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Cure of Despair by Physick, good counsel, comforts, &c.
Experience teacheth us that though many die obstinate, and wilful in this malady, yet multitudes again are able to resist and overcome, seek for help and finde comfort, are taken è faucibus Erebi, from the chops of Hell, and out of the Divels pawes, though they have by obligation given themselves to him. Some out of their own strength, and Gods assistance, Though he kill me (saith Job) yet will I trust in him, out of good counsel, advice, and Physick.
Bellovacus cured a Monke by altering his habit, and course of life: Plater many by Physick alone. But for the most part they must concur: and they take a wrong course that think to overcome this feral passion by sole Physick; and they are as much out, that think to work this effect by good advice alone; though both be forcible in themselves, yet vis unita fortior, they must go hand in hand to this disease:
——alterius sic altera poscit opem.
For Physick the like course is to be taken with this as in other melancholy: diet, ayr, exercise, all those passions and perturbations of the minde, &c. are to be rectified by the same means. They must not be left solitary, or to themselves, never idle, never out of company.
Counsel, good comfort is to be applyed, as they shall see the parties inclined, or to the causes, whether it be loss, fear, grief, discontent, or some such feral accident, a guilty conscience, or otherwise by frequent meditation, too grievous an apprehension, and consideration of his former life: by hearing, reading of Scriptures, good Divines, good advice and conference, applying Gods word to their distressed souls, it must be corrected and counter-poysed:
Many excellent Exhortations, parænetical Discourses are extant to this purpose, for such as are any way troubled in minde: Perkins, Greenham, Hayward, Bright, Abernethy, Bolton, Culmannus, Hemmingius, Cælius Secundus, Nicholas Laurentius, are copious in this subject: Azorius, Navarrus, Sayrus, &c. and such as have written cases of conscience amongst our Pontificial 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 Gods Word, knowing, as Culmannus saith upon the like occasion, how unavailable and vain mens counsels are to comfort an afflicted conscience, except Gods 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 affected, how they stand affected, or capable of good advice, before any remedies be applyed: To such therefore as are so throughly searched and examined, I address this following Discourse.
Two main Antidotes Hemmingius observes opposite to Despair, good Hope out of Gods Word, to be embraced; perverse security and presumption, from the Divels treachery, to be rejected; Illa salus animæ, hæc pestis; one saves, the other kils, occidit animam, saith Austin, and doth as much harm as Despair it self.
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. conf. 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 spiritually sick, void of reason almost, over-born by their miseries, 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, Gods 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 Gods 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 then I can bear, ’tis not so; Thou liest Cain (saith Austin) Gods mercy is greater then thy sins. His mercy is above all his works, Psal. 145. 9. able to satisfie for all mens sins, antilutron, 1 Tim. 2. 6.
His mercy is a panacea, a balsom for an afflicted soul, a Soveraign medicine, an Alexipharmacum 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 Gods 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, Gods 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 Gods 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 Gods 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 pœnitentia quam sequens culpa coinquinat: ’tis to no purpose for me to repent and to do worse then 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 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 wilfulness: 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 then my beginning: Si quotidie peccas, quotidie, saith Chrysostom, pœnitentiam age, If thou daily offend, daily repent: if twice, thrice, an hundreth, an hundreth thousand times, twice, thrice, an hundreth thousand times repent.