A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES.19Jcountenance, may not lie so open unto us, by reason of thecloudy interposition of our former sins. 2. When we seekfor any special blessing at God's merciful hands ;becausethen out of a gracious fear we may suspect that our oldsins may intrude, and labour to intercept and divert fromour longing souls the sweet and comfortable influences otthe throne of grace. It may seem that David, in the currentof his prayer, saw his old sins charge upon him, andtherefore cries out by the way, " Remember not the sins oimy youth." 3. In the time of some great affliction andremarkable cross, when upon a new search and strict examinationof our hearts and lives, we, humbling ourselvesmore solemnly again in the sight of the Lord, and mourningafresh over him whom we have pierced with our youthfulpollutions and provoke daily vvith many woful failings, arewont to seek God's pleased face and our former peace,sanctification of it unto us at the present time, and the removalof it from us in due time in the name of Jesus C'hrist.4. After relapse into some old secret lust, or fall into some'new scandalous sin. David's remorse for adultery andmurder brought his heart to bleed over his birth sin(Psalm li, 5). 6. Above all, upon all those mighty daysof humiliation by prayer and fasting, public, private, orsecret, wherein God's people wrestle with God by the omnipotencyof prayer, and work so many wonders from timeto time. Some there are also, who setting apart some specialtimes to confer with God in secret, lay together beforehim the glorious catalogue of the riches of his mercy,reaching from everlasting to everlasting, all his favouis,preservations, deliverances, protections, &c. from their firstbeing to that time, and the abhorred catalogue of all theirsins from .^dam to that hour; original, both imputed andinherent; actual, both before and since their calling; andthis they do with hearty desire of such different afl'ectionsas they severally require. A serious and sensible comparingof which two together, makes sin a great deal moreloathsome and the mercies of God more illustrious, and soproves effectual many times, by the help of the Holy Ghost,to soften their hearts extraordinarily, to make them weepheartily, and fills their soul with much joyful sorrow andhumble thankfulness. 6. Upon our beds of death. Then,because we take our faiev.ell of repentance, we shouldtake our fill of it; because it is the last time we shall lookupon our sins for that purpose, we should dismiss themwith utmost and extreinest loathing. At such times andupon such occasions as these and the like, when thou artcalled to a more solemn, strict, and severe search and re-S