Aurea Legenda OR APOTHEGMS SENTENCES AND SAYINGS OF MANY Wise and Learned men USEFUL For all sorts of Persons Collected out of many Authors by Sa. Clark sometimes Pastor in B. F. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable Words and that which was written was upright even Words of Truth The words of the Wise are as Goads and as Nails fastened by the Masters of the Assemblies which are given from one Shepherd Eccle. 12. 10. 11. London Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King's-Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard 1682. Some choice Sentences and Sayings concerning the Mischiefs and Miseries which attend an impure unquiet and guilty Conscience COnscience is God's spy and Man's overseer God's Deputy judg holding its Court in the whole Soul bearing witness of all a Mans doings and Desires and accordingly excusing or accusing absolving or Condemning Comforting or Tormenting What art thou then the better when none is by so long as thy Conscience is by Conscience is the great Register or Recorder of the World 'T is to every Man his private Notary keeping record of all his Acts and Deeds It hath â—he Pen of a ready Writer and takes from â—hy Mouth all that thou speakest yea â—rom thy Heart all thou Contrivest And tho its writing may be for the present like to the writing with the juice of an Onion or Lemon illegible Yet when thou comest to the fire of Distress it will then appear or at farthest in the great Day of Judgment it will discover all Conscience always keeps Centinel in a mans Soul and like a Register Records all our good and evil Actions Tho the darkness of the Night may hide us from others and the darkness of the Mind may seem to hide us from our selves yet still the Conscience hath an Eye to look in secret upon what ever we do and tho in many Men it sleeps in regard of motion yet it never sleeps in regard of Observation and Notice It may be hard and seared but it can never be Blinded That writing which in it now seems to be invisible when it 's brought to the fire of Gods judgment will be most Clear There is nothing so much fastened in the Memory as that which Conscience writes All her Censures are written with indelible Characters never to be bloted out All or most of our knowledge forsakes us in Death Wit acuteness Variety of language Habits of Sciences Arts Policies Inventions c. only those things which Conscience imprinteth shall be so far from being obliterated by Death that they shall thereby be much more manifest whether they be impressions of Peace or Horror Conscience is a most bribeless Worker It never know's how to make a false report of any of our ways 'T is Gods Historian with reverence be it spoken that writes not Annals but Jornals The words Deeds and Cogitations of Hours and Moments Never was there so absolute a Compiler of Lives as Conscience is It comes not with prejudice or acceptation of Persons but dares speak the truth of a Monarch as well as of a Slave Nero the Emperor shall find as great a Fire burning in his Bosom as he dares wrap the poor Christians in to light him to his Lusts Before and in the acting of Sin we will hear nothing but afterwards Conscience will send forth a shrill and a sharp Voyce which shall be heard all the Soul over as was that of Reuben to his Breth'ren did not I warn you saying Sin not against the Child c. It 's as proper for Sin to raise Terrors in the the Soul as for rotten Flesh or Wood to breed Worms That worm which never dieth is bred here in the froth of filthy Lusts and flagitious Courses and it lyes grubbing and gnawing upon Mens inwards many times in the Ruff of all their jollity This made Saul to call for his Musick Belshazzar for his carousing Cups Cain for his Workmen to build him a City and others for other of the Devils Anodines to put by the Pangs of their wounded Spirits and throbbing Consciences One small drop of an evil Conscience will trouble a whole Sea of outward Comforts and Contentments A confluence whereof would no more ease a wounded Conscience than a Silken Stoking will do a broken Legg As a little water in a Leaden Vessel is heavy So is a little trouble in an evil Conscience An evil Conscience is a burden importable able to quail the Courage and crush the Shoulders of the strongest Hercules of the mightiest man upon Earth Hence Job preferred and Judas chose strangling before it Daniel chose rather to be cast to the Lyons than to carry a Lyon about with him in his Bosome an enraged Conscience The primitive Christians also used to cry out Ad leones potius quam ad Lenones abjiciamur Let us rather be cast to the Lyons than to be thrust into Brothel-houses What good is there in a Chest full of Goods when the Conscience is empty of goodness such an one is like unto Naaman a Rich man but a Leper For excellent Parts and Gifts without a good Conscience are but as so many sweet Flowers upon a Dead man wrapped up in fair Linnen Or like to sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal Conscience is God's greatest Officer and Vice-gerent in Man set by him to be as it were thy Angel keeper Monitor Remembrancer King Prophet Witness Examiner Judge yea thy lower Heaven If thou slightest and wrongest it it will be an Adversary unto thee and an informer against thee an Accuser Witness Judg Jailor Tormenter a Worm Wrack Dungeon unto thee yea thy upper Hell An evil Conscience makes the Wicked fly when none pursues Prov. 28. 1. Such a fearful Fugitive was bloody Cain such were those cursed Canaanites Jos 24. 12. that were chased by Gods Hornets among them that is by the Blood-hounds of their own Consciences Such were those Syrians who struck with a Pannick fear fled for their Lives and left their rich Camp for a Booty to the Hunger-starved Israelites 2 Kin. 7. 7. c. The shadows of the Mountains seemed to be armed men to guilty Gaal Judg. 9. 36. The Burgundians when ready to joyn Battel with their Enemies thought that long Thistles were Spears He that is delivered up to a seared Conscience to a dead and dedolent Disposition is in a manner in a desperate condition He heaps up wrath against the Day of Wrath c. Rom. 2. 5. this made a reverend Man say I had rather be in Hell with a sensible Conscience than on Earth with a reprobate Mind Plutarch thought that the very Life of a vicious and a wicked man was punishment enough for him without either Gods or mans revenging hand For saith he if they examine their Lives they find themselves empty of Grace and Goodness destitute of Hope loaden with Fear Sadness uncheerfulness and of Suspicion of what will follow after Their lives therefore are worse than the life of a Dog For a Dog lives
without mental sufferings and dyes and there is an end of him But this wicked man is always upon the Rack whilst he lives being perpetually tormented with the lashes of an Evil and accusing Conscience which is worse than Death As the Crocodile incautiously sleeping with his Mouth open receives into his Belly the Ichneumon or Indian-Rat which causes that he is never at quiet his entrails never being free from gnawings and Pain One while he plunges into the water and anon runs again to the Land No place will afford him case till Death hinders his Motion So it is with such as are tormented with the Worm of Conscience As we see in Nero when he had murthered his Mother and his Wives And in Otho the Emperor when he had slain Galba and Piso In Herod when he had caused his Wife Mariamne to be put to Death And in our King Richard the third when he had slain his two innocent Nephews in the Tower In Spira Latomus and many others all which were so gnawed and grub'd with this Worm that they could never be at rest till being utterly tired with continual Vexation of Spirit they either desperately flew themselves or were dreadfully dispatched by others In thy Commission of evil fear no man so much as thy self another is but one Witness but they Conscience is a Thousand Another thou may'st avoid but thy Conscience thou canst not Wickedness is its own Punishment No man is able to stand before a guilty Conscience The Conscience awaken'd is like a Bear enraged It tears a man in pieces It falls upon him like some mighty Tower and crushes him to Powder It is like a Gouty joynt so sore and Painful that it cannot endure it self as Bernard speaks How was David wounded his Bones bruised by it c. Psal 32. 3. c How many have we seen to lye Panting and Groaning under the wounds of Conscience Oh what Horrors Fears apprehensions have the Tongues and Faces of some of God's own Children implied to standers by And if their Agonies have been such who have been but in part wounded and withal secretly sustained what then must the Case of the wicked needs be when his Conscience falls with a full weight upon him and there is no supporting Prov. 18. 14. A wounded Spirit who can bear The Gout Stone and some other Diseases are in themselves almost insufferable Yet the Spirit of a man sustained with hope and strengthened by God may somewhat tug with them But when the Spirit which sustains all is it self wounded when God that other where supports becomes an Enemy who can bear it For Here is not a Creature to a Creature Weakness to weakness but a finite Creature must encounter with an infinite Power Weakness must fight with Strength Man with God Alass when the Heavens fall upon a poor Worm must he not needs down when Judas shall have the Earth against him and Hell against him and Heaven against him and himself against himself must he not needs shrink and fall Oh! How miserable is the condition of every impenitent Sinner Poor wretch he goes on in a sinful course and fears no harm His Conscience sleeps and he hopes it will never awake But when he hath long pursued his Conscience his Conscience will at last pursue him and after a long silence it will at last speak and Ring him such peal as will make him at his Wits end Sometimes in this Life a spark of Hell falls upon his Soul and then where is he Can he quench this flame with the purest Wines Shake of these fits with a peal of Laughter Can he out-ride the shriches of his Conscience as he follow 's his Games Can he drown that noise with his cryes and Hubbubs Can he forget those gripings in his busiest Tales and relations of News Or can he leave his Conscience behind him in any place No no his Conscience is his constant Companion and cryes upon him in the Night sleeping in the Day walking In his greatest Mirth In his busiest Sports and Pastimes Nay his Heart is now employed about another business His desires are full of Solitariness His Thoughts as black as Hell it self The Devil saith he what Creature is he My flesh trembles at the thoughts of him yet would I might see him Hell thinks he what place is that Sith thither I must would I knew the worst These these be the thoughts of a desperate Heart and of a throbbing Conscience Witness Judas He comes to the Priests and looks upon them but they cannot ease him He takes his Money and looks upon that but it cannot help him He walks forth and looks upon the Light and is weary of that He passeth by men he hath nothing to say He is best alone nay not alone If there be any hope it is in Hell If any Comfort it is among the Devils thither he will go to seek it Oh misery Oh Death Oh Hell when a man must go to Hell for ease to the damned Spirits for Comfort A guilty Conscience as it will prove the most inmost so the utmost Enemy and that First unavoidable Do what thou canst thou canst not shake it off It lyes with thee it sleeps with thee it Rides with thee it wakes with thee it walks with thee in every place beyond all times when thou goest it goes when thou flyest it runs still it cries and raises the Country against thee It meets thee in the dark and makes the leap It meets thee in the Day and makes the quake It meets thee in thy Dreams and makes thee start It meets thee in every Corner and makes thee think every Bush to be a man every man a Devil every Devil a messenger to carry thee quick to Hell Thou com'st to thy Chamber there thy Conscience frights the Thou com'st to the Field there it turns thee Thou turnest again and their it Crosses the way upon thee Thou turn'st it turns Thou cryest it cries thou darest not call if thou doest Conscience fears no Company Secondly Unsufferable An evil Conscience strips one of all Comfort at once If a sick Stomach will make one a weary of all Chairs Beds Meats Drinks Friends All Oh what will a sick Conscience do Thirdly It puts one to intollerable Pains It racks the Memory and makes it run back twenty years as we see in Joseph's Brethren and Aristocrates in Plutarch Yea it twinges for Sins in youth as Job complain's It racks the understanding and carries it forward beyond the Grave and makes it feel the very bittterness of Death and Hell before it sees them It racks the Phantasie and makes it see Ghosts in men Lyons in Children as it 's storied of some It troubles the Eye and makes a murthering Theodorick see the Face of a Man in the mouth of a Fish It troubles the Ear and makes a Bessus hear the cry of Murther in the chattering of Birds It racks all the Senses quite out of joynt it makes a
Commander and chief Controuler of all his Desires and doings Conscience is a most Celestial gift It is so of God and in Man that it is a kind of middle thing between God and Man less than God and yet above man It may be called our God in the sense that Moses was called Pharaoh's God having Power to controul and avenge our disobedience with greater plagues than ever Moses brought upon Egypt Many seek for knowledge few care for Conscience yet is Conscience got with more ease and kept with more advantage than all our Science Keep Conscience pure and it will keep thee in Peace Let men the World and the Devils do their worst they cannot hurt him that hath a good Conscience saith Bernard A good Conscience is the Paradise that God walks in the Throne that Christ sits upon the Temple that the holy Spirit dwels in the Golden-pot wherein is kept the hidden Manna c. Conscience is the Book of Books the ancientest piece of Scripture in the world The first Tables of God's own hewing and Hand-writing in the Heart of Man for whose sake all other Books since yea the Scripture it self was afterwards written on purpose to Comment upon it This is the Book that every man should be well versed in To study other Books will make thee a Schollar but to study this will make thee a Christian Peace of Conscience is worth our utmost endeavour It will make a man sleep without a Pillow yea without a Bed Hence it was that Jacob took such good rest upon a Stone That Peter loaden with Iron Chains could sleep so sweetly tho for ought he knew he was to dye the next day That Mr Philpot and his fellow Prisoners could rouse as merrily in the Straw in the B B of London's Colehouse as if they had been upon Down Beds in a Pallace It is a Feast with any Food tho never so course and slender It made those blessed Martyrs in the Reign of Severus the Emperor of whom Eusebius writes that after long and hard imprisonment being released for a time they appeared to the People as those that came è Myrothecia non Ergastulo rather out of Shops from among sweet Oyntments than out of filthy Prisons They were brought forth saith he rejoycing in their Torments and carrying in their Countenances a certain Divine aspect This inward peace of Conscience made the Prophet Isay cheerfully to submit himself to the Saw Jeremiah to be stoned Paul to the Sword Peter to the Cross Lawrence to the Grid-iron c. Prov. 28. 1. The righteous is bold as a Lyon Conscintia pura semper secura A good Conscience hath a secure Confidence and he that hath it sits Noah-like mediis tranquillus in undis Quiet in the greatest Combustions Freed if not from the common Destruction yet from the common Distraction For he knows whom he hath trusted and is sure that neither Life nor Dèath nor things Present nor things to come can ever sunder him from God's love in Christ Rom. 8. 38 39. Tho Saul could not be merry without a Fidler Ahab without Naboth's Vineyard Nor Haman without Mordecai's curtesie Yet he that hath a good Conscience can be merry without all these Yea as the Lilly is fresh beautiful and looks pleasantly tho among Thorns So can such an one exult in the midst of troubles St. Paul tho no man out of Hell ever suffered more then he yet did he not only Glory in Tribulations but Over-abounded exceedingly with joy 2 Cor. 7. 4. There are four quiet Consciences and never a one of them good First The ignorant Conscience which with the blind Man swallows many a Fly and know's it not Ephe. 4. 18 19. Secondly The Conscience that was never yet well awakened The sleeping Conscience But Sin lyes at the Door His Bones are full of the Sin of his youth which shall lye down with him in the Dust Job 20. 11. This is worse than a troubled Conscience Here the strong Man armed keepeth possession and therefore all things are at Peace Luke 11. 21. Thirdly The deluded Conscience that Dreams of nothing but Visions of Peace Lam. 2. 14. being deluded by Satan and his Instruments as Ahab was by his false Prophets 1 Kin. 22. 21 22. Most men are in this condition Zech. 1. 11. Behold all the Earth sits still and is at rest Zeph. 1. 11. I will punish the men that are setled on their Lees c. These dye like Lambs and are accounted happy Jer. 51. 40. Fourthly The obdurate Conscience These Treasure up wrath against the day of Wrath Rom. 2. 5. Job 36. 13. There is no greater a Plague than such a Conscience David before he was smitten either by God's hand or by the Prophet's reproof his own sanctified Conscience did the Office of a faithful Monitor and houshold Chaplain For his Heart presently mis-gave him 1 Chron. 21. 8. 2 Sam. 24 10. Bee-Masters tell us that those are the best Hives that make the greatest noise Sure it is that that is the best Conscience that suffers not a man to sleep in Sin David's heart smote him for numbring the People It was for his own for a small for a secret Sin For failing in the manner only For he knew that a man might as well dye of an in ward bleeding as of an outward Wound The good Soul is often afflicted for it's failings in those Duties which others applaud and extoll A good and a peaceable Conscience saith Bernard est lectus Animae The Bed on which the Soul takes sweet repose Behold the Considence of a good Conscience towards God 1 Pet. 3. 21. when it is parling with God by Prayer and bold intercession It dares plead with God as Jeremy did Righteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee Yet let me talk with thee of thy Judgments c. Jer. 12. 1. And interrogates as St. Paul Rom. 8. 33 34 35. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifies Who is he that Condemns c And expostulates with God as David often did When God seems to be asleep he will awaken him When to delay he will quicken him When to have lost his wonted kindness he will find it for him In pure Water the Face may be seen not so in muddy So in a pure Conscience Gods Face may be seen and no where else in the Earth As Faith makes the Conscience good before God so Purity makes it good before men The unlearned man with a good Conscience saith St. Austin will go to Heaven when thou with all thy Learning shalt be cast into Hell Surgunt indocti rapiunt Regnum Coelorum c. Faith looks to Promises Fear to threats Hope to futures Obedience to Duties Repentance to Sins c. But Conscience looks to all A good Conscience will stand a Man instead when he appears before the great Tribunal of God where Courage dares not shew it's Face nor Eloquence open
it's Mouth nor Majesty hath any respect nor Greatness hath any favour where Money bears no Mastery as that Martyr said To be feasted with the Fruits of a good Conscience is Angels food and some of the Sweet-meats of Heaven as a tormenting Conscience is one of the greatest miseries of Hell No man can attain to a good Conscience but by a careful and diligent keeping of his Heart saith Bernard A good Conscience hath ever one Eye upon God to observe his Precepts and the other up to God by Prayer to begg his direction and Assistance Every man would willingly live and dye Comfortably No way so to do but by laying up a Foundation of Comfort in an holy Conversation A wicked Man would gladly forget himself and run away from himself He cannot look backward or inward to himself without guilt and Horror It was therefore good Counsel of an old Rabbi Ne sis impius coram te ipso Be not wicked in thine own sight Learn to reverence thy Conscience No such good Companion as a good Conscience A man may then dare to be acquainted with himself as some men have written the History of their own Lives A Leper cares not much for a Looking-Glass because he shall see by it nothing but his own Deformity A Bank-rupt cannot abide to cast up his account because he shall find himself worse than nothing But he that leads a holy Life is like to a man who hath Travelled over a beautiful Valley and being on the top of the Hill turns about with delight to take a View of it again A good Conscience will be a Noah's Ark to save us from perishing with the World A Zoar to shelter us from Wrath to come It will be a Simon to help us to bear our Crosses His Motto is Miser sit qui miser esse potest Let who will be miserable he cannot To get and keep a good Conscience we must dislodg two home-bred Innmates 1. Carnal delights Rest not in these in Wealth in Men Rely not on Wines Meats Musick Pleasures Company c. These will deceive in times of Distress Besides Nature soon putrifies and turns to Corruption and so proves baneful 2. Take heed of sinful Lusts These War against the Peace and Comfort of the Soul 2 Pet. 2. 12. Yea they are so far from Comforting that they oppress The end of such Mirth is heaviness of Spirit Sorrow Fear Anguish Tribulation and Woe upon every Soul that wallow's in such sensual Sins Conceive therefore of Sin yea of every Sin as of a Disease a Wound an Enemy to Peace and Complain and strive against it Still walk in the Light and keep thy self in God's presence so Peace shall be upon thee and thy Spirit shall be held up in cheerfulness Oh the power of Conscience As it makes an happy Estate miserable if bad So a miserable Condition blessed if Good As will fully appear in this rare Example Anno Christi 1555. There was one Algerius a Student in Padua a young man of excellent Learning who having attained to the Knowledge of the Truth ceased not by Instruction and Example to teach it to others for which being accused to the Pope by his command he was cast into Prison where he lay long and during that time he wrote a most affectionate Letter to the distressed Saints wherein among many others sweet expressions he thus writeth I cannot but Communicate unto you some Portion of my delectations and joys which I feel and find Who would believe that in this dark Dungeon I should find a Paradise of Pleasure For in this place of Sorrow and Death dwells Tranquillity and hope of Life In an infernal Cave I have joy of Soul I have found Honey in the entrails of a Lyon Where others weep I rejoyce Where others tremble I have strength and boldness c. All these things the sweet hand of the Lord doth minister unto me He doth Comfort me and fills me with gladness He drives away all Sorrow and strengthens encourages heals refreshes and advanceth me c. Collected out of the Works of B P. Reynolds Dr. Harris Dr. Stoughton c. by S. C. About CHARITY THe Emblem of Charity is a naked Child giving Honey to a Bee without wings Naked because excuseless and simple a Child because tender and growing Giving Honey because Honey is pleasant and Comfortable To a Bee because a Bee is Painful and deserving Without wings because helpless and wanting If thou deniest unto such thou killest a Bee If thou givest to other than such thou preservest a Drone Not to give to the Poor is to take from him Not to feed the Hungry if thou hast it is to the utmost of thy Power to kill him That therefore thou may'st avoid both Sacriledg and Murther be Charitable Be not too cautious in discerning the fit Objects of thy Charity lest a Person perish through thy discretion What thou givest to mistaken want shall return a Blessing to thy deceived Heart 'T is better in relieving idleness to commit an accidental Evil than in neglecting misery to omit an Essential good Better two Drones be preserved than one Bee perish God takes particular notice and books down every Act and work of Mercy that is done to his People even to a little Cake of Bread 1 Kin. 17. 30. And to a Cup of cold Water Mat. 10. 42. Water that is a cheap thing Cold water no matter either of cost or Pains Even this shall be rewarded Christ comes in his Flesh to you when Poor Christians come to you He presents a pale Face a thin Cheek He presents a bare Arm or Leg to you Will you not do something to support Christ And to cloth Christ in his Members Shall the Bones of Christ stare and stand out Shall the naked Flesh and skin of Christ pine away for want of succour Christians that come to you are your own Flesh Isa 58. 7. And shall the Head do nothing for the Foot And shall the Hand and Eyes do nothing for the Leg What! Not for it's own Flesh And for those that be of the same Body Give cheerfully and bless God that you have an Estate to give and bless God that you have an opportunity to give and an Heart to give and that hereby you make God a sharer in your Wealth and Plenty and your selves sharers in his Blessedness Therefore bless your self bless your Houses bless your Estates For it 's a Blesseder thing to give than to receive Act. 20. 35. As Husband-men cast some of their Corn back into a fruitful Soil whereby in due time they reap with advantage So should we do with our Worldly blessings Sow them in the Bowels and upon the Backs of the poor Members of Christ and in the day of Harvest we shall find a great encrease Alms in Greek comes from a word that signifies to Pitty because they should proceed from a merciful and pittiful Heart And in the Hebrew and Syriack it 's
as it were in Triumph through a World of Bonds Rods Swords Racks Wheels Flames Strapadoes and whatsoever else is most terrible These joys are impregnable and unspeakable indeed This Peace is unconceivable passes all understanding This Friend is unmatchable Let not such an one so true so fast so good be slighted or offended Therefore let us be of St. Paul's mind set Conscience at an high Price Consider what it will be worth in a day of Trouble of Death of Judgment Weigh what the Price of Conscience would be at in Hell if men might buy their Peace and Rate it accordingly Look how chary a proud Woman is of her Beauty a Wise-man of his Eye a Weak man of his Stomach So and much more than so should a Christian be careful of his Conscience Of his Heart Prov. 4. 23. Keep thy Heart with all diligence c. Pet. 23. 1. I have lived in all good Conscience before God until this day Heb. 13. 18. We trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Give Conscience content and rest and it will pay thee an Hundred-fold It will round thee in the Ear and say this is well however it be taken and therefore be not discouraged This is naught however applauded and Painted 'T is stark staring naught 'T is Pride Hypocrisie therefore amend it Other Friends go and come and stand afar off now at hand now I know not where But Conscience is no starter 'T is never from our sides out of our Bosoms A pacified Conscience what a Blessing is that What joys be those which will carry a man out of the Earth and make him say Tho I have Wife Children Friends Wealth House Health Ease Honour c. after mine own Hearts desire yet these are nothing to my Comfort and Contentment within Oh Conscience Thou hast a special gift in Comforting that canst make the Patient laugh and rejoyce when the Spectators weep and mourn and canst carry frail Flesh singing and rejoycing thorough a World of Miseries These joys be strong indeed and pass mans understanding Phil. 4. 7. Other Friends love not to come to a Sick-mans Bed-side Or if they do they cannot abide to hear his groaning to see a Dead man At the most they can but follow him to the Grave But Conscience will make a mans Bed in his sickness and cause him to lye the softer It will stand by him when he groans and Comfort him It will hearten him against Death when it 's coming and say thy Redeemer lives It will whisper to him when departing and say Thy Warfare is accomplished It will lodge the Body in the Grave as in a Bed accompany the Soul into Heaven and enable it to look God in the Face without any terror So fast a Friend is this that when Riches Husband Parents Friends Breath Life Nay when Patience Hope Faith have left us in some measure this will not leave us That 's the best Glass which shews the smallest spots The brightest Light that shews the least Motes The finest Flesh that is sensible of the least pricking So that Conscience that is sensible of the least Sin or failing is the Perfection of Christianity whereunto we should all endeavour to attain If you lay an heavy burden upon a sound Shoulder it goes away with it well enough So if the Soul and Conscience be sound and God enable a man to bear it Diseases Imprisonment Disgrace c are easily born As the cleerest Blood makes the best Spirits So doth a good Life the quietest Conscience The purest air breeds the greatest agility and the purest Life the fairest Hope A natural Conscience shews only the danger of Sin and so makes a man fear it But a spiritual Conscience shews the filthiness and pollution of Sin and so makes a man hate it A good Conscience appears in the Countenance and looks merrily out at the Windows of the Eyes But this is not till Faith hath healed the Conscience This made Stephen to look like an Angel Act. 6. 15. and the Apostles to rejoyce in their sufferings Act. 5. 41. This is Praemium ante praemium even Heaven afore-hand some Clusters of Grapes of that Celestial Canaan A good Conscience will not only stand under the greatest pressures as we see in St. Paul 2 Cor. 1. 9. 12. We had the Sentence of Death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the Dead For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and Godly sincerity not with fleshly Wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World But goes as merrily to Dye in a good cause as ever he did to Dine as we see in divers of the Martyrs Be the Air cleer or Cloudy he enjoys a continual serenity and sits always at the blessed Feast whereat the Angels are continually the blessed Cooks and Butlers as Luther phraseth it and the three Persons of the Trinity are gladsome Guests A good Conscience is a full Feast a lasting Feast not for a day as was Nabal's Nor for seven dayes as was that of Sampson No nor for ninescore dayes as was of that Ahasherus But a durable Feast without intermission of solace or interruption of Society Vis ergo O Homo semper epulari Vis nunquam tristis esse saith Bernard Bene vive Would'st thou never be sad Would'st thou turn thy whole Life into a merry Festival Get and keep a good Conscience Prov. 17. 22. A merry Heart doth good like a Medicine All true mirth is from the peace of Conscience When Faith hath healed the Conscience there is a Sabbath of rest and blessed tranquillity lodged in the Soul and then the Body also is vigorous for the most part and in good plight and healthful Eccles 9. 7. c. Go thy way saith Solomon there to one that hath a good Conscience Eat thy Bread with joy and drink thy Wine with a merry Heart Let thy Garments be always White and let thy Head lack no Oyntment c. That is be merry at thy Meals light-some in thy Cloaths painful and cheerful in thy Calling c. all which do much further Health Such shall renew their strength They shall mount up with wings as Eagles They shall run and not be Weary And they shall walk and not Faint Isa 40. 31. Let a man be sound within and at Peace with his own Conscience and he will be able bravely to bear up under unspeakable Pressures as did St. Paul 2 Cor. 1. 9. 12. as an old beaten Porter to the Cross Maluit toller are quà m deplorare His stroak was heavier than his groaning Job 23. 2. Conscience is frequently in Scripture called the Spirit of a Man as being planted by God in every part of the reasonable Soul where she produceth occasionally several Operations as being the Souls School-Master Monitor and domestical Preacher God's spy and Man's Over-seer The principal