SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 455 and desirous to know what everyman thinksof them, but thorough- ly follow the advice of none, but perhaps take one medicine from one man, and one from another, and let most even of those lie by them in the box, and so perishmore certainly than if they never meddled with any at all ; so domost troubled souls hear what one man saith, and what another saith, and seldom thoroughly follow the advice pf any ; but when one man's words do not cure them, they say, ' This is not the man that God hath appointed to cure me. And so another, and that is not theman.; when trey should rather say, 'This is not the way,' than ' This is hot the man.' This lazy complaining is not it that will do the work, but faithful practicing the directions given you. But I know some will say, That it is near to Popish aulicular confession, which I here persuade.Christians to, and it is to bring Christians under the tyranny of the priests again, and make them acquainted with all men's secrets, andmasters of their consciences. Ansas. 1. To the last, I say to the railing devil of this age, no more but " The Lord rebuke thee." Ifany minister have wicked ends, let the God of heaven convert him, or root him out of his church, and cast him among the weeds 'and briars. But is it not the known voice of sensuality, and hell, to cast reproaches upon the way and ordinances of God? Who knoweth not that it is the very office of the ministry, to be teachers and guides to men in matters of salvation, and overseers of them? and that they watch for their souls, as those that most give an account, and the people, therefore; are bound to obey them ? Heb. xiii. 7. 17. Should not the shepherd knowhis sheep, and their strayings and diseases ; how else shall he cure them? Should not the physician hear the patient open all his disease, yea, study to discover to the utmost everything he knows; and all little enough to the cure? A dis- ease unknown is unlike to be cured; and a disease well known is half cured. . Mr. Thomas Hooker saith truly, it is with many people as with some over-modest patients, who having a disease in some secret place, they will not for shame reveal it to the physi- cian till it be past cure, and then theymust lose their,lives by their modesty ; so do many by their secret and more disgraceful sins. Not that every man is bound to open all his sins to his pastor; but those that cannot well be otherwise cured; he must ; either if the sense of the guilt cannot be removed, and true assurance of pardon obtained ; or else, if power against the sin be not otherwise obtained,, but that it still prevaileth; in both these cases we must go to those that Codbath made our directorsand guides. I am confident many a thousand souls do long strive against anger, lust, flesh-pleasing; worldliness, and trouble of conscience, to little purpose, who, if they would but have taken God's way, and sought for help, and
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