The Christian's Cup of Affliction: Insights from Robert Hill’s 1604 Preface to Perkins

[Clariz]

The Christian's Cup of Affliction: Insights from Robert Hill’s 1604 Preface to Perkins
I've been spending some time in the works of William Perkins lately and came across this incredibly edifying preface by Robert Hill from 1604. It's a powerful reminder of how God uses trials to shape us.

Robert Hill wrote this epistle dedicatory to Sir William Russell, the Baron of Thornhaugh, dated 12 January 1604, as a preface to Perkins’ 1606 work: “The Combat between Christ and the Devil Displayed: or A Commentary upon The Temptations of Christ.” The specific part about afflictions has been very edifying for me. Thus, I have decided to reformat it to make it a bit easier to digest and bless brothers and sisters in Christ. I totally recommend getting the book or reading the original epistle.

TL;DR: 14 Reasons Why God Visits Us with Affliction​

Robert Hill (1604) observes that while the Christian life is often "more sour than sweet," our trials are trials of sons, not punishments of slaves. He outlines how God uses affliction to:

• Refine the Soul: To humble our pride, wean us from the world, winnow away the chaff, and prevent us from falling into sin.
• Instruct the Heart: To teach us patience, enlighten us to our errors, and cure us of the dangers of false security.
• Magnify His Grace: To honor us by manifesting our faith, adopt us as true sons, and protect us through the guidance of His angels.
• Prepare us for Glory: To comfort us with His Spirit, crown us with eternal life, and instruct/comfort others who witness our trials and God’s deliverance.

The Key Metaphor: We are God’s trees (pruned to grow), God’s spice (bruised to be profitable), and God’s gold (purified in the furnace). Afflictions are momentary; the joy that follows is eternal.

The reformatted portions are as follows:
Now of all other temptations, it pleases God to suffer His church to be tempted with afflictions. It is never free either from the sword of Ishmael, which is a reviling tongue [Gen. 21:9 ASV]; or the sword of Esau, a persecuting hand [Gen. 27:41 ASV]. Neither was there yet ever [a] Christian man found, who had not his part in the cup of affliction. We must drink of the same cup our Master did [Matt. 20:23 ASV]: “the disciple is not above his master” [Matt. 10:24 ASV].

The reasons why God does visit us thus with afflictions, are:
1. To humble us, that we be not proud [Eccl. 3:20 ASV];
2. To wean us, that we love not this world [Ps. 119:67 ASV];
3. To winnow us, that we be not chaff [Luke 22:31 ASV];
4. To prevent us, that we do not sin [Ps. 119:71 ASV];
5. To teach us, that we be patient in adversity [Ps. 39:9 ASV; Ps. 40:1 ASV];
6. To enlighten us, that we see our errors [Gen. 42:21 ASV];
7. To honor us, that our faith may be manifest [James 5:11 ASV];
8. To cure us, that we surfeit [overindulge] not of security [Deut. 32:15 ASV];
9. To crown us, that we may live eternally [2 Tim. 4:8 ASV];
10. To comfort us, that He may send His Spirit [John 16:33 ASV];
11. To protect us, that He may guide us by His angels [Acts 12:7 ASV];
12. To adopt us, that we may be His sons [Heb. 12:7 ASV];
13. To teach others, that they seeing how sin is punished in us, they may take heed it be not found in them [2 Peter 2:3 ASV];
14. And to comfort others, that they seeing our comforts in troubles, may not be discouraged in the like trials [2 Cor. 1:6 ASV].

Thus, a Christian man’s diet is:

• more sour than sweet;
• his physic is more aloes than honey;
• his life is more a pilgrimage than a progress;
• and his death is more despised than honored.

This if men would think of before, afflictions would be as welcome to the soul of man, as afflicted Ruth was to the field of Boaz [Ruth 2:8 ASV]. But because we look not for them before they come, think not on God’s doing when they are come, and do desire to be happy both here and hereafter; therefore, we can away with the name of Naomi, but in no case would be called “Mara” [Ruth 1:20 ASV].

We see:

• the sea, not the whale [Jonah 1:15 ASV];
• the Egyptian, not the salvation [Ex. 14:11 ASV];
• the lion’s mouth, not Him that stops the lion’s mouth [Dan. 6:16 ASV, Dan. 6:22 ASV].

If we could see God in our troubles, as Elisha did in his, then would we say: “There are more with us, than there are against us” [2 Kings 6:16 ASV]. But because we do not, therefore at every assault of the Assyrians, we say, as the servant to Elisha did: “Alas master, what shall we do?” [2 Kings 6:15 ASV]. And with the disciples: “Carest thou not master that we perish?” [Mark 4:38 ASV]. Yet it is good for us to suffer affliction: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” [James 1:12 ASV; Job 5:17 ASV].

It is:

• commanded by God [Prov. 3:11 ASV],
• practiced by Christ [Matt. 4:2 ASV],
• yielded to by the saints [2 Tim. 3:12 ASV],
• assigned by God’s providence [Ps. 119:71 ASV], and good for us each way.

We are:

• God’s trees, we shall grow better by pruning [Ps. 1:3 ASV];
• God’s pomander [a ball of perfume], smell better by rubbing;
• God’s spice, be more profitable by bruising;
• and God’s conduits, we are the better by running.

Let us suffer afflictions, they are momentary in respect of time [2 Cor. 4:17 ASV]; [they are] favors, if we respect God’s love [Phil. 1:29 ASV], and a means to bring us to the kingdom of God. If they did consume us, we might wish them an end; but they do purge us, let us be content.

• They are God’s fan, we are God’s wheat [Acts 14:21 ASV];
• they are God’s bolter [a device for sifting flour], we are God’s meal [1 Peter 1:5 ASV];
• they are God’s flame, we are God’s bush [Ex. 3:7 ASV];
• they are God’s cords, we are God’s sacrifice [Gen. 22:9 ASV];
• they are God’s furnace, we are God’s gold.

The wheat will not be good without the fan, nor the meal without the bolter, nor the bush without the flame, nor the sacrifice without the cords, nor the gold without the furnace; they are trials, not punishments, if we be sons; punishments, not trials, if we be slaves. Let us then bear them,

• they will have an end [Ps. 37:37 ASV];
• joy will follow [Ps. 126:5 ASV];
• they show us our weakness [Isa. 38:10 ASV];
• they move us to pray [Hos. 5:15 ASV];
• they show we are in the pathway to heaven [Luke 24:26 ASV];
• and they make us condemn this present world [Eccl. 1:2 ASV].

By them we:

• learn to repent us of sin past [2 Sam. 24:17 ASV],
• learn to take heed of sin present, and to foresee sin to come [Gen. 39:9 ASV].
• receive God’s Spirit [Acts 2:2 ASV];
• are like to Christ [Phil. 3:10 ASV];
• are acquainted with God’s power [Dan. 3:17 ASV];
• have joy in deliverance [Ex. 15:1 ASV];
• know [the] benefit of prosperity;
• made more hardy to suffer; and have cause to practice many excellent virtues [1 Peter 1:6–7 ASV].

They cause us (as one says) to seek out God’s promise; the promise to seek faith; faith to seek prayer; and prayer to find God. Seek, and you shall find [Matt. 7:7 ASV]; call, and He will answer [Job 21:27 ASV]; wait, and He will come [Hab 2:3 ASV].

…Job’s messengers came not so fast on him [Job 2:11 ASV], but Job’s afflictions may come as fast upon us. Has David slain a bear [1 Sam. 17:37 ASV]? He shall encounter with a lion. Has he killed a lion? He must fight with Goliath [1 Sam. 17:40 ASV]. Has he subdued Goliath? He must make a ride upon the Philistines. Are the Philistines conquered? Saul will assault him [1 Sam. 21 ASV]. Remember David’s troubles, and foresee what may be our troubles. The more righteous we are, the more manifold are our troubles; and the better we are, the better we may endure them.

Note:

• Reformatted and combined to enhance readability
• ASV (American Standard Version) used for Bible references per personal preference.
• his physic is more aloes than honey = his medicine is more bitter (like bitter/cape aloe) than honey
• Source: Perkins, William. The Works of William Perkins. Edited by J. Stephen Yuille et al., vol. 1, Reformation Heritage Books, 2014. pp. 79-80.

 

[Ed Walsh]

This seems very interesting to me. I haven't read all you wrote yet, but interesting because just today I introduced a young believer to Perkins, who is my favorite Supralapsarian.If not tonight, I'll be sure to read your post. Thank you for taking the time to do this. God bless you for it, for we all need a good taste of the old paths.

Jeremiah 6:16 KJV​

[16] Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. ​

 

[John Nyberg]

This is fantastic, thanks for sharing. Definitely worth bookmarking!

 

[Clariz]

today I introduced a young believer to Perkins, who is my favorite Supralapsarian.

What a nice coincidence! I haven't read all Perkins but I plan to do so! Hence, hopefully I'd share some interesting things I found time to time.
Are you Supralapsarian by chance? Feel free to not put it out here if it's too private for you.

This is fantastic, thanks for sharing. Definitely worth bookmarking!

You're welcome! Good idea to bookmark! I'd do so too, then I could return here time to time

 

[jhcampbell]

Is this found in Volume 1?

 

[Ed Walsh]

Are you Supralapsarian

That's the only position that ever made sense to me.
Ed

 

[Clariz]

Is this found in Volume 1?

Yes! Page 79-80

 

[Ed Walsh]

That's the only position that ever made sense to me.
Ed

Here are two lo-res images of the introduction to A Golden Chain & Perkins Chart. I have high-resolution PSDs that I could email to anyone who wants a copy. The two pages are about 10 MB. I think I might have the best images extant.

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