primus in tabula vocabatur Primicerius sic Aug. appellat Stephanum Primicerium martyrum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phavorin what he saith and we will goe no further to aske of others David was here a type of Christ and as himselfe was but the shadow of Christs person so was his sorrow but a shadow of Christs sorrow David did but taste of the cup which Christ afterward drank more deeply of when in the anguish of his souler upon the Crosse he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27.46 And this Cup hath gone round ever sinder so that few have ever tasted of the wateâ—s of life but they have drunke also of these waters of Marah d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. Plut. l. de consolat ad Ap. The experience of all the Saints almost contributes to the evidence of this truth where shall we finde a man that hath not met with these rocks and sands and hath not seen some gloomie dayes winter storms passing through many changes sometimes rejoycing as the plants in the Spring e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Odyss 8. in the sight and sense of Gods gracious presence sometimes again mourning for his losse of God sometimes lift up to heaven in his soule and mounting as it were on Eagles wings sometimes again depressed to the deeps of hell held as with chains of brasse or iron now quickned but growing dull again f Aliquando infirmior fit regenitus regeneratione progrediente quam ineuate Camer amic Coll. p. 289. few can say they have once found God but may say they have often lost him Adde to the experience of the Saints the witnesse of God himselfe Divine testimony David and Heman and Iob and Zion might speak much out of distrust impatience passion c. but when God himselfe shall come in and confirme their evidence it is past doubt But God doth so for doth Sion bewaile herselfe as a widow forlorne without an husband God saith it was so The Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth when thou wast refused saith thy God Esay 54.6 God saith he had in a sort divorced her from him yea and whereas Sion complained that God forsooke her it s no more than God saith himselfe vers 7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee so that this is sometimes the sad portion of the Saints to be deserted And this I have the rather spoken that the mourners in Sion may see this uncomfortable state may consist with grace it is a comfort to know that thy deeps are passeable and thy case cureable others have walked in this heavy way and are now in heaven others have beene in these stormes yet have safely arrived at the land of promise None other affliction hath befallen you but that which is common to men therefore be not overwhelmed in griefe give not thy selfe for lost disquietnesse will hurt but it cannot helpe rather stir up thy selfe to take hold of God repent pray beleeve wait for God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it 1 Cor. 10.13 CHAP. II. How or in what sense the godly are said to be deserted THe second thing followes how or in what sense they are said to be deserted First Sometimes in appearance only sometimes onely in appearance g Quosdam deserit quosdam deserere videtur Ambr. in Psal 118. Aug. in Ps 44. Obscuris super nos dispositionibus Deus saepe unde nos astimatur deserere inde nos recipit unde nos recipere creditur inde derelinquit ut plerunque hoc fiat gratiâ quod ira dicitur hoc aliquando ira sit quod gratia putatur Greg. mor. l. 5. c. 5. not in truth men are in nothing so much deceived as in themselves mans heart and wayes yea his judgement and thoughts are subject to many variations and frequent mistakes are found in mens opinions about these great questions am I truly changed or am I an hypocrite doe I beleeve or not is God my God or not c And the errors of mens judgements arise from ignorance unbeliefe passion false rules of judgement c. of which principles of errour I shall speake hereafter but through such impediments men are often puzled and thinke they are evill when they are good and worst when best and furthest from God when nearest to him But as desertions are sometimes in appearance onely Sometimes really so sometimes they are reall God truly withdrawing himselfe and denying that fulnesse of communion which his people were wont to have with him But though he desert them really yet not totally The Lord will not forsake his people for his great Names sake 1 Sam. 12.22 his truth is engaged in it For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13.5 the words are emphaticall h Est negationis conduplicatio ut sit vehementior pollicitatio Estius in locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is to be observed a duplication of the subject of the Promise I will not leave I will not forsake and a multiplication of negatives there are five negatives in the promise by which he intimateth that he will not yea he will not surely he will not forsake his servants hee will never wholy reject them nor utterly leave them To clear this point a little Yet with limitation I will lay down three limitations or distinctions by which we may the better understand in what sense this is a truth that the godly are sometimes forsaken of God God leaves them for a season not for ever Not for ever If he goe from them it is but as one that goeth from home to returne againe I will not leave you comfortlesse or as Orphans But I will come againe Joh. 14.18 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When Sion was in this uncomfortable case God said unto her For a moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath have I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Esay 54 7 8. He may frown but he will smile againe though his compassions may be restrained yet they cannot be extinguished his anger endureth but a moment in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but In the morning joy comes Psal 30.5 in his favour is life k In benevo lentia ejus vita i. e. diu durat contrarium ejus quod praecessit momentum in ira ejus Drus quaest Ebraic l. 1. q. 49. weeping may endure or lodge as a passenger to be gone in the morning but joy comes in the morning as an inhabitant and enjoyeth his habitation to himselfe As the Sun sets
this is continued pag. 481 CHAP. 36. 3. The effects of this sad condition these are expressed according to the quality of the persons thus Deserted 1. As they are sleeping Christians and they are 1. Careless pag. 483 2. Declining in affection pag. 484 3. Apt to he drawne to evill ibid. 2. As they are awakened in these there are different workings 1. Evill effects as 1. Heartless complaints pag. 485 2. Fruitless complaints pag. 486 3. Great unquietness expressed in three things pag. 487 2. Good effects as 1. Sorrow pag. 490. 2. Longing desires pag. 491 3. Repentance ibid. 4. Subjection pag. 492 4. The cause of the restlesness of the soule without God pag. 492 1. From the condition of the subject expressed in five things pag. 492 2. From the object in respect of 1. The quality of it pag. 498 There are three things in God which cause the wound to bleed much ibid. 2. The relation in which God stands to a beleiver pag. 503 3. The operation of God pag. 504 CHAP. 37. 2. The causes for which God deales thus with his people pag. 506 1. To put a difference betwixt Heaven and earth ibid. 2. In judgement to the world pag. 510 3. To establish the godly in more full comforts pag. 512 Affliction of the soule doth advantage much to further establishment foure reasons of it pag. 513 4. The correcting and healing of some evill in his people 517. These evils are 1. Deadness and dulness of heart ibid. 2. Fearelesness of God pag. 519 3. Slightness of heart 521. expressed in three things ibid. 4. Living too much upon the creature expressed in three things pag. 525 5. Intractableness and stifness of heart pag. 528 6. Rigidness and unmercifulness to the spirituall estate of others pag. 530 7. Some great transgression pag. 533 5. To shew that God is the God of all comfort pag. 534 6. To revive their esteeme of mercy pag. 536 7. That others may be instructed pag. 538 8. To fit them for speciall service pag. 539 2. The cure of this sad condition pag. 542 1. In those in whom the cause is naturall pag. 543 2. In those in whom the cause is spirituall and it is applyed 1. To those that have slumbring and drowsie spirits pag. 544 2. To those that are awakened and see their losse to these are propounded 1 Perswasives 1 Comfort is their strength pag. 546 Three great assaults that a man is exposed unto ibid. 2. Sadness doth much hurt both to themselves and others pag. 549 3. Recovery is possible proved by five things pag. 550 2. Directives 1. Seeke the Father in the Son pag. 551 2. Seeke peace much pag. 555 3. Come in much love to God pag. 556 Love shews it self in two things pag. 557 Decemb. 4. 1638. Imprimatur THO WYKES THE DESERTED SOULES Case and Cure CHAP. I. That the godly are sometimes deserted THough most men since God and they parted in Adam live without God in the world Eph. 2.12 13. and are so far from him that they neither enjoy him nor know him yet there is a generation of men whom God hath made nigh by the bloud of Christ with whom he hath renewed that old acquaintance and amity which at the first he had with them Heu Domine Deus rara hora brevis mora Bern. in Cant. 13. and they with him which blessed estate as it is not here perfected so it 's often interrupted their comforts are sweet alwayes but short often there are but few if any whose joyes in a comfortable communion with God are not sometimes clouded with sorrowes in a dolefull elongation from him so that if you lay but your eare to the doore of their closets you shall often heare the daughters of Sion as heires of their mothers miseries complaining in their mothers language The Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me Esay 49.14 If you six your eyes upon them you shall see Sions teares in their eyes her palenesse in their faces her sorrowes in their soules in consideration of and compassion to these mourners I spent some thoughts upon this sad subject Desertions then are either Common or Special These which I call common are such as all men share in by nature God having forsaken and withdrawne himselfe from Adam and all his posterity with Apostate Angels The speciall I shall handle as they concerne Godly The speciall I shall handle as they concerne Hypocrits Desertions as they concerne men truly regenerate are Gods withdrawing himselfe In respect of quickning quicting or cōforting of the soul Desertions as they concerne men seemingly regenerate are Gods withholding of those influences by which they had a kinde of life comfort spirituall To begin then with desertions as they concerne the godly I shall first speake something in generall of them and then descend to the more specials That which I shall say in the generals I will comprize in two things 1 That there is such an evill as spirituall desertion 2 How they are deserted That there is such an estate That the godly may be deserted proved it s almost lost labour to prove yet because as all in Christians is hidden and secret so nothing more than their comforts and discomforts I will and that in two words make it good we will call in two witnesses to give evidence to the truth The experience of the Saints Aske Sion By experience you have her verdict Esay 49.14 And Sion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me You see here the Church clad all in blacke bewailing her widowhood as one bereft of her dearest husband every word of her speech is bedewed with teares b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. l. de consolat ad Apol. and beareth a drop from her bleeding soule The Lord Iehovah he whose power and fidelity hath been to me as the pillars of the earth he hath forsaken me he hath cast me off My Lord he who was mine in covenant mine in communion he who was the joy of my life the life of my joy the strength the stay the spring of my life he hath forgotten me he hath cast me not onely out of his armes but out of his heart I am quite out of his love not onely forsaken but forgotten And in this Sion is not alone Aske David and you shall heare him as soon as you come neare him sighing sobbing crying soaring but what saith he what ailes him he telleth you Psal 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me See how well their testimonie agreeth how can a man looke upon David and not count him as a poore Orphan that is left in woe case friendlesse helplesse comfortlesse a but yet we will heare a greater than David that is the Captaine of our salvation the first head of the whole order c Christus Primicerius q. in primâ cerâ vel primus in cerâ antiqu s◠ilicet cereis is ebanturtabulis
disobedience when a man sinne against such strong and continued cals a friend takes it ill when he is often denyed and long put off in a thing much desired and strongly requested 3 Listen to conscience for that is Gods deputy and it will tell you what it is that God takes ill at your hands observe at what dore conscience layeth this sad birth this miserable plight of soule which you are in for that is like to bee the Father as God witnesseth with our spirits so usually he chides with them at least he never chides without them but when he will rebuke he sets conscience to doe it heare then its errands and receive its charge it may be it will say this is thy pride or thy slightnesse in duties thy neglect of God and Christ thy harboured lusts c. I deny not but Conscience may erre and doth often charging that as sin which is no sin or making sin greater then it is or accusing a man of that which he is not guilty of or judging and condemning when the sin is pardoned therefore I adde 4 Pray the Lord to shew you wherein you have offended it was Elihu his counsell to Iob in his sad case Surely it is meete to be said unto God I have borne chastisement I will not offend any more that which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will doe no more Job 34.31 32. And when you are convinced of the evill of your wayes then look on them mourn over them◠what a thing is this that I should provoke him to leave me in whose presence I have had such light such life such strength such liberty such peace such victories such treasures such joyes Heare oh ye heavens for I have committed two great evils I have forsaken the fountain of living waters an◠have digged to my selfe cisterns broken cisterns that hold no water Jer. 2.12 Oh wretch that I am that that precious communion which I had with my God was of no more esteem with me that those sweet streames of comfort which I now want but then had from the well of life those quickning beames from the Sun of righteousnesse those refreshing those ravishing sights and tasts of Jesus Christ those pleasant banquet◠which I had in the ordinances and i◠duties those blessed embraces of the everlasting armes of the Lord my God were of so low account with me that I should lose them by my folly I have been careful to keep my name my state my health yea my vanities but I have not been careful to keep my God that life and comfort of the Spirit which Christ purchased with his blood I like prophane Esau have sold for nought Woe is me that the Spirit of Jesus Christ should come in mercy to make his abode with me and yet hath no better entertainment I set the doores open that he might depart yea by entertainning lusts and vanities I have made him weary of his dwelling and he is gone in anger that came in love u Lysimachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. Apophth de sanitate tuendâ that which I begged with teares and enjoyed with comfort I have lost for sin oh what have I done against my God yea what against my selfe what madnesse was this to gain my lusts and lose my God like that great Commander who sold himselfe for a draught of water Thus break open the rountains within and adde sorrow to sorrow drink your teares like water and mourne and mourn again say oh my folly that have lost that for want of care which now◠would redeeme with my blood bu◠when once God is gone who can te◠me when he will returne againe he◠goeth from many and takes leave for ever and now if I goe long in heavinesse I may thanke my selfe if my soule be spoiled with long hostilities and tyrannies of the power of darknesse if my sins rage like the Sea if I walke a◠a shadow of death my owne hand hath brought all this upon me for God left not me till I left him x Tu me non deseris nisi prius ego te deseram Aug. in Solilo cap. 14. Yea further cause the waters of sorrow to rise yet higher look upon former times and say what was I then what am I now my silver is become drosse take up the lamentation of the Church and make it yours How is the gold become dimme how is the most fine gold changed the stones of the Sanctuary are poured out in the top of every streete the precious sons of Zion comparable to fine gold how are they as earthen pitchers the work of the hands of the potter they that fed delicately are desolate in the streetes they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghils her Nazarites were purer then snow they were whiter then milk they were more ruddy then Rubies their polishing was of Saphire but now their visage is darker then blacknesse their skin cleaveth to their bones it is withered it is become like a stick we are orphans and father lesse our necks are under persecution and we have no rest servants have ruled over us and there is none that doth deliver us out of their hands the joy of our heart is ceased our dancing is turned into mourning the crowne is fallen from our heads woe unto us that we have sinned for this our heart is faint for these things our eye is dimme Lament 4.1 2 5 7. Chap. 5.3 5 8 15 16 17. Look about you and gather matter of sorrow into your hearts cast your eyes upon your wayes and say how little good have I done how much evill how poore is my life my duties like things without life and my unfaithfulnesse appeares as the light in all my wayes I wonder how I could own such actions which stand all like the children of beggers clothed with ragges and full of vermine cast your eyes upon others and say such as had lesse engagements lesse encouragements then I are got far◠before me the last is first and the first last many are grieved and dulled by my deadnesse that should have been quickned by my life look up to God and say Oh foolish and unjust man have I thus requited the Lord my God look up to heaven and say I might by sowing much have made my harvest rich and full but now it is just I should reap little that have sowed little yea that having sowed vanity I should reap iniquitie Repentance is the way to make up your losses and to repaire your ruines God hath promised grace and mercy to the penitent y Qui delictis poenam per judicium destinavit idem veniam per poenitentiam spopondit Tertul. de poenit When thou art in tribulation all these things are come upon thee or have found thee if thou turne to the Lord thy God thou shalt finde him for the Lord thy God is a mercifull God he will not forsake thee