Question 3

THe last general Question touching man as he is a Christian is, How a man being in distress of minde, may be comforted and releiued?

Ans. Omitting all circumstances (considering that much might be spoken touching this Question) I will onely set down that which I take to be most materiall to the doubt in hand.

DIstresse of mind, (which Salomon calls a brokenor troubled spirit) is, when a man is disquieted and distempered in conscience, and consequently in his affections, touching his estate before God. This distress has two degrees; the lesse, and the greater: The lesse is a single feare, or grief, when a man stands in suspense and doubt, of his own saluation, and in feare that he shall be condemned. The greater distress is Despaire, when a man is without all hope of saluation, in his own sense and apprehension. I call dispaire a greater distress, because it is not a distinct kind of trouble of minde, (as some doe thinke,) but the highest degree, in euery kinde of distress. For euery distress in the minde, is a feare of condemnation, and comes at length to desperation if it be not cured.

All distress of minde, ariseth from temptation, either begunne or continued. For these two doe so necessarily followe, and so inseperably accompany each the other, that no distress, of what kind soeuer, can be seuered from temptation. And therfore according to the divers sorts of temptations, that doe befall men, must the distresses of the minde be distinguished.

Now Temptations be of two sorts; either of triall or seducement. Temptations of triall, are such as doe befall men, for the triall and proofe of the grace of God which is in them. The Temptations of triall are twofold: the first is a combate of the conscience directly and immediately with the wrath of God; which being the most grievous temptation that can be, it causes the greatest and deepest distress of conscience. The second is, the Triall of the Crosse, that is, of outward affliction, whereby God makes proofe of the faith of his children; and not only that, but of their hope, patience, and affiance in his mercy, for their deliuerance.

Temptations of seducement be such, as wherin men are entised, to fall from God & Christ, to any kind of euil. And these are of three kinds. The first is, the temptation of Blasphemies, or the Blasphemous temptation, which is from the Devil immediately. The second is, from a mans own sins, original and actual; and this also has sundrie branches, as we shall see afterward. The third proceeds from Imagination corrupted and deceived. Now answerable to these seuerall kinds of temptations, are the seueral kinds of distresses: and as all temptations may be reduced to those fiue, which have beene before named: so may all distresses be reduced to fiue heads, arising of the former temptations.

Before I come to handle them in particular, we are to consider in the first place, what is the best & most sure general Remedie, which may serue for all these, or any other kind of temptation, that is incident to man: & by this, the curing of any particular distress, will be more easie & plaine.

This general Remedie is, the Applying of the promise of life euerlasting, in and by the blood of Christ. For no physicke, no arte or skill of man, can cure a wounded and distressed conscience, but onely the blood of Christ. And that this is the sovereigne remedie of all other, no man doubteth. The maine difficultie, is touching the manner of proceeding, in the application of the promise. Herein therefore three things must be performed.

First of all, the partie must disclose the cause of the particular distress, that the remedie may the better be applied. For the truth is, that the very opening of the cause, is a great ease to the minde, before any remedie be applyed. Yet by the way, this care must be had, that the thing to be reuealed, be not hurtefull to the partie, to whome it is made knowne. For the distress may happily arise of some confederacie, in matters of Treason by the concealing whereof, the partie to whome they are reuealed, may intangle himselfe in the same danger.

Secondly, if the cause may be knowne, (for sometime it is hid, from the partie distressed) then triall must be made, whether the said partie, be fit for comfort yea or no? For if he be found to be unfit, the word of God shall be misapplyed, and consequently abused. His fitnesse for comfort, may be found out, by searching whether he be humbled for his sins, or not; for men may be in great distress, and yet not touched at all, for their sins. This humiliation stands in sorrow for sin, with confession of the same unto God, and in earnest praier for the pardon thereof, with an heartie desire of amendment of life. But if on the other side, the partie be unhumbled, then the first and principal care must be, to work in him some beginning of humiliation. This may be done in a freindly, and Christian talke and conference, whereby he must first be brought to see, and well to consider his own sins; secondly, to grieue, and to be sorrie for them, at the least, for some of the principal.

And touching this sorrow, two things must be remembred: first, that the nature of worldly sorrowe must be altered, by being turned, and changed into sorrow according to God. If a man be in some danger of his life, by bleeding at the nose: experience teaches, the counsell of the Phisitian is, to open a vaine, and let the partie blood in the arme, that the course thereof may be turned another way: The like order is to be taken with men, that are troubled, with worldly sorrow in their distress: and that is, to turne the course of their grief, by causing them to grieue not for worldly respects, or onely in consideration of the punishment due unto their sins, but principally for the very offense of God, in, and by their sins committed.

This done, a second care must be had, that this sorrow for sin be not confused, but a distinct sorrow. The man that is in sorrow, must not be grieved onely, because he is as other men are, a sinner: but more specially for this, and that particular sin, by which it comes to passe, that he is such, or such or a sinner, that so his sorrow in respect of sin, may be distinct, and brought as it were to some particular head. And men in this case, must deale with the partie distressed, as Surgeons are woont to doe with a tumour, or swelling in the body, whose manner is, first to applie drawing & ripening plaisters to the place affected, to bring the sore to an head, that the corruption may issue out at some one place: and then afterward healing plaisters which are of great use to cure the same. Even so confused grief, must be reduced to some particulars: and then, and not before, is a man fit for comfort, when his conscience is touched in special, in regard of some one or more distinct and seuerall offenses. And he that is grieved for one sin truly, and unfainedly, from his heart; shall proportionally be grieved for all the sins, that he knows to be in himselfe.

The third thing required in applying this remedie is, the ministering and conuaying of comfort to the mind of him, that has confessed his sins, and is truly humbled for them: and it is a point of the greatest moment of all. Where if the question be, how this comfort should be ministered the answer is, it may be done, by bringing the partie troubled, within the compasse of the promise of life. And there be two waies of doing this: the one false, and the other true.

Some thinke, that men may be brought within the Couenant, by the doctrine of Vniuersall grace and redemption. But this way, to perswade vs of title in the Couenant of grace, is both false, and unfit. False it is, because all the promises of the Gospel, are limited with the condition of Faith, and Repentance, not being universal, but made onely to such persons, as repent and believe: therfore they are indefinite in regard of whole mankind, and to believers they are universal.

It is obiected, that God would have all men to be saved. Ans. The Apostle is the best expounder of himselfe, and he faith in the Acts to the same effect, The time of this ignorance Godregarded not, but now he admonisheth all men euery where to repent. In which wordes, Paul addes this circumstance of time (now,) to limit this good will of God, to the last age of the world, after the comming of Christ in the flesh, and not to inlarge the same to all the posteritie of Adam. And o must he be understood in the place to Timothie, God would have all men to be saved, that is, now in this last age of the world. And thus the same Apostle 2. Cor. 6. expounds a certaine prophecy of Isai, concerning the acceptable time of grace. Now, says he, is the acceptabletime: behold (Now) is the day of saluation, meaning the time of the new Testament. And Col. . 26. The mysterie hid fron the beginning, is now made manifest to the Saints. And Ro. 16. 26. The reuelation of the secret mysterie is now opened. All which, and many other places about the same matter, hauing this circumstance of time (Now,) must needs be limited to this last age of the world. As for the note of vniuersalitie, All, it must not be understood of all particulars, but of all kinds, sorts, conditions, and states of men, as may be gathered out of the former words: I would that praiers be made for all men, not for euery particular man: (for there be some that sin unto death, for whome we may not pray,) but for all states of men, as well Princes as subiects, poore as rich, base as noble, unlearned as learned, &c.

But the saying of Paul is vrged, 2. Cor. 5. 18. God was in Christ, reconciling the World unto himselfe: therefore the promise in Christ, belongs to the whole World, & consequently to euery one. Ans The same Apostle shall againe answer for himselfe. Rom. 11. 15. The casting away of the Jews, is the reconciling of the world, that is, of the Gentiles in the last age of the world: for so he said before more plainly, The falling avvay of the Ievv, is the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them, the riches of the Gentiles. And so must that place to the Corinths be understood, namely, not of all and euery man, that lived in all ages and times; but of then that were (by the dispensation of the Gospel) to be called out of all kingdomes, and nations, after the death and ascenfion of Christ. Thus then the promise of saluation, is not universal, without exception, or restraint: and therefore application made by the vniuersalitie of the promise, admits some falshood.

Secondly, this way of applying, is also Unfit. For the reason must be framed thus: Christ died for all men: but you art a man: therefore Christ died for you. The partie distressed will graunt all, and say, Christ indeede died for him, i he would have received Christ, but he by his sinn has cut himselfe off from his own Savior, and has forsaken him, so as the benefit of his death will doe him no good.

The right way of ministering Comfort to a partie distressed follows. In the handling whereof, first, I will lay downe the Grounds, whereby any man that belongs to God, may be brought within the Couenant. And then, I will show the Right Way, how they must be used, and applied.

For the first. Recourse must not be had to all graces, or to all degrees and measures of grace; but onely such, as a troubled Conscience may feele and reach unto. For those that be the true children of God, and have excellent measure of grace; when they are in distress, feele little or no grace at all in themselues. The graces then, that serue for this purpose, are three. Faith, Repentance, and the true Loue of God. which is the fruit of them both. And that we may the more easily and truly discerne of them, and not be deceived, inquirie must be made, what be the Seedes and beginnings of them all.

The first Gronnd of grace is this: A desire to repent, and believe, in a touched heart and conscience, is faith and repentance it selfe, though not in nature, yet in Gods acceptation. I prove it thus. It is a principle graunted and confessed of all men; that in them which have grace, God accepteth the will for the deede. If there be a willing minde (says the Apostle) it isaccepted not according to that a man has not, but according to that he has. Againe, God has annexed a promise of blessednes, and life euerlasting to the true and unfained desire of grace. Whence it is, that they are in Scripture pronounced blessed, which hunger and thirst after righteousnes. And who are they but such, as feele themselues to want all righteousnes, and doe truly and earnestly desire it in their hearts. For hunger and thirst, argues both a want of something, and a feeling of the want. And to this purpose the holy Ghost says, To him that is a thirst will I give to drinke of the water oflife freely Now this thirstie soul, is that man, which feeles himselfe destitute of all grace, and Gods favor in Christ, and withall does thirst after the blood of Christ, and desires to be made partaker thereof. God is wont mercifully to accept of the desire of any good thing, when a man is in necessity, and stands in want thereof. The Lord (saies David) heares the desire of the poore, that is, of them that are in distress either of body, or minde. Yea, he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him.

It will be said, that the desire of good things is natural: and therefore God will not regard mens desires. I answer, Desires be of two sorts; some be of such things, as men by the meere light of nature know to be good: for example: the desire of wisdome, of ciuill vertue, of honor, of happinesse, and such like: and all these nature can desire. Others be aboue nature, as the desire of remission of sins, reconciliation, and sanctification: and they which seriously desire these, have a promise of blessednes and life euerlasting. And hence it followes, that desire of mercy, in the want of mercy, is mercy it selfe; and desire of grace, in the want of grace, is grace it selfe.

A second Ground is this. A godly sorrovv whereby a man is grieved for his sins, because they are sins, is the beginning of repentance, & indeed for substance is repentance it selfe. The Apostle Paul reioyced that he had in the work of his Ministry, wrought this godly sorrow in the hearts of the Corinthians, calling it sorrow that causes repentance not to be repented of. This sorrow may be discerned in this sort: The heart of him in whome it is, is so affected, that though there were no conscience, nor devil to accuse, no hell for condemnation; yet it would be grieved in it selfe, because God by sin is displeased, and offended.

I it be alleadged, that euery one cannot reach to this beginning of repentance, thus to sorrow for his sin; then I adde further, if the partie be grieved for the hardnes of his heart, whereby it comes to passe, that he cannot grieue, he has undoubtedly received some portion of godly sorrow. For it is not nature, that makes vs to grieue for hardnes of heart, but grace.

The third Ground is, that A setled purpose, and willing minde to forsake all sin, and to turne unto God, (though as yet no outward conuersion appeare,) is a good beginning of true conuersion, & repentance. I thought (says David) I will confess against my selfe my wickednes unto theLord: and you forgauest the punishment of my sin. And to this is added (Selah,) which is not onely a musicall note, but; as some thinke, a note of obseruation, to move vs to marke the things that are set downe, as being of special weight and moment. And surely this is a matter of great consequence; that upon the very unsained purpose of confession of sin, God should give a pardon thereof. Take a surther proofe of this in the Prodigall sonne, whome I take not for one that was never called, or turned to God, (though some doe so, and seeme to have warrant for their opinion:) but rather for him that is the child of God, and afterward falls away. Now such a one being brought by outward crosses and afflictions, to see his own miserie, purposeth with himselfe, to returne to his father againe, and to humble himselfe, and confess his iniquitie: and upon this very purpose, when he had said, I will goe to my father, and say unto him, father, I have sinned, &c. at his returne a farre off, his father receives him as his child againe, and after acceptation followes his confession. The like is to be seene in David, who being reprooued by the Prophet Nathan, for his sins of adulterie and murther, presently made confession of them, and at the very same time, received by the prophet, sentence of absolution, even from the Lord himselfe, wherein he could not erre.

The fourth Ground. To loue any man because he is a Christian, and a child of God, is a sensible and certaine note of a man that is partaker of the true loue of God in Christ. Hereby (says S. John) we know that we are translated from death to life, because we loue the brethren. Loue here is not a cause but onely a signe of Gods loue to vs. And our Savior Christ says, He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet, shall receive a Prophets reward. Now that we be not deceived in these grounds; it must be rememebred, that these beginnings of grace, (be they never so weak) must not be flittering and fleeting, but constant & setled, not stopped or staied in the way, but such as daiely growe and increase: and then they are indeed accepted of God. And he that can finde these beginnings, or any of them truely in himselfe, he may assure himselfe thereby, that he is the child of God.

Hauing thus laid downethe Groundes of confort: I come now to the way, by which the party in distress, may be brought within the compasse of the promise of saluation. This way standes in two things; in making triall and in applying the promise.

First then, triall must be made whether the person distressed have in him as yet, any of the forenamed grounds of grace or not. This triall may be made by him that is the comforter, in the moving of certaine Questions to the said person. And first, let him aske whether he believe and repent? The distressed partie answers no, he cannot repent nor believe. Then he must further aske, whether he desire to believe and repent? to this he will answer, he doeth desire it with all his heart; in the same sort is he to make triall of the other groundes. When a man is in the fit of tentation; he will say resolutely, he is sure to be danned. Aske him in this fit, of his loue to God, he will give answer, he has none at all: but aske him further, whether he loue a man because he is a Christian, and a child of God, then will he say he does indeed. Thus after triall made in this manner, some beginnings of faith and repentance will appeare, which at the first lay hid. For God vseth out of the time of prosperitie, by & in distress and affliction to work his grace.

The second point follows. After that by triall some of the foresaid beginnings of grace, be found out, then comes the right applying of the promise of life euerlasting to the partie distressed. And that is done by a kind of reasoning; the first part whereof, is taken from Gods word, the second from the testimonie of the distressed conscience, and the conclusion is the applying of the promise, on this manner. He thathath an unfained desire to repent and believe, has remission of sins, and life euerlasting:But you have an earnest desire to repent and believe in Christ. Therefore remission of sinnesand life euerlasting is your.

And here remember, that it is most conuenient, this application be made by the Minister of the Gospel, who in it, must use his ministeriall authority given him of God, to pronounce the pardon. For in distress, it is as hard a thing, to make the conscience yeild to the promise, as to make fire and water agree. For though men have signes of grace & mercy in them, yet will they not acknowledge it, by reason of the extremitie of their distress. In this manner, upon any of the former grounds, may the troubled and perplexed soul be assured, that mercy belongs to it. And this I take to be, the onely general and right way, of conforting a distressed conscience.

Nowe that the promise thus applyed, may have good successe, these rules must necessarily be obserued.

I. One is, that the comfort which is ministered, be delaied with some mixture of the Law; that is to say, the promise alone must not be applyed, but withall mention is to be made, of the sins of the partie, and of the grievous punishments, due unto him for the same. The reason is, because there is much deceipt in the heart of man; in so much, as oftentimes it falleth out, that men not throughly humbled, being comforted either too soone, or too much, doe afterward becom the worst of all. In this respect, not unlike to the iron, which being cast into the fire vehemently hot, & cooled againe, is much more hard, then it would have bin, if the heat had bin moderate. And hence it is, that in the ministering of confort, we must somwhat keep then down, & bring them on by litle & litle to repentance. The sweetnesse of comfort is the greater, if it be delayed with some tartenesse of the Law.

II. Another rule is this: If the distressed partie, be much possessed with grief, of himselfe, he must not be left alone, but alwaies attended with good company. For it is an vsuall practise of the Devil, to take the vantage of the place & time, when a man is solitarie and depriued of that helpe, which otherwise he might have in society with others. Thus he tempted Eue, when she was apart from her husband. And in this regard, Salomon pronounces a woe to him thatis alone. But herein doeth his malice most appeare, in that he is alway readiest, when a man is in great distress, and withall solitarie, then upon the sudden to tempt him to dispaire, and to the making away of himselfe.

III. Thirdly, the partie in distress must be taught, not to rest upon his own judgment, but alwaies to submit himselfe, and be content to be aduised by others that are men of wisedome, judgment, and discretion. A thing to be obserued the rather, because the very neglect thereof, has caused sundrie persons, to remaine uncomforted for many yeres.

IV. Fourthly, the partie distressed, must never heare tel of any fearefull accidents, or of any that have bin in like, or worse case then himself is. For upon the very report, the distressed conscience will fasten the accident upon it selfe, and therby conmonly wil be drawn to deeper grief or dispaire. For the mind afflicted will imagine fearefull things, and sometime, the very bare naming of the Devil, will strike terrour & feare into it.

V. Fiftly, The partie that is to comfort, must beare with all the wants of the distressed; as with their frowardnesse, peeuishnesse, rashnesse, and with their distempered and disordered affections and actions yea he must put upon him (as it were) their persons, being affected with their miserie, and touched with their sorrowes, as if they were his own, grieving when he sees them to grieue, weeping when they doe weepe and lament.

VI. Sixtly, he that is the comforter, must not be discouraged, though after long labor and paines taking, there follow small comfort and ease, to the partie distressed. For vsually, it is long before comfort can be received; and why? surely because God has the greatest stroke in these distresses of minde, and brings men thorough all the temptations, that he has appointed, before he opens the heart to receive comfort. The Church in the Canticles seekes for her believed; but before shee can finde him, shee goes about in the citie, through the streets, and by open places, passing by the Watchmen thenselues, and after shee has used all meanes without helpe or hope, at length shee finds her belouedhim in whome her soul delighteth.

Thus much for the general remedie of all distresses: nowe I come to the particular distresses themselues.

The first distress ariseth of a divine Temptation, which is a combate with God himselfe immediately. And this distress is, when the conscience speaks some fearefull things of God, and withall the partie distressed, feeles some euident tokens of Gods wrath. Examples hereof we shall finde many in the word of God. One is, the example of righteous Job, who hauing beene long in outward afflictions, was withall exercised with the apprehension of the anger of God, and in that state he says, that the arrowsof the Almightie were in him, that the venime thereof, did drinke vp his spirit, that the terrors of God did fight against him. Yea further he addeth, that God was his enemie, and writ bitterthings against him: and made him to possess the sins of his youth. And at another time he complaineth, that Gods wrath had torne him,that he hated him, gashed upon him with his teeth, and had sharpened his eies against him In all which, and divers other places, it appeares that his conscience was exercised, with the sense of the wrath of God, which had nowe even seazed upon his soul.

Another example we have in David, who also was exercised with this temptation and trouble of minde, as the first wordes of the 6 Psalme, and the whole tenour thereof doe euidently shewe; For first, he desires the Lord, not to rebuke him in his wrath, and afterward complaineth, that his grief was so great, that his very flesh consumed, his bones were vexed, and his body brought to such a state, as no sicknesse could have brought him unto. And it is not unlike, that the same Prophet did often fall into the like kind of distress of minde, as may be gathered out of Psalme, 77 and sundrie other places.

Now as it fared with these, and divers other seruants of God, in ancient times, so are we not without some instances thereof in our daies. Amongest many, that worthy man Master Luther, writes of himselfe, that he was in this particular temptation, and that he learned in it, the doctrine of the Iustification of a sinner, by the meere mercy of God, without any merit of works and upon the sense and experience of the nature and properties of this distress, he wote notable exposition of the 6. Psalme of Dauide scope and intent whereof, he writeth to be nothing else, but a sovereigne remedie of this and the like distresses of the minde and conscience.

If it be demanded, what is the occasion of this kinde of temptation? I answer, that it ariseth some times, upon the commission of some notorious sin, which does wound the conscience, as in Cain, Iudas, and Saul, who for their great and capit all sins, that stinged and wounded their consciences, grew to a fearefull state, and consequently perished in this temptation. Sometimes againe it comes when there is no sin committed, but obedience to God performed: and then there cannot be rendred any reason of it, either in man, or out of man, save this, that God will have it so to be. And the trueth hereof is plaine by the examples of Job and David before remembred.

The Effects of this Temptation are many and very strange. For outwardly it works upon the body, as it were a burning ague, & it causes the entralls to rise, the liuer to rowle in the body: & it sets a great heat in the bones, & consumes the flesh, more then any sicknes can doe. And that it is so, as I say, beside experience, it is cleare in the word of God. David in this distress affirms, that his eyes were eaten as it were with wormes, and sunke into his head Psal. 6. 7. that his moisture became as the drought in sommer. Psal. 32. 4. and Job saies, that his skinne was blacke vponhim, his bones were burnt with heat: yea that by meanes of this distress he was now full of wrinkles,and his leanenes did rise upon him. It is a principle which Physitians doe hold, that The minde follows the temperature of the body, and isaffected according to the good or euill constitution thereof: which though it be true, yet withall it is as manifest on the other side, that the body does often follow the state and condition of the minde. For a distressed heart, must of necessity, make a fainting and a languishing body.

But the principal thing to be sought for in this temptation, is the Remedie thereof: whereunto there be fiue things required, which are to be practised, as occasion shall be offered.

First, choise must be made of the most fit and present remedie, and that must be used in the first place.

Now the most fit and present remedie is, to bring the partie troubled to the personal exercises of faith and repentance, by, and in him selfe. For this ende, he must examine his conscience most straigthly and narrowly of all the sins of his heart, and life. Secondly, he must humbly confess against himselfe, all his knowne sins: and withall acknowledge the due condemnation, that he thereby has deserued. Thirdly, he must crie to heaven for mercy, intreating the Lord most instantly for pardon, and for the restraint of his wrath due unto him for his sin. David being in this distress, performed all these duties, as we may read in the 6. Psalme: and he says further of himselfe, that whilst he concealed his sins, the hand of God was heavy vponhim: but upon his earnest confession, and deprecation, he received mercy. And if we read the booke of Job, we shall finde that the principal scope thereof is this; namely, to show unto vs, that Job was throughly exercised with this temptation, and that in the ende hauing beene rebuked both by his friends, and by God himselfe, his recouerie was made, by humbling himselfe, when he says, Behold, I am vile: againe,now I abhorre my selfe, and repent in dust and ashes.

Some may here demand, If it fall out, that the person himselfe, cannot performe any good dutie, of himselfe, by reason of his distraction in soul, and body, what must then be done? Ans. If the partie can but sigh, and sobbe unto God for mercy, and comfort: it is no doubt, a work of Gods spirit, and a practise both of faith, and repentance. We knovv not (says SaintPaul) what to pray as we ought, (namely, in our distresses) but the Spirit it selfe makes request for vs, with sighs that cannot be expressed: and therein lies our comfort. Thus Moses at the redde sea being in great distress, & not knowing what to say, or doe, sighed and groned inwardly in his soul unto the Lord, for helpe and protection: and his very desire was in stead of a loud crie in the eares of the Lord.

The second thing is, that triall must be made, whether the partie has in him any tokens of grace, or not.

These tokens are the small beginnings of grace, which before I have declared. As for example: a grief because we cannot grieue for sin as we should: a serious will and desire to believe, and repent: a purpose to sin no more, and such like. If these be found in the partie, then by them as by sure pledges, he may bee assured of the favor of God towardes him: and where any of these be found, the saying of God to Saint Paul must be vrged, My grace is sufficient for you: and therewith must the distressed partie stay his minde. Yea we are to be content with any condition in this life, be it never so miserabie, so long as we are in the favor of god, though he should lay upon vs even the paines of hell, till the time of our death. So did David, who when he was pursued by his own sonne, uttered these words unto God, Behold, if I please you not, doe withme what you will. And the like was the minde of Paul, who being assured of the favor of God, was content for his glory, and the saluation of the Israelites (if it had beene possible) to be separated from Christ, and to indure the very pangs of hell.

The third thing in this cure is, to Applie to the said distressed partie, such promises of God made unto afflicted persons, as are most large and comfortable.

For example, that The Lord is neere to them that are of a contrite heart, and vvill save such as be afflicted in spirit. Psal. 34. 18. Againe, I came not (says our Savior Christ) but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel. Matth. 15. 24. He saies not, to the straying sheepe, but to such as ate now in the pit, readie to be drowned, or in the Lyons mouth, readie to be deuoured. AgaineThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me,therefore he has annointed me that I should preach the Gospel to the poore; that is, to such as are distressed in conscience, and poore in spirit: he has sent me that I should heale the broken hearted, that I should preach deliuerance to the captiues. These and many other such like promises, are in this case to be vrged, and the partie moved to endeavor to believe them, and to rest himselfe upon them, though he loose all things els.

Fourthly, the partie must be brought to a serious consideration of his life past, and of Gods mercifull dealing with him in former times, and therewith is he to be comforted for the time present. For if aforehand he has received any tokens of the favor and loue of God, by them he is now to stay and o settle his minde. The reason is plaine: the gifts of God are without repentance; whome he loves once, he loves to the ende, and whome he chooseth he calleth, justifies, and sanctifies, and will also in time glorifie. David being in such affliction, that he could hardly thinke upon God, yet he tooke this course, praied to the Lord for comfort, communed with his own heart, and called to remembrance how God had formerly dealt with him, and with this meditation of the continuall course of Gods mercy in his preseruation, he confirmed his faith, and staied his heart in his greatest troubles.

The fifth and last thing to be done, is the removeall of such reasons and doubts, as the partie distressed vsually makes against himselfe, for his own ouerthrow. For it is the manner of those that are troubled in minde, to dispute against themselues; and commonly they are woont to alleadge three things.

First, being instructed how to humble themselues, and to depend on Gods mercy, they will graunt, that all these indeede are good things, but they belong not to them: for they neither doe, nor can feele any thing, but the tokens of Gods anger, and that they are alreadie entred, into some degrees of condemnation.

This obiection may be taken away, by informing them of the manner of Gods dealing in all his works. For commonly he works all things in his creatures, in, and by Contraries, if we could know the whole frame of them.

Thus in the Creation, euery creature had his being of that which had no being, and something was made, not of something, but of nothing. After the flood, the signe of Gods couenant, for the preseruation of the world from destruction by raine, is the Raine-bow, which indeede is a natural signe of raine. When Elijah was to prove the Lord to be the onely true God, against the idolatrous priests of Baal, and that by burnt offerings; he powred water upon the sacrifice, and fills a trench with water round about, and in this contrarie meanes was the sacrifice burnt vp. Christ for the curing of a blind man, tenpers spittle & clay together, which in all reason, is a fitter means to put out the eyes then to cause the blind to see. Thus in the work of our Redemption, Christ giues life, not by life, but by death, and he sendes men to heaven by the gates and suburbes of hell. He will not build upon an olde foundation, but he pulls downe and destroies all, that Man may have no hope at all in himselfe, but that all the hope he has, may be in God. First he kills, and then he makes aliue, as Anna speaks: first he woundeth, and then he healeth. He makes man to sowe in teares, that afterward he may reape in joy. And he that knows Gods dealing to be this, must herewith rest content, and satisfied: because in wrath, God vseth to remember his mercy; yea his mercy is never sweete unto the palate of the soul, untill it be seasoned with some tast of his wrath. The Paschall Lambe was eaten with sowre hearbs, to signifie, that we can feele no sweetnes in the blood of Christ, till we first feele the smart of our own sins, & corruptions.

Secondly, these persons use to alleadge against themselues, that if they could feele any confort at all, then they would stay their minds, and yeild to good perswasions, & exhortations.

To this, the answer is; That there is a Rule of grace, (which we must follow) gathered out of the word of God, and the experience of Gods children, contrarie to the rule of nature. and aboue the light of reason: and it is this, that in case of affliction, we must not live by feeling, but by faith.

This Rule is grounded upon the speech of the Lord by the Prophet, The just man shall live by his faith. When we have neither sight, nor sense, nor any tast of Gods mercy, but onely apprehend his wrath, even then we must labor to lay hold of mercy in his word, and promise. Sense, and feeling, are not alwaies fit directions for the time of this life: For he may be the deare child of God, that in prsent feeleth nothing but his wrath and indignation. This indeede is the true triall of our faith, when even aboue and against reason, we relie on the mercy of God, in the apprehension of his anger. So did David. Out of the deepe, (says he) that is, being nowe deepely plunged into the pangs of a distressed conscience, have I called upon you, O Lord: and Job in the like case. Lord, though though you kill me, yet will I trust in you. Abraham is commended by the holy Ghost, amongest other things, for this, that he believed in God, aboue hope: that is, against all matter of hope, that might possibly be conceived, upon the consideration of the strength of natural causes. The theife upon the crosse, feeling nothing but woe: and seeing nothing in Christ but misery & contempt, yet he believed in Christ, and was saved. In a word, Christ himselfe when he was forsaken of all men, and voide of all worldly comfort, and felt nothing but the depth of the wrath of God, in his agonie and passion; yet by the faith of his manhood, he staied himselfe and said, My God, my God.

Thirdly, they use to plead, that their case is desperate, that never any was in such a state as they are, never any touched with the like distress of minde.

Answ. It is false: For the holy Ghost has penned three notable places of Scripture, the booke of Job, & two Psalmes of David, wherein are propounded unto vs the examples of Job and David, Gods own deare seruants, who were in as great distress, as ever they, or any other have beene. And they may not thinke, that they ever could be able, to indure greater paines then Christ, who notwithstanding in the anguish of his soul upon the Crosse, cried out, My God, my God, why have you for saken me?

And thus much touching the first kind of trouble of conscience, called the divine temptation.

The second kind of Distress is that which ariseth from outward afflictions. By Afflictions I understand, all manner of miseries and calamities in this life, from the least to the greatest, from the paine of the little finger, to the very pangs of death.

Nowe the Question is, howe the Trouble of minde, arising by Afflictions, may be remedied. For the answer of which question, two things are required of the partie distressed; Practise and Meditation.

The Practise is that, which is to be used, in all distresses of minde whatever. And it is a diligent examination of the conscience in regard of sin; an earnest and heartie confession thereof unto God: & deprecation, that is, earnest praier unto him, for the pardon of the same. These three things, being done truely and unfainedly from the heart, are a present remedie against this trouble, and bring with them much comfort.

Manasses the king of Iudah, that had committed much wickednesse: when he was carried captiue to Babel, and there put in chaines: he humbled himselfe, acknowledged his sins, and praied earnestly unto the Lord, and the issue was good; for God was intreated of him, & gaue him deliuerance. Job being long in outward affliction, humbled himselfe in like manner, and at length received comfort. Daniel humbled himselfe before God, for his own sins, and for the sins of Gods people, making request unto God earnestly for them, and even when he was in the acte of praying, the Lord sent his angel Gabriel, to give him notice of deliuerance. Lastly, the Church of God, under the crosse, performed the like dutie, Let vssearch and trie our waies, and turne to the Lord,, and God in mercy gaue an eare unto her mourning and lamentation. By all these places, it is apparent, that there is no better remedie in the world, for the minde of man, grieved by meanes of outward afflictions, then the practise of the duties before named.

The next thing unto Practise, is the Meditation of the comfortable doctrines that are set downe in the word of God, touching afflictions. All which doctrines, may be reduced to fiue principal and maine grounds of comfort, shall be laid down in their order.

The first Ground is, that All afflictions from the least to the greatest, doe come to passe, not by accident, chance or fortune, but by the special providence of God. I explaine it thus. In euery particular crosse and affliction, there is the hand of Gods particular providence, and that in three regards.

First, because God decreeth, and foreappointeth euery particular crosse. Marke the wordes of Paul, Whome God has foreknowne, them hehath predestinate, to be made like unto the image of his sonne; and what is this image? nothing else, but a conformitie unto Christ in afflictions for this life, and in glory for the life to come. Nowe if God has decreed, that those whome he foreknewe, should be conformable unto his sonne in these respects, then has he also decreed the afflictions themselues.

Secondly, God doeth not onely barely permit afflictions to be, but also he effecteth them, and brings them into execution, as they are crosses, corrections, trialls, and punishments. I make peace (says the Lord) and I create euill, that is, not the euill of sin, but of punishment, which is euill in our sense and feeling. For things are tearmed euill two waies: some are euill indeed, some are euill not indeed, but in regard of our sense, apprehension, and estimation; and of this latter sort are afflictions, which God is said to create. And to this purpose is the saying of the Prophet Amos, Shall there be euill in thecitie, and the Lord has not done it?

Thirdly, as God causes afflictions, so he ordereth and disposeth them, that is, he limiteth & appointeth the beginning, the end, the measure or quantitie, and the continuance thereof. Yea he also ordereth them to their right endes, namely, his own glory, the good of his seruants, and the benefit of his Church. Thus God is said to correct his people in judgment, that is, so as he will have the whole ordering of the correction in his own hand. Joseph tells his brethren, that when they intended euill against him, in selling him to the Ishmaelites for siluer, God disposed it for good. When Shemei cursed David, he forbade his seruants, so much as to meddle with him, and why? because (says he) the Lord bade him to curse, and who then dare say untohim, why have you done so? And to this purpose the Prophet David says, I held my peaceand said nothing: why? because you Lord have done it, Psal. 39. 9.

Here some will say, if Afflictions did come onely from God, it were somewhat, but oftentimes they come from men, that beare vs no good will, and therefore no maruell though we be impatient. Answ. When crosses doe come from men, God vseth them as instruments, to execute his judgments upon vs; and in this work, God is the chief doer, and they are as tooles, in the hand of the workeman. And the Lord inflicteth them upon vs by men, to trie our patience under the crosse. Joseph, though he knewe well, the badde dealing of his brethren towards him, yet he looked not to them alone, but to an higher cause, namely, the Lord himselfe, who executed his own good will by them; God (says he) disposed it to good. And againe,God did send me before you into Egypt for your preseruation.

The Second ground is, the commandement of God, touching the crosse, and obedience unto him therein. This commandement is expressed, Luk. 9. 23. where we are commanded to take vp our crosse euery day, and follow Christ. Abraham was commanded, with his own hands to sacrifice his onely sonne Isaac; and to this conmandement, (though otherwise a great crosse unto him) he addresses himselfe to yeeld obedience. And in the prophecy of Micah, the Church says, Shee will beare the wrath of the Lord, that is, shee will performe obedience to him in the crosse, because shee had sinned against him. And S. Peter says, that God resisteth theproud and gives grace to the humble, therefore humble your selues under the mightie hand of God. And this being the commandement of God, that we should yeild obedience to him, in euery affliction, we ought to be no lesse carefull to obey it, then any one commandement of the moral lawe.

The Third ground is, that God will be present with his seruants in their afflictions. Upon this ground, David comforts himselfe, because Godhad promised to heare him, to be with him in trouble, and to deliuer him. And in another place, though I should walke in the shaddowe ofdeath, I would feare none ill, for you art with me. &c.

Nowe that we may the better understand this doctrine, we are to consider what be the Ends or Effects of Gods being with vs in afliction, whereby he testifies his presence, and they are three.

The first is, to work our deliuerance from the crosse: Call upon me (says the Lord) in theday of your trouble, and I will deliuer you. This promise must not be understood simply, but with an exception, so farre forth as it shall be for our good. For all promises of temporal deliuerance, are conditionall, and must be conceived, with this limitation of the crosse and chastisement, if God please to impose it. Some may say, how if God will not deliuer vs, but leave vs in the affliction, what comfort shall we then have?

Answ. In the second place therefore we must remember, that God will temper and moderate our afflictions, so as we may be able to beare them. Habbakuk praieth unto God, in the behalfe of the Church, that he would inwrath remember mercy. And Paul says, that the Lord will not suffer vs to be tempted abouethat we are able to beare, but will give an issue with the temptation.

Thirdly, put the case that God doeth not moderate our afflictions, but suffer them to remaine upon vs, not onely for some time of our life, but to the very death: yet then will be testifie his holy presence another way, namely, by giving the partie distressed, power and strength to beare his affliction. Unto you it is given (says Paul) for Christ, that not onely ye should believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

The Fourth ground of comfort in affliction is, that euery affliction upon the seruants of God, has some special goodnesse in it, Rom. 8. 28. We know that all things, work together for good unto them that loue God. And in regard hereof, the crosses which are indured by Gods children, are so farre from being preiudiciall to their saluation, that they are rather helpes and furtherances of the same. Now this Goodnes is perceived two waies. First, by the fruit and effect of it, and then by the quality and condition thereof. In both which respects, afflictions are good.

Touching the fruits of Afflictions, because they are manifold, I will reduce them to seauen principal heads.

I. Afflictions doe make men to see & consider their sins. Iosephs brethren for twentie yeares together, were little or not at all troubled for their wickednes, in selling their brother; yet upon their affliction in Egypt, they beganne to consider what they had done: We have (say they)verily sinned against our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he be sought vs, and we would not heare him: therefore is this trouble come upon vs. Manasses in the time of his peace, gaue himselfe to witchcraft, and the worshipping of strange gods: but when he was captiue in Babylon, then was he brought to the sight of his sins, and moved to humble himselfe before God for them.

II. Afflictions serue to humble men in their souls before God. The young unthrift in the Gospel called the Prodigall child, while his portion lasted he spent liberally, and was grieved for nothing: but when he came to be pinched with hunger, and that through his own follie, then he humbled himselfe before his father, and returned home unto him. David says of himselfe, that in his prosperitie he thought heshould never be moved, because the Lord of his goodnes had made his mountaine to stand strong: but (says he) you did hide your face, and I was troubled, then cried I unto the Lord.

III. They serue to work amendement of life. No chastising (says the Author to the Hebrewes) for the present seemeth to be ioyous,but aftervvard it brings the quiet fruit of righteousnes to them that are thereby exercised, that is, afflictions and chastisments that seaze upon Gods children, doe leave after them amendment of life, as the needle passeth through the cloath, and leaves the threed behinde it. When we are judged (says the Apostle) vve arenurtered of the Lord, that we might not be condemned with the world. And David confesses Psal. 119. It is good for me that I have beene afflicted, that I might learne your statutes. And the good husbandman, purgeth and pruneth the vine, that it may bring forth more and better fruit.

IIII. They cause men to denie themselues, and to rely wholy on the mercy of God. Thus Paul received the sentence of death in himselfe, that he should not trust in himselfe, but in God, that raiseth the dead.

V. The fit is Inuocation. For afflictions make vs to crie hartelie and feruently unto god, to bringe our selues into his presence, and there to abase our selues before him. Thus the Lord says of his children that in their affliction theywill seeke him diligently.

VI. The sixth is Patience. Affliction bringethforth patience, patience experience, &c. As if he should say; because the loue of God is shed in our hearts, therefore in afflictions we are patient. Now whilst we patiently beare the crosse, we have experience of the mercy and loue of God towardes vs: and hauing once in some notable deliuerance, tried and tasted the mercy of God, we doe by hope (as it were) promise to our selues, the said favor and mercy, for time to come.

VII. The last fruit is obedience. This the holy Ghost teaches, to have beene the fruit of the suffering of Christ, when he says, Thoughhe were the sonne, yet learned he obedience, by the things which he suffered.

In the next place, Afflictions are good in regard of their quality and condition, which is, that they are tokens and pledges of our adoption, when we make the best use of them. If ye indure chastening, (says the holy Ghost) God offereth himselfe unto you as unto sonnes, that is, he comes to you in the crosse, not as a judge and reuenger, but as a kind and loving father: and the crosse imposed, is as it were his fatherly hand, where with he chastiseth vs: and therefore Job praiseth God for his affliction, saying, God hathgiuen, and God has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

The fifth Ground of comfort is, that the partie distressed, has partners in the crosse. For first he has Christ to be his partner, because he has fellowship with him, in that he is afflicted, and is willing to obey God therein. Paul accounteth it happines, to know the fellowshippe of Christs afflictions, and to be made conformable unto his death. Phil. 3. 10. Secondly, if the partie afflicted repent, Christ communicateth with him in all his Crosses, and accounts them as his own. The Apostle in this regard, would have no man thinke it strange, no not when he is in the fierie triall; but rather to reioyce because he is partaker of Christs sufferings. Phil. 4. 31. And Christ says to Saul persecuting his Church, Saul, Saul, why persecutest you me? Thirdly, he that is afflicted, has other seruants of God, partakers with him in all his afflictions. The Apostle Peter wisheth the Church of God to resist Sathan by faith, knowing, says he, that the same afflictions are acconplished, in your brethren that are in the world. 1. Pet. 5. 9.

Thus much generally of Afflictions, and of Comfort in them. It were a long and tedious work, to set all downe in particular, together with their proper and distinct Comforts: therfore I will passe them ouer, and speake onely of three kinds of Afflictions, with their Remedies.

The first is, the Deferring of deliuerance: a great affliction if it be considered. And touching it, I propound one Question, namely, How the minde of the partie distressed, may be staied, when as the Lord deferres deliuerance.

For the answer hereof, three especiall points are to be considered.

I. First, that God has in his wisdome, set downe certen and unchangeable times, for the accomplishment and issue of all things that are. There is a time appointed, to euery thing under the sunne. Eccles. 3. 1. The speech of Salomon is general, and the meaning of it is this: Whatever there is in the world, either done, or suffered, or enioyed by man, whether it be of the number of natural things, or of those which are voluntarily undertaken, or necessarily endured; God has in his providence sorted unto them, a set time and season, whereof depends the successe of then all. And this time, himself most freely ordereth and ruleth, at his own good pleasure; which, as no man can hinder or stay, so is it not in the power of any, to hasten, or preuent.

This point, the holy Ghost in Scripture proves by two instances, of the threatnings and promises of God, which himselfe accomplisheth at some certaine and unchangeable times. When the old world in the daies of Noah, had growne to much impietie, and wickednes, the Lord appointed a certaine space of 120 yeares, for their repentance and conuersion, at the very ende and tearme whereof, he brought the flood upon them, and not before. For if we compare the particular circumstances of time, noted in the 7. of Genesis, with that which S. Peter writeth, 1. Pet. 3. 20. we shall find, that the inundation of waters came upon the earth, at the very point of time before determined. Againe, God threatned by Ieremie, that the Jews for their sins, should be led captiue, and serue the king of Babel 70 yeares. Now if we take the just computation of time, it will appeare, that so soone as ever those yeares were expired, the foresaid threat was accomplished. And therefore Daniel alluding to Ieremies prophecy, exactly setteth it downe, when he says, The same night was Belshazzer king of the Chaldeans slaine, that is, the very night wherein those 70 yeares came to their full period.

And as there are set times, allotted by God for the execution of his threatning sentences; so also has he determined certenly, the accomplishment of all and euery of his promises. An example hereof we have in the Israelites, of whome the Lord said to Abraham, that they should be in affliction in a strange land, 430 yeres, & then be deliuered. This promise of God was expressely fulfilled, as we may read in the booke of Exodus. For before the ende and tearme of these yeares, they had no deliuerance at all: but when that time was expired, even that selfe same day, departed all the hosts of Israel, out of the land of Egypt. And though Moses, fourtie yeares before this time tooke in hand the work of their deliuerance; yet he did it without successe, and upon a certaine accident, being himselfe constrained to flie into Madian, he lived there as a stranger with Iethro his father in law, till the saide time of foure hundred and thirtie yeares was accomplished; toward the end whereof, being called of God to that office, he prospered, and not before. And in the same manner, has God set downe a certen period of time, within which, he will exercise his children more or lesse, and at the end whereof, and not before, he will relieve and comfort them againe.

Now as the certainty of the accomplishment of Gods threatning word, serues to terrifie all wicked liuers from sin: so the unchangeable performance of his promises, at the very time prefixed, and not before, teaches the children of God sundrie things.

First, that when they are in any distress, and have not present or speedie deliuerance, according to their desire; they should wait the Lords leisure, and expect with patience till the time come, which is appointed by him for their case and releefe: and in the meane while stay their hearts, by hope and affiance in his mercy. Reason is plaine. God is sure in his word, therefore though heauines may indure for a night, yet joy will returne in the morning Psal. 30. 5.

Thus the Lord comforteth the Jews in a particular distress, as we may read in the prophecy of Habbakuk where the Prophet in the name of the Jews, complaineth and expostulateth the matter with God, why his own people should be so lamentably afflicted, by a terrible and a furious nation, and why they should be led away captiues, by the Chaldeans the enemies of God? To this the Lord makes answer, that as he had certenly determined, that judgment to come upon them, so certenly had he appointed a set time, wherein they should be deliuered. In the meane while, he biddes them to comfort themselues in this, that though the affliction should rest upon them for a season, yet undoubtedly they should be cased at the length: and therefore, that they should in patience waite for the vision, that is, the accomplishment of the vision, touching their deliuerance.

Secondly, hence we learne, that we must not onely believe the promises of God in general, that God is true and faithfull in them, and that he is able and willing to fulfill them, even as he made them: but we must believe them in particular, that is, with application to their proper and seuerall circumstances, which are the particular meanes, places, and times, whereby, and wherein he has given his word, as touching our freedome and exemption from the crosse. Take an instance hereof in the Prophet Daniel, who knewe well by the spirit of Prophecy, that the Lord had determined to bring upon the Jews 70. yeares captiuitie in Babylon. He knewe also that God had promised to put an ende to that captiuitie, at the end and tearme of those yeares. Nowe what did Daniel in this case? Upon knowledge of the will of God in that point, during the said time, he praied not unto the Lord, for deliuerance of his people: But when he understood that the time drew neere, wherein it was the will of God, that the Jews should returne out of captiuitie, then by faith applying the promise of God to that particular time: he besought the Lord in praier and supplications, with fasting, in sackcloath and ashes, and the Lord gaue eare unto his praiers, & yeelded him a gratious answer.

II. The second point is, that God, when he deferres deliuerance, he doeth it upon great and waightie causes and considerations, best known to himselfe.

The first whereof is, that thereby he might humble men throughly, and bring them to an utter deniall of themselues, and consequently cause them, to learne patience in affliction, which they would not learne, if they might be their own caruers, and have speedie deliuerance from the crosse, at their own wils & pleasures.

Secondly, that being afflicted, they may acknowledge whence their deliuerance comes; yea, whence they doe receive not onely that, but euery other good benefit, which they inioy: namely, not from themselues, or any creature, but onely from the Lord; and accordingly may learne to value and prize his gifts, at their deserued excellencie. For it is a true saying, and often verified in affliction and want, that benefits easily obtained, are lightly regarded, and sooner forgotten.

Thirdly, that by the continuance of the crosse without intermission, he may make then to distaste the world, and consequently drawe them to the meditation of the life to come, wherein all matter of mourning shall cease, and all teares shall be wiped from their eies.

Fourthly, the Lord deferreth deliuerance from affliction, that he might preuent greater euils and dangers, whereinto those that are afflicted might runne, if they had their hearts desire, and were eased not at his will, but at their own wishes. When the children of Israel came into Canaan, they were informed, that they should dwell together with the Canaanites, and Moses rendreth a reason therof, Least (says he) the wildbeasts of the field multiply against you. And for the preuenting of this euill, the Israelites must indure some annoyance by the Canaanites. Even so the Lord keepeth his seruants under the crosse, for the preuenting of greater sins and offenses. This should stay the mindes of men, & make them content, to waite upon God for deliuerance, when they are afflicted.

The third and last point is, that God alwaies has and doeth exercise his best seruants, with long and continued crosses. Abraham was childlesse, till he was 70. yeares of age, and at those yeares the Lord promised him issue. But this promise was not accomplished till a long time after, when he was an hundred yeares old. David had a promise to be king of Ierusalem, and Iuda but the Lord exercised him by many and grievous afflictions, before he came to the crowne, in so much, that he saies of himselfe, that his eies failed with waiting upon his God. Zacharie and Elizabeth praied to God, both of them in their youth, and many yeares after for issue, but the Lord graunted not their request, till they were olde.

To adde no more examples; by these we see the Lords dealing, even with holy men & women, his own deare seruants, that he does not alwaies grant their requests, nor condescend to their desires at the first, but as it were holds then off, & suspends his grace and favor for a time. And therefore if it shall please him thus to deale with any of vs, we must fron these examples be taught, to possess our souls with patience, resting contented in his will, and waiting on his good pleasure to the end.

To conclude this point. Suppose that the condition of Gods seruants be such, as that they find no end of their afflictions, but that they do continue even unto death, what shall they doe in this case?

Ans. Besides that which has beene said before, for the resolution of this Question, I answer further, that first, they must still, even unto death, live by faith, and say with holy Job, Lord though you kill me, yet will I trust in you.

Secondly, they must stay and releiue their souls in the meane time, with these and such like meditations.

I. That it is the will and pleasure of God, that we should through many afflictions, enter into the kingdome of God. Act. 14. 22. Nowe it is the propertie of a true child of God, to rest content in his fathers good will and pleasure, even when he is afflicted, Prou. 3. 11. My sonne—be not grieved at my correction, that is, let it not be tedious unto you, be content to beare it. Our dutie therefore is, meekely to subiect our selues unto the hand of God, as the child doeth unto the correction of his father.

II. That though afflictions be long and tedious, yet God will at length give a ioyful & comfortable issue. For so himselfe has promised, Math. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourne, for they shall be comforted. Psal. 34. 19. Great are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord will deliuer him out of then all. Marke the vpright man,& behold the just, for the end of that man is peace.

III. Afflictions be they never so heauy, in regard of continuance, yet they are in no sort conparable to those eternal ioies, that god has prepared for then that loue him. This was Pauls meditation, who indured the crosse, even to his dying day. Our light affliction (says he) which is but for a moment, works unto vs an excellent, and eternalwaight of glory. And elswhere he professes that he did not count the afflictions of this present time, answerable in value to the glory, which shall be reuealed unto Gods children, Ro. 8. 18. Saint Peter tels them to whome he wrote, that in regard of their assured hope of eternal life, they should reioice, though now for a season, they were in heauinesse through manifold tentations, 1. Pet. 1. 6. Lastly the author to the Hebrewes, comforteth the Church by this reason, because it is is yet a very little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarrie.

IV. Though God with-holdeth his hand in respect of deliuerance even to death, yet his loue is constant and unchangeable, and the crosse which we undergoe, cannot seperate vs from that loue, wherewith he has loved vs in Jesus Christ, Rom. 8. 35. And thus much of the first particular distress of minde.

The Second kind of affliction, is bodily & temporarie Death, which consisteth in the seperation of the soul from the body. And touching this affliction, it is demanded, How any seruant of God, may be able to indure with comfort, the pangs of death?

For the answer hereof, two things are required: a preparation to death, and helpes in the time of death. Concerning preparation, there are three duties to be performed.

The first and most principal is commended unto vs in the booke of Psalmes, where David praies unto God, Lord make me to know mineende, and the measure of my daies. And Moses in like manner, Lord teach me to number my daies,that I may apply my heart unto wisedome. In which places, is remembred a notably dutie of preparation: to wit, that a man should resolue himselfe of death continually, and afore-hand number his daies. And this is done, by esteeming of euery day, as the day of his death, and accordingly doing alwaies that which he would doe, if he were now to give vp the ghost.

Secondly, in way of preparation, we must endeavor to disarme and weaken death, who is as an armed man, that has his weapons, whereby he seekes to destroy vs. And in this case, we must deale with death, as the Philistims dealt with Sampson. They saw by experience that he was a mightie man, and by his power and strength, had given them many foyles; and therefore they labored to know, in what part of his body his strength did lie. And after inquirie, finding it to be in the haire of his head, they never rested, till they had spoiled him thereof. And questionlesse, the time wil come, when we all must encounter, with this strong and powerfull Sampson, Death, In the meane while, it is a point of wisdome, to inquire wherein his power & might consisteth. When this search has bin made, we shall finde that his weapons, are our manifold sins, and corruptions, both of heart and life. For as Paul says, The sting of death is sin. Therefore, that we may spoile him of this his furniture, we must exercise our selues in the practise of two duties.

First, use all meanes for the cutting off of the locke of our sins, whereby alone Satan has the vantage of vs; and these meanes are the duties of inuocation, and true repentance. We must therefore be instant in praier, for the pardon of our sins past, and present, and in this point give the Lord no rest, untill we have obtained in our consciences, the sweete certificate of his favor and mercy in Christ, whereby our minds may be staied and comforted.

This done, it stands vs in hand to turne unto God, to be carefull to leave sin, to entertaine in our hearts, a resolued purpose and intention of newe obedience, and conformitie to the will, and commandement of God in all things. And this is the onely way in the world, to bereaue this our enemie of his armor, to pull the sting out of the mouth of this serpent and consequently, even in death to preuaile against him.

Thirdly, in way of preparation, our dutie is, even afore-hand (while we live in this world) to endeavor, to have some true taste of life euerlasting,and the ioyes of heaven. The due consideration whereof, will be of great use. For it will stirre vp in our hearts, a desire and loue of perfect happinesse in heaven, yea a feruent expectation of Christs comming to judgment: and it will further cause vs to say, with Simeon, Lord, now let your seruant depart in peace: and with the Apostle, I desire to be dissolued and be with Christ.

Touching this spiritual joy and comfort in the holy Ghost, these Questions of Conscience are moved. First, how may we in this life have and nourish in our hearts, a true tast of eternal happinesse, and of the ioyes of the world to come?

Ans. First, by a serious consideration of the euills that doe hinder, or preiudice our happines: and they are principally foure.

One is the Miserie of our liues in respect of sin, and the consequens thereof. For there is no man in the world, be he never so righteous, that can truly say of himselfe, I am cleane from my sin, Prou. 20. 9. Yea, even the regenerate, that have received grace to believe, to urne unto God, and to live according to the Spirit, doe finde by experience, corruption and rebellion in their minds, wills, and affections, which daily affordeth matter of sinning against God: and on the other side, hindreth and quencheth all the good motions of the Spirit that are in them. Againe, such is the irreconciliable malice of Satan, that he takes vantage of mans corruption and neglecteth no time or opportunity, to intrappe the children of God, in the snares of his temptations. And hence it is that man, by reason of his own corruption, and the wicked suggestions of the Devil, is at continuall strife with himselfe, has daily occasion of sorrow, works out his saluation with feare and trembling, wading (as it were) even while he lives, in a sea of many miseries.

The second euill, is the Vanitie of all things that are in the world. For whether we consider the world it selfe, or the things therein contained, done, or suffered, there is nothing so sure and steadie, whereunto man hauing attained, can possibly rest fully satisfied, and contented; or which in the ende, will not prove to be most vaine vanitie. And the truth hereof appears, in the experience of Salomon himselfe; who (being king ouer Israel) wanted neither authority, nor abilitie, & opportunity, to take knowledge and triall, of all worldly things in all estates and conditions. And hauing even of set purpose, carefully and earnestly searched into them all, at length he concludes, that the issue of all was unprofitable vanitie, and vexation of minde, as we may read in his Ecclesiastes.

The third euill is, the Changeable condition of our life in this world, whereby it comes to passe, that we are alway in a fleeting and transitorie state. For we are (as S. Peter speaks) but strangers and Pilgrimes, that wander to and fro in the earth, as in a strange countrey, and still are making forward to our own home. We have here no abiding citie: the houses wherein we dwell, are but Innes, in which we soiourne for a time: yea the bodies which we have, are but tents and tabernacles, alway readie to be shifted, and our selues to be translated into another place.

Fourthly, by remembring, that Christ our Head, being now in heaven, and we his members upon the earth; during our life, we are in presence separated from our Head, and consequently, from that happie and glorious fellowship, which we shall inioy with him, and all the Saints our fellow-members, in the kingdome of heaven. This S. Paul noteth, when he says, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absentfrom the Lord: and thereupon himselfe desiredto be dissolued, and to be with Christ.

Hauing thus entred into the due consideration of the aforesaid euills, we must in the second place, exercise our selues in the frequent meditation, of the blessed estate of Gods chosen, in the kingdome of glory: who being translated out of this life, into the bosome of Abraham, are fully and perfectly freed from sin, from Satan, from vanitie and misie: have all teares wiped from their eyes: doe behold the face of God, are made like unto Christ in holines and honor: and doe with him inheit the kingdome, prepared for them, from the foundations of the world.

In the third place, hauing throughly considered of these things, we must Compare the estate of this present life, in the respects before named, with the estate of that, which is to come in the kingdome of heaven: and laying them in a paralell together, we shall find the one, infinitely farre to excell the other, in regard of true joy and comfort. And this will make vs, though living in the world, yet to use it, as if we used it not: to have our conuersation in heaven: to thinke, with Paul, that to be loosed, and be with Christ, is best of all for vs: to have a tue & liuely tast of the ioyes of the world to come, and accordingly with Abraham Isaac, and Iacob, to looke for a citie that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Secondly, it is demanded, how a man may truly discerne, whether this joy of the Spirit be in him, yea or no? For answer hereunto, it is to be remembred, that there are sundrie properties whereby it differeth from carnall joy. And these are principally fiue.

First, this joy is brought forth (as it were) of sorrow for sin, and for the want of Christ. Ye shall sorrow, (says our Savior Christ to his Disciples, meaning for his departure,) but your sorrowshall be turned into joy. These words, are not onely meant of his Disciples, but of all believers, who upon consideration of their sins, and the spiritual want of Christ Jesus, doe mourne and lament. For not only they, but all true believers, are there opposed unto the World. Againe, blessedare they that mourne: that is, being touched with causes of exceeding grief, doe withall mourne for their sinnesfor they shall be comforted. On the other side, carnall joy as it has his beginning from the flesh, and ariseth of things pleasing thereunto, so it ends in sorrow & heauines. In the end, reioycing is turned into mourning, says Salomon And, Woe be to you thatnow laugh: for ye shall weepe.

Secondly, the joy of the Spirit, is a fruit of righteousnes: that is, it issueth and floweth from Christ knowne and believed, to be made unto vs of God, wisdome, righteousnes, sanctification, and full redemption. For from hence follows peace of conscience, and from peace comes joy in the holy Ghost. Contrariwise, the joy of the flesh, ariseth onely from the sudden feeling of some worldly delight: and therefore cannot bring any sound peace, unto the conscience o the man possessed of it.

Thirdly, spiritual joy is founded in the holy use of the Word, Sacraments, & Praier: and in the practise of Christian duties of mercy, loue, justice, &c. The other is not so. For the world conceiveth a joy besides the word, out of the exercises of inuocation and repentance: which stands in the practise of crueltie, malice, oppression, injustice, and all manner of impietie. And hence it is, that hauing spent their daies in such matter of reioycing, at length in a moment they goe downe to hell.

Fourthly, heavenly joy is so fixed and rooted in the heart, that it cannot be removed thence. Your joy shall no man take from you, says Christ. It must needes therefore be true and sound, yea able to swallow vp all matter of grief, and heauinesse: whereas the other is never sincere, but with the sweetnes thereof, has alwaies mingled some bitternes. Even in laughter (saitl, Slomon, speaking thereof) the heart is heavy. When the face of the wicked man shineth, and his countenance is pleasant, even then is he inwardly sorrowfull, and his minde is troubled.

Lastly, the joy of the Spirit is eternal: abiding in the mind of man, not onely for the terme of this life, but for ever, in the world to come. So is not the reioycing of the world in earthly things: for it is fading and deceitfull, as the things themselues be, wherein it is placed: it has the beginning in corruption, and endeth with this present life. The examples of the two rich men in the Gospel, doe manifest this truth. And to this purpose, is the speech of Zophar, in the booke of Job, that the reioycing of thevicked, is very short, and the joy of hypoeres is but a moment, &c.

By these fiue properties, may we put a true difference, betweene earthly and heavenly reioycing, and consequently discerne of them, even in our selues. And if we perceive this joy of the Spirit, (rightly received in our hearts, and grounded in the right use of the word, and Sacraments; as also in the exercises of inuocation, faith, and repentance) to take place in our souls and consciences; we shall finde it of force, to moderate and delay the very terrours of death. And so much for Preparation.

Now the Helpes to be used in the time of death, are manifold: the summe of all may be reduced to two heads, Meditations, and Practises.

Touching Meditations, we must in the first place, consider Death in a double respect; one, as it is in it own nature, and another, as it is changed and qualified by the death of Christ. Death in it own nature, is a Curse, or forerunner of condemnation, the very gates and suburbs of hell it selfe: but being qualified by Christ, it is a blessing, a short passage unto joy, an entrance into euerlasting life, a quiet sleepe, voide of all annoyance, by dreames and fantasies. And the graue, a resting chamber, persumed by the death of Christ, for the bodies of all the Elect, our of which when they awake, they shall be admitted and received, into the presence of God in heaven.

Secondly, we are to consider, that there be three degrees of eternal life. The first where of, is in this world before we die; and it is then, when we beginne to repent and believe in Christ, and to be assured in conscience, that God the father is our father, Christ our redeemer, and the holy Ghost our comforter. For this is eternal life, to know God, and him whomehe has sent Jesus Christ. The next degree is in death: for death cuts off all sin, original and actual: death frees vs from all worldly miseries: death prepareth the body, that it may be fit, to enter into eternal happinesse together with the soul, which is alreadie in heaven. The last degree is, when body and soul reunited, goe both together, into eternal and euerlaing glory in heaven.

Our third meditation is, that there is a mysticall vnion and coniunction, betweene Christ & euery believer, and that not onley in regard of soul, but of body also; which being once knit, shall never be dissolued, but is eternal. Wherevpon the dying, dead, rotten, and consumed body, remains still a member of Christ, abideth within the couenant, and is and shall be ever, a temple of the holy Ghost. Thus Adam, and Abraham, which are dead so many thousand yeares agoe, yea euery true believer, from them to the end of the world, shall rise at the last day, in body to glory, by the power of their coniunction with Christ. In the winter season, we see the most trees voide of leaues, buddes, and blossomes: so as they seeme to vs to be dead, and yet nevertheless, there is a sappe in the roote of them, which in the Spring wil ascend, & reuiue the decaied branches. Even so it is with our bodies, which though they be corrupted, rotten, burnt, or eaten with wormes, or deuoured by wild beasts, so as they may seeme to be utterly perished, yet there is (as it were) a secret and hidden sap in them, (by reason of their vnion with Christ) by which they shall be raised, reuiued, & quickened, being made like unto the glorious body of Christ their head, with whome they shall raigne, and live for euermore.

Helpes in practise are two; First, he that will beare with comfort the pangs of death, must labor that he may die in Christ, and that is, by faith, laying hold of the promise of God, touching forgiuenesse of sins and life euerlasting by Christ. All these (says the holy Ghost) died infaith, namely, Abel, Enoch, Noe, Abraham, and Sarah, all laying hold of the promise of life by Christ. When Iacob on his death-bed, was blessing of his children, he brake forth into this heavenly speach, O Lord I have waited for thysaluation. In which words it is plaine that his faith rested on the mercy of God, & by hope he waited for his saluation. And our Savior Christ says, As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse,so must the sonne of man be lift vp, that whoever believeth in him, might not perish, but have life euerlasting. Out of which words, the forenamed dutie may be learned, that looke as the children of Israel, being stung with fierie serpents, and that unto death, were healed by looking vp to the brasen serpent, erected by Moses: so when we are stung with sin and death, we must ever remember by faith to looke upon Christ. But specially when we are dying, then it is our part, to fixe the eies of our souls, by faith upon him; and thereby shall we escape death, and be made partakers of eternal life and happinesse. Notable is the example of Christ, who as he was man, alwaies fixed his trust and confidence in his fathers word, especially at his end. For when he was dying, and the pangs of death seazed upon him, he cries unto the Lord, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? and againe, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit: which words are ful of faith, and doe bewray what great affiance he placed in his fathers loue, &c. When David in an extremitie, saw nothing before his eies, but present death, the people intending to stone him, at the very instant (as the text says) he comforted himselfe in the Lord hisGod but how? by calling to minde the mercifull promises, that God had made unto him, and by applying them unto his heart by faith. And Paul says of himselfe, and the rest of the faithfull, that they received, the sentence of death in themselues,that they might not trust in themselues, but in God.

From these examples it followes, that they which desire with comfort to beare the pangs of death, must die by faith; that is, they must set before their eies, the promise of remission of sins, and life euerlasting, and depend upon it, wrapping (as it were) and infolding themselues in it, as in a close and warme garment, that will keepe them safe and sure, against the winde and weather of temptation.

The second Practise in time of death is, to die in obedience; which is nothing else, but willingly, readily, and ioyfully, without murmuring, to submit ourselues to Gods will, in bearing the paines of death. A most worthie president of this obedience, we have in our Savior Christ, when he said unto his father, Not my will, but your will be done; thereby submitting his will, to his Fathers will, touching the death which he then suffered. And this his example at the time of his departure, must be a rule of direction unto vs, upon the like occasion. True it is, that obedience to God in death, is against corrupt nature: and therefore our dutie is, the more to invre our selues, to the performing of it: and that which the blessed Apostle said of himselfe, I die daily, ought to be continually our resolution and practise.

If we shall inquire, howe this may be done; the answer is, when God layeth afflictions upon vs, in our life time, then by endeavoring to beare them with patience, meeknes, and lowlinesse. For euery affliction, is (as it were) a petty death: and if we doe in it, subiect our selues to the hand of God, we shal the better obey him, in the great death of all and thus doing, whensoeuer God striketh vs with death, we shall with comfort endure the same.

The Third particular Affliction, is Satanicall molestation, whereby both persons, & places of mansion, or abode, are either possessed, or otherwise molested by the malice of the Devil.

Touching this affliction, the Question of conscience is, How such persons as are possessed, or feare possession, or else indure molestations by the Devil in their houses: may have their minds quieted and staied, and consequently, in that case be remedied?

And here 2. things are generally to be considered, in way of answer.

First, it is to be remembred, that possession is known by two signes. The one is, when the devil is euidently present, either in the whole body, or in sone part of it. The other, when he has rule of the said body, either in whole or in part: so as the party himselfe, has not that use of his body, which he would. As for example, when the devil possesses the instruments of the voice, as the tongue, & makes a man to speake Latine, Greeke, Italian, or other tongues, which he understandeth not. Both these things were found in them that were possessed, in the time of our Savior Christ.

Secondly, we must consider, it falleth out oftentimes, that strange diseases doe seaze upon men, hauing strange effects in then which the arte of Physicke neither can search out, nor cure: & yet they are neither acts of witchcraft, nor reall possessions. As when God laid extraordinarie diseases on the Corinthians, for the contempt of his Word and Sacraments, 1. Cor. 11:30. Like unto which, he vvorthily inflicts upon men in these daies, for the same and other sins.

Now to stay the minde in this case, these Rules are carefully to be thought upon.

First of all, it is to be remembred, that though Satans malice and power, be very great and large: yet he cannot practise the same, against the children of God, when, where, and howe he listeth. The malice which Satan beares to mankind, and principally to the members of Christ, appeares in this, because he is said, to accuse them before God, day and night, Reu. 20 2. And as a roaring lyon, to walke about the world, seeking whome he may deuoure, 1. Pet. 5. 8. Againe the Scripture noteth him, to be a powerfull spirit, whose strength farre exceedeth and surpasseth the might of any man or creature, that is not of an Angelical nature, as himselfe is. For he is tearmed a Prince of the aire, and the god of this world, his power reacheth even to the spirits & souls of men, whereby he works in the children of disobedience, Eph. 2. 2. his principallitie is so great, that no strength, no defense of man is able to withstand it, unlesse man take unto himselfe the whole armor of God, Eph. 6. 10.

Now although the Devil, be so malitious an enemie of mankind, that he ceaseth not to deuise, whatever may be hurtfull unto them; and withall so powerfull in his attempts, that no man by his own proper strength, is able to resist him: yet he cannot put the least part of his power in execution, in what time, place, or manner he desireth. The reason is, because God has determined his power, by certaine bounds and limits, which he cannot passe: and they are especially two.

The one is, his own nature, whereby he is a creature, and therefore finite. Hence it is, that he can neither know, nor doe any thing, that is beyond the reach or capacitie of his nature, or aboue the power and skill of a creature. For example, he cannot directly and immediately know the deepe things of God, unlesse they be reuealed unto him: nor yet the secrets of mans heart. None knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him: even so, the things of God knows none, but the spirit of God, 1. Cor. 2. 11. Again, he cannot doe that which is truely and properly a miracle, the cause wherof is hidden and utterly unknowne, and which comes not within the power and order of nature. For this is proper unto God, who onely does things simply wonderfull, Psal. 77. 14.

The second thing whereby Satans power is restrained, is the will of God. For looke as the sea, being by nature, apt to ouerflowe the whole earth, is kept in, and shut vp within the shore, (as it were) with dores or gates, that it cannot break forth; and that by the Lord himselfe, who has established his decree upon it, Job. 38. So though Satan be by nature strong, and his malice great, yet can he doe nothing at all, no nor execute his natural power, to the hurt, and preiudice of any man, without the will and permission of God. Thus the euill spirit, could not goe forth to deceive Ahab, untill the Lord had said unto him, Goe and you shall preaile, 1. King. 22. 22. Thus the Devil, could not touch the body, children, goods, or friendes of righteous Job, whilest he was fenced and fortified, by the power and providence of God. But when the Lord, in regard of Iobs outward estate, had given him leave, & said, Loe all that he has is in your hand, then did he exercise his power, to the vtmost: yet so farre onely, as he was permitted, and no further. Job. 1. 12.

The consideration of this first point, that Satans power is determined by God, will serue to stay the minds of those, whose persons, houses, or friends are molested by him. For hereupon it follows, that God, who has the Devil bound vp (as it were) in chaines, will not suffer his power to be inlarged, against his own children, to their destruction and confusion: but so far forth alone, as shall be expedient for their good and saluation. Againe, that God being their father in Christ Jesus, they may in the case of such affliction, have accesse unto him, & call upon him, for the restraint of Satans power and malice, and consequently, for the deliuerance of them and theirs.

A second Rule is this Such persons must have recourse to God in his word, in which he promiseth his presence and protection, to his children, in their greatest dangers. And namely, that there shall no euill come unto them, neither anyplague shall come neere their dwelling: because he will give his Angels charge ouer them, to keepe them in all their waies. Againe, that he wil be a wall of fire, round about his people. Zach. 2. 5. that he will extend peace ouer his Church, like a stood. Isa. 66. 12. And that there shall be no sorcerie in Iacob, nor south saying in Israel. Numb. 23. 22. And by this meanes, possessions and witchcraft, though they befall Gods children, yet they shall turne to their good, rather then their hurt.

Thirdly, it must be considered, that the best seruants of God, have beene in their times molested by the Devil. Christ in his second temptation, was carried by the Devil, from the wildernes, to a wing of the Temple of Ierusalem. The children of Job, were destroied by the Devil, and he himselfe was filled with botches, and sores. A certaine woman, even a daughter of Abraham, that is, one following the faith of Abraham was troubled with a spirit of infirmity, eighteene yeares together. Matth. 15. 21, 22. And the daughter of the woman of Canaan, was grievously vexed with a Devil.

Fourthly, men in this case, ought to lay fast hold, upon the promise of life euerlasting, and must wait the Lords leisure, not limiting him in respect of time, or meanes of deliuerance. This was the practise of Job, Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him. And of holy Abraham, who did not limit God, but was content to doe with Isaac, what the Lord would: and though it was in likelyhood, a meane to bereaue him of all posteritie, yet still he kept himselfe to the promise.

In the molestation and annoiance of houses by spirits, two things are to be remembred.

First, men must not consort together, and abide there, where it is certenly knowne, that the Lord has given the Devil power and libertie; least in so doing, they tempt the Lord. Our Savior Christ, did not of his own private motion and will, betake himselfe into the wildernes, but by the direction of the holy Ghost. Math. 4. 1. Paul in like manner, did not of his own head goe to Ierusalem, but upon the motion of the Spirit. Act. 20. 22. In the light of these examples men are taught, not to cast themselues, into any places of apparent danger: much lesse to frequent those, which God has deliuered vp, into the power of Satan. And this condemns the rash, and headie conceits of some persons, who upon confidence of their own strength, doe put then selues into needlesse dangers, hauing neither extraordinarie calling from God, nor any sufficient warrant out of his word.

If it be asked, what men are to doe in this case? I answer, First, that they ought rather to flie to God by praier, and to draw neere unto him in their hearts: and he in mercle will draw neere unto them.

Secondarily, that which we doe in meates and drinkes, is also to be done in the houses and places where we dwell. And what is that? we must sanctifie them to our use, by the word and praier. Noah at Gods commandement, went into the Arke, abode in it, and came out againe: and when he came forth of it, into the earth afterward; it is said of him, that he built an Altar, gaue thankes to God for his deliuerance, and praied the Lord, to vouchsafe him the use of the earth, as he had before. Though Abraham had a promise of the land of Canaan, to him and his posteritie for ever, yet he went not out of his countrey toward it, till the Lord commanded him: and when he was come thither, he built an Altar, for the worship and seruice of God. The like he did afterward at Bethel. And many yeres after, did Iacob offer sacrifice unto God, in the same Bethel, when he came to dwell there. And for this very ende, in the law, by a special ordinance the first frutes of the haruest were offered to sanctifie the rest of the corne. And somuch touching the second distress.

The Third kind of trouble of mind, is that which ariseth of the Tentation of Blasphemy, which in regard of the vilenes and vglinesse thereof: is not amisse tearmed by some, the foule Tentation. And it is, when a man is troubled in his minde, with blasphemous cogitations and thoughts, directly against the Maiestie of God, the father, the sonne, and the holy Ghost. As for example: to thinke that God is not just, mercifull: that he accepteth mens persons: that he has not knowledge of things, that are done here below, or at least that he does not regard them: that God cannot doe this or that: that he is injurious to some men, and partiall to others, &c. These and such like blasphemous thoughts there be, which are not fit to be uttered amongst men: forasmuch as they are most horrible, and execrable, as any can be conceived.

That we may the better know this Temptation, let it be considered, what are the forerunners thereof, and by what meanes, it takes place in the heart possessed of it.

Sometimes it commeth, meerely and onely of the suggestion of the Devil; which troubleth the phantasie, even of those which are in that regard innocent, and casteth into their hearts, impure and ungodly thoughts. Sometimes againe, it comes upon men, by an euill custome: when as they willingly lend their eares, to leude and cursed speeches, that immediatly tend to the dishonour of God, or the wilfull abuse of his word, his judgments, and mercies: and upon the hearing, either give their applause and approbation, though not expressely; or doe not hinder or stay them, as much as in them lieth. Otherwhiles, it creepes into the heart of man by degrees, when he beginnes to waxe cold in Gods seruice, to make little conscience of those duties, that immediatly concerne his worship, & consequently inures himselfe, to the taking of the name of God in vaine, by often and eauselesse swearing, for swearing, cursing, &c. By these and such like meanes, is this foule and horrible tentation conuaied into the minde of man.

Now the danger of it, whether it ariseth fron these, or any other causes, is exceeding grievous, specially to those, that have begun to chuse the way of truth, and to applie their hearts to serue God, and to feare his name. For it brings forth strange and fearefull effects, as namely, desperation, & manifold horrors & troubles of mind: yea divers persons have hereupon bin astonished in such sort, that they have bin moved to make dispatch of thenselues; being in their own judgment no better, then the very firebrands of hell,

Now for the Curing of this wonderfull trouble, & distraction of Conscience, two things are to be done: to wit, Inquirie must be made into the next causes, whence this Tentation should arise: and after that, the Remedie is to be applied.

For the first. Inquitie must be made, whether the present distress, had his beginning from the thoughts of a mans own minde, or from the suggestion of the Devil. For this is in all likelyhood, the next way to minister Comfort, to the afflicted partie.

It may be saide, How shall a man discerne the thoughts that are from the Devil, from his own thoughts? Ans. He shall know them by sundrie notes.

First, by the entrance of them into the mind. For those that come from the Devil, come speedily, as lightning into a house: and they are after a sort, forced into the minde by violence, so as the partie cannot auoid them: and they come into the minde againe and againe, yea a thousand times in a day, so as, by their often comming, they weaken the memorie, dull the senses, wearie and confound the braine. These are thoughts that come from the Devil, and by him are conuaied from without, into the minde of man. And if such cogitations, were from a mans own selfe, they would not come with so great vehemencie and celeritie, but with leisure: and they would rise with more moderation, and lesse violence: Yea further, the frequent use of them, would not produce so many, and so fearefull effects as it does.

Secondly, such thoughts may be discerned, to come from the Devil, by this signe; because they are against the very light of nature, against natural knowledge, reason, & conscience. For they are most wicked and deuillish, fastning upon God, things that are most vile and monstrous: whereas commonly, the thoughts that arise fron our own corrupt nature, are not against the light of nature, though they be most corrupt.

The third signe is, that at the first conceiving of them, the partie is smitten with an extraordinarie feare, his flesh is troubled, and oftentimes, sicknes & faintings do follow. But the thoughts that men conceive of themselues, cause neither feare, nor fainting, nor sicknes.

Fourthly, blasphemous thoughts, cannot come ordinarily from the heart of any, save of those alone, that are of reprobate minds. But the parties that are thus distressed, are honest, ciuill, and such as profess the Gospel, at least in show; yea sometime they befall such, as are the true menbers of Christ. Therfore it is manifest, that they come from without, even from the Devil casting them into the minde, and not from within a mans own selfe.

In the next place, Inquirie must be made, whether the partie does approve, loue, & like these and such like thoughts, or no? To this he will answer, if he be asked, that he abhorres then as the Devil and Hell it selfe: thus even natural men will answer, and that truly.

After Inquirie thus made, the Remedie is to be applied. And the first and principal remedic, pertaines to doctrine, and instruction: in which the partie is to be informed of his or her estate; namely, that the foresaid blasphemies, are not his sins, but his crosses. For they are the Deuills sins, and he shal answer for them: and they are not ours, till we intertaine, receive, approve, and give consent unto them.

For proofe hereof, let this be considered, That uncleane thoughts which have their residence in the minde of man, are of two sorts: Inward, and Outward. Inward are such, as have their original from the flesh, and arise of the corruption of mans nature, though stirred vp by the Devil. And these, at the very first conceiving, are our sins, though they have no long abode in our mindes: and they are directly forbidden, in the tenth commandement. Outward thoughts are those, which have relation to an outward cause, or beginning: of which sort are those euill thoughts, that be conucied into the minde by the Devil: and if we take no pleasure in them, nor yeeld consent unto then, they are not to be accounted our sins, but the Devils, by whome they are suggested. The truth hereof appeares in Christs example; into whose minde the devil cast this blasphemous tentation, therby moving him to infidelitie, couetousnes, & idolatry: which nevertheless were not his sins, because his holy heart gaue not the least approbation to then, but abhorred & repelled then, & therfore was free fron any taint of sin, in or by them.

This distinction of thoughts must be remembred. For hence it followes, that blasphemous thoughts, not consented to by vs, are not our sins, but the Devils: Even as in like case, when one wickedly disposed, sollicites another to treason, or murder: if the said partie listen not, nor yeild thereto, he cannot be holden guiltie of those crimes. Therefore men must not feare those kind of thoghts ouermuch: at least, if they please not themselues ouermuch in them: because, though they be indeede their crosses, yet are they not their personal sins, for which they shall incurre the wrath and displeasure of God. Againe, they must let them goe as they come: they are not to striue against them, for the more they labor to resist them, the more shall they be intangled with them.

The second thing to be used in way of remedie, for the staying of the mind in this tentation, is, that though it should be graunted, that the foresaid euill and blasphemous thoughts are our sins, yet we are to remember, that they may through the mercy and goodnesse of God, be pardoned: if they be heartily and unfainedly repented of: yea further, that neither they, nor any other sins (except that against the Holy Ghost) doe condemne him, that praieth against them, and is heartily sorrie for them.

It was Pauls complaint, Rom. 7. 19. That he did not the good which he would doe, speaking of the inward endeavor of his heart: and againe, that he did the euill which he would not, meaning in respect of the corruption of his nature. Now upon this, that he endeavored to doe that, which was agreeable to the will of God, that he loathed and detested the contrarie, & stroue against his corruptions, how did he comfort himselfe? Marke words following, v. 20. If I do that I would not: that is to say, if against my general purpose, I sin against God; if I be sorrie for it, if I be displeased with my selfe, in that I cannot obey God, in that perfection I desire, It is no more I that doe it, but sin that dwelleth in me. From this example of Paul I gather, that if any man, have in his minde euill thoughts, and doeth (as Paul did) grieue, because he thereby offends God; if he doe abhorre them, and pray against them, he shall not be condemned for them; they shall never be laid to his charge. The partie then that is troubled with these thoughts, may upon these grounds, stay his minde, and comfort himselfe: for if he shall not be condemned for them, then let him not feare them aboue measure.

The third point to be remembred is, that the partie must not be alone. For this Tentation beginnes, and is confirmed by solitarinesse; and the parties thus distressed, loue to be apart by themselues, from the society of others: and for that cause, in case they be lyable to this distress, they must use to solace themselues, in good company, that is meere and fit for them: and their mindes are to be exercised, in holy meditation of the word, and singing of Psalmes; and they are to be occupied in good speech and conference. Our first parent Eue was tempted by Sathan, when shee was apart from Adam: and our Sauiout Christ, when he was alone out of company and society, then was he by the malice of the Devil, in the wildernesse, assaulted with strong and mightie tentations.

The fourth point, to be remembred of the partie troubled is, that he must as heartely and earnestly repent him, of those his euill thoughts, as of euill wordes and deedes. For the trueth is, because men have no more care of their thoughts, then commonly they have; therefore the Lord justly suffers the devil to plague them, and torment them, by conuaying into their hearts, most vile and damnable cogitations. Furthermore, the said partie must labor to be renued in the spirit of his minde, that is, to have his minde inlightened by the spirit, whereby he may know and understand the will of God in his word. After repentance for euill thoughts, there must follow watchfulnesse, and a carefull circumspection ouer all his waies; but principally, he must have an eie unto his heart, the fountain of all. Keepe your heart with all diligence, says Salomon: that is, aboue all things see that you countergard your thoughts, desires, motions, and affections.

That the heart of a man may be garded, two rules are to be obserued. First, that the word of God dwell plentifully in it: for by this meanes, it is guided and directed, that it swarue not from God and his word; and our hearts are then ruled and gouerned by the word, when we know & meditate, upon the commandements and promises of God. This rule is of special use. For therfore doe men hatch, & breed euill thoughts in their hearts, because they are not taken vp with holy meditations: & hence it is, that the heart of man, is made even a pray unto the devil, because the word of God is not lodged therein. Excellent was the practise of David in this case, who keptthe word of God in his heart, that he mighe notsinne against him.

The second rule of the keeping of the heart, is to establish our thoughts by counsell. It is the wisemans aduise in so many words. Prou. 20. 18. wherin he would teach vs, that it is the property of a worldly wise man, in matters of waight, not to trust to his own wit, but to follow the direction and counsel of wise and skilful men. And if this be a sound course in matters of the world, much more ought it to be taken, in the maine matters of religion, and conscience, concerning the heart and soul of man. And therfore by the law of proportion, it giues vs direction, not once to thinke or conceive, so much as a thought, but upon aduice and direction taken at God and his word. Your testimonies (says David) are my delight,and my counsellers. And what benefit had he by taking such a course? surely, by the word of God, which was his continuall meditation, he gat understanding, he became wiser then the ancient; it made him to hate al the waies of falshood: it kept him from declining from God, either to the right hand, or to the left. The same rule must be practized of vs, in the use of our senses, our speeches, and actions, and then shall the heart be kept cleane, and free from these temptations.

And seeing this temptation is so dangerous & fearefull, as has beene said, and doeth ost befall men: our dutie is to make conscience, of practising the foresaid rules continually. And thus much concerning the third kinde of distress of conscience.

The Fourth Distress of mind is that, which ariseth from a mans own sins, or rather from some one special sin committed. And this kind of tentation is twofold: For either it is more violent, and lesse common, or lesse violent and more common.

The violent Distress of minde, shewes it selfe by feares and terrors of the conscience, by doubtings of the mercy of God, by lamentable and fearefull complaints made to others. Nowe Question is moved, Howe this violent distress of minde, arising from our own sins, is to be cured? Answ. That it may be cured by the blessing of God, three things must be done.

First, that particular sin must be knowne, which is the cause of this violent distress. And here we are to know, by the way: that it is an vsuall thing, with the parties thus distressed, to dissemble and cloake their sins: and therefore they will alleadge, that their trouble ariseth fron some euill thoughts, from wicked affections, and from the corruption of nature: whereas commonly men are not distressed, in violent manner, for euill thoughts, affections, &c, but the violent distress commeth from some actual and odious sin or sins done, which wound the conscience, and are the causes of great distraction of minde: and they are many, which hauing bin upon occasion before rehearsed, I will not now repeat them. Onely this must be remembred, that the greater sins against the third, sixt, and seauenth commandements, are the maine and proper causes of violent distresses: and the more secret these sins are, the more horrour goeth with them.

Secondly, the particular sin being known, Inquiry must be made, as much as possibly may be, by signes, whether the partie distressed repents, yea or no. For except he has repented, he cannot be fitted to receive comfort: and unlesse he be first fitted to receive comfort, he cannot be releiued in Conscience. Now if it be found, that the partie has repented, then care must be had in the next place, that his repentance may be renued, for the particular sin committed.

Thirdly, hauing thus done, the comfort must be ministered, for the moderating, or taking away of the distress. And here remember by the way, that the comforts ministered, vsually & ordinarily must not go alone, but be mingled & tenpered, with some terrors of the Law: that being thereby feared, with the consideration of sin, and of the wrath of God due unto the same, the comfort may appeare to be the sweeter. The ministering whereof, in case of this distress, would not be direct and present, but by certaine steppes and degrees: except onely in the point of death: for then a directer course must be used. These degrees are two.

First, the partie is to be informed of a possibility of pardon, that is, that his sins are pardonable, and though in themselues they be great, and hainous, yet by the mercy of God in Christ, they may be remitted. Nowe put the case, that the afflicted apprenhendeth onely the odiousnesse of his sins, and the wrath of god due to the same, and in this fit puts off the pardon from himselfe, and cannot be perswaded that his sin may be forgiuen, what then is to be done? Ans. Then for the effecting of this first degree, certaine grounds are to be laid downe, whereupon assurance in that case may be built vp in his heart.

The first ground of possibility of pardon is, That the mercy of god is infinite, yea ouer al his works, Psal. 145. 9. That the death of Christis of infinite price, merit, and value before God. That God is muchin sparing, Isa. 55. 7. That with the Lord is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, Psal. 130. 7. That Christs satisfaction is not only aprice, but acounterprice, 1. Tim. 2. 6. able to satisfie for the sins of all men, yea for them that have sinned against the Holy Ghost: for that sin, is not therefore unpardonable, because the offense thereof is greater, then the merit of Christ: but because the partie offending neither does, nor can apply the merit of Christ unto himselfe. An ancient father upon Cains words, My punishment is greater then I can beare, says, You liest Cain, for Gods mercy is greater then your sins. The mercy of God was very great to Manasses, and to Salomon, and to many others, though they were great offenders.

The second ground. Men of yeares, living in the Church of God, and knowing the doctrine of saluation, shall not be condemned simply for their sins, but for lying in their sins. Upon this ground, I say, that men distressed must be grieved, not so much for committing of sin, as for lying and continuing in sins committed.

A third ground. It pleases God many times to leave men to themselues, and to suffer them to commit some sin that woundeth consceence. It is true and cannot be denied. But we must withall remember, that sins committed, doe not utterly take away grace, but rather make it the more to shine and show it selfe. For God in mercy turns all things, even sin it selfe, to the good of them that be his: and therfore sin committed cannot either waste, or extinguish grace received, but by diuihe dispensation, serueth to amplifie and inlarge the same; so as where sin aboundeth, there grace aboundeth much more. Rom. 5. 20. And the Lord said to Paul, being in great extremity. 2. Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect through weakenes. Hence it appears, that the grace of God is not utterly lost, but appears liuely in the time of distress.

The fourth ground is this. The promises of God touching remission of sins, and lfe eternal, in respect of believers are general, and in regard of all and euery man indefinite: that is, they doe not define, or exclude any person, or any sinner, or any time; onely they admit one exception, of finall impenitencie. Here a question may be moved, Howe long he that ministers comfort, must stand upon the possibility of pardon? I answer, untill he has brought the partie distressed, to some measure of true repentance: and this being done, then he is to proceede to the second degree of comfort.

The second degree of comfort is, to teach, that the sin or sins of the partie distressed, are indeede pardoned. But it may be asked, upon what signes may this comfort be applyed? I answere, upon these two. First, if the partie distressed confess, that he or shee is heartily grieved, that by their sin or sinns, they have offended so loving and so mercifull a God. Secondly, if they profess, that they desire with all their heart, to be reconciled unto God in Christ: and at least doe desire to repent for their sins; and withall doe carrie in heart, a purpose to sin no more, but in all things, (as much as in them lieth) to performe newe obedience unto God. Nowe for the better enforcing of this comfort, some textes of Scripture, fitting this purpose must be rehearsed, as for example, Matth. 9. 12, 13. I came not to call the righteous, that is to say, those that judge themselues righteous, but sinners, that is, those which are grieved, because in their own conscience, they are vile and hainous offenders, to repentance. Againe. Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me, allye that are wearie, and eauie laden, and I will refresh you.

To conclude this point, there remaines yet a further question to be resolued, and that is this. A man after repentance, for some grievous sin, falls into it againe, and is distressed more then before: It is a case somewhat grievous. For we know, that if a man be recouered of an ague, and through distemper in diet, or otherwise, makes a relapse ino it againe, his case is often desperate, and he hardly scapeth with his life. In the same manner, it is a dangerous case, if after repentance, men make a relapse into the same sin againe. It may then be asked, how such persons may be recouered after a relapse?

I answer, though we finde not any one particular example in scripture, of any one person, that was restored againe after a relapse: yet nevertheless there is some comfort for such persons. Upon what grounds may some say? Ans. Men that have not so much as a drop of mercy, in conparison of God, must forgiue their brethren often & many times, yea as our Savior Christ says to Peter, till seuenty times seauen times, if they returne & say it repents them. Now God is infinite in all his attributes. He is much in sparing: with him is plenteous redemption: and therefore he will questionlesse, upon true repentance, often forgiue & forget, even the same sin iterated againe and againe. Nowe these persons are to be releiued in this sort. First they must have their Consciences setled in this point, that their relapse is pardonable, though very dangerous. For proofe hereof read Esay 2. 18. Where mention is made of divers Apostataes, that were by God called to repentance, with promise of pardon, if they turned unto him. And in Luk. 15. the Prodigall child, (by whome I understand one, that after grace received, ell from his repentance and obedience to God) when he did but purpose in his heart to returne againe, was pardoned, and received into favor. In the 2. Cor. 5. 20. Paul says to the Corinths, that were fallen awayWe pray you in Christs steade that ye be reconciled unto God.

Secondly, being thus setled in conscience, they must againe repent them of their sins.

Thirdly and lastly, they are to be comforted, with the promise of remission of sins, after that some signes of renewed repentance for sins past, have beene given.

The Second Tentation or Trouble of minde, which is more common and lesse violent, befalls the children of God: and it is a grief of heart, more or lesse, wherby men are troubled, in respect of the want of grace in their hearts, and defects of obedience in their liues. Paul the deere seruant of God, was possessed with this trouble of minde, as we may read, Rom. 7. And indeede there is no childe of God, but more or lesse, one time or other, he feeles the stings of sin, & the buffeings of Satan, which cause grief in his heart. But this grief is a notable grace of God, and therefore they which want it, must labor to have it, and they which have it, must not seek to put it out, but to keep it in measure & order.

And the grounds of comfort, whereby the heart may be staied in this sorrow, that it be not immoderate, may be these.

I. Ground. It is Gods will, that the work of sanctification, or regeneration, should be imperfect in this life, and remaine unfinished til death. This point needs no proofe, for it is manifest both in the word of God, and in daily experience. The reasons for which God will have it to be so, may be these.

First of all, God giues grace, according to the measure, and manner of our receiving of it, which in this life is imperfect. Some giftes of God in Christ, bestowed on his seruants, as remission of sins by his death, and justification by his obedience, are not put into vs, but are only applyed and made ours by imputation. Some other giftes there be, which are infused and put into vs, as namely, sanctification, regeneration, the loue of God and man: and by one of these two meanes, to wit, either by imputation or infusion, are all the giftes of God in Christ made ours. Yet before we can have them, we must receive them: and the meanes whereby we receive them is faith, which God has ordained, to be the hand of our souls, to receive his benefits bestowed on vs. Which faith because it is weake and imperfect, in this life, therefore the gifts which we receive thereby, are also imperfect. For though Gods benefits be like a bottomlesse sea, yet the faith, whereby we lay hold of them, is like unto a vessell with a narrowe necke, which though it be cast into the great Ocean, receives but a litle water at once, & that by degrees, drop by droppe, according to the widenesse of the mouth. And hence it is, that though the giftes of God without vs, which are ours by imputation, be perfect; yet all such graces as are put into vs, are weake and imperfect.

Secondly, if any seruant of God, should be perfectly regenerate, and made absolutely holy in this life: then he should fulfill the moral lawe, and so become a Savior to himselfe: and by the tenour of the law have life: & so should not Christ be a Savior properly, but only an instrument, to dispose vs, to the keeping of the law, whereby we might save our selues. But there is one only al-sufficient Savior, Christ Jesus: & the beginning, the middle, & the acconplishment of our saluation, is to be ascribed to him alone.

Thirdly, it is the will of God, that his own children, with whome he is well pleased in Christ, should bee brought to nothing in themselues, that they might be all in all out of themselues in Christ: being, as it were, emptied of selfe-loue, and of all confidence in their own goodnesse. But if sanctification should be perfect at the first, then a man should not goe out of himselfe, but would rather stay as he is, and rest contented in his own goodnesse. For this cause Paul, after his exaltation, was buffered by Satans temptations, that he might not be exalted out of measure, 2. Cor. 12. but should content himselfe with this, that he was in the loue and favor of God in Christ.

II. Ground is: To consider, what makes a man professing Christ, accepted of God, and howe much he himselfe must doe, for this ende? The substance of all things to be done of vs for this ende, that we may become the children of God, may be reduced to three heads.

First of all, we must heartily bewaile our sinnefull liues past, and seriously humble our selues, in regard of our own sins, both of heart and life: and if by occasion wee fall into any sin, we must not lie therein, but by speedie repentance, recouer our former estate.

Secondly, in regard of the sinnefulnesse of our hearts and liues, in times past, we must rest our selues on Gods mercy alone, flying to the throne of mercy for the pardon of them all.

Thirdly, we must endeavor in the course of our liues afterward, to performe obedience to God in all his commandements: that thereby we may show our selues thankefull to him for his mercy.

Consider the examples of this practise in Gods children. All that David that worthy seruant of God could doe, after his sins committed, to bring himselfe againe into the favor of God, whome he had offended, consisted of these very heads, which have beene named; Repentance, Confidence, and Affiance in Gods mercy, and Performance of new obedience. And this his practise was verified, amongst many other places, specially in the 119. Psalme, and in all the Psalmes commonly called penitentiall. Againe, the Prophet Daniel was accepted of God onely for the doing of these things. Dan. 9. And in like manner was Paul, and the rest of the Apostles.

Yet here remaines a great difficultie. Many a good seruant of God, may, and does truly say of himselfe, I bewaile my sins, and doe in some sort rest on Gods mercy, and withall I endeauour to performe new obedience: but alas! here is my grief, I cannot doe these things as I would. In matter of sorrow and grief, I am troubled with hardnes of heart: in occasions of boldnes and confidence, with doubting: in endeavor to obey, with many sins, and sundrie faults. For the staying and moderating of this grief, these rules may further be remembred.

The first Rule. If there be in the minde, a purpose not to sin, in the wil, a desire to please God, and in the whole man, an endeavor to performe the purpose of the minde, and the desire of the will: marke what follows upon this: God in mercy accepteth the purpose and will to obey, for obedience it selfe; yea though a man faile in the very act, and doe not so well as he should. This is a great mercy of God, and we can never be sufficiently thankfull for the same. But yet that we may not here delude our hearts with conceits, and blesse our selues in vaine: we must know, that God does not alwaies accept the will for the deede, unlesse there be a constant purpose in heart, a true desire in will, and some resolued endeauour sutable in the life. Malach. 3. 17. Goa spares them that feare him, as a father spares his own child. How is that? though the childe being commanded some busines, goeth about it very unhandsomly, and so the deede be done to small purpose: yet the father accepts it as well done, if he see the childe yeelde unto his commandement, and doe his endeavor, to the uttermost of his power. Even so will God deale with those that be his children.

But how will some say, can God accept a work of ours that is imperfect? Ans. So farre forth, as the obedience is done in truth, so farre forth God accepts it, because it is his own work in vs: and as it is ours, he pardons it unto vs, because we are in Christ.

A second Rule is laide downe, Rom. 7. 19. where Paul says to this purpose, the good which I would doe, I doe not, and the euill which I would not, that doe I. In these words, is set downe the state of all regenerate men in this life: and the meaning is this. The good things which God has commaunded, I doe them, but not as I would, and the euill forbidden I auoid, but not as I would. This we shall see to be true by comparing the voyces of three kindes of men together. The carnall man says, I do not that which is good, neither will I do it, and that which is euill I do, and I will do it. Contrariwise, the man glorified, he says, That which is good I do and will do it, and that which is euill I do not, neither will I do it. The regenerate man, in a midle betweene them both, he says; The good things commanded I do, but not as I would; the euill things forbidden I auoid, but not as I would.

And this is the estate of the child of God in this life, who in this regard, is like unto a diseased man, who loues his health and therefore obserues both diet and physicke: and yet he often falls into his fit againe, (though he be never so carefull to obserue the rules of the Physitian) by reason of the distemperature of his body: and hereupon is faine to goe to the Physitian the second time for new counsell. In like manner, Gods children, have indeede in their hearts, a care to please and obey God; but by reason of sin that dwelleth in them, they faile often, and so are faine to humble themselues againe before him, by new repentance. Againe, the seruants of God are like to a man, by some suddaine accident cast into the sea, who in striuing to save himselfe from drowning, puts to all his strength, to swimme to the shore, and being come almost unto it, there meetes him a waue or billow, which driues him cleane backe againe, it may be a mile or further, and then the former hope and joy conceived of escape, is sore abated: yet he returnes againe, and still labors to come to the land and never rests till he attaine unto it.

III. Ground. He that is indeede regenerate, has this privilege, that the corruption of nature, is no part of him, neither does it belong to his person, in respect of divine imputation. Paul says of himselfe, Rom. 7. 17. It is no more I, but sin that dwelleth in me. In which words, he distinguisheth betweene his own person, and sin that is in him. For in man regenerate, there be three things, the body, the soul, & the gift of Gods image restored againe. Now touching the corruption of nature, that is in his person, and so may be said to be his; but it belongs not to the man regenerate, it is not his, because it is not imputed to him, and so indeede is, as though it were not in him. The Apostle 1. Thes. 5. 23. praies for the Thessalonians, that God would sanctifie them throughout, and preserue their whole spirit, soul, and body. Of which place (amongst many) this exposition may be given. The Apostle speaking of men regenerate, and sanctified, makes three parts in them: body, soul, and spirit: and by spirit, we are to understand, not the conscience, but the gift of regeneration, and sanctification, which is in the whole man body & soul, opposed to the flesh, which in a natural man, is that which is called the old man, Rom. 7. And the praier which Paul makes in the behalfe of the Thessalonians, teaches vs in effect thus much; that though corruption remaine in the regenerate, after regeneration; yet in respect of divine acceptation, he is accounted as righteous, and so continueth: his sin, (by the mercy of God in Christ) not being imputed to him to condemnation. And so much for that point.

Now these Grounds of comfort, and others of the like nature, may serue to sustaine and vphold the hearts of the children of God, when they shall be pressed and troubled, in consideration of their estate in this life, which cannot till death, be fully freed, from much weaknes and manifold imperfections.

The Fifth and last kinde of Temptation or Trouble of mind, ariseth from a mans ovvne body.

Before I enter to speake thereof, one Question, in the meane time, must be answered, namely, How the body should, or how it can trouble the minde, considering that the soul or mind, is not bodily, but spiritual: and it is against reason, that that which is bodily, should either alter or trouble a spirit. For an answer hereunto, these things must be considered.

First of all, the actions of man, doe proceede from one onely fountain, and common cause, the soul; and are done by the power thereof. The body of it self, is not an agent in any work, but as it were a dead instrument, in & by which the soul produceth all actions and works.

Secondly, the most of the works of the soul, and minde of man, are such, as are performed by the body, and the parts thereof, and by the spirits that are seated in the body, as by instruments. Indeede some actions of the soul & mind, are done without the helpe of the body; but I say, that the most actions thereof, are performed by the body, and spirits therein contained. Yet these spirits in thenselues, are no agents at all: but the onely agent in any work, is the soul it selfe. For example: the using of the outward senses, as of sight, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, as also of the inward, as imagination, memorie, &c. all this is done by the braine, and the parts of the braine, as proper instruments. All affections both good and bad, are acted by the soul; but yet they come from the heart, as the seat thereof. So also the power of nourishment, comes from the liuer, as the instrument, whereby the soul nourisheth the body.

Now then the body affecteth the soul and minde thus: The body and the soul are so joined together, that they make one person, and thus, the body being troubled, the soul is also troubled: yet is not this done, by any dividing of the soul. For it cannot be divided. Neither by diminishing the parts of the soul, but onely by corrupting the action of the minde, or more properly, by corrupting the next instrument of the minde.

This may be conceived by a comparison. A skilful artificer in any science, has an unfit toole, and a naughtie instrument to work withall: his skill is good, and his abilitie is sufficient, but his instrument whereby he works is unperfect: and therefore he brings forth an imperfect work. Now his toole takes not away the skill of his workmanship, nor his power of working, but keepes him fron doing that well, which otherwise he should and could doe well. In like manner, the body being corrupted, hinders the work of the soul. It does not take away the work of the soul, nor the abilitie of working: but because it is a corrupt instrument, it makes the soul to bring forth a corrupt work.

The Temptation follows. The body causes the trouble of the mind two waies, either by Melancholie, or by other strange alterations in the parts of the body, which oftentimes befall men: in what sort we shall see afterwards. For it is a very common thing, yea more common then the former.

Touching Melancholy, sundrie things are to be considered for our instruction, and for the Remedie of that euill.

And first of all, if it be asked what Melancholie is? I answer, it is a kind of earthie & black blood, that is specially in the splene, being stopt; which conuaieth it selfe to the heart, and the braine, and there partly by his corrupt subsiance, and specially by his contagious quality, annoyeth both heart and braine, being the seat & instrument of reason.

The second is, what are the effects and operations of Melancholie? Ans. They are strange, and often fearefull. There is no humour, yea nothing in mans body, that has so strange effects, as this humour has, being once distempered. An auncient Divine calls it the Deuills bait, because the Devil, by Gods just permission, conueies himselfe into this humour, and works strange conceits. When the euill Spirit came upon Saul, it so tempted him, that he would have slaine him that was next unto him: how so? surely, because God in justice withdrew his spirit of gouernment from him, and suffered Satan, to enter into the humour of choler, or melancholie, or both, and by this meanes caused him to offer violence to David.

Now the effects thereof in particular, are of two sorts. The first effect, is in the braine and head. For this humour being corrupted, it sends vp noysome spirits, and filleth the instrument of reason (as it were) with a myst, and makes it unfit to use reason. Hence followes the first effect, strange imaginations, conceits and opinions, framed in the minde: which are the first work of this humor, not properly: but because it corrupteth the instrument, and the instrument being corrupted, the facultie cannot bring forth good, but corrupt actions.

For example. That which they call the beast like Melancholie is, when a man thinkes himselfe to be a beast of this or that kind, and carries himselfe accordingly. Of this sort, are those, that thinke themselues to be wolues, and practise wolvish behavior. Thus we read, Dan. 4. 30. that Nebuchad-nezzar lived, behaued himselfe, and fed as a beast. Some say, that he loss his soul, and had the soul of a beast. But they ere. For there is no such transportation of souls into bodies, either of men, or beasts. Others thinke, that Nebuchadnezzar was smitten in the brain with this disease, and in a beastly imagination carried himselfe as a beast. And this interpretation is not against the text: for in the 31. verse of that chapter it is said, that his minde came to him againe: and therefore in the disease, his understanding, & the right use of his reason was lost. And the like is true in history, by divers examples, though it were not true in Nebuchadnezzar.

Againe, take another example, that is common and ordinarie. Let a Melancholike person upon the sudden, see some fearefull thing, the strength of his imagination presently fasteneth the thing upon himselfe. As if he see or heare that a man is hanged, or possessed with a Devil, it presently comes to his minde, that he must be hanged, that he is or shall be possessed. Likewise upon relation of fearefull things, presently his phantasi: works, and he imagineth, that the thing is alreadie, or shall befall him. And this imagination, when it enters once & takes place, it brings forth horrible and fearefull effects.

The second effect or work of Melancholie, is upon the heart. When the mind has conceived and framed fearefull things, there is a concord and consent between heart & affection, & then comes affection, and is answerable to imagination. Hence doe proceede exceeding horrors, feares, and despaires, and yet the Conscience for all this untouched, and not troubled or disquieted.

Thirdly, it may be demanded, whether there be any difference betweene the trouble of Conscience and Melancholie? for many hold, that they are all one. Ans. They are not all one, but differ much. Affliction of Conscience is one thing, trouble by Melancholie is another: and they are plainly distinguished thus. First, when the Conscience is troubled, the affliction it selfe is in the Conscience, and so in the whole man. But in Melancholie, the imagination is disturbed, & not the Conscience. Secondly, the Conscience afflicted, has a true and certen cause, wherby it is troubled, namely, the sight of sin: but in Melancholie, the imagination conceiveth a thing to be so, which is not so: for it makes a man to feare and despaire, upon supposed and fained causes. Thirdly, the man afflicted in Conscience, has courage in many things: but the Melancholike man feares euery man, euery creature, yea himselfe, and has no courage: when there is no cause of feare, he feares. Fourthly, imaginations in the braine caused by Melancholie, may be cured, taken away, and cut off by meanes of Physicke: but the distress of Conscience, cannot be cured by any thing in the world but one, and that is the blood of Christ, and the assurance of Gods favor.

Fourthly, the way to cure Melancholy is this. First the person troubled must be brought to this; that he will content himselfe, to be aduertised and ruled, not by his own, but by the judgment of others, touching his own estate: and by this shall be reape much quiet and contentation.

Secondly search & triall must be made, whether he has in him any beginnings of faith and repentance or no. If he want knowledge of his estate, then meanes must be used, to bring him to some sight and sorrow for his sins, that his melancholy sorrow, may be turned into a godly sorrow. If he want faith and true repentance, some good beginnings thereof must be wrought in his heart.

Thirdly, when he is brought to faith in Gods mercy, and an honest purpose not to sin any more; then certaine mercifull promises of God, are to be laid before his eies: and he must be exhorrd, to rest upon these promises, and at no time to admit any imagination or thought, that may crosse the said promises. Now the promises are these and such like: Psal. 34. 9. No good thing shall be wanting to them that feare God. Psal. 91. 10 No euill shall come neere the godly man. 2. Chron. 15. The Lord is with you, whileyou are with him, and if you seeke him, he will be found of you. Iam. 4. 8. Drawe nere to God, and he will draw neere to you. And the best meanes to cause any man thus diseased, to be at peace with himselfe, is to hold, believe, & know the truth of these promises, and not to suffer any bythought to enter into his heart, that may crosse them.

Moreouer, though the former promises may stay the minde, yet will they not take away the humour, except further helpe be used. Therefore the fourth and last helpe, is the arte of Physicke, which serues to correct and abate the humour, because it is a meanes by the blessing of God, to restore the health, and to cure the distemper of the body. And thus much touching the trouble of minde, caused by Melancholy.

The second meanes whereby the body annoies the minde is, when it occasions trouble to the minde, by strange alterations incident to the body. When a man beginnes to enter into a Phrensie, if the braine admit never so little alteration, presently the minde is troubled. Thus by the trembling of the heart, many fearefull imaginations are caused, when a man knowes not the cause. The same is procured by the swelling of the splene, by the rising of the entralls, by strange convulsions, and such like.

The remedie hereof is this. First it is still to be considered, whether the partie thus troubled has true faith and repentance or no. If he has, it is so much the better. If he has not, the first dutie is to use all meanes, to stir vp in him some godly sorrow for his sins.

Secondly, this being done, meanes must be used to take away the opinion conceived, and to give information of the alteration of the body, and of the true cause thereof. This being knowne, the grief or feare conceived, will easily be staid. For take away the false opinion, and informe judgment, and the whole man will be the better.

Thirdly, the opinion being altered and reformed, it may be the alteration in the body will remaine: the partie therefore in that case must be taught, that it is a correction of God, and that God does not barely suffer the correction to be inflicted, but is the very author of it: and therefore the partie is to be well pleased, and to reioice in that will of God. For euery present estate, whether it be good or badde, is the best state for vs, because it comes by the wil of God.

And thus much touching the distinct kindes of distresses of minde. I adde this one thing further, that if we make examination of the estate of such persons, as are troubled with any of these fiue temptations, we shall not vsually find them single, but mixed together, especially Melancholy, with some other temptations.

And so much of the first Sort of Questions, concerning Man simply considered in himselfe.

FINIS.

The last general question concerning a person as a Christian is: how may a person who is in distress of mind be comforted and relieved?

Setting aside all surrounding details — for much could be said about this question — I will set down only what I take to be most essential to the matter at hand.

Distress of mind — which Solomon calls a broken or troubled spirit — is when a person is unsettled and disordered in conscience, and consequently in his affections, regarding his standing before God. This distress has two degrees: the lesser and the greater. The lesser is a simple fear or grief, when a person is in suspense and doubt about his own salvation and fears he will be condemned. The greater distress is despair, when a person has, in his own sense and experience, no hope of salvation at all. I call despair the greater distress because it is not a separate kind of trouble of mind — as some think — but rather the highest degree found in every kind of distress. For every distress of mind is a fear of condemnation, and if left uncured it will eventually come to despair.

All distress of mind arises from temptation — either ongoing or newly begun. These two are so necessarily connected and so inseparably accompany each other that no distress of any kind can be separated from temptation. Therefore, according to the various kinds of temptations that befall people, the distresses of mind must be distinguished.

Now temptations are of two sorts: either temptations of trial or temptations of seduction. Temptations of trial are those that befall people for the testing and proving of the grace of God in them. These are of two kinds. The first is a direct and immediate combat of the conscience with the wrath of God. Being the most grievous temptation that can exist, it causes the greatest and deepest distress of conscience. The second is the trial of the cross — that is, outward affliction — by which God tests the faith of His children, and not only faith, but also their hope, patience, and trust in His mercy for their deliverance.

Temptations of seduction are those by which people are enticed to fall from God and Christ into some kind of evil. These are of three kinds. The first is the temptation of blasphemy — the blasphemous temptation — which comes directly from the devil. The second comes from a person's own sins, both original and actual. This also has various branches, as we will see later. The third proceeds from a corrupted and deceived imagination. Corresponding to these different kinds of temptations are different kinds of distress. And just as all temptations may be reduced to those five kinds, so all distresses may be reduced to five heads, arising from the temptations named above.

Before addressing each kind of distress in particular, we must first consider what is the best and most reliable general remedy that may serve for all of these — or any other kind of temptation that a person may face. With this established, the cure of any particular distress will be easier to see.

This general remedy is the applying of the promise of everlasting life in and through the blood of Christ. For no medicine, no human art or skill, can cure a wounded and distressed conscience — only the blood of Christ can do that. No one doubts that this is the sovereign remedy above all others. The main difficulty lies in how to proceed in applying the promise. In this, three things must be done.

First of all, the person must disclose the cause of his particular distress, so that the remedy may be better applied. For simply opening up the cause is itself a great relief to the mind, even before any remedy is applied. Yet by the way, care must be taken that what is disclosed is not harmful to the person to whom it is revealed. For the distress may arise from some involvement in matters of treason, by concealing which the person hearing the disclosure might himself become entangled in the same danger.

Second, if the cause can be known — for sometimes it is hidden even from the distressed person — then inquiry must be made as to whether the person is fit for comfort or not. For if he is found to be unfit, the word of God will be misapplied and consequently abused. His readiness for comfort may be discovered by searching whether he has been humbled for his sins or not. For people can be in great distress and yet not at all touched for their sins. This humiliation consists in sorrow for sin, with confession of it to God, earnest prayer for its pardon, and a heartfelt desire for a changed life. But if on the other side the person is unhumbled, then the first and principal concern must be to work in him some beginning of humiliation. This may be done through friendly and Christian conversation, in which he must first be brought to see and seriously consider his own sins — and second, to grieve and be sorry for them, at least for some of the most significant ones.

Regarding this sorrow, two things must be remembered. First, the nature of worldly sorrow must be changed — turned and redirected into sorrow according to God. If a person is in danger of his life from a nosebleed, medical experience teaches that the physician should open a vein and draw blood from the arm, to redirect the flow another way. A similar approach must be taken with those who are troubled by worldly sorrow in their distress: the course of their grief must be redirected, causing them to grieve not for worldly reasons, or only out of fear of punishment for their sins, but principally because of the offense against God in and through the sins they have committed.

This done, a second concern must be that this sorrow for sin not be vague, but specific. The person in sorrow must not be grieved merely because he is a sinner like other people, but more particularly because of this or that specific sin — so that his sorrow in regard to sin may be focused and brought, as it were, to a particular point. In this case, those caring for the distressed person must deal with him as surgeons deal with a tumor or swelling in the body. Surgeons apply drawing and ripening plasters to the affected area, to bring the sore to a head so that the infection may be discharged from one specific place. After this, healing plasters are applied and do great work in curing it. In the same way, vague grief must be directed to specific matters. Only then — and not before — is a person ready for comfort, when his conscience is specifically touched in regard to one or more distinct and particular offenses. And the person who is truly and sincerely grieved from the heart for one sin will proportionally be grieved for all the sins he knows to be in himself.

The third thing required in applying this remedy is the ministering and conveying of comfort to the mind of the one who has confessed his sins and been truly humbled. This is the most important point of all. If the question is how this comfort should be ministered, the answer is that it may be done by bringing the troubled person within the scope of the promise of life. There are two ways of doing this: one false, and one true.

Some think that people may be brought within the covenant by the doctrine of universal grace and redemption. But this way of persuading us of our place in the covenant of grace is both false and unfit. It is false because all the promises of the Gospel are limited by the condition of faith and repentance. They are not universal to all people, but made only to those who repent and believe. Therefore they are indefinite in regard to all of humanity, but for believers they are universal.

It is objected that God desires all people to be saved. Answer: the apostle is the best interpreter of himself, and in the Acts he says to the same effect: The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. In these words Paul adds the circumstance of time — now — to limit this good will of God to the final age of the world, after the coming of Christ in the flesh, not to extend it to all of Adam's descendants throughout all ages. And so must the passage to Timothy be understood: God desires all people to be saved — that is, now, in this final age of the world. In the same way the same apostle, in 2 Corinthians 6, expounds a certain prophecy of Isaiah concerning the acceptable time of grace. Now, he says, is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation — meaning the time of the New Testament. And in Colossians 1:26: the mystery hidden from the beginning is now made manifest to the saints. And in Romans 16:26: the revelation of the secret mystery is now opened. All these passages and many others on the same subject carry this circumstance of time — now — and must therefore be limited to this final age of the world. As for the word all, it must not be understood of every individual person, but of all kinds, sorts, conditions, and ranks of people. This is clear from the surrounding words: I desire that prayers be made for all people — not for every individual (since there are some who sin unto death, for whom we are not to pray) — but for all states of people: rulers as well as subjects, poor as well as rich, lowly as well as noble, unlearned as well as learned, etc.

But the saying of Paul is pressed: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18). Therefore the promise in Christ belongs to the whole world and consequently to everyone. Answer: the same apostle shall again answer for himself. Romans 11:15 — The casting away of the Jews is the reconciliation of the world — that is, of the Gentiles in the final age of the world. For he had stated this more plainly before: the falling away of the Jews is the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them is the riches of the Gentiles. And so must that passage to the Corinthians be understood: not of all and every person in all ages and times, but of those who were — through the dispensing of the Gospel — to be called out of all kingdoms and nations after the death and ascension of Christ. Therefore the promise of salvation is not universal without exception or restriction, and an application of comfort that rests on the universality of the promise is in some degree false.

Second, this way of applying is also unfit. For the reasoning would run like this: Christ died for all people; but you are a person; therefore Christ died for you. The distressed person will grant all of this and yet say: Christ indeed died for him — if only he would have received Christ — but by his sin he has cut himself off from his Savior and forsaken Him, and therefore the benefit of His death will do him no good.

The right way of ministering comfort to a distressed person now follows. In addressing this, I will first lay down the foundations by which any person who belongs to God may be brought within the covenant. Then I will show the right way in which these foundations must be used and applied.

Concerning the first. We must not have recourse to all graces, or to all degrees and measures of grace, but only to those that a troubled conscience can feel and reach. For the true children of God who have excellent measures of grace, when they are in distress, feel little or no grace at all in themselves. The graces that serve this purpose are three: faith, repentance, and the true love of God — which is the fruit of them both. And so that we may more easily and truly discern these graces and not be deceived, inquiry must be made into what the seeds and beginnings of each of them are.

The first foundation of grace is this: a desire to repent and believe, arising from a touched heart and conscience, is — though not in nature, yet in God's acceptance — faith and repentance itself. I prove it this way. It is a principle granted and acknowledged by all: that in those who have grace, God accepts the will for the deed. If there is a willing mind, says the apostle, it is accepted not according to what a person does not have, but according to what he has. Again, God has attached a promise of blessedness and eternal life to the true and sincere desire for grace. This is why Scripture pronounces blessed those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And who are they but those who feel themselves to lack all righteousness and truly and earnestly desire it in their hearts? For hunger and thirst indicate both a want of something and a felt awareness of that want. To this end the Holy Spirit says: to the one who is thirsty I will give drink from the water of life freely. Now this thirsty soul is the person who feels himself destitute of all grace and God's favor in Christ, and who thirsts after the blood of Christ and desires to be made a partaker of it. God is accustomed to mercifully accept the desire for any good thing when a person is in necessity and stands in want of it. The Lord, says David, hears the desire of the poor — that is, of those who are in distress of body or mind. Indeed, He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him.

It will be said that the desire for good things is natural, and therefore God will not regard people's desires. I answer: desires are of two kinds. Some are for things that people by the mere light of nature know to be good — for example, the desire for wisdom, civil virtue, honor, happiness, and the like. All these nature can desire. Others are above nature — such as the desire for the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, and sanctification. Those who seriously desire these have a promise of blessedness and eternal life. And from this it follows that the desire for mercy in the absence of mercy is mercy itself, and the desire for grace in the absence of grace is grace itself.

A second foundation is this. A godly sorrow, by which a person is grieved for his sins because they are sins, is the beginning of repentance — and in substance is repentance itself. The apostle Paul rejoiced that through his ministry he had worked this godly sorrow in the hearts of the Corinthians, calling it a sorrow that leads to repentance and is not to be regretted. This sorrow may be recognized in this way: the heart of the person in whom it dwells is so affected that even if there were no conscience, no devil to accuse, and no hell for condemnation — it would still be grieved in itself, because God is displeased and offended by sin.

If it is objected that not everyone can reach this beginning of repentance and sorrow for sin, I add further: if the person is grieved over the hardness of his heart, by which it comes about that he cannot grieve as he should, he has undoubtedly received some portion of godly sorrow. For it is not nature that makes us grieve over hardness of heart — it is grace.

The third foundation is this: a settled purpose and willing mind to forsake all sin and turn to God — even though no outward conversion has yet appeared — is a good beginning of true conversion and repentance. I thought, says David, I will confess against myself my wickedness to the Lord — and You forgave the penalty of my sin. And to this the word Selah is added, which is not only a musical notation but — as some think — a marker of observation, prompting us to take special note of what is recorded as being of particular weight and importance. And surely it is a matter of great consequence: that upon the very sincere purpose of confessing sin, God should grant pardon for it. Take a further proof of this in the prodigal son, whom I understand not as one who was never called or converted to God — though some take this view and seem to have warrant for it — but rather as one who is a child of God and afterward falls away. Such a person, being brought by outward trials and afflictions to see his own misery, purposes in himself to return to his Father, to humble himself, and to confess his iniquity. Upon this very purpose — when he had said, I will arise and go to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned, etc. — at his return from a distance, his father receives him as his child again. Acceptance comes first, and confession follows. The same is seen in David, who, upon being rebuked by the prophet Nathan for his sins of adultery and murder, immediately confessed them — and at that very moment received from the prophet the sentence of absolution from the Lord Himself, wherein He could not err.

The fourth foundation. To love any person because he is a Christian and a child of God is a clear and certain mark of a person who is a partaker of the true love of God in Christ. By this, says John, we know that we are passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. Love here is not a cause, but only a sign, of God's love to us. And our Savior Christ says: the one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. Now that we not be deceived in these foundations, we must remember that these beginnings of grace — however weak they may be — must not be fleeting and unstable, but constant and settled. They must not be stopped or stalled partway, but must daily grow and increase. When that is the case, they are indeed accepted by God. And the person who can find these beginnings, or any of them, truly in himself, may thereby assure himself that he is a child of God.

Having laid down these foundations of comfort, I now come to the way in which the distressed person may be brought within the scope of the promise of salvation. This way consists in two things: making trial, and applying the promise.

First, then, a trial must be made whether the distressed person has any of the forenamed foundations of grace in him or not. This trial may be made by the comforter through asking certain questions of the person. First, let him ask whether the person believes and repents. The distressed person answers: no, he cannot repent or believe. He must then ask further: does he desire to believe and repent? To this the person will answer: yes, he desires it with all his heart. In the same way, trial is to be made of the other foundations. When a person is in the grip of temptation, he will say with certainty that he is sure to be damned. Ask him in this fit about his love for God, and he will say he has none at all. But ask him further whether he loves a person because that person is a Christian and a child of God — and then he will say that he does indeed. In this way, after trial is made in this manner, some beginnings of faith and repentance will appear that were hidden at first. For God is accustomed, out of times of prosperity, to work His grace through and in distress and affliction.

The second point follows. After some of the forenamed beginnings of grace have been found by trial, the right applying of the promise of everlasting life to the distressed person comes next. This is done through a form of reasoning, the first part of which is taken from God's word, the second from the testimony of the distressed conscience, and the conclusion is the applying of the promise — in this manner: The person who has a sincere desire to repent and believe has forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. But you have an earnest desire to repent and believe in Christ. Therefore forgiveness of sins and everlasting life are yours.

Note here that it is most fitting for this application to be made by the minister of the Gospel, who must use his ministerial authority — given to him by God — to pronounce the pardon. For in distress, it is as difficult to make the conscience yield to the promise as it is to make fire and water agree. For though people may have signs of grace and mercy in them, they will not acknowledge it, because of the extremity of their distress. In this manner, upon any of the former foundations, the troubled and perplexed soul may be assured that mercy belongs to it. And this, I take it, is the only general and right way of comforting a distressed conscience.

Now for the promise thus applied to have good effect, these rules must carefully be observed.

First: the comfort that is ministered should be tempered with some admixture of the law — that is, the promise alone must not be applied, but along with it, mention must be made of the person's sins and of the grievous punishments due to him for them. The reason is that there is much deceit in the heart of a person, so that it often happens that those who are not thoroughly humbled, being comforted either too soon or too much, afterward become the worst of all. This is not unlike iron that is cast into intensely hot fire and then cooled again — it becomes far harder than it would have been had the heat been moderate. For this reason, in ministering comfort, we must somewhat hold people back and bring them on little by little to repentance. The sweetness of comfort is all the greater when it is tempered with some bitterness of the law.

Second: another rule is this. If the distressed person is deeply overwhelmed with grief, he must not be left alone, but always attended by good company. For it is the devil's common practice to take advantage of the time and place when a person is solitary and deprived of the help he might otherwise receive from the company of others. This is how he tempted Eve when she was apart from her husband. For this reason, Solomon declares a woe upon the person who is alone. But the devil's malice shows itself most clearly in this: he is always readiest when a person is in great distress and alone — ready at that very moment to tempt him to despair and to taking his own life.

Third: the distressed person must be taught not to rely on his own judgment, but always to submit himself and be willing to be advised by others who are wise, sound in judgment, and discerning. This is all the more to be observed because the neglect of this very thing has caused many people to remain uncomforted for years.

Fourth: the distressed person must never hear of fearful incidents, or of others who have been in a situation like or worse than his own. For upon hearing such reports, the distressed conscience will fasten the incident upon itself, and this will commonly draw it into deeper grief or despair. For the afflicted mind will imagine terrible things, and sometimes the mere mention of the devil will strike terror and fear into it.

Fifth: the person ministering comfort must bear with all the weaknesses of the distressed person — with their fretfulness, irritability, rashness, and their disordered and unruly affections and actions. He must, as it were, put on their persons, being moved by their misery and touched by their sorrows as if they were his own — grieving when he sees them grieve, weeping when they weep and lament.

Sixth: the comforter must not be discouraged even if after long labor and effort, little comfort and ease come to the distressed person. For it is usually a long time before comfort can be received. Why? Because God has the greatest hand in these distresses of mind and brings people through all the temptations He has appointed before He opens the heart to receive comfort. The bride in the Song of Songs searches for her beloved. But before she can find him, she goes about the city, through the streets and open places, passing by the watchmen themselves. After she has used every means without help or hope, at last she finds her beloved — the one in whom her soul delights.

That is enough for the general remedy of all distresses. I now come to the particular distresses themselves.

The first distress arises from a divine temptation — a direct combat with God Himself. This distress is when the conscience speaks fearful things about God, and at the same time the distressed person feels clear tokens of God's wrath. We find many examples of this in the word of God. One is the example of righteous Job, who, after a long period of outward afflictions, was also exercised with an apprehension of God's anger. In that state he says that the arrows of the Almighty were in him, that their venom drank up his spirit, and that the terrors of God fought against him. He adds further that God was his enemy, wrote bitter things against him, and made him to possess the sins of his youth. At another time he complains that God's wrath had torn him, that He hated him, gnashed upon him with His teeth, and had sharpened His eyes against him. In all these and other passages, it is clear that his conscience was exercised with the felt sense of God's wrath, which had now seized upon his very soul.

Another example we have in David, who also underwent this temptation and trouble of mind, as the opening words of Psalm 6 and its entire tenor clearly show. First he asks the Lord not to rebuke him in His wrath, and then he complains that his grief was so great that his very flesh was wasting, his bones were troubled, and his body was reduced to a condition no sickness could have caused. And it is quite likely that the same prophet fell repeatedly into this kind of distress of mind, as may be gathered from Psalm 77 and various other passages.

Now as it was with these and various other servants of God in ancient times, so we are not without instances of this in our own day. Among many others, that worthy man Martin Luther writes of himself that he was in this very temptation, and that through it he came to learn the doctrine of the justification of a sinner by the mere mercy of God, apart from any merit of works. From his personal sense and experience of the nature and character of this distress, he wrote a notable commentary on Psalm 6 of David, the scope and intent of which, he writes, is nothing else but a sovereign remedy for this and similar distresses of the mind and conscience.

If it is asked what occasions this kind of temptation, I answer that it sometimes arises upon the commission of some notorious sin that wounds the conscience — as it did in Cain, Judas, and Saul, who because of their great and capital sins, which stung and wounded their consciences, fell into a fearful condition and consequently perished in this temptation. At other times it comes when no sin has been committed, but rather when a person is walking in obedience to God. In such cases no reason for it can be found either within or outside the person, except this: God wills it to be so. And the truth of this is plain from the examples of Job and David mentioned above.

The effects of this temptation are many and very strange. Outwardly it works upon the body like a burning fever, causing the inner organs to churn, the liver to roll within the body, a great heat to settle in the bones, and wasting of the flesh that surpasses what any sickness could cause. That this is so, beyond experience itself, is clear from God's word. David, in this distress, says that his eyes were consumed and sunken into his head (Psalm 6:7), and that his strength dried up like the heat of summer (Psalm 32:4). And Job says that his skin had turned dark, his bones were burning with heat, and that through this distress he was now full of wrinkles and his leanness was rising upon him. Physicians hold it as a principle that the mind follows the temperature of the body and is affected according to its good or ill constitution — which is true. Yet it is just as evident on the other side that the body often follows the state of the mind. For a distressed heart will necessarily produce a fainting and languishing body.

But the chief thing to seek in this temptation is its remedy, for which five things are required, to be practiced as occasion may call for them.

First, the most fitting and immediate remedy must be selected and used first.

Now the most fitting and immediate remedy is to bring the troubled person to the personal exercises of faith and repentance, by and in himself. For this end, he must examine his conscience very strictly and carefully regarding all the sins of his heart and life. Second, he must humbly confess against himself all his known sins, and at the same time acknowledge the condemnation he deserves for them. Third, he must cry to heaven for mercy, pleading with the Lord most urgently for pardon and for the restraint of the wrath due to him for his sin. David, in this distress, performed all these duties, as we may read in Psalm 6. He also says of himself that while he concealed his sins, the hand of God lay heavy on him — but when he earnestly confessed and prayed, he received mercy. And if we read the book of Job, we will find that its central aim is to show us that Job was thoroughly exercised with this temptation, and that in the end — having been rebuked both by his friends and by God Himself — his recovery was made through humbling himself, when he said: Behold, I am vile; and again, Now I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

Some may ask here: what if the person cannot perform any good duty by himself, because of his distraction in soul and body? Answer: if the person can but sigh and sob to God for mercy and comfort, it is without doubt a work of God's Spirit and a practice of both faith and repentance. We do not know what to pray for as we ought, says Paul — namely, in our distresses — but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be expressed. In this lies our comfort. Thus Moses, at the Red Sea, being in great distress and not knowing what to say or do, sighed and groaned inwardly in his soul to the Lord for help and protection. And his very desire stood in place of a loud cry in the ears of the Lord.

The second thing in this cure is to make trial of whether the person has any tokens of grace in him or not.

These tokens are the small beginnings of grace I described earlier. For example: grief that we cannot grieve for sin as we should; a serious will and desire to believe and repent; a purpose to sin no more; and similar things. If these are found in the person, then by them as by sure pledges, he may be assured of God's favor toward him. Wherever any of these are found, the word spoken to Paul must be pressed: My grace is sufficient for you. And with this, the distressed person must steady his mind. Indeed, we are to be content with any condition in this life, however miserable it may be, as long as we are in God's favor — even if He should lay upon us the very pains of hell until the hour of our death. So did David, who when pursued by his own son, uttered these words to God: Behold, if I do not please You, do with me what You will. And Paul had a similar mind. Being assured of God's favor, he was content — for God's glory and the salvation of the Israelites, if it had been possible — to be separated from Christ and to endure the very anguish of hell.

The third thing in this cure is to apply to the distressed person such promises of God made to afflicted people as are most broad and comforting.

For example: The Lord is near to those who have a contrite heart and will save those who are afflicted in spirit. (Psalm 34:18). Again, says our Savior Christ: I came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). He does not say to the straying sheep, but to those now in the pit, ready to drown, or in the lion's mouth, ready to be devoured. Again: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; therefore He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor — that is, to those who are distressed in conscience and poor in spirit. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives. These and many other similar promises are to be pressed in this case, and the person must be urged to strive to believe them and to rest himself upon them, even if he loses everything else.

Fourth, the person must be brought to a serious reflection on his past life and on God's merciful dealings with him in former times, and from this he is to draw comfort for the present. For if he has previously received tokens of God's favor and love, he may now steady and settle his mind on them. The reason is plain: God's gifts are without repentance. Whom He loves once, He loves to the end — and whom He chooses, He calls, justifies, and sanctifies, and will in time glorify. David, in such affliction that he could hardly think of God, nevertheless took this course: he prayed to the Lord for comfort, communed with his own heart, and called to mind how God had previously dealt with him. From this meditation on the continuing course of God's mercy in his life, he strengthened his faith and steadied his heart in his greatest troubles.

The fifth and last thing to be done is to remove the arguments and doubts that the distressed person usually raises against himself for his own destruction. For those who are troubled in mind are accustomed to argue against themselves, and they commonly put forward three objections.

First, when instructed how to humble themselves and trust in God's mercy, they will grant that all these things are indeed good — but insist they do not belong to them. For they neither feel nor can feel anything except the tokens of God's anger, and that they have already entered into some degree of condemnation.

This objection may be answered by informing them of the manner in which God ordinarily works in all His dealings. For He commonly works all things in His creatures through and by contraries, if we could see the full picture.

In creation, every creature had its being from nothing — something was made, not out of something, but out of nothing. After the flood, the sign of God's covenant to preserve the world from destruction by rain is the rainbow, which is in fact a natural sign of rain. When Elijah was to prove that the Lord was the only true God against the idolatrous priests of Baal, and to do so by means of a burnt offering, he poured water over the sacrifice and filled a trench with water around it — and by this contrary means the sacrifice was consumed by fire. Christ, in curing a blind man, mixed spit and clay together, which by all reason is more likely to put out eyes than to give sight to the blind. So in the work of our redemption, Christ gives life not through life but through death, and He sends people to heaven through the gates and outskirts of hell. He does not build on an old foundation, but tears down and destroys everything, so that a person may have no hope in himself at all, but that all his hope may be in God. First He kills, and then He makes alive, as Hannah says. First He wounds, and then He heals. He makes a person sow in tears, so that afterward he may reap in joy. The person who knows that this is God's way of working must be content and satisfied with it, because in wrath God is accustomed to remember His mercy. Indeed, His mercy is never sweet to the soul's taste until it has first been seasoned with some taste of His wrath. The Passover lamb was eaten with bitter herbs, signifying that we can feel no sweetness in the blood of Christ until we first feel the sting of our own sins and corruptions.

Second, these persons commonly object against themselves: if they could feel any comfort at all, then they would steady their minds and yield to good counsel and exhortation.

To this the answer is: there is a rule of grace — gathered from the word of God and the experience of His children — that is contrary to the rule of nature and above the light of reason. It is this: in cases of affliction, we must not live by feeling, but by faith.

This rule is grounded in the Lord's word through the prophet: The righteous shall live by his faith. When we have neither sight nor sense nor any taste of God's mercy — when we apprehend only His wrath — even then we must labor to lay hold of mercy in His word and promise. Sense and feeling are not always reliable guides for this life. For the one who at present feels nothing but God's wrath and indignation may still be His dear child. This is indeed the true test of our faith: when, even above and against reason, we rely on the mercy of God in the very apprehension of His anger. So did David. Out of the depths, he says — being now deeply plunged into the anguish of a distressed conscience — I have called upon You, O Lord. And Job, in a similar situation: Lord, though You kill me, yet will I trust in You. Abraham is commended by the Holy Spirit, among other things, for believing God above hope — that is, against everything that might reasonably have been hoped for, given the strength of natural causes. The thief on the cross, feeling nothing but misery and seeing nothing in Christ but suffering and contempt, yet believed in Christ and was saved. And Christ Himself, when forsaken by all, void of all worldly comfort, and feeling nothing but the depth of God's wrath in His agony and passion — yet by the faith of His human nature He held firm and said: My God, my God.

Third, those in distress commonly plead that their case is hopeless — that no one has ever been in such a state as they are, no one ever touched with a distress of mind like theirs.

Answer: this is false. For the Holy Spirit has given us three notable passages of Scripture — the book of Job and two psalms of David — in which the examples of Job and David, God's own dear servants, are set before us. These men were in as great distress as any person has ever been. And those who suffer now must not think they could ever endure greater pains than Christ did — who, notwithstanding, cried out on the cross in the anguish of His soul: My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?

That is enough concerning the first kind of trouble of conscience, called the divine temptation.

The second kind of distress is that which arises from outward afflictions. By afflictions I mean all manner of miseries and calamities in this life, from the least to the greatest — from the pain of a small finger to the very pangs of death.

The question is: how may the trouble of mind that arises from afflictions be remedied? To answer this question, two things are required of the distressed person: practice and meditation.

The practice is what is to be used in all distresses of mind, whatever their kind. It is a diligent examination of the conscience in regard to sin, a sincere and heartfelt confession of that sin to God, and earnest prayer to Him for its pardon. These three things, when done truly and sincerely from the heart, are an immediate remedy against this trouble and bring with them much comfort.

Manasseh, king of Judah, who had committed much wickedness, was carried captive to Babylon and put in chains. There he humbled himself, acknowledged his sins, and prayed earnestly to the Lord. The outcome was good — for God was moved by his prayer and gave him deliverance. Job, long afflicted outwardly, humbled himself in the same way and at length received comfort. Daniel humbled himself before God for his own sins and for the sins of God's people, making earnest request to God on their behalf — and even while he was in the very act of praying, the Lord sent His angel Gabriel to give him notice of deliverance. Finally, the church of God under the cross performed this same duty: Let us search and examine our ways and return to the Lord. And God in mercy heard her mourning and lamentation. From all these passages it is clear that there is no better remedy in the world for the mind distressed by outward afflictions than the practice of these duties.

The next thing beyond practice is meditation on the comforting doctrines set forth in God's word concerning afflictions. All these doctrines may be reduced to five principal and main grounds of comfort, which I will set forth in order.

The first ground is that all afflictions — from the least to the greatest — come to pass not by accident, chance, or fortune, but by the special providence of God. I explain it this way. In every particular trial and affliction, the hand of God's particular providence is present, and this in three respects.

First, because God decrees and foreordains every particular trial. Note Paul's words: those whom God has foreknown, He has predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son — and what is this image? Nothing other than a conformity to Christ in afflictions in this life and in glory in the life to come. Now if God has decreed that those whom He foreknew should be conformed to His Son in these respects, then He has also decreed the afflictions themselves.

Second, God does not merely permit afflictions to occur, but He also brings them to pass and executes them as crosses, corrections, trials, and punishments. I make peace, says the Lord, and I create evil — not the evil of sin, but the evil of punishment, which is evil in our experience and feeling. For things are called evil in two ways: some are truly evil in themselves, and others are evil not in reality but in our sense, experience, and estimation. Of this latter sort are afflictions, which God is said to create. And to this end is the saying of the prophet Amos: Is there calamity in a city and the Lord has not done it?

Third, as God causes afflictions, so He orders and governs them — that is, He sets their beginning, their end, their measure or extent, and their duration. He also directs them toward their right ends: His own glory, the good of His servants, and the benefit of His church. Thus God is said to correct His people in judgment — that is, in such a way that He keeps the whole ordering of the correction in His own hands. Joseph told his brothers that when they intended evil against him by selling him to the Ishmaelites for silver, God had directed it for good. When Shimei cursed David, David forbade his servants to interfere with him, saying: the Lord told him to curse — who then dares say to him, why have you done this? And to this end the prophet David says: I held my peace and said nothing — why? Because You, Lord, have done it (Psalm 39:9).

Here someone may say: if afflictions came only from God, that would be one thing. But often they come from people who wish us harm — so it is no wonder we are impatient. Answer: when trials come from people, God uses them as instruments to execute His judgments upon us. In this work, God is the chief agent, and they are as tools in the hands of a craftsman. And the Lord sends these things upon us through people to test our patience under the cross. Joseph, although he knew well how badly his brothers had treated him, did not look to them alone but to a higher cause — the Lord Himself, who executed His own good will through them: God, he says, directed it for good. And again: God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation.

The second ground is the commandment of God concerning the cross and obedience to Him in it. This commandment is expressed in Luke 9:23, where we are commanded to take up our cross every day and follow Christ. Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his only son Isaac with his own hands. And to this commandment — though a great trial to him — he set himself to render obedience. In the prophecy of Micah, the church says she will bear the wrath of the Lord — that is, she will render obedience to Him in the cross, because she has sinned against Him. And Peter says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Since it is God's commandment that we should yield obedience to Him in every affliction, we ought to be no less careful to obey it than any commandment of the moral law.

The third ground is that God will be present with His servants in their afflictions. On this ground David comforts himself, because God had promised to hear him, to be with him in trouble, and to deliver him. And in another place: though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, etc.

So that we may better understand this doctrine, we must consider what the effects or purposes of God's presence with us in affliction are — the ways He makes that presence known. There are three.

The first is to work our deliverance from the cross: Call upon Me, says the Lord, in the day of your trouble, and I will deliver you. This promise must not be understood absolutely, but with an exception: insofar as it shall be for our good. For all promises of temporal deliverance are conditional and must be understood with this limitation: subject to whatever cross or chastisement God may choose to impose. Someone may ask: but what if God will not deliver us, and leaves us in the affliction — what comfort will we then have?

Answer: in the second place, therefore, we must remember that God will temper and moderate our afflictions so that we may be able to bear them. Habakkuk prays to God on behalf of the church, that in wrath He would remember mercy. And Paul says that the Lord will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear, but will with the temptation also provide a way of escape.

Third, suppose God does not moderate our afflictions, but allows them to remain upon us — not only for some period of our life, but until death itself. Even then He will make known His holy presence another way: by giving the distressed person power and strength to bear the affliction. To you it is given, says Paul, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

The fourth ground of comfort in affliction is that every affliction upon God's servants has some special goodness in it (Romans 8:28). We know that all things work together for good to those who love God. In this regard, the crosses endured by God's children are so far from being harmful to their salvation that they are actually helps and furtherances of it. Now this goodness is perceived in two ways: by the fruit and effect of affliction, and by its quality and condition. In both respects, afflictions are good.

Touching the fruits of afflictions — because they are many — I will reduce them to seven principal heads.

First: afflictions cause people to see and consider their sins. Joseph's brothers for twenty years were little or not at all troubled by their wickedness in selling their brother. But when they were in affliction in Egypt, they began to consider what they had done: We truly sinned against our brother, they said, when we saw the distress of his soul as he pleaded with us, and we would not hear. That is why this trouble has come upon us. Manasseh in his time of peace gave himself to witchcraft and the worship of foreign gods. But when he was a captive in Babylon, he was brought to the sight of his sins and moved to humble himself before God for them.

Second: afflictions serve to humble people in their souls before God. The young prodigal son in the Gospel, while his portion lasted, spent freely and was troubled by nothing. But when he was pinched with hunger through his own folly, he humbled himself before his father and returned home to him. David says of himself that in his prosperity he thought he would never be moved, because the Lord in His goodness had made his mountain to stand strong. But, he says, You hid Your face, and I was troubled — then I cried to the Lord.

Third, afflictions work amendment of life. No discipline, says the author of Hebrews, seems pleasant at the time, but afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). That is, afflictions and chastisements that seize upon God's children leave behind them a changed life — just as a needle passes through cloth and leaves the thread behind it. When we are judged, says the apostle, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we may not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32). And David confesses: It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes (Psalm 119:71). And the good husbandman prunes the vine so that it may bear more and better fruit (John 15).

Fourth, afflictions cause people to deny themselves and rely wholly on the mercy of God. Thus Paul received the sentence of death in himself so that he might not trust in himself, but in God who raises the dead.

Fifth, the fifth fruit is prayer. For afflictions make us cry heartily and fervently to God, to come into His presence and there to humble ourselves before Him. So the Lord says of His children that in their affliction they will seek Him earnestly (Hosea 5:15).

Sixth, the sixth fruit is patience. Affliction produces patience, patience produces experience, and so on (Romans 5:3). As if Paul is saying: because the love of God is poured into our hearts, we are patient in afflictions. Now while we patiently bear the cross, we experience the mercy and love of God toward us. And having once — in some notable deliverance — proved and tasted God's mercy, we by hope, as it were, anticipate that same favor and mercy for the future.

Seventh, the last fruit is obedience. The Holy Spirit teaches that this was the fruit even of Christ's own suffering: Though He was the Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered (Hebrews 5:8).

Next, afflictions are good in regard to their quality and condition, which is that they are tokens and pledges of our adoption when we make the best use of them. If you endure chastening, says the Holy Spirit, God deals with you as with sons (Hebrews 12:7). That is, He comes to you in the cross not as a judge and avenger, but as a kind and loving Father. The cross He imposes is, as it were, His fatherly hand by which He disciplines us. And therefore Job praises God for his affliction, saying: The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1).

The fifth ground of comfort is that the distressed person has companions in the cross. First, he has Christ as his companion, because through his affliction and willingness to obey God in it, he has fellowship with Christ. Paul counts it a blessing to know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings and to be conformed to His death (Philippians 3:10). Second, if the afflicted person repents, Christ shares in all his crosses and counts them as His own. For this reason the apostle would have no one think it strange to be in the fiery trial, but rather to rejoice because he is a partaker of Christ's sufferings (1 Peter 4:13). And Christ says to Saul, who was persecuting His church: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? Third, the one who is afflicted has other servants of God sharing in all his afflictions. The apostle Peter urges the church of God to resist Satan by faith, knowing, he says, that the same afflictions are being accomplished in your brethren throughout the world (1 Peter 5:9).

That is enough in general about afflictions and the comfort found in them. It would be long and tedious to set everything down in particular, together with their proper and distinct comforts. I will therefore pass over the rest and speak only of three kinds of afflictions with their remedies.

The first is the deferring of deliverance — a great affliction when considered carefully. Concerning it, I set forth one question: how may the mind of the distressed person be steadied when the Lord defers deliverance?

For the answer, three special points are to be considered.

First, God in His wisdom has determined certain and unchangeable times for the accomplishment and completion of all that exists. There is an appointed time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Solomon's statement is general, and its meaning is this: whatever there is in the world — whether done, suffered, or enjoyed by people, whether natural things or things voluntarily undertaken or necessarily endured — God in His providence has assigned each of these a set time and season on which their outcome depends. This time God most freely orders and rules at His own good pleasure. No one can hinder or delay it, nor is it within anyone's power to hasten or prevent it.

The Holy Spirit proves this in Scripture by two instances: the fulfillment of God's threats and the fulfillment of His promises, both of which God accomplishes at certain and unchangeable times. When the old world in the days of Noah had grown to great impiety and wickedness, the Lord appointed a certain period of 120 years for their repentance and conversion, at the very end and term of which He brought the flood upon them — and not before (Genesis 6). For if we compare the specific details of time noted in Genesis 7 with what Peter writes (1 Peter 3:20), we will find that the flood came upon the earth at the very moment previously determined. Again, God threatened through Jeremiah that the Jews, because of their sins, would be led captive and serve the king of Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:12). If we calculate the time precisely, it will appear that as soon as those years were expired, the threat was fulfilled. And therefore Daniel, alluding to Jeremiah's prophecy, marks it exactly when he says: That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain — that is, the very night on which those 70 years came to their full end.

And just as God has set times for the execution of His threats, so also has He determined the fulfillment of every one of His promises. We have an example of this with the Israelites. The Lord told Abraham that they would be in affliction in a foreign land for 430 years, and then be delivered. This promise of God was precisely fulfilled, as we can read in Exodus (Exodus 12:41). Before the end of those years, they had no deliverance at all. But when that time was expired, on that very same day, all the hosts of Israel departed from the land of Egypt. And although Moses, forty years before this time, took up the work of their deliverance, he did so without success. Due to a certain incident, he was himself forced to flee into Midian, where he lived as a stranger with his father-in-law Jethro, until the full 430 years were accomplished. Only toward the end of this period, when called by God to the office, did he prosper — not before. And in the same manner, God has set down a certain period of time within which He will more or less try His children, and at the end of which — and not before — He will relieve and comfort them again.

Now just as the certainty of God's threats serves to terrify all wicked people from sin, so the unchangeable fulfillment of His promises at exactly the appointed time teaches God's children several things.

First, when they are in any distress and do not receive speedy deliverance as they desire, they should wait on the Lord's timing and expect with patience until the time He has appointed for their ease and relief arrives. In the meantime, they should steady their hearts by hope and trust in His mercy. The reason is plain. God is faithful to His word, therefore though heaviness may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

The Lord comforts the Jews in a particular distress in this way, as we read in the prophecy of Habakkuk. The prophet, speaking on behalf of the Jews, complains and reasons with God about why His own people should be so lamentably afflicted by a terrible and fierce nation, and why they should be led away as captives by the Chaldeans, the enemies of God. The Lord answers that just as He had certainly determined that judgment to come upon them, so certainly had He appointed a set time for their deliverance (Habakkuk 2:2-3). In the meantime, He bids them to comfort themselves in this: that though the affliction would rest upon them for a season, they would undoubtedly be eased in the end. Therefore they should wait patiently for the vision — that is, for the fulfillment of the vision regarding their deliverance.

Second, from this we learn that we must not only believe God's promises in general — that God is faithful and true in them, and able and willing to fulfill them as He made them — but also in particular. That is, with application to their proper and specific circumstances: the particular means, places, and times whereby and wherein He has given His word regarding our freedom and relief from the cross. Take the example of the prophet Daniel, who knew through the spirit of prophecy that the Lord had determined to bring upon the Jews 70 years of captivity in Babylon (Daniel 9). He also knew that God had promised to end that captivity at the expiration of those years (Daniel 9:2). What did Daniel do in this case? During that time, while God had not yet determined deliverance, he did not pray to the Lord for his people's freedom. But when he understood that the time was drawing near at which it was God's will for the Jews to return from captivity, then he applied God's promise to that particular time by faith — and besought the Lord with prayer and supplications, with fasting, in sackcloth and ashes. And the Lord heard his prayers and gave him a gracious answer.

The second point is that when God defers deliverance, He does so for great and weighty reasons best known to Himself.

The first of these reasons is that He might thoroughly humble people and bring them to an utter denial of themselves — and consequently cause them to learn patience in affliction, which they would not learn if they were free to choose for themselves and obtain speedy deliverance according to their own will and pleasure.

Second, so that in being afflicted, they may acknowledge from where their deliverance comes — and indeed from where they receive not only that, but every other good benefit they enjoy. Not from themselves or any creature, but only from the Lord. And thus they may learn to value and prize His gifts at their true and deserved worth. For it is a true saying, often verified in affliction and want, that blessings easily obtained are lightly regarded and quickly forgotten.

Third, by the continuation of the cross without relief, God may cause them to lose their taste for the world, and consequently draw them to the meditation of the life to come, in which all mourning will cease and all tears will be wiped from their eyes (Revelation 21:4).

Fourth, the Lord defers deliverance from affliction to prevent greater evils and dangers into which those who are afflicted might fall, if they had what they desired and were eased not according to His will but according to their own wishes. When the children of Israel came into Canaan, they were told they would dwell alongside the Canaanites. Moses gives a reason for this: Lest the wild animals of the field multiply against you (Exodus 23:28; Deuteronomy 7:22). To prevent this evil, the Israelites had to endure some trouble from the Canaanites. In the same way, the Lord keeps His servants under the cross to prevent greater sins and offenses. This should steady the minds of people and make them content to wait on God for deliverance when they are afflicted.

The third and final point is that God always has exercised — and continues to exercise — His best servants with long and continued crosses. Abraham had no children until he was 70 years old, and only then did the Lord promise him offspring. But even that promise was not fulfilled until long after, when he was a hundred years old. David received a promise that he would be king of Jerusalem and Judah, yet the Lord tried him with many grievous afflictions before he came to the throne — so much so that he says of himself that his eyes failed from waiting upon his God. Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed to God for children, both in their youth and for many years afterward, but the Lord did not grant their request until they were old.

Without adding more examples, these are enough to show how the Lord deals even with holy men and women — His own dear servants. He does not always grant their requests or yield to their desires immediately, but holds them off and withholds His grace and favor for a time. Therefore, if it pleases Him to deal with any of us in this way, we must learn from these examples to possess our souls with patience, resting content in His will and waiting on His good pleasure to the end.

To conclude this point. Suppose that the condition of God's servants is such that they find no end to their afflictions — that those afflictions continue even to death. What should they do in this case?

Answer. Beyond what has already been said, I answer further that first, they must still — even to death — live by faith, and say with holy Job: Lord, though You kill me, yet will I trust in You.

Second, they must sustain and comfort their souls in the meantime with these and similar meditations.

First. It is the will and pleasure of God that we should enter the kingdom of God through many afflictions (Acts 14:22). Now it is the mark of a true child of God to rest content in his Father's good will and pleasure, even when he is afflicted (Proverbs 3:11). My son — do not be grieved at my correction; that is, do not let it weary you, but be content to bear it. Our duty, therefore, is to submit ourselves humbly to the hand of God, as a child submits to the correction of his father.

Second. Though afflictions may be long and wearisome, God will in the end give a joyful and comforting outcome. He has promised this Himself: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver him out of them all (Psalm 34:19). Mark the blameless man and observe the upright, for the end of that man is peace.

Third. However heavy afflictions may be — however long they last — they are in no way comparable to the eternal joys God has prepared for those who love Him. This was Paul's own meditation as he endured the cross to his dying day. Our light affliction, he says, which is but for a moment, produces for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. Elsewhere he declares that he did not count the sufferings of this present time worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to God's children (Romans 8:18). Peter tells his readers that because of their assured hope of eternal life, they should rejoice, even though now for a season they are in heaviness through various trials (1 Peter 1:6). Finally, the author of Hebrews comforts the church with this reason: that in yet a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.

Fourth. Though God withholds His hand of deliverance even to death, His love is constant and unchangeable. The cross we bear cannot separate us from the love with which He has loved us in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:35). And that is enough concerning the first particular distress of mind.

The second kind of affliction is bodily and temporal death, which consists in the separation of the soul from the body. Regarding this affliction, the question is: how may any servant of God be able to endure the pangs of death with comfort?

To answer this, two things are required: preparation for death, and helps at the time of death. Concerning preparation, there are three duties to be performed.

The first and most important is commended to us in the book of Psalms, where David prays: Lord, make me to know my end and the measure of my days. And Moses likewise: Lord, teach me to number my days, that I may apply my heart to wisdom. These passages point to a vital duty of preparation: a man should resolve himself to the reality of death continually, and reckon his days in advance. This is done by treating every day as if it were the day of his death — always doing what he would do if he were now about to breathe his last.

Second, in the way of preparation, we must strive to disarm and weaken death, which is like an armed man with weapons ready to destroy us. In this matter, we must deal with death as the Philistines dealt with Samson. They saw from experience that he was a mighty man who had defeated them many times by his power and strength, so they worked to discover where his strength lay. After searching, they found it was in the hair of his head, and they never rested until they had stripped him of it. Without question, the time will come when we must all encounter this strong and powerful Samson — Death. In the meantime, it is wisdom to inquire where his power lies. When we search, we find that his weapons are our many sins and corruptions, both of heart and life. For as Paul says, the sting of death is sin. Therefore, to strip death of his weapons, we must practice two duties.

First, use every means to cut off the lock of our sins — the only thing by which Satan gains the advantage over us. Those means are prayer and true repentance. We must therefore be persistent in prayer for the pardon of our past and present sins, and give the Lord no rest until we have received in our consciences the sweet assurance of His favor and mercy in Christ — so that our minds may be steadied and comforted.

Having done this, we must turn to God, be careful to leave sin, and cultivate in our hearts a firm purpose and intention to walk in new obedience — conforming to the will and commandments of God in all things. This is the only way in the world to strip our enemy of his armor, to pull the sting from the mouth of this serpent, and consequently to prevail against him even in death.

Third, in the way of preparation, our duty is — even now, while we live in this world — to strive to have some true taste of everlasting life and the joys of heaven. Serious reflection on these things will be of great use. It will stir up in our hearts a desire and love for perfect happiness in heaven — indeed, a fervent expectation of Christ's coming to judgment. It will further cause us to say with Simeon: Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace. And with the apostle: I desire to depart and be with Christ.

Regarding this spiritual joy and comfort in the Holy Spirit, two questions of conscience arise. First, how may we in this life have and nourish in our hearts a true taste of eternal happiness and of the joys of the world to come?

Answer. First, by seriously considering the evils that hinder or damage our happiness. There are four main ones.

The first is the misery of our lives because of sin and its consequences. There is no person in the world, however righteous, who can truly say: I am clean from my sin (Proverbs 20:9). Even the regenerate — those who have received grace to believe, to turn to God, and to live according to the Spirit — find by experience corruption and rebellion in their minds, wills, and affections. This daily produces occasions for sinning against God and at the same time hinders and quenches all the good promptings of the Spirit within them. Furthermore, such is the relentless malice of Satan that he takes advantage of human corruption and never misses a time or opportunity to entrap the children of God in the snares of his temptations. As a result, a person — because of his own corruption and the wicked suggestions of the devil — is in constant inner conflict. He has daily occasions for sorrow, works out his salvation with fear and trembling, and wades, as it were, through a sea of many miseries for as long as he lives.

The second evil is the vanity of all things in the world. Whether we consider the world itself or the things in it — done, suffered, or enjoyed — there is nothing so solid and stable that a person, having attained it, can rest fully satisfied and content. Everything in the end proves to be empty vanity. This truth is confirmed by the experience of Solomon himself, who as king over Israel lacked neither the authority, the ability, nor the opportunity to examine and test all worldly things in every state and condition. Having purposefully, carefully, and earnestly searched into them all, he concludes that the outcome of everything was unprofitable vanity and vexation of mind — as we may read in his Ecclesiastes.

The third evil is the changeable condition of our life in this world, by which we are always in a fleeting and temporary state. For we are — as Peter says — but strangers and pilgrims, wandering to and fro on the earth as in a foreign country, always pressing forward toward our own home. We have no lasting city here. The houses where we dwell are but inns in which we lodge for a time. Indeed, the very bodies we have are but tents and tabernacles, always ready to be moved, and we ourselves to be translated to another place.

Fourth, we must remember that Christ our Head is now in heaven while we His members are on earth. During our earthly life, we are separated in presence from our Head — and consequently from the happy and glorious fellowship we will one day enjoy with Him and all the saints who are fellow members in the kingdom of heaven. Paul notes this when he says: while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. And he himself therefore desired to depart and be with Christ.

Having entered into serious consideration of these evils, we must in the second place exercise ourselves in frequent meditation on the blessed state of God's chosen in the kingdom of glory. Having been taken out of this life into Abraham's embrace, they are fully and perfectly freed from sin, from Satan, from vanity and misery. All tears have been wiped from their eyes. They behold the face of God, are made like Christ in holiness and honor, and with Him inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

In the third place, having thoroughly considered these things, we must compare the state of this present life — in the ways just described — with the state of the life to come in the kingdom of heaven. Setting them side by side, we will find that the one infinitely surpasses the other in true joy and comfort. This will cause us, though living in the world, to use it as if we did not use it — to have our minds set on heaven, to think with Paul that to depart and be with Christ is by far the best for us, to have a true and living taste of the joys of the world to come, and accordingly — with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — to look for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Second, it is asked: how can a person truly discern whether this joy of the Spirit is in him or not? To answer this, it must be remembered that there are several properties by which spiritual joy differs from worldly joy. There are five main ones.

First, this joy is born, as it were, out of sorrow for sin and for the lack of Christ. You will sorrow, says our Savior Christ to His disciples — meaning for His departure — but your sorrow will be turned into joy. These words are not meant only for His disciples, but for all believers who, upon considering their sins and their spiritual need for Christ Jesus, mourn and grieve. For not only the disciples, but all true believers, are there contrasted with the world. Again: Blessed are those who mourn — that is, those who are touched with great causes for grief and who also mourn for their sins — for they shall be comforted. On the other hand, worldly joy has its beginning in the flesh and arises from things that please the flesh — and so it ends in sorrow and heaviness. In the end, rejoicing is turned into mourning, says Solomon. And: Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall weep.

Second, the joy of the Spirit is a fruit of righteousness. It flows from Christ, who is known and believed to be made for us by God — wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and full redemption. From this follows peace of conscience, and from peace comes joy in the Holy Spirit. By contrast, the joy of the flesh arises only from the sudden feeling of some worldly pleasure and therefore cannot bring any lasting peace to the conscience of the person who possesses it.

Third, spiritual joy is grounded in the right use of the word, the sacraments, and prayer — and in the practice of Christian duties of mercy, love, justice, and so on. Worldly joy is not. For the world finds joy apart from the word and outside the practices of prayer and repentance. It stands in the practice of cruelty, malice, oppression, injustice, and all manner of wickedness. And so, having spent their days in such rejoicing, at the last moment they go down to hell.

Fourth, heavenly joy is so firmly rooted in the heart that it cannot be taken away from there. Your joy no one will take from you, says Christ. It must therefore be true and solid — indeed able to swallow up every source of grief and heaviness. Worldly joy, by contrast, is never pure but always has some bitterness mixed with its sweetness. Even in laughter, Solomon says, the heart is sorrowful. When a wicked man's face shines and his expression is pleasant, even then he is inwardly sorrowful and his mind is troubled.

Finally, the joy of the Spirit is eternal, remaining in the mind of a person not only for this life but forever in the world to come. The world's rejoicing in earthly things is not so. It is fading and deceptive, just like the things in which it is placed. It begins in corruption and ends with this present life. The examples of the two rich men in the Gospel make this truth plain. And to the same purpose, Zophar says in the book of Job that the rejoicing of the wicked is very short and the joy of the hypocrite is but a moment.

By these five properties we can draw a true distinction between earthly and heavenly rejoicing and consequently discern which is which in our own hearts. If we perceive this joy of the Spirit — rightly received in our hearts and grounded in the right use of the word and sacraments, and also in the exercises of prayer, faith, and repentance — taking root in our souls and consciences, we will find it powerful enough to moderate and overcome even the terrors of death. And that is enough on the subject of preparation.

The helps to be used at the time of death are many. They can all be reduced to two heads: meditations and practices.

Regarding meditations, we must first consider death in two ways: as it is in its own nature, and as it is changed and qualified by the death of Christ. In its own nature, death is a curse, a forerunner of condemnation, the very gates and outskirts of hell itself. But as it is transformed by Christ, it is a blessing — a brief passage to joy, an entrance into everlasting life, a quiet sleep free from all disturbance by dreams and fears. And the grave is a resting chamber, perfumed by the death of Christ for the bodies of all the elect — from which, when they awake, they will be welcomed into the presence of God in heaven.

Second, we are to consider that there are three degrees of eternal life. The first is in this world, before we die. It begins when we start to repent and believe in Christ, and when we are assured in our consciences that God the Father is our Father, Christ our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit our Comforter. For this is eternal life: to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. The next degree is in death itself. Death cuts off all sin, both original and actual. Death frees us from all worldly miseries. Death prepares the body to enter eternal happiness together with the soul, which is already in heaven. The last degree is when body and soul, reunited, go together into eternal and everlasting glory in heaven.

Our third meditation is that there is a mystical union between Christ and every believer — not only in regard to the soul, but also the body. Once formed, this union will never be dissolved; it is eternal. Therefore the dying, dead, decayed, and consumed body remains a member of Christ, abides within the covenant, and is and always will be a temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus Adam and Abraham, who died thousands of years ago — indeed, every true believer from them to the end of the world — will rise at the last day, bodily to glory, by the power of their union with Christ. In winter, we see most trees stripped of leaves, buds, and blossoms, so that they appear to us to be dead. Yet there is a sap in their roots that in spring will rise and revive the withered branches. Even so it is with our bodies. Though they may be corrupted, decomposed, burned, eaten by worms, or devoured by wild beasts — so that they seem utterly perished — there is, as it were, a hidden sap in them, by reason of their union with Christ. By that sap they will be raised, revived, and quickened, made like the glorious body of Christ their Head, with whom they will reign and live forever.

Third, in the way of preparation, our duty is — even now, while we live in this world — to strive to have some true taste of everlasting life and the joys of heaven. Serious reflection on these things will be of great use. It will stir up in our hearts a desire and love for perfect happiness in heaven — indeed, a fervent expectation of Christ's coming to judgment. It will further cause us to say with Simeon: Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace. And with the apostle: I desire to depart and be with Christ.

Regarding this spiritual joy and comfort in the Holy Spirit, two questions of conscience arise. First, how may we in this life have and nourish in our hearts a true taste of eternal happiness and of the joys of the world to come?

Answer. First, by seriously considering the evils that hinder or damage our happiness. There are four main ones.

The first is the misery of our lives because of sin and its consequences. There is no person in the world, however righteous, who can truly say: I am clean from my sin (Proverbs 20:9). Even the regenerate — those who have received grace to believe, to turn to God, and to live according to the Spirit — find by experience corruption and rebellion in their minds, wills, and affections. This daily produces occasions for sinning against God and at the same time hinders and quenches all the good promptings of the Spirit within them. Furthermore, such is the relentless malice of Satan that he takes advantage of human corruption and never misses a time or opportunity to entrap the children of God in the snares of his temptations. As a result, a person — because of his own corruption and the wicked suggestions of the devil — is in constant inner conflict. He has daily occasions for sorrow, works out his salvation with fear and trembling, and wades, as it were, through a sea of many miseries for as long as he lives.

The second evil is the vanity of all things in the world. Whether we consider the world itself or the things in it — done, suffered, or enjoyed — there is nothing so solid and stable that a person, having attained it, can rest fully satisfied and content. Everything in the end proves to be empty vanity. This truth is confirmed by the experience of Solomon himself, who as king over Israel lacked neither the authority, the ability, nor the opportunity to examine and test all worldly things in every state and condition. Having purposefully, carefully, and earnestly searched into them all, he concludes that the outcome of everything was unprofitable vanity and vexation of mind — as we may read in his Ecclesiastes.

The third evil is the changeable condition of our life in this world, by which we are always in a fleeting and temporary state. For we are — as Peter says — but strangers and pilgrims, wandering to and fro on the earth as in a foreign country, always pressing forward toward our own home. We have no lasting city here. The houses where we dwell are but inns in which we lodge for a time. Indeed, the very bodies we have are but tents and tabernacles, always ready to be moved, and we ourselves to be translated to another place.

Fourth, we must remember that Christ our Head is now in heaven while we His members are on earth. During our earthly life, we are separated in presence from our Head — and consequently from the happy and glorious fellowship we will one day enjoy with Him and all the saints who are fellow members in the kingdom of heaven. Paul notes this when he says: while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. And he himself therefore desired to depart and be with Christ.

Having entered into serious consideration of these evils, we must in the second place exercise ourselves in frequent meditation on the blessed state of God's chosen in the kingdom of glory. Having been taken out of this life into Abraham's embrace, they are fully and perfectly freed from sin, from Satan, from vanity and misery. All tears have been wiped from their eyes. They behold the face of God, are made like Christ in holiness and honor, and with Him inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

In the third place, having thoroughly considered these things, we must compare the state of this present life — in the ways just described — with the state of the life to come in the kingdom of heaven. Setting them side by side, we will find that the one infinitely surpasses the other in true joy and comfort. This will cause us, though living in the world, to use it as if we did not use it — to have our minds set on heaven, to think with Paul that to depart and be with Christ is by far the best for us, to have a true and living taste of the joys of the world to come, and accordingly — with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — to look for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Second, it is asked: how can a person truly discern whether this joy of the Spirit is in him or not? To answer this, it must be remembered that there are several properties by which spiritual joy differs from worldly joy. There are five main ones.

First, this joy is born, as it were, out of sorrow for sin and for the lack of Christ. You will sorrow, says our Savior Christ to His disciples — meaning for His departure — but your sorrow will be turned into joy. These words are not meant only for His disciples, but for all believers who, upon considering their sins and their spiritual need for Christ Jesus, mourn and grieve. For not only the disciples, but all true believers, are there contrasted with the world. Again: Blessed are those who mourn — that is, those who are touched with great causes for grief and who also mourn for their sins — for they shall be comforted. On the other hand, worldly joy has its beginning in the flesh and arises from things that please the flesh — and so it ends in sorrow and heaviness. In the end, rejoicing is turned into mourning, says Solomon. And: Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall weep.

Although the devil is so malicious an enemy of mankind that he never stops devising whatever may harm people — and is so powerful in his attempts that no person by his own strength can resist him — he still cannot put the least part of his power into action whenever, wherever, or however he wishes. The reason is that God has set certain limits and boundaries on his power that he cannot cross. There are two such limits in particular.

The first is his own nature, by which he is a creature and therefore finite. Because of this, he can neither know nor do anything that exceeds the capacity of his nature or the power and ability of a creature. For example, he cannot directly and immediately know the deep things of God unless they are revealed to him — nor the secrets of a person's heart. No one knows the things of a man except the spirit of man that is in him; even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). Again, he cannot do what is truly and properly a miracle — whose cause is hidden and entirely unknown, and which exceeds the power and order of nature. For that belongs to God alone, who is the only one who does truly wonderful things (Psalm 77:14).

The second thing that restrains Satan's power is the will of God. Consider the sea: by its nature it would overflow the entire earth, yet it is held back and shut up within its shores — as if with doors or gates — so that it cannot break out. The Lord Himself has established His decree upon it (Job 38). In the same way, though Satan is by nature strong and his malice is great, he can do nothing at all, nor exercise his natural power to harm any person, without the will and permission of God. Thus the evil spirit could not go out to deceive Ahab until the Lord had said to him: Go, and you will succeed (1 Kings 22:22). Thus the devil could not touch the body, children, possessions, or friends of righteous Job while he was fenced and protected by the power and providence of God. But when the Lord, with respect to Job's outward circumstances, had given him leave and said: All that he has is in your hand — then the devil exercised his power to the full. Yet he could go only as far as he was permitted, and no further (Job 1:12).

The recognition of this first point — that Satan's power is limited by God — will serve to steady the minds of those whose persons, households, or loved ones are troubled by him. From this it follows that God, who holds the devil bound as if in chains, will not allow his power to be unleashed against His own children to their destruction and ruin — but only as far as will serve their good and salvation. Furthermore, since God is their Father in Christ Jesus, they may in such affliction come to Him and call upon Him for the restraint of Satan's power and malice, and consequently for the deliverance of themselves and those they love.

A second rule is this. Such persons must have recourse to God in His word, in which He promises His presence and protection to His children in their greatest dangers. Specifically, that no evil will befall them, nor will any plague come near their dwelling (Psalm 91:10), because He will give His angels charge over them to keep them in all their ways. Again, that He will be a wall of fire around His people (Zechariah 2:5), that He will extend peace over His church like a river (Isaiah 66:12). And that there will be no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel (Numbers 23:23). By this means, demonic harassment and witchcraft, even when they fall upon God's children, will turn to their good rather than their harm.

Third, it must be considered that the best servants of God have in their times been troubled by the devil. In His second temptation, Christ was carried by the devil from the wilderness to a pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. The children of Job were destroyed by the devil, and Job himself was afflicted with painful sores all over his body. A certain woman — even a daughter of Abraham, that is, one who followed the faith of Abraham — was troubled with a disabling spirit for eighteen years (Luke 13:15). And the daughter of the Canaanite woman was severely tormented by a demon (Matthew 15:21-22).

Fourth, people in this situation ought to hold firmly to the promise of everlasting life and must wait on the Lord's timing — not limiting Him in respect to the time or means of deliverance. This was the practice of Job: Though He kill me, yet will I trust in Him. And of holy Abraham, who did not limit God, but was content to do with Isaac whatever the Lord willed. Though it seemed likely to deprive him of all his posterity, he still clung to the promise.

In the case of houses troubled by spirits, two things are to be kept in mind.

First, people must not gather together and stay in places where it is certainly known that the Lord has given the devil power and freedom — lest in doing so they tempt the Lord. Our Savior Christ did not go into the wilderness by His own private choice and will, but by the direction of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1). Paul likewise did not go to Jerusalem on his own initiative, but was moved to do so by the Spirit (Acts 20:22). These examples teach us not to put ourselves into places of obvious danger — and much less to frequent places that God has handed over to the power of Satan. This condemns the rash and headstrong thinking of those who, trusting in their own strength, place themselves in needless danger without any extraordinary calling from God or sufficient warrant from His word.

If it is asked what people should do in this case, I answer: first, they ought to flee to God in prayer and draw near to Him in their hearts — and He in mercy will draw near to them.

Second, what we do with our food and drink we should also do with the houses and places where we live. What is that? We must sanctify them for our use by the word and prayer. Noah, at God's commandment, went into the ark, lived in it, and came out again. When he came out onto the earth afterward, it is said of him that he built an altar, gave thanks to God for his deliverance, and prayed to the Lord to grant him the use of the earth as before (Genesis 8:20). Though Abraham had a promise of the land of Canaan for himself and his descendants forever, he did not leave his country toward it until the Lord commanded him. And when he arrived there, he built an altar for the worship and service of God (Genesis 12:7-8). He did the same afterward at Bethel. And many years later, Jacob offered sacrifice to God at that same Bethel when he came to live there (Genesis 13:4; Genesis 35). For this very reason, under the law a special ordinance required the first fruits of the harvest to be offered, to sanctify the rest of the grain. And that is enough regarding the second distress.

The third kind of trouble of mind is that which arises from the temptation of blasphemy — aptly called by some the foul temptation, given how vile and ugly it is. It occurs when a person is troubled in his mind with blasphemous thoughts directly against the majesty of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For example: thinking that God is not just or merciful; that He shows favoritism; that He has no knowledge of what is done here below, or at least that He does not care about it; that God cannot do this or that; that He is unfair to some people and partial to others — and so on. These and similar blasphemous thoughts are not fit to be spoken among people, for they are as horrible and abominable as any that can be conceived.

To better understand this temptation, we should consider what leads up to it and by what means it takes hold in the heart.

Sometimes it comes purely from the suggestion of the devil, who troubles the imagination even of those who are innocent in the matter and casts impure and ungodly thoughts into their hearts. Sometimes it comes upon people through an evil habit — when they willingly lend their ears to wicked and cursed speech that directly dishonors God or willfully abuses His word, His judgments, and His mercies. Upon hearing such things, they either give their tacit approval, though not expressly, or they fail to stop or resist it as much as they could. At other times, it creeps into the heart gradually, when a person begins to grow cold in God's service and to think little of the duties directly related to His worship. As a result, he gradually falls into the habit of taking God's name in vain — through frequent and groundless swearing, false swearing, cursing, and so on. By these and similar means, this foul and horrible temptation is brought into the mind of a person.

The danger of it — whether it arises from these or any other causes — is exceedingly serious, especially for those who have begun to choose the way of truth and to apply their hearts to serving God and fearing His name. It produces strange and fearful effects — including despair and a host of horrors and mental anguish. Indeed, some people have been so shaken by it that they have been moved to take their own lives, judging themselves to be nothing less than firebrands of hell.

To cure this terrible disturbance and confusion of conscience, two things must be done: an inquiry must be made into the immediate causes from which this temptation arose, and after that the remedy must be applied.

For the first. Inquiry must be made as to whether the present distress began from the person's own thoughts or from the suggestion of the devil. This is, in all likelihood, the most direct way to bring comfort to the afflicted person.

Someone may ask: how can a person tell the difference between thoughts that come from the devil and thoughts that come from himself? Answer: he can know them by several signs.

First, by the way they enter the mind. Those that come from the devil come suddenly, like lightning into a house. They are in some sense forced into the mind with violence, so that the person cannot avoid them. They return again and again — a thousand times a day — and by their constant repetition they weaken the memory, dull the senses, and exhaust and confuse the mind. These are thoughts that come from the devil, driven from the outside into the mind. If such thoughts came from the person himself, they would not arrive with such force and speed but would rise more gradually, with less violence. And furthermore, their frequent recurrence would not produce so many fearful effects as it does.

Second, such thoughts can be recognized as coming from the devil because they go against the very light of nature, against natural knowledge, reason, and conscience. They are most wicked and devilish, attaching the most vile and monstrous things to God. By contrast, thoughts that arise from our own corrupt nature, however corrupt they may be, do not typically go against the light of nature.

The third sign is that at the first moment of conceiving them, the person is struck with an unusual fear, his body is troubled, and sickness and fainting often follow. But thoughts that people form from within themselves do not cause fear, fainting, or sickness.

Fourth, blasphemous thoughts cannot ordinarily come from the heart of anyone except those of reprobate minds. But the people who suffer this distress are honest, respectable people who at least profess the Gospel — and sometimes they are true members of Christ. It is therefore clear that these thoughts come from outside, from the devil casting them into the mind, and not from within the person himself.

Next, inquiry must be made as to whether the person approves of, loves, and welcomes these thoughts — or not. If asked, he will answer that he detests them as he detests the devil and hell itself. Even a natural person will say this, and truthfully.

After this inquiry has been made, the remedy is to be applied. The first and chief remedy belongs to teaching and instruction: the person is to be informed of his or her situation — namely, that the blasphemous thoughts in question are not their sins but their crosses. For they are the devil's sins, and he will answer for them. They are not ours unless we welcome, receive, approve, and consent to them.

As proof of this, consider that unclean thoughts that reside in a person's mind are of two kinds: inward and outward. Inward thoughts are those that originate in the flesh and arise from the corruption of human nature, even if stirred up by the devil. These, at the very first moment of being conceived, are our sins — even if they do not stay long in our minds. They are directly forbidden by the tenth commandment. Outward thoughts are those that have an external cause or origin — such as the evil thoughts conveyed into the mind by the devil. If we take no pleasure in them and do not consent to them, they are not to be counted as our sins but as the devil's, who suggested them. This is confirmed by the example of Christ: into His mind the devil cast this blasphemous temptation, moving Him toward unbelief, greed, and idolatry. Yet these were not His sins, because His holy heart gave not the slightest approval to them but abhorred and repelled them — and therefore He remained untouched by any sin through them.

This distinction between kinds of thoughts must be kept in mind. From it follows that blasphemous thoughts, when not consented to by us, are not our sins but the devil's. Just as in a similar case: if a wicked person solicits another to treason or murder, and that person does not listen or yield, he cannot be held guilty of those crimes. Therefore people must not fear these kinds of thoughts excessively — at least if they take no pleasure in them — because although they are indeed their crosses, they are not their personal sins for which they will incur God's wrath and displeasure. Furthermore, they should let such thoughts pass as they come. They should not strive against them, for the more they struggle to resist them, the more entangled with them they will become.

The second thing to be used as a remedy for steadying the mind in this temptation is this: even if it were granted that the evil and blasphemous thoughts are our sins, we must remember that they can be pardoned through the mercy and goodness of God if they are heartily and sincerely repented of. Indeed, neither they nor any other sins — except the sin against the Holy Spirit — condemn the person who prays against them and is genuinely sorry for them.

It was Paul's complaint in Romans 7:19 that he did not do the good he wanted to do — speaking of the inward desire of his heart — and that he did the evil he did not want to do, referring to the corruption of his nature. Now given that he strived to do what was in keeping with God's will, that he hated and detested the opposite and fought against his corruptions — how did he comfort himself? Mark what follows in verse 20: If I do what I do not want, that is, if contrary to my general purpose I sin against God — if I am sorry for it, if I am troubled that I cannot obey God with the perfection I desire — it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. From Paul's example I conclude that if a person has evil thoughts in his mind and — as Paul did — grieves because he thereby offends God, if he abhors those thoughts and prays against them, he will not be condemned for them. They will never be charged against him. The person troubled with these thoughts may therefore, on these grounds, steady his mind and take comfort. If he will not be condemned for them, let him not fear them beyond measure.

The third point to remember is that the person must not be alone. This temptation begins and is strengthened by solitude. Those who suffer from it tend to withdraw from others and keep to themselves. For this reason, if they are prone to this distress, they should seek the company of godly friends who are right and fitting for them. Their minds should be engaged in holy meditation on the word and in singing psalms. They should be occupied in good speech and conversation. Our first parent Eve was tempted by Satan when she was apart from Adam. And our Savior Christ, when He was alone and away from company, was then assaulted in the wilderness by the devil's strong and powerful temptations.

The fourth point for the troubled person to remember is that he must repent of his evil thoughts as heartily and earnestly as he would repent of evil words and deeds. The truth is, because people commonly take as little care of their thoughts as they do, the Lord justly permits the devil to plague and torment them by conveying the most vile and damnable thoughts into their hearts. Furthermore, the person must strive to be renewed in the spirit of his mind — that is, to have his mind enlightened by the Spirit so that he may know and understand God's will in His word. After repenting of evil thoughts, there must follow watchfulness and a careful watch over all his ways — but especially over his heart, which is the source of everything. Guard your heart with all diligence, says Solomon — that is, above all things, keep careful watch over your thoughts, desires, impulses, and affections.

To guard the heart, two rules are to be observed. First, the word of God must dwell richly in it. By this means the heart is guided and directed so that it does not stray from God and His word. Our hearts are ruled and governed by the word when we know and meditate on the commandments and promises of God. This rule is especially important. For the reason people breed and hatch evil thoughts in their hearts is precisely that their hearts are not occupied with holy meditations. This is why the heart of a person becomes easy prey for the devil — because the word of God is not lodged within it. David's practice here was excellent: he kept God's word in his heart so that he might not sin against Him.

The second rule for guarding the heart is to establish our thoughts by taking counsel. This is the wise man's advice in so many words (Proverbs 20:18). He teaches us that it is the mark of a worldly wise person, in matters of importance, not to trust his own wit alone but to follow the direction and counsel of wise and skilled people. If this is sound practice in worldly matters, it is all the more necessary in the great matters of religion and conscience, which concern the heart and soul. By the same logic, it directs us not to think or entertain so much as a single thought without guidance taken from God and His word. Your testimonies, says David, are my delight and my counselors. What benefit did he gain from taking that approach? Through the word of God, which was his constant meditation, he gained understanding; he became wiser than the ancients. It caused him to hate all paths of falsehood and kept him from turning aside from God, either to the right or to the left. This same rule must be practiced by us in the use of our senses, our speech, and our actions — and then the heart will be kept clean and free from these temptations.

Since this temptation is as dangerous and fearful as has been described, and since it falls on people so often, our duty is to make it a point of conscience to practice the rules just described continually. And that is enough concerning the third kind of distress of conscience.

The fourth distress of mind is that which arises from a person's own sins — or rather from some one particular sin that has been committed. This kind of temptation is of two kinds: either more violent and less common, or less violent and more common.

The violent distress of mind shows itself through fears and terrors of conscience, through doubts about God's mercy, and through sorrowful and fearful complaints made to others. The question is: how is this violent distress of mind — arising from a person's own sins — to be cured? Answer. For it to be cured by the blessing of God, three things must be done.

First, the particular sin that is causing this violent distress must be identified. Here we should be aware that it is common for people in such distress to conceal and cover over their sins. They will claim their trouble arises from evil thoughts, wicked affections, and the corruption of nature. But in fact, people are not usually distressed in a violent way simply on account of evil thoughts and affections. The violent distress comes from some actual and serious sin or sins that have been committed — sins that wound the conscience and cause great mental anguish. There are many such sins, which have been discussed at other points and which I will not repeat here. Only this must be remembered: that the more serious sins against the third, sixth, and seventh commandments are the chief and primary causes of violent distress — and the more secret these sins are, the greater the horror that accompanies them.

Second, once the particular sin is identified, inquiry must be made as carefully as possible — by examining signs — as to whether the distressed person has repented or not. For unless he has repented, he cannot be in a state to receive comfort. And unless he is first in a state to receive comfort, he cannot find relief in his conscience. Now if it is found that the person has repented, then care must be taken in the next step to renew that repentance specifically for the sin that was committed.

Third, having done this, comfort must be administered to moderate or remove the distress. Remember here that the comfort administered must ordinarily not come alone but be mixed and tempered with some warnings from the law — so that, being made aware of sin and of the wrath of God deserved by it, the comfort may appear all the sweeter. The administering of this comfort, in a case of this distress, should not be direct and immediate but should proceed by certain steps and degrees — except only when a person is on the point of death, in which case a more direct approach must be taken. These degrees are two.

First, the person is to be informed of the possibility of pardon — that is, that his sins are pardonable. Though they may be great and serious in themselves, they can be forgiven through the mercy of God in Christ. Now suppose the afflicted person grasps only the gravity of his sins and the wrath of God deserved by them. In this state he pushes pardon away from himself and cannot be persuaded that his sin can be forgiven. What is to be done then? Answer. In order to accomplish this first step, certain foundations must be laid down on which assurance of pardon may be built up in his heart.

The first ground for the possibility of pardon is that the mercy of God is infinite — indeed, over all His works (Psalm 145:9). The death of Christ is of infinite price, merit, and value before God. God is abundant in pardoning (Isaiah 55:7). With the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plentiful redemption (Psalm 130:7). Christ's satisfaction is not merely a price but a counterbalancing price (1 Timothy 2:6), sufficient to satisfy for the sins of all people — even for those who have sinned against the Holy Spirit. For that sin is not unpardonable because the offense surpasses the merit of Christ, but because the person who commits it neither does nor can apply Christ's merit to himself. An ancient teacher, commenting on Cain's words — My punishment is greater than I can bear — says: You lie, Cain, for God's mercy is greater than your sins. The mercy of God was very great to Manasseh, to Solomon, and to many others, though they were great offenders.

The second ground. People of mature years, living within the church of God and knowing the doctrine of salvation, will not be condemned simply for committing sin but for remaining and continuing in sin. On this basis I say that people in distress must be grieved not so much for having committed sin as for remaining and persisting in sins already committed.

A third ground. It sometimes pleases God to leave people to themselves and to allow them to commit some sin that wounds the conscience. This is true and cannot be denied. But we must also remember that sins committed do not completely destroy grace — rather, they cause grace to shine more brightly. For God in mercy turns all things — even sin itself — to the good of those who are His. Sin therefore cannot waste or extinguish grace already received. By divine governance, it actually serves to amplify and enlarge grace, so that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20). And the Lord said to Paul in his great distress (2 Corinthians 12:9): My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. This shows that God's grace is not utterly lost but shines clearly in the time of distress.

The fourth ground is this. God's promises concerning forgiveness of sins and eternal life are, in respect of believers, general and with regard to all people indefinite — that is, they do not exclude or make exceptions for any person, any sinner, or any point in time. The only exception they admit is that of final impenitence. A question may be raised here: how long should the person who ministers comfort remain on the possibility of pardon? I answer: until he has brought the distressed person to some measure of true repentance. Once this is done, he may proceed to the second degree of comfort.

The second degree of comfort is to show that the sin or sins of the distressed person have indeed been pardoned. But it may be asked: on what signs may this comfort be applied? I answer: on these two. First, if the distressed person confesses that he or she is heartily grieved for having offended so loving and so merciful a God by their sin or sins. Second, if they profess that with all their heart they desire to be reconciled to God in Christ — and that they at least desire to repent of their sins. And that they carry in their heart a purpose to sin no more, but in all things — as much as in them lies — to perform new obedience to God. Now to better enforce this comfort, some Scripture passages fitting this purpose should be brought forward — for example: I did not come to call the righteous — that is, those who consider themselves righteous — but sinners, that is, those who are grieved because in their own conscience they are vile and serious offenders, to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13). Again: Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

To conclude this point, there remains one further question to be addressed. A person, after repenting of some serious sin, falls back into it again and is in greater distress than before. This is a troubling case. We know that if a person recovers from a fever and then — through poor diet or other disorder — relapses into it again, his condition is often precarious and he barely escapes with his life. In the same way, it is a dangerous situation when, after repentance, a person relapses into the same sin again. The question is: how may such a person be restored after a relapse?

I answer: though we do not find in Scripture any single specific example of a person restored after a relapse, there is nonetheless some comfort for such people. On what grounds? Answer. People who have not even a drop of mercy compared to God must forgive their brothers often and many times — indeed, as our Savior Christ says to Peter, up to seventy times seven, if they return and say they repent. Now God is infinite in all His attributes. He is abundant in pardoning; with Him is plentiful redemption. Therefore He will undoubtedly, upon true repentance, often forgive and forget the same sin repeated again and again. Now such people are to be relieved in this way. First, their consciences must be settled on this point: that their relapse is pardonable, though very dangerous. As proof of this, read Isaiah 2:18, where mention is made of various backsliders whom God called to repentance with a promise of pardon if they returned to Him. In Luke 15, the prodigal son — whom I understand to represent someone who, after receiving grace, fell away from repentance and obedience to God — when he only purposed in his heart to return, was pardoned and received back into favor. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul says to the Corinthians who had fallen away: We plead with you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Second, once settled in conscience on this point, they must repent again of their sins.

Third and finally, they are to be comforted with the promise of forgiveness of sins, after some signs of renewed repentance for past sins have been given.

The second temptation or trouble of mind — more common and less violent — falls upon the children of God. It is a grief of heart, more or less, by which people are troubled on account of the lack of grace in their hearts and defects of obedience in their lives. Paul, the dear servant of God, was afflicted with this trouble of mind, as we may read in Romans 7. And in truth there is no child of God who does not at some time feel, more or less, the stings of sin and the blows of Satan, which cause grief in his heart. But this grief is a notable grace of God, and therefore those who lack it must strive to have it, while those who have it must not try to suppress it but to keep it in measure and order.

The grounds of comfort by which the heart may be steadied in this sorrow — so that it does not become excessive — may be these.

First. Ground. It is God's will that the work of sanctification and regeneration should be imperfect in this life and remain unfinished until death. This needs no proof, for it is evident both from God's word and from daily experience. The reasons why God wills it to be so may be these.

First of all, God gives grace according to the capacity and manner in which we receive it — and in this life that capacity is imperfect. Some of God's gifts in Christ, bestowed on His servants — such as forgiveness of sins through His death and justification through His obedience — are not put within us but are only applied and made ours by imputation. Other gifts are infused and placed within us, such as sanctification, regeneration, and the love of God and neighbor. All of God's gifts in Christ are made ours by one of these two means — either by imputation or infusion. Yet before we can have them, we must receive them. The means by which we receive them is faith, which God has appointed to be the hand of our souls to take hold of His benefits bestowed on us. Because faith is weak and imperfect in this life, the gifts we receive through it are also imperfect. For though God's benefits are like a bottomless sea, the faith by which we lay hold of them is like a vessel with a narrow neck. Though it is plunged into the great ocean, it receives only a little water at a time — and that by degrees, drop by drop, according to the width of its opening. Hence it is that, although the gifts of God outside us — which are ours by imputation — are perfect, all graces that are placed within us are weak and imperfect.

Second, if any servant of God were perfectly regenerate and made absolutely holy in this life, he would then fulfill the moral law and so become a savior to himself. He would have life by the terms of the law, and so Christ would not properly be a savior at all — only an instrument to prepare us to keep the law by which we might save ourselves. But there is one all-sufficient Savior — Christ Jesus — and the beginning, the progress, and the completion of our salvation must be ascribed to Him alone.

Third, it is God's will that His own children — with whom He is well pleased in Christ — should be brought to nothing in themselves, so that they might find their all outside themselves in Christ. They are to be emptied, as it were, of self-love and all confidence in their own goodness. But if sanctification were perfect from the start, a person would not go outside himself but would remain as he is, resting content in his own goodness. For this reason Paul, following his time of exaltation, was buffeted by Satan's temptations — so that he might not be lifted up beyond measure (2 Corinthians 12), but would be content with this: that he was in the love and favor of God in Christ.

The second ground is this: consider what makes a person who professes Christ accepted by God, and what part that person must play for this to happen. The substance of everything we must do in order to become children of God may be reduced to three heads.

First of all, we must heartily lament our sinful lives up to this point and seriously humble ourselves on account of our sins, both of heart and of life. And if we happen to fall into any sin, we must not remain in it but recover our former standing through speedy repentance.

Second, in light of the sinfulness of our hearts and lives in times past, we must rest ourselves on God's mercy alone, fleeing to the throne of mercy for the pardon of them all.

Third, we must endeavor in the course of our lives afterward to perform obedience to God in all His commandments — so that we may thereby show ourselves thankful to Him for His mercy.

Consider the examples of this practice in God's children. All that David — that worthy servant of God — could do after his sins were committed to bring himself back into favor with God, whom he had offended, consisted of precisely these same three things: repentance, confidence and trust in God's mercy, and the practice of new obedience. This pattern is seen throughout his life, most clearly in Psalm 119 and in all the psalms commonly called the penitential psalms. Again, the prophet Daniel was accepted by God precisely for doing these things (Daniel 9). And in the same manner were Paul and the rest of the apostles.

Yet here a serious difficulty remains. Many a good servant of God may — and truly does — say: I lament my sins, and in some measure I rest on God's mercy, and I endeavor to perform new obedience. But alas — here is my grief: I cannot do these things as I would. In the matter of sorrow and grief, I am troubled by hardness of heart. In occasions that call for boldness and confidence, I am troubled by doubt. In my endeavor to obey, by many sins and various faults. To steady and moderate this grief, these further rules may be remembered.

The first rule. If there is in the mind a purpose not to sin, in the will a desire to please God, and in the whole person an endeavor to carry out the purpose of the mind and the desire of the will — mark what follows: God in mercy accepts the purpose and the will to obey as obedience itself, even though a person fails in the actual doing of it and does not perform it as well as he should. This is a great mercy of God, and we can never be sufficiently thankful for it. Yet so that we do not deceive ourselves with empty notions and bless ourselves in vain, we must know that God does not always accept the will for the deed unless there is a constant purpose in the heart, a true desire in the will, and some corresponding effort in the life. God spares those who fear Him as a father spares his own child (Malachi 3:17). How so? Even when a child, given some task, goes about it very clumsily so that it is done poorly, the father accepts it as well done if he sees that the child is yielding to his command and doing his best to the full extent of his ability. God will deal in just the same way with those who are His children.

But how, some will ask, can God accept a work of ours that is imperfect? Answer: insofar as obedience is done in sincerity, God accepts it — because it is His own work in us. And insofar as it is ours, He pardons it, because we are in Christ.

A second rule is set down in Romans 7:19, where Paul says in effect: the good I want to do I do not do, and the evil I do not want to do, that I do. These words describe the condition of all regenerate people in this life. The meaning is this: the good things God has commanded, I do — but not as I would. And the evil things forbidden, I avoid — but not as I would. We will see this is true by comparing the voices of three kinds of people. The unregenerate person says: I do not do what is good, nor will I. And what is evil, I do — and will do it. By contrast, the glorified person in heaven says: What is good I do and will do it. And what is evil I do not do, nor will I. The regenerate person stands in the middle between them both, saying: The good things commanded I do, but not as I would. The evil things forbidden I avoid, but not as I would.

This is the condition of God's child in this life. In this respect, he is like a sick man who loves his health and therefore observes both his diet and his medicine — yet often relapses into his illness again, however carefully he follows the doctor's instructions, due to the disorder of his body. And so he must go back to the doctor a second time for new advice. In the same way, God's children do have in their hearts a care to please and obey God. But because of the sin that dwells within them, they fail often — and so must humble themselves before Him again through renewed repentance. Again, God's servants are like a man who has been suddenly thrown into the sea and is struggling to save himself from drowning. He puts all his strength into swimming to shore. When he has nearly reached it, a wave strikes him and drives him clean back again — perhaps a mile or more. The hope and joy he felt at the prospect of escape are severely diminished. Yet he turns back and keeps striving toward shore, and never rests until he reaches it.

Third. Ground. The person who is truly regenerate has this privilege: the corruption of his nature is not properly part of him and does not belong to his person in terms of divine imputation. Paul says of himself in Romans 7:17: It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. In these words he distinguishes between his own person and the sin that is in him. For in the regenerate person there are three things: the body, the soul, and the restored gift of God's image. Now the corruption of nature is in his person and may in that sense be called his — but it does not belong to the regenerate person in the full sense. It is not counted as his, because it is not imputed to him. And so it is, as it were, as though it were not in him. The apostle in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 prays for the Thessalonians that God would sanctify them entirely and preserve their whole spirit, soul, and body. From this passage, among others, this understanding may be drawn: the apostle, speaking of regenerate and sanctified people, recognizes three parts in them — body, soul, and spirit. By spirit he means not the conscience but the gift of regeneration and sanctification present in the whole person — body and soul — set in contrast to the flesh, which in the natural person is what is called the old man (Romans 7). Paul's prayer on behalf of the Thessalonians teaches us in effect this: though corruption remains in the regenerate person even after regeneration, God in His acceptance counts that person as righteous and keeps him so. His sin — through the mercy of God in Christ — is not imputed to him for condemnation. And that is enough on that point.

These grounds of comfort — and others like them — may serve to sustain and uphold the hearts of God's children when they are weighed down and troubled as they consider their condition in this life, which cannot until death be fully freed from much weakness and many imperfections.

The fifth and final kind of temptation or trouble of mind arises from a person's own body.

Before I address this, one question must first be answered: how should or how can the body trouble the mind, given that the soul or mind is not physical but spiritual? It seems contrary to reason that something physical should alter or disturb a spirit. To answer this, the following points must be considered.

First, all of a person's actions proceed from one single source — the soul — and are performed by its power. The body by itself is not an agent in any work, but is rather a dead instrument through which the soul produces all its actions and effects.

Second, most of the soul's operations are carried out through the body and its parts — and through the vital spirits seated in the body — as instruments. Some actions of the soul and mind are performed without the help of the body, but I say that most of them are performed through the body and the spirits contained in it. Yet these spirits in themselves are not agents at all. The only agent in any work is the soul itself. For example: the use of the outward senses — sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell — as well as the inward ones, such as imagination and memory, are all performed through the brain and the parts of the brain as the proper instruments. All affections, both good and bad, are acted by the soul — but they arise from the heart as their seat. In the same way, the power of nourishment comes from the liver as the instrument through which the soul nourishes the body.

The body affects the soul and mind in this way: body and soul are so joined together that they form one person. Therefore, when the body is troubled, the soul is also troubled — though this does not happen by dividing the soul. For the soul cannot be divided. Nor does it happen by diminishing any part of the soul, but only by corrupting the actions of the mind — or more precisely, by corrupting the mind's immediate instrument.

This can be understood by a comparison. A skilled craftsman has a faulty and poor tool to work with. His skill is good and his ability is sufficient, but the instrument he works with is defective — and so he produces an imperfect result. His flawed tool does not take away his skill or his capacity to work, but it prevents him from doing as well as he otherwise could and should. In the same way, when the body is corrupted, it hinders the work of the soul. It does not remove the soul's activity or its capacity to act — but because it is a corrupt instrument, it causes the soul to bring forth a corrupt result.

Now we come to the temptation itself. The body troubles the mind in two ways: either through melancholy, or through other strange physical disturbances that sometimes come upon people — as we will see shortly. This is a very common form of trouble — indeed more common than the ones discussed before.

Regarding melancholy, several things are to be considered for our understanding and for treating the condition.

First, if it is asked what melancholy is, I answer: it is a kind of thick, dark blood, primarily in the spleen. When that blood is obstructed, it makes its way to the heart and the brain, where — partly through its corrupt substance, and especially through its contaminating quality — it harms both the heart and the brain, which are the seat and instrument of reason.

The second question is: what are the effects and operations of melancholy? Answer. They are strange and often fearful. There is no bodily humor — indeed nothing in the human body — that produces such strange effects when it becomes disordered. An ancient teacher calls it the devil's bait, because the devil, by God's just permission, enters into this humor and produces strange mental impressions. When the evil spirit came upon Saul, it so worked on him that he wanted to kill the man nearest to him. Why? Surely because God in justice withdrew His restraining spirit from Saul and permitted Satan to enter into the humor of choleric rage or melancholy — or both — and by this means drove him to attack David.

The specific effects of melancholy are of two kinds. The first effect is in the brain and head. When this humor becomes corrupted, it sends up harmful vapors and fills the instrument of reason, as it were, with a fog — making it unfit to reason properly. From this comes the first effect: strange imaginings, conceptions, and opinions formed in the mind. These are not properly the direct work of the humor, but because the humor corrupts the instrument, and the instrument being corrupted cannot produce sound operations, it brings forth distorted ones instead.

For example. What some call beast-like melancholy is when a person believes himself to be an animal of some kind and behaves accordingly. Of this sort are those who think themselves to be wolves and behave in wolf-like ways. Thus we read in Daniel 4:30 that Nebuchadnezzar lived, behaved himself, and fed like an animal. Some say that he lost his soul and received the soul of a beast. But they are mistaken. There is no such transfer of souls between human or animal bodies. Others believe that Nebuchadnezzar was struck in the brain with this disease and, in a beast-like delusion, carried himself as an animal. This interpretation does not contradict the text, for verse 31 of that chapter says that his mind returned to him — showing that during the illness his understanding and right use of reason were lost. The same kind of thing is documented in history through various examples, even if the case of Nebuchadnezzar were not true.

Here is another example that is common and ordinary. Let a melancholy person suddenly see something frightening, and the force of his imagination immediately fixes that thing upon himself. If he sees or hears that someone has been hanged, or is possessed by a devil, it immediately comes to his mind that he must be hanged, or that he is or will be possessed. Likewise, when fearful things are described to him, his imagination immediately goes to work and he pictures the thing happening to him already, or about to happen. And once this imagination takes hold, it produces horrible and frightening effects.

The second effect of melancholy is upon the heart. When the mind has conceived and formed fearful thoughts, the heart and the emotions respond in concert — affection follows imagination. From this arise intense horrors, fears, and despairs — yet all the while the conscience itself may be untouched and undisturbed.

Third, it may be asked whether there is any difference between a troubled conscience and melancholy, since many consider them to be the same thing. Answer. They are not the same. They differ greatly. Affliction of conscience is one thing; trouble caused by melancholy is another. They are clearly distinguished as follows. First, when the conscience is troubled, the affliction is in the conscience itself — and thus in the whole person. But in melancholy, the imagination is disturbed, not the conscience. Second, the troubled conscience has a true and certain cause for its distress — namely, the sight of sin. But melancholy causes the imagination to believe something is the case when it is not. It makes a person fear and despair over supposed and imaginary causes. Third, the person afflicted in conscience has courage in many areas. But the melancholy person fears everything — every person, every creature, indeed himself — and has no courage. He fears where there is nothing to fear. Fourth, the imaginings in the brain caused by melancholy can be cured, relieved, and resolved by physical medicine. But the distress of conscience cannot be cured by anything in the world except one thing: the blood of Christ and the assurance of God's favor.

Fourth, the way to treat melancholy is this. First, the troubled person must be brought to a willingness to be guided and directed not by his own judgment, but by the judgment of others regarding his own condition. By this he will gain much peace and relief.

Second, an examination must be made as to whether he has any beginnings of faith and repentance in him. If he lacks knowledge of his condition, then means must be used to bring him to some awareness of and sorrow for his sins — so that his melancholy sorrow may be transformed into a godly sorrow. If he lacks faith and true repentance, some good beginnings of these must be worked in his heart.

Third, once he has been brought to faith in God's mercy and an honest purpose not to sin any more, certain merciful promises of God should be set before his eyes. He must be urged to rest upon these promises and never to admit any imagination or thought that would contradict them. The promises are these and similar ones: No good thing shall be lacking to those who fear God (Psalm 34:9). No evil shall come near the godly person (Psalm 91:10). The Lord is with you, while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you (2 Chronicles 15). Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). The best way to bring such a person to peace with himself is to hold, believe, and know the truth of these promises — and to refuse to allow any contrary thought to enter his heart.

Moreover, though these promises may steady the mind, they will not remove the humor itself without further help being used. Therefore the fourth and final help is the practice of medicine, which serves to correct and reduce the humor. By God's blessing, it is a means of restoring health and curing the disorder of the body. And that is enough on the trouble of mind caused by melancholy.

The second way in which the body troubles the mind is when it causes mental distress through strange physical disturbances. When a person begins to enter into a frenzy, even the slightest alteration in the brain immediately disturbs the mind. In this way, the trembling of the heart produces many frightening mental impressions when a person cannot identify the cause. The same effect is produced by swelling of the spleen, by disturbances in the organs, by violent convulsions, and similar conditions.

The remedy for this is as follows. First, it must still be asked whether the troubled person has true faith and repentance or not. If he does, so much the better. If he does not, the first duty is to use all means to stir up in him some godly sorrow for his sins.

Second, once this is done, means must be used to correct the false impression he has formed and to inform him of the actual physical change occurring in his body and what is truly causing it. Once this is understood, the fear or grief he has conceived will easily be calmed. For take away the false opinion and inform the judgment rightly, and the whole person will be the better for it.

Third, even if the false impression has been corrected, the physical disturbance may remain. In that case, the person must be taught that this is a correction from God — and that God does not merely permit the affliction to fall upon him, but is its very author. Therefore the person should be content and even rejoice in God's will. For every present condition, whether good or difficult, is the best condition for us, because it comes by the will of God.

And that is enough on the various kinds of distress of mind. I add one further observation: if we examine the condition of those who are troubled by any of these five temptations, we will rarely find them alone — they are usually mixed together, and especially melancholy is combined with one or more of the other temptations.

And that concludes the first set of questions, concerning man simply considered in himself.

THE END.