can perswade my selfe that many have closed with Christ who yet cannot say they have assurance nay who cry out thus they doubt they never closed with Christ Many soules say indeed they fear they never closed with Christ because they want assurance O say they could we doubt so much if we did beleeve had we closed with Christ aright we should have been assured of salvation long ere this c. But surely the soules mistake 1 themselves and 2 assurance First They mistake themselves in that they thinke assurance is an act of theirs It s a part of the spirits sealing not of their closing It s true he that beleeveth hath the witnesse in himselfe as t is 1 Iohn 5.10 But that witnesse is that God is true in what he saith of Christ as is clear by the context there but it s not this assurance that really I have closed with and am one with Jesus Christ Yea Secondly They mistake assurance in that they make it the formallity of faith which is rather a fruit Faith is this That the soule fully beleeving a free tender of Christ to sinners goes forth to close with and rely upon Christ It s not an assurance of an interest in Christ that is the evidence not the act of closing So that it s not ground enough for thee O soule to doubt thy aright closing with Christ because thou wantest assurance No nor Secondly It s not ground enough for thee to doubt thy closing with Christ because of his not smiling upon thee Verily say some poor dejected soules we never as yet did in a right way close with Christ for he never as yet smiled on us Ah! his smiles are our life but alas we see not them and therefore we cannot but question our closing with him But this is not a sufficient ground for the one may be without the other The child may truly hang about the mothers necke and yet she not kisse it Yea and the mother may sincerely love though she do not smilingly look upon the child Christ called the woman of Canaan a dog and yet he loved her as a lamb she beleeved and closed with him to such a height that he said she had great faith and yet notwithstanding Christ smiled not upon her at lest at first Thou mayst have closed with though as yet thou seest not a smile in the face of Christ towards thee Do not question thy closing with him for want of his smiling upon thee No neither Thirdly It s not your inabillity to trust Christ for other things that should make you question your closing with him I doe not doubt but that David did trust God for the life of his soule when yet he did not for the life of his body Albeit he said he should one day fall i.e. dye by the hand of Saul Yet certainly he had and did close with Christ for his soule The promise holding forth Christ is absolute and full the promise holding forth the creature is oft conditionall and short The soul may close with the one and not with the other A soule may not be able to close with a promise for life health safety wealth c. and yet he may close with a promise of Christ Hee hath not the same ground for the one that he hath for the other Nay Lastly Some kind of blasphemous thoughts of Christ are not a sufficient ground to question our closing with Christ Satan may indeavour to represent Christ ugly to the soule that closeth with him as beautifull Why should a soule think that Satan may not as well make it question whether Christ be the son of God as he did indeavour to make Christ himselfe to doubt it Many a precious heart Note this ye dejected hearts who hath high thoughts of Christ as precious may yet upon Satans injections be tempted to question his deity But why should they question their closing with Christ upon Satans suggestions Suppose a woman married to some man loving him as the handsomest and delâ—ghting in him as her Head and Husband Suppose that some person hating and maligning her Husband should still haunt her and be bawling in her eare that her Husband is deformed unlively 〈◊〉 c should she for this call her marriage in question Mind it O ye spirituall Spouses of the Lord Jesus you are married unto Christ your soules may close with Christ and yet Satan may dog you and haunt you and put in hard and blasphemous thoughts into you while yet notwithstanding you reject them mourn under them and are troubled at them and certainly 't were weaknesse in you to question your closing with Christ because of these blasphemous thoughts Quest But you will say Doth not closing with Christ deliver the soule from blasphemous thoughts of Christ Answ No It only secures the soule from closing with them It s one thing to have another thing to close with blasphemous thoughts The soule that is closed with Christ will not close with blasphemous thoughts no more dost thou O soul dost thou are they not as a dagger unto thy heart What though Satan speak ill of thy husband Christ to thee shall his blasphemy for it s not thine make thee question thy faith Why then art thou cast down upon that as if thou didst not hast not closed with him But to passe from this Thirdly I would intreate soules cast down and doubting their closing with Christ to consider What right closing with Christ is Summarily it s this For the soule upon the sight of a necessity of Christ to go out to close with or to cast its selfe upon Christ as freely tendred Saith the poor soule I see Christ tendred freely and I am sensible I need him fully hereupon I go and lye down at his feet This is summarily to close with him You must remember to distinguish between taking and tasting of Christ Taking is closing tasting is comfort The one is not the other It may be O soule thou hast not as yet tasted Christ yet thou mayst have taken Christ The woman that sat at Christs feet weeping had taken Christ for Christ speakes of her faith but she did not tast him till he said thy sins are forgiven thee Weeping soules you sit at Christs feet but it may be you have not as yet tasted his favour Learn to know that your closing with him for forgivenesse is distinct from his saying to you your sinnes are forgiven This consideration weighed would much satisfie such as being cast downe question their closing with Christ But to this I shall adde more Therefore Fourthly Pray mind this Our safety and welfare doth more and rather depend upon Christs closing with us then upon our closing with him And Christ knowes that when we do not know this Here is the surest seale of our salvation the Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 Christ Oh soul closeth with thee and he doth know it though thou knowest not thy closing with him The
Promises did belong to me if I knew it Why if you knew it what roome were there for faith You must beleeve so shall you knowâ— Suppose a pardon thrown to a company of condemned ones in a prison should any say is my name in particular there when it should be said there is a pardon for any that will take it Oh how would all catch and snatch at it Certainly O soule you should beleeve the Promises to be yours and not stand questioning whether they are or no After you beleeved not before pray mark it you were seded with the spirit of promise Ephes 1.13 Thirdly It may be the Promise is yours and your soule hath closed with it although at present you doubt The Promises comming to us art as sealed letters and we many times have them in our hand and read them not No wonder therefore you say you find not the comfort of them Many soules have the Promises as children have the nipple of the breast in their mouthes but doe not suck and no wonder if they cry out they taste not the sweetnesse of them Object Nay but I fear and tremble I am full of doubts and vexation And had I closed with the promise this would not be Answ Say not so O soule the womâ—â— that came behind Christ touched him though she trembled It s possible for a soule to touch a Promise even so far as to draw vertue out of it aâ— it were indirectly and by the hinder parts when happily it durst not as the woman in thâ—â— case come before the Promise and close directly with it in the face thereof But Fourthly thou must know O soule that some promises have their times of fulfilling and peradventure the time is not yet come the promise of hidden manna is to a time of conquest Apoc. 2.17 It may be thy combate is not yet over why then dost thou expect the Manna some promises are sealed up as Commissions not to be opened till the Commander come to such a place sure I am God keeps some promises till the life to come and we doe but in vaine trouble our selves to looke for the fulfilling of them here Lastly Suppose as yet thou hast never as thou sayest closed with any promise what hinders O soule but that thou doe it now The promises of God lye open before you why doe you not come and take Surely you should not cast downe your soules with feare that you have not closed with them yet but you should thus arise and lay hold of them now Obj. So I would if I were but thus or had but this I want the condition of the promise and till I have that I dare not meddle with it Answ Beware of this rock O soule it hath split many let it not split thee To this end you are to know and pray minde it First You are to fetch all from the Promises not to bring any thing to the Promises The Promises are not as Pumps that will give no water except some be poured in But they are as Wells and there is nothing for us to doe but to come and draw Such as stand off from acting faith upon the Promises nakedly because they see not this or that in themselves Are guilty of making their own qualifications their faiths bottome Secondly The greatest promises as of pardon of sins c. are FREE It s said come and take freely Isa 43. ult buy wine and milke without money or monyes worth God blots out sins for his names sake its only for us to declare it and put him in remembrance that we may bee justified And Thirdly The Promises are to give the condition It s considerable that whatever condition may be urged as pre-requisite to any one promise is freely promised in another A new heart a new and right spirit repentance of sin victory over corruptions c. These things are called out for as conditions and these things are held forth as promised See to this purpose these places Jer. 25.7 Eze. 36.25 Act. 5.31 Ro. 7. ult c. Wherefore then O dejected soul art thou cast down as if the Promises were not thine or did not belong to thee Surely thou hast no ground justly so to say Remember nothing is freer then the grace of Christ and that is held forth to thee And in him all the Promises shall be yea and amen Arise O soul and lay hold on him and all the Promises in him So shalt thou be able to say of a truth now I see God is no respecter of persons in the tender of his promises CHAP. 12. Satisfaction to Soules cast downe and troubled about their abstinence from sinne c DEjected soules are very weake and hence it is that they are ready to be troubled about every thing this Satan sees and hence it is that creates trouble in them even from that which otherwise might comfort them Abstinence from sinne is expresly commanded Psal 4.4 and yet even about obedience to this command the dejected soule is troubled Oh say some poore hearts that re cast downe we abstaine from sinne Case 't is true but from what principles Are they not rather selfish and slavish then spirituall and sincere A Dogge chained up is a Dogge still and the reason why he doth not this or that mischiefe is his chaine not his change and we feare 't is so with us c. Now to answer soules saying thus Satisfaction and if it may be to satisfie them under this feare there be foure things which I desire may be minded First Its mercy to be able to abstaine from any principles sinne is such an evill as that its a great good to be kept from it by any meanes the heart of some is so fully bent upon sin that nothing can restraine them some wretches rush into abomination as the Horse into the battell Ah Lord how many are there who will not are not cannot be kept from sinne by all meanes used It s a favour oh poore soule that thou art not as they are it s well for thee thou art not as wilde as they I much feare their case who are not afraid of nor abstaine from sinne at all I little feare thine who art so afraid of sinning as that thou questionest not the reality of the act but the royalty of the principle It s a kinde of high and royall hatred of sinne when the soule cannot be contented only to abstaine from it but when it s troubled as thou art O soule that the principles of that abstinence were not high and royall enough Secondly God traines up his children in holy things by degrees as in point of doing good and fearing him so in point of eschewing evill God carries on by degrees God takes off his owne people from running into sinne sometimes by hedging up their way with thornes as 't is Hos 2.6 Mothers weane their children from the breast by Wormwood at first God first at least oft
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
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
come into the world to save sinners and did not Paul say of which I am chiefe This O soule is Gospel Christ came indeed to save sinners and for thee to say I am chiefe or principall sinner yet I le goe too and rely upon Christ for salvation it is not presumption but faith O therefore doe not thinke and say it is presumption for thee to beleeve Further It is presumption to expect cure or comfort in the use of unlawfull meanes or in the neglect of appointed meanes But faith is so farre from being an unlawfull meanes that it is the only appointed meanes Thou readest and prayest and hearest c. And now thou art called upon to beleeve and callest thou this presumption Thou art very much mistaken O soule Besides it cannot be presumption to obey a command Christ commands us to beleeve as was shewed he forbids our disquieting and castings down and he requires us to beleeve in his Father and in him Now callest thou obedience presumption beware of that O soule Doth the child that is sad and heavy and abstaines from meate and lyes upon the ground doth this childe presume when upon his fathers command hee ariseth and eates and is merry Did the Prodigall presume when his father said let us eate and be merry Admit thy selfe to be the Prodigall O soule yet sith Christ bids thee arise and eate and be merry why shouldest thou thinke this presumption Obj. But Christ commands not me he speaks not so to me Answ Why not to thee O soule I say why not to thee Is thy soule excluded when none is Doth not Christ call any every thirsting soule saith he not if ANY thirst let him come Called he not Publicans Harlots Sinners Persecutours yea did he not ascend to receive gifts for Rebels Psalm 68.18 why therefore O soule dost say Christ calleth not thee I witnesse in Christs name and let this stand in Print as a proofe that I as an Embassadour of Christ speak to you and in his name I beseech you to accept of grace and reconciliation freely Thou even thou O dejected soule art the man and woman that Christ cals upon to beleeve Thou who art dejected and in the dark and seest no light Christ saith to thee beleeve so shalt thou be established Now doe not say that this is presumption Once againe because I find soules harping upon this string Thou sayest I shall presume if I beleeve let me grant it yet t is but perishing by presumption and so thou must certainly except thou beleeve I remember how the leprous men spake one to another Why sit we here untill we dye if we say we will enter into the City we shall dye there and if we sit still here wee dye also Come let us go to the Hoast if they save us alive we shall live and if they kill us we shall but dye 2 Kings 7.3 4. Reason thou so O soul If I sit still in my dejected state and dispaire I shall dye and if I do act faith and beleeve I can but dye Therefore I le up and beleeve yea though Christ should kill mee I le beleeve If I must perish I le perish in a way of beleeving Say therefore to thy soule as David did why art cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted Waite on God beleeve in Christ If I must perish I le perish trusting in him that I shall praise him But know O soule If thou doe beleeve thou shalt see Christs glory Thou shalt see the glory of his power in helping the weakest and the glory of his grace in doing for the worst And when thou seest this thou shalt praise him as thy God Wherefore then to wind up all remember though thou be low and see little yet doe not dispaire Although thy eyes have failed with looking and thy heart with longing Although thy strength bee gone and thou be now ready to dye yet do not dispaire But in thy lowest ebbe of dejection when thou art disquieted and cast down most act thy faith and say Though I bee low I may rise Yea though I bee cast downe I shall bee raised When I am in the deepest dejection and cannot mount up my selfe Then shall Christs power be manifested and magnified in my weaknesse And I shall after all my sighs and groanes yet sing prayse unto God as the health of my countenance and my God Surely this is thy duty to endeavour and 't will be thy glory to performe Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee blesse his Holy Name The Printer to the Reader BY reason of the Authors absence from the Presse some faults have escaped which might have been otherwise avoyded but I hope they are such as a little care of thine Reader will correct and a little charity pardon In hope of which I have omitted the ordinary observation of Errata's and corrections FINIS A TABLE Shewing the Principal things in this Treatise SECT I. THe Text is spoken unto 1 In its context where is set forth 1 The occasion the Psalme page 1 2 3 2 The division of the Psalme page 1 2 3 2 In its self and here is 1 The explication of the words p. 4 5 6 7 8 2 The devision of them into parts p. 9 3 The Doctrines deduced from them p. 10 3 In its first and principall doctrine which is 1 Proposed p. 11 2 Proved p. 12 3 Amplified 1 Shewing the nature of spirituall dejections p. 13 14 2 Shewing the workings which are 1 Fears and doubts as p. 15 1 Whether God ever wrought upon the soul p. 16 2 Whether grace be true p. 17 3 Whether Cal Conviction Comfort be of the spirit p. 18 4 Whether actings be from love or light ibid. 5 Whether the heart be sincere p. 19 6 Whether it shall conquer corruption p. 20 7 Whither the soule have closed with Christ savingly p. 21 8 Whether the soul shal persevere or fall off from Christ ib. 9 Whither or no the soule ever prayed as it ought or God ever heard it p. 22 10 Whether the soule heard the word as it ought p. 23 11 Whether the soule have a right unto or ever closed with the promises p. 24 12 Whether abstinence from sin have been upon religious or moral principles p. 25 13 Whether one hath not sinned against the Holy Ghost ibid. 14 Whether the soul shall not fall from grace p. 26 2 Griefes and Sorrowes p. 27 3 Shewing the causes of dejection as 1 Remainders of corruption p. 28 2 Falls into sin p. 29 3 Ignorance of the Covenant of grace ibid. 4 Spiritual indisposition to dutys p. 31 5 Want of former incomes p. 32 6 Insultation of Satan enemys p. 33 7 Corporall affliction as sicknesse c. p. 34 8 Sence of divine wrath p. 35 4 Applyed 1 To informe us of our imperfect state as to rest and peace while we are here p. 36 2 To be thankefull in case of
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
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
intends a cure in this opening the wound Some Hypocrites have a seared conscience I feare they are incureable But this discovery of thy disease is a signall of health Christ deals well with those whom he wounds he hath balme for the bruised Many a wretch playes the hypocrite all his life and goes into hell in the conceit he lived in Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies a Player usually t is rendred Actor by the Latines some shall come conceited of sincerity at last saying Lord Lord But Christ will then make them know what they are It s mercy that he discovers thee to thy selfe here The Publican is better in his sackcloath confessing then the Pharisee in his vizzard praising But. Sixtly Add to al this the consideration of the promise of the spirit to them that aske him Lu. 11.13 Though thy spirit be hypocriticall yet Christs spirit is sincere Christ hath promised to send him It s but aske and have David it seemes was in your case and he prayed Renew in me a right or a sincere spirit And you know what incouragement he gives This poore man said he he speaks as if he were as poor as thou oh soul cryed and the Lord heard him Psal 34.6 It s the Covenant of promise that he will give a new heart Object T is so indeed but alas I have prayed and yet not received and therefore my joy is not full I have groaned under this hypocrisie many yeares And yet see not the promise of the comming of Christs spirit c. Answ Surely thou art mistaken O soule in saying the spirit is not come Those groanes of thine are his That softnesse is an effect of him Peradventure all thy hypocrisie is not yet cured I said in this life it would not be The spirit will be a refiners fire all your dayes It s true he could burne up all at once but thou couldest not bear it Such a fire would breake thee Gold-smiths proportionate their fire else the refining pot would crack Certainly the Lord Christ considers we are but earthen vessells therefore the refining fire is heated accordingly The spirit purgeth out hypocrisie by degrees In time he 'l have purged out all Even this dejection of thine is a degree of purging And this fruit thou shalt have of this feare That thy feare of hypocrisie shall worke for thy sincerity why then art thou cast downe O soule be not disquieted so with the feare of hypocrisie trust in God waite on the spirit for thou shalt yet praise him as sincere to thee and making thee so to him CHAP. 6. Satisfaction for soules who fear they shall never get the victory over corruptions THe next sort of cast down soules which I would indeavour to raise up Case are such as are much disquieted and cry out upon their corruptions Oh say they corruptions are strong and we are weake They fight we oppose as well as we can but we doubt the conquest We feare corruption will get the day well may we be cast downe while we lye under this fear c. Now for the satisfaction of such souls and in order to the lifting up of their dejected spirits I would offer have them to consider these things First This combate may consist with Satisfaction and indeed ever is with a state of grace It s the weaknesse of some to think and say that their conquest is compleate and that they are in perfect quiet Surely I say these words are rather discoveries of weaknesse then of strength and perfection Israel was not at rest when in Canaan Neither are those soules who are troubled with and for sinnes in Aegypt It s not an Israelitish spirit to say either others or our selves are in Aegypt because we have still combatings Even in Canaan they had their combatings God left some there to keep his people in action Doe not thinke especially do not conclude thou art still in Aegypt because thou art not freed from fightings and feares Beleive O soule thou mayest be in the land of promise and yet be troubled with the combates For Secondly Even choyce Saints have been as you are i.e. pestered with corruptions and troubled with fear of conquest Paul had been as high as any even in the third heavens and yet he had his buffettings yea and he crys out of them again and again You think your selves sometimes in a sadder estate then any And you say were ever any so wretched as you are Yes O soule Paul even Paul who came behind none nay who was before any in grace and guifts he was as wretched as you are And he crys out so O wretched man that I am Marke that I am as if none other were as he It s a comfortable and raising thought O ye cast downe soules Other choyce Saints have been in as wretched a condition as you are by reason of the combatings of corruption Thirdly Consider it s a rich mercy to have a heart to strive with and to be affraid of corruption Many a wretch is at peace with sin yea many are in Covenant with hell and death Some there be who are so far from fighting with and fearing of corruption that they pay tribute to it and make provision for it Many a wretch is a voluntary conquered captive unto sin And its mercy that you have a heart to strive Time was when you were free from righteousnesse i.e. had none at all and then you served sin It s grace that now you do oppose it and deny to yeeld service to it Were you at peace with sin you might feare your enmity with God But being at warre with it you may have peace in him But. Fourthly As long as your soul is kept up in a striving way it s a sign of strength Why should you say you are weake and feare c. sith you are so strong as to fight Weake ones are not fighters had you not some divine strength you could not stand before corruption But seeing you are after long fighting able yet to stand and strive why are you cast downe as if you should not get the day Consider O dejected soul that it argues a tree to be well rooted that stands after much blowing And it s a signe of a strong and valiant souldier if he keepe to his ground and flinch not notwithstanding great combating And certainly it may argue unto thee that through Christ thou art yet strong In as much as still thou art able to strive Object Oh but I feare for future thou wilt say because as yet sin stands strong notwithstanding all I doe against it I feare I shall never after all my striving get the victory over it Reply But why O soule shouldst thou thus feare Peradventure as yet thou hast not resisted unto blood in striving against sin Bear up yet a little longer strive yet still sin will bleed and fall ere long For Fiftly Consider It s no argument that you shall not
a substance Doe not dispute thy selfe O soul into doubts rather receive satisfaction Christ will not lose any that are given to him It s his Fathers will he should not as he saith Joâ— 6.39 And surely hee 'l be faithfull to his Father Oh therefore be not thou fearefull of falling but if thou wilt fear let it be with a feare of diligence to keepe thee from security let it not be with a feare of diffidence to fill thee with sorrowes Christ who in no wise would cast thee off when thou commest will in no wise lose thee now thou art come If thou wander hee 'l seeke thee if thou fall hee 'l raise thee yea and what ever may be thy feares hee 'l uphold thee in his Grace even to the Grave and besides hee 'l raise thee up againe at the last day Thus have I passed through those particular Cases which I proposed to my selfe to resolve But alas all that I have said is but dead unlesse Christ quicken it READER pray over these conceptions that a spirit of life may come into them that they may so quicked dejected Soules that they may arise and say to themselves Why are we cast downe and why are we disquieted Let us not give way to our feares and sadnesse but exercise our faith and patience for we shall yet see God as the health of our countenance and as our God But these things are more fully to be spoken unto in the following Sections CHAP. 15. Cure for Soules cast downe by remainder of corruption HAving past through the particular cases of dejected soules I thought it not amisse to adde by way of supplement unto them some other I remember I touched upon eight grounds of Spirituall dejection and least upon the mention of them any soule should be troubled I shall offer somethings to satisfie such who is or may be cast downe about them so that as in the former Section I indeavoured to satisfie the particular feares of dejected soules I shall in this endeavour to cure the generall causes of all dejection Divines know there is a difference between a Cause and a Case the one is the bitter seed the other the sower fruit of dejection Now as I have said something to the one so shall I likewise speake a little to the other To begin then in that order in which I prepared them The first cause of Spirituall dejection was the remainders of corruption Cause this indeed is the root and ground of all dejections And in order to the Cure of a soule cast downe in the sight and sence of remaining corruption I shall lay downe these considerations First Cure Consider that the worke of Christ upon the soule doth not in this Life altogether destroy Place these 2 Sheets k l next after Fol. 132. sinne As long as the soule is in the body there will be sinne in the soule even Paul had a body of sinne and death in him and till death destroy the body thou must not looke to have sinne altogether dead in thee This is granted by all and why should it be questioned by thee O dejected soule Secondly Consider remaining corruption will worke one time or other A Dogge though in a chaine will barke and sometimes bite too a man cannot carry fire in his bosome but sometime or other it wil heat him if it doe not burne him Thou cryest out O dejected soul that they remaining corruption doth oft disturbe thee but why shouldest or how canst thou expect the contrary While thou dwellest in this house of Clay that Dunghill wil annoy thee But Thirdly Remember corruptions groaned under as a burden are rather a ground of rejoycing then of dejection for First it argues a life of bolinesse to feele a weight in sinne Dead men feele no weight be it never so heavie and Secondly it argues an activity of life to groane Many soules rather glory in then groane under a weight of sinne but it is a speciall mercy thou art not as they are Fourthly Beleeve it O soule Jesus Christ doth simpathize with thee under this thy burthen While thou groanest under and art cast down at the sight of remaining corruption thou art the object of Christs compassion It is a good plaister for any sore to consider the pitty of our Saviour Christ pitties thee O poore dejected soule to see thee labouring and groaning under the remainder of sinne Heb. 4.2 Fifthly Consider remaining corruption shall never ruine thee As the remaining Canaanites did not could not ruine Israel in the promised Land so neither shall remaining corruption ever ruine thy soule Could corruption ruine thy holinesse joy salvation glory c. thou mightest be much dejected indeed but that it cannot shall not doe Thy holinesse thy joy thy salvation thy glory c. are all safe in the impregnable bulwark Christs hand which is the infinite power of God and though corruption remaine in thee it shall never ruine these Sixthly Consider Jesus Christ dyed to redeeme thee from the remainders of corruption And doe thou act thy faith on thy Saviours death for thy sinnes death the vertue of his death remaines to keep under corruption from having dominion It is thy duty and let it be thy care and endeavour to goe to Jesus Christ for strength against and victory over thy remaining corruption therefore up and be doing that is beleeving Doe not sit solitary as one cast downe to see some remainders of sin Suppose O soule you had seene some gallant Captaine rescuing a person or place from the power of some potent enemy by breaking the strength and power of the Enemy and by taking up his abode in some Castle neare the place Suppose after this there should appeare some scattered Parties should the person or place be dejected at the remainder of a routed adversary should not they rather goe to their Conquerour and Captaine and intreat him to suppresse those remaining forces Beare up O cast-downe soule the case is thine Christ the Captaine of thy salvation hath routed the maine body of sinne upon his crosse and spoiled corruption of his chiefest strength he hath set up a garrison in thy soule and put in a party strong enough to repell and keep under the remaining forces O goe to him stirre up his Spirit to come forth and to bring thy Conquerours sword to check and suppresse thy tumultuous enemies I meane to lift up thy Saviours crosse against thy corruptions And beleeve it soule there is a vertue still in that Crosse to keep the remainders of corruption under Be not therefore cast downe but beleeve and if thou by the Spirit whom Christ hath put into the garrison of thy soule doe goe forth and mortifie sinne thou shalt live and it shall dye at last CHAP. 16. Cure for Soules cast downe by falls into sinne THe second cause of Spirituall dejection was as I mentioned falls into sinne This casts down the soule that the remainders of corruption doe
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
children even Christ himselfe Secondly Gods wrath is rather in appearance then in truth It is a Vizzard not thy Fathers face that lookes so terrible thy Fathers face is love all love only love fury is not in him only now he hath put on a Vizzard to scare thee a little and hee 'l lay it aside againe he doth but hide his face under that Maske hee 'l open it againe In a little wrath I hid my face from thee Isa 54.2 Marke it wrath is but a vaile that hides Gods face in it is not his reall face it is but as we say A copy of his countenance There is never a black letter in all Gods face especially as to his children no God is love it is his Name in love there is no unlovely letter Thou sayest God is angry it is true he appeares so Note this but he is not so As he is never truly pleased with sinners but is angry against them every day notwithstanding their conceit so he is never indeed displeased with Saints whatever they feele or feare But Thirdly All the anger and wrath of God is not against thy person but against thy sinne Suppose thy Childe be sick and wounded deeply wounded with some bloody gash or cut desperately sicke of some ugly Disease thou art displeased but with what with his Person with thy childe No but with his wound with his disease So it is with God he is only angry and displeased with thy sinne thy corruption and his rough hand which thou feelest is but to take away and purge out that he is wel pleased with thee Ephraim is a deare still though God speake against him his bowels are troubled for him as it is Jerem. 31.18 Againe Fourthly It is a mercy to be sensible and sorrowfull for Divine displeasure There is many a hard-hearted wretch in the world that slights God that makes a mock of sin and wrath too Blessed be God that thou as David canst say My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements Psal 119.120 And Fifthly God will not contend nor be wroth for ever Your Fathers anger O sad soul wil over as we say i. e. wil goe away this cloud and storme wil not last alwayes Read O dejected soule Isa 57. heare God himselfe saying I will not contend for ever neither will I bee alwayes wroth for the spirit would faile before me and the soules which I have made For the iniquity of his covetousnesse I was wroth and smote him and he went on frowordly in the way of his heart I have seene his wayes and I will heale him I will lead him also and restore comfort unto him I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is afarre off and I will heale him vers 16 17 18 19. Pray minde these healing words Christ will heale and restore comfort hee 'l not retaine his wrath hee 'l create peace out of that Chaos of confusion in which thou now art Though there be nothing but darknesse upon the face of thy deep so David called his dejection yet God who at first caused light to shine out of darknesse will shine into thy heart to give thee the knowledge of himselfe in the face of Christ as it is 2 Cor. 4.6 Beleeve this and rejoyce O dejected soule creating power is ingaged by promise to fill thee with peace who now cryest out of wrath Lastly The time is comming that thou shalt be for ever freed from so much as the very appearances of wrath In heaven you shall alwaies behold your Fathers face thy sunne shall no more goe downe by day there are no clouds in the heaven of heavens Mindest thou not what David said and he was sometimes dejected as thou art As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousnesse I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse Psal 17. last Take in these crums of comfort O thou cast downe soule though I be but briefe and give only drops yet sip them and thou wilt finde them spirits O why art thou cast downe why art thou dejected Trust thou in God and expect him O tarry thou a little thy Lords leasure and thou shalt see him ere long come leaping over the mountaines appearing in his owne glorie and then shalt thou appeare with him inglory then shall he wipe away all teares from thine eyes and scatter all feares in thine heart yea then will he satisfie thee in all thy cases and cure thee of all these causes of dejection and then shalt thou praise him indeed as thy God Object Peradventure you will say he tarries long Reas It is true yet hee 'l come though he do tarry He said Yet a little while and ye shall see me it is but a little while indeed though it be long in thought Dejection and casting downe is not the posture you should be in no you ought to arise and WALKE to looke up and to waite to expect and looke out to lift up your heads and hearts and not to be cast downe O that Christ may finde more standing bearing up against all difficulties and under all dejections doing his work and suffering his wil with all faithfulnesse faith and patience Blessed wil our soules be if Christ at his comming finde us thus doing and saying worke O soule and waite for your Saviour who is now comming and whom you shall praise in that day saying Loe this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will rejoyce and be glad in his Salvation Isa 25.9 SECT III. PSALM 42. ult Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me CHAP. 1. Another Doctrine raised and beld forth from the words I Have dispatched the fust Doctrine raised from the words And shall now proceed to the second which is It is the wisdome and should be the care of soules when they are cast down not to give way thereunto but to argue the case with themselves Thus doth David and his thus doing is the foundation of this Doctrine His practice hath in it the force of precept to command us without doubt we should imitate this pattern And it wil be our wisdome so to doe Two things there are which I posite and would presse in this point The first is That Christians dejected should not give way to dejection The second is That they should argue the case with their own soules Both these branches of the Doctrine are in Davids Expostulation The first Virtually the second formally David doth not say weep on O soul thou dost well He doth not say as Job in another case O turne away from me and suffer me to weep a little He doth not say as the Prophet Looke away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me No this were to give way to his sadnesse this were to nourish his heavinesse But mark it he
hard by the Poole of Bethesda wherein the Lord was wont to come downe Time was when it sate by the rivers head even that faire river that doth make glad the City of God and where it could drink when ere it was dry Time was when the soule sate at the Lords Table even the mount where the feast of sai things is and it could eate when ere it was hungry but now it may be it is otherwise with it now happily it s in the Wildernesse in the barren land where no water is now it s in the Desert where it hath neither Fountaine nor Table and a soule in such a case is and indeed cannot chuse but be sad indeed Secondly Suppose the soule have its Wonted meanes yet in case it wants his usuall income in that meanes in this case it is and will be much cast downe Happily the soule lyes by the Poole but the Angel moves not it sits at the Table but it eates nothing it hath the Pipe but though it suck hard it cannot draw a drop it s in the Galleries but sees not Christ there The soule findes the breasts dry which were wont to suckle it and though it have its former meanes yet it misseth its former meales it doth not see the glory as it was wont of old in the Temple Now in this case it cannot but be cast downe But Thirdly The soule is sometimes in the darke and sees no light it hath something but it is not satisfied it hath lost all its peace and evidence Sometimes the soule is as Paul was in a tempest of temptation and sees no light neither Sunne nor Moone nor Starres and that for many dayes together Time was it may be when Christs candle shined upon his head and when by his light it walked through darknes but alas now now it may be Christ is gone and candle too Now assurance is lost and evidence too and the soul walks in the valley of darknesse and doubtings And in this case it s no wonder if it be dejected and much cast downe Fourthly When the soule not only wants evidence of love but lyes under the appearance of wrath then it must needs be cast downe Peradventure there was a time in which the soule was familiar with God as a man is with his friend and could see God smiling as its Father but alas now it s not so the soule cryes out God hides his face and holds it as his enemy Surely now the soule wil be and may be cast downe These are soules certainly dejected who have certaine ground for their cryes in their castings down But now there are others Secondly Who are but conceited in their dejections that pretend and say they have ground but indeed have none Sion said God hath forsaken me she said so but God said the contrary Meere melancholly doth deject some conceit is all the cause of their casting downe they deeme or imagine causes and thereupon are dejected But now Reader if thy dejection be reall or appearing if thy casting downe be certaine or in conceit Be thy case what it wil be or what thou thinkest it is let it be as thou sayest that thou art cast downe deeply yet this I say of thee or of any in thy case that thou and they ought to act faith and beleeve For this is the predicate of this subject Now for this predicate or the thing that I do affirme of a soule thus cast downe take it in particulars thus First It s their duty to beleeve Dejected soules in case of failing to act faith you sinne Some things in dejection are rather wel if don then faults if not done It s rather good if done then bad if not done As joy I cannot as yet see sinne in case of not rejoycing in dejections for no affliction is joyous for the present as it is Heb 12.11 nay t is grievous Besides it contradicts dejection to rejoyce But yet its sinne if we doe not beleeve I am not called to rejoycing in all cases for I must be sensible of and so cannot but be sorrowfull under the mighty hand of God But I am called upon to beleeve at all times Faith is a standing worke and its duty to beleeve when I am dejected Though I am not bound to rejoyce for the present yet I am bound to beleeve as David that yet I shall hereafter Secondly It s a Christians glory to beleeve when it s cast down i.e. 1 'T is a glory of theirs they may All have not this priviledge but some Christians it s your glory that you have a good ground for faith alwayes you may beleeve in every case of affliction desertion dejection casting down c. Yea and 2 'T is your glory if you can and doe To beleeve when all things faile this is praise worthy It s not so much glory to swimme with Bladders in a Calme Pond But to swimme without Bladders in a Rough Sea this is glory And to act faith when God lifts up is not much a child swimmes when held up by the chinne But to beleeve when God casts downe This is a David-like faith this argues a soule of the house of David i. e. strong as is hinted Zach 12.8 So that now you see the point explained I shal now adde the second thing viz. The Proofe And I thinke as I said if you weigh Davids case here you wil see Demonstration Davids case was certaine and reall He was now deprived of the meanes Hee was now a stranger to his former holy-dayes Hee now wants his income he could not see that glory that he was wont He now wants his peace and evidence Alas his God was gone and he cryes out God had forgotten him ver 9. Yea hee now seemes to lye under wrath he speakes of the noyse of the Almighties water-spouts and cryes out all his waves and billowes went over him ver 7. Now hee is dejected and cast downe for this And yet now even now hee acts his faith and beleeves he shall praise God for all this Obj You will say what is this to us Answ 'T is much his case was bad as thine O soule And his example ought to bee thy rule Quest Nay but who can doe thus as David did can others imitate him Answ Job went before him Hee protested in his deepe dejection that if God added killing to all yet he would trust Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 Adde to this of Job that of the Church Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth Sure soul now they are low their bones fly about as chips they lye by the mouth of the grave want nothing but tumbling in And yet now marke it now mine eyes are unto thee O God my Lord In thee doe I trust Psal 141.7 8. Will you have a command for all this See then that knowne Scripture Esa 50. ult Who is there among
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
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
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
and Timothy did and we should walk not by sence but by faith 2 Cor. 5 At present O soule thou sayest Thou seest nothing but wrath thou feelest nothing but sorrow thou hearest nothing but threatning c. take heed thou conclude not thy state by thy sence A state sensibly bad may be really good as a state seemingly good may be substantially bad As the seared Consciences of Reprobates so the scrupulous Consciences of Saints are not fit nor able to make right conclusions What though at present Sence present nothing so much as in order to a cure yet cured thou shalt be God creates light out of darknesse and shines into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of himselfe in the face of Christ as it is 2 Cor. 4.6 Though at present thou art sensible of nothing but darknesse yet God may create a light out of that Beware of concluding any thing from present sence or feeling Yea Beware of eying it tso much looke off from what thou seest and art sensible of unto that thou seest not We faint not said the Apostle Why marke it We looke not at the things Which we see but at the things which we see not 2 Cor. 4.16.18 Secondly Consider not selfe Selfe is alwaies insufficient as to holy worke or joy If thou conclude from the consideration of selfe thy conclusion wil be false Thou art cast downe and Childe-like art nor able to rise againe Selfe cannot raise thy soule what then wilt thou conclude thy soule cannot be raised O take heed of this Where selfe is insufficient Christ is sufficient and when we are weake his power is magnified in our weaknesse Abraham considered not his owne body now dead Rom. 4.19 had Abraham considered himself he had never beleeved for a Sonne it was Sarahs fault and the ground of her laughing unbeleefe she considered her selfe as old c. you must not therefore consider selfe as weake no let me adde this you must not consider selfe as sinfull This may hinder faith As weaknesse to helpe our selves so unworthinesse to be helped by Christ is generally the cause of doubting and unbeleefe but take heed of both Abraham beleeved though himselfe was old yea and though Sarah laughed neither his weaknesse nor her sinne could hinder his faith Take heed therefore of eying selfe either as unable or unworthy Christ is able to raise the weak yea and willing to lift up the worthlesse soules of cast-down ones 3. Conclude nothing by Satan Hee 'l tell you of difficulties and impossibilities but consider him not As Satan makes the proud heart of exalted Babilon think it shal never fal so he would make the grieved heart of dejected Sion think it shall never rise but know Satan is a Lyar and who would beleeve an old constant Lyar Hee 'l say despaire when Christ saith hope But beleeve thou the Lord Jesus and slight Satan be sure to conclude nothing from his suggestions Obj. But what if Conscience joyne with Satan what if that witnesse to Satans words c Answ Beleeve not nor conclude from thy owne Conscience it is possible that may erre and looke as the seared Conscience of the wicked erre and speake peace when there is no ground so the seduced Conscience of the godly may create trouble when there is no cause Besides Christ sometimes doth permit Conscience to condemne to heighten his owne grace in acquitting It is sometimes in Spirituals as it is in Temporals we receive the sentence of death in our selves that we may not trust in our selves Doe not therefore O dejected soule conclude of thy cast-down condition from Satans suggestions no not when backt with thy owne Conscience care not for Satans condemnation nay judge not thine owne selfe as it is 1 Cor. 4.3 Lastly Beware of concluding any thing form present seeming rejections of Christ Many a cast downe soule cryes O Christ seemes to reject mee and therefore I am lost and ther 's no hope c. But mind it O soule as a Caution Though Christ at present seem to reject thee yet conclude nothing Thou knowest and oh that thou wouldest for this purpose consider well the woman of Canaan Christ at first did seeme to reject her I am not sent said he but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Nay he calls her dog and upon that account denyes her childrens bread yet you know the issue Beware therefore of concluding from the present dealings of Christ though he seem to reject thee and let thee lie Though he speak as if he meant not to cure thee and call thee dog as if he would not have to doe with thee yet beleeve for all this may be but a shew to try thee and thy faith It s said in the story of the journey of Christs Disciples from Jerusalem to Emaus that Christ made as though he would have gone further yet upon entreaty he went in to tarry with them Luk. 24.28 29. Christ O soul may seem to goe away when he intends to tarry Only he lookes for intreaty O therefore do not conclude any thing from the present visible seeming rejections of Christ He may frowne and smite cast off and reject cal thee dog and deny thee a crum and yet he may intend and if thou beleeve and waite will to imbrace thee and raise thee up and to fill thy soule with healing and rejoycing Having premised these things by way of caution to be taken heed of I shall now adde one or two positive considerations for the inabling of the soule to act his faith even then when it lyeth lowest and seeth least First Consider there can be no just ground why thou shouldest not beleeve As formerly I said there can be no just ground for our great dispairing casting downe so now I say there can be no just ground why we should not beleeve that yet we shall praise God T is true the soule is apt to conceive grounds of dispaire at least to conclude there are grounds why it should not beleeve But mind it wel and you shal see there is no reason can be given why the soule though never so low and cast downe should not beleeve its raising up by Christ and its rejoycing in Christ For First There is no command or inhibition to the contrary 'T is true Satan sayes there is an inhibition but he is a false Prophet and God never sent him The dejected soule cryes out O I may not I must not I dare not beleeve Why O soule why must not you beleeve who said so when did Christ forbid thee where is the word that faith you may not beleeve Nay is not the Scripture expresse in commanding you to beleeve at all times Is not this his commandement that we should beleeve on the name of Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 3.23 See the Text is positive why shouldest thou say then that thou mayest not beleeve Secondly The depth of your dejection neither is nor ought to be a
ground why you should not beleeve Others have been as low as you and yet God hath raised them Joh Asaph Heman Hezekiah c. were much cast down yet they were raised One of them cryes out I am afflicted and ready to dye Psal 88.15 Another cryes out his spirit was overwhelmed Psal 77.3 A third cryes out I shall never more see the Lord in the land of the living Esai 38.11 Thus these soules cryed out of their depths and yet were raised Be as low as thou doest or canst imagine yet thy deepest dejection can be no ground why thou shouldest not beleeve Nay hath not the Lord said that he regards the low estate of his servants And did not David say out of the deep I cryed and he heard me And he brought me up also out of the horrible pit as it is Psal 40.2 Suppose thy pit be very horrible yet out of that thou mayest bee brought up Thirdly Thy defilement can be no ground why thou shouldest not beleeve It s not thy dirtinesse O dejected soule that should increase thy doubt or hinder thy faith Christ raises the soul from the dunghill Yea he takes it up when it lyes in the Kennel Israel hath not been forsaken not Judah of his God THOUGH their land were FILLED with sin against the Holy one of Israel Jer 51 5. Marke it though they were filled with sin yet they were not really whatever they thought forsaken of their God That Jesus who dyed for you when you were dead in sin wil raise thee though thou be defiled with sin Suppose your soule as vile a sinner as Satan represents you yet remember Christ dyed for sinners for ungodly for enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10. So that thy defilement is no just ground why thou shouldest not beleeve Lastly Thy former and present doubtings and unbeleefe can be no just ground why you may not beleeve Admit thou hast doubted long yet thou mayest beleeve at last Quest But What will not doth not my unbeleefe cut me off from the Promise Answ No past unbeleefe is no just hinderance to faith now Davids former doubting did not hinder his injoyment of the Promise It is true he said in his hast as you doe He was quite cast out And that all men were Lyars he meant the Prophets who told him of the promises and yet God setled him notwithstanding his unbeleefe Thy unbeleefe shall not make voyd Gods faithfulnesse doe not say I have doubted so long that it is in vaine to beleeve now But remember O soule former doubtings shall be remembred no more if thou beleeve now So that you see there is no ground to hinder faith there is neither inhibition by God nor is there any warrant in thee why thou shouldest not beleeve neither the depth of thy dejection nor the degree of thy defilement nor all thy former doubtings shall hinder Christ from helping why should they then hinder thee from beleeving Secondly Consider the Promises are made to the lowest state soules in the deepest dejection are directly under the Promise now if the Promises are thine made to thee and to such as thee why shouldest thou not beleeve Is thy power quite gone and is there none left to help thee Why that Promise is thine Deut. 33.36 Art poore and needy and dost seeke water and there is none found yea doth thy tongue faile for thirst Then that Promise is thine Esa 41.17 Art in the darke and seest no light why to thee is that word Trust on thy God Isa 50. last And though thou sit in the darke yet thou shalt see light as Micha 7.9 yea and light is sowen for thee Psal 96. It may be thou seest it not yet it lyes sowne as seed and wil spring up again The Lord wil create peace for thee that art farre off from it Esa 57.17 Search the rich store-house of the Promises and thou wilt see most of them pointing out their finger to thee Why sayest thou God hath forgotten thee Can a Mother forget her children yea though she can God will not forget thee Esa 49.15 Say not Thy way is hid from thy God for he giveth power to the FAINT and to them that have NO MIGHT he increaseth strength Isa 40.29 Thus all the Promises speake to thee O beleeve beleeve saith every Promise for my sake and for my sake c. Hadst thou but a peradventure it were ground to hang upon and it were enough to keep thee from sinking There is a peradventure for the vilest 2 Tim. 2.25 But thou hast more then a peradventure of healing for it is expresly said I will heale back-slidings marke it BACK-SLIDINGS and I will love freely Hos 14.4 up therefore O cast downe soule act thy faith beleeve Christ can yea and wil help thee raise thee and thou shalt praise him as the health of thy countenance and as thy God Obj. But I am afraid to beleeve what I that am thus low and so vile that have no might and see no means It is meer presumption in me to beleeve I should presume if I beleeved c. Answ Say not so O soule Presumption is not simply in case of Salvation but in case of sinning Indeed if thou shouldest say I shall be saved and therefore I may sinne this were presumption but to say I have sinned yet I shall be saved this is FAITH Thou art wrath though we have sinned in them is continuance and we shall be saved as it is Isa 64.5 This Scripture is a very precious place in which comfort is held forth and laid hold upon by faith notwithstanding the Sinners wickednesse or Gods wrath De Dieu translates the whole verse thus Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and doth i.e. who with joy doth righteousnesse by thy wayes they remember thee If thou wert angry when we sinned or by way of question Behold thou wert angry when we sinned yet in them i. e. in thy wayes is eternity that we might be saved The whole place indeed is a sweet and strong support to faith notwithstanding sins the meaning of which according to that Commentator is The wayes of God are not changed but are fo ever the same and therefore what grace and bounty he hath used to shew the same he still will use to miserable sinners that we might be saved Indeed this is a good and sweet interpretation of this place but I think there is another interpretation as cleare if not more comfortable that is if by in them we understand our sins Thus wee have sinned and in them i. e. our sins is continuance for alas we continue still sinfull after Gods wrath for them and yet notwithstanding this we shall be saved and thus Calvin sweetly glosseth it Although we have been obstinate in our sins for sin after wrath or chastisement is obstinacy and so deserved to be destroyed a hundred times yet through thy mercy we are still saved See Soule here is mercy for obstinate sinners and consider did not Christ
freedome from these dejections p. 37 3 To prepare for dejections p. 38 1 By remembring there is such a state and we are lyable to it ibid. 2 By acquaintance with the Covenant of grace in its freenesse fullnesse and firmnesse p. 39 3 By treasuring up experience ib. SECT II. I. HEre is Satisfaction held forth unto the particular feares and doubts of dejected soules viz. 1 To souls fearing that God never wrought upon them p 42 to p. 48 2 To soules fearing their grace is not true p 48 to 52 3 To soules questioning whether their calling conviction and comfort be of the holy ghost p. 50 to 64 4 To soules doubting whether their holy actings be from light or love p. 64 to 70 5 To soules fearing their hypocrisie p. 70 to 76 6 To soules doubting they shall never conquer corruption p. 76 to 82 7 To soules fearing they never savingly closed with Christ p. 82 to 91 8 To soules fearing their fall from Christ doubting they shall deny him p. 91 92 93 9 To soules questioning whether ever they prayed as they ought or whether ever God heard p. 93. to 105 10 To soules dejected about their hearing of the Word p. 105. to 111 11 To soules questioning their interest in and their closing with the Promises p. 111. to 115 12 To soules troubled about abstinence from sinne p. 115. to 120 13 To soules fearing their sin against the Holy Ghost p. 120. to 125 14 To soules fearing their fall from grace and not beleeving their perseverance p. 125. to 132 II. Here is held forth particular cure for the particular causes of soule-dejection and the eight generall grounds of soules being cast down are stated and spoken to as 1 Satisfaction is given to soules cast down by reason of the remainders of corruption 2 Satisfaction is given to souls cast down by relapses into sin 3 Satisfaction is tendred to soules dejected about the Covenant of Grace 4 Satisfaction is held forth to soules cast down by reason of indisposition to duties 5 Satisfaction for soules dejected for want of former incomes 6 Satisfaection to soules troubled by reason of Satans and enemies insultation 7 Satisfaction to soules cast down by reason of sicknesse and feare of death 8 Satisfaction to soules dejected under the sence of Divine wrath These are spoken unto in the Pages between 132. 133 SECT III. ANother Doctrine raised from the Text which is 1 Delivered in its generall body p. 133 2 Devided into two branches viz. 1 That Christians dejected should not give way to dejection p. 133 2 That they should argue the case with their owne soules 3 Pursued and followed in I. Branch under three heads viz. 1 A premise that dejected soules are apt to give way unto dejections shewing six grounds of it p. 133 to 138 2 Aproofe of the first branch 1 From Scripture 2 From Reason which 1 There is no reason to give way p. 139 140 2 There is much reason against it 1 Because t is a passion p. 141 2 Because t is perillons 1 In its selfe ib. 2 By reason of Satan p. 142 3Vnto the soule 1 Taking away our strength to work p. 143 2 Taking away our stomacke to eate p. 144 3 An application 1 To chide such as give way to dejection as 1 Who conceale their trouble p. 145 2 Who look not after comfort p. 146 3 Who dispute against comfort p. 147 4 Who avoyd company p. 148 5 Who cast of duty p. 149 2 Two cautions against giving way by 1 Answering the objection of sorrow for sin and shewing when that is too much p. 149. to 151 2 Advising how to stop sorrow that it goe not too farre p. 153 II. Branch is 1 Propounded p. 154 155 2 Proved p. 154 155 3 Amplified shewing 1 Wherein the expostulation of the soule with its selfe consists as 1 In a solemne summoning of the soule to give an account of its dejection p. 156 2 In a serious consideration of what the soul saith for its dejection p. 157 3 In an endeavour what the soule can to satisfie its selfe ib. 2 Why this soule expostulation should be as 1 Because the soule hath a faculty thus to expostulate p. 158 2 Because hereby the soule often sees its cast down causlesse p. 159 3 Because hereby sorrow is stopped ib. 4 Because this will plead some excuse for dejection p. 160 5 Because hereby the soule is fitted for a cure p. 161 4 Applyed 1 To reprove those that argue not the case with themselves p. 161 2 To direct soules how to argue by giving the soule 1 Some rules p. 161. to 165 2 Some questions p. 165. to 166 3 Some informations p. 166. to 169 SECT IV. THE Doctrine of waiting in dejections is 1 Raised and proved from the text p. 169. 170 2 Explicated by shewing what is waiting upon God in dejection is in four particulars p. 171 to 174 3 Confirmed by six grounds p 175 to 177 4 Applyed for 1 Humiliation p. 178 179 180 2 Caution p. 181 182 3 Exhortation in this use some cases of conscience are satisfied as 1 The case of being contented to want Christ resolved 1 That it must be p. 184 2 How it may be p. 185 2 The case of answering to or dealing with Satan in the time of our dejection p. 186 187 188 5 Concluded 1 By granting that though the soul must be content to wait yet it may pray but shewing how p. 189 2 By granting though the soule should be content to wait yet it may indeavor to be cured but shewing also how p. 190 SECT V. THe Doctrine of beleeving in the deepest dejections is 1 Raised out of the words p. 193 2 Opened in shewing 1 When the soule is deepest dejected p. 194 195 196 2 That then its duty and glory is to beleeve p. 198 3 Confirmed from the example of David c. p. 199 4 Amplified 1 By shewing what it is to beleeve in dejections Set forth 1 In a generall description p. 200 2 In particular points to bee beleeved then as 1 Gods Power 2 Possibility of the souls cure 3 inclinablenesse in God to do is p. 201 202 3 In six speciall things to be beleeved by the soul when it is in lowest p. 203 206 2 By shewing three Reasons for all this p. 207 208 5 Amplified 1 For information that times of dejection ought to be times of beleiving yea that they are the proper season of faith here are three reasons given why in a special maner Christ looks for faith now p. 210 to 214 2 For perswasion of the soule to act its faith when it s cast downe lowest and here 1 The duty is opend p. 214 2 Motives are binted to stir up as 1 That now faith is blessed p. 215 2 That now faith glorifies God p. 216 3 That now beleeving ingages God p. 217 4 That now beleeving raiseth p. 218 3 Meanes to help are propounded as 1 Cautions in which the soule is advised to take heed and beware 1 Of concluding any thing by sence p 219 2 Of considering selfe ib. 3 Of beleeving Satan although backed with ones own conscience p. 220 4 Of concluding any thing upon the present visible rejection of Christ p. 221 2 Considerations as 1 There is no ground why the soul should not beleeve for p. 222 1 There is no command to the contrary p. 223 2 The death of dejection is not c. ib. 3 The souls defilement is not p. 224 4 Former unbeleif or present doubtings are not p. 225 2 The promises are made to the lowest estate as is instanced p. 225 226 3 The soule shall not need to fear its presumption to beleeve which being the last object that is put in against beleeving t is answered and cleared p. 227 228 229 FINIS
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
of God Christ will certainly make thee in a measure know what sorrow meanes if he intend thee joy Thou wilt be dejected before thou art exalted and surely couldest thou but see thy state whilst a presumptuous sinner thou wouldest cry out What shall I doe to be saved But hoping better things of thee and such as accompany salvation I shall acquaint thee only with foure things about this ensuing tract 1 That it is the substance of many Sermons and that when it was preached it was by much more then now it is Yet 2 That the abatement in the printing from what it was in preaching is not materiall Things are here in briefe which then were more largely opened and I presume thy eye will reape as much by a little which is stil before thee to looke upon as thine Eare can by a great deale more which though it be longer and larger in the receiving of yet is quickly passed by and forgotten 3 The subject treates with dejected soules to whom the sweetest words of freest Grace are little enough And therefore if thou thinke some passages tend to a presumption though none I know of are so remember dejected soules are farre enough from that being more ready to despaire then to hope notwithstanding the clearest discoveries of Christs love and sweetnesse 4 The whole was at first intended for and delivered to a particular Congregation in a private way And had not they sealed to it as to the truth of Christ it had been buried in the darke and never come to this publick light I have onely two Requests to make to thee and I have done with thee My First Request is this That thou bee not hasty in reading But that thou meditate on what is tendred The Bee which onely lights upon a flower gathers no hony It s her abiding a while that suckes out the sweete Such Readers get but a little who rather runne over then read a Booke And that person will finde but little sweetnesse in a cordiall who onely holds it a little while in his mouth It s meditation which renders truths sweet I have indeavoured to write much in a little and I dare humbly promise that if thou wilt but weigh and consider seriously what I say to any Head thou wilt finde a great deale more matter then words It s true I have not handled things so largely as I might but yet I have suggested what might bee sufficient to my purpose which is not so much to convince the disputeing Heads as to comfort the dejected Hearts of Christians This therefore is my first Request that thou meditate on what thou readest My next Request is this That if in any part or in the whole thy attainment be above what is here offered that thou doe not slight it altogether upon that account Even David himselfe was sometimes aloft and never thought of those dejections under which hee afterwards groaned And peradventure though now thou keepe holy day and feast with Christ in full assurance A day or houre of temptation may come in which thou mayest bee glad of a crumme of comfort And then this poore tracte may bee of some use to thy soule In the interim pittie and pray for those who either are in or lyable to a dejected state needing both comfort and counsell too And in so doing thou shalt further the designe and indeed particularly and singularly oblige the Authour of this tract who is Reader Thy faiths friend and Souls-Servant JOHN DVRANT SECT I. PSAL. 42 11. Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God CHAP. I. The preamble unto the Text in a briefe view of the whole Psalme holding forth the occasion and the division thereof THese words are a spirituall Soliloquie of holy David who now as in private speakes to and argueth with his own soul in regard of some sadnesses and disquietings which at present did oppresse his spirit And there is a great deale of precious matter in these words deserving our Observation Meditation and Imitation I shall in a word touch upon the occasion and the scope of the whole Psalme So shall we the clearer see the intention of this verse It is thought and that very probable that the occasion of this Psalm was either the flight unto which he was exposed by Saul or the flight unto which he was exposed by Absolon Cleare it is at the penning hereof David was absent from Jerusalem and the Tabernacle the consideration of which fills him with sorrow and that sorrow sets him upon the composing of this Psalme So that whatsoever was the remote sorrow was the proximate occasion of the penning hereof Now this sorrow appeares in the whole Psalme generally And more particularly it discovers in selfe in these branches 1 In the vent thereof 2 In the cause thereof 3 In the depth thereof 4 In the effect thereof First Davids sorrow vents it selfe in the 1 2 and 3 verses of the Psalme as the Hart panteth after the water Brookes so panteth my soule after God vers 1. Never was poor Hart pursued more by a company of Dogs then he was by his enemies And never did Hart so pursued bray after the Brookes as he did after Jerusalem and the Tabernacle the place and types of Gods presence My teares so he vents himselfe have been my meat day and night ver 2. Sad soule his griefe fed upon its selfe and besides mourning his soule had no meate His soule also was poured out as water for so the word signifies vers 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus his sorrow vents it selfe Secondly He opens the cause thereof which was mixed and mighty One while his present absence from Jerusalem minds him of his former injoyments He had gone up with a multitude making boâ—y mirth but now he was deprived thereof vers 4. Another while hee considered the sad speeches of his insulting adversaries who continually said where is thy God vers 10. Thirdly he describes the depth of his sorrow setting it forth to have overwhelmed him He professeth it had cast him down vers 6. And that he was in the deeps vers 7. Lastly He declares the effect of all this now that is held forth as double 1 Supplication 2 Expostulation The first effect of his soule griefe was Supplication His prayer was to the God of his life as t is vers 8. Oh when shall I come before thee O God ver 2. To this he addes Secondly Expostulation as another effect of his griefe and this expostulation is hinted to be 1 With God 2 With himselfe 1 He expostulates the matter with his God I will say unto God my rocke why hast thou forsaken me ver 9. 2 Hee expostulates also with himselfe Why goe I mourning c. as in that verse But especially in the words of the Text. Why art thou cast down
no Psalme but such as was sweet Still hee spake with the voice of joy and praise But now consider againe On the other hand as I may say the left the soule is sometimes at a losse Sorrow sometimes playes its reakes as we say and turns joy out of doores The soule is deprived of wonted injoyments this now casts it downe Sorrow clips the soules wings it makes the spirit flag and faint it turns festivalls into mourning It causeth the soules Spring to bee as the Autumne It brings on Winter and raine too and affords the singing of no birds but the Owle and the Pellican And quite contrary to what the soule is when divinely elevated that it is while sadly dejected So that as joy is the Springtime and Summer of the soule sorrow is the Autumne and Winter You know what is the nature of Autumne and Winter Flowers fade leaves fall cold nips trees wither sap runnes downe night growes long and dark too wayes grow dirty aire chilly all things looke unlovely Thus t is with dejected soules their flowers fade their leaves fall c. By this you may guesse at the nature of spirituall dejections Yet a little more In the Text are two words hinting the nature of spirituall dejections One is casting downe which as I noted in the explication is as much as laying the soule levell the bending or the bowing down thereof It s the soule set on the dunghill or lying prostrate on the ground This is one word The other is disquieted Now that word properly as I opened it notes a storme and tumult This then holds forth the nature of spirituall dejections to be the soules storm and tumult The soule cast downe is afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted as t is Esay 54.11 O thou afflicted tossed with tempests it s spoken unto dejected Syon The soul cast down is as a tumult things are in it in a confused disorderly way As when people in a rout or riot are out of all order so is the soule when dejected This shall suffice to hint at the nature of spirituall dejection Its you see in briefe the soules low posture It s a David on a dunghill in a valley It s the souls throwing it selfe down It s the soule in a tempest tossing and tumbling to and fro or it s the soule as in a tumult quite out of the even and orderly frame in which it sometimes was and alwayes should be CHAP. 6. Shewing the workings of a soule cast downe THe nature of spirituall dejection being seen in the generall wee shall now take a view of the Workings thereof in particular Now the working of spirituall dejection appeares in 1 Feares and Doubts 2 Griefe and Sorrowes First the working of spirituall dejection appeares in feares and doubts The soule cast down is full of doubts One while it doubts this thing another while that Now this feare fills it anon another For look as the soule lifted up is full of hope and assurances and carried forth in expectations so the soule cast down is full of feares and exceedingly perplexed with doubtings Oh saith the poor soule dejected and disquieted I fear this and I doubt this Can you resolve me in this doubt or helpe mee in this feare and the like I shall instance in severall feares and doubts which usually trouble the soule when and while it s cast down First The soule when dejected it feares the worke of grace It saith I feare whether ever God wrought upon mee at least I doubt it Sure I am saith the dejected soule God is a rocke and his worke is perfect But alas there are so many imperfections in my soule that I question his worke in me I know God works both to will and to doe But alas though I wilâ— sometimes I doe never I feare God hath not wrought in me Paul was confident that where God began a good worke hee would perfect it And this makes me diffident that he hath not begun at all in mee I see so many debillities deceits decayes that surely I may say as he if the Lord be with me why is all thuâ— befallen mee Judg. 6.13 The soule knowes the worke of God is glorious And sure it is that if he will worke none shall hinder But Oh saith it I finde my soule so in-glorious and I feele so many hindrances that I doubt I shalâ— dishonour God to thinke sure I am a afftaid to say he hath wrought upon me This is one feare Secondly The soule cast downe sometime discovers its fears in other termes its dejection workes up in other doubtings As now whether its grace be true or counterfeit Grace that is false is frequent but that which is true is scarce Common workings are ordinarie but speciall ones are rare Counterfeit coyne is in Beggars purses but true coine is the portion of the rich I am sure saith the soul when it is dejected there is a fained saith and a false love Christ eies unfained faith and such Tymothies was but I feare mine is not The Scripture calls for unfained love let love be without dissimulation Rom. 12.9 and the Apostles love was such Yea but I doubt mine For my part saith the poor cast down soule I question not whether the faith of others in the head Christ be sound or whether the love of others to the members beleevers be sincere But I doub my owne True saith the soule I though once I bad faith in Christ and love to the brethren and that my gold was not counterfeit c. But now I feare and doubt all Then Thirdly Other soules cast down have other feares sure saith one whatsoever worke is only in the letter t is death and not life and for my part I feare whether mine have been by the spirit I doubt saith the soule under dejections whether my calling were orely by the voice of man in the bare letter or of Christ in the spirit T is true the word came to some not in word only but also in power and in the Holy ghost 1 Thess 1.5 But alas I doubt whether it came so to mee There are convictions and comforts which are but naturall legall and false And I doubt whether mine have not been such There are indeed convincings and comfortings which are Evangelicall and spirituall Christ saith the Holie Ghost shall convince of sin and of righteousnesse but I feare he never did convince me of either thus workes the disquieted soules of some Againe Fourthly The feares of some in spirituall dejection appeare about their holy actions as hearing praying repenting c. And about these the feares of the Soule cast down workes thus I doe sometimes pray or rather indeavour to pray I do sometimes mourn for sin or rather I do some thing like repentance But alas whence doth this proceed I doubt the principles whence these acts do arise are but poore and low and carnall It may be education profession ingenuity morality or at best
some common illumination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the onely things that act me in all Peradventure I doe not approve of God according to my knowledge of him And if so I am no better then the Heathens Rom. 1.28 It may be and I feare it that my observanced the Commandements is no better then the young mans Mark 10.19 20. I doubt my holy a rather seeming holy actions proceed mort from light that I dare not doe otherwise thâ—â— from love that I delight to doe it To do 〈◊〉 is one thing and to doe well is another Bonum bene valde differunt I fear what ever my actings bee that my principles and aimes are not as they should bee Some have bad ends in good workes others do spirituall actions from carnall principles and I fear whether this bee not my case Thus likewise some soules when they are cast down vent themselves Fiftly There are some who when cast down breath forth other feares as now touching their sincerity I doubt saith the dejected soul whether my heart be sound There are many painted Sepulchres and am not I one of them there bee many who at best are but seeming Saints and I feare I am such The Prophet saith The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked and he asketh also who can know it Jer. 17.9 For my part I do not know it Surely I feare nay I finde my heart desperately wicked and deceitfull I feare I looke one way Water-man-like even while I row another I fear least I be a child of darknesse transformed into an Angell of light Sometimes I doubt if Christ should now come to sever the lambes from the Goates that I should have no more of a sheep then the skinne and that it being pluckt off I shall appear as I am Job said indeed his heart should not reproach him so long as he lived Job 27.6 But I am sure mine flyes in my face every houre Without doubt I am but as a guilded grave brave without bad within I must speake my heart I feare I am but an hypocrite Sixtly Others there are dejected and cast downe whose dejection discovers it selfe in fear least corruptions get the conquest over them Oh saith the poore soule I find the flesh fighting against the spirit and I feare the flesh will get the day at lest I doubt the spirit will not Corruption is strong and grace is very weake I feare I shall one day fall by the hand of sin If I lye downe corruption is with me if I arise its awake as soon as I If I be about my calling or imployments in the world I perceive corruption dogges me and if I goe to duty it will not let me alone nay often it is then most busie I feare I feare that I shall fall Certainly I doubt I shall not stand long Ah Lord cryes the soule dejected any spake is enough to set mee a fire Passion is quickly stirred and I speak vainly yea and vilely too A little thing makes mee waspish I am borne downe with rash anger presently Pride too that appeares upon the least occasion I can hardly pray with any inlargements or doe duty with any affections but presently pride pirkes it selfe up Lust too that is ready to discover its life upon the least occasion I can hardly looke but I lust Thus cryes one thus cryes another and all agree in this they fear sin will get the day At least they doubt whether ever their Pigmy-graces so some speake shall bee able to get the victory over their Gyant-like-corruptions Seventhly Some when they are cast down have greater fears then these there are dejected soules who cry out Oh! they feare they never did savingly close with Christ To close with Christ in the way of the Gospell say they and they speak truth is a mystery and alas they doubt whether they have attained it There is a meer legall closing with Christ which is built only upon some qualifications in ones selfe and which carryes not the soule beyond the Covenant of workes and some soules under dejection feare theirs is such Woe is mee saith the soule if my closing with Christ bee not aright and I doubt it is not Mat. 7.22 Some soules at the last shall come and speake to him as if they had closed aright with him and as if they had in truth an interest in him and yet he will say hee knowes them not Now I feare I feare least I am such a soule and least he will speake to me so It s damnable to be deceived in this saith the soule and I doubt it Thus the wave of feare in the storm of dejection mounts thus high in some soules Eightly There are some who it may be will say they doe not doubt much their closing with Christ but they doubt their keeping close I feare saith some soule cast downe that I shall deny Christ There have been many Apostates and I doubt I shal make the number one more Peter denyed Christ in part and for a time and I feare I shall doe it altogether I thinke I should sinne in deniall of before I should suffer unto death for Christ I feare I am nearer allyed and shall be more like to Demas then to Paul It s true there are some who if they had a thousand lives could give them all for Christ But I feare I should not willingly give one Christ saith if wee deny him he will deny us And sure he knowes what I would doe if called to it I feare I should deny him and therefore that he 'le do so by me In these and the like feares doe the workings of spirituall dejection appeare The soul when elevated is not freer from then when dejected it full of feares and doubts CHAP. 7. An addition of some other feares which appeare as the workings of spirituall dejection in some soules IT being my purpose to treate of spiritual dejections at large See the second Section and also to satisfie the soule in those doubts and fears which discover themselves in the soul when and while it s cast down I shall adde some other feares unto the former As First Some there be who being dejected and cast downe are much disquieted with fears and doubts about Prayer As now whether ever they prayed in all their lives And if they did whether ever God did heare or regard any of their prayers Oh! saith some souls who are cast downe Prayer is a choice imployment a precious priviledge but alas we never injoyed it something wee have done sometime like prayer but we doubt whether it were prayer For We feare our own hearts and spirits were never in it Prayer only in the lip is without life and prayer if it be no more then words is of no worth God regards the prayer which comes from the spirit and heart But we doubt though wee have sometimes drawn neare him with our lips our hearts have been far from
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
too well it may be to tell what these workings of dejection are Let this suffice for that second head viz. the workings of spirituall dejection CHAP. 9. The causes of spirituall casting downe HAving seen both the nature and the workings of spirituall dejection I shall now come to inquire after the causes It s cleare enough that even holy and precious soules may bee and sometimes are cast downe and disquieted and if you now would know whence it comes to passe I conceive the reasons may be such as these 1 Remainders of corruption 2 Falls into sin 3 Ignorance of the Covenant of grace 4 Spirituall indisposition to duties 5 Want of former incomes 6 Insulting of Satan and enemies 7 Some corporall affliction 8 Appearance of Divine wrath These I finde to bee the maine though sometimes there are other causes why the soul is cast downe 1 Remainders of corruption Sin gave the soule its first fall 'T was that which first cast down Adam and t is that which still disquiets the children of Abraham It s true grace is the souls recovery from sin whom God converts he doth cure But yet corruption being never totally in this life mortified the remainders thereof trouble the soule even of a Saint many times The remainders of corruptions are like unto the remainders of some peccant humours which even after a sure recovery do sometimes groan and cause aguish shiverings 2 Falls into sinne Every new act of sinne is a tripping up of the soules heels When David fell into sin he was cast downe Beleivers are lyable to falling into sin and this makes them lyable to failing in soule It s no wonder to see a soule disquieted in point of comfort if it have been defiled in practise of corruption It s no marvell if Israel fall before the men of Ai if Achan be in the Campe. A sinning Jonah will soon make a storming Sea And if the soule have sinned no wonder if it be in a tempest But 3 Ignorance of the Covenant of grace Indeed it is by grace that we stand and if we be ignorant of that we shall soone be cast down I am perswaded that this is the greatest I had almost said the only reason why soules are at any time Cast downe viz. they know not the Covenant of grace at least they are ignorant of it In 1 Its fullnesse 2 Its freenesse 3 Its firmnesse 1 They are ignorant of it in its fullnesse What could disquiet the soule if it knew the Covenant of grace extended it selfe unto every sin in its pardon and to every grace in its supply The soul is apt to limit the holy one of Israel It s apt to think there are some sins unto which the Covenant doth not extend It beleives it may be the Covenant of grace reacheth to the pardon of many sins but questions whether it reach to all If it did not question that why is it cast downe so that it doubts the pardon of some sins Or Secondly They are ignorant of its freenesse How would the soul live above disquiets and dejections if it did but know and beleive the Covenant were free wholly free constantly free every way and in every part of it free It s our misery we are apt to mixe works with grace and to cloud the Covenant with Conditions Whereas we are to know that the Covenant is onely grace the nature of which is to bar out workes For if by grace then it is no more of workes OTHERWISE GRACE IS NO MORE GRACE and if it be of workes then is it no more of grace OTHERWISE WORKES IS NO MORE WORKES as it is in that golden place Rom. 11.6 The soule when cast down saith it wants this condition and it wants that qualification But alas it knowes not that the Covenant gives all and requires none It s free infinitely free and did the soule know this it would be raised but it s the ignorance of this that casts it down And besides 3 Soules know not the firmenesse of the Covenant of grace they are apt to thinke it mutable Did the soule but know that Gods foundation standeth firme and is still the same surely it could not easily be dejected Why consider ye dejected hearts Gods Covenant is not changeable Though you faile on your part yet he 'le be faithfull on his God will not cast off Israel for all that they had done as t is Jer. 31.37 His Covenant was as firme as heaven though their carriage had been as foule as bell The Covenant of grace is the Covenant of an unalterable and unaltering God God knew what ficklenesse was in the soul ere he entred into Covenant I knew saith the Lord and Oh! mark it mind it soules that thou wouldest deale very treacherously as t is Esa 48.8 Gods bow is still in the cloud though the imaginations of the heart of man is evill Dejected soules measure God by themselves but they know not his thoughts are above theirs They know not the firmenesse of his Covenant therefore it is that they are so often cast down Thus the ignorance of the Covenant of grace is a prime and principall cause of soul dejection Then 4 Another cause of dejection is spirituall indisposition unto duties The soul is it may be as Sampson was it riseth and findeth its strength gone The soul peradventure could saile as with a full gale in duty heretofore but now alas it can hardly as they say sterne the tide i.e. keep up against indisposition The living waters which were wont to flow out of the soule in power and fullnesse are it may be stopped the soule findes not that alacrity and freenesse that it was wont to finde Time was it could more God-ward and Christ-ward upon the least breathing But alas Now the spirit breaths and blows strongly and the soul is sluggish It riseth to go it may be but with that unwilling willingnesse and it strives to act but with that dead livelinesse that surely it thinkes all its strength is gone and that it is but in vain to doe any thing c. and this casts it downe Or 5 Want of former incomes in duties do deject some Alas cry dejected souls we doe as much as ever but we want much of our incomes Time was I could hardly lisp but God heard and now I pray often and no returne at all Job he cryes out Oh that it were as in the months passed as in the dayes when God preserved me when his candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked through darkenesse Job 29.2 3. Oh saith the soule I pray read hear meditate confer communicate c. as much if not more then formerly and yet I injoy lesse What shall or can I say to this what to sow much and reape but little To eate and not to eate enough to drinke and not to be filled to earne wages and not to put it into the bag so the soule alludes unto that Hag. 1.6 is
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
things of Christ knoweth no man but the spirit of Christ But Secondly How is thy comfort brought in Is it from Christ in a free word of grace offering himselfe to sinners or is it as I may say from a Christ fetcht in by some performances of thine Certainly the lesse of self in the manner of Christs comming into the soule the more of the spirit in the comfort that ariseth thereupon Some soules have their comfort fetcht in rather by selfe in Christ i.e. what they see of themselves in the way of Christs comming in then by Christ in himselfe My meaning is some soules cannot be comforted in Christ unlesse they see Christ as it were fetched and comming in by their Humiliations Repentings Prayers c. Oh if they can upon them or in them see a Christ comming in they can be comforted This comfort I suspect is legall But now if thou canst say thy comfort as it came from Christ so it came and comes still from Christ held forth purely in a word of grace and that when thou couldest see nothing of seife to fetch in Christ that then in a promise of free grace as that he dyed for and justifies the ungodly when I say then thou wert inabled to receive comfort from Christ so brought it without any selfe-qualifications or performances Surely thy comfort is in and by the spirit for still the lesse of selfe the more of him Thirdly Whereunto doth thy comfort tend Confider this Tends it to a magnifying of Christ to a love and labour unto holinesse or tends it to selfe glorying and a kind of wantonnesse Pray mind it If thy comfort have any tendance to magnifie selfe as if it were something or to lessen sin as if it were nothing thou hast cause to suspect thy comfort is not of the spirit For the very hopes of comfort by him tends unto purifying Be that hath this hope purifies himselfe c. But now if upon any laste or hope of comfort from Christ thy soule begin to admire him in his infinite love for loving thee And to abhor sin for provoking him If thy soule is much in adoring him and not a little in abhorring of solfe If sence of comfort do make thee melt as it were into a Christ-loving and Sin-loathing frame and make thee study what maner of conversation thou shouldest have for that comfort which thou hast had Surely if this be the fruit of thy comfort thou needest not fear but that thy comfort is a fruit of the spirit Thus I have offered something in particular in order to the raising of such soules as are cast down and feare that their call conviction and comfort is not was not of or by the Spirit To this I will adde some things by way of consideration joyntly i th reference to the whole As now First Whatsoever thy call conviction and comfort be its precious and to be prized Suppose it be only in the letter as thou sayst yet in case it be at all t is precious How many thousands are there that no way had either call conviction or comfort But live and lye in sin without any calls or conviction and never questioning truth or ground of comfort go in mirth as Jobs phrase is in a moment downe to Hell Chap. 21.13 Secondly Though your call conviction and comfort be as yet but common it may be ere long speciall That which is first is not alwayes spirituall but that which is naturall and afterward that which is spirituall as it is 1 Cor. 15.46 Christ many times doth ingraft as some Divines say grace upon nature Often times Christ speciallizeth as I may say and spirituallizeth common workings such as at first have only been wrought upon in the letter have afterwards beene wrought on by the spirit Besides this Thirdly Consider if at present thy soule be brought up to close with Christ that now thou hangest as it were about his feet mourning onely for the want of his smiles waiting only for the discoveries of his loves If now thy soule can say I see a need of Christ I am convinced of the want of a Christ I onely pant after and look for the injoyment of a Christ all the comfort that I have all the support of my spirit lyes upon this that I hope he that shal come wil come and will not tarry and that the Lord whom thou lookest for will suddenly come If I say this be the present frame of thy spirit and speake soule is it not so why then art thou disquieted why art thou cast down why dost thou disturbe thy selfe with this fear that thy call conviction and comfort is not of the spirit Certainly when and where Christ is so discovered to be all in all and so pressed after the soul need not cast down it selfe with feare CHAP. 4. Satisfaction unto such as fear that all that which is in them is rather from education then regeneration THis was the fourth fear which I touched upon Case and the satisfaction hereof is to be indeavoured next now for such souls as are dejected and do discover themselves in this fear that which I shall speak unto them shall be in three steps As 1 Generally Satisfaction I desire such dejected soules as cry out Oh all that which is in them is but civillity and education and the like I say I desire such to consider three things as First What it is which in truth doth act them and carry them on in the things of Christ Is it only their head or is it not principally their heart Education doth seldome ingage conscience It may and doth bring into a custome and this it doth meerly upon head-principall i.e. a knowledge that such or such a duty is to be done and that Parents or Tutors have done it c. But now to be brought into the wayes of godlinesse upon heart principles as I may call them i.e. to do such or such a duty upon conscience as finding an ingagement there to them this goes farther then education Consider then dost not thou find a heart-ingagement to the things of Christ so that thou hast some love to and in what thou dost and a hatred to and griefe in the contrary Surely if it be so here is something more and higher then education Then Secondly Consider what if thy naturall relations were dead or which is worse opposite to the things of Christ Suppose this and search what wouldest thou be or doe then 2 Chro. 24. Joash his goodnesse of education it dyed with his Tutour Jehoiadah It s said Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehoiadah the Priest But after the death of Jehoiadah we finde that Joash doth not onely leave off that which was right in the sight of the Lord but he served Groves and Idolls yea and he slew Iehoiada's sonne for testifying against him Now then suppose thy Parents and Tutor's dead nay
suppose such a sad thing that all of thy relations were enemyes to the wayes of Christ and that they should and did hate at lest slight and scorn all that were godly Upon this aske thy heart what it would or doth say to this Is not the very supposition of this sad to thy soule And doth not thy soule say Oh that thou couldst weepe teares of blood over the soules of thy relations Does not thy heart say however they are or doe yet thou and thy house will serve the Lord. Doth not the spirit upon thy appeale bear witnesse with thy spirit that let Father Mother Husband Wife Master c. do what they will yet thou by the helpe of Christ will pray for them and with full purpose of heart will cleave to him Now if it be so why art thou cast down why art thou affraid that thou hast no more then education Surely a soul thus quallified as I have hinted goes far beyond education If thou hadst nothing but what thou hadst from thy relations in education thou couldest not act further or against them as is supposed in Religion Therefore Thirdly Consider O soule that sayst thou fearest thou hast no more then education I say consider canst not thou say that albeit education did first set thee in the way of godlinesse yet since that time thy soule hath met with that which would have done it if that had not and doth exceedingly confirme thee in it Education is or may bee likened to that report which the Samaritan woman made to her neighbours of Christ Joh. 4. T is true her report brings them to Christ but Christs words confirmed them insomuch as that they told her now we beleeve not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves so canst not thou say T is true all that at first thou hadst was but Education that is that which thou hadst from Parents Friends c. But now thou hast something more now thou canst say thou lovest Christ and his wayes not because thou wert brought up in the knowledge of him and his wayes but because thou hast since tasted him to be sweet and found his ways pleasant I doubt not but that many soules can say this and why then are they disquieted for feare they have no more then education To come up therefore one step further in order to the quieting of souls cast down and disquieted with this fear I shall offer some three Inquiries unto them As now First In case you should desist and leave off from the wayes of Christ in which you have been educated Inquire what would your condition be and how your heart would take it See would or could your heart be quiet Should you thinke ye be in a comfortable condition Nay doth not the feare of apostacy trouble you Doe not you tremble to thinke lest you should fall Surely had you no more then education you would not bee perplexed with these thoughts It s all one to a Jacke wound up by a mans hand whether it move or stand still and it s all one to one principled no higher then education whether he prayes or no heares or no c. if the hand of educatiours wind him not up he can bee quiet and still But where life is there motion must bee otherwise the creature groanes And surely if upon an inquiry this way thou find cessation or apostacy would be as death to thee thou needst not much feare but there is a life of regeneration and something higher then education in thee Secondly Inquire what thy thoughts are upon doing of holy duties are thy thoughts then selfe-swolne i.e. art conceited of selfe T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some great one or rather dost not see thou art an unprofitable servant and hast done but what nay not so much as thou oughtest Surely though education may and do puffe up yet its regeneration that humbles and pulls down Adde hereunto Thirdly Make inquiry after thy aime in holy actings Is it to be and do as others is it to comply with friends relations c. or is it to have communion with Christ Is it to hold forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse to light Is not this thy aime to approve thy selfe to God It s true education may and doth make many do duties to approve themselves to Parents Tutors c. But its regeneration which makes this the end of holy actings to approve on 's soule to God Education may cause a minister to preach and a Christian to practise to be approved of by men But its regeneration which puts on Timothy to study to shew himselfe approved unto God as t is 1 Tim 3.15 Wherefore O soule why art thou cast down why sayest or fearest thou that all which thou hast is onely education Sith if thou shouldest leave off thou couldst not be quiet And yet while thou actest thou darest not boast◠and all that thou aimest at is above men Surely these things are more then education But To adde one thing more Suppose it be as thou fearest Suppose as yet education is thy all and that all thy principles are parentine I say suppose this Quest What then what if thy feare bee more then a feare a reallity what then Oh soule Answ What then why then I may well sit sadly as I do and be disquieted more then I am I may not onely be cast down but resolve never to rise why if I have no more then education wo is me for I am undone c. Reply Stay soul not so sad If it should be that as yet you have no more then education yet remember First Good actings are laudable in themselves Holy practises are commendable from any principles The young man that told Christ he had kept all the commandements from his childhood had no more then education and yet t is said Christ looked upon him and loved him Mark 10.21 I thinke it was but a conceit of Origen that said Christ kissed him yet I thinke it may be truly collected Christ was pleased with his practise though he pittied his principles your actings are laudable and lovely though your principles be as yet but very low And besides this remember Secondly Christ can raise your principles up to your actings when he pleaseth Do you continue with open sayles though rowing and lugging with the Oares of education The spirit blowes where and when he listeth He may principle thy actions and fill thy sailes ere thou art aware you know who said ere ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariots of my willing people Cant. 6.12 I will not say Timothy had grace and was sanctified from the womb yet I know he was well educated his unfained faith first dwelt in his Grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice as t is 2 Tim. 1.5 Christ sanctified his education and why may be not sanctifie thine Why then art thou disquieted O soule as
conquer because as yet you have not Thy soule may be victorious though not yet That party that is put hard to it at first may come off with the conquest afterward It s a certaine truth that Jesus Christ shall get the full conquest over all things and that he shall bring every thing into subjection to himselfe But now we see not yet all things under him Heb. 2.8 It were a saying fallacious at first hearing to say Christ shall not put all things under him because as yet we do not now see it What if as yet thou hast not got the victory over corruption Mayest not thou be a conqueror hereafter although not new Some that have been worsted in the morning have yet been conquerers ere â—ight Operis victoria finis It s the end that declares the conquest Be not cast down O soule notwithstanding thy corruption doth as yet hold up thou mayst in the end conquer for all that But besides pray consider Sixtly That your soul gets many a victory that you mind not You rout sin many a time if you did but marke it Your soule is so eager after a full and finall conquest that you do not observe many particular successes you give pride unbeleefe uncleannesse c. many a desperate gash but though it be desperate in the heat and height of your spirits you regard it not because t is not dead Say O dejected soule hath not Christ helped thee many a time to put a temptation to flight yea and to give thy corruptions a wound And if so why art thou cast downe with feare of being conquered Christ will perfect victory for thee in the end However mind it Seventhly Sin shall never get the victory ever you Had you but faith at lest could you beleeve this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is it used and translated Lu. 22.25 you would not feare Is it not expresly said Ro. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you The word signifies to have Lordship Peradventure it may give you a foile but it shall not finally give you a fall It shall never Lord it over you by vertue of a full and finall conquest 'T was said of the Romans that they were sometimes overcome in battell Victi in praelio aliquando in bello nunquam Caesar Com. but never in the War the meaning is they were sometimes routed in an on-set but never conquered Certainly O poor dejected spirits you shall never be totally conquered by your corruptions Christ hath said it that the gates of hell shall never prevaile against his Church So said D. Sibs upon the Cant. page 5. And there is the same regard of the whole Church and of every particular member in regard of the cheifest priviledges 〈◊〉 graces that accompany salvation Hell neither without thee in temptations nor within thee in corruptions shall never prevaile against thee O soule thy Lord hath delivered it and why shouldest thou doubt it Adde to all this Lastly If you could but beleeve you might see victory waiting on you over every corruption Had you Pauls eys even in that combate the sence of which makes you as it did him groane you could see the conquest And be able to be so farre from being cast downe with a feare of being conquered as that in the faith of conquest you would as he did thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 7.21 Christ dyed as well to free you from the conquest of sin here as the condemnation of it hereafter In his death you dyed and by the vertue thereof sin in you shall be crucified The Apostle bids you indeed reckon upon this as t is Rom. 6.11 Mind these things O cast down soule and in the consideration of them rouze and raise up your spirits and say why are we cast down and disquieted with fears lest corruption should be too hard for us or doubts that we should never conquer it The Apostle hath said it shall not have dominion over us yea and that we are in all things more then conquerors through Christ CHAP. 7. Satisfaction for soules doubting whether as yet they have closed with Christ THe seventh sort of feares which fill the soule when it s cast downe are about its closing with Christ Case Some there are as I noted that when they are cast downe cry out Oh they fear they never did truly close with Christ in all their lives at lest in a saving way They have so many feares and so little faith so much doubting and so little assurance that they thinke and fear they never did in a right Gospell way close with Jesus Christ Now that I might satisfie such soules and raise them I shall propose these particulars First Satisfaction It s possible to have closed with Christ and yet to doubt it All experienced Divines and Christians know that faith and doubting may dwell together It s true faith as faith doth not doubt but yet where faith is there doubting may be Experience witnesseth to this that hypocrites may and doe thinke they have closed with Christ when they have not And why should not we conceive as well on the other hard that Saints may have closed with Christ and yet think they have not It may indeed be questioned whether the soule doth act faith and know it not But I thinke it cannot be denyed but that the soule may have faith and not act it Peradventure it s not possible in the act of closing to be ignorant thereof But certainly after the act t is possible to doubt Inasmuch as the soule may question whether that act were right I do not fear to lay downe this as an undenyable truth that soules may have closed with Christ and yet doubt it This is the first thing I propose The second is It s possible that all the grounds upon which the soule questions its closing with Christ may be weake and false As the grounds upon which hypocrites conceit their faith to be good may be and are false and insufficient So likewise the grounds upon which a sound beleever may question his faith as bad may be fallible and false too In this case a Saints feare and an hypocrites presumption may be both alike groundlesse These grounds I find amongst others as the main of this feare 1 Want of assurance 2 A not seeing of Christ sweetly 3 An inabillity to trust Christ for other things 4 Some kinde of blasphemous thoughts of Christ Now neither of these are grounds firm enough to build this upon that ones closing with Christ is false First Want of assurance cannot make â—ut a not closing with Christ Assurance is rather a consequent i.e. a thing that followes then a concomitant i.e. a thing that goes with our closing with Christ I know some that make assurance and faith all one But as yet I am unconvinced of any thing that might make that good that every soule that hath closed with Christ is assured thereof I
a time thou shouldest deny him CHAP. 9. Satisfaction for soules cast downe about Prayer BEsides those eight particular feares which I spake of in the sixth Chapter of the foregoing Section I added six other feares which do appeare in some dejected soules Now it s my desire to speake something to them in order to satisfie some soules that lye and labour under them Some there are that when they are cast downe doe much disquiet themselves about their prayers Case Oh say some we feare we never prayed in all our lives or if wee did wee question whether God ever heard us c. Now for the satisfaction of soules in this case I shall speake unto it in both its branches And Satisfaction First For such soules as are cast down and disquieted and cry out Oh they never prayed in all their lives It s true they say they have sometimes spoke in prayer but they doubt whether ever they prayed in prayer They feare they rather moved their lips then breathed their spirits c. There are these things which I would say unto such souls First This very fear argues a choice frame It proceeds from a very choyce spirit thus to fear Indeed a slight and common spirit doth pray it cares not how So the worke be done it s all they mind and it were well some minded so much But with what frame of spirit they pray alas that they looke not after Some there are that we call Protestants which in this are as bad as Papists that they rather give God a number of prayers then any thing else but now it argues a spirit something heightened to mind the manner of prayer to eye the spirit and the soul how that is in prayer Looke as it argues in things humaine an ordinary minde that can content it selfe with the bare doing of things how bunglingly so ever whereas it proceeds from a raisednesse of mind to see that every thing be well done as well as done to see it be done neatly c. So it argues in things divine a common spirit such an one as Caine had to be contented with a bare sacrifice a bare empty prayer But it discovers a spirit heightened such an one as Paul had to eye the spirit how it is in prayer Paul professeth he would pray in his spirit and with understanding While it may be many neither care for the spirit nor understanding So that this fear hath some good in it in as much as it proceeds from a choicenesse of spirit But Secondly Take heed you do not roshly nor groundlesly condemne your selfe Peradventure there was more of your spirit in prayer then you saw or say What dare you deny that at such and such a time your spirit was in your prayer If it were not then what meant those sighs and tears and groanes what meant that bearing of the bosome and those liftings up and wringing of the bonds if your spirit was not in your prayers Surely as in point of smning albeit wicked men should say their hearts were not in it Yet their joy and merriment in it would witnes against them So in the manner of praying though Saints doubt their hearts was not in it yet their sighs and groanes in the spirit though unutterable in themselves yet they could witnesse for them in this However Thirdly Can and dare you appeale to God that so far as you knew your heart it was at such and such a time in prayer Can you say Lord thou knowest that I desired such a grace c. and oh how glad was I in the bare thoughts and smalâ— hopes that I had of obtaining it But on the contrary how did the fear and sence of not obtaining it grieve me Surely if you can thus seriously and consideringly appeal to God you may conclude that your heart and spirit was in prayer Besides Fourthly Consider thy soule might have been and may be in a prayer notwithstanding many dulnesses and wanderings I find by experience that the ground of this fear is that dulnesse and those wandrings of our spirits in prayer Now cleare it is that notwithstanding these yet our spirit may be really and so accounted by God in duty You know in that duty of watching with Christ in his agony T is recorded the disciples slept yet marke it Christ saw and said their spirit was in it The spirit saith he is willing but the flesh is weake Christ saw their spirit and acknowledged its willingnesse notwithstanding their drousinesse And for wandrings you know t is possible for the eye to be fixed upon an object and yet not to be so fixt as to be altogether free from rowlings The eye may bee upon the sun and yet it may twinckle And certainly if we should say that the heart is not in prayer because of some wandrings wee should condemn the generation of the just For to be so intense upon God as to have no wandring thoughts at all is not attained unto by many if by any at all So that now why shouldest thou say thy spirit was not in prayer because of some dulnesse and wandrings T is possible that these things may be and yet God may see yea and acknowledge thy spirit to be in thy prayers Object But alas saith the soule cast down Suppose my spirit be or were in prayer what is that I feare I never prayed in Christs Spirit It is one thing to pray in our spirits another thing to pray in Christs spirit Now I feare I never prayed in the strength of Christs spirit however it might be in the strength and sincerity of my own For answer and satisfaction to this Ans let me intreate you to consider these particulars First This is a more choyce fear then the former It s a choyce thing to eye our owne spirit It s a choicer to eye Christs spirit in prayer Morall sincerity may a little put on the former But its divine sincerity which looks after and unto this Nadab and Abihu can content themselves with strange fire But Moses and Aaron will not offer but with holy fire It s certainly an evidence of a soule more then ordinarily heightned not to be content to pray in the sincerity of our spirit but to labour for the strength of Gods spirit Secondly T is possible to pray in the holy Ghost and yet to doubt it I find some doubting they never prayed in the spirit because they have been straitned and wanted those inlargements which others have c. Now mind it t is possible to pray in and that by the holy Ghost and yet not to be inlarged The soule may be so full as that it may not be able to vent it selfe Fulnesse of spirit doth sometimes cause straitning As now in Davids case it s said then went King David in and sat before the Lord c. Then i. e. when as Nathan had been and told him at large the rich and sweet intentions of God towards him Certainly
now Davids spirit could not chuse but be very full And yet mark what he saith Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hither-unto And this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God but thou hast spoken also of thy servants house for a great while to come and is this the manner of men O Lord God But now marke it what followes upon this as it were entry upon the duty And what can David say more unto thee for thou O Lord knowest thy servant See how he is straitened so that hee cannot say more But he is fain to say as sometimes it may be you have done Lord thou knowest thy servant So that you see there may be the spirit where and while the soule is straitned and certainly as Hypocrites may have inlargements and yet not the Holy Ghost so Saints may have the Holy Ghost and yet want inlargements Thirdly Consider How much of God as a Father didst thou see in prayer It s the worke of the spirit to helpe the soule to see God as a father and to cry Abba and to fill the soule with not words and expressions but with sighs and groanes unutterable So that then to satisfie thy self O dejected soule in this feare consider thy very feare is choyce And it may not be as thou fearest But shall I suppose it suppose it should be so that as yet thou didst never pray Suppose I admit it that thou didst not in the sincerity of thy spirit nor in the assistance of Christs Spirit pray yet for all that consider these things First Free grace can and doth beseech soules to accept of peace and love who doe not begge for it God by us saith the Apostle beseecheth you Though thou didst not nor canst pray to God yet free Grace comes and as I may say prayes to thee Thou sayest I shall never have peace and reconciliation for I never by Prayer did beseech God for it Why remember God tenders and in his free grace comes and beseecheth you to accept of it Secondly God can give though ye cannot or doe not begge he is able to doe abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke Ephes 3.20 yea and he is willing for before they call I will answer saith the Lord And he is found of them that seeke him not Though God be pleased to come in in prayer yet he is not tyed to it Besides Thirdly consider its Christs worke to offer up prayers for us he lives for ever to make intercession Heb. 7.25 when thy heart is dead he lives and he prayes for those that doe not cannot pray for themselves Fourthly know the Spirit is promised for asking Luk. 11.13 you who cannot pray remember to aske and to waite for the Spirit And you have Christs word to encourage and assure you that you shall have the Spirit so that now why are you cast downe as fearing you never did pray consider your feare is good yet it may be groundlesse However Gods heart first opens it selfe to us Be not cast downe unto despaire know God can and will give to such as neither doe nor can aske besides in time he 'l prepare thy heart and cause his eare to heare as it is Psal 10.17 why may not this raise thy soule who art cast downe and sayest thou didst never pray Ob. But wilt thou say Suppose I have prayed indeed I hope I have and daily I desire to doe it but alas What though I pray if God doth not heare what though I call he doth not answer This O this doth disquiet my soule I have prayed oft but I feare I have been heard never Ans Indeed this is the other branch of the fear according to what Christ hath given me I shall endeavour to scatter it I must acknowledge O soule that its a misery scarce expressable to pray and not to be heard But yet know many conceive themselves in this misery without ground In order therefore to the satisfaction and raysing of thy soule under this dejection let me prevaile with thee to consider with sincere and serious spirit these particulars First God may have heard thee though thou doe not thinke so It s true peradventure God hath not yet returned an answer in some particulars but yet he may have heard your prayers God is a free Agent and so he may take his owne time to send an answer Suppose thou send a Letter to a friend by a sure Messenger what though you have not an answer presently will you say your Letter was lost or that your friend did not receive it Why the case is so your prayers are your letters to God and Christ is a sure messenger though as yet God hath not sent his answer yet your Letters are read your prayers are accepted and in time viz. Gods time they shall be punctually answered God will answer your prayers that cry unto him night and day though he heare long as it is Luk 18.7 But Secondly It s possible the answer may be sent and you have not observed it There are Letters at the Post-house sometimes for us which only want fetching home The Spirit who brings returnes from Heaven hath an answer for us but we eye him not Job speakes of Gods going by and he saw him not of his passing on and he perceived it not Job 9.11 O how many times doth God go by us in acts of providence clearly and directly answering our prayers and yet we doe not see it nor perceive it Besides Thirdly for any thing you know your prayers will not be answered till you are dead your Children or the Churches may have answers of your prayers when you are gone or it may be God will reserve the answer till your death How many dying soules have said now O now we see and heare that God hath answered all our prayers Why then art thou cast downe O soule about thy prayers as if they were not answered Obj. But I cannot beleeve that God will ever answer Sure I am its well if it be so that I have eyed Providences exactly and could as yet never see any answer and what God will doe for time to come I know not but I doubt c. Ans Be it as thou fearest what if God as yet have not answered thy prayers in many in any particulars yet be not dejected O soule over-much for consider First unanswered prayers are not lost thou hast not prayed in vaine for God never bid the house of Jacob doe so thy letters are filed up in Heaven and though they are not answered yet they are remembred God doth not forget your labour of love in your letters of love for such are prayers it s our duty to pray 't is Gods grace to answer though as yet he reveales not that grace yet it makes not voyd our duty Secoundly God may be pleased with thy prayers though he doe not answer The Mother is pleased with
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
not only worke but that sometimes they prevaile sometimes the soule is actually overtaken with sinne and falls it may be into some foule fact now this causeth casting downe to cure which Cause I shall speake something in particular when I have premised this one thing in generall viz. It must be confessed it is sad to fall into sinne Sadnesse After the soule hath been in Christs armes to fall into the pits of Satan for so sins are must needs goe to its heart indeed it goes to Christs He is offended really and mightily that any soules who have tasted his grace in pardoning past sins and knowen that such a pardon cost his bloud I say he is offended that such should afterward commit or fall into any sinne but yet all things weighed there may be much yea and enough said to cure and comfort a soule dejected because of falls into sin after grace As First Such a thing as this is consistent with grace This is that which causeth the dejection of such soules as fall into sinne Cure that they are thereby drawne to doubt the truth of their grace for say they surely had we been ever really and strongly wrought upon wee could never have failen into such and such sins But yet these soules should doe well to remember that Sampson fell againe and againe into the same sinne of wantounesse See Judg. 14.3 15.20 16.1 and yet he is in the Catalogue of the children of Abraham and reckoned up amongst the worthy beleevers Heb. 11. It s the opinion of many holy and wise persons that David fell more then once into the sinne of lying and that therefore he prayed to be kept from the way of it Psal 119.29 I mention not this to countenance much lesse to incourage presumptuous desperate sinners but only to cure perplexed and dejected Saints ye are deceived O ye dejected soules if you thinke your falls into sinne be inconsistent with grace Secondly Consider falls into sinne are not falls from salvation The Covenant of Grace is not made null by thy fall O cast-downe soule though Israel have played the Harlot yet Christ remaines a Husband Jer. 3.1.1.14 God did expresly say though thy children sinne and though I visite their sinnes with a rod yet my Covenant will I not breake Psal 89. Peradventure O soule thou art cast downe as thinking thy fall into sinne hath cut off the band of the Covenant but thou art mistaken Yea Thirdly There is a speciall salve prepared for this sore a particular cure for this cause of dejection viz. Promises of pardon after falls into sinne I LE HEALE BACK-SLIDINGS Hos 14.3 Surely that supposeth falls into sinne after grace for what else is backsliding and that directly proposeth pardon and healing to such soules Returne yee backsliding children and I will heale your backslidings Jer. 3.22 Marke O dejected soule Christ calleth thee to returne and he speakes to thee as to a Childe still notwithstanding thy falls into sinne therefore be thou advised to arise and to goe to him urge him with his promise and hee 'l make it good Neither is this my advice but the advice of the Lord. Heare him in Hos 14. O Israel returne unto the Lord thy God marke it thy God still for thou hast fallen see soule how he points at thy state by thine iniquity Take with you words and turne to the Lord and say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously Rise up therefore and obey this command and counsell and certainly in this case thou wilt finde cure and comfort CHAP. 17. Cure for soules dejected about the Covenant of Grace I Said that ignorance of the Covenant of Grace was likewise a cause and a chiefe cause of Spirituall dejection and therefore I hinted in the use of the first Section advice to study it I shall briefly offer something to this here for many times dejected soules cry out They are and may be well cast downe for alas they are not in that Covenant Cause Were I in the Covenant of Grace cryes the dejected soule I could rejoyce but alas I doubt it and therefore I am dejected Alas I finde many things in that Covenant promised which indeed I could wish but alas I want and how can I thinke I am in the Covenant when I have not the things promised in it in my owne soule c. But let me intreat thee a little to consider these particulars in order Cure to cure this cause of thy dejection First The things of the â—ovenant are not wrought all together there are many particulars promised as feare new spirit tender heart c. each of which is wrought in its time and order It is true the generall root of all these is given to the soule viz. The Divine nature but yet the particular branches spring up in their season Thou wouldest see all O soul but thou must stay the time and thou shalt Secondly Neither is any one particular perfectly wrought at once a soft heart is a thing wrought by degrees and to have the Law written in our hearts is businesse of time it is a long Copy which Christs Spirit is writing a long time As we are alway learning so that is alway writing Thou O poore soule wouldest have all together and at once and in truth who would not be glad if it might be to have it so but we must wait for this worke is not the businesse of a day but of our whole life Thirdly Christ knowes who are in Covenant though we doe not He is the Mediator of it and he may see and know that thou art in that Covenant though thou doe not The Father who hath made a Purchase in his owne name and his Childes may and doth know the Childe to be in the writing though the Childe doe not Christ your Father made the Covenant in the purchase of his Bloud on your behalfe and so knowes thy name to be in it though thou cannot see nor read it there by reason of thy infant age and condition of Childe-hood But Lastly Suppose it as thou fearest take hold of the Covenant now 1 It is a free Covenant reached out to poore sinners upon tearmes of grace Free Grace rich grace and not upon workes or qualifications It promiseth all things but it requires nothing but acceptance 2 It is a full Covenant it extends to all sinnes originall actuall great little to sins of ignorance and infirmity to sins of presumption and obstinacy I say therefore Arise O cast-down soule God in the Covenant of Grace calls to rebels and saith Let them take hold of my strength that they may make peace with me they shal Esa 27.5 He calls every one to come to incline his eare and saith Hee 'l make an everlasting Covenant with them even the sure mercies of David Isa 55.1 2. It may be thou thinkest that thou hast stood out too long It is true a day
is too long to be out of Covenant with God but yet it is not now too late To day if you will heare his voyce O therefore close with the Covenant now and doe not lye cast downe and dejected with feares that thou art out But arise and come in for now in these Gospel times even the Strangers and Eunuch debard in the times of the Law from the Congregation are invited to take hold of the Covenant and there are promises to this purpose made unto them in Esa 56. to which place I referre thee for a further cure in this case CHAP. 18. Cure for Soules cast downe upon indisposition to duties INdisposition unto good duties is oftentimes a cause of dejection Cause and by reason of it some are cast downe as conceiving it inconsistent with a life of grace and acceptation with God Now to cure this I shall apply these particular Plaisters First Life and indisposition may consist together Cure Every living man is not lively alway Even the Spouse of Christ was sometimes asleep Cant. 5.2 Even David himselfe cryes out of straitnesse of heart It is possible thy soule may sometimes be as a Ship at Sea without a full and fresh gale I may speake it I thinke as an universall truth Never was any Saint disposed to duties at all times alike and why shouldest thou be cast downe at the common Lot and condition of all Christians Secondly It is a mercy thou art not quite dead to duty Many a soule is starke dead to prayer starke dead to the Word c. and it is Free Grace thou art at worst but indisposed better is the crawling Snaile then the dead Elephant And it is a more blessed state to be a creeping worme though with much indisposition in the way of duty and life then a skipping heart though with much agility in the way of sinne and death Thirdly Though thy indisposednesse be sad yet thy trouble for this is sweet Note Blessed is the soule that mournes for disposition to evill and indisposition to good Time was when thou couldest live and not be troubled at a totall neglect of duty it is a mercy that now thou lovest it so well as that thou art grieved that thou canst doe it no better But Fourthly Consider thy acceptance with God doth not depend upon thy doing of duty nor upon thy livelinesse and disposition in doing no it depends solely upon his grace You are accepted in the beloved as it is in that precious place Eph. 1.6 Both thy person notwithstanding its faults and thy performances notwithstanding their failings are alwayes accepted in Christ he hath made us accepted in the beloved marke it it is not thou but God that makes thee I say MAKES thee not thy selfe that makest thy selfe accepted yea and this is in the Beloved not in our duties or dispositions but in the BELOVED i. e. in Christ Jesus I tell thee poore soule couldest thou doe well and with never so much life and disposition out of Christ it were nothing And contrary though thy doings be poore thy disposition poore all poore yet thou and all thine are accepted IN THE BELOVED Fifthly It is the office of Christ to present all thy performances to God and to procure acceptation in his bloud He takes away all thy failings and indispositions and he presents all to the Father well Minde this Duties goe never from Saints to God as they come out of their owne hands but as they goe through Christs Lastly Christ O dejected soule will cure thy indisposednesse Hee 'l inlarge thy heart and inliven thy spirit and then shalt thou not only walke but run the way of his Commandements when he shall inlarge thy heart as it is Psal 119 32. The Spirit is a Spirit of life power sweetnesse inlargement and this Spirit he hath promised So that these things sucked by meditation may afford cure and comfort to thee O dejected soule who art cast downe under the sence of indisposition to duties CHAP. 19. Cure for Soules cast downe upon want of incomes BUt alas sayes some other soule I doe but in vaine I doe not complaine of indisposition to though I might urge that but of want of income in duty Cause See the thing as it is stated Sect. 1. cap. 9. I confesse it is sad to be as the parched ground alway gaping and never to have drops from above Cure But yet O soule let me intreat thee to minde a few things in this case First Divine income is not alway the same Peradventure thou hast not so much now as formerly it may be so for First God gave thee much at first to incourage thee as a beginner which he doth not alway to all Vsually it is in Gods House as it is in ours at first comming of a Servant the Master is a little more familiar then afterward At first comming God might give much to welcome thee and to ingage thee but now thou hast been long in his house he mindes thee as much as formerly though he hint it not so often Besides Secondly God may with-hold incomes to try thee whether thou servest him for LOVE or for the LOAVES Many serve Christ not for himselfe but for themselves rather for the penny of income then for respect to him Now Christ may with-hold incomes to try thee and therefore be not cast downe for want of them lest thou give him ground to suspect thee but consider Secondly It is Christs Prerogative if he will use it to make us serve for nothing The Psalmist speakes it to the Kings Daughter of Christ He is thy Lord and worship thou him Psal 45.11 He must be worshipped as a Lord because of his greatnesse though hee should not give any income or wages Yet Thirdly He doth waite to give income in its season There are times when incomes will be most sweet and Christ doth waite for those times Christ said to his Mother Woman what have I to doe with thee Joh. 2. He knew there would by and by be a fitter season to doe that which she desired then at that time your time said Christ is alwayes my time is not yet come as it is Job 7 6. O remember dejected soule Christ waites to be gracious his income shall be when fittest for thee Fourthly It will argue a choyce frame of spirit in thee and therefore I mention it to presse it on thee to doe duty notwithstanding thou want income To worke without wages argues a love to the Master we work for a mercinary spirit wil doe for pay but a gracious childe-like spirit will pay its selfe in its doing and continue praying hearing receiving c. even without any income But Lastly To cure thy dejected soule who art troubled for want of income Know that in Heaven thou shalt have income for all The Master called the Servants at the evening and gave then to each his penny O consider thou shalt ere long have income
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
not bee So here Why art thou cast down is as much as there is no cause or reason for this casting down of my selfe and giving way unto it for it should not be When our Lord perceived the dejection of his Disciples upon the thought of his departure he bids them not give way unto it Let not your hearts be troubled John 14.1 He saw a storme like that of waters arising in their spirits but he bids them not to give way unto it The word that is translated disquieted in this text The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used here Iob 14 1. and the Heb. word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe is as I opened a word used sometimes for the disquiet of waters Our Lord seems to allude to it for the word translated troubled signifies so as Waters are troubled Now mind it O poor dejected ones Christ saith you should not be dejected so nor give way unto it His word is imperative he saith let it not be both signifie a trouble as of waters I need not stand to prove it further This one Demonstration wil clear it We should not give way to that which we have no reason for But we have no reason to be dejected so as to be disquieted Therefore c. David indeed sought for a reason but hee found none He asked his soule why it was disquieted implying his judgement saw no reason for it But his soul doth not indeed could not make any rationall answer This question silenceth his soule As that in the Parable why diddest not give my mony into the banke that at my comming I might have required mine owne with usury Luk. 19.23 This question struck the idle servant dumb So here Why art cast down It strikes the soule dumb and it cannot answer nor give a reason for this dejection Christians Why should you be irrationall why should you give way to that which you cannot give a reason for You cannot at any time give any reason for your dejection unto that disquietnesse which we opened Your case is not cannot be miserable The Heathen could say The Diety being reconciled to him he could not be miserable Numine placato non miser esse queo Why Saints God is reconciled to you in Christ you cannot be miserable being reconciled Ah! Why should you that are blessed so as that you cannot be miserable I say why should you be dejected without doubt you can give no sollid reason for dejection therefore it should not be neither should you give way to it But as there is no reason for dejection so there are many reasons against it I shall insist only upon two Reasons why dejected Saints should not give way c. The Reasons are because dejection is 1 A Passion 2 Perillous First Dejection and disquiet is a Passion Now passions should be curbed not given way unto Passion is an unruly beast and wee should not let its reines loose Reason should moderate but Religion should mortifie all passions Col. 3.5 Amongst the rest of the things to be mortified passion is one Indeed we read it inordinate affection as if it were two words But it s in the originall onely one word which may be translated passion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word which is used by the Syriack translators signifies sicknesse Indeed passion signifies a kind of suffering Passio derivator a patior Wee are commanded to mortifie our passions Not that Religion destroyes all passions but that regulates all Were sorrow and disquietnesse given way unto it were not regulated Certainly that sorrow which is irregular and hath no reason as wee said formerly must be mortified Casting downe disquietnesse troubles c. are passion and therefore not to be given way unto But Secondly T is perilous to give way unto disquietings There is danger in disquiet and to give way unto it is to give way to dangers This danger is three-fold viz. In regard of 1 It selfe 2 Satan 3 The Soule First There is danger in giving way to disquiet in regard of it selfe It will get ground and strength and the more its given way unto the harder it will be to rule Passion is an unruly beast which must be curbed and which if it have the reines loose wil grow master-lesse Disquiet is a disease and a disease of that nature which increaseth by degrees and every increase thereof is dangerous sorrow wil quickly overflow in case it be given way unto it s as a floud which if not stopt wil arise and over-flow all bankes Spirituall dejection is the soules Consumption now Consumptions increase if given way unto But Secondly T is dangerous to give way to dejection in regard of Satan hee 'l get ground by dejection Satan knowes how to make use of disquiets he would have sorrowfull soules to give way unto sorrow that so sorrow might swallow up the soule as t is 2 Cor. 2.7 The Apostle exhorts the Church to be tender of the dejected person who as some thinke had been excommunicated and filled with sorrow and dejection thereupon now the Apostle would have the Church to forgive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. ingulphed as one sucked up and drowned in a gulph and comfort him least he should be swallowed up c. and least Satan should get an advantage as t is vers 11. Satan hath his devices and one of them is to make the soule give way to dejection then in the depth of dejection he comes with temptations to despaire and Self-murder c. And in truth experience tells us Satan hath a mighty advantage over us especially when we are dejected and give way unto it Thirdly It s dangerous to give way to dejection in regard of the soule it loseth ground thereby The soule is a great loser by dejection 1 The more its given way unto the weaker the soule is The soule much dejected is unfit for any service 't was this that unfitted the Disciples to watch it s said Christ found them sleeping for sorrow Luk. 22.45 sorrow brings one asleep both Naturall and Spirituall dejection causeth drowsinesse The soule when it gives way to dejection is thereby drowsie and the drowsie soule is unfit for duty Yea 2 The soule dejected is weakned unto warfare Sad soules are not fit for souldiers the cheerful soule is a Gyant refreshed with Wine it can fight the Lords Battels with courage The sad soule is liable unto cowardize As the joy of the Lord is our strength so the sorrow of our spirits is our weaknesse 3 The soule cast downe is unfit for comfort Sorrow given way unto shuts out joy and the more roome the one hath the lesse is left for the other Some soules when cast downe are so full of sorrow that there is scarce a hole for comfort to enter sorrow where it rules hath so many Centinels and Guards that its hard for comfort to get in unlesse it be by violence A sorrowful soule forgets to eate his
canst not others may The Psalmist tells you of a case that was too hard for him to resolve himselfe in and yet when he went to the Sanctuary he had satisfaction Psal 73.16 17. O poore soules you may not be able after all your expostulation to satisfie your selves yet doe not conclude against your selves but goe to the Sanctuary and you shall have satisfaction there 4 Beware of partiality Heare as wel what may be said for as what is said against your soules You have a willing spirit though a weake flesh you have a waking heart though a sleepy head you are comely though black Heare as wel pro as con receive as wel arguments for your selves as insinuations against your selves Surely it s not only your wisdome but your duty You must as wel argue for liftings up for what there is in you of Christ as for castings downe for what there is in you of corruption You are not just Arbitrators not righteous in expostulation if you argue not both parts therefore in your arguing beware of partiality it s a needfull caution O how many cry out O they sleep they are black they have this corruption and they wrestle with that temptation but never minde what watchfulnesse what comlinesse what grace what helpe c. they have from Christ and it s no wonder that they are cast downe But beware of this partiality in your expostulation with your selves 5 Make the Gospel the Judge of your case let not the Law but let Grace moderate your dispute While you argue the case with your soule take heed of Moses hee 'l cast you down lower if he moderate But appeale to Christ by him comes grace and truth hee 'l decide the controversie truly and if sinne have the truth Note this hee 'l acknowledge it unto repentance but hee 'l decide it also graciously and where sinne abounds hee 'l say grace superabounds unto faith therefore in your self-soule-expostulation bring your heart into the presence of Christ and let him alone be Judge 6 Resolve never to conclude finally against thy soule whatever at present may be proved against it When thy soule hath said all that it can against thy state and when after all that thou hast answered thy soule is unsatisfied nay suppose thou finde every thing punctually proved as a reason for dejection yet resolve to conclude nothing against thy selfe for God can help at last though Satan should be righteous in his accusation and thy conscience joyn with him in witnessing against thee yet know Christ is righteous in thy absolution and his bloud can cleanse thy conscience yea and it shall Heb. 10. But you will say What if in my expostulation I finde my owne conscience condemning me must I resolve not to conclude of my estate by that Ans No not finally thy conscience may condemne thee now and yet acquit thee anon Nay Christ may permit first thy owne conscience to condemne thee that afterwards thou maist see and prize his grace in acquitting thee Well these be the rules to mannage your selfe-argumentation I wil give a few words more to direct you in the argumentation it selfe and then I le conclude this Section But you wil say How shall we doe to argue the case with our owne soules why for this take these directions following 1 Question Your owne soules 2 Chide Your owne soules 3 Informe Your owne soules First Question your owne soules put some questions to your spirits about your sadnesse and see what answers are returned As 1 Quest What indeed is the ground of this dejection Is it sinne why there is grace Is it Satan an enemy there is Christ a friend Say what O what my soule is the ground of this dejection 2 Quest What dost ayme at in thy trouble O soule Is it to please God to satisfie for sinne Alas he is not pleased with our sorrows neither is there satisfaction in our dejection 3 Quest What it meanes thus to be disquieted Doth it meane thus to ease its selfe Alas this is rather to increase trouble then to finde comfort Secondly Chide your soules for your dejection reprove your selves for your sorrowes say O what weaknesse is this to sit sobbing to lye tumbling to tosse in a tempestuous manner when God and Christ bids you to rejoyce Chide your selves for disparaging the Gospell for dishonouring Christ for disheartening others for all this you are guilty of by your dejected carriage rebuke your soules for their inordinate sorrowes Thirdly Informe them Preach to your selves these and the like points 1 All this sorrow doth no good It hath no profit in it What profit is there either for thy selfe or others in these thy dejections 2 This sorrow doth hurt it s as leannes to thy soule it s as a damp to and the deadnesse on duty tell your soules this sadnesse is mischievous it furthers despaire and it stifles joy Say it weakens as to worke and unfits as to comfort 3 Tell your soules Many have been as you are Doe you decay in grace so did others Doe you fall into sinne so doe many Are you deserted of Christ so was the Spouse O presse this point home there is no temptation befallen you but what is common to others Againe 4 Informe your soules that Christ would not have you to be cast downe Say to them Christ bids you be of good cheare hee 'l raise you up therefore why should you be cast downe Further 5 Tell your soules Satan laughs to see you sad and Saints mourne and say thus I am not to rejoyce Satan and to sadden Saints no I must not yet O how doth he rejoyce at your dejections He saith Aha Aha so would I have it whereas Saints cry Alas alas for what Saint is sad and disconsolate and all mourne not Lastly Informe your soules that it shall not be alwaies thus tell them you shall not alway sit disconsolate as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit as t is Isay 54.6 No say unto your soule that you shall yet once againe see your God and Christ and that you shall yet praise him and sing upon your stringed Instrument to the chiefe Musitian i. e. the Lord Jesus Thus be directed in your dejections to argue or expostulate with your owne soules as David doth but withall remember to argue with God also so doth David likewise I will speake unto God my rock saith he so doe thou goe to God and humbly expostulate with him if thou art dejected by reason of a desertion go and say Why hast thou forgotten me Aske God why he eclipseth his face If thou art dejected by reason of temptation say Why goe I mourning by reason of the oppression of the enemy Thou maist be bold with God in Christs bloud therefore arise O cast downe soule and goe to God and argue out thy cause with him intreat him to take off his hand if it keep thee downe and beseech him to stretch forth his hand to
together you will know your worke which is in your deepest dejections to be patient and not to murmur To be content to tarry Gods time and not to hasten releife To looke out and eie how God appeares towards you and for you And to do all this with hope that yet you shall be raised and settled CHAP. 3. Some grounds of the point WE may peradventure think this strange but yet t is true And albeit we may conceive it a rigorous thing yet t is rationall And there are many reasons why a soule cast down should be content thus to bear tarry and expect c. I shall not name all that I could these may suffice First Its Gods will Hee wills that iâ— all and in this case we should waite And his will is the highest reason The people of God were much dejected when in Babylon yet then and with reference to that it was that God commanded them to waite Habba 2.3 Hee that commandeth conversion commands also waiting Turn to thy God saith he I but it may be might the soule say God will not turn to me yet marke it wait on thy God continually Hosea 12.6 It s true God will cure and raise dejected soules but hee 'l take his own time Therefore we ought and we must be content to tarry and waite in hope But Secondly It s but equall that we should waite and expect because we cast our selves downe For the most part our dejections are our own as I formerly noted we throw our selves down and its but meet we should expect and wait patiently til God will raise us up Besides Thirdly We are not alwayes fit for comfort We are not always prepared for a raised estate and therefore we may be content with a cast down one The Lord waits to be gracious as it is Esa 30.18 God is fain to tarry till we are fit for to be raised and surely if he tarry with we should be content to tarry for a cure Thou dejected heart consider thou art not fit to be out of the pit thy sadnesse at present suits best with thy state Thou art not able to mannage joy Nor as yet art thou skilfull how to carry thy self in a sublime and raised condition Now God waits on thee for this end that he may fit thee for joy and fil thee with joy why then shouldest not thou upon this account be content to waite and expect in hope and patience Fourthly Soules in their deepest dejections should be content to waite and expect c. because they cannot raise nor helpe themselves The child that is down and cannot raise it selfe must be content to lye should it cry and struggle never so much yet it could not helpe its selfe Christians dejected in spirit you are as children you cannot raise your selves It s true you can fall of your selves even without Satan you can create troubles and fears without him and it s your fault and folly that too oft you do so But yet though you can deject your selves without the helpe of Satan you cannot raise your selves without the power of God why strive you and cry you in vain Till God create peace you cannot injoy it you should therefore be content to tarry and waite his leisure Fiftly It argues humility to be thus content Proud Benhadad will not waite what said he shall I waite for the Lord any longer 2 King 6. â—lt It s the same word with this in the Text. His meaning is hee 'l not be patient nor tarry nor expect and hope any longer But though proud Benhadad will not yet humble David would and did A soule that is humble will be content to tarry dayes weeks years for the Lord. If God will not raise him now hee 'l wait in hope that he may hereafter It argues a soule too much lifted up that cannot be content to lye till God will take it up Habbakkuk after he had said we must wait for the vision addes His soul which is lifted up is not right ch 2.4 He bids us behold this i.e. consider it that it argues a proud and a rotten heart that cannot will not wait A lowly mind becomes a low estate If your condition be low and you cast down you must be so lowly as to be content to wait and tarry in hope with patience Lastly God tarryed at first a long time for our rising from sin and it s but just that we should tarry a while for our raising from sorrow How long O cast down soule did God waite and expect thy conversion why shouldest not thou be content to waite for his consolation Christ expected the fruits of the Spirit unto holinesse a great while and shouldest not thou expect and waite for the fruite of the Spirit unto joy a little Surely it s but reason we should waite with patience till God raise us out of the pits of sadnesse and dejection sith he waited long for our rising out of the pits of sinfulnesse and defilement CHAP. 4. Some uses of this point YOu see both what it is to waite and you see also great reason why it should be so Dejected soules this point calls on you to make use of it you heare what you should doe as wel as what you should not you heard before you were not to give way unto your sadnesse But you heare now you must beare it in patience with hope Two extreames you are prone unto but you should avoyd and strive against both The first is this You are apt to give way too much to your sadnesse and dejection The second is quite contrary You are apt to throw off all and content to beare none Either you would deject your selves too low and be more sorrowfull then Christ would have you Or else you would struggle too much and not lye in patience till he raise you On the one hand your mourning is as those that have no hope and on the other you murmure as those who have no patience But both these extreames should be avoyded for as the former point tells you you should reason with your selves and not give way to mourning so this tells you that you should in patience possesse your soules and at no hand give way to murmuring I wish you would and could make the right use of this point I shall touch at three uses which you ought to make and Christ help you that you may The uses are For 1 Humiliation 2 Caution and 3 Exhortation First This point might serve to humble those who doe not as they should I meane such as are dejected and yet wil not waite in patience with hope How oft is it that they cry out Their case is insufferable and they 'l not beare it and their condition is desperate and it s in vaine for them to hope But be humbled O yee sad soules for these speeches you heare what David did and you should do you hear what others have done in your case and what you should doe
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
not this strange Sure I may well be disquieted who fish all night and catch nothing who act much and have but little or no income Time was when the spirit blew and my spices flowed Time was when the King sat at his table and my spiknard smelt Time was when the father smiled the son imbraced and the spirit warmed in every duty in every Ordinance But now oh now I want these injoyed incomes and may I not well bee disquieted and cast downe 6 The insultation of Satan and Enemies Sometimes causeth castings downe Satan is impudent and he doth sometimes insult if hee perceive the soule a little more then ordinary sad he takes advantage presently to say Where is now your God David was much disquieted and went in mourning because of the oppression of the enemy Psal 42.9 I am apt to thinke Satan may at lest be included in that word the Enemy For he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the enemy in an especial manner Ah Lord saith the poor soul the lamb may well tremble when the lyon doth triumph Satan triumphs very terribly He calls all my hopes into question he askes me where is my God my Christ my Comforter He bids mee shew him my Promises and hee demands what is become of my confidence And may I not be cast downe justly over whom Satan thus insults And besides as Satan insults sometimes so his children wicked men insult often Jam 3.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to kill And as if their tongues were set on fire with hell they speake as their father doth They say daily unto me where is thy God ver 9. Now this is a killing to us say some soules And truly if the Lord bee with us why then is all this befallen us as hee said when they were under the oppression of the Midianites Judg. 6.13 Thus while Satan and wicked men are so impudent as to insult some soules are so weake as to bee cast downe 7 Even corporall affliction is sometimes a cause of spirituall casting downe A sick-body many times causeth a sad soule Hezekiah was sicke and that made him sadde the tidings of corporall death begat spirituall disquiet That tragicall relation of Hezekiahs casting downe is titled thus the writing of Hezekiah King of Judah when he had been sicke Esay 38.9 Indeede it falls out so that the soule following the temperament of the body is much disquieted when the body is afflicted Many souls chearfull enough when in health are over sad when sicke If God afflict the body we are apt upon that our selves to cast downe the soule It s needlesse in this to expatiate experience too too frequent shewes this that externall affliction is oft the principal and first cause of internall dejection 8 Adde to all these in the last place this viz. sence of Divine wrath This indeed of all the other is the greatest and most grounded cause of spirituall dejection A little wrath will make the soule to stoope If God in anger do but touch the hills they tremble His fury is poured out like fire faith the Prophet and the rockes are thrown down by him as it is Nahum 1.6 Surely say some soules we cannot dwell with everlasting burnings and such are all appearances of divine wrath Well might Job upon this ground say is my strenght the strength of stones as t is chap. 6.12 Alas if his strength had been the strength of rockes and mountaines it must needs faile when the arrowes of the Almighty were within him as t is there vers 4. It was this which cast down David here deeply for so he crys as out of the depth vers 7. Deep calleth unto deep at the noice of thy water-spouts all thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me I shall have occasion peradventure more then once in this Treatise to touch on this therefore I shall say no more here but only this that nothing hath in it more force to cast downe even the stoutest soules then the sence of Divine wrath CHAP. 10. Some Vses of the Doctrine by way of Application YOu have seen now the nature of spiritual dejection together with the diverse workings and causes thereof It stands us upon to mind these things and to improve them Christians you see you have cause enough to be cast down and even the choisest Saints are sometimes for those causes really cast downe and dejected There bee but three words of Application which I shall touch on in this Section and conclude it First Let this informe us of our imperfect state while we are in the flesh Our highest injoyments are not so sure as to deliver us from feare of falling Saints you see of the richest sort even such as are choicest are apt to be and sometimes are much cast down It s the vanity of some that they thinke and speake of present injoyments above what is meet Some have said Soules may come up to such a height as that they neither shall nor can be disquieted Yea some go so far as to censure all kind of doubting and to conclude soules in a damnable state because in a disquieted Surely such have not learned this truth as it is in Jesus You see a David cast downe and disquieted And you heare that even choicest Saints upon many causes are lyable to the like dejections Bee informed therefore to take heed how you dreame of a perfect and unalterable enjoyment of rest here Your rest though unspeakeably sweet is not unchangeably sure T is possibly you may think because you sometimes rejoyce with joy unspeakable that therefore your injoyment is unalterable But be not deceived even after high injoyments you may be dejected Even a Paul after a rapture as high as the third heaven was cast down low by a messenger from hell David said once hee should never bee moved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. well or good pleasure yea and his bottome was free grace Divine good pleasure had made his mountain so firme Psal 30.6 7. And yet marke this David is now moved very much even to a soul-tumult Howle Fir-trees for the Cedar is fallen Be not high-minded ye babes in Christ sith father may and do fall Certainly if this be a truth as its clear it is that Saints of the highest attainments may be and sometimes are cast down then surely there is no perfect unalterable state of peace and unsettlednesse here It s true when we come home we shall sit down and be disquieted no more But our hope is not here Whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord 2 Cor. 5.6 Such as talke of being at home in this life forget that they are in the body Christians beware of it for its a delusion to thinke that here you are above dejection you are not at any time so setled but you may be disquieted And therefore
and the cause of his falling security exposeth to falls but feare preserves Christ may therefore suffer thee to feare that he may sanctifie that feare unto perseverance But Secondly Though you fall yet you may rise againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Straps apud Aristophan as t is Micha 7.8 It s one thing to fall in part another thing to fall in whole the Spouse slept yet her heart waked Cant. 5.2 Peter fell but he was raised up againe many a man hath stumbled and yet not fell flat on all foure as we say and many a Saint hath and may fall a while and yet not wholly faâ—â— away Besides consider Thirdly The promise is to restore you Christ will heale our back-slidings and love us freely Hos 14.4 and it s his worke as well to raise us up after conversion in case of dâ—â—linings as to raise us before conversion from the grave of death It s a command that we should restore one another in case of falls Gal. 6.1 and surely that which Christ bids us to doe himselfe will doe much more An obligation lyes upon him and it s his Fathers will that he should lose none Joh. 6.39 And surely if Christ should not restore you he should lose you Therefore Fourthly Know your state in regeneration is surer then that of the Angels and Adam in creation They were their owne Keepers but Christ is yours they stood upon their owne leggs but you are held in Christs hand Suppose them great ships and your selves but little barkes yet a barke fastned to a rock in Harbour is safer then a great ship at sea Suppose two Children the one bigger going alone the other lesser but in the Fathers armes that which is in the Fathers armes is surer then he which is upon his owne leggs Why the case is yours Beleevers you are in the armes the bosome of the Lord Jesus c. Lastly There are sure grounds of your perseverance minde them draw comfort from them and be not cast downe Obj. But alas what grounds have I to build my perseverance on I have little knowledge lesse faith least assurance I have many corruptions more temptations most rubs c. Ans Your way is not to looke upon your selves but upon your Saviour he is the Rock that is higher then you and on him you are safe Five grounds there are amongst others upon which you may build your beleefe of perseverance First The unchangeable love of God he loves you with an everlasting love therefore he called you as t is Jer. 31.3 He is unchangable in his love therefore he 'l not consume you Mal. 3.6 Christs love to you is as himselfe Yesterday to day and for ever the same Having loved his owne he loveth them to the end as it is Joh. 13.1 Secondly The everlasting decree of God this foundation of the Lord abideth sure and it hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 Divine decrees alter not God will not cast off bis people whom he fore-knew Rom. 11.1 for whom he fore-knew them he predestinated Rom. 8.28 and his purpose according to election shall stand Romans 9.11 Thirdly You have in you an immortall seed you are borne againe of God and your seed remaines 1 Joh. 3.9 Certainly that which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit as that which is borne of the flesh is flesh Fleshly births may dye but Spirituall births will live Fourthly You have a sure promise Jerem. 32.40 God promiseth to make an everlasting Covenant So likewise Joh. 4.14 The promise is of a Well springing up to everlasting life Yea Gods promises in this particular are surer then the Mountaines then the ordinances of heaven These things shall passe away but not these promises as it is Isay 54.10 Jer. 31.36 Lastly You have an Almighty power to keep you Suck that sweet place 1 Pet. 1. Blessed be God the Father who hath begotten us againe to a lively hope to an inheritance reserved for you in heaven who are kept by the power of God unto salvation vers 5. There is a power and that power is the power of a God and this is put forth in keeping of you So that now you having so many grounds of perseverance why should you doubt and be dejected Your perseverance doth not depend upon your owne power which is mutable but upon Christs promise which is immutable He hath promised to give you eternall life and that you shall never perish neither shall any pull you out of his hand and his Fathers as it is Joh. 10 28 29. now faithfull is he that hath promised Obj. Oh! but though none can pull me out of Corists hand I may cast my selfe out and so Christ may leave me to Satan and I fall away Ans Thou art deceived oh dejected soule if thou thinke that Christ will permit thee to doe that which hee 'l not permit Satan albeit the Childe would fall out of the Mothers armes yet she 'l not let it Christ will uphold thee by the right hand of his power Isa 41.10 so as that albeit thou of thy selfe because of thy ficklenesse wouldest fall yet he because of his faithfulnesse will not let thee Object Nay but yet I read of the falls of many a Saint David and Solomon and Peter and others stronger by farre then I have fallen c. Answ True but they were restored againe though they fell yet they did not fall away Christ raised them and he 'le also raise thee For he hath promised to heale backslidings i. e. falls after love and light and to love notwithstanding them freely Object But the Apostle saith It s impossible for those who were once inlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift c. if they fall away to renew them by repentance c. Hebrews 6.4.5 6. Minde these things to cleare this place O sad soule Answ 1. The Apostle doth not say positively that such as were inlightened c. might fall away he only supposeth it If they doe saith he ver 6. Quest But if it might not be why doth the Apostle urge it Rep. As a Caution to make them carefull It was impossible that Hered could kill Christ in his Infancy yet Joseph is forewarned upon such a feare to fly Matthew 2.13 And albeit it be impossible for such as ere indeed inlightened and have savingly tasted c. to fall away yet such a thing may bee urged to beget a holy feare to make the soule diligent and to keepe it from being secure But Secondly T is common for Hypocrites after such inlightenings and enjoyments which are but common and generall to fall away but its impossible for Saints and such as are sincere and truly gracious Here is nothing spoken but what an Hypocrite may have and that such may fall away is not denyed but what is this to a soule truly beleeving and sincerely united to Jesus Christ Though a Shadow may perish what is that to the perishing of