A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

—AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 247grievously wounded in conscience, thereupon sendeth fora skilful and faithful mesenger of God ; and when he hathopened his case fully unto him heareth him say, when hehath said all ": My case was far worse than yours everyway." Nay, but besides those notorious sins I have namedunto you, I have defiled myself with many secret execrablelusts, lie it so, saith the spiritual physician, yet inthe days of my vanity I have been guilty of more and moreheinous crimes than any you have yet spoken of. Yea, buteven now, when I have most need of, should most prize, reverence,and lay hold upon God's blessed word. Son, andpromises, I am continually beset with many abhorred, villanous,and prodigious injections about them. Not a manalive, replires the man of God, hath had his head troubledwith more hideous thoughts of this hellish nature than I.11. That precious parable (Luke xv) wherein all thoseloving passages of the father unto his prodigal son ; to wit," his beholding him when he was yet a great way off; hiscompassion, running towards him, falling upon his neck,kissing him, putting on him the best robe and the ring,killing the fatted calf," &:c. ;—do shadow that immeasurable,incomprehensible love of God the Father to every one thatis willing to come out of the devil's cursed service into thegood way ; but come as far short of expressing it to the life,as the infinite greatness of Almighty God surp^sseth thefinite frailty of a weak man and worm of the earth.CHAP. IV.Foar Conclusions of Comfort, drawn from those places of Scripturewhich set forth the Lord's dealing with us as a Father with his Children.In the second place, let us take a view of some of thosemost delicious and sweetest streams of dearest comfort,which spring abundantly out of that fruitful fountain ofcompassion and love — "Like as a father pitieth his children; so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" (Psalmciii, 13 ; see also Deut. viii, 5 ; and Mai. iii, 17).Hence may we draw refreshing enough to our thirstysouls in many passages of heavy thoughts and grievouscomplaints about our spiritual state.1. In the distempers and damps of prayer, thus :Suppose the dearest son of the most loving father to liegrievously sick, and out of the extremity of anguish to cryout and complain unto him, that he is so full of pain in.