Obedient Patience, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
What true Patience is, and is not, towards God and Men. Here we possess our Souls in patience? What Impatience is worst? Wherein lyeth the sinfulness of Impatience towards God.
§. 1. TO what I have said for Patience from the Sufferings of Christ, in another Book for my own use, my condition calleth me to add some more, especially on the consideration of these Texts of Scripture, Heb. 5. 8, 9. Though he were a Son, yet learned be obedience by the things which he suffered: Luke 21. 19. In your Patience possess your Souls. Heb. 12. 1. to 14. Rom. 5. 3, 4. and 15. 4, 5. Heb. 10. 36. Yea have need of patience that after you have done the will of God, you may inherit the promise, Jam. 5. 7, to 12. Jam. 1. 3, 4. Let patience have its perfect work, 1 Pet. 2. 19. To the end, and 3. 9. Mat. 5. 10, 11, 12. 1 Pet. 4. 12, to the end, 19. Let them that suffer according to the Will of God commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well doing, as to a faithful Creator, Heb. 6. 15.
§. 2. What is Patience, 1. Towards God, 2. Towards Man.
1. Patience considered only Physically, as meer suffering, is no virtue or moral good. Devils, and Malefactors, and all Men must suffer whether they will or not. 2. Stupidity, or natural dulness is not Patience. 3. Nor to bear the loss of any mercy because we undervalue it, as bad Men can easily bear the loss of Gods grace, and all the means thereto. 4. Nor is it Patience but selfishness, and want of Love, in those that easily bear the loss or sufferings of Friends, (yea and of the Church or Common-wealth) so they be but well themselves, because they much care not for any but themselves. 5. Much less is it Patience desperately to despise and dare Gods Judgments, like Men that are mad or drunk, and take it to be valour to defie the Gallows. 6. And it is not holy patience when Men restrain their passions only, least they thereby afflict themselves, and not in obedience to God. 7. Nor when it is but the sufficiency of the worldly prosperity which yet is left, which maketh them bear some diminution: He that hath still enough to gratifie his flesh, may bear the loss of that which it can spare, yea though it a little pinch him. 8. Yea if a Man be in greatest want or pain and misery, and bear it quietly only because he hopeth for deliverance in this world, it is but prudent forbearance of of self afflicting, and not the obedient patience of faith. 9. Yea a presumptuous false hope of Heaven it self, and of Gods approbation of some bad cause for which Men suffer, may somewhat alleviate, the sufferings of ungodly Men. Some poor Men and sick Men think that they shall be saved from sufferings hereafter, merely because they have their sufferings in this life; as if affliction without holiness would serve. And many an erroneous person hath suffered the more easily for ill doing, by thinking that it was Martyrdom for the cause of God. Clement, Ravilliack, Guy Faux, Garnet, many such Murderers, Knipperdolling, and others at Munster, endured much by such presumption.
§ 3. But true Patience is, when both body and mind, having a natural and due sense of the suffering, we yet restrain inordinate passion, (grief, fear and anger,) and their ill effects, especially repining thoughts or words of God, and use no sinful means for our deliverance; but still acknowledge the Soveraignty, Justice, Wisdom, and Love of God, and obediently submit our Wills to Gods, and approve and Love his Holiness and Justice, though we Love not suffering it self, and comfortably hope for a happy issue, even amendment and increase of Holiness here, and Heaven hereafter, where all our sufferings will end in Everlasting joy. This is patience.
§ 4. 2. Patience towards Men, is not 1. Foolishly to take hurt or wrong for none.
2. Nor to be indifferent towards Mens sins, as if they were a small and tollerable evil: Nor to let them alone in the way to Hell, and make our pretence of patience and quietness, an excuse for unbelief, and unmercifulness to Souls; especially when they are publick or common sins, which are defended as well as Committed by Men pretending to Learning and piety, endangering the Church or Land, either by their increase, or by exposing us to the Plagues of God: In this Case, (though sober Wisdom must be used) it is sinful cruelty to pretend patience, Charity or Reverence to Men, for the omission of such duty as is needful to Reformation and deliverance: yea to speak easily of heinous sin, as Eli did to his Sons, on pretence of gentleness and patience is but to tempt Men to impenitence and damnation.
3. Nor is it patience but contempt of God, for Magistrates, Parents and Masters, to forbear necessary Justice and Correction, towards intollerable sin: Or for Pastors to forbear necessary Reproof or Discipline, to the corrupting and indangering of the Church.
4. It is not just and moderate passion that is sinful Impatience. Fear is necessary for self preservation: Christ was heard in the thing that he feared; anger is necessary to shew our Displacence at sin, and to repel evil: Christ looked with anger on obstinate sinners: And God is said to be angry every day, and his wrath doth kindle the flames of Hell. Grief if moderate is but the necessary sense of evil, by which we difference it from good… God made our Passions for our good, and the right use of them is our duty.
5. Lawful and necessary defence of our innocency, our Reputation, our Estates, our Lives, our Liberties, our Country, is not sinful impatiency, no more than to defend the Reputation, Estates or Lives of others, whom we must Love but as our selves. Selfish Malefactors, Persecutors, Destroyers, Reproved sinners, are wont to call them impatient, who let them not sin, slander, destroy and dominere without contradicton; yea that praise not the Plagues of the world and their destroyers. Christ is so accused for his words, of Herod and the Pharisees.
§. 5. But true Patience towards Men hath all these properties. 1. It maketh not a suffering or a wrong seem greater than indeed it is. Impatience maketh a tollerable pain or injury to seem intollerable: A tooth-ake seems as the breaking of the boues: A Man seems undone if he lose but his House, or his Land, or friend: A threatning of Men is a frightful thing: Martyrdome is more scared than Hell. To be Imprisoned or Robbed or Persecuted, or falsly accused, to be accounted wicked and guilty, where we are innocent, seem all unsufferable evils to the impatient; which a patient Man maketh not half so great a matter of. To be cast down from honour or preferment; yea to miss of his aspiring hopes, and have another set up before him, is a great and vexatious thing to the ambitious. To have a Mans opinion slighted, contradicted and confuted, his understanding villified, his worth and parts disgraced, his Will opposed, yea to be but mockt or scorned, seemeth a very troublesome injury to the proud, which patient Men would easily endure. Much of the wickedness and vilainies in the world come from Mens impatient, over-great sensibility of their cross. The Thief ventureth on the Gallows and Hell because he cannot bear his wants: The Fornicator, Drunkard, and all the voluptuous, venture on everlasting misery, because they cannot bear the denying or displeasing of their fleshly appetite, and lust: The great Tyrants of the Earth, depopulate Countries, raise needless Wars, and fill the world with Hellish wickedness, blood and misery, and their Consciences with the most heynous guilt, because they cannot bear an equal, or a seeming slight or wrong, or to see other Princes greater than they, or to be confined to moderate dominion (though large enough considering their account to God.) Murders are committed by the proud abd impatient, because they cannot bear an injury or affront. Yea Sacred Church Tyrants rack and tear Christs Church, by their needless Impositions, and stick not at the cruellest persecutions and ruinings, of Men better than themselves, because they cannot bear that Religion which is not subject to their Wills, or to see any teach the Flocks in any points, against their opinions; or worship God but in their words, or in obedience to their pleasure: Much less to have any that differ from them, to be esteemed and preferred before them. As Nebuchadnezzer, Dan. 3. by his Idol: They cannot endure any that bow not to their Idol Will: A Fiery Furnace seems not too hot for them, they can better bear the most profane and filthy sinner, who hateth Godliness and God, than the wisest and best that will not honour and obey them. The sight of Mordechai depriveth Haman of all the pleasure of his power and wealth.
2. Patience towards Men doth not blind and pervert our judgments, to think that things and persons are other than indeed they are, or that the cause is worse or better than it is. It leaveth the Judgment impartial, and quiet, and sedate, to right considerations and conclusions. Impatience seldome useth a true Ballance. To a passionate Man or Enemy, all that their Adversaries say or do, doth seem injurious or bad: A Dessenter from the Oracle of pride and dominations, seemeth a Fool, or Knave, or a Schismatick, if not unworthy to live as a man, at liberty on the Earth: All the undenyable good that appeareth in them goeth but for Hipocrisie: Yea if God say, that disobedience to him is as the sin of Witcheraft, and Rebellion against him as Idolatory, a Papal Spirit dare plead it for it self, as if it were as bad as Witchcraft to obey God, before him, and such as he, or as bad as Idolatry not to rebel against Gods Laws, if such Command it. Yea if all others will not joyn with him in the false accusation, and defie Christian Love as much as he; but will speak for the innocent, and gain say such unjust aggravations, he is not able to endure their Charity, but accuseth such as defenders of those, whom his pride and impatience hath feigned to be Criminal and intollerable.
3. Patience stops the injuries of Men that they go no further than Man can reach. If Mens scorns and slanders come to our ears, patience stops them from coming to the heart: If Men take away our Estates, patience hinders them from taking away our peace and comfort. If Men lay us in Prison or a Dungeon, patience disableth them to keep out our Heavenly light and consolation. If Men d…spise us, slight us, cross our Opinions or Wills, patience doth not suffer this to vex us, or cast us into malicious discontent. But impatience openeth the door of the heart, to every cross, or inj…, or displeasure, And when Men can but touch our outside or our accidents, impatience doth more, and wo…nds the Soul. It tormenteth a Man at the heart, because another hurts his flesh, or less than that, his goods, or name, or some superfluity, which even the flesh might spare.
4. Patience keepeth Men from revenge and all desires of it: It hath no tendency to do hurt. Yea it forgiveth injuries, and desireth God (on his just terms) to forgive them Yea it is still joyned with a true desire of the good of those that do us wrong, and with just and prudent endeavours of their welfare. Malchus's ear is healed by Christ, who prayed for his Enemies, as he taught Stephen and all his Followers to do. Its true; we cannot forgive the sin as it is against God, nor the future punishment; but we may pray God to give Men Repentance and forgiveness. But impatience is a hurtful and revengeful disposition: It thirsteth after it: It delighteth in it, and rejoyceth to hear of an adversaries sufferings.
5. Patience will keep a Man from seeking his own defence and right, not only by unjust means, but by means otherwise lawful, when it is like to do more hurt to others, than good to him: If it be like to hurt the Soul of an Enemy, by hindring his conversion to a Christian Life, it is not our defended outward Estate, that will compensate such a hurt and loss. This is the sense of Christs Command, of giving our Garment to him that sueth us at Law, and of turning the other cheek to him that striketh us, Mat. 5. That is, patience must submit to tollerable injuries, rather than by impatience to strive by violence and self defence, when it will but exasperate another whose Souls is precious, and whom we must love as our selves, yea we must not fly to the Law or Magistrate to defend a right which we can spare, when patience and submission will do more good to him that wrongs us, or to others, than the vindication of our right will do to us or them. But the meaning is not that Intollerable injury, may not be opposed, nor the Commonwealth have the preservation of the Law, and that Theives or Murderers be tollerated; nor that all Covetous, Malicious, Oppressing Men should be encouraged to injure others, by knowing that they will never seek their right. Its more for Order and Common good than for our selves that wrongs must be resisted.
§ 6. By what hath been said, we may understand what it is in Patience to possess our Souls. 1. A man loseth himself, or Soul, when he lets in the Enemy or evil into it, that before was but without the doors. His Soul must be Garrisoned with Patience, against sufferings, which are more grievous at the Heart, than in the outward accidents or the Skin: The Spirit of a man, if sound, will bear his outwatd infirmities, but a wounded Spirit who can bear. Patience in true Believers, and waiting hopefully on God, doth keep the Garrison of the Heart, when the Out-works, our Estates, our Reputation, our Friends, our Health, are taken from us: For 1. It keeps the Soul against self afflicting. 2. Against temptations to Sin by any unlawful means. 3. Against backsliding by forsaking duty, and not continuing in the use of appointed means. 4. Against sinful doubts, that God forsaketh us, or intends our hurt. It keeps up the peace and comfort of the afflicted, which is our strength. 5. And by all this it helpeth to secure our Salvation. 6. And so far as outward deliverance or ease, or safety is good for us; it is the likeliest way to have it, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Patient enduring and turning the other cheek, doth shame Afflicters, and sooner make them forbear us, than impatient violence and self defence: He that resisteth stirs up the wrath of his Afflicter; when he that blesseth him, and doth him good, and really manifesteth love to him, doth heap coals of fire on his head: He that cannot bear one blow is like to bear two: And he that cannot bear a lesser abuse, shall bear a greater. Be patient Brethren, and establish your hearts, the Judge is at door, and the coming of the Lord is nigh, Jam. 4. 8, 9.
But this is not a Rule for Government, nor to whole Kingdomes, as if they must forbear a necessary self-defence against destroying Enemies; but for private men whose self-defence would hurt the Common good.
§ 7. But is all Impatience equally sinfull. No; here the difference is very great.
1. Impatience towards men is a lesser sin, than against God: Man is a Worm, and may do wrong, and deserve anger and accusarion: But against God there is no pretence for this.
2. Impatience towards Men that deserve anger, and which doth exceed only in degree, is not so bad, as to be angry without just cause. Anger is oft-times a a duty, as it is a displeasedness at any evil, and a just repelling of it.
3. Anger which desireth not anothers hurt, further than just Correction is necessary to his or others good, is not so bad as that which tendeth to hurtfulness and revenge.
4. Anger which is short (though too much) and is laid by when it hath done its duty against evil, is not so bad as that which continueth, and is turned into malice and cannot forgive: Let not the Sun go down upon thy wrath.
5. Impatience which breaks forth into sinful words (as Cursing, Swearing, Railing, &c.) is far worse than that which doth not.
6. Impatience, which is but such necessitated sense or passion, as is the effect of natural bodily infirmity, is no sin at all farther than sin did bring that Infirmity; as some Children cannot choose but cry: Some Women cannot choose but be afraid at sudden frightening occasions. One may make the stoutest Man sometime to start. Sick people and aged feeble persons, are naturally less patient with matters about them, than strong and healthful Men. Some constitutions, especially of Women, can no more avoid some hurtful fear, grief, trouble of mind and anger, than a Man in an Ague can forbear to shake: Especially Melancholly and Hysterical persons. And God condemns not persons for being sick or weak, Infants or Aged. The will hath but a Political and not a Despotical power over many passions, as it hath over the Tongue and Hand.
7. Impatience which infecteth not the Judgment and Will, but only consists in troublesome passion, is far less sinful than that which doth. When it blindeth and perverteth a Mans Judgment, especially in great points, to think ill of Godliness or Duty, or to accuse God, or distrust his promises, or when it corrupteth the Will, and Love, and desire, and turneth i… from God or any good, this is the damning sort of passion. So that passion of Lust and pleasure, in sensual Youths, in Drunkards, Fo…icators, Gamsters turneth their hearts to sin from the Love of Holiness. It becomes deadly, wickedness when it captivateth th… Judgment and the Will. And so when it vitiateth a Mans Conversation, and carrieth him against Conscience and Reason to iniquity. When Hypocrites cannot suffer for Christ and Righteousness, nor endure contempt and poverty in the world, they will force their Judgments to believe that such suffering is not necessary, and that its lawful to do that which will deliver them, much more if it tend to their wealth, honour and preferment. When sensual Men cannot bear a holy sober temperate life, they can make themselves believe that it is unnecessary. This is the damnable sort of impatience.
8. Some excess of impatience in the cause of God, is more excusable than when it is in our own cause. Zeal is a passion, but a great duty: Phinehas seemed to have been irregular in his zeal, but his Justice was imputed to him for Righteousness, and on it God stayd the Plague. Had not Jebu's zeal been too much for himself, though it seemed cruel, God would have excused it. Christ scourged the Merchants out of the Temple, and the Disciples remembred, the zeal of thy House hath eaten me up. God speweth the lukewarm Laodiceans out of his mouth. Indeed it is an aggravation of the sin to farther on God a censorious, persecuting, envyous, dividing, hurt… zeal: But when it is but some excess of passion or impatience with sin, and maketh a Man, but too eager in doing good, and not to hurt or injure any, the fault is small.
9. There is some passion that may be too much, and yet doth but drive a Man to God and to his duty: Some excess of fear and sorrow may make a Man pray harder, and fly from Temptation, and from sin the more, and live more watchfully and value the mercy of God more thankfully; but there is impatience which quite unfitteth Men for their duty to God and Man: When an impatient froward heart, maketh one unmeet for Prayer, or Meditation, or any holy and comfortable thought of God, and unable to rule their sinful thoughts, and unfit to converse with their Families and Relations with any kindness, fruitfulness or peace, this is a very sinful passion. When an impatient heart doth live in discontent with Gods provision and disposal, and falleth Melancholly by that discontent, and giveth Satan advantage thereby to delude their imaginations, and hurry them into desperate Temptations, and sometimes to go mad, and sometimes to make away themselves, or at least to be unthankful for all Gods mercies, this is a very bad impatience.
10. A passion towards Men about small matters, which is but a sudden displicence (as anger at a provoking word or accident, which soon passeth away) is a small matter if it should be causeless, in comparison of a prophane impatience with Mens duty: When Men cannot bear a plain reproof, nor a searching book or Sermon, nor holy discourse, nor a Godly Life; when they think all too much, or Prayer or Preaching still too long, and can endure many hours more easily at a Play, or in a Tavern, or in Common or vain talk, or worldly business, than one hour in any Spiritual employment; when they bear more easily with a Swearer, a Jester, an ignorant, carnal, worldly Companion, than with one that seriously discourseth of Death, and Judgment, and the world to come, this is a malignant sort of impatience.
In a word, bad Men are incompetent Judges of patience and impatience. They take that Man for a peevish impatient person, who is angry with their sin, and giveth them necessary reproof, or is not as cold as Eli to sinful Children or Servants, or is of a quick and eager temper, or sheweth but half that zeal and fervency in holy things, which the nature and weight of the matter doth require: And they will praise that Man as a mild and patient person, who is senseless of the greatest things which should affect him, and will quietly let Men sin and perish, and suffer them to be as bad as they will, and never speak sharply or disgracefully of their sin, nor cross and contradict them in the most dangerous errour, much less correct inferiors for doing evil, but be indifferent in every cause of God, and live like a Man asleep or dead, when sin should be resisted, or duty done.
11. That impatience is worst which sets Men upon unlawful means of deliverance: As lying stealing, defrauding, unlawful wayes and Trades of getting, pleasing Men by sin; yea miserable Witches make compacts with the Devil, and some go to real or feigned Conjurers, to obtain their Wills, in their impatience: But that is a less sin, which ventureth on no forbidden remedy.
12. That impatience is the worst, which is justified, and not repented of, when Men say as Jonah, I do well to be angry; and that deliberately when the passion should be over. And that is less (and more pardonable) which is confessed and lamented, and which we sincerely pray and watch against, and fain would be delivered from.
§ 8. Quest. Wherein lieth the sinfulness of impatience towards God, or under his hand, when Men are his instruments, or permitted by him to afflict us, or in any other tryal which is of God.
If we see not the evil of it we shall not be diligent to avoid it: Too many take it rather for a suffering than a sin.
Answ. 1. Impatience towards God doth signifie answerable unbelief: Did we believe his promises that all shall work together for our good, and of all the benefit that we may get by patient suffering, it would do much to pacifie the Soul. But we are discontented at his usage, because we cannot trust him.
2. Yea this sort of impatience implyeth some degree of Atheism or Blasphemy: For it implyeth some Murmuring against Gods Providence, and that implyeth some accusation of God; and all accusation of God implyeth an answerable degree of Blasphemy; and consequently denyeth God to be God. For if he be blame-worthy in any thing; he is not absolutely perfect: And if he be not perfect, he is not God?
3. Impatience signifieth strong selfwilledness? When self-will is Mens Idol it usurpeth Gods prerogative, and when it should follow his Will by obedient submission, it sets up it self, and must needs be fulfilled, and cannot endure to be crost: As if we were Gods, that must have the disposal of all that shall befall us, and nothing must be otherwise than we would have it. Self-will is the great Idol of the world.
4. Impatience signifieth an answerable degree of over loving the flesh and world; which also is a kind of Idolatry. Were it predominant it were mortal: For to be carnally minded is death, and if any Man (so) love the world, the love of the Father is not in him: Follow any impatience up to its Spring, and you will find that it all cometh from this Carnal Worldly Creature, Love. If we did not over love our ease, our lives, our reputation, our provision and Estates, our Children or Friends, or any Earthly thing, we could patiently bear all our losses of them.
5. Impatience sheweth that we are answerably wanting inour esteem of Christ, and Grace, and Glory, and that we live not as we ought on the hopes of Heaven. If we did, God and our Saviour would be enough for us: Our Heavenly Treasure being safe would more satisfie us: Great Men can bear easily the loss of a peny or a pin: The things of the flesh are less in comparison of Christ and Heaven, than a pin is to a Lordship. Sense would do less to trouble us, if we lived by faith.
6. Impatience sheweth that we are too unthankful to God for all his mercies. A true Christian never loseth the tenth part so much as he possesseth: When he loseth health, and wealth, and and friends, he loseth not his God or Saviour, nor his right to everlasting life: Yea when God taketh away one or two of his temporal gifts he leaveth us more than he taketh away. And what unthankfulness is it to forget all that we have received, and possess, and hope for, because that something is taken from us? Yea if God take away our health or wealth at last, should all the years that we unworthily possest them, be unthankfully forgotten?
7. Impatience sheweth that we are too much unhumbled for our sins, and too insensible how ill we deserve of God. He that deserveth the Gallows and is pardoned, should not be impatient of a short Imprisonment, and to pay the Jaylors fees. Can we believe that our sins, are so many and great as we customarily confess them, and that we deserve Hell fire, and yet impatiently repine at disgrace or injuries from Men, or at the loss of Goods, or health, or friends? This bewrayeth an unhumbled and unmortified Souls (in such a degree) how humble soever Mens words and confessions are.
8. Impatience sheweth that we do not well understand our selves, or the Providence of God. We neither understand well our disease, nor the meaning of our Physician: Did we know what a worldly heart is, or a hard heart, or a heart that hath not by Repentance got out the Core of sin, and how useful affliction is to heal all these diseases, we should not be impatient of the sharpest cure.
9. Impatience sheweth that we have not such a Love of Holiness as we ought to have: Else we should think no affliction too dear a means to procure the increase of it: When God tells us that he Chasteneth us to make us partakers of his holiness, and that it may bring forth the quiet fruit of righteousness; and that it may be good for us that we are afflicted, by reducing us by Repentance from our wandring folly, and worldly vanity and deceit: A due steem of so great a benefit would make us take affliction for a gain. At our true Conversion we do in heart, resolution, and vow, sell all for the precious Pearl, forsake all for Christ, and Grace, and Glory: And should we not forsake that which affliction takes from us, for the same use, if we be really of the mind that we profess. A little Grace is better than all that is taken from us.
10. Impatience, when it is great and tormenting, is a degree of likeness to Hell it self. Hell is a State of Sin tormenting the Sinner (God justly deserting and afflicting such). Their own wickedness continually teareth and vexeth them, and depriveth them of all sense of Gods Love and Mercy, which might ease them. And what a resemblance of this hath the impatient Soul; which continually vexeth it self with its own selfwills, and fleshly mind, and worldly desires, which are all unsatisfied, and hath no mortification, obedient submission, faith, or hope, to relieve and ease it, but is night and day a self tormenter.
Such use to say, we cannot help it: Our thoughts and passions are not in our power: We cannot choose but be continually troubled with discontent, and anger, and grief, and fear.
11. Answ. This sheweth a further evil in your passion, viz. That you are over bruitish, and that Reason it self is dethroned, and hath lost its due government of sense and passion. When a man can give you great and undeniable Reasons enough, against all your discontents, and yet they are impotent, and cannot prevail. God gave you reason to bear rule over passion, and he hath furnished you with Arguments, which should easily suffice. If your Reason be enslaved, and faith turned out of doors, and passion rule, whence came this but by your own willful sin? You say, You are not able to bear what you complain of. Why, then you shall bear more; God will make you able to bear more whether you will or not, if you cannot obediently bear his tryals.