A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 129sustain all his other infirmities ; but a wounded spirit whocan bearl" Yet his soul, though he was the Prince ofglory, and Lord of heaven and earth, upon the cross waseven as a scorched heath, without so much as any drop ofcomfort either from heaven or earth. The grievous weightof all the sins of all his children, the least of which had beenenough to have pressed them down into the bottom of hell,lay now heavy upon him. The powers of darkness were letloose to afflict him. He wrestled even with the fierce wrathof his Father, and all the forces of the infernal kingdom,with such anguish of heart, that in the garden it wrung outof his precious body a sweat " as it were great drops ofblood falling down to the ground, " with such agony ofspirit, that upon the cross he cried, "My God, my God,why hast thou forsaken me " 1 And the measure of allthese sufferings and sorrows was so past all measure, thatall the creatures, save sinful men only, both in heaven andearth, seemed to be amazed and moved with them. Thesun in the heavens drew in his beams, unwilling as it wereto see the spotless blood of the Son of God spilt as waterupon the ground. The earth itself shrunk and trembledunder it. The very rocks rent asunder, as if they hadsense and feeling of his intolerable, and, save by himself,unconquerable pains. The whole frame of nature seemedastonished at the mournful complaint of the Lord of thewhole world. These, and far more than these, or than canbe expressed, our blessed Saviour, being Son of the Mosthigh God, endured for no other end but to ransom us fromthe bondage of Satan and of hell, in a thirsting desire ofsaving all penitent sinners, and to offer himself freely amost glorious and everlasting husband to all those who withbroken and believing hearts cast themselves into his bosom.Such admirable and unutterable perfections, beauties, endowments,sufferings, and inflamed affections as these inthe heavenly suitor unto our sinful souls, doth mightilyaggravate the heinous and horrible sin of refusing him.Thus, and in this manner, would I have the men of Godto magnify, enlarge, and represent to the hearts of theirhearers all the excellences of Jesus Christ, with the worth,merit, and efficacy of his blood. To set out to the utmostthey can possibly, the glory of the gospel, with all theriches of mercy, goodness, and free grace, revealed andoffered therein, &c. So that they tell them withal thatJesus Christ takes none but such as are willing to take uponthem his yoke ; that he gives himself to none but such asare ready to sell all, in the sense 1 have said, that they mayenjoy his blessed self. That the glorious grace of the gospel