N00747:139
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.
1. It fills him with deep sorrow and mourning. Let God be never so little departed, when he knows it, it produceth this, in him, nor can it do less; it makes him to say, as Psal. 38.6. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long: grief and bitterness seizeth him, and it fills his eyes with tears, and his heart with sighing.
2. It raiseth a combat between hope & fear. There is some stirring of faith, there is also a great moving of diffidence and distrust; his heart is full of tossings, ⟨p. 65⟩he would hope that God will return to him again; and yet he is afraid whether he will or no: fear presseth him down as an heavy weight, and hope endeavours to buoy him up again; there is a wrestling, as Psal. 42. ult. Why art thou cast down O my soul, &c.
3. It puts him upon loud cries, and earnest expostulations with God; and these also with a mixture of faith and unbelief: He pleads with God, argueth the case with him, begs hard of him; so he, Psal. 42.9. I will say unto God my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? he draws desponding conclusions, and eats them up again, Psal. 32.22. I said in my haste, I am cut off; nevertheless thou hast heard the voice of my supplications ▪ Jonah 2.4. I said I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple. He cries out, how long? Psal. 13.1. he deliberates with himself, and expostulates with God, Psal. 85.5, 6. wilt thou be angry for ever? wilt thou not revive me?
2. If the desertion be in higher degrees, and comes to that, Isa. 50.10. that he sits in darkness, and sees no light; and this may sometimes be the case of a gracious soul, though it be more rare ⟨p. 66⟩and infrequent; the effects are usually answerable; and though faith be not utterly extinct, yet its actings are next to indiscernible, but unbelief gets head, and break• forth into amazing effects; the principal whereof are […] as these.
2. If the desertion be in higher degrees, and comes to that, Isa. 50.10. that he sits in darkness, and sees no light; and this may sometimes be the case of a gracious soul, though it be more rare ⟨p. 66⟩and infrequent; the effects are usually answerable; and though faith be not utterly extinct, yet its actings are next to indiscernable, but unbelief gets head, and break• forth into am•zing effects; the principal whereof are 〈…〉 as these.
1. It makes him to […] all the work that was wrought in him. He not only questions it, but passeth a definitive sentence upon it. He concludes that he hath •laid the hypocrite all this while; dissembled with God, and imposed upon men, and deceived his own soul▪ David had some such resentments on him, when he prayed God to Create a clean heart in him, Psal. 51.10. nay, those very things which sometimes were his evidence for his good estate, and in which he could take comfort, are now turned into arguments to disprove it.
1. It makes him to 〈…〉 all the work that was wrought in him. He not only questions it, but passeth a definitive sentence upon it. He concludes that he hath •laid the hypocrite all this while; dissembled with God, and imposed upon men, and deceived his own soul▪ David had some such resentments on him, when he prayed God to Create a clean heart in him, Psal. 51.10. nay, those very things which sometimes were his evidence for his good estate, and in which he could take comfort, are now turned into arguments to disprove it.
2. It creates prejudices against God. He hath, in this condition, to do with the fierce Wrath of God; he apprehends that God hates him, and is his enemy, Job 33.24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and boldest me for thine enemy; and verse 26. thou writest bitter things against me. The very thoughts of God, ⟨p. 67⟩which were wont to be his relief and solace are now his distress, Psal. 77.3. I remembered God and was troubled; and he begins to call all the encouragements, promises, hopes that ever he had from him in question, and suspects the truth of them all, verse 7, 8, 9. will the Lord cast off for ever? &c. and is ready to conclude that he hath served an hard master; to say, as Psa• •• 13. I have cleansed mine heart in […] have washed mine hands in innocency.
2. It creates prejudices against God. He hath, in this condition, to do with the fierce Wrath of God; he apprehends that God hates him, and is his enemy, Job 33.24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and boldest me for thine enemy; and verse 26. thou writest bitter things against me. The very thoughts of God, ⟨p. 67⟩which were wont to be his relief and solace are now his distress, Psal. 77.3. I remembred God and was troubled; and he begins to call all the encouragements, promises, hopes that ever he had from him in question, and suspects the truth of them all, verse 7, 8, 9. will the Lord cast off for ever? &c. and is ready to conclude that he hath served an hard master; to say, as Psa• •• 13. I have cleansed mine heart in 〈…〉 have wa•hed mine hands in innocency.
3. This hurries him to conclude himself a Cast-away. It brings him to the very brink of despair, and he is ready to vote himself not only an unregenerate person, but a reprobate; that as he never was a Child of God, so he never shall he▪ he is just throwing himself upon this desperate conclusion, Lam. 3.18 I said, my strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord: And this puts him into a deadly discouragement, and produceth such things as these.
3. This hurries him to conclude himself a Cast-away. It brings him to the very brink of despair, and he is ready to vote himself not only an unregenerate person, but a reprobate; that as he never was a Child of God, so he never shall he▪ he is just throwing himself upon this desperate conclusion, Lam. 3.18 I said, my strength and mine hope is p•rished from the Lord: And this puts him into a deadly discouragement, and produceth such things as these.
1. It discourageth him from all use of means: Those very Duties and Ordinances, which were heretofore his delight, are now his terror, and he is afraid of them. What should he pray ⟨p. 68⟩for? God will not hear him: Why should he read the word? he reads nothing there but his own doom, and every thing in it speaks evil against him: Why should he go to the House of God, to attend upon the Ordinances there dispensed? he shall but increase his guilt, and lay in the more against himself, when every Prayer and Sermon will rise up […] judgment to condemn him: he […] not approach to the Lords Table, lest he should there a new Seal up his own Damnation.
1. It discourageth him from all use of means: Those very Duties and Ordinances, which were heretofore his delight, are now his terrour, and he is afraid of them. What should he pray ⟨p. 68⟩for? God will not hear him: Why should he read the word? he reads nothing there but his own doom, and every thing in it speaks evil against him: Why should he go to the House of God, to attend upon the Ordinances there dispensed? he shall but encrease his guilt, and lay in the more against himself, when every Prayer and Sermon will rise up 〈…〉 judgment to condemn him: he 〈…〉 not approach to the Lords Table, lest he should there a new Seal up his own Damnation.
2. It makes him to put away all counsel and comfort, and snatch at all terrors and affrightments. David saith in, Psal. 77.2. In the day of my trouble, my soul refused to be comforted. Let Godly friends apply to him the encouragements of the Gospel, and lay open before him the mercy and pity of God, he puts it away from him, and concludes that this doth not belong to him: the promises are none of his, but the threatenings, and he reads his own doom in them.
2. It makes him to put away all counsel and comfort, and snatch at all terrours and affrightments. David saith in, Psal. 77.2. In the day of my trouble, my soul refused to be comforted. Let Godly friends apply to him the encouragments of the Gospel, and lay open before him the mercy and pitty of God, he puts it away from him, and concludes that this doth not belong to him: the promises are none of his, but the threatnings, and he reads his own doom in them.
3. This makes him afraid either to live or to die. His trouble is so intense, that sometimes his Soul chooseth strangling and death rather than his life, as he, Job ⟨p. 69⟩7.15. And yet the very thoughts of death are a grievous amazement to him, because he is afraid that it will but post him over to the consummation of miseries. Hence we read of those, who through fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage, Heb. 2 15. Only let it be observed, that though he apprehend it not, yet there are the efforts of Grace even under this distress, and sometimes he, before he is aware, Calls God his God; and sometimes he expresseth his ardent longings. Oh! that he would not utterly cast me off, Oh! that he would give some glimmerings of his light! &c.
3. This makes him afraid either to live or to dy. His trouble is so intense, that sometimes his Soul chuseth strangling and death rather than his life, as he, Job ⟨p. 69⟩7.15. And yet the very thoughts of death are a grievous amazement to him, because he is afraid that it will but post him over to the consummation of miseries. Hence we read of those, who through fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage, Heb. 2 15. Only let it be observed, that though he apprehend it not, yet there are the efforts of Grace even under this distress, and sometimes he, before he is aware, Calls God his God; and sometimes he expresseth his ardent longings. Oh! that he would not utterly cast me off, Oh! that he would give some glimmerings of his light! &c.
2. Whence it is that these Desertions are so terrible to him?
A. Here in general, let us observe;
1. That man is naturally insatiably desirous of happiness, and averse to misery. This is a congenerate principal of Humane nature, and can be no more separate from it than Humanity; the very Elective power in man involves it in it. They were the cries o• nature, as well as of Grace which he tittered in that request, 1 Chron. 4.10. Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and that thou ⟨p. 70⟩wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me.
1. That man is naturally insatiably desirous of happiness, and averse to misery. This is a congenerate principal of Humane nature, and can be no more separate from it than Humanity; the very Elective power in man involves it in it. They were the crys o• nature, as well as of Grace which he tittered in that request, 1 Chron. 4.10. Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and that thou ⟨p. 70⟩wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me.
2. That man is a dependent Creature, and must have an object of trust, for happiness, and freedom from evil and misery. He hath not his felicity, nor his security in himself, but must have it from abroad; and if he have it, he must have an object that is able to derive it to him, on whom he may rely; else his trust will be vain, and his expectation frustrate: hence their complaint on this account, Lam. 4.17. As for us, our eyes yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.
3. If therefore his object fail him, and he have no other to rely upon, he must needs be perplexed. It is a killing thing to be disappointed in ones expectation, in which his all is concerned: and if the deferring of hope makes the heart to faint, the defeating of it must needs make it to die in the man; especially when he sees no other course to be taken, or any other re••ge where he may repair this loss: it will make him to say as he, Judg 18.24. Ye have taken […] my Gods, and what have • more?
3. If there•ore his object fail him, and he have no other to rely upon, he must needs be perplexed. It is a killing thing to be disappointed in ones expectation, in which his all is concerned: and if the deferring of hope makes the heart to faint, the defeating of it must needs make it to dy in the man; especially when he sees no other course to be taken, or any other re••ge where he may repair this loss: it will make him to say as he, Judg 18.24. Ye have taken 〈…〉 my Gods, and what have • more?
4. And the deeper apprehension that he hath of his misery hereby, the more oppressed must he needs be. It is certain that according as men apprehend the good or evil they are concerned in, they will be proportionably affected with it; for the affections are moved by the will, according to the resentment which it hath of the good or evil which are the objects of it These things are accommodated to the rational powers which God hath put into man, and are answerably exerted by the Children of God, in whom grace doth not destroy but rectify nature. Here therefore let us take a particular account of them, as they refer to the matter before us, in the following Conclusions.
