of the holie apostle Saint Iames who counselleth vs Iames 5.16 to confesse our sinnes one to an other and to pray for one an other But alas say you how should I pray for you True praier is not a set order of fine wordes when I can not pray for my selfe If you cannot pray in set wordes and in fine order can you not therefore pray at all can you not sigh and groane inwardly in the true feeling of your soul as one that is so greatly oppressed with griefe that he hath not a tongue to vtter that which he hath within his minde If you can sigh and grone after this maner be of good comfort For you haue learned long since from some of your faithful teachers who haue many times soundlie taught this point from the word of God and that of purpose for the relief of weake consciences that you pray verie effectuallie Your sighes are prayers which the spirite from whom they proceed vnderstandeth right well yea although there is not so much as anie one worde vttered to expresse them Wordes are for our vnderstanding that we may thereby knowe one anothers meaning But the hoke spirite which is our comfortable schoolemaister and searcheth the deepe things of God knowes our meaning and thoughts before we speake yea although we speake not at all For as the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 139.2 He knowes our thoughts long before And the Apostle saith the spirite helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as wee ought but the spirite it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed These sighes breaking out violentlie from the consciences of the godlie The sighes of the Godlie are acceptable prayers are prayers and loude cryes acceptable tâ— the Lord and pearcing deepelie into his eares as appeares in Exodus 14.15 Where the Lorde demaundeth of Moses why hee cryed so vnto him whereas the wordes of the Text make no mention of anie one worde hee spake or vttered I pray you tell mee this one thing A similie if the childe of your owne bodie whom you loue dearelie and which is vnto you as your owne soule shall be sicke and being full of paine shall moane him selfe vnto you tell you howe sicke hee is where his paine doth holde him and shall entreate you euen as you loue him to doe what you can to ease him will you not doe it both willinglie and readilie yea will you not doe whatsoeuer you are able euerie kinde of way for the ease of your deare dearling But if his paine shall encrease and grewe so great that it takes awaie his speech so as bee is not able to speake a worde but to fetch deepe sighes and to moane himselfe vnto you by most greeuous groanes will not these groanes pearce your heart more deepelie and cause the bowels of compassion to yerne in you more stronglie to straine your selfe euen to the vttermost of all your power to affoorde him as much comfort as is possible both by your selfe by others shall the groning of your child worke great pitie in you and shall not the the mightie groanes of your poore sicke soul moue the Lord your God to greater compassion The Lord exceedeth al men in goodnesse and compassion and therefore will heare and helpe you readily If in such a case you will be so readie to heare and helpe know you for certentie the Lord will be more readie to heare and helpe whensoeuer you shall in the anguish of your soule groane vnto him For looke how farre he exceeds you and all other in goodnesse so farre also doth he exceede you and all other in mercie and compassion Beside all this there is no sacrifice more acceptable in the sight of God then the sighes and groanes of a troubled minde Psalm 51.17 The sighes of the spirit aâ—e to be regarded For so saith the Prophet The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Therefore make as good account of the groanes and sighes of the spirit as of any prayer you can make euen in the best words you can deuise And for a farewell of this matter remember that the godlie and good king Ezekias Ezekias could not pray but chatter could not in smooth and fine wordes poure out his prayers before the Lord in his great sicknesse but chatter like a swallow or a â—rane as hee confesseth of himselfe Esa 38.14 Consider also that the poore Publican being ashamed of himselfe The Publican prayed feruently but saide little by reason of his sinnes and feareing to lift his eies toward heauen could not deliuer his minde at large in fit and choise words but with much paine Lu. 18.9 10 c. at the last he breakes forth after this manner O God be mercifull to me a sinner Neuerthelesse our Sauiour Christ giueth sentence on his side that he went home more iustified then the proud Pharisie who had both words and winde at will Your fist obiection doth thus offer it selfe That you cannot leaue sinne The fist obiection and answere of leauing sinne And that which doth more trouble you you cannot leaue those sinnes which you haue vowed to leaue but you fall againe into them First you reason thus against your selfe that you can not leaue sinne No maruell Sinne cleapes too fast to our nature to part with it in haâ—â—e for although you be one of Godes saintes and haue receiued the spirit of sanctification in measure to fight the Lords battels against sinne and hell yet are you no Angell in this world so as you can altogether ceasse to sinne because you carrie and shall carrie vnto your graue a bodie and soule subiect to sinne Therfore you must fight this battel euen so long as you haue breath and life This enemie of yours is so strong No perfect conquest ouer sinne vntill death that he will neuer be fullie ouercome vntill you haue ouermastred him by death And then you shall haue a full and perfect conquest ouer him and all your enemies In the meane time plucke vp a good heart gird you fast with all your Christian armour Christian coâ—â—age and armor put on your complete harnesse and euerie part thereof as you finde it set down in the sirâ— chap. of the Epistle written to the Ephesians Ephe. 6.13 14 c. take your weapon in one hand I meane the sworde of the spirite and your buckler in the other that is to say the shield of faith Lay about you lustily with all the strength and cunning you haue Yea bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And fear not the issue Be carefull to fight Christ his â—attell and feare not the issue although you latch and catch many a sore blowe no though you be foiled and wounded because you haue a valiant captaine Christ Iesus your Samour who hath alreadie himselfe gotten
To the right honorable my verie good Lord Robert Deuoreux Earle of Essex and Ewe Vicount of Hereford Lord Ferrers of Chartley c. Master of the Queenes Maiesties horse knight of the most noble order of the Garter and one of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Counsel the continuall encrease of Gods euerlasting fauour peace and comfort in this and in the world to come MAnie men right Honourable when they intend some euil I meane when they haue resolued freely and boldly to trade in some sinne without check and controlment doe seeke to shroude themselues vnder the cloth and countenaunce of some great persons of Worship and Honour If my purpose or practise were such I might iustly feare to bee crossed and cursed in this my enterprise The searcher of all hearts knoweth that my purpose prayers and endeuours through his gracious assistance are and shall bee to keepe a good conscience in my ministerie to walke in the vprightnesse of my heart and to bee kept blamelesse to the comming of Iesus Christ In this resolution may it seeme good vnto your Honour as you haue alreadie at the earnest and humble sute of manie my verie good and worshipfull friends receiued me to fauour so still to continue your most honourable protection for my further encouragement in well doing May it also please your honourable and religious disposition to comfort and countenaunce this Mite and small measure of comfort which according to grace receiued I haue once addressed and now the second time published and enlarged for the reliefe of such as grieue and groane vnder the heauie but then of their sinnes Behold I presume to present it vnto your Honour as the best present I haue to testifie my humble dutie seruice and thankfulnesse And if by Gods good fauour and blessing there shall be ame one sentence worde syllable or letter which may bring or adde comfort to you or yours I shall be occasioned the rather heartily to blesse God for so great mercie and to pray more instantly that your Honour may be blessed for euer Your honours most humble and bounden seruant in the Lord Robert Linaker A COMFORTABLE TREATISE FOR THE reliefe of such as are afflicted in conscience IT is not long since I promised you some small remembrance of my hearty desire to affoorde you some comfort oncerning the inwarde affliction of your minde if the Lord should any way enable me thereunto I haue now therefore according to the measure of grace receiued performed that my promise as you shall vnderstaÌ„d by reading these leaues following Whereby if you shall reape so much comfort as from the depth of my heart I entreat the Lord you may I shal account my selfe for euer most nearely bound by all maner of dutie and thankfulnesse vnto his blessed maiesty Howsoeuer it fall out you shall receiue and keep this poore treatise by you as an vndoubted record of my good meaning towards you and some others of whose particular estate I haue some certaine knowledge and for whome I pray most heartily Inward afflictions are neither common nor easie as I do for you I confesse your afflictioÌ„ is neither common nor easie to be born And that bicause it is not outward but inward not of the body but of the minde For as Salomon saieth A sorrowfull minde drieth the bones Prouerbs 17.22 Againe A man will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded spirâ—t who can beare it Prou. 18.14 His meaning is that no outward griefe or discommoditie whatsoeuer but may be indured and borne with great patience and constancie but if the conscience be wounded and striken with the feeling of Gods wrath for sin or any other great cause there is neither man nor woman which is able to endure and beare it out long without great gracious assistance from God That this is so you can speak of your own experience yet for your comfort remember that you are not alone the due consideration whereof may not a little cheere vp your heart For you reade of some in the scriptures some you heare of and some you know your selfe who grone vnder the same burden whose consciences are set very hard vpon the racke whose poore soules are in little ease as well as yours This is one principall point A principal comfort for the troubled minde which I would haue you thinke vpon continually but then especially when Sathan woulde beare you down that you are alone in this kinde of affliction and that no body is so troubled as you are For this purpose you may remember that sweete sentence of the holy apostle 1. Pet. 5.9 wherein he doeth you to vnderstand that the same afflictions which you endure are also accomplished and suffered of your other bretheren which are abroad in the world as if he should say let not such a thought as this is ouersway you The best affected are your partners that you should think you haue no fellowes For there bee a number of Gods deere childreÌ„ who are as much and as often troubled with the same griefe of minde aswell as you For as there is no man so wise so strong or so rich but there be many as wise as strong and as wealthie so there is none so greatly grieued in body or minde but there be many who are as deepe in the same griefe as they be Againe Another chiefe comfort against Sathans temptation if your wily enimy shal by this kind of temptation assay to wound your weake conscience that you belong not to God because the correction is so sharpe and the rod wherwith you are beaten so smarting you may boldly step to him wring his weapon out of his hand therwith thrust him thorow for the maner of your chastiâ—ement doeth proue verie strongly to your conscience that you are highly in Gods fauor and that because you are not only partaker of that correction wherof all the sonnes and daughters of God are partakers for so many as are without correction are bastards not children but of that kind of chasticement â—abr 12.8 which only is proper to those who aboue many others haue bin in greater fauor with God For example Dauid was a man as you haue learned from the scriptures according to Gods own hart Dauid was greatly loued of God and grieuously afflicted that is such a one as the Lord set great store by he notwithstanding was throughly whipt with this three stringed whip as you may read at large not in one but in many Psalmes by name the sirt Psalme throughout a great part of the two and twentieth the eight and thirtie the whole Psalme the one and fiftie and manie moe which you maie find by diligent reading in the booke of the Psalmes where you shall vndestand that his estate is all one with yours Againe you may remember that Paul the Apostle was a chosen vessell Acts 9.15 Galat. 1.15 Paul a chosen vessell sharply handled whom God had
vnto your godlie meditations to encorage you concerning the maner of your afflictions The Lord grant you a rich portion of his spirite that your soule may reape a gratious blessing Now you shall further vnderstand in few wordes what shall be the substance of all the matter which foloweth in the remainder of this poore treatise The substance of the whole Treatise folloâ—ing I purpose so neere as I can to gather together those obiections which you and others doe obiect against your selues and so farre as the Lord shall affoord me his grace I entend in order to answer them The first and principall obicetion so far as I can conceiue learne by conference with you The first obiection and answere and with so many as I haue any acquaintance is this The troubled minde doubts of Gods fauour That you doubt much of Gods fauour towards you that you feare it greatly you are not the child of God and if you be yet can not you be thereof certainely perswaded This obiection hath aireadie beene answered in part not withstanding because it is as the foundation of al the other obiections I will in hope of Gods gracious assistance indeuor my selfe to answere it more fully for your better contentmeÌ„t First therfore I would gladly learne this one thing of you or of anie other who is your partner in these temptations who it is that beareth you so greatly in hand A needefull point therefore marke it well you are not the child of God If you answer your conscience through the greatnesse of your sinne doth tel you so then do I againe demaund of you who it is that sets your conscience a worke to vrge this point to what end Harken to Gods 〈◊〉 for he seckes 〈◊〉 God If it be Gods spirit you may be right glad because then it is for your good namely the you may go out of your selfe secke the forgiuenesse of your sinnes and euerlasting saluation in Christ his death and obedience to the full assurance of Gods fauor and the euerlasting peace of your conscience Hearken not to sathan for he hath vowed your destruction But speake the truth is it not rather a strong temptation of Sathan your deadly enemie to trouble the peace of your conscience and if it be possible to driue you to desperation If it be so as I feare it greatly then say I vnto you there is no cause why you should beleeue him First because he is a lyer Ioh. 8.44 Secondly because he is your enemie who meanes you no good at al. That he is a lyar it is manifest because he hath beene so from the beginning And he cannot nowe chaunge his nature It is as much against his nature to speake the truth as it is possible that God should lie Heb. 6.18 Rom. 3.4 who is onely euer true Therefore there is no cause why you shoulde beleeue such a common liar as the Deuill who will lie as fast as a dogge can trot as wee vse to say in our common speach You haue iust cause therefore to except against him in this respect Againe you neede not doubt that hee is your enemy Reuel 12.10 1. Pet. 5.8 and that to the death because hee is the common accuser of the bretheren and like a roaring Lion goeth about continually seeking whom he may deuoure In regard whereof you are not to hearken to him No credit to bee giuen to the deuil though he speak the truth bicause his meaning is badde or beleeue anie thing he shall saie vnto you no although he speake the trueth And my reason is because he will not tell you the trueth to helpe but to hinder you not to cheere but to choake you not to saue but to spill your bloud And whereas you will replie you cannot denie but hee saieth the trueth concerning the greatnesse of your sinnes and that iust condemnation which you haue deserued for them I answere thereto after this manner That you are not to take the knowledge of your sinnes from Sathan because he will not tell you the trueth and the whole trueth as it is in deede Marke thed euils cunning For either he will pare your sins and make them lesse theÌ„ they be to make you altogether carelesse or else hee will make them greater then they be to throw you headlong into despaire But you are to take the persit knowledge of your sins The holy vse of the Ministerie from the true vnderstanding of the Lawe of God Rom. 7.7 fast girded to your conscience by the holie ministerie which GOD hath ordained for this purpose Regard and reâ—erence the ministerie if you loue your soule that you maie thereby come to true and vnfained repentaunce of all your sinnes and bee saued through faith in Christ his blood For the blood of Christ doth clense you from all sinne 1. Iohn 1.7 And if you will yet reason against your selfe that your sinnes are so great that you can gather no assurance of Gods fauour towards you Examples of notorious sinners who repented and were pardoâ—ed then let mee offer to your coÌ„sideration some one or two examples of such notorious knowne sinners as the world cried shame of and yet repenting had their sinnes forgiuen them I meane of set purpose to make choise of those persons and people who in the scriptures are noted to be most infamous Because you and such as are so exercised as you are doe indeed charge your selues further than you ought No easie matter to comfort a troubled mind For you make your selues so bad as though none were to be compared vnto you or as though God had no mercie in store for you And hereupon it comes to passe that almost there is not any word of God which can bring peace vnto your troubled consciences I intend therefore to match you so and with such as you shall be forced to confesse you are outmatched The end shal be this to bring glad tidings to your heauie and sorrowful soule that God both is and will be more fauourable to you then you can as yet be persuaded For if God haue shewed mercie to those Reasons to persuade the afflicted who by reason of their knowne sins were in all mens iudgement further from mercie how can he denie you mercie The Lord persuade your heart who neuer brake into that outrage of sin and yet doe most humblie sue vnto him for mercie That good master who forgaue his bad seruant at his owne intreatte ten thousand talents would not haue beene hard vnto him who ought but a hundred pence if he had sued vnto him as he did to his cruell and vnmercifull fellowe seruant who by no meanes would bee entreated to shewe that fauour in a little debt which was shewed him in a verie great summe Remember I pray you that you haue to deale with a God who is farre more mercifull and therefore you