vious, dividing, hurtful zeal; but when it is but some excess of passion or impatience with sin, and maketh a man but too eager in doing good, and not to hurt or injure any, the fault is small.

9. There is some passion that may be too much, and yet doth but drive a man to God and to his duty. Some excess of fear and sorrow may make a man pray hárder, and fly from temptation and from sin the more, and live more watchfully, and value the mercy of God more thankfully; but there is impatience which quite unfitteth men for their duty to God and man. When an impatient, froward heart maketh one unmeet for prayer, or meditation, or any holy and comfortable thought of God, and unable to rule their sinful thoughts, and unfit to converse with their families and relations with any kindness, fruitfulness or peace, this is a very sinful passion. When an impatient heart doth live in discontent with God's provision and disposal, and falleth melancholy by that discontent, and giveth satan advantage thereby to delude their imaginations, and hurry them into desperate temptations, and sometimes to go mad, and sometimes to make away themselves, or at least to be unthankful for all God's mercies, this is a very bad impatience.

10. A passion towards men about small matters, which is but a sudden displacency (as anger at a provoking word or accident, which soon passeth away), is a small matter if it should be causeless, in comparison of a profane impatience with men's duty. When men cannot bear a plain reproof, nor a searching book or sermon, nor holy discourse, nor a godly life; when they think all too much, or prayer, or preaching still too long, and can endure many hours more easily at a play, or in a tavern, or common and vain talk, or worldly business, than one hour in spiritual employment; when they bear more easily with a swearer, a jester, an ignorant, carnal, worldly companion, than with one that seriously discourseth of death and judgment, and the world to come, this is a malignant sort of impatience.

In a word, bad men are incompetent judges of patience and impatience. They take that man for a peevish, impatient person, who is angry with their sin, and giveth them necessary reproof, or is not as cold as Eli to sinful children or servants, or is of a quick and eager temper, or sheweth but half that zeal and fervency in holy things, which the na

ture and weight of the matter doth require: and they will praise that man as a mild and patient person, who is senseless of the greatest things which should affect him, and will quietly let men sin and perish, and suffer them to be as bad as they will, and never speak sharply or disgracefully of their sin, nor cross and contradict them in the most dangerous error, much less correct inferiors for doing evil, but be indifferent in every cause of God, and live like a man asleep, or dead, when sin should be resisted, or duty done.

11. That impatience is worst which sets men upon unlawful means of deliverance: as lying, stealing, defrauding, unlawful ways and trades of getting, pleasing men by sin; yea, miserable witches make compacts with the devil, and some go to real or feigned conjurers to obtain their wills, in their impatience. But that is a less sin which-ventureth on no forbidden remedy.

12. That impatience is the worst, which is justified, and not repented of; when men say, as Jonah did, "I do well to be angry;" and that deliberately, when the passion should be over. And that is less, (and more pardonable,) which is confessed and lamented, and which we sincerely pray and watch against, and fain would be delivered from.

Sect. 8. Quest. Wherein lieth the sinfulness of impatience towards God, or under his hand, when men are his instruments, or permitted by him to afflict us, or in any other trial which is of God?

If we see not the evil of it, we shall not be diligent to avoid it. Too many take it rather for a suffering than a sin.

Answ. 1. Impatience towards God doth signify answerable unbelief. Did we believe his promises, that "all shall work together for our good," and of all the benefit that we may get by patient suffering, it would do much to pacify the soul. But we are discontented at his usage, because we cannot trust him.

2. Yea, this sort of impatience implieth some degree of atheism or blasphemy: for it implieth some murmuring against God's providence, and that implieth some accusation of God; and all accusation of God implieth an answerable degree of blasphemy, and consequently denieth God to be God. For if he be blameworthy in any thing, he is not absolutely perfect: and if he be not perfect, he is not God.

3. Impatience signifieth strong self-willedness; when

self-will is men's idol, it usurpeth God's prerogative; and when it should follow his will by obedient submission, it sets up itself, and must needs be fulfilled, and cannot endure to be crossed: as if we were gods, that must have the disposal of all that shall befal us, and nothing must be otherwise than we would have it. Self-will is the great idol of the world.

4. Impatience signifièth an answerable degree of overloving the flesh and world, which also is a kind of idolatry : were it predominant, it were mortal; "For to be carnally minded is death, and if any man (so) love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Follow any impatience up to the spring, and you will find that it all cometh from this carnal, worldly-creature, love. If we did not over-love our ease, our lives, our reputation, our provision and estates, our children or friends, or any earthly thing, we could patiently bear all our losses of them.

If we did, Our heavenly Great men can

5. Impatience sheweth that we are answerably wanting in our esteem of Christ, and grace, and glory, and that we live not as we ought on the hopes of heaven. God and our Saviour would be enough for us. treasure being safe, would more satisfy us. bear easily the loss of a penny or a pin: the things of the flesh are less in comparison of Christ and heaven, than a pin is to a lordship. Sense would do less to trouble us, if we lived by faith.

6. Impatience sheweth that we are too unthankful to God for all his mercies. A true Christian never loseth the tenth part so much as he possesseth. When he loseth health, and wealth, and friends, he loseth not his God or Saviour, nor his right to everlasting life. Yea, when God taketh away one or two of his temporal gifts, he leaveth us more than he taketh away. And what unthankfulness is it to forget all that we have received, and possess and hope for, because that something is taken from us? Yea, if God take away our health or wealth at last, should all the years that we unworthily possessed them, be unthankfully forgotten?

7. Impatience sheweth that we are too much unhumbled for our sins, and too insensible how ill we deserve of God. He that deserveth the gallows and is pardoned, should not be impatient of a short imprisonment, and to pay the jailor's fees. Can we believe that our sins are so many as we customarily confess them, and that we deserve hell-fire, and yet

impatiently repine at disgrace or injuries from men, or at the loss of goods, or health, or friends? This betrayeth an unhumbled and unmortified soul (in such a degree), how humble soever men's words and confessions are.

8. Impatience sheweth that we do not well understand ourselves, or the providence of God. We neither understand well our disease, nor the meaning of our physician. Did we know what a worldly heart is, or a hard heart, or a heart that hath not by repentance got out the core of sin, and how useful affliction is to heal all these diseases, we should not be impatient of the sharpest cure.

9. Impatience sheweth that we have not such a love of holiness as we ought to have: else we should think no afflictions too dear a means to procure the increase of it. When God telleth us that he chasteneth us to make us partakers of holiness, and that it may bring forth the quiet fruit of righteousness; and that it may be good for us that we are afflicted, by reducing us by repentance from our wandering folly, and worldly vanity and deceit. A due esteem of so great a benefit would make us take affliction for a gain. At our true conversion we do in heart, resolution and vow, sell all for the precious pearl, forsake all for Christ, and grace, and glory. And should we not forsake that which affliction takes from us, for the same use, if we be really of the mind that we profess? A little grace is better than all that is taken from us.

10. Impatience, when it is great and tormenting, is a degree of likeness to hell itself. Hell is a state of sin tormenting the sinner (God justly deserting and afflicting such). Their own wickedness continually teareth and vexeth them, and depriveth them of all sense of God's love and mercy, which might ease them. And what a resemblance of this hath the impatient soul; which continually vexeth itself with its own self-will, and fleshly mind, and worldly desires, which are all unsatisfied, and hath no mortification, obedient submission, faith, or hope to relieve and ease it, but is night and day a self-tormenter!

Such use to say, 'We cannot help it: our thoughts and passions are not in our power: we cannot choose but be continually troubled with discontent, and anger, and grief, and fear."

11. Answ. This sheweth a further evil in your passion,

viz. That you are over-brutish, and that reason itself is dethroned, and hath lost its due government of sense and passion. When a man can give you great and undeniable reasons enough, against all your discontents, and yet they are impotent and cannot prevail. God gave you reason to bear rule over passion, and he hath furnished you with arguments which should easily suffice. If your reason be enslaved, and faith turned out of doors, and passion rule, whence came this but by your own wilful sin? You say, 'You are not able to bear what you complain of.' Why, then you shall bear more, God will make you able to bear more, whether you will or not, if you cannot obediently bear his trials.

CHAPTER II.

Arguments and Helps for Patient and Obedient Sufferings in particular Instances.

HAVING thus far considered patience and impatience in the general, it will be useful to apply some special remedies to many particular cases: And first, I will name the several cases, which I mean to speak to and they are

I. God's afflicting hand upon our flesh, in pains and sickness.

II. The sentence of death.

III. Loss of goods and estate, and suffering poverty and want.

IV. The sickness and death of friends.

V. Unfaithfulness of friends.

VI. Persecution by wicked men and enemies.

VII. Dishonour and loss of reputation, even to scorn. VIII. The unrighteousness of rulers, and the wrath of powerful men.

IX. The treachery and abuse of servants, and hearers, and other inferiors.

X. Great and strong temptations of satan, &c.

XI. Trouble of conscience, and doubts of pardon and salvation.

XII. To lose the preaching of the Gospel, and other ordinary means of grace.