A Child of Light Walking in Darkness, Part 1 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
The efficient cauſes of this diſtreſſe: Firſt, the Spirit; whether he hath any hand therein, and how farre.
HAving thus explicated and proved this, that this doth, and may befall one who truely feares the Lord: for the more full clearing of it, I will further ſhew.
Firſt, the efficient cauſes.
Secondly, the caſes, wherein.
Thirdly, the ends, for which God leaves his children in ſuch diſtreſſes.
Firſt,The efficient cauſes of this diſtreſſe 3. for the efficient cauſes of this ſo wofull, deſperate, darke condition of Gods childe: they are three which have a hand in it.
Firſt, Gods Spirit.
Secondly, a mans owne guilty and fearefull heart.
Thirdly, Satan.
Firſt,§. 1. for Gods Spirit: Although he hath a hand in ſome part of this diſquietneſſe;1. The Spirit, yet we muſt take heed how we put upon him any of thoſe doubts, and deſperate feares and concluſions, whereby the childe of God calls his ſtate into queſtion. For the Spirit is not the direct efficient, or poſitive cauſe of them.
And to this end we may conſider that knowne place:not the cauſe of doubtfull and deſpairing thoughts; Rom. 8. 16. Yee have not received the ſpirit of bondage to feare againe, but the ſpirit of adoption; the right underſtanding of which, will alſo prevent an objection: For ſome have alleadged this place, as if the childe of God after he had once the Spirit, ſealing adoption to him, could never after fall into apprehenſion of bondage, that is, into fears of eternall damnation any more, or of being bound …ver for hell; and that this can befall him but once, and that at his firſt converſion.
But if we marke the words well. The Apoſtle affirmeth not, that feares of bondage can never befall Gods childe againe: but his ſcope is to ſhew, that the Spirit which wee have received, having been once become the Spirit of adoption, that ſpirit is never after againe the ſpirit of bondage to us, nor the cauſe of ſuch feares; indeed at firſt converſion, and before he did witneſſe adoption, he then revealed our eſtates to us, to be an eſtate of bondage; which he then doth in love, to drive us out of it; and then indeed he was a ſpirit of bondage; to which he hath reference, when he ſayes to feare againe, becauſe he was once ſuch to them, and ſuch the Holy Ghoſt then might bee, and then witneſſe to them that their eſtates were damnable: for then it was a truth, in tha they had lived in an eſtate of bondage, whereunto damnation was immediately due; and had they dyed in it, had certainly fallen upon them: But when once he by making a man a Son, hath become the ſpirit of adoption to him, then if ever he ſhould put him into ſuch apprehenſions, and feares againe, he ſhould witneſſe an untruth. Therefore, for the comfort of them and all beleevers, he tells them that he never croſſeth nor reverſeth his teſtimony of adoption, but his office is to be ready as a witneſſe to ſeale to it.but our owne hearts and Satan. But yet, though the Iudge doth not condemne any more, yet the Iaylor may trouble and affright us,1 John 3. 12. & our own hearts may condemn us; God may give Satan leave to caſt us into priſon, to clap bolts upon us again, and to become a lying Spirit of bondage to us, as hee became a lying ſpirit in the mouths of Ahabs Prophets: and he may give up our hearts to be fettered with the cords of our own ſins, Prov. 5. 22and to be enſnared with its own inventions, and feares, and jealouſies.
For a more diſtinct underſtanding of this,§. 2. to manifeſt how it comes to paſſe, that all this befalls Gods childe;Yet the Spirit hath ſome hand in the diſtreſſe; I will ſhew how farre the holy Ghoſt proceedeth in it, and puts forth his hand towards it, and what Satans work is, where he ſtrikes in, and our owne hearts to worke further, and deeper diſtreſſe then the holy Ghoſt by himſelfe alone intended. For unto theſe three ſeverall hands is the whole to be aſcribed: & the works of Gods Spirit, and his concurrence therein, carefully to be ſevered from Satans: as light from darkneſſe at the firſt.
Thus farre then the Spirit of God may concurre in this darkneſſe that befalls his childe.
1. Privatively: 1. Privatively, to withdraw his teſtimony.He may ſuſpend his teſtimony, and the execution of his office of witneſsing adoption; hee may withdraw his comfortable preſence, and hide himſelfe for a moment, and conceale his love, as other Fathers will ſometimes doe; As David did, when yet his heart was towards Abſolom: He may not admit him to ſee his face, he may ſhut a Sonne out of doores, when yet he doth not caſt him off:Iohn 20. 23. He may retaine their ſinnes (as Chriſts expreſſion is) that is, call in the patent of his pardon which he had paſſed under his hand and ſeale, in earth, Mat. 18. 18.that is, in their owne conſciences; take it out of their hands and cuſtody, and call for it home againe into the pardon office in Heaven, and there keepe it. And alſo when Satan comes and gives in a falſe witneſſe, and evidence, and our owne hearts thereupon likewiſe condemne us, the Holy Ghoſt may ſtand by (as it were) ſilent, and ſay nothing to the contrary, but forbeare to contradict Satan by any loud teſtimony, or ſecret rebuking him, as he doth at other times: as Zach. 3. 1, 2.
2. Poſitively: 2. Poſitive, in 2. things.He may further proceed:
1. To reveale and repreſent God as angry with his childe,1. To represēt God angry by immediate expreſſion of wrath on the conſcience. for ſuch and ſuch ſinnes formerly committed, and make him ſenſible thereof; not barely by concealing his love, but by making impreſſions of his wrath upon his conſcience immediately, and not by outward croſſes only. Thus Eſay 57. 17, 18. God not onelyonly hid himſelfe and was wroth, that is, expreſſed his wrath by hiding himſelf; but I ſmote him and was wroth: and v. 16. he contended and was wroth, that is, fought againſt him as an enemy, as Eſay 63. 10. and this with his wrath upon his ſpirit; for it followes, that the ſpirit was ready to faile, and the ſoule which he had made; ſo as it was the ſpirit which was the white God ſhot at and wounded, and that ſo deepe, that it was ready to faile and come to nothing; which Solomon calls by way of diſtinction, a wounded ſpirit, which who can beare? and differenceth it from all other afflictions upon the outward man, which ſtrike the ſpirit but through the cloathes of the body mediately; for ſayes he, The ſpirit of a man will ſuſtaine his infirmity; that is, all ſuch outward afflictions wherein it ſuffers, but by way of ſympathy, and compaſſion; but when the ſpirit it ſelfe is laid bare and naked, and wounded immediately by Gods wrath, (which only can reach it and wound it,) Who can beare this? Thus towards Heman, God did not only hide his face from him, Pſal. 88. ver. 14. but His fierce wrath went over him, and thy terrors (ſayes he) cut me off: ver. 16. not wounded him onelyonly, but even cut him off: and and ſuch impreſſions of immediate wrath, as expreſſions and effects of Gods anger, the Holy Ghoſt may make upon the ſpirit of his childe: for it is a truth that God is angry and wroth with them when they ſinne; which anger he may make knowne, not onelyonly by dumbe ſignes in outward croſſes and effects; but by an immediate witneſſing, and plain and expreſſe ſpeaking ſo much to their conſciences, and making them to feele ſo much, by ſcalding drops of his hot diſpleaſure let fall thereon: And as other Fathers ſhew their anger by whipping the bodies of their children (upon this ground as ſayes the Apoſtle) becauſe they are the Fathers of our fleſh: Heb. 12. 9. So, for the like reaſon may God ſhew his anger, and chaſtiſe his children by laſhing their ſpirits: For he is the father of our ſpirits as he ſpeakes in the ſame place. And likewiſe our ſpirits, and the very bones and marrow of them doe lie open and naked to him, with whom we have to doe, and his word and ſpirit being quick and powerfull, and ſharper then any two edged ſword, Heb. 4. 12, 13.are able to divide, and cut even to the bones and marrow; as the ſame Author ſpeakes. Yet withall, ſo as when he expreſſeth his wrath thus upon their conſciences; hee doth not witneſſe, that this is an eternall wrath which he hath conceived againſt them: for it is but a temporary diſpleaſure, It is but for a moment, as Eſay ſpeakes; the indignation of a Father; nor is it a wrath which revenging juſtice hath ſtirred in him,Heb. 12. 6. but Fatherly affection. And though the Spirit tells them that God is diſpleaſed, yet never that they are accurſed; that is a falſe collection made out of it.2. By ſhaking over him the threatnings of eternall wrath.
Yet 2. The holy Ghoſt may proceed yet further herein; ſo farre as to bring forth, and ſhew him, and ſhake over him the rod of his eternall wrath, eſpecially when hee hath provoked Chriſt by preſumptuous ſinnes already; and to prevent his going on frowardly in the way of his heart. And this, both 1 by preſenting to them, and ſetting on all thoſe threatnings which doe hypothetically and conditionally threaten, even to beleevers, eternall damnation: ſuch as that which wee finde Rom. 8. 13. If yee live after the fleſh, yee (even you beleevers) ſhall die: for there is a truth in all ſuch threatnings, ſo conditionally propounded, which reacheth Gods deareſt children, under a condition, and with relation to going on in ſinne: to ſtoppe him and prevent him in which, when he is a going on frowardly in the way of his heart, the holy Spirit may bring home ſuch threatnings to him, with reſpect to ſuch a courſe as he is entring into, and accordingly ſtirre up the feare of that damnation thus threatned, if he ſhould goe on in thoſe ſinnes he hath begun to commit: But to apply threatnings of eternall damnation ſimply to his perſon, as that thou ſhalt dye eternally; This the holy Ghoſt doth not ſpeake to the heart of a beleever, when he is a beleever. And againe alſo 2 the holy Ghoſt may repreſent to him, and minde him of all thoſe examples of men in whom for their going on in ſinne,Heb. 10. ult. his ſoule hath had no pleaſure; and of Gods dealings with them: As how hee ſware againſt many of the Iſraelites, for their provocations of him, that they ſhould never enter into his reſt; and how he rejected Eſau for the deſpiſall of his birthright; and all this with this end, to ſtartle and awaken him; and with this intimation, that for ſuch and ſuch ſinnes, God might in like maner deale with him. For theſe and the like examples, doth the Spirit of God ſet before the beleeving Hebrews: Heb. chap. 3. and chap. 12. and the beleeving Corinthians: 1 Cor. 10. from the 5. ver. to the 13. to keep them in fearefulneſſe to offend: But to apply any ſuch examples abſolutely unto them: ſo as to ſay, thus God intends to doe with thee, for ſuch and ſuch ſinnes paſt, and that God will never be mercifull; This the holy Ghoſt doth not ſpeake to a beleevers heart.