such intemperancy of Spirit as you do Through Faith and it alone you do more than subdue Kingdoms you may subdue your selves and work righteousness even the righteousness of God which the wrath of men never worketh Jam. 1. 20. and out of weakness be made strong wax valiant in fight and turn to fight these armies of the Aliens What a disappointment and defeat doth believing Patience give to your Enemy when Anger and Wrath is suppressed and turned by He thought by it to have had the Plunder of the City and to have quartered his Legions upon you to have enthralled you and to have kept possession for him But by the Fortifications of Faith and Patience you hold out and keep your Peace and a good Conscience and it may be you cause your Enemy to fly to his loss and gain to your selves by it to increase your strength against another time from the Success and Comfort you find in this stout resistance 7. Live in Love Christian Love in its genuine Latitude would rule thy Spirit It will cover a multitude of Sins of other Folks and prevent abundance of thy own If Love suffereth long and is kind envieth not vaunteth not its self is not puffed up doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things 1 Cor. 13. 4 5 7. Where could Anger get in If love had this ascendency in the Soul there would be no room for Passion And it is evident that so much the more Anger so much the less Love at any time look and judge where you will He that covereth a Transgression seeketh love Prov. 17. 9. And he that truly loveth will cover what Transgressions he can Uncharitable suspition says one is a cause of Anger a good disposition makes a good exposition Love one another and then you will not willingly offend nor easily be offended with one another And study the Love of God 1 John 4. 11. If God hath so loved us we ought also to love one another Under sense of the Divine Favour it is so taking that we can do no less than love all about us In a sense of his turning his wrath from us and forgiving us it cannot but make us lay down all wrath and forgive all that offend us And if we labour under the want of the manifestation of Divine Love and feel his Displeasure that he may be pleased with us we would sure be willing to let our displeasure towards others to fall and to be at peace that we might have peace A thing not to be expected whilst we continue our Anger and undue Wrath towards any Matth. 11. 26. But if you do not forgive neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses Matth. 18. 35. 8. Labour to have the heart always possessed with some holly thing To be always under the powerful influence of some good word of God to keep the heart savoury towards God Psal. 119. 11. I have hid thy word in my heart that I might not sin against thee The word of God should dwell in you richly Col. 3. 16. If the Book of the Law is prescribed to the King that he must have it with him and read in it all the days of his life among other reasons that it might help the temper of his Spirit that his heart might not be lifted up above his brethren Deut. 17. 19 20. Why should not this blessed word read constantly by every good man with understanding observation and application help his heart to carry without pride and passion towards all about him If it be sufficient to temper the heart of a King shall it not be enough to temper such poor Wretches as thee and me You should have Forces from Heaven to keep Garrison or you can never keep Enemies out nor keep order within An empty drained heart will easily be surprized and disturbed 9. Keep constant watch in this case We must because of the many Enemies that are ready to come against us make our Prayer unto our God and set a watch against them day and night because of them Neh. 4. 9. In the case of Offences and passing by and forgiving you will easily miss it there will always be so many occasions unless you take great heed implied in that of Luke 17. 3. as I hinted before If you would carry as you should do towards all Relations and others you have to do with you must take heed to your Spirits Mal. 2. 15 16 you must cure your Miscarriages at the root by getting your Spirits better compounded and mixt and made up with the Graces that make a right Spirit and then you must watch to keep it so that you may neither deliberately nor suddenly deal treacherously Though your Walls be built you should keep a watch too and all little enough 10. Religious and rational Consideration Have you no consideration with you that you are thus transported on this manner Consider 1. That rash Anger doth not work the Righteousness of God Jam. 1. 20. It hinders duty to God and oft brings in much sin 2. That it seldom rightly intends our own good and rarely effects it What doth Anger do but what Calmness might do and do it better and escape this trouble of vexation unless like the Dog in the Fable that would not have his Bone unless he might fight for it The soft tongue breaketh the bone Prov. 25. 15. Wise men speak quietly and do their business without noise Eccl. 9. 17. and by this means prevail more with the weightiness of their counsel and calm delivery than he that hath more power and dealeth all in proud wrath If what I would have done may sooner and sooner be done by fair words who would chide to have it done What a fine Life is it to have all things done in quiet Unless you love Anger who would be angry if he could do things as well nay better without Anger 3. Consider that provocations are either intended or not intended as to the Party you are provoked by If not intended you do wrong to the Party to lay such an imputation upon him to lay to his charge the thing that he knew not or thought not of If intended to provoke you you are a Fool to gratifie him and to fulfil his Design upon you None can vex you unless you will your self 4. Consider the quality of the person you are concerned with Seneca hath almost done this to my hand Is it a good man that hath done thee the Injury do not believe it Is it a bad man do not wonder at it To strive with thy Equals is doubtful with thy Superiors madness with thy Inferiors sordid and base either he that hath wronged thee is stronger than thou or weaker If stronger spare thy self if weaker spare him A Christian may argue much more on this manner If the Person provoking be above
are of a melancholy temper long before they burn but last a great while 3. Some soon kindled and long in burning and these wrathful Wretches are worst of all 4. Some long in kindling and soon cooled and these are best of all and likest unto God they will not begin Anger unreasonable nor continue it unseasonable There are two things to be done to pursue this Similitude to the designed end of it 1. To shew the Damages we are liable unto whilst thus unwalled and unfortified which may serve as Motives to the Duty implied 2. To shew the way to be fortified better as the best Means against this great Evil. 1. The Damages we are liable unto by not having due rule over our own Spirits by being unwalled and unfortified Our Wall is broken down and we lye open 1. In General 1. To our vigilant Enemy to break in upon us at pleasure and that is the Devil if we abide in Wrath we give place to him Eph. 4. 27. which implies he hath a chief hand in kindling this fire and adding fewel to it and is highly pleased with it and gets great Advantages against us by it You make one another sad but him merry by your clamours and quarrellings Now is his time 1. To destroy Love 2. To aggravate the Offences 3. To help you with provoking words 4. To put you on in your heat to say or do something that else would not have been said or done and 5. To lay a foundation for more work of the same kind for the future by boiling it to hatred and malice and enmity and perpetual uncharity 2. To our base Corruptions to break out which yet had been kept in to the disquiet of some and scandal of others One would not have thought there had been such a superfluity of naughtiness in thee as this Passion hath let out to the hurt of all about thee That gets out now which will not easily be gotten in again and that gets vent now that will not be fetcht back again Such base words had never took Air but for this occasion but where there is no Walls these Salleys will be frequent as they are filthy and mischievous such as are bitterness and wrath and anger and evil-speaking and malice Eph. 4. 31. If there be any thing within against thy Brother that were fitter to be kept in now it breaks out to his reproach and great prejudice by the hurt it may do him and the hurt it may tempt him to do in his own defence or vindication or it may be Revenge Any thing that is evil within and there is always enough may now break out for the Walls are down and there is nothing to keep it in 2. Both these ways more particularly there is great hurt done by and to this unguarded Spirit By the Incursions and Excursions before-mentioned It damnifies 1. In thy Innocency and lays thee under guilt thou canst not be innocent and do thus from time to time thou art a Transgressor of the holy Command that forbids unjust and inordinate Anger Thou sinnest in thy self within thy self and thou sinnest in thy words and actions He loveth transgression that loveth strife Prov. 17. 19. and an angry man stirreth up strife and a furious man aboundeth in transgressions Prov. 29. 22. It is sin and that is no little evil but the Sin of Anger seldom goes alone Swearing lying reviling violence c. do oft attend it 2. In thy good frame and disposition for holy duty without which thou canst not live The performance and acceptance of Religious Duties is sadly hindered hereby because rash Anger is so great a sin therefore before you offer your gift you should end your quarrels Matth. 5. 23 24. Take special heed of Anger that your Prayers be not hindered 1 Pet. 3. 7. that it hinder not the duty or the success of it you must remember to pray lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting 1 Tim. 2. 8. 3. Consequent or a part of this it will damnifie in the presence of God to thy Soul without which thou wilt have a poor dull life Psal. 63. 1 2 3. Thou hast fumed him to a distance from thee and shalt not find him to influence thee and comfort thee as sometimes he hath done He may well take his turn to be angry and thou maist find it to thy cost 4. In thy Peace If you would not grieve the Spirit that should seal you you must put away all bitterness and wrath Eph. 4. 30 31. The sweet Spirit will not abide in the House where there is so much noise that good men have no mind to be there if they could help it No marvel if you want inward peace when you are so unquiet that we cannot know by this work what Spirit you are off To be sure in this temper and outrage you are not of the Spirit of Christ choose what you are in the main And if the Truth of Grace can be consistent at least evident amidst such habituated Passion is very hard to understand That sad word of a great Man of God I have often mentioned That they rarely have much Peace of Conscience that do not make Conscience of Peace Who will wonder or almost pity you when you complain of unassuredness when you indulge Anger as you do How can you hope that God should be well pleased with you when no body almost can please you 5. In thy wisdom It is want of presence of mind that is of Wisdom or thou wouldst not turn thy self out of doors on this fashion for a slight cause or for any cause Prov. 17. 27. a man of understanding is of an excellent or as it is in the Margin of a cool Spirit It is a Nabal and folly is with him that is morose and evil humoured that he cannot be spoken to 1 Sam. 25. 17. 25. that setteth Will and Humour above Reason Anger resteth in the bosom of Fools Eccl. 7. 8 9. The discretion of a Man deferreth his Anger Prov. 19. 11. It is want of Discretion to be angry Ira Anger is ab ire to go out of himself and to be pacified is redire ad seipsum to return to himself A proud man saith one has no God an envious man no neighbour and an angry man hath not himself 6. In thy Honour and Reputation It is a great abatement to any man that he is a rash and passionate man Proud and haughty Scorner is his name that dealeth in proud wrath Prov. 21. 24. It is a blemish to him to be under such a Character An Heathen advised an angry man to look in the Glass in the Paroxysm what a disfigurement it is Eyes flaming Countenance distorted Mouth frothing c. Nescio utrum magis detestabile vitium an deforme Seneca I know not whether it be a more detestable or deformed Vice Men have no pleasure in converse with such a man lest he be hurt or infected by him Prov. 22. 24
Base men in Office before and now the best bare rule that were turned out before Then Lust and Pride and Passion and Covetousness ruled now Reason and Discretion and a good Understanding do bear sway Prov. 2. 10 11. When Wisdom entreth into thine heart and Knowledge is pleasant unto thy Soul Discretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee 2. The Example of Christ whose Name we bear and after whom we are called Christians for his Patronage and Imitation He did not cry nor was his voice heard in the streets Learn says he of me for I am meek dispassionate In a world of provocations it was great wisdom in that great Man that to keep him out of Anger had that saying Matth. 11. 29. written in his Study always before him to temper himself by whenever he was provoked Christ endured the contradictions of sinners against himself Hebr. 12. 3. Christ hath left us an example that we should follow his steps who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously 1 Pet. 2. 21 23. and that in the case of Life it self and great bodily Sufferings and will not this Example serve to bear slight Indignities which is our usual Exercise at most 3. To live in a constant sense of God's presence Psal. 119. 168. I have kept thy Precepts and thy Testimonies for all my ways are before thee To break his Law before his face is very daring It 's dangerous to threaten or strike in the King's presence nay in the Verge of his Court If you can get out of God's Court you may chide on Besides the undecency rudeness and unmannerliness not to forbear your Contests whilst he stands by is unaccountable a respect expected by any stranger not much better than your selves It may cool you one would think to consider that God hath seen and heard all Potest miles coram rege suo non irasci ob solam Regiae Majestatis eminentiam Basil. A Soldier though Wrath and Envy seem to be the essential qualities of a Soldier can bridle his Rage and put up an Injury in the presence of his King how much more should not God's Eye check us in these transports of ours 4. To labour for true Humility and low esteem of your selves If you were lowly in heart you would be meek Matth. 11. 29. Only by pride cometh contention but with the well-advised is humility and wisdom Prov. 13. 10. You are too good to be controlled and no body knows any thing but you and Wisdom no doubt shall die with you and that makes you testy and touchy and impatient of any Contradiction or Non-compliance as if you were infallible and none must think or speak otherwise than you do on pain of your high displeasure Prov. 28. 25. He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat He that over-values himself despiseth other men and is impatient of Contradiction and the least Slight or Injury and indulgeth his own Passion shall not be fat but shall be lean and miserable But the humble man is one that trusteth in the Lord. He is mean and vile in his own eyes and therefore trusts not to himself but to God only making God's Will and not his own Will and Passion the rule of all his Actions and can easily deny himself and yield to others all which are excellent Preservatives against strife He shall live happily and comfortably because he avoids that strife which makes mens lives miserable Mr. Pool on the place Mr. Ball hated Passion in Professors and would say Look well to your hearts for Passion is the effect of Pride Keep a fresh sense of thy own vileness upon thy Soul This humbleness of mind will make us for bearing and forgiving Col. 3. 12 Alas all Wrath and Contention and spiteful Words and Revenge comes from Pride and some rooted conceit of some Worthiness in thy self Remember thy self and it may make thee meek and placable though abused and provoked Alas Who am I they vilifie me and am I not vile I am beholden to my Enemies or my Friends when Angry to know my faultiness and imperfections Can they say worse by me than I know by my self A great matter if it be true who speaks it This poor man knows not me or this is not all the evil he would have said by me 5. To be mortified to the world Oft your great quarrels are about worldly Concerns which if you were mortified to as you should be you would not count them worthy of so much heat and passion about them Those that are covetous are oft horribly cross they are afraid the World should overgo them and so oft withold more than is meet and trouble their own House Prov. 11. 29. How should sinful Anger be kept out when Wives are straitned and have not honour of due maintenance as the word imports and are not used as fellow heirs of the grace of life 1 Pet. 3. 7. And in other Occurrences and Occasions mens too much love to the World will hazard the greatest kindnesses if any thing of Meum and Tuum be toucht upon then these Dogs snarl and fight about their Carrion Let the World rule you less and you will rule your selves better 6. To live by faith There is an evil heart of unbelief in all roots of bitterness that spring up among you one towards another at any time Faith in unseen things sets a huge wall about our Spirits against all Incursions or Excursions to our prejudice Actual believing gives reality to greater things which may possess our Minds and stir up other Affections in us to imploy us so as not to be vacant to such mean things as these are that we vex about Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible Hebr. 11. 27. And Faith will fetch in help from Heaven to repel and overcome all Assaults made upon us Luke 17. 4 5. Our Saviour spake considerably to this matter when he advises his Disciples to take heed to themselves and that is about passing by and forgiving many provocations for you are sure to have many and unless you take great heed you will be liable to miss in this as in any thing in not forgiving as you should do but it is your duty to forgive and that again and again And on this the Apostle said unto the Lord Increase our Faith without more Faith then yet we have we can never pass by such reiterated Provocations but if our Faith be encreased it will furnish us with Arguments enough why we should do it and with strength in Soul whereby we may be able to do it and a great deal more When your Passions are so high your Faith is low believe and you would be calmer at any time Faith is a mighty stickler of Tumults in the Soul and Faith is set aside when you give way to
Should be deal with our sister as with an harlot No he ought not to have done so but he married her upon your own terms and should you have dissembled at that rate as you have done and murther a whole City for the abuse of one unwary young Woman c. You think it was bravely done to avenge your Religion in the horrid abuse of it but see how this is remembred by God in the Prophetick blessing of the Tribes they are cursed and their Posterity branded for this outrage Gen 49. 5 6. Object 2. Sure this is no such great sin to make such a stir about to be a little angry can be no such great matter Answ. 1. There may be a great difference in the Case and in the Person As 1. to be rarely angry 2. to be soon appeased 3. to be troubled for it and to repent of it c. may mitigate much But 2dly as it ordinarily prevails it is a great sin Doth Christ for nothing say that he that is angry with his Brother rashly is in so much danger And is it nothing that Moses 1. the meekest man of all the Earth and 2. was greatly provoked and spake unadvisedly with his lips and 3. was so severely punished for it And even slighty efforts of it are oft great sorrow to some Souls and is it nothing to you Object 3. It is my nature I have not the felicity of such a temper as some have I am naturally hot and passionate Answ. 1. So some are naturally lustful and gustful but will this excuse acts of Uncleanness filthy Gormondising 2. What is Grace for but to correct and relieve Nature let it suffice for unregenerate men to be children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. actively as well as passively but let not the regenerate talk at that rate Are ye carnal and will ye walk like men 1 Cor. 3. 3. In some of your Transports what could the vilest carnal Wretch speak or do worse and if persisted in take heed lest you prove your self unrenewed after all and for all your Professions your holy Religion will not allow allowed Anger you have not so learn'd Christ Eph. 4. 24. And it reaches to all that follows as well as to what went before and so pursuant of that you are to put away all bitterness and wrath c. ver 31. It is the victory and triumph of Grace to change mens natural tempers 3. Men have had help in this case It is said of Beza that he was naturally passionate but he had got such victory over it that it passed into a Proverb That Beza had no Gall. And Judge Hales would say that of himself he was inclined to be passionate but unless he had said it of himself no body could in the least have thought it by him he had such an absolute command of himself in all his converse that nothing like Passion was to be seen It is what hath been cured and if thou be willing why not in thee Object 4. But I am so accustomed to it I cannot help it Answ. 1. Your being accustomed to it will not make it no sin if it be a sin 2. It will be no Excuse nor Plea against Judgment in the case no more than for a Thief to plead I cannot help it for I have always used it the greater the Malefactor and in this case it will be no better 3. True Christians have new work and new conversions in some particulars as long as they live And this of being as a little Child against Envy Pride and Passion may claim a considerable part in a Christian's Progress Matth. 18. 3 4. The Spirit that is in us lusteth to Envy and so to Pride and Revengefulness but he gives more grace to overcome these most rooted lustings James 4. 5 6. 4. Some Christians have made Conscience of striving in this case notwithstanding their nature and custom and have had help and great comfort Object 5. But I have more than ordinary provocation Answ. 1. To be patient unprovoked is no patience what thank have ye 1 Pet. 2. 18. The Devil ye say is good if he be pleased 2. Here is the truth and exercise of grace to be meek when provoked and herein you imitate Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 2. 23. Who when he was reviled reviled not again and when he suffered he threatned not what he would do at them or what God would do to them in his cause but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously Flesh and Blood cannot bear such Affronts you will say but as one says I have not Flesh and Blood to deal-with for Flesh and Blood shall not enter into the Kingdom of God I hope I speak to believers to whom the Prophet speaks Isa. 51. 7. Hearken to me ye that know righteousness and in whose heart is my law Such as these will govern themselves and keep their Anger down 3. If you take no care to moderate Anger when provoked you will be angry when unproked or but lightly provoked And angry People if they dare be angry and use to be angry it is too usual with them to be so when they have little or no cause at all 4. It must be a great provocation indeed that will excuse wrath without bounds at any time The Ass kicks you and you kick the Ass again Object 6. But I have ungodly Relations that I cannot flee from they are a constant eye-sore and provocation unto me I cannot forbear Answ. 1. Such Cases should be constant exercise of Christian Patience and not of Carnal Passion 2. Doth Anger mend them or not make them worse A good Medicine will not go down when scalding-hot Angry Reproofs says Mr. Dod are scalding Potions they might do good if not too hot to be taken 3. You may be grieved at their sin and pity them and pray for them and not fret and vex and rail at them 4. You may find some sin of your own that had a hand in this trouble if you have indulged the Child when you should have bended him his stubbornness and rebellion is a punishment for your sin towards him And it is seldom that any can carry so undutifully and ungratefully towards you but your heart will tell you you have carried it worse towards God Mend your self and 1. this may be a means of their mending or 2. at least a help to you to bear it better 5. But if they are irreclaimable why should you destroy your own comfort or fall upon your self for their wickedness were it not more rational to leave them unto God and preserve your own City as well as you can resolving as once a grieved Father said to me that he would not hence forward lay that to his heart which his Son cast at his heels Object 7. But I am old and sickly and full of infirmities and this makes me peevish Answ. 1. I would have others for their own ease and in conscience of their duty to take it