Objection 6: My Afflictions Are Greater Than Other Men’s

Object. 6. uOh! but my afflictions are greater than other men’s afflictions are, and how then can I be silent? Oh! there is no affliction like unto my affliction, how can I hold my peace?”

I answer, 1. It may be thy sins are greater than other men’s sins: if thou hast sinned against more light, more love, more mercies, more experiences, more promises than others, no wonder thy afflictions are greater than others. If this be thy case, thou hast more cause to be mute than to murmur; and certainly, if thou dost but seriously look into the black book of thy conscience, thou wilt find greater sins there, than any thou canst charge upon any person or persons upon earth. Never complain that thy afflictions are greater than others, except thou canst evidence that thy sins are less than others.

2. It may be thou art under some present distemper, that disables thee from making a right judgment of the different dealings of God with thyself and others. When the mind is distempered, and the brain troubled, many things seem to be that are not, and then little things seem very great. Oh! the strange passions, the strange imaginations, the strange conclusions that attend a distempered judgment.

When the mind is disturbed, men many times say they know not what, and do they know not what. It may be, when these clouds are blown over, and thy mind cleared, and thy judgment settled, thou wilt be of another opinion. The supplicant woman appealed from drunken king Philip, to sober king Philip. It is good to appeal from a distempered mind, to a clear, composed mind; for that is the way to make a righteous judgment of all the dispensations of God, both towards ourselves and towards others.

3. It may be that the Lord sees that it is very needful that thy afflictions should be greater than others; it may be thy heart is harder than other men’s hearts, and prouder and stouter than other men’s hearts; it may be thy heart is more impure than others, and more carnal than others, or else more passionate and more worldly than others, or more deceitful and hypocritical than others, or more cold and careless than others, or more secure than others, or more formal and lukewarm than others. Now, if this be thy case, certainly God sees it very necessary, for the breaking up of thy hard heart, and the humbling of thy proud heart, and the cleansing of thy foul heart, and the spiritualizing of thy carnal heart, &c, that thy afflictions should be greater than others; and therefore hold thy peace. Where the disease is strong, the physic must be strong, or else the cure will never be wrought. God is a wise Physician, and he would never give strong physic, if weaker could effect the cure, Isa. xxvii. 8. The more rusty the iron is, the oftener we put it into the fire to purify it; and the more crooked it is, the more blows, and the harder blowTs, we give to strengthen it; thou hast been long gathering rust, and therefore if God deal thus with thee, thou hast no cause to complain.

4. Though thy afflictions are greater than this and that particular man’s afflictions, yet, doubtless, there are many thousands in the world, whose afflictions are greater than thine. Canst thou seriously consider the sore calamities and miseries that the devouring sword hath brought upon many thousand christians in foreign parts, and say, that thy afflictions are greater than theirs? Surely no. Such are the dismal effects of war; the sword knows no difference betwixt the innocent and the guilty; betwixt young and old, bond and free, male and female; betwixt the precious and the vile, the godly and the profane, the prince and the subject, the nobleman and the beggar; the sword eats the flesh, and drinks the blood of all sorts and sexes, without putting any difference betwixt the one and the other. The poor protestants under the duke of Savoy, and those in Poland and Denmark, Germany, and several other parts, have found it so; many of their wounds are not healed to this day. Who can retain, in his fresh and bleeding memory, the dreadful work that the sword of war hath made in this nation, and not say, Surely many thousands have been greater sufferers than myself! they have resisted unto blood, but so have not I, Heb. xii. 4.

5. As thy afflictions are greater than other men’s, so it may be thy mercies are greater than other men’s mercies; and if so, thou hast no cause but to hold thy peace. As Job’s afflictions were greater than other men’s, so his mercies were greater than other men’s; and Job wisely sets one against another, and then lays his hand upon his mouth, Job i. It may be thou hast had more health and more strength than others, more prosperity and more smiling providences than others, more good days and more sweet and comfortable relations than others; if this be thy case, thou hast much cause to be mute, thou hast no cause to murmur; if now thy winter nights be longer than others, remember thy summer days have formerly been longer than others; and therefore hold thy peace. But,

Lastly, By great afflictions the Lord may increase thy graces, and thy name and fame in the world. By Job’s great afflictions, God did greatly augment his faith and patience, proved his integrity, increased his wisdom, knowledge, and experience, and heightened his name and fame in the world, as you all know7 that have read his book. Bonds and afflictions waited on Paul in every city, Acts xx. 23; 2 Cor. xi. His afflictions and sufferings were very great, but by them the Lord increased his zeal, his courage, his confidence, his resolution, and his name and fame, both among sinners and saints. Certainly, if thou art dear to Christ, he will improve thee in spirituals, by all the great afflictions that are upon thee; he will raise thy faith, inflame thy love, quicken thy hope, brighten thy zeal, perfect thy patience and perfume thy name, and make it like a precious ointment, Prov. xxii. 1; Eccl. vii. 1, like a precious ointment poured forth; so that good men and bad men shall say, Lo, here is a christian indeed, here is a man more worth than the gold of Ophir; therefore hold thy peace, though thy afflictions are greater than others.