A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 369distress. And so also all others, who have been most afflictedeither with outward troubles or inward terrors, orboth, are ever most ht and feeling to speak unto the heart,to put to their helping hand, and make much of comfortlessand miserable men, troubled and tempted as they havebeen. And such was the case of our blessed Saviour in hissufferings for our sakes. He was exercised all his life longwith variety and extremity of cruellies, indignities, and allmanner of vexations beyond measure, grievous, bitter, andintolerable. He drank full deep of the world's disgrace ;the devil's malice ; the rage of great ones ; the contemptand contumelies of the vilest ; the scornful insultings of hisenemies; sorest sufferings from all things in heaven, earth,,and hell ; of those pinching passions, hunger, thirst, weariness; of bodily tortures, hideous temptations, agonies ofspirit, even of the full cup of his Father's fiery wrath, andhorrors of soul for our sins to the very last drop, whichv^ent as far beyond his other outward extremities, as the soulgoes beyond the body, or God's utmost anger the malice ofmen ; whereby he is now blessedly htted and enabled excellently" to succour them that are tempted." Consciousnessof his own case in the " days of his flesh " is a keen incentiveto his holy and heavenly soul, more sensibly andsoon to take pity upon and ease the several necessities,troubles, sorrows, and soul-afflictions of all his children.(3.) As this ever-blessed Redeemer of ours was in himselfmore than infinitely free, and more than far enoughfrom all sins ; so by consequence from any inherent causeof the least cross, or any shadow in the world of his dearestFather's displeased countenance. For originally he wasof a most pure, harmless, and holy nature all his life long ;kind, sweet, and gracious to every creature ; offendingnone, doing good unto all; in his death incomparably patient,"brought as an innocent lamb" to that bloodyslaughter ;" not opening his mouth " for all those base andbarbarous provocations of the cruel and merciless miscreantsabout him ; swimming in blood, burning in zeal,,wrestling in prayer even for the salvation of his enemies.So that his guiltless and unspotted soul had no need at allof any passion or expiation. All his sorrows and sufferingswere voluntarily undergone only for our sakes andsins. Had not the precious heart's blood of the only, dear,natural, eternal Son of God, been poured out as water uponthe ground, wliereat the whole creation was astonished,the earth trembled and shook, her rocks clave asunder, hergraves opened, the heavens withdrew their light, as notdaring to behold this sad and fearful spectacle, never bad