A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 167ass did once speak. So grossly hath the devil bewitchedus."(2.) The singularities about the good thief. First, hisheart was broken with one short sermon as it were ; butthou hast or mightest have heard many, and art yet hardhearted.Secondly, the other thief saw also that sovereignsoul-healing blood gush freshly and abundantly out of hisblessed side, and yet was not struck or stirred at all.Thirdly, his example is only for true penitents : but thou,upon this presumption despising in the mean time the richesof God's goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, leadingthee to repentance, hardenest, thy heart that thou canstnot repent. Fourthly, his case was singular, and such thatthe like is not to be found in the whole scripture. A kingsometimes pardons a malefactor at the place of execution ;wilt thou therefore run desperately into some horrible villanydeserving death, hoping to be that one among many thousands!Fifthly, "It was a miracle," saith an excellentdivine *, "with the glory whereof our Saviour would honourthe ignominy of the cross. We may almost as well expecta second crucifying of Christ, as such a second thief Christthen triumphing on the cross, did as princes do in thetriumph of entering into their kingdoms, they pardon grossoffences before committed, such as they pardon not afterwards."Sixthly, having an eye upon this thief, that thoumayest more fully and freely follow thy pleasures, thoumakest "a covenant with death, and an agreement withhell, and puttest the evil day far from thee " but the Lord;hath professed, " that thy covenant with death shall be disannulled,and thy agreement with hell shall not stand ; whenthe overflowing scourge shall pass through, then shalt thoube trodden down by it.(3.) The ordinary impossibilites of following the blessedthief in his miraculous repentance. First, thou art criedunto continually by God's messengers to come in now, whileit is called to-day; yet thou standest out still, out of thisthought only, or rather v/ant of thought, to take thy till ofpleasure in the mean time, and to seek God sufficientlyupon thy bed of death, by repenting with the thief at last.But know, for thy terror and timely turning, that the longerthou puttest off and deferresl, the more unht thou shalt beto repent. Thy custom in sinning will exercise more tyrannyover thee : the curse of God for thy going on still in thytrespasses will be more heavy upon thee : the corruptionsthat lurk in thine own bosom will be more strengthened* Dyke on Repentance, cliap. xvii.