A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

148 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand a very happy thing if all the wounded consciences am?troubled in mind we meet with, were furnished beforehandAvith a competent speculative knowledge at the least of theparticulars in God's law, exorbitant passages of their life,and gross corruptions of their hearts. \^ e might so, byGod's help, more easily bring them to particular remorse,and fit them sooner and more seasonably for comfort. Wefind it a most hard and heavy task to encounter thedevil's devices, wiles, and depths in a poor distressed,tempted ignorant.4. When the party is dejected for some notorious sin only.It is sometimes seen in mere civil men, that having a longtime preserved their reputations entire and unstained in theeye of the world from gross and notable enormities, and yetafter foully shaming themselves in the sight of men by someinfamous fall, seem, to grieve much, as though they weretruly troubled with remorse ; whereas, perhaps the presentheart's-grief ariseth rather from loss of credit thanwound of conscience, though to favour their credit theycunningly father it upon conscience. Or let them be indeedaffrighted very grievously for a time with the horrorof that one sin, yet stay the cry and abate the rage of thatone with some superficial comfort, and they are healed andput into a happy case in their ov/n conceit, and in the opinionalso perhaps of their unskilful physician ; though theysearch no further and dive no deeper into the loathsomedunghill of those many abominable lusts and corruptionsin their heart and life, of which they are as full as the skinwill hold.Now it is a foul and fearful oversight in a minister, nay,it may prove an error stained with spiritual bloodshed, topromise pardon to such partial penitents.Suppose a man sick of the pleurisy should send to a physician,and tell him he is sore troubled with a cough, andentreat his help, concealing other signs and symptoms whichordinarily accompany that disease ; as his short and difficultbreathing, the stinging stitch in his side, &c. ; the physicianmay address himself to cure the cough, and yet thepatient die of an inflammation seized upon the menibranegirding the ribs and sides. It is proportionably so in thepresent point. A. man may complain and cry out, howl andlament extremely for some one horrible heinous sin, andthat may be well ; but except he proceed to a further discovery,and sorrow proportionably for his other known sins,they will be the destruction and death of his soul. If adozen thieves be entered into thy house, it is not enough forthee to lay hold on the captain thief only, and thrust him