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, spot, stain, blemish, or mixture of injustice, in all the afflictions thou hast brought upon me ; I desire to take shame to myself, and to set to my seal, that the Lord is righteous, and that there is no injustice, no cruelty, nor no extremity in all that the Lord hath brought upon me.' And so in that Psalm cxix. 75, 137, he sweetly and readily subscribes unto the righteousness of God in those sharp and smart afflictions that God exercised him with. ' I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and righteous are thy judg- ments.' God's judgments are always just ; he never afflicts but in faith- fulness. His will is the rule of justice ; and therefore a gracious soul dares not cavil nor question his proceedings. The afflicted soul knows that a righteous God can do nothing but that which is righteous ; it knows that God is incontrollable, and therefore the afflicted man puts his mouth in the dust, and keeps silence before him. Who dare say, ' Wherefore hast thou done so?' 2 Sam. xvi. 10.
The Turks, when they are cruelly lashed, are compelled to return to the judge that commanded it, to kiss his hand, give him thanks, and pay the officer that whipped them, and so clear the judge and officer of injustice. Silently to kiss the rod, and the hand that whips with it, is the noblest way of clearing the Lord of all injustice.
The Babylonish captivity was the sorest, the heaviest affliction that ever God inflicted upon any people under heaven ; witness that 1 Sam. xii., and Dan. ix. 12, &c. Yet under those smart afflictions, wisdom is justified of her children : Neh. ix. 33, ' Thou art just in all that is brought upon us, for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly ;' Lam. i. 18, ' The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against him.' A holy silence shines in nothing more than in an humble justi- fying and clearing of God from all that which a corrupt heart is apt enough to charge God with in the day of affliction. God, in that he is good, can give nothing, nor do nothing, but that which is good ; others do frequently, he cannot possibly, saith Luther, on Ps. 120th.
Fifthly, A holy silence takes in gracious, blessed, soul-quieting con- clusions about the issue and event of those afflictions that are upon us, Lam. iii. 27-34. In this choice scripture you may observe these five soul-stilling conclusions.
(1.) First, and that more generally, That they shall tvork for their good : ver. 27, ' It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.' A gracious soul secretly concludes, as stars shine brightest in the night, so God will make my soul shine and glister like gold, whilst I am in this furnace, and when I come out of the furnace of affliction : Job xxiii. 1 0, ' He knoweth the way that I take ; and when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.'
Surely, as the tasting of honey did open Jonathan's eyes, so this cross, this affliction, shall open mine eyes ; by this stroke I shall come
1 Plato calls God the liorn of plenty, the ocean of beauty, without the least spot of injustice.
302 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9.
to have a clearer sight of my sins and of myself, and a fuller sight of my God, Job xxxiii. 27, 28 ; xl. 4, 5 ; xlii. 1-7.
Surely this affliction shall issue in the purging away of my dross, Isa. i. 25.
Surely as ploughing of the ground killeth the weeds, and harrowing breaketh hard clods, so these afflictions shall kill my sins, and soften my heart, Hosea v. 15, vi. 1-3.
Surely as the plaster draws out the core, so the afflictions that are ii] i. m me shall draw out the core of pride, the core of self-love, the core of envy, the core of earthliness, the core of formality, the core of hypocrisy, Ps. cxix. 67, 71.
Surely by these the Lord will crucify my heart more and more to the world, and the world to my heart, Gal. vi. 14 ; Ps. cxxxi. 1-3.
Surely by these afflictions the Lord will hide pride from my soul, Job xxxiii, 14-21.
Surely these afflictions are but the Lord's pruning-knives, by which he will bleed my sins, and prune my heart, and make it more fertile and fruitful; they are but the Lord's portion, by which he will clear me, and rid me of those spiritual diseases and maladies, which are most deadly and dangerous to my soul.
Affliction is such a potion, as will carry away all ill humours, better than all the benedicta medicamenta, as physicians call them, Zech. xiii. 8, 9.
Surely these shall increase my spiritual experiences, Rom. v. 3, 4.
Surely by these I shall be made more partaker of God's holiness, Heb. xii. 10. As black soap makes white clothes, so doth sharp afflic- tions make holy hearts.
Surely by these God will communicate more of himself unto me, Hosea ii. 14.
Surely by these afflictions the Lord will draw out my heart more and more to seek him, Isa. xxvi. 16. Tatianus told the heathen Greeks, that when they were sick, then they would send for their gods to be with them ,J as Agamemnon did at the siege of Troy, send for his ten councillors. Hosea v. 15, ' In their afflictions they will seek me early,' or as the Hebrew hath it, 'they will morning me ;' in times of affliction, Christians will industriously, speedily, early seek unto the Lord.
Surely by these trials and troubles the Lord will fix my soul more than ever upon the great concernments of another world, John xiv. 1-3 ; Rom. viii. 17, 18 ; 2 Cor. iv. 16-18.
Surely by these afflictions the Lord will work in me more tenderness
and compassion towards those that are afflicted, Heb. x. 34, xiii. 3.
As that Tyrian queen2 said,
Evils have taught me to hemoan, All that afflictions make to groan.
The Romans punished one that was seen looking out at his window with a crown of roses on his head, in a time of public calamity. Bishop Bonner was full of guts, but empty of bowels ; I am afraid this age is full of such Bonners.
Surely these are but God's love-tokens : Rev. iii. 19, 'As many as I
1 In his u^lt "EAXrjva.-, Oratio adveraus Grozcos. — Q.
1 Lido in Virgil, ATtc ignara mali, miseris luccurrere disco. — Ld.
PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 303