The Dejected Souls Cure, Sermon 12
SERMON XII.
Pſal. 42. 11.
Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul? and why art thou diſquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him—The health of my Countenance, and my God.
I Am now to finiſh this third cauſe of disquiet.
There are two things by way of Application.
The firſt Uſe ſhall be by way of Inſtruction.Uſes.
The ſecond by way of tryal.
By way of Inſtruction, it ſhall be to inſtruct you in ſeveral Theological rules that may be laid down to allay all exceſſive diſquiet and diſcontent of ſoul under outward afflictions of what ever kind they be, whether privative or poſitive.
I ſhall lay down ten Rules.Rules.
Firſt Rule is, Live in the continual meditation of the joyes and glories of Heaven. It is obſervable of Paul, though his life was a whole courſe of affliction, yet when he was taken up into the third Heaven, but whether I was in the body I cannot tell, Paul tels you he had many infirmities in his body, in hunger and nakedneſſe, in perils by Sea and Land, and great troubles in the body; yet when he was taken up in a viſion, he forgot all the infirmities, ſufferings, and ſorrows that he met withall in the body, 2 Cor. 12. 1. So likewiſe when Peter ſaw the transfiguration of Chriſt, Mat. 17. 4. Then anſwered Peter, Lord, it is good to be here, and build three Tabernacles. A Divine obſerves, Peter begged no Tabernacle for himſelf, but ſaid it was good to be there; and yet onelyonly upon a barren Mountain where there was no meat to eat nor houſe to lodge in: why he forgot that there was no houſe here, nor no food here; having a view of Heaven, he ſaid it was good to be here on a barren Mountain. It is obſerved by one touching thoſe birds of the loweſt flight, they are the moſt mournful; but thoſe Birds of the higheſt flight, are the moſt noble birds: the Dove mourns, the Crane chatters, the Raven croaks; but the Eagle never makes a lamentable noiſe which is a bird of the higheſt flight; Divines make this uſe of it, that thoſe that are low-ſpirited men, they will croak like Ravens, and mourn like Doves when they are afflicted; but to be as the Eagle flying aloft in the joyes of Heaven in your meditations, this will keep you from that diſpondency and that mournfulneſs of ſpirit: If things go ill with you in the world, there is no better way under Heaven to be gotten to allay diſquiet of ſoul under bodily afflictions then to have thy ſoul tranſported with the joyes of Heaven. It was the Counſel of Jerome which he gave to an Hermit, Paradiſum mente deambula, & tamdiu in Eremo non eris, take but a walk or two in Heaven, and then thou wilt not think thou art in a Wilderneſse: could you but take a turn or two in Heaven, then you would not be troubled for the afflictions here upon Earth. The Apoſtle hath an expreſſion in 2 Cor. 4. 17. For 2 Cor. 4. 17.our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The weight of glory made the Apoſtle to look on heavy afflictions to be but light; therefore he called them light afflictions: An eternal glory made the Apoſtle look on long afflictions to be but ſhort afflictions. If you would not then account afflictions burdenſome, think what a weight there is in glory; and if you would not think afflictions long, why think what eternity there is in glory.
A Second Rule is this; If you would not be inordinately diſquieted for afflictions in the World, Labour to get your hearts more troubled & diſquieted for ſin: when a man bleeds too much at noſe or any one part of the body, Phyſicians open a vein in another part to make a diverſion of the bloud. Beloved, when you grieve too much for worldly croſſes, do as Phyſicians doe with the blood, make a diverſion; make a diverſion of your ſorrows, open the ſluces of your tears for ſin, pour them out for ſin, and then you will grieve leſſe for the World; that is the reaſon men are troubled to much for afflictions, becauſe they are troubled too little for ſin and corruption. It is a true rule, Religious fear, it doth baniſh out a ſlaviſh fear, and ſpiritual joy, eternal joy; ſo ſpiritual trouble expels worldly trouble: they that are much troubled for ſin, are not much troubled for any thing in the World beſides ſin.
Thirdly, Be ſure you do not place an exceſſive love on any comforts in the World you do enjoy: if you would keep your trouble but regular, keep your love but ordinate. It is obſervable what we read of Jacob, Geneſis 37. 34, 35. And Jacob rent his cloaths, and put ſackcloth on his loynes, and Gen. 37. 34, 35.mourned for his ſon many daies. And all his ſons, and all his daughters roſe up to comfort him: but he refuſed to be comforted; and he ſaid, I will go down into the grave unto my ſon, mourning. What was the reaſon that the good old man was ſo exceſſively grieved for his ſon? Verſe 3. It is ſaid, That Iſrael he loved Joſeph more then all his brethren, becauſe he was the ſon of his old age. Now Jacob loving Joſeph more then all his children, made him grieve more for Joſeph then all his children; if he had not loved Joſeph too much when he had him, he had not grieved too much for him when he thought he had loſt him. O Labour to keep an ordinate love to worldly comforts. A man that can part with the pairing of his naile cannot part with his finger, why? becauſe he looks on the naile as ſuperfluity; could you look on the World as the pairing of the naile, it is but a ſuperfluity; you can go to Heaven without the abundant comforts of it; you would not grieve ſo much if God doth take away ſome comforts from you. Men do uſe the World as the skin to their hands and not as gloves that they can eaſily pull off; therefore when God tears it from them, it is irkſome and tedious to them. As it is with a Picture, If a Picture be in a Frame you may hang it on a wall, and take it down again, and not hurt the Picture; but if it be paſted to the wall, you cannot take it down but it you will tear the picture. If your hearts be in frame, God may take you from the World and not diſquiet you; but if you be glued to the World, and paſted to the World, why it will cauſe an inordinate diſquiet in you when the World is taken from you.
Fourthly, Look on the comforts of the World as unneceſſaries, and at beſt as uncertainties. Luke 10. 42. One thing is needful. Chriſt tels you, that that one thing grace, is the onelyonly thing neceſſary: grace is neceſſary for a Chriſtian, other things are but inconveniences. If God takes away inconveniences from you, and doth not take away neceſſaries from you, leaves you grace, leaves you Chriſt, and leaves you Heaven; why, you ſhould not be diſquieted; you muſt look on the comforts of this World as mutable; not as the Anchor at the bottom of the Sea, but as the vane on the top of the Maſt of a Ship which turns with every blaſt of wind. Socrates did not mourn when his child was dead, Scio me genuiſſe mortalem, I know he was mortal. That is the reaſon men are troubled for worldly croſſes and loſſes, becauſe they do not look on the World as mutable.
A Fifth rule is this, Conſider with your ſelves that diſquiet under afflictions, it can do you no good, but it may do you much hurt; it can do you no good, as Chriſt tels you, thou canſt not add one cubit to thy ſtature; by all thy thoughts, thou addeſt no comfort to thy life; by all thy troubles, they do not eaſe thee, but rather makes thy affliction more heavy; thou maieſt get much hurt by diſquiet: and beloved, the hurt of diſquiet under afflictions, is two-fold.
Firſt, It makes afflictions heavier, and
Secondly, It makes them longer for time then they would be.
Firſt, It makes them heavier for weight, and more for number then elſe they would be. A child that is patient under his fathers correction, hath the feweſt and gentleſt ſtrokes, but the ſtuborn child hath moſt. When God ſeeth men fume and fret, and diſquieted under afflictions, they do cauſe more blows to themſelves. In Pro. 27. 3. A ſtone is heavier, and Pro. 27. 3.the ſond waighty; but a fools wrath is heavier then them both. It is not meant wrath onelyonly to another man, that a man ſhall fear my anger and wrath when I am paſſionate; but the meaning is, that it is heavy to himſelf: afflictions ſhall be laid more heavy on him then a heap of ſtones or ſand; a bundle of folly cauſeth a bundle of rods. A man under a burden, if he goeth gently, he may carry his burden with ſome caſe; but the more the man doth ſtir and ſtruggle under his burden, the more he tires himſelf. When God layes burdens on us, we ſtrive, fume and tret, and are impatient; this doth make the burden heavier.
Secondly, We make our afflictions longer for time by our being diſquieted under them; the father is longer whipping of the child that he cannot make to kiſs the rod, and confeſs the fault, then another child. Beloved, we lengthen out the day of our calamity by impatiency and diſquiet under the afflicting hand of God.
The Sixth rule is this, Compare the preſent mercies you enjoy with the preſent ſufferings you endure. Eccleſ 7. 14. In the day of proſperity be joyfull; but in the day of adverſity Eccleſ. 7. 14.conſider. When thou art proſperous, think thus. God hath ſet adverſity over againſt proſperity that I might not be ſenſual, then in adverſity be not diſcouraged, becauſe God hath ſet proſperity over againſt adverſity; it may be thou haſt loſt one child, haſt thou not another? it may be thou haſt loſt thine eſtate, haſt not thou health in body, comfort in thy relations? thus upon any croſs in the World that befalls thee, preſently reflect upon thy mercies.
The Seventh rule is this, See Gods hand in all the afflictions that befall you in this World. Pſal. 39. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth becauſe thou didſt it. Remember Gods Pſal. 39. 9.ear will hear all the murmurings of thy tongue, and thou wilt not complain in thy diſquiet againſt God▪ this is an effectual remedy: ſee Gods hand in all that befalls you here in the World.
The Eighth rule is this, If you would not be diſquieted becauſe of afflictions, do nothing that may renew your grief or call to remembrance your afflictions; there are many people that do aggravate their own ſorrow, and cauſe their wound to bleed afreſh, putting themſelves in mind of their own croſſes and loſſes. It is obſervable of Rachel and Jacob; it is ſaid of Rachel, Geneſis 35. 17, 18. That when ſhe was in hard labour, the midwife ſaid unto her, Fear not: thou ſhall Gen. 35. 17, 18.have this ſon alſo. And it came to paſſe as her ſoul was in departing that ſhe called his name Benoni, the ſort of my ſorrow. But obſerve Jacob he would not have the child called Benoni, but he would have his name Benjamin, the ſon of my righthand, and of my joy, and of my ſtrength: why would not Jacob have it Benoni? if he had the childs name would have put him in remembrance that his wife died in childbed; therefore from the mothers naming of him Benoni, the ſon of my ſorrow, Jacob called him Benjamin the ſon of my righthand; therefore it is fondneſs in thoſe that look on the Pictures of dead friends, and on the cloaths of dead friends; all theſe are but the provocations to more ſorrows and more griefs.
Ninthly, Conſider the end that God aims at why you are afflicted as well as the meaſure, and the degree how much you are afflicted; this is the great ground of impatiency, that people do conſider the meaſure how much, and the time how long they are afflicted, but they do not call to mind why they are afflicted: I may exemplifie this rule by this. A Phyſician and an Enemy may doe the ſame Act to a man; yet you know a man will bear with a Phyſician to let him blood, but he will not endure an enemy to let him blood; the reaſon is this, becauſe he knoweth the Phyſicians end is to cure him, but the Enemy doth it to kill him; yet both let blood. Why Beloved, doſt thou conſider that Gods end to thy ſoul in ſending afflictions upon thee, is to cure thee, to purge thee of ſinful maladies in thy ſoul? why let the end countervail the meaſure; the how much, and the time how long thou art afflicted, and this will allay all unquietneſs, and inordinate trouble in thy mind.
Tenthly and Laſtly, Conſider that God in his wiſdome will proportion all afflictions that befall thee in this World according to thy ſtrength that thou art able to bear them. 1 Cor. 10. 13. There hath no temptation taken you but ſuch as is common to man: But God is faithful who will not ſuffer you to be 1 Cor. 10. 13.tempted above what you are able. If the Lord laies heavy burdens on thee, he will give thee ſtrong ſhoulders. Seneca ſaith, Si gravis brevis, ſi longa levis, if afflictions be heavy they ſhall be ſhort, but if afflictions be long they ſhall be light; heavy afflictions they ſhall be ſhort afflictions, and long afflictions ſhall be light afflictions, God will proportion them, Job. 14 1. Man that is born of a Woman, is but of few daies, and full of trouble: troubleſome daies are made ſhort daies. Why now if they be full of trouble they are but few; how ſad would it be of perpetuity and miſery. a multitude of troubles and a multitude of daies met. God will proportion thy afflictions according to thy ſtrength; Iſa. 28. 27. For the fitches are not threſhed with a threſhing inſtrument, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin, but the fitches beaten with a ſtaff and the cummin with ard. The meaning is, that God will not exerciſe weak people with great afflictions, there ſhall be afflictions proportionable to their ſtrength, this God hath promiſed, Iſa. 27, 8. In meaſure when it ſhooteth forth, thou will debate with it: he ſtayeth his rough winds in the day of his Eaſt wind. If men be not able to bear a boiſterous ſtorm, he will ſtay his rough wind, he will abate the meaſure of his afflictions; Let this quiet thy ſoul, that God doth proportion all his dealings with thee, according to thy ſtrength: thus you have laid down ten Rules how to bear afflictions without inordinate diſquiet of ſoul.
Qu. But ſince we muſt not be ſtocks to be inſenſible of Gods afflicting hand: and ſeeing ſome kind of trouble, and ſorrow for afflictions is allowed by God; How ſhall we know whether we be inordinately … for outward afflictions.
A. ſw. Firſt, When outward afflictions doth ſwallow up the comforts and enjoyments of preſent mercies, then you are exceſſiv; thus we ſee in Ahab, Ahab had a flouriſhing Kingdone and ſtatel Palaces, yet could take no comfort in them all, becauſe he could not get poor Naboths yineyard from him; that argued too much diſquiet in him. And thus we read of Rebecca, Geneſis 27. 46. And Rebecca ſaid to Iſaac, I am weary of my life, becauſe of the daughters of Heth. A very impatient ſpeech, that when a preſent affliction ſhall make thee ſay, I have no joy in my life; as many people when they are once croſt of their wills, Well ſay they, I have no joy in my life; though they have many mercies; ſuch ſpeeches us theſe, are but the iſſues of diſquiet; let not one croſſe make thee flee off from all thy comforts in the World. Thus we read of Jacob likewiſe, he was too much diſquieted in that one loſs, which made him he could not take joy in all his comfort, in all his mercies. Read the ſtory, in Geneſis 37 35. And all his ſons and his daughters roſe up to comfort him; but he would not be comforted. Jacob had eleven ſons living that he knew, and many daughters, and all came about him for to comfort him, but he refuſed to be comforted. Why beloved, Men are ſo over-born, and over-whelmed with troubles upon a croſs, that if they loſe one child, all the other children ſhall not affect them; certainly this kind of ſorrow is an exceſſive ſorrow.
Secondly, Then diſquiet of ſoul for worldly afflictions are inordinate, when afflictions in the World doth ſo diſquiet a mans mind that it makes a man weary of life, and maxes him wiſh for death meerly becauſe of afflictions. This was the failing of Jonah chap. 4. v. 8. It is better for me to die then to live, becauſe God took away the gourd. The like you read of in Job, chap. 7▪ 15. So that my ſoul chuſeth ſtrangling; and death rather then life.
Job was in a diſtemper and he wiſht death rather then life; this was a ſin in him: for afflictions ſo to diſquiet a mans mind that to wiſh, Would to God I were out of the World, all theſe are but the flowings and impatiency of a diſturbed heart. And ſo again, chap. 10. v. 1. My ſoul is weary of my life, I will leave my complaint upon my ſelf; this was his trouble. You that have drank deep of a bitter Cup, either by croſſes in children or in eſtates, or reproach in your names, and all this makes you inordinate, and cryeth out, I am weary of my life; you are ſinfully diſquieted: You have a paſſage in Iſa. 32. 2. And a man ſhall be as a hiding place from the wind; as Iſa. 32. 2.rivers of water in a dry place, as the ſhadow of a great rock in a weary land: Speaking of Chriſt, the Land cannot be weary; but it refers to the inhabitants of the Land; here is a rock, a weary Land; the inhabitants of the Land were weary to live in the Land, becauſe they were ſo ſcorched with the heat of afflictions: when affliction ſhall oppreſſe ſo hard upon you that it ſhall make you unwilling to live; this argues that diſquiet of ſoul is very inordinate.
Thirdly, When a man is diſquieted for afflictions that lie upon him, yet he is no whit troubled for all the afflictions that befall the Church of God, and never laies them near his heart; when diſquiet for perſonal ſufferings ſhall juſtle out all compaſſion for the ſufferings of Gods Church; this argues thy trouble is exceſſive.
Fourthly, When a man is diſquieted for outward afflictions that it doth indiſpoſe a man to duty, then a man is too much diſquieted. Thus in Exodus chap. 6. 9. The poor Iſraelites they were ſo in anguiſh and trouble, becauſe they were held ſuch vaſſals in Egypt, that it is ſaid, they could not hearken to Gods word becauſe of the grief and anguiſh of their ſpirits. When afflictions make you unfit to hear Sermons, and make you unfit to pray, as in Pſal. 77. 3. I remembred Pſal. 77. 3.God, and I was troubled: I complained, and my ſpirit was overwhelmed; This is a ſinful diſquiet.
Fifthly, Diſquiet under afflictions is then inordinate, when a man dares venter on any ſinful ſhifts or means to get rid of his afflictions. Suppoſe thou beeſt poor, and dareſt venture on cozenage and deceit to get an eſtate; ſuppoſe thou beeſt in a low place, and thou dareſt ſin againſt conſcience to get a place of preferment here in this World; this is ſinful diſquiet. Thus we read of Saul, an evil ſpirit from the Lord troubled him: the Philiſtins were upon him, he was in diſtreſſe in his ſpirit. 1 Samuel 28. 7, 8. And Saul ſaid unto his ſervants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar ſpirit, that I may enquire of her. And his ſervants ſaid unto him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar ſpirit at Endor, &c. What doth he doe in his afflictions? why he goeth to a Witch, and uſeth ſinful means, and all to try what he might doe to prevent the prevailing of the Philiſtins over him. O thou that dareſt venture on any ſinful ſhift to avoid any affliction, why this is an Argument that thou art inordinately diſquieted under afflictions.
Laſtly, A man is then exceſſively diſquieted under afflictions when he is ſo troubled for bodily afflictions, that he doth diſtemper his own body. You ſhall read this of Job, he was ſo troubled that his ſpirits were dried up, and his bones they were conſumed, and his ſtrength was waſted. And thus you read in the 38. Pſalme of David, Thine arrows ſticke faſt in me, and thine hand preſſeth me ſore. What Pſal. 38.follows? There is no ſoundneſs in my fleſh. Here the Pſalmiſt did ſo grieve for Gods hand upon him, as to weaken his own body, and conſume his ſtrength; this then is an Argument that ſorrow is too inordinate when diſquiet and trouble of mind for afflictions doth diſtemper the body. Thus I have done with the third cauſe of Soul-diſquieting; that is, for outward afflictions.