The Happiness of a Quiet Mind, Part 2
The more General Ʋſe.
Firſt. IN all your Troubles, to further your patient waiting upon God, be ſure to pray unto him for Support, or for Deliverance. When St. Paul had a Thorn in the Fleſh, a painful Diſeaſe, that created as much trouble to him, as a Thorn uſually does in the tender Fleſh; He ſought the Lord thrice, which denotes his earneſtneſs and his fervent Deſire to have the Croſs removed; as to that he was not heard, but he obtained ſufficient Grace, which was infinitely better than external Eaſe and Comfort: Say when you are deeply diſtreſſed, O Maſter ſave me or elſe I periſh: And when Troubles increaſe, we muſt renew our Cries, as the Mariners double their Cable of the Anchor when the Storm grows more furious; and it is far from being a Sin, to pray againſt violent and ſharp Afflictions, becauſe it argues a right Knowledge of our own Weakneſs, and that we are not able to bear a Burden that is very heavy? We may lawfully deſire to be freed from tedious, and lingering, and ſharp Pain, for the length of it is a very great Temptation. There are two things which we may pray againſt, 1. Reproach, That like ſome Indian Poiſons Murthers us by ſlow degrees, and ſhoots its envenomed Arrows in the dark, we are wounded, and we know not who it is that bends the Bow; the blaſting of our good name, is a Perſecution of the worſt kind, 'tis one of the moſt refined Stratagems of Hell; and ſuch as ſlander their Neighbour, either know not what they do, and then they are Fools, or they do it wilfully, and then they are Devils, they ſmell rank of Fire and Brimſtone: Some are as forward to put off all the Productions of their gangreen'd ulcerated Spirits, as if they had got a Patent for Lying, as if they had engroſs'd and monopoliz'd this Sin; they think a little Backbiting has no great harm in it, whereas there may be Death in a Whiſper, as well as Murther in a Wiſh. We may pray againſt Anguiſh and Terror of Soul, which is like a fiery Furnace and ſcorches us on every ſide, and imbitters all that others call the Pleaſures and the Sweets of Life: Eſpecially muſt we pray, that when ſickneſs or pain robs us of our Health, ſin may not at the ſame time rob us of our Faith and Hope in God: as alſo that it would pleaſe him not to allow Satan to rake in our wounds; and when his Almighty hand has ſmitten us, that he would not leave his Enemy and ours to touch us to the Quick as he did Job: and that at laſt all his malice may be defeated, and that thirſt extinguiſhed whereby he ſo eagerly thirſts and longs for our Ruine; and if we patiently wait, we muſt in all our Pains maintain a moſt entire Compliance with the Will of our Corrector, both as to the continuance and removal of our Sufferings: And while they laſt, let us open with all the freedom imaginable our whole Caſe, and all its circumſtances to the Father of our Spirits; and when we open our Griefs, his Bowels will earn over us: our very miſeries have with him a pleading and a moving Eloquence. This poor man cryed, and the Lord heard him. You may cry to the Lord, which implies a vehement eager motion of the Soul, and an outward expreſſion of your ſenſe of Grief: The beſt of men have not been inſenſible of pain and trouble; Abraham, and Iſaac, and Jacob and the other Patriarchs felt theſe Inconveniences of Life as well as other men. 'Tis ſaid of Jacob, Gen. 48.1. that he was ſick; and ver. 10. that his eyes were dim for age, ſo that he could not ſee: he was bedrid ſometime before his death, and no doubt had his Groans and his Crys like other Aged men. David with all his Muſick could not preſerve an undecaying Youth, nor charm away the cold Winter of his Life. When he was old and ſtricken in years, they covered him with clothes, but he got no heat, 1 Kings 1.1. And in other ſeaſons of his Life, he ſays, the preſſure of his grief was ſo very weighty, that it made him groan all the night, and he was weary with his groaning, and his bed ſwimmed in an inundation of overflow-Tears, Pſ. 6.6. and Pſ. 38.8. I am feeble and ſore broken: I have roared by reaſon of the diſquietneſs of my heart. This Roaring, notes the Loudneſs and Vehemence of his Cries. And ſays the poor deſolate Job, when his melancholy and terrors were upon him, chap. 30.28. I went mourning without the Sun: I ſtood to and cryed in the Congregation. I had, during my tempeſtuous Night, ſcarce a glimpſe or beam of Joy. I was in ſuch flaming Anguiſh, that ſcorcht my Body, and preyed upon my Soul; I was in ſuch dreadful and amazing fears that I, was not able to keep ſilence. My inward torment, even when I was in any publick Aſſembly, made me ſhriek and cry aloud. And Hezekiah ſays of his ſick and languiſhing condition, Iſa. 38.14. Like a Crane or a Swallow, ſo did I chatter; I did mourn as a Dove. His Cry was quick, and frequent, and loud, and frightful; with a very ſorrowful and doleful Tone: His Eyes failed with waiting, and his Heart was even like to break. Theſe Examples I alledge to ſhew you that the beſt of men may be ſenſible of pain, and yet be ſubmiſſive to the Author of it. Loud Groans and Crys are no marks of an inward Impatience and diſorder; for by theſe troubled Nature gives it ſelf a little vent, and it gives a little eaſe, tho' indeed but very little; becauſe our returning Grief makes our Groans and Crys return. Tho' they are innocent and unavoidable expreſſions of ſome weighty ſorrow that is like to cruſh us. Grace does not overthrow Nature, tho' it corrects all its exceſſes and diſorders. We know that the Language of the Sick has not the livelyneſs the briskneſs and ſtrength of thoſe that ſpeak in health: their Countenance, their Looks, their Actions, their words are all changed. All indeed are not equally ſenſible, for ſome perſons have a finer ſet and contexture of Spirits, and conſequently a quicker ſenſe of Pain than thoſe that are of a heavier and duller Conſtitution. The delicate temper of the Body of our Saviour, was more ſuſceptible of grief than the Bodies of the Thieves that were Crucified with him.
2dly. When you pray, do not wonder if you are not immediately anſwered: do not murmure at the ſlow pace of Divine Mercy. You ſhall have help in the moſt beautiful ſeaſon, when the glory of God and your good may be moſt promoted. If he as yet delay to hear your very earneſt and importunate Crys, remember that his Elect cry to him day and night, and he will at length avenge their Cauſe. The Souls under the Altar cry; all Nature, Groans and Crys to be eaſed of the miſeries that our ſin has brought upon it. We muſt pray, but not preſame to tell our Benefactor what, and when he is to give. 'Tis an excellent poſture to be found waiting on our Knees, tho' mercy and deliverance come not juſt when we would have it.
1. Thoſe things which we many times moſt earneſtly ask might be vaſtly prejudicial to us. Many an one ſays, give me this or that or elſe I die; and the very things they prayed for, when obtained, prove a curſe; and thoſe in which they hoped to rejoyce many years, ſend them betimes mourning to the grave. Rachel ſaid to Jacob, give me Children, or elſe I die. There was in her ſpeech a great deal of childiſh weakneſs and impatience: She hoped the having a Child, would prolong her life, and ſhe ſmarted for her wiſh, ſhe died in her Lying In. Many are very importunate with God, and nothing will ſerve them but this or that particular Comfort, I muſt have it, or I am undone; and when they have the Idolized Vanity that they doted on, they quickly find cauſe to repent of their haſty follies. The Iſraelites were fond of a King, but they had a long time wherein to repent of that fondneſs. You may perhaps have what you ask, but you may have it with a frown, with ſuch diſpleaſure as will change your Wine to Vinegar; and your ſmootheſt delights into the rougheſt thorns, Pſal. 78.31. It is a friendly act of God to refuſe us often what we ask, when it is really for our hurt; and to ſave us from our miſguided wiſhes is the love and kindneſs of a Father. If Paul had had his thorn removed immediately he might too greatly ſwell with his Gifts and Revelations, or be like a Saul again.
2dly. Tho' God do not immediately hear our Crys, yet he may gratifie us in better things. Moſes begged to enter into Canaan, but he had no remaining longing after that happy Land, when he was once in Heaven. The joys of Paradiſe had with him a ſweeter taſte than all the Milk and Honey of that could ever give. We have no cauſe to grumble that our Suits too long depend, if in the delays of deſired help, he now and then gives us a ſight of his amiable Face: The Croſs will not overwhelm us, when his Arms are underneath: when, tho' he do not remove the Cup, yet he ſweetens it with his Love: he delays to ſave us to try our faith, and to make his Salvation more illuſtrious. As Jeſus, tho' he heard that Lazarus was ſick, Joh. xi. 6, 7. he did not haſten to his dying Friend, as knowing he intended to glorifie his power in his Reſurrection.
3. He delays an immediate Anſwer to our Crys, to ſee whether we can patiently wait, and believe his promiſe, when we have no ſenſible proofs of his good will. Whether with the Woman of Canaan we will continue Suppliants when he ſeems to chide us from his preſence. This is an evidence of confirmed patience when we abide waiting at his door, tho' for ſeveral hours or days he ſeems to take no notice of our Crys.
4. He ſuffers us to wait a long time before he hear our Crys, to bring our ſins to remembrance; and to put us in mind how we uſed him, how long, how many a tedious hour we made him ſtay before we bid him welcome to our hearts, a long time he knockt e're we let him in: It's no wonder that he uſes us as we uſed him, 'tis a moſt equitable and unblameable retaliation, that we ſhould taſt of the Fruit that we have planted.
5. He loves to ſee his Servants in a praying poſture, for it is an argument of Love and of Humility; their Tears are botled; he knows that theſe Sorrows, like April ſhowers, will make them more fruitful afterwards; and that by praying they learn to pray; and the frequent returns of duty make them to perform it with greater zeal and skill.