The Way to Heaven Discovered, Religious treatise · Stumbling block 9 – Stumbling block 11
IX.
The ninth ſtumbling block, is this, Surely if the Lord did love me and intend mercy to me, he would not continually follow me with afflictions, wrath, and miſery, for ſo it hath been with me for a long time, as one hour paſſeth away, and another cometh, ſo doth one croſſe after another come upon me like hail; and if the Lord doe intend good to me, why is it thus, and thus with me? was any ſorrow like my ſorrow?
Anſw. Thou maieſt be dearly beloved although ſorely afflicted, for Gods houſe of Correction, is his Schoole of inſtruction; he had one Sonne without Corruption, but no Sonne without Correction, God had one Sonne without ſinne, but no Sonne without ſorrow: the Almighty can look ſowrely, and chide bitterly, and ſtrike heavily, and even where and when he loves dearly, for there may be true grace where there is not one drop of comfort, nor one dram of joy; It is true, the mercies are thine, but the time of giving them to thee, is the Lords: Was not Job, the juſteſt man then alive, fought againſt by the terrours of the Lord? Job 6. 4. Was not David a man after Gods own heart, ſo waſhed with the grief of his heart, that his moiſture was turned into the drought of the ſummer? Pſal. 32. 3, 4. Muſt Hezekiah who walked before the Lord, in truth, and with a perfect heart, have the anger of the Almighty break his bones like a Lion? Iſai. 38. 13. Nay, muſt the Sonne of God himſelf, by bleeding upon the Croſſe, cry out in the bitterneſſe of his Spirit, My Ged, my God, why hast thou forſaken me? and doeſt thou think to bee brought out of the ſtate of nature, into a ſtate of grace, and grow up in that ſtate without afflictions and temptations? Doeſt think that the Devill will let goe a priſoner, and ſend no Hue and Cry after him? or doeſt think he will loſe one of his goats, and not endeavour to look after him, and finde him, and bring him home again? No ſurely, he will leave no ſtone unturned, no means unattempted to betray thy ſoul, he will throw out his golden bait and hide the hook; and if that will not doe, then he throwes out his golden bait, and transformes himſelf into an Angell of light, that he might draw thee and others again into a ſtate of darkneſſe, he doth ſpread his nets, and caſt forth his baits, in all places, and in all companies, he hath ſnares for the wiſe and ſnares for the ſimple; ſnares for the rich, and ſnares for the poor; ſnares for the aged, and ſnares for the young: in a word, he tryeth all opportunities to bring us back again, and to break our peace, to wound our conſciences, to leſſen our comfort, to impair our graces, to ſlurre our evidences, and to damp our aſſurances; for he knowes if he can trip up our heels by yeelding to the leaſt ſinne willingly, it will coſt us more grief, ſorrow, heart-breaking, and ſoul-bleeding: be fore conſcience will be quieted, Divine Juſtice ſatisfied, and our comforts and enjoyments reſtored, our evidences cleared, and our pardon in the Court of conſcience ſealed, ſee Judg. 6. 13. and Gideon ſaid, If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? but the Lord was with Gideon notwithſtanding, as appears in that Chapter; ſo that theſe and the like troubles is no ſigne of Gods hatred, but rather of his love; Iſai. 48. 10. I have choſen thee, ſaith the Lord, in the furnace of affliction, ſo that afflictions are a ſeal of adoption, no ſigne of reprobation; for the pureſt corn is cleaneſt fanned, and the fineſt gold is oftneſt tryed, the ſweeteſt grape is hardeſt preſſed, and the trueſt Chriſtian heavieſt croſſed, &c. ſee Heb. 12. 6, 7, 8.
X.
The tenth ſtumbling block, that a poor doubting Chriſtian doth many tim…s meet with, is this, Oh but I have been a blaſphemer my ſelf for many years, and have cauſed others to blaſpheme alſo: and how do you think that I can expect pardon and mercy from the Lord whoſe name I have ſo frequently and fearfully diſhonoured?
Anſw. Were there not a height and a depth, a breadth and a length in Gods pardoning mercy, and had he not pardoned others left upon record in Scriptures, then there were cauſe to doubt and fear indeed, that he would not pardon thee for thy blaſphemies; but thou haſt no cauſe to doubt of thy intereſt in him, and pardon from him, and that for theſe two reaſons.
1. Becauſe he hath promiſed to pardon thy blaſphemies, and all other ſins, Mat. 12. 31.
2. Becauſe he hath left thee an example in his Word, of one that blaſphemed himſelf, and compelled others to blaſpheme, and yet he received pardon, and became a moſt glorious Saint; ſee Act. 26. 11. compared with 1 Tim. 1. 13.
It is ſaid of Paul in Scripture, that he puniſhed the Saints oft in every City, and compelled them to blaſpheme, and being exceeding mad againſt them, perſecuted them even unto strange Cities, Act. 26. 10, 11. and yet the Lord had mercy on him, and called him when he was in his courſe of deſtroying his Church, Act. 9. 1, 2, 3. & 26. 12, 13. Nay the perſecutors and murtherers of Jeſus Chriſt himſelf, finde mercy, and are converted, Act. 2. 36, 37. Oh let heaven and earth, men and Angels, admire this mercy, he pityed him that was cruell to his Saints, yea, he pardoned them that crucified his Sonne, who would deſpair when Chriſt opens to us ſuch a doore of hope? &c.
XI.
The eleventh ſtumbling block caſt in a weak Chriſtians way, either by the World, Fleſh, or Devill, is this: Oh ſaith the poor ſtaggering ſinner, I fear I was never firmly built upon the true foundation Jeſus Chriſt, becauſe I have fallen, and fallen, into one and the ſame ſinne often, ſo did not the Saints or children of God, as I can finde; I fear my heart is not right with God, ſurely my eſtate is not good, I ſhould but flatter my ſelf, If I ſhould think that ever God will eternally own and embrace ſuch a one as I am, who complaine againſt ſinne, and yet relapſe into the ſame ſinne, who with tears and groanes confeſſe my ſinne, yet ever and anon fall into the ſame ſin, &c.
Anſw. I muſt confeſſe this is a ſad condition, It doth give Satan an advantage to triumph: beſides it doth raiſe ſuch fears and terrours, horrours and doubts in the ſoul, that the ſoul can not be ſo frequent in duty as formerly, nor ſo confident in duty as formerly, nor ſo bold and familiar, and delightfull with God in duty as formerly, nor ſo conſtant in duty as formerly; but for all this the ſoul hath no cauſe to diſtruſt, much leſſe to deſpair of mercy; for though grace doe free from the dominion of ſinne, and from the damning power of ſinne, and from the love of ſinne, yet grace doth not free any man from the ſeed of any one ſinne, and therefore it is poſſible for a ſoul to fall again and again, viz. Lot was twice overcome with wine: John twice worſhipped the Angell: Abraham out of fear did often diſſemble, and lay his wife open to adultery to ſave his life; ſee Gen. 20. 13. & Gen. 12. David was reſolved to kill Naball and all his innocent family, and a little after he fell into the foul murther of Ʋriah; Jehoſhaphat, though a godly man, yet joynes affinity with wicked Ahab: and though he was ſaved by a miracle, yet ſoon after he fals into the ſame ſinne, 2 Chr. 18. 1, 2, 3, 30, 31. and joyned himſelf with Ahaziah King of Iſrael who did very wickedly: Sampſon alſo fell often into one groſſe ſinne, as is evident, Judg. 14, 15, and 16. Chapters. Again, Peter relapſed often, and ſo did Jonah. Our falling into ſinne then ſhould humble us, but not utterly diſcomfort us, for ſinne ſhall never be our bane, if it be our burden; for thoſe that were borne of God, have relaps'd again and again; Jacob twice told a lie for compaſſing the Bleſſing, Gen. 27. 19, 21. Lot twice made drunken, committeth inceſt with both his daughters, Gen. 19. Peter thrice denies his Maſter, and every time worſe then other, Mat. 26. &c. Theſe are in record, to caution them that ſtand, that they fall not, and to comfort them that have relapſed, that they deſpaire not.