The Soul's Conflict with Itself

If all the temptations of the whole world, and hell it self were mustered ⟨p. 350⟩together, they were nothing to this, whereby the great God sets himself contrary to his poor creature. None can conceive so, but those that have felt it. If the hiding of his face will so trouble the soul, what will his frown and angry look do? Needs must the soul be in a woeful plight, when as God seems not only to be absent from it, but an enemy to it. When a man sees no comfort from above, and looks inward and sees less, when he looks about him, and sees nothing but evidences of Gods displeasure; beneath him, and sees nothing but desperation, clouds without, and clouds within, nothing but clouds in his condition here, he had need of faith to break through all, and see Sun through the thickest cloud.

If all the temptations of the whole world, and hell it selfe were mustered ⟨p. 350⟩together, they were nothing to this, whereby the great God sets himselfe contrary to his poore creature. None can conceive so, but those that have felt it. If the hiding of his face will so trouble the soule, what will his frowne and angry look doe? Needs must the soule bee in a wofull plight, when as God seemes not onely to bee absent from it, but an enemy to it. When a man sees no comfort from above, and lookes inward and sees lesse, when hee lookes about him, and sees nothing but evidences of Gods displeasure; beneath him, and sees nothing but desperation, clouds without, and clouds within, nothing but clouds in his condition here, he had need of faith to breake through all, and see Sunne through the thickest cloud.

Upon this, the distressed soul is in danger to be set upon by a temptation, called the temptation of blasphemy, that ¹is, to entertain bitter thoughts against God, and especially against the grace and goodness of God, wherein he desires to make himself most known