First, This need not be wondered at, if we consider that the con- solations of Christ are of two sorts ; seminal and in preparation, or actual in present possession. Every believer in the world hath the root and seed of comfort planted and sown for him, Psal. xcvii. 11. to Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in
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" heart.1' They have Christ and the promises, which are the seeds of consolation, and will bring forth joy at last, though at present they have no actual consolation ; the seed of all joy is sown, and in due time they shall reap the full ripe fruit thereof.
Secondly, It must be remembered, that interest and evidence are distinct blessings, every believer hath interest in Christ : but every believer hath not the evidence thereof, Isa. 1. 10. " Who is among " you, that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servant ; " that walketh in darkness, and hath no light ?" Every child of God is not of sufficient age to know his Father, or take comfort in that blessed inheritance whereunto he is begotten again, 1 Pet. i. 3, 4.
Thirdly, Every believer doth not walk with like strictness, and exact holiness : all do not exercise faith in a like degree. Among Christians some are strong in grace, rich in faith, strict in obedience, tender of sin to an eminent degree ; these usually are owners of much consolation: but others are weak in grace, poor in faith, comparatively careless of their hearts and ways, frequently grieving the good Spirit of God, and wounding their own consciences (the vessel into which spiritual consolation is poured ;) and these are usually denied the joy and comfort which others abound withal.
Fourthly, The consolations of Christ are arbitrarily dispensed by the Spirit, who is the Comforter, and giveth to every man in such proportions, and at such seasons, as pleaseth him : whence it comes to pass, that he that is rich in comfort to-day, may be poor to-morrow ; and, contrarily, the heart that is quite full of sorrow one hour, is filled with peace and joy in believing in the next. Things that are necessary to the being of a Christian, are fixed and stable ; but things belonging only to the well-being of a Christian, come and go, according to the good pleasure and appointment of the Spirit. The use of all follows.
Inf. 1. Hence it follows, That the state of unbelievers is the most sad and unconifortable state in the world, having no interest in Christ, the consolation of Israel. It is true, they abound in creature- comforts ; they live in pleasure upon earth ; joy displays its colours in their faces ; but for all this, there is not the least drop of true consolation in any of their hearts ; they have some comfort in the creature, but none in Christ : that little they gather from the crea- ture now, is all their portion of joy, Luke vi. 24. " Ye have received " your consolation:" as this is all they have, so they shall enjoy it but a little while, Job xxi. 13, 17. And while they do enjoy it, it is mix- ed with many gripes of conscience, Job xiv. 13. " Even in laughter " the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness." Whatever consolation any unbeliever speaks of besides this, is but by rote; for when the day of his distress cometh, and the terrors of con-*.
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science shall awake him out of his pleasant dreams, all his sensual joys will vanish from him, and the doors of true consolation will be shut against him. Let him go to Jesus Christ, knock at that door, and say, Lord Jesus, thy name is consolation : my heart is readv to burst within me; hast thou no consolation for me? O Lord, for one drop of spiritual comfort now ; but alas there is none, no not in Christ himself, for any unbeliever. It is children's bread, the saints privilege ; comfort and grace are undivided. Let him return into himself, search his own conscience for comfort, and say, O conscience ! thou art more than a thousand witnesses, and thousands have been comforted by thee ; where thou speakest comfort, none can speak trouble ; hast thou no consolation for me in my deepest distress ? Alas, no ; if God condemn thee, where- withal shall I comfort thee ? I can speak neither more nor less than the scriptures put into my mouth, and I find not one word in all the book of God warranting me to be thy comforter. Be- lieve it is an undoubted truth (though the sense of the bewitched world over-rules it) that the state of unbelievers, even at the best, is a sad and dismal state.
Inf. 2. Let all believers fetch all their coinfort out qf Christ, who is the consolation of his people : "We rejoice (saith the apostle) in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." That is the true temper of a believing soul : take heed you live not partly upon Christ and partly upon the creature for your comfort ; much rather beware that you forsake not Christ, the fountain of living waters, and hew out cisterns for yourselves which can hold no water, Jer. ii. 13. If you make any creature the spring and fountain of your comfort, as- suredly God will dry up that spring. If your souls draw their com- fort from any creature, you know they must out-live that creature, and what then will you do for comfort ? Besides, as your comforts are, so are you. The food of every creature is suitable to its na- ture. You see divers creatures feeding upon several parts of the same herb, the bee upon the flower, the bird upon the seeds, the sheep upon the stalk, and the swine upon the root, according to their nature so is their food. Sensual men feed upon sensual things, spiritual men upon spiritual things ; as your food is, so are you. If carnal comforts can content thy heart, sure thy heart must then be a very carnal heart. Yea, and let Christians themselves take heed, that they fetch not their consolations out of themselves in- stead of Christ. Your graces and duties are excellent means and instruments, but not the ground-work and foundation of your comfort, they are useful buckets to draw, but not the well itself in which the springs of consolation rise. If you put your duties in the room of Christ, Christ will put your comforts out of the reach of your duties.
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