same hee lighted upon Psal 68. 14. When the Almighty scattered Kings they shall bee white as Snow in Salmon which Scripture was a mighty comfort and refreshment to his spirit Now you are to remember that Salmon signifies shady and dark and so was this Mount by the reason of many lofty fair spread trees that were neer it but made lightsome by Snow that covered it so that to bee white as Snow in Salmon is to have joy in affliction light in darkness mercy in misery c. And thus God was to the Psalmist as Snow in Salmon in the midst of his greatest afflictions When Paul would wish his dear Son Timothy the best mercy in all the world the greatest mercy in all the world the most comprehensive mercy in all the world a mercy that carries the virtue value and sweetness of all mercies in it hee wishes the presence of God with his spirit 2 Tim. 4. 22. The Lord Jesus Christ bee with thy spirit in point of honour in point of profit and pleasure in point of safety and security and in point of comfort and joy it is the greatest blessing and happinesse in this world to have the presence of God with our spirits especially in times of trials 2 Cor. 4. 16. For which cause wee faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day By the outward man you are to understand not meerly our bodies but our persons estates and outward condition in this world and by the inward man you are to understand our souls or persons considered according to our spiritual estate Now when the inward man gains new strength by every new trouble when as troubles pressures afflictions and tribulations are increased a Christians inward strength is increased also then his afflictions are in love when the presence of God is with our inward man chearing comforting encouraging strengthening and renewing of that wee may safely conclude that all these trials though they are never so sharp and smart yet they are in love I have read of a company of poor Christians that were banished into some remote parts and one standing by seeing them pass along said That it was a very sad condition those poor people were in to bee thus hurried from the society of men and to bee made companions with the beasts of the field true
of a good man are ordered by the Lord and hee delighteth in his way Though hee fall hee shall not bee utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his As the Nurse upholds the little childe c. hand Gods supporting hand of grace is still under his people Psal 63. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth mee Christ hath alwaies one hand to uphold his people and another hand to embrace them Cant. 2. 16. The everlasting arms of God are alwaies underneath his people Deut. 33. 27. And this the Saints have alwaies found witness David Heman Asaph Job c. Geographers write that the City of Syracuse in Sicily is so curiously situated that the Sun is never out of sight though the children of God sometimes are under some clouds of afflictions yet the Sun of Mercy the Sun of Righteousness is never quite out of sight But Thirdly Though God hath forsaken thee yet his love abides and continues constant to thee hee loves thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31. 3. Where hee loves hee loves to the end John 13. 1. Isa 49. 14 15 16. But Zion said the Lord hath forsaken mee and my Lord hath forgotten mee But was not Zion mistaken yes Can a woman forget her The very Heathen hath observed that God doth not love his children with a weak affection but with a strong masculine love Seneca sucking childe that shee should not have compassion on the son of her womb yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before mee Look as persons engrave the mark name or picture of those whom they dearly love and entirely affect upon some stone that they wear at their breasts or upon some ring that they wear on their finger So had God engraven Zion upon the palms of his hands shee was still in his eye and alwaies dear to his heart though shee thought not so As Josephs heart was full of love to his brethren even then when hee Gen. 42. spake roughly to them and withdrew himself from them for hee was fain to go aside and ease his heart by weeping so the heart of God is full of love to his people even then when hee seemes to bee most displeased with them and to turn his back upon them though Gods dispensations may be changeable towards his people yet his gracious disposition is unchangeable towards them When God Mal. 3. 6. puts the blackest veil of all upon his face yet then his heart is full of love to his people then his bowels are yearning towards them Jer. 31. 18 19 20. Is Ephraim my dear Son is hee a pleasant childe for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. The Mothers bowels cannot more yearn after the tender babe than Gods doth after his distressed ones As Moses his Mother when shee had put him into Exod. 2. the Ark of Bul-rushes wept to see the babe weep and when shee was turned from him shee could not but cast a weeping eye of love towards him So when God turns aside from his people yet hee cannot but cast an eye of love towards them Hosea 11. 8. How shall I give thee up O Ephraim c. Here are four several how 's in the text the like not to bee found in the whole book of God I am even at a stand justice calls for vengeance but mercy interposeth my bowels yearn my heart melts O! how shall I give thee up O! I cannot give thee up I will not give thee up Gods love is alwaies like himself unchangeable his love is everlasting it is a love that never decaies nor waxes cold it is like the stone Albestos of which Solinus writes that being once hot it can never bee cooled again Fourthly Though the Lord hath hid his face from thee yet certainly thou hast his secret presence with thee God is present when hee is seemingly absent The Psal 23 4 Psal 139. Gen. 28. 16 Lord was in this place and I knew it not saith Jacob. The Sun many times shines when wee do not see it and the husband is many times in the house when the wife doth not know it God is in thy house hee is in thy heart though thou feest him not thou feelest him not though thou hearest him not Heb. 13. 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee or as it may bee rendred according to the Greek I will not not leave thee neither will I not not forsake thee Art thou not now drawn out to prize God and Christ and his love above all the world yes art thou not now drawn out to give the Lord many a secret visit Cant. 2. 14 in a corner behinde the door in some dark hole where none can see thee nor hear thee but the Lord Psal 42. 1 2 3 Psal 63. 1 2 3 yes are there not strong breathings pantings and longings after a clearer vision of God and after a fuller fruition of God yes art thou not more affected and afflicted with the withdrawings of Christ than thou art with the greatest afflictions Cant. 5. 6. that ever befell thee yes Austin upon that answer of God to Moses Thou canst not see my face and Exod. 33. 20. live makes this quick and sweet reply then Lord let mee die that I may see thy face Dost thou not often tell God that there is no punishment Psal 30. 6 7 to the punishment of loss and no hell to that of being forsaken of God yes dost thou not finde a secret power in thy soul drawing thee forth to struggle with God to lay hold on God and patiently to wait on God till hee shall return unto thee and lift up the light of his countenance upon thee yes well then thou mayest bee confident that thou hast a secret and blessed presence of God with thee though God in regard of his comfortable presence may bee departed from thee nothing below a secret presence of God with a mans spirit will keep him waiting and working till the Sun of Righteousness shines upon him If any vain persons should put that deriding Mal. 4. 2. question to thee where is thy God thou mayest safely and boldly answer them my God is here hee is nigh mee hee is round about mee yea hee is in the midst of mee Zeph 3. 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty hee will save hee will rejoyce over thee with joy hee will rest in his love hee will joy â—ver thee with singing The bush which was a type of the Church consumed not all the while it burned with fire because God was in the midst of it It is no Argument that Christ is not in the Ship because tempests and storms arise Fifthly Though God bee gone
THE SILENT SOVL WITH SOVERAIGN ANTIDOTES Against the Most Miserable Exigents OR A Christian with an OLIVE-LEAF in his mouth when he is under the greatest afflictions the sharpest and sorest trials and troubles the saddest and darkest providences and changes with Answers to divers Questions and Objections that are of greatest importance all tending to win and work souls to bee still quiet calm and silent under all changes that have or may pass upon them in this world c. By Thomas Brooks Preacher of the Word at Margarets New Fish-street London and Pastor of the Church of Christ meeting there The Lord is in his holy Temple let all the earth keep silence before him Hab. 2. 20. London Printed by R. I. for John Hancock to be sold at the first shop in Popes-head-Alley next to Corn-hill 1660. Mr. BROOKS his MVTE CHRISTIAN TO All afflicted distressed dissatisfied disquieted and discomposed Christians throughout the world Dear hearts THe choicest Saints are born to troubles as the Psal 34. 19 Job 5. 1 Psa 88. 3 4 Qui non est crucianus non est Christianus Luther sparks fly upwards Many are the troubles of the Righteous if they were many and not troubles then as it is in the Proverb the more the merrier or if they were troubles and not many then the fewer the better chear but God who is infinite in wisdome and matchless in goodness hath ordered troubles yea many troubles to come trooping in upon us on every side As our mercies so our crosses seldome come single they usually come treading one upon the heels of another they are like April showers no sooner is one over but another comes And yet Christians it is mercy it is rich mercy that every affliction is not an execution that every correction is not a damnation The higher the waters rise the nearer Noahs Ark was lifted up to Heaven the more thy afflictions are encreased the more thy heart shall bee raised Heaven-wards Because I would not hold you too long in the porch I shall onely indeavour two things First To give you the reasons of my appearing once more in Print and Secondly A little counsel and direction that the following Tract may turn to your souls advantage which is the white that I have in mine eye The true reasons of my sending this piece into the world such as it is are thâ—se First The afflicting hand of God hath been hard upon my self and upon my dearest relations in this world and upon many of my precious Christian friends whom I much love and honour in the Lord which put mee upon studying of the mind of God in that Scripture that I have made the subject matter of this following discourse Luther could not understand some Psalms till hee was afflicted the Christ-cross is no letter in the book and yet saith hee it hath taught mee more than all the letters in the book afflictions are a golden key by which the Lord opens the rich treasures of his word to his peoples souls and this in some measure through grace Judg. 14. 9 10. my soul hath experienced when Sampson had found honey hee gave some to his Father and Mother to eat some honey I have found in my following Text and therefore I may not I cannot bee such a churl as not to give them some of my honey to taste who have drunk deep of my gall and wormwood Some have accounted nothing their own that they have not communicated to others Austin observes on that Psal 66. 16. Come and hear all yee that fear God and I will declare what hee hath done for my soul Hee doâ—h not call them saith hee to acquaint them with speculations how wide the earth is how far the Heavens are stretched out what the number of the stars is or what is the course of the Sun but come and I will tell you the wonders of his grace the faithfulness of his promises the riches of his mercy to my soul gracious experiences are to be communicated Lilmod Lelammed we therefore learn that wee may teach is a proverb among the Rabbins And I do therefore lay in and lay up saith the Heathen that I may draw forth again and lay out for the good of many when God hath dealt bountifully with us others should reap some noble good by us the Family the Town the City the Country where a man lives should fare the better for his faring well our mercies and experiences should bee as a running spring at our doors which is not onely for our own use but also for our neighbours yea and for strangers too Secondly What is written is permanent litera scripta manet and-spreads it self further by far for time place and persons than the voice can reach the pen is an artificial tongue it speaks as well to absent as to present friends it speaks to them that are afar off as well as those that are near it speaks to many thousands at once it speaks not onely to the present age but also to succeeding Heb. 11. 4 Zech. 1. 5 ages the Pen is a kinde of Image of eternity it will make a man live when hee is dead though the Prophets do not live for ever yet their labours may a mans writings may preach when hee cannot when hee may not and when by reason of bodily distempers heâ— dares not yea and that which is more when hee is not Thirdly Few men if any have Iron memories how soon is a Sermon preach'd forgotten when a Sermon written remains Augustin writing to August Epist 1. ad Volus Volusian saith That which is written is alwaies at hand to bee read when the reader is at leasure men do not easily forget their own names nor their Fathers house nor the wives of their bosomes nor the fruit of their loins nor to eat their daily bread and yet Ah! how easily do they forget that word of grace that should bee dearer to them than all most mens memories especially in the great concernments of their souls are like a sieve or bowlter where the good Corn and fine Flower goes thorow but the lighâ— chaff and course bran remains behinde or like a strainer where the sweet liquor is strained out but the dreggs are left behinde or like a grate that lets the pure water run away but if there bee any straws sticks mud or filth that it holds as it were with Iron hands most mens memories are very treacherous especially in good things few mens memories are a holy Ark a heavenly Stare-house or Magazine for their souls and therefore they stand in the more need of a written word But Fourthly It s marvelous suitableness and usefulness under these great turns and changes that have past upon us As every wise husbandman observes the fittest seasons to sow his seed some hee sows in the Autumn and fall of the leaf some in the spring Isa 28. 25 of the year some in a dry season and some in
more bee under the rich influences and glorious pourings out of the Spirit that I may bee an able Minister of the New Testament 2 Cor. 3. 6 not of the Letter but of the Spirit that I may alwaies finde an everlasting spring and an overflowing fountain within mee which may alwaies make mee faithful constant and abundant in the work of the Lord And that I may live daily under those inward teachings of the Spirit that may inable mee to speak from the heart to the heart from the coâ—science to the conscience and from experience to experience that I may bee a burning and a shining light that everlasting arms may bee still under mee that whilst I live I may bee serviceable to his Glory and his Peoples good that no discouragements may discouâ—age mee in my work and that when my work is done I may give up my account with joy and not with grief I shall follow these poor labours with my weak prayers that they may contribute much to your internal and eternal welfare And so rest Your souls servant in our dearest Lord THOMAS BROOKS THE MUTE CHRISTIAN Under the SMARTING ROD. PSAL. 39. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it NOt to trouble you with a tedious Preface wherein usually is a flood of words and but a drop of matter This Psalm consists of two parts the first Exegetical or narrative the second Eutical or precative a Narration and Prayer take up the whole In the former you have the Prophets Disease discovered and in the latter the Remedy applied My Text falls in the latter part where you have the way of Davids cure or the means by which his soul was reduced to a still and quiet temper I shall give a little light into the words and then come to the point that I intend to stand upon I was dumb the Hebrew word Some read it thus I should have been dumb and not have opened my mouth according to my first resolution vers 1 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to bee mute tongue-tied or dumb the Hebrew word signifies also to binde as well as to bee mute and dumb because they that are dumb are as it were tongue-tied they have their lips stitcht and bound up Ah the sight of Gods hand in the afflictions that was upon him makes him lay a law of silence upon his heart and tongue I opened not my mouth because thou didst it hee looks thorow all secondary causes to the first cause and is silent hee sees a hand of God in all and so sits mute and quiet the sight of God in an affliction is of an irresistable efficacy to silence the heart and to stop the mouth of a gracious man In the words you may observe three things 1 The person speaking and that is David David a King David a Saint David a man after Gods own heart David a Christian and here we are to look upon David not as a King but as a Christian as a man whose heart was right with God 2 The action and carriage of David under the hand of God in these words I was dumb and opened not my mouth 3 The reason of this humble and sweet carriage of his in those words because thou didst it the Proposition is this Doct. That it is the great duty and concernment of gracious souls to bee mute and silent under the greatest afflictions the saddest providences and sharpest trials that they meet with in this world For the opening and clearing up of this great and useful truth I shall enquire First What this silence is that is here pointed at in the Proposition Secondly What a gracious a holy silence doth include Thirdly What this holy silence doth not exclude Fourthly The Reasons of the point and then bring home all by way of application to our own souls For the first What is the Silence here meant I answer there is a sevenfold Silence First There is a Stoical Silence the Stoicks of old thought it altogether below a man that hath reason and understanding either to rejoyce in any good or to mourn for any evil but this Stoical Silence is such a sinful unsensibleness as is very provoking to a holy God Isa 26. 10 11. God will make the most insensible sinner sensible either of his hand here or of his wrath in Hell It is a Heathenish and a horrid sin to be without natural affections Rom. 1. 31. And of this sin Quintus Fabius Maximus seems to be foulely guilty who when hee heard that his Mother and Wife whom he dearly loved were slain by the fall of an house and that his younger son a brave hopeful young man died at the same time in Umbria hee never changed his countenance but went on with the affairs of the Common-wealth as if no such calamity had befallen him this carriage of his spoke out more stupidity than patience And so Harpalus was not at all appalled when hee saw two of his sons laid ready drest in a charger when Astyages had bid him to Supper this was a sottish insensibleness Certainly if the loss of Job 36. 13 Isa 57. 1 a childe in the house bee no more to thee than the loss of a Chick in Hos 7. 9 Balaams Asse reproves this dumbness the yard thy heart is base and sordid and thou mayest well expect some sore awakening judgement This age is full of such Monsters who think it below the greatnesse and magnanimity of their spirits to bee moved affected or afflicted with any afflictions that befalls them I know none so ripe and ready for Hâ—ll as these Aristotle speaks of Fishes that though they have spears thrust into their sides yet they awake not God thrusts many a sharp spear thorow many a sinners heart and yet hee feels nothing hee complains of nothing these mens souls will bleed to death Seneca reports of Senecio Cornelius who minded his body more than his Epist 10. soul and his mâ—ny more than Heaven when hee had all the day 〈◊〉 waited on his dying friend 〈◊〉 his friend was dead hee re 〈◊〉 his house sâ—ps merrily 〈◊〉 himself quickly goes to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his sorrows were ended and the time of his mourning expired before his deceased friend was interred Such stupidity is a curse that many a man lies under But this Stoical Silence which is but a sinful fullenness is not the Silence here meant Secondly There is a Politick Silence Many are silent out of policy should they not bee silent they should lay themselves more open either to the rage and fury of men or else to the plots and designs of men to prevent which they are silent and will lay their hands upon their mouths that others may not lay their hands upon their estates lives or liberties And Saul also went home to Giheah 1 Sam. 26. 27 and there went with him a band of men whose hearts God had touched But the
strikes till wee come to see his majesty and authority till wee come Isa 26. 11 12 Rev. 1. 5. to see him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords It is such a sight of God as this that makes the heart to stoop under his Almighty hand The Thracians being Herod ignorant of the dignity and majesty of God when it thundred and lightned used to express their madness and folly in shooting their arrows against Heaven threatning-wise As a sight of his grace chears the soul so a sight of his greatness and glory silences the soul But Thirdly A gracious a prudent Silence takes in a holy quietnesse Animus cujusque est quisque the mind is the man and calmnesse of mind and spirit under the afflicting hand of God A gracious Silence shuts out all inward heats murmurings frettings quarrellings wranglings and boilings of heart Psal 62. 1. Truly my soul keepeth silence unto God or is silent or still that is my soul is quiet and submissive to God all murmurings and repineings passions and turbulent affections being allayed tamed and subdued This also is clear in the Text and in the former instances of Aaron Ely and Job they saw that it was a Father that put those bitter cups into their hands and love that laid those heavy crosses upon their shoulders and grace that put those yoaks about their necks and this caused much quietnesse and calmnesse in their spirits Marius bit in his pain when the Chirurgian cut off his legg Some men when God cuts off this mercy and that mercy from them they bite in their pain they hide and conceal their grief and trouble but could you but look into their hearts you would finde all in an uproar all out of order all in a flame and however they may seem to be cold without yet they are all in a hot burning feaver within Such a feaverish fit David was once in Psal 39. 3. But certainly a holy Silence allaies all tumults in the mind and makes a man in patience Luke 21. 19. to possesse his own soul which next to his possession of God is the choicest and sweetest possession in all the world The Law of Silence is as well upon that mans heart and mind as it is upon his tongue who is truly and divinely silent under the rebuking hand of God As tongue-service abstracted Isa 29. 13. Mat. 15. 8 9. from heart service is no service in the account of God so tonguesilence abstracted from heartsilence is no silence in the esteem of God A man is then graciously silent when all is quiet within and without Terpander a Harper and a Poet was one that by the sweetnesse of his verse and musick could allay the tumultuous motions of mens minds As David by his Harp did Sauls When Gods people are under the Rod hee makes by his spirit and word such sweet musick in their souls as allaies all tumultuous motions passions and perturbations Psal 94. 17 18 19. Psal 119. 49 50. so that they sit Noah-like quiet and still and in peace possesse their own souls Fourthly A prudent a holy Plato calls God the horn of plenty and the Ocean of beauty without the least spot of injustice Silence takes in an humble justifying clearing and acquitting of God of all blame rigour and injustice in all the afflictions hee brings upon us Psal 51. 4. That thou mayest bee justified when thou speakest and bee clear when thou judgest that is when thou correctest Gods judging his people is Gods correcting or chastening of his people 1 Cor. 11. 32. When wee are judged wee are chastened of the Lord. Davids great care when he was under the afflicting hand of God was to clear the Lord of injustice Ah Lord saith hee There is not the least shew spot stain blemish or mixture of injustice in all the afflictions thou hast brought upon mee I desire to take shame to my self and to set to my seal that the Lord is righteous and that there is no injustice no cruelty nor no extremity in all that the Lord hath brought upon mee And so in that Psal 119. 75. 137. hee sweetly and readily subscribes unto the righteousness of God in those sharp and smart afflictions that God exercised him with I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted mee Righteous art thou O Lord and upright are thy judgements Gods judgements are alwaies just hee never afflicts but in faithfulnesse his will is the rule of justice and therefore a gracious soul dares not cavil nor question his proceedings the afflicted soul knows that a righteous God can do nothing but that which is righteous it knows that God is uncontroulable and therefore the afflicted man puts his mouth in the dust and keeps silence before him 2 Sam. 16. 10. Who dare say Wherefore hast thou done so The Turks when they are cruelly lashed are compelled to return to the judge that commanded it to kiss his hand give him thanks and pay the officer that whipped them and so clear the Judge and Officer of injustice Silently to kisse the Rod and the hand that whips with it is the noblest way of clearing the Lord of all injustice The Babylonish captivity was the sorest the heaviest affliction that ever God inflicted upon any people under Heaven witnesse that 1 Sam. 12. Daniel 9. 12 c. yet under those smart afflictions wisdome is justified of her children Neh. 9. 33. Thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but wee have done wickedly 1 Sam. 18. The Lord is righteous for I have rebelled against him A holy Silence shines in nothing more than in an humble justifying and clearing of God from all that which a corrupt heart is apt enough to charge God with in the day of affliction God in that hee is good can give nothing nor do nothing but that which is good others do frequently hee cannot possibly saith Luther in Psal 120. Fifthly A holy Silence takes in gracious blessed soul-quieting Conclusions about the issue and event of those afflictions that are upon us Lam. 3. 27 34. In this choice Scripture you may observe these five soul-stilling Conclusions First And that more generally That they shall work for their good vers 27. It is good for a man that hee bear the yoak in his youth A gracious soul secretly concludes As stars shine brightest in the night so God will make my soul shine and glister like gold whilst I am in this furnace and when I come out of this furnace of affliction Job 23. 10. Hee knoweth the way that I take and when hee hath tried mee I shall come forth as gold Surely as the tasting of hony did open Jonathans eyes so this cross this affliction shall open mine eyes by this stroak I shall come to have a clearer sight of my sins and of my self and a fuller sight of my God Job 33. 27
bee mute and silent under their afflictions is this because it is ten thousand times a greater judgement and affliction to bee given up to a fretful spirit a froward spirit a muttering or murmuring spirit under an affliction than it is to bee afflicted This is both the Devils sin and the Devils punishment God is still afflicting crossing and vexing of him and hee is still a fretting repining vexing and rising up against God no sin to the Devils sin no punishment to the Devils punishment A man were better to have all the afflictions of all the afflicted throughout the world at once upon him than to be given up to a froward spirit to a muttering murmuring heart under the least affliction When thou seest a soul fretting vexing and stamping under the mighty hand of God thou seest one of Satans first-born one that resembles him to Irenâ—us calleth such or a Diaboli the Devils mouth the life no childe can bee so much like the Father as this froward soul is like to the Father of lies though hee hath been in chains almost this six thousand years yet hee hath 1 Pet. 5. 8 never lain still one day nor one night no not one hour in all this time but is still a fretting vexing tossing and tumbling in his chains like a princely Bedlam â—ee is a Lion not a Lamb a roaring Lion not a sleepy Lion not a Lion standing still but a Lion going up and down hee is not satisfied with the prey hee hath got but is restless in his designs to fill hell with souls Hee never wants an Apple for an Eve nor a Grape for a Noah nor a change of rayment for a Gehezi nor a wedge of gold for an Achan nor a Crown for an Absolom nor a bagg for a Judas nor a world for a Demas if you look into one company there you shall finde Satan a dishing out his meat to every palate if you look into another company there you shall finde him a fitting a last to every shooe if you look into a third company there you shall finde him a suiting a garment to every back hee is under wrath and cannot but bee restless Here with Jael hee allures poor souls in with milk and murders them with a nail there with Joaâ— hee embraces with one hand and stabs with another here with Judas hee kisses and betraies and there with the Whore of Babylon hee presents a golden cup with poison in it hee cannot bee quiet though his bolts bee alwaies on and the more unquiet any are under the rebukes of God the more such resemble Satan to the life whose whole life is filled up with vexing and fretting against the Lord. Let not any think saith Luther that the Devil is now dead no nor yet asleep for as hee that keepeth Israel so hee that hateth Israel never slumbereth nor sleepeth But in the next place Reas 5. A fifth reason why gracious souls should bee mute and silent under the greatest afflictions and sharpest trials that do befall them is this because a holy a prudent silence under afflictions under miseries doth best capacitate and fit the afflicted for the receit of mercies When the rolling bottle lies still you may pour into it your sweetest or your strongest waters when the rolling tumbling soul lies still then God can best pour into it the sweet waters of mercy and the strong waters of divine consolation You read of the peaceable fruits of righteousness Heb. 12. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to bee joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby Jam. 3. 18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace The still and quiet soul is like a Ship that lies still and quiet in the harbour you may take in what goods what commodities you please whilest the Ship lies quiet and still So when the The Angels are most quiet and stâ—ll and they take in most of God of Christ of Heaven soul is quiet and still under the hand of God it is most fitted and advantaged to take in much of God of Christ of Heaven of the Promises of Ordinances and of the Love of God the Smiles of God the Communications of God and the counsel of God but when souls are unquiet they are like a Ship in a storm they can take in nothing Luther speaking of God saith God doth not dwell in Babylon but in Salem Babylon signifies confusion and Salem signifies peace now God dwells not in spirits that are unquiet and in confusion but hee dwells in peaceable and quiet spirits Unquiet spirits can take in neither counsel nor comfort grace nor peace c. Psal 77. 2. My soul refused to bee comforted The Impatient Patient will take down no cordials hee hath no eye to see nor hand to take nor palate to rellish nor stomach to digest any thing that makes for his health and welfare when the man is sick and froward nothing will down the sweetest musick can make no melody in his ears Exod. 6. 6 7 8 9. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and I will rid you out of their bondage and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgement And I will take you to mee for a people and I will bee to you a God and yee shall know that â— am the Lord your God which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians And I will bring you in unto the Land concerning the which â— did swear to give it to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and â— will give it you for an heritage I am the Lord. The choicest cordials and comforts that Heaven or Earth could afford are here held forth to them but they have no hand to receive them Here Moses his lips drops hony-combs but they can taste no sweetness in them here the best of Earth and the best of Heaven is set before them but their souls are shut up and nothing will down here is such ravishing musick of paradise as might abundantly delight their hearts and please their ears but they cannot hear here are soul-enlivening soul-supporting soul-strengthening soul-comforting soul-raising and soul-refreshing words but they cannot hearken to them v. 9. And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage They were under their aguish feaverish-fits and so could neither hear nor see taste nor take in any thing that No air agrees well with weak pevish sickly bodies might bee a mercy or a comfort to them they were sick of impatiency and discontent and these humours being grown strong nothing would take with them nothing would agree with them When persons are under strong pangs of passion they have no ears neither for Reason
silent under the afflicting hand of God Wee see that it is possible that wee may attain to the same noble temper of being tongue-tied under a smarting Rod certainly it is our greatest honour and glory in this world to bee eying and imitating the highest and woâ—thiest examples What Plutarch said of Demosthenes that hee was excellent at praising the worthy acts of his Ancestors but not so at imitating them may bee said of many in these daies Oh they are very forward and excellent at praising the patience of Job but not at imitating it at praising the silence of Aaron but not at imitating it at praising Davids dumbness but not at imitating it at praising Elies muteness but not at imitating it It was the height of Caesars glory to walk in the steps of Alexander and of Selymus a Turkish Emperour to walk in Caesars steps and of Themistocles to walk in Miltiades steps Oh how much more should wee account it our highest glory to imitate the worthy examples of those worthies of whom this world is not worthy It speaks out much of God within when men are striving to write after the fairest copies And thus much for the Reasons of the Point I come now to the Application You see beloved by what hath been said That it is the greatest duty and concernment of Christians to bee mute and silent under the greatest afflictions the sadest providences and the sharpest trials that they meet with in this world If this bee so then this truth looks sourely and wishly upon several sorts of persons As First This looks sourely and sadly upon murmurers upon such as do nothing but mutter and murmure under the afflicting hand of God This was Israels sin of Exod. 16. 7 8 9 Numb 12. 14 27 29. chap. 17. 5 10. Exod. 15. 24 Deut. 1. 27 Psal 106. 25. old and this is Englands sin this day Ah what murmuring is there against God! what murmuring against instruments and what murmuring against providences is to bee found amongst us Some murmure at what they have lost others murmure at what they fear they shall lose some murmure that they are no higher others murmure because they are so low some murmure because such a party rules and others mutter because themselves are not in the saddle some murmure because their mercies are not so many as others and others murmure because their mercies are not so great as others are some murmure because they are afflicted and others murmure because such and such are not afflicted as well as they Ah England England hadst thou no more sins upon thee thy murmuring were enough to undo thee did not God exercise much pitty and compassion towards thee But more of this hereafter and therefore let this touch for the present suffice Secondly This truth looks sourely upon those that fret chafe and vex when they are under the afflicting hand of God Many when they feel the Rod to smart ah how do they fret and fume Isa 8. 21. When they were hardly bestead and hungry they fret themselves and curse their King and their God Prov. 19. 3. The foolishness of man perverteth his way and his heart fretteth against the Lord. The heart may bee fretful and 2 King 6. 33 Psal 37. 1 7 8 froward when the tongue doth not blaspheme Folly brings man into misery and misery makes man to fret man in misery is more apt to fret and chafe against the Lord than to fret and chafe against his sin that hath brought him into sufferings A fretful soul dares let fly at God himself When Pharaoh is troubled with the frets hee dare spit in the very face oâ— God himself Who is the Lord that I should obey him And when Jonah is in a fretting humour hee dares tell God to his face that hee doth well to bee angry Jonah 4. 8. Jonah had done well if hee had been angry with his sin but hee did very ill to bee angry with his God God will vex every vein in that mans heart before hee hath done with him who fumes and frets because hee cannot snap in sunder the cords with which hee is bound Ezek. 16. 43. Sometimes good men are sick of the frets but when they are it costs them dear as Job and Jonah found by experience No man hath ever got any thing by his fretting and flinging except it hath been harder blows or heavier chains therefore fret not when God strikes Thirdly This truth looks sourely upon those who charge God foolishly in the day of their adversity Lam. 3. 39. Why doth a Lam. 1. 12 Psal 77. 7 12. Ezek. 18. 25. ch 29. 33. 17 20 29. living man complain Hee that hath deserved a hanging hath no reason to charge the Judge with cruelty if hee escape with a whiping And wee that have deserved a damning have no reason to charge God for being too severe if Some of the Heathens as Homer observes would lay the evils that they did incur by their own folly upon their gods so do many upon the true God we escape with a fatherly lashing Rather than a man will take the blame and quietly bear the shame of his own folly hee will put it off upon God himself Gen. 3. 12. It is a very evil thing when wee shall go to accuse God that wee may excuse our selves and unblame our selves that wee may blame our God and lay the fault any where rather than upon our own hearts and waies Job was a man of a more noble spirit Job 1. 22. In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly When God charges many men home then they presently charge God foolishly they put him to bear the brunt and blame of all but this will bee bitterness in the end When thou art under affliction thou mayest humbly tell God that thou feelest his hand heavy but thou must not blame him because his hand is heavy No man hath ever yet been able to make good a charge against God and wilt thou bee able surely no. By charging God foolishly in the day of thy calamity thou dost but provoke the Lord to charge thee thorow and thorow more fiercely and furiously with his most deadly darts of renewed misery it is thy greatest wisdome to blame thy sins and lay thy hand upon thy mouth for why should folly charge innocency That man is far enough off from being mute and silent under the hand of God who dares charge God himself for laying his hand upon him But Exod. 32. 11 Psal 10. 1 Psal 22. 1 2 Job 3. 11 12. ch 19. 11 13 14. Fourthly This truth looks sourely and sadly upon such as will not bee silent nor satisfied under the afflicting hand of God except the Lord will give them the particular reasons why hee laies his hand upon them Good men sometimes dash their feet against this stumbling-stone Jer. 15. 18. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable c. Though God hath alwaies reason for what
if not cease from murmurings where murmuring is in its reign in its dominion there you may speak and write that person ungodly let murmurers make what profession they will of godliness yet if murmuring keeps the Throne in their hearts Christ will deal with them at last as ungodly sinners a man may bee denominated ungodly as well from his murmuring if hee lives under the dominion of it as from his drunkenness swearing whoring lying stealing c. A murmurer is an ungodly man hee is an ungodlike man no man on earth more unlike to God than the murmurer and therefore no wonder if when Christ comes to execute judgement hee deals so severely and terribly with him In the wars of Tamberlain one having found a great pot of Gold that was hid in the earth hee brought it to Tamberlain who asked whether it had his Fathers stamp upon it but when hee saw it had not his Fathers stamp but the Roman stamp upon it he would not own it but cast it away The Lord Jesus when hee shall come with all his Saints to execute judgement Oh hee will not own murmurers nay hee will cast them away for ever because they have not his Fathers stamp upon them Ah souls souls as you would not go up and down this world with a badge of ungodliness upon you take heed of murmuring Thirdly Consider That murmuring Numb 16. 41. ch 17. 10. is a mother sin it is the Mother of harlots the Mother of all abominations a sin that breeds many other sins viz. disobedience contempt ingratitude impatience distrust rebellion cursing carnality yea it charges God with folly yea with blasphemy Judg. 17. 2. the language of a murmuring a muttering soul is this Surely God might have done this sooner and that wiser and the other thing better c. As the River Nilus bringeth forth many Crocodiles and the Scorpion many Serpents at one birth so murmuring is a sin that breeds and brings forth many sins at once Murmuring is like the Monster Hydra cut off one head and many will rise up in its room Oh! therefore bend all thy strength against this Mother sin As the King of Syria said 1 Kings 22. 31. to his Captains Fight neither with small nor great but with the King of Israel So say I fight not so much against this sin or that but fight against your murmuring which is a Mother sin make use of all your Eph. 6. 10 11. Christian armour make use of all the ammunition of Heaven to destroy the Mother and in destroying of her you will destroy the daughters When Goliah was slain the Philistians fled when a General in an Army is cut off the common souldiers are easily and quickly routed and destroyed So destroy but murmuring and you will quickly destroy disobedience ingratitude impatience distrust c. Oh! kill this Mother sin that this may never kill thy soul I have read of Senacherib that after his Army was destroyed by an Angel Isa 37. and hee returned home to his own Country hee enquired of one about him what hee thought the reason might bee why God so favoured the Jews hee answered that there was one Abraham their Father that was willing to sacrifice his Son to death at the command of God and that ever since that time God favoured that people well said Senacherib if that bee it I have two Sons and I will sacrifice them both to death if that will procure their God to favour mee which when his two Sons heard they as the story goeth slew their Father Isa 37. 38. chusing rather to kill than bee killed So do thou chuse rather to kill this Mother sin than Psal 137. 8 9 to bee killed by it or by any of those vipers that are brought forth by it Fourthly Consider That murmuring is a God-provoking sin it is a sin that provokes God not onely to afflict but also to destroy Numb 26. ult Numb 12. 10 Rev. 16. 8 9 10 11 a people Numb 14. 27 28 29. How long shall I bear with this evil Congregation which murmure against mee I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel which they murmure against mee Say unto them As truly as I live saith the Lord as yee have spoken in mine ears so will I do to you Your carkasses shall fall in this wilderness and all that were numbred of you according to your whole number from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against mee 1 Cor. 10. 10. Neither murmure yee as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer All our murmurings do but provoke the Lord to strike us and destroy us I have read of Caesar that having Seneca prepared a great feast for his Nobles and Friends it so â—ell out that the day appointed was extream â—oul that nothing could be done to the honour of the meeting whereupon hee was so displeased and enraged that hee commanded all them that had bows to shoot up their arrows at Jupiter their chief God as in defiance of him for that rainy weather which when they did their arrows fell short of Heaven and full upon their own heads so that many of them were very sorely wounded So all our mutterings and murmurings which are as so many arrows shot at God himself they will return upon our pates hearts they reach not him but they will hit us they hurt not him but they will wound us therefore it is better to bee mute than to murmure it is dangerous to provoke a consuming fire Heb. 12. ult Irenaeus calleth murmurers ora diaboli the Devils mouth Job 1. 8 9 Luk. 22. 31 -34 2 Cor. 12. 8 9 10 Fifthly Consider That murmuring is the Devils Image sin and punishment Satan is still a murmuring â—hee murmures at every mercy that God bestows at every dram of grace hee gives hee murmures at every sin hee pardons and at every soul heâ— saves a soul cannot have a good look from Heaven nor hear a good word from Heaven nor receive a Love-letter from Heaven but Satan murmures at it he murmures and mutters at every act of pittying grace and at every act of preventing grace and at every act of supporting grace and at every act of strengthening grace and at every act of comforting grace that God exercises towards poor souls hee murmures at every sip at every drop at every crum of mercy that God bestows Cyprian Aquinas and others conceive that the cause of Satans banishment from Heaven was his grieving and murmuring at the dignity of man whom hee beheld made after Gods own Image insomuch that Gen. 3. hee would relinquish his own glory Satan can never bee quiet nec victor nec victus neither conquered nor conquerour to devest so noble a Creature of perfection and rather bee in Hell himself than see Adam placed in Paradise But certainly after his fall murmuring and envy at mans innocency and felicity put him upon attempting
to plunge man into the bottomeless gulf of sin and misery hee knowing himself to bee damned and lost for ever would needs try all waies how to make happy man eternally unhappy Mr. Howel tells it as a strange thing that a Serpent was found in the heart of an Englishman when hee was dead But alas this old Serpent was by sad experience found to have too much power in the heart of Adam whilst alive and whilst in the heighth of all his glory and excellency murmuring is the first-born of the Devil and nothing renders a man more like to him than murmuring Constantines Sons did not more resemble their Father nor Aristotles scholars their Master nor Alexanders Souldiers their General than murmurers do resemble Satan And as murmuring iâ— Satans sin so it is his punishment God hath given him up to a murmuring spirit nothing pleases him all things go against him hee is perpetually a muttering and murmuâ—ing at persons or things Now Oh what a dreadful thing is it to bear Satans image upon us and to bee given up to the Devils punishment it were better not to bee than thus to bee given up and therefore cease from murmuring and sit mute under your sorest trials But Sixthly Consider That murmuring is a mercy-imbittering sin a mercy-souring sin As put the sweetest things into a soure vessel it soures them or put them into a bitter vessel and it imbitters them murmuring puts gall and wormwood into every cup of mercy that God gives into our hands As holy silence gives a sweet taste a delightful rellish to all a mans mercies so murmuring imbitters all the murmurer can taste no sweetness in his sweetest morsels every mercy every morsel tastes Job 6. 6. like the white of an Egge to him this mercy saith the murmurer is not toothsome nor that mercy is not wholesome here is a mercy wants salt and there is a mercy wants sauce A murmurer can taste no sweet hee can feel no comfort hee can take no delight in any mercy hee injoyes The murmurer writes Marah that is bitterness upon all his mercies and hee reads and tastes bitterness in all his mercies All the murmurers Grapes are Grapes of Gall and all their clusters are bitter Deut. 32. 32. As to the hungry soul every Prov. 27. 7 bitter thing is sweet So to the murmuring soul every sweet thing is bitter the mute Christian can suck sweetness from every breast of mercy but the murmurer cries out Oh it is bitter Oh these breasts of mercy are dry Seventhly Consider That murmuring is a mercy-destroying sin a mercy-murthering sin murmuring cuts the throat of mercy it stabs all our mercies at the heart it sets all a mans mercies a bleeding about him at once Numb 14. 30. Doubtless yee shall not come into the land concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein save Caleb the Son Psal 89. 30 31. Deut. 31. 16 17 of Jephunneh and Joshua the Son of Nun. God promises them that they should possess the holy land upon the condition of their obedience this condition they brake and therefore God was not forsworn though hee cut them off in the wilderness and kept them out of Canaan but what is the sin that provokes the Lord to bar them out of the land of Promise and to cut them off from all those mercies that they enjoyed which entred into the holy-land why it was their murmuring as you may see in vers 1 2 3 26 27 28 29. As you love your mercies as you would have the sweet of your mercies and as you would enjoy the life of your mercies take heed of murmuring murmuring will bring a consumption upon your mercies it is a worm that will make all your mercies to wither As there bee some that love their mercies into the grave and others that plot their mercies into the grave so there bee some that murmure their mercies into the grave As you would have your mercies alwaies fresh and green smiling and thriving as you would have your mercies to bed and board with you to rise up and lye down with you and in all conditions to attend you murmure not murmure not the mute Christians mercies are most sweet and most long-liv'd the murmurers mercies like Jonab's Gourd will quickly wither Murmuring hath cut the throat of national mercies of domestical meâ—cies and of personal mercies and therefore Oh how should men fly from it as from a Serpent as from the avenger of blood yea as from Hell it self Eighthly Consider That murmuring unfits the soul for duty Exod. 6. 6 10 A murmurer can neither hear to profit nor pray to profit nor read to profit nor meditate to profit the murmurer is neither fit to do good nor receive good murmuring unfits the soul for doing of duties it unfits the soul for delighting in duties it unfits the soul for communion with God in duties murmuring fills the 1 Cor. 7. 33 34 35. soul with cares fears distractions vexations all which unfits a man for duty As a holy quietness and calmness of spirit prompts a man to duty as it makes every duty easie and pleasant to the Prov. 3. 17 soul so murmuring that unhinges the soul that indisposes the soul that takes off the Chariot wheels of the soul that the soul cannot look up to God nor do for God nor receive from God Psal 40. 12. nor wait on God nor walk with God nor act Faith upon God c. Oh therefore as ever you would bee in a blessed preparedness 2 King 6. 33 Isa 26. 9 10 11 and a blessed fittedness for duty take heed of murmuring and â—it muâ—e and silent under the afflicting hand of God Ninthly Consider That murmuring unmans a man it strips Isa 5. 18 19 20 him of his reason and understanding it makes him call evil good and good evil it puts light for darkness and darkness for light bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter it calls Saviours destroyers and deliverers murtherers Exod. 14 15 16. chapters Lam. 5. 16 As you see in the murmuring Israelites murmuring uncrowns a man the murmurer may say my Crown is fallen from my head murmuring strips a man of all his glory it spoils all his excellency it destroies the nobility of man it speaks him out to bee a base ignoble Creature murmuring clouds a mans understanding it perverts his judgement it puts out the eye of reason it stupifies his conscience it soures the heart it disorders the will and distempers the affections it be beasts a man yea it sets him below the beast that perisheth for a man were better bee a beast than bee like a beast the murmurer is the Hieroglyphick of folly hee is a comprehensive vanity hee is a man and no man hee is sottish and senseless hee neither understands God nor himself nor any thing as hee should hee is the man that must bee sent to school to learn of the beasts of the
affliction comes in love upon a soul the language of that soul is this Lord remove the cause rather than the effect the sin rather than the punishment my corruption rather than my affliction Lord what will it avail mee to have the sore skinned over if the corrupt matter still remains in there is no evil Lord to the evil of sin and therefore deliver mee rather from the evil of sâ—n than the evil of sufferings I know Lord that affliction cannot bee so displeasing to mee as sin is dishonourable and displeasing to thee and therefore Lord let mee see an end of my sin though in this world I should never see an end of my sorrows Oh! let mee see an end of my corruptions though I should never see an end of my corrections Lord I had rather have a cure for my heart than a cure for my head I had rather bee made whole and sound within than without I had rather have a healthy soul than a healthy body a pure inside than a beautiful outside if this bee the setled frame and temper of thy spirit certainly thy afflictions are in love There was one who being under marvelous great pains and torments in his body occasioned by many sore diseases that were upon him cryed out had I all the world I would give it for ease and yet for all the world I would not have ease till the cure bee wrought sure his afflictions were in love the first request the great request and the last request of a soul afflicted in love is a cure Lord a cure Lord a cure Lord of this wretched heart and this sinful life and all will bee well all will bee well Eighthly and lastly If you live a life of Faith in your afflictions then your afflictions are in love Now what is it to live by Faith in affliction but to live in the exercising These following promises have been choice cordials to many Christians under sore distresses Isa 57. 15 ch 41. 10 1 Tim. 1. 15 Joh. 10. 27 28 29 Isa 26. 3 Mat. 11. 28 1 Joh. 3. 14 of Faith upon those precious promises that are made over to an afflicted condition God hath promised to bee with his people in their afflictions Isa 43. 2 3. hee hath promised to support them under their afflictions Isa 41. 10. hee hath promised to deliver his people out of their afflictions Psal 50. 15. hee hath promised to purge away his peoples sins by affliction Isa 1. 25. hee hath promised to make his people more partakers of his holiness by affliction Heb. 12. 10. hee hath promised to make afflictions an inlet to a more full and sweet enjoyment of himself Hosea 2. 14. hee hath promised that hee will never leave nor forsake his people in their afflictions Heb. 13. 5 6. hee hath promised that all their afflictions shall work for their good Zech. 13. 9. Rom. 8. 28. Now if thy Faith bee drawn forth to feed upon these promises if these bee heavenly Manna to thy Faith and thy soul lives upon them and sucks stre 〈…〉 〈◊〉 sweetness from them und 〈…〉 〈◊〉 trials and troubles that 〈◊〉 〈…〉 on thee thy afflictions are in love A Bee can suck honey out of a flower which a Flie cannot if thy Faith can extract comfort and sweetness in thy saddest distresses out of the breasts of precious promises and gather one contrary out of another Honey out of the Deut. 32. 13. Rock thy afflictions are in love The Promises are full breasts and God delights that Faith should As the mother delights that the childe should draw hers draw them they are pabulum fidei anima fidei the food of Faith and the very soul of Faith They are an everlasting spring that can never bee drawn dry they are an inexhaustible treasure that can never bee exhausted they are the garden of Paradise and full of such choice flowers that will never fade but bee alwaies fresh sweet green and flourishing and if in the day of affliction they prove thus to thy soul thy afflictions are in love Sertorius paid Plutarch what hee promised with fair words but so doth not God men many times eat their words but God will never eat his all his promises in Christ are Yea and in 2 Cor. 1. 20. him Amen hath hee spoken it and shall it not come to pass if in all thy troubles thy heart bee drawn forth to act Faith upon the promises thy troubles are from love and thus much by way of answer to the first Objection Object 2 Oh but Sir The Lord hath smitten mee in my nearest and dearest comforts and contentments and how then can I hold my peace God hath taken away a husband a wife a childe an onely childe a bosome friend and how then can I bee silent c. Answ To this I Answer First If God did not strike thee in that mercy which was near and dear unto thee it would not amount to an affliction that is not worthy the name of an affliction that doth not strike at some bosome mercy that trouble is no trouble that doth not touch some choice contentment that storm is no storm that onely blows off the leaves but never hurts the fruit that thrust is no thrust that onely touches the cloaths but never reaches the skin that cut is no cut that onely cuts the hatt but never touches the head neither is that affliction any affliction that onely reaches some remote enjoyment but never reaches a Joseph a Benjamin c. Secondly The best mercy is not too good for the best God the best of the best is not good enough for him who is goodness it self the best childe the best yoak-fellow the best friend the best Jewel in all thy Crown must bee readily resigned to thy best God Isa 43. 22 25. Mal. 1. 13 14. there is no mercy no enjoyment no contentment worthy of God but the best the milk of mercy is for others the cream of mercy is due to God the choicest the fairest and the sweetest flowers are fittest for the bosome of God if hee will take the best flower in all thy garden and plant it in a better soil hast thou any cause to murmure wilt thou not hold thy peace Thirdly Your near and dear mercies were first the Lords before they were yours and alwaies the Lords more than they were yours when God gives a mercy hee doth not relinquish his own right in that mercy 1 Chron. 29. 14. All things come of thee and of thine own have wee given thee The sweet of mercy is yours but the sovereign right to dispose of your mercies is the Lords Quicquid es debes creanti quicquid potes debes redimenti Bern. Whatsoever thou art thou owest to him that made thee and whatsoever thou hast thou owest to him that redeemed thee You say it is but just and reasonable that men should do with their own as they please and is it not just and
Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Christs intercession should bee the souls Anchor-hold in time of temptation in the day of thy temptation thou needest not be disturbed nor disquieted but in peace and patience possess thine own soul considering what a friend thou hast in the Court of glory and how hee is most active for thee when Satan is most busie in tempting of thee Fifthly and Lastly All temptations that the Saints meet with shall work much for their good they shall bee much for their gain the profit and advantage that will redound to tempted souls by all their temptations is very great now this will appear to bee a most Rom. 8. 28 Jam. 1. 12. certain truth by an induction of particulars thus First By temptations God multiplies and encreases his childrens spiritual experiences the encrease of which is better than the encrease Rom 5. 3 4 Frequent engagements add to the souldiers skill and much encrease his experiences of gold in the school of temptation God gives his children the greatest experience of his power supporting them of his word comforting of them of his mercy warming of them of his wisdome counselling of them of his faithfulness joying of them and of his grace strengthening of them 2 Cor. 12. 9. My grace shall bee sufficient for thee Paul never experienced so deeply what Almighty power was what the everlasting arms of mercy were and what infinite grace and goodness as when hee was under the buffetings of Satan Secondly All their temptations shall bee physical their temptations shall bee happy preventions of great abominations 2 Cor. 12. 7. Lest I should bee exalted lest I Those souldiers that are most in fighting are least in sinning and most free from diseases should bee exalted it is twice in that one verse hee begins with it and hee ends with it if hee had not been buffeted hee might have been more highly exalted in his own conceit than hee was before in his exstacie Ah tempted souls you say you are naught very naught but had it not been for the school of temptation you might have been stark naught before this time you say you are sick you are even sick to death why your sicknesse had before this time killed you had not temptations been physical to you you are bad under temptation but doubtless you would have been much worse had not God made temptation a diet-drink to you Thirdly Temptations shall much promote the exercise of grace as the spring in the watch sets all the wheels a going and as Solomons virtuous woman set all her Prov. 30. 10 ult 1 Pet. 1. 6 7 maidens to work So temptation sets faith on work and love on work and repentance on work and hope on work and holy fear on work and godly sorrow on work Tapers burn clearest in the dark As the wind sets the Mill at work so the wind of temptation sets the graces of the Saints a going now faith runs to Christ now it hugs a promise now it pleads the blood of Christ now it looks to the recompence of reward now it takes the sword of the Spirit c. now Cant. 3. 6 7 love cleaves to Christ now love hangs upon Christ now love will fight it out to the death for Christ now hope flies to the horns of the Sanctuary now hope puts on her helmet now hope casts her anchor upon that within the veil c. Heb. 6. 19 Grace is never more acted than when a Christian is most tempted Satan made a bow of Jobs wife of his Rib as Chrysostome speaks and shot a tentation by her at Job thinking to have shot him to the heart curse God and dye but the activity of Jobs graces was a breast-plate that made him temptation-proof the Devil tempting Bonaventure told him hee was a reprobate and therefore perswaded him to drink in the present pleasures of this life for saith hee thou art excluded from the future joyes with God in Heaven Bonaventures graces being active hee answers no not so Satan if I must not enjoy God after this life let mee enjoy him as much as I can in this life Fourthly By temptations the Lord will make you the more serviceable and usefu to others none so fit and able to relieve tempted The skilfulest commanders and leaders are of greatest service and use to the souldiers souls to sympathize with tempted souls to succour tempted souls to counsel tempted souls to pitty tempted souls to support tempted souls to bear with tempted souls and to comfort tempted souls as those who have been in the school of temptations 2 Cor. 1. 3 4. Blessed bee God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort Who comforteth us in all our tribulation that wee may bee able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith wee our selves are comforted of God By temptations God trains up his servants and fits and capacitates them to succour and shelter their fellow brethren One tempted Christian saith Luther is Luther in Gen. 27. Rev. 2. 24 more profitable and useful to other Christians than a hundred I may add than a thousand that have not known the depths of Satan that have not been in the school of temptation hee that is Master of Arts in the school of temptation hath learned an Art to comfort to succour and gently to handle tempted and distressed souls infinitely beyond what all humane Arts can reach unto no Doctor to him that hath been a Doctor in the school of temptation all other Doctors are but illiterate dunces to him Fifthly It is an honour to the Saints to bee tempted and in the issue to have an honourable conquest ever the tempter it was a great honour to David that hee should be put to fight hand to hand 1 Sam. 17. with Goliah and in the issue to overcome him but it was a far 〈…〉 ter honour to Job and Paul Job 1. 2 Cor. 12. 7 8 9 10 that they should bee put to combate in the open field with Satan himself and in the close to gain a famous conquest over him as they did it was a very great honour to 2 Sam. 23. 13 18. Davids three mighty men that in jeopardy of their lives they brake thorow the host of the Philistines to bring water to David out of the well of Beth-lehem and did effect it in spite of all the strength and power of their enemies though it were to the extreamest hazard of their blood and lives but it is a far greater honour to the Saints to bee furnished with a spirit of Rom. 8. 35 ult 1 John 1. 3 4 strength courage and valour to break thorow an army of temptations and in the close 〈◊〉 triumph over them and yet this honour have all the Saints 1 Cor.
yet hee will return again though your Sun bee now set in a cloud yet it will rise again though sorrow may abide for a night yet joy Isa 17. 14 Psal 30. 5. Psal 40. 1 2 3 Psal 5. 11 Psal 42. 5 8 9 11 comes in the morning A Christians mourning shall last but till morning Micah 7. 19. Hee will turn again hee will have compassion upon us Cant. 3. 4. It was but a little that I passed from them but I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and I would not let him go c. Psal 94. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within mee thy comforts delight my soul Isa 54. 7 8 10. For a moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer for the mountains shall depart and the hills bee removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace bee removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee God will not suffer his whole displeasure to arise upon his people neither will hee forsake them totally or finally the Saints shall taste but some sips of the cup of Gods wrath sinners shall drink the dreggs their storm shall end in a calm and their winter night shall be turned into a summers day There was a woman who was thirteen years under desertion which was so vehement that for the most part of her time shee was fain to keep her bed through weakness A godly Minister who was affected with her condition went to comfort her and to pray with her but when hee came and offered to do it shee shrieked out utterly refusing and forbidding him to pray with her for said shee I have too many abused mercies to answer for already yet hee would not bee put off but prayed by her and so prevailed with God on her behalf that the next morning shee was delivered from all her fears and had such exceeding joy that the like hath rarely been heard of the Lord that had been long withdrawn from her returned at length in a way of singular mercy to her There was So Mris. Honeywood Mris. Katherine Breterg and divers others another precious woman who was several years deserted and hearing a precious godly Minister preach shee of a sudden fell down overwhelmed with joy crying out O! hee is come whom my soul loveth and for divers daies after shee was filled with such exceeding joyes and had such gracious and singular ravishing expressions so fluently coming from her that many came to hear the rare manifestations of Gods grace in her the lowest of her pious expressions did exceed the highest that ever the Minister had read in the book of Martyrs But Sixthly and lasty Gods deserting Gods forsaking of his people shall many waies work for their good As First God by withdrawing from his people will prepare and fit them for greater refreshings manifestations and consolations Psal 71. 11 20 21. Saying God hath forsaken him persecute and take him for there is none to deliver him But shall this forelorn condition work for his good yes Thou which hast shewed mee great and sore troubles shalt quicken mee again and shalt bring mee up again from the depths of the earth Thou shalt encrease my greatness and comfort mee on every side When Josephs brethren were in Gen. 45. 1 2 3 4 their greatest distress then Joseph makes known himself most fully to them so doth Christ our spiritual Joseph to his people Hudson the Martyr deserted at the stake went from under his chain and having prayed earnestly was comforted immediately and suffered valiantly 2 By Gods withdrawing from his people hee prevents his peoples withdrawing from him and so by an affliction hee prevents sin for God to withdraw from mee is but Heb. 10. 38 39. Christ the Captain of our salvation will execute Martial Law upon all that withdraw from their colours c. my affliction but for mee to withdraw from God that is my sin and therefore it were better for mee that God should withdraw a thousand times from mee than that I should once withdraw from God God therefore forsakes us that wee may not forsake our God God sometimes hides himself that wee may cleave the clâ—ser to him and hang the faster upon him As the Mother hides her self from the childe for a time that the childe may cleave the closer and hang the faster upon her all the day long God sometimes hid himself from David Psal 30. 7. Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled I was all-amort well and is that all no vers 8. I cried to thee O Lord and unto the Lord I made supplication Now hee cries louder and cleaves closer to God than ever so in that Psal 63. 1 2. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in thy Sanctuary Well and how do these withdrawings of God work why this you may see in verse 8. My soul followeth hard after thee or as the Hebrew reads it my soul cleaveth after thee look as the husband cleaves to his wife so doth my soul cleave to the Lord the Psalmist now follows God even hard Gen. 2. 24 at heels as wee say But Thirdly The Lord by withdrawing from his people will inhance and raise the price and commend the worth excellency sweetness 2 Pet. 1. 4 and usefulness of several precious promises which otherwise would bee but as dry breasts and as useless weapons to the soul As that Micah 7. 18 19. Hee will turn again hee will have compassion upon us c. and that Isa 54. 7 8. but now opened and that Heb. 13. 5 6. and that Hab. 2. 3. and that And that John 14. 21 23. and that 1 Sam. 12. 20. Isa 60. 19 ult Psal 5. 12. For thou Lord wilt bless the Righteous with favour thou wilt compass him or crown him as with a shield the Lord will compass the righteous about with his favour as the Crown compasses about the head as the Hebrew imports and that Psal 112. 4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in darkness hee is gracious and full of compassion and righteous And that Jer. 3â— 37. Thus saith the Lord if Heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord. As sure as Heaven cannot bee measured nor the foundations of the earth searched by the skill or power of any mortal man So sure and certain it is that God will not utterly cast off his people no noâ— for all the evil that they have done
now at what a rare doth a deserted souâ— vâ—â—ue these precious promises well saith hee these Psal 119. 103. 72. v. â—sa 19. 10 Pro. 8. 11 Joâ— 23. 12 promises are sweeter than the hony or the hony-comb they are more precious than gold than fine gold than much gold than all the gold in the world I prefer them before my food before my delighâ—ul food yea before my necessary food before my appointed portion As Alexander laid up Homers Iliads in a Cabinet embroidered with gold and pearls so deserted souls will lay up these precious promises in the Cabinet of their hearts as the choicest treasure the world affords Dol 〈…〉 ns they say love musick so do â—eserted souls the musick of the promises That promise 1 Tim. 1. 15. was musick to Bilny the Martyr and that promise John 10. 29. was musick to Vrsine and that promise Isa 57. 15. was musick to another and that promise Isa 26. 3. was musick to another and that to another Mat. 11. 28 c. promises that are suited to a deserted mans condition make the sweetest musick in his car and are the most soveraign cordials to bear up his spirits that God can give or Heaven afford or the soul desire Deut. 32. 13. Hee made him to ride on the high places of the earth that hee might eâ—â— the fruits of the field and hee made him to suck hony out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock Ah the hony the oil that deserted souls suck out of such promises that speak home and close to their conditions Fourthly By Gods hiding his face and withdrawing himself from thee thou wilâ— bee inabled more feelingly and more experimentally to sympathize with others Heb. 5. 2 and to have compassion on others that are or may bee in the dark and forsaken of God as now thou art Heb. 13. 2. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them which suffer adversity as being your selves also in the body It is observed of the Bees that Plin. Nat. Hist lib. 11. cap. 17 when one is sick they all mourn and of the Sheep that if one of them bee faint the rest of the flock will stand between it and the Sun until it bee revived in the natural body if one member grieve and is in pain all suffer with it when a thorn is got into the foot how doth the back bow and the eyes pry and the hands go to pluck the thorn out none so compassionate towards deserted souls as those who have been deserted and forsaken of God themselves Oh! they know what an evil a bitter thing it is to bee left and forsaken of God and therefore their bowels their compassions run out much to such yea most to such they know that there is no affliction no misery no hell to that of being forsaken of God Anaxagoras seeing himself old Plutarch and forsaken of the world laid himself down and covered his head close determining to starve himself to death with hunger but alass what is it to bee forsaken of the world to a mans being forsaken of God were there as many worlds as there bee men in the world a man were better bee forsaken by them all than to bee forsaken of God There is a great truth in that saying of Chrysostome Chrysost ad Pop. Antioch Hom. 47. in Mat. Hom. 24. viz. That the torments of a thousand hells if there were so many come far short of this one to wit to bee turned out of Gods presence with a non novi vos I know you not Mat. 7. 23. The schools have long since concluded that paena sensus the pain of loss is far greater than paena damni the pain of sense what a grief was it to Absolon to see the Kings face clouded and how sadly was Eli and his daughter affected with the loss of the Ark which was but a testimony of Gods presence but Oh how much more is a Christian affected and afflicted with the loss of the face and favour of God the remembrance of which makes his heart to melt and his bowels to yearn towards those whose Sun is set in a cloud Fifthly Hereby the Lord will teach his people to set a higher price upon his face and favour when they come to enjoy it Cant. Austin saith Lord I am content to suffer any pains and torments in this world if I might see thy face one day at such a rate did he prize the face of God 3. 4. It was but a little that I passed from them but I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and I would not let him go c. No man sets so high a price upon Christ as hee that hath lost him and found him again Jesus in the China tongue signifies the rising Sun and so hee is Mal. 4. 2. especially to souls that have been long clouded The poor Northern Nations in Strabo who want the light of the Sun for some months together when the tearm of his return approaches they climb up into the highest mountains to spie it and hee that spies it first was accounted the best and most beloved of God and usually they did chuse him King at such a rate did they prize the return of the Sun Ah! so it is with a poor soul that for some months years hath been deserted Oh how highly doth hee prize and value the Sun of Righteousness his returning to him and shining upon him Psa 63. 3. Thy loving kindness is better than life or better than lives as the Hebrew hath it divine favour Chaimi is better than life it is better than life with all its revenues with all its appurtenances as honours riches pleasures applause c. yea it is better than many lives put together Now you know at what a high rate men value their lives they will bleed sweat vomit purge part with an estate yea with a limb yea limbs to preserve their lives As hee cried out give mee any deformity any torment any misery so you spare my life Now though life bee so dear and precious to a man yet a deserted soul prizes the returnings of divine favour upon him above life yea above many lives many men have been weary of their lives as is evident in Scripture and History but no man was ever yet found that was weary of the love and favour of God no man sets so high a price upon the Sun as hee that hath lain long in a dark dungeon c. But Sixthly Hereby the Lord will train up his servants in that precious life of faith which is the most honourable and the most happy life in all the world 2 Cor. 5. 7. For wee walk by faith and not by sight The life of sense the life of reason is a low life a mean life the life of faith is a noble life a blessed life when Elisha demanded of the Shunamite 2 King 4. 15 16 what hee
put off the motions of his Spirit the directions of his word the offers of his grace the entreaties of his Son and therefore what can be more just than that God should delay thee for a time and put thee off for a season who hast delaied him and put off him daies without number if God serves thee as thou hast often served him thou hast no reason to complain But Seventhly and lastly The Lord delaies his people that Heaven may be the more sweet to them at last here they meet with many delaies and with many put offs but in Heaven they shall never meet with one put off with one delay here many times they call and cry and can get no answer Lam. 3. 8 44 here they knock and bounce and yet the door of grace and mercy opens not to them but in Heaven they shall have mercy at the first word at the first knock there whatever heart can wish shall without delay be enjoyed here God seems to say sometimes souls you have mistaken the door or I am not at leasure or others must be served before you or come some other time c. But in Heaven God is alwaies at leasure and all the sweetness and blessedness and happiness of that state presents it self every hour to the soul there God hath never God will never say to any of his Saints in Heaven come to morrow such language the Saints sometimes hear here but such language is no waies suitable to a glorified condition and therefore seeing that the Lord never delaies his people but upon great and weighty accounts let his people bee silent before him let them not mutter nor murmure but be mute And so I have done with the Objections I shall come now in the last place to propound some helps and directions that may contribute to the silencing and stilling of your souls under the greatest afflictions the sharpest trials and the saddest providences that you meet with in this world and so close up this discourse First All the afflictions that come upon the Saints they are the Prov. 3. 12 Jer. 9. 7 fruits of divine love Rev. 3. 19. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten bee zealous therefore and repent Heb. 12. 6. For whom the Lord loveth hee chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom hee receiveth Job 5. 17. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty ch 7. 17 18. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him And that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment Isa 48. 10. Behold I have refined thee but not with silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction When Munster lay sick and his friends asked him how hee did and how hee felt himself hee pointed to his sores and ulcers whereof hee was full and said these are Gods Gems and Jewels wherewith hee decketh his best friends and to mee they are more precious than all the gold and silver in the world A Gentleman highly prizes his Hawk hee feeds her with his own hand hee carries her upon his fist hee takes a great deal of delight and pleasure in her and therefore hee puts vervells upon her leggs and a hood upon her head hee hood-winks her and fetters her because hee loves her and takes delight in her So the Lord by afflictions hood-winks and fetters his children but all is because hee loves them and takes delight and pleasure in them there cannot be a greater evidence of Gods hatred and wrath than his Hos 4. 14. 19 Ezek. 16. 42 Isa 1. 5 Nihil est infaelicius â—o cui nil unquam contigit adversi Seneca refusing to correct men for their sinful courses and vanities why should you bee smitten any more you will revolt more and more where God refuses to correct there God resolves to destroy there is no man so near the Axe so near the flames so near Hell as hee whom God will not so much as spend a Rod upon God is most angry where hee shews no anger Jerome writing to a sick friend hath this expression I account it a part of unhappiness not to know adversity I judge you to bee miserable because you have not been miserable nothing saith another Demetrius seems more unhappy to mee than hee to whom no adversity hath hapned God afflicts thee O Christian in love and therefore Luther cries out strike Lord strike Lord and spare not who can seriously muse upon this and not hold his peace and not bee silent under the most smarting Rod Secondly Consider that the trials and troubles the calamities and miseries the crosses and losses that you meet with in this world is all the Hell that ever you shall have here you have your Hell hereafter you shall have your Heaven this is the worst of your condition the best is to come Lazarus had his Hell first his Heaven Luke 16. 19 29 last but Dives had his Heaven first and his Hell at last thou hast all thy pains and pangs and throws here that ever thou shalt have thy ease and rest and pleasure is to come here you have all your bitter your sweet is to come here you have your sorrows your joyes are to come here you have all your winter nights your summer daies are to come here you have your passion week your Ascension day is to come here you have your evil things your good things are to come death will put a period to all thy sins and to all thy sufferings and it will bee an inlet to those joyes delights and contents that shall never have end and therefore hold thy peace and be silent before the Lord. Thirdly Get an assurance that Christ is yours and pardon of sin See my Treatise called Heaven on Earth yours and divine favour yours and Heaven yours and the sense of this will exceedingly quiet and silence the soul under the sorest and the sharpest trials a Christian can meet with in this world hee that is assured that God is his portion wil never mutter nor murmure under his greatest burdens hee that can groundedly say nothing shall separate mee from the love of God in Christ hee will be able to triumph in the midst of the greatest Rom. 8. 33 ult Cant. 2. 16 tribulations hee that with the Spouse can say My Beloved is mine and I am his will bear up quietly and sweetly under the heaviest afflictions In the time of the Marian Act. Mon. Persecution there was a gracious woman who being convened before bloody Bonner then Bishop So John Noyes Alice Driver Mr. Bradford Mr. Taylor and Justin Martyr with many more of London upon the trial of Religion hee threatned her that hee would take away her husband from her saith shee Christ is my husband I will take away thy childe Christ saith shee is better to mee than ten Sons I will
is renewed day by day As Aristarchus the Heathen said when hee was beaten by the Tyrants Beat on it is not Aristarchus you beat it is 1 Tim. 5. 23 3 John 2. onely his shell Timothy had a very healthful soul in a crazy body and Gaius had a very prosperous soul in a weak distempered body Epictetus and many of the more refined Heathens have long since concluded that the body was the organ or vessel the soul was the man and Merchandize Now all the troubles and afflictions that a Christian meets with they do not reach his soul they touch not his conscience they make no breach upon his noble part and therefore hee hath cause to hold his peace and to lay his hands upon his mouth the soul is the breath of God the beauty of man the wonder of Angels and the envy Heb. 12. 9 Zach. 12. 1 of Devils it is a caelestial plant and of a divine off-spring it is an immortal spirit souls are of an Angelick nature a man is an Angel cloathed in clay the soul is a greater miracle in man than all the miracles wrought amongst men the soul is a demi-semi-God dwelling in a house of clay Now it is not in the power of any outward troubles and afflictions that a Christian meets with to reach his soul and therefore hee may well sit mute under the smarting Rod. Ninthly If thou wouldest bee silent and quiet under the saddest providences and sorest trials then keep up Faith in continual exercise Now Faith in the exercise of it will quiet and silence the soul thus 1 By bringing the soul to sit Joh. 14. 8 Psa 17. 15 down satisfied in the naked enjoyments of God 2 By drying up the springs of pride self-love impatience murmuring unbeleef and the carnal delights of this world 3 By presenting to the soul greater sweeter and better things Heb. 11. 8 9 10 14. Phil. 3. 7 8 in Christ than any this world doth afford 4 By lessening the souls esteem of all outward vanities do but keep up the exercise of Faith and thou wilt keep silent before the Lord. No man so mute as hee whose Faith is still busie about invisible objects Tenthly If you would keep silent then keep humble before the Lord. Oh! labour every day to bee more humble and more low and little in your own eyes who Job 7. 1 18 am I saith the humble soul but that God should cross mee in this mercy and take away that mercy and pass a sentence of death upon every mercy I am not worthy of the least mercy I deserve not a crum of mercy I have forfeited Prov. 13. 16 every mercy I have improved never a mercy Onely by pride comes contention it is onely pride that puts men upon contending with God and men an humble soul will lye quiet at the foot of God it will bee contented with bare commons As you see sheep can live upon the bare Commons which a fat Oxe cannot A Dinner of green herbs relisheth well with the humble mans palate whereas a stalled Oxe is but a course dish to a proud mans stomack an humble heart thinks none less than himself nor none worse than himself an humble heart looks upon small Gen. 32. 10 11. Austin being asked what was the first grace answered humility what the second humility what the third humility mercies as great mercies and great afflictions as small afflictions and small afflictions as no afflictions and therefore sits mute and quiet under all do â—ut keep humble and you will keep silent before the Lord pride kicks and flings and frets but an humble man hath still his hand upon his mouth Every thing on this side Hell is mercy much mercy rich mercy to an humble soul and therefore hee holds his peace Eleventhly If you would keep silence under the afflicting hand of God then keep close hold fast these soul-silencing and soul-quieting maxims or principles As First That the worst that God doth to his people in this world is in order to the making of them a Heaven on Earth hee brings them into a wilderness but it is that hee may speak comfortably to them he Hos 2. 14 casts them into the fiery furnace but it is that they may have more of his company doe the stones come thick and threefold about Stephens ears it is but to knock Act. 7. him the nearer to Christ the corner-stone c. Secondly If you would bee silent then hold fast this principle viz. That what God wills is best Heb. 12. 10 when hee wills sickness sickness is better than health when hee wills weakness weakness is better than strength when hee wills want want is better than wealth when hee wills reproach reproach is better than honour when hee wills death death is better than life As God is wisdome it self and so knows that which is best so hee is goodness it self and therefore cannot do any thing but that which is best therefore hold thy peace Thirdly If thou wouldest bee silent under thy greatest afflictions then hold fast to this principle viz. That the Lord will bear thee company in all thy afflictions Isa 41. 10 ch 43. 2. Psal 23. 4. Psal 90. 15. Dan. 3. 25. Gen. 39. 20 21. 2 Tim. 4. 16 17. These Scriptures are breasts full of divine consolation these wells of salvation are full will you turn to them and draw out that your souls may bee satisfied and quieted Fourthly If you would bee silent under your afflictions then hold fast this principle that the Lord hath more high more noble and more blessed ends in the afflicting of you than hee hath in the afflicting of the men of the world The stalk and the ear of corn fall upon the threshing flore under one and the same flail but the one is shattered in peeces the other is preserved from one and the same Olive and from under one and the same press is crushed out both Oil and dreggs but the one is tunn'd up for use the other thrown out as unserviceable and by one and the same breath the fields are perfumed with sweetness and annoyed with unpleasant savours so though afflictions do befall good and bad alike as the Scripture speaks yet Eccles 9. 2 the Lord will effect more glorious ends by those afflictions that befall his people than hee will effect by those that befall wicked men and therefore the Lord puts his people into the furnace for their trial but the wicked for their ruine the one is bettered by affliction the other is made worse the one is made soft and tender by afflictions the other is more hard and obdurate the one is drawn nearer to God by afflictions the other is driven further from God c. Fifthly If you would bee silent under your afflictions then you must hold fast this principle viz. Matth. 15. 21 29 That the best way in this world to have thine own will is
said another it were a sad condition indeed iâ— they were carried to a place where they should not finde their God but let them bee of good chear God goes along with them and will exhibit the comforts of his presence whithersoever they go the presence of God with the spirits of his people is a breast of comfort that can never bee drawn drye it is an everlasting spring that will Heb. 13. 5 6 Isa 40. 29 30 31 never fail Well Christian thou art under many great troubles many sore trials but tell mee doth God give into thy soul such cordials such supports such comforts and such refreshments that the world knows not of O then certainly thy affliction is in love Fourthly If by your affliction you are made more conformable Witness Judas Demas and those in the 6th of John and many Qâ—akers and other deluded people among us this day to Christ in his virtues then certainly your afflictions are in love many are conformable to Christ in their sufferings that are not made conformable to Christ in his virtues by their sufferings many are in poverty neglect shame contempt reproach c. like to Christ who yet by these are not made more like to Christ in his meekness humbleness heavenliness holiness righteousness faithfulness fruitfulness goodness contentedness patience submission subjection Oh but if in these things you are made more like to Christ without all peradventure your afflictions are in love If by afflictions the soul bee led to shew forth or to preach forth the virtues of Christ as that word imports in that 1 Pet. 2. 9. then certainly Exaggeilete publickly to set forth those afflictions are in love for they never have such an operation but where they are set on by a hand of love when God strikes as an enemy there all those stroaks do but make a man more an enemy to God as you see in Pharaoh and others but when the stroaks Isa 26. 8 9 10 Jer. 5. 3. Amos 6. 1 ult of God are the stroaks of love Oh then they do but bring the soul nearer Christ and transform the soul more and more into the likeness of Christ if by thy afflictions thou art made more holy humble heavenly c. they are in love Every afflicted Christian should strive to bee honoured with that Elogie of Salvian singularis domini praeclarus imitator An excellent Disciple of a singular Master But Fifthly If by outward afflictions thy soul bee brought more under Job 34. 31 32 the inward teachings of God doubtless thy afflictions are in love Psal 94. 12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law All the chastening in the world without divine teaching will never make a man blessed that man that findes correction attended with instruction and lashing with lessoning is a happy man If God by the affliction that is upon thee shall teach thee how to loathe sin more and how to trample upon the world more and how to walk with God more thy afflictions are in love if God shall teach thee by afflictions how to dye to sin more and how to dye to thy relations more and how to dye to self-interest more thy afflictions are in love if God shall teach thee by afflictions how to live to Christ more how to lift up Christ more and how to long for Christ more thy afflictions are in love If God shall teach thee by afflictions to get assurance of a better life and to bee still in a gracious readiness and preparedness for the day of thy death thy afflictions are in love if God shall teach thee by afflictions how to minde Heaven more how to live in Heaven more and how to fit for Heaven more thy afflictions are in love if God by afflictions shall teach thy proud heart how to lye more low and thy hard heart how to grow more humble and thy censorious heart how to grow more charitable and thy carnal heart how to grow more spiritual and thy froward heart how to grow more quiet c. thy afflictions are in love When God teaches thy reins as well as thy brains thy heart as well as thy head these lessons or any of these lessons thy afflictions are in love Socrat. lib. 4. cap. 18. Pambo an illiterate dunce as the Historian terms him was a learning that one lesson I said I will take heed to my waies that I sin not with my tongue nineteen years and yet had not learned it Ah! it is to bee feared that there are many who have been in the school of affliction above this nineteen years and yet have not learned any saving lesson all this while surely their afflictions are not in love but in wrath where God loves hee afflicts in love and where-ever God afflicts in love there hee will first or last teach such souls such lessons as shall do them good to all eternity But Sixthly If God suit your burdens to your backs your trials to Isa 27. 8 Jer. 30. 11. ch 46. 28 your strength according to that golden promise 1 Cor. 10. 13. Your afflictions are in love There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to bee tempted above that yee are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that yee may bee able to bear it When Gods stroaks and a Christians strength are suited one to another all is in love let the load bee never so heavy Gen. 49. 23 24. that God laies on if hee put under his everlasting arms all is in love As Egypt had many venemous creatures so it had many antidotes against them when God shall lay antidotes into the soul against all the afflictions that befall a Christian then they are all in love it is no matter how heavy the burden is if God gives a shoulder to bear it all is in love it is no matter how bitter the cup is if God give courage to drink it off it is no matter how hot the furnace is if God gives power to walk in the midst of it all is in love Seventhly Iâ— thou art willing to lye in the furnace till thy dross bee consumed if thou art willing Job 23. 10 Mic. 7. 9 that the plaister should lye on though it smart till the cure bee wrought if thou art willing that the physick should work though it makes thee sick till the humors bee expelled all is in love Cain and Saul and Pharaoh were all for the removing away of the stroak the affliction they cry not out our sins are greater than wee are able to bear but they cry out our punishment is greater Gen. 4. 13 Isa 28. 1 6. ch 59. 9 17 Exod. 7 8 9 10. chapters than wee are able to bear they cry not out Lord take away our sins but Lord remove the stroak of thy hand Oh! but when an