The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 1 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. Several conſiderations to humble ſuch as have gone through this work ineffectually.
II. HEnce alſo let all thoſe be exhorted that have been under theſe troubles of ſpirit, and have gotten over them without any real work of converſion, or ſaving grace attained by them, to 1. Labour ſeriouſly to bewail the inefficacy of ſuch hopefull means for their good. O friends, 'tis a ſad thing to come out of any trouble, mu…h more ſuch a trouble as this is, and get nothing by it. What a complaint do the Church make in relation to their temporal afflictions, Iſay 26. 17, 18. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have brrught forth wind, &c. That that comforts a woman in her throws, is the hope of a child, and this is that that makes her forget it, when it is over, John 16. 21.
But if a woman fall into grievous pains, and all proves but a Tympany, or an abortive conception, or a monſter, this will not quit the coſt of ſuch throws, and therefore when ſhee thinkss on this time ſhe bewails it ever after.
Much more ſhould ſuch an affection as this poſſeſſe a man, when he conſiders, how near he was to the Kingdom of God (as Chriſt ſaith to the Scribe, Mar. 12. 34.) To periſh within ſight of the harbour; and ſo to come within a ſtride of the goale and miſſe it; O how vexing a thought ſhould this be! 'Twere well if it were ſo with moſt men in this World, whiles they have time to repaire their loſſes. Hereafter▪ 'twill be a trouble to eternity irremediable, and that irremediableneſſe will be the greateſt part of the trouble.
Here, to help this work, may be conſidered, that hereby,
1. The Spirit of God is diſappointed, quenched, reſiſted. 'Tis Gods Spirit that hath conteſted with thy proud, obſtinate, rebellious heart, and 'tis that Spirit whom thou haſt ſo often repulſed. That Spirit is a free ſpirit, and is not bound to move any more; Pſal. 51.'tis a Spirit of grace, and if he move not, Zach. 12. 10.thou canſt never recover again: and when he hath been ſo repulſed, how canſt thou expect his farther attempts? God doth juſtly reſolve many times concerning ſuch perſons, as Gen. 6. 3. That his ſpirit ſhall ſtrive no more.
2. Your hearts are hardened. Believe this for a certain truth, that the more the heart is melted, and ſoftened, if it grow hard again, it grows the harder for it. Thence 'tis, it may be (for I am not certain, the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt is there meant) that the Apoſtle ſaith it is impoſſible to renew ſuch to repentance when they fall away. Heb. 6. 6. impoſſible, that is, as to the ſtrength and power of ordinary means, that work on other men; and if God convert ſuch an one, it is by an act of his abſolute power, beſides the ordinary regulated way of his proceedings. So is the word taken, Mat. 19. 26. that that is impoſſible with men, i. e. which is beyond the reach of men to conceive how it can be done, is poſſible to God. Now for ſuch a man to be converted, is impoſſible to men: not only in that he hath no power in nature to effect it, (for ſo is every mans converſion impoſſible) but in that a man cannot rationally judge him capable of benefit by any of the ordinary ſupernatural means of converſion.
The Word of God, and whatever other means of converſion, will grow ſo familiar with ſuch a man, that all that was affecting in them, will (through acquaintance) grow contemptible; and ſinnes which at firſt view, and in a mans firſt convictions, appeared fearful, and terrible, having once or twice affrighted the ſoul, and done no more, will afterwards loſe their monſtrouſneſſe, by a frequent fruitleſſe view of them: nay hell it ſelfe (as bug hears to children, after they begin to find that there is nothing in them but the name) will appear but an old wives fable, and its fire but a painted flame, ſuch as ſcares more then it hurts; and ſo no wonder if (all theſe reſtraints removed) ſuch an ones latter end be worſe then the beginning, 2 Pet. 2. ult.
Sins before ſoftenings are like weeds in a ground, which before plowing and harrowing wee hope to root out thereby, but afterwards, they are like invincible weeds that no plough or harrow will tear up, and therefore ſuch ground is nigh unto curſing.
3. Conſcience is checked and diſcouraged. That tenderneſſe which before poſſeſſed it upon every ſinne, is in a great meaſure loſt; and whereas it before paſſed a right cenſure concerning thy eſtate, now it is grown partial and flattering. For there is no man can get out of ſoul troubles without the leave of his conſcience. Now conſcience in ſome perſons is ſilenced by main force, in others diſheartened by a ſleighting carriage, in others bribed by a forme of godlineſſe, and ſo it is brought to give way to a deluſive and undoing peace, and either to flatter a man in the way to hel, or not to give him a plain information of his condition.
Now it is a very dangerous thing to quiet conſcience with any thing in the World but the bloud of Jeſus. When an unſprinkled Heb. 10. 22.conſcience is at peace, this is a dangerous and undoing peace. Conſcience is the ſoules faithful watchman, and will (if it bee not blind) when it's let alone in its duty, give faithfull intelligence of its danger in time, that it may be avoided. Now when conſcience is diſcouraged herein, and prevailed withal, to ſpeak nothing but pleaſing things, how ſoon, and how ſuddenly will ſuch perſons ſouls be ſurprized and ruined before they are aware of it? A thouſand times better to have a roaring conſcience, then a ſleeping conſcience, and a ſullen conſcience that will never ſpeak a good word to a man, then a fawning conſcience that wil never (although there be never ſo great cauſe) ſpeak a bad one.
Hereby doth Satan ſecure a ſoul againſt ſaving converſion for the future. See Acts 28. 27. and God ſayes Amen to it, Iſai. 6 9. John 12. 40.
4 Poſſibly hereby thou maiſt be brought farther then all this. Thou haſt not only laid all tongues within door, but thou wilt begin to ſilence the cocks without door alſo, that thou mayeſt ſleep ſecurely for the future. Gods faithful Embaſſadors that ſpeak too loud, and home to thy ſpiritual condition, muſt be enjoyned, or flattered, or ſcared into a deep ſilence, as to all ſuch points as may trouble thee, leſt conſcience newly laid to reſt ſhould ſtartle again. This was (in another caſe) the frame of Ahab; he was reſolved upon his war, and then all the Court-Chaplains are taught their Leſſon, that they muſt all propheſie good ſucceſs to the Kings deſign, and Micaiah, becauſe he will not ſay as they do, hath much ado to get a hearing, 1 Ki…gs 22and when he is heard, gets an impriſonment for delivering his Meſſage. So it is with men in this caſe, when they are reſolved to be at peace with their defiled conſciences, upon any termes, they wilfully turne their backs upon ſuch Miniſters as ſay not what they will have them, and if it were in their power, would uſe them no better then Ahab uſed Micaiah, and Herod John the Baptiſt. And now I have mentioned Herod, me thinks I ſee him juſt ſuch a man as I am now diſcourſing of, a man convinced, and very likely to become a convert, one that heard John gladly a great while; and ſure he was much wrought on that could pleaſe himſelf in ſo auſtere and ſowre a Preacher as John was: but when he had prevailed with conſcience to wink at his ſinful pleaſure with Herodias, then becauſe John made ſo much noiſe of the buſineſſe, that both the King and his Minion were afraid he would make that tell-tale awake, and look abroad againe, and ſtare them in the face; the Preacher muſt be laid in priſon, and his head muſt be cut off to keep his tongue quiet.
Now when a man hath brought himſelf to ſuch a paſſe (as to all ordinary and likely meanes of converſion) he is deſperate.
5. Poſſibly thou maiſt grow into a groſſe neglect of duties and Ordinances. An un-grounded peace often carries men to this: for as it was gotten without theſe meanes, ſo it is maintained without them. And the ſoul thus ſet at liberty, is afraid of coming within the reach of thoſe meanes that may reduce it back again to its old condition. And therefore (ſeeing theſe are the meanes to work converſion) a ſoul prejudiced againſt theſe, is in a moſt unlikely way of ever being ſavingly wrought upon. The man that under this deluſion, being (even upon this very account) prejudiced againſt them; becauſe whiles he was under them, he could never be quiet, and ſince he hath left them, all things are in peace; whence it appears, that he is reſolved, though it coſt him his ſalvation, not to break (if poſſibly he can prevent it) his corrupt and unwarrantable ſecurity and peace. He is aſleep, and not willing to be diſturbed, though he be on the top of a M…ſt. Prov 23. 34.
6 After all this, it is a thouſand to one if thou do not become a more deſperate enemy to, and Perſecuter of the wayes of God then any other, and ſo by degrees fall into the unpardonable ſin. Convinced men come neer the Kingdom of God, and then their hopes are high from God▪ and all this while they flatter him with their lips, and are much in prayer and hearing, &c. until by their deſperate Apoſtacies from theſe beginnings, they have the ſentence of condemn…tion in their own hearts, which they bear about with them ſtill, though not alwayes with the ſame raging and raving clamours; and this conſciouſneſſe of being caſt off by God, and utterly deſerted by the ſpirit of grace, turnes all their love into hatred, and no men in the world prove more bloudy Perſecuters then they. Truly Beloved, it is not for nothing that we find troubled conſciences that are made graciouſly tender, to complain ſo often of their own hearts, that they are afraid they have ſinned the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt; for though every Apoſtacy from a mans convictions be not that ſin, yet every Apoſtacy from ſtrong and deep workings of the Spirit of Bondage is a great ſtep towards it. And although it be ſure, that no man hath committed that ſin who can mourn upon ſuppoſition that he hath committed it; yet it is no leſſe ſure, that many who have been before great Mourners under the ſenſe of other ſins, may fall into it, and be rendred uncapable of ever mourning for ſin any more, but in Hell.