Moses Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Comfort to thoſe who have true Faith.
IF Faith be that grace that will carry a ſoule through the hardeſt things,Vſe 5. then here is comfort to thoſe who have true Faith, you have that which will uphold you, which will certainly beare you out, and ſafely, and comfortably carry you through all the troubles that you can meet withall in this world: When you heare of the many afflictions that Gods people are exerciſed withall, and the many troubles through which we muſt paſſe to Heaven, be not diſcouraged, you have more then your owne ſtrength. It is a notable ſpeech of Cyprian, Qui pro nobis mortem ſemel vicit, ſemper vincit in nobis.Hee that once overcome death for us, alwayes overcomes death in us; you have more with you then againſt you; God hath given you that which will ſtrengthen you againſt all,Cypr. ep. 9. that none of them ſhall ever ſeparate you from God; this grace will bee ſufficient for you, this is a ſure Antidote againſt all poyſon; this is a ſafe ſhield againſt all fiery darts, all the evils that can befall you, will be but the exerciſe of your faith, to make it more bright and ſhining, and the tryall of your faith, which is a moſt precious things, 1 Pet. 1. 7. The tryall of your faith, ſayes the Apoſtle, is more precious then gold that periſheth, although it be tryed with fire; and this tryall will be found to your praiſe, and honour, and glory at the appearing of Jeſus Chriſt. Obſerve how the Apoſtle heapes up words, praiſe, honour, and glory for the ſetting out what a bleſſed thing the very tryall of our faith is, ſhewing how all the troubles of the Saints, conſidering what a principle they have to carry them through, are a greater good unto them, then if they met with none; with what confidence, and courage, may a man reſiſt any oppoſition, when he knowes before-hand, that hee hath that which which will quell it, and that all oppoſition is but for the exerciſe and tryall of his ſtrength; which certainely ſhall be to his prayſe, and honour, and glory. Although you thinke you have no ſtrength, to encounter with ſuch great tryals as you are like to meet withall, yet labour to quiet your hearts in the exerciſe of Faith alone, that wil bring in ſtrength enough: whatſoever you thinke would ſtrengthen you, you ſhall finde it all in the exerciſe of Faith. That place is very obſervable, Iſay 30. 7. Your ſtrength is to ſit ſtill: They thought their ſtrength had beene in the helpe of Egypt, as if nothing could helpe them but Egypt: Nay, ſaith God, if you would quietly reſt your ſpirits in me, you ſhould have an Egypt: Whatſoever ſtrength you expect from Egypt, you ſhall have it here: For the word tranſlated ſtrength, is the ſame that is uſed in Scripture to ſignifie Egypt, namely, Rahab: and ſo the ſenſe goes thus; Your Egypt is to ſit ſtill: By ſitting ſtill, you ſhall have an Egypt; whatſoever ſuccour you might thinke to have that way, you ſhall have it this way. Oh, that we could thus quiet our hearts in the exerciſe of our Faith, in all our feares.
This were comfort indeed,Queſt. if wee were ſure our Faith were right, and ſuch as would carry us through: But how ſhall we know that?
I anſwer:Anſw. 1. Firſt, if your Faith be ſuch as carryes your Soules to God, as an univerſall good, ſo as you can ſatisfie your ſelves in Him alone; then it is this precious Faith that will doe this, that we ſpeake of.
Secondly,2. if your Faith workes a ſanctified uſe of your proſperitie; if your Faith can carry you through the temptations of proſperitie, it will certainely carry you through the tryals of adverſitie; if Faith can keepe you from ſwelling in proſperitie, it will keepe you from breaking in adverſitie.
But eſpecially,3. in the third place, if your Faith can carry you through ſpirituall difficulties, it will be much more able to carry you through all outward troubles: I will inſtance in five ſpirituall difficulties.
Firſt,1. if it can enable you to venture your Soule and eternall eſtate upon the free Grace of God,How to know whether our Faith be right, and ſuch as wil carry us through all troubles. in the ſight and ſenſe of all your owne unworthineſſe. This, many will thinke, is not ſo hard a matter; but certainely, there is more difficultie in this worke of Faith, then in enabling to beare all the miſeries of the world: To doe this, when the Soule underſtands throughly what the meaning of ſinne is, what that breach is, that it hath made betweene God and it ſelfe; when the Soule is truly burdened with it, when it hath the ſight of Gods infinite holineſſe, and knowes what the conſequence of an eternall eſtate meanes, and yet for me to venture all, ſo as, I am loſt for ever, if I miſcarrie here, and that when I have nothing to commend me to God, when he can ſee no good in me, nothing but that which his Soule loathes and abhorres; ſurely, now to venture upon the free Grace of God, is a moſt glorious worke of Faith: And that Faith that can doe this, we need not feare, but it will carry through all outward troubles.
Secondly,2. if your Faith can keepe you in love to holy duties, although you find nothing come in by them: you pray, you heare, you reade, you receive Sacraments, and yet you finde your hearts as hard, and your corruptions as ſtrong as ever; yet if ſtill you can continue, not onelyonly the practice of holy duties, but love unto them, this is a great worke of Faith.
The three latter, are Luthers three difficulties of Faith,1. Credere impoſſibilia rationi namely, firſt, To beleeve things impoſsible to reaſon; ſecondly, To hope for things that are deferred: 2. Sperare dilata.and thirdly, To love God, when he ſhewes himſelfe to be an enemie. If Faith can doe theſe things, there is no feare,3. Amare Deum cum ſe praebet inimicum. but it will overcome all outward difficulties that poſſibly can befall.