Preparation for Suffering in an Evil Day, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
The ſecond direction for Suffering, Mortification of ſin; an unmortified man is not in a capacity to ſuffer. We muſt mortify all ſin, particularly the unbelief of the Heart, the Love of the World in the three great Luſts of it; the Hypocriſy in the Heart, and the vain Superſtition that is there.
Having diſpatched the firſt Direction, I come to a ſecond: If we would be in a poſture for ſuffering, let us ſeriouſly ſet our ſelves to mortify ſin: There is in Chriſtians a double conformity to Chriſts Death; the one ſtands in the mortification of Sin; our old man is crucified with him, Rom. 6.6. dying away by a ſecret virtue from his Croſs: The other ſtands in bearing the Croſs; thereby we fill up the afflictions of Chriſt, Col. 1.24. The Sufferings of Chriſt in his Natural Body were full, but the Sufferings of Chriſt in his Myſtical Body at daily to be filled up: The firſt conformity makes way for the ſecond: The mortifying of inward Luſts, is an excellent preparative to the enduring of outward Sufferings. An unmortified man, that is under the power of his Luſts, is in no fit capacity to ſuffer for Chriſt: He is a part of that World that lieth in wickedneſs; the World will love him as a part of it ſelf, and he will comply with the World as a part doth with the whole; a little particle of Water will, if it be poſſible, fall into a round drop, that it may anſwer to the figure of the great Ocean whereof it is a part; and an unmortified man will be All-amode, and of the ſame figure (be it Pagan or Popiſh Idolatry) with the corrupt World, whereof he is a part; his compliance will be ſuch that he will have no occaſion for ſufferings, neither is imaginable for what he will ſuffer from the World: Will he ſuffer, as good men do, to avoid that greateſt of evils, Sin? That is it which he allows and indulges in himſelf, that is the darling of his Soul, the joy of his way, the current of his life, the only element in which he converſes, and may he ſuffer to avoid ſuch a thing as that is? Or will he ſuffer to avoid, the greateſt of puniſhments, Hell and Death? No ſurely, in willing his Luſts he virtually wils Hell and the torments of it; in acting his ſin, his feet go down to death, and all the wrath that is to come; Or will he ſuffer for God, out of Love to him, and reſpect to his glory? It is not imaginable, that he ſhould ſuffer for God whom he Serves not, or Love him with the Idol in his heart, or reſpect his glory againſt whom he is in arms, and woſe Laws and honour he treads down under his feet: Or will he ſuffer or Chriſt his Saviour, who died to waſh away his Sins in his own blood? It is not credible that he ſhould ſuffer for a Chriſt whom he never yet received, or take up the yoke of the croſs when he caſts off the yoke of the command; he cannot be ſaved in his ſins, no, not by Chriſt himſelf; the atoning blood will not waſh him that wallows in thoſe corruptions that are the price of it; Or will he ſuffer for the Goſpel; He turns a deaf car to the Calls; violates the ſacred Commands, caſts away the pretious offers of it, and it is not to be thought, that he will ſuffer for that Goſpel which he ſo deſpiſes. Indeed it would be a very ſtrange thing for him to ſuffer; in ſo doing he muſt part with all this World in which his portion & total ſum of happineſs lies; he muſt ſuffer the ſpoyling of his goods when he hath no eneuring ſubſtance in Heaven; be a reproach among men when he hath no honor with God; and caſt away a temporal life when he hath no title to an eternal one. We ſee by theſe things that an unmortified man is not in caſe to ſuffer for Chriſt. Awake therefore O Chriſtian, ſet upon the work of Mortification; reſiſt inward Corruptions that thou maieſt ſtand againſt outward temptations, lay holy reſtraints upon ſin that thou maieſt bear a Guiſon for Chriſt; die unto ſin that thou maieſt be able to die for the Goſpel; ſet thy heart againſt every thing of Concupiſcence that breaths in thee, that there may be nothing to turn thee aſide from the ſure Religion; caſt out every ſecret idol out of thine heart, that thou maiſt not fall down and worſhip the outward Idols in the World: Do this work impartially, do not mortify one or two ſins, but all: Every indulged Luſt is a Traitor in thy boſome, a falſe Byas upon thy heart, Spare it not. But to give ſome particular inſtances labor to mortify the ſins following.
1. Mortify the unbelief in thy heart: This is the foundation of Apoſtacy,Aquin. 22 qu. 10. the greateſt of ſins, becauſe the greateſt ſeparation from God, it dep irts from the living God, Hebr. 3.12. it gives the lie to the true God, 1, Joh. 5.10. it blaſts the pretious Goſpel, as if it were not worthy to be obeyed in its Precepts, or credited in its Myſteries or promiſes. If it totally prevail in the heart, there can be no ſuch thing as ſuffering for Religion. To ſuch an unbeliever Chriſt is but a Fancy, and the Goſpel but a golden dream, for which ſuffering is plainly ridiculous; and if it be in thy heart but in ſome degree, it will in the ſame degree weaken thee and make thee ready to ſtagger at the Croſs: Watch therefore over the unbelief in thy boſom; aſſure thy ſelf of this, that which inwardly departs from God will be ready to depart from him outwardly too; that which Secretly gives him the lie will be ready to deny him openly when ſuffering comes: Look narrowly to thy heart, if there ariſe there Scruples touching the Myſteries or Promiſes of the Goſpel, bid them be gone, drive them out of thy heart in the power of the word; theſe come to undermine thy Chriſtianity and make thee fall in a day of triall If diſtruſts and diffidential fears disquiet thee, chide thy baſe heart, charge it to truſt in that God that never leaves thoſe that are his: When thou art ready to ſink in the deep waters, call to thy fearful heart, ask it, why it doubts, the Lord will be with thee to bear thee up in his Arms: When thou ſtarteſt at the fiery Furnace, telthy ſelf, that the Lord will be there in thoſe inward comforts which will make outward torments tolerable; ſet thy heart to hate and extirpate this curſed root of Apoſtacy; expoſt ulate with thy Soul, and ſay, Hath God let down a Goſpel of Grace and Salvation from Heaven to us, and ſhall it not be believed? Hath he given us the two immutable things, his Word and his Oath, and wilt thou yet be ſuch a wretch as not to believe him? Hath thy Saviour Chriſt ſealed up the Evangelical Truth with his own blood, and wilt thou be ſo vile as not to ſeal it up by Faith? Arm and ſtrengthen thy heart againſt unbelief, that when the trial comes thou maieſt be ready to ſpeak to thy ſoul, as Hilarion did, egredere, animamea, egredere, quid times? quid dubitas? Go out, my ſoul, Go out, why doſt thou ſear or doubt? Heaven is ready for thee, and great is thy reward there.
2. Mortify the Love of the World, the three great Luſts mentioned 1. Joh. 2.16. the Luſt of the Fleſh, the Luſt of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, that is, the inordinate Love of Senſual Pleaſures, Earthly Riches, and Wordly Honour: Theſe three make the World in the heart, and joyn us to the outward World to become one with it; Unleſs theſe Concupiſcential Chains be broken, we can never be in a poſture for ſuffering; if thou wilt not part with a little Senſual Pleaſure for Chriſt, thou wilt never ſuffer for him; if Luſt blind thee and turn thee into a Bruit, thou wilt be too low and baſe to be capable of it: He that is melted in the fire of Luſt, will not endure the flames of Martyrdome; he that makes his belly his God will never ſuffer to avoid Idolatry. It is very obſervable in the Prophet, that firſt he tels them, that whoredom, and wine, and new wine take away the heart. Hos. 4.11. and then adds, My People ask counſel at their ſtocks; that is, their Idols, Verſe 12. A Senſual man, that is unhearted by his Luſts, is much fitter to fall down to an Idol, than to ſuffer for Religion. Separate thy ſelf therefore from the ſenſuality of the World, that thou maieſt never fall into the Idolatry of it: Put away the Cup of Pleaſures, that thou maieſt be in capacity to drink of the Cup of Sufferings; the Senſual Cup leads to ſtings and torments; but the Suffering one tends to the pure Pleaſures that are above. Again, if thou wilt not part with one earthly Eſtate for Chriſt, thou wilt never ſuffer for him. When our Saviour bid the young man, ſell all, he went away ſorrowful, Math. 19.22. S. Cyprian, Facultates ſue velut compedes ligaverunt; illa fuerunt vincula, illae catenae, quibus virtus erat retardata & fides preſſa, & anima vincta. De lapſis.ſpeaking of ſome in his time that fell off in perſecution, ſaith, that their eſtates were as chains and fetters to them; that they could not go and ſuffer for Chriſt. The covetous man, who is a mental Idolater, will, if occaſion require, be an outward one too, and fall down to a Stock or Stone rather than loſe his Land. If thou wouldeſt be able to ſuffer for Chriſt, thou muſt break off the earthly Chains from thy ſoul, that, when the Temptation comes and thou art offered, as the bleſſed Martyr Julitta was, to have thy eſtate upon the denial of Chriſt, thou maieſt then be able to give the ſame anſwer as ſhe did,Magd. hiſt. cent. 4. cap. 12. Valeat vita, valeant meae facultates; Farewel life, farewel Eſtate: Take heed that thy poor ſoul do not hang about Houſes and Lands, when thou art called forth to ſuffer for Chriſt and the pure Religion. Further, if thou wilt not part with thy worldly honour for Chriſt, thou wilt never fuffer for him: An ambitious man will do any thing for advancement; he will bow to an Idol, that himſelf may be honoured; he lives upon a blaſt, a little popular air, and is too vain and light to ſuffer for Religion; caſt away therefore the love of Mundane Glory, that thou maieſt bear the reproach of Chriſt; humble thy ſelf before God, that thou maieſt be able to ſuffer for his Truth: Count it an honour to ſuffer ſhame for Chriſt; be willing to be reproached for him who can give thee the Spirit of glory.
3. Mortify the Hypocriſy that is in thy boſom: This ſin is the art of ſeeming goodneſs, or vice in a Vizor: It is by this that men perſonate more grace than they have, and enlarge their forms of Godlineſs beyond the power, and make a profeſſion much greater than is ever filled up: It is from the remnants of this in good men that they ſometimes take falſe ſteps, and Squint at By-ends, and ſtart aſide from God like a deceitful Bow: It is from hence that the Saints now and then faint in their Faith, cool in their Love, and halt and make ſtops in their Obedience: Watch therefore, O Chriſtian, againſt this cloſe evil, conſider the vileneſs of it, think with thy ſelf how greivous a thing it is to be falſe to that God, who makes all other things true to thee; the Sun to give thee true light, and the creatures true nouriſhment; the blood to run right in thy veines and the breath in thy noſtrils: loath and abhorr this abominable thing, cry to heaven for more truth in thy inward parts, labour to have the very power of Religion that thou maieſt fill up thy profeſſion; mourn over thy Falls and withering Graces, check thy ſtarting heart and charg it to maintain a firm and cloſe adherence to God, ſet thy ſelf all manner of waies to root out and extirpate the remnants of hypocriſy out of thy heart, that, when thou comeſt to ſuffer for Religion, thy Heart may not decieve thee: Truth in the Heart is neceſſary in hearing, praying, repenting, believing, obeying but above all it is ſo in ſuffering for Chriſt; hypocriſy can perſonate all other graces, but uſually it ſtumbles and diſcovers itſelf in a day of trial; therefore mortify the ſecret guil that is in thy heart, that thou maieſt ſtand faſt under the croſs.
4. Mortify the vain ſuperſtition that is in the heart: It is natural to us to deſire the ſame thing as the children of Iſrael did, to have Gods to go before us, to have viſible images or pictures of the deity, a pompous and ſtately worſhip, a gaudy Religion made up of humane additions and inventions, and ſuch a way of ſerving God as is accommodated to ſenſe and framed after the commandments of men; every one is ready to think in his falſe heart, what Ticonius ſaid with his lips,Aug. Contr. Ep. Parmen; Lib. 2. cap. 13. Quod volumus Sanctum eſt, that which we will is holy; That which in the worſhip of God is fine and decent, in our eyes, is ſo in Gods too: But conſider with thy ſelf; he that places his Religion in ſuch things as theſe, may chance to fall in Love with that fine Whore which is decked with gold and pretious stones, Revel. 17.4. He that will have a Religion ſutable to Senſe, will hardly ſtand to that Religion which hath a Croſs annexed to it: If the Command of man be the reaſon of thy Worſhip, thou wilt turn to every Point as that Command doth vary: If thou canſt nod in Superſtition, thou hadſt need watch leſt thou fall into flat Idolatry. Remember, God is a Spirit; the true Worſhippers worſhip in Spirit and truth; and the true Worſhippers will prove the true ſufferers: Stand to the pure Worſhip, thou maieſt not fall into a corrupt one: Worſhip God in Spirit, that thou maieſt never fall down to an Idol.