A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

";AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 189nally, they are both equal, and so are all his attributesbut in respect of the exercise and expression upon his creatures,and abroad in the world, there is some difference.But for my purpose and our ministerial employment andcommission, take notice,That as the revealed effects of God's mercy are love,tender-heartedness, compassions, his own dear Son's preciousheart-blood, pardon of sins, peace of conscience, unspeakableand glorious joy thereupon, evangelical pleasures, comfortablepresence of the Spirit even in this life, and in theother world pleasures infinitely more than the stars of thefirmament in number, even for ever and ever ; and allthese upon all true penitents —:So the revealed effects of his justice are " indignation andwrath, tribulation and anguish ;" that sword, " which willdevour flesh ;" those arrows, that " drink blood ;" thatfiery anger, " which will burn unto the lowest hell, and seton fire the foundations of the mountains " ; that comingagainst, which is " with fire and chariots like a whirlwind,to render anger with fury, and rebuke with flames of fire ;that meeting, which is as of a " bear bereaved of herwhelps, to rend the caul of the heart, and devour like alion," 6cc. ; all plagues, with the extremity, temporal,spiritual, eternal ; all the curses in this book of his ;allthe torments of hell, to the utmost spark of those infernalflames ; and all these upon all impenitent sinners. NowGod will be glorified both ways and by them both.Give us leave, then, to give them both their due.We are most willing and ready, as our great Master inheaven would have us (Isa. xl, 1, 2), and our blessedSaviour by his example doth teach us (Luke iv, II), toconvey by our ministry into every truly broken heart andbleeding soul the warmest blood that ever heated Christ'stender heart, and to keep back from the true penitent notany one grain of that immeasurable mine of all the richmercies purchased Avith that precious blood.Be content therefore on the other side that we open thearmoury of God's justice, and " reveal his wrath from heavenagainst all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ; thatindignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, shall beupon every soul of man that doth evil," &c. As we are everready to bind up the bruised spirit with the softest oil ofGod's sweetest mercy ;so let us, 1 pray you, have leave, inthe equity of a just and holy proportion, to wound with thehammer of the law the hairy scalp of every one that goeson in his sin.Let us deal faithfully even with wicked men, lest we