The Victory of Patience, Chapter 37
CHAP. 37. That stripes from the Almighty, are speciall tokens and pledges of his adoption and love.
3. WEE shall beare the Crosse with more patience and comfort, if wee consider, that stripes from the Almighty are so farre from arguing his displeasure, that contrarily there are no better tokens and pledges of his Adoption and love; As many (saith God) as I love, I rebuke and chasten, Revel. 3.19. My sonne, saith the Author to the Hebrewes, out of Solomons Proverbs, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth; and he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth. If you endure chastning, God offereth himselfe unto you as unto sonnes: for what sonne is it whom the Father chasteneth not? If therefore yee be without correction, whereof all are partakers, then are yee bastards, and not sonnes, Hebr. 12.5. to 13. Pro. 3.11, 12. It is the wonte of Fathers, to hold in their owne children, when they suffer the children of bondmen to goe at large, and doe as they list; yea when diverse children are playing the wantons, if we see a man take one from the rest, and whip him soundly, wee conclude, that alone to be his Child: Wise and discreet Fathers will force their Children earnestly to apply themselves to their studdy or labour, and will not let them be idle, although it be Holy-day; yea constraine them to sweat, and oftentimes to weepe, when their Mothers would set them on their lappes, and keepe them at home all day in the shadowe, for burning their white. Iacob is bound prentise, while prophane Esau rides a hunting: Of Elkanah his two wives, Hannah was in more esteeme with God, yet barren; and Peninnah lesse, yet she was fruitfull, 1 Sam. 1. They were all grosse in consequences; for Gedeon to argue Gods absence by affliction, his presence by deliverances, and the unlikelihood of successe, by his owne disability, Iudges 6.13.15. The valiant man was here weake, weake in faith, weake in discourse; for rather should hee have inferred Gods presence upon their correction; for wheresoever God chastiseth, there hee is; yea there hee is in mercy: nothing more proves us his, then his stripes, he will not bestow whipping where he loves not: fond nature, indeed, thinkes God should not suffer the wind to blow upon his deare ones, because her selfe makes this use of her own indulgence; but none (out of the place of torment) have suffered so much as his deare Children. If hee had said wee are Idolaters, therefore the LORD hath forsaken us, because wee have forsaken him, instead of (the LORD hath delivered us unto the Midianites, therefore hee hath forsaken us) the sequell had beene as good as now tis faulty; for sinnes, not afflictions argue GOD absent; Yea, commonly, the measure of our sufferings is according to the measure of grace in us, and GODS love to us; he is a chosen vessell unto me (saith God to Ananias touching Paul) therefore hee must suffer great things for my sake, Acts 9.15, 16. Iob, for a righteous and upright man, had no fellow, by the testimony of God himselfe, Iob 1.8. Yet the next newes we heare of him, Iob is afflicted in his sonnes, in his substance, in his body, from the Crowne of the head to the soale of the foote. Saint Austine, when God called him, was farre more assaulted by Satan, than Alipius, because God had endued him with greater learning and gifts, and intended him an instrument of bringing more glory to his Name. And lastly, as Christ was annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes, Psalm. 45.7. So he was annoynted with the oyle of sadnes above his fellowes: Never any have had so bitter draughts upon earth, as those he loves best: and that of Saint Austine is a sure Rule, whom God smites not, he loves not; never was Ierusalems condition so desperate, as when God said unto her, My fury shall depart from thee; I will be quiet, and no more angry, Eze. 16.42. Thus not to be angry, was the greatest anger of all: Never were the Iewes more to be pittyed, then when their Prophet delivered these words from the Lord, Why should yee be stricken any more, Isaiah 1.5. Not to be afflicted is to be forsaken, as the sicke man is in small hope of his life, when the Physitian giveth him over; so his soule is in a desperate case, whom God forbeareth to chastise for his sinnes. Wherefore lift up your hands which hang downe, because of some so are affliction, and your weake knees, Hebr. 12.12. and know, that the palate is but an ill Iudge of the favours of God: As not to be afflicted argues an absolute defect of goodnesse; so, if our troubles be light and few, it is because we are weake and tender, for therefore God imposeth no more upon us, because he sees we can beare no more: when I am stronger I will looke for more, when I am a vessell fit for this strong and new wine, I shall be filled with it, but not before, Marke 2.22. The Physitiany will not suffer a milkesoppe to see his veyne opened, but makes him wink; or looke another way; The master giveth not to his sicke servant strong meates, as he doth to the rest, but more dainty far; not because he is worthier than the rest, but because hee is weaker, and in greater need. Will any make choyse of a weake Champion? No more will God, he will either finde us fit, or make us fit to discharge the place he put us in; as when he called Saul to be a King, he gave him a Kings heart, 1 Sam. 10.9. And when he called the Apostles to that function, he gave them gifts answerable, so when he calls any to suffer for him, be it Martyrdome, he giveth them the courage of Martyrs, as the times of Queene Mary witnesse. But yet, for the most part, he traynes us up by degrees, and doth not make us fit to undergoe great matters on the sudden. We must learne to fence in the Schoole, before we fight in the field; and with wooden weapons men learne to fight at the sharpe; we must encounter with some beasts or other (I meane unreasonable men) before we fight with that fearefull Goliah, death. And indeed, if we doe not learne to give entertainement to smaller crosses, the harbingers, messengers and servants of death, how shall we be able to entertaine the Lord and Master, when he commeth? Wherefore as Iehoram said to Iehu, when he marched furiously, commest thou peaceably? As if he should say, if thou commest peaceably, march as furiously as tho… wil…; so let us say unto God, provided thy afflictions and chastisements be directed to us as messengers of peace and love, let them march towards us as furiously as thou pleasest, but in any case let us not be without correction; for as Mariners at Sea finde, that of all stormes a Calme is the greatest; so we, that to bee exempt from miserie, is the most miserable condition of all other.
Object. But thou fearest that God hath not pardoned thy sinnes, and this makes him so severe against thee.
Answ. Many times after the remission of the sinne, his very chastisements are deadly; as is cleare by Davids example: no repentance can assure us that we shall not smart with outward afflictions; that can prevent the eternall displeasure of God, but stil it may be necessary and good we should be corrected; our care and suit must be, that the evils which shall not be averted, may be sanctified.