A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

180 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING^hearers affected (Luke iii, 10, 12, 14), being afflicted withthe piercing passages of John's thundering sermon. " Menand brethren, what shall we do V say the penitent Jews,pricked in their hearts (Acts ii, 37). The jailor (Acts xvi,29, 30) " came trembling and fell down before Paul andSilas, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved 1 " As ifthey had said, Prescribe and enjoin what you will, be itnever so harsh and distasteful to flesh and blood, never socross and contrary to carnal reason, profit, pleasure, preferment,acceptation with the world, ease, liberty, life, &c.having warrant out of the word, we are resolved and readyto do it. Only inform us first how to partake and be assuredof the person and passion of Christ Jesus; how tohave the angry facer of our blessed God, to whom we havecontinued rebels so long, turned into calmness and favourunto us. But now a cast-away and alien thus legally terrifiedand under wrath for sin, is never wont to come to thisearnestness of care, eagerness of resolution, stedfastness ofendeavour, willingness upon any terms, to abandon utterlyall his old ways, and to embrace new, strict, and holycourses. These things appear unto him terrible, puritanical,and intolerable. He commonly in such cases hathrecourse for ease and remedy to worldly comforts and thearm of flesh. He labours to relieve his heavy heart by astrong and serious casting his mind and nestling his conceitupon his riches, gold, greatness, great friends, creditamongst men, and such other transitory delights and fadingflowers of his fool's paradise. For he is at a point, andresolute with a sensual impenitent obstinacy, not to passforward through the pangs of the new-birth by repentanceand sanctification into the holy life of new obedience ; lesthe should (as out of a foolish and frantic baseness he is aptto fear) be engaged and enchained, as it were, to too muchstrictness, preciseness, holiness of life, communion withGod's people, and opposition to good fellowship.2. He that is savingly wounded with legal terror, is wontin cool blood, and being something come to himself, to entertainthe very same thought (or rather mingled with agreat deal more reverence, afl'ectionateness, and love, asfar as the life of an iminortal soul doth surpass in dearnessand excellency the cure of a frail and earthly body) of thatman of God, who by a right managing the edge of his spiritualsword hath pierced his heart, scorched his conscience,and bruised his spirits ; I say, the same in proportion, whicha wise and thankful pTtient would have of that faithfulsurgeon who hath seasonably and thoroughly lanced somedeep and dangerous sore, which otherwise would have been