it cannot stand still, but hath its flux and reflux; so it is much more restless, when by tempest upon tempest it is made to roar and rage, to foam, and cast up mire and dirt. The raging sea is a fit emblem of a wicked man, that is under God's afflicting hand.

Reas. 3. A third reason why gracious souls should be silent and mute under their sharpest trials, is, that they may be conformable to Christ their head, who was dumb and silent under his sorest trials, Isa. liii. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Christ was tongue-tied under all his sorrows and sufferings, 1 Pet. ii. 21, 22, 23. “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps; Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who when he was reviled, reviled not again: when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." Christ upon the cross did only read us a lecture of patience and silence, but he hath also set us a copy or pattern of both, to be transcribed and imitated by us, when we are under the smarting rod. It will be our sin and shame, if we do not bear up with patience and silence under all our sufferings, considering what an admirable copy Christ hath set before us. It is said of Antiochus,

Mac. vi. 34. that being to fight with Judas, captain of the host of the Jews, he showed D

unto his elephants the blood of the grapes and mulberries, to provoke them the better to fight. So the Holy Ghost hath set before us the injuries and contumelies, the sorrows and sufferings, the pains and torments, the sweat and blood of our dearest Lord, and his invincible patience, and admirable silence under all, to provoke us and encourage us to imitate the Captain of our salvation in patience and silence under all her sufferings.

Hierom, having read the life and death of Hilarion, (one that lived graciously, and died comfortably), folded up the book, saying, Well, Hilarion shall be the champion that I will follow, his good life shall be my example, and his good death my precedent. Oh! how much more should we all say, We have read how Christ hath been afflicted, oppressed, distressed, despised, persecuted, &c. and we have read how dumb, how tongue-tied, how patient, and how silent he hath been under all. Oh! he shall be the copy which we will write after, the pattern which we will walk by, the champion which we will follow! But alas! how rare is it to find a man that may be applauded with that elogy of Salvian, an excellent disciple of a singular master. The Heathens had this notion amongst them, (as Lanctantius reports), that the way to honour their gods, was to be like them; and therefore some would be wicked, counting it a dishonour to their gods to be unlike to them. I am sure the way to honour our Christ, is, in patience and silence to be

like to Christ, especially when a smarting rod is upon our backs, and bitter cup put into our hands.

Reas. 4. A fourth reason why the people of God should be mute and silent under their afflictions, is this, because it is ten thousand times a greater judgment and affliction, to be given up to a fretful spirit, a froward spirit, a muttering or murmuring spirit under an affliction, than it is to be afflicted. This is both the devil's sin, and the devil's punishment. God is still afflicting, crossing, and vexing him, and he is still a fretting, repining, vexing and rising up against God. No sin to the devil's sin; no punishment to the devil's punishment. A man had better have all the afflictions of all the afflicted throughout the world, at once upon him, than to be given up to a froward spirit, to a muttering, murmuring heart under the least affliction. When thou seest a soul fretting, vexing, and stamping under the mighty hand of God, thou seest one of Satan's first-born, one that resembles him to the life. No child can be so much like the father, as this froward soul is like to the father of lies; though he hath been in chains almost six thousand years, yet he hath never lien still one day, nor one night, no not one hour in all this time; but is still a-fretting, vexing, tossing, and tumbling in his chains, like a princely-bedlam; he is a lion, not a lamb, a roaring lion, not a sleepy lion; not a lion standing still, but a lion going up and down, he is not satisfied with the prey

mas.

he hath got, but is restless in his designs to fill hell with souls. He never wants an apple for an Eve, nor a grape for a Noah, nor a change of raiment for a Gehazi, nor a wedge of gold for an Achan, nor a crown for an Absalom, nor a bag for a Judas, nor a world for a DeIf you look into one company, there you shall find a Satan a-dishing out his meat to every palate; if you look into another company, there you shall find him a-fitting a last to every shoe; if you look into a third company, there you shall find him a-suiting a garment to every back. He is under wrath, and cannot but be restless. Here with Jael he allures poor souls in with milk, and murders them with a nail; there with Joab, he embraces with one hand, and stabs with another; here with Judas, he kisses and betrays; and there with the whore of Babylon, he presents a golden cup with poison in it; he cannot be quiet, though his bolts be always on; and the more unquiet any are under the rebukes of God, the more such resemble Satan to the life, whose whole life is filled up with vexing and fretting against the Lord. Let not any think, saith Luther, that the devil is now dead, no nor yet asleep; for as he that keepeth Israel, so he that hateth Israel, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. But, in the next place,

Reas. 5. A fifth reason why gracious souls should be mute and silent under the greatest afflictions, and sharpest trials that do befal them, is this, because a holy, a prudent silence

under afflictions, under miseries, doth best capacitate and fit the afflicted for the receipt of mercies. When the rolling bottle lies still, ye may pour into it your sweetest, or your strongest waters; when the rolling, tumbling soul lies still, then God can best pour into it the sweet waters of mercy, and the strong waters of divine consolation. You read of the peaceable fruits of righteousness, Heb. xii. 11. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby," James iii. 18. " And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace, of them that make peace." The still and quiet soul is like a ship that lies still and quiet in the harbour; you may take in what goods, what commodities you please, whilst the ship lies quiet and still so when the soul is quiet and still under the hand of God, it is most fitted, and advantaged to take in much of God, of Christ, of heaven, of the promises, of ordinances, and of the love of God, the smiles of God, the communications of God, and the counsel of God; but when souls are unquiet, they are like a ship in a storm, they can take in nothing.

Luther, speaking of God, saith, God doth not dwell in Babylon, but in Salem: Babylon signifies confusion, and Salem signifies peace, Now, God dwells not in spirits that are un

The angels are most quiet and still and they take in most of God, of Christ, of heaven.