A77618:363
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.
Fourthly, If you would be quiet and silent under your present troubles and trials, then dwell1 much upon the benefit, the profit, the advantage that hath redounded to your souls by former troubles and afflictions that have been upon you, Eccles. 7. 14. In the day of adversity consider. Oh! now consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath discovered sin, prevented sin, and mortified sin; consider how the Lord by former afflictions hath discovered to thee the impotency, the mutability, the insufficiency, and the vanity of the world, and all worldly concernments; consider how the Lord by former afflictions hath melted thy heart, and broken thy heart, and humbled thy heart, and prepared thy heart for clearer, fuller, and sweeter enjoyments of himself; consider what ⟨p. 352⟩pity, what compassion, what bowels, what tenderness, and what sweetness former afflictions have wrought in thee towards others in misery; consider what room former afflictions have made in thy soul for God, for his word, for good counsel, and for divine comfort; consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath made thee more partaker of his Christ, his Spirit, his Holiness, his Goodness, &c. Consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath made thee to look towards Heaven more, to mind Heaven more, to prize Heaven more, and to long for Heaven more, &c. Now, who can seriously consider of all that good that he hath got by former afflictions, and not be silent under present afflictions? who can remember those choice, those great, and those precious earnings that his soul had made of former afflictions, and not reason himself into a holy silence under present afflictions? thus, Oh my soul! ⟨p. 353⟩hath not God done thee much good, great good, special good by former afflictions! yes; Oh my soul! hath not God done that for thee by former afflictions, that thou wouldest not have to do for ten thousand worlds? yes; and is not God, Oh my soul! as powerful as ever, as faithful as ever, as gracious as ever, and as ready and willing as ever to do thee good by present afflictions, as he hath been to do thee good by former affliction? yes, yes; why, why then dost thou not sit silent and mute before him under thy present troubles, Oh my soul? It was the saying of one, that an excellent memory was needful for three sorts of men;