The dejected souls cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and…The dejected soules cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and…

First, Take this Rule for to comfort thee; if the power of thy sin do not prevail over thee, thou mayest be sure the guilt of thy sin shall never damn thee; why then think if sin hath not a domineering power in the filth of, it shall never have a damning power in the guilt of it. O thou mortified Christian, it may be thou art troubled at what thou hast do•e when thou wast a child; but hast thou mortified those sins? then my soul for thine those sins thou hast destroyed shall never damn thee: it may be thou art troubled about the guilt when thou hast destroyed the power. O lift up thy head the guilt shall never damn thee when the power doth not prevail over thee.

First, Take this Rule for to comfort thee; if the power of thy sin do not prevail over thee, thou maiest be sure the guilt of thy sin shall never damn thee; why then think if sin hath not a domineering power in the filth of, it shall never have a damning power in the guilt of it. O thou mortified Christian, it may be thou art troubled at what thou hast do•e when thou wast a child; but hast thou mortified those sins? then my soul for thine those sins thou hast destroyed shall never damn thee: it may be thou art troubled about the guilt when thou hast destroyed the power. O lift up thy head the guilt shall never damn thee when the power doth not prevail over thee.

Secondly, It is better for a Christian to have a soul troubled ⟨p. 209⟩too much for sin then too little or nothing at all for sin; It is better to have a troubled and a terrified conscience then to have a stupefied conscience; better to have a sore then a seared conscience, better to have the conscience raw and galled then to have it benumbed and no way sensible of the evil of sin. Why beloved, there is more hope of a soul in a spiritual Fever, that is in disquiet, that is raging by reason of the accusation of conscience, that is lying under trouble and disquietness of his own apprehension, then of him that lies under a spiritual Lethargy, sleeping and snorting in his sins, which doth never trouble him; a wound that hath raw and quick flesh in it, it will easier be healed then a wound that hath proud and dead flesh in it: if thy Conscience be dead flesh, thou art not so near healing as when thy Conscience is raw and galled flesh; it was one mark of Leprosy that was unclean, if there was dead flesh in the sore; noting a benumbed and a stupefied Conscience argues an unclean Leper, one in a state of nature; It is better to have God's Officer conscience to be over busy, to be too much checking and curbing thee, then to have no office of Conscience stirring in thee: This is another consideration for the comforting of an afflicted soul.