The Communion of Saints, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
How the fores…yd communion and peace between God and his Sainsts, is somtimes interrupted by their syns: what vnrest & trouble, they then feel in themselves; and how their ancient peace is renewed.
B…cause ther is †Eccl. 7. 22. 2. Chron. 6. 36no man just in the earth, that doeth good and sinneth not; and whiles men dwel in these howses of clay, they be compassed about with their own infirmities, tempted of their own concupiscences, and besett with Divils, that alwayes lie in wayt to entrap and devour: it falleth out, that the Saincts of God ar not only assaulted, but oftētimes foyled by their enemies, and do fal into snares, and loathsome trespasses, wherby God is dishonoured, the Divil delighted, & their own harts wounded and distressed.
2. For our knowledge in this life, is but ‖1 Cor. 13. 9. 12.in part; so that through error & ignorāce we oft do amisse; neyther can any man *Psal. 19. 12.vnderstand or discerne those errors. Our affections & lusts are not fully subdued, but do yet ‡Iam. 4. ….warr in our members; the flesh †Gal. 5. 17.lusteth against the spirit, and these ‖1 Pet. 2. 11.lusts fight against the sowle, & ar as a *Rom. 7. 23.law in our members, rebelling against the law of our mind, and captivating vsus to the law of syn which is in our members. Our strength is infirme; and though we would do good, yet ‡ver. 1….find we no means to performe it. Our enemy Satan, is both subtile and strong, and seeketh dayly to circumvent vsus, & often prevaileth through our weaknes and vnheedines, that in †Iam. 3. 2.many things we syn al, & no man can say ‖Prov. 20. 9.I hav purified my hart, I am clean from my syn.
3. Sometime the pleasures of the flesh, do bewitch and drawe vsus into greevous offences; *Gen. 9. 21.drunkennes, ‡2 Sam. 11. 4 1 King. 11. 1. 2. 3. 4.adultery, fornication, murder, and idolatrie it self; sometime the blessings of God vponupon vsus, do make vsus prowd, our ”2 Chron. 32. 25.harts are lifted vp, we commit †1 Chron. 21. 1. 2 &c.vainglorious actions, forgetting ‖Luk. 15. 13. 17.our selves, and *Deut. 32. 18 15.God that begate vsus, even forsaking the Rock of our salvatiō; sometime our affections are so stirred, that we fal into intemperance ‡1 Sam. 25. 23. 21. 22. 31. 32. 33. 34. 2 Chro. 16. 10. Psal. 106. 32. 33. Act 7. 9. Gen 49. 7.both in word & work, not onelyonly against men, but even †Ion. 4. 1. 4. 9. &c.God himself; somtime feares, doubts, dangers, threatnings, and afflictions, do ‖Exod. 14. 10. Isa. 7. 2. Mat. 14. 30. 31.daunt and discourage vsus, making the hart to faint, the tongue to deny *Mat. 26. 70. 72. 74.and forswear the truth, the hands ‡Ex. 32. 2. 4. 22. 2…. &c.to work impietie, our faith to quaile, that we forsake Christ and †Mat. 26. 56.flee away. Yea Gods children have in error and blind zele, persecuted the truth and professors thereof, even killed Christ himself, & crucified the Lord of Glorie; as the example of ‖Act. 9. 1. &c & Act. 2. 22. 23. 29. 36. 38 39.Saul & sondrie other elect Israelites doth manifest. These and many like greevous syns do the Saincts sometimes fall into through their infirmities, (God withdrawing his hand, & leaving them to themselves,) besides their ignorances & defaults which multiplie dayly: so as they surmount in number *Psal. 40. 12.the hayres of their heads. And many times such mē lie sleeping in their syns ‡As the former examples of the Patriarches shew.long, forgetting themselves in their voluptuous delights; til God awakeneth them of his grace, least they should sleep the death, and perish for ever.
4. He awakeneth vsus somtime by the sound of ”2 Sam. 1…. 1—7—13. Act▪ 2. 37.his word, knocking at the door of our harts; and by his †Neb. 9. 30.Spirit wherewith he ‖Gen. 6. 3.striveth in vsus: somtime by *Iob. 33. 16. 17. 19. &c. Ion 1. 17. & 2. 1. 2. &c.corrections & punishments for our misdeedes inflicted vponupon our bodies; sometime by ‡… Sam 24. 10. Psal. 38. 3 8. 10.striking our consciences with dread dismay and terrour for our syns, and withdrawing the cheerful light of his countenance from vsus, so as we feel not the joy of his spirit, neyther have peace in our selves; but the comfortable cōmuniō betweē his Majestie & vsus, seemeth quite to be disanulled & brokē.
5. For he withdraweth his face and favour from vsus, †Iob. 19. 11.kindleth his anger against vsus, & coūteth vsus as his enemies, the horror of his wrath is as fyre sent from above into our bones; the curse ‖Dan. 9. 1….written in the law, is powred vponupon vsus, and is as the arrowes of the Almightie, the venim wherof drinketh vp our spirit. He *Psal. 90. 8.setteth our iniquities before him self, & our secret syns in the light of his countenance; he setteth them also in our own sight, and our syn is ‡Psal. 51. 3.before vsus continually; with his hand he †Lam. 1. 14.bindeth the yoke of our transgressions, & with them being wrapped & layd vponupon our neck, he maketh our strength to fayl; ‖Iob. 13. 26.bitter things doth he write against vsus, & make vsus to inherit the iniquities of our youth; so as ther is *Psal. 38. 3. 5 7.nothing found in our flesh because of his anger; neither is ther rest in our bones because of our sin: our wounds stink and ar corrupt, our reynes ar ful of burning, our hart is ‡Psal. 22. 14.as waxe, it melteth in the mids of our bowels; our bones are parched †Psal. 102 3.like an hearth, & our ‖Psal. 32. 40moysture is turned to a summers drowth, so heavy is his hand vponupon vsus night and day. Then crie we out for grief of hart, we ‖ rore like beares, and mourn like doves; looking for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from vsus; because our trespasses are many both before him and our selves, for which his terrors do fight against vsus, he visiteth vsus *Isa. 59. 11, 12.every‡ Iob. 7. 18. morning, and trieth vsus every moment; setteth vsus as a mark against him, so that we are a burden to our selves. Also when we crie & shout, ”Lam. 3. 8.he shutteth out our prayer, and is even †Psal. 80. 4.angrie against it; because our ‖Isa. 59. 2.iniquities have separated between vsus and him, and our syns have hid his face from vsus, that he will not hear; so lothsome are our trespasses vntounto him, so venemous to our selves is the biting of those fiery serpents.
6. Then are we left comfortlesse and desolate, cast down in our selves, our soul powred out vpō vsus, *Iob. 30. 15. 16and our salvation passed away as a clowd; we are kept out of the paradise of God with the terror of his law and judgments, as with the ‡Gen. 3. 24. Psal. 88. 6. 7blade of the Cherubims brandishing sword; we are layd ”in the lowest pit, in darknes, in the deep; where Gods indignation lieth vponupon vsus, and we are vexed with all his waves. We ar a reproch to wicked men, who because of our misdeeds do †2. Sam. 1…. 14.blaspheme: we ar a scorne to the Divils, who insult at our syns, cease not to accuse vsus before ‖Rev. 12. 10.God day and night, and hope to hav vsus in the end, a prey to their teeth. Our *Psal. 38. 18lovers and our friends stand a side from our plague, and our kinsmen stand far off. They that should guide & direct vsus to Christ, in sted of good counsel do often ‡Song. 3. 3. & 5. 7.smite and wound vsus, persecuting them whom God hath smitten, †Psal. 69. 26& adding to their sorowes whom he hath wounded. The worm of our own conscience continually biteth vsus, so as when we would ‖Iob. 9. …7. 2…forget our complaint, and comfort our selves; then ar we afrayd of al our sorowes, knowing that God wil not judge vsus innocent, who *Iob. 10. ….inquireth of our iniquity and sercheth out our syn; yet †Iob. 13. 24.hideth his face, and reputeth vsus for his enemies. Thus our sowl Lam. 3. 17. 18.is farr off from peace, we have forgotten prosperity, saying, Our strength and our hope is perished from the Lord; and *Iob. 3. 20.wherfore is the light given to them that are in miserie, and life vntounto thē that hav heavy harts? for our harp is turned to mourning; ‡Iob. 30. 31.and our organs, into the voice of them that weep.
7 But the †Iob. 19. 28.root of the word wch is found in vsus, and the *1. Iohn. 3. 9.…eed of God which remayneth in vsus; stirreth vp the spark of faith, and suffreth it not to dye in these distresses. It bringeth to mind Gods ancient mercies, his faith confirmed, and love sealed towards vsus in Christ; it telleth vsus, wher syn aboundeth, *Rom. 5. 20grace doth abound much more. Then remembring our song in the night, communing with our own hart, & our spirit serching diligently, we say, ‡Psal. 77. 6. 7. 8.Wil the Lord absent himself for ever? and wil he shew no more favor▪? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fayl for evermore? hath God forgotten to be merciful? hath he shut vp his tender mercies in displesure? we hav synned, †Iob. 7. 20.what shal we do vntounto thee, ô thou preserver of men? If thou streightly ‖Psal. 130. 3. 4.markest iniquities, Lord who shall stand? surely then the *Iob. 14. 18.mountain would fal and come to nought, and the rock would be removed from his place; neyther shal any ‡Psal. 143. ….that liveth be justified in thy sight. But mercy is with thee, that thou mayst be feared. And now Lord thou art our †Isa. 64. 8. …Father; we are the clay, and thou art the potter, we al are the work of thine hands; be not angry ô Lord above measure, neyther remēber iniquitie for ever; purge thou vsus with hyssope and we shalbe clean, †Psal. 51. 7. …wash vsus and we shalbe whiter then snow; make vsus to hear joy and gladnes, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce, turne vsus againe ô God ofPsal. 80. 3. 7 1 … hosts, and cause thy face to shine, that we may be saved.
8. When thus we shall submit our selves vnderunder the mighty hand of God, and drawing waters from the well of our harts, ‡1 Sam. 7. 6. Lam. …. 19.shall powr them out before the Lord: when we shal confesse our iniquities, and in faith ask mercy at his hands, hū gring and thirsting after his righteousnes, and †Psal. 42. 1.braying for it as the hinde for the rivers of waters: the Lord wil Deu. 32. 36.repent towards his servants, whē he seeth that their power is gone; he wil *Isa. 44. 3.powr water vponupon the thirstie, & floods vponupon the drie ground, and wil say vntounto vsus, ‡Isa. 41. 10.Fear not for I am with you; be not afrayd, for I am your God, I wil strengthen you and help you and susteyn you with the right hand of my justice; though †Isa. 1. 18.your syns were as crimsin, they shalbe made white as snow, though they were red like scarlet, they shalbe as wool: for a little while I have forsaken you, ‖Isa. 54. 7. 8.but with great compassion will I gather you; for a moment in anger I hid my face from you for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassiō on you, sayth the Lord your redeemer. Then shal we see in the black cloud of our tribulations, the ‡Gen. 9. 13. 14.bow of the Lord, even himself will appear with the †Eze. 1. 28. Rev. 4. 3.rayn-bow about his throne, the token of his covenant of grace, which he remembreth; and as hee sware that the waters of Noah should no more goe over the earth, ‖Isa. 54. 9. 10so sweareth he not to be angrie with vsus nor rebuke vsus; though the mountaines remove, and the hils fal down, yet his mercy shal not depart from vsus, nor the covenant of his peace fall away.
9. Thus God which had woū dedHos. 6. 1. 2. vsus, bindeth vsus vp; after two dayes [troubles] he reviveth vsus, in the third day he raiseth vsus vp & we live in his sight; he*Psal. 147. 3. healeth our broken harts, and bindeth vp our sores. For Christ our mediatour, that Angel of the covenant, hath asked for vsus mercy of God his Father, who was so long displeased with vsus, and‡Isa. 32. 2. the Lord hath answered him with good and comfortable words; this man is vntounto vsus, as†Zec. 1. 12. 13 an hiding place from the wind, & as a secret from the tempest; as rivers of waters in a drie place, & as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And though our bark hath been tossed in the sea of afflictions, where Christ himself seemed‖Mat. 14. 24. 26. 27. 32. to vsus a spright, and made us afrayd; yet now his gracious voyce doth comfort vsus, and his presence ceaseth al winde & tempest. It is he, even he that*Isa. 43. 25. putteth away our iniquities for his own sake, & remēbreth not our syns; but restoreth to vsus the‡Psal. 51. 12. joy of his salvatiō, giveth vsus†Isa. 61. 3. bewty for ashes, the oyle of joye for mourning, the garment of gladnes for the spirit of heavines; so that‖Psal. 103. 5. Isa. 40. 31. our youth is renewed, and we lift vp the winges as the Eagles; our*Iob. 33. 23. flesh is as fresh as a childs; strength is‡Psal. 138. 3. increased in our sowles; and being now as widowes divorced†Rom. 7. 1. 2. 3—6. frō our syns, delivered from that law; and returned to our Fathers howse, like the‖Lev. 22. 13. Priests daughters we eat of our Fathers bread, as we did in our youth; we shal feel no*Isa. 49. 10. more hunger, nor thirst, neyther shall the heat smite on vsus, nor the sun; God wipeth‡Rev. 21. 4. al tears frō our eyes, there is no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor payn; for the first things are passed.
10 Having thus after long seeking†Song. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. found him whom our sowlloveth, we take hold vponupon him, and leav him …ot, til we hav brought him home vntounto vsus; and after this nights‖Gen 32. 24. &c. wrastling with the Angel, we wil not let him goe, vntil he blesse vsus, and giv vntounto weak Iaakob the new name of Israel; for that by strong faith we have power with God & prevaile,*Hos. 12. 3. 4. having wept and prayed vntounto him. And now he putteth in our mouth, a‡Psal. 40, 3. & 51. 14. & 103. 1, 2. 3. new song of prayse vntounto our God; our tongues sing joyfully of his justice, & our sowles do bless him, which hath pardoned al our iniquities, healed al our infirmities, redemed our life from the pit, and crowned vsus with mercy and compassions. And because we beleev, therfore we speak and say,†…sa. 118. 17. 18. We shal not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord; the Lord hath chastened vsus sore, but hath not delivered vsus to death. Wherfore after our agonies & conflicts with death, terrors within, and fears round about; we repose in Christ our redemer, who hath taken away our syns, vāquisht al our foes, put Satan to flight, renewed our peace, and quieted our consciences: and then we reioyce and say,*Psal. 116. 7. My soul return vntounto thy rest, for the Lord hath been bountiful vntounto thee.
11. Then giveth he vsus to see, how in all these troubles and torments, we have most neer cōmunion with Christ, and are by them made cōformable vntounto him; for he was wounded for our‡Isa. 53. 5. transgressions, he was broken for our iniquities, innumerable†Psal. 40. …. troubles compassed him, the syns of the elect, which by imputatiō were his, took such hold vponupon him that he was not able to look vp; for the Lord *…layd vponupon him the iniquitie of vsus al; though he had done no wickednes, neyther was any deceyt in his mouth, yet the Lord would break him and make him subject to infirmities, so that he felt ‡…terrour and anguish, and heavines in his sowl even vntounto the death; his sweat in his agonie was like †…drops of blood trickling down to the ground, and his cry vntounto his God was, ‖…why hast thou forsaken me? And we in our afflictions do but drink of his cup, and are baptised but with his baptisme; that after we have suffred with him, we may also reign with him, & by many tribulations *…must we enter into his kingdome. And he that was thus smitten of God, & humbled even to the death; thus troubled in sowl, and left of his Father for a seasō; foūd an yssue out of al tentations, not for himself alone, but for vsus whose surety he was; who therefore have this hope for an anker to our sowles, that as we now suffer with him, so shal we also reign with him, notwithstanding that for the present we are brought into the dust of death.
12. After this, admiring the mercies of our God, and the vnserchable depth of his counsels, who worketh & turneth al things, even our own syns vntounto our good; who leadeth vsus in such wayes and wildernesses, wher fyrie †Deut. 8. 15.serpents and scorpions are, & drought without water; which maketh vsus folow him when his ‖Psal. 77. 19.way is in the sea, and his pathes in the great waters, and his footsteps ar not knowen; in al which dangers he defendeth vsus, & afterwards bringeth vsus into his rest: we say the Lord dwelleth *2 Chro. 6. ….in a dark clowd, ‡Isa. 45. 15.Verily thou ô God hidest thy self, ô God the saviour of Israel; how vnserchable ar thy judgements, and thy wayes past finding out? Then minding our frayl estate in this flesh, how we are †Rom. 7. 14. 15-18.sold vnderunder syn, & do trespasse against God every day, and cannot do the good that we would▪ we abase our hornes vntounto the dust, and by repē tance do die dayly, washing Christs feet with our tears, knowing that notwithstanding the communion that wee have with him here by faith, yet are we but strangers and pilgroms on earth, and whiles we are ‖… Cor. 5. 6.at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; whiles our *Iob. 14. …2.flesh is vpō vsus we shalbe sorowful, and whiles our soule is in vsus, it shal mourn. Therefore ‡Is…. 35. 3. Heb, 12. 12. 13strengthening our weak hands and comforting our feeble knees, we make streight steps vntounto our feet, being careful & circumspect least Satan further circumvent vsus, seeking to make an end of our salvation with †Phil. 2. 12.fear & trembling, giving all diligence ‖2 Pet. 1. 5. …to ioyn vertue with our faith, and to make our caling and election sure; for behold *Pro. 11. 38. 1 Pet. 4. 18.the righteous have [for their syns] recompence in the earth and are scarcely saved, where then shal the vngodly & synner appear? but we which beleev in Christ, exspect with patience our ful redemtion, & as we have ‡Psal. 55. 22.cast our burden on the Lord, and †Psal. 10. 14.cōmitted our poor selves vntounto him; so we are perswaded ‖2 Tim. 1. 12.that he is able to keep that which is cōmitted vntounto him against that day, even to *Iude. ver. …keep vsus that we fall not, and to present vsus faultles before the presence of his glory with joy; where we shall alwayes behold his face, and being quite freed from our syns, & from al possibilitie of ever synning more; shal perpetually serve and honour him, with his Angels at his right hand, where ‡Psal. 16. 11.pleasures ar for evermore.
He that walketh in darknes, & hath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, & stay vponupon his God.
Isa. 50. 10.