A

TREATISE

ON

SPIRITUAL COMFORT.

By

JOHN COLQUHOUN, D. D.

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL, LEIT

SECOND EDITION, CORRECTED.

Isa. xl. 1, 2.

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak

ye comfortably to Jerusalem.
Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is

before him; therefore trust thou in him. JOB xxxv.14.
My heart trusted in him and I am helped: therefore my
heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise
him.

Ps. xxviii. 7.

EDINBURGH:

PRINTED FOR J. OGLE, PARLIAMENT-SQUARE; M. OGLE,
GLASGOW ; OGLÈS, DUNCAN, AND COCHRAN,
LONDON; AND T. JOHNSTONE, DUBLIN.

ADVERTISEMENT.

It has often occurred to the Author, that, as spiritual consolation in this valley of tears, is highly necessary to support and encourage the hearts of exercised Christians, and so, to make them advance with alacrity, in the love and practice of true holiness, as well as to enable them to perform every particular duty, with increasing cheerfulness and resolution ; so they need to be instructed often, in the unspeakable importance of such comfort, and in the means of attaining an increase of it.

UNDER the forcible impression of these sentiments, and from a desire to contribute: his feeble endeavours, to promote the consolation and edification of believers, the Author engaged in the following work. It has been his aim, at the same time that he has endeavoured to avoid a plan which may be defective in its parts, or irregular in their distribution, to render his subject easy and intelligible; and so to adapt the work to the capaci.

iv

ties, even of the weakest and most illiterate Christians. He does not presume to have fully attained these objects. How far he has succeeded, and wherein he has failed in the attempt, it does not become him to say. The judicious and candid reader will determine.

If any thing contained in the following pages, shall, by the blessing of Him who is the. Consolation of Israel, be rendered useful but to one disconsolate believer, the labour of the Author will be amply compensated.

LEITH, February, 18, 1813.)

CONTENTS.

Page.
INTRODUCTION,...

1
CHAP. I. Of spiritual comfort in general,.......

4
Reflections,

40
CHÁP. II. Of the great importance and useful.

ness of spiritual comfort, to the saints,...... 47
Reflections,

70
CHAP. III. Of the way in which believers lose
their spiritual comfort.......

75
Reflections,......

115
Chap. IV. Of the grievous consequences of a be-

liever's having lost his spiritual consolation, 120
Reflections........

.... 154
CHAP. V. Of the nature and signs of melancholy, 161
Sect. 1. Of the signs of melancholy, especially
in a true Christian,....

162
SECT. 2. Directions to Christians, who are

afflicted with melancholy,....... .... 178
Sect. 3. Advices to the relations and friends

of such Christians, as are afflicted with me-
lancholy,..........

190
Reflections......

.... 199
Chap. VI. Of the designs of God, in permitting

some of his children to lose their spiritual
comfort,..

205
Reflections....

235