The Dejected Souls Cure, Sermon 6
SERMON VI.
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 Now come to ſhew you, Why the people of God ſhould not be too much caſt down, when they have a comfortable aſſurance of Gods love.
Now in the reſolution of this queſtion, conſider theſe nine particulars.
1. Conſider that Gods withdrawing the ſenſe of his love and favour from the ſoul, is not alwayes an act of Juſtice Nine comforts againſt deſertions.for to puniſh them for ſin, but ſometimes an act of Soveraignty, when it is for ſin, as when thou doſt grieve Gods Spirit. This may make the ſoul ſad, it is neither comfortable, nor thank-worthy; but when you ſuffer from God, as by an act of his power, there is no ſuch trouble, nor cauſe of being caſt down, but you may take comfort under that ſtate; for that God may ſometimes withdraw and ſuſpend his love and favour, meerly upon an act of his power. In peace-offerings there was oyle mixt, not ſo in ſin offerings, becauſe there is no peace nor comfort in ſuffering for our faults: as God to ſhew the goodneſſe of his Will, ſometimes gives aſſurance, ſo to ſhew the abſoluteneſſe and liberty of his Will, he ſometimes withdraws it. You read of the deſertion of the Church in Cant. 5. 5, 6. I roſe up to open Cant. 5. 5, 6.to my beloved, but my beloved was gone, he had withdrawn himſelf, my ſoul failed when he ſpake; I ſought him, but I could not find him, I called him, but he gave me no anſwer. Now this was an act of Juſtice in Chriſt to withdraw himſelf; Jeſus Chriſt he knocked, until his head was filled with the dew, and his locks with the drops of the night, and yet ſhe would not open to him; therefore Chriſt as an act of Juſtice might withdraw himſelf to puniſh them for ſin, becauſe the Spouſe would not let Chriſt come in when he knocked; and then you read of the deſertion of the Church, not as an act of Juſtice for the puniſhment of ſin, but as an act of his meer power, Cant. 3. 1. By night on my bed I ſought him whom my ſoul loved; I ſought him, but I could not find him. Now if thy conſcience can tell thee that thou art careful in thy duties towards God, and thy heart is upright, and to labour to walk exactly, and yet thou canſt not ſee thy comforts appearing; now thou mayeſt ſay peradventure, yea, thou mayeſt ſay, without all peradventure it is not an act of Juſtice, but an act of power, that he withdraweth his favour, and the light of his countenance from thy ſoul.
2. God may withdraw his love and favour from the ſoul, not for any diſpleaſure that he hath to them, but out of an act of love to try his own peoples love to him; as a mother, a tender-hearted mother, many times runs behind the door from her child in a corner, and hides her ſelf, but it is not becauſe ſhe is angry with her child, but to try the ſtrength of her childs love, in ſeeking after the mother; ſo God, he may withdraw his love from the ſouls of his people, but it is not from any anger, but from love to his people, for to try the ſtrength of his peoples graces, and to try their love in ſeeking of him. God tryes your graces ſtrength in going after Chriſt, and your graces love in looking after Jeſus Chriſt; it was ſo in Joſeph, unto which I may allude, Gen. 42. 7. it is ſaid, that Joſeph, he ſpake roughly to them (or Gen. 42. 7.hard things with them) that is, to his brethren, and he caſt them into priſon for three dayes, ver. 17. Now all this his dealing with his brethren, was not for want of love to them, but it was to try the affections of his brethren, and to cauſe them to call to mind their former unkindneſſe. Thus God deals many times with his own people; he doth withdraw his love, and ſuſpend his favour, and with-hold the light of his countenance, to try the ſtrength of his peoples graces, and the ſtrength of his peoples love to him, ſee Luke 24. 28. Luke 24. 28.when the two Diſciples were going to a Village, and Chriſt came and walked with them, and when they came nigh unto the Village whether they were going, Chriſt ſeemed as though he would have gone further; but this action of Chriſt, it was to try the love of his two Diſciples, whether they would preſſe him to make him ſtay with them: ſo God may withdraw the beams of his love, he may ſuſpend his divine favour to this end, to try the love of his people, how they will long after him, and much deſire his love to their ſouls.
3. God may ſuspend his favour, becauſe there may be more of Gods fatherly love in withdrawing his love, then in manifeſting his love (in ſome caſes) unto the ſouls of his people, and that in theſe two particulars.
1. When a man doth injoy the ſenſe of Gods love, and that injoyment makes him to be ſpiritually proud, then it is in mercy to with-hold his love and favour; when he cannot injoy the ſenſe of Gods love, without the ſenſe of ſpiritual pride, it is in this caſe great love. Job. 33. 17. That he may withdraw man from his purpoſe, and hide pride from man; it is in the Hebrew, That he removeth his works from man, &c. leſt men ſhould be proud of Gods grace, and proud of comforts, God will keep him from the comforts of his grace; and in this caſe it is great mercy to have the love of God withdrawn, when to have it continued, Gods people would grow proud: a little Boat cannot bear a great Sail without ſinking, nor a weak veſſel ſtrong liquor without breaking; ſome of Gods people are like to little veſſels; you know that little boats are like to weak veſſels. Weak Chriſtians, they are not able to bear ſtrong comforts; to put ſtrong liquor in weak bottles, is the way to break them; ſo to put ſtrong manifeſtations, ſtrong comforts into weak ſouls, would ſoon break them: God ſees, that ſometimes his people are not able to bear, nor able to uſe comforts and divine manifeſtations well; and in this caſe it is great mercy when you cannot bear them, then to be without them; for then the want of comfort doth make you more eager after Jeſus Chriſt then when you do injoy it; many times the injoyment of comfort makes you to grow ſecure, and to grow careleſſe, whereas the want of comfort maketh you the more eager for to look after it: Non-deſerit ut deſeratur; deſerit potius ne deſeratur; ideo videtur deſerere quia non vult deſeri: God doth ſometimes forſake, that ſo he might not be forſaken; and he doth ſeemingly forſake, that his people might not forſake him. As it is credulis miſericordia, cruel mercy for a wicked man to have hopes and preſumption of heaven, and yet go to hell; ſo 'tis miſericors crudelitas, merciful cruelty, that a godly man ſhould lie under fear of Hell, and yet go to heaven.
2. The ſuſpenſion of Gods love and favour is in love, when it doth make thee to prize Jeſus Chriſt more in the want of him, then thou didſt in the enjoyment of him: the Lord doth many times bring his own people into great wants, and expoſe them to great exigencies and ſtreights, that they might the more prize mercy, and be the more eager in the purſute after it, and not to grow proud when they have it; you read, Deut. 32. 13. He made them to ride Deut. 32. 13.on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the fruits of the field; and he made him to ſuck honey out of the rocks, and oyle out of the flinty rock.
God did not give them water, but God gave them honey; it had been a mercy, had God given them water to drink when they were ready to die for thirſt; but when Moſes comes to ſpeak of this, he makes mention, that God gave them honey to ſuck; becauſe they ſaw the want of a leſſer mercy, God gave them a greater mercy; ſo it is in ſpiritual things, when we in our ſtraights ſee the want of mercy, a ſpiritual want of mercy to the ſoul, O then the ſoul would be glad of a little mercy, the leaſt crumb of comfort then would refreſh the ſoul; The want of ſpiritual mercies, makes us for to ſee the ſpiritual worth of mercies; the want of Gods favour, the want of the light of Gods countenance, makes the ſoul to prize the enjoyment of it; the want of the love of Jeſus Chriſt ſhining on the ſoul, makes the ſoul to ſee, and feel, and know, that the love of God in Chriſt is exceeding precious. Now when the withdrawments of the light of Gods countenance from the ſoulworks theſe gratious effects, it is in great love and mercy to the ſoul.
4. That you may not be too much caſt down, conſider, That the people of God, they have alwayes ground of comfort in their ſouls, though they have not alwayes the ſenſe of comfort, though the ſouls of the children of God may be ſometimes without the preſent ſenſe of comfort, yet the people of God are never without the cauſe of comfort in their ſouls; as a man hath right to an inheritance, though he cannot read the evidences for it, ſo they have a real right to an inheritance with them that are ſanctified by faith in Jeſus Chriſt, though you may not ſenſibly enjoy your inheritance; as it was with Hagar, ſo it is with many doubting Chriſtians, about Gen. 21. She flying into the wilderneſs of Berſheba, her water was ſpent in the bottle, ſhe caſts her child under one of the ſhrubs, and ſate down over againſt it and wept; and there was a Well of water by her (the Well was there before) and ſhe knew it not; but when God opened her eyes, then ſhe ſaw the Will of water that was by her: So it may be with many a poor ſoul; ſalvation may be neer thee, very nigh thy ſoul, and yet the ſoul may not have a ſenſible knowledge of it, but may be ready to think that he ſhall periſh for want of ſalvation, and for want of comfort and conſolation from God in Chriſt: it is very obſervable what is ſpoken concerning Joſephs brethren; they had ſo much love from their brother, that they had a teſtimony of his love along with them, they had the money in their ſacks, and yet they never knew it, nor never knew him to be their Brother. So a poor ſoul may have the teſtimony of Gods love in the ſoul, and the ſure pledge of Gods everlaſting and eternal love to the ſoul, and yet thou mayſt not know this teſtimony, and thou mayeſt not know and ſenſibly feel the loving kindneſſe of thy God, to thy ſoul.
5. Remember this for thy ſupport, that none of Gods people do retain alwayes the like ſenſe and manifeſtation of Gods love to their ſouls, but it fares with the ſouls of Gods people, in reference to comfort as it is with, the Sea ſometimes ebbing, and ſometimes flowing, and as with the air ſometimes cloudy, and ſometimes clear, and ſo like the ſeaſon of the year, ſometimes winter, and ſometimes ſummer; as it is in nature, ſo it is in grace; nothing in nature doth alwayes retain and keep the ſame likeneſſe at all times, to keep the like perfection, ſo it is in grace; no child of God under heaven doth alwayes, at all times retain and keep the ſame meaſure of comforts in his own ſpirit. As Sampſon had not the ſame ſtrength at all times, ſo a Chriſtian hath not alwayes the ſame comforts.
6. If at any time God doth ſuſpend his love and favour, & the light of his countenance, yet conſider, that God never doth this, but he ſeeth great reaſon need & for it: you read, 1 Pet. 1. 6. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a ſeaſon (if need be) ye are in heavineſs through manifold temptations: there it referreth to the ſufferings for the Goſpel; ſo I may ſay to you, If need be, you ſhall be in heavineſſe for want of the enjoyment of Gods love in Chriſt; if you need heavineſſe, you ſhall have heavineſſe; if no need of ſorrow, you ſhall have no ſorrow. Philoſophers ſay there is great need of wind and thunder, as well as of ſhining of the Sun, for thereby the air is kept clear; ſo when God doth thunder into thy ſoul, and ſometimes bluſter like wind into thy ſoul, God doth ſee ſome need of that dealing with thee, to ſweep thy ſoul from ſin, and the love of the world, and to quell thy pride, and to ſubdue thy luſts, and to purge away that ſlightneſſe of ſpirit wherein thou art apt to ſlight others; God many times doth ſuſpend the light of his countenance, and hold from thy ſoul the comforts of thy graces for this end, that thou mighteſt not be proud of thy meaſure of grace; and ſometimes God may do it to ſtir up in thee a compaſſionate ſpirit towards others in affliction, and that thou mighteſt exerciſe thy grace; and God may let thee want the comforting work of the ſpirit, that thou mighteſt have more of the ſanctifying work of the ſpirit; therefore comfort thy ſelf; for if God did not ſee need of this afflicting of thee, he would never let thee lie under this ſad condition.
7. Conſider this for thy comfort, That Jeſus Chriſt himſelf was under ſpiritual deſertion as well as thou; Chriſt himſelf cried, My God, my God, why haſt thou for ſaken me? Mat. 27. 46. Here was ſubſtractio viſionis, though not unionis; and thou doſt no more but cry my God, my God, under the abſence of the favour of God: Jeſus Chriſt did it to ſanctifie thy death, was buried to make thy grave a bed of roſes to thee, and was tempted to ſanctifie thy temptations, and deſerted to ſanctifie thy deſertions; he drank deep of the cup, thou doſt but ſip of it. Now he himſelf was under troubles and deſertions and temptations, that he might be able to ſuccour them that are tempted; he was able to ſuccour them before; I but now he is made experimentally able to ſuccour his people in the like caſe.
8. Conſider this, That the ſeeming loſs of Gods favour, it is not ſimply prejudicial to the ſtate of grace; for it doth not hinder thy having acceſſe to, and having ſucceſſe at the throne of grace, neither can it hinder thee of glory; thou mayeſt truſt and wait upon God in the way of thy duties, and though thou doſt not enjoy the light of his countenance, yet this will not hinder thee of ſucceſſe at the throne of grace. It is the want of Chriſt, not of comfort, that makes the throne of grace a throne of juſtice and wrath; for thou mayeſt want Gods face to comfort thee, but thou ſhalt not want Gods hand to help thee; God may lend thee his ear to thy prayers, when he may deny thee the ſhines of his face; it is the truth of grace, and not the ſenſe and ſight of grace that brings the ſoul to heaven; it is not the meaſure of grace, nor the ſenſe and ſight of grace, but the truth of grace, that entitles the ſoul to glory; though while you live you may be without your maſters joy, yet you ſhall be ſure to come to your maſters joy when you die; though thou never hadſt a heaven in thy ſoul while thou liveſt. yet thy ſoul may come to heaven when thou dieſt.
9. Conſider, and be not ſo caſt down for want of comfort; for when you come to heaven you ſhall have comfort enough; God doth reſerve the fulneſſe of thy comfort untill the fulneſſe of thy glory: This is the time of thy travelling in this world, and you muſt not expect your reward till you come to your journeys end. Here you have joy and comfort for a time, but there in heaven you ſhall have joy and comfort for evermore; here in this world joy and comfort entreth into you, but in the world to come you ſhall enter into joy, and that is traſcendently and infinitely more then to have joy to enter into you; here in this world you have but the beginnings of comfort, but there you ſhall have enduring laſting comforts; here you have comforts by drops, but there you ſhal come to enjoy and ſee an ocean of comfort, and that for ever.
Object. There is one Objection to be anſwered, which is this, and it is a practicall caſe of conſcience.
Me thinks I hear ſome poor ſouls ſay, It is true, if I thought that God in his hiding his face from my ſoul, in his withdrawing the comforts of his ſpirit from me, if the abſence of the light of his countenance, were meerly an act of his Soveraignty and Power, and to try my love, to try the confidence of my heart in truſting in him, and the ſtrength of my love to him, and the more to put me forward to look after Jeſus Chriſt (if this was ſo) I ſhould not be much troubled; but alas, what ſhall I do? my conſcience tels me, that it is for ſin that God doth withdraw the light of his countenance, and the comforts of his Spirit, and for this cauſe he deals with me, and my conſcience tells me, that I have grieved the ſpirit of God, and ſent that ſad to heaven, and therefore it is juſt with God to let me live ſadly upon earth, and to live in a comfortleſſe condition; and I have committed great ſins to take away my comforts, and for the guilt of ſin it is for which God doth hide his face; and this is the ſad objection and reaſonings of many a poor ſoul.
Now there are four particulars, why a child of God ſhould not be thus dejected, although he may be caſt down under ſin.
1. If thou canſt not retain the ſenſe of Gods love, yet if you retain the ſenſe of your own ſins, for which thou haſt loſt the ſenſe of Gods love, to be much in the latter, though thou haſt little of the former, to grow down ward in humiliation, thou doſt grow but little upward in conſolation, it is a great mercy. Hoſea 14. 5. I will be as a dew unto Iſrael, he ſhall grow as a lilly (or bloſſom, or flouriſh) and caſt forth (or ſtrike forth) his root as Lebanon; you that do bloſſom like the lillies, though you may not ſo much bloſſom in the enjoyment of comfort, yet if you do grow downward, ſtrike your roots downward, by the ſenſe and ſight of ſin, and grow downward in humiliation, it is a great mercy; it is better and ſafer for to ſtrike thy roots of grace downward in growing in the ſap of humiliation, then to grow upward and flouriſh in the ſenſe of pardoning-grace; and the reaſon is this; becauſe the one is of abſolute neceſſity, and neceſſary to the ſaving of the ſoul, but the other is neceſſary towards the comforts of the ſoul, and therefore the one is more needful then the other; if I were put to my choice, I had rather want the ſenſe of the pardon of ſin, then to want the ſenſe of my own ſinfulneſſe; the Lord had rather to ſee his people to be in mourning weeds, then to be in garments of pleaſantneſſe; if God doth not ſee thy face full of ſmiles, yet if he ſees thy eyes full of tears, that is more acceptable to him; though you may want the light of Gods countenance, yet if you have the ſenſe of your own ſinfulneſſe, that doth eclipſe the light of Gods favour to thy ſoul, thou haſt no cauſe to be too much caſt down under ſin.
2. In caſe thou art caſt down for ſin, yet if you can love Jeſus Chriſt really, you need not be diſcouraged when you do not know ſeriously that Jeſus Chriſt doth love you; yet though thou doſt not know thou art beloved, yet to love Chriſt in this time, thou needeſt not to trouble thy ſelf; and though thou haſt not ſeen Jeſus Chriſt, yet to believe in him, and by faith to apply Jeſus Chriſt to thy ſoul, if this hath been thy work, and thou canſt ſay ſo, you may be confident that Chriſt loves you truly, though it may not be apparently; and the reaſon is ſtrong, becauſe that we can never love Jeſus Chriſt until he firſt loveth us; a man being in trouble of mind, wanting the aſſurance of Gods love, he ſaid that he never knew what the teſtimony of the ſpirit of God meant, and what it was to his ſoul, but yet he could ſay that he did reſt and believe on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; and though he knew not that Chriſt loved him, yet he did deſire to love Chriſt; ſo I ſay to you, although you cannot ſenſibly feel the love of Chriſt to thy ſoul, yet if thou canſt dearly love Jeſus Chriſt, be confident that Chriſt loveth thee.
3. In caſe you want the quieting and comforting work of the ſpirit, yet if you have the quick ning work of the ſpirit, be not too much caſt down; thou that canſt act grace, although thou doſt want comfort, and although thou haſt not the ſight of thy graces, ſenſibly to feel and find the comforts of them, yet if thou canſt live in the exerciſe of grace in this caſe thou needſt not to be troubled & caſt down; if it be with thy ſoul as with a Well that hath two buckets, while one is down, the other is ſtill up; ſo if one bucket of thy ſoul be down, and thou be dejected for want of the ſenſe of Gods favour and gratious love to thy ſoul, yet if the other bucket be up in thy living and exerciſing of grace, though thou wanteſt ſenſible comforts, yet this is matter of joy and comfort to thy ſpirit; if you are dejected for want of comfort, yet if you abound in grace, it is matter of joy. Do I ſpeak to any this day, that are clouded with ſin in the want of the ſenſe of the comforting work of the ſpirit, and cannot ſee, and cannot feel the ſenſe and manifeſtations of Gods love as others do? go and pray, and mourn, and be humbled for thy ſin, and act thy grace, and though you do go without the maniſeſtation of Gods love, yet in this caſe thou art not to be too much caſt down; God had rather ſee and hear your graces, then that you ſhould ſee them your ſelves, Cant. 8 13.
4. Though thou art caſt down for ſin, yet be not troubled in caſe it hath this gratious effect upon thee, as to make thee to be more watchful againſt ſin for the time to come, more then thou waſt before; ſo when thou ſhalt be afraid of ſin, and to hate ſin in this caſe, thou haſt cauſe to bleſſe God; ſaid the Pſalmiſt, my heart is not turned back, neither have we ſlipped again from thy wayes; all this is come upon us, and yet have we not forgotten thee, nor deals falſely againſt thy Covenant; cur hearts have not turned backward, neither have our ſteppings ſwarved from thy path. So when you can ſay, although God hath covered me with the ſhadow of death, and though there is a cloud between God and my ſoul, yet I am afraid of ſinning againſt him; and I am afraid of offending him, and I have not gone out of his paths for all this; in this caſe you may be comforted, though you do apprehend that Chriſt hath turned his back upon you, and yet to ſay I will not for all the world leave living upon and to Jeſus Chriſt in a way of love and obedience.
Obj. 2 If it be ſo, That many ſouls may be caſt down for ſin, and yet you ſay that it is their ſin to be ſo much caſt down, but they are to labour againſt this trouble and caſting down for ſin: Doth not this nouriſh a principle of preſumption in many a mans breaſt for to preſume of his ſalvation, and to make him bold in ſinning againſt God, ſeeing you ſay they are not to be troubled?
Anſw. It is true, if this doctrine be not well uſed, and wiſely handled, it may; for as it may comfort one ſoul, it would cauſe a hundred to run into a preſumptious condition; for in ſome caſes, God doth ſuſpend his favour, and hide his face from the ſoul, it being for ſin: you have cauſe of mourning in this particular, and that in theſe five caſes.
1. Thou haſt cauſe to hang down thy head with ſorrow; thou that wanteſt the ſenſe and manifeſtations of Gods love in Chriſt to thy ſoul, and yet at that time thou doſt want the ſenſe and ſight of ſin; thou haſt a troubled ſpirit, and yet at that time thou haſt not a troubled conſcience; thou wantest the ſenſe of Chriſts love to thy ſoul, and yet at that time thou wanteſt the ſight and ſenſe of thy ſins againſt Jeſus Chriſt. Many men are in this caſe; there are many men that will ſay, that they do not know whether they ſhall go to heaven or hell, whether they are the children of God, or the children of wrath; whether Chriſt loveth them or not, and yet no ſin troubleth them, and no guilt diſquieteth them, but they preſume of grace, and preſume of pardon, when for any thing thou knoweſt, there is but a ſtep between thee and hell; and in this caſe thy condition is very ſad.
2. You that ſay that you want the ſenſe of Gods love, and yet not at that time want the ſenſe of the loſſe and abſence of that love; you ſay you once had that mans ſad ſpectacle that grieves for the loſſe of an eſtate, but not for the loſſe of God; when a man ſhall not know whether God loveth him or not, and yet at that time for all this, to take no care, though his ſtate be a loſt ſtate, to loſe grace, and to loſe heaven, this caſe is ſad, to be in ſuch danger, and yet not to be ſenſible of that danger.
3. Your caſe is ſad, in caſe when you want a ſenſe of Chriſts love to your ſouls, and yet at that time you want acts of love; and to expreſſe your love to Jeſus Chriſt, you would fain know whether Jeſus Chriſt loveth you or not, yet never labour to know and examine whether you love Jeſus Chriſt or not, in drawing out your ſouls in a way of love to him; but inſtead of loving Jeſus Chriſt, you do draw forth reginings againſt God, againſt Jeſus Chriſt, when you ſhall be ſo far from truſting in him, as you ſhall repine againſt him, and not ſay with Job, Though be kill me, yet will I truſt in him, and though I periſh, yet I will periſh in truſting in him; if under the ſenſe of Gods love, you alſo want love to Jeſus Chriſt, your caſe is ſad.
4. At that time when you want the comforting work of the ſpirit, and yet at that time you want the quickning work of the ſpirit, thy caſe is ſad; when you ſhall not only want comfort, but want grace too, this maketh thy condition to be ſad, to be diſquieted for want of comfort, and to be diſquieted for want of grace. O look into your own hearts! you that want comfort, do you want grace too? have you no tenderneſſe of conſcience? no remorſe of ſpirit? no love to duties? no zeal for God? no faith to live by? no hopes in Chriſt to hang upon? no love to Chriſt in thy ſoul? no repentance for ſin? in this caſe thy condition is very ſad.
5. When thou haſt been a long time under the loſſe of comfort and in trouble of mind and perplexity of ſpirit, and yet ſo to live without any enquiries how thou mayeſt get out of this ſad condition, and to get the comforts you wants when it may be your comforting-work, and the quickning-work is gone too; to want comfort, and to want grace, and yet to live and not to look after it, but to do as Cain did, to purſue the world, to purſue the profits and pleaſures of this world, and all for this end, to ſtifle his conſcience, for to take no pains to ſtir up grace in thy ſoul, and to quicken thy heart, that thou mighteſt have the joyes of heaven, and the comforts of grace, the love of God, the ſhines of Chriſts face, the manifeſtations of his love, and aſſurance of thy ſalvation; when you ſhall not look after any means either of grace or comfort, this renders thy caſe to be very ſad.
And thus I have done with this queſtion, That the people of God have no cauſe to doubt, though they may be caſt down for ſin, or for the abſence of the favour of God to their ſouls.