(10.) Tenthly, Howcanst tltov. tell but that which thou culled a near a ml dear mercyt if it had been continued longer to thee, might have proved the greatest cross, the (jrmtest calamity and vii.se ry that ever thou didst meet with in this world ?l Our mercies, like choice wines, many times turn into vinegar ; our fairest hopes are often blasted ; and that very mercy which we sometimes have said should be a staff to sup]) >rt us, hath proved a sword to pierce us. How often have our most flourishing mercies withered in our hands, and our bosom contentments been turned into gall and wormwood ! If God had continued the life of David's child to him, it would have been but a living monument of- his sin and shame ; and all that knew the child would have pointed at him, Yonder goes David's bastard ; and so have kept David's wound still a-bleeding, 2 Sam. xii. 16. Many parents who have sought the lives of their children with tears, have lived afterwards to see them take such courses and come to such dismal ends as have brought their grey head with sorrow to their graves.2 It had been ten thousand times a greater mercy to many parents to have buried their children so soon as ever they had been born, than to see them come to such unhappy ends as they often do. Well ! Christian, it may be the Lord hath taken from thee such a hopeful son, or such a dear daughter, and thou sayest, How can I hold my peace ? but hark, Christian, hark, canst thou tell me how long thou must have travailed in birth with them again before they had been twice born? Would not every sin that they had committed against thy gracious God caused a new throe in thy soul ? Would not every temptation that they had fallen before been as a dagger at thy heart ? Would not every affliction that should have befallen them been as a knife at thy throat ? What are those pains, and pangs, and throes of child-birth to those after pains, pangs, and throes that might have been brought upon thee by the sins and sufferings of thy children ? Well ! Christians, hold your peace, for you do not know what thorns in your eyes, what goads in your sides, nor what spears in your hearts, such near and dear mercies might have proved had they been longer continued.
(1 1.) Eleventhly, Thou canst not tell how bad thy heart might have proved under the enjoyment of those near and dear mercies that now thou hast losV Israel were very bad whilst they were in the wilderness, but they were much worse when they came to possess Canaan, that land of desires. Man's blood is apt to rise with the outward good. In, the winter, men gird their clothes close about them, but in the summer they let them hang loose. In the winter of adversity, many a Christian girds his heart close to God, to Christ, to gospel, to godliness, to ordi- nances, to duties, &c, who in the summer of mercy hangs loose from all.
I have read of the pine tree, that, if the bark be pulled off, it will last
■ The Lamentations of Jeremiah are a full proof of this.
8 This age affords many sad instances of this nature. Who can think of Tyburn, and question it '.' and of killing and drowning, and say, How can this be?
3 Deut. xxxii. 5, to the end. Jer. v. 7-9, ii. 31, and xxii. 1\ : Husea iv. 7.
PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 353
a long time ; but if it continue long on, it rots the tree. Ah ! how bad, how rotten, how base, would many have proved, had God not pulled off their bark of health, wealth, friendship ! &c. Near and dear relations, they stick as close to us as the bark of a tree sticks to the tree, and if God should not pull off this bark, how apt should we be to rot and corrupt ourselves ; therefore God is fain to bark us, and peel us, and strip us naked and bare of our dearest enjoyments and sweetest content- ments, that so our souls, like the pine tree, may prosper and thrive the better. Who can seriously consider of this, and not hold his peace, even then when God takes a jewel out of his bosom ? Heap all the sweetest contentments and most desirable enjoyments of this world upon a man, they will not make him a Christian ; heap them upon a Christian, they will not make him a better Christian. Many a Christian hath been made worse by the good things of this world ; but where is the Christian that hath been bettered by them ? Therefore be quiet when God strips thee of them.
(12.) Twelfthly, and lastly, Get thy heart more affected ivith spiritual losses, and then thy soul will be less afflicted with those temporal losses that thou mournest under.1 Hast thou lost nothing of that presence of God that once thou hadst with thy spirit ? Hast thou lost none of those warnings, meltings, quickenings, and cheerings that once thou hadst ? Hast thou lost nothing of thy communion with God, nor of the joys of the Spirit, nor Of that peace of conscience that once thou en- joyedst ? Hast thou lost none of that ground that once thou hadst got upon sin, Satan, and the world ? Hast thou lost nothing of that holy vigour and heavenly heat that once thou hadst in thy heart ? If thou hast not, which would be a miracle, a wonder ; why dost thou com- plain of this or that temporal loss ? For what is this but to complain of the loss of thy purse, when thy God2 is safe ? If thou art a loser in spirituals, why dost thou not rather complain that thou hast lost thy God than that thou hast lost thy gold ; and that thou hast lost thy Christ than that thou hast lost thy husband ; and that thou hast lost thy child, and that thou art damnified in spirituals than that thou art damnified in temporals? Dost thou mourn over the body the soul hath left \ mourn rather over the soul that God hath forsaken, as Samuel did for Saul, saith one. 1 Sam. xv. 14, seq.
I have read of Honorius, a Roman emperor, who was simple and childish enough ; when one told him Rome was lost, he was exceedingly grieved, and cried out, Alas ! alas ! for he supposed that it was his hen that was called Rome, which hen he exceedingly loved ; but when it was told him it was his imperial city of Rome, that was besieged by Alaricus, and taken, and all the citizens rifled, and made a prey to the rude enraged soldiers, then his spirits were revived that his loss was not so great as he imagined.3 Now, what is the loss of a husband, a wife,
1 Qui te non habet, Dumine Dens, totum perdilit. — Bernard. 2 Qu. 'gold'? — Ed.
3 Grotesque as this anecdote sounds, it is historical. "When Rome was plundered hy Alaric, a eunuch who had the care of the royal poultry, announced to Honorius that ' Rome was destroyed' (p&^m awixuXt.) ' And yet,' was the reply, ' she just ate out of my hands,' referring to a favourite hen of great size which he called ' Rome.' ' I mean.' said the eunuch, ' that the city of Rome has heen destroyed by Alaric' ' But I,' said the emperor, ' thought that my hen " Rome " was dead.' So stupid, adds Frocopius, do they say this emperor was. — G.
354 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9.