First, A holy, a prudent Silence under affliction, doth not exclude and shut out a sense and feeling of ⟨p. 45⟩our afflictions, Psal. 39. though he was dumb, and laid his hand upon his mouth, vers. 9. yet he was very sensible of his affliction, vers. 10, 11. Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: Surely every man is vanity. He is sensible of his pain, as well as of his sin; and having prayed off his sin in the former verses, he labours here to pray off his pain; diseases, aches, sicknesses, pains, they are all the daughters of sin, and he that is not sensible of them, as the births and products of sin, doth but add to his sin, and provoke the Lord to add to his sufferings, Isa. 26. 9, 10, 11. No man shall ever be charged by God for feeling his burden, if he neither fret nor faint under it; grace doth not destroy nature, but rather perfect it, grace is of a noble off-spring, it neither turneth men into stocks, nor to ⟨p. 46⟩Stoics; the more grace, the more sensible of the tokens, frowns, blows, and lashes of a displeased Father. Though Calvin under his greatest pains, was never heard to mutter, nor murmur, yet he was heard often to say, How long Lord, how long? A religious Commander being shot in battle, when the wound was searched, and the bullet cut out, some standing by pitying his pains, he replied, though I groan, yet I bless God I do not grumble: God allows his people to groan, though not to grumble. It is a God-provoking sin to be stupid and senseless under the afflicting hand of God. God will heat that mans furnace of affliction sevenfold hotter, who is in the furnace, but feels it not, Isa. 42. 24, 25. Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the Robbers? did 1not the Lord, he, against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his Law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the ⟨p. 47⟩strength of battle: and he hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Stupidity lays a man open to the greatest fury and severity.
First, A holy, a prudent Silence under affliction, doth not exclude and shut out a sense and feeling of ⟨p. 45⟩our afflictions, Psal. 39. though he was dumb, and laid his hand upon his mouth, vers. 9. yet hee was very sensible of his affliction, vers. 10, 11. Remove thy stroak away from mee: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: Surely every man is vanity. Hee is sensible of his pain, as well as of his sin; and having prayed off his sin in the former verses, hee labours here to pray off his pain; diseases, aches, sicknesses, pains, they are all the daughters of sin, and hee that is not sensible of them, as the births and products of sin, doth but add to his sin, and provoke the Lord to add to his sufferings, Isa. 26. 9, 10, 11. No man shall ever bee charged by God for feeling his burden, if hee neither fret nor faint under it; grace doth not destroy nature, but rather perfect it, grace is of a noble off-spring, it neither turneth men into stocks, nor to ⟨p. 46⟩Stoicks; the more grace, the more sensible of the tokens, frowns, blows, and lashes of a displeased Father. Though Calvin under his greatest pains, was never heard to mutter, nor murmure, yet hee was heard often to say, How long Lord, how long? A religious Commander being shot in battel, when the wound was search'd, and the bullet cut out, some standing by pittying his pains, hee replied, though I groan, yet I bless God I do not grumble: God allowes his people to groan, though not to grumble. It is a God-provoking sin to bee stupid and senseless under the afflicting hand of God. God will heat that mans furnace of affliction sevenfold hotter, who is in the furnace, but feels it not, Isa. 42. 24, 25. Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the Robbers? did 1not the Lord, he, against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his waies, neither were they obedient unto his Law. Therefore hee hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the ⟨p. 47⟩strength of battel: and he hath set him on fire round about, yet hee knew not; and it burned him, yet hee laid it not to heart. Stupidity laies a man open to the greatest fury and severity.
- 1No judgement to a stupid spirit, a hardened heart, and a brazen brow.No judgement to a stupid spirit, a hardned heart, and a brazen brow.
