A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

316 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGheinousness of sins with greater horror and more unto thelife ; whereas prosperity, health, and days of peace, dorather delude the eyes of the conscience ; and like false andflattering glasses make those foul fiends seem fairer thanthey are indeed. And therefore the Christian, especiallythat I speak of, being outwardly distressed, cast upon hisbed of death, or any ways extraordinarily visited by God'shand, seeing his sins upon the sudden marshalled and marchingagainst him ; more in number and more fiercely thanheretofore, may for the while be surprised and exercisedwith unexpected terror, until by meditation upon God'sformer special mercy unto him in spiritual things, upon themarks and effects of his change, upon the uprightness ofhis heart towards God in the days of health, upon thosetestimonies and assurances which his Christian friends cangive him of his being in a gracious state, with such likeholy helps ; and so in cool blood and above all resolving tostick for ever fast to the Lord Jesus, though he kill him, hebe raised again from such dejections of spirit to the wontedconfidence and comfort of his interest in Christ and salvationof his soul. Here, by the way, let none think it strange,that even the dearest servants of Christ may be revisited*with more horror of conscience afterward than at their firstturning on God's side. As appears in Job, Hezekiah, David,in Mrs. Brettergh, Mr. Peacick, &c. Besides the proposedcases, this re visitation may befal them also — 5thly. For* But how may this revisitatioii with as great, if not greater tenoi-sthan at first turning unto God, consist with that, Rom. viii, 15, " Yehave not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;" which seems toimport thus mnch, that God's child receives the spirit of bondage nomore after he hath once received the spirit of adoption, revealing andevidencing unto him that he is a son and that God is his father ? Inanswer : The same Spirit produceth these contrary effects. By the law,fear and terror, by the gospel, peace and prayer. Now at the first talcinga man in hand to turn him to the Lord, the spirit of bondage, bythe work of the law, doth testify unto the soul that it is in a wretchedand damnable state, bound over to the guilt of its own sin, and God'sfiery wrath, to death, and hell, and damnation for ever-, that so it maybe driven to Jesus Christ for release and pardon. But after the plantationof faith and presence of the spirit of adoption it never testifies soagain, because it would be an untruth. It may afterward work an apprehensionthat God is angry ; but not that he is not a father. Thehiding of God's face, which may often befal his child ; the darkness ofour own spirits thereupon, wliich may revive all the old guilt again ; andthe devil's cruel pressing upon us upon such advantages, raise thesehideous mists of horror I am speaking of, and such terrible after-tempests,of wliich our only-wise and all powerful God makes excellent use,hoth for ourselves and others, and attains thereby his own most glorious,secret, and sacred end, as appears in the following passage.