The Silent Soul, Part 8 – Objections
Firſt, Conſider, That murmuringHeb. 12. 15 Deut. 29 18. Heb. 3. 12 ſpeaks out many a root of bitterneſs to bee ſtrong in thy ſoul; murmuring ſpeaks out ſin in its power, corruption upon its Throne. As holy Silence argues true Grace, much Grace, yea Grace in its ſtrength, and in its lively vigour; ſo murmuring, muttering under the hand or God, argues much ſin, yea a heart full of ſin, it ſpeaks out a heart full of ſelf-love, Exod. 15. 24. chap. 16. 7, 8. and full of ſlaviſh …ears, Numb. 13. 32, 33. chap. 14. 1, 2, 3. and full of ignorance, John 6. 41, 42, 61. and full of pride and unbeleef, Pſal. 106. 24, 25. yea they deſpiſed the pleaſant land,Pſal. 78. 19, 20 Unbeleef is virtually all ill. or the land of deſire (there is their pride) they beleeved not in his word, there is their unbeleef, what follows? they murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of God; they were ſick of the fullens, and preferred Egypt before Canaan, a wilderneſs before a paradiſe. As in the firſt Chaos, there were the ſeeds of all creatures: ſo in the murmurers heart, there is not onelyonly the ſeed of all ſin, but a lively operation of all ſin; ſin is become mighty in the hearts of murmurers, and none but an Almighty God can root it out; thoſe roots of bitterneſs have ſo ſpread and ſtrengthened themſelves in the hearts of murmurers,Iſa. 26. 4 that everlaſting ſtrength muſt put in, or they will bee undone for ever. But
Secondly, Conſider, That the Holy Ghoſt hath ſet a brand of infamy upon murmurers, hee hath ſtigmatized them for ungodly perſons, Jude 15. 16. To execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard ſpeeches, which ungodly ſinners have ſpoker againſt him. But who are theſe ungodly ſinners? They are murmurers, complainers walking after their own lusts, &c. verſ. 16. When Chriſt comes to execute judgement upon ungodly ones, murmurers ſhall bee ſet in the front, they ſhall experience the firſtneſs of his wrath, and the fierceneſs of his wrath, and the greatneſs of his wrath; the front you know is firſt aſſaulted, and moſt ſtrongly aſſaulted, Chriſt will bond all his power and ſtrength againſt murmurers, his little finger ſhall bee heavier …pon1 Kings 12. 11, 14 them, than his loins ſhall bee upon others, other ſinners ſhall bee chaſtiſed with whips, but ungodly murmurers ſhall bee chaſtiſed with ſcorpions; if you can joy in that black character of ungodly ſinners, bee murmurers ſtill, if not, ceaſe from murmurings; where murmuring is in its reign, in its dominion, there you may ſpeak and write that perſon ungodly; let murmurers make what profeſſion they will of godlineſs, yet if murmuring keeps the Throne in their hearts, Chriſt will deal with them at laſt as ungodly ſinners; a man may bee denominated ungodly, as well from his murmuring, if hee lives under the dominion of it, as from his drunkenneſs, ſwearing, whoring, lying, ſtealing, &c. A murmurer is an ungodly man, hee is an ungodlike man, no man on earth more unlike to God, than the murmurer; and therefore no wonder if when Chriſt comes to execute judgement, hee deals ſo ſeverely and terribly with him. In the wars of Tamberlain, one having found a great pot of Gold that was hid in the earth, hee brought it to Tamberlain, who asked whether it had his Fathers ſtamp upon it, but when hee ſaw it had not his Fathers ſtamp, but the Roman ſtamp upon it, he would not own it, but caſt it away. The Lord Jeſus, when hee ſhall come with all his Saints to execute judgement, Oh hee will not own murmurers, nay, hee will caſt them away for ever, becauſe they have not his Fathers ſtamp upon them. Ah ſouls! ſouls, as you would not go up and down this world with a badge of ungodlineſs upon you, take heed of murmuring.
Thirdly, Conſider, That murmuringNumb. 16. 41. ch. 17. 10. is a mother ſin, it is the Mother of harlots, the Mother of all abominations, a ſin that breeds many other ſins, viz. diſobedience, contempt, ingratitude, impatience, diſtruſt, rebellion, curſing, carnality; yea it charges God with folly, yea with blaſphemy;Judg. 17. 2. the language of a murmuring, a muttering ſoul, is this, Surely God might have done this ſooner, and that wiſer, and the other thing better, &c. As the River Nilus bringeth forth many Crocodiles, and the Scorpion many Serpents at one birth, ſo murmuring is a ſin that breeds and brings forth many ſins at once: Murmuring is like the Monſter Hydra, cut off one head, and many will riſe up in its room. Oh! therefore bend all thy ſtrength againſt this Mother ſin; As the King of Syria ſaid1 Kings 22. 31. to his Captains, Fight neither with ſmall nor great, but with the King of Iſrael: So ſay I, fight not ſo much againſt this ſin or that, but fight againſt your murmuring, which is a Mother ſin; make uſe of all yourEph. 6. 10, 11. Chriſtian armour, make uſe of all the ammunition of Heaven, to deſtroy the Mother, and in deſtroying of her, you will deſtroy the daughters. When Goliah was ſlain, the Philiſtians fled; when a General in an Army is cut off, the common ſouldiers are eaſily and quickly routed and deſtroyed: So, deſtroy but murmuring, and you will quickly deſtroy diſobedience, ingratitude, impatience, diſtruſt, &c. Oh! kill this Mother ſin, that this may never kill thy ſoul. I have read of Senacherib, that after his Army was deſtroyed by an Angel, Iſa. 37. and hee returned home to his own Country, hee enquired of one about him, what hee thought the reaſon might bee why God ſo favoured the Jews, hee anſwered, that there was one Abraham their Father that was willing to ſacrifice his Son to death at the command of God, and that ever ſince that time God favoured that people: well, ſaid Senacherib, if that bee it, I have two Sons, and I will ſacrifice them both to death, if that will procure their God to favour mee; which when his two Sons heard, they (as the ſtory goeth) ſlew their Father, Iſa. 37. 38. chuſing rather to kill, than bee killed: So do thou, chuſe rather to kill this Mother ſin, thanPſal. 137. 8, 9 to bee killed by it, or by any of thoſe vipers that are brought forth by it.
Fourthly, Conſider, That murmuring is a God-provoking ſin; it is a ſin that provokes God, not onelyonly to afflict, but alſo to deſtroyNumb. 26. ult. Numb. 12. 10 Rev. 16. 8, 9, 10, 11 a people, Numb. 14. 27, 28, 29. How long ſhall I bear with this evil Congregation which murmure against mee? I have heard the murmuring of the children of Iſrael, which they murmure against mee. Say unto them, As truly as I live, ſaith the Lord, as yee have ſpoken in mine ears, ſo will I do to you: Your carkaſſes ſhall fall in this wilderneſs, and all that were numbred of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured againſt mee. 1 Cor. 10. 10. Neither murmure yee, as ſome of them alſo murmured, and were destroyed of the deſtroyer. All our murmurings do but provoke the Lord to ſtrike us, and deſtroy us.
I have read of Caeſar, that havingSeneca. prepared a great feaſt for his Nobles and Friends, it ſo …ell out, that the day appointed was extream …oul, that nothing could be done to the honour of the meeting, whereupon hee was ſo diſpleaſed and enraged, that hee commanded all them that had bows, to ſhoot up their arrows at Jupiter (their chief God) as in defiance of him for that rainy weather, which when they did, their arrows fell ſhort of Heaven, and full upon their own heads, ſo that many of them were very ſorely wounded: So all our mutterings and murmurings which are as ſo many arrows ſhot at God himſelf, they will return upon our pates, hearts; they reach not him, but they will hit us; they hurt not him, but they will wound us; therefore it is better to bee mute, than to murmure, it is dangerous to provoke a conſuming fire. Heb. 12. ult.Irenaeus calleth murmurers, ora diaboli, the Devils mouth. Job 1. 8, 9 Luk. 22. 31, -34 2 Cor. 12. 8, 9, 10
Fifthly, Conſider, That murmuring is the Devils Image, ſin, and puniſhment; Satan is ſtill a murmuring▪ …hee murmures at every mercy that God beſtows, at every dram of grace hee gives; hee murmures at every ſin hee pardons, and at every ſoul he… ſaves; a ſoul cannot have a good look from Heaven, nor hear a good word from Heaven, nor receive a Love-letter from Heaven, but Satan murmures at it; he murmures and mutters at every act of pittying grace, and at every act of preventing grace, and at every act of ſupporting grace, and at every act of ſtrengthening grace, and at every act of comforting grace that God exerciſes towards poor ſouls; hee murmures at every ſip, at every drop, at every crum of mercy that God beſtows▪ Cyprian, Aquinas and others, conceive, that the cauſe of Satans baniſhment from Heaven, was his grieving and murmuring at the dignity of man whom hee beheld made after Gods own Image, inſomuch thatGen. 3. hee would relinquiſh his own glory,Satan can never bee quiet (nec victor, nec victus) neither conquered, nor conquerour. to deveſt ſo noble a Creature of perfection, and rather bee in Hell himſelf, than ſee Adam placed in Paradiſe. But certainly, after his fall, murmuring and envy at mans innocency and felicity, put him upon attempting to plunge man into the bottomeleſs gulf of ſin and miſery; hee knowing himſelf to bee damned, and loſt for ever, would needs try all waies how to make happy man eternally unhappy. Mr. Howel tells it as a ſtrange thing, that a Serpent was found in the heart of an Engliſhman when hee was dead; But alas! this old Serpent was by ſad experience found to have too much power in the heart of Adam whilſt alive, and whilſt in the heighth of all his glory and excellency; murmuring is the firſt-born of the Devil, and nothing renders a man more like to him than murmuring. Conſtantines Sons did not more reſemble their Father, nor Aristotles ſcholars their Maſter, nor Alexanders Souldiers their General, than murmurers do reſemble Satan. And as murmuring i… Satans ſin, ſo it is his puniſhment: God hath given him up to a murmuring ſpirit, nothing pleaſes him, all things go againſt him, hee is perpetually a muttering and murmu…ing, at perſons or things: Now, Oh what a dreadful thing is it to bear Satans image upon us, and to bee given up to the Devils puniſhment! it were better not to bee, than thus to bee given up; and therefore ceaſe from murmuring, and ſit mute under your ſoreſt trials. But
Sixthly, Conſider, That murmuring is a mercy-imbittering ſin, a mercy-ſouring ſin. As put the ſweeteſt things into a ſoure veſſel, it ſoures them, or put them into a bitter veſſel, and it imbitters them; murmuring puts gall and wormwood into every cup of mercy, that God gives into our hands. As holy ſilence gives a ſweet taſte, a delightful relliſh to all a mans mercies; ſo murmuring imbitters all; the murmurer can taſte no ſweetneſs in his ſweeteſt morſels, every mercy, every morſel taſtesJob 6. 6. like the white of an Egge to him; this mercy, ſaith the murmurer, is not toothſome, nor that mercy is not wholeſome; here is a mercy wants ſalt, and there is a mercy wants ſauce. A murmurer can taſte no ſweet, hee can feel no comfort, hee can take no delight in any mercy hee injoyes. The murmurer writes Marah, that is, bitterneſs upon all his mercies, and hee reads and taſtes bitterneſs in all his mercies. All the murmurers Grapes, are Grapes of Gall, and all their cluſters are bitter, Deut. 32. 32. As to the hungry ſoul, every Prov. 27. 7bitter thing is ſweet: So to the murmuring ſoul, every ſweet thing is bitter; the mute Chriſtian can ſuck ſweetneſs from every breaſt of mercy, but the murmurer cries out, Oh it is bitter! Oh theſe breaſts of mercy are dry!
Seventhly, Conſider, That murmuring is a mercy-deſtroying ſin, a mercy-murthering ſin; murmuring cuts the throat of mercy, it ſtabs all our mercies at the heart, it ſets all a mans mercies a bleeding about him at once, Numb. 14. 30. Doubtleſs yee ſhall not come into the land concerning which I ſware to make you dwell therein, ſave Caleb the Son Pſal. 89. 30, 31. Deut. 31. 16, 17of Jephunneh, and Joſhua the Son of Nun. God promiſes them that they ſhould poſſeſs the holy land upon the condition of their obedience; this condition they brake, and therefore God was not forſworn, though hee cut them off in the wilderneſs, and kept them out of Canaan; but what is the ſin that provokes the Lord to bar them out of the land of Promiſe, and to cut them off from all thoſe mercies that they enjoyed, which entred into the holy-land? why it was their murmuring, as you may ſee, in verſ. 1, 2, 3, 26, 27, 28, 29. As you love your mercies, as you would have the ſweet of your mercies, and as you would enjoy the life of your mercies, take heed of murmuring; murmuring will bring a conſumption upon your mercies, it is a worm that will make all your mercies to wither. As there bee ſome that love their mercies into the grave, and others that plot their mercies into the grave: ſo there bee ſome that murmure their mercies into the grave. As you would have your mercies alwaies freſh and green, ſmiling and thriving, as you would have your mercies to bed and board with you, to riſe up, and lye down with you, and in all conditions to attend you; murmure not, murmure not; the mute Chriſtians mercies are moſt ſweet, and moſt long-liv'd; the murmurers mercies, like Jonab's Gourd, will quickly wither. Murmuring hath cut the throat of national mercies, of domeſtical me… cies, and of perſonal mercies; and therefore Oh how ſhould men fly from it, as from a Serpent! as from the avenger of blood! yea, as from Hell it ſelf!
Eighthly, Conſider, That murmuring unfits the ſoul for duty:Exod. 6. 6,—10 A murmurer can neither hear to profit, nor pray to profit, nor read to profit, nor meditate to profit; the murmurer is neither fit to do good, nor receive good; murmuring unfits the ſoul for doing of duties, it unfits the ſoul for delighting in duties, it unfits the ſoul for communion with God in duties; murmuring fills the1 Cor. 7. 33, 34, 35. ſoul with cares, fears, diſtractions, vexations; all which unfits a man for duty. As a holy quietneſs and calmneſs of ſpirit prompts a man to duty; as it makes every duty eaſie and pleaſant to theProv. 3. 17 ſoul: ſo murmuring, that unhinges the ſoul, that indiſpoſes the ſoul, that takes off the Chariot wheels of the ſoul, that the ſoul cannot look up to God, nor do for God, nor receive from God,Pſal. 40. 12. nor wait on God, nor walk with God, nor act Faith upon God, &c. Oh therefore! as ever you would bee in a bleſſed preparedneſs,2 King. 6. 33 Iſa. 26. 9, 10, 11 and a bleſſed fittedneſs for duty, take heed of murmuring, and …it mu…e and ſilent under the afflicting hand of God.
Ninthly, Conſider, That murmuring unmans a man, it ſtripsIſa. 5. 18, 19, 20 him of his reaſon and underſtanding, it makes him call evil good, and good evil, it puts light for darkneſs, and darkneſs for light, bitter for ſweet, and ſweet for bitter, it calls Saviours deſtroyers, and deliverers murtherers;Exod. 14, 15, 16. chapters. Lam. 5. 16 As you ſee in the murmuring Iſraelites; murmuring uncrowns a man, the murmurer may ſay, my Crown is fallen from my head; murmuring ſtrips a man of all his glory, it ſpoils all his excellency, it deſtroies the nobility of man, it ſpeaks him out to bee a baſe ignoble Creature; murmuring clouds a mans underſtanding, it perverts his judgement, it puts out the eye of reaſon, it ſtupifies his conſcience, it ſoures the heart, it diſorders the will, and diſtempers the affections, it be beaſts a man, yea it ſets him below the beaſt that periſheth; for a man were better bee a beaſt, than bee like a beaſt; the murmurer is the Hieroglyphick of folly, hee is a comprehenſive vanity, hee is a man, and no man, hee is ſottiſh and ſenſeleſs, hee neither underſtands God, nor himſelf, nor any thing as hee ſhould, hee is the man that muſt bee ſent to ſchool, to learn of the beaſts of the field, and the birds of theIſa. 3. 8 Jer. 7. 6. Mat. 6, Prov. 6. air, and the creeping things of the earth, how to ceaſe from murmuring, and how to bee mute. Ah Sirs! as you would have the name, the honour, the reputation of being men, I ſay men, Take heed of murmuring, and ſit ſilent before the Lord.
Tenthly, Murmuring is a timedeſtroying ſin: Ah the precious time that is buried in the grave of murmuring! when the murmurer ſhould bee a praying, hee is a murmuring againſt the Lord; when hee ſhould bee a hearing, hee is a murmuring againſt divine providences; when hee ſhould bee a reading, hee is a murmuring againſt inſtruments; the murmurer ſpends much precious time in muſing, in muſing how to get out of ſuch a trouble, how to get off ſuch a yoak, how to bee rid of ſuch a burden, how to revenge himſelf for ſuch a wrong, how to ſupplant ſuch a perſon, how to reproach thoſe that are above him, and how to affront thoſe that are below him, and a thouſand other waies murmurers have to expend tha… precious time, that ſome would redeem with a world. As QueenSumptus pretiociſſimus tempus, Time is of precious coſt, ſaith Theophraſtus. Elizabeth on her death-bed, cryed out, time, time, a world of wealth for an inch of time; the murmurer laviſhly and profuſely trifles away that precious time that is his greateſt intereſt in this world to redeem, Epheſ. 5. 16. every day, every hour in the day is a talent of time, and God expects theRev. 2. 21 1 Pet. 4. 2. 5 improvement of it, and will charge the non-improvement of it upon you at laſt. Caeſar obſerving the Ladies in Rome to ſpendPlutarch in the life of Pericles. much of their time in making much of little Doggs and Monkies, asked them whether the women in that Country had no children to make much of? Ah murmurers! murmurers, you who by your murmuring, trifle away ſo many golden hours and ſeaſons of mercy; have you no God to honour? have you no Chriſt to beleeve in? have you no hearts to change? no ſins to bee pardoned? no ſouls to ſave, no Hell to eſcape? no Heaven to ſeek after? Oh! if you have, why do you ſpend ſo much of your precious time in murmuring againſt God? againſt men? againſt this or that thing? Eternity rides upon the back of Time. Hoc eſt momentum, this is the moment,Aut male, aut nihil, aut aliud agendo. if it bee well improved, you are made for ever, if not, you are undone for ever.
I have read of Archias a Lacedemonian, that whilſt hee was rioting and quaffing in the midſt of his cups, one delivers him a letter purpoſely to ſignifie that there were ſome that lay in wait to takePlutarch. away his life, & withall deſires him to read it preſently, becauſe it was a ſerious buſineſs and matter of high concernment to him; Oh! ſaid hee, ſeria cras, I will think of ſerious things to morrow, but that night hee was ſlain. Ah murmurer! ceaſe from murmuring to day, or elſe thou mayeſt bee for ever undone by murmuring to morrow; the old ſaying, was, nunc aut nunquam, now or never: So ſay I, now or never, now or never, give over murmuring, and let it ſwallow up no more of your precious time; what would not many a murmurer give for one of thoſe daies, yea for one of thoſe hours which hee hath trifled away in murmuring, when it is a day too late?
The Rabbins glory in this conceipt, that a man hath ſo many bones, as there bee latters in the Decalogue, and juſt ſo many joints and members, as there bee daies in the year, to ſhew, that all our ſtrength and time ſhould bee expended in Gods ſervice. Ah murmurers! you will gain more by one daies faithful ſerving of God, than ever you have gained by murmuring againſt God. But
Eleventhly, Conſider this Chriſtians, that of all men in the world, you have leaſt cauſe, yea no cauſe to bee murmuring andLam. 3. 24 Epheſ. 3. 8 1 Pet. 1. 3, 4 muttering under any diſpenſations that you meet with in this world: is not God thy portion? Chryſoſtome propounds this queſtion,Chryſoſt. Hom. 4. de patientia Job. was Job miſerable when hee loſt all that God had given him? and gives this anſwer, no, hee had ſtill that God who gave him all▪ Is not Chriſt thy treaſure? is not Heaven thine inheritance? and wilt thou murmure? haſt thou not much in hand, and more in hope? haſt thou not much in poſſeſſion, but much more in reverſion, and wilt thou murmure? hath not God given thee a changed heart, a renewed nature, and a ſanctified ſoul? and wilt thou murmure? hath hee not given thee himſelf, to ſatisfie thee? his Son,Omne bonum in ſummo bono. to ſave thee? his Spirit, to lead thee? his grace, to adorn thee? his covenant, to aſſure thee? his mercy, to pardon thee? his righteouſneſs, to cloathe thee? and wilt thou murmure? hath he not made thee a friend, a ſon, a brother, a bride, an heir, and wilt thou murmure? hath not God often turned thy water into wine, thy braſs into ſilver, and thy ſilver into gold? and wilt thou murmure? when thou was dead, did not he quickenGod is all in all, and all without all. thee? and when thou waſt loſt, did not hee ſeek thee? and when thou waſt wounded, did not he… heal thee? and when thou wer't falling, did not hee ſupport thee? and when thou wer't down, did not hee raiſe thee? and when thou wer't ſtaggering, did not hee eſtabliſh thee? and when thou wer't erring, did not hee reduce thee? and when thou wer't tempted, did not hee ſuccour thee? and when thou wer't in dangers, did not hee deliver thee? and wilt thou murmure? what thou that art ſo highly advanced and exalted above many thouſands in the world? Murmuring is a black garment, and it becomes none ſo ill as Saints.
Twelfthly and laſtly, Conſider, That murmuring makes the life of man inviſibly miſerable, every murmurer is his own executioner: Murmuring vexes the heart, it wears and tears the heart, it inrages and inflames the heart, it wounds and ſtabs the heart; every murmurer is his own Martyr, every murmurer is a murtherer, hee kills many at once, viz. his joy, his comfort, his peace, his reſt, his ſoul; no man ſo inwardly miſerable, as the murmurer, no man hath ſuch inward gripes and grief, as hee, ſuch inward bitterneſs and heavineſs, as hee, ſuch inward contentions and combuſtions, as hee; every murmurer is his own tormentor, murmuring is a fire within, that will burn up all, it is an earthquake within, that will overturn all, it is a diſeaſe within, that will infect all, it is poiſon within, that wi…l prey upon all▪ And thus I have done with thoſe motives that may perſwade us not to murmure nor mutter, but to be mute and ſilent under the greateſt afflictions, the ſaddeſt providences, and ſharpeſt trials that wee meet with in this world.
I ſhall now addreſs my ſelf to anſwer thoſe Objections, and to remove thoſe Impediments which hinder poor ſouls from being ſilent and mute under the afflicting hand of God, &c.