The Government of the Thoughts, Chapter 32
CHAP. XXXII. Rules of Practice.
FIRST, use thy utmost endeavour to possess the Testimony of a good Conscience, which thou canst by no means attain, but by being vigilant over thy Soul, and with a fixed Constancy resisting Temptations. Every Sin, yea, even the least, woundeth the Soul afresh: Be not secure of minor Sins, but let a good Conscience be most precious unto thee; part not from it for any Pleasures, Honours, or Riches of this World; but rather part from Life it self. Enjoy a tender Conscience: A seared one, like Callous Flesh, is insensible of that which toucheth it; to this, Custom creates a proneness to sin, and takes away the sense of it, 1 Tim. 4.3. Tit. 15.
2. APPROVE thy self in every Action to God, fixing thy self ever in his presence, who beholdeth a far off all thou thinkest or actest, 1 Pet. 3.12. And value not whoever is disgusted, if God approveth thee Walk not according to the Wisdom of the Flesh, but by the Rule of Gods Grace, which shall at last be thy rejoicing, 2 Cor. 1.12. Resign not thy self to Sins Dominion; which is impossible, except thou wholly deliverst up thy self, by consenting to thine own Captivity; as the Ear-bored Servants, who professed love to their Masters; and so would not be Manumissed and freed from them, Exod. 21.5, 6. Detest Sin and it shall not prejudice thee: No sin is so pernicious as that which is most facetious; but espicially beware of presumptuous sins, lest they get the Dominion over thee, Psal. 19.13. Numb. 15.30, 31. Deut. 17.12.
3. CONTEMPLATE on God's Justice and Mercy together; let them be inseparable in thy Thoughts. For if thou inspectest into his Justice only, thou art liable to Despair upon the sight of thy sins: And if thou viewest his Mercy only, thou wilt with facility presume, when thou beholdest that transcendent Immensity, which is ever ready upon unfeigned Repentance to pardon Sinners: The Sailers of Old, upon the Yards of their Ships, conjectured the Ignis lambens for a good or a bad fatality; if they beheld but one flame, they denominated it an unlucky Helena; but if two, they accepted it for Castor and Pollux, Good Prognosticks of fair and prosperous Weather: Even so it is in Mercy and Justice, the Consideration of them singly, may prove pernicious, but both linked together may compleat thy Happiness.
4. LABOUR for true Faith in Christ, who is the Propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2.2. Whose Blood cleanseth us from all sin; 1 John 1.7. And holding Faith and a good Conscience, That we may avoid being Shipwrack'd, 1 Tim. 1.19. 1 Tim. 3.9. There was no cure for a wounded Israelite against the venome of Fiery Serpents, but to look up to the Brazen Serpent, which Prefigured Christ apprehensible by Faith; the only Medicament for Sin-wounded-Consciences: Permit but this very sense and apprehension of God's Wrath which now appaleth thee, to induce thee the more arduously to detest all Sin; and thou shalt thereby be ascertain'd, that God hath wounded thee, only to heal thee.
5. REMEMBER that what the Law averrs, it declares only to them who are under the Law, not under Grace, Rom. 3.19. They are under the Law who plead Not guilty, and insist upon their Justification by works of the Law: We are under Grace, who perceiving our Sin and Misery by the Law, fly wholly to him for Mercy, who freely justifieth the Sinner, Rom. 3.24. The Imprecations and Menaces of the Law are not to break the bruised Reed, nor quench the Smoaking Flax, but to depress the heart that is elevated with an opinion of self merit, who safely go on to undo themselves after a presumptuous manner.
6. LET thy Repentance be speedy, that Sin take no root in thy heart. Neither let thy Wound putrifie before thou apply the Remedy: But ascend with all diligence to the Throne of Grace to implore Mercy, before Wrath is gone out against thee: Rely on this Second Table, Repentance, who hast lost the first, of Innocency: Condemn thy self, and Christ will Justifie thee: He only expects thy voice, to give thee audience: When thou comest with thy Accusation and confessest thou hast sinned, then Christ he readily receiveth the Humble Penitent, and Proclaims thy Sins are forgiven thee. Observe how quickly the Pardon followed David's Confession; no sooner had he acknowledged, I have sinned against the Lord, but Omnipotency declares by the Prophet, The Lord also hath put away thy Sin, 2 Sam. 12.13. St. Peter quickly Repented, and as quickly found Mercy: Esau stayed too long, and so found no place for Repentance, though, He sought it carefully with Tears: Heb. 12.17. If the Granado fired, be suddenly retorted, it proves prejudicial to the Assailant: Such are the product of Satan's Fire-Works, if thou cast out his Temptations, and heartily repent thee, where any of his Darts pierce thee.
7. GIVE not thy self up to pensive Dedolency, mundane Sorrow, and fruitless Solitariness; that will but animate the bitterness of Spirit: Think not too much of thy Afflictions, but dulcifie them with remembrance of God's Mercy towards thee: Assume not to thy self a Worldly Sorrow that is unto death, 1 Cor. 7.10. But comfort up thy self in God, as David did, Psal. 43.5. Why art thou so sad, O my Soul, and why art thou so disquieted within me? Trust in God, for I shall yet praise him. And Solomon tells ye, A merry heart doth good, like a Medicine, but a broken Spirit drieth the Bones, Prov. 17.22. And again, a merry heart maketh a Cheerful Countenance, but by the Sorrow of the heart the Spirit is broken, Prov. 15.13.
8. BE very attentive to God's Word: For he is the God of all Consolation, and the Word is his Mind and Revealed Will for the benefit of our Salvation: It is a full Magazine, and there is no Affliction incident to frail Mortality, but may there meet with a proper Antidote: There thou shalt find Rules to guide thee, and preserve thee from sin: There thou shalt have a prospect of the Divine Mercy of God in Christ Jesus to wash away the guilt of all thy Transgressions: But then appear not only to be a hearer, but a doer of the Word, and Treasure up those Gracious Promises in thy heart; so shalt thou in due season feel the Operation of the Holy Spirit distilling the former, and the Latter-Rain upon the seed, whereby it may take root and be fruitful.
9. LASTLY, Add Zealous and Frequent Prayer, as God's Servants have practised in all their distresses, Psal. 6.9. And be ascertain'd that he will not leave thee Comfortless, but will at length appear with great assurance of thy Salvation, and will infinitely recompence thy Patience in suffering and perseverance in invocating for pardon. Satan is never more baffled and infatuated in his own Stratagems, than when he gains a License to wound the hearts of those who are precious in the sight of the Almighty: For, as Romanus the Martyr told the Tormentor, Look how many Wounds thou givest, so many Mouths thou settest open, to cry to God for help; and indeed these Jewels cannot arrive to their Glorious Lustre, without being Ground hard by Affliction.
The Prayer.
O MOST Gracious and Merciful Lord God, rebuke me not in thine Anger, neither chasten me in thy hot Displeasure: My Soul is sore vexed, but Lord, how long wilt thou punish me? Have Mercy upon me, for I am weak: Lord heal my Soul and deliver it, for I have sinned against thee; O save me for thy never failing Mercies sake: I am weary of my continual Groaning, mine Eyes are consumed with my grief of Tears: But Lord, hear thou my Supplication, and receive my Prayer.
2. O Lord, I am sorely afflicted, but quicken me in thy Righteousness according to thy word: In thy loving kindness, and multitude of thy tender Mercies, blot out my transgressions; wash, O wash me, and purge me throughly from my sins, and cleanse me from all my iniquities, the magnitude and number being of that Extent, that my guilt flyeth in my Face, and I am afraid of thy Blessed Presence. I acknowledge my self unworthy to look up to Heaven, to appear before thee with a Petition of Mercy, who have so incessantly provoked thy Justice: The filthy Leprosie of my sins, stink and are corrupt, that they stop my own mouth; but my heart readily answereth, that I am of all men, most unworthy of this thy Condescention, in inclining thy Gracious Ear unto so wretched a Creature as I am.
3. THESE Terrors of Conscience wherewith thou hast now afflicted my Soul, are thy just Judgments: The fears of Hell, and eternal Condemnation, wherewith thou hast wounded me, are incomparably less than my sins have deserved: But, Lord, remember them not, who canst not forget the sufferings of thy blessed Son Jesus for them all. Lord, I am not able to answer thee one word of a thousand, nor can thy Justice require that of me, for which my Saviour and Redeemer hath satisfied: Therefore I renounce my self, that I may be found in a bleeding Jesus, not having on my own Righteousness, according to the Condemning Letter of the Law, but that I may be Clothed in his Righteousness, who hath long since Cancelled the Hand-writing of Ordinances that were against me, and hath payed the debt for me.
4. O Lord, for His sake I humbly implore thee, to convert this Judgment I now labour under, into Mercy: Let it operate in my Soul a true detestation of all Sin; a stedfast purpose to forsake all my evil ways; a comfortable experience of thy Mercy, pronouncing Pardon to my afflicted Conscience, by the infallible Evidence of thy Holy Spirit, and assurance of Peace with thee: O make me to hear of Joy and Gladness, that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce. Cast me not away from thy presence, neither take thy Holy Spirit, the Comforter, from me; but restore me to the joy of thy Salvation, and uphold and establish me with thy free Spirit.
5. O thou who despisest not a broken and contrite heart, pour the Oyl of thy Mercy, and heal my wounded Spirit: Then will I teach Transgressors thy way, that they may fear thee, and melt at the sight of thy Judgments; then shall Sinners be Converted unto thee, who art the Fountain of all Mercy and Consolation: Lord hear me, and incline thine Ear, in this day of my Calamity: Lord Consider, and perform thine own promise made through thy beloved Son Jesus Christ the Righteous, to whom with thee, O Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all Honour and Glory, in Heaven and Earth, from this time forth and for ever more,
Amen.