A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

356 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGmove reverence, thirst, and thankful acknowledgment to thewell-head of refreshings. If God once withdraw the lightof his countenance and comfortable quickening of his Spirit,we shall find no comfort at ali in any creature, no life inthe ordinances, no feeling of our spiritual life, and thereforewe must needs repair to the ever-springing fountain ofall-sufficiency, &c.—Which blessed ends and effects, whenthe good hand of our God hath wrought, he will as certainlyreturn as ever the sun did after the darkest midnight,and that with abundance of glory, and sweetness proportionableto the former dejection and darkness of our spirits.The lowest ebb of a spiritual desertion brings the highesttide of spiritual exaltation, as we may see before inMrs. Biettergh and Mr. Peacock."2. What is the reason that thou art so sad and soreafflicted for the absence of thy beloved, and with want ofthe wonted gracious and comfortable workings of the Spirit!It is because thou hast formerly grasped the Lord Jesussweetly and savingly in the arms of thy soul, been sensiblyrefreshed with the savour of his good ointments, ravishedextraordinarily with the beauty of his person, dearness ofhis blood, riches of his purchase, and glory of his kingdom,and hast heretofore holden him as the very life of the soul,and chiefest and only treasure ; ejaculating with Davidunfeignedly from tl.e heart-root, " Whom have I in heavenbut thee ? and there is none upon earih that I desire besidesthee" (Psalm Ixxiii, 25). Earih is a hell and heaven noheaven \vithout Jesus Christ. I say, the present grief thatthy well-beloved is now gone, argues evidently this formerenjoyment of his gracious presence:— and then build uponit as the surest rock. Unce Christ's, and his for ever. Thegifts and calling of God are without repentance (Rom. xi,29): "whom he loveth once he loveth unto the end"(John xiii, 1) he is no changeling in his love, " I am the:Lord," saith he, " 1 change not : therefore ye sons of Jacobare not consumed'"' (Malachi iii, 6). Once elected, everbeloved ; once new-born, and born lo eternity : if once thesanctifying Spirit hath seized upon thee ibr Jesus Christ,thou art made sure and locked fast for ever in the arms ofhis love with everlasting bars of mercy and might from anymortal hurt and adversary power. Thou raayest then castdown the gauntlet of defiance against the devil and thewhole world ; and take up with Paul that victorious challengeunio all created ihings — "I am persuaded thatneither death, nor liie, nor angels, nor principalities, notpowers, nor things present, nor things to con)e, nor height,nor f epth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate