Preparation for Suffering in an Evil Day, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Preparation for Suffering; the first direction is, Try thy Heart; ſee the Deceit of it; what Reliques of Sin are there; how it ſteals out of Duties; how falſe it is in Promiſes; how it extenuates Sin: Search & ſee what uprightneſs is there: Doth thy Heart ſet God before thee; doth it reſpect all Commands; doth it eye Gods Glory, and did it make a right contract with Chriſt?
HAving ſpoke ſomewhat in general touching Preparation for Suffering; I now come to ſpeak of it more particularly: And here I ſhall lay down ſeveral Directions, and ſhew how a Chriſtian may be in a fit poſture for ſuffering.
1. If we would be in a fit poſture for Suffering, let us diligently try our own Hearts: Suffering is a ſearching thing; it tries a man as fire doth Metals; ſifts and winnowes him as Corn is ſhaken in a Sieve; and diſcovers his thoughts and the bottom of his Heart. Many a man ſeems to be fully for God, yet when the Teſt comes, proves to be for the World: Therefore it is very proper for us, to ſearch our ſelves before hand; to try our Hearts inwardly before the outward trial come; to ſift and winnow our ſelves before Providence do it; to diſcover our Hearts to our ſelves, before God diſcover them to others: This is Gods own direction to his People; Gather your ſelves together, yea, gather together O Nation not deſired; or (as the words in the original may be rendred) ſearch, lift your ſelves, yea, ſearch, lift your ſelves, O nation not deſired, before the Decree bring forth, before the day paſs as the Chaff, before the fierce Anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lords Anger come upon you, Zeph. 2.1.2. Approaching Judgments alarum us to ſelf examination: Sit down, O Chriſtian, and conſider, what the ſtate of thy Heart is; what of Corruption is there and what of Grace; how much is there for the World, and how much for God; what concupiſcential Strings are there that tie thee to the preſent world, and what Anchors caſt in Heaven are there to bear thee up in a Storm; what Chaff or Vanity is there that will go away with every Wind, and what maſſy Grace that will abide the trial: Never is it more neceſſary to deſcend into our ſelves, than in a time of Suffering.
Search out the Corruption and Deceitfulneſs in thy Heart: If thou wilt believe him that knows the Heart better than it knows it ſelf, The Heart is deceitful above all things Jer. 17.9. full of windings and turnings; deceitful beyond its own power of reflection, which, when acted, knows the deceit in part, but cannot dive into the bottom of it. Commune with thine own Heart, O Chriſtian; ask it ſeriouſly, Is there not much Corruption within? are there not reliques of Unbelief, Earthineſs, Senſualneſs, Pride, Hypocricy, Apoſtacy found in thee? Conſider what theſe are; theſe fight under the ſame Colours, and aim at the ſame end with the perſecuting World; theſe would root grace out of thy Heart, as wicked men would root Good out of the World. As it was with Iſrael, there went up with them out of Egypt a mixed multitude, which was ready to return again thither; ſo it is with good men, there are corrupt mixtures in them which would turn back to Egypt again: Be not deceived, thy whole entire ſelf is not for ſuffering; the unregenerate part will hang back, and ſay to thee, as Satan in Peter did to our Saviour, Master, Spare thy ſelf: When dangers approach, the Fleſh will cry out, Oh, Spare thy Eſtate Spare thy Relations, Spare thy Life, why ſhouldeſt thou deſtroy thy ſelf? Take notice therefore, that there is a Traitor in thine own boſom, which unleſs thou watch, will like the Idolaters deceived Heart, turn thee aſide from God. Again, ask thy Heart, Doth it not Steal out of holy duties? When thou art a hearing the holy Word, will not thy Heart go out to worldly objects? When thou art joyning with others in Prayer, do not thy thoughts rove up and down about Carnal things? If thy Heart be a little elevated towards Heaven, doth it not immediately fall down again? If it be a little inflamed towards God, doth it not inſtantly cool again? Think with thy ſelf; that Heart, that ſteals away from Duties in which there is nothing grevious to the Body, will be ready to ſteal away from Sufferings which grate upon the Fleſh and Senſe: Thou hadſt need to get thy Heart fixed on God in Duties, that when thou comeſt to Suffering, thou myeſt not ſtart away from him. Further yet, ask thy heart; Hath it not been falſe in Vows and Promiſes of better obedience, and thoſe made at Sacraments or upon Sick-beds? Is not thy Goodneſs as a morning Cloud, and thy life a vain circle of commiſſions of Sin and Confeſſions? And canſt thou truſt ſuch an Heart as this? Aſſure thy ſelf, that an Heart, which is falſe in Promiſes, will not be true in Sufferings; that goodneſs that paſſes away like the early Dew at other times, will utterly vaniſh when a ſcorching Perſecution comes: Learn therefore to be true in Promiſes, that thou mayſt be true in Suffering; get ſuch a real Goodneſs as may abide the trial in an Evil day. Moreover, ask thy ſelf one queſtion more, Cannot thy Heart colour over evil things? Is it not apt to extenuate ſin and ſay, It is but a little one; to make nothing of idle Words or petty Oaths? And what may not ſuch an Heart do to avoid Sufferings? May it not put a fair gloſs upon Popery it ſelf, and ſay, the Papiſts have the ſubſtance of Religion, and why ſhould we ſcruple humane Rights and Ceremonies? They have the ſacred Scriptures, and why ſhould we ſtumble at ſuperfluous Traditions? Their Images are not the terminative object of Worſhip, but the motive only; and why may we not uſe Humane Inventions to move us to Devotion? Tranſubſtantion it ſelf is but a kind of nicety, they ſay, the body of Chriſt is in the Euchariſt after the maner of Spirits; we ſay,Bellar. de Euch. Lib. 1 ca. 2. Lib 3. cap. 4. that it is there Spiritually: And how little doth the difference ſeem to be? Praying to Saints and Angels is but a vanity, a void thing: Humane merit is an harmleſs thing, if it be grafted upon Chriſt and the Promiſe: The Pope himſelf is a Biſhop, and what need we think him Antichriſt? The falſe heart can paint the Whore in every part, and make her look as if ſhe were not Mystery, Babilon, the Mother of Harlots & Abominations of the Earth. Labour then to know more and more of the deceitfulneſs of thy heart, that it may not cheat thee in times of Perſecution: He that truſts in his heart is a Fool, nay a ſecret Idolater; let us carry an holy jealouſy over our hearts: The Carnal heart will preſume, but knows not its own weakneſs; it will promiſe much, but perform little or nothing. Peter was in a very high ſtrain, though all men be offended, yet will not I, Matth. 26.33. And again, though I ſhould die with thee, yet will I not deny thee, Verſe 35. But alas he was herein (as Forus obſerves) but a Figure of thoſe that lean upon their own Free-will;Ecce columna firmiſſima ad unius aurae impulſum tota contremuit; ubi eſt illa promittentis audacia, & deſe plurimum preſumentis? Auſt. in Joh. Tract. 11 3. he knew too little of himſelf, preſumed too much upon his own power, and fell miſerably in the denial of his Lord: This great Pillar fel before the breath of a poor Damſel; his Confidence and Preſumption proved but a meer Vanity; Do not, O Chriſtian, think thy ſelf better than this great Apoſtle; ſtudy thine own heart, and ſee the Corruption there, that thou maieſt not fall by preſumption; but ſtand in the Power of his Grace, who is able to confirm thee to the end.
2. Search thy heart and ſee what uprightneſs is there; thou haſt a name, a notion of Religion, a form of Godlineſs; but haſt thou the thing, the truth of grace, the power of Religion in thy heart? It is grace, true grace that muſt eſtabliſh the heart Hebr. 13.9. It is Gold tried in the fire Revel. 3.18. that is, pure grace, that muſt endure the fiery trial. Conſider thy ſelf, O Chriſtian, Is there any true integrity in thee? Where are the Marks and Caracters of it appearing in thee? Put Interrogatories to thine own heart; Doſt thou indeed ſet the Lord alwaies before thee? Doſt thou do every thing as in his Preſence and under his Eye? This is very comfortable; he that truly walks with God in other things, will through grace walk with him in Sufferings too: He that hath an holy reſpect to Gods Preſence and Eye at other times, will have ſo in a time of Trial alſo. The Conſtancy of God's People ſet forth in Pſalm 44. is very obſervable; they were given as Sheep for meat, ſold for nought, made a reproach, and a ſcorne, a by-word, and a ſhaking of the head among the people; yet their heart was not turned back, neither did their ſteps decline from Gods ways, Verſe 18. They were broken in the place of Dragons, covered in the ſhadow of Death: Yet they did not forget the name of their God, nor ſtretch out their hands to a ſtrang God, Verſe 20. And whence was this cloſe adherence unto God? The Reaſon is rendred in the 21th. Verſe; if they ſhould forſake God, he would ſearch them out, for he knoweth the ſecrets of the heart: We ſee how they were affected with the Preſence and All-ſeing Eye of God, and how doth it affect us? If it make us depart from other ſins, it will much more make us depart from ſo great a ſin as Apoſtacy is. Again art thou true in thy active obedience to God? Haſt thou an univerſal reſpect to all the Commands, even to thoſe that call for right Hands and right Eyes? This is very well; he that is true in active obedience, will be ſo in paſſive; he that is for all the Commands of God, will be for the Command of taking up the Croſs, and Suffering for Chriſt. The Commands are copulative, one of them is linked to another; the ſtamp of Divine Authority is upon all; the Glory of God is concerned in all; they are all united in the root of Charity. Thoſe Principles of Grace which prompt to the obedience of one, will prompt to the obedience of all: He that is ſincere in doing, will be ſincere in ſuffering. Further, haſt thou a ſingle Eye, a pure intention at the great end? is it thy real aim that God in all things may be glorified? This is a good Sign; he that hath a ſingle Eye in one thing, will have it in another; he that glorifies God in other things, will glorify him in ſufferings too. A man is as his end is; what the forme is in Naturals, that the end is in Morals: He, that hath God for his Center and ultimate end, will embrace all the Mediums that tend thither, and Suffering as the higheſt Medium of all; therein is the higheſt Love demonſtrated, and God is practically lifted up above all; his glory is upon the Throne, and Eſtates, Relations Lives; all Earthly Concerns are at the Foot-ſtool: Let us ſet our hearts upon the great end, that, whether we be doing Gods Commanding Will, or ſuffering under his Diſpoſing one, the great deſign of God's glory may be ſtill carried on by us. Moreover, ask thy ſelf, what was thy original contract with Jeſus Chriſt? How and upon what terms didſt thou eſpouſe him? Didſt thou take him entirely as he is offered in the Goſpel? Diſt thou take him, Croſs and all? Diſt thou ſit down and count what Chriſtianity might coſt thee? It may be thou mayſt be called to part with all, to hate Father, Mother, Wife, Children, Life it ſelf for Chriſt: Diſt thou deliberately conſider theſe things, and yet piouſly reſolve, that thou wouldſt have Chriſt whatever he coſt thee? this is very excellent, thou art now a Martyr in purpoſe,Veniant crux, ignis, oſſium confractiones, modo Chriſtum habeam. Said Ignatius. and Virtually haſt ſwallowed down all the Perſecutions that go along with the Goſpel: When the Croſs comes thou wilt take it up upon thy back: The fleſh poſſibly may murmure; but thou wilt ſay, this was my original contract with Chriſt; theſe were the terms of my Eſpouſals: I accept the Croſs, and will follow my ſuffering Saviour; he is worthy for whom I ſuffer, and the ſufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come: Let us therefore be ſure that we have made a right contract with Chriſt and accepted him Croſs and all, that when Sufferings come, we may not fall off from him.