The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 7
CAP. VII.
Difference between good men and others in conflicts with sinne.
BUt how doth it appeare that this combate in David was a spirituall Quest.combate?
1. Answ. First, A naturall conscience is troubled for sins against the light of nature onelyonly, but David for inward and secret corruptions, as discouragement and disquietnesse arising from faint trusting in God.
Davids conflict was not onelyonly with the sensuall lower part of his soule, which is carried to ease and quiet, and love of present things, but hee was troubled with a mutiny in his understanding, betweene faith and distrust; and therefore hee was forced to rouze up his soule so oft to trust in God; which shews that carnall reason did solicite him to discontent, and had many colourable reasons for it.
Secondly, a man indued with common 2.grace, is rather a patient then an agent in conflicts; the light troubles him against his will, as discovering and reproving him, and hindring his sinfull contentments; his heart is more byased another way if the light would let him; but a godly man labours to helpe the light, and to worke his heart to an opposition against sinne; he is an agent as well as a patient. As David here doth not suffer disquieting, but is disquieted with himselfe for being so. A godly man is an agent in opposing his corruption, and a patient in induring of it: whereas a naturall man is a secret agent in and for his corruptions, and a patient in regard of any helpe against them; A good man suffers evill and doth good, a naturall man suffers good and doth evill.
Thirdly, A conscience guided by 3.common light, withstands distempers most by outward meanes, but David here fetcheth helpe from the Spirit of God in him, and from trust in God. Nature works from within, so doth the new nature; David is not onelyonly something disquieted, and something troubled for being disquieted, but sets himselfe throughly against his distempers; hee complaines, and expostulates, hee censures, and chargeth his soule. The other, if hee doth any thing at all, yet it is faintly; he seeks out his corruption as a coward doth his enemie, loth to finde him, and more loth to encounter with him.
Fourthly, David withstands sinne 4.constantlie and gets ground. Wee see here, he gives not over at the first, but presseth againe and againe. Nature works constantly, so doth the new nature. The conflict in the other is something forced, as taking part with the worser side in himselfe, good things have a weak, or rather no party in him, bad things a strong; and therefore hee soone gives over in this holy quarrell.
Fiftly, David is not discouraged by his foiles, but sets himselfe afresh against 5.his corruptions, with confidence to bring them under. Whereas he that hath but a common work of the Spirit, after some foiles, lets his enemy prevaile more and more, and so despaires of victory, and thinks it better to fit still, then to rise and take a new fall; by which meanes his later end is worse then his beginning, for beginning in the Spirit, he ends in the flesh. A godly man, although upon some foile, he may for a time bee discouraged, yet by holy indignation against sinne, he renues his force, and sets afresh upon his corruptions, and gathers more strength by his falls, and groweth into more acquaintance with his owne heart, and Satans malice, and Gods strange waies in bringing light out of darknesse.
Sixtly, An ordinary Christian may 6.be disquieted for being disquieted, as David was, but then it is onelyonly as disquiet hath vexation in it; but David here striveth against the unquietnesse of his spirit, not onelyonly as it brought vexation with it, but as it hindred communion with his God.
In sinne there is not onelyonly a guilt binding over the soule to Gods judgement, and thereupon filling the soule with inward feares and terrors; but in Evils of sinne.sinne likewise there is, 1. a contrarietie 1.to Gods holy nature; and, 2. a contrariety 2.to the Divine nature and image stamped upon our selves; 3. a 3.weakning and disabling of the soule from good; and, 4. a hindring of our former communion with GOD, sinne 4.being in its nature a leaving of God the fountaine of all strength and comfort, and cleaving to the creature; hereupon the soule having tasted the sweetnesse of GOD before, is now grieved, and this grief is not onelyonly for the guilt and trouble that sinne drawes after it, but from an inward Antipathy and contrariety betwixt the sanctified soule and sinne. It hates sinne as sinne, as the onelyonly bane and poyson of renewed nature, and the onelyonly thing that breedes strangenesse betwixt God & the soule. And this hatred, is not so much from discourse and strength of reason, as from nature it selfe rising presently against its enemie; The Lambe presently shuns the Wolfe from a contrariety; Antipathies wait not for any strong reason, but are exercised upon the first presence of a contrary object.
Seventhly, hereupon ariseth the last difference; that because the soule hateth 7sinne as sinne, therefore it opposeth it universally and eternally, in all the powers of the soule, and in all actions inward and outward issuing from those powers, David regarded no iniquity in his heart, but hated every evil Psal. 66. 18way. The desires of his soule were, that it might be so directed, that he might keep… Gods law. And if there had beene no Psal. 119. 5binding law, yet there was such a sweet sympathy and agreement betwixt his soule and Gods truth, that he delighted in it above all naturall sweetnesse; Hence it is that Saint Iohn saith, He that is bor… 1 Ioh. 3. 9.of God cannot sinne, that is so farre forth as he is borne of God; his new nature will not suffer him, he cannot lie, he cannot deceive, he cannot be earthly minded, hee cannot but love and delight in the persons & things that are good. There is not onelyonly a light in the understanding, but a new life in the will, and all other faculties of a godly man; what good his knowledge discovereth, that his will makes choice of, and his heart loveth; What ill his understanding discovers, that his will hateth and abstaines from. But in a man not throughly converted, the will and affections are bent otherwise, he loves not the good he doth, nor hates the evill hee doth not.
Therefore let us make a narrow search into our soules upon what Vse.grounds wee oppose sinne, and fight Gods battells. A common Christian is not cast downe, because hee is disquieted in Gods service, or for his inward failings, that he cannot serve God with that liberty & freedome he desires, &c: But a godly man is troubled for his distempers, because they hinder the comfortable intercourse betwixt God and his soule, and that spirituall composednesse, and Sabbath of spirit which hee enjoyed before, and desires to enjoy againe. Hee is troubled that the waters of his soule are troubled so, that the image of Christ shines not in him as it did before. It grieves him to finde an abatement in affection, in love to God, a distraction or coldnesse in performing duties, any doubting of Gods favour, any discouragement from dutie, &c. A godly mans comforts and grievances are hid from the world; naturall men are strangers to them. Let this be a rule of discerning our estates, how wee stand affected to the distempers of our hearts; If wee finde them troublesome, it is a ground of comfort unto us that our Spirits are ruled by a higher spirit; and that there is a principle of that life in us, which cannot brooke the most secret corruption, but rather casts it out by a holy complaint, as strength of nature doth poyson, which seekes its destruction. And let us bee in love with that worke of grace in us, which makes us out of love with the least stirrings that hinder our best condition.
Se… againe, We may be sinfully disquieted Obser. 9.for that which is not a sinne to be disquieted for. David had sinned if he had not beene somewhat troubled for the banishment from Gods house, and the blasphemie of the enemies of the Church; But yet (wee see) hee stops himselfe, and sharply takes up his soule for being disquieted: Hee did well in being disquieted, and in checking himselfe for the same; there were good grounds for both: He had wanted spirituall life if he had not beene disquieted. Hee abated the vigour and livelinesse of his life, by being over-much disquieted.