Chap. i 6. An Expofitionupon the Book of J O B. VerC 2. 21, bear it? This afflicts more then all other affil eions. This was it which caufed lob to cry out , Mifereble comforters : His friends ever upbraiding himwith his fin,his tin,his fin, as the root, and therefore as the fling of all his troubles. They ap- plied nothing but thefe corrafives to his wounded foul, which called aloud for the Balm of Gilead. There are two forts of miferable comforters. Firfl, They who flatter the Soul that lives in fin. Secondly,They who embitter,and burthen their Souls,who being under burdens of forrow, are alto in bitternefs for their fin. Some low Pillows under the elbows of thole who delight in fin , and dawb themup with untempered motter ; others thrult Swords, and (hoot Arrows into the bowels of thole who mourn for .fin, and instead 'of bringing well tempered motter tobinde and cement their Souls, lay hard clones under them, which vex and gaud their Souls. Both are Mifèrable comforters. They who undertake the office of comfortingothers thould confider thefe three things efpecially: First, the nature of the afHif} ion, whether internal , or ex- ternal ; that which will comfort a man in bodily aflüftions, will not do it in Soul afHi Lions. Secondly, The degree, or meafure of theafH:dion : if the Plainer be too narrow for the Soar, how can it heal ? Thirdly , They fhould confider the temper of the Perlon of hif ed, if he be preffed in confcience for fin , they fhould not prefshis Confcience with fin much lets thould they thunder out judgment and terrour againfl him for fin ; ifhe be very weak, they thould Life fewwords ; if he be paffonate, they fhould ufe gentle words , left, in lead of perfwading they provoke his fpirit : Many. a Soul is cal down , and (wal- lowed up in defpair by the ignorance or unfaithfulnefs of thofe who would be called Comforters , and Supporters (Ezet¿.r 3. i9.) They flaÿ the Soulsthat (Mould not die, andrave them alive, thatfhould not live.ünskilful Phyfitians of the bo- dy , kill more than bodily Difeafes. And though the unskil- fulnefsof Soul - Phyfitians doth not indeed kill Souls that fhould die (for 'cis their own fin that kills them) nor can kill theSouls that Gould not die (for the Medicine of Chrifis F f moil:
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