Use 1. If this be so, then why should xve he offended at God's order ? "VMiy should we not take it, not only gently and meekly, but jojrfully, the afflic- tions that God sends to prepare and fit us for happiness, to sharpen our desire to happmess, to make it precious to us ? Certainly it is a ground, not only of patience and meekness, but of joy and comfort, in all the things we sufler. Will a patient be angi-y with his chu'urgeon for searching of his wound ? He knows that that is the way to cm-e him. Will any man take offence at the goldsmith for purging his mass ? They know that is the way to pm'ify it, and fetch out the dross.
This is the method in natiu-e. The ground must be ploughed and pre- pai'ed, and then comes the harvest. Let us be content with this method, and rejoice in any suffering, knowing it will have a blessed issue ; and not to think much at suffering anything for a good cause in ourselves, or by way of s}TQpathy or support with others, because this is the highway to a better estate. If we sufler with the chm'ch, or for the church, any kind of tvay, we shall be comforted with the church. It is that which sweetens the cross, that we are under hope of better still. WTio would not endm'e a little grievance in the way, to have honour in the end ? to have ill usage in an inn, and to go to a kingdom ? All our discomforts and afflictions are but by the way here ; and crosses are necessary for travellers, and here we are but in a travelling estate. It should, I say, encourage us not to take offence at anji^hing that God exerciseth us with in this world, nor to take scandal at the afflictions of the church.
Use 2. And then it should strike terror to those that will not endure so much as a scratch, a scoff, a word, a chip of the cross, that will endure nothing. Do they know that this is God's order ? Do they avoid crosses in any degree ? and do they think to have comfort ? No ! God will not change his order for them. He hath established this order, and heaven and earth shall fail, rather than God's order shall not be sure. If we will have com- fort, we must sufler. If we will avoid suffering, and think to go to heaven another way than God hath ordained, we may take our own way, but we
110 COMMENTARY ON
must give him leave to take his way in comforting and advancing whom he will, and that will not be us, because we will not frame ourselves to his order. We must not look for his dignity. ' U we will not suffer with him, we shall not reign with him,' Rom. viii. 17.
The next thing observable in the order is this, that
Voct. I'hosc that sii/fer as they sJioidd are sure of comfort.
There is a threefold conformity with Christ, in sufferhuf, grace, glory.
Those that are not conforma])le to him in suffering, they cannot be con- formable to him in grace ; and if they be not in grace, tliey shall not in glory. He took upon him our nature abased first; and our nature purified, and our nature glorious, he hath now in heaven. So our nature in us must keep this order. First, it must be abased, as our flesh was in him, and then filled with grace, by little and little, and then glorious, as our nature is in him. If we will not suffer our flesh to be abased and exercised with afflictions, and let God work his own good work as he pleaseth this way, we are not conformable to Christ, who was first abased, and then advanced. What was wrought in his blessed flesh, must be wrought in his mystical body, in all his members, by little and little. Therefore those that are tender and wayward to endure anything, when God calls them to it, they are enemies to their own comfort. God hath set down this order, if they do not partake of the sufferings of the church, they shall not partake of the comfort.
Oh, it is a cursed estate to be out of the condition of God's people, and it is a comfortable thing to have part with those that are good, yea, even if it be in suffering with them. It is better to have communion with God's people in suffering, than to have communion with the wicked in the world, in reigning and triumphing.
And that is the reason that the Spirit of God in the prophet made him desire, ' Deal with me, Lord, as thou usest to deal with those that fear thy name,' Ps. cxix. 124. He knew he deals well enough with them. ' Visit me with the salvation of thy children,' Ps. cvi. 4. He knew that was a special salvation. So to have God deal with us, as he deals with his, and to visit us in mercy and love, as he visits his own, it is a special favour. It is better to bear the cross with them, that we may partake with them in the comfort, than to have all the comforts that the wicked have, and to share with them in the misery afterward. Therefore let us be content to share with God's people in their suffering. When we hear of any that suffer for a just cause, though we have no sufferings of our own, let us bear a part with them, and with the bond of the communion of saints, help what we may.