A Sovereign Antidote to Drive out Discontent, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
4. HE beareth the Cross patiently, becauſe it is counterpoyſed and made ſweet with more than anſwerable bleſſings. Satan and the world may take many things from us, as they did from Iob, viz. health, wealth, outward peace, friends, liberty, credit, &c. but they can never take God from us, who gives all: and at the ſame time ſupplies the want of theſe, with comforts farre ſurpaſſing, and tranſcending them. 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 Channel 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? And therefore in the midſt of miſery we ſay with Iob, Bleſſed be the name of the Lord.
Queſt. But with what comforts doth the Lord ſupply our loſſes?
Anſw. The aſſurance of the pardon of ſinne alone, is able to cleer all ſtorms of the minde: it teacheth miſery, as ſickneſs, poverty, famine, impriſonment, infamy, &c. to laugh: not by reaſon of ſome imaginary epicycles, but by naturall and palpable reaſons. Yea, let death happen, it matters not: When … Malefactor hath ſued out his pardon, let the Assiſes come when they will, …he ſooner the better.
But, to this is added the peace of conſcience (the marrow of all comforts,) …therwiſe called the peace of God, which paſſeth all underſtanding, and ſur…aſſeth all commending; and never did man find pleaſure upon earth, like …he ſweet teſtimony of an appeaſed conſcience, reconciled unto God, cleanſed …y the blood of the Lamb, and quieted by the preſence of the holy Ghoſt. Yea, hadſt thou (who moſt doteſt upon the world) but theſe comforts, thou …ouldeſt not change them for all that Satan once offered to our Saviour, …nd are now accepted by many. O good life (ſaith an Ancient Father) …hat a Ioy art thou in time of diſtresse! And another, Sweet is the feli…ity of that man, whoſe works are just, and whoſe deſires are innocent: …hough he be in Phaleris Bull. For theſe are priviledges which ma…e Paul …appier in his chain of Iron, than Agrippa in his chain of Gold, and Peter more merry under ſtripes, than Caiphas upon the Iudgment ſeat: and Ste…en the like: For though he was under his perſecutors for outward condi…ion, yet he was far above them for inward conſolation. Neither had weal…hy Craeſus ſo much riches, in his coffers, as poor Iob had, in his conſcience. Yea, how can he be miſerable, that hath Chriſt and all hs merits made ſure …o him; that hath his Name written in Heaven. Surely, his ſoul muſt …e brim full of brave thoughts, that is able to refreſh himſelf with this Me…itation, God is my Father, the Church my Mother, Chriſt the Iudge my …lder Brother and Advocate, the holy Ghoſt my Comforter, the Angels mine attendance; all the Creatures mine, for uſe, the ſtock of the Churches Prayers mine for benefit; the world mine Inne; Heaven my home. God …s alwayes with …e, before me, within me, overſeeing me; I talk with him in Prayer, he with me in his word, &c. Sure if theſe be the accuſto…ed meals of a good ſoul, it cannot chuſe but keep naturall heat from de…aying, and make it happy.
But behold yet a greater priviledge; Theſe comforts do not only ſupport …nd refreſh us, and ſo ſupply our loſſes in common calamities; but even in …he midſt of tortures and torments, which otherwiſe were intollerable: The naturall mans ſtomack cannot (of all enemies) endure hunger; yea a …riſon, where he muſt alwayes lie under hatches, makes him all amort: but …orthy Hawks could clap his hands for joy in the midſt of the flames. And …incentius (as Luther reports) made a ſport of his torments, and gloried, …hen they made him go upon hot burning coals, as if they had been …oſes. And another that I read of, ſay; My good friends, I now finde it true …ndeed, he that leaveth all to follow Chriſt, ſhall have in this world centuplum … hundred fold more; I have it in that centuplum peace of conſcience with me … parting. And this made Ignatius ſay, he had rather be a Martyr then a …onark. Nor did he ever like himſelf, before he was thus tryed: for when …e heard his bones cruſh between the wild beaſts teeth, he ſaid, now I begin to be a Chriſtian. And Anaxarchus being laid along in a Trough of ſtone, and ſmitten with Iron ſledges by the appointment of Nicocreon … Tyrant of Cyprus, ceaſed not to cry out, ſtrike▪ ſmite and beat; it is not An… archus, but his vail you martyr ſo. And a Child in Ioſephus, being all … to death with biting ſnippers at the commandment of Antiochus, could … with a loud, aſſured, and undaunted voice; Tyrant, thou loſeſt time, loe I … ſtill at mine eaſe: what is that ſmarting pain? where are thoſe torme… which whilome thou didſt ſo threaten me withall? my conſtancy more tro… bles thee, than thy cruelty me. And how many more of thoſe Martyrs … Queen Maryes Raign, were even raviſhed, before they could be permitt… to die? ſo grea…, and ſo passing all expressing, is the peace and comfort … good conſcience.
Now as the Prieſts of Mercury when they eat their figgs and honey, … out, O how ſweet is truth! ſo if the worſt of a Beleivers life in this … be ſo ſweet; how ſweet ſhall his life be in Heaven! but Ile hold you … longer in this.
A man that hath his ſins pardoned, is never compleatly miſerable, … conſcience again turns his enemy: whereas on the contrary; take the … happy worldling that ever was, if he have not his ſins pardoned, he is co… pleatly wretched (though he ſees it not:) ſuppoſe him Emperour of … whole world, as Adam, when he was in Paradiſe, and Lord of all; what … it avail him ſo long as he had a tormentor within, a ſelf-condemni… conſcience? which told him, that God was his enemy, and knew no oth… th…n th…t hell ſhould be his everlaſting portion? Certainly this like a dam… could not chuſe but put out all the lights of his pleaſure, ſo that Paradiſe … ſelf was not Paradiſe to him: which is the caſe of all wicked men, be the… never ſo great, never ſo ſeemingly happie.
True; wicked men think the godly leſs merry, and more miſerable tha… themſelves: yea ſome, that mirth and miſcheif are only ſworn brothers, … this is a foundationleſſe opinion. For firſt, no man is miſerable, becauſe … other ſo thinks him. Secondly, Gods word teacheth, and a good conſcie… findeth, that no man can be ſo joyfull as the faithfull, though they wa… many things which others may have. St. Auſtin before his converſion could not tell how he ſhould want thoſe delights, he then found ſo muc… contentment in: but after, when his nature was changed, when he ha… another ſpirit put into him; then he ſayes. O how ſweet is it to be withou… thoſe former ſweet delights! Indeed▪ carnall men laugh more, but th… laughter is only the hypocriſie of mirth: they rejoyce in the face only, and … in the heart, as the Apoſtle witneſſeth 2 Cor. 5.12. or as another hath it,
Where O God there wants thy grace,
Mirth is only in the face.
Yea, their own conſciences bear me witneſſe, as that Spaniſh Iudge wel… conſidered; who when a murther was committed in a tumultuous crowd o… people, beared all their boſomes, & feeling upon their breſts, diſcovered the guiltie Author by the panting of his heart. And Tully who makes it an argument of Roſcius Amerinus Innocency, that he killed not his Father, becauſe he ſo ſecurely ſlept. Yea, as in prophane joy, even in laughter the heart is ſorrowfull; ſo in godly ſorrow, even in weeping the heart is light and cheerful. The tears of thoſe that pray, are ſweeter then the joyes of the Theatre, ſaith St. Auguſtin; for our cheeks may run down with tears, and yet our mouths ſing forth praiſes; the face may be pale, yet the heart may be quiet and cheerfull: ſo St. Paul, as ſorrowing, and yet alwayes rejoycing. 2 Cor 6.10▪ Neither can it be ſolid comfort, except it hath his iſſue from a good conſcience. Indeed we therefore are not merry enough, becauſe we are not Chriſtians enough.
Now if all our ſufferings are thus counterpoyſed, and exceeded with bleſſings; have we any cau…e to be angry and impatient? What ſaith Iob? Shall we receive good at the …nd of God, and not evill? He was content to eat the cruſt with the crumme. Indeed his wife (like the wicked,) would only have fair weather, all peace and plenty▪ no touch of trouble: but it is not ſo with the godly, who have learnt better things. Who will not ſuffer a few ſtripes from a Father, by whom he receiveth ſo much good, even all that he hath? Diogenes would have no nay, but Antiſthenes muſt entertain him his Scholar, inſomuch that Antiſthenes, to have him gone, was forc't to cudgell him: yet all would not do, he ſtirs not, but takes the blowes very patiently; ſaying, Uſe me how you will, ſo I may be your Scholar and hear your daily diſcourſes, I care not. Much more may a Chriſtian ſay unto God, Let me enjoy the ſweet fruition of thy preſence, ſpeak thou peace unto my conſcience, and ſay unto my ſoul, I am thy ſalvation, and then afflict me how thou pleaſeſt, I am content, yea, very willing to bear it. Yea, if we well conſider the commodity it brings, we ſhall rather wiſh for affliction, than be diſpleaſed when it comes, Col. 1.24. For, it even bringeth with it the company of God himſelf: I will be with you in tribulation, ſaith God to the diſconſolate ſoul, Pſal. 91.15. When Sidrack, Miſhack, and Abednego, were caſt into the fiery furnace, there was preſently a fourth came to bear them company, and that was God himſelf, Dan. 3.23, to 17, And his preſence makes any condition comfortable, were a man even in hell it ſelf. Yea, as when St Paul was rapt up to the third Heaven, he was ſo raviſhed with the joy thereof, that he knew not whether he had his body about him or not, 2 Cor. 12.2. Whether in the body, or out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth. So Gods preſence ſo raviſheth the ſoul, that while a man ſuffers the greateſt pain, he knows not whether he be in pain or no, Yea God is not only with them, to comfort them in all their tribulation, 2 Cor. 1.4, but in them: for at the ſame time when the Diſciples were perſecuted, they are ſaid to be filled with joy, and with the holy Gh…ſt, Acts 13.…2. And as our ſufferings in Chriſt do abound, ſo our conſolation alſo ab…undeth through Chriſt, … Cor. 1.… ▪ And laſtly, he doth comfort us acco…ding to the dayes we are afflicted, and according to the years we have ſeen evil, Pſal. 90.15. So that a Chriſtian gains more by his loſſes and croſſes, than the happieſt worldling by all his immunities: at it was ſaid of Demoſthenes, that he got more by holding his peace, than other Lawyers di… by their pleading.
And if ſo; our ſufferings require patience with thankfulneſs: as it fared with Iob.
Object. But what ever others find, thy ſufferings are not thus counterpoyſed and ſweetned?
Anſw. What's the reaſon? get but the light of grace to ſhine in thy heart, thy priſon ſhall be an Heaven: thy Keepers Angels: thy chains thy glory: and thy deliverance ſalvation: Grow but heavenly minded, and thou ſhalt be able to extract gain out of loss: peace out of trouble: ſtrength out of infirmity: out of tears joy: out of ſin holiness: out of perſecution profit: out of affliction comfort: For godlineſs in every ſi…neſs, is a Phyſician: in every contention, an Advocate: in every doubt, a Schoolman: in all heavineſs, a Preacher; and a comforter unto whatſoever eſtate it comes; making the whole life, as it were, a perpetual hallelujah.