A Letter Instructing to Repentance Love and New Obedience, Letter 2
ANOTHER LETter written by Maſter Paul Bayne.
MY Chriſtiā friend if I had ſooner knowne of your heauines, I would before this hauehave written vntounto you. For the more arguments we hauehave of louelove borne vsus by Gods children, the more teſtimonies we hauehave of his fauour towards vsus. It pleaſed God in December laſt, to change his hand toward you, and to touch you in your wife, whom now hee hath againe viſited, & I hope all with both your cōforts. Truly our God (through Chriſt Ieſus is ſo mercifull, yt all things are ſanctified by him vntounto our good, all afflictions though for the preſent not ioyous, yet they bring vsus afterward the quiet fruit of righteouſneſſe. Theſe euils which here euer and anon are preſent with vsus they are fitly cōpared to wayward & touchie gueſts, which while they ſtay, watch eueryevery officer, but when they depart, they pay freely. So it is with theſe, they oftentimes diſquiet the frame of the whole ſoule, but when they go away they leaue encreaſe of grace, of faith, of patience, of experience, that the ſoule ſaith well, it is good I knew theſe things. But the preſent working of ſorrowes ſeemeth often farre otherwiſe: for in ſtead of encreaſing in faith, our faith ſeemeth to bee ſhaken and weakened, rather then otherwiſe; and in ſtead of breeding patience and holines, our ſoules doe diſcouer more impatiencie, rebellion, more vnholineſſe eueryevery way. Now the ſoule thinketh when thus it is ſhaken in beleefe, how doe theſe croſſes confirme faith? and when ſuch euill dwelling in vsus doth breake out, how (ſaith the ſoule to it ſelfe) doe afflictions beget the quiet fruit of righteouſneſſe? I wil anſwere you theſe queſtions familiarly: when faith is ſhaken by euils befalling vsus, you aske how it is confirmed? I anſwere you by a double compariſon: When a linke burneth dimme, to helpe the light, we knocke it, being beaten to any thing it ſeemeth almoſt to go forth; yet this beating it, doth cauſe it caſt light farre more cleerely. Againe, how doth the ſhaking of a tree by ſtormy blaſts ſettle the root and the tree more firmely, though for a while it threaten the downefall? Conceiue of theſe, and you may vnderſtand, how faith though it ſeeme to bee caſt downe, yet tried by tentations it commeth to bee ſtrengthened. Now then if you aske, how they bring forth encreaſe of righteouſneſſe, ſeeing you ſee more vnrighteouſneſſe breake from you by occaſion of thē, then you hauehave obſerued in your ſelfe heretofore. When a veſſell of any liquor, hath mud and dregs ſetled in the bottome, it muſt bee ſtirred, that which ſeemed pure muſt bee made muddie before it can bee cleanſed: euen ſo his troubling of vsus, veſſels full of vncleanneſſe, is the way whereby God doth cleanſe vsus. Now if God bee ſo tenderly preſent by vsus, as it pleaſeth him ere-while to be, it falleth ſo out that much gold, many precious graces are diſcerned, which wee before could not diſcouer: and theſe are ſuch ſweete ſowers, ſo pleaſantly tempered, that the griefe is not ſo bitter, as the working of grace in vsus is delightfull. But what way ſoeuer, calamities doe not ſo hurt vsus, as ſcarre vsus; vsus who are loued of God, and called home according to his purpoſe. Thus wiſhing your peace, and hoping yt all ſhall turn to good, the good of you both, I ceaſe to trouble you.
FINIS.
End of the text · Paul Baynes, A Letter Instructing to Repentance Love and New Obedience (1617)