Sacred Therapy, Book 2 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Wherein the converts doubt of his being in the state of grace, arising from heavy afflictions and grievous tentations, is solved.
SOme true converts sometime fall into great suspicion… of their regeneration, of their effectual calling, and of the love of God unto them, and that because they meet with sore outward afflictions, and are assaulted also possibly with horrible inward tentations which do befall them unexpectedly, and are ready to swallow them up; for whereas, after divers conflicts in their conversion, and peace of conscience following after these sad exercises of mind, they hoped to have injoyed Gods peace still after, they do meet possibly with sad calamities which they did not foresee nor fear, and being yoked in conflict with more fearfull tentations then ever before, which they find themselves unable to overcome, they seem to themselves, to have just cause to call in question all the former work of grace in themselves, and to doubt of their regeneration, and of their reconciliation with God. Of this sort, some who lived in great wealth and outward prosperity, do fall in so deep poverty, that they are neither able to sustain themselves nor their families, but are forced to live on the private charity of others, or openly to beg. Other some do fall in heavy sicknesses, yea, in uncouth diseases, which but rarely do befall any, which seem to be evidences of the wrath of God. Other some do fall in horrible tentations, and are troubled with blasphemous suggestions against God and the holy Scripture, and the way of the Saints, which as fiery darts do stick fast unto them, and disquiet them continually. Other some are tempted unto hainous sins and to such wickednesse against themselves or others, as nature doth abhor, to which acts of wickednesse they find themselves so powerfully solisted, as they fear God hath decreed to give them over, and that they shall be overcome with the tentations; some after one way, some after another way, by one sort or other of vexation, are tossed, so as they suspect God is pursuing them in wrath and dealing with them otherwayes then with any of his children. Whereupon oft-times they break forth in sad complaints, and misbelieving suspicions, saying, if God loved me he would not deal thus and thus with me; if I were a true convert, and reconciled with God, he would not thus pursue me; my case is not the case of the children of God, for any thing I know, and other such like regrates and lamentations are uttered by them.
2. For solving this doubt, we neither esteem such exercises, and tentations proper to the regenerat man, or a token of regeneration; neither do we deny, that such exercises may befall true converts: for, all sorts of afflictions and calamities are common to the good and evil, to the godly and the wicked, so that by those troubles and miseries neither the love or hatred of God can be certainly concluded; but thus much may be said in reason, if these calamities do befall a man, while he is walking in his own sinfull wayes, then are they undoubtedly to be interpret as evidences of Gods wrath, at least fatherly anger, against the afflicted, and to be esteemed as forewarnings of more and more heavy calamities to come upon him, yea, and finall perdition also, if he do not repent.
3. In which case the afflicted shall do well to humble himself before God, and give a good construction of Gods purpose in sending on him such calamities, in regard when he might forthwith have destroyed the sinner, he hath sent forth these sad afflictions to waken his conscience, and to warn him to flye from the wrath to come, least he perish utterly.
4. He shall do well also to consider with himself, and to acknowledge, that such a bitter potion was necessary, in so deadly and desperat-like disease, as his soul was lying into: for, what should the Lord do unto those who despise the worth of their own souls and of eternal life, and do seek their felicity in vain and perishing pleasure, profit and honour? what shall he do with those whom he will not suffer to perish with this evil world, but break their Idols in pieces and put themselves to grief, who vex his holy Spirit?
Wherefore let the afflicted read his sin in the rod wherewith he is beaten; if he be deprived of temporal goods, or earthly comforts, which he hath abused to the hazard of his own soul, let God have the glory of his justice and mercy also, in that he by cutting off earthly things from him, is sending him to seek things spiritual and everlasting in heaven, where Christ is at the right hand of the Father, Col. 3. 2.
If he be vexed with tentations unto blasphemies, and such horrid fearfull sins which even nature doth abhor, let him consider, that misbelief of threatenings and promises are no lesse in effect, than real asserting of blasphemies, and that entertaining of sinfull lusts which fight against his soul, is in effect a defiling and destroying of his own soul; by which afflictions and tentations, if the afflicted take not warning and repent, he may justly fear these calamities and tormenting tentations are but the beginnings of sorrows.
But if these calamities and fearfull tentations befall a man walking in the wayes of God, who is a believer in Christ, who hath casten his anchor within the vail, and studieth in any measure of uprightnesse to please God, let not such a man be afraid; for, God is not pursuing him in wrath, as Sathan his adversary suggesteth, but as a most wise and loving father is trying, and training his faith, and bringing forth the evidence of grace bestowed upon him, to the praise of his own name, shaming of Sathan and edifying all beholders of this man… exercise: Wherefore let the afflicted comfort himself in the Lord, and be strong in the faith of holy Scripture, which is granted to the Church for upholding of believers in patience and hope of the promised reward: for even Iob, the holiest man on earth in his generation, was both sudainly surprized with a multitude of concurring calamities, and also deprived of all consolation from God and man for a season; for at once he was spoiled of all his goods, deprived of all his children, tempted by his wife to dispair, despised by his servants, judged to be a hypocrit by his most intire godly friends, stricken by Sathan with an unusuall plague of botch-biles; and how far the Lord did hide all comfort for a time, the history of his complaints make evident. Yea, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, hath sanctified in his own person, the hardest exercises of this sort which his children can fall into; for albeit he could not be defiled with sin, yet he was tempted of Sathan unto most abominable sins, in special he was tempted to cast himself down from the pinacle of the Temple, which was to kill himself; he was tempted to fall down and worship the devil, which O how horrible blasphemy is it? yea, for a time power was given to Sathan, albeit not to hurt Christ, yet to carry his body from one place to another, as we read in Matth. 4. and therefore let this be for consolation to such of Gods children as are vexed with vile and blasphemous tentations, and solistations to abominable sins, Heb. 2. 18. for in that our Lord himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
4. But if the afflicted insist and say he is so put to it by Sathans tentations to commit sin against his light, and is ready to succumb, because he neither hath strength in himself to resist and stand out, nor is their appearance or hope of Gods assisting him in his conflict, because God seemeth to have not only deserted him, but also to have given him over in the hands of an unclean spirit to be vexed.
Unto this tentation we answer, first, that the dearest of Gods children have been exercised after this maner, for even to the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12. 7.) there was given to him a thorne in the flesh, the messenger of Sathan to buffet him, to keep him from pride: which tentation was so strong and violent, that he could not resist it by any strength in himself, but was forced to flye unto God by prayer and beg strength from Christ to bear him out against the tentation and to be delivered from the power of it.
Secondly, let the afflicted under this exercise put a difference between the sin of Sathan the tempter of him, and his own sin under the tentation; for, the fiery darts of Sathan, and suggested blasphemies are Sathans sins, and not properly the sins of the afflicted to whom these wicked tentations are not pleasant, but are his greatest affliction. It is true indeed, that tentations unto sin in some measure draw on some degree of pollution oft-times in sinfull men, because it is not with us as it was with Christ; for when the prince of this world came to tempt him, he had no stuff of his own in Christ to work upon; but when he cometh to sinners, he findeth our corrupt nature and inclination to yield to his tentations, as his own materials to work upon, ready to be kindled by his fiery darts; and yet must we still distinguish the sin of Sathan suggesting and tempting, from the suffering of the poor afflicted child of God, who is vexed, with the tentation: for if the afflicted shall own the tentation as his own sin, and confound Sathans part, and his own part in that exercise, he is in danger to be swallo…ed up in the sense of the sin which is not his own but Sathans.
Thirdly, the afflicted must put difference between sin and troublsome exercise: for God is the author of trouble, whereby he is about to try, exercise and train the faith of his child, to reach him patience, and hope under his trouble; but Sathan is the author of the sin, whereunto he doth tempt the afflicted, and shall be punished for it.
Fourthly, let the afflicted wisely observe Sathans drift, and wiles to drive him unto sin one way or other by these his horrid and bitter tentations; for though he prevail not with his grosser tentations, to cause the afflicted commit or consent unto that wickednesse which he suggesteth by his fiery darts, yet he in some measure prevaileth oft-times by new tentations following on the back of the other; for when he hath troubleed the soul of the afflicted child of God with these terrible tentations, then he beareth in upon the mind of the afflicted, that he hath acted or consented to these vile blasphemies, and solliciteth him to impatience, under this trouble, and to doubt of Gods love to him, and of his being in the state of grace, and to suspect he is not one of the elect, and to fear that God will not deliver him from these evils whereunto he is tempted. Now, these latter tentations oft-times prevail so far with the afflicted, as he hearkens unto them, yields unto them in some measure and suspects Sathans false alledgance to be too true. And so these acts of unbelief, impatience and discouragment, become indeed the sins of the afflicted, because they are not so resisted, disclaimed, abhorred and sorrowed for, as the first sort of tentations were, which do most vex the afflicted. These wiles of Sathan the afflicted must beware of, least he continue in, or foster these ordinary sins, whereinto, that Sathan might cast and catch him, he did lay his net in these extraordinary tentations.
Fifthly, let the afflicted after he hath perceived Sathans wiles and malice, and his own foolishnesse and weaknesse, look upon the Lords wise purpose, who by suffering his child so to be exercised, is calling him to a deeper acknowledgment of his original sin, that he may be humbled yet more before God, and loath himself yet more, and have Christs righteousnesse imputed to the believer in higher estimation. Upon which consideration, let him so presse the removing of the troublesome tentation, as in the mean time he submit himself unto God, and patiently endure the trouble, and put repentance and faith, hope and love to God in exercise, following his external vocation as he is able, least Sathan take advantage of him if he be idle; and withal let him have such a care of his bodily health as he may be fitted the better for Gods service in his calling: for we are not our own, but Christs, who hath bought us with a price, and are bound to glorifie God both in our bodies and spirits, which are the Lords, 2 Cor. 6. 19, 20. and therefore, whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever else we are about, which is lawfull, we ought to do it in his name, aud so to glorifie him, 1 Cor. 10. 30.