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 made Job fro ward or fretful under the rod, he would have quickly carried the tidings to heaven, and have been so bold as to have asked God whether this was a carriage becoming such a person, of whom himself had given so glorious a character.1 Satan knows that there is more evil in the least sin, than there is in all the afflictions that can be in- flicted upon a person ; and if he could but have made a breach upon Job's patience, ah, how would he have insulted over God himself! could he but have made Job a mutineer, he would quickly have pleaded for martial law to have been executed upon him ; but Job, by remaining mute and silent under all his trials, puts Satan to a blush, and spoils all his projects at once. The best way to outwit the devil, is to be silent under the hand of God ; he that mutters is foiled by him, but he that is mute overcomes him, and to conquer a devil is more than to conquer a world.
Reason 8. The eighth and last reason why Christians should be silent and mute under their sorest trials, is this, that they may be con- formable to those noble patterns that are set before them by other saints, who have been patient and silent under the smarting rod.2 As Aaron, Lev. x. 3 ; so Eli, I Sam. iii. 18 ; so David, 2 Sam. xvi. 7-13 ; so Job, chap. i. 21, 22 ; so Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joab, Isa. xxxvi. 1 1, 12. So those saints in that Acts xxi. 12-15 ; and that cloud of witnesses, pointed at in Heb. xii. 1. Gracious examples are more awakening, more convincing, more quickening, more provoking, and more en- couraging than precepts, because in them we see that the exercise of grace and godliness is possible, though it be difficult. When we see Christians, that are subject to like infirmities with ourselves, mute and' silent under the afflicting hand of God, we see that it is possible that we may attain to the same noble temper of being tongue-tied under a smarting rod. Certainly it is our greatest honour and glory, in this world, to be eyeing and imitating the highest and worthiest examples. What Plutarch said of Demosthenes, that he was excellent at praising the worthy acts of his ancestors, but not so at imitating them, may be said of many in these clays. Oh ! they are very forward and excellent at praising the patience of Job, but not at imitating it ; at praising the silence of Aaron, but not at imitating it ; at praising David's dumbness, but not at imitating it ; at praising Eli's muteness, but not at imitat- ing it. It was the height of Caesar's glory to walk in the steps of Alexander, and of Selymus,3 a Turkish emperor, to walk in Csesar's steps, and of Themistocles to walk in Miltiades's steps. Oh ! how much more should we account it our highest glory to imitate the worthv examples of those worthies, of whom this world is not worthy ! ft speaks out much of God within, when men are striving to write after the fairest copies. And thus much for the reasons of the point. I come now to the application.
1 That devil that accused God to man (Gen. iii.), and Christ to be an impostor, will make no hones to accuse the saints, when they miscarry under the rod.
3 Prcecepta docent, exempla movent, Precepts may instruct, but examples do persuade, before. — G.] 8 Solyman? — G.
320 TIIK MUTE christian [Ps. XXXIX. 9.
V. You see, beloved, by what hath been said, that it is the greatest duty and concernment of Christians to be mute and silent under the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences, and the sharpest trials that they meet with in this world. If this be so, then this truth looks sourly and wistly1 upon several sorts of persons. As,
1. First, This looks sourly and sadly upon murmurers, upon such as do nothing but mutter and niurmur under the afflict i ag IkukI of God. This was Israel's sin of old,2 and this is England's sin this day. Ah ! what murmuring is there against God, what murmuring against instruments, and what murmuring against providences, is to be found amongst us ! Some murmur at what they have lost, others murmur at what they fear they shall lose ; some murmur that they are no higher, others murmur because they are so low ; some murmur because such a party rules, and others mutter because themselves are not in the saddle; some murmur because their mercies are not so great as others' are; some murmur because their mercies are not so many as others' are ; some murmur because they are afflicted, and others murmur because such and such are not afflicted as well as they. Ah, England, England ! hadst thou no more sins upon thee, thy murmuring were enough to undo thee, did not God exercise much pity and compassion towards thee. But more of this hereafter, and therefore let this touch for the present suffice.
2. Secondly, This truth looks sourly upon those that/ref, chafe, and vex, when they are under the afflicting hand of God. Many when they feel the rod to smart, ah, how they do fret and fume ! Isa. viii. 21, 'When they were hardly bestead and hungry, they fret themselves, and curse their king and their God ;' Prov. xix. 3, ' The foolishness of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord.' The heart may be fretful and froward when the tongue doth not blaspheme. Foil}' brings man into misery, and misery makes man to fret ; man in misery is more apt to fret and chafe against the Lord, than to fret and chafe against his sin that hath brought him into sufferings, 2 Kings vi. 33, Ps. xxxvii. 1, 7, 8. A fretful soul dares let fly at God himself. When Pharaoh is troubled with the frets, he dare spit in the very face of God himself: ' Who is the Lord, that I should obey him ?' Exod. v. 2. And when Jonah is in a fretting humour, he dares tell God to his face, ' that he doth well to be angry,' Jonah iv. 8. Jonah had done well if he had been angry with his sin, but he did very ill to be angry with his God. God will vex every vein in that man's heart, before he hath done with him, who fumes and frets, because he cannot snap in sunder the cords with which he is bound, Ezek. xvi. 43. Sometimes good men are sick of the frets, but when they are, it costs them dear, as Job and Jonah found by experience. No man hath ever got anything by his fretting and flinging, except it hath been harder blows or heavier chains ; therefore fret not when God strikes.
3. Thirdly, This truth looks sourly upon those who charge God foolishly in the day of their adversity. Lam. iii. 39, ' Why doth a
living man complain V He that hath deserved a hanging hath DQ reason to charge the judge with cruelty if he escape with a whipping ;
1 ' Wistfully,' earnestly. — G.