A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 123and others that they have a portion in the mercies of God,and hug with extraordinary applause and embracement theformal flatterinu; messages of men-pleasers and timeservers,to daub over such rotten hopes, who yet notwithstanding" go on still in their trespasses j who were neveryet sensible of the burthen of their corruptions and spiritualbeggary ; never wounded in conscience, or troubledin mind to any purpose for their sins ; never mourned insecret and sincerely for the abominations of their youth ;could never yet find in their hearts to sell all for the buyingof that one pearl of great price ; nor ever yet so prizedJesus Christ as to leave their darling pleasures, though verybase and abominable, to enjoy the unspeakable and gloriouspleasures of his gracious kingdom 1 Nay, such as heartilyserve some captain and commanding sin in heart, or life,or calling, as their own consciences, if they consult withthem impartially in cool blood, can easily tell them ; as lust,the world, ambition, the times, the fashion, their pleasures,their profits, their passions, their ease, self- love, pride,revenge, the dunghill delight of good fellowship, or thelike.And here then let me discover a notable depth of Satan,whereby he doth batHe and blindfold his slaves most grossly.You know full well and hear often the common cry of allcarnal men, especially under any conscientious ministry,against preaching of judti;ment, and for preaching of mercy.(See the causes why they cannot approve downright dealingsand powerful application of the law, in my Discourseof True Happiness.) But what do you think is the reasonthat they gape so greedily after preaching of mercy 1 Notthat they can endure the preaching of it, as I now havetaught, and as it only ought to those that are without ; towit, to have first the dearaess, the sweetness, the freeness,the full glory of God's immeasurable mercy revealed untothem, only as a motive and encouragement to come in,but ever at the close and conclusion to be made to understandand know certainly, that not so much as one drop ofall that bottomless depth of mercy and bounty in JesusChrist doth as yet belong unto them, lying in any state ofunregenerateness, or in in any kind of hypocrisy, whilstthey "regard any wickedness in their heart," and are notwilling to " pluck out their right eyes and cut off their righthands ;" I mean, to make an everlasting divorce from theirformer dearest sensual delights and sins of their bosom :for only " they who confess and forsake their sins shallhave mercy" (Prov. xxviii, 13). This way of preachingmercy would nettle and gall them a? much perhaps as