The Victory of Patience, Chapter 33
CHAP. 33. Vse and Application of the former Reasons.
THese latter Reasons being dispatcht, returne wee to make Vse of the former; for I may seeme to have left them, and be gone quite out of sight, though indeed it cannot properly be called a digression: seeing the last point proved, was; That God suffers his children to be persecuted and afflicted for the increase of their patience.
First, if God sends these afflictions, either for our Instruction or Reformation, to scowre away the rust of corruption, or to try the truth of our sanctification, either for the increase of our patience, or the exercise of our faith, or the improvement of our zeale, or to provoke our importunity, or for the doubling of our Obligation; let us examine whether we have thus husbanded our afflictions, to his glory and our owne spirituall and everlasting good. I know Gods chastisements for the time, seeme grievous to the best of his Children; Yea, at first they come upon us, like Sampsons Lion, looke terribly in shew, as if they would devoure us; and as Children are afraid of their friends when they see them maked, so are we. But tell me, hath not this roaring Lion prevailed against thy best part? hast thou kept thy head whole? I meane thy soule free? For as Fencers will seeme to fetch a blow at the leg, when they intended it at the head; so doth the Devill, though he strike at thy name, his aime is to slay thy soule. Now instead of being overcome, dost thou overcome? Hath this Lion yeelded thee any honey of Instruction or Reformation? Hath thy sin died with thy fame, or with thy health, or with thy peace, or with thy outward estate? Dost thou perceive the graces of Gods Spirit to come up, and flourish so much the more in the spring of thy recovery, by how much the more hard and bitter thy winter of adversity hath been? Then thou hast approved thy selfe Christs faithfull Souldier, and a citizen of that Ierusalem which is above: yea, I dare boldly say of thee, as St. Paul of himselfe, That nothing shall be able to separate thee from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord, Rom. 8.39. To find this honey in the Lion, more than makes amends for all former feare and griefe: and in ease any man, by his humiliation under the hand of God, is growne more faithfull and conscionable, there is honey out of the Lion … or is any man by his temptation of fall become more circumspect after it? there also is honey out of the Lion, &c. For there is no Sampson, to whom every Lion doth not yeild some honey; and thou mayest foulely suspect thy selfe, (if thou beest not the better) for thy being the worse. He is no true borne Christian, who is not the better for his evils, whatsoever they be; no price can buy of the true beleever the gaine of his sins: Yea, Sathan himselfe, in his exercise of Gods Children advantageth them. And looke to it, if the malice and enmity of wicked men hath beaten thee off from thy profession, thou wert at the best but a counterfeit, and none of Christs owne bandd. A little faith, even so much as a graine of Mustard-seed, would bee able to remove greater mountaines of feare and distrust out of thy soule, than these: the damaske Rose is sweeter in the Still, than on the Stalke; and a Diamond will shine even in the durt.
2 If the malice of our enemies, as it is husbanded to our thrift (by a divine and supreame providence) doth make so much for our advantage and benefit here and hereafter, as namely, that it opens our eyes no lesse, than peace and prosperity had formerly shut them; that nothing doth so powerfully call home the conscience, as affliction; and that we need no other art of memory for sin, besides misery; if commonly we are at variance with God, when we are at peace with our enemies; and that it is both hard and happy, not to be the worse with liberty, as the sedentary life is most subject to diseases; if vigor of body, and infirmity of minde, do for the most part lodge under one roofe, and that a wearish outside is a strong motive to mortification; if God, the al-wise Physitian, knowes this the fittest medicine for our soules sicknesse, and that wee cannot otherwise bee cured; if our pride forceth God to doe by us, as Sertorius did by his Army, who perceiving his Souldiers pufft up through many victories, and hearing them boast of their many conquests, led them of purpose into the lap of their enemies, to the end that stripes might learne them moderation.
If this above all will make us pray unto him with heat and fervency; as whither should wee flye but to our Ioshua, when the powers of darkenesse, like mighty Aramites, have besieged us? If ever we will send up our prayers to him, it will be when we are be leager'd with evils.
If true and saving joy is only the daughter of sorrow; if the security of any people is the cause of their corruption; as no sooner doth the Holy Ghost in sundry places say, Israel had rest, but it is added, They committed wickednesse; Even as standing waters soone grow noisome, and Vines that grow out at large, become wilde and fruitlesse in a small time; if it weanes us from the love of worldly things, and makes us no lesse inamored with heavenly; as Zeno, having but one Fly-boat left him, hearing newes that both it and all therein was cast away, said, O Fortune, thou hast done well to send me again to our Schoole of Philosophy: Whereas if we find but a little pleasure in our life, we are ready to doate upon it. Every small contentment glewes our affections to that we like, neither can we so heartily thinke of our home above, whilest we are furnished with these worldly contentments. But when God strips us of them, straightwayes our mind is homeward; if this world may be compared to Athens, of which a Philosopher said, that it was a pleasant City to travell through, but not safe to dwel in; if by smarting in our bodies, states, or names, we are saved from smarting in our soules; if it was good for Naaman, that he was a Leper; good for David, that he was in trouble; good for Bartimeus, that he was blinde; if with that Athenian Captaine we should have perished for ever, in case we had not thus perished for a while; if our peace would have lost us, in case wee had not a little lost our peace; then refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither bee grieved with his correction, as Salomon adviseth, Proverbs 3.11. And so much the rather, because our strugling may aggravate, cannot redresse our miseries. Yea though the wicked, like some beasts, grow mad with baiting, yet let us with good old Eli (who was a good sonne to GOD, though he had beene an ill Father to his sonnes) even kisse the very rod we smart withall, and say, It is the LORD, let him doe what seemeth him good: for whatsoever seemeth good to him, cannot but be good, howsoever it seemes to us. Yea let us receive his stripes with all humility, patience, piety, and thankfulnesse, resolving, as that holy Martyr Iohn Bradford, who said to the Queen, (how much more did he meane it to the great King of Heaven and Earth?) If the Queen will give me life, I will thanke her; if she will banish me, I will thank her. if she will burne me, I will thank her; if she will condemne me to perpetuall imprisonment, I will thanke her. The stomacke that is purged, must be content to part with some good nourishment, that it may deliver it selfe of more evill humours: and the Physitian knowes what is best for the Patient; the Nurse better than the infant, what is good and fit for it; yea, let us take them as tokens and pledges of Gods love and favour, who loves his Children so, as not to make wantons of them. They that would tame pampered Horses, doe adde to their travell, and abate of their provender; as Pharaoh served the Children of Israel. Which of us shall see peeces of Timber cut and squared, and plained by the Carpenter; or Stones hewne and polished by the Mason, but will collect and gather, that these are Stones and Timber which the Master would imploy in some building? if I suffer, it is that I may raigne. And how profitable is that affliction, which carrieth me to Heaven? Oh, it is a good change, to have the fire of affliction for the fire of Hell: Who would not rather smart for a while, than for ever? Its true, these Waspes, wicked men sting shrewdly, but the Hornet Sathan would sting worse a great deale. And not seldome doth the in…liction of a lesse punishment, avoide a greater; every man can open his hand to God while he blesses, but to expose our selves willingly to the afflicting hand of our Maker, and to kneele to him while he scourges us, is peculiar to the faithfull.
Thirdly, If in conclusion the most malicious and damnable practises of our worst and greatest enemies, prove no other in effect to us, than did the malice of Iosephs brethren, Mistrisse, and Lord to him: the first in selling of him, the second in falesely accusing him, the third in imprisoning him; (all which made for his inestimable good and benefit,) than the malice of Haman to Mordecai and the Iewes, whose bloudy decree obtained against them, procured them exceeding much joy and peace; then Balaks malice to the Children of Israel, whose desire of cursing them, caused the Lord so much the more to blesse them, Num. 23. Then the Devils spight to Iob, who pleasured him more by his soare afflicting him, than any thing else could possibly have done, whether we regard his name, Children, substance, or soule; than Iudas his treason against the Lord of life, whose detestable fact served not only to accomplish his will, but the meanes also of all their salvations, that either before or after should beleeve in him: this should move wonder to astonishment, and cause us to cry out with the Apostle; O the deepenesse of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his wayes past finding out! Rom. 11.33. O the wonderfull and soveraigne goodnesse of our God! that turnes all our poysons into Cordials, that can change our terrours into pleasures, and make the greatest evils beneficiall unto us; for they are evill in their owne nature, and work those former good effects, not properly by themselves, but by accident, as they are so disposed by the infinite wisdome, goodnesse, and power of God, who is able to bring light out of darknesse, and good out of evill: yea, this should tutor us to louelove our enemies; we love the medicine, not for its owne sake, but for the health it brings us; and to suffer chearfully whatsoever is laid upon us: for how can Gods Church in generall, or any member in particular but fare well, since the very malice of their enemies benefits them? How can we but say, let the world frowne, and all things in it runne crosse to the graine of our minds? Ye… with thee, O Lord, is mercy, and plenteous redemption: thou makest us better, by their making us worse.
Ob. But perhaps thou hast not proved the truth of this by thy owne knowledge, and particular experience.
Answ. If thou hast not, thou shalt in due time, the end shall prove it, stay but till the conclusion, and thou shalt see, that there is no Crosse, no enemy, no evils can happen unto thee, that shall not be turned to good, by him that dwelleth in thee. Will you take Saint Pauls word for it, or rather GODS owne word, who is truth it selfe, and cannot lye? His words are, Wee know that all things worke together for the best, unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose, Ro. 8.28. And in Verse 35, 36. after he hath declared that Gods chosen people shall suffer tribulation, and anguish, and persecution, and famine, and nakednesse, perill, sword, &c. bee killed all the day long, and counted as Sh…epe for the slaughter, hee concludeth with, Neverthelesse, in all these things we are more than conquerours, through him that loved us: and so goeth on even to challenge of our worst enemies, Death, Angels, Principalities, & Powers, things present and to come, heighth, depth, and what other creature besides, should stand in opposition. What voluminous waves be here, for number, and power, and terrour; yet they shall not separate the Arke from Christ, nor a soule from the Arke, nor a body from the soule, nor an haire from the body, to do us hurt. What saith David? Marke the upright man, and behold the just; for the end of that man is peace, Psa. 37.37. Marke him in his setting out, he hath many oppositions, marke him in the journey, he is full of tribulations: but marke him in the conclusion, and the end of that man is peace. In Christ al things are ours, 1 Cor. 3.22. How is that? Why, we have all things, because we have the haver of all things. And if we love Christ, all things work together for our good, yea, for the best, Rom. 8.28. And if all things (quoth Luther) then even sinne it selfe. And indeed, how many have wee knowne, the better for their sin? That Magdalen had never loved so much, if she had not so much sinned: had not the incestuous person sinned so notoriously, he had never beene so happy. God tooke the advantage of his humiliation for his conversion. Had not one foot slipt into the mouth of hell, he had never been in this forwardnesse to Heaven: sinne first wrought sorrow (saith S. Austine) and now godly sorrow kils sin; the daughter destroyes the mother: neither do our owne sinnes onelyonly advantage us, but other mens sinnes worke for our good also. If Arius had not held a Trinity of Substances with a Trinity of Persons; and Sabellius an Vnity of Persons with an Vnity of Essences, the Mysteries of the Trinity had not beene so cleerely explained by those great lights of the Church. We may say here, as Augustine doth of Carthage and Rome, If some enemies had not contested against the Church, it might have gone worse with the Church. Lastly, suppose our enemies should kill us, they shall not hurt, but pleasure us, yea, even death it selfe shall worke our good. That Red Sea shall put us over to the Land of Promise, and we shall say to the praise of God, wee are delivered, wee are the better for our enemies, the better for our sinnes, the better for death, yea, better for the devill: and to thinke otherwise even for the present, were not only to derogate from the wisdome, power, and goodnesse of God, but it would bee against reason; for in reason, if he have vouchsafed us that great mercy to make us his own, he hath given the whole army of afflictions a more inviolable charge concerning us, than David gave his Host concerning Absalom; See ye doe the young man, my sonne Absalom, no harme. Now if for the present thou lackest faith, patience, wisdome, and true judgement how to beare, and make this gaine of the crosse, Aske it of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth no man, and and it shall be given thee, Iames 1.5. For every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, and commeth downe from the Father of lights, Verse 17.