Eighteen Sermons, Sermon 12
SERMON XII.
Soul Dejection.
PSALM xlii. ver. 5.
Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul, and why art thou diſquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him, for the help of his countenance.
I HAVE often told you, in my plain way of ſpeaking, that grace is very frequently grafted on a crab-ſtock; that the Lord Jeſus picks out perſons of the moſt peeviſh, churliſh diſpoſition, and imparts to them the largeſt meaſure of grace, but for want of a better natural temper, a great deal of grace does not ſhine ſo bright in them, as a ſmall degree in thoſe that are conſtitutionally good-natured: perſons of this diſpoſition are generally complaining, and are not only tormentors of themſelves, but are great plagues to thoſe that are about them: you will hear them always complaining ſomething or other is the matter. What a pity it is we cannot all agree in one thing, to leave off chiding others to chide our own ſelves, till we can find nothing in ourſelves to chide for; this we ſhall find will be a good way to grow in the divine life, when, by conſtant application to the Lamb of God, we get a maſtery over thoſe things which hitherto have had the maſtery over us; but are theſe the only people that complain? are people of a melancholy diſpoſition only ſubject to a diſquietude of heart? I will venture to affirm, that the greateſt, the deareſt children of God, have got their complaining, and their dreary hours. Thoſe who have been favoured with large meaſures of grace, even thoſe that have been wrapped up as it were to the third heavens, baſking on the mount in the ſunſhine of redeeming grace, and in raptures of love crying out, It is good for us to be here, even theſe muſt go down to Gethſemane; and if they would not be ſcorched with a ſtrong burning fever from the ſun of proſperity, ſhall find clouds from time to time overſhadowing them, not to burn, but to keep them low. It is on this account, that you ſee good men in different frames at different times: our Lord himſelf was ſo, he rejoiced ſometimes in ſpirit, but at other times you find him, eſpecially near the laſt, crying out, My ſoul is exceeding ſorrowful even unto death, tarry you here and watch. And I am going to tell you of one to-night, who had the honor of being called, the man after God's own heart; and who, though an Old Teſtament ſaint, was greatly bleſſed with a New Teſtament ſpirit, and had the honor of compoſing Pſalms, which in all paſt ages of the church have been, and in future ones will be a rich magazine, and ſtore-houſe of ſpiritual experience, from which the children of God may draw ſpiritual armour for fighting the good fight of faith, until God ſhall call them to life eternal: may this be your happy lot. What frame was this good man in when he compoſed this forty-ſecond Pſalm? the Pſalm itſelf can beſt tell. It ſeems compoſed when he was either perſecuted by Saul, or driven from his own court by his fondling, beloved ſon, Abſalom; then David appeared truly great; I honor him when I ſee him yonder, attending a few ſheep; but I admire the young ſtripling, when I ſee him come out with his ſling and ſtone, and aiming it at the head of Goliah, the enemy of God; or, when exalted and filling the ſeat of juſtice; but to me he never appears greater, than when he is bowed down in low circumſtances, beſet on every ſide, ſtruggling between ſenſe and faith; and as the ſun, after an eclipſe, breaking forth with greater luſtre to all the ſpectators. In this view we muſt conſider this great, this good man, David, when he cries out, Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul, why art thou diſquieted within me? hope thou in God.
Suppoſing you underſtand the words as a queſtion, Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul, though thou art in ſuch circumſtances? pray now what is the cauſe of thy being ſo dejected? The word implies, that he was ſinking under the weight of his preſent burden, like a perſon ſtooping under a load that lies upon his ſhoulders; and the conſequence of this preſſure without was diſquietude, uneaſineſs and anxiety within; for ſay what you will to the contrary, there is ſuch a connection between ſoul and body, that when one is diſordered, the other muſt ſympathize with its ever loving friend.
Or, You may underſtand it as chiding himſelf, Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul, why art thou diſquieted with me, how fooliſh is it to be thus drooping and dejected; how improper for one favoured of God with ſo many providences, and ſpecial particular privileges for ſuch a one as thou art thus to ſtoop, and be made ſubject to every temptation; why doſt thou give thy enemies ſuch room to find fault with thy religion on account of thy gloomy looks, and the diſquietude of thy heart? a yoke which thou wilt find to be lined with love, and God will keep it from galling thy ſhoulders. You ſee, he ſpeaks not to others but to himſelf; would to God we did thus learn that charity begins at home. Then he goes to God with his caſe, O my God, ſays he, my ſoul is caſt down within me. O that we could learn, when in theſe moods to go more to God, and leſs to man, we ſhould find more relief, and religion would be leſs diſhonored. But ſee how faith triumphs in the midſt of all, no ſooner does unbelief pop up its head, but faith immediately knocks it down. A never-failing maxim is here propoſed, hope thou in God, truſt in God, believe in God; for I am ſure, and all of you that know Jeſus Chriſt are perſuaded of it too, that all our troubles ariſe from our unbelief; O unbelief, injurious bar to comfort, force of tormenting fear! on the contrary, faith bears every thing. Put thy truſt in God, as in the old tranſlation; hope in God, as in the new, I ſhall now praiſe him. The devil tells me my trouble is ſo great, I ſhall never lift up my head again; but unbelief and the devil are liars; I ſhall yet praiſe him; my God will carry me through all; I ſhall yet praiſe him, even for caſting me down; I ſhall praiſe him even for that which is the cauſe of all my diſquietude; he will be the health of my countenance; though my afflictions have now made my body low, ſuck up my ſpirits, and hurt my animal frame, he will be the help of my countenance; I ſhall by and by ſee him again, and be favoured with thoſe trasforming views, which my God has favoured me with in times paſt; he is the health of my countenance, and my God: though the devil tempts me, and my evil neighbours ſay, where is, now thy God? Doſt thou think thou art a child of God, and thy Father ſuffers thee to be caſt down? I tell thee, O ſatan, that God who I have been ſo vilely tempted as to believe has forſaken me, will come over the mountains of my guilt, will forgive my backſlidings againſt himſelf, my unbelief ſhall not make his promiſes of none effect; I ſhall praiſe him even while I live, I ſhall praiſe him before I die, I ſhall praiſe him for ever in heaven, where he will be after death, the health of my countenance, and my God; thus faith will get the better in a ſaint. David was ſometimes left to ſay, in effect, all things are againſt me; yet ſtill in moſt of the Pſalms, in this, the text, the cxiiith, and many of the reſt, he triumphs in God; and he compoſed but very few without praiſing at the end, though he complains at the beginning: God help us thus to do!
But it is time to leave off ſpeaking particularly of David, and to turn to you to whom theſe words, I pray God, may prove ſalutary and uſeful. I have had a great ſtruggle in my mind this afternoon what I ſhould preach from; I have been praying and looking up to God, and could not preach for my life on any other text, which has often been the caſe before, and whenever it was, ſome poor ſoul has been comforted and raiſed up; and among ſuch a mixed multitude, there are ſome, no doubt, come to this poor deſpiſed place caſt down and diſquieted within; I ſhall endeavour to enquire what you are caſt down for, and then I ſhall propoſe a great cure for you, namely, truſt in God; and I pray, that what was David's comfort may be yours. Why ſhould not we expect an anſwer when we pray, that God before you go home may make you whether you will or no, leave your burdens behind you? and God keep you from taking them up as you go home.
Probably, there may be ſome of you that are real believers; perhaps, I ought to aſk your pardon: where am I preaching, in the Tabernacle! the moſt deſpiſed place in London! ſo ſcandalous a place, that many of the children of God would rather go elſewhere! God help us to keep up our ſcandal! But yet I believe there are many king's daughters here, many of you whom God enabled in this place firſt to ſay, My Lord, and my God. When you put your fingers, as it were, on the print of Chriſt's nails, and put your hands into his ſide, and were no longer faithleſs, but believing, you thought you ſhould never be caſt down any more, but now you have found yourſelves miſtaken; and I ſhall endeavour, in the proſecution of this text, to ſpeak to all that are caſt down, whether before or after converſion, and then to ſuch that were never caſt down at all; and if you was never caſt down before, God caſt you down now.
What are perſons caſt down for? what are ſome of you diſquieted within for? I have reaſon to believe, from the notes put up at both ends of the town, that there are many of you that have arrows of conviction ſtuck faſt in your ſouls; I have taken in near two hundred at the other end of the town, within a fortnight; if this be the caſe, that God is thus at work, let the devil roar, and we will go on in the name of the Lord. And what are you caſt down for? ſome poor ſoul will ſay, with a ſenſe of ſin, the guilt of it, the enmity of it, the very aggravated circumſtances that attend it, appear and ſet themſelves as in battle array before me: once I thought I had no ſin, at leaſt, I thought that ſin was not ſo exceeding ſinful; but I now find it ſuch a burden, I could almoſt ſay with Cain, it is greater than I can bear. And, perhaps ſome of you are ſo caſt down, as in your haſte to ſay as colonel Gardiner, that great man of God, told me himſelf had ſaid when under conviction, "I believe God cannot be juſt, unleſs he damns my wicked ſoul." Is this thy caſe? art thou wicked, art thou ſo caſt down, ſo diſquieted, that thou canſt not reſt night nor day, ſhall I ſend thee away without any comfort? ſhall I ſend thee away as the legal preachers do? as a miniſter ſome time ago did, when a man told him how wicked he had been; O, ſays he, if you are ſo wicked you are damn'd to be ſure, I ſhall not trouble myſelf with you. When a poor negro was taken up for thieving, another went to him and ſaid, you are ſo bad I muſt turn my back to you; that is the law, but the goſpel is turn thy face to God; think not that God is dealing with thee as an abſolute God, a God out of Chriſt. I would have nothing to do, ſays Luther, with an abſolute God; as ſuch he is a conſuming fire. Truſt God in Chriſt, throw thyſelf upon him, throw thyſelf on the Son of God, cry with thy brother, and now thou art in that temper, thou wilt not be aſhamed to call the thief thy brother; ſay with him, Lord, remember me when thou art in thy kingdom: thou ſhalt yet praiſe him, thou ſhalt yet have the forgiveneſs of thy ſins; thy pardon ſhall not only be ſealed in heaven, but thou ſhalt have it in thy heart: theſe are only the pangs of the new birth, the firſt ſtrugglings of the ſoul immerſing into the divine life; he ſhall yet be the health of thy countenance: theſe poor cheeks, though bedewed with tears, ſhall by and by have a fine bluſh, when a pardoning God comes with his love; it ſhall even make a change in thy countenance, for as a heavy heart makes a man's countenance ſad, ſo a chearful heart makes the countenance pleaſant: thou ſhalt know him to be thy God, thou ſhalt ſay, my Lord, and my God: Lord Jeſus grant this may be the happy moment. Was Jeſus here, was the Redeemer now in this metropolis, I am ſure he would go about the ſtreets, he would be a field-preacher, he would go out into the highways and hedges, he would invite, he would run after them; Lord Jeſus, take the veil from our hearts, and let us ſee to-night thy loving heart as the Son of God! Truſt in God, you will ſay, it is very eaſy for you to ſay ſo, but I cannot truſt in God; can't you, who told you that? that is the work of God; you are not far from the kingdom of God. Who convinced thee of thy inability to believe, do you think the devil did? no, it was the Spirit of God procured by the blood of the Lamb, that was to come to convince the world of ſin. If thou canſt not truſt as thou wouldſt, ſay, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief: ſtretch out thy poor hand. I am thinking of Sunday laſt, when I was giving the ſacrament, I obſerved there was one blind communicant that could not ſee, but he thruſt out his hand; I obſerved ſeveral lame perſons, but there were enough to give it to them; I ſaw alſo a poor barrow-woman, and I took particular care to give the cup to her; ſo I put it up to the mouth of the poor blind man: if that is the caſe, what love muſt there be in God to the poor ſoul!
But, methinks, I hear ſome poor ſoul ſay, that is not my caſe, I am not caſt down for that, but I am caſt down becauſe after that I knew God to be my God, after I knew Jeſus to be my King, and after I had mounted upon my high places, the devil and my unbelieving heart threw me down again; would you not have me caſt down? would you not have me diſquieted? a perſon of an Antinomian ſpirit would ſay, don't tell me of your frames, I have learned to live by faith, I don't care whether Chriſt manifeſts himſelf to me or no, I have got the word and the promiſe, I am content with a promiſe now; ſo theſe poor creatures go on without any frame, becauſe they will not live in it: from ſuch Antinomianiſm, good God, deliver me. How! how! how! not caſt down at an abſent God, not diſquieted when God withdraws? where are you gone? you are gone far from your father's houſe; if nothing elſe will do, may your father whip you home again. But tender hearts when they reflect how it was once, are caſt down; David ſays, My tears have been my meat day and night, for I had gone with a multitude to the houſe of God. Here he looks back upon his former enjoyments, his ſpiritual proſperity, (as Job looks back upon his temporal) and ſays, Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul: it is becauſe I don't meet God in his ordinances as I uſed to do; poor deſerted, panting ſoul! poor diſquieted ſoul! he muſt be the help of thy countenance, he will yet be thy God. Who was it ſought Jeſus ſorrowing? what would you have thought of the Virgin Mary if ſhe had ſaid, I don't care whether I ſee my ſon or not; ſhe ſought him, and found him in the temple: God grant every poor deſerted ſoul may find him to-night; I mean, in the temple of his heart. And in the caſe of Mary, ſhe ſays, They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him: if they had not taken away her Lord, Mary would have been rich: ſo you may ſay your corruptions, your backſlidings and ingratitude, have taken away your Lord: Lord grant thou mayſt find him to-night. He that ſaid, Mary, can call thee to-night, and can make thee ſay, My dear Lord, I come to-night; he can call thee by thy name.
But, ſay you, I am caſt down becauſe I am wearied with temptation; not only my God is departed from me, but an evil ſpirit is come upon me to torment me; I am haunted with this and that evil ſuggeſtion, that I am a terror to myſelf. Come, come, hear what David ſaith in the beginning of the Pſalm, As the hart panteth after the water-brocks, ſo panteth my ſoul after thee, O God. What ſay you to that? if you have a mind to ſee the beauty of this verſe, read Mr. Hervey's Theron and Aſpaſio, which will live when its deſpiſers are dead; and thoſe that have endeavoured to diſparage him will be obliged to own, that he was one of the greateſt luminaries we ever had, and one that has laid down the doctrines of the goſpel, in a manner to charm and allure the great and noble. Well, is it thy caſe that unbelief dogs thee go where thou will? well, ſtill truſt in God, thou ſhalt yet priſe him for the help of his countenance: he will command his loving-kindneſs in the day, and his ſong ſhall be with thee in the night. Though it be night, there is ſome moon, bleſſed be God, or ſome ſtars; and if there is a fog that you cannot ſee, God can quiet his people in the dark, he will make the enemy flee; fear him not, God will comfort thee, if thou truſt in him.
But, ſay you, I am caſt down and diſquieted within me; why? becauſe I have one affliction after another, no ſooner is one trial gone, but another ſucceeds; now I think I ſhall have a little reſt, the tormentor will not come nigh me to-day, but no ſooner has the chriſtian ſo ſaid, but another ſtorm comes, and the clouds return after the rain; then we think we muſt be caſt down, and that we ought to be diſquieted; this was David's caſe; what does he ſay? All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. I believe he found after that, there were more waves to come than he had yet felt; why? ſays a poor diſtreſſed ſoul, becauſe I have been ſo long in Chriſt, and have got theſe curſed corruptions yet within. I thought to have been rid of them all long ago; I thought I had no corruptions left thirty-three years ago, and that the Canaanites were all rooted out of the land, that Pharaoh and his hoſt were all drowned in the red-ſea; but I find the old man is ſtrong in me, I look upon myſelf to be leſs than the leaſt of all ſaints, God knows; and you that walk near God, and have made greater advances in the divine life, if you are honeſt muſt ſay, O this body of ſin and death, if I ſhut this old man out at the fore-door, he comes in at the back-door. Come, come, come ſoul, truſt in God, he will give power to the ſaint, he will give ſtrength, and in due time deliver thee: go to God, tell him of them; beg thy Redeemer to take his whip into his hand, either of ſmall or large cords, and uſe it, rather than your corruptions ſhould get head again.
Time would fail to mention all that are caſt down on theſe accounts, but I muſt mention one more; perhaps, ſome of you may be caſt down with the ſear not of death only, but of judgment. I believe there are thouſands of people die a thouſand times, for fear of dying once. Dr. Mather and Mr. Pemberton, of New-England, were always afraid of dying, but when they came to die, one or both of them ſaid to ſome that were intimate with them, Is this all, I can bear this very well: and I have generally found that a poor ſoul, that cannot act that faith on God it once did, or in old age when the body grows infirm, as they uſed to do, yet they go off rejoicing in God, as a good ſoul that was buried at the Chapel the other day, ſaid, I am going over Jordan. Therefore, O poor ſoul, leave this to God, he will take care of thy dying hour. If any of you are poor here, and I was to promiſe to give you a coffin and a ſhroud you would be eaſy; now can you truſt the word of a man, and not that of God? Well, the Lord help you to truſt in him; having loved his own, he loves them to the end; he is a faithful, unchangeable friend, that ſticheth cloſer than a brother.
Who would not be a chriſtian, who would but be a believer, my brethren; ſee the preciouſneſs of a believer's faith; the quacks will ſay, here buy this packet, which is good for all diſeaſes, and is really worth nothing: but this will never fail the ſoul. Now I wiſh I could make you all angry; I am a ſad miſchief-maker; but I will aſſure you, I don't want to make you angry with one another: ſome people that profeſs to have grace in their hearts, ſeem reſolved to ſet all God's people at variance; they are like Sampſon's foxes with firebrands in their tails, ſetting fire to all about them. Are any of you come from the Foundery, or any other place to-night; I do not care where you come from; I pray God you may all quarrel to-night; I want you to fall out with your own hearts; if we were employed as we ought to be, we ſhould have leſs time to talk about the vain things that are the ſubjects of converſation: God grant your croſſes may be left at the croſs of the Lamb of God this night.
And if there be any of you here, as no doubt there are many, that are crying what nonſenſe he is preaching to-night, I ſhould not wonder if they were to mimick me when they go home; if they ſhould ſay, I thank God, I was never caſt down; you take God's name in vain; you thank God you was never caſt down, the very anſwer you have given makes me caſt down for you; why ſo? why, as the Lord liveth, I ſpeak out of compaſſion, there is but one ſtep between thee and death. Don't you know the ſeſſions began at the Old-Bailey to-day, if there were any capitally convicted, what would you think to ſee them playing at cards, or go on rattling and drinking, and ſwearing? would not you yourſelf cry, and if it wore a child of your own, would it not break your heart? but yet thou art that wretch; I muſt weep for thee, my brother-ſinner; we had both one father and mother, Adam and Eve; this was our ſad original.
Dear Chriſtians, pray for me to-night. I remember once I was preaching in Scotland, and ſaw ten thouſand effected in a moment, ſome with joy, others crying I cannot believe; others, God has given me faith, ſome fainting in their friends arms: ſeeing two ſtout creatures upon a tomb-ſtone, hardened indeed, I cryed out, you rebels come down, and down they fell directly, and cried before they went away, What ſhall we do to be ſaved? Have any of you got apprentices, whom you have brought from time to time to the Tabernacle, but now will not let them come, becauſe you think they grow worſe and worſe, and you will be tempted to leave off praying for them? don't do that; who knows but this may be the happy time. Children of Godly parents, apprentices of godly people, ſervants of people who fear the Lord, that hear goſpel-preachers, that are on the watch for every infirmity, that go to their fellow-ſervants and ſay, theſe ſaints love good eating and drinking, they are only goſpel-goſſips; is this the caſe with any of you, if it is, you are in a deplorable condition, under the goſpel and not convinced thereby: O may God bring down you rebels to-night; may this be the happy hour you may be caſt down and diſquieted within you. What can I ſay more? I would ſpeak till I burſt, I would ſpeak till I could ſay no more. O poor ſouls, that haſt been never yet caſt down, I will tell you, if you die without being caſt down, however you may die and have no pangs in your death, and your carnal relations may thank God that you died like lambs, but no ſooner will your ſouls be out of your bodies, but God will caſt you down to hell, you will be lifting up your eyes in yonder place of torment, you will be diſquieted, but there will be nobody there to-ſay, hope thou in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him, &c. O my God, when I think of this, I could go to the very gates of hell to preach. I thought the other day, O if I had my health, I would ſtand on the top of every hackney coach, and preach Chriſt to thoſe poor creatures. Unconverted old people, unconverted young people, will you have no compaſſion on your own ſouls: if you will damn yourſelves, remember I am free from the blood of you all. O if it be thy bleſſed will, Lord moſt holy, O God moſt mighty; take the hearts of theſe ſinners into thy hand. Methinks I ſee the heavens opened, the Judge ſitting on his throne, the ſea boiling like a pot, and the Lord Jeſus coming to judge the world; well, if you are damned, it ſhall not be for want of calling after. O come, come, God help you to come, whilſt Jeſus is ſtanding ready to receive you. O fly to the Saviour this night for refuge; remember if you die in an unconverted ſtate you muſt be damned for ever.
O that I could perſuade but one poor ſoul to fly to Jeſus Chriſt, make him your refuge; and then however you may be caſt down, hope in God, and you ſhall yet praiſe him. God help thoſe that have believed, to hope more and more in his ſalvation, till faith be turned into viſion, and hope into fruition. Even ſo, Lord Jeſus. Amen and Amen.