Book 1, Chapter 8: Distress from Divine Temptation

Of the first special distress, arising of a divine temptation.

The first distress arises of a divine temptation, which is a combat with God himself immediately. And this distress is, when the conscience speaks some fearful things of God, and withal the party distressed, feels some evident tokens of God's wrath.

Sect. 1.

Examples hereof we shall find many in the word of God. One is, the example of righteous Job, who having been long in outward afflictions, was withal exercised with the apprehension of the anger of God, and in that state he says, that the arrows of the Almighty were in him, that the venom thereof, did drink up his spirit, that the terrors of God did fight against him. Yes, further he adds, that God was his enemy, and wrote bitter things against him: and made him to possess the sins of his youth. And at another time he complains, that God's wrath had torn him, that he hated him, gnashed upon him with his teeth, and had sharpened his eyes against him: yes, that he had taken him by the neck and beaten him, and set him as a mark for himself. In all which, and diverse other places, it appears that his conscience was exercised, with the sense of the wrath of God, which had now even seized upon his soul.

Another example we have in David, who also was exercised with this temptation and trouble of mind, as the first words of the 6th Psalm, and the whole tenor thereof do evidently show: for first, he desires the Lord, not to rebuke him in his wrath, and afterward complains, that his grief was so great, that his very flesh consumed, his bones were vexed, and his body brought to such a state, as no sickness could have brought him to. And it is not unlike, that the same Prophet did often fall into the like kind of distress of mind, as may be gathered out of Psalm 77, and sundry other places.

Now as it fared with these, and diverse other servants of God, in ancient times, so are we not without some instances thereof in our days. Among many, that worthy man Master Luther, writes of himself, that he was in this particular temptation, and that he learned in it, the doctrine of the justification of a sinner, by the mere mercy of God, without any merit of works: and upon the sense and experience of the nature and properties of this distress, he wrote a notable exposition of the 6th Psalm of David, the scope and intent whereof, he writes to be nothing else, but a sovereign remedy of this and the like distresses of the mind and conscience.

Sect. 2.

If it be demanded, what is the occasion of this kind of temptation? I answer, that it arises sometimes, upon the commission of some notorious sin, which does wound the conscience, as in Cain, Judas, and Saul, who for their great and capital sins, that stung and wounded their consciences, grew to a fearful state, and consequently perished in this temptation. Sometimes again it comes when there is no sin committed, but obedience to God performed: and then there cannot be rendered any reason of it, either in man, or out of man, save this, that God will have it so to be. And the truth hereof is plain by the examples of Job and David before mentioned.

Sect. 3.

The effects of this temptation are many, and very strange. For outwardly it works a change and alteration in the body, as it were a burning ague, and it causes the entrails to rise, the liver to roll in the body, and it sets a great heat in the bones, and consumes the flesh, more than any sickness can do. And that it is so, as I say, beside experience, it is clear in the word of God. David in this distress affirms, that his eyes were eaten as it were with worms, and sunk into his head (Psalm 6:7), that his moisture became as the drought in summer (Psalm 32:4), and Job says, that his skin was black upon him, his bones were burnt with heat: yes, that by means of this distress he was now full of wrinkles, and his leanness did rise upon him. It is a principle which physicians do hold, that the mind follows the temperature of the body, and is affected according to the good or evil constitution thereof: which though it be true, yet withal it is as manifest on the other side, that the body does often follow the state and condition of the mind. For a distressed heart, must of necessity, make a fainting and a languishing body.

Sect. 4.

But the principal thing to be sought for in this temptation is the remedy thereof: whereunto there be five things required, which are to be practiced, as occasion shall be offered.

First, choice must be made of the most fit and present remedy, and that must be used in the first place.

Now the most fit and present remedy is, to bring the party troubled to the personal exercises of faith and repentance, by, and in himself. For this end, he must examine his conscience most straightly and narrowly of all the sins of his heart, and life. Secondly, he must humbly confess against himself, all his known sins: and withal acknowledge the due condemnation, that he thereby has deserved. Thirdly, he must cry to heaven for mercy, entreating the Lord most instantly for pardon, and for the restraint of his wrath due to him for his sin. David being in this distress, performed all these duties, as we may read in the 6th Psalm: and he says further of himself, that while he concealed his sins, the hand of God was heavy upon him: but upon his earnest confession, and deprecation, he received mercy. And if we read the book of Job, we shall find that the principal scope thereof is this; namely, to show to us, that Job was throughly exercised with this temptation, and that in the end having been rebuked both by his friends, and by God himself, his recovery was made, by humbling himself, when he says, Behold, I am vile: again, now I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Some may here demand, If it fall out, that the person himself, cannot perform any good duty, of himself, by reason of his distraction in soul and body, what must then be done? If the party can but sigh, and sob to God for mercy, and comfort: it is no doubt, a work of God's spirit, and a practice both of faith, and repentance. We know not (says Saint Paul) what to pray as we ought, (namely, in our distresses) but the Spirit itself makes request for us, with sighs that cannot be expressed: and therein lies our comfort. Thus Moses at the red sea being in great distress, and not knowing what to say, or do, sighed and groaned inwardly in his soul to the Lord, for help and protection: and his very desire was in stead of a loud cry in the ears of the Lord.

The second thing is, that trial must be made, whether the party has in him any tokens of grace, or not?

These tokens are the small beginnings of grace, which before I have declared. As for example: a grief because we cannot grieve for sin as we should: a serious will and desire to believe, and repent: a purpose to sin no more, and such like. If these be found in the party, then by them as by sure pledges, he may be assured of the favor of God towards him: and where any of these be found, the saying of God to Saint Paul must be urged, My grace is sufficient for you: and therewith must the distressed party stay his mind. Yes, we are to be content with any condition in this life, be it never so miserable, so long as we are in the favor of God, though he should lay upon us even the pains of hell, till the time of our death. So did David, who when he was pursued by his own son, uttered these words to God, Behold, if I please you not, do with me what you will. And the like was the mind of Paul, who being assured of the favor of God, was content for his glory, and the salvation of the Israelites (if it had been possible) to be separated [illegible] Christ, and to endure the very pangs of hell.

The third thing in this cure is, to apply to the said distressed party, such promises of God made to afflicted persons, as are most large and comfortable.

For example, that The Lord is near to them that are of a contrite heart, and will save such as be afflicted in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Again, I came not (says our Savior Christ) but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). He says not, to the straying sheep, but to such as are now in the pit, ready to be drowned, or in the lion's mouth, ready to be devoured. Again, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, therefore he has anointed me that I should preach the Gospel to the poor; that is, to such as are distressed in conscience, and poor in spirit: he has sent me that I should heal the broken hearted, that I should preach deliverance to the captives. These and many other such like promises, are in this case to be urged, and the party moved to endeavor to believe them, to hold to them, and rest himself upon them, though he lose all things else.

Fourthly, the party must be brought to a serious consideration of his own life past, and of God's merciful dealing with him and others in his case in former times, and therewith is he to be comforted for the time present. For if aforehand he has received any tokens of the favor and love of God; by them he is now to stay and to settle his mind. The reason is plain: the gifts of God are without repentance; whom he loves once he loves to the end, and whom he chooses he calls, justifies, and sanctifies, and will also in time glorify. David being in such affliction, that he could hardly think upon God, yet he took this course, prayed to the Lord for comfort, communed with his own heart, and called to remembrance how God had formerly dealt with him, and with this meditation of the continual course of God's mercy in his preservation, he confirmed his faith, and stayed his heart in his greatest troubles.

Sect. 5.

The fifth and last thing to be done, is the removal of such reasons and doubts, as the party distressed usually makes against himself, for his own overthrow. For it is the manner of those that are troubled in mind, to dispute against themselves; and commonly they are wont to allege three things.

First, being instructed how to humble themselves, and to depend on God's mercy, they will grant, that all these indeed are good things, but they belong not to them: for they neither do, nor can feel any thing, but the tokens of God's anger, and that they are already entered, into some degrees of condemnation.

This objection may be taken away, by informing them of the manner of God's dealing in all his works. For commonly he works all things in his creatures, in, and by contraries, if we could know the whole frame of them.

Thus in the Creation every creature had his being of that which had no being, and something was made, not of something, but of nothing. After the flood, the sign of God's covenant, for the preservation of the world from destruction by rain, is the Rainbow, which indeed is a natural sign of rain. When Elias was to prove the Lord to be the only true God, against the idolatrous priests of Baal, and that by burnt offerings; he poured water upon the sacrifice, and fills a trench with water round about, and in this contrary means was the sacrifice burnt up. Christ for the curing of a blind man, tempers spittle and clay together, which in all reason, is a fitter means to put out the eyes, then to cause the blind to see.

Thus in the worke of our Redemption, Christ gives life, not by life, but by death, and he sends men to heaven by the gates and suburbs of hell: he shows his greatest power, in the greatest weakness; nay his power is made perfect through weakness. He will not build upon an old foundation, but he pulls down and destroys all, that Man may have no hope at all in himself, but that all the hope he has, may be in God. First he kills, and then he makes alive, as Anna speaks: first he wounds, and then he heals. He makes man to sow in tears, that afterward he may reap in joy. And he that knows God's dealing to be this, must herewith rest content, and satisfied: because in wrath, God uses to remember his mercy; yes his mercy is never sweet to the palate of the soul, until it be seasoned with some taste of his wrath. The Paschal Lamb was eaten with sour herbs, to signify, that we can feel no sweetness in the blood of Christ, till we first feel the smart of our own sins, and corruptions.

Secondly, these persons use to allege against themselves, that if they could feel any comfort at all, then they would stay their minds, and yield to good persuasions, and exhortations.

To this, the answer is; That there is a rule of grace, (which we must follow) gathered out of the word of God, and the experience of God's children, contrary to the rule of nature, and above the light of reason: and it is this, that in case of affliction, we must not live by feeling, but by faith.

This rule is grounded upon the speech of the Lord by the Prophet, the just man shall live by his faith. When we have neither sight, nor sense, nor any taste of God's mercy, but only apprehend his wrath, even then we must labor to lay hold of mercy in his word, and promise. Sense and feeling, are not always fit directions for the time of this life: For he may be the dear child of God, that in present feels nothing but his wrath and indignation. This indeed is the true trial of our faith, when even above and against reason, we rely on the mercy of God, in the apprehension of his anger. So did David. Out of the deep, (says he) that is, being now deeply plunged into the pangs of a distressed conscience, have I called upon you, O Lord: and Job in the like case. Lord, though you kill me, yet will I trust in you. Abraham is commended by the Holy Ghost, among other things, for this, that he believed in God, above hope: that is, against all matter of hope, that might possibly be conceived, upon the consideration of the strength of natural causes. The thief upon the cross, feeling nothing but woe: and seeing nothing in Christ but misery and contempt, yet he believed in Christ, and was saved. In a word, Christ himself when he was forsaken of all men, and void of all worldly comfort, and felt nothing but the depth of the wrath of God, in his agony and passion; yet by the faith of his manhood, he stayed himself and said, My God, my God.

Thirdly they use to plead, that their case is desperate, that never any was in such a state as they are, never any touched with the like distress of mind.

Answ. It is false: For the Holy Ghost has penned three notable places of Scripture, the book of Job, and two Psalms of David, wherein are propounded to us the examples of Job and David, God's own dear servants, who were in as great distress, as ever they, or any other have been. And they may not think, that they ever could be able, to endure greater pains than Christ, who notwithstanding in the anguish of his soul upon the cross, cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And thus much touching the first kind of trouble of conscience, called the divine temptation.