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A02785 A discourse concerning the soule and spirit of man Wherein is described the essence and dignity thereof, the gifts and graces wherewith God hath endued it, and the estate thereof, aswell present as future. And thereunto is annexed in the end a bipartite instruction, or exhortation, concerning the duties of our thankfulnesse towards God. Written by Simon Harvvard. Harward, Simon, fl. 1572-1614. 1604 (1604) STC 12917; ESTC S116608 106,518 282

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away carrying his money backe againe But when he sawe that it was a dayly sting to his conscience and that hee could neuer be in quiet for it for an euill conscience is like vnto a strait bed where mā can take no rest he brought the money backe againe to his creditors house and threw it to his Executours speaking these words vnto him selfe tibi viuit aliis mortuus est he is aliue vnto thee although he bee dead vnto others The two other kindes of consciences to wit turbata bona and quieta bona a troubled good conscience and a quiet good conscience I make no other difference of them but the one to be as it were the beginning and entrance into the other for none can truly attaine vnto a heauenly ioy in his conscience vnlesse he haue first beene brought downe to hell by the consideration of his sinnes None can bee truly refreshed in Christ vnlesse hee haue first with griefe and sighing Ma● felt the burthen of his sinnes Saint Augustine acknowledgeth that a man non potest coronari nisi vicerit Aug. in Psal 60 nec potest vincere nisi certauerit nec potest certare nisi inimicum et tentationes habeat Hee cannot be crowned vnlesse he ouercome neither can he ouercome vnlesse he striue neither can he striue vnlesse he haue an enemy temptations But when these tēptations are so ouercome that sin shal not raigne in our mortal body Rom. 6.12 then cōmeth in the sweetest comfort that euer can come to the soule of mā in this like thē as the Apostle speaketh our conuersatiō is in heauen Phil. 3.20 then do we feele in our heartes that peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding Phil. 4.7 then are our soules possessed with vnspeakable ioy according to that of Salomon Prou. 15.14 A good conscience is a cōtinuall feast For as there is no greater worldly ioy to a man that hath trauelled a long iourney abroad then when hee commeth home to find his wife childrē and whole family in good health and quiet so there cannot bee a more excellent spiritual ioy in this life then when a man doth descend into the home of his owne conscience that he doe finde there all so reconciled vnto God that al be in good peace quietnes Esay 59.2 to perceiue that the thraldome of sin which maketh diuision and seperation betwixt the soule and God is abrogated or subdued This doth the Apostle call his chiefest reioycing Our reioycing is the testimony of our conscience 2. Cor. 1.12 that we haue had our conuersation in simplicity and godly purenes This hath vpholden the hearts of so many thousand blessed Martyrs and made them to reioyce in the middest of al their torments because they had a testimony within themselues 1. Pet. 2.19 that for their cōscience towards God they suffered griefe vndeserued This hath made so many Saints of God to depart so cherefully out of this world as Hierom writeth of the death of Nepotiā Intelligeres eum non mori sed migrare Hierom ad Heliodor 3. you might wel perceiue that his death was no death but a flitting to a better place And this hath brought comfort not onely to the faithful Heb. 10.22 whose harts are by the bloud of Christ sprinkled from an euil conscience purged frō dead workes to serue the liuing Lord. Heb. 9.14 But euen the heathen men also by following obeying the law of nature did in the testimony of their cōscience receiue exceeding ioy as the Oratour said writing of the comforts of olde age conscientia bene actae vitae Tul. in Catone mai et multorum benefactorum recordatio iucundissima A conscience of a life well led and a remembrance of deedes well done are the most pleasant things that can bee Periander being asked what was the best libertie Scob. serm 22. answered a good conscience Greg. epist 9. vnto which I thinke Gregorie doth allude when hee saith liber est quem conscientia non accusat Bias beeing asked what thing in the world is most free from feare answered a good conscience This is taught by the heauenly wisedome Prou. 28.1 The wicked as Salomon saith doth flie no man pursuing him but the iust is confident as a Lion The Oratour accounted this a most principall comfort in all distresses and calamities Tul ad To●q fam lib. 6. Conscientia rectae voluntatis maxima consolatio est rerum incommodarum A conscience of a mans hart well enclined is the chiefest consolation in all aduersities And in another place nullum theatrum virtuti conscientia maius Tul lib 2 Tusc There is no theater that vertue doth more desire then a mans owne conscience Whereby he meant that good and vertuous men did not so much in their actions respect the sight of men or desire the prayse of man as they sought to keep that conscience sound which they were perswaded they had receiued from heauen Cicero pro Cluentio as hee affirmeth elsewhere Conscientiam à diis immortalibus accepimus quae à nobis diuelli non potest Wee haue receiued a conscience from the immortall gods which cannot bee plucked away but doth alwaies attend and waite vpon man Epictetus And another said well that as parents do commit children to bee gouerned and kept in awe by tutors so God doth commit men to be ruled and ordered by their conscience which more vigilant then any tutor doth continually attend on man Isid in syn according to that of Isidore omnia fugere poterit homo praeter cor suum A man may flie from any thing better then hee can flie from his owne heart The heathen men did not know aright that God which is the Iudge of the conscience Psal 7 10. and the searcher of the heartes and reines But neuer was there any Nation so barbarous neuer any Countrey so wilde and sauage Tul de nat Deorum but that it had this fastened and setled in the heartes of the people that there is a God and that he is a protectour of the good and a reuenger of them that doe ill which made honest minded men to come forth boldly and the wicked to feare euen their owne shadowe Sene. epist 98 as Seneca said bona conscientia prodire vult et conspici ipsas nequitia tenebras timet A good conscience appeareth boldly in the sight of men but naughtinesse doth feare the darkenesse it selfe Sene epist 43 etiam in solitudine est anxia et sollicita and euen in solitarinesse being alone it is fearefull and pensiue CHAP. X. Of the estate and condition of the Soule after this life against the Catabaptists THe ioy of the elect of God is called such a ioy Iohn 16 22 as shall neuer be taken from them it is an endlesse and perpetuall ioy It doth not onely vphold their hearts in all the troubles and
of the Church of God as may appeare by the often naming of the Church in the verses last going before Now there is the place of the Church where the word of God is taught and the Sacraments administred according to the institution of Christ and publicke prayer and thankesgiuings offered vnto God Teach all nations sayth Christ and Baptize them in the name of the Father Math 28 19. and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost then followeth the promise I will be with you to the end of the world The Apostle when he hath made mention of the Church 1. Cor 11 1● 20.23 and publicke place of the assembly when ye come together in the Church V. 23 when ye come together into one place c he addeth that which I receiued of the Lord that haue I deliuered vnto you how the Lord Iesus in the same night that he was betrayed tooke bread V. 33 c. and after when ye come together one tary for another He requireth of the Romaines Rom. 13.6 that they all with one heart and one mouth glorifie God and to the Ephesians that prayses be giuen in the Church through Christ Iesus Eph. 8.21 vnto all generations for euer Math 28.20 where is the word and Sacraments there is especially the ero vobiscū vsque ad cōsummationem seculi Fourthly the alotting of the place amongst Christians must needs be in the power of the supreme magistrate and of such lawes as are confirmed by him Ios 6.6 Ios 11. If Iosua being Duke did take order for matters in the Church 1. Chro. 23.6 2. Chro. 3.14 1. Reg. 2.35 If Dauid and Salomon did set the courses of the Priests and Leuites remoue the bad and place better in their roome 2. Chro. 17.8 2. Chro. 19 8 If Iehosaphat did send Elithama and Iehoram Priests to instruct the people and set the Priests and Leuites for the iudgement of the Lords cause 2. Chro. 31 4 If Ezechias did not onely appoint the courses but also prescribe to euery one their portions and stipends If Asa 2 Chro 29 1 2 Reg 23 4 Iosias and other godly Kings of Iuda did account it their chiefest charge to purge the Church from Idolatry then why might not Constantinus Theodosius and other Christian Emperours imitate their godly ensample And when now our Christian most noble King doth inioyne or establish orders for the publicke seruice of God Why should not all good subiects obey not for feare but euen for conscience sake Where Princes do command Idolatry Rom 13 5 or any thing directly against the word of God there the subiects may say with S. Peter and the Apostles Act. 5 29 we must rather obey God then man Yet in no wise may they rebell Eccl 10 17 Rom. 13.1 nor in heart wish the subuersion of God his annointed But God his holy name be praysed we haue no need to feare any such edicts we may of all people vnder hearte most willingly submit our selues to that obedience where goalinesse and loyalty may both meete together Psal 85.10 and righteousnesse and peace may kisse each other Fiftly in respect of the prayers themselues great cause we haue had and no doubt shall haue still most carefully to frequent them the prayers being all euen in the conscience of the aduersary most godly and needfull for all good gifts and graces requisite both for Prince and people and all made through our onely mediator Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2 5. There is one God sayth Paule and one mediator betwixt God and man euen the man Christ Iesus 1. Ioh. 2.2 If any man sinne saith Saint Iohn we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes Aug. in Psal 108. Oratio quae non fit per Christum non solum non potest delere peccatum sed ipsa fit peccatum The prayer which is not made through Christ doth not onely not put away sinne but euen it selfe is made sinne And further it must needs be a great comfort to the vnlearned and a ioy generally to all when the prayers are made in that vsuall knowne language wherein the whole Church may ioyne together with one heart and one voyce to praise God The Apostle sayth I will pray with the Spirit 1. Cor 14.15 V. 16. I will pray with vnderstanding also He which occupieth the place of the vnlearned how can he say Amen to the giuing of thankes when he vnderstandeth not what thou sayst I had rather in the Church speake fiue words to the instructing of others then ten thousand in a strange language V. 19. If there were in our Churches blasphemous prayers maintained or Idolatrie erected then we should with Sidrach Misach and Abednego chuse rather to die then to yeeld so much as the body to prostrate it selfe before them But otherwise for euery small abuse or corruption which is crept into the Church we are not to take occasion thereby to refuse the place of God his seruice There were corruptions when there was buying and selling in the Temple of the Iewes Luc 19.45 Luc. 2.22 Luc. 19.47 Act. 3.1 yet Ioseph and Mary did present themselues to the oblations in that Temple Christ refused not to teach daily in it the Apostles refused not to pray in it Luc. 2 37 and Anna the ancient widow is commended for that in her fasting and prayer she serued God day and night in that Temple Sixtly our intent in comming to the Church is not to iudge the faith of other men but euery one to examine his owne faith Paule sayth Let a man proue and examine himselfe 1 Cor 11.28 31 and so let him eate of that bread and drinke of that cup If we would iudge our selues 2 Cor. 13.5 we should not be condemned Trie and examine your selues whether ye be in the faith or no. If any do come vnworthily in a wrong faith or without repentance the Apostle denounceth of him 1. Cor. 11.29 that he eateth and drinketh his owne damnation He cannot condemne others he damneth but himselfe It was sayd to him that had no wedding garment Friend how camest thou hither not hauing a wedding garment Math. 22 12 he was himselfe cast into vtter darknesse he did not condemne the rest of the guests which were clothed with faith working through charity Gal. 5.6 The Apostles knew that Iudas was a traytor our Sauiour had before certified them of it Math 26.21.22 yet they refused not to receiue the Sacrament with him Iudas receiued his owne damnation he could not condemne the rest of the Disciples If the time imployed in the Church be not for the Sacraments or prayers but for the preaching of the word our assured preseruation against all error is to cleane to the holy Scripture the old and new Testament Aug in Psal 57. Saint Augustine