The Victory of Patience, Chapter 35
CHAP. 35. Other grounds of comfort to support a Christian, in his sufferings. And first, that God is specially present with his servants in their afflictions, takes notice of their sufferings, and allayes their griefe.
Quest. WHat other grounds of comfort doth the Word of God afford in this case for the better upholding and strengthning of a weake Christian in his sufferings.
Answ. We shall beare the crosse with the more patience and comfort, if wee consider first, that God is specially present with his servants in their afflictions, takes notice of their sufferings, and allayes their griefe. The troubles of a Christian are very great for number, variety, and bitternesse; yet there is one ingredient that sweetens them all, the promise of God, I will be with thee in trouble, and deliver thee, Psal. 91.15. And thou shalt not be tempted above thy strength 1 Cor. 10.13. Againe, Feare not; for when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the flouds, that they doe not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, Esay 43.1, 2. Now as Caesar said to the trembling Mariner, Bee not afraid, for thou carriest Caesar; so, O Christian, be not afraid, for he that is in thee, for thee, with thee, that guides thee, that will save thee, is the invincible King Iehovah. And upon this ground David was so comforted and refreshed in his soule, Psalme 94.19. that hee was able to say, Though I should walke through the valley of the shaddow of death I will feare no evill: Why? For thou art with mee, thy Rod and thy staffe shall comfort mee, Psalme 23.4. But heare some promises, which more particularly concerne the matter in hand. If ye be railed upon for the name of Christ, (saith Saint Peter) blessed are yee, for the Spirit of God resteth upon you, 1 Pet. 4.14. In fine, that whosoever seeketh God truly in affliction, is sure to finde him: and that he is our hope, and strength, and helpe, and refuge in troubles, ready to bee found, the Scriptures are expresse, 2 Chron. 15.4, 15. Psalme 46.1. and 9.9, 10. Now if we could but remember and lay to heart these promises, when wee feele the greatest assaults or pangs, how could wee want courage? But alas, most of us are like the Prophets servant, 2 Kings 6. who saw his foes, but not his friends; at least wee are apt to thinke, that GOD is removed from us, when wee any way suffer calamity; as the Israelites doe but want water, and presently they cry, Is the Lord among us, or no? Exodus 17.7. as if God could not bee with them, and they athirst; either he must humour carnall mindes, or bee distrusted: this confession could Seneca make, (but like a Divine,) God is neere unto thee, he is with thee, he is within thee: and surely, if he had not beene with these Israelites, they had not lived; if he had beene in them, they had not murmured. We can thinke him absent in our want, and cannot see him absent in our sinne; yet wickednesse, not affliction, argues him gone: yea, he is then most present, when he most chastiseth; for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolations abound through CHRIST, 2 Cor. 1.5. When did Iacob see a vision of Angels, but when he fled for his life, making the cold earth his bed, and a stone his pillow; or when was his heart so full of joy, as now that his head lay hardest. Stephen saw great happinesse by Christ, in his peace: but under that showre of stones, he saw Heaven it selfe open, Acts 7. Afflictions have this advantage, that they occasion God to shew that mercy to us, whereof the prosperous are uncapable; as we further see in Hagar, Gen. 21.17, 18, 19. And Manoahs Wife, Iudges 13.3. To whom the Angell of the Covenant had not beene sent, if they had not beene in distresse.
It would not become a mother to be so indulgent to an healthfull Childe, as to a sick: and indeed some have found their outward castigations so sweetned with the inward consolations of Gods Spirit, that they have found and confessed their receipts of joy and comfort, to bee an hundred-fold more than their paiments, even in this present life, according to that promise of our Saviour, Marke 10.29▪30. So that a Christian is still a gainer in all his losses, yea, he gaines by his losses.
Indeed God may be present with us, and yet wee not be pleased; as the Israelites repined for a King, when the Lord was their King: Or Christ may be with us, and yet we want something that we desire. Christ was in the Ship, and yet (say the Apostles) wee have no bread. Iesus was at the Mariage, yet, saith his Mother, They have no Wine, Ioh. 2.3. Wee may want Bread and Wine, and yet have Christs company: but if food faile, it is because Manna is to come; if Wine bee absent, yet grace and salvation is present: if God take away flesh, and gives Manna; deny Sun and Moone, and give us himselfe, he doth us no wrong.
Now why doth God, by his promi…e tye himselfe to be present with us more especially in affliction, but that he may resist our enemies, sustaine us when wee faint, and Crowne us when we overcome; but that he may be exact in taking notice of our particular sufferings; and as David saith, Count our wanderings, put our teares into his bottle, and enter all into his Register, Psal. 56.8, 9. All our afflictions are more noted by that God that sends them, than of the patient that suffers them; every pang, and stitch, and guird, is first felt of him that sends it: could we be miserable unseene, we had reason to be heartlesse: but how can it be but lesse possible to indure any thing that he knowes not, than that he inflicteth not? As he said to Manoah by an Angell, Thou art barren, Iudg. 13.3. so he saith to one, thou art sick; to another, thou art poore; to a third, thou art defamed; thou art oppressed to another; that all-seeing eye takes notice from Heaven of every mans condition, no lesse than if he should send an Angell to tell us he knew it: and his knowledge compared with his mercy, is the just comfort of all our sufferings. O God, we are many times miserable and feele it not, thou knowest even those sorrowes which we might have, thou knowest what thou hast done, do what thou pleasest.