Sweet honey out of the bitterest herbs – Thomas Brooks

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Consider that all your afflictions, troubles, and trials shall work for your good. Why then should you fret, fling, fume considering God intends you good in all? The bee sucks sweet honey out of the bitterest herbs; so God will by afflictions teach His children to suck sweet knowledge, sweet obedience, and sweet experiences, sweet humility out of all the bitter afflictions and trials He exercises them with.

That scouring and rubbing, which frets others, shall make them shine the brighter; and that weight which keeps others crushed, shall but make them, like the palm tree, grow better and higher; and that hammer which knocks others all into pieces, shall but knock them the nearer to Christ, the corner stone.

Stars shine brightest in the darkest night; torches give the best light when beaten; grapes yield most wine when most pressed; spices smell sweetest when pounded;
vines are the better for bleeding; gold looks the brighter for scouring;
juniper smells sweetest in the fire; chamomile, the more you tread it the more you spread it; the salamander lives best in the fire; the Jews were best, when most afflicted.

Afflictions are the saints’ best benefactors to heavenly affections. Where afflictions hang heaviest corruptions hang loosest. And grace that is hidden in nature, as sweet water in rose leaves, is then most fragrant when the fire of affliction is put under to distill it out. Grace shines the brighter for scouring, and is most glorious when it is most clouded.