A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

overINSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGall true joy, sound comfort, and lightsonieness at the heartrootin this life. This crowned empress of all those heavenlygraces that dwell in the soul of a sanctified man, and whichin a right sense may be said virtually to comprehend all thebeauty, strength, excellency, and power of Christ himself,is truly victorious and triumphant over all the world (1 JohnV, 4) ; over the very gates of hell and all the powers ofdarkness (Malt, xvi, 18); over the devil's most fiery darts(Eph. vi, 16) ; over the devouring flames of the raging fire ;over the roaring fury of the most hungry lions •,thevariety and extremity of the most exquisite tortures, temptations,persecutions ; all outward miseries, even over cruelmockings : it irresistibly beats down or blows up thestrongest bulwarks and thickest walls, puts to flight themigfitiest armies, and conquers the most invincible kingdoms(Heb. xi, 30, 33—37); and when all is done, Oblessed faith, at the very last and deadliest lift, she triumphantlysets her foot upon the neck of the prince of terrors,1 mean death, the last and worst, the end and sum of allfeared evils (Psalm xxiii, 4) ; and even in the midst of thosedying and dreadful pangs bears a glorious part with JesusChrist the conqueror in that sweetest song of victory, "Odeath, where is thy sting 1" In a word, it can do allthings : "All things are possible to him that belie veth "(Mark ix, 23).V. In a word, grace in its own nature being the mostglorious creature of the Father of lights, and flowing as itwere more immediately and sweetly from his blessed face,is of such a divine, invincible, and lightsome temper, andhath such an antipathy, such vigour and ability against allspiritual darkness and damps, whether of afHiction, temptation,troublesome confusions of the times, " the valley ofthe shadow of death," the grave, hell itself; that it is everable either to dispel it or dissolve it, or support itself stronglyand triumphantly even in the midst of it. Suppose a soulbeautified with grace to be seated, if it were possible, inthe very centre of that hellish kingdom, yet would it by itsheavenly strength and glory, in despite of all infernalpowers, keep off at some distance all the darkness, torments,and horror of that damned place. Whence it is that it is sooften in the holy scriptures compared to light. Now whatpower and prevalent antipathy our ordinary light doth exerciseagainst his most abhorred opposite, darkness, you wellknow; and it is elegantly and punctually for*'expressed by one in this manner : We seemy purposeand prove,"saith he, " by daily experience how powerful and dreadfula thing the darkness of the night is. For when it falleth it