A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

§. 5 Of insensible and sensible security in the faithful.

§. 5 Of insensible and sensible securitie in the faithfull.

And this is that carnal security which is incident to Gods dearest Children; the which nevertheless may be distinguished, in respect of the divers degrees of it; for either it is insensible and not perceived, or else sensible and discerned. The former, like a deep sleep, doth stupefy for the time of the continuance of it, all their senses, and abuseth their mind and imaginations with deceiving dreams and false apprehensions, whereby they conceive that they are in good estate, highly in Gods favour, and free from all danger, and therefore securely go on in their sinful courses without repentance, and neglect the means whereby the fear of God might be renewed and repaired in them, or else use them after a cold and formal manner. And this was the case of holy David himself, after his fearful fall into those grievous sins of Adultery and Murder, till he was awakened out of this ¹dead sleep, by that message, which God by Nathan sent unto him; and of the Angel of the Church of Laodicea, who in his carnal security blessed himself with a false opinion, that his estate was in such a degree of excellency and perfection, that nothing was wanting unto ²him, whereas in truth he was exceeding miserable, poor, blind and naked, as our Saviour testifieth. The other security which is sensible, bringeth the faithful but into an heavy slumber, so as they may say with the Spouse in the Canticles, I sleep, but my heart waketh, or like ³unto the sleep (or rather disease in sleep) which Physicians call Ephialtes, wherein they feel this weight of carnal security, lying heavy upon their hearts, and strive with all their might to shake it off, but are notable, till God assist them by his Spirit, and throughly awaken them by his Word. For the faithful, in this security, do carefully and conscionably use the means, whereby they may be freed from it, as the diligent hearing of the Word, Meditation, Prayer, and such like; and are much grieved in themselves, that they perform these duties with so much dullness and drowsiness, and that they so little profit by them. And this was the case of David, who being somewhat awakened by Nathan, doth fly unto God by Prayer, desiring to be awakened more throughly, and to be more and more quickened by Gods Spirit, and to recover the operations and feelings of it, which were so much abated in him.