Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A67746
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A counterpoyson, or Soverain antidote against all griefe as also, the benefit of affliction and how to husband it so that the weakest Christian (with blessing from above) may be able to support himself in his most miserable exigents : together with the victory of patience : extracted out of the choicest authors, ancient and modern, both holy and humane : necessary to be read of all that any way suffer tribulation.
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Younge, Richard.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing Y148; ESTC R15238
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252,343
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448
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delivered out of a lesser trouble we cannot trust God in a greater Resembling that peasant who would trust God upon the Land but not upon the Sea where should be but an inch-â—â—rd betweene him and death To heare a man in his best health and vigour to talke of his confidence in God and assurance of devine favour cannot be much worth but 〈◊〉 in extremities we can beleeve above hope against hope our hope is so much more noble as our difficulties are greater For Jayrâ—s to beleeve that his sick daughter should recover was no hard taske but Christ will scrue up his faith to beleeve she shall againe live though he see with his eyes she is fully dead When we are in heavy Agonies and feele a very hell in our conscience then to apprehend mercy when with Jonas in the Whales belly we can call upon God in faith and see one contrary in another in the very depth of Hell Heaven in the very midst of Anger Love When with the woman of Canaan Math. 15. we can pick comfort out of the reproachfull name of dogge and when nothing but warre appeares in Gods face then by faith to pearce through all the thicke cloudes and behold the sweet sun-shine of Gods favour and grace in Christ Heb. 11. 1. we are beleevers indeed And he saith Saint Bernard is to be reputed constant whose minde taketh fresh courage in the midst of extremities Like the Palme tree which groweth so much the higher and stronger and more fruitfull by how much the more weight it hath hanging upon it Not that the strongest faith is free from doubting for let a man looke downe from the top of the strongest steeple admit the Battlements bee brest high and he is sure he cannot fall yet a kinde of feare possesses him And well is it for us that our assuâ—â—nce is mixed with doubting Since the one makes us live as though there were no Gospell the other to dye as if there were no Law The Lyon seemes to leave her young ones till they have almost kil'd themselves with roaring and howling but at last gaspe shee relieves them whereby they become the more couragious When the Prophet could say Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee instantly followes and not till then the Lord heard me the Lord saw him sinking all the while yet lets him alone till he was at the bottome Every maine affliction is our Red-sea which whiles it threats to swallow preserves us now when it comes to a dead lift as we say then to have a strong confidence in God is thankworthy Hope in a state hopelesse and love to God under signes of his displeasure and heavenly mindednesse in the midst of worldly affaires and allurements drawing a contrary way is the chiefe praise of faith to love that God who crosseth us to kisse that hand which strikes us to trust in that power which kils us this is the honourable proofe of a Christian this argues faith indeed What made our Saviour say to that Woman of Canaan O Woman great is thy faith but this when neither his silence nor his flat denyall could silence her Math. 15. It is not enough to say God is good to Israel when Israel is in peace and prosperity and neither feeles nor wants any thing but God will have us beleeve that hee is good even when we feele the smart of the rod and at the same time see our enemies the wicked prosper It best pleaseth him when wee can say boldly with Job Though he kill me yet will I trust in him When our enemies are behind us and the Red Sea before us then confidently to trust upon God is much worth When we are in the barren wildernesse almost famished then to beleeve that God will provide Manna from Heaven and water out of the Rock is glorious when with the three Children wee see nothing before us but a fiery Furnace to beleeve that God will send his Augell to be our deliverer this is heroicall Dan. 3. 28. And those which are acquainted with the proceedings of God well know that cherishing ever followes stripes as Cordials doe vehement evacuations and the cleere â—ight of the morning a darke night yea if we can looke beyond the cloud of our afflictions and see the sun-shine of comfort on the other side of it wee cannot be so discouraged with the presence of evill as hartned with the issue Cheere up then thou drooping soule and trust in God what ever thy sufferings bee God is no tyrant to give thee more than thy loade and admit he stay long yet be thou fully assured he will come at length In thee doe I trust saith the Psalmist all the day He knew that if hee came not in the Morning he would come at Noone if hee came not at Noone he would come at Night At one 〈◊〉 of the day or other he will deliver mee and then as the Calme is greater after the Tempest than it was before so my joy shall bee sweeter afterwards than it was before The remembrance of Babylon will make us sing more joyfully in Syon If then I finde the Lords dealing with me to transcend my thoughts my faith shall bee above my reason and thinke he will worke good out of it though I yet conceive not how CHAP. XIV That it increaseth their joy and thankefulnesse 11. BEcause our manifold sufferings and Gods often delivering us doth increase our joy and thankefulnesse yea make after-blessings more sweet By this we have new Songs put into our mouthes and new occasions offered to praise the Author of our deliverance When the Lord brought againe the Captivity of Sion saith David in the person of Israel we were like them that dreame meaning the happinesse seemed too good to be true Then was our mouthes filled with laughter saith hee and our tongues with joy The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce Psal. 126. 1 2 3 4. And how could their case be otherwise when in that miserable exigent Exod. 14. they saw the Pillar remove behind them and the Sea remove before them they looking for nothing but death Is any one afflicted I may say unto him as that harbinger answered a Noble man complaining that he was lodged in so homely a Roome you will take pleasure in it when you are out of it For the more grievous our exigent the more glorious our advancement A desire accomplished delighteth the soule Prov. 13. 19. Wee reade how that lamentable and sad decree of Ahasuerus through the goodnesse of God was an occasion exceedingly to increase the Jewes joy and thankefulnesse insomuch that as the Text saith the dayes that were appointed for their death and ruine were turned into dayes of feasting and joy and wherein they sent presents every man to his neighbour and gifts to the poore Esther 9. 17. 22 to 28. And this joy and thankefulnesse was so lasting that the Jewes cease not to celebrate the same to this
winde-mills would not turne about to doe any good service but for the winde of mens praises Now it is one method to practise swimming with Bladders and another to practise dauncing with heavy shoes Wee read of some that in the Monastery could fast whole dayes together with ease but in the dezart they could not hold out untill noone but their bellyes would be craving presently 4. The one doth it in faith which onely crownes good actions for whatsoever is not done in faith is sin Rom. 14. 23. and therefore cannot please God Heb. 11. 6. the reason is this If our best actions be not the fruites of a lively faith they spring from Ignorance and Iâ— fidelity as hearbes may doe from a dunghill And its evident they have not faith for how should they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard Rom. 10. 14. And it were well if all that are meere civill and morall men would looke to the Rock where-out their workes are hewen and to the Pit where-out they were digged for God looketh at no action further then it is the worke of his spirit but the spirit is nowhere but in the sonnes of God Galat. 4. 6. and no sonnes but by faith in Christ Gal. 3. 26. So that obedience without faith is but as the shell without the kernell the huske without the corne the carkasse without the soule which the Lord abhorres as the sacrifice of Fooles Isay 66. 3. Whence it is that all the vertues of the Heathen are called by Divines splendida peccata shining or glistering sinnes sinnes as it were in a silken Robe 5. The summe of all Morall Philosophy is included in these two words sustaine and abstaine and a wicked man may restraine evill as doe the godly but here is the difference the one keepes in corruption the other kils corruption 6. The Philosopher and so all civill and morall men can forbeare the Christian forgive they pardon their enemies we love ours pray for them and returne good for evill And if not we no whit savour of Heaven For if you love them which love you saith our Saviour what thankes shall you have for even the sinners doe the same such as see not beyond the clouds of humane reason But I say unto you which heare Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them which hurt you and persecute you Matth. 5. 44. Luke 6. 27. 32 33. shewing that if wee will ever hope for good our selves wee must returne good for evill unto others In which words you may note a tripple injunctioâ— one to the heart the treasury of love another to the tonguâ— loves interpreter the third and principall to the hand which is loves Factor or A 〈…〉 oner Wherein our Saviour seemes to set man like a Clock whose master wheele must not onely goe right within nor the bell alone sound true above but the â—and also point straight without as for the motion and setting of the wheele within he saith to the heart love your enemies for the stroke and sounding of the Bell above hee saith to the tongue blesse them that curse you and for the pointing of the hand or Index without he saith to the hand doe good to them that hurt you Now well may naturaâ—l men sayle with the winde of their naturall passions and corrupt affections in rendering evill for evill but Christ the Master and Pylot of his Ship the Church hath charged all passengers bound for Heaven the Haven of their hope and Harbour of their rest like Pauls Marâ—iners Acts 27. to sayle with a contrary winde and weather of doing good for evill and like the Disciples on the Lake of Genazareth Rowe through the raging waves of their enemies reproaches with a contrary breath not rendring rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise to blesse 1 Peter 3. 9. And the better to teach us this lesson he practised it himselfe adding example to precept for his word and his worke like mercy and truth met together his precept and his practâ—se like righteousnesse and peace kissed each other for when they in devillish malice sought nothing but his condemnation he in great love went about the worke of their salvation when they shed his bloud to quench their malice hee sweat water and bloud to wash their soules Yea when the Jewes were crucifying of him he at the same time though the torments of his passion were in t 〈…〉 able incomparable unconceiveable solliciteth God for their pardon Luke 23. 34. Now his prayer could not but be efficatious and a pardon for such murthâ—rers was no meane good turne And this likewise is the practise of the Saints who strive to imitate their Master in all things which he did as man S. Steven at the instant while his enemies were stoning of him kneeled downe and prayed Lord lay not this sinne to their charge Acts 7. 60. Where is one thing very remarkable he stood when he prayed for himselfe but kneeled when he prayed for hiâ— enemies herby shewing the greatnesse of their impiety which easily could not be forgiven as also the greatnesse of his piety And indeed as to render good for good is the part of a man and to render evill for evill the part of a beast and to render evill for good the part of a devill so to render good for evill is onely the part of a Saint be mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull Luke 6. 36. It were easie to abound in examples of this kinde how often did Moses returne good unto Pharaoh for his evill in praying and prevailing with God for him to the removall of nine severall plagues notwithstanding his cruell oppression And David what could he have done for Saul that he left undone notwithstanding hee so cruelly persecuted him and hunted after his life And the like I might shew in that man of God to Jeroâ—oam and they that went to Heaven by the bloudy way of Martyrdome who prayed for others even their persecutors and murtherers an easier passage to Heaven Yea Gods people account it a sinne to cease praying for their worst enemies 1 Sam. 12. 23. But what doe I tell them of these transcendent examples when I never yet heard or read of that Philosopher which could parallel Doctor Cooper Bishop of Lincolne in an act of patient suffering who when his wife had burnt all his Notes which he had beene eight yeares a gathering least hee should kill himselfe with overmuch study for she had much adoe to get him to his meales shewed not the least token of passion but onely replyed Indeed wife it was not well done so falling to worke againe was eight yeares more in gathering the same Notes wherewith he composed his Dictionary which example I confesse more admires me than any that ever I heard of from a man not extraordinarily and immediately inspired and assisted by the Holy Ghost and sure he that could indure this could indure any thing whether