A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan
Share Embed Flag
Download ePaper

A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

digitalpuritan.net
from digitalpuritan.net More from this publisher
13.07.2015 Views

:laeINSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGfor an offence by him committed against God, there are twothings to be considered ; one, that there is no pardon if thesinner doth not earnestly repent ; the other, that he himselfwhich pardoneth hath need of pardon. Of these two points,the first is the cause that the priest's pardon is conditional,because he knoweth not the heart ; the other is a cause thatthe priest should consider of himself that he is rather adelinquent than a judge ; and to teach him to fear, lest thatafter he hath pardoned others, he himself may not obtainpardon. It is a thing certain, that if a sinner seriously convertedand believing in Jesus Christ cannot obtain absolutionof his pastor, who is passionate or badly informed of thetruth, God will pardon him. On the contrary, if a pastorthat is indulgent and winketh at vices, or that is deceivedby appearance of repentance, absolveth an hypocriticalsinner and receiveih him into the communion of the faithful,that hypocritical sinner remaineth bound before God, andshall be punished notwithstanding. For God partaketh notwith the errors of pastors, neither regardeth their passions ;nor can be hindered from doing justice by their ignorance *."3. Let me add Cyprian, who at the first rising of theNovatian heresy, wrote thus to Antonianust "; We do notprejudice the Lord that is to judge, but that he, if he findthe repentance of the sinner to be full and just, may thenratify that which shall be here ordained by us. But if anyone do deceive us with the semblance of repentance, God,who is not mocked, and who beholdeth the heart of man,may judge of those things which we did not well discern,and the Lord may amend the sentence of his servants."Neither let this truth (to wit, that our assuring of mercyand pardon must be conditional upon such like terms asthese, " If thou dost believe and repent as thou oughtestto do ; if these things be in truth as you promise and confess,"&c.) discourage or trouble any that are true of heartwhom the priest will not forgive" (Bellarm. de Poeniteiit. lib. iii,cap. ii), I say then, by pardoning, we must not understand any sovereigntyof remitting sins ; but a declaring and showing to the truerepentant that they are pardoned, ministerially only. To which truth,it is so mighty, even some popish writers subscribe. *' God," saithLomburd, the father of the Romish school, " hath given to priests tobind and unbind, that is, to show that men are bound or unbound."Nay, our polemical divines prove it to be publicly taught from the timeof Satan's loosing until his binding again by the restoring of the purityof the gospel in our days.* Buckler of the taith, by Peter de Moulin against Armour theJesuit, of Auricular Confession.t Ad Antonianum, epist. ii, lib. iv.

;AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 187for it should not prejudice or hinder their application of thepromises, taking Christ as their own, assurance of mercy andcomfort ; because they are conscious to themselves of thesincerity of their own hearts : and therefore look how theprophet Isaiah was comforted when the angel said untohim, "Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged"(Isa. vi,t7), and the poor woman in the gospel, when Jesussaid unto her, " Thy sins are forgiven " (Luke vii, 48) : thelike consolation doth the distressed sinner receive from themouth of the minister, when he hath compared the truth ofGod's word faithfully delivered by him with the work ofGod's grace in his own heart. According to that of Elihu,"If there be an angel, or a messenger with him, an interpreter,one of a thousand, to declare unto man his righteousness; then will God have mercy upon him, and say. Deliverhim from going down to the pit, 1 have found a ransom "(Jobxxxiii, 23,24)*.CHAP. XllLThe Second Case wherein the former Error is committed, which is inapplying too much. Two things concerning which the afflicted Is tobe advised for avoiding tliis error.2. Too much. A little aqua vita may happily revive andrefresh the fainting spirits of a swooning man, but too muchwould kill. A spoonful of cinnamon water mingled withtwelve spoonfuls of spring water and one spoonful of rosewater, &c. may be sovereign against the sinking of the heartbut pour at once a pint into the stomach, and it might unhappilychoke the natural heat, waste the radical moisture,and burn up a man's bowels. Mercy being wisely administeredin the right season, and mingled with convenientcounsels and cautions, may by God's blessing bind up abroken heart with a progressive and kindly cure, it maymollify for the present with an healing and heavenly heatthe smarting anguish of a wounded conscience, and atlength seasonably close it up with sound and lasting comfort; but poured out at random by an unsteady and indiscreethand, it may by accident dangerously dry up penitenttears too soon, and stifle the work of the spirit of bondagein tlie beginning.But here let none either out of ignorance or malice mistakeor be troubled with this too much. The same phrase la* Usher, in his Answer to a Jesuit's Challcuge.

;AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 187for it should not prejudice or hinder their applicati<strong>on</strong> of thepromises, taking Christ as their own, assurance of mercy andcomfort ; because they are c<strong>on</strong>scious to themselves of thesincerity of their own hearts : and therefore look how theprophet Isaiah was comforted when the angel said untohim, "Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged"(Isa. vi,t7), and the poor woman in the gospel, when Jesussaid unto her, " Thy sins are forgiven " (Luke vii, 48) : thelike c<strong>on</strong>solati<strong>on</strong> doth the distressed sinner receive from themouth of the minister, when he hath compared the truth ofGod's word faithfully delivered by him with the work ofGod's grace in his own heart. According to that of Elihu,"If there be an angel, or a messenger with him, an interpreter,<strong>on</strong>e of a thousand, to declare unto man his righteousness; then will God have mercy up<strong>on</strong> him, and say. Deliverhim from going down to the pit, 1 have found a ransom "(Jobxxxiii, 23,24)*.CHAP. XllL<strong>The</strong> Sec<strong>on</strong>d Case wherein the former Error is committed, which is inapplying too much. Two things c<strong>on</strong>cerning which the <strong>afflicted</strong> Is tobe advised for avoiding tliis error.2. Too much. A little aqua vita may happily revive andrefresh the fainting spirits of a swo<strong>on</strong>ing man, but too muchwould kill. A spo<strong>on</strong>ful of cinnam<strong>on</strong> water mingled withtwelve spo<strong>on</strong>fuls of spring water and <strong>on</strong>e spo<strong>on</strong>ful of rosewater, &c. may be sovereign against the sinking of the heartbut pour at <strong>on</strong>ce a pint into the stomach, and it might unhappilychoke the natural heat, waste the radical moisture,and burn up a man's bowels. Mercy being wisely administeredin the right seas<strong>on</strong>, and mingled with c<strong>on</strong>venientcounsels and cauti<strong>on</strong>s, may by God's blessing bind up abroken heart with a progressive and kindly cure, it maymollify for the present with an healing and heavenly heatthe smarting anguish of a wounded c<strong>on</strong>science, and atlength seas<strong>on</strong>ably close it up with sound and lasting comfort; but poured out at random by an unsteady and indiscreethand, it may by accident dangerously dry up penitenttears too so<strong>on</strong>, and stifle the work of the spirit of b<strong>on</strong>dagein tlie beginning.But here let n<strong>on</strong>e either out of ignorance or malice mistakeor be troubled with this too much. <strong>The</strong> same phrase la* Usher, in his Answer to a Jesuit's Challcuge.

logo

products

Resources

Company

Terms of service
Privacy policy
Cookie policy
Cookie settings
Imprint
Change language
Made with love in Switzerland
© 2024 Yumpu.com all rights reserved

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!