mingius, Cælius Secundus, Nicholas Laurentius, are copious on this subject: Azorius, Navarrus, Sayrus, &c. and such as have written cases of conscience amongst our Pontifical Writers. But because these mens' works are not to all parties at hand, so parable at all times, I will for the benefit and ease of such as are afflicted, at the request of some * friends, recollect out of their voluminous treatises, some few such comfortable speeches, exhortations, arguments, advice, tending to this subject, and out of God's Word, knowing, as Culmannus saith upon the like occasion," how unavailable and vain mens' counsels are to comfort an afflicted conscience, except God's word concur and be annexed, from which comes life, ease, repentance," &c. Presupposing first that which Beza, Greenham, Perkins, Bolton, give in charge, the parties to whom counsel is given be sufficiently prepared, humbled for their sins, fit for comfort, confessed, tryed how they are more or less afflicted, how they stand affected, or capable of good advice, before any remedies be applyed: To such therefore as are so thoroughly searched and examined, I address this following Discourse.

Two main Antidotes Hemmingius observes opposite to Despair, good Hope out of God's Word, to be embraced; perverse security and presumption, from the Divel's treachery, to be rejected; Illa salus anima hæc pestis; one saves, the other kills, occidit animam, saith Austin, and doth as much harm as Despair itself. Navarrus the Casuist reckons up ten special cures out of Anton. 1. part. Tit. 3. cap, 10. 1. God. 2. Physick. 3. Avoiding such objects as have caused it. 4. Submission of himself to other mens' judgements. 5. Answer of all objections, &c. All which Cajetan, Gerson, lib. de vit, spirit. Sayrus, lib. 1. cas. cons. cap. 14. repeat and approve out of Emanuel Roderiques, cap. 51. & 52. Greenham prescribes six special rules, Culmannus 7. First, to acknowledge all help come from God. 2. That the cause of their present misery is sin. 3. To repent, and be heartily sorry for their sins. 4. To pray earnestly to God they may be eased. 5. To expect and implore the prayers of the Church, and good mens' advice. 6. Physick. 7. To commend themselves to God, and rely upon his mercy: others otherwise, but all to this effect. But forasmuch as most men in this malady are spi ritually sick, void of reason almost, over-born by their mise

* My brother George Burton, M. James Whitehall, Rector of Checkly in Staffordshire, my quondam Chamber Fellow, and late Fellow Student in Christ Church, Oxon. Scio quam vana scit & inefficax humanorum verborum penes afflictos cosolatio, nisi verbum Dei audiatur, à quo vita, refrigera tio, solatium, pœnitentia. Antid. adversus desperationem. Tom. 2. c. 27. num. 282, • Aversio cogitationis à re scrupulosa, contraventio scrupulorum.

ries, and too deep an apprehension of their sins, they cannot apply themselves to good counsel, pray, believe, repent, we must as much as in us lies occur and help their peculiar infirmities, according to their several Causes and Symptoms, as we shall find them distressed and complain.

The main matter which terrifies and torments most that are troubled in mind, is the enormity of their offences, the intolerable burthen of their sins, God's heavie wrath and displeasure so deeply apprehended, that they account themselves Reprobates, quite forsaken of God, already damned, past all hope of grace, uncapable of mercy, diaboli mancipia, slaves of sin, and their offences so great they cannot be forgiven. But these men must know there is no sin so haynous which is not pardonable in it self, no crime so great but by God's mercy it may be forgiven. "Where sin aboundeth, grace aboundeth much more," Rom. 5. 20. And what the Lord said unto Paul in his extremity, 2 Cor. 11.9. "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect through weakness;" concerns every man in like case. His promises are made indefinite to all Believers, generally spoken to all touching remission of sins that are truly penitent, grieved for their offences, and desire to be reconciled, Matth. 9. 12, 13. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," that is, such as are truly touched in conscience for their sins. Again, Mat. 11. 28. "Come unto me all ye that are heavie laden, and I will ease you." Ezek. 18. 27. "At what time soever a sinner shall repent him of his sins from the bottom of his heart, I will blot out all his wickedness out of my remembrance saith the Lord," Isay 43.25. "I even I am he that put away thine iniquity for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. As a father (saith David, Psal. 103. 13.) hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him." And will receive

them again as the prodigal Son was entertained, Luk. 15. if they shall so come with tears in their eyes and a penitent heart. Peccator agnoscat, Deus ignoscit. "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, of great kindness," Psal. 103. 8. "He will not alwayes chide, neither keep his anger for ever." 9. "As high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is his mercy towards them that fear him." 11. "As far as the East is from the West, so far hath he removed our sins from us. 12." Though Cain cry out in the anguish of his soul, my punishment is greater than I can bear, 'tis not so; Thou liest Cain (saith Austin) "God's mercy is greater then thy sins. His mercy is above all his works," Psal. 145. 9. able to satisfie for all men's sins, antilutron, 1. Tim. 2. 6. His mercy is a panacea, a balsom for an afflicted soul, a Soveraign medicine, an Alexiphar

macum

h

macum for all sin, a charm for the Divel; his mercy was great to Solomon, to Manasses, to Peter, great to all Offenders, and whosoever thou art, it may be so to thee. For why should God bid us pray (as Austin infers) "Deliver us from all evil," nisi ipse misericors perseveraret, if he did not intend to help us? He therefore that doubts of the remission of his sins, denies God's mercy, and doth him injury, saith Austin. Yea, but thou replyest, I am a notorious sinner, mine offences are not so great as infinite. Hear Fulgentius, f God's invincible goodness cannot be overcome by sin, his infinite mercy cannot be terminated by any: the multitude of his mercy is equivalent to his magnitude. Hear Chrysostom, "Thy malice may be measured, but God's mercy cannot be defined; thy malice is circumscribed, his mercies infinite." As a drop of water is to the Sea, so are thy misdeeds to his mercy; nay, there is no such proportion to be given; for the Sea, though great, yet may be measured, but God's mercy cannot be circumscribed. Whatsoever thy sins be then in quantity or quality, multitude or magnitude, fear them not, distrust not. I speak not this, saith Chrysostom, "to make thee secure and negligent, but to cheer thee up." Yea but, thou urgest again, I have little comfort of this which is said, it concerns me not: Inanis panitentia quam sequens culpa coinquinat, 'tis to no purpose for me to repent and to do worse than ever I did before, to persevere in sin, and to return to my lusts as a Dog to his vomit, or a Swine to the mire: to what end is it to ask forgiveness of my sins, and yet daily to sin again and again, to do evil out of an habit? I daily and hourly offend in thought, word, and deed, in a relapse by mine own weakness and wilfulnes: my bonus Genius, my good protecting Angel is gone, I am faln from that I was or would be, worse and worse, my latter end is worse than my beginning" Si quotidie peccas, quotidie, saith Chrysostom, panitentiam age, If thou daily offend, daily repent: kif twice, thrice, an hundreth, an hundreth thousand times, twice, thrice an hundreth thousand times repent." As they do by an old house that is out of repair, still mend some part or other; so do by thy soul, still reform some vice, repair it by repentance, call to him for grace, and thou shalt have it; "for we are freely justified by his grace," Rom. 3. 24. If thine enemy repent, as our Saviour enjoyned Peter, forgive

f Bonitas

• Magnam injuriam Deo facit qui diffidit de ejus misericordia. invicti non vincitur; infiniti misericordia non finitur. Hom. 3. De pœnitentia Tua quidem malitia mensuram habet. Dei autem misericordia mensunon habet. Tua malitia circumscripta est, &c. Pelagus etsi magnum, mensuram habet; dei autem, &c. Non ut desidiores vos faciam, sed ut alacriores reddam. iPro peccatis veniam poscere, et mala de novo iterare. * Si bis, si ter, si centies, si centies millies, toties poenitentiam age.

ram

Pp 3

him

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him 77 times; and why shouldst thou think God will not forgive thee? Why should the enormity of thy sins trouble thee? God can do it, he will do it. My conscience (saith * Anselm) dictates to me, that I deserve damnation, my repentance will not suffice for satisfaction; but thy mercy, O Lord, quite overcometh all my transgressions." The gods once (as the Poets fain) with a gold chain would pull Jupiter out of Heaven, but all they together could not stir him, and yet he could draw and turn them as he would himself; maugre all the force and fury of these infernal fiends and crying sins, "his grace is sufficient." Confer the debt and the payment; Christ and Adam; sin and the cure of it; the disease and the medicine; confer the sick man to his Physitian, and thou shalt soon perceive that his power is infinitely beyond it. God is better able, as 1 Bernard enformeth us, to help, then sin to do us hurt; Christ is better able to save, then the Divel to destroy." - If he be a skilful Physician, as Fulgentius adds, "he can cure all diseases; if merciful, he will." Non est perfecta bonitas à qua non omnis malitia vincitur, his goodness is not absolute and perfect, if it be not able to overcome all malice. Submit thyself unto him, as Saint Austin adviseth," he knoweth best what he doth; and be not so much pleased when he sustains thee, as patient when he corrects thee; he is Omnipotent and can cure all diseases when he sees his own time." He looks down from Heaven upon Earth, that he may hear the " mourn. ing of prisoners, and deliver the children of death," Psal. 102. 19, 20. "and though our sins be as red as scarlet, he can make them as white as snow," Isa. 1. 18. Doubt not of this, or ask how it shall be done; he is all-sufficient that promiseth; qui fecit mundum de immundo, saith Chrysostom, he that made a fair world of nought, can do this and much more for his part: do thou onely believe, trust in him, rely on him, be penitent and heartily sorry for thy sins. Repentance is a soveraign remedy for all sins, a spirituall wing to erear us, a charm for our miseries, a protecting Amulet to expel sin's venom, an attractive loadstone to draw God's mercy and graces unto us. • Peccatum vulnus, pænitentia medicinam sin made the breach, repentance must help it; howsoever thine offence came by error, sloath, obstinacy, ignorance, exitur. per pæniten

n

* Conscientia mea meruit damnationem, pœnitentia non sufficlt ad satisfactionem sed tua misericordia superat omnem offensione. Multo efficacior Christi mors in bonum, quam peccata nostra in malum. Christus potentior ad salvandum, quam dæmon ad perdendum. m Peritus medicus potest omnes infirmitates sanare; si misericors, vult. " Omnipotenti medico nullus languor insanabilis occurrit: tu tantum doceri te sine, manum ejus ne repelle novit quid agat; non tantum delecter:s cum fovet, sed toleres quum secat. 。 Chrys. hom. 3. de pœnit.

tiam,

tiam, this is the sole means to be relieved.

› Hence comes our hope of safety, by this alone sinners are saved, God is provoked to mercy. "This unlooseth all that is bound, enlighteneth darkness, mends that is broken, puts life to that which was desperately dying" Makes no respect of offences, or of persons. "This doth not repel a fornicator, reject a drunkard, resist a proud fellow, turn away an Idolater, but entertains all, communicates it self to all." Who persecuted the Church more than Paul, offended more than Peter? and yet by repentance (saith Chrysologus) they got both Magisterium & ministerium sanctitatis, the Magistery of holiness. The prodigall son went far, but by repentance he came home at last.

This alone will turn a woolf into a sheep, make a Publican a Preacher, turn a thorn into an Olive, make a deboshed Fellow Religious," a Blasphemer sing Halleluja, make Alexander the Copper-smith truly devout, make a Divel a Saint. "And him that polluted his mouth with calumnies, lying, swearing. and filthy tunes and tones, to purge his throat with divine Psalms.' Repentance will effect prodigious cures, make a stupend metamorphosis. "An Hauk came into the Ark, and went out again an Hauk; a Lyon came in, went out a Lyon; a Bear, a Bear; a wolf, a wolf; but if an Hauk come into this sacred Temple of repentance, he will go forth a Dove, (saith Chrysostom) a wolf go out a sheep, a Lyon a Lamb, This gives sight to the blind, legs to the lame, cures all diseases, confers grace, expels vice, inserts vertue, comforts and fortifies the soul." Shall I say, let thy sin be what it will, do but repent, it

is sufficient.

"Quem pœnitet peccasse pene est innocens.”

'Tis true indeed and all sufficient this, they do confess, if they could repent; but they are obdurate, they have cauterized consciences, they are in a reprobate sense, they cannot think a good thought, they cannot hope for grace, pray, believe, repent, or be sorry for their sins, they find no grief for sin in themselves, but rather a delight, no groaning of spirit, but are carryed headlong to their own destruction, heaping wrath to themselves against the day of wrath," Rom. 2. 5. "Tis a

66

Spes salutis per quam peccatores salvantur, Deus ad misericordiam provocatur. Isidor. omnia ligata tu solvis, contrita sanas, confusa lucidas, desperata animas. 4 Chrys. hom. 5. non fornicatorem abnuit, non ebrium avertit, non superbum repellit, non aversatur Idololatra, non adulterum, sed omnes suscipit, omnibus communicat. Chrys. hom. 5. • Qui turpibus cantilenis ali quando inquinavit os, divinis hymnis animum purgabit. Hom. 5. Introivit hie quis accipiter, columba exit; introivit lupus, ovis egreditur, &c. - Omnes languores sanat, çæcis visum, claudis gressum, gratiam confert, &c. * Seneca.