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 ...

CHAP. XXVI.* 1.1 Motive to use these counsels; ta•••• from possibility of recovery.

THe second thing is, the argument to perswade; if a man lose 〈◊〉〈◊〉 health, friends, riches, liberty, it is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hard thing to perswade him to end 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vours of recovery, and to run after th•••• that he may bring them home again•••• but in spirituall things, men are of•••• content to sit downe with the losse•• things of greater worth, and it is ha•••• to set the wheeles of the soule movi•••• in a serious study to regain them. But 〈◊〉〈◊〉 such who finde themselves deserte•• provoke themselves, to endeavour t•• cure of this evill, and I will propou•• two things as perswasives.

• 1 possibility of recovery.
• 2 necessity of recovery.

First,* 1.2 it is possible to regain what you have lost, it is a comfort that there 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hope, hope addes life to endeavour•••• but despaire kils them; sit not dow••

•• if all hope were cut off, say not my wound cannot be healed, lay not out your selves for dead mena 1.3, you may recover.

[unspec 1] 1. You have power to seeke it; though much deadnesse be upon you, yet if you be in Christ, * 1.4 you have a spirit of life in you, you have a naturall life, a rationall life, and a spirituall life; reason doth much in many without grace, much more may you; a Christian is a living thing, and all life hath power to doe the acts of life, not to be able to act is to be d••adb 1.5: I have shewed before that God never leaves his people wholly; but though he withdraw his arbitrary influ∣ence, yet not the vitall; that may cease in a great measure, which is to the well∣••••ing of a godly man, but yet neither doth that cease totally, nor doth God at any time hold backe that which is to life and being; you have a power, there∣fore you must blow up the grace of God in 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 2 Tim. 1.6.* 1.6 there is fire in the ••embers, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; Thou hast a ••itle strength. Apoc. 3.8. And as in a naturall way, God expects that nature

should worke, or else he will not wor•• so in a spirituall way, thinke not to ••in•• God except you seeke him. Call up•••• your selvesc 1.7, set your mindes to con••••∣deration, commune and plead w•••••• your selves, for your life is preserv•••• by knowledge, as it is wrought by it; a•••• consideration is like the drumme in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Army, to put all in motion; a conside∣rate man is an active man, apprehensio•••• and thoughts put life into the hear•• therefore stirre up your selves; if yo•• will not helpe your selves, God w•••• not; but if you will doe what you c•••• God will draw neare, Iames 4.8.

[unspec 2] 2. * 1.8 You are capable of reviving: though•• now deadnesse be upon you, there is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 warnith leftd 1.9, there is great difference betweene one in a swound, and o•••• dead.e 1.10

[unspec 3] 3. * 1.11 As you have a power, so you have encouragement, you have need to consi∣der this, for an humble spirit is apt to

oppose it selfe, and to sit downe with hanging hands, feeble knees, weeping eyes, fainting heart, as if it were incu∣rable, like them, Acts 27.20. In such a darke and stormy season they reckon themselves among the dead, and thinke that all hope is gone of getting out of these deepes; but now consider there is hope.

[unspec 1] 1. The life you have is from Christ, * 1.12 it is deare to him; he laid downe his life, that you might live, he hath planted in you that grace you have, and will hee not cherish his owne worke, which with so much cost and care he hath un∣dertaken? the breathings of thy soule are the breath of his own spirit, and he wil own it; if you come to him, he will in no wise cast you outf 1.13 Joh. 6.37. That grace you have was given you to fit you for communion with him; and when you come to him, will hee shut the doore? he opened the doore in your heart when you shut it, and will he not open his doore when you knocke? he loves to doe much for his, for he loves them much: you are not straitned in

him, but in your selves; what is the meaning of the Gospell, doth not Christ stand with a fulnesse in his hand? why doe you not looke to him with faith who is as full of goodnesse as of power? is he not your head? are you not his members? he feeles your paines, and sicknesse, yea he well knoweth and that by experience in his kinde, what it is to be without God, and knoweth there is no help for you but in himselfe; your unkindnesses shall not hinder, if you will be friends with him, he will be a friend to you; the adulteresse shall finde accep∣tance if she returne, Ier. 3.1.

[unspec 2] 2. * 1.14 You have a promise, why then doe you not lift up your heads? you can∣not come before you are called, and what you want is ready for you: he hath said he will give rest to the weary, strength to the weake, light to the blind, health to the sicke; he would not have said these things, but that hee would have you rejoyce in hope; when you come to aske the spirit, it is granted before you aske, Luke 11.13. If you that are evill know how to give good gifts

unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy Spirit to them that aske him? Doe you think that you have more compassionate love then he? you thinke if your children come hungring, crying, fainting for bread, you could not deny them, how much lesse will Christ? your love is nothing to his. He is love. 1 John 4.16. that is to say, he is the fountain of love, he workes it where it is, and that love that you have to him, is from him; and would he be loved of you, if he did not love you? certainly he was your friend, before he made you his friend. 1 Iohn 4.19. So then beleeve, and God is ready, good hangs in the promise like ripe fruit, if you shake the treef 1.15 the fruite will fall; turne this promise into prayer, plead with God in his owne language, make his bond thy petition, live upon his word; if you beleeve it shall be well; if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, those mountaines that lye upon you shall be removed; when God deales with us by way of promise he deales the sweetest way, for what

would you expect but his good will? and how would you know his good will but by his word? by the promise you have God not inclining and yeeld∣ing, but determining, binding himselfe: by this ladder climb up, and bowe thy soule before him, upon the pillars of faith, which doth so surely interest thee in thy God: he proclaimeth and makes heaven and earth his witnesses that hee is yours, he hath given such power to faith, that he that beleeves sits upon the throne with Christ, Apoc. 3.21. and is made Lord of all the treasures of the kingdome, All is yours. 1 Cor. 3.22. Yea, God hath so tyed himselfe to his people, that he hath not only said aske, seek, pray, but command me. Esay 45.11.

[unspec 3] 3 You have experience; * 1.16 you are rea∣dy to say as Gideon, what signe dost thou give me? stil the heart cryeth for securi∣ty, and is hardly satisfied: have you not signes? what is the word but a sign of his favour? what is the Sacrament but a signe and seale of his love? what is the grace you have but a signe, and ear∣nest of his love? What are all the

Saints but signes, a cloud of witnesses? Esay 43.10, 12. Chap. 44. 8.* 1.17 How many cripples have you seen walking and leaping? how many sick healed? how many dead raised? and why doe you thinke he should be harder to you then to all? what thinke you that hee hath some speciall quarrell to you? are you alone, and have you none like you in sin? what if it were so, yet is not all the sins of all the Saints more then yours? cannot he pardon thy personall debt that hath sealed a discharge to so many thousands? it matters not how much thou owest, a mountaine is as easi∣ly covered in the sea as a mole-hill.

Have not you your selves experience?* 1.18 bethinke your selves, have you not of∣ten been refreshed by his hand? did you never finde your bones out, and your soul sick till now? and who help∣ed you? when you came grovelling in the dust, with your backs bowing under pressures, did he not lift up thy soule with a renewed strength? when you came with yokes upon your necks, irons on your hands, and feete like poore

captived slaves, did he not heare you when you cryed? when you had but a little roome to peep at, and could out of a close, stinking, dark dungeon see but little of heaven, when your soules were almost among the dead, and you had but so much life, as to cry Lord help me, did he not help? Nay, how often unsought hath he come to you? When Pharoah and his taskmasters made your soules to serve, you did not send up the groanes and cries that Israel did, yet hee came and led you out, not into the wil∣dernesse, but unto Canaan, and gave you liberty, peace, and the good things of the land, when you had run in a sort out of all; you came not as the Prodigall to his father, but he came to you, and renewed your stock, and filled your be∣calmed soules with fresh gales of grace; And now after all this, when hee hath been such a friend, so faithfull, such a father, so mercifull, will you say there is no hope? No, rather say, if new tentations arise, and new lusts that break in and spoile, say as David, The Lord that delivered me out of the pawe of the

Lion, and out of the pawe of the Beare, hee will deliver me out of the hand of this Phi∣listim. 1 Sam. 17.37. and as the Apo∣stle, We had the sentenceg 1.19 of death in our selves, that we should not trust in our selves, but in God which raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver us, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver ush 1.20. 2 Cor. 1.9, 10.

Notes

• * 1.1

  •• Debet a∣mor laesus irasci. Qui rogante•••••• 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.2

  1. Motive. It is possi∣ble to re∣cover.
• a 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Soph. in Antig.
• * 1.4

  Because such have power to seeke it.
• b 1.5

  Vivere est agere. Sen. at hoc re∣prehendit Scalig. de subtilit. ex∣ercit. 102.5.
• * 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• c 1.7

  Bene re∣sponsum fuit Rustico Her cusem invo∣canti, cum in limo haere∣bat plau∣strum, ma∣num ro••ae admove, bo∣ves stimula, sic Deos in∣voca. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. apud Suid.
• * 1.8

  Are capa∣ble of re∣viving.
• d 1.9

  Quidui ac cedere pos∣sit a quo r••cedere potuit? Bern: in Cant. Sermon. 82.
• e 1.10

  Aptius multo, est sub••••ctum om••e od recipiendum influxum Deisemel, praehabitum, ••uam eum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 semper caruit ut titio recens ex••inctus, & adbuc sumigans apt. or est ad 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mam. Mau. Ben. Isc. de resurr. li. 1.c. 4.
• * 1.11

  There is incourage∣ment in this case.
• * 1.12

  Their life is from Christ, and deare to him.
• f 1.13

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.14

  There is a promise to such as seeke.
• f 1.15

  Verba cu∣pressis simi∣lia, dici so∣let de pro∣missis speci∣osis quidem, sed f ••llenti∣bus. apud Caelium. l. 25. c. 2.
• * 1.16

  Experi∣ence.
• * 1.17

  Others.
• * 1.18

  Your own.
• g 1.19

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• h 1.20

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Lubin. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 l. 1.