Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Of the ſecond hinderance of ioy in Gods hiding his face, and how that is made an occaſion of reioycing vntounto a true and ſound beleeuer.
THe ſecond maine point about which eſpecially doubt may be made how a true beleeuer may alwaies hauehave ioy, and reioyce in the Lord, is in regard of Gods owne dealing towards vsus: and that either in regardWhen God hides his face. of his withdrawing himſelfe from vsus by hiding his face; or in regard of his comming neare vntounto vsus by ſmiting vsus with his hand. Touching the firſt; it is true there is nothing more grieuous and fearfull, then to bee forſaken of God; and therefore God himſelfe ſaith, Woe vntounto Hoſ. 9. 12.you when I ſhall forſake you: for if God bee our light, our confidence, and our comfort; and if all our happineſſe be in him, then to be forſaken of God, is to be depriued of all true comfort, to be left to all miſery, and to be caſt as into a whole ſea and gulfe of deſperate ſorrow, and into very hell it ſelfe: the fauour of God being better then is life it Pſal. 63. 3.ſelfe. A man were better bee out of his life then out of Gods fauour. But it may be demanded with the Apoſtle, doth, or will God at any time caſt off his people? and it mayRom. 11. 1. be anſwered againe with the ſame Apoſtle, God forbid. God will not caſt away his people! And as the Pſalmiſt ſaith, he will not forſake his inheritance: for ſo hath GodPſal. 94. 14. Heb. 13. 5. himſelfe ſaid, I will neuer faile thee, nor forſake thee. True it is, God ſomtimes for a moment in his anger, doth hide his Iſa. 54. 8.face from his children; and carryeth the matter of his good will towards them ſo cloſely, as they can know of no fauour that he beareth them, it not being betweene him and them as it was yeſterday, and yeſterday, whenPſal. 90. 13. he is found to be vntounto them as a paſſenger, and as a ſtranger that tarryeth but for a night: then there is hanging about him, and crying with Moſes and the people, Oh God returne, be pacified towards thy ſeruants: then there is entreating and praying, with Dauid, Goe not farre from me Pſal. 22. 11. Pſal. 119. 8.O God, for trouble is hard at hand, and forſake me not ouerlong, Oh God. Yea the Lord himſelfe ſeemeth to riſe vp againſt his children, and then there is crying out, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? Thē Sion mournes andPſal. 22. 1. complaines, the Lord hath forſaken me, my God hath forgotten Iſa. 49. 14.me. But this hiding of Gods face is but a fatherly frowning for a time, to awe his children the more, and breed the better circumſpection in them for afterwards: when God doth forſake his children, that forſaking is neither fully nor finally for euer. He many times hauing forſaken them, doth tarry long before he doth returne to them againe; he holds off, till he can hold off no longer; that ſo he may make his children feare the more to fall out with him againe. But it is a ſauing feare that keepes vsus in that ſtate, as we ſhall not need to feare anymore, and it is a profitable vexation and anguiſh of the ſoule that bringeth reſt thereunto for euer after. Though the Lord may ſeeme ſomtimes to goe away, and to hide his face, yet he neuer taketh ſuch a farwell of them, as meaningIoh. 16. 7. 22. no more to come at them: But as our Sauiour Chriſt about the time of his departure, comforted his Diſciples, by telling them it was expedient for them that hee did goe away; aſſuring them, that though he did goe away, yet hee would ſee them againe, and then they ſhould hauehave the greater ioy; yea their hearts ſhould ſo reioyce, as none ſhould take their ioy from them: So may it in ſome other reſpect be truly ſaid in this caſe, that it is ſomtimes expedient for Gods ſeruants, that their heauenly Father doe hide his countenance from them, withdraw his preſence and goe away; eſpecially when that through their too great vnthankfulneſſe and ſecuritie, they begin to play the wantons too much, and it is found with them according to that which runnes in the prouerbe, Too much familiarity breedeth contempt: then it is time for the Lord to hide his countenance for the better awing of ſuch; then doth need require that ſuch be made ſorrie and left in heauineſſe: for howbeit this is euer but for a time, I will goe away Hoſ. 5. 15.(ſaith the Lord) and hide my ſelfe till they ſeeke me, in their affliction they will ſeeke me diligently: the Lord looketh for certaine to heare from ſuch when they are in affliction; but howſoeuer he doth go away, yet may it truly be ſaid to ſuch, as our Sauiour promiſed to his Diſciples, he will ſurely come to ſee them againe, and their hearts ſhall reioyce with ſuch ioy as none ſhall take from them, when they ſhall once ſee his face, and know his face againe, and perceiue the rayes of the bright countenance of God to ſhine vponupon their darke and cloudie hearts, what light of comfort will not that bring to a poore diſtreſſed ſoule? euen more ioy then corne, and wine, and oyle, though neuer ſo encreaſed, can poſſibly cauſe to be felt. And this is that which the Lord promiſed his people, that though for a moment in his anger, hee Pſal. 89. 32. 33.hide his face, yet with euerlaſting mercy he would hauehave compaſſion upon them. Yea when the Lord himſelfe ſeemeth to be in greateſt diſpleaſure, ſo as he doth viſit the offences of his people with the rod, and their ſinnes with ſcourges; yet wil he not take his mercy from them, nor falſifie his truth: though for a time he may be angry, yet will hee not keepe his Pſal. 103. 9.anger alwayes towards his children: and vntounto this it hath pleaſed the Lord to bind himſelfe not onelyonly by promiſe, but by oath, that his kindneſſe ſhall neuer depart from his, nor the Couenant of his peace be remoued from them: which he would hauehave them know is as ſure to be performed, as the oath which he hath ſworne ſhall be kept, that the Iſa. 54 9. 10.waters of Noah ſhall no more goe ouer the earth; and if any man can breake the Couenant which the Lord hath made with the day and night, that there ſhould not be day nor night Ier. 33. 20. 21.in their ſeaſon; then may they breake this Couenant which the Lord hath made with his poople in this behalfe. Howſoeuer then the Lord being offended, may ſomtimes in his diſpleaſure hide his face from his ſeruants and forſake them, as Chriſt did the Spowſe, that we might more deſire after him, and more earneſtly ſeeke for him; yet may there a fauour be found and perceiued to be borne vntounto them by the Lord himſelfe, euen in that his diſpleaſure: yea that vey kind of forſaking of Gods children, is a token that they are not forſaken, becauſe it is done by way of correction, and in meaning to reclaime them. When he ſo ſeemeth to goe from vsus, he doth indeed but offer himſelfe to come nearer vntounto vsus (though this be not ſo caſily diſcerned); for ſo doth the Author to the Hebrewes tell vsus, that God in chaſtening of vsus, doth offer himſelfe vntounto Heb. 12. 7.vsus as vntounto ſonnes. It is more fearfull forſaking of God when the Lord ſeemeth to doe nothing leſſe then to forſake, and when he bringeth no trouble nor affliction for ſinne, but leaueth men to themſelues, and to the fulfillingPſal. 81. 12. Rom. 1. 28. of the luſts of their owne hearts to doe what they he is neuer more angry, then when after that ſort hee ſeemeth to be pleaſed in doing nothing againſt them; for this is ſuch a kind of dealing by the Lord; as if a Phyſition ſhould giuegive ouer a patient when his caſe is deſperate. And ſo on the other ſide, the Lord is neuer leſſe angry, then when he ſeemeth to be ſo angry, as to hauehave now left and forſaken vsus, that thereby he might the better humble vsus and breake our hearts. For this he vſeth as the beſt medicine, the fitteſt remedic to cure vsus, and recouer vsus out of that moſt dangerous lethargie of carnall ſecurity into which we were fallen; and therefore as ſicke patients are not glad of their ſickneſſe and diſeaſe, but being ſicke, are glad of the comming of the Phyſition, that bringeth them medicine and miniſtreth it to them, becauſe now they hope they are in the way of being cured and recouered againe; ſo Gods children hauing fallen by their ſinning, ſo farre to diſpleaſe God, as now he will giuegive them no countenance till their hearts be broken for their ſinning, and they brought to better humiliation; though there is no cauſe they ſhould bee pleaſed with their ſinning; yet hauehave they cauſe to reioyce in the Lords faithfulneſſe vntounto them, that when no other way could be found ſufficient for the reclaiming of them out of their ſinne, and bringing them home againe that were departed from him, then for himſelfe to be a while eſtranged from them: hee would chuſe rather to looſe them for a time, that ſo being occaſioned more earneſtly to ſeeke his face and his fauour againe, hee might by meanes thereof make them more conſtantly to abide with him for euer after, rather then by continuing his wonted fauours towards them, ſee and ſuffer them to depart ſtill further from him, till there ſhould at the length a perfect breach grow to be made betweene them, and ſo a falling off for altogether