a child, a friend, to the loss of God, Christ, the Spirit, or the least mea- sure of grace or communion with God? &C. I say, What are all such losses, bul the loss of a hen to the loss of Rome? And yet so simple and childish are many Christians, that they are more affected and afflicted with the loss of this and that poor temporal enjoyment than they are with the loss of their most spiritual attaiments. Ah, Christians ! be but more affected with spiritual losses, and you will be more quiet and silent under temporal losses. Let the loss of Rome trouble you more, and then the loss of your hen will not trouble you at all. Let these things suffice for answer to the second objection.
Oh). 3. Oh, but my afflictions, my troubles have been long upon me ! and iiow then can I hold my peace? Were they but of yesterday, I would be quiet; but they are of a long continuance ; and therefore how can I be silent, &c. ? To this I answer,
(1.) First, Thou canst not date thy affliction from the first day of thy pollution. Thou hast been polluted from t ha womb, but thou hast not been afflicted from the womb, Ps. li. 5 ; many have been the days, the years, since thou wast born in sin ; few have been the days, the years, that thou hast experienced sorrow. Thou canst not easily number the days of thy sinning, thou canst easily number the days of thy sufferings ; thou canst not number thy days of mercy, thou canst easily number thy days of calamity ; thou canst not number thy davs of health, but thou canst easily tell over thy days of sickness.
(2.) Secondly, Thy afflictions are not so long as the afflictions oj other saints. Compare thy winter nights and other saints' winter nights together; thy storms and troubles and other saints' storms and troubles together; thy losses and other saints' losses together; thy miseries and other saints' miseries together; witness the proofs in the margin.1 Thy afflictions are but as a moment, they are but as yester- day compared with the afflictions of other saints, whose whole lives have been made up of sorrows and sufferings, as the life of Christ was. Many a man's life hath been nothing but a lingering death : Job xxi. 25, 'And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.' There are those that have never a good day all their days, who have not a day of rest among all their days of trouble, nor a day of health among all their days of sickness, nor a day of glad- ness among all their days of sadness, nor a day of strength among all their days of weakness, nor a day of honour among all their days of reproach ; whose whole life is one continued winter's night, who every day drink gall and wormwood, who lie down sighing, who rise groaning, and who spend their days in complaining, ' No sorrow to our sorrows, no sufferings to our sufferings !' Some there be who have always tears in their eyes, sorrows in their hearts, rods on their backs, and crosses in their hands : but it is not so with thee ; therefore be silent
(3.) Thirdly, The longer thy affliction hath been, the sweeter vriU heaven be to thee at last ; the longer the Israelites had been in the wilderness, the sweeter was Canaan to them at last ; the longer the storm, the sweeter the calm ; the longer the winter nights, the sweeter
1 Ps. lxxvii. and lxxxviii.; Gen. xv. 12, 13; Exod. xii. 40-42; Jer. xxv. 11, 12.
PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 355
the summer days.1 Long afflictions will much set off the glory of heaven. The harbour is most sweet and desirable to them that have been long tossed upon the seas ; so will heaven be to those who have been lonp- in a sea of trouble. The new wine of Christ's kingdom is most sweet to those that have been long a-drinking of gall and vinegar, Luke xxii. 18 ; the crown of glory will be most delightful to them who have been long in combating with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The longer our journey is, the sweeter will be our end, and the longer our passage is, the sweeter will our haven be. The higher the mountain, the gladder we shall be when we are got to the top of it ; the longer the heir is kept from his inheritance, the more delight he will have when he comes to possess it.
(4.) Fourthly, They are not long, but short, if compared to that eternity of glory that is reserved for the saints, 2 Cor. iv. 16-18.2 If you turn to the words, you shall find for affliction, glory; for light afflic- tions, a weight of glory ; and for short momentany afflictions, eternal glory. There will quickly be an end of thy sadness, but there will never be an end of thy happiness ; there will soon be an end of thy calamity aud misery, there will never be an end of thy felicity and glory.3 The kingdoms of this world are not lasting, much less are they everlasting ; they have all their climacterical years, but the kingdom of heaven is an everlasting kingdom ; of that there is no end. There are seven sorts of crowns that were in use among the Roman victors, but they were all fading and perishing; but the crown of glory that at last God will set upon the heads of his saints, shall continue as long as God himself con- tinues. Who can look upon those eternal mansions that are above, and those everlasting pleasures that be at God's right hand, and say, that his affliction is long ? Well ! Christian, let thy affliction be never so long, yet one hour's being in the bosom of Christ will make thee forget both the length and strength of all thy afflictions.
(5.) Fifthly, The longer you have been afflicted, the more in spiritual experiences you have been enriched : 2 Cor. i. 5, ' For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.' The lower the ebb the higher the tide, the more pain the more gain, the more afflicted the more comforted, the lower we are cast the higher we shall be raised. Of all Christians, none so rich in spiritual experiences, as those that have been long in the school of affliction.4 Oh ! the blessed stories that such can tell of the power of God supporting them, of the wisdom of God directing them, of the favour of God comforting them, of the presence of God assisting them. Oh ! the love-tokens, the love- letters, the bracelets, the jewels that they are able to produce since they have been in the furnace of affliction. Oh! the sin that long afflic- tions have discovered and mortified. Oh ! the temptations that long afflictions have prevented and vanquished. You shall as soon number the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea, as you shall number up the heavenly experiences of such Christians that have been long under afflictions. The afflicted Christian's heart is fullest of spiritual treasure.
1 Ps. cxxvi. 1. 2, 5, 6, compared.
2 See this largely opened in my ' String of Pearls.' [Included in the present volume. — G.] 8 Ps. xlv., lxxii., and lxxxix. : Isa ix. 7 ; 1 Peter i 4, ii. 11.
* Heb. xii. 11:2 Cor. i. 8, 9 ; Job xxxiii. 17-22.
356 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. !».