N00747:120
Spiritual desertions discovered and remedied. Being the substance of divers sermons preached for the help of dark souls, labouring under divine withdrawings. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Isaiah]
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
4. For the quality of it, it is the most distressing. Not but that there are degrees in it, as will anon appear, but in the kind, it is the greatest of any; there ⟨p. 57⟩is no other sort of distress that a Child of God meets with that is comparable to it; all are tolerable in comparison with this; hence that, Prov. 18.14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? But this will be more evident by considering of the effects which it produceth in the Christian. Only let me premise in general, that this trouble operates diversly, both as to manner & degrees, accordingly as God hides his face from them. We must therefore consider these effects according to this diversity, and there are some that are common to all, and there are others that are proper to these and those, according as they are accommodated to their particular resentments▪ We may take a brief account of each of them.
4. For the quality of it, it is the most distressing. Not but that there are deg•ees in it, as will anon appear, but in the kind, it is the greatest of any; there ⟨p. 57⟩is no other sort of destress that a Child of God meets with that is comparable to it; all are tolerable in comparison with this; hence that, Prov. 18.14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? But this will be more evident by considering of the effects which it produceth in the Christian. Only let me premise in general, that this trouble operates diversly, both as to manner & degrees, accordingly as God hides his face from them. We must therefore consider these effects according to this diversity, and there are some that are common to all, and there are others that are proper to these and those, according as they are accommodated to their particular resentments▪ We may take a brief account of each of them.
1. Those effects which are common to all are principally such as these.
1. It renders their life very uncomfortable. If God hide his face, they lose their comfort and joy: if this light be withdrawn, they are made to sit in darkness; and it puts a sad face upon every other condition they are in; so that,
1. It renders their life very uncomfortable. If God hide his face, they lose their comfort and joy: if this light be withdrawn, they are made to sit in darkness; and it puts a sad face upon every other cond•t•on they are in; so that,
1. It takes away the comfort of prosperity. ⟨p. 58⟩Let God give them never so much of the outward enjoyments of this •ife▪ Health, Strength, Wealth, Friends, liberty, &c. they cannot take content in them. When they could enjoy God in and with these, then they could resent this kindness, and be delighted in them▪ •ut he is withdrawn, and what good can these do them? if one thing wanted, will eat out the Worldlings comfort in every thing else, when he hath the greatest affluence thereof; as that miserable Haman confessed. Esth. 5.12, 13. What then must the absence of God do to a Believer, whom he relies upon as his portion? What comfort had David in his Kingdom, and all the glories of it, when God was withdrawn from him? See how he cries out, Psal. 143.7. hear me speedily, O Lord, my spirit fails.
1. It takes away the comfort of prosperity. ⟨p. 58⟩Let God give them never so much of the outward enjoyments of this •ife▪ Health, Strength, Wealth, Friends, •iberty, &c. they cannot take content in them. When they could enjoy God in and with these, then they could resent this kindness, and be delighted in them▪ •ut he is withdrawn, and what good can these do them? if one thing wanted, will eat out the Worldlings comfort in every thing else, when he hath the greatest affuence thereof; as that miserable Haman confessed.
2. It embitters every other affliction; adversity it self is an evil which innocent nature doth not easily resent; but yet when he had God with him, he could go through fire and water, and bear it well enough, Isa. 43.2. but now he sees Gods anger in the •od; affliction comes, and God i• gone; and that is an evil indeed, where should a Ch••d of God ⟨p. 59⟩seek his support under all troubles but in his God? if all other persons and things leave him, it is no matter, so God will but stand by him, he could say, 2 Tim. 4.16, 17. no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: nevertheless the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; and he▪ Psal. 142.4, 5. no man would know me, refuge failed me, no man cared for my soul▪ I said, thou art my refuge, and my portion in the land of the living.
3. It takes away the Consolation even of Spiritual Duties and Ordinances. These are the relief of a Child of God, when he can find none else here, Psal. 73.17. till I went into the Sanctuary. If he met with any grief in the world, he co••d ease his mind in his Closet, and make up all at a Prayer, a Sermon, a Sacrament, by communion with his beloved; but now, when he comes thither, he is not there; he cannot see him as he hath seen him; and this makes bitter Sabbaths and Sacraments to him, nor can he take rest any where.
2. It falls them with fear; there is a filial, and there is a slavish fear; the one proceeds from the Spirit of Adoption, and the other from a Spirit of Bondage: ⟨p. 60⟩and as there are the beginnings of the one, so the remains of the other in the Children of God: the operation of these is divers, and oftentimes very much mixed in them at such a time; the Psalmist saith, Psal. 119.120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments; and never more so, then when under Desertion• ; inasmuch as these afford occasions for this fear to be stirred: this night when it comes, brings its terrors along with it.
2. It falls them with fear; there is a filial, and there is a slavish fear; the one proceeds from the Spirit of Adoption, and the other from a Spirit of Bondage: ⟨p. 60⟩and as there are the beginnings of the one, so the remains of the other in the Children of God: the operation of these is divers, and oftentimes very much mixt in them at such a time; the Psalmist saith, Psal. 119.120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments; and never more so, then when under Desertion• ; inasmuch as these afford occasions for this fear to be stirred: this night when it comes, brings its terrours along with it.
3. It makes them restless till the desertion be removed, and God reveals his face again to them. There will indeed be the stirring of corruption as well as grace in this disquietment of mind; but in the whole they cannot abide quiet under these withdrawings; nor can any thing in the world give them satisfaction in the room of that presence of his: the Spouse, in Cant. 5. when her beloved was withdrawn, could not lye still in her bed, nor abide within doors, but she must up and after him, nor could abuses stop her in her quest, or she be at any rest till she had found him again.
2. With respect to the several resentments ⟨p. 61⟩the• have of these Desertions; and these may be considered either as to their kinds, or their degrees.
1. As to the kinds of them, observe,
1. When they resent Gods hiding of himself in respect of his Assistances; so that their graces fail in the exercise of them, and they apprehend the means of grace in a great measure unprofitable to them; and instead of growing in grace, they rather wither and decay, and temptations prevail, and they are drawn into sin: the effects especially following on this, are,
1. This fills them with an apprehension of Gods anger, and is terrible to them; and indeed there is not a more fearful token of Gods displeasure at his Children than when he leaves them to sin, and withdraws his Spirit from them; we read, 2 Sam. 24▪ 1. the anger of God was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, to say, go number Israel and Judah ▪ How shall they be able to pursue their work, and obtain the Crown if thus left? God is angry indeed, when he lets every Grace languish, and corruption to gather strength, and carry them Captive, and they cannot but so resent it.
2. This puts them upon a diligent search after the provocation: they conclude on this, that there is blame in them; God would not have so deserted them, if they had not some way prevaricated: this therefore they must find out, and they are in great anxiety of mind till they can come at it; •hey cry out as he, Job 10.2. show me wherefore thou contendest with me; and they look into every corner of their soul, to find out the Achan. David therefore in this trouble of his, runs up to the cause of it, viz. his carnal confidence, verse 6.
2. This puts them upon a diligent search after the provocation: they conclude on this, that there is blame in them; God would not have so deserted them, if they had not some way prevaricated: this therefore they must find out, and they are in great anxiety of mind till they can come at it; •hey cry out as he, Job 10.2. shew me wherefore thou contendest with me; and they look into every corner of their soul, to find out the Achan. David therefore in this trouble of his, runs up to the cause of it, viz. his carnal confidence, verse 6.
3. It makes them penitently to mourn after him: it produceth in them a Godly sorrow unto Repentance, as 2 Cor. 7.10. the perplexity of their souls, bringeth them to confess and seek pardon of God, Psal 32.3, 4, 5. they beg of him to have his Spirit restored, and a new heart created in them, and all that is in them set right again, Psal. 51.10, 11. and nothing can satisfy them till they obtain this at his hands.
3. It makes them penitently to mourn after him: it produceth in them a Godly sorrow unto Repentance, as 2 Cor. 7.10. the perplexity of their souls, bringeth them to confess and seek pardon of God, Psal 32.3, 4, 5. they beg of him to have his Spirit resto•ed, and a new heart created in them, and all that is in them set right again, Psal. 51.10, 11. and nothing can satisfy them till they obtain this at his hands.
2. When they apprehend God deserting them as to comfort; when he hides the light of assurance from them, and ⟨p. 63⟩leaves them in the dark about their spiritual estate, there are these effects that properly follow.
1. This makes them to call their state into question: There is an Assurance which is the basis of a believers consolation▪ and according to the degrees of it, such is his comfort in it; this is helped by Gods enabling of him to read his own evidences, and to judge of the reality of them, and by his co-witnessing with them. When therefore God withholds this, he is left in the dark about is; and the proper result of it is to be afraid whether ever any thing was right in him, whether he hath not all this while deceived himself, and built on a false hope; out of doubt this fear stirred in David, when he put up that petition, in Psal. 51.11. Cast me not away from thy presence.
1. This makes them to call their state into question: There is an Assurance which is the basis of a believers consolation▪ and according to the degrees of it, such is his comfort in it; this is helped by Gods enabling of him to read his own evidences, and to judge of the reality of them, and by his co-witnessing with them. When therefore God witholds this, he is left in the dark about is; and the proper result of it is to be afraid whether ever any thing was right in him, whether he hath not all this while deceived himself, and built on a false hope; out of doubt this fear stirred in David, when he put up that petition, in Psal. 51.11. Cast me not away from thy presence.
