The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Certain other Hinderances removed.
A Sixth Hinderance is, 6. Keeping Satans counſel. Many a ſoul bears ſad burthens in this kind oftentimes, becauſe he is aſhamed to utter what it is that troubles him. As many a man bears a Diſeaſe in ſome part, which he is loath to diſcover, and will not be knowne of it till there be no remedy but he muſt dye of it. This is Satans policy, to repreſent the ſoul before converſion as beautiful in all the ornaments of civility and good nature (as we ſay) and formality as is poſſible. But after converſion, when the ſoul pants after Aſſurance of Gods love, then to ſhew it its own face in as black a glaſſe, as hell, or (its Landskip) an accuſing, terrifying conſcience can afford. And therefore he enlargeth ordinary infirmities into monſtrous Apoſtacies, and ſins againſt the Holy Ghoſt; and if the ſoul be ſatisfied that its ſins are not of that dye, becauſe it never entertained a thought of malice and envy againſt God or his wayes, (which is required to that ſin) Then he will inject fearful ſuggeſtions into the mind, horribilia de Deo, &c. horrid thoughts of God, Chriſt, Religion, Scriptures, &c. And then he acts as a wicked Whore; when he hath laid theſe brats of his at a Saints door, then he purſues him as the father of them for maintenance, ſolicites Reaſon to defend them, or at leaſt to diſpute them; and if a ſoul throw them out as faſt as he caſts them in, then he makes it his next buſineſſe to perſwade it to keep his counſel in theſe thoughts and temptations; for (ſaith he) what will godly people think of thee, if thou ſhouldſt diſcover ſuch things as theſe? No one that fears God would ever come nigh thee any more.
So concerning thoughts of ſelf-murder, temptations to fearful and horrid pollutions, &c. If he cannot faſten them upon the heart, he will labour (at leaſt) to prevail for our ſecrecy in them. And then he knowes he can make great advantages of thoſe concealments. As a looſe companion when he hath tempted an honeſt woman to uncleanneſſe, and cannot prevail, his next deſigne is to perſwade her to keep his attempt cloſe, and to allow him her company ſtill; which if he can do, he will afterwards (as being one that regards not his owne reputation) blaſt her, as if ſhe were really guilty of the Fact, and endeavor to make her concealment of his temptations, and continued converſe with him, the Argument to prove her ſo: So if Satan can prevail ſo far, he will quickly perſwade a ſoul that he hath conſented to what he hath concealed, and ſo lay all that load of deſperate concluſions which would follow from the ſins themſelves upon the ſuſpicion of them. And therefore as a woman that is honeſt and wiſe, will diſcover ſuch ſollicitations to an husband or near friend, and deſire them to watch over her, leſt ſhe be overcome by importunity to an act ſhe ſo much abhors, and if need be, will reveal them more publickly, by way of Caution, for her fuller Vindication: So in this caſe it is the beſt way to deal with Satan. Let no ſuch thought ariſe, but away firſt to God, and then to a godly Miniſter, or a godly friend, and unboſom thy ſelfe, for hereby thou ſhalt be able to call witneſſe againſt Satan upon every occaſion, and take away the advantage from him of ſuggeſting many deſperate thoughts to thee, which if he have ſo much footing as thy bare ſilence, he will inject with a great deal of vehemency. On the other ſide, he will quickly be diſcouraged from tempting, if what he ſpeaks in ſecret, were publiſhed upon the houſe tops.
7 Secret tempting of God, and dependance upon ſuch means and ſuch men for peace, and limiting God to ſuch and ſuch a time, and reſolving not to wait on God beyond that time, or not to expect it from any other meanes. It may bee ſlighted means and an unexpected time ſhall bring thee that comfort which thou haſt in vain looked for from more likely inſtruments, and more probable ſeaſons. Truly friends, God will have peace as well as grace to be every way free, and unconfined. Say not, ſuch a Miniſter indeed is an honeſt man, and preacheth well, but I ſhall never profit by him; if ever I have comfort it muſt be from ſuch or ſuch a mouth. Say not, if God anſwer me not in ſuch an ordinance, or ſuch a duty, I am hopeleſſe, &c. It oftentimes falls out here as it doth in dangerous diſeaſes among great perſonages; They perſwade themſelves that ſuch or ſuch a plain, honeſt Phyſician, whom they vouchſafe to conſult with in ordinary caſes, is able to do them no good in their preſent diſtempers; he is not ſtudied, or hath not experience enough, and therefore they muſt adviſe with ſuch or ſuch a Court Doctor of eminent practiſe, and then they think they cannot miſſe of a cure.
But many times it ſo happens, that after they have ſpent their ſtrength and eſtate on fees and bills, and are come down into the Country to dye, a plain countrey Phyſician, and a little Kitchin-phyſick hath reſtored them. Truly friends, 'tis ſo in the caſe of aſſurance from the Spirit, Becauſe ſome godly Miniſters cannot preach ſo every way experimentally as others can, many troubled ſpirits decline them, and their miniſtery, and will ſcarce vouchſafe to diſcover their caſes to them. None muſt be ſuppoſed able to do them good, but ſuch, and ſuch: Well, ſuch mens miniſtery is tryed, and it may be (not out of any deficiency in them, who it is poſſible may preach truths, and apply medicines of ſoveraign value and vertue; but meerely) through a ſecret hand of God rendering them unſucceſſefull, that he may keep the meaneſt of his Eembaſſadours from contempt, and the moſt eminent humble, and let people know, that the Spirit of conſolation and Adoption, as well as that of grace and ſupplication, bloweth where, and whence, and when, and how he liſteth▪ the ſoul-patient finds no recovery, but it is fain at laſt to bee beholden to a man of very mean abilities, and to a word which ſeemed empty and barren before, for comfort and aſſurance.
So, for time. A ſoul enlarged in prayer, ſteeped in tears, enflamed with deſires, thinks, now verily the time, the ſet time is come, God will be found of me in a way of peace, and ſatisfaction. No friend, no ſuch matter. God (it may be) will make thee ſtay till thou haſt even doubted thy ſelf out of all hope, becauſe of thy barreneſſe, and deadneſſe, and inability to perform any ſervice as thou oughteſt, and then he will ſend his Spirit to ſhed abroad his love in thy heart: thou ſhalt bring ſorth this child of comfort, when, as Sarahs womb, thy ſoul is dead, and almoſt hopeleſſely barren.
8. A ſinfull ambition of ſelf-preparations for comfort and peace: were I ſo much humbled, ſaith the poor ſoul, ſo kindly and ingenuouſly affected with my ſins; could I recover of this deadneſſe, and flatneſſe of ſpirit into any meaſure of livelineſſe and ſpiritualneſſe in my performances; then I would believe comfort, and aſſurance of Gods love belonged to me; but that a ſoul ſo little, ſo legally broken as I am, ſo barren, ſapleſſe, lifeleſſe, ſpiritleſſe in all my ſervices ſhould have any ſhare in Chriſt, any title to the Covenant of Grace, any part or portion with the Saints of God, I cannot, I will not believe. This is juſt like Peters unreaſonable motion: Depart from me, for I am a ſinfull man, O Lord. Luke, 5. 8. Fooliſh man, to whom ſhould the Phyſician come but to the ſick? 'Twere a fond thing to imagine the patient muſt be recovered, before he comes that he may be ſit to entertain him. So here; Thou wilt not entertain any perſwaſion of an intereſt in Chriſt, till thou attain ſuch and ſuch proportions and meaſures of grace. Alas! man, till thou have ſome evidence of thy intereſt in Chriſt, thou wilt never a tain them: 'tis want of that evidence occaſions thy defects in humiliation, thy deadneſſe and ſappleſſeneſſe in duties, &c. Men travel heartleſſely in the darke, becauſe they know not whether they go backwards or forwards, whether the next ſtep may not be a precipice to ruine them. But when the day-light ariſeth, and ſhews them by the coaſt of the country, that they are in their way, this puts new life and ſpirits into them. The joy of the Lord is a Chriſtians ſtrength. Neh. 8. 10. Nor is it meet, whiles thou art in this frame, that thou ſhouldſt have this witneſſe in thy Spirit, For if thou ſhouldſt recover more life and vigour of grace and duty, and thy aſſurance therein, thou perhaps wouldſt be proud of thy attainments, and attribute thy aſſurance to them, and ſo God would have leſſe honour and thou leſſe certainty of it. God would have leſſe honour, becauſe (as I ſaid) grace I would ſcarce be ſeen through ſuch qualifications. The ſmell of ſome delicious fields (they ſay) ſo takes the dogges, that they forget their prey, and follow it no more: ſuch delicious fields of duties may d…aw off the ſoul from the ſent of Chriſt.
And thou wouldſt have leſſe certainty of continuing it. For it would riſe and fall according to thy own qualifications and ablities. For water in a water-courſe will never riſe above its ſpring; if the ſpring of aſſurance be your own perfections, then as that is higher and lower, ſo will the aſſurance be. You that one time find your graces at a ſpring tide, another time will find them at the loweſt ebbe, and then your aſſurance will ebbe with them, as it flowes with them.
9. Giving too much way to prejudices againſt God, and his love, from preſent ſenſe and feeling. For hereby we make the ſpirit double work: Firſt to untie and untangle our own knotty, and ſnarled reaſonings, and then to build in us a new perſwaſion upon new arguments of his own. A man had better Catechiſe a child or a rude ignorant heathen, then endeavour to reduce an heretick, becauſe the one (as he knows not the truth, ſo he) is not prejudiced againſt it; the other is not only ignorant of it, but he is poſſeſſed with contrary principles, and hath ſubtilty of argument to reſiſt it. So a builder that is to lay foundataions where the ground is clear, and hath not been occupyed that way before, will not need to do much ere he ſet upon his work. But he that is to lay new foundations, and build a new houſe where the ruins of an old Abbey are already, muſt have double work, digging up the old, and then laying the new. Now 'tis ſtrange to hear, what arguments Souls in this darkneſſe are prepoſſeſſed withall, that God doth not love them.
1. Preſent ſmart. Can love conſiſt with ſuch blowes? Thoſe ſtrokes ſure are the ſtrokes of an enemy. To deliver mee over to Satan, to be buffetted by him in ſuch a manner, to ſet me as a ſpectacle to Men and Angels, and ſhut me up in ſuch a dungeon of horrour as none beſides me ever came into. Is this conſiſtent with love? 2. Paſt obſtinacy. God hath ſaid, he will not hear me, and juſtly: for he hath call'd many times, and I have turned the deaf eare to him. Yea, this is that the Lord hath ſaid, Prov. 1. 24. &c. Be ſure to ſtop the mouth of theſe prejudices by, Heb. 12. 6. and Iſay 55. 7, 8, 9. Jo. 6. 37. and other ſuch places.
10. Slackneſſe and remiſſeneſſe in (occaſioned by ſucceſſeleſſeneſſe of) Ordinances and Duties. When once thoſe prejudices cauſe a ſoul to cry out, there is no hope, God Lam. 3. 6, 7, 8.hath builded againſt me, he ſhutteth out my prayer; then there is no temptation more likely to ſucceed then this. Why man, what doſt thou labour for? Why doſt thou ſow thy precious prayers on the ſand of the ſea ſhore, whence there can no harveſt be expected? And hereupon the ſoul is, if not taken off from duties, yet for want of faith (which is the l…fe of dutyes) the chariot moves ſlowly when the wheels are taken off Hope to ſpeed is the greateſt encouragement to duty. You clip the wings of duty, if you preſent unconquerable difficulties before it. And when once the wings of duty are clipped, that it cannot fly abroad to gather ſuſtenance for faith, no wonder if that pine away and dye too. And if faith dye, aſſurance is h…peleſſe.