Section 3. Showing That the Evil of Desertion Works for Good to the Godly
3. The evil of desertion works for good. The Spouse complains of desertion, Canticles 5.6. My beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone. There is a twofold withdrawing; either 1. In regard of grace, when God suspends the influence of his Spirit, and withholds the lively actings of grace. If the Spirit be gone, Grace freezeth into a chilliness and dedolency. Or 2. A withdrawing in regard of Comfort; when God withholds the sweet manifestations of his favor, he doth not look with such a pleasant aspect, but veils his face, and seems to be quite gone from the soul.
God is just in all his withdrawings: we desert him before he deserts us: We desert God when we leave off close communion with him; when we desert his Truths, and dare not appear for him; when we leave the guidance and conduct of his Word, and follow the Ignis fatuus of our own corrupt affections, and passions. We usually desert God first, therefore we have none to blame but ourselves.
Desertion is very sad; for as when the light is withdrawn, darkness follows in the air; So when God withdraws, there is darkness and sorrow in the soul. Desertion is an Agony of Conscience, as Alstead calls it; God holds the soul over Hell; Job 6.9. The Arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinks up my spirits. It was a custom among the Persians in their wars (as Drusius notes,) to dip their Arrows in the poison of Serpents, to make them more deadly: Thus did God shoot the poisoned Arrow of desertion into Job, under the wounds whereof, his spirit lay bleeding. In times of desertion the people of God are apt to be dejected, they dispute against themselves, and think that God hath quite cast them off; therefore I shall prescribe some comfort to the deserted soul. The Mariner when he hath no star to guide him, yet he hath light in his Lantern, which is some help to him: So when the poor soul is sailing in the dark of desertion, and wants the bright morning star, I shall lay down four Consolations, which are as the Mariners Lantern to give some light.
1. None but the Godly are capable of desertion. Wicked men know not what God's love means, nor what it is to want it; they know what it is to want health, friends, trading, but not what it is to want God's favor. You fear you are not God's child, because you are deserted, whereas none but the Godly are deserted. The Lord cannot be said to withdraw his love from the wicked, because they never had it. The being deserted, evidenceth you to be a Child of God. How could you complain that God hath estranged himself, if you had not sometimes received smiles and love-tokens from him?
2. There may be the seed of grace, where there is not the flower of joy. The earth may want a crop of Corn, yet may have a Mine of Gold within. A Christian may have grace within, though the luscious fruit of joy doth not grow. Vessels at Sea, that are richly fraught with Jewels and Spices, may be in the dark, and be tossed in the storm. A soul enriched with the treasures of grace, may yet be in the dark of desertion, and so tossed as to think it shall be cast away in the storm. David in a state of disconsolacy prays, Take not away thy holy Spirit from me, Psalm 51.11. He doth not pray, saith Austin, Lord, Give me thy Spirit, but, Ne tollas spiritum, Take not away thy Spirit; so that still he had the Spirit of God remaining in him.
3. These desertions are but for a time. Christ may go into the withdrawing room, and leave the soul a while, but he will come again. Isaiah 54.8. In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you. When it is dead low water, the Tide will come in again. Isaiah 57.6. I will not be always wroth, for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. The tender Mother sets down her child in anger, but she will take it up again into her arms, and kiss it. God may put away the soul in anger, but he will take it up again into his dear embraces, and display the banner of love over it.
4. These desertions work for good to the Godly, and that seven manner of ways.
1. Desertion works a cure upon the soul. 1. It cures sinful somnolency. We find the Spouse fallen upon the bed of sloth, Canticles 5.2, I sleep; and presently Christ was gone, Verse 6. My beloved had withdrawn himself. Who will speak to one that is drowsy? 2. Desertion cures inordinacy of affection to the world, 1 John 2.15. Love not the world. We may hold the world as a Posie in our hand, but it must not lie too near our heart; we may use it as an Inn where we take a bait, but it must not be our home. Perhaps these secular things steal away the heart too much. Good men are sometimes sick with a Surfeit, and drunk with the luscious delights of prosperity; and having spotted their silver wings of grace, and much defaced God's Image by rubbing it against the earth, the Lord to recover them of this, hides his face in a Cloud; this Eclipse hath good effects, it darkens all the glory of the world, and causeth it to disappear.
2. Desertion works for good, as it makes the Saints prize God's countenance more than ever, Psalm 63.3. Thy loving-kindness is better than life; yet the commonness of this mercy abates the price of it: When pearls grew common at Rome, they began to be slighted. God hath no better way to make us value his love, than by withdrawing it a while. If the Sun did shine but once a year, how would it be prized! when the soul hath been long benighted with desertion, Oh how welcome now is the return of the Sun of Righteousness!
3. Desertion works for good, as it is a means to embitter sin to us. Can there be a greater misery than to have God's displeasure? what makes Hell but the hiding of God's face? and what makes God hide his face, but sin? John 20.13. They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. So, our sins have taken away the Lord, and we know not where he is laid. The favor of God is the best Jewel; it can sweeten a prison, and unsting death: Oh how odious then is that sin, which robs us of our best Jewel! Sin made God desert his Temple, Ezekiel 8.6. Sin causeth him to appear as an enemy, and dress himself in armor. This makes the soul pursue sin with an holy malice, and seek to be avenged of it. The deserted soul gives sin Gall and Vinegar to drink, and with the Spear of mortification, lets out the heart-blood of it.
4. Desertion works for good, as it works these three gracious effects.
1. It sets the soul a weeping for the loss of God. When the Sun is gone, the dew falls; and when God is gone, tears drop from the eyes. How was Micah troubled when he had lost his gods? Judges 18.24. You have taken away my gods, and what have I more? So, when God is gone, what have we more? It is not the Harp and Viol can comfort, when God is gone. Though it be sad to want God's presence, yet it is good to lament his absence.
2. Desertion sets the soul a seeking after God. When Christ was stepped aside, the Spouse pursues after him, she seeks him in the streets of the City, Canticles 3.2. And a non inventus being returned, she makes a hue and cry after him, verse 3. Saw you him whom my soul loves? The deserted soul sends up whole Volleys of sighs and groans, it knocks at Heaven-gate by prayer, it can have no rest till the golden beams of God's face shine.
3. Desertion puts the Christian upon inquiry; he inquires the cause of God's departure: What is the accursed thing that hath made God angry? Perhaps pride, perhaps surfeit on Ordinances, perhaps worldliness, Isaiah 57.17. For the iniquity of his Covetousness, was I wroth; I hid myself. Perhaps there is some secret sin allowed. A stone in the pipe hinders the current of water: So sin lived in, hinders the sweet current of God's love. Thus Conscience as a blood-hound, having found out sin and overtaken it, this Achan is stoned to death.
5. Desertion works for good, as it gives us a sight of what Jesus Christ suffered for us. If the sipping of the Cup be so bitter, how bitter was that which Christ drank upon the Cross? He drank a Cup of deadly poison, which made him cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? None can be so sensible of Christ's sufferings, none can be so fired with love to Christ, as those who have been humbled by desertion, and have been held over the flames of Hell for a time.
6. Desertion works for good, as it prepares the Saints for future comfort: The nipping frosts prepare for spring flowers. 'Tis God's way, first to cast down, then to comfort, 2 Corinthians 7.6. When our Savior had been fasting, then came the Angels and ministered to him. When the Lord hath kept his people long fasting, then he sends the Comforter, and feeds them with the hidden Manna, Psalm 97.11. Light is sown for the Righteous. The Saints comforts may be hid like seed under ground, but the seed is ripening, and will increase, and flourish into a Crop.
7. These desertions work for good, as they will make Heaven the sweeter to us. Here our comforts are like the Moon, sometimes they are in the full, sometimes in the wane. God shows himself to us a while, and then retires into the withdrawing room: How will this set off Heaven the more, and make it more delightful and ravishing, when we shall have a constant aspect of love from God, 1 Thessalonians 4.17.
Thus we see desertions work for good: The Lord brings us into the deep of desertion, that he may not bring us into the deep of damnation; he puts us into a seeming Hell, that he may keep us from a real Hell. God is fitting us for that time, when we shall enjoy his smiles for ever; when there shall be neither clouds in his face, or Sun-setting; when Christ shall come and stay with his Spouse, and kiss her with the kisses of his lips, and the Spouse shall never say more, My Beloved hath withdrawn himself.
