The Victory of Patience, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
CHAP. 7. That it weanes them from the love of the world.
4 FOurthly, our sufferings weane us from the love of the world, yea, make us loathe and contemne it, and contrariwise fix upon Heaven, with a desire to be dissolved. S. Peter at Christs transfiguration enioying but a glimpse of happinesse here, was so ravi…hed and transported with the love of his present estate, that he breakes out into these words, Master, it is good for us to be here; he would faine have made it his dwelling place: and being loth to depart, Christ must make three Tabernacles, Mat. 17.4. Whereas S. Paul having spoken of his bonds in Christ, and of the spirituall combate, concludeth, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all, Phil. 1.22, 23. We cannot so heartily thinke of our home above, whiles we are furnished with these earthly contentments below; but when God strips us of them, straitwayes our minde is homewards. Whiles Naomies Husband and Sons were alive, we finde no motion of her retiring home to Iudah; let her earthly staies be removed, she thinks presently of removing to her Countrey: a delicious life, when every thing about us is resplendent and contentfull, makes us that we have no mind to go to Heaven; wherefore as a loving Mother when she would weane her Childe from the dug, maketh it bitter with Wormewood or Aloes; so dealeth the Lord with us, he maketh this life bitter unto us by suffering our enemies to persecute and oppresse us; to the end we may contemne the world, and transport our hopes from Earth to Heaven; he makes us weepe in this Vale of misery, that we may the more eagerly long for that place of felicity, where all teares shall be wip't from our eyes; and we are very ungratefull if we doe not thank him for that which so overcomes us, that it overcomes the love of the world in us. And this is no small abatement to the bitternesse of adversities, that they teach us the way to Heaven: the lesse comfort we finde on earth, the more we …eeke above. When no man would harbour that unthrift Son in the Gospell, he turned back againe to his Father, but never before. When it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of the world, she conceived Isaac: so when it ceaseth to be with us after the manner of the worlds favourites, we conceive holy desires, quietnesse, and tranquillity of minde, with such like spirituall contentments. Zeno hearing that his onelyonly Barke wherein all his wealth was shipped was cast away, cried out O Fortune, thou hast done well to put me into my Gowne againe to imbrace Philosophy: better the estate perish than the soule. Our wine (saith Gregory) hath some Gall put into it, that we should not be so delighted with the way, as to forget whether we are going. Prosperity is hearty meat, but not digestible by a weake stomack; strong wine, but naught for a weake braine: The prosperity of fooles destroieth them, Prov. 1.32. Experience shewes, that in Countries where be the greatest plenty of fruits, they have the shortest lives, they doe so surfet on their aboundance: and it is questionable whether the inioying of outward things, or the contemning of them, be the greatest happinesse: for to be deprived of them is but to be deprived of a Dye, wherewith a man might either win or lose; yea, doth not a large portion of them many times prove to the Own…r like a treacherous Dye indeed, which flatters an improvident Gamester with his owne hand to throw away his wealth to another? Or to yeeld it the uttermost, gold may ma…e a man the richer, not the better; honour may make him the higher, not the happier: and all temporall delights are but as flowers, they only have their monethmonth and are gone; this morning in the bosome, the next in the B…some. The consideration whereof, made the very Heathen Philosophers hate this world, though they saw not where to finde a better.
The diseases of the body are the medicines of the soule; the impairing of the one, is the repairing of the other: Therefore wee faint not (saith S. Paul) though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed daily, 2 Cor. 4.16. Lais of Corin…h while she was young, doated upon her glasse, but when she grew old and withered, she loathed it as much, which made her give it up to Venus. Nothing feeds pride nor keepes off repentance so much as prosperous advantage. Tis a wonder to see a Favourite study for ought but additions to his Greatnesse; God shall have much adoe to make him know himselfe. The cloth that hath many stains must passe through many larders; no lesse than an odious leaprosie will humble Naaman; wherefore by it the only wise God thought meet to sawce the valour, dignity, renowne, victories, of that famous Generall of the Syrians. If I could be so uncharitable as to with an enemies soule lost, this were the only way, let him live in the height of the worlds blandishments; for how can he love a second Mistresse that never saw but one beauty, and still continues deeply inamour'd on it? We often see, nothing carries us so far from God, as those favours he hath imparted to us. Tis the misery of the poore to be neglected of men; tis the misery of the rich to neglect their God: many shall one day repent that they were happy too soone. Many a man cries out, O that I were so rich, so healthfull, so quiet, so happy, &c. Alas, though thou hadst thy wish for the present, thou shouldst (perhaps) be a loser in the sequell. The Physitian doth not heare his Patient in what he would, yet heareth him in taking occasion to do another thing more conducible to his health. God loves to give us cooles and heats in our desires, and will so allay our joyes, that their fruition hurt us not: he knowes that as it is with the body touching meats, the greater plenty, the lesse dainty; and too long forbearance causes a Surfet when we come to full food; So it fares with the minde touching worldly contentments; therefore he feeds us not with the dish, but with the spoone, and will have us neither cloyed, nor famished. In this life, Mercy and misery, griefe and Grace, Good and bad, are blended one with the other; because if we should have nothing but comfort, Earth would be thought Heaven: besides, if Christ tide lasted all the yeare, what would become of Lent? If every day were Good-friday, the world would be weary of Fasting. Secundus cals death a sleepe eternall; the wicked mans feare, the godly mans wish. Where the conscience is cleere, death is looked for without feare; yea, desired with delight, accepted with devotion: why, it is but the cessation of trouble, the extinction of sin, the deliverance from enemies, a rescue from Satan, the quiet rest of the body, and infranchizement of the soule. The Woman great with childe, is ever musing upon the the time of her delivery: and hath not he the like cause, when Death is his Bridge from wo to glory? Though it be the wicked mans shipwrack, 'tis the good mans putting into harbour: And hereupon finding himselfe hated, persecuted, afflicted, and tormented, by enemies of all sorts, he becomes as willing to die as dine. And indeed, what shouldst thou doe in case thou seest that the world runs not on thy side, but give over the world, and be on Gods side? Let us care little for the world, that cares so little for us; let us crosse …aile, and turne another way; let us go forth therefore out of the Campe, bearing his reproach; for we have no continuing Citie, but we seek one to come, Heb. 13.13, 14.
CHAP. 8. That it keepes them alwayes prepared to the spirituall combate.
5 FIfthly, the Lord permitteth them often to afflict and assaile us, to the end we may be alwayes prepared for tribulation: as wise Mariners in a calme, make all their tacklings sure and strong, that they may be provided against the next storme, which they cannot look to be long without. Or as experienced Souldiers in time of peace, prepaire against the day of battell; and so much the rather, when they look every day for the approach of the enemy. We are oft times set upon, to the end that we may continually buckle unto us the whole Armor of God, prescribed by Paul, Ephes. 6.13. to 19. That we may be alwayes ready for the battell by walking circumspectly, not as fooles, but as wise, Eph. 5.15. Therefore redeeming the time, because the dayes are evill, Vers. 16. For as those that have no enemies to incounter them, cast their Armour … and let it …, because they are secure from danger; but when their enemies are at hand, and sound the Alarum, they both wake and sleep in their armour, because they would be ready for the assault. So if we were not often in skirmish with our enemies, we should …ay aside our spirituall armour; but when we have continuall use of it, we still keepe it fast buckled unto us; that being armed at all points, we may be able to make resistance, that we be not surprized at unawares. Sampson could not be bound, till he was first got asleepe: Wouldst thou not be overcome, be not secure. Seneca reports of Caesar, that he did quickly sheath the sword, but hee never laid it off. The sight of a weapon discourageth a Theefe. While we keepe our Iavelins in our hands we escape many assaults. So that a Christians resolution should be like King Alfreds,
Si modò victor eras, ad crastina bella pavebas,
Si modo victus eras, ad crastina bella parabas.
If wee conquer to day, let us feare the skirmish to morrow.
If we be overcome to day, let us hope to get the victory to morrow.
An assaulted City must keepe a carefull watch; yea, the provident Fenman mends his bankes in Summer least his ground be drowned in winter. And we must so take our leaves of all afflictions, that we reserve a lodging for them, and expect their returne.