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.

First, Consider, That murmur∣ing speaks out many a root of bit∣terness to bee strong in thy soul; murmuring speaks out sin in its power, corruption upon its Throne. As holy Silence argues true Grace, much Grace, yea Grace in its strength, and in its lively vigour; so murmuring, mut∣tering under the hand or God, argues much sin, yea a heart full of sin, it speaks out a heart full of self-love, Exod. 15. 24. chap. 16. 7, 8. and full of slavish ••ears, Numb. 13. 32, 33. chap. 14. 1, 2, 3. and full of ignorance, John 6. 41, 42, 61. and full of pride and unbeleef, Psal. 106. 24, 25. yea they despised the pleasant land, or the land of desire (there is their pride) they beleeved not in his word, there is their unbeleef, what

follows? they murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of God; they were sick of the fullens, and preferred E∣gypt before Canaan, a wilderness before a paradise. As in the first Chaos, there were the seeds of all creatures: so in the murmurers heart, there is not onely the seed of all sin, but a lively operation of all sin; sin is become mighty in the hearts of murmurers, and none but an Almighty God can root it out; those roots of bitterness have so spread and strengthened them∣selves in the hearts of murmurers, that everlasting strength must put in, or they will bee undone for ever. But

Secondly, Consider, That the Holy Ghost hath set a brand of infamy upon murmurers, hee hath stigmatized them for ungod∣ly persons, Jude 15. 16. To execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they

have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoker against him. But who are these ungodly sinners? They are murmurers, complainers walking after their own lusts, &c. vers. 16. When Christ comes to execute judgement upon ungodly ones, murmurers shall bee set in the front, they shall experience the firstness of his wrath, and the fierceness of his wrath, and the greatness of his wrath; the front you know is first assaulted, and most strongly assaulted, Christ will bond all his power and strength against murmurers, his little finger shall bee heavier ••p∣on them, than his loins shall bee upon others, other sinners shall bee chastised with whips, but un∣godly murmurers shall bee chasti∣sed with scorpions; if you can joy in that black character of ungodly sinners, bee murmurers still, if not, cease from murmurings; where murmuring is in its reign, in its dominion, there you may speak

and write that person ungodly; let murmurers make what profession they will of godliness, yet if mur∣muring keeps the Throne in their hearts, Christ will deal with them at last as ungodly sinners; a man may bee denominated ungodly, as well from his murmuring, if hee lives under the dominion of it, as from his drunkenness, swearing, whoring, lying, stealing, &c. A murmurer is an ungodly man, hee is an ungodlike man, no man on earth more unlike to God, than the murmurer; and therefore no wonder if when Christ comes to execute judgement, hee deals so severely and terribly with him. In the wars of Tamberlain, one having found a great pot of Gold that was hid in the earth, hee brought it to Tamberlain, who ask∣ed whether it had his Fathers stamp upon it, but when hee saw it had not his Fathers stamp, but the Roman stamp upon it, he would not own it, but cast it away. The Lord Jesus, when hee shall come

with all his Saints to execute judgement, Oh hee will not own murmurers, nay, hee will cast them away for ever, because they have not his Fathers stamp upon them. Ah souls! souls, as you would not go up and down this world with a badge of ungodli∣ness upon you, take heed of mur∣muring.

Thirdly, Consider, That mur∣muring is a mother sin, it is the Mother of harlots, the Mother of all abominations, a sin that breeds many other sins, viz. disobedi∣ence, contempt, ingratitude, im∣patience, distrust, rebellion, cur∣sing, carnality; yea it charges God with folly, yea with blasphemy; the language of a murmuring, a muttering soul, is this, Surely God might have done this sooner, and that wiser, and the other thing bet∣ter, &c. As the River Nilus bringeth forth many Crocodiles, and the Scorpion many Serpents at one birth, so murmuring is a

sin that breeds and brings forth many sins at once: Murmuring is like the Monster Hydra, cut off one head, and many will rise up in its room. Oh! therefore bend all thy strength against this Mo∣ther sin; As the King of Syria said to his Captains, Fight neither with small nor great, but with the King of Israel: So say I, fight not so much against this sin or that, but fight against your murmuring, which is a Mother sin; make use of all your Christian armour, make use of all the ammunition of Heaven, to de∣stroy the Mother, and in destroy∣ing of her, you will destroy the daughters. When Goliah was slain, the Philistians fled; when a General in an Army is cut off, the common souldiers are easily and quickly routed and destroyed: So, destroy but murmuring, and you will quickly destroy disobedience, ingratitude, impatience, distrust, &c. Oh! kill this Mother sin, that this may never kill thy soul. I have read of Senacherib, that after

his Army was destroyed by an Angel, Isa. 37. and hee returned home to his own Country, hee enquired of one about him, what hee thought the reason might bee why God so favoured the Jews, hee answered, that there was one Abraham their Father that was willing to sacrifice his Son to death at the command of God, and that ever since that time God fa∣voured that people: well, said Se∣nacherib, if that bee it, I have two Sons, and I will sacrifice them both to death, if that will procure their God to favour mee; which when his two Sons heard, they (as the story goeth) slew their Father, Isa. 37. 38. chusing rather to kill, than bee killed: So do thou, chuse rather to kill this Mother sin, than to bee killed by it, or by any of those vipers that are brought forth by it.

Fourthly, Consider, That mur∣muring is a God-provoking sin; it is a sin that provokes God, not

onely to afflict, but also to destroy a people, Numb. 14. 27, 28, 29. How long shall I bear with this evil Congregation which murmure against mee? I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel, which they murmure against mee. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as yee have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carkasses shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbred of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against mee. 1 Cor. 10. 10. Neither murmure yee, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. All our murmur∣ings do but provoke the Lord to strike us, and destroy us.

I have read of Caesar, that ha∣ving prepared a great feast for his Nobles and Friends, it so ••ell out, that the day appointed was ex∣tream ••oul, that nothing could be done to the honour of the meeting, whereupon hee was so displeased and enraged, that hee commanded

all them that had bows, to shoot up their arrows at Jupiter (their chief God) as in defiance of him for that rainy weather, which when they did, their arrows fell short of Hea∣ven, and full upon their own heads, so that many of them were very sorely wounded: So all our mut∣terings and murmurings which are as so many arrows shot at God himself, they will return upon our pates, hearts; they reach not him, but they will hit us; they hurt not him, but they will wound us; therefore it is better to bee mute, than to murmure, it is dangerous to provoke a consuming fire. Heb. 12. ult.

Fifthly, Consider, That mur∣muring is the Devils Image, sin, and punishment; Satan is still a murmuring▪ ••hee murmures at e∣very mercy that God bestows, at every dram of grace hee gives; hee murmures at every sin hee par∣dons, and at every soul he•• saves; a soul cannot have a good look

from Heaven, nor hear a good word from Heaven, nor receive a Love-letter from Heaven, but Sa∣tan murmures at it; he murmures and mutters at every act of pitty∣ing grace, and at every act of pre∣venting grace, and at every act of supporting grace, and at every act of strengthening grace, and at every act of comforting grace that God exercises towards poor souls; hee murmures at every sip, at e∣very drop, at every crum of mer∣cy that God bestows▪ Cyprian, A∣quinas and others, conceive, that the cause of Satans banishment from Heaven, was his grieving and murmuring at the dignity of man whom hee beheld made after Gods own Image, insomuch that hee would relinquish his own glo∣ry, to devest so noble a Creature of perfection, and rather bee in Hell himself, than see Adam placed in Paradise. But certainly, after his fall, murmuring and envy at mans innocency and felicity, put him upon attempting to plunge

man into the bottomeless gulf of sin and misery; hee knowing him∣self to bee damned, and lost for ever, would needs try all waies how to make happy man eternal∣ly unhappy. Mr. Howel tells it as a strange thing, that a Serpent was found in the heart of an English∣man when hee was dead; But a∣las! this old Serpent was by sad experience found to have too much power in the heart of Adam whilst alive, and whilst in the heighth of all his glory and excellency; mur∣muring is the first-born of the Devil, and nothing renders a man more like to him than murmur∣ing. Constantines Sons did not more resemble their Father, nor Aristotles scholars their Master, nor Alexanders Souldiers their Ge∣neral, than murmurers do re∣semble Satan. And as murmuring i•• Satans sin, so it is his punish∣ment: God hath given him up to a murmuring spirit, nothing plea∣ses him, all things go against him, hee is perpetually a muttering and

murmu••ing, at persons or things: Now, Oh what a dreadful thing is it to bear Satans image upon us, and to bee given up to the Devils punishment! it were better not to bee, than thus to bee given up; and therefore cease from murmur∣ing, and sit mute under your sorest trials. But

Sixthly, Consider, That mur∣muring is a mercy-imbittering sin, a mercy-souring sin. As put the sweetest things into a soure vessel, it soures them, or put them into a bitter vessel, and it imbitters them; murmuring puts gall and wormwood into every cup of mer∣cy, that God gives into our hands. As holy silence gives a sweet taste, a delightful rellish to all a mans mercies; so murmuring imbitters all; the murmurer can taste no sweetness in his sweetest morsels, every mercy, every morsel tastes like the white of an Egge to him; this mercy, saith the murmurer, is not toothsome, nor that mercy is

not wholesome; here is a mercy wants salt, and there is a mercy wants sauce. A murmurer can taste no sweet, hee can feel no comfort, hee can take no delight in any mercy hee injoyes. The murmurer writes Marah, that is, bitterness upon all his mercies, and hee reads and tastes bitterness in all his mercies. All the murmurers Grapes, are Grapes of Gall, and all their clusters are bitter, Deut. 32. 32. As to the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet: So to the mur∣muring soul, every sweet thing is bitter; the mute Christian can suck sweetness from every breast of mercy, but the murmurer cries out, Oh it is bitter! Oh these breasts of mercy are dry!

Seventhly, Consider, That mur∣muring is a mercy-destroying sin, a mercy-murthering sin; murmur∣ing cuts the throat of mercy, it stabs all our mercies at the heart, it sets all a mans mercies a bleeding about him at once, Numb. 14. 30.

Doubtless yee shall not come into the land concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the Son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the Son of Nun. God promises them that they should possess the holy land upon the condition of their obedi∣ence; this condition they brake, and therefore God was not for∣sworn, though hee cut them off in the wilderness, and kept them out of Canaan; but what is the sin that provokes the Lord to bar them out of the land of Promise, and to cut them off from all those mercies that they enjoyed, which entred into the holy-land? why it was their murmuring, as you may see, in vers. 1, 2, 3, 26, 27, 28, 29. As you love your mercies, as you would have the sweet of your mercies, and as you would enjoy the life of your mercies, take heed of murmuring; mur∣muring will bring a consumption upon your mercies, it is a worm that will make all your mercies to wither. As there bee some that

love their mercies into the grave, and others that plot their mercies into the grave: so there bee some that murmure their mercies into the grave. As you would have your mercies alwaies fresh and green, smiling and thriving, as you would have your mercies to bed and board with you, to rise up, and lye down with you, and in all conditions to attend you; murmure not, murmure not; the mute Christians mercies are most sweet, and most long-liv'd; the murmurers mercies, like Jonab's Gourd, will quickly wither. Mur∣muring hath cut the throat of na∣tional mercies, of domestical me••∣cies, and of personal mercies; and therefore Oh how should men fly from it, as from a Serpent! as from the avenger of blood! yea, as from Hell it self!

Eighthly, Consider, That mur∣muring unfits the soul for duty: A murmurer can neither hear to profit, nor pray to profit, nor

read to profit, nor meditate to profit; the murmurer is neither fit to do good, nor receive good; murmuring unfits the soul for doing of duties, it unfits the soul for delighting in duties, it unfits the soul for communion with God in duties; murmuring fills the soul with cares, fears, distractions, vexations; all which unfits a man for duty. As a holy quietness and calmness of spirit prompts a man to duty; as it makes every duty easie and pleasant to the soul: so murmuring, that un∣hinges the soul, that indisposes the soul, that takes off the Chariot wheels of the soul, that the soul cannot look up to God, nor do for God, nor receive from God, nor wait on God, nor walk with God, nor act Faith upon God, &c. Oh therefore! as ever you would bee in a blessed prepared∣ness, and a blessed fittedness for duty, take heed of murmuring, and ••it mu••e and silent under the afflicting hand of God.

Ninthly, Consider, That mur∣muring unmans a man, it strips him of his reason and under∣standing, it makes him call evil good, and good evil, it puts light for darkness, and darkness for light, bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter, it calls Saviours de∣stroyers, and deliverers murthe∣rers; As you see in the murmuring Israelites; murmuring uncrowns a man, the murmurer may say, my Crown is fallen from my head; murmuring strips a man of all his glory, it spoils all his excellency, it destroies the nobility of man, it speaks him out to bee a base ig∣noble Creature; murmuring clouds a mans understanding, it perverts his judgement, it puts out the eye of reason, it stupifies his consci∣ence, it soures the heart, it disor∣ders the will, and distempers the affections, it be beasts a man, yea it sets him below the beast that pe∣risheth; for a man were better bee a beast, than bee like a beast; the murmurer is the Hieroglyphick

of folly, hee is a comprehensive va∣nity, hee is a man, and no man, hee is sottish and senseless, hee neither understands God, nor him∣self, nor any thing as hee should, hee is the man that must bee sent to school, to learn of the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the earth, how to cease from mur∣muring, and how to bee mute. Ah Sirs! as you would have the name, the honour, the reputation of being men, I say men, Take heed of murmuring, and sit si∣lent before the Lord.

Tenthly, Murmuring is a time∣destroying sin: Ah the precious time that is buried in the grave of murmuring! when the murmurer should bee a praying, hee is a mur∣muring against the Lord; when hee should bee a hearing, hee is a murmuring against divine pro∣vidences; when hee should bee a reading, hee is a murmuring a∣gainst instruments; the murmurer

spends much precious time in mu∣sing, in musing how to get out of such a trouble, how to get off such a yoak, how to bee rid of such a burden, how to revenge himself for such a wrong, how to supplant such a person, how to reproach those that are above him, and how to affront those that are below him, and a thousand other waies murmurers have to expend tha•• precious time, that some would redeem with a world. As Queen Elizabeth on her death-bed, cryed out, time, time, a world of wealth for an inch of time; the murmu∣rer lavishly and profusely trifles away that precious time that is his greatest interest in this world to redeem, Ephes. 5. 16. every day, every hour in the day is a ta∣lent of time, and God expects the improvement of it, and will charge the non-improvement of it upon you at last. Caesar observ∣ing the Ladies in Rome to spend much of their time in making much of little Doggs and Monkies,

asked them whether the women in that Country had no children to make much of? Ah murmurers! murmurers, you who by your murmuring, trifle away so many golden hours and seasons of mer∣cy; have you no God to honour? have you no Christ to beleeve in? have you no hearts to change? no sins to bee pardoned? no souls to save, no Hell to escape? no Hea∣ven to seek after? Oh! if you have, why do you spend so much of your precious time in murmur∣ing against God? against men? a∣gainst this or that thing? Eternity rides upon the back of Time. Hoc est momentum, this is the moment, if it bee well improved, you are made for ever, if not, you are un∣done for ever.

I have read of Archias a Lacede∣monian, that whilst hee was rioting and quaffing in the midst of his cups, one delivers him a letter purposely to signifie that there were some that lay in wait to take away his life, & withall desires him

to read it presently, because it was a serious business and matter of high concernment to him; Oh! said hee, seria cras, I will think of serious things to morrow, but that night hee was slain. Ah murmu∣rer! cease from murmuring to day, or else thou mayest bee for ever undone by murmuring to mor∣row; the old saying, was, nunc aut nunquam, now or never: So say I, now or never, now or never, give over murmuring, and let it swal∣low up no more of your precious time; what would not many a murmurer give for one of those daies, yea for one of those hours which hee hath trifled away in murmuring, when it is a day too late?

The Rabbins glory in this con∣ceipt, that a man hath so many bones, as there bee latters in the Decalogue, and just so many joints and members, as there bee daies in the year, to shew, that all our strength and time should bee expended in Gods service. Ah

murmurers! you will gain more by one daies faithful serving of God, than ever you have gained by murmuring against God. But

Eleventhly, Consider this Christians, that of all men in the world, you have least cause, yea no cause to bee murmuring and muttering under any dispensati∣ons that you meet with in this world: is not God thy portion? Chrysostome propounds this que∣stion, was Job miserable when hee lost all that God had given him? and gives this answer, no, hee had still that God who gave him all▪ Is not Christ thy treasure? is not Heaven thine inheritance? and wilt thou murmure? hast thou not much in hand, and more in hope? hast thou not much in pos∣session, but much more in rever∣sion, and wilt thou murmure? hath not God given thee a changed heart, a renewed nature, and a san∣ctified soul? and wilt thou mur∣mure?

hath hee not given thee himself, to satisfie thee? his Son, to save thee? his Spirit, to lead thee? his grace, to adorn thee? his covenant, to assure thee? his mer∣cy, to pardon thee? his righteous∣ness, to cloathe thee? and wilt thou murmure? hath he not made thee a friend, a son, a brother, a bride, an heir, and wilt thou mur∣mure? hath not God often turned thy water into wine, thy brass in∣to silver, and thy silver into gold? and wilt thou murmure? when thou was dead, did not he quicken thee? and when thou wast lost, did not hee seek thee? and when thou wast wounded, did not he•• heal thee? and when thou wer't falling, did not hee support thee? and when thou wer't down, did not hee raise thee? and when thou wer't staggering, did not hee e∣stablish thee? and when thou wer't erring, did not hee reduce thee? and when thou wer't tempted, did not hee succour thee? and when thou wer't in dangers, did not hee

deliver thee? and wilt thou mur∣mure? what thou that art so high∣ly advanced and exalted above many thousands in the world? Murmuring is a black garment, and it becomes none so ill as Saints.

Twelfthly and lastly, Consider, That murmuring makes the life of man invisibly miserable, eve∣ry murmurer is his own execu∣tioner: Murmuring vexes the heart, it wears and tears the heart, it inrages and inflames the heart, it wounds and stabs the heart; every murmurer is his own Martyr, e∣very murmurer is a murtherer, hee kills many at once, viz. his joy, his comfort, his peace, his rest, his soul; no man so inwardly mise∣rable, as the murmurer, no man hath such inward gripes and grief, as hee, such inward bitterness and heaviness, as hee, such inward contentions and combustions, as hee; every murmurer is his own tormentor, murmuring is a fire

within, that will burn up all, it is an earthquake within, that will o∣verturn all, it is a disease within, that will infect all, it is poison within, that wi••l prey upon all▪ And thus I have done with those motives that may perswade us not to murmure nor mutter, but to be mute and silent under the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences, and sharpest trials that wee meet with in this world.

Notes

• Heb. 12. 15 Deut. 29 18. Heb. 3. 12
• Psal. 78. 19, 20 Unbeleef is virtually all ill.
• Isa. 26. 4
• 1 Kings 12. 11, 14
• Numb. 16. 41. ch. 17. 10.
• Judg. 17. 2.
• 1 Kings 22. 31.
• Eph. 6. 10, 11.
• Psal. 137. 8, 9
• Numb. 26. ult. Numb. 12. 10 Rev. 16. 8, 9, 10, 11
• Seneca.
• Irenaeus calleth murmu∣rers, ora diaboli, the Devils mouth. Job 1. 8, 9 Luk. 22. 31, -34 2 Cor. 12. 8, 9, 10
• Gen. 3.
• Satan can never bee quiet (nec victor, nec victus) neither conquered, nor con∣querour.
• Job 6. 6.
• Prov. 27. 7
• Psal. 89. 30, 31. Deut. 31. 16, 17
• Exod. 6. 6,—10
• 1 Cor. 7. 33, 34, 35.
• Prov. 3. 17
• Psal. 40. 12.
• 2 King. 6. 33 Isa. 26. 9, 10, 11
• Isa. 5. 18, 19, 20
• Exod. 14, 15, 16. chapters. Lam. 5. 16
• Isa. 3. 8 Jer. 7. 6. Mat. 6, Prov. 6.
• Sumptus pretiocis∣simus tem∣pus, Time is of pre∣cious cost, saith Theo∣phrastus.
• Rev. 2. 21 1 Pet. 4. 2. 5
• Plutarch in the life of Pericles.
• Aut male, aut nihil, aut aliud agendo.
• Plutarch.
• Lam. 3. 24 Ephes. 3. 8 1 Pet. 1. 3, 4
• Chrysost. Hom. 4. de patientia Job.
• Omne bo∣num in summo bo∣no.
• God is all in all, and all with∣out all.