Sect. 2. — How the soul is kept from rest in God.
Sect. 2. — How the soul is kept from rest in God.
Oh, how many souls there are in the world who are hindered, if not completely kept from rest in God, because their blind understanding presents to their sensual appetites, varieties of sensual objects!
Is there not many a luxurious person’s soul hindered, if not completely kept from true rest in God, by that beauty which nature has placed in feminine faces, — especially when Satan secretly suggests to such feminine hearts a desire for artificial dressing from head to foot; yes, and sometimes painting their faces, like their mother Jezebel? 2Kng 9.30
And is there not many a voluptuous epicure’s soul hindered, if not completely kept from rest in God, by beholding the colour, and tasting the sweetness of dainty delicate dishes, his wine red in the cup, and his beer of amber colour in the glass? In the Scripture we read of a “certain man who fared deliciously every day,”Luk 16.19 as if there had been only one who was so ill-disposed. But in our times, there are certainly hundreds, both men and women, who not only fare deliciously, but voluptuously, twice every day, if not more.
And is there not many a proud person’s soul hindered, if not completely kept from rest in God, by the harmonious sound of popular praise which, like a loadstone, draws the vain-glorious heart to hunt so much more eagerly for it, to augment the echo of such a vain windy reputation?
And is there not many a covetous person’s soul hindered, if not completely kept from rest in God, by the cry of great abundance, the words of wealth, and the glory of gain?
And is there not many a musical mind hindered, if not completely kept from sweet comfort in God, by the harmony of artificial concord played on musical instruments?
And how many perfumed fools are there in the world who, by smelling their sweet apparel, and their sweet nosegays, are kept from soul-sweetness in Christ?
And thus Satan, like a cunning fisher, baits his hook with a sensual object to catch men. And having gotten it into their jaws, he draws them up and down in sensual contentments, till he has so drowned them in it, that the peace and rest of their souls in God is almost forgotten. Hence most of man’s life, and for many their whole life, is spent in seeking satisfaction for the sensual appetite.
Nom. Indeed, sir, what you have said, we may see truly verified in many men who spend their days about these vanities, and afford no time for religious exercises; not even on the Lord’s day by their good will.
Evan. You speak the truth. Yet let me also tell you that by the power of the natural conscience, a man may be forced to confess that his hopes of happiness are in God alone, and not in these things; yes, and he is forced to forsake profits and pleasures, and all sensual objects, as unable to give his soul any true contentment; and he is forced to fall into performing religious exercises, and to rest there — and yet never come to God for rest! If we consider this [failure], whether in the rude multitude of sensual livers, or in the more seemingly religious, we may perceive that the religious exercises of men strongly deceive, and strangely delude many men about their heart’s happiness in God.
For the FIRST SORT, even though they are those who make their belly their best god, and do not sacrifice except to Bacchus, Apollo, or Venus — and even though their conscience accuses them that these things are nothing — yet because they had the name Christian put on them at their baptism, and because they often repeat the Lord’s prayer, the apostles’ creed, and the Ten Commandments, and because they may have recently accustomed themselves to go to church to hear a divine service and preaching now and then, and because at various times they have received the sacrament, they can only be persuaded that God is well-pleased with them. A man may as well persuade them that they are not men and women, as to persuade them that they are not in a good spiritual condition.
And for the SECOND SORT, who ordinarily have more human wisdom and human learning than the former sort, and seem to be more holy and devout than the former sort of sensual and ignorant people — yet how many there are of this sort, who never pass further than the outward court of bodily performances. They feed and feast themselves like men in a dream. They suppose that they have all things, and yet indeed they have only a bladder-full, or rather a brain-full of wind and worldly conceptions.
Are there not some who give themselves to more special searching, and to seeking knowledge in Scripture-learnedness and clerk-like skill, in this art and that language, till they are able to repeat all the historic places in the Bible; yes, and all those texts of Scripture that they conceive support some private opinion of theirs concerning ceremonies, church-government, or other such circumstantial points of religion; and touching these points, are they not very able to reason and dispute, and put forth such curious questions that are not easily answered?
Are not some of these men called sect-makers, and begetters or devisers of new opinions in religion; especially in the matter of worshipping God, as they used to call it, in which they find a beginning, but rarely an end? For this religious knowledge is so variable through the multiplicity of curious wits and contentious spirits, that the life of man may seem too short to take a full view of this variety. For though all sects say they will be guided by the word of truth, and they all seem to bring Scripture to bear, which indeed is one, just as God is one — yet, because of their several constructions and interpretations of Scripture, and the conceits of their own human wisdom, they are many.
Are there not others of this sort, who are ready to embrace any new way of worship, especially if it comes under the cloak of Scripture-learning, and it has a show of truth founded on the letter of the Bible, and it seems to be more zealous and devout than the former way? Especially if the teacher of that new way can frame a sad and demure countenance, and with feigned grace lift up his head and eyes towards heaven, with some strong groan, in declaring his newly conceived opinion, frequently using the phrase, the glory of God! Oh, then these men, by-and-by, are of another opinion! They suppose that God has made known some further truth to them, because in the blindness of their understanding, they are not able to reach any supernatural truth, even though by literal learning, and clerk-like cunning, they dive ever so deep into the Scriptures, and are therefore ready to entertain any form of religious exercises suggested to them.
Is there not a THIRD SORT, much like these men, who are excessive and mutable in their performance of religious exercises? Surely St. Paul perceived that this was the very God of some men in his time, and therefore he would have Timothy instruct others that “bodily exercise profits little,” or as some read it, “nothing at all;” and sets “godliness” in opposition to it, as something other than “bodily exercise,” and he says that it “is profitable,” etc.
Do you not think that there are some men in our day, who know no other good than bodily exercise, and can hardly distinguish between that and godliness? Now these bodily exercises are mutable and variable, according to their conceits and opinions. For all sects have their several services, as they call them; yet they are all bodily, and for the most part, only bodily. They do these to establish rest for their souls, because they lack rest in God. Hence their peace and rest are up and down, according to their working better or worse. So many chapters must be read, and so many sermons must be heard, and so many times a day they must pray, and so many days in the week or year they must fast, etc., or else their souls can have no rest. But do not mistake me, I pray, in imagining that I speak against doing these things, for I do them all myself. But I speak against resting in doing them, which I do not desire to do.
And thus you see that men’s blind understanding not only presents sensual objects to the sensual appetite, but also rational objects to the rational appetite; so that man’s poor soul is not only kept from rest in God by means of sensuality, but also by means of formality. If Satan cannot keep us from rest in God by feeding our senses with our mother Eve’s apple, then he attempts to do it by blinding our eyes, thus hindering us from seeing the paths of the gospel. If he cannot keep us in Egypt by the flesh-pots of sensuality, then he will make us wander in the wilderness of religious and rational formality: so that if he cannot hinder us more grossly, then he attempts to do it more closely.
Nom. But sir, I am persuaded that there are many men who are so religiously exercised, and who perform duties such as you have mentioned, and yet do not rest in them but in God.
Evan. Without question there are some Christians who look at such exercises as means ordained by God both to beget and increase faith, and all other graces of his Spirit, in the hearts of his people. Therefore, with the intent that their faith, and love, and other graces may increase, they are careful to wait upon God, in taking all convenient opportunities to exercise themselves in this; and yet they have their soul’s rest in God, and not in such exercises.
But, alas! I fear the number of such men is very few in comparison to those who do otherwise. For most men who are religiously exercised in this way, instead conceive that they have offended and displeased God by their former disobedience; and so they must pacify and appease him by their future obedience. Therefore they are careful to exercise themselves in this way of duty, and in that way of worship, and do it all to that end. Indeed, conceiving that they have corrupted, defiled, and polluted themselves by falling into sin, they must also purge, cleanse, and purify themselves by rising out of sin, and walking in new obedience. And so all the good they do, and all the evil they avoid, is meant to pacify God and to appease their own consciences. If they seek rest for their souls this way, why, it is the way of the Covenant of Works, where they will never be able to reach God. No, it is the way to come to God apart from Christ, whereby they will never be able to come near to him, for he is a “consuming fire.”
Nom. But sir, I ask you, would you not have our senses exercised about any of their objects any longer? Would you have us no longer take comfort in the good things of this life?
Evan. I beg you, do not mistake me; I do not speak as though I would have you stoically refuse the lawful use of any of the Lord’s good creations, which he is be pleased to afford you.
Nor do I prohibit you from all comfort in this. But this is what I desire: namely, that you would endeavour to attain such a peace, rest, and contentment in God, as he is in Christ, that the violent cry of your heart may be restrained, and that your appetites may not be so forcible, nor so unruly as they are naturally, but that their unruliness may be brought into a very attractive decorum and order. This is so your sensual appetites may much more easily and contentedly be denied the objects of their desires. Yes, and be contented (if there is occasion) with what is most repugnant to them, such as being content with hunger, cold, nakedness, yes, and with death itself. For such is the wonderful working of the heart’s quiet and rest in God, that although a man’s senses are still exercised in and upon their proper objects, yet may it truly be said that such a man’s life is not sensual.
For indeed his heart takes little contentment in any such exercises, being exercised for the most part in a more transcendent communion with God, as he is in Christ. So that indeed, the man who has this peace and rest in God may be truly said to “use this world as though he did not use it,” 1Cor 7.31 in that he receives no cordial contentment from any sensual exercise whatsoever. And that is because his heart is withdrawn from them. This withdrawing of the heart is not unaptly pointed at in the spouse’s speech in Song 5.2, “I sleep,” she says, “but my heart wakes.” Even so may it be said that such a man is sleeping, looking, hearing, tasting, smelling, eating, drinking, feasting, etc., but his heart is withdrawn from these creaturely things, and is rejoicing in God his Saviour, and his soul is magnifying his Lord — so that in the midst of all these sensual delights, his heart secretly says, “Yes, but my happiness is not here.”
Nom. But, sir, I ask you, why do you call rational and religious exercises a wilderness?
Evan. For two reasons; First, because just as the children of Israel, when they got out of Egypt, still wandered many years in the wilderness before they came into the land of Canaan, even so, many men wander a long time in rational and religious exercises after they have left a sensual life, before they finally come to rest in God —the land of Canaan was a type of this.
Secondly, Because men often lose themselves in a wilderness, and can find no way out — but they suppose, after traveling a long time, that they are nearer the place where they want to go, when in truth, they are farther off. This is how it fares with many, indeed with all those who walk in the way of reason: they lose themselves in the woods and bushes of their works and doings; so that the longer they travel, the farther they are from God, and from true rest in him.
Nom. But, sir, you know that the Lord has endowed us with reasonable souls. Would you not then have us make use of our reason?
Evan. I beg you, do not mistake me. I do not contemn nor despise the use of reason; only I would not have you establish it as the chief good, but keep it subdued. So that, if with Hagar, it attempts to bear rule and lord it over your faith, then in the wisdom of God, and like Sarah, I would have you cast it out from having dominion. In brief, I would have you stronger in desire than curious in speculation, and long more to feel communion with God than be able to dispute about the genus or species of any question — whether human or divine — and press hard to know God by powerful experience. Even though your knowledge is great, and your obedience surpasses many, I would have you truly nullified, annihilated, and made nothing, and become fools in all fleshly wisdom, and glory in nothing except in the Lord. And I would have you, with the eye of faith, sweetly behold all things extracted out of one thing; and in one thing to see all. In a word, I would have a most profound silence in you, contemning all curious questions and discourses. I would have you ponder much in your heart, and prate little with your tongue. “Be swift to hear,” but “slow to speak,” and “slow to wrath,” as the apostle James advises you, James 1.19. And by this means, your reason will be subdued and become one with your faith; for when reason is one with faith, then it is subjugated to faith.
Then reason will keep its true lists and limits, and you will become ten times more reasonable than you were before. So I hope you now see that the heart’s farewell from the sensual and rational life is not to be considered absolutely, but respectively; it does not consist in leaving either one, but in a right use of both.