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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14732	Balme from Gilead to recouer conscience In a sermon preached at Pauls-Crosse, Octob. 20. 1616. By Samuel Ward, Bach. of Diuinitie, and preacher of Ipswich.	Ward, Samuel, 1577-1640.; Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1618 (1618)	STC 25036; ESTC S119469	52,024	176

Balme from Gilead TO Recouer Conscience In a Sermon Preached at Pauls-Crosse Octob. 20. 1616. By SAMVEL WARD Bach. of Diuinitie and Preacher of IPSWICH Printed at London by T. S. for Roger Iackson and William Bladen and are to be sold neare the Conduit in Fleet-street and at the signe of the Bible at the great North-doore of Pauls 1618. To the READER VOuchsafe good Reader in a word or two to vnderstand the occasion of bringing this MEDITATION to the Presse that was purposed onely for the Pulpit the rather for that it commeth not from the Authors owne hand who would no doubt more exactly haue polished it could hee haue beene perswaded to publish it himselfe But hee out of his modestie as hee deliuered it not like a Scholler his Lesson learned without Booke nor brought with him any intent to haue it further made publi●e so could not be induced though instantly laboured both by my selfe and many others desiring further fruit of so learned and religious ● Labour eyther to publish it himselfe or to haue any hand at all in the publishing of it Howbeit at length vpon extreame importunitie rather to preuent the wrong that by imperfect Copies printed he might otherwise sustaine then to satisfie such as were earnest sutors to him for the same hee was with much adoe drawne before his departure from the Citie to deliuer his Notes to a friend with reference of the whole businesse to the iudgement and discretion of others to deale in and dispose of as they should deeme sit who being present at the speaking of it with the Authors Notes and his owne helpes hath done his endeauour to penne it as neare as he could to that which by the Author himselfe was then deliuered Which though it be not altogether verbatim the same yet it is hoped that there is not any thing materiall wanting that the diligent hearer shall desire besides that hee shall finde some things ouer and aboue that straits of Time and default of Memory were then a meanes to keepe backe If any aske what needed such importunitie in this businesse there being already so many Sermons abroad that euen Printers themselues complaine that the Presse is oppressed with them I answere True it is that there are Sermons indeede abroad by some more then enough but yet not enough I dare say it such as this is that deale so pit●ily so effectually in points of practise so necessary so ordinary as this doth wherein Learning and Pietie delightfull manner of handling together with profitable and vsefull matter so concurre that if it please not any they are those alone whose prophane palates can relish nothing that sauoureth of grace though ne●er so delightfull otherwise if it profit not any it is to be feared they are such whose corrupt Consciences are growne wel-neare irrecouerable if not wholy incurable But I am lo●th to be long where the worke it selfe is not This little be spoken rather in way of Apologie for my selfe and such others as vrged the publishing of it then in commendation of the Worke which in the very reading of it to any iudicious ingenious and religious will sufficiently commend it selfe For my selfe considering the generall approbation giuen it by all sorts that heard it together with the earnest suites of many others so in●tantly desiring it vpon their reports and finding vpon view and serueigh the thing it selfe fully to answere both the reports of the one and the desires of the other I was right willing and ready as hee speaketh in Plato though one barren hitherto in this kinde my selfe to performe some Midwiue-like office to another for the further enlargement of so generally blessed and so deseruedly desired a birth Wherein if thou shalt chance to finde any defects consider ●ut I pray thee how hard a thing it is for another though not vnskilfull to perfect a worke that some curious Artist hath left vnfinished And so wishing onely that it may through Gods gracious assistance eyther worke into or increase in thee a good Conscience and the comfort thereof I leaue the Worke to thy pervsall and it to his blessing whose gift a good Conscience is and with whom beside the present comfort of it heere is a plentifull reward reserued for it else-where Thine in Christ THOMAS GATA●RE Balme from Gilead TO Recouer Conscience HEBR. 13. 18. For wee are assured that wee haue a good Conscience desiring in all things to walke honestly I Will vse no other Preface but the short one before my Text and that not as a Preface but in way of earnest suite Pray for mee For I desire this day in treating of a GOOD CONSCIENCE both so my selfe to keepe and discharge one and so to speake home to yours that the dead Consciences may heare the voyce of God in my Text be quickened the secure ones awakened the troubled ones comforted the tender confirmed the good bettered and all receiue some light and life that wee may all depart hence in the peace of a Good conscience assured with our Apostle that we haue a good one desiring in all things to walke honestly This worke God witnessing to my Conscience I much desire to doe and in so doing I know I desire a worthy worke A worke so highly and peculiarly needfull for these times that a sharpe Seer of them was often heard to pray that God would stirre vp some to write and preach of this Argument and another to Augustines wish That hee might heare Paul preach addeth his owne That the Text and Theame might be CONSCIENCE they both saw it gasping drawing on and dying and therefore desired that some life might be put into and kept in it before it should be vtterly ouerwhelmed in death and darknesse The time indeede was in the beginning of Time when Adam by his first Sinne brought death vpon his Soule and caused it to raigne ouer all the powers of it that this Facultie had most life left in it like Iobs Messengers to tell newes of the great losse This little sparke was left fresh to shew what great light had beene extinguisht but now this also through affected blindnesse and wilfull malice is so smoothered and suffocated through a daily custome of sinning the eyes of it so pecked out the mouth so stopped the very heart of it so wounded and quelled that as the world iustly complaynes it is dead long since yea long since buryed in the graue of habituall sinning with the stone of hardnesse rouled vpon it that as Mary said of Lazarus the very name of it is growne vnsauoury odious and I feare ridiculous in the eares of many Is it not then high time for the Lord to worke and for vs to see if by crying aloud as Elias said of the dead Idoll wee may fetch life againe into it which is the very life of our spirituall life and soule of our soule The time is now come vpon vs wherein men affect and desire good Names Estates

Wiues Houses good Cloathes good euery thing but content themselues with meane and vile Consciences which ought to be the chiefe and onely good Wherein men loue to exercise and shew in Preaching in Hearing in Trading and all manner of conuersing their Memorie their skill and cunning and al other their good parts as they call them neglecting this which is the WHOLE of a Man and despising Pauls Exercise and Pauls Policie To haue a good Conscience before God and Man Wherein men loue preaching indeede and knowledge but not wholsome doctrine Preaching to the Conscience and knowledge of themselues which makes this Pulpit and Church-yard full of Polemicall and Schoole-diuinitie while the plaine practicall and asketicall part lyeth vntilled and vnregarded which maketh Citie and Country full of Craft and Cunning but voyd and destitute not onely of the power but shew of Conscience All which maketh me to chuse rather with the Apostle to speake fiue words to the Heart then tenne thousand to the Eare yea one to shew you a good Conscience then ten thousand to shew all the Science in the world Sermon you heare vpon Sermon till this Manna●comes ●comes out at your nostrils but as o●e said of Lawes one is yet wanting for the practising of all the rest Now Conscience is the spring of Practise and the Wheele that must set all the rest on going Is it not high time to speake to Conscience that wee be no longer hearers onely but dooers also The time is now approaching as wee may easily discerne if wee haue not drunke or slept out our eyes as in the times of Noah in which Christ is powring out his Viols vpon the earth and shortly wherein the Bookes shall be opened these clasped and sealed Bookes of our Consciences the Contents whereof are now like Letters written with the Iuyce of Orrenges that cannot be read till it come to that fire which shall make the secrets of all hearts legible yea euery the least Fraction euen the least idle thought or speech all which are faithfully registred in them Is it not then high time to looke into these Bookes to cast vp these Bookes yea to be well skilled and versed in them for the sake and rectifying whereof all other good Bookes are written that we might be able to pro●e and examine our selues whether vpon good ground wee can say with our Apostle We are assured we haue a good Conscience c. Which Text when I reade and pronounce which I doe that you may well vnderstand mee thinkes 〈◊〉 heare Pauls voyce and discerne ●is Spirit as the Mayd knew Pe●ers voyce I heare him vse the ●ike appeale in the very like case when the Hebrewes accused him and Ananias bad smite him on the ●outh I haue in all good Conscience serued God to this day In the selfe-sam● case when they hyred Tertullus to paint him 〈◊〉 with his Rhetoricke for a pestilent fellow a troubler and commotioner of the whole world he● vsed the like prouocation I endeauour alwaies to haue a good Conscience towards God and man The● very like protestation against the surmises of the same Hebrews 〈◊〉 9. Yea so often that 2 Cor. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 cals this and claimes it as his owne glory This is my boasting a 〈◊〉 Conscience So that as we discerne Ships by their Flags so may wee Paul by this flagge of comfort and defiance which he hangs out almost in euery Epistle and if wee may guesse at the whole cloath by the List this Epistle as this Triumph is his And worthily indeed becomes it this chosen vessell to glory in this choise Iewell with which the whole world compared and weighed in the Ballance will be found as light as drosse and vanity and without this Losse Dung and vexation of Spirit For mine owne part when I view this triumph and the Apostle so frequently and so confidently vsing it I professe my selfe deepely affected therewithall The world hath many stately sights glorious obiects as namely strong Towers tall Ships vnder saile Armies vnder Banners sumptuous Buildings pleasant Orchards and Gro●●s but when I represent to my selfe when I seriously conceiue and consider Paul riding in this triumphant Chariot aduanced aboue the reach of mens thoughts and tongues yea aboue all sublunarie changes all the fore-mentioned are in mine eies but stately bables pompous fantasies painted Pageants Did Paul in the fruition of this enuie Agrippa's golden chaine No It was but for manners sake Paul excepted his Chaine And he that hath this good needes not enuie I say not any greatnesse here present No not Nebuchadnezzers stalking in his magnificent Galleries built for his honour The great Turke garded with his Ianizaries The triple-crowned man of pride riding vpon mens shoulders and treading vpon Emperours necke● Much lesse the rich Foole in the Gospell with his goods increasing and Barnes enlarged or the rich Glutton with his delicate fare and purple rayment or any other glistering apparences of happinesse which dazle the eyes of the doti●● world Let become of the rest wh●● will so that this be my Lot an● portion which euer let be my wi●● aboue all wishes that through● Gods grace and Christs blo●d 〈◊〉 may haue a good Conscience and b● assured that I haue one desiring i● all things to walke honestly In which Text or Woofe of Scripture which I may call Pauls Triumph I finde these Threads 1. The excellent matter A good CONSCIENCE 2. The glorious manner A certaine confidence The Trophies are not meane and base but the richest gift which Christ ascending on high left vs to reioyce in a good conscience The boasting is not vaine it 's no fantasticall opinion no fanaticall Reuelation but a true perswasion we are assured It 's no audacious presumption but a grounded assertion built vpon these foure pillers as so many Characters of a good conscience 1. Desiring 2. In all things 3. To walke or conuerse 4. Honestly Now that we may more distinctly apprehend the Contents of the Text and that which is best of all attaine the scope and subiect-matter thereof which is the end of all a GOOD CONSCIENCE because many talke of Conscience few know it I will first discouer the Nature of it which hath beene darkned by Schoole definitions and Rhetoricall descriptions Secondly because many slips and bad ones goe for currant and good ones most bragge of a good one and fewest haue it I will shew you the goodnesse thereof wherein it consists how it is made good and how it is distinguished from seeming good ones and how by foure infallible Characters it 's certainely approued and knowne to be good Because it 's a dead commodity a Grape of Canaan the sweetnesse whereof few haue tasted and they that haue it cannot vtter it I will shadow out the excellency of it as my poore skill and experience will allow me Lastly when I haue taught Conscience to know it selfe and it own worth I will set it