The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Foure other conſiderations about deſertions.
HAving premiſed theſe things in the generall, I ſhall now come to the ſpecialls, to ſpeake of theſe deſertion in their ſeverall kindes, and firſt as they befall the godly.
Deſertions as they befall the godly are of two ſorts.
Withdrawing of
1 Influence of grace.
2 Of comfort.
1 Inward.
2 Outward.
For all the complaints which the Saints doe make of Gods hiding and withdrawing himſelfe, ariſe from one of theſe three grounds, or all.
1. That God doth not carry on their ſpirituall life, as he was wont.
2. That he gives not that peace, joy, comfort, aſſurance as he was wont.A man may want Gods gracious preſence in outward things, yet enjoy his internall preſence in the ſoule: yea often there is moſt of God within, when leaſt without.
3. That he brings them into outward ſtraits, and doth not deliver them.
Before I come to ſpeake directly, and particularly of theſe, I will propoſe foure briefe obſervations about them.
1. That a man may miſſe much of Gods externall preſence in the ſweet and comfortable way of his providence, providing, protecting, and ordering all occurrents to contentment, yet may enjoy inward communion with him, his ſoule may be moſt abundantly animated, and quickned with the Spirit, when he hath moſt diſcouragements without: yea, God is wont when he gives leaſt in the world, 2 Cor. 1.4, 5.to give moſt of himſelfe; and his people ſeldome have much of the fatneſſe below, and of the ſprings above at once, as the ſunne and the ſtars appeare not together. But when hee ſhuts up all doores of hope, and helpe in the world, then he ſets open the doores of heaven. So Saint Stephen, when hee ſaw nothing but death in the world, Then ſaw heaven opened, and Chriſt ſitting at the right hand of God, Acts 7. Such mercy found Iacob, when he was a poore pilgrim in a ſtrange land, then he ſaw that heavenly ladder, and the Angels aſcending and deſcending as a pledge of Gods care, and their readineſſe for his good, Gen. 28.12. The abundance of the ſpirit both of grace and peace, is uſually powred forth in a day of ſorrow, as when the dough which the Iſraelites brought from Egypt was ſpent, God gave them bread from heaven.
And there are 2. cauſes of it. 1. Gods tender love, wch is ſuch, that he will not add affliction to his peoples ſorrow. Becauſe Gods love is ſuch, that he wil not adde ſorrow to ſorrow.When therfore he is pleaſed in his wiſdome to put a cup of affliction into their hands, he is wont to give them alſo the cup of conſolation; when he caſts them into outward ſtraits, he doth recompence it with inward inlargements. The Church never had ſuch full predictions of Chriſt, and precious promiſes of great mercy, as when the moſt dreadfull evils hung over her head, as appeares in the prophecies of all the Prophets; And the faithfull uſually finde their worſt dayes, their beſt dayes, and when they meet with troubles, they find moſt peace. This the Apoſtle witneſſeth, As the ſufferings of Chriſt abound in us, ſo our conſolation alſo aboundeth by Chriſt, 2 Cor. 1.4. And though our outward man periſh, yet our inward man is renewed day by day gforeign, die, & die, ut Tertul. legit in li. de reſur. carn. i. e. quotidie. Vid. Eſti. com. in lo., 2 Cor. 4.16.
2. The capacity of the ſoul is widened, The capacity of the ſoule is inlarged in affliction.and enlarged in affliction; heavenly communion with God is ſweeteſt in an evill day, and the ſoul longs after God, that in him it may finde all ſupplyed, which it wants in the world. Now the more God ſtirs up deſires of himſelfe, the more the ſoule is prepared to communion with him, and the more it hath of him, the hungry man eats moſt, and hee that is moſt athirſt, drinks moſt. When the life of nature, and ſenſe is cut off, the ſoule ſeekes a life in God, and is much in all endeavours of injoying God; now ſhe ſeekes him in prayer, ſhe enquires for him in the word, and by all meanes reacheth hard after him. So David, when he was in the wilderneſſe, panted and breathed after God, hee prayeth, hee cryeth, his thoughts are with God all the day, yea in the night he meditates upon him, and (ſaith he) My ſoule followed hard after thee, Pſal. 63.8.
2. One may want the comforting preſence of God, yet have the quickning preſence.One may want inward comfort, yet not be deſerted in reſpect of the influence of grace; the tenure of grace and peace is not the ſame; a man may loſe the ſence of grace, and yet retaine the life of it. Though he be more happy that hath grace and peace, yet hee may be as holy that hath grace without peace: yea and as the clouded ſummers ſunne yeelds more comfort to the earth than a bright ſhining winters ſunne; ſo when the ſoul is moſt clouded, it may be moſt quickned; when the light of Gods favour is hid, the quickning heat of the ſpirit may moſt abound.
3. He that loſeth Gods quickning preſence, loſeth alſo his comforting preſence. The comforting preſence is never without the quickning preſence.Though a man may have grace, living and ſtirring without peace, yet he cannot have peace, without the life of Grace. Peace and Comfort are fruits of the ſanctifying Spirit, and as there may be a root without fruit, but there cannot be fruit without the root; ſo though there may be the ſpirit quickning and ſanctifying without comfort,He that wāts Gods quickning preſence, is either in a lethargie, yet there cannot be true comfort without the quickning ſpirit.
One of theſe two evils befall a man from whom God is departed,gAut furit aut patitur mirum gravitate ſoporem. Ovid. met. 15. and to whom the workings of the power of God is denyed.
Either he falls into a ſpirituall lethangie, being as one aſleepe, whoſe ſpirits and ſenſes are bound up, ſo that he is in a ſhadow of death, neither hearing, nor ſeeing, nor taſting the things of God, and ſo is bereft of all ſpirituall joy and comfort. When a man is in a ſtate of deadneſſe, hee is dead to all things that are ſpirituall, and they alſo are as dead things to him. The promiſes that are fountaines of life to a living man, are as dry and empty ciſternes unto him: yea Chriſt, and heaven, and the love of God, though they are the food, the ſtrength, the life of a man in a healthfull ſtate, are to the languiſhing ſoule, as meat to a ſick ſtomack: the glorious things of the Goſpell are to him as a withered flower, or as a ſealed book, he hath no uſe of them.
2. Or … ſpirituall frenzy: In the day of eſtrangedneſſe of God,Or in a phrenzie. a man is often much diſquieted; now the remembrance of his former bleſſed dayes torments his ſoule with griefe, and the feares of utter Apoſtacie, and irrecoverable declination from God, doe vexe it with feares and horrors, yea Conſcience may pronounce ſad judgement upon him, and he may conclude himſelfe an hypocrite, and Apoſtate, and one under wrath: ſo that either through inſenſibleneſſe, or unquietneſſe of ſpirit, hee that hath not his former vivacity and vigour of grace, cannot have comfort in ſuch a ſtate.It is poſſible to be deſerted of outward & inward gracious preſence in a great meaſure.
4. All theſe may poſsibly befall a man at once: hee may have outward ſtraits, and inward troubles at once, and this is the loweſt pitch of miſery that a beleever can fall into.