Now though God (no question) may in some degree withdraw himself even from his Saints,1 so as they may be afraid that God is gone and departed from them; yet there's this one evidence to thee, let thy condition be never so sad, yet if thou beest a Saint (I say) this is one evidence that God is not wholly gone, if he leaves any kind of shine behind him so far as makes thy heart to be longing after him; God doth not so depart from his Saints but he leaves some lustre, some little glimmering of himself behind, so much as the soul sees which way God is gone, so much as serves to draw the heart of a poor sinner after himself and makes it restless and unquiet till it comes to be in Gods presence again; As when a Candle is taken out of a room, the room is darker than it was, yet there's a glimmering left behind in that,2 if you go quickly you may follow: When God departs from hypocrites, he departs so as he leaves nothing behind him, and they have not so much of God as makes them make after God, and so they turn away from God and seek to make up the loss of God in some other thing; but a Saint of God that hath God beginning to depart in any degree, when God is gone, he will not turn aside to seek to make up the loss of God in any other thing else, but he hath so much of God as doth strongly carry his heart after him, that he looks, and sighs, and groans, and cries after the Lord, and as David in Psal. 119. 8. 3there he shows us that God was in some degree departed from him, (in his own sense at least) but mark his expression there, and that one Scripture may much help any soul that is afraid that God is departed:4 I will keep thy Statutes: O forsake me not utterly. Oh Lord, me thinks I feel that thou art a going, I feel that I have not those comforts I was wont to have, those stirrings of thy Spirit as I was wont to have, but O Lord, yet for all this, I will keep thy Statutes (saith David) I am resolved though I should never have further comforts from thee, yet Lord I will keep thy Statutes, do with me what thou wilt, ⟨p. 253⟩I•le do what I can to honour thee,5 and Lord forsake me not utterly.
Now though God (no question) may in some degree withdraw himself even from his Saints,1 so as they may be afraid that God is gone and departed from them; yet there's this one evidence to thee, let thy condition be never so sad, yet if thou beest a Saint (I say) this is one evidence that God is not wholly gone, if he leaves any kind of shine behind him so far as makes thy heart to be longing after him; God doth not so depart from his Saints but he leaves some luster, some little glimmering of himself behind, so much as the soul sees which way God is gone, so much as serves to draw the heart of a poor sinner after himself and makes it restless and unquiet till it comes to be in Gods presence again; As when a Candle is taken out of a room, the room is darker than it was, yet there's a glimmering left behind in that,2 if you go quickly you may follow: When God departs from hypocrites, he departs so as he leaves nothing behind him, and they have not so much of God as makes them make after God, and so they turn away from God and seek to make up the loss of God in some other thing; but a Saint of God that hath God beginning to depart in any degree, when God is gone, he will not turn aside to seek to make up the loss of God in any other thing else, but he hath so much of God as doth strongly carry his heart after him, that he looks, and sighs, and groans, and cries after the Lord, and as David in Psal. 119. 8. 3there he shews us that God was in some degree departed from him, (in his own sense at least) but mark his expression there, and that one Scripture may much help any soul that is afraid that God is departed:4 I will keep thy Statutes: O forsake me not utterly. Oh Lord, me thinks I feel that thou art a going, I feel that I have not those comforts I was wont to have, those stirrings of thy Spirit as I was wont to have, but O Lord, yet for all this, I will keep thy Statutes (saith David) I am resolved though I should never have further comforts from thee, yet Lord I will keep thy Statutes, do with me what thou wilt, ⟨p. 253⟩I•le do what I can to honor thee,5 and Lord forsake me not utterly.
- 1Answ,
- 2simile
- 3Ps. 119. 8.
- 4illustrated
- 5We should labour to do what we can for God though we apprehend he hath le•• •s.We should labor to do what we can for God though we apprehend he hath le•• •s.
