Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A20158
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A three-fold resolution, verie necessarie to saluation Describing earths vanitie. Hels horror. Heauens felicitie. By Iohn Denison Batchelour in Diuinitie.
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Denison, John, d. 1629.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 6596; ESTC S109587
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139,837
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594
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comparison that Saint Iohn vseth in describing the ioyes of the kingdome of heauen calling them the Lambes supper Reu. 19 9. but indeed all the delicates in the world are not to be compared to the feasting of a good conscience This the Spouse sheweth in the second of the Canticles Can. 2.5 He brought me into his wineseller Loue was his banner ouer me Lo here the Ambrosian Nectar wherewith Christ Iesus maketh the heart of his spouse glad causing her to cry out Stay me with flagons Ver. 6. and comfort me with apples for I am sicke with loue where the sacred soule is cast into a holy swound being rauished with the vnspeakeable comfort that she enioyes vpon this peace of conscience Indeed these heauenly ioyes and comforts are not tasted of the wicked for how can they see that haue no eyes or those rellish the peace of coÌ„science which want their spirituall tast Yea who is able to expresse the excellencie of this peace nay who is able to conceiue it but those that enioy it Neither indeed are they able for it passeth all vnderstanding Phil. 4.7 In respect of which large excelleÌ„cie of the peace of conscience it may very wel be counted a part of the kingdome of heauen whose ioyes are endlesse and infinite If we consider the fountains also from whence this spirituall peace doth spring wee shall perceiue that our present comfort vpon earth and future consolation to be enioyed hereafter in heauen do both arise and flow from the same heads and fall into the same Ocean of felicitie 1 A iustifying faith yeelds this peace Rom. 5.2 for being iustified by faith wee haue peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ And this peace yeelds ioy as it followeth in the next verse and that no small ioy for they that doe truely beleeue in Christ Iesus 1. Pet. 1.8 doe reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious What could the Apostle haue said more of the ioy which the Saints shall enioy hereafter in the kingdome of heauen then to call it Vnspeakable glorious no maruell for as the first sight of the blind man wherby he saw men walke like trees Mar. 8.28 was the same whereby he saw them to be men a far off though it was at the first more confused so the inchoate ioy and peace of coÌ„science which wee obtaine in this life being vnspeakeable glorious and passing all vnderstanding hath more then a resemblance of that celestiall glorie which shall be imparted more abundantly and perfectly in the life to come 2 The children of God are endued with the spirit of God whereby they receiue the comfortable testimonie of their adoption Rom. 8. the same manumitting spirit doth also yeeld them most heauenly consolation Ioh. 14.16 3. This peace of conscience is the fruite of a holy conuersation as I said before and the Apostle can tell vs of his owne experience for his reioycing is this 2. Cor. 1.12 the testimonie of his conscience that in simplicitie and godly purenesse he hath had his conuersation in the world Besides this there is also an vndoubted Hope which being the first fruites of the spirit doth after a sort put the children of God in possession of the kingdome of heauen So that wheÌ„ they do from the watch tower of a good conscience lift vp this Iacobs staffe or rather this Iacobs ladder Gen. 28.12 of a stedfast hope vnto the heauens and there behold with holy Stephen the glory of God Act. 7. it rauisheth and reioyceth their hearts more then any tongue is able to expresse Thus do the godly in this life tast of the ioyes of heauen the sweetnesse whereof is such that it swalloweth vp all the waues of temporall distresses causing them with Paule and Silas to sing Psalmes in the prison and to say with Dauid Act. 16.25 Psa 94.19 In the middest of all my troubles thy comforts ô Lord haue refreshed my soule Which maruellous effect this peace of conscience could neuer haue in encountering and conquering these infinite earthly calamities were it not of a diuine and heauenly Nature But what haue all the children of God this peace and comfort alike Surely no but according to Zeba Zalmunnaes words As the man is Iud. 8.21 so is his strength it may be said in this case as the man is so is his comfort and ioy For where the life is qualified with a great measure of grace there the heart is replenished with a great measure of ioy Neither are these ioyes alwaies participated alike but as the heauens are sometime bright and sometime obscured so the Sunne of comfort shineth sometimes more brightly sometimes obscurely in the hearts of Gods children So that one while they complaine thus Psal 77. Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will hee shew no more fauour and other whiles Psal 35.9 their soule is ioyfull in the Lord and all their bones do say Who is like vnto thee ô Lord yet euen in their greatest distresse Dulciores sunt lachrymae orantâ—uÌ„ quà m gaudia Theatrorum Aug. super Psal 1â—7 the very teares of the godly are sweeter then all the showtes laughters at the Theaters This being the excellencie of the peace of conscience let it be thy care good Christian to obtaine and maintaine it A kinde and comfortable friend is much woorth but who can prize the peace of a quiet conscience Lo it was the best hymne the blessed Angels could sing Luk. 2.14 Glorie be to God in the highest heauens and peace on the earth The best Legacie our Sauiour could leaue to his seruants My peace I leaue with you Iohn 14.27 my peace I giue you The best prayer the Apostle could make for the Thessalonians Now the Lord of peace 2. Thes 3.16 giue you peace alwaies by all means Though there be many that say Psal 4. Who will shew vs any good and haue their minds wholy set vpon their corne their wine and oyle yet the godly haue more true gladnesse from the Lords countenance by a thousand degrees then the worldling hath in all these transitorie trifles Hast thou a good conscience then cherish it it is the greatest blessing vnder heauen Is this peace and comfort of conscience wanting or weake in thee then vse the meanes whereby the same is procured and preserued Labour to obtaine a sound faith a sanctified life Esa 32.17 for the worke of righteousnesse is peace Melchizedec being king of righteousnesse Heb. 7.2 was after that the king of peace get righteousnesse and peace will follow it Psal 85.11 For righteousnesse and peace will kisse each other yea the more thou art conuersant in holinesse of conuersation the more abundant shalt thou be in the comfortable peace of conscience For where righteousnesse flourisheth Psal 72.7 there shall be abundance of peace Behold it will be thy companion both
Horror of conscience CAn a sower tree bring foorth sweet fruite or can a filthie fountaine send forth any but bitter streams No more can the prophane heart and lewd conuersation yeelde and send foorth any thing but the sower fruit and bitter waters of a troubled conscience Sweet meat must haue sower sauce and the heart which tooke delight and pleasure in committing of sinne must afterwardes be vexed with anguish and sorrow in remembrance of the same Sinne sheweth a harmlesse mouth like the viper but with her hidden teeth she infuseth deadly poyson she weepes like the crocodile but wounds like a serpent and leaues the sting of conscience behind her to vexe the sinfull soule The sacred Scriptures do by sundrie notable comparisons set foorth the miserable condition of those wretched men whom the conscience of sinne doth vexe in this life Zophar Iobs friend makes a notable Antithesis betweene the estate of the godly and the wicked in this respect Job 11.15 The godly shall lift vp his face without spot be stable without feare but the eyes of the wicked shal fail and their hope shall be griefe of minde The wicked through the terror and conscience of sin shall be like men whose extreame amazednesse doth depriue them of the vse of their senses both externall and internall whereas the godly shall haue a chearefull countenance with an vpright conscience And his friend Eliphaz likewise Job 15.20 The wicked man is continually as one that trauelleth of child As the pregnant mother is vexed with many sodaine throbbes and thinkes euery one to be a warning of her daungerous and painefull approching trauell so the lewd and wicked liuer that trauelleth with iniquitie hath many inward throbbes which gripe his heauie hart and represent vnto his pensiue soule the imminent euerlasting destruction Againe in the 24. verse Affliction and anguish shall make him affraid When the Lord comes against a wicked maÌ„ he brings foorth his forces of affliction and anguish which rise vp in ciuil warre till they effect that which Salomon hath in the Prouerbes The wicked flieth when no man pursueth him Cap. 28.1 And no maruell for the distraction and dread of conscience is a sufficient enemy to daunt the stoutest wight that breatheth Pro. 18.14 A wounded spirit who can beare Job 27.20 And Iob himselfe also saith that terrors shall take the wicked as waters and as a tempest shall carie him away by night As a tempest arising suddenly filleth both the heauens and earth with dreadfull darkenesse so do the stormes of dread arising in the conscience of a wicked man The Prophet Esay doth elegantly discipher the miserable condition of such men on this manner Esa 57.20 The wicked are like the raging sea that caÌ„not rest whose waters do cast vp mire and dirt And surely there could be nothing more fit to set foorth the restlesse and wretched estate of a wicked man who as hee swelleth with the surges of pride and haughtinesse of heart as hee casteth foorth the filthie foame of his owne shame and boyleth with the fire of an enuious spirit so is he tossed vp and downe with euery blast of anguish and blowne about with euery gale of terror neither is he like those seas which sometimes do obtaine calmnesse but like Euripus which is in continuall agitation boyling Pomp. Mel. lib. 2. and therefore doth the Prophet conclude vpon his similitude Ver. 22. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked All this is euident by Caines wicked murmuring Gen. 4.13 Gen. 27.38 Esaues bitter weeping Mat. 27.3 and Iudas desperate mourning all which were indeede like a restlesse raging sea and like Noahs doue found not one twigge of sound comfort whereupon to rest their distressed soules Our Sauiour speaking of the paine of the damned saith Mar. 9.44 That their worme dyeth not this worme is the sting of conscience which is neuer plucked out and this worme begins euen in this life to nibble at the hearts of desperate sinners Of this thing the Poets were not ignorant Animóque obiecit Eryn nim Ouid. Met. lib. 1. when they fained that such men were vexed with Furies meaning indeed the furious hoâ—ror of their fearfull conscience arising from their wicked conuersation Wee reade that Nero that Romane moÌ„ster Sueton. in vita Neron cap. 34. hauing after many villanies like a vile wretch murthered his owne mother was exceedingly perplexed with the remorse memorie of his damnable and vnnaturall fact affirming that he was vexed with his mothers ghost with whips of the hellish furies with burning torches and albeit the souldiers the Senate and people did by their applause indeuour to comfort him yet was he neuer able to endure the horror of conscience proceeding from his villanous wickednesse Neque tamen sceleris conscientiam aut statim aut vnquam ferre potuit so close did this neuer dying worm cleaue to his clogged conscience The conscience of man by the diuine ordinance of Almightie God doth keepe an Assise and erect a tribunall in the soule of euery one euen in this life First to make way to these proceedings the conscience dogges vs and takes notice of all our actions Thy heart knoweth that thou likewise hast cursed others Eccles 7.24 though thou hast forgot it yet consult with thy conscience and it will tell thee that thou hast done it When the sonnes of Iacob had forgotten their crueltie towards their brother committed many yeares before their conscience quickened by a present affliction speaks thus vnto them Gen. 42.21 We haue verily sinned against our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule Sometimes a man goes away with his sinne as Gehazi went with the siluer and the garments and saith peraduenture as he said 2. King 5.25.26 Thy seruant went no whither but the conscience will answere with Elizaeus Went not my heart with thee when thou didst priuily slaunder thy neighbour steale sweare falsely commit filthinesse or the like 2. When the conscience hath taken notice of some great crime it calleth vs to the barre and there it accuseth vs reckoning vp our sinnes and setting them in order with their circumstances thus the prodigall child taxeth himselfe Luk. 15.18 Father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee So is the conscience like the Clearke of the Assizes laying open the bookes and cases which before lay hid in obscuritie 3. Lest there should be any fond excusing the conscience hauing accused giueth in further euidence for proofe of the inditement and beareth witnesse to the accusation as the Apostle sheweth Rom. 2.15 Therefore doth the Lord take that course with Adam Gen. 3.11 appealing to his conscience whether hee haue transgressed the commandement enioyned him yea or no because hee knew his conscience would testifie agaâ—nst himselfe 4. The conscience hauing made euident that which was obscure and ratified as it were with a