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cause_n	evil_a	good_a	know_v	2,974	5	4.2147	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A21059	Tvvo treatises the one of Good conscicnce [sic]; shewing the nature, meanes, markes, benefits, and necessitie thereof. The other The mischiefe and misery of scandalls, both taken and given. Both published. by Ier: Dyke, minister of Gods Word at Epping in Essex.	Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639.; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Mischiefe and miserie of scandals both taken, and given. aut; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Good conscience. aut	1635 (1635)	STC 7428; ESTC S100168	221,877	565

yet all could not make them shake hands with a good cōscience The raine floods and winds could not bring downe the house founded upon the rocke Mat. 7. Notwithstanding all trials a good conscience stands to it and holds it owne and speakes as once Father Rawlins did the Bishop Rawlins you left mee Acts and Mon. Rawlins you find me and Rawlins by Gods grace I will continue Try yet a good conscience farther with the tentations on the right hand which commonly have as much more strength in them above the other as the right hand hath above the left and yet we shall find the right hand too weake to plucke a good conscience out of its station It was a sore tentation wherwith Moses was assaulted The treasures and pleasures the honors favors of the Aegyptian Court Princesse All these wooe him not to goe the people of God Had that people been setled and at rest in Canaan yet had it beene a great tentation to prefer Aegypt before Canaan But the people are in Aegypt in affliction in bondage therfore so much the more strength in the tentation What will you be so mad to leave all for nothing certaine honours for certaine afflictions who can tell but you may be raised to this greatnesse to be an instrument of good to your people You by your favour in the Court may bee meanes to ease them of their bondage and so you may doe the Church service with your greatnesse c. Here was a tentation on the right hand and with the right hands strength Well and how speeds it Is Moses able to withstand it See Heb. 11. 24 25 26. He refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter c. All would not doe nor stir him a whit Those faithfull Worthies before mentioned could not be stirred with all the cruelties their adversaries could invent I but it may be a tentation on the right hand might have made them draw away the right hand of fellowship from a good conscience Well their enemies therefore will try what good they can do that wayes Heb. 12. 37. They were tempted that is on the right hand they were sollicited and inticed and allured with faire promises of honours favours preferments as Bonner used to deale with the Martyrs hee had sometimes butter and oyle as well as fire and faggot in his mouth Thus were they tempted but yet what availed these tentations Iust as much as their stones sawes swords prisons all a like They for all these tentations keepe a good conscience to their dying day and hold fast the faith and truth unto the end A good conscience is of the mind of those trees in Iothams parable Iudg. 9. It will not with the Olive lose its fatnesse nor with the Fig-tree lose its sweetnesse nor with the vine its wine of cheerfulnes to have the fattest and sweetest preferments and pleasures of the world no though it were to raigne over the trees It was an excellent resolution of Benevolus Benevolo Iustina praecepit ut adversus fidem patrum imperialia decreta dictaret Illo vero se impia verba prolaturum abnuente celsiorem honoris gradum spopondit si mādata perficeret cui Benevolus Quid mihi pro impietatis mercede altiorem promittis gradum hunc ipsum quem habeo auferte dunt in●gram fidei conscientiam tuear Ac protonus cingulum ante pedes ejus abjecit S●gon de occid Imp. l. 1. pag. 200. in his answer to Iustina the Arrian Empresse profering preferments to him to have beene instrumentall in a service which could not be done with a good conscience What doe ye promising mee an higher degree of preferment for a reward of impiety yea even take this from me which already I have so that I may keepe a good conscience And so forthwith hee threw at his feet his girdle the ensigne of his honour Thus doth a good conscience throw and trample honour and preferment under foot to maintaine its owne integritie Thus can nothing corrupt a good conscience I have beene young and now am old and yet never saw I the righteous forsaken to wit of God Psalm 37. David out of his experience could have said as much in this point I have beene young and now am old yet never saw I God and godlinesse forsaken by the righteous by the man that had a good conscience But the man that had a good conscience when hee was young will hold out and have it when he is old It is the great honour and grace of a good Conscience which Walden thinks he spake to the disgrace of Wickliffe Ita ut cano placeret quod inveni complacebat He was young and old one and the same man Old age decayes the body the strength the senses but conscience it touches not that holds out sound to death As of Christ in another sense Heb. 13. So may it be said of a good conscience in this Yesterday and to day and the same for ever A good conscience is no changeling but let a mans estate change from rich to poore from poore to rich or let the times change from good to evill or from evill to worse or a mans dayes change from young to old let his haires and head change yet among all these changes a good cōscience wil not change but hold it owne untill its last day Now put mens consciences upon this triall their inconstancie either in good causes or courses will discover their naughtines In a good cause how many are like Darius his cōsciēce struggles a great while for Daniel he knew he was innocēt he knows the action to be unjust and therfore labours all day till the setting of the Sun for his deliverance Dan. 6. 14. but yet overcome with the Presidents Princes urgencie ver 16. he cōmands him to the Lions den Here was a natural conscience standing for equity and justice but yet no good conscience it holds but till Sun set and his conscience went downe with the Sun His cōscience yields is overcome though it know the act to be unjust Pilats conscience makes him plead for Christ In his conscience he acquits him and thrice solemnly professes that hee finds no fault in him and therefore cannot in conscience condemne him yea withall seekes to release him Iohn 19. 12. Is not here now a good conscience Indeed it had beene so in this particular fact if his conscience had beene inflexible and had held out But when Pilate heares them say that if he be his friend he is no friend to Caesar Iohn 19 12. and whilest withall hee is willing to content the people Marke 15. 15. Now that there is feare on the one side and desire to curry favour on the other where now is his conscience Now hee presently delivers him to be crucified though he knowes in his conscience that there is no fault in him What a good conscience hath many a Iudge and Lawyer How stiffely will they stand

few that can marry with that joy wherewith a good conscience dies It enables a man not onely to looke Ananias and the Councel in the face but even to look death it selfe in the face without those amazing terrours yea it makes the face of death seeme lovely and amiable Hee whose conscience is good and sees the face of God reconciled to him in Christ hee can say as Iacob did when he saw the face of Ioseph Gen. 46. 30. Now let me dye since I have seene thy face It is the priviledge of a good conscience alone to goe to the grave as Agag did to Samuel and to say that truly which he spake besides the booke 1 Sam. 15. 32. Hee came pleasantly and hee said Surely the bitternesse of death is past Hee was deceived and therefore had no such cause to be so pleasant but a good conscience can yea cannot chuse but be so pleasant even when going out of the world because the guilt of sinne being washed away in Christs blood it knowes that the bitternesse of death is past and the sweetnesse of life eternall is at hand A man whose debts are paid he dares goe out of doores dare meet and face the Sergeants and the conscience purged by the blood of Christ can look as undauntedly on the face of death He that hath forgotten the sting that is the guilt of conscience taken away by faith in Christ he lookes not upon death as the Israelites upon the fiery Serpents but lookes upon it as Paul doth 1 Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting Who feares a Bee an Hornet a Snake or a Serpent when they have lost their sting The guilt of sinne is the sting of conscience it s the sting of death that stings the conscience The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15. Plucke then sin out of the conscience and at once the conscience is made good and death made weake and disarmed of his weapon And when the conscience sees death unstinged and disarmed it is freed of feare and even in the very act of death can joyfully triumph over death oh Death where is thy sting A good conscience lookes upon death as upon the Sheriffe that comes to give him possession of his Inheritance or as Lazarus upon the Angels that came to carry his soule into Abrahams bosome and therfore can welcome death and entertaine him joyfully And whereas an ill conscience makes a man see death as if he saw the Devill a good conscience makes a man see the face of death as Iacob saw Esau's face Gen. 33. I have seene thy face as the face of God they see the face of death with unspeakeable joy ravishment of heart and exultation of spirit Well now what a motive have wee here to make us labour for good conscience Even Balaam himselfe would faine make a good end and die in peace and who wishes not his death-bed may be a mount Nebo from whence he may see the heavenly Canaan Lo here Balaam the way to dye the death of the righteous I have lived in all good conscience untill this day They that have conscience in their life shal have comfort at their death they that live conscionably they shal dy comfortably they that live in all good conscience till their dying day shall depart in the abundance of comfort at their dying day There will come a day wherein wee must lay downe these Tabernacles the day of death will assuredly come How lamentable a thing will it then be to be so destitute and desolate of all comfort as to be driven to that extremity as to curse our birth day oh what would Comfort be worth at our last houre at our last gaspe whilst our dearest friends shall be weeping wringing their hands and lamenting then then what would inward comfort be worth Who would not hold the whole world an easie price for it then Well then would wee then have Comfort and Ioy oh then get a good conscience now which will yield comfort when all other comforts shall utterly faile and shall be life in the middst of death How happy is that man that when the sentence of death is passed upon him can say with Hezekiah Is 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Indeed the text sayes that Hezekiah wept sore but yet not as fearing death for hee could not feare death who had thus feared God but because the promise was not yet made good to him in a Son and Heire of his kingdome hence came those teares It is otherwise an unspeakable joy that such a conscience as Hezekiahs was will speake to a man upon his death-bed Every one professes a desire to make a good end Here is the way to make good that desire to live in all good conscience Alas how pittifull and miserable a condition live most men in All the dayes of their life and health they have no regard of a good conscience Notwithstanding that men are pressed continually to this one care by the instancie and importutunitie of Gods Ministers yet how miserably is it neglected Well at last the day of death comes and then what would not they give for a comfortable end If the gold of Ophir would purchase comfort it should flie then Then poast for this Minister and run for the other as in the sweating sicknesse in King Edwards dayes then for Gods sake but one word of comfort then O blessed men of God one word of peace Now alas what would you have them to doe Are they or your own courses in fault that you want comfort at your death What would you have us doe Wee must referre you to your owne consciences we cannot make oyle of flint nor crush sweet wine out of sowre Grapes we dare not flatter you against your cōsciences If you would give us a world we cannot comfort you when your owne consciences witnesse against you that such comforts belong not to you Doe not idely in this case hope for comfort from Ministers be it knowne unto you you must have it from your owne consciences Many on their death-bed cry to the Minister as she did to the King 2 King 6. 26 27. Helpe my Lord O King But marke what hee answers If the Lord doe not helpe thee whence shall I helpe thee out of the barne floore or out of the Wine presse So must wee answer to such as cry Helpe helpe O man of God If God and your owne consciences helpe you not whence shall we help you If there had beene Corne within the barnes the King could easily have helped her but he could not make corne So if men have carryed any thing into their consciences if they themselves have inned any provision and comfort by being conscionable in their lives then we can helpe and comfort them but otherwise doe not thinke that we can make comforts and make

shall not be able to draw thee from the faith of the Lord Iesus Prov. 6 20 22 24. My Son keep thy Fathers commandement c. And it will keep thee So I may say here keep a good conscience and it will keepe thee it will keepe thee sound in the faith it will keepe thee from being drawne away by the error of the wicked and it will keepe thee from the Wine of the fornications of the Whore of Babylon CHAP. XV. The last Motive to a good conscience The misery of an evill one THe last Motive remaines and that is The fift motive to a good conscience The horrour and misery of an evill Conscience If men did but truly know what the evill of an evill conscience were and how evill a thing and bitter it will be when conscience awakens here or shall bee awakened in hell a little perswasion should serve to move men to live in a good conscience We may say of the evill conscience as Solomon speakes of the drunkard Pro. 23. 29. Who hath woe who hath sorrow who hath contentions who hath wounds but not without a cause Even the man whose conscience is not good even he that liues in an evill conscience An evill conscience how miserable it is we may see by considering the miserie thereof either in this world or the world to come 1. In this life When an evill conscience is awakened in this life the sorrow and smart the horror and terror is as the joy of a good conscience unspeakable An evil conscience in this life is miserable in regard of feare perplexity and torment To live in a continuall feare and to have a mans heart alwaies in shaking fits of feare is misery of miseries And such is the misery of an evill conscience Prov. 28. 1. The wicked flees when none pursues Onely his owne guilt pursues him and makes him flee His owne guilt causes a sound of feare in his eares Iob 15. 21. Which makes Proprium autem est nocentium trepidare Male de nobis actum erat quod multa seelera legem judicem effugiunt scripta supplicia nisi illa naturalia gravia de presentibus solverent in locum patientiae timor cederet Sonec ep 91. him shake at the noise of a shaken leafe Levit. 26. 36. yea that so scares him that terrours make him afraid on every side and drive him to his feet Iob 18. 11. Yea there are they in great feare where no feare is Ps 53. 3. So that a man with an evill conscience awakened may be named as Pashur is Ier. 20. 3. Magor-Missabib feare round about as being a terror to himselfe and to all his friends ver 4. An evill conscience even makes those feare fearefull feares of whom all other stand in feare How potent a Monarch and how dreadfull a Prince was Belshazzar who was able to put him into any feare whom all the earth feared And yet when his guilty conscience lookes him in the face awakened by the palme writing on the wall see where his courage is then Dan. 5. 6. Then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another Who would have had his feare to have had his kingdome Let him now cloath himselfe with all his Majestie let him looke and speak as terribly as he can let him threaten the vilest vassall in his Court with all the tortures that tyranny can inflict and let him try if he can for his heart put his poorest subject into that fright and feare that now his conscience puts him into in the ruffe and middst of his jollity But I pray what ayles he to be in this feare in this so extraordinary a feare Hee can neither reade nor understand the writing upon the wall Indeed it threatned him the losse of his kingdome but hee cannot reade his threatning hee knowes not whether they be bitter things that God writes against him why may he not hope that it may bee good which is written and why may not this hope ease and abate his feare No no. Though he cannot reade nor understand the writing yet his guilty conscience can comment shrewdly upon it and can tell him it portends no good towards him His conscience now tells him of his godlesse impieties in profaning the vessels of the Temple of the true God and that for this his sacrilegious impropriation and abuse of holy things God is now come to reckon with him Thus can his conscience doe more than all his wise men All the wise men came in but they could not reade the writing nor make knowne to the King the interpretation thereof Dan. 5. 8. But his conscience is wiser than all his wise men and when they are as puzzeld that interprets to him that this writing meanes him no good and though he cannot reade the syllables yet his conscience gives a shrewd neere guesse at the substance of the writing and therefore hence comes that extasie of feare and those paroxysmes of horror It was better with Adam after his fall After his Sin committed we find him in a great feare Gen. 3. 8 10. and hee hides himselfe for feare Now observe how his feare is described from the circumstance of the time They heard the voyce of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coole of the day Luther layes the Emphasis of the aggravation of his feare upon this word the wind or coole of the day The night indeeed is naturally terrible and darknesse is fearfull whence that phrase Ps 91. The terrors of the night But the day and the light is a cheerfull and a comfortable creature Ec. 11. 7. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun How is it then that in the faire day light which gives courage and comfort that Adam feares and runs into the thickets Oh his conscience was become Gravis malae conscientiae luxest Senec. ep 123. come evill and full of darknesse and the darknesse of his conscience turned the very light into darknesse and so turned the comforts of the day into the terrours of the night So that in this sense it may be said of an evill conscience which of the Lord is said in another Ps 139. 12. Vnto it the darknesse and the light are both alike As full of feare in the light as in the dark And besides the Lord came but in a gentle wind the coole breath of the day now what a small matter is a coole wind and that in the day time to to put a man in a feare Such small things breed great feares in evill consciences In what a wofull plight would Adam thinke we have beene if the Lord had come to him at the dead and darke midde-night with earth-quakes thunder and blustring tempest We may see the like in Cain After he had defiled his conscience with his brothers

into an hatred and dislike of sauing religion and sauing powerfull profession of it Into which who so falles how woefully falls he That scandals do bring this woe vpon the world and proue ruining stumbling blockes thus to make them fall is further cleere by that Mal. 2. 8. Yee are departed out of the way It is a charge vpon the Priests The u Misera eorum conuersatio plebis tuae miserabilis subuersio est Bernard in conuers Pauli ser 1. Priests that preached professed the law they departed out of the way they committed grosse and fowle scandals what was the issue of it A great deale of mischiefe followed vpon it namely a woe an heauie woe vnto the people from their scandals But what was that woe Yee haue caused many to stumble at the Law that is to stumble at true religion and the wayes of God When the people saw the Priests that professed and preacht the Law and who so great Zelots for the Law as they when they saw these Priests to liue so loosely and so scandalously they began to start at it and to question happily whether this Law this religion they preached and professed were of God or no. And if this were their law and their religion for their parts they were resolued neuer to haue to doe with such a Law with such a religion Thus their scandals did stumble thē And thus did their scandals bring an heauie woe vpon the people for what a woefull condition was this thus to stumble at the Law at the true religion of God what was this but to seale vp and make sure their owne damnation for if they would none of the Law they could none of Heauen if shut out of Heauen what remayned but Hell The Lord had it is likely a long while called vpon the people by his Prophets they would not hearken nor repent nor imbrace the truth of God The Lord therefore in his Iustice resolues to be reuenged vpon them by bringing a woe vpon them And what woe would God bring vpon them This woe of stumbling at religion that so hee might make sure worke with them that since they would not be saued when hee offred them saluation therfore now they should neuer be saued But now what course will God take to effect this and bring this woe vpon them He will in his wise prouidence lay the stumbling blocke of the Priests scandals in their way at which they shall so stumble as to dislike the Law and to fall into an vtter distaste of religion by which they should make sure worke against their owne saluation And so woe was vnto the people from the Priests scandals 2. Scandals make way for woe in that they make way to occasion men of the world to fall into the fowle and woefull sinne of blapheming Gods holy Name It is a woefull thing to fall into that sinne especially so to fall into it as to make that the ioy of our hearts which tends to the reproach and dishonour of his Name The Name of God is a glorious and a fearefull Name Deut. 28. 50. and therefore how woefull and fearfull a thing for a man to blaspheme that Name What doth he better then cut himselfe off from all communion with God that blasphemes his Name that flies in his face and triumphes in his reproach It is said of the malicious Iewes Act. 13. 45. that they spake against Pauls doctrine contradicting and blaspheming And marke what followes vers 64. Seeing yee put the word of God from you and iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting life loe we turne to the Gentiles See then when they blasphemed what they did They put away the word from them they iudged themselues vnworthy of life they caused God to turue away the meanes of saluation from them Such a case is a woefull case and to this case will contradicting blaspheming of God and his truth and Religion bring men And therefore in this regard are scandals wofull euents because they occasion men to blaspheme and speake euill of God and his truth When Dauid fell into that foule Scandal what followed vpon it See 2. Sam. 12. 14. By this deede thou hast giuen great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme Those amongst the people that were haters of true godlinesse and enemies to the powerfull profession thereof and so enemies of God when Dauid fell into this sinne they fell into a woefull case they presently fall a blaspheming of Religion and speaking euill of godlinesse and he that blasphemes godlinesse blasphemes God and so by this meanes causes God in wrath peremptorily to turne from them So Rom. 2. 23. 24. thorough you the name of God is blasphemed amongst the Gentiles So that the scandalous sinnes of the Iewes were stumbling blockes to the Gentiles that made them fall into that fowle sin of blaspheming that must needes make them vnworthy of eternall life 3. Scandals make way for woe in that they make way for the hardning of the hearts and stiffening of the neckes of sinnefull men in their euill wayes It is a very dangerous thing for a man to bee in a sinnefull way but for a man to haue his hand strengthened in his Iniquity to bee hardened in any sinne this is a woefull condition It is the greatest woe and curse that can be to haue ones hart hardened Lam. 3. 64. 65. Render vnto them a recompence O Lord according to the worke of their hands Giue them obstinacie of heart thy curse vnto them Salomon speakes of the plagues in the heart 1. King 8. 38. The plague in the body is a woefull disease and what then is the plague in the heart God threatens Pharaoh with this plague Exod. 9. 14. I will at this time send all my plagues vpon thine heart and see how God did it Exod. 10. 2. Goe into Pharaoh for I haue hardened his heart Therefore the Hardnes or Hardening of the heart is the plague of the heart God sent ten plagues vpon Pharaoh but this plague of his heart in the hardening of it was ten times greater then all the plagues of Aegypt It is that which vsually God premises and fore-sendes when hee meanes to prepare men to temporall destruction When God meanes resolutely to speede a particular person or a whole nation and to bring ineuitable destruction vpon them God first makes way for it by the hardening of mens hearts Exo. 14. 17. When God would get himselfe honour in the destruction of Pharaoh and the Aegyptians I will saith hee harden their hearts and they shall follow them and I will get me honour vpon Pharaoh So Iosh 11. 19. 20. Not a City that made peace with the children of Israel saue the Hiuites the Inhabitants of Gibeon They tooke all in battell But why did not other Cities doe as the Gibeonites why did not they submit and seeke their peace Because God had a purpose they should bee destroyed and to make the surer way for it gaue

dispossesse a maid of the Deuill and adiuring him to come out of her into himselfe What shall I neede to tempt and possesse him of whom I shall haue full possession at the last day So what cares he to tempt those that hee hath already possession of and are taken and led captiue at his pleasure And besides nothing the aduantage and gaines comes in by such mens sins as doe by the fowle and notorious falls of such as professe religion Therefore the Deuil seeking a new possession and withall the raysing of his Kingdome by their fals it is apparant that they are in greater dangers of Satans malice then the other It therefore concernes them out of the Conscience of this malice of his their owne frailty to bee very iealous and suspitious of themselues and out of that feare and Iealousie to watch and pray Our hearts are false and fickle exceeding ready to close with Satan therfore keep so much the more strickt watch ouer them Wee are exceeding weake and frayle looke vp to God and begge his helpe It is God that keepes the feete of his Saints and the wicked shal be silent in darkenes 1. Sam. 2. 9. Except the Lord keepe the City the watchman watches in vaine and except the Lord keepe the feete of his Saints all their watching is in vaine Alas if wee trust to our owne keeping how soone wil our feete be ready to slip how fowle shall wee fall and into what scandals shall not we runne And then how farre would wicked ones bee from being silent in darknesse Indeede when God keepes his Saints feete he silences stops wicked mens mouthes because then they haue nothing to say against Godlinesse But if God keepe not the Saints feete how soone and how wide are wicked mouths opened to clamour and blaspheme Therefore out of an holy feare and iealousie of our owne weakenesse let vs dayly petition God by prayer that he would keepe vs that our feete may not stumble that hee himselfe would take the charge of vs that wee dash not our foote against a stone There is a promise Ier. 31. 9. I will leade them I will cause them to walke in a streight way wherein they shall not stumble Now when men out of a feare and iealousie of their owne infirmity and frailty doe dayly looke vp to God and beg guidance and safe cōduct from him he wil leade them and make them walke in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble This was Dauids practise Psal 5. 8. Leade mee O Lord in thy righteousnesse because of mine enemies or mine obseruers as Iunius renders it make thy way streight before my face He saw that he had many eyes vpon him that obserued and watcht him narrowly he knowes his owne readines to turne aside into by and crooked wayes his suite therefore to God is that he would leade him Whilest God hath a man by the hand how safe is a man from falling And God that keepes the feete of his Saints 1. Sam. 2. 9. hath his Saints in his hand Deut. 33. 3. All his Saints are in thine hand It is good daylie by prayer to put our selues into Gods hand It is iust with God to checke selfe-confidence to let such men slip fall too that by their falls they may know their frailty q Laudo Petrum sed prius erubesco pro Petro. Quam prompto animo sed nesciens se metiri Aug de diuers ser 39. Peters cause is well knowne Though all yet not I he was of forward spirit but knew not how to measure himselfe if hee had had more feare iealousie he would haue beene more watchfull and haue sought more to God and would haue said rather If all men should yet Lord by thy grace keepe mee that I may not deny thee Hee had beene more secure if hee had beene lesse secure But now that he stands wholly vpon his owne legs how soone how miserably falles he The child that cares not to be led but will goe of himselfe gets many a knocke and many a shrewde fall but the childe that is fearefull and out of his feare will bee in the mothers or nurses hand and will cry to be led that childe scapes many a broken face 2. Mortifie your deerest lusts A fostered and a cherisht lust doth exceedingly endanger a man puts him into great danger of falling into scandal Let a lust be loued and cherished and it will so befoole and bewitch a man that hee will maintayne and sockle it though it be with the hazard of the credit of Religion and the Gospell it will grow so strong at the last that it will headlong him into some scandal or other Therefore deale seuerely with these lusts that will bring thee happily to doe that which will cause God to deale seuerely with thee be sure to make sure worke with them by mortification that is a good way to preserue thee from scandal This is the very course our Sauiour here prescribes Hauing in this seauenth verse shewed the woe that falles vpon the giuers of scandals see what he inferres Verse 8. 9. Wherefore if thine hand or thy foote offend thee cut them off and cast them from thee c. And if thine eye offend thee plucke it out and cast it from thee c. Marke then what it is that makes men offend Namely mens lusts their right hands eyes feete These bee the scandal-breeders If a man would bee free from giuing of offence he must out off with that which causes him to offende Now lusts when they are made much of when they be made deere hands and eyes and right eyes assuredly they will cause men to offend Therefore the way to saue our selues that they cause not vs to offend is to offend them the way is by mortification to cut off and cast away such hands feete and eyes as will cause vs to offend Were but this done how happily might many fowle scandals be preuented If Dauid had presently pluckt out his wanton eye and cast it away how easily had hee beene secured from that great offence hee gaue It may be many a man out of the great pride of his heart and his abundant selfe-loue makes his credit and esteeme amongst men to be his right hand his right eye his very Idoll Now this is a lust that will cause a man to offend A man in this pride and selfe-loue to maintaine and vphold his good opinion and esteeme runnes into this and that secret euill practise and rather then his esteeme and credit should sinke in the world vses a number of shifts and dishonest courses and a companie of deceitful guiles to vphold his esteeme and runnes so far in at last that he come not off without fowle scādal Now mortification and selfe denial had preuented it If such a man had pluckt out this eye cut off this hand foote hee had not halted nor stumbled nor fallen into scandal The not