Seven Treatises, Treatise 6 · Chapter 11
CHAP. 11. Of the third branch of this priuiledge: That we may hauehave much good by our afflictions.
THe third point of this ſecond branch now followeth, which is no leſſe then a great priuiledge it ſelfe beſide the two former, and that is: that the Lord teacheth his children aright and well to beare thoſe afflictions, which he thinketh meet to try them with and to hold them vnderunder. So that they may not onelyonly indure and goe vnderunder them patiently and contentedly,Pſ. 119.71. but alſo receiue much good by them, as they themſelues be conſtrained to confeſſe. And as the Lord teacheth his people to make this vſe of their afflictions:Iohn 16.6.7. 1. Pet. 1.5.6. ſo eueryevery one of his, may alſo learne the ſame, if they be wiſe enough to thinke ſo; that is, to be reſolued that for their exceeding benefite and profit he ſendeth them. For then and neuer till then, they frame and addreſſe themſelues to receiue them from God thankefully and meekely, when his word hath throughly ſetled this thought and perſwaſion in them: which wiſdome few hauehave or attaine vntounto, thus to thinke, but their owne fooliſh reaſon; which (while they ſeeke nothing but eaſe and freedome from trouble) leadeth them a cleane contrary way, that is, to be vtterly vnwilling to beare them, euen diſcouraged and heauy hearted as oft as they thinke on them. This wiſdome therefore muſt be ſought for, euen of the good ſeruants of God:Luc. 9.23. that they looke for them daily, and be ready to receiue them from God. This it is, that muſt ſuppreſſe and checke all contrary power of carnall reaſon, which will be otherwiſe in the way at all times to annoy them.
It followeth therefore next and moſt conſequently to declare, how the poore people of God may come by this wiſdome: & then to ſhew, how it guideth them to make ſuch profitable and good vſe of their croſſes and chaſtiſements, as no other but they are able to doe the ſame. Saint Iames going about to perſwade the Chriſtians which were diſperſed by reaſon of perſecution, to receiue their afflictions meekely and ioyfully, (fearing that there were not many which could doe ſo) ſhewed them; that it was for want of this wiſdome in them, whoſoeuer rebelled vnderunder the hand of God; and that they ought to be throughly perſwaded that God ſent them for their benefit and good. And then he goeth forward to teach them, how they might come by it; and that he teacheth them thus:Ia. 1.5.6. If any man want wiſdome let him aske it of God, who giueth to eueryevery one plentifully, and caſteth no man in the teeth: but this watchword he giueth: That they muſt ſee, they aske in faith, and they ſhal obtaine it. Then for our inſtruction and edifying let vsus know, that, if we deſire to be partakers of this priuiledge,How we may take good by our afflictions: to welcome our afflictions, to beare them chearefully, and to hauehave them turne to our great benefit (which the moſt doe thinke will turne to their vndoing:) then as we hold this principle of the Apoſtle to be a trueth:Rom. 8.28. that All things worke for the beſt to them which louelove God; ſo we muſt be wiſe to thinke the ſame of our owne afflictions: and if we cannot eaſily be ſo perſwaded (as no man is for the moſt part) we muſt be earneſt with God,Petit. 3. and that oft and from time to time, that our will may yeeld to Gods will, and we may thinke that good for vsus which he thinketh good.
And to the end we may bring our hearts to this, let vsus weigh to and fro, what we can obiect againſt it why we need not ſubmit our ſelues vntounto God: that when all our carnall reaſons ſhall be anſwered, as being to weake to preuaile with vsus, we may referre the whole courſe of our liues to be gouerned by him: and what corrections ſoeuer he ſhall thinke meet for vsus, and to try vsus with and for our benefit,For God ſendeth them to that end. and to keepe vsus from further hurt, (for he hath no worſe end in chaſtiſing of vsus) that then we may remember, in all things to be thankefull, and take vp our croſſe readily and welcome it, ſeeing we know the end of it. And let it not be thought much that I ſay, He hath no worſe end in afflicting vsus: for we ought to be perſwaded throughly of this, that the Lord our God louing vsus, he cannot intend our hurt in the leaſt maner, howſoeuer it ſhall pleaſe him to exerciſe vsus.Lam. 3.33. 1. Pet. 1.6 For we may be ſure, that he afflicteth not willingly, nor at any time but when it is meet and expedient for vsus: and as our Sauiour ſaid to his beloued Apoſtles of his bodily departing from them, (which was the greateſt outward croſſe that could befall them:Iohn. 16.7.) It is expedient that I goe away from you, for otherwiſe the comforter cannot come vntounto you: ſo would he hauehave vsus to thinke, that if it were not for our troubles we ſhould neuer hauehave ſuch comfort as we hauehave,Heb. 12.11. which doth certainely follow the patient bearing of them.
And heere conſider the cauſes why God ſendeth them to his beloued ones: which being knowen & rightly weighed,Reaſons why God afflicteth his. Pſ. 34.17.19. & 2. Cor. 1.10. Rom. 5.4.5. Iam. 1.3. 1. Cor. 11.32. Pſ. 119.67. are of ſufficient force to worke their great benefit & comfort. Firſt, that they may hauehave experience frō how many troubles he deliuereth thē; and know after, how to look for the like helpe in the like trouble: ſecondly, that they may hauehave proofe of their faith and patience, which worketh vnſpeakeable comfort: thirdly, that they may not be condemned with the world: fourthly, that by them, as the body by phyſicke, they may be purged from their ſinfull droſſe and feare him: and fiftly, that the Lord may thereby weane them from the world (to the which they are ſo glued) as a child is from the breſt (by bitter things) which would not otherwiſe leaue it. So that if we be thus taught of God & learne this wiſdome of him, to beleeue, that to theſe ends and of very louelove and faithfulneſſe he afflicteth vsus whenſoeuer he doth it,2. Cor. 4.9. & 6.9. Gods children are neuer forgotten, though they may ſeeme for a time to be neglected. Pſ. 20.8. Ioh. 16.22. 1. Sam. 30.6. we ſhall be ſure to finde it ſo, to our exceeding comfort.
And although for a while we be tried, and therein may ſeeme to be neglected and forgotten of him; when others ſhake off the Lords yoke, and ſhunne the troubles by an euill conſcience, which he laieth vponupon them: yet when they ſhall after be plunged into dangers without recouery, then ſhall ours be at an end, and our reioicing neuer ceaſe nor be taken from vsus. Through this faith Dauid comforted himſelfe in his God, when wicked men conſulted to take way his life. Through this wiſdome which I hauehave ſpoken of, (an inſeparable companion of faith) he ſaid when his troubles were ſore and great: I hauehave held my peace, becauſe thou (ô Lord) haddeſt done it: Pſ. 73.1.and that God was moſt louing vntounto him for all that. And ſo when by this wiſdome and faith he had waited patiently on God, he reaped experience and gladneſſe as the fruite thereof, which he himſelfe expreſſeth in theſe words, ſaying:Pſ. 119.71. It is good for me (ô Lord) that I hauehave beene afflicted. And the like ſpeeches he vttered at ſundry times in many of his pſalmes, which for breuity ſake I omit: whereby it may be gathered, that from time to time he was thus vpholden in his troubles; and therefore that he inioied this liberty and priuiledge in his life, to finde his very croſſes profitable and good vntounto him.
The ſame may be ſaid of Abraham, both at many other times, and namely when he left his owne countrey and his fathers houſe, to goe to a place which God ſhould ſhew him: where he being a ſtranger & had not a foot of ground to poſſeſſe, yet hauing leaſure to returne, would not;Heb. 11.8. but waited vponupon God to know his pleaſu…: which he would neuer hauehave done, if he had not beene perſwaded, that the affliction was beſt for him, which God did trie him with.Pſ. 105.19. Pſ. 105.18. Ioſeph had no other thing to vpholde him when he was ſolde, put in priſon, and his feet pinned in the ſtocks.
And to be ſhort, if this trouble vsus: that, although theſe woorthy ſeruants of God, and many other, had this wiſedome to take their troubles aright, and in ſuch meeke maner that they ſeemed not greatly to trouble them; yet we may not looke to do ſo: to this end, let the Apoſtles words direct and counſell vsus; he ſaith: If any man want this wiſdome, let him aske it of God, and it ſhall be giuen. Loe, he excepteth none (which doe not except themſelues) of ſuch as know what faith is, and who are able to aske in faith (as all the Lords may be bolde to do;) for he addeth: But let him aske in faith. And:Act. 2.21. Whoſoeuer ſhall call on the name of the Lord, ſhall be ſaued: for, how can we call vponupon him, Rom. 10.14.on whom we hauehave not beleeued? So that if any ſuch be deſtitute of this wiſdome, they may thanke themſelues, it is their owne fault.
But to ſatisfie ſome, (who, I know, are many) which looking to the Apoſtles words [that all turneth to the beſt to ſuch as louelove God] and looke no further: whereupon they conclude, if God will hauehave our troubles turne to our good, what need we take any further thought about the matter? I anſwere:Though God promiſe to turne our troubles to good, yet we muſt not be careleſſe vnderunder them. They which beleeue that, will not be careleſſe in their afflictions, how they be affected vnderunder them; whether they lie downe blockiſhly and ſenſeleſly vnderunder them, or whether they ſtorme and be impatient in them: but will do as Dauid did in all his troubles, (who laied them to heart, and praied for grace to beare them and for deliuerance out of them, though he was ſure God would giuegive a good end of them: euen as Daniel alſo did.Dan. 9.5.) And if they behaue themſelues wilfully, careleſly or fooliſhly in them, they ſhall ſee them turne to their exceeding hurt and vexation: ſo farre is it off,Pſ. 18.26. that they ſhould reape good thereby, they know not how. For the Scripture, which teacheth that afflictions are ſent them for their good, doth not profit them, if it be not mixed with faith in them that heare it, Heb. 4.2.
But if they beleeue that Scripture to be written for them, and applie it; then they receiue their croſſes from God as ſent to them in his louelove, they murmure not againſt him,How they may profit by afflictions. neither refuſe to be chaſtiſed of him, but are thankfull, and therefore labour for patience, that it may hauehave her perfect worke: yea and further, if they can finde any ſinne in themſelues which might draw theſe corrections of the Lord vponupon them, they heartily turne from it with all poſſible ſpeed, that ſo they may more confidently intreat the Lord to turne away all the tartneſſe of their affliction frō them. And they which after this maner behaue themſelues vnderunder the croſſe, although they performe theſe duties but in weakneſſe, ſhall finde their troubles, howſoeuer for the time irkeſome vntounto the fleſh,Heb. 12.11. yet to be gainfull manie waies and in manie reſpects vntounto their ſoules.
Vſes of afflictions.For they ſhall giuegive them a proofe of that grace, as meekneſſe, truſt and confidence, which otherwiſe they could not know to be in them. They ſhall teach them alſo experience of greater acknowledging Gods fatherly kindneſſe, which worketh and bringeth forth theſe ſweet graces in them, by as vnlikely occaſions, as the ſoft waters guſh out of the hard and ſtonie rocke: for in others, what doe afflictions cauſe for the moſt part that hauehave them, but rage and fretting and ſuch like? Beſides, in thoſe who are rightly exerciſed in the bearing of them, they hold them from many ſinnes which others runne into: they make them more humble and thankfull: they hearten them by cuſtome therein to beare greater,Lam. 3.27. yea greater than they thought poſſible that euer they ſhould hauehave gone vnderunder: and with all theſe commeth moſt ſound and exceeding comfort,Iam. 1.2. Col. 1.11. Rom. 5.4. in the end at leaſt, with hope in the middeſt of them, which ſhall not make them aſhamed.
Therefore if the ſeruants of God may inioy theſe with many other ſuch commodities by their afflictions, and hauehave ſo good liking of the Chriſtian life that they will not forſake it for the greateſt of them, I conclude this third branch as the two former: That the Lord hath not left their afflictions vponupon them to vexe them, and make their liues weariſome and vnpleaſant to them; but that they ſhould receiue much good and benefit by them. And although they be not without ſharpneſſe, yet the Chriſtian life hath ſo many ſweet fruits of them therewith, that as men are not wearie of the pleaſant ſpring time though it be anoied with the flea: ſo we do not loath our afflicted eſtate being ſo many waies gainfull, for ſome bitterneſſe that accompanieth the ſame: for holy ſecuritie through the favour of God, a good conſcience, and confidence of our cauſe that it is good,Animi ſecuritas, conſcientia bona, cauſae fiducia, plurimùm valent ad ſuſtinendas afflictiones. maketh euen a hard ſtate eaſie, or at leaſt tolerable. And theſe priuiledges which I hauehave now ſpoken of, who can ſufficientlie maruell that our glorious God doth communicate to mortall men, yea vile ſinners, which were once without God in the world? I confeſſe in ſetting them downe, that I am much aſtoniſhed to thinke of his vnſpeakable kindneſſe; eſpecially becauſe I hauehave mentioned no vaine ſpeculations or dreames of mans braine which vaniſh in the aire, but vndoubted truethes out of the word of God, and found true by experience of many good Chriſtians: ſo that we may worthily be prouoked to ſeeke a part therein amongſt them. And yet ſo much the greater they are, and better to be accounted of, inaſmuch as the longer they be inioyed, the more fruit and comfort they bring to him that hath his part in them. And when we finde not this doctrine ſauourie and ſweet to vsus, nor the vſe of it in our afflictions, let vsus not charge and challenge the Lord for it, but conſider what we hauehave loſt through vnbeliefe.