425 28 Divers qualities of the praise due to God With helps therein And notes of Gods hearing our prayers 439 29 Of Gods manifold salvation for his people And why open or expressed in the countenance 463 30 Of God our God and of particular application 477 31 Meanes of proving and evidencing to our soules that God is our God 495 32 Of improving our evidences for comfort in several passages of our lives 508 33 Of experience and Faith and how to wait on God comfortably Helps thereto 529 34 Of confirming this trust in God Seeke it of God himselfe Sins hinder not nor Satan Conclusion and Soliloquite 548 IN OPVS POSTHVMVM ADMODVM REVERENDI mihique multis Nominibus colendi RICHARDI SIBBS S. T. Professoris Aulae S tae Cath. Praefecti digniss mi. VAdé Liber pie Dux Animae pie Mentis Achates Te relegens Fructu ne pereunte legat Quà m foelix prodis Prae sacro Codice sordent Bartole sive tui sive Galene tui Fidus Praeco DEI coelestis Cultor Agelli Affidui Pretium grande Laboris habet Quo Mihi nec Vitâ melior nec promptior Ore Gratior aut Vultu nec fuit Arte prior Nil opus ut Nardum Caro combibat uncta Sabaum Altà ve marmoreus Sydera tangat Apex Non eget HIC Urna non Marmoreâ—…empe â—…empe Volumen Stats sacrum vivax Marmor Urna Pro. Qui CHRISTO vivens incessit Tramite Coeli Aethereumque obiit Munus obire nequit Ducit Hic Angelicis equalta saecula Lustris Qui VERBO Studium contulit omne suum Perlegat Hunc Legum Cultrix Veneranda Senecths Et quos plena DEO Mens super Astra vehit Venduntur quanti circum Palatia Fumi Hic sacer ALTARIS CAREO minoris erit Heu Pietas ubi prisca prosana ô Tempora Mundi Faex Vesper prope Nox ô Mora CHRISTE veni Si valuere Preces unquam Custodia CHRISTI Nunc Opus est Precibus nunc Ope CHRISTE tuâ Certat in humanis Vitiorum Infamia rebus Hei mihi nulla novis sufficit Herba Malis Probra referre pudet nec ènim decet Exprobret illa Qui volet Est nostrum stere silendo queri Flere Tonabo tuas Pietas neglecta querelas Quid non Schisma Tepor Fastus Astus agunt Addo-Sed Historicus TACITUS suit optimus Immo Addam Sphaerarum at Music a muta placet EDV o BENIOSIO Cressingae Templariorum Prid. Cal. Febr. M DC XX XV. On the Work of my learned Friend DOCTOR SIBBS FOole that I was to think my easie Pen Had strength enough to glorifie the fame Of this knowne Author this rare Man of men Or give the least advantage to his name bright Who think by praise to make his name more Show the Sunns Glory by dull Candle-light Blest Saint thy hallow'd Pages doe require No slight preferment from our slender Layes We stand amaz'd at what we most admire Ah what are Saints the better for our praise Hee that commends this Volume does no more Then warme the fire or gild the massie Ore Let me stand silent then O may that Spirit Which ledd thy hand direct mine eye my brest That I may reade and doe and so inherit What thou enjoy'st and taught eternall Rest Foole that I was to think my Lines could give Life to that work by which they hope to live FRA QVA THE SOVLES CONFLICT with it selfe PSAL. XLII Why art thou cast downe O my soule 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 THe Psalmes are as it were the Anatomy of a holy man which lay the inside of a truely devour man outward to the view of others If the Scriptures bee compared to a body the Psalmes may well be the heart they are so full of sweet affections and passions For in other portions of Scripture God speakes to us but in the Psalmes holy men speake to God and their own hearts as In this Psalme we have the passionate passages of a broken and a troubled spirit At this time David was a banished man banished from his owne house from his friends and which troubled him most from the house of God upon occasion of Sauls persecution who hunted him as a Partridge upon the mountaines see how this workes upon him 1. He layes open his desire springing from his love Love being the prime and leading affection of the soule from whence griefe springs from being crossed in that we love For the setting out of which his affection to the full hee borroweth an expressioÌ„ from the Hart no Hart being chased by the hunters panteth more after the waters then my heart doth after thee O God though hee found God present with him in exile yet there is a sweeter presence of him in his ordinances which now hee wanted and tooke to heart places and conditions are happy or miserable as God vouchsafeth his gratious presence more or lesse and therefore When O when shall it bee that I appeare before God 2. Then after his strong desire hee laies out his griefe which he could not containe but must needs give a vent to it in teares and he had such a spring of griefe in him as fedde his teares day and night all the ease he found was to dissolve this could of grief into the showre of teares But why gives he this way to his griefe Because together with his exiling from Gods house he was upbrayded by his enemies with his religion where is now thy God Grievances come not alone but as Iobs messengers follow one another These bitter taunts together with the remembrance of his former happinesse in communion with God in his house made deepe impressions in his soule when he remembred how hee went with the multitude into the house of God and ledde a goodly traine with him being willing as a good Magistrate and Master of a familie not to goe to the house of God alone nor to heaven alone but to carry as many as he could with him Oh! the remembrance of this made him powre forth not his words or his teares onely but his very soule Former favours and happinesse makes the soule more sensible of all impressions to the contrarie hereupon finding his soule over sensible he expostulates with himselfe Why art thou cast downe O my souls and why art thou disquieted within me c. But though the remembrance of the former sweetnes of Gods presence did somewhat stay him yet his grief would not so be stilled and therefore it gathers upon him againe one griefe called upon another as one deep wave follows another without intermission untill his soule was almost over whelmed under these waters yet he recovers himselfe a little with looking up to God who he expected would with speed and authoritie send forth his loving kindnesse with command to raise him up and comfort him and give
for God delights to have his will of those that are wedded to their owne wils as in Pharaob No men more subject to discontentments then those who would have all things after their owne way Againe one maine ground is False reasoning and errour in our discourse as that wee have no grace when wee feele none feeling is not alwayes a fit rule to judge our states by that God hath rejected us because we are crossed in outward things when as this issues from Gods wisdome and love How many imagine their failings to be fallings and their fallings to be fallings away Infirmities to be Presumptions every sinne against Conscience to be the sinne against the Holy Ghostâ—… unto which misapprehensions weake and dark spirits are subject And Satan as a cunning Rhetorician here inlargeth the fancy to apprehend things bigger then they are Satan abuseth confident spirits another contrary way to apprehend great sinnes as little and little as none Some also thinke that they have no grace because they have not so much as growen Christians whereas there bee severall ages in Christ. Some againe are so desirous and inlarged after what they have not that they minde not what they have Men may be rich though they have not millions and be not Emperors Likewise some are much troubled because they proceed by a false method and order in judging of their estates They will begin with Election which is the highest step of the ladder whereas they should begin from 〈◊〉 work of grace wrought within theiâ—… hearts from Gods calling them by hiâ—… spirit and their answer to his call and so raise themselves upwards to know their Election by their answer to God calling Give all diligence saith Peter to make your calling and election sure your election by your calling God descends downe unto us from election to calling and so to sanctification wee must ascend to him beginning where he ends Otherwise it is as great folly as in removing of a pile of wood to begin at the lowest first and so besides the needlesse trouble to be in danger to have the rest fall upon our heads Which besides ignorance argues pride appearing in this that they would bring God to their conceits and be at an end of their worke before they beginne This great secret of Gods eternall love to us in Christ is hidden in his breast and doth not appeare to us un till in the use of meanes God by his spirit discovereth the same unto us The spirit letteth into the soule so much life and sense of Gods love in particular to us as draweth the soule to Christ from whom it draweth so much vertue as changeth the frame of it and quickneth it to duty which duties are not grounds of our state in grace but issues springing from a good state before and thus farre they helpe us in judging of our condition that thougâ—… they bee not to bee rested in yet aâ—… streames they lead us to the spring head of grace from whence they arise And of signes some be more apt to deceive us as being not so certaine as delight and joy in hearing the word as appeareth in the third ground some are more constant and certaine as love to those that are truly good and to all such and because they are such c. these as they are wrought by the spirit so the same spirit giveth evidence to the soule of the truth of them and leadeth us to faith from whence they come and faith leads us to the discovery of Gods love made knowne to us inhearing the word opened The same spirit openeth the truth to us and our understandings to conceive of it and our hearts to cloze with it by faith not only as a truth but as a truth belonging to us Now this faith is manifested either by it selfe reflecting upon it selfe the light of faith discovering both it selfe and other things or by the cause of it or by the effect or by all Faith is oft more knowne to us in the fruit of it then in it selfe as in plants the fruits are more apparant then the sappe and roote But the most setled knowledge is from the cause as when I know I beleeve because in hearing Gods gracious promises opened and offered unto me the spirit of God caryeth my soule to cleave to them as mine owne portion Yet the most familiar way of knowledge of our estates is from the effects to gather the cause the cause being oftentimes more remote and spirituall the effects more obvious and visible All the vigour and beauty in nature which we see comes from a secret influence from the heavens which we see not In a cleare morning we may see the beames of the Sun shining upon the top of hils and houses before wee can see the Sun it selfe Things in the working of them doe issue from the cause by whose force they had their being but our knowing of things ariseth from the effect where the cause endeth wee know God must love us before wee can love him and yet we oft first know that we love him the love of God is the cause why wee love our brother and yet we know we love our brother whom we see more clearly then God whom we doe not see It is a spirituall peevishnesse that keepes men in a perplexed condition that they neglect these helps to judge of their estates by whereas God takes liberty to help us sometime to a discovery of our estate by the effects sometimes by the cause c. And it is a sin to set light by any work of the spirit and the comfort we might have by it and therefore we may well adde this aâ—… one cause of disquietnesse in many that they grieve the spirit by quarrelling against themselves and the work of the spirit in them Another cause of disquiet is thâ—… men by a naturall kinde of Popery feâ—… for their comfort too much in sanctification neglecting justification relyinâ—… too much upon their own performances Saint Paul was of another minde accounting all but dung and drosse compared to the righteousnesse of Christ. This is that garment wherewith being deeked we please our husband and wherein we get the blessing This giveth satisfaction to the conscience as satisfying God himselfe being performed by God the Sonne and approved therefore by God the Father Hereupon the soule is quieted and faith holdeth out this as a shield against the displeasure of God and temptations of Satan why did the Apostles in their Prefaces joyne grace and peace together but that we should seek for our peace in the free grace and favour of God in Christ. No wonder why Papists maintaine doubting who hold salvation by workes because Satan joyning together with our consciences will alwayes finde some flaw even in our best performances Hereupon the doubting and misgiving soule comes to make this absurd demand as Who shall ascend to heaven which is all one
him matter of songs in the night For all this his unrulie griefe will not be calmed but renues assaults upon the returne of the reproach of his enemies Their words were as swords unto him and his heart being made very tender and sensible of griefe these sharp words enter too deepe and thereupon he hath recourse to his former remedie as being the most tryed to chide his soule and charge it to trust in God CAP. I. Generall Observations upon the Text. HEnce in generall wee may observe that Griefe gathered to a head will not be quieted at the first We see here passions intermingled with comforts and comforts with passions and what bustling there is before David can get the victorie over his owne heart You have some short spirited Christians that if they be not comforted at the first they thinke all labour with their hearts is in vaine and thereupon give way to their griefe But we see in David as distemper ariseth upon distemper so he gives check upon check and charge upon charge to his soule untill at length hee brought it to a quiet temper In Physick if one purge will not carry away the vicious humour then wee adde a second if that will not doe it we take a third So should wee deale with our soules perhaps one check one charge will not doe it then fall upon the soule againe send it to God againe and never give over untill our soules be possessed of our soules againe Againe In generall observe in Davids spirit that a gracious and living soule is most sensible of the want of spirituall meanes The reason is because spirituall life hath answerable taste and hunger and thirst after spirituall helps Wee see in nature that those things presse hardest upon it that touch upon the necessities of nature rather then those that touch upon delights for these further onely our comfortable being but necessities uphold our being it selfe we see how famine wrought upon the Patriarks to go into Aegypt Where we may see what to judge of those who willingly excommunicate themselves from the assemblies of Gods people where the Father Son and Holy Ghost are present where the prayers of holy men meete together in one and as it were binde God and pull downe Gods blessing No private devotion hath that report of acceptance from heaven A third generall point is that a godly soule by reason of the life of grace knowes when it is well with it and when it is ill when it is a good day with it and when a bad when God shines in the use of meanes then the soule is as it were in heaven when God withdrawes himself then it is in darknesse for a time Where there is but onely a principle of nature without sanctifying grace there men go plodding on and keep their rounds and are at the end where they were at the beginning not troubled with changes because there is nothing within to be troubled and therefore dead means quicke meanes or no meanes all is one with them an argument of a dead soul. And so we come more particularly and directly to the wordes Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me c. The words imply 1 Davids state wherein he was and 2 expresse his carriage in that state His estate was such that in regard of outward condition he was in variety of troubles and that in regard of inward disposition of spirit he was first cast downe and then disquieted Now for his carriage of himselfe in this condition and disposition he dealeth roundly with himselfe David reasoneth the case with David and first checketh himselfe for being too much cast downe and then for being too much disquieted And then layeth a charge upon himselfe to trust in God wherein we have the duty he chargeth upon himselfe which is to trust in God and the grounds of the duty First from confidence of better times to come which would yeeld him matter of praising God And then by a representation of God unto him as a saving God in al troubles nay as salvation it selfe an open glorious Saviour in the view of all The salvation of my countenance and all this enforced from Davids interest in God He is my God Whence observe first from the state he was now in that since guilt and corruption hath been derived by the fall into the nature of man it hath been subjected to miserie and sorrow and that in all conditions from the King that sitteth on the Throne to him that grindeth on the Mill. None ever hath beene so good or so great as could raise themselves so high as to be above the reach of troubles And that choice part of mankind the first fruits and excellency of the rest which we call the Church more then others which appeares by consideration both of the Head the Body and members of the Church For the Head Christ he tooke our flesh as it was subject to miserie after the fall and was in regard of that which he endured both in life and death a man of sorrowes For the Body the Church It may say from the first to the last as it is Psal. 129. From my youth up they have afflicted me The Church beganne in blood hath growen up by blood and shall end in blood as it was redeemed by blood For the members they are all predestinate to a conformitie to Christ their Head as in grace and Glory so in abasement Rom. 8. 29. neither is it a wonder for those that are born soldiers to meet with conflicts for travailers to meete with hard usage for seamen to meete with storms for strangers in a strange country especially amongst their enemies to meete with strange entertainment A Christian is a man of another world and here from home which hee would forget if he were not exercised here and would take his passage for his country But though all Christians agree and meete in this that through many afflictions we must enter into heaven Yet according to the diversity of place parts and grace there is a different cup measured to every one And therefore it is but a plea of the flesh to except against the Crosse Never was poore creature distressed as I am this is but selfe-love for was it not the case both of Head Body and members as we see here in David a principall member When hee was brought to this case thus to reason the matter with himselfe Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me From the frame of Davids spirit under these troubles wee may observe that as the case is thus with all Gods people to be exercised with troubles so They are sensible of them oftentimes even to casting downe and discouraging And the reason is they are flesh and blood subject to the same passions and made of the
whole course and tenour of 〈◊〉 lives when wee are not off and on 〈◊〉 and downe It argues an ill state of body when it is very hot or very colâ—… or hot in one part and cold in anothâ—… so unevennesse of spirit argues a distemper a wise mans life is of one colour like it selfe The soule bred froâ—… heaven so farre as it is heavenly minded desires to be like heaven above all stormes uniforme constant not as things under the Sunne which are alwayes in changes constant onely in inconstancie Affections are as it were the winde of the soule and then the soule is carried as it should be when it is neither so becalmed that it moves not when it should nor yet tossed with tempests to move disorderly When it is so well balaced that it is neither lift up nor cast downe too much but keepeth a steddy course Our affections must not rise to become unruly passions for then as a river that overfloweth the bankes they carry much slime and soile with them Though affections be the winde of the soule yet unruly passions are the stormes of the soule and will overturne all if they be not suppressed The best as wee see in David here if they doe not steare their hearts aright are in danger of sudden gusts A Christian must neither be a dead sea nor a raging sea Our affections are then in best temper when they become so many graces of the Spirit as when love is turned to a love of God joy to a delight in the best things feare to a feare of offending him more then any creature sorrow to a sorrow for sinne c. They are likewise in good temper when they move us to all duties of love and mercy towards others when they are not shut where they should be open nor open where they should be shut Yet there is one case wherein exceeding affection is not over exceeding As in an extasie of zeale upon a suddâ—… apprehension of Gods dishonour and his cause trodden under foot It is better in this case rather scarce to be 〈◊〉 owne men then to be calme or quiet It is said of Christ and David that their hearts were eaten up with a holy zeale for Gods house In such a case Moses unparalleld for meekenesse was turned into an holy rage The greatnesse 〈◊〉 the provocation the excellencie of thâ—… object and the weight of the occasion beares out the soule not onely without blame but with great praise in such seeming distempers It is the glory of a Christian to be carried with full saile and as it were with a spring tide of affection So long as the streame of affection runneth in the due channell and if there bee great occasions for great motions then it is fit the affections should rise higher as to burne with zeale to be sicke of love to be more vile for the Lord as David to be counted out of our wits with Saint Paul to further the cause of Christ and the good of soules Thus we may see the life of a poore Christian in this world 1. he is in great danger if hee be not troubled at all 2. when he is troubled he is in danger to be over troubled 3. when he hath brought his soule in tune againe hee is subject to new troubles Betwixt this ebbing and flowing there is very little quiet Now because this cannot bee done without a great measure of Gods Spirit our helpe is to make use of that promise of giving the holy Ghost to them that aske it To teach us when how long and how much to grieve and when and how long and how much to rejoyce the Spirit must teach the heart this who as he moved upon the waters before the Creation so hee must move upon the waters of our soules for wee have not the command of our owne hearts Every naturall man is carried away with his flesh and humours upon which the devill rides and carries him whither he list he hath no better comsellors then flesh and blood and Sathan counselling with them But a godly mâ—…n is not a slave to his carnall affections but as David here labours to bring into captivity the first motiâ—… of sinne in his heart CAP. IX Of the soules disquiets Gods dealings 〈◊〉 power to containe our selves in order MOreover we see that the soule 〈◊〉 disquiets proper to it selfe besides thâ—… griefes of Sympathy that arise from the bodie for here the soule complaines 〈◊〉 the soule it selfe as when it is out of the body it hath torments and joyes of its owne And if these troubles of the soule be not well cured then by way of fellowship and redundance they will affect the outward man and so the whole man shall bee inwrapt in miserie From whence we further see that God when he will humble a man needs not fetch forces from without if hee let but our owne hearts loose wee shall have trouble and worke enough though we were as holy as David God did not onely exercise him with a rebellious sonne out of his owne loynes but with rebellious risings out of his own heart If there were no enemie in the world nor devill in hell we carry that within us that if it be let loose will trouble us more then all the world besides Oh that the proud creature should exalt himselfe against God and runne into a voluntary course of provoking him who cannot onely raise the humours of our bodies against us but the passions of our mindes also to torment us Therefore it is the best wisedome not to provoke the great God for are wee stronger then he that can raise our selves against our selves and worke wonders not onely in the great world but also in the little world our soules and bodies when he pleases We see likewise hence a necessity of having something in the soule above it selfe it must be partaker of a diviner nature then it selfe otherwise when the most refined part of our soules the very spirit of our mindes is out of frame what shall bring it in againe Therefore we must conceive in a godly man a double selfe one which must be denied the other which must denie one that breeds all the disquiet and another that stilleth what the other hath raised The way to still the soule as it is under our corrupt selfe is not to parlee with it and divide government for peace sake as if wee should gratifie the flesh in something to redeeme liberty to the spirit in other things for we shall finde the flesh will be too encroching Wee must strive against it not with subtilty and discourse so much as with peremptory violence silence it and vexe it An enemy that parlees will yeeld at length Grace is nothing else but that blessed power whereby as spirituall wee gaine upon our selves as carnall Holy love is that which wee gaine of selfe-love and so joy and delight c. Grace
God should take his Spirit from us there is enough in us to defile a whole world And although wee bee ingrafted into Christ yet wee carry about us a relish of the old stocke still David was a man of a good naturall constitution and for grace a man after Gods owâ—… heart and had got the better of himselfe in a great measure and had learned to overcome himselfe in matter of revenge as in Sauls case yet now wee see the vessell is shaken a little and the dregs appeare that were in the bottome before Alas wee know not our oâ—… hearts till we plow with Gods heiâ—… till his Spirit bringeth a light into our soules It is good to consider how this impure spring breaks out diversly in the divers conditions wee are in there is no estate of life nor no action wee undertake wherein it will not put forth it selfe to defile us It is so full of poyson that it taints whatsoever wee doe both our natures conditions and actions In a prosperous condition like Dâ—…vid we thinke we shall never be 〈◊〉 Under the Crosse the soule is troubled 〈◊〉 drawne to murmur and to be sulleâ—… and sink downe in discouragement 〈◊〉 be in a heat almost to blasphemy 〈◊〉 weary of our callings and to quaâ—… with every thing in our way See 〈◊〉 folly and fury of most men in this for â—…s silly wormes to contradict the great God And to whose perill is it Is it not our own Let us gather our selves with all our wit and strength together Alas what can wee doe but provoke him and get more stripes Wee may be sure hee will deale with us as wee deale with our children if they be froward and unquiet for lesser matters we will make them cry and be sullen for something Refractory stubborne horses are the more spurred and yet shake not off the rider CAP. XII Of originall righteousnesse naturall corruption Satans joyning with it and our duty thereupon §. 1. BVt here marke a plot of spirituall treason Sathan joyning with our corruption setteth the wit on worke to perswade the soule that this inward rebellion is not so bad because it is naturall to us as a condition of nature rising out of the first principles in our creation and was curbed in by the bridle of original righteousnesse which they would have accessary and supernaturall and therefore alledge that concupiscence is lesse odious and more excusable in us and so no great danger in yeelding and betraying our Souleâ—… unto it and by that meanes perswading us that that which is our deadliest enemie hath no harme in it nor meaneth any to us This rebellion of lusts against the understanding is not naturall as our nature came out of Gods hands at the first For this being evill and the caâ—… of evill could not come from God whâ—… is Good and the cause of all good and nothing but good who upon the creation of all things pronounced them good and after the creation of man pronounced of all things that they were very good Now that which is ill and very ill cannot be seated at the same time in that which is good and very good God created man at the first right he of himselfe sought out many inventions As God beautified the heaven with starres and decked the earth with variety of plants and hearbs and flowers So hee adorned man his prime creature here below with all those endowments that were fit for a happy condition and originall righteousnesse was fit and due to an originall and happy condition Therefore as the Angels were created with all Angelicall perfections and as our bodies were created in an absolute temper of all the humours so the soule was created in that sweet harmony wherein there was no discord as an instrument in tune fit to be moved to any duty as a cleane neat glasse the soule represented Gods image and holinesse §. 2. Therefore it is so farre that concupiscence should be naturall that the contrary to it namely Righteousnesse wherein Adam was created was naturall to him though it were planted in mans nature by God and so in regard of the cause of it was supernaturall yet because it was agreeable to that happy condition without which he could not subsist in that respect iâ—… was naturall and should have beene derived if hee had stood together with his nature to his posterity As hear iâ—… the ayre though it hath its first impression from the heate of the Sunne yet is naturall because it agreeth 〈◊〉 the nature of that element and though man be compounded of a spirituall and earthly substance yet it is naturall that the baser earthly part should be subject to the Superiour because where thâ—… is different degrees of worthinesse it is fit there should be a subordination of the meaner to that which is in ordâ—… higher The body naturally deâ—… food and bodily contentments yet iâ—… a man indued with reason this desire iâ—… governed so as it becomes not inorâ—…nate A beast sinnes not in its appetâ—… because it hath no power above to order it A man that lives in a soliâ—… place farre remote from company may take his liberty to live as it pleasâ—… him but if he comes to live under the government of some well ordered Citie then hee is bound to submit to the â—…wes and customes of that Citie under penalty upon any breach of order So the risings of the soule howsoever in other creatures they are not blameable having no commander in themselves above them yet in man they are to bee ordered by reason and judgement Therefore it cannot be that concupiscence should be naturall in regard of the state of creation It was Adams sin which had many sinnes in the wombe of it that brought this disorder upon the Soule Adams person first corrupted our nature and nature being corrupted corrupts our persons and our persons being corrupted encrease the corruption of our nature by custome of sinning which is another nature in us as a streame the farther it runnes from the spring head the more it enlargeth its channell by the running of lesser rivers unto it untill it empties it selfe into the Sea So corruption till it be overpowred by grace swelleth bigger and bigger so that though this disorder was not naturall in regard of the first creation yet since the fall it is become naturall even as wee call that which is common to the whole kinde and propagated from parents to their children to bee naturall So that it is both naturall and against nature naturall now but against nature in its first perfection And because corruption is naturall to us therefore 1. we delight in it whence it comes to passe that our soules are carried along in an easie current to the committing of any sinne without opposition 2. Because it is naturall therefore it is unwearied and restlesse 〈◊〉 light bodies are not wearied in thâ—… motion upwards nor heavie bodies iâ—… their motion
till God in judgement gave him up to what his covetous heart led him unto A man is not fit to deliberate till his heart be purged of false aymes for else God will give him up to the darknesse of his owne spirit and he will bee alwayes warping unfit for any byas Where the aymes are good there God delighteth to reveale his good pleasure Such a soule is levell and suitable to any good counsell that shall bee given and prepared to entertaine it In what measure any last is favoured in that measure the soule is darkned Even wise Solomon whilest he gave way to his lust had like to have lost his wisdome We must looke to our place wherein God hath set us if we be in subjection to others their authority ought to sway with us Neither is it the calling of those that are subjects to enquire over-curiously into the mysteries of government for that both in peace and war breeds much disturbance and would trouble all designes The lawes under which we live are particular determinations of the law of God in some duties of the second table For example The Law of God sayes Exact no more then what is thy due But what in particular is thy due and what another mans the lawes of men determine and therefore ought to be a rule unto us so farre as they reach though it be too narrow a rule to be good only so farre as mans law guides unto Yet law being the joynt reason and consent of many men for publique good hath an use for guidance of all actions that fall under the same Where it dashes not against Gods law what is agreeable to law is agreeable to conscience The law of God in the due enlargement of it to the least beginning and occasions is exceeding broad and allowes of whatsoever stands with the light of reason or the bonds of humanity civility c. and whatsoever is against these is so farre against Gods law So that higher rules be looked to in the first place there is nothing lovely or praise-worthy among men but ought to be seriously thought on Nature of it selfe is wilde and untamed and impatient of the yoke but as beasts that cannot endure the yoke at first after they are enured a while unto it beare it willingly cary their work more easily by it So the yoke of obedience makes the life regular and quiet The meeting of authority and obedience together maintaines the order and peace of the world So of that Question Though blindfold obedience such as our Adversaries would have be such as will never stand with sound peace of conscience which alwayes lookes to have light to direct it for else a blinde conscience would breed blinde feares yet in such doubtfull cases wherein we cannot winde out our selves we ought to light our candles at others whom we have cause to thinke by their place and parts should see further then wee In matters of outward estate wee will have men skilfull of our counsell and Christians would finde more sound peace if they would advise with their godly and learned Pastors and friends Where there is not a direct word there is place for the counsell of a prudent man And it is a happinesse for them whose businesse is much and parts not large to have the benefit of those that can give ayme and see further then themselves The meanest Christian understands his owne way and knowes how to doe things with better advantage to his soule then a gracelesse though learned man yet is still glad of further discovery In counsell there is peace the thoughts being thus established When wee have advised and served Gods providence in the use of meanes then if it fall out otherwise then wee looke for wee may confidently conclude that God would not have it so otherwise to our griefe we may say it was the fruit of our owne rashnesse Where we have cause to thinke that wee have used better meanes in the search of grounds and are more free from partiall affections then others there we may use our owne advise more safely Otherwise what wee doe by consent from others is more secure and lesse offensive as being more countenanced In advice with others it is not sufficient to be generally wise but experienced and knowing in that wee aske which is an honour to Gods gifts where we finde them in any kinde When we set about things in passion we work not as men or Christians but in a bestiall manner The more passion the lesse discretion because passion hinders the sight of what is to be done It clouds the soule and puts it on to action without advisement Where passions are subdued and the soule purged and cleared there is nothing to hinder the impression of Gods spirit the soule is fitted as a cleane glasse to receive light from above And that is the reason why mortified men are fittest to advise with in the particular cases incident to a Christian life After all advise extract what is fittest and what our spirits do most bend unto For in things that concerne our selves God affords a light to discerne out of what is spoken what best suteth us And every man is to follow most what his owne conscience after information dictates unto him because conscience is Gods deputy in us and under God most to bee regarded and whosoever sinnes against it in his own construction sinnes against God God vouchsafeth every Christian in some degree the grace of spirituall prudence whereby they are enabled to discerne what is fittest to be done in things that fall within their compasse It is good to observe the particular becks of providence how things joyne and meete together fit occasions and suting of things are intimations of Gods will Providence hath a language which is well understood by those that have a familiar acquaintance with Gods dealing they see a traine of providence leading one way more then to another Take especiall heed of not grieving the Spirit when he offers to bee our guide by studying evasions and wishing the case were otherwise This is to be Law-givers to our selves thinking that we are wiser than God The use of discretion is not to direct us about the end whether wee should doe well or ill for a single heart alwayes aymes at good but when we resolve upon doing well and yet doubt of the manner how to performe it discretion lookes not so much to what is lawfull for that is taken for granted but what is most expedient A discreet man lookes not to what is best so much as what is fittest in such and such respects by eying circumstances which if they sort not doe vary the nature of the thing it selfe And because it is not in man to know his owne wayes we should looke up unto Christ the great Councellour of his Church to vouchsafe the spirit of counsell and direction to us that may make our way plaine before us by
us We should labour likewise for a single heart to trust in God onely there is no readier way to fall then to trust equally to two stayes whereof one is rotten and the other sound therefore as in point of doctrine wee are to relie upon Christ onely and to make the Scriptures our rule onely So in life and conversation what ever wee make use of yet we should enjoy and relye upon God onely for either God is trusted alone or not at all those that trust to other things with God trust not him but upon pretence to cary their double mindes with lesse check Againe labour that thy soule may answer all the Relations wherein it stands to God by eleaving to him 1. as a Father by trusting on his care 2. as a teacher by following his direction 3. as a Creator by dependance on him 4. as a husband by inseparable affection of love to him 5. as a Lord by obedience c. And then we may with comfort expect whatsoever good these Relations can yeeld All which God regarding more our wants and weaknesses then his owne greatnesse hath taken upon him Shall these Relations yeeld comfort from the creature and not from God himselfe in whom they are in their highest perfection Shall God make other fathers and husbands faithfull and not be faithfull Himselfe All our comfort depends upon labouring to make these Relations good to our soules And as we must wholly and only trust in God so likewise we must trust him in all conditions and times for all things that we stand in need of untill that time comes wherein wee shall stand in need of nothing for as the same care of God moved him to save us and to preserve us in the world till we be put in possession of salvation So the same faith relyes upon God for heaven and all necessary provision till wee come thither It is the office of Faith to quiet our soules in all the necessities of this life and we have continuall use of trusting while wee are here For even when we have things yet God still keepes the blessing of them in his own hands to hold us in a continuall dependance upon him God traines us up this way by exercising our trust in lesser matters to fit us for greater thus it pleaseth God to keepe us in a depending condition untill he see his owne ◅me but so good is God that as he intends to give us what wee wait for so will he give us the grace and spirit of faith to sustaine our soules in waiting till we enjoy the same The unrulinesse of a naturall spirit is never discovered more then when God deferres therefore we should labour the more not to withdraw our attendance from God Further we must know that the condition of a Christian in this life is not to see what he trusts God for hee lives by faith and not by sight and yet that there is such a vertue in faith which makes evident and present things to come and unseene Because God where he gives an eye of faith gives also a glasse of the word to see things in and by seeing of them in the truth and power of him that promiseth they become present not only to the understāding to apprehēd thē but to the will to rest upō thē to the affections to joy in thē It is the nature of faith to work whēit seethnothing and oftentimes best of all then because God shewes himself more clearly in his power wisdome goodness at such times and so his glory shines most and faith hath nothing else to looke upon then whereupon it gathers all the forces of the soule together to fasten upon God It should therefore be the chiefe care of a Christian to strengthen his faith that so it may answer Gods maner of dealing with him in the worst times for God usually 1. that he might perfectly mortifie our confidence in the creature and 2. that he might the more indeere his favours and make them fres◅ and new unto us and 3. that the glory of deliverance may bee entirely hi◅ without the creatures sharing with him and 4. that our faith and obedience may be tryed to the uttermost and discovered suffers his children to fall into great extremities before he will reach forth his hand to help them as in Iobs case c. Therefore Christians should much labour their hearts to trust in God in the deepest extremities that may be fall them even when no light of comfort appeares either from within or without yea then especially when all other comforts faile despaire is oft the ground of hope when the darknesse of the night is thickest then the morning begins to dawne that which to a man unacquainted with Gods dealings is a ground of utter despaire the same to a mā acquainted with the waies of God is a rise of exceeding comfort for infinite power goodnes can never be at a loss neither can faith which looks to that ever be at a stand whence it is that both God and Faith worke best alone In a hopelesse estate a Christiā will see some doore of hope opened 1. because God shewes himself neerest to us when we stand most in need of him help Lord for vain is the help of man God is never more seen then in the Mount He knowes our soules best our souls know him best in adversity thē heis most wōderful in his Saints 2 because our praiers thē are strōg cryes fervent and frequent God is sure to heare of us at such a time which pleaseth him well as delighting to heare the voice of his Beloved For our better incouragement in these sad times and to helpe our trust in God the more we should often call to minde the former experiences which either our selves or others have had of Gods goodnesse and make use of the same for our spirituall good Our Fathers trusted in thee saith the head of the Church and were not confounded Gods truth and goodnesse is unchangeable he never leaves those that trust in him so likewise in our owne experiences we should take notice of Gods dealing◅ with us in sundry kindes how many wayes he hath refreshed us and how good we have found him in our worst times After wee have once tryed him and his truth we may safely trust him God will stand upon his credit he never failed any yet and he will not begin to breake with us If his nature and his word and his former dealing hath beene sure and square why should our hearts be wavering thy word saith the Psalmist is very pure or tryed therefore thy servant loveth it the word of God is as silver tryed in the furnace purified seven times It is good therefore to observe and lay up Gods dealings Experience is nothing else but a multiplyed remembrance of former blessings which will
THE SOVLES CONFLICT with it selfe AND VICTORY over it self by Faith A Treatise of the inward disquietments of distressed spirits with comfortable remedies to establish them Returne unto thy rest O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee By R. Sibbs D. D. Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and Preacher of Grayes Inne London The Second Edition LONDON Printed by M. F. for R. Dawlman at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Churchyard 1635. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIP FVLL Sir IOHN BANKES Knight the Kings Majesties Attourney Generall Sir EDWARD MOSELY Knight his Majesties Attourney of the Duchie Sir WILLIAM DENNY Knight one of the Kings learned Counsell Sir DVDLY DIGGES Knight one of the Masters of the Chauncery And the rest of the Worshipfull Readers and Benchers with the Auncients Barresters Students and all others belonging to the Honourable Societie of Grayes Inne R. SIBBS Dedicateth these Sermons Preached amongst them in testimony of his due Observance and desire of their spirituall and eternall good TO THE CHRISTIAN READER THere be two sorts of people alwaies in the visible Church One that Satan keepes under with false peace whose life is nothing but a diversion to pre sent contentments and a running away from God and their owne hearts which they know can speake no good unto them these speake peace to themselves but God speakes none Such have nothing to doe with this Scripture the way for these men to enjoy comfort is to be soundly troubled True peace arises from knowing the worst first then our freedome from it It is a miserable peace that riseth from ignorance of evill The Angell troubled the waters and then cured those that stept in It is Christs manner to trouble our soules first and then to come with healing in his wings But there is another sort of people who being drawen out of Satans kingdome and within the Covenant of grace whom Satan labours to unsettle and disquiet being the God of the world he is vexed to see men in the world walke above the world Since he cannot hinder their estate he will trouble their peace and dampe their spirits and cut a sunder the sinewes of all their endeavours These should take themselves to taske as David doth here and labour to maintain their portion and the glory of a Christian profession For whatsoever is in God or comes from God is for their comfort Him selfe is the God of comfort his Spirit most knowne by that office Our blessed Saviour was so carefull that his Disciples should not be too much deiected that he forgat his own bitter passion to comfort them whom yet he knew would all forsake him Let not your hearts be troubled saith he And his owne soule was troubled to death that we should not be troubled whatsoever is written is written for this end every article of faith hath a speciall influence in comforting a beleeving soule They are not onely food but cordials Yea he put himselfe to his Oath that we might not onely have Consolation but strong Consolation The Sacraments seale unto us all the comforts wee have by the death of Christ the exercise of Religion as Prayer Hearing Reading c. is that our joy may be full the Communion of Saints is chiefly ordained to comfort the feeble minded and to strengthen the weake Gods government of his Church tends to this Why doth hee sweeten our pilgrimage and let us see so many comfortable dayes in the world but that we should serve him with cheerefull and good hearts As for crosses he doth but cast us downe to raise us up and empty us that hee may fill us and melt us that we may bee vessels of glory loving us as well in the furnace as when we are out and standing by us all the while We are troubled but not distressed perplexed but not in despaire persecuted but not forsaken If wee consider from what fatherly love afflictions come how they are not only moderated but sweetned and sanctified in the issue to us how can it but minister matter of comfort in the greatest seeming discōforts How then can we let the reines of our affections loose to sorow without being injurious to God and his providence as if wee would teach him how to govern his Church What unthankfulnesse is it to forget our consolation and to looke only upon matter of grievance to thinke so much upon two or three crosses as to forget a hundred blessings To suck poyson out of that from which we should suck honey What folly is it to straighten and darken our owne spirits And indispose our selves for doing or taking good A limbe out of ioynt can doe nothing without deformity and paine deiection takes off the wheeles of the soule Of all other Satan hath most advantage of discontented persons as most agreeable to his disposition being the most discontented creature under heaven He hammers all his darke plots in their braines The discontentment of the Israelires in the wildernesse provoked God to sweare that they should never enter into his rest There is another spirit in my servant Caleb saith God the spirit of Gods people is an incourageing spirit Wisdome teaches them if they feele any grievances to conceale them from others that are weaker least they b◅ disheartned God threatens it as a curse to give a trembling heart and sorrow of minde whereas on the contrary joy is as oyle to the soule it makes duties come off cheerefully and sweetly from our selves gratiously to others and acceptably to God A Prince cannot indure it in his subiects nor a Father in his children to be lowring at their presence Such usually have stollen waters to delight themselves in How many are there that upon the disgrace that followes Religion are frighted from it But what are discouragements to the incouragements Religion brings with it which are such as the very Angels themselves admire at Religion indeede brings crosses with it but then it brings comforts above those crosses What a dishonour is it to Religion to conceive that God will not maintaine and honour his followers as if his service were not the best service what a shame is it for an heire of heaven to be cast downe for every pety losse and crosse To bee afraid of a man whose breath is in his nostrils in not standing to a good cause when we are sure God will stand by us assisting and comforting us whose presence is able to make the greatest torments sweete My discourse tends not to take men off from all griefe and mourning Light for the righteous is sowen in sorrow Our state of absence from the Lord and living here in a vail of teares our daily infirmities and our sympathy with others requires it and where most grace is there is most sensibleness as in Christ. But we must distinguish between griefe and that fullennesse and deiection of spirit which is with a repining and taking off from duty when Joshua was overmuch cast
down at Israels turning their backs before their enemies God reproves him Get thee up Joshua why liest thou upon thy face Some would have men after the committing of grosse sinne to be presently comfortable and beleeve without humbling themselves at all indeed when we ore once in Christ we ought not to question our state in him and if we doe it comes not from the spirit But yet a guilty conscience will be clamorous and full of obiections God will not speake peace unto it till it be humbled God will let his best children know what it is to be too bold with sinne as we see in David and Peter who felt no peace till they had renued their repentance The way to reioyce with joy unspeakable and glorious is to stirre up fighs that cannot be uttered And it is so farre that the knowledge of our state in grace should not humble us that very ingenuity cōsidering Gods love to us out of the nature of the thing it self workes sorrow and shame in us to offend his Maiesty One maine stop that hinders Christians from reioycing is that they give themselves too much liberty to question their grounds of comfort and interest in the promises This is wonderfull cōfortable say they but what is it to me the promise belōgs not to me This ariseth from want of giving all diligence to make their calling sure to themselves In watchfulnesse and diligence we sooner meet with comfort thē in idle complaining Our care therefore should be to get sound evidence of a good estate and then likewise to keepe our evidence cleare wherein we are not to hearken to our own feares and doubts or the suggestion of our enemy who studies to falsifie our evidence but to the Word and our owne consciences inlightned by the spirit and then it is pride and pettishnesse to stand out against comfort to themselves Christians should studie to corroberate their title We are never more in heaven before we come thither then when wee can read our evidences It makes us converse much with God it sweetens all conditions and makes us willing to doe and suffer any thing It makes us have comfortable and honourable thoughts of our selves as too good for the service of any base lust and brings confidence in God both in life and death But what if our condition be so darke that we cannot reade our evidence at all Here looke up to Gods infinite mercy in Christ as we did at the first when we found no goodnesse in our selves and that is the way to recover whatsoever we thinke wee have lost By honouring Gods mercy in Christ we come to have the Spirit of Christ therefore when the waters of sanctification are troubled and muddy let us runne to the witnesse of blood God seemes to walke sometimes contrary to himselfe he seemes to discourage when secretly he doth incourage as the woman of Canaan but faith can finde out these wayes of God and untie th◅se knots by looking to the free promise and mercifull nature of God Let our sottish and rebellious flesh murmure as much as it will who art thou and what is thy worth Yet a Christian knowes whom hee beleeves Faith hath learned to set God against all Againe we must goe on to adde grace to grace A growing and fruitfull Christian is alwayes a comfortable Christian the oyle of grace brings forth the oyle of gladnesse Christ is first a King of righteousnesse and then a King of peace the righteousnesse that hee workes by his Spirit brings a peace of sanctification whereby though we are not freed from sinne yet we are enabled to combate with it to get the victory over it Some degree of comfort followes every good action as heate accompanies fire and as beames and influences issue from the Sunne which is so true that very Heathens upon the discharge of a good conscience have found comfort and peace answerable this is a reward before our reward Another thing that hinders the comfort of Christians is that they forget what a gratious and mercifull covenant they live under wherein the perfection that is required is to be found in Christ. Perfection in us is sincerity What is the end of faith but to bring us to Christ Now imperfect faith if sincere knits to Christ in whom our perfection lies Gods designe in the covenant of grace is to exalt the riches of his mercy above all sinne and unworthinesse of man and wee yeeld him more glory of his mercy by beleeving then it would be to his Iustice to destroy us If we were perfect in our selves we should not honour him so much as when we labour to bee found in Christ having his righteousnesse upon us There is no one portion of Scripture oftner used to fetch up drooping spirits then this Why art thou cast downe oh my soule it is figurative and full of Rhetorique and all little enough to perswade the perplexed soule quietly to trust in God which without this retiring into our selves and checking our hearts wil never be brought to passe Chrysostome brings in a man loaden with troubles comming into the Church where when he heard this passage read he presently recovered himselfe and becomes another man As David therefore did acquaint himselfe with this forme of dealing with his soule so let us demanding a reason of our selves Why wee are cast downe which will at least checke and put a stoppe to the distresse and make us fit to consider more solid grounds of true comfort Of necessity the soule must bee somthing calmed and staid before it can be comforted Whilest the humours of the body rage in a great distemper there is no giving of physicke So when the soule gives way to passion it is unfit to entertaine any counsell therefore it must be stilled by degrees that it may heare reason and sometimes it is fitter to be moved with ordinary reason as being more familiar unto it then with higher reasons fetcht from our supernaturall condition in Christ as from the condition of mans nature subject to changes from the uncomelinesse of yeelding to passion for that which it is not in our power to mend c. these and such like reasons have some use to stay the fit for a while but they leave the coar untouched which is sinne the trouble of all troubles Yet when such considerations are made spirituall by faith on higher grounds they have some operation upon the soule as the influence of the Moone having the stronger influence of the Sun mingled with it becomes more effectuall upon these inferiour bodies A candle light being ready at hand is sometimes as usefull as the Sun it selfe But our maine care should be to have Evangelicall grounds of comfort neere to us as Reconciliation with God whereby all things else are reconciled unto us Adoption and Communion with Christ c. which is never sweeter then under the Crosse. Philip Lansgrave of Hesse being a long
time prisoner under Charles the fifth was demanded what upheld him all that time Who answered that hee felt the divine comforts of the Martyrs there be divine comforts which are felt under the Crosse and not at other times Besides personall troubles there are many much dejected with the present state of the Church seeing the blood of so many Saints to be shed and the enemies oft to prevaile but God hath stratagems as Joshua at Ay he seemes sometimes to retire that he may come upon his enemies with the greater advantage the end of all these troubles will no doubt be the ruine of the Antichristian faction and we shall see the Church in her more perfect beauty when the enmies shall be in that place which is fittest for them the lowest that is the footstoole of Christ the Church as it is highest in the favour of God so it shall be highest in it selfe The mountaine of the Lord shall bee exalted above all mountaines In the worst condition the Church hath two faces One towards heaven and Christ which is alwaies constant and glorious Another toward the world which is in appearance contemptible and changeable But God will in the end give her beauty for ashes and glory double to her shame and she shall in the end prevaile in the meane time the power of the enemies is in Gods hand The Church of God conquers when it is conquered even as our Head Christ did who overcame by patience as well as by power Christs victory was upon the Crosse. The Spirit of a Christian conquers when his person is conquered The way is in stead of discouragement to search al the promises made to the Church in these latter times and to turne them into prayers and presse God earnestly for the performance of them Then we shall soone find God both cursing his enemies and blessing his people out of Zion by the faithfull prayers that ascend up from thence In all the promises we should have speciall recourse to God in them In all storms there is Sea roome enough in the infinite goodness of God for faith to be carried with full saile And it must be remembred that in all places where God is mentioned we are to understand God in the promised Messiah typified out so many waies unto us And to put the more vigor into such places in the reading of them we in this latter age of the Church must thinke of God shining upon us in the face of Christ and our Father in him If they had so much confidence in so little light it is a shame for us not to be confident in good things when so strong a light shines round about us when we professe we beleeve a crowne of righteousnesse is laid up for all those that love his appearing Presenting these things to the soul by faith setteth the soule in such a pitch of resolution that no discouragements are able to seise upon it We faint not saith S. Paul wherefore doth he not faint because these light and short afflictions procure an exceeding weight of glory Luther when he saw Melancthon a godly learned man too much dejected for the state of the Church in those times fals a chiding of him as David doth here his own soule I strongly hate those miserable cares saith he whereby thou writest thou art even spent It is not the greatnesse of the cause but the greatnesse of the incredulity If the cause be false let us revoke it If true why doe wee make God in his rich promises a lyar Strive against thy selfe the greatest enemie why doe we feare the conquered world that have the conquerour himselfe on our side Now to speake something concerning the publishing of this Treatise I began to preach on the Text about twelue yeares since in the City and afterwards finished the same at Grayes-Inne After which some having gotten imperfect notes endeavoured to publish them without my privity Therefore to doe my selfe right I thought fit to reduce them to this forme There is a pious and studious gentleman of Grayes-Inne that hath of late published observations upon the whole psalme and another upon this very verse very well and many others by Treatises of faith and such like have furthered the spirituall peace of Christians much It were to be wished that we would all joyne to doe that which the Apostle gloried in to be helpers of the joy of Gods people By reason of my absence while the worke was in printing some sentences were mistaken Some will be ready to deprave the labours of other men but so good may be done let such ill disposed persons be what they are and what they will be unlesse God turne their hearts and so I commend thee and this poore Treatise to Gods blessing GRAYES INNE July 1. 1635. R. SIBBES THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOKE in the severall Chapters 1 GEnerall Observations upon the Text. pag. 5 2 Of discouragements from without 12 3 Of discouragements from within 21 4 Of casting downe our selves And specially by sorrow Evills thereof 41 5 Remedies of casting downe To cite theâ—… soule and press it to give an account 51 6 Other observations of the same nature 63 7 Difference betweene good men and others in conflicts with sinne 83 8 Of unfitting dejection and when it is excessive And what is the right temper of the soule herein 92 9 Of the soules disquiets Gods dealings and power to containe our selves in order 108 10 Meanes not to bee over-charged with forrâ—… 1â—… 11 Signes of victory over our selves and of a subdued spirit 142 12 Of originall righteousnesse naturall corruption Satans joyning with it and our duty thereupon 153 13 Of imagination sinne of it and remedies for it 176 14 Of help by others of true comforters and their graces Method Ill successe 222 15 Of flying to God in disquiets of soule Eight observations out of the text 242 16 Of trust in God grounds of it specially his providence 263 17 Of Graces to bee exercised in respect of divine providence 278 18 Other grâ—…nds of trusting in God namely the promises And twelve directions about the same 295 19 Faith to be prized and other things under valued at least not to be trusted to as the chiefe 317 20 Of the method of trusting in God and the try all of that trust 330 21 Of quieting the spirit in troubles for sinne And objections answered 348 22 Of sorow for sin and hatred of sin when right and sufficient Helps thereto 370 23 Other spirituall causes of the souls trouble discovered and removed and objections answered 386 24 Of outward troubles disquieting the spirit and comforts in them 393 25 Of the defects of gifts disquieting the soule As also the afflictions of the Church 405 26 Of divine reasons in a beleever of his minding to praise God more then to be delivered 414 27 In our worst condition we have cause to praise God Still ample cause in these dayes
Reformation of their Gospell Nay rather what 's become of your eyes we may say unto them For God is nearest to his children when hee seemes furthest off In the mount of the Lord it shall be seene God is with them and in them though the wicked be not aware of it it is all one as if one should say betwixt the space of the new and old Moone where is now the Moone when as it is never nearer the Sun then at that time Where is now thy God Answ. In heaven in earth in me every where but in the heart of such as aske such questions and yet there they shall finde him too in his time filling their consciences with his wrath and then Where is their God where are their great friends their riches their honors which they set up as a god what can they availe them now But how was David affected with these reproaches their words were as swords as with a sword in my bones c. they spake daggers to him they cut him to the quicke when they toucht him in his God as if he had neglected his servants when as the devill himself regards those who serve his turn touch a true godly man in his Religion and you touch his life and his best freehold he lives more in his God then in himselfe so that we may see here there is a murther of the tongue a wounding tongue as well as a healing tongue men think themselves freed from murther if they kill none or if they shed no blood whereas they cut others to the heart with bitter words It is good to extend the Commandement to awake the conscience the more and breed humility when men see there is a murdering of the tongue Wee see David therefore upon this reproach to be presently so moved as to fall out with himselfe for it Why art thou so cast down and disquieted ô my soule This bitter taunt ran so much in his minde that he expresseth it twice in this Psalme He was sensible that they struck at God through his sides what they spake in scorne and lightly hee tooke heavily And indeed when religion suffers if there be any heavenly fire in the heart it will rather break out then not discover it selfe at all We see by daily experience that there is a speciall force in words uttered from a subtle head a false heart and a smooth tongue to weaken the hearts of professors by bringing an evill report upon the strict profession of religion as the cunning and false spies did upon the good land as if it were not onely in vaine but dangerous to appeare for Christ in evill times If the example of such as have saint spirits will discourage in an army as wee see in Gideons History then what will speech inforced both by example and with some shew of reason doe To let others passe we need not goe further then our selves for to finde causes of discouragement there is a seminary of them within us Our flesh an enemy so much the worse by how much the nearer will be ready to upbraide us within us where is now thy God why shouldest thou stand out in a profession that findes no better entertainment CAP. III. Of discouragements from within BUt to come to some particular causes within us There is cause oft in the body of those in whom a melancholly temper prevaileth darknesse makes men fearefull Melancholly persons are in a perpetuall darknesse all things seeme blacke and darke unto them their spirits as it were dyed blacke Now to him that is in darknesse all things seem black and dark the sweetest comforts are not lightsome enough unto those that are deepe in melancholly It is without great watchfulnesse Satans bath which hee abuseth as his owne weapon to hurt the soule which by reason of its sympahy with the body is subject to be missed as we see where there is a suffusion of the eye by reason of distemper of humours or where things are presented through a glasse to the eye things seeme to be of the same colour so whatsoever is presented to a melancholly person comes in a darke way to the soule From whence it is that their fancy being corrupted they judge amisse even of outward things as that they are sicke of such and such a disease or subject to such and such a danger when it is nothing so how fit are they then to judge of things removed from sense as of their spirituall estate in Christ To come to causes more neere the soule it selfe as when there is want of that which should be in it as of knowledge in the understanding c. Ignorance being darknesse is full of false feares In the night time men think every bush a theefe our forefathers in time of ignorance were frighted with every thing therefore it is the policy of popish tyrants taught them from the prince of darknesse to keep the people in darknesse that so they might make them fearefull and then abuse that fearefulnesse to superstition that they might the better rule in their consciences for their owne ends and that so having intangled them with false feares they might heale them againe with false cures Againe though the soule be not ignorant yet if it be forgetfull and mindlesse if as Heb. 12. the Apostle saith You have forgot the consolation that speaks unto you c. Wee have no more present actuall comfort then we have remembrance help a godly mans memory and help his comfort like unto charcoale which having once been kindled are the more easie to take fire He that hath formerly knowne things takes ready acquaintance of them againe as old friends things are not strange to him And further want of setting due price upon comforts as the Israelites were taxed for setting nothing by the pleasant land It is a great fault when as they said to Iob the consolations of the Almighty seeme light and small unto us unlesse we have some outward comfort which we linger after Adde unto this a childish kinde of peevishnesse when they have not what they would have like children they throw away al which though it be very offensive to Gods spirit yet it seazeth often upon men otherwise gracious Abraham himselfe wanting children undervalued all other blessings Ionas because hee was crossed of his gourd was weary of his life The like may be said of Elias flying from Iezebel This peevishnesse is increased by a too much flattering of their griefe 〈◊〉 farre as to justifie it Like Ionas I dâ—… well to be angry even unto death he would stand to it Some with Rachel are so peremptory that they will not be comforted as if they were in love with their grievances Wilfull men are most vexed in their crosses It is not for those to bee wilfull that have not a great measure of wisedome to guide their wils
about matters that are variable which especially fals ouâ—… in games of hazard wherein they ofâ—… spare not Divine Providence it selfe but break out into blasphemy Likewise men that graspe more businesses then they can discharge must needs beare both the blame and the griefe of losing or marring many businesses It being almost impossible to doe many things so well as to give content to Conscience Hence it is that covetous and busie men trouble both their hearts and their houses though some men from a largenesse of parts and a speciall dexterity in affaires may turne over much yet the most capacious heart hath its measure and when the cup is full a little drop may cause the rest to spill There is a spirituall surfet when the soule is over-charged with businesse it is fit the soule should have its meet burthen and no more As likewise those that depend too much upon the opinions of other men A very light matter will refresh and then againe discourage a minde that rests too much upon the liking of others Men that seeke themselves too much abroad finde themselves disquieted at home even good men many times are too much troubled with the unjust censures of other men specially in the day of their trouble It was Iobâ—… case and it is a heavy thing to have affliction added to affliction It was Hannahs case who being troubled in spirit was censured by Eli for distemper iâ—… braine but for vain men who live moâ—… to reputation then to conscience iâ—… cannot be that they should long enjoy setled quiet because those in whoâ—… good opinion they desire to dwell aâ—… ready often to take up contrary conceits upon slender grounds It is also a ground of overmuch trouble when we looke too much and too-long upon the ill in our selves and abroad we may fixe our eyes too long even upon sinne it selfe considering that we have not onely a remedy against the hurt by sinne but a commandement to rejoyce alwayes in the Lord Much more may we erre in poring too-much upon our afflictions wherein we may finde alwayes in our selves upon search a cause to justifie God and alwaies something left to comfort us Though we naturally minde more 〈◊〉 crosse then a hundred favours dwelling overlong upon the sore So likewise our mindes may be too much taken up in consideration of the miseries of the times at home and abroad as if Christ did not rule in the midst of his enemies and would not help all in due time or as if the condition of the Church in this world were not for the most part in an afflicted and conflicting condition Indeed there is a perfect rest both for the soules and bodies of Gods people but that is not in this world but is kept for hereafter here we are in a sea where what can wee look for but stormes To insist upon no more one cause is that wee doe usurpe upon God and take his office upon us by troubling our selves in forecasting the event of things whereas our worke is onely to doe our work and be quiet as children when they please their parents take no further thought our trouble is the fruit of our folly in this kinde That which we should observe from all that hath beene saâ—… is that wee bee not overhasty in consuring others when wee see their spirits out of temper for we see how many things there are that work strongly upon the weak nature of man Wee may sinne more by harsh censure then they by overmuch distemper as in Iobs case it was a matter rather of just griefe and pity then great wonder or heavy censure And for our selves If our estate be calme for the present yet wee should labour to prepare our hearts not onely for an alteration of estate but of spirit unlesse wee be marvellous carefull before hand that our spirits fall not down with our Condition And if it befalls us to find it otherwise with our soules then at other times we should so farre labour to beare it as that wee doe not judge it our owne case alone when we see here David thus to complaine of himselfe Why art thou cast downe ô my soule c. CAP. IV. Of casting downe our selves And specially by sorow Evills thereof TO returne againe to the words Why art thou cast downe ô my soule c. or why dost thou cast downe thy selfe or art cast downe by thy selfe Whence we may further observe That wee are prone to cast downe our selves wee are accessary to our owne trouble and weave the web of our owne sorow and hamper our selves in the coards of our owne twining God neither loves nor wills that we should be too much cast down Wee see our Saviour Christ how carefull hee was that his Disciples should not bee troubled and therefore hee labours to prevent that trouble which might arise by his suffering and departure from them by a heavenly sermon Let not your hearts bee troubled c. Hee was troubled himselfe that wee should not bee troubled The ground therefore of our disquiet is chiefly from our selves though Satan will have a hand in it We see many like sullen birds in a cage beate themselves to death This casting downe of our selves is not from humility but from Pride wee must have our will or God shall not have a good look from us but as pertish and peevish children we hang our heads in our bosome because our wâ—… are crost Therefore in all our troubles wee should looke first home to our owne hearts and stop the storme there for wee may thanke our owne selves not onely for our troubles but likewise for overmuch troubling ourselves in trouble It was not the troubled conditioâ—… that so disquieted Davids soule for if hee had had a quiet minde it would not have troubled him But Davis yeelded to the discouragements of the flesh and the flesh so farre as it is unsubdued is like the sea that is alwayes casting mire and dirt of doubts discouragements and murmurings in the soule let us therefore lay the blame where it is to be laid Againe wee see it is the nature of sorow to cast downe as of joy to lift up Griefe is like lead to the soule heavie and cold it sinks downwards and carries the soule with it The poore Publican to shew that his soule was cast downe under the sight of his sinnes hung downe his head the position of his body was sutable to the disposition of his minde his heart and head were cast downe alike And it is Satans practice to goe over the hedge where it is lowest he addes more weights to the soule by his tentations and vexations His sinne cast him out of heaven and by his temptations hee cast us out of our Paradice and ever since he labors to cast us deeper into sinne wherein his scope is to cast us either into too much trouble for sinne or presumption
in sin which is but a lifting up to cast vs downe into deepe despaire at length and so at last if Gods mercy stop not his malice hee will cast vs as low as himselfe even into hell it selfe The ground hereof is because as the joy of the Lord doth strengthen so doth sorow weaken the soule How doth iâ—… weaken 1. By weakning the execution oâ—… the functions thereof because it drinketh up the spirits which are the instruments of the soule 2. Because it contracteth and draweth the soule into it selfe from commâ—…nion of that comfort it might haâ—… with God or man And then the soule being left alone if it falleth hath noâ—… to raise it up Therefore if wee will prevent casting downe let us prevent griefe the cause of it and sinne the cause of thâ—… Experience proves that true which thâ—… Wiseman saies Heavinesse in the heâ—… of a man makes it stoope but a good 〈◊〉 makes it better It bowes downe thâ—… soule and therefore our blessed Savâ—… our inviteth such unto him Come 〈◊〉 mee yee who are heavy laden with the bâ—…den of your sinnes The body bends uâ—…der a heavy burden so likewise tâ—… soule hath its burden Why art thou câ—… downe ô my soule Why so disquietâ—… c. Whence wee see 1. that casting downe breeds disquieting Because it springs from pride which is a turbulent Passion when as men cannot stoope to that condition which God would have them in this proceeds from discontentment and that from pride As we see a vapour inclosed in a cloude causeth a terrible noise of thunder whilst it is pent up there and seeketh a vent So all the noise within proceeds from a discontented swelling vapour It is aire inclosed in the bowels of the earth which shakes it which all the foure windes cannot doe No creature under heaven so low cast downe as Satan none more lifted up in pride none so full of discord the impurest spirits are the most disquiet and stormy spirits troublesome to themselves and others for when the soule leaves GOD once and lookes downewards what is there to stay it from disquiet remoove the needle from the pole starre and it is alwaies stirring and trembling never quiet till it be right againe So displace the soule by taking it from God and it will never bee quiet The devill cast out of heaven and out of the Church keepes a dooe so doe unruly spirits led by him Now I come to the Remedies 1. By expostulation with himselfe 2. By laying a charge on himselfe trust in God It is supposed here that there is no reason which the wisedome from above allowes to be a reason why men should bee discouraged although the wisedome from beneath which takes part with our corruption will seldome want a plea. Nay there is not onely no reason for it but there are strog reasons against it there being a world of evill in it For 1. It indisposes a man to all good duties it makes him like an instrument out of tune and like a body out of joint that moveth both uncomly and painfully It unfits to duties to God who loves a cheerefull giver and especially a thanksgiver Whereupâ—… the Apostle joines them both together in all things be thankfull and rejoyce evermore In our communion with God in the Sacraments joy is a chiefe ingredient So in duties to men if the spirit be dejected they are unwelcome and lose the greatest part of their life and grace A cheerefull and a free spirit in duty is that which is most accepted in duty We observe not so much what as from what affection a thing is done 2. It is a great wrong to God himselfe and it makes us conceive blacke thoughts of him as if He were an enemie What an injury is it to a gracious father that such whom he hath followed with many gracious evidences of his favour and love should be in so ill a frame as once to call it into question 3. So it makes a man forgetfull of all former blessings and stops the influence of Gods grace for the time present and for that to come 4. So againe For receiving of good It makes us unfit to receive mercies a quiet soule is the seate of wisdome Therefore Meeknesse is required for the receiving of that ingrafted word which iâ—… able to save our soules Till the Spirit oâ—… God meekens the soule say what yoâ—… will it mindes nothing the soule iâ—… not empty and quiet enough to receive the seed of the word It is ill sowing iâ—… a storme so a stormy spirit will noâ—… suffer the word to take place Men 〈◊〉 deceived when they thinke a dejected spiâ—… to be an humble spirit Indeed it is so when wee are cast downe in the sensâ—… of our owne unworthinesse and then as much raised up in the confidence oâ—… Gods mercy But when wee cast oâ—… selves downe sullenly and neglect ouâ—… comforts or undervalue them it proceeds from pride for it controules aâ—… much as in us lies the wisdome and justice of God when we thinke with our selves why should it be so with us as if we were wiser to dispose of ourselves then God is It disposeth us for entertaining any temptation Satan hath never more advantage then upoâ—… discontent 5. Besides it keepes off beginneâ—… from comming in and entring into thâ—… waies of God bringing an ill report upon religion causing men to charge it falsly for an uncoÌ„fortable way whenas men never feele what true comfort meaneth till they give up themselves to God And it dampes likewise the spirits of those that walk the same way with us when as wee should as good travellers cheere up one another both by word and example In such a case the wheeles of the soule are taken off or else as it were want oyle whereby the soule passeth on very heavily and no good action comes off from it as it should which breeds not onely uncomfortablenesse but unsettlednesse in good courses For a man will never go on comfortably and constantly in that which he heavily undertakes That 's the reason why uncheerefull spirits seldome hold out as they should Saint Peter knew this well and therefore he willeth that there should be quietnesse and peace betwixt husband and wife that their prayers be not hindred Insinuating that their prayers are hindered by family breaches For by that meanes those two that should be one flesh and spirit are divided and so made two and when they should minde duty their minde is taken up with wrongs done by the one to the other There is nothing more required for the performing of holy duties then uniting of spirits and therefore God would not have the sacrifice brought to the altar before reconciliation with our brother He esteemes peace so highly that he will have his owne service stay for it We see when Moses came to deliver the Israelites out
of bondage their minde was so taken up with their griefe that there was no body within to give Moses an answere their soules went altogether after their ill usage Therefore we should all endeavour and labour for a calmed spirit that we may the better serve God in praying to him and praising of him and serve one another in love that we may be fitted to doe and receive good that wee may make our passage to heaven more easie and cheerefull without drooping and hanging the wing So much as wee are quiet and cheerefull upon good grounds so much we live and are as it were in heaven So much as we yeeld to discouragement we lose so much of our life and happinesse cheerefulnesse being as it were that life of our lives and the spirit of our spirits by which they are more inlarged to receive happinesse and to expresse it CAP. V. Remedies of casting downe To cite the soule and presse it to give an account BUt to come to some helpes First in that hee expostulates with himselfe wee may observe that One way to raise a dejected soule is to cite it before it selfe and as it were to reason the case God hath set up a court in mans heart wherein the conscience hath the office both of Informer accuser witnesse and judge And if matters were well caryed within our selves this prejudging would be a prevention of future judging It is a great mercy of God that the credit and comfort of man are so provided for that hee may take up matters in himselfe and so prevent publike disgrace But if there be not a faire dispatch and transaction in this inferiour court within us there will bee a review in a higher court Therefore by slubbering over our matters we put God and our selves to more trouble then needs For a judgement must passe first or last either within us or without us upon all unwarrantable distempers We must not onely be ready to give an account of our faith upon what Grounds we beleeve but of all our actions upon what grounds wee doe what wee doe and of our Passions upon what ground we are passionate as in a well governed state uprore and sedition is never stirred but account must be given Now in a mutiny the presence and speech of a venerable man composeth the mindes of the disordered multitude so likewise in a mutiny of the spirit the authority that God hath put into reason as a beame of himselfe commands silence and puts all in order againe And there is good reason for it for man is an understanding creature and hath a rule given him to live by and therefore is to be countable of every thought word action passion Therefore the first way to quiet the soule is to aske a reason of the tumult raised and then many of our distempers for shame will not appeare because though they rage in silent darknesse yet they can say nothing for themselves being summoned before strength of judgement and reason Which is the reason why passionate men are loath that any court should be kept within them but labour to stop judgement all they can If men would but give themselves leave to consider better of it they would never yeeld to such unreasonable motions of the soule If they could but gaine so much of their unruly passions as to reason the matter within themselves to heare what their consciences can tell them in secret there would not be such offensive breakings out And therefore if we be ashamed to heare others upbraidingus let us for shame heare our selves And if no reason can be given what an unreasonable thing is it for a man endowed with reason to contrary his owne principles and to be caried as a beast without reason or if there be any reason to be given then this is the way to scanne it see whether it will hold water or not We shall finde some reasons if they may be so called to be so corrupt and foule that if the judgement be not corrupted by them they dare not bee brought to light but alwaies appeare under some colour and pretext for sin like the devill is affraid to appeare in its owne likenesse and men seek out faire glosses for foule intentions The hidden secret reason is one the open is another the heart being corrupt sets the wit a worke to satisfie corrupt will such kinde of men are afraid of their owne consciences as Ahab of Michaiah because they feare it would deale truly with them and therefore they take either present order for their consciences or else as Felix put off Paul they adjorne the court for another time Such men are strangers at home afraid of nothing more then of themselves and therefore in a fearefull condition because they are reserved for the judgement of the great day if God doth not before that set upon them in this world If men caried away with their own lusts would give but a little check and stop themselves in their posting to hell and aske What have I done What am I now about Whither will this course tend How will it end c. Undoubtedly men would begin to be wise Would the blasphemer give away his soule for nothing for there is no engagement of profit or pleasure in this as in other sins but it issues meerly out of irreverence and a superfluity of prophanesse would he I say draw so heavy a guilt upon himselfe for nothing if he would but make use of his reason Would an old man when he is very neare his journies end make longer provision for a short way if he would aske himselfe a Reason But indeed Covetousnesse is an unreasonable vice If those also of the younger sort woulâ—… aske of themselves Why God should 〈◊〉 have the flower and marrow of their ageâ—… and why they should give their strength tâ—… the devill It might a little take them off from the devils service But sinâ—… is a worke of darknesse and therefore shunnes not onely the light of grace bâ—… even the light of reason Yet sinne sâ—…dome wants a seeming reason Men wiâ—… not goe to hell without a shew of reason Bâ—… such be sophisticall fallacies not reasons and therefore sinners are said to play the sophisters with themselvâ—… Satan could not deceive us unlesse wee deceived our selves first and are willingly deceived wilfull sinners are blinde because they put out the light of reason and so thinke God like themselves blinde too and therefore they are deservedly termed mad men and fooles for did they but make use of that spaâ—… of reason it would teach them to reason thus I cannot give an account of 〈◊〉 wayes to my selfe what account shall I 〈◊〉 can I give then to the judge of all flesh 〈◊〉 it be long And as it is a ground of repentance in stopping our course to ask what have I done So likewise of faith and new obedience to
point And the greater their parts and places are the more they intangle themselves and no wonder for they are to encounter with God and his deputy conscience who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords When Cain was cast out of his fatheâ—… house his heart and countenance wâ—… alwaies cast downe for he had nothing in him to lift it upwards But a godly man though he may give a little wâ—… to passion yet as David he recover himselfe Therefore as we would have any good evidence that we have a â—…ter spirit in us then our owne greate then the flesh or the world Let us 〈◊〉 all troubles we meet with gather 〈◊〉 our selves that the streame of our 〈◊〉 affections cary us not away too farre There is an art or skill of bearâ—… troubles If we could learne it with out overmuch troubling of our selves As in bearing of a burden there is a way so to poize it that it weigheth 〈◊〉 over heavy If it hanges all in one side it poizes the body downe The greater part of our troubles we pull upoâ—… our selves by not parting our care 〈◊〉 as to take upon us onely the care 〈◊〉 duty and leave the rest to God aâ—… by mingling our passions with oâ—… crosses like a foolish patient châ—…ing the pills which we should swallow downe We dwell too much upon the griefe when wee should remove the soule higher Wee are nearest neighbours unto our selves when we suffer griefe like a canker to eate into the soule and like a fire in the bones to consume the marrow and drink up the spirits we are accessary to the wrong done both to our bodies and soules we wast our owne candle and put out our light We see here againe that a godly man can make a good use of Privacy When he is forced to be alone he can talke with his God and himselfe one reason whereof is that his heart is a treasury and storehouse of divine truthes whence he can speake to himselfe by way of checke or incouragement of himselfe he hath a spirit over his own spirit to teach him to make use of that store he hath laid up in his heart the spirit is never neerer him then when by way of witnesse to his spirit he is thus comforted wherein the childe of God differs from another man who cannot endure solitarinesse because his heart is empty he was a stranger to God before and God is a stranger to him now So that hee cannot goe to God as a friend And for his conscience that is ready to speake to him that which he is loath to heare and therefore hee counts himselfe a torment to himselfe especially in privacy We read of great Princes who after some bloody designes were as terrible to themselves as they were formerly to others and therefore could never endure to be awaked in the night without Musique or some like diversion It may bee wee may bee cast into such a condition where we have none in the world to comfort us as in contagioâ—… sicknesse when none may come neare us we may be in such an estate wherein no friend will owne us And therefore let us labour now to bee acquainted with God and our owne hearts anâ—… acquaint our hearts with the comforâ—… of the holy Ghost then though wee have not so much as a booke to looke on or a friend to talke with yet weâ—… may looke with comfort into the book of our own heart and reade what God hath written there by the finger of his spirit all bookes are written to amend this one booke of our heart and conscience by this meanes we shall neverwant a Divine to comfort us a Physitian to cure us a Counseller to direct us a Musitian to cheare us a Controller to check us because by help of the word and spirit we can be all these to our selves Another thing we see here that God hath made every man a Governour over himselfe The poore man that hath none to governe him yet may bee a King in himselfe It is the naturall ambition of mans heart to desire governement as we see in the Braemble Well then let us make use of this disposition to rule our selves Absolom had high thoughts O If I were a King I would doe so and so So our hearts are ready to promise if I were as such and such a man in such and such a place I would doe this and that But how dost thou manage thine owne affections how dost thou rule in thine owne house in thy selfe doe not passions get the upper hand and keepe reason under foot When wee have learned to rule over our owâ—… spirits well then we may be fit to rule over others He that is faithfull in a little shall be set over more Hee that câ—… governe himselfe In the Wise-man judgement is better then he that can governe a City Hee that cannot is like a Citie without a wall where those that are in may goe out and the enemies without may come in at their pleasure So where there is not a governmeâ—… set up there finne breaks out and Setan breaks in without controule See againe the excellency of the soule that can reflect upon it selfe 〈◊〉 judge of whatsoever comes from it 〈◊〉 godly mans care and trouble is especially about his soule as David heâ—… looks principally to that because 〈◊〉 outward troubles are for to helpe thâ—… when God touches our bodies our estates or our friends hee aimes at 〈◊〉 soule in all God will never remove 〈◊〉 hand till something be wrought upon the soule as Davids moisture was as the drought in Summer so that hee roared and carried himselfe unseemely for so great and holy a man till his heart was subdued to deale without all guile with God in confessing his sinne and then GOD forgave him the iniquitie thereof and healed his body too In sicknesse or in any other trouble It is best the Divine should bee before the Physician and that men begin where God begins In great fires men looke first to their Jewels and then to their lumber so our soule is our best Jewel A carnall worldly man is called and well called a fleshly man because his very soule is flesh and there is nothing but the world in him And therefore when all is not well within hee cries out My Body is troubled my state is broken my friends faile me c. but all this while there is no care for the poor soule to settle a peace in that The possession of the soule is the richest possession no jewell so precious the account for our owne soules and the soules of others is the greatest account and therefore the care of soules should bee the greatest care What an indignity is it that we should forget such soules to satisfie our lusts to have our wils to bee vexed with any who by their judgement example or authority stopp as we suppose
our courses Is it not the greatest plâ—… of the world First to have their luâ—… satisfied Secondly to remove either by fraud or violence whatsoever standeth in their way And thirdly to put colours and pretences upon this to delude the world themselves imploying all their carnall wit and worldly strength for their carnall aimes and fighting for that which-fights against their owne soules For what will beâ—… the issue of this but certaine destruction Of this minde are not onely tâ—… dregs of people but many of the mâ—… refined sort who desire to be emineâ—… in the world And to have their owâ—… desires herein give up the liberty oâ—… their owne judgements and consciences to the desires and lusts of others to bee above others they will bee beneath themselves having those mens persons in admiration for hope of advantage whom otherwise they despise and so substituting in their spirits man in the place of GOD lose heaven for earth and bury that divine sparke their soules capable of the Divine nature and fitter to be a sanctuary and temple for God to dwell in then by clozing with baser things to become base it selfe We need not wonder that others seeme base to carnall men who are base both in and to themselves It is no wonder they should bee cruell to the soules of others who are cruell to their owne soules that they should neglect and starve others that give away their owne soules in a manner for nothing Alas upon what poore termes do they hazard that the nature and worth whereof is beyond mans reach to comprehend Many are so carelesse in this kinde that if they were throughly perswaded that they had soules that should live for ever either in blisse or torment wee might the more easily work upon them But as they live by sense as beasts so they have no moâ—… thoughts of future times then 〈◊〉 except at such times as conscience is awaked by some suddaine judgement whereby Gods wrath is revealed froâ—… heaven against them But happy were it for them if they might die like beasts whose miserie dies with them To such an estate hath sinne brought the soule that it willingly drowneth it selfe in the senses and becomes in some sort incarnaâ—…e with the flesh Wee should therefore set our selâ—… to have most care of that which Goâ—… cares most for which he breathed iâ—…to us at first set his owne image upon gave so great a price for and values above all the world besides Shall all our study bee to satisfie the desires 〈◊〉 the flesh and neglect this Is it not a vanity to preferre the casket before the jewel the shell before the pearle the gilded potsheard before the treasure and is it not mucâ—… more vanitie to preferre the outward condition before the inward The soule is that which Satan and his hath most spite at for in troubling our bodies or estates hee aimes at the vexation of our soules As in Iob his aime was to abuse that power God had given him over His children body and goods to make him out of a disquieted spirit blaspheme God It is an ill method to beginne our care in other things and neglect the soule as Achitophel who set his house in order when hee should have set his soule in order first Wisedome begins at the right end If all bee well at home it comforts a man though he meets with troubles abroad Oh saith he I shall have rest at home I have a loving wife and dutifull children so whatsoever we meet withall abroad if the soule be quiet thither we can retire with comfort See that all bee well within and then all troubles from without cannot much annoy us Grace will teach us to reason thus God hath given mine enemies power over my liberty and condition but shall they have power and liberty over my spirit It is that which Satan and they most seeke for but never yeeld Oh my soule And thus a godly man will become more then a conquerer when in appearance hee is conquered the cause prevailes his spirit prevailes and is undaunted A Christian is not subdued till his spirit be subdued Thâ—… Iob prevailed over Sathan and all his troubles at length This tormenteâ—… proud persons to see godly men enjoy a calme and resolute frame of mindâ—… in the midst of troubles when thâ—… enemies are more troubled in troubling them then they are in being troubled by them Wee see likewise here how to fraâ—… our complaints David complaines nâ—… of God nor of his troubles nor of others but of his owne soule hee complaines of himselfe to himselfe Aâ—… 〈◊〉 he should say Though all things else be out of order yet O my soule thou shouldst not trouble mee too thou shouldst not betray thy selfe unto troubles but rule oâ—… them A godly man complaines to Goâ—… yet not of God but of himselfe a carnall man is ready to justifie himselfe and complaine of God He complaines not to God but of God at the least in secret murmuring hee complaines of others that are but Gods violls hee complaines of the grievance that lies upon him but never regards what is amisse in himselfe within Openly he cries out upon fortune yet secretly he strike that God under that Idoll of fortune by whose guidance all things comes to passe whilst he quarrells with that which is nothing hee wounds him that is the cause of all things like a gouty man that complaines of his shooe and of his bed or an aguish man of his drinke when the cause is from within So men are disquieted with others when they should rather bee disquieted and angry with their owne hearts We condemne Ionas for contending with God and justifying his unjust anger but yet the same risings are in men naturally if shame would suffer them to give vent to their secret discontent their heart speakes what Ionas tongâ—… spake Oh but here we should lay oâ—… hand upon our mouth and adore God and command silence to our soules No man is hurt but by himselfe first Wee are drawen to evill and allurâ—… from a true good to a false by our owâ—… lusts God tempts no man Satan hath 〈◊〉 power over us further then wee willingly lie open to him Satan worâ—… upon our affections and then our affections worke upon our will Hee doâ—… not worke immediatly upon the wiâ—… wee may thanke our selves in willing yeelding to our owne passions foâ—… that ill Satan or his instruments draw us unto Saul was not vexed withâ—… evill spirit till he gave way to his owâ—… evill spirit of envy first The devill 〈◊〉 tred not into Iudas untill his coveâ—… heart made way for him The Apoâ—… strengtheneth his conceit against 〈◊〉 and lasting anger from hence thâ—… this wee give way to the devill Iâ—… dangerous thing to passe from Gâ—… government and come under Sataâ—… Satan mingleth himselfe with 〈◊〉 owne passions therefore wee should blame our selves first bee ashamed of
our selves most and judge our selves most severely But selfe-love teacheth us a contrary method to translate all upon others it robs us of a right judgement of our selves Though we desire to know all diseases of the body by their proper names yet wee will conceive of sinfull passions of the soule under milder termes as lust under love rage under just anger murmuring under just displeasure c. thus whilest wee flatter our griefe what hope of cure Thus sinne hath not onely made all the creatures enemies to us but our selves the greatest enemies to our selves and therefore wee should begin our complaints against our selves discusse our selves throughly how else shal we judge truly of other things without us above us or beneath us The Sun when it rises enlightens first the nearest places and then the more remote So where true light is set up it discovers what is amisse within first Hence also wee see that as in all discouragements a godly man hath most trâ—…ble with his owne heart so hee knowes 〈◊〉 to carry himselfe therein as David 〈◊〉 here For the better clearing of this wee must know there bee divers kinds 〈◊〉 degrees of conflicts in the soule 〈◊〉 man whilst it is united to the body First betweene one corrupt Paâ—… and another as betweene Covetousnâ—… and Pride Pride calls for expence Covetousnesse for restraint oft Passâ—… fight not onely against God and reâ—… to which they owe a homage but 〈◊〉 against another Sinne fights agaâ—… sinne and a lesser sinne is oftentiâ—… overcome by a greater The soulâ—… this case is like the Sea tossed 〈◊〉 contrary windes and like a kingdoâ—… divided wherein the subjects figâ—… both against their Prince and onâ—… gainst another Secondly there is a naturall conâ—… in the Affections whereby Nature seeâ—… to preserve it selfe as betwixt aâ—… and feare Anger cals for revenge 〈◊〉 of the law bindes the soule to be quiâ—… Wee see in the creatures feare makes them abstaine from that which their appetites carry them unto A Wolfe comes to a flock with an eagernesse to prey upon it but seeing the Shepheard standing in defence of his sheepe returnes and doth no harme and yet for all this as hee came a wolfe so hee returnes a wolfe A naturall man may oppose some sin from an obstinate resolution against it not from any love of God or hatred of sin as sin but because he conceives it a brave thing to have his will As one hard weapon may strike at another as a stone wall may beate backe an arrow but this opposition is not from a contrariety of nature as is betwixt fire and water Thirdly there is a conflict of a higher nature as between some sinnes and the light of reason helped by a naturall conscience The Heathen could reason from the dignity of the soule to count it a base thing to prostitute themselves to beastly lusts so as it were degrading and unmanning themselves Naturall men desirous to maintaine a great opinion of themselves and to awe the inferiour sort by gravity of deportmeâ—… in cariage will abstaine from that which otherwise their hearts 〈◊〉 them unto lest yeelding should rendâ—… them despised by laying themselves too much open as because passion discovers a foole as hee is and makâ—… wise man thought meaner then he is therefore a prudent man will concâ—… his passion Reason refined and raisâ—… by education example and custome doth breake in some degree the foâ—… of naturall corruption and brings iâ—… the soule as it were another nature and yet no true change as we see 〈◊〉 such as have beene inured to gooâ—… courses they feele conscience checâ—… ing them upon the first discontinuanâ—… and alteration of their former gooâ—… wayes but this is usually from a forâ—… impression of their breeding as 〈◊〉 boate moves some little time upon 〈◊〉 water by vertue of the former stroâ—… yet at length we see corruption prevailing over education as in Ioas 〈◊〉 was awed by the reverent respect he bare to his uncle Iehojoda he was good all his uncles dayes And in Nero in whom the goodnesse of his education prevailed over the fiercenesse of his nature for the first five yeares Fourthly but in the Church where there shineth a light above nature as there is a discovery of more sinnes and some strength with the light to performe more duty So there is a further conflict then in a man that hath no better then nature in him By a discovery of the excellent things of the Gospell there may be some kinde of joy stirred up and some degree of obedience whence there may be some degree of resistance against the sinnes of the Gospell as obstinate unbeleefe desperation prophanesse c. A man in the Church may doe more then another out of the Church by reason of the inlargement of his knowledge whereupon such cannot sinne at so easie a rate as others that know lesse and therefore meet with lesse opposition from conscience Fiftly there is yet a further degree of conflict betwixt the sanctified powers of the soule and the flesh not onely as it is seated in the baser parts but even in the best faculties of the soule and as it mingles it self with every gracious performance as in David There is not onely a conflict betwixt sin and conscience inlightned by a common worke of the Spirit but betweene the commanding powers of the soule sanctified and it selfe unsanctified between reasons of the flesh and reasons of the spirit betweene faith and distrust betweene the true light of knowledge and false light For it is no question but the flesh would play its part in David and muster up all the strength of reason it had And usually flesh as it is more ancient then the Spirit we being first naturall then spirituall so it will put it selfe first forward in devising shifts as Esau comes out of the wombe first before Iacob yet hereby the Spirit is stirred up to a present examination and resistance and in resisting as wee see here at length the godly gets the victory As in the conflict betweene the higher parts of the soule with the lower it clearely appeares that the soule doth not rise out of the temper of the body but is a more noble substance commanding the body by reasons fetched from its owne worth so in this spirituall conflict it appeares there is something better then the soul it selfe that hath superiority over it CAP. VII Difference between good men and others in conflicts with sinne BUt how doth it appeare that this combate in David was a spirituall combate 1. Answ. First A naturall conscience is troubled for sins against the light of nature onely but David for inward and secret corruptions as discouragement and disquietnesse arising from faint trusting in God Davids conflict was not onely with the sensuall lower part of his soule which is carried to ease and quiet and love of present things but hee was troubled
with a mutiny in his understanding betweene faith and distrust and therefore hee was forced to rouze up his soule so oft to trust in God which shews that carnall reason did solicite him to discontent and had many colourable reasons for it Secondly a man indued with common grace is rather a patient then an agent in conflicts the light troubles him against his will as discovering and reproving him and hindring his sinfull contentments his heart is more byased another way if the light would let him but a godly man labours to helpe the light and to worke his heart to an opposition against sinne he is an agent as well as a patient As David here doth not suffer disquieting but is disquieted with himselfe for being so A godly man is an agent in opposing his corruption and a patient in induring of it whereas a naturall man is a secret agent in and for his corruptions and a patient in regard of any helpe against them A good man suffers evill and doth good a naturall man suffers good and doth evill Thirdly A conscience guided by common light withstands distempers most by outward meanes but David here fetcheth helpe from the Spirit of God in him and from trust in God Nature works from within so doth the new nature David is not onely something disquieted and something troubled for being disquieted but sets himselfe throughly against his distempers hee complaines and expostulates hee censures and chargeth his soule The other if hee doth any thing at all yet it is faintly he seeks out his corruption as a coward doth his enemie loth to finde him and more loth to encounter with him Fourthly David withstands sinne constantlie and gets ground Wee see here he gives not over at the first but presseth againe and againe Nature works constantly so doth the new nature The conflict in the other is something forced as taking part with the worser side in himselfe good things have a weak or rather no party in him bad things a strong and therefore hee soone gives over in this holy quarrell Fiftly David is not discouraged by his foiles but sets himselfe afresh against his corruptions with confidence to bring them under Whereas he that hath but a common work of the Spirit after some foiles lets his enemy prevaile more and more and so despaires of victory and thinks it better to fit still then to rise and take a new fall by which meanes his later end is worse then his beginning for beginning in the Spirit he ends in the flesh A godly man although upon some foile he may for a time bee discouraged yet by holy indignation against sinne he renues his force and sets afresh upon his corruptions and gathers more strength by his falls and groweth into more acquaintance with his owne heart and Satans malice and Gods strange waies in bringing light out of darknesse Sixtly An ordinary Christian may be disquieted for being disquieted as David was but then it is onely as disquiet hath vexation in it but David here striveth against the unquietnesse of his spirit not onely as it brought vexation with it but as it hindred communion with his God In sinne there is not onely a guilt binding over the soule to Gods judgement and thereupon filling the soule with inward feares and terrors but in sinne likewise there is 1. a contrarietie to Gods holy nature and 2. a contrariety to the Divine nature and image stamped upon our selves 3. a weakning and disabling of the soule from good and 4. a hindring of our former communion with GOD sinne being in its nature a leaving of God the fountaine of all strength and comfort and cleaving to the creature hereupon the soule having tasted the sweetnesse of GOD before is now grieved and this grief is not onely for the guilt and trouble that sinne drawes after it but from an inward Antipathy and contrariety betwixt the sanctified soule and sinne It hates sinne as sinne as the onely bane and poyson of renewed nature and the onely thing that breedes strangenesse betwixt God the soule And this hatred is not so much from discourse and strength of reason as from nature it selfe rising presently against its enemie The Lambe presently shuns the Wolfe from a contrariety Antipathies wait not for any strong reason but are exercised upon the first presence of a contrary object Seventhly hereupon ariseth the last difference that because the soule hateth sinne as sinne therefore it opposeth it universally and eternally in all the powers of the soule and in all actions inward and outward issuing from those powers David regarded no iniquity in his heart but hated every evil way The desires of his soule were that it might be so directed that he might keepâ—… Gods law And if there had beene no binding law yet there was such a sweet sympathy and agreement betwixt his soule and Gods truth that he delighted in it above all naturall sweetnesse Hence it is that Saint Iohn saith He that is borâ—… of God cannot sinne that is so farre forth as he is borne of God his new nature will not suffer him he cannot lie he cannot deceive he cannot be earthly minded hee cannot but love and delight in the persons things that are good There is not onely a light in the understanding but a new life in the will and all other faculties of a godly man what good his knowledge discovereth that his will makes choice of and his heart loveth What ill his understanding discovers that his will hateth and abstaines from But in a man not throughly converted the will and affections are bent otherwise he loves not the good he doth nor hates the evill hee doth not Therefore let us make a narrow search into our soules upon what grounds wee oppose sinne and fight Gods battells A common Christian is not cast downe because hee is disquieted in Gods service or for his inward failings that he cannot serve God with that liberty freedome he desires c But a godly man is troubled for his distempers because they hinder the comfortable intercourse betwixt God and his soule and that spirituall composednesse and Sabbath of spirit which hee enjoyed before and desires to enjoy againe Hee is troubled that the waters of his soule are troubled so that the image of Christ shines not in him as it did before It grieves him to finde an abatement in affection in love to God a distraction or coldnesse in performing duties any doubting of Gods favour any discouragement from dutie c. A godly mans comforts and grievances are hid from the world naturall men are strangers to them Let this be a rule of discerning our estates how wee stand affected to the distempers of our hearts If wee finde them troublesome it is a ground of comfort unto us that our Spirits are ruled by a higher spirit and that there is a principle of that life in us
which cannot brooke the most secret corruption but rather casts it out by a holy complaint as strength of nature doth poyson which seekes its destruction And let us bee in love with that worke of grace in us which makes us out of love with the least stirrings that hinder our best condition Seâ—… againe We may be sinfully disquieted for that which is not a sinne to be disquieted for David had sinned if he had not beene somewhat troubled for the banishment from Gods house and the blasphemie of the enemies of the Church But yet wee see hee stops himselfe and sharply takes up his soule for being disquieted Hee did well in being disquieted and in checking himselfe for the same there were good grounds for both He had wanted spirituall life if he had not beene disquieted Hee abated the vigour and livelinesse of his life by being over-much disquieted CAP. VIII Of unfitting dejection and when it is excessive And what is the right temper of the soule herein §. 1. THen how shall we know when a man is cast downe and disquieted otherwise then is befitting There is a 3. fold miscarriage of inward trouble 1. When the soule is troubled for that 〈◊〉 should not be vexed for as Ahab when hee was crost in his will for Nabâ—… vineyard 2. In the ground as when we grieve for that which is good and for that which wee should grieve for but it is with too much reflecting upon oâ—… owne particular As in the troubles of the state 〈◊〉 Church we ought to be affected bâ—… not because these troubles hinder any liberties of the flesh and restrain pride of life but from higher respects Aâ—… that by these troubles God is dishonoured the publike exercises of Religion hindred and the gathering of soules thereby stopped As the States and Common-wealths which should be harbours of the Church are disturbed as lawlesse courses and persons prevaile as Religion and Justice is triumphed over and trodden under Men usually are grieved for publique miseries from a spirit of selfe-love only because their owne private is imbarqued in the publique There is a depth of deceit of the heart in this matter 3. So for the measure when wee trouble our selves though not without cause yet without bounds The spirit of man is like unto moist elements as ayre and water which have no bounds of their owne to containe them in but those of the vessell that keepes them water is spilt and lost without something to hold it so it is with the spirit of man unlesse it be bounded with the Spirit of God Put the case a man be disquieted for sinne for which not to be disquieted is a sin yet we may looke too much and too long upon it for the soule hath a double eye one to looke to sinne another to looke up to Gods mercy in Christ. Having two objects to looke on wee may sinne in looking too much on the one with neglect of the other §. 2. Seeing then disquieting and dejectin for sinne is necessary how shall wee kâ—… when it exceeds measure First when it hinders us from holy duties or in the performance of them by distraction or otherwise whereas they are given to carry us to that which is pleasing to GOD and good to our selves Griefe is ill when it taketh off the soule from minding that it should and so indisposeth us to the duties of oâ—… callings Christ upon the Crosse was grieved to the utmost yet it did not take away his care for his mother so the good theefe in the middest of his pangs laboured to gaine his fellow and to save his owne soule and to glorifie Christ. If this be so in griefe of body which taketh away the free use of reason and exercise of grace more then any other griefe then much more in griefe from more remote causes for in extremity of body the sicknesse may be such as all that wee can performe to God is a quiet submission and a desire to bee carried unto Christ by the prayers of others we should so minde our griefe as not to forget Gods mercy or our owne duty Secondly when wee forget the grounds of comfort suffer our minde to runne onely upon the present grievance it is a sinne to dwell on sinne and turmoile our thoughts about it when we are called to thankfulnesse A Physitian in good discretion forbids a dish at sometimes to prevent the nourishment of some disease which another time hee gives way unto So wee may and ought to abstaine from too much feeding our thoughts upon our corruptions in case of discouragement which at other times is very necessary It should be our wisedome in such cases to change the object and labour to take off our minds and give them to that which calls more for them Griefe oft presseth unseasonably upon us when there is cause of joy and when we are called to joy as Ioab justly found fault with David for grieving too much when GOD had given him the victory and rid him and the State of a traiterous sonne GOD hath made some dayes for joy and joy is the proper worke of those dayes This is the day which the Lord hath made Some in a sicke distemper desire that which increaseth their sicknesse so some that are deepely cast downe desire a wakening ministery and what ever may cast them downe more whereas they should meditate upon comforts and get some sweet assurance of Gods love Joy is the constant temper which the soule should bee in Rejoyce evermore saith the Apostle If a sinke bee stirred we stir it not more but goe into a sweeter roome So wee should thinke of that which is comfortable and of such trueths as may raise up the soule and sweeten the spirit Thirdly Griefe is too much when it inclines the soule to any inconvenient courses for if it bee not lookt to it is an ill counsellor when either it hurts the health of our bodies or drawes the soule for to ease it selfe to some unlawfull liberty When grief keeps such a noise in the soule that it will not heare what the messengers of God or the still voice of the Spirit saith as in combustions loud cries are scarce heard so in such cases the soule will neither heare it selfe nor others The fruit of this overmuch trouble of spirit is increase of trouble §. 3. 3. Another question may bee What that sweet and holy temper is the soule should be in that it may neither bee faulty in the defect nor too much abound in griefe and sorow 1. The soule must bee raised to a right griefe 2. The griefe that is raised though it bee right yet it must bee bounded Before wee speake of raising griefe in the godly wee must know there are some who are altogether strangers to any kinde of spirituall griefe or trouble at all such must consider that the way to prevent everlasting trouble iâ—…
labours to winne ground of the old man untill at length it be all in all Indeed wee are never our selves perfectly till we have wholly put off our selves Nothing should bee at a greater distance to us then our selves This is the reason why carnall men that have nothing above themselves but their corrupt selfe sinke in great troubles having nothing within to uphold them whereas a good man is wiser then himselfe holier then himselfe stronger then himselfe there is something in him more then a man There be evills that the spirit of man alone out of the goodnesse of nature cannot beare but the spirit of man assisted with an higher spirit will support and carry him through It is a good trial of a mans condition to know what he esteemes to be himselfe A godly man counts the inner man the sanctified part to be himselfe whereby hee stands in relation to Christ and a better life Another man esteemes his contentment in the world the satisfaction of his carnall desires the respect hee findes from men by reason of his parts or something without him that he is master of this he counts himselfe and by this hee values himselfe and to this he makes his best thoughts and endevours serviceable And of crosses in these things he is most sensible and so sensible that he thinks himself undone if hee seeth not a present issue out of them That which most troubles a good man in all troubles is himselfe so farre as he is unsubdued he is more disquieted with himselfe than with all troubles out of himselfe when hee hath gotten the better once of himselfe whatsoever falls from without is light where the spirit is enlarged it cares not much for outward bondage where the spirit is lightsome it cares not much for outward darkenesse where the spirit is setled it cares not much for outward changes where the spirit is one with it selfe it can beare outward breaches where the spirit is sound it can beare outward sicknesse Nothing can bee very ill with us when all is well within This is the comfort of a holy man that though hee bee troubled with himselfe yet by reason of the spirit in him which is his better selfe hee workes out by degrees what ever is contrary As Spring-water being cleere of it selfe workes it selfe cleane though it be troubled by something cast in as the Sea will endure no poysonfull thing but casts it upon the shore But a carnall man is like a Spring corrupted that cannot worke it selfe cleare because it is wholly tainted his eye and light is darknesse and therefore no wonder if hee seeth nothing Sinne lieth upon his understanding and hinders the knowledge of it selfe it lies close upon the will and hinders the striving against it selfe True selfe that is worth the owning is when a man is taken into a higher condition and made one with Christ and esteemes neither of himselfe nor others as happy for any thing according to the flesh 1. Hee is under the law and government of the Spirit and so farre as he is himselfe works according to that principle 2. He labours more and more to be transformed into the likenesse of Christ in whom hee esteemeth that hee hath his best being 3. He esteemes of all things that befall him to bee good or ill as they further or hinder his best condition If all bee well for that hee counts himselfe well whatsoever else befals him Another man when hee doth any thing that is good acts not his owne part but a godly man when hee doth good is in his proper element what another man doth for by ends and reasons that hee doth from a new nature which if there were no Law to compell yet would moove him to that which is pleasing to Christ. If hee bee drawen aside by passion or temptation that hee judgeth not to bee himselfe but taketh a holy revenge on himselfe for it as being redeemed and taken out from himselfe hee thinkes himselfe no debtor nor to owe any service to his corrupt selfe That which he plots and projects and works for is that Christ may rule every where and especially in himselfe for he is not his owne but Christs and therefore desires to bee more and more emptied of himselfe that Christ might bee all in all in him Thus we see what great use there is of dealing with our selves for the better composing and setling of our souls Which though it bee a course without glory and ostentation in the world as causing a man to retire inwardly into his owne breast having no other witnesse but God and himselfe and though it bee likewise irksome to the flesh as calling the soule home to it selfe being desirous naturally to wander abroad and be a stranger at home Yet it is a course both good in it selfe and makes the soule good For by this meanes the judgement is exercised and rectified the will and affections ordered the whole man put into an holy frame fit for every good action By this the tree is made good and the fruit cannot but be answerable by this the soule it selfe is set in tune whence there is a pleasant harmony in our whole conversation Without this wee may doe that which is outwardly good to others but wee can never bee good our selves The first justice begins within when there is a due subjection of all the powers of the soule to the spirit as sanctified and guided by Gods Spirit when justice and order is first established in the soule it will appeare from thence in all oâ—… dealings Hee that is at peace in himselfe will bee peaceable to others peaceable in his family peaceable in the Church peaceable in the State The soule of a wicked man is in perpetuall sedition being alwayes troubled in it selfe it is no wonder if it be troublesome to others Unity in our selves is before union with others To conclude this first part concerning intercourse with our selves As wee desire to enjoy our selves and to live the life of men and of Christians which is to understand our wayes as we desire to live comfortably and not to be accessary of yeelding to that sorrow which causeth death As wee desire to answere GOD and our selves when we are to give an account of the inward tumults of our soules As we desire to be vessells prepared for every good worke and to have strength to undergoe any crosse As we desire to have healthy soules and to keep a Sabbath within our selves As wee desire not onely to doe good but to be good in our selves So let us labour to quiet our soules and often ask a reason of our selves Why we should not be quiet CAP. X. Meanes not to bee overcharged 〈◊〉 sorrow TO helpe us further herein besidâ—… that which hath beene formerly spoken 1. Wee must take heed of building an ungrounded confidence of happinesse for time to come which maâ—… us when changes come 1. Unacquainted with them 2. takes away
expectation of them 3. and preparatiâ—… for them When any thing is strange and sudden and lights upon us unfurnished and unfenced it must needs pâ—… our spirits out of frame It is good therefore to make all kinde of troubles familiar to us in our thoughts at least and this will breake the force of them It is good to fence our soules before-hand against all assaults as men use to keepe out the Sea by raising bankes and if a breach bee made to repaire 〈◊〉 presently We had need to maintaine a strong Garrison of holy Reasons against the assaults of strong passions wee may hope for the best but feare the worst and prepare to beare whatsoever We say that a set diet is dangerous because variety of occasions will force us upon breaking of it So in this world of changes wee cannot resolve upon any certaine condition of life for upon alteration the minde is out of frame We cannot say this or that trouble shall not befall yet we may by helpe of the Spirit say nothing that doth befall shall make mee doe that which is unworthy of a Christian That which others make easie by suffering that a wise man maketh easie by thinking of beforehand If we expect the worst when it comes it is no more than wee thought of If better befals us than it is the sweeter to us the lesse wee expected it Our Saviour foretels the worst In the world you shall have tribulation therefore looke for it but then hee will not leave us Satan deludes with faire promises but when the contrary falls out hee leave his followers in their distresses Wee desire peace and rest but wee seeke iâ—… not in its owne place there is a rest for Gods people but that is not here nor yet but it remaines for them they rest frâ—… their labours but that is after they are dead in the Lord. There is no sound rest till then Yet this caution must be remembred that wee shape not in oâ—… fancies such troubles as are never likely to fall out It comes either from weaknesse or guiltinesse to feare shaddowes We shall not need to make crosses they will as we say of foule weather come before they be sent for How many evills doe people feare from which they have no further hurt then wâ—… is bred onely by their causelesse feaâ—… Nor yet if they be probable must wee thinke of them so as to be altogether so affected as if undoubtedly they would come for so wee give certaine strength to an uncertaine crosse and usurpe upon God by anticipating thâ—… which may never come to passe It was rashnesse in David to say I shâ—… one day perish by the hand of Saul If they be such troubles as will certainely come to passe as parting with friends and contentments at least by death than I thinke of them so as not to be much dismayed but furnish thy heart with strength before-hand that they may fall the lighter 2. Thinke of them so as not to give up the bucklers to passion and lye open as a faire marke for any uncomfortable accident to strike to the heart nor yet so think of them as to despise them but to consider of Gods meaning in them and how to take good by them 3. Thinke of the things we enjoy so as to moderate our enjoying of them by considering there must be a parting and therefore how wee shall bee able to beare it when it comes 2. If we desire not to be overcharged with sorrow when that which we feare is fallen upon us we must then before-hand looke that our love to any thing in this world shoot not so farre as that when the time of severing commeth we part with so much of our hearts by that rent Those that love too 〈◊〉 will alwayes grieve too much It is tâ—… greatnesse of our affections which câ—… seth the sharpnesse of our afflictions 〈◊〉 that cannot abound without pride aâ—… high-mindednesse will not want wiâ—… out-too-much dejectednesse Love 〈◊〉 planted for such things as can retuâ—… love and make us better by loving them wherein we shall satisfie our loâ—… to the full It is pitty so sweet an affection should be lost So sorrow is 〈◊〉 sinne and for other things as they mâ—… sinne the more bitter to us The 〈◊〉 of a Christian should be a meditatiâ—… how to unloose his affections from inferiour things hee will easily die that 〈◊〉 dead before in affection But this will never be unlesse the soule seeth some thing better than al things in the world upon which is may bestow it selfe In that measure our affections die in theâ—… excessive motion to things below 〈◊〉 they are taken up with the love and admiration of the best things He that 〈◊〉 much in heaven in his thoughts is free from being tossed with tempest here below the top of those mountaines that are above the middle Region are so quiet as that the lightest things as ashes lie still and are not moved The way to mortifie earthly members that bestirre themselves in us is to mind things above The more the wayes of wisedome lead us on high the more wee avoyd the snares below In the uncertainty of all events here labour to frame that contentment in and from our owne selves which the things themselves wil not yeeld frame peace by freeing our hearts from too much feare and riches by freeing our hearts from covetous desires Frame a sufficiencie out of contentednesse If the soule it self be out of tune outward things will doe no more good than a faire shooe to a gouty foote And seeke not our selves abroad out of our selves in the conceits of other men A man shall never live quietly that hath not learned to be set light by of others He that is little in his owne eyes will not be troubled to be little in the eyes of others Men that set too high a price upon themselves when others will not come to their price are discontent Those whose condition iâ—… above their worth their pride above their condition shall never want sorrow yet wee must maintaine our authority and the Image of God in our places for that is Gods and not ours and we ought so to carrie our selves as we approve our selves to their consciences though we have not their good words Let none despise thy youth saith Saint Paul to Timothy that is Walke sâ—… before them as they shall have no cause It is not in our owne power what other men thinke or speake but it is in oâ—… power by Gods grace to live so thâ—… none can thinke ill of us but by slandering and none beleeve ill but by too much credulity 3. When any thing seiseth upon us wee must take heed we mingle not oâ—… owne passions with it wee must 〈◊〉 ther bring sinne to nor mingle 〈◊〉 with the suffering for that wil trouble the spirit more than the trouble it 〈◊〉 We are more to deale
with our owâ—… hearts than with the trouble it selfe We are not hurt till our soules be hurt God will not have it in the power of any creature to hurt our soules but by our owne treason against our selves Therfore we should have our hearts in continuall jealousie for they are ready to deceive the best In suddaine encounters some sinne doth many times discover it selfe the seed whereoflyeth hid in our natures which wee thinke our selves very free from Who would have thought the seeds of murmuring had lurked in the meeke nature of Moses That the seeds of murther had lurked in the pittifull heart of David That the seeds of deniall of Christ had lyen hid in the zealous affection of Peter towards Christ If passions breake out from us which we are not naturally enclined unto and over which by grace wee have got a great conquest how watchfull need wee be over our selves in those things which by temper custome and company wee are carried unto and what cause have wee to feare continually that wee are worse than we take our selves to be There are many unruly passions lye hid in us untill they be drawne out by something that meeteth with them either I by way of opposition as when the truth of God spiritually unfolded meets with some beloved corruption it swelleth bigger the force of Gunpowder is not knowne untill some sparke light on it and oftentimes the stillest natures if crossed discover the deepest corruptions Sometimes it is drawne out by dealing with the opposite spirits of other men Oftentimes retyred men know not what lies hid in themselves 2. Sometimes by crosses as many people whilest the freshnesse and vigour of their spirits lasteth and while the flower of age and a full supply of all things continueth seeme to be ofâ—… pleasing and calme disposition bâ—… afterwards when changes come like Iobs wife they are discovered Thâ—… that which in nature is unsubdued openly appeares 3. Temptations likewise have a searching power to bring that to light in us which was hidden before Sathan hath beene a winnower and a sister of old hee thought if Iob had beene but touched in his body hee would have cursed God to his face Some men out of policie conceale their passion untill they see some advantage to let it out as Esau smoothered his hatred untill his fathers death When the restraint is taken away Men as wee say shew themselves in their pure naturalls unloose a Tyger or a Lyon and you know what he is 4. Further let us see more every day into the state of our owne soules what a shame is it that so nimble and swift a spirit as the soule is that can mount up to heaven from thence come downe into the earth in an instant should whilest it lookes over all other things over-looke it selfe that it should bee skilfull in the story almost of all times and places and yet ignorant of the story of it selfe that we should know what is done in the Court and Countrey and beyond the Seas and be ignorant of what is done at home in our owne hearts that we should live knowne to others and yet die unknowne to our selves that we should be able to give account of any thing better then of our selves to our selves This is the cause why we stand in our owne light why wee thinke better of our selves than others and better then is cause This is that which hindreth all reformation for how can wee reforme that which wee are not willing to see and so wee lose one of the surest evidences of our sincerity which is a willingnesse to search into our hearts and to bee searched by others A sincere heart will offer it selfe to triall And therefore let us sift our actions and our passions and see what is flesh in them and what is spirit and so separate the precious from the vile It is good likewise to consider what sinne we were guilty of before which moved GOD to give us up to excesse in any passion and wherein we have grieved his Spirit Passion will bee 〈◊〉 moderate when thus it knowes it must come to the triall and censure This course will either make us weary of passion or else passion will make us weary of this strict course Wee shall find it the safest way to give our hearts no rest till we have wrought on them to purpose and gotten the mastery over them When the soule is invred to this dealing with it selfe it will learne the skill to command and passions will be soone commanded as being invred to be examined and checked As wee see doggs and such like domesticall creatures that will not regard a stranger yet will be quieted in brawles presently by the voice of their Master to which they are accustomed This fits us for service Unbroken spirits are like unbroken horses unfit for any use untill they be thorowly subdued 5. And it were best to prevent as much as in us lieth the very first risings before the soule bee overcast Passions are but little motions at the first but grow as Rivers doe greater and greater the further they are carried from their Spring The first risings are the more to bee looked unto because there is most danger in them and we have least care over them Siâ—… like rust or a Canker will by little aâ—… little eate out all the graces of the soule There is no staying when we are once downe the hill till we come to the bottome No sin but is easier kept out tâ—… driven out If wee cannot prevent wicked thoughts yet wee may deny them lodging in our hearts It is our giving willing entertainment to sinfull motions that increaseth guilt and hinderâ—… our peace It is that which moveth God to give us up to a further degree of evill affections Therefore what we are afraid to doe before men we should bee afraid to thinke before God It would much further our peace to keep our judgements cleare as being the eye of the soule whereby we may discerne in every action and passion what is good and what is evill as likewise to preserve rendernesse of heart that may checke us at the first and not brooke the least evill being discovered When the heart begins once to be kindled it is easie to smother the smoke of passion which otherwise will fume up into the head and gather into so thicke a cloud as wee shall lose the sight of our selves and what is best to bee done And therefore David here labours to take up his heart at the first his care was to crush the very first insurrections of his soule before they came to break forth into open rebellion stormes we know rise out of little gusts Little risings neglectd cover the soule before wee are aware If wee would checke these risings and stifle them in their birth they would not breake out afterwards to the reproach of Religion to the scandall of the weake
to the offence of the strong to the griefe of Gods Spirit in us to the disturbance of our owne spirits in doing good and to the disheartning of us in troubling of our inward peace and thereby weakning our assurance Therefore let us stop beginnings as much as may be and so soone as they begin to rise let us begin to examine what raised them and whither they are about to carry us The way to be still is to examine oâ—… selves first And then censure what stands not with reason As David doth when he had given way to unbefitting thoughts of Gods providence So foolish saith he was I and as a 〈◊〉 before thee Especially then looke to these sinfull stirrings when thou art to deale with God I am to have communion with a God of peace What then doe turbulent thoughts and affections iâ—… my heart I am to deale with a patieâ—… God why should I cherish revengâ—… thoughts Abraham drove away tâ—… birds from the sacrifice Gen. 15. 11. Troublesome thoughts like birds 〈◊〉 come before they be sent for but they should finde entertainment accordingly 6. In all our grievances let us loâ—… to something that may comfort us 〈◊〉 well as discourage looke to that wee enjoy as well as that wee want As iâ—… prosperity God mingles some crosses to diet us so in all crosses there 〈◊〉 something to comfort us As there is a vanity lies hid in the best worldly good So there is a blessing lies hid in the worst worldly evill GOD usually maketh up that with some advantage in another kinde wherein wee are inferiour to others Others are in greater place So they are in greater danger Others bee richer so their cares and sâ—…res be greater the poore in the world may bee richer in faith than they The soule can better digest and master a low estate than a prosperous and is under some abasement iâ—… is in a lesse distance from God Others are not so afflicted as we than they have lesse experience of Gods gracious power than wee Others may have more healthy bodies but soules lesse weaned from the world We would not change conditions with them so as to have their spirits with their condition For one halfe of our lives the meanest are as happy and free from cares as the greatest Monarch that is whilest both sleepe and usually the sleepe of the one is sweeter than the sleepe of the other What is all that the earth caâ—… afford us if God deny health and this a man in the meanest condition may enjoy That wherein one man diffâ—… from another is but title and but for a little time Death levelleth all There is scarce any man but the good hee receives from God is more than the ill hee feeles if our unthankfull hearts would suffer us to thinke 〈◊〉 Is not our health more than our sickenesse doe we not enjoy more than we want I meane of the things that are necessary Are not our good dayes more than our evill but we would go to heaven upon Roses and usually oâ—… crosse is more taken to heart than 〈◊〉 hundred blessings So unkindly 〈◊〉 deale with God Is God indebted to us doth hee owe us any thing those that deserve nothing should be contâ—… with any thing Wee should looke to others as good as our selves as well as to our selves and than we shall see it is not our owne case onely who are we that we should looke for an exempted condition from those troubles which God 's dearest children are addicted unto Thus when we are surprised contrary to our looking for and liking wee should study rather how to exercise some grace than give way to any passion Thinke now is a time to exercise our patience our wisedome and other graces By this meanes wee shall turne that to our greatest advantage which Satan intendeth greatest hurt to us by Thus we shall not onely master every condition but make it serviceable to our good If nature teach Bees not onely to gather hony out of sweet flowers but out of bitter Shall not grace teach us to draw even out of the bitterest condition something to better our soules We learne to tame all creatures even the wildest that wee may bring them to our use and why should wee glve way to our owne unruly passions 7. It were good to have in our eye the beauty of a well ordered soule and wee should thinke that nothing in this world is of sufficient worth to put us out of frame The sanctified soâ—… should be like the Sunne in this whiâ—… though it worketh upon all these inâ—… riour bodies and cherisheth them 〈◊〉 light and influence yet is not movâ—… nor wrought upon by them againe bâ—… keepeth its owne lustre and distanceâ—… So our spirits being of a heaveâ—… breed should rule other things beneâ—… them and not be ruled by them It 〈◊〉 a holy state of soule to bee under tâ—… power of nothing beneath it selfe Aâ—… we stirred than consider It this mâ—…ter worth the losse of my quiet Whâ—… wee esteeme that wee love what wee love we labour for And therefore 〈◊〉 us esteem highly of a cleare calme temper whereby we both enjoy our God and our selves and know how to raâ—… all things else It is against nature fâ—… inferiour things to rule that which thâ—… wise Disposer of all things hath set above them Wee owe the flesh neither suit nor service wee are no debtâ—… to it The more wee set before the soâ—… that quiet estate in heaven which tâ—… soules of perfect men now enjoy and it selfe ere long shall enjoy there The more it will be in love with it and endevour to attaine unto it And because the soule never worketh better than when it is raised up by some strong and sweet affection let us looke upon our nature as it is in Christ in whom it is pure sweet calme meeke every way lovely This sight is a changing sight love is an affection of imitation we affect a likenesse to him we love Let us learne of Christ to be humble and meeke and then wee shall finde rest to our soules The setting of an excellent idea and platforme before us will raise and draw up our soules higher and â—…ke us sensible of the least movings of spirit that shall be contrary to that the attainement whereof wee have in our desires He will hardly attaine to meane things that sets not before him higher perfection Naturally we love to see symetry and proportion even in a dead picture and are much taken with some curious peece But why should wee not rather labour to keepe the affections of the soule in due proportion Seeing a meâ—… and well ordered soule is not onâ—… lovely in the sight of men and Angâ—… but is much set by by the great Goâ—… himselfe But now the greatest careâ—… those that set highest price upon theâ—… selves is how to compose their oâ—… ward carriage in some gracefull mâ—…ner never
of a mans victory over himselfe when hee loves health and peace of body and minde with a supply of all needfull things chiefly for this end that hee may with more freedome of spirit serve God in doing good to others So soone as grace entreth into the heart it frameth the heart to be in some measure publique and thinks it hath not its end in the bare enjoying of any thing untill it can improve what it hath for a further end Thus to seeke our selves is to deny our selves and thus to deny our selves is truely to seeke our selves It is no selfe-seeking when wee care for no more then that without which we cannot comfortably serve God When the soule can say unto GOD Lord as thou wouldest have mee serve thee in my place so grant me such a measure of health and strength wherein I may serve thee But what if God thinks it good that I shall serve him in weaknesse and in want and suffering Then it is a comfortable signe of gaining over our owne wills when we can yeeld our selves to bee disposed of by God as knowing best what is good for us There is no condition but therein we may exercise some grace and honour GOD in some measure Yet because some enlargement of conditiâ—… is ordinarily that estate wherein wee are best able to doe good in wee may in the use of meanes desire it and upon that resigne up our selves wholly unto GOD and make his will our will without exception or reservation and care for nothing more than wee can have with his leave and love This Iâ—… had exercised his heart unto where upon in that great change of condition hee sinned not that is fell not into the sinnes incident to that dejected and miserable state into sinnes of rebellion and discontent He caried his crosses comely with that stayednesse and resignednesse which became a holy man 7. It is further a cleare evidence of a spirit subdued when wee will discover the truth of our affection towards God and his people though with censure of others David was content to endure the censure of neglecting the state and Majesty of a King out of joy for setling the Arke Nehemiah could not dissemble his griefe for the ruines of the Church though in the Kings presence It is a comfortable signe of the wasting of selfe-love when wee can be at a point what becomes of our selves so it goe well with the cause of God and the Church Now the way to prevaile still more over our selves as when we are to do or suffer any thing or withstand any person in a good cause c. is not to thinke that we are to deale with men yea or with Devils so much as with our selves The Saints resisted their enemies to death by resisting their owne corruptions first if we once get the victory over our selves all other things are conquered to our ease All the hurt Satan and the world doe us is by correspondency with our selves Aâ—… things are so farre under us as wee aâ—… above our selves For the further subduing of our selves it is good to follow sinne to the first Hold and Castle which is corrupâ—… nature The streames will leade us to the Spring head Indeed the most apparant discovery of sinne is in the outward carriage wee see it in the frâ—… before in the root as wee see grace in the expression before in the affection But yet wee shall never hate sinne thorowly untill we consider it in the poysoned root from whence it ariseth That which least troubles a natural man doth most of all trouble a trâ—… Christian A naturall man is sometimes troubled with the fruit of his corruption and the consequents of guilt and punishment that attend it but a true hearted Christian with corruption it selfe this drives him 〈◊〉 complaine with St. Paul O wrâ—… man that I am who shall deliver me 〈◊〉 from the members onely but from 〈◊〉 body of death Which is as noysomâ—… to my soule as a dead carrion is to my senses which together with the members is marvellously nimble and active and hath no dayes or houres or minuits of rest alwayes laying about it to enlarge it selfe and like spring-water which the more it issueth out the more it may It is a good way upon any particular breach of our inward peace presently to have recourse to that which breeds and foments all our disquiet Lord what doe I complaine of this my unruly passion I carry a nature about me subject to breake out continually opon any occasion Lord strike at the root and dry up the fountaine in mee Thus David doth arise from the guilt of those two foule sinnes of Murther and Adultery to the sinne of his nature the root it selfe As if hee should say Lord it is not these actuall sinnes that defile mee onely but if I looke backe to my first conception I was tainted in the spring of my nature This is that here which put Davids soule so much out of frame For from whence was this contradiction Anâ—… whence was this contradiction so unwearied in making head againe and againe against the checks of the spirit in him Whence was it that Corruptioâ—… would not be said Nay Whence were these sudden and unlookt for objections of the flesh But from the remainder of old Adam in him which like a Michel within us is either scofing 〈◊〉 the wayes of God or as Iobs wife fretting and thwarting the motions of Gods spirit in us which prevailes the more because it is homebred in 〈◊〉 whereas holy motions are strangers to most of our soules Corruption is loth that a new commer in should take so much upon him as to controule As the Sodomites thought much that Lot being a stranger should intermeddle amongst them If God once leave us as heedid Hezekiah to trie what is in us what should he find but darknesse rebellion unrulinesse doubtings c. in the best of us This flesh of ours hath principles against all Gods principles and lawes against all Gods lawes and reasons against all GODS reasons Oh! if wee could but one whole houre seriously think of the impure issue of our hearts it would bring us downe upon our knees in humiliation before God But wee can never whilest we live so thorowly as we should see into the depth of our deceitfull hearts nor yet bee humbled enough for what we see For though we speake of it and confesse it yet we are not so sharpned against this corrupt flesh of ours as wee should How should it humble us that the seeds of the vilest sinne even of the Sinne against the holy Ghost is in us and no thanke to us that they breake not out It should humble us to heare of any great enormous sinne in another man considering what our owne nature would proceed unto if it were not restrained We may see our owne nature in them as face answering face If
to maintaine what is evill or shifts to translate it upon false causes or sences to arme us against whatsoever shall oppose us in our wicked waies Though it neither can nor will be good yet it would bee thought to be so by others and enforces a conceit upon it selfe that it is good It imprisons and keepes downe all light that may discover it both within it selfe and without it self if it lie in its power It flatters it selfe and would have all the world flatter it too which if it doth not it frets especially if it bee once discovered and crossed hence comes all the plotting against goodnesse that sinne may reigne without controule Is it not a lamentable case that man who out of the very principles of nature cannot but desire happinesse and abhorre misery yet should bee in love with eternall misery in the causes of it and abhorre happinesse in the wayes that leade unto it This sheweth us what a wonderfull deordination and disorder is brought upon mans nature For every other creature is naturally carried to that which is helpfull unto it and shunneth that which is any way hurtfull and offensive Onely man is in love with his owne bane and fights for those lusts that fight against his soule §. 4. Our duty is 1. to labour to see this sinfull disposition of ours not onely as it is discovered in the Scriptures but as it discovers it selfe in our owne hearts this must must be done by the light and teaching of Gods Spirit who knowes us and all the turnings and windings and by-wayes of our soules better then wee know our selves Wee must see it as the most odious and lothsome thing in the world making our natures contrary to Gods pure nature and of all other duties making us most indisposed to spirituall duties wherein wee should have neerest communion with God because it seizeth on the very spirits of our mindes 2. Wee should looke upon it as worse then any of those filthy streames that come from it nay then all the impure issues of our lives together there is more fire in the fornace then in the sparkles There is more poyson in the root then in all the branches for if the streame were stopt the branches cut off and the sparkles quenched yet there would bee a perpetuall supply as in good things the cause is better then the effect so in ill things the cause is worse Every fruit should make this poysonfull root more hatefull to us and the root should make us hate the fruit more as comming from so bad a root as being worse in the cause then in it selfe the affection is worse then the action which may be forced or counterfeited Wee cry out upon particâ—…r sinnes but are not humbled as wee should be for our impure dispositions Without the sight of which there 〈◊〉 be no sound repentance arising from the deep and through consideration of sin no desire to be new moulded without which we can never enter into so holy a place as heaven no selfe deniall till we see the best things in us are enmity against God no high prizing of Christ without whoÌ„ our natures our persoâ—… and our actions are abominable in Goâ—… sight nor any solid peace setled in the soule which peace ariseth not from the ignorance of our corruption or compounding with it but from sight and hatred of it and strength against it 3. Consider the spiritualnesse and large extent of the law of God together with the curse annexed which forbids not onely particular sinnes but all the kindes degrees occasions and furtherances of sinne in the whole breadth and depth of it and our very nature it selfe so farre as it is corrupted For want of which we see many alive without the law joviall and merry from ignorance of their misery who if they did but once see their natures and lives in that glasse it would take away that livelinesse and courage from them and make them vile in their owne eyes Men usually looke themselves in the lawes of the State wherin they live and thinke themselves good enough if they are free from the danger of penall statutes this glasse discovers onely foule spots grosse scandalls and breakings out Or else they judge of themselves by parts of nature or common grace or by outward conformity to Religion or else by that light they have to guide themselves in the affaires of this life by their faire and civill carriage c. and thereupon live and die without any sense of the power of godlinesse which begins in the right knowledge of our selves and ends in the right knowledge of God The spiritualnesse and purity of the law should teach us to consider the purity and holinesse of God the bringing of our soules into whose presence will make us to abhorre our selves with Iob in dust and ashes contraries are best seene by setting one neere the other Whilest we looke onely on oâ—… selves and upon others amongst whom we live we think our selves to be some body It is an evidence of some sincerity wrought in the soule not to shunne that light which may let us see the soul corners of our hearts and lives 4. The consideration of this likewise should enforce us to carry a double guard over our soules David was very watchfull yet we see here he was surprized unawares by the sudden rebellion of his heart we should observe our hearts as governours doe rebells and mutinous persons Observation awes the heart We see to what an excesse sinne groweth in those that deny themselves nothing nor will be denied in any thing who if they may doe what they will will doe what they may who turne liberty into licence and make all their abilities and advantages to doe good contributary to the commands of overruling and unruly lusts Were it not that God partly by his power suppresseth and partly by his grace subdueth the disorders of mans nature for the good of society and the gathering of a Church upon earth Corruption would swell to that excesse that it would overturne and confound all things together with it selfe Although there bee a common corruption that cleaves to the nature of all men in generall as men as distrust in GOD selfe-love a carnall and worldly disposition c. yet God so ordereth it that in some there is an ebbe and decrease in others God justly leaving them to themselves a flow and encrease of sinfulnesse even beyond the bounds of ordinary corruption whereby they become worse then themselves either like beasts in sensuality or like devills in spirituall wickednesse though all be blinde in spirituall things yet some are more blinded though all be hard hearted yet some are more hardened though all be corrupt in evill courses yet some are more corrupted and sinke deeper into rebellion then others Sometimes God suffers this corruption to breake out in civill men yeâ—… even in his owne children
that they may know themselves the better and because sometimes corruption is weckned not onely by smothering but by having a vent whereupon grace stiâ—… up in the soule a fresh hatred and râ—…venge against it and lets us see a necessity of hauing whole Christ not onely to pardon sinne but to purge and cleanse our sinfull natures But yet that which is ill in it selfe must not be done for the good that comes by it by accident this must be a comfort after 〈◊〉 surprisalls not an encouragement before 5. And because the divine natâ—… wrought in us by divine truth together with the Spirit of God is the onely counter-poyson against all sinne and whatsoever is contrary to God in us therefore wee should labour that the truth of God may bee grafted in 〈◊〉 hearts that so all the powers of our soules may rellish of it that there may be a sweet agreement betwixt the soule and all things that are spirituall that truth being ingrafted in our hearts we may be ingrafted into Christ and grow up in him and put him on more and more and be changed into his likenesse Nothing in heaven or earth will worke out corruption and change our dispositions but the spirit of Christ clothing divine truths with a divine power to this purpose 6. When corruption rises pray it downe as S. Paul did and to strengthen thy prayer claime the promise of the new couenant that God would circumcise our hearts and wash us with cleane water that hee would write his law in our hearts and give us his holy spirit when we begge it And looke upon Christ as a publique fountaine open for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in Herein consists our comfort 1. that Christ hath all fulnesse for us and that our nature is perfect in him 2. That Christ in our nature hath satisfied divine justice not onely for the sinne of our lives but for the sinne of our nature And 3. that hee will never give over untill by his spirit hee hath made our nature holy and pure as his owne till hee hath taken away not onely the reigne but the very life and being of sinne out of our hearts 4. That to this end he leaves his Spirit and truth in the Church to the end of the world that the seed of the Spirit may subdue the seed of the serpent in us and that the Spirit may be a never-failing spring of all holy thoughts desires and endeavoâ—… in us and dry up the contrary issue and spring of corrupt nature And Christians must remember when they are much annoyed with their corruptions that it is not their particular case alone but the condition of all Gods people least they be discouraged by looking on the ugly deformed visage of old Adam which affrighteth some so farre that it makes them think No mans nature is so vile 〈◊〉 theirs which were well if it tended to humiliation onely but Sathan often abuseth it towards discouragement and desperation Many out of a misconceit think that corruption is greatest when they feele it most whereas indeed the lesse wee see it and lament it the more it is Sighes and groanes of the soule are like the pores of the body out of which in diseased persons sicke humours breake forth and so become lesse The more we see and grieve for pride which is as immediate issue of our corrupted nature the lesse it is because wee see it by a contrary grace the more sight the more hatred the more hatred of sinne the more love of grace and the more love the more life which the more lively it is the more it is sensible of the contrary upon every discovery and conflict corruption loses some ground and grace gaines upon it CAP. XIII Of imagination sinne of it and remedies for it §. 1. ANd amongst all the faculties of the soule Most of the disquiet and 〈◊〉 necessary trouble of our lives arises from the vanity and ill government of that power of the soule which we 〈◊〉 imagination and opinion bordering betweene the senses and our understanding which is nothing else but a shallow apprehension of good or evillâ—…en â—…en from the senses Now because 〈◊〉 good or evill things agree or disagree to the senses and the life of sense is 〈◊〉 us before the use of reason and the delights of sense are present and pleasing and sutable to our natures thereupâ—… the imagination setteth a great price upon sensible good things and the judgement it selfe since the fall untill it hath an higher light and strength yeeldeth to our imagination hence it coâ—… to passe that the best things if they bee attended with sensible inconveniences as want disgrace in the world and such like are misjudged for evill things and the very worst things if they bee attended with respect in the world and sensible contentments are imagined to be the greatest good which appeares not so much in mens words because they are ashamed to discover their hidden folly and a theisme but the lives of people speake as much in that particular choise which they make Many there are who thinke it not onely a vaine but a dangerous thing to serve God and a base thing to bee awed with religious respects they count the waies that Gods people take no better then madnesse and that course which GOD takes in bringing men to heaven by a plaine publishing of heavenly truths to bee nothing but foolishnesse and those people that regard it are esteemed as the Pharisees esteemed them that heard Christ ignorant base and despicable persâ—… Hence arise all those false preâ—…dice against the wayes of holinesse as they in the Acts were shy in entertaining the truth because it was a way every where spoken against The doctrine of the Crosse hath the crosse alwayes following it which imagination counteâ—… the most odious and bitter thing in the world This imagination of ours is become the seat of vanity and thereupon of vexation to us because it apprehendâ—… greater happinesse in outward goâ—…d things then there is and a greater miserie in outward evill things then indeed there is and when experience shewes us that there is not that good in those things which wee imagine to bee but contrarily we find much evill in them which wee never expected hereupon the soule cannot but be troubled The life of many men and those not the meanest is almost nothing else but a fancie that which chiefly sets their wits a work and takes up most of their time is how to please their owne imagination which setteth up an excellency within it selfe in comparison of which it despiseth all true excellencie and those things that are of most necessary consequence indeed Hence springs ambition and the vaine of being great in the world hence comes an unmeasurable desire of abounding in those things which the world esteemes highly of there is in us naturally a competition and desire of being equall or above
others in that which is generally thought to make us happy and esteemed amongst men if wee bee not the onely men yet wee will bee somebody in the world some thing we will haue to bee highly esteemed for wherein if we be crossed we count it the greatest misery that can befall us And which is worse a corrupt desire of being great in the opinion of others creepes into the profession of religion if we live in those places wherein it brings credit or gaine men will sacrifice their very lives for vaine glory It is an evidence a man lives more to opinion and reputation of others then to Conscience when his griefe is more for being disappointed of that approbation which hee expects from men then for his miscarriage towards GOD. It marres all in religion when wee goe about heavenly things with earthly affections and seeke not CHRIST iâ—… Christ but the world What is Popery but an artificiall frame of meâ—… braine to please mens imaginations by outward state and pompe of Cereâ—…nies like that golden image of Nebuchâ—…nezar wherein hee pleased himselfe so that to have uniformity in worshipping the same he compelled all â—…der paine of death to fall downe before it this makes superstitious persons alwaies cruell because superstitious devises aâ—… the brats of our owne imagination which we strive for more then for the purity of Gods worship hence it is likewise that superstitious persons aâ—… restlesse as the woman of Samaria iâ—… their owne spirits as having no bottome but fancie in stead of faith §. 2. Now the reason why imagiâ—… works so upon the soule is hee ariseâ—… stirres up the affections answerable 〈◊〉 the good or ill which it apprehends and our affections stirre the humors of the body so that oftentimes both our soules and bodies are troubled hereby Things worke upon the soule in this order 1. Some object is presented 2. Then it is apprehended by imagination as good and pleasing or as evill and hurtfull 3. If good the desire is â—…ried to it with delight if evill it is rejected with distast and so our affections are stirred up sutably to our apprehension of the object 4. Affections stiâ—… up the spirits 5. The spirits raise the humours and so the whole man becomes moved and oftentimes â—…pered this falleth out by reason of â—…e Sympathy betweene the soule and body whereby what offendeth one reâ—…deth to the hurt of the other And we see conceived troubles have the same effect upon us as true Iacob was as much troubled with the imagination of his sonnes death as if hee had been dead indeed imagination though it bee an empty windy thing yet it hath reall effects Supertious persons are as much troubled for negleâ—…ing any voluntarie service of maâ—… iâ—…vention as if they had offended agaiâ—… the direct commandement of God 〈◊〉 superstition breeds false feares and 〈◊〉 feare brings true vexation it trâ—… formes God to an Idoll imagining liâ—… to be pleased with whatsoever pleâ—… our selves when as wee take it ill 〈◊〉 those who are under us should take â—…rection from themselves and not frâ—… us in that which may content us â—…perstition is very busie but all in vâ—… in vaine they worship mee saith God 〈◊〉 how can it choose but vexe and 〈◊〉 quiet men when they shall take a grâ—… deale of paines in vaine and whiâ—… worse to displease most in that whâ—… in they thinke to please most Goâ—… blasteth all devised service with 〈◊〉 demand Who required these thingâ—… your hands It were better for 〈◊〉 aske our selves this question beâ—… hand Who acquired this Why doe 〈◊〉 trouble our selves about that which we 〈◊〉 have no thanke for Wee should not bring God downe to our owne imagâ—…nations but raise our imaginations up to God Now imagination hurteth us 1. By false representations 2. By preventing reason and so usurping a censure of things before our judgements try them whereas the office of imaginatiâ—… is to minister matter to our understanding to worke upon and not to leade it much lesse misleade it in any thing 3. By forging matter out of it selfe without ground the imaginarie grievances of our lives are more then the reall 4. As it is an ill instrument of the understanding to devise vanity and mischiefe §. 3. The way to cure this malady in us is 1. To labour to bring these risings of our soules into the obedience of Gods truth and Spirit for imagination of it selfe if ungoverned is a wilde and a ranging thing it wrongs not onely the frame of Gods worke in us setting the baser part of a man above the highâ—…r but it wrongs likewise the worke of God in the creatures and every thing else for it shapes things as it selfe pleaseth it maketh evill good if it pleaseth the senses and good evill if it be dâ—… gerous and distastfull to the outâ—… man which cannot but breed an â—…quiet and an unsetled soule As if 〈◊〉 were a god it can tell good and evill at its pleasure it sets up and pulls doâ—… the price of what it listeth By reaâ—… of the distemper of imagination the life of many is little else but a dream Many good men are in a long dreame of 〈◊〉 sery and many bad men in as longâ—… dreame of happinesse till the tiâ—… awaking come and all because they 〈◊〉 too much led by appearances and as iâ—… a dreame men are deluded with 〈◊〉 joyes and false feares So here wiâ—… cannot but breed an unquiet and 〈◊〉 unsetled soule therefore it is necesâ—… that God by his word and spirit shâ—… erect a government in our heaâ—… 〈◊〉 captivate and order this licentious 〈◊〉 culty 2. Likewise it is good to preâ—… reall things to the soule as the 〈◊〉 riches and true misery of a Christian the true honour and dishonour true beauty and deformity the true noblenesse and debasement of the soule What ever is in the world are but Shadowes of things in comparison of those true realties which Religion affords and why should wee vexe our selves about a vaine shadow The Holy Ghost to prevent further mischiefe by these outward things gives a dangerous report of them calling them vanity unrighteous Mammon entertaine riches thornes yea nothing because though they be not so in themselves yet our imagination over-valuing them they prove so to us upon triall Now knowledge that is bought by triall is often deere bought and therefore God would have us prevent this by a right conceit of things before hand least trusting to vanity wee vanish our selves and trusting to nothing wee become nothing our selves and which is worse worse then nothing 3. Oppose serious consideration against vaine imagination and because our imagination is prone to raise false objects and thereby false conceits and discourses in us Our best way herein is to propound true objects for the minde to worke upon as 1. to consider the greatnesse and goodnesse of Almighty God and his love to us
in Christ. 2 the joyes of heaven and the torments of hell 3. the last and strict day of accouâ—… 4. The vanity of all earthly things 5. The uncertainty of our lives c. From the meditation of these truthes the soule wil be prepared to have rigâ—… conceits of things and to discourse upon true grounds of them and thinke with it selfe that if these things be so iâ—…deed then I must frame my life sutable to these principles hence arise true affections in the soule true feare of God true love and desire after the best things c. The way to expell â—…ind oâ—… of our bodies is to take some wholesome nourishment and the way to expell windy fancies from the soule is 〈◊〉 feed upon serious truthes 4. Moreover to the well ordering of this unruly faculty it is necessary that our nature it selfe should be changed for as men are so they imagine as the treasure of the heart is such is that which comes from it An evill heart cannot thinke well before the heart be changed our judgment is depraved in regard of our last end we seeke our happinesse where it is not to be found Wickednesse comes from the wicked as the Proverb is If wee had as large and as quick apprehensions as Sathan himselfe yet if the rellish of our wil affections be not changed they will set the imagination a worke to deuise satisfaction to themselves For there is a mutuall working and refluxe betwixt the will and the imagination the imagination stirres up the will and as the will is affected so imagination worketh When the law of God by the Spirit is so written in our hearts that the law and our hearts become agreeable one to the other then the soule is enclined and made plyable to every good thought When the heart is once taught of God to love it is the nature of this sweet affection as the Apostle saith to thinke no evill either of God or man and not onely so but it carries the bent of the whole soule with it to good so that we love God not onely with all our heart but with all our minde that is both with our understanding and imagination Love is an affection full of inventions and sets the wit a worke to devise good things therefore our chiefe care should bee that our hearts may be circumcised and purified so as they may be filled with the love of God and then we shall finde this duty not onely easie but delightfull unto us The Prophet healed the waters by casting salt into the spring so the seasoning of the spring of our actions seasons all And indeed what can bee expected from man whilest hee is vanity but vaine imaginations What can wâ—… looke for from a Viper but poyson A man naturally is either weaving spidâ—… webbs or hatching Cockatrices egges thâ—… is his heart is exercised either in vaâ—… or mischiefe for not onely the frame 〈◊〉 the heart but what the heart frameth iâ—… evill continually A wicked man that iâ—… besotted with false conceits will adâ—… of no good thoughts to enter 5. Even when wee are good and devise good things yet there is still some sicknesse of fancie remaining in the best of us whereby wee worke trouble to our selves and therefore it is necessary we should labour to restraine and limit our fancie and stop these waters at the beginning giving no not the least way thereunto If it begins to grow wanton tame the wildnesse of it by fastning it to the crosse of Christ whom wee have pierced with our sinnes and amongst other with these sinnes of our spirits who hath redeemed us from our vaine thoughts and conversations set before it the consideration of the wrath of God of death and judgement and the woefull estate of the damned c. and take it not off till thy heart bee taken off from straying from God When it begins once to runne out to impertinencies confine it to some certaine thing and then upon examination wee shall finde it bring home some hony with it otherwise it will bring us nothing but a sting from the bitter remembrance of our former misspent thoughts time which wee should redeeme and fill up with things that most belong to our peace Idlenesse is the houre of temptation wherein Sathan joynes with our imagination and sets it about his owne work to grinde his greese for the soule as a Mill either grinds that which is put into it or else works upon it selfe Imagination is the first wheele of the soule and if that move amisse it stirres all the inferiour wheeles amisse with it It stirres it selfe and other powers of the soule are stirred by its motion and therefore the well ordering of this is of the greater consequence For as the imagination conceiveth so usually the judgement concludeth the will chuseth the affections are carried and the members execute If it breake loose as it will soone runne ryot yet give no consent of the will to it though it hath defiled the memory yet let it not defile the will though it be the first borne of the soule yet let it not as Ruben ascend unto the fathers bed that is our will and defile that which should be kept pure for the spirit of Christ resolve to act nothing upon it but crosse it before it moves to the execution and practise of any thing As in sicknesse many times wee imagine by reason of the corruption of our tast Physick to be ill for us and those meates which nourish the disease to be good yet care of health makes us crosse our owne conceits and take that which fancie abhorres So if we would preserve sound spirits wee must conclude against groundlesse imagination and resolve that whatsoever it suggests cannot be so because it crosses the grounds both of religion and reason And when we finde imagination to deceive us in sensible things as Melancholy persons are subject to mistake we may well gather that it will much more deceive us in our spirituall condition And indeed such is the incoherence impertinencie and unreasonablenesse of imagination that men are oft ashamed and angry with themselves afterwards for giving the least way to such thoughts and it is good to chastise the soule for the same that it may bee more wary for time to come whilest men are led with imagination they worke not according to right rules prescribed to men but as other baser creatures in whom phantasie is the chiefe ruling power and therefore those whose will is guided by their fancies live more like beasts then men Wee allow a horse to praunce and skip in a pasture which if hee doth when he is once backt by the rider we count him an unruly and an unbroken jade so howsoever in other creatures wee allow liberty of fancie yet wee allow it not in man to frisk and rove at its pleasure because in him it is to bee bridled
whatsoever is terrible or tormenting Here is a large field for our imagination to walke in not onely without hurt but with a great deale of spirituall gaine If the wrath of a King bee as the roaring of a Lion what is the wrath of the King of Kings If fire bee so terrible what is hell fire If a darke dungeon bee so lothsome what is that eternall dungeon of darkenesse If a feast bee so pleasing what is the continuall feast of a good conscience If the meeting of friends be so comfortable what will our meeting together in heaven be The Scripture by such like termes would help our faith and fancie both at once a sanctified fancie will make every creature a ladder to heaven And because childhood and youth are ages of fancie therefore it is a good way to instill into the hearts of children betimes the loving of good and the shâ—…ning of evill by such like representations as agree with their fancies as to haâ—…e hell under the representation of fire and darknesse c. Whilest the soule is joyned with the body it hath not onely a necessary but a holy use of imagination and of sensible things whereupon our imagination worketh what is the â—…e of the Sacraments but to help our sâ—…les by our senses and our faith by imagination as the soule receives much â—…rt from imagination so it may have much good thereby But yet it ought not to invent or devise what is good and true in religion here fancy must yeeld to faith and faith to divine revelation the things we beleeve are such as neither eye hath seâ—…e nor eare heard neither came into the heart of man by imagination stirred up from any thing which we have seene or heard they are above not onely imagination but reason it selfe in men and Angels But after God hath revealed spirituall truthes and faith hath apprehended them then imagination hath use while the soule is joyned with the body to colour divine truthes and make lightsome what faith beleeves for instance it doth not devise either heaven or hell but when God hath revealed them to us our fancy hath a fitnesse of enlarging our conceits of them even by resemblance from things in nature and that without danger because the joyes of heaven and the torments of hell are so great that all the representations which nature affords us fall short of them Imagination hath likewise some use in religion by putting cases to the soule as when we are tempted to any unruly action we should think with our selves what would I doe if some holy grave person whom I much reverence should behold me Whereupon the soule may easily ascend higher God sees me and my owne conscience is ready to witnesse against me c. It helps us also in taking benefit by the example of other men Good things are best learned by others expressing of them to our view the very sight often nay the very thought of a good man doth good as representing to our soules some good thing which we affect which makes Histories and the lively Characters and expressions of vertues and vices usefull to us The sight yea the very reading of the suffering of the Martyrs hath wrought such a hatred of that persecuting Church as hath done marvellous good the sight of justice executed upon malefactors works a greater hatred of sinne in men then naked precepts can doe So outward pompe state in the world doth further that awefull respect due to authority c. Lastly it would much availe for the well ordering of our thoughts to set our soules in order every morning and to strengthen and perfume our spirits with some gracious meditations especially of the chiefe end and scope wherefore we live here and how every thing we doe or befalls us may be reduced and ordered to further the maine The end of a Christian is glorious and the oft thoughts of it will raise and enlarge the soule and set it on worke to study how to make all things serviceable thereunto It is a thing to be lamented that a Christian borne for heaven having the price of his high calling set before him and matters of that weight and excellencie to exercise his heart upon should be taken up with trifles and fill both his head and heart with vanity and nothing as all earthly things will prove ere long and yet if many mens thoughts and discourses were distilled they are so frâ—…thy that they would hardly yeeld one drop of true comfort §. 4. Oh but say some thoughts imaginations are free and we shall not be accountable for them This is a false plea for God hath a soveraignty over the whole soule and his law bindes the whole inward and outward man as wee desire our whole man should be saved by Christ so wee must yeeld up the whole man to be governed by him and it is the effect of the dispensation of the Gospell accompanied with the Spirit to captivate whatsoever is in man unto Christ and to bring downe all high towring imaginations that exalt themselves against Gods Spirit There is a divinity in the word of God powerfully unfolded which will convince our soules of the sinfulne sof naturall imaginations as we see in the Ideot Corinth 14. who seeing himselfe laid open before himselfe cryed out that God was in the speaker There ought to be in man a conformity to the truth and goodnesse of things or else 1. wee shall wrong oâ—… owne soules with false apprehensions and 2. the creature by putting a fashion upon it otherwise then God hath made and 3. we shall wrong God himselfe the Author of goodnesse who cannot have his true glory but from a right apprehension of things as they art what a wrong is it to men when wee shall take up false prejudices against them without ground and so suffer our conceits to be invenomed against them by unjust suspitions and by this meanes deprive our selves of all that good which we might receive by them for our nature is apt to judge and accept of things as the persons are and not of persons according to the things themselves this faculty exercises a tyrannie in the soule setting up and pulling downe whom it will Iob judged his friends altogether vaine because they went upon a vaine imagination and discourse judging him to bee an hypocrite which could not but adde much to his affliction when men take a toy in their head against a person or place they are ready to reason as hee did Can any good come out of Nazareth It is an indignity for men to be led with â—…urmizes and probabilities and so to passe a rash judgement upon persons and things Oftentimes falshood hath a fairer glosse of probability then truth â—…d vices goe masqued under the appearance of vertue whereupon seeming likenesse breeds a mistake of one thing for another and Sathan oftentimes casts a mist
before our imagination that so wee might have a mishapen conceit of things by a spirit of elusion he makes worldly things appeare bigger to us and spirituall things lesser then indeed they are and so by sophisticating of things our affections come to be missed Imagination is the wombe and Sathan the father of all monstrous conceptions and disordered lusts which are well called deceitfull lusts and lusts of ignorance foolish and noysome lusts because they both spring from errour and folly and lead unto it We see even in Religion it selfe how the world together with the helpe of the God of the world is led away if not to worship images yet to worship the image of their owne fancie And where the truth is most professed yet people are prone to fancie to themselves such a breadth of Religion as will altogether leave them comfortlesse when things shall appeare in their true colours they will conceit to embrace truth without hatred of the world and Christ without his crosse and a godly life without persecution they would pull a rose without pricks Which though it may stand with their owne base ends for a while yet will not hold out in times of change when sicknesse of body and trouble of minde shall come Empty conceits are too weake to encounter with reall griefes Some thinke Orthodoxe and right opinions to bee a plea for a loose life whereas there is no ill course of life but springs from some false opinion God will not onely call us to an account how we have beleeved disputed and reasoned c. but how we have lived Our care therefore should be to build our profession not on seeming appearances but upon sound grounds that the gates of hell cannot prevaile against The hearts of many are so vaine that they delight to be blowne up with flattery because they would have their imagination pleased yea even when they cannot but know themselves abused and are grieved to have their windy bladder pricked and so to bee put out of their conceited happinesse Others out of a tediousnesse in serious and setled thoughts entertaine every thing as it is offered to them at the first blush and suffer their imaginations to carry them presently thereunto without further judging of it the will naturally loves variety and change and our imagination doth it service herein as not delighting to fixe long upon any thing hereupon men are contented both in religion and in common life to bee misled with prejudices upon shallow grounds Whence it is that the best things and persons suffer much in the world the power and practise of Religion is hated under odious names and so condemned before it is understood Whence wee see a necessity of getting spirituall Eye salve for without true knowledge the heart cannot be good It is just with God that those who take liberty in their thoughts should bee given up to their owne imaginations to delight in them and to be out of conceit with the best things and so to reape the fruit of their owne waies Nay even the best of Gods people if they take liberty herein God will let loose their imagination upon themselves and suffer them to bee intangled and vexed with their owne hearts Those that give way to their imaginations shew what their actions should be if they dared for if they forbeare doing evill out of conscience they should as well forbeare imagining evill for both are alike open to God and hatefull to him and therefore oft where there is no conscience of the thought God gives men up to the deed The greatest and hardest worke of a Christian is least in sight which is the well ordering of his heart some buildings have most workmanship under ground it is our spirits that God who is a Spirit hath most communion withall and the lesse freedome wee take to sinne here the more argument of our sincerity because there is no lawes to binde the inner man but the law of the spirit of grace whereby wee are a law to our selves A good Christian begins his repentance where his sinne begins in his thoughts which are the next issue of his heart God counts it an honour when wee regard his all-seeing eye so much as that wee will not take liberty to our selves in that which is offensive to him no not in our hearts wherein no creature can hinder us It is an argument that the Spirit hath set up a kingdome and order in our hearts when our spirits rise within us against any thing that lifts it selfe up against goodnesse §. 5. Many flatter themselves from an impossibility of ruling their imaginations and are ready to lay all upon infirmity and naturall weaknesse c. But such must know that if wee bee sound Christians the Spirit of GOD will enable us to doe all things Evangelically that we are called unto if we give way without checke to the motions thereof where the Spirit is it is such a light as discovers not onely dunghills but motes themselves even light and flying imaginations and abaseth the soule for them and by degrees purgeth them out and if they presse as they are as busie as flies in Summer yet a good heart will not owne them nor allow himselfe in them but casts them off as hot water doth the scumme or as the stomacke doth that which is noisome unto it they finde not that entertainement here which they have in carnall hearts where the scumme soakes in which are stewes of uncleane thoughts shambles of cruell and bloody thoughts Exchanges and shops of vaine thoughts a very forge and mynt of false politicke and undermining thoughts yea often a little hell of confused and blacke imaginations There is nothing that more moveth a godly man to renew his interest every day in the perfect righteousnesse and obedience of his Saviour then these sinfull stirrings of his soule when hee findes something in himselfe alwayes inticing and drawing away his heart from God and intermingling it selfe with his best performances Even good thoughts are troublesome if they come unseasonably and weaken our exact performance of duty §. 6. But here some misconceits must be taken heed of 1. As wee must take heed that wee account not our imaginations to be religion So we must not account true religion and the power of godlinesse to bee a matter of imagination onely as if holy men troubled themselves more then needs when they stand upon religion and conscience seeking to approve themselves to God in all things and indeavouring so farre as frailty will permit to avoid all appearances of evill Many men are so serious in vanities and reall in trifles that they count all which dote not upon such outward excellencies as they doe because the Spirit of GOD hath revealed to them things of a higher nature to be fantasticks and humorous people and so impute the worke of the spirit to the flesh Gods worke to Satan which comes neare
unto blasphemy they imagine good men to be led with vaine conceits but good men know them to bee so led Not onely St. Paul but CHRIST himselfe were counted besides themselves when they were earnest for God and the soules of his people But there is enough in Religion to beare up the soule against all imputations laid upon it the true children of wisedome are alwayes able to justifie their Mother and the conscionable practise of holy duties is founded upon such solid grounds as shall hold out when heaven and earth shall vanish 2. Wee must know that as there is great danger in false conceits of the way to heaven when we make it broader than it is for by this meanes wee are like men going over a bridge who thinke it broader then it is but being deceived by some shadow sinck downe and are suddenly drowned So men mistaking the strait way to life and trusting to the shadow of their owne imagination fall into the bottomlesse pit of hell before they are aware In like manner the danger is great in making the way to heaven narrower then indeed it is by weake and superstitious imaginations making more sinnes than God hath made The Wisemans counsell is that we should not make our selves over wicked nor bee foolisher than we are by devising more sinnes in our imagination than we are guilty of It is good in this respect to know our Christian liberty which being one of the fruits of Christs death we cannot neglect the same without much wrong not onely to our selves but to the rich bounty and goodnesse of God So that the due rules of limitation bee observed from authority piety sobriety needlesse offence of others c. we may with better leave use all those comforts which God hath given to refresh us in the way to heaven then refuse them the care of the outward man bindes conscience so farre as that wee should neglect nothing which may helpe us in a cheerefull serving of GOD in our places and tend to the due honour of our bodies which are the temples of the Holy Ghost and companions with our soules in all performances So that under this pretence wee take not too much liberty to satisfie the lusts of the body Intemperate use of the creatures is the nurse of all passions because our spirits which are the soules instruments are hereby inflamed and disturbed it is no wonder to see an intemperate man transported into any passion 3. Some out of their high and ayery imaginations and out of their iron and flintie Philosophy will needs thinke outward good and ill together with the affections of griefe and delight stirred up thereby to bee but opinions and conceits of good and evill onely not true and really so founded in nature but taken up of our selves But though our fancy be ready to conceit a greater hurt in outward evils then indeed there is as in poverty paine of body death of friends c. yet wee must not deny them to bee evills that wormewood is bitter it is not a conceit onely but the nature of the thing it selfe yet to abstaine from it altogether for the bitternesse thereof is a hurtfull conceit That honey is sweet it is not a conceit onely but the naturall quality of it is so yet out of a taste of the sweetnesse to think wee cannot take too much of it is a misâ—…ceit paid home with loathsome bitternesse Outward good and outward evill and the affections of delight and sorrâ—… rising thence are naturally so and depend not upon our opinion This were to offer violence to nature and to take man out of man as if hee were not flesh but steele Universall experience from the sensiblenesse of our nature in any outward grievance is sufficient to damâ—… this conceit The way to comfort a man in griefe is not to tell him that it is onely a conceit of evill and no evill indeed that he suffers this kinde of learning will not downe with him as being contrary to his present feeling but the way is to yeeld unto him that there is cause of grieving though not of ever-grieving and to shew him grounds of comfort stronger then the griefe he suffers We should weigh the degrees of evill in a right ballance and not suffer fancie to make them greater then they are So as that for obtaining the greatest outward good or avoiding the greatest outward ill of suffering wee should give way to the least evill of sinne This is but a policy of the flesh to take away the sensiblenesse of evill that so those cheeks of conscience and repentance for Sinne which is oft occasioned thereby might be taken away that so men may goe on enjoying a stupid happinesse never laying any thing to heart nor afflicting their soules untill their consciences awaken in the place of the damned and then they feele that griefe reâ—…ne upon them for ever which they laboured to put away when it might have beene seasonable to them §. 7. I have stood the longer upon this because Sathan and his instruments by bewitching the imagination with false appearances misleadeth not onely the world but troubleth the peace of men taken out of the world whose estate is laid up safe in Christ who notwithstanding passe their few dayes here in an uncomfortable wearisome and unnecessary sadnesse of spirit being kept in ignorance of their happy condition by Sathans jugling and their own mistakes and so come to heaven before they are aware Some againe passe their dayes in a golden dreame and drop into hell before they thinke of it but it is farre better to dreame of ill and when wee awake to finde it but a dreame then to dreame of some great good and when we awake to finde the contrary As the distemper of the fancie disturbing the act of reason oftentimes breeds madnesse in regard of civill conversation So it breeds likewise spirituall madnesse carrying men to those things which if they were in their right wits they would utterly abhorre therefore wee cannot have too much care upon what wee fixe our thoughts And what a glorious discovery is there of the excellencies of Religion that would even ravish an Angell which may raise up exercise fill our hearts We see our fancie hath so great a force in naturall conceptions that it oft sets a marke and impression upon that which is conceived in the wombe So likewise strong and holy conceits of things having a divine vertue accompanying of them transforme the soule and breed spirituall impressions answerable to our spirituall apprehensions It would prevent many crosses if we would conceive of things as they are When trouble of minde or sicknesse of body and death it selfe commeth what will remaine of all that greatnesse which filled our fancies before then we can judge soberly and speake gravely of things The best way of happinesse is not to multiply honours or riches c. but to cure our
blessing of others upon their children yet God hath promised a blessing to the offices of Communion of Saints performed by one private man towards another Can we have a greater incouragement then under God to be gainer of a soule which is as much in Gods esteeme as if we should gaine a world Spirituall almes are the best almes mercy shewed to the soules of men is the greatest mercie and wisedome in winning of soules is the greatest wisedome in the world because the soule is especially the man upon the goodnesse of which the happinesse of the whole man depends What shining and flourishing Christians should wee have if these duties were performed As wee have a portion in the communion of Saints so wee should labour to have humility to take good and wisedome and love to doe good A Christian should have feeding lips a healing tongue the leaves the very words of the tree of righteousnesse have a curing vertue in them Some will shew a great deale of humanity in comforting others but little Christianity for as kinde men they will utter some cheerefull words but as Christians they want wisedome from above to speake a gracious word in season Nay some there are who hinder the saving working of any affliction upon the hearts of others by unseasonable and unsavoury discourses either by suggesting false remedies or else diverting men to false contentments and so become spirituall traitors rather then friends taking part with their worst enemies their lusts and wills Happy is hee that in his way to heaven meeteth with a chearefull and skilfull guide and fellow-travellor that carrieth cordials with him against all faintings of spirit It is a part of our wisedome to salvation to make choice of such a one as may further us in our way An indifferency for any company shewes a dead heart where the life of grace is it is sensible of all advantages and disadvantages How many have beene refreshed by one short apt savoury speech which hath begotten as it were new spirits in them In ancient times as wee see in the Story of Iob it was the custome of friends to meet together to comfort those that were in misery and Iob takes it for granted that to him that is afflicted pity should bee shewed from his friends for besides the presence of a friend which hath some influence of comfort in it 1. The discovery of his loving affection hath a cherishing sweetnesse in it 2. The expression of love in reall comforts and services by supplying any outward want of the patry troubled prevailes much thâ—… Christ made way for his comforts to the soules of men by shewing outward kindnesse to their bodies Love with the sensible fruits of it prepareth for any wholesome counsell 3. After this wholesome words carry a speciall cordiall vertue with them especially when the Spirit of God in the affectionate speaker joines with the word of comfort and thereby closeth with the heart of a troubled patient when all these concenter and meet together in one then is comfort sealed up to the soule The childe in Elizabeths wombe sprang at the presence and salutation of Mary the speech of one hearty friend cannot but revive the spirits of another Sympathy hath a strange force as wee see in the strings of an Instrument which being played upon as they say the strings of another instrument are also moved with it After love hath once kindled love then the heart being melted is fit to receive any impression unlesse both pieces of the iron bee red hot they will not joyne together two spirits warmed with the â—…ne heat will easily soâ—…der together §. 2. In him that shall stay the minde of another there had need to bee an excellent temper of many graces as 1. Knowledge of the grievance together with wisedome to speake a word in season and to conceale that which may set the cure backwards 2. Faithfulnesse with liberty not to concealâ—… any thing which may bee for his good though against present liking The very life and soule of friendship stands in freedome tempered with wisedome and faithfulnesse 3. Loue with compassion and patience to beare all and hope all and not to bee easily provoked by the way wardnesse of him we deale with Short spirited men are not the best comforters God himselfe is said to beare with the manners of his people in the wildernesse It is one thing to beare with a wise sweet moderation that which may be borne and another thing to allow or approve that which is not to be approved at all Where these graces are in the speaker and apprehended so to bee by the person distempered his heart will soone embrace whatsoever shall bee spoken to rectifie his judgement or affection A good conceit of the spirit of the speaker is of as much force to prevaile as his words Words especially prevaile when they are uttered more from the bowels then the braine and from our owne experience which made even Christ himselfe a more compassionate high Priest When men come to themselves againe they will bee the deepest censurers of their owne miscariage §. 3. Moreover to the right comforting of an afflicted person speciall care must be had of discerning the true ground of his grievance the coare must bee searched out if the griefe ariseth from outward causes then it must be carried into the right channell the course of it must bee turned another way as in staying of blood we should grieve for sinne in the first place as being the evill of all evills If the ground be sinne then it must be drawne to a head from a confused griefe to some more particular sinne that so wee may strike the right veine but if wee finde the spirit much cast downe for particular sinnes then comfort is presently to be applied But if the griefe be not fully ripe then as we use to help nature in its offers to purge by Physick till the sick matter be carried away so when conscience moved by the spirit begins to ease it selfe by confession it is good to help forward the worke of it till wee finde the heart low enough for comfort to be laid upon When Paul found the Iaylor cast downe almost as low as hell hee stands not now upon further hammering and preparing of him for mercie that worke was done already but presently stirres him up to beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ here being a fit place for an interpreter to declare unto man his righteousnesse and his mercy that belongs unto him after he hath acknowledged his personall and particular sins which the naturall guile of the heart is extreamely backward to doe and yet cannot receive any sound peace till it be done If signes of grace be discerned here likewise is a fit place to declare unto man the saving worke of grace in his heart which Sathan labours to hide from him Men oft are
not able to reade their owne evidences without help In case of stifnesse and standing out it is fit the Man of God should take some authority upon him and lay a charge upon the soules of men in the name of Christ to give way to the truth of Christ and to forbeare putting off that mercy which is so kindly offered when we judge it to be their portion which course will be succesfull in hearts awed with a reverend feare of grieving Gods spirit Sometimes men must bee dealt roundly withall as David here deales with his owne soule that so whilest we aske a reason of their dejection they may plainly see they have no reason to be so cast downe for oftentimes grievances are irrationall rising from mistakes and counsell bringing into the soule a fresh light dissolves those grosse fogges and setteth the soule at liberty What griefe is contracted by false reason is by true reason altered Thus it pleaseth God to humble men by letting them see in what need they stand one of another that so the communion of Saints may be indeared every relation wherein we stand towards others are so many bonds and sinewes whereby one member is fitted to derive comfort to another through love the bond of perfection All must be done in this sweet affection A member out of joynt must be tenderly set in again and bound up which onely men guided by the spirit of love seasoned with discretion are fit to doe they are taught of God to doe what they should The more of Christ is in any man the more willingnesse and fitnesse to this duty to which this should encourage us that in strengthening others we strengthen our selves and derive upon our selves the blessing pronounced on those that consider the needie which will be our comfort here and crowne hereafter that God hath honoured us to be instruments of spirituall good to others It is an injunction to coÌ„fort the feeble minded there is an heavie imputatioÌ„ on those that coÌ„forted not the weaks when men will not owne men in trouble but as the herd of Deere forsake push away the wounded Deere froÌ„ them And those that are any wayes cast downe must stoope to those wayes which God hath sanctified to convey coÌ„fort for though sometimes the Spirit of God immediatly comforts the soule which is the sweetest yet for the most part the Sun of righteousnesse that hath healing in his wings conveyeth the beames of his comfort by the helpe of others in whom hee will have much of our comfort to lie hid and for this very end it pleaseth God to exercise his children and Ministers especially with tryalls and afflictions that so they having felt what a troubled spirit is in themselves might be able to coÌ„fort others in their distresses with the same comfort wherwith they have beene comforted God often suspends comfort from us to drive us to make use of our Christian friends by whom hee purposeth to doe us good Oftentimes the very opening of mens grievances bringeth ease without any further working upon them the very opening of a veine cooles the blood If God in the state of innocencie thought it fit man should have a helper if God thought it fit to send an Angell to comfort Christ in his agonies shall any man thinke the comfort of another more than needs Sathan makes every affliction by reason of our corruption a temptation to us whereupon we are to encounter not onely with our owne corruptions but with spirituall wickednesses and need we not then that others should joyne forces with us to discover the temptation and to confirme and comfort us against it for so reason joyning with reason and affection with affection wee come by uniting of strength to bee impregnable Sathan hath most advantage in solitarinesse and thereupon sets upon Christ in the wildernesse and upon Eve single and it added to the glory of Christs victory that he overcame him in a single combat and in a place of such disadvantage Those that will be alone at such times doe as much as in them lieth to tempt the tempter himselfe to tempt them The Preacher gives three reasons why two are better than one 1. Because if one fall the other may lift him up as that which is stronger shoreth up that which is weaker so feeble mindes are raised and kept up by the stronger Nay oftentimes he that is weaker in one grace is stronger in another one may helpe by his experience and meekenesse of love that needs the help of another for knowledge 2. If two lye together one may warme another by kindling one anothers spirits Where two meete together upon such holy grounds and aymes there Christ by his spirit makes up another and this three-fold cable who shall breake While Iâ—…as lived Iehoiada stood upright While Latymer and Ridley lived they kept up Granmer by intercourse of letters and otherwise from entertai ning counsells of Revolt The Disciples presently upon Christs apprehension fainted not withstanding he laboured by his heavenly doctrine to put courage comfort into them 3. If any give an on-set upon them there is two to withstand it Spirit joyning with Spirit and because there is an acquaintance of spirits as well as of persons those are fittest to lay open our mindes unto in whom upon experience of their fidelity our hearts may most safely relie Wee lose much of our strength in the losse of a true friend which made David bemoane the losse of his friend Ionathan Woe is me for thee my brother Ionathan He lost a piece of himselfe by losing him whom his heart so clave unto Saint Paul accounted that God had shewed especiall mercy to him in the recovery of Epaphroditus §. 4. But there are divers miscarriages in those that are troubled which make the comfort of others of none effect 1. When the troubled party deales not directly but doubleth with him that is to helpe him Some are ashamed to acknowledge the true ground of their grievance pretending sorrow for one thing when their hearts tell them it ariseth from another Like the Lapâ—…ings which make greatest noise furthest from their neast because they would not have it discovered This deceit moved our blessed Saviour who knew what was in the harts of men to fit his answeres many times rather to the man then to the matter 2. Some relie too much upon particular men Oh if they had such a one they should do well and mislike others fitter perhaps to deale with them as having more thorough knowledge of their estates because they would have their disease rather covered then cured or if cured yet with soft words whereas no playster worketh better then that which causes smart Some out of meere humorous fondnesse must have that which can hardly be got or else nothing pleases them David must needs have the waters of Bethlem when others were neerer hand And oftentimes
when men have not onely whom they desire but such also who are fit and dexterous in dealing with a troubled spirit yet their soules feele no comfort because they make idols of men Whereas men at the best are but conduits of comfort and such as God freely conueyeth comfort by taking liberty oft to deny comfort by them that so he may be acknowledged the God of all comfort 3. Some delude themselves by thinking it sufficient to have a few good words spoken to them as if that could cure them not regarding to apprehend the same and mingle it with faith without which good words lose their working even as wholesome Physick in a dead stomack Besides miscarriages in comforting times will often fall out in our lives that we shall have none either to comfort us or to be comforted by us and then what will become of us unlesse we can comfort our selues Men must not thinke alwayes to live upon almes but lay up something in store for themselves and provide oyle for their owne lamps and bee able to draw out something from the treasury of their owne hearts We must not goe to the Surgeon for every scratch No wise traveller but will have some refreshing waters about him Againe wee are often driven to retire home to our owne hearts by uncharitable imputations of other men even friends sometimes become miserable comfortens it was Iobs case his friends had honest intentions to comfort him but erred in their manner of dealing if he had found no more comfort by reflecting upon his owne sincerity then he received from them who laboured to take it from him hee had beene doubly miserable We are most privy to our owne intentions and aimes whence comfort must bee fetched Let others speake what they can to us if our owne hearts speake not with them we shall receive no satisfaction Sometimes it may fall out that those which should unloose our spirits when they are bound up mistake the key â—…isses the right wards and so we lâ—…e bound still Opening of our estate to another is not good but when it is necessary and it is not necessary when we can fetch supply from our owne store God would have us tender of our reputations except in some speciall cases wherein wee are to give glory to God by a free and full confession Needlesse discovery of our selves to others makes us feare the conscience of another man as privie to that which we are ashamed hee should bee privy unto and it is neither wisedome nor mercy to put men upon the racke of confession further then they can have no ease any other way for by this meanes we raise in them a jealousie towards us and oft without cause which weakneth and tainteth that love which should unite hearts in one CAP. XV. Of flying to God in disquiets of soule Eight observations out of the text WHat if neither the speech of others to us nor the rebuke of our owne hearts will quiet the soule Is there no other remedy left Yes then looke up to God the Father and fountaine of comfort as David doth here For the more speciall meanes whereby he sought to recover himselfe was by laying a charge upon his soule to trust in God for having let his soule runne out too much hee begins to recollect himselfe againe and resigne up all to God §. 1. But how came David to have the command of his owne soule so as to take it off from griefe and to place it upon God could hee dispose of his owne heart himselfe The child of God hath something in him above a man hee hath the Spirit of God to guide his spirit this command of David to his soule was under the command of the Great Commander God commands David to trust in him and at the same time infuseth strength into his soule by thinking of Gods command and trusting to Gods power to command it selfe to trust in God so that this command is not onely by authoritie but by vertue likewise of Gods command As the inferiour orbes move as they are moved by a higher So Davids spirit here moves as it is moved by Gods Spirit which inwardly spake to him to speake to himselfe David in speaking thus to his owne soule was as every true Christian is a Prophet and an instructer to himselfe It is but as if inferiour officers should charge in the name and power of the King Gods children have a principle of life in them from the Spirit of God by which they command themselves To give charge belongs to a Superiour David had a double Superiour above him his owne spirit as sanctified and Gods Spirit guiding that Our spirits are the Spirits agents and the Holy Spirit is Gods agent maintaining his right in us As God hath made man a free agent So he guides him and preserves that free manner of working which is agreeable to mans nature By this it appeares that Davids moving of himselfe did not hinder the Spirits moving of him neither did the Spirits moving of him hinder him from moving himselfe in a free manner for the Spirit of God moveth according to our principles it openeth our understandings to see that it is best to trust in God It moveth so sweetly as if it were an inbred principle and all one with our owne spirits If wee should hold our will to move it selfe and not to be moved by the Spirit we should make a God of it whose property is to move other things and not to be moved by any We are in some sort Lords over our owne speeches and actions but yet under a higher Lord. David was willing to trust in God but God wrought that will in him he first makes our will good and then works by it It is a sacrilegious liberty that will acknowledge no dependance upon God Wee are wise in his wisedome and strong in his strength who saith without me yee can doe nothing Both the budde of a good desire and the blossome of a good resolution and the fruit of a good action all comes from GOD. Indeed the understanding is ours whereby wee know what to doe and the will is ours whereby wee make choice of what is best to be done but the light whereby wee know and the guidance whereby wee choose that is from a higher agent which is ready to flow into us with present fresh supply when by vertue of former strength wee put our selves forward in obedience to God Let but David say to his soule being charged of God to trust I charge thee my soule to trust in him and hee findes a present strength inabling to it Therefore we must both depend upon God as the first Mover and withall set all the inferiour wheeles of our soules a going according as the Spirit of God ministers motion unto us So shall wee bee free from selfe-confidence and likewise from neglecting that order of working which God hath
established David hearkened what the Lord said before he said any thing to himselfe so should wee Gods Commands tend to this that wee should command our selves God and the Minister under God bid us trust in him but all is to no purpose till grace bee wrought in the soule whereby it bids it selfe Our speaking to others doth no good till they by entertaining what we say speake the same to their owne soules In this charge of David upon his owne soule we may see diverse passages and priviledges of a gracious heart in trouble §. 2. As 1. That a Christian when hee is beaten out of all other comforts yet hath a God to runne unto A wicked man beaten out of earthly comforts is as a naked man in a storme and an unarmed-man in the field or as a ship tossed in the Sea without an anchor which presently dashes upon rockes or falleth upon quicksands but a Christian when he is driven out of all comforts below nay when God seemes to bee angry with him hee can appeale from God angry to God appeased hee can wrastle and strive with God by Gods owne strength fight with him with his own weapons and plead with God by his owne arguments What a happy estate is this who would not be a Christian if it were but for this to have something to relie on when all things else faile The confusion and unquietnesse which troubles raise in the soule may drive it from resting in it selfe but there can never be any true peace setled untill it sees and resolves what to stay upon §. 3. 2. We see here that there is a sanctified use of all troubles to Gods children first they drive them out of themselves and then draw them neerer to GOD. Crosses indeed of themselves estrange us more from God but by an over-ruling worke of the spirit they bring 〈◊〉 neerer to him The soule of it selfe is ready to misgive as if God had too many controversies with it to shew any favour towards it and Sathan helpedâ—… because hee knowes nothing can stand and prevaile against God or a soule that relyeth on him therefore hee labours to breed and encrease an everlasting divisiâ—… betwixt God and the soule but let not Christians muse so much upon their trouble but see whether it carries them whether it brings them neerer unto God or not It is a never failing rule of discerning a man to be in the state of grace when he findes every condition draw him neerer to God for thus it appeares that such love God and are called of him unto whom all things worke together for the best §. 4. 3. Againe hence wee see that the spirit of God by these inward speeches doth awake the soule and keepe it in a holy exercise by stirring up the grace of faith to its proper function It is not so much the having of grace as grace in exercise that pâ—…eserves the soule therefore wee should by this and the like meanes stirre up the grace of God in us that so it may bee kept a working â—…nd in vigour and strength It was Davids manner to awake himselfe by bidding both heart and harpe to awake It is the waking Christian that haâ—…h his wit and his grace ready about him who is the safe Christian grace dormant without the exercise doth not secure us It is almost all one in regard of present exigence for grace not to be and not to worke The soule without action is like an instrument not played upon or like a ship alwayes in the Haven Motion is a preservative of the purity of things Even life it selfe is made more lively by action The spirit of GOD whereby his children are led is compared to things of the quickest and strongest actions as fire and winde c. God himselfe is a pure act alwayes in acting and every thing the nearer it comes to God the more it hath its perfection in working The happinesse of man consists chiefly in a gracious frame of spirit and actions sutable sweetly issuing there-from the very rest of heavenly bodies is in motion in their proper places By this stirring up the grace of God in us sparkles come to be flames and all graces are kept bright Troubles stirre up David and David being stirred stirres up himselfe §. 5. 4. We see likewise here a further use of Soliloquies or speeches to our own hearts when the soule by entring into it selfe sees it selfe put out of order then it injoynes this duty of trusting in God upon it if wee looke onely on our selves and not turne to God the worke of the soule is imperfect then the soule worketh as it should when as by reflecting on it selfe it gathers some profitable conclusion and leaveth it selfe with God David upon reflecting on himselfe found nothing but discouragement but when he lookes upward to GOD there hee findes rest This is one end why God suffers the soule to tire and beat it selfe that finding no rest in it selfe it might seeke to him David yeelds not so much to his passion as that it should keepe him from God Therefore let no man truly religious pretend for an excuse his temper or provoking occasions c. for grace doth raise the soule above nature Grace doth not only stop the soule in an evill way but carries it to a contrary good and raiseth it up to God Though holy men be subject to like passions with others as it is said of Elias yet they are not so inthralled to them as that they carry them wholly away from their God but they heare a voice of the spirit within them calling them backe againe to their former communion with God and so grace takes occasion even from sinne to exercise it selfe §. 6. 5. Observe further that distrust is the cause of all disquiet the soule suffers it selfe by something here below to be drawne away from God but can finde no rest till it returne to him againe As Noahs Dove had no place to set her foote upon till it was received into the Arke from whence it came And it is Gods mercy to us that when we have let goe our hold of God wee should finde nothing but trouble and unquietnesse in any thing else that so we might remember from whence wee are fallen and returne home againe That is a good trouble which frees us from the greatest trouble and brings with it the most comfortable rest It is but an unquiet quiet and a restlesse rest which is out of God It is a deepe spirituall judgement for a man to finde too much rest in the creature The soule that hath had a saving worke upon it will be alwayes impatient untill it recovers its former sweetnesse in God After Gods spirit hath once touched the soule it will never be quiet untill it stands pointed God-ward But conscience may object upon any offence God is offended and therefore not to be trusted It is true where faith
is not above naturall conscience but a conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ is not scared from God by its infirmities and failiags but as David here is rather stirred up to runne unto God by his distemper and it had beene a greater sinne then his distemper not to have gone unto God Those that have the spirit of sonnes in their hearts runne not further from God after they have a little strayed from him but though it be the nature of sinfull passions to breed griefe and shame yet they will repaire to God againe and their confidence overcomes their guilt So well are they acquainted with Gods gracious disposition Yet we see here David thinkes not of trusting in God till first he had done justice upon his owne soule in rebuking the unruly motions thereof Censure for sinne goeth before favour in pardoning sinne or boldnesse to aske pardon of God those that love God must hate ill If our consciences condemne us of allowing any sinne we cannot have boldnesse with God who is light and can abide no darknesse and greater then our consciences §. 7. 6. Moreover hence wee see it is no easie thing to bring God and the heart together David here as he often checkes his heart so hee doth often charge his heart Doubts and troubles are still gathering upon him and his faith still gathering upon them As one striving to get the haven is driven back by the waves but recovering himselfe againe gets forward still and after often beating back at length obtaines the wished haven and then is at rest So much adoe there is to bring the soule unto God the harbour of true comfort It were an easie thing to be a Christian if Religion stood onely in a few outward works and duties but to take the soule to taske and to deale roundly with our owne hearts and to let conscience have its full work and to bring the soule into spirituall subjection unto God this is not so easie a matter because the soule out of selfe-love is loath to enter into it selfe least it should have other thoughts of it selfe then it would have David must bid his soule trust and trust and trust againe before it will yeeld One maine ground of this difficulty is that contrariety which is in the soule by reason of contrary principles The soule so farre as it is gracious commands so farre as it is rebellious resists which drew holy Austen to a kinde of astonishment The soule commands the body and it yeelds saith he it commands it selfe and is resisted by it selfe it commands the hand to move and it moveth with such an unperceiveable quicknesse that you can discerne no distance betwixt the command and the motion Whence comes this but because the soule perfectly wills not and perfectly injoynes not that which is good and so farre forth as it fully wills not so far it holds backe There should bee no need of commanding the soule if it were perfect for then it would bee of it selfe what it now commandeth If David had gotten his soule at perfect freedome at the first hee needed not have repeated his charge so often upon it But the soule naturally sinks downward and therfore had need often to be wound up §. 8. 7. Wee should therefore labour to bring our soules as David doth here to a firme and peremptory resolution and not stand wavering and as it were equally ballanced betwixt God and other things but enforce our soules we shall get little ground of infidelity else drive your soules therefore to this issue either to rely upon God or else to yeeld up it selfe to the present grievance if by yeelding it resolves to be miserable there 's an end but if it desires rest then let it resolve upon this onely way to trust in God and well may the soule so resolve because in God there are grounds of quieting the soule above all that may unsettle it In him there is both worth to satisfie and strength to support the soule The best way to maintaine inward peace is to settle and fixe our thoughts upon that which will make us better till wee finde our hearts warmed and wrought upon thereby and then as the Prophet speaks God will keepe us in peace peace that is in perfect and abundant peace This resolution stayed Iob that though God should kill him yet hee resolved to trust in him Answerable to our resolution is our peace the more resolution the more peace Irresolution of it selfe without any grievance is full of disquiet It is an unsafe thing alwayes to begin to live to bee alwayes cheapning and paltering with God Come to this point once Trust God I ought therefore trust God I will come what may or will And it is good to renew our resolutions againe and againe for every new resolution brings the soule closer to God and gets further in him and brings fresh strength from him which if wee neglect our corruption joyning with outward hinderances will carry us further and further backward and this will double yea multiply our trouble and griefe to recover our selves againe wee have both winde and tide against us Wee are going up the hill and therefore had need to arme our selves with resolution Since the fall the motion of the soule upward as of heavy bodies is violent in regard of corruption which weighes it downeward and therefore all enforcement is little enough Oppose therefore with David an invincible resolution and then doubt not of prevailing If wee resolve in Gods power and not our owne and bee strong in the Lord and not in our selves then it matters not what our troubles or temptations bee either from within or without for trust in God at length will triumph Here is a great mercy that when David had a little let goe his hold of God yet God would not let goe his hold of him but by a spirit of faith drawes him back againe to himselfe God turnes us unto him and then wee returne Turne us againe saith the Psalmist cause thy face to shine upon us and wee shall be saved When the soule leaves God once it loses its way and it selfe and never returnes till God recalls it againe If morall principles cherished and strengthened by good education will enable the soule against vicious inclinations so that though some influence of the heavens worke upon the aire and the aire upon the spirits and the spirits upon the humors and these incline the temper and that inclines the soule of a man such and such wayes yet breeding in the refineder sort of civill persons will much prevaile to draw them another way What then may wee thinke of this powerfull grace of faith which is altogether supernaturall Will not this carry the soule above all naturall inclinations whatsoever though strengthened by outward occasions if wee resolve to put it to it David was a King of other men but here hee shewes that hee
night and the preservation of the world from any further overflowing of waters continueth which if it should fayle yet his covenant with his people shall abide firme for ever though the whole frame of nature were dissolved When we have thus gotten a fit foundation for the soule to lay it selfe upon Our next care must be by Trusting to build on the same All our misery 's either in having a false foundation or else in loose building upon a true therefore having so strong a ground as Gods Nature his providence his promise c. to build upon the only way for establishing our soules is by trust to rely firmly on him Now the reason why Trust is so much required is because 1. it emptyeth the soule and 2. by emptying enlargeth it and 3. seasoneth and fitteth the soule to joyne with so gracious an object and 4. filleth it by carrying it out of it selfe unto God who presently so soone as he is trusted in conveyes himselfe and his goodnesse to the soule and thus we come to have the comfort and God the glory of all his excellencies Thus salvation comes to be sure unto us whilest faith looking to the promises and to God freely offering grace therein resigns up it selfe to God making no further question from any unworthinesse of its owne And thus wee returne to God by cleaving to him from whom we fell by distrust living under a new covenant meerely of grace And no grace fitter then that which gives all to Christ considering the fountaine of all our good is out of our selves in him it being safest for us who were so ill husbands at the first that it should be so therefore it is fit we should have use of such a grace that will carry us out of our selves to the spring head The way then whereby faith quieteth the soule is by raising it above all discontentments and stormes here below and pitching it upon God thereby uniting it to him whence it drawes vertue to oppose and bring under whatsoever troubles its peace For the soule is made for God and never findes rest till it returns to him againe when God and the soule meet there will follow contentment God simply considered is not all our happynesse but God as trusted in and Christ as wee are made one with him The soule cannot so much as touch the hemme of Christs garment but it shall finde vertue comming from him to sanctifie and settle it God in Christ is full of all that is good when the soule is emptyed inlarged and opened by faith to receive goodnesse offered there must needs follow sweet satisfaction §. 2. For the better strengthning of our trust it is not sufficient that we trust in God and his truth revealed but we must doe it by light and strength from him Many beleeve in the truth by humane arguments but no arguments will convince the soule but such as are fetched from the inward nature and powerfull worke of truth it selfe No man can know God but by God None can know the Sunne but by its owne light None can know the truth of God so as to build upon it but by the truth it self and the Spirit revealing it by its owne light to the soule that soule which hath felt the power of truth in casting it downe and raising it up againe will easily be brought to rest upon it It is neither education nor the authority of others that professe the same truth or that we have been so taught by men of great parts c. will settle the heart untill we finde an inward power and authority in the truth it selfe shining in our hearts by its owne beames hence comes unsetlednesse in time of troubles because we have not a spirituall discerning of spiritual things Supernaturall truths must have a supernaturall power to apprehend them therefore God createth a spirituall eye and hand of the soule which is faith In those that are truely converted all saving truths are transcribed out of the Scripture into their hearts they are taught of God So as they finde all truths both concerning the sinfull estate and the gracious and happy estate of man in themselves they cary a divinity in them and about them so as from a saving feeling they can speake of conversion of sin of grace and the comforts of the spirit c. and from this acquaintance are ready to yeeld and give up themselves to truth revealed and to God speaking by it Trust is never sound but upon a spirituall conviction of the truth and goodnesse we rely upon for the effecting of which the Spirit of God must likewise subdue the rebellion and maâ—…e of our will that so it may be sutable and levell to divine things and rellish them as they are wee must apprehend the love of God and the fruits of it as better then life it selfe and then choosing and cleaving to the same will soone follow for as there is a fitnesse in divine truths to all the necessities of the soule so the Soule must be fitted by them to savour and apply them to it selfe and then from an harmony between the soule and that which it applyes it selfe unto there will follow not onely peace in the soule but joy and delight surpassing any contentment in the world besides As there is in God to satisfie the whole soule so trust caries the whole soule to God this makes trust not so easie a matter because there must bee an exercise of every faculty of the soule or else our trust is imperfect and lame there must be a knowledge of him whom we trust and why we trust an affiance and love c. Onely they that know God will trust in him not that knowledge alone is sufficient but because the sweetnesse of Gods love is let into the soule thereby which draweth the whole soule to him Wee are bidden to trust perfectly in God therefore seeing wee have a God so full of perfection to trust in we should labour to trust perfectly in him And it is good for the exercise of trust to put cases to our selves of things that probably may fall out and then returne to our soules to search what strength we have if such things should come to passe thus David puts cases perfect faith dares put the hardest cases to its soule and then set God against all that may befall it Againe labour to fit the promise to every condition thou art in there is no condition but hath a promise sutable therefore no condition but wherein God may bee trusted because his truth and goodnesse is alwayes the same And in the promise looke both to the good promised and to the faithfulnesse and love of the promiser It is not good to looke upon the difficulty of the thing wee have a promise against but who promiseth it and for whose sake and so see all good things in Christ made over to
help to multiply our faith tryed truth and tryed faith unto it sweetly agree and answer one another It were a course much tending to the quickning of the faith of Christians if they would communicate one to another their mutuall experiences this hath formerly beene the custome of Gods people Come and heare all ye that â—…re God and I will declare what he hath done for my soule And David urgeth this as a reason to God for deliverance that then the righteous would compasse him about as rejoycing in the experience of Gods goodnesse to him The want of this makes us upon any new tryall to call Gods care and love into question as if hee had never formerly beene good unto us whereas every experiment of Gods love should refresh our faith upon any fresh onset God is so good to his children even in this world that he traines them up by daily renewed experiences of his fatherly care for besides those many promises of good things to come he gives us some evidence and taste of what wee beleeve here that by that which wee feele wee might be strengthned in that wee looke for that so in both 1. sense of what we feele and 2. certainty of what we looke for we might have full support But yet we must trust God as he will be trusted namely in doing good oâ—… else we do not trust him but tempt him Our commanding of our soules to trust in God is but an Eccho of what God commands us first and therefore in the same maner he commands us we should command our selves As God commands us to trust him in doing good so should wee commit our soules to him in well doing and trust him when wee are about his owne workes and not in the workes of darknesse we may safely expect God in his wayes of mercy when we are in his wayes of obedience For Religion as it is a doctrine of what is to be beleeved so it is a doctrine according to godlinesse and the mysteries of faith are mysteries of godlinesse because they cannot be beleeved but they will inforce a godly conversation where my true impression of them is there is holinesse alwayes bred in that soule therefore a study of holinesse must goe joyntly together with a study of trusting in God faith lookes not onely to promises but to directions to duty and â—…eds in the soule a liking of whatsoever pleaseth God There is a mutuall strengthning in things that are good trusting stirres to duty and duty strengthens trusting by increasing our liberty and boldnesse with God Againe wee must maintaine in our soules a high esteeme of the grace of â—…aith the very try all whereof is more â—…ious then gold what then is the grace of faith it selfe and the promises which it layeth hold on certainely they transcend in worth whatever may draw us from God whence it is that the soule sets a high price upon them and on faith that beleeves them It is impossible that any thing in the world should come betwixt the heart and those things if once we truly lay hold on them to undermine faith or the comfort we have by it the heart is never drawne to any sinfull vanity 〈◊〉 frighted with any terrour of trouble till faith first loseth the sight and estimation of divine things and forgets the necessity and excellency of them Our Saviour Christ when hee would stirre up a desire of faith in his Disciples shewed them the power and excellency of the same great things stirre up faith and keepe it above and faith keepes the soule that nothing else can take place of abode in it when the great things of God are brought into the heart by faith what is there in the whole world thâ—… can out bid them Assurance of these things upon spirituall grounds over-rules both sense and reason or what ever else prevailes with carnall hearts CAP. XIX Faith to be prized and other things undervalued at least not to bee trusted to as the chiefe THat faith may take the better place in the soule and the soule in God the heart must continually be taught of what little worth all things else are as reputation riches and pleasures c. and to see their nothingnesse in the word of God and in experience of our selves and others that so our heart being â—…ed from these things may open it selfe to God and imbrace things of a higher nature otherwise baser things will be neerer the soule then faith and keepe possession against it so that faith will not be suffered to set up a throne in the heart There must bee an unloosing of the heart as well as a fastning of it and God helpes us in both for besides the word discovering the vanity of all things else out of God the maine scope of Gods dealing with his children in any danger or affliction whatsoever is to imbitter all other things but himselfe unto them Indeed it is the power of God properly which makes the heart to trust but yet the Spirit of God useth this way to bring all things else out of request with us in comparison of those inestimable good things which the soule is created redeemed and sanctified for God is very jealous of our trust and can endure no Idoll of jealousie to be set up in our hearts Therefore it behooves us to take notice not onely of the deceitfulnesse of things but of the deceitfulnesse of our hearts in the use of them Our hearts naturally hang loose from God and are soone ready to joyne with the creature Now the more we observe our hearts in this the more wee take them off and labour to set them where they should be placed for the more wee know these things the lesse we shall trust them But may wee not trust in riches and friends and other outward helps at all Yes so farre as they are subordinace to God our chiefe stay with reservation and submission to the Lord onely so far and so long as it shall please him to use them for our good Because God ordinarily conveyes his help and goodnesse to us by some creature we must trust in God to blesse every mercy wee in joy and to make all helps serviceable to his love towards us In a word we must trust use them in under God and so as if all were taken away yet to thinke God being al-sufficient can doe without them whatsoever hee doth by them for our good Faith preserves the chastitie of the soule cleaving to God is a spirituall debt which it oweth to him whereas cleaving to the creature is spirituall adultery It is an error in the foundation to substitute false objects either in Religion or in Christian Conversation for 1. in religion trusting in false objects as Saints workes c. breeds false worship and false worship breeds Idolatry and so Gods jealousie and hatred 2. In Christian Coâ—…versation false objects
of trust breeds false Comforts true feares for in what measure we trust in any thing that is uncertaine in the same measure will our griefe bee when it failes us the more men relye upon deceitfull Crutches the greater is their fall God can neither indure false objects nor a double object as hath beene shewed for a man to rely upoÌ„ any thing equally in the same ranke with himselfe for the propounding of a double object argues a double heart and a double heart is alwayes unsetled for it will regard God no longer then it can injoy that which it joynes together with him Therefore it is said you cannot serve two Masters not subordinate one to another whence it was that our Saviour told those worldly men which followed him that they could not beleeve in him because they sought honour one of another and in case of competition if their honour and reputation should come into question they would be sure to be fals to Christ and rather part with him then their 〈◊〉 vne credit and esteeme in the world David here by charging his soule to trust in God saw there was nothing else that could bring true rest and quiet unto him for whatsoever is besides God is but a creature and what ever is in the creature is but borrowed and at Gods disposing and changeable or else it were not a creature David saw his error soone for the ground of his disquiet was trusting something else besides God therefore when he began to say My hill is strong I shall not bee moved c. then presently his soule was troubled Out of God there is nothing fit for the soule to stay it selfe upon for 1. Outward things are not fitted to the spirituall nature of the soule they are dead things and cannot touch it being a lively spirit unlesse by way of â—…aint 2. They are beneath the worth of the soule and therefore debase the soule draw it lower then it selfe As a Noble woman by matching with a meane person much injures her selfe especially when higher matches are offered Earthly things are not given for Stayes wholly to rest on but for Comforts in our way to Heaven they are no more fit for the soule then that which hath many angles is fit to fill up that which is round which it cannot doe because of the unevennesse and void places that will remaine Outward things are never so well fitted for the soule but that the soule will presently see some voidnesse and emptinesse in them and in it selfe in cleaving to them for that which shall be a fit object for the soule must be 1. for the nature of it spirituall as the soule it selfe is 2. constant 3. full and satisfying 4. of equall continuance with it and 5. alwayes yeelding fresh contents we cast away flowers after once we have had the sweetnesse of theÌ„ because there is not still a fresh supply of sweetnesse What ever comfort is in the creature the soule will spend quickly and looke still for more whereas the comfort we have in God is undefiled and fadeth not away How can wee trust to that for comfort which by very trusting proves uncomfortable to us Outward things are onely so far forth good as wee doe not trust in them thornes may bee touched but not rested on for then they will pierce we must not set our hearts upon those things which are never evill to us but when we set our hearts upon them By trusting any thing but God wee make it 1. an Idoll 2. a curse and not a blessing 3. it will prove a lying vanity not yeelding that good which wee looke for and 4. a vexation bringing that evill upon us we looke not for Of all men Solomon was the fittest to judge of this because 1. hee had a large heart able to comprehend the variety of things and 2. being a mighty King had advantages of procuring all outward things that might give him satisfaction and 3. he had a desire answerable to search out and extract what ever good the creature could yeeld and yet upon the tryall of all hee passeth this verdict upon all that they are but vanity whilest he laboured to find that which he sought for in them hee had like to have lost himselfe and seeking too much to strengthen himselfe by forreine combination hee weakned himselfe the more thereby untill he came to know where the whole of man consists So that now wee need not try further conclusions after the peremptory sentence of so wise a man But our nature is still apt to thinke there is some secret good in the forbidden fruit and to buy wisedome dearly when wee might have it at a cheaper rate even from former universall experience It is a matter both to be wondred at and pittyed that the soule having God in Christ set before it alluring it unto him that hee might raise it inlarge it and fill it and so make it above all other things should yet debase make it selfe narrower and weaker by leaning to things meaner then it selfe The Kingdome Soveraignty and large command of Man continueth while he rests upon God in whom hee raignes in some sort over all things under him but so soone as he removes from God to any thing else hee becomes weake and narrow and slavish presently for The soule is as that which it relyes upon if on vanity it selfe becomes vain for that which contents the soule must satisfie all the wants and desires of it which no particular thing can doe and the soule is more sensible of a little thing that it wants then of all other things which it injoyes But see the insufficiency of all other things out of God to support the soul in their severall degrees First All outward things can make a man no happier then outward things can doe they cannot reach beyond their proper spheare but our greatest grievances are spirituall And as for inward things whether gifts or graces they cannot be a sufficient stay for the minde for 1. gifts as policy and wisedome c. they are at the best very defective especially when wee trust in them for wisedome makes men often to rebell and thereupon God delighteth to blast their projects None miscarry oftner then men of the greatest parts as none are oftner drowned then those that are most skilfull in swimming because it makes them confident And for grace though it be the beginning of a new creature in us yet it is but a creature and therefore not to be trusted in nay by trusting in it we imbase it and make it more imperfect so farre as there is truth of grace it breeds distrust of our selves and carryes the soule out of it selfe to the fountaine of strength And for any workes that proceed from grace by trusting thereunto they prove like the reede of Aegypt which not only deceives us but hurts us with the splinters Good workes
it lookes upon all things it hath or desires to have as comming from God and his free grace and power it desireth not onely wisdome but to be wise in his wisdome to see in his light to be strong in his strength the thing it selfe contents not this grace of trust but Gods blessing and love in the thing it cares not for any thing further then it can have it with Gods favour and good liking Hence it is that trust is an obsequions and an observing grace stirring up the soule to a desire of pleasing God in all things and to a feare of displeasing him Hee that pretends to trust the Lord in a course of offending may trust to this that God will meet him in another way then he lookes for Hee that is a tenant at curtesie will not offend his Lord hence it is that the Apostle inforceth that exhortation to work out our salvation with feare and trembling because it is God that worketh the will and the deed and according to his good pleasure not ours Therefore faith is an effectuall working grace it workes in Heaven with God it workes within us commanding all the powers of the soule it workes without us conquering whatsoever is in the world on the right hand to draw us from God or â—…n the left hand to discourage us it works against Hell and the powers of darknesse and all by vertue of trusting as it draweth strength from God It stirres up all other graces and keepes them in exercise and thereupon the acts of other graces are attributed to faith as Heb. 11. It breeds a holy jealousie over our selves lest we give God just cause 〈◊〉 stop the influence of his grace toâ—…ds us so to let us see that wee stand â—…ot by our owne strength Those that take liberty in things they either know 〈◊〉 doubt will displease God shew they want the feare of God and this want of feare shewes their want of dependancy and therefore want of trust dependancy is alwayes very respective it studieth contentment and care to comply this was it made Enoch walke with God â—…d studie how to please him when wee know nothing can doe us good or hurt but God it drawes our chiefe care to approve our selves to him Obedience of faith and obedience of life will goe together and therefore he that commits his soule to God to save will commit his soule to God to sanctifie and guide in a way of well pleasing Not onely the tame but the most savage creatures will bee at the beck of those that seede them though they are ready to fall violently upon others disobedience therefore is against the principles of nature This dependancy is either in the use of meanes or else when meanes failes us true dependancy is exactly carefull of all meanes When God hath set down a course of meanes wee must not expect that God should alter his ordinary course of providence for us deserved disappointment is the fruit of this presumptuous confidence the more wee depend on a wise Physitian the more we will observe his directions and bee carefull to use what hee prescribes yet we must use the meanes 〈◊〉 meanes and not set them in Gods room for that is the way to blast our hopes The way to have any thing taken away and not blest is to set our heart too much upon it Too much griefe in parting with any thing shewes too much trust in the enjoying of it And therefore he that uses the meanes in faith will alwayes joyne prayer unto God from whom as every good thing comes so likewise doth the blessing and successe therof where much indeavour is and little seeking to God it shewes there is little trust the Widdow that trusted in God continued likewise in prayers day and right The best discovery of our not relying too much on meanes is when all meanes faile if we can still relye upon God as being still where he was and hath wayes of his owne for helping of us either immediately from himselfe or by setting a worke other meanes and those perhaps very unlikely such as we thinke not of God hath wayes of his â—…ne Abraham never honoured God more then when he trusted in God for â—…son against the course of nature and when he had a son was ready to sacrifice him upon confidence that God would raise him from the dead againe This was the ground upon which Daniell with such great authority reprooved Baltbazar that he had not a care to glorifie God in whose hand his breath was and all his wayes The greatest honour we can doe unto God is when wee see nothing but rather all contrary to that we looke for then to shut our eyes to inferiour things below and looke altogether upon his Al sufficiency God can convey himselfe more comfortably to us when he pleaseth without meanes then by meanes True trust as it sets God highest in the soule so in danger and wants it hath present recourse to him as the Conyes to the Rockes And because Gods times and seasons are the best it is an evidence of true trust when we can waite Gods leisure and not make hast and so runne before God for else the more hast the worse speed God seldome makes any promise to his Children but he exerciseth their trust in waiting long before as David for a Kingdome Abraham for a sonne the whole world for Christs comming c. One maine evidence of true trust in God is here in the text wee see here it hath a quieting and stilling vertue for it stayes the soule upon the fulnesse of Gods love joyned with his ability to supply our wants and releeve our necessities though faith doth not at the first especially so stay the soule as to take away all suspitious feares of the contrary There be so many things in trouble that presse upon the soule as hinder the joyning of God and it together yet the prevailing of our unbeliefe is taken away the raigne of it is broken If the touch of Christ in his abasement on earth drew vertue from him certain it is that faith caÌ„not touch Christ in heaven but it will draw a quieting and sanctifying vertue from him which will in some measure stop the issues of an unquiet spirit the Needle in the Compasse will stand North though with some trembling A Ship that lyes at Anchor may bee something tossed but yet it stil remains so fastned that it cannot bee caried away by winde or weather the soule after it hath cast anchor upon God may as we see here in David be disquieted a while but this unsetling tends to a deeper setling the more we beleeve the more we are established faith is an establishing grace by faith we stand and stand fast and are able to withstand whatsoever opposeth us For what can stand against God upon whose truth and power faith relyes The devill feares not us but him whom
we flie unto for succour It is the ground wee stand on secures us not our selves As it is our happinesse so it must be our endeavour to bring the soule close to God that nothing get between for then the soule hath no sure footing When we step from God Sathan steps in by some temptation or other presently It requires a great deale of self deniall to bring a soule either swelling with carnall confidence or sinking by fear and distrust to lye levell upon God and cleave fast to him Square will lie fast upon Square but our hearts are so full of unevennesse that God hath much ado to square our hearts fit for him notwithstanding the soule hath no rest without this The use of trust is best knowne iâ—… the worst times for naturally in sicknesse we trust to the Physitian in want to our wit and shifts in danger to policy and the arme of flesh in plenty to our present supply c. but when wee have nothing in view then indeed should God bee God unto us In times of distresse when hee shewes himselfe in the wayes of his mercy and goodnesse then we should especially magnifie his name which will move him to discover his excellencies the more the more wee take notice of them And therefore David strengthens himselfe in these words that he hoped for better times wherein God would shew himselfe more gracious to him because 〈◊〉 resolved to praise him This trusting joynts the soule again and sets it in its own true resting place and sets God in his owne place in the â—…le that is the highest and the creaâ—…re in its place which is to bee under God as in its owne nature so in our hearts This is to ascribe honour due unâ—… God the onely way to bring peace â—…o the soule Thus if wee can bring 〈◊〉 hope and trust to the God of hope 〈◊〉 trust we shall stand impregnable â—…n all assaults as will best appeare in â—…ese particulars CHAP. XXI Of quieting the spirit in troubles for sinne And objections answered TO begin with troubles of the spirit which indeed are the spirit of troubles as disabling that which should uphold a man in all his troubles A spirit set in tune and assisted by a higher spirit will stand out against ordinary assaults but when God the God of the spirits of all flesh shall seeme contrary to our spirits whence then shall wee finde reliefe Here all is spirituall God a spirit the soule a spirit the terrours spirituall the devill who joynes with these a spirit yea that which the soule feares for the time to come is spirituall and not only spirituall but eternall unlesse it pleaseth God at length to break out of the thick cloud wherewith hee covers himselfe and shine upon the soule as in his own time he will In this estate comforts themselves are uncomfortable to the soule iâ—… quarrels with every thing the better things it heares of the more it is vexed Oh what is this to mee what have I to â—…e with these comforts the more happinesse may be had the more is my griefe As for comforts from Gods inferiour blessings as friends children estate c. the soule is ready to misconstrue Gods end in all as not intending any good to him thereby In this condition God doth not appeare in his owne shape to the soul but in the shape of an enemy and when God seemes against us who shall stand for us Our blessed Saviour in his agony had the Angels to comfort him but had he beene a meere man and not assisted by the Godhead it was not the comfort no not of Angels that could have upheld him in the sense of his fathers withdrawing his countenance from him Alas then what will become of us in such a case if we be not supported by a spirit of power and the power of â—…n almighty spirit If all the temptations of the whole world and hell it selfe were mustered together they were nothing to this whereby the great God sets himselfe contrary to his poore creature None can conceive so but those that have felt it If the hiding of his face will so trouble the soule what will his frowne and angry look doe Needs must the soule bee in a wofull plight when as God seemes not onely to bee absent from it but an enemy to it When a man sees no comfort from above and lookes inward and sees lesse when hee lookes about him and sees nothing but evidences of Gods displeasure beneath him and sees nothing but desperation clouds without and clouds within nothing but clouds in his condition here he had need of faith to breake through all and see Sunne through the thickest cloud Upon this the distressed soule is in danger to be set upon by a temptation called the temptation of blasphemy that is to entertain bitter thoughts against God and especially against the grace and goodnesse of God wherein he desires to make himselfe most knowne to his creature In those that have wilfully resisted divine truths made knowne unto them and after taste despised them a perswasion that God hath for saken them set on strongly by Sathan hath a worse effect it stirs up a hellish hatred against God carying them to a revengefull desire of opposing whatsoever is Gods though not alwayes openly for then they should lose the advantage of doing hurt yet secretly and subtilly and under pretence of the contrary To this degree of blasphemie Gods children never fall yet they may feele the venome of corruption stirring in their hearts against God and his wayes which he takes with them and this addes greatly to the depth of their affliction when afterward they think with themselves what hellish stuffe they cary in their soules This is not so much discerned in the temptation but after the fit is somewhat remitted In this kinde of desertion seconded with this kinde of temptation the way is to call home the soule and to check it and charge it to trust in God even though he shewes himselfe an enemy for it is but a shewe he doth but put on a maske with a purpose to reveale himselfe the more graciously afterward his maner is to worke by contraries In this condition God lets-in some few beames of light whereby the soul casts a longing looke upon God even when he seemes to forsake it it will with Ionas in the belly of hell looke back to the holy Temple of God it will steale a looke unto Christ. Nothing more comfortable in this condition then to flye to him that by experience knew what this kinde of forsaking meant for this very end that he might bee the fitter to succour us in the like distresse Learne therefore to appeale from God to God oppose his gracious nature his sweet promises to such as are in darknesse and see no light inviting them to trust in him though thereappeare to the eye of sense and reason nothing but darknesse Here make
far to our selves as to stir up this affection in us Another cause may bee a kinde of doublenesse of heart whereby wee would bring two things together that cannot suite We would grieve for sin so far as we thinke it an evidence of a good condition but then because it is an irksome taske and because it cannot be wrought without severing our heart from those sweet delights it is set upon hence we are loath God should take that course to worke griefe which crosseth our disposition The soule must therefore by selfe-deniall be brought to such a degree of sincerity and simplicity as to be willing to give God leave to worke this sorow not to bee sorrowed for by what way hee himselfe pleaseth But here we must remember againe that this selfe-deniall is not of our selves but of God who onely can take us out of our selves and if our hearts were brought to a stoâ—…ping herein to his worke it would stop many a crosse and continue many a blessing which God is forced to take from us that he may worke that griefe in us which he seeth would not otherwise be kindly wrought God giveth some larger spirits and so their sorowes become larger Some upon quicknesse of apprehension and the ready passages betwixt the braine and the heart are quickly moved where the apprehension is deeper and the passages slower there sorow is long in working and long in removing The deepest waters have the stillest motion Iron takes fire more slowly then stubble but then it holds it longer Againe God that searcheth and knows our hearts better then our selves knows when and in what measure it is fit for to grieve He sees it fitter for some dispositions to goe on in a constant griefe We must give that honour to the wisdome of the great Physitian of soules to know best how to mingle and minister his potions And we must not bee so unkinde to take it ill at Gods hands when he out of gentlenesse and forhearance ministers not to us that churâ—…sh Physick hee doth to others but cheerefully embrace any potion that he thinkes fit to give us Some holy men have desired to see their sinne in the most ugly colours and God hath heard them in their requests But yet his hand was so heavy upon them that they went alwayes mourning to their very graves and thought it fitter to leave it to Gods wisdome to mingle the potion of sorrow then to be their own choosers For a conclusion then of this point If wee grieve that we cannot grieve and so far as it is sinne make it our griefe then put it amongst the rest of our sinnes which we beg pardon of and helpe against and let it not hinder us from going to Christ but drive us to him For herein lyes the danger of this temptation that those who complaine in this kinde thinke it should be presumption to goe to Christ when as he especially calleth the weary and heavy laden sinner to come unto him and therefore such 〈◊〉 are sensible that they are not senâ—… enough of their sin must know though want of feeling be quite opposite to the life of Grace yet sensiblenes of the want of feeling shews some degree of the life of Grace The safest way in this case is from that life and light that God hath wrought in oâ—… soules to see and feele this want of feeling to cast our selves and this our indisposition upon the pardoning and healing mercy of God in Christ. We speake onely of those that are so farre displeased with themselves for their ill temper as they doe not favour themselves in it but are willing to yeeld to Gods way in redressing it and doe not crosse the Spirit moving them thus with David to check themselves and to trust in God Otherwise an unfeeling and carelesse state of Spirit will breed a secret shame of going to God for removing of that wee are not hearty in labouring against so farre as our conscience tells us we are enabled The most constant state the soule can bee in in regard of sin is upon judgement to condemne it upon right â—…nds and to resolve against it Thereupon Repentance is called an afâ—…isdome and change of the minde And â—…s disposition is in Gods children at 〈◊〉 times And for affections love of that â—…ich is good and hatred of that which 〈◊〉 evill these likewise have a setled â—…tinuance in the soule But griefe 〈◊〉 sorow rise and fall as fresh occasions â—…re offered and are more lively stirred 〈◊〉 upon some lively representation to 〈◊〉 soule of some hurt wee receive by â—…e and wrong wee doe to God in it â—…e reason hereof is because till the â—…e be separated from the body these â—…ctions have more communion with 〈◊〉 body and therefore they cary more â—…ward expressions then dislike or â—…omination in the minde doth We 〈◊〉 to judge of our selves more by that â—…ich is constant then by that which is â—…ing and flowing But what is the reason that the affectiâ—…s doe not alwayes follow the judgement 〈◊〉 the choise or refusall of the will Our soule being a finite substance is caried with strength but one way at one time 2. Sometime God calls us to joy as well as to grieve and then no wonder if griefe be somewhat to seeke 3. Sometimes when God calleth â—…o griefe and the judgement and will goeth along with God Yet the heart is not alwayes ready because it may bee it hath runne out so farre that it cannot presently be called in againe 4. Or the spirits which are the instruments of the soule may be so wasted that they cannot hold out to feed a strong griefe in which case the conscience must rest in our setled judgement and hatred of ill which is the surest and never-failing Character of a good soule 5. Oft times God in mercy takes us off from griefe and sorow by refreshing occasions because sorow and griefe are affections very much afflicting both of body and soule When is godly sorrow in that degreâ—… wherein the soule may stay it selfe from uncomfortable thoughts about its condition 〈◊〉 Ans. 1. When we finde strength against that sin â—…ich formerly we fell into and ability to â—…e in a contrary way for this answers Gods end in griefe one of which is a prevention from falling for the time 〈◊〉 come For God hath that affection 〈◊〉 him which hee puts into Parents â—…hich is by smart to prevent their childrens boldnesse of offending for the time to come 2. When that which is wanting in griâ—…fe is made up in feare Here there is 〈◊〉 great cause of complaint of the â—…nt of griefe for this holy affection is 〈◊〉 â—…band of the soule whereby it is â—…pt from starting from God and his â—…yes 3. When after griefe wee finde in â—…rd peace for true griefe being Gods â—…orke in us hee knowes best how
his â—…dience Ionas his prayer was minâ—…d with a great deale of passion and â—…perfection yet God could discerne â—…ething of his owne in it and pitty 〈◊〉 pardon the rest CHAP. XXIV â—…utward troubles disquieting the spirit and comforts in them AS for the outward evills that we meet withall in this life they are either 〈◊〉 1. As deprive us of the comforts our â—…e is supported withall or else 2. they â—…g such misery upon our nature or condiâ—…n that hinders our well-being in this â—…d For the first Trust in God and take â—…t of his al-sufficiency whatsoever we â—…t Sure we are by his promise that â—…e shall want nothing that is good â—…hat he takes away one way hee can â—…e another what he takes away in one hand he can give in another whaâ—… he with-holds one way he can supply in a better Whatsoever comfort wee have in goods friends health or any other blessings it is all conveyed by him who still remaines though these be taken from us And wee have him bound in many promises for all that is needfull for us We may sue him upon his owne bond can we thinke that he who will give us a Kingdome will faâ—… us in necessary provision to bring us thither who himselfe is our portion As for those miseries which our weake nature is subject to they are all under Christ they come and goe at his command they are his messengers sent for our good and called back again when they have done what they came for Therefore looke not so much upon them as to him for strength and comfort in them mitigation of them and grace to profit by them To strengthen our faith the more in God he calleth himselfe a Buckler for defence from ill and an exceeding great reward for a supply of all good A sunne for the one and a shield for the other â—…st him then with health wealth â—…od name all that thou hast It is not â—…an to take away that from us which â—…d will give us and keepe for us It â—…ot in mans power to make others â—…ceive what they please of us Among crosses this is that which â—…quieteth not the minde least to bee â—…ceived in matter of trust when as if â—…e had not trusted wee had not beene deceived The very feare of being disâ—…pointed made David in his hast â—…ke all men were lyars But as it is a â—…pe crosse so nothing will drive us â—…er unto God who never faileth his Friends often prove as the reed of Eâ—…t as a broken staffe and as a deceitfull â—…ke that failes the weary passenger 〈◊〉 Summer time when there is most â—…ed of refreshing and it is the unhapâ—…esse of men otherwise happy in the â—…rld that during their prosperous â—…dition they know not who be their â—…nds for when their condition deâ—…es it plainly appeares that many â—…e friends of their estates and not of their persons But when men will know us least God will know us most he knowes our soules in adversity and knowes them so as to support and comfort them and that from the spring head of comfort whereby the sweetest comforts are fetcht What God conveyed before by friends that he doth now instill immediately from himselfe The immediate comforts are the strongest comforts Our Saviour Christ told his Disciples that they would leave him alone yet saith he I am not alone but the Father is with me At S. Pauls first appealing all forsooke him but the Lord stood by him Hee wants no company that hath Christ for his companion I looked for some to take pitty saith David but there was none This unfaithfulnesse of man is a foile to set out Gods truth who is never neerer then when trouble is neerest There is not so much as a shadow of change in him or his love It is just with God when we lay too much weight of confidence upon any creature to let us have the greater falâ—… Man may faile us and yet bee a good man but God cannot faile us and bee God because he is truth it selfe Shall God be so true to us and shall not wee be true to him and his truth The like may be said in the departure of our friends Our life is oft too much in the life of others which God takes unkindly How many friends have we in him alone who rather then we shall want friends can make our enemies our friends A true beleever â—…to Christ as his Mother Brother and Sister because he caries that affection â—…o them as if they were Mother Brother and Sister to him indeed As Christ makes us all to him so should we make him all in all to our selves If all comforts in the world were dead we have them still in the living Lord. Sicknesses are harbingers of death and in the apprehension of many they bee the greatest troubles and tame great spirits that nothing else could â—…me herein wee are more to deale with God then with men which is one comfort sicknesse yeeldeth above other troubles It is better to bee troubled with the distempers of our owne bodies then with the distempers of other mens soules In which wee have not onely to deale with men but with the devill himselfe that ruleth in the humours of men The example of Asa teaches us in this case not to lay too much trust upon the Physitian but with Hezekich first looke up to God and then use the meanes If God will give us a quietus est and take us off from businesse by sicknesse then we have a time of serving God by patient subjection to his will If he meanes to use our service any further hee will restore our health and strength to doe that worke he sets us about Health is at his command and sicknesse stayes at his rebuke In the meane the time of sicknesse is a time of purging from that defilement wee gathered in our health till wee come purer out which should move us the rather willingly to abide Gods time Blessed is that sicknesse that proves the health of the soule Wee are best for the most part when wee are weakest Then it appeares what good proficiâ—…s we have been in time of health Carnall men are oft led along by â—…lse hopes suggested by others and cherished by themselves that they shal â—…ye still and doe well till death comes and cuts off their vaine confidence and their life both at once before ever they are acquainted what it is to trust in God aright in the use of meanes Wee should labour to learne of S. Paul in desperate cases to receive the sentence of â—…h and not to trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead Hee that raiseth our dead bodies out of the â—…ave can raise our diseased bodies out of the bed of sicknesse if he hath a pleaâ—…e to serve himselfe by us In all kinde of troubles it is not the ingredients
that God puts into the Câ—…p so much afflicts us as the ingrediâ—…ts of our distempered passions mingled with them The sting and coare of them all is sinne when that is not â—…ely pardoned but in some measure â—…led and the proud flesh eaten out â—…n a healthy soule will â—…eare any thing After repentance that trouble that before was a correction becomes now a triall and exercise of grace Strike Lord saith Luther I'beare any thing willingly because my sinnes are forgiven We should not be cast downe so much about outward troubles as about sinne that both procures them and invenomes them We see by experience when conscience is once set at liberty how chearefully men will goe under any burthen therefore labour to keep out sinne and then let come what will come It is the foolish wisdome of the world to prevent trouble by sin which is the way indeed to pull the greatest trouble upon us For sinne dividing betwixt God and us moveth him to leave the soule to intangle it selfe in â—…s owne wayes When the conscience is cleare then there is nothing between God and us to hinder our trust Outward troubles rather drive us neerer unto God and stand with his love But sin defileth the soule and sets it further from God It is well doing that inables us to commit our soules cheerefully â—…to him Whatsoever our outward condition be if our hearts condemne us 〈◊〉 we may have boldnesse with God In my trouble our care should be not to avoid the trouble but sinfull miscari age in and about the trouble and so trust God It is a heavy condition to be under the burthen of trouble and under the burthen of a guilty conscience both at once When men will walke in the light of their owne fire and the sparkes which they have kindled themselves it is just with God that they should lye downe in sorow Whatsoever injuries we suffer from those that are ill affected to us let us commit our cause to the God of vengeance and not meddle with his prerogative He will revenge our cause better then we can and more perhaps then we desire The wronged side is the â—…er side If in stead of meditating revenge we can so overcome ourselves 〈◊〉 to pray for our enemies and deserve well of them wee shall both sweeten our owne spirits and prevent a sharpe temptation which wee are prone unto and have an undoubted argument that we are sonnes of that Father that doth good to his enemies and members of that Saviour that prayed for his persecutors And withall by heaping coales upon our enemies shall melt them either to conversion or to confusion But the greatest triall of trust is in our last encounter with death wherein we shall finde not only a deprivation of all comforts in this life but a confluence of all ill at once but wee must know God will be the God of his unto death and not only unto death but in death We may trust God the Father with our bodies and soules which he hath created and God the Sonne with the bodies and soules which he hath redeemed and the holy Spirit with those bodies and soules that he hath sanctified We are not disquieted when wee put off our cloathes and goe to bed because we trust Gods ordinary providence to raise us up againe And why should we be disquieted when we put off our bodies and sleep our last sleep considering we are more sure to rise out of 〈◊〉 graves then out of our beds Nay we are raised up already in Christ our â—…d who is the resurrection and the life in whom we may triumph over death that triumpheth over the greatest Moâ—…chs as a disarmed and conquered enemie Death is the death of it selfe and not of us If we would have faith ready to die by wee must exercise it well in living by it and then it will no more faile us then the good things we lay hold on by it untill it hath brought 〈◊〉 into heaven where that office of it is â—…aid aside here is the prerogative of a true Christian above an hypocrite and a worldling when as their trust and the thing they trust in failes them then a true beleevers trust stands him in greatest stead In regard of our state after death a Christian need not bee disquieted for the Angels are ready to doe their office in carying his soule to Paradise those â—…ansions prepared for him His Saviour will bee his Judge and the Head will â—…t condemne the members then hee is to receive the fruit and end of his Faith the reward of his Hope which is so great and so sure that our trusting in God for that strengtheneth the heart to trust him for all other things in our passage so that the refreshing of our faith in these great things refreshes its dependance upon God for all things here below And how strong helpes have we to uphold our Faith in those great things which wee are not able to conceive of till wee come to possesse them Is not our husband there and hath hee not taken possession for us doth he not keep our place for us Is not our flesh there in him and his spirit below with us have we not some first fruits and earnest of it before hand Is not Christ now a fitting and preparing of us daily for what he hath prepared and keepes for us Whither tends all we meete with in this world that comes betwixt us and heaven as desertions inward conflicts outward troubles and death at last but to fit us for a better condition hereafter and â—…y Faith therein to stirre up a strong desire after it Comfort one another with â—…se things saith the Apostle these bee 〈◊〉 things will comfort the soule CHAP. XXV Of the defects of gifts disquieting the â—…le As also the afflictions of the Church AMong other things there is nothing more disquiets a Christian â—…at is called to the fellowship of Christ and his Church here and to â—…ory hereafter then that he sees himselfe unfurnished with those gifts that 〈◊〉 fit for the calling of a Saint As â—…ewise for that particular standing â—…d place wherein God hath set him in 〈◊〉 world by being a member of a boâ—… politick For our Christian calling wee must â—…ow that Christianity is a matter raâ—…er of grace then of gifts of obedience then of parts Gifts may come from a more common worke of the â—…pirit they are common to castawayes and are more for others then for our selves Grace comes from a peculiar favour of God and especially for our owne good In the same duty where there is required both gifts and grace as in prayer one may performe it with evidence of greater grace then another of greater parts Moses a man not of the best speech was chosen before Aaron to speak to God and to strive with him by Prayer whilst Israel fought with Amaleck with the
putting man out of the power and possession of himselfe and therefore David here when he had thoughts of praising God was faine to take up the quarrell betwixt him and his soule first Praising sets all the parts and graces of the soule aworke and therefore the soule had need gather it selfe and its strength together to this duty It requires especially selfe-denyall from a conscience of our own wants weaknesses and unworthinesse it requires a giving up of our selves and all ours to be at Gods dispose the very ground and the fruit which it yeelds are both Gods and they never gave themselves truly up to God that are not ready to give all they have to him whensoever he calls for it thankfulnesse is a sacrifice and in sacrifices there must be killing before offering otherwise the sacrifice will be as the offering up of some uncleane creature thanksgiving is 〈◊〉 Incense and there must be fire to â—…rne that Incense thanksgiving requires not onely affections but the heat of affections there must be some assuâ—…ce of the benefit wee praise God â—…or and it is no easie matter to maintaine assurance of our interest in the best things Yet in this case if we feele not sense of assorance it is good we should praise God for what we have we cannot deny but God offers himselfe in mercy to us and that he intends our good thereby for so wee ought to construe his mercifull dealing towards us and not have him in jealousie without ground if we being our hearts to be willing to praise God for that wee cannot but acknowledge comes from him hee will be ready in his time to shew himselfe more clearely to us we taste of his goodnesse â—…ny wayes and it is accompanied with much patience and these in their natures leade us not onely to repentance but likewise to thankfull acknowledgement and wee ought to follow that which God leades us unto though hee hath not yet acquainted us with his secrets It is good in this case to help the soule with a firm resolution and to back resolution with a vowe not onely in generall that we will praise but particularly of something within our owne power provided it prove no snare to us For by this meanes the heart is perfectly gayned and the thing is as good as done in regard of Gods acceptance and our comfort because strong resolutions discover sincerity without any hypocriticall reservation and hollownesse Alwayes so much sincerity as a man hath so much will his inward peace be Resolution as a strong streame beares downe all before it little good is done in Religion without this and with it all is as good as done So soone as we set upon this worke wee shall feele our spirits to rise higher and higher as the waters in the Sanctuary as the soule growes more and more heated see how David riseth by degrees Be glad in the Lord and then rejoyce ye righteous and then showt for ioy 〈◊〉 yee that are upright in heart the spirit of God will delight to carry us along â—…n this duty untill it leaves our spirits in heaven praising God with the Saintsâ—…d â—…d glorious Angels there to him that â—…h and useth it shall be given hee that â—…weth God aright will honour him by trusting of him hee that honours â—…m by trusting him will honour him by praying and he that honours him by prayer shall honour him by praises hee â—…at honours him by praises here shall perfect his praises in heaven and this will quit the labour of setting and keeâ—…ing the soule in tune this trading with God is the richest trade in the world when we returne praises to him 〈◊〉 returnes new favours to us and so an everlasting ever-encreasing intercourse betwixt God and the soule is maintained David here resolved to praise God â—…use hee had assurance of such a deâ—…rance as would yeeld him a â—…ound of praising him Praising of God may well be called â—…ense because as it is sweet in it selfe and sweet to God so it sweetens all that comes from us Love and Ioy are sweet in themselves though those whom wee love and joy in should not know of our affection nor returne the like but wee cannot love and joy in God but hee will delight in us when we neglect the praising of God we lose both the comforts of Gods love and our owne too It is a spirituall judgement to want oâ—… lose the sight or sense of Gods favours for it is a sign of want of spirituall life or at least livelinesse it shewes wee are not yet in the state of those whom God hath chosen to set forth the riches of his glory upon When we consider that if we answer not kindnesse and favour shewed unto us by men we are esteemed unworthy of respect as having sinned against the bond of humane society and love wee cannot but much more take shame to our selves when wee consider the disproportion of our carriage and unkind behaviour towards God when in stead of being temples of his praise wee become graves of his benefits what a vanity is this in our nature to stand upon exactnesse of justice in answering petty curtesies of men and yet to passe by the substantiall favours of God without scarce taking notice of them the best breeding is to acknowledge greatest respects where they are most due and to think that if unkindnesse and rudenesse be a sinne in civility it is much more in Religion the greatest danger of unthankfulnesse is in the greatest matter of all if wee arrogate any spirituall strength to our selves in spirituall actions wee commit either sacriledge in robbing God of his due or mockerie by praising him for that which we hold to be of our selves if injustice be to be condemned in man much more in denying God his due Religion being the first due It takes much from thankfulnesse when we have common conceits of peculiar favours praise is not comely in the mouth of fooles Godloves no blind sacrifice We should therefore have wisdome and judgement not onely to know upon what grounds to be thankfull but in what order by discerning what be the best and first favours whence the rest proceed and which adde a worthiness to all the rest it is good to see blessings as they issue from grace and mercy It much commends any blessing to see the love and favour of God in it which is more to be valued then the blessing it selfe as it much commends any thing that comes from us when we put a respect of thankfulnesse and love to God upon it and if we observe we shall find the unkindnesse of others to us is but a correction of our unkindnesse to God In praising God it is not good to delay but take advantage of the freshnesse of the blessing what we adde to delay we take from thankfulnesse and withall lose the prime and first fruits of our affections It is
advenâ—…re we may well looke for a returne 2. It is a signe God hath heard our prayers when hee stirres up thankfulâ—…e aforehand upon assurance thankfulnesse cannot be without either the â—…ce of God by which we are thankâ—…ll or some taste of the things we are thankfull for God often accepts the prayer when hee doth not grant the thing and will give us thereby occasion of thanksgiving for his wise care in changing one blessing for another fitter for us God regards my prayers when 〈◊〉 prayer my heart is wrought to that frame which he requires that is an humble subjection to him from an acknowledgement of my wants and his fulnesse There is nothing stirred up in our hearts by the Spirit no not so much as a gracious desire but God will answer it if we have a spirit to waite 3. We may know God hath accepted our prayer wheÌ„ he makes the way easie plain after prayer by a gracious providence when the course of things begin to change and we meete with comforts in stead of former crosses and finde our hearts quieted and encouraged against what we most feared 4. Likewise earnestnesse in prayer is a signe God heares our prayers as fire kindled from heaven sheweth God accepts the sacrifice the ground of prevailing by our prayer is that they are put up in a gracious name and for persons in favour and dictated by Gods owne spirit they work in the strength of the blessed Trinity not their owne giving God the glory of all his excellencies It is Gods direction to call upon him in trouble it is his promise to deliver and then both his direction and promise that we shall glorifie him When troubles stirre up prayer Gods answer to them will stirre up praises David when 〈◊〉 saith I shall praise God presupposes â—…d would deliver him that he might â—…ve ground of praising his name And 〈◊〉 knew God would deliver him beâ—…use as from faith he had prayed for deliverance so hee knew it was the order of Gods dealing to revive after drooping and refresh after fainting God knowes otherwise that our spirits would faile before him A thankfull disposition is a speciall â—…lp in an afflicted condition for thankfulnesse springs from love and love rejoyâ—… in suffering Thankfulnesse raises â—…e soule higher then it selfe it is a traâ—…g with God whereby as we by him â—…o be gaines by us Therefore the Saints â—…d this as a motive to God that hee would grant their desires because the â—…ing praise him and not the dead If God expect praise from us sure he will â—…t us into a condition of praise Unthankfulnesse is a sinne detestable â—…th to God and men and the lesse puâ—…hment it receives from humane lawes the more it is punished inwardâ—… by secret shame and outwardly by publique hatred if once it prove notorious When Gods arrests come forth foâ—… denying him his tribute he chiefly eyeâ—… an unthankfull heart and hates all sinne the worse as there is more unthankfulnesse in it the neglect of kindnesse is taken most unkindly Why should we load God with injuries that loadeth uâ—… with his blessings who would requiâ—…e good with evill Such mens mercies will prove at last so many inditements against them I beseech you therefore labour to be men of praises If in any duty wee may expect assistance we may in this that altogether concernes Gods glory the more we praise God the more we shall praise him When God by grace enlarges the will he intends to give the deede Gods children wherein their wilâ—… are conformable to Gods will are sure to have them fulfilled In a fruitfull ground a man will sow his best seed God intends his owne glory in every mercy and he that praises him glorifies him When our wills therefore cary us 〈◊〉 that which God wills above all wee â—…y well expect he will satisfie our deâ—…es The living God is a living founâ—…ine never drawne dry he hath never â—…one so much for us but hee can and will doe more If there be no end of our praises there shall be no end of his goodnesse no way of thriving like to 〈◊〉 By this meanes we are sure never 〈◊〉 be very miserable how can he bee dejected that by a sweet communion with God sets himselfe in heaven nay â—…keth his heart a kinde of heaven A Temple a holy of holies wherein Incense 〈◊〉 offered unto God It is the sweetest â—…anch of our Priestly office to offer â—…p these daily sacrifices It is not only â—…e beginning but a further entrance 〈◊〉 our heaven upon earth and shall bee â—…e day our whole imployment for eâ—…r Praise is a just and due tribute for all â—…s blessings for what else especially â—…e the best favours of God call for at â—…r hands How doe all creatures â—…aise God but by our mouthes It is a debt alwayes owing and alwayes paying and the more we pay the more we shall owe upon the due discharge of this debt the soule will finde much peace A thankfull heart to God for his blessings is the greatest blessing of all Were it not for a few gracious soules what honour should God have of the rest of the unthankfull world which should stirre us up the more to be trumpets of Gods praises in the midst of his enemies because this in some sort hath a prerogative above our praising God in heaven for there God hath no enemies to dishonour him This is a duty that none can except against because it is especially a work of the heart All cannot shew their thankfulnesse in giving or doing great matters but all may expresse the willingnesse of their hearts All within 〈◊〉 may praise his holy name though wee have little or nothing without us and that within us is the thing God chiefly requires Our heart is the Altar on which wee offer this Incense God lookes not to quantity but to proporâ—…ion he accepts a mite where there is â—…o more to be had But how shall we be enabled to this great â—…y Enter into a deep consideration of Gods â—…rs past present and to come think of the greatnesse and suteablenesse of them 〈◊〉 our condition the seasonablenesse â—…d necessity of them every way unto 〈◊〉 Consider how miserable our life â—…re without them even without â—…mon favours but as for spirituall â—…ours that make both our naturall â—…d civill condition comfortable our â—…y life were death our light were â—…nesse without these In all favours â—…ke not of them so much as Gods â—…cy and love in Christ which sweeâ—… them Thinke of the freenesse of 〈◊〉 love and the smallnesse of thy own â—…rts How many blessings doth God â—…tow upon us above our deserts yea â—…e our desires nay above our very â—…ghts He had thoughts of love to 〈◊〉 when wee had no thoughts of our â—…es What had we been if God had not been good unto us How many blessings hath
God bestowed upon us that we never prayed for and yet we are not so ready to praise God as to pray unto him this more desire of what we want then esteeming of what we have shews too much prevailing of self-love But Secondly comparing also our selves with others will adde a great lustre to Gods favour considering wee are all hewed out of one Rock and differ nothing from the meanest but in Gods free love Who are wee that God should single us out for the glory of his rich mercy Considering likewise that the blessings of God to us are such as if none but we â—…d them and God cares for us as if hee 〈◊〉 none else to care for in the world besides These things well pondered should set the greater price upon Gods blessings what are we in nature and grace bâ—… Gods blessings What is in us about us above us What see we taste wee enjoy we but blessings All wee have or hope to have are but dead favouâ—… to us unlesse we put life into them by 〈◊〉 spirit of Thankfulnesse And shall we â—…e as dead as the earth as the stones â—…ee tread on Shall we live as if wee were resolved God should have no praise by us Shall we make our selves God ascribing all to our selves Nay shall we as many doe fight against God with his owne favours and turne Gods blessings against himselfe Shall we abuse peace to security Plenty to ease promises to presumption gifts to pride How can we please the devill better then thus doing Oh! the wonderfull patience of God to continue â—…e to those whose life is nothing else 〈◊〉 a warring against him the giver of â—…e As God hath thoughts of love to us so should our thoughts be of praises to â—…m and of doing good in our places â—…o others for his sake Think with thy selfe Is there any I may honour God by releeving comforting counselling 〈◊〉 there any of Ionat hans race Is there â—…y of Christs deare ones I will doe good to them that they together with me and for me may praise God As David here checks himselfe for the failing and disquietnesse of his Spirit and as a cure thereof thinkes of praising God So let us in the like case stir up our soules as he did and say Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me set forth his holy name Wee never use our spirits to better purpose then when by that light we have from God wee stirre them up to looke back againe to him By this it will appeare to what good purposes we had a being here in the world and were brought into communion with Christ by the Gospell The cariage of all things to the right end shewes whose we are and whither we tend It abundantly appeares by Godâ—… revealing of himselfe many wayes to us as by Promises Sacraments Sabbaths c. that hee intended to raise up our hearts to this heavenly duty The whole gracious dispensation of God in Christ tends to this that our cariage should be nothing else but an expression of Thankfulnesse to him that by a free cheerefull and gracious disposition we might shew we are the people of Gods free grace set at liberty from the spirit of bondage to serve him without feare with a voluntary child-like service all the dayes of our lives CHAP. XXIX Of Gods manifold salvation for his people And why open or expressed in the countenance Proceed Hee is the salvation of my countenance As David strengthens his trust in God by reason fetcht from the future goodnesse of God apprehended by faith so hee strengthens that reason with another reason fetcht from God whom he apprehends here as the salvation of his countenance Wee need reason against reason and reason upon reason to steele and strengthen the soule against the on-set of contrary reasons He is the salvation of my countenance that is He will so save as I shall see and my enemies shall see it and upon seeing my countenance shall bee cheared and lifted up Gods saving kindnesse shall be read in my countenance so that all who looke on mee shall say God hath spoken peace to my soule as well as brought peace to my condition He saith not salvation but salvations because as our life is subject to many miseries in soule body and state publique and private c. so God hath ma ny salvations If we have a thousand troubles he hath a thousand wayes of help as he hath more blessings then one so hee hath more salvations then one He saves our soules from sin our bodies from danger and our estates from trouble He is the redeemer of his people and not onely so but with him is plenteous redemption of all persons of all parts both of body and soule from all ill both of sinne and misery for all times both now and hereafter He is an everlasting salvation David doth not say God will save me but God is salvation it self and nothing but salvation Our sinnes onely stop the current of his mercy but it being above all our sinnes will soone scatter that cloud remove that stop and then we shall see and feele nothing but salvation from the Lord. All his vayes are mercy and peace to a repentant soule that casts it selfe upon him Christ himselfe is nothing else but salvation clothed in our flesh So olde Simeon conceived of him when he had him in his armes and was willing thereupon to yeeld up his spirit to God having seen Christ the salvation of God when we embrace Christ in the armes of our Faith we embrace nothing but salvation Hee makes up that sweet name given him by his Father and brought from heaven by an Angell to the full a name in the Faith of which it is impossible for any beleeving soule to sinke The devill in trouble presents God to us as a revenging destroyer and unbeleefe presents him under a false vizard but the skill of faith is to present him as a Saviour clothed with salvation Wee should not so much looke what destruction the devill and his threaten as what salvation God promiseth To God belongs the issues of death and of all other troubles which are lesser deathes Cannot he that hath vouchsafed an issue in Christ from eternall death vouchsafe an issue from all temporall evills If hee will raise our bodies can he not raise our conditions He that brought us into trouble can easily make a way out of it when hee pleaseth This should bee a ground of resolute and absolute obedience even in our greatest extremities considering God will either deliver us from death or by death and at length out of death So then when we are in any danger we see whither to goe for salvation even to him that is nothing else but salvation but then we must trust in him as David doth and conceive of him as salvation that we may trust
in him If we will not trust in salvation what will we trust in and if salvation it self cannot save us what can out of salvation there is nothing but destruction which those that seeke it any where out of God are sure to meet with How pittifull then is their case who goe to a destroyer for salvation that seeke for help from hell Here also we see to whom to return praise in all our deliverances even to the God of our salvation The virgin Mary was stirred up to magnifie the Lord but why Her spirit rejoyced in God her Saviour Whosoever is the instrument of any good yet salvation is of the Lord whatsoever brings it hee sends it Hence in their holy feasts for any deliverance the cup they drank of was called the Cup of salvation and therefore David when he summons his thoughts what to render unto God hee resolves upon this to take the Cup of salvation But alwayes remember this that when we thinke of God as salvation wee must thinke of him as hee is in Christ to his For so every thing in God is saving even his most terrible attributes of justice and power out of Christ the sweetest things in God are terrible Salvation it selfe will not save out of Christ who is the onely way of salvation called the way the truth and the life David addeth He is the salvations of my countenance that is hee will first speake salvation to my soule and say I am thy salvation and when the heart is cheered which is as it were the Sâ—… of this little world the beames of that joy will shine in the countenance True joy begins 〈◊〉 the center and so passeth to the circumference the outward man The countenance is as the glasse of the soul wherein you may see the naked face of the soule according as the severall affections thereof stand In the coutenance of an understanding creature you may see more then a bare countenance The spirit of one man may see the countenance of anothers inner man in his outward countenance which hath a speech of its owne and declares what the heart saith and how it is affected But how comes God to be the salvation of our countenance Answ. I answer God onely graciously â—…nes in the face of Jesus Christ which 〈◊〉 with the eye of faith beholding receive those beames of his grace and reâ—…ct them backe againe God shineth â—…on us first and we shine in that light â—…f his countenance upon us The joy of salvation especially of spirituall and â—…all salvation is the onely true joy all other salvations end at last in destruction and are no further comfortable then they issue from Gods saving love God will have the body partake with the soule as in matter of griefe so in matter of joy the lanthorne shines in the light of the Candle within Againe God brings forth the joy of the heart into the countenance for the further â—…eading and multiplying of joy to others Next unto the sight of the sweet countenance of God is the beholding of the cheerefull countenance of a Christian friend rejoycing from true grounds Whence it is that the joy of one becomes the joy of maâ—… and the joy of many meet in one by which meanes as many lights together make the greater light so many lightsome spirits make the greater light of spirit and so God receiveth the more praise which makes him so much to delight in the prosperity of his children Hence it is that in any deliverance of Gods people the righteous doe compasse them about to know what God hath done for their soules and keep a spirituall Feast with them in partaking of their joy And the godly have cause to joy in the deliverance of other Christians because they suffered in their afflictions and it may be in their sinnes the cause of them which made them somewhat ashamed Whence it is that Davids great desire was that those who feared God might not be ashamed because of him insinuating that those who feare Gods name are ashamed of the falls of Gods people Now when God delivers them this reproach is removed and those that had part in their sorow have part in their joy Againe God will have salvation so open that it shall appeare in the countenance of his people the more to daunt and vexe the enemies Cainish hypocrites hang downe their heads when God lifts up the countenance of their brethren when the countenance of Gods children cleares up then their enemies hearts and looks are cloudy Ierusalems joy is Babylons sorow It it with the Church her enemies as it is with a ballance the scales whereof when one is up the other is downe Whilst Gods people are under a cloud carnall people insult over them as if they were men deserted of God Wherupon they hang down their heads the rather because they think that by reason of their sins Christ his Religion will suffer with them Hence Davids care was that the miseries of Gods people should not be told in Gath. The chief reason why the enemies of the Church gnash their teeth at the sight of Gods gracious dealing is that they take the rising of the Church to bee a presage of their ruine A lesson which Hamans wife had learned This is a comfort to us in these times of Iacobs trouble and Zions sorrow The captivity of the Church shall returne as rivers in the South Therefore the Church may say Reioyce not over me O my enemy though I am fallen I shall rise againe Though Christs Spouse be now as black as the Pots yet shee shall be white as the Dove If there were not great dangers where were the glory of Gods great deliverance The Church at length will be as a Cup of trembling and as a burthensome stone The blood of the Saints cry their enemies violence cryes the prayers of the Church cry for deliverance and vengeance upon the enemies of the Church and as that importunate widow will at length prevaile Shall the importunity of one poore woman prevaile with an unrighteous Iudge and shall not the prayers of many that cry unto the righteous God take effect If there were Armies of Prayers as there are Armies of men wee should see the streame of things turned another way A few Mosesâ—… the Mount would doe more good then many souldiers in the valley If wee would lift up our hearts and hands to God he would lift up our countenance But alas wee either pray not or crosse our owne prayers for want of love to the truth of God and his people It is wee that keepe Antichrist and his faction alive to plague the unthankfull world The strength he hath is not from his owne cause but from our want of zeale we hinder those Halâ—…luiahs by private brabbles coldnesse and indifferency in Religion The Church begins at this time a little to lift up
her head again Now is the time to follow God with prayers that hee would perfect his owne worke and plead his owne cause that he would be revenged not onely of ours but his enemies that he would wholly free his Church from that miserable bondage These beginnings give our faith some â—…old to be encouraged to goe to God for the fulfilling of his gracious promise that the Church may rejoyce in the salvation of the Lord. God doth but look for some to seek unto him Christ doth but stay untill hee is awaked by our prayers But it is to be feared that God hath not yet perfected his worke in Zion The Church is not yet fully prepared for a full and glorious deliverance If God had once his ends in the humiliation of the Church for sinnes past with resolution of reformation for the time to come then this age perhaps might see the salvation of the Lord which the generations to come shall be witnesse of wee should see Zion in her perfect beauty The generations of those that came out of Egypt saw and enjoyed the pleasant land which their progenitors were shut out of who by reason of their murmuring and looking back to Egypt and forgetfulnesse of the wonders which God had done for and before them perished in the wildernesse There is little cause therefore of envying the present flourishing of the enemies of the Church and of joyning and colluding with them for it will prove the wisest resolution to resolve to fall and rise with the Church of Christ considering the enemies themselves shall say God hath done great things for them Kings shall lay their Crowns at Christs feet and bring all their glory to the Church And for every Christian this may be a comfort that though their light for a time may be eclipsed yet it shall break forth David at this time was accounted 〈◊〉 enemie of the State had a world of false imputations laid upon him which hee was very sensible of yet wee see here he knew at length God would bee the salvation of his countenance But some as Gideon may object if 〈◊〉 intend to be so gracious why is it thus with us The answer is Salvation is Gods own worke humbling and casting downe is his strange worke whereby he comes to his owne worke For when hee intends to save he will seeme to destroy first and when hee will justifie he will condemne first whom hee will revive hee will kill first Grace and goodnesse countenanced by God have a native â—…red Majesty in them which maketh â—…e face to shine and borroweth not its lustre from without which God at length will have to appeare in its owne likenesse howsoever malice may cast a vaile thereon and disguise it for a time And though wickednesse as it is base borne and a child of darknesse may shelter it selfe under authority a while yet it shall hide it selfe and runne into corners The comfort of comforts is that at that great day the day of all dayes that day of the Revelation of the righteous Iudgement of God the rightous shall then shine as the Sunne in the firmament then Christ will come to be glorious in his Saints and will be the salvation of the countenance of all 〈◊〉 Then all the workes of darknesse shall be driven out of countenance and adjudged to the place from whence they came In the meane time let us with David support our selves with the hopes of these times CHAP. XXX Of God our God and of particular application MY God These words imply a speciall interest that the holy man had in God as his God being the ground of all which was said before both of the duty of trusting and of praising and of the salvation that hee expected from God He is my God therefore be not disquiâ—…d but trust him He is my God therefore hee will give mee matter to praise him and will be the salvation of my countenance God hath some speciall ones in the world to whom he doth as it were â—…e over himselfe and whose God he 〈◊〉 by vertue of a more speciall covenant whence we have these excellent expressions I will be your God and you shall be my people I will be your Father and you shall be my sonnes and daughters Since the fall wee having lost our communion with God the chiefe good our happinesse stands in recovering againe fellowship with him For this end wee were created and for this redeemed and for effecting of this the Word and Sacraments are sanctified to us yea and for this end God himselfe out of the bowels of his compassion vouchsafed to enter into a gracious covenant with us founded upon Jesus Christ and his satisfaction to divine justice so that by Faith wee become one with him and receive him as offered of his Father to be all in all to us Hence it is that CHRIST hath his name Immanuel God with us Not onely because hee is God and man too both natures meeting in one person but because being God in our nature he hath undertooke this office to bring God and us together The maine end of Christs comming and suffering was to reconcile and to gather together in one and as Peter expresseth it to bring man againe to God Immanuel is the bond of this happy agreement and appeares for ever in heaven to make it good As the comfort hereof is great so the foundation of it is sure and everlasting God will be our God so long as he is Christs God and because hee is Christs God Thus the Father of the faithfull and all other holy men before Christ apprehended God to be their God in the Messias to come Christ was the ground of their interest Hee was yesterday to them as well as to day to us Hence it is that God is called the portion of his people and they his jewels he their onely rock and strong Tower and they his peculiar ones Well may we wonder that the great God should stoope so low to enter into such a covenant of grace and peace founded upon such a Mediator with such utter enemies base creatures sinfull dust and ashes as we are This is the wonderment of Angels a torment of devils and glory of our nature and persons and will be matter of admiration and praising God unto us for all eternity As God offereth himselfe to be ours in Christ else durst we lay no claime to him so there must be in us an appropriating grace of faith to lay hold of this offer David saith here My God But by what spirit by a spirit of faith which looking to Gods offer maketh it his owne whatsoever it layes hold of God offereth himselfe in covenant and Faith catcheth hold thereon presently With a gracious offer of God there goeth a gracious touch of his spirit to the soule giving it sight and strength whereby being ayded by the same spirit it layeth
workes If I be a Father where is mine boâ—…r Speciall relations are speciall enforcements to duty 4. The spirit of God which knowes the deep things of God and the depths of our hearts doth reveale this mutuall interest betwixt God and those that are his it being a principall worke of the spirit to seale this unto the soule by discovering such a cleare and particular light in the use of meanes as swaieth the soule to yeeld up it selfe wholy to God When we truly trust wee may say with S. Paul I know whom I have trusted he knew both that he trusted and whom he trusted The spirit of God that reveales God to be ours and stirres up faith in him both reveales this trust to our soules and the interest we have in God thereby The Lord is my portion saith my soul but God said so to it first If instinct of nature teaches dammes to know their young ones and their yong ones them in the middest of those that are alike shall not the spirit of God much more teach the soule to know its owne father As none knowes what is in man but the spirit of man so none knowes what love God beares to those that are his but the spirit of God in his All the light in the world cannot discover the Sunne unto us onely it discovers it selfe by its own â—…eames So all the Angels and Saints 〈◊〉 heaven cannot discover to our soules â—…he love that is in the breast of God towards us but onely the spirit of God which sheds it into our hearts The spirit onely teaches this language to say my God It is infused onely into sanctified hearts and therefore oft-times meane men enjoy it when great wise and learned persons are strangers to it 5. The spirit when it witnesseth this to us is called the spirit of adoption and hath alwayes accompanying of it a spirit of supplication whereby with a familiar yet reverent boldnesse wee lay open our hearts to God as to a deere Father All others are strangers to this heavenly intercourse In straits they run to their friends and carnall shifts whereas an heire of heaven runs to his Father and tells him of all 6. Those that are Gods are known to be his by speciall love-tokens that â—…e bestowes upon them As 1. the speciall graces of his spirit Princes children are knowne by their costly jewels and rich ornaments It is not common gifts and glorious parts that set a character upon us to be Gods but grace to use those gifts in humility and love to the glory of the giver 2. There is in them a sutablenesse and connaturalnesse of heart to all that is spirituall to whatsoever hath Gods stampe upon it as his truth and his children and that because they are his By this likenesse of disposition wee are fashioned to a communion with him Can two walke together and not be agreed It is a certaine evidence that we are Gods in Christ if the spirit of God hath wrought in us any impression like unto Christ who is the image of his Father both Christs looking upon us and our looking upon Christ by faith as ours hath a transforming and conforming power 3. Spirituall comforts in distresse such as the world can neither give nor take away shew that God lookes upon the soules of his with another eye then he beholdeth others He sends a secret messenger that reports his peculiar love to their hearts He knowes their soules and feeds them with his hidden Manna the inward peace they feele is not in freedome from trouble but in freenesse with God in the midst of trouble 4. Seasonable and sanctified corrections wherby we are kept from being led away by the errour of the wicked shew Gods fatherly care over us as his Who will trouble himselfe in correcting another mans childe yet we oftner complaine of the smart wee feele then thinke of the tender heart and hand that smites us untill our spirits be subdued and then we reape the quiet fruit of righteousnesse Where crosses worke together for the best we may know that we love God and are loved of him Thriving in a sinfull course is a black marke of one that is not Gods 7. Then wee make it appeare that God is our God when wee side with him and are for him and his cause in ill times When God seems to cry out unto us who is on my side who Then if wee can say as those in Esay whereof one sayes I am the Lords and another calls himselfe by the name of Jacob and another subscribes with his hand unto the Lord it s a blessed signe Thus the Patriarchs and Prophets Apostles and Martyrs were not ashamed of God and God was not ashamed to own theÌ„ Provided that this boldnesse for God proceed not onely from a conviction of the judgement but from spirituall experience of the goodnesse of the cause whereby we can justifie in heart what we justifie in words Otherwise men may contend for that with others which they have no interest in themselves The life must witnesse for God as well as the tongue it is oft easier for corrupt nature to part with life then with lust This siding with God is with a separation from whatsoever is contrary God useth this as an argument to come out of Babylon because we are his people Come out of her My people Religion is nothing else but a gathering and a binding of the soule close to God that fire which gathers together the gold separates the drosse Nature drawes out that which is wholesome in meates â—…nd severs the contrary The good â—…hat is to be had by God is by cleaâ—…ing to him and him onely God loves 〈◊〉 ingenuous and full protestation if â—…alled to it It shewes the coldnesse of â—…he times wheÌ„ there is not heat enough â—…f zeale to separate from a contrary â—…ith God is a jealous God and so wee â—…all finde him at last When the day of severing comes then they that have â—…ood for him shall not onely be his but his treasure and his jewels There is none of us all but may some time or other fall into such a great extremity that when wee looke â—…bout us we shall finde none to help â—…s at which time we shall throughly â—…now what it is to have comfort from heaven and a God to goe unto If there be any thing in the world worth labouring for it is the getting sound evidence to our soules that God is ours What madnesse is it to spend all our labour to possesse our selves of the Cisterne when the fountaine is offered to â—…s O beloved the whole world cannot weigh against this one comfort that God is ours All things laid in the other ballance would be too light A Moath may corrupt a theefe may take away that we have here but who can take our God away Though God doth convey some
comfort to us by these things yet when they are gone he reserves the comfort in himself still and can convey that and more in a purer and sweeter way where hee plants the grace of faith to fetch it from him Why then should we weaken our interest in God for any thing this earth affords What unworthy wretches are those that to please a sinfull man or to feede a base lust or to yeeld to a wicked custome will as much as in them lyeth lose their interest in God Such little consider what an excellent priviledge it is to have a sure refuge to flye unto in time of trouble God wants not wayes to maintaine his without being beholding to the devill He hath all help hid in himselfe and will then most shew it when it shall make most for his owne glory If God be ours it is a shame to bee beholding to the devill that ever it should bee said Sathan by base courses hath made us rich God thinkes any outward thing too meane for his children severed from himselfe therefore he gives his Son the expresse â—…age of himselfe unto them For which cause David when he had even studied to reckon up the number of Gods choise blessings concludes with advancing of this above all yea rather happy â—…e they whose God is the Lord. If this will not satisfie the soule what can Labour therefore to bring thy soule to this point with God Lord if thou seest it â—…t take away all from me so thou leavest â—…e thy selfe whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I deâ—…re in comparison of thee CHAP. XXXII Of improving our evidences for comfort in severall passages of our lives THat wee lose not any measure of comfort in this so sweet a priviledge wee must labour for skill to improve implead the same in the severall passages and occasions of our lives and let it appeare in the retaile that whatsoever is in God is mine If I am in a perplexed condition his wisdome is mine If in great danger his power is mine If I lie sighing under the burthen of sinne his grace is mine If in any want his all-sufficiency is mine My God saith S. Paul will supply all your wants If in any danger I am thine Lord save me I am thine the price of thy Sonnes blood let me not be lost thou hast given me the earnest of thy Spirit and set thy seale upon me for thy own let me neither lose my bargaine nor thou thine What is Religion it selfe but a spirituall bond whereby the soule is tyed to God as its owne and then singles out of God whatsoever is â—…eedfull for any occasion and so binds God with his owne covenant and proâ—…ise Lord thou hast made thy selfe to bee â—…ine therefore now shew thy selfe so and 〈◊〉 exalted in thy wisdome goodnesse and â—…er for my defence Towalke comfortaâ—…ly in my Christian course I need much â—…race supply me out of thy rich store I â—…d wisdome to goe in and out inoffensively â—…fore others furnish me with thy spirit I â—…ed patience and comfort thou that art 〈◊〉 God of all consolation bestow it on me In time of desertion put Christ beâ—…ixt God and thy soule and learne to â—…peale from God out of Christ to God in Christ. Lord looke upon my â—…aviour that is neere unto thee as thy â—…nne neere to me as my Brother and â—…ow intercedes at thy right hand for â—…e though I have sinned yet he hath â—…ffered and shed his precious blood to â—…ake my peace When we are in any â—…ouble let us still wait on him and lye 〈◊〉 his feet and never let him goe till â—…e cast a gracious looke upon us So if we be to deale with God for the Church abroad we may alleadge unto him that whatsoever provocations are therein and deformity in regard of abuses and scandals yet it is his Church his people his inheritance his name is called upon in it and the enemies of it are his enemies God hath engaged himselfe to the friends of the Church that they shall prosper that love it and therefore we may with a holy boldnesse presse him for a blessing upon the same So for our children and posterity we may encline God to respect them because they are under his covenant who hath promised to be our God and the God of our seed Thine they were thou gavest them me all that I have is thine these are those children which thou of thy rich grace hast given me They are thine more then mine I am but a meanes under thee to bring them into the world and to bee a Nurse unto thy children Take care therefore of thine owne children I beseech thee especially when I can take no care of them my selfe thou slumberest not thou dyest not I must Flesh and blood think nothing is cared for but what it seeth cared for by itselfe It hath no eyes to see a guard of Providence a guard of Angells It takes no knowledge that that is best cared for that God cares for Those that have God for their God have enlarged hearts as they have enlarged comforts They have an everlasting spring that supplies them in all wants refreshes them in all troubles and then runnes most clearely and freshly when all other streames in the world are dryed and stopt up Were we skilfull in the â—…t of faith to improve so great an interest what in the world could much dismay us faith will set God against all It should fill our hearts with an holy indignation against our selves if either we rest in a condition wherein we cannot truly say God is Our God or if when we can in some sincerity of heart say this that we make no better advantage thereby and maintaine not our selves answerable to such a condition What a shame is it for a Noble mans sonne to live like a beggar for a great rich man to live like a poore peasant to famish at a banquet to fall when we have so many stayes to lay hold on Whereas if we could make this cleare to our soules that God is ours and then take up our thoughts with the great riches wee have in him laid open in Christ and in the promises wee need trouble our selves about nothing but onely get a large vessell of faith to receive what is offered nay enforced upon us When we can say God is our God it is more then if we could say heaven is mine or whatever good the creature affords is mine Alas what is all this to be able to say God is mine who hath in him the sweetnes of all these things and infinite more If God bee ours goodnesse it selfe is ours If hee be not ours though we had all things else yet ere long nothing would be ours What a wondrous comfort is this that God hath put himselfe over to be ours That a beleeving soul may say with as great confidence and greater too
of it neither is 〈◊〉 to bee attained or maintained without the strength and prime of our care I speake especially of and in regard of the sense and comfort of it For the sense of Gods favour will not bee kept without keeping him in our best affections above all things in the world without keeping of our hearts alwayes close and neere to him which cannot bee without keeping a most narrow watch over our loose and unsetled hearts that are ready to stray from God and fall to the creature It cannot be kept without exact and circumspect walking without constant self-deniall without a continuall preparation of spirit to want and forsake any thing that God seeth fit to take from us But what of all this Can we crosse our selves or spend our labours to better purpose one sweet beam of Gods countenance will requite all this We beat not the ayre we plow not in the sand neither sowe in a barren soile God is no barren wildernesse Nay hee never shewes so much of himselfe as in suffering and parting with any thing for him and denying our selves of that which wee thinke stands not with his will Great persons require great observance We can deny our selves and have mens persons in great admiration for hope of some advantage and is any more willing and more able to advance â—…s then the great al-sufficient God A Christian indeed undergoes more troubles takes more paines especially with his owne heart then others doe But what are these to his gaines What returne so rich as trading with God What comforts so great as these that â—…re fetched from the fountaine One day spent in enjoying the light of Gods countenance is sweeter then a thousand without it Wee see here when David was not onely shut out from all comforts but lay under many grievances what a fruitfull use he makes of this that God was his God It upholdâ—…h his dejected it stilleth his unquiet soule it leadeth him to the rock that was higher then he and there stayeth him It â—…eth him with comfortable hopes of better times to come It sets him above himselfe and all troubles and feares whatsoever Therefore waite still in the use of meanes till God shine upon thee yea though wee know our sinnes in Christ are pardoned yet there is something more that a gracious heart waites for that is a good looke from God a further enlargement of heart and an establishing in grace It was not enough for David to have his sinnes pardoned but to recover the joy of salvation and freedome of spirit Therefore the soul should alwayes be in a waiting condition even untill it bee filled with the fulnesse of God as much as it is capable of Neither is it quiet alone or comfort alone that the soule longs after no nor the favour of God alone but a gracious heart to walke worthy of God It rests not whilest any thing remaines that may breed the least strangenesse betwixt God and us CHAP. XXXIII Of experience and Faith and how to wait on God comfortably Helps thereto My God THese words further imply a speciall experience that David's soule had felt of the goodnesse of God hee had found God distilling the comfort of his goodnesse and truth through the promises and he knew he should finde God againe the same he was if hee put him in minde of his former gracious dealing His soule knew right well how good God was and he could seal to those truths he had found comfort by therefore he thus speakes to his soule My soule what my soule that hast found God so good so oft so many wayes thou My soule to be discouraged having God and My God with whom I have taken so much sweet counsell and felt so much comfort from and found alwayes heretofore to sticke so close unto me Why shouldst thou now bee in such a case as if God and thou haâ—… beene strangers one to another If we could treasure up experiments the former part of our life would come in to help the latter and the longer we live the richer in faith we should be Even as in victories every former overthrow of an enemy helps to obraine a succeeding victory The use of a sanctified memory is to lose nothing that may help in time of need Hee had need be a well tryed and a known friend upon whom wee lay all our salvation and comfort We ought to trust God upon other grounds though wee had never tryed him but when hee helps our faith by former experience this should strengthen our confidence and shore up our spirits and put us on to goe more cheerefully to God as to a tried friend If we were well read in the story of our owne lives wee might have a divinity of our owne drawn out of the observation of Gods particular dealing towards us we might say this this truth I dare venture upon I have found it true I dare build all my happinesse upâ—… it As Paul I know whom I have trustâ—…d I have tryed him he never yet failed â—…e I am not now to learn how faithfull â—…e is to those that are his Every new experience is a new knowledge of God â—…nd should fit us for new encounters If we have been good in former times God remembers the kindnesse of our â—…uth we should therefore remember the kindnesse of God even from our youth Evidence of what we have felt helps our faith in that which for the present we feele not Though it bee one thing to live by saith and another thing to live by sight yet the more wee see and feele and â—…aste of God the more we shall be led â—…o rely on him for that which as yet we neither see nor feele Because thou hast â—…een my helper saith David therefore in â—…be shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce The time was Lord when thou shewedst thy selfe a gracious Father to me and thou art unchangeable in thy nature in â—…hy love and in thy gifts Yea when there is no present evidence but God shewes himselfe 〈◊〉 contrary to us yet a former taste 〈◊〉 Gods goodnesse will enable to lay claime unto him still Gods concealing of himselfe is but a wise discipline for a time untill we be enabled to beare the full revealing of himselfe unto us for ever In the meane time though we have some sight and feeling of God yet our constant living is not by it the evidence of that we see not is that which more constantly upholds the soule then the evidence of any thing we see or feele Yea though our experience by reason of our not minding of it in trouble seemes many times to stand us in no stead but we fare as if God had never looked in mercy upon us Yet even here some vertue remaines of former sense which with the present spirit of faith helps us to looke upon God as ours As wee have a present strength from food received and digested before
vessels are something the better for that liquor they keep not but runs through them But if experience should wholly fail â—…ere is such a divine power in faith as 〈◊〉 very little beame of it having no other help then a naked promise will uphold the soule howsoever we must neglect no help for God oft suspends his comfort till wee have searched all our helps Though we see no light yet we ought to search alcrevises for light and rejoyce in the least beam of light that we may see day by It is the nature of true faith to search and pry into every corner and if after all nothing appeares then it casts it selfe upon God as in the first conversion when it had nothing to looke upon but the offer of free mercy If at that time without former experience wee did trust God Why not now when we have forgotten our experience the chiefe grounds of trusting God are alwayes the same whether we feele or feel not nay though for the present wee feele the contrary faith will never leave wrastling till it hath gotten a blessing When faith is driven to work alone having nothing but God and his bare promise to rely upon then God thinks it lies upon his credit to shew himselfe as a God unto us Gods power in creating light out of darknes is never more exalted then when a guilty soul is lifted up by God to look for mercy even when he seems armed with justice to execute vengeance upon him then the soul is brought to a neere conformity unto Christ who 1. when he had the guilt of the sins of the whole world upon him 2. When he was forsaken and that after he had enjoyed the sweetest communion with his Father that ever creature could do And not only so but 3. felt the weight of Gods just displeasure against sin and 4. was abased lower then ever any creature was yet still hee held fast God as his God In earthly matters if we have a Title to any thing by gift contract inheritance or howsoever wee will not bee wrangled out of our right And shall we not maintain our right in God against all the tricks cavils of Satan our own hearts We must labor to have something that we may shew that we are within the covenant If we be never 〈◊〉 little entred into the covenaÌ„t we are â—…e And herein lies the speciall coÌ„fort 〈◊〉 sincerity that though our grace bee â—…ttle yet it is of the right stampe and â—…hews us that we are servants and sons though unworthy to be so Here a little â—…uth will goe farre Hence it is that the â—…aints in all their extremities stil alledg somthing that shews that they are within the covenaÌ„t We are thy childreÌ„ thy people thy servaÌ„ts c. God is mindful of his covenant but is well pleased that we should mind him of it too minde it our selves to make use of it as David doth here Hee knew if he could bring His soul to His God all would be quiet God is so ready to mercy that he delighteth in it and delighteth in Christ through whom hee may shew mercy notwithstaÌ„ding his justice as being fully satisfied in Christ. Mercy is his name that he will be known by It is his glory which we behold in the face of Christ who is nothing but grace and mercy it selfe Nay he pleadâ—… reasons for mercy even from the sinfulnesse and misery of his creature and maintaines his owne mercy against all the wrangling cavills of flesh and blood that would put mercy from them and hearken more willingly to Sathans objections then Gods arguments till at length God subdues their spirits so farre as they become ashamed for standing out so long against him How ready will God be to shew mercy to us when we seeke it that thus presseth upon us when we seeme to refuse it If God should take advantage of our way wardnesse what would become of us Sathans course is to discourage those that God would have encouraged and to encourage those whom God never speakes peace unto and hee thinkes to gaine both wayes Our care therefore should be when we resolve upon Gods wayes to labour that no discouragement fasten upon us seeing God and his word speake all comfort to us And because the best of a Christian is to come we should raise up our spirits to waite upon God for that mercy which is yet to come All inferiour waitings for good things here doe but â—…aine us up in the comfortable expeâ—…ation of the maine This waiting on God requires a great strength of grace by reason not onely 〈◊〉 of the excellency of the things waiâ—…ed for which are farre beyond any thing we can hope for in the world â—…ut 2. in regard of the long day which God takes before hee performeth his promise and 3. from thence the tediousnesse of delay 4. The many troubles of life in our way 5. The great apposition we meet with in the world 〈◊〉 and scandalls oft times even from them that are in great esteeme for Religion 7. together with the untowardâ—…esse of our nature in being ready to be put off by the least discouragement In these respects there must be more then 〈◊〉 humane spirit to hold up the soule â—…d cary it along to the end of that which we wait for But if God be our God that love which engaged him to binde himselfe to us in precious promises will furnish 〈◊〉 likewise with grace needfull till we be possessed of them Hee will give us leave to depend upon him both for happinesse and all sanctifying and quieting graces which may support the soule till it come to its perfect rest in God For God so quiets the hearts of his children as withall he makes them better and fitter for that which he provides for them grace and peace goe together Our God is the God of grace and peace of such graces as breed peace 1. As he is a God of love nay love it selfe to us so a taste of his love raising up our love is better then wine full of nothing but encouragement it will fetch up a soule from the deepest discouragement this grace quickneth all other graces it hath so much spirits in it as will sweeten all conditions Love inables to waite as Iacob for Lea seaven yeares Nothing is hard to love it caries all the powers of the soule with it 2. As he is a God of hope so by this grace as an anchor fastned in heaven within the vaile he stayeth the soule that though as a Ship at Anchor it may be tossed and moved yet not removed from its station This hope as corke will â—…eep the soul though in some heavinesse from sinking and as an Helmet â—…eare off the blowes that they endanger not our life 3. As God is a God of hope so by hope of patience which is
a grace wherâ—…y the soule resigneth up it self to God â—…n humble submission to his will because he is our God as David in extremity comforted himselfe in the Lord his God Patience breeds comfort because it brings experience with it of Gods owâ—…ing of us to be His. The soul shod and â—…enced with this is prepared against all â—…bs and thornes in our way so as wee â—…e kept from taking offence All troubles we suffer doe but help patience to its perfect worke by subduing the unbroken sturdinesse of our spirits when wee feele by experience wee get but more blowes by standing out against God 4. The Spirit of God likewise is a spirit of meeknesse whereby though the â—…ul be sensible of evill yet it modeâ—…tes such distempers as would otherwise rob a man of himselfe and together with patience keepeth the soul in possession of it selfe It stayes murmurings and frettings against God or man It sets and keepes the soul in tune It is that which God as hee workes so hee much delights in and sets a price upon it as the chiefe ornament of the soul. The meek of the earth seek God and are hid in the day of his wrath whereas high spirits that compasse themselves with pride as with a chain thinking to set out themselves by that which is their shame are looked upon by God a farre off Meek persons will bow when others break they are raised when others are pluckt down and stand when others that mount upon the wings of vanity fall these prevaile by yeelding and are Lords of themselves and other things else more then other unquiet spirited men the blessings of heaven and earth attend on these 5. So likewise contentednesse with our estate is needfull for a waiting condition and this we have in Our God being able to give the soul full satisfaction For outward things God knowes â—…ow to dyet us If our condition be not 〈◊〉 our minde he will bring our minde 〈◊〉 our condition If the spirit bee too â—…gge for the condition it is never quiâ—… therefore God will levell both Those wants be well supplyed that are made up with contentednesse and with â—…hes of a higher kinde If the Lordâ—…e â—…e our Shepheard we can want nothing This lifteth the weary hands and feeble â—…ees even under chastisement wherein though the soule mourneth in the sence of Gods displeasure yet it rejoyceth in his Fatherly care 6. But patience and contentment are â—…o low a condition for the soul to rest 〈◊〉 therefore the spirit of God raiseth it vp to a spirituall enlargement of joy So much joy so much light and so much hight so much scattering of darknesse of â—…pirit We see in nature how a little light will prevaile over the thickest clouds of darknesse a little fire wastes a great â—…eale of drosse The knowledge of God to be our God brings such a light of joy into the soul as driveth outâ—… dark uncomfortable conceits this light makes lightsome If the light of knowledge alone makes bold much more the light of joy arising from our communion and interest in God How can wee enjoy God and not joy in him A soule truely cheerefull rejoyceth that God whom it loveth should think it worthy to endure any thing for him This joy often ariseth to a spirit of glory even in matter of outward abasement if the trouble accompanyed with disgrace continue the spirit of glory rests upon us and it will rest so long untill it make us more then Conquerours even then when we seeme conquered for not onely the cause but the spirit riseth higher the more the enemies labour to keepe it under as we see in Stephen With this joy goeth a spirit of courage and confidence What can daunt that soule which in the greatest troubles hath made the great God to be its owne Such a spirit dares bid defiance to all opposite power setting the soule above the world having a spirit larger and higher then the world and seeing all but God beneath it as being in heaven already in its head After Moses and Micah had seene God in his favour to them how little did they regard the angry countenances of those mighty Princes that were in their times the terrours of the world The courage of a Christian is not onely against sensible danger and of flesh and bloud but against principalities and powers of darknesse against the whole kingdome of Sathan the god of the world whom hee knowes shortly shall be trodden under his feet Sathan and his may for a time exercise us but they cannot hurt us True beleevers are so many Kings and Queens so many Conquerours over that which others are slaves to they can overcome themselves in revenge they can despise those things that the world admires and see an excellency in that which the world sets light by they can set upon spirituall duties which the world cannot tell how to goe about and endure that which others tremble to think of and that upon wise reasons and a sound foundation they can put off themselves and be content to be nothing so their God may appeare the greater and dare undertake and undergoe any thing for the glory of their God This courage of Christians among the Heathens was counted obstinacy but they knew not the power of the spirit of Christ in his which is ever strongest when they are weakest in themselves they knew not the privy armour of proofe that Christians had about their hearts and thereupon counted their courage to be obstinacy Some think the Martyrs were too prodigall of their bloud and that they might have beene better advised but such are unacquainted with the force of the love of God kindled in the heart of his childe which makes him set such a high price upon Christ and his truth that he counts not his life dear unto him He knowes hee is not his owne but hath given up himselfe to Christ and therefore all that is his yea if hee had more lives to give for Christ hee should have them He knowes he shall be no looser by it Hee knowes it is not a losse of his life but an exchange for a better We see the creatures that are under us will be couragious in the eye of their Masters that are of a superiour nature above them and shall not a Christian be couragious in the presence of his great Lord and Master who is present with him about him and in him undoubtedly hee that hath seene God once in the face of Christ dares look the grimmest creature in the face yea death it selfe under any shape The feare of all things flyes before such a soule Onely a Christian is not ashamed of his confidence Why should not a Christian be as bold for his God as others are for the base gods they make to themselves 7. Besides a spirit of courage for establishing the soule is required a spirit of constancie
in himselfe out of his goodnesse would stoop low to us And we should delight in the meditation of him not onely as good to us but as good in himselfe because goodnesse of bounty springs from goodnesse of disposition he doth good because he is good A naturall man delights more in Gods gifts then in his grace If he desires grace it is to grace himselfe not as grace making him like unto God and issuing from the first grace the free favour of God by which meanes men come to have the gifts of God without God himselfe But alas what are all other goods without the chiefe good they are but as flowers which are long in planting in cherishing and growing but short in enjoying the sweetnesse of them David here joyes in God himselfe he cares for nothing in the world but what he may have with his favour and what ever else he desires hee desires onely that he may have the better ground from thence to praise his God §. 4. The summe of all is this The state of Gods deare children in this world is to bee cast into variety of conditions wherein they consisting of nature flesh and spirit every principle hath its owne and proper working They are sensible as flesh and blood they are sensible to discouragement as sinfull flesh and blood but they recover themselves as having a higher principle Gods spirit above flesh and blood in them In this conflicting state every principle labouring to maintaine it selfe at length by helpe of the spirit backing and strengthening his owne worke grace gets the better keeping nature within bounds and suppressing corruption And this the soule so farre as it is spirituall doth by gathering it selfe to it selfe and by reasoning the case so farre till it concludes and joynes upon this issue that the onely way to attaine sound peace is when all other meanes faile to trust in God And thereupon he layes a charge upon his soule so to doe is being a course grounded upon the highest reason even the unchangeable goodnesse of God who out of the riches of his mercy having chosen a people in this world which should be to the glory of his mercy will give them matter of setting forth his praise in shewing some token of good upon them as being those on whom he hath fixed his love and to whom hee will appeare not onely a Saviour but salvation it selfe Nothing but salvation as the Sunne is nothing but light so whatsoever proceeds from him to them tends to further salvation All his wayes towards them leade to that which wayes of his though for a time they are secret and not easily found out yet at length God will be wonderfull in them to the admiration of his enemies themselves who shall be forced to say God hath done great things for them and all from this ground that God is our God in covenant Which words are a stearne that rule and guide the whole text For why should we not be disquieted when we are disquieted Why should we not be cast downe when we are cast downe Why should we trust in God as a Saviour but that he is our God making himselfe so to us in his choisest favours doing that for us which none else can doe and which he doth to none else that are not his in a gracious maner This blessed interest and intercourse betwixt Gods spirit and our spirits is the hindge upon which all turns without this no comfort is comfortable with this no trouble can be very trouble some Without this assurance there is little comfort in Soliloquies unlesse when we speake to our selves wee can speake to God as ours For in desperate cases our soule can say nothing to it selfe to still it selfe unlesse it be suggested by God Discouragements will appeare greater to the soule then any comfort unlesse God comes in as ours See therefore Davids art hee demands of himselfe why hee was so cast downe The cause was apparant because there was troubles without and terrours within and none to comfort Well grant this saith the spirit of God in him as the worst must be granted yet saith the Spirit Trust in God So I have Why then waite in trusting Light is sowen for the righteous it comes not upon the suddaine we must not think to sowe and reape both at once If trouble be lengthened lengthen thy patience What good will come of this God will waite to doe thee that good for which thou shalt praise him he will deale so graciously with thee as he will deserve thy praise he will shew thee his salvation And new favours will stirre thee up to sing new songs every new recovery of our selves or friends is as it were a new life and ministers new matter of praise And upon offering this sacrifice of praise the heart is further enlarged to pray for fresh blessings Wee are never fitter to pray then after praise But in the meane time I hang down my head whilest mine enemies carie themselves highly and my friends stand aloofe God in his owne time which is best for thee will be the salvation of thy countenance he will compasse thee about with songs of deliverance and make it appeare at last that he hath care of thee But why then doth God appeare as a stranger to me That thou shouldst follow after him with the stronger faith and prayer hee withdrawes himself that thou shouldst bee the more earnest in seeking after him God speakes the sweetest comfort to the heart in the wildernesse Happily thou art not yet low enough nor purged enough Thy affections are not throughly crucified to the world and therefore it will not yet appeare that it is Gods good will to deliver thee Wert thou a fit subject of mercy God would bestow it on thee But what ground hast thou to build thy selfe so strongly upon God He hath offered and made himselfe to be My God and so hath shewed himselfe in former times And I have made him My God by yeelding him his Soveraignty in my heart Besides the present evidence of his blessed spirit clearing the same and many peculiar tokens of his love which I daily doe enjoy though sometimes the beams of his favour are eclipsed Those that are Gods besides their interest and right in him have oft a sense of the same even in this life as a fore-taste of that which is to come To the seale of grace stamped upon their hearts God super-adds a fresh seale of joy and comfort by the presence and witnesse of his Spirit And shewes likewise some outward token for good upon them whereby he makes it appeare that hee hath set a part him that is godly for himselfe as his owne Thus we see that discussing of objections in the consistory of the soule settles the soule at last Faith at length silencing all risings to the contrary All motion tends to rest and ends in it God is the center and resting place of the soule and here
David takes up his rest and so let us Then whatsoever times come wee are sure of a hiding place and Sanctuary FINIS HAB. 3. 17. Although the figge tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall faile and the fields shall yeeld no meat c. yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation PSAL. 91. 1. 2. Hee that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall lodge under the shadow of the Almighty I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortresse My God in him will I trust PSAL. 73. 26. My strength and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever An Alphabeticall Table of chiefe things in the fore-going Treatise A. ACtions of man what are the principles of them Page 221 Admire Gods love 479 Adventure of faith makes a rich returne 490 Affections their conflict one with another 79. How to be ordered 104. In case of Gods dishonour no affection is excessive 106 Affections why they doe not alwayes follow the judgement 377. God most to be affected 498 Appearance of salvation in the countenance whence and why 469 Application of mercy in particular necessary reasons 482. In the wicked it is a lye 485. It is no easie matter to say My God 486. When it is right 495. A shame not to improve it 511 Arguments for faith to come to God 418 Art in bearing of troubles 64 Art in misery to think of matter of joy 429 Assurance of Gods favour what we should doe in the want thereof 441 B Backe faith with strong reasons and arguments 414 Beauty of a well-ordered soule 135 Beauty of Christians works performed in season 428 Bilneyes offence at a Preacher 362 Blasphemy temptations of blasphemy and how checked 350 Breach of inward peace still looke at thy selfe therein 149 Bookes all written to amend the booke of conscience 67 C Casting downe disquiets why 44. Remedies against casting downe 46 Censure not Christians distempered dangerous so to doe 40 Change of nature changeth all 187 Changes must be fore-thought of 128 Caution in fore-casting such changes 120. Direrections for this fore-thinking of troubles 121 Character of a good soule 378 Christ is salvation clothed in mans flesh 465 Christian Calling what is the true ability to it grace not gifts onely 405. Particular Calling directions for it 408 Combats spirituall how discerned from that of common grace and light 83 Comfort in the Churches troubles 411. and 471. Comfort amisse sought in sanctification 28. Yet to have and hold comfort grow up in holinesse 30 Comforters in way of humanity many few in way of Christianity 227. Graces necessary in a good Comforter 230. Method of comforting 231. A sinne not to comfort the afflicted 235. How comfort tendered doth no good miscarriages therein 238 Communion with God to be sought and how Christians have continuall ground of it 429 Communion of friends in watching over one another 2â—…5 In comforting one another 218 Complaine of thy selfe not of God nor others 74 Concupiscence not severely censured by Papists 153 Condition of life none wherein we may not exercise some grace 146 A man can be in no condition wherein God is at a losse and cannot help him 265 Confidence in our selves how chased away 243 Confidence for mercies warranted to us as well as to David or others 431 Conflict of grace and corruption much cast us downe 386. Should make us trust in God the more 387 Conflicts in mans soule kindes and degrees of them 78 Conscience not cleare brings disquietnesse 30 Constancy how it quiets the spirit Consideration the best objects of it 186 Contentment to be framed to our selves and how 123. It is a speciall meanes of quieting the soule Ibid. Continuance of sinne or sinnes of continuance dangerous 359. And how to be dealt withall 360 Corruption how farre curbed or repressed by God 171 Corruptions remaining in an holy heart are naturall they would not be controlled 150 And what followes 157 Courage a meanes to stablish the soule Court of conscience in man 51. Why wee are so backward to keepe this Court 57 D Deale with thy selfe in all afflictions to get quietnesse 115 Death comfort in the houre of it 402. In the estate after death 403 Delay not the praising of God 446 Defects in life rise from defects in trust 333 There is a supply for all our defects 391 Deordination of nature to be lookt upon and how 166. Most needfull so to doe 168 Deniall of our selves necessary wherein 140. Notes of it 142 Desertion then Christ should be put betweene God and us 509 Despaire of mercy no cause of it 565 Desperation may be where is onely a generall apprehension of mercy 483 Difference betweene a carnall Christian and another 437 Discouragement in affliction incident to Gods owne people 11. Causes hereof in our selves privative 21. Positive 23. Wee are apt to cast downe our selves 41. Reasons against discouragement the hurt that comes by it 46. It crosseth our owne principles 54. In case of discouragement we should not thinke too much on our corruptions 95. A godly man knowes how to carry himselfe in discouragements 78 Disquieted wee may be for that which it is not a sinne to be disquieted for 91 Disquietnesse three notes of that which is not befitting 92 Disquietnesse for sin when it exceeds measure 94 Disquietments proper to the soule beside those of the body 108 Distrust the cause of all disquiet 252 Distempers fall if arraigned before reason 53 Doubting ariseth of Popish doctrine of works 29 Duty more to be thought of then comfort 422 Duties to be don with united forces or spirits 30 E Eloquence of Ambrose converted Austine 196 Election not knowne no hinderance to our trust in God 489 Enemies of the Church comfort against them 412 Envie not their prosperity 474 Estate of a Christian how to be judged 26 Event of things not to be too much forecasted 39 Evidence of faith more constantly upholds the soule then evidence of sight 532 Evill in an holy Christian not to be too much lookt upon 38. Nor evills of the time 39 Evills of sinne 87 Excellencies of God to be branched out for our severall uses 508 Exercise of grace preserves the soule 249 Experiments of God treasured up in the heart would much help faith 529 Experiences to be called to mind 312. And communicated to others 313 Extremities whereinto the godly are suffered to fall and why 310 Evills that are outward how remedied 593 F Faith must own God specially 480. And why 482. It relyes on a double principle 299. Why so requisite in Christians 301. It is stil shaked by the devill and wicked ones 17. It must have price set on it and how this may be 315. 317. In us no seeds of faith as of obedience 332 Fancy to be quickly limited and restrained 189. The proper use of it 193
hold on God shewing himselfe in love God saith to the soule I am thy salvation and the soule saith againe Thou art my God Faith is nothing else but a spirituall eccho returning that voice bark againe which God first speakes to the soule For what acquaintance could the soule claime with so glorious a Majesty if he should not first condescend so low as to speake peace and whisper secretly to the soule that he is our loving God and Father and wee his peculiar ones in Christ that our sinnes are all pardoned his justice fully satisfied and our persons freely accepted in his deere Sonne But to come more particularly to the words My God The words are pregnant in the wombe of them all that is graciously comfortably good is contained they are the spring head of all particular blessings All particular Relations and Titles that it pleaseth God to take upon him have their strength from hence that God is our God More cannot be said and lesse will not serve the turne Whatsoever else we have if we have not God it will prove but an empty Cisterne at last He is our proper element every thing desires to live in its owne element fishes in the Sea Birds in the ayre in this they are best preserved There is a greater strength in this My God then in any other Title it is more then if he had said My King or My Lord these are words of soveraignty and wisdome but this implies not onely infinite power soveraignty and wisdome but likewise infinite bounty and provident care so that when wee are said to be Gods people the meaning is that wee are not onely such over whom God hath a power and command but such as towards whom hee shewes a loving and peculiar respect In the words is implied 1. A propriety and interest in God 2. An improvement of the same for the quieting of the soule David here layes a particular claim by a particular faith unto God The reason is 1. The vertue of faith is as to lay hold so to appropriate to it self and make its owne whatever it layes hold on and it doth no more in this then God gives it leave by his gracious promises to doe 2. As God offers so faith receives but God offers himselfe in particular to the beleeving soule by his spirit therefore our faith must be particular That which the Sacraments seale is a peculiar interest in Christ This is that which hath alwayes upheld the Saints of God and that which is ever joyned with the life of Christ in us The life that I live saith Paul is by the faith of the Sonne of God who loved me and gave himselfe for me The spirit of faith is a spirit of application This is implyed in all the Articles of our faith we beleeve God to be our father and Christ to be borne for us that he dyed for us and rose againe for our good and now sits at the right hand of God making requests for us in particular 3. This is that which distinguishes the faith of a true Christian from all hypocrites and cast-awayes whatsoever Were it not for this word of possession Mine the devill might say the Creed to as good purpose as we He beleeves there is a God and a Christ but that which torments him is this he can say My to never an Article of â—…aith 4. A generall apprehension of Gods goodnesse and mercy may stand with desperation Take away My from God and take away God himselfe in regard of comfort what comfort was it for Adam when he was shut out of Paradise to looke upon it after he had lost â—…t The more excellencies are in God 〈◊〉 more our griefe if we have not our â—…rt in them the very life blood of the Gospell lyes in a speciall application of particular mercy to our selves All relations that God and Christ have taken upon them imply a necessity of application What if God be a rock of salvation if we doe not rest upon him What if he be a foundation and we doe not build on him What if hee offers himselfe as a husband if we will not accept of him what availes it us How can we rejoyce in the salvation of our soules unlesse we can in particular say I rejoyce in God my Saviour 5. Without particular application we can neither entertaine the love of God nor returne love againe by which meanes we lose all the comfort God intends us in his word which of purpose was written for our solace and refreshment Take away particular faith and we let out all the spirits of cheerefull and thankfull obedience This possessive particle My hath place in all the golden chaine of our salvation The first spring of all Gods claime to us as his is in his election of 〈◊〉 we were by grace his before we were those that are his from that eternall love 〈◊〉 gives to Christ this is hid in the breast 〈◊〉 God till he calls us out of the rest of 〈◊〉 world into CoÌ„munion with Christ 〈◊〉 answering of which call by faith 〈◊〉 become one with Christ and so 〈◊〉 with him Afterwards in justificaâ—… wee feele God experimentally to 〈◊〉 reconciled unto us whence arises 〈◊〉 and inward peace And then upon â—…her sanctification God delights in us 〈◊〉 his bearing his owne image and we â—…om a likenesse to God delight in him 〈◊〉 â—…rs in his Christ and so this mutuâ—… interest betwixt God and us contiâ—… untill at last God becomes allâ—…o â—…o us But how can a man that is not yet in the 〈◊〉 of grace say with any comfort My God Whilest a man regards iniquity in his 〈◊〉 without any remorse or dislike of â—…e same if he saith my God his heartâ—…ll â—…ll give his tongue the lye however in 〈◊〉 outward profession and opinion 〈◊〉 others hee may beare himselfe as if 〈◊〉 were his upon false grounds For there can be no more in a conclusion then it hath from the principle anâ—… premises out of which it is drawne Thâ—… principle here is that God is the God of all that trust in him Now if wee caâ—… make it good that wee truly trust in God we may safely conclude of comfort from him for the more certaine clearing of which try your selves by the signes of trust delivered It is no easie matter to say in truth of heart My God the flesh will still labour for supremacy God should bee all in all unto us but this will not bee till these bodies of flesh together with the body of sinne bee laid aside Hee that sayes God is my God and doth not yeeld up himselfe unto God raiseth a building without a foundation layeth a claim without a title and claimeth a title without an evidence reckoning upon a bargain without consent of the party with whom he would contract But if a man shall out of the sight and sense of sin thirst after mercy in
whereby the soule is steeled and preserved immoveable in all conditions whether present or to come and is not changed in changes And why but because the spirit knows that God on whom it rests is unchangeable We our selves are as quick-silver unsetled and moveable till the spirit of constancie fixe us We see David sets out God in glorious termes borrowed from all that is strong in the creature to shew that hee had great reason to be constant and cleaving to him He is my rock my Buckler the horn of my salvation my high Tower c. God is a rock so deep that no flouds can undermine so high that no waves can reach though they rise never so high and rage never so much When wee stand upon this rock that is higher then wee wee may over-looke all waves swelling and foaming and breaking themselves but not hurting us And thereupon may triumphantly conclude with the Apostle That neither height nor depth shall ever separate us from the love of God Whatsoever is in the creature he found in his God and more aboundant the soule cannot with an eye of faith look upon God in Christ but it will be in its degree as God is quiet and constant the spirit aimeth at such a condition as it beholdeth in God towards it selfe This constancy is upheld by endeavouring to keepe a constant sight of God for want of which it oft fares with us like men that having a City or Tower in their eye passing through uneven grounds hils and dales sometimes get the sight thereof sometimes lose it and sometimes recover it againe though the Tower be still where it was and they neerer to it thē they were at first So it is oft with our uneven spirits when once wee have a sight of God upon any present discouragement wee let fall our spirits and lose the sight of him untill by an eye of faith we recover it againe and see him still to be where he was at first The cherishing of passions take away the sight of God as clouds take away the sight of the Sun though the Sunne be still where it was and shineth as much as ever it did We use to say when the body of the Moon is betwixt the Sunne and us that the Sunne is eclipsed when indeed not the Sunne but the earth is darkned the Sun loseth not one of its glorious beames God is oft neere us as he was unto Iacob and we are not aware of it God was neere the holy man Asaph when hee thought him far off I am continually with thee saith hee thou holdest me by my right hand Mary in her weeping passion could not see Christ before her hee seemed a stranger unto her So long as we can keep our eye upon God we are above the reach of sin or any spirituall danger CHAP. XXXIV Of confirming this trust in God Seeke it of God himselfe Sins hinder not nor Satan Conclusion and Soliloquie § 1. BUt to returne to the drawing out of our trust by waiting Our estate in this world is still to waite and happy it is that we have so great things to wait for but our comfort is that wee have not onely a furniture of graces one strengthening another as stones in an arch but likewise GOD vouchsafeth some drops of the sweetnesse of the things wee wayte for both to encrease our desire of those good things as likewise to enable us more comfortably to wayte for them And though we should die wayting onely cleaving to the promise with little or no taste of the good promised yet this might comfort us that there is a life to come that is a life of sight and sense and not onely of taste but of fulnesse and that for evermore Our condition here is to live by faith and not by sight onely to make our living by faith more lively it pleaseth God when he sees fit to encrease our earnest of that we looke for Even here God waytes to be gracious to those that wayte for him And in heaven Christ waytes for us wee art part of his fulnesse it is part of his joy that we shall be where he is he wil not therefore be long without us The blessed Angels and Saints in heaven wayte for us Therefore let us be content as strangers to wayte a while till we come home and then wee shall be for ever with the Lord there is our eternall rest where we shall enjoy both our God and our selves in perfect happinesse being as without need so without desire of the least change When the time of our departure thither comes then we may say as David Enter now my soule into thy rest This is the rest which remaineth for Gods people that is worth the waiting for when we shall rest from all labour of sinne and sorow and lay our heads in the bosome of Christ for ever It stands us therefore upon to get this great Charter more and more confirmed to us that God is our God for it is of everlasting use unto us It first begins at our entring into covenant with God continues not only unto death but entreth into heaven with us As it is our heaven upon earth to enjoy God as ours so it is the very heaven of heaven that there we shall for ever behold him and have communion with him The degrees of manifesting this propriety in God are divers rising one upon another as the light cleares up by little and little till it comes to a perfect day 1. As the ground of all the rest wee apprehend God to be a God of some peculiar persons as favourites above others 2. From hence is stirred up in the soul a restlesse desire that God would discover himselfe so to it as he doth to those that are his that he would visite our soules with the salvation of his chosen 3. Hence followes a putting of the soul upon God an adventuring it selfe on his mercy 4. Upon this God when he seeth fit discovers by his spirit that he is Ours 5. Whence followeth a dependance on him as ours for all things that may cary us on in the way to heaven 6. Courage and boldnesse in setting our selves against whatsoever may oppose us in the way As the three young men in Daniel Our God can deliver us if he will Our God is in heaven c. 7. After which springs a sweet spirituall security whereby the soule is freed from slavish feares and glorieth in God as Ours in all conditions And this is termed by the Apostle not onely assurance but the riches of assurance Yet this is not so cleare and full as it shall be in heaven because some clouds may after arise out of the remainder of corruption which may something over-cast this assurance untill the light of Gods countenance in heaven for ever scatters all There being so great happinesse in this neerenesse betwixt