A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 37created power, what cherub, or which of the seraphim isable to free a guilty conscience from the ever-gnawingworm, and an impenitent wretch from eternal flames 1 Oh !methinks a sensible forethought of these horrible thingseven at hand should make the hardest heart of the mostaborninable Belial to tremble at the root, and fall asunderin his breast like drops of water! To have his end in hiseye, and seriously to remember the tribulation and anguishthat shall shortly come upon his soul, the aiflict'on, thewormwood, and the gall, sb.ould instantly frighten him outof his filthy, graceless, good-fellow courses.3. Let thein consider what horror it will be in evil times :I mean not only at death and the last day, which are themost terrible of all ; but also in times of disgrace and contempt; of common fear and confusions of the state, of sickness,crosses, restraint, banishment, temptations, or anyother days of sorrow. At such times to find, instead ofpeace, fiery scorpions in their consciences, innumerable sinsgraven there with an iron pen unrepented of! Hear howexcellently Austin foretels and forewarns them, into what aforlorn and fearful state they shall most certainly fall, when,after a short gleam of worldly glory, they fall into tempestuousand troublesome times ": Ot all afflictions incident tothe soul of man, there is none more grievous and transcendentthan to have the conscience enraged with the guilt ofsin. If there be no wound there, if all be safe and soundwithin, if that bird of the bosom sing sweetly in a man'sbreast, it is no matter what miseries be abroad in the world,what storms or stirs be raised against him, what arm offlesh or rage of foes beset him round ; for he in this casehath presently recourse unto his conscience, the safestsanctuary and paradise of sweetest repose ; and finding thatsprinkled with the blood of the Lamb, filled with abundanceof peace, and God himself there reconciled unto him in theface of Christ, he is courageously fearless of all, both mortal'and immortal, adversaries and oppositions. Though theearth be removed and the mountains carried into the midstof the sea though ;'all the creatures in the world should beturned into bears or devils about him, yet his consciencebeing comfortable he is undaunted and confident, and morethan conqueror over the whole world and ten thousandhells. But on the other side, if by reason of tlie reign ofsin, there be no rest there ; if God be not there because ofthe abounding of iniquity, what shall a man do then]Whither shall he fly when the hand of God hath found himout, and the swift -arrow of the Almighty sticks fast in hisside? He will fly," saith that ancient father, " out of theE