The Tempestuous Soul Calmed by Jesus Christ, Observation 6
Obſ. 6.The calmed Soul is filled with the wonders of Chriſts power and love; They marvelled, ſaying, What manner of man is this, that the Windes and the Sea obey him?
His Name Iſa. 9. is called Wonderfull, deſcribed to be Wonderfull in Counſell, Excellent in Working, Iſa. 28. laſt. We may view thoſe Meditations of the Saints, when thus in the admiration of his wonderfull goodneſſe and ſweetneſſe, Pſal. 90.5. Many O Lord my God are thy wonderfull works which thou haſt done, and thy thoughts which are to usward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee, If I would declare and ſpeak of them, they are more then can be numbred; So Pſal. 34.2. &c. My Soul ſhall make her boaſt in the Lord, &c. Oh magnifie the Lord with me, and let us exalt his Name together; I ſought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my ſears; This poor man cried unto him, and he ſaved him out of all his troubles: Oh taſte and ſee that the Lord is good, Bleſſed is the man that truſteth in him: Pſa. 36.7. How excellent is thy loving kindeneſſe, O God? &c. Pſa. 116.7. Return unto thy Reſt O my Soul, &c. And what ſhall I render unto thee? So Mic. 7.18,19. The Church is brought in ſo admiring Chriſt, Who is a God like unto thee (why?) that pardoneſt iniquity, and paſſeſt by tranſgreſſions? &c. He will turn again (though he hide his face) he will have compaſſion upon us; yea, it will break forth, Come, and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul; yea, then Soul, thou ſhalt know, what is the exceeding greatneſſe of his power towards them that beleeve, according to the working of his mighty power, Eph. 1.19. Theſe wonders of Chriſts power and love will be thus enlarged in thy ſoul: Oh the wonders of his power! Who is like unto thee Indeed, Lord, who waſt able at firſt to lay hold of me, and take me as a brand out of the fire? Oh, Am I not ſaved as a brand out of the fire? Zech. 3.2. Thou who waſt able to ſay unto me, Live, when I was in my bloud; dead as a ſtone in my ſins: Thou who waſt able to ſubdue all the ſtrong rebellion and obſtinacy of my heart; to turn the violent ſtream of it from earth to heaven; yea, thou waſt able to deal with all mine iniquities and corruptions, the leaſt of which had been too ſtrong for me: yea, thou waſt able to rebuke all the tempeſtuous aſſaults of Satan, ſuch tempeſts, ſuch a periſhing condition, ſuch fears upon a poor ſoul, to command the waves to be ſtill, and they were ſo; Oh who is like unto thee my Almighty glorious Lord? Joyn this to the greater wonders of thy free-love, who hadſt love and bowels enough to regard ſuch a rebellious wretch, when thus in his bloud, ſerving his luſts, and loving pleaſures more then God; When I was daringly and delightfully ſinning againſt thee; Oh infinite Love! to pity and ſupport, and ſuccour ſuch a poor, tempeſtuous wretch as I was after thou hadſt awakened me, when fitter, my ſelf being Judge, to have been a caſt-away from thy preſence for ever; Oh the Ocean of grace! Oh the wonders of thy love! Oh the unfadomed heights and depths of it! Eternity will but ſerve to admire and adore thee in it: So ſings the Spouſe in the Song, c. 3.6. filled with the loves of Chriſt, Who is this that cometh out of the Wilderneſſe like pillars of ſmoak, perfumed with Myrrhe and Frankincenſe, with all Powders of the Merchant, &c. A little to enlarge this, I will ſhew what conſiderations they are that make any work appear wonderfull, and they will be found in this of the Lord Chriſts to his People.
1. A repugnancy in nature to the effect wrought forth, this cauſeth wonder; So is it in the whole work of Chriſt for us and in us; That which was for us, being but as one continued, rich, glorious myſtery, Col. 1.26. All of nature againſt it; As to his work in his people; what reluctancy, obſtinacy, ſtrivings with the holy Spirit, before a proud, hard, rebellious, ſelf-exalting heart will yeeld to bow before the Lord Jeſus? Not only liſtneſneſſe, heartleſneſſe, impotency, but a ſtrong enmity and reſolute oppoſition againſt the work of grace; yea, as to our caſe in hand, the quieting of the tempeſt upon a ſoul, what reſiſtency to comfort by the carnall part? what putting up of freſh reaſonings and doubtings, and will not beleeve Jeſus Chriſt upon his word, till the ſpirit of power perſwade, command, enables to do ſo?
2. Such things do beget wonder, which are unexpected or unhoped for; ſo is the firſt appearing and work of Chriſt to and in us; When a Soul ſecurely ſits with folded arms in the ſhadow of death, in the groſſe darkneſſe that is naturally upon it, the ſtrength of the heart after vanity, when little expectation of ſuch a voice of Chriſt, as hath been ſhewed in the firſt, Ariſe, Awake, Come away, &c. Matthew ſitting at the Receipt of Cuſtom little expected that the Lord Chriſt (whom he never lookt after) ſhould come and ſpeak to him in ſuch a commanding voice, and he ſhould preſently leave all, ſo wealthy an income, and follow a perſecuted Chriſt; He would have been like enough to have ſpit in the face of him who ſhould have propheſied ſuch a thing to him, as every ſinfull wretch is, till the Lords voice be heard within him; And ſo in the matter of comfort, when poor, and languiſhing, and complaining a tempeſt is up, then even before we are aware, above what we durſt to expect, comes a Chriſt and ſpeaks and calms all.
3. Things formerly unknown to us, when they appear, beget wonder; ſo are the things that Chriſt works and reveals to us; we are utterly ignorant, and know not what preciouſneſſe in Chriſt, rill he open his heart to us; What refreſhings, what treaſures of all goodneſs and ſweetneſſe are in him.
4. Things that are ſeldome done beget wonder, ſo comparatively with the world of ſouls that are paſſed by, 'tis but ſeldome and rare work for Jeſus Chriſt to lay hold upon ſouls, here and there a ſoul he chaſeth forth; And ſaith a poor delivered ſoul, What was I more then another, that the Lord ſhould paſſe by abundance of poor creatures, who haply never diſhonoured God ſo much as I have done? Oh this conſideration makes grace appear abundant and admirable, this is a heightning, enlarging Meditation upon a poor calmed ſoul indeed; In a word, the Lord Jeſus ſo convays himſelf to his own, that it ſhall be marvellous in their eyes; That they may attribute the firſt motion of light and life in the ſoul from him, the perfecting and continuing of it; That his children may be kept humble and lowly before him, and aſcribe all to him, and depend upon him, that they may have nothing to rejoyce in, but only in the name of the Lord Jeſus.
Ʋſe.If a calmed ſoul be thus full of the wonders of Chriſts power and love; firſt By this any ſoul may know whether the calm that is upon his ſpirit be from Chriſt or not; If ſo, then his hand, his power, and love, is admired and extolled in it: Conſider therefore, any ſoul, by the way, What are the wondrous things upon thy Spirit? what are the things thou haſt deep thoughts of heart about? Canſt thou feelingly ſay, Oh how wonderfull have been the thoughts of Chriſt towards me? what wonders hath he wrought for me and in me? Who is a God pardoning iniquity like unto thee? Mic. 7.18. That's the temper and voice of a pardoned ſoul; So he breaks out into the admiration of him: A pardoned Soul cannot have ſuch ſleight thoughts about it, as the pretenders to a dead hope of it have; If it be not ſo with thee, let me once more counſell thee to go to Chriſt and tell him what wonders thou heareſt he can doe; And pleade with him, that there's an object before him to manifeſt one upon, even by raiſing up ſuch a worm, dead in ſin, as thou art, unto life; Tell him, he ſhall have the glory of the Miracle; Oh let him ſay unto thee, Live, and thou ſhalt live in his ſight.
2. If Jeſus Chriſt be able to work forth ſuch wonders upon and for poor ſouls, Videant quam tutò ſe committunt Sancti, &c. ſaith Bucer; See then how ſafely we commit our ſelves to ſuch a Pilot who can guide and anchor us through all ſtorms and difficulties, can ceaſe our tempeſts within or without, to make way for ſweeter Sun-ſhines and calms; And therefore ſhould not the Saints pierce through the thickeſt, darkeſt tempeſts, and hang upon him when all appears but in a periſhing way; yea, will not the Lord Jeſus pierce through them all to us, and make our hears melt with chiding us for our little faith? Say not, Fainting Soul, within thy ſelf, that becauſe 'twill be a wonderfull thing for thee to be raiſed up, comforted, (whatever thy condition be) and therefore it will not be; No, No, Say, thou hangeſt upon a Chriſt whoſe works are all wonders, and therefore it ſhall be ſo.
And now what will this poor Soul do that is thus through the abundant grace of Chriſt ſilled in ſome meaſure with ſuch precious wonders of Chriſt, when it is bleſſedly calmed by Chriſts refreſhing voice, (For ſo I will now ſuppoſe that ſoul either already, or ſhall be ſo, who hath been or is in this tempeſtuous periſhing condition at Chriſts feet) and is or ſhall be thus calmed, Will it not to this purpoſe break forth, O welcome ten thouſand times ſweeteſt Chriſt, Come, Lodge for ever in my ſoul (though a mean habitation) for I cannot let thee go; Ah, will not that ſoul ſtudy returns of love and honour to Jeſus Chriſt? Will it not love him and love him more abundantly? Will it not lay it ſelf at his feet to be diſpoſed by him? Will it not ſmile upon and embrace reproaches for him? Shall any thing be too dear and precious to part with for Chriſt? No, It ſhall not: Shall the purſuit of empty creatures come in competition with him? Let me ask thee Soul in earneſt, Wilt thou? canſt thou ſeek great things for thy ſelf, and let Chriſts honour be ſlighted? Go then and daily treat with Chriſt to this purpoſe, Say unto him, Maſter, Maſter, what ſhall I do for thee? For whom ſhall I live and die but for thee? Dear Lord, let me ſome way or other bring honour to thy tender glorious Name among the living, before I come to thee, and adore thee for ever.
Now Soul, to point thee out thy particular duty, that liveſt in the ſenſe of the favour and love of Chriſt, is more then I deſigned in this brief Treatiſe, only I will minde thee with a word or two, and ſo have done.
Art thou a Soul that haſt been by the ſtrong arm of the Lord carried through ſome of theſe experiences, as have been ſet forth in this Treatiſe (If thou art a poor Soul not yet attained to this meaſure of comfort and joy, I have endeavoured to lay down Directions to thee, and what may (by the bleſſing of the Spirit with it) uphold thee till theſe wonders ſhall be made good upon thy ſoul: But now to a Soul that in ſome meaſure enjoyeth them,
1. Conſider, that though Jeſus Chriſt hath made ſuch a calm upon thy Spirit, yet know that there's more than enough in thy heart to diſtemper all again, though at preſent kept under, Therefore thou art to look up to the ſame mighty hand, to keep all in peace and in a comfortable frame, as well as at firſt to create it, and to give in new refreſhings, elſe that which is within thee already will decay and wither; If Jeſus Chriſt withdraw his hand, all is in a mutiny again; Oh therefore walk humbly and jealouſly before him, and ſtill be committing all to him, and be drawing freſh ſupplies from him, or elſe the ſenſe of this bleſſed calm will grow dead in thee.
2. Beware how carnal joy mixeth with thy ſpiritual, by fetching in too large additions from Creature-comforts, whence will follow lightneſſe and vanity of ſpirit, and then comes a Cloud ere thou art aware.
3. Be vigilant (as I have before hinted) and diligent in ſuch waies wherein thou haſt ſpeciall communion with God, By which thou ſhalt finde greater wonders by the ſtrong arm of the Lord, then thou haſt yet felt; The danger of this neglect is ſpoken before.
4. Do not ſit down in a ſlender ſtock of Grace and the Knowledge of Chriſt; There are depths in Chriſt, and depths in thy own heart to be ſearcht, which haply doe yet lie cloſe undiſcerned upon thy ſpirit.
5. Be in the frequent remembrance of how much is forgiven, and this will raiſe up thy love and zeal, and quicken it when it begins to ſlack.
6. Beware of venturing on the leaſt ſin, do not ſay 'tis a little one, and thou maiſt venture, 'twill like an Achan diſturb all: The fear and hatred of the leaſt evil maintains a ſolid, ſetled communion with God; vain and carnal company (as hath been ſhewed) dulls a mans ſpirit, as alſo a frothy carriage, and liberall jeſting.
7. Much might be ſaid, but in a word know, 'Tis the hardeſt work of a Beleever to manage comfort and aſſurance; The heart, the carnal part of it is apt to be lifted up in it; Indeed a comforted Soul at the firſt coming of it, is apt to conceive, that ſuch a temper can never be loſt; But this is a vanity.
Laſtly, Get the aims of thy heart more raiſed after purity and likeneſſe of God then joy and comfort; To be like God and ſee him at he is, 1 Joh. 3.2. is the higheſt aim of a gracious Soul; which the bleſſed, holy God give thee and me to aſpire after, till we ſhall be fully with him, and ſo ſee him as he is to all eternity. Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Anthony Palmer, The Tempestuous Soul Calmed by Jesus Christ (1653)