The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

But how came David to despise the Commandment at this time? He did not see God at this time as he did at other times; he had lower thoughts of God despised him, then the Commandment bare no Authority.

That this sight which God gives of himself, is that makes us see sin and creatures as they are, let but any Christian observe his own heart, under the impetuous motions of imperious lusts, in the day of temptations; let the wind of temptation blow out of what point of the Compass it will, a Christian under these temptations keeps up all the notions he had before of sin, how evil a thing it is, and how vain a thing the creature is, and runs to several Topics, to fetch Arguments against these; he urgeth the same truths against these lusts, and bewitching creatures, that he did when he was out of the temptation; but all these Arguments do nothing, the temptation grows ⟨p. 40⟩upon him, and gets head, these Arguments at one time could do something, now they can do nothing; he labours to get his heart awed with the greatness and majesty of God, against whom these lusts rebel; he speaks the same truths concerning God that he did before; but though he speaks them, yet he cannot see God, nor these truths concerning God, at this time that he doth at another time; hence the temptation gets upon him still, the Christian discerns a cloud of darkness is got into his understanding; I cannot apprehend of God, I cannot conceive of him, nor see him, as I did before: It is with the Soul now as with us in Winter time, when the Wind hangs Southerly, but doth not blow hard to clear the Air, the Air being hazy, filled with Vapours and Mists; men now will stand and look on the Sun, it shows like a red body, though they know it is a glorious body, and talk of it as such, and see it as such another time, yet now it appears not in the glory: So it is with the understanding, when this eye is dimmed with the vapours which arise from the dunghill of a mans corrupt heart, though it looks on God, and speaks of God as before, yet through these vapours he cannot see him in his glory: Now let but God draw near and scatter these vapours, help the Soul to conceive of him indeed in his majesty and greatness as he is, that God appears like a God to the understanding, then all these truths concerning him are made real to us, and appear in their glory and this sight of him puts life and strength into all the other Arguments against sin and creature, making them really to us what they are in themselves; then the Soul gets above his temptation.