Author's Preface: Finding Comfort in Troubled Times
There are always two types of people in the visible Church. One type is kept under by Satan with false peace; their lives are just distractions with present pleasures, avoiding God and their own hearts because they know nothing good can come from them. These people speak peace to themselves, but God does not speak peace to them. This Scripture does not apply to them; for these people to find comfort, they need to be genuinely troubled first. True peace comes from knowing the worst first and then being free from it. It's a miserable peace that comes from ignoring evil. The angel stirred the waters and then healed those who stepped in. It's Christ's way to trouble our souls first and then come with healing in His wings.
But there is another group of people, who have been drawn out of Satan's kingdom and are within the Covenant of grace, whom Satan tries to unsettle and disturb. Being the god of this world, he is annoyed to see people in the world living above worldly concerns. Since he cannot change their situation, he will trouble their peace, dampen their spirits, and weaken their efforts. These people should examine themselves as David does here and work to maintain their portion and the glory of a Christian life. For whatever is in God or comes from God is meant for their comfort. God himself is the God of comfort; his Spirit is best known by that role. Our blessed Savior was so concerned that his disciples should not be too discouraged that he forgot his own bitter suffering to comfort them, even though he knew they would all abandon him: "Let not your hearts be troubled," he says (John 14:1). And his own soul was troubled to the point of death, so that we should not be troubled: everything written is for this purpose; every article of faith has a special role in comforting a believing soul. They are not only food but also medicine: Yes, he even swore an oath, so that we might not only have consolation but strong consolation. The sacraments confirm all the comforts we have through the death of Christ; the practice of religion, like prayer, hearing, reading, etc., is so that our joy may be full: the communion of saints is mainly intended to comfort the faint-hearted and strengthen the weak. God's governance of his Church aims for this. Why does he make our journey sweeter and let us see so many comforting days in the world, except that we should serve him with cheerful and good hearts? As for hardships, he only brings us down to lift us up, empties us so he can fill us, and melts us so we can be vessels of glory, loving us as much in the furnace as when we are out, and standing by us all the while. We are troubled, but not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken (2 Cor. 4:8-9). If we consider the fatherly love from which afflictions come, how they are not only moderated but sweetened and sanctified in the end for us, how can it not provide comfort in the greatest seeming discomforts? How then can we let our emotions run wild with sorrow without being unfair to God and his providence, as if we would teach him how to govern his Church?
How ungrateful it is to forget our comfort and only focus on our troubles: to think so much about two or three problems that we forget a hundred blessings. To draw poison from something where we should be drawing honey. How foolish it is to restrict and darken our own spirits and make ourselves unfit for doing or receiving good. A limb out of joint can't do anything without deformity and pain; being downcast takes away the soul's motivation.
Out of all people, Satan has the most advantage over those who are discontented, as they are most similar to his nature, being the most discontented creature under heaven. He crafts all his dark schemes in their minds. The discontentment of the Israelites in the wilderness provoked God to swear that they would never enter His rest (Heb. 3:11). God says, "There is another spirit in my servant Caleb"; the spirit of God's people is an encouraging spirit. Wisdom teaches them that if they feel any grievances, they should conceal them from others who are weaker, so they are not discouraged. God threatens it as a curse to give a trembling heart and sorrow of mind, whereas, on the contrary, joy is like oil to the soul, making duties come off cheerfully and sweetly from ourselves, graciously to others, and acceptably to God. A prince cannot endure it in his subjects, nor a father in his children, to be sulking in their presence. Such people usually have secret pleasures to delight themselves in.
How many people are scared away from religion because of the shame that sometimes comes with it? But what are these discouragements compared to the encouragements that religion brings? These are so amazing that even the angels admire them. Yes, religion does bring challenges, but it also brings comforts that are greater than those challenges. Isn't it a dishonor to religion to think that God won't support and honor His followers, as if serving Him isn't the best service? What a shame it is for someone destined for heaven to be upset over every small loss and challenge. To be afraid of a person who is just human and not stand up for a good cause, especially when we know God will support and comfort us, and His presence can make even the greatest suffering bearable.
My discussion isn't meant to stop people from feeling grief and mourning. Light for the righteous is planted in sorrow. Our separation from the Lord, living in a world full of tears, our daily weaknesses, and our empathy for others require it. Where there is the most grace, there is the most sensitivity, just like in Christ. But we must distinguish between grief and that heaviness and discouragement of spirit, which comes with complaining and neglecting duty. When Joshua was too upset about Israel retreating before their enemies, God corrected him, saying, "Get up, Joshua, why are you lying on your face?" (Josh. 7:10).
Some people think that after committing a serious sin, a person should immediately feel comforted and believe without humbling themselves at all. Indeed, once we are in Christ, we should not question our standing with Him, and if we do, it doesn't come from the Spirit. However, a guilty conscience will be loud and full of objections, and God will not speak peace to it until it is humbled. God will let His best children understand what it means to be too bold with sin, as we see in David and Peter, who felt no peace until they renewed their repentance. The way to rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy is to stir up sighs that cannot be expressed. The knowledge of our state in grace should not prevent us from being humble; in fact, understanding God's love for us naturally brings sorrow and shame for offending His Majesty.
One main thing that stops Christians from being joyful is that they allow themselves too much freedom to question their reasons for comfort and their connection to the promises. They say, "This is wonderfully comforting, but what does it mean for me? The promise doesn't belong to me." This comes from not being diligent enough to make sure of their calling for themselves. We find comfort more quickly through watchfulness and diligence than through idle complaining. Our focus should be on getting solid proof of a good state and then keeping that proof clear. We shouldn't listen to our own fears and doubts or the suggestions of our enemy, who tries to undermine our proof. Instead, we should listen to the Word and our own consciences enlightened by the Spirit. It is pride and stubbornness to reject comfort for ourselves. Christians should work to strengthen their claim. We are never more in heaven, before we get there, than when we can read our proofs. It makes us spend much time with God, sweetens all situations, and makes us willing to do and suffer anything. It gives us comforting and honorable thoughts about ourselves, as being too good for serving any base desire, and brings confidence in God both in life and death.
But what if our situation is so dark that we can't understand our evidence at all?
Look up to God's infinite mercy in Christ, just like we did at the beginning when we found no goodness in ourselves. This is the way to recover anything we think we have lost. By honoring God's mercy in Christ, we receive the Spirit of Christ. So, when the waters of sanctification are troubled and unclear, let's turn to the witness of blood. Sometimes God seems to act in ways that are opposite to Himself; He seems to discourage us, but secretly He encourages us, like with the woman of Canaan. But faith can discover these ways of God and untie these knots by looking to God's free promise and merciful nature. Let our foolish and rebellious flesh complain as much as it wants, asking, "Who are you? And what is your worth?" Yet a Christian knows whom they believe. Faith has learned to set God against everything else.
Again, we must continue to add grace upon grace. A growing and fruitful Christian is always a comfortable Christian; the oil of grace brings forth the oil of gladness. Christ is first a King of righteousness, and then a King of peace; the righteousness that He works by His Spirit brings a peace of sanctification. Although we are not freed from sin, we are enabled to fight against it and to gain victory over it. Some degree of comfort follows every good action, just as heat comes with fire and as beams and influences come from the sun. This is so true that even non-Christians, when acting with a good conscience, have found comfort and peace in return; this is a reward before our ultimate reward.
Another thing that hinders the comfort of Christians is that they forget what a gracious and merciful covenant they live under, where the perfection that is required is found in Christ. Perfection in us is sincerity. What is the purpose of faith but to bring us to Christ? Now, even imperfect faith, if sincere, connects us to Christ, in whom our perfection lies.
God's purpose in the covenant of grace is to highlight the abundance of His mercy above all human sin and unworthiness. We give Him more glory for His mercy by believing than it would give to His justice to destroy us. If we were perfect on our own, we wouldn't honor Him as much as we do when we strive to be found in Christ, having His righteousness upon us.
There is no part of Scripture used more often to lift up discouraged spirits than this: "Why are you cast down, O my soul?" It is figurative and full of rhetoric, and all of it is needed to persuade the troubled soul to quietly trust in God. Without this self-reflection and questioning of our hearts, it will never happen. Chrysostom describes a man burdened with troubles coming into the Church, and when he heard this passage read, he immediately recovered and became a different person. Just as David became familiar with this way of dealing with his soul, we should do the same by asking ourselves why we are cast down. This will at least check and stop the distress, making us ready to consider more solid grounds for true comfort.
The soul needs to be calmed and settled before it can be comforted. Just like when the body is in great disorder, you can't give medicine, when the soul is overwhelmed by emotion, it can't take in any advice. It needs to be gradually calmed so it can listen to reason. Sometimes, it's more effective to use ordinary reasoning, which is more familiar, than to use higher reasoning based on our spiritual condition in Christ. For example, considering human nature's tendency to change or the pointlessness of giving in to emotions over things we can't control. These kinds of reasons can help calm the situation temporarily, but they don't address the core issue, which is sin, the root of all troubles. However, when these thoughts are made spiritual through faith and based on higher principles, they can have a greater impact on the soul. Just like the moon's influence becomes stronger when combined with the sun's influence, these reasons become more effective. Sometimes, having a candle nearby is just as useful as the sun itself.
But our main concern should be to have Gospel-based sources of comfort close to us, like being reconciled with God, which makes everything else right with us, adoption, and communion with Christ, etc., which are never sweeter than when we are facing hardships. Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, who was a prisoner for a long time under Charles the Fifth, was asked what kept him going all that time. He answered that he felt the divine comforts of the martyrs. There are divine comforts that are felt during hardships and not at other times.
Besides personal troubles, many people are very discouraged by the current state of the Church, seeing the blood of so many saints being shed and the enemies often winning. But God has strategies, like Joshua at Ai; He sometimes seems to retreat so He can attack His enemies with a greater advantage. The end of all these troubles will no doubt be the downfall of the Antichristian faction, and we will see the Church in her more perfect beauty. The enemies will be put in their rightful place, the lowest, which is the footstool of Christ. The Church, as it is highest in God's favor, will also be highest in itself. The mountain of the Lord will be exalted above all mountains. Even in the worst condition, the Church has two faces: one towards heaven and Christ, which is always constant and glorious; another towards the world, which appears contemptible and changeable. But God will eventually give her beauty for ashes and double glory for her shame, and she will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, the power of the enemies is in God's hand. The Church of God conquers even when it seems defeated, just as our Head, Christ, did, who overcame by patience as well as by power. Christ's victory was on the Cross. The spirit of a Christian conquers even when their person is conquered.
The way is, instead of getting discouraged, to look for all the promises made to the Church in these later times, turn them into prayers, and earnestly ask God to fulfill them. Then we will soon see God both cursing His enemies and blessing His people from Zion, through the faithful prayers that rise up from there.
In all the promises, we should especially turn to God. In all storms, there is plenty of space in the infinite goodness of God for faith to move forward with full sails.
And remember that whenever God is mentioned, we should understand it as God in the promised Messiah, who is shown to us in many ways. To make these passages more powerful when we read them, we in today's Church should think of God shining on us through Christ, and as our Father in Him. If people had so much confidence with so little light, it's shameful for us not to be confident in good things when we have such strong light around us; especially when we claim to believe that a crown of righteousness is waiting for all who love His coming. Presenting these things to the soul through faith sets the soul in such a strong position that no discouragement can affect it. "We do not lose heart," says Paul. Why doesn't he lose heart? Because these light and short troubles bring about an overwhelming weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:16-17).
Luther, when he saw Melancthon, a godly and learned man, too upset about the state of the Church at that time, started to scold him, just like David does with his own soul here. "I strongly hate those miserable worries," he said, "that make you feel so worn out. It's not the importance of the issue, but the lack of belief. If the cause is false, let's take it back. If it's true, why do we make God, with His rich promises, seem like a liar? Fight against yourself, your greatest enemy; why do we fear the defeated world when we have the conqueror Himself on our side?"
Now, let me say a few words about the publication of this treatise. I started preaching on this text about twelve years ago in the city, and later finished it at Gray's Inn. After that, some people got hold of incomplete notes and tried to publish them without my knowledge. To set things right, I decided to organize them into this form: There is a dedicated and scholarly gentleman from Gray's Inn who recently published observations on the whole psalm, and another who did a great job on this very verse. Many others, through treatises on faith and similar topics, have greatly contributed to the spiritual peace of Christians. It would be wonderful if we all joined in doing what the Apostle took pride in—being helpers of the joy of God's people. Due to my absence while the work was being printed, some sentences were mistaken. Some people might be quick to criticize the efforts of others; but as long as good is being done, let those ill-disposed individuals be as they are, unless God changes their hearts. So, I commend you and this humble treatise to God's blessing.
