Moses Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
The meanes to maintaine and ſtrengthen our Faith.
LAſtly, if Faith be the Grace thatVſe 6. carryes through all, then it is our wiſedome, to labour what wee can, to maintaine and ſtrengthen our Faith: Let us looke eſpecially to that wherein our chiefe ſtrength lyes; let not a Dalilah, let not any carnall content get away, no, nor in the leaſt degree abate our ſtrength; let us be ſure we looke to our Shield, that that be ſafe and ſound. As that Heathen Epaminondas, being dangerouſly wounded with a Speare, ſo that hee ſunke downe as one dead; but after comming to himſelfe, hee asked if his Target were ſafe, his chiefe care was about that: ſo ſhould ours be about the Shield of our Faith. The Devill labours above all things againſt us in this; hee cares not what men doe, ſo be it their Faith be neglected. Eſpecially therefore labour to ſtrengthen your Faith in theſe three things.
The firſt,1. is the principall and ground of all, namely, The aſſurance of your intereſt in the Covenant of Grace, that you are received by God into that free, rich, glorious Covenant of life in Chriſt; That now you are not to ſtand or fall, by what is in your ſelves, or what comes from you, but by the perfect righteouſneſſe of that bleſſed Mediator, who hath undertaken your Cauſe with God: doubts and fears, about this, doe much weaken the ſpirits of men, when troubles come upon them.
Secondly,2. in the aſſurance of Gods fatherly love unto, and care over you, in the ſoreſt and hardeſt afflictions that can befall you. As it is an argument of much ignorance, to perſwade ones ſelfe that God loves one, becauſe of preſent proſperitie; ſo it is exceeding weakeneſſe, to call Gods love in queſtion, upon the feeling the ſmart of affliction, to thinke that none of Gods people are afflicted in ſuch a kinde as I am; If it were in ſome other kind, it were not ſo much, but being thus, I am afraid that God never loved mee, and that he hath now quite forſaken mee.
Thirdly,3. in the aſſurance of the bleſſed iſſue of all, that all will be peace and comfort at the laſt: if Faith be ſtrong in theſe, it will be able to encounter with all aſſaults whatſoever: this ſtrengthening of our Faith muſt be,
Firſt,1. by much meditation in the covenant of grace, the rich promiſes, and glorious manifeſtations of Gods goodneſſe in his Word, that ſo the ſoule may be acquainted with the promiſes, and have alwayes a word at hand to relieve it ſelfe withall.
Secondly,2. by keeping conſcience cleare, that it may ſpeake peace, and encourage us, that it may not upbraid us, that it may not caſt feares into us, that it may not caſt camps of ſpirit within us.
Thirdly,3. take heed of liſtening to the reaſonings of fleſh and blood, venture we our ſelves wholly upon the word; if wee have that, never argue the cauſe any further. Wee read of Saint Paul, Gal. 1. 16. that he dared not to conſult with fleſh and blood, after Chriſt was once revealed in him, if he had, he had never beene able to deny himſelfe, as hee did: carnall reaſonings are great enemies to Faith, they are the ſtrong holds of Satan, which muſt be battered downe: Prov. 3. 5. Truſt in the Lord with all thy heart, and leave not unto thine owne underſtanding. There we ſee that leaning to ones owne underſtanding, and truſting in God, are oppoſed one to another.
Fourthly,4. keepe Faith in continuall exerciſe upon all occaſions; looke up to God in the ſtrength of a promiſe, for aſſiſtance in all things, for ſanctifying, for bleſſing every thing unto you; live by Faith in whatſoever you undertake or doe, that ſo when greater tryalls come, faith may be in a readineſſe, being alwayes kept active and ſtirring.
Fifthly,5. labour much to keepe up your converſe with God, in his ordinances, in all holy duties, that you may be exerciſed in them with life and power, that there being a holy ſweet familiarity between God and the ſoule, it may be more able freely, and cheerfully, and confidently to repaire unto him in times of trouble, and exerciſe its Faith upon him, as that God, betweene whom and the ſoule, there is daily a ſweet intercourſe, God letting himſelfe out daily in his love and merciemercy to the ſoule, and the ſoules working up its ſelfe, and inlarging it ſelfe in love, and delight, and praiſe to God againe.
And when ſufferings come, then ſtir up, and put forth the grace of Faith in the exerciſe of it, looke up to God for ſtrength and aſſiſtance,Qui mihi oneris eſt author, ipſe fiat adminiſtrationis adjutor dabit virtutem qui contulit dignitatem. commit your ſelfe and cauſe wholly to him; plead the promiſe, plead your call that hee hath called you to this; plead the cauſe that it is his. Maſter Tindall in a Letter of his to Maſter Frith, who was then in priſon, hath foure expreſſions of the worke of Faith in time of ſuffering. If you give your ſelfe, caſt your ſelfe, yield your ſelfe, commit your ſelfe wholly and onelyonly to your loving Father, then ſhall his power bee in you, and make you ſtrong, hee ſhall ſet out his truth by you wonderfully, and work for you above all your heart can imagine.
And obſerve this rule, labour to ſtrengthen and exerciſe your Faith, before your heart bee too deepely affected with your affliction. Wee uſually have our firſt and chiefeſt thoughts upon our Troubles, and ſpend the ſtrength of our ſpirits in poring upon them, and tyre our ſelves in the workings of our unbeleeving diſcontented ſpirits, giving libertie to the reaſonings of our hearts, ſo that wee are ſunke before any promiſe can come to us, wee are not able to raiſe up our ſelves, to looke at a promiſe: But our way ſhould be, whatſoever our condition is, firſt, to endeavour to ſtrengthen our Faith, and then to make our moane to God.
Thus did Ethan, Pſal. 89. This Ethan, 1 King. 4. is mentioned as one of the wiſeſt men upon the earth, and hee ſhewes his wiſedome much in this, that in a time of the great affliction of the Church, hee being ſenſible of it, and about to make his complaint to God of it, yet hee begins with raiſing his and the Churches Faith, in the mercy, and faithfulneſſe, and power of God, before hee will make any mention of their calamities; hee doth not begin to make his moane for the miſeries of the Church till the thirty eighth verſe, but all before is nothing but Arguments to raiſe and ſtrengthen Faith, and to put that forth in the exerciſe of it.
Thus Moſes, Pſalme 90. being about to complaine of the miſeries of Gods people, that they were conſumed by his anger, and troubled by his wrath, yet begins with the acknowledging of Gods goodneſſe, with Arguments to ſtrengthen Faith. Lord thou haſt been our dwelling place, in all generations, from everlaſting to everlaſting, thou art God.
And thus David, Pſalme 37. 1. before hee beginnes his complaint, hee layes downe this concluſion: Truely God is good to Iſrael, even to ſuch as are of a cleane heart.
FINIS.