The Best Acquaintance and Highest Honor of Christians, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Exhorting thoſe who have loſt their acquaintance with God, to endeavour the recovery of it.
I Come now to exhort thoſe who have ſometimes had acquaintance with God, but have loſt it again, that they would by all means poſſible endeavour the recovery of it. Now this is a ſtate and condition not impoſſible for the true Saints and friends of God to be reduced into. This is frequently mentioned in Scripture under ſeveral notions and terms, ſometimes under the notion of Gods withdrawing himſelf. I opened to my Beloved, Cant. 56.but my Beloved hath withdrawn himſelf; ſometimes of Gods hiding himſelf. How long, Lord, Pſal. 89.46.wilt thou hide thy ſelf for ever? ſome, times of caſting out. I will caſt you out of my ſight: ſometimes of ſhutting out.Lam. 3.8. Alſo, when I cry and ſhout, he ſhutteth out my prayer: ſometimes of caſting off:Pſal. 43.2. Why doſt thou caſt me off? And every one of theſe may ſeem to be a ſeveral degree or increaſe of loſs of acquaintance with God.
Firſt. When God doth withdraw himſelf, and doth not ſo frequently viſit the ſoul with his grace and Spirit, as he was wont, here now is ſome abatement, ſome diminution of the acquaintance that was between God and the ſoul. But then,
Secondly. When God hides himſelf, that is, when the ſoul is ſenſible of Gods withdrawing, doth ſet it ſelf ſeriouſly and earneſtly to ſeek God, and would fain find him, and re-injoy his preſence and communion with him, and God hides himſelf, and the ſoul cannot find him, but it is as it was with thoſe we read of in Hoſea. They ſhall go with their flocks, Hoſ. 5.6.and with their herds to ſeek the Lord; but they ſhall not find him, he bath withdrawn himſelf from them. This now is more. But,
Thirdly. When God doth not only thus hide himſelf, but caſt the ſoul as it were out of his ſight; this is more and heavien. As if a man, when one that hath been his acquantance comes to his houſe, he ſhould not only refuſe to ſee him▪ or ſpeak with him, but plainly turn him out of doors; this were a ſign of great alteration, and alienation of mind in one that had been a friend.
Fourthly. When God doth not only caſt the ſoul out, but ſhut him out, ſhut the door of mercy as it were upon him, this is yet more.
Fifthly and L…ſtly. When God not only doth this, but even caſts off the ſoul, renounceth as it were all friendſhip and amity with it for the future, ſaying as the Romans were wont to do to their Wives, when they gave them a divorce, Res tuas tibi habeto, Look to your own matters, I will have no more to do with you, or as the people did when they rejected the poſterity of David from reigning.1 Kings 12.16. Now ſee to thine own houſe David. Thus high may the breach come to be between God and thoſe that have been his friends and acquaintance.
Now a child of God, a friend, and acquaintance of God, doth then think and conclude, that God deals thus with him, withdraws himſelf, hides himſelf, caſts him out, caſts him off, when he finds God ſuſpending and with-holding the wonted influences of the Spirit of grace from him.
For this acquaintance between God and our ſouls, as the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is the procurer of it, ſo the Spirit of grace is the Internuncius, the manager and worker of it; we can neither acquaint our ſelves with God, but by that Spirit, nor doth God acquaint himſelf with us, or communicate himſelf unto us, but by the ſame Spirit. When therefore the ſoul finds thoſe influences of the Spirit of God that it was wont to have, in praying, and hearing, and Sacraments, and other holy duties, when the ſoul finds them withdrawn, it preſently fears, yea concludes God is grown a ſtranger, hides himſelf, and caſts the ſoul off.
Now the influences of Gods Spirit into the hearts of his people, are of two ſorts; Either influences of comfort, or influences of grace.
Firſt. There are influences of comfort, which the Spirit of God ſends into the hearts of the Saints, ſhedding the love of God abroad in their hearts,Rom. 5.5. giving them ſuch a real, ſweet, powerful taſte, and feeling of the love of God in their ſouls, as fills them with joy unſpeakable and full of glory. Now when theſe ſweet and comfortable influences of the Spirit of God are ſuſpended and withdrawn, this cannot but make an alteration in the ſoul, in its apprehenſions of Gods love, and their in ereſt in him, and acquaintance with him.
Secondly. There are influences of the Spirit of God, which are influences of grace, and theſe are threefold. Either,
Firſt. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace is firſt infuſed and wrought in the ſoul. Or,
Secondly. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace when it is infuſed, is actuated and ſet on work in the ſoul. Or,
Thirdly. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace is increaſed and cauſed to grow in the ſoul.
Now for the infuſing and working of grace in the ſoul, one ſingle influence of the Spirit is ſufficient; but for the actuating and increaſing of grace, renewed and repeated influences are requiſite. As one act of divine power and providence is enough for the producing of the creatures into being; but for the continuance of their being, and for their operations, there is required a continual efflux of providence; ſo it is here. Now when theſe influences of the Spirit are ſuſpended and withdrawn, the ſoul can neither keep up and carry on his acquaintance with God in a way of duty, ſo as it ſhould, nor apprehend God communicating himſelf and Spirit to him, ſo as it would, and ſo cannot but from both conclude an interruption of that acquaintance and familiarity that hath been between God and it.
Now to thoſe whoſe condition this is, give me leave to propound,
Firſt. Some things by way of ſupport and conſolation.
Secondly. Some things by way of counſel and direction. And,
Firſt. By way of ſupport and conſolation, ſeveral things I have to ſay.
The Firſt is this. That how ſad and ſtrange ſoever thy condition may ſeem to be, thou art not the firſt, nor art like to be the laſt of the Friends and Saints of God, whoſe condition this hath been or may be. Read but over the Book of the Pſalms; how often do you find there the Saints complaining of Gods hiding his face from them, caſting them out; caſting them off, forſaking, forgetting them, ſhutting out their prayers, and the like. Now this may be ſome comfort to thee, as it is to a man that is in a wilderneſs, to find the tract and footſteps of men that have gone that way before him.
There are, as Gerſon obſerves, three ſorts of Chriſtians.
Gerſon de monte contemplat. cap. 22.Some that are in a winter condition. In winter you know the dayes are ſhort, and the nights are long, and the dayes for the moſt part are cloudy and dark, the Sun being obſcured with many clouds and fogs; there are ſharp colds and great rains, and now and then it may be a fair day, but very rarely: ſo ſome Chriſtians they have ſhort dayes, and long nights, ſhort viſits, and long abſence of God, they have much darkneſs and little light, Rara hora brevis mora. Bernard.much coldneſs and little heat in their ſpirits, many ſhowres of griefs and tears, rarely now and then a gleam of comfort.
Other Chriſtians, ſaith he, are as it were in the ſpring, in primo vere. In the Spring you know, it is one day fair and clear, another day cloudy and rainy; but we ſee the Sun oftner in the Spring, and the beams of it are more vigorous and warmthful than in the winter: now theſe are ſuch whom the Sun of righteouſneſs doth more frequently viſit than the former, and ſheds more warmthful and vigorous influences into their hearts, and yet withdraws himſelf from them ſometimes: ſometimes their Sun is under a cloud. Ut modicum illum videant, & modicum non videant; and they have their wet and ſorrowful dayes and times too.
Others there are with whom it is Midſummer, their Sun is ſeldom clouded: but when it is, it is more terrible, there are greater tempeſts of thunder, and lightning, and rain many times in ſummer than in winter, though not ſo conſtant rain. Theſe are the beſt and higheſt form of Chriſtians: who though they enjoy a more conſtant ſerenity, and more conſtant peace and communion with God, than the other, yet now and then meet with more violent and ſtrong temptations, and deeper deſertions than the former, their temptations are very ſharp, but then they are ſhort. So that you ſee by this diſtribution there is no ſtate of a Chriſtian life on this ſide heaven exempted and priviledged from this hiding of Gods face, and ſuſpending the influences of his grace and love. Whether then thou be in thy Winter, or in thy Spring, or in thy Summer, clouds may come over thy ſoul that may hide the face of God from thee, and intercept the influences of his Spirit and grace; th s is common to Chriſtians, whatever degree of grace they have attained: therefore ſay no more, that never any was in ſuch a condition as thou.
The Second thing I have to ſay to thee is this; That the worſt of thy condition is this, It is a withdrawing, not of the love of God from thee, but of wonted expreſſions of his love, it is but a withdrawing of the influence of his Spirit from thee, not the preſence of his Spirit from thee; I ſay it is but a withdrawing of the manifeſtation of Gods love from thee; God doth not look ſo kindly upon thee when thou comeſt to ſeek his face, as he was wont to do; God doth not ſpeak ſo comfortably to thee, he doth not ſpeak ſo to thine heart when thou comeſt to hear his word, as he was wont to do; God doth not make thee ſo welcom to his table when thou comeſt there, nor give thee ſuch a double portion of the marrow and fatneſs of his Ordinances as he was wont to do. I confeſs here is a great change in the outward carriage of God, and a great abatement of the wonted expreſſions of his love; but there is no change at all in the mind and will of God, no abatement at all in the love of God, which is as unchangeable as God himſelf. David loved Abſalom as dearly all that three years in which he would not endure him to come into his preſence, nor permit him to ſee his face, as he did before in any time of his life, though in wiſdom he did conceal and ſmoother his love: ſo God may conceal his love for a while, but he loves thee ſtill as well as ever.
He hath taken away the wonted influences of his Spirit from thee, but his Spirit it ſelf he hath not taken from thee.Joh. 14.16. Chriſts prayer and ingagement is, that the Spirit where once he is given ſhall abide for ever. Therefore I ſay, the influences of the Spirit may be ſuſpended, but the Spirit it ſelf is not departed, as it was with Eutychus when they thought he was dead; his life, ſaith Paul, that is, his Spirit, his ſoul is in him, and yet all the influences of his ſoul into his body, either viſible to others, or ſenſible to himſelf, were for the preſent ſuſpended: ſo is it here, the viſible ſenſible influences of the Spirit may be ſuſpended, but the Spirit is not departed, the band of union is not diſſolved.
Thirdly. As it is the influence, and not the preſence of the Spirit that is withdrawn, ſo it is not the total influence of the Spirit that is withdrawn from thee, but only part of it; all the influences of the Spirit are not withdrawn, but only ſome of them. For the influences of the Spirit are of two ſorts. Either ſuch as are neceſſary to the being of a Chriſtian in the ſtate of grace, and theſe are ſecret, hidden, and unſenſible; or elſe ſuch as tend to the well and comfortable being of a Chriſtian, and theſe are evident and ſenſible: as in the body there are ſome influences of the ſoul, that are neceſſary to the animation and quickening of the body, and theſe remain when the body is in a ſwoon, though they be ſecret and hidden, and neither felt by the body it ſelf, nor diſcerned by the beholders; other influences there are that tend to the perfection of life in the body, as tending to motion and ſenſe, theſe are both ſenſible to themſelves, and viſible in the effects of them to others; now theſe latter influences of the ſoul into the body, may be ſuſpended, when yet the other are continued: ſo it is here, they are but the ſenſible and arbitrary influences of the Spirit that are ſuſpended, the neceſſary influences of the Spirit are yet continued.
Fourthly. As it is the influence and not the preſence of the Spirit that is withdrawn, and as it is but ſome of the influences, not the whole influence that is withdrawn: ſo fourthly, this influence is but ſuſpended, it is not quite cut off; and there is a great difference between theſe two. If water be conveyed through a pipe, from a fountain to a ciſtern; if that pipe be ſtopt, the ſtream is ſuſpended, and it is but unſtopping the pipe, removing the obſtruction, and the water will flow as plentifully as ever it did before; but if the ſtream be cut off or turned another way, then the caſe is otherwiſe, the matter is irrecoverable: Poor ſoul, becauſe thou haſt not thoſe influences freſh and lively from the Spirit of God that thou haſt had, thou thinkeſt the ſtream is quite cut off, the heart of God thou thinkeſt is quite turned away from thee. Alas, thou art miſtaken; it is only the pipe is ſtopt, ſomething lyes in the way that obſtructs the influences of the Spirit of God into thee; remove but that, and the influences of the Spirit will come in upon thee, in as full a ſtream as ever. For (which is the laſt thing that I have to propound to thee for thy conſolation) thou muſt not think
In the fifth place; That becauſe God hides himſelf, and withdraws himſelf, and carries himſelf at preſent, not as a friend, but rather as a ſtranger, as an enemy to thee, do not think that he will alwayes do ſo. When he hath ſaid plainly, He will not alwayes chide; Pſal. 103.9. Iſa. 57.16. I…am. 3.31, 32.neither keepeth he his anger for ever. He will not contend for ever, neither will he be alwayes wroth. He will not caſt off for ever. But though he cauſe grief, yet will he have compaſſion according to the multitude of his mercies. Theſe are clear and expreſs promiſes of a true and faithful God; heaven and earth ſhall fail before one word or tittle of theſe promiſes ſhall fail. It is therefore a great infirmity in thee, to think, that becauſe God now hides his face from thee, he will do ſo for ever; or becauſe, that God ſeems to be fallen out with thee, therefore he will never more be friends with thee. Thus to think, is I ſay, a great infirmity in thee. So Aſaph acknowledgeth for himſelf, when he had been queſtioning with his own ſoul. Will the Lord caſt off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Pſal. 77.7, 8, 9, 10.Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promiſe fail for ever? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger ſhut up his tender mercies? He concludes, This is my infirmity. As who ſhould ſay, It is a great weakneſs in me ſo to imagine; ſo it is in thee, if thou doſt ſo think.
Theſe things thus premiſed, as grounds of hope and conſolation, I proceed now to ſhew what courſe you muſt take to recover favour with God, and your acquaintance with him again. And ſo,
Firſt. Enquire whether you have not given God cauſe thus to eſtrange and abſent himſelf from you, and break off acquaintance with you. To that end make uſe of the particulars laid down before. 1. Enquire whether you have not fallen into ſome known and groſs ſin. 2. Whether you have not held too much correſpondence with, and delighted too much in the company of wicked and ungodly men. 3. Whether you have not been too much carried away with the inordinate love of the world, and of the things of the world. 4. Whether you have not too much abſented your ſelves from God, and neglected your wonted and appointed times of meeting him, and acquainting your ſelves with him. 5. Whether you have not dealt unfriendly with God, by entertaining jealouſies and hard thoughts of God. And, 6. giving too much credit to Satans lyes, and ſlanders. Inquire ſeriouſly, whether you have not been guilty in ſome or other of theſe particulars; for uſually, I muſt tell you, the breach begins on our part, we give God cauſe to eſtrange himſelf from us. When thou haſt done this: Then,
Secondly. Take the counſel the holy Ghoſt gives; Do this now, my Son, Prov. 6.3.and deliver thy ſelf, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thy ſelf, and make ſure thy friend. Or as the Margent reads it, Go humble thy ſelf, and prevail with thy friend. Humble thy ſelf, that is the way to prevail with God, and to make him yet thy ſure friend, though he ſeems to be thine enemy. Humble thy ſelf, and that upon a twofold account.
Firſt. For the ſad condition that thou art in at preſent.
Secondly. For the ſin that hath brought thee into this ſad condition.
Firſt. Humble thy ſelf for the ſad condition that thou art in. Think and ſay thus to thy ſelf, Wo is me for my God, my life is departed from me, and how am I changed? O how was I wont to meet God in his Ordinances? and what ſweet communion and acquaintance had I once with him, but now he hides himſelf, and will not come at me. I pray, but he hears me not; I hearken after him, but he ſpeaks not; I call, but he anſwers not. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, Job 23.8, 9.but I cannot find him. On the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himſe f on the right hand, that I cannot ſee him. And ſay again as Job; O that it were with me as in moneths paſt, Job 29.2, 3, 4.as in the dayes when God preſerved me: When his candle ſhined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkneſs. When the ſecret of God was upon my tabernacle, and the Almighty was yet with me. It is an excellent meditation Bernard hath to this purpoſe. Whence comes this barrenneſs that poſſeſseth my ſoul? whence is it that my heart is dryed up like a bottle in the ſmoke, and my ſoul is like the dry and parched wilderneſs? Non poſſum lachrymas fundere, Bern. in Cant. Sermon. 74.I cannot weep, I find no ſavour in Pſalms, I have no delight in reading of the Scriptures; prayer doth not refreſh me, I have no heart to meditation, or any thing that is good. Hei mihi, Wo is me! God viſiteth the mountains of my companions, but skips over my mountain, and never toucheth it. Here is one raviſhed into the third heavens in holy meditations. There is another prays, as if he would rend the heavens with his prayers; another excels in zeal, another in patience, another in humility, another in holineſs. Theſe are Souls whom God viſits, theſe are "mountains upon which God commands the rain of bleſſing, Sed ego miſer qui nihil horum ſentio, but wretched I that feel none of theſe things; what am I but as one of the mountains of Gilboa, upon whom there falls neither dew nor rain, nor are there fields of offering there. Thus humble thy ſelf, and bewail thy ſtate and condition.
Secondly. Humble thy ſelf again, for thy ſin that hath brought thee into this ſad condition. Think and ſay thus with thy ſelf. Oh, what a thing is this, that I ſhould by my ſin provoke him to leave me, in whoſe preſence I have had ſuch life, ſuch light, ſuch liberty, ſuch peace, ſuch joy. O wretch that I am! that that communion and acquaintance that I had with God, was of no more eſteem with me, but that I ſhould thus loſe it by my folly! I have been careful to keep my intereſt & acquaintance with this and that man, but have not been careful to keep my intereſt and acquaintance with God. That which I begged with tears, and was many a year a getting, how have I by my ſin loſt it on a ſudden? O what have I done againſt my God, yea againſt my ſelf? O my folly, that have loſt that for want of care, that now I would redeem again, if it were poſſible, with my blood.
Thirdly. Follow God with mournful cryes and prayers, beg of him that he would return unto thee, and renew acquaintance with thee; importune him by all the ancient love that hath been between him and thee, that he would be gracious yet unto thee; put him in mind of his ancient love to thee. Say as the Church, Lord, Pſal. 89.49.where are thy former loving kindneſſes? Lord, what is become of all that love which ſometimes thou bareſt and expreſſedſt to thy worthleſs ſervant? And humbly put God in remembrance of thy ancient love to him; ſeeing God is pleaſed to be ſo gracious as to vouchſafe to remember it.Jer. 2.2. I remember thee, the kindneſs of thy youth, the love of thine eſpouſals, when thou wenteſt after me in the wilderneſs, &c. Entreat God to remember, there was a time when thy love was more vigorous, and more fervent to him than it is now, when thou couldſt have followed him through a wilderneſs, through a ſea, through fire and water; tel him, it is thy grief that thou canſt not ſo love him now: entreat him by renewing his love to thee, to revive thy love to him, beg of him that all old kindneſſes may not be forgotten; caſt up thy weeping eyes with the ſad complaint of a bleeding ſoul to thy ancient friend, and his bowels will roll, his compaſſions will relent towards thee.
Fourthly. Submit to any conditions of reconcilement, and accept of the loweſt degree of reſtauration to favour and acquaintance with God. Say, Lord, chide, rebuke, ſmite me, command, impoſe, do what thou wilt with me, only caſt me not out of thy preſence, caſhiere me not wholly and for ever: ſay as the poor Prodigal, Make me but as one of thine hired ſervants: as the woman of Canaan, Let me but gather up the crumbs among the dogs. Lord, if I have ſo far ſinned, as that I may not be reſtored to that degree of nearneſs that I had before, if I may not have a place among thy children, among thy friends; Lord ſet me among thy ſervants, thy hired ſervants, yea, if it be but among the dogs of thy family, Lord, ſo I may be in thy preſence, and ſee thy face I ſhall be thankful even for ſo much.
Fifthly. Go to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the Dayes-man, the Friend-maker, between God and Enemies; much more between God, and thoſe that ſometimes were his friends. Go to him, pray him to take thee by the hand, yet once again, and reconcile thee anew to God. He as God, is a middle perſon between the Father and the Spirit; and as God-man, he is a middle Perſon between God and Man: he is our Peace, he is our Advocate with the Father. Who with one appearing in heaven for us, with one opening of his mouth, can make God and us friends, if we had never been friends before; therefore go to him, ingage him by his Name, by his Office, by his Undertakings, to do this for thee.
Sixthly. Go to the Saints of God that are upon earth, that are Gods favourite and acquaintance, make thy caſe known to them, entreat them to ſtrive with God in prayer for thee. This direction God gave the friends of Job, as you may ſee in Chapt. 42. v. 8. Go to my ſervant Job, and my ſervant Job ſhall pray for you, for him will I accept.
Seventhly. Whatever the iſſue of this thy mourning, praying, and going to Chriſt, begging the prayers of others be; though God ſhould hide his face ſtil, & carry it ſtrangely, ſtill, yet think thou, and ſpeak thou honourably of God however. Following that preſident of the Pſalmiſt, or rather of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, of whom the Pſalmiſt was but a type. My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? Pſal. 22.1, 2, 3.Why art thou ſo far from helping me, &c. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabiteſt the praiſes of Iſrael.
Laſtly. If God yet ſeem ſtill to be angry with thee, take the counſel the holy Ghoſt gives. When the ſpirit of the Ruler riſeth up againſt thee leave not thy place, Eccleſ. 10.4.for yielding pacifieth great offences. So now, when the Spirit of God ſeems to be provoked againſt thee, leave not thy place, leave not thy ſtation, leave not praying, and hearing, and waiting upon God in all holy Ordinances. Henry the fourth, Emperor of Germany, waited three whole dayes in the depth of Winter, bare-foot and bare-legged at the gate of the Pope's Caſtle, before he could obtain admiſſion into his preſence, and recover his grace and favour. Upon occaſion of a diſpleaſure conceived by the Pope againſt the City and State of Venice. Franciſcus Dandalus, afterwards Duke of Venice, was ſent Embaſſador to Rome to ſeek reconciliation; and when no other means would mollifie the Pope's proud and inraged heart, the Prince at length ſo far abaſed himſelf, as to put upon his neck a coller and chain, and couch under the Pope's table, like a dog at his feet, to ſee if by that means he might at length obtain.
Now ſhall Princes and Emperors thus abaſe themſelves in ſeeking the favour of a mortal man, and wait in theſe abaſements long; O how low ſhould we lye, how long ſhould we wait, if by any means, or at any time we may recover the favour of God, and readmiſſion into his preſence!
FINIS.
End of the text · Matthew Newcomen, The Best Acquaintance and Highest Honor of Christians (1668)