Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A09507
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The good conscience. Or, The soules banquet royall. In a sermon by T.P.
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Pestell, Thomas, 1584?-1659?
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1615
(1615)
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STC 19789; ESTC S114583
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21,753
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36
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Ierome This seeming calme proues in the end a most cruell storme as a wheele seemes not at all to moue when it is whirled about with greatest violence Which if we would haue proued or exemplified beside prophane stories and dayly tryall the scripture is plenteous in furnishing vs with examples and testimonies Iosephs brethren Gen. 50.15 It may be hee will hate vs and pay vs againe the euill wee did him A fuller example is Herod in Mat. 14. who when Christ came to offer mercy out of the hell of his hart imagined Iohn Baptist had bin risen again to take vengeance So the Scribes and Pharisees in that iudgement of our Sauiour concerning the woman taken in adultery accused of their owne conscience went out one by one Iohn 8.9 The same sting it was made Baltazers countenance change and his ioyntes to bee loosed and his knees to knocke one against onother Dan. 5.6 So when Paul disputed of righteousnesse and temperance and the iudgement to come the Text sayeth Foelix trembled Act. 24.26 The time would fayle mee to speake of Adam of Saul of Iudas and sixe hundred more for it is in all wicked soules eyther the first part of hell a fire that burnes and consumes speedily or the second part a worme that closely frets and eates away and rots the soule and shall neuer die saith Esay 66 24. Such a man is like him the Apostle speakes of Tit. 3.11 Who is damned of himselfe his owne Iudge witnes hangman at least findes himselfe guiltie and nothing remaines but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and a violent fire Heb. 10.27 2 The second branch of the doctrine and that which is here exprest is that how euer the worlde rashly conceit good mens estate wretched and tempestuous yet they are the onely merry men aliue It is thought religion duls their wits daunts their spirits as if mirth and mischiefe euer met together But the Heathens haue beene able to tell vs that all blisse lyes not in a giddy lightnes There is sayeth Statius hilaris cum pondere virtus Vertue with mirth and weight in it and Tully could say Non hilaritate modo nec lascinia nec ioco comite lenitatis sed saepe etiam tristes firmitate constantiâ sunt beati Men many times seeming sad are blessed in the firmenesse and constancy of their temper For the true Christian man though hee runne still away yet his ioyes are deeper then the rushing noyse of shallow worldlings as Claudius speakes of Nilus Lene fluit sed cunctis omnibus exit vtilior nullas confessus murmure vireis though it shew no strength in his murmure and ratling yet it is more vsefull then other riuers This is true of a good conscience in the generall because it is in euery disease a Physition in strife a Lawyer in doubt a Preacher in griese a counsellor in sinne a confessor like a sweet persume at once taking away the noysome smell and leauing a sweet sauour for it or like the Vnicorns horne in water driuing poyson out of any estate This we shall in like maner find true if we take into our consideration those things which most afflict and trauell men in this life and wherewith the best men are oftentimes shaken and disturbed and theit evennes interrupted and en combred which be SIN and Affliction For we shall finde that which Iuvenal speakes of vertue Semita tranquillae per virtutem patet vnica vitae applyable more fitly to a good conscience that the way out of the forenamed difficulties and the path to arriue at quietnes is no other And for SIN first the dayly wrastlings combates against those reliques of sin are best known to them that haue experienced them Such will cry out in the bitternes of their soules with S. Paul I feele another law in my members rebelling against the law of my flesh and leading mee captiue into the law of sinne O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this body of death Rom. 7.23.24 Now a good conscience doth not onely preserue men from committing some sinne as Pride and enuy that Saw of the soule and paine of the damned and so works a peacefull innocency that way but it likewise cleares him from the guilt and horror of all sinne For first it is a procurer at least a fast friend to a bolde liuelie faith in God So the Author to the Hebrewes Heb. 10.22 Let vs draw neare in assurance of our faith with a true heart sprinckled in our hearts from an euill conscience and then in the next place it makes a man confident to come with boldnes to the throne of grace for if our heart condemn vs not then haue we confidence towards God 1. Iohn 3.21 In which regard Dauid ftiles God the God of his prayse the God of his righteousnes and the Apostle cals integrity of life and a good conscience arma institiae armour of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left 2. Cor. 6.7 which preserues him safe from all assaults and snares and temptations of the diuell nay the righteous man gaines by euery such attempt of Sathan Doemones tentando nobis coronas fabricant euery temptation anoyded as it is a Crown to a man so it is a curse to his enemy And Origen imagined that it should increase the tormentors punishment In the meane time the righteous soule lyes couered vnder his buckler of Faith like little Teucer vnder the shield of Aiax secure from danger Nay Sin indeed hath now no further power to endamage him for as the spirite of God becomming his bosome friend doth like a new Hercules kill that rauening vulture which tyres vpon the liuer of his poore soule and when hee is in greatest anguish that he prayes and sighes and grones then that prayes for him sighes grones for him with such sighes such groanes so oppressed as they cannot bee expressed Rom. 8.26 So Christ Iesus his sauiour and mighty Redeemer hath pulled out the sting of it the poyson and virulency and malignity is taken away by him For the strength of sin is the Law now such men sayth the Apostle are no longer vnder the Law but vnder grace And therefore Saint Iohn is bold to say of such a man Hee doeth no sinne nor can doe none a strange speech yet most true hee cannot sinne fearefully finally with the whole sway and bent of his minde and affections or doeth no sinne which shall bee imputed to him or layde to his charge as Saint Paul Rom. 8.33.34 where hee seemes to giue out a generall callenge against all commers to doe their worst to vrge the vtmost they can T' is c. saith he Who is that man so hardy as dare tax the children of God Who shal lay anything to the charge of Gods elect It is God that iustifies who shall condemne c. So that in such men sinne though it remaine yet it doth not raigne there but is onely like a languishing
out of his experience beganne many Psalmes with prayer and ends them with thanksgiuing And the blessed Virgine My Soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirite hath reioyced in God my Sauiour And Saint Paul is exemplum exemplorum all his speech of himselfe is but a comment on this Text and a large exposition of this point in hand Hee confesseth it Our reioysing is this the testimony of our conscience and in the 2. Cor. 7.4 I ouerflow exceedingly I abound with all ioy amidst our tribulations and that it is the generall condition of all Gods seruants Saint Peter tels vs where he sayeth that though they see him not yet beleeuing reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious This might easily be proued by shewing that such men haue all the true grounds foundations of ioy and contentment As first that they haue remission of sinnes in Christ and secondly adoption to become the Sonnes of God and in the thirde place haue â—ight and title to Heauen but t is Horaces counsell quaedam dicenda remittere not to amasse and heape vp all that might be said to any one point and therfore we come to the last part namely the fitting and applying of this resemblance heere vrged by Solomon wherin following the former Method I will first present to your consideration howe the wicked conscience is no Feast or if one not a continuall one and next that the good Conscience is one and secondly a continuall one A good Conscience is a continuall Feast First wicked men haue no feast For such men haue lost all tast of good and heauenly things They doe not relish or sauour the things that bee of God saith the Apostle as we see Swine neglect pasture and eat draffe So these men banquet but t' is with poyson like Tereus feast or rather t' is Scilicornium a funerall Feast for such a man as S. Paul speaks of a widow that liues in the pleasure of sinne is dead while he liues Their food breeds onely winde and froath and inflation no perfect or pure blood So that wee mistake iudging such a man full because Rich t is true he hath enough his bellyful but t' is with wind Eccles 5.16 or else theyr eating procures a corrosion and convulsion priuie gripings and qualmes stitches and aches wormes and distortion of the stotion of the stomacke that they cannot sleepe or take rest vpon it The satietie of the Rich will not suffer him to sleepe Or if hee doe hee shall spue soone after it as Iob saith hee hath deuoured substance and shall vomite it for God shall draw it out of his bellie Iob. 20. Or if it settle and stay with him then it inflames his soule and hart-burnes him For a practised sinner is saide to haue his soule singed and seared his Conscience burnt with an hotte yron 1. Tim. 4.2 or lastly as poyson if it kill not presently breakes out in tumors and byles so his wickednes doth occasion diseases and his bones are full of the sinne of his Youth Iob 20.11 and as he goeth on in vers 12. Though wickednes be sweet in his mouth and though he hide it vnder his tongue and keepe it like a delicate Epicure in the midst of his palate yet his meat in his bowels is turned it is the gall of Aspes within him And this is theyr viandes their cates theyr delicates of which Dauid desires to eate no part Psalm 141. If wee desire to knowe what they drinke at such a feast Iob tells vs they drinke iniquity like water Iob 15.16 and their wine the scripture saith is the wine of astonishment or else a certaine kind of compounded stuffe that Dauid speaks of ps 75.8 In the haÌ„d of the Lord ther is a cup it is red wine it is full mixt and hee powres out of the same Surely all the wicked of the earth shal wring out drink therof and in Psalm 11. he describes their burnt wine which seemes the very same that the Deuils drinke in hell God will raine snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shal be the portion of their cuppe As for the companie of these men what can it be but a noyse and sette of Diuells for Satan returning saith our Sauiour returning and finding such mens hearts like houses swept and garnished prepared for him enters with seuen worse then himselfe and the ende of that man is worse then the beginning It is not strange then that prophane and lewde men will fancie and conceite themselues the onely flourishing people vpon earth when wee see that their very banquetting stuffe is but gall poyson theyr drinke vengeance and their companie Diuells But let vs grant them that their seeming mirth and iollity they liue in may be tearmed a feast which is their portion vpon earth all they can looke for yet alasse it is not a continuall feast but exceeding fleet and momentanie Euen in laughter the heart is sorrowfull at that very instant They banquet as theeues in a caue or a wood alwayes in feare Esay tels vs that the Harpe the Violl the Tabret Pipe are in their feasts Esay 5.12 But this will not hold for hee addes in ver 14 Therefore Hell hath enlarged her selfe and opened her mouth wâ—de And their pompe and he that reioyceth shall descend into it So soone they are gone They breake off as it were in the middest of their meale and sinke into hel Nor can the damned soule thinke to take it out when hee comes there Indeed as hee in his life time made a feast of his soule to the Diuell and drest it for him to make his Helship merry for as the good Angels reioyce at a sinners conuersion so wee must thinke the Diuels mirth is his rebellion So now Sathan to bee quiet with him prepares him a feast a blacke banquet onely two dishes weeping serued in for the first course and gnashing of teeth for the second It is true it shall bee a continuall feast but worse to him then any feast for he shall bee so farre from receyuing pleasure in it that hee shall howle roare out with Diues for some drinke to his hote meate euen for a drop of water to coole his tongue And this for the first part of the comparison The second is that the goodman hath in his conscience a feast and not so onely but a continuall Feast First hee hath a Feast for a godly man like that vngodly one in the Gospell fares deliciously euery day keepes a spirituall Christmas alwayes drinkes deepe in the Wine-sellar as it seemes by the Spouse in Canticles 2.4.5 Hee brought mee into the Wine-seller and loue was his banner ouer mee Stay mee with flaggons and comfort me with apples for I am sicke of loue So it is in that song of the blessed Virgin Hee filles the hungry with good things fils them giues them enough feasts them Like a noble Lord God with his proper gifts and graces And in examining