The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul, Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV. Three counſels to ſuch as are deſerted.
NOw I come to deale with ſuch as are forced to draw this ſad concluſion againſt themſelves, that God hath departed from them: and I feare when men ſeriouſly conſider what hath beene ſaid, that it will be found that not a few have cauſe to ſit downe in the duſt and to poure out teares in the ſad ſenſe of their grievous loſſe of the quickning preſence of God; Me thinkes it is viſible in ſome that they are changed, and have declined from that luſtre, life and activity of ſpirit, which ſeemed once to be aloft, and to be elevated to an excellent height of holineſſe, and heavenly mindedneſſe, but now lyeth groveling in the duſt, with clouds and chaines of evident darkneſſe and death upon them. And now I wiſh for ſuch a ſpirit, that I might come to them with like ſucceſſe, as the Angel to S. Peter when he lay ſleeping in the priſon. The Angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light ſhined in the priſon, and he ſmote Peter on the ſide and raiſed him up, ſaying, ariſe up quickly, and his chaines fell off from his hands, and he went out and followed the Angel. Acts 12.7.9. God hath ſent us alſo to ſtrike off mens chaines, and to open the iron gate that leades into the ſpirituall City, and hath given us the hammer, Ier. 23.29. and with it the key of the Goſpell, Luke 11.52. And oh that he would mannage theſe by his ſtrength, that men might be delivered that are in priſon.
In dealing with ſuch, I will take this courſe to draw them out of theſe deepes.
I will lay down the matter of perſwaſion, arguments to prevaile, rules to direct.
Firſt, the matter of perſwaſion, or the things that I plead for are,
1 To conſider well whether you be not in this caſe: 1. Counſell. Conſider if it bee not ſo.Call home your thoughts and ſend them as ſpies throughout all the Region, and ſee if you finde Chriſt in it as in former times, ſee if thy ſoule lye not as Jeruſalem, when the Babylonians came upon it, are not the wals broken downe, the gates burned, the Temple ſpoiled and pillaged, the inhabitants driven into captivity? Inconſideracy undoeth men, you will never ſit down by the waters of Babylon and weep, till you remember Zion from whence you are carried; there could not be place for ſo much ſloth and ſecurity in you, if you did ſee and conſider how you are. According to the acquaintance which men have with themſelves, ſo are their feares, cares, joyes, endeavours. No man will ſeeke for what he thinkes he hath. Laodicea dreamed golden dreames, when ſhe ſlept in poverty and ſought not reliefe, becauſe ſhe knew not her need, Apoc. 3.17. it is not a ſleight view, or weak conjecture, or tranſient thought, or light ſuſpition which will rouze the heart out of her ſleep; theſe things may diſquiet, but they are as weak phyſick, which moves the humours, but removes them not, working paine, but not cure; If you ſaw your ſelves indeed wrapped in darkneſſe and death, lying like Lazarus in the grave, covered with earth, bound up and putrified, you would then heare when we cry to you, Lazarus ariſe. Neceſſity would quicken you, nothing could hold you, you would mourn and howle, and pray, and ſeeke, and not ceaſe till you finde, therefore put the caſe out of doubt, and be ſerious and impartiall, it is wiſdome to know well what it is not ſafe to beare, and to know we have not that which is miſery to want.
2 When you ſee in what caſe you are,2 Counſell. Make haſt to recover. make haſt to recover, take heed of trifling, the buſineſſe requires ſpeed, therefore as the Angel ſaid to Peter, ſo I ſay, ariſe quickly, Acts 12.7.
1 Conſider you are at a conſtant loſſe; you will not let your money lye dead,Becauſe you are at a conſtant loſſe. you count every day loſſe when it is not uſed, when your Ships be ready to goe out, or come in, but cannot for want of winde. My brethren, Grace is your ſtock, your money, the eſtate which is laid up in the ſoul, as in a Ship that is bound for heaven, the place of the richeſt trade, and when you lye becalmed, and cannot put forth, you loſe much: if you had a winde, if the Spirit did come with gales of grace you would grow rich. The more goods you ſend to heaven the greater wil your account be; But when you lye ſtill and trade not, or when your commodities are not vendible, you wrong your ſelves: Thinke of it, you have but a few dayes to trade in, and what you ſow, that you ſhall reape; if you were good husbands, diligent and induſtrious, what might you get? Whereas by careleſneſſe you are at loſſe, you might be getting, more grace, ſtrength, teſtimonies of divine love, ſights and taſts of hidden treaſures and pleaſures, in this life, and might be alſo ſtill adding to the heape of glory in the next life. Count therefore every day a great loſſe, and be ſpeedy. Doe as the Diſciples when Chriſt called them; Immediately they left all and followed him; and as David, I thought on my wayes and turned my feete unto thy teſtimonies, I made haſt & delayed not to keep thy Commandements. Pſal. 119.59, 60. weigh it well. 1. Grace is the richeſt treaſure of heaven and earth, that brings in the beſt advantage. 2. You loſe it may be, ſuch a time of trade as you may never have at gain, as the dayes of youth and ſtrength, and health, when grace doth waſte, or the dayes of the Goſpell; while the ſun ſhines you ſhould make haytforeign;.
2 There can be no reaſon of delay; There is no reaſon of delay.if your caſe be ſad, and you feare to begin ſo dolefull a work, and ſo ſtir in ſuch a wound, will it not be worſe? and muſt not the thing be done? and though there be pain in ſtirring, yet it is the way to the cure, and the diſeaſe is worſe then the paine: or if you think to take a fitter time, I ſay there is no choice in preſent neceſsity; deliberation is idle where the eminence of the danger requires preſent action: would you lie ſtill and conſult of a fit time, if you were in the Sea, or if your houſe were on fire? or if you thinke to diſpatch ſome buſineſſe firſt? then I ſay this is folly, may not both be done? or will you with Saul be ſeeking your aſſes when a kingdome ſeekes you? will you leave your childe ſtarving, to go to feed your hogs? or if you think it is hard to recover your loſſe, and ſo rather ſit downe in heavineſſeuCompreſſis manibus. prov. & Latin. & Heb. Liv. l. 7. Druſ. prov. hebraica., then put forth your ſelves in endeavours; then I ſay mourning will not help it, is it hard, but is it not neceſſary? will it not be harder? or if you thinke I may finde my ſelfe in better caſe, my heart more quicke, more ſoft, I may have a better time, then I ſay, and you may not; what promiſe have you that while you lye ſtil, your work ſhall bee done to your hands? nay, have you not learned, doe you not underſtand that if you come to him with what you have, you ſhall receive what you have not? there is therefore no reaſon for delay.
3 Delay is very ſinfull in this caſe.Delay is very ſinfull.
Diſobedience.1 It is diſobedience xSi praetaeriit tempus, praeteriit …arifitium. prov. i.e. non litat qui ſuo tempore non ſacrificat. Druſ. prov. Ca…. 1. l. 5. Minus ſolvit qui tardius ſolvit. Elem. Juriſpru. part. 2. §. 10.: the authority of a Superiour is as much croſſed in the time as in the matter of his commands: the Iewes had ſinned as well in miſpla…ing their feaſts, as in neglecting of them; you call your ſervant to … preſently, and he ſaith I will co… week hence, and how doe you conſt… this? the Iewes thought to build … Temple, but becauſe they did it not … Gods time, God was angry. Hag. 1.…,…
2 It is ingratitude; Ingratitude.God calls you to come to him that he might doe … good, and you ſay you will come at leiſure, would you doe ſo with your K… in ſuch a Caſe?
3 It is contempt of God, Contemptand of his … vour, you count it not worth your pa…, for if you were willing you would … what he demands, nothing keepes y… at a diſtance from it but diſlike, if the heart were pleaſed it would yeeld.
4 There may be hard thoughts of God in it; Jealouſie.you thinke he will not pardon, or accept you, but then why do… he call you?
5 It is diſloyalty; Diſloyalty.why are you willing to be unſerviceable to your G… for a moment? what are you fit … when you are aſleep? and would you not that your ſervant ſhould riſe wh… you awake him? much time is gon… you have but a ſhort time of ſervice, and your reward is for eternity: up then, and …oſe no more time for ſhame, that have …oſt ſo much; is not he worthy of all thy …e, that is thy life? reſt not then in purpoſes and promiſes; for if the heart were faithfull, it would not only wiſh but work, not only purpoſe but performeyforeign vocabantur qui ſemper …unt foreign ſed non dant. Sic Antigonus vocabatur, foreign &c. Plut. in Paul. Aemil..
4 Delay is dangerous.Delay is dangerous
1 It is Satans advantage; when you are without God, It is Satans advantage.he is diligent to deprave and corrupt; when the body is dead it is meate for wormes; when the houſe is empty, there is roome for luſts and all evill. Mat. 12.45. you may get gueſts which you can never be rid of.
2 God may depart againe; God may depart againe.It is a great condeſcenſion when the great God comes to call upon you to come to him if you ſtand off he may turne from inviting to threatning, and from kinde i…reaties to bitter chidings; love will not bear contēptzDebet amor laeſus iraſci. Qui rogantem contempſeras, forſitan audies objurgantem. Hier. ad Heliodorum. de laud. vit. ſolit.; therfore heare … he calleth: if you take not his offer … you accept not the ſeaſon, you may provoke him to goe, never to returne aga… but you may run out your time in a … ing life, your ſun may be clouded whi… you live, God may leave you to the w… of Satan in a great meaſure, to but … and binde the ſoul in chaines: therefore be ſpeedy.
3 Put on to purpoſe.3. Counſell. Put on in earneſt.
1 With ſtrength, muſter up all you power, With ſtrength.that you may recover your ſelves out of the hands of thoſe th… have prevailed againſt you, and th… you may regaine the ancient liber… which you have loſt, and have a gracious hand of God with you in all yo… wayes, you may ſeeke and not find… except you ſeeke with much conte… on. 1. The heart that hath long go… aſtray will not be eaſily brought … frame, there is ſuch an habituall dea… neſſe upon it, that without much i… tenſneſſe of endeavour it will not be… raiſed. 2. God will be hardly purſue… and preſſed, he hath ſet all things i… way of Juſtice,aforeign. …. in ſo that he that fig… ſhall overcome, all degrees of grac… and enlargements of ſpirit in life and joy come as rewards: he is not in caſe to receive that is not in caſe to ſeek, for hee knoweth not the worth of his preſence, that doth not ſtrongly ſeeke it: many times many loſe the commodity, becauſe they will not give a little more.
2 With continuance; With continuance.ſit not down till you have attained; preſſe on, and reſolve never to be at quiet till God returne againe: hee ſeekes in vaine that ſeekes not till he finde.