keepes off repentance 32 Commonly the Lord makes our latter end so much the more Prosperous by how much more our former time hath beene miserable and adverse 216 to 220 Of which many examples 216 to 220 The more Prosperity the lesse piety 20 to 25 Prosperity too strong wine for a weake braine 31 If the Lord Prune his Vine he meanes not to root it up 46 To avenge our selves is to lose Gods Protection 146 147 We are kept low that we may not be Proud 44 The Purpose of affliction is to make us earnest with God 26 Q OVr Quarrels make both Divell and Lawyers sport â—8 R RAge not ingendred but by the concurrence of cholera 85 to 94 If we suffer it is that we may Raigne 177 Suffer with Christ and Raigne with him 239 Reasons of affliction sixteene 4 Whereof three concerne Gods glory 4 to 14 Thirteene our good 14 to 73 Whether our wisdome be improved or our lives Reformed by what we have suffered 172 The godly may well Rejoyce in tribulation 256 S. Paul Rejoyced in nothing more than afflictions reproaches persecution c. 255 The godly rejoyce alwayes the wicked for a fit only 243 No Release without repentance 18 19 God loves to send Releese when we least look for it 205 Religion and persecution inseparable 1 2 3 Religion allowes as much of the Serpent as of the Dove 163 We can neither indure the malady nor the Remedy 254 Persecution will follow Remission of sins 1 2 3 The end of passion the beginning of Repentance 136 Repentance can only prevent the eternall displeasure of God 22â— Repentance removes affliction 18 1â— Affliction makes us repent of f 〈…〉 we never dreamt of 15 The way not to Repine at those above us is to looke at those below us 233 The Reproach of an enemy brings us to see our faults 94 Iudas his depraving Mary turned to her great Renowne 132 Lawfull to seek Restitution 167 It is enough that when we are dead we shall Rest in the Land of Promise 232 Some carnall Reasons for revenge answered 154 CHRIST not yet Revenged of his enemies 15â— Both the Law of Nature and Law of Nations forbids revenge 14â— 144 If wee miscarry in seeking Revenge 〈…〉 no comfort 146 147 He that takes Revenge makes himselfe both Iudge witnesse accuser and executioner 139 140 To Revenge is to take Gods office out of his hand 137 to 142 The Lord will Revenge our wrongs 121.137 to 142 Revenge a remedy worse than the disease 85 to 94 Patience the most divine and Christian-like Revenge 84 Great is their Reward which suffer for righteousnesse 237 238 The more we suffer the greater our Reward 237 to 246 Were every paine we suffer a death and every crosse an hell yet we shall have amends enough 106 107 Patience shall have a temporall Reward also 108 to 115 If not patience were a sufficient Reward to it selfe 110 to 115 We shall beare the crosse more comfortably if we think upon the Reward promised 237 to 246 Patient because patience brings a Reward 103 to 115 Hope of Reward should make us patient 102 Our Reward answerable to our sufferings 242 The greater our sufferings here the greater our Reward hereafter 242 Rich men neglect God most 32 Rules to be observed in suffering 162 to 179 S SAtan can doe any thing by permission nothing without 198 199 Satan is limited and can goe no farther than his chaine will reach 198 199 God will never give Satan leave to doe the least hurt to our soules 199 Satan injoyned silence 128 129 If Satan cannot hurt us much lesse his instruments weake men 199 200 Our Saviours whole life from his cradle to his grave a continuall act of suffering 233 The Saints patience 159 to 162 To search whether the report be true or no 97 98 Their scoffes noble badges of honour and Innocency 132 If beaten off from our profession wiith scoffes we are but counterfeits 173 The Scriptures written for our learning patience comfort and hope â—â—6 Security the cause of corruption â—75 Affliction separates the good and bad 37 to 43 We take deeper roote by shaking 45 We remember one dayes sicknesse more than many yeares health 234 The sick servant hath not strong meates given him as the rest have 226 An enemy most vexed with silence 123 to 126 Silence the way royall to correct a wrong 80 to 85 Silence will either drayne the gall ouâ— of bitter spirits or make it more overflow to their owne disgrace 124 Silence in case of personall wrongs but not in the causes of God and Religion 125 Our Saviour a patterne for silent suffering 96 97 Silence one kinde of revenge 123 to 126 Affliction discovers whether we are sincere or not 37 to 43 Sinne the sling of all troubles 147 Our sincerity cannot bee approved without suffering 244 Chastisements after the sinne is remitted may bee deadly 227 Every word they speake of us is a slander be it good or ill 127 to 133 A slanderer doth but shame himselfe 119 None ever was that was not slandered 139 Better smart for a while than for ever 177 Our songs shall be lowder than our cryes 64 Commonly they know not GOD that know no sorrowes 18 The soule cannot live while the sinne lives 19 GOD regardeth the soules good and his owne glory 254 Our soules shall loose nothing but their drosse 202 The soule waxeth as the body waineth 66 We have the presence of Gods spirit and grace many times and feele it not 220 To rejoyce when they speake evill of us 132 The sharpe water of affliction quickens our spirituall sight 49 to 52 To bee evill spoken of for well doing peculier to the godly 127 to 133 If God stay long yet hee will bee sure to come at lâ—ngth 58 59 Steven a true Scholler of Christ 159 160 Of all stormes a calme the greatest 227 A stoute Christian beares off one mischiefe with another 68 69 Though the Divell strikes at our names his ayme is to slay our soules 172 We may well take a few stripes where we receive so much good 100 to 103 Receive his stripes with all humility patience pieâ—y and thankfulnesse 176 That stripes from the Almighty are speciall tokens and pledges of his adoption and love 222 to 229 Nothing more proves us Gods than his stripes 22â— Not bound to tender our throates to an unjust 〈◊〉 162 to â—â—â— Our sufferings may aggravate cannot redresse our miseries 176 A man that studies revenge keepes his woundes greene and open 91 We must suffer with Christ that wee may raigne with him 52 to 54 Our sufferings are registred our teares botled up 191 192 We suffer here that we may not suffer hereafter 43 to 49 Our sufferings farre lesse than our sinnes have deserved 235 By suffering we become followers of all the Saints 53 54 Our patience shall be proportionable to our sufferings our strength equalled to our temptations 219 Our sufferings
of his substance rob him of his Children punish him in his body Yet marke but the Sequell well and you shall find that he was crost with a blessing As the Physitian in making of Triacle or Mithridate for his Patient useth Serpents Adders and such like poyson that he may drive out one poyson with another Even so our spirituall Physitian is pleased to use the malice of Sathan and wicked men when he tempereth to us the Cup of affliction that hereby he may expell one evilâ— with another Yea two evills with one namely the evill of sin and the evill of punishment and that both temporall and eternall He suffers us to be afflicted because he will not suffer us to be damned such is the goodnesse of our heavenly Father to us that even his anger proceeds from mercy he scourgeth the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 5.5 Yea Ioseph was therefore abased in the dungeon that his advancement might be the greater It s true in our thoughts we often speake for the flesh as Abraham did for Ismael O that Ismael might live in thy sight no God takes away Ismael and gives Isaac he withdrawes the pleasure of the flesh gives delight to the soule The man sick of a burning feaver cries to his Physitian for drinke he pities him but does not satisfie him he gives him proper physick but not drink A man is sick of a Plurisie the Physitian lets him bloud he is content with it the arme shall smart to ease the heart The covetous man hath a plurisie of riches Gâ—d le ts him bloud by poverty let him be patient it is a course to save his soule So if God scourge us any way so we bleed not or till we bleed so we faint not or till we even faint so we perish not let us be comforted for if the Lord prune his Vine he meanes not to root it up if he minister physick to our soules it is because he would not have us dye in our sins all is for salvation What if Noah were pent up in the Arke so long as he was safe in it what if it were his prison so long as it was his Fort also against the waters I might illustrate the point and make it plaine by sundry and divers comparisons We know one naile drives out another one heat another one cold another yea out of admirable experience I can witnesse it that for most constitutions there is not such a remedy under Heaven for a cold in the head or an accustomed tendernesse as a frequent bathing of it in cold water I can justly say I am twenty yeeres the younger for it Yea one sorrow drives out another one passion another one rumour is expelled by another and though for the most part contraries are cured by contraries yet not seldome will Physitians stop a Lask with a Purge they will bleed a Patient in the Arme to stop a worse bleeding at Nose Againe in some Patients they will procure a gentle Ague that they may cure him of a more dangerous disease Even so deales God with us he often punisheth the worser part of man saith S. Ierome That is the body state or name that the better part to wit the soule may be saved in the day of judgement Neither are chastisements any whit lesse necessary for the soule than medicines are for the body many a man had beene undone by prosperity if they had not beene undone by adversity they had perished in their soules if they had not perished in their bodies estates or good-names It s probable Naamans soule had never beene cleansed if his body had not beene leaprous and though affliction be hard of digestion to the naturall man yet the experienced Christian knowes that it is good for the soule that the body is sometime sick and therefore to have his inward man cured he is content his outward man should be diseased and cares not so the sins of his soule may be lesâ—ened though the soares of his flesh be increased And why is it not so with thee I hope thou desirest thy soules safety above all and thou knowest the stomack that is purged must be content to part with some good nourishment that it may deliver it selfe of more evill humours Of what kinde â—oever thy sufferings be it is doubtlesse the fittest for thy soules recovery or else God the onely wise Physitian would not appoint it Now who would not be willing to bleed when by that meanes an inveterate sicknesse may be prevented Yea it is a happy bloud-letting which saves the life which makes S. Austine say unto God Let my body be crucified or burnt or doe with it what thou wilt so thou save my soule And another let me swim a River of boyling brimstone to live eternally happy rather than dwell in a Paradise of pleasure to be damned after death CHAP. 11. That it makes them humble 8 EIghthly that we may have an humble conceipt of our selves and wholly depend upon God We received the sentence of death in our selves saith the Apostle because we should not trust in our selves but in God who raiseth us up from the dead 2 Cor. 1.9 When Babes are afraid they cast themselves into the armes and bosome of their mother I thought in my prosperity saith David I shall never be moved But thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled Then turned I unto thee c. Psal. 30.6 7 8. When a stubborne Delinquent being committed was no whit mollified with his durance but grew more perverse than he was before one of the Senators said to the rest Let us forget him a while and then he will remember himselfe the Heart is so hot of it selfe that if it had not the Lungs as Fannes to blow wind upon it and kindly moisture to coole it it would soone perish with the owne heat and yet when that moisture growes too redundant it againe drownes the Heart Who so nourisheth his servant daintily from his childhood shall after finde him stubborne We see then there is danger in being without dangers and what saith S. Paul Lest I should be exalted out of measure there was given unto me the Messenger of Satan to buffet me 2 Cor. 12.7 Our adversaries as well as our sins are Messengers sent from Satan to buffet us and the best minds troubled yeeld inconsiderate motions As water violently stirred sends up bubbles so the vanities of our hearts and our most secret and hidden corruptions as dregs in a glasse shew themselves when shaken by an injury though they lay hid before And so the pride of man is beaten downe as Iob speaks Iob 33.17 The sharpe water of affliction quickens our spirituall sight So proud are we by nature that before we come to the triall we think that we can repell the strongest assault and overcome all enemies by our owne power but when we feele our selves vanquished and foiled by every small temptation
were the way royall to correct a wrong And certainly he injoyes a brave composednes that seats himselfe above the flight of the injurious claw Agathocles Antigonus and Caesar being great Potentates were as little moved at vulgar wrongs as a Lion at the barking of Curres and who so truly noble as he that can doe ill and will not You 'l confesse then 't is Princely to disdaine a wrong and is that all No forgivenesse saith Seneca is a valiant kind of revenge and none are so frequent in pardoning as the couragious He that is modestly valiant stirs not till he must needs and then to purpose who more valiant than Ioshua and he held it the noblest victory to overcome evill with good for the Gibeonites tooke not so much paines in comming to deceive him as he in going to deliver them And Cicero more commends Caesar for overcomming his owne courage in pardoning Marcellus than for the great victories hee had against his other enemies Yea a dominion over ones selfe is greater than the Grand Signiory of Turkie And indeed for a man to overcome an enemy and be overcome by his owne passions is to conquer a petty Village with the losse of a large City Yea if the price or honour of the conquest is rated by the difficulty then to suppresse anger in thy selfe is to conquer with Hercules one of the Furies To tame all passions is to leade Cerberus in chaines and to indure afflictions and persecutions strongly and patiently is with Atlas to beare the whole world on thy shoulders as saith the Poet. Every Beast and Vermine can kill it is true prowes and honour to give life and preserve it Yea a Beast being â—narl'd at by a Cur will passe by as scorning to take notice thereof I but is it wisdome so to doe Yes none more wise than Salomon and he is of opinion That it is the glory of a man to passe by an offence Pro. 19.11 We fooles thinke it ignominy and cowardise to put up the lye without a stab a wrong without a challenge but Salomon to whose wisdome all wise men will subscribe was of another judgement And Pittacus the Philosopher holds That pardon is better than revenge inasmuch as the one is proper to the spirit the other to a cruell Beast How Socrates whom the Oracle of Apollo pronounced the wisest man alive and all the rest of Philosophers approved of it both by judgement and practice We shall have occasion to relate in the reasons ensuing No truer note of a wise man than this he so loves as if he were to bee an enemy and so hates as if he were to love againe as with fire the light stuffe and rubbish kindles sooner than the solid and more compact se anger doth sooner inflame a foole than a man composed in his resolutions This the Holy Ghost witnesseth Eccles. 7.9 Bee not thou of a hasty spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles Some have no patience to beare bitter scoffes their noses are too tender to indure this strong and bitter Wormewood of the braine Others againe like tyled houses can admit a falling sparke unwarmed it may be coales of Juniper without any danger of burning Now what makes the difference the one hath a good head-peece and is more solid the other are covered with such light drie straw that with the least touch they will kindle and flame about your troubled eares and when the house is on fire it 's no disputing with how small a matter it came I confesse I finde some wise men extremely passionate by nature as there is no generall rule but admits of some exceptionÌ„s and these as they are more taken with a joy so they taste a discontent more heavily And others againe none of the wisest who are free from being affected and as they never joy excessively so they never sorrow inordinately but have together lesse mirth and lesse mourning like patient Gamesters winning and losing are all one But for the most part it is otherwise Yea impatience is the Cousin German to frenzie How oft have we heard men that have beene displeased with others teare the name of their Maker in peeces And lastly this of all others is the most divine and Christian like revenge witnesse our Saviour Christ who even then triumphed over his enemies when most they seemed to triumph over him Col. 2.15 And the Martyrs who are said by the Holy Ghost to overcome the great Dragon that old Serpent called the Devill and Sathan in that they loved not their lives unto the death Revel 12.11 And holy David who when he had Saul at his mercy instead of cutting off his head as his servants perswaded him only cut off the â—â—p of his Garment and after thought that too much also And at another time when the Lord had closed him into his hands finding him asleep in the Fort instead of taking away his life as Abishai councelled him he tooke away his Speare and instead of taking away his blood from his heart he takes a pot of water from his head That this kinde of revenge for a man to finde his enemy at an advantage and let him depart free is generous and noble beyond the capacity of an ordinary man you may heare Saul himselfe confesse 1 Sam. 24.17 to 23. Againe when the King of Syria sent a mighty Host to take Elisha and the Lord had smote them all with blindnesse and shut them into Samaria what doth the Prophet Slay them no. Indeed the King of Israel would faine have had it so his fingers itcht to be doing but Elisha commanded bread and water to be set before them that they might eat and drink and go to their Master 2 King 6.22 So we see the cudgell is not of use when the Beast but only barkes nay tell me how wouldst thou endure wounds for thy Saviour that canst not indure words for him if when a man reviles thee thou art impatient how wouldst thou afford thy ashes to Christ and write patience with thine owne blood CHAP. 19. That sâ—ffering is the only way to prevent suffering 3 BEcause suffering is the only way to prevent suffering Revenge being one of those remedies which not seldome proves more grievous than the disease it selfe When once Zantippe the Wife of Socrates in the open street pluckt his cloake from his back some of his acquaintance counselled him to strike her Yea quoth he you say well that while we are brawling and fighting together every one of you may clap us on the backe and cry hoe well said to it Socrates yea well done Zantippe the wisest of the twaine When Aristippus was asked by one in dirision where the great high friendship was become that formerly had bin betweene him and Estines he answers it is asleep but I will goe and awake it and did so least their enemies should make it a matter of rejoycing When Philip of Macedon was told that the Grecians spake
offence to God in it nor hurt to themselves we might wish and call for their contempt cruelty and curses for so many curses so many blessings I could adde many examples to the former as how the malice of Haman turned to the good of the Iewes the malice of Achitophel to the good of David when his counsell was turned by God into foolishnesse the malice of the Pharisees to him that was borne blind when Christ upon their casting him out of the Synagogue admitted him into the Communion of Saints Iohn 9.34 The malice of Herod to the Babes whom he could never have pleasured so much with his kindnesse as he did with his cruelty for where his impâ—ety did abound there Christs pittie did super-abound translating them from their earthly mothers armes in this valley of teares unto their heavenly Fathers bosome in his Kingdome of glory But more pertinent to the matter in hand is that of Aaron and Miriam to Moses when they murmured against him Num. 12. where it is evident that God had never so much magnified him to them but for their envie And that of the Arians to Paphnutius when they put out one of his eyes for withstanding their Heresie whom Constantine the Emperour even for that very cause had in such reverence and estimation that hee would often send for him to his Court lovingly imbracing him and greedily kissing the eye which had lost his owne sight for maintaining that of the Catholike Doctrine so that we cannot devise to pleasure Gods servants so much as by despighting them And thus you see how patient suffering is rewarded both here and hereafter according to that asseveration of our Saviour Verily I say unto you there is no man that hath forsaken or suffered any thing for my sake and the Gospels but he shall receive an hundred fold now at this present and in the world to come eternall life Marke 10.29 30. But admit patience should neither be rewarded here nor hereafter yet it is a sufficient reward to it selfe for hope and patience are two soveraigne and universall remedies for all diseases Patience is a counterpoison or antipoison for all griefe It is like the Tree which Moses cast into the waters Exod. 15.25 for as that Tree made the waters sweet so patience sweeteâ—s affliction it is as Larde to the leane meat of adversity The taste of goods or evils doth greatly depend on the opinion wee have of them and contentation like an old mans spectacles makes those characters easie and familiar that otherwise would puzzle him shrewdly Afflictions are as we use them there is nothing grievous if the thought make it not so even paine it selfe saith the Philosopher is in our power if not to be disanulled yet at least to be diminish'd through patience Patience is like a golden shield in the hand to breake the stroke of every crosse and save the heart though the body suffer A sound spirit saith Salomon will beare his infirmity Prov. 18.14 Patience to the soule is as the lid to the eye for as the lid being shut when occasion requires saves it exceedingly so patience intervening betweene the soule and that which it suffers saves the heart whole and cheeres the body againe And therefore if you marke it when you can passe by an offence and take it patiently and quietly you have a kinde of peace and joy in your heart as if you had gotten a victory and the more your patience is still the lesse your paine is for as a light burthen at the armes end weigheth heavier by much than a burden of troble weight if it be borne on the shoulders which are made to beare so if a man set patience to beare his crosse the weight is nothing to what it would be if that were wanting wherefore saith one being unable to direct events I governe my selfe and if they apply not themselves to me I apply my selfe to them if I cannot fling what I would yet I will somewhat mend it by playing the cast as well as I can O that all implacable persons who double their sufferings through long study of revenge would learne this lesson then would they find that patience can no lesse mitigate evils than impatience exasperates them A profitable prescription indeed may some say but of an hard execution hard indeed to the capacity of a carnall conceipt yea altogether impossible to flesh and bloud If thou art only beholding to nature and hast nought but what thou broughtest into the world with thee well mayest thou envie at it but thou canst never imitate it for to speake the truth faith and patience are two miracles in a Christian. Cassianus reporteth that when a Martyr was tormented by the Infidels and asked by way of reproach what miracle his CHRIST had done he answered he hath done what you now behold inabled me so to beare your contumelies and undergoe all these tortures so patiently that I am not once moved and is not this a miracle worthy your taking notice of Indeed what have we by our second birth which is not miraculous in comparison of our natural condition It was no lesse than a miracle for Zacheus a man both rich and covetous to give halfe his goods to the poore and make restitution with the residue and all this in his health It was a great miracle that Ioseph in the armes of his Mistrisse should not burne with lust It is a great miracle for a man to forsake Houses and Lands and all that a man hath yea to hate Father and Mother and Wife and children and his owne life to be Christs Disciple It is a great miracle to rejoyce in tribulation and smile death in the face It is a great miracle that of fierce and cruell Wolves Beares Lions we should bee transformed into meeke Lambes and harmelesse Doves and all this by the foolishnesse of preaching Christ crucified Indeed they were no miracles if Nature could produce the like effects but shee must not looke to stand in competition with grace Saint Paul before his conversion could doe as much as the proudest naturall man of you all his words are If any other man thinketh that hee hath whereof hee might trust in the flesh much more â— Phil. 3.4 Yet when he speaketh of patience and rejoycing in tribulation he sheweth That it was because the love of God was shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost which was given unto him Rom. 5.5 of himselfe he could doe nothing though he were able to do all things through Christ which strengthened him Phil. 4.13 Hast thou then a desire after this invincible patience seeke first to have the love of God shed abroad in thy heart by the Holy Ghost Wouldst thou have the love of God Ask it of him by prayer who saith if any of you lacke in this kinde let him Aske of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Iames 1.5 Wouldst thou pray that