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, and the more the waves of afflictions beat upon them, the better they shall be, the more they shall thrive in grace and godliness. Now how should this engage Christians to be mute and silent under all their troubles and trials in this world, considering that they shall all work for their good ! God chastises our carcases to heal our consciences ; he afflicts our bodies to save our souls; he gives us gall and wormwood here, that the pleasures that be at his right hand may be more sweet hereafter ; here he lays us upon abed of thorns, that we may look and long more for that easy bed of down, — his bosom in heaven.
As there is a curse wrapped up in the best things he gives the wicked, so there is a blessing wrapped up in the worst things he brings upon his own, Ps. xxv. 10, Deut. xxvi. 16. As there is a curse wrapped up in a wicked man's health, so there is a blessing wrapped up in a godly man's sickness ; as there is a curse wrapped up in a wicked man's strength, so there is a blessing wrapped up in a godly man's weakness ; as there is a curse wrapped up in a wicked man's wealth, so there is a blessing wrapped up in a godly man's wants ; as there is a curse wrapped up in a wicked man's honour, so there is a blessing wrapped up in a godly man's reproach ; as there is a curse wrapped up in all a wicked man's mercies, so there is a blessing wrapped up in all a godly man's crosses, losses, and changes : and why then should he not sit mute and silent before the Lord ? But,
3. Thirdly, Consider, That a holy silence is that excellent precious grace, that lends a hand of support to every grace, Rom. xv. 4. Silence is citstos, the keeper, of all other virtues ; it lends a hand to faith, a hand to hope, a hand to love, a hand to humility, a hand to self-denial, &c. A holy silence hath its influences upon all other graces that be in the soul ; it causes the rosebuds of grace to blossom and bud forth. Silence is virtus versata circa adversa, a grace that keeps a man gracious in all conditions. In every condition silence is a Christian's right hand ; in prosperity, it bears the soul up under all the envy, ha- tred, malice, and censures of the world ; in adversity, it bears the soul up under all the neglect, scorn, and contempt that a Christian meets with in the world. It makes every bitter sweet, every burden light, and every yoke easy. And this the very heathen seemed to intimate in placing the image of Angeronia2 with the mouth bound, upon the altar of Volupia,6 to shew that silence under sufferings was the ready way to attain true comfort, and make every bitter sweet. No man ho- nours God, nor no man justifies God at so high a rate, as he who lays
1 Lib. xii. 1, 9. s Volupia, goddess of pleasure. — G.
* More accurately Angerona, goddess of silence. — G.
PS XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 329
his hand upon his mouth, when the rod of God is upon his back. But,
4. Fourthly, To move you to silence under your sorest and your sharpest trials, consider, That you have, deserved greater and heavier afflictions than those you are under, Lam. iii. 39 ; Micah vii. 7-9. Hath God taken away one mercy? Thou hast deserved to be stripped of all. Hath he taken away the delight of thine eyes? He might have taken away the delight of thy soul. Art thou under outward wants ? Thou hast deserved to be under outward and inward together. Art thou cast upon a sick bed ? Thou hast deserved a bed in hell. Art thou under that ache and that pain ? Thou hast deserved to be under all aches and pains at once. Hath God chastised thee with whips ? Thou hast deserved to be chastised with scorpions, 1 Kings xii. 14. Art thou fallen from the highest pinnacle of honour to be the scorn and contempt of men ? Thou hast deserved to be scorned and contemned by God and angels. Art thou under a severe whipping ? Thou hast deserved an utter damning. Ah Christian ! let but your eyes be fixed upon your demerits, and your hands will be quickly upon your mouths ; whatever is less than a final separation from God, whatever is less than hell, is mercy ; and therefore you have cause to be silent under the smartest dealings of God with you. But,
5. Fifthly, Consider, a quiet silent spirit is of great esteem ivith God. God sets the greatest value upon persons of a quiet spirit : 1 Peter iii. 4. ' But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.' A quiet spirit is a spark of the divine nature, it is a ray, a beam of glory ; it is a heaven-born spirit. No man is born with a holy silence in his heart, as he is born with a tongue in his mouth. This is a flower of paradise ; it is a precious gem that God makes very great reckoning of. A quiet spirit speaks a man most like to God ; it capacitates a man for communion with God ; it renders a man most serviceable to God ; and it obliges a man to most accurate walking with God. A meek and quiet spirit is an incorruptible ornament, much more valuable than gold.
(1.) First, There is a mutual1 quietness, which proceeds from a good temper and constitution of body.
(2.) Secondly, There is a moral quietness, which proceeds from good education and breeding, which flows from good injunctions, instructions, and examples.
(3.) Thirdly, There is an artificial quietness ; some have an art to im- prison their passions, and to lay a law of restraint upon their anger and wrath, when they are all in a flame within : as you may see in Cain, Esau, Absalom, and Joab, who for a time cast a close cloak over their malice, when their hearts were set on fire of hell. So Domitian would seem to love them best, whom he willed least should live.
(4.) Fourthly, There is a gracious quietness, which is of the Spirit's infusion, Gal. v. 22-25. Now this quietness of spirit, this spiritual frame of heart, is of great price in the sight of God. God values it above the world, and therefore who would not covet it more than the world, yea, more than life itself? Certainly the great God sets a great price upon nothing but that which is of an invaluable price ; what stretching,
1 Qu. 'natural'?— Ed.
• I THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 0.