The Dejected Souls Cure, Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
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 lay down ſome Scripture rules, for to help a child of God that is caſt down under the want of aſſurance of Gode love, how to recover the ſenſe of Gods love again.
Now for your help in this matter, I ſhall proceed in two general directions.
1. You are to remove thoſe things which cauſe a ſuſpenſion of Gods favour and love within you which did caſt you down.
2. You muſt labour to practice thoſe things that may further you in the attainment of this comfortable ſenſe, and certain aſſurance of Gods love.
For the firſt, Here are eight things which are to be removed, which happily hath occaſioned this ſuſpicion of Gods love.
1. Labour to remove natural melancholy; there is ſuch a natural ſympathy between the ſoul and the body, that a diſtemper in the one, cauſeth trouble in the other. It is no more wonder for a conſciencious man overcome with melancholy, to fear, doubt, &c. then for a ſick man to groan or a child to cry when it is beaten; if there be melancholy on the body, there will be trouble on the ſoul, that is, under deſertion and trouble of mind; in Chriſtians it doth ſometimes begin from a natural melancholy. Now this muſt be removed in caſe you would recover a comfortable ſenſe and aſſurance of the love of God. Saith the Phyſitian, natural melancholy hath ſad effects that do attend it, as fear, ſubject to frets, terrible dreams, ſad apprehenſions: why now, the devil can tell when thy apprehenſion is diſturbed, and he can tell how to turn this, and to make you fear your ſalvation: the devil is a powerful ſpirit and when the natural temper is thus exorbitant, he can make this that was a natural, to become ſpiritual evil.
2. You muſt remove ſpiritual pride, Job. 33. 17. that he may withdraw man from his purpoſe, and bide pride from man. Job 33. 17.If thoſe ſwelling humours of pride be in thy ſpirit, God will ſend a meſſenger of Satan to buffet thee; men of proud ſpirits, ſaith Preſton, They are expoſed to ſad deſertions, and darkned eclipſes of their comforts; it is uſual with God, when he ſeeth men proud and high-conceited of the Preſtons note.meaſure and degree of their graces, to pull down their pride; he keeps from them the comfort of their own graces.
Pride is not onelyonly a bane of grace, but of comfort too; God reſiſts the proud: the Greek word ſignifies, That God puts himſelf in battel array againſt him. Beloved, God doth put himſelf in battel array againſt a proud man; therefore if ever you would regain the certainty and aſſurance of Gods love, remove pride.
3. If you would regain this comfortable aſſurance, remove dulneſſe and deadneſſe of heart in holy duties: when the vigor and livelineſs of our ſpirits are abated in duty, the comforts of Gods ſpirit ſhall be detained; little duty, and leſſe comfort ſhall go hand in hand together; when the affections are dead, and the heart ſtraitned in duties, evidences will be darkned, and comfort will be eclipſed; careleſſe performances are recompenced by God with frowns, not with ſmiles.
4. Senſual joyes and delights in the Creature, in the things of this world, they do enervate ſpiritual joy; the Sun, when it ſhines on the fire, doth hinder the burning of the fire. When thou haſt a Sun ſhine of comforts in this world, it is a hundred to one, but that thy affections have neither light nor heat; comforts are heated by grace; the more heat is in thy affections, the more ſtrength is in thy comforts and conſolations. Now ſenſual delights, they take away the heart, and when the heart is gone, comfort is gone, Hoſea 4. 11. Whoredome, and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. To be ſwilling and guzling at the Cup, and to be following of wantons, this takes away the heart. Senſual joys, they are very contrary to godly joyes; a man will never have joy in the Holy Ghoſt, that is overwhelmed with ſenſual and vain delights in the things of this world.
5. Take heed of grieving the ſpirit, if ever you would retain the comfortable aſſurance of Gods love, Iſaiah 63. 10. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy ſpirit, therefore he Iſa. 63. 10.was turned to be their enemy, and fought againſt them.
If thou doſt grieve his ſpirit in heaven, he will ſadden thy ſpirit on earth; Res delicata eſt ſpiritus ſanctus; it a nos tract at ſicut à nobis tractatur, ſaith Tertullian, The ſpirit of God will handle us as we handle it; if you grieve Gods ſpirit, he will grieve yours; he wil not powre joy into your ſpirits, when you but grieve his; if you vex Gods ſpirit by reſiſting the holy motions of the ſpirit, he will vex your ſpirits, by retaining the comfortable motions of the ſpirit. It is obſervable, the ſpirit of God in Scripture, it is not only called a Comforter, but the Holy Ghoſt; therefore it is in vain to believe that the ſpirit ſhall be a Comforter to you, if you withſtand the office of the ſpirit, as he is the holy ghoſt; therefore, O you that grieve the ſpirit, by reſiſting the holy motions of it, you ſhall never regain the comforting work of the ſpirit.
6. Remove all unmercifulneſſe, and uncompaſſionateneſſe of ſpirit to others that are troubled in mind. Many Chriſtians are like a herd of Dear; it is their manner, that when one of the herd is wounded by the Forreſter, all the reſt leave him and forſake him, and put him away from them, and let the wounded Deer ſhift for it ſelf alone; there are many ſuch uncompaſſionate ſouls, that if a man be in trouble of mind, and have the arrows of Gods wrath ſticking in the ſoul, they run away from them, and leave them; many men are thus wanting tenderneſs, and wanting bowels of compaſſion towards tempted and troubled ſouls, full of cenſures, contempt, rough dealing; now for this rigidnes and uncompaſſionatenes, God doth oftentimes cauſe eclipſes in their own ſouls. If ever you would regain comfort, pity tempted ſoule, pity and compaſſionate diſquieted ſouls, and that is the way to regain your comfort.
7. Remove a wantonneſſe, and a fearleſneſſe of the Majeſty and greatneſſe of God; if the parents dandle a child on the knee, their child wanting diſcretion, is apt to grow wanton; therefore the Parents are forced ſometimes by an auſtere earriage, to prevent this wantonneſſe. If God ſhould alwayes manifeſt ſmiles, it would breed a contempt to God, therefore God doth with a majeſtick Soveraignty carry himſelf with a ſeeming diſpleaſure, with frowns in his brow, and all to correct that ſpirit of wantonneſſe that is in his people. The Perſian Kings ſhunned familiarity with their Subjects, and would be but twice a year ſeen by them, leſt their Subjects ſhould contemn them, if they ſhould often ſee them; ſo God doth hide himſelf from them, leſt there ſhould be a ſpirit of wantonneſſe growing in his people.
Laſtly, If you would not be caſt down under theſe deſertions, then remove from you all worldly-mindedneſſe, to be glutted with the creature, to have your hearts filled with the world; if you be thus, you wil never enjoy a comfortable certainty of Gods love. A man that is a worldly-minded man, he can never be ſtrong in aſſurance; if you keep your eye at a due diſtance from the earth, you can ſee far; but if you put your eye to the ground, you can ſee but little: Beloved, keep your hearts at a due diſtance from the world, you may ſee far into the ſenſe of Gods favour; but let your eye, I mean the ſoul, be too neer the world, you ſee nothing; you will not perceive the ſenſe of Gods love if you have worldly mindedneſſe predominant in you: Put a candle above the ground, and it will burn clear and bright, but put the ſame candle under the ground, and it burns but dim; the damp of the ground hinders the light thereof. Beloved, keep you hearts above the ground, and here your candle may burn bright; but if you are buried in the world, I mean your hearts, your candle will burn dim; you will not have ſo clear a light and ſenſe of Gods love. Philoſophers ſay the reaſon the Sun is eclipſed, is by the interpoſition or putting between of the Moon; I may aptly apply it, the Scripture makes the Moon to be an Emblem of the world, Rev. 12. 1. And there appeared Rev. 12. 1.a great wonder in Heaven; a woman clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve Stars.
This Moon, it doth eclipſe the Sun: Beloved, if the world be at full between you and ſpiritual things, that they are neerer to your hearts then Chriſt is, then grace is, then heaven is, this Moon of the world will eclipſe the ſhining beams of the Sun of Righteouſneſſe.
Theſe are the eight particulars that muſt be removed, in caſe you do expect to regain a comfortable certainty and aſſurance of the love of God.
The next thing, is ſomething to be done.
2. There are eight or nine Rules, What muſt be done by a Chriſtian, in caſe he would not be caſt down under a continued ſuſpenſion of Gods love.
1. The firſt is this, If ſo be you would regain a comfortable aſſurance of Gods love, take this rule; Keep a holy, and a conſciencious care to act grace throughout the courſe of your lives; let it be the chiefeſt of your care to act grace, and my ſoul for yours, it will not be long before that you have comfort, 2 Pet. 1. 5, &c. And beſides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith vertue, and to vertue knowledge, and to 2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godlineſs, and to godlineſs brotherly kindneſs, & to brotherly kindneſs and charity; for if theſe things be in you and abound, they make you that you ſhall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; but he that lacketh theſe things is behind, and cannot ſee afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old ſins: wherefore the rather Brethren, give all diligence, to make your calling and election ſure: for if you do theſe things, you ſhall never fall. All the verſes tell you how to get aſſurance of election; add grace to grace, and that is the way to come to your aſſurance of caling and election; let it be your care to act grace, and it ſhall be Gods work to give you comfort; God will multiply thy peace if thou doſt increaſe thy grace; you have Gods promiſe for it, Iſa. 32. 17. And the work of righteouſneſs ſhall be peace, and the effect of righteouſneſſe quietneſſe and aſſurance, Iſa. 32. 17.for ever.
Here is the way to gain comfort; do thou the work of righteouſneſſe, and comfort ſhall follow after, Pſal. 119. 165. Great peace have they that love thy Law, and nothing ſhall offend them (or) they ſhall have no ſtumbling block.
A notable clauſe which is worthy your notice, Job 13. 18. Behold now I have ordered my cauſe, I know that I ſhall be juſtified.Job. 13. 18.
I have ordered my cauſe (that is) I have taken care to my life, I have made conſcience of my wayes, I have laboured to act grace in all my whole cauſe; what follows? Now I know I ſhall be juſtified, I have now an evidence, and a ſenſe of juſtification. O beloved, the actings of grace, are the in-lets to inward peace; many men ſay, that we know we ſhall be juſtified, but never make conſcience of their wayes, never order their cauſe: ſome are as confident as confidence it ſelf, yet as ignorant as ignorance it ſelf, as proſane as profanneſle it ſelf, as proud as pride it ſelf. O beloved, if you will have a due ſenſe of the knowledge of Juſtification, order your cauſe well, order your lives well; To him that orders his Converſation aright, will I ſhew the ſalvation of God; Pſal. 50. 23.
Beloved, if God doth but incline your hearts to order your cauſe aright, and your courſe aright, then you may, and you ſhall be juſtified. It is a great fault of Chriſtians, that when they want aſſurance, they ſpend more time in complaining they want comfort, then they ſpend time in acting of grace.
2. Keep conſcience pure and clear, and that is the way to keep conſcience pacified; guilt on the conſcience conceal'd and indulged, it contracts a horror, and doth cauſe a hell to ariſe here; this rule the Scripture gives, if you would labour to have aſſurance. Job 11. 15. If iniquity be in thy hand, Job. 11. 14, 15.put it far away, and let not wickedneſſe dwell in thy Tahernacle; for then ſhalt thou lift up thy face without ſpot, then you ſhall be ſtedfaſt and not fear. That is, if ſin be on thy conſcience, put it far away; what follows? Thou ſhalt not then be under fear, and under ſuſpenſion of Gods love, but ſhalt lift up thy face and be ſtedfaſt; therefore if ever thou wouldſt regain a comfortable certainty of Gods love, keep thy conſcience pure and clean, that thou doſt not indulge the guilt of any allowed ſin within thee.
3. Call to mind the former experiences in the days of old, that thou haſt had of Gods love; the remembrance of paſt goodneſſe is very helpful for preſent encouragement; this rule David took, Pſal. 42. 6. O my God, my ſoul is caſt down within me, wherefore will I remember thee from the Land of Pſal. 42. 6.Jordan, &c.
It is remarkable what courſe the Pſalmiſt took to regain comfort; he would remember three experiments of his goodneſs; the Land of Jordan, the Land of the Hermonites, and the Hill Miſſar. Firſt I will remember the Land Jordan; that is, I wil remember the great goodneſſe of God in drying up the River Jordan, that ſo the Tribes of Iſrael might paſs over to the promiſed Land. why, God that hath been good, will be good. Then, I will remember the Land of the Hermonites; in that Land was Sihon King of the Amorites, and Og King of Baſhan defeated; that you read of in Joſhua 12. 1, 2. Now theſe are the Kings of the Land, which the children of Iſrael ſmote, and paſſed the Land on the other Joſ. 12. 1, 2.ſide Jordan, toward the riſing of the Sun toward the River Arnon, unto Mount Hermon. Miſſar ſome think to be a little hill neer Mount Sinai, where the Law was given. I will remember Gods goodneſſs, in giving a Law to his people; Here David would call to remembrance the goodneſs of God of old, to regain to him comfort and quietneſs in in his mind.
Thus likewiſe, Pſal. 77. 10, 11. And I ſaid, this is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the moſt High, I will remember the works of the Lord; ſurely I will Pſal. 77. 10, 11remember thy wonders: Think of old mercies, and old priviledges of loving kindneſſes, and that is the way to bear up the heart with preſent encouragement.
4. Uſe arguments of faith againſt preſent ſenſe and feeling: Abraham had never believed Gods promiſe, if he had not uſed arguments of faith againſt preſent ſenſe and feeling. Divines make that applicable of Iſaac, unto the caſe of deſertion: how came Iſaac to miſtake Jacob for Eſau? Divines apply, that by ſenſe and feeling, Gods people think that they are Eſaus, and are rejected and hated by God, when they are the beloved of the Lord; though ſenſe and feeling may tell thee My infirmities be many, my corruptions are ſtrong, my heart is hard, my affections are dead, that God knows, I cannot believe, and I cannot have comfort; why yet believe, God is free, God is gracious, God accepts of will for work, accepts imputed righteouſneſs as if it were inherent righteouſneſſe: uſe arguments of faith againſt preſent feelings. If you play the Logicians, the devil he will non-plus you; though I have not the faith of evidence, yet I will labour for the act of adherence, relying upon Jeſus Chriſt, uſe arguments thus.
5. Follow this rule, Let your comforts be grounded upon an immutable Covenant, rather then upon thy own feeling & fading affections; this is a rule of great uſe. Beloved, ſhould Chriſtians build their eternal comfors on their feeling affections, their comforts would be up and down, ebbing and flowing; their affections are feeling, ſometimes hot as fire, anon as cold as air; the pulſes of the body ſometimes beat ſtrongly, and ſometimes faintly, ſo doth the affections. Now if thou ſhouldſt build thy comfort on thy affections, thou wouldſt never have ſtable comfort, but ſtill up and down; but rather ground thy comforts upon a laſting and unchangeable Covenant, on ſuch a Covenant that accepts of will for works, deſires for deeds, endeavours for performances. Why now, building thy comforts on an unchangeable Covenant, rather then on fleeting affections, it is a way to regain and attain everlaſting comforts.
6. Take this Rule, In ſome caſes, eſpecially of deſertions and temptations, it is more ſafe for thee to ſubmit thy ſelf to the judgement of other men about thy condition, then to thine own judgement. Am I deſerted? am I tempted? am I troubled in mind? why, it is better for me if mine own judgement cannot ſuggeſt comfort to me, it is my wiſeſt courſe to ſubmit my ſelf to other men, to thoſe that are experienced Chriſtians, if they by obſerving my walking and manner of living, do inſtill comfort into me; this I am bound to ſubmit to, in caſe of deſertion and temptation. It was reported of a Miniſter of this Kingdom, that he was for a long time troubled in mind, and could not be comforted Mr. Frogmorton.till he had the judgements of Godly Miniſters, and by their teſtimony he got comfort. Mr. Bradford, he could not be comforted but by the teſtimony of another Martyr; John Careleſſe aſſuring Mr. Bradford he muſt be a holy man, and a good man; the teſtimony of John Careleſs did mightily pacifie and quiet the conſcience of Mr. Bradford. Thus Nathans teſtimony did comfort David; and Ananias teſtimony did comfort Paul. Paſſions of grief and fear blind the judgement, and makes it unable to judge, 2 King. 5. 12, 13. When Naaman was under a prejudice and paſſion, his ſervants could tell what was beſt for him to do. Sometimes in caſes of deſertion or temptation it is a good and a ſafe rule, rather to truſt other mens judgements then our own.
7. Take this rule, Never go to wrong means and wayes to allay and pacifie the troubles of thy mind. Cain, when he was in trouble of mind for his ſin, and in horror of conſcience, why Cain went to allay this trouble by buildings; therefore ſome Divines interpret that clauſe in the Epiſtle of Jude, They followed the way of Cain, that is, To allay and ſtifle the trouble of conſcience by ſenſual delights and worldly affairs; ſome with Saul playing upon muſick, do not take this courſe to uſe ſinful wrong means to allay trouble of mind; as a man in Feaver lets down cold drink, it cools a little for the preſent, but after increaſes the more heat; ſo when men are heated with Gods wrath, why they run to ſin, which doth encreaſe the heat; juſt as if men were ſtung with a Bee, and they will run to a bunch of nettles, and rub themſelves therewith to allay the ſting of the Bee; beloved, when men are ſtung by Gods wrath, and then ſhall run to ſin to heal them, it is but like a man rubbing of himſelf with nettles to allay the ſting of a Bee; like a man that hath his houſe a falling, and will take a firebrand to uphold his building. O beloved, when you are under trouble of mind, to run to merry meetings, to muſick, to building, to buying, and bargaining, and not run to God on thy knees, this is not the way to regain comfort, it is the way to encreaſe thy ſorrow, and to cauſe more anger and anguiſh on thy conſcience. I may exemplifie it further by a diſeaſe which ſome women have in their breaſts, which they call the wolf; the diſeaſe they ſay, it is fed by fleſh, and if fleſh be put upon the womans breaſt, it feeds on that fleſh, and if that be conſumed, the womans breaſt is the more tortured and torn. A merry meeting may allay trouble of mind for a while, but it will recoil on thee with the more terror then ever it did; therefore take heed of ſinful means to regain quietneſs and peace of ſpirit.
8. Be more induſtrious in doing duty, then in getting comfort; it is the fault of many Chriſtians, they ſpend more time in fruitleſſe complaints, that they want comfort, then in holy endeavours to perform duties. Now if the people of God would take but this rule, to be more induſtrious, and ſpend more time in performing duties then in gaining comfort, their comforts might be ſooner got, and their duties better performed. When a houſe is on fire, it is not our work to enquire how the fire came, but to labour to put out the fire; ſo when men ſhall ſuſpect their condition, and complain of wanting comforts, their work is not to reſt in fruitleſſe complaints, but to put upon holy endeavours after comforts, Pſal. 30. 7. Thou didſt hide thy face, and I was troubled; it follows, v. 8. I cryed to thee O Lord, &c. David doth not ſpend ſo much time in fruitleſſe complaints, as he doth in holy endeavours after duties.
Laſtly, Spend more time to ſtrengthen evidences, then to weaken evidences; many men ſpend more time in queſtioning their evidences, then in ſtrengthning them: as in trouble of mind, a man will give himſelf to read dreadful threatnings, to read ſuch places of Scripture, and ſuch good books that carrie moſt dread and terror, and will ſpurn at promiſes and at comforts; this is to ſtrengthen the devils hands, and to weaken thine own. Indeed when thou findeſt thy heart to preſume and delude it ſelf, then it is good to make application of dread and terror to awaken thee; but when a man is in trouble of mind, then to ſhun promiſes, and only to pore on threatnings of the Scripture, I ſay this is a courſe rather to weaken thy comforts then ſtrengthen them; if thou canſt not find thy affections up, why run to thine inclinations; why it may be thou ſayeſt thou canſt not mourn, but thou wouldſt mourn; I cannot pray, but I would pray; I cannot hear profitably, but I would hear better; it is a rule that Divines give, That when a believer cannot have comforts from the actings of grace, he is bound then to look for comforts from his general inclination; it may be thou canſt not pray well, but for what end thou doſt pray? is not thine end to get more communion with God, and to get more power againſt ſin? When thou canſt not find evidences ſtrengthened by the actings of grace, thou mayeſt find evidences by thy intention in duty. Thus I have done with theſe two great cauſes of a Believers dejection or caſting down; to wit, the greatneſs of ſin; then ſecondly, The deſertion or divine ſuſpenſion of Gods love.