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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46992	Comfortable words to afflicted consciences together with a short advice to ministers how to handle them : and also Mansio Christiana, or, The Christians mansion-house, being a sermon preached on the Lords-day, 7th Feb., Anno Dom. 1668 at the funeral of Mrs. Martha Walmisley, the wife of Mr. Charles Walmisley, minister of Chesham magna in the county of Bucks / by William Jole ...	Jole, William, d. ca. 1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing J887; ESTC R8442	40,808	152

our Tears it is but legal Repentance Alass But I have committed foul facts since my first conversion Answer So did both David and Peter and how did they recover themselves but by Faith in Jesus Christ and Repentance from dead works Therefore confess your sins to God and think of that comfortable portion of Scripture 1. Epistle Iohn 2. chap. ver 1. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the Righteous It is not said If any man sin not but if any man sin Thus poor sinners go loaded to Heaven with abundance of experience of the riches of Gods Grace and freeness of his Mercy in pardoning their heinous transgressions There are commonly Three hindrances in the way of afflicted Consciences 1. Looking only upon Sin 2. A proud kind of seeming Humility 3. A searching for the fruits of Repentance before we are sure of Faith 1. Many look only upon their Sins and not to their Saviour Alass sayes the afflicted Conscience my Sins are crying Sins Crimson Sins Scarlet Sins Scandalous Sins foul frequent committed against much Light much Love against much Means much Mercy If a wounded Man should only look upon the bleeding wound would it not make him faint for fear that he should bleed to death But when he seeth the skilful Chirurgeon about to dress it and considers his skill to cure it this upholds his sinking Spirits even so poor Sinners must needs faint and despair of Pardon while they look no further than their Sins which despairing thoughts would soon vanish if then we could look up to our Saviour are not all sins easie to be pardoned by Infinite mercy It was an excellent answer that one returned the Devil when he told him of the heinousnefs of his sins thy sins should be pardoned too if thou couldst believe Christ can more easily pardon seventy offences to us then we can seven to one another He delighteth to forgive much so to engage us to love him much When some ●old the Ruler that his Daughter was dead and bid him not trouble the Master Mark 5. ver 35 36. Christ bids him fear not only believe and so to that other person Mark 9. ver 23. If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth When Martha said by this time he stinketh for he hath been dead four days Ioh. 11. ver 39 40. Christ checks her Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldst believe thou shouldst set the Glory of God These were all desperate c●ses and therefore the more proper for Christ the Great Physitian Christ ●an cure inveterate Ulcers aswel as green wounds therefore look up to Christ while you look down upon your sins see what power Christ hath to save while you behold what power sin hath to damn that so while you see in your selves great cause of despair you may see in Him far greater cause of hope 2. Hindrance to afflicted Consciences is a proud humility or a kind of seeming mannerlyness It may be like Peter thou thinkst it not good manners to let Christ wash thy Feet Iohn 13. ver 8. Thou shalt never wash my Feet Calvin's note on those words is Pride often lurketh under pretence of humility away with this destructive manners seeing that the great work which God requireth of us is to believe in Christ as our Saviour and to believe tha● He both can and will save us to the uttermost surely we cannot do it too soon 3 Hindrance It may be that thou searchest for the ripe fruits of Repentance before thou art sure that thou hast Faith in the work of our spiritual ingrafting into Christ we are like crab-stocks newly grafted which do not instantly bear fruit the same day or week or the same month that they are grafted If we be truly ingrafted into Christ by Faith Repentance and the fruits of it will appear afterwards but not the same hour that we are ingrafted I mean not so as to be discerned by us look after Faith first before you search after Repentance Faith will help us to repent Paul did not bid the Jailor to repent but believe first Acts 16. ver 30 31. He knew that Faith would work Repentance If the Devil tell you that you should hav● repented sooner Remember that true Repentance can never be too late Christ dyed before you sinned If therefore you believe in Christ now you shall be as surely pardoned as if you had begun your repentance sooner Repent for your deferring repentance so long and remember that the repenting Thief was 〈◊〉 rejected though it were at 〈…〉 h●ur 4. Objection But I am so continually h●un●ed with temptations either to Blasphemy or Self-murther or one black and devilish temptation or other that sleeping or waking I am a terror to my self Ans. So were all true Saints more or less haunted with the like temptations that have lain longer under a Spirit of Bondage This may be a good sign that we have not given Satan a peaceable possession when he thus strives to make a forcible entry by such horrid temptations The Devil lets them alone of whom he thinks he hath made sure work but he assaults those most with the greatest temptations that ar● striving to get out of his clutches 5. Object But alass I have something that tells me I have withstood my day of Grace Answer That something must be either from God or Satan It cannot be from God for He tells none that they shall die in their sins but such as obstinately reject Jesus Christ and refuse to be saved by him Indeed Christ said to the Pharise●s ● go away but ye shall die in your sins Io● 8. ver 21. But if you take notice of it ' ●was spoken to them that blasphemed Christ and said He had a Devi● Iohn 17. ver 20. This may be a comfortable note Christ said to the Penitent Adulterer Iohn 8. ver 11. neither do I condemn thee And yet he said to the self-justifying Pharisees Ye shall die in your sins That sinner that confesseth and bewaileth his guiltiness him Christ absolveth but that Soul that thinks it self Righteous without Christs Righteousness He abhorreth If sin be your burden Christ calls you to Him and therefore this something that tells you you are damned must be from Satan that old lyer You may know the Devil to be a lyer in this as well as in other things for God never made Satan of his Privie Council to know who are to be saved and who are to be damned But pray tell me Suppose the Devil should tell you that you should be saved would you believe him then Why then do you heed him now that he sayes you shall be damned as you would mist●ust your condition more if Satan should tell you tha● you should be saved so now you have cause to mistrust it less because he tels you that you shal be damned If the Devil should possibly know that you should be damned for certain he would

themselves to be a Fourm and that every one would sit on them others thinking themselves to be a Glass and that every thing would break them or to be like Nebuchadnezar to have the Soul of a Beast and to eat grass like a Beast which some say was but a strange effect of a strong melancholy even such strange apprehensions may melancholy christians have of their Souls insomuch that many christians have thought themselves to be in H●ll and for a long time have led most uncomfortable lives by that fearful expectation of of wrath and ●iery indignation to devour them Application is 1. For Information We must not censure those too hardly that lie under a Spirit of Bondage those are not damned that may think themselves in a damned state the new birth hath grievous pangs and throes those whose sin is ever before their faces must needs cry out of a heavy burthen of wrath Before this Spirit of Bondage we are like Issachar who is called a strong Ass couching under two Burthens Gen. 49. Ver. 14. We have a burthen of guilt and a burthen of wrath and yet we are not sensible of either but the Spirit of Bondage shews the intolerable burthen of sin That I may endeavour to speak something to afflicted Consciences Although you say a Spirit of Bondage is a woful condition yet I assure you your condition was much worse before you came under this Spirit of Bondage To be hardned in Sin is a worse condition then to be thus harrased by Conscience for Sin to be bold to commit sin is far worse then to be bruised for sin committed you are in a great deal worse condition then all Hypocrites that go quietly to Hell How many thousand in the world that are guilty of the same sins you complain of and yet are senseless as stones It is good to hear christians roar in the sense of sin to hear a man that is bruised with a fal sensibly complain and tell where his pain lies is a good sign that there is hopes of his recovery It is the same in a Christian to complain of sin and cry out in the fear of that wrath due to sin is a good sign that Conscience is alive that Conscience is awake A seared Conscience is far worse than an afflicted Conscience a senseless condition is the very worst conditions if you rightly consider you have cause to bless God for a Spirit of Bondage that while many millions are riding Post to Hell God hath stopt you that were running the same Road Remember therefore for your comfort that many have been lead to the place of Execution and have stood with the rope about their necks having the sentence of death in themselves and yet have been pardoned after so great a fright Many christians are dealt with after the same manner God may leave them a long while in the Jaylors custody in fear of eternal Execution I mean buffe●ed by Satan under temptations to despair and yet God may come in with a Pardon at last only he intends to fright us from sin by this means for the future I have heard of one whose friends had got him a Pardon and yet suffered him to be lead to the place of Execution to make him be more afraid of lewd courses for the future There may be a Pardon for us in Gods hand and yet it may not so presently be given into our hand Nay if you have been very long under a Spirit of Bondage though God give a Pardon into your hand yet you may not be able to read it being under the dread of Exe●ution Many now living besides me may remember a man in Oxford that was to draw Lots for his life and he ●rew that paper wherein was writt Live but he was so possess●d by fear of death that he threw it away supposing that he was to die until some that stood nigh him read his Lott and told him that was to live so it may fare with an afflicted Conscience God may write Live and yet the fear of Hell may so far stupify the Soul that it may not be able to read the writing In case of temptation it is safest to let some other Christian read the writing for us to let other Christians judge of our condition Remember therefore that you were under Satans Bondage before you were under the Spirit of Bondage it is much better to be Gods Prisoner than Satans a man hardned in sin is a Prisoner without hope but a man bruised for Sin is a Prisoner of hope and though this terrifying work of a troubled Conscie●ce be not Grace yet it is in order ●nto Grace all those terrours that do not end in final despair are still in order to Conversion and the deep●r God cutts and launces the Soul the sooner it will be healed again It is a great comfort to a Patient to hear that there is good hopes of his recovery although he be still kept in the Chirurg●ons hands or though they tell him it will be a very long cure the hope of cure revives him although he may endure much misery before the cure be perfected It is a great comfort to a Travailer to hear that he is in his right way although he may pass through many dirty lanes and rugged paths and perhaps may be set upon by Robbers although the way be tedious and dangerous yet this bears him up it is the right way and will bring him to his journeys end at last Although the way which the Spirit useth seem a tedious and unpleasant way yet it is the right way to Heaven and though you may think you are kept long in a course of Spiritual Physick yet the hope of a perfect cure at last may keep you from despair And here it w●ll be needful to answer some Objections which troubled Consciences make Alas you speak all this while to a wrong party I have no Grace and therefore there is no hope for me Answer 1. It is a happy turn that you see the want of Grace 2. It is well that you are made desirous to have Grace these are good steps towards Grace Answer 2. To have Grace is one thing and to know that we have Grace is another that Ioseph liveth is one thing and that Iacob knows that Ioseph liveth is quite another thing for Iacob thought he had been torn in pieces by some wilde beast and made a solemn mourning for him Gen. 34. Ver. 34 35. In the obscurity of a winters night all the Wares remain in the Shop but we see them not except we have a Candle or tarry till day appear again There may be Grace in the heart and we not discern it commonly those that say they have no Grace have more Grace then those that so confidently proclaim themselves to be Citizens of Heaven 2 Objection But can such a wretch as I expect Grace that have spent so many years in sinful courses and have sinned so desperately as

bring us into this Land Numb 14. ve 8. Hearken unto Caleb and Ioshua unto the faithful spies and true Ministers which declare from the word of God what place Heaven is and hearken not unto any that endeavour to bring an evil report on this good Land where only is fulness of Ioy and pleasures for evermore Indeed there are some difficulties will meet us in our way thitther but no impossibilities Say with Caleb the Lord is with us we are able to overcome them Numb 13. compared with Num● 14. ver 9. 2. Pray against earthly mindedness The young man that seemed so earnest to get to Heaven as is set out by his postures of running and kneeling and asking what to do yet his great earthly Possessions hindred him from being prevailed with by the promise of Heavenly treasure Mark 10. ver 2● Reuben and Gad had so much Cattle that they are not eager to dwell in Canaan Iacob's Flocks and Herds made him drive slowly homewards Gen. 33. v. 14. though I grant his fear of Esau might be a great cause also Those Christians are in most danger of neglecting Heavenly Mansions that are well seated in Earthly places haec sunt quae faciunt invitos mori these things make us unwilling to die Let us use the Earth as the Birds do the Air is their proper place and they care not to descend on the Earth but only for their times of Feeding so long as they keep aloft they are secure but when they come to settle on the Ground there are Nets or Guns or some Snare to endanger them So long as Christians keep their thoughts on Heaven and the thing above they are ●afe from Temptation but when they ●et them hover too long upon Earth and the things ●●low Satan is ready to shoot at them or hath one Snare or other to catch them though your daily Bread grows on Earth yet look on Heaven as your home and send your thoughts desires thither again that it may appear though you Table here you expect to dwell in Heaven A few words more and then I shall conclude 1. Be content though God allo● you but a low place or no place in this world seeing Christ is preparing a place for you in a better world 2. Get your affections more weaned from earthly Houses you that have them and fix your thoughts more on those Heavenly Mansions Because Children know no better things they are so much in love with every painted Gew-gaw It is our ignorance of the Joys in Heaven that makes us so greatly pleased with these toyes on Earth 3. Be not immoderate in grieving for any Relations or Friends departed no though you have h●d them but a little while with you So long as we are in the Body we are absent from the Lord the Apostle Paul groaned earnestly in desires of enjoying his Heavenly Mansion 2 Cor. chap. 5. ver 2. and he gives us his Reason in the 1. ver Who would not go out of a thatcht Cottage to inherit a Pallace those that die in the Lord do but leave an Earthly Tabernacle to inherit an Heavenly Kingdom and will you think it too s●on for them to be thus happy Solon being asked who were happy tells a story of two Youths who out of affection drew their Mothers Chariot to the Temple and the Gods to recompence them caused them to die presently those are happy that can number Death among their priviledges and bid it welcom If I could offer your Wife or Children House or Land would you say no I thank you I cannot spare them yet they shall tarry with me one year longer before they go to possess it We are wiser in earthly matters why are we such fools in Heavenly matters if we did cordially believe and seriously meditate on the blessedness in Heaven we should grudge at every hour we ●arry on earth we should think the shortest life too long and like the next Heir be eagerly desirous to inherit I say nothing of the party deceased though she hath left a good name behind her because I was totally ● stranger to her FINIS PAUL The Pattern of PARDONING MERCY Being A SERMON ON 1 Tim. Chap. 1. Ver. 15. Howbeit for this cause I obtained Mercy that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all Long-suffering for a Pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting 1 Tim. 1. Chap. 16. Ver. Howbeit for this cause I obtained Mercy that in me Iesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting THis Verse referreth to the last words of the former Verse whereof I am chief howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy as if the Apostle would say Although I was so heinous a sinner yet Iesus Christ hath made me a pattern of mercy to all others As God makes some stand as fearful monuments of his wrath to fright ●hose that are impenitent like Lot's wife tu●ned into a Pillar of Salt to season after Ages So God is pleased to set others as Monuments of free-grace to invite all penitent Sinners the Apostle tells us what was Gods aim in pardoning him that was so great an offender to make a pattern of long suffering to encourage the greatest sinners to lay hold on his Mercy For Division of the words 1. Here is an Act mentioned Obtained 2. The thing mentioned Mercy 3. The Person mentioned I that needed long sufferings I the chief of sinners Lastly the Reason mentioned for this cause that I might be a pattern to them that shall hereafter believe that is to say that by my Example the greatest Sinners m●ght be encouraged to lay hold on the offer of Free Pardon seeing such a desperate opposer of Jesus Christ as I was received into favour that none might hereafter despair of Pardon but all Sinners might be encourag'd to come to God through Jesus Christ. The Doctrine will be most comfortable thus rendred That God hath set Paul as a glorious pattern of Mercy to encourage all sinners by his Example to seek for pardoning Mercy The orderly handling of this Doctrine will be 1. To see what a Pattern is 2. How Paul may be said to be a Pattern 3. Why Paul was made a Pattern Lastly What excellent ●ncouragement all Sinners hereafter may make of this glorious Pattern of Free-grace For the First What a Pattern is For on this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lyeth the stress of the whole matter A Pattern is materi● proposita ad imitandum something that is laid before our eyes for us to imitate when a Li●mner hath drawn some curious Picture in which he thinks he hath shewed much of his Art he hangs it out for all Passengers to look on to shew them what he can do every piece is not fit to be a Pattern but the most exact Pi●ces In the converting of Paul who by his own confession was one of the greatest

Prayer for to shew them Mercy it is a very great mercy that we have not only Promises of Pardon but also Patterns of notorious sinners that have been pardoned 1. Because such Patterns sufficiently declare the infinite merit of Christs death who could be fitter Trumpets of Christs Power and Mercie then those blind and lame and leprous and the Woman cured of her bloody Issue and that other Woman bowed together all which Christ cured in the days of his Flesh When the Jews spake against Christ the man whom he had restor'd to sight pleaded hard for him Iohn 9. ver 30. 33. If this man were not of God he could do nothing The Jews knew not what to object but proudly asked him Dost thou undertake to teach us ver 34. What can any poor sinner object against the Power Mercy of Christ when they see ten Lepers cleansed at once but may be enforced to cry out with that Leper Matt. 8. ver 2. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean He that cured Ten can cure ten Millions though it is not so with bodily Physicians their Art is fallible but Christ is the infallible Physician To hear that Christ came to save sinners may not move us so much as to see it in the Examples of Manasseh and the Theef on the Cross and those others before-mentioned such remarkable instances do abundantly declare that the merit of Christs death is exceedingly beyond the demerit of our sins Christs healing all manner of diseased that were brought unto him shews that he can heal all manner of diseased Souls that come unto him now 2. Such Instances do evince that God is ready to deal out Pardons to all sorts of Sinners let their Sins be what they will that come in Christs name to ask Pardon the poor Soul is apt to say How shall I know that God will pardon such a wretched sinner as I am Why you may believe it in such Patterns as Paul and those before mentioned 3. It is a great Mercy to have such Patterns of pardoning Mercy for in these we may more clearly see what is the great design of free Grace namely to set open the door of Mercy and invite all sinners to come freely and to give pardons to all that will come to God in Christs name And therefore Peter and Paul the two greatest Apostles and Pillars of the Church are both set as Patterns of Free Grace to encourage other sinners to look after Pardon Peter denyed yea abjured his Saviour and yet was pardoned Paul persecuted him and blasphemed his name and compelled others to do so to and yet was pardoned Now as some prophane wretches in Salvians time did presume to sin because David and Noah and Lot sinned Si David cur non ego si Noah si Lot cur non ego Here the poor penitents may turn their presumption into a blessed hope and say with an humble confidence si Petrus cur non ego si Paulus cur non ego si David si Noah si Lot cur non ego If all these were pardoned why may not I follow God for pardon Gods gracious design in suffering such Examples to be Registred of notorious sinners that were pardoned is that by such presidents of Mercy all other sinners might take encouragement to seek for Mercy in such marv●●lous ex●mles as these Satans greatest Obj●ction is answered to our hands What doth such a wicked creature as you hope for pardon in such patterns of M●rcy as Manasseh Peter Paul and the like God teacheth us how to answer the Devil God hath pardoned as great sinners as I am and therefore I am sure God can pardon me and I believe God will pardon all that seek to him in Christ for pardon and therefore I will ply the Throne of Grace in Christs name to beg pardon In such patterns God doth as it were make a shew of his Mercy that we may see no sins are so great but they shall be pardoned if we do not add Unbelief unto them Mr. Lightfoot hath an excellent note to this purpose on Pauls conversion The most notorious persecuter that the Gospel had yet found is chosen of all others to be the Doctor of the Gen●●les that 〈…〉 his own example or rather the glorious example of Gods Mercy in his conversion might be a comfortable Doctrine to those notorious sinners of the Gentiles as well as his Preac●ing Lastly it is a great Mercy to have such Patterns of pardoning Mercy because such instances are a good means to keep all sinners from despair your case is not desperate if the Counsellour can shew you a President of the like If the Physician can shew you many now living whom he hath recovered of the same distemper this may be a good encouragement for you to hope for a cure too This is Paul's meaning when he calls himself chief of sinners and says that he obtained Mercy for this cause that he might be a pattern to others as much as to say ●n me God shews as from an high Tower that all sinners may be pardoned as I was if they seek to him in Christs name as I did and as David said they that fear thee will be glad when they see me Psal. 119. ver 24. it may be turned here they that see David pardoned and Paul pardoned they may be glad of such encouraging patterns to make them hope for pardon too the Doctrine of free Grace is the only Doctrine to invite guilty sinners if pardon be offered freely to all that will ●ome to God in Christ Then if I go to pray to God for pardon in the name of his Son Jesus Christ I shall be pardoned as well as they and this consideration moves the poor sinner to go to the throne of grace to beg pardon God who hath no respect of persons can have no motive from within but his own free love to pardon a poor sinner and the word Sinner sufficiently declares that there can be no motive from without therefore the same Free Grace that hath pardoned other sinners will pardon all sinners that seek pardon Yea this is a good sign that God intends to pardon us when he makes us with David pray ●arnestly to be pardoned Application is for Exhortation to press all sinners to draw that encouragement from this glorious pattern of Paul's obtaining Mercy which God intends us Why do we sit still as the Lepers said one to another 2 Kings chap. 7. ver 3. Why do not we pray for pardon There are three things which God doth most delight to glorify his name his Son his Covenant and then we most glorify these three things when we look after pardon As for Gods Name he tells us p●ain enough Ier. 33. ver 8 9. That he would exalt his Name before all Nations of the Earth by pardoning his People Israel therefore let us urge God with his own words Lord glorifie thy name of Mercy in pardoning my sins that