The Insufficiency of Humanism
Tribulation generally signifies nothing else but some kind of grief, either pain of the body or heaviness of the mind. All the wit in the world cannot bring about that the body should not feel what it feels. But that the mind should not be grieved with either bodily pain or occasions of heaviness pressed unto the soul, this thing the philosophers laboured very much about. They have many goodly sayings toward strength and comfort against tribulation, exciting men to the full contempt of all worldly loss, sickness, bodily grief, painful death and all. However, I never could find that those natural reasons gave sufficient comfort of themselves.
For they leave untouched, for lack of knowledge, that special point which not only is the chief comfort of all but without which also all other comforts are nothing. That point is to refer the final end of their comfort unto God, and to repute and take for the special cause of comfort that by the patient sufferance of their tribulation they shall attain his favour and for their pain receive reward at his hand in heaven. For lack of knowledge of this end, they did, as was unavoidable, leave untouched the special means without which we can never attain to this comfort. That is the grace of God to move, stir, and guide us forward in the referring of all our spiritual–and worldly–comfort all unto Himself. Therefore, for the lack of these things, all their comforting counsels are very far insufficient.
Submission to Justice Is a Redeeming Quality
Consider well the story of Achan, who committed sacrilege at the great city of Jericho, … was deprehended and taken against his will. At the good exhortation of Joshua, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” he confessed humbly the theft and meekly took his death for it. He had, I doubt not, both strength and comfort in his pain, and died a very good man. Yet, if he had never come in tribulation, he might never have had just remorse in all his whole life, but might have died wretchedly and gone to the devil eternally. And thus made this thief a good medicine of his well-deserved pain and tribulation.
Consider well the converted thief who hung on Christ’s right hand. Did not he, by his meek sufferance and humble knowledge of his fault, asking forgiveness of God and yet content to suffer for his sin, make of his just punishment and well-deserved tribulation a very good special medicine to cure him of all pain in the other world, and win him eternal salvation.
The Fear of Death
Jupiter was about to marry a wife, and determined to celebrate the event by inviting all the animals to a banquet. They all came except the Tortoise, who did not put in an appearance, much to Jupiter’s surprise. So when he next saw the Tortoise he asked him why he had not been at the banquet. “I don’t care for going out,” said the Tortoise; “there’s no place like home.” Jupiter was so much annoyed by this reply that he decreed that from that time forth the Tortoise should carry his house upon his back, and never be able to get away from home even if he wished to.
— Aesop’s Fables “Jupiter and the Tortoise”
Æsop meant by that feigned fable to touch the folly of such folk as so set their fancy upon some small simple pleasure that they cannot find it in their heart to forbear it, either for the pleasure of a better man or for the gaining of a better thing….
And surely such Christian folk as, by their foolish affection, which they have set like the snail upon their own house here on earth, cannot, for the lothness of leaving that house, find it in their hearts to go with good will to the great feast that God prepareth in heaven and of his goodness so graciously calleth them to.
References:
- More, Thomas. “Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation.” Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Accessed April 21, 2018. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/more/comfort.