A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

200 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand prevent a scruple which may trouble true hearts indeed,who hold truth of heart in their repentances, services, andduties towards God to be their peculiar and a special touchstoneto try and testify tlie soundness of their sanctification,the truth of their spiritual states, and a distinctive characterfrom all sorts of unregeuerate men, and all kinds of hypocrisy;— i say, purposes and promises made from the heartin the sense 1 have stated, with earnest eager protestationwhile they are in anguish and extremity, and yet after deliveranceand ease melt away " as a morning cloud andlike the early dew," proceed from hearts rather affectedonly with sting of present horror, natural desire of happiness,misconceit that it is a light thing to leave sin, and thelike, than truly broken and burthened with sight of theirown viieness, sense of God's displeasure, hatred of wickednessand former sensual ways ; or enamoured with thesweetness of Jesus Christ, amiableness of grace, and goodnessof God, 6cc. Howsoever for my purpose certain it is,and too manifest by many woful experiences, that as itoften falls out and fares with men in their corporal visitationsand outward crosses, to wit, that while the storm andtempest beats sore upon them they run unto God as " theirrock, and inquire early after him," as it is said of theIsraelites, Psalm Ixxviii, 34 ; but when once a hot gleam offormer health and prosperity shines upon them again, theyhie as fast out of God's blessing into the warm sun ; fromsorrow for sin to delight of sense ; from seeking God tosecurity in their old ways : 1 say, even so it is sometimesalso with men in afflictions of soul and troubles of conscience.While the agony and extremity is upon them, theygrieve as though they would become true converts ; bothpromise and purpose many excellent things for the time tocome, and a remarkable change ; but if once the fit be over,they " start aside like a broken bow," and fearfully fall awayfrom what they have vowed, with horrible ingratitude andexecrable villany, having been extraordinarily schooled andscorched, as it were, in the flames of horror, and warnedto take heed by the very vengeance of hell. For the former,hear the experience of reverend divines. " jMany seeming,"saith one, " to repent affectionately in dangerous sickness,when they have recovered have been rather worse thanbefore." " 1 would have thought myself," saith another," that many monstrous persons whom 1 have visited, whenGod's hand upon them caused them to cry out and promiseamendment, would have proved rare examples to otiicrs oftrue conversion unto God. But to my great grief, and to