The dejected soules cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and cautions in severall cases. In divers sermons, by Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Laurence Jury. To which is added, I. The ministry of the angels to the heirs of salvation. II. Gods omnipresence. III. The sinners legacy to their posterity.

SERMON XII. (Book 12)

Psal. 42. 11.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him—The health of my Countenance, and my God.

I Am now to finish this third cause of disquiet.

There are two things by way of Application.

The first Use shall be by way of Instruction. * 1.1

The second by way of tryal.

By way of Instruction, it shall be to instruct you in several Theological rules that may be laid down to allay all excessive disquiet and discontent of soul under outward afflictions of what ever kind they be, whether privative or positive.

I shall lay down ten Rules. * 1.2

First Rule is, Live in the continual meditation of the joyes and glories of Heaven. It is observable of Paul, though his life was a whole course of affliction, yet when he was taken up into the third Heaven, but whether I was in the body I can∣not tell, Paul tels you he had many infirmities in his body, in hunger and nakednesse, in perils by Sea and Land, and great troubles in the body; yet when he was taken up in a vision, he forgot all the infirmities, sufferings, and sorrows that he met withall in the body, 2 Cor. 12. 1. So likewise when Peter saw the transfiguration of Christ, Mat. 17. 4. Then answered Peter, Lord, it is good to be here, and build three Tabernacles. A Divine observes, Peter begged no Tabernacle

for himself, but said it was good to be there; and yet onely upon a barren Mountain where there was no meat to eat nor house to lodge in: why he forgot that there was no house here, nor no food here; having a view of Heaven, he said it was good to be here on a barren Mountain. It is observed by one touching those birds of the lowest flight, they are the most mournful; but those Birds of the highest flight, are the most noble birds: the Dove mourns, the Crane chatters, the Raven croaks; but the Eagle never makes a lamentable noise which is a bird of the highest flight; Divines make this use of it, that those that are low-spirited men, they will croak like Ravens, and mourn like Doves when they are afflicted; but to be as the Eagle flying aloft in the joyes of Heaven in your meditations, this will keep you from that dispondency and that mournfulness of spirit: If things go ill with you in the world, there is no better way under Heaven to be gotten to allay disquiet of soul under bodily afflictions then to have thy soul transported with the joyes of Heaven. It was the Counsel of Jerome which he gave to an Hermit, Paradisum mente deambula, & tamdiu in Eremo non eris, take but a walk or two in Heaven, and then thou wilt not think thou art in a Wildernesse: could you but take a turn or two in Heaven, then you would not be troubled for the afflictions here upon Earth. The Apostle hath an expression in 2 Cor. 4. 17. For * 1.3 our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The weight of glory made the Apostle to look on heavy afflictions to be but light; therefore he called them light afflictions: An eternal glory made the Apostle look on long afflictions to be but short afflictions. If you would not then account afflictions bur∣densome, think what a weight there is in glory; and if you would not think afflictions long, why think what eternity there is in glory.

A Second Rule is this; If you would not be inordinately disquieted for afflictions in the World, Labour to get your hearts more troubled & disquieted for sin: when a man bleeds too much at nose or any one part of the body, Physicians open a vein in another part to make a diversion of the bloud.

Beloved, when you grieve too much for worldly crosses, do as Physicians doe with the blood, make a diversion; make a diversion of your sorrows, open the sluces of your tears for sin, pour them out for sin, and then you will grieve lesse for the World; that is the reason men are troubled to much for afflictions, because they are troubled too little for sin and corruption. It is a true rule, Religious fear, it doth banish out a slavish fear, and spiritual joy, eternal joy; so spiritual trouble expels worldly trouble: they that are much troubled for sin, are not much troubled for any thing in the World besides sin.

Thirdly, Be sure you do not place an excessive love on any comforts in the World you do enjoy: if you would keep your trouble but regular, keep your love but ordinate. It is observable what we read of Jacob, Genesis 37. 34, 35. And Jacob rent his cloaths, and put sackcloth on his loynes, and * 1.4 mourned for his son many daies. And all his sons, and all his daughters rose up to comfort him: but he refused to be comforted; and he said, I will go down into the grave unto my son, mourning. What was the reason that the good old man was so excessive∣ly grieved for his son? Verse 3. It is said, That Israel he loved Joseph more then all his brethren, because he was the son of his old age. Now Jacob loving Joseph more then all his children, made him grieve more for Joseph then all his children; if he had not loved Joseph too much when he had him, he had not grieved too much for him when he thought he had lost him. O Labour to keep an ordinate love to worldly comforts. A man that can part with the pairing of his naile cannot part with his finger, why? because he looks on the naile as superfluity; could you look on the World as the pairing of the naile, it is but a superfluity; you can go to Heaven with∣out the abundant comforts of it; you would not grieve so much if God doth take away some comforts from you. Men do use the World as the skin to their hands and not as gloves that they can easily pull off; therefore when God tears it from them, it is irksome and tedious to them. As it is with a Picture, If a Picture be in a Frame you may hang it on a wall, and take it down again, and not hurt the Picture;

but if it be pasted to the wall, you cannot take it down but it you will tear the picture. If your hearts be in frame, God may take you from the World and not disquiet you; but if you be glued to the World, and pasted to the World, why it will cause an inordinate disquiet in you when the World is taken from you.

Fourthly, Look on the comforts of the World as unneces∣saries, and at best as uncertainties. Luke 10. 42. One thing is needful. Christ tels you, that that one thing grace, is the onely thing necessary: grace is necessary for a Christian, o∣ther things are but inconveniences. If God takes away in∣conveniences from you, and doth not take away necessaries from you, leaves you grace, leaves you Christ, and leaves you Heaven; why, you should not be disquieted; you must look on the comforts of this World as mutable; not as the Anchor at the bottom of the Sea, but as the vane on the top of the Mast of a Ship which turns with every blast of wind. Socrates did not mourn when his child was dead, Scio me ge∣nuisse mortalem, I know he was mortal. That is the reason men are troubled for worldly crosses and losses, because they do not look on the World as mutable.

A Fifth rule is this, Consider with your selves that dis∣quiet under afflictions, it can do you no good, but it may do you much hurt; it can do you no good, as Christ tels you, thou canst not add one cubit to thy stature; by all thy thoughts, thou addest no comfort to thy life; by all thy trou∣bles, they do not ease thee, but rather makes thy affliction more heavy; thou maiest get much hurt by disquiet: and be∣loved, the hurt of disquiet under afflictions, is two-fold.

First, It makes afflictions heavier, and

Secondly, It makes them longer for time then they would be.

First, It makes them heavier for weight, and more for num∣ber then else they would be. A child that is patient under his fathers correction, hath the fewest and gentlest strokes, but the stuborn child hath most. When God seeth men fume and fret, and disquieted under afflictions, they do cause more blows to themselves. In Pro. 27. 3. A stone is heavier, and * 1.5

the sond waighty; but a fools wrath is heavier then them both. It is not meant wrath onely to another man, that a man shall fear my anger and wrath when I am passionate; but the meaning is, that it is heavy to himself: afflictions shall be laid more heavy on him then a heap of stones or sand; a bundle of folly causeth a bundle of rods. A man under a burden, if he goeth gently, he may carry his burden with some case; but the more the man doth stir and struggle un∣der his burden, the more he tires himself. When God layes burdens on us, we strive, fume and tret, and are impatient; this doth make the burden heavier.

Secondly, We make our afflictions longer for time by our being disquieted under them; the father is longer whipping of the child that he cannot make to kiss the rod, and confess the fault, then another child. Beloved, we lengthen out the day of our calamity by impatiency and disquiet under the afflicting hand of God.

The Sixth rule is this, Compare the present mercies you enjoy with the present sufferings you endure. Eccles 7. 14. In the day of prosperity be joyfull; but in the day of adversity * 1.6 consider. When thou art prosperous, think thus. God hath set adversity over against prosperity that I might not be sen∣sual, then in adversity be not discouraged, because God hath set prosperity over against adversity; it may be thou hast lost one child, hast thou not another? it may be thou hast lost thine estate, hast not thou health in body, comfort in thy relations? thus upon any cross in the World that befalls thee, presently reflect upon thy mercies.

The Seventh rule is this, See Gods hand in all the afflicti∣ons that befall you in this World. Psal. 39. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth because thou didst it. Remember Gods * 1.7 ear will hear all the murmurings of thy tongue, and thou wilt not complain in thy disquiet against God▪ this is an effectual remedy: see Gods hand in all that befalls you here in the World.

The Eighth rule is this, If you would not be disquieted be∣cause of afflictions, do nothing that may renew your grief or call to remembrance your afflictions; there are many people

that do aggravate their own sorrow, and cause their wound to bleed afresh, putting themselves in mind of their own crosses and losses. It is observable of Rachel and Jacob; it is said of Rachel, Genesis 35. 17, 18. That when she was in hard labour, the midwife said unto her, Fear not: thou shall * 1.8 have this son also. And it came to passe as her soul was in de∣parting that she called his name Benoni, the sort of my sorrow. But observe Jacob he would not have the child called Benoni, but he would have his name Benjamin, the son of my right∣hand, and of my joy, and of my strength: why would not Jacob have it Benoni? if he had the childs name would have put him in remembrance that his wife died in childbed; therefore from the mothers naming of him Benoni, the son of my sorrow, Jacob called him Benjamin the son of my right∣hand; therefore it is fondness in those that look on the Pi∣ctures of dead friends, and on the cloaths of dead friends; all these are but the provocations to more sorrows and more griefs.

Ninthly, Consider the end that God aims at why you are afflicted as well as the measure, and the degree how much you are afflicted; this is the great ground of impatiency, that people do consider the measure how much, and the time how long they are afflicted, but they do not call to mind why they are afflicted: I may exemplifie this rule by this. A Physician and an Enemy may doe the same Act to a man; yet you know a man will bear with a Physician to let him blood, but he will not endure an enemy to let him blood; the reason is this, because he knoweth the Physicians end is to cure him, but the Enemy doth it to kill him; yet both let blood. Why Beloved, dost thou consider that Gods end to thy soul in sending afflictions upon thee, is to cure thee, to purge thee of sinful maladies in thy soul? why let the end countervail the measure; the how much, and the time how long thou art afflicted, and this will allay all unquietness, and inordinate trouble in thy mind.

Tenthly and Lastly, Consider that God in his wisdome will proportion all afflictions that befall thee in this World according to thy strength that thou art able to bear them.

1 Cor. 10. 13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be * 1.9 tempted above what you are able. If the Lord laies heavy bur∣dens on thee, he will give thee strong shoulders. Seneca saith, Si gravis brevis, si longa levis, if afflictions be heavy they shall be short, but if afflictions be long they shall be light; heavy afflictions they shall be short afflictions, and long affli∣ctions shall be light afflictions, God will proportion them, Job. 14 1. Man that is born of a Woman, is but of few daies, and full of trouble: troublesome daies are made short daies. Why now if they be full of trouble they are but few; how sad would it be of perpetuity and misery. a multitude of troubles and a multitude of daies met. God will proportion thy afflictions according to thy strength; Isa. 28. 27. For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin, but the fitches bea∣ten with a staff and the cummin with ard. The meaning is, that God will not exercise weak people with great afflictions, there shall be afflictions proportionable to their strength, this God hath promised, Isa. 27, 8. In measure when it shooteth forth, thou will debate with it: he stayeth his rough winds in the day of his East wind. If men be not able to bear a boisterous storm, he will stay his rough wind, he will abate the mea∣sure of his afflictions; Let this quiet thy soul, that God doth proportion all his dealings with thee, according to thy strength: thus you have laid down ten Rules how to bear afflictions without inordinate disquiet of soul.

Qu. But since we must not be stocks to be insensible of Gods afflicting hand: and seeing some kind of trouble, and sorrow for afflictions is allowed by God; How shall we know whether we be inordinately 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for outward afflictions.

A. sw. First, When outward afflictions doth swallow up the comforts and enjoyments of present mercies, then you are excessiv; thus we see in Ahab, Ahab had a flourishing Kingdone and statel Palaces, yet could take no comfort in them all, because he could not get poor Naboths yineyard from him; that argued too much disquiet in him. And thus we read of Rebecca, Genesis 27. 46. And Rebecca said

to Isaac, I am weary of my life, because of the daughters of Heth. A very impatient speech, that when a present affliction shall make thee say, I have no joy in my life; as many people when they are once crost of their wills, Well say they, I have no joy in my life; though they have many mercies; such speeches us these, are but the issues of disquiet; let not one crosse make thee flee off from all thy comforts in the World. Thus we read of Jacob likewise, he was too much disquieted in that one loss, which made him he could not take joy in all his comfort, in all his mercies. Read the story, in Genesis 37 35. And all his sons and his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he would not be comforted. Jacob had eleven sons living that he knew, and many daughters, and all came about him for to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. Why be∣loved, Men are so over-born, and over-whelmed with trou∣bles upon a cross, that if they lose one child, all the other children shall not affect them; certainly this kind of sorrow is an excessive sorrow.

Secondly, Then disquiet of soul for worldly afflictions are inordinate, when afflictions in the World doth so dis∣quiet a mans mind that it makes a man weary of life, and maxes him wish for death meerly because of afflictions. This was the failing of Jonah chap. 4. v. 8. It is better for me to die then to live, because God took away the gourd. The like you read of in Job, chap. 7▪ 15. So that my soul chuseth strangling; and death rather then life.

Job was in a distemper and he wisht death rather then life; this was a sin in him: for afflictions so to disquiet a mans mind that to wish, Would to God I were out of the World, all these are but the flowings and impatiency of a disturbed heart. And so again, chap. 10. v. 1. My soul is weary of my life, I will leave my complaint upon my self; this was his trouble. You that have drank deep of a bitter Cup, either by crosses in children or in estates, or reproach in your names, and all this makes you inordinate, and cryeth out, I am weary of my life; you are sinfully disquieted: You have a passage in Isa. 32. 2. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind; as * 1.10 rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a

weary land: Speaking of Christ, the Land cannot be weary; but it refers to the inhabitants of the Land; here is a rock, a weary Land; the inhabitants of the Land were weary to live in the Land, because they were so scorched with the heat of afflictions: when affliction shall oppresse so hard upon you that it shall make you unwilling to live; this argues that disquiet of soul is very inordinate.

Thirdly, When a man is disquieted for afflictions that lie upon him, yet he is no whit troubled for all the afflictions that befall the Church of God, and never laies them near his heart; when disquiet for personal sufferings shall justle out all compassion for the sufferings of Gods Church; this argues thy trouble is excessive.

Fourthly, When a man is disquieted for outward affli∣ctions that it doth indispose a man to duty, then a man is too much disquieted. Thus in Exodus chap. 6. 9. The poor Israelites they were so in anguish and trouble, because they were held such vassals in Egypt, that it is said, they could not hearken to Gods word because of the grief and anguish of their spirits. When afflictions make you unfit to hear Ser∣mons, and make you unfit to pray, as in Psal. 77. 3. I re∣membred * 1.11 God, and I was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed; This is a sinful disquiet.

Fifthly, Disquiet under afflictions is then inordinate, when a man dares venter on any sinful shifts or means to get rid of his afflictions. Suppose thou beest poor, and darest venture on cozenage and deceit to get an estate; suppose thou beest in a low place, and thou darest sin against con∣science to get a place of preferment here in this World; this is sinful disquiet. Thus we read of Saul, an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him: the Philistins were upon him, he was in distresse in his spirit. 1 Samuel 28. 7, 8. And Saul said unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may enquire of her. And his servants said unto him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor, &c. What doth he doe in his afflictions? why he goeth to a Witch, and useth sinful means, and all to try what he might doe to prevent the prevailing of the Philistins

over him. O thou that darest venture on any sin∣ful shift to avoid any affliction, why this is an Argu∣ment that thou art inordinately disquieted under af∣flictions.

Lastly, A man is then excessively disquieted under affli∣ctions when he is so troubled for bodily afflictions, that he doth distemper his own body. You shall read this of Job, he was so troubled that his spirits were dried up, and his bones they were consumed, and his strength was wasted. And thus you read in the 38. Psalme of David, Thine arrows sticke fast in me, and thine hand presseth me sore. What * 1.12 follows? There is no soundness in my flesh. Here the Psal∣mist did so grieve for Gods hand upon him, as to weaken his own body, and consume his strength; this then is an Argument that sorrow is too inordinate when disquiet and trouble of mind for afflictions doth distemper the body. Thus I have done with the third cause of Soul-dis∣quieting; that is, for outward afflictions.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Uses.
• * 1.2

  Rules.
• * 1.3

  2 Cor. 4. 17.
• * 1.4

  Gen. 37. 34, 35.
• * 1.5

  Pro. 27. 3.
• * 1.6

  Eccles. 7. 14.
• * 1.7

  Psal. 39. 9.
• * 1.8

  Gen. 35. 17, 18.
• * 1.9

  1 Cor. 10. 13.
• * 1.10

  Isa. 32. 2.
• * 1.11

  Psal. 77. 3.
• * 1.12

  Psal. 38.