A most sweet and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in conscience…A most sweete and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in consciscience…

Then let us consider, whether they that are thus humbled have knowledge or no? Because, if they have none, ⟨image 69⟩they think trouble of mind to be so strange a thing, as never any before it: if they have knowledge, then Satan is ready to accuse them of sins against the holy Ghost, as though any sin done against knowledge, were a sin of presumption. Farther, we are to enquire, how strong or weak they are, that if they be not sufficiently wounded to touch them with some deep sense of sin. Also we must be circumspect, to find out whether by nature they are more fearful or melancholy, or no? As also, whether they be usual sinners, or have fallen once of infirmity, that so upon ⟨image 69⟩their disposition and inclination we may build our speech the better. To these it is good to add this consideration of the persons, age, estate and ability; as if the party be troubled for worldliness, whether he be not a great householder: if he complain of uncleanness, whether he be not a young-man & unmarried: if he be humbled with covetousness, whether he be not old, because divers countries, callings, ages, conditions and estates of men, have their divers and peculiar sins, which we must rightly discern. Howbeit of what sex soever they are man ⟨image 70⟩or woman of what complexion soever they are, of what knowledge to discern sin, in what degree of committing sin, of what age, authority, wealth, estate, or condition so ever they are, it is good to mark that there be many, who are more troubled for vexation and disquietness of the mind being distempered, than for the vileness and horribleness of their sin committed; who are wounded more with the fear of shame, with the fear of being mad, or with the fear of running out of their wits, than with the conscience of sin. Which thing if we find in them, it is ⟨image 70⟩our parts to travel with them, that they make a less matter of the outward shame, and more Conscience of the inward sins. Neither must we here forget to distinguish between our speech used to the humbled in the time of their extreme agony, and those words we use the fit being past; because the first requireth more comfort, the latter more admonishment: for them we may wisely admonish them to beware of sin, which procured their woe.