The Cause and Cure of a Wounded Conscience, Dialogue 17
XVII. Dialogue. What is to be conceived of their finall estate who die in a wounded Conscience without any visible comfort.
Tim.
WHat thinke you of such, who yeeld up their ghost in the agony of an afflicted spirit, without receiving the least sensible degree of comfort?
Phil.
Let me be your remembrancer to call or keep in your mind, what I said before, that our discourse onelyonly concerneth the Children of God: This notion renued I answer. It is possible that the sick soule may receive secret solace, though the standers by doe not perceive it. We know how insensibly Satan may spirt and inject Despaire into a heart, and shall we not allow the Lord of heaven to be more dextrous and active with his Antidotes, then the devil is with his Poysons?
Tim.
Surely if he had any such comfort, he would shew it by words, signes, or some way, were it onelyonly but to comfort his sad kindred, and content such sorrowfull friends which survive him; Were there any hidden fire of consolation kindled in his heart, it would sparkle in his looks and gestures, especially seeing no obligation of secrecie is imposed on him, as on the *Mar. 8. 26.blind man, when healed, to tell none thereof.
Phil.
It may be he cannot discover the comfort he hath received, and that for two reasons: First, because it comes so late, when he lyeth in the Merches of life and death, being so weak, that he can neither speak, nor make signes with Zechariah, being at that very instant▪ when the silver cord is ready to be loosed, and the golden bowle to be broken, and the pitcher to be broken at the fountaine, and the wheele to be broken at the cisterne.
Tim.
What may be the other reason?
Phil.
Because the Comfort it selfe may be incommunicable in its owne nature, which the party can take, and not tell; enjoy, and not expresse; receive, and not impart: As by the assistance of Gods Spirit, he sent up *Rom. 8. 26.groanes which cannot be uttered: so the same may from God be returned with comfort, which cannot be uttered; and as hee had many invisible and privy pangs, concealed from the cognizance of others, so may God give him secret comfort, known unto himself alone, without any other mens sharing in the notice thereof. *Prov. 14. 10.The heart knoweth his owne bitternesse, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. So that his comfort may be compared to the new name given to Gods servants, *Rev. 2. 17which no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it.
Tim.
All this proceeds on what is possible or probable, but amounts to no certainty.
Phil.
Well then, suppose the worst, this is most sure, though he die without tasting of any comfort here, he may instantly partake of everlasting joyes hereafter. Surely many a despairing soule, groaning out his last breath, with feare and thought to sinke downe to hell, hath presently beene countermanded by Gods goodnesse to eternall happinesse.
Tim.
What you say herein, no man alive can confirme or confute, as being knowne to God alone, and the soule of the party. Only I must confesse, that you have charity on your side.
Phil.
I have more then charity, namely, Gods plain & positive Promise, *Mat. 5. 4.Blessed are such as mourne, for they shall be comforted. Now though the particular time, when, be not expressed, yet the latest date that can be allowed, must be in the world to come, where such mourners, who have not felt God in his comfort here, shall see him in his glory in Heaven.
Tim.
But some who have led pious and godly lives, have departed, pronouncing the sentence of condemnation upon themselves, having one foot already in hell by their owne confession.
Phil.
Such confessions are of no validity, wherein their feare bears false witnesse against their faith. The finenesse of the whole cloath of their life, must not be thought the worse of, for a little course list at the last. And also their finall estate is not to be construed by what was dark, doubtfull, and desperate at their deaths, but must be expounded, by what was plaine, cleare, and comfortable, in their lives.
Tim.
You then are confident, that a holy life, must have a happy death.
Phil.
Most confident. The Logicians hold, that, although from false premises a true conclusion may somtimes follow; yet from true propositions, nothing but a *Ex veris possunt, nil nisi ve…a sequi.truth can be thence inferred, so though sometimes a bad life may be attended with a good death, (namely, by reason of repentance, though slow, sincere, though late, yet unfaigned, being seasonably interposed) but where a godly and gracious life hath gone before, there a good death must of necessity follow; which, though sometimes dolefull (for want of apparent comfort) to their surviving friends, can never be dangerous to the party deceased. Remember what S. Paul saith, *Col. 3. 3.Our life is hid with Christ in God.
Tim.
What makes that place to your purpose?
Phil.
Exceeding much. Five cordiall observations are couched therein. First, that God sets a high price, and valuation on the soules of his servants, in that he is pleased to hide them: None will hide toyes, and trifles, but what is counted a treasure. Secondly, the word hide, as a relative importeth, that some seeke after our soules, being none other then Sathan himself, that roaring Lyon, who goes about *1 Pet. 5. 8SEEKING, whom he may devour. But the best is, let him seeke, and seeke, and seeke, till his malice be wearie, (if that be possible) we cannot be hurt by him, whilst we are hid in God. Thirdly, grant Satan find us there, he cannot fetch us thence: Our soules are bound in the bundle of life, with the Lord our God. So that, be it spoken with reverence, God first must be stormed with force or …, before the soule of a Saint-sinner, hid in him, can be surprized. Fourthly, we see the reason, why so many are at a losse, in the agony of a wounded conscience, concerning their spirituall estate. For they looke for their life in a wrong place, namely to finde it in their owne piety, purity, and inherent righteousnesse. But though they seeke, and search, and dig, and dive never so deep, all in vaine. For though Adams life was hid in himselfe, and he intrusted with the keeping his owne integrity, yet, since Christs coming, all the originall evidences of our salvation are kept in a higher office, namely, hidden in God himselfe. Lastly, as our English proverb saith, he that hath hid can finde; so God (to whom belongs the *Psal. 68. 20.issues from death) can infallibly finde out that soule that is hidden in him, though it may seeme, when dying, even to labour to lose it self in a fit of despaire.
Tim.
It is pitty, but that so comfortable a doctrine should be true.
Phil.
It is most true: Surely as *Luk. 2. 48Joseph and Mary conceived, that they had lost Christ in a crowd, and sought him three dayes sorrowing, till at last they found him beyond their expectation, safe and sound, sitting in the Temple: So many pensive parents solicitous for the soules of their children, have even given them for gone, and lamented them lost (because dying without visible comfort) and yet, in due time, shall finde them to their joy and comfort, safely possessed of honour and happinesse, in the midst of the heavenly Temple, and Church Triumphant in glory.