The series thus far, Keeping the Heart; What the Keeping of the Heart Presupposes and Signifies; Some Reasons Why Keeping the Heart Needs to be "The Great Business" of our Lives; and Special Times that Require Extra Effort in Keeping the Heart, pt. 1
The first two seasons that Flavel explored had to do with how things affected believers personally, the third and fourth seasons on his list look to the world outside us--The Church and our Country.
3. The third season that calls for more than ordinary effort--extraordinary diligence--in keeping the heart is "the time of Zion's Troubles." When the church is persecuted and oppressed, or otherwise troubled.
Eli died when he heard the ark had been lost, Nehemiah could not enjoy the pleasures of the court because of Jerusalem's woes. And God's saints will react that way naturally.
yet it will not please [God] to see you sit like pensive Elijah under the juniper tree. 'Ah, Lord God! it is enough, take away my life also.' No: a mourner in Zion you may and ought to be, but a self-tormentor you must not be; complain to God you may, but complain of God (though by the language of your actions) you must not.
How ought we to not be overwhelmed with the burdens of Zion's troubles? Zion ought to be our chief joy, so it would make sense that our heart sink when it is oppressed and troubled, but that should not go too far.
A.
Settle this great truth in your heart, that no trouble befalls Zion by the permission of Zion's God; and he permits nothing out of which he will not ultimately bring much good to his people.
Saints like Job, Eli, David and Hezekiah were comforted by this, we ought to be as well. "That the Lord did it was enough for them: and why should it not be so to us?"
consider that God's permissions all meet at last in the real good of his people, this will much more quiet our spirits. Do the enemies carry away the best among the people into captivity? This looks like a distressing providence; b but God sends them thither for their good....The end of his so doing is 'that he may accomplish his whole work upon Mount Zion.' If God can bring much good out of the greatest evil of sin, much more out of temporal afflictions; and that he will, is as evident as that he can do so.
B. Meditate on this--whatever troubles fall on Zion--her King is in her.
What! hath the Lord forsaken his churches? Has he sold them into the enemy's hands? Does he not regard what evil befalls them, that our hearts sink thus? Is it not shamefully undervaluing the great God, and too much magnifying poor impotent man, to fear and tremble at creatures while God is in the midst of us?
Caleb and Joshua's argument is as true today as it was then: 'The Lord is with us, fear them not.'
Discouraged souls how many do you reckon the Lord for? Is he not an overmatch of all his enemies? Is not one Almighty more than many mighties? 'If God be for us, who can be against us?'
Let then his presence give us rest; and though the mountains be hurled into the sea, though heaven and earth mingle together, fear not; god is in the midst of Zion, she shall not be moved.
C. Think about the great advantages that attend the Church in an afflicted condition. Our dejection about the afflicted and low state of the church "is not only irrational, but ungrateful" if that is what's really best.
if you estimate the happiness of the church by its worldly ease, splendour and prosperity, then such times of affliction will appear to be unfavourable; but if you reckon its glory to consists in its humility, faith, and heavenly-mindedness, no condition so much abounds with advantages for these as an afflicted condition. [Almost, thou persuadest me to be a Amillennialist].
Experience teaches us that the afflicted condition ordinarily blesses God's people with spiritual fruits more than others.
It is indeed for the saints' advantage to be weaned from love of, and delight in, ensnaring earthly vanities; to be quickened and urged forward with more haste to heaven; to have clearer discoveries of their own hearts; to be taught to pray more fervently, frequently, spiritually; to look and long for the rest to come more ardently....Is it well then to repine and droop, because your Father consults the advantage of your soul rather than the gratification of your humours? because he will bring you to heaven by a nearer way than you are willing to go?
D. We must be careful not to overlook "the many precious mercies" God grants in his people's trouble. "pardon of sin; interest in Christ; the covenant of promise; and an eternity of happiness in the presence of God, after a few days are over."
Oh that a people entitled to such mercies as these should droop under any temporal affliction, or be so much concerned for the frowns of men and the loss of trifles. you have not the smiles of great men, but you have the favour of the great God; you are perhaps diminished in temporal, but you are thereby increased in spiritual and eternal goods....Will you grieve so much for these circumstances as to forget your substance? Shall light troubles make you forget weighty mercies?
there is much matter of praise; for electing lovehas distinguished, though common providence has not.
E. However low the church may be oppressed and troubled, she shall rise again.
There is no reason to fear the ruin of that people who thrive by their losses and multiply by being diminished.
F. Look to Church History--see how God has cared for his people in former troubles. Wave after wave of persecution has come upon the church and she stands. Nothing that has risen against her has prospered. God is as able to save now as before, he cares for the church as much now as before.
G. If none of these work--think of this: your heart being troubled by this is evidence of your spiritual health. If you didn't have a great interest in Zion, you would not be troubled by the danger she is in. And if you are so concerned about the church--you can be assured that our Lord Jesus Christ, her groom, is far more concerned. "And he will have an eye of favour upon them that mourn for it."
4. The fourth season calling for special care for our hearts "is the time of
danger and public distraction." Everyone who can remember the difference between September 10th and September 12th of the year 2001 knows exactly what Flavel is talking about here--that sense of fear, foreboding...at first blush, "public distraction" seems like an odd phrase--but tell me it doesn't fit after some thought. Even Paul, he points out, complained of "fightings within" and "fears without."
But that shouldn't be our frame of mind. We should be like David, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps. 27:1)
Let none but the servants of sin be the slaves of fear; let ahem that have delighted in evil fear evil. Let not that which God has threatened as a judgment upon the wicked, ever seize upon the hearts of the righteous.
Yes, there is natural fear in every man, and it's impossible to remove that totally. Flavel insists he isn't commending "a stoical apathy" or that fear which serves as a "cautionary preventive." That which enables us to see danger coming and to find a lawful use of means to prevent it. But he does want to persuade us to keep our heart from
that tyrannical passion which invades the heart in times of danger, distracts, weakens and unfits it for duty, drives men upon unlawful means, and brings a snare with it.
Some rules to keep our heart from sinful fear:
A. Think about every creature as in God's hand, managing all their actions--"limiting, restraining and determining them at his pleasure." When the horses of Revelation 6 are "prancing and trampling up and down in the world, here is a consideration that may quiet our hearts; God has the reins in his hand."
B. Remember that this God who holds all creatures in his hand, is your Father. He is "much more tender of you than you are, or can be, of yourself." Ask the most timid woman if there isn't "a great difference between the sight of a drawn sword in the hand of a bloody ruffian, and of the same sword in the hand of her own tender husband?"
C. "Urge upon your heart" Christ's specific prohibitions against this. "And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified" (Lk. 21:9); "and not frightened in anything by your opponents." (Phil. 1:28)--in Matthew 10, within six verses we're told three times not to fear man. "Does the voice of a man make thee to tremble, and shall not the voice of God?"
We cannot fear creatures sinfully till we have forgotten God: did we remember what he is, and what he has said, we should not be of such feeble spirits.
D. Remember how much trouble your fears have brought you before without anything actually happening.
And here I cannot but observe a very deep policy of Satan in managing a design against the soul by these vain fears. . .he acts as soldiers do in teh siege of a garrison, who to wear out the besieged by constant watchings, and thereby unfit them to make resistance when they storm it in earnest, every night rouse them with false alarms, which though they come to nothing yet remarkably answer the ultimate design of the enemy.
E. Even if that which we fear will happen comes to pass,
there is more evil in our own fear than in the things feared.and that, not only as the least evil of sin is worse than the greatest evil of suffering; but as this sinful fear has really more trouble in it than there is in that condition of which you are so much afraid. Fear is both a multiplying and a tormenting passion; it represents troubles as much greater than they are, and so tortures the soul much more than the suffering itself.
F. Remember the many precious promises in Scripture, given for comfort and support in times of trouble. Both the general promises and those fit for particular times and situations--these are refuges to which we ought to fly. Plead them to God like Jacob did--"But you said, 'I will surely do you good'" (Gen. 32:12).
G. Record and reflect on our past experiences of God's care and faithfulness in former troubles. Flavel brings up, time and time again, the importance of remember how God has acted in the past--and if you consider all the memorials that saints of the Bible would erect, that makes sense. We need these ebenezers to help us make it through hard times.
H. Be content, satisfied even, in doing our duty--"and that will beget holy courage in times of danger." If we're doing what is right, what is our duty--we can commit our selves to God's care fully and trust the results to him. This will give us great courage.
I. Guilt upon our conscience makes cowards of our spirits, so if we have our conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ form all guilt, our hearts will not fear.
J. "Make it your business to trust God with your life and comforts, and your heart will be at rest about them." Ps. 112:7, "[The righteous] is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD." It's not that he'll be kept from bad news, but his firm heart trusts in the Lord even when he receives bad news.
K. Concern yourself more with the honor of Christianity than your personal safety. Seeing Christians "as timorous as hares to start at every sound"--what message does that send to the world? The world is more likely to judge Christianity in what we do than in our principles, so however much we talk of assurance and commend faith--if when the troubles come, if we don't trust in those things more than the unbeliever, what is the world to think of our religion?
L. If our soul is secured in the hands of Christ, our heart can be secured from fear.
The assured Christian may smile with contempt upon all his enemies, and say, 'Is this the worst that you can do?'
M. We need to learn to quench all slavish fears in the reverential fear of God--Flavel calls this "a cure by diversion."
It is an exercise of Christian wisdom to turn those passions of the soul which most predominate, into spiritual channels; to turn natural anger into spiritual zeal, natural mirth into holy cheerfulness, and natural fear into a holy dread and awe of God."
"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." (Is. 8:12-13)
N. Prayer is the best outlet to fear--so pour out our fears in prayer in times of danger. Look to Christ himself--what did he do when the hour of his danger and death grew near? He went to the garden and prayed--prayed unto agony!
