The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI.
Of divine reasons in a beleever. Of his minding to praise God, more then to bee delivered.
TO goe on. [I shall yet praise him.]
In these words David expresseth the reasons and grounds of his trust, namely from the interest hee had in God by experience and speciall covenant, wherein in generall we may observe, that those who truly trust in God, Back faith with strong reason.labour to back their faith with sound arguments; faith is an understanding grace, it knowes whom it trusts, and for what, and upon what grounds it trusts: Reason of it selfe cannot finde what we should beleeve, yet when God hath discovered the same, faith tells us there is great reason to beleeve it; faith useth reason (though not as a ground yet) as a sanctified instrument to finde out Gods grounds, that it may rely upon them. He beleeves best, that knowes best why hee should beleeve; Confidence, and love, and other affections of the soule, though they have no reason grafted in them, yet thus farre they are reasonable, as that they are in a wise man raised up, guided, and laid downe with reason, or else men were neither to be blamed nor praised for ordering their affections a right; whereas not only civill vertue, but grace it selfe is especially conversant in ruling the affections by sanctified reason.
The soule guides the will and affections, otherwise then it doth the outward members of the body. It swayes the affections of confidence, love, joy, &c. as a Prince doth his wiser subjects, and as Counsellors doe a well ordered State … ministring reasons to them, but the …le governes the outward members by command, as a master doth a slave, …his will is enough. The hand and foot * Stat pro ratione volunt….…ve upon command, without regarding any reason, but wee will not trust … rejoyce in God without reason, or a … of reason at the least.
Sinne it selfe never wanted a reason, Sin hath its reason.… as it is, but we call it unreasonable, …use it hath no good reason for it; for reason being a beame of God, cannot strengthen any worke of darknesse. God having made man an understanding creature, guides him by a way sutable to such a condition, and that is the reason why God in mercy yeelds so far to us in his word, as to give us so many reasons of our affiance in him. What is encouragement and comfort, but a demonstration to us of greater reasons to raise us up, then there are to cast us downe.
Davids reasons (here) are drawne partly from some promise of deliverance, and partly from Gods nature and dealing with him, whom, as he had formerly found an healing, & a saving God, so he expects to finde him still; and partly from the covenant of grace hee is my God.
The chiefe of his reasons are fetched from God, what he is in himselfe, and what hee is and will be to his children, and what to him in particular; though godly men have reasons for their trst, yet those reasons be divine and spirituall as faith it selfe is: for as naturally as beames come from the Sunne, and branches from the roote, even so by divine A godly mans reasons are divine.discourse one truth issueth from another. And as the beames and the Sunne, as the roote and branches are all of one nature, so the grounds of comfortable truths, and reasons taken from those grounds, are both of same divinity and authority, though in time of temptation discourse is oft so troubled, that it cannot see how one truth riseth from another; this is one priviledge of heaven, that our knowledge there shall not be so much discoursive, proving one thing by another, as definitive, seeing things in their grounds with a more present view: the soule being then raised and enlarged to a present conceiving of things, and there being no flesh and blood in us, to raise objections that must be satisfied with reasoning.
Sometimes in a clearer state of the soule, faith hath not so much use of reasons, but upon neere and sweet communion with God, and by reason of some likenesse betweene the soule that hath a divine nature stamped upon it, and God, it presently without any long discourse, runneth to God as it were by a supernaturall instinct, as by a naturall instinct a childe runneth to his Father in any distresse. Yea, and from that common light of nature, which discovereth there is a God, even naturall men in extremities will runne to God, and God as the Author of nature will sometimes heare them, as he doth the yong Ravens that cry unto him; but comfortably, and with assurance onelyonly those have a familiar recourse unto him, that have a sanctified sutable disposition unto God, as being well acquainted with him.
Sometimes againe faith is put to it to use reasons to strengthen it selfe, and therefore the soule studieth arguments to help it selfe by, either from inward store laid up in the soule, or else it hearkeneth, and yeelds to reasons suggested by others; and there is no gracious heart, but hath a frame sutable and agreeable to any holy and comfortable truth that shall be brought and enforced upon it; there is something in his spirit that answers what ever comes from the spirit of God: though perhaps it never heard of it before, yet it presently claimes kindred of it, as comming from the same blessed Spring, the …ly Spirit; and therefore a gracious heart sooner takes comfort then another, as being prepared to close with it.
The reasons here brought by David, are not so much arguments to convince his judgement, as motives and inducements to encline his will to trust in God, for trusting being a holy relying upon God, carieth especially the will to him; now the will is led with the goodnesse of things, as the understanding is led with truth; the heart must be sweetned with consideration of love and mercy in him whom we trust, as well as convinced of his ability to doe us good, the cords that draw the heart to trust, are the cords of love, and the cords of love are especially the love of him to us whom we love; and therefore the most prevailing reasons that carie the whole heart, are such as are drawne from the sweetnesse of God, whereby the heart is opened and enlarged to expect all good, and nothing but good from him.
But we must remember that neither reasons from the truth and power of God, nor inducements or allurements from the goodnesse of God, will further prevaile with the soule, then it hath a fresh light and rellish brought into it by the spirit of God, to discerne of those reasons, and answer the contrary.
[I will praise him.] David here minds praising of God more then his owne delivery, because he knew his owne delivery was intended on Gods part, that he might be glorified; It is an argument of an excellent spirit, when all selfe-respects are drowned in the glory of God; and there is nothing lost therein, for our best being is in God; A Christian begins with loving God for himselfe; but he ends in loving himselfe in and for God, and so his end, and Gods end, and the end of all things else, concenter and agree in one; We may ayme at our owne good, so wee bring our hearts to referre it to the chiefe good, as …sse circle may well be contained in greater, so that the lines drawn from both circles, meete in one middle point. it is an excellent ground of sincerity, to desire the favour of God, not so much out of selfe aymes, as that God may have the more free and full praise from us, considering the soule is never more f… for that blessed duty, then when it is in a cheerefull plight.
It rejoyced David more, that hee should have a large heart to serve God, then that he should have enlargement of condition. Holy dispositions thinke not so much of the time to come, that it will bee sweet to them, as that it will further Gods praise. True grace raiseth the soule, above selfe-respects, and resteth not till it comes to the …efe end, wherein its happinesse con…ts.
God is glorified in making us happy, and wee (enjoying happinesse) must glorifie God. Although God condescend so low unto us, as not onelyonly to allow us, but to enjoyne us to looke to our owne freedome from misery, and enjoyment of happinesse, yet a soule throughly seasoned with grace, mounteth higher, and is caried with pure respects to advance Gods glory; yea somtimes so farre, as to forget it owne happinesse, it respects it selfe for God, rather then God for it selfe. A heavenly soule is never satisfied, untill it be as neere God as is attaineable. And the neerer a creature comes to God, the more it is emptied of it selfe, and all selfe-aymes. Our happinesse is more in him, then in our selves. Wee seeke our selves most, when we deny our selves most. And the more wee labour to advance God, the more we advance our owne condition in him.
[I will praise.] David thinkes of his owne duty in praising God, more then of Gods worke in delivering him: Let us thinke of what is our duty, and God will thinke of what shall bee for our comfort; we shall feelse God answering what we looke for from him, in doing what hee expects from us. Can wee have so meane thoughts of him, as that we should intend his glory, and …e not much more intend our good?
This should be a strong plea unto us … our prayers, to prevaile with God, when we ingage our selves upon the revelation of his mercy to us, to yeeld him all the praises. Lord as the benefit …d comfort shall be mine, so the praises shall be thine.
It is little lesse then blasphemy, to We ought not to praise God in doing evill.praise God for that which by unlawfull shifts we have procured; for be…des the bypocrisie of it (in seeming to sacrifice to him, when we sacrifice in…ed to our owne wits and carnall helps) we make him a Patron of those wayes which he most abhorres; and it is Idolatry in the highest degree, to transforme God so in our thoughts, as …o thinke he is pleased with that which comes from his greatest enemy. And there is a grosse mistake to take Gods curse for a blessing; to thrive in an ill way, is a spirituall judgement, ex…eamly hardening the heart.
It is an argument of Davids sincerity here, that he meant not to take any indirect course for delivering himselfe, because he intended to praise God, which as no guilty conscience can offer, (being afraid to looke God in the face,) so God would abhorre such a sacrifice, were it offered to him. S. Paul was stirred up to praise God, but withall hee was assured God would preserve him from every evill worke.2 Tim. 4. 18.
Sometimes indeed where there is no malicious intention, God pardons some breakings out of flesh and blood, endeavouring to helpe our selves in danger, so farre as not to take advantage of them to desert us in trouble, as in David who escaped from Achis by counterfeiting; and this yeelds a double 1 Sam. 27. 10.ground of thankfulnesse, partly for Gods overlooking our miscariage, and partly for the deliverance it selfe. Yet this indulgence of God, will make the soule more ashamed afterward s… these sinfull shifts, therefore it must be no president to us. There can neither be grace nor wisdome in setting upon a course, wherein we can neither pray to God for successe in, nor blesse God when he gives it. In this case God most …sseth, where he most crosseth, and …st curseth where the deluded heart …nkes he blesseth most.