The Government of the Thoughts, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Motives to Patience and Contentedness.
FIRST, God Commandeth us, by his Holy Apostle in several places; as Rom. 12.12. 1 Thess. 5.8. 1 Tim. 6.8. Heb. 13.5. And David earnestly perswades us to this duty, Psal. 37. from the first, to the fourteenth Verse. Secondly, Consider well the disadvantages of Impatience, and the Advantages of Patience; Seneca was of that good Opinion, that no man could be happy who did not think himself so: It imports not what thy Condition is, if thou thinkest it evil? The Patient Man is happy in every Estate; because God will hear him, Psal. 40.1. And the Wise Man gives this Result, Eccles. 7.8. The Patient in Spirit is better than the Proud in Spirit. And the Apostle gives us this assurance, Rom. 2.7. That the Lord will give him Eternal Life. And the Evangelist gives us this Encouragement, by Patience a Man possesseth his own Soul, Luke 21.19. All Affliction to him is but a wholesome Bitter Potion, which he freely swalloweth, as being prescribed to Operate his Cure, and to produce him the quiet Fruits of Righteousness, Heb. 12.11. The Apostle likewise tells you, 1 Tim. 6.6. That Godliness with Contentment is great gain.
2. PATIENCE allays a ponderous burden, and makes it easie; and therein defeateth the adverse Party; the product of whose Injury is the Perplexity and Impatience of the injured. When Job Exercised his Affliction with Patience, Satan was foiled at his own Weapon. As Ballast, if it be well placed that it cannot move, or shoot, the Sailing Ship Rides secure; but if otherwise, she is Foundred: Even so it is with Patience in the Soul. It was a Blessed Victory obtained at Job's first encounter, at which the Angels of Heaven could do no less than give a Plaudite; for when Satan had fully charged him with all his Machinations, and Job had received all those fierce Blows on his Shield of Patience; he made this meek Reply, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the Name of the Lord: And the Holy Ghost thus testifieth, In all this Job sinned not, Job 1.21, 22. And Job was happy in being so great a Victor; and happy are all they who imitate that invincible Patience in their sufferings.
3. THOSE who are Impatient, must submit to that Term of being Evil; and the Almighty will not lend an Ear to them: They are by every Condition made worse, being Authors of their own misery; and make their own Burdens intollerable, by striving under that, which no violence can cast off: They are Satan's Captives, introducing their Fretful Impatience only to adorn his Triumphs; they prove scorns to Men, who can no less than deride, if not loath that Morosity, and peevish Waywardness, which causeth the Impatient malecontent neither to enjoy Friends nor himself. An Example we have of that Mirror of Impatience Diogenes the Cynick, who being Asked by Alexand…r the Great, if he lacked any thing; to which he Morosely Replyed Yea, I do, Stand out of my Light. Now whether he embraced this Churlish Humour, to profess himself a Votary to his own Passions, or to lay Claim to an equal Capacity and Right of Contemning his Friends Greatness, as much as he slighted his Poverty; that I cannot Expostulate: But he chose rather to Inhabit in a Tub, than expect the delayed Beneficence of him that promised to build him a House: And certainly by this his Impatience, he reaped no Advantage.
4. CONSIDER that Momentary Afflictions are of no Duration: If all the World, Men and Devils, Conspired to vex and molest thee, they could not long make thee an Object of their Fury and Malice. The Apostle like a good Prognostick foretells our Necessities, Heb. 10.37. Ye have need of Patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promises: For yet a very little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. Then Blessed are all they, who with meekness and a patient Confidence expect him. Be therefore Patient, Stablish your hearts: For the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, James 5.8. Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning, Psal. 30.5. However the longest day as its due must accept of a period: And the most tedious misery of a good Christian shall have such a Counsumation as may render him happy.
5. CONSIDER the extent of thy suffering: Perhaps thou art envied without Cause: Thou owest thanks to God for that Conformity to his dear Son: Thou art Oppressed, Plundred, Imprisoned, Exiled: But yet thou hast not resisted unto Blood▪ Thou art Listed, and Enrolled a Souldier under Christ's Banner; in whom Believing and Patiently bearing Tryall, thou canst not miscarry; and dost thou Recoil at those Military Charges, which have not exposed thy Life to danger? What if Heavens General drew thee out, and posted thee for one of the Forlorn Hope of Martyrdom, and the Fiery Tryal? Wouldst thou desert the Service? Or complain of Danger?
6. CONSIDER nothing is befallen you, but what is common to many: Paulus Aemilius well observed in his sudden Victory over Perseus, that there is nothing durable in this World: Dost thou in the loss of some Secular Comfort, Cry with the afflicted. Church, behold, and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, Lam. 1.12. If it be any comfort to have Partners in mighty Wo, consider well that thousands of others suffer at a higher rate: As he said, who, to Comfort an Embittered Friend, as they beheld a Populous City from the House Top, considered how many heavy Hearts, and weeping Eyes, are now under these Roofs? From hence may be Learned, that in thy afflictions, thou art not singular.
7. CONSIDER that many good Christians excelling thee in Perfections, have had a greater share of Afflictions than thou couldst undergo: And St. James makes no scruple in his 5 Chap. v. 11. But that ye have heard of the patience of Job: And therein the issue of Patience: God deliver'd him to Satan: Behold he is in thine hand, Job 2.6. Yet all that the Devils Malice could Inflict upon him, redounded the more to Illustrate his Happiness: For the Almighty had Pronounced him Righteous, and knew his Strength was of that Extent, loud enough to proclaim him a Champion. If Saul was unwilling to expose David to an unequal Conflict, shall we think the Almighty would hazzard us, if we were not certain to gain the Conquest? He will not venture thee into the Lists, without his Grace, which makes thee invincible: He views thy Tryals with delight, and has a Proportionable reward always ready.
8. THEREFORE be not deceived nor discouraged, they are not miserable, whose Sufferings are ample: 'Tis honourable to receive Wounds in War; for Scars are Honors Characters, written in the Face and Breast of the Valiant: Enquire into thy own Heart, and then thou canst not but express thy Thankfulness, for his afflicting thee so lightly; for no Man is so miserable as wicked. Consider the issue of Afflictions, and the end why God afflicteth thee. The Physician prescribes not bitte… Pills, nor doth the Surgeon exercise his Lance… or Cautery to kill, but to cure the Patient. So God doth not delight in the death or afflictio… of a Sinner, but he permitteth thee to wee… now, to prevent Eternal Weeping hereafter▪ It is not thy Misery that affects him, but th… Health; and he prescribeth such bitter things as are proper to thy Malady; and if lenitiv… Physick, or a less quantity would effect the operation, he would not have exhausted one dra… or scruple more than he thought necessary.
9. PATIENTS undergo much under Physicians Skills, when their promising helps ar… uncertain; how much rather ought we pat… ently to submit our selves under the Hand … God, who will not fail of his promise to us▪ But upon serious Consideration, thou reportest that this Objection will arise, That tho… invocatest him for help, and he heareth not: T… which I answer, That it is God's infinit… Mercy not sometimes to hearken to thy request, but to fulfil his own Will and Pleasure in order to thy Salvation. Thus the Almighty, who is the great Physician of Souls, deals indulgently with all his Patients.
10. SEEING then Calamity is often the Discipline of Virtue; Shall his Stomach be averse to the Antidote, who greedily swallowed down the Poyson? All Impatience receives its Nativity from Satan, who Conspires by all his treasonable diabolical Arts to poyson the Soul of Man, and to plunge him into the Pit of Despair, and by Rebellion to murmur at the taste of the Marahs of Affliction; For it is very infallible, that Satan envies the Image of God in Man, and is displeased when God bestows his Favours on frail Mortality. Strive therefore in storms of Misery, to calm thy Mind, and be patient under every Affliction; which that thou mayst the better do, observe these Rules laid down in the next Chapter.