A Sovereign Antidote to Drive out Discontent, Chapter 1
A SOVEREIGN ANTIDOTE To drive out DISCONTENT In all that any way ſuffer Affliction. As alſo the Benefit of Affliction; and how to Huſband it ſo, that the weakeſt Chriſtian (with bleſſing from above) may be able to ſupport himſelf in his moſt miſerable exigents. Together with the Wit, Generoſity, Magnanimity and Invincible ſtrength of a patient Chriſtian Rightly ſo ſtiled, and as is herein Characteriſed Extracted out of the choiſeſt Authors, Ancient and Modern, both Holy and Humane. Neceſſary to be read of all that any way ſuffer Tribulation. The Second Part.
By R. Younge, of Roxwell in Eſſex, Florilegus.
Licenſed and Entered according to Order.
All that will live godly in Chriſt Jeſus, ſhall ſuffer perſecution,
2 Tim. 3.12.
LONDON, Printed for the Author and are to be ſold at his Houſe near the Wind-mills, next dore to the three Colts: with more than forty other pieces, by the ſame Author. 1668.
A SOVEREIGN ANTIDOTE To Drive out DISCONTENT, &c. PART. II.
CHAP. I.
IN the former part I have Shewen the ſeveral Reaſons, why God ſuffers the beſt of his Children to be afflicted; with the manifold benefits and advantages they make thereof. Now that ſome may be perſwaded to make this uſe of their ſufferings, and that we may alſo put to ſilence the ignorance of others; (fooliſh men who are miſtaken in judging of this matter, ſuppoſing it a baſe thing to ſuffer injuries unrevenged) ſee the Reaſons which deſervedly make Gods children ſo patiently to ſuffer wrongs that the men… of the world never dream of: And how, through the ſtudy of vertue and Chriſtian prudence, they make the ſervile passions of their mindes (fear and anger) ſubject to the more worthy faculti…s of their ſouls, reaſon and underſtanding. The reaſons thereof are theſe.
1. Becauſe it is more generous and laudable to forgive, than revenge ▪ Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but, inpaſſing it over, he is ſuperiour to him: for it is a Princes part to pardon: yea, quoth Alexander, there can be nothing more noble, than to do well to thoſe that deſerve ill. And St. Gregory, It is more honor to ſuffer injuries by ſilence, than to overcome them by anſwering again. Princes uſe not to chide when Embassadours have offered them undecencies, but deny them audience as if ſilence were the way royall to correct a wrong. And certainly, he enjoyes a brave compoſedneſſe, that ſeats himſelf above the flight of the injurious claw: Like the Emperour Auguſtus, who though of a moſt tenacious and retentive memory, would forget wrongs, as ſoon as they were offered: Or Agathocles, Antigonus, and Caeſar, who being great Potentates, were as little moved at vulgar wrongs, as a Lyon at the barking of Curre… ▪ yea, the Orator gives it as a high praiſe to Caeſar, that he could forget nothing but wrongs, remember nothing but benefits; and who ſo truly noble as he that can do ill, and will not?
'True, It is not rare to ſee a grea… man vex himſelf at the neglect of a peaſant, but this argues a poor ſpirit: A true Lyon would pass it by, with an honourable ſcorn ▪ You'l confeſſe then 'tis Princely to diſdain a wrong: and is that all? No, forgiveness, ſaith Seneca, is a valiant kinde of revenge: and none are ſo frequent in pardoning as the couragious: He that is modeſtly valiant ſtirs not till he muſt needs, and then to purpoſe: Like the Flint, he hath fire in him, but it appears not, untill you force it from him: Who more valiant than Ioſhua? and he held it the nobleſt victory, to overcome evil with good: for the Gibeonites took not ſo much pains in coming to deceive him; as he, in going to deliver them. And Cicero more commends Caeſar for overcoming his own courage in pardoning Marcellus, than for the great victories he had againſt his other enemies. Yea, a dominion over ones ſelf is greater then the Grand Signiory of Turkie. For as the greateſt knowledge, is truly to know thy ſelf; ſo the greateſt conqueſt, is to ſubdue thy ſelf. He is a wiſeman that can avoid an evil, he is a patient man that can indure it, but he is a valiant man that can conquer it. And indeed, for a man to overcome an enemy, and be overcome by his own passions, is to conquer a petty village with the loſſe of a large City. What ſaith a Father? Miſerable is that victory wherein thou overcomeſt thine enemy, and the Divel in the mean time overcomes thee: thou ſlayeſt his body, the Divel thy ſoul. Now we deem him to have the honour of the warre, that hath the profit of it. But as an Emperour ſaid of the means preſcribed him to cure his Leproſie (which was the blood of Infants) I had rather be ſick ſtill, than be recovered by ſuch a medicine: ſo wilt thou in this caſe, if thou haſt either bowels or brains. Yea, if the price or honour of the conqueſt be rated by the difficulty; then to ſuppreſſe anger in thy ſelf, is to conquer with Hercules, one of the Furies: To tame all passions, is to lead Cerberus in chains: and to indure afflictions and perſecutions ſtrongly and patiently, is with Atlas to bear the whole World on thy ſhoulders as ſaith the Poet.
It is no ſhame to ſuffer ill, but to do it: to be evil, we are all naturally diſpoſed: to be holy and good, is the difficulty. Yea, every beaſt and vermine can kill: it is true proweſſe and honour to give life and preſerve it. Yea a beaſt being ſnarled at by a cur, will paſs by as ſcorning to take notice thereof. I, but is it wiſdome ſo to do? Yes, firſt, the ancient received opinion is, that the ſinews of wiſdome, are ſlowneſs of belief and diſtruſt. Secondly, None more wiſe then Solomon, and he is of opinion, That it is the glory of a man to pass by an offence, Prov. 19.11. We fools think it ignominy and cowardiſe, to put up the lye without a ſtub: a wrong, without a challenge: but Solomon… to whoſe wiſdome all wiſe men will ſubſcribe, was of another judgment; and to this of Solomon, the wiſeſt heathen have ſet their ſeal: Pittaeus the Philoſopher holds, That, pardon is better than revenge, inaſmuch as the one is proper to the ſpirit, the other to a cruel beaſt. And Demoſ…henes being reproached by one, anſwers, I will not ſtrive with thee in this kind of fight: in which he that is overcome is the better man. But, how Socrates, whom the Oracle of Apollo pronounced the wiſeſt man alive, and all the reſt of the Philoſophers approved of it, both by judgment and practiſe; we ſhall have occaſion to relate in the reaſons inſuing. No truer note of a wiſeman than this; he ſo loves as if he were to be an enemy, and ſo hates as if he were to love again. We know a ſpark of fire falling upon a ſolid body, preſently goes out, which falling upon combuſtible matter kindles and burns: Now as with fire, the light ſtuff and rubbiſh kindles ſooner than the ſolid and more compact; ſo, anger doth ſooner inflame a fool than a man compoſed in his reſolutions. This the Holy Ghoſt witneſſeth Eccleſ. 7. Be not thou of a haſty ſpirit to be angry; for anger reſteth in the boſome of fools, verſ. 9. So much fury, ſo much folly: the more chafing, the leſſe wiſdome. I confeſſe, I finde ſome wiſe men extreamly passionate by nature, as there is no generall rule but admits of ſome exceptions: Even God himſelf, had particular exceptions, from his generall Laws: as the Cherubims over the Ark, was an inſtance againſt the ſecond Commandment: the Iſraelites robbing the Aegyptians againſt the eight: the Prieſts breaking the Sabboth, Matth. 12.5. againſt the fourth: and Phin…as killing Zimry, againſt the ſixth, Numb. 25.8. And theſe, as they are more taken with a joy, ſo they taſt a diſcontent more heavily: In whom Choler like fire in ſtubble is ſoon kindled, and ſoon out: for they are ſtung with a Nettle, and allayed with a Dock: being like Gun-powder, to which you no ſooner give fire, but they fly in your face. And they ſay theſe hot men are the beſt natur'd; but I ſay; then the beſt are nought: And it is a ſtrange fit that transformes a wiſeman (with Apuleius) into an Asse; yea, a Tyger. And others again, none of the wiſeſt, who are free from being affected; And as they never joy excessively, ſo they never ſorrow inordinately; but have together lesse mirth and leſſe mourning; like patient Gameſters, winning and loſing, are all one. But for the moſt part, it is otherwiſe. Yea, impatience is the Couſin-german to frenzie. How oft have we heard men that have been diſpleaſed with others, tear the Name of their Maker in pieces?
And laſtly, This of all others is the moſt divine and Chriſtian-like revenge; witneſſe our Saviour Chriſt, who by death, overcame death (as David cut off the head of Goliah, with his own ſword) and even then tryumphed over his enemies, when moſt they ſeemed to tryumph over him, Col. 2.15. And the Martyrs, who are ſaid by the Holy Ghoſt, to overcome the great Dragon, that old Serpent called the Divell and Satan, in that they loved not their lives unto the death, Rev. 12.11. Their conquering was by dying, not by killing: and, can the back of Charity now bear no load? are the ſinews of Love grown ſo feeble? And holy David, who when he had Saul at his mercy, inſtead of cutting off his head, as his ſervants perſwaded him, only cut off the lap of his garmnet, and after thought that too much al…o. And at another time, when the Lord had cloſed him into his hands, finding him aſleep in the Fort, inſtead of taking away his life, as Abiſhai …ounſelled him, he took away his Spear, and inſtead of taking away his …lood from his heart, he takes a pot of water from his head. That this kind of …evenge for a man to find his enemy at an advantage, and let him depart …ree, is generous and noble, beyond the capacity of an ordinary man: you may hear Saul himſelf confeſſe, 1 Sam. 24.17, to 23. Again, when the King of Syria ſent a mighty Hoſt to take Eliſha, and the Lord had ſmote them all with blindness, and ſhut them into Samaria; what doth the Prophet? ſlay them? No: indeed the King of Iſrael would fain have had it ſo, his fingers itcht to be doing: but Eliſha commanded bread and water to be ſet before them, that they might eat and drink, and go to their Maſter, 2 King. 6.22. So a Chriſtian truly generous, will omit no opportunity of doing good: nor do evil, though he have opportunity: for to may, and will not, is the Chriſtians laud.
Which yet is not all, for beſides that it is the moſt generous, noble, valiant, wiſe, divine and Chriſtian-like revenge, to paſſe by and forgive injuries; our Saviour Chriſt, in whom is the fountain of all wiſdome and knowledge, as all the ſenſes are in the head, Zach. 4.12. allowes none for magnanimous, but ſuch as together with forgiving, bless thoſe that curſe them, and do good to ſuch as hurt them, Matth. 5, 44. The caſe of Moſes, Steven, and many others; as I ſhall ſhew in Chapter 31. which is true generoſity indeed. But how contrary is the opinion of the World, to the judgment of God, and the wiſeſt of men concerning valour?