The Saints Sacrifice, Section 54 – Section 56
§. 54. Of Gods turning ſorrow into ſolace.
V. *§. 49. … oculos eius a lachrymis. Fugit enim dolor, & triſtitia & gemitus. Amb in Orat de Obit. Theod.. GOD can remove all matter of mourning. He here delivered this Prophets eyes from teares: he tooke away all occaſion of weeping: in which ſenſe he is ſaid to wipe away all tears from mens eys (Iſa. 25. 8. Rev. 7. 17.) and to bid them refraine their voice from weeping, and eyes from teares (Ier. 31. 16. Luk. 7. 13.) Pertinent to this purpoſe are theſe proverbes, They that ſow in teares ſhall reape in ioy, (Pſal. 126. 5.) weeping may endure for a night, but joy commeth in the morning, (Pſal. 30. 5.) Anſwerable hereunto have beene Saints prayers, Gods promiſes and performances. For inſtance of prayers take theſe, ePſal. 51 8.Make me to heare joy and gladneſſe, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce. f—90. 15.Make us glad according to the yeares wherein thou haſt afflicted us. Of promiſes theſe, gIer. 31. 13.I will turne their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoyce for their ſorrow. hZac. 8 19.Their fasts ſhalbe joy and gladneſſe, and chearefull feaſts. *Iſa 30. 19.Thou ſhalt weepe no more. Of performances theſe, iPſal 30 12.Thou haſt turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou haſt put off my ſackcloth, and girded me with gladneſſe. k—126. 1, 2.When the Lord turned againe the captivity of Zion, then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with ſinging. Were not the eyes of that woman, lLuk. 7. 38. &cwhich ſo wept as with her teares ſhe waſhed the feet of Ieſus, delivered from teares, when Chriſt ſaid to her Thy ſinnes are forgiven? mIſa. 38. 1, &c. foreign E… ſtevi… ſtetu magn….When Hezekiah heard this doome, Thou ſhalt die and not live, he wept with great weeping. But this ſecond meſſage from the Lord, I have ſeene thy teares; behold I will adde unto thy daies fifteene yeares, did queſtionleſſe wipe away all his teares. Moſt pregnant for the point in hand is the end of the commiſſion given to Chriſt, thus expreſſed, nIſa 61. 1. &c.The Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings, to comfort all that mourne, to give unto them beauty for aſhes, the oile of joy for mourning, the garment of praiſe for the ſpirit of heavineſſe.
That which God ſaid to Hezekiah, oIſa. 3…. 5.I have ſeene thy teares, giveth the true and juſt reaſon of Gods removing all matter of mourning. For the Lord being full of pity, p2 Cor 1. 3.the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, his bowels are moved at the ſight of his childrens teares, as it is noted of Chriſt, qIoh 11. 33, 35When he ſaw Mary weeping, and the Iewes alſo weeping, he groaned in the ſpirit, and was troubled, and wept. And againe rLuk. 7 13.when he ſaw a widow weepe, he had compaſſion on her. VponUpon that compaſſion he tooke away the occaſion of her weeping. When God came to deliver Iſrael from the Egyptian bondage, he renders this reaſon of his purpoſe, ſExo 3. 7.I have ſurely ſeene the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their crie, by reaſon of their task masters: for I know their ſorrowes. Yea further to demonſtrate the notice which the Lord taketh of his Saints teares, there is in Scripture mention made of tPſal. 56. 8.a bottle wherein they are put, as a liquor moſt precious in Gods account: and of a booke wherein they are regiſtred, as things to be reviewed, and not forgotten.
Admonition to mederate mourning.Learne hereby to ſet a meane to mourning. u1 Theſ. 4. 13.Sorrow not as others which have no hope. Know that God taketh notice of thy teares: believe that God can and will wipe them away. Believe this when ſenſe and ſmart of affliction makes thee weepe and waile: but eſpecially when with a deepe apprehenſion of thy ſinnes againſt God, and of his diſpleaſure againſt thee, thou doeſt, as xMat. 26. 75.Peter did, weepe bitterly. In theſe and other like caſes thou maiſt, and muſt pray, as the Pſalmiſt did, and ſay, yPſal. 39. 12.O Lord give eare unto my cry, hold not thy peace at my teares. For aſſuredly he that putteth teares into his bottle and regiſtreth them, will wipe all tears from thine eyes. What he hath done to others, thou being like to them, in like caſes, maiſt expect. For, God ever remaineth like himſelfe.
§. 55. Of Saints fallings by affliction.
VI. *§ 49.GReat afflictions may … Saints. Though they be not utterly overthrowne thereby, they may be (as a man in a quagmire, out of which he hath much adoe to come) much foiled. In ſuch a caſe was he who ſaid, aPſal 7… ▪ 2My feet were almoſt gone: my ſteps had well nigh ſlipt. b—91. 18.My foot ſlippeth. c—…8 …7.I am ready to halt. d—73 …6.My fleſh and my heart faileth. e—7…. 9.My ſtrength faileth. f—7…. 3.My ſpirit was overwhelmed. g—…1. 10.My life is ſpent with griefe: and my yeares with ſighing.
How it falls out that this thus befalls the Saints, is ſhewed before on verſ. 7 §. 44.
Exhortation to looke to our feet.The Apoſtle giveth a ſeaſonable exhortation for preventing, or redreſſing the danger of this infirmity: which is this, h… eb. 12 12, 13.Lift up the hands which hang downe, and the feeble knees: and make ſtrait paths for your feet: lest that which is lame be turned out of the way: but let it rather be healed. Me…onymia Effecti & Adiuncti.Hanging hands and feeble knees are the ſignes of a fainting ſpirit, and here put for that whereof they are ſignes. To lift up theſe is to rouſe up our ſpirits, and to quicken them. The danger which otherwiſe may follow upon fainting, much enforceth the exhortation. For theſe words, leaſt that which is lame be turned out of the way, imply that upon fainting may follow a falling away. A freſh-water-ſouldier once fainting, ſoone falls to the enemy. Let us therefore well looke to our ſtanding, and well prepare our ſelves before hand. The Apoſtle giveth an excellent direction to this purpoſe, Eph. 6. S… nequaquam rect… ſuis factis iacta…e audeat, cum videat tantorum virorum & cauendas tempeſtates & ſlenda nauſragia. Aug. de Doctr. Chr. l. 3. c. 23.10, 11, &c.
For particular directions to keepe from fainting, read The Whole Armour of God, Treat. 2. Part. 5. § 22.
Is the forementioned weakneſſe of Saints, and proneneſſe to fall well weighed of them, who by reaſon of ſome gifts beſtowed on them, wax inſolent and ſecure? Surely this is one uſe which is to be made of Saints fals, that no man boaſt himſelf of his owne good deeds, when he beholdeth the ſtorms of ſuch men to be taken heed of, and wrecks to be bewailed.
§. 56. Of Gods establiſhing the weake.
VII. *§. 49.GOD est…liſheth ſuch as are re…die to fall. This he did when he delivered this Prophets feet from falling. aRom. 14. 4.He that falleth (faith the Apoſtle) ſhalbe holden up: for God is able to make him ſtand. Very fitly to the point in hand ſaith the Pſalmiſt, bPſal. 40. 2.He brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and ſet my feet upon a rocke, and eſtabliſhed my goings. And againe, c—94. 18.When I ſaid, my foot ſlippeth, thy morcie, O Lord, held me up.
As Gods power, ſo his pity and prudence, are more clearely manifeſted hereby. Where the Lord ſaith, d2 Cor. 12. 9.My ſtrength is made perfect in weakeneſſe: he meaneth, that the lower men be brought, and the more weake, and unable to be eſtabliſhed they may ſeem to be, the more divine is that power manifeſted to be, whereby they are eſtabliſhed: and then Sic paratus eſt Deus ſuſcipere cadentem, & …ripere fugi… tem, ut videri p…ſſi… … o… …ous alijs …i ſo…i op…ram da re. Ber. in Pſal. Qui habit. Ser. 2. Diſſwaſion from deſpaire.doth pity and mercy moſt brightly ſhew it ſelfe, when in falling a man is preſerved, ſo as if then he had not been preſerued, he had periſhed. Thus e Chriſt ſhewed his pity in ſaving Peter, even when he began to ſinke, (Mat. 14. 30, 31.) This then muſt needs be a principall part of prudence. In theſe and other like reſpects God is ſo ready to uphold him that is falling, and to hold him that is departing, that he may ſeeme to mind ſuch alone, and to leave all others.
1. Deſpaire not now, though thy foot be ſlipping, or thou ſinking in a ſea of ſorrowes. God is as neare at hand in all out troubles, as *Mat. 14. 30, 31Chriſt was in that ſea where Peter was. As a tender mother, though ſhe ſuffer her weake and feeble child to go alone, yet will ſhe not ſuffer it to be alone or out of ſight. If it ſlide, or fall, ſhe preſently catcheth it up againe. Yea ſhe will give her ſervants charge over it to keepe it, and to take it up in caſe it fall. Thus deales thy heavenly Father with thee, poore, weake, feeble brat. fPſal. 121. 3.He will not ſuffer thy foot to be moved (namely to thy ruine;) He that keepeth thee will not ſlumber. And leſt thou ſhouldſt think that by reaſon of his greatneſſe he will not take care of thee, He giveth his Angells charge over thee, to keepe thee in all thy waies. They …all beare thee up in their hands, lest thou daſh … Prom…ſa … in Pſal. 101. Exhortation to … for hel… in …alling.thy foot against a ſtone, (Pſal. 9…. 11, 12.) Deſpaire not then. Mercy, grace and indulgency is promiſed. Who can deſpaire that knoweth and beleeveth this?
2. When thou findeſt thy ſelfe ſinking, and thinkeſt thy ſelfe loſt, doe as hMat. 14. ….Peter did: Cry out to God, and ſay, Lord ſave me. Call to mind his promiſe, iIſa. 43. 2.When thou paſſest thorow the waters I will be with thee. Plead his dealing with others, whoſe feet he hath delivered from falling. Perſwade thy ſelfe that thy heavenly Father as farre ſurpaſſeth earthly parents in pity and goodneſſe, as he doth in Majeſty and greatneſſe. Hereupon ponder with thy ſelfe, and conſider if earthly parents can ſuffer their children, when they are fallen, to lie and crie, and not come and take them up. kIſa 49. 15.Yea Expedit omni anim… Deum ſempe… attendere, tanquam proprium non modo adiu…rem, ſed etiam inſpectorem. Ber lcc. citat.they may. Yet will not I (ſaith the Lord) forget thee. If now being fallen thou lieſt ſtill, and cryeſt not for helpe, doeſt thou not juſtly deſerve to be let alone, even for puniſhment of thy ſtoutneſſe? Surely it becommeth every ſoule to eye God continually, not onelyonly as an helper at a pinch, but alſo as one that taketh the care and charge of us upon himſelfe.