The Silent Soul, Objections · Objection 6
Object. 6. Oh! But my afflictions are greater than other mens afflictions are, and how then can I bee ſilent? Oh! there is no affliction to my affliction, how can I hold my peace?
I anſwer, Firſt, It may bee thy ſins are greater than other mensJer. 3. 6,—12 ſins; if thou haſt ſinned againſt more light, more love, more mercies, more experiences, more promiſes than others, no wonder if thy afflictions are greater than others; if this bee thy caſe, thou haſt more cauſe to bee mute, than to murmure; and certainly, if thou doſt but ſeriouſly look into the black book of thy conſcience, thou wilt finde greater ſins there than any thou canſt charge upon any perſon or perſons on earth; if thou ſhouldeſt not, I think thou wouldeſt juſtly incur the cenſure which that ſowre Philoſopher paſt upon Grammarians, viz. That theyDiogenes apud Laertium. l. 6 were better acquainted with the evils of Ulyſſes, than with their own: Never complain that thy afflictions are greater than others, except thou canſt evidence that thy ſins are leſſer than others.
Secondly, It may bee thou art under ſome preſent diſtemper that diſ-inables thee to make a right judgement of the different dealingsDeut. 28. 28. Good men are ſometimes ſtrangely beſotted, and infatuated. of God with thy ſelf and others: When the mind is diſtempered, and the brain troubled, many things ſeem to bee that are not, and then little things ſeem very great. Oh! the ſtrange paſſions, the ſtrange imaginations, the ſtrange concluſions, that attend a diſtempered judgement.
I have read of a fooliſh Emperour, who to ſhew the greatneſs of his City, made ſhew of many Spiders; when the mind is diſturbed, men many times ſay they know not what, and do they know not what; it may be when theſe clouds are blown over, and thy mind cleared, and thy judgement ſetled, thou wilt bee of another opinion. The ſupplicant woman appealed from drunken King Philip, to ſober King Philip; it is good to appeal from a diſtempered mind, to a clear compoſed mind, for that is the way to make a righteous judgement of all the righteous diſpenſations of God, both towards our ſelves, and towards others.Nothing but ſtrong vomits, ſtrong purges, ſtrong gliſters will cure ſome.
Thirdly, It may bee that the Lord ſees that it is very needful, that thy afflictions ſhould be greater than others, it may bee thy heart is harder than other mens hearts, and prouder and ſtouter than other mens hearts; it may bee thy heart is more impure than others, and more carnal than others, or elſe more paſſionate and more worldly than others, or elſe more deceitful and more hypocritical than others, or elſe more cold and careleſs than others, or elſe more ſecure than others, or more formal and lukewarm than others; now if this bee thy caſe, certainly God ſees it very neceſſary for the breaking of thy hard heart, and the humbling of thy proud heart, and the cleanſing of thy …oul heart, and the ſpiritualizing of thy carnal heare, &c. that thy afflictions ſhould bee greater than others; and therefore hold thy peace; where the diſeaſe is ſtrong, the phyſick muſt bee ſtrong, elſe the cure will never bee wrought. God is a wiſe Phyſician, and hee would never give ſtrong phyſick,Jer. 30. 11. ch. 46. 28. if weaker could effect the cure. Iſa. 27. 8. The more ruſty the Iron is, the oftner wee put it into the fire to purifie it; and the more crooked it is, the more blows, and the harder blows wee give to ſtraiten it; thou haſt been long a gathering ruſt; and therefore if God deal thus with thee, thou haſt no cauſe to complain.
Fourthly, Though thy afflictions are greater than this and that particular mans afflictions, yet doubtleſs there are many thouſands in the world, whoſe afflictions are greater than thine: Canſt thou ſeriouſly conſider the ſore calamities and miſeries that the devouring ſword hath brought upon many thouſand Chriſtians in forein parts, and ſay that thy afflictions are greater than theirs? ſurely no.Lib. 8 cap. 21. Pliny in his natural hiſtory writeth, that the nature of the Baſilisk is to kill all trees and ſhrubs it breathes upon, and to ſcorch and burn allRead Joſephus, and the hiſtory of the Bohemian perſecution herbs and graſs it paſſeth over. Such are the diſmal effects of war; the ſword knows no difference between Catholicks and Lutherans (as once the Duke of Medina Sidonia ſaid) betwixt the innocent and the guilty, betwixt young and old, betwixt bond and free, betwixt male and female, betwixt the precious and the vile, the godly and the prophane; betwixt the Prince and the ſubject, betwixt the Noble man and the beggar; the ſword eats the fleſh, and drinks the blood of all ſorts and ſexes, without putting any difference betwixt one or the other. The poor Proteſtants under the Duke of Savoy, and thoſe in Poland, Denmark, Germany, and ſeveral other parts have found it ſo. Many of their wounds are not healed to this day; Who can retain in his freſh and bleeding memory, the dreadful work that the ſword of war hath made in this Nation, and not ſay, ſurely many thouſands have been greater ſufferers than my ſelf; they have reſiſted unto blood, but ſo have not I, Heb. 12. 4. But
Fifthly, As thy afflictions are greater than other mens, ſo it may bee thy mercies are greater than other mens mercies, and if ſo, thou haſt no cauſe but to hold thy peace; as Jobs afflictions were greater than other mens, ſo his mercies were greater that otherJob 1 mens; and Job wiſely ſets one againſt another, and then laies his hand upon his mouth. It may bee thou haſt had more health than others, and more ſtrength than others, and more proſperity than others, and more ſmiling providences than others, and more good daies than others, and more ſweet and comfortable relations than others: And if this bee thy caſe, thou haſt much cauſe to bee mute, thou haſt no cauſe to murmure; if now thy winter nights bee longer than others, remember thy ſummer daies have formerly been longer than others; and therefore hold thy peace. But
Sixthly and laſtly, By great afflictions the Lord may greaten thy graces, and greaten thy name andJames 5. 10, 11 fame in the world; by Jobs great afflictions, God did greaten his faith, and greaten his patience, and greaten his integrity, and greaten his wiſdome and knowledge, and greaten his experience, and greaten his name and fame in the world, as you all know that have but read his book. Bonds and afflictionsAct. 20. 23. 2 Cor. 11. waited on Paul in every City; his afflictions and ſufferings were very great, but by them the Lord greatned his ſpirit, his zeal, his courage, his confidence, his reſolution, and his name and fame, both among ſinners and Saints. Certainly, if thou art dear to Chriſt, hee will greaten thee in ſpirituals, by all the great afflictions that are upon thee; hee will raiſe thy faith, and inflame thy love, and quicken thy hope, and brighten thy zeal, and perfect thy patience, and perfume thy name, and make itProv. 22. 1 Eccleſ. 7. 1 like a precious ointment, like a preciou… ointment poured forth; ſo that good men ſhall ſay, and bad men ſhall ſay, Lo, here is a Chriſtian indeed, here is a man more worth than the gold of Ophir; therefore hold thy peace, though thy afflictions are greater than others.