Ver.4.] UNBELIEF AND JEALOUSY DISTINGUISHED. 559
in the world : every one supposeth he hath those that are more cogent than any other hath to question the promises of grace, pardon, and forgiveness; and therefore the questioning of them is not their sin, but their duty. But pretend what we will, this is speaking against God, limiting of him ; and that which is our keeping off from stead- fastness and comfort.
But now there may be a jealousy in a gxacious heart concerning the love of Christ, which is acceptable unto him, at least which he is tender towards, that may be mistaken for this questioning of the promises by unbelief, and so help to keep the soul in darkness and disconsolation. This the spouse expresseth in herself: Cant. viii. 6, " Love is strong as death ; jealousy is hard as the grave : the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.'' Love is the foundation, the root ; but yet it bears that fruit which is bitter, although it be wholesome, — that which fills the soul with great per- plexities, and makes it cry out for a nearer and more secure admission into the presence of Christ. " Set me,'" saith the spouse, " as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm : for jealousy is cruel as the grave ; " — " I cannot bear this distance from thee, these fears of my being disregarded by thee. ' Set me as a seal upon thine heart' "
Now, this spiritual jealousy is the solicitousness of the mind of a believer, who hath a sincere love for Christ, about the heart, affec- tion, and good-will of Christ towards it, arising from a consciousness of its own unworthiness to be beloved by him or accepted with him. All causeless jealousy ariseth from a secret sense and conviction of unworthiness in the person in whom it is, and a high esteem of him that is the object of it, or concerning whose love and affection any one is jealous. So it is with this spiritual jealousy. The root of it is love, sincere love, that cannot be " quenched by waters" nor "drowned by floods," verse 7, — which nothing can utterly prevail against or over- come. This gives the soul high thoughts of the glorious excellencies of Christ, fills it with admiration of him ; these are mixed with a due sense of its own baseness, vileness, and unworthiness to be owned by him or accepted with him. Now, if these thoughts, on the one hand and on the other, be not directed, guided, and managed aright by faith, — which alone can show the soul how the glory of Christ con- sisteth principally in tliis, that he, being so excellent and glorious, is pleased to love us with love inexpressible who are vile and sinful, — questionings about the love of Christ, and those attended with much anxiety and trouble of mind, will arise. Now, this frame may some- times be taken for a questioning of the promises of God, and that to be a defect in faith which is an excess of love, or at most such an irregular acting of it as the Lord Christ will be very tender towards, and which is consistent v.ith peace and a due sense of the forgiveness
5 GO AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. [Yer. 4-
of sins. Mistake not, then, these one for another, lest much cause- less unquietness ensue in the judgment which you are to make of yourselves.
But you will say, " How shall we distinguish between these two, so as not causelessly to be disquieted and perplexed?" I answer briefly, —
1. Unbelief, working in and by the questioning of the promises of God, is a weakening, disheartening, dispiriting thing. It takes off the edge of the soul from spiritual duties, and weakens it both as imto delight and strength. The more any one questions the promises of God, the less life, power, joy, and delight in obedience he hath ; for faith is the spring and root of all other graces, and according as that thriveth or goeth backwards so do they all. Men think sometimes that their uncertainty of the love of God, and of acceptance with him by the forgiveness of sin, doth put them upon the performance of many duties; and they can have no rest or peace in the omission of them. It may be it is so; yea, this is the state and condition with many. But what are these duties? and how are they performed? and what is their acceptance with God? The duties themselves are legal; which denomination ariseth not from the nature, substance, or matter of them, for they may be the same that are required and enjoined in the gospel, but from the principle from whence they proceed and the end to which they are used. Now these in this case are both legal; their principle is legal fear, and their end is legal righteous- ness,— the whole attendance unto them a " seeking of righteousness as it were by the works of the law.'' And how are they jDerformed? Plainly, with a bondage-frame of spirit, without love, joy, liberty, or delight. To quiet conscience, to pacify God, are the things in them aimed at, all in opposition to the blood and righteousness of Christ. And are they accepted with God? Let them be multiplied never so much, he everywhere testifieth that they are abhorred by him. This, then, unbelief mixed with convictions will do. It is the pro- per way of venting and exercising itself where the soul is brought under the power of conviction. But as unto gospel obedience, in all the duties of it, to be carried on in communion with God by Christ and delight in him, all questioning of the promises weakens and dis- courageth the soul, and makes them all wearisome and burdensome unto it.