The Excellency of Holy Courage in Evil Times, Chapter 21
CHAP. 21.
Ʋſes of the Doctrine, Uſe, Firſt, Let none think God an hard Maſter, when he puts them upon ſervice, becauſe he affords them a principle to carry them through. Uſe, Secondly, To Beleevers that they ſhould expect to be put upon difficult things. 1. Four conſiderations againſt diſcouragements. It is not to be accounted an affliction to be put upon difficult things for 4. Reaſons. Uſe, Thirdly, Shewing it can be no concluding argument againſt a work, becauſe there are hinderances. Uſe, Fourthly, When you have been carried through difficult ſervices conſider, what it was which ſupported you.
USE, 1.
Firſt, Now then let none think God to be an hard Maſter, in putting his ſervants upon ſuch difficulties as are hard to do; though he do put them upon difficulties, yet he gives them a principle to carry them through, and then it is al one as if it were eaſyer: Carnal hearts are ready to complaine of the tediouſneſs and hardneſs of Gods waies, and they are ready to complain of God as an hard Maſter, how are they hard and tedious? They are hard and tedious to you, becauſe you want a principle to do them by, but they are not hard to the Chriſtian: indeed it was cruelty, and hardneſs to to Pharoah to put the Iſraelites upon work, and take away their ſtraw, but God though he puts his ſervants upon hard works, he gives them a principle whereby to do them: If a man ſhould put another upon an hard work, and give him an engine to carry him through, then it is not hard; ſo though God puts them on hard works, he gives them an engine to carry them through; ſaies Daniel 10.19. ſpeak Lord thou haſt ſtrengthened thy ſervant. So a Godly man may ſay, true Lord I have no ſtrength in my ſelf, to do this difficult work, but being thou haſt ſtrengthened thy ſervant, and given him this ſtrong principle in ſome meaſure, now Lord ſpeak, Command what thou wilt.
USE, 2.
A ſecond Uſe is this. Hence let all beleevers that have evidence to themſelves that they are beleevers, or any hope that God hath wrought faith in them, let them expect to be put upon difficult things: becauſe God hath put in them a principle to carry them through difficult things, and God delights to improve al his creatures according to the powers they have; there is no power of nature, but God wil cal it forth, and improve it at ſome time or other, and if God delights to improve the power of nature, much more the power of Grace, which is the ſpeciall, and choice power that he doth communicate to any creature in the world; and for the kind the choiceſt thing that he will communicate to any creature to al eternity, and therefore if you have not found hard things, expect them and make account that your faith ſhould be called out, Faith is the moſt glorious Grace, able to do the moſt Glorious things that ever creature is able to do, and have you it for nothing? have you faith only to keep you in that ordinary way that the principles of nature are able to keep you in? if God have given you faith, he hath given you it for to do great things, and therefore expect difficult things.
And yet ſo expect them, as
Firſt, not to be diſcouraged,
Secondly, Not to count it an affliction.
Firſt, Be not diſcouraged: ſome think I can hardly do ordinary things, and therefore how ſhall I do ſuch hard things.
1. If you have faith though you be called to difficult things, you cannot be called to a more difficult work than you have done already, and this is a great encouragement to faith: the weakeſt beleever in the world hath done as difficult a work as ever any ſhall be called to beſides that, viz. the work of beleeving at firſt, when we look upon our ſelves as enemies to God, for God to juſtify the ungodly, this is a more difficult work then ever God will call you to; and therefore if God hath carried you through the difficulties in the point of juſtification, never fear any difficulties that may follow hereafter: If a man be called to any hard thing he comforts himſelf in this, I am not called to a harder then I have done already, ſuppoſe God hath called you to an hard duty this not an harder duty then that you have done already, that is the work of faith in cloſing with Chriſt in the point of juſtification.
2. Though you know God will call you to hard things, God hath engaged himſelf that you ſhall never have any temptation befall you, but you ſhall have ſtrength accordingly.
3. If you be called to any thing, God doth not call you to any hard work, nor never wil, in expectation that you ſhould do it in your own ſtrength, but in that ſtrength which he will give you, and yet count it upon your own ſcore, as if you did it in your own ſtrength to reward you for it, indeed when we conſider what little ſtrength we have, we may be diſcouraged, but when God doth call us to any work he doth not expect we ſhould do it in our ſtrength, and yet he will reward it as our own, as in that 60. Pſalm. 12. Through God we ſhal do valiantly, for he it is that ſhall tread down our enemies: is it God that treads down our enemies how do we do valiantly? it is God that doth valiantly, we do nothing, yet ſays the text through God we ſhal do valiantly, for he it is that ſhall tre…d down our enemies; ſo that though the ſtrength whereby God expects us to do any work by, be not our own, yet God accounts it as our own, and Chriſtians may reckon it their own to give God the glory of it.
4. Further be not diſcouraged for fear of any difficult work you ſhall be called to, becauſe there is no work of a Chriſtian, that he is called to, but as it ſpends ſtrength it gives ſtrength, it gives more then it ſpends, in the way of ſpending it gives: A man will never be affraid of cold in work that brings more heat then cold, the ſluggard would not plow becauſe it was cold, in Prov. 20 4. But if he had plowed his labor would have brought in heat; and ſo it is a ſluggiſh reaſon to think, ſhall I do ſuch an hard work and I have ſuch little ſtrength? the work will bring in ſtrength; as if a man ſhould ſay I am cold in the houſe, how cold ſhould I be in the feild, and how cold when I take hold on the plow which is cold, and the earth which is cold? indeed if there were nothing in the work to bring in heat we might ſay ſo; but the work brings in more heat, then there is coldneſs in the ayr: And ſo people think I have ſcarce ſtrength for that work which I have now, but if it be more difficult what then? If it be more difficult, and it bring in more ſtrength, then it would be better then it is now.
Secondly, Count it no affliction; do not complaine as if your caſe were worſe then the caſe of any, that God put you upon ſuch hard taskes and works that he doth not others, thou knoweſt not what thou doeſt in complaining of the hardneſs of thy worke.
1. Know a difficult work is a moſt honorable thing. As if a Captain have ſome great difficult work to do, that is of great conſequence for the good of his countrie, he will not call out every baſe fellow, but his prime ones, and they count it an honour to be called out. And ſo if a maſter of Defence have ſome difficult work to be done, he doth not call out the loweſt in the Schoole, but the chiefeſt, and it is an honor to him: and if he were called to do onelyonly ordinarie things, and another were called to do great things, it would be a diſhonor to him, and ſo it might rather be an affliction, for God to call you to do only ordinarie things.
2. It is a mighty opportunitie for the exerciſe of Grace: now as the ſcripture ſaith, 1. Pet. 1.7. The tryall of Grace is more pretious than Gold. For the exerciſe of Grace, Grace it ſelf is for exerciſe, and ſo the exerciſe is better than the grace, and if grace be pretious in the habit, it is more precious in the exerciſe, you ſhould prize one exerciſe of Grace more excellent then the whol world: People prize grace in the habits; Oh that God would beſtow Grace upon them, but they do not ſet a price upon every gratious act, but come to this, to ſet a high price upon every act of Grace as wel as the habit, and you will not complain of difficult works.
3. The more difficult ſervices you are called to, the more opportunitie you have to honor God, you have don but a litle all this while and the moſt part of your time hath been to little purpoſe, if God will give you an opportunitie to doe a great deale in a little time, will you murmure at it and count it your affliction.
4. Difficult works are for the improvement of your graces: If a man have a ſtock, and he have had ſome improvement for it, but not full, he hath ſome mony ly dead by him or is not improved for that advantage it might, if he ſhal find a way to improve every penny of his ſtock, to the utmoſt advantage, will he count this an affliction? he counts it an advantage; who grow rich but thoſe that have the full improvement of their ſtock: Men count it a miſery to have their ſtockly by them and not improved; why do not you count it a miſery to have gracely by you, and not exerciſed: Would you count it a happineſs that God ſhould ſhew you a way to improve your outward ſtock to the full, and would you not count it a happineſs that God ſhould ſhew you a way to improve your grace to the full.
USE, 3.
The third uſe is this: If Faith enables to carry through difficult works, then it can be no concluding argument againſt a work, becauſe there fall out many hinderances in the worke, for faith carries through nothing but that which is the work of God, and if it be to carry through hinderances, then hinderances and blocks in the way can be no concluding argument that this is not the work of God; this is our weakneſs, we ſet upon many works and before we begin we conſider whether it be the work of God, and we have conſidered and conſulted with God, and his people, and we find it is Gods work, and we begin to ſet upon it, and we would go on, and alwaies think it Gods work if things went on wel, but as ſoone as we find any let that ſtops us, we begin to cal in queſtion whether it were Gods work or no. It is true when we find any hinderances in our work, it ſhould make us reflect our thoughts upon our cal to it and ſee that be right; and further, it ſhould make us humble our ſelves before God to take away whatſoever hinderance God ſhould lay in our way out of any diſpleaſure; for though God ſomtimes do lay hinderances as an honor to improve our graces, yet ſomtimes hinderances may be as chaſtizements to us; and therefore it is uſeful for to humble our ſoules before God, that we may have more aſſurance nothing is between God and us, and that our hinderances do not come as a fruit of his diſpleaſure, and the hinderances we meet withall ſhould make us keep more cloſe to the rule, becauſe Faith will beare us out in nothing, but according as we goe to the rule, and ſo we ſhould improve hinderances to ſtir up our Faith: But to make hinderances, and hard things that fall out to be an argument to think it is not the work of God, that is a great evil: And for that I only ſpeak this one thing, & that is the way of God towards Jacob in that work of his when God called him to goe from Laban into his own country, You may read the ſtory at your leiſure, God from Heaven calls Jacob to goe to that Journey: It was the work of God; Jacob might think it being Gods work I ſhall meet with no hardſhip: but if you read the ſtory, you ſhall find it was one of the moſt hard Journeys that ever he undertook in his life as it appeares by theſe ſix things.
Firſt, After he went Laban followed him with an intent to miſcheife him, but that God ſtopt him, and there was ſome danger that Jacob was in; God freed him from that.
Secondly, His wiſe's nurſe dyed, that was a great help to his wife, God took away even a right hand to his wife.
Thirdly, His wife dyed in that Journey, this was a mighty croſs, he might think God comes mightily to croſſe me.
Fourthly, After this His Daughter Dinah goes out, and ſhee is defloured,
Fiftly, After this His two Sons Symeon and Levi goe and commit that wofull outrage, and murdered ſo many innocent people.
Sixtly, His Brother Eſaw came with rage and fury againſt him, intending to deſtroy him, and he was mightily affraid of his Brother Eſaw: Now this may quiet many that are to goe any Journy; firſt, let them ſee the call of God, and then go on in it whatſoever fals out, take it rather as a tryall of your Faith, then any ſtop of God in your way. And ſo you that are weake, that have friends that undertake hard works, and hard voyages, you think they may doe it before danger come, but if danger come you are ready to think that it is not the right way; if you have no other argument but that, know it comes from weakneſs, and you are to lay downe that weakneſs, and not to diſturbe your ſelves, and your friends by your weakneſs, to think it is not the way of God, becauſe of thoſe hinderances: and that is the third uſe.
USE, 4.
Fourthly, if Faith be the principle that carries through ſuch difficult works: Hence who ever have been carried through difficult works, look back to what God hath carried you through, reflect upon it and ſee what it was that did it; ſuch and ſuch works God called you to, may be, as he did Moſes to forſake your owne country, which you have done, not out of any outward neceſſity, but in bare obedience to God, now may be you may meet with many hinderances, and inconveniences, you might have ſtayed and lived comfortable and full handed enough, if you could have diſpenſed with thoſe things that others did, ſome hardſhip you had in leaving of thoſe things; and then the example of others might come and make the work difficult: But through Gods mercy the work was undertaken, and gone through, now what is it that carried you through? was it your own naturall reſolutions? the ſtrength of your own purpoſes? was it any aſſiſtance you hade from any friends? or any help that we can imagine from any creature? upon the reviewing of it cannot you ſay as in the preſence of God, I know not what in the world carried me through, but Gods giving me an heart to depend upon him in it.
After what manner did God work upon thy heart? did he firſt prepare thy heart, by a work of humiliation to ſeek him, and make up thy peace with him? when he had done that: did God ſecondly take off thy heart from all creature props, creature confidences, and dependances? After that did God caſt in a word, and promiſe into thee, and by his ſpirit mightily draw thy heart to cloſe with it, and faſten upon it? did God draw out a work of Faith to cloſe with this wiſdom Faithfulneſs and power for the carrying of thee through when thou ſaweſt no ſtrength in thy ſelf, nor didſt not know what ſhould become of thee? wert willing wholly to venture upon God, to give up thy ſelf unto him, to be at his diſpoſe? were thy ends good and right in this work? didſt not thou find that there was a principle in thee carrying thee beyond thine own thoughts, & beyond any ſtrength that thou couldeſt poſſibly conceive to be in thy ſelf, and that hath brought the work to an iſſue beyond they expectation? ſurely there was faith in this, and if there were faith in this, conſider what I have to ſay to thee.
Firſt, Know that this work is wonderfully acceptable to God, God looks upon ſuch works of nature as lovely, as the young man that came to Chriſt, Chriſt loved him, in Mark, 10.21. But if it be a work of faith God looks upon it and accepts it indeed, ſays the ſcripture, Theſe obtained a good report by faith; Heb. 11.39. They obtained a good report indeed, not only before men, but before God.
Secondly being a work of Faith, thou mayeſt have abundance of peace, and joy in it, we never have gone through difficulty but it is pleaſant to us, if we have gone ſome voyage, and have paſſed through difficulties, through many ſtorms, and tempeſts, we prize it, the water that David longed for, when it was got with ſo much difficulty, he thought it too good to drink, but powred it before the Lord. In 2 Sam. 23.16.17. As Jacob ſaies of the portion he gave to Joſeph, Gen. 48.22. This I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my ſword and my bow. So any thing that we get hardly it is the more prized: ſo that when we get through difficulties by our faith: that we ſhould prize much, and rejoyce in.
Thirdly, If ſo be that Faith hath carried thee through difficulty, Let this encourage thee for ever for time to come; certainly there is no difficulty wil ſtand before thee: if difficulties have begun to fal, they wil fal, and wil not be able to ſtand before thee. You may reaſon as Hamans friends, If thou beginneſt to fall before Mordecai, thou wilt fall, Eſt. 6.13. and therefore thou maiſt cal this work by the name that David called that place where his enemies began to fal before him; Baal-perizem, becauſe God had made a breach upon his enemies, 2 Sam. 5.20. he took that but as a pledg that God would make al his enemies fal before him. And ſo, hath God made ſome difficulties fal before thee; then al difficulties wil fal.
Fourthly, Let God have al the glory, neither thy ſelf, nor the means; thoſe things that we do by Faith, God is in them, little of our ſelves, or nothing at al; Boaſting is excluded, ſaies the Apoſtle, Rom. 3.27. By the Law of Faith, or by the Law of Works? By the Law of Faith, and therefore that which is done by faith, excludes al boaſting from our ſelves, and gives God the glory.
1. Becauſe Faith of al Graces hath leaſt rooting in our ſelves: as for Juſtice, and Temperance, and Patience, and Love, they have ſome aſſiſtance in Nature; but faith hath nothing at al, and therefore God muſt have the glory of that chiefly.
2. Faith of al Graces hath the leaſt influence into that which it doth, though it be under the rank of efficient cauſes; it is but an inſtrumental cauſe, and though an inſtrument be an efficient, it is the leaſt efficiency of al, and therefore the glory belongs to God.
3. Of al Graces Faith is the moſt emptying Grace, it carries a Creature out of it ſelf unto another; and therefore whatſoever we do by Faith we muſt give God the glory.
4. Attribute nothing to means; for though thou uſeſt means, ye whatſoever was done by Faith, was done above means, beyond means, and might have been done without means.
5. Hath God carryed you through any difficult work? and was this a principle: Labor to prize the word of God upon which thy faith was built to nouriſh and increaſe this Joy.
6. If you have found your faith hath carried you through great things, take heed thy Faith do not fayl thee in leſs things, that will be a ſhame; As a marriner that hath been in great ſtormes, and tempeſts, and hath wrought through them, if afterward he ſhould come, and periſh in the haven, or in ſome ordinary tempeſt, for want of Skill that would grieve him more; & ſo for a Souldier that hath been in deſperate battels afterwards to be overcome with a little ſtrength, he looſeth his honor, this is poſſible that a Chriſtian by his faith may be carried through wonderful great things, and yet his faith may fail him afterwards in leſſer things, as many a man may eſcape great dangers, and recover great ſucceſs, and yet afterwards die of a cold, and thoſe that God hath carried through great things, may faile in leſſer, but it is an infinite ſhame, take heed to your ſelves in that: As David ſpeaks concerning Saul, 2. Sam. 1.21. The ſhield of the mighty is vilely caſt away, as though he had not been anointed with Oyl. God hath given thee fayth as a ſhield, and it was the ſhield of the mighty, and now it is vilely caſt away, an ordinary temptation comes and thou faileſt, as if thou hadſt not been anointed with oyl, when God carried thee through difficult works, thou wert anointed with oyl, and now you fal as if you had not been anointed with oyl, you have been carried through many difficulties in that work of leaving of your country, now when you come here your faith will not ſerve you to order your ordinary buſineſs, and affaires, but it fails fowly in every ordinary dealing with man, and in your private dealings in your family what a ſhameful thing is it, that ſuch a one as hath had ſuch power, as to look upon the face of his enemies, and to teſtify for the truth before them, when he hath to deal with a ſervant, or child or Wife he fails ſhamefully, and when he comes to deal with brethren, he knows not how to behave himſelf, as if he were not anointed with oyl, as if he never had faith, nothing but nature, as ful of frowardneſs, and pettiſhneſs of ſpirit, and all outward diſtempers, as thoſe that never were acquainted with Faith? And ſo faith hath carried you through great difficulties, enabled you to deny your ſelf to get to the ordinances, and when you are under them it fails you in aſſiſtance to make uſe of them, and to give God the Glory of them, but you rather defile them, and ſpoile them, what a ſhameful thing is this? Be aſhamed and confounded in your own thoughts, and ſtir up your Faith.