The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 3 · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV.
The Principal Ingredient in every Duty, is the acting of Faith: Refer'd to two Heads: First, How a Christian should walk by Faith in time of affliction. Secondly, How he should walk by Faith when God calls him upon any difficult Service. Helps to walk … Faith, when God appears as an Enemy to the so… 1 It hath been the condition of the dearest Saints. 2 It is Ʋnbeleef to apprehend him so. 3 If God were really so, fly not from him. 4 If thy soul be at enmity with▪ sin, God is not thine Enemy. 5 There is enough in Christ to reconcile Enemies. 6 Consider it is for thy negligence. 7 Trust in God though he appear never so terrible.
THe Principal thing in a Saints Walk with God, is to walk by Faith: Observe but this Rule in all Duties that you do perform, let it be your main care to act Faith in the Duty: it is that which Beleevers are faulty in, they make conscience of such and such Duties, and they are careful, not only to do those things that God requires, but to do them in that manner that God requires, that is, in Sincerity, in Zeal, in strong Affections, in Seriousness; yet they do not so much consider of the acting of Faith: The Principal Ingredient in every Duty, is the acting of Faith; …f we Pray, it is the Prayer of Faith; if we Hear, it is mixing of the Word with Faith; if we receive the Lords Supper, it is the discerning of the Lords Body; in every Service we must look how much Faith hath been exercised; If you perform any Duty, look back, I have done what God requires of me, but how have I done it? how hath my soul closed with the free Grace of God in Christ after I have done all that I can? yet have I been beat down in mine own thoughts, and advanced free Grace? have I found my soul acting upon the Promise at this time, when I have been Praying, and Hearing, and Receiving? These thoughts are but seldom in the hearts of many Christians, they look at rather the performing of a Duty in a Moral way, than in a true Christian and Evangelical way. I shall proceed to some further Cases about the walking by Faith: And they may be referr'd to these Two Heads.
First, Either, How a Christian should walk by Faith in time of Affliction. Or,
Secondly, How he should walk by Faith when God cals him to any difficult Service.
When God laies any affliction upon us, yet it is not Sence that we give way to, but it is Faith that we act in our afflictions.
And then when God cals me to any work, though at the first I may think it is beyond me, I shall never be able to accomplish it, yet in this difficult work I am to walk by Faith, and act Faith, and if any thing will carry me through, it is Faith.
First for Afflictions, they are of two sorts: Either Inward, or Outward Afflictions.
Even that which we have treated about already, The want of the sight of God, is a great inward affliction, and we might bring it under this Head: yet there are some inward afflictions that are beyond this, Not only that God withdraws himself from the soul, and there is the want of sight; but what if God comes against the soul as an Enemy? that's beyond Gods withdrawing of himself, so that there is no sight of him: and yet even then a Saint should walk by Faith; not only when God is withdrawn, but when God shall appear as an Enemy; for many souls are ready to say, The Lord hath done so to me.
As to the Help of that, when God appears as an Enemy to the soul: Know,
1 First for your help that you may not despond, and Faith may not be shattered, That this is not such a condition, but others of the dear Saints of God have been put into heretofore: 'tis some encouragement for the act of Faith, when I know that my condition is not such but that others of the dearest Saints of God have been in that condition, and yet in that condition, they did walk by Faith, and so got out of it: In Job, 13. 24. see there what the complaint of that holy man was, Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine Enemy? here you have both these: The want of sight, yea, here is a degree beyond that, Thou hidest thy face, and holdest me for thine Enemy: God appeared so against him even as an Enemy; it was not in regard of his outward afflictions and losses that he look'd at so much; but in regard of Spiritual afflictions that were upon his soul, God did tear and rend him even as an Enemy: and so many others of Gods Servants; Heman in the 88. Psalm: If you read that Psalm, you shal find that surely it was no less that God did appear to him, but as an Enemy.
2 But for our further help, Know, It may be that these are but the dark apprehensions of Unbeleef, and not indeed that God really is as an Enemy to you: It was certainly the unbeleef of the people of Israel which caused them to say, when they were brought into straights, God hath brought us into the Wilderness because he HATED us; presently concluding that God was an Enemy, because they had not what they would have; and that's the vain froward disposition of some, if they cannot have what they would have, it is because God hates them: This is thy Unbeleef that thou art to check thy self for.
3 But suppose there were a reallity in it, That God did appear indeed as an Enemy, certainly the best way is not to fly from him; though he hath the Sword of Justice in his hand ready to strike thee, yet the best way, it is to come and crouch before him, to lie down in his presence, to put thy neck even to the stroke of Justice, and to exercise a Venturing Faith: howsoever fly not from him though he doth appear as an Enemy, for there can be nothing got in flying from him.
4 Yea but Fourthly, If thy soul be at enmity with sin, certainly God is not thine Enemy whatsoever he doth appear to thee: though he seem to come in never such a terrible manner against thee, yet if thou canst but look into thy heart, and see whether there be, not only in thy conscience, but in thy very heart, contrary Principles unto it: God is never an Enemy to that soul that is an Enemy unto sin.
5 And yet further, in the fifth place; Suppose there were a reallity that God were an Enemy, yet know, there is enough in Christ to reconcile Enemies, in Rom. 5. 10. For if when we were Enemies, we were reconciled to God: even when we were Enemies; therfore though thou beest an Enemy, and though God appears to thee as an Enemy, yet when we were Enemies, we were reconciled to God: Thou mayest then act Faith upon the purchase of the Blood of Christ, though thou apprehendest thy self as an Enemy, and God coming as an Enemy against thee.
6 And yet further, It may be it is because thy heart is loose, and careless, and negligent in thy way, that therfore God doth seem to come against thee as an Enemy, as he did against Moses; you know the Lord came in a terrible manner against Moses to stay him in the Inn; surely then he came in the appearance of an Enemy: but it was because Moses had been negligent of the circumcising of the Child. Thou art to search and examine thy way, what negligence, and loosness, and wantonne…s, and deadness is in thy heart, what sluggishness is in thy heart; why? God doth but draw his Sword to awaken thee, and to stir thee up, and do but thou do as those that Joab came against, Send the head of Shimei the son of Bicr…, and we are gone: so do thou renounce thy sin, and God will appear no more as an Enemy.
7 Moreover: Yet still let Gods appearance be never so terrible, it's fit for thee to trust in him, and to say with Job, Though he kills me, yet will I trust in him: Suppose he doth intend to destroy me, but yet if I be destroyed, I will trust with my heart making towards him, my heart shall rely upon him even while he is striking the fatal blow upon me: Faith is able to see Love through frowns; though God seem'd to be never so angry with David, yet Cast me not out of thy presence. It is a Speech of Luther, speaking in the commendations of Faith, That's one great commendation for a man to love God when God shews himself an Enemy; and that is the excellency of Faith to enable the soul to do that. These Meditations may be some help to the exercise of Faith, and walking by it in such a condition.
But God lets out Satan upon me in great, and sore, and strong temptations; and would he let out the Devil upon me so as he doth, if he lov'd me? but shall I be able to walk by Faith, when I am hurried by the temptations of the Devil? That's a sore and a great affliction that the Saints endure. As for that, still you must know that it hath been the portion of the dear Saints of God to have Satan let out upon them too: we shall find that God saith to Satan, that he had given Job into his hand, and Satan was let out upon him, and that in a fearful manner: we reade in Luke, of a daughter of Abraham, and yet she had been bound by Satan for eighteen yeers together: Satan doth prevail many times very much upon the dear Children of God: Paul had a prick in the flesh, a messenger of Satan that was sent to buffet him: And Luther often complains of most horrid temptations of Satan, and makes all the outward afflictions that he endured, and enmity, and rage of all the Popish party to be nothing to those inward afflictions that he had in his Spirit: I remember that upon it he saith, that there are Three things make a Divine, Reading, Meditation, and Temptation; In Meditation he includes Prayer, which the Scripture cals the Meditation of the heart: these make a Divine, and God did prepare him for great Services that he intended for him by his temptations upon him.