Si nihil voluntarie omittit c. Gabriel Biel in Can. Missae Lect. 8. mihi fol. 11. that your memories may be so illuminated as that you may be able to recount and to remember your sins I adde and to come to the true knowledge of your selves and of your estates For so in like manner you would be loath to forget or to neglect any thing in a weightie and important earthly businesse and you would be glad to be fully informed of everything that may concern you and we know by the word of God that a deceitfull negligence is that which God condemneth because it is voluntary Ier. 48.10 Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently and deceitfully For the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrew signifieth both Let me superadde but a necessary Corollary A Corollary and then I have done with this important matter of examination That it may appeare that you do not willingly omit any thing necessary but rather use all means to come to the knowledge of your sins see that you search yourselves so diligently as that ye neglect not seriously to passe in your search through all the ten Commandements being assisted by one good Writer or other as Mr. Dod Dr. Maior Mr. Scudder or some other on the Commandements For this kinde of examination is held also by * Perkins in his Cases of Conscience l. 1. c. 5. sect 2. judicious Casuists to be sufficient And the reason hereof is because the Law of God is so perfect as that next unto Gods own immediate discovery there can be no more required to bring a man to the knowledge of his own sinfull estate See Psal 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect 2. Having searched as much as you were able 2 Self-lamentation then lament and bemoane your selves as much as you can for having so highly and hainously offended so good a God and high a Majestie Thus Peter remembring himself what he had done went out of the High Priests Hall and wept bitterly Luk. 22.61 62. And Epiphanius writes of the proud * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphan physiol c. 12. Peacock that when having beheld himself as he goeth and admired his beautifull glorious feathers he reflects at last upon his blackish and ugly feet he cryeth out as loud as he can in the midst of all his bravery because they are not proportionally correspondent and answerable to the other parts of his faire body and therefore well may we cry out rather then brave it out when upon an exact survey and search made we see the monstrous deformitie of our souls by reason of sin which is that abominable thing and the cause why our lives are not answerable to that transcendent beautie which is in Christ and to that proportionable comelinesse which should be in every one of us so as that we should not stand so much upon any good parts that are in us seeing that our souls have such black feet that is such ugly motions and inclinations whereupon they go and break out even into words and actions which are to be lamented even with teares of blood 3 Self-accusation if it were possible 3. Having lamented your selves fall to self-Accusation and confesse your sins I le not say to * Quid mihi ergo est cum bominibusâ—uâ— audiant consessiones meas quasiâ—psi sanaturi sâ—â—t amnes languores meos Aug. confes l. 10. c. 3. A Case of CoÌ„â—cience man who is a sinner himself and cannot forgive or justifie you but to God who is able and faithfull also and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousnesse 1 Ioh. 1.9 You will say unto me how would you have us confesse our sins must we confesse them all to God in particular or will a generall confession serve I answer In some cases it will serve Sol. and in some it will not If you aske me in what cases it will suffice Quest I answer Answ If 1. we be prevented by time as the thiefe upon the crosse Luke 23.40 41 42 43. 2. * Perkins in his Cases of Conscience l. 1. c. 5. sect 2. When upon a diligent search we cannot finde out some yea many sins then we may warrantably confesse and say with David in generall Who knoweth the errors of his life cleanse me Lord from my secret sins Psal 19.19.12 But when will a generall confession not suffice A Case of Conscience I answer When we have time and may know and do know our maine sins For so saith Saint Iohn If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive them Marke here is both a promise and a condition the promise is remission the condition is confession and a confession of our sins note our now all the sins that we know and may know being main ones are ours so as that we may not say such are and such are not so as that we may chuse whether we will confesse them or no. Heare also the Judgement of holy * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost in Epist ad Hebr. c. 12. hom 31. Chrysostome in this case Let us not onely call our selves offenders but let us reckon up our sins and repeat every one of them in particular I do not say accuse thy self unto others but I counsell thee to follow the Prophet saying Reveale thy way unto the Lord c. which words of his I adde lest men should think that he would have us confesse our sinnes in speciall to a Priest as the Romanists do teach and compell the people so to do No No that good * In â—ffusione notatur integritas c. Non enim confitenda sunt solum verba facta commissiones omissionès sed etiam cogitationes immuÌ„dae morâ—sae affectiones inordinatae intentiones mixtae voluntates perversa judicia suspiciones temerariae Albert Mag. Epis Ratiep in paradyso animae c. 40. Father as well as divers others was rather against then for any such auricular confession I close up this Case in the words of another great Doctor on Lam. 2.19 Powre out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord in the powring out of the heart saith he Integritie and universalitie is to be noted that we are to powre out our whole hearts by confession For deeds are not onely to be confessed quoth he and words commissions and omissions but uncleane thoughts also and churlish affections and disordered intentions mixt wils perverse censures rash suspicions For else as * Origâ—n one saith well such thoughts will accuse us in the last day I adde if we do not now accuse ourselves confessing them that they may not leave some impressions in our souls as in waxe Let me superadde one Corollary A Corolary keep short reckoning therefore and humble your selves often by often confessing even * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Psal 50. hom 12. daily
soule to make it lightsome serene and chearfull You will have all things common with you according to the m Omnia amicorum communia nature of true friendship which * Arist l. 8. Eth. c. 9. requireth a societie and consists of a societie 1. A common righteousnes I mean in the first place Ier. 23.6.1 Cor. 1.1 30.2 Cor. 5.21 2. A common Father Iohn 20.17 3. A common kingdome Ioh. 17.24 2 Pet. 1.11 4. A common throne in that celestiall kingdome Rev. 1.11 Now tell me what friend else can doe so much for you as this friend will doe for you Is there any that you know among all the friends you have and in whom you take most delight No No there can be none such but Christ none but Christ and therfore O that you were willing to forget even father mother brethren and sisters and all your kindred yea and all other friends besides that are carnall for this deare friend Christ his sake as it is written Hearken O daughter and consider and encline thine eare and forget also thine owne people and thy fathers house Psal 45.10 The Lord incline your hearts to doe it that so you also may be able to say in truth This Christ who is that pleasant rose of Sharoâ— is our friend also as well as yours ô ye daughters of Jerusalem Cant. 5.16 3. Consider Christs lovingnesse who for being like a rose Châ—â—â—â— lovingnesse and as red as a rose in regard of his bloudshed he must needs be most loving or else he would never shed his heart blood for us See how the Apostle reasoneth * 1 Ioh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God that is of Christ who is God as well as man because he laid down his life for us Great was the love of these two great friends * Val Max. lib. 4. Damon and Pythias who were even ready to dye one for another but greater was Christs who did lay down his Life for us being then none of his friends but his greatest Enemies Rom. 5.10 and therefore how loving ô how loving a Saviour say I must Christ needs be who out of his meere and free love would even unsoule himself for us men by death and depose his blessed life for us rebels that had justly expoâ—ed our selves to the stroke of death by our sinfull life O go go then unto this loving and gracious Saviour ye poore sinners go be not afraid of him for if he would have you die he would never have dyed himself for you and if he were minded to deny you that eternall life which every one of you should infinitely preferre before this present life which is but fraile and mortall and momentany he would never have laid down his own most precious life to deliver you from that death which is eternall or thus as Manoahs wife said once to her husband when he was afraid that they should should surely dye because they had seen God If the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt offering at our hands and a meat offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us at those things nor would he at this time have told us such things as these Iudg. 13.22 23. so say I unto you if happily you be afraid least you dye and that for ever being damned by the Law of God for your sins in generall and for your unbeliefe in speciall because you have not yet by faith seen and beheld the Lord Christ as it is written he that beleeveth not is condemned already Iohn 3.18 if the were pleased to kill you he would not have offered himself as an offering unto God his Father upon the crosse neither would he have now shewed you all these things which you have heard related of him onely * Aug. in Psal 148. Crede Crede c. beleeve beleeve on him and then you shall not die but live For so God loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish but have everlasting life Iohn 3.16 wherefore * Ezech. 18.31 32. cast away from you all your transgressions whereby you have transgressed and so going away from your sins go and draw neere to Christ by faith in his name which the Lord in mercy grant you For why will you dye ô house of Israel Or thus why will you dye ô ye poore sinners the Lord hath not pleasure in the death of him that dyeth wherefore turne your selves and turne in unto Christ by faith and live you The Lord of life put life in you that ye may live I humbly beseech his Majestie 4. Consider also my dearely beloved 4 Christs neeâ—fulnesse the needfulnesse of Christ who therefore resembles himself to arose that you may see what need you have of him For Roses as you know we can * The rose is chiefe of all flowers William Langham in his garden of health pag. 535. hardlyest spare of all flowers because they be so usefull and so medicinall whereby you may easily conceive how needfull then Christ himself is in whom as the Creator according to that often mentioned rule there must needs be more medicinallnesse and needfulnesse then possibly can be in a created Rose unto which he is pleased to compare his sacred self Take a view of some particular respects 1. See how needfull he is in regard of the life naturall 2. In regard of the life spirituall 3. In regard of the Life eternall 1. To begin with the life Naturall 1 Inregard of the life Naturall what is it without Christ but a cursed death for without him you are still under the curse Gal. 3.10 13 So as that your very meat and drink and wealth and store and fruits and bodies are all accursed see Deut. 28.15 16 17 18. till Christ who was made a curse for them that beleeve deliver you from that curse Gal. 3.10 and have you not cause enough to go to Christ to be freed from such a curse some Emperours and Kings have even prostrated themselves before the Popes of Rome being but excommunicated by Popes to be freed from their curse * Lob. Corion Câ—â—en lib. 4 p. 217. Nicolaus Vigniâ—â— An. 11â—77 Frederick Barbarossa that glorious and victorious Emperour of Rome did even suffer one of the Popes of Rome to tread upon his neck to have his absolution and to free his son who was then the Popes prisoner at Venice But you for your part need not goe to the Pope of Rome but onely to Christ by faith who is in the middest of us to be exempted from the curse of God upon your estates and bâ—dies as well as souls and you need not put your necks under the odious feet of an imperious and inâ—â—â—ing Pope but under the yoke of Christ who saith I am lowly and my yoke is easie and my burden is light Mâ—â— b. 11.29 30. and should ye not be
beleeving members as they be partly flesh now and then as that it maketh them cry out with Paul who as c Apud Dionys Carthus in Loc. differing somewhat froÌ„ others who take it to have been pride as Erasm in Mil. Christ some hold means this same concupiscence by the prick in his flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 I say Christ can quickly take away such heat that it may not break out into a flaming fire of notorious and scandalous uncleannesse but rather shall die in the heart without being allowed or desired For he is most pure and therefore most opposite to such burning lusts which are most impure so as that they cannot consist or subsist together with him if he be made use of and taken as the onely Soveraign antidote against the same 6. 6 Case When the eyes of your mindes grow somewhat dim and you cannot or do not see so well as you were wont the foulenesse of sin and fairenesse of Christ and grace then also make use of Christ in that case For as d William Langh p. 539. Roses are good for the cleering and curing of the eyes of the body so Christ is able to cleere the eyes of the soul so as that you shall see farre cleerer and better then ever did e Lynscus tam certa acje luminuÌ„ usus est ut à Lelybaeo portu Carthaginensium classes egredientes intuaeretur Vnde Lyncei oculi Val Max◠〈◊〉 de Mirac Lynceus who with his Eagle-like eyes could see from the Lelybean Port the Carthaginian Fleet going forth out of their haven for living and being on earth you may behold with the illightened eyes of your mindes Christ himself in heaven which is more then f For Mathematicians by their computations finde 74703180 miles distance between the 〈◊〉 orbe onely and the earth as for the highest heaven that is transcendently higher again even so high as that it may be called the height it self or heights 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iob 11.8 infinitely farther even as Abraham saw him and his day by faith before ever he was born Ioh. 8.56 and with the same eyes of an illuminated minde you may see even the least sins and such as by others are scarce perceivable see Revel 3.18 I counsell thee to buy of me c. and anoint thine eyes with eye salve g Collyrium est propriae fragilitatis agnitio sâ—ique abjectio humiliatio Gagneus in Loc. that is with the knowledge of thine own frailtie and sinfulnesse that thou maist see that is mayest see how poore how wretched how naked how odious how sinfull a creatnre thou art therefore h Subandi eme ex me Idem ib. buy of me this eye salve for so much is to be understood as interpreters here have well noted it i Evagrius Eccles hist l. 4. c. 7. Evagrius writes of Zosimas and Chuzubites that they did at a time restore unto the wife of Arcesilaus the sight of her eyes even miraculously which narration of his whether it may be undoubtedly beleeved or not this I am certain of that Christ can make you see as well as ever you did if you make use of him because St. Iohn in this Canonicall Book of the sacred Scriptures which is infinitely to be preferred before Evagrius his Ecclesiasticall Story sets down these words which but now I cited as Christs own and therefore you may boldly go to him whensoever you cannot see well that you may be enabled by him to see both him and your own sinfulnesse more cleerely then you do 7. 7 Case When you can hardly keep in boasting and detracting or any other rotten stuffe that it may not breake out in your conferences and communications with others then also make use of Christ the Rose of Sharon For as Roses are by their nature * Galenus l. 7. simpl Medicament astringent and binding so Christ by his nature is binding also being cleane contrary to such boasting and reviling as you may guesse by his humilitie Matt. 11.29 and by his silence mentioned 1 Pet. 1.23 in these very words Who when he was reviled reviled not again c. So as that you may be sure that he can easily bridle your tongues and bind your vain-glorious and malicious humors unto which you may be subject by nature so as that they shall neither breake forth by the tongue nor be predominant in the heart if you do but make use of him as you ought and are to be shewed hereafter 8. 8 Case When you can hardly retain any thing that is good being oblivious and forgetfull go to Christ For as Roses are able to * Folia Rosae retentricem facultatem corroborant Matchiolus in Dioscâ— l. 1. c. 112. corroborate the retentive facultie for the good of the body so Christ can as easily strengthen the magazine of your souls your memories yea infinitely more easily for he can write his Law in your very hearts as he hath promised Ierem. 31.33 Wherefore make use of him 9. 9 Case When you begin to nauseate and to loath his word as the Children of Israel did loath even Manna which came down from heaven Iohn 6.32 for as Roses doe stop and cure the loathing of meat if we may beleeve * Plin Natural hest l. 21. c. 19. Plinte so Christ can quickly cure the nauseating of his word which is the epidemicall disease of our age yea thousand times better For he is Manna himself and the word it self and therefore if you can but take and taste him how sweet he is you will find such a sweet relish in him as that you cannot loath his word which is also most sweet by reason of him as meat and drink is sweet if sugar be in it by reason of the sugar which is in it Psal 19.10 Therefore take him 10. 10 Case When you are so obstructed and troubled with stoppages as that you cannot fetch your breath as you were wont that is do not cannot breath and pant so after God as the Hart breathes after the water brookes Psal 42.1 2. by reason of some obstruction within proceeding from any cause whatsoever then also make use of Christ who also can undo such stoppings in the soul as Roses can remove * Succus rosae obstructionibus c. mirificeopem praestat Matthiolus in Diosco l. 1. c. 112. obstructions in the body for else his deare Spouse would not have prayed him so as she did to draw her that she might run after him Can. 1.4 if he were not able to take away all shortnesse of breath and to enlarge the heart that one may * Cui aliquando stetit ante faciem salutaris nominis ignaviae tâ—rpor Bernard run which he cannot do whose breath is but short 11. 11 Case If you be pestered with hardnesse of heart so as that ye cannot mourn for sin or be sensible of sin c. go to Christ for help for as the Rose