A Christian Library, Part 1 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. That they are patient, because patience brings a reward with it.
6. BEcause Patience in suffering brings a reward with it. In reason a man would forgive his enemy even for his own sake, were there no other motive to perswade him: for to let passe many things of no small moment, as that, if we forgive not, we can do no part of Gods worship that is pleasing to him; for we cannot pray aright, 1 Tim. 2.8. We cannot communicate in the Sacrament, but we make our selves guilty of Christs blood, 1 Cor. 11.27. Matth. 5.24. We cannot be good hearers of the Word, Iames 1.21. and that it makes a man captive to Satan, Ephes. 4.26, 27. and many the like: If ye forgive men their trespasses (saith our Saviour,) your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses, Mat. 6.14, 15. So he that will not be in charity, shall never be in Heaven: And why should I do my self a shrewd turn because another would? Yea, we desire pardon, as we give pardon; and we would be loath to have our own lips condemn us. When we pray to God to forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive them that trespasse against us, and do not resolve to forgive our brethren; we do in effect say, Lord condemn us, for we will be condemned: whereas he that doth good▪ to his enemy, even in that act, doth better to himself. It is a sigular sacrifice to God, and well-pleasing to him, to do good against evill, and to succour our very enemy in his necessity: but we may perchance heap coals of fire upon the others head, Rom. 12.20. though we must not do it with an intent to make his reckoning more, but our reckoning lesse.
Again, Blessed is the man (saith St Iames) that endureth temptation (viz. with patience) for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown of life, James 1.12. And this made Moses not only patient in his sufferings, but joyfull, esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Aegypt: For, saith the Text, he had respect unto the recompence of the reward, Heb. 11.26. And well it might; for whereas the highest degree of suffering, is not worthy of the least and lowest degree of this glory, Rom. 8.18. St Paul witnesseth, that our light affliction which is but …or a moment (if it be borne with patience) causeth unto us a far most excellent and eternall weight of glory, while we look not on the things that are seen, but on the things which are not seen, 2 Cor. 4.17, 18. Where note the incomparablenesse and infinite difference between the work and the wages: light affliction receiving a weight of glory; and momentary afflictions, eternall glory: answerable to the reward of the wicked, whose empty delights live and die in a moment: but their insufferable punishment is interminable and endlesse: As it fared with Pope Sixtus the fifth (who sold his soul to the Devill, to enjoy the glory and pleasure of the Popedom for seven years) their pleasure is short, their pain everlasting: our pain is short, our joy eternall. What will not men undergo, so their pay may be answerable? The old experienc… Souldier fears not the rain and storms above him, nor the numbers falling before him, nor the troops of enemies against him, nor the shot of thundring Ordnance about him; but looks to the honourable reward promised him. When Philip asked Democritus, if he did not fear to lose his head, he answered, No: for (quoth he,) if I die, the Athenians will give me a life immortall: meaning, he should be statued in the treasury of eternall fame: if the immortality (as they thought) of their names, was such as strong reason to perswade them to patience, and all kind of worthinesse; what should the immortality of the soul be to us? Alas, vertue were a poor thing, if fame only should be all the Garland that did crown her: but the Christian knowes, that if every pain he suffers were a death, and every crosse an hell; he shall have amends enough. Why, said Ambrose on his death-bed, we are happy in this, we serve a good Master, that will not suffer us to be losers. Which made the Martyrs such Lambs in suffering, that their persecutors were more weary with striking, than they with suffering; and many of them as willing to die as dine. When Modestus the Emperours Lieutenant, told Basil what he should suffer; as confiscation of goods, cruell tortures, death, &c. He answered, If this be all, I fear not: yea had I as many lives, as I have hairs on my head, I would lay them all down for Christ, nor can your master more benefit me than in this. I could abound with examples of this nature. No matter (quoth one of them) what I suffer on earth, so I may be crowned in Heaven. I care not, quoth another, what becometh of this frail Bark my flesh; so I have the passenger, my soul, safely conducted. And another,
If (Lord) at night thou grant'st me Lazarus boon,
Let Dives dogs lick all my sores at noon,
And a valiant Souldier going about a Christian atchievement; My comfort is, though I lose my life for Christs sake, yet I shall not lose my labour; yea, I cannot endure enough to come to Heaven. Lastly, Ignatius going to his Martyrdom, was so strongly ravished with the joyes of Heaven, that he burst out into these words; Nay, come fire, come beasts, come breaking my bones, racking of my body, come all the torments of the Devill together upon me, come what can come in the whole earth, or in hell, so I may enjoy Iesus Christ in the end.
They were content to smart so they might gain; and it was not long, but light which was exacted of them, in respect of what was expected by them, and promised to them, 2 Cor. 4.17. Neither did they think that God is bound to reward them any way for their sufferings; no, if he accepts me when I have given my body to be burned (saith the beleever) I may account it a mercy.
I might shew the like touching temptations on the right hand, which have commonly more strength in them, and are therefore more dangerous, because more plausible and glorious. When Valence sent to offer Basil great preferments, and to tell him what a great man he might be: Basil answers, Offer these things to Children not to Christians. When some bad, stop Luthers mouth with preferment: one of his adversaries answered; it is in vain, he cares neither for Gold, nor Honour. When Pyrrhus tempted Fabritius, the first day with an Elephant, so huge and monstrous a beast as before he had not seen, the next day with Money and promises of Honour, he answered, I fear not thy force, and I am too wise for thy fraud. But I shall be censured for exceeding.
Thus hope refresheth a Christian, as much as misery depresseth him; it makes him defie all that men or Devils can do, saying, Take away my goods, my good name, my friends, my liberty, my life, and what else thou canst imagin; yet I am well enough, so long as thou canst not take away the reward of all, which is an hundred fold more even in this world, and in the world to come, life everlasting, Mark. 10.29, 30. As when a Courtier gave it out, that Queen Mary (being displeased with the City) threatned to divert both Terme and Parliament to Oxford; an Alderman askt whether she meant to turn the Channell of the Thames thither or no: if not (saith he,) by Gods grace we shall do well enough. For what are the things our enemies can take from us, in comparison of Christ, the Ocean of our comfort, and Heaven the place of our rest? where is joy without heavinesse or interruption; peace without perturbation: blessednesse without misery: light without darknesse: health without sicknesse: beauty without blemish: abundance without want: ease without labour: satiety without loathing: liberty without restraint: security without fear: glory without ignominy: knowledge without ignorance: eyes without tears: hearts without sorrow: souls without sinne: where shall be no evill present, or good absent: for we shall have what we can desire, and we shall desire nothing but what is good. In fine, that I may darkly shadow it out, sith the lively representation of it is meerly impossible, this life everlasting, is the perfection of all good things: for fullnesse is the perfection of measure, and everlastingnesse the perfection of time, and infinitenesse the perfection of number, and immutability the perfection of state and immensity the perfection of place, and immortality the perfection of life, and God the perfection of all; who shall be all in all to us: meat to our tast, beauty to our eyes, perfumes to our smell, musick to our ears; and what shall I say more? but as the Psalmist saith; Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God: but alas such is mans parvity, that he is as far from comprehending it, as his arms be from compassing it; Heaven shall receive us, we cannot conceive Heaven. Do you ask what Heaven is (saith one?) when I meet you there, I will tell you; for could this ear hear it, or this tongue utter it, or this heart conceive it; it must needs follow, that they were translated already thither.
Now if this be so; how acceptable should death be, when in dying we sleep, and in sleeping we rest from all the travels of a toylsome life, to live in joy and rest for evermore! Let us then make that voluntary, which is necessary, and yeeld it to God as a gift, which we stand bound to pay as a due debt saith Chrysostom: Yea, how should we not with a great deal of comfort and security, passe through a Sea of troubles, that we may come to that haven of eternall rest? How should we not cheer up one another? as the mother of Melitho did her sonne, when she saw his leggs broken, and his body bruised, being ready to yeeld up his spirit in martyrdome: saying, O my sonne, hold on yet but a little, and behold Christ standeth by, ready to bring help to thee in thy torments, and a large reward for thy sufferings. Or, as Iewell did his friends in banishment; saying, This world will not last ever. And indeed we do but stay the tyde, as a fish left upon the sands.
Ob. I, but in the mean time, my sufferings are intollerable, saith the fainting soul?
Sol. It is no victory to conquer an easie and weak crosse; these main evils have crowns answerable to their difficulty, Rev. 7.14. No low attempt a star-like glory brings; but so long as the hardnesse of the victory shall increase the glory of the tryumph; indure it patiently, cheerfully.
2. Secondly, As patience in suffering brings an eternall reward with it in Heaven, so it procureth a reward here also: Suffer him to curse, saith David touching Shemei (here was patience for a King, to suffer his impotent subject, even in the heat of blood, and midst of warre to speak swords, and cast stones at his Soveraign, and that with a purpose to encrease the rebellion, and strengthen the adverse part,) but mark his reason: It may be the Lord will look upon mine affliction, and do me good: Why? even for his cursing this day, 2 Sam. 16.12. And well might he expect it, for he knew this was Gods manner of dealing: as when he turned Balaams curse into a blessing upon the children of Israel, Numb. 23. And their malice who sold Ioseph, to his great advantage. Indeed these Shemois and Balaams, whose hearts and tongues are so ready to curse and rail upon the people of God, are not seldom the very means to procure a contrary blessing unto them; so that if there were no offence to God in it, nor hurt to themselves; we might wish and call for their contempt, cruelty and curses: for, so many curses, so many blessings.
I could add many examples to the former, as how the malice of Haman turned to the good of the Iews: the malice of Achitophel, to the good of David, when his counsell was turned by God into foolishnesse: the malice of the Pharisees to him that was born blinde, when Christ, upon their casting him out of the Synagogue, admitted him into the Communion of Saints, Joh. 9.34. The malice of Herod to the Babes, whom he could never have pleasured so much with his kindnesse, as he did with his cruelty; for where his impiery did abound, there Christs pitty did super-abound, translating them from their earthly mothers arms, in this valley of tears, unto their heavenly Fathers bosome, in his Kingdom of glory. But more pertinent to the matter in hand is that of Aaron and Miriam to Moses, when they murmured against him, Numb. 12. where it is evident, that God had never so much magnified him to them, but for their envy. And that of the Arians to Paphnu…ius, when they put out one of his eyes for withstanding their Heresie: whom Constantine the Emperour, even for that very cause, had in such reverence and estimation, that he would often send for him to his Court, lovingly imbracing him, and greedily kissing the eye which had lost his own light, for maintaining that of the Catholike Doctrine: so that we cannot devise to pleasure Gods servants so much, as by despiting them.
And thus you see how patient suffering is rewarded, both here and hereafter; that we lose what ever we do lose by our enemies, no otherwise than the husbandman loseth his seed: for whatever we part withall, is but as seed cast into the ground, which shall even in this life, according to our Saviours promise, return unto us the increase of an hundred fold, and in the world to come, life everlasting, Mark. 10.29, 30. But admit patience should neither be rewarded here, not hereafter; yet it is a sufficient reward to it self: for, hope and patience are two soveraign and universall remedies for all diseases. Patience is a counterpoyson or antipoyson for all grief. It is like the Tree which Moses cast into the waters, Exod. 15.25. for as that Tree made the waters sweet, so Patience sweetens affliction. It is as Larde to the lean meat of adversity. It makes the poor beggar rich, teacheth the bondman in a narrow prison to enjoy all liberty and society: for, the patient beleever, though he be alone, yet he never wants company: though his diet be penury, his sawce is content: all his miseries cannot make him sick, because they are digested by patience. And indeed, It is not so much the greatnesse of their pain, as the smalnesse of their patience, that makes many miserable; whence some have (and not unfitly), resembled our fancies, to those multiplying glasses made at Venice, which being put to the eye, make twenty men in Arms shew like a terrible Army. And every man is truly calamitous, that supposeth himself so: as oftentimes we die in conceit, before we be truly sick: we give the battell for lost, when as yet we see not the enemy. Now crosses are either ponderous or light, as the Disciples or Scholers esteem them: every man is so wretched, as he beleeveth himself to be. The tast of goods or evils doth greatly depend on the opinion we have of them; and contentation, like an old mans spectacles, make those Characters easie and familiar, that otherwise would puzzle him shrewdly. Afflictions are as we use them; there is nothing grievous, if the thought: make it not so: even pain it self (saith the Philosopher) is in our power, if not to be disanulled, yet at least to be diminished through patience: very Gally slaves, setting light by their captivity, finde freedom in bondage. Patience is like a golden shield in the hand, to break the stroak of every crosse, and save the heart though the body suffer. A sound spirit, saith Salomon, will hear his infirmity, Prov. 18.14. Patience to the soul, is as the lid to the eye; for as the lid being shut, when occasion requires, saves it exceedingly; so Patience intervening between the soul and that which it suffers, saves the heart whole, and cheers the body again. And therefore, if you mark it, when you can passe by an offence, and take it patiently and quietly, you have a kind of peace and joy in your heart, as if you had gotten a victory, and the more your patience is, still the lesse your pain is: for as a light burthen at the arms end weigheth heavier by much, than a burthen of treble weight, if it be born on the shoulders which are made to bear; so if a man set patience to bear his crosse, the weight is nothing to what it would be if that were wanting: In a word, Patience is so soveraign a medicine, that it cures and overcomes all: it keeps the heart from envy, the hand from revenge, the tongue from contumely, the whole body from smart; it overcomes our enemies without weapons: finally, it is such a vertue, that it makes calamities no calamities.
But, what needs all this? men commonly say in necessitated sufferings, what remedy but patience? therefore patience is a confessed remedy. Wherefore, saith one; Being unable to direct events, I govern my self; and if they apply not themselves to me, I apply my self to them; if I cannot fling what I would, yet I will somewhat mend it, by playing the cast as well as I can.
O that all implacable persons, who double their sufferings through long study of revenge, would learn this lesson, and bear what they must bear patiently: then would they finde that patience can no lesse mitigate evils, than impatience exasperates them. A profitable prescription indeed (may some say) but of an hard execution! Hard indeed to an impenitent sinner, that hath two burthens on his back at once (viz. his affliction, and his sin, which adds weight to his affliction,) to carry them so easily, as he that hath but one, namely his affliction. Yea, it is altogether impossible to flesh and blood: for our hearts are like the Isle Pathmos, in which nothing will grow, but on earth which is brought from other places: If the will be ours, the good will is Gods. Wherefore if thou art only beholding to nature, and hast nought but what thou broughtest into the world with thee, well mayest thou envy at it, but thou canst never imitate it; for to speak the truth, Faith and Patience are two miracles in a Christian. A Protestant Martyr being at the stake, in the midst of furious and outragious flames, cried out, Behold ye Papists, whom nothing will convince but Miracles; here see one indeed, for in this fire I feel no more pain, than if I were in a bed of Down, yea it is to me like a bed of Roses: and Cassianus reporteth, that when a Martyr was tormented by the Infidels, and asked by way of reproach, What Miracle his CHRIST had done; he answered, He hath done what you now behold; enabled me so to bear your contumelies, and undergo all these tortures so patiently, that I am not once moved; and is not this a miracle worthy your taking notice of? Indeed, what have we by our second birth, which is not miraculous in comparison of our naturall condition? It was no lesse than a miracle for Zacheus, a man both rich and covetous, to give half his goods to the poor, and make restitution with the residue, and, all this in his health. It was a great miracle, that Ioseph in the arms of his Mistresse, should not burn with lust. It is a great miracle for a man to forsake Houses, and Lands, and all that he hath; you, to hate Father, and Mother, and Wife, and Children, and his own life to be Christs Disciple. It is a great miracle to rejoyce in tribulation, and smile death in the face. It is a great miracle, that of fierce and cruell Wolves, Bears, Lyons, we should be transformed into meek Lambs, & harmlesse Doves: and all this by the foolishnesse of preaching Christ crucified. Indeed they were no miracles, if Na…uro could produce the like effects: but she must not look to stand in competition with Grace ▪ St Paul before his conversion, could do as much as the proudest naturall man of you all: his words are, If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, much more I, Phil. 3.4. Yet when he speaks of Patience, and rejoycing in tribulation, he sheweth, That it was because the love of God was shed abroad in his heart by the holy Ghost, which was given unto him, Rom. 5.5. of himself he could do nothing, though he were able to do all things through Christ which strengthned him, Phil. 4.13. Hast thou then a desire after this invincible patience? seek first to have the love of God shed abroad in thy heart by the holy Ghost; which love of God, is like that Rod of Mirtle, which (as Pliny reports) makes the traveller that carries it in his hand, never to be faint or weary. Wouldst thou have the love of God? ask it of him by prayer; who saith, If any of you lack in this kind, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him, Jam. 1.5. Wouldst thou pray that thou mayest be heard? Ask in faith and waver not, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea, tost of the winde, and carried away, vers. 6. Wouldst thou have faith? be diligent to hear the word preached, for Faith comes by hearing, Rom. 10.17. Unto him therefore that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, I commend thee.