The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 2
CAP. II.
Of discouragements from without.Outward causes of disconragement.
1. GOD himselfe: who sometimes withdrawes the beames of his 1. God himselfe.countenance from his children, whereupon the soule even of the strongest Christian is disquieted; when together with the crosse, God himselfe seemes to be an enemie unto them. The child of God when hee seeth that his troubles are mixed with Gods displeasure, and perhaps his conscience tells him that God hath a just quarrell against him, because he hath not renewed his peace with his God, then this anger of A divine temptation, what.God puts a sting into all other troubles, and addes to the disquiet. There were some ingredients of this divine temptation (as wee call it) in holy David at this time: though most properly a divine temptation bee, when God appeares unto us as an enemy, without any speciall guilt of any particular sin, as in Iobs case.
And no marvaile if Christians bee from hence disquieted, when as the Sonne of God himselfe having alwayes before enjoyed the sweet communion with his Father, and now feeling an estrangement, that he might be a curse for us, complained in all his torments of nothing else; but My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? It is with the Mat. 27. 46godly in this case, as with vapours drawne up by the Sunne, which (when the extracting force of the Sunne leaves them) fall downe againe to the earth from whence they are drawn. So when the soule, raised up and upheld by the beames of his countenance, is left of God, it presently begins to sinke. We see when the body of the Sun is partly hid from us (for totally it cannot in an Eclipse by the body of the Moone) that there is a drouping in the whole frame of nature: so it is in the soule, when there is any thing that comes between Gods gracious countenance and it.
Besides, if we looke downe to inferiour causes, the soule is oft cast down 2. In regard of Satan, who is all for casting downe.by Satan, who is all for casting downe, and for disquieting. For being a cursed spirit, cast and tumbled downe himself from heaven, where hee is never to come againe, is hereupon full of disquiet, carying a hell about himselfe, whereupon all that he labours for, is to cast downe and disquiet others, that they may bee (as much as he can procure) in the same cursed condition with himselfe. He was not ashamed to set upon Christ himselfe with this tempration of casting downe, and thinke… Christs members never low enough till he can bring them as low as himself.
By his envy and subtlety, wee were The devill envies our happinesse first, and last.driven out of Paradice at the first, and now hee envies us the Paradice of a good conscience: for that is our Paradice untill wee come to heaven; into which no serpent shall ever creepe to tempt us. When Satan seeth a man strongly and comfortably walke with God, he cannot endure that a creature of meaner ranke by creation then himselfe, should enjoy such happinesse. Herein, like (some peevish men which are his instruments) men too contentious, and bred up therein (as a Salamander in the fire,) who when they know the cause to be naught, and their adversaries to have the better title; yet (out of malice) they will follow them with suits and vexations, though they be not able to disable their opposites title: If their malice have not a vent in hurting some way, they will burst for anger.
It is just so with the devill, when he seeth men will to heaven, and that they have good title to it, then he followes them with all dejecting and uncomfortable tentations that he can: it is his continuall trade and course to seek his rest in our disquiet, he is by beaten practise and profession, a temper in his kinde.
Againe, what Satan cannot doe himselfe by immediate suggestions, that 3. Satans instruments, who are al for casting dovvne.he labours to work by his instruments, who are all for casting down of those who stand in their light, as those in the Psalme who cry, downe with him, downe with him, even to the ground; a character and stamp of which mens dispositions, we have in the verse before this text, Mine enemies (saith David) reproach me. As sweet and as compassionate a man as hee was, to pray and put on sackcleth Psa. 35. 13.for them, yet he had enemies, and such enemies, as did not suffer their malice only to boile and concoct in their own breasts, but out of the abundance of their hearts, they reproached him in words. There is nothing the nature of man is more impatient of, then of reproaches; for there is no man so meane, but thinkes himselfe worthy of some regard, and a reproachfull scorn shews an utter disrespect, which issues from the very superfluity of malice.
Neither went they behind his back, but were so impudent to say it to his face: a malicious heart and a slandering tongue goe together, and though shame might have suppressed the uttering of such words, yet their insolent cariage spake as much in Davids Psal. 39. 1.heart: We may see by the language of mens cariage what their heart saith, and what their tongue would vent, if they dared.
And this their malice was unwearied, for they said daily unto him, as if it had beene fed with a continuall spring: malice is an unsatiable monster, it will minister words, as rage ministers weapons. But what was that they said so reproachfully? and said daily? Where is verse 3.now thy God? they upbraid him with his singularity, they say not now, where is God? but, where is thy God, that thou dost boast so much on? as if thou hadst some speciall interest in Him. Where we see that the scope of the devill and wicked men is to shake the godlies Faith and confidence in their God. As Satan laboured to divide betwixt Christ and his Father. If thou beest the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. So hee labours to Mat. 4.divide betwixt Father, and Son, and us; they labour to bring God in jealousie with David, as if God had neglected him, bearing himselfe so much upon God. They had some colour of this, for God at this time had vailed himselfe from David, as hee does oft from his best children for the better discovery of the malice of wicked men: And This was preached in the beginning of the troubles of the Church.doth not Satan tippe the tongues of the enemies of Religion now, to insult over the Church now lying a bleeding? What becomes of their Reformation, of their Gospell? Nay, rather whats become of your eyes, we may say unto them? For God is nearest to his children when hee seemes furthest off. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seene, God is Gen. 22. 14.with them and in them, though the wicked be not aware of it; it is all one, as if one should say betwixt the space of the new and old Moone, where is now the Moone? when as it is never nearer the Sun then at that time.
Where is now thy God?Quest.
Answ. In heaven, in earth, in me, every where but in the heart of such as aske such questions, and yet there they shall finde him too in his time, filling their consciences with his wrath; and then, Where is their God? where are their great friends, their riches, their honors, which they set up as a god? what can they availe them now?
But how was David affected with these reproaches? their words were as swords, as with a sword in my bones, &c. they spake daggers to him, they cut Vers. 10him to the quicke when they toucht him in his God, as if he had neglected his servants, when as the devill himself regards those who serve his turn; touch a true godly man in his Religion, and you touch his life and his best freehold, he lives more in his God then in himselfe; so that we may see here, there is a murther of the tongue, a wounding tongue as well as a healing tongue: men think themselves freed from murther, A murther of the tongue.if they kill none, or if they shed no blood, whereas they cut others to the heart with bitter words. It is good to extend the Commandement to awake the conscience the more, and breed humility, when men see there is a murdering of the tongue. Wee see David therefore upon this reproach to be presently so moved, as to fall out with himselfe for it, Why art thou so cast down and disquieted ô my soule? This bitter taunt ran so much in his minde, that he expresseth it twice in this Psalme; He was sensible that they struck at God, through his sides; what they spake in scorne and lightly, hee tooke heavily. And indeed, when religion suffers, if there be any heavenly fire in the heart, it will rather break out, then not discover it selfe at all. We see by daily experience, that there is a speciall force in words uttered from a subtle head, a false heart, and a smooth tongue, to weaken the hearts of professors, by bringing an evill report upon the strict profession of religion: as the cunning and false spies did upon the good land, as if it were not onelyonly in vaine, but dangerous 1 Iudg. 24.to appeare for Christ in evill times. If the example of such as have saint spirits will discourage in an army (as wee see in Gideons History) then Iudges 7.what will speech inforced both by example and with some shew of reason doe?
To let others passe, we need not goe further then our selves, for to finde causes of discouragement, there is a seminary 4. Discouragement comes from our selves.of them within us. Our flesh, an enemy so much the worse, by how much the nearer, will be ready to upbraide us within us, where is now thy God? why shouldest thou stand out in a profession that findes no better entertainment?