Influences of the Life of Grace, Part 1 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
1. The Soveraingty of God is wonderful in the various tempers of renewed ones. 2. In various influences. 3. In the deſertions of the Saints under the Old and under the New-Teſtament. 4. In variety of deſertions of elect and reprobate, and God's various diſpenſations to them. 5. Q. What we may doe to wreſtle out from under deſertions? 6. Variety of temptations. 7. Rules for our behaviour under them, in order to Influences.
THe Soveraignty of God is much to be obſerved, in the Lord's manner of diſpenſing of grace;Some violently b…ought in to know Chriſt, ſome more mildly. James and John are called being at their Nets, and foreign immediately they l'ave their father and follow him, Matth. 4. 21, 22. Matthew hears but one word, follow me, Matth. 9. 9. and he follows Chriſt. A gentle throw of the key opens Lydia's heart: the hearers of Peter, who had crucified the Lord of glory, are more violently rent and torn, as if the ſharpeſt points, or the ſtings of many impoyſoned Dragons and Scorpions, had been at once faſtned in their hearts, Acts 2. 37.foreign. the way of Saul's coming with trembling and aſtoniſhment, and blindneſſe, and faſting, and praying three days, and the Jaylors down caſting may witneſs, that the lock being more ruſted and the iron blunted, Acts 9. 6. 7, &c. more ſtrength is required for the opening of the door, then the Lord otherwiſe imployed; as ſome Divels are caſt out with a word, and go out with ſome ſort of humble prayers not to be tormented before the time, Matth. 8. others throw the poſſeſſed in the midſt, and almoſt kill the child, ſo as beholders ſay, he is dead, Mark 9. there is a certain kind, which is not caſt out but by faſting and praying. So ſome are filled with the holy Ghoſt from the womb; and hardly can John Baptiſt, give an account of his converſion, as to the degrees of pangs of the new-birth, the way and manner, the place, the Mathematical hour, of the holy Ghoſt's ſliding in, on the heart; Nor muſt we think none are in John Baptiſt's caſe; for beſide that God imploys ſome to, and for rare advantages, and gaining of ſouls to the Kingdom of Chriſt, ſhall there be nothing of the holy Ghoſt in multitudes of infants in Covenant with God, of which many die, as ripe, as if they were, an hundred years old? only beware we take not a ſweet tractable nature, to be the very holy Ghoſt, and a work of Infantconverſion, ſuch as was in John Baptiſt: and let not others caſt themſelves away, as not belonging to Chriſt, who yet are his, becauſe they know not, ſuch pangs and throwings of the new-birth, as Saul, the Jaylor, the converts who killed Chriſt, Acts 2. where the skin of the boyle is doubly thick, ſome more violence is required, and a ſharper lance is made uſe of, to open the wound.
2. Some require milder influences as beng led all their time, with ſweetneſs of peace. The Arches grieved Joſeph ſore, no man more moved from veſſel to veſſel; then he, and meek Moſes was much toſſed; and both for any thing we read, far from curſing the day, wherein they were born. There is a temper of ſolid walkers by faith, enjoying much peace, yet not acquainted with great Spring-tydes, nor with extreme low ebbs, of the outlettings of the holy Ghoſt. I ſpeak not of Moſes as a Prophet, who ſaw God, and whom the Lord knew face to face, Deut 34. 10.
3.John not under the ſame diſpenſation with Peter. Some are led through fewer ſlips and fals, as John the diſciple who leaned on Jeſus boſome; excepting his fall of Angel-worſhip, and ſome other few, he ſeems not to be ſo high bended as Peter, who in Satans place, diſſwaded Chriſt from the working of our Redemption, denyed the Lord with curſing, did fouly Judaize, Gal. 2.
4.Jonah ſtrong in his paſſions. And it were hard to make all the Prophets of Jonah's mould, whoſe fear to preach to great Niniveh was extreme, and yet his courage of faith, and patience to be caſt in the Sea with his own adviſe and conſent, was as great, and his cruel ſelfiſhneſs to deſire that all Niniveh old and young, ſhould be deſtroyed, rather then his prophetical honour ſhould be darkned in the leaſt, ſhews what a piece of man he was, and his juſtifying his anger againſt God, for a blaſt of wind on his head, and the withering of a poor herb, a gourd, do all hold forth that God leads ſome, in a way of influences beſide the reſt. O how is our meek Lord troubled, and (to ſpeak ſo) cumbred to bear all our manners, ſinful tempers, and humours.
5.Eliah's temper. Nor are all Saints of the altitude of Elias his zeal; a man much and wholly for God, and fervent in prayer, yet he ſeems to challenge more zeal to himſelf for the ſlain Prophets, digged down Altars, broken Covenant, then was in the holy Lord himſelf; and ſo prays that God would take away his life, as if he were the laſt man of the true Church of God living on Earth; and yet we read in all his ſufferings, no apprehenſion of the anger and indignation of God, ſuch as was in others.
6. None are ſo trailed through Hell and fiery indignation, as Job, David, Jeremiah, Heman; there appear in them ſome habitual miſtakes of the love of God, or rather (becauſe ſinful acquired habits, are ſcarcely to be found in the renewed) more fixed inclinations, to apprehend wrathfulneſs, and Law-diſpenſation in God, and few are led this way; and the outlettings of influences of grace muſt be various here.
7. Neither ſhould it be ſtrange, if we might place, Iſaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others in a ſeventh claſs, who had their own complainings; One ſaying, my leanneſs, my leanneſs; another faſting and walking in ſackcloth for the ſanctuaries deſolation, and yet moſt ſubmiſſive to the holy diſpenſations of God. In all which, another mans compaſſe is not our rule of ſayling, nor is the Lord's various diſpenſation to his children, which is ordered by his decree and will of pleaſure, not by his commanding and approving will, the Scripture rule that we are to follow, in looking after Influences; Every one would ſubmit to be ordered of God; he hath almoſt a various way of leading his own: if the ſame compleat ranſome, the ſame Promiſes, the ſame Guide, and Steersman to Heaven be mine, and the ſame hope of glory; yet the manifeſtations of God, the love viſits, the influences of grace are hardly the ſame. Its then a faulty ground of ſome, never one was like me, none of my condition in the world, ſince the Creation. Every one thinks their own hell on earth, the only hell. 2. Nor ſhould Chriſtians be unwilling, to know the ſpiritual condition one of another; you may fall upon ſome, in your very courſe and kind. Its like David, Pſal. 71. 7. Heman, Pſal. 88. 15. the ſuffering Church, Lam. 1. 12. Pſal. 102. 6, 7. Elias, 1 King. 19. 10. Iſaiah and Chriſt, and the children of Chriſt, who were wonders and ſigns, Iſa. 8. 18. Heb. 2. 13. who were there alone as worlds wonders, might judge themſelves like no other (though the man Chriſt could not miſtake his own ſpiritual eſtate) as to their caſe ſpiritual, and God's diſpenſation towards them.
8. The Soveraignty of God's dealing with conſciences in the Old and in the New Teſtament is to be obſerved. It is not,The Old Teſtament diſpenſations and the New are compared together, and their differences. 1. To be denyed, but the deſertions under the Law in ſome reſpect, were more fiery and legal; the typical dimneſs and darkneſs made them to ſee leſs love, and more Law, and leſſe of Chriſt the ſeat of mercy, and more of the curſe and of wrath, as the night darkneſs renders ſpirits and dreadful things more terrible. 2. It was the purpoſe of God to awe generally that people more with Law-fear, and bondage, then his people under the New Teſtament. But it is a wicked doctrine of ſome Anabaptiſts, and others, that all deſertions are, under the N. Teſtament cried down and gone; and it is our legal miſtake, ſay they, that works trouble of conſcience, under the N. Teſtament, and an exerciſe of ſuch as are under the Covenant of works; though it may be ſaid law-ſorrow purſued theſe of the Old Teſtament; but the Saints now are leſs paſſive and more active, in purſuing ſorrow according to God, yet in another reſpect, becauſe of greatneſs of light, and Goſpel experiences, and a higher meaſure of illuminations, and ſpiritual preſence in more abundance is promiſed and prophecied; As, that all ſhall be taught of God; the Earth ſhall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord; the light of the Moon, ſhall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun as the light of ſeven days, Jer. 31. 31, 32, 33. Iſa. 54. 11, 12, 13. Iſa. 11. 6, 9. Ezec. 36. 26, 27. Iſa. 44. 1, 2, 3, 4. Joel. 2. 28. Zech. 12. 10. under the New Teſtament; therefore the deſertion is the ſadder. Thirſt near to the fountain is more intollerable; ſo we read not in the N. Teſtament of one like unto Job. chap. 3. c. 6. c. 16. c. 19, nor of ſuch as David, Pſal. 6. Pſal. 38. nor of Heman, Pſal. 88. nor of the Church, Pſal. 77. Pſal. 102. yet is there nothing harder then that of Paul, 2 Cor. 1. we cannot ſay, whether it was his perſecution at Epheſus, or ſome great ſickneſs; yet it is a moſt ſad tryal, ver, 8. 9. 1. We was preſſed, out of meaſure. 2.foreign. Above ſtrength. 3. In ſo much that we diſpaired, even of life. 4. But we had the ſentence of death in our ſelves, and what ever be the kind; for even Chriſt had ſo much the more ſorrow, at the withdrawing influences of the comforts that immediately flowed from the God-head perſonally united, and this was Chriſt's hell in part; therefore we are to look upon deſertions in the ſong of Solomon as prophetical, and relating to the deſertions in the New Teſtament, in the which the riſe of the grief is not ſo much from the apprehenſion of ſin legally tormenting, as from the ſenſe of the want of the ſweet comforting preſence of God, and of the wel-beloved Chriſt; yet there is as much in that of pain, as in any we read, Cant. 5. 6. I roſe up to open to my beloved, my beloved had withdrawn himſelf, and had paſſed away; my ſoul went forth, becauſe of his ſpeech: Ainſworth, My ſoul was gone, and departed, that is, failed, fainted, I was even a dead woman through fear and grief; for death is the departing of the ſoul from the body, Gen. 33. 18. This though an Evangelical deſertion, is as much as David ſaith, my moiſture is turned into the drought of Summer, and as the waves of the Lord's wrath comming over Heman; yea, and it is more painful to be thruſt out of Heaven, and to be deprived of an high meaſure of enjoyed and felt love, and is a ſadder torment then all the law-burnings, though they have in David and others ſome ſuch love-ſickneſs, which was ordinary to the Old Teſtament-diſpenſation; and theſe and the like the ſoul is more able to bear: that the habit and ſtock is rich, as Chriſt, from the perſonally indwelling God-head, was ſtrong in his deſertions peculiar to him; and the richer the habit of grace be, the more able is the ſoul to ſtand out: the ſtrong ſhip is more able to endure the ſtorm, then the crazy and rotten veſſel; a Giant is fitter for a battle with a Giant, then a Child is.
9. Some are kept in perfect peace whoſe minds are ſtaid on the Lord, and being juſtifyed by faith have peace with God, Iſa. 26. 2. Rom. 5. 1. There are two ſorts of diſpenſations, one fundamental, another not fundamental; the former is the Lord's carrying on his begun work, which is to will and doe to the end in his ordinary courſe; the diſpenſation which is not fundamental, reſpects the Lord's way of doing, hic & nunc, in ſuch circumſtances, and the degrees of grace given or infuſed, which do not vary the ſpece, and nature of the work. We read not of Daniel's curſing the day he was born in, as Jeremy and Job doe; nor is there any ſhaddow of it in Joſeph; yet nothing hinders but Job and Jeremy may and did at other times, enjoy ſweet preſence, and nearneſs to God.
But 1. We would not take extraordinary feaſts to be dayly food; nor ſhould we much wonder when a change cometh: but how do we chide, quarrel, complain, becauſe it is not always ſo? Nor 2. Should we be rough, but compaſſionate to ſick ones: its the Lord's way that all in the houſe ſhould not be ſick at once; but ſome are ſick and ſome whole to wait on the ſick, and all to bear one anothers burthens; all the diſeaſes of the houſe are not the ſame in kind and degree.
2. Some do all their life dwell in the borders of hell, and never have fair ſayling, nor fulneſs of aſſurance, until they be upon the ſhoar; ſuch have only Star-light, and are called to pure living by faith, Iſa. 50. 10.
3. Some, once in all their life have one only remarkable night of wreſtling with God, and prevail, as Jacob did; and ſome love ſo their priſon that they take a ſentence, à non judice, à non habente poteſtatem: the Law ſevered from Chriſt, is no judge at all to believers; the Law ſpeaks to its own that are under the Law, Rom. 3. 19. the Jaylor can command none but his own priſoners.
4. Some are frequently taken into the houſe of Wine, and to the Kings Chamber. And what changes there be, Cant. 2. cap. 3. c. 4, 5, 9. 1. v. 6. may be ſeen its cleer, and he that runs may read; felt love is not heritage to any. There is a huge difference between Cant. 2. 6. His left hand is under mine head, and his right hand doth embrace me; And that, I ſought him, but I found him not, chap. 3. And that is a joyful feaſt, Cant. 5. 1. I am come unto my garden, my ſiſter, my ſpouſe, I have gathered my myrrhe with my ſpice: eat O friends, drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved! And that again is a ſad ſong, ver. 6. My beloved had withdrawn himſelf; I ſought him, but I found him not; I called him, but he anſwered me not.
5. Some are all their life creeping children, yet ſaved: a ſincere affection in Nicodemus conſiſts with much ignorance, yet is not the faith rotten.
6. It belongs to ſoveraignty that the little veſſels of ſmall quantity hang upon Chriſt, as well as the great, Iſa. 22. 24. and that the lambs, as well as the ſtronger of the flock, are cared for by him, Iſa. 40. 11. and that the bruiſed reeds have their dependence on him.
7. To this head of ſoveraignty belong the various kinds of deſertions;Various kinds of deſertions. As 1. None are ſo deſerted as the fallen Angels; they have done for ever and ever with all influences of grace, and are eternally outlaws from the Court of the King, who is head of principalities and powers, Jude ver. 6. reſerved foreign in everlaſting chains, &c. 2 Pet. 2. 4. O but the chains of Divels are fiery and helliſh.
2. Next to them are reprobate men, who caſt off Chriſt, and turn into Satans camp. No ſaving influences are due to ſuch as are reprobate to good works. Ah, beware of habitual hating of Chriſt, and his houſe, dependers and ſeed: yet are there here degrees; for none are in that meaſure deſerted or blaſphemers of the holy Ghoſt.
3. Chriſt's deſertion was extremely penal and brought out tears and ſtrong cries, mixt with a curſe; and only influences were ſuſpended as touching viſion and enjoyment or fruition, and the actual comforts of God; the crown in a manner was laid aſide out of the eye and ſight of the man Chriſt, yet wanted he never influences. 1. For acts of love; Father remove. 2. For acts of faith; O my father remove. 3. For acts of praying more earneſtly, Luk. 23. 44. O my father remove this cup. 4. For acts of witneſſing a good confeſſion before Pontius Pilate. 5. For acts of preaching the confeſſing man to Paradiſe with him; none are eternally and curſedly deſerted who can pray and hope, and believe in the furnace as Chriſt.
4. The redeemed of God are not all one and the ſame way deſerted. 1. Some are extremely at under as Job, who apprehended that God did purſue him as an enemy, Job 13. 20. though Job and every believer be the friend of God, Jam. 2. 23. 2. The Spouſes deſertions are leſs, being conveyed with love-ſickneſs;Various kinds of deſertions on the Lord's redeemed. Magdalen hath no wakenings of conſcience for ſin, nor any poſitive agony or law-challenges, but only love deſertion, ſhe ſays with tears; They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 3. Some are meer deſertions as to the act of ſin. God is angry at David, when God withdraws, ſo as he numbers the people, and commits adultery and murther: and Chriſt is angry at Peter's pride when he ſuffers him to deny his Maſter; but neither David and Peter feels any anger from the Lord in ſuch withdrawings of gracious influences; but its ſo much the worſe, the man is wounded in his ſleep, and many moneths and days after the wounds bleed. O what trembling at holy ſoveraignty, why deadneſs to duties ſhould come on David, not on Aſa. On David at this time, not at another time: Hence a caſe may be, Whether abſence of the Lord in his influences may be meer and only love ſickneſs for him whom the ſoul loves, or alſo abſence with conſcience of ſin?
Anſ. The predominant may be ſickneſs only for the want of Chriſt; as in the Spouſe, Cant. 2. and in Magdalen, Joh. 20. I ſay the predominant, becauſe we cannot ſay, that God withdraws in his outlettings of grace, but there is guiltineſs in the Spouſe ſo made ſick becauſe of his abſence, and with Magdalen's ſickneſs for Chriſt there appeareth a doting too much on the man Chriſt, Joh. 20. 13. I know not where they have laid him. Ver. 15. I will take him away. Ver. 17. Touch me not. When we are too bent upon Chriſt as a Comforter, not as Chriſt, its juſt with God we be pained and ſick with the want of him; and that we ſeek him and find him not, ſo ſpiritual ought we to be under the pain of abſence.
2. But its cleer in the man Chriſt, there is paining, with drawing, and forſaking on the Lord's part; Why haſt thou forſaken me? and neither ſin nor conſcience of ſin, nor any hazard of love-ſickneſs after God's near embracings, but upon the due account; for Chriſt could not idolize God as comforting.
Q. What may we doe to wreſtle out from under deſertions? Anſ.Whether by prayer, or any other way we may wreſtle out from under God's deſertions. Diſtinguiſh theſe three.
1. Gracious withdrawing from whence cometh ſin and unlelief.
2. The frowning of God, and hiding of his face.
3. The penal ſorrow and ſmarting under his abſence.
As to the Firſt; Its lawful to plead and pray againſt withdrawings as they neceſſarily bring in ſin; the more gracious the temper is, we ſhall pray more earneſtly againſt the leaſt ſin then againſt the moſt fiery hell.
As to the Second which is the frowning of God; 1. The nature of a child ſaith, its lawful to weep when the Father is angry. 2. Inherent grace and the ſparkles of the image of God cannot endure well that eternal favour ſhould be hid. 3. The nature of faith and of love to God will ſay, that the man ſhould be ſaddened when the love of God is either hid or provoked. 4. The practice of the Saints ſaith ſo much, Job 13. 24. Wherefore hideſt thou thy face? Pſal. 13. 1. How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? 5. His ſhining is deſirable; O ſend day light. Pſal. 31. 16. Make thy face to ſhine upon thy ſervant. Pſal. 80. 3, 7, 19. 6. Its lawful to deprecate the anger of God. Pſal. 79. 5. How long Lord, wilt thou be angry, for ever? and eſpecially a gracious heart is ſadned moſt at the outgoings of wrath againſt prayer, Pſal. 80. 4. in which the Mediator, and the precious name of God, in a manner, ſeem to ſuffer, Pſal. 42. 3, 10. Pſal. 83. 1, 2, 3. Iſa. 52. 5. Exod. 32. 11, 12. Joſh. 7, 8, 9. 7. Hardly can a natural ſpirit lay to heart, yea or know that God is angry,To deprecate the anger of God, how laudable, how not. as a child of God can doe; as its all one to a man in a dark pit under the earth whether it be day-light or mid-night; the one doth not comfort him, nor the other ſadden him.
As to the Third; Its a great deceit that we more penally ſmart at the abſence of the Paradiſe of comforting preſence, then at the want of real communion with God; this ſhould calm the heart notwithſtanding the pain of the abſence of God as a comforter, that we believe his unfelt love and care, as a God in Covenant. Mic. 7. 7. I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my ſalvation, my God ſhall hear me. Ver. 8. When I ſit in darkneſs, the Lord ſhall be a light unto me.
2. The Lord, as is elſewhere ſaid, in a courſe of ſoveraignty deſerting, will not come until his own time come; as ſome Feavers muſt have their own courſe of natural motion, ſo that the man ſhall ſweat out of the tertian Ague by length of time: if you ſhould uſe all the medicine of the Earth, yet this forbids not art and induſtry altogether, to help nature. So Chriſt under the ſtroke of ſoveraign juſtice prays and was heard in that which he feared, Heb. 5. 7. believed, hoped, and ſo overcame, Rev. 3. 21.
And becauſe Soveraignty hath a ſpecial hand in temptations,Influences are given of God to various temptations. we are to take heed to temptations to weaken us in duties; as Maſter, pity thy ſelf. 2. Sometime Satan tempts to duties, to pray when we ſhould hear. 3. Sometime to groſs carnal ſins, fall down and worſhip me; and ſometimes to ſpiritual fins, If thou be the Son of God, command theſe ſtones to be made bread. 4. Sometimes to duties in the exceſs; as for Timothy to drink water, the inceſtuous man to mourn until he be ſwallowed up of grief, 2 Cor. 2. 5. Sometimes Satan tempts himſelf to goe out that he may more tempt, and return with ſeven divels worſe then himſelf. 6. Sometimes he tempts by a boyſterous imperious uſurpation. Job is mine, he ſerves God for hire. All hypocrites are Satan's, Job. 1. 7. Sometime he tempts to lawful liberties, to ear, ſetting the Law of nature in oppoſition to the divine poſitive-law, Gen. 3. The tree is good for meat; then God and Nature ordained it for food. In all which, holy Soveraignty gives influences natural to the tempter; nor will he have us to queſtion his Soveraignty. 2. Nor would he have us to make either his giving or his withdrawing of influences our rule. And 3. In all our actings he would have us to tremble; What if providence put a croſs benſil or byas on the heart, what can influences not doe to haſten a Judas to his place, though the holy Lord remains ſpotleſs and free? 4. There is much need of that, lead us not into temptation. 5. Had the Gold will and reaſon, it oweth thanks to the Goldſmith, though he burn and melt it, becauſe he removes the droſſe. Its true, the Phyſician lames and wounds particular nature, when he opens a vein; but he ſaves the whole body thereby, and the ſick perſon ows him thanks. Were there no more but theſe excellent influences that act in temptations, as to their precious fruits, to wit, the humbling of the tempted ſinner, the diſcovery of latent corruption, of the wiles of Satan, the praiſe and glory of his grace who knows how to counter-work (in a manner) his own influences, and doth inviſibly uphold his own children, under theſe temptations; the Lord is here to be loved and adored, as wonderfull in counſel and excellent in working.