Nine things there are, which usually are grounds and occasions of the discouragements of God's people.
I. Sometimes their discouragements are drawn from their greater and grosser sins.
II. Sometimes they arise from the weakness of grace.
III. Sometimes they are taken from their failing in and non-acceptance of duty.
IV. Sometimes they are draw from their lack of evidence for heaven, and non-assurance of the love of God.
V. Sometimes they come from their temptations.
VI. Sometimes from their desertions.
VII. Sometimes from their afflictions.
VIII. Sometimes from their unserviceableness.
IX. Sometimes from their condition itself.
For Bridge as well as other Puritans being "downcast" was not a sin but rather a common result of the redeemed living among the unredeemed and striving to be in but not of the world. Downcast-ness comes in every battle and we must accept that we are in a continuous battle - every moment of every day.
Now we must pray that we appreciate our downcasted-ness and respect it as a very real and clear evidence of our "otherness." We are a colony of the redeemed living on foreign shores among peoples utterly opposed to us and our Master.
Downcast-ness should not provoke despair. Despair is a sense of futility - even a sense of vanity and we must claim the fact that, although we may not see the why or how of it, our lives are - cannot be - futile or vain if they are lived for Him and by Him.
It is, from my perspective, the insidious spirit of covetousness - comparing our selves to others and/or the "norms" of the culture - that is the most common poison that casts us down.
Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 11 NASB
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; [8] we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [11] For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Note:
afflicted - not crushed
perplexed - not despairing
persecuted - not forsaken
struck down - not destroyed
delivered over to death - Jesus made manifest
This is our lot here. Jesus Himself told us so. Are we willing to forgo the comfort of this world so He might be seen?
Do we long for heaven? Heaven has been described many ways but a true picture is that heaven is the utter and complete absence of sin. Do we ache for our sin and the lostness of others? Do we long to be where sin is not and can never be? Then we will, at times, be downcast - but we are so only for a short time and then we will never be able to be downcast again.
Long for heaven and await His pleasure of calling you there. As long as you wake up, regardless of how downcast you may be, He has something for you to do for Him. You may not see it - you may never know you did it - but He uses us all for His name's sake.
