Use 2. And, for ourselves, if our estate be calm for the present, yet we should labour to prepare our hearts, not only for an alteration of estate, but of spirit, unless we be marvellous careful beforehand, that our spirits fall not down with our condition. And if it befalls us to find it othen\ise with our souls than at other times, we should so far labour to bear it, as that we do not judge it our own case alone, when we see here David thus to com- plain of himself, ' Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul ? ' &c.
142 THE soul's conflict.
Chaptee IV. — Of casting down ourselves, and specialhj by sorrow — evils
thereof.
To return again to the words, * Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul ?' &c., or. Why dost thou cast down thyself?' or. Art cast down by thyself?
Ohs. 1. "Whence we may further observe, that we are prone to cast down ourselves, we are accessory to our own trouble, and weave the web of our own sorrow, and hamper ourselves in the cords of our own twining. God neither loves nor wills that we should be too much cast down. We see our Saviour Christ, how careful he was that his disciples should not be troubled, and therefore he labours to prevent that trouble which might arise by his suffering and departure from them, by a heavenly sermon ; ' Let not your hearts be troubled,' &c., John xiv. 1. He was troubled himself that we should not be troubled. The ground, therefore, of our disquiet is chiefly from ourselves, though Satan will have a hand in it. We see many, like sullen birds in a cage, beat themselves to death. This casting down of our- selves is not from humility, but fi'om pride ; we must have om- will, or God shall not have a good look from us, but as pettish and peevish children, we hang our heads in our bosom, because our wills are crossed.
Use. Therefore, in all our troubles we should look first home to our own hearts, and stop the storm there ; for we may thank our own selves, not only for our troubles, but likewise for overmuch troubling oui'selves in trouble. It was not the troubled condition that so disquieted Da\dd's soul, for if he had had a quiet mind, it woidd not have troubled him. But David yielded to the discouragements of the flesh, and the flesh, so far as it is un- subdued, is like the sea that is always casting mu'e and dii-t of doubts, dis- com-agements, and murmm'ings in the soul ; let us, therefore, lay the blame where it is to be laid.
Ohs. 2. Again, we see, it is the nature of sorrow to cast down, as of joy to lift up. Grief is like lead to the soul, hea\7' and cold ; it sinks down- wards, and carries the soul with it. The poor publican, to shew that his soul was cast down under the sight of his sins, hung down his head, Luke xviii. 13 ; the position of his body was suitable to the disposition of his mind, his heart and head were cast down alike. And it is Satan's practice to go over the hedge where it is lowest ; he adds more weights to the soul by his temptations and vexations. His sin cast him out of heaven, and by his temptations he cast us out of our paradise, and ever since, he labours to cast us deeper into sin, wherein his scope is, to cast us either into too much trouble for sin, or presumption in sin, which is but a hfting up, to cast us down into deep despair at length, and so at last, if God's mercy stop not his malice, he wiU cast us as low as himself, even into heU itself.
Reason. The ground hereof is because, as the joy of the Lord doth strengthen, so doth sorrow weaken the soul. How doth it weaken ?
1 . By weakening the execution of the functions thereof, because it drinketh up the spirits, which are the instruments of the soul.
2. Because it contracteth, and draweth the soul into itself from com- munion of that comfort it might have with God or man. And then the soul being left alone, if it falleth, hath none to raise it up, Eccl. iv. 10.
Use. Therefore, if we will prevent casting down, let us prevent giief the cause of it, and sin the cause of that. Experience proves that true which the wise man says, ' Heaviness in the heart of a man makes it stoop, but a good word makes it better,' Prov. xii. 25. It bows do^vn the soul, and therefiore
THE soul's conflict. ' 143
our blessed Saviour invite th such unto him, * Come unto mc, ye who are heavy laden with the bui-den of yom- sins,' Matt. xi. 28. The body bends under a heavy burden, so like'^'ise the soul hath its burden, ' Y\Tiy art thou cast down, 0 my soul ? why so disquieted ?' &c.
Obs. 3. Whence we see, 1, that casting down breeds disquieting : because it springs from pride, which is a turbulent passion, whenas men cannot stoop to that condition which God would have them in ; this proceeds from discontentment, and that fi'om pride. As we see a vapour enclosed in a cloud causeth a terrible noise of thunder, whilst it is pent up there, and seeketh a vent ; so aU the noise within proceeds from a discontented swell- ing vapoiu*. It is air enclosed in the bowels of the earth which shakes it, which all the fom- winds cannot do.