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[Vse 2] ANd secondly, let me nowpresse the Saints of God to follow David in the paths of consolati∣on. You heard him con∣fessing, you saw him in ashes, now you see him chearefull againe.
Hast thou followed him in that heavie path? follow him in this glad∣nesse. Now that the Lord pipeth to thee, see that thou dance. Now that God biddeth thee take comfort, see that
thou take it. Coe hither all yee Saints, that have long beene clad in black, and have rolled your selves in ashes, and have mingled your drinke with teares: Come hi∣ther and learne of David to comfort your selves: O heare joy and glad∣nesse, and let your bro∣ken bones rejoyce. You I say that have sate in darkenesse, that have wept and wailed, that with bitter sighs and salt teares have blamed and shamed your selves be∣fore God, come hither now, and behold David,
and follow him, put on thegarments of glad∣nesse and comfort your selves in Gods mercy. It is as needfull and as plaine a duty to believe Gods promises as his threats, to acknowledge his goodnesse as your owne badnesse. You have done the one, now doe the other also, and let everlasting joy be up∣on your heads. Doth not Christ tell thee, that hee came to comfort the mourners? hee is here now in his Ordinances to comfort thee: ô let him not comfort thee in vaine.
Sitrre up thy selfe, and say, Iought to take com∣fort, and Lord through thine helpe, I will take comfort to my selfe, and give thee the glory of the riches of thy grace in Christ.
If any say, but I can feele no comfort. I an∣swer, Thou must believe it first, and then thou must feele it after. First, thou must draw out of Gods booke happie condlusions of comfort. That thy sinnes are par∣doned, that God is
reconciled, that thy soule shall bee saved, and then must so presse and urge these conclusi∣ons upon thy soule, and binde thy selfe to con∣sent to them, that in time sence of comfort may follow after.
Now that you may be able to comfort your selves against sinnes, and the feare of Gods wrath and damnation for them, (for you see that the Text calleth us to mini∣ster that comfort, you
must take notice of foure things needfull to fur∣ther men in comforting themselves when they be made fit for comfort. First, one notable impe∣diment to comfort whereof you must take heede. Secondly, the true ground of comfort. Thirdly, the degrees by which comfort groweth. Lastly, the meanes of comforting your selves.
1. For the first, if you will take comfort in∣deed, you must resolve to beleeve neither the
divell, not the flesh, nei∣ther to credit Satan nor your owne hearts, but onely God, speaking in his holy Word.
The divell is a knowne, and wilfull, and purpo∣sed lyar, and alwaies al∣most frameth his tale against turth.
If he meete with a sin∣ner that feeleth not sinne at all; hee will flatter him with false hopes, and make him (if he can) to beleeve that all is well, and that God will shew mercy to him, though he have no man∣ner of right unto it. And
by his good will hee would have men lulled a sleepe, with these false and vaine and worthlesse comforts, even till their dying day. But when he cannot hold them any longer in this sweete dreame, but that they begin to see and to feele sinne, and to feare Gods judgements; then hee will tell them a quite contrary tale. That there is no hope, that the time is past, that God will not receive them, taht their offences afe unpardo∣nable, that it is in vaine to seeke mercy, that the
date of grace is gone and past, that so if it were possible they might bee drowned in despaite, Wherefore whosoever would finde comfort must stop his eares against Satan, and resolve to beleeve no∣thing he sayes.
Thou foundest him a lyer in his comforts, for∣merly, now know him a lyer too in his present terrors. Hee is equally false when hee roares as when he sings.
Againe, beleeve not thy selfe, (thine owne heart) for that is false and deceitfull and full of error. Thou must not conclude I have no inte∣rest unto comfort, be∣cause I thinke I have none. Gods waies are not our waies, nor his thoughts our thoughts: What we thinke, it mat∣ters nor, but what hee saith in his Word. Thou mayest see the false∣hood of thine owne heart also by experi∣ence, dost thou not know
well, that thy heart de∣ceived thee heretofore, in telling thee, that all was well with thee, when thy case was very miserable? Did it lie then, in ministring to thee ungrounded and ly∣ing consolations? then know, that it is as likely to lie at this time, in de∣nying comfort to thee. So farre as we suffer our eares to be open to the suggestions of Satan, and to the conceits of our owne hearts, so farre we hinder our selves of comfort. But we must say, I will heare what God
saith,* 1.1 he will speake peace. I will believe him and not the divell, not my selfe. Well now thus the heart is set in way of taking ocmfort.
Now in the second place, I will shew you the ground and founda∣tion of this spirituall comfort, whereof we are now speaking. There is indeed, a comfort against outward evills, and a∣gainst other sorrowes then those for sinne, con∣cerning which, many things might well bee
spoken, but I have not to doe with them at this time. Alone I am to shew the sole base and ground-worke of spiri∣tuall comfort, which is the stedfast and assured apprehension or perswa∣sion of the remission of our sinnes, and the love and favour of God in Christ.* 1.2 This David proveth, saying, Blessed is the man whose sinnes are covered, whose iniquity is pardoned, and to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne, And againe, having said Psal. 51.8. Make mee to heare joy and gladnesse that
the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce, hee adds immediately, Hide thy face from my sinnes, ver. 9. The same our Saviour declareth plain∣ly, saying to the poore Palsy-man, Sonne bee of good comfort thy sinnes be forgiven thee,* 1.3 and to that sorrowfull weeping wo∣man in the Gospell (who made her eyes as it were a yewre to wash his feet) Daughter thy sinnes are forgiven. There is no∣thing suffcient to beare up true comfort, but a true and well grounded assurance, of this un∣speakeable
goodnesse of God, which is the foun∣dation of all other be∣nefits. And as any mans soule hath a more solid and stedfast and well built perswasion of this mercy: so is he the more comfortable, at least more capeable of com∣fort: as hee hath lesse firme or lesse true know-ledge of this, so is hee lesse fit and able to re∣ceive consolation. So then this conclusion must be written in the heart, God hath pardoned my sinnes, and received me gratiously in Christ,
afore it can bee duely comforted, and so you see the ground of the comfort we seeke for.
Thirdly, I will shew you by what degrees this comfort groweth in the heart usually. When a mans sinnes lie most hea∣vie upon his soule, and that the law like a sword hath ripped up and laun∣ced his very heart that it runs and bleeds againe; then he heareth the do∣ctrine of the Gospell, teaching remission of sins by Iesus Christ, and
doth assent to the truth of it, as that it is an un∣doubted verity, and then strives to apply it to him∣selfe, and hath a secret perswasion that it shall be performed even to himselfe, now this per∣swasion groweth up in three degrees.
First, the promise makes him thinke with himselfe, Assuredly my sinnes may be pardoned: The righteousnesse of Christ is sufficient to justifie me, and God can accept and forgive me. This makes him runne crying and praying to
God for pardon, and affoords a little glimme∣ring of comfort, as when a sick man knowes his disease to be curable, and that the Physitian can cure him, this is one graine of faith.
Secondly, having con∣tinued to pray to God for aspace, he then con∣ceiveth a little stronger hope, and saith in him∣selfe, I hope God will par∣don me, which makes him yet more warme in in his suit, and bringeth a little more consolati∣on, this is an other graine of faith.
Lastly, he begins to conclude, God hath pardo∣ned me; at first, making this conclusion feareful∣ly, (not without admix∣ture of many doubts, which he resisteth, and laboureth to reject) and at length with more strength and lesse doubt∣ing, till he attaine a very full assurance, that scarce findeth any wavering, and then hath his soule a strong consolation, even a full weight of comfort.
Thus I have shewed you the third thing I in∣tended, that no man
may bee discomforted utterly, because he is not at first able perfectly to comfort himselfe, as sometimes good people are, thinking that they have no faith because they have not the highest degree thereof.
Psal. 85.8.
Psal 30.1
Mat. 9.2.