A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 95preach good tidings-, " but to whom 1 to the poor ;to thebroken liearted ; to the captives ; to the blind ; to thebruised (isa. Ixi, 1 ; Luke iv, 18) that " the whole need:not the physician, but they that are sick ; and he came notto call the righteous, but sinners to repentance " (Matt, ix,12, 13) ; that is, poor souls, sinners indeed, even in theirown estimation; and not self-conceited pharisees, whathough they be mere strangers to any wound of consciencefor sin, yet they will not be persuaded that they shall bedamned ; but in the mean time contemn and condemn allothers in respect of themselves ; sinful publicans as toogross, sincere professors as too godly ;whereas notwithstanding,in true judgment, harlots are in a far happier casethan they (Matt, xxi", 31) that " he will give rest " : ; butto whom! to those "that labour and are heavy laden"(Matt, xi, 28) that the spirit which he would send, should:convince the world, first of sin and then of righteousness ;to wit, of Christ. It is ordinary with the prophets, first todiscover the sins of the people, and to denounce judgments ;and then to promise Christ upon their coming in, to enlightenand make them lightsome, with raising their thoughtsto a fruitful contemplation of the glory, excellency, andsweetness of his blessed kingdom. Isaiah in his first chapter,from the mouth of God, doth in the first place behave himselflike a " son of thunder,"' pressing upon the consciericesof those to whom he was sent many heinous sins ; horribleingratitude, fearful falling away, ibrmality in God's worship,cruelty, and the like. Afterward (ver. 16, 17), heinvites to repentance, and tlien follows (verse 18), "Comenow, and let us reason together, salth the Lord : thoughyour sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow ; thoughthey be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Nathan,to recover even a regenerate man, convinceth him firstsoundly of his sin, with much aggravation and terror, andthen upon remorse assures hin, of pardon (2 Sam. xii, 13).Consider further for this purpose the sermons of our blessedSaviour himself, who " taught as one having authority, andnot as the Scribes." With what power and piercing did ourLord and Master labour to open the eyes, search the hearts,and wound the consciences of his hearers, to fit them for thegospel and his own dear heart's blood ? See Matt, v, &c.and xxiii and xxv, &:c. — Of John Baptist, who by themightiness of his ministerial spirit, accompanied with extraordinarystrength from heaven, did strike through thehearts of those that heard him with such astonishmentabout their spiritual state, with such horror for their formerways, and fear of future vengeance, that they came unto