Consolations for the Afflicted, Book 2 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
That God vseth our afflictions as an effectuall meanes to further our conuersion.
BY that which hath bin said it may plainly§ Sect. 1. That our afflictions further our conuersion, proued by testimonies of scripture▪ apeare, that God sheweth in the afflictiōs of the faithfull his great mercy and louelove towards him, as they are trials: Now according to my order propounded, we are to shew, that the Lord manifesteth the like mercy and louelove and these crosses, as they are fatherly▪ chastisements in corrections; for the cleering whereof we are to know, that in all our afflictions thus considered, the Lord intendeth and accordingly powerfully effecteth the good and benefit of his children, and that both spirituall and also earthly. The Lord by these crosses and calamities which he sendeth, much aduanceth our spirituall good, in that he ordinarily vseth them as powerfull helpes and meanes, for the furthering of both our effectual calling, and sound conuersion, and also our sanctification and regeneration. For, wheras naturally Gods elect doe in their hearts and affections adhere vntounto the world and the things of this life, like the good graine to the chaffe and straw, and, if they were not seuered, would perish with them; the Lord by these crosles doth weane them from these earthly vanities, and with the flaile and fanne of afflictions dooth make a separation between them, choosing, culling, and setting apart his Elect for his owne seruice, that they may be saued, and leauing the rest like light and refuse corne, to adhere stil vntounto their carnall delights, till they perish in them. Whereas (like young Prodigals) whilest we hauehave the world at will, we runne away from our heauenly Father, and abuse the portion of his giftes in wanton and riotous courses, to his dishonour, and our owne vtter ruine & destruction: When we are brought into misery and affliction, and desire, at least, to comfort and releiue our selues with the huskes and swill of worldly and carnall pleasures, but cannot hauehave them, then are we brought to make a stand in our former loose courses, and begin to thinke of returning to our Father.
And this purpose of God, in afflicting his loose and dissolute children, that he may conuert and turne them from their wicked waies vntounto himselfe, he doth notably set forth vntounto vsus in the Prophecy of Hosea: I will Hos. 5. 15goe (sayth he) and returne to my place, (that is I wil withdraw all the signes and testimonies of my louelove and fauour from them) til they acknowledge their fault and seeke me: In their affliction they will seeke mee diligently, the which was accordingly verified in the euēt, as he sheweth in the next words, where he bringeth them in speaking thus in their afflctions. Come and let vsus returne to Chap. 6. 1. 2the Lord, for he hath spoiled, and he will heale vsus, he hath wounded vsus, and hee will binde vsus vp; after two dayes will he receiue vsus, and in the third day he will raise vsus vp, and we shall liue in his sight. So the Lord sayth by the Prophet Esay, that when he had brought vponupon …is people Israell a common destruction for their sinnes, and had reserued and pulled out of those miseries, some few of many, like the remainder of the grapes after the vintage, and of the oliues after the tree is shaken, then should a man looke to his Maker, and his eyes should hauehave respect to the holy one Esay. 17. 7of Israell. And in this regard the Psalmist out of a spirituall charitie towards his enemies, preferring their eternall saluation before their worldly estate, prayethPsal. 83. 16 thus in their behalfe: Fill their faces with shame, that they may seeke thy name, O Lord. For it fareth with vsus as it doth with foolish children; for if our heauenly Father should continually cocker vsus, and neuer crosse vsus of our wills and earthly desires, we would in wantonnesse and insolency forget and neglect him, casting his Commandements with proude contempt behinde our backes; wheras when he intermixeth seuerity with louelove, frowns with smiles, and chastisements with his benefits, then no sooner doth he estrange himselfe from vsus, abusing our liberty to licentiousnesse, and his gifts to his dishonour, but we presently returne, labour to amend our former errors, and seeke his face and fauour, with the continuance or renuing of his blessings and benefits. To this purpose one sayth, that God almighty doth two wayes wound those whom he purposeth to saue and cure; for sometimes he smiteth the flesh, and mollifieth the heartGregor. Mor. lib. 6. cap. 18 with his seare, he woundeth vsus that he may recall vsus, (when wee goe astray) into the way of saluation, and outwardly afflicteth our bodies, that our soules may inwardly liue &c. He killeth that he may quicken them, and hurteth that he may heale them: for therefore he inflicteth externall stripes, that he may inwardly cure their wounds of wickednesse. And sometimes ceasing to scourge vsus outwardly, he doth inwardly afflict vsus in soul and spirit, correcting and crossing the hardnes of our hearts with it owne desires, and vnruly passions; but by wounding he healeth them, whilst piercing them with the dart of his feare, he inlightneth them with the vnderstanding and knowledge of the right way, &c.
An example hereof we hauehave in the Israelites of whom the psalmist saith, that when the Lord slew them, they sought § Sect. 2. The former point illustrated by exemples out of the scriptures. Psal. 78. 34. 35. Esa 26. 16.him, and they returned and enquired early after God, &c. And the Prophet Esay saith thus of them; O Lord in trouble they hauehave visited thee, they hauehave powred out a praier when thy chastning was vponupon them. And this is vsuall to be obserued in the hystory of the Iudges and Kings, that when this people abounded in worldly prosperity, they forsooke the Lord and serued idolls; but when he afflicted them sharply for such apostacy, then they were brought to a sight of their sinnes, they turned vntounto the Lord, and repented and humbled themselues before him. Thus the Nineuites, who by their sinnes, committed in their prosperity, deserued an vniuersall destruction, when God threatned his iudgements against them, turned vntounto the Lord with fasting, weeping and praier. So Manasses, who in his flourishing estate had forsaken the Lord, when he was in tribulation praied to the Lord his God, and humbled 2. Chro. 33. 12.himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers. And Saul, who raged against Gods Saints, when he was throwneAct 9. 5. downe to the earth and depriued of his sight, he doth in the time of his blindnesse, seeke and find the Lord, who ran away from him whilst he had the vse of his eies, when blinded inwardly with an ignorant zeale, he thought to approach neerest vntounto him. To this purpose one saith, that God hath chosen them whom the world despiseth, because commonly when men are contemned of the world they come hereby to the sight and knowledge ofGregor. Homil. 36. in Luc. 14. themselues. He that left his father, and spent his portion in riotous courses, returned vntounto him when he was pinched with hunger, and if he had not hungred he had not returned, for when he felt the wāt of earthly things, then he began to thinke of his spirituall losses. So when those who had oxen, farmes, and wiues, refused being inuited to come to the supper; the poore, weake, blind and lame became willing guests at the first call, because those whoMath. 22. are impotent and despised in the world doe so much the more cheerfully heare the word of God, because they hauehave no earthly delights to distract and hinder them. Besides, the flesh which is as a notable pull-back, hindreth our conuersion and turning vntounto God, whilst we enioy the world at will, and prosper in our euill courses, doth giuegive way vntounto the part regenerate, when it is pinched with crosses and afflictions, that it may by this meanes be freed from present smart, and as the resty horse, or the refractory and sturdy oxe, doe not only, not draw themselues, but also pull backe and hinder their yoke-fellow, gauling and hurting them with their strugling and striuing; but when they feele the smart of the whip, or the pricke of the goade, they goe on forward, and helpe in the draught: so our flesh and vnregenerate part, doth hinder the spirituall man in all religious courses, gauling and vexing it, when it would goe forward in the waies of godlinesse; but when it is whipped and pricked for this reluctation and backwardnesse, to be freed from paine, it is content to yeeld to an outward reformation, to turne vntounto God, and to performe that seruice vntounto him, in formality and hypocrisie, which the regenerate part performeth in sincerity and truth. Yea it selfe alone is ready to make a fained conuersion, to auoide smart and punishment, euen when there is no dramme of Gods spirit to helpe it forward, meerly out of selfe louelove, and not the true louelove of God: as we may see in the fained humiliation of Ahas, when he heard Gods iudgements denounced1. King. 21. 27. 29. against him: how much rather therefore will these afflictions driue a man vntounto God, when besides these prickes and goads in the sides of the flesh, the spirituall part doth drag him forward.
But this will better appeare if wee consider theSect. 3. That God by afflictions fitteth & prepareth vsus for the hearing of his word. meanes of our conuersion. The first and chiefe whereof is the sauing hearing of Gods word, of which as the spirit of God is the principall cause, seeing hee boareth the eate, and openeth the heart, that wee may attend vntounto it and receiue it; so an especiall meanes which hee vseth for the fitting and preparing of our hearts hereunto, is affliction and tribulation: for when our former husband the world hath dealt churlishly with vsus, reiected and diuorced vsus from him; then are wee more ready to harken vntounto the motion of Iesus Christ, when by his Ambassadours in the preaching of the gospell, hee su…th for our louelove; and the mach & vnion betwene vsus and him, is in a good forwardnes, when by rough and vnkinde vsage, wee are in our hearts and affections alienated from the word. And therefore the Lord, when wee dote vponupon these earthly idols, and will not bee estranged from them, doth set betwene vsus and them the thorny hedgeHos, 2. 6. 7. of afflictions, (as hee speaketh by the Prophet) that being by this forcible meanes seperated from them, and pricked with tribulations, when we seek after them to renew our louelove, wee may at last returne vntounto him our true and first husband, because, when we serue him, our condition will bee much better, then whilest wee adhered to the world, when wee heare from it nothing but threatnings, and terrours, we are more willing to harken vntounto Gods sweete and gratious promises. And when with Elias wee hauehave hard and seene, yea also hauehave felt and hard our share, in the stormy tempest of troubles,1. King. 19. 11. 12. hauehave been shaken with the earthquakes of dangers, and euen schorched with the fire of affliction and tribulation, then are wee well prepared to heare the still and soft voice of the Lord, speaking comfortably vntounto vsus in the ministery of the gospell. And thus Elihu saith, that God openeth the eares of men euen by their corrections, Iob 33 16, 17 & 36. 15.which hee had sealed: that hee might cause man to …urne away from his enterprise, and that hee might hide the pride of man; and keepe backe his soule from the pit, and that his life should not passe by the sword. And againe, he deliuereth the poore in his affliction, and openeth their Aurem cordis tribulatio aperit quam saepe buius mundi prosperitas claudit Gregor moral. l. b. 26. cap. 23.eare in trouble. To which purpose one faith, that tribulation openeth the eare of the heart, which the prosperity of this world vsually shutteth, making it dease vntounto all good admonitions. Yea not only doe afflictions further our conuersion, as they prepare and fit our eares for the hearing of the word, but also as themselues are a real …ermon, wherby God inuiteth vsus vntounto repentance; for as we heare him speaking to vsus by his ambassadors in the publike ministery; so we may see his wil in his works & iudgments, namely how ougly and loathsome sinne is vntounto him, & how much he is displesed with those that cōmit it.
The other meanes of our conuersion is our contrition and humiliation, of which as the chiefe cause is Gods§ Sect. 4. That God by afflictions worketh in vsus contrition and humiliation. holy spirit, applying vntounto vsus the threatnings of the law, so another principall meanes which he vseth are crosses and afflictions. For when the oyle of spirituall grace will not mollifie our iron & brassie hearts, then doth he melt them and make them soft and liquid in the fiery furnace of tribulation, when as they are such stiffe and stubborne grounds, that they are not fit for the seed of the word, then doth he breake vp, plough, and harrow them with crosses and afflictions, that so they may become fruitfull. And whereas naturally we are so blinded with selfeloue, that we doe not see our sinnes, and so puffed vp with pride, that we will not cast down our selues before God, and acknowledge and confesse them, when our eies are annointed with this sharp eie-salue of afflictions, we cafily discerne al our former wicked courses; and when our lofty hearts are pressed downe with the waight of tribulation, then doe we humble our selues before God, and acknowledge our sinnes; saying with Dauid, Behold here 2. Sam 15. 26.I am, let him doe vntounto me as it seemeth good in his eies, and is it not I that hauehave commanded to number the people? It is euen I that hauehave sinned, and hauehave committed euill, &c. and1. Chron. 21. 17 with the Church in the Lamentations, It is the Lords Lamen. 3. 22.mercies that we are not consumed. To this purpose one saith, that it is the highest degree of vertue, not to commit,Prima virtus ne perpetrari debeant sed vitari peccata secunda sal…em perpetrata corrigere &c. Gregor moral. lib. 6. cap. 17. but to flie sinne; and the next vntounto that is to repent of it, when it is committed. But vsually we neither auoid sinne when we are tempted vntounto it, nor willingly acknowledge it when we hauehave done amisse. And so much the more desperately is the mind of sinfull man blinded, by how much the lesse he discerneth the damage of his blindnesse. Whereof it commeth to passe through the bounteous mercy of almighty God, that punishment attending vponupon the fault, doth open the eies of the offender, which security made blind; so as he could not discerne his manifold sinnes. For the slothfull and sluggish mind is awakened and rowsed vp with the smart of stripes; and whereas being carnally secure it lost it state of innocency and integrity; being afflicted it considereth whether it is declining and falling.
By all which it appeareth, that afflictions sanctified§ Sect. 5. That afflictions are the last meanes which God ordinarily vseth to conuert obstinate sinners. by Gods holy spirit for this end, are a most powerfull and effectuall meanes for the furthering of our conuersion; for when neither the oyle of Gods gracious bounty wil soften & supple our stony hearts; nor his word, which is the sword of the spirit, pearce them; and when neither the sweet sound of his gracious promises will allure vsus to obedience, nor the terrible thunder of his fearefull threatnings will restraine vsus from sinne: then in the last place he visiteth our iniquities with the rod, and our sinn with scourges; knowing that if our case be not vtterly desperate, we who hauehave neglected his word, will at least be reclaimed & reformed with his chastisemēts and corrections. And this the Lord implieth where he saith that Ierusalem, after that he had dealt with her not only by his word but by afflictions and chastisements, did notwithstanding continue in a perpetuall rebellion, and would not returne. I hearkned (saith he) and heard, but none spake Ier. 8. 5. 6.aright, no man repented of his wickednesse, saying what hauehave I done, eueryevery one turned to their race, as the horse rusheth into the battell. So by the prophet Amos he intimateth, that they were in a desperate condition, seeing they would not be reclaimed from their euill waies, neither by his word, nor by afflictions, for though he had grieuously punished them with famine, pestilence and theAmos 4 6. 12. sword, yea had ouerthrowne them as he ouerthrew Sodome and Gomorrha, and had only reserued a remnant from the common destruction, as it were a firebrand pluckt out of the burning, yet for all this, they had not returned vntounto the Lord. The consideration whereof serueth first for the exceeding terror of those, who doe not in their afflictions draw neerer vntounto God, forsake their wicked waies, nor any whit profit by their corrections; for this discouereth the desperatenesse of their estate, seeing if any thing would conuert and turne them vntounto God, then would these afflictions and corrections, which because they doe not, therefore are they daily in danger to be giuen ouer of God as a hopelesse cure, and to hauehave these fatherly chastisements turned into vtter destruction and hellish punishments. The former the Lord threatneth against the people of the Iewes. Wherefore (saith he) should you be smitten any more, seeing you fall away more Esay 1. 5. & 9 13.and more, and the latter likewise elsewhere. The people (saith he) turneth not vntounto him that smiteth them, neither do they seeke the Lord of hoasts. Therefore will the Lord …ut off from Israell head and taile, branch and rush in one day. To which purpose one saith, that our present punishmentPaena presens si animum afflicti conuertit, finis est culpae precidentis: si autem ad timorem domini minime conuertit, initium est paenae sequentis &c. Gregor. Epist. lib. 11. cap. 25. § Sect. 6. That those affl…ctions bring much comfort which further our conuersion. if it turne and conuert the heart of the afflicted, is the end of foregoing faultinesse; but if it doe not work in vsus the true feare of God, it is the beginning of following punishments. And therefore we are carefully to take heed that in our afflictions we rent our hearts and turne vntounto the Lord, with weeping and mourning, least we change from bad to worse, and passe out of earthly punishments into hellish torments.
Secondly it serueth notably for the comfort and refreshing of all, who make profitable vse of their afflictions, and are moued by them to forsake their former euill courses, and to draw neere vntounto God by repentance and amendment of life. For how happy may they thinke themselues in their crosses and calamities, when as God thereby doth but clip their wings, that they may not flie from him; and cast these thornes, briars and blockes in their way, that they may not goe forward in that plaine and easie passage which leadeth to destruction, but may leaue this course and returne vntounto him? how much may they thinke themselues bound to their heauenly father, if when they are going like foolish children towards the pit of destruction, and ready to fall into a gulf of dangers, he setteth these bugbeares in the way to deterre and hinder them from going on, and to cause them to returne vntounto him, in whose presence and protection they hauehave all their saftety. And if when they are snorting in the spirituall lethargie of carnall security, which, if they were let alone and left to their ease, would bring them to death and destruction, they be nipped and pinched with troubles and vexations, that so being awakened, the life of their soules may be preserued, and their health recouered? what cause is there of murmuring and complaining, yea what cause hauehave we of thanksgiuing and reioycing, if being (with Lot) loath to leaue this Sodome of sinne, we be pulled out of it with some violence, and be pricked in our sides with these goades of affliction, to hasten our speede towards Gods heauenly mountaine, where we shall be safe from the common destruction? How happy may we thinke our selues, if the pricks of tribulation doe further our conuersion; if the thornes of affliction pricking our bodies, do worke true compunction in our soules, and prick our harts and consciences with a sight and sense of sinne, that so weeBene sentibus tribulationis confixus, qui conuersus exind… est, benè pūgeri… si compu…geru. Multi cum sentiunt poenam, corrigunt culoam. Bernard serm. 48. may seeke to hauehave our wounds cured with the precious balsum of our Sauiours blood, and by feeling this temporary punishment, may amend our faults and be freed from that guiltinesse which is accompanied with euerlasting death? And how are we bound to blesse that necessitie which driueth vsus vntounto God, not suffering vsus to goe on in such licentious courses as would in the end bring vsus vntounto destruction?