A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

226 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGCHAP. II.Three Things more required in those who are rightly cured.5. To the party thus legally afflicted, evangelically affected,and fitted savingly, now do all the promises of life in God'sblessed book offer themselves as so many rocks of eternityin " faithfulness and truth;" for his wearied soul, tossedwith tempest, and sorely bruised with storms of terror,sweetly to rest upon with everlasting safety. God the Father,his bowels of tenderest compassion and bounty alreadystirring within him, runs, if I may so say, as the father inthe gospel, to fall upon its neck and to kiss it with the kissesof his sweetest mercy. Jesus Christ opens himself, as itwere, upon the cross to receive it graciously into his bleedingwounds ; all which, he beholding with a spiritually enlightenedeye, admiring and adoring, cannot choose but subscribeand seal unto them that they are true, and so by thehelp of the Holy Ghost casts himself with all the spiritualstrength he can, at least with infinite longings, most thirstydesires, and resolution never to part, into his blessed bosom,saying secretly to himself. Come life, come death, comeheaven, come hell, come what may, here will I stick forever : and if ever I perish, they shall pluck me out of thehands, and rend me from between the arms of this mighty,glorious, and dearest Redeemer of mine.6. And having now taken Christ as a Saviour, to free himfrom the miseries of sin, he is willing also to take him as aLord, husband, and king, to serve, love, and obey him. Forevery one that is truly Christ's, doth as well thirst heartilyand sincerely endeavour after mortification, conquest overcorruptions, sanctification, purity, new obedience, ability todo or suffer any thing for Christ, as for pardon of sin andsalvation from hell : and therefore he willingly " takes tiponhim his yoke," which though so called, is " easy and light;"enters in earnest into the " narrow way," which though itbe " everywhere spoken against," as it was in Paul's time(Acts xxviii, 22), yet in truth and upon trial is most precious,profitable, and pleasant. See Prov. iii, " Happy isthe man that findeth wisdom," to wit, in the word, to walkin the ways of God. "She is more precious than rubies ;and all the things thou canst desire are not to be comparedunto her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in herleft hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness,and all her paths are peace." He now, for theshort remainder of his abode in the vale of tears, vows and