A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 265and last day. " Whosoever hateth his brother," saithJohn." is a murderer" (1 John iii, 15). A hateful thought of ourbrother, murders nim and spills his blood by the verdict ofthe blessed Spiiit ; and a malicious man, at the bar of God,goes for a manslayer. If this, then, be God's manner ofproceeding in justice, we may much more confidently expect,nay, with reverent humUity challenge (way beingmade by the mediation of Christ) the same proportionablemeasure in those his most sweet and lovely inclinations andexpressions of mercy. Shall a lewd desire after a womanfall under the axe of God's justice, as if it were the grossact of lust ; and shall not a longing desire after grace begraciously embraced in the arms of mercy as the graceitself? Shall an angry thought, invisible, immaterial, hurtfulonly to the heart which harbours it, be charged withactual bloodshed ; and shall not a panting thirst of a brokenand bleeding soul after Christ's saving and sanctifying bloodbe bathed and refreshed in his precious blood? Yes, certainly,and much rather ; for " God's tender mercies areover all his works" (Psalm cxlv, 9), and mercy with aholy exultation triumpheth and " rejoiceth against judgment" (James ii, 13). " His mercy is great unto the heavens"(Psalm Ivii, 10). He doth with much sweet contentment,and as it were natural propension, incline to thegracious effusions of mercy. " He delighteth in mercy,"saith Micah (chap, vii, 18) ; he is most highly pleased andexalted most gloriously when he is pardoning sins, purgingsouls, pulling out of the devil's paw, pouring in grace,shining into sad and uncomfortable hearts, saving from hell,&c. 1 his makes him so passionate (in a holy sense) whenhe hath no passage for his love. (See Deut. v, 29; PsalmIxxxi, 13 ; Isa. xlviii, 18 ; Matt, xxiii, 37 ; Luke xix, 41, 42.)But now on the other side he is hardly drawn, not withoutmuch reluctancy, delays, forbearance, and as it were somekind of violence offered by excess of multiplied rebelliousprovocations, to exercise his justice and to punish for sin.(See 2 Chron. xxxvi, 16 ;Hos. vi, 4, &c.) It appears fromthe emphasis of the original in Zeph. ii, 2, that in thisrespect, in a right and sober sense, God travaileth as it werewith anger. When the cry of our sins comes first to heaven,he doth not presently pour upon our heads fire and brimstone,according to our desert ; but as loath to enter intojudgment with us, he then but begins to conceive, as itwere, wrath, which he bears, or rather forbears, full manyand many a month ; still waiting, when upon our repentancehe might "be gracious unto us;" until it cometo that ripeness by the fulness and intolerable weight2 A