The Silent Soul, Part 9
Queſt. But what are the reaſons that God doth ſo delay and put off his people from time to time as wee ſee hee doth?
Anſw. Firſt, For the trial of his people, and for the differencingMat. 15. 21,—29. 1 Pet. 1. 7 Job 23. 8, 9, 10 Deut. 8. 2 and diſtinguiſhing of them from others. As the furnace tries gold, ſo delaies will try what metal a Chriſtian is made of; delaies will try both the truth and the ſtrength of a Chriſtians graces; delaies are a Chriſtian-touchſtone, a lapis Lydius, that will try what metal men are made of, whether they bee gold or droſs, ſilver or tin; whether they bee ſincere or unſound, whether they bee real or rotten Chriſtians. As a Father by croſſing and delaying his children tries their diſpoſitions, and makes a full diſcovery of them, ſo that hee can ſay, that childe is of a muttering and grumbling diſpoſition, and that is of an humorous and wayward diſpoſition, but the reſt are of a meek, ſweet, humble and gentle diſpoſition: So the Lord by delaying and croſſing of his children, hee diſcovers their different diſpoſitions. The manner of the Pſylli, Plin. lib. 28.(which are a kinde of people of that temper and conſtitution that no venome will hurt them) is, that if they ſuſpect any childe to bee none of their own, they ſet an Adder upon it to ſting it, and if it cry, and the fleſh ſwell, they caſt it away as a ſpurious iſſue, but if i… do not cry, if it do not ſo much as quatch, nor do not grow the worſe for it, then they account it for their own, and make very much of it: So the Lord by delaies, which are as the ſtinging of the Adder, tries his children; if they patiently, quietly and ſweetly can bear them, then the Lord will own them, and make much of them, as thoſe that are near and dear unto him, but if under delaies they fall a crying, roaring, ſtorming, vexing and fretting, the Lord will not own them, but reckon them as baſtards, and no ſons. Heb. 12. 8.
Secondly, That they may have the greater experience of his power, grace▪ love, and mercy in the cloſe. Chriſt loved Martha and her Siſters and Lazarus, yetJoh. 11. 3, 5, 6, 17 hee defers his coming for ſeveral daies, and Lazarus muſt die, bee put in the grave, and lye there till hee ſtinks; and why ſo? but that they might have the greater experience of his power, grace and love towar… them.
Thirdly, To ſharpen his childrens appetite, and to put a greater edge upon their deſires, to makeCant. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4 Iſa. 26. 8, 9, 16. them cry out as a woman in travel, or as a man that is in danger of drowning. God delaies, that his people may ſet upon him with greater ſtrength and importunity▪ hee puts them off, that they may put on with more life and vigour; God ſeems to be cold, that hee may make us the more hot; hee ſeems to bee ſlack, that hee may make us the more earneſt; hee ſeems to bee backward, that hee may make us the more forward in preſſing upon him; the Father delaies the childe, that hee may make him the more eager, and ſo doth God his, that hee may make them the more divinely violent. When Balaam Numb. 22. 15had once put off Balak, hee ſent again (ſaith the Text) certain Princes more, and more honourable than they. Balaam's put off, did but make Balak the more importunate, it did but encreaſe and whet his deſires; this is that that God aims at by all his put offs, to make his children more earneſt, to whet up their ſpirits, and that they may ſend up more, and yet more honourable prayers after him, that they may cry more earneſtly, ſtrive more mightily, and wreſtle more importunately with God, and that they may take Heaven with a more ſacred violence. Anglers draw back the hook, that the fiſh may bee the more forward to bite; and God ſometimes ſeems to draw back, but it is onelyonly that wee may preſs the more on: And therefore as Anglers when they have long waited, and perceive that the fiſh do not ſo much as nibble at the bait, yet do they not impatiently throw away the Rod, or break the Hook and Line, but pull up, and look upon the bai…, and mend it, and ſo throw it in again, and then the fiſh bites: ſo when a Chriſtian praies, and praies, and yet catches nothing, God ſeems to bee ſilent, and Heaven ſeems to bee ſhut againſt him, yet let him not caſt off prayer, but mend his prayer, pray more beleevingly, pray more affectionately, and pray more fervently, and then the fiſh will bite, then mercy will come, and comfort will come, and deliverance will come. But
Fourthly, God delaies and puts off his people many times, that hee may make a fuller diſcovery of themſelves to themſelves. Few Chriſtians ſee themſelves, and underſtand themſelves; by delaies God diſcovers much of a mans ſinfull ſelf to his religious ſelf, much of his worſer part to his better part, of his ignoble part, to his moſt noble part. When the fire is put under the pot, then the ſcum appears: ſo when God delaies a poor ſoul, Oh! how doth the ſcum of pride, the ſcum of murmuring, the ſcum of quarrelling, the ſcum of diſtruſt, the ſcum of impatience, the ſcum of deſpair,2 King. 6. 33 diſcover it ſelf in the heart of a poor creature? I have read of a fool, who being left in a chamber, and the door locked, when hee was aſleep, after hee awakes, and findes the door faſt, and all the people gone, hee cries out at the window, O my ſelf! my ſelf! O my ſelf! So when God ſhuts the door upon his people, when hee delaies them, and puts them off, Ah! what cauſe have they to cry out of themſelves, to cry out of proud ſelf, and worldly ſelf, andPſal. 73. 21, 22 carnal ſelf, and fooliſh ſelf, and …roward ſelf? &c. Wee are very apt, ſaith Seneca (utimur perspicillis magis quam ſpeculis) to uſe ſpectacles to behold other mens faults, rather than▪ looking-glaſſes to behold our own; but now Gods delaies are as a looking-glaſs, in which God gives his people to ſee their own faults. Oh! that baſeneſs, that vileneſs, that wretchedneſs, that ſink of filthineſs, that gulf of wickedneſs that God by delaies diſcovers to bee in the hearts of men! But
Fifthly, God delaies and puts off his people, to enhaunce, to raiſe the price of mercy, the price of deliverance; wee uſually ſet the higheſt price, the greateſt eſteem upon ſuch things that wee obtain with greateſt difficulty; what we dearlyAct. 22. 28 Cant. 3. 4 buy, that we highly prize; the more ſighs, tears, weepings, waitings, watchings, ſtrivings, & earneſt longings, this mercy and that deliverance, and the other favour coſts us, the more highly wee ſhall value them; when a delaied mercy comes, it …aſtes more like a mercy, it ſticks more like a mercy, it warms more like a mercy, it works more like a mercy, and it endears the heart to God like a mercy, more than any other mercy that a man enjoyes.
This is the childe (ſaith Hannah, 1 Sam. 1. 27.after God had long delayed her) for which I prayed; and the Lord hath given mee my petition which I asked of him. Delaied mercy is the cream of mercy; no mercy ſo ſweet, ſo dear, ſo precious to a man, as that which a man hath gained after many put offs. Mr. Glover the Martyr ſought the Lord earneſtly and frequently for ſome ſpecial mercies, and the Lord delaied him long, but when hee was even at the ſtake, then the Lord gave in the mercies to him, and then as a man over joyed, hee cries out to his friend, hee is come, hee is come. But
Sixthly, The Lord delaies his people, that hee may pay them home in their own coin. God ſometimes loves to retaliate. The Spouſe puts off Chriſt, Cant. 5. 2. I have put off Prov. 1. 23, ult. Zach. 7. 13my coat, how can I put it on? &c. And Chriſt puts her off, verſ. 5, 6, 7, 8. Thou haſt put off God from day to day, from month to month, yea from year to year; and therefore if God puts thee off from day to day, or from year to year, haſt thou any cauſe to complain? ſurely no; thou haſt often and long put off the motions of his Spirit, the directions of his word, the offers of his grace, the entreaties of his Son; and therefore what can be more juſt, than that God ſhould delay thee for a time, and put thee off for a ſeaſon, who haſt delaied him, and put off him daies without number? if God ſerves thee, as thou haſt often ſerved him, thou haſt no reaſon to complain. But
Seventhly and laſtly, The Lord delaies his people, that Heaven may be the more ſweet to them at laſt; here they meet with many delaies, and with many put offs, but in Heaven they ſhall never meet with one put off, with one delay; here many times they call and cry, and can get no anſwer;Lam. 3. 8, 44 here they knock and bounce, and yet the door of grace and mercy opens not to them; but in Heaven they ſhall have mercy at the firſt word, at the firſt knock; there, whatever heart can wiſh ſhall without delay be enjoyed▪ here God ſeems to ſay ſometimes, ſouls, you have miſtaken the door, or I am not at leaſure, or others muſt be ſerved before you, or come ſome other time, &c. But in Heaven God is alwaies at leaſure, and all the ſweetneſs, and bleſſedneſs, and happineſs of that ſtate, preſents it ſelf every hour to the ſoul there; God hath never, God will never ſay to any of his Saints in Heaven, come to morrow; ſuch language the Saints ſometimes hear here, but ſuch language is no waies ſuitable to a glorified condition; and therefore ſeeing that the Lord never delaies his people, but upon great and weighty accounts, let his people bee ſilent before him, let them not mutter nor murmure, but be mute. And ſo I have done with the Objections.