N00747:48
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.
6. When their own Evidences are so blurred that they cannot read them. The ⟨p. 21⟩Christians evidences for his good estate are within him; they are the special fruits of the Spirit, which he produceth in none but the Regenerate: called the things that accompany Salvation. Heb. 6.9. From these he is to argue to his being under the promise, because thereby the condition of it is fulfilled in him But, though these are in h•m, yet he cannot find the reality of them: he cannot distinguish his Faith from Presumption, his Repen••n•• from that which is Legal, his Obedience from that which is False and Hypocritical: and this makes him afraid that nothing is right in him; that he hath only a shadow and not the substance, which makes him to walk in the dark, as they in, Isa. 50.10. And he calls the truth of every thing into question, and dares to fix upon nothing.
7. When the Spirit of God withholds his Testimony from confirming their evidences. Though the evidence be in us, yet the confirmation of it must be by his Testimony. Rom. 8.16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirits. Whereas he doth not now so witness, but leaveth us in suspense, and though we cannot deny, yet we dare not conclude, but ⟨p. 22⟩are tossed and turmoiled about it, and full of fears, thinking that if all were right, he would surely set his hand and seal to it, and let us discern it. Thus therefore David deprecates in the forecited. Psal. 51.11. Take not thine holy Spirit from me.
7. When the Spirit of God witholds his Testimony from confirming their evidences. Though the evidence be in us, yet the confirmation of it must be by his Testimony. Rom. 8.16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirits. Whereas he doth not now so witness, but leaveth us in suspense, and though we cannot deny, yet we dare not conclude, but ⟨p. 22⟩are tossed and turmoiled about it, and full of fears, thinking that if all were right, he would surely set his hand and seal to it, and let us discern it. Thus therefore David deprecates in the forecited. Psal. 51.11. Take not thine holy Spirit from me.
8. When we want these joys in exercise which are the privilege and duty of the Children of God. The Apostle could say, 1 Pet. 1.•8 Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable. And the Psalmist prays, Psal. 106.5 That I may rejoice with the gladness of thy nation. And we are bidden to be always in the exercise of this, 1 Thes. 5.16. Rejoice evermore. And Phil. 4.4. Rejoice in the Lord always Whereas, though he hath some hope, and is not altogether abandoned, yet he is full of trouble; his heart is heavy, he is a stranger to this joy, and goeth up and down with a grieved Spirit, and in the bitterness of his Soul. Such is the Psalmists moan, Psal. 42.3, 9. My tears have been my meat day and night, whiles they continually sa• to me, where is thy God? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy.
8. When we want these joys in exercise which are the priviledge and duty of the Children of God. The Apostle could say, 1 Pet. 1.•8 Ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable. And the Psalmist prays, Psal. 106.5 That I may rejoyce with the gladness of thy nation. And we are bidden to be always in the exercise of this, 1 Thes. 5.16. Rejoyce evermore. And Phil. 4.4. Rejoyce in the Lord always Whereas, though he hath some hope, and is not altogether abandoned, yet he is full of trouble; his heart is heavy, he is a stranger to this joy, and goeth up and down with a grieved Spirit, and in the bitterness of his Soul. Such is the Psalmists moan,
9. When, in this condition, they pray to God, and can find no answer to their ⟨p. 23⟩prayers and tears. It is true, he many times answers them graciously, when they do not understand him: however they are to their own sense unanswered, they do not find those returns which they hoped for, and esteemed to be proper for their condition, though they cry incessantly, and mourn after God ardently. So the Psalmist uttered himself, Psal. 22.2. O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not me, & in the night season, & am not silent. Nay, it may be to their apprehension, God answers them in anger, and gives them the most discouraging returns; as he expostulates, Psal. 80.4. How long wilt thou be angry at the prayers of thy People? And Job 30.20, 21. I cry unto th•e, and thou dost not hear me, I stand up, and thou regardest me not, thou art become cruel te•me. And he apprehends that God rejects his petitions, as, Lam. 3.8. When I cry and sho••, he shutteth out my prayer.
10. When discouragements oppress, & almost over bear them. Their fears are so great, and their hopes run so low, that they are ready to give up all for gone, and are at the very brinks of despair. Thus it was with David▪ Psal. 31.22. ⟨p. 24⟩I said in my hast, I am cut off from before thine eyes. And the Prophet, Jonah 2.4. I said, I am cast out of thy sight. And the Church, Lam. 3 18. I said, mine hope and my strength is perished from the Lord. The very thoughts of God trouble him, and he is calling in question every thing in the Covenant. Psal. 77 3, 7, 8, 9. And he cries out as, Psal. 38 10. Mine heart pants, my strength fails; as for the light of mine eyes, it is also gone from me. And he is afraid that he shall not hold out a moment longer, but be overwhelmed. All these are the fruits and evidences of Divine Desertions, and such as, the Scriptures cited under them do make it appear, that they may befall the best of men in this life.
10. When discouragments oppress, & almost over bear them. Their fears are so great, and their hopes run so low, that they are ready to give up all for gone, and are at the very brinks of despair. Thus it was with David▪ Psal. 31.22. ⟨p. 24⟩I said in my hast, I am cut off from before thine eyes. And the Prophet, Jonah 2.4. I said, I am cast out of thy sight. And the Church, Lam. 3 18. I said, mine hope and my strength is perished from the Lord. The very thoughts of God trouble him, and he is calling in question every thing in the Covenant.
2. What it is that procures this hiding of his face from them?
A. In general, this must be sought for in them: and for a clue to lead us in the search, that we be not mistaken about it, let me offer the following Conclusions.
1. That if it were not for sin there would be none of these Desertions be falling the People of God. When God ⟨p. 25⟩made man in his integrity, there was an entire friendship and intimacy between them; there was no cloud to hide his face from him: nor shall there be any more of this when we come to the General Assembly of the Spirits of just men made perfect. This began upon mans Apostasy, which made a separation; and though it remains with the Children of God through this life, yet it shall continue no longer; and the reason why they experience it now, is because they have sin abiding with them. The Psalmist hereupon presumes, Psal. 17. ult. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. And if you ask, why must they meet with such dark dispensations here […] the best answer is, because they carry • body of Death about with them, and till they put it off, it is like to be so.
1. That if it were not for sin there would be none of these Desertions be falling the People of God. When God ⟨p. 25⟩made man in his integrity, there was an entire friendship and intimacy between them; there was no cloud to hide his face from him: nor shall there be any more of this when we come to the General Assembly of the Spirits of just men made perfect. This began upon mans Apostasy, which made a separation; and though it remains with the Children of God through this life, yet it shall continue no longer; and the reason why they experience it now, is because they have sin abiding with them. The Psalmist hereupon presumes, Psal. 17. ult. I shall be satisfyed when I awake with thy likeness. And if you ask, why must they meet with such dark despensations here 〈…〉 the best answer is, because they carry • body of Death about with them, and till they put it off, it is like to be so.
2. That Spiritual Desertion, of its own nature, belongs to the Curse of the first Covenant. It is in it self a great evil, and of a worser sort, being Spiritual. It belongeth to the Death that was denounced in the threatening, Gen. 2.17. And it is the greatest affliction that Gods Saints meet with in this life, as will be after made manifest▪ Desertions ⟨p. 26⟩will be of the sorest Plagues that shall befall the Damned in hell; it will be the quintessence of their misery, •hat they shall depart from Gods presence, and never see his face shining on them: the very sentence contains this in it▪ Math. •5.41. Depart ye cursed. And we are •old, 2 Thes. 1.9. They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; and if in his presence there is fullness of joys, Psal. 16.11. then in a separation from it, there must be fullness of sorrows. Every distance from God is a misery; and if so, then to be utterly forsaken of him is the upshot of infelicity, Hos. 9.12. Woe unto them, when I shall depart from them. Now all misery came into the world by the Curse.
2. That Spiritual Desertion, of its own nature, belongs to the Curse of the first Covenant. It is in it self a great evil, and of a worser sort, being Spiritual. It belongeth to the Death that was denounced in the threatning, Gen. 2.17. And it is the greatest affliction that Gods Saints meet with in this life, as will be after made manifest▪ Desertions ⟨p. 26⟩
3. That the Desertions of the Children of God, are no part of Revenging Justice, as they befall them: They are so indeed to the wicked, because they are under the dispensation of the old Covenant: but believers are not under the Law, but under Grace, Rom. 6.14. And in the new Jerusalem, there is no Curse, Rev. 22.3. God, in infinite wisdom, seeth meet to continue many of the evils themselves upon his own, which sin introduced into the ⟨p. 27⟩world, but he hath taken away the stin•• and poison out of them; and as a skil••• ▪ Physician turns them into Medicine, and they belong to the all things that shall work together for good to them that love God▪ Rom. 8.28. & come into the Saints inventory. 1 Cor. 3.22. All is yours. For it is a truth, that all the dispensations of God to them that are in Christ, as all believers are, are to bring about the great design of fitting them for the glory to which they are appointed. Besides, i• is certain, that whatsoever belongs to the execution of the revenging Justice• of the first Covenant, hath been born by Christ himself, on the account of all fo• whom he was made a Sacrifice, and so cannot again be exacted upon them.
3. That the Desertions of the Children of God, are no part of Revenging Justic•, as they befal them: They are so indeed to the wicked, because they are under the dispensation of the old Covenant: but believers are not under the Law, but under Grace, Rom. 6.14. And in the new Jerusalem, there is no Curse,
4. That God useth much of his Sovereignty in these Desertion that he exerciseth his people withal. He indeed hath holy ends and purposes in all that he doth, a• will be seen in the next enquiry: he never useth his Sovereignty separate from his Wisdom: though he is arbitrary in what he doth, yet he never forgets to carry on his own Glory and his People• Salvation in and by it. However, he ⟨p. 28⟩useth a liberty, of which he will not give us an account, and for which we can assign no other reason moving him, but because it so seemed good to him. Hence, all his Children are not exercised alike here-with, neither as to kind, nor as to degree. Some walk in the dark, while others go up and down in the light. Nay, the most watchful and circumspect Saints may meet with these; he that fears the Lord, and obeys the voice of his servant, may walk in darkness, and have no light, Isa. 50.10. And so there is no room left us to censure others on this account: we ought not to be high minded, but fear.
4. That God useth much of his Soveraignty in these Desertion that he exerciseth his people withal. He indeed hath holy ends and purposes in all that he doth, a• will be seen in the next enquiry: he never useth his Soveraignty separate from his Wisdom: though he is arbitrary in what he doth, yet he never forgets to carry on his own Glory and his People• Salvation in and by it. However, he ⟨p. 28⟩useth a liberty, of which he will not give us an account, and for which we can assign no other reason moving him, but because it so seemed good to him. Hence, all his Children are not exercised alike here-with, neither as to kind, nor as to degree. Some walk in the dark, while others go up and down in the light. Nay, the most watchful and circumspect Saints may meet with these; he that fears the Lord, and obeys the voice of his servant, may walk in darkness, and have no light, Isa. 50.10. And so there is no room left us to censure others on this account: we ought not to be high minded, but fear.
5. That God visits them with these never but when they need them. It is a truth universal concerning the Children of God, 1 Pet. 1.6. Ye are in heaviness if need be: which need we are not to measure by our shallow understandings, as if God could not, by his absolute power, bring them another way to Glory; but this is the way which his infinite Wisdom hath contrived, in which to lead them to it: and there are those occasions for these, which make them very convenient at such a time, which ⟨p. 29⟩he knows, though we are at a loss about them. God therefore so bespeaks his deserted people, Jer. 29.11. I know th• thoughts that I think towards you, thought• of peace, and not of evil. And there is a […] when they also shall see & adore, as Christ to him, Joh. 1•.7. Wha• I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.
5. That God visits them with these never but when they need them. It is a truth universal concerning the Children of God, 1 Pet. 1.6. Ye are in heaviness if need be: which need we are not to measure by our shallow understandings, as if God could not, by his absolute power, bring them another way to Glory; but this is the way which his infinite Wisdom hath contrived, in which to lead them to it: and there are those occasions for these, which make them very convenient at such a time, which ⟨p. 29⟩he knows, though we are at a loss about them. God therefore so bespeaks his deserted people, Jer. 29.11. I know th• thoughts that I think towards you, thought• of peace, and not of evil. And there is a when they also shall see & adore, as Christ to him,
6. That it is usually some sin of their•, which grieveth his Holy Spirit, that procures these Desertions. His Spirit is very tender, and he may be grieved, why else are we so cautioned against it? Eph. 4.30. And there is nothing but some sin and folly of ours that so doth; and such as by which we have put some special• affront upon him; for he is pitiful, and knows our frame, Psal. 103.14. Now if we do so grieve him, we must expect• that he will show his resentment of it in some way or other; and in what more suitable▪ than in that which shall put us to grief, though so as shall bring u• back to him by a kindly Repentance, and so make up the breach, and remove the strangeness that was procured by our sin? Hence we find David to be once and again, under a sense of Gods ⟨p. 30⟩withdrawing, bitterly complaining of his sins, as the occasion thereof. Psal. 31.9, •0. & 38. begin. So that there can be nothing more proper for us, when we meet with such things in Providence, than to call our selves to a severe account, and •••ictly enquire, what we have done.
3. For what end or design doth God so hide his face?
A. In general, we may be assured that God always aims at his own Glory, and •is Children's good, when he so treats them. That God must design his own glory by it is certain, for that is his last •nd in all his works; and it is inconsistent with his Holiness that he should do otherwise; and that he hath connected with this in an inseparable subordination, the best good of his people, is a truth of Divine Revelation; inasmuch as having appointed them to Salvation, for the Glorifying of his Rich-Grace in them, he con••cts them by his mature Counsel, in the right way to it, so he presumeth. Psal▪ 73 24. thou shalt guide me by thy Counsel, and afterwards receive me to Glory. So that there is no one passage in it but what was before contrived and laid ⟨p. 31⟩out in Infinite Wisdom. Now the discovery of wisdom is not only in choosing a worthy end, but also in making a choice of suitable means, and rightly applying them for the obtaining of the end. These hidings belong to this conduct, and the design of them is to be discovered by the way in which God makes them to serve thereunto. Hence a Child of God may say of every desertion he meets with, as Paul in another case, Phil. 1.19. I know that this shall turn to my Salvation; and as Job, chap. 23.10. when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold; and this Rule may help us in the particular enquiring into the design of God upon this account, in which we must always have an eye to these five Rules that can never fail us.
A. In general, we may be assured that God always aims at his own Glory, and •is Childrens good, when he so treats them. That God must design his own glory by it is certain, for that is his last •nd in all his works; and it is inconsistent with his Holiness that he should do otherwise; and that he hath connected with this in an inseparable subordination, the best good of his people, is a truth of Divine Revelation; inasmuch as having appointed them to Salvation, for the Glorifying of his Rich-Grace in them, he concts them by his mature Counsel, in the right way to it, so he presumeth. Psal 73 24. thou shalt guide me by thy Counsel, and afterwards receive me to Glory. So that there is no one passage in it but what was before contrived and laid
1. That these withdrawings are not from Gods hatred, but his love; they are ready to suspect this, and say, as Psal. 77.7, 8, 9. will the Lord cast off for ever▪ &c. but it is their infirmity, verse 10. they think, because he hides himself, he loves them not; but indeed he doth therefore so hide, because he loveth them. Zion thinks that now she is forgotten and forsaken; but God assures her that it is far ⟨p. 32⟩otherwise, Isa. 49.14, 15. and God is grieved that his people should think there is any defect or decay in his love, because he so carries to them.
