Divine consolations, or, The teachings of God in three parts ... with an answer to the objections made against it, and Doctor Crips [sic] booke justified against Steven Geree / by Samuel Richardson.

The words opened.

By heart, is meant the understanding and will.

Deceived heart, mis-informed by Satan, darkened, so that he thinkes he is rightly in∣formed concerning the salvation of his soule, but he is deceived.

Aside from Christ, in whom is deliverance, rest, satisfaction, and salvation.

Turned him, viz. the understanding and will, hath a power to turne the soule.

Soule, is meant the whole man, a principle part is here put for the whole.

Deliver, escape the danger he is in.

A lie, viz. that which will deceive me, in

not being unto me that I take it for, and that I need, that which will never performe that it promiseth to me:

Hand, that which holds, viz. the under∣standing, &c.

Right hand, the most eminent for use, viz. in those things which are most eminent, and of greatest concernment, the soule is decei∣ved.

Obs. 1. Naturall men are content to be at great cost to save their soules, Thousands of Rammes, ten thousands of Rivers of Oyle, the fruit of their body for the sin of the••r soul••s, Mica 6. 6, 7. This is but ashes.

Obs. 2. There is no life nor strength to be expected from ashes, they are no food fit to eate; naturally ashes corrupts and destroys the body; so these fill the soule with corrup∣tion, which kills and destroys it; as they that have no bread, must dye for hunger, Luk. 15. 17.

Obs. 3. The food naturall men live upon is ashes, bread they have none, they know no better, nor desire no bread, Isa. 52. 2. They like ashes best, because they are sutable to their natures, judgements, desires, affections, they see no danger in eating ashes, they think it a happinesse to have them, and they expect satisfaction from them.

Obs. 4. Eaters of ashes are in a sad condi∣tion, they eate ashes and thinke they eate

bread, they are deceived; Isa. 29. 2. they fol∣low vanity, Hab. 2. 3. the East winde, Hos. 12. 1. And lay out their money for that which is not bread, Isa. 55. 2.

Therefore consider, what doest thou live upon?

When thou art empty, what is it that you eye, whether doest thou goe, goest thou to Christ, can you say,

First, My hope is onely in Christ, 1 Cor. 15. 19.

Secondly, I finde no peace, comfort, con∣tentment, satisfaction, in nothing but in Christ, Phil. 3. 8.

Thirdly, Is Christ thy life and strength, and nothing but Christ, Joh. 15. 5. Col. 3. 11.

Fourthly, Can no peace, comfort, praise of men, duties, ordinances, joys, ravishments, satisfie me, nothing but Christ, Col. 3. 11. If Christ be so all and all to thee, then thou doest live upon bread, and not on ashes.

Obs. 5. There is nothing in man, or can be done by man, that can deliver his soule; man in himselfe is irrecoverably lost; if he follow his own heart, he is mis-led, his heart is de∣ceived, it turnes him aside, and leads him to death, if he follow his light, his understand∣ing, he follows darknesse, for his light is dark∣nesse, as Mat. 6. 33. He that walkes in dark∣nesse, knoweth not whether he goeth, Joh. 12. 35. Wee were sometimes darknesse, Eph. 5. 8.

Obs. 6. Mans heart is not to be hearkened

unto, because it turnes the soule aside from Christ.

What doest thou hearken unto, and live upon. Consider

1. Many in stead of living upon God, live upon a deceived heart, Pro. 3. 5, 6, 7.

2. Many live upon sense.

3. Many live upon corrupt reason.

4. Some build their hopes of salvation upon other mens judgements.

5. Many live upon the report of others; it appeares by this, if men speake not well of them, they are greatly troubled, and not able to beare it; by which it appeares, their life is in it: the reason Laban made such a stirre for his images, was because they were his gods.

6. Many live upon their reformation, they thanke God, they are not so bad as they have been, therefore they hope now all is well; it's well when men grow better; yet absti∣nence from evill, is no evidence of grace, for men may forbeare the act of sin, for feare of hell, or men.

7. Many live upon duties, and as they in∣crease, their hope and confidence increaseth, but when their duties faile them, their hope and confidence is at an end; by which it ap∣peares, they live upon what they doe, and not upon God; these count their duties, which is their righteousnesse, gaine, but if they be∣long to God, they must count againe, as Paul

did this their gaine to be losse for Christ, Phil. 3. 8.

8. Some live upon their peace, they are quiet, free from terrors and feare of hell in them, therefore they conclude, they are in a good estate, this is a subtill delusion.

9. Many live upon groundlesse hopes, be∣cause their sinnes are few, or small, as they thinke, they have hope.

10. Many live upon their inward comfort and joy, that while that lasts, they have much assurance of salvation, but as soone as their comfort and joy, which they sensibly felt, leaves them, their confidence went with their comfort, and leaves them in a sad condition.

11. Some live upon ravishments, and ex∣tasies of glory.

12. Many live upon the ordinances of men, are ready to be of any Religion the authority will impose, and so rest satisfied.

13. Many live upon the ordinances of God without God, they rest satisfied, that they frequent the ordinances.

14. Some live upon their confidence of salvation.

15. Many live upon creature comforts, and conclude, God loves them, because they possesse them.

16. Many live upon the Devill, and his word, which is when Satans suggestions are hearkened unto, liked, beleeved, imbraced,

and obeyed: if he say, their sinnes shall ne∣ver be pardoned and subdued, they beleeve him, and are ruled by him; this is so to live upon the Devill, as to hearken unto God, as Isa. 53. 3. to beleeve in him, 1 Joh. 3. 23. and to submit to God, James 4. 7. is to live upon God.

A false foundation, and a false life, goe to∣gether, and all those who live on any thing besides Jesus Christ, their foundation is un∣sound, and it will certainly deceive them; whatsoever their sparkes be, they shall lie downe in sorrow; as, Isa. 50. 10. These are lying vanities, and they that hearken unto them, forsake their own mercy, Jona 2. 8.

Obs. 7. A man is prone to follow the ad∣vice of his own heart.

The reason is.

First, Because he thinkes his heart knows, and

Secondly, That his heart will not deceive him: but who so trusteth in his heart is a fool••, Pro. 28. 26. Isa. 10. 7. Jer. 23. 26.

Thirdly, Because he is ignorant of the de∣sperate wickednesse of his heart, Jer. 17. 9. Happy is he that so knows his heart, so as not to trust to it, nor hearken unto it.

The heart is the cause of all the errors and miscarriages of men, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, Luk 6. 45. Mat. 15. 19. What men thinke, speake, or doe, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 from the heart.

Obs. 8. Men seeke deliverance for them∣selves from themselves.

Men endeavour to deliver their soules. The Reason is;

First, He judgeth it reasonable that his soule be delivered.

Secondly, He knowes no other way of deli∣verance, save that of his own, in whole, or in part.

Thirdly, He thinks it concernes him most, and that it is his duty to doe it.

Fourthly, He is perswaded he may deliver his soule, or at least, that without him it can∣not be delivered; this he will not be driven from, till God manifest to the soule the per∣fection of Christs righteousnesse, then shall he see the insufficiency of his own, Rom. 10. 3.

He cannot deliver his soule.

Obs. 9. It is impossible for man to save himselfe, in whole, or in part, it's beyond his power, he cannot doe it; see Lam. 5. 21. Jer. 31. 18. Job. 12. 38, 39.

Obs. 10. Untill a soule be convinced, that he cannot deliver himselfe, he rests in him∣selfe.

God hath not left it to the will and power of man, to deliver himselfe, because

First, That no man might boast, Eph. 2. 9. and that the pride in man may be dashed in pieces.

Secondly, That man might not live in and

upon himselfe, nor joy in himselfe, but in the Lord Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, Phil. 3. 13.

Thirdly, That the love and power of God might be manifested, that we might know the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us ward, who beleeve his mighty power, Eph. 1. 19.

Fourthly, That God might have all the glory, Eph. 1. 6. that no flesh might glory, 1 Cor. 1. 29. Gal. 6. 14. In the Lord shall all the children of Israel glory, Isa. 55. 25.

Obs. 11. All wayes besides Jesus Christ, are by pathes, aside out of the way, I am the way, Joh. 14. 6.

Obs. 12. Gods way and mans way, are con∣trary each to other; Christs way leads the soule to Christ; mans way leads to himselfe, to deliver himselfe.

13. We should not be led aside from Christ by any thing in the world: hearken then onely to Christ.

Nor say; Is there not a lie? viz. he cannot aske the question.

14. The meanes of deliverance are so hid from him, that he cannot use them; a lie.

15. All that man doth rest upon while he is in the state of nature, is nothing but a lie.

He is miserably deluded.

16. The strength and confidence of a de∣luded man, may be so great, that it may seeme to him unreasonable once to question it.

17. A deluded mans confidence of salvati∣on, may be greater and stronger then the faith of some that are the Lords: and yet be false, a meere delusion of Satan, and a deceived heart.

18. The greatnesse or strength of any mans confidence, cannot assure him that hath it, that it is not a delusion, but it may be proved true or false by the ground of it, the cause and foundation of it; for

If it be built or caused by any qualificati∣ons in us, either abstinence from sin, or do∣ing good, or from inward peace or joy, &c. it's all false; but if it be founded upon Christ alone in his free grace in the word and pro∣mise of God, Rom. 15. 4. If we can truly say, In his word doe I hope, Psal. 130. 5. But I hope in thy Word, Psal. 119. 81. It is well, if thou wert lost and fatherlesse, Hos. 14. 3. and wert perswaded he had mercy for thee, and didst hope in him for it, as Psal. 33, 18. 21, 22. it is no delusion.