6. Moreover, hence we see it is no 1easy thing to bring God and the heart together: David here as he often checks his heart, so he doth often charge his heart; Doubts and troubles are still gathering upon him, and his faith still gathering upon them. As one striving to get the haven, is driven back by the ⟨p. 255⟩waves, but recovering himself again, gets forward still, and after often beating back, at length obtains the wished haven, and then is at rest. So much ado there is to bring the soul unto God, the harbour of true comfort. It were an easy thing to be a Christian, if Religion stood only in a few outward works and duties, but to take the soul to task, and to deal roundly with our own hearts, and to let conscience have its full work, and to bring the soul into spiritual subjection unto God; this is not so easy a matter, because the soul out of self-love is loath to enter into it self, least it should have other thoughts of it self then it would have; David must bid his soul trust and trust, and trust again before it will yield. One main ground of this difficulty, is that contrariety which is in the soul by reason of contrary principles: The soul so far as it is gracious commands, so far as it is rebellious, resists; which drew holy Austen to 2a kind of astonishment; The soul commands the body and it yields (saith ⟨p. 256⟩he) it commands it self, and is resisted by it self; it commands the hand to move and it moveth with such an unperceivable quickness that you can discern no distance betwixt the command and the motion: Whence comes this? but because the soul perfectly wills not and perfectly enjoins not that which is good, and so 3far forth as it fully wills not, so far it holds back. There should be no need of commanding the soul if it were perfect, for then it would be of it self, what it now commandeth. If David had gotten his soul at perfect freedom at the first, he needed not have repeated his charge so often upon it. But the soul naturally sinks downward, and therefore had need often to be wound up.
6. Moreover, hence wee see it is no 1easie thing to bring God and the heart together: David here as he often checkes his heart, so hee doth often charge his heart; Doubts and troubles are still gathering upon him, and his faith still gathering upon them. As one striving to get the haven, is driven back by the ⟨p. 255⟩waves, but recovering himselfe againe, gets forward still, and after often beating back, at length obtaines the wished haven, and then is at rest. So much adoe there is to bring the soule unto God, the harbour of true comfort. It were an easie thing to be a Christian, if Religion stood onely in a few outward works and duties, but to take the soule to taske, and to deale roundly with our owne hearts, and to let conscience have its full work, and to bring the soule into spirituall subjection unto God; this is not so easie a matter, because the soule out of selfe-love is loath to enter into it selfe, least it should have other thoughts of it selfe then it would have; David must bid his soule trust and trust, and trust againe before it will yeeld. One maine ground of this difficulty, is that contrariety which is in the soule by reason of contrary principles: The soule so farre as it is gracious commands, so farre as it is rebellious, resists; which drew holy Austen to 2a kinde of astonishment; The soule commands the body and it yeelds (saith ⟨p. 256⟩he) it commands it selfe, and is resisted by it selfe; it commands the hand to move and it moveth with such an unperceiveable quicknesse that you can discerne no distance betwixt the command and the motion: Whence comes this? but because the soule perfectly wills not and perfectly injoynes not that which is good, and so 3farre forth as it fully wills not, so far it holds backe. There should bee no need of commanding the soule if it were perfect, for then it would bee of it selfe, what it now commandeth. If David had gotten his soule at perfect freedome at the first, hee needed not have repeated his charge so often upon it. But the soule naturally sinks downward, and therfore had need often to be wound up.
- 16.
- 2Unde hoc montrum, & quare istud? Aug. Confess.Vnde hoc montrum, & quare istud? Aug. Confess.
- 3Non ex toto vult non ex toto imperat, in tantum non sit quod imperat, in quantum non vult.
