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 till he comes to be mute, and to lay his hand upon his mouth. Now what are all earthly possessions to the possession of a man's own soul ? He thai possesseth himself possesseth all; he that possesseth not himself possesses nothing at all. He possesses not the use, the sweet, the com- fort, the good, the blessing of anything he enjoys, who enjoys not him- self. That man that is not master of himself, he is a master of nothing. Holy silence gives a man the greatest mastery over his own spirit ; and mastery over a man's own spirit is the greatest mastery in the world, Prov. xvi. 32. The Egyptian goddess they paint upon a rock standing in the sea, where the waves come roaring and dashing upon her, with this motto, Semper eadem, Storms shall not move me. A holy silence will give a man such a quiet possession of his own soul, that all the storms of afflictions shall not move him ; it will make him stand like a rock in a sea of troubles. Let a man but quietly possess himself, and troubles will never trouble him. But,
10. Tenthly, Consider the commands and instructions that God in his /ford hath laid upon you to be silent, to be mute and quiet, under all the troubles, trials, and changes that have or may pass upon you:1 Zech. ii. 13, 'Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for he is raised up out of his holy habitation ;' Isa. xli 1 , ' Keep silence before me, O islands ;' Hab. ii. 20, ' The Lord is in his holy temple ; let all the earth keep silence before him;' Amos v. 13, 'Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time, for it is an evil time ;' Ps. xlvi. 10, ' Be still, and know that I am God ;' Ps. iv. 4, ' Commune with your heart, and be still ;' Exod. xiv. 13, ' Stand still, and see the salvation of God ;' 2 Chron. xx. 17, ' Stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord, with you, 0 Judah, and Jerusalem ;' Job xxxvii. 14, ' Hearken unto this, O Job ; stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.' It is a dangerous thing for us to neglect one of his commands, who by another is able to command us into nothing, or into hell at pleasure. To act or run cross to God's express command, though under pretence of revela- tion from God, is as much as a man's life is worth, as you may see in that sad story, 1 Kings xiii. 24, &c. Divine commands must be put in speedy execution, without denying or delaying, without debating or disputing the difficulties that may attend our subjection to them.2 God's commands are spiritual, holy, just, and good ; and therefore to be obeyed without mutterino- or murmurings. Divine commands are backed with the strongest reason, and attended with the highest encouragements. Shall the servant readily obey the commands of his master, the subject the commands of his prince, the soldier the commands of his general, the child the commands of his father, the wife the commands of her husband, and shall not a Christian as readily obey the commands of his Christ? Nay, shall vain men readily and willingly obey the sinful ami senseless commands of men, and shall not we be willing to obey the commands of God ? 2 Sam. xiii. 28, 29, ' Now Absalom had commanded
1 find's commands are like those of the Modes, that cannot he changed.
2 Obedienlia non discutit Dei mandata, sedfacit. — Prosper. Horn. vii. 12-14.
PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 333
his servant, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon : then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you ? be courageous, and be valiant. And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded.' They made no bones of obeying the bloody commands of Absalom, against all law, reason, and religion.
I have read of one Johannes Abbas who willingly fetched water near two miles every day for a whole year together, to pour upon a dry stick, upon the bare command of his confessor.1
I have also read of the old kings of Peru, that they were wont to use a tassel or fringe made of red wool, which they wore upon their heads, and wheu they sent any governor to rule as viceroy in any part of their country, they delivered unto him one of the threads of the tassel, and for one of those simple threads he was as much obeyed as if he had been the king himself. Now, shall one single thread be more forcible to draw infidels to obedience, than all those golden commands, last cited, shall be of force to draw you to be quiet and silent under the troubles and changes you meet with in this world ? The Lord forbid !
Shall carnal and wicked persons be so ready and willing to complv with the bloody, and senseless, and superstitious commands of their superiors ? And shall not Christians be more ready and willino- to comply with the commands of the great God, whose commands are all just and equal, and whose will is the perfect rule of righteousness. Prior est authoritas imperantis, quam utilitas servientis [Tertullian]. The chief reason of obedience is the authority of the Lord, not the utility of the servant.2 Ah, Christians ! when your hearts begin to fret and fume under the smarting rod, charge one of those commands last cited upon your hearts ; and if they shall mutter, charge another of those commands upon your hearts ; and if after this, they shall vex and mur- mur, charge another of those commands upon your hearts; and never leave charging and rubbing those commands one after another upon your hearts, till you are brought to lay your hands upon your mouths, and to sit silent before the Lord under your greatest straits and your sorest trials.
11. Eleventhly, Consider, That mercy is nearest, deliverance and salvation is at hand, when a Christian stands still, when he sits quiet and silent under his greatest troubles and his sorest trials.3 Exod. xiv. they were in very great straits. Pharaoh with a mighty army was be- hind them, the Red Sea before them, mountains on each hand of them and no visible means to deliver them. But now they stand still to see the salvation of the Lord, ver. 13, and within a few hours their enemies are destroyed, and they are gloriously delivered, ver. 24, et seq. Ps. xxxix. 9, David is dumb, he sits mute under his smart afflictions ; but if you look to the second and third verses of the fortieth Psalm, you shall find mercy draw near to him and work salvation for him. ' He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the mire and clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put
1 Cassian. de instit. renunciant. 1. iv. c. 14.
2 Non parentum aut majorum authoritas, sed Dei docentis imperium, the commands of God must needs outweigh all authority and example of men. — Jerome.