Moses Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
The difference betweene the heat of mens owne Reſolutions, and the true heat of the heart by Faith, in ſuffering for Chriſt.
IF Faith be the Principle that carryes through ſufferings,Vſe 3. then let men take heed, that they truſt not to their owne Reſolutions; as if, becauſe now they thinke they would ſuffer any thing, let men doe what they can againſt them, therefore they ſhall be able to goe through: Many have deceived themſelves in this. The difference betweene the heat of mens Reſolutions, and the true heat of the heart by Faith, is like the difference of the heat of the Fowle breeding over her egges, and the heat of the fire; the one is a heat of life conveying life, but not the other; Faith warmes the heart, ſo as it conveyes life, but not ſo our owne Reſolutions. Wee have had many ſad experiences of the falſeneſſe of mens hearts, from time to time in this particular, who before the tryall have beene very confident and reſolute, yet they have moſt ſhamefully failed, and falne off from the Truth, when the tryall came.
The example of Doctor Pendleton, mentioned in the Booke of Martyrs, is remarkable in this kind, the ſtorie is generally knowne: The Doctor was full of confidence and reſolution, and profeſſed▪ That thoſe fat ſides of his ſhould frie in the fire, before hee would yeeld; and yet how ſhamefully he forſooke the Cauſe of God, you all know. Thoſe who vaunt moſt, have many times the leaſt courage, as thoſe creatures who have the greateſt hearts of fleſh, are the moſt timerous, as the Stag, the Panther, and the Hare. It is not enough that men, in the profeſſion of their reſolutions, ſpeake as they thinke,Ambula in timore & contemptu tui, & ora Dominum ut ipſe tua omnia faciat, & tu nihil facias, ſed ſis Sabbatum Chriſti: Ad Gabrielem Vydymum paſtorem Aldenburgenſem. and as they are perſwaded for the preſent; this is not to be truſted to: for he that truſts his owne heart, is a foole, ſayes Solomon, Prov. 28. It is good counſell Luther gives a German Miniſter, in an Epiſtle he writes to him; Walk in feare and contempt of your ſelfe, and pray to the Lord that he may doe all things, and doe not you think to doe any thing, but be you a Sabbath unto Chriſt, ſo his expreſſion is, (that is) rest your ſpirit in Chriſt.
What reſolutions are thoſe that are like to faile,Queſt. and to come to nothing in times of tryall.Anſw. 1.
Firſt, raſh reſolutions, when men reſolve without ſerious conſideration, what ſufferings meane, what they will coſt them, and how hard they will bee to them when they come; they doe not make them as preſent to them, by meditation before they reſolve; reſolution, in ſuch things, ſhould be the fruit of much meditation; there neede bee much muſing before this fire breake forth.
Secondly,2. when there is no brokenneſſe of ſpirit joyned with their reſolutions, but their hearts are puffed up, pride diſcovering it ſelfe, as in other of their wayes, ſo even in their very reſolutions of ſuffering great things for God.
Thirdly,3. when men reſolve what they will doe, but for the preſent they can ſuffer nothing; if they be croſſed never ſo little, their hearts riſe, they are overcome with diſtempered paſſions, they cannot beare any contradiction, but muſt have their owne wills, and their owne turnes ſerved, or elſe there can be no quiet with them.
Fourthly,4. when men reſolve for ſufferings hereafter, but have no heart to that preſent ſervice, which God calls now to, God hath little honour from them that way, they are negligent and looſe in preſent duties; ſurely theſe men, who faile thus in ſervice, are not like to hold out in ſuffering, let them reſolve what they will.
Fifthly,5. when men are full of reſolutions, and ſpeake great words that way, but they doe nothing to lay up and prepare for ſufferings. What care and endeavour is there to cleanſe the heart? to ſtrengthen Faith? to get more full ſenſe of Gods love? to provide ſpirituall armour? what prayers? what teares are ſent up to God afore-hand? Strong reſolutions, if they bee right, will bring forth ſtrong endeavours; otherwiſe they will certainely vaniſh.
Sixthly,6. when mens reſolutions come from externall principles, they are acted by ſomething from without them, as the examples of others, or eſteeme from others, or perſwaſions by others, more then from any principle within themſelves. We read, Heb. 10. 34. thoſe Chriſtians there mentioned held out in their reſolutions, to the ſuffering the ſpoiling of their goods with joy, knowing within themſelves, that in Heaven they had an enduring ſubſtance; they had their principles within themſelves.
Seventhly,7. when reſolutions come meerely from anguiſh of mens ſpirits, in regard of preſent trouble that men are in, from the hand of God upon them, it may be then they will reſolve to doe or ſuffer any thing; but theſe reſolutions ſeldome come to any thing: It is ſtrange that men ſhould truſt to them, conſidering the abundances of experiences, both from themſelves and others, that they have had of the uſuall falſeneſſe of them.
Eighthly,8. when reſolution comes meerely from conviction of conſcience, and not from any love to truth, although conſcience ſhall tell a man if he forſakes God and his truth, to prevent ſome preſent troubles, that that evill which he ſhall bring upon himſelfe (in regard of the guilt of ſinne, and the wrath of God againſt him) will be infinitely greater then any hee can ſuffer, yet if there bee not a true love to the truth, there is no hold of this man, his corrupt heart will breake all the bonds of conſcience.
Ninthly,9. when men truſt to their owne promiſes they make to God, to ſtand for his truth, more then to Gods promiſes, that promiſe ſtrength to enable them to it; they are confident, becauſe they are reſolved they ſhall goe through,Why mens own good will not carry them through godly ſufferings. and ſo let the promiſe of God lye, and make no uſe of it; now theſe reſolutions are not like to carry men through ſufferings, at leaſt not in a gracious manner.
Firſt,1. becauſe they are but naturall, and naturall ſtrength can carry no further then it hath naturall props and ſuccours to uphold it, and maintaine it withall, which may all faile in ſome kinde of ſuffering that God may call unto.
Secondly,2. there is much difference in mens apprehenſions from themſelves; at one time they apprehend things ſtrongly one way, at another time another way; eſpecially when things come to be preſent, their apprehenſions of them are farre different from that they were, when they apprehended them as future.
Thirdly,3. there is a great deale of difference in the frame of a mans heart, to his owne feeling when his luſts lye ſtill, from that which there is when they come to be ſtirring: ſometimes mens corruptions are reſtrained, and are very quiet, and then they have good reſolutions, at other times their corruptions are ſtirring and active, and then they are quite off from that they were, the mind is blinded, the heart is carried on violently in wayes contrary to former reſolutions.
Fourthly,4. men know not the ſtrength of temptations before they meet with them, they thinke it is an eaſie matter to encounter with them, but when they come, they finde them farre ſtronger then they imagined, and they not being prepared for ſuch ſtrength, are overcome by them.
Fifthly,5. it may be when ſufferings come, men ſhall not finde that comfort, that encouragement, that they expected either from God or men, they (it may be) made account of, and promiſed to themſelves great matters, that ſurely their paines and troubles would be much eaſed with the comforts they ſhould have, and many would encourage them, and, it may be, when it comes too, they may be left deſolate, as a bottle in the ſmoak; as David ſpeaks of himſelf. God many times even in ſufferings withdrawes himſelfe from his owne people for a while, for their tryall; and thoſe from whom they expected comfort may leave them, and grow ſtrange unto them: Now if there be no higher principle then ones owne reſolutions, the heart will faile: In ſuch a caſe, there had neede bee Faith to carry through.
But may wee not reſolve then aforehand what we will doe?Queſt.
Many upon hearing how others faile,Anſw. in performing their reſolutions, and that a man may be very confident of what hee will doe, and yet when it comes to tryall, doe nothing; therefore they thinke it is in vaine to reſolve, they goe on in a ſlight negligent way, and never endeavour to bring their hearts to any reſolution at all, they ſay wee can doe nothing of our ſelves, God muſt doe all, no man can know what hee ſhall be able to doe, before the tryall comes; but it is apparent, that the cauſe why theſe men doe not come to any reſolutions, is not from any true ſenſe of their weakneſſe: For,
Firſt,1. their hearts are not humbled before God in the ſenſe of it.
Secondly,2. they doe nothing to ſtrengthen themſelves, to help againſt any ſuch weakneſſe of theirs, as they ſpeake of: if you be ſo weake, you had need take much paines afore-hand to get ſtrength, to lay up ſomething that may helpe in the time of need: but the reaſon why you never come to reſolution, is:
Firſt,1. becauſe of the ſluggiſhneſſe of your ſpirits; you will not take paines in examining your hearts, and in endeavouring in the uſe of meanes to attaine to this.
Secondly,2. there are engagements betweene your hearts, and the world, and ſinfull diſtempers, which you are unwilling to breake off, which muſt be broken off, if ever you come to any true reſolutions, which are like to hold.
Thirdly,3. ſufferings are ſuch tedious things to you, as you cannot endure to thinke of them afore-hand, much leſſe make account of them, ſo as to prepare for them, ſuch thoughts would trouble you, they would damp your carnall joy, you could not goe on ſo quietly and ſecurely in the enjoyment of your contentments in the world, as now you doe, when you put off all thoughts of ſuffering any trouble.
But let ſuch know,Reſolutions for Chriſt neceſſary, and how attained. that reſolution afore-hand may ſtand with brokenneſſe of heart, from the ſight and ſenſe of our owne inability; and when it is a reſolution of faith, it ariſeth from the ſenſe of our owne weakeneſſe, and dependence upon God for ſtrength: none are more ſenſible of their owne weakneſſe, then they who are moſt reſolved, whoſe reſolutions are raiſed by their faith; for Faith is an emptying grace, whereby the ſoule goes out of it ſelfe for all ſtrength and ſupply of all good from another; and for ſuch reſotions which have ſuch a principle, wee ought all to labour.
For firſt,1. it brings much eaſe and comfort to a gracious heart, when it is freed from feares and doubts, and is come into a ſetled and reſolved way.
Secondly,2. it helpes againſt many temptations; the ſoule will not bee liſtening to the reaſonings of fleſh and blood, and to the ſuggeſtings of Satan, as formerly it did; neither will Satan now ſo annoy and peſter the ſoule with temptations, as hee was wont to doe, when it was in an unreſolved way.
Thirdly,3. God accepts of this reſolution, as the will for the deed, though a man be never called to ſuffer, yet hee ſhall have the crowne of ſufferings, becauſe he had the reſolution of Faith for ſufferings.
Fourthly,4. this is a ſtrong engagement when ſufferings come, to ſtrengthen the ſoule againſt them: therefore there may be reſolutions afore-hand, yea they are exceeding profitable, of great uſe, but they muſt be reſolutions of Faith, not our owne truſted unto.
What are thoſe reſolutions that doe come from Faith?Queſt.
Firſt,Anſw. 1. when knowing our hearts, what principles of Apoſtaſie wee have in them, we ſeeke helpe in Chriſt, and in the promiſe.
Secondly,2. when our reſolutions purifie our hearts.
Thirdly,3. when they cauſe us to endeavour to get in all ſpirituall ſtrength that the Word reveales.