A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

174 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGcases), to cut the sheep's throat in time to make him man'smeat, lest it should be said, he died in a ditch." They aredesolators not consolators, as Austin sometimes calls them ;not sound comforters, but true cut-throats.Besides that which i have said before of the precedencyof the woiking of the law and of the spirit of bondage tomake way for Christ, let me further tell you upon this occasion(that it may appear that much more is to be doneherein than is ordinarily imagined before comfort may upongood ground and seasonably be applied to the conscienceawaked) what an excellent divine, both for depth of learningand height of holiness, delivered somewhere in thispoint to this purpose." No man must think this strange, that God dealeth withmen after this strange manner; as it were to kill thembefore he make them alive ; to let them pass through, or by,as it were, the gates of hell to heaven ; to suffer the spiritof bondage to put them into a fear, into a shaking andtrembling, &c. For he suffers those that are his to be terrifiedwith this fear, —" First. In respect of his own glory, for the magnifyingboth of his justice and of his mercy."(1.) He glorifies his justice when lessening, or altogether,for the time, abstracting all sight of mercy. He letstlie law, sin, conscience, and Satan loose upon a man tohave their course and several comminations, and sets thespirit of bondage on work, &c. Thus as in the great workof redemption*, he would have the glory of his justiceappear ; so would he have it also in the application of ourredemption, that justice should not be swallowed up of* As in the work of creation, so in the work of redemption, Godwould have the praise of all his attributes. He is much honoured whentliey are ackuowledi^ed to be in him in hiirhest perfection, and their infinitenessand excellency admired and magnified. In the former thereappeareth gloriously his infinite wisdom, goodness, power, justice,mercy, &c.; and yet in the work of redemption, which wasthe greater,they seem to shine with more sweetness, amiableness, and excellency;for in it appeared all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, &c. Andin conveying it to the churcli — First, His wisdom there appearethintinite wisdom, in finding out such a means for the redemption of mankindas no created understanding could possibly imagine or think of.Secondly, His mercy inuiieasurably sweet and admirable, in not sparinghis own Son, the Son of his love," that lie might spare us, who had sogrievously transgressed against iiim. Thirdly, His justice in its highestexcellency, in sparing us, not to spare his own only Son; laying, as itwere, his tiead upon the block, andchoppinar it off ; rending and tearingtliat blessed body, even as the veil of the temple was rent, and makinghis soul an offering for sin, &c. This was the perfection of justice.