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Cover courtesy of Soli Deo Gloria
The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul
A Treatise concerning the Nature, Kinds, Degrees, Symptoms, Causes, Cures of, and Mistakes about Spiritual Desertions
Publication
- Publisher
- Soli Deo Gloria
- Print status
- Out of stock
The Physical Book
- Binding
- Paperback
- Total pages
- 360 pages
- ISBN-13
- 9798886861549
Reference
- Notes
- First published Edinburgh: Robert Bryson, 1642, with a London edition the same year printed by M. Flesher for Luke Fawne and Samuel Gellibrand. Considered a classic Puritan treatment of spiritual depression; cited by Herman Bavinck in his Reformed Ethics.
- Publisher page
- View at publisher
Contents
- Preface
- The godly are sometimes deserted
- How, or in what sense, the godly are said to be deserted
- Four other considerations about desertion
- Of the first sort of desertion: the withholding of assisting grace
- That a man may be deserted and not know it, with the causes and evil of it
- Rules to judge when one is deserted. The first is the consideration of his graces
- When a man is deserted, his light is darkened
- The light and motions of a deserted man do not have the former efficacy to affect, impel, repel, and humble the heart
- When a man is deserted, the mind is more vain and abated in frequency, complacency, and consistency in holy things
- Great incredulity in a deserted soul, with the causes of it
- Of the change and alteration of affections in case of desertion, where is spoken of love, hope, hatred, with their sad abatements
- The second rule to judge of desertion is taken from the increase of sin: where and how the increase of sin may be known
- The third rule to judge in this case is from the consideration of the means of grace
- Causes of desertion: they are for instruction, that nature and grace may be better known, the one in its sinfulness and weakness, the other in its freeness and necessity
- Desertions are for correction, and are caused by pride and carelessness
- We grieve the Spirit by doing Him dishonor
- The second means of grieving the Spirit is disobedience and resistance of the Spirit
- Persuasive considerations to move men to study the preservation of communion with God
- Directions how to retain a divine quickening presence with us. The first two means are to acknowledge it and to use God's help
- Answers to questions regarding our duty to God
- The third means to retain a divine presence is prayer, in which care must be had of the rise, carriage, and end of it
- The fourth means: keeping the favor of God, with directions how to do it
- The fifth means: keeping in God's way
- Sixth and seventh means: be doing, and wisely and diligently use the means of grace
- Three counsels to such as are deserted
- Motives to use these counsels taken from possibility of recovery
- Motives to seek recovery taken from necessity
- Two directions how to seek recovery
- Two other directions how to recover
- Of desertions in appearance only, with the causes of mistakes in this case
- The false rules of men's judging themselves, causing mistakes in this case
- Other false rules causing mistakes in judgment
- The second sort of spiritual desertions: loss of comfort
- The causes and root of comfort
- Of the state and degree of this sad condition
- The effects and consequences of this sad condition
- The causes and cures of this sad condition