A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 117another, and the perfect love thrusts out fear; yet mustfear bring in that perfect love, as a needle or bristle drawsin the thread after it; or as the potion brings health. Inthe preparation and fitting us for our being in Christ, herequireth two things : First, the cutting us otl' as it were fromthe wild olive-tree: by wfiich he meaneth two things: 1st,a violent pulling of us out of the corruption of nature, or acutting, as it were, by the knife of the law, of an unregenerateman from his security, &c. : 2dly, a violent attractionto Christ for ease ; man at the first plainly refusing it.The hunted beast flies to his den, the pursued malefactor tothe horns of the altar, or city of refuge. Paul's miserydrives him to God's mercy (Rom. vii, 24). The Israelites•are driven into their chambers by the destroying angel ;Balaam is made to lean back by the naked sword ; Agur torun to Ithiel and Ucal, that is, Christ, when he is confoundedwith his own brutishness (Prov. xxx, 1, 2, 3). Godmust let loose his law, sin, conscience, and Satan to bait us,and kindle hell fire in our souls, before we shall be drivento seek to Christ. Secondly, a paring and trimming of usfor our putting into Christ by our humiliation for sin, whichis thus wrought. God giveth the sinner to see by the lawhis sin and the punishment of it, the detection whereofdrives him to compunction and a pricking of heart, which isgreater or lesser, and carries with it divers symptoms andsensible passions of grief; and works a sequestration fromhis former courses, and makes him loathe himself,'* &cc.And yet by the way take this caution and forewarning :If any should think of these precedent acts, these preparativeworkings of the law and gospel, which make way forthe infusion of faith, as any meritorious means to draw onChrist, it were a m.ost false, rotten, foolish, execrable, popish,absurd, Luciferian misconceit, and might justly meritnever to obtain mercy at God's bountiful hands, nor partin the merits of Christ. I speak thus to fright every onefor ever from any such abhorred thought. God the Fatheroffers his Son most freely. " God so loved the world, thathe gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth onhim should not perish, but have everlasting life (John iii,16). " Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given"(Isa. ix, 6). " If thou knewest the gift of God," saithChrist unto the woman of Samaria, " and who it is thatsaith to thee, give me to drink." ( Jotin iv, 10). " Muchmore they, which receive abundance of grace, and of thegift of righteousness," &;c. (Rom. v, 17). Christ callethhimself a " gift," and it is called the "gift of righteousness" ; and nothing so free as gift. And therefore those di-