A Child of Light Walking in Darkness, Part 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
The ſecond generall head: The caſes wherein God leaves his unto this darkneſſe. Firſt, three caſes extraordinary.
HAving diſpatcht the efficient cauſes of this darkneſſe; The cauſes Phyſicall. I now proceed to the caſes wherein, and ends for which God leaves his children to ſuch a condition; The cauſes Morall. The caſes of two ſorts. 1. Extraordinary.The caſes, they were the ſecond generall head I propounded to be handled and they are either Extraordinary, or ordinary.
Firſt, Extraordinary; as,
Firſt, out of his prerogative.
Secondly, in caſe hee meanes to make a man eminently wiſe, and able to comfort others.
Thirdly, in caſe of extraordinary comforts; and revelations.
Firſt,§. 1. What if God will uſe his abſoluteneſſe, and prerogative,1. Out of Gods ſole prerogative. in this his dealing with his childe? and proceede therein according to no ruled caſe or preſident? This he may doe, and (as it is thought) in Iobs caſe he did; who is thought by ſome, to be ſet up as a type among the Gentiles, of Chriſt at his crucifying, who was to be left by his Apoſtles, and all, forſaken of God, &c. and though Iobs deſertion began but with his eſtate, children, and body, yet it pierced further in the end, and ſeized upon his ſpirit, (though not ſo farre as to queſtion Gods love to him, this we reade no where of him, yet was) ſeene in Gods withdrawing himſelfe in the comfort of his preſence, and Satans making him a Butt to ſpend his arrowes upon. And yet though the Lord had cauſe enough againſt him, yet no cauſe (as I remember) is pleaded, but it is reſolved into an extraordinary dealing; wherin God tooke a liberty to glorifie himſelfe, by ſingling out one of his ſtouteſt, valianteſt champions; and ſetting him hand to hand to wraſtle with the powers of darkneſſe; and becauſe Satan was (as it were) not hard enough for him, he turned enemy himſelfe, Job 13. 24. None more juſt then he before: The Lord you know glories in him: None ever led a ſtricter life, reade the 31. Chapter; no man kept more in awe, and that by fearing ſuch a deſertion aforehand; which was the onelyonly way to prevent it; for what a man feares, he prayes much againſt: which hee expreſſes, when complaining, he ſayes, Chap. 4. 25. That though he feared it, yet it came: Impliing that it was not ordinary, nor indeed is it ſo: and though Iob juſtifies himſelfe too farre, yet this was it which made him ſo ſtoutly to plead his owne cauſe, that he could finde no preſident, no ruled caſe of the like proceeding. And therefore Elihu, who tooke both Gods part and Iobs, and ſtept up as a moderator, and as one in Gods ſtead to decide the matter, reſolves it moſt of all into Gods prerogative, though not without Iobs deſert; (yet not ſuch as according to which God ordinarily proceedeth, not ſo ſeverly with others;) as appeares by the 34. Chapter: and to that end he ſet forth Gods greatneſſe, in the 36. and 37. Chap. And thus God himſelfe when he came to plead with Iob about it, and to ſhew him a reaſon of it, he onelyonly tells him how great a God he was, and therefore might doe as he pleaſed; and uſeth no other arguments in the 38, 39, 40, 41. Chap. God indeed never wants a cauſe, nor doth deale thus where ſin is not; yet as it is ſaid of the young man, that he was blinde, not for his ſinne, nor his parents (yet not without it) but for the glory of God; it was an act of Gods prerogative: ſo here. God had higher ends of glorifying himſelfe in the patience, and conqueſt of ſuch a champion as Iob was, and of confuting the devill, who accuſed him of ſerving God for nought; the falſeneſſe of which to demonſtrate, God tryes concluſions with him; as alſo to confute the opinions which in thoſe dayes were generally received, (as may ſeeme by his friends arguings, and alſo the 37. Pſal. That godly men did proſper, and flouriſh outwardly, according to their godlineſſe: for theſe and the like reaſons God did it. However, … gives Iob this good and ſeaſonable counſell, to make this uſe of it, to ſearch into his ſinnes, Chap. 34. ver. 31. 32. And God might well take liberty to deale thus with Iob, becauſe he could make him amends, as afterward hee did, in reſtoring double to him; and indeed it was but the concealing awhile of his love, as many parents love to doe by their children, and yet to ſhew it the more in reall effects, as God even then did, in making him more then a conquerour.
A ſecond caſe extraordinary is, when hee intends to make a man a wiſe,When God intends to make a man wiſe, and able to comfort others able, skilfull, and a ſtrong Chriſtian; Wiſe, namely in this, which is the greateſt learning, and wiſdome in the world, experimentally to comfort others.
This may ſeeme to bee the reaſon of this his dealing with Heman; Heman was brought up in this ſchoole of temptation, and kept in this form of deſertion, from a youth, Pſal. 88. 15. He was put ſoone to it, and ſo deep leſſons had he ſet him, as hee had like to have loſt his wits as hee ſayes there; yet in the end, when God raiſed him up again, this Heman (who lived about David & Solomons time) is reckoned among the wiſeſt of his time, and one of the foure that were next to Solomon: 1 Kings 4. 31. So that great Apoſtle was a man expoſed to the ſame combats that others were; he was buffeted by Satan, 2 Cor. 12. filled with inward terrours, as well as thoſe without: what was this for? Not ſo much for any perſonall cauſe of his owne, as to make him able to comfort others: 2 Cor. 1. 4, 5. For that comfort which anſwers a temptation in one mans heart, will anſwer the ſame in anothers: the ſame key will unlock twenty locks that have the ſame wards. So when temptations have the ſame wards, that key which unlockt one mans bolts, will ſerve and anſwer to anothers. It is not every word that will comfort a weary ſoul, but onelyonly a word in ſeaſon, ver. 4. of this 50. of Eſay; that is, which is fitted to the parties caſe; now, who are they who have ſuch apt and fit, and ſeaſonable conſiderations to comfort ſuch, but thoſe who have had the ſame temptations, and the like diſtreſſes? This art of ſpeaking peace, and comfort, and words in ſeaſon is the greateſt wiſdome in the world, and not learnt but in Hemans ſchoole. Temptation was one of Luthers maſters. And therefore of abilities of the miniſtery, Chriſt in this Chapter inſtanceth in this ver. 4. and calleth the tongue of him that is able to ſpeak ſeaſonably to weary ſoules, the tongue of the learned: and therefore Iob 33. 23. to raiſe up one whoſe ſoule draw…s nigh to the grave, is ſaid to be the worke of … of a thouſand; which is eaſily granted, if you conſider the danger of ſuch a diſtreſſe: In Scripture it is called the breaking the bones, Pſal. 51. becauſe the ſtrength of a mans ſpirit that ſhould uphold it as the bones the body, ſinkes with in him; now to be a bone-fetter, is not every mans skill; he muſt have ſpecial art and cunning, and a Ladies hand (as we ſay) that is, meekneſs & pitty; which alſo are never kindly, but when we have taſted the like, or may feare the like. Gal. 6. 1. The Apoſtle commands them to ſet ſuch as one in Ioynt again, as the word ſignifies,foreign. Leſt, thou alſo be tempted, & it is the work of one that is ſpirituall, You that are ſpirituall reſtore ſuch an one. It requires skill to get out every ſhiver, to meete with every ſcruple, and ſet all ſtreight againe. It is alſo called the wounding of the ſpirit; Solomon, A wounded ſpirit who can beare? Prov. 18. 14. As the power of ſinne wounds, ſo the guilt alſo; and the one as incurable as the other; and it being the ſpirit of a man which is wounded, that which muſt heal it, muſt be ſomthing dropt into the heart that may come at the ſpirit; and there are to be peculiar elective plaiſters to heal theſe wounds, becauſe theſe wounds are uſuall of a differing nature; for ſome objections there are, that often the learnedſt men never met with in bookes, and Satan hath deviſed methods, Eph. 6. of tempting ſoules deſerted, which hee uſeth againe and againe: and know thoſe depths, and fathome them a man ſhall not, unleſſe hee hath beene in the depths himſelfe, as Heman ſpeakes; and then he ſhall ſee ſuch wonders of God in thoſe depths, which none elſe ever ſaw; and thereby gaine ſuch wiſdome, as to be able to encourage others by his example, to truſt in God and call upon him, ſo David, Pſal. 32. ver. 5, 6.
The third caſe extraordinary.3. In caſe of abundance of revelations and comforts. God doth deſert in caſe a man hath had, or is to have from God abundance of revelations and comforts.
Firſt, in caſe he hath already had abundance of revelations from God. As after that glorious teſtimony given to Chriſt at his baptiſme, This is my beloved ſon, &c. Mat. 3. ult. Then was Ieſus led aſide to be tempted. Mat. 4. 1. He points out the time to this very purpoſe: In like maner doth God often deale with, the members of Chriſt for the ſeaſon and time of their … and temptations. This was alſo that … Apoſtles caſe, 2 Cor. 12. 7. Leſt I ſhould bee exalted above meaſure, through abundance of venue lations, a meſſenger of Satan was ſent to buffet … That which he calls there the thorne in the fleſh; that prickt him, is meant rather I thinke of a deſertion, and leaving him to diſtreſſe of ſpirit, then of a luſt, for his ſcope is, to glory in his afflictions. ver. 9. 10. Now if it had beene a luſt, it had beene a thing not to bee gloried in. Againe, it was a meſſenger of Satan, therefore ſomething externall; and it buffeted him; he was as a meere patient in it, as a man buffered is: in the exerciſe of luſts, our ſpirits are active; & beſides, he prayed, it might depart, which phraſe would ſeeme to note out ſomething externall. God had took him aſide into heaven, and ſpoke wonderfull things to him, and when he comes down again, Satan muſt take him to taske, and batter him; the fleſh would have growen proud, if it had not beene thus beaten black and blew. He had been in heaven, and heard the language of Angels and Saints, things not to be uttered; and hee muſt heare by devils the language of hell. This buffeting I take it, was by Satanicall injections.
Secondly, before God doth diſpence great revelations and comforts, hee doth ſometimes deſert. And as before great diſtreſſes, which he meanes to leade his children into, hee fills their hearts with joy unſpeakable and glorious, to ſtrengthen them againſt the approaching conflict: (thus God to hearten his Sonne againſt that great agony in the garden, and combate on the Croſſe, transfigureth him on the Mount firſt.) So on the contrary, ſometimes before great revelations, and comforts, to make them ſweet, and the more welcome, God uſeth to withdraw himſelfe then moſt; thereby preparing the heart for them: as Phyſitians doe the body for cordials. The greateſt ſpring-tide of comfort, comes in upon the loweſt ebb of diſtreſſe. Diſtreſſe enlargeth the heart, and makes it gaſpe and thirſt after comfort the more, and ſo is made more capable of conſolation, for that rule is true, 2 Cor. 1. 5. That as ſufferings abound, ſo comforts ſhall abound alſo.