Trouble of the Mind and the Disease of Melancholy, Discourse · Part 3 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Anſwering ſome Objections; and of the further doleful ſtate of a deſerted Soul; and whence it is that God is pleaſed to ſuffer a very Tempeſtuous and Stormy Night to come upon his Servants in this World.
Obj. 1. YOƲ make a great deal of noiſe and pother about deſertions, and God's forſaking of the ſoul; and it is nothing in the world but Fancy or Imagination, and the whimſies and the fumes of Melancholly.
Anſw. It is no new thing for us to hear ſuch Language from Atheiſtical and Prophane People; from men that are covered with ignorance and ſloth: With ignorance, becauſe they know not the ways of God and his diſpenſations; and ſloth, becauſe they will not ſearch into the Methods of his Government. To grant them for once, that it is Imagination, it is not the leſs tormenting becauſe it is ſo; for a Man that ſtrongly imagines himſelf to be miſcrable, is truly miſerable; if a man think himſelf unhappy, he is ſo, whileſt that thought remains: But then they would do well, could they but once obtain of themſelves leave to conſider a little; they would find reaſon to ſuſpect their own fooliſh Objections. Who was a Man, as appears by what we read of him, more diſtreſſed with the ſenſe of God's Anger, than David? yet he was of a Muſical and a pleaſant Temper, of a Ruddy and a Sanguine Conſtitution. Do they think that ſuch a great Prince as Job was, was led meerly by humour and by fancy, when he complains ſo much of the Arrows of the Almighty? Or, that Heman, Aſaph, and many others, were men of no clear underſtandings? It is their ignorant Pride that makes them to talk ſo boldly of the Judgments of God which they do not underſtand; but if ever their Conſciences be awakened with a ſenſe of guilt, they'll find, in what I have now diſcourſed, ſomething more terrible than Fancy or Imagination.
Obj. 2. You take a way to diſcourage men from all Religion. If it be ſuch a mournful buſineſs, it is better to let it alone, and to rejoyce and to be merry, and to take our eaſe and our pleaſure. Go by your ſelves to Heaven, if you will, we'll joyn our ſelves to more chearful Companions; we ſee thoſe that are gay and brisk, that know no ſorrow while they live, and that dye in peace: and to their Aſſembly we will unite our ſelves. In Anſwer to this, I deſire ſuch to conſider, That it is not our Religion that is the Cauſe of our ſorrows; but our wandrings and our deviation from it. If we were always obedient, we ſhould have an Eternal day; our heavenly Father chaſtiſes us becauſe we are undutiful; and he does not delight to grieve the Children of Men; and even in theſe neceſſary Corrections, he carries on a profitable deſign for our future and final good. 'Tis true, this page missing duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page is nothing but anguiſh of Conſcience that draws up a proceſs againſt it ſelf, that preſents it ſelf as before the Tribunal of God, without hope of pardon or eſcape; and the weight of Mountains would not be a load ſo heavy as this; it is a night wherein we are kept waking with our danger, whether we will or not. Wicked men, tho they have as great a burden, yet are not ſenſible, they feel not the bitterneſs of ſin; they are like fiſhes bred in the Sea, that taſt not the ſaltneſs of the water; they are like ſwine, that find ſomething agreeable to their meaner appetites, even in that which is moſt nauſeous to other Creatures. When they ſin, they feel not the weight of it, for it is their nature to do amiſs; their iniquities are like waters, that are not heavy in their own Element; as Intellectual joy is moſt refin'd, pure and durable; ſo is the trouble of the mind of all others moſt troubleſome. Job 6.2, 3. Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balance together; for now it would be heavier than the ſand of the Sea, therefore my words are ſwallowed up.
2. 'Tis attended uſually with great pain of body too, and ſo a man is wounded and diſtreſt in every part. There is no ſoundneſs in my fleſh, becauſe of thine anger, ſays David. The arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poyſon whereof drinketh up my ſpirit, Job 6.4. Sorrow of heart contracts the natural ſpirits, makes all their motions ſlow and feeble; and the poor afflicted body does uſually decline and waſt away; and therefore, ſaith Heman, My ſoul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. In this inward diſtreſs, we find our ſtrength decay and melt, even as wax before the fire; for ſorrow, that is an ingrateful languor of the ſoul*Natural Hiſtory of the Paſſions, p. 152., darkneth the ſpirits, obſcures the judgment, blinds the memory, as to all pleaſant things, and beclouds the lucid part of the mind; cauſes the lamp of life to burn weakly: In this troubled condition the perſon cannot be without a countenance that is pale, and wan, and dejected, like one that is ſeized with ſtrong fear and conſternation; all his motions are ſluggiſh, and no ſprightlineſs nor activity remains. Prov. 17.22. A merry heart doth good, like a Medicine; but a broken ſpirit drieth the bones. Hence come thoſe frequent complaints in Scripture: My moiſture is turned into the drought of Summer: I am like a bottle in the ſmoke: wy ſoul cleaveth unto the duſt: my face is foul with weeping, and on my eye-lids is the ſhadow of death, Job 16.16. Job 30.17, 18, 19. My bones are pierced in me, in the night ſeaſon, and my ſinews take no reſt; by the great force of my diſeaſe is my garments changed. He hath caſt me into the mire, and I am become like duſt and aſhes. Many times indeed the trouble of the ſoul does begin from the weakneſs and indiſpoſition of the body. Long affliction, without any proſpect of remedy, does in proceſs of time begin to diſtreſs the ſoul it ſelf. David was a man often exerciſed with ſickneſs, and the rage of enemies; and in all the inſtances almoſt that we meet with in the Pſalms, we may obobſerve*Dr. Gilpin's Treatiſe of Temptat: Part 2. p. 296. that the outward occaſions of trouble, brought him under an apprehenſion of the wrath of God for his ſin, Pſal. 6.1, 2. and the reaſon given, ver. 5, 6. all his griefs running into to this more terrble thought, That God was his enemy; as little Brooks loſe themſelves in a great River, and change their name and nature; it moſt frequently happens, that when our pain is long, and ſharp, and helpleſs, and unavoidable, we begin to queſtion the ſincerity of our eſtate towards God, tho at its firſt aſſault we had few doubts or fears about it. Long weakne s of body makes the ſoul more ſuſceptible of trouble, and uneaſie thoughts.
I would have more largely inſiſted on the troubles of a deſerted ſoul, but that I find them ſo excellently deſcribed by Dr. Gilpin in the ſecond part of his Learned and Experimental Treatiſe of Satan's Temptations, and to that I muſt refer my Reader; as not knowing any other Book that does with ſo much exactneſs and truth ſet forth theſe inward and Spiritual afflictions. I now proceed to enquire why God ſuffers ſuch a night, ſo tempeſtuous and ſo frightful, to come upon his ſervants?
1. That they may be conformable to Chriſt. As they are tempted and diſtreſs'd, ſo was he; as it is with their ſouls a ſeaſon of darkneſs, ſo was it alſo with his holy ſoul, that was full of amazement under a ſenſe of God's wrath; tho he never deſpaired indeed, as many of his ſervants are apt to do under the violence of ſorrow, Iſa. 53.3. He was a man of ſorrows, and acquainted with grief: When he was ſo ſadned for our ſakes, 'tis reaſonable to think that we ſhould ſometimes taſte of the bitter cup, and not always rejoyce and be at eaſe. If God ſpared not his only Son, why ſhould we expect to feel nothing thing but what is very mild and gentle? And our Lord has told us, The world ſhall rejoyce, but you ſhall be ſorrowful, Joh. 16. from v. 20. to v. 22. The ſufferings of Chriſt were to give a ſatisfaction to the Divine Juſtice; ours are not to be lookt upon with ſuch an eye; by theſe terrors and deſertions we learn to value and eſteem the love of Chriſt, who was pleaſed to redeem us when it coſt him ſo very dear, and who was pleaſed not to decline the field of Battel, tho it was not to be managed without vaſt labour, and a mighty pain. And ſays the Apoſtle, Rejoyce, in as much as ye are partakers of Chriſt's ſufferings, 1 Pet. 4.13.
Secondly, Another reaſon may be, Becauſe our fall and our ruin came by pleaſure. A delight it was, tho a very ſhort one, that made our forefather Adam Apoſtatize; and it is equitable that we ſhould be cured by ſomething contrary to that which occaſioned our diſeaſe, ſeeing our joys are dangerous; he makes our grief and ſorrows to be healthful and Medicinal.
Thirdly, 'Tis a very proper ſeaſon wherein to be ſorrowful. Among all the other excellent appointments of Providence, this is one, That there ſhould be a time to weep, Eccleſ. 3.4. There is in this weeping-night nothing ſtrange or uncouth; all our fathers have in ſome reſpect paſſed under a Cloud, and a Cloud that has diſſolved in rain, and which has given to the good Pilgrims much trouble as they went along. 1 Pet. 2.6. Now for a ſeaſon ye are in heavineſs through manifold temptations. 'Tis no more ſtrange to ſee mourning in the Church on Earth, than to ſee ſtorms or ſnow in Winter; every thing is beautiful in its ſeaſon; and ſo this affliction is. The night is uſeful to the world, tho not ſo pleaſant as the day; our ſickly ſtate will not admit us to have nothing but what is grateful to our pallats; the wiſe God therefore, many times, inſtead of very pleaſant things, confers the beſt upon us; we muſt allow the Great Maſter of the Family to maintain its order, proſperity, and welfare by his own methods; to chaſtiſe us when, and how, and as long as he pleaſeth; for his ſtrokes, tho very ſmart, yet are ſtill very juſt; and it is in order to ſome better thing that he deſigns for us, that at the preſent we are made to grieve; for grief, as one obſerves*Dr. Harris's Serm. p. 277. is an imperfect paſſion, not made for it ſelf, but for ſome higher uſe; as alſo, all the reſt of the declining affections are; as Hatred for Love, Fear for Confidence. and the like; and ſo Sorrow for Joy, unto which it is ſubſervient; as launcing and ſearing are not for themſelves, but for eaſe and remedy; and a bitter potion is not for ſickneſs, which it may cauſe for a time, but for health; ſo Sorrow is made for Joy, and Joy is the end of Sorrow; and God, we may be ſure, will have his end.
IV. To ſhew his own Soveraignty both in afflicting and comforting. He cauſes ſuch a Prince as Job to ſit upon a Dunghill, in anguiſh and trouble, whileſt another ſits in unclouded Glory on the Throne. He pulls down one, and ſets up another; and does whatſoever he will in Heaven or Earth; 'tis the withdrawing of his Spirit that is an occaſion of mourning to the ſoul; and he variouſly acts upon it; for tho he deny not what is abſolutely neceſſary to the being of the Chriſtian; yet he many times does not vouchſafe to give what would make it very comfortable; he upon wiſe Reaſons does many times ſuffer the hearts of his people to be overwhelmed with ſorrow, when he could make them brim-full of joy; as in nature he lets the Earth gape for thirſt, when he could immediately refreſh it with ſeaſonable ſhowers. Who in all this myſterious variety of his Adminiſtrations, can ſay unto him, What doſt thou? Some Countries are deſert, barren and forſaken, burnt up with ſcorching heat, and fill'd with Beaſts of Prey; and others are inhabited and fruitful, and greatly bleſſed, and he ſees fit to have the parts of his Dominions thus qualified. Some does he draw with the ſweet ſavour of his Ointments; they perceive nothing but what is grateful and refreſhing; but others he ſorely terrifies with the greatneſs of his Power, his Holineſs and Majeſty; and they never eat, nor live with pleaſure. The Captain of our Salvation cauſes ſome of his Soldiers to meet with much more formidable dangers than others do; they have more ſweat, and fatigue, and toil, and painful duty, tho he will be ſure himſelf to help them when they are ready to give way; the manner of his diſpenſations to his ſervants is various, both in life, and at death. Some are chaſtned all the day long, and with ſore pain upon their beds too, whileſt others have no pain at all; ſome go drooping to the Grave, bowed down with his diſpleaſure, whileſt his favour and his gracious eye makes others to go ſmiling thither. Enoch and Elias had a pleaſant Removal from the world; very ſhort, and very glorious was their paſſage hence; but the moſt part of men groan a long while before they are called away; and then he does it to ſhew his own Power, that when the wound appears to be deſperate, he can give a cure with a word. When the night is fulleſt of horror, he can bring the reviving day. When the ſtorms are higheſt, he need but ſay to the waves, to our doubts, and our fears, Be ſtill, and immediately there is a calm: What is not a God, and ſo great and ſo good a God able to do! He that produced from a meer Chaos, this beautiful and pleaſant World, need only ſay to us in the middle of our doleful darkneſs, Let there be light, and it ſhall be ſo. Job 5.18. He maketh ſore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole; in acknowledgment of this Soveraign Ability it is that David prays, Pſal. 51.8. Make me to hear joy and gladneſs, that the bones which thou haſt broken may rejoice. Why ſo? had not Nathan told him, That his ſin was pardoned? Yes; but all the teſtimonies of men are nothing without the inward witneſs of the Holy Spirit. God has committed to men the adminiſtration of his Word, but reſerves the Spirit to himſelf; that Spirit which gives conſolation to our hearts, and peace to our Conſciences. When Mary and Martha were in ſorrow for their Brother's death, 'tis ſaid, Joh. 11.19. Many of the Jews came from Jeruſalem to comfort them; but they received no comfort till Chriſt himſelf came thither.