Lord take pleasure in such a soule as I am and bestow paines to worke on me Ans In Answer to this know O soul free grace shall move God For of grace we are saved and not of our selves it s the gift of God we are his worke-man-ship Ephes 2.8 10. And know O soule as God doth worke in thee the will so also he will worke in thee the deed and that of his good pleasure as t is Phil. 2.13 though he cannot take pleasure in thee yet he can and will in his worke Wherefore bear up O thou dejected soule Be not so cast down Suppose the work of grace be not yet wrought the Lord can and doe thou beleeve it hee will worke it now Ere long thou shalt see Christ formed in thee and though now thou art in paine and feare as a soule in travell yet then thou shalt rejoyce for joy that grace is come into thy heart CHAP. 2. Satisfaction to dejected soules labouring under the feare of the truth of grace BUt alas say some who are cast downe our doubts are not so much about a worke of grace As about the truth of grace I doubt saith a soul whether my grace be true Case some worke I have had and something is brought forth but I question whether it be not counterfeit Albeit this fear bee almost the same with the former Satisfaction yet because I find some dejected soules making it a distinct doubt I shal therefore speak distinctly to it And in order to the satisfaction of a soule cast down and discovering its selfe in this feare I shall offer two things viz. Something 1 More generally 2 More particularly First More generally I desire such dejected soules as are troubled about this fear to consider 3 things First Consider counterfeit grace doth not use to suspect it selfe neither is it willing to be tryed He that doth evill commeth not to the light nay he hateth the light as t is John 3.20 But he that doth truth commeth to the light c. Surely it may secretly hint that thy grace is currant sith thou desirest its tryall were thy grace counterfeit as thou suspectest it would desire concealement at lest it would not put thee on to suspect it Secondly Consider it s a mercy to have a suspecting spirit Many soules are deceived and damned for want of this Satan lyes secure under an imperfect and pretended worke of grace You read of a spirit of slumber in the Scripture God hath given some up to the spirit of slumber Rom. 11.8 There are foolish Virgins who presume and sleep and sleeping perish Christs spirit where it is is a spirit of fire and burning Now fire that tryes Christs spirit is like a refiners fire It s a mercy to have the spirit of refining and trying whereas its a judgement to be selfe-confident not at all suspicious It argues the spirit of slumber But Thirdly Consider t is possible for one truly gracious to conceit that his grace is but counterfeit As children conceive brasse is gold so sometimes they conceit gold to be brasse It s strange to observe the strength of conceit especially in depth of Melancholly Peradventure oh soule thy fear is but conceit Surely we see sometimes Hypocrites conceiting in their joyallity that their counterfeit grace is true And why may wee not thinke nay by experience we find sometimes truely gracious hearts conceiting their grace is counterfeit But these considerations are onely general Therefore More particularly that I may satifie such dejected fouls as doubt the truth of their grace I shall lay down these conclusions First Many souls doubt the truth of their grace because of their wrong way of tryall There are false Touch-stones which may make pure gold suspitious as well as make brasse appeare as gold To instance it s a false and deceiving way of tryall to try the truth of grace by conquest My meaning is to conclude that my grace is not true because I am sometimes conquered by corruption it s a wrong way of conclusion and a false touch-stone of tryall Paul had truth of grace and yet sometimes he was conquered and carryed captive and sold slave-like by sinne Rom 7.14 So likewise a constant equall undauntednesse in owning of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ver 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. captivated or lead into captivity as by a Câ—nquerour and sold in a market and cleaving to truth is a false touch-stone or fallible way of tryall T is true the righteous is bold as a Lyon but this is not at all times alike Peter had truth of love to Christ and yet he was not so undaunted alwayes His deriall is knowne well enough So that now to apply this to our purpose it may be Oh dejected soule thou tryest thy grace the wrong way Thou sayest thou art conquered oft and led captive many times Bee it so thy grace may be sound for all this Those that scome the Turkish power may sometimes bee slave-like in his Gallies And a loyall subject of Jesus Christ may be sometimes overtaken and taken and sold Paul-like under sin But 2 In judging the truth of our grace we should rather eye its quality then its quantity As now faith the truth of that is seen rather in its quality then in its quantity There may be a faith big enough to remove mountaines and yet FALSE as is deducible from 1 Gor. 13.2 And there may be a faith no bigger then a graine of mustard seed and yet TRVE Little faith and true faith may go together Peradventure O soule thou art grieved to see thy grace so little and that makes thee feare t is false but know this thy feare is foolish The least dust of gold is gold and the least grain of grace is grace In judging thy grace O dejected soule know thou shouldest eye its quality not its quantity And in order to this Thirdly know That grace is true which is diffusive I would aske thee O soule that doubtest thy grace is counterfeit whether it be diffusive yea or no though it be little doth it spread it selfe Is thy little in head and heart too Hypocrites have much in the head little in the heart But see O soule doth not thy little spread Is it not leaven doth it not leaven thee all over Is it not in thy will thou wouldest and doth it not spread to thy desire thou desirest And because thou canst not doth it not leaven thy sorrow Is not that sower or rather sweet dost not grieve because thou carst not doe as thou wouldest and desirest Do not O soule murder thy selfe I meane kill thy comfort by not witnessing to the truth Cannot you see and say your little grace is diffusive Surely if it be you need not doubt its truth and you should not say t is counterfeit CHAP. 3. Satisfaction to soules dejected and fearing that the worke which is wrought in them is not of the spirit THe
leaves all and followes him and of a Publican becomes a Preacher But he rides after Paul as I may say and overtakes him in the way to Damascus and throwes him downe invirons him with a Pillar of light appears to him from heaven speakes to him reasons with him directs him whether to go what to do c. These examples are not alike Should you bind the work of grace to Pauls example you would condemn Matthew or should you make the example of Matthew the pattern of the worke of grace you would or might question Paul Be cautious therefore O soule of what you say Do not fear that God hath not wrought upon you because not after the example of such an one examples are not here strictly to be eyed this is the first caution The second is this Take heed of confining Christ to methods I wish some Preachers were in this particular faultlesse they confine Christ as I may say to such and such wayes and methods as if the spirit were not as free as the wind to blow where and when and how he listeth You have some so punctuall in their antecedents concomitants and consequents words which many poore soules scarce understand And so precise and strict in pressing soules with them that many gracious soules feare whether they have any worke of grace wrought because not in such a way and method Now I beseech you beware of this Christ walkes not alwayes the same way to many soules Some soules he overtakes ere ever they are aware of him as is hinted Cant. 6.12 and makes them as the chariots of Aminidab i. e. a willing people Others indeed he deales with all in a more violent way and is faine to make it a day of power that they may be a willing people In the same story Act. 1.6 you have Christ as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Softly comming into Lydia's he art as if he did but lift up the Hatch and enter and you have him loudly knocking at the Jaylers doore making as I may say an earthquake in his soul to make way for himselfe So various are Christs wayes in working Some Christ makes sicke of love and winnes upon their hearts by the mercies of the Gospell Others he makes sore with wrath and frights them to himselfe by the terrours of the Law Mind this oh poore soule It may be thou fearest Christ hath not wrought on thee because it was not in such or such a way your feare if so is groundlesse and you must take heed lest you confine Christ unto methods He will worke and who shall let it and to whom hath he made knowne all his wayes of working This is the second Caution Now the Third is this Beware how you conclude any thing upon present sence The worke of grace at first is but little as a grain of mustard seed And t is not at first so visible It s like leaven hid in meale as t is Matth. 13.33 Now that which is little and hidden too that is not seen straite Naturall conceptions are not at first perceived no more are supernaturall The worke of grace may be begun in thy soule although thou doe not perceive it Be therefore cautious how thou concludes because of present visible ineffectualnesse The leaven of the Kingdom may lye hid in the heart And if thou judge by present sence thou mayest condemne the generation of the righteous Indeed Christ in the soul is as Isaack in Abrahams loynes at first that is as dead And looke as there even of one and him as good as dead sprang as many as the stars of the skie So likewise here viz. in the soule of one graine of grace and that even as dead to sence See Lu. 13.19 there springs up the great tree which reacheth as high as heaven Let this therefore be minded as the third caution that you conclude not positively any thing upon present sence Now having hinted these Cautions I shall offer three Considerations unto such as feare and doubt the true worke of grace in their hearts First This fear may peradventure be a fruit of the worke of grace Sinners as they never desire the worke so they trouble not themselves with doubts about the work Solomon tels us Blessed is the man that feareth alway yea we know he also said the way of a foole is right in his owne eyes Thou poore soule who are dejected and dost much doubt whether ever as yet God hath wrought upon thy heart why this feare of thine may bee a good signe that hee hath But Secondly This fear may argue a beginning of the worke Certain this fear is of God and how dost thou know but that now God is beginning at lest to worke upon thee It s a standing truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome Now the meaning hereof may be that the first thing for so the word signifieth which is wrought in the soule in the worke of wisdom i.e. of grace and bolinesse for so wisdom signifies is feare Thy feare therefore may hint that the worke is in sieri i. e. begining if it be not in factu i. e. begun already However God may make use of it to that end What canst thou tell but now that thy soule is troubled with doubtings about the worke of grace God may make use of this feare to drive thee out of thy state of nature and to draw thee into the state of grace How many poore souls have cryed out I have no true grace God hath not at all wrought upon my heart woe is me what shall I doe I le run after him I le cry for him c. And while the soul hath been in this feare God hath begunne making use therof to worke really upon their soule Thus it hath been with some consider it may be with thee so And therefore Thirdly Suppose it be as you feare Suppose God hath as yet never effectually wrought the worke of grace in your Soule Consider bee may doe it now Why may not free grace worke the worke now I say O soule why not now Quest Say O sad soule what reason can you given that Christ should not now worke upon you if he hath not heretofore Ans Why I le give a reason will the soule say I am not fitted for such a worke The worke of preparation bath not passed on me Reply Suppose I should grant it yet this feare and doubt may be that work All the preparation that can be it tends but to this to make you willing and art not willing soul Qu Yes O yes I am willing but alas what though I will if God will not Reply Why God is willing O soule this is the will of God even your sanctification He wills it and if God will and thou wilt too what should hinder Qu Nay but what should move God to work on me Alas I am a poor polluted sinner and will the
Comfort Counsell FOR DEJECTED SOULES OR A Treatise concerning Spirituall DEJECTION In which is HANDLED 1 The Nature Of Spirituall Dejection 2 The Working Of Spirituall Dejection 3 The Grounds Of Spirituall Dejection 4 The Remedies Of Spirituall Dejection And in which is held forth Satisfaction to some particuler Cases and generall advice for any Soule who is cast downe Being the Heads and Sum of divers Sermons Preached to a particular Congregation From Psalm 42. last By John Durans Preacher of the Gospel and Pastour of a Church of Christ in Canterbury 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 35.3 Strengthen the hands which are sick and confirme the dejected knees Psalm 94.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the multitude of my tempestuous thoughts within me thy consolations shal abundantly delight my soul Printed at London by R.I. for Hannah Allen at the Crown in Popes-Head-Alley 1651. This shade's the Authors outside but this booke his inside opens prethee doe not looke Admiringly one either Passe them o're as emptye shaddowes for they are noe more Both bookes and writers y'ea and all things else at best are shaddowes but the bodye's Christ Soul art dejected Christ alone can ease thee and giue both comfort and councell to raise thee A.P. THis Authour hath two Books already extant the one is Entituled Sips of Sweetnesse or Consolation for weak Beleevers The other is Entituled A Discovery of the Glorious Love of Christ to Beleevers A Dedicatory PREFACE TO His Beloved-Ones The Flock of CHRIST over which the Holy Ghost hath made him OVER-SEER My dearly beloved in the Lord THE heart of Christ who is the cheif Shepheard is much set upon the feeding of Beleevers who are his chosen Flocke Ezek. 34. ◠10 11 12 13 14 15. Before hee came into the World he did Prophesie that hee would feede his Flocke himselfe And when hee went out of the World hee charged his Servants to doe the like When hee had asked of Peter again and againe Ioh. 20.16 17 18. whether hee loved him He required nothing as a seale thereof but this that hee should feede his sheepe Indeed then doe wee declare our love unto our Lord when wee feede his Flocke which is amongst us as it is 1 Pet. 5.2 And if wee doe not this wee make void the end that he aymed at in giving us as Pastours to his people which himselfe expresseth in the promise to bee this Ier. 3.15 viz. The feeding of his People with knowledge and understanding But while any indeavour to doe this they are Pastors according to his owne heart id est such as himselfe is and delights in This consideration I humbly hope I may truly say hath made an impression upon my heart both to desire and indeavour to feede you who are the Lambs the Sheepe of the Lord Jesus Phil. 1.7 For thus it is meete for mee to thinke of you all and thus I have you in my heart I must confesse I have still thought and found that there is a great difficulty in this Divine worke And a great deale of holy VVisdome and Strength is requisite which I hope you pray for in my behalfe to feed the Houshold of Christ with not onely Meate but with that which properly is their Portion and that in season I remember our blessed Lord speakes of him as of a rare Bird and hard to bee found Who as a wise and faithfull Steward Luk. 12.42 T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Demensum cibum each soule hath its measure see Eph. 4.7 gives the Houshold their Portion of meate in due season WHO THEN saith Christ IS THAT FAITHFUL AND WISE STEWARD To bee able to give meate not poyson nor Huskes and the portion of meate that which is proper and fit for each and this in due season i. e. when t is peculiarly needfull and requisite I say to bee able to doe thus requires not onely faithfulnesse but wisdome too and that in a large measure And if you say you have not found mee such a Steward so Wise and so Faithfull I must sigh and seale to the truth thereof For alas Who is sufficient for this But albeit this bee above my attainement yet it is in my indeavour a true though a weake witnesse whereof I hope the insuing Treatise will be When it was delivered to your eare which Job saith tryes words as the mouth doth meate Iob 12.13 You were pleased to testifie to this truth that it was your portion of meat in due season And divers of your professed that your soules were fed and refreshed by it as by meate suitable and seasonable for you This hath made your intreaty prevalent with mee to represent it to your eye in Print to try it again And the most precious God grant that you may bee led by his spirit in it as in a greene Pasture by the still Rivers and that your soules may lye downe and feede therein SO as that those that see you may justly speak of you as of a Flocke and field whom the Lord himselfe hath blessed This is all that I shall say to you about this Treatise But I shal take the advantage of this Presse to leave the Print of Three Words of advice upon your hearts The words are these 1 Keepe to your Fold 2 Eye your Shepheard 3 Walke as Sheep 1 Keepe to your Fold Beware of wandering from Mountaine to Hill Jer. 50.6 which I may safely allegorize thus of going from one high notion to another forgetting your resting place Certainly the Churches of the New Testament which are built upon the faith and walke in the order of the Gospell Sion is the place Christ the rest of soules It is hee that gives It is there that he gives rest are the places where Christ feedeth and where hee maketh his flockes to rest at noone In them are the footsteps of his flocke and these are the tents where hee feedes his Kiddes as it is Cant. 1.7 8. O never bee as those weake and wanton spirits who wander from these Folds Dinah by wandering got nothing but a rape And I wish some of late could not say the like 'T is true some are gone out from us of whom I am not so Apostolicall as to say but I must bee so charitable as to pray it may never appear they were not of us But it s your mercy that as yet you stand O bee not high minded but feare least you fall For certainly it is so farre from being an ascent to spirituall height Heb. 10.25 26. that it is a degree of falling away to forsake the Assemblies of Saints which are the Folds of Christ II Eye your Shepherd i.e. The Lord Jesus 'T is true Men have a name of being Shepherds but t is but as ciphers have of being figures which all know are nothing except one stand by them Even Paul himselfe was not a substantiall Shepherd It was not hee but Christ that did all And
no Psalme but such as was sweet Still hee spake with the voice of joy and praise But now consider againe On the other hand as I may say the left the soule is sometimes at a losse Sorrow sometimes playes its reakes as we say and turns joy out of doores The soule is deprived of wonted injoyments this now casts it downe Sorrow clips the soules wings it makes the spirit flag and faint it turns festivalls into mourning It causeth the soules Spring to bee as the Autumne It brings on Winter and raine too and affords the singing of no birds but the Owle and the Pellican And quite contrary to what the soule is when divinely elevated that it is while sadly dejected So that as joy is the Springtime and Summer of the soule sorrow is the Autumne and Winter You know what is the nature of Autumne and Winter Flowers fade leaves fall cold nips trees wither sap runnes downe night growes long and dark too wayes grow dirty aire chilly all things looke unlovely Thus t is with dejected soules their flowers fade their leaves fall c. By this you may guesse at the nature of spirituall dejections Yet a little more In the Text are two words hinting the nature of spirituall dejections One is casting downe which as I noted in the explication is as much as laying the soule levell the bending or the bowing down thereof It s the soule set on the dunghill or lying prostrate on the ground This is one word The other is disquieted Now that word properly as I opened it notes a storme and tumult This then holds forth the nature of spirituall dejections to be the soules storm and tumult The soule cast downe is afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted as t is Esay 54.11 O thou afflicted tossed with tempests it s spoken unto dejected Syon The soul cast down is as a tumult things are in it in a confused disorderly way As when people in a rout or riot are out of all order so is the soule when dejected This shall suffice to hint at the nature of spirituall dejection Its you see in briefe the soules low posture It s a David on a dunghill in a valley It s the souls throwing it selfe down It s the soule in a tempest tossing and tumbling to and fro or it s the soule as in a tumult quite out of the even and orderly frame in which it sometimes was and alwayes should be CHAP. 6. Shewing the workings of a soule cast downe THe nature of spirituall dejection being seen in the generall wee shall now take a view of the Workings thereof in particular Now the working of spirituall dejection appeares in 1 Feares and Doubts 2 Griefe and Sorrowes First the working of spirituall dejection appeares in feares and doubts The soule cast down is full of doubts One while it doubts this thing another while that Now this feare fills it anon another For look as the soule lifted up is full of hope and assurances and carried forth in expectations so the soule cast down is full of feares and exceedingly perplexed with doubtings Oh saith the poor soule dejected and disquieted I fear this and I doubt this Can you resolve me in this doubt or helpe mee in this feare and the like I shall instance in severall feares and doubts which usually trouble the soule when and while it s cast down First The soule when dejected it feares the worke of grace It saith I feare whether ever God wrought upon mee at least I doubt it Sure I am saith the dejected soule God is a rocke and his worke is perfect But alas there are so many imperfections in my soule that I question his worke in me I know God works both to will and to doe But alas though I wilâ— sometimes I doe never I feare God hath not wrought in me Paul was confident that where God began a good worke hee would perfect it And this makes me diffident that he hath not begun at all in mee I see so many debillities deceits decayes that surely I may say as he if the Lord be with me why is all thuâ— befallen mee Judg. 6.13 The soule knowes the worke of God is glorious And sure it is that if he will worke none shall hinder But Oh saith it I finde my soule so in-glorious and I feele so many hindrances that I doubt I shalâ— dishonour God to thinke sure I am a afftaid to say he hath wrought upon me This is one feare Secondly The soule cast downe sometime discovers its fears in other termes its dejection workes up in other doubtings As now whether its grace be true or counterfeit Grace that is false is frequent but that which is true is scarce Common workings are ordinarie but speciall ones are rare Counterfeit coyne is in Beggars purses but true coine is the portion of the rich I am sure saith the soul when it is dejected there is a fained saith and a false love Christ eies unfained faith and such Tymothies was but I feare mine is not The Scripture calls for unfained love let love be without dissimulation Rom. 12.9 and the Apostles love was such Yea but I doubt mine For my part saith the poor cast down soule I question not whether the faith of others in the head Christ be sound or whether the love of others to the members beleevers be sincere But I doub my owne True saith the soule I though once I bad faith in Christ and love to the brethren and that my gold was not counterfeit c. But now I feare and doubt all Then Thirdly Other soules cast down have other feares sure saith one whatsoever worke is only in the letter t is death and not life and for my part I feare whether mine have been by the spirit I doubt saith the soule under dejections whether my calling were orely by the voice of man in the bare letter or of Christ in the spirit T is true the word came to some not in word only but also in power and in the Holy ghost 1 Thess 1.5 But alas I doubt whether it came so to mee There are convictions and comforts which are but naturall legall and false And I doubt whether mine have not been such There are indeed convincings and comfortings which are Evangelicall and spirituall Christ saith the Holie Ghost shall convince of sin and of righteousnesse but I feare he never did convince me of either thus workes the disquieted soules of some Againe Fourthly The feares of some in spirituall dejection appeare about their holy actions as hearing praying repenting c. And about these the feares of the Soule cast down workes thus I doe sometimes pray or rather indeavour to pray I do sometimes mourn for sin or rather I do some thing like repentance But alas whence doth this proceed I doubt the principles whence these acts do arise are but poore and low and carnall It may be education profession ingenuity morality or at best
to the full when thou shalt enter into thy Masters joy when thou shalt rest from thy labours thy income shall follow thee when thou shalt come to Abrahams bosome and there thou shalt come dejected soule as poore a Lazarus as thou art then thou shalt have every prayer every sigh every groane come to remembrance and say now thou hast all that which we went out for Rouse up therefore O cast-downe soule God is a good Master you shall not labour in vaine Be not dejected but be stedfast unmoveable alway abounding in the worke of the Lord for as much as you know your labour is not in vaine in the Lord as t is 1 Cor. 15. last why then should you be cast downe for lacke of income CHAP. 20. Cure for Soules cast downe upon insultation of Satan and enemies I Remember another cause I mentioned of dejections was the insultation of Satan and enemies many soules are dejected at this that Satan and his instruments triumph over as it is at large shewed before Now to cure and comfort those Cure let me intreate dejected soules to minde and remember these insuing things First Satan will insult without ground Hee 'l say to David Where is his God and hee 'l but if to Christ concerning his being the sonne of God Sathan is an impudent enemy who will bragge and triumph against a soule for nothing It is the nature of a Dogge to barke a Lion to roare Woolfe a Wolfe to howle and it is the nature of Sathan to insult Be not therefore cast downe at it Secondly Though Sathan insults Christ is a friend and loves us still even at that time that Sathan insulted and buffeted Paul Christs grace was sufficient Should the Childe be cast down for the insulting of the Groome or the Scullion when he is beloved of his Father as his Heire What though Satan say Where is thy God thy hope c. mayest not thou O soule say My God and hope is in Heaven still All the Devils in Hell and men on earth shall never can never seperate between thee and thy God neither Principalities nor Powers nor Life nor Death nor any thing can separate c. Triumph O soule in that Rom. 8.35.37 though Sathan insult be not thou cast downe Thirdly The time shall come when thou shalt tread upon thy insulting enemy and when he shall be ashamed for all his insultations Remember O cast downe soule the God of peace will though thou canst not and that shortly tread downe Sathan under your even thy feet Rom. 16.20 Christ will take thee by the hand and owne thee in the presence of God Angels and men yea and Devills too And then thy enemy Sathan shall see who said where is thy God even then he shall see thy God as thine and be confounded for all his insultation over thee Lastly for wicked men who now it may be deride and scoffe at thee be not dejected for them Because the day will come when they will wish they were as thou art When they shall as much admire at thy happinesse and wisdome as now they sleight thy state and thoughts when God shall bring thee forth to light and thou shalt behold his righteousnesse Then shall all thy enemies see it and be ashamed which said where is the Lord thy God Then shall they licke the dust like a Serpent and shall fear not only because of the Lord our God but also because of thee as it is in that Excellent Scripture Mich. 7.9.10.17 which scripture if thou read seriously and act faith upon I dare assure thee of cure for this cause of dejection viz. insultation of Sathan and enemies CHAP. 21. Cure for Soules cast downe upon corporall Afflictions SPirituall dejection is sometimes caused by corporall affliction A sick body doth in some persons make a sad soul Cause When Hezekiah was sick and had received the sentence and message of death he turned to the wall and wept And the thoughts of the dying of his body produced dejection in his soul Thus indeed it is oft with others Now to cure this cause of dejection I shall not need to be large Only take a few ingredients which mixed together and applyed may serve in this case to raise the dejected Spirit First Consider the great ground of this dejection is a deceit Cure Afflicted soules interpret affliction amisse and therefore are cast downe They take every whipping to be an effect of anger whereas its a signe of love Your Father O dejected soul in your sicknesse is sweet He makes thee sick in thy body to cure some disease in thy soul He doth not afflict thee willingly T is only that thy spirit may be well that he makes thy body ill You have had fathers of your flesh who corrected you and yee gave them reverence should you not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits live Heb. 12.9 This is spoke in reference to affliction By this chastisement God seales up child-ship Do not despise therefore the chastenings of the Lord nor be not dejected for the word will beare this translation when thou art by sicknesse rebuked of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. they â—eject their own spirits Philo. Heb 12.5 It s a fault in the chastised child to be dogged and it s a failing in thee O soule by reason of corporall affliction which is but a fatherly chastisement to be dejected Besides Secondly Your father knows your frame He knowes what you can beare and hee 'le lay no more upon you then your strength can master The Lord will not alwayes chide neither will he keep his anger for ever 't is spoken of affliction by diseases as seemes to be hinted vers 3. But as a father pittyeth His children so the Lord pittieth them who feare him for hee knoweth our frame he remembreth wee are but dust As for man his dayes are but as grasse as a flower in the field so he flourisheth Psalm 103.9 13 14 15. Mind this O thou sick and sad soule thy father knowes thy frame he minds thou art but dust and he pittyes thee in all thy affliction which he layes upon thee Yea he sits by and makes all thy bed in thy sicknes as t is Psa 41. And he maketh sore and bindeth up be woundeth and his hand maketh whole as it is in Job 4 18. that is spoken of sicknesse too Christ if hee will can make thee whole And certainly if thou couldest beleeve thou shouldest see his glory as t is Joh. 11.40 Hath he not said enough to make thee say as David said I shall not dye but live to declare the workes of God The Lord hath chastened me sore but hath not given me over unto death see that place Psalm 118.17 18. O bear up dejected heart though thou be sick yet thou mayst recover and goe up to the house of God where thou mayest praise him for health restored to thee and
children even Christ himselfe Secondly Gods wrath is rather in appearance then in truth It is a Vizzard not thy Fathers face that lookes so terrible thy Fathers face is love all love only love fury is not in him only now he hath put on a Vizzard to scare thee a little and hee 'l lay it aside againe he doth but hide his face under that Maske hee 'l open it againe In a little wrath I hid my face from thee Isa 54.2 Marke it wrath is but a vaile that hides Gods face in it is not his reall face it is but as we say A copy of his countenance There is never a black letter in all Gods face especially as to his children no God is love it is his Name in love there is no unlovely letter Thou sayest God is angry it is true he appeares so Note this but he is not so As he is never truly pleased with sinners but is angry against them every day notwithstanding their conceit so he is never indeed displeased with Saints whatever they feele or feare But Thirdly All the anger and wrath of God is not against thy person but against thy sinne Suppose thy Childe be sick and wounded deeply wounded with some bloody gash or cut desperately sicke of some ugly Disease thou art displeased but with what with his Person with thy childe No but with his wound with his disease So it is with God he is only angry and displeased with thy sinne thy corruption and his rough hand which thou feelest is but to take away and purge out that he is wel pleased with thee Ephraim is a deare still though God speake against him his bowels are troubled for him as it is Jerem. 31.18 Againe Fourthly It is a mercy to be sensible and sorrowfull for Divine displeasure There is many a hard-hearted wretch in the world that slights God that makes a mock of sin and wrath too Blessed be God that thou as David canst say My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements Psal 119.120 And Fifthly God will not contend nor be wroth for ever Your Fathers anger O sad soul wil over as we say i. e. wil goe away this cloud and storme wil not last alwayes Read O dejected soule Isa 57. heare God himselfe saying I will not contend for ever neither will I bee alwayes wroth for the spirit would faile before me and the soules which I have made For the iniquity of his covetousnesse I was wroth and smote him and he went on frowordly in the way of his heart I have seene his wayes and I will heale him I will lead him also and restore comfort unto him I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is afarre off and I will heale him vers 16 17 18 19. Pray minde these healing words Christ will heale and restore comfort hee 'l not retaine his wrath hee 'l create peace out of that Chaos of confusion in which thou now art Though there be nothing but darknesse upon the face of thy deep so David called his dejection yet God who at first caused light to shine out of darknesse will shine into thy heart to give thee the knowledge of himselfe in the face of Christ as it is 2 Cor. 4.6 Beleeve this and rejoyce O dejected soule creating power is ingaged by promise to fill thee with peace who now cryest out of wrath Lastly The time is comming that thou shalt be for ever freed from so much as the very appearances of wrath In heaven you shall alwaies behold your Fathers face thy sunne shall no more goe downe by day there are no clouds in the heaven of heavens Mindest thou not what David said and he was sometimes dejected as thou art As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousnesse I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse Psal 17. last Take in these crums of comfort O thou cast downe soule though I be but briefe and give only drops yet sip them and thou wilt finde them spirits O why art thou cast downe why art thou dejected Trust thou in God and expect him O tarry thou a little thy Lords leasure and thou shalt see him ere long come leaping over the mountaines appearing in his owne glorie and then shalt thou appeare with him inglory then shall he wipe away all teares from thine eyes and scatter all feares in thine heart yea then will he satisfie thee in all thy cases and cure thee of all these causes of dejection and then shalt thou praise him indeed as thy God Object Peradventure you will say he tarries long Reas It is true yet hee 'l come though he do tarry He said Yet a little while and ye shall see me it is but a little while indeed though it be long in thought Dejection and casting downe is not the posture you should be in no you ought to arise and WALKE to looke up and to waite to expect and looke out to lift up your heads and hearts and not to be cast downe O that Christ may finde more standing bearing up against all difficulties and under all dejections doing his work and suffering his wil with all faithfulnesse faith and patience Blessed wil our soules be if Christ at his comming finde us thus doing and saying worke O soule and waite for your Saviour who is now comming and whom you shall praise in that day saying Loe this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will rejoyce and be glad in his Salvation Isa 25.9 SECT III. PSALM 42. ult Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me CHAP. 1. Another Doctrine raised and beld forth from the words I Have dispatched the fust Doctrine raised from the words And shall now proceed to the second which is It is the wisdome and should be the care of soules when they are cast down not to give way thereunto but to argue the case with themselves Thus doth David and his thus doing is the foundation of this Doctrine His practice hath in it the force of precept to command us without doubt we should imitate this pattern And it wil be our wisdome so to doe Two things there are which I posite and would presse in this point The first is That Christians dejected should not give way to dejection The second is That they should argue the case with their own soules Both these branches of the Doctrine are in Davids Expostulation The first Virtually the second formally David doth not say weep on O soul thou dost well He doth not say as Job in another case O turne away from me and suffer me to weep a little He doth not say as the Prophet Looke away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me No this were to give way to his sadnesse this were to nourish his heavinesse But mark it he