The right method for a settled peace of conscience, and spiritual comfort in 32…

3. The third Enemy to your peace here mentioned, is, Misinterpreting or misapplying the Passages of Preachers, in their Sermons, Writings, or private Speeches. A Minister cannot deal throughly or seriously with any sort of sinners, but some fearful troubled souls apply all to themselves. I must entreat you to avoid this fault, or else you will turn Gods Ordinances, and the daily food of your souls into bitterness and wormwood, and all through your mistakes. I think there is few Ministers so preach, but you might perceive whom they mean, and they so difference as to tell you who they speak to. I confess it is a better sign of an honest heart, and self-judging conscience, to say He speaks now to me: this is my case: then to say, He speaks now to such or such a one: this is their case. For it is the property of Hypocrites to have their eye most abroad; and in every duty to be minding most the faults of others: and you may much discern such in their prayers, in that they will fill their confessions most with other mens sins, and you may feel them all the while in the bosom of their neighbours, when you may even feel a sincere man speaking his own heart, and most opening his own bosom to God. But though self-applying, and self-searching be far the better sign, yet must not any wise Christian do it mistakingly▪ ⟨p. 395⟩for that may breed abundance of very sad effects. For besides the aforesaid embittering of Gods Ordinances to you, and so discouraging you from them, do but consider what a grief and a snare you may prove to your Minister. A grief it must needs be to him who knows he should not make sad the soul of the innocent, to think that he cannot avoid it, without avoiding his duty. When God hath put two several Messages in our mouths, Isa. 3.10, 11. Say to the Righteous, it shall be well with him: and Say to the wicked, it shall be ill with him; He that believeth shall be saved; He that believeth not shall be damned, and we speak both; will you take that as spoken to you, which is spoken to the unbeliever and the wicked? Alas, how is it possible then for us to forbear troubling you? If you will put your head under every stroke that we give against sin and sinners, how can we help it if you smart? what a sad case are we in, by such misapplications! We have but two Messages to deliver, and both are usually lost by misapplication.