this is continued pag. 481 CHAP. 36. 3. The effects of this sad condition these are expressed according to the quality of the persons thus Deserted 1. As they are sleeping Christians and they are 1. Careless pag. 483 2. Declining in affection pag. 484 3. Apt to he drawne to evill ibid. 2. As they are awakened in these there are different workings 1. Evill effects as 1. Heartless complaints pag. 485 2. Fruitless complaints pag. 486 3. Great unquietness expressed in three things pag. 487 2. Good effects as 1. Sorrow pag. 490. 2. Longing desires pag. 491 3. Repentance ibid. 4. Subjection pag. 492 4. The cause of the restlesness of the soule without God pag. 492 1. From the condition of the subject expressed in five things pag. 492 2. From the object in respect of 1. The quality of it pag. 498 There are three things in God which cause the wound to bleed much ibid. 2. The relation in which God stands to a beleiver pag. 503 3. The operation of God pag. 504 CHAP. 37. 2. The causes for which God deales thus with his people pag. 506 1. To put a difference betwixt Heaven and earth ibid. 2. In judgement to the world pag. 510 3. To establish the godly in more full comforts pag. 512 Affliction of the soule doth advantage much to further establishment foure reasons of it pag. 513 4. The correcting and healing of some evill in his people 517. These evils are 1. Deadness and dulness of heart ibid. 2. Fearelesness of God pag. 519 3. Slightness of heart 521. expressed in three things ibid. 4. Living too much upon the creature expressed in three things pag. 525 5. Intractableness and stifness of heart pag. 528 6. Rigidness and unmercifulness to the spirituall estate of others pag. 530 7. Some great transgression pag. 533 5. To shew that God is the God of all comfort pag. 534 6. To revive their esteeme of mercy pag. 536 7. That others may be instructed pag. 538 8. To fit them for speciall service pag. 539 2. The cure of this sad condition pag. 542 1. In those in whom the cause is naturall pag. 543 2. In those in whom the cause is spirituall and it is applyed 1. To those that have slumbring and drowsie spirits pag. 544 2. To those that are awakened and see their losse to these are propounded 1 Perswasives 1 Comfort is their strength pag. 546 Three great assaults that a man is exposed unto ibid. 2. Sadness doth much hurt both to themselves and others pag. 549 3. Recovery is possible proved by five things pag. 550 2. Directives 1. Seeke the Father in the Son pag. 551 2. Seeke peace much pag. 555 3. Come in much love to God pag. 556 Love shews it self in two things pag. 557 Decemb. 4. 1638. Imprimatur THO WYKES THE DESERTED SOULES Case and Cure CHAP. I. That the godly are sometimes deserted THough most men since God and they parted in Adam live without God in the world Eph. 2.12 13. and are so far from him that they neither enjoy him nor know him yet there is a generation of men whom God hath made nigh by the bloud of Christ with whom he hath renewed that old acquaintance and amity which at the first he had with them Heu Domine Deus rara hora brevis mora Bern. in Cant. 13. and they with him which blessed estate as it is not here perfected so it 's often interrupted their comforts are sweet alwayes but short often there are but few if any whose joyes in a comfortable communion with God are not sometimes clouded with sorrowes in a dolefull elongation from him so that if you lay but your eare to the doore of their closets you shall often heare the daughters of Sion as heires of their mothers miseries complaining in their mothers language The Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me Esay 49.14 If you six your eyes upon them you shall see Sions teares in their eyes her palenesse in their faces her sorrowes in their soules in consideration of and compassion to these mourners I spent some thoughts upon this sad subject Desertions then are either Common or Special These which I call common are such as all men share in by nature God having forsaken and withdrawne himselfe from Adam and all his posterity with Apostate Angels The speciall I shall handle as they concerne Godly The speciall I shall handle as they concerne Hypocrits Desertions as they concerne men truly regenerate are Gods withdrawing himselfe In respect of quickning quicting or cōforting of the soul Desertions as they concerne men seemingly regenerate are Gods withholding of those influences by which they had a kinde of life comfort spirituall To begin then with desertions as they concerne the godly I shall first speake something in generall of them and then descend to the more specials That which I shall say in the generals I will comprize in two things 1 That there is such an evill as spirituall desertion 2 How they are deserted That there is such an estate That the godly may be deserted proved it s almost lost labour to prove yet because as all in Christians is hidden and secret so nothing more than their comforts and discomforts I will and that in two words make it good we will call in two witnesses to give evidence to the truth The experience of the Saints Aske Sion By experience you have her verdict Esay 49.14 And Sion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me You see here the Church clad all in blacke bewailing her widowhood as one bereft of her dearest husband every word of her speech is bedewed with teares b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. l. de consolat ad Apol. and beareth a drop from her bleeding soule The Lord Iehovah he whose power and fidelity hath been to me as the pillars of the earth he hath forsaken me he hath cast me off My Lord he who was mine in covenant mine in communion he who was the joy of my life the life of my joy the strength the stay the spring of my life he hath forgotten me he hath cast me not onely out of his armes but out of his heart I am quite out of his love not onely forsaken but forgotten And in this Sion is not alone Aske David and you shall heare him as soon as you come neare him sighing sobbing crying soaring but what saith he what ailes him he telleth you Psal 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me See how well their testimonie agreeth how can a man looke upon David and not count him as a poore Orphan that is left in woe case friendlesse helplesse comfortlesse a but yet we will heare a greater than David that is the Captaine of our salvation the first head of the whole order c Christus Primicerius q. in primâ cerâ vel primus in cerâ antiqu s◠ilicet cereis is ebanturtabulis
lesse of God as when the Sun is clouded all things are proportionably clouded and obscured Againe if God actuate not and stir not up the minde to enquire after him and to behold him it will be but as the eye of the body in the time of sleepe which seeth nothing till it be awakened And lastly except God fasten and fix the minde upon himselfe and other spirituall objects it will be wandering and he that goeth from the Sunne goeth into darknesse This is the first of those evils forenamed which befals the minde in a time of desertion it is darkned though it have light still yet not so much though it see as much as it did extensively yet not intensively as a weake eye may see as many things as a better eye yet it seeth not so fully and clearely you may know all things that you have knowne but yet not iâ— that cleare and spirituall manner yet note that habituall light is not impaired but those beames of light which God is wont to cast into the soule are lessened And when it is thus with you that you have declined in your acquaintance with God and in your apprehension of the sinfulnesse of sinne the beauty of holinesse the excellency of Christ the preciousnesse of the covenant you have cause to sit downe and weepe for you have not so much of God in you as you have had CHAP. VIII The light and notions of a deserted man have not their former efficacie to affect impell repell and humble the heart THe second evill that befals the minde is inefficacie The second evill that befals the minde is inefficacie Prov. 10.27 vide Drus qu. Hebr. l. r. q. 11. The understanding by its light should be as the compasse in the ship to guide and order men and as the sailes and wings to set all in Motion and as the anchor to hold up in all stresses but when God leaves a man to himselfe how weake is this light and unable to discharge its office it hath not those effectuall operations that it had upon the soule 1 A man is not so affected with the things that he knoweth Not affecting as in former dayes time was when the apprehension of Gods love did worke mightily melting to repentance quickning to obedience encouraging to confidence filling the heart with gladnesse and glorying and the mouth with praises and songs of rejoycing but now the thoughts of divine love doe not so raise the heart So time was when the sight of sinne was a wound to the soule casting shame into the face and causing griefe in the heart but now you can behold your sinnes and cannot say as in the dayes of old Mine eye hath wounded my heart Lament 3.51 This weaknesse and inefficacie of knowledge is a signe you are in an ill case 2 A man is not so impelled to duty where God is present with much assistance Not impelling to good and abundant influences of his spirit there he rules and holds his subjects in a strict obedience the scepter by which he ruleth is the Word but not the word as it is written with Inke and lieth in the letter but as it is engraven in the heart and as it is in the throne seated in the understanding yea and as it is swayed by that invisible hand which worheth mightily in those that beleeve Ephes 1.19 When God holds backe the working of this power spirituall truths lie bound hand and foot and put not forth themselves in their former regall power which they did exercise as Gods Vicegerents and Vicerours to command and governe but the heart enjoyes a wofull liberty and tolleration in a barren and unfruitfull conversation the Majesty and mercy of the great and gracious God doth not constraine b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significantius forsan constrictos tenet nos ut luc 19.43 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hen. Steph as it doth in those who enjoy God 2 Gor. 5.14 But as if the heart had none to feare and nothing to hope for or none to judge it it is dull carelesse and heedlesse in former dayes the minde which is Gods statute booke and the monitor in a man was often suggesting counsels and perswasions crying as that voice Esay 30.21 This is the way walke in it when ye turne to the right hand and to the left that is in all your wayes but now it is silent and become like those idoll shepherds that had eyes and saw not and tongues but spake not it was as a law having an obligatory and binding power Rom. 7.23 so that there was no peace but in holy walking but now that light is become weake and the whole man is out of order 3 A man is not so restrained as he was Not restraining from evill this is one office of an enlightned minde to be as a bridle to corruptions and a checke to impetuous lusts there is a great power in the naturall mans conscience when God awakens it and sets it on to limit the boundlesse spirits of men unregenerate as we see in â—â— laam who though he had a good mind to pleasure Balack in hope of profit yet durst not the light within him durbed him and held him so strongly back that a house full of silver and gold could not draw him but when God for the hardnesse of mens hearts ceaseth to quicken this light it becomes weake and men are let loose to all evill as those Rom. 1.26 because they imprisoned the truth which would have ruled in them therefore God gave them up to a reprobate minde c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. mentem sine judicio Beza at hoc minus malum est saepe naturale mens ergo reproba est judicium perversum distortum pravum quo insanda juditabant licita Cor. a Lapid Est Paraeus c. Vid. Camer defens finem versus So in the godly there is a renewed conscience an understanding enlightned with saving light which while God by continuall pulsations and motions keeps waking becomes a strong banke to preserve the soule from the overflowing rage of sinne but when God ceaseth to worke in it then the heart is left like a ship in a storme when her cables breake or faile David in his grievous foile which he suffered knew that adultery was a sinne yet God not adding his influence to this light it became too weake to raise up resolutions sufficient and to chaine up that monster in his soule 2 Sam. 11. And Asah had light enough to convince him what a sinne it was to rob Gods treasury to make a present to send to the King of Syria that he might curry favour with him yet he adventures upon this sacriledge his knowledge could not hold his hands from doing evill no not from imprisoning the prophet who did his duty 2 Chron. 16. so that if you be lesse restrained by your knowledge it is a signe that the power of God is not so much put forth
your love is lesse Quest How may I know that my delight in God is lesse By forgetfulnesse of God Answ 1. If you be more forgetfull of God for that which we esteeme we minde Excessive delight in vanities 2 If you delight more in the worlds vanities Heavenly delights and sensuall pleasures are contrary each to other There is a lawfull delight in the world consistent with delight in God yea for whom is delight in the world but for the heires of heaven he that is in his sinnes stung with the venome of his guilt and racked with the feares and clamours and terrours of an unquiet conscience can have no true delight in the world What sweetnesse is a mans dainties to him that feares he hath no portion in the bread of life What comfort in his great riches that looks to have heaps of eternall woes What peace in his faire dwelling who expects hereafter to live in the lowest hell What good doe those pleasures which are sowred with hellish horrors and dreadfull expectations of unsufferable paines for ever No no hee onely hath true pleasure who hath God for his God yet even they are subject to a carnall use of lawfull comforts which is when our delights are immoderate not used in that way and to that end that we may be more fitted to walke with God c. and when our delights are such the more they are the lesse is our delight in God a full delight in God deads the heart to earthly and carnall delights as in the pipes of water when the water hath broke a vent to it selfe upward it ceaseth to runne forward 3 Vnwillingnesse to walke with God Unwillingnesse to walke with God which lieth in five things 1 Hardly drawne to God A stone need not to be driven downward because that motion is sutable to it Hardly drawne to him and it affects the centre the Eagles flie willingly to their prey an hungry man need not either perswasion or compulsion to take his meat if you did delight in God as before what meanes your hanging backe from him and how is it that the counsels and thoughts of your hearts the pressing perswasions of the Word the strong motions of the spirit the shining examples of the godly the wise advise of faithfull friends the sweet enducements of precious promises the fad menacies of fearfull evills yea the heavy stroakes of an angry God yea the melting mercyes of a tender father yea the bleeding wounds of a crucisied redeemer I say how is it that none of these doe more prevaile with thee to a more ready walking with thy God this backwardnesse is hatefull l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Vnchearfulnesse in his presence Unchearefull in his presence people and service a man may soone see when a servant workes willingly in his masters service David when he had his delight in God delighted in all the waies of God Psal 119.16 24 35 47 70 77 174. it may be to be with God hath in times past been to thee better than thine appointed food but now thou comest to dutyes as to meales when thou hast no stomack what then more clear than this that thy delight is lesse in God 3. Uneavennesse and inconstancy in the way of God Uneaven and inconstaant when a man is in and out and constant in nothing but unconstancy it is a sign he is not well pleased with his way the soule rests in that which she fully likes all changes are from dislike for if a man had what hee would have in any thing he would not desire to leave it all uneavennesse in our walking with God argueth a distaste of the wayes of God and of God himselfe and it is great weaknesse to be drawne so from our selves and to be so tottering l Bene compositae mentis esseexistimo secum consistere secum morari Sen. 4. Easinesse to be drawne from God when a man is well pleased in his house Easily drawne from God or horse or any thing a small price will not buy it out of his hands therefore judge your selves when Satan comes and bids you such a price offers such a pleasure or such an advantage to draw you from that which happily heretofore the whole world could not have wonne you from and you easily and ordinarily are by this taken off from your holy course it is a signe your hearts are not so delighted in God as they were Loath to rise to the highest pitch of holinesse 5. Loathnesse to rise to the highest pitch of an holy conversation you have some hopes still but you can rest with the sad admixtures of sears some mortifying grace but you seek not for the fulnes of it some quickning grace but you strive not for the abundance of it you have some communion with God but you strive not to be much in it a man hath never enough of that which delighteth him much Now briefly of the other maine Object about which our affections are conversant while we carry this flesh is sin and carnall things there will bee a change in these in the time of desertion In a word that I may dispatch this I will instance in two affections 1. hatred 2. griefe These two goe together and they are ever of an equall height hatred respects the nature of sin griefe the proximity of it though we had no sin we should have hatred of it but if it were not neare us or in us we could not have griefe for it To begin with hatred which is a displicency against sin in the nature of it In Desertion hatred of sinne abated this hatred is founded in love and as love is either terminated on a mans self or on God such is the hatred of sin a man may have the former and yet bee without God that is he may hate sin as repugnant either to his nature so meek men hate contention or to their peace so men illightened hate it for the evil that it brings as shame sorow fears paines death hell But they that thus hate it love it their hatred is but respective but their love direct and reall though they hate the fruit they love the tree though they dislike the effect of sin yet they like the sin it selfe But true hatred is a displicency against sin it selfe g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet l. 2. c. 4. Signes of it 1. Occasions of sin lesse distasted and feared And since this is of God the more we have of it the more we have of God consider then if there bee not an abating of this is not thy heart entred into a kinde of league and amity with thy former lusts Quest How shall I know this Ans The occasions of sin will be lesse feared and distasted the occasions of sin are Harbengers and spokesmen of sin and where these finde better entertainment their sin is not so much disaffected Princes doe shew their loving respects
neither destroy thee c. Deut. 4.29 30 31. Take then the counsell of the Prophet which he gave to Israel when God was departed from them Oh Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity take with you words and turn to the Lord say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips Hos 14.1 2. That you may finde the like favour and God may do for you as hee promised to them I will heale their back slidings I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his roots as Lebanon his branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the Olive tree and his smell as Lebanon c. ver 5 6. When Ephraim repented and mourned God pittied him I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turne thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God c. Is Ephraim my deare Son is he a pleasant childe for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 19 20. You see then what encouragement you have to seek in this way for peace with God and for the quicknings of his Spirit which you have lost sin armes God against you but he cannot hold back mercy from the humble his promise hath given repentance a power to prevaile with him and he will not contend with the broken hearted hee hath a speciall eye upon mourners and will not hide himselfe from the cry of the afflicted a contrite heart is a sacrifice which he will accept Psal 51. He is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit Psal 34.18 The father z Quit ille nobis intelligen lus pater Deus scilicet Tam pater nemo tam pius nemo Is ergo te filium suum etsi acceptīe ab eo prodegeris etsi nudus redieris recipiet quia redisti Tertul de poenitent Patris cibus est salus nostra Beda Ambr. in Luc. 15. of the Prodigall made hast to receive and welcome his straying son and rejoyced that hee that was lost was found again and that he that was dead was alive againe Luke 15. this is the way walk in it if God should deny such he should deny himselfe because he hath said though he hath been Sorely displeased turne you unto me and I will turn to you Zach. 1.2 3. Till you repent your sin is continued and conse quently Gods displeasure Therefore consider seriously of your case for want of serious thoughts doth great hurt so that though the heart bee affected yet not enough it seeth often that all is not well and knoweth the cause yet because these things lye not upon the spirit by ponderous thoughts a man beares his misery happily complaining but not wisely and strongly endeavouring to remove it And the heart is not soone brought downe you must hold up the objects of spirituall griefe by consideration that they may be able to beare downe the heart therefore be much in pondering these two things 1 The sad effects of the losse of God see what blindnesse barrennesse weaknesse depravednesse vanity feares accusations of heart what cryes and clamours in your soules and now what if afflictions come how will you be able to live in such a time other then a dying and a feareful life what if death come either a black cloud of darknesse will over-spread you or a storme of affrightments and terrors will torment you and now remember your sinne hath brought all this upon you 2 The sinfulnesse of the cause why did you neglect and despise your God if you had not set him shamefully at a low rate you would not have turned your back upon him what Could not the infinite Majestie and mercy of the Father the incomprehensible love of the Son the unutterable comforts of the holy Ghost prevaile with you Do you see what you have done have you not said to the Father I neither fear thy Majesty nor desire thy mercy and to the Son I care not for all thy love nor yet for thee that dyedst for me and to the holy Ghost I regard not all thy saving counsels living influences and high refreshments doe you not heare these pleading with you each for himselfe and each for all they are one and what you have done in this you have done against each and against all weigh well then what your carelesnesse and disobedience amounts to that you may meet him with an humbled spirit drenched in teares and clothed with shame put case now that God should requite you in your kinde and that his heart should not be towards you then you might bid peace yea life yea hope adieu for ever Consider further how God did follow you and entreated you not to goe from him did he not tell you he could not beare contempts and that you would repent it at last and will see that what you have done against him you have done against your selves did he not kindly use you and were you not alwayes welcome to him Oh my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee testifie against me Mich. 6.3 and when you were going did he not cry after thee Returne thou back sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am mercifull and I will not keep anger for ever Jer. 3.12 Yet you would not Consider now how long you have lived without him and how often God hath called upon you to consider your waies if you will let your thoughts out you will finde abundant cause of griefe and when you seek him with repētance you will finde him in mercy drawing neare and he will forget your unkindnesse and you shall heare no more of them doubtlesse your sinnes this way are very great so that sometimes God hath been put as it were to a stand what course to take when God had promised mercy to his revolting people he addes But I said how shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land and I said thou shalt call me my father and shalt not turne away from me Jer. 3.19 When the Church had been disloyall she at last fell to this course of repentance and see the issue A voice was heard upon the high places weeping and supplications of the children of Israel for they have perverted their wayes and they have forgotten the Lord their God returne ye backsliding children and I will heale your backslidings ver 21. and oh that you also would tread in their steps and say We come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God ver 22. CHAP. XXIX Two other