A Dry Rod Blooming and Fruit Bearing, Title page – Dedication
A DRY ROD BLOOMING AND FRVIT-BEARING.
OR, A Treatiſe of the Pain, Gain, and Vſe of Chaſtenings.
Preached partly in ſeverall Sermons, but now compiled more orderly and fully for the direction and ſupport of all Gods Chaſtened that ſuffer either in CHRIST, or for CHRIST in theſe dayes.
By G. Hughes, B. D. Paſtor of the Church in PLYMOVTH.
Legi apud quendam ſapientem, Non eſt vir fortis cui non creſcit animus ni ipſa rerum difficultate: ego autem dico, Fideli homini magis & inter flagella fidendum.
Bern. Epiſt. 256. Ad. D. P. Eng.
It is good for a man, that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Lam. 3 27
My yoke is eaſie, and my burden is light.
Mat. 11.30.
London, Printed by T. Paine for John Rothwell at the Sun in Pauls Church-yard. 1644.
TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL, the Major, Recorder and Aldermen of the Town of Plymouth, with all that love the Lord I ſus in ſincerity even unto deepeſt ſufferings in that place.
Honored and Beloved,
GOds Furnace of affliction, and refining Fire hath beene viſibly ſet up among you, as in other parts of this diſtreſſed Iſland, the furnace hath beene as hot, and the flame as great, as in any of Gods work-houſes in the land: Me thinks pity ſhould be ſhewed, to you ſo deepely afflicted and toſſed with tempeſt, by your friends. Your enemies, and the Churches oppreſſers wil not ſpare to add to your afflictions, perſecuting you as evill doers, and charging you with Diſloialty, a Crime more bitter than your ſufferings, were the charge but juſt; unjuſt aſperſions will turne to greater honour at the laſt, therfore may be preſent comforts; I pray both for my ſelfe and you, the abhorring of that Sinne next to Rebellion againſt the Lord of Glory; I truſt we ſhall ſtrive equally againſt it, & be approved before the Reproacher in the latter end. But why diſloyall? if I may a little reaſon) becauſe obedient to the lawfull commands of the true fundamentall power ordained by God over us? ſuch obedience cannot be Treaſon, unleſſe that power bee Traiterous; and before this Age it was never known that a true Parliament was a ſubject capable of the crime of Treaſon; and truer than this rais'd according to the fundamental conſtitutions of this Kingdome never was any, let the enemy himſelfe be Judge. In this caſe it is ſafer to be accounted a Traitor for obedience to ſuch a power, then to bee one indeede by reſiſtance of it. To the accuſers returne, The Myſtery of Iniquity, as it covers ſinne in poyſoning, ſo it hides the cauſe in perſecuting; It pretends Chriſt, when it would convey into the Soule the very Hell of Antichriſt, and it cries out Faction, Treaſon, when it would murther outright Chriſt in his Members; And this deviſe is too well knowne now, than that Gods choſen ſhould bee deluded by it; wiſh them againe to leave calling Traitors, and waite for the Chronicle in the next Generation, which will more truely tell the generations to come, who have beene indeede Traitors in this Age: And tell them once more, it little concerns the Saints in this matter to be indged in mans day or of mans judgement; Gods day and judgement are haſting on, unto which alone doe we appeale: There ſhall they anſwer Chriſt and us, and untill then wee will patiently beare and wait for ſentence from our Iudge.
Your great ſuffering in the eyes of others both God and Men will finde, I hope, better acceptance, and draw ſweeter expresſions for returne: God hath not hid his face from you in yours deepeſt darkneſſe; in the flame he hath kept your Buſh from burning, and in the furnace your ſelves and ſubſtance yet from conſuming All that I pray for you is, ye may not be found unthankful nor unfruitful, but that ye may tread in the ſteps of Gods boſom-ſonne to learne obedience by all that ye have ſuffered, and returne unto the Lord according to mercies received.
For your helpe in this courſe, I am bold to preſent this worke to your eyes and hearts to be ſeene and ſtudied: My firſt conceptions of it (I confeſſe) were occaſioned by my owne afflictions, for my owne uſe, which though bitter to the fleſh, I hoped to ſweeten by the Spirit of theſe truths bound up in this Apoſtolicall advertiſement to the Chriſtian Hebrewes: and I bleſſe God, my hope did not altogether faile nice in this matter. Afterwards my thoughts were inlarged to ſome Sermons upon this ſubiect, with deſire not to keepe cloſe theſe reviving cordialls, but to impart them in meaſure for the comfort of Gods afflicted; The deſire of ſome of theſe to have thoſe words under their eyes, which did but touch their eares, hath prevailed with me to compoſe all in this Treatiſe, & now to make it of publike uſe. Yet in ſending it abroad my hearts deſire is to give it a ſpeciall direction unto you, and my prayer to God, that it may abundantly be profitable to your ſoules: To the love and care wherof as I am ingaged by the more ſpeciall bonds of Chriſt; ſo if you may better proſper under chastenings by this first fruit of my labour on you, it will be my full rejoycing.
I preſent this worke to you, and the afflicted Church, the rather at this ſeaſon, to bee both a remedy againſt preſent preſſures, and an Antidote againſt the malignity of future troubles in the fleſh, which the Holy Ghoſt ſeem's to bid us to expect in theſe laſt dayes of teſtifying againſt the Antichriſt, and his vaſſal creatures, if we be the Saints of God: he points at our time, and all that ſpace remaining to the harveſt of Antichriſt,Revel. 14.12. with that finger, Here is the patience of the Saints; Here and now trialls enough ſhall be raiſed to exerciſe the patience of Gods Saints, but no cauſe to undervalue Saintſhip for this. Bleſſed Saints in this time that ſtore up patience, that keepe the Commandements of God and the faith of Ieſus; The victory and Kingdome ſhall be theirs. If any afflicted ſoule may by this Treatiſe be directed to its due exerciſe under the rod, and help't on to the receiving of the deſired fruit, it is all I aime at, that God may be glorified in it.
VponUpon you (dearely beloved and longed for) J caſt this ſeede with a great hope of a ſweete returne of a treble fruit, toward the rod, toward your God, toward your ſelves, which I beſeech the Father of mercies by the word of bleſsing to perfect, & you by your obedience to helpe on, that we be not aſhamed. 1. Towards the rod, I ſhall long and hope for your returne of patience in a ſweete bearing of it, that ye neither faint under it nor deſpiſe it; of obedience in a due hearing of it, that like the Bee, yee may worke hony out of every netle; and of diligence or watchfulneſſe to be conformed to Gods Covenant, for which the Rod pleads, that it may be as the thorne at the Nightingales breaſt, your conſtant Awakener unto God.
2. Towards God, no leſſe ſhall I deſire and wait for, the eminent Piety, Holineſſe, and zeale for his cauſe in the power of them, to give him Glory his Peculiar, in word, in waies, in worſhip, this he will have, either from you, or upon you: How well ſpent are we, if we be conſumed and God glorified? Saints are but Lamps or Candles of God, they burne and ſhine to ſhew his beauty, and at laſt are done,Col. Gould. goe out ſweetly and expire in his glory. Such a Lamp is lately gone out with you, that is burnt & ſpent for Chriſt, his Church and you; His life was light, and that deſired, his death darkeneſſe, not in yours onelyonly but the kingdomes Hemiſphaere, and that lamented: I cannot thinke upon ſuch a publike Man but with Honour, and though Envy barke, the memory of the iuſt ſhall be bleſſed; I mention him onelyonly to move you to a repaire of ſuch a Light, Be all ſo; burne and ſhine, and ſpend ſtate, and parts, and lives to become at laſt Gods Glory in expiring.
3. Towards your ſelves, I pray and waite for out of all your troubles the fruit of Love & Vnion; though in times of peace Chriſtians may perhaps grow fat, and proud, and wanton, and kick with the heele, yet me thinks the rod and afflictions ſhould tame them; Though in the palace the Martyres may contend, the stake did ſurely make them friends: One ſcourge upon all backs for one cauſe, by one Adverſary, will certainely whip the hearts of them together that ſuffer: Either ye are not all indeed ſufferers in the ſame cauſe of Chriſt, (if ſo, let Hypocrites unmaske themſelves) or elſe ye must bee of the ſame heart and minde; O let that curſed ſelfe dye, and let Chriſt live in you, then ye ſhall bee of one heart and of one minde. Selfe-conceit, Selfe-ends, Selfe-pleaſing, let them periſh; Is this a time to ſeeke things for our ſelves? Seeke Chriſt, ſerve and pleaſe one another in him; no way ſo holy and ſo proſperous. Let the rod have ſuch an anſwer: or if by any other arguments I may, let me now beg you into mutual love and ſweet accord; I will ſtrive by the Apoſtles ſtrength: Beloved, if there be any conſolation in Chriſt, Phil. 2.1, 2.any comfort in love, if any fellowſhip of the Spirit, if any bowells and mercies, fulfill my joy to be like-minded in the Lord. With this hope I ſend this token to you, in this hope I am haſting towards you, your union and mutuall love in Chriſt will be my joy, your diviſions from him my greateſt griefe: Honour Chriſt, and comfort me, and bleſſe your ſelves in yeelding this fruit. Take now this pledge of my love and uſe it. I alſo ſhall bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, that while ye are reading, the Spirit of life and light may fall upon you, and change your hearts into the likeneſſe of every Truth; Hee teach and ſtabliſh, and comfort, and perfect you unto Gods Heavenly Kingdome; Into his boſome I now commend you through the Beloved, In whom I muſt ſubſcribe my ſelfe,
Lond. May. 11th. 1644. Your unworthy Pastor, deſirous to be your faithfull ſervant for Jeſus ſake. GEORGE HVGHES.
A DRY ROD BLOOMING AND FRVIT-BEARING, OR A Treatiſe of the Pain, Gain, &c. uſe of Gods Chaſtenings upon his own Children, iſſuing from this Text, Heb. 12.11, 12, 13.
Now no chaſtening for the preſent ſeemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheleſſe afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteouſneſſe unto them that are exerciſed thereby.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang downe, and the feeble knees.
And make ſtreight (or even) pathes for the feete, leſt that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather bee healed.