The Doctrine of Self-Posing, Title page – Table of contents
The DOCTRINE OF Self-poſing, OR, A Chriſtians Duty of puting Caſes of Difficulty to himſelf.
Being the Summe of ſome Sermons Preached at Ʋpton upon Seavern, in the County of Worceſter.
By B. Baxter, late Miniſter of the Goſpel there, but now removed.
Acts 20.24.
But none of theſe things move me.
Pſal. 4.4.
Commune with your own hearts upon your Beds.
London, Printed for Peter Parker, and are to be ſold at his Shop under Creed-Church near Aldgate. 1666.
To my much honoured Brother, Mr. Anthony Nicholetts of London, Merchant.
SIR,
THe Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh of thoſe that go down to the Sea in Ships, that they not only ſee the Works of the Lord, and his Wonders in the Deep, (Pſalm 107.23, 24.) but alſo that they meet with dangers and difficulties in that Deep. As they ſee ſomthing that cauſeth Wonder and admiration, ſo alſo ſomething that cauſeth Fear and Conſternation. St Paul ſpeakes of his perils in the Sea. And as it was the ſaying of one, Qui neſcit orare, diſcat navigare, thereby intimating that at Sea men ſhall meet with ſuch dangers and difficulties that will put them upon crying every man to his God, as it did thoſe Mariners, Jon. 1.5. Dangers I know you meet with at Sea, and although you are ſafely arrived here, yet dangers and difficulties are to be expected. You and all Chriſtians (while on this ſide Heaven) are ſtill upon a Sea; ſo is this World ſaid to be (Rev. 15.9.) a Sea of Glaſs mingled with Fire.
Sir, I preſent you with this ſmall Tract, the Scope of which, is, To teach you and all Chriſtians, the Art of bearing troubles without much troubling of themſelves. It is only to ſhew us (if we muſt fall into trouble) how to make our fall the eaſier, viz. Forward, and not backward, into troubles foreſeen, and not into troubles that were not fore-thought. And this is by putting caſes of difficulty to our ſelves, till God bring us to our deſired Haven, which is Heaven.
So wiſhing you all Happineſs Temporal, but eſpecially Spiritual and Eternal,
I am Your moſt affectionate Brother, Ben. Baxter.
To the Reader.
READER,
THe Reverend Author, (and my ſpecial friend and lately my neighbour Miniſter in that Country where we are both caſt out) here commendeth to thee a duty ſo agreeable to thy Rational Nature, and thy chriſtian profeſſion, and ſo much tending to thy ſafety, peace and comfort, that I may ſuppoſe it hath thine approbation; and therefore thou art the more to be blamed if it have not thy practiſe. Foreſight by Reaſon upon natural proof, is it that differenceth a wiſe man from a fool, if not a man from a brute: Foreſight by Faith upon ſupernatural-Revelation, is much of the difference between a Chriſtian and an Infidel. He that foreſeeth not the good that is attaineable, will never ſeek it; and he that foreſeeth not the evil that may come, will not prevent it; and he that foreſeeth not the evil that will come will not be prepared ſo to entertain it, as may preſerve him from the malignity and turn it to his advantage. Moſt of our ſufferings are matter of great temptation to us, and call us to great duty; and both require ſerious preparation.
There is ſcarce any Temptation that prevaileth notably againſt us, but upon review we may obſerve where our cautelous foreſight might have prevented it. And ſcarce a duty that we neglect, but we are forced upon review, to blame our neglect of previſion and preparation. We ſeldome do any great work aright upon the ſudden; and ſeldome well eſcape an enemy that ſurprizeth us unexpectedly; or a ſnare that we did not foreſee or fear. But we muſt ſee that we put caſes but as they are, and that we pretend not to foreſee that which is no the object of foreſight, and that we underſtand the right uſe of ſuch pre-viſion. There are ſome things that wil certainly come to paſs, but are not neceſſary to be foreſeen, becauſe they concern us not, or call not for our duty. There are ſome things that will certainly come to paſs, and the foreſight of them, is abſolutely neceſſary to ſalvation; as the reſurrection of the body, the day of Judgment, the ſalvation of the ſanctified, and the damnation of all that dye in an unſanctified ſtate. Here are the great caſes to be put; Am I ready to dye? or to give up my Accounts? What if this night my ſoul be required? Am I aſſured of my ſalvation, or not? And here are the neceſſary Reſolutions to be made, as ever we will ſee the Lord with comfort, viz. I am reſolved in the ſtrength of grace to be a new Creature, and to redeem my time, and ſpare no care or pains or coſt for my ſalvation. For want of putting theſe certain neceſſary caſes, and taking up theſe neceſſary reſolutions, it is that ſo many thouſands periſh. But there are alſo ſome things that are to us of uncertain futurition, that are but poſſible or probable as to our foreknowledg: To conclude that ſuch things will come to paſs, is error and not duty; but to conclude that they may come to paſs, or that they are likely ſo to do, is our duty in caſe they be matters that call for our pre-viſion & preparation. A great deal of miſcarriage is in the World, by the falſe ſtating of ſuch caſes: ſome, that have not light enough to be acquainted with their darkneſs, nor humility enough to ſave them from overvaluing their underſtandings or conceits, are putting their uncertain Expoſitions of ſome obſcure Scripture Propheſies (of Daniel, the Revelation, &c.) among the Articles of their faith; and thence taking up reſolutions for practiſe, and taking the rule for the ordering of their other epinions and their lives; and ſo they muſt find at laſt that they have erred in that expoſition, at the dear rate of finding alſo that thence they have err'd in much of the greateſt actions of their Converſations Some are preſuming groundleſly to conclude, that the times will be good, or that they will be evil, that we ſhall have proſperity, or we ſhall have perſecution, and how long theſe are like to continue, and what will come next; what party will ſtand, and what will riſe, and what will fall; and accordingly they reſolve and practiſe in the worſhip of God and in much of their deportment unto men: When Faith ſhould tell them, and late experience will tell them, if faith do not, that it were wiſer not to be wiſe above what is written, nor to feign our uncertain conjectures to be certainties, nor to be too buſie about Gods part (what ſhall or ſhall not come to paſs) when we ſhould be employed about our own part, even our certain duty, and ſhould leave matters of future event more to God: and that things revealed belong to us, & ſecret things are reſerved unto him, Deut. 29.29. And that the Law and Teſtimony are indeed our Rules.
Some out of melancholy fearfulneſs or unbeleif, are alwayes perplexing themſelves with ſuppoſitions of things that will never come to paſs; and ſaying, what if this ſhould befall me, and what if that ſhould overtake me? what if this friend ſhould ſuffer? or the other friend be taken from me? what if I be caſt into poverty, or priſon? or called to bear witneſs to the Cauſe of Chriſt? or to ſuffer death for him? And they put ſuch eaſes only to diſquiet and torment themſelves, and gratifie their miſ-giving and diſtruſtfull hearts; and not quietly to reſolve & make their preparation. And thus they fill their minds and lives with ſelf-created troubles, that are made of nothing but ſpun out of their own depraved imaginations: And if they can but ſay ſuch an evil is poſſible, or that one of a thouſand or ten thouſand hath been overtaken by the like, they afflict themſelvs more about it than they ſhould do if it were probable; and if it be probable, they are more troubled about it than they ſhould be if it were certain. And when experience hath told them that moſt of their fears are from vaine imagination, and few things that they feared come to paſs, yet take they no warning, & be not aſhamed that they have ſo long tormented themſelves with dreames, but goe on as if they had never had experience of their own miſtakes. This is not the putting of caſes, that the Reverend Author here inviteth you to.
But there are too many that err on the contrary, (more dangerous though leſs troubling extreame) that will not ſee the ſnare till they are taken in it, nor the trouble till it is upon them; nor take the alarme till the enemy is within the Gates; nor buy oyl for their lamps till the bridegroom is at the door; and ſo muſt be taken unprepared, and in vain cry, Lord, open to us, when the Door is ſhut: Or in caſe of temporal afflictions, they are to ſeek for due proviſions, when its time to uſe them. And thus when a prudent man foreſeeth the evil and hideth himſelf, the ſimple paſſeth on and is puniſhed, Prov. 22.3. & 27.12. Theſe are the men that are ſtartled at difficulties when they occurre, and look ſo ſtrangely and timorouſly at the Croſs, becauſe indeed they never did expect it; but gave up their names to Chriſt upon ſuppoſition that he would be better to them than his word: They could endure to read or hear of the Croſſe, but never believed that they ſhould have been put to take it up indeed, nor called to the tryal of parting with all, if they will have a treaſure in Heaven; and therefore they goe away ſorrowful, when they find they cannot ſerve God and Mammon, and ſecure the world, & then have heaven as a reſerve when they can keep the world no longer, Luke 18.22, 23. And many of Gods ſervants were ſo little ſerious in their expectations of ſufferings perſonal or common, as that they think them ſtrange, as if ſome ſtrange thing happened to them, and look on them with a ſadder face, & ſpeak of them with much ſadder language, than beſeemeth believers, that by Covenant renounced the World and fleſh, as expecting to ſuffer with Chriſt, that they might reigne with him: and ſhould rejoyce that they are partakers of the ſuffering of Chriſt; that when his Glory is revealed, they may be glad alſo with exceeding joy, 1 Pet. 4.12, 13. Matth. 5.11, 12. Rom. 8.17, 18. But Il'e not anticipate the Diſcourſe which here fullier acquainteth thee with theſe needful truths, but commend it to thy Reading and Obedience, as very uſefull to man that is born to trouble, and to Chriſtians that look through many tribulations to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven, Acts 14.22. Job 5.6. & 14.1. The Lord bleſs it to thy ſpirituall confirmation: which is the end of his recommendation, who deſireth to be
A helper of thy Faith and Joy. RICH. BAXTER. May 13. 1661.
THE CONTENTS Text, Hab. 3.17, 18.
THe Chapter is a Prayer, wherein you have,
1. The Preface.
2. The Prayer it ſelf.
3. The Concluſion.
The Text is part of the Concluſion.
Where you have,
1. A Suppoſition implyed.
2. A Reſolution expreſſed.
Doct. It is neceſſary for Chriſtians to put caſes of difficulty to themſelves, and having put them, to lay down ſettled reſolutions.
1. The Doctrine explicated.
Firſt, What is meant by caſes of difficulty.
1. Such as concern us as men.
2. Such as concern us as Chriſtians.
1. As men, ſo evills
Privative.
Poſitive.
2. Such as concern us as Chriſtians: they are difficulties
Of
1. Faith.
2. Hope.
3. Joy.
4. Sincerity.
5. Obedience.
6. Patience.
7. Dependency.
Secondly, What is meant by putting caſes of difficulty to our ſelves: that is ſhewed,
1. In General.
2. In particulars.
Thirdly, What is meant by laying down ſetled reſolutions.
The Doctrine vindicated, and an Objection anſwered.
The Doctrine confirmed.
1. By Scripture.
2. By Reaſon.
Our preparedneſſe for ſufferings lyeth in,
1. Acquaintance with our own ſtrength to bear them.
2. Acquaintance with them.
3. Preparation for them.
4. Acquaintance with thoſe meanes by which others have borne them.
5. Taking a true meaſure of them.
6. It prevents our being ſurprized.
7. It will inure us to beare them.
5. Applycation.
Firſt, Information of 4 ſorts reproveable.
1. Some that put no caſes of difficulty to themſelves.
2. Some that reſolve without putting caſes of difficulty.
3. Some that put caſes, but lay down no reſolutions.
1. Some remain unreſolved.
2. Some grow more unreſolved.
4. Some that lay down reſolutions, but fall from them.
Secondly, Exhortation. Where you have,
Firſt, The Cauſes why men do it not▪
1. The Unpleaſantneſs of ſuch thoughts.
2. A fancied unchangeableneſs of their condition.
3. Carnal confidence.
Secondly, Directions.
1. General. 2. Particular.
1. General.
Firſt, Put your Caſes right.
Secondly, Look your Arguments be above your difficulties.
2. Particular.
1. Be not over-haſty in your reſolutions.
2. Be ſelfe-denying.
3. Get ſafe ground for your reſolutions.
4. Obſerve others in their reſotions.
5. Get anſwers to thoſe Objections that are moſt like to hinder Reſolution.
6. Compare your diſadvantages and advantages together.
7. Nouriſh Reſolution by Prayer.
3. Motives, which are Nine.
1. Look upon your ſelves as Men.
2. Look upon your ſelves as Chriſtians.
3. Conſider the mutability of Times and Conditions.
4. It is your wiſdome to do it in reſpect of.
Proviſion.
Prevention.
5. It doth not haſten, but fit for difficulties.
6. It will helpe perſeverance.
7. It will keep us humble in Proſperity.
8. It will keep us from fretting at croſſe providences.
9. Not putting caſes of difficulty to our ſelves, will make us doubly miſerable.