Brooks - What does a prudent, gracious, holy silence include? (Part 1)

Thomas Brooks, The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod, with Sovereign Antidotes... Seventh Edition. London, 1699. [Abridged, edited, and extracted by SML.]

Psalm 39:9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because You did it.

...There is prudent silence, a holy, a gracious silence, a silence that springs from prudent principles, from holy principles and from gracious causes and considerations, and this is the silence meant here.

What does a prudent, a gracious, a holy silence include?

First, it includes a sight of God, and an acknowledgment of God as the Author of all the affliction that comes upon us: this is plain in the text, I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because You did it. The Psalmist looks through secondary causes to the first Cause, and so sits mute before the Lord. There is no sickness so little, but God has a finger in it. (In secondary causes many times a Christian may see much envy, hatred, malice, pride, &tc. But in the first cause he can see nothing but grace and mercy, sweetness and goodness.) ... If God’s hand is not seen in the affliction, the heart will do nothing but fret and rage under affliction.

Secondly, it includes and takes in some holy gracious apprehensions of the majesty, sovereignty, dignity, authority, and presence of that God, under whose afflicting hand we are, Hab 2.20, But the Lord is in his holy Temple, let all the Earth be silent, or as Hebrews reads, Be silent all the Earth before his face. ... Aaron had an eye to the sovereignty of God, and that silences him. Job had an eye upon the Majesty of God, and that stills him. Eli had an eye upon the authority and presence of God, and that quiets him. A man never comes to humble himself, nor to be silent under the hand of God, till he comes to see the Hand of God to be a mighty hand, 1 Pet. 5.6. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty Hand of God. ... As a sight of his grace cheers the soul, so a sight of his greatness and glory silences the soul.

Third, a gracious, prudent silence, takes in a holy quietness and calmness of mind and spirit, under the afflicting hand of God: A gracious silence shuts out all inward heats, murmurings, frettings, quarrellings, wranglings, and boilings of the heart, Ps 62.1 Truly my soul keeps silence unto God, or is silent or still, that is, my soul is quiet and submissive: God, all murmurings and repinings, passions and turbulent affections being allayed, tamed, and subdued. This is clear in the text and in the former instances of Aaron, Eli, and Job, they saw that it was a Father that put those bitter cups in their hands, and love that laid those heavy crosses upon their shoulders, and grace that put those yokes about their necks, and this caused much quietness and calmness in their spirits.

Fourthly, a prudent, a holy Silence, takes in an humble, justifying, clearing and acquitting of God of all blame, rigor, and injustice, in all the afflictions he brings upon us, Ps. 51:4. That you may be justified when you speak, and be clear when you judge, that is, when you correct. [I Cor 11.32 When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord., Ps 119:75, 137: I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me. Righteous are you, O Lord, and righteous are your Judgments.] God's judgments are always just: he never afflicts except in faithfulness.

Next: What does a prudent, gracious, holy silence include? (Part 2)