A sovereign antidote to drive out discontent in all that any way suffer affliction As also the benefit of affliction; and how to husband it so, that the weakest Christian (with blessing from above) may be able to support himself in his most miserable exigents. Together with the wit, generosity, magnanimity and invincible strength of a patient Christian rightly so stiled, and as is herein characterized extracted out of the choisest authors, ancient and modern, both holy and humane. Necessary to be read of all that any way suffer tribulation. The second part. By R. Younge, of Roxwell in Essex, Florilegus. Licensed and entered according to order.

CHAP. I. (Book 1)

IN the former part I have Shewen the several Reasons, why God suffers the best of his Children to be afflicted; with the manifold benefits and advantages they make thereof. Now that some may be perswaded to make this use of their sufferings, and that we may also put to silence the ignorance of others; (foolish men who are mistaken in judging of this matter, suppo∣sing it a base thing to suffer injuries unrevenged) see the Reasons which deservedly make Gods children so patiently to suffer wrongs that the men•• of the world never dream of: And how, through the study of vertue and Christian prudence, they make the servile passions of their mindes (fear and anger) subject to the more worthy faculti••s of their souls, reason and un∣derstanding. The reasons thereof are these.

1. Because it is more generous and laudable to forgive, than revenge▪ Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but, in∣passing it over, he is superiour to him: for it is a Princes part to pardon: yea, quoth Alexander, there can be nothing more noble, than to do well to those that deserve ill. And St. Gregory, It is more honor to suffer injuries by silence, than to overcome them by answering again. Princes use not to chide when Embassadours have offered them undecencies, but deny them audience as if silence were the way royall to correct a wrong. And certainly, he en∣joyes a brave composednesse, that seats himself above the flight of the in∣jurious claw: Like the Emperour Augustus, who though of a most tena∣cious and retentive memory, would forget wrongs, as soon as they were offered: Or Agathocles, Antigonus, and Caesar, who being great Potentates, were as little moved at vulgar wrongs, as a Lyon at the barking of Curre••▪ yea, the Orator gives it as a high praise to Caesar, that he could forget no∣thing but wrongs, remember nothing but benefits; and who so truly noble as he that can do ill, and will not?

'True, It is not rare to see a grea•• man vex himself at the neglect of a peasant, but this argues a poor spirit: A true Lyon would pass it by, with

an honourable scorn▪ You'l confesse then 'tis Princely to disdain a wrong: and is that all? No, forgiveness, saith Seneca, is a valiant kinde of revenge: and none are so frequent in pardoning as the couragious: He that is mo∣destly valiant stirs not till he must needs, and then to purpose: Like the Flint, he hath fire in him, but it appears not, untill you force it from him: Who more valiant than Ioshua? and he held it the noblest victory, to over∣come evil with good: for the Gibeonites took not so much pains in coming to deceive him; as he, in going to deliver them. And Cicero more com∣mends Caesar for overcoming his own courage in pardoning Marcellus, than for the great victories he had against his other enemies. Yea, a dominion over ones self is greater then the Grand Signiory of Turkie. For as the grea∣test knowledge, is truly to know thy self; so the greatest conquest, is to subdue thy self. He is a wiseman that can avoid an evil, he is a patient man that can indure it, but he is a valiant man that can conquer it. And indeed, for a man to overcome an enemy, and be overcome by his own passions, is to con∣quer a petty village with the losse of a large City. What saith a Father? Mi∣serable is that victory wherein thou overcomest thine enemy, and the Divel in the mean time overcomes thee: thou slayest his body, the Divel thy soul. Now we deem him to have the honour of the warre, that hath the profit of it. But as an Emperour said of the means prescribed him to cure his Lepro∣sie (which was the blood of Infants) I had rather be sick still, than be reco∣vered by such a medicine: so wilt thou in this case, if thou hast either bowels or brains. Yea, if the price or honour of the conquest be rated by the difficulty; then to suppresse anger in thy self, is to conquer with Hercu∣les, one of the Furies: To tame all passions, is to lead Cerberus in chains: and to indure afflictions and persecutions strongly and patiently, is with Atlas to bear the whole World on thy shoulders as saith the Poet.

It is no shame to suffer ill, but to do it: to be evil, we are all naturally disposed: to be holy and good, is the difficulty. Yea, every beast and vermine can kill: it is true prowesse and honour to give life and preserve it. Yea a beast being snarled at by a cur, will pass by as scorning to take notice there∣of. I, but is it wisdome so to do? Yes, first, the ancient received opinion is, that the sinews of wisdome, are slowness of belief and distrust. Secondly, None more wise then Solomon, and he is of opinion, That it is the glory of a man to pass by an offence, Prov. 19.11. We fools think it ignominy and cow∣ardise, to put up the lye without a stub: a wrong, without a challenge: but Solomon•• to whose wisdome all wise men will subscribe, was of another judg∣ment; and to this of Solomon, the wisest heathen have set their seal: Pit∣taeus the Philosopher holds, That, pardon is better than revenge, inasmuch as the one is proper to the spirit, the other to a cruel beast. And Demo∣s••henes being reproached by one, answers, I will not strive with thee in this kind of fight: in which he that is overcome is the better man. But, how Socrates, whom the Oracle of Apollo pronounced the wisest man alive, and all the rest of the Philosophers approved of it, both by judgment and

practise; we shall have occasion to relate in the reasons insuing. No tru∣er note of a wiseman than this; he so loves as if he were to be an enemy, and so hates as if he were to love again. We know a spark of fire falling upon a solid body, presently goes out, which falling upon combustible matter kindles and burns: Now as with fire, the light stuff and rubbish kindles sooner than the solid and more compact; so, anger doth sooner inflame a fool than a man composed in his resolutions. This the Holy Ghost witnesseth Eccles. 7. Be not thou of a hasty spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bo∣some of fools, vers. 9. So much fury, so much folly: the more chafing, the lesse wisdome. I confesse, I finde some wise men extreamly passionate by nature, as there is no generall rule but admits of some exceptions: Even God himself, had particular exceptions, from his generall Laws: as the Che∣rubims over the Ark, was an instance against the second Commandment: the Israelites robbing the Aegyptians against the eight: the Priests breaking the Sabboth, Matth. 12.5. against the fourth: and Phin••as killing Zimry, against the sixth, Numb. 25.8. And these, as they are more taken with a joy, so they tast a discontent more heavily: In whom Choler like fire in stub∣ble is soon kindled, and soon out: for they are stung with a Nettle, and al∣layed with a Dock: being like Gun-powder, to which you no sooner give fire, but they fly in your face. And they say these hot men are the best na∣tur'd; but I say; then the best are nought: And it is a strange fit that transformes a wiseman (with Apuleius) into an Asse; yea, a Tyger. And others again, none of the wisest, who are free from being affected; And as they never joy excessively, so they never sorrow inordinately; but have to∣gether lesse mirth and lesse mourning; like patient Gamesters, winning and losing, are all one. But for the most part, it is otherwise. Yea, impatience is the Cousin-german to frenzie. How oft have we heard men that have been displeased with others, tear the Name of their Maker in pieces?

And lastly, This of all others is the most divine and Christian-like re∣venge; witnesse our Saviour Christ, who by death, overcame death (as Da∣vid cut off the head of Goliah, with his own sword) and even then tryum∣phed over his enemies, when most they seemed to tryumph over him, Col. 2.15. And the Martyrs, who are said by the Holy Ghost, to overcome the great Dragon, that old Serpent called the Divell and Satan, in that they lo∣ved not their lives unto the death, Rev. 12.11. Their conquering was by dying, not by killing: and, can the back of Charity now bear no load? are the sinews of Love grown so feeble? And holy David, who when he had Saul at his mercy, instead of cutting off his head, as his servants perswaded him, only cut off the lap of his garmnet, and after thought that too much al∣••o. And at another time, when the Lord had closed him into his hands, finding him asleep in the Fort, instead of taking away his life, as Abishai ••ounselled him, he took away his Spear, and instead of taking away his ••lood from his heart, he takes a pot of water from his head. That this kind of ••evenge for a man to find his enemy at an advantage, and let him depart ••ree, is generous and noble, beyond the capacity of an ordinary man: you

may hear Saul himself confesse, 1 Sam. 24.17, to 23. Again, when the King of Syria sent a mighty Host to take Elisha, and the Lord had smote them all with blindness, and shut them into Samaria; what doth the Prophet? slay them? No: indeed the King of Israel would fain have had it so, his fingers itcht to be doing: but Elisha commanded bread and water to be set before them, that they might eat and drink, and go to their Master, 2 King. 6.22. So a Christian truly generous, will omit no opportunity of doing good: nor do evil, though he have opportunity: for to may, and will not, is the Christians laud.

Which yet is not all, for besides that it is the most generous, noble, va∣liant, wise, divine and Christian-like revenge, to passe by and forgive injuries; our Saviour Christ, in whom is the fountain of all wisdome and knowledge, as all the senses are in the head, Zach. 4.12. allowes none for magnanimous, but such as together with forgiving, bless those that curse them, and do good to such as hurt them, Matth. 5, 44. The case of Moses, Steven, and ma∣ny others; as I shall shew in Chapter 31. which is true generosity indeed. But how contrary is the opinion of the World, to the judgment of God, and the wisest of men concerning valour?