Conflicts and Comforts of Conscience, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The fourth Conflict, with old friends and familiars, now growne strangers.
IT is no small heart-breake to a man in misery, when hee is forsaken of his old friends and familiars. It was Iobs case, who said of his friend,Iob 12.5. Hee that is ready to slip with his feet, is as a lampe despised in the thought of him, that is at ease. And chap. 16.2. Miserable comforters are yee all. And chap. 17.2. Are there not mockers with me, and doth not mine eye continue in their prouocation? And chap. 19.3. These ten times hauehave yee reproached me, you are not ashamed, that yee make your selues strange to me: And be it indeed that I hauehave erred, mine errour remaineth with my selfe. If indeed ye will magnifie your selues against me; know now that God hath ouerthrowne me, and hath compassed me with a net. And ver. 13. He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My kinsfolke hauehave failed me, and my familiar friends hauehave forgotten me. And ch. 15. My brethren hauehave dealt deceitfully as a brooke. So that to all other Iobs miseries and calamities,Pro. 18.24. & 19.4. this was no small addition, no small aggrauation. For as Iob saith, To him that is afflicted pitty should be shewed of his friend. It should so indeed. But O Iob, weigh well thy present state, and wonder not at this. It becomes not thy gray wisedome in such cases to bee deceiued. For though there is a friend, that sticketh closer then a brother; yet wealth it is that maketh many friends; but the poore is separated from his neighbour. All the Brethren of the poore hate him: How much more doe his friends goe farre from him?
But what had Iob done to demerit so to bee deserted of his friends? Alas, nothing at all, but that God had visited him with pouertie and other corporall calamities. Whereupon Iob said,Iob 19.21. HaueHave pittie vponupon me, hauehave pittie vponupon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. But this being all, Iob had the lesse cause to complaine. His innocencie was a Brazen wall vntounto him, to bid defiance to all affronts, or frownes. But come wee to Dauid's affliction for being forsaken of his friends. That will touch to the quicke indeed. Iob was forsaken of his friends, because God had stript him of all his outward beautie, leafe and branch, no more left, but the bare stumpe; so that no maruaile, if the beasts forsooke their old hospitall shade and shelter: But behold Dauid otherwise; he, a King, with Scepter in his Hand, and the royall Diademe on his Head, inio…ing a flourishing and rich Kingdome, yet is deserted of his friends. Who would not wonder at this? To heare a King complaining, My louers and my friends stand aloofe from me, Psal. 38.11.and my kinsmen stand a farre off? And,Psal. 88 18. Louer and friend hast thou put away farre from me, and hid mine acquaintance out of my sight. And,Ps. 69.8 I am become a stranger vntounto my Brethren, euen an aliant vntounto my Mothers children. But wherefore all this? Because he was now fallen into pouertie? No such thing; for hee was still a great King. Or was it, because hee was a Type of Christ, and therefore must looke to fare so much the worse with the world, and bee euill intreated of his neerest friends, as Christ was? For the liker to Christ, the worse liked of the world. Nor that neither; for then Dauid might hauehave found much comfort to be for such a cause forsaken. But that which so much estranged Dauid's familiars and friends from him, was his sinne, so offensiue and scandalous; and withall his humiliation and open repentance for the same, which caused all his carnall friends to despise him. Was not his sinne the cause, that his owne Sonne, his chiefe Councellors, all Israel almost rebelled against him, as an enemie of God, and as one vnworthy to rule any longer ouer them? They made it a faire pretence at least, which God vsed as a scourge to his Seruant, both for his greater humiliation and tryall, and for example of others. Yea the carnal minded made a mocke also of his humiliation, as Micol, as Shimei, as others, as vnseemely for the Maiestie of a King. As if in sinne-cases it became the simple and poore vulgar onelyonly to weepe, but not Kings. To these two causes Dauid referreth his friends st…angenesse towards him. First, For his sinne: Psalme 31.10, 11. My strength faileth me, because of mine iniquitie, and my bones are consumed: I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but specially among my neighbours, and a feare to mine acquaintance, Plebi lacrimar… lic…t, Regi honeste non licet. H…er. Ps. 69.5▪ 10, 11, 12they that did see me without, fled from me. For I hauehave heard the slander of many. And, O God, thou knowest my foolishnesse, and my sinnes are not hid from thee. Secondly, for his humiliation; When I wept, and chastened my Soule with fasting, that was to my reproach. I made Sack-cloth also my garment, and I became a Prouerbe to them. They that sit in the Gate, speake against me, and I was the song of the Drunkards. Here let Iob's patience take brething awhile, & solace it selfe.…stum & tenacem propositi virū, Non ciuium arbor praua iubentium, Non vultus instant…s tyranni mē te quatit solida. Hor. And Alium multis gloria terris Tradat & omnes Fama per vrbes garrula laudet, Caelo que parem tollat, & astrii, Me meatellus Lare secre to, tuto que …egat. Sen. Yea let him with astonishment bee silent at Dauid's tryall, in being thus forsaken of his friends.
And Dauid's case it is, that suits with this present conflict. Tell me not, my Brother, of thy friends forsaking thee, being fallen into pouertie, or into great mens disgrace, or the like; a masculine Spirit will easily incounter all such contempt. But hast thou some thing in thee, wherein thou resemblest Christ, as one of his members, and therefore worthy to hauehave the world for thine enemie? And besides, some thing inherent and inhabitant in thee resembling and sauouring of the old Adam, whereby thou art any way obnoxious to the worlds censure, yea in so much, as now thy verie familiar friends forsake and fly thy societie, as ashamed thereof? When notwithstanding there is nothing more irksome vntounto thee, then to bee a stranger to God, and all good men: Tell me now in this case, dost thou thinke any man more miserable then thy selfe? And the more, as thou art a man more or lesse eminent in place and graces, and in estimation for wisdome and glorie. What comfort now canst thou hauehave or hope for in thy life, forsaken of all in a manner, and euen abhorred of those, whom thou most esteemedst? When now those things, which would be highly esteemed in others, in thee doe loose their grace and acceptance. And all this through thine owne want of care, slacknesse, and remisnesse in thy noble resolution, to doe nothing vnworthy thy person and profession. Tell me now, dost thou not heare the Accuser of the Brethren,Ca…endo magis, quā puendo. Quā multa p…nitenda incurrunt viuendo di… the old Serpent, whispering in thine eares, O thou forlorn wretch, why art thou so base minded, so stupidly patient, as to possesse thy life with the losse of thy reputation, and of the louelove of thy best friends? Thou hast lost them irreuocably, and yet doest thou desire to spin out a contemptible and tedious life, whereof together with all those torments and griefes thou sufferest in thy Soule for thy folly, and deserued disgrace, thou mayest so easily, so speedily many wayes bee rid? And this were the readie way to please thy friends againe. For to whom thy life is hatefull, thy death would consequently proue gratefull and welcome. Or despi…ng thee aliue, they would desire and deplore thee dead, as a thing pretious. So that what thou canst not obtaine by liuing, thou mayst by dying. And, by liuing longer, thou mayest come to hauehave more cause to repent thee. And what needest thou to hoyse vp Sayles to passe through a Sea of infinite troubles, and perills, being driuen by no other winds, but those tempestuous sighes, which arising from thy restlesse and dist…mpered mind, must needs cause thy wracke vponupon some Rocke or other: When thou mayest with one short finall breath bee wasted ouer Lethe, where thou shalt neuer think of thy friend… more, whom now thou canst not remember but with ruthfull regret? Such like counsells, or cold consolations is the enemie of thy Soule readie to suggest vntounto thee, when thou art deserted of all comfort of those, whom thou most dearely louest, whose losse thou so deepely lamentest.