The case and cure of a deserted soule, or, A treatise concerning the nature, kindes, degrees, symptomes, causes, cure of, and mistakes about spirituall desertions by Jos. Symonds ...

A Preface.

ACcesses and reces∣ses are not proper to him that by his immense presence filleth all,a 1.1 and can∣not be where he is not, nor cease to be where he is. True motion is found in such things onely as are subject to locall circumscription: God is said to come or goe, to be present or absent, 1 In respect of manifesta∣tion, as the Father speaks, He com∣meth when hee is manifested,

and goeth when he is hidb 1.2. 2. In respect of operation: So God is said to be where he worketh, as wee say the Sunne comes into a house, where it shines into it. Time was, when God was with all men, both by gracious ma∣nifestation and operation, and this was mans happinesse: But sinne hath se∣parated betwixt God and man, and they are departed each from other: the division began from man, yet the Divine goodnesse tenders reconcile∣ment, but man will not. In this, man is become unhappy, that he hath lost his God, and knoweth it not: yea he counts his losse gaine, and his gaine losse; hee would be happy, but he erreth in his choice; he is ever moving, never at rest; willingly absent from the greatest good, unwillingly labouring with the greatest evill. Though other

things are quiet in their place, and rest in their end; yet mans place where he is pitched is strange to him, and his end vexeth him: all his life is labourc 1.3, and his motion is but a vexatious shifting from vanity to vanity, from evill to evill, from bad to worse: this soare cryeth for healing, and that which he thinkes to finde a lenitive, becomes a corzive: while he thinkes to cure the wound, he makes it deepe,d 1.4 and is his owne tormenter.

The Heathen blundered in confu∣sed guesses how to redresse the state of man: they saw an unhappinesse, but neither knew the cause, nor cure; yet something they assayed, when they pro∣pounded those two rules to repaire the breach:

• 1. To reduce things to the first principles of nature.
• 2. To live according unto nature.

These rules are usefull, if rectified and rightly used.

First, reduce things to their primi∣tive originalls, and lay them againe in the wombe whence they sprang: This experiment would profit much. Looke into the world, and you shall see a con∣fused mixture of good and evill, but you must divide them wisely, and pur∣sue them to their beginnings. Ascend by the scattered beames of happinesse in the world, to the Sunne of righteous∣nesse from whence they flow; and de∣scend by the black and bitter streams of misery, to the poysoned spring that sends them forth, and you will see two origi∣nalls of both; God the fountaine of life,

and sinne the root of death. In this way of reduction of things to their cau∣ses, a man may see as in a glasse, what he was, and what he should be, what made him miserable, and what would make him happy. It is mens unhappi∣nesse of two guides to choose the worse, brutishly declining reason to be led by sense; seeing, enjoying, and suffering things, without inquisition into their parentage. This is true folly to dwell in the surface of things, not penetra∣ting into their inmost nature, utmost end, formost rise. A wise man seeth things quite through from first to last; he asketh three questions of the things be meets with; What are you? Whi∣ther goe you? Whence come you? He lives not like a subject to the world, but as a Lord; he examineth and judg∣eth all things, he suffereth no vagrants,

but keepes all in order, hath the genea∣logies of all things, and reduceth them to their severall Tribes. There is a cer∣taine voice in things inviting home, and proclaiming the causes to which they owe their being; they carry a tye in which they are linked to their prin∣ciples, and by this line men might have conduct through the labyrinth of the Vniverse, to the first causes.

Secondly, Another rule is given, Live according to nature. This sounds harsh,* 1.5 but it is because it is in their mother language, who never heard of Christ: but a good Interpreter will easily helpe the businesse. There is in all men an implanted inclination to happinesse, and an home borne Pilot

to carry this in a right course; but it is true, though the former be not hurt, yet the latter is; a man is another thing then he was, the soule is quick of foot, but dull of scent; her sayles are strong, but her compasse is marred. The pra∣cticall judgement, the soules steares∣man, is dim sighted, and takes rocks for harbours, sea for land, west for east, earth for heaven. But herein is mans great unhappinesse; God hath opened a way to renew those blurred characters of knowledge, which yet remaine as the light in the ayre after sunne set, but man regardeth not. The Scriptures are given by inspiration of God to make wise unto salvation, but men are so farre from due seeking to lighten that glimmering snuffe of naturall under∣standing at this fountaine of light, that they are in love with their owne dark∣nesse:

they hate the light, because their deeds are evill. Finding the power of conscience a check to their lusts, they resist it; whereas they should rectifie conscience by the word, and af∣fections by conscience, they perversely cast off conscience to give way to sinne; yea of a grave counseller, they turne it into a base flatterer, to applaud their greatest folly and wickednesse.

But what will the end be? Shall God come againe with tenders of mer∣cy, and a new league of friendship, and shall man hang off? Let those espe∣cially consider this, to whom God hath come with many gracious visits and potent workings, yet they come not in. I did purpose and promise in the beginning of this Treatise, to speake of Gods leaving such, but I wanted opportunity at present.

I say no more now to them, but this, It is dangerous to despise grace, and to resist the Spirit; if he depart, woe un∣to you: your latter end will pay you for your folly and stoutnesse.

The day is comming, in which God will follow after foolish man no more; wonder at his patience that hath waited on the world some thousands of yeares already; but this long lasting patience hath fixed its period; then blessed are they that enjoy him: as for all the rest, adieu for ever: then God will depart fully and eternally; it shall no more be said, Come, but then Goe ye accursed into everlasting fire.

You have now your choice, here is God and the world; But this is folly, men take that in a disjunctive sense, which is offered in a conjunctive: It is not said, God or the world, but God and

the world. In some consideration indeed they are divided, but most make the worst choice: Here begins that vast distance betwixt the Saints and the wicked; they set out at first from one point, but more diverse, yea adverse wayes, according to the difference of their ends: a godly man when first he chooseth God, becomes an happie man, for his choice is his guide, which sets all the wheeles in a right motion: love is as the wing to the fowle, or as the oares to the boate, which move it and order it(a) 1.6.

When this is done, God and man brought together, this sweet meeting and amiable conjunction is a great part of the plot of that eternall love of God, who chose us that wee might be enhappied by answering his choice of us, with our choice of him; that

hee may dwell in us, and wee in him.

Me thinkes this world is like the Kings Court:* 1.7 children here are taken with pictures, and feed their eyes and fancies with hangings and fine things; but the wife and grave States∣men passe by these, their businesse is with the King: most men stay in the out roomes, and low things of the world, and so are meane; but blessed is the generation, whose eye, desire, and way are unto God.

The creature is not capable of an higher blessednesse, then to have God for his God. They that dwell in God have a true dwelling; men who live upon the creature, doe not dwell, but roll as Ships at sea, or travell as wan∣dring vagrants: in God there is quiet abode, and perfect rest; for here is no

evill, nor want of God; here is enough, and such as may fit all times, all condi∣tions, all occasions, soule and body fully. Here in these deepes are won∣ders for the minde to feed on: here also is sea-roome of goodnesse for the vast appetite of man to floate in(a) 1.8, and the satiety of the appetite breeds all repose and joy. Oh the delectable∣nesse of this condition! In this is a depth of riches, deepe riches that can∣not be sounded, and rich deepes that cannot be exhausted: the Man CHRIST is the blessed channell betwixt the Fountaine and the Ci∣sterne, through which grace, life, peace, strength, glory come by a gra∣tious and a glorious convoy; every vessell shall have its fulnesse to all eternity; sometimes indeed (while this life lasteth) the streames come

fuller, and sometimes slower: some∣times Christ stayeth the current that we may thirst, that after thirsting we may drinke againe with redoubled pleasure.

This is the maine of a godly mans unhappinesse, that he neither hath a full, nor a fixed state of comfortable communion with God in the world: after sweet meetings come sad part∣ings. Nothing is fixed, there is a flood and ebbe as well on land as in the sea, and as well in things spirituall, as in things naturall: even those that are strongliest knit, have a time of parting. Nothing in nature is more conjunct then its owne frame, yet this compacted composition admits a dis∣solution: Man, the epitome of the world, is in this case; soule and body one day will shake hands, yea and the

body will fall asunder from it selfe, those foure elements that came in, in a vitall league, will goe out againe with a deadly warre. The tye betwixt God and the soule is the firmest thing in the world, the bond of grace is stronger than the bond of nature, yet even here is a kinde of parting also; but as the conjunction is stronger, so the separation is lesse: but sometimes it is so great, that the Saints by en∣forcement of sorrow cry out, My God hath forsaken me, my Lord hath forgotten me.

This sad condition is the subject of this little Treatise, concerning which I would have put here some adver∣tisements; but my pen hath decei∣ved mee, and hath led me out into a larger and another way then I in∣tended in this Preface. Nothing

more is now to be done, but to leave this small helpe in the hands of such, whose soules long after the returne of God, with quickning and comforting in∣fluences upon them.

J. SYM.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Locis cor∣poralibus non exten∣ditur nec includitur. Aug ep. 53. p. 235.
• b 1.2

  Aug. ep. 3. p. 10. Novit ve∣nire non recedendo ubi erat, novit abire non dese∣rendo quo venerat. id ibid.
• c 1.3

  Sicut quo plus à cen∣tro recedis ut ad plu∣ra pergas, eo magis amittis omnia, sic animus à seipso fu∣sus immē∣sitate qua∣dam diver∣beratur. & mera men∣dicitate cō∣teriturcùm natura co∣git unum quaerere, & multi∣tu••••o non sinit. Diony∣apud Gibe. p. 77. Non ille ire vult, sed non potest stare, Sen. ep. 94. Nihil potest quietare hominis voluntatem, nisi solus Deus. Aquin.
• d 1.4

  Postquam posuisti me contrarium tibi, factus sum contrarius mihi. Eern.
• * 1.5

  Qui mali sunt, cos malos esse non ab∣nuo, sed eosdem es∣se, purè at∣que sim∣pliciter ne∣go; nam uti cadaver hominem mortuum dixeris, simplicitèr verò hominem appellare non possis &c. ••oeth. d. consolaet. Phil. l. 4. Pros•• 2. Quicqu••d à bo∣no deficit esse destitit, quo fit ut mali etiam desinant esse quod fuerant. Idem Prosa. 3.
• (a) 1.6

  Nec fa∣ciūt bonos vel malos mores, nisi boni vel mali amo∣res Aug. ep. 53. p. 236.
• * 1.7

  Si terram amas, ter∣ra es: Si Deū amas, quid vis ut dicā? Deus es. Aug.
• (a) 1.8

  Tu Deus te diligen∣ti ostendis te, & suffi∣cis ei. Id. conf. 12. c. 15.