A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

124 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGpressing of judgment. Nay, why not more? Proportionablyto that which divines hold, that the privation and lossof heavenly joys and the beatific presence of God is far morebitter than the torments of sense and positive pains of hell.But to tell you their true meaning and their very hearts :their aim in so complaining and calling for mercy from ourministry is to have it so and in such a manner proposed andpreached, that they may thence collect and conceive, thatthey are in state good enough to go to heaven as they are,though in truth they be mere strangers to the life of Godand holy strictness of the saints ; were never truly humbledwith sight of sin and sense of wrath, nor experimentally acquaintedat all with the mystery of the new birth ; that theymay conclude and say within themselves, Howsoever someministers of the purer and preciser strain fright us continuallywith nothing but judgment, terror, damnation, and will notsuffer us to be quiet, no not so much as in one sin, yet it isour good hap sometimes to meet with some merciful menwho will help us to heaven without so much ado, and uponeasier terms. In a word, they would if possible have just somuch mercy as might assure and warrant them to carry securelytheir sins in their bosom to heaven with them ; tolive as they list in this life, and to die the death of therighteous ;which is a conceit most ridiculous, absurd, andmore than utterly impossible. What a hateful trick thenis this, and horrible imposture, which they suffer Satan toput upon them.111. In proposing of Christ, let the man of God set out asmuch as he can possibly the excellency of his person, theinvaludblepreciousness of his blood, the riches of his heavenlypurchases, the gracious sweetness of his invitations, thegenerality and freeness of his offers (INI ark xvi, 16 ; Matt,xi, 28 ; John vii,37; Revel, xxii, 17) ; the glorious privilegeshe brings with him, reconciliation to God, adoption, forgivenessof sins, justification, righteousness, wisdom, sanctification,redemption, 6cc. Possession of all things, " For allthings are yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas ; orthe world, or life, or death, or things present, or things tocome, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's "(1 Cor. iii, 22, 23). Let him tell his hearers that the bloodof Christ is called the " blood of God " (Acts xx, 28), andtherefore of infinite merit and invaluable price. It sprangout of his human nature, and therefore finite in its own nature,and lost upon the ground. But the person that shedit being the Son of God, did set upon it such an excellencyand eternity of virtue and value, that the infiniteness of itsmerit, andinestimablenessofitsworth,lastseverlasting]y. It