A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 197So soon as a man is truly and heartily humbled tor allliis sins, and weary of their weight, thougli the degree ofhis sorrow be not answerable to his own desire, yet he shallmost certainly be welcome unto Jesus Christ.It is not so much the amount and measure of our sorrow,as the truth and heartiness, which fits us for the promisesand comforts of mercy. Though I must say this also, Hethat thinks he hath sorrowed enough for his sins, neversorrowed savingly.2. For the second, which is more properly and speciallypertinent to our purpose, take notice, that the blood ofChrist being seasonably and savingly applied to thine humbledsoul for the pardon and purgation of thy sin, must byno means dam and dry up thy well-spring of weeping, butonly assuage and heal thy wound of horror. That preciousbalm hath this heavenly property and power, that it rathermelts, softens, and makes the heart a great deal moreweeping-ripe. If these be truly the pangs of the new birthwherewith thou art now afflicted, thou shalt find that thynow cleaving with assurance of acceptation unto the LordJesus will not so much lessen, hinder, or cease thy sorrow,as rectify, season, and sweeten it. If thy right unto thatsoul-saving passion be real, and thou cast thine eye with abelieving, hopeful heart upon him whom thou hast thereinpierced with thy sins (and those sins alone are said properlyto have pierced Christ which at length are pardonedby Ins blood), thou canst not possibly but entertam excessof love unto thy crucified Lord; and sense of God's mercyshed into thy soul through his merits will make thee weepagain, and fairly force thine heart to burst out abundantlyinto fresh and filial tears.See how freshly David's heart bled with repentant sorrowupon his assurance by Nathan of the pardon of his sin(Psalm li). Thou canst not choose but mourn moreheartily, evangelically, and (which should passingly pleasethee and sweetly perpetuate the spring of thy godly sorrow)more pleasingly unto God.Take therefore special notice and heed of these two depthsof the devil that I have now disclosed unto thee.First. When thou art truly wrought upon by the ministryof the word, and now fitted for comfort, " believe the prophets,"those ones of a thousand, learned in the right handlingof afflicted consciences, " and thou shalt prosper."As soon as thy soul is soundly humbled for sin, open andenlarge it joyfully like the thirsty ground, that the refreshingdew and doctrine of the gospel mav drop and distilS 3