A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan
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A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

digitalpuritan.net
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13.07.2015 Views

How290 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand rousing compellation (Isa.lv, 1); fourthly, entreats(2 Cor. V, 26) ; fifthly, commands (1 John iii, 23) ; sixthly,and threatens (Heb. iii, 18). How cruel then is that manto his own wounded conscience, who in his extreme spiritualthirst will not be drawn by this sixfold merciful cord todrink his fill of the fountain of the water of life ; to casthimself with confidence and comfort into the arms of theLord Jesus, which is more than infinitely able to tie themost trembling heart, and that which hangs off most byreason of pretended doubts, scruples, and distrusts, to thatblessed Saviour of his with all full assurance and perfectpeace ! is it possible but that all, or some of theseshould bring in every broken heart to believe ; and causeevery one that is weary of his sins to rely upon the Lord oflife for everlasting welfare !CHAP. in.The Second particular Argument to be used for the Cure of the Foi-merMalady. Five Parts of that Argument laid open. The First Branchof the Fifth Part.But that which I desire principally to press for my purposein the point at this time, is this : Thy conscience is nowawakened, terrified, and troubled, and therefore, as I suppose,tender and very sensible, at least for a time, of theleast sin. Every sin lies now upon thy soul as heavy as amountain of lead ; and therefore thou wouldst not willinglyadd unto thy already insupportable burthen any moreweight. All thy youthful lusts and abominations stare inthe face of thy conscience with grisly and horrible looks ;and therefore, for the present especially, thou art notablyscared from a willing provocation of God's anger andwounding it afresh with a new sin. Well, it being thus then,if it appear unto thee, that by thy standing off, in the caseI have supposed thee, from taking Christ as thine own,applying the promises as most certainly belonging untothee, and so "setting to thy seal that God is true," thoudishonourest him extraordinarily in many respects. Methinksthen thou shouldst be mightily moved, without anymore ado, to cast thyself presently upon the Lord Jesuswith comfort and much assurance; especially since thy soyielding to the law of faith is for thy infinite good. Andassure thyself thou oft'endest in the mean time many ways.L By a sour and self-willed unmannerliness towards

;AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 291Christ in not coming when he calls thee, Mat. xi, 28. " Itis pride, and high pride," saith a worthy divine*, "notto come when thou art called. It is rudeness, and not goodmanners, not to do as thou art bidden to do ;yea, so oftenand earnestly charged to do." It would be a foul fault andunmannerly disobedience for any subject in this kingdom,though never so ragged and tattered, or pretending never somuch his unfitness and unfineness to press into so great apresence, not to come unto the king, if he should pleaseearnestly to call upon him. Disobedience to the law offaith and rejecting God's gracious ofi'er of his Son freely, isthe greatest, and an inexpiable sin. He hath sworn in hiswrath that such as thus refuse shall never enter into hisrest.2. By a saucy prescribing unto him upon what terms heshall take thee. "Ho!" says he, "everyone that thirsteth,come ye to the waters ; and he that hath no moneycome ye, buy and eat yea, come, buy wine and milk,without money and;without price" (Isa. Iv, 1). Nay,sayest thou, I will either bring something in mine hand, orI will have none. Whereas it appears in the cited place,that Christ calls not only those that are "thirsty," but alsosuch as " have no money."3. By undervaluing the invaluable worth of his preciousblood, as though thy sins had exceeded the price that hathbeen paid for them. Whereas it is called, Acts xx, 28,God's own blood ; and therefore no want in it to wash awayany sin, and for ever.4. By offering disparagement to all the promises in God'sblessed book ; every one whereof doth now sweetly andupon geod ground invite thee, as it were, to repose upon itas upon a sure word of God with everlasting rest andsafety. But thou, giving too much way to the devil's lies,and the dictates of thine own distrustful heart, keepest offand retirest, as though they were too weak to support thynow troubled and trembling soul, especially laden with somany and heinous sins. Whereby consider how great indignitythou offerest to such promises and places as these,Isa. i, 18 ; Ezek. xxxvi, 25 ; Isa. Iv, 7, 8, 9 ; and Ivii, 15.Especially being so strongly backed by God's blessed oath :" God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs ofpromise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by anoath. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossiblefor God to lie, we might have a strong consolation,who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before* Ward, in his Life of Faith.

How290 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand rousing compellati<strong>on</strong> (Isa.lv, 1); fourthly, entreats(2 Cor. V, 26) ; fifthly, commands (1 John iii, 23) ; sixthly,and threatens (Heb. iii, 18). How cruel then is that manto his own wounded c<strong>on</strong>science, who in his extreme spiritualthirst will not be drawn by this sixfold merciful cord todrink his fill of the fountain of the water of life ; to casthimself with c<strong>on</strong>fidence and comfort into the arms of theLord Jesus, which is more than infinitely able to tie themost trembling heart, and that which hangs off most byreas<strong>on</strong> of pretended doubts, scruples, and distrusts, to thatblessed Saviour of his with all full assurance and perfectpeace ! is it possible but that all, or some of theseshould bring in every broken heart to believe ; and causeevery <strong>on</strong>e that is weary of his sins to rely up<strong>on</strong> the Lord oflife for everlasting welfare !CHAP. in.<strong>The</strong> Sec<strong>on</strong>d particular Argument to be used for the Cure of the Foi-merMalady. Five Parts of that Argument laid open. <strong>The</strong> First Branchof the Fifth Part.But that which I desire principally to press for my purposein the point at this time, is this : Thy c<strong>on</strong>science is nowawakened, terrified, and troubled, and therefore, as I suppose,tender and very sensible, at least for a time, of theleast sin. Every sin lies now up<strong>on</strong> thy soul as heavy as amountain of lead ; and therefore thou wouldst not willinglyadd unto thy already insupportable burthen any moreweight. All thy youthful lusts and abominati<strong>on</strong>s stare inthe face of thy c<strong>on</strong>science with grisly and horrible looks ;and therefore, for the present especially, thou art notablyscared from a willing provocati<strong>on</strong> of God's anger andwounding it afresh with a new sin. Well, it being thus then,if it appear unto thee, that by thy standing off, in the caseI have supposed thee, from taking Christ as thine own,applying the promises as most certainly bel<strong>on</strong>ging untothee, and so "setting to thy seal that God is true," thoudish<strong>on</strong>ourest him extraordinarily in many respects. Methinksthen thou shouldst be mightily moved, without anymore ado, to cast thyself presently up<strong>on</strong> the Lord Jesuswith comfort and much assurance; especially since thy soyielding to the law of faith is for thy infinite good. Andassure thyself thou oft'endest in the mean time many ways.L By a sour and self-willed unmannerliness towards

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