A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

;134 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGlour would poison all. But lay the one upon the hearth,and it would warm and comfort ; the other upon the land,and it fatteneth and makes fruitful, bo sorrow misplacedupon earthly things, fills a man with swarms of gnawingcares, and brings many devouring harpies into the heartbut being turned upon sin and former sinful courses, whichis the only right, proper, profitable use thereof, it may piocurea great deal of ease and enlargement to the heavyspirit, and help to " bring forth fruits meet for repentance."Thirdly, that the tithe perhaps of grief, trouble of mind,vexation ol spirit, sadness and sorrow about worldly things,in respect of the bulk and quantity, if sincere, and set uponthe right object, might serve to drive us unto Christ, andafterwards in God's gracious acceptation, for saving repentance.Methinks it should be a very quickening motive tomake a man " be sorry for nothing but sin," and to turn allhis grief and groans, sighs and tears upon his transgressionsonly ; to wit, to consider that an impenitent carnal worldlingdoth pass through even in this life (where he kath allthe heaven he is ever like to have) incomparably more comfortlessheart's grief, slavish torments of mind, and heavinessof spirit towards endless pains than the strictest Christianand most mortified saint doth endure in his passage toeverlasting pleasures. Fourthly, that besides many otlierpestilent properties, worldly sorrow doth also double, nnymultiply and mightily enrage tlie venon), bitterness, andsting of every cross accident, loss, disgrace, iS:c. WhenAhithophel was disgraced by neglect of his counsel, which" was in those days as if a man had inquired at the oracleof God," carnal grief so grew upon him, that " he gat himhome to his house, put his household in order, and hangedhimself." What was the disgrace to this desperate end !Haman being crossed by Ivlordecai's discourtesy and contempt,did so grieve and trouble himself, that having " toldhis wife and friends of the glory of his riches, and tue multitudeof his children, aud all the things wherein the kinghad promoted him, and how he had advanced him abovethe princes and servants of the king, &c. ;yet professethunto them, that all this availed him nothing so long as hesaAv Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." ( EstherV, 11, 12, 13). Now whether do you think was the mostgrievous thing to bear ; the bare omission of a mere compliment,or an universal distaste, and disenjoyment of alloutward comforts heaped upon him to the height and inexcellency ? The hundredth part of Job's losses, and less,hath m.any times since made many a covetous worldling tocut his own throat. I have known some for the loss of an