pride and hautinesse of minde which is a priuie euill and hardly will be beaten into the head of them that are infected therwith But sure it is that we wold neuer be so grieued for the losse of a thing if we did not too much desire it and too immoderately vse it whilst wee had it Iohn 12 42. Which sinne of haughtines the Lord seeing in his children that they are more humbled with the losseof worldly credit then with the sence of their sinnes and the losse of their glory â—ee striketh them with the wante of that thing which is most precious vnto them because they made no conscience of that honor which is most precious vnto him Wherefore this is the best remedie rather to be grieued that we feele not our sinnes to be pardoned with God then that we are knowne to be sinners amongst men and that we be ready to shame our selues that God may haue the glory acknowledging shame and confusion and the whole hell of temptations to be due vnto vs and glory praise compassion to be only the Lords For this is a speciall marke of the child of God by temptations rightly humbled when he is ready to shame himselfe for his sin that he may glorifie God in his mercy 3 Vnto one that thought himselfe to haue â—inned against the holy Ghost he saide Sathans temptations follow our affections For if we lightly account of sinne he bleares our eyes still with Gods mercies if we beginne to make a conscience of sinne he loadeth vs with the iudgements of God being as ready now to aggrauate the sinne more then it is in it selfe as before he woulde extenuate it to make it seeme lesse then it was Howbeit said he to the man thus afflicted I will saye vnto you as Samuel saide to the people after they had confessed themselues to haue sinned against God with a great sinne True it is said Samuel not flattering them in their iniquities Ye haue sinned greatly notwithstanding if ye will feare the Lord and serue him and heare his voice and not disobey the word of the Lorde ye shall follow the Lord your God But if ye will not obey the voyce of the Lorde but disobeye the Lordes mouth then shall the hand of the Lord be vpon you 1. Sam. 12.14 So I will not lessen your sine but I say you haue sinned with a great sinnne before the Lord in that you made a mocke of the worde which you knew yet if you turne to the Lord in feare and serue him your sinne is remissible howsoeuer Sathan chargeth your conscence that you haue done euill against your owne knowledge For although euery sinne against the holy Ghost is against a mans conscience knowledge yet euery sinne against our knowledge and conscience is not against the holy Ghost For then Dauid and Peter had sinned against the holy Ghost for they sinned after the holy Ghost was come vpon them which is not true as may appeare by their godly repentance ensuing Some sins are against knowledge but of humane frailty some are against knowledge of a rebellious obstinacy These last are the persecutions of the spirit of God as he is the power of God Those first are not so precisely against the holy ghost but against God the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost the one which may be repented of is remissible the other which is without repentance is irremissible wherfore in that you quake and are affraid least this sin be in you would reioice in God if it were not in you If you purpose to leaue your former sins in trueth henceforth turne vnto the Lord I dare assure you that as yet you are free from this sinne 4 Vnto one afflicted in mind he gaue this coÌ„fort First if you haue knowledge be thankful for it desire the lord to giue you faith if you haue faith which vndoubtedly you may haue though not rightly discerning your selfe you presently perceiue it not you must wait on the Lord for feeling of it And though it may be you shal tarry the lords leasure long yet surely he wil giue it you in time In the meane time assure your self that the greatest faith is when there is least feeling Because it is easy for euery one in glorious feelings ioies vnspeakable to beleue but when a man feeling no sensible coÌ„fort in the Lord can notwithstanding beleeue in the Lord by saith wait on him this mans faith is very great 5 He gaue this aduise to one against the deadnes of the mind that ouertaketh the godly first search the cause whether it be for some euill thing done or for some good thing not done so leauing some means of saluatioÌ„ vnused whether for some sin seene but not repented of or some sin repented of but not souÌ„dly or for vnthankfulnes Secondly vse the remedy please not your selfe in it but rouse vp your selfe as froÌ„ a sluÌ„ber which willingly you would shake from you cal to mind the special greatest mercy of God vse the means Thirdlie in the meanes offer your selfe to God waiting â—umbly patiently for the time of deliuerance neither esteming to much or to little of your afflictions 6 To one that coÌ„plained of the hardnes of his hart he said You must wait for coÌ„fort know that you can now no more iudge of your selfe than a man sleeping can iudge of thinges which he did waking or a man wandring in the darke can discerne of bright colours For as the one may whilest he was waking doe exccellent things and yet nowe neyther himselfe knoweth of them nor any other can espie them in him the other may be enuironed with fresh and flourishing colours yet for want of light can haue no vse of his eies nor pleasure in the obiects so you haue done great good things whilst god gaue you a waking heart to put them in practise and the light of his spirit to discerne his graces in you though now you haue neyther the sight nor sence of them And this is the thing that deceiueth and disquieteth many they look for that discerning of theÌ„selues wheÌ„ the graces of God are more cold which they had when gods spirit wrought in the swetest fullest measure in them And because there is some intermission of the work of their new birth they thinke there is a â—lat amission in theÌ„ of the spirit of God But as it is a token of a mind to presumpteous infatuated in time of a dead security to perswade our selues still of that safety in hauing those graces which somtimes we had so it is a signe of a minde abiect too much dispairing to thinke that because we haue not in present feelings these ioyes glorious vnspeakable which we haue had therfore we neuer had theÌ„ heretofore or that we shall neuer haue theÌ„ again hereafter 8 He saide to a godly Christian much inuaying against our vnbeleefe I doe not now suspect
thee to be too fearefull and superstititious eyther hee will puffe thee vp with presumption or assault thee with desperation To these tentations our nature is very pliable first to presumption as may appeare by our common speech tush the Preacher is but a man as I am I am sure he hath infirmities as others haue wee are no Angels our nature is corrupt we are but flesh I am sure you would not haue vs Gods Thus the Diuell commeth to tempt but he apparrelleth himselfe in another sute when hee commeth to accuse and then of a â—lie he makes an Elephant of the verie smallest pricke of a pin a gloabe of the whole earth of a moale hill a mountainâ— and presseth silly soules with feares and terrours that they knowe not how to winde out themselues If hee cannot bring them to make no conscience where they should make conscience hee will labour to bring them to make conscience where they neede make no conscience He careth not whether thou wilt be remisse or superstitious so thou be one of them If he cannot get you to follow the Epicurisme of the world as Libertines in diet and apparrell hee will make you so precise as to think it a hainous sinne to eate one bit of meate or to weare one ragge of cloath more than for necessitie How needfull thereâ—ore it is to saile which an euen course we may coniecture by other thinges which will bewray the corruption of our nature In the time of a plague we shall see some will be so bold that without any lawfull calling or godly warrant they will rush into places infected and then falling sicke their conscience prickes them for their tempting of God by an vnaduised boldnes in the hower of their death Others plunged as deepely in a quite contrarie extremitie are too fearfull when they doe but heare of the sickenesse and for verie feare haue beene brought to deaths doore onely by imagining themselues to haue beene infected when they haue beene most free who ofteneimes haue euen died and that without any naturall cause that euer coulde be knowen but onely through immoderate feare and the iudgement of God comming vppon them for their infidelity and vnbeliefe Thus it is with vs in Christianitie in that as well the oppressing our selues with too much feare to be ouercome as the carnall securitie in not fearing to bee ouercome may bring sinne vppon vs. God his children must labour for a measure and that must be sought for in the word which will teach them how they shall neyther decline on the right hand nor on the left but will guide them in the narrowe way showing in euerie thinge what is the vertue what is the vice what is the meane what is the extreame Among many Examples let vs consider of zeale a most precious vertue in Christianitie so long as it is free from the extremities Otherwise if we be colde in zeale it is a sinne on the left hande if wee bee zealous without knowledge it is preposterous and becommeth a sinne on the right hand But can wee not come to some perfection No if you vnderstand it for an absolute vnspottednes albeit to that perfection which the Scripture taketh for soundnesse trueth and sinceritie of heart which is voyde of carelesse remissnes wee may come Neither doth the Lord deale with vs aâ—ter our sinnes nor reward vs after our iniquities in whose eies the most glorious actions of men are but as waters flowing purely from the Conduit but defiled by passing through a filthy chanell Wherefore although wee haue our imperfections let vs not seeke to be more righteous than we can be saying for euerie errour of this life Oh I am none of God his sonnes I am none of his daughters for I cannot finde that perfection in me which is to be required But let vs comfort our selues in the trueth of our heartes and singlenes of our deâ—ires to serue God because he is God and so wee shall bee accepted of God I speake this to this ende that poore soules might haue comfort and knowe that is they abhorr sin as sin if they examine theÌ„selues for it if they grone vnder it if they mislike themselues for it if they feare to fall into it the Lord will not pursue them with the rigor of his lawe but will giue them the sweetnesse of his promises they are no more vnder the â—urse but vnder grace But further to inforce our Exhortation to auoyde too scrupulous a feare which hindereth the true examination of our heartes let vs think that it happeneth in the spiritual conflict as in ciuill wars Wee reade that manie Cities lying in great securitie haue sodainely both beene assaulted and ouerthrowen as also how some Countries too much negligenâ—e in the meanes through an excessiue fearefullnes haue incouraged their enemies with more greedie violence to pray vppon them With which kinde of stratagems our aduersary the diuell beeing well acquainted doth often practise this pollicie If hee see vs without all feare too quietly to rest in our selues hee thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger because our resistance is the weaker Againe if he discrieth in vs a cowardly feare and fainting of heart before wee once beginne to ioyne battaile with him hee will set vpon our immoderate feare as villainously as sodenly stab vs to the heart make a present spoyle of vs. Common practise doth farther teach vs that when we can heare the word without all trembling at God his iudgements when wee can pray without all feare before the Maiestie of God when wee can come to the Discipline of the Church without all reuerence of the ordinance of the Lord all is in vaine Againe let vs heare with too much trembling and wee shall learne nothing let vs pray with too seruile a feare and our worshipping of God will be without all comfort and vnchearfull Thus if we neither lessen sinne that is sinne indeede neyther make sinne of that which is not sinne in trueth it is good to proceede to this threefolde examination and to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our affections because many will be found in this ripenes of knowledge and barrennes of conscience to speake dispute and declame of al these thinges verie skilfully which flickring in the circumference of the braine and not sitting at the ground of the heart doe seale vp a more iust sentence of condemnation against them To helpe this euill with we must meditate deeplier of the Law and of the Gospell together with the appurtenances of them both that finding our selues farre from Gods blessings promised to the keepers of the law and seeing our selues nere to the curses due to the breakers of the Law we may raise vp some sense of sinne in our selues Yet herein we must not stay our foote but giue a farther stride for whereas many by a diligent view of the law haue come to the sense of sinne in themselues and saw plainly their
tempered speech of the Apostle to the sorcerer Repent that if it be possible thy sinne may be forgiuen thee Where hee doth not wholly discourage him because it may bee his sinne may be pardoned neither yet too boldly incourage him in that without repentance he sheweth it altogether impossible to be pardoned And that we be not too preposterous in our consolations let vs bee warned by the blasphemous speech of that detestable Arian who of late yeares was put to death at Norwich This hellish heretique a little before he should be executed afforded a fewe whorish teares asking whether hee might bee saued in Christ or no When one tolde him that if he truely repented he should surely not perish he brake out most monstrously into this speech Nay is your Christ so easily to be intreated indeede as you say Then I defie him and care not for him Oh how good a thing had it beene not to haue cast this precious stone to this swine Oh how safe had it beene to haue dealt more bitterlie and to haue dwelt more vehementlie on the conscience of this caytife Now to attaine some discretion in curing this wounded spirite wee must learne wisely to iudge both of the person afflicted and of the nature of his affliction First we may note whether it be a man or a woman because we may vrge more fearfully the vse of the law to a man as beeing the stronger vessell And as Sathan knewe the woman to be most easie and frameable to be wrought vpon at his first temptation so is hee not ignorant that shee is the weaker partye to sustaine any temptation nowe Then let vs consider whether they that are thus humbled haue knowledge or no Because if they haue no knowledge they thinke trouble of minde to be so strange a thing as neuer anie before had it if they haue knowledge then Sathan is readie to accuse them of the sinne against the holy Ghost as though euery sinne done against knowledge were a sinne of presumption Further we are to enquire howe strong or weake they are that if they be sorely stricken we cease to humble thē any further if they be not sufficiently wounded then to touch thē with some deeper sense of sin Also we must be circumspect to finde out whether by nature they are more fearful melancholy or no As also whether they be vsuall sinners or haue falne once of infirmity that so vpon their disposition inclinatiō we may builde our speeches the better To these it is good to adde the consideration of the persons age estate ability as if the party be troubled for worldlines whether he be not a great housholder if he complaine of vncleannes whether he be not a yoong man vnmaried if he be hūbled with couetousnes whether he be not old because diuers countries callings ages conditions estates of men haue their diuers peculiar sinnes which we must rightly discerne Howbeit of what sex soeuer they are men or women of what complexion soeuer the are of what knowledge to discerne sin of what degree of commiting sinne of what age authority wealth estate or condition soeuer they are it is good to marke that there be many who are more troubled for the vexation and disquietnes of their minde beeing distempered then for the vilenes and horriblenes of their sinne committed who are wounded more with the feare of shame with the feare of beeing mad or with the feare of running out of their wittes than with the conscience of sinne Which thing if we find in them it is our part to trauell with them that they make a lesse matter of the outward shame more conscience of the inward sinne Neyther must we here forget to make a distinctiō between our speeches vsed to the hūbled in the very time of their extream agony burning a gue of their trobles those speches which we vse to them the fit beeing past because the one and former requireth more consolation and lesse exhortation the other and latter would haue vs more aboundant in admonishing and more sparing in comforting when we may wisely admonish them to beware of sinne which so procured their owne woe In this breathing time it is also expedient to exhort them that for some season vntill they shall finde greater power of regeneration they would tye themselues to some holy orders and godly vowes whereby they may either be furthered in mortifying some speciall sinne which for that they coulde finde no power against it did most grieue them or strengthened in some special grace the want wherof did also wound them But before we launch deeper into this sea of particular tentations and beginne to founde the dangerous passages of naturall corruption and originall sinne the troublesome froath whereof doth almost ouerwhelme many poore pilgrims it shall be good to giue this caution that both in these and in the former troubles men woulde be still againe admonished patiently to beare with a wounded spirit albeit it fall out so that they be somewhat pettish seeing the holy Ghost speaketh so fauourably of them saying A wounded Spirit who can beare And surely our practise in other thinges by the lawe of equitie may vrge this at our handes For if men by the light of reason can see it to bee a duetie conuenient not furiously to controle but meekely to suffer and wisely to put vp the vnaduised speeches of a man distempered in braine by reason of some burning ague or such like violent and vehement sicknes we may easily gather euen by the same rule of reason not so seuerely to censure the impatient speeches of him who by reason of some parching Feuer of the spirit is disquieted in all partes of his minde and hath all the veynes of his heart as it were in a spirituall agony vexed Wherfore both vnsauory for want of godly wisedome and vncharitable for want of Christian loue are their murmuring obtrectations which say what Is this the godly man Is this hee that is so troubled for his sinnes Why see how pettish he is nothing can please him no bodie can satisfie him Consider O man if thou canst beare with a fraile body that thou must much more beare with a fraile minde Consider O man that this his pettishnes doth more wound him to the heart than any iniury thou couldest presse him with And therefore seeing he afflicteth his owne soule for it thou needest not adde any thing to his affliction and to exasperate his grieuous smart Consider that it is a blessed thing mercifully to bethinke vs of the estate of the needy and that to rub a fresh wound to streine a bleeding sore is nothing else but with Iobs friends to bring a new torment wher there is no need of it If the wise father doth rather pittie than rebuke his childe when by reason of sicknes the appetite is not easily pleased euen so if we purpose to doe any good with an afflicted minde
worde in that it citeth and sommoneth our consciences before the tribunall of God and woundeth vs with a liuely feeling of Gods iudgement that he who before thorough securitie did despise sounde doctrine may now be constreained to giue the glory vnto God This appeareth more plainely Heb. 4.12 where it is saide that the word of God is liuelie mâ—ghty in operation and sharper then any two edged sword it pearceth thought froÌ„ thought all holinesse shall seme hypocrisie all our righteousnes shall seeme as a defiled cloath we shall finde with Paul that in vs that is in our flesh dwelleth no righteousnes For mens consciences are coulde neither are they touched and displeased with their euils so long as they be in ignorance but when the worde of God pearceth into the vttermost corners of their consciences and telleth them that they haue to doe with the Lorde they are thoroughlye touched and beginne to feare and entering into themselues examining their conscience they come to the knowledge of that which before they had forgotten We can neuer bee offered to God without his spirite Iohn 16.8 For he reprooueth the world of sinne and awaketh our consciences that those sins which before were hid should be made manifest Dauid did lye an whole yeâ—re without this pricke of conscience and thought that all was well vntill Nathan came neither did he finde comfort of conscience vntill he had thus beene pricked Iosephes brethren were thirteene yeares and neuer remembred their sinnes vntill after such time the Lorde laide it before them The Prophet Dauid Psal. 32 which he intituled a Psalme of instruction concerning the free remission of sinnes â—eacheth how wee shall finde the same For many perswade themselues that their sinnes are forgiuen when they be not He also sheweth that vntill trouble of minde did driue him to GOD he founde no comfort Manâ—sses which did eate the breade of sorrow and did drinke the water of griefe vntill he had lamented and sorrowed felt no rest nor peace The woman of Samaria Iohn 4. was pleasant and iested with our Sauiour Christ vntill hir sinnes were opened and then shee beganne to answere with more reuerence For vntill shee was willed to call hir husbande shee thought all was safe but after that he had tolde hir that shee had plaide the adulteresse shee acknowledged him that hee was a Prophet Wherefore wee may see by this which hath beene spoken that the word of God onely pricketh our consciences as plainly may here appeare by the Iewes who cared not for the Apostles nor made any conscience vntill their hearts were pricked In the second place we must note that they were rightly pricked For many often times are pricked which kicke against the pricke and hauing their consciences galled by the word they murmur eyther against the preacher of the word or against the word itselfe Here then is the difference betweene the godly and the wicked the one is pricked and is made more carefull in a godly conscience the other more hardened then before But this is a godly sorrowe when we loue the man that rebuketh vs and reuerence the word the more being by it reprooued in our conscience Doe we loue him then that rebuketh vs then we heare profitably Let vs examine our selues in this sort I see God hath wounded me by him he is the instrument whereby God doth humble me I will therfore loue him Contrary if we be often touched amende not we are in danger of Gods wrath Many indeed are pricked with pouerty many with sicknes some with other like afflictioÌ„s but few with their sins which is the cause of their pouerty sicknes and other afflictions Let vs then learne a willingnesse to offer our selues to be taught and to be pricked for sinne as these men were The wicked also are pricked somtimes for sinne but it is rather for feare of punishment then for conscience to displease God as were Caine and Iudas Some men are pricked and to put away their sorrow they will goe sleepe they will go play they will goe sport they wil get to merie company and passe away the time and so as they terme it they will purge driue away the rage of melancholy they neuer goe to any Preacher to aske of the Lord or at the mouth of his spirite They neuer respect to prayer nor seeke any comforte in the word of GOD. But to put away sorrow on this sort is to call it againe and to feele it more freshly either in the hower of death or in hell Contrariwise if our sorrow doth driue vs to praier or to the worde of God it is good As for the wicked and prophaine worldlinges though as the wise man saith Ecclesiact 11. hee spende all his daies without any euill yet his darknes wilbe greater then the light his sorrowe greater then his pleasure his losse greater then his gaine his trouble greater then his vanitie in hell Let vs not then so carnally shake off this godly sorrow For the worde will send vs often an vnquiet spirite that wee may seeke to be quiet in Christ. To examine our selues herein Haue wee heard the worde of God were we pricked by it then haue wee profited haue we not been pricked thereby then as yet are we not a sacrifice for the Lord. For as was saide before Christ comforteth them that are troubled he helpeth them that doubt he caseth them which are in distresse he setteth their feete in the way of peace and gladnes that haue long beene in darkenes and sorrow Haue ye not beene sorrowfull will ye learne a salue for this sore be sorrowfull that ye were not sorrowfull be pricked in your hearts because you were not more pricked Haue we heard the word Let vs examin our selues if our knowledge be the beter If our affectioÌ„s be the holier As hauing heard the expositioÌ„ of the law of God do we feare God do we know how to loue God do we pray to God do we worship God in our soules in our bodies more carfully in greater coÌ„science theÌ„ we haue don hertofore Are we not now as profaine carelesse stil in giuing the right worship to the true God as before we were to superstitious in seruing Angels SaÌ„ts other false Gods nether sorrowing for our idolatry nor careing for true religioÌ„ haue we not blasphemed profaned the name of god in vnreuereÌ„t hearing his word in vnprofitable talking of his works abusing his owne maiesty with swearing and cursing as much as we euer did before Haue we kept holie the saboth or haue we not prophaned it by open neglect of the worde by playing sporting drinking and other vanities doe we not still send forth our seruantes to dispatch our busines on that day as if it were the market day when they may do such thinges most lawfully Are not parentes hous-holders and gouernours as slacke in prouoking obedience and children seruantes and subiectes as flow
but becommeth eternall For euen the heathen men thought that death was the end of all misery the perswasion whereof made them beeing in some misery to make an ende of themselues and hasten their owne death as Sathan doth make many now a daies to doe who are ignorant of the hell which is a place of farre greater paines than any they can suffer in this worlde whatsoeuer Howebeit a tormented conscience if before it was begun is now continued or if it was not before now beginneth and neuer endeth world without ende For though true it is that sicknes pouerty imprisonmeÌ„t or banishmeÌ„t haue ended their term in death yet a wouÌ„ded hart which was teÌ„poral in this life is nowe eternall after this life that which before death was in hope recouerable is after death made vncurable vnrecouerable It is good therefore to consider if euen in this life the torment of conscience be so fearefull how much more grieuous it is to susteine it in hell where that is infinite which here is finit where that is vnmesurable which here is mesurable where is the sea of sorow wherof this is but a drop where is the flame of that fire wherof this is lesse then a sparke But to shut vp this argument Some there haue beene who through out all their life time haue been free from all other troubles so as either they felt them not at all or else in very small measure and by that meanes neuer knewe what outward trouble meant As for example some men there haue beene who for sicknesse neuer knewe there headeach for pouertie neuer knewe what want meant who for discredite were neuer euill spoken of who euer put farre from them the euill daye of the Lorde who made a league with death as it were a couenant with hell who thought they could crucifie euery crosse rather thaÌ„ come vnderany crosse yet they could neuer escape a wounded conscience either in this life or in the life to come True it is that Gods Children by faith repentance do often escape it but the wicked and such as are borne vnto it as to their sure inheritance the more they flie from it the more it pursueth them If we haue transgressed the Ciuil Lawes the Iudge by bribes may be corrupted if a man haue committed some capitall offence by flying his Country he may escape the Magistrates handes but our consciences telling vs that we haue sinned against God what bribe shall we offer or whether shall wee flie whether shall wee goe from his spirit or whether shall we goe from his presence If we ascend into heauen is not he there If wee lie downe in hell is hee not there If we flie to the vtmost parts of the sea is he not there also There needeth no apparitor to summon vs there needes no Bayly arraunt to fetch vs there needes noe accuser to giue in against vs sinne will arrest vs and lieth at the Doore our owne Conscience will impannell a Quest against vs our owne heartes will giue in sufficient Euidence and our owne iniquitie will plead vs to be guiltie to our owne faces Thus we se both by the experience of theÌ„ that haue suffered the wound of the spirit and by the comparinge of it with other euils what a waight most grieuous and burden intollerable it is to haue a tormented conscience Now let vs shew how we may preuent by what meanes Gods children falling into some degrees of it for if it rage in extremity it is an euill vnrecouerable may safely and quietly be deliuered from it And here a iust complaint is to be taken vp it is a wonder to be marked if we may wonder at Gods works that we se many so carefull watchfull to auoide oâ—her troubles and so few or none take any paines to escape the trouble of minde which is so grieuous We se men louing health and loathing sicknes in diet temperat in sleepe moderate in Phisicke expert skilful to purge to auoide such corrupt humors which in time may breed though presently they do not bring forth some daÌ„gerous sicknes yet to auoid the diseases of the soule no man abateth his sleep no man abridgeth his diet no man prepareth Phisicke for it no man knoweth when to be ful and when to be emptie how to want and how to abound Others carried away with the loue of riches very â—ly to fall into pouerty will not sticke to rise early to take sleep lately to fare hardly to teare taw their flesh in labour by land by water in faire foule wether by rocks and by sands from farre and from neare and yet to fall into Spirituall decaies to auoid the pouertie of conscience no man taketh such paines as though saluation and peace of minde were not a thing worthy the labouring for Some ambitiously hunting after honor not easily digesting reproaches behaue themselues neither sluggishly nor sleepely but are actiue in euery attempt by loue by counsell by prudence prowesse by wit by practise by labor learning by cuÌ„ning diligence to become famous to shun a ciuill reproach yet to bee glorious in the sight of God and his Angelles to fall before the heauens and in the presence of the Almightie to bee couered with shame and confusion of Conscience we make none account as they who neyther vse any means to obtaine the one nor auoide those occasions which may bring the other Others vnwilling to come within the reach and daunger of the Lawe that they may escape imprisonment of bodye or confiscation of goodes will be painefull in penall statutes skilfull in euery branch of the ciuill law and especially wil labour to keepe themselues from treasons murthers fellonies and such like offences deseruing the punishment of death yet wheÌ„ the Lord God threatneth the seazure both of soule and body the attaching of our spirits the confiscating of our consciences the banishing of vs from heauen the hanging of vs in hell the suspending of our saluation the adiudging of vs to condemnation for the breach of his CoÌ„maundements no man searcheth his eternall Lawe noe man careth for the Gospell neither the sentence of euerlasting diuorsement from the Lord neither the couenant of reconciliation is esteemed of vs. And to reach our Complaint one degree father Behold the more we seek outward pleasures and to auoide the inward trouble of minde the more we hast and runne into it suddainely plunge our selues in a wonded spirite ere we be aware VVho posteth more to become rich who hopeth lesse to be come poore than the marchant man who aduentureth great treasures who hazardeth his goods who putteth in ieoperdie his life and yet sodenly he either rusheth vpon the rocke of hardnesse of heart or else is swallowed vp of the gulph of a desparing minde from which afterwards he cannot be deliuered with a ship ful of golde Woful profe hath confirmed how some men wholly set on
owne condemnation yet because they labored not to se their guiltinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ they plunged themselues into a bottomlesse sea of sorrowes Others hauing passed these degrees hitherto made these steps to auoyd the wounde of Conscience haue come also too short and missed of the marke when because besides the sence of sinnes pardoned by the death of Christ they felt not also the vertue of his passion crucifying sinne in them but saw that with the remission of sinne was not ioined the mortification of sin they feared that there was no forgiunesse for them but still languishing with sorrow they thought themselues to stand charged with their former guiltines Yea and which is more for that such men haue not truely beene instructed nor surely haue beene grounded in the doctrine of Christes death and resurrection that is for that they sawe not as well power flowing from his death to slay sinne in them as vertue to pardon sinne in them for that they felt not as well strength to Sanctification streaming from the rising againe of Christ as they were perswaded of iustification and righteousnes therein They haue lyne still bleeding at the heart in such sort as the wound of griefe coulde hardly or neuer bee staide and staunched Wherefore let vs strengthen our weake soules with this sixe-fold coarde of consolation against these bitter assaultes Let vs first labour to know sinne then to sorrow for sinne after to feele our sinnes in Christ forgiuen further to looke for power to crucifie the same then to lay holde on iustification by his resurrection and lastly hope for strength to proceede from thence to further vs in sanctification and holinesse of life euen vnto the ende And thus much briefly for the second thing which we matched in company with the examination of sinne euen the triall of faith both which rightly vsed shall in some measure sauegard vs from the trouble of an afflicted minde Now let vs hasten to the third parte of our deuision to shew howe Gods children beeing fallen into this wounde of spirite may be helped out of it which God willing wee will also performe after we haue answered a necessarie obiection which in the former part might seeme to encounter against vs. There is no man but will grant that Dauid Iob and others of the Saintes of God had a sight of their sins a sorrow for their sinnes and a taste of the remission of their sinnes how then commeth it to passe that these men were so troubled in minde To this I answere that their trouble so befell them either for failing in some of these former things or els they were rather afflicted for triall of their faith than for punishing of sinne in them And therefore be it alwaies prouided that wee thinke not euery conflict of Conscience continuallye and chiefely to bee for the pursuing of our sinnes but sometimes and principally that it commeth for the triall of our faith and yet secondarily or lesse principally for the scourging of sinne as we may see in Iob. Whereuppon let all men be admonished when they see good men thus humbled throwne downe in minde to lay their handes on their mouthes from saying Surely these men are but hypocrites doubtlesse these men be great sinners the Lord hath founde out their hypocrisie For good reason there is that such silence should be vsed for that the Lorde may as well make trial of their faith as take punishment on their sins For if such affliction should alwaies and chiefely be sent for sinne then it should follow that all others as they exceeded them in sinne should also exceede them in the punishment of sinne But now comming to the saluing of this soare I shall seeme very strange in my cure and so much the more bee wondered at by how much in manner of proceeding I differ from the most sort of men herein I am to vs and vncertaine To them which are troubled with such blinde griefes whereof they can see no reason as often it happeneth to Gods Children in secret prouidence vvho either neuer knew God or else had but a generall knowledge of him I answere that as I denie not Phisicke to be ministered if it in part proceede from a naturall cause so I require the word especially to shewe the principall and originall cause to beginne in the soule And this I doe the rather because I would haue wisdome both in considering the state of the bodie if neede so require and in looking chiefely to the â—oule which so fewe thinke of If a man troubled in Conscience come to a Minister it may be he will looke all to the soule and nothing to the bodie if hee come to a Phisition hee onely considereth of the bodie and neglecteth the soule For my part I would neuer haue the Phisitions counsell seuered nor the Ministers laboure neglected because the soule and bodie dwelling together it is conuenient that as the soule should be cured by the word by prayer by fasting by threatening or by comforting so the bodie also shoulde bee brought into some temperature by Physicke by purging by dyet by restoring by musicke and by such like meanes prouiding alwaies that it bee done so in the feare of God and wisdome of his spirite as we thinke not by these ordinarie meanes to smoother or smoke out our troubles but as purposing to vse them as preparatiues wherby both our soules and bodies may be made more capable of the spirituall meanes to follow after As we require these thinges to bee the matter of our Ministerie in such a perplexitie so we woulde wishe the persons ministring to be men learned and of sounde iudgement wise and of Godly experience meeke and of most louing spirites For when the troubled patient shall be well perswaded of our knowledge and discretion there with all shall perceiue vs to come in tender and louing affection I thinke an enterance is made and all preiudice is taken avvay so as wee may the more freely worke vppon the Conscience first bringing them to the sight of sinne as to some cause of their trouble Heerein wee must labour to put awaye all confusion and blindenesse of sorrrowe endeuoring by wisdome to bring the parties wounded to some certaine obiect matter of their trouble and so draw out of them the confession of some seuerall especiall and secret sinne I say seuerall secret sinne because I know how many through a palpable blindnes or disordered discerning of sinne talke nothing so much as of sinne and yet they eyther can not discry seuerall sinnes or they will not be brought to acknowledge their secrete sinnes wherof the one proceedeth of the ignorance of the Lawe of God and the other of selfe loue which maketh vs loath euen in our trauell of minde to shame our selues Now that the confession of particular sins is requisite it may appeare by the two and thirtieth Psalme wherein beeing a Psalme of