Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A14753
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The life of faith in death· Exemplified in the liuing speeches of dying Christians. By Samuel VVard preacher of Ipswich.
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Ward, Samuel, 1577-1640.
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1622
(1622)
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STC 25052; ESTC S111636
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34,891
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136
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policie and our grossest simplicity and euen this is the cause of our sottish and foolish liuing and dying Oh that my head were a Fountaine of teares to weepe for and bewayle the stupiditie yea the desperate madnesse of infinite sorts of people that rush vpon Death and chop into Hell blindling How bruitish and beastly are the preaemises and conclusion of the Epicure and his brood Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall dye Who knowes whether the soule of the beast descend and mans ascend who euer saw the one goe downeward and the other vpward and then what matter if the life of the one differ not from the other What need a man care whether hee bee a Sadduces Swine an Epicures Horse or himselfe The one many times hath lesse care and more pleasure then the other if Death be the last line the full point and finall cessation of the Creature These â—ruits thanke Phylosophie that 〈◊〉 taught them not to feare any such Hobgoblins spirits or old Wines tales as Hell But such Phylosophie Socrates Plato and the wiser sort euen of the Heathen haue hissed out of Schooles as belluine Yea the most sauage and vnlittered peoplè the lesse soiled with Art the more confidently doe they out of Natures instinct and diuine impression conclude of an eternall place of well and ill being after death for the soules of men But these Monsters wilfully shut their eyes deface and obliterate these stamps and principles of nature and so dance hood-winke into perdition Miserable it is to see how boldly and blindly they thinke and venture on Death Theramenes he writes Bookes in praise of Death as the end of all calamities Augustus hee dyes in a iest calling for a Plaudite Tiberius â—n dissimulation Diogines hearing Antisthenes cry out in his paines Who shall ease mee offers him a â—nife to dispatch himselfe withal Caninus called to execution bids his Fellow remember hee had the best of the Game The Earle of Kildare seeing his Writ of Death brought in when hee was at shouelboard throwes his cast with this in his mouth Whatsoeuer that is this is for a huddle Little list would these blind bayards haue for such idle mirth if their eyes were opened to see this follower of Death How pittifull is the frenzie of those braue Spirits as they deeme and terme themselues as much as they scorne pittie our Duellists I meane who as if they neuer had heard of Hell are as Prodigall of their liues as Cockes or Dogs are of theirs powring them out vpon euerie drunken quarrell I pittie not the losse or misse of such good for little but to seâ— in the front of a Battell or tâ— stop breaches and Canons withal but I pitty the losse of their soules who serue themselues as the Iesuite in Lancashire followed by one that found his Gloue with a desire to restore it to him but pursued inwardly with a guilty conscience leapes ouer an Hedge plunges into a Marlepit behind it vnseene and vnthought of wherein he was drowned I maruell not that they feare not a Rapier or Pistoll Who would not chuse it before a lingring and paineful sicknesse Were it not for the after-claps of Death No Coward need feare the encounter of it alone in a single combat But Death hath a Second a Page tenne times more dreadful then himself with whom we haue to begin when we haue done with Death which is but the beginning of sorrowes Death is pale but his follower is a blacke Fellow a terrible monster neuer enough feared In which respect how lamentable also is the blindnesse of all selfe-murderers who make Death the remedie of euery griefe and cure of euery violent passion If they finde themselues inwardly vexed or perplexed in Conscience they seeke Death as a present ease not considering how they leape out of the smoake into the flame out of the flame into the fire out of a curable momentany disturbance into an endlesse inrecouerable woe without the extraordinary mercy of God to which vsually the Deuill speeds them that hee might get them into his clutches and so passe out of doubt all meanes of preuention and euasion by Faith and Repentance Oh senseles Achitophell how did thy wisedome fayle and befoole thee when thou settest thine house in order and disposest of thy goods forgettest thy soule hangest thy selfe which durst thou or wouldest thou haue done had but one belieuing thought of an eternall fire come into thy head How blockish is the manner of dying of many a Naball who strucken with the feare of Death and Hell become as insensate as stocks and stones haue no mind nor power to thinke of one thing or other Cannot abide to heare any mention of the danger of that which they feare whose senses the Deuill bewitches and benumms lest they should see and auoyde such was Lewes the eleuenth who straightlie charged his Seruants that when they sawe him sicke they should neuer once dare to name that bitter word Death in his eares So doe Cowards and Crauens shut their eyes and chuse rather to feele blowes then to see and shunne them Little better is the common course that most people take Scared some are with a confused and preposterous feare of Death and flashes of Hell in their Consciences and yet take no course to get pardon and Faith in CHRIST but either taking it to bee some melancholly humour send for merry companions to driue it away or being giuen vp to hardnesse of heart and impenitencie wilfully shake off all thoughts of repentance shut their eyes and eares against all good aduise and desperately put all at aduentures and chop into the iawes of that roaring Lyon Some of them ridiculously fearing Death they knowe not why more for the pangs of it which often are lesse then of the Tooth-ake then for the Hell following like fooles that feare the thunder Cracke and not the Bolt the Report of the Peece and not the Bullet the Serieants arrest and not the Gaolers Imprisonment Labour to escape Death which they cannot and Hell which they might Others of them scarred with some terrible apparisions affrighted as Cardinall Crescentius a little before his death with a blacke Dog in his Chamber A Presage and Preludium of Hell approaching they crie out they are damned the Deuill the Deuill doe they not see him c. And so Spira-like desperately and disconsolately depart in hellish horrour Other of them a little wiser and yet little the better for it admit a colde thought or two and it may bee a little parley about the matter but when they haue fetched a sigh or put all vpon a Lord haue mercie on them trust it shall goe as well with them as with others euen as God will haue it and thinke they doe much if they send to a Minister to pray with them or for them neuer giuing all diligence to make their saluation sure and to escape so great a condemnation Oh if wee could consider how
you will make more guiltie of it Fredericke Anuill of Bearne to the Fryers that willed him to call on the Virgin Mary three times repeated Thine O Lord is the Kingdome thine is the power and glory for euer and euer Let 's fight Let 's fight Auaunt Sathan Auaunt Godfrey Varal of Piedmont Hangman doe thine office my death will be fruitfull to my selfe and others Halewine of Antwerp and Harman of Amsterdam to the Markgraue of Antwerpe offering mittigation of Torments vpon abiuration Wee are resolued these Momentany afflictions are not worthy that exceeding weight of glory that shal be reuealed Peter and Nicholas Thiesseâ— brethren vsed the like speech Annas Burgius in the middest of his torments Lord forsake mee not lest I forsake thee Peter Clarke with the root of hi Tongue plucked out pronounced audibly to shew that none euer wanted a tongue to praise God Blessed be the name of God as of old Romanus the Martyr mentioned in Prudentius Godfrey de Hammele to one that called him Heretique No heretique but an vnprofitable seruant yet willing to die for his Lord and reckoning this death no death but a life Bucer No man by talke shall withdraw my mind from Christ crucified from heauen my speedy departure vpon which my soule is fixed When one aduised him to arme himselfe against Sathans temptations Hee hath nothing to doe with mee God forbid but now my soule should be sure of sweet consolation Tremelius a Christian Iew Let Christ liue and Barrabas perish Ferdinand Emperour If mine Ancestors and Predecessors had not dyed how should I haue beene Emperour I must that others may succeed mee Frederick the third Elect. Palat. to his friends about him wishing him recouery I haue liued enough to you let mee now liue to my selfe and with my Lord Christ. Leonard Caesar Oh Lord doe thou suffer with me Lord support me and saue me Windelmuta to one that told her shee had not yet tasted how bitter Death was No said shee neither euer shall I for so much hath Christ promised to all that keepe his word neither will I forsake him for sweete life or bitter death Henry Voes If I had ten heads they should all off for Christ. God forbid I should reioyce in any thing saue in his Crosse. The Minister of Brisgo This skinne which scarce cleaues to my bones I must shortly haue layde off by necessitie how much more willingly now for my Sauiour Christ. Adolphus Clarebachius I beleeue there is not a merrier heart in the world at this instant then mine is Behold you shall see mee dye by that Faith I haue liued Alexander Cane when a fooles Cappe was put on his head Can I haue a greater Honour done me then to bee serued as my Lord CHRIST before Herod Lord seeing my Persecutors haue no mercy haue thou mercy on mee and receiue my soule Almondus a Via My body dyes my Spirit liues Gods Kingdome abides euer God hath now giuen mee the accomplishment of all my desires Giles Tilman vrged to know what hee beleeued of Purgatory Purgatorie and Hell I leaue to you but my Hope is directly to goe into Paradise Neither feare I this great pyle of Wood whereof some might haue been spared to warme the poore but will passe through it purged for my Sauiour Peter Bruse I thanke God my broken legge suffered mee not to flye this Martyrdome Marion the wife of Adrian seeing the Coffin hooped with Iron wherein shee was to bee buryed aliue Haue you prouided this Pasty-crust to bake my flesh in Lewis Paschalis It s a small matter to die once for Christ if it might be I could wish I might die a thousand deaths for him Iohn Buisson I shall now haue a double Gaole deliuery one out of my sinnefull flesh another from the loathsome Dungeon I haue long lyen in Hugh Stallour to Iohn Pike his fellow Martyr Yet a little while and wee shall see one another before the Throne and face of God Levine de Blehere To his friends that offered to rescue him by tumult Hinder not the Magistrates worke nor my happinesse Father thou soresawest this Sacrifice from eternall now accept of it I pray thee Christopher Fabrianus First bitter then sweet first battell the victory when I am dead euery drop of my bloud shall preach Christ and set foorth his praise Francisce Soet You depriue me of this life and promote mee to a better which is as if you should rob mee of Counters and furnish me with Gold Guy de Bres The ringing of my Chaine haue beene sweet Musicke in mine eares my Prison an excellent Schoole wherein Gods spirit hath bin my Teacher all my former Discourses were as a blinde mans of colours in comparison of my present feeling Oh what a precious Comforter is a good Conscience Dionysius Peloquine To the Inquisitour telling him his life was now in his owne handes Then said hee It were in an ill keeping Christes Schoole hath taught mee to saue it by loosing it and not by the gaine of a few dayes or yeares to lose Eternitie Lewis Marsake Knight seeing his other brethren goe with Halters about their necks which they offered not him because of his dignity Why I pray you quoth hee deny me not the Badge and ornament of so excellent an order is not my cause the same with theirs which obtayning hee marched valiantly to the Stake with them Symon Laloeus to one Siluester his Executioner Neuer saw I man in all my life whose comming was more welcome to mee then thine So cheerfull was his death that Syluester amazed at it left his office became a Conuert and a Christian himselfe went to Geneua for further instruction in the Gospell Kilian a Dutch Schoolemaster to such as asked him if hee loued not his wife and children Yes said hee if all the world were golde and were mine to dispose of I would giue it to liue with them though it were but in prison yet my soule and Christ are dearer to me then all Giles Verdict Out of my Ashes shall rise innumerable Christians which Prophecy God so verified by the effect that it grewe a by-word after his death That his ashes flewe abroad all the Countrey Anthony Verdict brother to the former condemned to bee eaten with Beastes to preuent the like Prouerbe sayd to his Father Oh Father how hath God enabled you to haue two Sonnes honoured with Martyrdome Iohn Barbevill to Fryers that called him ignorant Asse Well admit I were so yet shall my Bloud witnesse against such Balaams as you bee Francisce Coluer to his two Sons massacred together with himselfe Sheepe wee are for the slaughter this is no new thing let vs follow millions of Martyrs through temporall death to eternall life By all these which are but an handfull of Christs Campe Royall it sufficiently appeares they had their Faith fresh and liuely in the face of this graund enemy and by Vertue of their Faith their Spirits Wits and Tongues