A Saint Indeed, Part 4
IV. Vse for Consolation.
I Shall now close the whole with a word or two of consolation to all dilligent and serious Christians, that faithfully and closely ply heart work; that are groaning and weeping in secret over the hardness, pride, earthliness and vanity of their hearts, that are fearing and trembling over the experienced deceitfulness, and falsness of them, whilest other vain professors eyes are abroad, their time and strength eaten up by fruitless disputes, and earthly imployments; or at best by a cold and formal performance of some heartless and empty duties: poor Christian, I have three things to offer thee in order to thy support and comfort, and doubtless either of them alone mixed with faith is sufficient to comfort thee over all the trouble thou hast with thine own heart.
1. Comfort. This argues thy heart to be upright and honest, what ever thy other gifts and abillities are.
Tis uprightness of heart will comfort thee upon a death-bed, 2 Kings 20. 2, 3. Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, remember now O Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, &c.
I am really of his mind who said, si mihi daretur optio eligerim christiani rustici sordidissimum & maxime agreste opus prae omnibus victoriis & triumphis Alexandri au… Caesaris: might I have my wish, I would prefer the most despicable and sordid work of a rustick Christian, before all the victories and triumphs of Alexander or Cesar. Yea, let me adde, before all the elaborated duties and excellent gifts of vain professors: before the tongues of men and Angels: it will signifie more to my comfort to spend one solitary hour in mourning before the Lord over heart corruption, then many hours in▪ a seeming zealous, but really dead performance of common duties with the greatest inlargements and richest embellishments of parts and gifts.
By this very thing Christ distinguishes the formal and serious Christian, Matth. 6. 5. The one is for the street and Synagogue, for the observation and applause of men, but the other is a closet man: he drives on a home trade, a heart trade: never be troubled then for the want of those things that a man may have and be eternally damned, but rather bless God for that which none but the favorites, and darlings of heaven have: many a one is now in hell that had a better head then thine, and many a one now in Heaven that complained of as bad an heart as thine.
2. Com. Know farther for thy comfort, that God would never leave thee under so many heart troubles and burdens, if he intended not thy real benefit thereby.
Thou art often crying out, Lord why is it thus, why goe I mourning all the day, having sorrow in my heart, thus long I have been exercised with hardness of heart, and to this day have not obtained a broken heart; many years have I been praying and striving against vain thoughts, yet am still infested and perplexed with them. O when shall I get a better heart! I have been in travel, and brought forth but wind, I have obtained no deliverance, neither have the corruptions of my heart fallen. I have brought this heart many times to prayers, sermons, Sacraments, expecting and hoping for a cure from them, and still my sore runneth and ceaseth not.
Pensive Soul, let this comfort thee, thy God designs thy benefit, even by these occasions of thy sad complaints; For (1.) Hereby he would let thee see what thy heart by Nature is and was, and therein take notice how much thou art beholding to free-Grace: He leaves thee under these exercises of Spirit, that thou mayest lye as with thy face upon the ground, admiring that ever the Lord of Glory should take such a Toad; so vile a Creature into his bosome: thy base heart, if it be good for nothing else; yet serves to commend and set off, the unsearchable riches of Free-Grace. (2.) This serves to beat thee off continually from resting, yea, or but glancing upon thine own righteousness, or excellency: the corruption of thy heart, working in all thy duties, makes thee sensible to feel that the bed is too short, and the covering too narrow: Were it not for those reflections thou hast after duties, upon the dulness and distractions of thine heart in them; how apt wouldst thou be to fall in love with, and admire thy own Performances, and Inlargements? For if notwithstanding these, thou hast much to do with the pride of thy heart; how much more, if such humbling and self-abasing considerations were wanting. And lastly this tends to make thee the more compassionate and tender towards others, Perhaps thou wouldst have little pity for the distresses, and soul troubles of others, if thou hadst less experience of thine own.
Com. 3. To conclude, God will shortly put a blessed end to all these troubles, cares, and watchings.
The time is coming when thy heart shall be as thou wouldst have it, when thou shalt be discharged of these cares, fears and sorrows, and never cry out: Oh my hard, my proud, my vain, my earthly heart any more: when all darkness shall be banished from thine understanding, and thou shalt clearly discover all truths in God, that chrystal Ocean of truth: when all vanity shall be purged perfectly out of thy thoughts, and they be everlastingly, ravishingly, and delightfully entertained and exercised upon that supream Goodness, and infinite excellency of God, from whom they shall never start any more like a broken B…w: And as for thy pride, passion, earthliness, and all other the matters of thy complaint and trouble, it shall be said of them, as of the Egyptians to Israel: Stand still, and see the salvation of God: these corruptions thou seest to day, henceforth thou shalt see them no mor… for ever: when thou shalt lay down thy weapons, of prayers, tears, and groans, and put on the Armour of light, not to fight, but to triumph in.
Lord, when shall this blessed day come? How long? How long? Holy and True; My soul waiteth for thee; Come my Beloved, and be thou like a Roe, or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Bether. Amen.
FINIS.
Courteous Reader these books following are printed for, and sold by Robert Boulter, at the Turks head in Bish…psgate Street: near the Great James.
AN exposition with practical notes and observations on the five last Chapters of the Book of Iob; By Ioseph Caryl▪ in quarto.
An expo…ition upon the first eighteen verses of the first Chapter of the Gospel of S. Iohn, by Iohn Arrowsmith, D. D. in quarto.
Schola Wintoni…nsi… phrases Latinae, the Latine phrases of Winchester School, corrected and much augmented in this fifth edition, by H. Robinson, D. D.
A Cloud of Witness…s, or the Sufferers Mirrour, made up of the Swan like songs, and other choice passages of several Martyrs and Confessors, to the end of the sixteenth Cen…u…y, in their Treatises, Speeches, Letters, Prayers by T. M. M. A. in Octavo,
Judicious and select essays and observations upon …he first invention of Shipping, Invasive War, the Navy Royal and sea service, by Sir Walter Rawleigh.
Sips of Sweetness or Consolation for weak believers.
A Treatise discoursing of the sweetness of Christs carriage toward all his weak members, by Iohn Durant.
A Treatise of death the l…st enemy to be destroyed, shewing wherein its enmity consisteth, and how it is destroyed, by R…hard Baxter.
End of the text · John Flavel, A Saint Indeed (1668)