A Counterpoison, Religious treatise · Chapter 35
CHAP. XXXV.
Other grounds of comfort to support a Christian, in his sufferings. And first, that God is specially present with his servants in their afflictions, takes notice of their sufferings, and allayes their griefe.
THis rub being removed, and the passage made cleere, proceed we to other grounds of comfort which the Word of God affords in this case, for the better upholding, and strengthening of a weake Christian in his sufferings: Wherein, that we may not exceed, I will select out onelyonly five, because instructions, if they exceed, are wont like Nayles, to drive out one another.
First, we shall beare the Crosse with the more patience and comfort; if we consider, that God is specially present with his servants in their afflictions, takes no…ice of their sufferings, and allayes their griefe. The troubles of a Christian are very great for number, variety, and bitternesse; yet there is one ingredient that sweetens them all, the promise of God, I will be with thee in trouble, and deliver thee, Psal. 91. 15. And thou shalt not be tempted above thy strength, 1 Cor. 10. 13. Againe, Feare not; for w… thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the floods, that they doe not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, Esay 43. 1, 2. Lo, here are promises like Flaggons of Wine, to comfort the distressed soule. Wherefore as Caesar said to the trembling Marriner, Be not afraid for thou …arriest Caesar; so, O Christian, be not afraid, for he that is in thee, for thee, with thee, that guides thee, that will save thee, is the invincible King Jehovah. And upon this ground David was so comforted and refreshed in his soule, Psalme 94. 19. that he was able to say, Though I should walke through the valley of the shaddo… of death I will feare no evill: Why? For thou art with mee, thy Rod and thy Staffe shall comfort me, Psalme 23. 4. Yea, our Enemies can no sooner assault us with their tongues, but God comes in to our rescue. If yee be railed upon for the name of Christ, (saith Saint Peter) blessed are ye, for the Spirit of God resteth upon you, 1 Pet. 4. 14. God is never so much injoyed of us, as when we are in the deepe with David, Psal. 130. 1. and when wee are worst of all bestead with Jehosaphat, 2 Chron. 20. 12. When did Jacob see a vision of Angels, but when hee fled for his life, making the cold earth his Bed, and a stone his Pillow; or when was his heart so full of joy, as now that his head lay hardest. When was Paul wrapt into the third be…ven to heare wordes from Christ not fit to be uttered, 2 Cor. 12. 2. 4. but as some of the learned conceive, when hee was bereaved of his sight. Stephen saw great happinesse by Christ, in his peace: but under that showre of stones, he saw Heaven it selfe open, Acts 7. When wee are slayne all the day long for his sake with the Martyrs, then we are given to see him with our eyes, as Job did, who till that time had onelyonly heard of him by the hearing of the eare. Then we come to know that the Lord he is God with Manasses, 2 Chron. 33. 13, and that he is our hope, and strength, and refuge, and a very present helpe in troubles, ready to be found of all that seeke to him, 2 Chron. 15. 4, 15. Psalme 9. 9, 10. and 46. 1.
The Israelites never fared so well, as when they lived at Gods immediate studing, and night expected their morrowes breakefast from the Cloudes: When they did dayly aske, and dayly receive, their dayly bread. Yea, even when they were wandring in a forlorne Wildernesse, how did God as it were attend upon them in their distresse, to supply their wants: They have no guide, therefore God himselfe goes before them in a pillar of fire; they have no shelter, the Lord spreads a Cloud over them for a C…opy; are they at a stand and want way, the Sea shall part and give them passage; doe they lack bread, Heaven it selfe shall power downe the food of Angels; have they no meate to their bread; a wind shall send them innumerable Quailes; doe they yet want drinke, behold a hard Rock smitten with a little wand, shall power them out water in aboundance; have they no supply of Apparrell, their Garments shall not wax old on their backs; be their Enemies too strong for them for want of Engines, the Wals of Jeri…ho shall fall downe before them; are their enemies yet too many and potent, Hailestones shall fall and braine them: Lamps, Pitchers, and Dreames shall get them victor; the Sunne shall stand still in Gibeon, and the Moone in the valley of Ajalon; lack they yet a Land to inhabite, the Lord will cast out all the Inhabitants, and give them a Land which flowes with milke and honey, &c. Afflictions have this advantage, that they occasion God to shew that mercy to us, whereof the prosperous are uncapable; as we further see in Hagar: Gen. 21. 17. 18. 19. And Manoah… Wife, Judges 13. 3. To whom the Angel of the …o…enant had not beene sent, if they had not beene in distresse.
It would not become a mother to be so indulgent to an healthfull childe, as to a sicke: and indeed some have found their outward castigations so sweetned with the inward consolations of Gods Spirit, that they have found and confessed their receipts of joy and comfort, to be an hundred-fold more than their payments, even in this present life, according to that promise of our Saviour, Marke 10. 29, 30. So that a Christian is still a gainer in all his losses; yea, he gaines by his losses.
Now if we could but remember and lay to heart these promises, thus backt with examples; when we feele the greatest assaults or pangs, how could we want courage? But alas, most of us are like the Prophets servant, 2 Kings 6. who saw his foes, but not his friends: wee are like Josephs brethren, who saw him, converst with him, were fed by him, yet knew him not. Like Peter, who when the Angell brought him out of prison, and went before him; wist not that it was so, but thought he saw a vision: Acts 12. 9. Christ at his Resurrection was so changed, that his owne Disciples knew him not; much more since his Ascension may he passe by us, as he did by Job: Chap. 9. 11. or meet us as he did Saul, in the way to Damaseus; or walke and talke with us, as he did with the two Disciples in the way to Emaus: Luke 24. 16. or stand by us while we are seeking him, as he did by Mary in the Garden: John 20. 14. and yet wee be ignorant that it is hee. Yea, hee may be in us by his spirit; even whiles wee feele him not. Jacob saw him both asleepe and awake, yet (saith he) the Lord was in this place, and I was not aware of it: Gen. 28. 16. at least we are apt to think, that God is removed from us, when we any way suffer calamity; as the Israelites doe but want water, and presently they cry, Is the Lord among us, or no? Exod. 17. 7 as if God could not be with them, and they a…hirst; either he must humour carnall mindes, or be distrusted.
… both his presence and love, is the same in adversity, as it is in prosperity; our sence onelyonly makes the difference, even as a Church, Castle, or Towne is unmoveable, and keepeth one place; though to us it may s…e sometime on our right hand, otherwhile on our left: as we change our standing, sitting, or walking. Yet if some unusuall crosses disturbe our peace, presently there breakes out a voyce mixt with murmuring, and dispaire, God hath forsaken us. It was a common complaint with David, The Lord both forsaken us; those hast cast off, and abhorred us: why hast thou forsaken me? &c. Yea, the onelyonly Sonne of God came to this; my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Yet consider, did God forsake either of them; hee might bee angry with David, more angry with Christ, for the sinnes of all the world; and in their present sence, that anger might worke in them an apprehension of his forsaking them: but he did not forsake them, nor will he forsake thee, if thou dost not first forsake him. Thou mayst thinke so, but God will not doe so; but in the meane time, how can this be well taken? wee see our wretchednesse, we doe not see our blessednesse: No talke of his presence, of his absence we complaine. Our cowardly spirits give him for quite gone; yet hee is not farre from every one of us: Acts 17. 27. Yea, this confession could Seneca make, (but like a Divine) God is neare unto thee, hee is with thee, hee is within thee: and surely if hee had not beene with these Israelites, they had not lived; if he had beene in them, they had not murmured. We can thinke him absent in our want, and cannot see him absent in our sinne; yet wickednesse, not affliction, argues him gone: yea, hee is then most present, when he most chastiseth; for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolations abound through Christ, 2 Cor. 1. 5.
Againe, God may be present with us, and yet wee not be pleased; as the Israelite… repined for a King, when the Lord was their King: or Christ may bee with us, and yet we want something that wee desire. Christ was in the Ship, and yet (say the Apostles) we h…ve no bre…d. Jesus was at the Marriage, yet, saith his Mother, They have no Wine: John 2. 3. Wee may want Bread and Wine, and yet have Christs company: but if food faile, it is because Manna is to come; if Wine be absent, yet grace and salvation is present: if God take away flesh, and gives Manna; deny Sun and M…one, and give us himselfe; hee doth us no wrong.
Now why doth God by his promise tye himselfe to be present with us; more especially in affliction, but that hee may resist our enemies, sustaine us when wee faint, and Crowne us when we overcome; but that he may be exact in taking notice of our particular sufferings: and as David saith, Count our wanderings, put our teares into his bottle, and enter all into his Register: Psal. 56. 8. 9. All our afflictions are more noted by that God that sends them, than of the patient that suffers them; every pang, and stitch, and guird, is first felt of him that sends it: could wee be miserable unseene, we had reason to be he…rtlesse▪ but how can it bee but lesse possible to indure any thing that hee knowes not, than that he inflicteth not? As he said to Manoah by an Angell, Thou art barren: Judg. 13. 3. so he saith to one, thou art sicke; to another, thou art poore; to a third, thou art defamed; thou art oppressed to another; that all-seeing eye takes notice from Heaven of every mans condition, no lesse than if hee should send an Angell to tell us he knew it: and his knowledge compared with his mercy, is the just comfort of all our sufferings. O God, we are many times miserable and feele it not; thou knowest even those sorrowes which we might have, thou knowest what thou hast done, doe what thou pleasest.