A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

222 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGsion be suffered to inflict and fasten his fieiy darts of terrorjand temptations upon a man's conscience, continue themthere some while with much anguish and horror for somesecret holy end, seen and seeming good to Divine wisdom,and at length remove and withdraw them, not upon successionof any sound comfort or true peace from the promisesof life and pardon of sin ; but only upon a mere cessationof the devil's pleasure to torment and terrify anylonger'? Not that he can hurt the least or most contemptiblecreature that ever God made when he pleases ; butthat it pleaseth God sometimes to give him the reins andleave to rage. Quieting the conscience in this case is nocomfortable cure from positive help ; but a counterfeit palliationby ceasing to hurt.6. Nay, let me here further, before I pass out of thepoint, discover unto you a mystery ; but it is of iniquity andhorrible hypocrisy. I have known some (would you thinkit?) who have counterfeited even trouble of conscience;and made show without all truth or true touch of sundrytemptations and spiritual distempers incident only to thesaints. And have for that purpose addressed themselvesAvith much industry and noise, and had recourse manytimes to some spiritual physicians, with many tears, aheavy countenance, and other rueful circumstances, expressingalmost exactly the scruples, doubts, distrusts, complaints,of such as are truly grieved in spirit and true ofheart. O the wonderful depth which lieth hid in the confluenceof the hypocrisies of man's false heart ; and thedevices of " that old serpent, which deceiveth the wholeworld!" (Revel, xii, 9.) Such as these take upon themand lay aside terrors of conscience, as players do their appareland parts.SECT. II,PART II.CHAP. I.The rk^ht method of curing an Afflicted Conscience. Four things requiredin the riglit method of curing.The passages past do all mislead into bye-paths ; but thereis one blessed way, besides all these, though it be a narrowone, which conducts directly out of a natural state throughthe pangs of the new birth without diversion or daubing ;without any longer detainment in any lust, sensual plea-