PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks — Volume 1
Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680 · 335,539 words · 276 reading sections
Section 181
Ah, friends ! shall a heathen bear it out thus bravely, and shall not you much more ? Pulvillus, another heathen [Pet. Mart.], when he was about to consecrate a temple to Jupiter, and news was brought to him of the death of his son, desisted not from his enterprise ; but with a com- posed mind gave order for decent bur…
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aud therefore I may not, I cannot be such a churl as not to give them some of my honey to taste, who have drunk deep of my gall and worm- wood.1 Austin observes on that, Ps. lxvi. 16, ' Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.' ' He doth not call them,' saith he, ' to acqua…
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290 EPISTLE DEDICATORY. high, but their affections are low ; they speak much, but do little.1 As drums, and trumpets, and ensigns in a battle make a great noise and a fine show, but act nothing, so these counterfeit friends will compliment highly, bow handsomely, speak plausibly, and promise lustily, and yet have neit…
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that practiseth what he reads and understands, God will help him to understand what he understands not. There is no fear of knowing too much, though there is much fear in practising too little ; the most doing man shall be the most knowing man ; the mightiest man in prac- tice will in the end prove the mightiest man in…
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For the opening and clearing up of this great and useful truth, 1 shall inquire, First, What this silence is that is here pointed at in the proposition. Secondly, What a gracious, a holy, silence doth include. Thirdly, What this holy silence doth not include. Fourthly, The reasons of the point ; and then bring home…
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tainly there is a generation amongst us, who, when they are under the afflicting hand of God, have no mouths to plead with God, no lips to praise God, nor no tongues to justify God. These are possessed with a dumb devil ; and this dumb devil had possessed Ahab for a time : 1 Kings xxi. 4, 'And Ahab came into his house,…
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lays his own hand upon his mouth. So Aaron, beholding the hand of God in the untimely death of his two sons, holds his peace, Lev. x. 3. The sight of God in this sad stroke is a bridle both to his mind and mouth, he neither mutters nor murmurs. So Joseph saw the hand of God in his brethren's selling of him into Egypt, …
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when thou correctest.1 God's judging his people is God's correcting or chastening of his people : 1 Cor. xi. 32, ' When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord/ David's great care, when he was under the afflicting hand of God, was to clear the Lord of injustice. Ah ! Lord, saith he, there is not the least show, spo…
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love, I rebuke and chasten.' Seneca persuaded his friend Polybius to bear his affliction quietly, because he was the emperor's favourite, telling him, that it was not lawful for him to complain whilst Csesar was his friend. So saith the holy Christian, O my soul ! be quiet, be still ; all is in love, all is a fruit of …
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1 The heathen could say, A recta c<mscientia ne latum quidem vnguem discedendum, Man may not depart an hair's-breadth all his life; long from the dictates of a good conscience. [Seneca in Kpist. and De Vita Beita. -G.] Ps. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 305 thee, O my soul, not to mutter, nor to murmur ; I comman…
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1. First, A holy, a prudent silence under affliction doth not exclude and shut out a sense and feeling of our afflictions. Ps. xxxix. 9, though he 'was dumb, and laid his hand upon his mouth,' yet he was very sen- sible of his affliction : verses 10, II, 'Remove thy stroke away from me, I am consumed by the blow of thi…
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It was a good saying of one, ' I hide not my sins, but I shew them ; I wipe them not awray, but I sprinkle them ; I do not excuse them, but accuse them. The beginning of my salvation is the knowledge of my transgression.'2 When some told Prince Henry,3 that delicios generis humani, that darling of mankind, that the sin…
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tender to a man as an only daughter ; and because therein appears the likeness of a little daughter. Upon which words, saith Bellarmine, C lames asffidvZ ad Deum, non lingua, sed oculis, non verbis sed lichrymis, lata enim est oratio, qua; pacare solet : cry aloud, not with thy tongue, but with thine eyes ; not with th…
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1 2 Kings v. 14, 15 ; Mat. iv. G, 7 ; xxii. 4, 5, 8 ; Luke xiv. 16-24 ; Acts xxvii. 24, 25, 31. * Heylin Cosm. 1. iii. 312 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [P.S. XXXIX. 9. man, ask me not how I came in, but help me and tell me how I may come out. The application is easy. But, 8. Eighthly, and lastly, A holy, a prudent silence, do…
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Reason 2. Gracious souls should be mute and silent under their greatest afflictions and sharpest trials, that they may difference and distinguish themselves from the men of the world, who usually fret and fling, mutter or murmur, curse and swagger, when they are under the afflicting hand of God: Isa. viii. 21, 22, 'And…
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Jerome having read the life and death of Hilarion, — one that lived graciously and died comfortably, — folded up the book, saying, Well ■ Hilarion shall be the champion that I will follow ; his good life shall be my example, and his good death my precedent. Oh ! how much more should we all say, We have read how Christ …
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in Salem. Babylon signifies confusion, and Salem signifies peace. Now God dwells not in spirits that are unquiet and in confusion, but he dwells in peaceable and quiet spirits. Unquiet spirits can take in neither counsel nor comfort, grace nor peace, &c. : Ps. lxxvii. 2, ' My soul refused to be comforted.' The impatien…
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PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 319 that God and his people are, by the bond of the covenant, and by the blood of the Redeemer, so closely united that they can never be severed, yet such is his rage and wrath, envy and malice, that he will endeavour that which he knows he shall never effect. Could he but have m…
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* Exod. xvi. 7-9 ; Numb. xii. 14, xvii. 5, 10 ; Exod. xv. 24 ; Deut. i. 27 ; Ps. cvi. 25. PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 321 and we that have deserved a damning have no reason to charge God for being too severe, if we escape with a fatherly lashing.1 Rather than a man will take the blame, and quietly bear the…
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5. Fifthly, This truth looks sourly and sadly upon those who, in- stead of being silent and mute under their afflictions, use all sinful ■shifts and ways to slti ft themselves out of their troubles ; ivho care not though they break with God, and break with men, and break ivith tin-it' own consciences, so they may but b…
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(3.) Thirdly, As it is an impossible thing, so it is a very prejudicial, a very dangerous thing, to attempt to sin yourselves out of your troubles ; for by attempting to sin yourselves out of your trouble, you will sin yourselves into many troubles, as Jonah and Jacob did ; and by labouring to sin yourselves out of les…
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Clement observes, That every night when he heard the cock crow, he would fall upon his knees and weep bitterly ; others say, that his face was furrowed with continual tears. Were Abraham, David, Jacob, and Jonah now alive, they would tell you, that they have found this to be a truth in their own experience. Ah ! Christ…
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Pliny in his Natural History1 writeth of certain trees growing in the Red Sea, which being beat upon by the waves, stand like a rock, immoveable, and that they are battered by the roughness of the waters. In the sea of afflictions, God will make his people stand like a rock ; they shall be immoveable and invincible, an…
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struggling, and striving is there for those things that the great ones of the earth do highly prize ! Ah ! what stretching of wits, interests, and consciences is there this day, to gain and hold up that which justice will cast down ! how much better would it be, if all persons would in good earnest struggle and strive,…
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332 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9. session of God, the possession of a man's own soul is the greatest mercy in this world. A man may possess honours, and riches, and dear rela- tions, and the favour and assistance of friends under his trials, but he will never come to a possession of his own soul under his troubles…
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3 Acts xii. 7-11 ; Dan. ix 20, 24 ; Isa. xxxviii. i ; xxx. 19. 334 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9. a new song into my mouth, even praise unto our God ; many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.' And so when Absalom had made a great conspiracy against him, and his subjects fell off from him, and he wa…
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(3). Thirdly, Consider tltat murmuring is the 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, Num. xvi. 41, …
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(6.) Sixthly, Consider, That murmuring is a mercy-embitter in;/ sin, a mercy-souring sin; as put the sweetest things into a sour vessel, it sours them, or put them into a bitter vessel, and it embitters them. Murmuring puts gall and wormwood into every cup of mercy that God gives into our hands. As holy silence gives a…
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(10.) Tenthly, Murmuring is a time-destroying sin. Ah ! the precious time that is buried in the grave of murmuring ? When the murmurer should be a-praying, he is a-murmuring against the Lord ; when he should be a-hearing, he is a-murmuring against the divine providences ; when he should be a-reading, he is a-murmuring …
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1 . First, If thy heart be drawn more out to the Lord by thy afflic- tions, then the afflictions are in love. If they are so sanctified as that they draw out thy soul to love the Lord more, and to fear the Lord more, and to please the Lord more, and to cleave to the Lord more, and to wait on the Lord more, and to walk …
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that it was a very sad condition those poor people were in, to be thus hurried from the society of men, and to be made companions with the beasts of the field. True, said another, it were a sad condition indeed if they were carried to a place where they should not find their God ; but let them be of good cheer, God goe…
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(7.) Seventhly, If thou art willing to lie in the furnace fill thy dross be consumed ; if thou art willing that the plaster should lie on, though it smart, till the cure be wrought; if thou art willing that the physic should work, though it makes thee sick, till the humours be expelled ; all is in love, Job xxiii. 10, …
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(3.) Thirdly, Your near and dear mercies were first the Lords before they were yours, and ahuays the Lord's more than they were yours. When God gives a mercy, he doth not relinquish his own right in that mercy : 1 Chron. xxix. 14-, ' All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.' The sweet of mercy is y…
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Anjrtus, a young spark of Athens,1 came revelling into Alcibiades's house; and as he sat at supper with some strangers, he arose on a sud- den, and took away one half of his place.2 Thereupon the guests stormed, and took on at it. He bade them be quiet, and told them that he had dealt kindly with him, since that he had…
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(8.) Eighthly, // God, by smiting thee in thy nearest and dearest enjoyments, shall put thee upon a more thorough smiting and morti- fying of thy dearest sins, thou hast no cause to murmur. God cures David of adultery by killing his endeared child. There is some Delilah, some darling, some beloved sin or other, that a …
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(10.) Tenthly, Howcanst tltov. tell but that which thou culled a near a ml dear mercyt if it had been continued longer to thee, might have proved the greatest cross, the (jrmtest calamity and vii.se ry that ever thou didst meet with in this world ?l Our mercies, like choice wines, many times turn into vinegar ; our fai…
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a child, a friend, to the loss of God, Christ, the Spirit, or the least mea- sure of grace or communion with God? &C. I say, What are all such losses, bul the loss of a hen to the loss of Rome? And yet so simple and childish are many Christians, that they are more affected and afflicted with the loss of this and that p…
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Though ho may be poor in the world, yet he is rich in faith and holy experiences, James ii. 5 ; and what are all the riches of this world to spiritual experiences? One spiritual experience is more worth than a world, and upon a dying bed and before a judgment-seat, every man will be of this opinion. The men of this wor…
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2 Ps. xlii. 1-5, lxiii. 1, 2, 3. 8 ; Jer. xxxi. 18, 19 ; Hosea vi. 11 with 1. 2 ; Ps cxvi. 3, 4 and cxlv. 6, 7. 3 God will reward his people secundum laborem. — Bernard. 858 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXI X 9 religious services will be multiplied, and the more they are multiplied, the more his glory at last will be inc…
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(2.) Secondly, If such should not be mute and silent under their afflictions, whose afflictions are increased and multiplied upon them, then there are none in the world who will be found mute and silent under their afflictions : for certainly there are none who do not find the waters of affliction to grow daily upon th…
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(2.) Secondly, It may be they are not great, if you look upon them with Scripture spectacles, 1 Peter v. 10. Flesh and blood many times looks upon molehills as mountains, and scratches upon the hand as stabs at the heart ; we make elephants of flies, and of little pigmies we frame giants. Carnal reason often looks upon…
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(5.) Fifthly, They are not great, if compared with the afflictions and torments of such of the damned, who when they were in this world, never sinned at so high a rate as thou hast done.3 Doubtless there are many now in hell, who never sinned against such clear light as thou hast done^ nor against such special love as …
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(4.) Fourthly, Though thy afflictions are greater than this and that particular man's 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 Christi…
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(3.) Thirdly, Temptations are rather hopeful evidences that thy estate is good, that thou art dear to Ood, and that it shall go ivell with thee for ever, than otherwise. God had but one Son without corruption, but he had none without temptation, Heb. ii. 17, 18. Pirates make the fiercest assaults upon those vessels tha…
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than he was before in his ecstasy. Ah, tempted souls ! you say you are naught, very naught, but had it not been for the school of tempta- tion, you might have been stark naught before this time. You say you are sick, you are even sick to death. Why, your sickness had before this time killed you, had not temptations bee…
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[5.] Fifthly, It is an honour to the sal u Is to be tempted, and in the issue /<> have a n In mo arable conquest over the tempter. It was a great honour to David that he should be put to fight hand to hand with Goliath, and in the issue to overcome him, 1 Sam. xvii. ; but it was far greater honour to Job and Paul, that…
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Supposing that the desertion is real, and not in appearance only, as sometimes it falls out : I answer, (1.) First, // hath been the common lot, portion, and condition of the choicest samts in this world, to be deserted and forsaken of God, Ps. xx x. 6, 7 ; Ps. lxxvii. 6, and Ixxxviii. 6 ; Job xxiii. 8, 9 ; Cant. iii.…
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light of his countenance upon thee? Yes. Well, then, thou mayest be confident that thou hast a secret and blessed presence of God with thee, though God, in regard of his comfortable presence, may be de- parted from thee. Nothing below a secret presence of God with a man's spirit will keep him waiting and working till t…
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upon us,' &c. ; and that lsa liv. 7, 8, but now opened; and that Heb. xiii. ">, (5; and that Heb. ii. 3; and that Ps. v. 12, 'For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous ; with favour thou wilt compass him,' or crown him, 'as with a shield.' The Lord will compass the righteous about with his favour, as the crown compasses…
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2 Austin saith, Lord, I am content to suffer any pains and torments in this world, if 1 might see thy face one day ; at such a rate did he prize the face of God. 378 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. & Scripture and history ; but no man was ever yet found that was weary of tlic love and favour of God. No man sets so hig…
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Whatsoever commodity you lose, be sure yet to preserve that jewel of a good name. A Christian should be most chary of his good name, for a good name answers to all things, as Solomon spake of money. Ergo si bonam famam servasso, sat dives ero, If I may but keep a good name, I have wealth enough, said the heathen [Plaut…
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(4.) Fourthly, Our Lord Jesus Christ was sadly reproached and falsely accused. His precious name, that deserves to be always writ in characters of gold, as the Persians usually writ their king's, was often eclipsed before the sun was eclipsed at his death. His sweet name, that was sweeter than all sweets, was often cru…
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shall surely rise again.1 ' Their innocency shall shine forth as the light, and their righteousness as the noon-day/ Ps. xxxvii. 6. Though the clouds may for a time obscure the shining forth of the sun, yet the sun will shine forth again as bright and glorious as ever : ' The righteous shall be had in everlasting remem…
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3 For these references see BearrVs Theatre of Judgment. * Ps. 1. 21. It were very strange that I should please a world of men, when God him- self doth not give every man content. — Salv[iaii\. PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 385 not strewed, Mat. xxv. 24, &c. Oh ! the infinite reproach and scorn that is every …
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t. xxxii. 36 ; iron hit, Heb. x. 37 ; Exod. xii. 17, 41, 42, 51. PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 387 reignty of appointing times'? Acts i. 7, xvii. 26. It is but just and equal, that that God that hath made time, and that hath the sole power to appoint and dispose of time, that he should take his own time to d…
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- Betray,' viz the pain suffered. — G. - Pliny, lib. vii. 2. Cf. also Luoan, Pharaalia, lib. ix. 1. 890, et seq. ; and (Elian, Hist. Am m, lib. i. c. 57, and lib. xvi. c. 27, 28. — (i. PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 389 Christians see themselves and understand themselves. By delays God discovers much of a man…
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(1.) First, All the afflictions that come upon the saints, they are the fruits of divine love :3 Rev. iii. 19, 'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten : be zealous therefore, and repent ;' Heb. xii. 6, ' For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth;' Job v. 17, 'Behold! happy is th…
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You may take away my life, saith Basil, but you cannot take away my comfort ; my head, but not my crown. Yea, quoth he, had I a thousand lives, I would lay them all down for my Saviour's sake, who hath done abundantly more for me. John Ardley professed to Bonner, when he told him of burning, and how ill he could endure…
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In that famous battle at Leuctrum,1 where the Thebans got a signal victory, but their captain, Epaminondas, a little before his death, demanded whether his buckler were taken by the enemy, and when he 1 Rather Leuctra, and to be distinguished from Leuctrum. — G. 394 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9. understood thai i…
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(8.) Eighthly, If you would be silent and quiet under afflictions, then dwell much upon this, viz., That all your afflictions do but reach the tvorser, the baser, and the ignobler part of a Christian, viz., his body, his outward man : ' Though our outward man decay, yet our inward man is renewed day by day,' 2 Cor. iv.…
1,312 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.