The Excellency of Holy Courage in Evil Times, Chapter 16
CHAP. 16. Another Ʋſe, to teach us not to be diſcouraged at this different temper of our Spirits, but to be humbled for it. Five Helps againſt diſcouraging thoughts. Two objections.
USE, 2.
THe ſecond uſe of this point is this: If there be ſuch a difference between the hearts of Gods people at ſome time, from that they are at others, hence is an incouragement to the ſervants of God, to teach them, though they do not feel their hearts always in the ſame temper, and to have the ſame ſpirit to do good, not to be diſcouraged: it is true we ſhould be humbled for want of having our hearts up at any time, but be not diſcouraged, becauſe it is no other but what befals the moſt dear ſervants of God, and though you do not find your hearts up always as at ſome time, do not therefore conclude there is now no good at al in me, for Gods people are ready and prepared for every good work, and my heart is thus dul, and heavy and dead, and it wil never be otherwiſe with me, I am afraid whenſoever I ſhal be called to the ſervice of God, my heart wil be thus, and I ſhal forſake God, and betray the cauſe of God; Do not reaſon thus to diſcourage your ſelves: take heed of thoſe determining thoughts: to determine that your hearts wil be always ſo becauſe they are ſo for the preſent, there is a great deale of difference between the ſpirits of Gods people at ſome times, and at other times, and therefore there may be ſo in you. For your help againſt theſe diſcouraging thoughts.
Firſt, Conſider that you have union with a principle that is ful of al Grace, though you do not feel the influence of it, at all times alike, you have union with a principle ſo ful that you have no cauſe to determine againſt your ſelves.
Secondly, Know you have promiſes that are ful of Grace, for the encouraging of Gods ſervants: Promiſes that there may be drawn abundance of good from; and therefore you cannot determine that it ſhall not be otherwiſe with you.
Thirdly, know the glory of God is as deare and precious to him as your own ſouls are to you; and therefore if ſo be the cauſe, the honor of God depend upon it; know God wil take care for his own honor, you are afraid you ſhould betray the cauſe of God becauſe you find your hearts ſo down now, and perhaps if they were ſo down then when God calls you to ſtand for his cauſe it might be ſo: but what is it that troubles you? you are afraid to bring guilt and miſery upon your ſelves and diſhonor God; but know the glory of God is precious to him, and being it is engaged in you that you ſhould diſhonor him; being one of his, he wil take care of you.
Fourthly, Conſider how God hath come in graciouſly to ſupply his people in the time of need, he hath filled their ſpirits in the time of ſtraights when he hath called them to any hard work, and they have done that which they thought they ſhould never have done, as it is with wicked men: you ſee ſome ſo vile and wicked, as you could never have thought they ſhould have been, ſo the Godly though ſom…imes their hearts are down, yet at other times they have ſuch aſſiſtance, and enlargement and fulneſs of the ſpirit, as one would never have thought they ſhould have had.
Fifthly, God hath made a mighty difference in your eſtates from that they were before, and therefore why ſhould you not hope that God will make a difference between that we are now, and that we may be hereafter, If God have wrought the leaſt degree of ſaving grace in you, he hath made more difference between you, and one that is in his natural condition, than there is between you and the gloryfied Saints: (as I have noted before) and if God have made ſuch a great difference, why ſhould you diſturbe your ſelves to think it wil never be other then it is now?
Sixthly, nay I appeal to you, have you never found your hearts up for God? was there never a time that there was quickning and enlarging of your hearts for God, that you have felt ſome comfortable fitneſs for ſervice, or ſuffering?
Object. I cannot but ſay it hath been ſo with me, but it is gone, and down again; there are none but have ſome flaſhings, and ſtirrings, and ſome good moods, and mine may be no more for all I know; grace is a conſtant thing, and the heart is eſtabliſhed with it, and therefore though I feel my heart a little up ſometimes, yet they are but ſuch flaſhings as any may have, that have no grace.
Anſw. To that I anſwer, There are ſome works of Grace that are ſteady, and conſtant, that do more immediately flow from the principles, and being of Grace: and there are other works of Grace that are more remote, that are not ſo ſteady and conſtant.
1. There are ſome that are ſteady and conſtant; as theſe two things: take Gods people, and conſider of them in any condition, if they know but their own hearts, they will find theſe two things: Firſt, An approving of the life and power, and the ſtrictneſs of the waies of Godlineſs. Secondly, they wil find a ſavor of that which is ſpiritual, either in Ordinances, or in Gods People, their hearts will ſavor them, though their hearts be very much down, yet theſe two things they find conſtant.
2. But for the abilities to perform duties, for abilities in ſervice or ſuffering; they do not lie ſo next the root of Grace; they are but as the Leaves, or the bloſſoms, or the fruit: now though the ſap be conſtant at the root, yet the bloſſoms, leaves, and fruit are not.
Object. But you wil ſay, Being there may be good moods in men, take the worſt of all, though their hearts be naught ſometime, yet their hearts are up at other times, and may not you inſtead of encouraging Gods Servants, encourage the wicked? they may think, we hear there is a difference between Gods People, they are not alwaies alike: ſo it is with me, ſomtimes I am diſtempered, but at other times (thanks be to God) it is better with me, and ſo inſtead of taking away diſcouragements from thoſe that are weak, there may be encouragement to the wicked, and therefore where lies the difference between the good moods that ſome have, that have no true Grace, and the difference of ſpirit in thoſe that have true Grace?
To that I Anſwer.
Firſt, There may be a difference diſcerned by that which hath been ſaid; there is ſomthing is conſtant: Whether is that which lay at the root of grace in you ſtill there? If you do not find thoſe two things conſtant (viz. An approving of the life and power and ſtrictneſs of godlineſs; and a ſavor of that which is ſpiritual, either in Ordinances, or in Gods People) all your good moods in the world, though your hearts be never ſo up, wil not diſcover the truth of grace.
Secondly, Thoſe that have only ſome good moods at ſome time, and no bottom of any true grace, they in their good moods are not humbled for that which was failing in them before; their hearts indeed are ſomtimes up, and they bleſs themſelves in that; but now this doth not make them look back how it was heretofore with them, and to be aſhamed and humbled for the wretchedneſs, and diſtempers of their hearts formerly: but where the heart is up for God in thoſe that have truth of grace, when their hearts are moſt up, then they make uſe of this to be abaſed, and humbled in their own thoughts for the deadneſs and diſtemper that was in their hearts before; the good moods of others rather puff them up, than further any work of humiliation for any evil that was in them before, they think theſe good moods now, and being in a good temper, ſhall ſatisfie God for their evil diſtempers that were in them before: But it is not ſo with a gracious heart, a gracious heart when it does get up, it makes uſe of this work of God upon it, to be aſhamed and confounded in its ſelf for thoſe evil diſtempers that were in it before. The more the heart is up, the more diſcovery it hath of its own baſeneſs, and vileneſs, and wretchedneſs, which others when their hearts are up, have not.
Thirdly, Gods People when their hearts are up, that doth bring gracious diſcoveries of God unto them, and of thoſe things that do wonderfully ſpirituallize their hearts: others though they have their hearts up, they only have ſome affections, but in thoſe good moods of theirs, they have not thoſe Heavenly diſcoveries of God, ſo as to purge their hearts, and ſpirituallize their hearts, and make their hearts to be more heavenly as it doth the godly.
Fourthly, Thoſe that have only good moods, and no truth of grace, when they have their good moods, they are not by them carried out of themſelves to a principle beyond themſelves, but they reſt in the workings that they feel in their hearts: whereas a gracious heart when God raiſeth his heart, and puts it into a better frame, this carries it out of it ſelf, to a principle beyond it ſelf, and it dare not reſt in thoſe ſtirrings and workings it finds for the preſent, to think, now I am ſafe and well, becauſe of them, but by theſe it is carried beyond it ſelf.
Fiftly, Where there are only good moods, and not the truth of the work of grace, they do not work ſo ſeaſonably, and orderly, as the breathings of Gods ſpirit in his ſervants do: but the breathings of a gracious heart coming from the ſpirit of God, it works ſeaſonably, and orderly in their hearts, when there is a ſpiritual uſe of them, in that hour ſhall it be given to you, ſaies Chriſt, the ſpirit ſhal come upon you when you have moſt uſe; whereas in others, their good moods work only according to outward occaſions, and as means come in; but now at thoſe times when they have moſt uſe of them, they are furtheſt from them.
Sixtly, Where the heart is right, and truly godly, and God comes and breaths in it more than formerly, ſuch a one wil watch over it ſelf, and wil not be ſecure after this; but the other grow leſs watchful, and more ſecure upon ſuch moods.
Seventhly, Thoſe that are truly gracious, though they do not find their hearts up alwaies alike, yet when they find their hearts down, they count it their ſickneſs, and their diſeaſe, and it is the diſquiet and trouble of their ſpirits; whereas others that have only ſome moods, they are not ſenſible of their hearts being down as their ſickneſs and diſeaſe, and the burden and trouble of their ſouls.
Laſtly, In thoſe that have grace when their hearts are up at any time, it is but a preparation for ſome further ſervice; others having but moods, their hearts being up, this is the period of all their godlineſs, in which they reſt; but the godly, when their hearts are up, at ſome time more than at others, it is but a preparation for further Service, 1 Chron. 29.18. The hearts of the people were up, and David bleſt God for it, and ſaies he, prepare their hearts unto thee: unſound hearts would ſay, now our hearts are up, and we have offered thus freely; are we but in a preparation? Yet David praies to God to prepare their hearts, as if all their heart and affection at that time was but a preparation to further duty: and this is the difference between the good moods of the greateſt Hypocrite, that come to the higheſt pitch, and the difference between the breathings of Gods Spirit; and by theſe means only preſented to you it may be ſome help to diſcern the difference between good moods at ſome time, and the different breathing of Gods Spirit in his people.