A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 61and deeply troubled with temptations arid stings of conscience; but I thank God they are eased in good measure.Wherefore I desire that 1 be not branded with the note of acastaway or reprobate. Such questions, oppositions, and alltending thereto, I renounce. Concerning my inconsideratespeeches in my temptation, I humbly and heartily askmercy of God for them all." Afterward by little and littlemore light did arise in his heart, and he brake out into suchspeeches as these ": 1 do, God be praised, feel such comfortfrom that — what shall I call it? Agony, said onethat stood by. May, quoth he, that is too little ;that had 1five hundred worlds, i could not make satisfaction for suchan issue, Oh the sea is not more full of water, nor the sunof light, than the Lord of mercy ; yea, his mercies are tenthousand times more. What great cause have I to magnifythe great goodness of God that hath humbled, nay ratherexalted such a wretched miscreant, and of so base condition,to an estate so glorious and stately ! The Lord hathhonoured me with his goodness : 1 am sure he hath provideda glorious kingdom for me. The joy that I feel in myheart is incredible."For the third, hear Mr. Fox ": Though that good servantof God suffered many years so sharp temptations and strongbuffetings of Satan, yet the Lord, who graciously preservedhim all the while, not only at last did rid him out of alldiscomfort, but also framed him thereby to sucu mortificationof life, as the like hath not been seen ; in such sort, ashe being like one placed in heaven already, and dead inthis world, both in word and meditation, led a life altogethercelestial, abhorring in his mind all profane things."7. No arm of flesh, or art of man ; no earthly comfort orcreated power, can possibly heal or help in this heaviest caseand extremest horror. Heaven and earth, men and angels,friends and physic, gold and silver, pleasures and preferments,favour of princes, nay, the utmost possibility of thewhole creation must let this alone for ever. An Almightyhand and infinite skill must take this in hand, oi else neverany cure or recovery in this world or the world to come.Bodily diseases may be eased and mollified by medicines.Surgery, as they say, hath a salve for every sore ;povertymay be repaired and relieved by friends ; there is no imprisonmentwithout some hope of enlargement ; suit andfavour may help home out of banishment ; innocency andneglect may wear out disgrace ;grief for loss of a wife, achild, or other dearest friend, if not by arguments fromreason, that death is unavoidable, necessary, an end of allearthly miseries, the common way of all mankind, &c. yetG