The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Great incredulitie in a Deſerted ſoule, with the Cauſes of it.
THe fourth evill that befals the mind in time of deſertion is incredulity; Fourth evill in the minde, incredulitie.when God withdrawes himſelfe, the wofull fruits of unbeliefe ſpring up; doubtings, diſputes, objections, ſtrange reaſonings about ſpirituall truths, in ſo much that the ſoul is greatly perplexed and ſnared in the diverſity, croſneſſe, ſubtilty, ambiguity of her owne reaſonings; now it queſtioneth the authority and verity of the Scriptures; doubting whether it be the word of God or no, or whether it be not the invention of men; yea, it is full of ſuſpicions and doubts of divine providence, whether all things be ordered by an hand of infinite power and wiſdome; yea, the foundation and firſt ſtone is often ſhaken in ſuch a time, the ſoule calling this in queſtion, Whether there be a God or no, who is able to reckon the ſtrange thoughts and reaſonings of the ſoule, when it walks in darkneſſe? And who can utter the dreadfull effects of ſuch an evill? What mazes of confuſion, what flouds of feares, what thickets and labyrinths of ſore perplexities …s a man led into by this unbeliefe? yea, what deadneſſe and barrenneſſe …reake in upon him? how expoſed to …iolent aſſaults of Satan, having not …he uſe of the ſhield of faith? This un…eliefe and Atheiſme is a rocke which …he Saints (the moſt part of them) doe …trike upon at one time or other; but …t's a dreadfull evill, like a torrent, it …eares downe in a great meaſure, the …rops and pillars of Chriſtian hope, …by, patience, obedience; yea, it is of …hat deſtroying nature, where it comes with ſtrength, as it doth in many of the Saints, that it annihilates, in a manner, all ſpirituall things in their eyes, ſo that they cannot ſee God, Chriſt, promiſe, heaven, or any thing; or if they ſee them, it is with ſo much obſcurity and uncertainty, that the life which theſe things were wont to yeeld, is much impaired. And as it is pernicious, ſo it's hard to cure; a man would never, without the conduct of a divine hand, finde the way to get out of theſe perplexities. Unbeliefe hath a great ſtrength in all, and were it not checked, it would more appeare.
Queſt. Cauſe of unbeliefe prevailing in deſertion.What is the cauſe that unbeliefe doth ſo quickly and ſtrongly, upon Gods withdrawing of himſelfe, put forth it ſelfe in the godly?
Anſw. Firſt, the inevidence of the object of faith: Inevidence of the object of faith.it is evidence in any thing that ſettles and ſwayes judgement; and when things lie hid in darkneſſe, and carry no convincing and ſatisfying evidence of reaſon, the minde will not receive them with a full aſſent; yea, … proportions her credit which ſhe gives to the ſtrength of reaſon, which ſhe diſcernes for it; ſo that in ſome things ſhe fully embraceth them, and hath an acquieſcencie and reſt in her aſſent, being fully anſwered in point of reaſon; in other things ſhe goeth not further then to an opinion, which is an imperfect aſſent, founded on arguments only probable; in other things ſhe goeth not ſo farre, but ſtands doubting, and in ſuſpenſe, being equally charged with reaſon both wayes; having arguments why ſhe ſhould beleeve this or that, and arguments why ſhe ſhould not; by which encounter of contrary reaſonings, ſhe is like the river, which by the meeting of two contrary ſtreames, becomes a ſtill water; or like the ſcales in the ballance, which having equall weights in them, ſtand in equipoyſe.
This we finde in men in matters of religion and godlineſſe, that all beleeve not alike, becauſe there is not the like evidence of ſpirituall truths to all; ſome beleeve fully, others beleeve, but not with a ſetled aſſent; others doubt; the former are like the ſcales, whereby the weight in one prevailing, there is a ſetling; the ſecond, like the ſcales wavering, and turning ſometimes this way, and ſometimes that way; the third, like the ſcales ſtanding, but ſtill it is the evidence in the object, which begets faith, yea, commands it.
Now the inevidence of the object of faith, by which unbeliefe ſtands faſt, is in reſpect of
1 The object it ſelfe.
2 Subject of faith.
1 The object is in it ſelfe, ſometimes hidden and ſtrange to reaſon,Object hidden. and therefore hard to be beleeved: Such things are all thoſe ſupernaturall truths, as the Unity in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, the reſurrection of the body, the incarnation of the Sonne of God, redemption by the ſatisfaction of Chriſt, juſtification by faith, &c. Theſe truths, and the like, are above reaſon, ſuch the minde of it ſelfe cannot beleeve; what though they be revealed, and are ſo made conſpicuous, in a ſort, by the word, yet (if there be nothing but the teſtimony and authority of the word) except the power of the ſpirit ſet in, there will be no faith.
2 The inevidence is ſometimes in reſpect of the ſubject, and that is, Subject darke.when things are clearly brought to the underſtanding, but through it's weakneſſe it is not able to ſee the reaſon of them; the object is cleare, but the minde is darke, as though the Sunne ſhine, and make all things evident in themſelves; yet if the eye be blinde, it ſeeth not; things are hid, but this vaile is not on the things, but on the eye; or ſuppoſe a man come with a faire and full teſtimoniall of his worth, yet if he to whom it is brought cannot read it, he will not beleeve him, or accept him: Now God hath revealed himſelfe by the creation, Rom. 1.19, 20. all the creatures are as ſo many witneſſes to reaſon it ſelfe, that there is a God which made all; but reaſon is deafe, and heares not That ſound that is gone through the world, Pſal. 19. or heares it ſo weakly, that it cannot ſettle and quiet it ſelfe in this truth, that God is, and that he made the worlds, ſo that our faith even in theſe things, is not onelyonly from the light of nature, but alſo and eſpecially from the light of the ſpirit; and according as this light is afforded more or leſſe, ſo doth our faith vary in it's operation, by the weakneſſe and blindneſſe that remaines upon the underſtanding, though it be renewed, the minde is diſabled to anſwer theſe various and ſnarling objections, which are conceived in this fruitfull wombe: how many reaſonings and ſtrange diſputes, doth the carnall minde, when it is left to it ſelfe, forge againſt the truth, which doe ſo cloud and puzzle the ſoule, that it is often ſtrangely foyled? As thoſe Gentiles being left of God, became vaine in their imaginations, Rom. 1.21. So the Saints themſelves, when God ſhutteth in the light of his ſpirit, are full of dangerous reaſonings & entangling thoughts; the Pſalmiſt beholding the manner of Gods dealing with the wicked, and with the godly, that they proſpered, and theſe were aſſlicted; from hence argues ſo ſtrangely, that he had almoſt beene ſoiled, but that God did guide him with his counſels, and upheld him by his right hand. Pſal. 73.
So Moſes, though God had told him what he would doe for the proviſion of his people, conſulting with reaſon, had this anſwer from it, Can God prepare a table in the wilderneſſe, Num. 11. I need not inſiſt upon inſtances of this nature; the minde is very active and quick in working, and is able to loſe it ſelfe in doubts and perplexing reaſonings, but it is not ſo able without divine aſſiſtance to untie her knots, and to free her ſelfe.
2 Cauſe is Satan, whoſe worke it is to moleſt the Saints;Satans working. he is full of all knowledge, ſo that he knowes how to weave the moſt ſubtilenets to toyle the ſoule; and he hath a way into a man by the phantaſie, where he is able both to keepe the thoughts working upon ſome ſtrong imagination, and enſnaring reaſoning, and to ſuggeſt new: hence it comes about, that a man is ſo mightily and unceſſantly purſued with doubts and ſtrong workings of unbeliefe, that there is ſcarce an article of his faith ſo rooted in him, but by theſe bluſtering and tempeſtuous winds, it is at one time or other much ſhaken. Theſe then are the cauſes of the new and ſtrong working of incredulity & Atheiſme, which as it ſeemed by former force and power of ſupernaturall light to have beene buried, doth in a time of deſertion riſe up againe, to the great affrightment and diſturbance of the heart.