The Way to Heaven Discovered, Religious treatise · Stumbling block 14
XIV.
The fourteenth ſtumbling block; Well, ſay many miſgiving hearts, I could almoſt beleeve, but that it is ſo difficult a thing; to beleeve in health and proſperity is eaſie, but to beleeve when tryals come; O then, O then the difficulty appeareth: wherefore I would not have my wounded ſoul healed ſlightly, as in Jer. 6. 14. Moſt men by their gloſſings and flatteries, lull people aſleep in ſecurity, bearing them in hand, that there is no ſuch dangerous matter againſt them, and ſo draw a skin over places full of corrupt matter, which will cauſe the wound to feſter the more inwardly, to the patients greater and further evill; I fear my graces are not true but counterfeit, for all is not gold that gliſters; and that which men call faith, is but fancie; and that which they call zeale, is but unnaturall heate, and paſſion; and that light men have is but common, it is ſhort of that many have attained to, that are now in hell.
Anſw. If thou haſt but the leaſt grain of faith in thee, it will lead thee to the Sunne of righteouſneſſe, that ariſeth with healings in his wings, Mal. 4. 2.
1. This Phyſician will cure thee ſpeedily, Pſal. 46. 1.
2. He will heale thee perfectly, Matth. 14. 36.
3. He will cure all thy diſeaſes whatſoever univerſally, Mat. 9. 35.
4. He cures every one he takes in hand freely, Iſa. 55. 1. Revel. 22. 17.
5. He doth heal thoſe that come to him eternally, Jer. 17. 14.
And if any ſay their ſins are great, he ſaith his mercy is greater; If thy ſins be of diverſe ſorts, he tels thee in his Word, that in him there is multitudes of mencies; If thou ſay thy ſins have been repeated, he tels thee his mercies are revealed and renewed every morning; If thou ſay thou art unfit for mercy, he ſaith in his Word, if thou thoughteſt thy ſelfe fit for mercy, thou ſhouldeſt not have mercy.
We read in the booke of Martyrs, of ſome that were ſo full of miſgivings of heart and fears, did doubt, they ſhould never hold out to ſuffer for Chriſt, but when they came to the tryall, they prayed earneſtly, and were ſtrengthened immediately, and ſuffered valiantly; when ſome others that boaſted of their ſtrength, had no ſtrength to ſuffer: We alſo read of ſome others that could not diſpute for Chriſt, and yet they would die for him; one …icely Ormes Martyr, when ſhe was brought to the ſtake layes her hand on it, and ſayes, Welcome the Croſse of Chriſt; and then kiſſed it, and ſaid, Welcome the ſweet Croſſe of Chriſt. Again, we read of one Mr. John Bradford, being brought to the ſtake, took up a faggot and kiſſed it, and turning his head to the young man that ſuffered with him, ſaid, Be of good comfort brother, for we ſhall have a merry ſupper with the Lord this night; and imbracing the reeds ſaid, Straight is the way, and narrow is the gate that leadeth to eternall ſalvation, and few there be that finde it. By all which we may ſee that many pretious ſoules have had true grace, and yet have feared that they have had none; true grace we ſee will inable a man to ſtep over the worlds Crown, to take up Chriſts Croſſe; to preferre the Croſſe of Chriſt, above the glory and bravery of this World. One Godfry of Bullein firſt King of Jeruſalem, refuſed to be crowned with a Crown of gold, ſaying, that it became not a Chriſtian to weare a Crown of gold, where Chriſt had wore a Crown of thornes: and we may ſee by dayly experience, that there is many a poor queſtioning weake Chriſtian, will follow Chriſt through thick and thin, whileſt many of the great profeſſors that did ſeem to be pillars in the Church, doe fall away with Doctor Demas from Chriſt to imbrace this preſent World; or elſe with the young man in the Goſpell, come and bid fair for heaven, but when Chriſt ſets his Croſſe before him, he ſteps over that to enjoy the Worlds Crowne; when Chriſt bid him goe and ſell all that he had and give to the poore, he went away ſorrowfull, for he had great poſſeſſions: if heaven be to be had upon no other termes, Chriſt may keepe his heaven to himſelfe, hee'l have none of it; but true grace doth worke the heart to the hatred of all ſinne, and to the love of all truth; it workes a man to the hatred of thoſe ſinnes that for his life he cannot conquer, and to loathe thoſe ſinnes that he would give all the World to overcome, ſo that he can ſay, though there be no one ſinne ſubdued in him, yet every ſinne is hated and loathed by him, ſo that though ſinne dwell in him, yet it doth not live in him. Now, if thou haſt any wiſdome from Chriſt, it will lead thee to center in the wiſdome of Chriſt; and that love the ſoul hath from Chriſt, it leads the ſoul by degrees to center in the love of Chriſt; and that righteouſneſſe the ſoul hath from Chriſt, it lead the ſoul to reſt and center in the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt; the ſtreame doth not more naturally lead to the fountaine, nor the effect to the cauſe, then true grace leads the ſoul to Chriſt. But pretended grace leads the ſoul to reſt and center in the promiſes of men, or in the rewards of cre…tures; whereas true faith, if it injoy Chriſt without honour, it will ſatisfie the ſoul; the injoyment of Chriſt without riches, will ſatisfie the ſoul; the injoyment of Chriſt without relations, the injoyment of Chriſt without pleaſure, and without ſmiles of the creatures, will content and ſatisfie the ſoul; though honour is not, and riches are not, and health is not, and friends are not, it is enough that Chriſt is mine, and I am his; my being and well being, conſiſts not in honour, for then Pharaoh had been bleſſed; neither in wit naturall, for then Achitothel had been bleſſed; not in wealth, for then Ahab had been bleſſed; all theſe are but leaves that may grow on ſuch a figgetree as Chriſt hath curſed; wherefore I would be ſuch a tree that hath a root, which is hope; a heart, which is faith; a barke, which is charity; and branches, which are ſpirituall virtues; green leaves, which are good words; and fruit, which are good works.
Beſides, thou mayeſt know whether thou are ſound in the maine, by theſe things; 1. Thou wilt walke more by rule then by example. 2. And be willing to be ſearched in all things, and not only to doe, but to ſuffer for the name of Chriſt, and to mourne in ſecret when God is diſhonoured. 3. Thou wilt do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. 31.