for me, said Latimer in his letter to Ridley ; for I am sometimes so fearful, that I would creep into a mouse-hole.— [/'oxt'l ylc^s et Mon. 1565. [Rather, 'A Conference had be- twixt Master Ridley and Master Latimer in Prison,' &c. Foxe, by Townsend, vii. 423. The words are touchingly humble : ' Pardon me, and pray for me ; pray for me, I say ; pray for me, 1 say. For I am sometimes so fearful, that I would creep into a mouse - hole.'— G.
52 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
' Thouo-h we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil ; for thou art with us, thy rod and thy staff do comfort us,' Ps. xxiii. 4. But weak souls are afraid of their own shadow. The very shadow of trouble will exceedingly trouble such souls, and oftentimes make their lives a very hell.^
[3.] Thirdly, Fainting in the day of adversity speaks of a soul to be but weak in grace.
Weak Christians are overcome with little crosses. The least cross doth not only startle them, })ut it sinks them, and makes them ready to sit down and to cry out with the church, ' Behold you that pass b3% see w'hether there be any sorrow like my sorrow,' Lam. i. 12. Before trouble comes, weak Christians are apt to think that they can bear much and endure much ; but, alas ! W'hen the day of trial comes upon them, w'hen they are put to it, they prove but men of poor and impotent spirits, and then they roar, and complain, and lie down in the dust, suffering crosses and losses to bind them band and foot, and to spoil them of all their comforts. And now though they have many comforts for one cross, yet one cross doth so damp and daunt their hearts, that joy and comfort flies away from them, and they sit down overwhelmed. Cer- tainly this speaks out little of Christ within. All Rachel's comforts were no comforts, because her children were not. This speaks out much weakness within.
Prov. xxiv. 10, 'If thou faintest in the day of adversity, thy strength is small ;' if thou shrinkest, if thou abatest and slackest, in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Man hath no trial of his strength till he be in trouble ; faintness then discovers weakness. Afflictions try what sap we have, as hard weather tries what health we have. A weak Christian sinks under a little burden ; every frown, every sour word, every puff af wind blows him down, and makes him sink under his burden. But now a soul strong in gi'ace bears up bravely against all winds and weather. That is a brave text, and worthy to be written in letters of gold, that you have in Gen. xlix. 23, 24-, ' Joseph's bow abode in strength, though the archers sorely grieved him, shot at hira, and hated him. And the arms of his hands were made strong, by the mighty God of Jacob.' The archers that sorely grieved him were his barbarous brethren that sold him; his adulterous mistress that, harlot-like, hunted for his precious life ; his injurious master, that without any desert of his, imprisoned him ; the tumultuating Egyptians, that were pined with hunger, perhaps spake of .stoning him ; and the envious courtiers and enchanters spake evilly of him before Pharaoh, to bring him out of favour. All these ^hot sorely at him. The word that is rendered archers in the Hebrew, vVa, is arrow- masters, which term implieth cunning and skilfulness in shooting. They were cunning and skilful to hit tlie mark, and they shot at him, as at a mark ; but yet ' his bow abode in strength.' When God in the midst ot weakness makes a soul strong, that soul will not only face enemies and . difficulties, but triumph over them. Those that are strong in grace seldom want courage or counsel when they are at the worst. They always find their hope to be an anchor at sea, and their faith a shield upon land ; and therefore they triumpli in all storms and dangers. They stand firm
' Bucephalus was not afraid of Jiia burden; the shadow only frighted him. So weak ■ Christians are afraid of the uhadow of the cross. I
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 53
when they are under the greatest pressures : 2 Cor. xi. 23, ' In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often,' &c. And yet he triumphs in 2 Cor. i. 12, 'Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in singleness and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards.' Strong Paul rejoiced in his sufferings for Christ, and therefore often sings it out : ' I, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ ;' not ' I Paul, rapt up in the third heaven.' He preferred his crown of thorns before a crown of gold, his prison rags above all royal robes.^
[4.] Fourthly, A weak Christian thinks that little to he much that he suffers for Christ.
In Mat. xix, 27, then 'answered Peter, and said unto him. Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee ; what shall we have V Their worldly case in following Christ, was little worse than when they only traded in fishing ; and yet, ' we have forsaken all, and followed thee ; what shall we have V This their all was not worth a speaking of, and 3-et, for this they look for some great worldly reward and recompence. ' We have forsaken all.' A great all sure ! a few broken boats, and a few tattered and torn nets, and a little old household stuff, and Christ maintained them too, upon his own cost and charge ; and yet say they, ' We have forsaken all, and followed thee.' Neither is it Avithout an emphasis, that they begin with a Behold ; ' Behold we have forsaken all,' as if Christ were greatly beholding to them. Let their wills be but crossed a little, by servants, children, friends, &c, or let them but suffer a little in their names or estates, &c., and presently you shall have them a-sighing it out, ' No sorrow like our sorrow,' no loss to our loss, no cross to our cross, &c.^ Whereas souls strong in grace suffer much, and yet count that much but little. A soul strong in grace can suffer much, and yet make nothmg of it. I am heartily angry, saith Luther, who suffered very much, with those that speak of my sufferings, which if com- pared with that which Christ suffered for me, are not once to be men- tioned in the same day, &c.^
[5.] Fifthly, Those that are iveak in grace dwell more upon ivhat may discourage them in the tvays of grace and holiness, than they do upon ivhat may encourage them.