Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 52
CHAP. LII. Of Patience vnderunder the Crosse.
THere is a difference betweene Gods children and others: for Gods childrenPatience. hauehave the patience that others doe want, though not at the first, yet in continuance, though with some infirmitie: first, because they are perswaded of forgiuenes of sinnes: and secondly, are sure of their vocation by good workes, which are the fruites of sanctification: thirdly, the knowledge of Gods prouidence, which disposeth all things for our good: fourthly, because they looke for another life, and when they faile of any of these, then they begin to quaile: and the wicked, because they vtterly want these therefore they are altogether confounded.
2 Patience is not so much in …e outward stilnes of the bodie and shewe of the faee, asPsal. 62. 1▪ 3. My soule kee peth silence vntounto God. in the inward quietnes of the heart, and meeknes of the spirit. Therefore Dauid, Psal. 4▪ biddeth vsus examine our selues vponupon our beds, and be still: and Esai, 30▪ the Lorde saith, your helpe shall be in silence and peace: and therefore Dauid and Iob being in trouble, saide they would lay their hands on their mouthes: for when a man doth thus possesse his soule in patience, he is most fit for the mercies of God, and then shall hee receiue the greatest profit by them.Simile. For as in bodilie diseases to be quiet, is a great ease and helpe: so it in other troubles whatsoeuer, and therefore must we especially labour for it.
3 Manie will say, that GOD is mightie, but they bel…eue it not, as appeareth in that they are ouer fearefull, when they bee in daunger: whereas Gods children hauehave some presert feeling thereof, and afterward are more strengthened. So that if wee cannot trust in God in the want of all helps, we doe not belieue this power, if wee depend not on him, pray not vntounto him, striue not to obey him, we belieue not this. For this cause did the holy men write of the power of God, which they hauehave felt, that after they may be strengthened: and so must we consider of Gods power, that we in patience may looke for helpe from God in trouble, and in prosperitie, see his hand that blesseth the same vntounto vsus, and so vse the same vntounto his glorie, and giuegive him all the praise.
4 To a good action, it is requisite that our intent be according to the word, that then our action being good, we vse right meanes: if our meanes be good, then must we hauehave faith: if we hauehave faith, then must we hauehave sound hearts: if our hearts be sound, we must deuoure through peace all hindrance: and waiting for the good time of the Lord, we must possesse our soules in patience.
5 There are diuers plaine Israelites that will suffer a vaile to be put before their faces, and they will vse them as the Pharisies did Iohn Baptist, to obiect him against Christ; Iohn and his Disciples fast: and why doe others so, but to hauehave a cloake for their wickednesse? These are abused for want of wisedome, and would mislike their practises in their heart, if they could sound the depth of them: Praestat esse caudam Leonis, quam caput vulpis: Better to be the taile of a Lion, than the head of a Fox. Well, it is good to be iust and wise, but yet not for our selues: but yet such as will not keepe their wisedome to themselues, but tell it out, or write it, come to wrack. Because he will not follow the counsell of Amazias, See not, he hath the reward of the Prophets, & all the Prophets except foure perished. The cause was, they were more wise than was for the Princes aduantage. In respect euen of God his permissiō, it is iust that the iust should perish: we may say, is this his reward? but we must know that when for corruption of time, God his children cānot liue without hazard of their hazard, he taketh thē away: neither in so doing doth he breake his promise, that giues them for a long life, eternall life; for a bag of siluer, a bag of gold: for in so doing he promiseth the lesse, and performeth the more. We would indeed be the Lords seruants, if we saw his seruice would alwaies preuaile; but because sometimes we see their seates without honour that serue God, we will be none of his seruants, or we learne by reason to iudge no action by the person: yet we say, if he preuailed not, he tooke no good course, or if we cannot but say, he is wise, we say he is too wise. The Prophet (Prou. 30.) saith, he will write his vision to Ithiel, and if Veal be with him, to him too, or else not: the meaning is, Ithiel is God with vsus: he would write it to please God: Veal is to preuaile: if that be with the other, he will hauehaveHis halfepeni… and let…ise toe. both, else keepe to the other, and let Veal alone. When a man goeth to the market cum ob… lo, if he like lettesse, he may take them, & giuegive his ebolum, if he like his halfepeny better, he may keepe it; but if one would hauehave both ebolum & lactucas: so if we hauehave vpright dealing,A… vpright life and good consci…nce better than the fauour of men. and will esteeme the fauour of men in authoritie better, we may change it for that: but if we esteeme our vpright dealing better, let vsus keepe it, we must not require them both. Example in Christ, he was crost in all his doings: he went with a full minde to conuert his countrimen, and they would hauehave throwne him downe an hill: he would hauehave preached to the Gargazites, and they prayed him to depart: he spake greatly to discredit the Pharisies, and they preuailed with the people against him: he bent all his preaching against Traditions, but in the Apostles times they increased tenne for one, they preferred Barra… before him, & to fill vp the measure, the iust man perisheth in his righteousnesse: but …hat reason is there of this? that it may appeare Gods seruants are no mercenaries, they be not godly with such and such conditions, they say not, let iustice rather be lost, than I die as the Heathen. A second reason is in respect of the thing it selfe. Augustine marueileth why they call not life a disease: for men speaking of a disease wil say, he is in an Apoplexe, surely he will die of it, when indeed he may escape: but of life he may surely say, he hath the sicknes of life, therefore he shall die, we die of the corruption of humours, and as there are two bodies publike and priuate: so two humours, and two corruptions of them, and is it not all one for one to die by the corruption of the publike humours, lawes & customes, as of our owne? Nay better, we being whole in body and soule. In taking vponupon vsus to be Christians, we binde our selues to die: since the fall of Adam no man passeth to Paradise but by the burning Seraphins; no man to the land of Canaan, but by the burthen of him, and the waters of Marah; no man to Ierusalem, but by the valley of weeping; no man to the happie citie, but by the waters of Babel: the tenure whereby we hold heauen, is the crosse, that was the indenture betwixt Christ and his Father, that he should not enter into heauen, but that he must first suffer, 2. Tim. 2. all that will liue godly must suffer▪ And Ambrose turneth the proposition: he that suffereth no persecution doth not liue godly: and there is a reason▪ it is so that sometime the iust man perisheth in his iustice, and this is well that he dieth in his iustice: for diuers (as Gedeon) hauehave bin first spoyled of their iustice, and then perished. That is the case of many now adaies, perish they may, but in their righteousnes they cannot. It is said of Enoch, he was translated, that his minde might not be tainted with the sinnes of those times. If a man see in an orchard apples of all kinds, and the husbandmanSimile. gather one kinde and not the rest, a foolish man will maruell at it: but the husbandman knoweth what he doth. If we would affoord God this equitie, to know when to gather his fruit best, we should not thinke much that the iust are gathered. Some say, it is better that the iust man should perish, rather then God his righteousnesse should bee condemned: for wee goe about by doing it to condemne heauen, which they withstand, hindring it so long as they liue. We send our sons to fight for the prince of heads, we lamentThe Lacedemonian saide of his shield to his souldier. but curse not the king: we are Gods souldiers, the militāt Church to fight, that his iustice be not condemned, we standing by; we hauehave armour giuen vsus: Ephes. 6. Faith is our shield. God hath good right to say so to vsus, giuing vsus Faith. This reason is from the excellencie of God his Iustice. Let vsus say with the iust man, better the world perish, then that Iustice bee lost. If eueryevery haire of our head were a life, we ought to giuegive them all for this. Again, betterAut hanc, aut super banc Ruat mundus potiùs quàm nō fiat iustiri…. we die, then many perisn.: by our example many may be wonne; example is a chiefe motiue. Affliction is compared to a Wine-presse, for out of it commeth wine wherewith the hearts of diuers are so comforted, that they dare suffer the like. A childe or foole could say of a good cluster of grapes, it were pitie it should be put into the presse: but hee thatAut tu, aut multi morientur. knoweth how it would else come to nought within a few dayes, will cast it into the presse: if it had not bene so, we had wanted the wine we now hauehave. Seeing also they were men ofThe Crosse how needfull. such imperfections as we are, wee may be encouraged to doe the like. God saith, hee will hauehave vsus shine as lights, whose propertie it is to serue others, and to consume itselfe. At lastDe hoc liquore, sae…la futura bibent. Veal shall be ioyned to Ithiel, then shall eueryevery one that suffered wrong, hauehave a writ of error, and they that handled good men ill, shall say, we fooles counted his life madnes, and shallAlijs ministro meipsum consumo. hauehave such griefe, as no man of neuer so great stomacke would wish his enemie more: and the iust shall hauehave blessednes for euermore. Who would not change this vanitie for it? who would be so mad as for …ife to lose the cause of life? And looke how many hereafterIudicia erunt post iudicium, Propter vitam perdere viuendi caus…m. shall be conuerted by their example, so many more degrees of glorie shall they receiue in the kingdome of Heauen: and this is the cause why some of the Saintes would euen line here againe, that they might suffer againe: So little doe they repent that they hauehave suffered. It it said, The wicked shall a…t liue halfe their dayes. Malum natura breue, February is the worst monethmonth, because it is the shortest. But how is it then, that they holde out their wickednes? That is a great indignity. A drunkard will continue so long as his lungs wil last: anDrunkards. adulterie whiles his loynes last: a glutton whilest his skinne: a contentious man as longA…t…erie. as his purse lasteth well: if a man perish for righteousnes, they are burnt sacrifices; if naturally,Insoelices boni qui non habent tantam perseuerantiam in bono quantam mali in malo. they are but a peace-offering, partly Gods, and partly natures: so then if a man continue euen for his wickednes, as Herodias was rewarded for that for which she should hauehave beene punished, he is wholy the diuels.
6 Malice drinkes the greatest part of her owne poyson God his children drinke of the top of the cup, but the wicked of the lees to worke in their bowels eternall griefe of conscience.Nemo impune malus. Wickednesse and punishment are both of one age, they are not burnt in the hand but in the heart. The sinner is condemned, though he be not iudged publikely, yet eueryeveryImpietie. man iudgeth him in his chamber. And if he continue, God bringeth him vponupon the stage, and sheweth some notorious signe vponupon him, and some singular iudgement for sinne. If they should continue as long as Methusaleth, yet the yeere of their punishment would swallow vp the yeeres of their continuance in wickednesse: Follow not such as doe euill. Augustine saith well, good men hauehave not alwaies good children, least vertue seeme hereditarie: neither hauehave euill men euill children, least sinne should ouercome all the world. Likewise all iust men perish not, some doe not, least we should thinke, there were no prouidence of God: and all the wicked escape not in this life, least we should thinke there were no life to come.