A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

weAFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 121the soul, as it were, and from possession of a man by allother sins, he retires hither as to his castle and most impregnablefort. And therefore if this be soundly beaten uponby the hammer and horror of the law, and battered abouthis ears, he will be quickly enforced to quit the place altogether.It may be good counsel then, and often seasonable, tosay unto those men of God who desire to drive the devilout of others in some sort, as the king of Syria said to hiscaptains, " Fight neither with small nor great, save onlywith the king of Igrael." My meaning is, let them addressthe sharpest edge of their spiritual sword, yet as well witha holy charitable discretion as with resolute downrightdealing, against those sins which bear greatest sway inthem they have to deal with. Be it their covetousness,ambition, lust, drunkenness, lukewarmness, monstrousnessof the fashion, sacrilege, oppression, usury, backsliding,murder, luxury, opposition to the good way, hatred of thesaints, or what other sin soever they discover in them tominister greatest advantage to Satan, to keep them fastestin his clutches. No sin must be spared, but let the reigningsin be thrust at especially.II. For opening of the most rich and orient mines of allthose sweetest mercies folded up within the bowels of God'sdearest compassions and of the mystery of his free graceand love through the Son of his love ; upon purpose to inviteand allure those that are without to come in ; and tostir up our hearers to bring broken hearts, bruised spirits,bleeding souls unto the throne of grace, upon the sameground, but infinitely more gracious, that encouraged theservants of Benhadad to address them.selves towards theking of Israel ;" And his servants said unto him, Beholdnow, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israelare merciful kings : let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth onour loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the kingof Israel : peradventure he will save thy life" (1 Kings xx,31). The most desperate rebels heretofore, upon presenttrue remorse for their former rage in sin, resolving sincerelyto stand on God's side for ever hereafter, may safely and upongood ground thus reason within themselves : Alas ! liavedone very villanously ; we have served Satan along time ; wewalk up and down as condemned men, ripe fordestruclionlongago ; hell itself even groans for us ; we may justly look everymoment for a mittimus to cast us headlong into the dungeonof brimstone and fire ;and yet we will try ; we will go andthrow down ourselves before the throne of grace in dustand ashes, and cry as the publican did unto the great GodM