Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	lamb_n	life_n	write_v	5,499	5	6.5172	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14923	The soules progresse to the celestiall Canaan, or heavenly Jerusalem By way of godly meditation, and holy contemplation: accompanied with divers learned exhortations, and pithy perswasions, tending to Christianity and humanity. Divided into two parts. The first part treateth of the divine essence, quality and nature of God, and his holy attributs: and of the creation, fall, state, death, and misery of an unregenerated man, both in this life and in the world to come: put for the whole scope of the Old Testament. The second part is put for the summe and compendium of the Gospell, and treateth of the Incarnation, Nativity, words, works, and sufferings of Christ, and of the happinesse and blessednesse of a godly man in his state of renovation, being reconciled to God in Christ. Collected out of the Scriptures, and out of the writings of the ancient fathers of the primitive Church, and other orthodoxall divines: by John Welles, of Beccles in the County of Suffolk.	Welles, John, of Beccles.	1639 (1639)	STC 25231; ESTC S119607	276,075	406

this is when men give themselves over to commit sin with affectation and greedy appetite and oppresse their conscience with the multitude of their committings so that such conscience doth not remember us our sins for the outragious conscience in the Reprobate is when the conscience of the Reprobate hath for a time beene silenced and hath given the sinner an unchaste liberty in his ungodlinesse yet so as that once apprehending the knowledge of his sin and knowing the state of condemnation wherein it is it breaketh out into violence which wanting moderation urgeth the sinneâ— to execute upon himselfe some desperate vengeance such was the conscience of Judas the traitor which slept all the time hee was plotting and practising his treason but when his sinne was brought into act then his conscience though evill did upbraid his sin with such violence as made the griefe unsupportable and the traitor not able to indure the torment of his conscience thought as Caine that his sin was greater then the mercy of God and so despairing of mercy he desperately hanged himselfe Mat. 27.3 4 5. such is the conscience of the Reprobate their conscience is sleepy and doth reprove but seldome yet when it doth reprove it is then most terrible and without all comfort and though conscience in this life never afflict for sin but seeme senslesse and dead in its appointed offices yet in the day of judgement Rev. 20.12 when the booke of every mans conscience shall be opened then will their consciences that in this life have beene most silent be most loud and terrible in their accusations denouncing judgement Wisd 17.9 10 11. and inflicting a greater torment on the soule then the damned can have patience to beare this is both the office and end of an evill conscience A good conscience Now the conscience of the childe of grace is in full opposition to the conscience of the Reprobate for when God shall please to call his servants to the knowledge of themselves How God moveth the conscience and to a detestation of their sin the grace of his holy spirit moveth in the hearts of such and first awaketh the conscience and giveth it sense to understand the calamity of the soule and spirit to reprove and admonish it in needfull directions and this grace of God giving the conscience sence to understand sinne and spirit to reprove it is the first degree of our reformation and a preparation to our spirituall conversion God himselfe being the prime and principall author thereof When God doth stirre our conscience it continueth that holy motion to our reformation for when our conscience is once touched with this godly desire to examine the errors of our life God doth not then leave us but giveth us assistance continually to finish that needfull care without despaire without fainting the conscience being once instructed by grace understandeth that the soule is in danger of Gods judgement this knowledge causeth a desire in the soule to examine the particulars of our life then doth it compare our severall actions The manner how a good conscience worketh with the severall duties of the Law and thereby is made manifest the many and great defects and transgressions of our life and that therefore our soules and bodies are guilty and stand in the danger of condemnation From this knowledge doth arise the griefe of a wounded conscience for the statute Law of God condemning us for the trespasse of our lives The cause of the griefe of conscience the conscience then whose office is to excuse or accuse upbraideth our sinne and denouncing the judgement of the Law against us which is eternall damnation neither can we free our soules from these extremities untill God who is the judge of all the world shall please to offer mercy and the benefit of his cleargy which is nothing else but the story of the meritorious sufferings of Jesus Christ the Lambe of God which is in spirituall characters upon the crosse of his death and this booke being the testament and writ with the blood of Christ the most righteous God presents to all the world all the world in respect of themselves being guilty and condemned by the Law doth promise remission of sinnes How to quiet the trouble of â— grieved conscience a generall pardon to all them that with their eyes or faith shall be seene and read in the booke of life and apprehend and apply Jesus Christ the contents thereof to their salvation Thus and but thus it is possible to quiet the trouble of a grieved conscience the conscience being never satisfied for sinne before the justice of God be satisfied by the apprehensive righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 and therefore saith Saint Paul Being then justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ for before we can live to God wee must die to our selves neither is there a spirituall regeneration where there is not first a spirituall mortification and where grace would enter sinne must avoyd for he that would follow Christ must deny himselfe therefore let no man presume to apprehend the mystery of the righteousnesse of the Crosse of Christ before hee hath reformed his actions quieted the clamour of his conscience and utterly denyed the strength of his owne nature for how shall hee beare the Crosse of Christ No man can be able to apprehend Christ before his conscience hath thus prepared him that is laden with his owne infirmities or how shall hee be benefited by the promise of the Gospell that doth not first judge himselfe by the Commandements of the Law for hee that knoweth not his disease seeketh no physicke and Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance This doth admonish all men carefully to watch the behaviour of their lives Revel 20.12 for if the conscience of every man be a book wherein is writ the records of all his actions good and bad and that seeing this booke must be read at the day of judgement in the audience of all the world before God and his Angels and Saints what manner of men ought all to be in godly conversation This ought to move in every one a double care First that they avoyd carefully all ungodlinesse both in thought and action whereby they may suffer disgrace before God and all his creatures at the generall day of judgement when the booke of their conscience shall bee opened to every ones eye Secondly it doth perswade a diligence in all godly exercise and that all men contend with a holy emulation to exceede in godly actions whereby they may receive applause and generall reputation in the generall assembly of God and all creatures for as in earthly affaires men covet most desirously to gaine reputation and a generall good name There is no ambition lawfull but the covetous desire of heaven because it argueth an extraordinary degree of desert in him that hath

us enquire for him at the mercy of his Father let us enquire at his owne righteousnesse let us seeke him in his holy sufferings let us seeke him at the crosse of his death and when wee have there found him let us expose our griefe and implore his favour let us shew him what the Law hath done unto us what wounds and how dangerous it hath given our soules How to implore his favour let us therefore confesse our sins and professe our faith let us also promise to correct the errors of our life let us carefully endeavour every circumstance he hath commanded us and being thus rectified in our resolution let us reach our particular hand of faith to our salvation How to apprehend Christ apprehend him and apply him to our wounded conscience and by this blessed meanes satisfie the justice of the Law and restore our soules Of the purity of Conscience IN every thing thou takest in hand have a care of thy conscience if the Divell incites thee to any sin stand in feare of thy conscience for thy conscience within thee condemneth thee if thou art afraid to sin in the presence of men let thy conscience much more deterre thee from sinning the inward testimony of thy conscience is of more efficacy then the testimony of men for though thy sins could escape the accusation of all men yet can they never escape the inward witnesse of thy conscience Reve. 20.12 the register of thy conscience shall bee in the number of those bookes that shall be opened at the day of judgement the conscience is a great volumne in which all things are written by the finger of truth The damned cannot deny their sinnes at the day of judgement because they shall bee convinced by the testimony of their owne conscience they cannot flie from the accusation of their sinnes because the tribunall of the conscience is at home and with them a pure conscience is the cleare glasse of the soule in which she manifestly beholds God and her selfe this booke of thy conscience should indeed be written according to the copy of the booke of life Christs Gospell is the booke of life Reve. 13.4 Phil. 4.3 let the profession of thy faith be conformed according to the rule of Christs doctrine and let the course of thy life be conformed according to the rule of Christs life thy conscience cannot but bee good if there be purity in thy heart truth in thy tongue and honesty in thy actions these will avoide the judgement of thy conscience in which one and the same shall bee both defendant and plaintife witnesse judge tormentor scourge and executioner what escape can there be where it is the witnesse that accuseth thee and where nothing can be hid from him that judgeth thee what doth it profit thee to live in all abundance and plenty and to be tormented with the whip of conscience the fountaine of mans felicity and misery is in his minde what then doth it profit a man in a burning feaver to lie in a bed of gold what doth it profit a man to enjoy all outward felicity and to be tormented with the firebrands of an ill conscience as much as we regard everlasting salvation so much let us regard our conscience for if wee have not a good conscience we have not faith and if we have not faith we have not the grace of God and if wee have not the grace of God how can wee hope for everlasting life as the judgement of thy conscience is such judgement thou mayst expect from Christ Sinne whilst it is in the action doth blind the minde and like a thicke cloud doth obscure the brightnesse of true judgement but at length the conscience is roused and gnaweth more grievously then any accuser There are three judgements the judgement of the world the judgement of thy selfe and the judgement of God and as thou canst not escape the judgement of God neither canst thou escape the judgement of thy selfe although thou mayst sometime escape the judgement of the world nothing can hinder thy conscience from seeing all thy actions What excuse then can save thee when thy conscience within thee doth accuse thee Note the peace of conscience is the beginning of everlasting life for by Gods judgement and thine owne thou shalt be either saved or fall everlastingly the conscience is immortall as the soule is immortall and the punishment of hell shall torment the damned as long as the accusation of conscience shall endure no externall fire doth so affect the body as the inward fire doth inflame the conscience the soule tormented is eternall and so is the fire of conscience eternall no outward scourge is so grievous to the body as these whips of conscience are unto the soule Avoid therefore the guilt of sinne that so thou mayst avoyd the torment of conscience blot out thy sinnes out of the booke of thy conscience by true and hearty repentance that they be not brought forth and read at the day of judgement against thee that so thou mayst avoyd the feare of Gods dreadfull sentence against thee mortifie the worme of conscience by the heat of devotion that it doe not devour thee and beget eternall horrour extinguish the heate of this inward fire by the teares of repentance 2 Tim. 4.7 that so thou mayst attaine to the joyes of heavenly happinesse Grant O Lord that we may fight this good fight keeping faith and a good conscience that at length we may come safe and sound into our heavenly Countrey to our eternall joy and endlesse comfort Of the accusation of Conscience EVery man that would prevent the dreadfull danger of Gods generall judgement must in this life while he hath time arrest his owne soule examine his particular actions and by the evidence of his conscience judge himselfe and his transgressions against the Law of God 1 Pet. 4.17 Prov. 11.3 c. for as Gods judgement doth begin at his owne house because his principall care is for his owne the Elect so should men judge themselves and have principall care to examine their owne particulars and as Saint Paul saith When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.31 32. because wee should not bee condemned with the world So likewise we must judge our selves lest we be condemned with the world for as the Israelites because they wanted judges became idolaters Iudges 17.6 Eccle. 18.19 so our lives when they are not examined and judged by our consciences wee become remisse disobedient idolatrous and desperately runne on with licentious and lawlesse appetite in the common and curious committing of sinne And this necessary judging of our selves is well knowne to our reasonable soules who when we have committed sinne provoke our conscience to accuse and judge us as if without this judging of our selves wee could not prevent the judgement of God By judging of our selves we prevent the heavy judgement of God the manner

how to judge our selves which would prove much more terrible unto us the manner of this judgement is thus when the Spirit of God moves in any mans heart a desire to understand themselves the soule assembles the powers of his understanding and exerciseth the severall faculties in severall assignements and within himselfe by serious meditation can frame the order of a court the man body and soule hee is the prisoner at the barre hee is also both the witnesse and the judge the matter of his inditement is sinne his conscience is his accuser Conscience is our accuser his memory doth produce the witnesses his judgement doth pronounce the sentence and the divell attend the execution thus are the faculties of the soule disposed in judging of it selfe the soule against the soule producing the Law proving the forfeit and urging the penalty Now that which hath most busie care in this spirituall and most serious examination and judgement of our selves is the conscience by which the soule hath true intelligence and understanding in what condition it is 1 Cor. 11.31.32 and by whose authority the judgement of that spirituall Court is swayed the conscience giving testimony of all our actions good and evill whereby our judging part is directed without errour and to make a just proceeding without all parriality and therefore saith the wise man Eccles 14.2 Blessed is he that is not condemned in his owne conscience For if there be any just matter of condemnation against us there is no favour can bribe our conscience for that will to our selves accuse our selves of every sinne and reduce to memory many our sinnefull actions which but for our conscience we could not remember and therefore the Scribes and Pharises that brought the woman taken in adultery to Christ John 8.9 and demanded what judgement shee deserved were remembred and accused by their owne conscience of their owne guilt of sinne whereof they seemed to bee innocent or ignorant when â—s Christ said Let him that is without sinne Vers 7. cast the fi st stoâ—e at her so that they that were so busie in the câ—â—â—demnation of another were condemned themselves by the testimony of their owne conscience their conscience making them apply their accusations to themselves which but then they had urged against anotheâ— And doubtlesse The spirituall power of the conscience it is a wonderfull degree of power the conscience hath in the spirituall triall of our soules in two respects First it knoweth all our sins both secret and open no man being able to hide them from the knowledge of his conscience Secondly it spareth no man neither any sin but without respect of any it urgeth all against all men yea the very sinnes of our thoughts are not privileged but are even in the knowledge and hatred of our conscience therefore saith Saiâ—t Paul Rom. 2.15 Their conscience bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing or excusing one another and Almighty God when hee shall gather together all flesh to judgement and expose before the Saints and Angels the severall actions of every mans life whereby they may be judged accordingly either to mercy or justice He hath devised in his wisedome Our conscience shall reprove us in the day of judgement that every one should have a witnesse in himselfe which is their conscience the which in our life time doth register both our good and evill actions and at our judgement doth both witnesse and declare them and at that day the booke of every mans conscience is opened wherein is writ a true circumstance of every particular action of every mans life and these records these consciences are they that give evidence for and against our selves at the day of Gods generall judgement Rev. 20.12 c. And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the Bookes were opened that is all mens consciences wherein was writ the report of all their actions Thus wee may see what the office of our conscience is both in respect of our owne spirituall judgement which is our reformation and in respect of the generall judgement of God which must be to every one The manner of the accusation of conscience either eternall salvation or damnation Now the manner that conscience useth in this administration is worth our consideration that all men generally have a conscience the which God hath united inseparably to our reasonable natures And therefore not onely they that are of Christian beliefe and have the rules of Religion to teach them but men meerely naturall and ignorant of divine worship doe suffer the affliction of their wounded conscience which though it be in a farre inferiour degree of that of understanding Christians yet it doth in some proportion exercise a judgement on the soule and doth both remember and terrifie them that grossely offend against the Law of nature which to them is the Law of reason and Religion this is proved by the same place of Scripture before alledged that the Bookes of all the dead were opened Rev. 20.12 the word all excludes none from them the accusation of conscience all are then afflicted by conscience but not all alike effectually The Infidells that know not God The difference in the conscience of Christians and Infideâ—ls but onely as they are taught by the wisdome of nature their conscience doth but remember the offender his great sins only and that sparingly and with favour a Christian conscience is more severe for it remembers all men all their sins without favour without exception there is this difference also that of Infidels and wicked men doth often remember the offender his sin but afflicts him not A Christian conscience hath griefe neither provokes him to repentance but the conscience of Christians doth fearefully remember the sinner his sinne and doth wound the soule of the offender with sorrow and spirituall griefe making him pursue the meanes of his reformation and hate the cause for which his conscience doth so afflict him The difference of conscience among Christians this is the difference betwixt the conscience of a Christian and an infidell There is also great difference of conscience amongst Christians for as in the common sort that professe the Christian Religion the greater part is by much the worse and the choice particulars being the true worshippers of God are but few drawne out from an inf nite number of people so also though all that have a Christian name professe to have a Christian conscience The conscience of a Reprobate yet their conscience is no better then their Christianity onely a bare name whereof they have no spirituall use nor comfort Conscience in the Reprobate is either silent or outragious the silent conscience in the Reprobate is when custome and long continuance of sinning doth dull the sense of conscience Looke to your conscience what conscience yee have for conscience will damne and conscience will save and

it so in contending for this spirituall garland Heaven it cannot but be an extraordinary degree of content and spirituall pleasure to be named in the ranke of best deservers And as malefactors that suffer publique punishment for their offence esteeme the shame more then the paine of their corrections so ought all men to feare the shame they must endure The booke of conscience cannot be defaced but onely by the precious blood of Christ when their conscience disgraceth them before so great a presence as will be at the generall day of judgement For let all men be perswaded that all their faults are so written in the booke of their conscience that there is no meanes to obscure their knowledge and to raze them out neither will the conscience though it bee our owne bee corrupted to connive and dissemble with God but even to our owne faces it will produce all our sinnes whose memory is not blotted out by the righteous blood of Jesus Christ the Sonne of God 1 Pet. 3.21 and seeing the witnesse of our conscience is the evidence whereby wee are all judged either to life or death wee all ought most carefully to avoyd the doing of ought that may offend our consciences Not to offend our conscience but rather to live in feare and awe of conscience because our eternall state dependeth upon the report and accusation of our owne conscience This ought to prevent all unconscionable actions in us and to move a dread in us to have a detestation of every sin because when we have committed sinnes wee have hired so many witnesses against our owne soules to urge our eternall condemnation The silent conscience will be most terrible and loud at the day of judgement Customary sinning duls the sence of conscience Lastly seeing that that conscience which in this life is most silent will notwithstanding at the day of judgement bee most terrible and clamorous it admonisheth all men not to rebell against their conscience and to runne on without checke in the committing of sinne but rather to yeeld themselves to the correction of their conscience left by their customary sinning they dull the sence of conscience and so runne on the race of all unlawfulnesse for though the reproofe of conscience bee very terrible to him that rightly understands it yet ought it to bee carefully apprehended and respected as a moving cause to reformation and repentance and let no man incourage himselfe with common example that because the common sway of mens actions respect greatnesse more then goodnesse and craft more then conscience that this can warrant any ones imitation but rather wheresoever we see unconscionable dealing if in our friends wee ought to admonish them and tell them of their fault if in our enemies we must hate the sin but pity the sinner and labour if it be possible The office of charity his conversion but not his imitation and this direction is both wisedome and charity for he that is wise shall be armed and not harmed by ill example and he that is charitable will doe all the good he can and wish the good he cannot doe Let us therefore constantly endeavour to reduce to memory the severall actions of our life past let us then compare them to the duty of our conscience Good conscience is in hatred with sin and thereby understand in what degree of sinne we are what our conscience shall approve let us continue what it condemneth let us hate be it our pleasure be it our profit be it our neerest or our dearest sin if our conscience call it sin let us despise it let there be nothing shall make us alter or suspend this resolution let us be constant in the love of conscience what we have done amisse let us reforme it by conscience what we have to doe let our conscience judge it lawfull before wee doe it if our conscience presents us profit let us despise it if it be not honest if pleasure and not lawfull let us loath it let us undertake no action nor entertaine no favour but by the direction of conscience in every judgement and in all our actions To consult with conscience let us consult and be led by the rule and voyce of conscience if the world commend a sin and our conscience condemne it let us condemne the world and commend our conscience let us credit our conscience more then common example because our conscience must judge us and not example if our conscience accuseth us secretly of sin wee shall certainly know there is cause let us not silence our conscience from all reproofe let us only avoid the cause of reproofe sin and that carefully when our conscience shall urge us the Law our sins and the condemnation of the Law we have deserved let us not despise our conscience nor despaire mercy but direct our hearts and our eyes of faith to Jesus Christ the strength of our salvation Rom. 5.1 by whose favour wee shall both satisfie the Law and our conscience the hope and comfort we have in his righteousnesse will quiet the trouble of our conscience and hee that hath reconciled God and us will also reconcile us to our conscience Conscience that did accuse will comfort and make it that was our accuser our comforter This direction I propose to my selfe and doe perswade all men as I propose and purpose that in all our actions and consultations we judge nothing convenient that is not lawfull and nothing may be thought lawfull but that which hath the warrant of a good conscience To avoid Security COnsider thou devout soule what a matter it is to be saved and thou shalt easily shake off all security at no time and in no place is there security neither in Heaven nor in Paradise much lesse in the world Genes 3.17 An Angell fell in the presence of the divinity and Adam fell in the place of pleasure Adam was created after the Image of God and notwithstanding hee was deceived by the trecheries of the divell Solomon was the wisest of men 1 King 3.12 and 11.3 and yet his wives turned away his heart from the Lord. Judas was in the Schoole of our Saviour and did every day heare the saving Word of that chiefe Doctor Luk. 22.3 and yet was hee not safe from the snares of Satan hee was plunged headlong into the pit of covetousnesse and desperation and so into the pit of perpetuall punishment David was a man according to Gods owne heart 1 Sam. 13.14 and was unto the Lord a most deare sonne and by murther and adultery 2 Sam. 12.6 7. hee became the sonne of death Where then and when is there security in this life Relie with an assured confidence of heart upon the promises of God and thou shalt be safe from the invasions of the divell There is no security in this life but in the life to come there is no securiâ—â— in this life but

with envie overcharged with gluttony surquedred with drunkennesse John 8.44 boyling with revenge transported with rage and the glorious Image of God transformed to the ugly shape of divell Genes 6.6 so farre forth that once it repented the Lord that ever hee made man After that the aged man hath conflicted with long sicknesse and having endured the brunt of paine should now expect some ease in comes death natures slaughter man Gods curse and hells purvey or and lookes the old man grim in the face and neither pittying his age nor regarding his long endured dolours will not be hired to forbeare either for silver or gold but batters all the principall parts of the body summons him to appeare before the terrible Judge of heaven and earth Now the miserable soule perceiveth her earthly body to begin to dye for as towards the dissolution of the universall frame of the great world Mark 13.24 25 26. the Sunne shall be turned into darkenesse the Moone into blood and the Staâ—res shall fall from heaven the aire shall be full of stormes Luk. 21.25 26. and flashing meteors the earth shall tremble and the sea shall rage and roare and mens hearts shall faile and tremble for feare so towards the dissolution of man which is the little world his eyes which are as the Sunne and Moone lose their light and see nothing but bloodguiltinesse of sin the rest of the senses as little starres doe one after another faile and fall his minde reason and memory as heavenly powers of the soule are shaken with fearefull stormes of despaire and first flashing of hell fire his earthly body begins to shake and tremble and the humours like an overflowing sea roare and rattle in his throat still expecting the wofull end of his dreadfull beginning Whilest hee is thus The soule summoned to appeare at the tribunall Zach. 5.2 c. summoned to appeare at the great assises of Gods generall Judgement behold a quarter sessions and goale delivery is held within himselfe where Reason sits as Judge the Divell puts in a bill of inditement as large as that booke of Zachary wherein is alledged all thy evill deeds that ever thou hast committed and all the good deeds that ever thou hast omitted wherein is written lamentations and mourning and woe Ezech. 2.10 and all the curses and judgements thar are due to every sinne thine owne conscience shall accuse thee and thy memory shall give bitter evidence against thee and death stands at the barre ready 1 John 3.20 as a cruell executioner to dispatch thee If thou shalt thus justly condemne thy selfe how shalt thou escape the just condemnation of God who knowes all thy misdeeds better than thy selfe Faine wouldst thou put out of thy minde the remembrance of thy wicked deeds that trouble thee but they flow faster into thy remembrance and they will not be put away but cry unto thee Wee are thy workes and wee will follow thee and whilest thy soule within thee is thus out of peace and order thy children wife and friends trouble thee as fast to have thee put thy goods in order some crying some craving some pittying some cheering all like flesh flies helping to make thy sorrowes more sorrowfull Now the divells who are come from hell to fetch away thy soule begin to appeare to her and wait as soone as shee comes forth to take her and carry her away stay shee would within but that shee feeles the body begin by degrees to dye and ready like a ruinous house to house to fall upon her head fearefull shee is to come forth because of those hell-hounds which wait for her comming Oh shee that spent so many daies and nights in vaine and idle pastimes would now give the whole world if shee had it for one houres delay that shee may have space to repent and reconcile her selfe unto God but it cannot be because her body which joyned with her in the actions of sin is altogether now unfit to joyne with her in the exercise of repentance and repentance must be of the whole man The dolour of the soule The soule now seeth that all her pleasures are gone as if they had never beene and that but onely torments remaine which never shall have end of being who can sufficiently expresse her remorse for her sins past her anguish for her present misery and her terror for her torments to come In this extremity she lookes about every where for helpe and finds her selfe every way helpelesse thus in her greatest miseries desirous to heare the least word of comfort shee directs this or the like speech unto her eyes saying O eyes who in times past were so quicke sighted to behold the vanities of the world can yee spie no comfort for mee nor any way how I might escape this dreadfull danger but the eye-strings are broken they cannot see the candle that burnes before them nor discerne whether it be day or night the distressed soule finding no comfort in the eyes speakes to the eares O eares who were wont to recreate your selves with hearing new pleasant discourses and musicks sweetest harmony can yee heare any newes or tidings of the least comfort for mee to escape this dreadfull danger the eares are so deafe that either they cannot heare at all or the sense of hearing growne so weake that they cannot endure to heare his dearest friends to speake and why should the eares heare any glad tydings of joy in death who could never abide to heare the glad tydings of the Gospell in his life the eares cannot minister no comfort Then she intimates her griefe to the tongue O tongue The reprobate soule can finde no comfort in her extremity who was wont to make bold challenges with the best and bragge it out with the bravest Where are now thy big and daring words now in my greatest need canst thou speake nothing in my defence Canst thou neither daunt these enemies with threatning words nor intreat them with faire speeches Alasse the tongue two daies agoe lay speechlesse that it cannot in his greatest extremity either call for a little drinke or desire a friend to take away with his finger the flegme that is ready to choak him Finding here no hope of helpe she speakes unto the feet where are ye O feet which sometimes were so swift and nimble in running to all manner of leudnesse All places are penall unto the reprobate which doe alwaies carry torments and vexation about them can yee carry me no where out of this dangerous place The feete are stone dead already that if they be not stirred they cannot stirre Then she directs her speech unto her hands O hands who have so often beene approved for manhood in peace and in warre and wherewith I have so often defended my selfe and offended my foes never had I more need then now death lookes me grim in the face and kills mee hellish fiends wait about my bed to devoure

the Apostle saith of Abraham that he believed in hope against hope Rom. 8. because hee knew that God is so mighty that he is able to performe whatsoever he promiseth faith commeth not of hope neither doth knowledge come of hope but hope is bred of the faith of the promises and knowledge of the might of God the Prophet saith They shall hope upon thee O Lord Psal 9. which have knowne thy name for that thou dost not forsake them which doe seeke thee and doe hope upon thy mercies in Christ But for as much as it is not possible that the heart of a sinner which is troubled for his sinnes and afflicted for Christ should be faithfull without hope whilest hee is in the very temptations and sufferings of his troubles the beginning of hope cannot come of proofe wherefore that which the Apostle saith Rom. 5.3 4. that proofe breedeth hope is to be understood not of the beginning but rather of the encrease of hope and maketh up and perfecteth it for the Apostle meaneth not that troubles laid upon men for Christs sake should decay the hope of the glory of the children of God God is our hope and strength a very present helpe in trouble but enforceth it the more making it therby more supreme and fast so then the beginning of hope comes of faith and the knowledge of God For as much as hope is of things invisible and to come and not of things visible and present it falleth out oftentimes that the hearts of them which live in hope be sore assaulted and their hope so impaired in their troubles miseries and afflictions that they need aid succour and strength whereby it may be cherished and encouraged lest it doe utterly decay and perish yea the very tarrying in the deferring of those things which we doe hope for is so troublesome irkesome and loathsome that though there be no temptation at all joyned with it yet it is alone sufficient to drive a mans hope unto desperation unlesse it be upholden by the divine assistance of Gods grace Prov. 13.12 this Salomon meant when he said the hope which is deferred and prolonged doth afflict and torment the soule who doth not see what great need wee have of the helps and ratifying of Gods grace especially if wee doe consider the weaknesse of our flesh ready to mistrust despaire and the understanding of our owne sins and unworthinesse according unto the which wee doe esteeme our selves as the refuse and cast-awaies of the people the very shame and filth of all men to stand steddy in assured hope but by the vertue and might of God therefore let us see whereby the hope of a Christian man is nourished and strengthened The Christian hope is nourished and confirmed from God Job 39. for it is a cleare case that both hope and faith are the speciall gifts of God so that the strength and nourishment thereof doth come specially from God in as much as he which giveth us the hope doth also nourish and confirme the same in our hearts God doth not forsake his gifts as wee doe reade of the Estrige in Job which departeth and leaveth her egges in the ground and careth not for them whether that they be saved or doe perish but hee doth nourish encrease and preserve all those gifts which hee hath once given unto any man Note and this hee doth by the operation of the holy Spirit whereby he doth cherish feed defend and strengthen both the fayth and hope in the hearts of the Elect. For this is the sure anker of our salvation which the divell may endeavour but never breake the cable hold thereof for God doth fasten and make it tough by his grace and vertue so that he doth preserve the same by his strength and ayd which could not bee wrought by all the power and might of man The party which is in hope when hee feeleth the strength of temptation Prov. 15 8. he flyeth immediately unto his Lord God by prayer earnestly requesting that he may be preserved and not to be overcome by temptations so the Lord warned his Disciples in the garden when the ppwer of darknesse was at hand saying Math. 26.41 Watch and pray that yee enter not into temptation indeed the spirit is willing but the flesh is weake and hee himselfe hath taught us in the Lords prayer to say Luke 11. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill In the Psalmes of David the Prophet had made such formes of prayers whereby he sought comfort and strength to his hope by praying and singing to bee delivered out of all his troubles Therefore the fayth of Gods promises and the knowledge of the truth and might of God to performe Rom. 4 13 15. doth minister much helpe and strength to the travelling hope for the hope of things to come is nourished by the milke of the same fayth which breeds it and the strength of fayth is made the strength of hope Augustin cha 14. Augustine in his booke of meditations writing in the confirmation of his hope saith There bee three things which doe strengthen and confirme my heart that no lacke of deserts no consideration of my owne basenesse no regard of heavenly blessednesse can thrust mee downe from the high expectation of my hope for my soule is fast rooted therein Now to know the matter why wee must consider and weigh three things in which our whole hope doth consist the love of adoption the truth of Gods promise and his power to performe what he hath promised and if thus to beleeve we may be assured that God in his exceeding great love hath adopted us his children Patience of afflictions Rom. 5.1 c. Againe the very sufferance also of afflictions wherewith the Christian man is tranâ—aled and tryed doth make hope lusty and strong as appeareth by the Apostle and on the contrary impatience doth decay that hope that is The example of godly persons and makes it unprofitable unto us the examples also of godly men which have holden on their hope firme and sure in all kind of their temptations and troubles even till the very end have received the crowne of immortall life as the reward of their hope Heb. 11. may profit much to the cherishing and establishing of our hope as is shewed in the Epistles to the Hebrews and straight addeth in the beginning of the twelfth Chapter Heb. 12.1 2. Therefore seeing that wee have so great a number of godly fathers our witnesses let us shake off that burthen of sinne which sticketh so fast unto us and would presse us downe and with joy and sufferance Vers 3. let us runne the race appoynted us ever looking unto Jesus the Captaine and finisher of our fayth and for the joy that is set before us let us with hope endure the crosse hope keepeth and stayeth the workeman in his worke and desperation is full

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