Vol 01 - Chapter 05 - Of Patience.

Chapter 05 - Of Patience
1. TRUE Christian patience is that virtue by which, in all afflictions; that cannot with a safe conscience be avoided, we resign ourselves to the Divine will, and submit entirely to it, choosing rather to suffer the greatest evils, than murmur -against GOD, or let go our dependence on him.
2. The first ground of this virtue is, The counsel and will of God; by which we are fore-ordained to sufferings and affliction. As God appointed his own Son for the sufferings of the cross, that thereby he might bring him to glory; so has he appointed to all the true members of CHRIST, every one his cross; without which they cannot be partakers with their Head. To each of these he has marked, measured, and as it were weighed out, his exact portion of affliction, which they cannot escape, much less shake off by impatience; but may make it easy by humble submission.
3. The expectation of everlasting happiness is another argument to support our patience. " For as the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, till he receive the early and the latter rain," comforting himself under all his toils with the hopes of a plentiful harvest; so should Christians learn to " possess their souls in patience," since the great harvest is at hand that shall repair all our losses, and give to every one of us the fruit of our labors. For as the husbandman does by no means reckon his seed lost, though it be for a while buried in the earth; so when Providence is pleased to take from us our lives, our friends, or estates, we must not look upon them as lost, but as sown in hope of the great day of harvest, where we shall reap to eternity, " if we faint not."
4. The third support of patience is, The truth and faithfulness of God. By the consideration of which " we ought to strengthen our hearts." For as we use to tie a tender tree to some other tree, that it may not be broken by the winds, and to cast anchor in a storm, to fix the ship, that it may not be driven by the tempest; so ought we to join and apply our faint and weak hearts to the firm pillar of God's Word, and fix the ship of our souls by the "anchor of hope," that it sink not. How many promises of Divine assistance have we in the holy Scriptures! And how many instances of strange deliverances have we daily before our eyes! And what variety of methods has God to deliver us! How many has he preserved in pestilence, and famine! How many has he delivered from the peril of the sword! Yes, he can turn the hearts of our enemies to peace, or disappoint the designs of our most malicious adversary.
5. Fourthly, we may set before our eyes the examples of holy men, as Abel, Noah, Lot, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Job, and Moses: the sufferings and trials of the apostles, and all the noble army of martyrs. Should you ask all these, By what way they entered heaven They will all answer:, Ay the way of the cross. Neither did CHRIST himself enter any other way. So says St. Peter, so CHRIST suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps: who, when he was reviled reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously;" So great was the patience of our blessed Redeemer, that though the sun hid its head at the time of his passion though the earth trembled, and the rocks rent, yet he, still hanging upon the cross, murmured not against his enemies, but prayed for them, begging that they might be saved by that blood which they so unjustly shed.
6. And if this be the lot of the children of GOD, that he correcteth every one whom he loves and receivethj it follows, that we must either suffer, or quit our title to be the sons of God. And if our heavenly rather spared not his own Son, though without sin, but chastised him with the rod of affliction i can You, who art but an adopted son, and polluted with innumerable sins, expect to escape it Moreover, if God bear so patiently with our provocations, how much more patient ought we to be, when we are punished for our good "Let us rather rejoice, (as St. Peter advises,) insomuch as we are partakers of CHRIST's sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, we may be glad also with exceeding joy." Forasmuch then as in this valley of tears no man can be perfectly free from afflictions, let us consider how we may find help and comfort in the hour of temptation.
7. The first comfort is, the consideration of the " Divine providence, which lays the burthen upon us. The Lord killeth, and the Lord maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up," 1 Samuel 2:6. " Prosperity and adversity, life and death, poverty and riches, come of the Lord," Eccles 11:14. "The Lord gave, and the Lord _has taken away," Job 1:22. " Are not two sparrows sold for one farthing, and not one of them falleth to the ground without your heavenly Father," Matthew 1:1-25; Matthew 10:22. “ I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil," Isaiah 45:7. "Happy i4 the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not you the chastening of the Almighty. For he maketh -sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole," Job 5:17-18. It is therefore a foolish thing to be angry with those whom God makes the instruments of our correction. " Wherefore does a living man complain" Lamentations 3:39. " A man for the punishment of his sins Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord." For this is the design of GOD, that we should repent, and not murmur against him that afflicts us.
8. A second spring of comfort is, the presence of God with its under the cross. God has no where declared that he dwells with the jovial and the merry, but with the afflicted and sorrowful. " I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit." Isaiah 57:15. " Fear you not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. When you passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when you walkest through the fire, you shall not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee,"
9. The blessed apostle St. Paul, meditating on these things, and on the tender mercies and compassions of our heavenly Father to all afflicted sinners, breaks out into words full of joy and thanksgiving; "Blessed be the God.and Father of our Lord Jesus CHRIST, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those that are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of CHRIST abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by CHRIST,-knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation," 2 Corinthians 1:3, &c.
10. In these words the holy apostle gives thanks to GOD, for that no adversity does befall us, but God supports us under it by his Divine comfort, which is generally more abundant than our sufferings. And this he confirms by several arguments.
11. The first is, because God is the Father of mercies, which is the most comfortable appellation that can be conceived. For he shows himself a Father, not only in name, but in sincerity and truth, to all afflicted souls. Do but consider what arc the properties of a father, and that they all belong to GOD, our heavenly Father. It is the part of a father,
1, To love his children:
2, To take care of them:
3, To feed them:
4, To defend them
5, To correct and instruct them:
6, To pity their infirmities:
7, To be tender to them:
8, To give them portions. To illustrate this yet more perfectly, St. Paul, by a most significant epithet, calls him, the Father of mercies,
1: e. the eternal fountain of all that tenderness and affection that is diffused through the hearts of so many thousands of fathers. Hence it follows, that no cross can befall the children of God so great, as is the comfort that arises from the Father of mercies.
12. The second argument is contained in this expression, the God of all comfort. Because, he overflows with eternal and infinite comforts. For as God is the eternal and infinite good, and our crosses are finite and temporal, what can proceed froth that eternal good, but a perpetual spring of comfort; not only equal, but superior to our greatest affliction
13. The third argument is, the example of St. Paul, and all the saints. God (says he) "comforts us in all our tribulation." The holy martyrs are examples, which our heavenly- Father has set before our eyes, to teach us,
1, That the cross is the sanctuary and mystery of the true Christian:
2, His heavenly and spiritual glory:
3, His victory over the world and the devil:
4, His preparation for the kingdom of heaven:
5, That without the cross, no man can enter into the kingdom of God:
6, That the cross is the image of CHRIST:
7, That it is an exalted and sublime mystery, in which lies hid the highest wisdom and providence of God. But as flesh and blood cannot comprehend this, so neither can -it taste the heavenly manna, hidden in the word of GOD, but by the cross. Hence also it follows, that the Divine comforts are greater than any human sufferings.
14. The fourth is expressed in these words, "That we may be able to comfort those that are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." Now, how did God comfort the apostles And how do they comfort us again Certainly, by the gracious promises in his holy Word, Hence it is said, " Whatsoever things were written, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope," Romans 15:4.
Now, whosoever reads the word of God as he ought, must needs observe how familiarly God vouchsafes to treat with us what abundance of grace; how many spiritual and eternal blessings he promises to bestow upon us. So that we must needs confess, that this one comfort is enough to outweigh all the sufferings of human life. Indeed, the word of God does so overflow with heavenly consolations, that the heart of man is too narrow to receive them. It is like the cruse of oil, which, by the blessing of Elisha, produced more oil than they had vessels to receive. Yea, it often happens, that one single word of Holy Scripture, can comfort a man more than the whole world, or the devil himself can distress him.. G° The river of God is full of water," says David, Psal. 65: 9. So full, that no man can draw it dry. It is not without cause, that God calls himself, " The fountain of living waters," Jeremiah 2:13. And so, Psal. 36: 10, "With thee is the well of life, and in thy light shall we see light." And who can be so foolish as to think, that the fountain of sin and death does more abound with afflictions, than the fountain of life Both with comforts
15. The fifth ground of comfort is, that the apostle calls the cross of the faithful, the cross of CHRIST. And that,
1, because all the faithful are spiritual members of the Lord Jesus CHRIST.. And as the head feels all the pains of every member of the body, by a sympathy arising from its union with them; so CHRIST, who is our spiritual head, feels all the crosses and sufferings of every member.
2, Because CHRIST dwells in his faithful servants, and is vitally united to them; therefore also he suffers in his members, sharing in all their sufferings and persecutions; as he witnessed by a voice from heaven; " Saul, Saul, why persecutest you me" It now remains that we speak of the means, by which we may be partakers of these comforts.
16. The first is, true repentance and confession of sin. For without this, the soul is not capable of comfort; according to that saying of CHRIST, "They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick." On the other hand, a person that is under a true sense of sin, has a real sight of the many miseries into which it has cast him, and therefore murmurs not against GOD, but abhors himself and his own iniquities, and confesses that God is just in all that he has brought upon him. And whoever confesses his sin, shall find a stream of consolation descending upon him from heaven.
17. The second means is faith, which hangs upon Jesus CHRIST, as the infant does upon the mother's breasts. It rests entirely on the paternal affection of the God of all consolation. It holds fast by Jesus CHRIST, as Jacob did by the angel, saying, " I will not let thee go, except you bless me." This is that which, through CHRIST Jesus, overcometh sin, death, the worlds the devil, and all its enemies. "For all things are possible to him that believeth. And he that believeth shall see the glory of GOD," John 11:40.
18. The third means is prayer; which is a Divine converse with God., For as it is aa great ease to an afflicted soul to communicate its sorrows to a faithful friend; so are our hearts refreshed and comforted by pouring them out before God in prayer. " When I called upon thee, you heardest me, and renewedst my soul with much strength." Prayer offered up in the name of Jesus CHRIST, is like Jacob's ladder, on which the soul ascends from earth to heaven. And as soon as the. prayer ascends, the angel of Divine consolation descends back with it. Thus it was in the agony of our blessed Lord, when he prayed snore earnestly, to! an angel descended from heaven to strengthen him. And we may assure ourselves, that whensoever we pray according to his will, we shall be strengthened according to his promise.
19. The fourth means of obtaining Divine consolation, is the praising God. He that is daily employed in the praises of GOD, lives the life of an angel; for they continually " behold the face of their heavenly Father," and sing his praises. This is the highest joy; this is the bread of angels. Whence it appears, that praising and glorifying God must afford joy to a devout soul. Hence, says David, Psal. 34: I, 2, " I will always give thanks unto the Lord. His praise shall ever be in my mouth.. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad." In which place- the prophet joins the praise of God and spiritual joy together; teaching us thereby, that the one is the fruit of the other.
20. The last certain means of receiving Divine consolation, is a diligent "reading, hearing, and meditating on the Word of God." For from the Word of GOD, as the true fountain of consolation, are to be drawn all arguments and grounds of comfort; all joy and quiet of mind, under all kinds of crosses and afflictions. Hence also we learn how these comforts are to be obtained, viz. by true repentance, solid faith, ardent prayer, and continual praising God.