The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 3
3. Our God, that Iudge of the world, and Father of his Church, cōmeth vntounto men by iudgements, by afflictions, by tentations.
SCripture telleth me, ô my soule, that our God, that iust iudge of the world, and that wise louing father of his Church, commeth to men by iudgements, by afflictions, and by tentations. Iudgements being most rife, afflictions, being also common, tentations being most rare. Iudgements, as they are approued to afflictions, and tentations being layd vponupon the wicked, Gods enimies: afflictions, and tentations, as they be taken properly, seasing onelyonly vponupon Gods children, and dearest seruants. Iudgements layed by God vponupon the wicked his enemies, proceed from that fearefull spring of Gods hot consuming wrath; and being accompanied with that confounding spirit of bondage, are layed vponupon them for sinnes committed proudly against his Maiestie, and are nothing else but forerunners of that euerlasting wrath, vnderunder the which they shall lie in hell for euer. And their iudgements thus inflicted vponupon the wicked, ô my soule, be neither profitable, nor honourable for them. For, what profite? what honour, did Cain, Saul, and Iudas reape, by these iudgements which ouertooke them before men, and sent them afterwards to their owne places? The consideration whereof suffers me not to wonder, that when these iudgements approached them they themselues proued their owne greatest enemies.Ambr. offi. The knowledge hereof moued Ambrose to say:1. lib. 1. Impius ipse sibi poena est. cap. 12.The wicked man himselfe is a scurge and punishment to himselfe. Affliction againe, being inflicted by God vponupon his owne children, debars thē with the prodigall child from his wayes; and doth flow from the sweet wholesome fountaine of Gods fatherly wise louelove, being accompanied with that Spirit of adoption, who is also that Spirit of sanctification, by the which God their wise Father, doth bring them to a sight and sense of their sinnes, to a sorrowing for their sinnes, yea, to a forsaking of them, making them turne homewards to him by repentance: and their afflictions be profitable to the child of God, albeit not honourable; for notwithstanding it was profitable for Dauid that he (falling in adulterie and murther) was afflicted as hePsal. 119. 71. himselfe most freely confesse, yet it was no wayes honourable to him. Also it was profitable for the prodigall child, that he was brought to extremitie after he had forsaken his fathers house, and wasted his goods with riotous liuing, (for thereby God being mercifull with him, he was made to seeke homeward to his father.) The sense hereof moued Bernard to say: Si quid amaritudinis sentio in voce eius, non sine dulcedine est, quoniam cum iratus fuerit misericordiae recordabitur, im… & ipsa indignatio non aliunde quam de misericordia est. If I perceiue any bitternesse in the speech of my God, it wants not his owne sweetnesse, for while he is angrie with me, he cannot but remember to be mercifull to me, yea, his verie anger flowes from nothing but from merciemercy. O would to God, that euerie man could speake and thinke, of the afflictions of the Saints, as that famous Father Augustine was moued to thinke, and speake of them.Aug. in Psal. 92. Duos filios habit homo, alterum castigat, alterum dimittit; facit vnusmale & non corripitur a patre, alter mox vt se mouerit colaphis caeditur. Vnde ille dimittitur & iste caeditur, nonne quia huic coeli haereditas obseruatur, ille autem dimissus exhaereditatus est. A man hath two sonnes, he correcteth the one, and ouerseeth the other. The one doth euill, and is not chastened by his father: the other, so soone as he begins to sturre, is cuffed by him. Now wherefore is the one ouerseene, and the other beaten: is it not because the inheritance is prepared for him, who is corrected; and he is disinherited who is ouerseene. Reuel. 3. 19.O hearest thou not my Sauiour saying to thee, ô my soule, As many as I louelove I rebuke and chastise. Out of the sense whereof Paul can charge and resolue thee thus: My sonne despise not the chastenings of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth, and he scourgeth euerie sonne that he loueth: if ye endure chastenings, God offereth himselfe vntounto you as vntounto sonnes. For what sonne is it whom the father chasteneth not. If therefore ye be without correction whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sonnes. The sense hereof moued Augustine to say: Cum flagellat Deus filium currat sub manu patris flagellantis, quia quando flagellat ad haereditatem erudit, ad tempus emendat, non in aeternum damnat. Elige tibi temporalem vis laborem, an sempiternam poenam, temporalem felicitatem, an aeternam vitam. Quid minatur Deus, sempiternam poenam; quid promittit Deus, sempiternam requiem. In quo flagellat Deus bonos, temporale est: In quo parcit malis, temporale est. When God scourgeth his sonne, let his sonne runne vnderunder the hand of his father scurging him, because while he scurgeth him, he fits him for his inheritance, he amends him for a while, he condemes him not for euer. Make thy choise, whither thou wilt vndergoe trouble for a time, or euerlasting paine; temporarie happinesse, or euerlasting life. Wherewith threatneth God thee ô man with euerlasting paine. What promiseth God vntounto thee ô man? eternall rest. That wherein God correcteth his owne good children, is temporarie laying on them for a while; that wherein God spareth the wicked, is also temporarie, continuing onelyonly with them for as short a while. Tentations againe, ó my soule, for trials are layed by God vponupon his dearest children, and speciall painfull faithfull seruants, euen while they through his speciall grace, are carefully studying to prouide for honest things, both before God and man. And so when with Enoch, Noah, and Abraham, they are walking before God, and amongst men holilie, righteously, and soberly, abhorring to consent vntounto euill, delighting to do well, and reioycing to suffer euen greatest extremitie for well doing. Now their tentations do flow from yt sweetest spring, of that feruant old louelove wherewith our God loueth, and of that rarest account his Maiestie maketh of these his dearest children and seruants, and of these singular graces mercifully bestowed by him, vponupon them: and their tentations be layed by God vppon his children, for the triall of these graces, yea, for the clearing and manifesting of them, yet no wayes vntounto that God the onelyonly giuer and keeper of them, who is perfectly acquainted with that measure of faith, of hope, of patience, wherewith he hath inriched his holy ones, but to themselues and others: to the end that his tempted child, and with him others who do see him, and heare tell of him, may perceiue how farre his God hath spiritually beautified and inriched his soule. Thus our God tempting Abraham, euen while he was walking before him vprightly, commands him to offer vp his onelyonly sonne Isaac whom he loued in a burnt offring to him,Gen. 22. to the end, that first Abraham himselfe, and then others might know what a measure of faith he had bestowed vponupon Abraham. Thus our God to trie iust Iob, Iob 1. 2.who was a man who feared God, and eschewed euill; bereft him of his whole goods, children, and health, his wife, friends, and seruants, in the meane time, prouing miserable comforters to him, and all to the end that with himselfe, others might know with what a measure of faith, hope, and patience, his God had blessed him. Thus our blessed wise God, tempting Dauid euen after he had annointed him to be King of Iudah and Israel by the hand of Samuel. had Saul the King so turned vponupon him, that howbeit he slew Goliah, eased Saul by his Musicke, when the euill spirit troubled him, and married his daughter: yet he may not keepe the court, keepe his owne house, yea, find a cottage in all the holy land to hide himselfe in; but is compelled to flee to Achis King of Gath,2. Sam. 27. and all to the end, that his wise, louing Father might make it knowne, first, to himselfe, and then to others, what store of grace lodged within his soule. The Apostles of Iesus are faithfully, aud busily seruing their Maister, by preaching the Gospell sincerely,Act. 3. 4. 5. and freely: alwayes are they not hated, accused, imprisoned beaten, yea, put to death for this their seruice? euer reioycing that they suffered such things and all to the end, that they themselues might know that it was not onelyonly giuen to them, to beleeue in Iesus but to suffer for him. While spices abide whole in the merchants pocket, they remaine vnsauorie, but when they are put in the morter, and beaten with the pestle, all that be in the house do smell them. That prouerbe holdeth most true, Apis sine aculio non mellificat. Bees without the sting make no honie. In the calme day of blooming prosperitie, can the graces of the Saints be knowne? alwayes let the pestle of tentations seaze vponupon them, their spices of faith, hope, and patience, shall be manifested. Yea, howbeit while the child of God is not burthened with the sting of tentation, he appeare vnprofitable to others, and to himselfe: yet so soone as he beginnes to carrie this sting layed vponupon him by his Father, he can make and bring forth wholesome honie, for the honour of his God, for the ioy of his owne soule and for the benefite of others. Augustine saw this, and could write this most sweetly, and truly, touching tentation. Omnes tentatio probatio est, Aug in Psal. 51.& omnis probationis effectus habet suum fructum, quia homo plerum que etiam sibi ignotus est, quid ferat, quidue nonferat, aliquando praesumit se posse ferre quod non potest, & aliquando desperat se posse ferre quod potest. Accedit tentatio, quasi interrogatio; & inuenitur homo a se ipso, quia latebat, & se ipsum, sed artificem non latebat. Euerie tentation is a triall, and the worke of euerie triall hath his owne fruite, because a man is euen oftentimes vnknowne to himselfe not knowne what he may endure, or what he may not endure. Now he presumes that he may endure that which he may not, and sometimes he despaires that he can endure that which he may endure, in this meane time in comes tentation as a question demanding him and saying as it were what mayst thou suffer, what mayst thou not suffer? and hereupon the man is found out by himselfe, who knew not himselfe before, albeit before that he was not vnknowne to his maker. And againe, Perfectio nostra per tentationem fit, nec sibi quisquam innotescit nisi tentatus, nec potest coronari nisi vicerit, nec potest vincere nisi certauerit, Aug. in Psal. 16.nec potest certare, nisi inimicum, & tentationes habuerit. We are ledde forwards to perfection by tentation, neither is any man vnknowne to himselfe vnlesse he be tempted, neither can a man be crowned, vnlesse …e ouercome, neither can he ouercome vnlesse he striue, neither can he striue, vnlesse he find an aduersarie and tentations. As their tentations are most rare, so they are not onelyonly profitable, but honourable. Shall not all posteritie thinke, and speake honourably of Abrahams faith, considering he was readie at the voice of his God, to slay his onelyonly sonne whom he loued,Gen. 22. of whom God had said, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Shall not all posterities thinke and speake honourably of Iob, who being bereft of all outward comfort; and enuironed, yea, filled with a verie sea of all extreame crosses and tentations,Iob 1. 21. could say and sing: The Lord hath giuen, the Lord hath taken, blessed be the name of the Lord. Iob. 2. 10.Thou speakest like a foolish w…man, shall we receiue good at the hands of God, Iob 13. 15.and not receiue euill? Though he slay me yet shall I trust in him. I am sure that my Redeemer liueth, and that he shall stand the last on the earth, though after my skinne wormes destroy this bodie, Iob 19. 25. 26. 27.yet shall I see God in my flesh, whom I my selfe shall see, and mine eyes shall behold and none other for me. I know, ô my soule, that the Epicure can enlarge his heart to mirth and dalliance in the middest of his cups; but the tempted child of God, with the Apostles can dance for ioy, when they are imprisoned and beaten; yea, can not onelyonly pray, but sing with Paul and Silas, Act. 5. 6.when they are fast locked in the stockes. Therefore no wonder that we here Paul speake thus. We reioyce in tribulations, Rom. 5. 4. 5.knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed; because the louelove of God is shed abroad in our hearts, Iam. 3. 4. 1…by the holy Ghost which is giuen to vsus. Yea, this moued Iames thus to resolue vsus. Count it exceeding great ioy when ye fall in diuerse tentations, knowing that the tryall of our faith bringeth forth patience, and let patience hauehave her perfect worke that we may be perfect and intire, lacking nothing. Blessed is the man that endureth tentations, for when he is tried he shall receiue the crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that louelove him. The sense hereof moued Cyprian to say.Cypr. ser. of mort. Calamitates non sunt offendicula sed praelia; nisi praecellerit pugna non potest esse victoria: hoc interest inter nos, & eos qui Deum ignorant quod illi in aduersis queruntur & murmurant, nos aduersa non auocant a virtutis & fidei veritate. Troubles are not offences, but fightes; vnlesse the fight go before, the victorie cannot follow: in this we differ from those that know not God, that while they complaine and murmor vnderunder aduersitie, no aduersitie can draw vsus away from that truth which we constantly beleeue. The sense here of moued Iraeneus also thus to write.Iraen. lib. 4. cap. 22. Interea dum hic sumus necessaria est pijs tribulatio vt contriti per patientiam & igniti apti sint ad conuiuium regis. Trouble is necessarie for the godly while they liue here, to the end that they being grinded and fried by patience may be fit for the banquet of the great King.