3. The evil of DESERTION works for good to the godly.
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The evil of desertion works for good. The spouse complains of desertion. "My beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone!" (Cant. 5:6). There is a twofold withdrawing; either in regard of grace, when God suspends the influence of His Spirit, and withholds the lively actings of grace. If the Spirit is gone, grace freezes into a chillness and indolence. Or, a withdrawing in regard of comfort. When God withholds the sweet manifestations of His favor, He does not look with such a pleasant aspect—but veils His face, and seems to be quite gone from the soul.
God is just in all His withdrawings. We desert Him before He deserts us. We desert God—when we leave off close communion with Him; when we desert His truths and dare not appear for Him; when we leave the guidance and conduct of His word, and follow the deceitful light of our own corrupt affections and passions. We desert God first; therefore we have none to blame but ourselves.
Desertion is very sad, for as when the light is withdrawn, darkness follows in the air—so when God withdraws, there is darkness and sorrow in the soul. Desertion is an agony of conscience. God holds the soul over hell. "The arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinks up my spirits" (Job 6:4). It was a custom among the Persians in their wars, to dip their arrows in the poison of serpents to make them more deadly. Thus did God shoot the poisoned arrow of desertion into Job, under the wounds of which his spirit lay bleeding. In times of desertion the people of God are apt to be dejected. They dispute against themselves, and think that God has quite cast them off. Therefore I shall prescribe some comfort to the deserted soul.
The mariner, when he has no star to guide him—yet he has light in his lantern, which is some help to him to see his compass; so, I shall lay down four consolations, which are as the mariner's lantern, to give some light when the poor soul is sailing in the darkness of desertion, and needs the bright morning star.
(1). None but the godly are capable of desertion. Wicked men do not know what God's love means—nor what it is to lack it. They know what it is to lack health, friends, trade—but not what it is to lack God's favor. You fear that you are not God's child because you are deserted. The Lord cannot be said to withdraw His love from the wicked, because they never had it. The being deserted, evidences you to be a child of God. How could you complain that God has estranged Himself, if you had not sometimes received smiles and tokens of love from Him?
(2). There may be the seed of grace, where there is not the flower of joy. The earth may lack a crop of grain—yet may have a mine of gold within! A Christian may have grace within, though the sweet fruit of joy does not grow. Vessels at sea, which are richly fraught with jewels and spices, may be in the dark and tossed in the storm. A soul enriched with the treasures of grace, may yet be in the dark of desertion, and so tossed as to think it shall be cast away in the storm! David, in a state of dejection, prays, "Take not your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:11). He does not pray, says Augustine, "Lord, give me your Spirit"—but "Take not away your Spirit", so that still he had the Spirit of God remaining in him.
(3). These desertions are but for a time. Christ may withdraw, and leave the soul awhile—but He will come again. "In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment—but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you" (Isaiah 64:8). When it is low water—the tide will come in again. "I will not always show my anger." (Isaiah 57:16). The tendermother sets down her child in anger—but she will take it up again into her arms, and kiss it. God may put away the soul in anger—but He will take it up again into His dear embraces, and display His banner of love over it.
(4). HOW these desertions work for good to the godly.
1. Desertion cures the soul of sloth. We find the spouse fallen upon the bed of sloth: "I sleep" (Cant. 5:2). And presently Christ was gone. "My beloved had withdrawn himself" (Cant. 5:6). Who will speak to one that is drowsy?
2. Desertion cures inordinate affection to the world. "Love not the world" (1 John 2:15). We may hold the world as a posy in our hand—but it must not lie too near ourheart! We may use it as an inn where we take a meal—but it must not be our home. Perhaps these secular things steal away the heart too much. Godly men are sometimes weighed down with an overabundance of temporal things, and drunk with the luscious delights of prosperity. And having spotted their silver wings of grace, and much defacedGod's image by rubbing it against the earth—the Lord, to recover them from this, hides His face in a cloud. This eclipse has good effects—it darkens all the glory of the world, and causes it to disappear.
3. Desertion works for good—as it makes the saints prize God's countenance more than ever. "Your loving-kindness is better than life" (Psalm 63:3). Yet thecommonness of this mercy lessens it in our esteem. When pearls grew common at Rome, they began to be slighted. God has no better way to make us value His love, than by withdrawing it awhile. If the sun shone but once a year, how would it be prized! When the soul has been long benighted with desertion, oh how welcome now is the return of the Sun of righteousness!
4. Desertion works for good—as it is the means of embittering sin to us. Can there be a greater misery than to have God's displeasure? What makes hell—but the hiding of God's face? And what makes God hide His face—but sin? "They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him" (John 20:13). Just so, our sins have taken away the Lord, and we know not where He is laid. The favor of God is the best jewel; it can sweeten a prison, and unsting death. Oh, how odious then is that sin, which robs us of our best jewel! Sin made God desert His temple (Ezek. 8:6). Sin causes Him to appear as an enemy, and dress Himself in armor. This makes the soul pursue sin with a holy malice, and seek to be avenged on it! The deserted soul gives sin gall and vinegar to drink, and, with the spear of mortification, lets out the heart-blood of it!
5. Desertion works for good—as it sets the soul to weeping for the loss of God. When the sun is gone, the dew falls; and when God is gone, tears drop from the eyes. How Micah was troubled when he had lost his gods! "You've taken away all my gods—and I have nothing left!" (Judges 18:24). So when God is gone, what more do we have left? It is not the harp and violin, which can comfort—when God is gone. Though it is sad to lack God's presence—yet it is good to lament His absence.
6. Desertion sets the soul to seeking after God. When Christ was departed, the spouse pursues after Him, she "searched for him in all its streets and squares" (Cant. 3:2). And not having found Him, she makes a cry after Him, "Have you seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?" (Cant. 3:3). The deserted soul sends up whole volleys of sighs and groans. It knocks at heaven's gate by prayer—it can have no rest until the golden beams of God's face shine!
7. Desertion puts the Christian upon inquiry. He inquires the cause of God's departure. What is the accursed thing which has made God angry? Perhaps pride, perhapssloth, perhaps worldliness. "I was angry and punished these greedy people. I withdrew myself from them" (Isaiah 57:17). Perhaps there is some secret sin allowed. A stone in the pipe hinders the current of water. Just so, sin lived in, hinders the sweet current of God's love. Thus conscience, as a bloodhound, having found out sin and overtaken it—this Achan is stoned to death!
8. Desertion works for good—as it gives us a sight of what Jesus Christ suffered for us. If the sipping of the cup is so bitter, how bitter was that full cup which Christ drank to the dregs upon the cross? He drank a cup of deadly poison, which made Him cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 22:46). None can so appreciate Christ's sufferings, none can be so fired with love to Christ—as those who have been humbled by desertion, and have been held over the flames of hell for a time.
9. Desertion works for good—as it prepares the saints for future comfort. The nipping frosts prepare for spring flowers. It is God's way, first to cast down, then tocomfort (2 Cor. 7:6). When our Savior had been fasting—then the angels came and ministered to Him. When the Lord has kept His people long fasting—then He sends the Comforter, and feeds them with the hidden manna. "Light is sown for the righteous" (Psalm 97:11.) The saints' comforts may be hidden like seed under ground—but the seed isripening, and will increase, and flourish into a crop!
10. These desertions work for good—as they will make heaven the sweeter to us. Here on earth, our comforts are like the moon, sometimes they are in the full, sometimes in the wane. God shows Himself to us awhile, and then retires from us. How will this set off heaven the more, and make it more delightful and ravishing, when we shall have aconstant aspect of love from God! (1 Thess. 4:17).
Thus we see desertions work for good. The Lord brings us into the deep of desertion—that He may not bring us into the deep of damnation! He puts us into a seeming hell—that He may keep us from a real hell. God is fitting us for that time when we shall enjoy His smiles forever, when there shall be neither clouds in His face or sun setting, when Christ shall come and stay with His spouse, and the spouse shall never say again, "My beloved has withdrawn himself!"
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