(2.) Secondly, If such should not be mute and silent under their afflictions, whose afflictions are increased and multiplied upon them, then there are none in the world who will be found mute and silent under their afflictions : for certainly there are none who do not find the waters of affliction to grow daily upon them. If this be not so, what 1 Ps. vi. 3; Ps- xiii- 1, 2 ; Ps. xciv. 9, 10 ; Rev. vi. 10.
360 THE MUTE CHRISTIAN [Ps. XXXIX. 9.
means the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen? 1 Sam. xv. 14. What means the daily sighs, groans, and complaints of Chris- tians, if their troubles, like the waters in Ezekiel's sanctuary, be not still increasing upon them ? Ezek. xlvii. 1, 20. Every day brings us tidings of new straits, new troubles, new crosses, new losses, new trials, &c.
(3.) Thirdly, They are not so many as God might haveexerc'i* <l t/icc with. God could as easily exercise thee with ten as with two, and with a hundred as with ten, and with a thousand as with a hundred. Let thy afflictions be never so many, yet they are not so many as they might have been, had God either consulted with thy sins, with thy deserts, or with his own justice. There is no comparison between those afflictions that God hath inflicted upon thee, and those that he might have in- flicted. Thou hast not one burden of a thousand that God could have laid on, but he would not ; therefore hold thy peace.1
(4.) Fourthly, Thy afflictions are not so many as thy mercies, nay, they are not to be named in the day wherein thy mercies are spoken of. What are thy crosses to thy comforts, thy miseries to thy mercies, thy days of sickness to thy days of health, thy days of weakness to thy days of strength, thy days of scarcity to thy days of plenty? And this is that the wise man would have us seriously to consider : Eccles. vii. 14, ' In the day of adversity consider,' — but what must we consider? — ' that God hath set the one over against the other.' As God hath set winter and summer, night and day, fair weather and foul, one over against another, so let us set our present mercies over against our pre- sent troubles, and we shall presently find that our mercies exceed our trouble, that they mightily over-balance our present afflictions ; there- fore let us be silent, let us lay our hands upon our mouths.
(5.) Fifthly, If you cast up a just and righteous account, you will find that they are not so many as the afflictions that have befall* t, other saints. Have you reckoned up the affliction that befell Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Asaph, Haman, the prophets and apostles ?2 If you have, you will say that your afflictions are no afflictions to those that have befallen them ; their lives were filled up with sorrows and sufferings, but so are not yours ; therefore kiss the rod and be silent. It may be, if thou look est upon thy relations, thy friends, thy neigh- bours, thou may est find many whose afflictions for number and weight do much outweigh thine ; therefore be silent, murmur not, hold thy peace.
(G.) Sixthly, Not so many as attended our Lord Jesus ; whose whole life, from the cradle to the cross, was nothing but a life of sufferings.3 Osorius, writing of the sufferings of Christ, saith, That the crown of thorns bored his head with seventy-two wounds. Many seventy-two afflictions did Christ meet with whilst he was in this world. None can be ignorant of this who have but read the New Testament. He is called ' a man of sorrows ;' his whole life was filled up with sorrows. When he was but a little past thirty years of age, sorrows, pains,
1 Lam. iii. 39, Luke xxiii. 41. What are the number of princes to the subjects that are under them ? or what are the number of generals to the number of soldiers that are commanded by them? No more are thy afflictions to thy mercies.
2 Kead but [of] the ten persecutions, and thou wilt be full of this opinion. * Isa. 53d, read the whole chapter.
PS. XXXIX. 9.] UNDER THE SMARTING ROD. 361
troubles, oppositions, persecutions, had so worn him, that the Jews judged him towards fifty, John viii. 57. A man were as good compare the number of his bosom friends with the stars of heaven, as compare his afflictions and the afflictions of Christ together.
(7.) Seventhly, Muttering and murmuring will bid add to the num- ber. When the child is under the rod, his crying and fretting doth but add lash to lash, blow to blow ; but of this enough before.
(S.) Eighthly, and lastly, Though they are many, yet they are not so many as the joys, the pleasures, the delights that be at Christ's right hand. As the pleasures of heaven are matchless and endless, so they are numberless.1 Augustine, speaking concerning what we can say of heaven, saith,2 that it is but a little drop of the sea, and a little spark of the great furnace ; those good things of eternal life are so many, that they exceed number ; so great, that they exceed measure ; so pre- cious, that they are above all estimation. Nee Christus, nee caelum patitur hyperbolem, neither Christ nor heaven can be hyperbolised ; for every affliction many thousand joys and delights will attend the saints in a glorified estate. What will that life be, or rather what will not that life be, saith one, speaking of heaven, since all good either is not at all, or is in such a life ; light which place cannot comprehend ; voices and music which time cannot ravish away ; odours which are never dis- sipated ; a feast which is never consumed ; a blessing which eternity bestoweth, but eternity shall never see at an end. And let this suffice for answer to this fourth objection.
Obj. 5. My afflictions are very great, how then can 1 hold my peace ? Though they were many, yet if they were not great, I would be mute, but alas ! they are very great. Oh ! how can I be silent under them ? How can I now lay my hand upon my mouth ?
Ans. (1.) To this I answer, Though they are great, yet they are not so great as thy sins, thyself being judge ; therefore hold thy peace :s Ezra ix. 13, 'And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespasses, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve/ They that were under the sense and guilt of great sins, have cause to be silent under their greatest sufferings. Never complain that thy afflictions are great, till thou canst say that thy sins are not great. It is but justice that great afflictions should attend great sins ; therefore be quiet. Thy sins are like great rocks and mighty mountains, but so are not thy afflictions ; therefore lay thy hand upon thy mouth. The remembrance of great sins should cool and calm a man's spirit under his greatest troubles ; and if the sense of thy great sins will not stop thy mouth and silence thy heart, I know not what will.