The Sacred Diary, Section 29
SECT. XXIX. How every one is every day to embrace all Opportunities of doing Good.
OPportunity is many times a ſpecial means which a Man of Gifts and Place hath to do good above others, and above himſelf at other times. Sometimes things fall out ſo fitly to a Man, that they even put him upon ſome Service tending to the Glory of God, whereas others have not the like. In ſuch caſes the Rule is that which is given to one in the holy Story; Do as thine Hand ſhalt find: Do as occaſion ſhall ſerve, do as opportunity ſhall inuite thee. Many are called by the Lord's Providence giving them opportunity, to do ſomewhat for his Glory, whereunto others have not the like occaſion. And when Men fail herein, they ſhew ſome neglect, or diſobedience towards the Lord's Calling; and therefore when God offers an opportunity, we muſt not ſtand a queſtioning or muttering, Why do not ſuch, or ſuch, go before us? Why do not ſuch do it rather? As Moſes in his weakneſs told the Lord, [Send him whom thou ſhouldeſt ſend.] But every one ſhould think thus with himſelf, This is my Work, the Lord puts it upon me, and I muſt do it. This falls out in many Caſes, for which there is not a full Direction to be looked for.
Thus it may happen that a Man may ſometime by opportunity, be put upon a work of Mercy, to relieve one in Wants, when we meet him through God's Providence in caſe of Extremity, and we have ſomething at hand whereby to help him. This was the Samaritan's caſe, who found in his Journey the poor helpleſs Man, Robbed and Wounded, and ſo as occaſion was given, he menifully relieved him. Now this Opportunity, that he came by him in this Extremity, and had ſomething about him to help him withal, did both enable him to relieve him, and was a calling to the Work which others had not, that came not that way.
So again, When Mens caſes are more clearly made known to us than to others, by familiar converſing with them, or by ſome other means, and thereupon ſpecial ſuit is alſo made unto us. So David's caſe was ſpecially made known to Nabal, by the familiarity paſſing between him and Nabal's Servants in the Wilderneſs, and ſpecial ſuit was alſo made unto him by all the Rich Men thereabout; and therefore he had a ſpecial opportunity and calling to have relieved David, and was more ſpecially bound to it than ſome others.
So ſometimes a Man ſhall have a ſpecial opportunity given him, to admoniſh another of his Sin; He may meet him alone, he may perhaps have ſome advantage of him in ſome kind, and may make him beholden to him ſome way or other, and ſo have occaſion to deal the more boldly with him. As Moſes, when Pharaoh ſtood in need of him and his Prayer, to remove the Plagues which came ſo thick upon him, made uſe thereof, and amoniſhed him of his unfaithful dealing, and hardneſs of Heart.
I have read, that when a great Perſecutor of the Proteſtants in France, was ſmitten with a moſt grievous Diſeaſe, and was forced to make uſe of a Proteſtant Phyſician that feared God, the ſaid Phyſician took this as an opportunity to tell him cloſely of the great Sin, in ſhedding the Blood of his Saints, and that this Diſeaſe was God's revenging Hand upon him. And when our Saviour had made the Blind Man eſpecially beholden to him for the cure of his Blindneſs, he took the opportunity to give him a ſeaſonable Admonition, Sin no more, leſt a worſe thing come unto thee.
Thus when another hath need of thine Alms, thy Counſel, thine Help any way, and Opportunity is given thee to deal plainly with him for any ſpecial Sin that thou ſeeſt him lying in; ſo perhaps thou findeſt him in a better temper than he uſeth to be. Thou mayſt then think the Lord hath fitted, and made him ready to thine Hand, and given thee an opportunity to work upon him, and thou muſt think thy ſelf bound to take it. There are many Caſes, and great variety of this kind, which a Man ſhall ordinarily meet with, and which every one muſt watchfully obſerve and take for the Glory of God, and his own furtherance in the Ways and Work of God.
Finally, All Chriſtians truly ſanctified, are enabled with heavenly Means and Graces, far above thoſe that are in their Natural Eſtate. The wiſe Man ſaith, A living Dog is better than a dead Lion. The meaneſt Chriſtian, of the weakeſt Capacity, and ordinary Natural Parts, being raiſed to the new Life of Grace, is better able to do the Service of God, than he that is dead in Sin, though enriched with higher natural Endowments. Ruſſin. Eccleſ. hiſt. lib. 1. cap. 3.Ruffinus, in his Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtory, tells us a memorable ſtory, That when the Emperour Conſtantine the Great, had cauſed the Clergy to come together to diſpute about the Opinion of Arius, there came unto the Aſſembly divers Philoſophers, and Logicians, that were exquiſite in their Faculty, and were highly conceited of themſelves. Among the reſt there was one that was very famous for a Logician, and every day he diſputed with the Biſhops, that were good Logicians alſo. Many very learned Men came to ſee and hear thoſe Conflicts, nor could the Philoſopher be put to ſilence: Nay, ſo cunning he was, that when he was thought moſt of all to be caught and taken, like a ſlippery Eel he would ſlide away from them. But that God might ſhew, that his Kingdom is not in Word, but in Power, there was among the Biſhops, one of the Confeſſors ſtanding by, a Man knowing little ſave Jeſus Chriſt, and him crucified, who when he ſaw the Philoſopher inſulting over the Biſhops, and boaſting himſelf upon the skill that he had in Arguing and Reaſoning, deſired of all that ſtood by to give him room, that he might talk with that Philoſopher. The Biſhops and their Party, that knew the ſimplicity of the Man, and his unskilfulneſs in that kind, were afraid and bluſhed, leſt that Holy Simplicity of his ſhould perhaps be expoſed to the Scorns of thoſe crafty Companions. But the Old Man perſiſted in his purpoſe, and thus began: O Philoſopher, (ſaith he) in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, hear thou thoſe things which are true. God that made the Heavens and the Earth, and gave Man a Spirit; whom he framed of the Duſt of the Earth, is One: He hath by the Virtue of his Word created all things both Viſible and Inviſible, and ſtrengthened them by the Sanctification of his Spirit. This Word and Wiſdom, whom we call the Son, taking pity upon humane Errours, was born of a Virgin, and by the paſſion of his Death, hath delivered us from everlaſting Death, and by his Reſurrection hath given us everlaſting Life, whom we look for to be the Judg of all we do. O Philoſopher, ſaid he, believeſt thou this? Whereupon the Philoſopher, as if he had never learnt the Art of Contradiction, was ſo aſtoniſhed at the words which were ſpoken, that being mute to all that was alledged, only this he was able to anſwer: That what the Old Man had ſaid ſeemed ſo to himſelf indeed, and that there was no other Truth than that which was delivered by him. Whereupon the Old Man then replied, Why then, faith he, if thou believeſt theſe things to be true, ariſe, and follow me to the Church, and take thy Baptiſm, the Seal of this Faith. Hereupon the Philoſopher turning to his Diſciples, or to thoſe that were preſent, and came to hear, ſaid, O ye learned Men, hearken unto me; Whilſt this Matter in hand was performed by Words, I alſo oppoſed Words unto Words; and thoſe things which were ſpoken, able I was to confute by the Art of Speaking: But now that inſtead of Words, Power is proceeded from the Mouth of him that ſpeaketh, neither can Words reſiſt that Power, neither can Man withſtand God: Therefore, if any of you here preſent, can believe thoſe things that have been ſpoken, as I do believe them, let him believe in Chriſt, and follow this Old Man, in whom God hath thus ſpoken: And ſo at length the Philoſopher becoming a Chriſtian, was glad that he was thus vanquiſhed.
Now then all ye that are made alive to God, conſider ye what the Lord requireth at your Hands; is it enough for you to keep pace in the Ways of God, with thoſe that are aſleep, yet dead in Sin? As if a Man ſhould not ariſe from his Bed, nor ſet upon his Work, until he ſeeth the dead Corpſes in the Church-Yard riſe out of their Graves, and walk abroad. It is you that have wherewithal to ſerve the Lord: It is you that have your Eyes opened, to ſee the Ways and Works which he hath ordained, that ye ſhould walk in them: It is you that have Faith to reſt upon him, whereby to receive an encouragement from him in his Services, upon the apprehenſion of the Crown of Glory. It is you that have the Spirit of Prayer; it is you that have caſt Anchor within the Vail; it is you that can ſee an open paſſage for your Prayers and Services to the Throne of Grace: It is you that have felt the Fire of God to fall upon your Hearts, whereby ye might offer up an acceptable Sacrifice unto God, like Elijah, whilſt Carnal Men, like the Prieſts of Baal, may beat, cut, and force themſelves (as divers of the Papiſts do) beyond others in outward ſhews and needleſs Superſtitions, and yet have not one ſpark of Fire from above, to ſet their Offerings on fire. It is not a body of Sin that will make a pleaſing Sacrifice unto God, but a Body and Soul waſhed by the Blood of Chriſt.
Therefore you to whom God hath thus given, you muſt offer up your ſelves to him; as our Saviour ſaith to his Diſciples: To you it is given to know the Myſteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given. So I ſay, To you it is given to pray, to you it is given to reade the Scriptures, and to hear the Word of God; To you it is given to meditate on the Word; To you it is given to ſee and conceive aright of Heavenly Things: Ye have taſted of Love and Mercy, and therefore to you it is given to ſhew Love and Mercy. Think ye of your Talents, and of your Receipts unto whom God hath given much, look what ye have received, mind your Account, tender his Glory, whoſe Love in all Eternity was ſo tender to your Souls above many thouſand others.