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
298 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING[4.] In such an extremity of helplessness and hopelessness,in this trembling and terror of thy heart, thoushouldst call to mind for thy comfort, that " he who establishethall the ends of the earth " (Prov. xxx, 4) and hath"hung" that mighty and massive body " upon nothing "(Job xxvi, 7), can most easily stay and stablish the mostforlorn and forsaken soul, even sinking into the mouth ofdespair. He that said at first to the earth, Stand still uponnothing, and it never stirred out of its place since thecreation, can easily uphold, fortify, and refresh thine heartin the depth of the most grievous spiritual misery ; evenwhen in the bitterness of thy spirit thou criest, " Mystrength and my hope is perished from the Lord" (Lament,iii, 18).4th. Even his justice. Christ's blood is already paid asa price for the pardon of the sins of thine humbled soul,and thou wilt needs pay it over again, or else thou wilt notenter upon the purchase: as though God did expect andexact the discharge of the same debt twice, which to imagine,were a monstrous intolerable indignity to the mostjust God. You know full well what we should think ofthat man, who having a debt fully discharged by the surety,should press upon the principal for the payment of thesame again. We should indeed think him to be a verycruel, hard-hearted, and merciless man ; we should callhim a Turk, a cut-throat, a cannibal, far fitter to lodge ina den of tigers than to live in the society of men. What afearful dishonour then is it to the merciful and mightyLord of heaven and earth, to the righteous Judge of all theworld, to conceive, that having received an exact and fullsatisfaction for all our sins, by the heart's blood of his owndear Son, he should ever require them again at our hands !Far be it then from every one, who would not offer extraordinarydisparagement even to God's glorious justice, toentertain any such thought, especially since we have hisword, his oath, and the seal of his Son's blood for security.And assuredly we may build upon it, as upon a rock ofeternal truth ; that when we come unto Christ, weary ofall our sins, thii sting sincerely for him, and throwing ourselvesupon him, as salvation itself, resolved to take uponus his sweet and easy yoke for the time to come, he doihpresently, as he hath promised, take off the burthen, andfree us everlastingly from the guilt and stain, condemnationand reign of all our sins.But now if thou wilt cast thyself upon Jesus Christ, rollthyself upon the promises, being so humbled, spirituallythirsty, and resolved, as thou hast said and I supposed at
;AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 299the first (for we who are God's messengers, comfort andassure of pardon in sucli cases, only upon supposition, thatthe heart and speeches, all the promises and protestationsof the party and patient we deal with, be sincere everyway) ; I say, if thou thus cast thyself upon the Lord Jesusand the promises of lil'e, having a well-grounded, strong,and seasonable calling thereunto, being, as appears before,invited, entreated, commanded, &c. the case will be blessedlyaltered. Thou shalt now do as God would have thee ;and mightily honour the invaluable and infinite dignity ofhis Son's passion and blood, the precious freeness of allthe promises, his free love, sweet name, truth, mercy, power,justice,
- Page 300 and 301: 248 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGever
- Page 302 and 303: 250 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGwolv
- Page 304 and 305: 252 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGFath
- Page 306 and 307: ut254 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING6.
- Page 308 and 309: 256 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGself
- Page 310 and 311: 253 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGthou
- Page 312 and 313: IIDvkCjOf260 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFO
- Page 314 and 315: 262 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGin p
- Page 316 and 317: 264 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand
- Page 318 and 319: my266 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGof
- Page 320 and 321: ;•268 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING
- Page 322 and 323: 270 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING" Wh
- Page 324 and 325: 272 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGfrom
- Page 326 and 327: 274 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING3. S
- Page 328 and 329: "276 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGsuc
- Page 330 and 331: 278 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGis h
- Page 332 and 333: 280 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGproa
- Page 334 and 335: ^282INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGcom-
- Page 336 and 337: ;;284 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGis
- Page 338 and 339: —"286 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING
- Page 340 and 341: 288 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGment
- Page 342 and 343: How290 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGa
- Page 344 and 345: ;292 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGus"
- Page 346 and 347: 291 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGuniv
- Page 348 and 349: what296 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING
- Page 352 and 353: ;300 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGsou
- Page 354 and 355: 302 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGnot
- Page 356 and 357: 304 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGyet
- Page 358 and 359: 306 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGthem
- Page 360 and 361: 308 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORtI^TG'ne
- Page 362 and 363: 310 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING6),
- Page 364 and 365: •of312 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTIN
- Page 366 and 367: —314 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGb
- Page 368 and 369: 316 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGhein
- Page 370 and 371: 318 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGsecu
- Page 372 and 373: 320 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGwere
- Page 374 and 375: 322 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGtrem
- Page 376 and 377: —324 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGd
- Page 378 and 379: '326 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGthe
- Page 380 and 381: 328 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand
- Page 382 and 383: 330 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGwalk
- Page 384 and 385: :332 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGJ^a
- Page 386 and 387: 334 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGlife
- Page 388 and 389: n36INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGenjoy
- Page 390 and 391: 338 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGaffa
- Page 392 and 393: 340 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand
- Page 394 and 395: 342 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGtion
- Page 396 and 397: 344 INSTia;CTIONS FOR COMFORTINGdea
- Page 398 and 399: 346 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGown
298 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING[4.] In such an extremity of helplessness and hopelessness,in this trembling and terror of thy heart, thoushouldst call to mind for thy comfort, that " he who establishethall the ends of the earth " (Prov. xxx, 4) and hath"hung" that mighty and massive body " up<strong>on</strong> nothing "(Job xxvi, 7), can most easily stay and stablish the mostforlorn and forsaken soul, even sinking into the mouth ofdespair. He that said at first to the earth, Stand still up<strong>on</strong>nothing, and it never stirred out of its place since thecreati<strong>on</strong>, can easily uphold, fortify, and refresh thine heartin the depth of the most grievous spiritual misery ; evenwhen in the bitterness of thy spirit thou criest, " Mystrength and my hope is perished from the Lord" (Lament,iii, 18).4th. Even his justice. Christ's blood is already paid asa price for the pard<strong>on</strong> of the sins of thine humbled soul,and thou wilt needs pay it over again, or else thou wilt notenter up<strong>on</strong> the purchase: as though God did expect andexact the discharge of the same debt twice, which to imagine,were a m<strong>on</strong>strous intolerable indignity to the mostjust God. You know full well what we should think ofthat man, who having a debt fully discharged by the surety,should press up<strong>on</strong> the principal for the payment of thesame again. We should indeed think him to be a verycruel, hard-hearted, and merciless man ; we should callhim a Turk, a cut-throat, a cannibal, far fitter to lodge ina den of tigers than to live in the society of men. What afearful dish<strong>on</strong>our then is it to the merciful and mightyLord of heaven and earth, to the righteous Judge of all theworld, to c<strong>on</strong>ceive, that having received an exact and fullsatisfacti<strong>on</strong> for all our sins, by the heart's blood of his owndear S<strong>on</strong>, he should ever require them again at our hands !Far be it then from every <strong>on</strong>e, who would not offer extraordinarydisparagement even to God's glorious justice, toentertain any such thought, especially since we have hisword, his oath, and the seal of his S<strong>on</strong>'s blood for security.And assuredly we may build up<strong>on</strong> it, as up<strong>on</strong> a rock ofeternal truth ; that when we come unto Christ, weary ofall our sins, thii sting sincerely for him, and throwing ourselvesup<strong>on</strong> him, as salvati<strong>on</strong> itself, resolved to take up<strong>on</strong>us his sweet and easy yoke for the time to come, he doihpresently, as he hath promised, take off the burthen, andfree us everlastingly from the guilt and stain, c<strong>on</strong>demnati<strong>on</strong>and reign of all our sins.But now if thou wilt cast thyself up<strong>on</strong> Jesus Christ, rollthyself up<strong>on</strong> the promises, being so humbled, spirituallythirsty, and resolved, as thou hast said and I supposed at