A MOST COMFORTABLE AND Christian Dialogue betweene the Lord and the Soule BY Mr. WILLIAM COVVPER Minister of Gods Word MATTHEVV 11. 28. Come vnto mee all yee that are wearie and heauy laden and I will refresh you The seuenth Edition LONDON Printed by G. P. for Iohn Budge and are to be sold at the great South-doore of Paules and at Brittaines Bursse 1617. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir DAVID MVRREY Knight speciall Gentleman of the Prince his Bed-chamber IT is right Worshipfull the common condition of all Christians howsoeuer disioyned in place that they are militant in one warfare against Sathan with his Principalities Powers and spirituall wickednesse whose stratagems are innumerable and the manner of his assaults manifold he troubleth not all Gods children one manner of way for so euery one might easily espie wherein his strength lyeth but makes choise of the temptation as by long experience he hath learned it may bee most effectuall to worke vpon our naturall disposition Like as on the other hand the Grace by which God strengtheneth his Children to resist him is much more manifold whereby they are instructed to vse the Armour of God with such variety of heauenly wisedome that is a wonder to see how by one and the selfesame sentēce of Gods word at sundry hands sundry manner of wayes Sathan is confounded therefore it is very needfull that in the spirituall warfare there should be a mutuall intelligence among the Souldiers of Christ as well for discouering of Sathans seuerall sleights in assaulting for the more his policie is detected the better may we eschew it as also for the manifestation of GODS rich mercy in assisting For this cause haue I been induced to communicate vnto others these Meditations as it pleased God by experience to communicate them vnto me for in the middest of darknesse which couered the mind and restlesse feare which disquieted the conscience the Lord made them sodainely to breake out like sparkles of light sent from his owne Throne of Grace bringing with them light peace and ioy which in a moment remoued the former feares and pacified the perturbations of my troubled soule As they were vnto me so I wish they may be meanes of comfort vnto others but I know that the same argument of comfort which hath comforted one in temptations doth not alwaies comfort another Nay not in the selfe-same temptation for the Lord will haue his praise reserued to himselfe that hee onely is the God of al comfort It is not the word saith Dauid but God by the word that did quicken him Psal. 119. 9. Yea the most comfortable promise of the Gospell is most terrible to the troubled conscience except the Lord by it worke in the heart a sence of his mercy and therefore such as want comfort let thē seeke it from the God of comfort Neuerthelesse that which we haue we giue euen as we haue receiued it that it may stand as a memoriall of my thankfulnes to God who shewed his great mercy vpon me when within my selfe I had receiued the sentence of death and a testimonie of my loue toward them who are militant against Sathan And specially of that Christian remembrance I haue alway of you in the Lord Iesus to whose grace I commend you now and for euer Your Worships in the Lord Iesus William Cowper Minister at Perth A RIGHT COMFORTABLE DIAlogue betweene the Lord and a troubled SOVLE The LORD O My beloued why fearest thou and art so cast downe and disquieted within thy selfe dost thou well to bee angry with my chastisements and why art thou offended that I should make thee like to my selfe causing thee to walke in that way of inward outward griefes which I did tread before thee why refusest thou to take vp my crosse and follow me and to taste of that cup which I dranke before thee and for thee The SOVLE O Lord giue mee of thy Spirit and all trouble with thee or for thee shal be sweete vnto me what euer thou didst beare O Lord it was for me and if I were so disposed as I should then would I be content to beare all that thou my God shouldest please to lay on me But alas it is my cursed corruption that makes me think thy crosse my burden Lord therfore vphold mee with thy grace that I may count thy yoke easie and finde ioy in these sufferings with thee The LORD I Know the cause of thy griefe and terror to bee the cōsideration of thy sins but I pray thee why lookest thou so to thy sins that thou lookest not also to my mercies why wouldest thou so extoll thy euill deeds that thou shouldest extenuat my rich mercies or in any way cōpare the one with the other was it for thy good deedes that first I entered into friendship with thee thinkest thou now that for thy euill deeds I will vtterly forsake thee seeing it is among my praises that the worke which I begin I perfect it I like it well indeed to see thee grieued for the sinnes thou hast done against me but I would haue thee also comforted in the mercies that I haue shewed thee Call to minde my workes of old and what I haue done to thee since thou canst remember how cared I for thee in thy young and tender yeeres Looke backe now see did not the Angel of my presence leade thee whē thou haddest neither wisedome nor strength to gouerne thy selfe did I not then begin to acquaint thee with the knowledge feare of my Name canst thou denie now that my mercy preserued thee from many sins whereunto thy nature was prone and ready to haue declined and when thou sinnedst with what long patience haue I wayted thy turning how louingly haue I winked at thy transgressions when I had giuen thee grace to repent of thy sins and to seeke my fauour mercy for the sins of thy youth with a melting heart a mourning eie canst thou denie that I haue filled thy heart with my ioyes and made thy toung burst out in glorying speeches and why thē wilt thou not trust in my mercies to the end The SOVLE I Were O Lord most vnthankfull if I should not confesse that many a time in the multitude of my thoughts thy mercies haue comforted me but alas I haue not answered thy louing kindnesse for after many mercies receiued I haue sinned against thee contrary to my light my sins are now before me witnessing that I am vnworthy to taste of the sweetnesse of thy mercy any more The LORD IS my mercy onely for a day or for a yeere or is it for euer euer toward those whom I haue made mine in Christ Iesus wilt thou restraine my mercies and limit them within so narrow bounds as to think they cannot be extended ouer all thy transgressions wilt thou measure my mercies with so narrow a span as to think I haue no more to giue then thou hast an heart to receiue
Is it not among my praises that I am able to doe exceeding abundantly aboue all that my Children can aske or think of me Knowest thou not that as the Heauens are aboue the Earth so my thoughts are aboue thine hast thou not considered that my mercy is aboue all my workes how much more then is it aboue thee who art nothing in comparison of my works and if it bee aboue thee how much more aboue all that thou canst do why thē wilt thou match thy sins with my mercies If require such mercy in my childrē that I will haue one of them to forgiue another not onely seuen times but seuenty times seuen times what pitty and compassion and readinesse to forgiue is in my selfe Therefore my beloued despaire not for the multitude of thy sins but be cōforted with my promises of mercy I haue made them without any exception of time For at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sins I haue promised to put away his wickednes out of my remembrance I haue made them without exception of sins for albeit your sins were as skarlet they shall be made as white as snow I haue made them without exception of persons for whosoeuer shal depart from his wicked waies turne to me I shall receiue him Let this threefold vniuersality of my promises sustaine thee that thy infidelitie contract not my mercies into narrower bounds then I haue extended them The SOVLE BE mercifull O Lord to my infidelity I beleeue in part Lord helpe my vnbeliefe stablish confirme my vnstable heart with thy good and holy spirit My conscience doth in such sort condemne mee that I stand in feare of thy iustice for thou art greater then the conscience wilt much more condemne me if thou dost enter into iudgement with me The LORD O My beloued consider that the cause of thy present vnquietnes is because with the one eye thou lookest to thy sins my Fathers iustice with the other lookest not to me in whome his iustice is satisfied and thy sins punished already Tell me I pray thee thinkest thou to get in thy selfe and the holines of thy dispositiō that which shall exempt thee from the feare of his Iustice Or art thou content to seeke it in me If in thy selfe thou seekest it remember what thou art doing wilt thou haue the Lord bound and obliged to thee wilt thou be thine own Sauiour or shall it be sayd his mercy saued thee not if no miserie were in thee whereupon should his mercy be manifested and if thy disposition in the earth were such as it should be then what remaineth but that the prais of his mercy should fall to the ground turne thee therefore to mee and seeke thy life in mee If thou wilt know what is thine thou art a sinner let my praise bee reserued to my selfe I am thy Sauiour Esteemest thou that my wounds are ineffectuall or that there is no force in my sufferings countest thou thy sinnes so deadly that my merit and vertue cannot cure them Will any Phisicion powre out a rare oyntment either where no need is or else where it cannot profit and thinkest thou that my Father would haue my bloud to be shed in vaine If his iustice terrifie thee remēber his iustice was satisfied in mee and that he pronounceth this sentence himselfe This is my wel-beloued Son in whom I am well pleased I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Tarry not from mee because thou art a sinner but for that cause come to mee and I will refresh thee The SOVLE O Lord I know that there is a clensing and reconciling vertue in thy bloud that life is in thy death but still I feare my sins deserue thou shouldest neither apply thy vertue nor thy merit to me for alas I find that yet the old man is strong and liuely in mee and that yet the motions of sinne haue power in mee to bring foorth fruite vnto death The LORD BE not I pray thee iniurious to the worke of my Grace in thee complaine not so of thy corruption but that thou maist giue vnto mee mine own praise Canst thou deny but that thou hast felt my power working in thy Soule Haue I not sprinkled thy conscience many times with the pacifying bloud of Christ frō which hath flowed to thee such a witnessing of good things such a sense of mercy as for the time hath filled thy heart with ioy and thy mouth with song of praise Haue I not sometime stirred thee vp in great feruencie to call on the Name of the Lord Haue I not made thee to giue Christs name a publike testimonie with thine owne disaduantage and how oft hath thine heart been effectually moued at the hearing of my word in such sort that it hath wrought in thee an holy remorse an inward contrition for thy sins which hath broken out into teares haue I not made thee a wrestler against thy inordinate lusts haue I not giuen thee strength many a time to stand against Sathans temptations whereas if I had left thee to thy selfe how oftē haddest thou bin made a prey to thine enemie Remembrest thou not that the Tempter hath assaulted thee but I haue with-drawne the occasion of sin and when the occasion serued did not I restraine and hold back the Tempter 〈◊〉 when both the Tempter and occasion were present haue I not filled thy heart with the feare loue of my name and so kept thee from sinning against me wheras many times of thy weaknes thou hast offended did I not with a melting heart mourning eye raise thee againe and renew my former familiarity with thee so that thou canst neuer say from the first houre that I begun to renew thee that I suffered thee to lie in thy sin as I haue done others that are strangers from my grace And many moe notable effects of my working in thee thou canst not deny Are not these the vndoubted tokens of my Grace in thee will Nature doe such things mayest thou not feele by these that I haue begun to apply to thee Christs merit for the remission of thy sin and Christs vertue for quickening thee to a new life Therefore think of thy selfe as basely as thou wilt but let the worke of my grace be esteemed of thee according to the excellencie of it be humble cast downe when thou lookest to thine owne corruption I finde no fault with thee but I reioyce am glad at the new Workmanship which I haue begunne in thee Indeed if there were nothing in thee but that which thou hast of nature thy estate were miserable but seeing thou seest a new workmanship in thee be comforted art thou so in darknesse that there is no light in thee or doth sin so possesse thee that beside it also there is not in thee a will to do good a loue to righteousnesse If thou saist thou hast no sin
dispensation and doubt not but all thy wants and holy desires shall once be satisfied remember how carefull thy Sauiour was of those people that followed him I haue compassion saith he on this people because they haue continued with me already three dayes and haue nothing to eate I will not let them depart fasting lest they faint in the way O most sweete and comfortable speeches they seeke not from him and he is carefull to giue them If he was so carefull to satisfie their bodily necessities will he neglect the spirituall necessities of his owne They followed him three dayes and he counteth it a long time they are to goe from him and hee feareth lest they faint O my distrustfull Soule wilt thou once learne to trust in the mercy of thy God assuredly will he not saciate thee who seekes him will he not answere thee who cries vnto him will he not care for thee who hast waited vpon him not three dayes but many yeeres will he let thee faint in following him who would not let thē faint who were to go from him O sweet Sauiour happy are they who trust in thee Lord therefore increase my faith in thee that nothing be able euer to sunder me from thee The LORD AS for the weaknes of thy Faith which I see is the ground of all thy trouble it proceedeth either from the want of knowledge or else from the want of application It is indeede a speciall benefit to haue the minde enlightened with true light Seeke therefore my light to shine vnto thee by continuall prayer and searching the Scriptures that thou be not troubled with the error of Conscience as if it were a iust accusation I haue set conscience indeed to be a warner vnto thee but then shalt thou take heed to her warnings when they are warranted by my word If the error of thy consciēce terrifie thee in any thing and make thee think that thy crosses and visitations do come from mine anger go and informe conscience better by the Word remember whom I chastise I loue when I chastise thee I am not seeking a satisfaction to my iustice what maruell such thoughts disquiet many Consider I pray thee that notable promise of mine made to my seruant Dauid and in him to all the rest of my Saints If they breake my statutes I will visite their transgressions with my rods yet my louing kindnesse will I not take from them neither alter my Couenant The SOVLE O Word full of comfort my Soule forget it neuer that euen when his rods are layd on thee yet his louing kindnesse is not taken from thee and though thy transgressions be many yet will hee not alter his Couenant with thee remember it I say that in thy trouble thou giue no more place to these misconceptions of Gods working with thee As godly Iob thought in his trouble that the Lord was pursuing him for his sins and making him to possesse the iniquitie of his youth which as yet appeares by the course of that Historie was not the Lords intention so haue I thought many times that the heauie hand of the Lord laid on me had proceeded from his wrath as if hee had shut vp his tender mercie in displeasure from me for euer but Lord let thy light abide with me that I sinne no more with such distrustfull motions against thee and now Lord speake on yet further to thy Seruant for thy comforts haue reioyced my Soule The LORD NOw concerning the weaknesse of thy faith in the apprehension and the application of my promises remember that I am he who will not breake the bruised Reede nor quench the smoking flaxe what smaller thing is there then a graine of mustard-seed albeit the measure of thy faith were no more yet haue I not excluded it from the participation of my promises A louing Father will delight to be holden by the hand of his tender Child and knowest thou not that as a father spareth his son so will the Lord spare thē that feare him hast thou not read that although the faith of my seruant Iacob was very weak as thou maist perceiue by the great feare he conceiued of Esau yet his weak faith was able to hold me till I blessed him Be not therefore discouraged for albeit thou canst not lay hold on me with the hand of strong faith if thou canst but touch the hem of my garment with thy finger thou shalt draw vertue out of me Consider also with thy selfe that the Faith of my children is neuer greater then when their feeling is weakest and least perceiued It is easie for euery one to beleeue in the middest of glorious feelings and vnspeakeable ioyes but when a man can feele no sensible comfort in mee and yet beleeueth in mee and waiteth on me for comfort certainely the Faith of that man is great and such was the Faith of my seruant who in his greatest trouble gaue mee this answere Albeit thou wouldest slay me O Lord yet both against sence feeling will I trust in thee And did not also that woman of Canaan with inuincible Faith cleaue to my mercy euen then when she had no feeling of mercy and I gaue her no fauourable answer for which in the end I called her faith a great Faith The SOVLE O My Sauiour thou art the strength whereby I stand in temptation cursed be he that would make my Soule to conceiue wrongfully of thee Be mercifull O Lord vnto me and neuer let the malice of mine enemie preuayle ouer me Sweete Iesus keepe the heart that through thine own Grace would faine keep thee and now my Soule remember that this is but the time of fighting the time of triumphing will come why then shall the continuance of these restlesse assaults disquiet thee If thou haddest neuer beene victorious but ence in all thy life-time yet what mercie had it beene that the Lord in the middest of the battaile should make thee to triumph but thou canst not deny that many ioyfull victories now and before hath the Lord giuen thee Therefore now my Soule reioyce and returne to thy former rest For the Lord hath been beneficiall to thee and account thou euery one of these temporall victories a pledge to thee of that full and finall victorie that once thou shalt enioy ouer all thine enemies when the God of peace shall tread downe Sathan vnder thy feete The SOVLE reioyceth in the LORD O Lord if such comfort be in thy crosse what is in thy Crowne and if thou dost giue vs such ioy when thou takest vs into thy hand to correct vs with thy rods Lord what wilt thou make vs to finde when thou shalt imbrace vs in thy armes to kisse vs with the kisses of thy mouth Oh that these feelings might for euer abide with me what trouble would not be easie where thy comforts are present Surely O Lord all trouble vanisheth so soone as thou dost beginne to glance vpon my soule Therefore O my
Loue my light my life my ioy my crowne my glory my strength my helpe in the time of neede stand thou on my side and I will not feare what my enemy can doe to me O happie time that euer I know thee Blessed be the name of the Lord for euermore The SOVLE doth triumph ouer Sathan O Enemy Sathan albeit thine enmity be troublesome vnto mee yet I thanke my God through Iesus Christ that thou art against mee and that he hath put mee in his warr-fare to fight against thee When I consider that in Paradise the Lord proclaimed irreconciliable emnitie betweene thee and my blessed Sauiour the seede of the woman Christ Iesus I account my hope happy that thou art against mee and that grace is giuen vnto mee to fight against thee for thereby I know that I am none of thine but that I doe stand on that side whereof Christ is the Captaine all his Saints are Souldiers and the victorie is most certaine O deceitfull Serpent if I haue found such errour arising of those sinnes which foolishly I did by thy intisements what should I haue found if I had followed thee in all the rest from the which the LORDS preuenting mercies did keepe mee I haue learned by experience that thou art a faithlesse Traitor thou dost tempt a man to sinne and for the same sinnes which he did by thy instigation thou art the first that doth accuse him The Lord confirme this good purpose of my heart that I neuer harken any more to thy lying words and suffer not my Soule to bee circumuented with thy deceitfull snares And as for the worke of my saluation seeing it is a worke that my GOD will worke in despite of thee wherefore shall I regard thy testimonie Thou didst put it in question to my Sauiour whether or no he was the Sonne of GOD and what maruell if thou darest say to his Children that they are none of his Is there any truth so vndoubted but thou darest deny it at any time why therefore shall I enter into disputing with thee any more My saluation standeth neither in thy questioning nor in any answering but vpon the Lords vnchangeable decree of Election If thou shouldest speake for mee yet should I not bee the better neyther if thou speake against me am I the worse When thou didst confesse that Iesus was the Sonne of GOD hee rebuked thee and thought it no honour to him to haue thy testimonie When thou didst cry out that Paul and Silas were the seruants of the most high GOD albeit thou spakest the truth yet did thy not accept of thy testimonie so although thou wouldest say to mee that I were the elect Child of GOD shall I thinke my selfe the surer for that and if on the contraâ—â— thou doest denie it aâ—â— therefore the more vnsure of saluation Speake what thou wilt thou art alwaies alike thy selfe thou hast beene a lyar from the beginning Cursed of the LORD art thou in all thy wayes and with all thy confederats Cursed are they that are in friendship with thee and blessed for euer be the Lord who hath deliuered me from thy deceit and tyranny The Conclusion of the Dialogue BLessed be thou O LORD for that it hath pleased thee to visit the base estate of thy seruant to succour mee in my distresse and to comfort me with thy mercies LORD euermore feede me with this Manna and refresh mee with the Springs of the Water of Life Shew at all times some signe of thy mercy on mee that mine enemie Sathan who laboureth to disquiet mee may be ashamed because thou art with mee to succour mee A comfortable Meditation IF yee will marke and consider yee shall find that the Children of God in all their temptations are not so much doers with their will as sufferers against their will This Cogitation comming to my minde suddenly comfort did spring in the midst of trouble God giuing me Grace to vnderstand that these motions wherewith I am troubled were not so much actions done by mee for in truth neither do I like or allow of them but as spiritual oppressions of mine enemie who still warreth against me sometimes with armies of feares sometimes with armies of doubtings and sometimes with bandes of vncleane and wandring motions and sometimes with troopes of worldly cares making inuasion vpon my Soule and labouring to quench that sparke of spirituall Life which the LORD had begunne in mee therefore answere for mee O Lord for I suffer violence My enemie would oppresse mee but Lord my hope for euer is in thee succour mee with thy strength and I shall liue and Lord impute not to me any of those sinfull motions which my enemie raiseth in me against my Soule Consider this wisely O my Soule and remember it GOD that hath entred thee into this warfare and is thy spectator and helper will neuer reckon vp to thee Sathans deedes for thine and learne thou wisely how to distinguish them and faint not for them but comfort thy selfe as long as thou art able to stand to thy protestation that thou doest suffer violence in them and canst say with the Apostle This is not I but sinne which dwelleth in mee O LORD deliuer me from the rage of this spirituall tyranny Many a time haue I looked to haue beene swallowed vp but thou hast sustained mee Blessed bee my God for euer and the LORD bee my strength to the end A Prayer O Lord how can it be possible that my Soule can liue here in this absence from thee or walke in the middest of these continuall snares or stand against these raging temptations except it please thee now and then to shew thy face vnto me Iosephs state in prison was not so heauy as mine his temptations in Potiphers house were not so continuall as mine are And Daniels feare in the midst of Lions was no greater then mine who euery day tastes of a thousand deaths Ieremy in his darke dungeon was not vexed with such horrors as daily gather themselues against me The only comfort of my Soule is in thy mercies thou wert with Ioseph and therefore the prison was more pleasant to him then Potiphers Palace thou wert with Daniel and therefore the raging Lyons were peaceable to him Lord bee with mee and increase thy strength in my soule and I shal liue Though the time be not yet come wherein I shall appeare in thy presence and see thee yet Lord let me haue in this land of my Pilgrimage those glaÌ„ces of thy sweete and louing countenance that may sustaine me for thou Lord art able to let me see as much ioy in thy sweete face in one hower as may sustaine me for euer and without this sight how can my Faith but faile my Hope but houer and my Life but languish therefore O Lord hide not thy face from my Soule for euer but as thou doest acquaint mee with troubles so let me see at all times that as my sufferings do abound in me so my consolations may abound through Christ Iesus I know thou alwaies beholdest mee in mercy but Lord let me see that thou lookest vpon me that I may feele thy mercies sweete vnto my soule Amen FINIS