A Child of Light Walking in Darkness, Part 1 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
The third generall head; The Ends for which God leaveth his children unto this darkneſſe. Firſt, ſuch as are drawne from God, and his faithfulneſſe; &c.
NOw let us come to thoſe ends which God may have in this his dealing with one that feares and obeyes him, which are many and holy ones.
Firſt, to ſhew his power and faithfulneſſe, in upholding, raiſing up, and healing ſuch a ſpirit againe as hath been long and deadly wounded with inward terrours; which is as great an evidence of his power as any other; and therefore ſaith Heman, Pſal. 88. 10. Wilt thou ſhew wonders to the dead? ſhall thy faithfulneſſe be declared in deſtruction. ver. 11. That is, in raiſing my ſoul up again to joy, and comfort, which is as much as to raiſe up a dead man; nay more, as much as to raiſe up a ſoule already in hell; for the ſame terrours, ſayes hee, that deſtroy them, doe in like maner ſeaze on me; in the 1. Epheſ. 19. it is ſaid, That the exceeding greatneſſe of Gods power was ſeene in raiſing Chriſt from death to life: and wherein lay principally the demōſtration of that power? not ſimply in raiſing his body up againe; that was no more then he did to others, but in Acts 2. 24. the power is ſaid to be ſhewen in this, that hee having loſed the paines of death wherewith it was impoſsible he ſhould be held, he was raiſed up againe, his ſoule was heavy unto death, with terrours: and thoſe paines in themſelves were deadly, though not to him, in that hee being God as well as man, it was impoſſible for him to ſinke under them: now therefore to raiſe up and glorifie that his ſoule that was ſo bruiſed, wounded, and pierced through and through, herein lay the wonder: and ſuch a wonder God ſhewed in recovering Heman. And to ſhew the greatneſſe of this worke let us conſider a little the depth and deadlineſſe of this kinde of diſtreſſe, it is compared to the bruiſing of a reede, which when it is bruiſed, who can make it ſtand upright againe? It is called The wounding of the ſpirit. Proverbs 28. which no creature knowes how to come at to heale, none but God who is the father of ſpirits; who made them, and knowes how to mend them. It is not onelyonly called, the ſickneſſe of the ſpirit, as Eſa. 33. 24. (where the want of the aſſurance of the forgiveneſſe of ſinnes, makes poore ſoules to ſay, I am ſick; which to heale, is made the prerogative of the Sunne of righteouſneſſe, ariſing with healing in his wings. Mal. 4. 2.) but alſo it is called death and deſtruction: for ſo in that 88. Pſalme, Heman calls that diſtreſſe that he was in. And the reaſon is, Gods favour is our life, by which wee live and duplicate page duplicate page are upheld; which therefore being withdrawne, the ſoule is ready to faile and faint, and to come to nothing, and ſinke into deſtruction. Eſa. 57. 16. And againe, the paines of thoſe terrours are more violent, and more powerfull to hold us under, then are the pangs of death. The wounds of the guilt of ſinne being as deadly, and as ſtrong as the luſts of the power of it, and it requires as great a power to diſſolve and ſcatter them. For all the ſtrength that the law and Gods juſtice hath, ſinne alſo hath to back it, For the ſtrength of ſinne is the Law. 1 Cor. 15. 56.
Secondly,§ 2. as to know the power of Chriſt his reſurrection,2. End, to know the fellowſhip of Chriſts ſufferings. ſo the fellowſhip of his ſufferings: that thereby the ſoule may be made more conformable to him, as it is Phil. 3. 10. As there are the ſuffering for Chriſt, ſo the ſufferings of Chriſt: and God, makes his partakers of both; perſecutions without, and terrours within. With which Chriſts ſoule was filled, then, when as the text ſayes, Hee was heard in what he feared: and his ſoule was heavy to death: and My God my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? and ſo Eſa. 53. It pleaſed God to bruiſe and wound him. Now then, to conforme us to his image, we that are his brethren, and are the perſons guilty, muſt ſuffer ſomewhat in ſpirit as well as he, and have a portion therein alſo. And therefore as Chriſt did ſuffer both inwardly and outwardly, ſo doe many of his members. If you have ſuffered with him, yee ſhall alſo be glorified with him. The ſons of Zebedeus would have been glorified in Chriſts kingdome, more than the reſt of the Apoſtles: But ſayes Chriſt, Mat. 20. 22, 23. Are ye able to drinke of the cup whereof I ſhall drinke? Hee meanes that cup delivered to him at his crucifying, Let this cup paſſe, the bitter cup of Gods anger, and are ye able to be baptized with the baptiſm I am baptized with; namely, outward afflictions, and perſecutions for the name of God; which are called baptiſme, becauſe they ſet Gods mark on us, that we are Gods, as baptiſme doth ſeale to us that we are his; & becauſe then the Church ownes us, and takes notice of us as ſincere, when we have beleeved and ſuffered, as at baptiſme the Church receives us: and of this baptiſme Chriſt ſpeaks in the preſent tenſe, becauſe that he was already baptized with outward perſecutions: but the cup, which was inward affliction of his ſpirit; this hee was to drinke off at his agony, which I ſhall drinke off in the future; which cup caſt him into that ſweate, ere he came to the bottome. This though no creature was able to drinke off to the bottome; yet taſte they might, and he tels them they ſhould, v. 23. Ye ſhall drink of it, &c. that is, taſte of inward affliction and deſertion, as well as of outward perſecution; terrours within and without; and all to make us conformable to him, and ſo come to know in part what he endured for us.
Thirdly,§. 3. to put the greater difference between the eſtate of Gods children here,3. To ſhew the different eſtate of Gods children here, and hereafter. and that hereafter in heaven: To which very purpoſe is that ſpeech of the Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 5. 7. That here we walke by faith not by ſight; he had ſaid before that the eſtate of beleevers in this life, is an eſtate of abſence from the Lord, wherein we want his preſence, and ſo enjoy not the ſight of him; and therefore are to excerciſe faith the more; which is peculiar to this eſtate, and a grace given of purpoſe for us to walke by, while it wee live here. And though ſometimes here wee have ſome light, and glimpſes of him and his preſence, yet we walke not by ſight alwayes, for wee walke by faith not by ſight. We ſhall have enough of the ſight of God hereafter, when we ſhall ſee him as we are ſeene face to face; and be ever more with the Lord; when in his light we ſhall ſee light; and be ſatisfied with his image. Wee may therefore be content to want it here ſometimes; you may well endure over-cloudings here, & ſometimes that all ſight ſhould be taken away; for in the world to come there will nor be one cloude to all eternity, Your inheritance is light … 13. Light is your portiō, but now is the ſeed … and light is ſ…en, Pſal. 7. 11. For the righteous…. you muſt be content to let it lye under … the longer … doth ſo, the greater crop and … veſt will come up in the end. You muſt … the viciſſitude of day and night here, … night, and joy in the morning; for her eaſier you ſhall have continuall day, and no …ight. This differnce there is put betweene earth, and heaven, to make heaven …, and to exerciſe faith: the eſtate in heaven is as a ſtate of per…t and continuall …ealth, which that we may …, we are ever and anon ſick here, and qualmes come over our conſciences, feares our ſinnes are not forgiven; but when we come thither, The inhabitants there ſhall be no more ſick, but their ſins ſhall be forgiven them. Eſa. 33. 24.
The fourth end is,§ 4. to let us ſee whence ſpirituall comforts and refreſhings come:4. End, to ſhew the ſpring of all ſpirituall comforts, and our dependance for them. That God alone keepes the keyes of that cupbord, and alone diſpenſeth them how & when he pleaſeth. That we may know (as it is Eſa. 45. 6, 7.) that it is the Lord that formeth the light, and creates darkneſſe, evill and peace; and that as affliction riſeth not out of the duſt, as Iob ſpeakes, ſo nor comfort out of our hearts. Whereas if continually we enjoyed comfort, we ſhould be apt ſo to thinke. God will let us ſee that our hearts are nothing but darkneſſe; and that to cauſe any ſpirituall comfort, is as much as to create light at firſt; therefore he ſayes, I create the fruit of the lips peace, Eſa. 57. and that he it is that doth command light to ſhine into our hearts, who commanded light at firſt to ſhine out of darkneſſe: 2 Cor. 4. 4. Which can no way more fully be manifeſted, then by with drawing that light ſomtimes, and leaving us to darkneſſe. As why doth hee ſometimes aſſiſt us in prayer, and fill the ſailes; and againe at ſometimes leaves our hearts empty? Is it not that we may learne that leſſon Rom. 8. 26. That it is the Spirit that helpeth ou… infirmities: and that we of our ſelves know not what, nor how to aske. Which leſſon, although he ſometimes ſtreightens us, yet we are difficult duplicate page duplicate page in learning, nor are eaſily brought to acknowledge our dependance on him for his aſſiſtance: in like maner, for the ſame end doth he ſometimes hide, and then againe ſometimes reveale himſelfe; to ſhew that he is the immediate fountaine of comfort, The God of all comforts, 2 Cor. 1. 4. that ſo we might know whom to thanke, whom to depend on, whom to goe to for comfort: it being as difficult a thing for us to goe out of our ſelves, and from the creatures, for comfort, to God alone, as to goe out of our ſelves to Chriſt alone for righteouſneſſe. Hereby alſo we ſee, that though we have never ſo many outward comforts, that yet the comforts of our ſpirits doe depend on God alone: For if He in the midſt of them withdraw himſelfe, they all prove but miſerable comforters.