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Show 'luite contrary, refufing all comfort; an<l being almoll wnhout hope, who on rhe fuddcn have had thefe cloqds v aui01ed, and been a' fi•D of comfort, as before of fear: but prefently after Goc! hath ren; ovcd rhem to himfdf, only giving them a glimpfe of glory before their death, but God is, not to be tacked in his ways. I dare not limit God, by laying, thus he !hall or will do by every truly believing Soul. 2. This may happen in cafe of fame great dtgree of dejertiou. Defertion or Gods for{ak,jng a true believing Soul is never total, (rio more than we fay the Eclipfe of the Sun is) but as the Su~> is vorioufly Eclipfed as to degrees; fa there are various degrees as well as various caufes of Divine defection : Now though as I fhall in the fequele of this difcourfe !hew you, There may be fo r emi(s a degree of a Divine defertion, as the Soul may wreflle with by the Hrengrh of its faith, and yet fay, my Beloved is mille, and I am hif ; yet there may be fame fuch degrees, though ir harh a right to fay fo, ( for every true believer hath fuch a right ; yet it cannot be, and this mullnece!farily be where God fo far hideth · _himfdf from a So"!, that it cannot live, in the view of its own finceriry, nor be perfwaded of the truth of its own Sanctification ; which that it fometimes happeneth,is evident to every experienced Chrillian; and thefe degrees of defertions do happen molt ordina• rily afrer the rdapfe of a Chrifiian into fame eminent fin, Some Di· vines que Ilion wbether David ever attained to that degree of peace which he had, before his great failings in the matter ol Vria!J and BatiJfoeba.It is moll certain, that it is a peculiar _gift ofGod to a Soul, To fee the tbinzt freely given to it of Go~, O! fllrOJI![,Ht in it by God,and it is as certain, that it is fuch a gift of God, as is not abfolutely neceffary to the S•lvation of a Soul; and being not fo, it is confillent enough both with the truth and jullice of God, to deny unto the Soul filCh a view and ref/ellion upon it felf; and ifit wants that,it is iR'lpollible(though yet the Soul may be its Be/ovedt; and its Belov. cd be her's,yet) that fhe thould fay,My Beloved if mine and I am his. Thirdly, it may and doth happen oftentimes in an ho11r of violent temptations. That Satan hath a natural power to make imprelli· OJJS upon our Spirits, either more immediately or. mediately, cannot be denied ; nor that God in wifdom, and jullice doth fametimes give unto him a commiilion much like that he had againil ·Job, Behold he if in thine hand, only tne eternal Salvation of his Soul thou thalt not hinder : fuch a commillion bting granted, t~e Deftl Devil will not be wanting .in his part, to fugge!l: (and that importunately ) black and dark thoughts unto it ; That it is no eltcr ve!fel, no redeemed one, that it is an hypocrite, and all which it hath done and doth do, is but hypocrify. Now befides that in fuch a caf;it is very nice and difficult for the Sou,l todifli~guilb this fuggeflion ofits.adverfary, from thec?~dcmnatto? of?•s own heart 1 as ig matters of calumny the polttiClans maxtme IS true, Fortitrr c~fiimniare et aliq11id adh«rebit; he rhat receives many and importunate calut~nies of others, ( though falfe) will bdi~ve fomething of them : So it is here. It is hard f~ r a Soul dunng filCh an hollt of temptation, to receive fuch inceffant and importunate fuggcfiions and Imprellions, but it will believe, or at leal\ llrongly fear fomething of them: Hence the truth of the fir!l: conclufion appeareth; That every truly believing Soul is not able to foy this, particularly Souls under mela~choli~\ di/femeerr, und~r ' bigb defertionr, under-g_reat ttmpu.ti~nl, can ha~dly fay It: and m regard that it is po!hble a Chrt!l:tan may dte under fame of thefe, 1 added, yea may go to his grave not being able to fay fo. 455 4· 1 might have added a fourth. 'Tit 01ot ordinary for young btginnm ill the w•ys nf God prrfently to {ay it. There tr.ufi ?e a , well-grown faith to reflect a!f~rance, and though often God gtves fame glimpfcs of joy and con;fort to young Chriflians,,yet ufually 'ts Rara bora brtvif mora. I mtght thew you the exceedtng reafonablenefs of t'his many ways, but it is not my proper difcourfe . here. I proceed therefore to a fecond Concluficn. That the fame beliwing Soul hatb not at aU times a P?"'." to {ayfo. 3, Cond. This is fa evident .from. the d~ly expe_rience of Chnfitans, that I fhould but abufe your patience to in large in the proof of it; though it might be abundantly juflified to you from the Scriptural examples at David, of]db, nf Heman, &c. and the Prophet ,If: 50. t".. · plainly fuppofeth one [Mring the Lord, and obeymg the vosu :f lm Strvant; yet jilting iN dar}l,He{i and feeing no light; and upon vtew of what I faid before, if you can fuppofe a Soul that hath once had afiurance, and after fell into fuch melancholick diflempers, or un· der a divine defertion, or under fame high and emtnent temptations, which certainly may be fuppofed, and hath been cxpen enced in 1he e1fc of very m1ny Chril1ians, thi s can remam a doubt to no SouL Befides th1t though God by his covenant b: obl1ged no( to tak away his holy Splrit from hi; S1ints, not to ddl'ofve the |
