Divine Comforts, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Comforts in general.
MY laſt Explicatory Undertaking, was to conſider and deſcribe the Comforts, which now caſt ſo benign an Aſpect and Influence upon this Holy Mans afflicted diſconſolate Soul.
They may be conſidered either [
Formally or
Materially,
] Formally in their proper Nature and true Conſtitution, as an inward refreſhment and eaſe to the Heart.
Comfort is a Map of Paradiſe, the lovely Meet-Help and Succour of deſolate, diſtreſſed Man, the Bleſſed Repaſt and Banquet of Holy Angels and Saints: The Uncreated, Eternal Heaven and Jubilee of God himſelf; the Light wherein he ever dwells, that ſpreads abroad its ſweet reviving Rays, as largely, and liberally as its Fountain, the ſuper-intending Care and Goodneſs of Heaven, and eſpecially unto the humble and contrite Heart, ſetling it in a firm and durable Repoſe and Peace. And when the Sin of degenerate Man had baniſh'd it from the Earth, and his own Soul; the infinitely Wiſe and All-knowing God, the Father, the dearly beloved Word and Wiſdom of God, his only Begotten Son, and the Eternal Spirit of Truth and Grace, did by an ever adoreable aſtoniſhing Method of Goodneſs and Love, contrive a Retrieval thereof, that under its loſs Man might not continue the moſt miſerable of the whole Creation. 'Tis the ſweet reviving Breath of boundleſs Grace, and compaſſion in the Eternal Father, infuſing new Life and Vigour into Fainting, Groaning, Bleeding, Dying Hearts, and Enſpiriting them for God. A refreſhing Beam from the Son of Righteouſneſs, which infuſes Warmth, Strength and Soul, into the diſconſolate Heart of dejected Man, that lies benighted in a Hell of Miſery and Darkneſs: The Oyl of Life poured out by the Holy Ghoſt, upon a Benumbed, Frozen, Reſtive Soul, which gently turns the Wheels of Action in a ſmooth, free, ready, eaſie, ſpeedy Courſe, and continues them in an unwearied motion toward Heaven: A ſweet and lovely Paraphraſe upon the Promiſes, Ingraven in a Wounded Heart by the Finger of God: A powerful Antidote to the Poiſon of Tormenting Grief and Deſpair, ſweeter than Sorrow can be ſowre: An all-ſatisfying Foretaſt and Anticipation, of the never Intermitting, never Terminating Joys of Eternity.
When the Sovereign Majeſty of Heaven would Ingratiate himſelf, and though in a humble Demiſſion and Debaſement of his Glory, yet appear in his higheſt Lovelineſs to Man, 'tis in a Robe of Light, Joy, Comfort and Peace; and when a Wounded Spirit that's diſcouraged in its Work, by the preſſure of its own ſelf-created Woes, deſires to be entertained into, and impowred for, and chearfully to engage in his Service, it implores and ſues for the Joy of the Lord, to be its Strength. When God's Heralds have been denouncing War to Rebels, Vengeance againſt Enemies, thereby terrifying them into a War and Enmity againſt their Sins: He next Commiſſions them as his Embaſſadors, to revive thoſe troubled Souls with a meſſage of glad Tidings of Joy, and Peace, and Conſolation. 'Tis the refreſhing Dew of Heaven upon a barren heart, that has been ſcorched and parched with the fiery Indignation of the Almighty, which cauſes it to bring forth Fruit with rejoycing: The gracious Smile of the ever Bleſſed Jeſus, upon a weeping wounded Spirit, that's ſick of its ſins and ſores, ſick for the ſenſe of his Love: A hand let down from above, to lay hold upon, and bring up from the deep an oppreſſed Spirit, ſunk with the weight of its own woeful thoughts, into an unfathomable Abyſs of Miſeries: A returning Pillar of Cloud and Fire, to an Iſraelite indeed, that was bewildred and loſt, in a vaſt howling Wilderneſs of Danger and Horror, to direct and lead it with Joy to its Coeleſtial Reſt: A ſecure and welcome Port of ſafety and repoſe, for a weather-beaten Soul, that by the ſtorms and ſurges of Almighty Vengeance, hath been Shipwrack'd and ſplit all to pieces, in a Contrition and Humiliation for Sin: A Bed of eaſe and quiet for a weak and ſickly weary heart, which hath been wreſtling and labouring under the weighty Load of Divine Wrath; ſet on, and made more grievous by the Laſhes of a Scourging Conſcience: A Heaven of unſpeakable Delight and Satisfaction, deſcending into, and raiſing up a dejected Mind, which it found deeply buried in a doleful Hell of Wretchedneſs and Woe. Oh ſweet and amiable Peace! How lovely are thy Looks? How dear and pleaſing thine Embraces? What art thou not that is good, deſirable, delightful, contenting, ſatisfying? Riches in Poverty, Health in Sickneſs, Honey in Life, Heart-eaſe in Death, the Glory of Eternity.
But to give a Logical Deſcription of it, Formal Comfort is the inward Reſt, Quiet, Contentment, Satisfaction, Eaſe and Refreſhment of the Mind, ariſing from the View, Senſe, Conſideration, Application, and feeling of ſuch proper and ſuitable Remedies for all manner of Troubles, as anſwer the Neceſſities, Exigencies and Deſires of the Soul in all things, ſtrengthning for Work, ſupporting under Temptations, inſpiriting for Sufferings, chearfully to bear them, perfectly to conquer them, and everlaſtingly to triumph over them.
Taken Actively, and in Fieri, it imports a Mans applying to himſelf the things which God hath provided, to refreſh and ſtrengthen him.
Paſſively, a Man is comforted when upon the Application of ſuch things, the Mind, Heart and Conſcience are ſatisfyed, and ſettled within themſelves, in a calm and quiet Reſt and Peace. This is Comfort in facto eſſe, as the Schools phraze it.
If we ſpeak properly, and according to the Engliſh Tranſlation here, This Formal Comfort is not that Comfort which the Pſalmiſt reports; but rather the delight in his Soul, which did, or might iſſue therefrom, as an effect from its immediate Cauſe, and therefore is not a ſtranger to the Text.
Yet indeed, the Comfort here mentioned, is not to be underſtood Formally, but
Objectively, or Materially, for comforting things; as in Phyſick, a Cordial is not the Comfort the Heart receives, but the Medicine, which has Vertue and Power to Comfort the Heart, as a means under Providence.
In Diſcourſing to this, ſeveral things might be conſidered.
1. The Matter or Thing it ſelf, which comforts, which is God, his Being, Nature, Perfections, &c.
2. The Inſtrument, Vehicle, or Means.
1. Revealing, Tendering, Conveying; The Word, and in ſpecial, its Promiſes.
2. Receiving, Appropriating, Applying.
Faith
1. In the Mind, Thoughts.
2. In the Heart and Will, Conſent.
3. The Condition or Qualification, without which no right to Comfort is poſſible.
True Goodneſs, particularly, Goodneſs in Diſtreſs.
4. The Principal immediate, Efficient,
The Holy Ghoſt the Comforter.
Some of theſe, I acknowledge, concern Comfort Formally conſidered, as well as Materially. For though the matter or thing Comforting, [God] have no cauſe, and the Spirit cannot be ſaid to be in reſpect hereof, an Efficient, but only of the Formal Comfort, or Satisfaction in our minds, and of the Inſtrument and Condition, the Word being of his Immediate Inſpiration, and Sanctification, his proper and peculiar Work: Yet the Word is a means to beget Formal Comfort, as well as convey the matter of it; ſo alſo is Faith. And Goodneſs is a Qualification neceſſary to inward Peace, as well as right to the Material Cauſe of it.
I am not concern'd, except about the Matter, Means, revealing, containing, and the Believing Thoughts, that receive and apply; with the Holineſs, that prepares the Heart for Reception and Application of Comfort.
Whatever Comforts, is ſomething of, or from God, The Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt; yet thoſe things from them, Comfort not in the ſame manner, as they do themſelves. The Word and Promiſes are a Cordial, as far as Meſſages of Love from Heaven, no otherwiſe: As they bring good News from our beſt Friend, they revive us; but nothing can give eaſe to our Minds, which doth not report ſomething of God. If our Troubles be Spiritual for our Sins, the aſſurance by any ſound Evidence, that God has pardoned them, diſpels our Sorrow, Fear, and Deſpair: The feeling that God has purged away their Filth, taken away their Dominion, quiets us, as an Evidence and Teſtimony, that he hath pardoned us, and is reconciled to us; but all this only as a token of God's Love to us. For a good Soul cannot ſit down with its own Mercy, without the God of Mercy. Nothing Spiritually Comforts on Earth, but what will ſolace in Heaven. There God alone is the Eternal Raviſhment of glorified Souls. Now God, as the matter of our Comfort, ſolaces us merely as apprehended, and applied by Believing Thoughts. If we think not of him, we derive no Content from him; and our Thoughts taking in ſome comfortable Notion of God, lay it before our Concupiſcible and Iraſcible Affections, that being embraced by the former, it may appeaſe, ſtill, and quiet the other; which is heedfully to be obſerved, this being the true and natural Method to attain ſolid, and ſubſtantial Peace, and Conſolation: For they are Brutiſh, not Rational Comforts, that we are not led to by Light in the Mind, obſerving the ſuitableneſs of the Object to our Condition, which prevails with our Will, to cloſe with, and embrace it. Till this be done, our Paſſions cannot be rationally calmed. God doth not work upon them, as Chriſt upon the raging Sea, by way of Empire, and immediate Power, to huſh them in a moment by Miracle. That Peace which ſprings in the Conſcience immediately, without any antecedent Actings, and Perceptions of the Mind, or Election of the Will, is Deluſory, not to ſay, Satanical.
There's nothing that can any ways Comfort, but God is that very thing, either Formally or Eminently: He is the ſumm and ſubſtance of all Appetibles, Eligibles, Comfortables, as the Chief Good and Happineſs of Man; who, as he wants nothing for his own everlaſting ſolace and contentation, ſo neither for ours: Whatever is of a refreſhing Influence, either to Body or Mind, is the Ordination of God, both in its Matter, and that peculiar Formality: For he both made all things, and endowed them with all their Powers and Vertues, which all are ſuperlatively in himſelf; i. e. either in his Nature or Power, in Eſſence or Equivalence. God's Love is a Comfort to our Souls, and God is Love. Meat and Drink are a comfort to our Bodies; God is not theſe, but he can create and give them, and in Heaven ſupplies the want of them, by cauſing us not to need them, and giving us better in himſelf, that Countervails them. Thus 'tis alſo in all other Caſes; whatever ſatisfies us, is from him, is in him. Thy Comforts delight [or look favourably upon] my Soul. Thy Comforts which thou [
Ar't
Giveſt.
]