A Christian Library, Chapter 4
CHAP. 4. That God, suffers his children to be afflicted and persecuted by ungodly men, that so they may be brought to repentance.
NOw the Reasons which have chiefly respect to the good of his children in their sufferings, being thirteen in number; are distinguished as followeth: God suffers his children to be afflicted by them.
1 Because it Brings them to repentance.
2 Because it Works in them amendment of life.
3 Because it Stirs them up to prayer.
4 Because it Weans them from the love of the World.
5 Because it Keeps them alwayes prepared to the spirituall combate.
6 Because it Discovers whether we be true beleevers, or Hyprocites.
7 Because it Prevents greater evils of sinne and punishment to come.
8 Because it makes them Humble.
9 Because it makes them Conformable to Christ their head.
10 Because it Increaseth their Faith.
11 Because it Increaseth their Ioy and Thankfulness.
12 Because it Increaseth their Spiritual Wisdome.
13 Because it Increaseth their Patience.
First, the Lord suffers his children to be vexed and persecuted by the wicked, because it is a notable means to rouze them out of carelesse security, and bring them to repentance; He openeth the eares of men (saith Elihu) even by their corrections, that he might cause man to turn away from his enterprizo, and that he might keep back his soul from the pit, Job. 33.16, 17, 18. The feeling of smart will teach us to decline the cause: Quia sentio poenam recogit… culpam, saith Gregory the Great: punishments felt bring to my consideration sins committed. Those bitter sufferings of Iob toward his latter end, made him to possess the iniquities of his youth, Iob 13.26. whereby (with Solomons Eves-dropper, Eccles. 7.21, 22.) he came to repent of that whereof he did not once suspect himselfe guilty: it made him not think so much of what he felt, as what he deserved to feel: in like manner, how do the clamours of Satan, our own consciences, and the insulting World: constrain us to possess even the sins of our youth? There needs no …ther art of memory for sin but misery.
Satans malice not seldome proves the occasion of true repentance, and so the Devil is overshot in his own Bowe, wounded with his own weapon. I doubt whether that Syrophenician had ever enquired after Christ, if her daughter had not been vexed with an unclean spirit; yea, whether the Devil had been so effectually cast out, if he had with less violence entred into her. Mark 7. Our afflictions are as Benhadads best Counsellours, that sent him with a cord about his neck to the merciful King of Israel. The Church of God under the Cross is brought to a serious consideration of her estate, and saith, Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord: Lam. 3.40. Manasses also the King of Iudah that horrible sinner, never repented of his Idolatry, Murther, Witchcraft, &c. till he was carried away captive to Babel, and there put in chains by the King of Ashur. But then (saith the Text) he humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his Fathers, 2 Chron. 33.11, 12. Yea, read his confession, (for he speaks most feelingly) and you shall see, that the prison was a means of his spiritual enlargement. Even Vipers being lasht, cast up all their poison.
The body that is surfetted with repletion of pleasant meats; must be purged with bitter pils: and when all outward comforts fail us, we are willing to befriend our selves with the comfort of a good conscience, the best of blessings. Affliction is the Hammer which breaks our rockie hearts. Adversity hath whipt many a soul to Heaven, which otherwise prosperity had coached to Hell: was not the Prodigall riding post thither, till he was soundly lasht home again to his Fathers house, by those hard-hearted and pittiless Nabals, which refused to fill his belly with the husks of the swine? And indeed seldome is any man throughly awakened from the sleep of sin, but by affliction: but, God by it, as it were by a strong purge; empties and evacuates those supe…fluities of malice, envie, pride, security, &c. wherewith we were before surcharged. For as Alloes kils worms in the stomack: or as frost, and cold destroyes Vermine, so doth bitter afflictions; crawling lusts in the heart.
The Serpents enmity may be compared to the Circumcision-knife which was made of stone: unto Rubarb which is full of Choler, yet doth mightily purge Choler: or to the sting of a Scorpion, which though it be arrant poison, yet proveth an excellent remedy against poison. For this, or any other affliction when we are in our full career of wordly pomp and jollity; pulleth us by the ear, and maketh us know our selves: My wants (saith one) kill my wantonness: my poverty checks my pride: my being slighted quels my ambition and vain glory. And as for sickness; it cuts the throat of vices: Many, saith Saint Augustine, have been wickedly well, that have been innocently and piously sick. Yea, I may call it the summe of Divinity, as Pliny calls it the summe of Philosophie; for what distressed or sick man was ever lascivious, covetous, or ambitious! He envies no man, admires no man, flatters no man, dissembles with no man, despiseth no man, &c. That which Governours or friends can by no means effect, touching our amendments a liltle sickness, or trouble from enemies will (as Saint Chrysostome observes.) Yea, how many will confess, that one affliction hath done more good upon them, then many Sermons? That they have learned more good in one dayes or weeks misery, than many years prosperi… could teach them? Untouched estates, and touched consciences, seldom dwell together: and it is usuall for them that know no sorrows to know no God: repentance seldom meets a man in jollity, but in affliction the heart is made pliable and ready for all good impressions.
True, if gentleness would serve, we should not smart; for God like a good Chyrur…ion, first strokes the arm, before he opens the vein: he sends for us by his Ambassadours of the Ministery, yet we come not: Let him fi…e our field, as Absalom did by Ioab; we come presently: Or perhaps he afflicts another, to fright us: as great mens children are corrected, by seeing others whipt: or as Apolonias would tame Lions by beating Dogs before them. For as God preacheth to us, no less in his judgements than his Word; so when he strikes offendors; he would warn the standers by: and a wise man sees himself faln, or beaten in his neighbour. Yea, generous and ingenuous spirits, desire to be taught, abide not to be forced. It is for Tyrants to compel: for Asses to be compelled, saith Erasmus. A good natur'd Horse, saith Seneca, will be governed even by the shadow of the wand: whereas a resty jade will not be ordered by the spur.
But if his Word will not rule us; (as many, till God come with a strong hand will hold their corruptions as fast as Pharaoh the Israelites) his Rod shall: or if his Rod will not yet serve; his sword shall be drencht in our gall, and bathed in our blood, Deut. 32.41.42. Or if we scape for a time; yet our preservation from one judgement is but our reservation to seven more, Levit. 26. Yea, he will send a succession of crosses, seven more, and seven more, and seven to that; to the conversion of his own and the confusion of his enemies, Vers. 14, to 39. when singing will not still the Child; the Rod must. Hard knots, must have hard wedges: strong affections; strong afflictions: great corruptions; great calamities to cure them.
So that God (through thy stubbornness) is forced to let loose Satan and wicked men upon thee, lest thou shouldest sleep in security till thou didst sleep in death eternally, even for thy good: And affliction is but the shepherds Dog, (as Chrysostome speaks) to fetch us into Christs fold: perhaps by barking onelyonly; and then we are more scar'd than hurt: perhaps in his mouth; and then the poor sheep thinks he will surely worry it: but he is taught to fetch onelyonly, and therefore gripes not, but onelyonly carries and delivers it to his Master. When children have done a fault; Mothers use to fright them with Bull-beggers: the childe thinks surely they will have him, but the Mother hath a double policy, viz. to make them hate the fault, and love them the better: for they run to the la… to hide them, and then will she make her own conditions. And so the very end which God aimes at in setting those Adders upon thee, is that thou shouldest turn thine Eyes inward, that thou mayest see for what thou sufferest: pry narrowly into thine own forepast actions; which if thou dost, an hundred to one thou wilt finde sin, it may be, this very sin, the cause of thy present affliction: and until thou doest sift and try thine own heart for this Achan; and finde out which is thy Isaac, thy beloved sinne; look for no release: but rather that thy sorrowes should be multiplied, as God threatened Eve.
Wherefore liest thou on thy face, said God to Ioshua? Israel hath sinned, up, search diligently, &c. Iosh. 7.10, 11. What evill hast thou done, said the Mariners to the distressed Prophet, that this evill is come upon us? Let every such Ionas reflect upon himself, and say, What evill have I done? What sin have I committed or admitted? or what good have I omitted or intermitted? be it but one single sin, whether spiritual pride, or railing upon honest men in an handsome Language, or the like, and having found out the cause, grieve for it, turn from it. One flaw in a Diamond takes away the lustre and the price: one man in Law may keep possession: one Puddle, if we wallow in it, will defile us; one piece of Ward-land makes the Heire liable to the King: one sin keeps possession for Satan as well as twenty: one poison-full Herb amongst many good ones may put death in the pot; and so take away the goodnesse from the rest, as if there were none in it, wholesome.
Besides, how were the Angels in heaven punished for one fault? Achan for one sacriledge? Miriam for one slander? Moses for one unbelief? Ananias for one lie? Ely for his Indulgence onelyonly? David for his love to Bathsheba onelyonly, &c. wherefore look to it, for if we spare but one Agag, it may cost us a Kingdome: and such a Kingdome as is far better than the Kingdome of Saul, 1 Pet. 1.4.
Neither say of thy sin, as once Lot of Zoar; Is it not a little one? for though men may, yet God will not wink at small faults, especially in his own. A little prick being neglected, may fester to a gangrene. As what is a mountain of Earth but an accumulation of many little dusts? or what is a flood, but a concurrence of many little drops? a small leak will sink the Vessel unstopt; whereas a great one will not do it, if well kalked. The weakest Instrument, be it but a Bodkin, can pierce the flesh and take away the life unarmed; whereas Armour of proof will even beat off Bullets. Besides, whereas our greatest goodnesse merits not the least glory, our least wickednesse deserves great pain. The wages of sin (small or great) is death, Rom. 6.23. bad work, sad wages.
Wherefore let his correction bring forth conversion; cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purge your hearts ye double-minded, Jam. 4.8. Not your hands onelyonly with Pilate, but your hearts with David; yea, and your eyes too, with Mary Magdalen, if it be possible, (though dry sorrow may be as good as wet) whose eyes were a Laver, and hair a Towel, to wash and wipe the feet of Christ. Humble thy self like the Ninevites, Ionah 3.6. Who put sackcloth upon their loins, and ashes on their heads, as those that had deserved to be as far under ground, as they were now above it. An humble submission is the only way to disarm Gods indignation, and be rid of his Rod, 1 Pet. 5.6. By such a course as this Iacob appeased that rough man Esau: Abigale diverted David from his bloody purpose: the Syrians found favour with Ahab, that none-such; as the Script…re stiles him: 1 Kings 20.32, 33. Sin bringeth judgement, and onelyonly Repentance preventeth it: Thy sin hath kindled the fire of Gods wrath, and only Repentance is as water to quench this fire.
King Edward the First riding furiously after a servant of his that had displeased him, with a drawn sword in his hand, as purposing to kill him, seeing him submit, and upon bended knee, sue for his life, not onelyonly spared him, but received him into favour: Go thou and do the like: be thou but throughly sorry for thy sin, my soul for thine, God will be throughly satisfied; yea, grow better by it, and God will love thee the better for it: As Lovers are wont to be best friends after falling out: for as bones out of joynt, joyned again are stronger then before: so when God and we are reconciled by repentance, his affections are stronger to us then before. The repenting Prodigal received such tokens of favour as his elder brother, who never brake out into that Riot; never did. And whom did Christ honour with his first appearance but Mary Magdalen? and the Angel, but Peter? Go, saith he, and tell his Disciples and Peter that he will go before you into Galilee, Mark 16.7. Though Peter had sinned above the rest, yet repenting he is named above the rest.
Otherwise▪ Contrition without reformation (which is but like the crouching of a Fox, that being taken in a snare looks lamentably, but it is only to get out) will not prevail with God; he will never leave pursuing thee, till the traitors head be thrown over the wall.
None so lewd but will seem conformable, when apprehended: or if they Riot in the Goale of their durance; yet when the Sessions comes, they begin to be a little calme: put off their disguises of dissolutenesse, and put on some modesty, and semblance of humiliation; yea, then they change their apparel, their garbes, their looks and all to appear civil. Or let the Fox be chained up he will no more worry the Lambs: Pharaoh could relent when he felt the plagues; but when they were over, so was his repentance: but what saith the Scripture? He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall finde mercy, Prov. 28.13. Confession and confusion of sinne must go together: yea, there must be a parting with the right Eye in regard of pleasure, and the right Hand in regard of profit. As for example, hast thou swallowed some unlawful gain, and wouldest thou pacifie God and thy Conscience? Vomit it up again by restitution: for where is no restitution of things unjustly gotten, their sins shall never be forgiven, as Saint Augustine speaks, Non tollitur peccatum, nisi restituitur ablatum. For repentance without restitution, is as if a thief should take away thy purse, ask thee pardon, say he is sorrie for it, but keeps it still; in which case, thou wouldst say, he did but mock thee. But Pallas with all the graces may call Briareus with his hundred hands to binde this Iupiter; and all in vain. Wherefore I proceed. The skilful Chirurgion, when he is lancing a wound, or cutting off a limbe, will not hear the patient, though he cry never so, until the cure be ended; but let there be once a healing of thy errours, and the plaister will fall off of it self; for the plaister will not stick on when the sore is healed. If the Fathers word can correct the child, he will fling away the rod, otherwise he must look to have his eyes ever winterly. Thus as the two Angels that came to Lot, lodged with him for a night, and when they had dispatched their errand, went away in the morning: So afflictions which are the Angels or the Messengers of God, are sent by him to do an errand to us; to tell us, we forget God, we forget our selves, we are too proud, too self-conceited, and such like: and when they have said as they were bid, then presently they are gone. Why then complainest thou, I am afflicted on every side? Like a childe that cries out of his shoe, when the fault is in his foot: or the sick patient who faults his bed when he should his back. Why groanest thou under thy burden, and cryest out of unremedied pain? Alas, thou repentest not; trouble came on this message, to teach thee repentance, give the messenger his errand, and hee'l be gone.
But if thou refusest to be reformed, thou hatest to be healed. Alas, every Cain will groan under the penalty, whereas a David will grieve for the iniquity: but the one trembles as a slave, whereas the other fears as a son: and he that mourns for the cause of his punishment, shal mourn but a while; but he that mourns onelyonly for the punishment, and not for the cause, shall mourn for ever. The soul cannot live while the sin lives; one of the two must die, the corruption or the Person; but Repentance is a Supersedeas, which dischageth both sin and sorrow, moving God to be merciful, the Angels to be joyful, Man to be acceptable, and only the Devil and his to be melancholy.
True, God doth not meerly (though mainly) smite and chastise his children for sin, without any other respect; all his afflictive acts, are not punishments; some are for the benefit of the creature, whether for probation or purgation, or reformation: and for the praise whether of his divine power, or justice, or mercy, as appears by our Saviours words, touching him that was born blinde, Iohn 9.3. For though his Parents had sinned in themselves, and the man had sinned in his first Parents; yet it was not the guilt of either, that was guilty of this blindness ▪ and the like we may collect from Iobs example. Nevertheless, sin is still the Original; as when the head akes, and the members are sick, the fault is in the stomack. For this cause, saith the Apostle, (of the believing Corinthians) many are weak, (by lingering diseases) many sick, (by sharp and grievous maladies) and many sleep (are dead out-right) 1 Cor. 11.30. Hence our so many diseases, miseries, maladies, troubles without, terrours within; it is this thief in the Candle that wastes us: this Fly in the Box that corrupts us: this traitor in the heart, that betrayes and exposes us to all perils. In which regard it was a sound and savoury reply of an English Captain at the loss of Calice, who when a proud Frenchman tauntingly demanded, When will you fetch Calice again? answered, When your sins shall weigh down ours. What, saith Saint Hierom, in the like case? by our sins are these Infidels made strong; and therefore a mean to lessen our punishment is, to lessen our sins. Yea, even Achaior a very Ammonite could say thus to Holofernes, Enquire if this people have offended their God: otherwise all our warring will come to nothing: and Vespasian the like: who when he had conquered Ierusalem, refused to have the Crown set upon his head, saying: I, indeed, am the rod in Gods hand, but it is their sins only, that hath subdued them.
And it is very rare in this case, if there be not some Achan in the Army, some Sheba in the Town, some Ionas in the Ship, some distemper in the soul, disorder in the life, that God would have removed and remedied: as for instance; Ionas, how came he into the Whales belly? Was it not his own undutifulness? David, whence came all his troubles by Absalom, Amnon, Adonijah? Was it not his fondness and indulgence? And so of Eli. Iacob, what might he thank for all his afflictions (whereof God gave him not a draught, but made him a diet-drink: so that he had scarce a merry day, for one trouble or another:) whom had he to thank for it? Did he not thrust his own feet into the stocks by that threefold lie of his uttered in a breath to get the blessing?
Wherefore, if thou lovest thine own ease, deal freely and ingenuously with God and thine own soul; for sin and punishment are inseparable companions, and go tied together with chains of Adamant, as the Poet speaks, like individual twins, they are born together, live together, are attended one by the other, as the body by the shadow: where sin is in the Saddle, there punishment is on the Crupper; whence it is, that the Hebrews have but one and the same word for them both.
Objection. But thou hast repented and resolvest to be reformed.
Answer. Many in time of distress have strong resolutions and promise fair, even a Candle as big as a Mast: but trouble being over; one of ten in the pound were well: which proves; they never truly repented. Yea, in stead of being better, they grow worse, like one that falls into a relapse from an Ague, to a burning Feaver, which peradventure would be thy case, if God should now release thee: at least thou mayest fear it: for, to seek unto God only in affliction, is suspicious, and such seekers commonly are rejected with scorn, Proverbs 1.24, to 33. Indeed, if thou shalt persevere (when thou art released) in doing that which now thou purposest; it is infallible signe, thy repentance is sound: otherwise; not.