Trouble of the Mind and the Disease of Melancholy, Discourse · Part 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Shewing what is to be done by thoſe that think God is angry with them. And firſt of Prayer, as a principal help againſt their trouble. And ſome Objections of tempted perſons anſwered.
I Am now to make application to thoſe who are under an apprehenſion of God's Anger: There are no people in the World whoſe caſe does require a greater pity; and to whoſe relief we ſhould be more forward to contribute all that we are able. While we are at liberty, their poor Souls are under the bondage of an overwhelming fear. That God whom we ſerve with hope, is terrible to them; in thoſe Ordinances, and that Sabbath which yield ſweetneſs and refreſhment to us, they find no delight, becauſe the Comforter that ſhould uphold their Souls, is departed from them; if on a journey we ſaw any perſon wounded, and mourning under his bleeding wounds, and crying out for help, the compaſſion that is fixed in humane Nature would move us to aſſiſt him, and not to paſs by and ſuffer him to groan under the ſmart of ſo deplorable a condition; and much more ſhould we be ready to help our fellow creatures in a Caſe that is far more ſad and dreadful, ſuch as is this now before us. There are a great many at this very time, who are complaining that they have no hope, no proſpect of deliverance from their preſent miſeries and afflictions; that tell us, They are caſt off by God; that he has forſaken them; that their Sins are ſet in order before them; and that they are afraid the God, whom they once thought their own God, will be favourable no more. Oh! how little do we know what we do, when we ſin? It is eaſie for a moment, it yields us a little uperticial tranſient delight; but it leaves a woful ſting, and a laſting bitterneſs behind. Oh! what would ſuch poor creatures give, that they had never ſinned? or that they had never finned ſo wilfully, ſo frequently againſt that God whom they once experienced to be very good and gracious, but whom they now find to be very ſevere, and very terrible? They cannot look below, but they think that Hell is opening its mouth to ſwallow them up; they cannot look above, but they ſee the great Creator of Heaven and Earth to be as an Enemy to them; And who can ſtand before thoughts ſo cutting and overwhelming as theſe are? Now this being a condition which I was in my ſelf not long ago, and from which the Mighty Grace of God has been pleaſed to ſave me; I deſire to give all the help I can to ſuch dejected and trembling Souls; and none among us, but perhaps may at one time or other fall into ſuch depths as theſe; therefore I hope the following directions may be of ſome uſe or other: I beg of you that are at eaſe now, to regard theſe? things; for if you fall ſo low, the anguiſh and bitterneſs of your ſpirits will nor allow you to give ſuch a diſtinct and careful attention to what ſhall be ſpoken to you then, as you now may.
Firſt, If you are under the ſenſe of God's Anger for your ſin, pray earneſtly to him, to turn his Wrath away: We uſually deprecate War and Famine, and the Plague, and thoſe other miſchiefs which by the evils they bring upon our bodies are very formidable to us; but this ſenſe of the Divine Diſpleaſure has ſomething in it that is more formidable, for it brings an unſpeakable load of trouble on the Soul, and wounds that part of our ſelves which is capable of having either a very pure and noble joy, or a very piercing grief and ſadneſs: A man that is ſunk under a burthen that is too heavy for him to bear, cannot but groan to be at eaſe. Thus Pſal. 6.1, 2, 3. O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chaſten me in thy hot diſpleaſure; have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord heal me, for my bones are vexed. My ſoul is alſo ſore vexed; but thou, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my ſoul: O ſave me for thy mercies ſake. Theſe are the breathings of one ſenſible of a great and a violent diſtreſs; and tell us, that even our weakneſs, and our helpleſs condition, is an argument that we may plead with God: As here, Have mercy upon me, for I am weak, q. d. Thy Goodneſs, thy Glory, and Power, will be rendred more illuſtrious, in giving ſome relief to one ſo deſolate, and lo low as I am. But I know what poor trembling Souls will be ready to reply, and
Object 1. Alas, I cannot pray; the Spirit that ſhould warm my Soul, and kindle my Deſires, does not move upon me as he uſed to do: I grieved and vexed him heretofore, and now he has left me to grieve and to vex alone. I am ſo troubled, that I know not what to ſpeak; and when I endeavour to do it, I find no Fervour, no Life at all; my Prayers are grown very troubleſome and uneaſie to me.
Anſw. I grant you, this is a caſe ſad enough; it is ſad for creatures ſo miſerable, and ſo full of wants as we are, not to be able to pour out our Supplications before the Lord; and it is more ſad, when our ſins have made the Spirit, that only can teach us how to pray, to retire: but there are ſome Conſiderations that may ſupport us even in ſo ſad a caſe as this. 1. Our Diſtreſs teaches us the Folly of our Sin, and cauſes us to hate that which has coſt us ſo very dear; and it is well for us that we ſee the odiouſneſs of it, tho it be ſmart and pain that opens our eyes: 'Tis better to be wounded in order to a cure, than to dye at eaſe, and ſo to periſh for evermore. 2. The Spirit is not ſo withdrawn, but that he will return, upon our-earneſt addreſſes for his Grace: He hovers ſtill about us; and tho we did ill to ſhut him out before, yet this bleſſed Gueſt does but wait for a favourable opportunity to do us good again: He is not quite gone; that ſenſe which we have of Sin, is his own work. 3. Our indiſpoſition to the Duty of Prayer, is no ſign that we are void of Life: A bed-rid Perſon lives, as well as one that is in his firm and pleaſant Health; a groan is a ſign of Life, as well as laughter, and a merry Song: It is very undeſirable indeed, to have ſuch a feeble and decaying life; but the way to make it more ſtrong, is to keep our Souls in exerciſe; and the weak and creeping motion wherewith we ſtirred at firſt, being continued, will enable us to tread with a more ſteady foot, and we ſhall get ſeveral Paces further in a very little while. By praying, tho it be in a very poor manner, we ſhall learn to pray: Tho we do but ſigh after God, yet even a ſigh may a little eaſe us; and by frequent uſe, be turned into a loud and prevailing Cry. God is ſtill your Creator; and he that hears the Ravens and the young Lions when they roar for meat, will not be deaf to you. 4. 'Tis a more excellent ſtate of Soul, to pray to God, and to perſevere in it, when you have no Comfort, than when you have. Senſible Conſolation is a very deſirable thing; 'Tis as the Dew of Heaven; as Manna coming thence; like Honey or the Honey-Comb, very pleaſant to the taſte: But a Dependance and Truſt in God, when he is a withdrawing-God, is one of the moſt glorious Acts of Faith; and if it be not treated with Feaſts and ſplendid Entertainments here, I can aſſure you, nay God himſelf has aſſur'd you, That it ſhall fare very well in the next world: Senſible Conſolation may be in the inferior nature, as the Myſtical People call it, it may be occaſioned by the Temper of the Body, by the Harmony of the Paſſions, or the agreeable Diſpoſitions of the Natural Spirits; but thoſe other leſs pleaſant acts, are ſeated in the higheſt Region of the Soul, in the Underſtanding and the Will, and upon that account are more truly Spiritual, and more abiding. 5. Thoſe poor troubled people that complain of their deadneſs and incapacity to manage the Duty of Prayer, ought to conſider what an influence their fears have had upon their bodies; fear does naturally contract and dull the heart; the motions of it are weak and languid; deſpairing thoughts and apprehenſions about our Everlaſting State, dry up our moiſture, and by cutting off our hopes, make every thing that was pleaſant to us, to wither away; and 'tis a very hard matter for the Soul to retain its heat and warmth, when its dear Companion the body does not aſſiſt it as it uſed to do; when the Spirits with which it ſerves it ſelf in ſo many ſeveral actions, are ſtagnated into a feeble, and almoſt undiſcerned motion. Some great Saints there have been, who by a ſort of Holy Anteperiſtaſis, have glowed in their hearts with a quicker Flame to God, when all has been cold and ſtorm round about them: Some there have been, who have never had more inward Health, than when their outward man decayed; and whoſe ſouls ſeem'd manifeſtly to thrive, when their bodies were mouldring away; but, generally ſpeaking, the Neighbourhood, or the nearneſs of a ſickly body, proves a great clog and hindrance to the mind; and there is no queſtion, but God will make allowances for our weakneſs; and the groaning after him by one under the power of a Diſeaſe, may be as grateful to him, as a long continued Prayer by one in Heath: Pray therefore to God, tho it be with heavineſs, tho it be mingled with many a bitter ſigh, yet it will be a payment of that homage which you owe to God; and you know not how ſoon you may meet with a gracious return. You may kneel down in ſorrow, and he may lift you up with Joy, and ſay, Be of good comfort, thy ſins are forgiven thee: And I know that would be very welcome and pleaſant news to you; the news of a Kingdom to be your own, would not be half ſo refreſhing.
Obj. 2. It is not for me to pray; I am Sinner enough already, God knows; and would you have me aggravate my Guilt? for I have wandring Thoughts, and an unbelieving heart: I am a wicked perſon, and the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 28.9. And therefore to what purpoſe ſhould I pray? If any man indeed break with contempt the Laws of God, and then think to make ſatisfaction by his Prayers, and an outward or a pompous Devotion, he offers an affront to the All-knowing God; and his holy Eye cannot look upon an Action ſo criminal, without the greateſt diſdain and ſcorn. If a man will Swear, and Curſe, and Damn himſelf with one breath, and then deſire God to bleſs him with the next; this would be a ridiculous Pretence to Religion; and ſuch are like to find ſevere Puniſhment from that God, whom they abuſe with ſo ſhameleſs a Confidence, and of whom they ſpeak with ſo little Reverence. If a man ſhould deſire of God to help him to rob, to plunder, or to wrong his Neighbours, this were, as far as he could, to make the Holy One of Iſrael a partner in his Crimes. If a man ſhould kill another unjuſtly, and glut himſelf with Revenge, and then, as ſome have expreſt it, ſay Grace over his bloody Banquet, this were to commit a double Wickedneſs. It was an abominable thing when ſo many harmleſs Proteſtants were ſo barbarouſly Butcher'd in France, to ſing Te Deum at Rome, for the Maſſacring ſo many poor Creatures; as if the God of Mercy had been Cruel as well as they; as if the Rage that came from Hell, had deſcended from the God of Love: As if a man that lives at the Prince's Charge, and is maintained at his Table, ſhould break the moſt Venerable Laws of his Kingdom, and then thank the Prince for giving him a power to do that which he knows he deteſts and hates. There is no queſtion, but it is the Duty of a wicked man to pray to God. I ſuppoſe there is none thinks Simon Magus a very good man, and yet he was exhorted, even when he was in the gall of bitterneſs, and the bond of iniquity, to pray, if perhaps the thoughts of his heart might be forgiven him, Acts 8.22. If you think your ſelves wicked, there is nothing more your Duty, than to beg the Grace of God; to ſtrive, to knock, to call upon him whilſt he may be found; but beware that you do not think that ſome failings even in ſome conſiderable Duties, are a ſign of your total Apoſtacy: Unbelief is in the beſt, but not indeed in its reigning Power: Strive as much as you can, and then bewall your weakneſs, and implore the help of God, and he will be favourable to you.
Obj. 3. 'Tis true, I know 'tis my Duty to pray; and I have prayed for ſeveral Months, and for ſeveral Years, and I have ſtill the ſame Diſeaſes, and the ſame Fears that I ever had. I have no leſs pain in my Body, no leſs diſquietneſs in my Soul, than I had the firſt moment that I began to pray: He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy; alſo when I cry, and ſhout, he ſhutteth out my prayer, Lam. 3.8. I am juſt like Saul, when he enquired of the Lord, 1 Sam. 28.6. The Lord anſwered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Ʋrim, nor by Prophets. He would have no Communication with him, take no notice of what he did: Even in ſuch a caſe am I: I enquire after him in his Ordinances, but have no news of his Gracious Preſence there: In Tears I pour out my Soul day and night, and pray; but my Prayers that I ſend up to Heaven, bring to my poor weary Soul no tidings of Comfort, or of Peace, back again: mine eyes fail with looking up, my heart faints, and I can hold out no longer in a Duty wherein I find no delight, and which brings me no advantage; why ſhould I wait upon the Lord any longer?
Anſw. This I think to be one of the greateſt Temptations wherewith Satan does aſſault troubled Souls: He knows well, that if they once quit their hold of God, they fall into his hands, they lengthen out his Chain, and whet his Malice, and come within his reach: And there is no Duty which the Devil hates more than Prayer for it has many a time defeated his Deſigns, and made his Kingdom ſhake: Therefore I earneſtly deſire you, as you love your Souls, as you would not diſhonour God, nor gratify the Devil, that you would never give it over; tho you do but chatter like a Crane, yet 'tis better than to be altogether ſilent; tho you do but mourn after God, 'tis better than to reſolve to let him go: Tho you can but ſay, Lord he Merciful to me a ſinner: Tho you can but ſmite upon your breaſt, and look up to Heaven, tho you can but creep in his ways, 'tis better than to leave them; tho you can but ſpeak a word or two in Prayer, 'tis much better than not to pray at all. Oh what a terrible thing is it to leave calling upon God, to give our ſelves for loſt, to ſay it is vain, when nothing is too hard to do for Almighty Power, and for Infinite Goodneſs; and woe unto us when we quit the Rock of Ages, and commit our ſelves unto the Waves; what ſorrows do we then meet withal, and how low do we ſink? How intolerable is it to have the rebukes of our Conſcience, the upbraidings of Satan, the guilt of Sin, the fear of Hell, and to have no God to whom we can go with hope; do not ſuffer the greatneſs of your Evils to deprive you of that ſupport which is to be found in the performance of this Duty; tho you have not a preſent anſwer to what you deſire, yet it no way follows, that your Prayers are not heard: God knows better than you, what will be the moſt proper ſeaſon in which to beſtow the Mercy that you think to be moſt neceſſary: His delays in this kind are no ſign of his abhorrence; He may ſuffer us to fall into very great Agonies, that ſo like our Lord in the Garden, we may pray more earneſtly; and our Requeſt are not vain, tho we have no dawnings of a near and immediate deliverance. The Prayers of the Primitive Church for Kings and all in Authority, were anſwered many years afterwards, when Conſtantine was converted to the Faith: Beware of fainting under the hand of God; and yet when we can look upon him only as an Enemy, 'tis almoſt impoſſible not to faint: Under ſmart and ſore troubles, we muſt frequently look up to God, and beg his ſtrength; and ſeeing in ſuch a caſe we cannot perform any long or very regular duties, we muſt often renew, tho it be the very ſame deſires, Pſal. 142.4, 5. Epb. 6.18. And to this purpoſe conſider,
1. There is none beſides God himſelf, can help you; and this ſhould cauſe you to perſevere in Prayer: His hand alone can heal the Wounds; 'Tis common for the troubled Soul to ſay, Oh what would I give for one Beam of Hope! I would give all the world, if I had it, for one pleaſant Sight of the Face of God: It is not ſo to be obtained, not by bare wiſhes, nor by the purchaſe of any thing that is ſo low and contemptible as is all that which is in the world: When the Heavens are braſs, none can cauſe the Rain to fall; when the Sun is ſet, not all the artificial Fires which the skill of man can make, will yield ſo large and ſo pleaſant a light unto this Earth as he did; his return chaſes the darkneſs, and brings to us the welcome day. In a diſtruſt of your own weakneſs, have recourſe to this God, and ſay with David, Pſal. 51.12, 17. It muſt be the Act of a Power that is Omnipotent, to give you comfort; not all the Angels in Heaven, nor all the men on earth, can help you, unleſs he be pleaſed to do it. As you contribute nothing to your firſt Regeneration; as the thing created does nothing to bring it ſelf into Being, only receives from the Creator's Power and Goodneſs what he is pleaſed to give; expect not overmuch from the moſt knowing Miniſters, or from your deareſt friends, they are but Ciſterns, which can yield no water to quench your thirſt, unleſs they be filled with Water by the Clouds of Heaven: As to the ſatisfaction and the quiet of a Troubled ſoul, all men are vanity; and it is an uncommunicable Prerogative of the Divine Nature, certainly and infallibly to relieve the miſerable, Iſa. 57.19. Other friends either know not your wants, or by their own Poverty, or their diſtance, are not in a capacity to ſupply them: But God is always near, always full of Goodneſs, and is acquainted with whatſoever we need or do expect: If all the world were your Friends, and he your Enemy, the Gaiety of their Looks, the Pleaſure of their Smiles, would not take away the Terror of his Frowns; the threatning Cloud would hang over your heads, and fright you with its dreadful Preſages, whereever you went; and on the contrary, if all the people in the world were your Enemies, and he your Friend, his Love would ſweeten all their Hatred; his Voice would ſtill all their Clamours; his Arm would fence off all their Blows; and under the Wings of his Providence you might lye down and ſleep in peace: He can ſave you when you have deſtroyed your ſelves; when you have run to the very door and the gates of Hell, he can pull you back: When you are even dying, he can ſtrengthen and revive you; 'Tis with him that you have principally to do; to him muſt you therefore pray, becauſe from him alone can your help come; When Adam had committed ſin, he was afraid, and took no pleaſure even in Paradiſe, tho (as one ſays) the Sun ſhined upon his head with as gentle and refreſhing Beams; the Rivers ran as clear as before, the Birds ſung with as Melodious a Voice, the Flowers had as fragrant a ſmell, the Herbs were cloathed with as freſh a Verdure, and all the Fruits flouriſhed as before; but from the poor man Peace and Innocence was fled away; all without was calm, but he found a tempeſt riſing in his own Breaſt, which he knew not how to lay. Thoſe of us that have by woful experience felt the Terrors of the Lord know that all the advices of our Friends, all their Arguings and Diſcourſes, all their Entreaties and their Prayers, gave us no manner of eaſe, till God Himſelf was pleaſed to command Salvation for us. Job 34.29. When he giveth quietneſs, who can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who can then behold him? whether it be done againſt a nation or a man only? The greater are our Diſtreſſes, the more fervent ſhould our Prayers be; and when the Winds are higheſt, and the Storms encreaſe, and threaten us with Shipwrack and with Ruine, the nearneſs and the greatneſs of our danger, muſt cauſe us with more ſpeed to ariſe and call upon our God. Therefore though you have the ſenſe of his diſpleaſure, yet ſay, there is none can help me but God himſelf, there is none can heal my diſeaſes, or forgive my ſins, but he; therefore as long as I live, will I pray, and call upon him till he have Mercy upon me.
Secondly, Tho you are under the ſenſe of God's Anger, you have encouragement to pray, from many Promiſes, and from the Office and the Name of Chriſt; That Mediator that well remembers what he felt, when he groaned under his Father's Wrath, knows alſo with what Flames your Souls are ſcorched: With a moſt compaſſionate eye does he look upon you, and will awake to promote your Safety, if you do but ſay as the poor frighted Diſciples, Maſter ſave us, or elſe we periſh. 'Tis true, he is attended with Illuſtrious Spirits, ſome of which were never thus ſick, and others whom he has fully cured; but in the Throng of his Admiring Courtiers, in the midſt of their Chearful and pleaſant Hallelujahs, his Heart is concerned for you, and his Ears will be open to your Cry; his Interceſſion gives you good ground of hope; he ever lives to manage that glorious and honourable Work; and having an unchangeable Prieſthood, he is able to ſave them to the uttermoſt, that come to God by him, Heb. 7.25. To the uttermoſt, is, as one obſerves, (Dr. Goodwin, Triumph of Faith from Chriſt's Interceſſion, p. 199.) a good word, and put in for our Comfort. For (ſays he) let thy ſoul be ſet upon the higheſt mount that ever any creature was yet ſet upon, and that it is inlarged to take in and view the moſt ſpacious Proſpect both of Sin and Miſery, and difficulties of being ſaved, that ever yet any poor humbled ſoul did caſt within it ſelf; yea join to theſe all the objections and hindrances of thy Salvation, that the heart of man can ſuppoſe or invent againſt it ſelf; lift up thy eyes, and look to the utmoſt thou canſt ſee, and Chriſt by his Interceſſion is able to ſave thee beyond the Horizon and furtheſt compaſs of thy Thoughts, even to the utmoſt and the worſt caſe the heart of man can ſuppoſe. Cry often to God, Oh pity me, a poor helpleſs ſinner, for the ſake of Chriſt; he bore thy wrath, turn it away from me, for I am not able to bear it. The Name of Jeſus carries Comfort and Salvation with it: He is a perfect Saviour in every time of need: The Name of Jeſus Chriſt tells you, that his Office is to do good to the miſerable, to heal the diſeaſed, to open the eyes of the blind, to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the priſon to them that are bounds, Iſa. 61.1. You are to pray in that name which was celebrated by all the Patriarchs and Holy Men of old, by the Prophets and by the Prieſts under the Law, tho it was then wrapt up in obſcure Types and Repreſentations; that Name in which God himſelf delights; at which the Angels bow with Reverence, and at which the Devils tremble; that Name which is great in Heaven and Earth, in which you were baptized, and in which you muſt place all your hopes; in this you may implore aſſiſtance in all your wants; and this may furniſh you with an holy confidence for 'tis the Name of the Son of God, of his entirely Beloved Son; and it would be a Reproach to this Great and Venerable Name, to pray with diſtruſtful thoughts. Oh let this be a ſupport to you, that you may have acceſs to God by this Name, which has been dear to all the Faithful, and muſt: be ſo to you; and which has been the refuge of many a poor trembling Soul. This is the Name which the Saints of God have mentioned in all their ſtraits, with great delight; of which they were pleaſed frequently to hear and to ſpeak, and which was the Joy of their Hearts, and for which they refuſed not to ſuffer Death. Some have taken the pains to obſerve, that it is mentioned in the Epiſtles of Paul, 220 times, and often in the Goſpel of John; ſo ſweet, ſo dear to them was the Name of Jeſus. This is the firſt General way of Relief, that they who are under the ſenſe of God's Anger ought to take, viz. To Pray unto him: So Jer. 10.24. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, leſt thou bring me to nothing. Pſal. 39.10. Remove thy ſtroke away from me, for I am conſumed by the blow of thine hand. Pſal. 85.4, 6, 7. Pſal. 38.21, 22. Pſal. 138.3. Pſal. 143.2.