nor from the service of God, because of any hardships or difficulties
heavenly waiting frame—in the appointed season will speak life and love, mercy and glory, to the waiting soul.
And so I have done with the third use, which was to stir you up to look upon your graces with cautions.
The fourth duty is:
4. To persuade weak saints not to turn aside from the ways of God, nor from the service of God, because of any hardships or difficulties that they meet with in his ways or service.
There is a very great aptness in weak saints to take offence almost at everything, and to be discouraged by the least opposition, affliction, and temptation—and so to turn aside from the good old way. Now that no difficulties nor hardships may turn you out of the way that is called holy, consider seriously of these few things.
[1.] First, Consider this, the Lord will sweeten more and more his services to you.
He will make his work to be more and more easy to your souls; he will suit your burden to your back, and your work to your hand. O weak soul! you shall find that his grace will be sufficient to hold you up and carry you on, notwithstanding any difficulties or discouragements that are in the way. He will shed abroad that love that shall constrain your soul, both to keep close to his service, and to delight in his service, 2 Cor. 12:9; ver. 14. He will make all his services to be easy to you; he will give to you that assisting grace which shall keep up your head and heart from fainting and sinking under discouragements, as you may see in Ezek. 36:25-28, "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them." So in Psalm 63:8, "My soul follows hard after you," (ay—but how comes this to pass?): "Your right hand upholds me!" I feel your hand under me, drawing of my soul off after you. Oh! were not your gracious hand under me, I would never follow hard after you.
The Lord will put under his everlasting arms, O weak Christian! and therefore though your feet be apt to slide—yet his everlasting arms shall bear you up. Therefore be not discouraged, do not turn aside from those paths that drop marrow and fatness, though there be a lion in the way. [The philosopher told his friends when they came into his little poor cottage, The gods are here with me. Surely God, and Christ, and the Spirit are, and will be, with weak saints, to aid and assist them in every gracious work.]
[2.] Secondly, Consider this, O weak saint! that there is less danger and hardship in the ways of Christ, than there is in the ways of sin, Satan, or the world.
That soul does but leap out of the frying-pan into the fire, that thinks to mend himself by turning out of the way that is called holy. Oh! the horrid drudgery that is in the ways of sin, Satan, or the world. Your worst day in Christ's service—is better than your best days, if I may so speak, in sin or Satan's service, Proverbs 11:18-19, and 21:21. Satan will pay the sinner at last with the loss of God, Christ, heaven, and his soul forever. "But in the way of righteousness is life, joy, peace, honor, and in the pathway thereof there is no death," Proverbs 12:28. "His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all his paths are peace," Proverbs 3:17.
[3.] Thirdly, Remember, O weak saint! that all those hardships that you meet with—do only reach the outward man.
They only reach the ignoble, the baser part of man; they meddle not, they touch not, the noble part. "With my mind I serve the law of God, though with my flesh the law of sin," Romans 7:22. And verse 25, "I delight in the law of God, after the inward man." And indeed many of the heathen have encouraged themselves in this very consideration, against the troubles and dangers of this life. All the arrows which are shot at a Christian stick in his shield, they never reach his conscience, his soul. The raging waves beat sorely against Noah's ark —but they touched not him. The soul is of too noble a nature to be
touched by troubles. Jacob's hard service under Laban, and his being nipped by the frost in winter, and scorched by the sun in summer, did only reach his outward man; his soul had high communion, and sweet fellowship with God, under all his hardships, Gen. 31:40. Ah, Christian! bear up bravely, for whatever hardships you meet with in the ways of God, shall only reach your outward man; and under all these hardships you may have as high and sweet communion with God, as if you had never known what hardships meant, Hosea 2:14.
[4.] Fourthly, Tell me, O weak saints! have not you formerly enjoyed such sweet refreshings while you have been in the very service of God, as has outweighed all the troubles and hardships that your souls have met with? I know you have, and you know that you have often found that scripture made good upon your hearts, Psalm 19:11, "Moreover, by them is your servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward." Mark, he does not say, "for keeping of them there is great reward," though that is a truth; but, "in keeping of them there is great reward. While the soul is at work, God throws in the reward. Do not you remember, O weak Christians! when you have been in the service and way of God, how he has cast in joy at one time, and peace at another? etc. Oh! the smiles, the kisses, the sweet discoveries that your souls have met with, while you have been in his ways. Ah, poor souls! do not you know that one hour's being in the bosom of Christ will make you forget all your hardships? Heaven at last will make amends for all; and the more hardships you find in the ways of God, the more sweet will heaven be to you when you come there.
[Austin says, If a man should serve the Lord a thousand years, it would not deserve an hour of the reward in heaven, much less an eternity, etc.] Oh, how sweet is a harbor after a long storm, and a sunshine day after a dark and tempestuous night, and a warm spring after a sharp winter! The miseries and difficulties that a man meets with in this world, will exceedingly sweeten the glory of that other world.