The Axe at the Root of Professors Miscarriages, Chapter 4
Chap IV. The Miſcarriages oppoſite to Truſting in God, the relying Act of Faith.
1. TEmpting of God. Tempting is the ſame with trying: Againſt Tempting God. Ameſi… medull. l. 1. c. 12. Mal. 3.10.to tempt God, is to make tryal of ſome Divine perfection unlawfully. There is indeed a lawful making an experiment of God; Try me now in this, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts. This tempting or trying, is an Act of Faith, leading us to obey and practiſe thoſe things, which God hath commanded, with expectation of that fruit and bleſſing, that God hath promiſed: But there is an unlawful making experiments of God. And hath not this been, yea is not this ſtill your ſin? Is not your proving God, an evidence of your tempting God? Pſa. …5.9.Your Fathers tempted me, and proved me. Do not you ſtill make unlawful experiments of Gods power, whether he can do ſuch and ſuch things? They tempted God in their heart — they ſaid, Pſa. 78.18, 19:can God furniſh a table in the wilderneſs? Do not you ſtill circumſcribe Gods power, and ſet hounds to it at your pleaſure; ſo that if God do not this or that, which you have a mind to, he ſhall not be accounted Omnipotent? They — tempted God, Pſa. 78.41.and limited the Holy One of Iſrael. Do not you ſtill do ſuch and ſuch things, in the moſt ſecret manner poſſible, to try whether God ſeeth what is done in ſecret, or no? They tempted the Lord, ſaying, Exod. 17.7.Is the Lord among us, or not? Do not you ſtill refuſe to make uſe of the ordinary means God hath appointed, trying whether he will provide for you extraordinarily? This Chriſt calls Tempting the Lord. Mat. 4.7.Do not you ſtill murmur and repine againſt God, and his Inſtruments, trying whether he will be angry? Tempting Chriſt, and murmuring, are made Synonima's. 1 Cor. 10.9, 10.If you do not ſtill tempt God directly and intentionally, yet do not you ſtill tempt him conſequently and implicitely? Do not you ſtill do that, which of it ſelf; and in its own nature, tends to try, either Gods Power, or his Omniſcience and Omni-preſence, or his Providence, or his Justice and Anger, of what mettal he is made? This notion of tempting God, may be farther cleared by conſidering, White on Mat. 4.7.what it is to tempt man: To tempt man, is to deſire, and ſome way to endeavour, to incline him to break that Law, that ought to rule him: In like manner, To tempt God, is to deſire, and ſome way to endeavour, to incline him to break that Law, which he hath propoſed to himſelf to follow, in the ruling of the World. Hence ſome diſtribute temptations into two ſorts, ſome of inducement, and ſome of tryal; but the former ſort may be referr'd to the latter, becauſe the will of God is tryed in them. Thus God is tempted two wayes eſpecially, either by expecting that God ſhould do what he hath not promiſed, or by expecting that he ſhould not do what he hath threatned. And do not you thus ſtill tempt God? Do not you ſtill expoſe your ſelves to danger, without any urgent neceſſity, expecting protection from Heaven? Do not you ſtill do what Chriſt was tempted to by Satan? Do not you ſtill refuſe to uſe the ordinary means appointed by God for your ſafety, and yet expect that God ſhould even work miracles for your preſervation? It is true, when God takes away means of ſafety from us, then to expect ſafety immediately from Heaven, is not to tempt God, but to truſt in God; for God hath promiſed to come in at a dead lift: When God affords no means of ſafety, he will provide for our ſafety without means, if it be good for us to be ſafe. And Abraham called the name of the place, Gen. 22.14.Jehovah …ireh, as it is ſaid to this day, in the Mount of the Lord it ſhall be ſeen: The Engliſh of which Text (ſaith one) is this, Aſh's Support for the ſinking heart, in times of diſtreſs, pag. 3. John 4.8. Numb. 20.11.Mans extremity is Gods opportunity. When Chriſt, and his company, were in the deſart, where no meat was to be had, he fed them miraculouſly; but in the City, he ſent his Diſciples to buy meat. We may expect Water out of the Rock, where there is nothing but Rocks and Stones; but where we may hope to find Water, we muſt digg for it. 2 Kings 6, 1…, 32.When Eliſha was in a little Village, not able to defend him from the Aſſyrians, he had chariots and horſemen of fire to defend him; but when he was in Samaria, a ſtrong walled City, though the King of Iſrael ſent to fetch his head, he ſaid only to thoſe that were with him, Shut the door. Do not ſome ſtill expect, that God ſhould provide for their Bodies, though they neglect the means that God hath appointed for their nouriſhment, clothing, recovery from ſickneſs, &c? 2 Theſ. 3.10.Do not ſome look to eat, though they do not labour? But do not more expect that God ſhould provide for their Souls, though they neglect the means of grace and ſalvation? Do not you ſtill think, that your Souls ſhall do well enough, though you take no pains about them? Do not you lay all upon God, and never trouble your ſelves about them? Do not you ſtill cry out, Let us dye the death of the righteous? But are not you careleſs of living the life of the righteous? Do not you ſtill expect help from God in ſinful wayes? Do not you ſtill expect to meet with God in wayes of worſhip of your own deviſing? Now therefore, why tempt ye God, Acts 1….10to put a yoak upon the neck of the Diſciples, which neither our Fathers, nor we, were able to bear? In a word, (as to this Head) Do not you ſtill do what tends to incline God to make good his promiſes, though you do not perform their conditions? Do not you alſo ſtill expect, that God ſhould not execute his threats upon you, though there be that in you, againſt which, where e're it is, the threatnings are denounced? Do not you ſtill expect to eſcape puniſhments, notwithſtanding your very ſins are threatned by God in his Word? Do not you ſtill run into temptation? And are not you careleſs to avoid occaſions of ſin, and yet remain fearleſs of falling into ſin, though God hath threatned, Ezek. 14.3, 4, 5. 1 Cor. 10.9.to give up ſuch to their own hearts lusts? O that this may be your ſin no more! O! tempt not Chriſt any more, as you have tempted him. The naturalneſs of this ſin ſhould make you take heed. This is an humour, that we are all given unto by nature, to be marvellous deſirous to try concluſions, that are rare and unknown; to contemn things common, and to be fond after ſtrange novelties. It was told the Iſraelites as plain as could be, that they ſhould not reſerve of the Mannah till morning; and they needed not to have reſerved it, they had freſh every day; and yet forſooth, they would needs keep it, if it were but for an experiment ſake, to try whether it would ſ…ink, or no: Exod. 16.20.And though they were forbidden to gather any on the Sabbath day, and on the Eeven before had enough for two dayes, and it was told them, they ſhould find none on the Sabbath day; yet they muſt needs try. This ſin ſhould not only be the more lamented, but the more taken heed of, becauſe it is ſuch a provocation unto God. It comes from much wickedneſs. Such an one, that will undertake a new way to know the will of God, is not ſatisfied with Gods diſcovery of his will in his Word: yea this ſin proceedeth from pride and arrogancy, ſuch a ſoul refuſeth to ſubject its will to the will of God, and doth ſeek to make Gods will ſubject to its luſts. This ſin lays you open to all manner of temptations, to any wickedneſs whatſoever: neither are we overcome by any temptation of the Devil, unleſs we do in a ſort tempt God. …nar… 8: 11, 12: Pſal 95.11:The Lord Jeſus ſighed for the Phariſee tempting of God, and why? Becauſe God ſware in his wrath, that their Fathers who tempted him, ſhould not enter into his rest. It is verily height of madneſs to tempt God. To tempt God is to put God to it, 1 Cor: 10: 22:and do yee provoke the Lord to anger, are yee ſtronger than he? If you will needs tempt, it were beſt for you to tempt your matches. There is no dealing with Fire: it is very …langerous to make experiments thereof: it will burn all, that toucheth it, Heb: 12: 29:and God is Fire, yea our God is a conſuming Fire.
2 Not truſting in God. Againſt not truſting in God:The Hebrews expreſs this act of faith by a word, that ſignifieth to lean on, or to caſt the weight of ones body, for ſupport or ſtay. And it ſhall come to paſs in that day, …a: 10: 20:that the remnant of Iſrael, and ſuch as are eſcaped of the houſe of Jacob, ſhall no more ſtay upon him, that ſmote them; but ſhall ſtay upon the Lord, the holy one of Iſrael in truth. But which of our ſouls do yet wholly rely upon God for the making good of his promiſes, either for the beſtowing, or continuing, of what is good, or for the preventing, or removing, of what is evil? Is not our not trusting in God ſtill evidenced in our ignorance of God… can God be more truſted than he is known? They that know thy name, Pſal: 9: 10:and they only, will put their truſt in thee. Is it not alſo evidenced in our want of intereſt in God, by reaſon of our not aſſenting, and conſenting to him? Who is this that cometh up from the Wilderneſs, Cant: 8: 5:leaning upon her beloved? who can ſuppoſe God to be thy leaning-ſtock, if he be not thy beloved? May not God ſay with a bitter ſcorn, Teate, &c: page 333, 334:who art thou, that learned upon anothers beloved? How dareſt thou lay thine head in his boſome, unto whom thou never yet gaveſt the heart in thy boſome? 'Tis intereſt, and only intereſt in Chriſt, (in God in and through Chriſt) that gives a right to this act of leaning upon him. If you ſtill refuſe to enter into Covenant with God, he is ſo far from calling you to take hold, that he will even knock off your fingers from holding upon his Covenant, with what haſt thou to do, Pſal. 50.10.to take my Covenant into thy mouth? I… God be thine, if thou believeſt him, and conſents to have him to be thy God, lean and welcome, and the more thou leaneſt, the dearer ſhalt thou be unto him, Chriſt loved that Diſciple beſt, that leaned upon his boſome moſt. John 21.20. Iſa. 49.5. Pſal. 18 ….If thou canſt ſay with Chriſt, my God th… ma…ſt add, he ſhall be my strength: If thou canſt ſay with David, the Lord is my God, thou mayſt add, my ſtrength, in whom I will truſt. But if God be not thy beloved, thy leaning will be counted wantonneſs impudence, and preſumption. Is not our not truſting in God alſo evidenced in our not keeping his way, the way of his Commandments, Pſal. 37.3.and the way of his Providence, but tempting of him? But of theſe evidences already in the former Chapters, and the firſt ſection of this. Once more, what elſe do your carking cares and carnal ſears argue, but your diſtruſts of God? Truſting in God will not indeed ſuffer you to be ſlothfully careleſs what becomes of you and yours, he that doth not endeavour by honeſt, prudent, diligent care to provide for his own is worſe than an Infidel: 1 Tim. 5.8.But yet truſting in God would not ſuffer you to be carkingly carefull for any thing. Be careful for nothing: Phil. 4.….it would free you from all thoſe cares that diſtract the head, and divide the heart from other, and better things: yea it would free you from all carnal fears of evil, Ob. Sedg on Pſal. 23 3.though you walk in the valley of the ſhadow of death, that is, though you meet with dangers as terrible as death, though thoſe dangers beſet you as the Mountains do the Valleys, though you be as neer to death as the ſhadow is unto the body, Pſal. 112.7, 8.though there be but a ſtep between you and death. But alas! do not your carking cares and carnal fears either divert you from duty, Mal. 3 1….as if it were a vain thing to ſerve and wait upon the Lord, or elſe diſtract you in duties, in reading, hearing, praying, meditating, &c. O that this may be your ſin no more! Verily if God ſhall never be truſted in by you, you ſhall certainly, and for ought you know ſuddenly, be conſumed by him. What ſaid the Bramble when choſen King? Come, and put your trust in my ſhadow, and if not, let ſire come out of the Bramble, and devour the Cedars of Lebanon. Judg. 9.15.No wonder that Fire is proceeded from God to devour the talleſt Cedars for their not truſting in him. You ſhould take the more heed of this ſin, becauſe of your proneneſs to it, and becauſe of its being the life and vigour of every ſin: all ſin is departing from God; and we depart from God only, becauſe we do not truſt in him.
3 Creature confidence: Againſt truſting in any Creature. Luk 18.9. p…al. 52.7. Iſa. 30.12.truſting in ſomewhat that is not God. Is not this ſtill your iniquity? Do not you ſtill truſt in ſomewhat, either within or without your ſelves! Do not ſome ſtill truſt in their ſins? Loe this is the Man, that made not God his truſt, but ſtrengthned himſelf in his wickedneſs, you truſt in oppreſſion and perverſneſs, and ſtay thereon. Do not you ſtill lay as faſt hold of your ſins, as a lame Man of his Crutches? Jer. 8.5. Lye on pſal. 62.8. in M. E. at C. p. 433, 439. Prov. 3.5.Do not you hold faſt deceit, and refuſe to return? Do not you think that if your ſins fall, you ſhall fall? Do not you think that you cannot live, if you ſhould leave your lying, diſſembling, cheating, flattering, ſinfull compliances with ſuch, and ſuch? Do not you ſtill lean to your own underſtandings? If you do, you cannot truſt in the Lord with all your hearts: your own wiſdome, Iſa. 47 10. 1 Cor. 3 19. Rom. 8.….your own politick contrivances for your ſafety, will pervert you: your wiſdome will appear fooliſhneſs with God, yea emnity againſt God. Do not you ſtill truſt in your own hearts, in your own purpoſes, and reſolutions, againſt your ſins, and for God, and in your promiſes of what you will do hereafter? He that truſteth in his own heart is a fool; prov. 18.26. Jer. 17.9.but he, that walketh wiſely, ſhall be delivered. Ala…! the heart of man is deceitfull above all things. Do not you ſtill truſt in your own righteouſneſs? There is no more ſafety therein to ſecure you from the wrath of God in his Judgments in this World, than there is to ſecure you from the wrath of God in Hell. phil 3.8, 9.This Paul knew, and therefore he ſuffered the loſs of all things, and ſtil counted them dung, that he might be found in Chriſt (as his only City of refuge) not having, his own righteouſneſs. Do not you stil truſt in the ſtrength, vigour, and health of your bodies? Engl. Ann…t. on Iſ. 57.10.May it not ſtill be laid to thy charge, that thou doſt finde the life of thy hand, i. e. Thou ſtill imagineſt, that ſo long as thou art ſo ſtrong and healthy, thou ſhalt not want ſufficient means to ſupport thee? Do not you ſtil truſt in your Cities, Caſtles, ſtrong holds? and yet doth not God tell you, all thy ſtrong holds ſhall be like Fig-trees, Nahum 3: 12:with the firſt ripe Figs: if they be ſhaken, they ſhall fall into the mouth of the eater? Do not you ſtill truſt in your wealth? It is ſo hard to have riches, and not truſt in them, that what one Evangeliſt calls having of riches, another calls truſting in them. The rich Mans wealth is his strong City, prov: 18: 11:and as an high wall in his conceit, i. e. He conceiveth himſelf as ſafe in the midſt of his wealth, as if he were in a Tower as high as Heaven, he thinks himſelf paſt the reach of danger; but he is deceived: Riches avail not in the day of wrath. prov. 11: 4. Eccl 7.12. Zeph. 1.18. …im. 6.17. Col. 3.5.It is true, at ſometimes and in ſome caſes money is a defence or ſhadow; but in the day of Gods wrath, money is but a ſhadow, and no defence. Truſt n…t therefore any more in uncertain riches. Be not once more guilty of this kind of Idolatry. Do not ſome still tru…t in their worldly greatneſs? O! woe to him, Hab. 2.9.that coveteth an evil covetouſneſs to his houſe, that he may ſe… his Ne… on high, that he may be delivered from the po… of evil. Do not others still truſt in their humane Allies and Aſſiſtances? That they have ſuch Friends and Con…ederate, …o many ſtout and valiant Men, ready to form Armies, to ſtand by them? If the ſhadow of ſuch be your tru…t, the end of that truſt will be your confuſion. An H…rſe is a vain thing for ſafety. Iſ…. 30.2, 3. pſal 33.17. Nahum 3.13.And the ſt…uteſt Souldiers are but like an Army of Women without God. Do not others tru…t in Church priviledges, crying out the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are we? Such truſt but in lying words. No wonder that you have God for your foe, Jer. 7.4.and that you are under his curſe. What ſaith the Prophet? yea what ſaith the Lord by the Prophet? Curſed be the Man, that tru…eth in … an, and maketh fleſh his Arme. Jer. 17.5.No wonder that God is writing ſentences of death upon all the means of your ſalvation: God doth ſometimes ſeverely chaſtiſe his own Children, even to prevent their trusting in themſelves. O! 2 Cor. 1.9.how carefully ſhould you take heed of this ſin, ſeeing it is ſuch a provocation unto God, it being an undeifying of God, and a deifying of ſome Creature: ſeeing alſo it is a … that may be often committed in a day, yea in an hour: and ſeeing it is a ſin that you are very proae unto? It is very much in the nature of Man fallen (as one well …ſerve) to affect an abſoluteneſs and a ſelfſufficiency, Reynold on Hoſ: …4: 3: ſ…l: 803, 804, 80…:to ſeek the good he deſireth within himſelf, and to derive from himſelf, the strength whereby he would repel any evil which he feareth. He…eby …a…an prevailed to draw Man from God at firſt; … next unto God, every reaſonable created Fe…ing is … unto its ſelf, we cannot conceive how it ſhould turn from God, … not in the next ſtep turn unto it ſelf, and by conſeque…, whatſoever it was in a regular dependance to have d…ived from God, being …dien from him, it doth by an irregul… depend … …k from it ſelf. It i… natural for a ſinful Creature, wh… ſe…th only himſelf, and maketh himſelf the laſt end, to ſeek only unto himſelf, and make himſelf the firſt cauſe and mover towards that end: Yea, ſo deſperate is the averſion of ſinful man from God, that when he is convinced of his impotency, and driven off from ſelf-dependance; yet when he hath no horſes of his own to ride on, yet ſtill he will betake himſelf unto creatures like himſelf: Hoſ. 5.13.If Ephraim ſee his ſickneſs, and Judah his wound, Ephraim will to the Aſſyrian, and King Jareb for help. Yea, when he hath nothing in the world to turn to, but he is neceſſitated to implore help from God, he will invent wayes of his own to do it. If Horſes fail, and Aſhur fail, and Iſrael muſt g…e to God whether he will or no, it ſhall not be to God that made him, but to a God of his own making. Once more, conſider, you never repent for or from any ſin, unleſs you repent for and from this ſin. True Repentance and Converſion takes off the heart from all carnal Confidence; Hoſ. 14.3.either in Domeſtical preparations of our own, We will not ride upon Horſes; or in Foreign aid from any Confederates, Aſhur ſhall not ſave us: Or in any ſuperstitious and corrupt worſhp, which ſends us to God the wrong way, We will not ſay any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods.
4. Vain Confidence. Vain, not only in regard of the object, truſting in ſomewhat beſide God; Againſt Hyp… critical truſting in God.but vain in reſpect of its form, ſeeing, though it hath (in ſome ſenſe) God for its object, yet it wants the eſſential properties of right truſting in God: I mean, Job 8.14.the truſt of the Hypocrite, which in Job is compared to the Spiders web. It's Mr. Caril's note upon the words, That an Hypocrite hath a truſt like himſelf: He hath grace proper to his ſtate; falſe grace for his falſe heart. And hath not your truſting in God been ſuch as belongeth only to Hypocrites? Is yet your truſting in God fixed and reſolved? Is there yet any ſtrength in it? Truſt, (ſaith the ſame excellent Expoſitor) where it is true, hath a double effect, the want of which, diſcovers the falſeneſs of it in the Hypocrite: It confirms and ſtrengthens the heart againſt all oppoſition: And it encourageth the heart againſt all dangers. Doth not our truſt fail in both theſe? Are not we ſtill for going on boldly, till we meet with oppoſition, and dangers threaten us? Will our truſt, though curiouſly wrought, bear any force of battery, or ſtreſs of weather, any more than a Spiders web? Are not we ſtill guilty of not truſting in God at all times, and for all things? As true Obedience reſpects all the Commandements, Caril on Job 13.15.ſo true Truſt reſpects all the Diſpenſations of God. A true believer (ſaith one) depends as much in proportion upon God for a piece of bread, as for Heaven: He truſts God in the leaſt, as well as in the greateſt matters. But though we pretend to truſt in God for pardon and glory; yet do not we think it needleſs to truſt in him for food and rayment; either ſuppoſing that we can help our ſelves, or ſuſpecting that God will not ſtoop ſo low, as to help us? When we have a great buſineſs to ſet about, we ſtirr up our ſelves to truſt in God: and ſo we ought; but the ſpiritualneſs of truſt is ſeen, in depending on God, for managing the leaſt buſineſs, performing the leaſt duty, reſiſting the leaſt corruption, and bearing the leaſt burden. As it is the ſame love of God, that ſaveth us eternally, and preſerveth us temporally: ſo it is the ſame power of God, that doth great and ſmall things for us. Can we yet truſt in God in all weathers? Some only truſt in God in fair weather, when they are full, they can truſt in God for bread; and when they are ſafe, they can truſt in God for protection: And others only truſt in him in foul weather; their truſting in God is not of choice, but forced, and of neceſſity; they never truſt in him, but when they have nothing elſe to help them. Are we yet able to ſay, Though he ſlay me, yet I will truſt in him: Or, though he make me alive, I will truſt in him? It is a glorious tryal of truſt (ſaith the ſame Worthy) to ſay, Should God make me not worth a groat, yet I will truſt him; but it is a greater glory of this truſt, to ſay, Though God make me worth thouſands, yet I will truſt in him: When we (to ſenſe) have the leaſt need of Gods help, then to truſt in him, and depend upon him, ſhews, that we are moſt ſenſible that we need his help; for by this, we in one act, give teſtimony to the Allſufficiency of God, and to the emptineſs of the creature: by this we make God all, and the creature nothing at all. Faith gives a more ſpiritual diſcovery of it ſelf, when it convinceth us, that we are poor, in the midſt of our abundance, without God; than when it convinceth us, that we have abundance in God, though we are poor. Verily, to truſt in God in all eſtates and turns, is proper to godlineſs. Our truſting in creatures ſo much, doth alſo evidence, that we do but ſeem to truſt in God, and that in deed and in truth, we do not truſt in him at all: He that truſts not in God alone, doth not truſt in him at all. Every thing we joyn with God, diſ-joyneth us from God: We can never take hold of God, unleſs we let goe our hold of other things. Which of us leans upon whole God only, and that with the whole Soul? Well, ſeeing your truſt h…r… …een the truſt of the Hypocrite, Job 8.14. Iſa. 14.23.it is no wonder that it hath been as a Spiders web: No wonder that Gods beſome of purgation to true believers, hath been his beſome of destruction unto your Truſt and Confidence. When the houſe is ſwept, the cobwebs are ſwept aw…y: No wonder that ſuch ſinners as you, Iſa. 33 14.in Zion be afraid: No wonder that fearfulneſs ſurprizeth the Hypocrite. O! as ever you would ſtand before devouring Fire, take heed that your tru…t be not as the Spiders web.