We read Deut. 8. 2. that God led his people through the wilderness to humble them, and to prove them, and to know what was in their hearts: God knew before, 1but he would make themselves and others to know. I read of Nazianzen, walking by the Sea shore, seeing how the sea wrought in a storm, that ⟨p. 45⟩it cast up light and empty things, but not things solid and heavy; he applies this to afflictions, and says, that light and empty spirits are tossed up and down by them, and keep not their constancy; but solid spirits are like the rock that stands firm, and abides the same: men do not know their own hearts, they find their hearts otherwise when troubles come, then ever they thought before; they never thought they had had so much pride, so much impatience, so much unbelief; they thought before they could have submitted to the hand of God, that they could have born more then is now upon them with patience and meekness; but now they find their wretched hearts murmur, repine, fret, vex; now they find corruptions stir exceedingly: they had thought they could have depended upon God in straits; but now they find their hearts sinking, they find they have base shifting hearts. When the fire comes to green wood, there comes out abundance of watery stuff that was not discerned before; so when the fire of affliction comes, much evil runs out that you saw not, that neither you nor others thought to be in your hearts before. When a Pond is empty, then appears the mud and the filth, and Toads in the bottom: so when God empties men, when he takes from them his blessings, then much filth, many crawling lusts appear that did not before: sometimes more grace appears in afflictions then did before: some of Gods people are low in their own eyes, they suspect and fear themselves, they think their graces will fail them in trouble, that their peace is false; yet when it pleases God to bring them ⟨p. 46⟩into trouble, they find more peace, more assurance, more strength then ever they did before, or then they thought they should have done; never such sweet joy, never such full assurance, never such use of faith, and patience, and love, as in the sorest and strongest afflictions. This indeed is very rare, there are few that find more good in their hearts in afflictions, then they thought they had before; but where this is, it may be a sweet seal to the soul, of the sincerity of it ever after.
We read Deut. 8. 2. that God led his people through the wilderness to humble them, and to prove them, and to know what was in their hearts: God knew before, 1but he would make themselves and others to know. I read of Nazianzen, walking by the Sea shore, seeing how the sea wrought in a storm, that ⟨p. 45⟩it cast up light and empty things, but not things solid and heavy; he applies this to afflictions, and says, that light and empty spirits are tossed up and down by them, and keep not their constancy; but solid spirits are like the rock that stands firm, and abides the same: men do not know their own hearts, they finde their hearts otherwise when troubles come, then ever they thought before; they never thought they had had so much pride, so much impatience, so much unbelief; they thought before they could have submitted to the hand of God, that they could have born more then is now upon them with patience and meekness; but now they finde their wretched hearts murmure, repine, fret, vex; now they finde corruptions stir exceedingly: they had thought they could have depended upon God in straits; but now they finde their hearts sinking, they finde they have base shifting hearts. When the fire comes to green wood, there comes out abundance of watery stuff that was not discerned before; so when the fire of affliction comes, much evil runs out that you saw not, that neither you nor others thought to be in your hearts before. When a Pond is empty, then appears the mud and the filth, and Toads in the bottom: so when God empties men, when he takes from them his blessings, then much filth, many crawling lusts appear that did not before: sometimes more grace appears in afflictions then did before: some of Gods people are low in their own eyes, they suspect and fear themselves, they think their graces will fail them in trouble, that their peace is false; yet when it pleases God to bring them ⟨p. 46⟩into trouble, they finde more peace, more assurance, more strength then ever they did before, or then they thought they should have done; never such sweet joy, never such full assurance, never such use of faith, and patience, and love, as in the sorest and strongest afflictions. This indeed is very rare, there are few that finde more good in their hearts in afflictions, then they thought they had before; but where this is, it may be a sweet seal to the soul, of the sincerity of it ever after.
- 1Orat. 28.
