The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 6 · Application 3
3. Uſe.
Let this bee for incouragement of Gods People,3 Uſe of Incouragement to the People of God. in theſe Times of danger and trouble. Though our condition bee very ſad at this time, Our enemies ſtrong, we weak; they full of rage and bitterneſs againſt us: yet there is no cauſe of fears, nor of diſcouragement.
1 There is no cauſe of fear, ſeeing wee have a God on our ſide, and ſuch a God, as is able to do wonders for us. You may ſet God againſt all the ſtrength, and proviſions of the Arm of fleſh.
Thus you ſee David did, Pſal. 20.7. Some truſt in Charriots and ſome in Horſes: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. He ſet God againſt all.
Alas! what are Caſtles and Forts? what are multitudes of men? what are riches? what is Proviſion of horſe? the Pſalmiſt tells you, Pſal. 33 17. A Horſe is but a vain thing to ſave a man, Iſa. 31.3. Their Horſes are fleſh, and not Spirit. — Prov. 21.31. The Horſe is prepared againſt the day of battel: but ſafety is of the Lord.
All this, and whatever an adverſary may have to glory in, is but an arm of fleſh: but you have a God, and a God that can do wonders for you. I will boaſt in God (ſaith the Prophet) all the day long.
Give not way then to ſinkings of Spirit: you have no cauſe of fears, if you look above, as well as below: if you converſe with Heaven as well as with Earth. Indeed, if wee look below, God for the relief of (the weakneſſe of our Faith) hath ſtirred up the hearts of our worthys and People to afford ſo willing a concurrence in the ſervice of the King and Kingdome at this time. But this is not our ſtrength. Look above, and you have a God, who can, who will do wonders for you.
Fear is utterly unbeſeeming
1 A Chriſtian, who is the ſouldier of Chriſt.
2 Religion, which is the Cauſe of Chriſt.
1 It is unbefitting a Chriſtian. For the Righteous ſhould be bold as a Lyon. Let the ſinners in Zion be afraid: not you, who have ſo great a God as can do wonders for you.
Luthers ſpirit doth well befit a Chriſtian (eſpecially in theſe days) who, when hee was diſſwaded from going to Wormes; (about ſome extraordinary buſineſſe of the Church) becauſe of ſome Plots laid againſt him, he makes reply — Vocatus ingrediar, etſi ſcirem tot eſse Diabolos Wormatiae, quot ſunt tegulae in aedium tectis. I am called to it, and though every tile in the City were a devil, I would go. This was Reſolution and courage befitting a Chriſtian, who is a ſouldier of Chriſt. And
2 Fear is unbeſeeming Religion; which is the cauſe of Chriſt. A good cauſe ſhould have a good courage. It was the ſpeech of Luther to Melancthon, who was an holy, though a fearful man, when Melancthon had diſcovered his fears to him. — If our cauſe be not good, let us deſiſt, and leave it. If it bee good; let us go on couragiouſly: Chriſts cauſe, and a Cowards heart are ill coupled together.
Gods People are too apt to this: And therefore doth Chriſt ſteel the heart of his Diſciples againſt it. — Fear not little flock. Though a little flock: yet there is no cauſe to fear, having ſo ſtrong a Shepheard. — And, fear not worm Jacob; though a worm and weak, apt to bee trod upon: yet fear not. Iſa. 41.13, 14. — I will help thee, ſaith the Lord, thy Redeemer; the holy-one of Iſrael. — And, Who art thou, that are afraid of a man, that ſhall dye, and forgets the Lord, thy maker? Arguing, if they had not forgotten God, they would not have feared man.
VVhat though they bee carried on with all head-ſtrong violence, to ſeek our ruine? what though their purpoſes be cruel? God can,
1 Calm them, ſtill them, as hee did the Sea. Peace and bee ſtill; as he did Eſau, when he came againſt Jacob.
2 Stop them in their way. Hee, that Sets bounds to the Sea, and ſaith hitherto ſhalt thou come, and here ſhalt thou ſtop thy proud waves: can ſet them at a full ſtand.
So you ſee hee did Senacherib. — I will put my bridle into his lips, and my hook into his noſe. And I will bring thee back the ſame way thou cameſt, &c. 2 King. 19.23.
3. Hee can turn them, and change their hearts: as hee did Pauls, when hee went out breathing threatnings, and ſlaughter againſt the Church of Chriſt, Act. 9.
4. Hee can over-turn them, over-power them, even wherein they deal proudly he will be above them, Exod. 18.11. bring down the noiſe of ſtrangers, as the heat in a dry place, even the heat with the ſhadow of a cloud, &c. Iſay 25.5.
2 As there is no cauſe of fear, ſo there is much leſſe any cauſe of diſcouragement, in theſe days of evil, God can do wonders.
You ſhall never know what God can do, nor what God will do, till you ſtand in need: God loves to appear in time of extremity; he loves to put forth himſelf in deſperate caſes.
As the ſhipmans ſtar never appears, but before death: ſo Gods Power never diſcovers it ſelf, till a diſſolution and death of ſecondary means.
When wee have the ſentence of death paſſed upon us, in reſpect of created helps and means: then is Gods time, to ſtep in, to recover and relieve us.
You ſee this in the Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 1.9. We received the ſentence of death in our ſelves, that we might not truſt in our ſelves, but in God, who raiſeth the dead.
VVee ſhould not know, what God can do, if it did not appear, what man cannot do; we ſhould not know the power of God, if we did not ſee the weakneſſe of man.
It was Bernards rapture upon the meditation of Adams ſin.— Foelix culpa! quae talem meruit redemptorem! Happy fault! which occaſioned us ſuch a Redeemer! I may better ſay. Happy neceſſity! which occaſioned the reliefs, of ſuch a God, which ingageth God to help us, and relieve us.
Were it not for the greatneſſe of our miſery, wee ſhould not have experiences of Gods mercy. And how many would ſay, I would not loſe the Experiences of Gods goodneſſe, in ſuch a ſad condition I was in, for a thouſand worlds? I would rather go through a thouſand ſuch ſad conditions, than want one of thoſe experiences of his mercy in it.
At theſe times you ſhall have Experience of Gods Power, wiſdome, mercy, faithfulneſs, more than all your life. All which are drawn out to help in need.
As I never knew confident ſtrength to proſper, ſo I never read of truſting weakneſſe to miſcarry. If you peruſe the word, you ſhall often read, that Gods people have miſcarryed in the ſtrength of means, but never read, they miſcarried in weakneſſe. And the Reaſon is, becauſe they truſted God in the one, and were ſelf-confident in the other.
This is our ſpirit, when means are weak and wanting, then wee flye to God; but when means are ſtrong to bring purpoſes to paſſe, wee are apt to reſt upon them.
You ſee it was ſo with Aſa: Once hee was weak, and then hee truſted: another time hee was ſtrong, and then hee was ſelf confident. And the iſſue in the one, was, — hee proſpered; in the other — hee miſcarried. Weak means were ſucceſsful, becauſe the ſtrong God was in them; his Faith brought God into them: and ſtrong means were unfruitful, becauſe hee made God of them, hee truſted in them.
As God thinks himſelf neglected, when wee will not truſt in him, in the preſence of means: ſo hee thinks his power diſparaged, when wee will not truſt in him, in the abſence of means. Not to truſt in God in ſtrength of means, is to neglect God. Not to truſt in him in weakneſſe of means, is to limit God.
God loves then to appear, when none elſe will, when none elſe can. It was the Argument which David had, Pſal. 22.11. — Bee not far from mee, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. This was that whereby hee would ingage God to help: becauſe there was none elſe to help him.
As it was ſaid of the Redemption of the Church from ſin: ſo it may bee ſaid of her deliverance from trouble. — When hee looks about, and ſees no man, then his right hand ſhall bring ſalvation. Hee will do a wonder to ſave you.
Though there bee Mountains of Oppoſitions in the way, yet hee can incounter with them; and there are four wayes God deals with Mountains, with ſtrong Oppoſitions.
1. Hee either melts the Mountains, hee diſſolves them as water, Iſa. 64.3. — When thou didſt terrible things, which wee looked not for; thou cam'ſt down, and the Mountains melted at thy preſence.— In the former verſe, they trembled at his preſence; hee unhearted them, took away their courage: and here they flowed down at his preſence. Not flowed up; or grew ſtronger: but flowed down, were melted and diſſolved at his preſence; hee took away their ſtrength. Or
2. Hee layes them into plains. That is, Hee makes thoſe Mountains, which were before unpaſſable for greatneſs, now to bee no Oppoſition at all, in the wayes of his people: Hee levels and laies even the hearts of the enemies, that they ſhall not bee any hinderance to the paſſage of his people. And thus, Zach. 4.7.— Who art thou, O great Mountain, before Zerubbabel? thou ſhalt bee a plain. Or
3. Hee thraſheth the Mountains: Hee deſtroyes thoſe, who ſtand to oppoſe Gods Church and People. So you have it, Iſa. 41.14, 15. — Fear not, thou Worm Jacob; I will help thee, ſaith the Lord thy Redeemer. Why, how will hee help? — Behold, I will make thee a ſharp Iron inſtrument with teeth; and thou ſhalt thraſh the Mountains, and beat them ſmall, and make the Hills a… chaff; and the wind ſhall carry them away, and the whirlewind ſhall ſcatter them: And thou ſhalt rejoyce in the Lord, and glory in the holy one of Iſrael. — Pharaoh was ſuch a Mountain, and ſuch an one was Senacherib; but hee thraſhed them both.
4. Hee paſſeth over them. Hee ſteps over the head of all Oppoſitions, which are in the way to the deliverance of his Church, Cant. 2.8. Chriſt is there deſcribed to — come leaping over the Mountains, and skipping over the Hills. And as hee did, when hee came to deliver his People from ſin, ſo hee doth often, when hee comes to redeem his Church from trouble, — Hee comes skipping over the Mountains, paſſeth over the head of all oppoſition, when hee comes to deliver them.
And therefore trouble not your ſelves for the greatneſſe of Oppoſition: Though there ſhould bee never ſo many Mountains of Oppoſition, yet God can melt them, or hee can level them, or thraſh them, or skip over them. And one way or other God will do, for the deliverance of his Church.
Wee look and pray for this laſt. That God would overlook all Oppoſitions, and come and help us.