A Counterpoison, Religious treatise · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
That it serves to worke in us amendment of life.
2. SEcondly, the malice of our enemies serves to worke in us amendment of life. Every Affliction sanctified, rubs off some rust, melts off some drosse, straines out some corruption, &c. which done, we rise out of trouble, as Christ rose out of the grave: for when the gold is fined the fire shall hold it no longer. The outward cold of affliction doth greatly increase the inward beate and fervor of the Graces of God in us. Indeed no Chastisement (saith the Author to the Hebrewes) for the present seemes to bee joyous, but grievous; But afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse to them that are thereby exercised, Heb. 12. 11.
We are dunged with reproaches, that we may prove a richer soyle for grace, as Nazianzen speakes, (alluding to the parable of the Figtree.) God beates us, that he may better us: he hedgeth us about with thornes, that he may keepe us within compasse, least wee breake over into Satans pastures: which indeede will fat us, but to the slaughter. Yea, he pricks us with Goades, that he may let out our ill humours, and happy thornes or Landsets of tribulation are those, which open a veyne for sin to gush out at.
God strips the body of pleasures to cloath the soule with righteousnesse, and o…tentimes strengthens our state of grace by impoverishing our temporall estate: for commonly the more Prosperity, the lesse Piety. The poore (saith Christ) receive the Gospell though the rich are more bound. It was an observation of Tacitus, that raising of the fortune, did rarely mend the disposition; onelyonly Vespas…an was changed into the better; yea, if it makes us not worse, it is a wonder. Evagrius gives it as a high praise of the Emperour Mauritious, that in the height of all his Majesty, he retained his ancient Piety. We serve God, as our servants serve us: of which many have too good cloathes, others too much wages, or are too fine fed to doe worke, as esops Hen being over fed was … fat to lay, or perhaps too many under them; as a Gentleman having but one servant, thought him over burdned with worke, and therefore tooke another to helpe him: but having two, one of them so trusted to the others observance, that ofttimes they were both missing, and the worke not done, then he chose a third; but was worse served then, than before: whereupon he told his friend: when I had one servant, I had a servant; when I had two, I had but halfe of one: now I have three, I have never an one. Few men can disgest great felicity; Many a man hath been a looser by his gaines, and found, that that which multeplyed his outward estate, hath abated his inward, and so on the contrary. David was never so tender, as when hee was hunted like a Partridge, 1 Sam. 26. 20. Jonah was at best, in the Whales belly. Stevens face never shone so faire, as when he stood before the Counsell, Acts 6. 15. Whilst the Romans had warres with Carthage, and enemies in Affricke, they knew not what …ices meant in Rome.
Now if the winter of the one is found to bee the spring of the other, and the corruption of prosperity the generation of piety; who will esteeme those things good which make us worse, or, that evill, which brings such gaine and sweetnesse? Before I was afflicted (saith David) I went astray, but now doe I keepe thy Commandements, Psal. 119. 67. These evil… doe presse us, but it is to God and to holinesse. Yea, how much lower our afflictions weigh us downe on Earth, so much the more earnestly our affections mount up to Heaven.
An Egg will swim in salt water, but sink in fresh: so we. King David among so many publick and private calamities and dysasters, kept his head above water, and stood upright in his heart to God: but King Salomon his Sonne even sunke in the midst of delights and pleasures. Too much ranknesse layeth the Corne: and Trees over-laden with Fruit, are their owne ruine: Happy was hee John 9. in being borne blinde, whose gaine of bodily sight made way for the spirituall, who of a Patient became an Advocate for his Savieur, who lost a Synagog…e and found Heaven, who by being abandoned of sinners was received of the Lord of glory; God rarely deprives a man of one faculty, but he more then supplies in another. The defect of corporall sight, hath not seldome mended the memory: for what is taken from one Sense is divided amongst the rest. When Zachary was dumbe▪ John Baptist the voice was a breeding. Hannibal had but one …ye, Appius, Claudius, Timelon, and Homer were quite blind; So was Mul…asses King of Tunis, and John King of Bohemia; But for the l…sse of that one Sense they were recompenced in the rest, they had most excellent mem…ries, rare inventions, and admirable other parts: Or suppose he send sicknesse, the worst Feaver can come, does not more burne up our blood than our lust; And together with sweating out the Surfets of nat…e, at the poares of the body, we weepe out the sinfull corruption of our nature at the poares of the Conscience; Yea the Author to the Hebrewes saith of Christ himselfe, that though he were the Son, yet (as he was man) Hee learned obedience by the things which he… suffered, Heb. 5. 8. As in humane proceedings, Ill manners beget good Lawes; So in Divine, the wicked by their evill tongues beget good and holy lives in the godly: Whence Plutarch adviseth us so circumsp…ctly to demeane our selves as if our enemies did alwayes behold us. Nothing sooner brings us to the know…edge and amendment of our faults, than the scoffes of an enemy, which made Philip of Macedon acknowledge himselfe much beholding to his enemies (the Athenians) for speaking evill of him, for (saith hee) they ha…e made mee an honest man, to prove them lyars: Even ba…en Leah when she was despised, became f…uitfull.
So that we may thanke our enemies, or must thank God for our enemies; Our soules shall shine the brighter one day for such rubbing; the cold winde cleanses the good graine: the hot fire refines the pure gold. Yea, put case we be gold, they will but try us; If Iron, they will scow…r away our rust.
I say not that a wicked heart will be bettered by affliction: for in the same fire that gold is made bright and pure, drosse is burnt and consumed: and under the same flaile that the graine is purged and preserved, the huskes are broken and deminished. Neither are the Lees therefore confounded with the Wine, because they are pressed and tr…dden under the same presse or planke: but I speake of affliction sanctified, and of the godly.
Yet let not the wicked…st man bee discouraged, for as when Christ called the blind man, the Disciples said, be of good comfort, Hee calleth thee: so may I say to thee that art burthened with any kind of affliction, be of good comfort Christ calleth thee, saying, Come unto me by rep…ntance and amendment of life, and I will ease thee of thy sinnes and sorrowes, here and hereafter; onelyonly as the blind man threw away his garment and followed Christ, so doe thou answer him, I will forsake my sin…es a…d follow thee. For if God like a prudent Prince, makes offers and famos of warre, it is but to mend the conditions of peace.
But farewell, I am for the already resolved; to whom I say, if the needle of affliction bee drawne through us by reason of wicked mens malice, it is but to conveigh with it the thred of amendment, and their worst to the godly serves but as the Thorne to the brest of the Nightingale, the which (if shee chance to sleep) causeth her to warble with a renewed cheerfulnesse. For as blowes make bals… to mount, and lashes make tops to goe, which of themselves would fall; so with their malice we are spurred up to duty, and made persevere in it, for commonly (like tops) no longer lasht, no longer we goe. Yea, these very tempestuous showers bring forth spirituall flowers and hearbs in abundance: Devotion (like fire in fr…sty weather) burnes hottest in aflliction. Vertue provoked, addes much to it selfe: With the Arke of Noah the higher wee are tossed with the …lood of their malice, the neerer we mount towards Heaven. When the waters of the …lood came upon the face of the earth, downe went stately Turrets, and Towers; but as the waters rose, the Arke rose still higher and higher. In like sort, when the waters of afflictions arise, downe goes the pride of life, the lust of the eyes; In a word, all the vanities of the World. But the Arke of the soule ariseth as these waters rise, and that higher and higher, even neerer and neerer towards Heaven.
I might illustrate this point by many observable things in nature: We see W…ll-waters arising from deep Springs, are hotter in Winter than in Summer, because the outward cold doth keepe in, and double their inward heate: And so of mans body, the more extreame the cold is without, the more doth the naturall heate fortifie▪ it selfe within, and guard the heart. The Corne receives an inward heate and comfort from the Frost and Snow which lyeth upon it: Trees lopt and pruned slourish the more, and beare the fuller for it: The Grape when it is most pressed and trodden, maketh the more and better Wine; The drossie gold is by the fire resined; Winds and Thunder cleares the ayre; Working Seas purge the Wine; Fire encreaseth the sent of any Perfume; Pounding makes all Spices smell the sweeter; Linnen when it is buckt and washt and wrung and beaten, becomes the whiter and fairer; The earth being torne up by the Plough, becomes more rich and fruitfull; Is there a peece of ground naturally good? Let it lye neglected, it becomes wilde and barren; Yea, and the more rich and fertile that it is of it selfe▪ the m…re waste and fruitlesse it proveth for want of Tillage and Husbandry. The Razor though it be tempered with a due proportion of steele, yet if it passe not the Grindstone or Whetstone, is neverthelesse unapt to cut; yea, though it bee made once never so sharpe, if it be not often whetted it waxeth dull. All which are lively Emblemes of that truth which the Apostle delivers, 2 Cor. 4. 16. Wee faint not, for though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed dayly: Even as a Lambe is much more lively and nimble for sheering. If by enmity and persecution (as with a knife) the Lord pareth and pruneth us, it is, that we may bring forth the more and better fruit; and unlesse we degenerate, we shall beare the better for bleeding: as Anteus, every time rose up the stronger when Hercules threw him to the ground, because he got new strength by touching of his Moher.
O admirable use of affliction; health from a wound; cure, from a disease; out of griefe, joy; gaine, out of losse; out of infirmity, strength; out of sinne, holinesse; out of death, life: yea, we shall redeome something of Gods dishonour by sinne, if we shall thence grow holy. But this is a harder Riddle than Samsons to these Philistims.