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. III. Foure other considerations about de∣sertions.

HAving premised these things in the generall, I shall now come to the specialls, to speake of these desertion

in their severall kindes, and first as they befall the godly.

Desertions as they befall the godly are of two sorts.

Withdraw∣ing of

• 1 Influence of grace.
• 2 Of comfort.
  • 1 Inward.
  • 2 Outward.

For all the complaints which the Saints doe make of Gods hiding and withdrawing himselfe, arise from one of these three grounds, or all.

• [unspec 1] 1. That God doth not carry on their spirituall life, as he was wont.
• 2. That he gives not that peace, joy, comfort, assurance as he was wont.
• 3. That he brings them into out∣ward straits, and doth not deliver them.

Before I come to speake directly, and particularly of these, I will propose foure briefe observations about them.

1. That a man may misse much of Gods externall presence in the sweet and comfortable way of his providence, providing, protecting, and ordering all occurrents to contentment, yet may enjoy inward communion with him, his

soule may be most abundantly anima∣ted, and quickned with the Spirit, when he hath most discouragements without: yea, God is wont when he gives least in the world, to give most of himselfe; and his people seldome have much of the fatnesse below, and of the springs a∣bove at once, as the sunne and the stars appeare not together. But when hee shuts up all doores of hope, and helpe in the world, then he sets open the doores of heaven. So Saint Stephen, when hee saw nothing but death in the world, Then saw heaven opened, and Christ sit∣ting at the right hand of God, Acts 7. Such mercy found Iacob, when he was a poore pilgrim in a strange land, then he saw that heavenly ladder, and the An∣gels ascending and descending as a pledge of Gods care, and their readinesse for his good, Gen. 28.12. The abundance of the spirit both of grace and peace, is usually powred forth in a day of sor∣row, as when the dough which the Israelites brought from Egypt was spent, God gave them bread from heaven.

And there are 2. causes of it. [unspec 1] 1. Gods ten∣der love, w^ch is such, that he will not add affliction to his peoples sorrow. When therfore he is pleased in his wisdome to put a cup of affliction into their hands, he is wont to give them also the cup of consolation; when he casts them into outward straits, he doth recompence it with inward inlargements. The Church never had such full predictions of Christ, and precious promises of great mercy, as when the most dreadfull evils hung over her head, as appeares in the prophecies of all the Prophets; And the faithfull usually finde their worst dayes, their best dayes, and when they meet with troubles, they find most peace. This the Apostle witnesseth, As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ, 2 Cor. 1.4. And though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by dayg, 2 Cor. 4.16.

[unspec 2] 2. The capacity of the soul is widened, and enlarged in affliction; heavenly communion with God is sweetest in an evill day, and the soul longs after God,

that in him it may finde all supplyed, which it wants in the world. Now the more God stirs up desires of himselfe, the more the soule is prepared to com∣munion with him, and the more it hath of him, the hungry man eats most, and hee that is most athirst, drinks most. When the life of nature, and sense is cut off, the soule seekes a life in God, and is much in all endeavours of injoying God; now she seekes him in prayer, she enquires for him in the word, and by all meanes reacheth hard after him. So David, when he was in the wildernesse, panted and breathed after God, hee prayeth, hee cryeth, his thoughts are with God all the day, yea in the night he meditates upon him, and (saith he) My soule followed hard after thee, Psal. 63.8.

2. [unspec 2] One may want inward comfort, yet not be deserted in respect of the influence of grace; the tenure of grace and peace is not the same; a man may lose the sence of grace, and yet retaine the life of it. Though he be more happy that hath grace and peace, yet hee may be as holy

that hath grace without peace: yea and as the clouded summers sunne yeelds more comfort to the earth than a bright shining winters sunne; so when the soul is most clouded, it may be most quickned; when the light of Gods favour is hid, the quickning heat of the spirit may most abound.

[unspec 3] 3. He that loseth Gods quickning pre∣sence, loseth also his comforting presence. Though a man may have grace, living and stirring without peace, yet he cannot have peace, without the life of Grace. Peace and Comfort are fruits of the sanctifying Spirit, and as there may be a root without fruit, but there cannot be fruit without the root; so though there may be the spirit quickning and sanctifying without comfort, yet there cannot be true comfort without the quickning spirit.

One of these two evils befall a man from whom God is departed,g and to whom the workings of the power of God is denyed.

Either he falls into a spirituall lethan∣gie, being as one asleepe, whose spirits

and senses are bound up, so that he is in a shadow of death, neither hearing, nor seeing, nor tasting the things of God, and so is bereft of all spirituall joy and comfort. When a man is in a state of deadnesse, hee is dead to all things that are spirituall, and they also are as dead things to him. The promises that are fountaines of life to a living man, are as dry and empty cisternes unto him: yea Christ, and heaven, and the love of God, though they are the food, the strength, the life of a man in a health∣full state, are to the languishing soule, as meat to a sick stomack: the glorious things of the Gospell are to him as a withered flower, or as a sealed book, he hath no use of them.

[unspec 2] 2. Or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 spirituall frenzy: In the day of estrangednesse of God, a man is often much disquieted; now the remem∣brance of his former blessed dayes tor∣ments his soule with griefe, and the feares of utter Apostacie, and irreco∣verable declination from God, doe vexe it with feares and horrors, yea Conscience may pronounce sad judge∣ment

upon him, and he may conclude himselfe an hypocrite, and Apostate, and one under wrath: so that either through insensiblenesse, or unquietnesse of spirit, hee that hath not his former vivacity and vigour of grace, cannot have com∣fort in such a state.

4. All these may possibly befall a man at once: hee may have outward straits, and inward troubles at once, and this is the lowest pitch of misery that a belee∣ver can fall into.

Notes

• A man may want Gods gra∣cious pre∣sence in outward things, yet enjoy his internall presence in the soule: yea often there is most of God with∣in, when least with∣out.
• 2 Cor. 1.4, 5.
• Because Gods love is such, that he wil not adde sorrow to sorrow.
• g

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, die, & die, ut Tertul. le∣git in li. de resur. carn. i. e. quotidie. Vid. Esti. com. in lo.
• The capa∣city of the soule is in∣larged in affliction.
• One may want the comfort∣ing pre∣sence of God, yet have the quickning presence.
• The com∣forting presence is never without the quick∣ning pre∣sence.
• He that wāts Gods quickning presence, is either in a lethargie,
• g

  Aut furit aut patitur mirum gra∣vitate sopo∣rem. Ovid. met. 15.
• Or in a phrenzie.
• It is possi∣ble to be deserted of outward & inward gracious presence in a great measure.