Thus, when vanity goes before, there will come vexation after. There- fore when men do set upon doing any good, or suffering for good, by their own strength, and trust not in God for a constant supply, this moves God to take away his support, and then they fall most shamefully. Nay, when a man trusts in himself, and in his present grace, more than in God, he shall be sure to fall; for we must trust in God for time to come for fresh grace, and pray that God would renew his graces, to strengthen us in every trouble and affliction. The cause why God's children do so miscarry in times of trouble is, because they trouble themselves, and do not trust in God for a new supply of grace. We cannot perform new duties, and undergo new sufferings, with old graces. So now you have some causes why men are thus cast down and disquieted; false trust, or else not trust- ing in God, as if the prophet had said, ' Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul?' The reason is this, thou dost not trust in God as thou shouldst do; therefore it was our Saviour reproved Peter when he feared, saving, ' 0 thou of little faith,' Mat. xiv. 31. It was not the greatness of the waves, but the weakness of his faith, which made him faint. In truth, the cause of our trouble and disquieting is either for want of faith or want
discouragement's recovery. 55
in faith, whereby we cannot rely upon God in our troubles and afflictions ; for the soul being weak of itself, it hath need of something to rely upon, as a weak plant had need of a supporter. Now that which gives answerable strength is our relying upon God. When we omit this, then comes dis- quieting and troubles in our souls. And so I end the point of perplexity, and come to the charge that he lays upon his own soul, sayi-ag, Trust in God. His remedy is double.
1. First, A reflecting action upon his soul, ' Why art thou disquieted, 0 my soul?'
2. Secondly, A command laid upon his soul, ' Trust in God.' Before I come to particulars, observe in general this point,
Doct. 3. That God's children, in their greatest troubles, recover themselces. For here was the trouble, and his disquietness for the trouble. He was in temptation, afflictions, and discouragements. Here was Satan tempting, and the corruptions boiling, and God withdrawing the sense of his love, leaving David for a while to himself; and yet, notwithstanding, at length he breaks through all, and expostulates the matter with himself. So God's children, when they are in troubles, though never so great, they can recover and comfort themselves. And in truth the holy Scripture shews this; for this trusting and relying on God in extremities is a difference betwixt the child of God and an hypocrite. A little cross will not try men's graces so as great ones. As in Saul, it brings him to great trouble, and then he goes to the witch, and then see what becomes of him, 1 Sam. xxviii. 7. But the child of God, in his greatest troubles, he having the Spirit of God to strengthen him, he rests upon God, as is shewed, Rom. viii. 26. In the greatest troubles, the Spirit doth help our infirmities; and in the lowest depth of trouble, there is the Spirit of comfort. Now this Spirit works faith, that enables us to send out strong prayers and cries, which cry loud in God's ear. The child of God can mourn, and cry, and chatter, striving agamst deadness, and against his infidelity, and strives for comfort as for life ; so, when they are at the lowest, they can recover themselves. God's children, at the beginning of trouble, do labour to recover themselves presently : * Why art thou disquieted within me ?' He stops himself at the first. Jonah was to blame this way ; he did feed and flatter himself, and would not stand to expostulate with his heart, Jonah iv. 9 ; but David doth not so here, but saith, ' Why art thou so cast down, 0 my soul ? and why art thou so disquieted ?' There is a contrary spirit in them who are not God's children; for they do feed upon mischief, wickedness, and dark conceits, according to which apprehensions they make their conclusions ; but God's children, knowing their own estates, they reprove themselves, and say, ' Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul ? why art thou so troubled ? '
Doct. 4. Again, see the excellent estate of the soul. It is an atheistical conceit that the soul doth arise out of the temper of the body ; for that cannot be, because we see the soul doth cross our nature, and cross itself; much more the body. How can this be, if it rise of the body, that it should cross itself, and the very inclinations to evil? For though thesoul be ready to run to excess of melancholy and excess of joy, yet there is resist- ance in the soul, and striving against these things in some measure ; for in every Christian there are three men.
(1.) First, The natural man, the good creature of God, having understand- ing, will, and affection.