best armour of proof against those temptations that afflictions may
have you not sins to fight against, and temptations to fight against,
and a devil to fight against, yea, a whole world to fight against? Why
then should you be found fighting against your own prayers? But,
7. Seventhly, Consider, A holy silence under the heaviest burdens,
the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences and changes, will
make all tolerable and easy to a Christian. The silent soul can bear a
burden without a burden. Those burdens and troubles that will break
a froward man's back, will not so much as break a silent man's sleep;
those afflictions that lie as heavy weights upon a murmurer, will lie
as light as a feather upon a mute Christian, Micah 7:7–10, Ps. 92:1, 6;
that bed of sorrow, which is as a bed of thorns to a fretful soul, will be
as a bed of down to a silent soul. A holy silence unstings every
affliction, it takes off the weight of every burden, it adds sweet to
every bitter, it changes dark nights into sunshiny days, and terrible
storms into desirable calms. The smallest sufferings will easily
vanquish an unquiet spirit, but a quiet spirit will as easily triumph
over the greatest sufferings. As little mercies are great mercies, so
great sufferings are but little sufferings, in the eye of a silent soul.
The silent soul never complains that his affliction is too great, his
burden too heavy, his cross too weighty, his sufferings too many;
silence makes him victorious over all. And therefore, as ever you
would have heavy afflictions light, and be able to bear a burden
without a burden, labour as for life after this holy silence.
8. Eighthly, Consider that a holy silence under afflictions will be your
best armour of proof against those temptations that afflictions may
expose you to. Times of afflictions often prove times of great
temptations, and therefore afflictions are called temptations: James
1:12, 'Blessed is the man which endureth temptations, for when he is
tried he shall receive the crown of life,' &c. The Greek word
πειρασμὸν, is to be understood of temptations of probation, of
afflicting temptations, and not of temptations of suggestion, of
seduction; for they are not to be endured, but resisted and abhorred,
James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9. Now, affliction is called temptation,
(1.) Because, as temptation tries what metal a Christian is made of, so
do afflictions.
(2.) Because, as Satan usually hath a great hand in all the
temptations that come upon us, so he hath a great hand in all the
afflictions that befall us; as you see in that great instance of Job.
(3.) Because, as temptations drive men to God, 2 Cor. 12:7, 8, so do
afflictions, Isa. 26:16, Hosea 5:15; but mainly because Satan chooses
times of afflictions as the fittest seasons for his temptations. When
Job was sorely afflicted in his estate, children, wife, life, then Satan
lets fly, and makes his fiercest assaults upon him. Now, Satan tempts
him to entertain hard thoughts of God; to distrust, to impatiency, to
murmuring and muttering. As when Israel was feeble, faint, and
weary, Amalek assaulted them, and smote the hindmost of them,
Deut. 25:17, 18; so when Christians are most afflicted, then usually
they are most tempted.