Comfort and Counsel for Dejected Souls, Title page – Dedication
Comfort & Counſell FOR DEJECTED SOULES. OR A Treatiſe concerning Spirituall DEJECTION.
In which is HANDLED,
1 The Nature Of Spirituall Dejection.
2 The Working Of Spirituall Dejection.
3 The Grounds Of Spirituall Dejection.
4 The Remedies Of Spirituall Dejection.
And in which is held forth, Satisfaction to ſome particuler Caſes, and generall advice for any Soule who is caſt downe.
Being the Heads and Sum of divers Sermons Preached to a particular Congregation, From Pſalm 42. laſt.
By John Durans, Preacher of the Goſpel, and Paſtour of a Church of Chriſt in Canterbury.
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Iſa. 35.3
Strengthen the hands which are ſick, and confirme the dejected knees.
Pſalm 94.19.
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In the multitude of my tempeſtuous thoughts within me, thy conſolations ſhal abundantly delight my ſoul.
Printed at London by R.I. for Hannah Allen, at the Crown in Popes-Head-Alley. 1651.
This shade's the Authors outſide: but this booke
his inside opens. prethee doe not looke
Admiringly one either; Paſse them o're
as emptye shaddowes, for they are noe more.
Both bookes, and writers (y'ea, and all things elſe
at best are shaddowes: but the bodye's Christ
Soul art dejected Chriſt alone can eaſe thee
and giuegive both comfort, and councell to raiſe thee.
A.P.
THis Authour hath two Books already extant; the one is Entituled Sips of Sweetneſſe, or, Conſolation for weak Beleevers.
The other is Entituled A Diſcovery of the Glorious Love of Chriſt to Beleevers.
A Dedicatory PREFACE, TO His Beloved-Ones, The Flock of CHRIST, over which the Holy Ghoſt hath made him OVER-SEER.
My dearly beloved in the Lord,
THE heart of Chriſt (who is the cheif Shepheard) is much ſet upon the feeding of Beleevers (who are his choſen Flocke: Ezek. 34.… 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.) Before hee came into the World, he did Propheſie, that hee would feede his Flocke himſelfe: And when hee went out of the World: hee charged his Servants to doe the like. When hee had asked of Peter again and againe,Ioh. 20.16, 17, 18. whether hee loved him: He required nothing as a ſeale thereof, but this, that hee ſhould feede his ſheepe. Indeed, then doe wee declare our love unto our Lord, when wee feede his Flocke which is amongſt us, (as it is 1 Pet. 5.2.) And if wee doe not this, wee make void the end that he aymed at, in giving us (as Paſtours) to his people, which himſelfe expreſſeth in the promiſe to bee this,Ier. 3.15. viz. The feeding of his People with knowledge and underſtanding. But while any indeavour to doe this, they are Paſtors according to his owne heart, id eſt, ſuch as himſelfe is, and delights in.
This conſideration (I humbly hope, I may truly ſay) hath made an impreſſion upon my heart, both to deſire, and indeavour to feede you, who are the Lambs, the Sheepe of the Lord Jeſus,Phil. 1.7. For thus it is meete for mee to thinke of you all: and thus I have you in my heart.
I muſt confeſſe I have ſtill thought and found that there is a great difficulty, in this Divine worke: And a great deale of holy VViſdome, and Strength is requiſite (which I hope you pray for, in my behalfe) to feed the Houſhold of Chriſt with not onelyonly Meate, but with that which properly is their Portion, and that in ſeaſon. I remember our bleſſed Lord ſpeakes of him as of a rare Bird, and hard to bee found; Who as a wiſe and faithfull Steward,Luk. 12.42 Tis foreign. Demenſum cibum; each ſoule hath its meaſure, ſee Eph. 4.7 gives the Houſhold their Portion of meate in due ſeaſon. WHO THEN (ſaith Chriſt) IS THAT FAITHFUL AND WISE STEWARD? To bee able to give meate (not poyſon, nor Huskes) and the portion of meate (that which is proper and fit for each) and this in due ſeaſon i. e. when tis peculiarly needfull, and requiſite) I ſay to bee able to doe thus; requires not onelyonly faithfulneſſe but wiſdome too, and that in a large meaſure.
And if you ſay you have not found mee ſuch a Steward, ſo Wiſe, and ſo Faithfull; I muſt ſigh, and ſeale to the truth thereof: For alas! Who is ſufficient for this.
But albeit this bee above my attainement, yet it is in my indeavour, a true (though a weake) witneſſe whereof, I hope the inſuing Treatiſe will be.
When it was delivered to your eare (which Job ſaith, tryes words, as the mouth doth meate: Iob 12.13.) You were pleaſed to teſtifie to this truth, that it was your portion of meat in due ſeaſon. And divers of your profeſſed, that your ſoules were fed and refreſhed by it, as by meate ſuitable, and ſeaſonable for you.
This hath made your intreaty prevalent with mee, to repreſent it to your eye in Print, to try it again.
And the moſt precious God grant that you may bee led by his spirit in it, as in a greene Paſture, by the ſtill Rivers, and that your ſoules may lye downe and feede therein [SO] as that thoſe that ſee you, may juſtly ſpeak of you, as of a Flocke and field whom the Lord himſelfe hath bleſſed. This is all that I ſhall ſay to you about this Treatiſe.
But I ſhal take the advantage of this Preſſe, to leave the Print of Three Words, of advice upon your hearts. The words are theſe.
1 Keepe to your Fold.
2 Eye your Shepheard.
3 Walke as Sheep.
1 Keepe to your Fold: Beware of wandering, from Mountaine to Hill, Jer. 50.6.(which I may ſafely allegorize thus) of going from one high notion to another) forgetting your reſting place.
Certainly, the Churches of the New Teſtament, which are built upon the faith, and walke in the order of the Goſpell, Sion is the place. Chriſt the reſt of ſoules. It is hee that gives. It is there that he gives reſt.are the places where Chriſt feedeth, and where hee maketh his flockes to reſt at noone, In them are the footſteps of his flocke, and theſe are the tents where hee feedes his Kiddes, as it is Cant. 1.7, 8. O never bee as thoſe weake and wanton ſpirits, who wander from theſe Folds.
Dinah by wandering got nothing but a rape: And I wiſh ſome of late could not ſay the like. 'Tis true, ſome are gone out from us, of whom I am not ſo Apoſtolicall as to ſay; but I muſt bee ſo charitable as to pray, it may never appear they were not of us.
But its your mercy, that as yet you ſtand: O bee not high minded but feare, leaſt you fall. For certainly, it is ſo farre from being an aſcent to spirituall height, Heb. 10.25, 26.that it is a degree of falling away, to forſake the Aſſemblies of Saints, which are the Folds of Chriſt.
II, Eye your Shepherd, i.e. The Lord Jeſus. 'Tis true, Men have a name of being Shepherds, but tis but as ciphers have of being figures, which all know are nothing, except one ſtand by them, Even Paul himſelfe was not a ſubſtantiall Shepherd. It was not hee, but Chriſt that did all. And certainly, except Jeſus Chriſt bee with us, we neither be nor can doe any thing.
I beſeech you therefore alway to eye him, for it is he who is the Shepherd, and Bishop of your ſoules, as it is, 1 Pet. 2. laſt.
Now in your eying Chriſt, take theſe ſeaſonable directions, viz.
Eye him as
1 Subſtantiall.
2 Sweet.
3 Sacred.
1 Eye Jeſus Chriſt as ſubſtantiall; let never that blackneſſe, and Blaſphemie over-cloud your heads, and hearts, which hath made ſome to thinke and ſpeake of Chriſt as of a forme and ſhadow. How ſad an eſtate were our ſoules in, if Jeſus Chriſt were but a ſhadow, and yet the Socinians make him no more, while they deny his making any ſubſtantiall ſatisfaction for us; for they rather make him a meere Patterne of what we ſhould doe, then a mediatory Patient of what we ſhould ſuffer; and ſo deny him to be a ſubſtantiall Saviour. And thus likewiſe the Seekers over-throw the ſubſtantiality of Chriſt, who ſpeake, and think of him only as a forme of God, putting forth it ſelfe for a time, and annihilated afterwards; And who profeſſedly maintaine, That Chriſt was but a ſhadow of what God would doe in our Fleſh, and that themſelves are as ſubstantially God as he. But alas! how are they deceived? I hope you have not ſo learned;Pſal. 39.6. for you know, that every man walkes in a vaine shew, and Chriſt is the ſubſtantiall, and expreſſe Image of the Fathers glory; Heb. 1.3. Col. 2.9.and that the God-head it ſelfe ſubſtantially dwels in him. Indeed, all things beſides Chriſt are but meere ſhadowes, Col. 2.17he is the Body, he is the Subſtance, eye him, and honour him ſo.
2 Eye your Shepheard as ſweet; entertaine no hard thoughts of the Lord Jeſus: Perſwade your ſoules he hath both done, and ſuffered all things for your ſakes. He hath ſuffered for all your wanderings, though you were as ſheep going aſtray, as it is, 1 Pet. 2.24.25. He workes all for you, and in you; and there remaines nothing more for you to doe, but to make ſure to your ſelves by faith, that which he hath made ſure in its ſelfe by love. It is true, if you wander, his Crooke ſhall gather you; and it may be his Dogge worry you; but ſtill he is ſweet, for it is becauſe hee'l not looſe you. It is true, you muſt not be idle, hee'l have you pray, read, heare, beleeve, doe, &c. but theſe things ſhall rather be, as your pleaſant walkes in his waies, then any painfull workes. In all his Diſpenſations towards you he is, and you ſhall finde him ſweet, therefore eye, and love him ſo.
3 Eye your Shepheard as ſacred; Remember though he love Sinners, hee loathes ſinne. Though he did beare the guilt of ſinne upon his bache, yet he wil not beare with the filth of ſinne in your boſome. O! let the words, and tenets of thoſe, that ſlight ſinne as nothing, and ſpeake of prophanneſſe as high as of Piety, and fancy themſelves as holy, and happy in acts of ſinne, as in good duties: Let theſe and the like, be as the firſt begotten of Monſters, and abominations to your hearts. It is the duty of Saints to beware, not only of filthy, but of fooliſh talking; to avoyd not only acts, but appearances of evill;1 Theſ. 5.22. to hate not only Workes, but Garments defiled with the fleſh. And fornication, and all uncleanneſſe is ſo farre to be avoyded,Eph. 5.2, 3 Jud. 23. that it is not once to be named by Saints. Remember, your Shepherd when he was but a Childe was holy, Act. 4.27and when he was perfect, and at the right hand on high, he ſent his holy Spirit to Peter, to proclaime this to all the Flock ſcattered up and downe, that he was holy, and that they ſhould be holy too, 1 Pet. 1.16. this Peter writ as he was moved by the Holy Ghoſt.
Eye therefore your Shepherd as he is, i. e. ſacred, and doe you labour to be like him in all your converſation. Thus ſhall you doe that which is my laſt advice, viz.
3 Live as Sheep; Be innocent and harmleſſe, be meek and patient, take heede of being Wolves in Sheeps cloathing, or of being Sheep in Wolviſh cloathing; Neither be, nor doe as Wolves: Bite not, nor devour one another, live in love, as Lambs in one Fold. Shew your diſcerning eare, in not following Strangers; and your obedient eare in following of Jeſus Chriſt. His Sheepe love him, ſo doe you; and by this alſo, Let all men know that you are his Sheepe, that you love one another.
But affection hath carried my Pen beyond my intention, ſuffer me only to acquaint you with my deſire for you, and my deſire to you, and I have done at preſent.
My deſire for you is, That of thoſe whom Chriſt hath committed to me, I may looſe none; but that at the Great day I may ſay; Here am I, and the Sheepe thou haſt committed to me.
My deſire to you is; That you would pray for me, that utterance (I ſay againe,Epheſ. 4.19 utterance) may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make knowne the Myſtery of the Goſpell; and that I may feed you, not of conſtraint, but willingly; not for filthy Lucre, 1 Pet. 5.2, 3, 4.but of a ready minde: Neither as being a Lord over Gods heritage, but as a faithful, loving, Wiſe, and diligent Shepherd: That when the chiefe Shepherd ſhall appeare, I may receive a Crowne of glory, which Chriſt ſhall give to me in that2 Tim. 8.4 day; and not only to me, but to all that love his appearing.
But this thing I hope ye daily doe, and that I have no need to put you further in remembrance of it; I ſhall therefore breake off, when my heart hath ſubſcribed that I am beloved,
Your loving Paſtor under Chriſt, and laborious Servant for Chriſt: John Durant.