THE soul's conflict. 207
sions to great purposes. And by those very ways wliereby proud men have gone about to withstand God's counsels, they have fulfilled them, as we see in the story of Joseph and Moses, ' in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them,' Exod. x. 11. Divinum consilium, dum devitatur, imple- tur ; humana sapientia, dum reluctatur, comprehenditur. — Greg.
Chapter XVII. — Of graces to he exercised in respect of Divine Providence.
We are under a providence that is above our own ; which should be a ground unto us, of exercising those graces that tend to settle the soul, in all events. As,
1. Hence to lay our hand upon our mouths, and command the soul an holy silence, not daring to }deld to the least rising of our hearts against God. ' I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it,' Ps. xxxix. 9, saith David. Thus Aaron, when he had lost his two sons, both at once, and that byfii-e. Lev. x. 1, 2, and by fire from heaven, which carried an evidence of God's great displeasure with it, yet held his peace. In this silence and hope is oui- strength. Flesh and blood is prone to expostulate with God, and to question his dealing, as we see in Gideon, Jeremiah, Asaph, Habakkuk, and others, ' If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us ? ' Jud. vi. 13 ; but, after some struggling between the flesh and the spirit, the conclusion will be, yet howsoever matters go, ' God is good to Israel,' Ps. Ixxiii. 1. Where a feai-ful spnit, and a melancholy temper, a weak judgment, and a scrupulous and raw conscience meet in one, there Satan and his, together with men's own hearts, which, like sophisters, are continually cavilling against themselves, breed much disquiet, and makes the life uncomfortable. Such, therefore, should have a special care, as to grow in knowledge, so to stick close to sure and certain grounds, and bring their consciences to the rule. Darkness causeth fears. The more light, the more confidence. "When we jdeld up ourselves to God, we should resolve upon quietness, and if the heart stirs, presently use this check of David, ' Why art thou disquieted ? '
God's ways seem oft to us fuU of contradictions, because his course is to bring things to pass by contrary means. There is a mystery not only in God's decree concerning man's eternal estate, but likewise in his pro\'idence, as why he should deal unequally with men othei-wise equal. His judgments are a great depth, which we cannot fathom, but they will swallow up our thoughts and understandings. God oft wraps himself in a cloud, and will not be seen till afterward. Where we cannot trace him, we ought with St Paul to admire and adore him. "VMien we are iu heaven, it will be one part of our happiness to see the harmony of those things that seem now confused unto us. All God's dealings will appear beautiful in their due seasons, though we for the present see not the contiguity and linking toge- ther of one with another.
2. Hence Ukewise proceeds a holy resigning of ourselves to God, ' who doth all things according to the counsel of his own will,' Dan. xi. IG ; Eph. i. 11. Voluntas Dei, necessitas rei. His will is a wise will ; it is guided by counsel, a sovereign prevailing will. The only way to have our will is to bring it to God's will. If we could delight in him, we should have our heart's desire. Thus David yields up himself to God : ' Here I am ; let the Lord deal with me as seemeth good unto him, 2 Sam. xv. 20. And thus Eli, when God foretold by Samuel the ruin of his house, quiets him-
208 THE soul's conflict.
self: * It is the Lord ; let him do what seemeth him good,' 1 Sam. iii. 18. Thus our blessed Saviour stays himself : ' Not my will, but thy will be done.' And thus the people of God, when Paul was resolved to go to Jerusalem, submitted, saying, ' The will of the Lord be done,' Acts xxi. 14, — a speech fit to proceed out of the heart and mouth of a Christian. Vox vere Christianorum.
We may desire and long after a change of our condition, when we look upon the grievance itself, but yet remember still that it be with reservation, when we look upon the will of God, as, ' How long. Lord, holy and true,' &c. Rev. vi. 10. Out of inferior reasons we may with our Saviour desire a removal of the cup ; but when we look to the supreme reason of reasons, the will of God, here we must stoop and kiss the rod. ' Thus humbling ourselves under his mighty hand,' 1 Peter v. 6, which by murmuring and jfretting we may make more heavy, but not take ofi", still adding new guilt and pulling on new judgments.
3. The way patiently to sufier God's will, is to inure ourselves first to do it. Passive obedience springs from active. He that endures anything will endure it quietly, when he knows it is the will of God, and considers that whatever befalls him comes ffom his good pleasure. Those that have not inured themselves to the yoke of obedience, will never endure the yoke of suffering ; they fume and rage ' as a wild boar in a net,' Isa. li. 20, as the prophet speaks. It is worth the considering, to see two men of equal parts under the same cross, how quietly and calmly the one that estabhsh- eth his soul on Christ will bear his afflictions, whereas the other rageth as a fool, and is more beaten.