me, when I cannot love him? Is not God's love seconded with our love to him, as the genuine reflection of his lovely rays? 1 John iv. 19. Answ. 1. You must distinguish betwixt the direct and the reflex actings of grace. It is one thing to exercise grace, another to know that this is indeed the genuine exercise of sincere grace: the grace of love may be hid in the Christian's heart, as well as God's favour hid under a cloud. Spiritual life may be hid, Col. iii. 3, even from the Christian's own view, as well as from others' discovery; desertions, temptations, and corruptions may darken and damp a pious soul's evidences of grace. 2. But look again and rake up the ashes, and see if thou canst not find some spark of love; feel thy pulse again, and feel it steadily, and see if it beat not truly, though faintly; thou wouldst lie still as a stone, if the the cords of love did not draw thee; thou wouldst be as dead as a corpse, if the sun of God's favour did not quicken thee. What? is not God's love shed abroad in thy heart? canst thou not love him, though absent, though unseen?† But I shall wave this, as having spoken to it before. Other objections might be mentioned, (as indeed there is no end of a doubting soul's querulous complaints, when Satan raiseth hard thoughts of God in us) such as this: if God hath any favour for me, why doth he not take off this affliction, or bestow upon me this or that good which I want? I answer, it is because his favour is towards thee; God may deny a mercy to some in favour, and give a mercy to others in wrath; affliction is adopted to be a covenant mercy, Psalm lxxxix. 32. But God may give wicked men their own desire, Psalm lxxviii. 29; and mingle that + 1 Pet. i. 8. * Rom. v. 5. gift with wrath, verse 31. The Father knows what is good for the child better than the child himself, and if he give in favour, he will give every good thing, Psalm lxxxiv. 11. A man in a fever would have strong drink, which would increase his disease, but his attendant is wise: God is a faithful keeper, a merciful preserver; it is a favour that God will rather deny than gratify our fond desires in some things; he often doth us good against our wills. O but, saith the soul, if God favour me, why doth he suffer me to be harassed with such violent temptations and raging corruptions? I answer, it is neither want of power or love in God towards his children, but for wise ends, even to make them humble and selfdenying, and to lead them to see a daily need of recourse to Christ, to induce them to maintain grace in lively exercise, to animate them to keep up spiritual warfare, and finally to make the conquest more glorious, death more desirable, and heaven more welcome. 2. Cases of conscience are such as these : Query, Doth not faith consist in the assurance of God's favour? I have heard some say so, and if so, I have no faith. Answ. That is a mistake: assurance of God's favour is not of the essence, but a blessed effect of faith; hence it is called the assurance of faith, Heb. x. 22. There may be sincere faith without it, as many Scripture instances demonstrate: Psalm xxii. 1. lxxxviii. 1, 14. Isa. 1. 10. Sealing comes after believing, Eph. i. 13; for faith consists in an assent of the mind to gospel revelations, and a consent of the will to take Christ upon his own terms, as he is held forth in the gospel, 1 Tim. i. 15. John i. 12.. Qu. But how can a soul exercise faith on God, that wants assurance of God's favour? what ground hath he for faith? Answ. We may exercise faith without a particular assurance Job xiii. 15. Psalm xiii. 1, 5. cxliii. 7, 8. So the woman of Canaan did, Matt. xv. 22-28. Because the ground of faith is not providences, but promises; not sense and feeling of God's special love at present, but secret confidence built upon a revelation of God's power and willingness to save, and his gracious conduct towards others so that a person knowing his misery and necessity, and understanding God's mercy and faithfulness, ventures himself on God in the way of believing. Qu. What may be the reason why the Lord sometimes withdraws the sense of his favour from his children? Answ. God hath many wise and gracious ends in this dispensation. A skilful physician gives vomits and purgatives, to work out bad humours, and to create a more healthful constitution of body: God's children oft grow careless and irregular, and provoke God to withdraw the sense of his love and favour, in consequence of which he inflicts this darkness as their punishment. This was David's case here, God punished his carnal confidence by withdrawment, Psalm XXX. 7; so Isa. lvii. 17. I might mention many gracious purposes that God hath in hiding his face, for promoting the good of his children, as, 1. To awaken them out of drowsiness and security, Cant. v. 3, 4. 2. To humble their hearts, and prevent pride, 2 Cor. xii. 7. 3. To prepare them for comfort, 2 Cor. i. 5. In nature God works by contraries, so in grace he brings to heaven by the confines of hell. 4. To wean their hearts from the world, to which they are too much attached, Psalm cxix. 36. Letters and tokens of love are oft intercepted, that we may love and long more for home. 5. To raise their hearts to a higher esteem of God's favour, quickening their diligence in seeking him, promoting their care and endeavour to hold him fast, Cant. iii. 1-5. 6. That after these sad shakings, their hearts may be more fully settled and established upon better grounds, 1 Pet. v. 10. 7. To teach them to pity, pray for, and relieve others in such a state of desertion, Heb. ii. 17, 18. Another case of conscience is, whether assurance of God's favour can be attained, and in what way? Answ. This is a grave and extensive subject, I can but advert to it. There is no question but assurance of God's favour is attainable, and it is a fault in those that think it is presumption to desire or seek for it. It is commanded, 2 Pet. i. 10. It is promised, Ezek. xxxiv. 30. John xiv. 21. It hath been attained, Rom. viii. 15, 16. 1 John iv. 16. The way to obtain it is not peculiar or restricted to some individuals, but common to all believers in all ages; for it is inferred by a practical syllogism, thus: He that sincerely believes, repents, and loves God, is in God's favour; but, saith the soul, I sincerely believe, repent, and love God, therefore I am in God's favour. The major is a Scripture assertion, therefore an infallible truth: John iii. 15. Acts iii. 19. 1 John iii. 14, 18, 19. The minor is a Christian's own experience, the workings of grace in his heart: 2 Cor. iii. 17. Heb. x. 34. The consequence is very clearly drawn from the premises; make out these, and the conclusion will follow evidently; therefore I am in God's favour, and shall be saved. Qu. Why then do so few attain assurance of God's favour? Answ. It is difficult though possible, and few will be at the pains to use God's appointed means, or stay God's leisure for obtaining assurance; many are ignorant, and know not how to set about self-trial; others melancholy, and are not able to distinguish aright, or to make rational deductions; many blur their evidences by sinning; others have a defect of faith, or too much prevalence of unbelief in their hearts, are surprised with slavish fears and jealousies, and are apt to think it is too good news to be true; others give way to the world, which interposeth between the sun of God's favour and their souls; Satan buffets some with sad temptations, and God leaves others under desertion for gracious ends. For we must (with most Divines) distinguish betwixt a Christian's gradual assurance of God's favour, which is upon a discovery of gracious habits in the soul and actings of grace, and that which is intuitive, that is, which flows from the more immediate shinings of God's face, or sealings of his Spirit, wherein God as a free agent vouchsafes or suspends these tokens of love, as he sees good; and though it be a truth that God must shine upon the graces of his Spirit in our hearts, or we cannot have assurance of his favour, yet usually the reason of our want of assurance is our own negligence, not using or carelessly using the means for attaining thereof. If you ask me, what are the ordinary means that a Christian must use for obtaining assurance of God's favour, I shall but mention four. 1. Diligent attendance upon God's ordinances, and looking up to God in all his appointments, such as hearing the word, Psal. lxxxix. 15; religious conference, Cant. iii. 3. 1 Thess. v. 14; earnest prayer, John xvi. |