N00747:27
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.
2. That his so hiding from them is very troublesome and terrible to them.
2. That his so hiding from them is very troublesome and terrib•e to them.
Of these distinctly.
Proposition 1. That God may, and sometimes […] his face from his choicest […].
Proposition 1. That God may, and sometimes 〈…〉 his face from his choicest 〈…〉.
David is an instance for this, of whom we have an account in the Scriptures▪ that he was a man after Gods own heart, one whom God had chosen peculiarly to himself, with whom he had made a Covenant well ordered in all things, and sure ▪ and yet we have him here asserting ⟨p. 12⟩this, and how frequently is he, in the Psalms, bemoaning of himself by reason of such a Dispensation? Psal. 10.1, 13. […] and many the like.
David is an instance for this, of whom we have an account in the Scriptures▪ that he was a man after Gods own heart, one whom God had chosen peculiarly to himself, with whom he had made a Covenant well ordered in all things, and sure ▪ and yet we have him here asserting ⟨p. 12⟩this, and how frequently is he, in the Psalms, bemoaning of himself by reason of such a Dispensation? Psal. 10.1, 13. 〈…〉 and many the like.
In prosecution of this Proposition, we may Enquire,
1. When God may be said to hide his face from his own?
2. What it is that procures this hiding of his face from them?
3. For what end or design doth he so hide his face?
4. To what degrees this may arrive?
5. How long this may be?
1. When God may be said to hide his face from his own.
A. The Expression is Metaphorical and allusive, and ascribed to God after the manner of men▪ God is a Spirit, and hath no body, and consequently no members or parts of a body; when therefore he assumeth such in the Scriptures, he speaks to us in our own language, and is to be spiritually understood▪ Now the face is the most conspicuous part of the body, and is usually bare & open to view. The showing of the face to any is therefore frequently used for kindness, freedom, and familiarity; and ⟨p. 13⟩the hiding of it is a token of estrangedness and displeasure▪ 2 Sam. 14.24. let him not see my face: Hence David prays for Gods favour in such words, Psal. 4 6. Lift up the light of thy Countenance upon us. Gods hiding of his face then from his Creatures, intends his withdrawing from them these sensible or experimental discoveries of his benignity to them, which sometimes they enjoyed; or his withholding from them those manifestations of himself which they long for, and which he hath been ordinarily wont to bestow upon others: for though hiding do properly intend a withdrawing out of sight, yet it also includes in it a keeping out of sight, and not showing one self. God is sometimes said to hide his face from Sensitive Creatures ▪ Psal. 104.29. which intends his Providential withholding from them the support of their lives. He is also said to hide his face from Wicked men, Deut. 32.20. and that may be both on a temporal and a spiritual account; when he brings trouble upon them, and affords them no relief or comfort in it. But when it is spoken of True believers, it then more peculiarly intends those Spiritual Desertions, which they are ⟨p. 14⟩brought into, and left under; or those withdrawings of his manifesting himself to them in his special favour, the enjoyment whereof is their very life and consolation. The end of Union unto Christ in Conversion, is for Communion with him; in which there is a mutual commerce maintained between him and us, whein he imparts to us of his Grace, and enableth us to return to him Service and Praise. Whatsoever therefore either impedes o obscures this Communion, belongs to the hiding of his face, or the Desertion of which we are now considering: and hene
1. A Christian may be without outward comforts, and ordinary helps, and yet […] the hidings of Gods •ace. God can take away from his Children […] their health, […] strength, relations, estate, liberty, and •ake up all […] light of his countenance. Wa• […] no• so with David, when in the […] of the Shadow of Death, Psal. […] Prophet, when the Figtree did not blossom, &c. Hab. 3.17, 18▪ […], he can take […] the Ordinance• themselves from them, which are the ordinary way of their Communion with ⟨p. 15⟩him, and still be a little Sanctuary to them, Ezek. 11 16. God therefore giveth them that gracious encouragement in the want of all, Isa. 41.10. Fear not, for I am with thee, &c.
1. A Christian may be without outward comforts, and ordinary helps, and yet 〈…〉 the hidings of Gods •ace. God can take away from his Children 〈…〉 their health, 〈…〉 strength, relations, estate, liberty, and •ake up all 〈…〉 light of his counten•nce. Wa• 〈…〉 no• so with David, when in the 〈…〉 of the Shadow of Death, Psal. 〈…〉 Prophet, when the Figtree did not blossom, &c.
2. He may enjoy all the outward benefits of the Covenant, and yet not enjoy the face of God in them; he may partake in the fullness of these, and yet God be withdrawn from them; it is one thing to enjoy the means, and another thing to have God in them manifesting himself to us, by his gracious cooperation with them; and these are separable: out of doubt David was sensible of this, when he put up that request to God, Psal. 51.11, 12. take not thy holy Spirit from me; restore to me the joy of thy Salvation.
2. He may enjoy all the outward benefits of the Covenant, and yet not enjoy the face of God in them; he may partake in the fulness of these, and yet God be withdrawn from them; it is one thing to enjoy the means, and another thing to have God in them manifesting himself to us, by his gracious cooperation with them; and these are separable: out of doubt David was sensible of this, when he put up that request to God, Psal. 51.11, 12. take not thy holy Spirit from me; restore to me the joy of thy Salvation.
3. There may be real Communion maintained between God and the So••• ▪ and yet a Child of God be at a loss about it. It may be carried on so secretly, as that not only others may be ignorant of it, but the Christian himself may have great doubtings about it. God is never nearer to his people than at some times when they think he is farthest from them; he brings them in a way that ⟨p. 16⟩they know not, and […] them in paths that they have not known, Isa. 42.16. he steals his grace into them, and draws forth the exercise of it, and carries them heaven▪ ward, when they are complaining that they cannot see him nor find him. Was it not so with the Spouse, Cant. 5. never was her Grace in more vigorous exercise than at that time, when she complains that her beloved had withdrawn himself.
3. There may be real Communion maintained between God and the So••• ▪ and yet a Child of God be at a loss about it. It may be carried on so secretly, as that not only others may be ignorant of it, but the Christian himself may have great doubtings about it. God is never nearer to his people than at some times when they think he is farthest from them; he brings them in a way that ⟨p. 16⟩they know not, and 〈…〉 them in paths that they have not known, Isa. 42.16. he steals his grace into them, and draws forth the exercise of it, and carries them heaven▪ ward, when they are complaining that they cannot see him nor find him. Was it not so with the Spouse, Cant. 5. never was her Grace in more vigorous exercise than at that time, when she complains that her beloved had withdrawn himself.
4. All those withdrawings whereby God leaveth his Children in the dark about their spiritual condition and concerns, belong to this Desertion, or hiding of his face. God may be, yea is at work for them in his greatest retirements, but they want the apprehension of it: When therefore they complain as he, Lam. 3.2. he hath led and brought me into darkness, but not into light ▪ Now they are so far deserted; and this is to be read in the Dispensation of himself to them in his Providence on a spiritual account: and there are many respects in which he thus doth; some of the principal whereof we may here take notice of; viz.
A. The Expression is Metaphorical and allusive, and ascribed to God after the manner of men▪ God is a Spirit, and hath no body, and consequently no members or parts of a body; when therefore he assumeth such in the Scriptures, he speaks to us in our own language, and is to be spiritually understood▪ Now the face is the most conspicuous part of the body, and is usually bare & open to view. The shewing of the face to any is therefore frequently used for kindness, freedom, and familiarity; and ⟨p. 13⟩the hiding of it is a token of estrangedness and displeasure▪ 2 Sam. 14.24. let him not see my face: Hence David prays for Gods favour in such words, Psal. 4 6. Lift up the light of thy Countenance upon us. Gods hiding of his face then from his Creatures, intends his withdrawing from them these sensible or experimental discoveries of his benignity to them, which sometimes they enjoyed; or his witholding from them those manifestations of himself which they long for, and which he hath been ordinarily wont to bestow upon others: for though hiding do properly intend a withdrawing out of sight, yet it also includes in it a keeping out of sight, and not shewing one self. God is sometimes said to hide his face from Sensitive Creatures ▪ Psal. 104.29. which intends his Providential witholding from them the support of their lives. He is also said to hide his face from Wicked men, Deut. 32.20. and that may be both on a temporal and a spiritual account; when he brings trouble upon them, and affords them no relief or comfort in it. But when it is spoken of True believers, it then more peculiarly intends those Spiritual Desertions, which they are ⟨p. 14⟩brought into, and left under; or those withdrawings of his manifesting himself to them in his special favour, the enjoyment whereof is their very life and consolation. The end of Union unto Christ in Conversion, is for Communion with him; in which there is a mutual commerce maintained between him and us, whe•••in he imparts to us of his Grace, and enableth us to return to him Service and Praise. Whatsoever therefore either imp•des o• obscures this Communion, belongs to the hiding of his face, or the Desertion of which we are now considering: and hen•e▪
