Divine Drops Distilled from the Fountain of Holy Scripture, Part 5
Expoſitions and Obſervations on ISAIAH 40. 1.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, ſaith your God.
YOu ſhall finde that in the Scriptures, eſpecially Conſolation a duty.in the New Teſtament, we are commanded to comfort one another, as much as to exhort, and more then to reprove: It is very ordinary, Comfort one another. Though the other duties to the Saints in the New Teſtament are full of conſolation: The Apoſtle from every argument, would have us draw comfort from the coming of Chriſt, and every thing almoſt.
There are theſe four things that I ſhall ſpeak of, Four things, hinder Conſolation.that hinder the conſolation that might be in your ſouls. If I take away thoſe hinderances, it is as much as if I did poſitively comfort.
Im∣pediment. Firſt The firſt is, (I will not ſay you want faith, but) you have a faith of the Law, and not of the Goſpel: You believe in God, but not in Chriſt. My meaning is this, your ſaith is begotten, and bred, according to the doctrine, and principles of the Old Teſtament. It is good, and true, but it is bred, and nouriſhed, according to the principles, and ſtrain of the Old Teſtament: which (old) Teſtament (ſaith the Apoſtle) is done away. You need not ſtumble, you know my meaning, your faith is not yet come clearly, according to the ſtrain, and courſe, and frame of the New Teſtament.
You will ſay, There is but little difference between the old, and the New Teſtament.
Look how they be oppoſed, 2 Cor. 3. Gal. 2. and in the Hebrews; that is the main buſineſs to ſhew the difference between the old, and New Teſtament.
Now that your faith is ſo, it will appear three ways. Which appears three ways.Firſt, there is a Heatheniſh deſire of ſanctification, of holineſs. Holineſs is a bleſſed thing, and there are none deſire more earneſtly, ſincerely to be holy, then the Saints in the New Teſtament: Holineſs is upon the bridles of the horſes of the Church; yet there is a deſire of holineſs in the ſoul, that is, legal faith; that by the earneſt deſire of holineſs, a man may ſee the frame of his faith to be legal. There may be a thirſt that ariſeth from a Feaveriſh diſtemper of body, that is not good. Therefore truly, a man may deſire holineſs, more then happineſs (as you are wont to expreſs it.) He may deſire holineſs, and to avoyd ſin, more then Hell it ſelf, and any thing in the world. He may ſay, he would not for a world, but overcome his luſts; and O that I could overcome my frowardneſs, and my pride, and yet it may be a Heatheniſh kinde of thirſt. I have known people that have gone every day to hear, and have wept, and deſired holineſs, and yet out of a Heatheniſh deſire of holineſs.
Why; what is the meaning of this? how comes this about?
The ſoul reſolving to be juſtified, and to finde favor with God; partly by the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and partly by ſome grace; not that it hath, but that it hopes to have: Therefore the ſoul, as a Feaveriſh man reacheth out, and layes down this concluſion, I muſt be holy; and there are ſome things, if I could reach them, then I ſhould be well; and ſo the Feaver grows higher and higher. And God croſſeth him; for it is againſt the way of the Goſpel. God will do no good to us, if we go contrary to his glory: Therefore if we weep our hearts out, we ſhall not have it, for it is a deſigne of our own, ſaith God, You will not be content with the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, but you will have ſomething to make it up; you will believe, and be holy, but you ſhall go my way or not at all.
Now a Saint that is according to Gods minde, firſt upon believing in Jeſus Chriſt, and his righteouſneſs, his ſoul is fully ſatisfied, and he is at peace; He ſaith, Lord, whether I be holy, or not, I ſee a full righteouſneſs in Jeſus Chriſt to juſtifie me, and to ſanctifie me, and pacifie my conſcience. And Lord here I am, Thou knoweſt that I have nothing but my old nature; thou art wiſe; all my ſins are done away, do with me what thou wilt: If thou wilt put me to pain, or into poverty, or into Hell, or ſuffer me to go in rags, all my life long, do ſo: As a godly man ſaid, If pride, and frowardneſs muſt have its work, though I had rather go to Hell for the time; yet here I am, I rejoyce in my ſpirit, becauſe I am accepted of thee. So, here is a deſire of holineſs, but it is not Heatheniſh; as if a man could have no aſſurance, and comfort in his ſoul, till he had gotten ſuch a degree of grace. Theſe are Feaveriſh deſires.
Secondly, It appears to me, that your comfort is not right, that your faith is not according to the Goſpel, becauſe of the ſtartlings in your conſcience after ſin. That when God ſuffers the ſoul to be overtaken, and to fall, the ſoul ſtartles; that is, horror ſeizeth preſently upon the conſcience, and hardneſs upon the heart; there is a ſtartling, that makes a man that he cannot go on in his calling, that makes all his neighbors take notice of him, as if he were not his own man. (Take it as a general rule, the moſt, and the greateſt dangers, or the moſt dangerous errors, border neareſt on the moſt glorious light.) It is bleſſed to ſtartle at ſin, and to deſire holineſs; but I ſay, there is a Heatheniſh deſire of holineſs, and ſtartling at ſin, that argues, That the conſcience is not quieted in Chriſt.
Object. You will ſay, when a Saint falls into ſin, ſhall he take no notice of it?
Anſw. Yes, and have no peace till he have poured out his ſoul to God: But yet as a Son to a Father, and his aſſurance is whole ſtill. Thou art my beloved father, and all that is befaln me; thou haſt ſuffered it, and haſt a hand in it. I confeſs Father, I am an unhappy childe; there is never a member of thy Son Chriſt, that thou haſt more trouble with, then with me, there is none of them ſo vile, and ſo the heart is all wholly poured out freely, and fully to the Lord. The other cannot; but he is hardened, and ſtartles at every thing, as a man going among wilde Beaſts.
Thirdly, It appears to me, that your faith is not come to be right, by the defilements you have from the creatures: Your faith is not according to the Goſpel. When men are defiled with lawful things. Nay, ſo much, that ſome men cannot eat, or go to bed; one while they muſt eat of one diſh, and not of two (though ſobriety be a Goſpel grace.) And one while they muſt eat one meal a day, another while one meal in two days. I have known one eat but one meal in a week; and let them eat little or much, they defile their conſciences. One while they muſt go ſo in their apparel with lace, and after that, lace damneth them. Though ſobriety be good, in cloaths, and diet, yet this ſhews that they are defiled; for to a good man every thing is pure, but to others every thing is impure, becauſe his conſcience is impure; that is, His conſcience is defiled, and ſo he is taken priſoner; his conſcience is not ſprinkled, and waſhed through the blood of Chriſt; therefore in theſe things, he is tangled endleſly. Now if ever you will have comfort in your ſouls, that is true and ſolid: for there may be comforts according to the Law, but they will not laſt, they will be out upon the leaſt breach; but if the Lord frame your faith according to the Goſpel, your comfort will be ſolid and laſting.
Im∣pediment. Second The ſecond thing is, having faith according to the Goſpel, labor to live by faith. Many of you have a little faith, and true Goſpel faith; but you do not live by it, you live by ſence. It is a proverb in Scripture, The juſt ſhall live by faith. I ſhall have occaſion to open that when I have more time, and therefore I proceed.
Im∣pediment. Third A third thing that makes your comfort ſhort, is the ſlow coming of grace into your ſouls. You finde grace come in but ſlowly; you believe, and labor to believe according to the Goſpel, and yet grace comes but ſlowly and poorly; you have been ſo many yeers, and have ſcarce any grace.
For your comfort, this is one thing; thou that haſt but little grace coming in ſo many yeers: I tell thee, God ſaith that grace is like the ſpringing of the ſea; or the ſpringing of the yeer. Now in the ſpringing of the ſea, when men would have a tide for their paſſage, a man is glad to ſee a little turning of the water firſt, it is ſo much the nearer: then he obſerves, and is glad to ſee the Sea riſe, and cover a few ſtones or marks, though it be little: but ſtay till it be almoſt full Sea, when it is high tide, then every thing almoſt is covered on a ſudden, the tide over-runs all. Take it in the ſpring of the yeer (for we ſhould learn ſomething from the creatures) about February, you are glad to ſee the buds of Haw thorn; you look a week together, and it grows a little, and you ſee no other, it is a ſigne that Summer is coming. In the beginning of March it may be there are two or three things more, and they come ſlowly, and you are glad to ſee them, and look on them every day. In Aprill or May, the Gardens are full of Flowers, and the fields full of graſs; you know not what to obſerve. So it is in experience, in the beginning the Lord makes a Saint glad of a Primroſe, of a little turning of the water, that the blood, that the ſtream is turned; if he begin to hear the word, that hated it, and to rejoyce in the company of good neighbours, that hated it, two or three little Primroſes. But grace comes as the tide; ſtay a while, and thou ſhalt ſee ſuch a flowing of grace in thy ſoul, that thou knoweſt not where to look; ſuch a tide of love, and joy, and knowledge, ſuch innumerable leſſons, that thou knoweſt not where to look; Therefore wait upon the Lord, & thou ſhalt ſee grace come in as the tide.
impedi∣ment. Laſt Laſtly, thou doſt not (it may be) make uſe of the experiences thou haſt had of God. Thou haſt had abundance of experience of the Lord; and we are apt to forget: As Chriſt ſaith, do you not remember the loaves the other day, and do you now doubt whether you have bread? O yea of little faith! Truly the very creatures will riſe in judgement againſt us, that having had ſo many experiments of God, we are ſo ſhie of truſting God, and thinking well of God. Didſt thou ever ſee a Dog (let me inſtance in that vile creature) (for God would have us learn from the creatures, and God hath caſt them ſo that they ſhould not be onelyonly for our uſe, but every thing in reference to his Goſpel, that we may not only occaſionally draw ſuch things that hap hazzard fall out, but to obſerve their nature, and qualities, and learn ſomewhat from them) you ſee in a Dog, when he hath abuſed you, it may be againſt his will, and it may be you have beat him; he runs away, or he comes with fear, and is very ſhie, and will hardly come to you: but take him in your arms, and ſtroak him, and all his fear it gone; when you ſmile, he thinks you mean him no hurt, he hath no thought of your former anger. So we come many times to the Lord, and are ſhie, and tremble, and fear, and think he means to hurt us, and what are his thoughts? How oft hath God taken us in his arms and ſtroaked us, and laid us down again, and yet we fear again, and are worſe in many reſpects then the bruit creatures. When the Maſter hath the Dog, he may kill him if he will; but he ſtroaks him, and the Dog thinks his maſter means well to him: ſo, many times God might kill us, and throw us into Hell, and catch us at advantage, yet in ſtead of that he loves us, and imbraceth us, and layes us down again; and yet we are ſo ſhie, we fear, and diſtruſt him. We have not that plainneſſe of heart as that old Martyr ſaid, I have lived eighty yeers, and he never did me any hurt: So God many times hath had advantage to have thrown us into hell, yet he hath kiſſed, and ſtroaked us. Why ſhould we be ſo fearfull, when afflictions, and troubles come upon us? Theſe things procure ſadneſſe, becauſe we do not truſt in that God, that in our extremity hath been friendly, and fatherly to us. The Lord help you to lay up theſe few broken words in your hearts.