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
Stay a little O my soule waite for God in expectation For yet notwithstanding all thy present distempers I shall confesse my weaknesse and praise him for the salvations of my countenance and for his being my God still Thus you see the words opened I will give a Reason why I speak to Davids Expostulation rather from this last verse then from the fift verse The Reason is because t is here set out fuller then there though happily few mind it this last is as it were a second Edition with Additions for there are two additions in this verse unto that First In that t is but said I shall praise him for the helpe of his countenance But here t is I shall praise him for the helpe of my countenance In that hee acts faith as wee say in Thesi in this hee doth it in Hypothesi In that hee beleeves Gods salvation or saving help imminent as it is in himselfe In this hee beleeves it eminent or flowing out from him There David onely saith hee shall praise God as a Saviour here hee saith hee shall praise him as his Saviour T is one thing to beleeve the healths of Gods countenance another thing to beleeve the healths of our countenance Here David applyes the healths of Gods countenance to his own there he doth not this is one addition The second is more visible for here he adds that he shall praise him as his God which is not at all there There t is onely I shall praise him the health of his countenance Here t is I shall praise him the health of my countenance and my God Now in this verse which is the patterne of holy expostulation with ones soule with reference to sadnesse we may note these particulars 1 The object of this expostulation and that is Davids owne soule It s not enough to expostulate with God so he did verse the 10. But we must expostulate with our selves So David doth here 2 The manner of the Expostulation t is rationall and t is serious Here are two Whyes why cast down and why disquieted 3 The charge that he layes upon his soule He commands it to waite to tarry to expect God 4 The ground of all this both why David did thus expostulate and why he did charge his owne soule and that was because he knew did beleeve and was confident he should yet for all this praise God c. CHAP. 3. The Doctrines which arise from the Text. HAving thus opened and divided the Text it will not now be difficult to draw forth the Doctrines The kernell is visible when the shell is cracked And the graine is cleare when the buske is threshed There are four Doctrines which I shal gather as the principall graine in this floare And if Christ will helpe mee in the managing of them they will be bread to eate I. Even the choicest Saints and such as are according to Gods heart are lyable to spirituall dejections and disquiets II. It s the wisdome and should be the care of Saints when they are cast downe not to give way thereunto but to argue the case with their owne soules III. Saints in their deepest dejections when they are most disquieted should be content to tarry and waite for Gods cure and comfort IV. It s the duty and the glory of Saints to act faith and to beleeve even then when they are cast down lowest and see God least These foure Doctrines I conceive lye clear in these words of David And albeit I dare not say but there are others yet I conceive these the cheife truths which the spirit would teach us from this Text. I shall shew how each Doctrine is deduced from and may bee observed in the words as I handle them particularly and by themselves CHAP. 4. The first Doctrine spoken unto and proved from the Text and Examples WHat was Davids case hath beene others and may be ours This therefore is the first Doctrine which I shall speak unto and indeed be largest in viz. That Even the choicest Saints and such as are according to Gods owne heart are lyable to spirituall dejections and disquiets Surely though this be not simply expressed yet it is so strongly included that he that runs may read it That David was a choice Saint none will deny and that hee was according to Gods owne heart Act. 13.22 God himselfe doth witnesse Now 't was hee who here speakes and sayth Why art thou cast down O my soule And David was not single His case was but as others have beene Job was dejected before him his soule was cast downe as we say with a witnesse when he rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground as t is Job 1.20 he was much disquieted And as Job went before so Hezekiah came after David in soule dejection Surely his soule was cast downe when hee did chatter as a Crane and mourne as a Dove as t is Esay 38.14 I need not tell you of Asaph or of Heman Surely you have heard of their dejections and disquiets If you have not heard you may read their cases Psal 77. and Psal 88. Surely Asaph was much dejected when his spirit was overwhelmed And I think you le grant Heman was much dejected if you remember that hee was distracted Surely he was low when in the lowest pit and surely he was very much cast downe when hee cryed hee was free among the dead But why do I speake to you of others when I may appeale to your selves Saints have you never been sad were your hearts never cast downe have your spirits never been disquieted what have you always gone upon the Hills have you never been in the Valleyes In your way at least to Syon did you not passe thorough the Valley of Baca Though you now have beauty had you never ashes Have your garments of praise made you forget the spirit of heavinesse But why doe I renew griefe by its remembrance your sighings seale to this truth that even choice soules may be cast downe CHAP. 5. The amplification of the Point in some particulars I Shall handle this point of spirituall dejections something largely and the order which I shall walke by is this viz. I shall indeavour to discover 1 The nature of spirituall dejections what it is or what they are 2 The workings of them what they are and how they are 3 The causes of them whence they flow and how they arise The first thing which I shall speake unto is the nature of soule dejections Now this I shall be but breife in Spirituall dejection or soul-casting downe may easily bee guessed at if you consider either On the one hand viz. the right That the soule hath some sweet and spirituall injoyments in the injoyment of which it is much lifted up Holy joy puts the soule upon the Wing and causeth as it were a mounting upward David sometimes kept holy day as t is vers 4. of this Psalme in that day hee sang
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
now Davids spirit could not chuse but be very full And yet mark what he saith Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hither-unto And this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God but thou hast spoken also of thy servants house for a great while to come and is this the manner of men O Lord God But now marke it what followes upon this as it were entry upon the duty And what can David say more unto thee for thou O Lord knowest thy servant See how he is straitened so that hee cannot say more But he is fain to say as sometimes it may be you have done Lord thou knowest thy servant So that you see there may be the spirit where and while the soule is straitned and certainly as Hypocrites may have inlargements and yet not the Holy Ghost so Saints may have the Holy Ghost and yet want inlargements Thirdly Consider How much of God as a Father didst thou see in prayer It s the worke of the spirit to helpe the soule to see God as a father and to cry Abba and to fill the soule with not words and expressions but with sighs and groanes unutterable So that then to satisfie thy self O dejected soule in this feare consider thy very feare is choyce And it may not be as thou fearest But shall I suppose it suppose it should be so that as yet thou didst never pray Suppose I admit it that thou didst not in the sincerity of thy spirit nor in the assistance of Christs Spirit pray yet for all that consider these things First Free grace can and doth beseech soules to accept of peace and love who doe not begge for it God by us saith the Apostle beseecheth you Though thou didst not nor canst pray to God yet free Grace comes and as I may say prayes to thee Thou sayest I shall never have peace and reconciliation for I never by Prayer did beseech God for it Why remember God tenders and in his free grace comes and beseecheth you to accept of it Secondly God can give though ye cannot or doe not begge he is able to doe abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke Ephes 3.20 yea and he is willing for before they call I will answer saith the Lord And he is found of them that seeke him not Though God be pleased to come in in prayer yet he is not tyed to it Besides Thirdly consider its Christs worke to offer up prayers for us he lives for ever to make intercession Heb. 7.25 when thy heart is dead he lives and he prayes for those that doe not cannot pray for themselves Fourthly know the Spirit is promised for asking Luk. 11.13 you who cannot pray remember to aske and to waite for the Spirit And you have Christs word to encourage and assure you that you shall have the Spirit so that now why are you cast downe as fearing you never did pray consider your feare is good yet it may be groundlesse However Gods heart first opens it selfe to us Be not cast downe unto despaire know God can and will give to such as neither doe nor can aske besides in time he 'l prepare thy heart and cause his eare to heare as it is Psal 10.17 why may not this raise thy soule who art cast downe and sayest thou didst never pray Ob. But wilt thou say Suppose I have prayed indeed I hope I have and daily I desire to doe it but alas What though I pray if God doth not heare what though I call he doth not answer This O this doth disquiet my soule I have prayed oft but I feare I have been heard never Ans Indeed this is the other branch of the fear according to what Christ hath given me I shall endeavour to scatter it I must acknowledge O soule that its a misery scarce expressable to pray and not to be heard But yet know many conceive themselves in this misery without ground In order therefore to the satisfaction and raysing of thy soule under this dejection let me prevaile with thee to consider with sincere and serious spirit these particulars First God may have heard thee though thou doe not thinke so It s true peradventure God hath not yet returned an answer in some particulars but yet he may have heard your prayers God is a free Agent and so he may take his owne time to send an answer Suppose thou send a Letter to a friend by a sure Messenger what though you have not an answer presently will you say your Letter was lost or that your friend did not receive it Why the case is so your prayers are your letters to God and Christ is a sure messenger though as yet God hath not sent his answer yet your Letters are read your prayers are accepted and in time viz. Gods time they shall be punctually answered God will answer your prayers that cry unto him night and day though he heare long as it is Luk 18.7 But Secondly It s possible the answer may be sent and you have not observed it There are Letters at the Post-house sometimes for us which only want fetching home The Spirit who brings returnes from Heaven hath an answer for us but we eye him not Job speakes of Gods going by and he saw him not of his passing on and he perceived it not Job 9.11 O how many times doth God go by us in acts of providence clearly and directly answering our prayers and yet we doe not see it nor perceive it Besides Thirdly for any thing you know your prayers will not be answered till you are dead your Children or the Churches may have answers of your prayers when you are gone or it may be God will reserve the answer till your death How many dying soules have said now O now we see and heare that God hath answered all our prayers Why then art thou cast downe O soule about thy prayers as if they were not answered Obj. But I cannot beleeve that God will ever answer Sure I am its well if it be so that I have eyed Providences exactly and could as yet never see any answer and what God will doe for time to come I know not but I doubt c. Ans Be it as thou fearest what if God as yet have not answered thy prayers in many in any particulars yet be not dejected O soule over-much for consider First unanswered prayers are not lost thou hast not prayed in vaine for God never bid the house of Jacob doe so thy letters are filed up in Heaven and though they are not answered yet they are remembred God doth not forget your labour of love in your letters of love for such are prayers it s our duty to pray 't is Gods grace to answer though as yet he reveales not that grace yet it makes not voyd our duty Secoundly God may be pleased with thy prayers though he doe not answer The Mother is pleased with
Promises did belong to me if I knew it Why if you knew it what roome were there for faith You must beleeve so shall you knowâ— Suppose a pardon thrown to a company of condemned ones in a prison should any say is my name in particular there when it should be said there is a pardon for any that will take it Oh how would all catch and snatch at it Certainly O soule you should beleeve the Promises to be yours and not stand questioning whether they are or no After you beleeved not before pray mark it you were seded with the spirit of promise Ephes 1.13 Thirdly It may be the Promise is yours and your soule hath closed with it although at present you doubt The Promises comming to us art as sealed letters and we many times have them in our hand and read them not No wonder therefore you say you find not the comfort of them Many soules have the Promises as children have the nipple of the breast in their mouthes but doe not suck and no wonder if they cry out they taste not the sweetnesse of them Object Nay but I fear and tremble I am full of doubts and vexation And had I closed with the promise this would not be Answ Say not so O soule the womâ—â— that came behind Christ touched him though she trembled It s possible for a soule to touch a Promise even so far as to draw vertue out of it aâ— it were indirectly and by the hinder parts when happily it durst not as the woman in thâ—â— case come before the Promise and close directly with it in the face thereof But Fourthly thou must know O soule that some promises have their times of fulfilling and peradventure the time is not yet come the promise of hidden manna is to a time of conquest Apoc. 2.17 It may be thy combate is not yet over why then dost thou expect the Manna some promises are sealed up as Commissions not to be opened till the Commander come to such a place sure I am God keeps some promises till the life to come and we doe but in vaine trouble our selves to looke for the fulfilling of them here Lastly Suppose as yet thou hast never as thou sayest closed with any promise what hinders O soule but that thou doe it now The promises of God lye open before you why doe you not come and take Surely you should not cast downe your soules with feare that you have not closed with them yet but you should thus arise and lay hold of them now Obj. So I would if I were but thus or had but this I want the condition of the promise and till I have that I dare not meddle with it Answ Beware of this rock O soule it hath split many let it not split thee To this end you are to know and pray minde it First You are to fetch all from the Promises not to bring any thing to the Promises The Promises are not as Pumps that will give no water except some be poured in But they are as Wells and there is nothing for us to doe but to come and draw Such as stand off from acting faith upon the Promises nakedly because they see not this or that in themselves Are guilty of making their own qualifications their faiths bottome Secondly The greatest promises as of pardon of sins c. are FREE It s said come and take freely Isa 43. ult buy wine and milke without money or monyes worth God blots out sins for his names sake its only for us to declare it and put him in remembrance that we may bee justified And Thirdly The Promises are to give the condition It s considerable that whatever condition may be urged as pre-requisite to any one promise is freely promised in another A new heart a new and right spirit repentance of sin victory over corruptions c. These things are called out for as conditions and these things are held forth as promised See to this purpose these places Jer. 25.7 Eze. 36.25 Act. 5.31 Ro. 7. ult c. Wherefore then O dejected soul art thou cast down as if the Promises were not thine or did not belong to thee Surely thou hast no ground justly so to say Remember nothing is freer then the grace of Christ and that is held forth to thee And in him all the Promises shall be yea and amen Arise O soul and lay hold on him and all the Promises in him So shalt thou be able to say of a truth now I see God is no respecter of persons in the tender of his promises CHAP. 12. Satisfaction to Soules cast downe and troubled about their abstinence from sinne c DEjected soules are very weake and hence it is that they are ready to be troubled about every thing this Satan sees and hence it is that creates trouble in them even from that which otherwise might comfort them Abstinence from sinne is expresly commanded Psal 4.4 and yet even about obedience to this command the dejected soule is troubled Oh say some poore hearts that re cast downe we abstaine from sinne Case 't is true but from what principles Are they not rather selfish and slavish then spirituall and sincere A Dogge chained up is a Dogge still and the reason why he doth not this or that mischiefe is his chaine not his change and we feare 't is so with us c. Now to answer soules saying thus Satisfaction and if it may be to satisfie them under this feare there be foure things which I desire may be minded First Its mercy to be able to abstaine from any principles sinne is such an evill as that its a great good to be kept from it by any meanes the heart of some is so fully bent upon sin that nothing can restraine them some wretches rush into abomination as the Horse into the battell Ah Lord how many are there who will not are not cannot be kept from sinne by all meanes used It s a favour oh poore soule that thou art not as they are it s well for thee thou art not as wilde as they I much feare their case who are not afraid of nor abstaine from sinne at all I little feare thine who art so afraid of sinning as that thou questionest not the reality of the act but the royalty of the principle It s a kinde of high and royall hatred of sinne when the soule cannot be contented only to abstaine from it but when it s troubled as thou art O soule that the principles of that abstinence were not high and royall enough Secondly God traines up his children in holy things by degrees as in point of doing good and fearing him so in point of eschewing evill God carries on by degrees God takes off his owne people from running into sinne sometimes by hedging up their way with thornes as 't is Hos 2.6 Mothers weane their children from the breast by Wormwood at first God first at least oft
thy faith upon a possibility in the hand of Christ yea and upon a probability in his heart to help thee but rest not here remember your faith must ascend higher for you must more especially beleeve 1 That Christ will raise thee See chap. 3 2 That he is still with thee though thou see him not 3 That you shall confesse all your doubtings to be failings 4 That yet Christ wil appeare as yours 5 That the time shall come that you shall sing all this in a Song of praise yea and 6 That Satan shall see this and be ashamed yea and thy owne heart too Here is your duty now up ascend this Ladder remember to begin at the lowest staffe first ascend thy soule by degrees breath over every step or staire and then strive to goe higher Doe not make thy worke harder then it would be Conquer thy unbeleefe by holy craft First beleeve one particular then another Doe not strive for the highest act first Beleeve first a possibility then a probability then a certainty Many soules cry out they cannot beleeve certainly they shall be raised I would have these beleeve it probable first Remember to beleeve that Christ thinketh on thee come up by degrees to the height of faith so wilt thou come by degrees to the fulnesse of assurance I shall presse this practicall Doctrine By 1 Motives 2 Meanes First Consider that this faith is that which Christ eminently pronounceth blessed To beleeve then when the soule is dejected and in the darke and sees not is a blessed thing and argues a very blessed frame of Spirit Jesus said unto Thomas Because thou hast seen me thou hast beleeved blessed are they who have not seen and YET beleeved Joh. 20.29 I doe not doubt but that Thomas was truly blessed though he said he would not and as it seems he did not beleeve before he saw but yet Christ declares him or she to be eminently blessed that beleeve and see not Minde it ye sad soules who cry out you are dejected low and see nothing if now you can beleeve you are in a blessed state yea you are eminently blessed how ever deeply dejected if you can but now act your faith Thy low state is not sad but blessed O beleeving soule He that beleeves hath a witnesse in himself by the authority of Christ inabled to conclude that he is blessed Wouldest thou O soule be blessed yea even in thy dejected state wouldest have a ground of Christs allowance and declaration to say thou art not miserable though cast downe why then beleeve Secondly Beleeving in a state of darknesse and dejection gives glory to God God is not glorified by the faith of any so much as by the faith of the dejected When Abraham was as it were dead and so past children then his beleeving was a glorious faith He was strong in faith giving glory to God Rom. 4.20 Thou sayest O dejected soule let God have glory what ere become of thee Why here is the way to give God glory act thy faith upon his glorious power his gracious promise his good performance c. even now in thy low state so shalt thou glorifie him indeed Though thou be weake yet beleeve his strength though thou be unworthy yet beleeve his grace though thou art very low and see very little yet now beleeve and account him faithfull able ready willing to raise help releeve and comfort thus thou shalt give him glory indeed Thirdly Beleeving now will ingage God to help God and Christ account it an engagement to help in case the soule beleeve and relye when at lowest Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Isa 26.3 Mark it because the Lord trusteth therefore Christ wil keep It s true there is no merit in faith but yet the Divine mercy counts it an ingagement to helpe Some have urged this why they must goe and needs doe such or such a thing because a poore man relyes upon them and trusts to them and must and will be undone if they faile him Why will a man upon that account help and will not Christ much more O! will Christ say of a soule that is ready to sinke and yet relyes on him and trusts to him Here is a poore soule that depends on me and I see must perish if I faile him O surely I le not suffer him to faile They that trust in the Lord shall never be confounded the Lord will not be as waters that doe faile as it is Jerem. 15.18 My flesh faileth saith David but God is the rock of my health Psal 73. Dejected soules would you ingage Christ to raise you then beleeve though you are cast downe never so low Lastly Even very beleeving is our rising when we are cast down The soule that beleeves doth rise and when Christ drawes up our faith he doth raise us up from our dejected state It is with the beleeving soule in his pit of dejection as with Peter in his Prison it is said the Angel of the Lord smote Peter on the side saying Arise why you know Peter was bound with two chaines and Peter might have said thus I am bound how can I rise and goe out no Peter doth not object but beleeves He ariseth and his chains fall off from his hands marke it his beleeving doth unbinde him Come saith the Angel follow me Peter might have said The doore is shut there is a first and second ward besides that there is an Iron Gate fast bard and there are Keepers that keepe the doore No Peter reasons not thus But he beleeves and goes and the doores open of themselves the very Iron Gate of its owne accord gives way and the Keepers are kept under sleep from opposing See Peters faith doth all it opens the doores and brings him forth Acts 12. So O soule doe thou beleeve Arise O dejected soule doe not say I am bound with chaines of difficulties and bolted up under doores of doubtings but up beleeve thy very beleeving is at least thy rising posture and thy doore-opening hand O doe not stand objecting reasoning or questioning but beleeve as hath been opened Peradventure by this thy soule is made willing to stirre and now thou only desirest advice to help thee and for that take these directions 1 Beware of that which will hinder thy faith and rather keep thee down then raise thee up 2 Consider that which may strengthen thy soule in thy beleeving notwithstanding thy low condition First Take heed of that which will rather hinder then help your faith Viz. Of concluding any thing from 1 Sence 2 Selfe 3 Sathan 4 Seeming rejection These things eyed too much are dangerous and conclusions drawne from them are destructive unto faith therefore take heed of them all As First Beware of concluding any thing from present sence Sence is an opposite to reason sometimes but to faith it is an enemy alwaies hence it is that Paul
of God Christ will certainly make thee in a measure know what sorrow meanes if he intend thee joy Thou wilt be dejected before thou art exalted and surely couldest thou but see thy state whilst a presumptuous sinner thou wouldest cry out What shall I doe to be saved But hoping better things of thee and such as accompany salvation I shall acquaint thee only with foure things about this ensuing tract 1 That it is the substance of many Sermons and that when it was preached it was by much more then now it is Yet 2 That the abatement in the printing from what it was in preaching is not materiall Things are here in briefe which then were more largely opened and I presume thy eye will reape as much by a little which is stil before thee to looke upon as thine Eare can by a great deale more which though it be longer and larger in the receiving of yet is quickly passed by and forgotten 3 The subject treates with dejected soules to whom the sweetest words of freest Grace are little enough And therefore if thou thinke some passages tend to a presumption though none I know of are so remember dejected soules are farre enough from that being more ready to despaire then to hope notwithstanding the clearest discoveries of Christs love and sweetnesse 4 The whole was at first intended for and delivered to a particular Congregation in a private way And had not they sealed to it as to the truth of Christ it had been buried in the darke and never come to this publick light I have onely two Requests to make to thee and I have done with thee My First Request is this That thou bee not hasty in reading But that thou meditate on what is tendred The Bee which onely lights upon a flower gathers no hony It s her abiding a while that suckes out the sweete Such Readers get but a little who rather runne over then read a Booke And that person will finde but little sweetnesse in a cordiall who onely holds it a little while in his mouth It s meditation which renders truths sweet I have indeavoured to write much in a little and I dare humbly promise that if thou wilt but weigh and consider seriously what I say to any Head thou wilt finde a great deale more matter then words It s true I have not handled things so largely as I might but yet I have suggested what might bee sufficient to my purpose which is not so much to convince the disputeing Heads as to comfort the dejected Hearts of Christians This therefore is my first Request that thou meditate on what thou readest My next Request is this That if in any part or in the whole thy attainment be above what is here offered that thou doe not slight it altogether upon that account Even David himselfe was sometimes aloft and never thought of those dejections under which hee afterwards groaned And peradventure though now thou keepe holy day and feast with Christ in full assurance A day or houre of temptation may come in which thou mayest bee glad of a crumme of comfort And then this poore tracte may bee of some use to thy soule In the interim pittie and pray for those who either are in or lyable to a dejected state needing both comfort and counsell too And in so doing thou shalt further the designe and indeed particularly and singularly oblige the Authour of this tract who is Reader Thy faiths friend and Souls-Servant JOHN DVRANT SECT I. PSAL. 42 11. Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God CHAP. I. The preamble unto the Text in a briefe view of the whole Psalme holding forth the occasion and the division thereof THese words are a spirituall Soliloquie of holy David who now as in private speakes to and argueth with his own soul in regard of some sadnesses and disquietings which at present did oppresse his spirit And there is a great deale of precious matter in these words deserving our Observation Meditation and Imitation I shall in a word touch upon the occasion and the scope of the whole Psalme So shall we the clearer see the intention of this verse It is thought and that very probable that the occasion of this Psalm was either the flight unto which he was exposed by Saul or the flight unto which he was exposed by Absolon Cleare it is at the penning hereof David was absent from Jerusalem and the Tabernacle the consideration of which fills him with sorrow and that sorrow sets him upon the composing of this Psalme So that whatsoever was the remote sorrow was the proximate occasion of the penning hereof Now this sorrow appeares in the whole Psalme generally And more particularly it discovers in selfe in these branches 1 In the vent thereof 2 In the cause thereof 3 In the depth thereof 4 In the effect thereof First Davids sorrow vents it selfe in the 1 2 and 3 verses of the Psalme as the Hart panteth after the water Brookes so panteth my soule after God vers 1. Never was poor Hart pursued more by a company of Dogs then he was by his enemies And never did Hart so pursued bray after the Brookes as he did after Jerusalem and the Tabernacle the place and types of Gods presence My teares so he vents himselfe have been my meat day and night ver 2. Sad soule his griefe fed upon its selfe and besides mourning his soule had no meate His soule also was poured out as water for so the word signifies vers 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus his sorrow vents it selfe Secondly He opens the cause thereof which was mixed and mighty One while his present absence from Jerusalem minds him of his former injoyments He had gone up with a multitude making boâ—y mirth but now he was deprived thereof vers 4. Another while hee considered the sad speeches of his insulting adversaries who continually said where is thy God vers 10. Thirdly he describes the depth of his sorrow setting it forth to have overwhelmed him He professeth it had cast him down vers 6. And that he was in the deeps vers 7. Lastly He declares the effect of all this now that is held forth as double 1 Supplication 2 Expostulation The first effect of his soule griefe was Supplication His prayer was to the God of his life as t is vers 8. Oh when shall I come before thee O God ver 2. To this he addes Secondly Expostulation as another effect of his griefe and this expostulation is hinted to be 1 With God 2 With himselfe 1 He expostulates the matter with his God I will say unto God my rocke why hast thou forsaken me ver 9. 2 Hee expostulates also with himselfe Why goe I mourning c. as in that verse But especially in the words of the Text. Why art thou cast down
some common illumination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the onely things that act me in all Peradventure I doe not approve of God according to my knowledge of him And if so I am no better then the Heathens Rom. 1.28 It may be and I feare it that my observanced the Commandements is no better then the young mans Mark 10.19 20. I doubt my holy a rather seeming holy actions proceed mort from light that I dare not doe otherwise thâ—â— from love that I delight to doe it To do 〈◊〉 is one thing and to doe well is another Bonum bene valde differunt I fear what ever my actings bee that my principles and aimes are not as they should bee Some have bad ends in good workes others do spirituall actions from carnall principles and I fear whether this bee not my case Thus likewise some soules when they are cast down vent themselves Fiftly There are some who when cast down breath forth other feares as now touching their sincerity I doubt saith the dejected soul whether my heart be sound There are many painted Sepulchres and am not I one of them there bee many who at best are but seeming Saints and I feare I am such The Prophet saith The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked and he asketh also who can know it Jer. 17.9 For my part I do not know it Surely I feare nay I finde my heart desperately wicked and deceitfull I feare I looke one way Water-man-like even while I row another I fear least I be a child of darknesse transformed into an Angell of light Sometimes I doubt if Christ should now come to sever the lambes from the Goates that I should have no more of a sheep then the skinne and that it being pluckt off I shall appear as I am Job said indeed his heart should not reproach him so long as he lived Job 27.6 But I am sure mine flyes in my face every houre Without doubt I am but as a guilded grave brave without bad within I must speake my heart I feare I am but an hypocrite Sixtly Others there are dejected and cast downe whose dejection discovers it selfe in fear least corruptions get the conquest over them Oh saith the poore soule I find the flesh fighting against the spirit and I feare the flesh will get the day at lest I doubt the spirit will not Corruption is strong and grace is very weake I feare I shall one day fall by the hand of sin If I lye downe corruption is with me if I arise its awake as soon as I If I be about my calling or imployments in the world I perceive corruption dogges me and if I goe to duty it will not let me alone nay often it is then most busie I feare I feare that I shall fall Certainly I doubt I shall not stand long Ah Lord cryes the soule dejected any spake is enough to set mee a fire Passion is quickly stirred and I speak vainly yea and vilely too A little thing makes mee waspish I am borne downe with rash anger presently Pride too that appeares upon the least occasion I can hardly pray with any inlargements or doe duty with any affections but presently pride pirkes it selfe up Lust too that is ready to discover its life upon the least occasion I can hardly looke but I lust Thus cryes one thus cryes another and all agree in this they fear sin will get the day At least they doubt whether ever their Pigmy-graces so some speake shall bee able to get the victory over their Gyant-like-corruptions Seventhly Some when they are cast down have greater fears then these there are dejected soules who cry out Oh! they feare they never did savingly close with Christ To close with Christ in the way of the Gospell say they and they speak truth is a mystery and alas they doubt whether they have attained it There is a meer legall closing with Christ which is built only upon some qualifications in ones selfe and which carryes not the soule beyond the Covenant of workes and some soules under dejection feare theirs is such Woe is mee saith the soule if my closing with Christ bee not aright and I doubt it is not Mat. 7.22 Some soules at the last shall come and speake to him as if they had closed aright with him and as if they had in truth an interest in him and yet he will say hee knowes them not Now I feare I feare least I am such a soule and least he will speake to me so It s damnable to be deceived in this saith the soule and I doubt it Thus the wave of feare in the storm of dejection mounts thus high in some soules Eightly There are some who it may be will say they doe not doubt much their closing with Christ but they doubt their keeping close I feare saith some soule cast downe that I shall deny Christ There have been many Apostates and I doubt I shal make the number one more Peter denyed Christ in part and for a time and I feare I shall doe it altogether I thinke I should sinne in deniall of before I should suffer unto death for Christ I feare I am nearer allyed and shall be more like to Demas then to Paul It s true there are some who if they had a thousand lives could give them all for Christ But I feare I should not willingly give one Christ saith if wee deny him he will deny us And sure he knowes what I would doe if called to it I feare I should deny him and therefore that he 'le do so by me In these and the like feares doe the workings of spirituall dejection appeare The soul when elevated is not freer from then when dejected it full of feares and doubts CHAP. 7. An addition of some other feares which appeare as the workings of spirituall dejection in some soules IT being my purpose to treate of spiritual dejections at large See the second Section and also to satisfie the soule in those doubts and fears which discover themselves in the soul when and while it s cast down I shall adde some other feares unto the former As First Some there be who being dejected and cast downe are much disquieted with fears and doubts about Prayer As now whether ever they prayed in all their lives And if they did whether ever God did heare or regard any of their prayers Oh! saith some souls who are cast downe Prayer is a choice imployment a precious priviledge but alas we never injoyed it something wee have done sometime like prayer but we doubt whether it were prayer For We feare our own hearts and spirits were never in it Prayer only in the lip is without life and prayer if it be no more then words is of no worth God regards the prayer which comes from the spirit and heart But we doubt though wee have sometimes drawn neare him with our lips our hearts have been far from
things of Christ knoweth no man but the spirit of Christ But Secondly How is thy comfort brought in Is it from Christ in a free word of grace offering himselfe to sinners or is it as I may say from a Christ fetcht in by some performances of thine Certainly the lesse of self in the manner of Christs comming into the soule the more of the spirit in the comfort that ariseth thereupon Some soules have their comfort fetcht in rather by selfe in Christ i.e. what they see of themselves in the way of Christs comming in then by Christ in himselfe My meaning is some soules cannot be comforted in Christ unlesse they see Christ as it were fetched and comming in by their Humiliations Repentings Prayers c. Oh if they can upon them or in them see a Christ comming in they can be comforted This comfort I suspect is legall But now if thou canst say thy comfort as it came from Christ so it came and comes still from Christ held forth purely in a word of grace and that when thou couldest see nothing of seife to fetch in Christ that then in a promise of free grace as that he dyed for and justifies the ungodly when I say then thou wert inabled to receive comfort from Christ so brought it without any selfe-qualifications or performances Surely thy comfort is in and by the spirit for still the lesse of selfe the more of him Thirdly Whereunto doth thy comfort tend Confider this Tends it to a magnifying of Christ to a love and labour unto holinesse or tends it to selfe glorying and a kind of wantonnesse Pray mind it If thy comfort have any tendance to magnifie selfe as if it were something or to lessen sin as if it were nothing thou hast cause to suspect thy comfort is not of the spirit For the very hopes of comfort by him tends unto purifying Be that hath this hope purifies himselfe c. But now if upon any laste or hope of comfort from Christ thy soule begin to admire him in his infinite love for loving thee And to abhor sin for provoking him If thy soule is much in adoring him and not a little in abhorring of solfe If sence of comfort do make thee melt as it were into a Christ-loving and Sin-loathing frame and make thee study what maner of conversation thou shouldest have for that comfort which thou hast had Surely if this be the fruit of thy comfort thou needest not fear but that thy comfort is a fruit of the spirit Thus I have offered something in particular in order to the raising of such soules as are cast down and feare that their call conviction and comfort is not was not of or by the Spirit To this I will adde some things by way of consideration joyntly i th reference to the whole As now First Whatsoever thy call conviction and comfort be its precious and to be prized Suppose it be only in the letter as thou sayst yet in case it be at all t is precious How many thousands are there that no way had either call conviction or comfort But live and lye in sin without any calls or conviction and never questioning truth or ground of comfort go in mirth as Jobs phrase is in a moment downe to Hell Chap. 21.13 Secondly Though your call conviction and comfort be as yet but common it may be ere long speciall That which is first is not alwayes spirituall but that which is naturall and afterward that which is spirituall as it is 1 Cor. 15.46 Christ many times doth ingraft as some Divines say grace upon nature Often times Christ speciallizeth as I may say and spirituallizeth common workings such as at first have only been wrought upon in the letter have afterwards beene wrought on by the spirit Besides this Thirdly Consider if at present thy soule be brought up to close with Christ that now thou hangest as it were about his feet mourning onely for the want of his smiles waiting only for the discoveries of his loves If now thy soule can say I see a need of Christ I am convinced of the want of a Christ I onely pant after and look for the injoyment of a Christ all the comfort that I have all the support of my spirit lyes upon this that I hope he that shal come wil come and will not tarry and that the Lord whom thou lookest for will suddenly come If I say this be the present frame of thy spirit and speake soule is it not so why then art thou disquieted why art thou cast down why dost thou disturbe thy selfe with this fear that thy call conviction and comfort is not of the spirit Certainly when and where Christ is so discovered to be all in all and so pressed after the soul need not cast down it selfe with feare CHAP. 4. Satisfaction unto such as fear that all that which is in them is rather from education then regeneration THis was the fourth fear which I touched upon Case and the satisfaction hereof is to be indeavoured next now for such souls as are dejected and do discover themselves in this fear that which I shall speak unto them shall be in three steps As 1 Generally Satisfaction I desire such dejected soules as cry out Oh all that which is in them is but civillity and education and the like I say I desire such to consider three things as First What it is which in truth doth act them and carry them on in the things of Christ Is it only their head or is it not principally their heart Education doth seldome ingage conscience It may and doth bring into a custome and this it doth meerly upon head-principall i.e. a knowledge that such or such a duty is to be done and that Parents or Tutors have done it c. But now to be brought into the wayes of godlinesse upon heart principles as I may call them i.e. to do such or such a duty upon conscience as finding an ingagement there to them this goes farther then education Consider then dost not thou find a heart-ingagement to the things of Christ so that thou hast some love to and in what thou dost and a hatred to and griefe in the contrary Surely if it be so here is something more and higher then education Then Secondly Consider what if thy naturall relations were dead or which is worse opposite to the things of Christ Suppose this and search what wouldest thou be or doe then 2 Chro. 24. Joash his goodnesse of education it dyed with his Tutour Jehoiadah It s said Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehoiadah the Priest But after the death of Jehoiadah we finde that Joash doth not onely leave off that which was right in the sight of the Lord but he served Groves and Idolls yea and he slew Iehoiada's sonne for testifying against him Now then suppose thy Parents and Tutor's dead nay
fearing thou hast no more then education It may be but a feare or if it should be reall yet there is you see hope and comfort for this thing CHAP. 5. Satisfaction for such as fear they are at best but Hypocrites THere are some soules who when they are sadde Case and cast down they cry out against themselves for Hypocrisie To these I must now speake and in order to the quieting of their disquieted mindes I shall propose these particulars First It s at lest a peece or part of sincerity to question hypocrisie Satisfaction Hypocrites doe not use to question themselves It s the very nature of Hypocrisie to be shye of and to avoid as much as possible any tryall And it s of the nature of sincerity to be questioning Thy very feare O soule of hypocrisie is a fruit of sincerity The Pharisee did not suspect himselfe neither did the Publican purge himselfe yet you know who went away justified Christ O soule will and indeed delights to justifie such as condemne themselves Thine own suspition is not an evidence of thy hypocrisie Look as wicked men are said to feare where no feare i.e. no ground of feare is So likewise Saints do sometimes Cant. 1.6 It s worth the noting though the Church cry out looke not upon mee because I am blacke much like the Leper in the Law Levit. 13.45 yet Christ saith of her thou art all faire and hast no spot Christ O soule can discover sparkles of gold under thy clods of dirt and he can see peeces of sincerity even in thy feares of hypocrisie Secondly An unknown iniquity is not an argument of hypocrisie Sinne must be known and yet concealed ere it brand one for an hypocrite Many soules question their sincerity because of secret sins Peradventure some corruption bubbles up that they were not aware of they perceive some sin that had a long time laine secret and this makes them feare they are hypocrites but it should not David is sensible of secret sins and he cryes out against them cleanse me from my secret sins Psal 19. Yet he can and doth stand to and plead his sincerity Psal 26.1 2. Look as in point of sincerity it s not enough to serve God by doing his will But we must know it and be willing our selves So likewise in the point of hypocrisie it s not simple sinning but knowing and hiding thereof that makes it so The Assyrian was Gods rod and he did serve him Howbeit saith the Text he meaneth not so neither doth his heart thinke so Esa 10.7 The Assyrian service was not sincere for he nere meant to doe what he did Proportionably thy sins O soule are not hypocrisie for as much as thou knewest them not neither didst mean to keep them if thou didst know them Quest Consider this O sad dejected soul thy sins which are newly broke out are they not such as thou didst never dreame of Is it not that which thy soule loatheth and thou didst thinke thy selfe most free from Ans Yes They are so and this makes me fear my heart that it should so long conceale these corruptions which now I see Reply But know O soule it s a mistake from hence to conclude hypocrisie Certainly thy ignorance will excuse thee herein Hypocrisie is properly a feighning or counterfeiting either of vertue where t is not or a concealing of vice where it is Didst ever boast or feigne thy selfe better then conscience told thee thou wert or didst ever conceal or extenuate sins thou knewest in thee If not why fearest thou thy self an hypocrite It s a painting of a Sepulcher that denotes hypocrisie there may be unknowne sins where there is sincerity But Thirdly Some mixtures of this bitternesse will be in the best while in the body There is no grace so perfect in this life as that its free from all mixture Our gold is never so refined but that there will at lest cleave to us some drosse As the strongest faith doth not free any from all incredulity So the purest sincerity doth not free from some hypocrisie Even Peter and Barnabas are taxed by Paul and recorded by the spirit no have had at lest a tange of this bitternesse they are down-right charged with dissimulation Gal. 2.13 It s a true assertion of an accute writer that Hyporisie is in all Torshall but with so great a difference that all are not to be called hypocrises You will not call every doubting soule an Infidell why should you because of some remainders of hypocrisie conclude your selves hypocrites Job is charged even by God himselfe to darken counsell by words without knowledge Iob 38.2 And yet God tells Satan that he was a perfect and upright man But suppose the worst O doubting soule suppose not a little but a great deal of hypocrisie be in thy heart Consider Fourthly Our happinesse is built and bottomed more and rather upon the sincerity of Christs heart to us then upon the sincerity of our hearts to him Christ knew before he loved us that we would deale treacherously as it is Esa 48.8 It s charged upon the Church that she was not as sincere As Solomon describes a wife Pro. 31.11 i.e. to be one in whom the heart of her husband might trust the Lord said of Iudab she was treacherous and her heart was not turned wholly but fainedly to him Ier. 3.10 Yet he saith unto her I am married unto thee vers 14. It s our happinesse Christ abideth faithfull as t is 2 Tim. 2.13 our welfare is not founded upon our own hearts but upon his And as the whole body of sin and hypocrisie did not keep him from loving us sincerely at first so the remainders of hypocrisie shall not make him to love us lesse now Reader if thou be not a Spider I may tell thee this Christ can and doth love hypocrites His heart is sincere though our hearts be hypocriticall i.e. one that sucks poison out of wholesome things Sucke the speech and if thou bee a Bee thou wilt find not onely sweetnesse but sanctity yea and sincerity in it too Rouze up O cast downe soule Christ hath writ his love and thy life upon his owne heart not on thine There it remaines sound notwithstanding thy rottennesse The fountaine of free grace is open even for adulterous Iudah and treacherous Israel Object Yea but yet my hypocrisie is odious is it not my double dealing with Christ is dreadfull in it selfe I am sure it is so to me I see it and while I see it I cannot but be sad If it bee Christs glory that his heart is sincere towards me the more it s my sin and shame and sorrow that my heart is not so towards him Answ True O soule thy hypocrisie is thy sin but thy shame and sorrow for this is thy grace or rather Christs and thy glory For Fiftly It s a mercy to have a sight and sence of hypocrisie Christ certainly
the Childes lisping though she seeme not to hearken Thou fearest O soule that God is angry with thy prayers as 't is Psal 80.4 but why shouldest thou feare this God was not angry with his peoples prayer of which the Psalmist there makes mention though he did not at that time answer it Your earthly Parents sometime seeme deafe when yet they delight to heare their Children tattle c. may it be thus with the Fathers of your flesh why may not nay why should you not thinke so of the Father of your spirits However Thirdly consider what it was you prayed for and were denyed or not answered inâ— peradventure 't was a temporall and that it may be not for your good though you foolishly thought so why should ye take it ill to be denyed in such a thing God hath heard thee for a Christ when thou saidst as Abraham What wilt thou give me so long as I goe Christ-lesse why what if God now hath not heard thee saying as she Give me children or I dye is not Christ worth many children Say O soule did not God give thee many a spirituall good thing upon nay before thy prayers why art thou cast downe if he deny thee temporalls Obj. Nay but 't is a spirituall good that I have prayed for and am not answered in Rep. It may be so yet consider peradventure 't is but a spirituall gift as memory understanding elocution in prayer and now why art troubled soule so much to be denyed in these what are they in themselves but such things as reprobates may have Gifts may goe to Hell yea many a gifted person is gracelesse why art cast downe with the deniall of gifts when Christ hath given graces without asking Nay but they are graces that I begge and pray for I have gone to begge faith and love and patience c. and yet I have no answer to these prayers Ans Stay yet O soule and consider it may be thou beggest not so much the grace as the degree It s not so much faith as a strong faith not so much love as a fervent love c. Now consider O soule though God deny thee the strength the degree of grace its choyce mercy thou hast the grace it selfe A little faith though but as a graine of Mustard-seed is precious Be not cast downe O poore heart if God deny thee great faith c. blesse him for that he hath given thee any faith c. Obj. But alas I doubt I have not faith at all c. it s not the degree of grace but the grace it selfe that I pray for and yet receive not Rep. Surely O soule thou art mistaken what ever grace thou prayest for especially so as to be troubled for want of which is thy case I say thou hast that grace already It s a degree of wisdome to desire to be wise and its a measure of grace to pray for grace The Disciples had faiâ—h when yet they prayed against unbeleefe without doubt O dejected soule thy panting after thy praying for and trouble at the sence of the want of grace is grace who can breath except he have life Lastly to cloâ—e up this case of fear about Gods not hearing prayer if God as yet have not answered my prayers the more is to come in Heaven God will answer all together God sometimes deales with his Children as we doe with ours the Childe abroad sends home for many things now for a Hat anon for a paire of Shoos c. the Father neither sends the thing nor an answer but anon sends for the Childe home and gives him all Minde ye Children of God for you are of that generation who seek his face your Father will send for you home one of these dayes and by death he 'l fetch you hence and answer all your prayers at once Now then beare up O dejected soules be not cast downe about your prayers as you are O remember in all this case Christ liveth for ever to make intercession for us why should we be so sad at the thoughts of our owne prayers as to forget to rejoyce in the faith of his If we sin he is our Advocate if we want any thing he knowes all our needs and why should we doubt that he prayeth for us since he lives for that very purpose CHAP. 10. Satisfaction to Soules cast downe about Hearing SOme there are who in their dejection call to minde the Word and their hearing of it Case but alas they are so far from being raised by it as that it dejects them the more Ah say they we have heard thee preached in our streetes Luk. 13.26 but so shall some say and be dis-owned at last by Christ the Word hath been sowen amongst us but we feare not as the good seed in the good ground and something now must be said to satisfie these soules and there be but four things which I shal offer briefly to this purpose 1 Call to minde what it was O soule which in the hearing of the Word did most take with Satisfaction and affect thy heart was it the Truth or the termes that did most prevaile with you Didst thou finde thine eares tickled with the entising words of mans wisdome Or didst thou feele thy heart touched with the power of the Spirit in the demonstration of truth If upon this inquiry thou doe finde that naked truth in the discovery of the Spirit did most take with and worke upon thy heart thou needest not bee troubled about thy hearing the Word for surely thou hast heard the word not as the word of man but of God 2 Consider what was the effect of that Word or that truth which thou didst close with The reall effect of the Word heard as the Word of God is the casting downe of those imaginations which did lift up themselves in the soule against Christ The Apostle tells the Corinthians that the weapons of his warfare were mighty through God But how did it appeare Marke because saith he they pull downe strong holds c. 2 Cor. 10.4 5. a Cannon shot off with Powder makes no battery nor breach but if it beate downe strong holds it argues there was more then bare Powder Certainly if the Word hath beaten downe thy towry imaginations and made a breach and so an entrance in thy bosome for Christ If it hath battered open the everlasting gates for the King of glory to enter in thou maist surely and sweetly conclude that thou didst heare more then man in the Word yea that Christ was in and with the Word of a truth It was a signe that the Thessalonians had received the Word as it was in truth the Word of God when it did effectually worke in them as 't is 2 Thes 2.13 But besides this 3 Know that there may be the seed of the Word in thy heart as in good ground See this fear stated Sect. 1. chap. 7. notwithstanding thy feares Oh say many
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
not bee So here Why art thou cast down is as much as there is no cause or reason for this casting down of my selfe and giving way unto it for it should not be When our Lord perceived the dejection of his Disciples upon the thought of his departure he bids them not give way unto it Let not your hearts be troubled John 14.1 He saw a storme like that of waters arising in their spirits but he bids them not to give way unto it The word that is translated disquieted in this text The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used here Iob 14 1. and the Heb. word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe is as I opened a word used sometimes for the disquiet of waters Our Lord seems to allude to it for the word translated troubled signifies so as Waters are troubled Now mind it O poor dejected ones Christ saith you should not be dejected so nor give way unto it His word is imperative he saith let it not be both signifie a trouble as of waters I need not stand to prove it further This one Demonstration wil clear it We should not give way to that which we have no reason for But we have no reason to be dejected so as to be disquieted Therefore c. David indeed sought for a reason but hee found none He asked his soule why it was disquieted implying his judgement saw no reason for it But his soul doth not indeed could not make any rationall answer This question silenceth his soule As that in the Parable why diddest not give my mony into the banke that at my comming I might have required mine owne with usury Luk. 19.23 This question struck the idle servant dumb So here Why art cast down It strikes the soule dumb and it cannot answer nor give a reason for this dejection Christians Why should you be irrationall why should you give way to that which you cannot give a reason for You cannot at any time give any reason for your dejection unto that disquietnesse which we opened Your case is not cannot be miserable The Heathen could say The Diety being reconciled to him he could not be miserable Numine placato non miser esse queo Why Saints God is reconciled to you in Christ you cannot be miserable being reconciled Ah! Why should you that are blessed so as that you cannot be miserable I say why should you be dejected without doubt you can give no sollid reason for dejection therefore it should not be neither should you give way to it But as there is no reason for dejection so there are many reasons against it I shall insist only upon two Reasons why dejected Saints should not give way c. The Reasons are because dejection is 1 A Passion 2 Perillous First Dejection and disquiet is a Passion Now passions should be curbed not given way unto Passion is an unruly beast and wee should not let its reines loose Reason should moderate but Religion should mortifie all passions Col. 3.5 Amongst the rest of the things to be mortified passion is one Indeed we read it inordinate affection as if it were two words But it s in the originall onely one word which may be translated passion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word which is used by the Syriack translators signifies sicknesse Indeed passion signifies a kind of suffering Passio derivator a patior Wee are commanded to mortifie our passions Not that Religion destroyes all passions but that regulates all Were sorrow and disquietnesse given way unto it were not regulated Certainly that sorrow which is irregular and hath no reason as wee said formerly must be mortified Casting downe disquietnesse troubles c. are passion and therefore not to be given way unto But Secondly T is perilous to give way unto disquietings There is danger in disquiet and to give way unto it is to give way to dangers This danger is three-fold viz. In regard of 1 It selfe 2 Satan 3 The Soule First There is danger in giving way to disquiet in regard of it selfe It will get ground and strength and the more its given way unto the harder it will be to rule Passion is an unruly beast which must be curbed and which if it have the reines loose wil grow master-lesse Disquiet is a disease and a disease of that nature which increaseth by degrees and every increase thereof is dangerous sorrow wil quickly overflow in case it be given way unto it s as a floud which if not stopt wil arise and over-flow all bankes Spirituall dejection is the soules Consumption now Consumptions increase if given way unto But Secondly T is dangerous to give way to dejection in regard of Satan hee 'l get ground by dejection Satan knowes how to make use of disquiets he would have sorrowfull soules to give way unto sorrow that so sorrow might swallow up the soule as t is 2 Cor. 2.7 The Apostle exhorts the Church to be tender of the dejected person who as some thinke had been excommunicated and filled with sorrow and dejection thereupon now the Apostle would have the Church to forgive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. ingulphed as one sucked up and drowned in a gulph and comfort him least he should be swallowed up c. and least Satan should get an advantage as t is vers 11. Satan hath his devices and one of them is to make the soule give way to dejection then in the depth of dejection he comes with temptations to despaire and Self-murder c. And in truth experience tells us Satan hath a mighty advantage over us especially when we are dejected and give way unto it Thirdly It s dangerous to give way to dejection in regard of the soule it loseth ground thereby The soule is a great loser by dejection 1 The more its given way unto the weaker the soule is The soule much dejected is unfit for any service 't was this that unfitted the Disciples to watch it s said Christ found them sleeping for sorrow Luk. 22.45 sorrow brings one asleep both Naturall and Spirituall dejection causeth drowsinesse The soule when it gives way to dejection is thereby drowsie and the drowsie soule is unfit for duty Yea 2 The soule dejected is weakned unto warfare Sad soules are not fit for souldiers the cheerful soule is a Gyant refreshed with Wine it can fight the Lords Battels with courage The sad soule is liable unto cowardize As the joy of the Lord is our strength so the sorrow of our spirits is our weaknesse 3 The soule cast downe is unfit for comfort Sorrow given way unto shuts out joy and the more roome the one hath the lesse is left for the other Some soules when cast downe are so full of sorrow that there is scarce a hole for comfort to enter sorrow where it rules hath so many Centinels and Guards that its hard for comfort to get in unlesse it be by violence A sorrowful soule forgets to eate his
is nothing left when hope and meanes are gone then is his time to come Fifthly Tell your soules and Satan That Christ is comming while you are waiting His Ship is under saile while thou standest looking upon the shoare Hee is comming leaping and skipping over the Mountaines while thou lyest sighing in the vallies Lastly Tell thy soule and Satan Christ comes secretly When his Brethren were gone then went hee up also to the Feast not OPENLY but as it were in SECRET Joh. 7.10 Hee had told them his time was not yet come And now it is come hee goes up in secret Say O dejected soule I must want and waite and I am contented for Christs time is not yet come in sight and yet hee is and may be comming in secret So that now to wind up this know your worke is to waite and learne to bee content with your worke Though thou art cast downe Yet bee not discontented But bee patient and still waite in hope Onely remember that I do not by all this exclude either prayer or endeavour No you must waite patiently and want contentedly and yet you may pray and use meanes First You may pray Patience may well enough consist with prayer It s a temptation to cast off prayer in any dejection Habbakkuk knew the time of the vision was appointed and therefore he would tarry and waite But yet chap 3 hee prayes So may you you may pray and call as the soules under the Altar how long You may expostulate with God and intreate him to make hast Onely remember Two Cautions in your prayer First Remember though you be importunate yet be not impudent When thou hast prayed for hast lye at Gods feet if he tarry Though thou tell God thou canst not yet doe not say thou wilt not bear his hand Secondly Be submissive Say if it be possible come sooner But yet Lord not my will but thy will bee done Husband writes the wife if it be possible come quickly and before such a time yet you are wise I leave it to you I rest yours expecting c. So write to Christ O Lord if it bee possible come quickly if it may become before I dye However Lord thou art wise though I bee weake not my time but thy season I rest I remaine thy patient panting waiting Spouse Secondly As you may pray so you may indeavour in the use of meanes to raise your selves at least to quiet your soules It s desperate folly and faultinesse to cast off the use of meanes in any dejection Joshua must up and be doing And thou mayest work and yet waite Onely here take Two Cautions likewise First Vse no unlawfull unappointed meanes Though Soul may use Davids Harpe yet he must not go to the Witch of Endâ—r to quiet his spirit Though thou mayst and shouldest Pray Read Heare Confer Communicate yea and Fast if with prudence Yet thou must not Drinke Drab Conjure c. to quiet thy selfe When Christ will not thou shouldest not go to Satan to comfort thee Secondly In thy use of meanes thou must not rest in them Thou must use all things as meanes not as medicines It s not the Word Sacraments c. but Christ in them which thou must looke out for as to cure Though thou offer sacrifice yet thou must trust in the Lord. Albeit you may indeavour by workes yet you must expect by faith Beware of relying upon meanes for cure or comfort But in all through all looke out and act faith upon Christ. Object But thou wilt say This I would if I might I would beleeve if I had ground Why Knew O soule in thy lowest condition there is ground for faith When thou sinkest deepest into the â—hine and hast no ground for thy feete yet thou hast ground for thy faith David did and thou mayest and must act thy faith and beleeve even then when thou art most cast downe and disquieted But of this I shall treate in the following Section SECT V. PSALM 42. ult For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God CHAP. 1. The fourth Doctrine drawn out of the words and spoken to SPirituall disquiets are sooner made then cured it s easier to cast down then raise up ones soule A weake heart may disturbe its selfe but even a strong heart cannot settle its selfe indeed it s a hard thing to keep up the spirit in a right religious frame Either upon the one hand we are apt to be puffed up too high and under pretence of high injoyments to forget our selves or on the other hand we are apt to be cast downe too low and under pretence of deep dejections to forget our Saviour now it s our wisdome to avoyd both extreames if the Lord lift us up we should not presume and if he cast us downe we must not despaire if Christ smile we should not grow wanton and if he frowne we should not wax weake It s an argument of much flesh to abuse comforts unto loosenesse and it s an argument of little faith to sinke under dejections into despaire Holy David was now low much disquieted and mightily cast down yet even in his dejection he raises up his spirit and beleeves though God were with-drawne and David was faint in panting after him yet he beleeves he would come againe and that he should rejoyce in praising him The last point which I raised from this place was this viz. It s the duty and the glory of Saints to act faith and to beleeve even then when they are cast down lowest and see God least I suppose you see it cleare in the words holy David was very much disquieted his soule did cast downe its selfe he went mourning because of the oppression of the enemy His God was in the darke and his heart hereupon was downe yet notwithstanding this he acts his faith and beleeves he should yet praise God as his health and as HIS I shall yet praise him as the health of my countenance and as MY God CHAP. 2. The point opened and proved THe point is precious as you wil see when its plaine and it wil be powerfull I hope if proved viz. explaine and confirme it First for the explication there are two things to be touched upon Viz. 1 The Subject and 2 The predicate of the proposition For the Subject It s a soule cast down lowest and seeing God least of such I have been speaking all this Treatise and of such I especially speake here now such are so Either 1 Certainly or 2 Conceitedly First there are some really i. e. rationally dejected some soules are deeply dejected and their grounds are weighty Now this reall and certaine case of dejections is chiefly at foure times or upon foure occasions as namely First When a soule is deprived of all means of injoyment of God as formerly Time was it may be that the soule lay in Jerusalem the place where the Lord delighteth to dwell and that
But the soule convinced by the spirit is convinced of this sin as of the sin of sinnes viz. unbeleefe Oh saith a soul which is convinced by the spirit I know drunkennesse is a sin uncleannesse is a sinne pride a sin c. But I know unbeleef is a sin as great ray greater then them all This is laid upon my spirit that Christ is come into the world sweetly discovering the love of God freely tendering reconcilement in his blood But I Oh I did little see and much slight him I did not make it my worke to go after him nor have I been willing when he hath come after me to accept him And this oh this hath been nay I fear 't is still my sin Oh this base vile damnable unbeleefe is that which hath and doth lye upon my spirit Other sins put me in an â—â—â—solute necessity of salvation and this sealed me under damnation HEE THAT BELEEVETH NOT HE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY Oh that Scripture tooke hold on me Christ came and was willing to imbrace but I would not beleeve He came sweetly weeing and I stood out sinfully rejecting He tendered grace freely and I did put off that tender wretchedly He said come unto me and I le ease you and I did not could not would not beleeve and therefore came not to him This O this I am convinced of as my sin and this I doubt is my sin to this day The truth is I can hardly beleive yet that Christ came to save sinners Why say Oh soul doth not thy heart answer to these things as face to face is there not a copy of this complaint in the secret tables of thy heart If there be pray who should nay who could write it but the spirit Who could take these things of Christ and reveale them unto thee but the spirit Surely if none can call Jesus Lord but by the spirit as it is 1 Cor. 12.3 Then none could be convinced so far of sin for not receiving of or beleeving in which is all one this Lord Christ but by the Holy Ghost But Secondly What is the great principle upon which you are most convicted Is it SENSE or HOPE of divine love It may be thou hast sometimes tasted how good the Lord is Peradventure you have had some sence of the love of God Or It may be you have only sometimes attained some hopes of divine loves Now is it this that doth most affect thy heart in thy conviction Doth not thy soule say Oh! what a vile wretch have I been who have despised the riches of Gods goodnesse and who have not been led thereby unto repentance Standest thou convinced of the greatnesse of sins by the consideration of the greatnesse of his love Because God hath been is and thou hopest will be exceeding good Art not upon this convinced that thou art and hast been exceeding bad Surely so much as love and sweetnesse hath had an influence upon thy conviction so much the spirit hath been in it The hand of wrath may convince a Pharoah that he hath sinned but an eye of love will make a Peter weep bitterly Therfore Thirdly In thy convictions for sin what sight hast thou had of Christ The spirit where he convinceth of sin he also convinceth of righteousnesse as t is John 16.10 i.e. the spirit convinceth the soule that albeit it is unrighteous yet there is a righteousnesse in Christ which it may have The spirit where he is a messenger of sin comming in and convincing the soule thereof he is also an Interpreter taking the things of Christ and so shewing thereof unto the soule the spirit is that one of a thousand to shew unto man his uprightnesse as t is Job 33.23 An hypocrite may be convinced by the Law but alas in that conviction he sees only a Moses But a Saint is convinced not only by the Law but the Gospell and therefore in his conviction he sees a Messiah Canst not thou say O soul when thou wert convinced that thou wert a sinner thou wert also convinced that there was a Saviour Didst not thou see a remedy as well as a disease a healing plaister as well as a killing wound A Saviour as well beseeching sinners to come unto him that they might have life as blaming of them for not beleeving in him that they might be free from death Surely soule its the spirit who giveth life the letter killeth Where the letter convinceth only it doth leave a soule under the sentence of death But if together with the sentence of death for sin thou didst also see the hopes of life in a righteousnesse then there was something more and higher then the letter in thy conviction even the Holy Ghost If then when thou wert convinced thou didst see unbeleife as the great sin and divine love as the great aggravation of that unbeleife and yet withall a sight of free and full righteousnesse tendred as a cure of both If I say thou didst see these things in thy conviction why art thou cast down O soule and why dost thou fear the spirit was not in thy conviction To go on then to the last branch of this fear and doubt Thou sayst O soul that dost fear thy comfort was not from the spirit At lest thou sayst thou dost doubt it It s true after thy storme thou didst heare a still voyce but sayst thou was the spirit in that voyce Sometimes even after conviction thou dost say thou didst feel comfort but thou fearest whether it were from the spirit or from the letter and fancy c. Why now in order to the scattering of this fear let me intreate you to consider these three things First Whence it was that thy comfort was fetched which was brought to thee was it not such as one of a thousand could not bring came it not from Jesus Christ who can only give man his righteousnesse as it is Job 33 23. He shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you saith Christ of the spirit Job 16.15 Where the spirit brings in comfort it is still shewed to be fetched from Christ Alas canst not thou say It was not from any creature men or Angell that the hope of your comfort came Alas miserable Comforters were they all But it was onely from Christ where the spirit comforts he doth it still in a discovery of Christ As he shewes Christ pierced by the soule and useth that sight unto conviction so he discovers Christ willing to imbrace the soul and useth this sight unto consolation The peace and comfort of some is rather from a cessation of the trouble of conscience then from a sight and discovery of Christ Now if thy comfort came only from an apprehension of Christ and from a sight of the things in him why art thou disquieted as if thy comfort were not from the spirit Since as no man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him 1 Cor. 2.11 Even so the