The mysterie of the holy government of our affections Contayning their nature, originall, causes, and differences. Together with the right ordering, triall, and benefit thereof: as also resoluing diuers cases of conscience, incident hereunto. Very necessarie for the triall of sinceritie, and encreasing in the power of Godlinesse. The first booke.

CHAP. VI. (Book 6)

Of the Benefit of the right vse of holy Affections.

FIrst, Hereby wee shall be sure to profit and thriue in all well-doing: for as the thing is affected, so it is encreased and con∣tinued.

Secondly, Hereby wee shal discerne vndoubtedly the true worke of Grace be∣gun in vs; for as is the Af∣fection, so is the truth of the heart: Looke what we loue, what we feare, what we reioyce in, what we are sorrie for; these will dis∣cerne the vprightnesse of the heart.

Thirdly, Hereby also wee shall approoue our selues in the growth of Grace: for as our Affecti∣ons are more quickened to holy duties, as we more loue and reioyce in them, as we more feare and hope in the continuance of them, as wee are more grieued in our selues for our fayling, are more zea∣lous against sinne, more angrie against it; so wee doe thriue in well-doing. And

Fourthly, So also by our Affections wee may discerne our perseuerance, and constancie, in well∣doing; each of them being furtherances thereunto, and assurances thereof.

Fiftly, Our Affections rightly ordered, will en∣able vs to haue more com∣fortable fellowship with God in Prayer, Medita∣tion, &c. as quickening our zeale of his Glorie, our loue vnto his Maie∣stie; procuring our more free and bold accesse in∣to his glorious presence, our more entire and cheerefull societie with him, our better content∣ment in his prouidence; enabling vs with more pa∣tience to wait vpon him, and so to striue more ef∣fectually with him, that we may not be sent emp∣tie away.

Sixtly, These also well ordered, will proue graci∣ous

helpes for our more comfortable societie with men, to our mutuall pro∣fite and aduantage: As whereby,

First, wee are enabled and enlarged to doe them most good.

Secondly, and so here∣by fitted to maintaine the fellowship, as being ena∣bled to ouercome what∣soeuer euills may arise, to the breach thereof, with our Patience and Meekenesse: And so fit∣ted to further each other to the Heauenly Commu∣nion.

Seuenthly, Especially whereas there are three speciall Times, wherein our Affections are not one∣ly

much distempered, but euen quite peruerted, so farre as wee can perceiue, from their right Obiects, and vse; namely,

First, The Time of De∣sertion; when our God with-draweth the Light of his Countenance from vs.

Secondly, The Time of violent Distresse; by reason of acute Diseases: as in Feuers, power of Melan∣choly, &c.

Thirdly, The Time of vehement Tentation; by the Malice of Satan.

In all these, as wee must bee wise to iudge of our Affections, and our selues by them; so wee may reape sound

comfort thereby, both to preuent distraction and despaire, as also giue hope of recouerie thereout.

As first, generally, That our Affections must not be measured by any of these extraordinarie Conditi∣ons; wee may not bee iudged by the distem∣per of our Affection in them.

First, because the di∣stemper is contrarie to the maine bent of our hearts, in our ordinarie course of Sanctification: and,

Secondly, When wee come to our selues againe, and can iudge rightly of things, wee are the first that iudge our selues, and

condemne our folly and ignorance in such distem pers: and Ps. 73. 22.

Thirdly, Our God lookes vpon vs, not as wee are transported with these distempers, but as he hath from euerlasting loued vs in Christ, and in his singular wisedome and mercie, hath inten∣ded to turne our distem pers, as to the manifesta∣tion of our priuie corrup∣tion; as it was in Iob, Cap. 3. so to the purging out of more inward and dangerous euils; of Pride, Vaineglorie, &c. And so to the aduancing of his free mercie, and good∣nesse, not onely in su∣stayning vs by his migh∣tie

power, in these Deser∣tions; but in ouer-com∣ming our Distempers, by his wonderfull lenitie and goodnesse: as hee dealt with Ionas; and making * 1.1 way hereby, for the better quieting and settling of our vnruly and carnall heat and affections, for the time to come, by ca∣sting vs wholly out of our selues vpon his free mer∣cie in Christ Iesus, and so renewing vs in him to more constant and sin∣cere obedience. And so not so much respecting the present disorder of the Affection, as prepa∣ring it hereby to that comfortable issue of con∣formitie to his Will, that

so hee may crowne and perfect his owne worke in vs; meerely, for his owne sake, by his owne mightie Arme, that hee may haue the onely glory of all his mercies.

Particularly, We may obserue a speciall hand of God in each of these Occasions:

As first, In the Case of Desertion. And here let the examples of Iob and Dauid be the instance of our Case.

It pleased God for a time to withdraw the sense of his mercy from them, and so to exercise them with contrarie buffettings and sense of his displeasure, Iob. 6. 2. Ps. 38. 4, 5. Ps. 77. 8.

Hereupon followes a strange distemper of their Affections: in stead of Ioy, bitter Sorrow; yea, sorrow prouoking to rage, and * 1.2 repining against the pro∣uidence of God: where∣by they encreased the * 1.3 burthen, and were readie to sinke vnder the same, by despaire.

Yet we see how mer∣cifully the Lord sustaines them in the midst of these Terrors.

First, It befalls not them as they foolishly feare, and wish.

Secondly, They are kept in some measure of Sobrietie, to leaue the se∣cret worke to God: yea, in some measure of Fatth,

as to relye on the power of God: yea, in some measure, nay, in an ex∣cellent measure of Loue; though hee forsaketh, yet he is still my God, Ps. 22. And therfore Dauid con∣cludeth, Will the Lord forsake for euer? Not so * 1.4 much doubting, that he will forsake; as wrestling with God by Faith, that hee may not forsake for euer: as gathering from the former times, that he hath beene gracious; and so concluding, from the faithfulnesse of God, that he will not forsake for e∣uer. Yea, victorious Iob professeth confidently his loue vnto God, euen in the greatest extremitie,

Though he kill me, yet I will trust in him, Iob. 16. 13. And lastly, when the Lord hath tryed them in the Furnace, and their drosse is purged out, their Affections returne to their right kind againe, yea, much more refined; to the denyall of themselues, and so to their more sober and constant furtherance in the worke of Grace, Iob. 42. 2, 3, 4.

Secondly, Concerning the distemper of our Af∣fections in acute Diseases: wherein if Satan hath not vsually an hand, to en∣crease the fire; yet the violence of the Disease is sufficient to disorder and peruert the Iudgement

for a time, and so to di∣stract and distemper the Affections. Yet seeing wee speake and doe that in these extremities, which is contrarie to our for∣mer constant course; and when wee are recouered, wee eyther haue forgot∣ten what wee did, or spake, or else doe con∣demne our selues for the same: herein is our com∣fort, that our God will not impute vnto vs what hath fallen out in this case.

And so wee may also conclude of the Time of Tentation, That whatsoe∣uer distempers fall out in this case, as they are mer∣cifully bounded within

the generall Condition, That nothing hath be∣fallen vs herein, but what is incident to Man; so their disorder shall not be imputed to vs, but to the * 1.5 malice of Satan. And the Lord in mercy will giue that issue, as that we shall both beare the burthen without groaning vnder it, and be freed thereof so farre, as shall make for his Glorie, and our good. But of this else-where, God willing, more at large.

Eightly, Whereas it is a most desperate Policie in Poperie, to detayne vn∣stable and deceiued soules in their damnable Errors, and so to draw such like

Nouices to their Lure: That if it please God to affoord light vnto any, whereby they haue some inckling of their Deceits, and so haue some inward motion, or affection, to renounce the same, and embrace the Truth; they presently suggest vnto them, that this is a dan∣gerous tentation, and di∣uellish illusion: that so they might hereby deterre them from embracing the same, and so detayne them in their Egyptian Bondage. This triall of Affections will proue an excellent meanes to re∣solue them herein.

For as by those Rules formerly layd downe, to

discerne the Affection from the Tentation, they may easily discerne the truth of Affection from the power of Delusion: so especially, in that sa∣uing knowledge, is layd downe both to bee the ground and bounds of all holy Affections; here∣by they shall be sure to discerne the efficacie of Delusion from an vpright Affection.

And so also, by a wise obseruation of these dif∣ferences, may the weake Christian bee preserued graciously from Aposta∣sie; as hereby knowing what hee holdeth, and so holding that which is good.

To conclude, there is not a better euidence of the sinceritie of the heart, then the well-ordering of the Affections: because howsoeuer wee may bri∣dle from outward grosse Actions, yet our Affecti∣ons will discouer the cor∣ruption of our heart, and in••lination thereto.

And on the other side, howsoeuer wee may be hindered from the out∣ward action of well-do∣ing, by many occasions, as want of opportunitie, violence of tentation, in∣abilitie, and the like; yet our Affection thereto, ei∣ther by grieuing that we cannot doe it, or going so farre as our abilitie will

serue, or endeuouring a∣boue our abilitie, is a gra∣cious euidence of the sin∣ceritie of our hearts.

Nay, we shall find, that there is not a better spurre to prouoke vs to well-do∣ing; not any more effec∣tuall bridle to restrayne from sinne, then are our Affections.

For as if wee doe any good, we must first be af∣fected with the loue of it, before we can attempt the same: or else if wee doe vndertake it vpon by-re∣spects, as to please men, to satisfie carnall ends; we shall easily giue ouer when these proppes fayle, onely it is the loue of Goodnesse, for it selfe,

will make vs constant therein: So, on the con∣trarie, wee shall neuer for∣sake euill conscionably, vnlesse wee first hate it for it selfe, and loathe as wel the corruption there∣of, as feare the danger of the same. If vpon any other respects wee shall leaue sinne, as for feare of punishment, for credite, &c. these respects will proue meanes sometimes euen to returne to such sinnes, or worse; which haue beene the occasions to lay them aside for a season.

And therefore as it is the mercie of our God to shew vs oft times in our Affections what we may

doe in our Actions: so it is also his singular good∣nesse, to forewarne vs of many euills which wee may otherwise fall into, euen by the sway of our Affections leading there∣unto.

What should I say? Can we haue a better E∣uidence of the truth of our Conuersion, then the alteration of our Affecti∣ons? Can wee now de∣light in such thinges, which before wee loa∣thed? And can we grieue especially at that, which heretofore was our prin∣cipall reioycing? Can we delight in the mortifying of the flesh? and reioyce that wee can sorrow for

sinne? and can we so re∣ioyce in all spirituall com∣forts, as that we can also be sorrowfull for our a∣buse of them? so that we can be alwayes sorrow∣ing, and alwayes reioy∣cing: reioycing in our God, and his Goodnesse; sorrowing, that wee can∣not reioyce as we should; that we cannot doe the good we would: reioy∣cing in this, that wee haue got the masterie of some sinnes; and yet sor∣rowing for our many fay∣lings, and faintings euen in those conquests, & for that body of sin, that han∣geth so fast vpon vs? Can we discerne our Affections thus turned vpside down?

out ioy into sorrow, our sorrow into ioy, that so our carnall ioy in sinne may bee first swallowed vp of carnall sorrow for the punishment thereof: And our carnall sorrow may be preuented of ex∣treame despaire, by the glad Tidings of Gods mercie in Iesus Christ, speaking peace vnto our soules, and breeding spi∣rituall ioy by the euidence of our adoption. And so our ioy in the good∣nesse of our God may still worke in vs a spirituall sorrow and repentance of all our secure wayes, that so wee may cleaue vnto our God in new o∣bedience: And so still as

wee can now reioyce in the truth of our ende∣uours; so wee can also mourne for the imper∣fection of them; that so wee may still labour to be found in Christ. Sure∣ly, by these changes and contrarieties of our Af∣fections, wee may vn∣doubtedly conclude a truth of our Conuer∣sion, and procee∣ding there∣in.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ch. 11.
• * 1.2

  Ps. 77.
• * 1.3

  Iob. 3. Iob. 62. 12.
• * 1.4

  Ps. 77. 7, 9, 10.
• * 1.5

  1. Cor. 10. 13.