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 hath been afflicted, oppressed, distressed, despised, persecuted, &c. ; and we have read how dumb, how tongue-tied, how patient, and how silent he hath been under all ; oh ! he shall be the copy which we shall write after, the pattern which we will walk by, the champion which we will follow. But, alas ! alas ! how rare is it to find a man that may be applauded with the eulogy of Salvian, Singularis domini preclarus imitator, an excellent disciple of a singular master. The heathens had this notion amongst them, as Lactantius reports, that the way to honour their gods was to be like them ;3 and therefore some would be wicked, counting it a dis- honour to their gods to be unlike to them. I am sure the way to honour our Christ, is in patience and silence to be like to Christ, espe- cially when a smarting rod is upon our backs, and a bitter cup put into our hands.
Reason 4. The fourth reason why the people of God should be mute and silent under their afflictions, is this, because it is ten thousand times a greater judgment and affliction, to be given up to a fretful spirit, afroward spirit, a muttering or murmuring spirit under an affliction, than it is to be afflicted. This is both the devil's sin, and the devil's punishment. God is still afflicting, crossing and vexing of him, and he is still a-fretting, repining, vexing, and rising up against God. No sin to the devil's sin, no punishment to the devil's punishment. A man were better to have all the afflictions of all the afflicted throughout the world at once upon him, than to be given up to a fro- ward spirit, to a muttering, murmuring heart under the least affliction. 1 Justin Martyr being asked which was the greatest miracle that our Saviour Christ wrought, answered, Patientia ejus tanta in laborious tantis, his so great patience in so great trouble.
* 1 Mace. vi. 34. [Third quotation from Apocrypha thus far. — G.]
3 The Arabians, if their king be sick or lame, they all feign themselves so.
316 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9.
When thou seest a soul fretting, vexing, and stamping under the mighty hand of God, thou seest one of Satan's first-born, one that resembles him to the life.1 No child can be so much like the father, as this fro- ward soul is like to the father of lies ; though he hath been in chains almost this six thousand years, yet he hath never lain still one day, nor one night, no nor one hour in all this time, but is still a-fretting, vexing, tossing and tumbling in his chains, like a princely bedlam. He is a lion, not a lamb ; a roaring lion, not a sleepy lion ; not a lion standing still, but a lion going up and down ; he is not satisfied with the prey he hath got, but is restless in his designs to fill hell with souls, 1 Pet. v. 8. He never wants an apple for an Eve, nor a grape for a Noah, nor a change of raiment for a Gehazi, nor a wedge of gold for an Achan, nor a crown for an Absalom, nor a bag for a Judas, nor a world for a Dumas. If you look into one company, there you shall find Satan a-dishing out his meat to every palate ; if you look into another com- pany, there you shall find him fitting a last to every shoe ; if you look into a third company, there you shall find him suiting a garment to every back. He is under wrath, and cannot but be restless. Here, with Jael, he allures poor souls in with milk, and murders them with a nail ; there, with Joab, he embraces with one hand, and stabs with another. Here with Judas, he kisses and betrays ; and there, with the whore of Babylon, he presents a golden cup with poison in it. He can- not be quiet, though his bolts be always on ; and the more unquiet any are under the rebukes of God, the more such resemble Satan to the life, whose whole life is filled up with vexing and fretting against the Lord. Let not any think, saith Luther, that the devil is now dead, nor yet asleep, for as he that keepeth Israel, so he that hateth Israel, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. But in the next place,
Reason 5. A fifth reason why gracious souls should be mute and silent under the greatest afflictions and sharpest trials that do befall them is this, because a holy, a prudent silence under afflictions, under miseries, doth best capacitate and Jit the afflicted for the receipt of miseries.2 When the rolling bottle lies still, you may pour into it your sweetest or your strongest waters ; when the rolling, tumbling soul lies still, then God can best pour into it the sweet waters of mercy, and the strong waters of divine consolation. You read of the ' peaceable fruits of righteousness': Heb. xii. 11, 'Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless, afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby;' James hi. 18, 'And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace, of them that make peace.' The still and quiet soul is like a ship that lies still and quiet in the harbour; you may take in what goods, what commodities you please, whilst the ship lies quiet and still so when the soul is quiet and still under the hand of God, it is mos fitted and advantaged to take in much of God, of Christ, of heaven, of the promises, of ordinances, and of the love of God, the smiles of God, the communications of God, and the counsel of God ; but when souls are unquiet, they are like a ship in a storm, they can take in nothing.3
Luther, speaking of God, saith, God doth not dwell in Babylon, but
> IroiicTus calleth such ora diaboli, the devil's mouth. 2 Qu. ' mercies'? — Ed.
3 The angels are most quiet and stiil, and the; take in most of God, of Christ, of heayen.
Ps. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 317