Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	fire_n	hell_n	worm_n	1,679	5	10.4739	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02904	Hels torments, and heavens glorie	Rowlands, Samuel, 1570?-1630?	1601 (1601)	STC 13048.5; ESTC S2725	31,181	186

are evermore in continuall motion There is no feaver so fervent that dooth not decline neither greefe so sharpe but that after it is much augmented it dooth forthwith decrease To be short all the tribulations and miseries are by little and little worne away with time and as the common saying is Nothing is sooner dried up than teares Onely that paine in hell is alwaies greene onely that feaver never decreaseth only that extremitie of heat knoweth not what is either evening or morning In the time of Noahs flood Almightie God rained forty daies and fortie nights continually without ceasing upon the earth and this sufficed to drowne the whole world But in that place of torment in hell there shall raine everlasting vengeance darts of furie upon that cursed land without ever ceasing so much as one onely minute or moment Now what torment can be greater and more to be abho●●●d than continually to suffer after one like manner without any kind of alteration or chaunge Though a meat bee never so delicate yet in case wee feed continually therupon it will in very short time be very loathsome unto us for no meat can be more precious and delicat than that Manna was which almightie God sent downe unto the children of Israel in the desart yet because they did eat continually therof it made them to loath it yea and provoked them to vomite it up again The way that is all plaine they say wearieth more than any other because alwais the varietie yea even in punishment is a kind of comfort Tell me then if things that bee pleasant and savorie when they be alwaies after one manner are an occasion of loathsomenesse and paine what kind of loathsomnesse will that be which shall bee caused by those most horrible paines and torments in hell which do continue everlastingly after one like sort What will the damned and cursed creatures think when they shall there see themselves so utterly abhorred forsaken of almightie God that hee will not so much as with the remission of any one sin mitigate somwhat their torments And so great shall the furie and rage bee which they shall there conceive against him that they shall never cease continually to curse and blaspheam his holy name Vnto all these pains there is also added the pain of that everlasting consumer to wit the worme of conscience wherof the holy Scripture maketh so oftentimes mention saying Their worme shal never die and their fire shall never bee quenched This worme is a furious raging despight and bitter repentance without anie fruit which the wicked shall alwais have in hell by calling to their remembrance the oportunitie and time they had whiles they were in this world to escape those most greevous and horrible torments and how they wold not vse the benefit thereof And therefore when the miserable sinner seeth himselfe thus to be tormented and vexed on every side and doth call to mind how many daies and yeares hee hath spent idly in vanities pastimes and pleasures and how oftentimes he was advertised of this perill and how little regard he tooke thereof What shall hee thinke What anguish and sorrow shall there be in his heart Hast thou not read in the Gospell that there shall be weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth The famine of Aegypt endured onely seven yeares but that in hell shall endure everlastingly In Aegypt they found a remedie though with great difficultie and charge but for this there shall never any remedie be found Theirs was redeemed with monie cattell but this can never bee redeemed with any manner of exchange This punishment cannot be pardoned this paine cannot bee exchaunged this sentence cannot bee revoked Oh if thou knewest and wouldest consider how everie one condemned to hell shall there remain tormenting and renting himselfe weeping and wailing and saying O miserable and unfortunate wretch that I am what times and oportunities have I suffered to passe in vaine A time there was when with one cup of cold water I might have purchased to my selfe a crowne of glorie and when also with such necessarie workes of mercie in releeving the poore I might have gained life everlasting Wherefore did I not looke before me How was I blinded with things present How did I let pa●●● the fruitfull yeares of aboundance and did not enrich my selfe If I had beene brought up amongst Infidels and Pagans had beleeved that there had been nothing els but onely to be borne and to die then might I have had some kind of excuse and might have said I knew not what was commanded or prohibited me but for so much as I have lived amongst Christians was my selfe one of them professed and held it for an article of my beleefe that the hour should come when I should give up an account after what order I had spent my life forsomuch also as it was daily cried out unto mee by the continuall preaching and teaching of Gods embassadours whose advertisements manie following made preparation in time and laboured earnestly for the provision of good workes forsomuch I say as I made light of all these examples and persuaded my selfe very fondly that heaven was prepared for me though I took no pains for it at all what deserve I that have thus led my life O ye infernall furies come and rent me in peeces and devour these my bowels for so have I justly deserved I have deserved eternall famishment seeing I would not provide for my selfe while I had time I deserve not to reape because I have not sowne I am worthie to be destitute because I have not laid up in store I deserve that my request should now be denied mee sith when the poore made request unto mee I refused to releeve them I have deserved to sigh and lament so long as God shall bee God I have deserved that this worme of conscience shall gnaw mine entrails for ever and ever by representing unto me the little pleasure that I have enjoied and the great felicitie which I have lost how far greater that was which I might have gained by forgoing that little which I would not forgoe This is that immortall worme that shall never die but shall lie there everlastingly gnawing at the entrailes of the wicked which is one of the most terrible pains that can possibly be imagined Peradventure thou art nowe persuaded good Reader that there can bee added no more unto this than hath beene said But surely the mightie arme of God wanteth not force to chastice his enemies more and more for all these paines that are hetherto rehearsed are such as doe appertaine generally to all the damned but besides these generall paines there are also other particular paines which each one of the damned shall there suffer in diverse sort according to the qualitie of his sinne And so according to this proportion the hautie and proud shall there bee abased and brought low to their great confusion The covetous shall bee

possessions in large thy territories dominions yea commaund if thou wilt whole empires and worlds yet shalt thou never bee so great as the least of all the servants of almightie God who shall receive that treasure which this world cannot give shall enjoy that felicitie which shal endure for evermore when thou with thy pomp and riches shall bear the rich glutton companie whose buriall is in the deepe vault of hell but the devout spirituall man shall be carried by the holy Angels with poore Lazarus into Abrahams bosome a place of perpetuall rest joy sollace and eternall happines ¶ Of the benefites which our Lord promiseth to give in this present life to such as live a iust and godly life PEradventure thou wilt now say that al these things before rehearsed bee rewards and punishments only for the life to come and that thou desirest to see something in this present life because our mindes are wont to bee mooved very much with the sight of things present To satisfie thee herein I will also explaine unto thee what may answere thy desire For althogh our Lord do reserve the best wine and the delicat dishes of most delight untill the end of the banket yet he suffereth not his friends to bee utterly destitute of meat and drinke in this tedious voyage for he knoweth very wel that they could not otherwise hold out in their journey And therfore when he said unto Abraham Feare not Abraham for I am thy defendor and thy reward shall bee exceeding great By these wordes hee promised two thinges the one for the time present that was to be his safegard and defence in all such things as may happen in this life the other for the time to come and that is the reward of glorie which is reserved for the next life But how great the first promise is and how many kinds of benefites and favours are therein included no man is able to understand but onely hee that hath with great diligence read the holy scriptures wherein no one thing is more often repeated and set forth than the greatnesse of the favours benefits and priviledges which Almightie God promiseth unto his friends in this life Hearken what Salomon saith in the third chapter of his Proverbes as touching this matter Blessed is that man that findeth wisdome for it is better to have it than all the treasures of silver and gold be they never so excellent and precious and it is more worth than all the riches of the world and whatsoever mans heart is able to desire is not comparable unto it The length of daies are at her right hand and riches and glorie at her left Her waies be pleasant and all her passages be quiet she is a tree of life to all those that have obtained her and hee that shall have her in continuall possession shall bee blessed Keepe therefore O my sonne the lawes of Almightie God and his counsels for they shal bee as life to thy soule and sweetnesse to thy tast Then shalt thou walke safely in thy waies and thy feet shall not find any stumbling blockes If thou sleep thou shalt have no cause to feare and if thou take thy rest thy sleepe shall be quiet This is the sweetnesse and quietnesse of the way of the godly but the waies of the wicked are far different as the holy Scripture doth declare unto us The paths and waies of the wicked sayth Ecclesiasticus are full of brambles and at the end of their journey are prepared for them hell darkenesse paines Doest thou thinke it then a good exchaunge to forsake the waies of Almightie God for the wayes of the world sith there is so great difference betweene the one and the other not onely in the end of the way but also in all the steps of the same What madnesse can bee greater than to chuse one torment to gaine another by rather than with one rest to gaine another rest And that thou maist more clearely perceive the excellencie of this rest and what a number of benefits are presently incident therunto I beseech thee hearken attentively even what Almightie God himselfe hath promised by his Prophet Esay to the observers of his law in a manner with these words as diverse interpreters doe expound them When thou shalt doe saith he such and such things which I have commaunded thee to do there shall forthwith appear unto thee the dawning of the cleare day that is the sonne of justice which shall drive away all the darkenesse of thy errours and miseries then shalt thou begin to enjoy true and perfit salvation Now these are the benefits which almighty God hath promised to his servants And albeit some of them bee for the time to come yet are some of them to be presently received in this life as that new light and shining from heaven that safetie and abundance of all good thinges that assured confidence trust in the almightie God that divine assistance in all our praiers and petitions made unto him that peace and tranquilitie of conscience that protection and providence of Almightie God All these are the gracious gifts and favours which almightie God hath promised to his servaunts in this life They all are the works of his mercie effects of his grace testimonies of his love and blessings which hee of his fatherly providence extendeth To bee short all these benefits do the godly injoy both in this present life and in the life to come and of all these are the ungodly deprived both in the one life and in the other Wherby thou maist easily perceive what difference there is betweene the one sort and the other seeing the one is so rich in graces and the other so poore and needie For if thou ponder well Gods promised blessings and consider the state and condition of the good and the wicked thou shalt find that the one sort is highly in the favour of Almightie God and the other deeply in his displeasure the one be his friends and the other his enemies the one bee in light and the other in darkenesse the one doe enjoy the companie of Angels the other the filthie pleasures and delights of swine the one are truly free and lords over themselves and the other are become bondslaves unto Sathan and unto their owne lusts and appetites The one are joyfull with the witnesse of a good conscience and the other except they be utterly blinded are continually bitten with the worme of conscience evermore gnawing on them the one in tribulation stand stedfastly in their proper place and the other like light chaffe are carried up and downe with everie blast of wind the one stand secure and firme with the anker of hope and the other are unstable and evermore yeelding unto the assaults of fortune the praiers of the one are acceptable and liking unto God and the praiers of the other are abhorred and accursed the death of the one is quiet peaceable and precious