The Silent Soul, Part 1
For the firſt, What is the Silence here meant? I anſwer, there is a ſevenfold Silence.
Firſt, There is a Stoical Silence: the Stoicks of old thought it altogether below a man that hath reaſon and underſtanding, either to rejoyce in any good, or to mourn for any evil; but this Stoical Silence is ſuch a ſinful unſenſibleneſs as is very provoking to a holy God, Iſa. 26. 10, 11. God will make the moſt inſenſible ſinner ſenſible, either of his hand here, or of his wrath in Hell. It is a Heatheniſh and a horrid ſin to be without natural affections, Rom. 1. 31. And of this ſin Quintus Fabius Maximus ſeems to be foulely guilty, who when hee heard that his Mother and Wife whom he dearly loved, were ſlain by the fall of an houſe, and that his younger ſon, a brave hopeful young man, died at the ſame time in Umbria, hee never changed his countenance, but went on with the affairs of the Common-wealth, as if no ſuch calamity had befallen him; this carriage of his ſpoke out more ſtupidity than patience.
And ſo Harpalus was not at all appalled, when hee ſaw two of his ſons laid ready dreſt in a charger, when Aſtyages had bid him to Supper; this was a ſottiſh inſenſibleneſs. Certainly, if the loſs ofJob 36. 13 Iſa. 57. 1 a childe in the houſe bee no more to thee, than the loſs of a Chick inHoſ. 7. 9 Balaams Aſſe reproves this dumbneſs. the yard, thy heart is baſe and ſordid, and thou mayeſt well expect ſome ſore awakening judgement: This age is full of ſuch Monſters, who think it below the greatneſſe and magnanimity of their ſpirits, to bee moved, affected or afflicted with any afflictions that befalls them. I know none ſo ripe and ready for H…ll as theſe.
Ariſtotle ſpeaks of Fiſhes, that though they have ſpears thruſt into their ſides, yet they awake not: God thruſts many a ſharp ſpear thorow many a ſinners heart, and yet hee feels nothing, hee complains of nothing; theſe mens ſouls will bleed to death. Seneca reports of Senecio Cornelius, who minded his body more than hisEpiſt. 10. ſoul, and his m…ny more than Heaven; when hee had all the day … waited on his dying friend, … his friend was dead, hee re… his houſe▪ ſ…ps merrily, … himſelf quickly, goes to … his ſorrows were ended, and the time of his mourning expired, before his deceaſed friend was interred. Such ſtupidity is a curſe that many a man lies under: But this Stoical Silence, which is but a ſinful fullenneſs, is not the Silence here meant.
Secondly, There is a Politick Silence: Many are ſilent out of policy, ſhould they not bee ſilent, they ſhould lay themſelves more open, either to the rage and fury of men, or elſe to the plots and deſigns of men; to prevent which they are ſilent, and will lay their hands upon their mouths, that others may not lay their hands upon their eſtates, lives, or liberties. And Saul alſo went home to Giheah, 1 Sam. 26. 27and there went with him a band of men, whoſe hearts God had touched. But the Children of Belial ſaid, How ſhall this man ſave us? and they deſpiſed him, and brought him no preſents; but hee held his peace, or was a… though hee had been deaf. This new King, being but newly entred upon his Kingly Government, and obſerving his condition to bee but mean and low, his friends but few, and his enemies many and potent, Sons of Belial, i. e. men without yoak (as the word ſignifies) men that were deſperately wicked, that were mark'd out for hell, that were even incarnate Devils, who would neither ſubmit to reaſon, nor Religion, nor bee governed by the Laws of Nature, nor of Nations, nor yet by the Laws of God; now this young Prince, to prevent ſedition and rebellion,Hear, ſee, and be ſilent, if thou wilt live in peace, is a French Proverb. blood and deſtruction, prudently and politickly chuſes rather to lay his hand upon his mouth, than to take a Woolf by the ear, or a Lion by the beard; hee wanted neither wit nor will to bee mute, hee turns a deaf ear to all they ſay, his unſetled condition requiring Silence.
Henry the ſixth, Emperour of Germany, uſed to ſay (Qui neſcit tacere, neſcit loqui) hee that knows not how to bee ſilent, knows not how to ſpeak. Saul knew this was a time for Silence, hee knew his work was rather to bee an Auditor, than an Oratour: But this is not the Silence the Propoſition ſpeaks of.
Thirdly, There is a fooliſh Silence: Some fools there bee that can neither do well, nor ſpeak well; and becauſe they cannot word it, neither as they would, nor as they ſhould, they are ſo wiſe as to bee mute, Prov. 17. 28. Even a fool, when hee holdeth his peace, is counted wiſe: and hee that ſhutteth his lips, is eſteemed a man of underſtanding. As hee cannot bee wiſe that ſpeaks much, ſo hee cannot bee known for a fool that ſaies nothing. There are many wiſe fools in the world; there are many ſilly ſouls, who by holding their tongues, gain the credit and honour of being diſcreet men: Hee that doth not diſcover his want of wiſdome by fooliſh babling, is accounted wiſe, though hee may bee otherwiſe. Silence is ſo rare a virtue, where wiſdome doth regulate it, that it is accounted a virtue where folly doth impoſe it. Silence was ſo highly honoured among the old Romans, that they erected Altars to it. That man ſhall paſs for a man of underſtanding, who ſo far underſtands himſelf, as to hold his tongue: For though it be a great miſery to be a fool, yet it is a greater that a man cannot bee a fool, but hee muſt needs ſhew it: But this fooliſh ſilence is not the Silence here meant.
Fourthly, There is a ſullen Silence: Many to gratifie an humour, a luſt, are ſullenly ſilent; theſe are troubled with a dumb Devil, which was the worſt Devil of all the Devils you read of in the Scripture, Mark 9. 17,—28.
Pliny in his natural Hiſtory makethLib. 7 cap. 2. mention of a certain people in the Indies upon the River Ganges, called Aſtomi, that have no mouth, but do onelyonly feed upon the ſmell of herbs and flowers. Certainly there is a Generation amongſt us, who when they are under the afflicting hand of God, have no mouths to plead with God, no lips to praiſe God, nor no tongues to juſtifie God; theſe are poſſeſſed with a dumb Devil, and this dumb Devil had poſſeſt Ahab for a time, 1 King. 21. 4. And Ahab came into his houſe, heavy and diſpleaſed, and laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. Ahabs ambitious humor, his covetous humor, being croſt, hee is reſolved to ſtarve himſelf, and to dye of the ſullens. A ſullen Silence is both a ſin and a puniſhment; no Devil frets and vexes, wears and waſtes the ſpirits of a man, like this dumb Devil, like this ſullen Silence.
Some write of a certain Devil whom they call Hudgin, who will not (they ſay) hurt any body, except hee bee wronged. I cannot ſpeak ſo favourably of a ſullen Silence, for that wrongs many at once, God and Chriſt, bodies and ſouls: But this is not the Silence here meant.
Fifthly, There is a forced Silence: Many are ſilent perforce; hee that is under the power of his enemie, though hee ſuffer many hard things, yet hee is ſilent under his ſufferings, becauſe hee knows hee is liable to worſe; hee that hath taken away his liberty, may take away his life; hee that hath taken away his money, may take off his head; hee that hath let him blood in the foot, may let him blood in the throat, if hee will not bee ſtill and quiet; and this works Silence perforce: So when many are under the afflicting hand of God, conſcience tells them, that now they are under the hand of an enemy, and the power of that God whom they have diſhonoured, whoſe Son they have crucified, whoſe Spirit they have grieved, whoſe righteous Laws they have tranſgreſſed, whoſe Ordinances they have deſpiſed, and whoſe People they have abuſed and oppoſed. And that hee that hath taken away one childe, may take away every childe; and hee that hath taken away the wife, might have taken away the husband; and hee that hath taken away ſome part of the eſtate, might have taken away all the eſtate; and that hee who hath inflicted ſome diſtempers upon the body, might have caſt both body and ſoul into hell fire for ever; and hee that hath ſhut him up in his chamber, may ſhut him out of Heaven at pleaſure: The thoughts and ſenſeOculos quos peccatum claudit, paena aperit. Gr. The eye that ſin ſhuts afflictions open. of theſe things, makes many a ſinner ſilent under the hand of God; but this is but a forced Silence: And ſuch was the Silence of Philip the ſecond King of Spain, who when his invincible Armado that had been three years a fitting, was loſt, hee gave command, that all over Spain, they ſhould give thanks to God and the Saints, that it was no more grievous. As the cudgel forces the Dogg to be quiet and ſtill; and the Rod forces the childe to bee ſilent and mute: ſo the apprehenſions of what God hath done, and of what God may do, forces many a ſoul to bee ſilent, Jer. 3. 10. 1 King. 14. 5,—18. But this is not the ſilence here meant; a forced Silence is no Silence in the eye of God.
Sixthly, There is a deſpairing Silence: A deſpairing ſoul is Magor-Miſſabib, Pſa. 94. 17 Pſa. 28. 1a terrour to himſelf, hee hath a hell in his heart, and horrour in his conſcience. Hee looks upwards, and there hee beholds God frowning, and Chriſt bleeding; hee looks inwards, and there hee findes conſcience accuſing and condemning of him; hee looks on the one ſide of him, and there hee hears all his ſins crying out, wee are thine, and wee will follow thee, wee will to the grave with thee, wee will to judgement with thee, and from judgement wee will to hell with thee; hee looks on the other ſide of him, and there hee ſees infernal fiends in fearful ſhapes, amazing and terrifying of him, and waiting to receive his deſpairing ſoul as ſoon as ſhee ſhall take her leave of his wretched body; hee looks above him, and there hee ſees the gates of Heaven ſhut againſt him; hee looks beneath him, and there hee ſees hell gaping for him; and under theſe ſad ſights hee is full of ſecret concluſions againſt his own ſoul; there is mercy for others, ſaith the deſpairing ſoul, but none for mee; grace and favour for others, but none for mee; pardon and peace for others, but none for mee;As that deſpairing Pope ſaid, the croſs could do him no good, becauſe hee had ſo often ſold it. bleſſedneſs and happineſs for others, but none for mee; there is no help, there is no hope, no, Jer. 2. 25. ch. 18. 1…. (this ſeems to be his caſe who died with this deſperate ſaying in his mouth, ſpes & fortuna v…lete▪ farewel life and hope together:) Now under theſe diſmal apprehenſions and ſad concluſions about its preſent and future condition, the deſpairing ſoul ſits ſilent, being filled with amazement and aſtoniſhment, Pſal. 77. 4. I am ſo troubled that I cannot ſpeak: But this is not the Silence here meant. But
Seventhly and laſtly, There is a prudent Silence, a holy, a gracious Silence, a Silence that ſprings from prudent principles, from holy principles, and from gracious cauſes and conſiderations; and this is the Silence here meant: And this I ſhall fully diſcover in my Anſwers to the ſecond Queſtion, which is this,