and there she findes other manner of flowers then any the World hath in which there is sweetnesse of a higher nature even the Honey dew of the choise mercy and goodnesse and blessing of God himselfe if Gods people doe leave the full brests of the World it is because they have found the brests of consolation from which they have suckt other manner of sweetnesse then the brests of the world can afford were it not for some who have had much in the World and yet have denyed themselves for Christ this testimony to the wayes of godlinesse could not have beene given but blessed be God wee have some who doe give this testimony in which God is much honoured and which is their honour likewise Seventhly thus to deny ones selfe is honourable because wheresoever this is there surely will be a holding out to the end no troubles of adversity can ever make such a one to forsake any wayes of God who can dny himselfe for God in the midst of the pleasures of prosperity A man that is able to deny himselfe in prosperity will be able to beleeve in adversity if he bee prosperity proofe there is no feare but hee will be adversity proofe too If you read thorow the whole Book of God you shall finde that the pleasures of prosperity have beene the greatest snare few of Gods servants have passed through that condition without dishonour but the estate of adversity hath ever proved most safe seldome any of Gods servants but have beene bettered by it Wee read of Manna Exod. 16. 21. that it was melted with the Sunne but it could endure the heat of fire for they baked Cakes of it Thus it is with many men they are melted many good things in them vanish and come to nothing by the heat of prosperity whom the fire of adversity cannot hurt but is usefull to them If a man hath overcome the delights of the World he hath overcome the great hindrance in the wayes of godlinesse the great danger of Apostasie that which causes so many thousands to fall and to forsake God and his blessed wayes such a soule hath got over the great stumbling blocke at which so many stumble and fall and breake themselves by Ezek. 3. 20. I will lay a stumbling block saith the Lord. Vatablus his Note upon the place is I will cause that hee shall have all things prosperous I will not call him from sinne by affliction There have beene many who have held out a long time in suffering and yet after have fallen in prosperity when the World hath shined on them flatteringly but where have wee any example of any who have denyed themselves in prosperity that ever failed in the times of adversitie Eightly this upbraides those who doe greedily embrace the things of the world and thinke that it is impossible for any to deny themselves in so great delights as they doe enjoy as Balaak wonders that upon offers of such great preferments as hee offered unto Balaam he came not to him hee thought it impossible that there should bee any man in the world that would not bee moved with such an argument as that was So base covetous wretches and ambitious men that love their honours and those that follow after their fleshly pleasures they think all the world are of their minde if they had the like opportunityes they would doe as they doe Nero who was so basely uncleane thought that all men in the world were so too or would be so had they fit opportunities for their uncleannesse Men heare speaking of selfe-deniall but they doe not beleeve there is any such thing in reality they would gladly see the man that can deny himselfe in such things as they injoy if he may have them as freely and as fully as they have now this practise of Gods people convinces them that there are some that can doe those things that they thinke to bee impossible God hath his servants who have done such things who can and will doe them and that willingly and joyfully too with much freedome and chearefulnesse of spirit and blesse God that they have any comfort in the world any preferment or estate to loose for God accounting it a happier thing to loose for God then to enjoy for themselves CHAP. VI. Comfort to those who in the midst of earthly contentments have their affections set upon Heaven HEnce there is much comfort and encouragement to those whom the Lord hath raised above others in outward things and together with their estates and honour he hath given them hearts to returne the glory of all to himselfe in the midst of all the comforts they have yet their hearts are above all for God and for the things of heaven and eternity These are to bee praised their honour is to be published who have refused to flourish with the flourishing world Blessed be God there are yet some such in the world and we hope the Lord is raising up of more blessed are they of the Lord and honorable in the esteeme of the Saints First this is a most evident argument that all the good things they have in the world comes from the spirituall favour and love of God to them and this is no small matter there is more sweetnesse in this knowledge of the principle from whence the good things we have doe come then in any thing that they afford of themselves The difference of Iacobs blessing from Esau's is observable Gen. 27. 28. there is Iacobs God give thee the dew of heaven and the fatnesse of the earth Esau's blessing is v. 29. where the dew of heaven and the fatnesse of the earth is likewise given to him but the reference it hath to God is left out it is not there God give thee A carnall heart cares not so he may have the thing it selfe he does not looke to the principle from whence it comes but the chiefe sweet to a gracious heart is that he can see God the love and mercy of God in all the blessings he enjoyes Now there is no such argument as this to demonstrate Gods love in them outward things are no certaine arguments of the love of God wicked men the objects of Gods hatred may have them as well as the godly but outward blessings with a heart to give God the glory of them doe alwaies come from Gods love in Christ God does oftentimes give the same thing to one out of speciall favour in Christ to another out of a generall bounty that God hath raised you above others this is a mercy but that he hath given you this grace in this he hath raised you indeed this mercy is of an higher nature the other things are called the goods of fortune but this is the fruit of Gods eternall love in Iesus Christ this is a mercy peculiar to the chosen of the Lord. Secondly this is an evident signe that God intends to use you in excellent
them as if they were made now to us Compare Joshua 1. 5. with Hebrewes 13. 5. God saith to Ioshua I will be with thee I will not faile thee nor forsake thee now in the Hebrewes Saint Paul applyeth it to the beleevers in his time as if it had beene made to them Be content saith he with such things as ye have for hee hath said I will not leave thee nor forsake thee They might have answered where hath God said so hee said it indeede to Ioshua but what is that to us yes all one as if he had spoken to you Vpon this one instance whatsoever promise God ever made to any of his people since the beginning of the world for any good if our condition comes to be the same Faith will make it her owne as if God had but now made it to us in particular So for Gods former dealings with our selves when all sense of Gods mercies faile that God seemes to be as an enemy Faith will fetch life from his former mercies as if they were now present as wee see in David Psal 77. 5 6. I have considered the dayes of old the yeeres of ancient time I call to remembrance my song in the night c. And vers 10. I said this is my infirmity but I will remember the yeeres of the right hand of the most High Hee checkes himselfe for doubting of Gods mercies because of his former mercies and hee recovers himselfe by bringing to minde the former dealings of God with them So Psal 143. 45. Davids spirit was even overwhelmed within him and his heart was desolate yet he recovers himselfe by remembring the dayes of old and by meditating upon Gods former workes Now in this worke of Faith what abundance of strength doth it bring in from all the mercies of God to our fore-fathers from all the promises made to any godly men though never so long since from all Gods former dealings in his goodnesse and makes all these as present to us this must needs wonderfully strengthen the heart to any service or suffering As despaire makes all Gods former dealings in his judgements with others and Gods wayes concerning it selfe as present to fetch terror from them so Faith Gods mercies to fetch comfort and strength from them Secondly Faith is a raising grace it carries the soule on high above sense above reason above the world when Faith is working oh how is the soule raised above the feares and favours of men It is said of Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 17. 6. His heart was lift up in the wayes of God Faith lifts up the heart in the wayes of God A man raised on high sees all things under him as small Eusebius tells us of a notable speech that Ignatius used when hee was in his enemies hands not long before hee was to suffer which argued a raised spirit to a wonderfull height above the world and above himselfe I care sayes hee for nothing visible or invisible that I might get Christ let fire the crosse the letting out of beasts upon mee breaking of my bones the tearing of my members the grinding of my whole body and the torments of the Devils come upon me so be it I may get Christ Faith puts a holy magnanimity upon the soule to slight and to over-looke with a holy contempt whatsoever the world proffers or threatens All things are under us while wee are above our selves and it is onely Faith that empties us of our selves and raises us above our selves Faith raises the soule to converse with high and glorious things with the deepe and eternall counsels of God with the glorious mysteries of the Gospel with communion with God and Jesus Christ with the great things of the Kingdome of Christ with the great things of Heaven and eternall life Men before Faith comes into their soules have poore low spirits busied about meane and contemptible things and therefore every offer of the world prevailes with them and every little danger of suffering any trouble scares them and makes them yeeld to any thing but when Faith comes there is another manner of spirit in a man Every spirit is not fit for sufferings but a spirit truely raised by Faith a princely spirit so Luther calls it to dare to venture losse of estate and life for the Name of Christ to this a Princely spirit is required When Valens the Emperour sent his Officer to Basilius seeking to turne him from the Faith hee first offered him great preferments but Basil rejected them with scorne Offer these things sayes he to children then he threatens him most grievously Basil contemnes all his threatnings Threaten sayes he your purple Gallants that give themselves to their pleasures And Basil in his Homily in Quadraginta Martyres brings them in answering the offers of worldly preferments Why doe you promise us these small things of the world which you account great when as the whole world is despised by us What great spirits did Faith put into some of these worthies mentioned in this chapter which appeares by the great things that they did by their Faith vers 33. 34. Through Faith they subdued Kingdomes they stopped the mouthes of Lions and this is observable that working righteousnesse and obtaining the promises are put betweene these two as if these were workes of the same ranke fit to bee joyned with such great things as those were Againe by Faith they quenched the violence of the fire of weake they were made strong they waxed valiant in fight they turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens Certainely Faith is as glorious a grace now as ever it was and if it be put forth it will enable the soule to doe great things The raising of the soule above reason and sense is as great a thing as any of these The Faith of Abraham was most glorious for which hee is stiled the Father of the faithfull and yet the chief for which this is commended is that hee beleeved against hope Rom. 4. 18. When the soule is in some straight it lookes up for helpe and sense sayes it cannot be reason sayes it will never be wicked men say it shall not be yea it may bee God in the wayes of his providence seemes to goe so crosse as if hee would not have it to be yet if Faith have a word for it it sayes it shall be In great difficulties in sore afflictions when God seemes to be angry and to strike in his wrath when there appeares nothing to sense and reason but wrath yet even then Faith hath hold on Gods heart when his hand strikes If Faith by raising the soule above reason and sense can carry it through even such streights as the sense and apprehension of the wrath of God himselfe if it can enable to beare the strokes of God when they appeare as the strokes of an enemy much more easily can Faith enable to resist the temptations of the world and to carry it through all the
backe but he brings the conquered into bondage so as now he is able to use the adversary to serve his owne turne so in this conquest of faith there is not onely an overcomming of the temptations of the pleasures of the world but abilitie to use them for God and the furtherance of our owne good And so in riches and honours Conquerours doe not use to put to the sword and destroy all they conquer but they bring them into bondage to be serviceable to them Some thinke there is no other victory over the world but to throw all away presently as wee reade of Crates the Philosopher hee cast his goods into the sea with this speech Get you gone into the deepes I will drowne you lest I bee drowned of you But this is not the way of God wee are to stay till God call us to leave that we doe enjoy untill that time you may enjoy your honours your riches and your moderate lawfull pleasures but to be able to use these for God this is a great victory The Devill often makes use of many of Gods good blessings which he gives us for our furtherance in his wayes to be a meanes to hinder us so faith makes use of all his oppositions in those waies which hee intends hinderances to bee meanes of great furtherance in them In former times men thought it a good piece of skill to keepe wilde beasts from doing hurt but after they got that skil not onely to keepe them from that mischiefe they did but to make use of them for their benefit to make use of theis skinnes and their intralls and divers other waies this is the skill of Faith in overcomming the world to make use of those things of the world that heretofore have done them so much hurt But yet further there is a third thing in victory which is triumph a beleever can triumph over the world over all his allurements and threats As Christ did not onely prevaile against his and our enemies but triumphed over them likewise as Col. 2. 15. having spoyled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them so Christ makes us to triumph as 2 Cor. 2. 14. Now thankes bee to God which alwaies causeth us to triumph in Christ And yet further there is something more then all this in Faiths overcomming the world which is beyond our expressions By Faith we are more then conquerours Rom. 8. 37. In all these things wee are more then conquerers in what things in tribulation in persecution in famine in nakednesse and perill of sword while we are killed all the day long and accounted as sheepe for the slaughter in all these things But how more then conquerours wee gather strength by our opposition wee conquer in being conquered Persecutors are tyred more in inflicting then we in suffering Eusebius reports of the tormentors of Blandina who tormented her by turnes from morning to night that they fainted for wearinesse confessing themselves overcome And Gregory Nazianzen tells of one of the nobles of Iulian who at the tormenting of Marcus Bishop of Arethusa said unto him wee are ashamed O Emperour the Christians laugh at your cruelty and grow the more resolute Rev. 12. 11. It is said of the Saints they loved not their lives to the death and yet they overcame they overcame in being killed and this is to be more then a conquerour CHAP. XI Most men are strangers to this precious Faith The Tryall thereof discovered IF this be the work of Faith if these be the glorious effects of it then hence the faith of the most men in the world is discovered not to be right not to be precious faith that faith that is the faith of Gods elect because it is altogether void of this vertue and efficacie you thinke you have faith what can you doe with your faith what power what efficacie hath it can it draw your hearts off from all creatures here below can it raise your spirits above all the delights honours profits of the world can it satisfie your soules with God alone as an infinite all-sufficient good Surely a precious faith that is the Faith of Gods Elect doth this First Faith hath a mighty power of God put forth for the working of it in the soule It is the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power the same that raised Jesus Christ from the dead that workes faith wheresoever ir is and God does not use to put forth his Almighty power in any extraordinary manner for the wotking of an ordinary thing therefore faith must needes bee some extraordinary thing and have some extraordinary vertue in it wheresoever it is true to doe great things Secondly Faith hath the great honour above all other graces to be the condition of the second Covenant therefore surely it is some great matter that faith enables to doe whatsoever keeps covenant with God brings strength though it selfe be never so weake As Sampsons Haire what is weaker then a little haire yet because the keeping that was keeping covenant with God therefore even a little Haire was so great strength to Sampson Faith then that is the condition of the covenant in which all grace and mercy is contained if it be kept it will cause strength indeed to doe great things Thirdly Faith hath high and glorious things for its object it is God himselfe his electing redeeming love the Lord Iesus Christ in his natures and offices the glorious mysteries of redemption c. that it exercises it selfe upon It could not have to deale with these things if it were not a most excellent grace full of admirable vertue and efficacie Fourthly Faith hath high and glorious acts that it performes that are essentiall to it Fifthly it hath many glorious effects it is that which must carry the soule through all hazards difficulties and oppositions to eternall life Surely then this grace hath exceeding great things in it certainely the world is mistaken in this grace It is something else that they have taken up for faith all this while for there is nothing more dull flat and dead then that which they take for Faith their hope in God and trusting in God what empty heartlesse livelesse things are they No marvell though they thinke it an easie thing to beleeve It is easie indeed to beleeve with such a kind of beliefe as theirs is Truly wee had need looke to it that wee be not mistaken in our Faith for it is of infinite consequence upon which all depends if we be mistaken in this all the mercy in God all the blood of Christ all the good in the promises can doe nothing for us Consider therefore againe surely that cannot be right faith that cannot doe that which the light of nature can doe that meere civility and morality can doe Suppose it did as much as they can doe yet if it can doe no more it is not right it is not
services for the honour of his name as Saul collected from the spirit of David when he saw how he was able to deny himselfe in not taking that advantage he had of him when he might have had his will upon him to the full blessed bee thou my sonne David sayes Saul thou shalt both doe great things and shalt also still prevaile 1 Sam. 26. 25. So when a man may have his will to the full and yet can deny himselfe it is a signe that God intends to use selfe-denying spirits in his service none to them and this selfe-deniall is of the highest kind Thirdly this is the highest improvement of all outward mercies that may bee this changes poore meane things into most excellent glorious things it is impossible to make so much advantage of any thing in the world any other way as in this way here is a spirituall divine improvement of naturall of vaine drossie things here is a turning of stubble and dirt into gold and pearles for great and precious and glorious are the mercies that God uses to recompence this selfe-deniall withall Fourthly this selfe-deniall is highly acceptable to God God glories in such Daniel kept close to God and denyed himselfe much in his great prosperity and hee is called a man greatly beloved Cap. 10. 11. vir desideriorum a man of desires so the words are as when a man is compassed with temptation to despaire a little breathing of faith is acceptable so when hee is compassed with temptation of satisfying the flesh of security of presumption then a little much more eminent selfe-deniall oh how acceptable is it Fifthly if you in the fulnesse of all your earthly contentments shall acknowledge Iesus Christ and bee willing to lay downe all for him when he shall come in the fulnesse of his glory hee will acknowledge you and will put glory upon you when hee shall come with his mighty Angels full of majestie to be admired of his Saints then he shall owne you and make you partakers of his owne glory hee will then remember every cup of cold water given for his names sake much more then the giving him the praise and honour of so much in the things of the world as you have enjoyed The being made partaker of the fulnesse of Christs honour in that day will then a thousand times recompence the emptying of your selves of any fulnesse of outward contentments in the creature you have had here Sixthly if ever you should live to come to come to any adversity in this world surely it will bee much sweetned to you if you bee willing to give God the honour of the sweet of prosperity though adversity may come yet God will keepe the bitternesse of it from you if you so know God in prosperity as to deny the comforts of it for him hee will so know you in adversity as to take off the gall and bitternesse of it from you in all your seeking of God in the time of trouble you may have a holy boldnesse and freedom of spirit having assurance that it is not out of selfe-love that you seeke him that it is not out of constraint because driven to him by afflictions but it is out of love to that God to whom your soule flowes as to a God in whō you have an especiall interest that God who was so deare to you in the midst of the enjoyment of the abundance of the creature so that now in the want of all things you shall bee freed from those checkes of spirit that others have damping their hearts when they are about seeking after the Lord in the time of their trouble Seventhly it is so much the more honorable and may bee so much the more comfortable to you by how much the more rare it is God hath but few selfe-denying spirits in the world there are a word of people that will be crying to him in the times of affliction but a few peculiar ones who have hearts to seeke his face and honour his name in the height of their prosperity few that are then humble and selfe-denying to be set on high and yet to have the heart kept downe is hard and unusuall saies Bernard but the more unusuall the more glorious CHAP. VII Reproofe of those who greedily pursue sensuall delights THe second use is for Reproofe to those who greedily give up their hearts to the enjoyment of all the carnall and sensuall delight that they can take in the abundance of the outward mercies that God hath given them knowing no higher good of them then to take their fill of cannall delight from them blessing themselves in them little thinking of God or any service that God calls for at their hands in the use of them They know not how to rejoyce and not to let out themselves to the full beyond all bounds of moderation They know not how to make any conjunction betweene rejoycing and moderation they thinke there is such a distance betweene these two that they can never be joyned in one but marke how wide these are from the minde of the Holy Ghost Phil. 4. 4 5. Rejoyce alwaies and againe I say rejoyce what followes then let us let out our hearts to the full let us satisfie our selves to the utmost way but let your moderation be knowne to all men many who care not how they neglect full oportunities for the service of God or receiving spirituall blessings from God yet will bee sure to take to the full all the advantage they can of all their outward prosperitie to fatten their hearts in all manner of carnall jollity and brutish sensuality they let out their hearts to the utmost to this making the bounty of God but as fuell to their lusts and meanes to fatt up their hearts to destruction and to make them the more bold and impudent in sinning against him Doe you thinke in your consciences that this is the end why God hath given you an abundance of these outward things more then others what did God aime at no higher end then this is there no other way whereby God may bee more glorified by that you have will it rejoyce your hearts hereafter to remember what you have done how many are there who have their hearts so glued to the comforts of the creature that they enjoy that they had rather venture to part with God and conscience and those blessed things they heare of Christ and of eternity then venture the losse of these present delights that they see before them as that prophane Duke of Burbon in France said he would not give his part in Paris for his part in Paradise what more apparent argument can there be that you have these things as your portion you are the man who have your portion in this life you are never like to have any other good from God Yea a certaine argument it is that all these things are for the present cursed to you