Chapter 9: Duties required of us when God calls us to an afflicted condition

SEeing God has so ordered things, that his people must be in an afflicted estate in this world, when God calls us to suffer afflictions, let us know there are three duties required of us.

First, that we be willing to yield to Gods call, to come under that condition he has appointed us unto.

Secondly, that we behave ourselves Christianly with all humble submission, patience, contentedness, in this condition.

Thirdly, that we labor to improve our affliction that shall be layed upon us.

For the first, when our cross comes, we must be willing to take it up freely, and readily to submit unto it. It was the honor of the three children in Daniel, that they yielded their bodies to those fiery flames they were cast into, Dan. 3:28 Let us not seek to put off sufferings by distinctions; certainly the best policy in dangerous times, is the greatest purity. The Lacedemonians were wont to say, It is a shame for any man to flye, in time of danger; but for a Lacedemonian, it is a shame for him to deliberate: How much more truly may this be said of a Christian, when God calls him to suffer? he should be such a resolved man beforehand, that it should be a shame now for him even to deliberate.

It is argument enough for a Christian to suffer any thing, because it is the will of God, out of bare submission to God; but when it is not only so, but in the cause of God, in witness to his truth, in vindicating his honor, this call to suffer comes with strength indeed: it is unworthy of a Christian, once to deliberate the avoyding of this; How much better is it, to suffer a little to prevent a sin, and so prevent Gods wrath, then by avoyding sufferings to fall into sin, which being once committed, Gods wrath incensed by it cannot be pacified, though we should be willing to suffer a thousand times as much. Our condition is such, that we must suffer one way or another, while we live here; Is it not better then to suffer for God then any other way? This was Chrysostoms argument in his Sermons upon the 2 Cor. chap. 12. Sermon 26. If you suffer not for Religion, you will suffer for some other unprofitable light cause: Seeing then, says he, we following this or the other course of life, we must suffer affliction, why do we not choose such a suffering, which with the affliction brings unspeakable glory? Certainly it is infinitely better to suffer for Christ, then for our sin. We read of Peace-offerings that were offered, there might be oyl mixed, but not so in Sin-offerings: in those afflictions we endure for Christ, we offer up ourselves as Sacrifices of Peace-offerings, and in them there is joy, much oyl of gladness is mixed in such offerings; but when we suffer for our sins, there is no oyl of gladness mixed there; Let us take heed, that we be not found guilty before the Lord, when the secrets of all hearts shall be opened, of being shy of the ways of Religion, because of affliction; many when they see they must suffer in those ways, although they be convinced of them, yet they are ready to say with Augustine, as he confesses of himself, I do not love to pass through those straits, it is too hard and narrow away for them. If such thoughts work in you at any time, take these considerations, for the rebuking of yourself, and the raising of your heart, to a more Christian magnanimity of spirit.

First, at what a low rate doest you prize the ways of God, the glory of God, that such and such more low comforts must not be laid down for them, that such light afflictions must not be endured for the maintenance of them?

Secondly, consider if Christ had stood upon such terms, as to have said, I could be content indeed that these poor creatures might be delivered from misery, but seeing such grievous evils must be suffered for their deliverance, let them perish; I am not willing to be their deliverer upon such hard terms; What had become of us, if Christ had reasoned thus, if this argument had prevailed with him against us, as it prevails with us against him.

Thirdly, you who art so shy of suffering, mayest be forced to suffer in spight of your heart; and what a sad thing will that be to you? What a sad thing was it to Cranmer? after he had recanted for fear of sufferings, yet he was forced to suffer; what a darkning was it to this spirit, his cause, and name? Mr. Fox relates of a Smith in King Edwards time, who was the means of conversion of a friend of his, who in Queen Maries time was cast into prison; whereupon he sends to this Smith, who had been the means of his conversion, wondring that he hears not of his apprehending and imprisonment; this Smith sends him word again, that it was true, that he had taught him such and such things, and those things were certain truths; but for his part, he could not burn; but a while after, the house of this Smith was on fire, and he was burnt in it; God made him burn whether he would or no: and so may he make you suffer, whether you will or no, who refuse to suffer for his truth.

Fourthly, whatever prosperity you enjoyest when God calls you to suffer for him, is cursed unto you, if you blessest yourself in your estate, your liberty, your name, your life that you enjoyest, having avoided the way of suffering that God called you unto, you deceivest yourself, for there is no blessing in them, they are all accursed unto you.

Fifthly, all duties of Religion that now you performest out of a suffering condition, are not now accepted of God; you must not think now, having avoided suffering for Gods truth, that because you art willing to perform duties, to be diligent in some service for God, that God now accepts of you; No, it was another work that God called you unto, a work of suffering; seeing you hast refused this, do what you can, God casts it as dung in your face and regards it not; this is a sad condition, What joy can such a man have of his life, if he has an enlightned conscience?

Sixthly, what intolerable pride, and delicacy is this in you, that you will not venter the loss of any thing, the enduring of any thing for God, and his truth? the least truth of God is worth more then heaven and earth; and what is your ease, your liberty, your name, your life to it? You art too delicate, O Christian, says Tertullian, who must have pleasure in this world.

Seventhly, How vile is the unbelief of your heart, who darest not trust God with your name, estate, liberty? How can you trust God with your soul, your eternal estate? How lightly doest you regard all the faithfulness, the mercy, goodness, wisdom, power of God, working for his people in their suffering conditions? Of what little account are all these gracious blessed promises of the Lord, for their encouragement herein? your base shyness, and cowardise of spirit is such, as if there were no God, no faithfulness, mercy, wisdom, power to help, as if there were no promise to support and relieve you.

Eighthly, there is a necessity of your miscarrying in the ways of eternal life; for if God has so ordered things in his providence, as that such ways must be in ways of affliction; and your heart cannot bear affliction, how is it possible, but that you must needs miscarry in them? It is a woeful thing, to have a mans heart opposite to Gods order, in any thing, but much more in things of infinite consequence; if afflictions be a block to you in the way of life, you must have this block.

Ninthly, How little love is there in your heart to God, when you art so shy of any thing to be suffered for God? love rejoyces in suffering for the beloved. The avoiding hell, and the getting Heaven, are no great things, says Chrysostome, where the love of God is: then surely the avoiding outward troubles, and the enjoyment of outward comforts, would be no great matter to us, if the love of God were in us.

Tenthly, Did you never suffer affliction in your ways of sin? and will you not now be willing to suffer as much in the ways of God? Shall your sins have a greater testimony of respect to them from you, then God himself? Art you nor confounded at the mention, the thought of such a thing as this, so unreasonable, so vile?

Eleventhly, What honor should God have in the world? where would there be any witness to truth, against the rage and malice of devil and wicked men, if all should do as you doest? If there be any Christian blood left in you, if any spirit worthy of your profession, be ashamed of your baseness this way, and be not so shy of afflictions.

Secondly, when you art under afflictions, let there be an humble contented frame of spirit, as beseems a Christian; seeing you art now under an Ordinance of God, take heed of the least murmuring, repining against God, as if he were a hard Master; or as if his ways were hard and burthensom, because of the afflictions you meetest withal: when your spirit begins any way to rise in such workings, charge your soul to be silent unto God; it is a great shame for a Christian, not to be well skilled in that art, instructed in that mystery of Christian contentation. Say with your Savior, Shall not I drink of that cup my Father has given me to drink? It is Gods appointment, that his people should be in an afflicted estate in this world; it is the cup of my Father, and shall not I quietly, and contentedly drink of that cup? Now you hast an opportunity to manifest the power and excellency of your grace, to show what your grace can enable you to do; strength of reason wil go far, in quieting and calming of the heart under afflictions; but grace surely, where it is true, will go farther.

It is the most unseemly sight in the world, to see a murmuring fretting Christian; if your God, if Christ, if Heaven were lost, it were not much to see wringing of hands, and sinking of heart; but to see this upon loss of a few outward comforts, upon enduring of a few outward afflictions, this is a most unseemly, a vile and an abominable thing in you. S. Augustine upon the 12. Psalm, brings in God, rebuking a discontented Christian, thus: What is your faith? have I promised you these things? what, were you made a Christian, that you shouldest flourish here in this world? Well may God, and Conscience, and all the Saints, upbraid a murmuring fretting Christian; What didst you expect in the entrance upon profession of Christianity? what was your aim? what, didst you make account to live at ease? to have no trouble to the flesh? Where there is not quiet of spirit in passive obedience, the sincerity of active obedience may be suspected: How far art you from rejoicing in tribulations, who hast not a quiet contented spirit in tribulations?

I will not enlarge myself in this argument now, intending a Treatise by its self of Christian contentation: only for the present take this one argument, which surely has much strength in it, to quiet the heart under any affliction; It is this, God is willing to accept of your service, that you tendrest up to him, though it be mixed with much sin; why should not you accept of his ways towards you, though there be a mixture of much affliction? The sin of our service should be a greater cause for God to be displeased with what comes from us, then the sorrow and affliction that comes in the ways of his providence, can be to cause us to be displeased with what comes from him: that surely is worse that is mixed with sin, then that which is mixed with sorrow; yet as the one is accepted by God from us, let then the other be accepted by us from God.

Lastly, let us not only be contented under Gods afflicting hand, but labor to thrive under it, to improve all our afflictions that befal us; Certainly, there is a blessing in every Ordinance of God, if we have wisdom and care to draw it forth, to make it our own; and so in this way of God towards his people, it is indeed a gracious work, to get our hearts lye quietly under affliction, but it is too low a work for a Christian to rest there, he must look to improve every affliction for his advantage. By improving them we make our Benonies, our Benjamins; that is, the sons of our sorrow, the sons of our right hand. Although waters in the Sea be salt, yet if they be raised up to the Heavens, and sent down again, then they are sweet; so though afflictions be brackish, yea brine-salt, yet a spiritual heart can spiritualize them, and make them sweet, and wholesom. Afflictions are great opportunities for spiritual advantage, if we have hearts to improve them; and the loss of an affliction is a great loss. S. Augustine in his second book of the City of God, cries out against such, who did not profit by Gods judgement; You, says he, have lost the profit of the calamity: he speaks of it as a great loss to them, that it was over, and they had got nothing by it: As it is a sign of great wickedness, to turn blessings into curses; so it is a sign of great grace, to turn curses into blessings. By this improvement we shall not only get water, but honey out of the rock.

But how should we improve afflictions?

First, be jealous of yourselves, lest it should pass away unsanctified; be more afraid of the affliction leaving of you thus, then of the continuing of it upon you; and therefore, lay out your strength more for a sanctified use of it, then for deliverance from it.

Secondly, labor to know Gods mind in your afflictions. The man of wisdom sees Gods name upon this rod, and understands what God intends. First, whether he sends them for sin, or for other ends; and if for sin, for what particular.

For the first, it is true, God sends affliction sometimes for trial, and other ends, rather then for sin, yet it is sin that makes us capable of such a way of trial; were we not sinful, God would not deal with us that way, he would bring about his purposes by us some other way, therefore it is good in all to be humbled for sin; you may be helped in the knowledge of Gods end.

First, if the affliction be extraordinary, and come in an extraordinary way, and upon examination you finde yourself not guilty of any special evil, besides daily incursions, then you may comfortably hope, Gods intentions are not specially for sin, but for some other end; so it was in Job and Joseph.

Secondly, you may know from the work of the affliction, which way it tends, and how God follows it, whether in it God settles not sin upon your heart, for humiliation, more then ordinary: or whether the work of Gods spirit be not rather for the stirring up of the exercise of some other grace; for God in his dealings with his people, will work for the attaining the ends he aims at.

Thirdly, much may be learned from the issue of an affliction; when God comes chiefly for trial, in the issue his grace does much abound towards his servants, as it did in Joseph and in Job; what honor was Joseph advanced unto? and Job had given him twice as much as he had before, chap. ult. ver. 10. In all the land there were no women so fair as the daughters Iob, ver. 15. but when the afflictions is for sin, it does not use to have such an issue, it is well if the sinner may be restored into such a comfortable condition as he was in before: When David was afflicted for his sin, some scars stuck by him after his deliverance, he scarce ever was brought into that comfortable condition he was in before.

But how may we finde out the particular sin?

First, look what sins and afflictions the word has coupled together; although every sin deserves all kinde of affliction, yet the word joins some special correction, to special transgressions; as God sorts several promises to several graces, so he sorts several afflictions to several sins.

Secondly, consider what sins and afflictions providence couples in respect of similitude; God often stamps the likeness of the sin, upon the judgement, Iudges 1. 7, 8.

Thirdly, enquire at the mouth of God, by prayer and humiliation, as David did, 2 Sam. 21. and Job cap. 10:2 and those in Jeremy, cap. 16. 10, 11.

Fourthly, hearken to the voice of conscience, that is Gods officer in your soul, especially in time of affliction, conscience will deal impartially; and take this rule for your help herein, After much humiliation, and seeking of God, then listen to the voice of conscience: for as it is with an Officer whom you would have search the Records, if you would have him diligent indeed in the search, you must give him his fee, else he will do the work but slightly: so you must give conscience, Gods Register, his fee; that is, let conscience have much prayer, and humiliation which it calls for, and then it will tell you Gods mind more fully.

Fifthly, consider what truths have been most pressed upon your hearts before the affliction, for afflictions do use to come as seals to instructions, as Iob 33:16 A writing has not that authority with it before it be sealed, as it has after; but when the seal is set on, then it comes with authority: so it is in regard of Gods instructions; before, they did not come with power to your hearts, now God seals them, that they may prevail; and by considering what those instructions were, you may be helped to finde out what God aims at in your afflictions.

A third Rule is, when you have found out your sin, stir up your heart against it with indignation: This is that which has caused me all this wo, that has brought all this trouble and smart. As Acts 21:28 the Jews took hold on Paul, crying, Men of Israel, help, This is the man, that teaches every where against the people: So should we take hold on our sin, that we have found out, and cry to the Lord, Help, O Lord, this is that sin that has made the breach, this is that sin that has been the cause of so much evil unto me. As we read of Antonius, after Julius Caesar was murthered, he brought forth his coat all bloody and cut, and laid it before the people, Look here, says he, you have your Emperors coat thus bloody and torn: whereupon the people were presently in an uproar, and cryed out to slay those murtherers, and they took their tables and stools that were in the place, and set them on fire, and ran to the houses of those who had slain Caesar, and burnt them. Thus the looking upon our afflictions, and considering what mischief sin has done us, our hearts should be raised to flye upon our sin with indignation, and not to be satisfied without the destruction of that which would have destroyed us.

A fourth rule is, when God stirs your heart in affliction, to promise and covenant reformation; begin the work while the affliction is upon you, do something now presently, do not put off all till you be well, till you be recovered, and think then I will do it: there is much deceit of the heart this way, many miscarry in their vows to God upon this ground, because they put off all till they be out of their affliction, and by that time, the impression that was upon their spirits is abated, their hearts are cooled, and so the duty is neglected; therefore do something presently, and be always in doing, till that which is vowed be fully performed.

Fifthly, let every affliction drive you much to God in prayer. Is any man afflicted? let him pray, says S. James. It is a similitude of Chrysostom, As clouds darken the heavens, & cause lowring weather, but being distilled into drops, then sweet Sun-shine and fair weather follows: so sorrows and cares in the soul, cloud the soul, till they be distilled in prayer, into tears, and poured forth before the Lord, then the sweet beams of Gods grace come in, and much blessing follows.

Sixthly, treasure up all the experiences you have had of God, and your own heart in the time of your affliction, keep them fresh in your heart, and work them upon your spirit, and make use of them as God offers occasion.

Seventhly, what you wished you had done then, be sure now to set about, and never rest till it be done; that when affliction comes again, it may not finde it undone, if it does, it will make the affliction very bitter unto you. It was the advice of one Theodoricus, to Segismund the Emperor, who asked him how he should be happy, Do, says he, that now, which when you have been tormented with a fit of the stone or the gout, you would wish you had done: that which he said of that particular afflictions, is true of others: We should have glorious reformations, if this rule were well observed; surely, that which is true in times of affliction, is true out of it, and that which conscience upon ground judges to be right and good then, is right and good now.

Eighthly, take heed of trusting to your own promises, that you have made to God for obedience, rather then to his promises that he has made to you for assistance.

Ninthly, often call yourself to account after the affliction is over; What is become of it? how was it with me then? and how is it now? have I more peace now, then I had then? and how comes it about? Has my peace grown upon good grounds, so as it may-hold? I had workings of Spirit then, what are become of them? have I been faithful to God, and to mine own soul? And thus we have finished this doctrine of affliction, which by Gods ordinance is the portion of his people in this world. They have been, are, and shall be an afflicted people.