Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A08278
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The labyrinth of mans life. Or Vertues delight and enuies opposite. By Io: Norden
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Norden, John, 1548-1625?
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1614
(1614)
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STC 18611; ESTC S110180
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46,781
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96
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to dwell Armies of Vice and Vanities will be At her commaund and ouer master thee The chiefest point that first thou art to seeke Is that true wisdome which makes hautie meeke It is not Natures gift as Nature stands Polluted but giu'n by Diuiner hands Mans nature knowes not things celestiall No not it selfe and parts materiall But only as they seeme them takes and holds The cause materiall and the formall mouldes The perfect and imperfect outward parts Not th'in clinations of imperfect hearts Speach motion breathing sicknes health and light Are somewhat subiect to weake Natures sight But who where how wherefore men are to knowe Is giu'n by grace doth not by Nature growe In showe the impious may appeare vpright And see some steps of Truth by Natures light But brought vnto Truthes test it 's found but drosse That flyes and vaporates and brings but losse The young and old are apt to hide their ill That comes by Nature not toâ—â— be the will Vnsetled in their iudgements young men are The aged feeble yet of deeper care The idle froth of youthfull fuming braine Must be cast off by Wisdome to containe Not to consent to all what th' hart would haue Nor to effect all Appetite doth craue In doubtfull things giue not too rash consent Luste buyes too deare a rash experiment Her present pleasures with succeding paine Content with griefe both with perturbed braine Continuing lust gets hatefull Impudence Infamie and shame succeede concupiscence Young yeares in some haue old experience And aged men the least intelligence But it 's obseru'd soone rots that ripes too fast A suddaine flame is no long-lasting blast True Wisdomes seede sowne in the greenest head Water'd by grace doth quickly branch and spread So doe the humors of vnstable minde Grow strong or weake as Fancies are inclynde A life contemplatiue in things Diuine Brings hurtfull humors vnder that repine It 's not the Cloyster or the Hermite life That keepes perturbed minde from inward strife But constancie in Vertues exercise Which he obtaines that best Philosophies That by true reason can his iudgement guide Which he can not that is not rectifide This Wisdome doth in words and deeds consist Not in the Will that worketh what it list But in the Will by grace Diuine renew'd And in the sence by Nature new indew'd This Nature sowes in mindes prepar'd the seede That beares the fruite whence will and worke proceed This changed nature and reformed swayes In some degree the minde that most estrayes Some sparke she leaues 〈◊〉 mindes polluted most Which most neglect and deeme it meerely lost This Nature will require what first it gaue As well what'th vitious as the vertuous haue Though they forget and make no vse of it Excuse but vaine fram'd by the finest wit There is a light within the darkest minde Though it shine not none can pretend him blinde For he that sues and soone consents to ill Feeles yet a lawe that countermands the will The will yet obstinate performes the fact That light within doth witnesse the contract That light will shine vnto the conscience And will reueale most hid concupiscence The things indeede thou must auoid and doe Are in effect in generall but two To flye what Enuie egges thee to effect To doe what I in contrarie direct Vnder the name of Enuie and of Lust Is comprehended what I hold vniust Pride Enuie Crueltie and Auarice Deceit Hypocrisie and flatteries Presumption and prodigalitie Ingratitude Hate Sloth and Gluttonie And many other things forbidden rest Harbor'd and hug'd in euery doting brest Earths pleasures vanities carnall delites Are Natures content not guided by my rites As many Sences as the bodie beares So many appetites Affection reares Ech pleasur 's propper to some Sence alone The rest then sleepe or are content with none The thing belou'd delites the longing eye The other Sences silent willingly The eye suffiâ—'d the eare pertakes her share The taste smell feeling all propensiue are To feede affection and abuse the heart Which erres led by polluted Natures Arte. When ech hath yeelded what his office giues The heart misguided thinkes it much relieues And when the heart whence springs affection Hath â—edde at full of false refection Then hungers it anew for new delite What fancie likes it holds most exquisite The changes of fond fancies appetites Are infinite seeming a while delites Forth with they grow vnto such harsh distaste Others are had fit fewell for a blast New choyce new change strangest varieties Are sweete awhile in fine perplexities Affection guided by Reason Diuine Shuts vp the outward opes the inward eyne Auoids earths pleasures treacherous and short Seekes pleasures which eternitie import The pleasures which determine be not best Nor long content the minde wherein they rest Pleasures alone that inwardly are bred And by right reason nourished and â—ed Shall neuer change though outward sences die Their inward ioyes shall liue eternally Let thy delite be then in what doth last Sport sparingly in that may bring distaste The weakest worme hath motion to aspire Knowes not yet whether it rise or retire No more knowes he that fancieth this and that Where or what marke it is he aymeth at The brutest beast seekes and desires to haue What so his brutish appetite doth craue Resembling those that what they see affect Though ill haue not true reason to reiect The minde doth long the will consentes and takes Lawfull or not as mindes delite it makes But if the will and full affection bee In earthes delites it makes a bond of free As pleasures come they fawne as harlots doe But past the minde left stunge they come into Iâ— outward acte oâ— thy delite regaine More inward force t'exhilerate thy braine Dul'd with the practise of true vertues deedes Be moderate and then no ill it breedes And for the choyce of â—it companions To passe the time in recreations Looke not vpon them as they onely seeme Nor thinke them fit in showe of good esteeme But trye the humours and the inward minde Before consort proue how they stand inclinde If they affectate vitious wordes and deedes Abandon them scurrilitie it breedes And in thy recreatiâ—e disports take heede Thou loose not that thy inward grace may feede Thy constancie and magnanimitie By wantonnesse and effeminacie No recreation beedes more infamie Then to bestowe deare time in gamestrie Dicing beseemes noe men of grauitie But brands them with the marke of leuitie Of frensie indiscretion wanting wit With these the sagest Romans branded it Let vertues actes be cherished in thee So shalt thou keepe thy minde assayled free Vertue a power ruling the inward part Brings into order the disordâ—ed â—â—art And sets th'appetite in so comely frame It thirsts for nought but Reason holds the same One thing among a multitude is had In great esteeme which makes the gainer glad It beares the name which trul'it cannot take Goodes yet
not good for good it cannot make It rather makes the good indeed the wurse â—exing the mind for goodes to fill the purse When inward heart doth rest in setled peace If thou thy health thy limbes and sence possesse What more can wealth and great aboundance bring But feare to loose and lost thy sorrowing In getting much is great perplexity In keeping it as much timidity But greife of greefes to leaue it when he dies Can that be good that breedes such miseries Can houses landes can gold or siluer giue To mindes distract harts-Mummy to releeue Can Iewels of the highest price abate A feuer heckticke or the dartes of hate Be not too bold to ryot of thy store Though thou be sure supply will bring thee more A mountaine wasteth with soft drops of raine And wasted once hardly suppli'd againe Therefore if fortune fill thy fist with gold Spend yet in spending be not too too bold Nor spare it so as if thy heart had not Some other and farre more releyuing lot Some know no other bounty then to spend Yet can propound therein no lawfull end The wise yet find idle expendings vaine They spend in measure and a meane retaine Not prodigall as if it could not wast Nor too sparing fearing to want at last Anoyding these two strong extreames of ill They find the meane doth purchase most good will They that imbrace and loue earthes excrements Loue onely things compact of elements Which by their composition haue defects One cheefe predominant the rest reiects For when the elements do disagree The bodies long continuance cannot be So he that sets his mind on money most Hath vse of sacred vertue meerely lost For earthly pelfe and vertue contraries Agree as fire and waters qualities And as the fire predominant preuailes And all confining fewell stil assailes So loue of lucre doth increase and rise As ritches rise and earthes felicities Ritches are good if owner knowes to vse them But meerely hurtfull if he do abuse them When thy desire begins to grow to strong Giue it not head nor foster it too long It hardes the heart and sotteth so the braine It makes commit the foulest thinges for gaine A common fault raignes in polluted breast And cloked oft by deepe yet false protest To gaine vain-glory by the masse of pelfe Some sell a lye for losse of soule it selfe Incident to most respecting misteries Respecting persons great diuersities But they that haue the habit in the heart Can coulour it by nimblenesse of art But what they gaine is like vnto the lye It seemes but is not as appeares to eye The hearers hart deceiu'd by false relate So is the lyer by the gaine he gate For what he gaines by false protests consumes As snow in sun and as light vapor fumes This hagg my foe prescribes this false receit To nature sick which workes in men deceit Nature corrupt findes sweetnes of this drugge Fancy affecting doth the potion hugge Drinkes first a dram then quaffes of falsity â—omits at last whole floudes of periury Lying a greeuous sicknes of the mind And 's where wants Reason or where Reason's blind Cur'd by right Reason or by publike shame Who loues to lye hates yet a lyers name A lyer euer is rewarded best Not to beleeue him though he do protest Pope Alexander Sextus neuer did The thing he spake and Cesar Borgia hid His inward thought and spake the contrary Father and Sonne of deepe hypocrisie If power and place may seeme thee to permit To act the thing by law thou thinkest fit Be not too rash consult with reason first And do not thou but what right Reason dirst The law without rules not the mind within What Law may do the mind may think it sinne The law commandes some thinges it tollerates The first exacts the second moderates Foure vertues hath each law that gouerneth Iâ— swayes forbids permits and punisheth In these right Reason moderator stands Contracts and sutes in Iustice passe her hands The Lawes extreames are too exorbitant That to right Reason are disconsonant Therefore the meane in case of difference Best equalzeth law and Conscience How impious is't and yet a common crime Grosly to erre and make it yet pastime Many presume and foulest facts commit Blush not to tell it rather glory in it They hold their infamy a badge of grace They make and cast their owne durt in their face These are the men whose liues the world laments Their deathes vntimely bring as great contents These are the forth and scumme of Enuies trayne She breeds a swarme of vices in their braine Some do deny or forge their faults offence With shift or lye or by some hid pretence This aggrauates the fault more then the fact Confession lessens guilt of foulest act By art some shroud their inclinations long Conceiling nature yet when 't waxeth strong It breaketh forth in perfect coulours seene What seemed seemely found to be vnclene Dissembling holines and sanctity Are th' only pictures of impiety If thou hold not true meane in what thou doost In iudging others art the more vniust Reforme thy selfe and then command correct Iudge when thou hast repaird thine own defect If thou be iust and constant in thy deed Whom thou exhorts will take the surer heed It 's easie to giue counsell and direct To heare as easie harder to effect In consultations see thou still consort With men of vertue and of best report No Counsel steedes â—east it true wisedome guide It prospers not not by her rectifi'de Wisedome is slow in resolution Resolued constant in execution But if the counsell-giuer be not wise Consult a new before the enterprise Aduised pollicy cannot but be The best assurance wit of man can see In most attempts steedes magnanimity But neuer but by chance temerity But howsoeuer thinges well plotted fall Be thou the same constant grudge not at all For I will fortefie thy heart anew And good content shall futurely ensue As thou consistest of two contraries Nature and grace seeming vnities So are there in thee two distinct desires Carnall downeward spirit'all vpward aspires Whether of these predominant in thee Caries consent where thine affections be What thou affectest is thy best delight If it be earthly it 's my opposite That delectation how sweet soeuer Is but conceit conceited to perseuer Yet fades on suddaine as a morning mist And of like substance al the like consist As farre as doth the Sun exceed a starre Heau'nly delightes the earths exceed as farre None set delight in pleasures here below But such as the superior do not know If once true iudgement thy opinion sway Affection cannot lead thy will astray Accustome thee to ioyes spirituall They comfort most though supernaturall Natures delights are sweet to outward sence Sowre in effect breeding in fine offence Hony sweet in tast yet if the silly Bee While thou dost tast bestow her sting on thee Thou