esteem with God God sets the greatest value upon persons of a quiet spirit 1 Pet. 3. 4. But let it bee the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price A quiet spirit is a spark of the divine nature it is a ray a beam of glory it is a heaven-born spirit No man is born with a holy Silence in his heart as hee is born with a tongue in his mouth this is a flower of paradise it is a precious Jem that God makes very great reckoning of A quiet spirit speaks a man most like to God it capacitates a man for communion with God it renders a man most serviceable to God and it obliges a man to most accurate walking with God A meek and quiet spirit is an incorruptible ornament much more valuable than gold First There is a natural quietness which proceeds from a good temper and constitution of body Secondly There is a moral quietness which proceeds from good education and breeding which flows from good injunctions instructions and examples Thirdly There is an artificial quietness some have an art to imprison their passions and to lay a Law of restraint upon their anger and wrath when they are all in a flame within As you may 2 Sam. 13. 20 33 see in Cain Esau Absalom and Joab who for a time cast a close cloak over their malice when their hearts were set on fire of Hell so Domitian would seem to love them best whom hee willed least should live Fourthly There is a gracious quietness which is of the spirits infusion Gal. 5. 22 25. Now this quietness of spirit this spiritual frame of heart is of great price in the sight of God God values it above the world and therefore who would not covet it more than the world yea more than life it self Certainly the great God sets a great price upon nothing but that which is of an invaluable price what stretching strugling and striving is there for those things that the great ones of the earth do highly prize Ah what stretching of wits interests and consciences is there this day to gain and hold up that which justice will cast down how much better would it bee if all persons would in good earnest struggle and strive even as for life after a quiet and silent spirit which the great and glorious God sets so great a price upon this is a pearl of greatest price and happy is hee that purchases it though it were with the loss of all But Sixthly Consider that if you sit not quiet and silent under your greatest troubles and your sorest trials you will bee found fighters against your own prayers How often have you prayed that the will of God may bee done yea that it may bee done on the earth as the Angels those glistering Courtiers Mat. 6. 10 those Princes of glory do it now in Heaven when troubles and afflictions come upon you the will of God is done his will is accomplished why then should you fret fling and fume and not rather quietly lye down in his will whose Voluntas Dei necessitas rei every gracious soul should say Amen to Gods Amen hee should put his fiat his placet to Gods go it never so much against the hair with him will is a perfect will a just and righteous will a wise will an over-ruling will an infinite will a soveraign will a holy will an immutable will an uncontroulable will an omnipotent will and an eternal will certainly you will but add affliction to affliction by fighting against your own prayers and by vexing and fretting your selves when the will of God is done it is sad to see a man to fight against his friends it is sadder to see him fight against his relations it is saddest of all to see him fight against his prayers and yet this every Christian doth who murmures and mutters when the Rod of God is upon him some there be that pray against their prayers as Augustine who prayed for continency with a proviso Lord give mee continency but not yet And some there bee who fight against their prayers as those who pray that the will of God may be done and yet when his will is done upon them they are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest they are still fretting against the Lord. Ah Christians have you not sins to fight against and temptations to fight against and a Devil to fight against yea a whole world to fight against why then should you bee found fighting against your own prayers But Seventhly Consider A holy Silence under the heaviest burdens the greatest afflictions the saddest providences and changes will make all tollerable and easie to a Christian the silent soul can bear a burden without a burden those burdens and troubles that will break a froward mans Micah 7. 7 8 9 10 Psal 62. 1 6 back will not so much as break a silent mans sleep those afflictions that lye as heavy weights upon a murmurer will lye as light as a feather upon a mute Christian that bed of sorrow which is as a bed of thorns to a frâ—tful soul will bee as a bed of down to a silent soul a holy Silence unstings every affliction it takes off the weight of every burden it adds sweet to every bitter it changes dark nights into Sunshiny daies and terrible storms into desirable calms the smallest sufferings will easily vanquish an unquiet spirit but a quiet spirit will as easily triumph over the greatest sufferings As little mercies are great mercies so great sufferings are but little sufferings in the eye of a silent soul the silent soul never complains that his affliction is too great his burthen too heavy his cross too weighty his sufferings too many Silence makes him victorious over all And therefore as ever you would have heavy afflictions light and bee able to bear a burthen without a burthen labour as for life after this holy silence But Eighthly Consider That a holy Silence under afflictions will bee your best armour of proof against those temptations that afflictions may expose you to times Luk. 22. 31 34. Job 1. 3 Zach. 1. 2 3 4 Mat. 4. 1 2 3 of afflictions often prove times of great temptation and therefore afflictions are called temptations James 1. 12. Blessed is the man which endureth temp 〈…〉 on for when hee is tried hee shall receive the Crown of life c. The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to bee understood of temptations of probation of afflicting temptations and not of temptations of suggestion James 4. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 9 of seduction for they are not to bee endured but resisted and abhorred Now affliction is called temptation 1 Because as temptation tries what metal a Christian is made of so do afflictions 2 Because as Satan usually hath a great hand in all the temptations that
were better acquainted with the evils of Ulysses than with their own Never complain that thy afflictions are greater than others except thou canst evidence that thy sins are lesser than others Secondly It may bee thou art under some present distemper that dis-inables thee to make a right judgement of the different dealings Deut. 28. 28. Good men are sometimes strangely besotted and infatuated of God with thy self and others When the mind is distempered and the brain troubled many things seem to bee that are not and then little things seem very great Oh! the strange passions the strange imaginations the strange conclusions that attend a distempered judgement I have read of a foolish Emperour who to shew the greatness of his City made shew of many Spiders when the mind is disturbed men many times say they know not what and do they know not what it may be when these clouds are blown over and thy mind cleared and thy judgement setled thou wilt bee of another opinion The supplicant woman appealed from drunken King Philip to sober King Philip it is good to appeal from a distempered mind to a clear composed mind for that is the way to make a righteous judgement of all the righteous dispensations of God both towards our selves and towards others Nothing but strong vomits strong purges strong glisters will cure some Thirdly It may bee that the Lord sees that it is very needful that thy afflictions should be greater than others it may bee thy heart is harder than other mens hearts and prouder and stouter than other mens hearts it may bee thy heart is more impure than others and more carnal than others or else more passionate and more worldly than others or else more deceitful and more hypocritical than others or else more cold and careless than others or else more secure than others or more formal and luke-warm than others now if this bee thy case certainly God sees it very necessary for the breaking of thy hard heart and the humbling of thy proud heart and the cleansing of thy â—oul heart and the spiritualizing of thy carnal heare c. that thy afflictions should bee greater than others and therefore hold thy peace where the disease is strong the physick must bee strong else the cure will never bee wrought God is a wise Physician and hee would never give strong physick Jer. 30. 11. ch 46. 28. if weaker could effect the cure Isa 27. 8. The more rusty the Iron is the oftner wee put it into the fire to purifie it and the more crooked it is the more blows and the harder blows wee give to straiten it thou hast been long a gathering rust and therefore if God deal thus with thee thou hast no cause to complain Fourthly Though thy afflictions are greater than this and that particular mans afflictions yet doubtless there are many thousands in the world whose afflictions are greater than thine Canst thou seriously consider the sore calamities and miseries that the devouring sword hath brought upon many thousand Christians in forein parts and say that thy afflictions are greater than theirs surely no. Lib. 8 cap. 21. Pliny in his natural history writeth that the nature of the Basilisk is to kill all trees and shrubs it breathes upon and to scorch and burn all Read Josephus and the history of the Bohemian persecution herbs and grass it passeth over Such are the dismal effects of war the sword knows no difference between Catholicks and Lutherans as once the Duke of Medina Sidonia said betwixt the innocent and the guilty betwixt young and old betwixt bond and free betwixt male and female betwixt the precious and the vile the godly and the prophane betwixt the Prince and the subject betwixt the Noble man and the beggar the sword eats the flesh and drinks the blood of all sorts and sexes without putting any difference betwixt one or the other The poor Protestants under the Duke of Savoy and those in Poland Denmark Germany and several other parts have found it so Many of their wounds are not healed to this day Who can retain in his fresh and bleeding memory the dreadful work that the sword of war hath made in this Nation and not say surely many thousands have been greater sufferers than my self they have resisted unto blood but so have not I Heb. 12. 4. But Fifthly As thy afflictions are greater than other mens so it may bee thy mercies are greater than other mens mercies and if so thou hast no cause but to hold thy peace as Jobs afflictions were greater than other mens so his mercies were greater that other Job 1 mens and Job wisely sets one against another and then laies his hand upon his mouth It may bee thou hast had more health than others and more strength than others and more prosperity than others and more smiling providences than others and more good daies than others and more sweet and comfortable relations than others And if this bee thy case thou hast much cause to bee mute thou hast no cause to murmure if now thy winter nights bee longer than others remember thy summer daies have formerly been longer than others and therefore hold thy peace But Sixthly and lastly By great afflictions the Lord may greaten thy graces and greaten thy name and James 5. 10 11 fame in the world by Jobs great afflictions God did greaten his faith and greaten his patience and greaten his integrity and greaten his wisdome and knowledge and greaten his experience and greaten his name and fame in the world as you all know that have but read his book Bonds and afflictions Act. 20. 23. 2 Cor. 11. waited on Paul in every City his afflictions and sufferings were very great but by them the Lord greatned his spirit his zeal his courage his confidence his resolution and his name and fame both among sinners and Saints Certainly if thou art dear to Christ hee will greaten thee in spirituals by all the great afflictions that are upon thee hee will raise thy faith and inflame thy love and quicken thy hope and brighten thy zeal and perfect thy patience and perfume thy name and make it Prov. 22. 1 Eccles 7. 1 like a precious ointment like a preciouâ— ointment poured forth so that good men shall say and bad men shall say Lo here is a Christian indeed here is a man more worth than the gold of Ophir therefore hold thy peace though thy afflictions are greater than others Object 7. I would bee silent but my outward affliction is attended with sore temptations God hath not onely outwardly afflicted mee but Satan is let loose to buffet mee and therefore how can I bee silent how can I hold my peace now I am fallen under manifold temptations To this I answer First No man is the less beloved because hee is tempted nay those that God loves best are usually Eph. 6. 12 tempted most witness David Job Joshua
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
on the other side of him and there hee sees infernal fiends in fearful shapes amazing and terrifying of him and waiting to receive his despairing soul as soon as shee shall take her leave of his wretched body hee looks above him and there hee sees the gates of Heaven shut against him hee looks beneath him and there hee sees hell gaping for him and under these sad sights hee is full of secret conclusions against his own soul there is mercy for others saith the despairing soul but none for mee grace and favour for others but none for mee pardon and peace for others but none for mee As that despairing Pope said the cross could do him no good because hee had so often sold it blessedness and happiness for others but none for mee there is no help there is no hope no Jer. 2. 25. ch 18. 1â— this seems to be his case who died with this desperate saying in his mouth spes fortuna vâ—lete farewel life and hope together Now under these dismal apprehensions and sad conclusions about its present and future condition the despairing soul sits silent being filled with amazement and astonishment Psal 77. 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak But this is not the Silence here meant But Seventhly and lastly There is a prudent Silence a holy a gracious Silence a Silence that springs from prudent principles from holy principles and from gracious causes and considerations and this is the Silence here meant And this I shall fully discover in my Answers to the second Question which is this Quest 2 What doth a prudent a gracious a holy Silence include Answer 1 It includes and takes in these eight things First It includes a sight of God and an acknowledgement of God as the author of all the afflictions that come upon us And this you have plain in the Text I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it The Psalmist In second causes many times a Christian may see much envy hatred malice pride c. But in the first cause he can see nothing but grace and mercy sweetness and goodness looks through secondary causes to the first cause and so sits mute before the Lord. There is no sickness so little but God hath a finger in it though it bee but the aking of the little finger As the Scribe is more eyed and properly said to write than the pen and hee that maketh and keepeth the Clock is more properly said to make it go and strike than the wheels and weights that hang upon it and as every work-man is more eyed and properly said to effect his works rather than the tools which hee useth as his instruments so the Lord who is the chief Agent and mover in all actions and who hath the greatest hand in all our afflictions is more to bee eyed and owned than any inferiour or subordinate causes whatsoever So Job hee beheld God in all Job 1. 21. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away Had hee not seen God in the affliction hee would have cried out Oh these wretched Chaldeans they have plundred and spoiled mee These wicked Sabeans they have robbed and wronged mee Job discerns Gods Commission in the Chaldeans and the Sabeans hands and then laies his own hand upon his mouth So Aaron beholding the hand of God in the untimely death of his two sons holds his peace Levit. 10. 3. the sight of God in this sad stroak is a bridle both to his mind and mouth hee neither mutters nor murmurs So Joseph saw the hand of God in his brethrens selling of him into Egypt Gen. 45. 8. and that silences him Men that see not God in an affliction are easily cast into a feaverish fit they will quickly bee in a flame and when their passions are up and their hearts on fire they will begin to bee sawcy and make no bones of telling God to his teeth that they do well to bee angry Jonah 4. 8 9. Such as will not acknowledge God to bee the author of all their afflictions will bee ready enough to fall in with that mad principle of the Manachees who maintained the Devil to bee the Author of all calamities As if there could bee any evil of affliction in the City and the Lord have no hand in it Amos 3. 6. Such as can see the ordering hand of God in all their afflictions will with David lay their hands upon their mouths when the Rod of God is upon their backs 2 Sam. 16. 11 12. If Gods hand bee not seen in the affliction the heart will do nothing but fret and rage under affliction Secondly It includes and takes in some holy gracious apprehensions of the Majesty Soveraignty Dignity Authority and presence of that God under whose afflicting hand we are Hab. 2. 20. But the Lord is in his holy Temple let all the earth bee silent or as the Hebrew reads it bee silent all the earth before his face When God would have all the people of the earth to bee husht quiet and silent before him hee would have them to behold him in his Temple where hee sits in state in majesty and glory Zephan 1. 7. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God Chat not murmure not repine not quarrel not Whist stand mute bee silent lay thy hand on thy mouth when his hand is upon thy back who is totus oculus all-eye to see as well as all hand to punish As the eyes of a well-drawn picture are fastened on thee which way soever thou turnest so are the eies of the Lord and therefore thou hast cause to stand mute before him Thus Aaron had an eye to the soveraignty of God and that silences Levit. 10. 3 Job 37. 23 24. 1 Sam. 3. 11 19. him And Job had an eye upon the majesty of God and that stills him And Elie had an eye upon the authority and presence of God and that quiets him A man never comes to humble himself nor to bee silent under the hand of God till hee comes to see the hand of God to bee a mighty hand 1 Pet. 5. 6. Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God When men look upon the hand of God as a weak hand a feeble hand a low hand a mean hand their hearts rise against his hand Who is the Lord said Pharaoh that I should obey his voice Exod. 5. 2. And till Pharaoh came to see the hand of God as a mighty hand and to feel it as a mighty hand hee would not let Israel go When Tiribazus a Noble Persian was arrested at first hee drew out his sword and defended himself but when they charged him in the Kings name and informed him that they came from the King and were commanded to bring him to the King he yeelded willingly So when afflictions arrest us we shall murmure and grumble and struggle and strive even to the death before wee shall yeeld to that God that
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
cease or as the Hebrew hath it let not the daughters of thine eye bee silent that which wee call the ball or apple of the eye the Hebrews call the daughter of the eye because it is as dear and tender to a man as an onely daughter and because therein appears the likenesse of a little daughter Upon which words saith Bellarmine Clames assidue ad Deum non lingua sed oculis non verbis sed lachrymis ista enim est oratio quae placare solet Cry aloud not with thy tongue but with thine eyes not with thy words but with thy tears for that is the prayer that maketh the most forcible entry into the ears of the great God of Heaven When God strikes hee looks that wee should tremble when his hand is lifted high hee looks that our hearts should stoop low when hee hath the rod in his hand hee looks that wee should have tears in our eyes as you may see by comparing of these Scriptures together Psal 55. 2. Psal 38. 6. Job 30. 26 32. Good men weep easily saith the Greek Poet and the better any are the more enclining to weeping especially under affliction As you may see in David whose tears instead of Gemms were the common ornaments of his bed Jonathan Job Ezra Daniel c. How saith one shall God wipe away my tears in Heaven if I shed none on earth and how shall I reap in joy if I low not in tears I was both with tears and I shall die with tears and why then should I live without them in this valley of tears There is as well a time to weep as there is a time to laugh and a time to mourn as well as a time to dance Eccles 3. 4. The mourning garment among the Jews was the black garment and the black garment was the mourning garment Psal 43. 2. Why go yee in mourning the Hebrew word kadar signifies black why go yee in black sometimes Christians must put off their gay ornaments and put on their black their mourning garments Exod. 33. 3 4 5 6. But Sixthly A gracious a prudent Silence doth not exclude sighing You may see much of this by comparing the following Scripturâ—â— Lam. 1. 4. 11 21 22. Psal 31. 10 Jer. 45. 3 Exod. 2. 24 Job 23. 2 Psal 6. 6 groaning or roarings under affliction A man may sigh and groan and roar under the hand of God and yet bee silent it is not sighing but muttering it is not groaning but grumbling it is not roaring but murmuring that is opposite to a holy Silence Exod. 2. 23. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage Job 3. 24. For my sighing cometh before I eat or as the Hebrew hath it before my meat his sighing like bad weather came unsent for and unsought for Psal 38. 9. Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Psal 102. 5. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin Job 3. 24. And my roarings are poured out like the waters Psal 38. 8. I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart Psal 22. 1. My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee why art thou so far from helping mee and from the words of my roaring Psal 32. 3. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roarings all the day long Hee roars but doth not rage hee roars but doth not repine when a man is in extremity nature prompts him to roar and the law of grace is not against it and though sighing groaning roaring cannot deliver a man out of his misery yet they do give some ease to a man under his misery When Solon wept for his sons death one said to him weeping will not help hee answered Alass therefore do I weep because weeping will not help So a Christian many times sighs because sighing will not help and hee groans because groaning will not help and hee roars because roaring will not help Sometimes the sorrows of the Saints are so great that all tears are dried up and they can get no ease by weeping and therefore for a little ease they fall a sighing and groaning and this may bee done and yet the heart may bee quiet and silent before the Lord. Peter wept and snob'd and yet was silent Sometimes the sighs groans of a Saint do in some sort tell that which his tongue can in no sort utter But Seventhly A holy a prudent Silence doth not exclude nor shut 2 King 5. 10 14 Mat. 4. 6 7. ch 22. 4 5 8 Luk. 14. 16 24 Act. 27. 24 25 31 out the use of any just or lawful means whereby persons may bee delivered out of their afflictions God would not have his people so in love with their afflictions as not to use such righteous means as may deliver them out of their afflictions Mat. 10. 23. But when they persecute you in this City flee yee into another Act. 12. When Peter was in prison the Saints thronged together to pray as the original hath it vers 12. and they were so instant and earnest with God in prayer they did so beseech and besiedge the Lord they did so beg and bounce at Heavens gate vers 5. that God could have no rest till by many miracles of power and mercy hee had returned Peter as a bosome-favour to them Act. 9. 23 24 25. And after that many daies were fulfilled the Jews took counsel to kill him But their laying await was known of Saul and they watched the gates day and night to kill him Then the Disciples took him by night and let him down by the wall in a basket The blood of the Saints is precious in Gods eye and it should not bee vile in their own eyes When providence opens a door of escape there is no reason why the Saints should set themselves as marks and buâ—s for their enemies to shoot at 2 Thes 3. 1 2. The Apostles desire the Brethren to pray for them that they may bee delivered from unreasonable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absurd and wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 villainous men for all men have not faith It is a mercy worth a seeking to bee delivered out of the hands of absurd villainous and troublesome men Afflictions are evil in themselves and wee may desire and endeavour to bee delivered from them James 5. 14 15. Isa 38 18 19 20 21. both inward and outward means are to bee used for our own preservation Had not Noah built an Ark hee had been swept away with the flood though hee had been with Nimrod and his crew on the Tower of Babel which was Heylin Cosm l. 3 raised to the height of one thousand five hundred forty six pâ—ces as Heylin reports Though we may not trust in means yet wee may and ought to use the means in the use of them eye that God that can onely bless them and you do your work
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
school-boies to be lanched with their pen-knives but when all this would not do they caused him to bee set in the Sun having his naked body annointed all over with honey that so hee might bee bitten and stung to death by Flies and Wasps and all this cruelty they exercised upon him because hee would not do any thing towards the rebuilding of that Idol Temple nay they came so far that if hee would but give one half-penny towards the charge they would release him but hee refused it with a noble Christian disdain though the advancing of an half-penny might have saved his life and in so doing hee did but live up to that noble principle that most commend but few practise viz. that Christians must chuse rather to suffer the worst of torments than to commit the least of sins whereby God should bee dishonoured his Name blasphemed Religion reproached Profession scorned weak Saints discouraged and mens consciences wounded and their souls endangered Now tell mee Christians is it not better to bee silent and mute under your sorest trials and troubles than to labour to sin and shiâ—t your selves out of them and so proclaim to all the world that you are persons of very low poor and ignoble spirits But Jer. 17. 5 6 11. Ezek. 7. 13 14 1 Sam. 28. 5 6 7 c. 1 King 21. 18 19. compared with chap. 22. 38 Fifthly Consider sinful shifts and means God hath alwaies curst and blasted Achans golden wedge was but a wedge to cleave him and his garment a shroud to shroud him Ahab purchases a Vineyard with the blood of the owner but presently it was watered with his own blood according to the word of the Lord. Gehazi must needs have a talent of silver and two changes of rayment and that with a lye I say with a lye well hee hath them and hee hath with them a Leprosie that cleaved to him and his seed for ever 2 King 5. 22 ult With those very hands that Judas took money to betray his Master with those very hands hee fitted a halter to hang himself The rich and wretched glutton fared delicately and went bravely every day but the next news you hear of him is of his being in hell crying out for a drop who when hee was on earth would not give a crum The Coal that the Eagle carried from the Altar to her nest set all on fire Crassus did not long enjoy the fruit of his Coverousness for the Parthians taking of him poured melted gold down his throat Dionysius did not long enjoy the fruit of his Sacriledge and tyranny for hee was glad to change his Scepter into a Feruler and turn School-master for his maintenance Ah Christians Christians is it not far better to sit quiet and silent under your afflictions than to use such sinful shifts and means which God will certainly blast and curse But Sixthly and lastly Consider this that your very attempting to sin and shift your selves out of troubles and afflictions will cost you dear it will cost you many prayers many tears many sighs A man may buy any thing too dear but Christ Grace his own Soul and the Gospel many groans many gripes many terrours and many horrours Peter by attempting to sin himself out of trouble sins himself into a Sea of sorrows Matth. 26. ult Hee went forth and wept bitterly Clement observes That every night when hee heard the Cock crow hee would fall upon his knees and weep bitterly others say that his face was furrowed with continual tears Were Abraham David Jacob and Jonah now alive they would tell you that they have found this to bee a truth in their own experience Ah Christians it is far better to bee quiet and silent under your sufferings than to pay so dear for attempting to sin and shift your selves out of your sufferings A man will not buy gold too dear and why then should hee buy himself out of troubles at too dear a rate But now I shall come to that use that I intend to stand most upon and that is an use of Exhortation Seeing it is the great duty and concernment of Christians to bee mute and silent under the greatest afflictions the saddest providences and sharpest trials that they meet with in this world Oh that I could prevail with you Christians to minde this great duty and to live up and live out this necessary truth which that I may give mee leave to propound some Considerations to ingage your souls to bee mute and silent under your greatest troubles and your sorest trials To that purpose Consider first The greatnesse soveraignty majesty and dignity Rev. 4. 10 11. Jer. 10. 7. chap. 5. 22. 2 King 2. chap. 3. 5. of God and let that move thee to silence Psal 46. 8 9 10. Come behold the works of the Lord what desolations hee hath made in the earth Hee maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth hee breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder hee burneth the chariot in the fire Bee still and know that I am God I will bee exalted among the Heathen I will bee exalted in the earth Who can cast his eye upon the greatness of God the majesty of God and not sit still before him Zeph. 1. 7. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God Oh chat not murmure not fret not but stand mute before him Shall the childe bee hush'd before his Father the servant before his Master the subject before his Prince and the guilty person before the Judge when hee majestically rises off his judgement seat and composes his countenance into an aspect of terrour and severity that his sentence may fall upon the offender with the greater dread and shall not a Christian bee quiet before that God that can bathe his sword in Heaven and burn the chariots on earth Nay shall the Sheep bee hush'd before the Wolf Birds before the Hawk and all the Beasts of the field before the Lion and shall not wee bee hush'd and quiet before him who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Rev. 5. 5. God is mighty in power and mighty in counsel and mighty in working and mighty in punishing and therefore bee silent before him It appears that God is a mighty God by the Epithite that is added unto El which is Gibbor importing that hee is a God of prevailing might in Daniel hee is called El Elim the mighty of mighties Moses magnifâ—ing of Exod. 15. his might saith Who is like unto thee among the gods Now certainly this Epithite should bee a mighty motive to work souls to that which Haâ—akkuk perswades to Hab. 2. ult The Lord is in his holy Temple let all the earth keep silence before him Upon this very consideration Exod. 14. 13 14 Moses commands Israel to hold their peace It is reported of Augustus the Turk Hist 236. 415. Emperour and likewise of Tamberlain that war-like Scythian that in their eyes sate such
a rare Majesty that many in talking with them and often beholding of them have become dumb Oh my brethren shall not the brightnesse and splendor of the Majesty of the great God whose sparkling Glory and Majesty dazles the eyes of Angels and makes those Princes of glory stand mute before him move you much more to silence to hold your peace and lay your hands upon your mouths Surely yes But Secondly Consider That all your afflictions troubles and trials shall work for your good Rom. 8. 28. And wee know that all Afflictiones Benedictiones Bern. Afflictions are blessings Doubtless Manasseh would not exchange the good hee got by his Iron chains for all the gold chains that bee in the world things shall work together for good to them that love God Why then should you fret fling fume seeing God designs your good in all The Bee sucks sweet hony out of the bitterest herbs so God will by afflictions teach his children to suck sweet knowledge sweet obedience and sweet experiences c. out of all the bitter afflictions and trials hee exercises them with that scouring and rubbing which frets others shall make them shine the brighter and that weight which crushes and keeps others under shall but make them like the palm-tree grow better and higher And that hammer which knocks others all in peeces shall but knock them the nearer to Christ the corner-stone Stars shine brightest in the darkest night Torches give the best light when beaten Grapes yeeld most Wine when most pressed Spices smell sweetest when pounded Vines are the better for bleeding Gold looks the brighter for scouring Juniper smells sweetest in the fire Camomile the more you tread it the more you spread it the Salamander lives best in the fire the Jews were best when most afflicted the Athenians would never mend till they were in mourning the Christ's-cross saith Luther is no letter in the book and yet saith hee it hath taught mee more than all the letters in the book Afflictions are the Saints best benefactors to heavenly affections where afflictions hang heaviest corruptions hang loosest And grace that is hid in nature as sweet water in Rose-leaves is then most fragrant when the fire of affliction is put under to distill it out Grace shines the brighter for scouring and is most glorious when it is most clouded Pliny in his natural history Lib. 12. cap. 9. writeth of certain Trees growing in the red Seas which being beat upon by the waves stand like a rock immoveable and that they are bettered by the roughness of the waters In the Sea of afflictions God will make his people stand like a rock they shall bee immoveable and invincible and the more the waves of afflictions beat upon them the better they shall bee the more they shall thrive in grace and godliness Now how should this ingage Christians to bee mute and silent under all their troubles and trials in this world considering that they shall all work for their good God chastises our carkasses to heal our consciences hee afflicts our bodies to save our souls hee gives us gall and wormwood here that the pleasures that bee at his right hand may bee the more sweet hereafter here hee layes us upon a bed of thorns that wee may look and long more for that easie bed of down his bosome in Heaven As there is a curse wrapt up in the best things hee gives the wicked so there is a blessing wrapt up Psa 25. 10. Deut. 28 26 in the worst things hee brings upon his own As there is a curse wrapt up in a wicked mans health so there is a blessing wrapt up in a godly mans sickness As there is a curse wrapt up in a wicked mans strength so there is a blessing wrapt up in a godly mans weakness As there is a curse wrapt up in a wicked mans wealth so there is a blessing wrapt up in a godly mans want As there is a curse wrapt up in a wicked mans honour so there is a blessing wrapt up in a godly mans reproach As there is a curse wrapt up in all a wicked mans mercies so there is a blessing wrapt up in all a godly mans crosses losses and changes and why then should hee not sit mute and silent before the Lord But Thirdly Consider That a holy silence is that excellent precious grace that lends a hand of support to every grace Silence is Rom. 15. 4 Custos the Keeper of all other virtues it lends a hand to Faith a hand to Hope a hand to Love a hand to Humility a hand to Self-denial c. A holy silence hath its influences upon all other graces that bee in the soul it causes the Rose-buds of grace to blossome and bud forth Silence is virtus versata circa adversa a grace that keeps a man gracious in all conditions in every condition Silence is a Christians right hand in prosperity it bears the soul up under all the envy malice hatred and censures of the world in adversity it bears the soul up under all the neglect scorn and contempt that a Christian meets with in the world it makes every bitter sweet every burden light and every yoak easie And this the very Heathen seemed to intimate in placing the Image of Angeronia with the mouth bound upon the Altar of Volupia to shew that silence under sufferings was the ready way to attain true comfort and make every bitter sweet No man honours God nor no man justifies God at so high a rate as hee who layes his hand upon his mouth when the Rod of God is upon his back But Fourthly To move you to Silence under your sorest and your sharpest trials consider That you Lam. 3. 39 Mic. 7. 7 8 9 have deserved greater and heavier afflictions than those you are under hath God taken away one mercy thou hast deserved to bee stript of all hath hee taken away the delight of thine eyes he might have taken away the delight of thy soul art thou under outward wants thou hast deserved to be under outward and inward together art thou cast upon a sick-bed thou hast deserved a bed in Hell art thou under this ach and that pain thou hast deserved to bee under all aches and pains at once hath God chastised thee with whips thou hast deserved to bee chastised with 1 King 12. 11 14. Scorpions art thou fallen from the highest pinacle of honour to be the scorn and contempt of men thou hast deserved to bee scorned and contemned by God and Angels art thou under a severe whipping thou hast deserved an utter damning Ah Christians let but your eyes bee fixt upon your demerits and your hands will bee quickly upon your mouths whatever is less than a final separation from God whatever is less than Hell is mercy and therefore you have cause to bee silent under the smartest dealings of God with you But Fifthly Consider A quiet silent spirit is of great
come upon us so hee hath a great hand in all the afflictions that befall us As you see in that great instance of Job 3 Because as temptations drive to God 2 Cor. 12. 7 8. so doe afflictions Isa 26. 16. Hosea 5. ult but mainly because Satan chuses times of afflictions as the fittest season for his temptations when Job was sorely afflicted in his estate children wife life then Sa 〈…〉 le ts flie and makes his fiercest assaults upon him now Satan tempts him to entertain hard thoughts of God to distrust to impatiency to murmuring Many Saints have experienced this truth when they have been upon their sick and dying beds and muttering As when Israel was feeble faint and weary Amaleck assaulted them and smote the hindmost of them Deut. 25. 17 18. So when Christians are most afflicted then usually they are most tempted Luther found this by experience when hee said I am without set upon by all the world and within by the Devil and all his Angels Satan is a coward and loves to strike us and trample upon us when afflictions have cast us down When besiedged Towns Cities and Castles are in greatest straights and troubles then the besiedgers make their fiercest assaults So when Christians are under the greatest straights and trials then Satan assaults them most like a roaring Lion Now silence under afflictions is the best antidote and preservative against all those temptations that afflictions lay us open to Silence in afflictions is a Christians armour of proof it is that shield that no spear or dart of temptation can peirce whilst a Christian lies quiet under the Rod hee is safe Satan may tempt him but hee will not conquer him hee may assault him but hee cannot vanquish him Satan may entice him to use sinful shifts to shift himself out of trouble but hee will chuse rather to lye yea dye in trouble than to get out upon Satans terms But Ninthly Consider That holy Silence under afflictions and trials will give a man a quiet and peaceable possession of his own soul In patience possess your souls now next to the possession of God the Luk. 21. 19. Vide Greg. in Evangel Hom. 35. possession of a mans own soul is the greatest mercy in this world A man may possess honours riches and dear relations and the favour and assistance of friends under his trials but hee will never come to a possession of his own soul under his troubles till hee comes to bee mute and to lay his hand upon his mouth Now what are all earthly possessions to the possession of a mans own soul he that possesses himself possesses all he that possesses not himself possesses nothing at all hee possesses not the use the sweet the comfort the good the blessing of any thing hee enjoyes who enjoyes not himself that man that is not Master of himself hee is Master of nothing holy Silence gives a man the greatest Mastery over his own spirit and Mastery over a mans own spirit is the greatest Mastery in the Prov. 16. 32 world The Egyptian Goddesse they paint upon a rock standing in the Sea where the waves come roaring and dashing upon her with this Motto Semper eadem storms shall not move mee A holy Silence will give a man such a quiet possession of his own soul that all the storms of afflictions shall not move him it will make him stand like a Rock in a Sea of troubles let a man but quietly possess himself and troubles will never trouble him But Tenthly Consider the commands and injunctions that God in his word hath laid upon you to bee silent to bee mute and quiet under all the troubles trials and changes that have or may pass upon you Zach. 21. 3. Bee silent O all flesh before the Lord for hee is raised Gods commands are like those of the Medes that cannot bee changed up out of his holy habitation Isa 41. 1. Keep silence before mee O Islands Hab. 2. 20. The â—ord is in his holy Temple let all the earth keep silence before him Amos 5. 1â— Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in â—hat time for it is an evil time Psa 46. 10. Be still and know that I am God Psa 4. 4. Commune with your heart and be still Exod. 14. 13. Stand still and see the salvation of God 2 Chron. 20. 17. Stand yee still and see the salvation of the Lord with you O Judah and Jerusalem Job 37. 14. Hearken unto this O Job stand still and consider the wondrous works of God It is a dangerous thing for us to neglect one of his commands who by another is able to command us into nothing or into Hell at pleasure to act or run cross to Gods express command though under pretence of revelation from God is as much as a mans life is worth as you may see in that sad story 1 King 13. 24 c. Divine Obedientia non discutit Dei mandata sed facit Prosper Rom. 7. 12 14 commands must bee put in speedy execution without denying or delaying without debating or disputing the difficulties that may attend our subjection to them Gods commands are spiritual holy just and good and therefore to bee obeyed without muttering or murmuring Divine commands are backed with the strongest reason and attended with the highest encouragements Shall the servant readily obey the commands of his Master the subject the commands of his Prince the souldier the commands of his General the child the commands of his Father the wife the commands of her husband and shall not a Christian as readily obey the commands of his Christ nay shall vain men readily and willingly obey the sinful and senseless commands of men and shall not wee bee willing to obey the commands of God 2 Sam. 13. 28 29. Now Absalom had commanded his servants saying Mark yee now when Amnons heart is merry with Wine and when I say unto you Smite Amnon then kill him fear not have not I commanded you be couragious and be valiant And the servants of Absolom did unto Amnon as Absolom had commanded they made no bones of obeying the bloody commands of Absolom against all Law Reason and Religion I have read of one Johannes Abbas Cassian de Institut renunciant lib. 4. cap. 24 who willingly fetched water neer two miles every day for an whole year together to pour upon a dry stick upon the bare command of his Confessor I have also read of the old Kings of Peru that they were wont to use a tassel or fringe made of red wool which they wore upon their heads and when they sent any Governour to rule as Vice Roy in any part of their Country they delivered unto him one of the threeds of the tassel and for one of those simple threeds hee was as much obeyed as if hee had been the King himself Now shall one single threed bee more forcible to draw Infidels to obedience than all
13 14. O thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy foundations with saphires And I will make thy windows of agates and thy gates of carbuneles and all thy borders of pleasant stones And all thy children shall bee taught of the Lord and great shall bee the peace of thy children Inrighteousness shalt thou bee established thou shalt bee far from oppression for thou shalt not fear and from terrour for it shall not come near thee Though they have been long afflicted and tossed yet they shall at last upon glorious foundations bee established God will not onely raise them out of their distressed estate wherein now they are but hee will advance them to a most eminent and glorious condition in this world they shall bee very glorious and outshine all the world in spiritual excellencies and outward dignities Isa 60. 14 15. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet and they shall call thee The City of the Lord The Zion of the holy One of Israel Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went thorow thee I will make thee an eternal excellency a joy of many Generations Ah Christians I do not mutter nor murmure under your long afflictions for you do not know but that by these long afflictions God may prepare and fit you for such favours and blessings that may never have end by long afflictions God many times prepares his people for temporal spiritual and eternal mercies if God by long afflictions makes more room in thy soul for himself his Son his Spirit his Word if by long afflictions hee shall crucifie thy heart more to the world and to thy relations and frame and fashion thy soul more for celestial enjoyments hast thou any cause to murmure surely no. But Seventhly The longer a Saint is afflicted on earth the more glorious hee shall shine in Heaven 2 Cor. 4. 16 17 18 Mat. 5. 10 11 12 the more affliction here the more glory hereafter This Truth may bee thus made out First The more gracious souls are afflicted the more their graces are exercised and encreased Heb. 12. 10. Rom. 5. 3 4 5. Now the more grace here the more glory hereafter the higher in grace the higher in glory Grace differs nothing from glory but in name grace is glory in the bud and glory is grace at the full glory is nothing but the perfection of grace 2 Cor. 3. ult happiness is nothing but the perfection of holiness grace is glory in the seed and glory is grace in the flower grace is glory militant and glory is grace triumphant grace and glory differ non specie sed gradu in degree not kinde as the learned speak Now it is most certain that the more gracious souls are afflicted the more their graces are exercised and the more grace is exercised the more it is encreased as I have sufficiently demonstrated in this treatise already But Secondly The longer a gracious soul is afflicted the more his religious duties will bee multiplied Psal 109. 4. For my love they are my adversaries but I give my self unto prayer or as the Hebrew reads it But I am prayer or a man of Psa 42. 1 2 3 4 5. Psal 63. 1 2 3 8. Jâ—r 31. 18 19 Hos 5. ult with ch 6. 1 2 Psal 116. 3 4. and Psal 143. 6 7 prayer In times of affliction a Christian is all prayer hee is never so much a man of prayer a man given up to prayer as in times of affliction A Christian is never so frequent so fervent so abundant in the work of the Lord as when hee is afflicted Isa 26. 16. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them Now they do not onely pray but they pour out a prayer they were freely largely and abundantly in prayer when the rod was upon them Look as men plentifully pour out water for the quenching of a fire so did they plentifully pour out their prayers before the Lord and as affliction puts a man upon being much in prayer so it puts him upon other duties of Religion answerably Now this is most certain that though God will reward no man for his works yet hee will reward every man according to Matth. 25. 14. 26. God will reward his people secundum laboâ—em Bern. works 1 Cor. 15. ult Therefore my beloved Brethren bee yee stedfast unmoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord 2 Cor. 9. 6. But this I say hee which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and hee which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully or hee which soweth in benedictions or blessings shall reap in benedictions as it runs in the original It is an excellent observation of Calvin upon Gods rewarding the Rechabites obedience Jer. 35. 19. God saith hee oft recompenceth the shadows and seeming appearances of virtue to shew what complacency hee takes in the ample rewards hee hath reserved for true and sincere piety Now if the longer a Christian is afflicted the more his religious services will bee multiplied and the more they are multiplied the more his glory at last will bee encreased then the longer a Saint is afflicted on earth the more glory he shall have when hee comes to Heaven But Thirdly The longer any Saint is afflicted the more into the image and likeness of Christ hee will bee transformed It is one of Rom. 8. 28 29 c. 2 Cor. 1 5 6 7 Phil. 3. 10 Heb. 2. 10 2 Tim. 2. 12. Gods great designs and ends in afflicting of his people to make them more conformable to his Son and God will not lose his end men often lose theirs but God never hath nor will lose his and experience tells us that God doth every day by afflictions accomplish this end upon his people the longer they are afflicted the more they are made conformable to Christ in meekness lowliness spiritualness heavenliness in faith love self-denial pitty compassion c. Now certainly the more like to Christ the more beloved of Christ the more a Christian is like to Christ the more hee is the delight of Christ and the more like to Christ on earth the nearer the soul shall sit to Christ in Heaven nothing makes a man more conformable to Christ than afflictions Justin Martyr in his second Apology for the Christians hath observed that there is scarce any prediction or prophecy concerning our Saviour Christ the Son of God to bee made man but the Heathen writers who were all after Moses did from thence invent some fable and feign it to have been acted by some one or other of Jupiters Sons onely the Prophecies about the cross of Christ they have taken for the
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
Read that Mark 15. 19. Isa 57. 4. Mat. 27. 28 29. derision The Pharisees did not onely laugh flear and jear at Christ but they gave also external signs of scorn and derision in their countenance and gestures they blew their noses at him they contemned him as a thing of naught And in ch 23. 35. both people and Rulers blew their noses at him for the original word is the same with that in the forementioned chapter John 19. 12. hee is accused for being an enemy to Caesar Now who can seriously consider of the scorn reproach and contempt that hath been cast upon the name and honour of our Lord Jesus and not sit silent and mute under all the scorn and contempt that hath been cast upon his name or person in this world Fifthly To bee well spoken of by them that are ill spoken of by God to bee in favour with them The tongues of wicked men are like the Duke of Medina Sidonia's sword that knew no difference between a Catholick and a Heretick the lashes of lewd tongues is as impossible to avoâ—d as necessary to contemn who are out of favour with God is rather a reproach than an honour to a man Our Saviour himself restifieth that in the Church and Nation of the Jews they that had the most general approbation and applause they who were most admired and cried up were the worst not the best men they were the false not the true Prophets Luk. 6. 26. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you for so did their Fathers to the false Prophets Austin feared the praises of good men and detested the praises of evil men I would not saith Luther have the glory and fame of Erasmus my greatest fear is the praises of men Phocion had not suspected his speech had not the common people applauded it Antisthenes mistrusted some ill in himself for the vulgar commendations Socrates ever suspected that which past with the most general commendations To bee praised of evil men said Bion is to bee praised for evil doing so the better they speak of a man the worse and the worse the better The Lacedemonians would not have a good saying sullied with a wicked mouth a wicked tongue soils all the good that drops from it it is a mercy to bee delivered from the praises of wicked men wicked mens applauses oftentimes becomes the Saints reproaches the Heathen could say Quid mali Socrates feci what evil have I done that this bad man commends mee there is a truth in that saying of Senica Recti argumentum est pessimis displicere The worst men are commonly most displeased with that which is best Who can seriously dwell on these things and not bee mute and silent under all the reproaches and scorn that is cast upon his name and credit in this world Sixthly There will come a day when the Lord will wipe off all the dust and filth that wicked men have cast upon the good names of his people there shall be a resurrection Isa 65. 15. ch 61. 7 Psa 68. 13 Mal. 3. 17 18. of names as well as of bodies their names that are now buried in the open sepulchres of evil throats shall surely rise again their innocency shall shine forth as the light and their righteousness as the noonday Psal 37. 6. Though the clouds may for a time obscure the shining forth of the Sun yet the Sun will shine forth again as bright and glorious as ever The Righteous shall bee had in everlasting remembrance Though the malicious slanders and false accusations of wicked men may for a time cloud the names of the Saints yet those clouds shall vanish and their names shall appear transparent and glorious God will take that care of his peoples good name that the infamy calumnies and contumelies that is cast upon it shall not long stick Mat. 27. ult ch 28. 2. The Jews rolled a stone upon Christ to keep him down that hee might not rise again but an Angel quickly rolls away the stone and in despite of his keepers hee rises in a glorious triumphant manner So though the world may roll this stone and that of reproach and contempt upon the Saints good names yet God will roll away all those stones and their names shall have a glorious resurrection in despite of men and devils That God that hath alwaies one hand to wipe away his childrens tears from their eyes that God hath alwaies another hand to wipe off the dust that lies upon his childrens names wronged innocency shall not long lve under a cloud dirt will not stick long upon Marble nor statues of Gold Well Christians remember this the slanders and reproaches that are cast upon you they are but badges of your innocency and glory Job 31. 35 36. If mine adversary should write a book against mee Surely I would take it upon my shoulder and binde it as a Crown to moe All reproaches are pearls added to a Christians Crown Hence Austin Quisquis volens detrahit famae meae nolens addit mercedi meae hee that willingly takes from my good name unwillingly adds to my reward and this Moses knew well enough which Heb. 11. 25 26 made him prefer Christs reproach before Pharaohs Crown That God that knows all his children by name will not suffer their names to bee long buried under the ashes of reproach and scorn and therefore hold thy peace the more the foot of pride and scorn tramples upon thy name for the present the more splendent and radiant it will bee As the more men trample upon a figure graven in gold the more lustrious they make it therefore lye thy hand upon thy mouth But Seventhly The Lord hath been a swift and a terrible witness against such that have falsely accused his children and that have laded Isa 41. 11 Jude 15. their names with scorn reproach and contempt Ahab and Jezabel that suborned false witness 1 King 22. 1. 22 2 King 9 against Naboth had their bloods licked up by Doggs Amaziah who falsely accused the Prophet Amos to the King met with this message Amos 7. 17 from the Lord. Thy wife shall be an harlot in the City thy sons and daughters shall fall by the sword and thy land shall be divided by line thou shalt dye in a polluted land Haman who falsely accused the Jews was one day feasted with the King and the Esth 7. 10. ch 9 10 next day made a feast for Crows The envious Courtiers who falsely Dan. 6. 24. accused Daniel were devoured of Lions Let mee give you a taste of the Judgements of God upon such persons out of histories Caiphas the High Priest who gathered the Council and suborned false witnesses against the Lord Jesus Euseb was shortly after put out of office and one Jonathan substituted in his room whereupon hee killed himself John Cooper a godly man being falsely accused in Queen Maries Act. Mon. daies
by one Grimwood shortly after the said Grimwood being in perfect health his bowels suddenly fell out of his body and so hee died miserably Narcissus a godly Bishop of Jerusalem was falsely accused by three men of many foul matters who sealed up with oaths and imprecations their false testimonies but shortly after that one of them with Euseb his whole family and substance was burnt with fire another of them was stricken with a grievous disease such as in his imprecation hee had wished to himself the third terrified with the sight of Gods judgements upon the former became very penitent and poured out the grief of his heart in such abundance of tears that thereby hee became blinde A wicked wretch under Commodus Niceph. the Emperour accused Apollonius a godly Christian to the Judges for certain grievous crimes which when hee could not prove hee was adjudged to have his leggs broken according to an antient Law of the Romans Gregory Bradway falsely accused one Brook but shortly after through terrours of conscience hee sought to cut his own throat but being prevented hee fell mad I have read of Socrates's two false accusers how that the one was trodden to death by the multitude and the other was forced to avoid the like by a voluntary banishment I might produce a multitude of other instances but let these suffice to evidence how swift and terrible a witness God hath been against those that have been false accusers of his people and that have laded their precious names with scorn and reproach the serious consideration of which should make the accused and reproached Christian to sit dumb and silent before the Lord. Eighthly and lastly God himself is daily reproached men tremble not to cast scorn and contempt upon God himself sometimes they charge the Lord that his waies are not equal that it is a Ezek. 18. 25. ch 29. 33. 17. 20 29. Jer. 2. 5 6. wrong way hee goeth in sometimes they charge God with cruelty My punishment is greater than I am able to bear Gen. 4. 13. Sometimes they charge God with partiality and respect of persons because here hee stroaks and there hee strikes here hee lifts up and there hee casts down here hee smiles and there hee frowns here hee gives much and there hee gives nothing here hee loves and there hee hates here hee prospers Rom 9 Psal 50. 21 It were very strange that I should please a world of men when God himself doth not give every man content Salv. one and there hee blasts another Mal. 2. 17. Where is the God of judgement i. e. no where either there is no God of judgement or at least not a God of exact precise and imparâ—ial judgement c. Sometimes they charge God with unbountifulness that hee is a God that will set his people to hard work to much work but will pay them no wages nor give them no reward Mal. 3. 14. Yee have said it is in 〈◊〉 to serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his ordinances and that wee have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts Sometimes they charge God that hee is a hard Master and that hee reaps where hee hath not sown and gathers where hee hath not strowed Mat. 25. 24 c. Oh the infinite reproach and scorn that is every day that is every hour in the day cast upon the Lord his name his truth his waies his ordinances his glory Alass all the scorn and contempt that is cast upon all the Saints all the world over is nothing to that which is cast upon the great God every hour and yet hee is patient Ah! how hardly do most men think of God and how hardly do they speak of God and how unhansomely do they carry it towards God and yet hee bears They that will not spare God himself his name his truth his honour shall wee think it much that they spare not us or our names c. surely no. Why should wee look that those should give us good words that cannot afford God a good word from one weeks end to another yea from one years end to another why should wee look that they should cry out Hosanna Hosanna to us when as every day they cry out of Christ crucifie him crucifie him Mat. 10. 25. It is enough for the Disciple that hee bee as his Master and the servant as his Lord if they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub or a Master-flye or a dung-hill god or the chief Devil how much more shall they call them of his houshold It is preferment enough for the servant to be as his Lord and if they make no bones of staining and blaspheming the name of the Lord never wonder if they flye-blow thy name and let this suffice to quiet and silence your hearts Christians under all that scorn and contempt that is cast upon your names and reputations in this world The tenth and last Objection is this Sir In this my affliction I have sought to the Lord for this that mercy and still God delaies mee and puts mee off I have several times thought that mercy had been near that deliverance had been at the door but now I see it is afar off how can I then hold my peace how can I bee silent under such delaies and disappointments To this Objection I shall give you these Answers First The Lord doth not alwaies time his Answers to the swiftness of his peoples expectations hee that is the God of our mercies is the Lord of our times God hath delayed long his dearest Saints times belonging to him as Psal 70. 5 Psal 6. 13 Psal 13 1 2 Psal 94. 3 4 Zech. 1. 12 well as issue Hab. 1. 2. O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear even cry out unto thee for violence and thou wilt not help Job 19. 7. Behold I cry out of violence but I have no answer I cry but there is no judgement Psal 69. 3. I am weary of crying my throat is dry mine eyes fail while I wait for my God Psal 40. 17. Make no tâ—â—rying O my God! Though God had promised him a Crown a Kingdome yet hee puts him off from day to day and for all his haste hee must stay for it till the set time is come Paul was delayed 2 Cor. 1. 8 9 Psal 105. 17 18 19 so long till hee even despaired of life and had the sentence of death in himself And Joseph was delayed so long till the Irons entred into his soul So hee delayed long the giving in of comfort to Mr. Glover though hee had sought him frequently earnestly and denied himself to the death for Christ Augustine being under convictions a showre of tears came from him and casting himself on the ground under a Fig-tree hee cries out O Lord how long how long shall I say to morrow to morrow why not to day Lord why not to day Though Abigail made haste to
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
strip thee saith hee of all thy outward comforts yea but Christ is mine saith shee and you cannot strip mee of him Oh! the assurance that Christ was hers bore up her heart and quieted her spirit under all You may take away my life saith Basil but you cannot take away my comfort my head but not my Crown yea quoth hee had I a thousand lives I would lay them all down for my Saviours sake who hath done abundantly more for mee John Ardley professed to Bonner when hee told him of burning and how ill hee could endure it that if hee had as many lives as hee had hairs on his head hee would lose them all in the fire before hee would lose his Christ Assurance will keep a man from muttering and murmuring under the sorest afflictions Henry and John two Augustine Monks being the first that were burnt in Germany and Master Rogers the first that was burnt in Queen Maries daies did all sing in the flames A soul that lives in the assurance of divine favour and in its title to glory cannot but bear up patiently and quietly under the greatest sufferings that possibly can befall it in this world That Scripture is worth its weight in gold The Inhabitants of Sion shall not say Isa 33. 24 I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Hee doth not say they were not sick no but though they were sick yet they should not say they were sick but why should they forget their sorrows and not remember their pains nor be sensible of their sickness why the reason is because the Lord hath forgiven them their iniquities The sense of pardon took away the sense of pain the sense of forgiveness took away the sense of sickness Assurance of pardon will take away the pain the sting the trouble of every trouble and affliction that a Christian meets with no affliction will daunt startle or stagger an assured Christian assured Christians Psal 23. 1 4 5 6 7 will be patient and silent under all Melanchthon makes mention of a godly woman who having upon her death-bed been in much conflict and afterward much comforted brake out into these words Now and not till now I understand the meaning of these words Thy sins are forgiven the sense of which did mightily chear and quiet her Hee that hath got this Jewel of assurance in his bosome will be far enough off from vexing or fretting under the saddest dispensations that hee meets with in this world Fourthly If you would be quiet and silent under your present troubles and trials then dwell There was a good man that had got so much good by his afflictions that hee counted it his greatest affliction to want an affliction and therefore hee would sometimes cry out Oh my friends I have lost an affliction I have lost an affliction much upon the benefit the profit the advantage that hath redowned to your souls by former troubles and afflictions that have been upon you Eccles 7. 14. In the day of adversity consider Oh! now consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath discovered sin prevented sin and mortified sin consider how the Lord by former afflictions hath discovered to thee the impotency the mutability the insufficiency and the vanity of the world and all worldly concernments consider how the Lord by former afflictions hath melted thy heart and broken thy heart and humbled thy heart and prepared thy heart for clearer fuller and sweeter enjoyments of himself consider what pitty what compassion what bowels what tenderness and what sweetness former afflictions have wrought in thee towards others in misery consider what room former afflictions have made in thy soul for God for his word for good counsel and for divine comfort consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath made thee more partaker of his Christ his Spirit his Holiness his Goodness c. Consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath made thee to look towards Heaven more to minde Heaven more to prize Heaven more and to long for Heaven more c. Now who can seriously consider of all that good that hee hath got by former afflictions and not be silent under present afflictions who can remember those choice those great and those precious earnings that his soul had made of former afflictions and not reason himself into a holy silence under present afflictions thus Oh my soul hath not God done thee much good great good special good by former afflictions yes Oh my soul hath not God done that for thee by former afflictions that thou wouldest not have to do for ten thousand worlds yes and is not God Oh my soul as powerful as ever as faithful as ever as gracious as ever and as ready and willing as ever to do thee good by present afflictions as hee hath been to do thee good by former affliction yes yes why why then dost thou not sit silent and mute before him under thy present troubles Oh my soul It was the saying of one that an excellent memory was needful for three sorts of men first for trades men for they having many businesses to do many reckonings to make up many Irons in the fire had need of a good memory Secondly Great talkers for they being full of words hâ—d need to have a good store-house in their heads to feed their tongues Thirdly For lyers for they telling many untruths had need of a good memory lest they should be taken in their lying contradictions And I may add for a fourth viz those that are afflicted that they may remember the great good that they have gained by former afflictions that so they may be the more silent and quiet under present troubles Fifthly To quiet and silence 2 Tim. 1. 12 1 Tim. 1. 5 2 Tim. 4. 8 your souls under the sorest afflictions and sharpest trials consider that your choicest your chiefest treasure is safe your God is safe your Christ is safe your Portion is safe your Crown is safe your Inheritance is safe your royal Palace is safe and your Jewels your Graces are safe therefore hold your peace I have read a story of a man that had a sute and when his cause was to be heard hee applied himself to three friends to see what they would do for him one answered hee would bring him as far on his journey as hee could the second promised him that he would go with him to his journies end the third engaged himself to go with him before the Judge and to speak for him and not to leave him till his cause was heard and determined These three are a mans riches his friends and his graces his riches will help him to comfortable accommodations while they stay with him but they often take leave of a man before his soul takes leave of his body 1 Tim. 6. 18 19 his friends will go with him to the grave and then leave him but his graces will accompany him before