Chap. 34, about Comfortinpficedconfciences. 349 known finnes again(} himfelfe , acknowledging that he bath deferved death and damnation : then he muff cry carnally to the Lord for pardon , Pfalme 32.5. Oble But what if theparty be fo diflraEled that he cannot performe any good duty ? Anfw. Let him figh, and fob toGod for mercy , and comfort : which is a workof the Spirit, Rom.3.z6. Secondly, trial muff be made whether the difirefled party hath any tokens in lucre ofgrace, or no. Quell. What arethey ? Anfw. I. Whether he be grieved becaufe he cannot grieve for finne as he should. z. Whether he bath a ferious delire to believe , and repent: a purpofe to hune no more, &c. then minde him ofGods promife, z Cor. 52.9. t.My grace is fuficientfor thee, &c. And teach him to fubmit to Gods will, as David, 2 Sam. 15.26. Thirdly, apply to him the promifes ofGodmade to aft iced perfons, as mfal. 34.18. Mal .r5.z4. Lrak.4.iS. Fourthly, mindehimof his life pall, and of Gods merciful dealing with him, and others in this cafe formerly:for if he bath formerly any hau evidences ofGods love andfavour , he is nowby them to fettle and quiet his minde. For whom God loves, he-loves ro the end. So Pfal.77. ro. Fifthly,you muff labour ro remove fuch reafons,and doubts as the party diarelfed ufually makes againfl himfelf for his own overthrow ; which commonly are thefe. "Beingminded ofGods mercy,cic,they will fay, that this is good indeed, lvt, it belongsnot to them, for theyneither do, nor can feel any thing but the tokens' of Gods wrath, &c, To anfwer this, informe them ofthe manner of Gods dealing in all his works, which is to work by contra ies : By èeath he gives life, and fends men to hea- ven by the gates of hell : He chews his greateffpower in our greatefl weakneffe. So, r San;.e.6. Job 5. 18. 2. They ufe to fay , that if they could feel any comfort at all, they would quiet their mindes, and yeeld to goodcounlél and perfwafions. To this theanfwer is, that in fuch cafes we muff live by faith, not by feeling , flab.z.4. when we have neither fight , nor fence, nor tatte ofGods mercie, And apprehend nothing but wrath, we muff then labour to lay hold of the promife of mercy. So did David, Plain. r3o. r. and Abraham, Rom. 4. 18. fob, 7hough thou kill me, yet will 1 truß in thee: and the thiefe on the Croffe. 3. They plead that their cafe isdefperate; and that never was any in their cafe. But this is falle. Sob was in as bad a cafe and David , Pfalme 6. and 77. and Chriff himfelf on the Croffe cried out, My God, my god, why hall than forfakenme. Queff.. How may trouble of minde arifing from outward afiçlion be re- medied ? Anfw. Two things are to be required of the party dii reffed. r. Praétice. z. Meditation. Firfi, prau%ice is a diligentexamination ofhis confcience to find out his finne. Anheatty.confeffion of it to God, and earneff prayer for forgiveneffe ; which thingswill bringmuch comfort : as we fee in c.rl'íanaffes, z Chron.33. r r,&c. and this is required, Lam.3.4o. secondly, meditationof the comfortable promifes recorded in the Word of God, touching aß3i&ions which may be reduced to five principal grounds of comfort. r.That II. II.
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