A Counterpoison, Religious treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
That it increaseth their faith.
10. TEnthly, because the malice of our enemies serves to increase our faith for the time to come, when we consider how the Lord hath delivered us formerly. God hath delivered me (saith Paul) out of the mouth of the Lyon, (meaning Nero) and hee will deliver me from every evill worke, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdome, 2 Tim. 4. 17, 18. When Saul tels David, Thou art not able to goe against this great Philistine to fight with him, for thou art a Boy, and he is a man of war from his youth: what saith David? Thy servant kept his Fathers Sheepe, and there came a Lyon, and likewise a Beare, and tooke a Sheepe out of the flocke, and I went out after him and smote him, and tooke it out of his mouth, and when he rose against me, I caught him by the beard, and smote him, and slew him; so thy servant slew both the Lyon and the Beare. Therefore (marke the inference) this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them; Yea, (saith he) the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the Lyon, and out of the paw of the Beare, he will deliver me out of the hands of this Philistine, 1 Sam. 17. 33. to 37. Observe how confidently he speakes.
That tree is deepest rooted in the Earth, which is most shaken by the windes: and they weake usually, that are planted in pleasant valleyes: so the Tree of faith, the more it is shaken with the violent stormes of trouble, the faster it becomes rooted by pati…. Alexander being trayned up in huge and mighty enterprizes, when he was to fight with men, and beasts, haughty enemies, and huge Elephants; said, Loe a danger somewhat equivalent to my minde. He can never be a good souldier, that hath not felt the toyle of a battell; Ease and plenty made Hanniball say, he brought men into Campani…; but carried women out againe. Yea, the more deliverances David had, the greater was his faith: for after the Lord had delivered him often out of extreame exigents; namely, from this great Goliah, the cruelty of Saul, the unnaturall insurrection of Absalom, and the unjust curses of Shemei, he was able to say, I trust in God, neither will I feare what flesh can doe unto me, Psal. 56. 4. And in Psal. 3. I will not be afraid for ten thousand of the people that should beset me round about, Vers. 6. And in Psal. 18. 29. By thee I have broken through an host, and in thy name I will leape over a wall. His experience had made it so easie to him, that it was no more than a skip or jumpe. We men indeed therfore shut our hands, because we have opened them, making our former kindnesses arguments of sparing afterwards: But contrarily, God therefore gives, because he hath given; making his f…rmer favours arguments for more. It is Davids onelyonly argument, Psal. 4. Have mercy upon me (saith hee) and heark…n unto my prayer: Why? Thou hast set me at liberty when I was in distresse, Vers. 1. I might likewise here shew from 2 Chron. 20. 29. Phil. 1. 12, 13, 14. how the delivering of some; increaseth the faith of others; but I passe that.
That we may live by faith, and not by sence, hee first strips us of all our earthly confidence, and then gives us victory, and not before; lest he should be a loser in our gaine, his helpe uses to shew it selfe in extremity: he that can prevent evils, conceales his aide till dangers be ripe, and then hee is as carefull as before hee seemed connivent. Daniel is not delivered at the beginning of his trouble, he must first be in the Lyons den, and then he finds it. Those three Servants, Dan. 3. 26. are not rescued at the Ovens mouth; in the Fornace they are. That is a gracious and well tryed faith, that can hold out with confidence to the last. Like Abraham who is said to hope, against hope, Rom. 4. 18. which with God is a thing much set by: Yea, such hee accounts his Champions, and Worthies. Whence it is, many are trayned up in trouble all their dayes, as it fared with David; for as a Bare came to David after a Lyon, and a Gyant after a Bare, and a King after a Gyant, and Philistines after a King, and all to make him more hardy and confident in his God; so when they that are intended for Christs Champions, have fought with the Divell, and their owne lusts: they shall fight with Envy; when they have fought with Envy, they shall fight with poverty; when they have fought with poverty, they shall fight with infamy; when they have fought with infamy, they shall …ight with sicknesse; and after that with death. Like a Labourer that is never out of worke: and this not onelyonly proves, but mightily improves their faith: And indeed, till we have beene delivered out of a lesser trouble, we cannot trust God in a greater. Resembling that peasant, who would trust God upon the Land, but not upon the Sea; where should be but an inch-…rd betweene him and death.
To heare a man in his best health and vigour, to talke of his confidence in God, and assurance of devine favour, cannot be much worth: but … in extremities, we can beleeve above hope, against hope; our hope is so much more noble, as our difficulties are greater. For Jayr…s to beleeve, that his sick daughter should recover, was no hard taske: but Christ will scrue up his faith to beleeve she shall againe live, though he see with his eyes she is fully dead. When we are in heavy Agonies, and feele a very hell in our conscience, then to apprehend mercy; when with Jonas in the Whales belly we can call upon God in faith, and see one contrary in another; in the very depth of Hell, Heaven; in the very midst of Anger, Love: When with the woman of Canaan, Math. 15. we can pick comfort out of the reproachfull name of dogge, and when nothing but warre appeares in Gods face, then by faith to pearce through all the thicke cloudes, and behold the sweet sun-shine of Gods favour, and grace in Christ, Heb. 11. 1. we are beleevers indeed,
And he, saith Saint Bernard, is to be reputed constant whose minde taketh fresh courage in the midst of extremities. Like the Palme tree, which groweth so much the higher and stronger, and more fruitfull; by how much the more weight it hath hanging upon it.
Not that the strongest faith is free from doubting, for let a man looke downe from the top of the strongest steeple, admit the Battlements bee brest high, and he is sure he cannot fall; yet a kinde of feare possesses him. And well is it for us, that our assu…nce is mixed with doubting: Since the one makes us live, as though there were no Gospell; the other, to dye as if there were no Law.
The Lyon seemes to leave her young ones, till they have almost kil'd themselves with roaring and howling, but at last gaspe shee relieves them, whereby they become the more couragious. When the Prophet could say, Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee (instantly followes) and not till then, the Lord heard me: the Lord saw him sinking all the while, yet lets him alone till he was at the bottome. Every maine affliction is our Red-sea, which whiles it threats to swallow, preserves us: now when it comes to a dead lift (as we say) then to have a strong confidence in God is thankworthy. Hope in a state hopelesse, and love to God under signes of his displeasure, and heavenly mindednesse in the midst of worldly affaires and allurements, drawing a contrary way; is the chiefe praise of faith: to love that God who crosseth us, to kisse that hand which strikes us; to trust in that power which kils us; this is the honourable proofe of a Christian, this argues faith indeed. What made our Saviour say to that Woman of Canaan, O Woman, great is thy faith: but this; when neither his silence, nor his flat denyall could silence her, Math. 15. It is not enough to say, God is good to Israel, when Israel is in peace and prosperity, and neither feeles nor wants any thing: but God will have us beleeve that hee is good, even when we feele the smart of the rod, and at the same time see our enemies (the wicked) prosper. It best pleaseth him when wee can say boldly with Job, Though he kill me yet will I trust in him. When our enemies are behind us, and the Red Sea before us, then confidently to trust upon God is much worth. When we are in the barren wildernesse almost famished, then to beleeve that God will provide Manna from Heaven, and water out of the Rock, is glorious: when with the three Children wee see nothing before us but a fiery Furnace; to beleeve that God will send his Augell to be our deliverer, this is heroicall, Dan. 3. 28. And those which are acquainted with the proceedings of God, well know; that cherishing ever followes stripes, as Cordials doe vehement evacuations, and the cleere …ight of the morning a darke night: yea, if we can looke beyond the cloud of our afflictions, and see the sun-shine of comfort on the other side of it: wee cannot be so discouraged with the presence of evill, as hartned with the issue. Cheere up then, thou drooping soule, and trust in God, what ever thy sufferings bee, God is no tyrant, to give thee more than thy loade; and admit he stay long, yet be thou fully assured he will come at length. In thee doe I trust (saith the Psalmist) all the day; He knew that if hee came not in the Morning, he would come at Noone; if hee came not at Noone, he would come at Night; At one … of the day or other he will deliver mee: and then as the Calme is greater after the Tempest than it was before; so my joy shall bee sweeter afterwards than it was before; The remembrance of Babylon will make us sing more joyfully in Syon. If then I finde the Lords dealing with me to transcend my thoughts, my faith shall bee above my reason, and thinke, he will worke good out of it, though I yet conceive not how.