A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

•244 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGus as a " voice of a great thunder," more distinct and particular; breeding not only admiration but fear also ; notfilling our ears only with an uncouth sound, but our heartsalso with a terrible searching. For the sermons of everysabbath came home to our consciences, singling out ourseveral reigning corruptions, beating punctually upon ourbosom sins, manifesting clearly our spiritual misery andcertain liableness to the exlremest wrath of God and endlesswoe. Whereupon we were all at our wits' end whatto do, grew weary of our lives, wished with all our heartsthat such a puritan preacher had never come amongst us ;told every man almost we met, ihat we had a fellow at ourtown would drive us all to despair, distraction, self-destruction,or some mischief or other ; that we heard nothingfrom him but of damnation, and hell, and such horriblethings. Now in this second work of the word there was agood number, even some out of that cursed crew and knotof good-fellowship wherein I have been ensnared so long,won unto Jesus Christ. For being enlightened, convinced,and terrified in conscience for their former sinful courses,the continued piercing of the word and work of the spirit ofbondage keeping them upon the rack under the dreadfulsense of divine wrath and their damnable state a goodwhile ; at last they happily resolved, without any moredelay, diversion, bye-path, or plunging again into worldlypleasures, to pass on directly, by the light and guidance ofthe gospel, into the holy path. And so undertook, and hithertohave holden out in profession and a blessed conformityto the better side. But I, and a greater part, a greatdeal more was the pity, hating heartily to be reformed, andabhorring that precise way so much " spoken against everywhere,''into which we conceived such severe ministerialcounsel would have conducted as ; I say, we wickedlywrested out of our vexed consciences those keen arrows oftruth and terror with great indignation; we unhappilyhardened our hearts and foreheads against the power of theword, which particularly pursued us every sabbath. Nay,alas ! we persecuted the very means which should sanctifyus ; and men which would have saved us. Here then is mycase and complaint ; neglecting that blessed season when Iwas first terrified and troubled in mind, when the angelfrom heaven, as it were, " troubled the water," and whensome, even of mine own companions in iniquity, were converted; I am afraid I now come too late, that the mercy ofGod to do me spiritual good is already expiied ; and thatthe ministry which I have so wretchedly opposed, is thevery same to me that it was to the obstinate Jews (Isa. vi,