The Victory of Patience, Chapter 28
CHAP. 28. Because they will not take Gods Office out of his hand.
5. Reasons in regard of God are three. The
1 hath respect to his Office.
2 hath respect to his Commandement.
3 hath respect to his Glory.
Reason,
1 Because he will not take Gods Office out of his hand, who saith, avenge not your selves, but give place unto wrath, for vengeance is mine, and I will repay it, Rom. 12.19. Peter speaking of our Saviour Christ, saith, When hee was reviled, hee reviled not againe; when hee suffered, hee threatned not, but committed it to him that judgeth righteously, 1 Peter 2.23. And the holy Prophet of himselfe, I returne not reviling for reviling, for on thee, O Lord, do I wait, thou wilt heare me, my Lord, my God; meaning, if I call to thee for a just revenge, Psal. 38.13, 14, 15. If the Lord see it meet that our wrongs should be revenged instantly, he will do it himselfe; as he revenged the Israelites upon the Aegyptians: and so that all standers by shall see their fault, in their punishment, with admiration. Now I know, saith Iethro, that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for as they have dealt proudly with them, so are they recompenced, Exod. 18.11. And as once he revenged Davids cause upon Nabal, For about ten dayes after the Lord smote Nabal that he died, saith the Text: and it followes, when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed bee the Lord, that hath judged the cause of my rebuke at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evill; for the Lord hath recompenced the wickednesse of Nabal upon his owne head, 1 Sam. 25.38, 39. And that infinite wrong of railing Shimei, being left to the Lord, he did revenge it; in giving Shimei up to such a stupidity, that he ran himselfe wilfully upon his owne deserved and shamefull death. And if the Lord thus revenge the cause of Davids personall wrong, much more will he revenge his owne cause: for in this case I may say to every childe of God which suffereth for Religion sake, as Iahaziel by the Spirit of God said unto all Iudah, the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and King Iehosaphat; The battell is not yours, but Gods, wherefore you shall not need to fight in this battell, stand still, move not, and behold the salvation of the Lord towards you, 2 Chron. 20.15, 17. Yea, it stands upon Christs honour to maintaine those that are in his worke. I but, saith the weake Christian, I am so wronged, reviled, and slandered, that it would make a man speake, like Aeagles that famous wrestler, that never spake before in his life. Answer, There is no such necessity. For first: Who ever was, that was not slandered? Secondly: let him speake evill of thee, yet others shall not beleeve him; or if the evill and ignorant do; yet report from wise and good men shall speake thee vertuous. Yea, Thirdly: though of some the slanderer be beleeved for a while, yet at last thy actions will out-weigh his words; and the disgrace shall rest with the intender of the ill. The constancy of a mans good behaviour vindicates him from ill report: how ever, revenge not thy selfe in any case: for by revenging thine owne quarrell, thou makest thy selfe, both the Iudge, the Witnesse, the Accuser, and the Executioner. If thou wilt see what God hath done, and what he can and will do, if there be like need: heare what Ruffinus and Socrates write of Theodosius in his warres against Eugenius.
When this good Christian Emperour saw the huge multitude that was comming against him, and that in the sight of man there was apparent overthrow at hand, he gets him up into a place eminent, and in the sight of all the Army fals downe prostrate upon the Earth, beseeching GOD, if ever hee would looke upon a …infull creature, to helpe him at this time of greatest need: whereupon there arose suddenly such a mighty winde, that it blew the Darts of the enemies back upon themselves, in such a wonderderfull manner, that Eugenius with all his Host was cleane discomfited, and seeing the power of Christ so fight for his people, was forced in effect to cry out, as the Aegyptians did, God is in the cloud, and he fighteth for them.
Thus God either preventeth our enemies, as here he did; or delivereth his servants out of persecution, as he did Peter; or else if hee crowneth them with Martyrdome, as he did Stephen; hee will in his Kingdome of Glory give them instead of this bitter a better inheritance; pro veritate morientes, cum veritate viventes.
Wherefore in this and all other ca…es, cast thy burden upon the LORD, and say with the Kingly Prophet, I will lay me downe in peace, for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety.