An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

You see here a godly man, and one of the wisest men in Solomons times, yet afflicted with the terrors of the Lord, and can obtain no comfort. This then being laid down as a foundation, let us consider what is to be said to the doubt. To answer the Objection, you must know in what sense this is a doctrinal truth, That God comforteth his in all their troubles, and to that purpose observe these particulars:

1. That comfort, especially when we are sensibly affected and enlarged therewith, ¹is not of the essence of grace, nor is it absolutely necessary to salvation. It is indeed for the benè esse, and is like oil to the wheels, it doth wonderfully quicken and expedite the soul in ways of holiness; but yet a man may be in the state of grace, and may have an unquestionable claim to Heaven, yet for all that be destitute of such sensible comfort, for these consolations do commonly flow from assurance of Gods grace, and the sense of his love shed abroad in their hearts. Now it is not this assurance that doth justify us, but it supposeth us justified already; we may rest on Christ, we may believe on him, and yet want this faith of evidence, as some call it, while we have the faith of adherence and dependence. Seeing therefore that this comfort is not an inseparable quality from a godly man, we must then understand the promises of God for comfort, as we do of other things which are separable from true grace. God promiseth health, outward peace, long life, yea of all outward mercies, godliness hath a promise, but yet the godly do not always partake of these; there are many of them sick, weak, poor and distressed, though under such promises: And the reason is, because these are not necessary to salvation: They are not required as Christ and grace is, for then no godly man should be without them; yea they may be an impediment, an hinderance, and therefore it's a mercy sometimes when God denieth them. Thus it is in regard of our comforts, it is for our good to be sometimes without them, God in much mercy suffereth his people to be in darkness, and to have no light. So that you may no more wonder to see them sometimes without joy, then to see them sometimes without the outward mercies of the world: Yet you must understand, when I thus compare these soul-consolations to bodily ones, that I make them not of the same nature with temporal outward mercies, as if they were no more spiritual than wealth, or health are: No, I do not compare them in their nature, but in their property of separability; they neither are of the essence of grace, nor of absolute necessity to salvation, and herein they are alike: otherwise these consolations they are spiritual mercies seated in the soul, and have intimate connection with the graces of Gods Spirit.