A77618:370
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.
Seventhly, If you would be silent under your greatest afflictions, your sharpest trials, then make this ⟨p. 360⟩consideration your daily companion, viz. That all the afflictions that come upon you, come upon you by and through that covenant of grace that God hath made with you; in the covenant of grace, God hath engaged himself to keep you1 from the evils, snares and temptations of the world; in the covenant of grace God hath engaged himself to purge away your sins to brighten and increase your graces, to crucify your hearts to the world, and to prepare you, and preserve you to his heavenly Kingdom; and by afflictions he effects all this, and that according to his covenant too, Psal. 89. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. If his children forsake my Law, and walk not in my commandments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; in these words you have a supposition, that the Saints may fall both into sins of commission, and sins of omission; in the following words you have Gods gracious promise, Then will I visit their transgressions ⟨p. 361⟩with the rod, and their iniquities with stripes. God engages himself by promise and covenant, not only to chide and check, but also to correct his people for their sins. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. Afflictions are fruits of Gods faithfulness, to which the covenant binds him; God would be unfaithful, if first or last, more or less, he did not afflict his people; afflictions are part of that gracious covenant which God hath made2 with his people; afflictions are mercies, yea covenant-mercies. Hence it is that God is called the terrible God, keeping covenant and mercy, Neh. 1. 5. Because by his covenant of mercy he is bound to afflict and chastise his people. God by covenant is bound to preserve his people, and not to suffer them to perish, and happy are they that are preserved, whether in Salt and Vinegar, or in Wine and Sugar: All the afflictions that ⟨p. 362⟩