The truth is, none can rebuke these waves and storms, (saying to them peace and ⟨image 5⟩be still, that a great calm may follow) but alone our Lord Jesus Christ whom even the winds and the seas do obey. Yet the Prophet Isaiah telleth us,1 that God createth the fruit of the lips to be peace peace. Instructions, exhortations, directions, comfortable spee-& persuasions of the godly, chiefly the Ministers of the Gospel, that stand in Christs stead, these be the fruit of the lips, these are the means by which the Lord doth stablish the souls of his servants in assured quietness at last. I have endeavoured to contribute ⟨image 5⟩something, to the cheering up of spiritual weepers, in this Treatise. This I offer to you burdened souls; as for others, I know how little agreement such food holdeth with their palates. But before you read, what I have here written and published, take with you an advertisement or two. The principal hinderances of comfort, are unfitness for it, and averseness from it. Unfitness springs either from want of sincerity, in ones not being ready to see and acknowledge some sin or sins, which God would have him see, but he hangs ⟨image 6⟩back: or else from want of humility in that a man doth not bring his heart, to stoop so low to Gods justice, as to yield himself into his hand without murmuring or quarrelling. Till God have wrought us to his own bent (as it were) in these two respects, there is no hope of con fort; Make haste therefore to let the Lord have his will in these two points. Now averseness from comfort, is a kind of spiritual pettishness, or peevishness (which was sometimes in the Psalmist,2 who saith, My soul refused comfort) which makes men love to strive ⟨image 6⟩against their own peace, taking great pains to thrust comfort away from them, & giving over themselves, either still to renew the old or multiply new objections against themselves, to study to have something to say against all that may be alleged for them, never considering, nor observing how true and reasonable the things are, which be spoken on their own behalf. The devil, (a great wrangler, that labours still to darken truths of this kind and not to clear them) suggesteth these cavils to the mind and the dazzling eye, is ⟨image 7⟩ready to fix it self upon them, as if they were matters of some weight and arguments or answers of good force.
The truth is, none can rebuke these waves and stormes, (saying to them peace and ⟨image 5⟩be still, that a great calme may follow) but alone our Lord Iesus Christ whom even the windes and the seas do obey. Yet the Prophet Isaias telleth us,1 that God createth the fruit of the lips to be peace peace. Instructions, exhortations, directions, comfortable spee-& perswasions of the godly, cheefely the Ministers of the Gospell, that stand in Christs stead, these be the fruit of the lips, these are the meanes by which the Lord doth stablish the soules of his servants in assured quietnesse at last. I have endeavoured to contribute ⟨image 5⟩something, to the cheering up of spirituall weepers, in this Treatise. This I offer to you burdened soules; as for others, I know how little agreement such foode holdeth with their pallates. But before you reade, what I have here written and published, take with you an advertisement or two. The principall hinderances of comfort, are unfitnesse for it, and aversenesse from it. Vnfitnesse springs either from want of sincerity, in ones not being ready to see and acknowledge some sinne or sinnes, which God would have him see, but he hangs ⟨image 6⟩backe: or else from want of humility in that a man doth not bring his heart, to stoope so low to Gods justice, as to yeeld himselfe into his hand without murmuring or quarreling. Till God have wrought us to his own bent (as it were) in these two respects, there is no hope of cō fort; Make haste therfore to let the Lord have his will in these two points. Now aversenesse from comfort, is a kinde of spirituall pettishnesse, or peevishnesse (which was sometimes in the Psalmist,2 who saith, My soule refused comfort) which makes men love to strive ⟨image 6⟩against their owne peace, taking great paines to thrust comfort away from them, & giving over themselves, either still to renew the old or multiply new objections against themselves, to study to have something to say against all that may be alledged for them, never considering, nor observing how true and reasonable the things are, which be spoken on their owne behalfe. The divell, (a great wranglex, that labours still to darken truths of this kinde and not to cleere them) suggesteth these cavils to the minde and the dazelling eye, is ⟨image 7⟩
- 1Isa. 57.19
- 2Psal. 77.2.
