Corn. r. O,fPatience andits contraries: Chap. - 4. 177 the ¡Meet-lions, when they arife from contrary obje&s, they are true, and not counter- feit ; as when jultice, which properly ffirs up fear, works lovein'us, and when we can fear him for his mercywhich properly ftirs up love. Wicked Men may fear God for his juftice and love him for his mercy ; but the true note ofdifference is , if we love him for his juftice, and can fay with David, There ismercywiththee that that: mayeg be feared. So that whena Man can love God, as we count it, ?oft injx- riam, this is true love, and is a fign oftrue patience. The HeathenMan Paid, that's true love , cam amare pof s poll injariam when one can love him that bath in- jured him. 3. The third is when we find our felves humble in our fufferings , which is a diftinction between true Chriftian patience, and heretical. The Fathers intheprimi- tive Church had much to do to make the People obferve the differenceofpatience betweena true Chriftian and a Donatill; and were forced to ufe thefe two notesof diftinCtion. I. That in the fuffering of a Donatift (which is to be obferved in our days ) they fhould find a fpirit ofpride and vanity, whereas true patienceis humble. And this humility appeared in the Martyrs fufferings, which was without difputation with God about the caufe, or murmuring at the torments a tolerabant & non genie- runt ; or elfe refpondent pro Deo, they either bear them, and mourn in filence, or if they reply, it is on Gods behalf, like ?aft, of whom the Holy Ghoft faith In all this 14) finned not, nor charged God foolifhly. And, In all this did not Job fnwithlobtpxib- his lips. Hedid nothing to bewray impatience. True patience is humble; and faith with David, Tacui Domine, quia tu fecifii, I kept filence, O Lord, becaufeit is thy doing. 2. The other note is Alacrity. Ìt was obferved by the Fathers, that the Circtsm- ce/lions in their fufferings had no alacrity , but i+odr,í.,, without pafíion , it is true, they were not moved, but they fuffered not cheerfully. They bore them, but they rejoyced not; they did n5,i,, overcome, as thofe that in fome Difeafes, cure without pain, or ufing Narcotick Medicines do overcome the pain , but Chriftian patience dothmore, In all thefe, faith the Apoftle, Romans 8. 37. trb room, we do more than overcome. It doth +vatic, overcome, and more than fo; for it re- joyceth too. So the Apofiles after they had been fcourged, departed, rejoycing that they were counted worthy to fuffer for theName ofChrift; whereas the fufferingofAetaq.4i. Hereticks, though it difcovered no fear orgrief, yet it wanted this rejoycing, it had no alacrity in it. Now concerning the fixth Rule (as in the former.) It is not enough fora Man to fay to his own Soul, Why art thou fo impatient? but we muff fay to others, Pra z Saline Dominum (as the Pfalmift) wait (and that patiently) on the Lord: We l 7 ' do what we can by our comforts, and exhortations, to make them patient. On the other fide , if therebe any provocation to impatiency in others , as yobs Wife, we muff anfwcr them with him. And thisis the knowledge that everyone thould have; and it is folly in them that have it not. For Doí}rina viri per patientiam nofcitxr, the difcretion ofaMan deferreth anger, faith Solomon, Proverbs t9. n. and as St. Gregory adds, Tanto minus quifq; ofienditur doihu, quanto convincitxr miners patiens: net enim paten.' veracitur bona docendo impendere, f vivendo aquanimiter `lefiat mala tolerare, every Man thews himfelf the lets learned, by how much the the lets patient : nor can he well teach to do well, ifhe know not how tobear evil. And thus much concerning the fini Propofhion, Thou (halt have a God. CHAO,
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