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
8 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGand eternal Light (1 John i, 5), the sun's creator, "whodwelleth in the light that no man can approach unto," andis an everlasting well- spring of all life and light, which itdoth so far represent and resemble in Divine excellency andmightiness, that it thence receives by a secret and sacredinfluence fresh successions still of an infinite triumphantpower, and prevaileth against all spiritual darkness forever. Suppose all the men that dwell within the compass ofour hemisphere should address themselves with all their witand v.'eapons, with all their power and policy, to keep backthat universal darkness which is wont to seize upon the faceof the earth at the setting of the sun, yet by all this strongand combined opposition they should but beat the air. Butnow upon the very Mist approach of that ];rincely light butpeeping up in the east, it would all fly away in a momentand vanish into nothing. In a similar manner, if all theunderstandings upon earth, and all the angels in heaven,should contribute all their abilities and excellences to enlightenwith cheerfulness and joy a guilty conscience, surprisedsometimes with hellish darkness and clouds of horrorupon sight of sin and sense of Divine wrath, yet all wouldnot do ; they should all the while but wash a Blackmoor.But now let but the least glimpse of the light of graceshine into that sad and heavy soul, and it would far moreeasily and irresistibly chase away the very darkest midnightsof any spiritual misery, than the strongest summer'ssun would dispel the thinnest morning's mist. Give me, ifyou will, Judas's heart, or Spira's horror, or a vexed spirittorn and rent in pieces with the raging guilt of both thosewoful men, and let that supposed rueful soul, weary of itshellish burthen, and thirsting sincerely for the " water oflife," but cast itself upon the mercy, truth, and power ofthe Lord Jesus, so sweetly offering himself in that preciouspromise (jNIatt. xi, 28), resolving to take him for an everlastinghusband ; and, ipso facto, it might be put into a veryheaven upon earth. For this glorious grace of faith, theprince of all spiritual light and lightsomeness in the trulyhumbled soul, thus shed into such a dark and grieved spirit,doth enkindle and set on shining all those gracious heavenlystars that are wont to beautify the hearts of holy men;hope, love, zeal, son-like fear, humility, patience, selfdenial,universal obedience, fruitfulness in all good works,&:c., which make them light itself to walk in the lighttowards the infinite and unapproachable Light ; and thereforethey never need to want lightsomeness, but have perpetualmatter of spiritual mirth and mightiness of spirit.
AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES.CHAP III.Three pair of instances confirming the former doctrine ; David andSaul, Job and Aliithophel, Luther and .Spira.The point appears and is further proved by manifest andmanifold experience. David having been formerly wofullywasted with great variety and extremity of dangersand distresses, was at last plunged into a most desperateperplexity (1 Sam. xxx, 6), which had been able to haveswallowed up into despair the manliest vigour of thegreatest spirit upon earth not supported with grace (thelike, or a less, caused king Saul to fall upon his own sword,1 Sam. xxxi, 4); yet he, blessed man, by the power ofhis spiritual peace, and the beams of God's pleased faceshining upon his soul, did patiently and sweetly comforthimself in the Lord his God, and stood like an impregnablerock, unshaken with the raging assaults of any tempestuoussurges. He was at this time hunted by Saul like a partridgein the mountains ; cashiered by the princes of the Philistinesas a fellow of suspected fidelity ; robbed by the Amalekitesof his wives, his sons, and his daughters ; the town to whichhe returned for safety was burnt with fire ; and, to makehis calamity complete and most cutting, even his own menwere ready to stone him. Now in this great distress, uponthe first apprehension whereof he wept, as the stoiy saith," until he had no more power to weep," yet coming tohimself, and recollecting his spiritual forces, his heavyheart, ready to sink and fall asunder in his bosom, did fetch,by the hand of faith, comfortably fortified by sense andexperience of former favours, such heavenly strength fromJehovah, whom he had made his portion, that thereuponhis courage was revived and raised to that height, that hepresently pursued his enemies with extraordinary valourand resolution, cut them off and recovered all. " AndDavid," saith the text, " was greatly distressed ; for thepeople spake of stoning him, because the soul of all thepeople was grieved, eveiy man for his sons and for hisdaughters : but David encouraged himself in the Lord hisGod," &c.What a bitter sea of unmatched miseries did break outupon blessed Job, which with a sudden unexpected violencebearing down that hedge of protection which God had setabout him (the rains purposely let loose by Divine dispensationto Satan's malice in the mean time), did fearfullyoverflow him to that height and horror, that he stands re-
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AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES.CHAP III.Three pair of instances c<strong>on</strong>firming the former doctrine ; David andSaul, Job and Aliithophel, Luther and .Spira.<strong>The</strong> point appears and is further proved by manifest andmanifold experience. David having been formerly wofullywasted with great variety and extremity of dangersand distresses, was at last plunged into a most desperateperplexity (1 Sam. xxx, 6), which had been able to haveswallowed up into despair the manliest vigour of thegreatest spirit up<strong>on</strong> earth not supported with grace (thelike, or a less, caused king Saul to fall up<strong>on</strong> his own sword,1 Sam. xxxi, 4); yet he, blessed man, by the power ofhis spiritual peace, and the beams of God's pleased faceshining up<strong>on</strong> his soul, did patiently and sweetly comforthimself in the Lord his God, and stood like an impregnablerock, unshaken with the raging assaults of any tempestuoussurges. He was at this time hunted by Saul like a partridgein the mountains ; cashiered by the princes of the Philistinesas a fellow of suspected fidelity ; robbed by the Amalekitesof his wives, his s<strong>on</strong>s, and his daughters ; the town to whichhe returned for safety was burnt with fire ; and, to makehis calamity complete and most cutting, even his own menwere ready to st<strong>on</strong>e him. Now in this great distress, up<strong>on</strong>the first apprehensi<strong>on</strong> whereof he wept, as the stoiy saith," until he had no more power to weep," yet coming tohimself, and recollecting his spiritual forces, his heavyheart, ready to sink and fall asunder in his bosom, did fetch,by the hand of faith, comfortably fortified by sense andexperience of former favours, such heavenly strength fromJehovah, whom he had made his porti<strong>on</strong>, that thereup<strong>on</strong>his courage was revived and raised to that height, that hepresently pursued his enemies with extraordinary valourand resoluti<strong>on</strong>, cut them off and recovered all. " AndDavid," saith the text, " was greatly distressed ; for thepeople spake of st<strong>on</strong>ing him, because the soul of all thepeople was grieved, eveiy man for his s<strong>on</strong>s and for hisdaughters : but David encouraged himself in the Lord hisGod," &c.What a bitter sea of unmatched miseries did break outup<strong>on</strong> blessed Job, which with a sudden unexpected violencebearing down that hedge of protecti<strong>on</strong> which God had setabout him (the rains purposely let loose by Divine dispensati<strong>on</strong>to Satan's malice in the mean time), did fearfullyoverflow him to that height and horror, that he stands re-
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