Comfort and Counsel for Dejected Souls, Section 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. 10.
Satisfaction to Soules cast downe about Hearing.
SOme there are, who in their dejection call to minde the Word, and their hearing of it;Caſe. but alas, they are ſo far from being raiſed by it, as that it dejects them the more; Ah, ſay they, we have heard thee preached in our ſtreetes; Luk. 13.26but ſo ſhall ſome ſay, and be diſ-owned at laſt by Chriſt; the Word hath been ſowen amongſt us, but we feare, not as the good ſeed in the good ground, and ſomething now muſt be ſaid to ſatisfie theſe ſoules; and there be but four things, which I ſhal offer briefly to this purpoſe.
1 Call to minde what it was (O ſoule) which in the hearing of the Word did moſt take with, Satisfactionand affect thy heart; was it the Truth, or the termes that did moſt prevaile with you? Didſt thou finde thine eares tickled with the entiſing words of mans wiſdome? Or, didſt thou feele thy heart touched with the power of the Spirit, in the demonſtration of truth? If upon this inquiry thou doe finde, that naked truth, in the diſcovery of the Spirit, did moſt take with, and worke upon thy heart; thou needeſt not bee troubled about thy hearing the Word, for ſurely thou haſt heard the word, not as the word of man, but of God.
2 Conſider what was the effect of that Word, or that truth which thou didſt cloſe with. The reall effect of the Word (heard as the Word of God) is the caſting downe of thoſe imaginations, which did lift up themſelves in the ſoule againſt Chriſt. The Apoſtle tells the Corinthians, that the weapons of his warfare were mighty through God; But how did it appeare? Marke, becauſe ſaith he, they pull downe ſtrong holds, &c. 2 Cor. 10.4, 5. a Cannon ſhot off with Powder makes no battery, nor breach; but if it beate downe ſtrong holds, it argues there was more then bare Powder. Certainly, if the Word hath beaten downe thy towry imaginations, and made a breach, and ſo an entrance in thy boſome for Chriſt; If it hath battered open the everlaſting gates for the King of glory to enter in; thou maiſt ſurely, and ſweetly conclude, that thou didſt heare more then man in the Word; yea that Chriſt was in, and with the Word of a truth. It was a ſigne that the Theſſalonians had received the Word (as it was in truth) the Word of God, when it did effectually worke in them, as 'tis, 2 Theſ. 2.13. But beſides this,
3 Know, that there may be the ſeed of the Word in thy heart, as in good ground, See this fear ſtated Sect. 1. chap. 7.notwithſtanding thy feares; Oh, ſay many poore ſoules, there bee ſo many ſtones, and thornes in our hearts, that we feare, the good ſeed hath met but with bad ground in our hearts; but know, (O ſoules) that as no ground is ſo good, but it hath ſome ſtones, and thornes; ſo your hearts may be good ground, notwithſtanding ſome worldly cares, and deceitfulneſſe. Beware leaſt you imagine that you ſhould, or could make your hearts good, and your ſoules fruitfull of your ſelves; ſome have doubtleſſe miſtaken Chriſts meaning in that Parable, who thinke that their hearts muſt, or could be good ground, before the ſeed of the Word make it ſo: Parables are not to be ſtretched beyond their intention. Thy heart may be, was, is, and will be bad ground, ere the good ſeed make it good, thou ſayeſt, the ſeed was good, but thy ground, i. e. thy heart was nought; therefore the Parable ſpeakes ſadly of thee, &c. but be not dejected nor deceived. Its the glory of ſpirituall ſeed that it wil make BAD ground GOOD. Its true, other ſeeds (though good) yet if ſowne in bad ground are loſt; the bad ground ſpoyling the good ſeed: But tis otherwiſe here: The bad ground, i.e. bad hearts, doe not mar the good ſeed, but the good ſeed, mends the bad hearts. Every heart ſince the fall, hath, and doth bring forth bryers and thornes: Now where good ſeed comes, it choakes the bryars and thornes (i.e. deceit and corruptions.)
Object. Nay, but ſaith the ſoule: tis true, if this good ſeed did abide; but alas! I feare tis loſt all, or at beſt, there is but little remaines of the many handfulls that have been ſowne upon mee: there are but a few graines abide; &c.
Anſ. Be it ſo O ſoule, yet if any ſeed remaine 'twill grow, and be ſaving: any one ſeed taking roote in thy heart is immortall, and it will remaine.
Reply, But me thinks, I hear the ſoul reply with ſighs, and ſaying, Tis true, if I had but any ſeed abiding with me, I could rejoyce, for I know the good ſeed will not dye: But I alas! I ſee it not ſpring up, and therefore I doubt, &c.
Duply, Tarry O ſoule, The Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it; And ſhouldeſt not thou waite for the moſt precious fruit of the heart, Jam. 5.7.and have longer patience. Even the Lord of the Vineyard waiteth ſome yeares for his fruit. (as is deducible from Luk. 13.7.) Albe it thou ſee not the ſeed ſpring, yet it may be under the clods taking root: even under the clods of your corruptions, there may be the ſeed of grace. And what if you ſee it not? Should the husbandman, who in the Winter, lookes upon his field newly, or lately ſowne, and ſees nothing but mire, and earth, and dirt, cry out and ſay, all my ſeed is loſt? would not every one count him weake? and tell him in the Spring he ſhall ſee the contrary.
Thy Spring (O ſoule) is comming, its now thy Winter ſeaſon (as before n="*" Sect. i. chap. 5.was hinted) and now thy ſeed is not ſeene, for thy corruptions (like dirty clods) lye upon it. But beare up (O ſoule) and expect with patience, and thou ſhalt ſee thy ſeed ſpringing up unto a Harveſt of holineſſe, and of life.
But what if I ſhould ſay (as thou doſt) that thy ſeed (i.e. the word which thou haſt heard) is dead. I ſhould not feed thy fear. For know you not, that which the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Cor. 15.36.thou foole, that which thou ſoweſt is not quickened except it dye: Its a peece of folly, to expect a quickening of ſeed ſowne, ere it rot, and dye. Verily (ſaith Chriſt) except a corne of wheat, Joh. 12.24.fall into the ground, and dye, it abideth alone: i. e. it increaſeth not. Even Chriſt himſelfe, ſowne in the heart, doth at leaſt ſeemingly dye ere hee ſprings up. Death paſſeth upon all our mercies in the ſeed, and we find them only, as by a reſurrection. Even that good ſeed of grace (the holy word of the Goſpell) which hath beene ſown in thy heart, and lyes now as dead, and rotten, will ariſe and ſpring up ere long; and thou ſhalt ſee it: be not therefore (O ſoule) ſo caſt down, and dejected.
Laſtly, To wind up this caſe, Admit as yet the Word of God never came like it ſelfe, i, e. as good ſeed to thee, yet it may now. God hath bid us in the preaching of the Word, to be inſtant both in ſeaſon, and out of ſeaſon; And in effect he hath ſaid to us, as tis Eccleſ. 1.6. To ſow our ſeed in the morning, and in the evening not to with hold our hand: And how do we, or you know which ſhall proſper. Peradventure, the ſeed that is ſown in the evening, may proſper with thee, though that be loſt which was ſowne on thee in the morning. Chriſt (O ſoul) for ought that I, or thou knoweſt, may in this reading, or the next, cauſe a bleſſing to be upon the ſeed: And it may (at laſt) bring forth in thy heart, ſixty, yea a hundred fold. O be not faithleſſe, but beleeve: Thou who now goeſt up and downe mourning for the want of a precious ſeed, See Iſa. 55.10, 11. and 35.1, 2, 3, 4 See theſe places.mayeſt ere long return rejoycing, bearing ſheaves: Hath not the Lord ſaid; As the raine commeth down from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud: Even ſo ſhall the word which goeth forth of his mouth, it ſhall not return empty. Thou who now feareſt thy ſelfe to bee a barren Wilderneſſe, ſhall bloſſom abundantly, and rejoyce. This Chriſt hath commanded me to tell you who are of a fearfull heart, therefore be not dejected, or caſt downe, but be ſtrong.