The Government of the Thoughts, Chapter 25 – Chapter 27
CHAP. XXV. Of a Wounded Spirit, what it is.
SOLOMON tells you, Prov. 18.14. The Spirit of a Man will sustain his Infirmities, but a wounded Spirit who can bear? The word signifies a smitten, contrite, or broken Spirit. It is a kind of Speech borrowed from corporal Affliction, by Stripes, Contusions, Bruises, or Wounds, wherein by Incision and Launcing the Sinews and Veins, the Body is debilitated and endangered to Death, and Disabled so, that it is void of Supportation; it is liable to Inflamations and Distempers, that every slight touch prejudices it: It depriveth a Man of Rest, so that he is impatient of this present Posture, and more perplexed at a Mutation. To express it further, it is the intense sorrow of the Soul, a weak Confidence, and an infeebled life of the Spirit; so that God may well nominate it, A wounded Spirit.
2. THIS Affliction is of that Magnitude, that it exceeds all other Temporal Sorrows: And none can truly give their Verdict of it, but they who can join and say with David, The sorrows of Death compassed me, and the pains of Hell gat hold upon me, Psal. 116.3. Other Sorrows may be Mitigated, by administring to the Afflicted something equivalent to the loss sustained; as where one Treasure is lost, another may be found; or by some compensation or repair, may be Retaliated; as Job had a second Posterity and encrease of Wealth: And Elkanah declared such a Medium of Consolation to Afflicted Hannah, when he said to her, Am I not better to thee than ten Sons, Sam. 1 1.8.
3. BUT these Comforts are no ways conducive to an afflicted Spirit; for furnish him with Riches, the company of the dearest Friends, or that which might afford Relief, Refreshment and Delight to others, yet to him it procures no Ease, no more than if you put on a rich Purple Robe upon broken Bones: No, no, the Grief is internal, and no external means can Cure it. In other Crosses, time will asswage, by Prudence and persuasive Arguments, excellent lenitives of Sorrow: In some cases to divert, Wine, merry Society, Musick, or the like means, may bear some part, which the Wise Man accords to, Give strong Drink to him that is ready to perish, and Wine to those that be of heavy Heart▪ Let him drink and forget his Poverty, and remember his Misery no more, Prov. 31.6, 7.
4. DAVID'S Harp did for the time refresh Saul, and Charm the Evil Spirit: But this grief admits of no Efficacy in such Comforts. In other Pressures we may receive Ease, or be conducted from the Evil, as St. Paul was from the Jews Conspiracy, Acts 23.31. and David from Saul, 1 Sam. 19.12. But there is no flying from a wounded Spirit: Where ever we go our Affliction attends us, even our secret Tormentor in our own Bosoms In short, as it is in one sense a Separation from God, so no Creature in Heaven or Earth can Cure it: There is no Sanctuary for a troubled Soul, but only Gods favourable Presence: No other Expedient can be used, till he return and Comfort it.
5. SO Horrid in the mean time is this Affliction, that the desperate Traytor Judas took Death for his Sanctuary, as an Antidote against his guilty Conscience … but with what ponderosity it sits upon the Hearts of God's Servants, may appear by the Complaints of Job and others; Wherefore is light given to him that is in Misery, and Life unto the bitter in Soul, which long for Death, but it cometh not, and, dig for it more than for hid Treasures; which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the Grave, Job 3.2O, 21, 22. This was Job's Complaint. And the Prophet complained of his Birth, Jer. 20.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. And the Prophet Elijah being threatned by Jezebel at Beer-sheba, poured out himself, It is enough now, O Lord, take away my Life, for I am not better than my Fathers, 1 Kings, 19.4. And Jonah at the loss of his Gourd, expressed himself, saying, It is better for me to die than live, Jonah 4.8.
CHAP. XXVI. What the Conscience is, and the Tranquility of it.
THE Conscience is the Cognition of the Heart, and is a divine internal Light, which we cannot Extinguish; a Supream Court of Judicature within us, and above us; and a silent Register of our Thoughts and Words: It is a thousand Witnesses, as the Apostle says, Accusing, or Excusing, Rom. 2.15. Such is the Impartiality of this Judge, that no Bribery can tempt him to Justifie the Wicked, nor Condemn the Just; but he is the first Revenger of Impiety, and an excluder of the Guilty from Absolution.
2. IN true Tranquility of Conscience, the Heart is cheerful in every Estate and Condition, Rom. 5.1, 3. and dreadeth no Judge nor Witness: It is a continual Feast; the Soul's Paradise; the Mind's fair Haven; an unvaluable Possession, which renders every owner Happy: It is an immoveable Comfort, the first Fruits of Heaven, and Riches which shall never be taken away. As no Wind can move or shake the Sun-beams, so neither Life nor Death, Prosperity or Adversity can Transfix this. While this is secure, tho Men receive many sharp Encounters, as the Citizens of Ai did, Josh. 7. Yet are they confident to resist; they can resolve with that pattern of Patience, Job 13.15. Tho he Kill me, yet will I trust in him: But if that fail, and the Smoak ascendeth, their Hearts are under a great Consternation, Josh. 8.20.
3. THE Almighty Woundeth and Healeth, Deut. 32.39. Job 5.18. But it is with his Justice and Mercy. The Wise Man says, Prov. 6.32, 33. We wound our selve by Sin: and God healeth us by Afflictions, as Chirurgions do with the Lancet and Cautery. Sins are the Thieves which rob us, and leave us wounded us by the way, till the good Samaritan appears with his Wine and Oil, to cleanse, supple and bind up our Wounds: He scourgeth the Conscience with a sense of his Anger, to make us sensible of our Sins, and to bring us to an abhorrence of them. And thus he sometimes Disciplines us with external Afflictions.
4. GOD sometimes wounds the Heart and terrifies the Conscience, by the Word Preached; and then we are Pricked at the Heart, and with St. Peter's Auditors cry out, Men and Brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2.37. Sometimes he smites the Conscience with an inward sense and apprehension of his fierce Wrath, and severe imminent Judgments; in which, as the Psalmist complains of, Psalm 55.4, 5. An Horrible fear overtaketh them (like the Earthquake at Horeb, preceeding the Still small voice of Mercy, 1 Kings 19.11, 12.) In sense of a Spiritual Desertion, while he hideth away his Face; Spiritual Wants, or permission to some grievous Temptation, cold Fits of Despair and Buffetings by the Messengers of Satan, in all which tho there be means of Comfort appointed, yet none can prevail, till the Spirit of God the Comforter, return and Heal.
5. THE same Hand giveth the Wound, and prescribeth the Plaister; as it was said, Hos. 5.13. The Assyrians and Jareb could not heal Judah and Ephraim of their Wound; so no Mortal Creature can administer Comfort whereby to heal a wounded Spirit, till he who correcteth in Measure approaches and bindeth it up, Jer. 30.11. &c. He, only he, says the Psalmist, Psalm 147.3. He healeth the broken in Heart, and bindeth up their Wounds: Even he who was Wounded for our Sins, and bruised for our Iniquities, and by whose Stripes we are Healed, Isa. 53.5.
CHAP. XXVII. What things principally wound the Conscience.
THERE are some things which Principally afflict and wound the Conscience, and comes up, as the Prophet mentions, 1 Sam. 13.17. like those Philistim Spoilers, in three Companies, to destroy and drive Men into Despair: And the first Apparition and Assault, is the apprehension of God's Wrath, for some Hainous Sin committed: An Instance we have in Cain, having Murdered his Brother, cryed out, My Sin, or Punishment is greater than I can bear, Gen. 4.13. And Judas having betray'd his Lord and Master, durst not approach to him to beg Mercy, by reason he apprehended an implacable Anger in Christ.
2. IT is certain, according to the Apostles saying, That the Wrath of God cometh on the Children of Disobedience, Col. 3.6. And that his Wrath is revealed from Heaven against all Vngodliness and Vnrighteousness of Men, Rom. 1.18. And that the Impenitent by their hardness of Heart, treasure up to themselves Wrath against the day of Wrath; That the…e shall be Indignation and Wrath to them that obey not the Truth, Rom. 2.5, 8. But when thou, who art of a wounded Spirit, and broken Heart, hast well considered, perhaps thou wilt find that these things are of no Concernment to thee, but to those who live in Sin.
3. THE second Obstacle in wounding the Conscience, is sense of Spiritual Wants, as Hope, Faith, assurance of Salvation, the Spirit of Sanctification and Prayer. These being the Graces of the Almighty, and the Presence of his Holy Spirit in the Regenerate, may yet for the time be an hidden Treasure, an Immortal Seed under the frozen Clods, without any appearance of Life. And the truly Devout may weep and complain, like the Penitent Magdalen in the Garden, for the loss of Christ, when at the same season he is discoursing with them; but they are ignorant of his Presence, John 20.14.
4. THE third Obstacle, is fear of some strong Temptations and Tryals, at which the afflicted and affrighted Conscience is Amazed, as the Disciples were when Jesus slept in the Storm, and the Ship was Overmastered with Waves, and ready to Travel to the bottom of the Sea, upon Death's Errand, Matt. 8.24, 25. Or like St. Peter on the Water, when he beheld the rough Billows come Plowing before him, cryeth out, Save Master, we Perish, Matt. 14.30. When it evidently appears, they cannot Perish who are with Christ; nor they cannot be Safe who are without him.