The soul's conflict with itself and victory over itself by faith

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. [ # a

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Preface

Christian Reader^

TFhERB are two sorts of people always in the visible church 5 one whom Satan keeps under with false peace, whose life is nothing but a diversion to present contentments, and a running away from God and their own hearts, which they know speak nothing good unto them: these speak peace to themselves, but God speaks none. Such have nothing to do with this scripture : the way for these men to enjoy comfort, is to be soundly troubled. True peace arises from knowing the worst first, and then our freedom from it. It is a miserable peace that ariseth from ignorance of evil. The angel troubled the waters, John v. 4. and then cured those who stept in. It is Christ's manner to trouble our souls first, and then to come with healing in his wings.

But there is another sort of people, who being drawn out of Satan's kingdom, and within the covenant of grace, whom Satan labours to unsettle and disquiet : being the god of the world, he is vexed to see men in the world, walk above the world. Since he cannot hinder their estate, he will trouble their peace, damp their spirits, and cut asunder the sinews of all their endeavours. These should take themselves to task, as David doth here, and labour to maintain their portion, and the glorv of a Christian profession. For, whatsoever is in God, or comes from him, is for their comfort. He himself is the God of comfort ; his Spirit most known by that office Our blessed Saviour was so careful that his disciples should not be too much dejected, that he forgot his own bitter passion to comfort them, whom yet he knew would all forsake him ;

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Let not your hearts be troubled, saith he. And his own soul was troubled to death, that we might not be troubled : Whatsoever is written is written for this end. Every article of faith hath a special influence in comforting a believing soul. , They are not only food, but cordials 5 yea, he put himself to his oath, that we might not only have consolation, but strong consolation. The sacraments seal unto us all the comforts we have by the death of Christ ; the exercises of religion, as prayer, hearing, reading, &c. is that our joy may be full. The communion of saints is chiefly ordained to comfort the feeble minded, and to strengthen the weak. God's government of his church tends to this also.

Why doth the Lord sweeten our pilgrimage, and let us see so many comfortable days in the world, but that we should serve him with cheerful and good hearts? As for crosses, he doth but cast us down, to raise us up, and empty us, that he may fill us ; and melt us, that we may be vessels of glory : loving us as well in the furnace, as when we are out ; and standing by us all the while. We are troubled, but not distressed ; .perplexed, but not in despair ; persecuted, but not forsaken, 2 Cor. iv. 8. If we consider from what fatherly love afflictions come ; how they are not only moderated, but sweetened and sanctified in the issue to us, how can it but minister matter of comfort in the greatest discomforts ? How then can we let the reins of affection loose to sorrow, without being injurious to God and his providence, as if we would teach him how to govern his church ? .

What unthankfulness is it to forget our consolation, and to look only upon matter of grievance ? to thinkso much upon two or three crosses, as to forget an hundred blessings I to suck poison out of that from which we should extract honey : What folly is it U straiten and darken our own spirits, and indispose purselves for doing or taking good ? A limb out of joint can do nothing without deformity and pain ; dejection takes off the wheels of the soul.

Of all others, Satan hath most advantage of discontented persons, as most agreeable to his disposition, being the most discontented creature under heaven

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he hammers all his dark plots into their brains. The discontentment of the Israelites in the wilderness, provoked the Lord to swear, that they should not enter into his rest, Psal. xcv. II- There is another spirtt in my servant Caleb, saith God. The spirit of the Lord's people is an encouraging spirit. Wisdom teaches them, if they feel any grievances, to conceal them from others that are weaker, lest they be disheartened. God threatens it as a curse to give a trembling heart 3 and sorrow of mind, Deut. xxviii. 65. whereas, on the contrary, joy is the oil of the souls it makes duties come off cheerfully and sweetly ^ from ourselves, graciously to others, and acceptably to God. A prince cannot endure it in his subjects, nor a father in his children, to be lowering at their presence. Such usually have stolen waters to delight themselves in.

How many are there that, upon the disgrace which follows religion, are frighted from it ? But what are the seeming discouragements, to the real encouragements religion brings with it ? which are such as the very angels themselves admire at. Religion,^ indeed, brings some crosses along with it ; but then it brings comforts above these crosses. What a dishonour is it to religion to conceive, that God will not maintain and honour his followers ? as if his service were not the best service. What a shame is it for an heir of heaven to be cast down for every petty loss and cross > to be afraid of a man whose breath is in his nostrils, in not standing to a good cause, when we are sure God will stand by us assisting and comforting us, whose presence is able to make the greatest comforts sweet ?

My discourse tends not to take off from all grief and mourning ; Light for the righteous is sown in sorrow. Our state of absence from the Lord, and living here in a valley of tears, our daily infirmities, and our sympathy with others, require it : and where most grace is, there is most sensibieness, as in Christ* But we must distinguish between grief, and that sullenness and dejection of spirit, which is attended with a repining and taking off from duty. When Joshua was over much cast down at Israel's turning their

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backs before their enemies, God reproves him ; Get thee up, Joshua; why liest thou upon thy face? Josh. vii. 10.

Some would have men, after the committing of gross sins, to be presently comfortable, and believe without humbling themselves at all : indeed, when we are once in Christ, we ought aot to question our state in him y and if we do, it comes not from the Spirit : but yet a guilty conscience will be clamorous^ and full of objections 5 and God will not speak peace unto it till once it be humbled. The Lord will let his best children know what it is to be too bold with sin, as we see in David and Peter, who felt no peace till they had renewed their repentance. The way to rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious, is to stir up sighs that cannot be uttered. And it is so far, that the knowledge of our state in grace should not humble us, that very ingenuity, considering God's love to us, out of the nature of the thing itself, works sorrow and shame in us to offend his holy Majesty. _ _

One main s^op that hinders Christians from rejoicing, is, that they give themselves too much liberty to^question their grounds of comfort, and interest in the promises. This is wonderfully comfortable, say they ; but what is it to me, the promise is not to me. This ariseth from want of giving all diligence to make their calling sure to themselves. In watchfulness and diligence we sooner meet with comfort than in idle complaining Our care therefore ought to be to get sound evidences of a good estate, and then likewise to keep our evidences clear: wherein we are not to hearken to our own fears and doubts, or the suggestion of our enemy, who studies to falsify our evidences; but to the word, and our own consciences, enlightened bv the Spirit I and then it is pride and petlishness to stand out against comfort to^ themselves. Christians should siudy to corroborate their title : we are never more in heaven, before we come thither, than when we can read our evidences. It makes us converse much with God ; it sweetens all conditions, and makes us willing to do and suffer any thing. It makes us have comfcmble and honourable thoughts of ourselves, m

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too good for the service of any base lust ; and bring? confidence in God both in life, and at death.

But what if our condition be so dark, that we cannot read our evidence at all ?

In this case, look up to God's infinite mercy in Christ, as we did at the first, when we found no goodness in ourselves : and that is the way to recover whatever we think we have lost. By honouring God's mercy in Christ, we come to have the Spirit of Cbrist : therefore, when the waters of sanctification are troubled and muddy, let us run to the witness of blood, God seems to walk sometimes contrary to himself 5 he seems to discourage, when secretly he doth encourage, as in the case of the woman of Canaan : but faith can find out these ways of God, and untie these knots, by looking to the free promise and merciful nature of God. Let sottish. and rebellious flesh murmur as much as it will who art thou ? and what is thy worth ? Yet a Christian knows whom he believes. Faith hath learned to set God against all.

Again, we must go on to add grace to grace. A growing and fruitful Christian, is always a comfortable one : the oil of grace brings forth the oil of gladness. Christ is first King of Righteousness, and then a King of Peace, Heb. viL 2. The righteousness that he works by his Spirit brings a peace of sanctification ; whereby, though we are not freed from sin, yet we are enabled to combat with It, and to get the victory over it. Some degree of comfort follows every good action ; as heat accompanies fire, and as beams and influences issue from the sun : which is so true, that even the very heathens, upon the discharge of a good conscience, have comfort and peace answerable : this is prcemium ante prcemium ; a reward before our reward.

Another thing which hinders the comfort of Christians, is, that they forget what a gracious and merciful covenant thev live under, wherein the perfection that is required is to be found in Christ. Perfection in us* is sincerity : what is the end of faith, but to bring us to Christ? Now, imperfect faith, if sincere, knits to Christ, in whom our perfection lies.

God's design, in the covenant of grace, is to exalt a 5

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the riches of his mercy above all sin and un worthiness of man : and we yield him more glory of his mercy, by believing, than it would be to his justice to destroy us. If we were perfect in ourselves, we should not honour him so much, as when we labour to be found . in Christ, having his righteousness upon us.

There is no one portion of scripture oftener used to revive and comfort drooping and disconsolate spirits, than this, IVhy art thou cast down, O my soul ; It is figurative, and full of rhetoric ; and all little enough to persuade the perplexed soul quietly to trust in God 3 which, without this retiring into ourselves, and checking our hearts, will never be brought to pass. Chrysostom, in one of his Homilies, brings in a man loaden with troubles, coming into the church, where, when he heard this passage read, he presently recovered himself and becomes another man. As David therefore did acquaint himself with this form of dealing with his soul 5 so let us demand a reason of ourselves, ivhy we are cast down ; which will at least check and put a stop to the distress, and make us fit to consider more solid grounds of true com tort.

Of necessity the soul must be something calmed and staid before it can be comforted. Whilst the humours of the body rage, in a great distemper, there is nc giving of physic : so, when the soul gives way to passion, it is unfit to entertain any counsel % and therefore it must be stilled by degrees, that it may hear reason : and sometimes it is fitter to be moved by ordinary reason, as being more familiar unto it, than with higher reasons brought from our supernatural condition in Christ, as from the condition of man's nature, subject to changes, from the uncomliness of yielding to passion, for that which is not in our power to mend, &c. These, and such like reasons, have some use to stay the fit for awhile, but they leave the core untouched, which is sin, the trouble of all troubles Yet, when such considerations are made spiritual by faith, on higher grounds, they have some operation upon the soul ; as the influence of the moon, having the stronger influence of the sun mingled with it, becomes more effectual upon these inferior bodies.

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A candle-light, being ready at hand A is sometimes as useful as the sun itself.

But our main care should be to have evangelical grounds of comfort near us 5 as reconciliation with God, by which all things else are reconciled to us 5 such as, adoption, communion with God, &c. which is never sweeter than under the cross. Phiiip, Landgrave of Hesse, being a long time prisoner under Charles the fifth, was demanded, what upheld him all that time ? who answered, 66 That he felt the divine comforts of the martyrs." There be divine comforts which are felt under the cross, and not at other times*

Besides personal troubles, there are many much dejected with the present state of the church, seeing the blood of so many saints to be shed, and the enemies oft to prevail : but God hath stratagems, as Joshua at Ay ; he seems sometimes to retire that he may come upon his foes with the greater advantage. The end of all these troubles will, no doubt, be the ruin of the antichiistian faction \ and we shall see the church in her more perfect beauty, when the enemies shall be in that place which is fittest for them, the lowest , that is, the footstool of Christ. The church, as it is the highest in the favour of God ; so it shall be highest in itself : The mountain of eke Lord shall be exalted above all mountains. In the worst condition, the church hath two faces 5 one towards heaven and Christ, which is always constant and glorious : another toward the world, which is in appearance contemptible and changeable. But the Lord will in the end give her beauty for ashes, and glory double to her shame ; and she shall in the issue prevail : in the mean time, the power of the enemies is in God's hand. The church of God conquers, when it is conquered : even as our glorious head Christ did, who overcame by patience, as well as by power. Christ's victory was upon the cross. The spirit of a Christian conquers, when h\s person is conquered.

When this is the case, the way is, instead of discouragement, to search all the promises made to the church, in these latter times, and to turn them into

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prayers ; and press God earnestly for the performance of therm Then we shall soon find the Lord both cursing his enemies, and blessing his people out of Zion, by the faithful prayers which ascend up from thence. . ,

In ail the promises we should have special recourse to God in tlteni In all storms there is sea-room, enough in the infinite goodness of God, for faith to be carried with full sail.

Amd it must be remembered, that m all places where. God is mentioned, we are to understand God in the promised Messiah, typified out so many ways unto us. And to put the more vigour into such places in the reading of them, we. in this latter age ot the church, must think of God shining upon us m the fitee of Christ, and^ur Father in 1mm If they had so much confidence in so little light, it is a shame tor us • not to be confident in good things, when so strong a 'fight shines round about us ; especially when _we profess we believe, that a crown of righteousness is laid up for all those mho hue his appearing. Presenting these tmro-5 to the soul bv faith, setteth the soul in such a Dttch of resolution, that no discouragements are able to seize upon it. We faint not, saith St Paul : wherefore doth he not fain* I Because these light and short affile- Urns procure an exceeding weight of glory.

Luther when he saw Melancthon, a godly ana learned man, too much dejected for the state of the church in those times, falls a chiding mm, as David doth here his own soul. " I strongly bate those ■ miserable cares, saith lie, whereby thou writest ihou art even spent. It is not the greatness of the cause, . but the greatness of our incredulity. It the cause be false let us revoke it. if true, why do we make^Goct, in his rich promises, a liar ? Strive against thyself, tue greatest enemy ; why do we fear the conquered world, who have the Conqueror himself on our side ?"

Now to speak something concerning the puhusn;. in* of (his Treatise I began to preach on the text about twelve years since in the city ; ana afterwards finished the same at Gray's-Inm Alter which, some having gotten imperfect notes, endeavoured to publisa

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Xllt them, without my consent. Therefore, to do myself justice, I thought fit to reduce them to this form. There is a pious and studious gentleman of GrayVInn, who hath of late published observations upon the whole psalm ; and another upon this very verse, to excellent purpose : and many others, by treatises of faith and such like, have furthered the spiritual peace of Christians very much. — It were to be wished, that we would all join to do that which the apostle gloried in, to be helpers of the joy rf God's people, 2 Cor i. 24. ^

'By reason of my absence, while the work was in printing, some sentences were mistaken. Some will be ready to deprave the labours of other men ; but, so good may be done, let such ill-disposed persons be what they are, and what they will be, unless God turn their hearts : and so, Christian Reader, I commend thee, and this poor Treatise, to the blessing of God a

Gray's-Inn, R. SIBBES,

ON THE

WORK OF MY LEARNED FRIEND

DR. SIBBES.

FOOL that I was ! to think my easy pen

Had strength enough to glorify the fame

Of this known author, this rare man of men :

Or give the least advantage to his name.

Who think by praise to make his name more bright Shew the sun's glory by dull candle-light.

Blest saint! thy hallow'd pages do require No slight preferment from our slender lays : We stand amaz'd, at what we most admire 5 Ah ! what are saints the better for our praise ? . He that commends this volume does no more Than warm the, fire, or gild the massy ore.

Let me stand silent then. O, may that Spirit, Which led thy hand, direct mine eye, my breast 5 That I may read, and do ; and so inherit ; (What thou enjoy'st, and taught) eternal rest ! Fool that I was ! to think my lines could give Life to that work, by which they hope to live.

FRA. QUARLE&e

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{ xvi i )

EDV. BENIOSiO.

Contents

Chap. m Pa?«

1. General Observations upon the text. 3

2. Of Discouragements from without, 7

CHAP. I. General Observations on the Text

B 2 d

THE SOUL'S CONFLICT WITH ITSELF.

The reason is, because spiritual life hath answerable taste and hunger and thirst after spiritual helps.

We see in nature, that those things press hardest upon it, that touch upon the necessities of nature, rather than those that touch upon delights 3 for these further only our comfortable being: but necessities uphold our being itself. We see how famine wrought upon the patriarchs to go into Egypt.

Whence we may see what to judge of those who willingly excommunicate themselves from the assemblies of God's people, where the Father, Son, and Holj» Ghost are present, where the prayers of holy men meet together in one, and, as it were, bind God, and pull down his blessing. No private devotion has that report of acceptance in heaven.

A third general point is, That a godly soully reason of the life of grace, knc?rs when it is well with it, and when it is ill; when it is a good day with it, arid when a had. When the Lord shines in the use of means, then the soul is,, as it were, in heaven ; when God withdraws himself, then it is in darkness for atime. Where there is but only a principle of nature, without sanctifying grace, there men go plodding on, and keep their rounds, and are at the end what they were at the beginning, not troubled with changes, because there is mthlm Within to be troubled ; and therefore, dead meansf quickening means, or no means, all is one with them : an argument of a dead soul.

We now come more particularly and directly to the words: Why ari thou cast down, 0 my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my ccirntenance, and my god. The words imply, I. David's state and condition. And, 2. They express his carriage in that state.

His state was such, that in regard of outward condition, he was in a variety of troubles 3 and that in regard of inward disposition of spirit, he was first casf %wn, and then disquieted.

Now, for his carriage of himself in this condition and disposition, he dealeth roundly with himself: David reasoneth the case with David 5 and first check-

THE SOUL'S CONFLICT WITH ITSELF.

eth himself for being too much cast doivn, and then for being too much, disquieted.

He then jay eth a charge upon himself to trust in God. Wherein we have the duty which he charge! h upon himself, which is to trust in God: and then the grounds of the duty. First, from confidence of better times to come; which yieldeth him matter of praising God. And then by a representation of God unto him, as a saving God in all troubles j nay, as salvation itself 5 an open glorious Saviour hi the view of all: The salvation of my countenance. And all this enforced from David's interest in God ; He is my God.

Obser. 1 . From the state in which David was, we may hence observe, That since guilt and corruption has been derived by thefall } into the nature of man, it hath been subjected to misery and sorroiv, and that in all conditions; from the king who sitteth on the throne, to him. that grindeth in the mill. None ever have been either so good or so great, as could raise themselves so high as to be above the reach of troubles.

- That choice part of mankind, the first fruits and excellency of the rest, which we call the church, have not been exempted more than others, as appears by consideration both of the head, the body, and the members of the church — As for the head, Christ, he took our flesh, as it was subject to misery after the fall ; arid was, in regard of that which he endured, both in life and death, a man of sorrows.— -As for the body, the Church, it may say, from first to last, as it is Psalm 120, From my youth up they have afflicted me. The church has been, and is foil of sorrows: she began in blood, hath grown up in blood, and shall end in blood, as she was redeemed by blood. — As for the members of the church, they have been, and are full of crosses. -They are all predestinated to a conformity to Christ their head 5 as in grace and glory, so, in abasement, Rom. viii. 29. Neither is it any wonder, for those who are born soldiers to meet with conflicts 5 for travellers to meet with hard usage j. for seamen to meet with storms; for strangers in a foreign country, especially among their enemies, to meet with strange entertainment.

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THE SOUL'S CONFLICT WITH ITSELF.

A Christian is a man of another world, and while here, he is from home, which he would forget (if he were not exercised here) and would take his passage for his country. But though all Christians agree and meet in this, that through many afflictions we must enter into heaven: yet, according to the diversity of place, parts, and grace, there is a different cup measured to every one.

And therefore, it is but a plea of the flesh, to except against the cross 5 Never was poor creature distressed as J dm : this is but self-love; for was it not the case both of head, body, and members, as we see here in David, a principal member, when he was brought to this case, thus to reason the matter with himself. Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul ? and why art thou disquieted within me?

From the fame of David's spirit under these troubles, we may observe, that as the case is thus with all God's people, to be exercised with troubles, so They are sensible of them oftentimes, even to casting down and discouraging. And the reason is, they are flesh and blood, subject to the same passions, and made of the same mould, subject to the same impressions from- without, as other men 5 and their nature is upheld with the same supports and refreshing, as others 5 the withdrawing and want of which affecteth them. And besides, those troubles they suffer in common with other men, by reason of their new advancement,, and their new disposition they have in and from Christ their head, they are more sensible in a peculiar manner of those troubles, than any way touch upon that blessed condition, from a new life they have in and from Christ, which will better appear, if we come more particularly to a discovery of the more special causes of this distemper ; some of which are, 1. Without us. 2. Some within us.

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CHAP. II. Of Discouragements from without

o UTWARD causes of discouragement ariseth first from God himself, who sometimes withdraws the beams of his countenance from his children, whereupon the soul evea of the strongest Christian is disquieted : when, together with the cross, God himself seems to be an enemy unto them. The child of God, when he seeth that his troubles. are mixed with God's displeasure, and perhaps his conscience tells him, that God hath a just quarrel against him, because he hath not renewed his peace with his God, then this anger of God puts a sting, into all other troubles, and adds to the disquiet. There were some ingredients of this divine temptation, as we call it, in holy David at this time : though most properly a divine temptation be, when God appears to us as an enemy, without anyspecial guilt of any particular sin, as in the case of Job,

It is no wonder if Christians be from hence disquieted, when as the Son of God himself having always before enjoyed the sweet communion with his Father, and now feeling an estrangement, that he might be a curse for us, complained in all his torments,, of nothing else, but My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ! Matt, xxvii. 46. It is with the godly in this case, as with vapours drawn up by the sun, which, when the extracting force of the sun leaves them, fall down again to the earth from whence they are drawn. So when the soul, raised up and upheld by the beams of his countenance, is left of God, it presently begins to sink. We seem, when the body of the sun is partly bid from us (for totally it cannot in an eclipse by the body of the moon) that there is a drooping in the whole frame of nature : so it is in the soul, when, there is any thing that comes between God's gracious countenance and it.

Besides, if we look down to inferior causes, the soul is often cast down by Satan^ who is always for casting