A cordiall for a fainting soule, or, Some essayes for the satisfaction of wounded spirits labouring under severall burthens in which severall cases of conscience most ordinary to Christians, especially in the beginning of their conversion, are resolved : being the summe of fourteen sermons, delivered in so many lectures in a private chappell belonging to Chappell-Field-House in Norwich : with a table annexed, conteining the severall cases of conscience which in the following treatise are spoken to directly or collaterally / preached and now published ... by John Collings.

CHAP. XIII.

How to comfort that soule that thinks it hath not true Faith, because it doth not feele God strengthning it to those acts of Grace which it ought to act.

I Will take leave here (apprehending it a seasonable place) to bring it in, to speak something to one scruple of conscience, which doth often perplex many a good Christian; and that is want of feeling of Gods love &c. Ah! (saith many a poore soule) did I but indeed know that God and Christ were my Redeemer and portion, then I think I should not need be mu••h intreated to cast away this sadnesse and dejection of spirit, but I cannot feele any such

thing. And this makes a Christian think that it nei∣ther doth nor may believe.

Now there is a double feeling, for the want of which, many good soules often complaine, and upon the want of which they raise to themselves conclusions against believing. For want of a distinction I will pre∣sume for once to coyne one, There is a feeling of peace, and a feeling of strength.

1. The feeling of peace, is, when a poor Christian ap∣prehends God appeased to its soule, and feels him saying, I am thy God, the God of thy salvation; this is that per∣swasion which is that highest reflex act of Faith of which I spake the last time, and shewed you what de∣grees and abatements it might meet with in a true Be∣liever: Now this a true Christian may want, though he doth feel Gods spirit carrying him on to acts of mor∣tification and vivification &c. Of this I shall not speak, having spoken the last time, how farre it may be wanted, weakened, or abated, or discontinued, even in Gods true and dear children.

2. But there is another feeling which for distincti∣on sake, I call a feeling of strength; when a Christian, though he doth not feele Gods peace sealed up and assured unto his soule, yet he cannot deny but hee feels his soul carryed out by God unto duties, to love him, to desire him, to delight in him &c. Now this latter feeling ought to satisfie the soul, when, though God doth not please as yet to apply the promise to his soule; yet he feels God enabling him to apply himselfe to the promise, when he feels God changing and renewing his heart and affections &c. But here is that which ma∣ny poore Christians want, and complaine for the want of; they will confesse, that could they but feel God

strengthening them against their corruptions, and car∣rying out their hearts in acts of love, and desire towards him &c they would quiet themselves, and bee very thankfull to him, if he would but give them so much of the morsels of Free-grace as would keep spirituall life in them, and keep their hearts from dying for want of mouth-fuls, although God would not yet please to let them sit down at the banquetting table of assurance, and eat of the sweet meats of that peace which passeth all understanding. If God would please to give them but such sips of his flaggons as might stay them, though they wanted such dishes of apples as to comfort them, it would suffice; but alas! this they want, and how can they believe? &c.

Now all that I shall speak to a Christian in this perplexity I will reduce to these two heads.

• 1. Something by way of Consolation: And
• 2. Something by way of direction.

First, By way of Consolation, I should propound these few things, as considerations which may tend through the bles∣sing of God to the comforting of such souls in such streights.

Consid. 1. That not feeling, doth not argue a not be∣ing: A thing may be though it be not felt; it is no Logick to inferre a negative conclusion from ou•• sense. Sometimes wee see not the beames of the Sun; the interposition of the Moone doth hinder us in an eclypse from beholding its light; yea, dark clouds we see ordinarily will doe it; what shall we therefore conclude that the Sun doth not shine? or that the Sunne doth not cast an influence upon the creatures? this we should call ridiculous. In like manner thou sayest, I doe not feele God casting his influence of grace upon my soul, strengthening me against my cor∣ruptions,

nor so shining upon me with beames of en∣livening quickning grace, my heart is not quick in his service, it is dead unto duties, and dull in them, I doe nor feel the heat of the Son of Righteousnesse warming my soule with beames of love &c. therefore wilt thou conclude God doth not doe it? The Psalmist cryes out for want of feeling,* 1.1 Psal. 22. v. 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, and art so farre from my health, and from t••e words of my roaring? and so hee goes on, v. 2. O my God, I cry by day time and thou hearest not, and in the night, and have no audience. Mark Christian! ho∣ly men may sometimes want feeling; did not God think you heare David? had he indeed no audience according to his sad thoughts? Ah! (saith a Christian) but there was some comfort, though he did not feele peace, yet hee did feele strengh; he felt God enabling him to pray, and cry, and seek him; but I cannot feele this. Heark yet once againe to Asaph, Psal. 77. v 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak, David, Psal. 51. v. 10. 11, 12. He prayes to God, to create a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within him, and v. 14. to confirm him with a free spirit. And yet shall we think that at this time David had not the sweet influences of Gods holy Spirit? if so, we are confuted from the foregoing verse, Cast me not away from thy presence, take not thy holy spirit from me. By all which it may easily appeare that it is one thing not to feel God strengthening and quickning us, and another thing for him not to doe it: The working of Gods Spirit within us is very secret, according to the nature of the Spirit; we doe not feele the starres in∣fluence upon us, nor yet the actings of our soules with∣in us, and yet it is certaine, they have an influence upon us: and that our soules do subtilly and secretly

act in all, in every part of our bodies: and there∣fore secondly,

Consid. 2. That the truth of Gods love to thee in his acting in thee, is not so easily to bee discerned in the act∣ing and working of God, as in the effect of such acts and operations; secret acts of spirituall substances are not to be discerned and understood in agendo, but in affecto, not in the doing but when they are done; we cannot feel the soules conveying of its influence and power of working through every part of the body, wee cannot understand or see or feele the time when it doth it, nor the manner how it doth it &c. yet we know it is done, and that is enough for us; thou canst not see nor feel the acting of the vegetative soule in the plant, thou canst not feel how it growes, or see when it growes or understand the moment of its shooting out, yet thou sayest it doth act▪ the plant is grown, and the vegetative soule in it hath questionlesse been the internall prin∣ciple of its growth. You may possibly see a man in some lethargick disease or in a trance, that you shall not see or discern that his soule is yet in his body; you shall not discerne his pulse to beat, nor discern him to breath, but all possibly in the room may judge him dead: yet his body keepes still warme, doth not stiffen, or grow cold, his eyes are not set, nor his chap fallen, and possibly by applying a glasse to his mouth you may discern he yet breathes, and lives, and conse∣quently you may gather the mans soule hath not yet taken its leave of the body, for then you know hee would grow stiff and cold: and so you conclude that his pulse doth still beat, though so obscurely that you cannot feele or discerne it; so it may bee with thy soule (Christian); the invisible worke of

God in acting his grace in thee, quickning, strength∣ning thee, moving thee to spirituall duties, if thou lookest to see it and feele it acting, as thou mayest feel the beating of thy pulse upon thy wrist, thou mayst be deceived, it may beat darkly and secretly, it is a secret work of a spirituall substance; and yet thou may∣est be comforted in it, if thou wilt but look to the effects; if thy soul and body do not grow stiffe and cold & stinking with old sins and lusts and base corruptions: there is some spirituall life that keeps thy soule warm; though thou canst not feele Gods secret and spiritu∣all working in thy soule in the very act of warming and quickning thee, and enabling thy soule to love him, and desire after him; yet speake truth, does not thy soule love him? doest thou not delight in him? doest thou not desire after him? come, let us put a glasse to the mouth of thy soule; here's a base lust and cor∣ruption, which if thou actest, thou shalt bewray the hatred of thy God to all the World; darest thou doe it wilfully and knowingly? here is a prophane compa∣ny that would be glad of thy company; and at the same time here's an Ordinance of God, at which if thou wilt be, thou mayest possibly suck a great deale of sweetnesse, and taste much of thy God: where wilt thou be? wilt thou baulk thy communion with God, rather then with prophane and ungodly men? If thou darest so, it is something; but on the contrary, doth no communion, no company please thee so as the company of the Saints of God? and doth no commu∣nion like thee so as the communion thou hast with thy God in his Ordinances? If so, thou hast some spirituall life in thee; for the dead man hath no such judicious pallat; and if thou livest a spirituall life,

it is not thou that livest, but Christ that liveth in thee, and thou livest by Faith in the Son of God; thus thou mayest easily discern that in the effects, which thou couldst not in the working of the cause. But Alas! (saith a poore Christian) my willing and desiring is nothing; for though to will bee present with me, yet I have no strength to performe. And what will you make a desire to beleeve and pray Faith and Prayer? I answer,

raw desires and wishes are no more beleeving, then Esaus weeping for the blessing was the blessing, or Balaams wish to dye the death of the righteous was the happy end of such as dye in the Lord. But the sincere desires and good will of justified persons are accepted of the Lord for the deed; and when Christ pronounceth such blest as hunger and thirst after righ∣teousnesse, we say in that sense a sincere desire to pray and believe,* 1.2 is materially and by concomitancy a neigh∣bour, and neere a kin to beleeving and praying. A verball or semina•••• intention to pray, beleeve, love Christ, do his will, is in the seed of praying, beleev∣ing &c. when the intention is supernaturall, and of the same kind with the act, as the seed is the tree: we say not so of naturall intentions or desires; As Abrahams sincere intentions to offer up his sonne, was the offring of his son &c.

But I go to a third consideration.

Thirdly therefore consider that feeling at the best is but a deceivable and disputable evidence; ofttimes conclusions grounded upon sense are false and sink in time. If thou judgest thy condition by feeling, thou mayest ofttimes think God doth nothing for thee, though he be at that instant fully enlivening thee &c. and againe think that God is at peace with thee,

and that hee carrieth thee out to duties &c. when there is no such matter, and it is nothing but the strength of natuarall parts that carrieth thee out &c. Saul thought he had a great deal of feeling, 1 Sam. 15. 13. when he came to meet Gods messenger, he cryes out, Blessed be thou of the Lord; I have kept the Commandments of the Lord; But yet the following part of that story will tell you that Saul was far enough off from any true feeling of peace and comfort: So without que∣stion those in Mat. 7. 22. judged themselves to have a great deale of feeling of Gods strength, when they had prophesied in Gods name, and in his name cast out Devils, and in his name done many wonderfull workes; yet Christ professeth he would say to many such, I never knew you, depart from me yee workers of iniquity; thou cryest, thou dost not feele God car∣rying thee out in duties as many other Christians are, and that which thou callest Gods spirit in them, or in thy selfe, may be no such matter; it is not the courting of God with elegant e••••••essions that argues the strength of God assisting; there is many a stam∣mering non-sence prayer that hath more of the sweet spirit of God in it: there may be a full heart, though it runs not out of the lips so fast, yea oftentimes the fulnesse of the heart causeth the straitnesse of the lips, just as the fulnesse of the vessell may occasion the water to run slowly out of the hole for want of vent or wind.

The Apostle sayes, that the Spirit of God hel∣peth our infirmities, with cryes and groanes which can∣not be uttered; it doth not say it helpeth our infirmi∣ties with courtly expressions that cannot be pa••alleled: thou mayest when thou thinkest that God carrryes

thee out with more strength and enlargement to duties, call and misconstrue that to be the strength and assi∣stance of the spirit of God which is occasioned meer∣ly from thy owne clearenesse of naturall spirit, when thou art in a little better vein of Rhetorick then thou wert. Mistake not, there is a distinction betwixt Praying gifts, and Praying graces; I observe it is said Iacob wrestled with God, (by vertue of strength from him subintellige.) This is the strength of the spirit: the spirits worke is not to carry out our tongue in expressions, but our heart in zeale and im∣portunity. It is not said that Iacob scraped leggs with God; no; he wrestled; wee are but ill ludges of feeling commonly, which makes feeling but a de∣ceivable and disputable evidence.

Fourthly, consider that No Christian feeleth alwayes alike, yea, perhaps, hath no cause to feele alwayes ali••e. God to the best of his dearest servants doth sometimes measure but an Ephah, and sometimes but an Omer; distinguish alwayes betwixt the truth of Gods love to his deare children, and the actings, I meane the visible actings of his love; that of God which is not seene, is alwayes full and certain to Christians, I meane his elective love, the yernings of his heart towards his deare children; there is of God also that may be seen, Psal. 68. 24. They have seen thy goings O God, even the goings of my God in the Sanctuary; Gods go∣ings in a poor soule are sometimes very visible to a gracious soule, but sometimes his goings are more se∣cret and invisible, yet he is alwaies going in acts of love and grace to his poore fervants, only his goings are more mysterious and dark; God sometimes goes a meere foot pace, just sets one foot before another in

them and towards them, sometimes hee goes faster and more strongly in them▪ and apparently towards them.

First, Gods soft going in the soule may sometimes bee a cause why the soule cannot feel. Peter had no rea∣son to feel the strength of God alike, when he shame∣fully denied his Master in the high Priests Hall, as when hee durst venture to walke on the Sea towards him.

Secondly, God withdrawes some degrees of his strength sometimes to try whether a Christian can stand upon the true legs of Faith, as well as upon the wooden legs of sense; the mother withdrawes her hand sometimes to see how the child can goe without trusting to the feeling of her hand guiding and supporting it.

Thirdly, another cause may be in the Christian why he cannot feele God carrying him out to acts of his grace in his strength alwayes alike; The soule may possi∣bly have lost its feeling; the benummed member doth not feele; In sicknesses and deseases of the body, Nature may sometimes bee so much infeebled, that sometimes the party affected falls into a dead swound▪ wherein he is dei∣prved for a time, not only of the use of his understanding, reason and memory, but also of his sense, motion, and vi∣tall functions. So it may be with a Christian; sin or the violence of some temptations of Sathan may bee such, that the Christian cannot feele any thing; the soule cast into a swound, and deprived of all the spiri∣tuall faculties of it, faith love, life &c. no wonder the soule for the present doth not feele: the leg of the soule is asleep, the whole soule is benummed, how should it feel? but let it alone a little: as such body (if not quite dead) will quickly returne to its sense again

and live, and feele, and move &c. so likewise will the gra∣cious soule quickly come to recover its life, and sense, and motion againe; though the soule seemes (to the judgement of sense) to have no sap or principle of life in it; yet consider it is winter-time with the soule, stay but till the spring and summer, while the frost hath done nipping and discolouring, and the soule will have its sap visible, and recover i••s beauty againe: there is fire in the soule, though it be caked up in the night; wait but till the morning that the ashes be blown away, you shall see the fire of Gods spirit is not ex∣tinguished in the soule. I sleepe, (saith the Spouse) but my heart waketh: there is a waking heart, though there be no waking eye, the soule (as well as the body) in sleep is bereaved of sense: wait but till the morning, and the soule will confesse it seeth, and hath recovered its senses again. Thus for thy comfort know Christian, that thou couldst not justly expect to feele alwayes a∣like: for first God doth not dispense alwayes alike: and secondly if he did dispense alwayes alike, yet a be∣nummed, ashy, winter-sleepy soule hath not that beau∣ty ••or that sense which a lively, healthy, well-tempered, clear-spring-awakened soule hath.

Fifthly, consider That Gods strength may be then seen in thee, when it is not seen and felt by thee. The graci∣ous soule is not alwayes, nay, is very seldome a compe∣tent Judge of it self; the high Christian may often have a very low, yea, too low an opinion of himselfe; the Christian is his own worst construing Book, and especially too at some times: if Paul may be judge of himself, sometimes he is the least of Saints, and the chiefest of sinners, and unworthy to bee called an Apostle. If David may be judge of himselfe, Psal. 22 v. 6. He

is a worm and no man, yea, the very reproach of men. So if many Christians may be judges of themselves: Alas! they cannot pray, they cannot love God, they cannot be∣leeve, they feel nothing of the rength of God carrying them out; when (if standers by may be judges) there is a great deale of the strength of God manifested in their hearts and carriages of their lives, and God is glori∣ously discovered in carrying out their hearts so glori∣ously, and sweetly, and firmely for him as he doth: take a true Christian, and this is a sure rule, that God and Gods people have far better opinions of him, then he hath of himselfe; now this may comfort thee, when o∣ther better and more experienced Christians (by thy own confession) then thy self, can see more in thee, then thou canst feele; the body in a dead swound feels no life in it selfe, but all its vitall motions and functi∣ons are hindred: now therefore at such a time, others in the roome are Iudges of its life or death, they by observing the warmth of the body, the motions of the pulse, or applying a glasse to the mouth of the swoun∣ding person, do perceive life in the man that to his owne sense, and perhaps to the sense of some others is a dead carkasse.

Sixthly and lastly, consider that it is no Argument to warrant thee not to beleeve, because thou doest not feele God carrying thee out by his armes of strength in such a manner to spirituall duties, and the acts of spirituall and saving graces as thou desirest, or perhaps expectest; the rea∣son of this is plain, because it is my duty as well to beleeve for strength, as for any thing else; Sure I am, Gods pro∣mises are as much for strength to act grace as for any thing else: and the promises of God are the object of my Faith; it is my duty to beleeve the promises,

I will strengthen thee (saith God,) I will help thee and uphold thee with the hand of my righteousnesse: thou sayest this cannot I believe. Why? because God doth not strengthen me and help me carry out my heart in an act of Faith: Thus thou beggest the question; the question is not whither thou oughtest to believe when thou feelest God carrying thee on to believing &c. But whither thou oughtest not to believe that God will strengthen thee, and carry thee out to acts of believing and lo∣ving &c. But some may say, What doth this differ from Free-will doctrine? Can I believe unlesse God doth strengthen me to believe? Why, doe you call upon a man to lay hold when he complaineth that he wants hands▪ or upon a man to walk, when he tells you he can∣not find that he hath any legs? Mistake not Christian; God hath said, I will strengthen thee, I will help thee, and uphold thee with the hand of my righteousnesse: Now I say it is thy duty to believe this promise of strength & help, and I confesse that it is not in thy power to believe this promise, but God must strengthen thee and help thee before thou canst believe this promise that he will strengthen thee and help thee; but yet I doe not call upon one that hath no hands to lay hold, nor upon one that hath no legs to walk, but upon one that saith he doth not feele his legs, I call upon him to walk, and I call upon one that doth not know and feele that hee hath hands to lay hold &c. And this is sense, and war∣rantable Divinity; Faith is not sensible and visible to a Christian in the habit, but only in the acts; I call to thee to shew forth the habit of faith. Now it shall not excuse thee from this duty, that thou canst not feele thou hast any habite of Faith; the habite of this pre∣tious grace is invisible. Thus have I given thee some

considerations, which duly weighed and considered, may comfort thy soule under this perplexity. I have only one thing more to doe, and that is to speak a word or two of direction to such soules to shew them what to doe, that they may be comforted, in which I will be briefe.

First, then by way of direction, Finde out the cause and remove it; the causes may bee various; I cannot name them all; but the great and ordinary causes may be, first Gods will; secondly, thy own temper.

1. Gods will; he will not please perhaps to lead thee with so strong an arm at one time as at another; hee will try how thou wilt live by faith; sense is bread; he will have thee not to live by bread only, but by every word that commeth out of the mouth of God. Now sence and feeling, that is bread; if this be the cause (as it was in Peter) thou must not dispute but submit to it.

2. The cause may be in thy self; it may be thou art under some violent temptations of Sathan, or under the clouds and darknesses of some sinnes or corruptions, or thy expectation of feeling or sense may be too high, or thou mayest be wilfull, and not feel when thou mayest. These causes must bee removed by faith, repentance, endeavour, obedience &c. Hath sin benummed thee? be humbled for this sinne, and thou shalt feele: Art thou in desertion? believe and hope, and thou shalt feele again. It is a known maxime, Take away the cause, and the effect will cease. But

Secondly, Wait for feeling; this is is a part of thy duty in relation to this want, especially caused by Gods will, Is. 40. 31. They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength like the Eagle. Psal. 27. 14. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait

I say on the Lord: wait with faith and hope, and pa∣tience.

Thirdly, Learn to live upon Gods Word: Man shall not live by bread only, but upon every Word that commeth out of the mouth of God: We are not to live by faith upon the incertainty of sense: All that that speakes is not Go∣spel; but we have a more sure and certain livelihood, even the unchangeable goodnesse, and infallible good∣nesse of a God that cannot lie nor repent. Sense is deceiving, truth is infallible; doth sense say God doth not strengthen me? and doth Gods word say, these things I could not doe if God did not strengthen me? whither it be now better to believe God, or de∣ceivable sense, judge thou.

Fourthly, Learn to acknowledged Gods little finger? thou doest not finde God lending his whole hand, per∣haps not strengthening thee in such a measure to act grace in such a degree; but know the least stirring of the soul in a spirituall manner to a spirituall action is from God; flesh and blood could not doe it; find ou•• out Gods little secret workings, look for these, thou wilt finde some of them in thy soule.

Fifthly and lastly, Act contrary to thy minde: we bid the sick man eat against his stomack; thou sayest I can∣not pray, I cannot believe: why? I doe not find God giving me an heart to it; doe it against thy minde; thou shalt finde strength to doe it, and comfort from doing of it.

This learned Mr Rutherford gives great Reason for; as 1. Because it is ordinarily seen that a Christian may be∣gin to pray with sad and fleshly complaints of unbeliefe, yet going on, the breathing of the holy Ghost will fill the sailes &c. if we be doing, the Lord will be with us. 2. Our

indisposition is a sinne, and doth not free us from our duty. 3.* 1.3 We are to pray against weaknesse and indisposition,* 1.4 and for strength, and freedome of spirit. 4. We are commanded in the day of trouble and temptation to pray, Psal. 50. 15. Math. 6. 13. •• 5. It is a sinfull omission in us not to pray and act, not to doe what we can, though we feele a weak∣nesse &c. and severall other Reasons he gives, p. 486. 487. &c. Now doest thou not feele the strengthening influence of Gods Spirit carrying thee on to thy duty? yet doe it, that is the way to come to have a feeling; stirre up the grace of God that is in thee, 2. Tim. 1. 6. God complained, Esay 64. v 7. That there was none that cal'd upon his name, or stirred up himself to lay hold upon him. It is the ordinary practice of Free-grace, to send in sense and strength upon thy endeavours, yet freely, not as merited by them. And thus I have shortly dispatcht all that I have to say to this scruple of conscience, where the soule complaines for want of feeling &c.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 22. v. 1.
• * 1.2

  Ruth. p. 14••.
• * 1.3

  Ruth.
• * 1.4

  Christ dying.