ARCHITECTONICE CONSOLATIONIS: OR, THE ART OF building COMFORT: OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF THAT religious gentlewoman, Jane GILBERT; TO BE studied: AND WITH ALL A platform OF COMFORT TO BE RAISED up BY HER husband WILLIAM GILBERT DOCTOR IN DIVINITY.  Ierem. 8. 22. Question. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Rom. 15 4 Answer. Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through Comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 
Reason. Aegrotanti animo Medious est Oratio Consolatoria.  
Comfortable words are a physician for one not well in mind: even to cure One sick at the Heart.  1 Thes. 4. 18. Illation. Wherefore Comfort one another with these Words. 
London, Printed by John Legatt, for G. Lantham and are to be sold at the sign of the Bishops-head in Pauls-Church-yard. 1640.   

TO THE RIGHT honourable EDWARD LORD Viscount CONAWAY, AND ●ILVLTA, BARON OF RADGLEY Martial OF IRELAND, AND ONE OF HIS majesty's Most Honourable privy council of 〈◊〉.  
May it please your Honour,  
TO admit this Act of Recordation, that 'tis full fourteen years since the happy Aspect of your gracious Favour did reflect upon me, for my good both by Sea, and Land: which left in me such an Impression of the Character of your Noble and Religious Disposition, that to this very Day edgeth a fresh desire to take this advantageous (though in another respect, a sad) Opportunity to testify my dutiful respect to your Honour. It may be, this Art of Building Comfort is not so artificially, and laboriously composed, as you have heard, and was pleased to countenance some Vniversitie-Pieces of mine: there might be more oil bestowed on them, to varnish the Face of their style; but this Treatise is allowed more Wine to comfort the Heart of the Reader. This induced me to present to your gracious Acceptation, this Earnest of that Debt of thankfulness, wherein both your Favours, and Deserts (tàm Arte, quàm Marte) have bound me to you: a small Earnest is sufficient to bind the greatest Contract' twi●t a bountiful hand, and a thankful Heart. Let this be such of my Gratitude, and not only a Pledge of Mine, but a Remembrance of Hers, (I mean my dead Wife) whose Living thankfulness to God for your Favours to me, you had, though not made known unto you. And if your more than ordinary Employments will permit you to read over, either Her deserved Commendation: or Her Epitaph which is much too narrow for her worth, (both are in the adjoining Pages) than I hope your Lordship will have no cause to repent the Dedication of this Treatise. In the mean time my experimental knowledge, that in you the nobility of Descent and mind concur: the eminency of Parts in yourself, and affability of Disposition to others do mutually reflect each on the other: which harmony may well challenge this my voluntary Oblation, as a necessary Obligation, that for ever ties me to fix my Devotions on Heaven, and heartily to pray for your temporal, spiritual, and eternal happiness.  
Your Honours to dispose of William Gilbert.   

EPITAPH. AND A DEFENCE OF IT.  
THE Imputation of Superstition or gentilism in them that raise up Memorials of the Dead is easily wiped away. 1. By Reason. 
1. By Reason.  1. 'Tis an Honour to the Dead, to have their Memories survive them. 2. 'Tis a comfort to the Living to treasure up the worthy Acts of the Dead. 3. The Religious, virtuous practice of the Dead, is an admirable pattern for the Living to work by. 2. By 
2. By Scripture.  Scripture; where are Pillars set up as civil Monuments, and Remembrances of men's Fame Absalon reared up for himself a 
b. 2 Sam 18. 18.  Pillar to keep his Name in Remembrance. But yet which is more apposite and adequate to my purpose. Rachel died, And Jacob set a Pillar upon her grave 
b Gen. 35. 19, 20. . Jacob? a precedent unparalleled. Therefore will I lay a Grave-stone on my wife, and set this Commemorative Epitaph upon it.  

The remains of Jane Gilbert.  Favour is deceitful, and Beauty is vain: but a woman that Feareth the Lord, She shall be praised. Prov. 31. 30. 
The Ring of her Life set with the Diamond of fear:  
Th' poesy of Faith: to Trust in my God, All my Care.  
Her Hope tried like Gold: And the Circle of Her Love  
From God to man, from man to God again did move.  
1639. Septemb. 4. And She died.    

TO THE DISCONSOLATE AND sorrowful FRIENDS OF Jane GILBERT DECEASED: WILLIAM GILBERT WISHETH true COMFORT out OF God's WORD.  
IN this Case, that of the Psalmist is the pinnacle of Comfort, to be placed on the top of this Building, 
a Psal. 112. 6.  The Righteous shall be had in everlasting Remembrance. The Righteous; Such a One was this our Sister and my Wife, One clothed with the robe of righteousness, which was woven out of Christ's side, adorned and embroidered with sanctifying graces in her life and conversation. Is it not a Christian Duty, that such a One should be had in Remembrance so far as we can propagate her worth to posterity? She did not seek Fame by well doing to be remembered, but Fame comes unsought for: and Her well doing shall be remembered after Her death; for 'tis worth our observation that David sets it not down in the present time, (are) but in the future, (shall be had in remembrance.) What though the Righteous in their life time are little thought of, except to be ill spoken of? yet Time the Mother of Truth shall bring all things to light, and cause the Righteous to be had in everlasting Remembrance before God and his Angels, and the whole theatre of Righteous just Men. 
b Satis est coram Deo, & Angelis, totóque piorum theatro, benedictam esse eorum Memoriam. Cal. in locum.  The Fame of the Righteous buds forth when He is in the grave; then we may best speak of the Mariner, when He is at his Haven: and praise the captain, when He hath got the Triumph: and set the crown of Praise upon this our Sister, now She hath fought her long fight, and finished her course with joy: who every day for many months before Her Death, did pray that Prayer, which is the last in the handmaid to Devotion 
c Worthy Dr 〈◊〉 Manual.  and thus begins. Welcome blessed hour, the Period of my Pilgrimage: the End of my Cares: the Close of my sighs: the Bound of my travails: the goal of my race: the Heaven of my Hopes. Is She not worthy to be had in remembrance, who did give the hour of Death so good Entertainment, as so long before to bid it heartily welcome with so many sweet Names; as End, Period, Close, Bound, goal, Heaven? What shall I say next for your Comfort, But this? the the better She was, the greater her gain for ever: and my loss for the present. Yet her gain weighs down my loss; I confess the loss of her enters deep into my heart, and deeper it would go; but that her gain cannot enter into the Heart of man to conceive it: her gain to the tongue of man, unspeakable; but my loss is unvaluable only according to the Common weights of the World, because She was of great Estimate, according to the very weight of the Sanctuary. My knowledge of it is now doubled, tàm carendo, quàm fruendo: for eleven years and half I enjoyed a rare Religious Piece of God's making, and now God hath made up this his jewel fit for His own Cabinet, 'tis most fit that I should want it. And to my wants this is added, that I want words to tell others what I want. I want my Fellow-Helper, my bosom-comforter; my second Heart, which did command my first Heart in a Religious way. 1. Her Faith was founded upon the rock, 
1.  Christ Jesus: witness Her every day's task, which was to say by Heart, and in Her Heart, the eight chapter to the Romans; which chapter alone in itself is a complete confectionary of spiritual Comfort beginning with, No condemnation 
Rom 8. vers. first and last.  to them that are in Christ Jesus: and ending with, No Separation from the Love of God in Christ Jesus. 2. Her Hope and Trust was fixed upon Her God, witness 
2.  that answer She gave me the last Day that She lived out in this World; Now what is my Hope? my Hope is in thee o Lord 
d 〈◊〉 39 7. . There was in her an admirable mixture of Godly sorrow for sin, and holy joy for that Sorrow, which joy I perceived to be backed by her Hope, to get the upperhand: though S. Jerome sums up the devout souls private carriage with God in these words, Dolet, & de dolore gaudet. Surely 'twas her practice to sorrow after a godly manner, and to rejoice for that Sorrow. 3. Her 
3.  love to man let all that knew her, speak it; Her love to God, I judge it sincere by the most clear Expressions of it; She loved his house so dearly, that the large distance of her Habitation from Church (nigh a mile) was no Remora to keep her at home; the last Lord's Day She lived, She was twice at Church. She prayed Constantly eight several times every Day; I knew it to be most true, who was nearest to her, when she drew near to her Father in secret. She had by heart a distinct Prayer for every Evening and Morning in the seven days of the week, besides other Prayers for other times. What a loving Mistress She was to her servants, they would quickly speak, if they could for crying. How transcendent her love was to me, her Husband? my tongue would fail, because my heart is ready to faint for want of such love, and faint it might, had not God's Spirit brought to my remembrance how earnestly on her deathbed She desired me not to grieve so immoderately for her, for we should meet in Heaven: and 'tis my Hope that as we were Caro una on Earth, we shall be sydus unum in Heaven 
e Sydus is properly a Company of stars together. , of that one Holy company of stars attending the Sun of righteousness. And here I cannot but fix my Contemplation on those rays of divine beauty which shined in her soul, for She mightily delighted to set before her Solomon's copy of a good wife, Prov. 31. They that knew her 
Prov. 31.  may easily compare her life written according to that exact copy: Sure I am, her sister's child (whom She educated) can rise up and call her blessed, Her Husband also praiseth her, Prov. 31. vers. 28. How? why thus in Solomon's style, Favour is deceitful and Beauty is vain, but a Woman that feareth the Lord, She shall be praised, verse. 30. the pronoun {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. She.  Emphatically argues a Negation of any other Woman worthy to be praised, but She that feareth the Lord, She shall be praised: 
Ipsa, Trem. Ipsa, Mont.  the garland of praise only to be set on her head. This is her Remuneration, therefore Solomon's last verse. shall be mine. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the Gates: that is, in public. This, This is the Woman, the Woman to whom I  
Subscribe: William Gilbert perdidit. 
 Invenit, nullus super teram. 
 Recepit Deus in coelum.   

TO THE SEEKER OF COMFORT, NOT READER ONLY.  
MOST sorry I am for the Occasion 
f The Death of my Wife.  that induced me to Preach, and now moved me to Print; but the Providence of God being the First Mover may not only command bounds to my Sorrow, Hither and no further; but also give me a licence as to Preach, so to Print it, both for the Commemoration of the Dead, and Consolation of the Living. What though I lie open to some Exceptions? I had rather do it in this partlcular, than not do all the Right I can to the Dead: and wish all true Comfort to the Living; who shall read this Art of Building Comfort, not to censure one another; but to Comfort one another, according to this apostolical Exhortation, which is my Text, 1 Thes. 4. 18. 
1 Thes. 4. 18.  Wherefore Comfort one another with these words: which if thou dost, I am  
Thine, in Christ the fountain of Comfort: William Gilbert.   

A general REPRESENTATION OF THE Method of this Manuel 
a Scarce half a handful: but with God's blessing it may be a whole heartful of Comfort. , or rather cordial of Comfort, containing the Ingredients of Five Sermons.  

1. THe Accommodation of the Text to the Times calling for comfort p. 1. 3. 2. 4. 5  
2. The Division following the metaphor of Building in the eight Parts of it p. 6.  
1. The specifical Difference of this from other Buildings p. 7. 8.  
2. The Necessity of this Building in a Christian commonwealth p. 9 10. 11. 12.  
3. Persuasives inducing to go about this Building, and to study this Art of Divine Comfort p. 13. 14.  
4. Disswasives from the Neglect of going forward with it p. 15.  
5. The materials of this Building: These words, in the Text.  
1. In a particular Relation to S. Paul's former Doctrine p. 16. 17, 18. 19  
2. In a general Relation to God's Word p. 20. 21. 22. 23.  
6. The habitual Ability to make good use of this Art of Comforting p. 24. 25.  
7. The actual ability to make good use of it, in the platform of Comfort set up according to the exact Rule of God's Word p. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.  
8. The Strength and Duration of this Building where ye shall see p. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35.  
1. The Contignation and Knitting of the Building of Comfort by five Attributes of God 

Wisdom. p. 36.  
Power. p. 37.  
Justice. p. 38.  
Mercy. ibid.  
Truth. p. 39    
2. The Butteresses of the Building set up by three Duties of man.  
1. Submission to God's Will. p. 40.  
2. Right Reason sanctified. p. 41.  
3. Prayer for strength and Continuance of Comfort. p. 42. &c.    
1 Thes. 4. 18. Wherefore Comfort one another with these words. 
MAY it please your Attention to begin with the accommodation of the Text to the Times, which (like a woman in Labour) cry out for Comfort: sickly Times, most uncomfortable Times, God knows: a rare thing even an house without one or other sick in it, if not dead out of it. Is it not Time then to exhort you to comfort one another? The Naturalists write of a precious Stone 
a Caussin parab.. Hist.  called 
b {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Thunder.  Ceraunias that is found only in a day of thunder, glistering when the sky is overcast with darkness: such a qualified gem is mutual Comfort shining most brightly in the gloomy times of adversity, when God thunders from Heaven, and all the Earth is full of dark, sad, melancholy sickness, that consumeth the eyes and causeth sorrow of heart 
c Levit. 26. 16. ; thus when the heart is overcast with sorrow, and the eyes clouded with dimness, then to open the bowels of Consolation one to another is the most comfortable Christian sunshine. Was it not Time then to exhort you to comfort one another, when there is vox querelae, a voice of complaint of sickness and Mortality in our Streets, and in our houses? is it not time there be vox Doctrinae, a voice of Instruction preaching Comfort in our Churches? that as that learned 
d S. Ierom.  Father compares the Church of God persecuted, and yet flourishing, to the Bush out of which God's glory shined to Moses; the 
Exod. 3. 2.  Bush burned, yet consumed not, so many Members of God's Church in our Land burned, yet consumed not with Strange Agues, out of which shines God's glory and our Comfort so far as to compose the like excellent Harmony that Saint Paul 
e 2 Cor. 4. 8. 9  makes of seeming Discords. We are troubled on every side with sickness, yet not distressed as without Hope: Perplexed with strange, new Diseases, but not in despair, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, premimur, non opprimimur, pressed under, not trodden under, and oppressed as altogether without help. Persecuted by cold and hot fits, but not forsaken by him that rebuked Peter's wives mother's Fever. Cast down on our sick beds, but not destroyed, but raised up by him who made our beds in our sickness: devout David often harps upon this sweet String; hear one admirable lesson 
f Psal. 118. 18. , The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto Death; how many this year that may set this doleful Ditty, the Lord hath chastened me sore, but with this comfortable close, but he hath not given me over unto Death? When I fall, I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me 
g Mic. 7. 8. . Christians cannot look to be so nice and tenderly brought up as not to endure the sight of their heavenly father's rod; they must look to fall into sickness, to sit in darkness, to be chastened sore: and because the bitter cup of trembling cannot pass, but first or last, we must all drink it, 'twas David's diet-drink, and Job took it all off, we are not better than they, and who is too good to pledge his Saviour? Wherefore that we faint not under the rod, that the draught overcome us not, let us sweeten it for one another, let us daily strengthen one another with cordials of Comfort against the evil Day, Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  
Glance but upon the Coherence ye shall quickly perceive this Consolatory Exhortation of Saint Paul to be very opportune and most seasonable, which may produce this Observable. That the seasonable opportunity of Comforting one another is to be taken. Stale Comfort is unacceptable to the palate of the memory, 'tis the freshness of the occasion that ingratiates Comfort to the Appetite of the longing soul. Comfort may come too late, and although it be never so good of itself, the tardity and lateness will argue the Messenger of no little indiscretion. Justly in this did Tiberius 
h Sueton. in vita Tiber.  tax the Indiscretion of the Ilienses comforting him long after the Death of his son, Paulò seriùs consolantibus, saith the Historian, something too late reviving the obliterated memory of his grief, he taxed them with this sarcasm: Se quoque vicem eorum dolere, quod egregium civem Hectorem amisissent. That he also was sorry for them, because they had lost that worthy Citizen Hector; one dead many hundred years before. Time eats away grief, which otherwise would eat out the Heart, grief for losses is commonly worn away in time; this is the Reason why the late Comforter is a Comforter both Miserable, and Ridiculous. Miserable, by Application of a good Remedy to a very ill purpose even to force healed wounds to bleed a fresh. Ridiculous for a man out of Time to do that which Time itself hath done before him: unseasonable physic exasperates the Disease, when as give it but Time and Patience, 'twill do well enough, else apply a timely Consolation. Were he not to be laughed at that brings a handkerchief to wipe away tears already dried? But better late, then never: nay, in the Case of Consolation, better never then too late: better not do that which is good, then to do it, when 'twill do hurt. Whilst the Occasion of grief is hot, strike: and if thou canst beat upon the very {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, the very Instant of grief, say not to thy neighbour, go, and come again to morrow for Comfort. To day is God's voice of Comfort: To morrow may be the Devils of being swallowed up with grief; at least Delay breeds danger, and the Raven of Hell still puts in this his Caveat against Comfort, Cras, Cras, to morrow is soon enough; but ye see that the Dove from Heaven lighting upon St Paul did inspire him to set down the Time present in my Text, the very instant of the time present, no deferring of the matter; for ye are not now to seek for Comfort, 'tis at hand in these words, Wherefore Comfort one another with these words.  
In these words I find the Art of Building 
Division.  Comfort, a very useful Art for all Christians to study throughly, therefore my method shall keep close to the metaphor of Building.  

1. The specifical Difference of this from other Buildings.  
2. The necessity of this Buildlng in a Christian commonwealth.  
3. The persuasives inducing to go about this Building to study the Art.  
4. The Disswasives from the neglect of going forward with it.  
5. The materials of this Building; These words, in the Text.  
6. The habitual Ability to make good use of this Art of Comfort.  
7. The actual ability to make good use of it in the platform of Comfort set up according to the exact Rule of God's Word.  
8. The Strength and Duration of this Building.   
1. The specifical Difference of this from other Buildings: 'Tis the spiritual comfort in this life, 
1. Part.  differenced. 1. From carnal Comfort in this life. 2. From eternal joy in the Life to come. 1. Spiritual Comfort is the Lighting or easing of the Heart of that sorrow or fear, wherewith it is surcharged, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the Text is the exciting, encouraging, and strengthening of our fainting and languishing spirits. Carnal Comfort is raised up from the creature by corrupt Nature, no higher than the sensitive apprehension of a natural man: whose belly is his God 
i Phil. 3. 18. , whose glory is his Shame; and such was the glory of that great King, who died, commanding this Epitaph to be set upon his tomb, Haec habeo, quae edi; this I have, that I have eaten: it seems all the rest was lost to the brutish swine, as Tully censured him a little more sparingly that it was an Epitaph fit for an ox or a bruit Beast; my Belly is my God, my Stomach is my Altar, my Church is my kitchen, my Priest is my cook, this the voice of these brutish men, who find the Possession of no Comfort from any thing, but from that which was driven into the Paunch, and so into the draught. But Christians that study the right Art of true Comfort have another language, our spiritual Comfort is left us, when our life is about to leave us. Spiritual Comfort is raised from the Creator by the Mediation of the Creature, or from the Creature by the working of the Creator in the Apprehension of the Regenerate Man. Thus the Holy Ghost is the first Mover of spiritual Comfort, as the Promises of God's Word are the grounds of this Comfort, and our believing hearts are the seats of Comfort, so the Holy Ghost is the Head-worker of Comfort, and the Act of Comfort wrought is to strengthen our Hearts: therefore 
k Rom. 1. 11. and 12.  {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, to be established and strengthened, and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, to be comforted are put one for the other, St Paul being the Interpreter; but long before him the Prophet 
l Isaiah 40. 2.  intimates the like, for in the Hebrew and Greek Sept: speak comfortably to Jerusalem, is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Hebrew: and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, Greek: both imply in this phrase, speak to the heart, or speak comfortably, that Comfort is the Hearts Peculiar, and the Searcher of the Heart the Holy Ghost is therefore called the Comforter 
m John 16. 7.  by an Excellency, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}; where the Spirit of God is made known to us by a name in the New Testament not heard of in the old, the Comforter within a man; the natural man may have outward Comforts, a Land flowing with milk and Honey, and a Table with a fruitful Vine and Olive Branches about, but the Regenerate Man hath a soul flowing with milk and Honey of Comfort, because the Comforter makes him fruitful, as the Greek Father 
n Cyrillus Hierosoly mitanus.  gives the Etymon of it, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}; called the Comforter from comforting and succouring and helping our Infirmities, hence issues the act of spiritual comfort in my Text differenced from carnal Comfort. 2. Spiritual Comfort in this life is to be differenced from eternal Joy in the life to come. The Herald of school-divinity ranks Comfort 
Aquinas.  under the head of Joy; indeed all Comfort is a Joy to the Heart, but all Joy is not Comfort; for there is Joy in Heaven, but no Comfort there, for properly need of Comfort forespeakes misery and distress according to that of the Golden-mouthed 
S. Chrysostom.  Father, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, there is often mention made of the Comforter in Scripture, because of the calamities and afflictions imminent to the Disciples, but the blessed Estate of Heaven cannot admit any such Misery and distress: we shall joy in one another in Heaven, but not Comfort one another there, no such Comfort in Heaven, all joy, all Rest; I find a Reason of it in Aquinas, 
o 2a. 2ae. q. 28.  Gaudium sie habet ad Desiderium, ut quies ad motum. The soul is restless in her Desire, but quieted in her Joy; now Comfort on Earth brings some Rest for the soul, but Joy in Heaven is the only absolute Rest. Comfort is Rest to the weary for a time, and a way to enable them for further travail: but Joy is Rest for eternity: even to sit down, and rest for ever, that is Joy in Heaven; to stand and take a draught by the way, not to sit by it, that is Comfort on Earth; true Joy frees from all sorrows, wipes all tears from our Eyes: but it may be true Comfort which only upholds us in our sorrow; and dries up our tears as they fall. Yet fall they will, and sorrow we shall, else we need no Comfort, for it must be a necessitous estate that stands in need of Comfort; thus is Comfort differenced from eternal Joy that needs nothing. Yea and thus 'tis in this life as Nature necessitates the spark to fly upward: so sin carries us downward to the centre, Misery. This centre is everywhere below the moon; corrupt Nature is the Circumference, no man without some lines drawn from, or drawing him to Misery; Nulla Dies sine linea. Every Day in this life, line upon line, line upon line, misery upon misery, misery upon misery; 'tis well too, when it is here a little, and there a little. But this may suffice to put a Difference twixt spiritual Comfort in this life and eternal Joy in the life to come, and by this ye easily perceive my passage from the first general Part to the Second, which is the Necessity of this Building in a Christian commonwealth, else S. Paul would not have used so serious an Exhortation as this in my Text; Wherefore Comfort one another with these words.  
The Necessity of this Building in a Christian commonwealth. The Necessity is threefold. 1. In respect of 
2. Part.  the command of the Contriver and Overseer of the Building, God. 2. In respect of the principal Instruments employed in this work, God's Ministers. 3. In respect of the common workmen, which are God's People under the Title of One another in the Text; if this threefold cord is not strong enough, I shall join unto it the fourth Necessity, which is in respect of the Place where Comfort is ordained by God to be preached, God's Temple; This fourfold Cord is that that tied me to study, and preach, you to hear, and learn this Necessary Art of Building Comfort. 1. In respect of the command of the Contriver, and Overseer of the Building, God: the God 
1.  of all Consolation would have his Servants ambassadors, Messengers of Comfort, God doubles and trebles this charge upon them to press the Necessity of the discharge of it, Isai. 40. 1. 2. Comfort ye my 
Isaiah 40. 1. 2.  people, comfort ye my people, saith my God, nay the third time, speak comfortably to Jerusalem. 2. The 
2.  Disposition of Ministers is but now and then, seldom to be Boanerges, filii tomitrui, sons of thunder, every Minister for the most part must be Barnabas, filius Consolationis, the son of Comfort: for though thunder is good to work on a hard Heart, yet as thunder commonly brings rain, your sons of thunder should do well always to conclude with a comfortable shower to refresh the Heart: though Ministers may not be too curious to speak to the ear, yet they cannot be too careful to speak to the Heart of the People, that is to speak comfortably to the people; spiritual Bees must draw Honey, out of what flower soever they light to preach upon. These Living Instruments of divine Comfort are sweet Messengers, rare Interpreters, Job 33. 23. One of a thousand to declare unto a Man his uprightness. i. Christ's righteousness, they have a Declarative power in publishing the glad tidings of the gospel; these were jobs best Comforters, better than all his Friends, in his extremity; a Minister may be a greater Comfort to a Man in his sickness, than all his Friends, because Ministers are the bridegroom's friends, and bring the espoused soul good tidings of the Marriage day, those blessed Nuptials with her Lord Christ Jesus: therefore spiritual comforts are oft in Scripture compared to oil, and the pouring forth of those Comforts to anointing, peruse but one place, 
p Isaiah 61. 1, 2, 3.  The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings, vers. 1. to comfort all that mourn, vers. 2. to give the oil of joy for Mourning. ver. 3. God doth anoint his Ministers, that they may anoint his people with the oil of gladness: Every Sermon should be as a Feast to the Hearers, and Preachers must do as the Jews used to do in their Feasts; they used in token of welcome to anoint their guests, Luk. 7. 46. Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint, i. thou hast not bid me welcome, nor cheered me; but Ministers must feast poor souls pouring upon their heads that Alabaster box of precious ointment, the word of Consolation; as we are the principal Instruments of Comfort, we must cheer them up and bid them heartily welcome to God's house with some comfortable Exhortation like this of St Paul in my Text, Comfort one another with these words. 3. In respect of the common workmen, which are God's people under 
3.  the Title of One another in the Text. Expositors use the word, Invicem, by course, each Christian when his course comes, must comfort another, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, one 
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. One another.  another, no man is exempted from this office, that is, One or Other; as the Ministers must make uses of Comfort, 'tis their office, 'tis the right way of preaching: so the people must make good use of them, 'tis their duty, 'tis the right way of hearing to lay up Comforts in store, both for themselves and others, to be able to bring forth both new and old, as occasion serves to comfort one another. For all the members of the Militant Church are but of two sorts. 1. Those that are comforted, but in fear of affliction. 2. Those that are afflicted, but in hope of comfort. Wherefore either for fear, or hope, be well provided with comforts before hand; the Virgin Mary had not been left so completely furnished with Comforts after her son's death, had She not laid in her heart those sayings that She heard from her living Saviour: imitate the blessed Virgin, what comfortable saying ye hear commit it to safe custody in your hearts, for ye know not what need any of you, or any of your friends may have of it in the day of sickness; or at the hour of death at furthest. We may set before you heavenly treasure, & show you the golden pots of Manna, these words of comfort in my text, but if ye will be enriched by them, ye must receive by the hand of faith, and distribute them by the tongue of comforting; than ye own the pearls, when they are yours to give to one another. Why to hear one who hath the tongue of comforting, (as Saint Paul had in the words before my text) enlightening the mind, rectifying the will, moderating the desires, quieting the affections, and filling the soul with unspeakable joy is or would be a great delight to you; yet nothing to that ye will find, when by the wills, grace of God working upon your understandings and ye shall be able to produce all these divine effects (upon occasion) both in yourselves and in others, wherefore 'tis needful to comfort one another with these words. 4. In respect of the place, where comfort is ordained 
4. Necessity.  by God to be preached, God's Temple; God's House is to be called the House of comfort, and if the Heathen Orator making an Oration in aede Concordiae (a Temple consecrated to their goddess Concord) used the place for a topic, & drew an argument from the house inscription where they met, to enforce the Necessity of Peace and Concord: much more may I making a Sermon in aede consolationis (a Temple consecrated to the God of all Consolation) use the place for a topic, and draw a strong enforcement to mutual Comfort and Consolation; for as this is the best place in which to bury the dead; so 'tis also to raise up comfort to the living: A place of dust and ashes to the dead, but a place appointed for the giving of Beauty for ashes to the living: As the Prophet speaks, 
q Isaiah 61. 3.  the house of mourning for the dead; but here the oil of joy for mourning to the living. Sometimes the fittest place for the spirit of heaviness; and sometimes the fittest place to change that, to put on the Garment of praise, as the Prophet continues the Allegory, to have our hearts, lips, and countenances clothed and adorned with the large robe of praise of our God, who still comforts us according, or far beyond the time wherein he afflicts us, wherefore in the house of comfort, learn we how to comfort one another with these words.  
The persuasives inducing us to go about this Building, 
3. General Part.  and to study this Art of divine Comfort.  
Now to press this duty hard upon us. 1. from our Christian relation one to another in the Text. Who 
One another. Invicem, mutually.  should do this good office of comfort, but members of the same body? As Christians in the mysti●●ll body of Christ, if a thorn be in the foot, a sharp affliction in the meanest member of Christ, why out of a sympathy, the back must bow, the strong Christian, and the rich man, rich in grace must put to his helping hand to pluck it out, and the eye the watchful Minister must be busy to pry into the hurt, and ready to apply a wholesome salve, a word of Comfort. Again beloved in the Lord of Heaven, are we not fellow-travellers to heaven? why then as good travellers cheer up one another both by word and by example; especially in the red Sea of Affliction, the wheels of the soul are taken off, like Pharaoh's Chariot wheels, they drive heavily; they want this oil to put them on comfortably. Whence is it that so many droop under the burden of so many cares, and are sore battered with so many temptations? 'tis because they are left comfortless, only to their own spirits. Dead stones in an Arch uphold one another, and shall not the living? 'tis the work of an angel to comfort, nay it pleaseth God's Spirit to take this office upon him, to be the Comforter: thus also one Christian Friend may become an angel, nay a God to another, with feeding lips and a healing tongue of Comfort; the very leaves, the words of the tree of righteousness have a curing virtue in them, strengthening and corroborating the heart, there are words (even those words in my text) that are cordials against all faintings of spirit, they will beget new spirits in a man, Wherefore comfort one another with such words. Every relation wherein we stand towards others are so many bonds and sinews, whereby one member of Christ is fitted to derive comfort to another through love the bond of Perfection, Col. 3. 14. we can attain to no perfection of comforting without love, if ye love one another, ye will comfort one another, ye are of relation near enough, that is the chief enforcement of this duty from our Christian Sympathy. Now very briefly of other persuasives which have their force too, and no doubt but if they all concentre and meet together in our practice, there will quickly be comfort sealed up to one another's souls. 2. Persuasive, others may comfort 
2. Persuasive.  us as much another time, when we may suffer what others now feel, wherefore comfort one another. 3. Sorrow is a gulf, in which many are swallowed up 
3.  for want of comfort, and if God commands us to pull an ox out of the pit, and to cover the pit that the ox fall not into it again, doth God take care for oxen, and not we for one another? 4. We receive comfort 
4.  from God to this very end that we might be able to comfort one another, 2 Cor. 1. 4. Let us give to others as we receive from God. 5. By comforting others we 
5.  improve the stock of our own comfort, 'tis not impaired, but increased by giving it to others: the heat of comfort by warming others is not abated, but inflamed. In strengthening others, we strengthen ourselves at the same time, with the same act, this should encourage us to comfort one another. Lastly 
6.  we derive upon ourselves the blessing pronounced on those that consider the needy. Psal. 41. 1. the Hebrew signifies the neediness of the soul as well 
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}  as of the body, Depauperari, to be any way empoverished; now the want of comfort is a miserable poverty of the soul, better be a beggar then need comfort, and 'tis better to give spiritual alms, than any other, they may do more good. Now 'twill be our comfort here, and crown hereafter, a double recompense, God and man shall bless us if we comfort one another; thus blessed is the man that gives comfort to them that need; and if I cannot persuade you to be happy, give me leave to pass from the persuasives to the Disswasives.  
The Disswasives from the neglect of going forward 
4. General Part.  with the Building of Comfort. 1. 'Tis a vilifying and slighting of an Ambassador sent from Heaven, his 
1. dissuasive  embassy is this weighty business (in the Text) of mutual comfort, any neglect of an Ambassador is a disrespect to the Master; if ye care little for Saint Paul's exhortation ye despite, despite ye the Holy Spirit dictating to St Paul? and what shall we be guilty of, if we will not come in by fair entreaty, when St Paul exhorts us but to do our Duty? 2. 'Tis no less than high Treason, a revolting from our God; 
2.  ye may read this heavy imputation on those that comforted not the weak, Ezek. 34. 4. and Job 6. 14. 
Job 6. 14.  if we neglect to pay this due debt of comforting each other, mark the heavy censure, 'tis no less than the forsaking of the fear of the Almighty; oh fearful Revolt! they fear not God, that comfort not men in misery. Thus 'tis when men will not own men in trouble, but as the heard of dear forsake and push away the wounded dear from them: they will turn their backs, and only cry, God comfort thee; indeed immediate comforts from God are the sweetest; yet for the most part the sun of righteousness, that hath this healing in his wings, conveigheth the beams of comfort by the help of others, and he is an unworthy Servant that thinks scorn to carry a message of comfort from his Master to any one of his Fellow-Servants. Now if ye love to fly such an heavy imputation and censure from God and man; or if ye love the blessing of God and man; or if ye love the increase of your own comfort, or if ye love to attain to the end of God's comforting you; or if ye love to keep others, or to be kept yourselves out of the gulf of sorrow, or if ye love to carry yourselves as fellow-travellors to heaven, as members of Christ, and as good Christians, neglect not this apostolical exhortation, Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  
The materials of this Building, these words, in the 
5. General Part. With these words.  Text. We must use the right and lawful means of comfort, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, these words. Either in the particular relation of these words to St Paul's former Doctrine: or in the general relation to the whole Word of God, Pars prototo, comfort one another with these words, or any the like words of comfort out of God's Word.  
1. These words in the particular relation to St Paul's 
1.  former Doctrine, the first word of the Note of Illation, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, Wherefore, is St Paul's inference of a good use of Consolation raised from his former Doctrine, touching the estate of the dead in Christ; a blessed change they make that die in the Lord, that's our Christian Hope. Give hopeless menleave to tremble at Death, whose portion is in this life; let God's children lift up their heads for joy towards their dissolution, and solace themselves on their deathbeds, as Simeon sings his Nunc Dimittis, quasi necesitate teneretur 
S. Ambrose.  in hac vitâ, non voluntate, St Ambrose descants 
r De bono Mortis.  as if the child of God stayed in this life of necessity, and not by his good will: sure I am St Paul by his good will, would fain be with Christ, which is much more the better, Phil. 1. 23. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, by far very 
Phil. 1. 23.  far much more, and very much more the better, both simply in itself, and in respect of St Paul himself, had there been no necessity of his living in respect of others. For as St Cyprian reasons it in his Book to this purpose 
s De Mortalitate. , Cum mundus oderit Christianum, quid amas eum, qui te odit? & non magis sequeris Christum, qui te & redemit, & diligit? The World hates a Christian, Christ doth not command us to love the World that hates us, but rather to follow Christ, who is our Redeemer and best Lover too. Wherefore, if ye be Christians, comfort one another, as not to fear the death of yourselves; so not to mourn immoderately for the death of others, though never so near to us, that die in the Lord. Here I shall trouble you to cite the forenamed Father 
t S. Cyprian. , Hoc nos oftendamus esse quod credimus, ut neque Charorum lugeamus excessum: & cum accersitionis propriae Dies venerit, incunctantèr, & libentèr ad Dominum ipso vocante veniamus, Let us show ourselves to be the same in our life, that we are in our Faith, that we may not over-mourn for our dearest friends, and when the appointed day of God's sending to any one of us shall come: Come, let us go without delay and willingly to the Lord, who himself calls us. Here after that Father, before I fall into him again, I can quickly tell you all that Oecumenius doth on my Text, 'tis to interpret my 
Oecumenius in locum.  Text by those foregoing words of St Paul, that ye sorrow not even as others that have no hope; i. As the Heathen that had no hope of the Resurrection, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. Oecumenius holds it proper for such only to grieve excessively for the dead, who have no hope of the Resurrection: and how doth it traduce hopeful Christians as hopeless men, when we bewail as utterly lost and extinct, those whom we profess to live with God? To this purpose that elegant tongued Father 
v S Cyprian de Mortalit. . Fidem quam sermone & voce depromimus, cordis & pectoris testimonio non probemus: Spei nostrae, ac fidei praevaricatores sumus, simulata, ficta, fucata videntur esse quae dicimus, nil prodest verbis praeferre virtutem, factis destruere veritatem. The Profession of our hope of the Resurrection to life, is but varnished over and dissembled because we destroy it more with our actions, than we do prefer it by our words; else why do we take on in such a grievous manner, when God takes our Friends away from us? I know that where hearts have been knit together by God, they cannot be rent a sunder without exceeding great grief, as Jacobs' could not from Rachel, nor David's heart from Jonathan. I also know that our Lord and Master himself wept for Lazarus 
x John 11. 35. . I find no fault with natural affection, much less with Christian compassion, let Nature have her course, but let Religion set her bounds: let us water our plants of sincere affection and compassion, but not drown them by sorrowing as others do that have no hope: I find no other fault, but that St Paul finds in the proof of the Doctrine, of which my Text is the use, when mourning exceeds 
The measure of Mourning.  Christian proportion and all true Measure. Joseph loved his Father better than the Egyptians did: yet Joseph wept but the tithe that the Egyptians did. They mourned 70. days, Gen. 50. 3. he but seven days, vers. 10. All that I speak is to condemn those, who are too little like Rachel in serving the living God, but too much like Rachel in weeping for the dead. She would not be comforted; but these hopeless Mourners cannot truly urge the Reason that Rachel did; because they are not; for we know that they are living with God that die in the Lord; we know that the good thief was on the day of his death with Christ the Lord in Paradise: and as 'tis a comfort to know where they are, so 'tis a further comfort to know what they do; they follow the lamb wheresoever he goes: and is it not a height of comfort to know what they say? they cease not to cry day and night Holy, Holy, Holy, they are still a singing Halleluiah, and shall not we give over weeping on Earth for them, who shall never give over singing in Heaven? shall we refuse to be comforted, because they are not on earth, who are and enjoy all the comforts in Heaven? Wherefore comfort one another with these words, and with the words of that judicious Father 
y S. Aug. serm. 35. de divers. . Contristamur in nostrorum mortibus necessitate amittendi, sed cum Spe recipiendi: inde angimur, hinc consolamur: inde infirmitas afficit, hinc fides reficit. The necessity of losing our friends, that cuts us, but the hope of receiving them again, this heals us: that is our grief, this is our comfort; wherefore against the loss of our dearest friends, comfort one another with these words. As Apothecaries make singular use even of the dust of gold: so the Jewish Rabbins those Apothecaries of the Hebrew simples make profession, that great mountains hang upon the smallest Jods in the Bible. Then surely a discourse like a mountain for largeness, but above a mountain for fruitfulness may be raised from this conjunctive particle in my Text, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, Itaque, Wherefore; and to make it so, I pass from the particular relation of these words to S. Paul's former Doctrine, I pass unto the general Relation of these words to the whole Word of God, Pars pro toto, comfort one another with these words, or 
2. The general Relation of these words.  with any the like words of Comfort out of God's Word. In the Greek, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, these Ratiocinations, Arguments rather than bare words, so it is that Scripture words are the strongest Reasons to evince and persuade Comfort; the true heart's ease grows only in God's Paradise, in God's Word. There may be some Tulip of Comfort, some colour, bark, or flower in the words, and writings of men, but the very pith and marrow of comfort effectual for all the soul's Maladies is nowhere to be found but in the Word of God, in these words. As it was said of the words spoken by the Word, God, Christ Jesus, that he taught with authority, and not us the Scribes 
z Matth. 7. vers ult. , the Scribes taught poor, jejune, heartless matter unprofitable, uncomfortable; and their form of teaching was without Majesty, without any command, but our saviour's both Matter and form of teaching carried Authority with it; the unusual unheard of Majesty of the words accompanied with matter most profitable and most comfortable, did command his Auditors. Now Christ hath still left the same Matter to us, 'tis true of all the Word of God, that it comforts as having Authority, and not as the Scribes, not as human writers, who would usurp upon this Authority, which is the absolute Prerogative of God's Word; so that the main point is this, Only God's Word hath full power and Authority to comfort man's heart. 1. à Causa. 2. à Subjecto. 3. à Doctrinae certitudine. 1. From the Efficient cause, 
1. à Causa.  the Scriptures Authority of comforting is the same with God's Spirit dictating both matter and words: the saving work of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, that also goes along with the Word of God; God's Spirit and God's Word go together by way of Covenant, Isaiah 59 21. This is my Covenant with them, 
Isaiah 59 21.  saith the Lord, My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, where God's Word is the Counsellor, God's Spirit is the Comforter. 2. à 
2. à Subjecto.  Subjecto, the Subject of God's Word carries with it the greatest and most infallible Authority of Comforting, because 'tis the only storehouse of true Comfort, in it is that supreme Treasure, the Mediator Christ Jesus, that died to reconcile us to God, Rom. 5. 10. That is the fountain of all Comfort, 
Rom 5 10.  Zech. 4. 12. Christ is the fountain out of which all Comfort is emptied, the two Testaments of God are the two Olive branches, as Beda, but Christ is the root and juicy oil; and what though many Expositors 
a Ribera in Zechar. 4 12.  make the two Olive branches Enoch and Elias converting the Jews to be Christians, yet that cannot be but by preaching and emptying out the golden oil that makes a cheerful countenance, a joyful Convert to Christ, so that still Christ is the fountain of saving soule-suppling oil. A sealed fountain to the world, but for God's Word to reveal it and set it open. Indeed Tully and Seneca writ 
No solid comfort in Tully or Seneca.  large discourses of Comfort, but St Augustine ravished with Tully's style, yet one thing discomforted so far as not to care so much for Tully, Quia Nomen Christi non fuit ibi. That treasury of Comfort, the name (Jesus) of Christ not once to be found in all Tully. And surely had Seneca been so well acquainted with S. Paul, as some will have him, being of Nero's household, than Seneca might have learned to have known nothing for his souls comfort, but Christ Jesus and him crucified: and not have stood so much upon those common Pleas of Comfort against death, as he doth Eâ lege nascimur, the Law of being borne 
Senera.  is to die, Death is inevitable, foolish for a man to grieve for that no man can avoid, Exitus communis, none 'scape it, alas poor Comfort! But what Comfort is to be looked for in their writings who knew not how that to die in the Lord is to rest from our labours; 
Revel. 14. 13.  but God be praised we know it, out of God's Words, and happy are we if we believe that Death separates not from the Love of God in Christ Jesus 
b Rom. 8. . That is Comfort indeed. And not to grieve for the Death of friends as without Hope of the Resurrection of the Dead, that is the very point S. Paul treats of in my Text. The wisest of the Heathen judged it the best 
Optimum non nasci: Proximum citò mori.  thing, first not to be borne; the next to die as soon as we are borne; any Christian may be wiser to judge it the best thing, first to be borne again in Christ Jesus; the next to die in the Lord as soon as it pleaseth God; we must not leave off work, till he that sets us a work, calls us off. Seneca used to comfort his friends at funerals thus, praemittimus, non amittimus. We send our friends before us, we lose them not, yet they were at a sore loss, they knew not to what place they sent their dead friends before them. But beloved to gather Grapes of thorns, comfort from them, who had not the true comfort; if they so esteemed of death, who knew of no life after death, no abiding out of the body, what is fit, that we Christians should prize death at? who ought to make reckoning of no life, but after death: no abiding, but out of the body: no dwelling but in heaven. We have here no abiding city, but we look for one that is to come 
c Heb. 13. 14. . The Greek is, we seek out, we look out earnestly for one to come; and that we may not lose all our looking, our Saviour directs us where to look for it 
d John 14. 2. , In my father's house are many Mansions, 'tis my father's house, & 'tis your father's house as ye are in me: that is the Comfort, and to fill up the comfort, they are Mansions there, places of abode there, but inns here, or rather Tents, or Booths, movable. Everlasting habitants there, Luk. 16. 9 but nothing 
Luk. 16. 9  will last here: yea, here we thrust one another out of house and home, there are several Mansions enough for us all to live by one another, Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  
3. And briefly, à Doctrinae certitudine. Only God's 
3. à Doctrinae certitudine.  Word hath full power and authority to comfort man's heart from the certainty of the Doctrine, which the Word of God hath from God himself. 1. Virtute, the strength and virtue of God's Word accompanied 
1.  with God's Spirit can never fail to work comfort. 2. Veritate, the whole Truth of solid Comfort that is communicable to mankind, is sincerely and truly 
2.  published in God's Word, in that only, and yet in that perfectly. 3. Complemento, in fulfilling, and in the 
3.  accomplishment of all the comforts prescribed in God's Word; for they are all most certain and true, as in the substance; so in the event of them. Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away 
e Matth. 24. 35. : there shall be a revolution and a passing away too of all things in this world, but this very Word of God, that all things shall pass away, this Word shall not pass away; no, nor any one Word of comfort in Christ Jesus shall ever pass away, Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  
But what good doth the bare knowledge of the materials without habitual and actual ability to use them?  
1. The habitual ability to make good use of 
6. General Part.  this Art of comforting, that is the sixt general Part. Now the spring head of comfort infusing into this habitual ability, either we must go out of the world for that, or that must come from another world for us: but we cannot stir one foot of the soul, the least affection: or so much as one winged thought to go to that, that must come to us, to raise our flight, with the wings of that Dove, whose wings are silver, and her feathers like gold, I mean the Holy Ghost. The eternal Breath of the Father and the son must breathe into us the breath of Life, a Life of comfort: the Love of the Father and the son descending upon the son in the likeness of a Dove without gall, must purge out of us all gall of malice and bitterness that we may comfort one another in all meekness of spirit: the invisible spirit descending visibly upon the sons of men in the likeness of fiery tongues must enable us to give light and warmth of comfort to one another. If it be urged, that Faith is 
Objection.  the only strong Conveyance and true Receiver of spiritual Comfort. 'Tis quickly satisfied, that even Faith also is 
Answer.  the gift of the Spirit. The Comforter gives us Faith to take Comfort from him, else we can take none at all, so that in the conclusion, 'tis the Comforter that works all in all in us. For as it was said of the mass and Chaos 
f Gen. 1. 2. , Tohu, vavohu, an empty, vast, solitary, solitude; 'Twas without form and void, darkness (that is a Privation of Light) was upon the Face of the Earth, before the Spirit of God moved upon the Face of the Waters. The soul of a natural man is like the earth, lumpish, sad, without form and void of comfort, darkness of discontent is upon the face of the man inward and outward; a vacuity, a vast solitary Privation of comfort; until the Spirit of God move upon the face of the waters (that is) the swelling, tumultuous, restless thoughts, and comfortless apprehensions. The Hebrew is an apt Metaphor, Rachaph, Incubare; from birds that sit brood on their eggs to sustain and cherish them: the Spirit of God doth not only form and sustain the thoughts of man from vanishing into nothing; but also nourish, and cherish, and foster them, to support a regenerate man in the comfortable estate of well being, a Christian. Not a thought of comfort can rise in the heart, but first hatched by the Spirit of God: we are quite void and empty, not the least Motion of Comfort, before the Spirit of God move upon our thoughts. Beloved, at the first coming of the Holy Ghost, Acts 2. 2. a rushing mighty wind 
Acts 2. 2.  filled all the house; the wind hath one property to cleanse and purge the air, to make it comfortable and refreshing: nor is there any true refreshing or comfort, until we are filled with the Spirit of God, as the sail of a Ship is filled with wind. For let a ship be never so well tackled and provided, yet all is in vain without a wind: and let never so eloquent Sermons spread their sails in the ship of the Church, unless the good wind of God's Spirit blows where it list, when it list, how it list, and upon whom it list; I say God's Spirit must be both wind to drive us, and Pilot to direct us to the Port of Comfort. Now if Caesar did encourage that shipmaster, who feared shipwreck, with a Caesarem vehis; fear not thou carriest Caesar, the world's conqueror; yet by his leave, as great as he was, he was not the sea's Commander, nor the obeyed rebuker of the Winds, and Waves, as he is whom we carry in our tossed breasts; cheer thy thyself with a Paracletum vehis; thou carriest the Comforter in thy heart, the rebuker of heart-risings, the Lord controller of Troubles, the commander of stormy swelling afflictions, the Conqueror of temptations. Whose very conquest is a mighty comfort to the conquered soul, because his Conquest is achieved by Love, for as the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the son per modum Amoris, as the school speaks, so the Spirit works in us by way of Love; sweetly St Bernard styles the Holy Ghost, Osculum Patris, & filii, the kiss of the Father and the son; God the Father kisseth by his son, but we feel not this kiss, until God the son kisseth us by his Spirit. Now what more comfortable to a chaste wife, than a sweet kiss from her Husband? so prays the Bride, Cant. 1. 2. Let him kiss 
Cant. 1. 2.  me with the kisses of his lips, and she gives a reason why She would be kissed, for thy love is better than Wine, more comfortable than wine; that is, (to close this) let Christ unite himself to his Church with this sweet expression of his special favour, even by his Spirit to seal up the lips of our hearts, our thoughts, to the most comfortable day of Redemption. Thus have we seen the springhead whence flows the habitual ability of all true Comfort.  
The actual Ability to make good use of this Art of comforting, 
7. General Part.  in the platform of Comfort set up according to the exact Rule of God's Word, employed in these words in the Text. Justly reprehended are they, who take the wrong way of Comfort, Play books and fabulous stories, forsaking this fountain of living waters; they dig pits that can hold no water, no true refreshment of comfort. The God of all consolation did cause his Word to be written for our Comfort, shall we frustrate the End why it was written? He that made man's heart best doth know what Maladies and what cordials to give; let us follow his Prescripts, away with all other shallow sandy comforts of the world's Mountebanks, which the weary soul cannot rest and build upon, David a King could not want the comforts of this life, yet he disclaims them all in comparison of God's Word 
g Psal. 119. 50. . This is my Comfort in my affliction, for thy Word has quickened me, God's Word did revive David's dead spirits. David did look out for comfort, but found none but this 
h Psal. 119. 82. , mine eyes fail for thy Word, saying, when wilt thou comfort me? Debiles effecti sunt animae meae Oculi 
i Euthymius in Psal. 119. . The Eyes of my soul fail me, my desires fail with looking out for Comfort, which makes me cry, when wilt thou comfort me? David thought it long till God did comfort him. It seems David had forgot the right way to comfort himself, till he went this way to work. 
k Psal. 119. 52.  I remembered thy judgements of old O Lord, and have comforted myself. Now as St Paul exhorts, Be ye followers of me, as I am of Christ; so be ye followers of me as I am of David, for I know words especially prevail, when they are uttered more from the bowels, than the brain, and from our own Experience: which made Christ himself a more compassionate High Priest. Therefore out of compassion I shall now comfort others, with the same precious Comforts, wherewith I have comforted myself out of David's psalms 
l Psalmus, Angelorum allectio: alacer Animae Ordo ac status: clypeus insuperabilis: Euthymius. Praef. in Psalmos. . He that hath the key of David opening an no man shutteth, assist me effectually to open unto you a few words of Comfort out of the psalms of David. The truth is that in the extremity of her sickness, and since her death, who was flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone, that which I then most desired was to repose my troubled thoughts, and to compose the jarring strings of my heart to rest; which at last I pegged up to some concord and harmony, by listening to the sweet Songs of Zion set to David's well tuned harp and heavenly tuned Heart. For my Meditations did bring together four Verses, 
The orderly proceeding in raising the platform of Comfort.  out of four several psalms, which being put well together by the Spirit of God, in the heart of man, are sufficient materials to raise up a platform of the strong and stately Building of true Christian Comfort. The four Verses may challenge this method, the first verse is the Removing of the Rubbish. The 
1. 2. 3. 4. 1.  second Verse is the laying of the Foundation. The third Verse is the Raising up of the Body of the Building. The fourth Verse is the laying on of the roof. 1. The Removing of the Rubbish to fit the place for the Foundation, that is done by taking away and clearing the soul of all dejections, and disquietments in this life, psalm 42. last verse. Why art thou 
Psal 42. v. ult.  cast down oh my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. King David finding his soul over sensible of troubles, checks and chides his soul sharply for it, with why and why? and this chiding goes so far as to lay a strict charge upon his soul to the contrary, Hope thou in God, for why should that soul be cast down and disquieted, that can Answer that Question; now Lord what is my Hope? my Hope is in thee 
m Psal. 39 7. It was the last verse of Scripture I heard my wife speak on the last day of her life. : Hope thou in God: and this charge to hope in God is grounded upon confidence of better times to come, times of praising God, for I shall yet praise him, this small word, Adhuc, yet, 'tis the strong voice of confidence after a long combat. 1. Vox anhelantis, the voice of David breathing and panting under the conflict of troubles and disquietments, what though I am thus now for the present, I shall yet praise him: 2. Vox triumphantis, the voice of David getting the victory over all his troubles, and triumphing with this voice of Joy uttered with confidence, I shall yet praise him. And this confidence is strengthened by his Experience, that God is the Health of his countenance. Omnimodam 
Tremell.  Salutum faciei meae, he is all of the Salvations of my Countenance; the Countenance is as the glass of the heart, in it ye may see the naked Face of the heart; God first speaks saving health to the inward Man of the heart, which he causeth to shine forth in the cheerfulness of the outward man of the countenance. Lastly, this experience is well backed by the interest David had in God, my God; anima mea quid perstrepis in me? Trem. significantly, if God be 
Tremell.  my God, why makest thou such a troublesome noise within me oh my soul? why art thou grumbling and complaining of this or that? As once Seneca told the Roman Courtier that mourned for his son's death; Non fas tibi, salvo Caesare de Fortuna queri, in illo omnia: Much more Salvo Salvatore, & nos salvante, as long as God is our Saviour, we must not be cast down with any thing, in illo omnia; Friends, sons, Husbands, wives, health, wealth, all things in my God, my God, saith David, Deus meus & omnia, saith that confident one 
n Luther. , As bold as a Lion, God, my God, and all things mine. If God be with me, what can be against me so far as to disquiet me? whatsoever is against me, it will be with me for my good, if God be but my God, which is the 2d thing in the Building 
2.  of spiritual Comfort, the laying of a sure Foundation, and that is no other than God to be our God alone. Psal. 73. 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? 
Psal. 73. 25.  and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee. This is an expression of our Faith, whom have we in heaven but thee, to rely upon in all our necessities? this is an expression of our affection; whom have we in heaven but thee, to love? the Giver of all things to be beloved; whom but thee to fear? the Disposer of all things to be feared; whom but thee to desire? the Satisfier of all lawful desires; the Foundation must be but One, whom but thee? and, none on earth besides thee. Yet with a difference, other Foundations are laid deep in the Earth, this must be laid high in Heaven. Whom in heaven but thee? and, none on Earth besides thee, as the Foundation of Comfort: but we may 
An objection anticipated.  desire other things besides God, as the means of comfort as God's Ordinances, and blessings spiritual and temporal, the fat calf must be killed for the prodigal, a temporal blessing too must be had, but take that too as from God, for whatsoever is desiderable in any creature, they are but drops of sweetness let fall from the fountain of Comfort, God. Whom have I in heaven but thee for my sole Refuge and Trust? or whom have I in heaven but thee for my chief Joy, and whole hearts-delight? yet the soul that is thus wedded to God, may love what God loves, and what God commands her love, for him, and in him, but not as him: in so doing She would play the Harlot, Adultera Christo as St Cyprian speaks, 
St Cyprian.  but the soul as a most loyal wife must cast no part of her conjugal affection upon any but God: above him, without him, besides him I love nothing, but all things in him, and for him; 'tis St Augustine's Confession, 
Lib. 10. Confess.  Cum quo solo, & de quo solo, & in quo solo, anima intellectualis verè beata est. With God alone, and from God alone, and in God alone, the understanding soul is truly happy; whom to love freely is a due debt, whom to embrace is chastity, whom to marry is virginity, whom to serve is liberty, whom to imitate is Perfection, whom to desire on Earth is contentment, whom to enjoy in heaven is everlasting happiness. Now Lord let me live out of the world with thee in Heaven: but let me not live in the world without thee on Earth. For whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none on Earth that I desire besides thee.  
The devout soul that lays so good a Foundation as this may go on and prosper with the Building of Comfort, even to raise the Body of the work to 
3.  that height of Comfort, that David doth, Psal. 94. 19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy 
Psal. 94. 19  comforts delight my soul. My perplexed thoughts, that are wreathed one within another with the many sorrows of my heart, so the Sept: {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. Though there be a great multitude of vexing griefs in my heart, yet the plaster is large enough for the sore, thy comforts proportionable to my sorrows, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, according to the multitude of my sorrows thou dost proportion out thy comforts, be my sorrows what they will for quantity or quality, thy comforts can extricate and rid me of them all, be they near so intricate and enwrapped, as branches of trees returning back are blended and entangled, so the Hebrew in the Text, for our thoughts in Hebrew come from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, Redundare, 
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}.  to rebound, and return back, and wrap themselves one within another; nothing can set our thoughts free, but thy comforts oh God. The comforts of thy Providence as a faithful Creator and Preserver: The comforts of thy providing and protecting care, as a loving Father, and Redeemer; providing all good, grace, mercy, and favour: protecting from all evil; sin, Satan, death, the grave and hell: our loving Father will not suffer us to want any thing that is good: our dear Redeemer will not suffer any thing that is evil to come near us, but for our good. These thy comforts delight my soul, saith David. These, or nothing, can truly and really delight the soul; earthly things may delight the body that is made of earth, but the spiritual soul must have spiritual things to delight it, worldly things delight not the soul within a man; the worldly man may draw a curtain betwixt the world and his heart, and seem the only merry man in the world, when there is many a bitter pull in the heart: vides laetitiam in ore, St Ambrose, ye may hear shouting from his tongue, but ask what cheer within, like a poor tavern with a bush, but no good wine within; as merry as he is about the mouth, his soul finds but poor entertainment within: the wine of the wicked has lost it nature, to cheer the heart of man, and like oil it only makes him have a cheerful countenance, but the wine of the godly comforts the spirits within a man; David's merry soul, was given from God, thy comforts delight my soul; {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Sept. Thy comforts have loved 
Sept.  my soul, have embraced my soul with love, Exhortationes tuaejocundaverunt, St August. Thy Exhortations 
S. August. in locum.  make my soul merry, and pleasant, and cheerful. He only is merry at heart, and delighted in his very soul, who doth what God exhorts him to do, whose soul takes daily many a Comfortable walk in the several rooms and conveyances of the Palace of divine Comfort. He oft makes it his soul's Recreation and delight to view the Divisions and the distinctions that God hath made of Creation, Preservation, Redemption, Provision, Protection: the rare Contrivances of Election, Vocation, Justification, Sanctification, and the stately Mansions of Glorification prepared for us, these are the Comforts that will delight our souls, our very souls. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  
Now we have seen the main Body of the Building of divine comfort, what remains but to lay on 
4.  the roof, Psal. 55. 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, 
Psal. 55. 22.  and he shall sustain thee, do but thou cast thy burden on him, and let him alone to sustain thee; this roof will hold out against all weather of affliction, storms and tempests may beat, but God is able to bear the burden, which we cannot bear. But what burden may we be bold to cast upon the Lord? Any, either the greatest burden that is in the world, sin; cast thy sins upon the Lord Jesus: or the lesser burdens, crosses, troubles, and losses. In all and under 
Patience is that one thing necessary to bear crosses and losses.  all the Lord shall sustain thee with things necessary, at least with that one thing necessary, Patience; So long as thou losest not thy Patience, so long thou losest not the Lord, who shall sustain thee to sustain thy losses. Be it the burden of the loss of health, wealth, wife, child, friend, cast thy burden upon the Lord by remembering that they were the blessings of the Lord upon thee, and unless by Impatience, thou lose the Lord too, the Lord knows how to bless thee again with all these, as he did Job, of whom S. Augustine speaks thus: Haec amisit, sed illum tenet, qui abstulit. Job lost his goods, but he took hold of him, who took them away, The Lord gives, and the Lord takes, saith that pattern of Patience 
o Job 1. , the Lord takes, and no matter what he takes from us, so long as we have him still, that takes them, who is able to regive them with advantage. It was S. Chrysostom's way of comforting his Auditors at Antioch 
p S. Chrysost. Hom 4. ad Antioc. , {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. It is a great part of true Piety and godliness, to cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will give thee better things than ever thou lost; the like cordial the judicious Father hath 
q S. August. in Psal. 66. , quamvis arca exinanita sit auro, cor tamen plenum est fide: the less in the chest, there may be the more in the heart. The want of a husband m●y fill the heart with her best husband Christ Jesus. The loss of a wife may make the stronger contract betwixt the soul and her God. The loss of a child may be a Testimony to my heart, that God receives me as his child, for he chasteneth every son whom he receives: ubi multum crucis, multum lucis, that 
Heb. 12. 6. Luther.  man of crosses ʳ was wont to say, the more affliction from God, may prove the more instruction to the soul. The real Alphabet of Christianity is spelled out by suffering Christ's cross; and not by reading of Christ's Sufferings. Faith comes by hearing, and by feeling too, by suffering, that is the best trial of Faith; by suffering losses we learn to believe what God can do for us. What wicked Cain said of his sins, they are greater than can be forgiven; no child of God must think of his losses, they are greater than can be given again: sin the cause of all losses, is not greater than can be forgiven: much less any loss, the effect, greater than can be given again. Cast thy burden, Pagn in reads it, Pondus, thy heavy crosses, and weighty losses; but Montanus, Donum, 
Pagnine. Montanus.  punctually to the Hebrew root; and every loss or cross is the gift of God sent to thee from God, sometimes greater gifts, sometimes lesser: now return these gifts whence they came, cast them upon the Lord. The Sept. use a word by themselves, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, thy anxious care, thy cutting, dividing, solicitude, look 
Sept.  to thine own work, cast thy burden upon the Lord, that is thine own work, look to that, and be not solicitous what is God's work, to sustain thee; eke out thy Patience, await the Lord's goodness, cast it all upon God and he shall sustain thee. This is the fairest roof, the greatest height we can raise up the Building of Comfort to: yet I might give you another platform of the particular furniture, belonging to every several room of Comfort; look how many things we had need to be comforted against, so many several rooms of Comfort, but not knowing what entertainment this Art of Building Comfort will find, if ye like to make use of it, this is enough by way of direction; but if ye like it not, this is toomuch; therefore I hasten to the last general Part proposed in our method.  
The eight Part is the strength and duration of this 
8. Part.  Building, for if it were but slight, weak, or not lasting long, it were but poor comfort.  
The Building of Comfort not only stands by the benefit of the Foundation that sustains and supports it: but the strength of the Building is much augmented and increased by the benefit of the contignations that knit and unite the Parts together; and also of the butteresses that comprehend and embrace them without. The Foundation being surely laid will not suffer the Building of Comfort to sink: the contignation and knitting will not suffer it to cleave: the Butteresses will not suffer it to swerve: all these together by a joint force (which is the stronger) make greatly for the strength and duration of the building of Comfort. Ye see the Foundation laid before in it proper place: briefly here of the contignations, and the Butteresses as they are necessary for the strength and duration of Comfort. 1. God's 
The Contignation of the Building of Comfort.  wisdom, Power, Justice, Mercy, Truth will abundantly do all the Offices of the Contignation of this Building. 2. We must supply the Butteresses from without, and they are three special ones among the rest. 1. Submission to God's Will. 2. Right reason, rectified, sanctified Reason. 3. Prayer for strength and continuance of comfort. But before we look to the strength of the outworks, let us consider seriously the Contignation within, which requires no less than five Attributes of God each of them will Minister strength of Comfort, then surely their union will prove a blessed Communion of Comfort.  
1. God's wisdom is absolute, and transcendently 
1. God's wisdom.  matchless in prescribing us convenient, congruent and fitting comforts: God knows what is better for us, than the best of us can for himself; because God is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, wise of himself, wisdom itself; for his wisdom is not by infusion, or gift, or instruction, or experience, or observation, but of himself, from himself, without any counsel taking all wise. Now this was the way the Prophets were commanded to take in comforting the People of God, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, Isai. 40. 1. But how must 
Isaiah 40. 1. and 13, 14.  they do it? they must go this way to work; vers. 13, 14. they must teach the people, that their God is a God of such infinite incommunicable wisdom he needs no Director, no counsellor, no instructor, no Teacher: I use not so many Synonymies as the Prophet doth there, but by this we collect that the all-wise Disposer of all things good or evil, secret or manifest, universal or singular, necessary or contingent, must needs by the forcible influences of his wisdom dart warmth and comfort into his people, who are called the children of wisdom, because they are able both by reason and experience to justify all the ways of wisdom: as that the Reproach of Christ is better than the pleasure of sin for a season, witness Moses: and one day in the Courts of God better than a thousand elsewhere, witness David. The ground they build upon is this, that God knows what is best for every one of his, so saith David, Psal. 1. The Lord knows the way of the 
Psal. 1. ult.  Righteous, that is, the beams of God's wisdom in acknowledging their miseries are so settled upon them, that they are wonderfully comforted and refreshed in all their ways. This is the first contignation giving strength to the Building of Comfort, God's wisdom.  
The second needs little Probation, for all strength 
2. God's Power.  is from God's Power, it being the Principle of active strength in every thing, as God is purissimus Actus, so by his power God is principium activum, primitive power in himself, derivative from him to all things created; this omnipotency doth knit and unite the whole Building of Comfort, because nothing can resist the Power of God, there is more strength of power with us then against us, this is that other comfortable Argument urged by the Prophet, Isaiah 40. 
Isai. 40 12.  12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? and meted out Heaven with the span? and comprehended the Dust of the Earth in a measure? and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? therefore for our infinite comfort, God (maugre all the adverse power) can do whatsoever he will, as having his Name, the mighty God, Isaiah 9 6. 
Isai. 9 6. 3. God's justice.   
The third Contignation of the building of comfort, God's Justice, is so absolute, He can do us no wrong, that's our comfort, do what he please: the sorest chastisement that ever child of God stood under, was but his just Anger against him, even the way of his displeasure was not unequal, to punish our sins so severely in his own son. What more comfortable than this, that all affliction is but God's just pursuit of sin in us, to drive sin out of us, and us out of ourselves, to fly wholly to our God? David's meat may be ashes, and his tears mingled with his drink, yet this proves a comfortable repast, a sweet refreshing, by reason that out of the Eater comes meat, out of the strong comes honey, out of God's Justice against sin issues true Comfort.  
Fourth Contignation, God's Mercy; God hath not 
4. God's Mercy.  more power, than willingness to comfort us, his son being flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone; in our saviour's desertion in the Garden, and on the cross, he was content to want that unspeakable comfort in the presence of his Father both to bear the wrath of the Lord for a time for us, and likewise to know the better how to comfort us in our greatest extremities; 'tis the Mercy of God that we are not consumed, but tried, not for his pleasure, but for our profit: as a Father scourgeth his son, yet pities his son, so there is mercy with God that he may be feared as a Father, and that we may be comforted as his children. Thus the Father of mercies cannot but 
2 Cor. 1. 3.  show himself a God of all Consolation, as St Paul joins them together; so the child of God finds by Experience, the Father of mercies, is always the God of all Comfort, that is the fourth knitting and uniting of the Building of Comfort.  
5. Contignation, God's Truth; it is no small Comfort 
5. God's Truth. Rom. 2. 2.  that we are sure (saith the Apostle Rom. 2.) that the Judgement of God is according to Truth; Truth itself must needs according to Truth in the inward parts judge all things, but the height of Comfort is that Truth itself cannot but keep promise, all the promises of Comfort in the gospel, the Word of truth, ye may take God's Word, were it for a thousand Comforts, why the world proposeth a thousand counterfeit Comforts, but our God in his Word doth furnish us with ten thousand true real Comforts. Shortly, all this knitting, uniting faculty of comforting is by one joint-view apprehended in Christ our Saviour thus. 1. The wisdom of his Father to know how and when to comfort us. 2. From the Father all power is given him and authority of comforting us. 3. His father's Justice is satisfied in him, by becoming a man of sorrows, to comfort us; a curse, that we should not be accursed; cursed be that man, who accounts not this the greatest Comfort. 4. and 5. for I find them joined together, Heb. 2. 17. Christ made like to his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest, the words, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} are comfortable words, not only to compassionate us, but to be true and faithful to us, not to fail, Christ will never fail us in the knitting and uniting of our Comfort within, if we do not fail ourselves in setting up the Butteresses from without; Christ is faithful, if we be not faithless.  
There are three special Butteresses of the Building 
Butteresses of the Building of Comfort. 1. Submission to God's Will.  of Comfort. 1. Submission to God's Will: a resignation of ourselves to do what he will with us is the main Fulciment, buttrress or spiritual shore of true Comfort. For in all crosses, and losses of wife, children, friends, &c. the whole business is not to express sorrow; but a submissive subjection to God's good pleasure and will. Eli failed much in the education of his sons, yet he himself was a most dutiful child to God his heavenly Father, even when he heard that heavy judgement, able to make both the ears of the hearer to tingle, he did then subject himself unto God, with that excellent in comparable Speech of Submission, It is the Lord, let him do what 
1 Sam. 3. 18.  seemeth him good. 1. Sam. 3. Though the matter concerned him and his so nigh, yet the good man thought that he had nothing more to do then to set to the seal of his approbation of God's Will, which was a willing Submission to it. It is the Lord, it becometh not man to reason with him, why he doth thus and thus, there is no good to be got by such contention, all the Comfort lies in this, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth must speak after this admirable manner; It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. Nay, a greater than Eli, the first High Priest that ever was, Aaron who was appointed by God to be a mouth to Moses, he could speak so well; yet when God burned his sons for offering strange fire, he had not a word to say, but as the Text saith, Aaron held his Peace; by holding his peace in this case, Aaron did glorify God more than if he had spoken with the tongues of men and Angels; Aaron silencing his sorrow by subjecting his will to God's Will, did show forth his inward Comfort. Once more, for 'tis a greater than Aaron, our High Priest according to the order of Melchisedech was never without Comfort, because never without Submission to his heavenly Father: when he was alone, and none to comfort him indeed, he prayed (bearing our infirmities) Let this cup pass from me, but with a pull back of restraint, Not my Will, but thy Will be done. Ipse erat voluntas & Potestas Patris, & tamen ad Demonstrationem sufferentiae debitae, voluntati se Patris tradidit, Tertull. 
Tertull. in Orat. Domin.  last words on the third Petition; Christ was both the Will and the Power of his Father, yet to demonstrate to us that Submission is always due to God's Will, He subjects himself in all things, Not my Will, but thy Will be done. This is a strong supporter of true comfort, to lay our hands upon our mouths, and not to open them except with jobs thankful echo, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, O happy Comfort! and well upheld, to bless God in all things by freely submitting our wills to His Will; let the Lord do what he will, and let us be sure to bless His Name for it, that is the first buttress of Comfort.  
2. Buttress, and a very strong one too, is Right 
2. Buttress of Comfort. Right Reason.  Reason, rectified, sanctified Reason. What is discontentedness, and uncomfortableness, but the confusion, distemper, and disorder of our affections and actions? but when they are well ordered according to the commands of rectified Reason, than riseth comfort and contentedness of mind: when our Passions and Actions are subject to the straight Rule of Reason, than is the soul at comfort; a man of Right Reason is a man rich in Comfort, a happy Dives, he may say, soul, soul, take thy rest, for thou hast comfort, much riches of comfort, laid up for as long, as thy Reason is rectified and is guided by the Word of God, and the whole course of thy affections ordered by that rectified Reason. When a man smothers himself under sorrow, and discontent, let him see what reason he hath for it out of God's Word: when a man rejoiceth and comforteth himself with anything, let him see what good reason he can find for it: believe me, this is a strong bridle and curb to stop the course of all discontentedness and uncomfortableness in our Christian journey: and withal a very strong keen-metled Spur to put us forward in the free course of true Comfort: even this is the ready way, to try all things that we do by sound Right Reason.  
Now that the two former Butteresses may stand fast, and the whole Building continue durable, we must not fail to put up the third buttress, that is 
3. Buttrress. Prayer for strength of Comfort.  to put up Prayer for strength of Comfort. If any of you lack wisdom (James 1. 5.) let him ask God, and he will give it him. Thomas expounds that Text to this purpose now in hand. Si quis vestrum indiget Sapientiâ, 
Aquin.  id est, sapida Scientia ad condiendam amaritudinem tribulationum, vel ad degustandum patientiae fructum. If any of you want the salt of wisdom to season affliction, or to make the fruit of Patience savoury, and comfortable, let him pray to God for it, who is very liberal of comfort to him that asks it; the good thief on the cross did but ask Christ to remember him in his kingdom, and he gave him Paradise that very day, To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise: dum memoria poscitur, regnum concedit, saith the Father. 
S. Ambr. in locum.  Prayer is a faithful messenger and Ambassador to dispatch all our business with God, ask and have comfort, seek and find it by prayer, knock, and a door of comfort shall be opened; Prayer is a strange kind of key that opens if you do but knock with it, Matth. 7. 7. O then knock strongly, that thou 
Matth. 7. 7.  mayst have strength of comfort. Why but Prayer is only of things possible, because Prayer is an Act of Hope; and Hope is still fixed upon a possibility of enjoying the object: now if there must be hope of embracing what we pray for, and a likely possibility of what we hope for, what (I pray) encouragement do they give us, to put up our Prayers for strength of Comfort, who make a question, whether it be possible for a man in this life to have absolute firm strength of comfort against all evil? True it is, here is a question started by the Casuists, let us pursue it a 
Question.  little, for it is about the strength of this Building. Whether a true believer may have firm and strong consolation against all evil. The Affirmative is thus 
Answer.  established, that though there may sometime be a mixture of grief or fear with comfort, yet that comfort is a repression, mitigation and lenition of that grief or fear, and will in time get the victory. 1. Because, God the Father, who works victoriously, is the God of all comfort 
f 2 Cor. 1. 3, 4. , comforting us in all our tribulation and in any trouble, verse. 4. of that Chapter. 2. Because, Christ is the fountain of all comfort to us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. verse. 5. of that Chapter. 3. The holy Spirit is the comforter, to this end that the knowledge of the truth might make us Conquerors, that our hearts might not be troubled nor afraid 
t John 14. 26. and 27. . 4. The whole Scripture was written for our comfort, that we through comfort of the Scriptures might have hope; strong comfort, and strong hope 
v Rom. 15. 4. . 5. Because of the immutability of God's counsel, confirmed by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation 
x Heb. 6. 17, 18. , {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, a mighty, potent, firm and solid Consolation. The Greek Epithet is so expressive. 6. Consolation never goes single without confortation; a strengthening power of the Grace of God accompanies it; this is a reparation of our Christian forces, and a congruous fortification against all evil 
y Dan. 10. 17, 18, 19 . There remained no strength in Daniel, until one touched him, and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not, be strong, yea be strong; and when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, saith Daniel; God's comforting of us is a strengthening comfort. Beloved, this is a strong durable Building of Comfort, for no earthquake, no heart quake can shake the foundation of it: no Canon shot with all the powder and power of hell can batter down the walls of it: no Tempest of affliction can beat down the roof of it: no thieves, though they be subtle evil spirits, can rifle the rooms of it: no cruel landlord to thrust us out of doors; but a loving kind Lord, our God, who doth all to keep us within doors, within comfort: no false Neighbours can take our house over our heads: no envying at one another's dwellings: here are several rooms of comfort for young, and old, rich and poor, well and sick, men and women, husbands and wives, King and Subject, widows and orphans; comfort enough for all believers of all Families, towns, Cities, Countries, Nations and Languages under Heaven. Now where can I better lodge my discourse then in this strong durable Building of most divine comfort? and so I shall at this very instant, if ye will but promise me, to do your best to comfort one another with these words, or with any the like words of comfort, out of God's holy Word. And we beseech thee O Lord, to teach us this art, and to make us all such spiritual Builders, that we may not be cast down under the burden of temporal losses and crosses, or of spiritual temptations, but that every one upon all occasions, may expostulate the matter seriously with his own soul, Why art thou cast down o my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee, and thy Comforts: for in the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Therefore o my soul cast thy Burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: Even so O God of all Comfort, now and ever sustain us with the Comforts of thy sacred Word, and of thy Holy Spirit.  
Amen.   

An Electuary in form of a Prayer called 
a apothecary's have an Electuary called Manus Christi.  Manus Christiani: a comfortable Confection out of the former Treatise to repel the Infection of all kind of Affliction.  
O Lord my God, and I believe there is no 
Take it thus next the heart, it will work the better.  other Gods besides, I believe, therefore I call upon thee: that as the first commandment thou givest to me, is to have no other gods but thee; so my first care may be to settle all my thoughts and affections, words and actions upon nothing in Heaven or in Earth besides thee. 
b Psal. 73. 25.  For whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee. Thou art my Refuge, my Rock of defence, my sure stay, my whole heart's delight; O Lord accept this Expression of my Faith, whom have I in Heaven to rely on but thee in all my Necessities? accept this expression of my devotion, whom have I in Heaven but thee to call upon in all my troubles? accept this expression of my affections, whom have I in Heaven to love but thee? the Giver of all things to be beloved; whom have I in heaven to fear but thee? the Disposer of all things to be feared; Whom have I in Heaven to rejoice in but thee? the Infuser of all true Joy; Whom have I in Heaven to desire but thee? the Satisfier of all lawful desires; and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee; yea, I confess there is nothing in the World that is worth the desiring, but in thee, and from thee. 
Psal▪ 94. 19  In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy Comforts delight my soul. In the great throng of all my perplexed thoughts thy Comforts delight my soul; the Comforts of thy Providence over me as a faithful Creator and Preserver, thou didst create me of nothing, hast preserved me from nothing, even from my mother's womb, and wilt still preserve me even to my last hour, these thy Comforts delight my soul. Nay more, Comfort of thy special care as a gracious Father and Redeemer, Care of Provision and Protection; of all good, from all evil; of Mercy, Grace, and Favour, from sin, Satan, Death, the Grave and Hell. These are thy Comforts O Lord. And whensoever these thy Comforts do not delight my soul, give me grace to check and chide my soul sharply for it. 
d Psal. 42. ult.  Why art thou cast down o my soul? why art thou disquieted within me? thou hast no reason to be cast down or to be disquieted at all, as long as thou hast a God to hope in; hope thou in God, I lay this charge upon thee, O my soul; and this my charge is grounded upon my confidence of better times to come, when I shall yet praise him; and this my confidence is strengthened by my experience of what God is unto me, the health of my countenance, Salvation to my inward man, Joy to my heart 〈…〉 my outward man, cheerfulness 〈…〉. And this my experience is well backed by my interest that I have in God, my God in Christ Jesus my Saviout; and if my God be with me what can be against me? neither health, nor sickness, neither wealth, nor want, neither principalities, nor powers nor death, nor life 〈◊〉, nor depth, nor things present, nor things to come, nothing can separate me from the Love of God, my God in Christ. Therefore will I now and ever cast my Burden upon thee O Lord, with assurance that thou wilt sustain me. 
e Psal. 55. 22.  the greatest Burden in the world, sin, My sins are gone over my head, and are too heavy a Burden for me to bear, therefore will I cast them upon thee my Lord and my Saviour: yea, the afflictions and punishments that lie at the door of my sins; they are able to press me down to the lowest pit, but in an humble awful submission to thy will, (trusting that thou wilt lay no more upon me, than I am able to bear) I will bear according to my Ability, and await thy goodness either to deliver me from, or to sustain me in all; thy Will be done O Lord, and give me Patience.  
Amen.  
Glory be to God on high, On Earth Comfort.  
FINIS.   

Imprimatur.  
Johannes Hansley. Feb. 4. Anno Dom. 1639.