A Dry Rod Blooming and Fruit Bearing, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 13
SECT. XIII. Caſes ariſing from the premiſes reſolved.
AGainſt cloſing with theſe comfortable conſiderations, I know the troubled hearts of Gods deareſt are diſſwaded, & that upon ſome ſeeming ground of reaſon, which, unleſſe removed, muſt make their conditions comfortleſſe, and their burthens doubly burthen-ſome. Let us heare then what they can ſay, and weigh that ſtrength of pretended reaſon, to ſee if it be forcible to keep out comfort in this condition, if not, to take it out of the way, that it may perplex no more.
1.Caſe 1. Our ſoule refuſeth comfort, and concludes nothing but wrath from God in it's affliction, being moved thereunto from the greatneſſe of the evill lying upon the fleſh. It argues like Gideon, my miſery is too great, to admit a dram of love or mercy in it; As he to the Angel,J…dg. 6.13. If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befalne us? No, no, God cannot be favourably with a people in ſuch extremities as are b…falne us; Never ſay the Lord is with mee, or upon my ſide: or like that widow-Jeruſalem, Lam. 1.12.Was ever any ſorrow like unto my ſorrow? therefore a token of the day of Gods fierce anger, and who can comfort againſt this?
Surely none can beare up when God puls down,Anſw. nor comfort, when he ſpeaks diſpleaſure; if he be not graciouſly preſent with poore ſoules in their afflictions, no reaſon indeed is there at all to be comforted; The inference is good thus far; but ſtay now, Doth the greatneſſe of our outward evill argue infallibly, the abſence of Gods love, or the preſence of his wrath? This is the queſtion, which to take for granted, is a great miſtake, the Negative part of it is Gods known Truth, otherwiſe caſt Job, and David, and Jeremiah, yea, the Sonne of God in the fleſh, (whom it pleaſed the Father to bruiſe or grinde with grief; ſo that his evils named him the Man of ſorrowes) out of the number of his darlings: For in the generations of men, who have felt heavier ſtrokes, or more bitter pangs in body or ſpirit? yet the Lord was with all theſe, and though he grievouſly afflicted, yet hee hated them not; his love and pity was with his holy ones. To ſatisfie this caſe, three evidences of Gods love I ſhall ſhew alwayes with his in their greateſt diſtreſſes, which will ſufficiently evince, that the greatneſſe of outward evill is not inconſiſtent with his love toward his chaſtened ones.
1. His temperance alwayes obſerved in afflicting or chaſtening his own; It is true, wrath in taking vengeance doth over-match, and over-beare the power of the creature; who can ſtand when he is angry? who can dwell with everlaſting burnings? Alas, not one, no not one among poore creatures: but love in chaſtening doth ſupport; Grace metes out affliction to the ſtrength of the poore ſoule, and ſupplies ſtrength to the meaſure of affliction. Let me in Gods ſtead challenge all the generations of the righteous, from Adam unto this day, produce aninſtance if you can; did ever God over-match the ſpi…its of his people in chaſtening? No, he will not, he cannot; for he cannot deny himſelfe, and of him it is ſpoken in the everlaſting Truth, God is faithfull, 1 Cor. 10.13.who will not ſuffer you to be tempted above that you are able. It was his word to Jacob, Jer. 30.11. Jer. 40.28.I will corvect thee in meaſure, yet will I not cut thee off utterly; or, not altogether leave thee unpuniſhed. I conclude then hence, the greateſt affliction on Gods children is ſo tempered, that it exceeds not their ſtrength; therefore very conſiſtent with his love, which alone tempers the Rod ſo ſweetly for them.
2. The preſence of his Grace conſtantly with them in their ſufferings at the greateſt, muſt evince his love, and not his hatred; would the God of heaven be familiar with any ſoule in any condition whom he doth not affect? This cannot be; It is a tranſlation of ours, which admitted, deſcribes the neerneſſe of God unto his chaſtened, or if not, it is a true Paraphraſe of the letter;Iſa. 63.19. Inchotib no… foreign in Rec. ejus foreign. in all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the Angel of his preſence ſaved them. There is one Particle in this clauſe that by variety of pointing, hath a very different ſignification; one way it is a Relative, he, or his, as our tranſlators reade it, In all their affliction was his affliction, or he afflicted, as before; but the other way, it is a meer Negative, and ſo read here, makes this ſenſe, In all their afflictions, was no affliction to them; and indeed how could there, if he bore the burthen, and took the affliction to himſelfe, as the former reading expreſſeth? and this is warranted from the ſequele, The Angel of his preſence, or of his face (which muſt needs carry favour in it) ſaved them. It was the Meſſenger or Angel then, who could carry Gods face or preſence to the afflicted Church, by whoſe preſence they were ſo ſaved, that affliction became no affliction to them: And this in Chriſt is not for the chaſtened Jew only, but for the Gentile alſo. Greater evils on the fleſh cannot be, than ſword, famine, peſtilence, deſolation in great part, yet in theſe was the preſence of the Lord ſo to diminiſh, that they became no afflictions; Gods ſaving preſence is the undeniable evidence of his love; but greatneſſe of evill, not of his fury, unleſſe abſolute, and overpreſſing creatures to perdition.
3. In the greateſt preſſure of his Saints, as God tempers the rod, and ſweetens it with his preſence, ſo perpetually doth hee make it eaſie to them by his aſſiſtance; and will God aſſiſt, where he doth not love? It is the great conſolation which God gives unto his Church,Iſa. 41.14. Feare not, thou worm Jacob (thou worm-Church that lieſt in harmes way under every mans foot) nor yee men, or indeed dead men of Iſrael, (ſo oppreſt, as even paſt hope of life,) why ſhould not theſe feare? who more in danger, or leſſe able to reſiſt than the worme? who more hopeleſſe than the dead? yet feare not, for I will help thee, ſaith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy one of Iſrael. So theu where God helps he loves; but his help is not withdrawn from greateſt troubles; caſt not then away your comforts upon this ground; God doth help his people at hardeſt ſtraights, and therefore muſt needs love them in their greateſt miſeries.
2.Caſe 2. Another of Gods chaſtened, though hee can beare up againſt a brunt, be it never ſo great, yet repetition of evils, and frequency of bitter ſcourgings are ready to kill the heart of him; ſo that his cry is this: God hath ſet me as his mark to ſhoot at, he breaks me with breach upon breach, from morning to evening he is making an end of mee; one blow followes another; if God did love in chaſtening, his rod would not be ſo often upon my back; his hand is ſtretched out firſt on goods, and then on name, and then on children, and then upon my fleſh, Gods frequent ſtrokes ſtrike off my comfort: This was Jobs wearineſſe ſometimes, that made him bitterly complaine.
And is all this ſufficient to expunge Gods love from comforting his chaſtened in their paines?Anſw. I muſt determine contrary; Frequency in ſcourging is no ſure argument of Gods wrath againſt his owne. One or two inſtances will cleare this, that wee may proceed: The ſweet Pſalmiſt was a tender one in Gods eye, yet heare him tell how ſeverely God uſeth him beyond his very ſlaves, the wicked of the world; They, ſaith hee, proſper in the world, they increaſe in riches &c. But all the day long have I been plagued and chaſtened every morning, or my rebuke and chaſtiſement was in the mornings, that is, every morning, or morning after morning; as if hee had ſaid, I was as ſure to be rebuked and whipt by God every morning as I did riſe; And this began to ſhake him alſo into perverſe concluſions, he was ſaying, Verily I have cleanſed my heart in vain, but that he ſhould therein have ſinned againſt the generation of Gods children, with whom ſuch was his cuſtome to deal; therefore no argument to conclude a child of wrath. Number the dayes of ſorrow upon Gods own Son, from the Manger to the Grave, and ſtifle this objection: Nay, rather conclude good then evill from frequent chaſtenings; Theſe ſweet benefits intended in, and effected by them are forcible for that purpoſe.
1. The often and daily awakening of the ſoule hereby upon ſins the weakening of it, and barres againſt it; this is no ſigne of God,Iſa. 50.4, 5. hatred to his people: He wakeneth me morning by morning, was the Prophets note; and what the iſſue? Hee wakened, and opened mine eare, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back: bleſſed Rod that keepes from ſleep in ſin, the more bleſſed, the oftner it comes: It wakes the ſoule, nay, more, it wakens ſin; death and ſin get more ſtrength the more one ſleeps in them, and ſtill are weakened, when the ſoule awakes and is in lightened; affliction wears out the fleſh, and ſo conſumes the ſin that lives in it,2 Cor. 4.16. when ordered by that ſin-killing ſpirit, no wrath but love in this, ſin ſhould decay with fleſh, that ſpirit and grace may thrive: Yea farther, every Rod is a barr againſt ſin, and every affliction a thorn-hedge,Hoſ. 2.6. to keep us in from roving after our inchanting lovers, our luſts that bewitch us unto hell; who would not ſuffer any thing to avoyd theſe Charmes? Well, trouble not my ſoule with this; my God whip mee every houre of the day, if every time thou wilt quip out ſin; I will kiſſe that Rod every time it comes, that awakes my ſoule, and weakens my ſin, and barres againſt perdition.
2. The frequent and daily purging of the ſoule; cleanneſſe of ſpirit is a ſweet frame, moſt like to God; Blackmoores, children of the Aethiopians in the ſpirituall notion are moſt unlike God, and moſt diſtaſtefull to him; cleanneſſe, I ſay, not only privative from ſin (which is toucht in the former) but poſitive, noting an abſolute purity of ſpirit, unto which God provokes his own by his counſels, drawes them by his promiſes, and drives them by his rods: The blewneſſe of the wound cleanſeth away evill, Prov. 20.30.and ſtripes the inward parts of the belly; outward ſmart may be, and uſually is inward health to Gods owne chaſtened: By ſadneſſe of countenance the heart is made better; that is, the Rod that makes ſad, betters the ſpirit, by the over-powering hand of grace, that chaſtens with it; ſuch cleanneſſe found David, reſtored to his ſoule by the Rod, after his defilement with Ʋriahs blood and Bathſhebas pollution. Peace then, fooliſh fleſh, grumble not againſt often chaſtenings; did not God love thee, he would never take ſuch pains with thee: away, away repinings; My God, ſcourge and purge, purge and ſcourge me, as often as thou wilt; cleanſe me throughly, though thou afflict me hourely: Let mee be clean, though a man of ſorrowes all my dayes; then I ſhall know thou loveſt me.
3. The frequent and daily triall of our graces; know we what this is, we ſhall not conſtrue hatred in often chaſtenings; There is ſomething in this that one Apoſtle tels us,1 Pet. 1.7. The triall of your Faith is much more precious than gold that periſheth, though it be tried with fire: and another,Jam. 1.2, 3. foreign as much as foreign Count it all joy when yee fall into divers temptations, variety and ſo frequency of afflictions with him is a joyous thing, but why ſo? Knowing that the triall of your Faith worketh patience, &c. The word in both is the ſame, and notes an excellent effect upon grace by the trying and diſcerning power in afflictions commanded on them: Faith loſeth nothing by the Furnace, or fiery triall, but gaineth rather, and becomes more precious, Faith of proofe, Grace of proofe, no violence can pierce or ſpoil it: And as grace is better then gold that periſheth, ſo tried grace, proved faith, more pretious then the tried gold, and ſeven times refined in the fire; and the more tried, ſtill the more glorious; Theſe advantages grace alwayes get by trialls, more luſtre, more purity, and more perfection, to beautifie, inrich, and perfect ſoules. Heare what one ſayes, It is unto praiſe, and honour and glory, with reſpect to God; and heare the other, It makes us perfect, intire, and wanting nothing: Now who would not be whipt every day out of wants, and ſcourged every moment into integrity and perfection? Nay, who would not be beaten every morning, to praiſe, and honour and glory with God? If this be the worſt of frequent chaſtenings, give glory to God, poore Chriſtian, and comfort thy ſelf, he doth not hate, but mightily love in this; My ſoule chooſe this portion, and beg it from heaven: Try, and refine, and perfect thy graces in me, O my God, and ſcourge, and teare, and waſte my fleſh as pleaſeth thee; This is the droſſe, and that the gold moſt precious.