Section 5

ON A MIRY BOG
place them. Oh, how gingerly did I then go, in all I did or said ! I found myself as on a miry bog, that shook if I did but stir, and was, as there, left both of God and Christ, and the Spirit, and all good things.
83. But I observed, though I was such a great sinner before conversion, yet God never much charged the guilt of the sins of my ignorance upon me ; only He showed me, I was lost if I had not Christ, because I had been a sinner: I saw that I wanted a perfect righteousness to present me without fault before God, and this righteousness was no where to be found, but in the Person of Jesus Christ.
84. But my original and inward pollution ; That,
that was my plague and affliction, that
J l More loathsome
I saw at a dreadful rate, always in mine own eyes putting forth itself within me; that I had the guilt of, to amazement ; by reason of that, I was more loathsome in mine own eyes than was a toad, and I thought I was so in God's eyes too : Sin and corruption, I said, would as naturally bubble out of my heart, as water would bubble out of a fountain: I thought now, that every one had a better heart than I had ; I could have changed heart with any body; I thought none but the devil himself could equalise me for inward wicked- ness and pollution of mind. I fell therefore at the sight of my own vileness deeply into despair ; for I
53
GRACE ABOUNDING
concluded, that this condition that I was in, could not stand with a state of grace. Sure, thought I,
I am forsaken of God ; sure, I am 'Sure, lam . '
given up to the given up to the devil, and to a
reprobate mind : and thus I con- tinued a long while, even for some years together.
85. While I was thus afflicted with the fears of Two things m7 own damnation, there were two make me wonder things would make me wonder; the one was, when I saw old people hunting after the things of this life, as if they should live here always : the other was, when I found professors much dis- tressed and cast down, when^they met with .nut- ward losses ; as of Lusbaiid^Js^dfe^jiiild^etc. Lord, th might T7 what a-do i&Jiere about such, little things as thesej What seeking after carnal things, by_ some, and what grief in others for the. loss of them.! if they SQ^muA-iabojiir after, and ^shed^ so many tears for the thin^a_ii£_lliis_rjres£nt .Jdfe^lias£..amJ to be-bemoanedp pitied^. jmdjDrayed fo_r ! My soul is dying, my soul is damning. Were my soul but in a good condition, and were I but sure of it, ah ! how rich should I esteem myself, though blessed but with bread and water! I should count those but small afflictions, and should bear them as little burthens. A wounded spirit who can bear /
86. And though I was much troubled, and tossed, and afflicted, with the sight and sense and terror of
54
TROUBLED AND TOSSED
my own wickedness, yet I was afraid to let this sight and sense go quite off my mind : for I found, that unless guilt of conscience was taken off the right way, that is, by the blood of Christ, a man grew rather worse for the loss of his trouble of mind, than better. Wherefore, if my guilt lay hard upon me, then I should cry that the blood of Christ might take it off: and if it was going off without it (for the sense of sin would be sometimes as if it would die, and go quite away), then I would also strive to fetch it upon my heart again, by bringing the punishment of sin in hell fire upon my spirit ; and should cry, Lord, let it not go off my heart, but the right way, by the blood of Christ, and the application of Thy mercy, through Him, to my soul ; for that scripture lay much upon me, without shedding of blood is no remission. Heb. ix. 22. And that which made me the more afraid of this, was, because I had seen some, who though when they were under wounds of conscience, would cry and pray ; yet seeking rather present ease from their trouble, than pardon for their sin, cared not how they lost their guilt, so they got it out of their mind : now, having got it off the wrong way, it was not sanctified unto them ; but they grew harder and blinder, and more wicked after their trouble. This made me afraid, and made me cry to God the more, that it might not be so with me.
55
GRACE ABOUNDING
87. And now I was sorry that God had made me
man, for I feared I was a reprobate :
I was sorry that _
God had made I counted man as unconverted, the most doleful of all the creatures. Thus being afflicted and tossed about my sad con- dition, I counted myself alone, and above the most of men unblessed.
88. Yea, I thought it impossible that ever I
should attain to so much goodness of 6 heart, as to thank God that He had
fishesS'etcrdS' made me a man. Man indeed is the most noble by creation, of all creatures in the visible world; but by sin he has made himself the most ignoble. The beasts, birds, fishes, etc. I blessed their condition ; for they had not a sinful nature ; they were not obnoxious to the wrath of God; they were not to go to hell-fire after death; I could therefore have rejoiced, had my condition been as any of theirs.
89. In this condition I went a great while, but I get comfort by when comforting time was come, I a sermon heard one preach a sermon on these
words in the song, Song iv. i, Behold, thou art fair, my love, behold, thou art fair. But at that time he made these two words, my love, his chief and subject matter: from which, after he had a little opened the text, he observed these several con- clusions : i. That the church, and so every saved soul, is Christ's love, when loveless. 2. Christ's love with-
56
'THOU ART MY LOVE'
out a cause. 3. Christ }s love, when hated of the world. 4. Christ's love, when under temptation and under destruction. 5. Christ's love, from first to last.
90. But I got nothing by what he said at present ; only when he came to the application of the fourth particular, this was the word he said ; If it be so, that the saved soul is Christ's love, when under temptation and desertion ; then poor tempted soul, when } thou art assaulted, and afflicted with temptations, and the hidings of God's face, yet think on these two words, cMy love/ still
91. So as I was going home, these words came again into my thoughts; and I well Twowords> remember, as they came in, I said ' my love,' make thus in my heart, What shall I get
by thinking on these two words ? This thought had no sooner passed through my heart, but these words began thus to kindle in my spirit, Thou art My Love, thou art My Dove, twenty times together ; and still as they ran in my mind, they waxed stronger and warmer, and began to make me look up; but being as yet, between hope and fear, I still replied in my heart, But is it true, but is it true? At which that sentence fell upon me, He wist not that it was true, which was done by the Angel. Acts xii. 9. ,
92. Then I began to give place to the word which with power, did over and over make this joy- ful sound within my soul, c Thou art My Love, thou
57
GRACE ABOUNDING
art My Love, and nothing shall separate thee from My
My heart full of Love' And with that my heart was comfort and filled full of comfort and hope, and
now I could believe that my sins should be forgiven me ; yea, I was now so taken with the love and mercy of God, that I remember I could not tell how to contain till I got home : I thought I could have spoken of His love, and have told of His mercy to me, even to the very crows that sat upon the ploughed lands before me, had they been capable to have understood me : where- fore I said in my soul, with much gladness, Well, T would I had a pen and ink here, I would write this down before I go any farther ; for surely I will not forget this forty years hence. But, alas! within less than forty days I began to question all again ; which made me begin to question all still.
93. Yet still at times I was helped to believe,
that it was a true manifestation of
A text warns
me of a coming grace unto my soul, though I had
lost much of the life and favour of it. Now about a week or a fortnight after this I was much followed by this scripture, Simon, Simon; behold, Satan hath d'esired to have you, Luke xxii. 3 1 , and sometimes it would sound so loud within me, yea, and as it was, call so strongly after me, that once, above all the rest, I turned my head over my shoulder, thinking verily that some man had behind me, called me ; being at a great distance,
58
A VERY GREAT STORM
methought he called so loud : it came, as I have thought since, to have stirred me up to prayer, and to watchfulness : it came to acquaint me, that a cloud and a storm was coming down upon me : but I understood it not.
94. Also, as I remember, that time that it called to me so loud, was the last time that The voice loudly it sounded in mine ears; but me- calls to me thinks I hear still with what a loud voice these words, Simon, Simon, sounded in mine ears. I thought verily, as I have told you, that somebody had called after me, that was half a mile behind me : and although that was not my name, yet it made me suddenly look behind me, believing that he that called so loud, meant me.
95. But so foolish was I, and ignorant, that I knew not the reason of this sound ;
x i- i T j • j i_ i i r i I muse and
(which as I did both see and feel soon wonder as to the after, was sent from heaven as an alarm, to awaken me to provide for what was coming,) only I should muse and wonder in my mind, to think what should be the reason of this scripture, and that at this rate, so often and so loud, should still be sounding and rattling in mine ears : but, as I said before, I soon after perceived the end of God therein.
96. For, about the space of a month after, a very great storm came down upon me, which handled me twenty times worse than all I had met with
59
GRACE ABOUNDING
before ; it came stealing upon me, now by one piece,
A very great then b? another : First> a11 m7 com-
storm came fort was taken from me ; then
down upon me , . , c
darkness seized upon me ; after
which, whole floods of blasphemies, both against God, Christ, and the scriptures, were poured upon my spirit, to my great confusion and astonishment. These blasphemous thoughts were such as stirred up questions in me against the very being of God, and of His only beloved Son : As, whether there were in truth, a God or Christ ? And whether the holy scriptures were not rather a fable, and cunning story, than the holy and pure word of God ?
97- The tempter would also much assault me with The tempter this, HffW can you tell but that the
assaults me Turks had as good scriptures to prove
their Mahomet the Saviour, as we have to prove our Jesus is? And, could I think, that so many ten thousands, in so many countries and kingdoms, should be without the knowledge of the right way to heaven, (if there were indeed a heaven) ; and that we only, who live in a corner of the earth, should alone be blessed therewith ? Every one doth think his own religion rightest, both Jews and Moors, and Pagans; and how if all our faith, and Christ, and scriptures, should be but a think so too ?
98. Sometimes I have endeavoured to argue against these suggestions, and to set some of the sentences of blessed Paul against them ; but alas ! I
60
SATANIC SUGGESTIONS
quickly felt, when I thus did, such arguings as these would return again upon me, Though l setthe ^essed we made so great a matter of Paul, Paul against his and of his words, yet how could I tell, but that in very deed, he being a subtle and cunning man, might give himself up to deceive with strong delusions : and also take the pains and travel, to undo and destroy his fellows.
99. These suggestions, (with many others which at this time I may not, and dare not Thesesu^es- utter, neither by word or pen,) did tions continue
, : ' . . with fiery force
make such a seizure upon my spirit, and did so overweigh my heart, both with their number, continuance, and fiery force, that I felt as if there were nothing else but these from morning to night within me ; and as though indeed there could be room for nothing else ; and also concluded, that God had, in very wrath to my soul, given me up to them, to be carried away with them, as with a mighty whirlwind.
100. Only by the distaste that they gave unto
my spirit, I felt there was something in
1 / , 7 , * Something in
me that refused to embrace them. But me that refused this consideration I then only had, to embrace them when God gave me leave to swallow my spittle j otherwise the noise, and strength, and force of these temptations would drown and overflow, and as it were, bury all such thoughts, or the remembrance of any such thing. While I was in this temptation,
61
GRACE ABOUNDING
I often found my mind suddenly put upon it to curse and swear, or to speak some grievous thing against God, or Christ His Son, and of the scriptures.
101. Now I thought, surely I am possessed of the I am possessed devil: at other times, again, I thought of the devil j should be bereft of my wits; for instead of lauding and magnifying God the Lord, with others, if I have but heard Him spoken of, presently some most horrible blasphemous thought or other would bolt out of my heart against Him ; so that whether I did think that God was, or again did think there was no such thing, no love, nor peace, nor gracious disposition could I feel within me.
102. These things did sink me into very deep I sink into very despair ; for I concluded that such deep despair ' thjngs coul(j not possibly be found
amongst them that loved God. I often, when these temptations had been with force upon me, did com- pare myself to the case of such a child, whom some gipsy hath by force took up in her arms, and is carrying from friend and country. Kick sometimes I did, and also shriek and cry ; but yet I was bound in the wings of the temptation, and the wind would carry me away. I thought also of Saul, and of the evil spirit that did possess him : and did greatly fear that my condition was the same with that of his. i Sam. x.
62
PROVOKED BY THE TEMPTER
103. In these days, when I have heard others talk of what was the sin against the
Holy Ghost, then would the tempter
so provoke me to desire to sin that against the Holy
Ghost sin, that I was as if I could not, must
not, neither should be quiet until I had committed it ; now no sin would serve but that. If it were to be committed by speaking of such a word, then I have been as if my mouth would have spoken that word, whether I would or no ; and in so strong a measure was this temptation upon me, that often I have been ready to clap my hand under my chin, to hold my mouth from opening; and to that end also, I have had thoughts at other times, to leap with my head downward, into some muckhill-hole or other, to keep my mouth from speaking.
1 04. Now again I beheld the condition of the dog and toad, and counted the estate of
every thing that God had made, far better than this dreadful state of mine, and such as my companions were. Yea, gladly would I have been in the condition of a dog or horse : for I knew they had no souls to perish under the everlasting weight of hell, or sin, as mine was like to do. Nay, and though I saw this, felt this, and was broken to pieces with it ; yet that which added to my sorrow was, I could not find, that with all my soul I did desire deliverance. That scripture did also tear and rend my soul in the