A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

;154 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGtheir mouth, and they lied unto him with their tonguesfor their heart was not right with him," &c. (Psalm Ixxviii,34, 35, 36, 37). "They howled upon their beds" (Hos.vii, 14). Will not a dog or a beast, or any irrationalcreature, when they are in extremity, will they not cry, willthey not moan for help 1 Their cries in the evil day werenot hearty prayers, but bowlings upon their beds. Theirearnestness in such a case is ordinarily like the tears, prayers,and cries of a malefactor newly condemned. He is veryearnest with the judge to spare him ; he roars out sometimes,and grieves extremely, yet not heartily, for his former lewdness; but horribly, because he must now lose his life. Heseems now, when he sees his misery, to relent, and to betouched with remorse ; but it is only because he is likely tobe hanged. Again, many there are, who satisfying themselvesand others with a goodly show of a form only of godliness,may upon their last bed discover and represent to bystandersa great deal of fearlessness about their spiritualstate, much confidence, many ostentations of faith and fullassurance, and behave themselves as though they were mostcertainly going to everlasting bliss, when, as God knows,their answer at his just tribunal must be, "I know younot " ; and in truth and trial they have no more part inChrist, nor other portion in heaven, than the foolish virgins,and those, Luke xiii, 26, 27. They are so confident, notbecause they have escaped the danger, but because theynever saw the danger ; and hence it is, that many of themdie with as much confidence as the best Christians ; theyhave no more trouble than holy men. To be sure I am freefrom danger, and not to know my danger, may beget equalconfidence.Now concerning the present case, I must tell you, that formy part, I would not much alter my opinion of a man'sspiritual state whom I have thoroughly known before, for themanner of his death. The end of God's dearest servant,after a holy life and unblameable conversation, may notappear in the eye of man so calm and comfortable as wasexpected ; by reason of much tenderness of conscience,some strong temptation, spiritual desertion, violent distemperof body ; or because God would have the manner of hisdeath serve the glory of his justice in hardening those abouthim who were so far from being won by his godly life thatthey heartily hated it ; or for some other secret and sacredend, seen and seem.ing good to Divine wisdom, whoeverdisposeth every circumstance even of the least affair mostsweetly and wisely. And yet this, as it doth not prejudicehis salvation, neither should it his Christian reputation.