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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76131	The doctrine of self-posing, or, a Christians duty of putting cases of difficulty to himself Being the summe of some sermons preached at Upton upon Seavern, in the county of Worcester. By B. Baxter, late minister of the gospel there, but now removed.	Baxter, Benjamin, Preacher of the Gospel.	1666 (1666)	Wing B1170A; ESTC R230135	25,508	101

expected them It will help him to fall forward when others fall backward into troubles Such a Christian falls into troubles foreseen when another comes in in the day of affliction with his non putarum I never thought of these evils It is an expression of Job Job 3.25 The thing that I feared is come upon mee It seems that good man in the dayes of his prosperity thought of trouble and adversity So the Christian that put cases of difficulty to himself may say when an affliction be falleth him This is no more but what I fore-thought and expected It was the saying of a Heathen when he heard of the death of his Son Scio me genuisse mortalem I knew I begat him mortal It is sweet when trouble cometh for a Christian to bee able to say This is no more than I looked for Seventhly It is the way to inure our selves to bear sufferings That is born easily that a man is used and inured to The saying is Marti arma non sunt onora Weapons are no burthen to Mars As they say of Milo hee could carry a Bull and the reason was his carrying of him when hee was a calf There is an expression Lam. 3.27 It is good for a man to bear the yoak in his youth i. e. to inure himself to bear afflictions By way of Application 1. By way of Information So it informs us of four sorts that are reproveable First There are some that put no cases of difficulty to themselves Some there are that have no thoughts of troubles dangers difficulties The Prophet Amos telleth of such Amos 6.3 who put the evil day far from them And the Prophet Isaiah telleth us of some who make a Covenant with death This is the case of most sinners that they will not remember the dayes of darkness danger and misery that are coming upon them That sinners should put cases of difficulty and danger to themselves God is pleased himself to propound cases to them in his Word which wee finde frequent viz. Isa 10.2 What will yee do in the day of visitation c Jerem. 5.31 What will yee do in the end thereof Beside many other places to convince sinners of the folly of their fancied security when death and hell and misery and desolation are at their backs It was the saying of King James when hee heard one Preach a powerful Sermon before him This man preacheth as if death were at my back But thus it is with many when their Ministers Preach to them of wrath and judgement at their backs and heels they never take notice of it How many are there that never put the question to themselves concerning the day of desolation what they shall do when it cometh concerning the day of death how they shall be sitted for it concerning the day of Judgement whether they can stand in the Judgement They never put that question that is put Job 31.14 When God riseth up what shall I do and when hee visiteth what shall I answer But say as Babylon did I sit as a Queen and shall never be in adversity Secondly There are some who resolve but it is without putting cases of difficulty to themselves These are like the foolish builder that resolveth to build but considereth not before-hand what it will cost him We read Matth. 13.20 of those that received the word with joy but when persecution did arise they were offended There are many that resolved to bee religious till they found the difficulties that did attend Religion So their goodness was but as a morning cloud Hos 6.4 It is with some as it is with a man sitting by the fire in a stormy winter day that resolves to take a journey but when hee cometh forth and seeth what weather it is altereth his resolution Thus did Peter who resolved to dye before hee would deny Christ Wee read of one that came to Christ and told him Master I will follow thee whither soever thou goest Matth. 8.20 But when Christ answered him The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the air nests but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head Although we hear his resolution we hear no more of him after this answer given by our Saviour Thirdly There are some that put cases of difficulty to themselves but lay down no settled resolution These are of two sorts 1. There are some that put cases of difficulty to themselves and yet remain unresolved Tell them of sufferings approaching they say with the unjust Steward What shall I do they are persons of no resolution they cannot tell if such and such times should come such and such cases should happen what they should do Not only ask them what if the fig tree do not blossome as it is in the text c. But what if it come to fire and faggot and resisting to blood mentioned Hebrews 12. they are not resolved what to do 2. There are some that put cases of difficulty to themselves but thereupon grow more unresolved As the Kinsman Ruth 4.6 was willing to have redeemed Elimelechs Land till hee heard the condition which was the marrying of Ruth Thus it is with men that cry there is a Lion without Prov. 22.13 And that that makes others resolute makes them fearful their resolution is to sleep in a whole skin and they will never burn for their Religion Fourthly There are some that put cases of difficulty to themselves and lay down resolutions but fall back and apostatize from them Their resolutions are not serious and setled they are like the children of Ephraim of whom the Psalmist speaks Psal 78.9 That being armed and carrying Bows turned their backs in the day of battle Thus did Peter who resolved hee would dye before hee would deny his Master and yet for all that did deny him he did put cases of difficulty to himself in relation to his owning of Christ in his troubles as you may see Luk. 22.33 I will go with thee both into prison and to death yea he said though all deny thee yet will I never deny thee yet his resolution failed Some resolutions are built upon sandy foundations and it is with them as with that house of which our Saviour speaks Matthew 7.27 That the waters rose and the windes blew and beat upon that house and it fell Remember Self is a sandy foundation for any man to build resolutions on Self-confident men are the first that recoil and turn their backs and it is just with God to leave such to themselves that confide only in themselves and not in God There are some that are over-confident and some that are too timerous both are to be blamed and as for the latter Luther a man of extraordinary courage and spirit did chide Melancthon and other friends of his for it But for my part I had rather be of the number of timerous Christians than of those that are over-confident The timerous Christian doubting of his own strength and being

the Lord. So Christians may make preparation for sufferings by way of resolution but they are to remember that strength to perform them is from God How many are there that have gone forth in their own strength that have fallen before the tempter and returned ashamed Christians it is good for you when either you put cases of difficulty to your selves or see difficulties approaching to draw near to God and to set the Lord alwaies before you David as a Type of Christ and the Apostle Peter in his Sermon Acts 2.25 saith hee spake it concerning Christ I have set the Lord alwaies before me This is not to be understood as if Christ did set the Lord alwaies before him to keep or over-awe his heart from sin hee was infinitely above that but it was to support his heart in suffering But to Christians it is useful both waies not only to keep us from sin but to help and support us under sufferings It is good than to hold constant communion with that God in whom all our strength lyeth Thus for the Directions 3. The Motives to move us to the duty of putting cases of difficulty to our selves First Motive You should all do it if you but look upon your selves as men I told you before the expression in Job Job 5.7 Man is born to trouble It was the saying of a Heathen I am a man and therefore shall think nothing strange to mee that may befal a man Man is born to all sorts of miseries to hunger thirst nakedness poverty sickness and all sorts of diseases The consideration of this should move all to forecast those evils to which as men they are all subject Secondly Look upon your selves as Christians and as such you must expect to encounter with many difficulties It is indeed a mercy when God is pleased to turn those troubles to which we are subject as men into sufferings for his name sake and for righteousness sake Remember the Psalmist telleth us That many are the afflictions of the righteous And the Apostle telleth us that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdome of Heaven Third Motive is drawn from the consideration of the mutability Of Times Conditions First Of times they have their changes All daies are not Halcyon daies all ages are not golden 2. For conditions they are changeable How many are there who with David said in their prosperity Their Mountain was strong and could not bee moved And as Babylon in the heighth of her Pomp said I sit as a Queen and shall never bee removed But Christians know all worldly conditions are mutable There is an expression of Solomon Eccl. 7.14 That God hath set prosperity and adversity one over against the other Thus God is pleased to set the Mountains and Valleys together that when a man is set upon the top of a Mountain of Honour and wealth and all that the World can bestow upon him yet then he hath a prospect of a Valley before him into which he knoweth not how soon hee may descend from his high Mountain It is good for Christians to do as Job did who in the day of his prosperity thought of adversity and telleth us when his afflictions fell upon him that the thing hee feared was come unto him History doth sufficiently furnish us with instances to make good this truth I could tell you of an Emperours General viz. Bellisarius who was reduced to such poverty that hee begged of Passengers for an half-penny And of a Duke of Exeter who married Edward the fourths Sister who followed the Duke of Branswicks Coach bare-foot and bare-legg'd in the low Countries begging as Philip de Conines tells us who was an eye witness But these are known Stories worn thread-bare by frequent relating What need wee go farther for instances in this case than what our present times afford We have seen servants on horseback walking on foot again men underlayed with Honour Power Wealth men that stood upon a Mountain so strong in their own eyes and of others too that it seem'd unremovable yet now where are they How many that not long since were upon Mountains of Honour and worldly Prosperity are now come down into the Valleys of poverty and adversity We have seen some trembling who once made the Nations to tremble and some under hatches who once sate at the Helm Some have seen those standing at the Bar who once sate upon the Bench and those lying at the mercy of others who once seem'd to have us all at their mercy some have seen those sentenced to dye who once had the power of life and death in their own hands and did exercise it not only over the lives of inferiour persons but of Kings and Nobles All this and much more have wee seen in these our dayes which sufficiently speaks the mutability and changeablenesse of outward conditions Seneca speaks thus of a City consum'd by fire Unadies interest inter maximam Civitatem nullam there was but the space of one day between the greatest City and no City So how little a space hath there been between some mens being honourable and contemptible being high and being low being great and being mean being rich and being poor being on the throne and sitting on the dunghill in a word between their shining gloriously and their being hidden in obscurity Fourthly It is your wisdome to put cases of difficulty to your selves Our Saviour intimateth so much to us Luk. 14.28 where hee speaketh of the wise builder sitting down and forecasting what it would cost him c. Those that put to Sea prepare for a storm bee the Sea at present never so calm It is good for Christians to put that question to themselves that the Lord puts to sinners Isaiah 10.2 What will yee do in the day of visitation Your wisdome in putting cases of difficulty to your selves will appear in two things which it will put you upon 1. Prevention of them 2. Provision for them First Prevention of them If there bee any way to prevent evils that are coming it is by forecasting and giving troubles the meeting We know that that falls from on high hurts least when the hand meets it and by that means the force of the stroak is prevented Thus putting cases of difficulty to our selves preventeth the hurt the difficulty may do us by our catching at it before it falls with its full weight upon us So forecasting of difficulties puts us upon the use of those ways means by which troubles and judgements have been averted When Nineveh heard of approaching judgments King and People fell to humble themselves and by that means prevented it It is true it was upon a denunciation of Judgement by a Prophet but Christians should be Prophets to themselves in the case of difficulties and should say to themselves as God doth to Israel Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God O Israel So putting cases of difficulty to our selves will put us upon the way

the practice of Saints to put cases of difficulty to themselvs Psal 3.6 I will not be afraid of ten thousand c. Where 1. The case is implyed What if ten thousand should beset me round about 2. The resolution is expressed I will not be afraid Psal 23.4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death c. Where 1. The case is put What if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death 2. There is his Resolution layed down viz. I will fear none evil You may consult those places Psal 27.3 Psal 46.2 3. I shall add only one place more Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Where you have 1. The case of difficulty put 2. The resolution layed down yet will I trust in him Secondly For the Reasons So the cheif is this our being prepared for sufferings hardships and difficultielyeth in this putting of cases of difficulty to our selves You know our Saviour was much in propounding them to his Disciples he told them they must be hated of all men for his name sake that they must be brought before Kings and Rulers And all this was by way of preparing them for the sufferings they were to meet with So consider what advantages a christian hath by putting cases of difficulty to himself in order to a preparation for difficulties 1. It makes a Christian acquainted with his own strength and what ability he hath to encounter with the said difficulties A Porter before he carrieth a great burthen doth use to poise it so this putting cases of difficulty to our selves is but pondering and weighing the afflictions that we may suffer before we come to beare them It is examining our selves what we can say to such a Crosse and such a misery if it befall us It is like the Question that Christ put to Zebedees children Mark 15.22 Are you able to drink of the Cup that I must drink of and to be baptised with the baptism that I am to be baptised with and they said we are able 2. It makes us acquainted with difficulties before they come and acquaintance with difficulties and evils makes them easier Unacquaintance with them causeth feare horrour and amazement whereas on the contrary acquaintance with evils causeth courage and boldnesse Tacitus saith of one that he was ambiguarum rerum sciens ideoque intrepidus He was acquainted with difficulties and therefore feared them not The first sight of a Lion renders him terrible but after frequent views of him he is less feared It is unacquaintance with evils that makes them so dreadful to us So that putting cases of difficulty to our selves is the only way to make the evil the less terrible when it lookes us in the face Job calleth Death the King of Terrours Job 18.14 And the Philosopher saith that of terrible things it is the most terrible And yet the Aposth by his dying daily 1 Cor. 15.3 became so familiarly acquainted with death that he tells us Acts 20.24 That his life was not dear to him he could play on the hole of the Cockatrice And withall tells us 2 Cor. 11.23 That he was in Deaths often i. e. he had been in so many dangers that threatned death and presented him with the face of death that he was so well acquainted with it that he was above the fear of death 3. By this Christians come to furnish themselves aforehand with those things that may help them to encounter with difficulties when they come It will put them upon having those things in readiness that will help to succour them in a day of affliction He that considers the craziness of his own body will alwayes have those things in readinesse that may relieve him when fainting Fits come Putting cases of difficulty to our selves will put us upon Providing those things that are useful when difficulties come What is the reason that many in suffering times have suffering Graces to seek but only this that they did not put cases of difficulty to themselves It is reported of Doctor Butler who was a Physitian famous for the curing of Consumptions yet he himself dyed of a Consumption and being asked by a friend how it came to passe that he who was so eminent for curing of consumptions yet he should dye of that disease and not cure himself he replyed I never feared it How many Travellers meet with stormes which wet them to the Skin by reason of their not forecasting what weather they might meet with had they done it they had been provided for them How many men have been robbed of their monies and goods by riding unarmed Putting cases of difficulty to our selves will put us upon getting conflicting Graces for conflicting times it will make us do as Joseph did lay up for the years of famine Fourthly By this we come to bee acquainted with those wayes and means by which others have encountred with and conquered difficulties This putting of cases of difficulty to our selves will put us upon an inquiry how others did bear their sufferings and how they encountred with those difficulties they met with in their way to heaven What were their supports and comforts what was their behaviour in the day of their affliction and how they overcame It will put us upon inquiring how Job and others bare their afflictions when their flocks were cut off from the fold and their herds from the stall How the Martyrs in the primitive and latter times bare theirs It is a great encouragement to us when we are to pass over deep waters to consider they are such deeps that others have passed through which renders them fordable and passable The Roman General when he was to fight his enemies thus encouraged his Souldiers Cum iis vobis pugnandum est quns priori bellow terra marique vicistis You are to fight with those that both by Sea and Land you have overcome So it is a great encouragement when we consider that there are no difficulties that wee can meet with but other Saints have encountred with and conquered Fifthly This is the way to gage difficulties and take a true measure of them We are many times much mistaken about difficulties and the reason is because our apprehensions are not rectified concerning them We pull not off their vizzards and that makes them seem terrible Serious consideration of a difficulty puts us upon measuring the length and fathoming the depth of it Thus the Apostle Paul did when hee made that reply to those that disswaded him from going to Jerusalem Acts 21.13 What mean yee to weep and break mine heart I am ready not only to bee bound but also to dye for the name of Christ q.d. I have considered of these things and am so far from fearing bonds that I fear not death Sixthly This is the way for Christians to prevent a surprize this will keep a Christian upon his watch and guard that evils shall not seize on him at unawares and before he

of preparing to meet God in the way of his Judgements which is the way to prevent them However this will make christians provide hiding places as Solomon saith of the prudent man that hee foreseeth the evil and hideth himself This will make Christians get into their Chambers and shut their doors about them as the expression is Isa 26.20 Secondly Provision for them This advantage you have though you fall into troubles yet you fall not under them Evils foreseen hurt least those fall heaviest that were never feared It is reported of the Cockatrice that if it see a man before the man see it the man dieth but if the man see it first the Cockatrice dieth for the truth of this I refer you to the judgement of Dr. Browne but the moral holdeth true concerning difficulties and troubles If they come upon us before we fore-see them they undoe us if we see them first we are provided for them Every trouble and difficulty that was not before thought of findeth us unprovided and so hath the advantage of us Preparedness for an evil makes us valiant to encounter it Fitness to die makes us not to fear death whereas unfitness and unpreparedness doth There was an Officer under General Vere who had fought many Duels and was looked upon as eminently valiant who at the siege of a Town in the Walls whereof a breach was made being commanded to enter the breach with a party assigned him refused the General calling him by his name asked him whether he were now turned coward his answer was He that enters that breach must die and I am not fit to die Now putting cases of difficulty to our selves will put us upon making preparation for the evil and difficulty before it come and so keep us from recoiling and giving back when it comes There is an expression in Jer. 14.19 We locked for peace and healing and behold trouble If they had looked for trouble it may be they had found more peace and healing Fifth Motive Putting cases of difficulty to your selves doth not at all hasten the difficulty but only fit you for it when it cometh There are some men that think they must presently die if they once make their will whereas doing that doth but make more fit to die not more subject to die The truth is we are never fit to live until we are fit to die and the way to enjoy the comfort of a good day is to forecast evil days and to resolve what to do when they come Sixthly It will help perseverance The reason why many great pretenders to Religion have apostatized in the day of trouble and persecution was a non putaram I never thought of this Our Saviour telleth us Mat. 13. of some that received the Gospel but when trouble and persecution arose they were offended It is not probable I had almost said impossible that a Christian should be a persevering Christian who did not with the wise builder Luke 14.28 sit down and consider what it would cost him The truth is it is with some that profess Religion as it was with David when he put on Sauls Armour to go against Goliah of which we read 1 Sam. 17.39 that he put it on but he could not go in it for he had not proved it So will it be with all those that imbrace the profession of the Gospel and consider not the difficulties that attend that profession they will be like the children of Ephraim of whom I told you before and of whom the Psalmist speaketh Psal 78.9 Who being armed and carrying Bowes turned their backs in the day of battel Christians it is good to fore-cast the tryals that your graces may meet with especially those two of faith and patience We read Revel 13.10 Here is the patience and faith of the Saints These are the two hands by which you are to lay hold on eternal life which is the Apostles counsel 1 Tim. 6.12 Lay hold on eternal life It is the great endeavour of Satan to weaken both these hands that Christians may let go their hold First That of Faith by errors heresies and false Doctrine Secondly That of patience by troubles afflictions and persecutions Christians that you may hold fast and strengthen both these hands with which eternal life is to be layed hold of and of which the Apostle speaketh Heb. 6.12 Who by faith and patience inherited the premises It is good for you to fore-cast those difficulties that attend the exercising of both these graces Seventhly Putting cases of difficulty to our selves will keep us humble in prosperity It will make us carry a low sail when our outward condition seemeth best and most prosperous it will keep us from saying as Babylon did in the day of her prosperity I sit as a Queen and shall never be in adversity And from concluding as David did that in his prosperity he should never be moved It is good for Christians to keep themselves humble when their worldly condition is highest And there is nothing that will more further it then serious meditation of the mutability of the best of worldly conditions We read of Job that though he said Job 29.18 He should die in his nest yet he telleth you withal Job 3.25 The thing that I feared is come upon me Which sheweth that when he was in the height of his prosperity this kept him humble as you may see how he speaketh of his humility in the day of his prosperity Job 20.13 c. I speak but briefly to this having before spoke of the mutability of worldly conditions Solomon tells us Prov. 31.30 Favour is deceitful An Embassador highly favoured by his Prince had this sentence engraven on his VVatch which he read every day Favour may turn into disfavour and grace into disgrace Eighth Motive It will keep us from fretting at cross providences it will help us to suppress those fumes of passion which will be ready to arise and distemper us in a day of trouble and affliction it will help us to possess our souls in patience and to prevent those indecencies of passion that in a time of affliction may shame our Christian profession He that puts cases of difficulty to himself is one that proclaims a liberty to the Lord to do with him what he will and to deal with him as he pleaseth with a resolution that what pleaseth God shall please him it will make him say with holy Bradford Lord I will bow and thou shalt beat It will bring a Christian to such a ful resignation of himself to God and to such a ful submission of his will to Gods will that nothing that fals out shal offend him because it being Gods will it is his his will being melted into Gods will You have heard of Luther's bold Petition Fiat voluntas mea Let my will be done but then presently adds that which takes off all mis-interpretation mea quia tua mine because it is thine It is said of godly men