Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things are to be entertained withal. A sermon at Boston-Lecture, on the death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, and the day before her interment; who expired Septemb. 26. 1721. / By her father. ; Whereunto there is added, a sermon on, the refuge of the distressed, which was preached on the Lord's-Day preceeding.

Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things are to be entertained withal. A sermon at Boston-Lecture, on the death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, and the day before her interment; who expired Septemb. 26. 1721. / By her father. ; Whereunto there is added, a sermon on, the refuge of the distressed, which was preached on the Lord's-Day preceeding.

Table of contents

Title page

Introduction.

The Silent Sufferer. BOSTON-Lecture, 28 d. VII. m. 1721. The Day before the Interment of my DAUGHTER, with her Infant.

The Refuge of the Distressed. BOSTON, 24. d VII. m. 1721. When my DAUGHTER was lying at the point of Death.

APPLICATION.

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Silentiarius.

A brief ESSAY On the Holy Silence AND Godly Patience, that Sad Things are to be Entertained withal. A SERMON at Boston-Lecture, On the Death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, And the Day before her Interment; who Expired Septemb. 26. 1721.

By her FATHER.

Whereto there is added, A SERMON on, The Refuge of the Distressed, which was Preached on the LORD's Day [...].

BOSTON: Printed by S Kneeland, 1721.

Introduction.

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IF I may not only Get Good, but also Do Good, by the Sorrows which are the Things appointed for me, with what a wonderful Satisfaction must I come to say, Lord, In Faithfulness hast thou afflicted me! He was an Happy Man, who could say, GOD hath caused me to be Fruit [...] in the Land of my Affliction. 'Tis in a pursuance of this Happiness, that these Thoughts in a Duy of Trouble are Published, for the Service of my Fellow-Travellers, thro' a Wilderness, a Land of Darkness, and fiery Flying Serpents.

Cotton Mather.

The Silent Sufferer.
BOSTON-Lecture, 28 d. VII. m. 1721. The Day before the Interment of my DAUGHTER, with her Infant.

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LEV. X. 3.

And Aaron held his peace.

BUT the silent Saint shall now speak aloud unto us: Even i [...] holding his Peace he shall now speak aloud unto us: A D [...] Man shall now speak unto us. It shall be done, I will not say, Miraculously, [...] but I hope, it will be done Remarkably, and very Proftably. The very silence will have in it a Voice to be greatly hearken'd to. And if I declare to you, That my Design is, to strike my Hearers Dumb, it will be a Kindness for theme Indeed an Angel once brought it as a Rebuke to a good Man, for something amiss [Page]in him, Thou shalt be Dumb and not able to speak. But I am now to propose it as the Glory of a good Man, Thou shalt be Dumb, and hold thy Peace, not willing to speak. When and How and Why to hold ones peace, truly 'tis a Thing the People of GOD should be well-acquainted withal.

BEFORE I go any further, I am to tell you, when this Duty of silence is to be Studied. It must be our study To hold our peace, when we have sad things befalling of us. The season of the Duty is, when we meet with grievous Occurrences, with heavy Calamities. How and Why the Duty is to be attended, you shall be told, after I have informed you who 'tis that gives us the Pattern of it.

IT was Aaron, an Eminent Minister of GOD, yea, the High-Priest of Israel. Sad Things befell the Family of this Excellent Man. Two of his Children were taken from him; yea, with very awful Circumstances taken from him. GOD Struck them Dead, with Fire from Heaven. A Fire from Heaven had lately consumed the Burnt-Offerings of the Brazen[Page]Altar. GOD required, That this Fire should always be kept alive with a perfetual Fuel, and be the only Fire employed in all their Offerings. But the Two Sons of Aaron, who Officiated in the Priesthood under him, imagined (as the Jews interpret the matter to us) that this Fire was only for the Burnt-Offerings: For the Altar of Incense they imagined, they might fetch their Fire elsewhere; and they did so. GOD was offended; and by striking them Dead, on the very First Day after the Service of the Altar began, and after the Seven Days for the Consecration were finished and they were to offer Sacrifices for themselves and the People, He gave a Lively Intimation, that Life was not now to be obtained or expected from that Service. No, 'tis our JESUS alone, who is the Truth and the Life.

THE Conduct of Aaron under the sad Things which befell him and his Family, is now to be observed. The Saint of the Lord has this Reported of him; He hold his peace. A Good Report! The Consideration which produced this Holy silence in him, was in the Message, which [Page]his Brother brought from GOD unto him. The Lord said, I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh unto me; and before all the People will I be glorified. The Glorious GOD would be considered, as the Dispenser of the sad Things which the Man of GOD met withal, and would accordingly be Glorified.

AND now, may a DOCTRINE Worthy of all Acceptation, be by all of us duely Accepted of.

SINCE 'tis the Glorious GOD, who is the Doer of all that in the sad Things which we meet withal is [...]ne unto us, it becomes us to Glorify Him with an an HOLY SILENCE under them.

I call to mind, that when David as well as Aaron, had sad Things befalling him, he gives this Account of his Conduct under them, Psal. XXXIX. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. I am very much of the Opinion, that when that Servant of GOD so Behaved and Expressed himself, he doubtless had in his Eye, the Story of Aaron, which I now have in mine: A Story which he could not but be wellapprised of. So then having the Advantage [Page]of thus calling in David as well [...]s Aaron to support my DOCTRINE, it may now be said, those Two Bright Stars, David and Aaron, shall now appear in Conjunction; and by your Observation of them, you shall understand how to Steer in the Darkest Hours that sad Things may bring upon you. Under sad Things, the Great Thing with which we are to Glorify GOD, is PATIENCE; PATIENCE. The Thing required of us, is that, Jam. I. 4. Let Patience have its perfect work. I don't Remember that the Hebrew Language, has any Term for Patience, but that of silence. The Description which the Old Testament gives of Patience, is To be Dumb, and not Open ones Mouth. There are some, who so read, Psal. LXV. 1. Silence is praise to thee, O GOD. Our GOD is never more Praised than by our silence. Our silence under sad Things, will be a most notable Praise to our GOD. This, This, is the Grace to be now spoken of! And in speaking of it,

I. WE are to lay down the Maxim, which does command, and may even compel, the Holy silence, that is to be [Page]preserved under sad Things befalling of us. The Maxim is this; The Glorious GOD is He who does all that is done unto us, in the sad Things we meet withal; Whatever Afflictive Thing is done unto us, the Great GOD says, I am now to be Sanctified and Glorified as the doer of it. Of every thing that proves a stroke of Adversity unto us, we must make this Confession, Lord, Thou doest it. It was demanded. Hab. II. 20. The Lord is in his Holy Temple; l [...]t all the Earth keep silence before Him. The demand shall now be, The Lord is in thy Adversity, O Child of Earthly Man, do thou keep silence before Him. Whatever sad Things we meet withal, we have not the Right Thoughts of the Righteous, if we do not think, It is the Glorious GOD who has done all that is done unto me. Indeed the sense of this, That we have to do with a Glorious GOD, in all the sad Things which we meet withal, 'tis to be one Ingredient of the Holy silence wherewith we are to Glorify Him. It is not an Holy silence, but a Stupidity; yea, a Profanity, if our Patience have not the sense of a Glorious GOD, for the Principle of it. Come [Page]then, Under our sad Things, this is the First Thing to be Laboured for. Be sensible of this, that in all the sad Things which befall us, there is the Providence of a Glorious GOD at Work; A Glorious GOD performing the Thing that is Appointed for us. Tis a Maxim never to be doubted of. Job. V. 6. Certainly Affliction comes not f [...]rth of the Dust, neither doth Trouble spring out of the Ground. No, All our sad Things, as well as our glad Things come from Above. The sad things which we suffer from and on the Earth, are not of a meer Earthly Original. The Disputers of this World, have in all Ages disputed on that Obscure Problem, the Origin of Evil. And in the Enquiries after it, there have been those who have not enquired wisely concerning this matter. The Ancient Pagans had a Notion, which the Manabees afterwards licked up, of a Good GOD, who Created a Good World, and covered it with a Shell of His Protection; But then Another God who broke the Shell, and made all Evil to break in at the perforation. This Notion prevailed very particularly with the Magians in Persia. But our Glorious [Page]GOD, speaking of the Persian affairs takes Occasion to make this Challenge; Isai. XLV. 7. I form the Light, and I create Darkness; I make Peace, and I create Evil; I the Lord do all these things. Man, if sad things involve thee in the Darkness of much Evil, Behold the Lord, who is the doer of all these things. The Universal, the Everlasting, the most Operative Providence of the Glorious GOD, is to be considered, as the Original of all the sad things that we meet withal. There is not an Atom in the World, about which the Providence of GOD is unconcerned; Not an Atom so made in Vain, as to be left from under the Influence of that Omnipresent Providence, that Omnipotent Providence. Whatever comes to pass, we must evermore make that Confession; Psal. CXXXV. 6. Whatever the Lord pleased, that has he done in Heaven and in Earth, in the Seas, and in all deep Places. All things are disposed, all things are managed, by this Marvellous Providence; A Providence which does Marvellous things without Number: A Providence which watches over Insects as well as over Angels; Over the Worm as well as over his [Page]Brother Man who treads upon him; Over the Stars of Heaven, and over the Stones of the Field. The very Sparrows are under the Divine Providence. Our SAVIOUR, who has now the Government of it, has told us; Matth. X. 29. One of them shall not fall to the ground, without your father. 'Tis the Glory of the Providence, 'tis the Grandeur of it, that no little Thing, no, not the least in the World, is Exempted from it.

WE will Suppose the sad things that befal us, to appear never so much in the shape of meer Accidents; yet, GOD forbid, that we should come into the Philistean Language, It was a chance that bappened unto us. To tell of a Fortune; 'tis what becomes not the Mouth of a Christian. These Accidents, like the stormy Winds, do but Fulfil the Word of GOD. Yea, we will suppose Enemies, Rational and even Designing Agents, to bring our sad things upon us: But still these Enemies are no other than Instruments. Ah, Thou Troubler; Thou art no more than the Axe or the Sarce; no more than the Rod or the Staff; without the Hand of our GOD, thou couldest never do any [Page]thing at all unto us. These are but Second Causes. When GOD gives Quietness who can cause Trouble! This then is the Upshot of the Matter. We are to Realize the Providence of the Glorious GOD in all the sad things that we meet withal. Whenever any sad things befal us the very First Thought rising in our Minds must be this: Lord, Thou didst it [...] There is a Providence of GOD in this thing [...] The thing had never befallen me, if the Providence of GOD had not ordered it!

II. AND now, for the Effect of the Maxim. What is that Holy Silence, which is to be maintained, when the Glorious GOD shall inflict sad things upon us [...] The Apprehension of our having to d [...] with a Glorious GOD, in the sad thing which we meet withal, must restrain all expressions of Impatience with us. Thus 'tis, that we are to hold our peace. The Thing which we are now asking after is this; what are those expressions o [...] Impatience, which are to be refrained when there is danger lest our Spirits become Impatient under sad Things be falling of us? Now,

First. THERE is an Holy silence with [Page]regard unto Men, to be maintained, when we are Concerned with Men, Injured by Men, in the sad Things which we meet withal. 'Tis indeed in such Cases, that we are apt most of all to fall into expressions of Impatience, and speak Un [...] visedly with our Lips: 'Tis when Men do Hurt us, Wrong us, Abuse us; when Men do such Things unto us as would even provoke a Stone to speak. Now in such Cases, what should be our Sentiments! Tho' it may be a Messenger from Satan that buffets us, yet Remember, there are Messages from GOD unto us in the Buffetings. And the Wards are best beard in Quietness. An Holy silence is needful, that we may listen to His Lessons. Under the sad things which we may suffer from Reproaches, we have been taught thus to think of a Calumnious Backbiter, 2 Sam. XVI. 11. The Lord hath bidden him. Yea, under sad things which we may suffer even from Robberries themselves, we must not forget, who gives us to the spoiler! We have been taught so to think; Job 1.21. The Lord hath taken away. Being thus aware of this, that if any Man be Abusive to [Page]us, 'tis GOD who stirs up the Adversary, let us go on to think; I have deserved from GOD, all the sad things which this Man does unto me: And if GOD thus bring me to Repentance, they are good things which are done unto me. Go on to think; My GOD would have me scoured by the Dirt cast upon me, and more shining in the Excellent Things that are most contrary to the approbrious Things, which are spoken of me: When works of Iniquities prevail against me, 'tis to purge away my Transgressions. Go on to think; My GOD will put me upon the Exercise of a Forgiving Spirit unto them who have offended me, that so I may have the sweeter assurance of His having Forgiven all my Offences unto Him. Under the Impression of such Sonthments, Oh! Let an Holy silence, be now kept inviolable with you. Now for an Imitation of the meek and lowly JESUS; of Whom we read, Isai. LIII. 7. 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 the shearers is Dumb, Yo He opened not His mouth: The meek and Lovely JESUS; of Whom we read, [Page]1 Pet. II. 23. When be was Reviled, He Reviled not again; when He suffered, He Threatned not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth Righteously. For be [...]n all expressions of Impatience; all Ebullitions of Intemperate Passion; Immoderate Pas [...]on; all unseemly vo [...]iting of [...]oler, and casting up of bitter G [...]ll [...]. Don't speak falsely, no, nor too Hardly and Harshly neither, of those that have wounded you. Let there come nothing from you that shall be outrageous, nothing that shall be revengf [...], or [...] any Intention to Render Evil for Evils My Friend, Set a watch before thy Mouth, Keep the door of thy Lips. Be advised of this; To suffer many sad Things [...] such as have been insufferably Abus [...] to us, but be after all able to say, Thro' the help of a dear SAVIOUR, there has not been all this [...]hile so much at One Impatient Word Extorted from me! Verily. This were a Greater Favour of GOD, than there would have been in it, if the sad Things had never been met withal.

Secondly. THERE is an Holy silence with regard unto the Glorious GOD, much more to be maintained, when sad [Page]Things are met withal. Being satisfied of this; Lord, Thou art the Doer of all! All Expressions of Impatience, are from this Moment forbidden unto us. Be sure we shall Express too much Impatience, if our sad Things cause us to fall into Wishes to have our Death hastened upon us. A Job tired with sad Things, may cry out, O thus GOD would grant me the Thing that I long for! Even that it would please GOD to destroy me; that He would let loose His Hand, and cut me off! A [...]ired Elies may Wish, O Lord, Take away my Life! A tired Jonas may Wish, O Lord, I beseech thee, take my Life from me. But they spoke too much. It would have been better for them to have beld their Peace, been Dumb, and not so have opened their Mouths. Let all such Rash Wishes of a Soul out of Breath under the L [...]ads lying upon it, be Suppressed. There is a Faulty Impatience in them. Nor is this all the Caution to be inculcated. The Holy silence must be yet further extended. It must lay a Restraint upon all the Complaints which may express any Impatience under the sad Things we meet withal. There [Page]must not pass from us, the least Whisper of any thing, that shall not breath a sweet Submission to, a sweet Acquiescence, in, the Will of GOD, sending sad Things upon us. Our Holy silence is to be kept in such Things as these.

First. NOTHING must be spoke Amiss concerning the Glorious GOD; Nothing spoke! No, Nothing so much as Thought amiss; under all the sad things which it shall please Him to lay upon us. This Holy silence must reach not only unto our Words, but also unto our very Thoughts. Our Thoughts may be as audible as the loudest cries in the Ears of the Lord of Hosts, who knows our Thoughts a far off. The Words of our very Minds, as well as of our Lips, under all our sad Things must be such, that this Report may be made of us; Job 1.22. In all this be sinned not, nor charged GOD foolishly.

MORE particularly,

First. ALL Impatient expressions of Rebellion against the S [...]v [...]reignty of the Glorious GOD: These must be Restrained with an Holy silence, when a Sovereign GOD shall do sad Things unto us. If sad Things be done unto us, we must by [Page]no means dispute the Dominion of the Glorious GOD over us; by no means dispute his Absolute Authority to do what He will with us, and give none account of His matters; by no means dispute His Absolute Prerogative, to do what He will with His own. Let our sad Things but carry us down to the House of the Potter. Under our sad things, let us ly in the Dust before the Glorious GOD, and as Clay before the Potter, not go to strive with our Maker, if He break the Potsherds of the Earth to pieces at His Pleasure. With an Holy silence we must Subscribe to that; Job IX. 12. Behold, He taketh away; who can hinder Him [...] who will say unto Him, what doest thou?

Secondly. ALL Impatient expressions of Reflection upon the Righteousness of the Glorious GOD; These must be Restrained with an Holy silence, when a Righteous GOD shall do sad things unto us. When sad things are done unto us, We must not admit the least suspicion of any Injustice in the Dealings of Heaven with us. Admit no suspicion, That we are unjustly dealt withal, or meet with hard measure, or are not indeed [Page] Punished less than our Sins deserve. Admit no suspicion, That we should be Unjustly dealt withal, if we were much more severely Punished, and visited with Great Plagues, and of a long continuance, yea, thrown into a Devouring Fire, and Everlasting Burnings. If we Groan under our sad things, yet, Oh! Grumble not! Our sad things would be no more than we are worthy of, if they were a Thousand times worse than they are. An Holy silence must be enjoin'd; with such a Reprimand as that; Lam. III. 39. Wherefore doth a living Man complain, a Man for the Punishment of his Sins?

Thirdly. AN Holy silence must Restrain all Impatient Jealousies, about the Faithfulness and Compossion of a Glorious GOD; when sad things are done unto us. The Infliction of sad things upon us, will make a time of Temptations with us: Temptations to grow Jealous of what the Dispensations of GOD are tending to. 'Tis a Dark time and the Hour and Power of Darkness fall upon us. When the Night arrives, then the Lions [...]ore. Our sad things bring Temptations with [Page]them; Temptations to say, I shall one day perish by the hand of this Misery; 'twill be an undoing Misery. It will be too h [...]rd for me! Temptations to say, GOD counts me for His Enemy; I now suffer from Him the strokes of an Enemy; 'tis n [...]t my Salvation, but my Destruction that is now to be looked for! Temptations to forget, that our sad things are all ordered by a SAVIOUR sitting on the Throne of GOD, and aiming at the Cure of all that is Irregular in us, and at the Restoring of GOD unto His Throne in our Souls, and at the preparing of us for the Spiritual Blessings of the Heavenly Places. If we are Tempted in and from our sad things to say, what will imply our Forgetting of such things as these, we ought now to silence these Jealousies. Instead of saying as we are Tempted now to say, All these things are against me, let us with an Holy silence keep unto that Conclusion; Gen. L. 20. GOD has meant it unto Good.

IN a Word; Under sad things befalling us, there must be nothing heard from us, but the Language of PIETY; Nothing but what shall speak a Soul entirely [Page]Swallowed up in the Will of GOD A Soul approving the equal Wayes of GOD in all that is done unto us; A Soul perswaded that our SAVIOUR has Thoughts of Peace, and not of Evil, in all that is done unto us.

BUT then, Secondly. A Shame of the Sin that has brought our sad things upon us; This belongs to that Holy silence, wherewith GOD is to be Glorified under them. The Confusion which Repentance is attended withal, it has an Holy silence in it. Repentance is thus described; Ezek. XVI. 63. That thou mayst Remember, and be Consounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy Shame. A true Penitent is thus exhibited unto us, Lam. III. 28, 29. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence; because he hath born it upon him; he putteth his mouth in the Dust. The frame of a true Peniten [...] is that; Ezra. IX. 6. O my God, I am ashamed. I blush to lift up my Face unto thee. And, I Blush to open my mouth before thee. Under our sad things there is a Repentance called for; A Repentance that will not leave us a Word to say for our selves; but cast us into the Confusion of an Holy [Page]silence before the Glorious GOD, against whom we have sinned. The most agreeable Voice of Lamentations is that, Let us search and try our Ways, and Return unto the Lord. But in this Return unto the Lord, there must be an Holy silence caused by the Confusion arising from what we find in our searching and our trying of our Ways. We are told, That if we would speak aright, we must say, What have I done? But then having so spoke aright, there must follow an Holy silence, from the shame of what we have done. If [...]d things befall us, we are to-hear an Holy GOD saying unto us, Thy Way and thy Doings have procured those things unto thee; this is thy Wickedness. Under sad Things, let us Examine our selves, What have I done to procure these things? What Wickedness, either in point of Commission, or of Omission, have I been guilty of? Oh! Let us Loath and Judge our selves before the Glorious GOD, and with an Holy silence let us take to our selves the shame of our Miscarriages, [...]y which we have provoked His Majes [...]y to inflict such sad Things upon us. [...]hen sad Things befall us, we may say, [Page] My GOD will Humble me. Under these Humbling things, it will become us to take a Catalogue of Things Required and Forbidden in the Commandments of our GOD. Examine the Trespasses, wherein we have Denied the GOD that is Above. With the deepest Humiliation Confess, Lord, I have nothing to say for my self I can make no Excuses for my Rebellions. Oh! I abhor my self, and I Repent in Dust and Ashes. The Holy silence, which our sad things call us to, is that of a Mouth lying in the Dust. Of the poor Man Convicted of being in ill Terms with Heaven, we read, Match. XXII. 12. He was speechless. This we are now to be, upon the Conviction under which we are to ly, with no other Moan but this, I will bear the Indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him.

Thirdly. THERE is a Death to all things here below, in which we are to maintain that Holy silence that our sad things are to be born withal. Of the Dead, we read, They go down into silence. They that are gone down into the Grave where the Dead are lodged, are in the [Page] Place of silence; have it said of them, They are silent in the Grave. 'Tis a Description of Death; Psal. XLIV. 17. A Soul dwelling in silence. Now, before we come to the Natural Death, which lies in the Destruction of the Commerce between the Heart and the Brain, there is a Moral Death, to be pursued and obtained; A Death upon our Vitious Appetites; a Death wherein we shall have our Lusts Mortified; a Death in which we shall be Dead with CHRIST, and have nothing but a CHRIST left Alive unto us, in regard of any strong Relish in our Souls. To be Dead, is to be Dumb. The Errand of all our sad things that come upon us, to render us Dead unto all Things here. For just as far as we Dy to these things we Live unto GOD; It is the Dethroning of these Things, that Restores GOD unto His Throne in our Souls; and by This we Live; in this is the Life of our Spirit. Our Faithful SAVIOUR sends Killing things upon us; perhaps they are without a Metaphor so. He Loves us, when He Kills us. 'Tis that He may Kill our violent passions for Creatures, and that He may [Page]Quicken and Compell in us the Dispositions of a Soul Returning unto GOD; and that our Soul may be disposed, for the pursuit of that Satisfaction in GOD alone, which we vainly have expected from Creatures heretofore. Under our sad things there is to be endeavoured the Holy silence of those who are Crucified unto the World, and who have the World Crucified unto them. A Man hanging on a Cross; This Man, is Free among the Dead, and has little to say, unto any thing that this World has to offer unto him. Yea, this World, with all the Enjoyments of it, must be as a Crucified thing unto us; a Dead Carcase whereof we shall have little to say, expressive of any Value for it. Christians, Under the sad things that befall you, Die, Die, to the Comforts of this World. Let your Sentiments of them grow as cold as may be: And what are the Sentiments of the Dead concerning them. Yea, Die also to the Troubles of this World. I must complain of it, That many who seem to be pretty far gone in a Death to the Comforts of this World, are not got so far as they should be in a Death to the [Page] Troubles of this World. But, my Friends what are the Resentments of a Dead Man upon all the Hard things that may be spoke of him, or may be done to him [...] He says nothing upon these things. Even such an Indifferency must be approach'd unto. Oh! Could our dear and kind SAVIOUR see us thus Dead, under all the sad things that He sends upon us! — I say unto you, He would shew wonders to the Dead.

THUS I have described unto you, the Holy silence, wherewith GOD is to be Glorified under all our sad things, which a Glorious GOD may send upon us.

BUT now at last, you shall have leave to break silence, and a leave to speak shall be allowed unto you. Tis now to be supposed, That you will speak nothing but what it will well become you to speak. And you shall have an Allowance, yea, a Direction to speak. Tho' an Holy Silence becomes you under your sad things, yet there is a sottish silence which is very misbecoming. There is a speaking, which will be very consistent with the Holy silence which under your sad things you are call'd unto. It was the Remark [Page]of the Psalmist; Psal. XXXIX. 2. With silence I remain'd as Dumb; I wholly held my peace; not mentioning of any Good; my grief was then renew'd. There are some Good things to be mentioned under our sad things. We must not now be so Dumb with silence as wholly to hold our Peace, and forbear the mention of those Good things. Our Grief will be Renew'd, Increas'd, Inflam'd, by such a silence. Yea, Because you are concerned with GOD, in all the sad things that you meet withal; For that very Cause, you are now to speak some Things which He will be pleased withal; speak such Things as may answer the Intention of His Dealings with you.

Particularly,

First. CHRISTIAN, since the Glorious GOD is the Doer of what is in any sad things done unto thee, be not so Dumb, do not so hold thy peace, as to have thy Mouth not open in the Voice of Supplication. 'Tis a Thing Enjoined and Expected by our GOD, when sad things are inflicted, Jam. V. 13. Is any among you Afflicted? Let him Pray. O thou Afflicted, It will be no Trespass upon the [Page]Rules of the Holy silence imposed on thee, under thy sad things, to speak and Pray, Lord, shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. Speak and Pray, Lord, Let the things which for the present are not joyous but grievous, afterwards yield me the peaceable Fruits of Righte [...]sness. Yea, since we have had that permission from our Gracious GOD, Call upon me in the day of Trouble, and I will Deliver thee; Even Lift up thy Voice for this also. Speak and Beg and Ask humbly for a seasonable Deliverance. If no sad things will bring thee to the Use of thy Voice, but thou continue Prayerless under them; — All this come upon thee; and [...]et thou bast not made thy Prayer unto [...] Lord! — Alas this is not an Holy silence; No, 'Tis a Dumb Devil that seems to have his Operation in it.

Secondly. SINCE the Glorious GOD is the Doer, of what is in any sad things done unto thee, be not so Dumb, do not so hold thy peace, as to have thy Mouth not open in the Voice of Sacrifi [...]ing. In all thy sad things GOD puts thee upon parting with some Enjoyments. Now, for the Voice of a Sacrificer! Now say [Page]with him, Jon. II. 9. I will Sacrifice unto thee, with a Voice. All the sweet things, which thou b [...]st lost, in and by the sad things that are come upon thee; use [...]n Holy silence, as to any Remonstrances against the proceedings of GOD in depriving thee of them. Sacrifices use to be carried on silently. Instead there of speak, and say, Lord, I Resign; Lord [...] I Submit; Lord, I Offe [...] up unto Thee, whatever thou wilt [...] [...]ase to call for; I Forego, whatever thou wi [...] have to be denied unto me! Come, Initiate thy self at the Royal [...] Upon all thy sad things use the Language of a Noble Sacrificer. Heaven hears not a more grateful, Melody! If a Priest be struck Dumb, his Priesthood won't be well carried on. The Displeasure of GOD seems to set a Mark upon h [...]m.

Lastly, IT will be very consistent with an Holy silence, under thy sad things to speak still at that rate; Psal. XLII. 8. In the Night. His Song was with me. My Brethren, there are Songs which GOD [...] Maker gives unto us, for the Night, which your sad things, bring upon us. To intermit those Lovely Songs, will be no [Page] Holy silence. One of the songs I will now utter in your Hearing. Whatever [...]ad things befall me, I have a Glorious CHRIST left still unto me! A CHRIST who Reconciles me unto GOD, who pleads the Causes of my Soul; who undertakes to heal all that's amiss in me; who orders my whole Condition for me; who will make all things work together for my Good; who will carry me well thro' the Valley of the shadow of Death; who will bring me to all the Spiritual Blessings of the Heavenly Places; And while I have such a CHRIST concerned for me, Happy, Happy am I; I never can be miserable! Go on, O Suffering Believer, and Soar, and Sing at this rate; Whatever sad things befall me, while I feel a Glorious CHRIST Possessing of me, and Conversing with me, and I can by the precious Thoughts of Him have a CHRIST always Dwelling in me; and I can find in a CHRIST all that was Amiable and Valuable in the Creatures that are taken from me; so long I cannot but be Comfortable. In all my Darkness, I have a wondrous Light arising to me. O Believing Sufferer, While thy sad things thus drive thee as a Dove to the Clef [...]s[Page]of the Rock, thy SAVIOUR says, Let me hear thy Voice! And sweet, sweet will be this Voice of thine unto Him.

THE PIETY of an Holy silence, yet speaking such things as these, is to be particularly Exemplified, on the Sorrowful Occasions, when like Aaron the Priest of the Lord, we have our CHILDREN taken from us; the Desire of our Eyes taken away with a stroke. Such Occasions do now exceedingly multiply, in a City, the cry whereof goes up to Heaven. My Brethren, Allow me to tell you, That on such Occasions; tho' we are to hold our peace, yet we are to make mention of the Lord, and not keep silence, as to the satisfaction, which we find Him afford unto us.

OUR Affection to our Children makes us desirous to have them Live, that they may taste the Comforts of this Life, and those Good Things, which we would as far as we can help them to. But now, speak such a thing as this. A Glorious CHRIST fetches away these Children to a World, where they are feasted with Comforts, which this mean and vain World could never yield unto them. They are[Page]Comforted in the Paradise which they are gone unto.

WE have seen Lovely Qualities in our Children, by which they have been mightily Endeared unto us. But now, speak such a thing as this. There could be no Beauty in our Children but what [...] [...] may see to Endear a Glorious CHRIST infinitely more unto us: [...] Altogether Lovely One! Thou didst give all that was Beautiful in them; and thou [...] so made them a thousand times more Beautiful than they were before.

THE Delight we have taken in Communion with our Children, makes us wi [...]h to have them with us. But now, spe [...] such a Thing as this. In Communion with a Glorious CHRIST, I can find such things to delight my Soul, as the most pleasant Children upon Earth could no [...] enrich me with.

Having spoken such agreeable Things, now, Syr, 'tis time [...]o hold your peace.

¶. IT becomes me to do so, who have this Day, a DAUGHTER, [...] together with her New born Daught [...]r, [...] waiting to be Buried out of my Sight, whom others [Page]as well as I, could not but always with much Affection Look upon.

IF I should sp [...]ak of the Singular Goodness and Sweetness in her Temper, which rendred her Universally Beloved, or of that E [...]rly [...] Piety, which most of all bespoke, I will not say, the Praises for her which belong to the Woman that fear [...] the Lord, but the Praises of Him who called her out of Darkness into His Marvellous Light: I might fall into the Indecency of speaking, what might be more properly published by another.

IT will be no Tresp [...]ss upon the silence proper for me, to mention a Circumstance of her Death, which may serve the Cause of that Early Piety, that she was an Instance of.

SHE Entertained the Approaches of her Death, with a most humble Resignation to the Will of her Glorious LORD, and Acquiescence in it: Tho' not without the Remainders of that Fear, that, she said, had all her Life held her in Bondage.

SHE had not the Raptures of a Joyful Assurance, which some that had been once Related to her, Enjoy'd in their [Page]Dying Hours and Agonies. Tho' she said, That in the Religion of the Closet, she had found the Spirit of GOD making His Gracious Visits to her Soul, with some Comfortable Assurances of His Love; Yet she said, That she was not now without some Distress upon her Mind; complaining, that the Affairs of this World had so Enfeebled her Walk with GOD, as to impair the Light of His Countenance upon her. But still she kept in the strains and at the Acts, of that Substantial PIETY, which lies in Soul a groaning after a Deliverance from Indwelling Sin, and Longing after a Conformity to GOD, and laying hold on a SAVIOUR, to fulfil all the Good Pleasure of His Goodness.

HAVING Renewed the Consent of her Soul, over and over again, unto the Gracious proposal made by her SAVIOUR, for her Espousal to Him; and being asked, whether she desired that her SAVIOUR would make her Holy as well as Righteous, and so fill her Soul with the Love of GOD, that GOD should be forever Dwelling and Reigning there, she did with a Raised, and a more than common Ardor, make this Answer to it; [Page] Oh! more than Life it self! That Favour of GOD is better than Life!

AS her End approached, she had her Good Hope thro' Grace growing upon her. And the very last Thing she spoke to me, was with Repetition to assure me, That her SAVIOUR had given her a Comfortable perswasion of His Receiving her to the Glory of GOD.

BUT she left with me her Desires, That I would go on to inculcate upon the Young People in the Place, that Early Piety, wherein (as All, and even the most Watchful and Fruitful Children of GOD always declare, when they come to dye) her poor Endeavours to Walk with GOD, she said, had Nothing in them to be Repented of, but that they had been so poor, and that she had no more abounded in them.

SHE was Born, June 14. 1694. But when she takes her Flight, she leaves yet Surviving, Two GRAND-FATHERS; the Venerable Dr. INCREASEMATHER, in the Eighty Third, and the Honourable Col. JOHN PHILIPS, in the Ninetieth, Year of their Age; Longing for their Orders to come away unto that [Page]World whither an Offspring so endeared unto them, is gone before them: And where they shall be present with the Lord.

HAVING Related thus much, and so far discharged my Duty, I shall now hold my Peace, which is the Duty now remaining for me.

The Refuge of the Distressed.
BOSTON, 24. d VII. m. 1721. When my DAUGHTER was lying at the point of Death.

[Page]

ISAIAH XXXVIII. 14.

O Lord, I am Oppressed; Undertake for me.

THE Wis [...]st Course, the Only Course! It was well done, O Servant of the Lord: Whither, whither else couldest thou have gone for Help? Where else couldest thou have applied thy self with any comfortable Expectation? An Imitation of this Holy Example, is the Thing I have to propose unto my Hearers. In such an Evil World as this present World, we cannot be without frequent and many [Page]Occasions. But at this Evil Time, the Occasions multiply exceedingly. Lord, How are the Things increased which trouble us! Many, many are the Loads that we feel Oppressing of us. The Wounds given to many, in the Deaths which take away the Desire of their Eyes with a Tragical Stroke; And the Weary Nights that are appointed for many more in the Condition of our Families; These are some of the many Things, that cause us to groan, Lord, I am Oppressed under what is done unto me. How often are we distressed, until we even Cry out of our Oppression? Whither shall we Look in our Distresses, but unto Him alone, who can Support and Rescue us? Lord, whither shall we go from thee! Thou hast the Words of all our Help!

THAT Religious and Renowned Prince Hezekiah was visited with a terrible Sickness. I know not, whether it was in the Time, while Jerusalem was actually besieged by Sennacherib, or whether it was after the miraculous Raising of the Siege, by the Angels, and the Thunders of Heaven. If this Calamity befel him after his remarkable Deliverance [Page]from his Adversary, it was, as Jerom notes, To Chasten him, left his Heart should be listed up, too far, post incredibiles triumphos et de media Captivitate Victeriam. Let it be how it will, after his Deliverance from that Calamity, he composes an admirable Song, which expresses his Dispositions and Circmstances, while it was yet upon him. In this very thing, there is a pattern given to all Good Men, that have endured Great Afflictions, and Received Great Salvations. O ye Men of Great Experiences, You ought to Commemorate what you have Experienced; you ought to prepare and preserve Memerials of what you have met withal; you should at least leave these Memerials with your own Families, that they may learn to place their Hope in GOD.

I dismiss that Admonition; and proceed unto One Article of this Excellent Mans Behaviour in the Time of his Calamity. This was, an Earnest Supplication unto GOD. We have Two things before us. First; We have his Condition, O Lord, I am oppressed. The Word properly means, an unjust Hardship, wherein, [Page]as we say, Might overcomes Right! But we must not imagine, That our Saint would cry out as one in that sense Oppressed by GOD. The Word then is to be taken in the Improper meaning; It is as much as to say, ‘My Affliction is too heavy for me; and my Distemper handles me with a sort of Tyranny: I am overthrown, I am overwhelmed, I have no way to help my self.’

Secondly, WE have his Petition, Undertake for me. The word signifies, To mingle. It leads us to a Suretiship, in which Parties are mingled; the one acts for the other, yea, the one becomes the other. It is, q. d. Engage for my Help. It also signifies Comfort me; Refresh me, Ease me, give me some Rest. Some Interpreters translate the Word, Weave me up. He had just before said, I have cut off like a weaver my Life. Now he says; Extend the Web of my Life; Let it not be cut off, till it be fairly and fully finished.

The DOCTRINE before us, what else can it well be, but this?

[Page] GOOD Men Distressed & even Oppressed with Affliction, may and should go to GOD, and cry to Him, who is the Helper of the Oppressed, that He will undertake for them.

UNDER all press [...]res of Affliction, our Course must be to Fly unto GOD, as our Undertaker; Make our Prayer to GOD, that He will Undertake to relieve us in, and redeem us from all the Oppression that is upon us. I am to speak some Good Words this Day; Words by which may be made Glad, the Hearts that are stouping with Heaviness.

I. SOMETIMES we are so Distressed, as even to be oppressed in it. Our Affliction may be such, that we may call it, an Oppression too. We may be so Afflicted, that we may have cause to cry out, O Lord, I am Oppressed,

BUT what sort of Distresses, are they that may be styled Oppressions. Why;

First. ALL Distresses, that lye very heavy upon us, may be counted Oppressions. When an Affliction Sinks us, then there is a kind of an Oppression in it. If an Affliction be such a Burden upon our Spirits, or upon our Interests, that we [Page]can't easily subsist under it, we may now cry out, O Lord, I am Oppressed! He was an oppressed man, who could say, Psal. CXIX. 107. I am afflicted very much. Sometimes an Affliction befalls us, that has in it more than ordinary matter of Sorrow; that Sorrow, by which our Hearts are broken within us. And sometimes we labour under a variety of Affliction: Many vexations, and confusions do at once break in upon us. We faint, we fail, we can't keep up a comfortable Temper. Then we may say, O Lord, I am oppressed. So might he, that could say, Psal. LXXXVIII. 7. Thy wrath lies hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. So might he that could say, Psal. XXXVIII. 2. Thy Arrows stick fast in me, and thy Hand pr [...]sses me sore. Consult the Gr [...]ans of Afflicted Job; In them you often have a Paraphrase on our, O Lord, I am oppressed. It is Paraphrased, when he says, Oh! That my Grief were thoroughly weighed! For now, it would be heavier than the sand of the Sea: Therefore my words are swallowed up. There may be Oppression in our Affliction, without any of the least [Page] Injustice in it. It is enough, if there be Extremity in it, if there be Se [...]crity in it, if it be Insupportable; if we cannot well encounter it. We may now say, O Lord, I am Oppressed.

BUT, Secondly; There are those which are Oppressions without a Figure; Oppressions in the strict import of the Term; And these are Oppressions that have Injustice in them. We are Oppressed, when we are unjustly and unfairly dealt withal. The Injured are the Oppressed. There is that which is called, Psal. CXIX. 134. The Oppression of Man. This Oppression always carries Injustice in it. There is the Gain of Oppression. There is a Leviathan, who is eminently esteemed, The Oppressor. 'Tis the Man who uses Extortion in his Dealings; the Man, who takes Advantage upon the Necessities of other Men, to compell them unto unconscionable Difficulties; the Man, who detains the hire of the Labourers, and the Just Dues of the Necessitous, till they make a Cry. We read of such an one, Hos. XII. 7. He Loves to Oppress. There are Oppressions in all Cruel Usages. Every Cruelty, tho' to the most abject of [Page]Creatures, is an Oppression. A Slave barbarously dealt withal, may say, O Lord, I am oppressed. They also that are Abused, and Sandered, in their Names, and unjustly Reproached; these may say, O Lord, I am oppressed. Unjust Representations made of Men, are Oppressions upon them. A Man, who is treated as an Offender, when it may truly be said, This man has done nothing amiss! This man may say, O Lord, I am oppressed. When Affront, Contempt, Indignity is cast upon a Man, who deserves another manner of Treatment, he is an oppressed man. And if the man who is unrighteously dealt withal, be basely deserted, by those that ought to appear for his defence and service; If he be deprived of Remedies to defend himself [...] the oppression then becomes yet more notorious & conspicuous. God will look upon it! But that I am to tell you, in the Second Proposition.

II. THE Oppressed, What shall they do? Where shall they go? But make their Complaint unto the Lord; Sollicit the Lord, that He would undertake for them. So we are taught, by Psal. CII. [Page]Fit. A Prayer of the Afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pour [...]th out his complaint before the Lord. Several things are now to be Enquired.

WE will Enquire, First; HOW the Oppressed must make their Complaint unto the Lord?

WE will Answer; First; Be sure, You may not complain of any Oppression in the Lord. Of the Glorious Lord, that Acknowledgment must be Eternally made, Psal. XCII. 15. There is no unrighteousness in Him. Whatever Distresses come upon us, we must Acknowledge; Th [...] Lord is Holy in all his ways, and Righteous in all his Works. Whatever may be our Afflictions, we must Acknowledge, Lord, Thou dost [...]unish me far less than mine Iniquities deserve. Indeed, One that was under a vast confluence, and contrition of Troubles, broke forth into that Expression; Job X. 3. Is it Good unto thee, that thou shouldest oppress? But the Good GOD may truly say; I cannot oppress. Oh! Let us humble our selves before the awful, absolute, infinite Sovereignty of the Great GOD. The Sovereign GOD may de what. He will, [Page]with all the Works of His Hands. 'Tis no Oppression in the Potter, to do what He will with the Clay. The Great GOD would not oppress us, tho' He should utterly Destroy us; and; unto whom shall He give an Account of His matters? But then, Let us add the Consideration of our own exceeding Sinfulness: Consider, how much we have by our Sins, made our selves worthy of the forest Plagues; Consider that Expostulation; Lam. III. 39. Why should a living Man complain; a Man for the Punishment of his Sin? After this, when we complain to the Lord, O Lord, I am oppressed; Yet never Complain of the Lord. Confess before the Lord, ‘O Lord, If my Distresses and Afflictions do oppress me, yet thou art not chargeable with any Oppression. Thou art Just, in all that is come upon me. Tho' Man may use Injustice towards me, there is not the least Injustice, in the Lord, who has ordered all.’

Secondly. YOUR Complaint unto the Lord, under your Oppression, must be your Prayer to the Lord, that He would undertake for you. It must be an Address to the Lord, that you may be help't under [Page]your Oppression, by His undertaking for you.

BUT what is contained, in this Comprehensive Desire, Undertake for me. It contains in General, a Desire, that GOD would go thorough with all that shall beneedful for our Succour. He that undertakes a Business, must perform it, and go thorough with it. Now there are several things needful to be performed for the oppressed People of GOD.

First. MAY GOD Undertake for us, That we may be strengthened and comforted under our Oppressions. If GOD undertake for us, we shall have the Assistance of God; God will assist us to bear our Oppressions with Patience. If God undertake for us, we shall Continue and Persevere in the Wayes of God under our Oppressions, and not step aside into any Sin, tho' we are broken in the Place of Dragons. If God undertake for us, we shall be kept from Heart-breaking Despondencies under our Oppressions; our Hearts will be revived with the Great Consolations of God brought home unto them. We read, Psal. LV. 22. He shall sustain thee. When we pray, Lord, undertake[Page]for me, we are to present such desires as these before the Lord: ‘Lord, Let none of my Distresses be too hard for me. If I must be Distressed, yet let me not be Forsaken. Do not suffer me to be Tempted above what thou wilt make me able to bear. Visit me with thy Spirit; let thy Spirit visit me with thy Promises under my Distresses. O strengthen me, and Comfort me.’

Secondly. MAY GOD undertake for us, That we may get Good by our Oppressions. If God undertake for us, our Oppressions will be made Beneficial, Advantageous, and Serviceable unto us; and we shall reap out of them the best of Benefits. If God undertake for us, our Oppressions will bring us nearer to God, and make us liker to Christ, and the Things which press us down, will but Raise us up to the most Heave [...]ly elevations. It GOD undertake for us, our Souls will thrive under our Oppressions, more than the Israelites did under their Egyptian ones; we shall be gainers by our Losses. We read, Heb. XII. 11. The chastning afterwards yields the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness. When we [Page]pray, Lord, undertake for me, we are to present such Desires as these before the Lord: ‘Lord, Let my Distresses prove Kindnesses to me. Let me find that thou hast in Faithfulness distressed me; and that all the Fruit shall be to take away my Sin. Let me be made better, by all the Evil that befals me; and let me be made Wiser by the Rod of thy Correction.’

Thirdly. MAY GOD undertake for us, That we may be Sav'd out of our Oppressions. The Great GOD, is the GOD of Salvations. If once He undertake for us, we shall have Salvations from our Oppressions. The cry of the oppressed is, Arise and save us. We read, Psal. CVII. 6. They cryed unto the Lord, in their Trouble, and He delivered them out of their Distresses. When we pray, Lord, undertake for me, we present these desires before the Lord; ‘Lord, Bring me out of my Distr [...]sses. Let me see thy Salvations. I am Thine, Save me.’

THIS is what we have to do. But now,

WE will Enquire, Secondly. Why the [Page] oppressed should thus make their Complaint unto the Lord.

WE will Answer. It should be done for these Reasons.

First. THERE is the Hand of GOD, in all our Oppressions. It is the Hand of GOD, that lays them on. Tho' the Blessed GOD can be no Oppressor; yet we can suffer no Oppressions without the Will of GOD. All our Afflictions are ordered by GOD. It was a word spoken once to one, who cryed out, I am Oppressed; Job. V. 6, 8. Affliction comes not forth of the Dust, neither does Trouble spring out of the Ground; I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause. Whatever Distresses may Afflict us, and Oppress us, 'tis the unexceptionable Providence of GOD, that has brought them upon us. If it be the Oppression of Man, that is grievous unto us, even this also is not without the Providence of GOD. No Man can wrong us, but it may be said, God has bidden him. We read, Job. XXXIV. 29. When He giveth Quietness who can make Trouble? Well then; Since we have to do with GOD, in all our Oppressions, what shall we do, but [Page]make our Complaint unto GOD? Yea, GOD sends our Oppressions upon us, on purpose to provoke and produce our Complaint unto Him. He says, In their Affliction, surely they will seek me Early. The same Hand that lays our Oppressions upon us; whither shall we look but unto that Hand, either to moderate them to us, or to deliver us from them?

Secondly. THE Faithful GOD is Engag'd for our Help in all our Oppressions. The very Nature of GOD, this is full of Mercy, full of Pity. There is in the very Nature of GOD, a Compassion for the Oppressed. We read, Lam. III. 32. Tho' He cause grief, yet will be have compossion, according to the Multitude of His Mercies. Hence it comes to pass, that when Sinful Men have brought sad Oppressions and Confusions on themselves by their Sins, yet if they make their Complaint unto the Lord, He soon says, Tho' I have brought such things upon them, yet I earnestly remember them still, and I will surely have mercy on them. 'Tis therefore also one of the Titles, by which the Lord has made Himself known unto us; Psal. IX. 9. The Lord will be a Refuge [Page]for the oppressed. And, Psal. X. 18. He will judge the oppressed. Yea, And there is the Promise of GOD for it. GOD has Promised, That when the Oppressed bring their complaint unto Him, they shall not seek His Face in vain. Thus we read; Psal. XII. 5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord. Oppressed Believer, why art thou cast down? why is thy Soul disquieted within thee? Go tell the Lord, all that lies as a Distress upon thee; Thou wilt find him ready to take notice of thy Distress, ready to do thee Good.

Thirdly. NONE but GOD can help us in all our Oppressions. We read, Jer. III. 23. In vain is salvation expected elsewhere; Truly in the Lord our GOD is the salvation of Israel. It is in vain to ask, any one else but the Lord only to Undertake for us. If Creatures do undertake any thing for us, without GOD they can Accomplish nothing for us. They are all Physicians of no value. We read, Job XXI. 4. As for me, is my Complaint unto man? If it were so — 'Tis in vain for us to call, O Friend, undertake for [Page]me. We have no way left, but to call, O Lord, undertake for me. All other Undertakers will be miserable Comforters. They will effectually put us off, as the King did the poor Oppressed Woman; If the Lord help thee not, whence can I help thee! GOD is the only Refuge of the Oppressed. When any Oppression is upon us, we must make that Conclusion; ‘My Soul, wait thou only upon GOD; for my expectation is from Him alone. He only is my Rock and my Salvation.’

APPLICATION.

AND now, What are your Oppressions, what are your Exercises, O ye People, every one of you? Behold, a Lovely, the only Method of Relief! Oh! Let all Oppressed People, repair to the Glorious GOD, as their Great Undertaker. Make your Complaint, and your Prayer unto GOD, that He would Undertake for you. Where else will you go? What can ye do without me, s [...]th the Lord! If your vain Imaginations propose this way, and that way; and indeed Fallen man hath sought out many Inventions; There are [Page]many ways to get off the heavy Burdens, which we feel Oppressing of us; Behold, I show unto you, a more excellent way. Spread before the Lord, all the Oppressions, and all the Distresses, that encumber you. Cry unto Him, O Lord, I am oppressed, Undertake for me! This is the way to come at that Happiness; Isai. LIV. 14. Thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear it. To call upon GOD, O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me: This is the way, to see a glad Period put unto your Oppressions. The Experience of the Pious in all Ages have proved this way. Thousands and Myriads have been the Instances of those, who have been able to say, This Poor one, was Oppressed, and lamentably distressed, but he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord saved him out of all his Troubles. To call upon GOD, O Lord, I am oppressed, Undertake for me: This is the way to Ease and Change the Oppressions immediately. The Afflictions may remain, but they shall cease to be Oppressions. We shall be able to stand, and walk, and look cheerfully under them. If we were of Sorrowful Spirits, yet having poured out our Souls [Page]unto the Lord, we shall now be no more sad. We shall be upheld when we have cast our Burdens on the Lord. When Peter cries out, Lord, save me, the outstretched Arm of the Lord, will save His Threatned Servant from sinking in the Black waves which threaten him. This admirable way, of dealing with all our Uneasinesses, I must recommend it universally, recommend it wonderfully.

I. THIS must be the Method of Relief, when you meet with sharp Scourges from the Hand of Heaven, upon any of your Enjoyments. Whatever Oppression or Affliction lies upon you in any of your Enjoyments, Oh! mourn unto the Lord; Lord, I am oppressed, Undertake for me. This is the Direction, Jam. V. 13. Is any afflicted, let him Pray. So we are directed; Psal. L. 15. Call on me in the day of trouble. Are you Oppressed with any Malady? Go to that Lord, who is the Lord our Healer. Ask the Healing Influences of Him, who is the Lord of our Life. It was a gross Error in him, who sought unto the Physicians, and not unto the Lord. Under all your pains, cry out, O Lord, I am oppressed, Undertake [Page]for me. Add that cry; Psal. XLI. 4. Lord, Heal my Soul; for I have sinned against thee. Are you Oppressed with any Poverty? Go to that Lord, who by His Blessing does make rich. Ask to be Bless'd and Fed by that Lord, who says, that if you Trust in Him, and do Good, verily you shall be Fed. Whatever Straits may be upon you, cry out, O Lord, I am oppressed, Undertake for me. Plead that Bond: Heb. XIII. V. He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Are you brought low, by the Death of those in whom your Life was bound up? Do you stoup, & shrink, as under a dismal Oppression, because those that were as the very Staff of your Life, are taken from you? Is the Lamb that has been unto you as a Daughter going from you! Go to that Lord, who has taken your Friends from you, and who is infinitely Better than all Friends. Ask that you may find him so. Cry out unto Him; O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me. Take with you those words also; Psal. XXV. 16. Have merry on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.

II. THIS must be the Method of Relief, when you fall into the Hand of the Oppressor. [Page]You read; Eccl. V. 8. Thou see the oppression of the poor; He that is Higher than the Highest, regardeth it, Let Him that is Higher than the Highest then hear from thee, O oppressed Neighbour. Tho' thou art never so low, & mean, He will regard the Oppression. Do any Defraud you, and fraudulently, or violently withold from you, what you have a Rightful Claim unto? Do any misuse you? Do any Revile you? Are you falsely Accused? must you lye under the Load of a False Accusation, and the unjust Clamours of unreasonable Persons? Fall down at the Foot of the Holy GOD. Own that He is Just in all. Beg that you may get Good by all. But cry out, O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me!

I will be yet more particular. We read, Gal. VI. 2. Bear ye one anothers burdens. Alas, Men make Burdens for one another; By their Base Humours they do so. Sometimes Relatives make themselves very Burdensome to one another. We may have Relatives whose vile, froward, morose Carriage may be so Burdensome unto us, that we can do nothing, but as Jacob did, when Laban, and when [Page] Esau, were abusive to him. Do so; and cry unto the Lord; O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me! We have cause to say, as Psal. LVI. 1. Be merciful to me, O God, for Man daily oppresseth me. Who can tell, what will be done; when the multitude of your Oppressions, brings you to cry out, Where is GOD my Maker.

III. THIS must be the Method of Relief, when your Fears, your Cares, your Employments are too many for you. They that are afraid, how it may fare with such as are gone far from them, and ve [...] ly n [...]ar to them: The Desire of their Eyes travelled out of their Sight; Their Friends abroad. Their Hears about them, how oppressing are they! They [...]ly down with them; they rise up with them. Oppressed Hearts Cry out, O Lord, I am oppressed, Undertake for me! Add that Cry; Psal. LXI. 2. From the End of the Earth will I cry unto thee, when my Heart is Overwhelmed. Some are in the Park, what Steps to take, in weighty Affairs before them. They have Darkness on their paths. They are at a mighty Less, what to do. Their Agony, their Oppression is unspeakable. Distressed Minds, [Page]cry out, O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me! Add that cry, Psal. XXVII. 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord; and lead me in a plain path. Some have more Wark to do, than they can well do; they are over wrought; Heavy Tasks are imposed on them; They have many to serve; many Obligations to answer. Weary Men! cry out; O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me! Put in suit that word; Isa. LXI. 10. Fear thou not, for I am with thee, I will strengthen thee, I will help thee, I will uphold thee.

IV. THIS must be the Method of Relief, when Troubles of a more Spiritual Original are upon you. When the Philistines of Hell, with their Temptations are upon you. Are you under Temptations; Temptations to Infidelity, Temptations to some Impurity, Temptations to any Impiety? Do your Temptations press hard upon you and throw your Souls into a Flame, into a Sweat, into an Intolerable Agitation; You may complain, as Psal. LIV. 3. Oppressors that seek after my Soul have risen up against me. The Devils arm'd with our Lusts, are the worst Oppressors [Page]in the World; Worse, worse than any on the Coast of Barbary; They are Oppressors that seek after the very Life of our Soul. But unto whom will you make your Complaint? O cast your selves into the Dust before the Lord, and from thence cry out unto Him, O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me. You may lay to Heart your Oppression, as worse than that wherewith we read, the Egyptians, and after that, the Nations of Canaan, sometimes oppressed the People of GOD. You may say with him, Psal. XLIII. 2. I go mourning because of the oppression of the Enemy. But then, Let the Temptations that oppress you, Quicken your cry unto Him, that said, Behold, the cry of the Children of Israel is come unto me, and I have seen their oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Cry out, as under a Rape. Cry out, O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me! Add that cry, Psal. CXIX. 122. Be surety for thy Servant for Good; Let not the proud oppress me. ‘Lord, none so proud, as the Devils, and the Lusts, which exact from me, the Homage which is due to thee alone.’ GOD will break in pieces, [Page]the Temptations, that cause the cry of the poor to come unto Him, and He will hear the cry of the Afflicted. If the Battle go hard, cry to GOD in the Battle.

V. WE must not break off until the Suretiship of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be clearly set before us; the Suretiship in which is laid up all our Salvation. Of our SAVIOUR we read, Heb. VII. 22. Our JESUS made a Surety. Oh! Give a great Attention!

KNOW it first; That you have such Loads lying upon you, as will sink you into Eternal Wretchedness, if they be not seasonably taken off. Your Sins, your Sins, are such mountainous Loads. In your Natural State, what are you, but a People laden with Iniquity! The Guilt which is lying upon you, or a being bound over to suffer the Punishment of Sin: 'Tis a Load enough to break the back of an Angel. Ah! Were you not horribly Dead in Sin, you would cry out; as Psal. XXXVIII. 4. My Iniquities are as an heavy Burden, they are too heavy for me. And the Rule of Sin reigning [Page]over you, how full of Oppression is it! Sin puts a most Oppressive Drudgery on the Sinful Children of Men. Obedience to Sin, 'tis a L [...]ad, and a Yoke that cannot be born. Ah, Did you feel it, as it is, you would cry out; Rom. VII. 24. O wretched one that I a [...], who shall deliver me! Sinners, That you were but sensible of the [...]a [...]s that are upon you! Loads that are pushing of you to Death!

BUT Know it, Secondly; That a Glorious CHRIST has Undertaken to take off the Loads, of the Sinners that Sigh and Seek unto Him. Indeed, there was a Day wherein the Great GOD laid upon Him the Iniquities of us all. In that black Day we read, Isai. LIII. 7. He was oppressed. When our SAVIOUR had the Load of our Sin lying upon Him, and was making Satisfaction for our Sin, He cried out, I am oppressed, I am sore broken. What an Heaviness was there then upon Him! All this was to Save us out of our Oppression; It was to pay a Ransome for us! And if we will now Personally Apply our selves unto this Glorious CHRIST we shall have Him for our SAVIOUR. The Bond of our Iniquity, will [Page]be removed, be cancelled; And no Iniquity shall have Dominion over us. What an Invitation has this Glorious Undertaker for oppr [...]ssed Souls given unto us! Matth. XI. 28. Come to me all ye that Lab [...]ur and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. Oppressed Sinner, Thus Invited by the [...]trong Redeemer, see thy Oppression, and cry out unto Him; O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me. My Sins will oppr [...]ss me, will Destroy me, except Thou be my Surety for Good. I put my self into thy Hands; Oh! Be Thou my Surety and my SAVIOUR. The Effect of this Faith will be, that a Glorious CHRIST, will Undertake for thee. But, Oh! What a Strong Redeemer wilt thou find Him! His Office is that, Psal. LXXII. 4. He shall break in pieces the Oppressor; He shall save the Soul of the Needy. He will Execute this Office wonderfully for thee.

I have done. You are no doubt aware of it, that some very Afflictive Things in my own Condition, especially on the score of my call this Day to the Sacrifices of a Jepthah, and in the Condition of some very nearly Related unto me; have led me to these Meditations.

[Page] I will only observe to you, these Two Things upon it.

THE One is; That it is a Consolation to me when I am o [...] and much oppressed, and become a Man of Sorrows, it is o [...] dered by a Gracious GOD, that some of His People fare the better for my S [...]rrows; I can truly say, This renders my Oppressions in some Degree welcome to me, in that I perceive He makes them Useful to the People, unto whose Edification my All is Dedicated.

THE Other is; That I can assure you, a poor Oppressed Servant of GOD, having the view of a CHRIST concerned for him, and feeling a CHRIST possessing of him, and conversing with him, finds enough and enough to comfort him, in the Multitude of his Thoughts within him. Upon the precious Thoughts of a CHRIST, he is kept from fainting under any Oppr [...]ssions; The Fatigue of them Vanishes; He can mount and soar and Sing the Songs, which GOD our Maker has provided for the darkest Night, that is ever passing over him.

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things are to be entertained withal. A sermon at Boston-Lecture, on the death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, and the day before her interment; who expired Septemb. 26. 1721. / By her father. ; Whereunto there is added, a sermon on, the refuge of the distressed, which was preached on the Lord's-Day preceeding.

Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2009-10.

ID [DLPS]

N01903

ID [TCP]

N01903

ID [STC]

Evans 2250

ID [NOTIS]

APY2347

ID [IMAGE-SET]

2250

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99029424

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 2250.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N01903)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 2250)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 2250)

Source

— Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things are to be entertained withal. A sermon at Boston-Lecture, on the death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, and the day before her interment; who expired Septemb. 26. 1721. / By her father. ; Whereunto there is added, a sermon on, the refuge of the distressed, which was preached on the Lord's-Day preceeding., Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728., Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728. Refuge of the distressed..

Extent

[2], 34, 28 p. ; 15 cm. (12mo)

Printed by S. Kneeland,,. Boston: :: 1721.. (Caption title: The silent sufferer.) (Introduction signed: Cotton Mather.)

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