Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
Of the ſecond dimenſion of ioy wherein they differ, which is the depth of a deiected and diſconſolate eſtate.
THE ſecond dimenſion that the ioy of a true beleeuer exceedeth the ioy of a true beleeuers counterfeit in, is, in the depth of a deiected and low eſtate and condition: whereinto they both, as well the one as the other, may at ſometimes indifferently be brought: which ſo happening, the ioy of one vnſound in the faith, is altogether extinct, and can no more be had, when diſtreſſe commeth vponupon them they begin to mourne, as thoſe that had outliued all their ioyes. But the ioy of a true beleeuer, which is the ioy of faith, it is either felt in it according to the power of faiths working, as hee then can get to beleeue: or it is vndoubtedly in the end fetched out of it, and many times doubled afterwards for the little time that it then was ecclipſed. Both of them mayPſal. 140. 10. be caſt into a labyrinth of troubles and into a ſea of miſeries, they may be in wofull diſtreſſe, and brought toFalſe ioy in ſorrow doth ſinke. the ſtate of the forlorne hope (as wee vſe to ſpeake), the one by biding the aduenture is bleſſed with ſuch ſucceſſe, and ſcapeth happily out of danger, when the other ſhifting for himſelfe, miſcarrieth in all that he endeuoureth, and ſo commeth ſhort home in the end. A true beleeuerTrue ioy riſeth out of ſorrow. is neuer in ſuch a ſea of miſery, but he eſcapeth drowning, and ſwimmeth ſafely out of it againe; for hee is alwaies held vp as by the chin, either by the ſtrength and comfort of his hope, which maketh him to reioyce in hope that hee ſhall be deliuered in the end; his hope (by holding faſt the confidence of it) boying him vp that he ſink not in all thoſe waues: or elſe he is caught hold vponupon and held vp from ſinking, by the good hand of God his gracious aide, as Chriſt tooke hold of Peter when he was in the Mat. 14. 31.hollow of the waue, and ſaued him out of danger. The other when hee commeth to the depth that hee can feele no ground with his feete, is left there in the ſuds, and being hopeleſſe and ioyleſſe, ſinkes downe to the bottome, like as doth a ſtone. Both Gods faithfull ſeruants and falſe hearted diſſemblers may fall downe ſo low, and after a ſort be drowned in ſuch depths of deſperate ſorrowes,▪ as they may bee thought in their owne feeling, and in the iudgement of others alſo, to be ſunke, euen into hell, as the Pſalmiſt acknowledgeth God had deliuered his ſoule out Pſal. 86. 13. Ionah. 2. 2.of the nethermoſt hell. And Ionah being caſt into the ſea and ſwallowed vp of the Whale, (when he thence cried vntounto the Lord) ſaid, he cried out of the belly of hell. The wicked they alſo ſometimes meete with their hell in this life, and are tormented ſomewhat timely, or (as the diuels complained to Chriſt) before their time: for as they that truly ſerue God hauehave a double heauen, one heauen vponupon earth while they liue here, another heauen when they hauehave left the earth, and are out of this life, wherein they ſhall remaine and abide for euer: ſo they that ſerue ſinne and Satan hauehave a double hell; beſide that which was prepared for them of old, (as the Prophet ſpeaketh) which is made deepe and large to hold them all, the burning whereof Iſa. 30. 33.is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord as ariuer of brimſtone euer kindling it, into which they ſhall bee throwne at the laſt, when their life here ſhall hauehave an end: they hauehave another hell in this world: For when they hauehave done the diuell the beſt ſeruice they can, and wrought all the miſchiefe that poſſibly they are able, they can finde no reſt to their ſoules in the end of their worke, when they ſeeke ſome reſt after their labour, the bed is found too Iſa. 28. …0.ſhort, the couering too narrow, ſo as they cannot wrap themſelues, ſo churliſh and cruell maſters are theſe to ſerue, as they deale but blowes in ſtead of wages, and cruell death for their laſt reward; in the end, they that ſerue them beſt, are beaten moſt, carrying deepeſt wounds in their conſciences, and feeling a very hell in their ſoules, ſo as they are in hell, before they be in hell.
When Gods children are in hell, they are not (as I may ſo ſay) in a piece of hell, there is a little heauen in their hell: either they hauehave hope when they are at the worſt that it will be the better with them, and they ſhall be deliuered out of it againe, or they cry out for helpe, and deſire to be deliuered, looking and longing for it till it come: or if they hauehave not ſuch ſtrength of grace to hope and to pray, yet they hauehave that grace to deſire the hauing of ſuch grace as might be ſauing vntounto them.
The wicked, when they come into hell, they are in a true and whole hell, there is no peece of heauen to bee found therin, there is no hope, there is no helpe for them, there is no comfort, there is no peace (ſaith my God) to Iſa. 57. 20. 21.the wicked, they are as the raging ſea that cannot be ſtill, but is euer caſting vp myre and dirt; they are forced to cry when calamity commeth vponupon them; yea to roare and howle for vexation of ſpirit; but being left void of all hope and comfort, they know of no other remedie but to ſlie to the halter deſpairing and hanging themſelues out of the way, and ſo miſerably getting out of this wretched life, they make haſt to bring themſelues vnrecouerablie to be plunged into a ten thouſand times worſer woe, through the little hell of their miſeries they hauehave endured here, they goe to that great hell of euerlaſting torments that are readily prepared to take hold of them at their firſt entrance thither; ſo haſtening out of a few troubles that were of themſelues but momentanie, and could not poſſibly euer hauehave laſted long, to bring themſelues where they ſhall hauehave their fill of thoſe helliſh torments and troubles that will neuer hauehave an end, where they ſhall bee tormented in fiery flames, which neither can poſſibly be endured, nor euer auoided: ſo by the firſt death, bringing themſelues to the ſecond, where they ſhal die no more; for they ſhall find no halters in hell to hang themſelues out of the way as they hauehave done before.
The ioy of a true beleeuer is of the nature of true faith,True ioy euercomes all. which cauſeth it, and bringeth it forth. Now faith if it be true and precious faith indeed, is a grace that is victorious and vnconquerable: ſuch is the ioy of a true beleeuer which alwaies doth accompanie a mans faith; if that may be felt, this alſo will bee found preſent: and according to the degree and meaſure of the working of his faith; ſo will ioy be felt to bee either more or leſſe, and where faith doth not faile, there ioy in beleeuing cannot wholly be extinct: it will liue in the fier, it will not bee drowned in the water, nor be made to die euen in death; but procure to him that hath it, a ioyfull paſſage vntounto life.
The ioy of an hypocrite is anſwerable to his brainſicke fancie that bred it; and therefore as a fancie it commeth to nothing, but ſoone flieth away, eſpecially in a tempeſt and troubleſome ſtorme, that it can no more bee found, nor euer heard on againe.
Gods people may ſometimes be in heauineſſe, as were the people of the Iewes, when they mourned and wept, hearing N…h. 8. 9. 10.the booke of the Law read by Ezra the Prieſt, and did perceiue how it had not been kept, but then the ioy of the Lord becommeth their ſtrength; and if in the time of their heauineſſe this ioy for the preſent cannot bee felt, yet will it in the end be fetched out of their greateſt heauineſſe, and moſt ſorrow that they at any time can fall into. For true ioy vſeth to riſe out of godly ſorrow and to further the ſame againe: as godly ſorrow taking ſome beginning out of a ioyfull feeling of Gods louing kindneſſe and mercy in Chriſt Jeſus, endeth in the fulneſſe of ioy afterward, making the meaſure thereof farre more to abound. Theſe (as twinnes and friends) doe keepe companie together, and doe follow one another. The ioy of the faithfull is often made out of ſorrow; yea the ſoundeſt and ſweeteſt ioyes vſe to ſpring out of the bittereſt griefes; as the beſt wine that was drunken at the marriage, was that which by our Sauiour Chriſt was made out of water: and ſo out of the loweſt bottomes of the deepeſt ſorrowes, the higheſt ſprings of the liuelieſt and moſt laſting comforts doe oftentimes fall out to bee found and fetched forth. Theſe ſprings are not opened, till there beSorrow brings ioy. digging ſo deepe into the hollow ground of the heart, (which aboue all things is moſt deceitfull) as there may be comming at the length to the rockie hardneſſe that is there to be met with, and that rocke it ſelfe bee ſo farre digged thorough, till there may be felt ſuch a tenderneſſe and ſoftneſſe of the heart, and ſuch a brokenneſſe of ſpirit, as the heart at length may become wholly contrite, Pſal. 22. 14.and ſo molten in the bowels with godly ſorrowing, that it be as water powred out, and being thus broken, contrite, and ſorrowfull, it ſo be made fit to be preſented as a moſt acceptable and well pleaſing ſacrifice vntounto God. Now when the heart of a poore penitent is thus deepely pierced wounded, and beaten downe, euen to the very bottome and loweſt depth of a thorough-ſorrowing and holy deſparing, that he lie complaining and crying out of the bottome of thoſe deepes for helpe vntounto God, ſetting out his throat and crying with Dauid; Out of the deepe hauehave I Pſal. 130. 1. 2.called vntounto thee O Lord, Lord heare my voice. And with Ionah being in the Whales bellie, cry out from thence as out of the bellie of hell, then will not the Lord deſpiſe norPſal. 22. 24. abhorre the low eſtate of ſuch as are ſo deceiued, he will not hide his face from them; but when they crie he will ſurely heare them: for though hee inhabite eternitie, and dwelleth on high, yet will he liſten and looke to him that is Iſa. 57. 15.of a contrite ſpirit, to receiue the ſpirit of the humble, and to giuegive life and chearing to them that are contrite in heart. Prayers, ſighes and teares going vp from ſuch a diſtreſſe, mercies and compaſſions from God, muſt needs come downe to helpe all againe; and the ſuccours of the Lord are vſually in ſuch caſes ſo ready to be found, as hee letteth thoſe poore perplexed ſeruants of his to ſee them before their eyes, and to touch and feele them as with their hands; and that in ſuch a manner, as they are not alone comforted for the preſent, but confirmed for euermore afterward to truſt aſſuredly in him (fall out whatſoeuer at any time may happen), ſuch ſighing and weeping, ſuch calling and crying out vntounto God for helpe in time of great need, cannot but euer at the length obtaine a proſperous iſſue: as may be ſeene in Dauid, who by his long crying, was at the length drawne out of that horrible pit, Pſal. 40. 2.out of the myre and clay wherein before he did ſticke ſo faſt: and as he elſe where ſaith, had his heauineſſe turned into Pſal. 30. 11. 12.ioy, his mourning into dancing, his ſackcloth put off, and hee himſelfe girded with gladneſſe: for which cauſe his tongue gaue praiſe vntounto God without ceaſing, and he vowed to giuegive thankes vntounto him for euermore. And by how much the more they hauehave hungred and thirſted for the conſolations of God, by ſo much the more doth the Lord fil them Pſal. 90. 14. 15.and ſatisfie them with his mercies, and that right ſoone, ſo as they are made to reioyce the more, and to be glad all the daies of their life: yea it is the Lords manner to comfort his, according to the dayes that he hath afflicted them, and according to the yeeres that they hauehave ſeene euill, then is their mouth filled with laughter, and their tongue with ioy, as in Pſal. 126. 1.the turning againe of the captiuitie of Sion. So that the ioyfulleſt body that euer was, or is, is a true penitent ſinner, who hauing firſt felt the load and burthen of his ſinnes, and been wounded in conſcience for committing of them, comming at the laſt to hauehave thoſe ſtiffe and ſtarke wounds of his, ſuppled by the powring in of that oyle of gladneſſe into his heart, whereby hee is cheered and comforted againe in Chriſt Ieſus, aſſurance being giuen vntounto him to hauehave full redemption in his blood, euen the forgiueneſſe of all his ſinnes. Oh then there is ioy vnſpeakable and glorious in that heart, which ſo ſweetly refreſh the ſoule of that mourning ſinner, as he is in a manner, wholly ſwallowed vp therewith; bleſſing now the time that euer he ſo mourned for his ſinne before, whoſe ſo mourning before, hath brought him this great meaſure of comfort now, and hath put ſuch gladneſſe into his heart, as cauſeth him for very ioy both to laugh and ſing. Iſa. 65. 14.Theſe are the ſweeteſt ioyes that are thus fetched out of the moſt bitter ſorrowes, and theſe are the ſureſt ioyes that will laſt longeſt, whoſe ground hath been laid ſo deepe, as to be raiſed thus out of the loweſt bottomes of a most afflicted eſtate, in a mind that hath been ſore wounded, and much pierced thorough with painfull ſorrowes, and moſt wofull griefes. And thus at the length commeth that promiſe to be fulfilled, which the Lord ſo long ago made to his people that had endured great affliction, that Iſa. 61. 7.for all the ſorrow and ſhame they had endured, they ſhould hauehave double comforts, and for their confuſion he would make them reioyce in their portion. Yea, ſo are Gods ſeruants comforted in their troubles, as euer after they are made better able to comfort others which are in trouble, by the2. Cor. 1. 4. comfort wherewith they themſelues are comforted of God.