A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan
A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan
—;150 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand abandon it ; I say, both these kinds of sins (it is a pearlfor the true penitent ; let no stranget meddle with it) tosuch an one, upon such conditions, are most certainlywashed away by Christ's blood, and God's free mercy, uponhis general confession and repentance. David's petition," O cleanse thou me from my secret faults," did assuredlyprevail with God for the forgiveness of all his unknown sins,and shall be powerful for that end to the world's end, to allthose that so pray with David's spirit, and sincerely.Besides these two cases ; first, want of knowledge ; andsecondly, want of remembrance in the sense I have saidthere is also a third, and that is want of time, which iftruly so, doth also sometimes excuse the omission of someparticular sins. As we may see in the thief upon the cross.For want of leisure, he could not possibly punctually revisebis vile abominable life, nor peruse with remorse all theparticulars of his former wicked and abhorred courses ; buthe had infused into his soul by Jesus Christ an habitualgrace of true repentance, which, if he had lived, wouldhave carried him faithfully along over all the notoriouspassages of his lewd and loathsome life, with a truly contrite,broken, and bleeding soul. So that if he had hadspace, I doubt not but he would have proved a very eminent,extraordinary, and exemplary penitent ; and thereforethe Lord in mercy did graciously accept the desire and purpose,the inclination and preparation of his heart that way.But to return to the point, and give my advice in thecase proposed :Let the party who so grieves for some notorious sin only,and there takes up his rest, be told, that though he dwellwith deepest sighs, heaviest heart, and saltest tears uponsome of his greatest and most special sins, yet the rest mustby no means be neglected. That which is most crying andcrimson must serve as a crier, if I may so speak, to summonthe rest into the court of conscience ; and as a remembrancerto bring them to mind and remorse ; as David'smurder and adultery brought even his birth sin into hismemory (Psalm li) ; and that sin of strange wives, manyother sins to Ezra's mind (Ezra ix). When a father beatshis child for some one special fault, he is wont to rememberunto him and reckon with him for many former misdemeanorsalso. When a bankrupt is once shut up for one principaldebt, the rest of his creditors ordinarily come thickand threefold upon him. When once thou beginnest toreckon with thy conscience for some one extraordinary rebellion,never cease until thou hast searched thoroughly,and ransacked it to the bottom, that it may smart soundly
AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 151before thou hast done, Avith penitent anguish and true remorsefor all thy other sinful corruptions also. When horrorfor some one heinous sin hath seized upon thy heart, followGod's blessed hand leading thee to conversion, and throughthe pangs of the new birth to unspeakable and glorious joy,by giving way to all the rest to bring in their several indictmentsagainst thy soul. And be not afraid thus to arraign,cast, and condemn thyself as guilty of innumerable sins,and -worthy ten thousand hells before God's just tribunal.For then shalt thou there most certainly find a gracious advocateat his right hand ; to whom if thou make suit andseek in truth, he will by the plea and price of his ownprecious blood, sue out a pardon for thine everlasting peace.When the guilty rage of thy reigning corruption begins topress upon thy conscience, lay on more weight still by apenitent addition and painful apprehension of all thy othersins, that growing very sensible of thy spiritual slavery,weary of the dungeon of lewdness and lust, sensuality anddeath, wherein the devil hath kept thee long; and thineheart being happily broken and bruised to the bottom, andscorched as it were in some measure with hellish flames ofguilty horror, thou mayest see and feel the greater necessityof Jesus Christ, set him at a higher price, with more eagernessand impatience thirst for his righteousness and blood ;long for spiritual enlargement more than for worlds of pleasures,glory, or wealth ; relish the hidden manna of thepromises more eagerly, and cast thy wounded and bleedingsoul with more delight and sweetness into iiis blessed armsof mercy and love. For, " O how acceptable is the fountainof living waters," saith a worthy divine, " to thechased and panting hart! the blood of Christ to theweary and tired soul ! to the thirsty conscience scorchedwith "the sense of God's wrath ! He that presents him withit, how welcome is he ! Even as a special choice man ; oneof a thousand. The deeper the sense of misery, the sweeteris the sense of mercy. The traitor laid dov/n upon the blockis more sensible of his sovereign's mercy in pardoning, thanhe who is not yet seized. In our dead security before conversion,God is fain to let the law, sin, conscience, Satan, adeep sense of our abominable and cursed state, loose uponus, and to kindle the very tire of hell in our souls, that sowe might be roused, and afterward more sweetly andsoundly raised and refreshed. For after the most toilsomelabour is the swetest sleep ; after the greatest tempests thestillest calms. Sanctified troubles and terrors establish thesurest peace ;and the shaking of these winds makes thetrees of God's Eden take the deeper rooting."
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—;150 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand aband<strong>on</strong> it ; I say, both these kinds of sins (it is a pearlfor the true penitent ; let no stranget meddle with it) tosuch an <strong>on</strong>e, up<strong>on</strong> such c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s, are most certainlywashed away by Christ's blood, and God's free mercy, up<strong>on</strong>his general c<strong>on</strong>fessi<strong>on</strong> and repentance. David's petiti<strong>on</strong>," O cleanse thou me from my secret faults," did assuredlyprevail with God for the forgiveness of all his unknown sins,and shall be powerful for that end to the world's end, to allthose that so pray with David's spirit, and sincerely.Besides these two cases ; first, want of knowledge ; andsec<strong>on</strong>dly, want of remembrance in the sense I have saidthere is also a third, and that is want of time, which iftruly so, doth also sometimes excuse the omissi<strong>on</strong> of someparticular sins. As we may see in the thief up<strong>on</strong> the cross.For want of leisure, he could not possibly punctually revisebis vile abominable life, nor peruse with remorse all theparticulars of his former wicked and abhorred courses ; buthe had infused into his soul by Jesus Christ an habitualgrace of true repentance, which, if he had lived, wouldhave carried him faithfully al<strong>on</strong>g over all the notoriouspassages of his lewd and loathsome life, with a truly c<strong>on</strong>trite,broken, and bleeding soul. So that if he had hadspace, I doubt not but he would have proved a very eminent,extraordinary, and exemplary penitent ; and thereforethe Lord in mercy did graciously accept the desire and purpose,the inclinati<strong>on</strong> and preparati<strong>on</strong> of his heart that way.But to return to the point, and give my advice in thecase proposed :Let the party who so grieves for some notorious sin <strong>on</strong>ly,and there takes up his rest, be told, that though he dwellwith deepest sighs, heaviest heart, and saltest tears up<strong>on</strong>some of his greatest and most special sins, yet the rest mustby no means be neglected. That which is most crying andcrims<strong>on</strong> must serve as a crier, if I may so speak, to summ<strong>on</strong>the rest into the court of c<strong>on</strong>science ; and as a remembrancerto bring them to mind and remorse ; as David'smurder and adultery brought even his birth sin into hismemory (Psalm li) ; and that sin of strange wives, manyother sins to Ezra's mind (Ezra ix). When a father beatshis child for some <strong>on</strong>e special fault, he is w<strong>on</strong>t to rememberunto him and reck<strong>on</strong> with him for many former misdemeanorsalso. When a bankrupt is <strong>on</strong>ce shut up for <strong>on</strong>e principaldebt, the rest of his creditors ordinarily come thickand threefold up<strong>on</strong> him. When <strong>on</strong>ce thou beginnest toreck<strong>on</strong> with thy c<strong>on</strong>science for some <strong>on</strong>e extraordinary rebelli<strong>on</strong>,never cease until thou hast searched thoroughly,and ransacked it to the bottom, that it may smart soundly