England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 64
COLOSSIANS 1.24.
Who now rejoyce in my ſufferings for you.
foreignSUfferings both externall and internall, the word imports, ſuch ſtripes upon the fleſh, as did affect and afflict the ſpirit, that did make paſſiones animi, ſoule-paſſions. There is ſuch an affinite between the body and the ſoule, that it is hard to ſeparate them in ſuffering, yet a divine hand of God, who is father of ſpirit and fleſh, makes burthens pinch more upon the one then upon the other, as pleaſeth him Pauls cup was eminently proportion'd to Chriſts, 'twas to fill up that which was behind of the afflictions of Chriſt; and Chriſts cup had thoſe ingredients, which made his ſoule heavie to death, they did deeply affect, not onelyonly his fleſh, but his ſpirit.
Body and ſoule were as Simeon and Levi, brethren in evill, and God makes chaines to couple both together in miſery, and pinches that part moſt that is worſt, puts double bolts upon the leader to ſin, that's the ſoule. What God joynes, he would not have us to part, what we joyne, he will not part; we joyne body and ſoule in ſin, and he doth not part them in ſuffering, not in the beſt. Chriſt can diſtinguiſh between theſe two in the matter of affliction, and ſo lightly touches the fleſh, that it ſhall never trouble the ſpirit, but then man uſually deſpiſeth the chaſtening of the Lord; yea, the beſt are apt to doe ſo. [My ſonne] deſpiſe not the chaſtening of the Lord. God puts ſuch twigs in all his cords for his children, that he makes no wantons of them: when they joy in ſufferings under one notion, they ſhall ſorrow in them under another: When they joy in ſufferings, it ſhall be againſt ſenſe, and againſt reaſon, not as if they did feele a little, but as feeling much, onelyonly apprehending the iſſue, how glorious and how precious that will be. Bonds and chaines are ſo heavie, as to make our joy a pure joy; the miſery of Saints is ſo ponderous, as to preſſe their joy pure, to make it a joy of faith, not of ſenſe in the leaſt, body and ſoule being both in paine.
You ſqueeſe out the ſpirit and puritie of things, ſo doth Chriſt. Chriſt doth ſo affect the body and ſoule in his dealings, that if any grace act forth, it ſhall be pure grace, ſuch as is fed with no low principle. If joy worke, it ſhall be from faith, not from feeling: if faith worke, it ſhall be from the word without, not from any thing that it feeles elſe or ſees, without or within. Our heights are neceſſitated, with one medium or other. When our ſoules are higheſt, they are wound and ſcrewed up to it with much paine, and then when raiſed to this height, 'twould not be downe againe for all the world, but kiſſes the rod, chaines, priſons, any bitters that worke about ſo ſweet, ſo heavenly a life, as to joy purely in Chriſt.
The nature of divine trials, is the thing that I would ſtand upon, how the arrowes of the Almightie are ſhaped, now ſharpe theſe are, which he ſhoots at his people, they pierce thorow all, body and ſoule. Wherefore is life given to him that is in miſery, and light to him that is in bitterneſſe of ſoule, Job 3.20. Theſe expreſſions aptly ſuite the point I am upon, and doe open the nature of thoſe trials, that befall the godly: they have miſery, that is not all, they have miſery wrapt up into ſuch bitter pils, as work upon the ſoule. That's ſtrong phyſick indeed, that ſets all a trembling & caſting, body and ſoule, yet ſuch God gives thoſe he loves dearly: in bitterneſſe of ſoule; the expreſſion is very emphaticall, like that to Elymas, in the gall of bitterneſſe; it ſpeakes a ſtate ſteeped, and ſoaked long in miſery, till ſoaked quite thorow; every ſinew ſtretched, every bone put out of joynt, no whole part within nor without; not a thought lying ſtill, nor knowing where to find a pillow in any roome of the ſoule, to lie downe on.
God makes no diſtinction of perſons here, I meane in the point that I am purſuing. All things come alike to all, alike ſweet, alike bitter, alike for qualitie, alike for quantitie; a veſſell of honour filled as full of ſorrow here, as a veſſell of wrath, waters coming into the ſoule. [I am] feeble and ſore broken. I have roared for the diſquietneſſe of my heart, Pſal. 38.81. None but evill ſpirits are broken and tortur'd below, they are all curſed creatures that roare there: but here good as well as bad, are broken all to pieces; all roare here, wicked men, Saints, brave Spirits, I am ſore broken, I roare. What a dreadfull din and noiſe is all this world over! One would thinke one were in hell whileſt here: in every Countie, in every Citie, in every houſe; no dore ſprinkled for a paſſeover in this point of ſorrow, ſorrow at the heart. The arrowes of the Lord are [within me.] No houſe ſo walled, nor ſo high here, but God ſhoots into it when he will: he moves in order to all trials with the godly, as he doth in order to all judgements with the wicked, according to an abſolute will. When he will, he takes up whom he will amongſt the wicked, and truſſeth him up ſo or ſo, quarters him, and hangs up his quarters, makes him leſſe or more notorious, as he pleaſes: ſo when he will, he takes up whom he will of the godly; priſons, chaines them, till the Iron enter into their ſoule, ſets them up as a mark, and ſhoots them cleane thorow. Why haſt thou ſet [me] up as a mark to ſhoot at? Job 7.20. And this a meere exerciſe of prerogative will, which Job could not underſtand at preſent, but did afterward. Though God hath made over much to man, yet hath reſerved this priviledge to himſelfe, to have his Range in this great Foreſt here below, & to ſhoot at what he will, at what goat he will, or at what Deer he will, and at what part of this Deer he will, at the heart, ſo he doth not make an incurable wound.
And this Chriſt can doe, and this may be the reaſon of his priviledge. He wounds as he pleaſes, becauſe he can heale as he pleaſes; ſhoots the body, and ſhoots the ſoule of his people, becauſe he can take out the bullet where ever it lies, and heale that part as perfect, yea perfecter then ever 'twas. Poiſons that gangrene and eate upward and inward towards the heart, Chriſt can ſtop their ſecret motion, and draw out the poiſon at the pores of the ſoule, at the eyes, at the mouth, in ſpirituall breathings, and kind ſoule-ſweatings, pantings, mournings, and turne this poiſon that drops out of theſe pores, into a precious ſpirited liquid, and bottle it up as a cordiall for himſelfe to drinke of, and to delight his palate withall for ever. The rareſt ſpirits, are extracted out of the ſtrongeſt poiſons, and Chriſt wants no skill to doe it; he is an admirable Chymiſt, and therefore takes whom and what he will, to try his skill upon. There are no ſuch poiſonous things in the world, as ſin and puniſhment, eſpecially when they meet together in the ſoule, and yet then Chriſt can extract ſuch a ſpirit out of both, as all this world ſhall hardly match. Chriſt can bring a body downe to the grave, and raiſe him up againe, and make his bones like Behemoth, like barres of Iron. David found it oft: Thou haſt renewed my ſtrength like an Eagle. So Chriſt can bring a ſoule down to Hell, and raiſe it up againe to Heaven, yea bring him up ſo full of Heaven, that not one of a thouſand, not one of fortie thouſand comparable; and what Chriſt can doe in this point, he doth when and as he pleaſeth.Mibbor ſ…on. He brought me up alſo out of a horrible pit, out of the mirie clay, and ſet my feet upon a rocke, and eſtabliſhed my goings, Pſal. 40.2. Horrible pit, a vault of hideous noiſes, ſaith the Originall; Chriſt can bring a man downe to ſuch a condition, as if his ſoule were in a vault, where are all manner of hideous and dolefull noiſes, and yet then raiſe the ſpirit as into Heaven, where all manner of melodious and reviving noiſes are.
Ʋſe. Afflicted Chriſtians ſhould ſucke the ſweetneſſe of this point. Doth the paine in thy fleſh rage inward to thy ſpirit? Is the cup thou drinkeſt of bitter to thy ſoule? yet it is a cup of love, 'tis no other then of what Chriſt hath drunke, and left the ſweet of his lips upon, for the next to drinke: 'tis no other then what he gives to the beſt of his. Miſapprehenſion makes burthens intolerable, which is heavier then ever Chriſt intended to any Saint. When any twig in the rod ſtings the ſoule, when any thing ſtickes and preſſes hard upon the ſpirit, the concluſion is, wrath made this rod, and 'twill kill me if I had a thouſand lives. Theſe are our concluſions, meerly ours and Satans, Chriſt hath no hand at all in them. Fatherly diſpleaſure, is love, a God ſetting himſelfe againſt your ſin, not againſt your perſons, he hath imbraced theſe with an everlaſting love. Satan viſits much when the ſoule is in paine, 'twere well if good hearts did know when he comes; his counſels, his preſcriptions, are all deſperate; when the heart is heavie, then he ſhewes ſuch the nailes of that hand that is upon them, how long they be, and how hard they pinch, and what deepe dints and blacke and blew markes they make, (i) he makes an exact collection of circumſtances about every ſtroake of God, with his own comment in the margent. As to inſtance; Love doth ſtrike her beloved ones indeed, but doth ſhee ſtrike ſo ſtrong, ſo long, ſo deep? Doth ſhee ſtrike and not ſtroake a jot? Not with her own hand, nor no body elſe? Doth ſhee wither every other womb of love, when ſhee leaves bringing forth her ſelfe? 'Tis a frowne of God, 'tis a pang of death upon the ſoule, certainly thou canſt not recover it, ſaith that curſed ſpirit. One would conſtrue the Devill under a notion of ſimplicitie in this, (there may be charitie to the Devill) he is ſo under juſtice himſelfe, that he can ſee nothing elſe, and this is the ſtrength of the torment that is upon him: but yet then he is to be judged no fit leader in ſuch a caſe as this, when he hath to doe with ſpirits in a better ſtation then himſelfe.
The workes of God are wonderfull, eſpecially ſuch as reach the ſoule, and need to be read over often, ere a man venture to make a poſitive concluſion upon them, that this and no other is the meaning. Afflicted Chriſtians, you are too raſh, too venturous, paine puts you into paſſion, that's a very miſ-judging condition. You judge things before the time; this in ſmall matters is no ſmall fault, nor of no ſmall evill event, but what is it when a man doth thus about the greateſt acts that relate to him in all the world? The tranquillity of the ſoul is embarked, in a right judgement of things; let Satan, your own paſſion, any wile whatſoever, overturne this, and you ſhipwracke and ſinke your conſolation irrecoverably: therefore ſtudie long, pray long, waite long, ere you draw up a judgement upon that hand-writing, that is in the wall againſt you. Doe as that Heathen, judge others better able to interpret the handwriting againſt you, then your ſelves. And if you would have the exact meaning of this ſtrange ſtroake or that, doe as he did, ſend for the moſt experienced ſpirituall man in all the world,Some foreign. and let him rather then thy ſelfe, make a judgement upon that hand, that writes bitter things againſt thee. Open thy breaſt and ſay; Sir, doe you ſee any plague-ſpot in my breaſt? (one cannot look very well in his own breaſt, 'tis ſo high) open it fully to another. Pray Sir, deale faithfully with me: Do you ſee any plague ſpots in my breaſt? There be ſpots there, are they the ſpots of Gods people or not? How black be they? How broad be they? How many be they? If thou wilt make many curious queſtions about thy ſtate, and drive things to an exact diſquiſition, be ſure that thou take one by thee, better able then thy ſelfe to guide thee, or thou wilt condemne the innocent, and execute thy ſelfe.
Judgement ſetled, and ſomething may be ſpoken to the man, to doe him good. There are two conſiderations, which may much relieve, when trials pinch the ſoule; 'tis for ſome through and noble good to the partie, and for ſome through and noble uſe for Chriſt. The throne of iniquitie is ſtruck at, the head of the Serpent is trod upon: powers within, are Satans ſtrongholds, things which paine and ſhake theſe, come to Satans bed-ſide, and holds a knife to his throat, where he lies, tumbles, and ſleepes. The Granadoes which are caſt into the ſoule, burne the devill in his bed, they burne the branch, yea they burne the root of ſin, 'tis an axe to the roote. Sin conſidered as it lies lodged in the heart, is the root of it, therefore ſaith the Apoſtle, Covetouſneſſe is the root of evill, it being as it were the heart to all other ſinnes. Exorbitant affections, which lie all within, theſe are the roots of all the ſin you act; that which is ſo ordered and ſteeped, as to affect theſe diſ-affected paſſions, ſtrikes at the root of ſin. Seeſt thou a man prickt in ſoule? Stand ſtill; thou wilt ſee pride come downe branch and root. Seven Devils turned out; a floare throughly cleanſed, droſſe purely purged away, a man made cleane every whit, outſide, inſide, all faire, in the eye, yea in the vote of Chriſt, yea in the vote of Chriſt to the ſoule it ſelfe.
And now and not till now, is a Chriſtian fit for noble ſervice, thus throughly dead, and thus throughly raiſed. Pride ſlaine, all her children, that is, looſe affections murthered in their bed, the meek and pure ſpirit, crowned with a viſion of God, you may ſend this dove forth any where, he will come home with an olive branch in his mouth. Set this ſoule about what worke you will, that belongs to a Chriſtian, and he will doe it truly; and if it be to cloth the naked, to relieve the oppreſſed; heel powre out his ſoule or ſtate to the needie, and he will doe it with tender bowels, becauſe he hath needed them himſelfe, and hath taſted how ſweet they are. When the ſoule goes forth in action, then is action done nobly indeed. The Lord is with them that uphold my ſoule, ſays David; and we thinke he points at Jonathan, when he had ſcarce any elſe to cleave to him. When every ones heart was as Iron, Jonathan loved David as his own ſoule; Jonathan had been put to it, he knew what 'twas to be in ſtrait for his life, ſo unfatherly was his father, and therefore he proves a brave ſpirit for this noble ſervice, to ſave the life of David, to raiſe him, and Chriſt in him, to his throne: he was all heart and ſoule in it, and God was with him. God is doubly preſent with a man, which he hath much exerciſed, which is an incomparable advantage, to all divine uſefulneſſe. No man can ſpeake ſo feelingly, ſo healingly, as he that hath much of God ſpeaking in and with him: this is the man of a thouſand, that can ſpeake words in ſeaſon, like apples of gold in pictures of ſilver, that can lend legges to the lame, eyes to the blind; that can comfort thoſe which are caſt downe, with the ſame comforts wherewith he hath been comforted from the Lord.