is nothing left when hope and meanes are gone then is his time to come Fifthly Tell your soules and Satan That Christ is comming while you are waiting His Ship is under saile while thou standest looking upon the shoare Hee is comming leaping and skipping over the Mountaines while thou lyest sighing in the vallies Lastly Tell thy soule and Satan Christ comes secretly When his Brethren were gone then went hee up also to the Feast not OPENLY but as it were in SECRET Joh. 7.10 Hee had told them his time was not yet come And now it is come hee goes up in secret Say O dejected soule I must want and waite and I am contented for Christs time is not yet come in sight and yet hee is and may be comming in secret So that now to wind up this know your worke is to waite and learne to bee content with your worke Though thou art cast downe Yet bee not discontented But bee patient and still waite in hope Onely remember that I do not by all this exclude either prayer or endeavour No you must waite patiently and want contentedly and yet you may pray and use meanes First You may pray Patience may well enough consist with prayer It s a temptation to cast off prayer in any dejection Habbakkuk knew the time of the vision was appointed and therefore he would tarry and waite But yet chap 3 hee prayes So may you you may pray and call as the soules under the Altar how long You may expostulate with God and intreate him to make hast Onely remember Two Cautions in your prayer First Remember though you be importunate yet be not impudent When thou hast prayed for hast lye at Gods feet if he tarry Though thou tell God thou canst not yet doe not say thou wilt not bear his hand Secondly Be submissive Say if it be possible come sooner But yet Lord not my will but thy will bee done Husband writes the wife if it be possible come quickly and before such a time yet you are wise I leave it to you I rest yours expecting c. So write to Christ O Lord if it bee possible come quickly if it may become before I dye However Lord thou art wise though I bee weake not my time but thy season I rest I remaine thy patient panting waiting Spouse Secondly As you may pray so you may indeavour in the use of meanes to raise your selves at least to quiet your soules It s desperate folly and faultinesse to cast off the use of meanes in any dejection Joshua must up and be doing And thou mayest work and yet waite Onely here take Two Cautions likewise First Vse no unlawfull unappointed meanes Though Soul may use Davids Harpe yet he must not go to the Witch of Endâ—r to quiet his spirit Though thou mayst and shouldest Pray Read Heare Confer Communicate yea and Fast if with prudence Yet thou must not Drinke Drab Conjure c. to quiet thy selfe When Christ will not thou shouldest not go to Satan to comfort thee Secondly In thy use of meanes thou must not rest in them Thou must use all things as meanes not as medicines It s not the Word Sacraments c. but Christ in them which thou must looke out for as to cure Though thou offer sacrifice yet thou must trust in the Lord. Albeit you may indeavour by workes yet you must expect by faith Beware of relying upon meanes for cure or comfort But in all through all looke out and act faith upon Christ. Object But thou wilt say This I would if I might I would beleeve if I had ground Why Knew O soule in thy lowest condition there is ground for faith When thou sinkest deepest into the â—hine and hast no ground for thy feete yet thou hast ground for thy faith David did and thou mayest and must act thy faith and beleeve even then when thou art most cast downe and disquieted But of this I shall treate in the following Section SECT V. PSALM 42. ult For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God CHAP. 1. The fourth Doctrine drawn out of the words and spoken to SPirituall disquiets are sooner made then cured it s easier to cast down then raise up ones soule A weake heart may disturbe its selfe but even a strong heart cannot settle its selfe indeed it s a hard thing to keep up the spirit in a right religious frame Either upon the one hand we are apt to be puffed up too high and under pretence of high injoyments to forget our selves or on the other hand we are apt to be cast downe too low and under pretence of deep dejections to forget our Saviour now it s our wisdome to avoyd both extreames if the Lord lift us up we should not presume and if he cast us downe we must not despaire if Christ smile we should not grow wanton and if he frowne we should not wax weake It s an argument of much flesh to abuse comforts unto loosenesse and it s an argument of little faith to sinke under dejections into despaire Holy David was now low much disquieted and mightily cast down yet even in his dejection he raises up his spirit and beleeves though God were with-drawne and David was faint in panting after him yet he beleeves he would come againe and that he should rejoyce in praising him The last point which I raised from this place was this viz. It s the duty and the glory of Saints to act faith and to beleeve even then when they are cast down lowest and see God least I suppose you see it cleare in the words holy David was very much disquieted his soule did cast downe its selfe he went mourning because of the oppression of the enemy His God was in the darke and his heart hereupon was downe yet notwithstanding this he acts his faith and beleeves he should yet praise God as his health and as HIS I shall yet praise him as the health of my countenance and as MY God CHAP. 2. The point opened and proved THe point is precious as you wil see when its plaine and it wil be powerfull I hope if proved viz. explaine and confirme it First for the explication there are two things to be touched upon Viz. 1 The Subject and 2 The predicate of the proposition For the Subject It s a soule cast down lowest and seeing God least of such I have been speaking all this Treatise and of such I especially speake here now such are so Either 1 Certainly or 2 Conceitedly First there are some really i. e. rationally dejected some soules are deeply dejected and their grounds are weighty Now this reall and certaine case of dejections is chiefly at foure times or upon foure occasions as namely First When a soule is deprived of all means of injoyment of God as formerly Time was it may be that the soule lay in Jerusalem the place where the Lord delighteth to dwell and that
you marke it whoever thou bee that feares God who sittest in the darke and sees no light here is the lowest case let him trust in the Lord. So that now you see both precept and example holding out this that even in the deepest dejection that we are or can thinke to be we must act our faith and beleeve CHAP. 3. A further amplification of the worke of faith in the case of dejection and casting downe PEradventure you will aske mee what you must act your faith for and beleeve in in the deepest dejections If you do I will satisfie you Two ways 1 By a description of the thing or of that faith that must be acted 2 By a deciphering of the particulars that must be beleeved For the first viz. the faith which must be acted I describe that thus It is a resolute and noble exercise of the grace of faith in which the soule quiets it self in and rests it selfe upon God and Christ expecting and looking for an accomplishment of all the promises as to joy or holinesse notwithstanding all the feares and all the doubts which may arise to the contrary This faith supposeth doubts and feares but it over-comes them It seeth hinderances but it triumphs over them It feeles disquietings but it suppresseth them And whatever the promise be whether for life joy peace comforts deliverance c. it expects a fulfilling of it from God and Christ But Secondly To see this clearer I shall instance in the particulars of this faith and this I shall do 1 Generally 2 Particularly and 3 Specially Generally In our deepest dejections wee are to hold fast cur former faith in any particular We must beleeve all that which ever we did beleeve and know concerning God Christ Scripture c. Some are apt in dejection to bring all things into question To question God Christ and all But now remember whatever thou didst know and beleeve of God and Christ or his wayes out of the Scripture before thou must beleeve the same still Let not Satan draw thee into a doubt much lesse a deniall of former received and professed truths They are all as true now as ever A man who sees houses and trees in the day time doth beleeve that the same houses and trees c. are even in the night when he is in the darke and cannot see them And Saints must beleeve all that in the night of dejection which they saw and beleeved in the day of conversion But Particularly Soules in their deepest dejections ought even in order to their releife and raising to beleeve these three things First The power of God i.e. They ought to beleeve that the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save but he is Almighty and all-sufficient still It was the sinne of unbeleeving Israel that they questioned the Almighties power CAN GOD say they prepare a table in the Wildernesse Behold he smote the rocke that waters gushed out and the streames over-flowed CAN he give bread also CAN hee provide flesh for his people Psal 78.20 Soules under dejection you are apt to dispair even of divine power you are ready to question Gods Can. But you should not you should alway beleeve and say as he did Lord if thou Wilt thou Canst c. It s a choyce passage to this purpose which you have Joh 11.22 Where Martha even when her Brother was dead beleeves Christs power I know that EVEN NOW whatsoever thou wilt aske of God God will give it Marke she beleeved even then when her Brother was dead Mind it O yee dejected soules in your lowest state you must beleeve Christ can helpe and raise Yea Secondly You must beleeve this possibility with reference to your selves Do not say Christ can cure this in another but beleeve he can do it to thee The Leper said thou canst make MEE whole Matth 8.2 As in the point of resurrection of the body it s not enough to beleeve the resurrection of a body but of this body and of thine So Job beleeved with his flesh and his eyes and not anothers should arise chap 19.27 In like manner here in the point of raising from dejection the soule must act faith in or for himselfe He must beleeve that Christ can raise him even him how low or deep soever he be cast down Adde to this Thirdly When the soule is gone thus farre as to beleeve a possibility it must goe farther in beleeving an inclinablenesse at least in God or Christ to do as they can As the soul is to act faith for a possibility that Christ can so it is to act faith for a probability that he wil. The soul must not say that Christ hath forgotten to be kind or that his mercies are cleane gone No it must beleeve that there are some thoughts of it still and that yet there is a mercy in store Mind David in Psalm 40 ult I am poor and needy what then see what followes yet the Lord thinketh on me Surely O sad soule thou must not say as Zion did my God hath forgotten me i.e. altogether cast thee off No thou must beleeve that yet he thinketh at least of thee His heart retaines some love and yet there is some inclination in him to raise and help thee But now to come higher if the soule bee come up here to beleeve these particulars it must goe further to beleeve some Specialls As First It is not enough to retaine faith in fundamentalls and to beleeve a power in Christ though as to our selves and an inclinablenesse to raise But in our dejections we must act faith that yet Christ certainly will help and raise us David saith hee shall yet praise God as health i. e. as his healer After two dayes he WILL revive us and the third day he WILL raise us up and we SHALL live in his sight Hos 6.2 Mind it the Church beleeves it certaine though she leave God to his time he will and wee shall Dejected hearts you must beleeve Christ will raise you Though you bee downe yet you shall arise as it is Mich. 7.8 here then is the first speciall step you must ascend in the acting of faith you must beleeve you shall bee helped Breath O soule upon this stair for you must go higher Secondly You must beleeve That even in your dejections you are not deserted It was Pauls faith though Israel were low yet God had not cast them off Rom. 11.1 Dejected heart Christ is with thee in thy dejections he hath not left thee though thou be low Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God c. Jer. 51.5 you must beleeve Christ is with you though you are not aware of it David did thus neverthelesse I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand Psal 73.23 Though Davids foote did slip yet God was with him So Christ is with thee though under the disguise of thy dejection O cast downe soule and thou must beleeve this even in thy
the way to glory and life and immortality and peace and joy and healing c. I say if I am in the way to these things why should I not beleeve them Why soul the way of lifting up is casting downe and now you are in the way you ought to beleeve Josephs Dungeon was Gods way to his setting him second in Aegypt Davids flight and feare before Saul was Gods way to bring him to the Throne When David was in his greatest feare that he said he should dye by the hands of Saul then was he within few steps of the Throne and when thou art most cast downe ready to dye in the pit then is Christ nearest to pull thee out and surely O soule the nearer Christ is to deliver thee out of the stronger should thy faith be in dejections You now see reasons for the point it s not so irrationall as unbeleef makes it to act faith when we are most dejected CHAP. 5. One improvement of this Doctrine to informe the judgement YOu heare now that times of dejection are to be times of faith when the soule is lowest it is to beleeve Pray be informed hereby to know when faith is seasonable you may mistake much if you thinke that dejection is or may be a time for doubting No it is the season of faith Some soules thinke that if the promise be cleare if experience be rich if hints are many and taste is sweet O now surely they are to beleeve now is a time of faith It is true now is a time for faith to lay in and store up But suppose the Promise is darke experience poore hints none taste dry c. suppose all is darke and there appeares nothing know that this is a time for faith to come and lay forth it selfe for the soules settlement you mistake the matter O soule if you thinke times of dejection to be times only for patience no they are times also for faith Yea and in case you beleeve not you wil not indeed cannot be patient Suppose thou art very low and cryest loud and God answereth not suppose Conscience accuseth Sathan triumphs and Christ appeare not suppose it darke that the Sunne shine not and there be no Starre Suppose thou looke on the left hand where Christ workes for casting downe is a left-hand work but thou canst not behold him yea and suppose O soule he hideth himselfe on the right hand that thou canst not see him Is thy case thus as Jobs was chap. 23.9 know now it is a time not only to exercise Jobs patience in bearing but to act Jobs faith in beleeving Every Grace O soule hath its season and Faith is in its season in a dejected state yea Christ expects it from us that we beleeve in him then when our hearts are most disquieted The hearts of his Disciples were troubled cast downe and dejected and yet he bids them beleeve Job 14.1 Whom having not seen ye love though now you see him not yet ye beleeve saith Peter 1 Epist chap. 1. vers 8. It is Christs time to be not only loved by you but trusted upon and beleeved in when you see him not And in order unto the triall of this it is that sometime Christ sees it needfull as it is there ver 6. to let you be in heavinesse through manifold temptations I beseech you now improve this Doctrine to informe your judgements in the time of faith Christ O soule wil bring thee low ere he doe raise thee up and while thou art low he expects to see thee raising thy selfe by faith Quest But why doth Christ thus why doth he cast downe his poore creature ere he lift it up why takes he this course to exercise my faith Ans I. It s thy duty O soule rather to doe then dispute rather strive to beleeve then to question his dealing But yet 2 Know O soule Christ hath more ends then one in casting thee downe and making that his way for his comfort and thy faith he hath more then one ground for this First Hereby Christ cleares his grace to thy soule he brings thee low and shuts thee up under unbeleefe that he might make thee see his raising is meere mercy as it is Rom. 11.32 If Christ let thee be ready to doubt and dye ere he raise thee thou wilt see it was free grace only which moved him to helpe thee now that thou maist see this he lets thee be most cast downe ere he come to exalt thee Secondly By this Christ helps thy taste to relish mercy in its full sweetnesse To be ready to starve with hunger and dye of thirst and then to have bread and drinke this makes it relish the sweetnesse of both That Christ may cause thee to tast his love in thy raising the sweeter he uses to let thee lye low and be much cast downe ere he come c. Thirdly Christ hath a designe upon his owne glory in thy deep dejection He not only lookes to evidence the strength of thy faith but the brightnesse of his owne glory by making thee almost sinke in dejections ere he raise thee it wil argue glorious power and deep wisdome to raise a soule lost in its selfe So that now O soule if thou canst but beleeve thou shalt see the glory of Christ as it is Joh. 11.40 wherefore then doe not stand questioning why doth Christ bring thee low and make that a time of faith But up and act say Indeed I am cast downe and disquieted I am in the darke and see no light I am low and know not how to raise my selfe yet now I le beleeve for this my dejection is to be a time of beleeving Verily thou art a God that hidest thy selfe O God of Israel the Saviour Isa 45.15 God was hid yea he hid himselfe yet marke it now the Church acteth her faith Israel shall be saved with an everlasting salvation ver 17. See O soule God hid himselfe Israel could not see his Saviour nor the way of his salvation for both were hid yet even now faith saith Israel shall be saved Well here is the first improvement of this Doctrine let it reforme a mistake and informe the judgement in this truth that times of low dejections are not only times of patience but they are times of faith CHAP. 6. The maine use perswading and directing soules to beleeve in their deepest dejections DEjected hearts you heare your worke and duty pray fall about it you are cast downe you lye low and see little wel beleive say I shall yet praise God for all this I shall see him as the health of my countenance and my God I beseech you know your duty in all its parts as I formerly opened First Hold fast your first faith doe not call all into question because of dejection whatever thou didst beleeve before beleeve it now Secondly Doe not question the power of Christ say not thy case is incurable beleeve it there is Balme yet in Gilead Act
thy faith upon a possibility in the hand of Christ yea and upon a probability in his heart to help thee but rest not here remember your faith must ascend higher for you must more especially beleeve 1 That Christ will raise thee See chap. 3 2 That he is still with thee though thou see him not 3 That you shall confesse all your doubtings to be failings 4 That yet Christ wil appeare as yours 5 That the time shall come that you shall sing all this in a Song of praise yea and 6 That Satan shall see this and be ashamed yea and thy owne heart too Here is your duty now up ascend this Ladder remember to begin at the lowest staffe first ascend thy soule by degrees breath over every step or staire and then strive to goe higher Doe not make thy worke harder then it would be Conquer thy unbeleefe by holy craft First beleeve one particular then another Doe not strive for the highest act first Beleeve first a possibility then a probability then a certainty Many soules cry out they cannot beleeve certainly they shall be raised I would have these beleeve it probable first Remember to beleeve that Christ thinketh on thee come up by degrees to the height of faith so wilt thou come by degrees to the fulnesse of assurance I shall presse this practicall Doctrine By 1 Motives 2 Meanes First Consider that this faith is that which Christ eminently pronounceth blessed To beleeve then when the soule is dejected and in the darke and sees not is a blessed thing and argues a very blessed frame of Spirit Jesus said unto Thomas Because thou hast seen me thou hast beleeved blessed are they who have not seen and YET beleeved Joh. 20.29 I doe not doubt but that Thomas was truly blessed though he said he would not and as it seems he did not beleeve before he saw but yet Christ declares him or she to be eminently blessed that beleeve and see not Minde it ye sad soules who cry out you are dejected low and see nothing if now you can beleeve you are in a blessed state yea you are eminently blessed how ever deeply dejected if you can but now act your faith Thy low state is not sad but blessed O beleeving soule He that beleeves hath a witnesse in himself by the authority of Christ inabled to conclude that he is blessed Wouldest thou O soule be blessed yea even in thy dejected state wouldest have a ground of Christs allowance and declaration to say thou art not miserable though cast downe why then beleeve Secondly Beleeving in a state of darknesse and dejection gives glory to God God is not glorified by the faith of any so much as by the faith of the dejected When Abraham was as it were dead and so past children then his beleeving was a glorious faith He was strong in faith giving glory to God Rom. 4.20 Thou sayest O dejected soule let God have glory what ere become of thee Why here is the way to give God glory act thy faith upon his glorious power his gracious promise his good performance c. even now in thy low state so shalt thou glorifie him indeed Though thou be weake yet beleeve his strength though thou be unworthy yet beleeve his grace though thou art very low and see very little yet now beleeve and account him faithfull able ready willing to raise help releeve and comfort thus thou shalt give him glory indeed Thirdly Beleeving now will ingage God to help God and Christ account it an engagement to help in case the soule beleeve and relye when at lowest Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Isa 26.3 Mark it because the Lord trusteth therefore Christ wil keep It s true there is no merit in faith but yet the Divine mercy counts it an ingagement to helpe Some have urged this why they must goe and needs doe such or such a thing because a poore man relyes upon them and trusts to them and must and will be undone if they faile him Why will a man upon that account help and will not Christ much more O! will Christ say of a soule that is ready to sinke and yet relyes on him and trusts to him Here is a poore soule that depends on me and I see must perish if I faile him O surely I le not suffer him to faile They that trust in the Lord shall never be confounded the Lord will not be as waters that doe faile as it is Jerem. 15.18 My flesh faileth saith David but God is the rock of my health Psal 73. Dejected soules would you ingage Christ to raise you then beleeve though you are cast downe never so low Lastly Even very beleeving is our rising when we are cast down The soule that beleeves doth rise and when Christ drawes up our faith he doth raise us up from our dejected state It is with the beleeving soule in his pit of dejection as with Peter in his Prison it is said the Angel of the Lord smote Peter on the side saying Arise why you know Peter was bound with two chaines and Peter might have said thus I am bound how can I rise and goe out no Peter doth not object but beleeves He ariseth and his chains fall off from his hands marke it his beleeving doth unbinde him Come saith the Angel follow me Peter might have said The doore is shut there is a first and second ward besides that there is an Iron Gate fast bard and there are Keepers that keepe the doore No Peter reasons not thus But he beleeves and goes and the doores open of themselves the very Iron Gate of its owne accord gives way and the Keepers are kept under sleep from opposing See Peters faith doth all it opens the doores and brings him forth Acts 12. So O soule doe thou beleeve Arise O dejected soule doe not say I am bound with chaines of difficulties and bolted up under doores of doubtings but up beleeve thy very beleeving is at least thy rising posture and thy doore-opening hand O doe not stand objecting reasoning or questioning but beleeve as hath been opened Peradventure by this thy soule is made willing to stirre and now thou only desirest advice to help thee and for that take these directions 1 Beware of that which will hinder thy faith and rather keep thee down then raise thee up 2 Consider that which may strengthen thy soule in thy beleeving notwithstanding thy low condition First Take heed of that which will rather hinder then help your faith Viz. Of concluding any thing from 1 Sence 2 Selfe 3 Sathan 4 Seeming rejection These things eyed too much are dangerous and conclusions drawne from them are destructive unto faith therefore take heed of them all As First Beware of concluding any thing from present sence Sence is an opposite to reason sometimes but to faith it is an enemy alwaies hence it is that Paul
Comfort Counsell FOR DEJECTED SOULES OR A Treatise concerning Spirituall DEJECTION In which is HANDLED 1 The Nature Of Spirituall Dejection 2 The Working Of Spirituall Dejection 3 The Grounds Of Spirituall Dejection 4 The Remedies Of Spirituall Dejection And in which is held forth Satisfaction to some particuler Cases and generall advice for any Soule who is cast downe Being the Heads and Sum of divers Sermons Preached to a particular Congregation From Psalm 42. last By John Durans Preacher of the Gospel and Pastour of a Church of Christ in Canterbury 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 35.3 Strengthen the hands which are sick and confirme the dejected knees Psalm 94.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the multitude of my tempestuous thoughts within me thy consolations shal abundantly delight my soul Printed at London by R.I. for Hannah Allen at the Crown in Popes-Head-Alley 1651. This shade's the Authors outside but this booke his inside opens prethee doe not looke Admiringly one either Passe them o're as emptye shaddowes for they are noe more Both bookes and writers y'ea and all things else at best are shaddowes but the bodye's Christ Soul art dejected Christ alone can ease thee and giue both comfort and councell to raise thee A.P. THis Authour hath two Books already extant the one is Entituled Sips of Sweetnesse or Consolation for weak Beleevers The other is Entituled A Discovery of the Glorious Love of Christ to Beleevers A Dedicatory PREFACE TO His Beloved-Ones The Flock of CHRIST over which the Holy Ghost hath made him OVER-SEER My dearly beloved in the Lord THE heart of Christ who is the cheif Shepheard is much set upon the feeding of Beleevers who are his chosen Flocke Ezek. 34. ◠10 11 12 13 14 15. Before hee came into the World he did Prophesie that hee would feede his Flocke himselfe And when hee went out of the World hee charged his Servants to doe the like When hee had asked of Peter again and againe Ioh. 20.16 17 18. whether hee loved him He required nothing as a seale thereof but this that hee should feede his sheepe Indeed then doe wee declare our love unto our Lord when wee feede his Flocke which is amongst us as it is 1 Pet. 5.2 And if wee doe not this wee make void the end that he aymed at in giving us as Pastours to his people which himselfe expresseth in the promise to bee this Ier. 3.15 viz. The feeding of his People with knowledge and understanding But while any indeavour to doe this they are Pastors according to his owne heart id est such as himselfe is and delights in This consideration I humbly hope I may truly say hath made an impression upon my heart both to desire and indeavour to feede you who are the Lambs the Sheepe of the Lord Jesus Phil. 1.7 For thus it is meete for mee to thinke of you all and thus I have you in my heart I must confesse I have still thought and found that there is a great difficulty in this Divine worke And a great deale of holy VVisdome and Strength is requisite which I hope you pray for in my behalfe to feed the Houshold of Christ with not onely Meate but with that which properly is their Portion and that in season I remember our blessed Lord speakes of him as of a rare Bird and hard to bee found Who as a wise and faithfull Steward Luk. 12.42 T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Demensum cibum each soule hath its measure see Eph. 4.7 gives the Houshold their Portion of meate in due season WHO THEN saith Christ IS THAT FAITHFUL AND WISE STEWARD To bee able to give meate not poyson nor Huskes and the portion of meate that which is proper and fit for each and this in due season i. e. when t is peculiarly needfull and requisite I say to bee able to doe thus requires not onely faithfulnesse but wisdome too and that in a large measure And if you say you have not found mee such a Steward so Wise and so Faithfull I must sigh and seale to the truth thereof For alas Who is sufficient for this But albeit this bee above my attainement yet it is in my indeavour a true though a weake witnesse whereof I hope the insuing Treatise will be When it was delivered to your eare which Job saith tryes words as the mouth doth meate Iob 12.13 You were pleased to testifie to this truth that it was your portion of meat in due season And divers of your professed that your soules were fed and refreshed by it as by meate suitable and seasonable for you This hath made your intreaty prevalent with mee to represent it to your eye in Print to try it again And the most precious God grant that you may bee led by his spirit in it as in a greene Pasture by the still Rivers and that your soules may lye downe and feede therein SO as that those that see you may justly speak of you as of a Flocke and field whom the Lord himselfe hath blessed This is all that I shall say to you about this Treatise But I shal take the advantage of this Presse to leave the Print of Three Words of advice upon your hearts The words are these 1 Keepe to your Fold 2 Eye your Shepheard 3 Walke as Sheep 1 Keepe to your Fold Beware of wandering from Mountaine to Hill Jer. 50.6 which I may safely allegorize thus of going from one high notion to another forgetting your resting place Certainly the Churches of the New Testament which are built upon the faith and walke in the order of the Gospell Sion is the place Christ the rest of soules It is hee that gives It is there that he gives rest are the places where Christ feedeth and where hee maketh his flockes to rest at noone In them are the footsteps of his flocke and these are the tents where hee feedes his Kiddes as it is Cant. 1.7 8. O never bee as those weake and wanton spirits who wander from these Folds Dinah by wandering got nothing but a rape And I wish some of late could not say the like 'T is true some are gone out from us of whom I am not so Apostolicall as to say but I must bee so charitable as to pray it may never appear they were not of us But it s your mercy that as yet you stand O bee not high minded but feare least you fall For certainly it is so farre from being an ascent to spirituall height Heb. 10.25 26. that it is a degree of falling away to forsake the Assemblies of Saints which are the Folds of Christ II Eye your Shepherd i.e. The Lord Jesus 'T is true Men have a name of being Shepherds but t is but as ciphers have of being figures which all know are nothing except one stand by them Even Paul himselfe was not a substantiall Shepherd It was not hee but Christ that did all And
him Our prayers have been rather the fruit of our heads and babbling of our lips then the breath of our hearts and panting of our spirits And yet say some soules Suppose our spirits were in prayer We feare Gods spirit was not The father seeketh such to worship him as do it in the spirit and the Apostle calls for praying in the Holy Ghost Now though our own spirit was in our prayers we feare Christs spirit was not It may be wee have prayed in the gifts of the spirit But what are they without the spirit himselfe Againe say the same dejected soules although wee should thinke and hope that we have prayed both in the sincerity of our own spirit and in the strength of Christs spirit yet we feare whether ever God hath regarded Surely he hath been alway angry with for as yet he never answered any of our prayers And to call and not bee heard to pray and not be answered Pro. 1.28 is a threatned judgement This oh this is our feare that we are those at whose calamitie God will laugh as it is Pro. 1.26 Secondly There are others who in their dejection vent other feares As now about the word whether ever it came to them as the word of God and as good seed upon good ground Alas cryeth one poore dejected soule I have heard the word often preached but I fear to no purpose for I thinke I never heard God in it It was the praise of the Thessalonians that they heard the word not as the word of men but as the word of God But it s my shame and sorrow I have rather heard men then God I read saith the soule the Parable of the Sower and I remember there was but one good ground which received the seed aright and I fear I am none of that I doubt I am the high-way-ground or the stony or the thorny but sure I am not the good ground i. e. one who with an honest and good heart having heard the word doth keep it for sure I bring not forth the fruit with patience Thus the fears of some dejected soules work about the word But Thirdly Other dejected souls breathe forth feares about the Promises As whether they have right to them or did ever in the spirit close with them Oh say some soules the Promises are indeede exceeding great and precious But are they ours wee doubt it my soule doubts saith one when I reade the Promises I doe rather read the riches of others then my owne Alas I feare they are none of mine and I dare not indeed cannot close with them Sometimes I have climbed the outside of the Promise I have read the letter but alas I never was in the inside in the spirit of a Promise It s likely many hung upon Noahs Arke without But none were saved but those within And I feare I was never within the Arke of any Promise Fourthly Some soules when cast downe feare their very abstinence from sinne As now whether they did or doe abstaine from sinne in a slavish way for feare or in a Sonne-like way for love I feare saith the soule I have and I do abstaine from sin rather from rationall then from pious principles I doubt I dread the coale of corruption rather for the fire of it which will burne mee then the filib of it which will blacke mee I doubt its the cudgell of wrath that drives me backe rather then the coard of love which keepes mee in from sinne Good soules abstaine from sin from heavenly principles as love of God desire of holinesse and I feare my principles are hellish as feare of damnation and or at best but earthly as shame of men and the like Fiftly Some soules when cast down cry out Oh the sinne against the Holy Ghost I feare saith a dejected soul I have sinned unto death I have sinned against such strong light and such sweet love that I feare my sinne is now the unpardonable sinne which shall not cannot bee forgiven I may well bee cast downe if that bee my case which was Judas his and I feare it is Christ saith all sinne and blasphemy shall bee forgiven but that which is against the Holy Ghost Alas here is my fear that I am guilty of that sin Sixtly The feares of some when cast downe doe not worke thus high yet they vent themselves thus Oh we feare we shall fall away Angells fell Adam fell others fall and are we surer then they Surely we are not so strong and therefore not so sure Many have gone beyond me in the spirit and yet saith the soule have ended in the flesh and I feare I shall doe so too I goe but softly I fall often I looke backe many times and I doubt I shall never persevere unto the death what is it to begin well and end ill what is it to have Ephraims righteousnesse A morning dew Alas mine is no better if so good This is my case and I may well be cast downe for I fear I shall fall The promise of the Crown is to perseverance Hee that is faithfull to the death shall have the crowne of life But I feare I doubt I shall not hold out neare unto death for my heart misgives me and I feare I shall fall away ere long and loose all at last CHAP. 8. The other branch of the workings of spirituall dejections which is greife and sorrow HAving now gone over sundry doubts and feares which are the workings of spirituall dejections I shall touch in a word only upon the other branch viz. That of greife and sorrow For As the soule when it s cast downe is full of feare so likewise its full of griefe Disquieted David vents himselfe not onely in feares but in sorrowes His teares were his meat day and night as it is vers .. 3. He went in mourning ver 9. Sighs complaints expostulations those also are the workings of spirituall dejection Ah Lord what palenesse of face what wringing of the hands what watering of the cheeks doth dejection produce what beating of the breast with the Publican what weeping and crying with Rachell what questioning and crying with Mary doth casting down cause There are two appearances of these kind of workings 1 Within The soule tosseth it selfe up and downe the heart rowles and beates as if it would breake its passage through the body How doth the soule talke with its selfe and aggravate its griefe How is the heart smitten and withered as grasse as t is Psal 102.4 The bowells boile and rest not as t is Job 30.26 2 Without The lips quiver as t is Hab. 3.16 The eyes run down all the night as Lam. 1. the voice that speakes faintly And is there any sorrow as mine was ever soule as I am Did you ever meet with any in my case Thus griefe vents it selfe and thus doth the disquieted soule as it thinkes ease it selfe But I neede not go about to paint these sorrowes some soules are able
Lord take pleasure in such a soule as I am and bestow paines to worke on me Ans In Answer to this know O soul free grace shall move God For of grace we are saved and not of our selves it s the gift of God we are his worke-man-ship Ephes 2.8 10. And know O soule as God doth worke in thee the will so also he will worke in thee the deed and that of his good pleasure as t is Phil. 2.13 though he cannot take pleasure in thee yet he can and will in his worke Wherefore bear up O thou dejected soule Be not so cast down Suppose the work of grace be not yet wrought the Lord can and doe thou beleeve it hee will worke it now Ere long thou shalt see Christ formed in thee and though now thou art in paine and feare as a soule in travell yet then thou shalt rejoyce for joy that grace is come into thy heart CHAP. 2. Satisfaction to dejected soules labouring under the feare of the truth of grace BUt alas say some who are cast downe our doubts are not so much about a worke of grace As about the truth of grace I doubt saith a soul whether my grace be true Case some worke I have had and something is brought forth but I question whether it be not counterfeit Albeit this fear bee almost the same with the former Satisfaction yet because I find some dejected soules making it a distinct doubt I shal therefore speak distinctly to it And in order to the satisfaction of a soule cast down and discovering its selfe in this feare I shall offer two things viz. Something 1 More generally 2 More particularly First More generally I desire such dejected soules as are troubled about this fear to consider 3 things First Consider counterfeit grace doth not use to suspect it selfe neither is it willing to be tryed He that doth evill commeth not to the light nay he hateth the light as t is John 3.20 But he that doth truth commeth to the light c. Surely it may secretly hint that thy grace is currant sith thou desirest its tryall were thy grace counterfeit as thou suspectest it would desire concealement at lest it would not put thee on to suspect it Secondly Consider it s a mercy to have a suspecting spirit Many soules are deceived and damned for want of this Satan lyes secure under an imperfect and pretended worke of grace You read of a spirit of slumber in the Scripture God hath given some up to the spirit of slumber Rom. 11.8 There are foolish Virgins who presume and sleep and sleeping perish Christs spirit where it is is a spirit of fire and burning Now fire that tryes Christs spirit is like a refiners fire It s a mercy to have the spirit of refining and trying whereas its a judgement to be selfe-confident not at all suspicious It argues the spirit of slumber But Thirdly Consider t is possible for one truly gracious to conceit that his grace is but counterfeit As children conceive brasse is gold so sometimes they conceit gold to be brasse It s strange to observe the strength of conceit especially in depth of Melancholly Peradventure oh soule thy fear is but conceit Surely we see sometimes Hypocrites conceiting in their joyallity that their counterfeit grace is true And why may wee not thinke nay by experience we find sometimes truely gracious hearts conceiting their grace is counterfeit But these considerations are onely general Therefore More particularly that I may satifie such dejected fouls as doubt the truth of their grace I shall lay down these conclusions First Many souls doubt the truth of their grace because of their wrong way of tryall There are false Touch-stones which may make pure gold suspitious as well as make brasse appeare as gold To instance it s a false and deceiving way of tryall to try the truth of grace by conquest My meaning is to conclude that my grace is not true because I am sometimes conquered by corruption it s a wrong way of conclusion and a false touch-stone of tryall Paul had truth of grace and yet sometimes he was conquered and carryed captive and sold slave-like by sinne Rom 7.14 So likewise a constant equall undauntednesse in owning of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ver 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. captivated or lead into captivity as by a Câ—nquerour and sold in a market and cleaving to truth is a false touch-stone or fallible way of tryall T is true the righteous is bold as a Lyon but this is not at all times alike Peter had truth of love to Christ and yet he was not so undaunted alwayes His deriall is knowne well enough So that now to apply this to our purpose it may be Oh dejected soule thou tryest thy grace the wrong way Thou sayest thou art conquered oft and led captive many times Bee it so thy grace may be sound for all this Those that scome the Turkish power may sometimes bee slave-like in his Gallies And a loyall subject of Jesus Christ may be sometimes overtaken and taken and sold Paul-like under sin But 2 In judging the truth of our grace we should rather eye its quality then its quantity As now faith the truth of that is seen rather in its quality then in its quantity There may be a faith big enough to remove mountaines and yet FALSE as is deducible from 1 Gor. 13.2 And there may be a faith no bigger then a graine of mustard seed and yet TRVE Little faith and true faith may go together Peradventure O soule thou art grieved to see thy grace so little and that makes thee feare t is false but know this thy feare is foolish The least dust of gold is gold and the least grain of grace is grace In judging thy grace O dejected soule know thou shouldest eye its quality not its quantity And in order to this Thirdly know That grace is true which is diffusive I would aske thee O soule that doubtest thy grace is counterfeit whether it be diffusive yea or no though it be little doth it spread it selfe Is thy little in head and heart too Hypocrites have much in the head little in the heart But see O soule doth not thy little spread Is it not leaven doth it not leaven thee all over Is it not in thy will thou wouldest and doth it not spread to thy desire thou desirest And because thou canst not doth it not leaven thy sorrow Is not that sower or rather sweet dost not grieve because thou carst not doe as thou wouldest and desirest Do not O soule murder thy selfe I meane kill thy comfort by not witnessing to the truth Cannot you see and say your little grace is diffusive Surely if it be you need not doubt its truth and you should not say t is counterfeit CHAP. 3. Satisfaction to soules dejected and fearing that the worke which is wrought in them is not of the spirit THe
next fear which I shall speake unto is that which concernes the Authour of that worke which is in the soule Some soules when they are cast downe Cafe cry out they feare that all that worke which is passed upon them is no more then in the bare letter as they call it i. e. they doubt whether it be of the spirit yea or no as was opened in the former part c. Now for the removing of this feare Satisfaction and to raise up a soule that is cast downe and lyes doubting whether its calling conviction and comfort be from the spirit yea or no I shall speak to each of these by themselves First For thy calling O soule thou sayst thou fearest thou wert only called by men i.e. wrought upon to leave thy sins and former course by the meer wit and oratory of men in perswading c. There be three things which I would offer to scatter thy fear in this particular 1 Consider that thy call may be by the spirit though thou doe thinke it was by man only It s certaine that the spirit speakes to our hearts mostly by men Immediate calls are rare It may be you feare your call was not by the spirit because 't was by men It might be mans speech and the spirits call 'T was Christ that preached to the Ephesians though it were Paul that spake Paul tells them Christ came and preached peace to them Ephes 2.17 And yet we know Christ was never at Ephesus and Paul speakes this of Christ after the time of his suffering as is deducible from vers 16. Indeed 't was Christ that preached by Paul And though man was the trumpet yet the spirit was the breath that filled it when thou wert called from thy sin Look as in Samuels case it was the Lord called him and he thought 't was Eli as 't is 1 Sam. 3. so it may be with you and the reason may be as it was in Samuels case He was a child and so did not know yet as the text saith the Lord It may be thou art a child as yet O soule and art not so well able to distinguish of the Lord from men Thou as yet mayest not be acquainted with the mysteries of the spirit and therefore thou mayest thinke t is only man when it was the spirit which called thee Hereafter when thou shalt grow up to a fuller age in Christ this childish thing and feare may be done away And thou shalt no more speake as a child and say thou fearest 't was man only that called thee But thou shalt be taught of God and know thou wert called by the spirit 2 Call to minde in what frame of soule thou wert if thou canst call it to mind when thy first call was and consider what it was and is which doth prevaile with you Happily thy soul was in a direct way of opposing God and thou didst little thinke of him when he called thee The more unexpected it was the more of the spirit was in the call Besides say O soule was it not naked truth plaine simple truth that did and doth most take with thy heart Surely the more plaine truth was which did worke upon you the more of the spirit was in that worke It s a rule case the lesse of man the more of God Art not able to say O soule that thou wert going on in a vaine vile way of living without God and that thou wert so taken up with the world and vanity c. that God was not in all thy thoughts And that at a time thou didst either read or hear such or such a naked truth As to instance that thou wert a child of wrath by nature that out of Christ there is no hope of salvation c. And that hereupon unexpectedly thou didst find thy heart moved to take another course Peradventure thou hadst read or heard and didst know the same truth before O but at such or such a time thou didst find thy heart more wrought upon by it then ever I beseech you seriously say hath it not been thus with you If it hath why doubt ye that your call is not by the spirit But 3 Call to mind And in sincerity tell and confesse what it was that thou wert ialled from and what it is that thou wert called to Canst not thou say thy call was not so much at lest not only from misery but it was from sinne T is true many a man by naturall conscience and fleshly principles is thus far wrought upon in a call that it is willing to come out of misery I but thy soule can say it was willing to come from sinne and 't was from that which in thy call thy heart was taken off Yea and art not thou able to say thou didst find thy heart in thy call really going out after as conceiving thou wert called unto holinesse as t is 1 Thes 4.7 Cannot you appeale to God that in your call you did at lest that now you do find your hearts not only called and made willing to leave a sorrowfull estate and come into a happy one But also to leave a sinfull estate and come into a holy estate Certainly if your call were not only from misery but from sinne And if it were to be as well and as much nay more unto holinesse then unto freedom from misery I say if you can clear this And do not your consciences oh ye dejected souls witnesse to this then why do ye doubt what reason have you to feare that your call was not of the spirit To come therefore to the other thing viz. Secondly To your Conviction You say you doubt whether that were of the spirit and evangelicall or only by the letter and legall Now to satisfie you in this there are 3 questions which I would put unto you And in the sincerity of your hearts resolve them 1 What was the great sin of which you were and are convicted when thy heart was convinced of sin what was the greatest sinne which then thou wert convinced of Search your hearts and consider what answer to give can you say it was unbeleife Certainly if you were convinced of that it was the spirit which wrought that conviction I desire not to be mistaken I do not urge this as if I thought there either were not or needed not any more conviction then this for certainly saving conviction extends it selfe to all sin and in particular to our particular speciall sinnes But my aime is to hint something as a signall discovery of conviction by the spirit and in order to this it is which I am now speaking Now then wert thou ever convinced of unbeleefe Hast thou seen this to be a sin yea and to be a great sin Certainly if thou hast thy conviction hath been of the Holy Ghost It s the peculiar worke of the spirit to convince of unbeleefe as t is John 16.9.11 Many a soule is convinced of these or these sins
But the soule convinced by the spirit is convinced of this sin as of the sin of sinnes viz. unbeleefe Oh saith a soul which is convinced by the spirit I know drunkennesse is a sin uncleannesse is a sinne pride a sin c. But I know unbeleef is a sin as great ray greater then them all This is laid upon my spirit that Christ is come into the world sweetly discovering the love of God freely tendering reconcilement in his blood But I Oh I did little see and much slight him I did not make it my worke to go after him nor have I been willing when he hath come after me to accept him And this oh this hath been nay I fear 't is still my sin Oh this base vile damnable unbeleefe is that which hath and doth lye upon my spirit Other sins put me in an â—â—â—solute necessity of salvation and this sealed me under damnation HEE THAT BELEEVETH NOT HE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY Oh that Scripture tooke hold on me Christ came and was willing to imbrace but I would not beleeve He came sweetly weeing and I stood out sinfully rejecting He tendered grace freely and I did put off that tender wretchedly He said come unto me and I le ease you and I did not could not would not beleeve and therefore came not to him This O this I am convinced of as my sin and this I doubt is my sin to this day The truth is I can hardly beleive yet that Christ came to save sinners Why say Oh soul doth not thy heart answer to these things as face to face is there not a copy of this complaint in the secret tables of thy heart If there be pray who should nay who could write it but the spirit Who could take these things of Christ and reveale them unto thee but the spirit Surely if none can call Jesus Lord but by the spirit as it is 1 Cor. 12.3 Then none could be convinced so far of sin for not receiving of or beleeving in which is all one this Lord Christ but by the Holy Ghost But Secondly What is the great principle upon which you are most convicted Is it SENSE or HOPE of divine love It may be thou hast sometimes tasted how good the Lord is Peradventure you have had some sence of the love of God Or It may be you have only sometimes attained some hopes of divine loves Now is it this that doth most affect thy heart in thy conviction Doth not thy soule say Oh! what a vile wretch have I been who have despised the riches of Gods goodnesse and who have not been led thereby unto repentance Standest thou convinced of the greatnesse of sins by the consideration of the greatnesse of his love Because God hath been is and thou hopest will be exceeding good Art not upon this convinced that thou art and hast been exceeding bad Surely so much as love and sweetnesse hath had an influence upon thy conviction so much the spirit hath been in it The hand of wrath may convince a Pharoah that he hath sinned but an eye of love will make a Peter weep bitterly Therfore Thirdly In thy convictions for sin what sight hast thou had of Christ The spirit where he convinceth of sin he also convinceth of righteousnesse as t is John 16.10 i.e. the spirit convinceth the soule that albeit it is unrighteous yet there is a righteousnesse in Christ which it may have The spirit where he is a messenger of sin comming in and convincing the soule thereof he is also an Interpreter taking the things of Christ and so shewing thereof unto the soule the spirit is that one of a thousand to shew unto man his uprightnesse as t is Job 33.23 An hypocrite may be convinced by the Law but alas in that conviction he sees only a Moses But a Saint is convinced not only by the Law but the Gospell and therefore in his conviction he sees a Messiah Canst not thou say O soul when thou wert convinced that thou wert a sinner thou wert also convinced that there was a Saviour Didst not thou see a remedy as well as a disease a healing plaister as well as a killing wound A Saviour as well beseeching sinners to come unto him that they might have life as blaming of them for not beleeving in him that they might be free from death Surely soule its the spirit who giveth life the letter killeth Where the letter convinceth only it doth leave a soule under the sentence of death But if together with the sentence of death for sin thou didst also see the hopes of life in a righteousnesse then there was something more and higher then the letter in thy conviction even the Holy Ghost If then when thou wert convinced thou didst see unbeleife as the great sin and divine love as the great aggravation of that unbeleife and yet withall a sight of free and full righteousnesse tendred as a cure of both If I say thou didst see these things in thy conviction why art thou cast down O soule and why dost thou fear the spirit was not in thy conviction To go on then to the last branch of this fear and doubt Thou sayst O soul that dost fear thy comfort was not from the spirit At lest thou sayst thou dost doubt it It s true after thy storme thou didst heare a still voyce but sayst thou was the spirit in that voyce Sometimes even after conviction thou dost say thou didst feel comfort but thou fearest whether it were from the spirit or from the letter and fancy c. Why now in order to the scattering of this fear let me intreate you to consider these three things First Whence it was that thy comfort was fetched which was brought to thee was it not such as one of a thousand could not bring came it not from Jesus Christ who can only give man his righteousnesse as it is Job 33 23. He shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you saith Christ of the spirit Job 16.15 Where the spirit brings in comfort it is still shewed to be fetched from Christ Alas canst not thou say It was not from any creature men or Angell that the hope of your comfort came Alas miserable Comforters were they all But it was onely from Christ where the spirit comforts he doth it still in a discovery of Christ As he shewes Christ pierced by the soule and useth that sight unto conviction so he discovers Christ willing to imbrace the soul and useth this sight unto consolation The peace and comfort of some is rather from a cessation of the trouble of conscience then from a sight and discovery of Christ Now if thy comfort came only from an apprehension of Christ and from a sight of the things in him why art thou disquieted as if thy comfort were not from the spirit Since as no man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him 1 Cor. 2.11 Even so the
poore soules there bee so many stones and thornes in our hearts that we feare the good seed hath met but with bad ground in our hearts but know O soules that as no ground is so good but it hath some stones and thornes so your hearts may be good ground notwithstanding some worldly cares and deceitfulnesse Beware least you imagine that you should or could make your hearts good and your soules fruitfull of your selves some have doubtlesse mistaken Christs meaning in that Parable who thinke that their hearts must or could be good ground before the seed of the Word make it so Parables are not to be stretched beyond their intention Thy heart may be was is and will be bad ground ere the good seed make it good thou sayest the seed was good but thy ground i. e. thy heart was nought therefore the Parable speakes sadly of thee c. but be not dejected nor deceived It s the glory of spirituall seed that it wil make BAD ground GOOD It s true other seeds though good yet if sowne in bad ground are lost the bad ground spoyling the good seed But t is otherwise here The bad ground i.e. bad hearts doe not mar the good seed but the good seed mends the bad hearts Every heart since the fall hath and doth bring forth bryers and thornes Now where good seed comes it choakes the bryars and thornes i.e. deceit and corruptions Object Nay but saith the soule t is true if this good seed did abide but alas I feare t is lost all or at best there is but little remaines of the many handfulls that have been sowne upon mee there are but a few graines abide c. Ans Be it so O soule yet if any seed remaine 't will grow and be saving any one seed taking roote in thy heart is immortall and it will remaine Reply But me thinks I hear the soul reply with sighs and saying T is true if I had but any seed abiding with me I could rejoyce for I know the good seed will not dye But I alas I see it not spring up and therefore I doubt c. Duply Tarry O soule The Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it And shouldest not thou waite for the most precious fruit of the heart Jam. 5.7 and have longer patience Even the Lord of the Vineyard waiteth some yeares for his fruit as is deducible from Luk. 13.7 Albe it thou see not the seed spring yet it may be under the clods taking root even under the clods of your corruptions there may be the seed of grace And what if you see it not Should the husbandman who in the Winter lookes upon his field newly or lately sowne and sees nothing but mire and earth and dirt cry out and say all my seed is lost would not every one count him weake and tell him in the Spring he shall see the contrary Thy Spring O soule is comming it s now thy Winter season as before n = * Sect. i. chap. 5. was hinted and now thy seed is not seene for thy corruptions like dirty clods lye upon it But beare up O soule and expect with patience and thou shalt see thy seed springing up unto a Harvest of holinesse and of life But what if I should say as thou dost that thy seed i.e. the word which thou hast heard is dead I should not feed thy fear For know you not that which the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15.36 thou foole that which thou sowest is not quickened except it dye It s a peece of folly to expect a quickening of seed sowne ere it rot and dye Verily saith Christ except a corne of wheat Joh. 12.24 fall into the ground and dye it abideth alone i. e. it increaseth not Even Christ himselfe sowne in the heart doth at least seemingly dye ere hee springs up Death passeth upon all our mercies in the seed and we find them only as by a resurrection Even that good seed of grace the holy word of the Gospell which hath beene sown in thy heart and lyes now as dead and rotten will arise and spring up ere long and thou shalt see it be not therefore O soule so cast down and dejected Lastly To wind up this case Admit as yet the Word of God never came like it selfe i e. as good seed to thee yet it may now God hath bid us in the preaching of the Word to be instant both in season and out of season And in effect he hath said to us as t is Eccles 1.6 To sow our seed in the morning and in the evening not to with hold our hand And how do we or you know which shall prosper Peradventure the seed that is sown in the evening may prosper with thee though that be lost which was sowne on thee in the morning Christ O soul for ought that I or thou knowest may in this reading or the next cause a blessing to be upon the seed And it may at last bring forth in thy heart sixty yea a hundred fold O be not faithlesse but beleeve Thou who now goest up and downe mourning for the want of a precious seed See Isa 55.10 11. and 35.1 2 3 4 See these places mayest ere long return rejoycing bearing sheaves Hath not the Lord said As the raine commeth down from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud Even so shall the word which goeth forth of his mouth it shall not return empty Thou who now fearest thy selfe to bee a barren Wildernesse shall blossom abundantly and rejoyce This Christ hath commanded me to tell you who are of a fearfull heart therefore be not dejected or cast downe but be strong CHAP. 11. Satisfaction to the soule cast downe and troubled with feare about the Promises THe Promises are appointed and indeed were intended for our comfort but many souls who are dejected are so far from being comforted by them that they are troubled about them O say they had we assurance that we were interested in the Promises we could rejoyce Case but we question our right to them and we feare wee have no part or lot in them c. Now to raise up the soule cast down and labouring under this fear I shall present these particulars to be seriously considered First You have no just ground to say you have no right to the Promises God doth no where say that thou shalt have nothing to do with his Promises Sith God doth not exclude thee why shouldest thou exclude thy selfe It s not enough to say thou art a sinner for the Promises are tendred unto sinners It s observable there is one Promise or other made and tendred unto all sorts of sinners But. Secondly It s your duty to beleeve the Promises are yours and this is the way to come to know it It s a strange and ungospell-like expression to say I would beleeve the
Soul in the cave Psal 57. yea and he composed a special choyce Psalme upon each occasion therefore he stiles them Michtams i. e. golden Psalmes and yet it was after all this that he fell in that foule businesse I might instance in Peters Case which seemed and in a sence did exceed Davids and in the case of others and yet none ever charged them with the sinne against the Holy Ghost so that t is cleare many are mistaken in this sinne and why mayest not thou be mistaken oh soule who fearest it Thirdly There are some soules who are not at present capable of that sinne my meaning is that cannot possibly at present be charged with it as now such as are not very highly enlightened such as have not had any great or high income of joy and sweetnesse such as have not been eminent and long professors All Divines conclude that a person sinning the sinne against the Holy Ghost must be supposed to be 1. One much enlightened 2. One who hath tasted of the heavenly gift and the joyes of the Holy Ghost yea and 3. One who hath been some famous and forward Professor Now alas poore soule thou cryest out thou art but a babe a novice one who knowes little and hast tasted lesse one who hath small light and weake life and no joy or comfort at all one whose highest degree of knowledge is but as yet a beame whose greatest income of joy is but a drop who art a stranger to tasting of the heavenly powers and the world to come and who yet art no forwarder then humbly to professe to desire to feare Jehovah and to love Jesus Thou dost often sigh these sayings and seale to them as true and this may secure thee from being guilty of the sinne against the Holy Ghost sith at present thou art incapable of that sinne But Forthly The soule guilty of this sinne cannot be troubled for it at least so as to desire to repent of it and to have Christ to pardon it Thy feare thy trouble thy disquiets O soule argue thou art free from this sinne for wert thou guilty of it thy heart it would be hardred and could not desire to repent thy Conscience it would be seared and no way disquieted for it yea and thy desires would be dead so as that thou wouldest not pant after Christ nor the Spirit thy very feares and disquiets should answer in this case themselves they could not would not be in thee if this sinne were committed by thee a senslesse and troublelesse soule ever goes along with this sinne and therefore know this Fifthly None can be guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost but such as First totally fall away from both Practise and Profession of all godlinesse and Religion as t is Heb. 6.6 Secondly Directly doe despite unto the spirit of grace as t is Heb. 10.29 and Thirdly Such as doe directly and plainly and professedly oppose and speake evill of the wayes of Christ which sometimes they professed Now tell me O soule and beware of false witnesse against thy selfe Quest First Art thou totally falne away from both the practise and profession of godlinesse Dost hold no points of Faith Dost doe no acts of Religion Dost make no profession of Jesus Christ Answ Surely I heare the say I desire to beleeve and the Lord help my unbeleefe I desire to walke exactly to have a good Conscience to God and man and this profession I make that if I know my heart I desire to worship the God of my Fathers according to that order of the Gospell which many count and call Heresie well then O soule thou art not totally falne away which yet thou wouldest be if thou wert guilty of the sinne feared But Quest Secondly Say soule and doe not eclipse the truth of Gods grace in thee Darest thou doe despight to the Holy Ghost Ans Surely I heare thee answering I tremble at the thought thereof I would not for ten thousand worlds speake the least evill of that good Spirit I am so farre from despiting him that I doe earnestly desire him and waite for him Alas this O soule would not could not be wert thou guilty of this sinne Then Thirdly answer O soule Dost thou oppose godlinesse Quest What dost or darest thou persecute such as desire to walke with Christ c Answ Is not this thy reply to this That thou rather pittyest thy selfe for not being so forward as others then persecutest them for being before thee Yea thou art so farre from opposing those that are godly that thou wouldest if Christ would help thee suffer any persecutions rather then leave off thy endeavour to be godly Now certainly O poore dejected soule thou art not guilty of the sinne thou fearest for if thou wert thou wouldest fall away wholly and speake evill of the Spirit directly and oppose godlinesse professedly sith these things doe ever accompany that sinne against the Holy Ghost But Lastly there have been precious soules who sometime feared their sinning against the Holy Ghost and yet have afterward enjoyed the sealing of the Holy Ghost See the Bookes of them Mistris Drake Mistris Wight and others of late have brought forth this experience fully to light that soules who have sometimes questioned their sinning unto death have yet found the Spirit sealing them up to life and Mistris Drake breathed out a little before her death this comfortable counsel Never let any despaire how desperately miserable soever their case be Wherefore then rouze up thy selfe O dejected soule thou who now fearest the sinne against the Spirit mayest ere long boast of the seale of the Spirit Trust thou in Christ for thou shalt yet praise him for joy and assurance given in by that Holy Ghost against whom at present thou fearest that thou hast sinned CHAP. 14. There remaines yet one Case more which being spoke unto puts an end to this Section NOw this Case is the feare of falling away after all Case Many a poor soul which is satisfied it may be for the present in its state yet questions it for the future Oh! say some soules we feare we shall never hold out many have gone farte and yet have perished at last for want of perseverance indeed this is usually the last trouble of dejected soules and in this as in a last refuge they shelter their feares Suppose say they our case be now as good as the Angels at first as good as Adams in Paradice yet Adam fel and Angels fel and we fear the like Now unto these soules I would offer these particulars Satisfaction in order to raise them from under this dejection First Blessed is the soule that feareth alway The soule standeth surest while it trembleth the Apostle adviseth him that standeth to take heed least he fall And the way to stand is not to be high minded but to feare as it is Rom. 11.20 Many had never fell had they ever feared Peters presumption was his fayling
red Sea for to that doth the Lord allude there Therefore know your worke and be wise to do it O ye dejected souls you must waite and be contented in your waiting Quest But must I be contented with my condition in which I want God 'T were something to be contented with a comfortlesse condition but to be contented with a God-lesse and Christ-lesse condition this is harsh and I question whither it should be Answer You must distinguish both of 1 A state without God and 2 Content in that state First you must distinguish of a state without God There is a being without God so as men are by nature i. e. Atheisticall And so I thinke that place should bee translated most clearly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 2.12 proportionate unto that place of Ephes 4.18 Now I doe not dare not say O dejected Soul thou shouldest be contented in such a condition But there is a being without God or Christ so as souls are who are in the darke that want the visibility of his presence That indeed have his life but are alienated from his light that see not God or Christ at all who are not wholly strangers to God but to whom God seemes estranged and from whom Christ seemes to be gone And such an estate thou must be contented in But yet Secondly You must distinguish of content There is a carnall hellish content arising from a sinfull frame of heart such as was in those of whom Job speakes that say to God depart from us that see no profit in his presence and that therefore can be well pleased with his absence as it is Job 21. Thus 't were hellish to be contented But there is a spiritual holy contentment arising from a submissive frame of heart to Gods will such as was in Christ who submitted to divine absence And in the Church who said I will waite that is with content and patience upon the Lord that hideth his face Esa 8.17 And in this way thou oughtest to be content to want God and Christ i. e. in a sweet submission to his will That since hee 'le not shine thou must bee contented to bee in the darke Further It is one thing to bee content to want God and Christ for a time it is another thing to be contented to eternity I will not say as some do thinke that we ought to be contented to want God to eternity This is disputable But its clear for a time we must be contented Indeed I think we must and we must not bee contented in our condition when and while we are dejected for the want of God and Christ Quest But alas thou wilt say How shall I be thus It s a mystery to bee contented and to bee not contented and that at the same time with reference to one and the same thing Answ Indeed t is true This is a mystery but yet you must study it And amongst other helps I shall mention three Considerations which if the spirit assist will in a measure learn you this mystery of not being contented to want Christ and yet of being contented to want him in your dejected condition c. 1 Consider Christ is thy happines but at his own disposall Because he is thy happinesse thou must not content thy selfe without him And yet because he is at his owne disposal thou must be content a while to want him and to waite for him Mind it O dejected soule the Lord Jesus is thy life thou must perish without him and therefore never be contented to want him But withall remember he is thy Lord therefore if hee 'le tarry thou must be content to want and to waite for him 2 Consider Christ waited long for thee but thou canst not want him alwayes Because thou canst not alwayes want Christ therefore beware of being content to be without him and yet because he waited long for you be not discontented if hee make you tarry a while for him 3 Consider If Christ never come to thee thou art utterly undone but if hee come at any time thou art made for ever Who can be contented to thinke of being utterly undone and miserable to all eternity yet such O soul thou wilt be if Christ come not to thee at all But if Christ come though never so late it s not too late to make thee really royally everlastingly happy Well mind this soule and minding be serious in these thoughts then mayest thou come to bee acquainted with this mystery of being contented to want God Christ comfort c. and to wait even in thy saddest dejection with aboundance of patience Quest But What shall I say to silence Satan and to still my unquiet heart in Christs absence in during the time of my dejection Answ For that O soul take these directions to support thy spirit and silence Satan in thy dejections First Say to Satan and thy selfe that Christ knows his owne time Why shouldest thou either prescribe or confine him to time what Christ said to his disciples that say you to your dejected soules His time is not yet come though your time be alwayes Job 7.6 Tell thy soule indeed Its time is alwayes but Christs may not be yet Say Christ is at his owne disposall and he knowes his owne time The wife that longs after her absent Husband silenceth her selfe with this My Husband knowes his owne time Yea and she can with this also quiet the children too who cry oh that our Father were come Children you Father knowes his own time So O soul do thou silence thy self and do thou likewise answer thine enemy who saith where is now thy God Say my God my Christ is in Heaven and doth what pleaseth him It pleaseth him that I should want and waite and I am contented for he knowes his own time Secondly Christs time is the best time His time is alwayes seasonable Tell thy soule and Satan thy time may not be fit and seasonable Had a diseased person who lay by the Poole of Bethesda stept in to the water when he would it had not beene well And yet alwayes it was time for the diseased But it was not alway the spirits season The Text saith An Angell went down at a certain season Joh. 5.4 O remember it dejected soule Thy time is alwayes but it is not seasonable Now Christs time is ever seasonable though not alwayes present His time is the best time the seasonable time the healing time Thâ—rdly Say to thy soule Though this time seeme long yet t is certaine Though it bee not now yet it will be The vision is for an appointed time i.e. for a season and though it tarry yet it will SURELY come and not tarry Christ will come in his owne time Say to thy soule though now thou want him notwithstanding thou shalt YET praise him Fourthly Tell thy soule That Christs time is when all hope is gone and all meanes seemingly faile When the soule is shut up and there
deepest dejections Further Thirdly You must beleive that you shall confesse all your doubtings to the contrary as your failing Thou art apt to question Power and to doubt Will Thou art ready to say I am cut off and cast out and I shall go all my dayes in bitternesse c. well when thy sorrow hath thus vented it selfe thou must beleeve its thy sinne and that one day thou shalt with shame confesse it I said in mine hast I am cut off from before thine eyes David said so but he confesseth it was in his hast Psalm 31.22 Hâ—man did the like after he had vented himselfe sadly will the Lord cast off for ever hath he forgotten to be gracious c. And I said pray mind it this is my infirmity Ps 77.10 He said this and that but he confessed what he said was in his weaknesse I told you in the opening of the Text the word translated I shal praise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might be translated I shal confesse as Dan. 9.1 Ezra 9 2. c. And certainely whatever your sadnesse bee now in your dejection Significat tam confiteri culpam qui celebrare laudem you must beleeve that one day you shall confesse much of it at least to be your weaknesse It may be O soule thou sayest this is high True Yet your faith must ascend higher For Fourthly You should act your faith and beleeve you shall yet see God as your God The precept is in Isai 51. to trust upon God as ours let him trust upon his God This is more it s more to beleeve an interest in God then helpe from God yet this thou must beleeve O sad soule David saith here that he shal yet praise him marke his phrase and saith I my God not only as the health of my countenance i. e. as my healer and raiser c. but as my God You must beleeve in your lowest dejection God is still yours though thy condition be low yet thy interest is not lost Fifthly You must beleeve that a singing time is comming notwithstanding present casting downe You must remember your Songs of old and beleeve you shall yet sing them againe I shall yet praise him saith our text though now thou sigh yet thou shalt sing your sorrow shall be turned into joy you now sit disconsolate and your Harp is now hung by the Willowes your strings are now broke and your spirit is now heavy but yet you must beleeve joy shall returne and that one day you shall take your Harp and tune it againe and sing your old yea and a new song upon your chiefest Instruments Lastly You must beleeve that this shall be so eminent that Sathan shall see it and be ashamed now Sathan triumphs in thy sadnesse and saith Where is thy God You must beleeve that your God is still present and that ere long he wil so appeare as that Sathan shall be ashamed of what he hath said against thy God and thee thus the Church saith Micha 7.10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her which said unto me Where is the Lord thy God There is a day a comming in which thou shalt say Loe this is my God I have waited for him Put all these things together and they make up such a crede as this which thou O soule mayest say in thy deepest dejections I beleeve still all that I did of my God and Christ of the Scriptures and holinesse and I yet beleeve that there is a power in God that he can help and that not only in others cases but in my owne yea and I beleeve that he is inclinable and willing Nay I beleeve certainly the resurrection of my dejected heart and Christs presence even in this dejection yea I beleeve I shall one day confesse my present feares to be my failings when I shall see God and Christ againe as mine and when I shall sing a new song of praise and salvation even in the sight of and to the shame of Sathan Thus O soule thou must beleeve even in thy deepest dejection when thou art cast downe lowest and seest God least CHAP. 4. The grounds and reasons of this Doctrine and duty of thus beleeving in dejections YOu have now seene the explication of the duty wherein it lyes you shall now see the reasons thereof viz. why a dejected soule should act his faith even at the lowest c. First Because its the nature of faith thus to doe Faith doth suppose straights and difficulties and yet over-comes them all The Apostle tells us that hope that is seene is not hope Rom. 8 24. i. e. It s in the very nature of hope to suppose an invisibility of its object for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for as t is there In like manner faith in that which is visible is not faith You finde in Scripture this definition of faith That it is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 observe it faith as hope supposeth its object not seene or not in sight and yet when the thing is not seene then it substantiates and realizeth the things as if they were Dejected soules you say you are cast low your pit is very darke and you see nothing now you must beleeve for its the nature of faith to evidence and cleare up and cleave to things in the darke Now thou seest nothing now thou shouldest beleeve and in thy faith see all things and conclude of them as certaine Though thou be cast downe yet thou must see raising up and beleeve it Secondly To beleeve in your deep dejections cleares the strength of faith Thomas his faith was weake when he would not beleeve except he saw Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nailes c. I will not beleeve Joh 20.25 Soule thy faith is weake if thou say I le not beleeve because I see nothing Blessed are they which have not seene saith Christ and yet have beleeved It were a blessed signe that thy faith is strong couldest thou beleeve now thou art lowest and seest God least it is an easie thing to swim with Bladders but it argues skil and strength to swim without It argued the Disciples faith to be but small that in the great storme they could not beleeve and now thou art dejected it wil argue but weake faith if now thou wilt not beleeve As he who fainteth in the day of adversity gives notice his strength is but weake so he who doubteth in the day of dejection declares his faith is not strong Now it should be your wisdome to witnesse the strength of your faith by your beleeving when you are lowest Thirdly Christ is pleased to take this way of bringing the soule low when he intends to lift it high Your dejection is Christs way to bring you to exaltation Why should not I beleeve a thing when I am in the way to it If I am in
to the full when thou shalt enter into thy Masters joy when thou shalt rest from thy labours thy income shall follow thee when thou shalt come to Abrahams bosome and there thou shalt come dejected soule as poore a Lazarus as thou art then thou shalt have every prayer every sigh every groane come to remembrance and say now thou hast all that which we went out for Rouse up therefore O cast-downe soule God is a good Master you shall not labour in vaine Be not dejected but be stedfast unmoveable alway abounding in the worke of the Lord for as much as you know your labour is not in vaine in the Lord as t is 1 Cor. 15. last why then should you be cast downe for lacke of income CHAP. 20. Cure for Soules cast downe upon insultation of Satan and enemies I Remember another cause I mentioned of dejections was the insultation of Satan and enemies many soules are dejected at this that Satan and his instruments triumph over as it is at large shewed before Now to cure and comfort those Cure let me intreate dejected soules to minde and remember these insuing things First Satan will insult without ground Hee 'l say to David Where is his God and hee 'l but if to Christ concerning his being the sonne of God Sathan is an impudent enemy who will bragge and triumph against a soule for nothing It is the nature of a Dogge to barke a Lion to roare Woolfe a Wolfe to howle and it is the nature of Sathan to insult Be not therefore cast downe at it Secondly Though Sathan insults Christ is a friend and loves us still even at that time that Sathan insulted and buffeted Paul Christs grace was sufficient Should the Childe be cast down for the insulting of the Groome or the Scullion when he is beloved of his Father as his Heire What though Satan say Where is thy God thy hope c. mayest not thou O soule say My God and hope is in Heaven still All the Devils in Hell and men on earth shall never can never seperate between thee and thy God neither Principalities nor Powers nor Life nor Death nor any thing can separate c. Triumph O soule in that Rom. 8.35.37 though Sathan insult be not thou cast downe Thirdly The time shall come when thou shalt tread upon thy insulting enemy and when he shall be ashamed for all his insultations Remember O cast downe soule the God of peace will though thou canst not and that shortly tread downe Sathan under your even thy feet Rom. 16.20 Christ will take thee by the hand and owne thee in the presence of God Angels and men yea and Devills too And then thy enemy Sathan shall see who said where is thy God even then he shall see thy God as thine and be confounded for all his insultation over thee Lastly for wicked men who now it may be deride and scoffe at thee be not dejected for them Because the day will come when they will wish they were as thou art When they shall as much admire at thy happinesse and wisdome as now they sleight thy state and thoughts when God shall bring thee forth to light and thou shalt behold his righteousnesse Then shall all thy enemies see it and be ashamed which said where is the Lord thy God Then shall they licke the dust like a Serpent and shall fear not only because of the Lord our God but also because of thee as it is in that Excellent Scripture Mich. 7.9.10.17 which scripture if thou read seriously and act faith upon I dare assure thee of cure for this cause of dejection viz. insultation of Sathan and enemies CHAP. 21. Cure for Soules cast downe upon corporall Afflictions SPirituall dejection is sometimes caused by corporall affliction A sick body doth in some persons make a sad soul Cause When Hezekiah was sick and had received the sentence and message of death he turned to the wall and wept And the thoughts of the dying of his body produced dejection in his soul Thus indeed it is oft with others Now to cure this cause of dejection I shall not need to be large Only take a few ingredients which mixed together and applyed may serve in this case to raise the dejected Spirit First Consider the great ground of this dejection is a deceit Cure Afflicted soules interpret affliction amisse and therefore are cast downe They take every whipping to be an effect of anger whereas its a signe of love Your Father O dejected soul in your sicknesse is sweet He makes thee sick in thy body to cure some disease in thy soul He doth not afflict thee willingly T is only that thy spirit may be well that he makes thy body ill You have had fathers of your flesh who corrected you and yee gave them reverence should you not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits live Heb. 12.9 This is spoke in reference to affliction By this chastisement God seales up child-ship Do not despise therefore the chastenings of the Lord nor be not dejected for the word will beare this translation when thou art by sicknesse rebuked of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. they â—eject their own spirits Philo. Heb 12.5 It s a fault in the chastised child to be dogged and it s a failing in thee O soule by reason of corporall affliction which is but a fatherly chastisement to be dejected Besides Secondly Your father knows your frame He knowes what you can beare and hee 'le lay no more upon you then your strength can master The Lord will not alwayes chide neither will he keep his anger for ever 't is spoken of affliction by diseases as seemes to be hinted vers 3. But as a father pittyeth His children so the Lord pittieth them who feare him for hee knoweth our frame he remembreth wee are but dust As for man his dayes are but as grasse as a flower in the field so he flourisheth Psalm 103.9 13 14 15. Mind this O thou sick and sad soule thy father knowes thy frame he minds thou art but dust and he pittyes thee in all thy affliction which he layes upon thee Yea he sits by and makes all thy bed in thy sicknes as t is Psa 41. And he maketh sore and bindeth up be woundeth and his hand maketh whole as it is in Job 4 18. that is spoken of sicknesse too Christ if hee will can make thee whole And certainly if thou couldest beleeve thou shouldest see his glory as t is Joh. 11.40 Hath he not said enough to make thee say as David said I shall not dye but live to declare the workes of God The Lord hath chastened me sore but hath not given me over unto death see that place Psalm 118.17 18. O bear up dejected heart though thou be sick yet thou mayst recover and goe up to the house of God where thou mayest praise him for health restored to thee and
say Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases Quest Prethee mind this and say doth it not speake to thy dejection Answ No wilt thou say I would beare sicknesse but that I feare death This thought I shall dye is that which casts me down Reply 'T is true I thinke and I know here is the bottome of the doubt and dejection to speake therefore to it directly I le grant it thou shalt dye though it may be not now but suppose I say now Case even now thou shalt die yet consider these things and thou needest not be dejected First Christ came to deliver thee from this feare Cure It s the feare of death that doth more deject then death it self Now remember Christ came to free thee from this feare For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devill And marke it deliver them who through the feare of death were all their life time subject unto bondage Heb. 2.14 15. Consider Christ hath destroyed him that had the power of death the Devill and hath delivered thee Couldest thou beleeve this and why shouldest thou not thou mightest triumph But Secondly Christ hath tooke away the sting of death Death is a Bee having the hony of deliverance from this vile body c. but it hath no sting For what saith the Scripture The sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law but thankes bee to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ goe thou to that glorious chapter 1 Corinth 15. and read it O thou that art dejected with feares of death Thirdly Christ will be with thee in that hour thou fearest Thou shalt not dye alone for though all thy friends shall leave thee yet wil not Christ This David knew for speaking of his shepherd and who is the shepheard but our Lord Jesus as t is Hel 13.20 He saith although I walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evill he needed not for observe what he saith THOU ART WITH MEE thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Psal 23.4 Albeit thy relations bid thee farewell and shake hands as not being willing nor able to keep thee longer company yet Christ wil not leave thee nor forsake thee In truth in life nor death hee 'le never doe that as t is Heb. 13.5 Fourthly Death shall be no death to thee A change it wil be and that from worse to the better but it s not a death Did not Christ say it Whosoever liveth and beleeveth in me shall never dye yea though he were dead yet shal he live John 11.26 Thou must not call that death which the Scripture cals but sleep The Scripture speakes of the dead in Christ that they sleep in Jesus 1 Thess 4.14 And she is not dead but sleepeth and our friend Lazarus sleepeth Now why shouldest thou O soule who art weary be cast down with the thoughts of sleep Fiftly Christ hath sweetned death for thee He hath layne in the grave and so honoured and softned that bed unto beleevers Would any child be afraid to lye in its mothers bed Is it not an Honour to lye down in the same bed in which the King of glory lay Art dejected O soule to go into thy Saviours Sepulchre what art thou cast downe with the feares of gain to dye is gaine said Paul Philip. 1.21 Sixtly Christ will raise you up againe Hee hath said so and if he should not he would not only breake his own word but disobey his fathers will neither of which hee 'l doe This is the fathers will who hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should loose nothing but should raise it up at the last day This Christ spake once yea twice and pray marke it wel John 6 39 41. Christ O soul wil raise thee up againe Should the child be afraid to goe to sleep at night when his Father promiseth to raise him up in the morning Christ hath promised to raise up your bodies again yea and he hath promised to give you a new spirit into the bargaine for t is sowne a Naturall but raised a Spirituall body Put all this together O thou dejected soul and tell me now What cause hast thou to be cast downe with the thoughts of death May not these considerations cure that cause of thy dejection Thou art now troubled with sicknesse weaknesse paines c. but let death come doe not feare it and thou shalt be cured of all Diseases yea and which is better freed from all defilements Methinkes therefore you should rather desire to be desolved then feare death and imitate those who groaned to be uncloathed of this earthly house as knowing they have a better even a building with God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 Goe O cast down soule to that Scripture and thou wilt in it finde a Cordiall to cheere and cure thy spirit in this feare CHAP. 22. Cure for soules cast downe and dejected by the sence of Divine wrath A Little wrath of the Almighty casts the soule very low Cause even as low as Hell for what else is Hell but Divine wrath felt How many dejected hearts are there that cry out that the Almighty is angry that he frownes upon them and that every wrinckle in his forehead is a grave burying all their comforts When men smite God can cure and when God giveth quietnesse who then can make trouble but when be hideth his face who then can behold him Job 34.29 Indeed this is a sad cause of dejection and it puts the soule into a very dejected case indeed yet it is not incurable a soule that is cast down by the sence of Gods wrath may be raised if Christ will helpe it to minde and beleeve these particulars First This case is not singular even many holy men and women in all Ages of the world have been in this condition Cure Company is a comfort even in misery Thou needest not cry out O soule and say Was there ever sorrow like unto mine Yes there was thou feelest thine owne paine but David Job Heman Hezekiah c. felt as much peradventure more wrath then thou dost but why doe I speake of particulars When as I remember the Lord had not mercy but INDIGNATION upon Judah and Jerusalem i. e. the whole body of Israel threescore and ten yeares Zach. 1.12 yea as the body so the head of all the godly was made sensible of Gods wrath for Christ drunk the cup of his Fathers wrath it is more then a bad and unsound way of arguing I am under Gods wrath and therefore I am not Gods Childe This way of arguing condemnes all Gods