Goodwin, Thomas (1600-1680)

Childe of Light Walking in Darkness

1636

"A man's heart is like those two-faced pictures: if you look one way towards one side of them, you shall see nothing but some horrid shape of a devil, or the like; but go to the other side and look again, and you shall see the picture of an angel or of some beautiful woman, &c."

These things you are to recall and consider in time of distress: to remember former graces and spiritual dispositions in you; and God's gracious dealings with you. God remembers them to have mercy on you; and why should you not remember them to comfort you? Therefore, Heb. vi. 9, 10, 'We hope,' say's he, 'better things of you; for God is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love;' namely, to reward you And therefore he calls upon them in like manner, Heb. x. 31, 'to call to remembrance the former days' to comfort them; how they held out when their hearts were tried to the bottom; when shipwreck was made of their goods, good names, and all for Christ,--yet they made not shipwreck of a good conscience. And if thou dost thus call to remembrance things of old, and yet canst find no comfort at first from them,--as often ye may not, as was David's case. Psalm Ixxvii., for after his' remembrance of his songs in the night,' still his soul was left in doubt, and he goes on to say, ' Will God ever be merciful? '--yet have recourse to them again, and then again, for though they comfort not at one time, yet they may at another; that it may be seen that God comforts by them, and not they alone of themselves. Hast thou found a promise (which is a 'breast of consolation,' Isa. Ixvi 11) milkless? Yet again suck; comfort may come in the end. If after thou hast empanelled a jury and grand inquest to search, and their first verdict condemns thee, or they bring in an ignoramus; yet do as wise judges often do, send them about it again, they may find it the next time. Jonah looked once, it seems, and found no comfort, chap. ii. 4, for he said, 'I will look again towards thine holy temple.' A man's heart is like those two-faced pictures: if you look one way towards one side of them, you shall see nothing but some horrid shape of a devil, or the like; but go to the other side and look again, and you shall see the picture of an angel or of some beautiful woman, &c. So some have looked over their hearts by signs at one time, and have to their thinking found nothing but hypocrisy, unbelief, hardness, self-seeking; but not long after, examining their hearts again by the same signs, they have espied the image of God drawn fairly upon the table of their hearts.
(Part II, Direction iv, p. 322)

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Text from The Works of Thomas Goodwin, D.D., vol iii (Edinburgh: James Nicol, 1861). <Link to Internet Archive>

09/03/2013