The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 3 · Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Motives to stir up weak Beleevers to the exercising of their Faith, when they want Sence. 1 Their Sence of Gods Love afterwards will be sweeter. 2 They be stronger against Temptations afterwards. 3 It will turn their greatest afflictions into the greatest Blessings. 4 To have jealousie of God for withdrawing, is tedious to his spirit.
I Shall go on further in some few Motives for the stirring up of weak Beleevers in the exercising of their Faith.
1 Surely in the first place, The sight and sence that we shall come to have after our beleeving when there was no sight, will be so much the sweeter and more comfortable; a mercy that comes after Gods withdrawing of himself, and our exercising of Faith, is the sweetest mercy of any mercy; when a mercy is raised from the dead, as Isaac that was born against the apprehension of common Sence, and was a child of Faith, his name was called Isaac; now Isaac signifies Laughter, because Isaac was a matter of much Joy to his Parents: and so certainly whatsoever child it be that comes of Faith, is a child of Joy, whatsoever mercy comes upon the exercise of our Faith, and that when al things seem to work contrary, that mercy, Oh 'tis a sweet mercy, it will pay for all the affliction that we had in the time of the want of Sence.
2 If in the want of Sence, and the sight of Gods Love we can exercise Faith: That soul that can do so will be easily able to overcome almost any temptation afterwards: If so be that thou canst so prevail by Faith upon thine heart to stand out in such an affliction as this is, when thou wantest the sight and sence of the Love of God, and yet thy Faith can work through this; if it can, it wil easily be able to overcome any temptation afterwards: As suppose in any other business, a man hath not the success he desired and expected, but is crost in it, it may be upon this, temptation is very strong upon some, and they begin to be discouraged: But for one that hath been acquainted with any Spiritual dissertions, and yet their Faith hath wrought through them; such a one wil think surely, it is not so much for me to go on in my way, and to work through this discouragement, the want of success in such a business, as it was once for me to go on, and to work through that discouragement that I had, namely, in the want of the sight and sence of Gods Love; Faith helped me at that dead lift then, and why not now? and so for any other affliction: Let any affliction be upon their bodies, or estates, in respect of their friends, of any that are neer to them, those afflictions are nothing in comparison of the want of the sight and sence of Gods Love in Christ: If the soul be but enabled here to work through this by Faith, it will find all afflictions to be but easie to him, therefore it is of great concernment for you to walk by Faith in the want of sence.
3 By this means if we can exercise Faith in the want of Sence, we shall turn the greatest Afflictions into the greatest Blessings; of all afflictions that are in the world, the want of the sight and sence of Gods Love in Christ is the greatest affliction; but by the exercise of Faith we shall make this to be a blessing to us; we shal get abundance of experience, and we shall come to have the Love of God more sweet unto us: and then having gotten through a difficulty as this is, we shall by it come to have more establishment a great deal in the constant way of our lives, and come to have more communion with God, and delight in God▪ and so we shall have a Blessing by that which is the greatest affliction of all.
4 Fourthly and lastly, Consider what a tedious thing it must needs be to the Spirit of God, for a Saint upon Gods withdrawing himself, and the want of sight, presently to have jealous thoughts of God: As it would be tedious to any loving Husband, if he could never go abroad upon any occasion, and be out of the presence of his Wife, but presently she were jealous; or if in the house he should find fault with any little thing, presently she concludes her Husband loves her not, because his expressions are not so full, or his countenance so amiable at one time as at another; this would be very grievous to the spitit of a Husband to have such constructions to be made. Look how tedious it would be to the spirit of a Husband to have such ill constructions made by his carriage or absence upon any necessary occasion; so tedious is it to the Spirit of God for a soul to be making such ill constructions upon Gods withdrawing himself, or because he doth not alwaies manifest himself in the same way at one time, as at another: Oh let us take heed that we be not burdensom to the Spirit of God by our Unbeleef. There are many people that are partly afflicted by Melancholly and Unbeleef that are very tedious to the spirits of those they converse with; and as they are tedious to the Spirits of those with whom they do converse, so certainly their carriage is very tedious to the Spirit of God, they do grieve the Spirit of God by their Unbeleef, therefore let us take heed of our Unbeleef in the want of Sence, and labor to exercise Faith.
Object. I but you will say, What should we do? it's easie indeed to Tell us that we should exercise Faith in the want of sight and sence, but it is not so easie to Do it.
Answ. I confess it is one of the hardest things in the world to exercise Faith in the want of Sence; therefore for help in this, take these Rules of Direction.