Exposition on the Seven Psalms of Repentance, Exposition 51 · Verse 11
Verſe 11. Caſt me not away from thy preſence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
IN this verſe he craueth two euils to be auerted from him; one, that he be not caſt out from Gods preſence: the other, that the holy Spirit be not taken from him. God caſt off Saul his predeceſſor,1. Sa. 16.15 and tooke his holy Spirit from him, and gaue him ouer to be led by an euill ſpirit; Dauid here craueth at God to be free of thoſe two iudgements. The chiefe thing which he ſeeketh after, is Gods fauour; from which nothing debarreth vsus more then ſinne. If any Courtier for his ouerſight were put out of his place (as Pharaohs butler) and out of the Kings ſight,Exod. 40.3 would they not thinke hard thereof till they recouer his fauour? Wee hauehave ſinned againſt God, ſhould we take any reſt till we be reſtored to his fauour?Seek Gods fauour. Should we not be afraid to be exiled and caſt forth from his fauorable countenance, in whoſe preſence is fulneſſe of ioy?Pſal. 16.12.
The face and preſence of God is as the Sunne, which in Summer looking fauourably on the earth, quickneth all creatures, man, beaſts, the earth, whatſoeuer groweth, the fiſhes of the ſea, and the birds of the aire; and by his abſence all are diſcouraged, comfortleſſe, and loſe their vigour: ſo while we hauehave Gods fauour, we are in good caſe… we hauehave light, heate, comfort, pleaſure, and all things; if he hide his face, all things goes wrong; and therefore our Poet ſaith well,
Tu ſi me placido lumine videris,
Cedent continuo caetera prosperè.Buch. Pſal.
But do you think that God can caſt away his elect child? No verily,God cānot abſent him ſelf foreuer totally and finally he will not do it, he cannot do it; though we our ſelues and others beholding our croſſes, may eſteeme ſo. The Sun may ſeeme not to ſhine, Simil. whē it is cóuered with clouds, although it be ſhining: ſo God may ſeeme to leaue vsus, when he croſſeth vsus, but it is not ſo. With an euerlaſting louelove hauehave I loued thee. He loued his owne who were in the world, to the end he loued them. Ioh. 16.27.The gifts of God are without repentance. Rom. 11.29 Mat. 24.24Falſe Chriſts would deceiue the very elect, if it were poſſible. Againe, Chriſt ſaith, No man ſhall take them out of my hands. Rom. 8.30And Paul, Whom God predeſtinateth, he calleth, iuſtifieth and glorifieth; therefore they cannot fall away finally. Which is againſt that damnable doctrine of the Papiſts,Againſt the Papiſts, who thinke the elect may be reprobates, which is repugnant to the whole Trinitie. Againſt God. Againſt Chriſt. who thinke the elect may be reprobates. This doctrine is iniurious to the whole Trinitie: for the Father is greatly wronged, in that he is thought to be impotent or inconſtant; who hath ordaned vsus before the world to glorie, & that his work could be hindred or altered by any intervenient fault or ſinne in vsus, as though he would or could not remoue and pardon it. And our Sauiour getteth no leſſe iniury by them, that one of his members can periſh, and ſo he ſhould hauehave a defectiue body. For if any who once hath bin a member of his myſticall bodie fall away or be cut off, of neceſſitie his bodie by want of that one member would be diſgraced. And the holy Spirit who is the pledge of our adoption,Againſt the holy Spirit. ſealing vp Gods grace in our hearts, and giuing vsus that full perſwaſion of Gods promiſes, cauſing vsus to crie Abba, Father,Rom. 8.15 is greatly wronged, when his work is accounted nothing of, as friuolous, light and vncertaine. So to ſpeake the truth, the Papiſts do what in them lieth, to diſgrace the holy Trinitie, and aduance Angels and men, in plaine contempt of that glorious Godhead, which we ought ſo much to aduance in our doctrine and writings. This is a great comfort to vsus,The graces of the Spirit can not be taken away. that the graces of the Spirit which we hauehave once gotten, cannot be taken away againe. For howſoeuer we do not feele them alike at all times, yet we hauehave them: ſin may take away the feeling of grace, but not the poſſeſſion thereof. Albeit God be angrie by correcting his beſt children, yet whom he chaſtiſeth he loueth.Heb. 12.6.
But Dauid ſaith, Obiect. Pſa. 69 …0Blot them out of the booke of life. Solut. It is not to be thought that Dauid ſuppoſed they were written in the booke of life, but becauſe they ſeemed to feare God, and were in the viſible Church, but not of her, he prayeth that God would make it knowne, they were neuer written in it. And in praying that the holy Spirit may not be taken from him, he doubteth, yea he ſtandeth in feare of the loſſe thereof. Bleſsed is he that feareth continually. He doubteth, but doth not deſpaire. The Spirit may be grieued by vsus, and ſo ceaſe to worke in vsus good things, or to let vsus feele good motions, but he cannot go away; for when he hath brought vsus to our ſelues, and letten vsus feele our ſins, then he purgeth his dwelling place, and maketh it more meete, to worke in ſuch diuine operations as it pleaſeth him to inſpire in vsus.