The Victory of Patience, Chapter 5 – Chapter 6
CHAP. 5 That it serves to worke in us amendment of life.
2 SEcondly, the malice of our enemies serves to worke in us amendment of life, the outward cold of affliction doth greatly increase the inward heate and fervor of the Graces of God in us. Indeed no Chastizement (saith the Author to the Hebrewes) for the present seemes to be joyous, but grievous; But afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse to them that are thereby exercised, Hebr. 12.11. God strips the body of pleasures to cloath the soule with righteousnesse, and oftentimes strengthens our state of grace by impoverishing our temporall estate: Oftentimes the more Prosperity, the lesse Piety.
It was an observation of Tacitus, that raisiing of the fortune, did rarely mend the disposition, onelyonly Vespasian was changed into the better; few men can disgest great felicity; Many a man hath been a looser by his gaines, and found, that that which multiplied his outward estate▪ hath abated his inward. Now who will esteeme those things good which make us worse, or, that evill, which brings such gaine and sweetnesse? Before I was afflicted (saith David) I went astray, but now doe I keepe thy Commandements, Psal. 119.67. Happy was he, Iohn 9. in being borne blind, whose game of bodily sight made way for the spirituall, who of a Patient became an Advocate for his Saviour, who lost a Synagogue, and found Heaven, who by being abandoned of sinners was received of the Lord of glory: God rarely deprives a man of one faculty, but he more then supplyes it in another. Hannibal had but one eye, Appius, Claudius, Timelon, and Homer were quite blinde, So was Muliasses King of Tunis, and Ioh. King of Bohemia; But for the losse of that one Sence they were recompenc'd in the rest, they had most excellent memories, rare inventions, and admirable other parts: Or suppose he send sicknesse, the worst Feaver can come, does not more burne our bloud than our lust; And together with sweating out the Surfets of nature at the poores of the body, we weepe out the sinfull corruption of our nature at the poares of the Conscience; Yea the Author to the Hebrewes saith of Christ Himselfe, that though he were the Sonne, yet (as he was man) He learned obedience by the things which Hee suffered, Heb. 5.8. As in humane proceedings, Ill manners beget good Lawes; So in Divine, the wicked by their evill tongues beget good and holy lives in the Godly; Nothing sooner brings us to the knowledge and amendment of our faults, then the scoffes of an enemy, which made Philip of Macedon acknowledge himselfe much beholding to his enemies (the Athenians) for speaking evill of him, for (saith he) they have made me an honest man, to proove them lyers: Even barren Leah when she was despised became fruitfull.
So that we may thanke our enemies, or must thanke God for our enemies; Our soules shall shine the brighter one day for such rubbing; Yea put case we be gold, they will but trye us; If Iron, they will scower away our rust. The malice of wicked men serves to the godly, as the Thorne to the brest of the Nightingale, the which (if she chance to sleep) causeth her to warble with a renewed cheerfulnesse. These very tempestuous showers bring forth spirituall flowers and hearbs in abundance: Devotion (like fire in fro…ty weather) burnes hottest in affliction. Vertue provoked, addes much to it selfe: With the Arke of Noah, the higher we are tossed with the floud of their malice, the neerer we mount towards Heaven. When the waters of the floud came upon the face of the earth, downe went stately Turrets and Towers; but as the waters rose, the Arke rose still higher and higher. In like sort when the waters of afflictions arise, downe goes the pride of life, the lust of the eyes; In a word, all the vanities of the world. But the Arke of the soule ariseth as these waters rise, and that higher and higher, even neerer and neerer towards Heaven.
I might illustrate this point by many observable things in nature: We see Well-waters arising from deep Springs, are hotter in Winter then in Summer, because the outward cold doth keep in and double their inward heate: And so of mans body, the more extreme the cold is without, the more doth the naturall heate fortify it selfe within, and guard the heart. The Corne receives an inward heate and comfort from the Frost and Snowe which lyeth upon it: Trees lopt and pr…ned flourish the more, and beare the fuller for it: The Grape when it is most pressed and trodden, maketh the more and better wine; The dro…e gold is by the fire refined; Winds and Thunder cleeres the ayre; Working Seas purge the Wine; Fire increaseth the scent of any Perfume; Pounding makes all Spices smell the sweeter; Linnen when it is buckt and washt and wrung and beaten, becomes the whiter and fayrer; The earth being torne up by the Plough, becomes more rich and fruitfull; Is there a peece of ground naturally good? Let it lye neglected, it becomes wilde and barren; Yea and the more rich and fertile that it is of it selfe, the more waste and fruitlesse it proveth for want of Tillage and Husbandry; The Razor though it be tempered with a due proportion of steele, yet if it passe not the Grindstone or Whetstone, is neverthelesse unapt to cut; yea though it be made once never so sharpe, if it be not often whetted it waxeth dull. All which are lively Emblems of that truth which the Apostle delivers, 2 Cor. 4.16. Wee faint not, for though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed daily▪ Even as a Lambe is much more lively and nimble for sheering. If by enmity and persecution (as with a knife) the Lord pareth an… pruneth us, it is, that we may bring forth t… more and better fruit; and unlesse we deg… nerate, we shall beare the better for bleeding; as Anteus, every time rose up the stronge… when Hercules threw him to the ground, because he go… new strength by touching of his Mother.
O admirable use of affliction; health from a a wound; cure from a disease; out of griefe, joy; gaine out of losse; out of infirmity, strength; out of sin, holinesse; out of death, life: yea, we shall redeeme something of Gods dishonour by sin, if we shall thence grow holy. But this is a harder Riddle than Sampsons to these Philistims.
CHAP. 6. That is stirs them up to prayer.
3 THirdly, because they quicken our devotion, and make us pray unto God with more fervency. Lord (saith Isaiah) in trouble they will visite thee, they powred out prayers when they chastening was upon them, Isay 26.16. In their affliction (saith Hosea) they will seeke thee diligently, Hosea 5.15.
The truth of this may be seene in the examples of the Children of Israel, Iudges 3.9, 15. Elisha, 2 Kings 6.18. Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19.15, 16. Stephen, Acts 7.59, 60. And lastly, in Iehosaphat, who being told that there was a great multitude comming against him from beyond the Sea, out of Aram, it followes, That Iehosaphat feared, and set himselfe to seeke the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah; Yea, they came out of all parts and joyned with him to inquire of the Lord, 2 Chron. 20.3, 4, 13. Neither doth it make us alone which suffer, earnest in prayer, but it makes others also labour in prayer to God for us, 2 Cor. 1.10, 11. And indeed the very purpose of affliction is, to make us importunate▪ he that heares the secret murmurs of our griefe, yet will not seeme to heare us till our cries be loud and strong; as Demosthenes would not plead for his Client till he cried to him, but then answered his sorrow, Now I feele thy cause. We aske and misse, because wee aske amisse: we beat backe the flame, not with a purpose to suppresse it, but to raise it higher, and to diffuse it. And a deniall doth but invite the importunate, as we see in the Canaanitish woman, Mat. 15. Our holy longings are increased with delayes; it whets our appetite to be held fasting, and whom will not Need make both humble and eloquent? If the case be woefull, it will be exprest accordingly; the despaire of all other helpes, sends us importunately to the God of power; but while money can buy Physick, o… friends procure inlargement, the great Physitian and helper is not sought unto, nor throughly trusted in. It is written of the children of Israel, that so soone as they cried unto the Lord, he delivered them from their servitude under Eglon King of Moab, yet it is plaine, they were eighteene yeeres under this bondage undelivered, Iudg. 3.14, 15. Doubtlesse they were not so unsensible of their own misery as not to complaine sooner then the end of eighteene yeeres: the first hower they sighed for themselves, but now they cried unto God. They are words, and not prayers, which fall from carelesse lips; if we would prevaile with God, we must wrestle; and if we would wrestle happily with God, we must wrestle first with our owne dulnesse; yea, if we felt our want, or wanted not desire, we could speake to God in no tune but cries, and nothing but cries can pierce Heaven: the best mens zeale is but like a fire of greene wood, which burneth no longer than whiles it is blowne. Affliction to the soule is as plummets to a Clock, or wind to a Ship; holy and faithfull prayer, as oares to a Boat, and ill goeth the Boat without oares, or the Ship without winde, or the Clock without plummets. Now are some afflicted in reputation, as Susanna was; others in children, as Elie; some by enemies, as David; others by friends, as Ioseph; some in body, as Lazarus; others in goods, as Iob; others in liberty, as Iohn. In all extremities let us send this messenger to Christ for ease, faithfull and fervent prayer; if this can but carry the burthen to him, he will carry it for us, and from us for ever.