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A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

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AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 181his death. Up<strong>on</strong> the search and discovery he clearly seesand acknowledges, that had not that holy incisi<strong>on</strong> beenmade into his rotten and ulcerous heart, it had cost him theeternal life of his soul. But now the alien, put out of hissensual humour with horror of c<strong>on</strong>science, is ordinarilytransported with much rageful disc<strong>on</strong>tentment against thepowerful ministry of God's earnest messengers, who puthim to such torture by troubling him for sin and frightinghim with hell ; and thereup<strong>on</strong> cries out against them, atleast with secret indignati<strong>on</strong> and fretting, as the devils didagainst Christ, " Why do you thus torment us betbre thetime 13. Aliens in such cases entertain no other thought, andcast about for no other comfort at all, but <strong>on</strong>ly how theymay recover their former quietness of mind, carnal ease, andfreedom from present terror. But he that is fitting by the spiritof b<strong>on</strong>dage for faith and the fellowship of the saints, willnever by any means, whatsoever come of him, relapse tohis w<strong>on</strong>ted sensual security. Nay, of the two, he willrather lie still up<strong>on</strong> the rack, waiting for the Lord Jesus alllheda>sof his life, than " return any more unto foolishness,"or hunt again after any c<strong>on</strong>tentment in the miserablepleasures of good-fellowship.4. That messenger, an interpreter, <strong>on</strong>e am<strong>on</strong>g a thousand,who in such a case can seas<strong>on</strong>ably and soundly declareunto a savingly v/ounded soul his righteousness ; assurehim it was Christ Jesus' <strong>on</strong>ly business in coming fromheaven to disburthen " all that labour and are heavyladen," and ease such trembling hearts, 6cc. ; I say such ablessed man of God to such a broken heart is for ever aftermost dear and welcome ; "his feet are beautiful" in hiseye every time becomes near him. Comfort of so high anature in extremity of such iiorrible c<strong>on</strong>sequence doth infinitelyand endlessly endear the delivered soul to such anheavenly doctor. But aliens comm<strong>on</strong>ly make no greataccount of godly ministers any l<strong>on</strong>ger than they have presentneed of them, and trouble of mind makes them melancholicand out with mirth. <strong>The</strong>y seem to reverence them,while from their general discourses of micrcy and God'sfree grace, of merciful invitati<strong>on</strong>s to Christ and certainty ofacceptati<strong>on</strong> (if they will come in), they suck into their falsehearts before the time and truth of humiliati<strong>on</strong> some superficialglimmerings and flashes of comfort and cooling; butif <strong>on</strong>ce the heat of their guilty rage begin to assuage, andthey find again some ease from their former terrors andw<strong>on</strong>ted relish in earthly delights, they turn such holy men

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