intends a cure in this opening the wound Some Hypocrites have a seared conscience I feare they are incureable But this discovery of thy disease is a signall of health Christ deals well with those whom he wounds he hath balme for the bruised Many a wretch playes the hypocrite all his life and goes into hell in the conceit he lived in Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies a Player usually t is rendred Actor by the Latines some shall come conceited of sincerity at last saying Lord Lord But Christ will then make them know what they are It s mercy that he discovers thee to thy selfe here The Publican is better in his sackcloath confessing then the Pharisee in his vizzard praising But. Sixtly Add to al this the consideration of the promise of the spirit to them that aske him Lu. 11.13 Though thy spirit be hypocriticall yet Christs spirit is sincere Christ hath promised to send him It s but aske and have David it seemes was in your case and he prayed Renew in me a right or a sincere spirit And you know what incouragement he gives This poore man said he he speaks as if he were as poor as thou oh soul cryed and the Lord heard him Psal 34.6 It s the Covenant of promise that he will give a new heart Object T is so indeed but alas I have prayed and yet not received and therefore my joy is not full I have groaned under this hypocrisie many yeares And yet see not the promise of the comming of Christs spirit c. Answ Surely thou art mistaken O soule in saying the spirit is not come Those groanes of thine are his That softnesse is an effect of him Peradventure all thy hypocrisie is not yet cured I said in this life it would not be The spirit will be a refiners fire all your dayes It s true he could burne up all at once but thou couldest not bear it Such a fire would breake thee Gold-smiths proportionate their fire else the refining pot would crack Certainly the Lord Christ considers we are but earthen vessells therefore the refining fire is heated accordingly The spirit purgeth out hypocrisie by degrees In time he 'l have purged out all Even this dejection of thine is a degree of purging And this fruit thou shalt have of this feare That thy feare of hypocrisie shall worke for thy sincerity why then art thou cast downe O soule be not disquieted so with the feare of hypocrisie trust in God waite on the spirit for thou shalt yet praise him as sincere to thee and making thee so to him CHAP. 6. Satisfaction for soules who fear they shall never get the victory over corruptions THe next sort of cast down soules which I would indeavour to raise up Case are such as are much disquieted and cry out upon their corruptions Oh say they corruptions are strong and we are weake They fight we oppose as well as we can but we doubt the conquest We feare corruption will get the day well may we be cast downe while we lye under this fear c. Now for the satisfaction of such souls and in order to the lifting up of their dejected spirits I would offer have them to consider these things First This combate may consist with Satisfaction and indeed ever is with a state of grace It s the weaknesse of some to think and say that their conquest is compleate and that they are in perfect quiet Surely I say these words are rather discoveries of weaknesse then of strength and perfection Israel was not at rest when in Canaan Neither are those soules who are troubled with and for sinnes in Aegypt It s not an Israelitish spirit to say either others or our selves are in Aegypt because we have still combatings Even in Canaan they had their combatings God left some there to keep his people in action Doe not thinke especially do not conclude thou art still in Aegypt because thou art not freed from fightings and feares Beleive O soule thou mayest be in the land of promise and yet be troubled with the combates For Secondly Even choyce Saints have been as you are i.e. pestered with corruptions and troubled with fear of conquest Paul had been as high as any even in the third heavens and yet he had his buffettings yea and he crys out of them again and again You think your selves sometimes in a sadder estate then any And you say were ever any so wretched as you are Yes O soule Paul even Paul who came behind none nay who was before any in grace and guifts he was as wretched as you are And he crys out so O wretched man that I am Marke that I am as if none other were as he It s a comfortable and raising thought O ye cast downe soules Other choyce Saints have been in as wretched a condition as you are by reason of the combatings of corruption Thirdly Consider it s a rich mercy to have a heart to strive with and to be affraid of corruption Many a wretch is at peace with sin yea many are in Covenant with hell and death Some there be who are so far from fighting with and fearing of corruption that they pay tribute to it and make provision for it Many a wretch is a voluntary conquered captive unto sin And its mercy that you have a heart to strive Time was when you were free from righteousnesse i.e. had none at all and then you served sin It s grace that now you do oppose it and deny to yeeld service to it Were you at peace with sin you might feare your enmity with God But being at warre with it you may have peace in him But. Fourthly As long as your soul is kept up in a striving way it s a sign of strength Why should you say you are weake and feare c. sith you are so strong as to fight Weake ones are not fighters had you not some divine strength you could not stand before corruption But seeing you are after long fighting able yet to stand and strive why are you cast downe as if you should not get the day Consider O dejected soul that it argues a tree to be well rooted that stands after much blowing And it s a signe of a strong and valiant souldier if he keepe to his ground and flinch not notwithstanding great combating And certainly it may argue unto thee that through Christ thou art yet strong In as much as still thou art able to strive Object Oh but I feare for future thou wilt say because as yet sin stands strong notwithstanding all I doe against it I feare I shall never after all my striving get the victory over it Reply But why O soule shouldst thou thus feare Peradventure as yet thou hast not resisted unto blood in striving against sin Bear up yet a little longer strive yet still sin will bleed and fall ere long For Fiftly Consider It s no argument that you shall not
Secondly Learne hence to be thankefull for any freedome from disquietings Be thankefull O ye unshaken soules to Christ It s his sweetnesse which hath kept you from being in a storm It s greater mercy to have a soule kept free from disquietings then to have a body kept free from distempers seest thou another soul cast downe be thankfull to the Lord Jesus that thou art not sitting by it in the same case Take heed of thinking that your settlement is of your selves and consequently of cersuring others who are disquieted It s certainly a great fault in many that they censure such as they see dejected They find fault with that in others which they are not able to prevent in themselves Did not Christ beare up thy spirit Oh soule thou wouldest quickly sincke There are causes of spiritual dejection in thee as well as in others It s Christ that keepes them under otherwise they would soon cast thee down Bee thankefull therefore to Christ and take heed of censuring others Yea Thirdly Prepare for dejections Such as are subject to saintings have their cordialls in readinesse so should you have O soules who are lyable to spirituall faintings There are cordials enough did you know them It s your Saviours goodnesse that hee stored up remedies suitable to all your distempers acquaint your selves with them before you need them that they may not be to seeke when they should be used Quest You will say what preparation shall we make Answ For this I shall speak something more generall and something more particular Generally In order to spirituall preparation for soule dejection mind these things First That such a thing there is as soul-dejection and that you are lyable unto it Be not strangers unto this truth but know as the most healthfull body may sometimes be distempered so the most holy soule may sometimes be disquieted The not minding of this makes many soules which are cast downe sadder then otherwise they would be It s an aggravation unto any sorrow that it comes unexpected Be sure therefore to remember this that t is possible sadnesse may seize upon your soules and cast you down It s common to saints to be dejected sometimes This being often and seriously thought on before dejections come will prepare you to beare them when they come Secondly Be well acquainted with the Coverant of grace The not aright and clear understanding of it as hath been shewed is the cause of much dejection Acquaint your souls therefore with this in the freenesse of it doe not mix water with wine 't will abate the strength of it and render it lesse able to comfort what God holds forth free let not us looke upon as conditionall The pure wine of the Covenant which is the best cordiall for a fainting spirit looseth its vertue when t is mixed with the puddle waters of conditions Bee built up therefore in the freenesse of the Covenant Know also the fulnesse of it It extends it selfe to the forgiving of all sinnes and to the bestowing of all grace Remember also the firmenesse of the Covenant its immutable unalterable whatsoever fainting fit overtakes thee the Covenant of grace thus known and beleeved will revive thee Thirdly Treasure up your own and others experiences The remembrance of experiences in times of lifting up will exceedingly support in times of casting downe when the spirit begins to be in a storme for divine absence Call to minde that it sometime injoyed the calme of a divine presence Many soules forget the time of their first love and the effect of that is sinfullnesse And many forget the day of Christs first lâ—ve and the fruit of that is sadnesse In the day of your dejections call to mind the time of your espousalls The premeditation of what the soule sometimes enjoyed is a good preparation for a time when it may be dejected But these things are onely in the generall I shall therefore proceed to particulars And my advise to soules is that they indeavour to acquaint themselves as much as they can with particular cases And accordingly to provide suitable cordialls It s a peece of humain prudence in provision for corporall distempers that men do not only lay up some generall Catholicke medicines as Phisitians call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But they provide particular medicins for particular diseases Surely we should be if not more yet at least as much careful in provision for spiritual distempers as for corporal And in order thereunto we should study to understand what may be a suitable support unto us under soul-castings down An essay unto which we shall hold forth in the following Section SECT II. CHAP. I. Satisfaction to soules cast downe and discovering their feares about the truth of the worke of grace HAving in the former Section hinted at severall fears which appeare in soules cast downe I shall now apply my selfe to satisfie dejected soules with reference to those particular feares And I shall proceed in that order which I mentioned them in and beginne with the feare of a soule cast downe and venting it selfe about the work of grace Oh say some soules the worke of grace is precious but I feare in me it s not perfect Case Satan hath had his workings in me Eph. 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but I feare whether Christ hath wrought the good worke in me I have found the Devill powerfully working in me But I feare Christ hath not as yet begun to worke upon me c. In order to the raising of a soul cast down Satisfaction and fearing this I shall offer briefly Some 1 Cautions and 2 Considerations First Some Cautions we had need be wary in our conclusions which we make about our soules state 'T is easie but 't is dangerous to conclude amisse here It s as well I will not say as much a fault to conclude against our soules as having no worke of grace as 't is to cousen our soules as if we had Be cautious therefore O soule who sayest thou fearest Christ hath not yet wrought upon thee Take heed how thou judgest even thy selfe in this case and for this end take with thee these 3 Cautions viz. 1 Of binding your selves to particular examples 2 Of confining Christ to any methods or wayes 3 Of concluding any thing from present sence First Take heed of binding your selves to particular examples Oh say some Christ hath not wrought upon us Quest Why Oh soules not upon you Ans Why Hee hoth not wrought upon us as upon such and such Reply But consider O soules Gods workes are not alway alike Though the worke of grace be the same in all in regard of the matter yet it is not the same alwayes in regard of the manner The manner of Christs working is divers It s bad eyeing in order to the judgement of our worke of grace examples Christ comes to Matthew at the receit of custome and speakes to his heart so home that Matthew
deepest dejections Further Thirdly You must beleive that you shall confesse all your doubtings to the contrary as your failing Thou art apt to question Power and to doubt Will Thou art ready to say I am cut off and cast out and I shall go all my dayes in bitternesse c. well when thy sorrow hath thus vented it selfe thou must beleeve its thy sinne and that one day thou shalt with shame confesse it I said in mine hast I am cut off from before thine eyes David said so but he confesseth it was in his hast Psalm 31.22 Hâ—man did the like after he had vented himselfe sadly will the Lord cast off for ever hath he forgotten to be gracious c. And I said pray mind it this is my infirmity Ps 77.10 He said this and that but he confessed what he said was in his weaknesse I told you in the opening of the Text the word translated I shal praise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might be translated I shal confesse as Dan. 9.1 Ezra 9 2. c. And certainely whatever your sadnesse bee now in your dejection Significat tam confiteri culpam qui celebrare laudem you must beleeve that one day you shall confesse much of it at least to be your weaknesse It may be O soule thou sayest this is high True Yet your faith must ascend higher For Fourthly You should act your faith and beleeve you shall yet see God as your God The precept is in Isai 51. to trust upon God as ours let him trust upon his God This is more it s more to beleeve an interest in God then helpe from God yet this thou must beleeve O sad soule David saith here that he shal yet praise him marke his phrase and saith I my God not only as the health of my countenance i. e. as my healer and raiser c. but as my God You must beleeve in your lowest dejection God is still yours though thy condition be low yet thy interest is not lost Fifthly You must beleeve that a singing time is comming notwithstanding present casting downe You must remember your Songs of old and beleeve you shall yet sing them againe I shall yet praise him saith our text though now thou sigh yet thou shalt sing your sorrow shall be turned into joy you now sit disconsolate and your Harp is now hung by the Willowes your strings are now broke and your spirit is now heavy but yet you must beleeve joy shall returne and that one day you shall take your Harp and tune it againe and sing your old yea and a new song upon your chiefest Instruments Lastly You must beleeve that this shall be so eminent that Sathan shall see it and be ashamed now Sathan triumphs in thy sadnesse and saith Where is thy God You must beleeve that your God is still present and that ere long he wil so appeare as that Sathan shall be ashamed of what he hath said against thy God and thee thus the Church saith Micha 7.10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her which said unto me Where is the Lord thy God There is a day a comming in which thou shalt say Loe this is my God I have waited for him Put all these things together and they make up such a crede as this which thou O soule mayest say in thy deepest dejections I beleeve still all that I did of my God and Christ of the Scriptures and holinesse and I yet beleeve that there is a power in God that he can help and that not only in others cases but in my owne yea and I beleeve that he is inclinable and willing Nay I beleeve certainly the resurrection of my dejected heart and Christs presence even in this dejection yea I beleeve I shall one day confesse my present feares to be my failings when I shall see God and Christ againe as mine and when I shall sing a new song of praise and salvation even in the sight of and to the shame of Sathan Thus O soule thou must beleeve even in thy deepest dejection when thou art cast downe lowest and seest God least CHAP. 4. The grounds and reasons of this Doctrine and duty of thus beleeving in dejections YOu have now seene the explication of the duty wherein it lyes you shall now see the reasons thereof viz. why a dejected soule should act his faith even at the lowest c. First Because its the nature of faith thus to doe Faith doth suppose straights and difficulties and yet over-comes them all The Apostle tells us that hope that is seene is not hope Rom. 8 24. i. e. It s in the very nature of hope to suppose an invisibility of its object for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for as t is there In like manner faith in that which is visible is not faith You finde in Scripture this definition of faith That it is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 observe it faith as hope supposeth its object not seene or not in sight and yet when the thing is not seene then it substantiates and realizeth the things as if they were Dejected soules you say you are cast low your pit is very darke and you see nothing now you must beleeve for its the nature of faith to evidence and cleare up and cleave to things in the darke Now thou seest nothing now thou shouldest beleeve and in thy faith see all things and conclude of them as certaine Though thou be cast downe yet thou must see raising up and beleeve it Secondly To beleeve in your deep dejections cleares the strength of faith Thomas his faith was weake when he would not beleeve except he saw Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nailes c. I will not beleeve Joh 20.25 Soule thy faith is weake if thou say I le not beleeve because I see nothing Blessed are they which have not seene saith Christ and yet have beleeved It were a blessed signe that thy faith is strong couldest thou beleeve now thou art lowest and seest God least it is an easie thing to swim with Bladders but it argues skil and strength to swim without It argued the Disciples faith to be but small that in the great storme they could not beleeve and now thou art dejected it wil argue but weake faith if now thou wilt not beleeve As he who fainteth in the day of adversity gives notice his strength is but weake so he who doubteth in the day of dejection declares his faith is not strong Now it should be your wisdome to witnesse the strength of your faith by your beleeving when you are lowest Thirdly Christ is pleased to take this way of bringing the soule low when he intends to lift it high Your dejection is Christs way to bring you to exaltation Why should not I beleeve a thing when I am in the way to it If I am in