A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 147teous perfoj-mances they come far short. But they cannotpossibly with any patience endure a particular unfoldingand powerful application of God's law after Christ's manner(Matt, v); a punctual survey of their sinful states andspecial search into their lives and hearts. This cutting,yet reasonable course, stirs up and raises in them the illspiritsof murmuring, cavilling, reviling, and perhaps persecutingthe faithful messengers of God as a generationof terrible teachers. To expositions, exercises, and considerationsof this nature they are drawn with very ill v/illand much ado, even as a bankrupt to his accompt book, afoul face to the looking glass, and a traitor to the rack.By reason of this affected ignorance in the law of God,and lothness to descend to particulars, it comes to passthat many in trouble of mind complain of sin only in generaland confusedly ; and thereupon, as though they werecompetently cast down, expect comfort, and perhaps manydraw it from some daubers ; whereas particuiarizmg of oursins is a necessary precedent and preparative to a soundhumiliation. And therefore in this case we must deal withsuch as surgeons are wont to do with a tumour or swellingin the body, who first apply to the affected place drawingand ripening plaisters to bring the sore to a head, that thecorruption may have issue, and then heal. So a generalcomplaint of sin and confused grief must be reduced to particulars.It is a principle in the mystery of Christ, resolvedupon by the best divines rightly instructed to the kingdomof heaven, " that a confused acknowledgment and generalrepentance only for known sins is never sound and saving ;but only common, formal, careless, and that of counterfeitconverts, not truly touched with sense of their sins, norheartily resolved to forsake their pleasures." If they canbe first brought to the sight, sense, and acknowledgment ofsome one special notorious sin which hath most reigned intheir heart, life, or calling ; and be in some good measureenlightened, convinced, and terrified about the heinousnessand horrible guilt of it, it may be a good means by God'sblessing to bring in the rest. For ordinarily true repentanceis first occasioned by some one special sin laid toheart. The apostles ( Acts ii) do specially press the murderof Christ upon the Jews ; Christ himself, adultery upon thewoman of Samaria (John iv) ; Samuel, idolatry upon theIsraelites (1 Sam. vii) ; the sin of asking a king (chap.xii) ;Ezra, taking strange wives (Ezra x) ;Nehemiah, usury(Neh. v).To further the work of a more particular " setting theirsins in order before their eyes," it were much to be wished