3. Your own peace is wrapt up in it, as well as God's glory. Is it nothing, think you, to be freed from those vultures and harpies that feed upon the hearts of men at such times ? Surely God reckons, that he promiseth a very great mercy to his people Avhen he promi- seth it. Prov. i. ult. Psal. cxii. 7. When Borromaeus was told of some that lay in wait to take away his life, it troubled him not, but he said, An Deus est in mundo pro nihilo ? What, is God in the world for nought.? And like to this was the answer of Silentiarius in the like case ; ^S** Dens mei curam non habet, quid vivo f If God take not care for me, how do I live ; Oh this is it that brings you to an holy quietude of spirit in times of confusion and distraction, which is a choice mercy.
4. Your magnanimity is of special use to other saints, who are following you in the same path of sufferings. If you faint, it is like the fainting of a standard-bearer in an army : you bring thereby an evil report upon the cross of Christ, as ihe^first spies did upon the land of Canaan. And a like influence with that it is like to have on your brethren ; so that there is a necessity of improving this grace also before you can say with Paul you are ready.
2. But what is this Christian fortitude, and wherein doth it consist.
I answer briefly. It is an holy boldness in the performance of dif- ficult duties, foivmg from faith in the call of God, and his promise to us in the discharge of them.
THE BEST WORK IN THE WORST TIMES. 49
And so you have the nature of it in these four particulars.
1. It is an holy boldness, not a natural or sinful boldness, arising cither from the natural constitution, or evil disposition of the mind.
2. It is expressed about duties for truth, not error, Jer. ix. 3. for the interest of Christ, not of the flesh.
3. The season in which it appears is, when duties are surrounded and beset with difficulties and dangers, Dan. iii. 16. vi. 10.
4. The fountain whence it flows is faith, and that as it respects the command and call of God to duty, Acts xvi. 10. And his pro- mise, to us in the discharge thereof. Josh. i. 5, 6.
And his grace stands opposed both to the fear of man in the cause of God, Heb. xi. 27. and to apostasy from the truth for fear of suf- fering. Thus briefly of the nature of it.
3. In the last place I shall lay down some rules for the promoting and improvement of it, and so finish this chapter.
Now there are ten rules heedfully to be observed for the breed- ing of holy courage in the breast of a saint in evil times.
1. Rule. And the first rule is this. Get a weaned heart from all earthly enjoyments. If the heart be inordinately fixed upon any one thing that you possess in the world, that inordinate estimation of, and affection for it, will strangely effeminate, soften, and cowardize your spirit when your trial comes, 2 Tim. ii. 4 You meet not with a man of courage for God, but had his heart dead to earthly things; so it was with Paul, Phil. iii. 8. Since the apostles, we scarce meet with a greater example of magnanimity than Luther ; and if you read his story, you will find few men ever set a lower rate on the world than he. All the Turkish empire in his eye was but a crumb cast to tlie dogs. Germana est haec hestia pecunium non curat. Money could not tempt him.
2. Rule. Suffer not guilt to lie upon your consciences: it is a foun- tain of fears, and you can never attain boldness for God till it be re- moved, Rom. V. 1, 2, 3. The spirit of a sound mind is opposed to the spirit of fear, 2 Tim. i. 7. Now that sound mind is a mind or spirit that is not wounded, and made sick and infirm by guilt. O what black fogs and mists arise out of guilt, which becloud our evidences, and fill us with fear and discouragements ! Gen. xlii. 21, 22.
3. Rule. Clear your call to difficult services, be well satisfied that you are in that way and posture God expects to find you in. O what courage this will give ! Josh. i. 9. Then a man may promise himself God's presence and protection, 2 Chron. xv. 2. But whilst a man is dubious here, and cannot tell whether it be his duty or not that he is engaging in, how can he have courage to hazard any thing for it ? For thinks he, I may suffer much from men, and yet have no thanks of God for it, 1 Pet. ii. 9. And further, till a man be clear in this, he cannot commit his cause to God. And it is a sad thing to be cut off from so choice a relief as that is, 1 Pet. iv. 19-
4. Rule. Get right notions and apprehensions of your enemies.
^0 PREPARATIONS po a sufferings; or,
We are apt to magnify the creature, as if he could do more than he caw, and thereby disable ourselves frora doing what we should. Possess your souls with the belief of these five things concerning them. (1.) That they are poor weak enemies, Isa. xl. 15, 17, 2^ But as a sv/arm of gnats in the air. See how God describes them, Isa. h. 13, 14.
(2.) That little power they have is limited by your Grod who hath the bounding and ordering of it, John xix. 11. Psal. Ixxiv. 10. (3.) They carry guilt upon them, which makes them more timorous than you, Isa. viii. 12. Their fear is a strange fear. (4.) They only use carnal weapons against you, which cannot touch your souls. If ihey were praying enemies that could engage God against you, they would be formidable enemies indeed ; but this they cannot do. The largest commission that any of them ever had from God, extended but to the bodies and bodily concernment of the saints, Luke xi. 4, 5. They cannot thunder with an arm like God, nor blot your name out of the book of life, nor take your part out of the New Jerusalem ; therefore fear not man. (5.) Your enemies are God's enemies ; and God hath espoused your cause and quarrel. The more cruel they are, the kinder he will be to you, John ix. 34, 35.
5. Rule. Labour to engage the presence of God with you in all places and conditions. Whilst you enjoy this, your spirits will be invincible and undaunted, Josh. i. 9- Psal. cxviii. 6. A weak creature assisted and encouraged by the presence of a great God will be able to do and suffer great things. Poor flesh in the hand of an almighty Spirit acts above itself. A little dog, if his master be by, and animates him, will seize upon a gTeater beast than himself, though he would run from him were his master absent. Our courage ebbs and flows as the m.anifestations of the divine presence do. Oh get thyself once within the line of that promise, Is. xliii. 1, 2. and thou art invincible.