Let us cast ourselves upon this love of Christ. No greater
encouragement can be given us, than what is in the text, Eph.
3:18,19, and about it. It is great; it is "love that passeth
knowledge." Men that are sensible of danger, are glad when they hear
of such helps upon which they may boldly venture for escape. Why,
such a help and relief the text helpeth trembling and fearful
consciences to. Fear and trembling as to misery hereafter, can flow
but from what we know, feel, or imagine; but the text speaks of a
love that passeth knowledge, consequently of a love that goes beyond
all these. Besides, the apostle's conclusion upon this subject
plainly makes it manifest, that this meaning which I have put upon
the text is the mind of the Holy Ghost. Now "unto him," saith he,
"that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory
in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without
end. Amen." What can be more plain? What can be more full? What can
be more suitable to the most desponding spirit in any man? He can do
more than thou knowest he will. He can do more than thou thinkest he
can. What dost thou think? Why, I think, saith the sinner, that I am
cast away. Well, but there are worse thoughts than these; therefore
think again. Why, saith the sinner, I think that my sins are as many
as all the sins in the world. Indeed this is a very black thought,
but there are worse thoughts than this; therefore prithee think
again. Why, I think, saith the sinner, that God is not able to
pardon all my sins. Aye, now thou hast thought indeed; for this
thought makes thee look more like a devil than a man; and yet,
because thou art a man and not a devil, see the condescension and
boundlessness of the love of thy God. He is able to do above all
that we think. Couldst thou, sinner, if thou hadst been allowed,
thyself express what thou wouldst have expressed--the greatness of
the love thou wantest--with words that could have suited thee
better? For it is not said he can do above what we think, meaning
our thinking at present, but above all we can think; meaning, above
the worst and most soul-dejecting thoughts that we have at any time.
Sometimes the dejected have worse thoughts than they have at other
times. Well, take them at their worst times, at times when they
think, and think, till they think themselves down into the very
pangs of hell, yet this word of the grace of God is above them, and
shows that he can yet recover and save these miserable people.
And now I am upon this subject, I will a little further walk and
travel with these desponding ones, and will put a few words in their
mouths for their help against temptations that may come upon them
hereafter. For as Satan follows such now with charges and
applications of guilt, so he may follow them with interrogatories
and appeals; for he can tell how by appeals, as well as by charging
of sin, to sink and drown the sinner whose soul he has leave to
engage. Suppose, therefore, that some distressed man or woman should
after this way be engaged, and Satan should with his interrogatories
and appeals be busy with them, to drive them to desperation; the
text last mentioned, Eph. 3: 18,19, to say nothing of the subject of
our discourse, yields plenty of help for the relief of such a one.
Says Satan, Dost thou not know that thou hast horribly sinned? Yes,
says the soul, I do. Says Satan, Dost thou not know that thou art
one of the vilest in all the pack of professors? Yes, says the soul,
I do. Says Satan, Doth not thy conscience tell thee that thou art
and hast been more base than any of thy fellows can imagine thee to
be? Yes, says the soul, my conscience tells me so. Well, saith
Satan, now will I come upon thee with my appeals. Art thou not a
graceless wretch? Yes. Hast thou a heart to be sorry for this
wickedness? No, not as I should. And albeit, saith Satan, thou
prayest sometimes, yet is not thy heart possessed with a belief that
God will not regard thee? Yes, says the sinner. Why then, despair,
and go hang thyself, saith the devil. And now we are at the end of
the thing designed and driven at by Satan. And what shall I now do,
saith the sinner? I answer, take up the words of the text against
him: Christ loves with a love that "passeth knowledge." And answer
him further, saying, Satan, though I cannot think that God loves me,
though I cannot think that God will save me, yet I will not yield to
thee; for God can do more than I think he can. And whereas thou
appealedst unto me, if whether, when I pray, my heart is not
possessed with the belief that God will not regard me, that shall
not sink me neither; for God can "do abundantly above what I ask or
think." Thus this text helpeth where obstructions are put in against
our believing, and thereby casting ourselves upon the love of God in
Christ for salvation.
And yet this is not all; for the text is yet more full: "He is able
to do abundantly more, yea, exceeding abundantly more, or above all
that we ask or think." It is a text made up of words picked and
packed together by the wisdom of God; picked and packed together on
purpose for the succor and relief of the tempted; that they may,
when in the midst of their distresses, cast themselves upon, the
Lord their God. He can do abundantly more than we ask. O, says the
soul, that he would but do so much for me as I could ask him to do:
how happy a man should I then be. Why, what wouldst thou ask for,
sinner? You may be sure, says the soul, I would ask to be saved from
my sins. I would ask for faith in, and love to, Christ; I would ask
to be preserved in this evil world, and ask to be glorified with
Christ in heaven. He that asketh for all this, doth indeed ask for
much, and for more than Satan would have him believe that God is
able or willing to bestow upon him. But mark: the text doth not say
that God is able to do all that we can ask or think, but that he is
able to do above all, yea, abundantly above all, yea, exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think. What a text is this! What
a God have we! God foresaw the sins of his people, and what work the
devil would make with their hearts about them; and therefore, to
prevent their ruin by his temptation, he has thus largely, as you
see, expressed his love by his word. Let us therefore, as he has
bidden us, make this good use of this doctrine of grace, to cast
ourselves upon this love of God in the times of distress and
temptation.
The bird in the air knows not the notes of the bird in the snare,
until she comes thither herself.
When I have been laden with sin, and pestered with several
temptations, and in a very sad manner, then have I had the trial of
the virtue of Christ's blood, with trial of the virtue of other
things; and I have found that when tears would not do, prayers would
not do, repentings and all other things could not reach my heart, O
then one touch, one drop, one shining of the virtue of THE BLOOD, of
that blood that was let out with a spear, it hath in such a blessed
manner delivered me, that it hath made me to marvel. O, methinks it
hath come with such life, such power, with such irresistible and
marvellous glory, that it wipes off all the slurs, silences all the
outcries, and quenches all the fiery darts and all the flames of
hell-fire, that are begotten by the charges of the law, Satan, and
doubtful remembrances of my sinful life.
There are three things that do usually afflict the soul that is
earnestly looking after Jesus Christ.
1. Dreadful accusations from Satan. 2. Grievous, defiling, and
infectious thoughts. 3. A strange readiness in our nature to fall in
with both. By the first, of these, the heart is made continually to
tremble. Hence his temptations are compared to the roaring of a
lion. For as the lion by roaring killeth the heart of his prey, so
doth Satan kill the spirit of those that hearken to him; for when he
tempteth, especially by way of accusation, he doth to us as
Rabshakeh did to the Jews; he speaks to us in our own language. He
speaks our sin at every word; our guilty conscience knows it. He
speaks our death at every word; our doubting conscience feels it.
2. Besides this, there do now arise even in the heart such defiling
and soul-infectious thoughts, as put the tempted to his wit's end,
For now it seems to the soul that the very flood-gates of the flesh
are opened, and that to sin there is no stop at all; now the air
seems to be covered with darkness, and the man is as if he was
changed into the nature of a devil. Now, if ignorance and unbelief
prevail, he concludeth that he is a reprobate, made to be taken and
destroyed.
3. Now also he feeleth in him a readiness to fall in with every
temptation--a readiness, I say, continually present. Romans 7:21.
This throws all down. Now despair begins to swallow him up; now he
can neither pray, nor read, nor hear, nor meditate on God, but fire
and smoke continually burst forth of the heart against him; now sin
and great confusion puts forth itself in all. Yea, and the more the
sinner desireth to do a duty sincerely, the further off he always
finds himself; for by how much the soul struggleth under these
distresses, by so much the more doth Satan put forth himself to
resist, still infusing more poison, that if possible it might never
struggle more, for stragglings are also as poison to Satan.
The fly in the spider's web is an emblem of the soul in such a
condition: the fly is entangled in the web; at this the spider shows
himself; if the fly stirs again, down comes the spider to her, and
claps a foot upon her; if yet the fly makes a noise, then with
poisoned mouth the spider lays hold upon her; if the fly struggles
still, then he poisons her more and more: what shall the fly do now?
Why, she dies, if somebody does not quickly release her. This is the
case of the tempted; they are entangled in the web, their feet and
wings are entangled; now Satan shows himself; if the soul now
struggleth, Satan laboreth to hold it down; if it now shall make a
noise, then he bites with blasphemous mouth, more poisonous than the
gall of a serpent. If it struggle again, then he poisoneth more and
more; insomuch that it must needs at last die in the net, if the
man, the Lord Jesus, helps not out. The afflicted conscience
understands my words.
Further, though the fly in the web is altogether incapable of
looking for relief, yet this awakened, tempted Christian, is not.
What must he do, therefore? How should he entertain hopes of life?
If he looks to his heart, there is blasphemy; if he looks to his
duties, there is sin; if he strives to mourn and lament, perhaps he
cannot; unbelief and hardness hinder. Shall this man lie down and
despair? No. Shall he trust to his duties? No. Shall he stay from
Christ till his heart is better? No. What then? Let him NOW look to
Jesus Christ crucified; then shall he see his sins answered for,
then shall he see death dying, then shall he see guilt borne by
another, and then shall he see the devil overcome. This sight
destroys the power of the first temptation, purifies the heart, and
inclines the mind to all good things.
Didst thou never learn to outshoot the devil with his own bow, and
to cut off his head with his own sword, as David served Goliath, who
was a type of Satan?
QUESTION. O how should a poor soul do this? This is rare indeed.
ANSWER. Why, truly thus: Doth Satan tell thee thou prayest but
faintly, and with very cold devotion? answer him thus, and say, I am
glad you told me, for this will make me trust the more to Christ's
prayers, and the less to my own; also I will endeavor henceforward
to groan, to sigh, and to be so fervent in my crying at the throne
of grace, that I will, if I can, make the heavens rattle again with
the mighty groans thereof. And whereas thou sayest that I am so weak
in believing, I am glad you remind me of it; I hope it will
henceforward stir me up to cry the more heartily to God for strong
faith, make me the more restless till I have it. And seeing thou
tellest me that I run so softly, and that I shall go near to miss of
glory, this also shall be through grace to my advantage, and cause
me to press the more earnestly towards the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And seeing thou dost tell me
that my sins are wondrous great, hereby thou bringest the
remembrance of the unsupportable vengeance of God into my mind if I
die out of Jesus Christ, and also the necessity of the blood, death,
and merits of Christ to help me; I hope it will make me fly the
faster and press the harder after an interest in him. And so all
along, if he tell thee of thy deadness, dulness, coldness, or
unbelief, or the greatness of thy sins, answer him and say, I am
glad you told me; I hope it will be a means to make me run faster,
seek more earnestly, and be the more restless after Jesus Christ. If
thou didst but get this art, so as to outrun him in his own shoes,
as I may say, and to make his own darts to pierce himself, then thou
mightest also say, Now do Satan's temptations, as well as all other
things, work together for my good.
OBJECTION. But I find so many weaknesses in every duty that I
perform, as when I pray, when I read, when I hear or attempt any
other duty, that it maketh me out of conceit with myself; it maketh
me think that my duties are nothing worth.
ANSWER. Thou by this means art taken off from leaning on any thing
below Jesus for eternal life. It is likely, if thou wast not
sensible of many by-thoughts and wickednesses in thy best
performances, thou wouldst go near to be some proud, abominable
hypocrite, or a silly, proud, dissembling wretch at the best; such a
one as wouldst send thy soul to the devil in a bundle of thy own
righteousness.
Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to the
biggest sinner? Let the tempted harp upon this string for their help
and consolation. The tempted, wherever he dwells, always thinks
himself the biggest sinner, one most unworthy of eternal life.
This is Satan's master-argument: Thou art a horrible sinner, a
hypocrite, one that has a profane heart, and one that is an utter
stranger to a work of grace. I say, this is his maul, his club, his
masterpiece; he does with this, as some do by their most enchanting
songs, singing them everywhere. I believe there are but few saints
in the world that have not had this temptation sounding in their
ears. But were they but aware, Satan by all this does but drive them
to the gap out at which they should go, and so escape his roaring.
Saith he, Thou art a great sinner, a horrible sinner, a
profane-hearted wretch, one that cannot be matched for a vile one in
the country.
And all this while Christ says to his ministers, Offer. mercy in the
first place to the biggest sinners. So that this temptation drives
thee directly into the arms of Jesus Christ.
Was therefore the tempted but aware, he might say, Aye, Satan, so I
am, I am a sinner of the biggest size, and therefore have most need
of Jesus Christ; yea, because I am such a wretch, therefore Jesus
Christ calls me; yea, he calls me first--the first proffer of the
gospel is to be made to the Jerusalem sinner. I am he; wherefore
stand back, Satan, make way for me, my right is first to come to
Jesus Christ.
This now will be like for like. This would foil the devil. This
would make him say, I must not deal with this man. thus; for then I
put a sword into his hand to cut off my head.
Well, sinner, thou now speakest like a Christian; but say thus in a
strong spirit in the hour of temptation, and then thou wilt, to thy
commendation and comfort, quit thyself well.
This improving of Christ in dark hours is the life, though the
hardest part of our Christianity. We should neither stop at
darkness, nor at the raging of our lusts, but go on in a way of
venturing and casting the whole of our concerns for the next world
at the foot of Jesus Christ. This is the way to make the darkness
light, and also to allay the raging of our corruption.
What a brave encouragement is it for one that is come for grace to
the throne of grace, to see so great a number already there on their
seats, in their robes, with their palms in their hands and their
crowns upon their heads, singing of salvation to God and the Lamb!
And I say again--and speak now to the dejected--methinks it would
be strange, O thou that art so afraid that the greatness of thy sins
will be a bar unto thee, if amongst all this great number of pipers
and harpers that are got to glory, thou canst not espy one that,
when here, was as vile a sinner as thyself. Look, man; they are
there for thee to view them, and for thee to take encouragement to
hope, when thou shalt consider what grace and mercy have done for
them. Look again, I say, now thou art upon thy knees, and see if
some that are among them have not done worse than thou hast done.
And yet behold, they are set down; and yet behold, they have crowns
on their heads, their harps in their hands, and sing aloud of
salvation to their God and the Lamb. Behold, tempted soul; dost thou
not yet see what a throne of grace here is, and what multitudes are
already arrived thither, to give thanks unto His name that sits
thereon, and to the Lamb for ever and ever? And wilt thou hang thy
harp upon the willows, and go drooping up and down the world, as if
there was no God, no grace, no throne of grace, to apply thyself
unto for mercy and grace to help in time of need? Hark; dost thou
not hear them what they say? "Worthy," say they, "is the Lamb that
was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in
heaven"--where they are--"and on the earth"--where thou art--"and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are
therein, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power,
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for
ever and ever."
And this is written for our learning, that we through patience and
comfort of the Scriptures might have hope; and that the drooping
ones might come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.
In general, God was pleased to take this course with me: First, to
suffer me to be afflicted with temptations concerning the truths of
the gospel, and then reveal them to me; as sometimes I should lie
under great guilt for sin, even crushed to the ground therewith; and
then the Lord would show me the death of Christ, yea, and so
sprinkle my conscience with his blood, that I should find, and that
before I was aware, that in that conscience where but just now did
reign and rage the law, even there would rest and abide the peace
and love of God through Christ.
Thus by the strange and unusual assaults of the tempter, my soul was
like a broken vessel driven as with the winds, and tossed, sometimes
headlong into despair, sometimes upon the covenant of works, and
sometimes to wish that the new covenant and the conditions thereof
might, so far forth as I thought myself concerned, be turned another
way and changed. But in all these, I was as those that jostle
against the rocks; more broken, scattered, and rent. Oh, the
unthought of imaginations, frights, fears, and terrors that are
effected by a thorough application of guilt yielding to desperation.
This is the man that hath his dwelling among the tombs, with the
dead--that is always crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
But I say, all in vain; desperation will not comfort him, the old
covenant will not save him: nay, heaven and earth shall pass away
before one jot or tittle of the word and law of grace will fail or
be removed. This I saw, this I felt, and under this I groaned. Yet
this advantage I got thereby, namely, a further confirmation of the
certainty of the way of salvation, and that the Scriptures were the
word of God. Oh, I cannot now express what I then saw and felt of
the steadfastness of Jesus Christ, the Rock of man's salvation: what
was done could not be undone, added to, nor altered.
Often when I have been making towards the promise, John 6:30, I have
seen as if the Lord would refuse my soul for ever; I was often as if
I had run upon the pikes, and as if the Lord had thrust at me, to
keep me from him, as with a flaming sword. Then would I think of
Esther, who went to petition the king contrary to the law. I thought
also of Benhadad's servants, who went with ropes upon their heads to
their enemies for mercy. The woman of Canaan also, that would not be
daunted though called a DOG by Christ, and the man that went to
borrow bread at midnight, were also great encouragements unto me.
I never saw such heights and depths in grace and love and mercy, as
I saw after this temptation. Great sins draw out great grace; and
where guilt is most terrible and fierce, there the mercy of God in
Christ, when showed to the soul, appears most high and mighty. When
Job had passed through his calamity, he had twice as much as he had
before. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ our Lord.
If ever Satan and I did strive for any word of God in all my life,
it was for this good word of Christ: "Him that cometh to me, I will
in nowise cast out;" he at one end, and I at the other. Oh, what
work we made. It was for this, in John.6:30, I say, that we did so
tug and strive: he pulled, and I pulled; but, God be praised, I
overcame him and got sweetness from it.
I prayed to God, in prison, that he would comfort me, and give me
strength to do and suffer what he should call me to; yet no comfort
appeared, but all continued hid. I was also at this time so really
possessed with the thought of death, that oft I was as if on the
ladder with a rope about my neck: only this was some encouragement
to me: I thought I might now have an opportunity to speak my last
words unto a multitude, which I supposed would come to see me die;
and thought I, if it must be so, if God will but convert one soul by
my last words, I shall not count my life thrown away nor lost.
But yet all the things of God were kept out of my sight, and still
the tempter followed me with, But whither must you go when you die?
What will become of you? Where will you be found in another world?
What evidence have you for heaven and glory, and an inheritance
among them that are sanctified? Thus was I tossed for many weeks,
and knew not what to do; at last, this consideration fell with
weight upon me, That it was for the word and way of God that I was
in this condition; wherefore, I was engaged not to flinch a hair's
breadth from it.
I thought, also, that God might choose whether he would give me
comfort now, or at the hour of death; but I might not therefore
choose whether I would hold my profession or no. I was bound, but he
was free: yea, it was my duty to stand to his word, whether he would
ever look upon me, or save me at the last. Wherefore, thought I, the
point being thus, I am for going on and venturing my eternal state
with Christ, whether I have comfort here or no: if God doth not come
in, thought I, I will leap off the ladder even blindfold into
eternity, sink or swim, come heaven come hell. Lord Jesus, if thou
wilt catch me, do; if not, I will venture for thy name.
Before I had got thus far out of these my temptations, I did greatly
long to see some ancient godly man's experience, who had writ some
hundreds of years before I was born; for those who had writ in our
days, I thought--but I desire them now to pardon me--that they had
writ only that which others felt; or else had, through the strength
of their wits and parts, studied to answer such objections as they
perceived others were perplexed with, without going themselves down
into the deep. Well, after many such longings in my mind, the God in
whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day
a book of Martin Luther's: it was his Comment on the Galatians; it
was also so old that it was ready to fall piece from piece, if I did
but turn it over. Now I was pleased much that such an old book had
fallen into my hands; the which when I had but a little way perused,
I found my condition in his experience so largely and profoundly
handled, as if this book had been written out of my heart. This made
me marvel; for thus thought I, this man could not know any thing of
the state of Christians now, but must needs write and speak the
experience of former days.
Besides, he doth most gravely also, in that book, debate of the rise
of these temptations, namely, blasphemy, desperation, and the like;
showing that the law of Moses, as well as the devil, death, and
hell, hath a very great hand therein: the which, at first, was very
strange to me; but considering and watching, I found it so indeed.
But of particulars here I intend nothing; only this methinks I must
let fall before all men, I do prefer this book of Martin Luther upon
the Galatians, excepting the Holy Bible, before all the books that
ever I have seen, as most fit for a wounded conscience.