A77618:131
The silent soul, with sovereign antidotes against the most miserable exigentsThe silent soul, with soveraign antidotes against the most miserable exigents
The silent soul, with sovereign antidotes against the most miserable exigents: or, A Christian with an olive-leaf in his mouth, when he is under the greatest afflictions, the sharpest and sorest trials and troubles, the saddest and darkest providences and changes, with answers to divers questions and objections that are of greatest importance, all tending to win and work souls to be still, quiet, calm and silent under all changes that have, or may pass upon them in this world, &c. / By Thomas Brooks preacher of the Word at Margarets New Fish-street London, and pastor of the Church of Christ meeting there.The silent soul, with soveraign antidotes against the most miserable exigents: or, A Christian with an olive-leaf in his mouth, when he is under the greatest afflictions, the sharpest and sorest trials and troubles, the saddest and darkest providences and changes, with answers to divers questions and objections that are of greatest importance, all tending to win and work souls to bee still, quiet, calm and silent under all changes that have, or may pass upon them in this world, &c. / By Thomas Brooks preacher of the Word at Margarets New Fish-street London, and pastor of the Church of Christ meeting there.
London: printed by R.I. for John Hancock, 1660
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Zanchy observes these two things from these words.
1 That it is ill provoking God to wrath, because he is stronger than we.
1 That it is ill provoking God to wrath, because hee is stronger than wee.
2 That though God be stronger than we, yet there are those who provoke him to wrath; and certainly there are none that do more provoke him, than those who fume and fret when his hand is upon them: Though the cup be bitter, ⟨p. 86⟩yet it is put into your hand by your Father; though the Cross be heavy, yet he that hath laid it on your shoulders, will bear the heaviest end of it himself, and why then should you mutter? Shall Bears and Lions take blows and knocks from their keepers, and wilt not thou take a few blows and knocks from the Keeper of Israel? why should the Clay contend with the Potter, or the Creature with his Creator, or the servant with his Lord, or weakness with strength, or a poor nothing creature, with an omnipotent God? Can stubble stand before the fire? can chaff abide before the whirlwind? or can a worm ward off the blow of the Almighty? A froward and impatient spirit under the hand of God, will but add chain to chain, cross to cross, yoke to yoke, and burden to burden▪ the more men tumble and toss in their feverish fits, the more they strengthen their distemper, and the longer it will be before the cure ⟨p. 87⟩be effected: the easiest and the surest way of cure, is to lye still and quiet, till the poison of the distemper be sweat out: Where patience hath its perfect work, there the cure will be certain and easy; when a man hath his broken leg set, he lies still and quiet, and so his cure is easily and speedily wrought; but when a horse his leg is set, he frets and flings, he flou ces and flies out, unjointing it again and again; and so his cure is the more difficult and tedious. Such Christians that under the hand of God are like the Horse or Mule, fretting and flinging, will but add to their own sorrows and sufferings, and put the day of their deliverance further off.