The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 4
CAP. IV.
Of casting downe our selves. And specially by sorow. Evills thereof.
TO returne againe to the words, Why art thou cast downe ô my soule, &c. or, why dost thou cast downe thy selfe? or, art cast downe by thy selfe? Whence we may Obser. 1.further observe, That wee are prone to cast downe our selves, wee are accessary to our owne trouble, and weave the web of our owne sorow, and hamper our selves in the coards of our owne twining. God neither loves nor wills that we should be too much cast down. Wee see our Saviour Christ how carefull hee was that his Disciples should not bee troubled, and therefore hee labours to prevent that trouble which might arise by his suffering and departure from them, by a heavenly sermon; Let not your hearts bee troubled, &c. Hee was troubled himselfe that wee should Joh. 14. 1.not bee troubled: The ground therefore of our disquiet is chiefly from our selves, though Satan will have a hand in it. We see many like sullen birds in a cage beate themselves to death. This casting downe of our selves, is not from humility, but from Pride, wee must have our will, or God shall not have a good look from us, but as pertish and peevish children, we hang our heads in our bosome, because our w… are crost.
Therefore in all our troubles wee Vse.should looke first home to our owne hearts, and stop the storme there; for wee may thanke our owne selves, not onelyonly for our troubles, but likewise for overmuch troubling ourselves in trouble. It was not the troubled conditio… that so disquieted Davids soule, for if hee had had a quiet minde, it would not have troubled him. But Davis yeelded to the discouragements of the flesh, and the flesh (so farre as it is unsubdued) is like the sea that is alwayes casting mire and dirt of doubts, discouragements and murmurings in the soule; let us therefore lay the blame where it is to be laid.
Againe, wee see, it is the nature of sorow to cast downe, as of joy to lift up. Obser. 2.Griefe is like lead to the soule, heavie and cold; it sinks downwards, and carries the soule with it. The poore Publican to shew that his soule was cast Luk 18. 13downe under the sight of his sinnes, hung downe his head, the position of his body was sutable to the disposition of his minde, his heart and head were cast downe alike; And it is Satans practice to goe over the hedge where it is lowest: he addes more weights to the soule, by his tentations and vexations. His sinne cast him out of heaven, and by his temptations, hee cast us out of our Paradice, and ever since, he labors to cast us deeper into sinne, wherein his scope is, to cast us either into too much trouble for sinne, or presumption in sin, which is but a lifting up, to cast vsus downe into deepe despaire at length, and so at last (if Gods mercy stop not his malice) hee will cast vsus as low as himselfe, even into hell it selfe.Reason. How sorrow doth weaken the soule.
The ground hereof is, because as the joy of the Lord doth strengthen, so doth sorow weaken the soule. How doth i… weaken?
1. By weakning the execution o… the functions thereof, because it drinketh 1.up the spirits, which are the instruments of the soule.
2. Because it contracteth, and draweth the soule into it selfe from comm… nion 2.of that comfort it might ha… with God or man. And then the soule being left alone, if it falleth, hath no… to raise it up.Eccles. 4. 10
Therefore, if wee will prevent casting Vse. How to prevent casting downe.downe, let us prevent griefe the cause of it, and sinne the cause of th… Experience proves that true which th… Wiseman saies, Heavinesse in the he… of a man makes it stoope, but a good … Pro. 12. 25.makes it better. It bowes downe th… soule, and therefore our blessed Sav… our inviteth such unto him; Come … mee yee who are heavy laden with the b… den of your sinnes. The body bends u… der Matt. 11.a heavy burden, so likewise t… soule hath its burden. Why art thou c… downe ô my soule? Why so disquiet… &c.
Whence, wee see 1. that casting downe breeds disquieting: Because it Obser. 1.springs from pride, which is a turbulent Passion, when as men cannot stoope to Reason.that condition which God would have them in; this proceeds from discontentment, and that from pride. As we see, a vapour inclosed in a cloude causeth a terrible noise of thunder, whilst it is pent up there, and seeketh a vent; So all the noise within proceeds from a discontented swelling vapour. It is aire inclosed in the bowels of the earth which shakes it, which all the foure windes cannot doe.
No creature under heaven so low cast downe as Satan, none more lifted up in pride, none so full of discord; the impurest spirits are the most disquiet and stormy spirits, troublesome to themselves and others; for when the soule leaves GOD once, and lookes downewards, what is there to stay it from disquiet; remoove the needle from the pole starre, and it is alwaies stirring and trembling, never quiet till it be right againe. So displace the soule by taking it from God, and it will never bee quiet. The devill cast out of heaven and out of the Church, keepes a dooe, so doe unruly spirits led by him.
Now I come to the Remedies,Remedies against casting downe & disquieting
1. By expostulation with himselfe.
2. By laying a charge on himselfe, (trust in God.)
It is supposed here, that there is no reason (which the wisedome from above allowes to be a reason) why men should bee discouraged, although the wisedome from beneath which takes part with our corruption will seldome want a plea. Nay there is not onelyonly no reason for it, but there are strog Reasons against discouragement.reasons against it, there being a world of evill in it.
For, 1. It indisposes a man to all good duties, it makes him like an instrument 1. It indisposes to all good duties.out of tune, and like a body out of joint, that moveth both uncomly and painfully. It unfits to duties to God, who loves a cheerefull giver, and especially a thanksgiver. Whereup… the Apostle joines them both together in all things be thankfull, and rejoyce evermore. In our communion with God in 1. Thess. 5.the Sacraments, joy is a chiefe ingredient. So in duties to men, if the spirit be dejected, they are unwelcome, and lose the greatest part of their life and grace; A cheerefull and a free spirit in duty is that which is most accepted in duty. We observe not so much what, as from what affection a thing is done.
2. It is a great wrong to God himselfe, 2. It Wrongs God, making us thinke amisse of him.and it makes us conceive blacke thoughts of him, as if He were an enemie. What an injury is it to a gracious father, that such whom he hath followed with many gracious evidences of his favour and love, should be in so ill a frame, as once to call it into question?
3. So, it makes a man forgetfull of 3. It makes a manforget former blessings, &c.all former blessings, and stops the influence of Gods grace, for the time present, and for that to come.
4. So againe, For receiving of good: It makes us unfit to receive mercies; a 4. It makes us unfit to receive good.quiet soule is the seate of wisdome. Therefore, Meeknesse is required for the receiving of that ingrafted word which i… able to save our soules. Till the Spirit o… Iames 1. 21.God meekens the soule, (say what yo… will) it mindes nothing, the soule i… not empty and quiet enough to receive the seed of the word. It is ill sowing i… a storme, so a stormy spirit will no… suffer the word to take place, Men … deceived when they thinke a dejected spi… to be an humble spirit. Indeed it is so when wee are cast downe in the sens… of our owne unworthinesse, and then as much raised up in the confidence o… Gods mercy. But when wee cast o… selves downe sullenly, and neglect ou… comforts, or undervalue them, it proceeds from pride, for it controules (a… much as in us lies) the wisdome and justice of God, when we thinke with our selves, why should it be so with us▪ as if we were wiser to dispose of ourselves then God is. It disposeth us for entertaining any temptation. Satan hath never more advantage then upo… 5. It hinders beginners comming into Gods wayes.discontent.
5. Besides, it keepes off beginne… from comming in, and entring into th… waies of God, bringing an ill report upon religion, causing men to charge it falsly for an uncōfortable way, whenas men never feele what true comfort meaneth, till they give up themselves to God. And it dampes likewise the spirits of those that walk the same way with us, when as wee should (as good travellers) cheere up one another both by word and example. In such a case, the wheeles of the soule are taken off, or else, (as it were) want oyle, whereby the soule passeth on very heavily and no good action comes off from it as it should, which breeds not onelyonly uncomfortablenesse, but unsettlednesse in good courses. For a man will never go on comfortably and constantly in that which he heavily undertakes. Thats the reason why uncheerefull spirits seldome hold out as they should. Saint Peter knew this well, and therefore he willeth that there should be quietnesse and peace betwixt husband and wife, that their prayers be not hindred; Insinuating 1 Pet. 3.that their prayers are hindered by family breaches. For by that meanes, those two (that should be one flesh and spirit) are divided, and so made two, and when they should minde duty, their minde is taken up with wrongs done by the one to the other.
There is nothing more required for the performing of holy duties then uniting of spirits, and therefore God would not have the sacrifice brought to the altar, before reconciliation with Mat. 5. 24.our brother. He esteemes peace so highly, that he will have his owne service stay for it. We see when Moses came to Exodus 9.deliver the Israelites out of bondage, their minde was so taken up with their griefe, that there was no body within to give Moses an answere, their soules went altogether after their ill usage.
Therefore we should all endeavour Vse.and labour for a calmed spirit, that we may the better serve God in praying to him, and praising of him; and serve one another in love, that we may be fitted to doe and receive good: that wee may make our passage to heaven more easie and cheerefull, without drooping and hanging the wing. So much as wee are quiet and cheerefull upon good grounds, so much we live, and are as it were in heaven. So much as we yeeld to discouragement, we lose so much of our life and happinesse, cheerefulnesse being (as it were) that life of our lives, and the spirit of our spirits by which they are more inlarged to receive happinesse and to expresse it.