A Posing Question Put by the Wise Man, Treatise · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
HAving Explained and Confirmed the Point, I come now to Reſolve ſome Queſtions, that may be put, in Relation to the Truth delivered.
1. Question, Whether it be lawful to Pray againſt Afflictions, Since no man knoweth what is good for a man in this life; and ſo in praying againſt them, we may Pray againſt, and Deprecate that, that (for ought we know) may be for out Good?
2. Quest. Whether it be lawful to Pray for outward and worldly good things, as Riches, &c. Since we know not, but we may pray for what is evil for us?
3. Quest. Whether our being ignorant of what is good for us in this life, doth not warrant us, to undertake things, and adventure on them hand over head, or at hap-hazard (as we ſay) or at adventure, without any Circumſpection, Conſideration, Prudential Foreſight or Providential Care, as in Marriage, &c. Why, ſome may ſay; I know not what is good for me in this life, and therefore, Let it happen how it will. So the Queſtion is, Whether this Truth, do not deny and deſtroy all Care of Providence?
I ſhall Anſwer to theſe in order.
1. Quest. Whether, according to the Truth delivered, it be lawful for a man to Pray againſt Afflictions, Since he knoweth not but that he may Pray againſt his own good. Since, ſome by Experience have found, It was good for them that they were Afflicted.
Anſw. Some have bin of this Opinion, that, It is unlawful to Pray againſt Afflictions; and that it was not the Errour of Tertullian, to ſay, Afflictions were to be ſought for, and deſired; and ſaid, That men ought to be ſo far from praying againſt them, that they ought to pray for them and deſire them. But this I look upon, as one of his Errours.
I ſhall give an Anſwer to the Question.
1. General.
2. Particular.
I. General. So I Anſwer; That, notwithſtanding it ſo falls out that Afflictions are good for a man, yet they may be lawfully prayed againſt. And this Truth I ſhall clear up to you, by four things.
1. Afflictions are, in their own Nature, Fruits and Effects of Sin, and ſuch as Nature abhors; ſuch are Sickneſs, Poverty, all ſorts of Loſſes and Croſſes; they were brought in by Sin. The Apoſtle ſaith, Rom. 5. 12. Sin entred into the world, and Death by Sin. Death is there put for, All Miſeries. As Life in Scripture is put for all Good; ſo Death is the Topick for all Miſeries, being called the King of Fears; and ſo the King of Evils, being the King of whatſoever is fearful to man, and what Nature abhoreth. As Death, ſo all Evils (as Death's attendants) came into the world by Sin. Sin was the Mother, and Afflictions of all ſorts are the Daughters. So then, looking upon them under this Notion, as the Effects of Sin, they may be prayed againſt. When Sin came into the world, theſe Evils crowded in with It; and when Sin ſhall be no more, theſe Miſeries and Evils ſhall be no more, Rev. 21. 4. There ſhall be no more Death, &c. The Thred followeth the Needle. Sin was the Needle, that drew in with it the Thred of Miſeries and Afflictions. Man had never known what Loſſes, and Croſſes, and Miſeries, and Afflictions had bin, had it not been for Sin.
2. Afflictions of themſelves, do us no good; of themſelves, they do not make a man better. The Good by Afflictions comes from a Superiour Work, from thoſe admirable Influences and Concurrences of the Spirit of God, on, and with, the Afflictions. As our Saviour ſaid, Man lives not by Bread only: So, man is not amended by Afflictions only. Put a Stone into the Fire, it cometh out a Stone ſtill. No water, either hot or cold, will make a Blackmore White. Empty Vinegar from Veſſel to Veſſel, it will be Vinegar ſtill. So, let a man be emplyed, from Condition to Condition, he is ſtill the ſame. We know, the Plough breaks up the Earth, but of it ſelf doth not better it; it leaveth it as it was, there is nothing put in by the Plough: If the Huſbandman Dung it, and caſt in good Seed, when he hath broken it up with his Plough, then there is like to be a Harveſt, elſe there is nothing but Weeds and Nettles. The Plough of Afflictions may break our Bodies, and Eſtates, and Spirits; but there will be no Harveſt without ſomething more, without an Heavenly Influence; Afflictions will bring forth only Briars and Thorns. The Expreſſion of the Pſalmiſt, is, Pſal. 94. 12. Bleſſed is the Man whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law. It is then happy, when Correction and Inſtruction go together.
3. As Afflictions are fruits of Sin, and of themſelves do no good; ſo oftentimes, through Mans Corruption, they prove occaſions of Sin. They are ſo far from making men Better, that they often make men Worſe. I have ſhewed before, what Evils are incident, both to a ſtate of Proſperity and Adverſity. Satan knoweth, how to make Afflictions to become Temptations: And therefore we find this to be the Reaſon, why Agur prayed againſt Poverty, Prov. 30. 9. lest I be Poor and Steal, and the Name of God be taken in Vain; q. d. Poverty may put me under a Temptation of uſing Unlawful means, to the Diſhonour of God. Thus, Afflictions prove ſomtimes occaſions of Sin; and we are taught to Pray, That we may not be led into Temptation.
4. Conſider again this, That the Saints and Servants of God have prayed againſt Afflictions: So, they have prayed for
1. The Preventing of them, and Keeping them off.
2. The Removing them, and Taking them off.
1. For the Preventing them, and keeping them Off. Thus did Agur, Prov. 30. 8, 9. where you have his Prayer; Firſt, Againſt the Evils of Sin, Ver. 7. Take from me Vanity and Lying. Next, Againſt the Evils of Affliction, Ver. 8. Give me not Poverty.
2. They have prayed for the Removing them, and taking them off. And thoſe have done it, who got as much good by their Afflictions, as any under Heaven. Thus David, Pſal. 39. 10. Take away thy Stroak from me. Pſal. 119. 22. Turn away Shame and Reproach from me. Thus did Job, Job 9. 34. Let him take away his Rod from me. Job 13. 20, 21. Withdraw thine Hand from me, &c. Where, he Prayeth for Gods taking away his Afflicting Rod, and for his with-drawing his Afflicting Hand. And theſe Two men, got as much good by their being Afflicted, as ever any did.
Thus, in General, You ſee what we Anſwer to the Queſtion, Whether Evils of Affliction may be Prayed againſt?
II. We come to give a more particular Anſwer to the Queſtion; And tell you, That though we ſay, It is Lawful to pray againſt Afflictions; yet it muſt be with the Obſervation of ſome Rules, and Cautions, and Directions. That, as our Saviour ſaid in another caſe concerning Hearing; Take heed, how ye Hear; So in this caſe of praying againſt Afflictions, we ſay, Take heed how ye Pray. So conſider; There is a double praying againſt Afflictions, as I told you before:
1. For the Keeping them off.
2. For the Taking them off.
1. For the Keeping them off. So, there is a Twofold praying for the Keeping off Afflictions.
1. Abſolute.
2. Conditional, and with Submiſſion.
1. Abſolute. When men Pray, that, in no Caſe, the Evil may happen to them; ſo making their Will a Law to God's. This praying againſt Afflictions, is Unwarrantable and Unlawful. We muſt know; for Moral Evils of Sin, we may pray abſolutely againſt, but not ſo againſt the Evils of Affliction.
2. There is a Praying againſt them, that is Conditional, & with Submiſſion to the Will of God; This is Lawful. Our Saviour himſelf prayed that the Cup might paſs from Him, but adds this, Not my Will, but Thine be done. Our praying againſt Afflictions is then right, when there is a ſweet Submiſſion of our wills, to the Will of God: So, that though we know that Afflictions are grievous to our Natures; yet, becauſe we know not, what the Decrees and Purpoſes of God are concerning us; and not knowing, but that He may ſee them good for us, and make them good to us: we do ſweetly ſubmit our wills, to the Will of God, and Proclaim Liberty to Him, to deal with us as He pleaſe. And herein is the Work of Grace ſeen, that, though Nature deſireth wholly to be freed from them, (they being ſuch things as are bitter to It;) yet a Chriſtian leavs himſelf wholly to the Will of God, and ſaith, Not my Will, but Thine be done. When Chriſtians ſee the Cup of Affliction preparing for them, or coming towards them, they muſt pray againſt it, only as our Saviour did. It is then right, when in praying againſt Afflictions, we pray abſolutely that God may be Glorified; but for the things that concern our ſelves, we pray with Submiſſion to His Will. Thus Chriſt did, John 12. 27, 28. Save me from this Hour, but for this cauſe came I to this Hour. Father, Glorify thy Self. Our Saviour is abſolute in that requeſt of his, That His Father would Glorify his Name, and received an Anſwer; But for the other Requeſt, he ſweetly ſubmitted to His Father's Will. Thus doth a Gracious Heart pray abſolutely, that God may be Glorified, (let it be in Relation to himſelf) which way the Lord pleaſe. Thus in deſiring freedom from Affliction, though a Gracious Heart looks upon it as deſirable to Nature, to be freed from Loſſes, and Croſſes, Sickneſs, and Poverty, &c: Yet he looks upon Gods Glory as, That, that is to preferred before its own worldly Welfare, Eaſe, Quiet, Contentment, and Comfort. Whereas ſome may ſay, that Agur prayed abſolutely againſt Poverty, Prov. 30. 8, 9. Give me not Poverty, &c. We Anſwer, that though it looketh like an abſolute Requeſt, yet it is not: If we look upon the Reaſon of the Requeſt, Verſ. 9. we ſhall find that he prayed abſolutely, only in relation to Gods Glory. For, the Reaſon why he prayes againſt poverty, is this, lest I be Poor and Steal, and the Name of God be taken in Vain. Where ſee, that he only prayeth againſt Poverty upon this account, leſt it might occaſion him to Sin, and Diſhonour God. Agur doth not ſay, leſt I be poor and Steal, and be Whipt, and Stockt, or Hanged; but, lest the Name of God be taken in Vain.
2. Concerning the keeping off, of Afflictions. There is a praying either againſt,
1. The Things themſelves.
2. The Evil of the things.
1. Againſt the Things themſelves. For that, we ſay, as formerly, We ought not to pray Abſolutely, but with Submiſſion.
2. There is a praying againſt the Evil of the things. So we may pray abſolutely againſt the Evil of the Evils, though we may may not pray abſolutely againſt the Afflictions, yet againſt the Sting of the Affliction. The Apoſtle Paul, calleth Sin, the Sting of Death; and it is the Sting of every Affliction: and againſt the Sting, we may pray abſolutely.
Thus for the firſt, concerning praying for the keeping off of Afflictions.
2. Concerning praying for the taking off Afflictions. So, theſe Rules are to be obſerved.
1. We muſt not put our wills, as a Law to God's. Then it is right, when, while we deſire God to remove the Affliction, we get our hearts willing to bear the Affliction, if God will have it ſo.
2. In praying for the removal of them, there muſt be a Submiſſion to the Will of God, in relation to all Circumſtances; to wit, the time and manner of removing. We muſt ſubmit to his Wiſdom for the means, and be content to wait his Leaſure, for the time of taking them off.
3. We muſt chooſe rather Affliction, than Sin; and pray more for the taking away of Sin, then the taking off Affliction. It was a Pharoah that prayed only for the taking off of Affliction, Exod. 10. 17. Pray to the Lord your God, that He may take away from me, this Death only. He was only, for having his Judgment taken away, not his Sin.
4. We muſt pray more, for God's Sanctifying Afflictions to us, then for his Removing them from us. That the Rod may do its work for which it is ſent, before it be taken off; that we may be better'd by the Affliction, before we are freed from the Affliction.
Thus in Anſwer to the Firſt Queſtion.