A77618:93
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.
Fifthly, The fifth soul-quieting Conclusion you have in vers. 33. For he doth not afflict willingly (or as the Hebrew hath it, from his heart) nor grieve the children of men. The Church concludes, that Gods heart was not in their afflictions, though his hand was; he takes no delight to afflict his children, it goes against the hair and the heart; it is a grief to him to be grievous to them, a pain to him to be• punishing of them, a death to him to be striking of them; he hath no will, no motion, no inclination, no disposition to that work of afflicting of his people; and therefore he calls it his work, his strange work; Isa. 28. 21. Mercy and punishment they flow from God, as the honey and the sting from the Be•; the Bee yieldeth honey of her own nature, but she ⟨p. 38⟩doth not sting, but when she is provoked; he takes delight in showing of mercy, Micah 7. 18. he takes no pleasure in giving his people up to adversity, Hosea 11. 8. Mercy and kindness floweth from him freely, naturally; he is never severe, never harsh, he never stings, he never terrifies us, but when he is sadly provoked by us. Gods hand sometimes may lye very hard upon his people, when his heart, his bowels (at those very times) may be yearning towards his people, Jer. 31. 18, 19, 20. No man can tell how the heart of God stands, by his hand, his hand of mercy may be open to those against whom his heart is set: As you see in the rich (poor) fool, and Dives in the Gospel; and his hand of severity may lye hard upon those on whom he hath set his heart, as you may see in Job and Lazarus. And thus you see those gracious blessed soul-quieting Conclusions about the issue and event of afflictions, that a holy, ⟨p. 39⟩a prudent Silence doth include.
Fifthly, The fifth soul-quieting Conclusion you have in vers. 33. For hee doth not afflict willingly (or as the Hebrew hath it, from his heart) nor greve the children of men. The Church concludes, that Gods heart was not in their afflictions, though his hand was; hee takes no delight to afflict his children, it goes against the hair and the heart; it is a grief to him to bee grievous to them, a pain to him to be punishing of them, a death to him to bee striking of them; hee hath no will, no motion, no inclination, no disposition to that work of afflicting of his people; and therefore hee calls it his work, his strange work;