Thirdly, Christian, improve this, when oppressed with the weight of any duty and service, which in thy place and calling lies upon thee. Perhaps thou findest the duty of thy calling too heavy for thy weak shoulders ; make bold by faith to lay the heaviest end of thy burden on God's shoulder, which is thine, if a believer, as sui'e as God can make it by promise. When at any time thou art sick of thy work, and ready to think with Jonas to run from it, encourage thyself with that of God to Gideon, whom he called from the flail to thresh the mountains : Go in this thy might ; hath not God called thee ? Fall to the work God sets thee about, and thou engagest his strength for thee. ' The way of the Lord is strength.' Run from thy work, and thou engagest God's strength against thee ; he will send some storm or other after thee to bring home his nmaway servant. How oft hath the coward been killed in a ditch, or under some hedge, when the valiant soldier that stood his ground and kept his place, got off with safety and honour ? Art thou called to suffer ? Flinch not because thou art afraid thou shalt never be able to bear the cross ; God can lay it so even that thou shalt not feel it : though thou shouldst find no succour till thou comest to the prison door, yea, till thou hast one foot on the ladder, or thy neck on the block, despair not. ' In the mount will the Lord be seen.' And in that hour he can give thee such a look of his sweet face as shall make the blood come in the ghastly face of a cruel death, and appear lovely in thy eye for his sake. He can give thee so much comfort in hand, as thou shalt acknowledge God is aforehand with thee, for all the shame and pain thou canst endure for him. And if it should not amount to this, yet so much as will bear all thy charges thou canst be put to in the way, lies ready told in that promise, 1 Cor. x. 13. Thou shalt have it at sight ; and this may satisfy a Christian ; especially if he considers, though he doth not carry so much of heaven's joy about him to heaven as others, yet he shall meet it as soon as he comes to his Father's house, where it is reserved for him. In a word. Christian, rely upon thy God, and make thy daily applications to the throne of grace, for continual supplies of strength ; you little think how kindly he takes it, that you will make use of him, the oftener the better ; and the more you come for, the more welcome ; else why woidd Christ have told his disciples, 'Hitherto ye have asked nothing,' but to express his large heart in giving, loath to put his hand to his purse for a little, and therefore by a familiar kind of rhetoric puts them to rise higher in asking, as Naaman, when Gehazi asked one talent, entreats him to take two. Such a bountiful heart thy God hath, while thou art asking a little peace and joy, he bids thee open thy mouth wide, and he will fill it. Go and ransack thy heart, Christian, from one end to the other ; find out thy wants, acquaint thyself with all thy weaknesses, and set them before the Almighty, as the widow her empty vessel before the prophet ; hadst thou more than thou canst bring, thou mayest have them all filled. God hath strength enough to give, but he hath no strength to deny : here the Almighty himself, with reverence be it spoken, is weak ; even a child, the weakest in grace of his family that can but say Father, is able to overcome him, and therefore let not the weakness of thy faith discourage thee. No greater motive to the bowels of mercy to stir up almighty power to relieve thee, than thy weakness, when pleaded in the sense of it. The pale face and thin cheeks, I hope, move more with us, than the canting language of a stout sturdy beggar. Thus that soul that comes laden in the sense of his weak faith, love, patience, the very weakness of them carries an argument along with them for succour.
CHAPTER V.
WHEREIN Is ANSWERED A GRAND OBJECTION THAT SOME DISCONSOLATE SOUI.S MAY RAISE AGAINST THE FORMER DISCOURSE.
Object. O BUT, saith some disconsolate Christian, I have prayed again and again for strength against such a corruption, and to this day my hands are
22 AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.
weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are so strong, that I am ready to say, all the preachers do but flatter me, that do ponr their oil of comfort upon my head, and tell me I shall at last get the conquest of these mine enemies, and see that joyful day wherein, with David, I shall ' sing to the Lord, for delivering me out of the hands of all mine enemies.' I have prayed for strength for such a duty, and find it come off" as weakly and dead-heartedly as before. If God be with me by his mighty power to help me, why then is all this befallen me ?