Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 1 · Propositions
BEfore I give an Anſwer to this Queſtion, I ſhall premiſe theſe following Propoſitions.
1. It is the will of God that we ſhould bear all our loſſes and all other afflictions with a patient, contented mind: He would not have us murmur or repine at any of his dealings, but in every thing, and under every ſtate and condition ſubmit our wills unto his. That this is the will of God may appear evidently from ſuch Scriptures as theſe; Heb. 13.5. Be content with ſuch things as ye have; Lam. 3.39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the puniſhment of his ſins? 1 Cor. 10.10. Neither murmur ye, as ſome of them alſo murmured, and were deſtroyed of the deſtroyer; Jam. 4.7. Submit your ſelves to God; Luk. 22.42. Not my will, but thine be done; Jam. 5.8. Be ye alſo patient, ſtabliſh your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh; yea, the Lord would not only have us patient, but cheerful under all our ſufferings, Jam. 1.2. My brethren count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations.
2. It is not only our duty, but our intereſt, it conduceth much to our good and welfare, to bear our afflictions with a peaceable, contented, cheerful ſpirit. Eliphaz perſwades Job to bear his afflictions quietly, with this argument, that it was for his good ſo to do, Job 22.21. Acquaint now thy ſelf with him, and be at peace, thereby good ſhall come unto thee. Whatever God hath commanded us, tends to our good as well as his glory, Deut. 10.13. Keep the Commandements of the Lord, and his Statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good. If all the Commandements of God be for our good, then this command of being contented in every eſtate muſt needs be for our good. When we are contented in our ſufferings, the ſoul is at reſt, though the outward man be full of trouble, Matth. 11.29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye ſhall find reſt unto your ſouls. Whatever the Father laid upon Chriſt he bore it with a meek and quiet ſpirit, and ſubmitted his will to the will of his Father; if we follow this example of his, we ſhall doubtleſs find reſt to our ſouls. The man that hath learnt how to be content in every eſtate, liveth a kind of Heaven upon Earth, Phil. 3.20. Our Converſation is in Heaven. If you would know how the Apoſtle came to enjoy as it were a heaven while he was in this world, you may ſee that, Chap. 4.11. I have learned in whatſoever ſtate I am, therewith to be content.
3. A man under the power of a froward diſcontented ſpirit bereaveth himſelf of all good: he hath no enjoyment of God, no enjoyment of himſelf, no enjoyment of any good in any of the creatures. He hath no enjoyment of God; for, They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord, Prov. 11.20. Pſal. 18.26. With the froward thou wilt ſhew thy ſelf froward. He hath no enjoyment of himſelf, but is like a man diſpoſſeſſed of his ſoul, Luk. 21.19. In your patience poſſeſs ye your ſouls. He hath no enjoyment of any good in any of the creatures, though he be one that hath great poſſeſſions, Prov. 17.20. He that hath a froward heart, findeth no good. He is in continual pain and anguiſh, like a man that walks among thorns, Prov. 22.5. Thorns and ſnares are in the way of the froward, he that doth keep his ſoul ſhall be far from them.
4. It is a very hard matter to bear afflictions with a cheerful contented ſpirit. When a man is croſſed of his will, his heart is ready to fret againſt the Lord, even at ſuch times as he brings afflictions upon himſelf by his own folly, Prov. 19.3. The fooliſhneſs of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth againſt the Lord. When God rebukes us, and binds us in the cords of affliction, we are apt to fret and fume like a wild Bull in a net, Iſa. 51.20. Thy ſons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the ſtreets, as a wild Bull in a net, they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God. Nothing leſs than the mighty power of God will quell and keep down all the riſings, frettings and murmurings of the heart, and make a man patient and cheerful in his afflictions, Col. 1.11. Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long ſuffering with joyfulneſs. There is the power the glorious power of God, the power of God put forth in a mighty manner to enable a Chriſtian to ſuffer afflictions with patience and joy.
5. No man that is deſtitute of the grace of God, can bear afflictions with a contented ſpirit. There may be ſtupidity and inſenſibleneſs of Gods hand, and there may be a reſtraining of murmurings in ſome natural men, but true contentment is found only in godly perſons, 1 Tim. 6.8. Godlineſs with contentment is great gain. As for unregenerate men, when God doth not lay a reſtraint upon them, they do not only fret inwardly againſt God, but break out into open blaſphemy, when they meet with great and painful afflictions, Iſa. 8.21. They ſhall paſs through it, hardly beſtead and hungry, and it ſhall come to paſs, that when they ſhall be hungry, they ſhall fret themſelves, and curſe their King and their God, and look upward; Rev. 16.10,11. They gnawed their tongues for pain, and blaſphemed the God of Heaven, becauſe of their pains and their ſores, and repented not of their deeds.
6. The Saints and Servants of God, have found it an hard matter to bear their loſſes with a quiet contented ſpirit, when God hath taken away from them thoſe things which have been near and dear to them. When Jacob did but ſuppoſe that he had loſt his ſon Joſeph, he was over-whelmed with grief, Gen. 37.34,35. Jacob rent his cloaths, and put ſackloth upon his loins, and mourned for his ſon many days, and all his ſons, and all his daughters roſe up to comfort him, but he refuſed to be comforted, and he ſaid, for I will go down into the grave unto my ſon, mourning, thus his father wept for him. When God took away Abſolom, how was David caſt down at his death? 2 Sam. 18.33. The King was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, thus he ſaid, O my ſon Abſolom, my ſon, my ſon Abſolom, would God I had died for thee, O Abſolom, my ſon, my ſon. Jonah was a man that feared God, a Type of Chriſt, no ordinary man but a Prophet, yet what abundance of diſcontent, did he manifeſt for the loſs of a gourd, becauſe it was a refreſhment to him by keeping him from the heat of the Sun? He fell into a great paſſion, fainted, was weary of his life, wiſhed that he might die; and when God reaſoned with him about his froward carriage, he ſtands upon his juſtification, Jonah 4.8,9.—He fainted and wiſhed in himſelf to die, and ſaid, It is better for me to die than to live. And God ſaid to Jonah, Doſt thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he ſaid, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Yet this gourd came up in a night, and periſhed in a night, and Jonah had not laboured at all for it, neither did Jonah, but God made it to grow, Verſ. 10. When we find ſuch a man as Jonah, in ſuch a great paſſion for ſuch a ſmall loſs as a gourd, which grew up and periſhed in a night and a day, we may cry out, Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him! And if we are kept from fretting and diſcontent at our loſſes, we muſt give glory to God, and ſay, as the Apoſtle in another caſe, Not I, but the grace of God which is with me, keeps me from being diſcontented at my loſſes.
7. Though it be hard to attain a cheerful, contented ſpirit in all eſtates and conditions, yet it is poſſible to be attained: The Apoſtle Paul went through variety of afflictions, as hunger, thirſt, nakedneſs, ſhipwrack, impriſonment, beating with rods, ſtripes above meaſure, cold, watchings, &c. 2 Corinth. 11.23,24,25,26,27. yet he had learned to be content in every eſtate, Phil. 4.11,13. I have learned in whatſoever eſtate I am, therewith to be content: I can do all things through Chriſt which ſtrengthneth me. And as he was contented, ſo alſo cheerful and joyful in all his troubles, 2 Cor. 7.4. I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. Now what the Apoſtle Paul attained to in this kind, that through the help of Chriſt we may attain alſo.
8. A word of counſel and advice ſuitably and ſeaſonably adminiſtred to ſuch as are in a ſuffering condition, availeth much for the quieting, comforting, and ſupporting of their ſpirits under their greateſt afflictions and deepeſt ſorrows, Prov. 12.25. Heavineſs in the heart of man maketh it ſtoop, but a good word maketh it glad; Prov. 27.9. Oyntment and perfume rejoyce the heart, ſo doth the ſweetneſs of a mans friend by hearty counſel; Job 4.3,4. Behold, thou haſt inſtructed many, and thou haſt ſtrengthned the weak hands, thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou haſt ſtrengthned the feeble knees; Prov. 15.23. A word ſpoken in due ſeaſon, how good is it?
9. No arguments or other means that are made uſe of, either in preaching, writing, or private conference, have ſuch force and power to quiet, ſupport and comfort the hearts of thoſe that faint, and are diſquieted, and caſt down under their afflictions, as thoſe that are drawn from, and bottomed upon the Word of God, Lev. 10.3. Moſes ſaid unto Aaron, this is it that the Lord ſpake—And Aaron held his peace. Aaron's tryal was exceeding great, His two eldeſt ſons were conſumed by fire from the Lord, when they were in the act of ſin; this judgment was ſo great that all Iſrael are commanded to bewail the burning, ver. 6. yet Aaron who was moſt nearly concerned in the affliction, held his peace, and what cauſed him to do ſo? Moſes put him in remembrance of the Word of God, This is that the Lord ſpake, ſee alſo Job 6.25. How forcible are right words? Now all Gods words are right, Pſal. 33.4. The Word of the Lord is right—Prov. 8.8,9. All the words of my mouth are in righteouſneſs—They are all right to them that find knowledg. And therefore they are of great force to quiet and comfort ſuch as are in affliction, Pſal. 107.20. He ſent his Word and healed them. Though a man be ready to die with ſorrow and grief under his troubles, the Word of God will revive him; for they of whom the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, when he ſaith, He ſent his Word and healed them, were ſuch as were ready to die with their troubles, as you may ſee, Verſ. 18. Gods Word will make the ſtouteſt heart yield & bow to Gods will, Jer. 23.28,29,—He that hath my Word, let him ſpeak my Word faithfully, What is the chaffe to the wheat ſaith the Lord? Is not my Word like as a fire, ſaith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 1 Theſſ. 4.18. Comfort one another with theſe words. No words have ſuch force to comfort the afflicted, as what are drawn out of the Scriptures. Wherefore I have endeavoured to confirm what I have propoſed in anſwer to theſe queſtions, with ſuitable and pertinent Texts of Scripture.
Theſe Propoſitions being premiſed, I ſhall now anſwer the firſt queſtion, and ſhall divide my Anſwer into three branches. 1. I ſhall propoſe ſome conſiderations that may tend to the quieting of their minds, who have ſuſtained great loſs by this fire. 2. I ſhall propoſe ſome things by way of practice to help the afflicted to bear their afflictions contentedly. 3. I ſhall endeavour to remove thoſe pleas and reaſonings that hinder thoſe that have been ſufferers by this fire from ſetting down contented under their affliction.