The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul, Title page – Preface
THE CASE AND CURE OF A deſerted Soule.
OR, A TREATISE Concerning the nature, kindes, Degrees, Symptomes, Cauſes, Cure of, and miſtakes about Spirituall Deſertions.
BY JOS: SYMONDS Miniſter of St. Martins Iremonger-Lane London.
I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawne himſelfe, and was gone; I ſought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no anſwer. Cant. 5.6.
Venit cum manifeſtatur, et cum occultatur abſcedit, adeſt tamen ſive occultum, ſive manifeſtum. Aug. ep. 3. p. 10.
LONDON, Printed by M. Fleſher, for Luke Fawne, and S. Gellibrand, at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church yard. 1639.
TO THE RIGHT Worſhipfull and much Honoured Lady, the Lady REBECCAH RUMNY.
Madam,
FOure yeares agon, I preached upon this ſubject of ſpirituall deſertions, not having then the leaſt thought to put it to the Preſſe. But a ſtrong ſtreame of importunities hath borne me downe. My love to my friends hath ſubdued me to them. They beſieged me ſo ſtrongly, that they have entred and taken away the keyes of the City, and pillaged me of my purpoſe; and this little thing, which they cal good booty; but they are miſtaken: But now they have it, much good may it doe them; I ſtood out againſt them, not becauſe I prized it, but becauſe I thought it not good enough for them. It ſhall much pleaſe mee, if they having made a prey of it, find it worth their having. Since it doth fall into their hands, the good bleſsing of GOD goe with it, that it may bee better to them than the richeſt ſpoyles. Madam, in this buſineſſe, the next thing that I deſired was to reſerve the firſt for you; and to ſtamp upon every one, ſome ſmall impreſſe of my obliged reſpects unto you: Ladyſhip. Beſides mine owne engagements, which are neither few nor meane; your great worth was ſufficient to wheele my thoughts in this kind towards you.
Among other excellencies, your charitable diſpoſition, like a rich fountaine, running with large ſtreames of goodneſſe many wayes, renders you deſervedly honoured of all. It is true nobleneſſe to bee of a large and diffuſive ſpirit. He that is all for himſelfe, muſt receive all his thankes from himſelfe; but to doe good to others, begets a ſtrong reflexion of true honour. Selfe is a poore center of a mans actions. This is right earth: All things that have affinity with the Heavens, move upon the center of another which they benefit. Madam, I beſeech you ſeeke to bee ſtill more bleſſed in a cloſe conjunction, and ſociall operation of true charity, and ſincere piety, that theſe may ſtand as unwithering Crownes upon your head: and when your old age ſhall give up to approaching death, you may goe to Heaven full of faith, and full of workes. Theſe aſunder are dead; but where they meet they have life in themſelves, and give life to their owners. This life, when your life ſhall end, he wiſheth to you, who is and will be
Your Lapps. ever bounden, Ioſ: Symonds.
A Preface.
ACceſſes and receſſes are not proper to him that by his immenſe preſence filleth all,aLocis corporalibus non extenditur nec includitur. Aug ep. 53. p. 235. and cannot be where he is not, nor ceaſe to be where he is. True motion is found in ſuch things onelyonly as are ſubject to locall circumſcription: God is ſaid to come or goe, to be preſent or abſent, 1 In reſpect of manifeſtation, as the Father ſpeaks, He commeth when hee is manifeſted, and goeth when he is hid bAug. ep. 3. p. 10. Novit venire non recedendo ubi erat, novit abire non deſerendo quo venerat. id ibid.. 2. In reſpect of operation: So God is ſaid to be where he worketh, as wee ſay the Sunne comes into a houſe, where it ſhines into it. Time was, when God was with all men, both by gracious manifeſtation and operation, and this was mans happineſſe: But ſinne hath ſeparated betwixt God and man, and they are departed each from other: the diviſion began from man, yet the Divine goodneſſe tenders reconcilement, but man will not. In this, man is become unhappy, that he hath loſt his God, and knoweth it not: yea he counts his loſſe gaine, and his gaine loſſe; hee would be happy, but he erreth in his choice; he is ever moving, never at reſt; willingly abſent from the greateſt good, unwillingly labouring with the greateſt evill. Though other things are quiet in their place, and reſt in their end; yet mans place where he is pitched is ſtrange to him, and his end vexeth him: all his life is labourcSicut quo plus à centro recedis ut ad plura pergas, eo magis amittis omnia, ſic animus à ſeipſo fuſus immē ſitate quadam diverberatur. & mera mendicitate cō teriturcùm natura cogit unum quaerere, & multitu…o non ſinit. Dionyapud Gibe. p. 77. Non ille ire vult, ſed non poteſt ſtare, Sen. ep. 94. Nihil poteſt quietare hominis voluntatem, niſi ſolus Deus. Aquin., and his motion is but a vexatious ſhifting from vanity to vanity, from evill to evill, from bad to worſe: this ſoare cryeth for healing, and that which he thinkes to finde a lenitive, becomes a corzive: while he thinkes to cure the wound, he makes it deepe,dPoſtquam poſuiſti me contrarium tibi, factus ſum contrarius mihi. Eern. and is his owne tormenter.
The Heathen blundered in confuſed gueſſes how to redreſſe the ſtate of man: they ſaw an unhappineſſe, but neither knew the cauſe, nor cure; yet ſomething they aſſayed, when they propounded thoſe two rules to repaire the breach:
1. To reduce things to the firſt principles of nature.
2. To live according unto nature.
Theſe rules are uſefull, if rectified and rightly uſed.
Firſt, reduce things to their primitive originalls, and lay them againe in the wombe whence they ſprang: This experiment would profit much. Looke into the world, and you ſhall ſee a confuſed mixture of good and evill, but you muſt divide them wiſely, and purſue them to their beginnings. Aſcend by the ſcattered beames of happineſſe in the world, to the Sunne of righteouſneſſe from whence they flow; and deſcend by the black and bitter ſtreams of miſery, to the poyſoned ſpring that ſends them forth, and you will ſee two originalls of both; God the fountaine of life, and ſinne the root of death. In this way of reduction of things to their cauſes, a man may ſee as in a glaſſe, what he was, and what he ſhould be, what made him miſerable, and what would make him happy. It is mens unhappineſſe of two guides to chooſe the worſe, brutiſhly declining reaſon to be led by ſenſe; ſeeing, enjoying, and ſuffering things, without inquiſition into their parentage. This is true folly to dwell in the ſurface of things, not penetrating into their inmoſt nature, utmoſt end, formoſt riſe. A wiſe man ſeeth things quite through from firſt to laſt; he asketh three queſtions of the things be meets with; What are you? Whither goe you? Whence come you? He lives not like a ſubject to the world, but as a Lord; he examineth and judgeth all things, he ſuffereth no vagrants, but keepes all in order, hath the genealogies of all things, and reduceth them to their ſeverall Tribes. There is a certaine voice in things inviting home, and proclaiming the cauſes to which they owe their being; they carry a tye in which they are linked to their principles, and by this line men might have conduct through the labyrinth of the Vniverſe, to the firſt cauſes.
Secondly, Another rule is given, Live according to nature. This ſounds harſh,Qui mali ſunt, cos malos eſſe non abnuo, ſed eoſdem eſſe, purè atque ſimpliciter nego; nam uti cadaver hominem mortuum dixeris, ſimplicitèr verò hominem appellare non poſſis &c. …oeth. d. conſolaet. Phil. l. 4. Proſ… 2. Quicqu…d à bono deficit eſſe deſtitit, quo fit ut mali etiam deſinant eſſe quod fuerant. Idem Proſa. 3. but it is becauſe it is in their mother language, who never heard of Chriſt: but a good Interpreter will eaſily helpe the buſineſſe. There is in all men an implanted inclination to happineſſe, and an home borne Pilot to carry this in a right courſe; but it is true, though the former be not hurt, yet the latter is; a man is another thing then he was, the ſoule is quick of foot, but dull of ſcent; her ſayles are ſtrong, but her compaſſe is marred. The practicall judgement, the ſoules ſtearesman, is dim ſighted, and takes rocks for harbours, ſea for land, weſt for eaſt, earth for heaven. But herein is mans great unhappineſſe; God hath opened a way to renew thoſe blurred characters of knowledge, which yet remaine as the light in the ayre after ſunne ſet, but man regardeth not. The Scriptures are given by inſpiration of God to make wiſe unto ſalvation, but men are ſo farre from due ſeeking to lighten that glimmering ſnuffe of naturall underſtanding at this fountaine of light, that they are in love with their owne darkneſſe: they hate the light, becauſe their deeds are evill. Finding the power of conſcience a check to their luſts, they reſiſt it; whereas they ſhould rectifie conſcience by the word, and affections by conſcience, they perverſely caſt off conſcience to give way to ſinne; yea of a grave counſeller, they turne it into a baſe flatterer, to applaud their greateſt folly and wickedneſſe.
But what will the end be? Shall God come againe with tenders of mercy, and a new league of friendſhip, and ſhall man hang off? Let thoſe eſpecially conſider this, to whom God hath come with many gracious viſits and potent workings, yet they come not in. I did purpoſe and promiſe in the beginning of this Treatiſe, to ſpeake of Gods leaving ſuch, but I wanted opportunity at preſent. I ſay no more now to them, but this, It is dangerous to deſpiſe grace, and to reſiſt the Spirit; if he depart, woe unto you: your latter end will pay you for your folly and ſtoutneſſe.
The day is comming, in which God will follow after fooliſh man no more; wonder at his patience that hath waited on the world ſome thouſands of yeares already; but this long laſting patience hath fixed its period; then bleſſed are they that enjoy him: as for all the reſt, adieu for ever: then God will depart fully and eternally; it ſhall no more be ſaid, Come, but then Goe ye accurſed into everlaſting fire.
You have now your choice, here is God and the world; But this is folly, men take that in a disjunctive ſenſe, which is offered in a conjunctive: It is not ſaid, God or the world, but God and the world. In ſome conſideration indeed they are divided, but moſt make the worſt choice: Here begins that vaſt diſtance betwixt the Saints and the wicked; they ſet out at firſt from one point, but more diverſe, yea adverſe wayes, according to the difference of their ends: a godly man when firſt he chooſeth God, becomes an happie man, for his choice is his guide, which ſets all the wheeles in a right motion: love is as the wing to the fowle, or as the oares to the boate, which move it and order it(a)Nec faciūt bonos vel malos mores, niſi boni vel mali amores Aug. ep. 53. p. 236..
When this is done, God and man brought together, this ſweet meeting and amiable conjunction is a great part of the plot of that eternall love of God, who choſe us that wee might be enhappied by anſwering his choice of us, with our choice of him; that hee may dwell in us, and wee in him.
Me thinkes this world is like the Kings Court:Si terram amas, terra es: Si Deū amas, quid vis ut dicā? Deus es. Aug. children here are taken with pictures, and feed their eyes and fancies with hangings and fine things; but the wife and grave Stateſmen paſſe by theſe, their buſineſſe is with the King: moſt men ſtay in the out roomes, and low things of the world, and ſo are meane; but bleſſed is the generation, whoſe eye, deſire, and way are unto God.
The creature is not capable of an higher bleſſedneſſe, then to have God for his God. They that dwell in God have a true dwelling; men who live upon the creature, doe not dwell, but roll as Ships at ſea, or travell as wandring vagrants: in God there is quiet abode, and perfect reſt; for here is no evill, nor want of God; here is enough, and ſuch as may fit all times, all conditions, all occaſions, ſoule and body fully. Here in theſe deepes are wonders for the minde to feed on: here alſo is ſea-roome of goodneſſe for the vaſt appetite of man to floate in(a)Tu Deus te diligenti oſtendis te, & ſufficis ei. Id. conf. 12. c. 15., and the ſatiety of the appetite breeds all repoſe and joy. Oh the delectableneſſe of this condition! In this is a depth of riches, deepe riches that cannot be ſounded, and rich deepes that cannot be exhauſted: the Man CHRIST is the bleſſed channell betwixt the Fountaine and the Ciſterne, through which grace, life, peace, ſtrength, glory come by a gratious and a glorious convoy; every veſſell ſhall have its fulneſſe to all eternity; ſometimes indeed (while this life laſteth) the ſtreames come fuller, and ſometimes ſlower: ſometimes Chriſt ſtayeth the current that we may thirſt, that after thirſting we may drinke againe with redoubled pleaſure.
This is the maine of a godly mans unhappineſſe, that he neither hath a full, nor a fixed ſtate of comfortable communion with God in the world: after ſweet meetings come ſad partings. Nothing is fixed, there is a flood and ebbe as well on land as in the ſea, and as well in things ſpirituall, as in things naturall: even thoſe that are ſtronglieſt knit, have a time of parting. Nothing in nature is more conjunct then its owne frame, yet this compacted compoſition admits a diſſolution: Man, the epitome of the world, is in this caſe; ſoule and body one day will ſhake hands, yea and the body will fall aſunder from it ſelfe, thoſe foure elements that came in, in a vitall league, will goe out againe with a deadly warre. The tye betwixt God and the ſoule is the firmeſt thing in the world, the bond of grace is ſtronger than the bond of nature, yet even here is a kinde of parting alſo; but as the conjunction is ſtronger, ſo the ſeparation is leſſe: but ſometimes it is ſo great, that the Saints by enforcement of ſorrow cry out, My God hath forſaken me, my Lord hath forgotten me.
This ſad condition is the ſubject of this little Treatiſe, concerning which I would have put here ſome advertiſements; but my pen hath deceived mee, and hath led me out into a larger and another way then I intended in this Preface. Nothing more is now to be done, but to leave this ſmall helpe in the hands of ſuch, whoſe ſoules long after the returne of God, with quickning and comforting influences upon them.
J. SYM.