The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 42
CHAP. XLII. A Caſe, concerning the tryal of ſpiritual life or deadneſſe under ſuch ſuppoſed decayes. And another (occaſionally) concerning an hypocrites delight in tydings of comfort from God.
Queſt. BUt do you (indeed) think I am not quite dead? How ſhall I know whether I am or no?
Anſw. Well then, I will adventure to bee thy Phyſician, and examine the ſtate of thy ſoul: firſt then, put this looking-glaſſe to thy mouth, and let me ſee, doſt thou breath, or no? Friend, tell me, what do you wiſh for? Are your heavenly deſires all dead? Is there no hungring, and thirſting after God? is there no longing after his preſence and Image? No pantings after holineſſe, and the total mortification of ſinne? I believe, many a Saint is often at that paſſe, in deſertion, that he dares ſay no more, then, Lord, thou knoweſt the deſire of my ſoul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee Iſaiah 26-8. And (with Nehemiah) Lord hearken, and be attentive to the prayer of thy ſervant who deſires to feare thy name, Nehem. 1. 11. And yet in theſe deſires are the breathings of a quickened and quickening Spirit, even the breathings of Gods Holy Spirit in thine. Thou drawest in the breath of heaven, or elſe thou couldſt not breath it out.
2 Let me ſee thy tongue, how is thy palate affected? Thou ſayeſt thou taſteſt no ſweetneſſe in the wayes of God; why doſt thou not leave them then? Doſt thou find any thing ſweeter? It may be thy mouth is out of taſte to every thing elſe, as thou thinkeſt it is to them. But, tell me, is it not the dreſſing of a Duty that makes thee diſ-reliſh it, and not any thing in the Duty it ſelf? It is becauſe thou art dead in duty, that thou art not delighted with it. It may be (if the Duty or Ordinance be publick▪) thou maiſt upon this account not be affected, becauſe it may not be managed with life and power, or it may not be managed ſutably to thy condition, and thou diſ-reliſheſt all things that do not meet thy particular caſe. Herein (it is true) there is a failing, but it ſeems ſtill hereby, that thy diſaffection is not to the Duties and Ordinances themſelves, but only to the dreſſing of them. And this appeares, in that thou waiteſt on them ſtill, and expecteſt when God will make a match betweene thy heart and the Ordinance, by directing himſelfe more particularly to do thee good. Thou art not of the temper of them who leave the uſe of all Ordinances becauſe they diſreliſh them in ſuch and ſuch a way of Adminiſtration.
3 Let me feel thy pulſe, how beats it towards the world, how towards ſin? that will tell how 'tis with the heart: if thy heart be alive, there is no fear. What thoughts are thoſe that ſtir when a temptation to ſin is preſented, when a temptation is offered to re-enter upon the enjoyments of the preſent world? Doth the heart beat then, and doth the pulſe beat quick by way of anger and indignation? It is a true ſigne of life, when minus grata, things that are againſt nature, cauſe an alteration in the body. One that will ſtart at a pinch, or ſhew any other alteration on the apprehenſion of an unpleaſing Object, is alive. For (as I ſhewed you before) fear is a living affection, and ſuch abhorrences ariſe from fear. I never knew any ſoul in the caſe of the complainer, but if ſin were preſented to him, his very hair and heart would riſe againſt it. And ſurely, the Antipathies of ſuch a ſoul ſhew a life ſutable to them Surely, 'tis the divine Nature that ſtirs up a loathing of ſin. 'Tis the love of God that inclines to the hatred of evill.
4 Let me pinch thee a little. Friend, if you be quite dead, as you ſay you are; then ſurely, if God be diſhonoured never ſo much, if his Church and people be trodden under foot, if his Goſpel be carryed away to another people, if ſin be committed round about the place of your reſidence with never ſo high an hand, and with never ſo publick approbation, 'tis likely you are ſenſible of none of this. Let me try, are you ſo? Come hither Julian, and blaſpheme God and Chriſt. Come Bonner, and make havock of the Saints. Come Swearer, Drunkard, unclean perſon, and act over your horrid impieties before this perſon freely: ſurely, if he be dead▪ there are no reproofs in his mouth: Mortui non mordent, Dead men bite not. How like you theſe things? Oh Sir, do you ſtartle, do rivers of tears run down your eyes, becauſe men keep not Gods law? Pſal. 119. 136. Do the reproaches of them that reproach God fall upon you? Pſal. 69. 9. Is it as a ſword in your bones to hear men blaſpheme God, and diſpute down Pſalm 42. 10.truth, and profeſſe horrid iniquities under the name of perfection? &c. Surely, here is life; pinch a dead man whiles you will, and you cannot make him ſtart.
5 You ſay you are dead, if you be dead, then what make you among living company? Do the dead uſe to converſe with the living? Get thee hence from the ſociety and communion of Gods Saints, from the exerciſes and imployments of living men▪ and converſe with the men of the world, the men of this generation, and put in thy lot among them, diſcourſe of Oxen, and Farms, and Merchandize; but as for the things of God, and perſons that converſe with him, ſpiritually dead perſons do not uſe to have much to do with theſe. Is this harſh to thee? Doſt thou diſreliſh this exilement from God and Saints? Is all thy delight in the Saints that are upon earth, and in them that excel in vertue? Pſal. 16. 3. Doſt thou deſie the wicked, and chaſe them from thee? Pſal. 6. 8. Surely, there is life in thee. A dead man is fit company for none but thoſe in the ſame condition. They that are dead are free from the relations, company, and imployments of living men.
6 Thou ſayeſt thou art dead; I will try thee once with good newes, Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, ſaith the Lord: tell them that their warfare is accompliſhed. Iſai. 40. 1, 2. My ſalvation is …eer to come, Iſa. 56. 1. Yet a little while, and he that ſhall come, will come, and will not tarry, Heb. 10. 37. Suppoſe I could ſay to thee by a certain Revelation from heaven, The next moment (O ſad ſoul) the Lord will ſmile upon thee, and ſorrow and ſighing: ſhall fly away. How would this affect thee? Would not this make a ſudden alteration in thee? Would not faith, joy, and love, and thankfulneſſe ſtrive which ſould break out firſt? ſurely they would. But if thou werſt quite dead, this would not affect thee. A natural man takes no pleaſure in the approaches of God, he had rather have him farther off, They ſay to God, depart from us, Job 21. 14.
If the Sun be never ſo near the earth, yet the dead tree is not ſenſible of its influence: it cauſeth no alteration therein, no leaves, no buds, no fruits teſtifie its approach.
Object. But may not a wicked man delight in the approaches of Gods comforting and refreſhing preſence, eſpecially under troubles of conſcience, although there be no ſpiritual life in him at all?
Anſ. He may delight in the removal of his preſent terrors, by application of comfort. But 'tis not God, in comfort, that he looks after. Let him have comfort or peace any way, he is wel pleaſed, whether God draw nigh to him or no. If the Divel will conjure down his troubles, if the world will choak them, if muſick will fiddle them away, if the cup will drown them, it is all one to him, ſhall I ſay? nay, it is more then if God ſpake them away. But a living ſoul ſayes, If God will not let me out of this pit, this dungeon, I will never go out; it is leſſe to me to be free, then to be freed by him; that he is the Authour of my liberty, endears it to me. To enjoy a quiet conſcience, and not enjoy God in that quiet of conſcience, is a worſe hell to me then my former terrors. Lord, reſtore my fetters and chains te me, give me my horri…l… pit, my mire and clay, my watered bed, my broken bones, my diſtracted ſpirit again. I had rather chuſe them all, then not receive my liberty from thy ſingle hand. Any chains are eaſie if they bee compared with a godleſs liberty.
2 But grant that a wicked man may (poſſibly) deſire the comforting preſence of God too, yet he cannot delight in the approaches of Gods ſanctifying preſence. Friend, could I tell thee, that God is approaching to thee as a Refiners fire, to purge out all thy droſſe, and take away all thy tin, Iſai. 1. 25. that the comfortable preſence of God, will be the death of thy deareſt luſts: Surely thou wouldſt ſay, Yea (Sir) let him come and welcome. 'Tis a day I have prayed for, longed for, wept for, waited for. O I will not accept of the Monarchy of the whole world for my ſhare in this tydings. I would not take heaven upon terms of reconciliation with my luſts. Is it thus with thee? My life for thine, thou art not dead.