Two Treatises Comforting an Afflicted Conscience, Part 2
Certaine wise and graue Counsels and Answers, made by the same author, of the former argument.
VNtoUnto one that was much tempted with vnbeliefe, he gaue this counsell; When the temptation commeth, either fall downe in prayer, & say, Lord thou makest me to possesse the sinnes of my youth, and this temptation is of very equity; howbeit, O Lorde, grant I may by wisedome herein, make this temptation an holy instruction, and suffer me to possesse my soule in patience: Oh turne this to thy glory and my saluation. I see and confesse what hath beene in mee a long time, by that which now sheweth it selfe in me, and that thy grace hath hitherto kept vnderunder this corrupt…on: yet Lord I beleeue, yet Lord I will beleue, helpe Lord my vnbeliefe. Thy name be praised, for this seale of thy louelove, and pledge of thy spirit; that in this vnbeleefe I am grieued, as in my beliefe I am wont to be comforted. And though my olde and secret sinnes, deserue that I should not onelyonly be giuen ouer to infidelity, but also that it should be in mee without griefe and remorse, yet Lord forgiue my sinnes newe, and olde, forgiue my vnthank…ulnes. Lord increase my faith, and grant good father, that when thou shalt restore to mee the gifte of grace againe, that I may vse it in feare, and shew it by fruites.
Or if this doe not preuaile, giuegive your selfe with all humblenes to read the word of God, especially, his promises, and be still attending vponupon the meanes, waiting when the Lord shall inlarge your hearte. Or if this do not helpe, goe to some faith full brother, confesse your state to him, acknowledg your weaknes to him, and be not ashamed to giuegive God the glory by shaming your selfe, and opening your corruption to him; that so hee may pray for you; whose praier according to the promise of God, made to his holy ordināce herein, Iames. 5. vndoubtedly shall be heard in the appointed time. Thus hauing praied by your selfe, and with another, and vsed the meanes of reading for your recouery, though you hauehave not present release, yet in meeknes of mind & patience of your spirite, go to your calling; knowing that your praiers and the word of God, being as seede, must hauehave some time betweene the sowing of them, and the reaping of the increase and fruite of them. Aboue all, reason not with your temptations, dispute not with the Deuill, as though you coulde preuaile of your selfe. And as I would not you should dispute with your temptation, so I would not you should despise it. For in both are extremities. If you take it too much to heart, or maruell how you should ouercome such a temptation, it will make you dull or desperate. If you account of it to little, and maruell how such thinges should come into your head, which was not wont to be so, it will make you not to striue, and you shall be swallowed vp before you be aware. If you account of it too fearefully, Sathan will oppresse you before you beginne to fight; If you account of it too lightly, the deuill needs not to wrestle with you, you will ouerthrow your …elfe. Therefore feare in respect of your selfe: fight boldly in Christ; tremble at your owne corruption; but rest and trust in Christ your saluation. If still you are tempted, and no body by you, write your temptation, and offer it to God by prayer, and promise to him, that you will aske counsell of his worde, at the mouth of his minister, when he shall giuegive you iust occasion. If all this helpe not, comfort your selfe with this pledge of election, that you are ioyed when you feele your beliefe, and that you are grieued▪ least you shoulde displease God by your vnbeliefe; and know, that as there is a viciss…tude of the meanes of saluation, which you must vse; so there is also a vicissitude of temptations, wherof this is one, agianst which you must striue.
2 VntoUnto one that was tempted with worldly shame,Worldly shame. and thought the distemperature of his minde and bodie proceeded thereof, he saide on this sorte. Fist know, that Sathan hath not an absolute power, but a power by permission to try vsus, against which, we must arme our selues by faith, which will assure vsus, that eyther the Lorde will mitigate our temptation if our power and patience be not great, or else, if he enlarge the tryall, he wil increase our strength and retch it out, according to the proportion of our temptation. Wee must also pray, that the Lord giuegive not out that measure of leaue to the diuell, which we giuegive out to sinne, to worke rebellion in vsus against his maiesty; but that he would rather make Sathan a Surgeon to shew vsus our sinnes, then a Sregeant to confound vsus for our sinnes. It is the pollicie of the aduersary, to perswade many, that the weaknes of their body, and feeblenes of their braine proceedeth of their temptations, when indeed it commeth of the vnstaidnes of their mindes, wandering too much after the motions of the diuell; in that they not resting on the word, nor depending on Christ, nor contenting thēselues to be tryed, nor cōforting themselues by meditatiō, attend to much, & cōfor to often with the diuels illusions and temptations, and so they comeplayne of the effectes, and not of the causes of their temptations; beeing more grieued for their present sufferinges, then for their sinnes past. The roote of this worldly shame, is pride and hautinesse of minde, which is a priuie euill, and hardly will be beaten into the head of them that are infected therwith. But sure it is, that we wold neuer be so grieued for the losse of a thing, if we did not too much desire it, and too immoderately vse it, whilst wee had it. Iohn. 12:42. Which sinne of haughtines, the Lord seeing in his children, that they are more humbled, with the losseof worldly credit, then with the sence of their sinnes, and the losse of their glory; …ee striketh them with the wante of that thing which is most precious vntounto them, because they made no conscience of that honor which is most precious vntounto him. Wherefore this is the best remedie, rather to be grieued that we feele not our sinnes to be pardoned with God, then that we are knowne to be sinners amongst men, and that we be ready to shame our selues that God may hauehave the glory; acknowledging shame, and confusion, and the whole hell of temptations to be due vntounto vsus; and glory, praise & compassion, to be only the Lords. For this is a speciall marke of the child of God, by temptations rightly humbled, when he is ready to shame himselfe for his sin, that he may glorifie God in his mercy.
3 VntoUnto one that thought himselfe to hauehave …inned against the holy Ghost,Sinne aga…nst the holy ghost he saide, Sathans temptations follow our affections. For if we lightly account of sinne, he bleares our eyes still with Gods mercies; if we beginne to make a conscience of sinne, he loadeth vsus with the iudgements of God; being as ready now to aggrauate the sinne, more then it is in it selfe, as before he woulde extenuate it to make it seeme lesse then it was. Howbeit, said he to the man thus afflicted; I will saye vntounto you as Samuel saide to the people after they had confessed themselues to hauehave sinned against God with a great sinne: True it is, said Samuel, not flattering them in their iniquities; Ye hauehave sinned greatly: notwithstanding, if ye will feare the Lord, and serue him, and heare his voice, and not disobey the word, of the Lorde ye shall follow the Lord your God. But if ye will not obey the voyce of the Lorde but disobeye the Lordes mouth, then shall the hand of the Lord be vponupon you. 1. Sam. 12.14. So I will not lessen your sine, but I say, you hauehave sinned with a great sinnne before the Lord, in that you made a mocke of the worde which you knew; yet if you turne to the Lord in feare and serue him, your sinne is remissible, howsoeuer Sathan chargeth your conscence, that you hauehave done euill against your owne knowledge. For although eueryevery sinne against the holy Ghost is against a mans conscience & knowledge; yet eueryevery sinne against our knowledge and conscience is not against the holy Ghost. For then Dauid and Peter had sinned against the holy Ghost, for they sinned after the holy Ghost was come vponupon them: which is not true, as may appeare by their godly repentance ensuing. Some sins are against knowledge, but of humane frailty; some are against knowledge of a rebellious obstinacy. These last are the persecutions of the spirit of God, as he is the power of God; Those first are not so precisely against the holy ghost, but against God the Father, the Sonne, & the holy Ghost, the one which may be repented of is remissible, the other which is without repentance is irremissible, wherfore in that you quake, and are affraid least this sin be in you, & would reioice in God, if it were not in you: If you purpose to leaue your former sins, & in trueth henceforth turne vntounto the Lord, I dare assure you, that as yet you are free from this sinne.
4 VntoUnto one afflicted in mind, he gaue this cō fort: First, if you hauehave knowledge, be thankful for it, & desire the lord to giuegive you faith: if you hauehave faith, which vndoubtedly you may hauehave though not rightly discerning your selfe, you presently perceiue it not; you must wait on the Lord for feeling of it. And though it may be you shal tarry the lords leasure long▪ yet surely he wil giuegive it you in time. In the meane time, assure your self, that the greatest faith is when there is least feeling. Because it is easy for eueryevery one in glorious feelings, & ioies vnspeakable to beleue: but when a man feeling no sensible cōfort in the Lord, can notwithstanding beleeue in the Lord, & by saith wait on him, this mans faith is very great.
5 He gaue this aduise to one, against the deadnes of the mind that ouertaketh the godly: first search the cause, whether it be for some euill thing done, or for some good thing not done, & so leauing some means of saluatiō vnused; whether for some sin seene, but not repented of; or some sin repented of, but not soūdly, or for vnthankfulnes. Secondly, vse the remedy, please not your selfe in it, but rouse vp your selfe as frō a slūber, which willingly you would shake from you: cal to mind the special & greatest mercy of God, vse the means. Thirdlie, in the meanes offer your selfe to God, waiting …umbly, & patiently for the time of deliuerance; neither esteming to much or to little of your afflictions.
6 To one that cōplained of the hardnes of his hart, he said. You must wait for cōfort & know, that you can now no more iudge of your selfe, than a man sleeping can iudge of thinges which he did waking: or a man wandring in the darke, can discerne of bright colours. For as the one may whilest he was waking doe exccellent things, and yet nowe neyther himselfe knoweth of them, nor any other can espie them in him: & the other may be enuironed with fresh and flourishing colours, & yet for want of light, can hauehave no vse of his eies, nor pleasure in the obiects; so you hauehave done great good things, whilst god gaue you a waking heart to put them in practise, and the light of his spirit, to discerne his graces in you: though now, you hauehave neyther the sight nor sence of them. And this is the thing that deceiueth and disquieteth many; they look for that discerning of thēselues, whē the graces of God are more cold, which they had when gods spirit wrought in the swetest & fullest measure in them. And because there is some intermission of the work of their new birth, they thinke there is a …lat amission in thē of the spirit of God. But as it is a token of a mind to presumpteous, & infatuated, in time of a dead security, to perswade our selues still of that safety, in hauing those graces which somtimes we had: so it is a signe of a minde abiect, & too much dispairing; to thinke, that because we hauehave not in present feelings these ioyes, glorious & vnspeakable which we hauehave had; therfore we neuer had thē heretofore, or that we shall neuer hauehave thē again hereafter.
8 He saide to a godly Christian, much inuaying against our vnbeleefe; I doe not now suspect your estate, when you seeme to mee rather to hauehave faith, than when you seeme to your selfe to hauehave it; for faith being the gift of God, is then most obtained and increased of God, when you thirsting after the increase of present feelings, are humbled vnderunder the mightie and mercifull hande of God for it, rather I suspect you, when you say you hauehave faith, because then you can least feare and suspect you selfe, and by that meanes lie open to vnbeleefe againe. And surely experience prooueth, that then we shewe we hauehave beliefe, when we mourne for our vnbeliefe, and then our faith may be least, when we thinke it to be most. Besides herein you are to comfort your selfe, with shewe of increase of faith; because faith groweth by these two means, either by some greate feeling by the worde, and the spirite, and humble thanksgiuing ioyned thereunto, or else by humbling our selues before the mercye seate of GOD, for wante of our faith.
9 When one was troubled in minde he gaue this comfortable note: that although it came to passe, that after some trauell in newebirth, Gods graces were not so sweet, and our sinnes not so sowre and grieuous vntounto to vsus, as they were in our first entrance into regeneration; but we a…e now weaker in lesse assaultes, hauing afore beene stronger in greater temptations: yet we were not to dispaire, but to consider, from whence this gratious progresse did com…; namely of God, and not of our selues; who shewed himselfe more fauorable in the beginning, both because hee would not discourage vsus, newlie comming vntounto him, and for that wee forsaking our selues, with a godly suspecting of our weaknes in the least temptations, did flie vntounto Gods helpe by prayer; who in wisdome can hide himselfe vnderunder a cloude: partly, for that he will looke to see some triall of strength at our hands, comming to some age in the newe birth partly, for that wee nowe lesse forsake or suspect our selues, euen in greater temptations; and for that presumpteously wrestling with our owne strength, and staying our selues with our owne staffe, we do not call to God for helpe, and not calling, do not obtaine, and not obtaining helpe, we take the foile in the conflict, that the Lorde may make knowne vntounto vsus, that notwithstanding our proceeding in Christianitie, we are still but men, and God alone is God.
10 He saide to one troubled in minde, for a secret and small sinne: I doe not so much feare this sinne in you, as the pollicie of Sathan by it, either in that he will not sticke to shewe you the leste sinnes & hide from you the greater; or else by the quick sight of your secret & smal sins, to cast vponupon you an open & grosse sin of vaine glorie and priuie pride.
11 It is a most certaine thi…ge in Gods children, that the more their afflictions growe, the more their faith groweth: the more Sathan striueth to draw them from God, the more they draw neere to …od; although indeede in feeling, they cannot see so much.
12 Though we finde not the spirituall ioy which we should feele, yet let vsus not bee to much cast downe; so that our conscience tell vsus, that we are readie to withdrawe somewhat from our outward pleasures, for want of this inward pleasure; and that we hauehave not preuented, or smothered out these spirituall ioyes, but are grieued that we hauehave them not, & waite for the time to feele them. For of all things, we must bewar, that we draw not into their stead carnall ioys, & so driue a… it were in to exile the working of gods spir…t in vsus by thē.
13 Many despaire of help, because of their owne vnworthines▪ as though there were no hope of Gods mercy, vnles we bring in our gifte & pawne in our hands to him. But this were to discredit the Lords merciemercy, and to bring in credite our merits; and rather to binde the Lord to vsus, than vsus vntounto him: but if our sinnes be greate, our redemption is greater; though our merits be beggerlye. Gods merciemercy is a rich merciemercy: If our case be not desperate, and we past hope of recouery, our redemption should not be so plentifull, But when all seemes to goe one way; when Heauen and Earth, the Sunne, the Moone, and the Starres goe against vsus; then to ransome vsus, and to make a perfect restitution, is to drawe something out of nothing. Euen as in sicknesse, to hauehave either little daunger, or in greate daunger; deliuerance by present meanes, is nothing; but in extreame perril, when Phisicke can doe nothing, and nothing maketh for vsus but the Graue, then to be rescued from the graue, and to recouer our life from the pitte, is Redemption.
14 There are two workings of Gods Spirite in vsus: the one inferiour, which bringgeth but certaine fruites of the Spirite, without any speciall fruite of grace: the other superiour, and more certaine, when the spirite worketh an infallable sanctification. The first, may totally be darkened, and fully quenched; the other hath but particular Eclipse, and in measure may be dimmed, as it was in Dauid psal. 51, but is not finally quenched. As God made man so that he might fall, though afterwardes he had merciemercy vponupon him: so he regenerateth vsus so, that wee may fall, though afterwardes he may raise vsus vp againe, and will. And it is fearefull inough, that there may be such particular decaies of it in vsus, as to feele lesse comfort in the word, lesse feare of sinne, lesse care of well doing, lesse zeale in praying, lesse fruites in the meanes; so that all our actions are turned to be bitter, which were sweter vntounto vsus than any worldly increase to the worldly man, or honie can be to them that louelove it. These are euident tokens of the sanctifying spirite, to louelove good, because it is good; and to hate sinne: the more wee growe in giftes, the more to hunger, the more to complaine of our vnworthines, the more to be humbled in our selues, the more meekely to iudge of others: when we are most quiet with all things, then to think our selues least quiet, and then most to feare our selues; so to feele the grace of God in vsus, and yet our sence and feeling of sin is not lessened; and to feare and quake at the first degrees and motions of sinne; not lest they fully quench, but lest they coole the heat of the spirit in vsus.
15 In afflictions we must search the cause, first by ascending to GOD, then by descending into our selues. Wee must ascende to GOD, pleading guiltie, crauing mercy, and not stand quarelling with the malice of men, or hatred of the deuill against vsus: for as it were no good wisdome for a man condemned to die, to make any long suite to the Ialor, or to the Executioner; (for they be but vnderunder officers & can do nothing) but he must labour to the Iudge, who can either repriue or release him: so it is no good pollicie to stande about S…than in our temptations, who doth all by constraint and restraint vnderunder the Lord; but wee must goe to the principall, that is God; in whose handes, are both the entrance, and the issues of our sufferings. Secondly, we must search our selues, how farre either reason is vnreformed, or affections vnrenewed; knowing that the deuill himselfe can neuer hurt vsus, vntill we hauehave hurt our selues; and in what measure our reason is corrupt, or our affections disordered; in that measure are we weak, either to be ouer come of men, or of Sathan; and in what measure our reason is sound, and our affections …incere, in that measure we remaine inuincible.
16 Some afflicted consciences a…ter some deliuerances look no more to be deliuered: for they thinke as God is most liberal, so we must not weary or make tedious his bountifull dealing with vsus. But the Lord hath many deliuerances in store, which it is as impossible to waste, as it is, that the Lorde himselfe should be lessened; he will make an end of his owne worke in vsus, for his owne glory; which as he hath appointed to be endlesse in our deliuerances, so the means thereunto are also endlesse. Yea when wee seeme as it were in a whirlepit, and to be caried by a violent streame of troubles we know not whither, & are constrained oft to diue & plunge downe, the waters of affliction running ouer our heade; yet the Lord will recouer vsus and set our feete in a steadie …la…e. If wee be cast downe, so wee can but s…raule vp againe: if we be resisted of Sa…han, so we can but kicke against him; if we can but open our lippes, and accuse his malice before the Lord, there is found hope of comfort to bee founde of him.
FINIS.
Faultes escaped.
Page 111. lin. 22. reade, his assaults, the same is oftentimes assalied and shaken, yet by the grace of God it is such. &c. pag 114 l 111, 20, he, read, as he, p. 115 li, 10. word, …eade, grace, 28, that, read, the. pag. 117, l. 6, in face, read, in the face. p, 134, l, 10, it, read, heare it, p, 135, l, 3, be, reade, by.
End of the text · Richard Greenham, Two Treatises Comforting an Afflicted Conscience (1598)