sinnes lest in time our grief passe away without any fruit whilest that not being displeased with one sinne aswell as with another we either look to such specially and generally Concerning those sins whereunto we are tempted as when a man is noted to think blasphemouslie of God the Father or to doubt whether there is a Christ or no or to imagine groslie of the holy Ghost or to deny God or to doubt of the Trinitie or to be moved to adulterie or such like In all which temptations hee feeleth the spirit oft checking him for them so as he knoweth not in this case what to doe that on the one side he dares not listen willinglie to such feareful monstrous temptations and on the other side he feareth lest then by long sute he might fal into them or at least for that hee seeth not howe to be delivered from them I suppose these motions are not so much to be disputed with as we by them are to bee provoked to a more instant and extraordinary zeale of prayer Surely these are dangerous temptations and therefore are not to be kept close with our nature which easily will incline vnto but particularly are to be confessed of vs for the Deuill will come sometimes to thee to keep thee still in a general acknowledging of sinne and vrge thee on this manner Surely thou must do this sinne thou seest thou canst haue no ease vntill thou hast consented thou art ordained to it the reason why thou art tempted is because thou doest not thus take thy pleasure go to deny God beleeue not his word it is but a pollicie to keepe men in awe Religion is no such matter as men make it Thus for feare of yeelding of the one hand and for shame of disclosing temptations on the other hand many men haue pyned away and almost haue bene overcome by them If we should disclose this saith these men what woulde people say of vs they would count vs Atheists they would think vs the wickedst men in the world Well for instructions and consolations let vs learne herein that these kinde of temptations are either corrections for some sinnes past or punishment for some sinne present or forwarner of some sinnes to come Wee shall see many tempted to adulterie who no doubt can not be brought to commit it and because they repented not of it it came to them againe that in their youth they haue committed it the like may be observed in these gluttony and in other temptations which are not so much seen to vs presently to overcome vs as to put vs in mind that sometimes heretofore we hauing bene overcome with them shuld now repent for them Sometimes a man shal ly in some sins whereof when hee will not be admonished neither by the publick and privat meanes even then some other strange temptation shall fall vpon him differing from that wherein he presently lyeth to admonish him of that other sin As when a worldling shall be tempted to adulterie a thing which hee hath no desire to doe yet it is to make him to look to his worldlines when he hath so strong and so through a liking whereat if he wil not be awaked he may suddainly fal into that to and so by the punishment of God in punishing one sin with another both his sinnes vnto his shame shall be laid open and one sinne shall make known another Sometime also it commeth to passe that one shall be tempted with such a sinne as neither heretofore nor presently he hath given any liking or intertainement vnto and yet the Lord by it may forewarne him howe he may fal into it hereafter as also to shewe that he hath stoode all his former life rather by the grace of God than by the strength of flesh and blood Wherefore when thou art mooved to doubt of God of Christ of the word of justification do not so much stand wondring at these strange temptations as think with thy selfe that it is the mercy of God by them to cause thee better to discerne of those temptations in others When thou shalt haue observed with feare and trembling howe they may make their first entire into a mans hart howe they gather strength howe they agree with our corrupt nature in what degrees they come vnto some growth how the spirit of God doth resist them what be the meanes best to prevaile against them and thus if thou make thy profit by them thou shalt so wonderfully search and descrie by severall veines the body age strength of these temptations in others by an holy experience which God hath taught thee in others that besides that thou shalt lay foorth mens secreete corruptions as if thou were in their bosomes thou shalt be able by the seede of sorrowe in thy selfe to beget an vnspeakable joy in others who in time may be tempted as thou nowe art Thus moreover and besides that such is the efficacie of sinne that they who nowe are no Papistes Heretikes Adulterers or Theeues may for their secure contemning foolish passing over of these temptations sent vnto them sodainly shortly after fall into them because they would not seeme to make some vse of them nor confesse before the Lord both their pronenes and worthinesse to fall into them But if we will humble our selues in such temptations and learne by them meekly to discerne the corruptions of our heart we shall not onely deliver our selues presently from peril but be further inabled to assist others hereafter in the like danger but some will oppose against these things which wee haue delivered Do you think it is a remedie to cast downe them that are already humbled this is rather to be a butcher than a builder of a mans conscience to whome I answer that I desire Preachers to be builders and not butchers and it is a thing generally to apply and another thing particularlie to lay the medicine vnto the wound It is good to begin the sore by the viniger of the Law and after to supply it with the oyle of the Gospell both which must be done in wisedome vsing them to some in greter to some in lesser measure For as some hauing nothing but a decay of nature and no naturall humour neede rather restoratiue than purging medicines so rather some troubled for some spiritual wants than for grosse sinnes need not so much the sharpe threatnings of the Lawe as the sweete promises of the Gospell But if the body through some extraordinarie repletion hath gotten some gret surfet not so much to the weakning of nature as to the thretning of imminent death and therfore doth rather require some strong purgation than comfortable and cordiall medicines Then the soule brought to deaths doore with extraordinarie sinne is rather to be boared and pearced with the denounce of God his judgement than otherwise but because we would deale more plainly and lesse confusedly it is good in our accesse to an afflicted conscience to lay these two grounds
abounde others carried away with the loue of riches and fearfull to fall into povertie will not stick to rise early to take sleepe lately to fare hardly to travell and tyre their fleshe in labour by Land and by Sea in faire and fowle weather by rockes and by sands from farre and from neere but to fall into spirituall decay to avoide the pouertie of Conscience noe man taketh such paines as though salvation and peace in mind were a thing not worth the labouring for some ambitiouslie hunting after honour and not easilie digesting reproach behaue themselues neither sluggishly nor sleepily but are actiue in every attempt by loue and by counsell by prudence prowesse by wit and by practise by labour and learning by caring diligence to become famous and to shun a civill reproch yet to be glorious in the sight of God and his Angels to fall before the heavens and in the presence of the Almightie to be covered with shame and confusion of conscience wee make none account as they who neuer vse means to obtaine the one nor avoid the occasions which may bring the other others vnwilling to come within the daunger of the Lawe that they may escape imprisonment of the body or confiscation of goods will be painfull in penall statutes skilfull in every branch of the civill lawes and especially will labour to keep themselues from treasons murther fellonies and such like offences of life and death yet when the Lord God threatneth the losse both of soule bodie the attaching of our souls the confiscating of our consciences the banishing vs from heauen the hanging of vs in hell the suspending of our salvation the adjudging of vs to condemnation for the breach of his commandements no man searcheth his eternall Lawe no man careth for the Gospell neither the sentence of an everlasting devorcement from the Lord neither the covenant of reconciliation is esteemed of vs. And to reache out our complainte one degree farther beholde the more wee seeke outward pleasures and to auoide the inward trouble of mind the more we hast and runne into it and we speed to plunge our selues in a wounded spirit before we be aware who posteth more to become riche who hopeth lesse to become poore than the Marchant man who adventureth greater treasures who hazardeth his goods who putteth in jeopardie his life and yet suddenly hee rusheth vpon the rock of hardnes of heart or else is swallowed vp of the gulfe of a dispairing mind from which happilie he cannot be redeemed with a ship-full of golde Wofull proofe hath confirmed howe some men whollie set vpon pleasure such as could not away to bee sadde and hedged vp alwaies of godly sorrowe haue had their troubles made snares vnto them and even their excesse of pleasure hath brought excesse of sorrowe and whilest they laboured to put the euil day farre from them they haue vsed such follies as haue bene the bitter and most speedy hangmen of their sorrowfull Consciences There be some of an other sorte who never dreaming of a troubled mind haue had their hearts set on nothing but howe they might get some great fame renown and therefore haue slipt into such dangerous attempts foule flatteries as they haue not onely lost the peace of their Consciences but also fallen most deeply into shame which they sought to shun Nowe as the peace of Conscience and joy of mind is such a treasure as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor the tongue cannot expresse but passeth all vnderstanding so the wounded spirit is such as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor the tongue vttered it but passeth all vnderstanding and as they onely knowe what the peace of minde meaneth that feele it so they alone can in trueth speake of a troubled minde that haue tasted of it by experience But let vs shew what way is to be vsed to keep vs from this wound of spirit it is the vse of Phisick as to cure vs from diseases when wee are fallen into them so to preserue vs from sicknesses before it hath taken holde of vs so it is the power of the word as to aswage the trouble of Conscience when it doeth once presse vs so to prevent it before it hath overtaken vs. It is a chiefe point of worldly wisedome not to tary for the vse of phisick till we be deadly sick but to be acquainted with Gods mercifull preservatiues to defend vs from it likewise it is a chiefe pollicie of a godly Christian not onely to seeke comfort when the agonie is vpon him but also to vse all good helpes to meet with it before it comes and if wee condemne them of follie who will not as well labour to keepe themselues out of debt as to pay the debt when we owe it so it is a madnes not to be as circumspect to avoid al occasions which may bring trouble of minde vpon vs as we would be provident to enter every good way which may drawe vs out of this trouble when wee haue once entered into it these remedies preservatiue are first the searching of our sinnes and then the examining of our faith the examining of our sinne is either the due acknowledging of our sinnes or the sence and feeling of them the acknowledging of sin is either of those that be past whether we haue repented of them or of those that are present whether we are truly greued for them Thirdly of those secreet corruptions to come whether we are reverently afraid of them concerning sins past we must call to mind the sinnes done of old in our youth in our middle age and in our old age that we judging of our selues may not be judged of the Lord that accusing our selues Sathan haue no occasion to accuse vs and throwing downe our selues before the Lord he may lift vs vp for many going quietly away and sleeping securelie in their sleeues notwithstanding the sinnes of their youth and neglecting to make conscience of their sins done long agoe sodainly haue fallen into such horrour of mind that the violent remembrance of all their sinnes sure charging they haue beene overwhelmed this examination doth then rightly proceed when it is reached to the errours of this life and to the sinnes of our youth because many even from their childe-hood by a civill righteous life hauing escaped grosse sins wherewith the world culd never charge them haue notwithstanding caried the burthen of more secreet sins done in their youth David Psalm 25. 7. prayeth the Lord not to Remember the sinnes of his youth Iob the man of God confesseth that the Lord writing bitter thinges against him made him to possesse the iniquities of his youth what shall wee think that David or Iob were giuen to notorious wickednesse in their youth no but they knew they were subject to youthfull wantonnes and vntamednes of affections which though it did not burst out yet it made them lesse careful to glorifie God
A FRVITFVL AND GODLY SERMON CONTAINING NEcessary and profitable doctrine for the reformation of our sinfull and wicked liues but especially for the comfort of a troubled Conscience in all distresses By M. Richard Greenham Pastor of DRAYTON EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY RObert Walde-graue Printer to the Kings Majestie An. 1595. Cum Priuilegio Regio TO THE VERTVOVS AND GODLY MATRON SARA SPEâ—R Grace mercie and peace in Christ Iesus Amen DEare Sister you knowe this World is not your home but a Pilgrimage and a place wherein God trieth his children And I doubt not but you haue learned howe to make right vse and profit of the Lord his merciful chastisements For the Lord vseth many waies and meanes for the triall of his I knowe You haue heard of the patience of IOB as saith the Apostle IAMES and you haue seene in the end how that God is merciful patient and long suffering euen so say I vnto you that you shall receiue accordingly if so be you be patient that is if you feare God set his vvord before your eies and serue him thereafter and if hee lay his crosse on you beare it with patience the which you shall do when you considder it not according to the present sense but according to the end Heb. 12. And I doubt not but you are of the number of them which are daily dying to themselues and this sinfull world Ye are one of them that lookes for a citie whose builder and maker is God Ye are one of them that knowes your selfe and your being to be in this earth but as a Pilgrime and stranger for heere yee haue no byding place Yee are one of them which haue made a Covenant with God to forsake your selfe and this sinfull World Yee are one of them vvho say Nay The Lord hath all things written in his memoriall book for such as feare him remember his Name Yee are one of them vvhich haue their Loynes girded about and their lights burning in their hands Like vnto servants that wayte vpon their Lordes comming Yea and I am certainlie perswaded that you and your godly Brethren and Sister are of the number of them vvho haue the Lord for their portion which haue their hope in heaven vvhose leader is Christ Iesus the sonne of God and governour of Heaven and Earth vnto him is given all power he is God almightie with the Father and the holy Ghost praise vvorthie for euermore Now deare sister I partly knowing the present estate of your troubled perplexed minde in regard of the want of your greatest outwarde comfort I thoght it good to present you with this sweet Sermon made by that godly-learned zealous Pastor of Christs Church M. RICHARD GREENHAM which by Gods providence came vnto my handes containing a comfort for a troubled conscience he being throgh the mercy of God a man greatly exercised therewith and therfore taught the same through his owne experience hoping through the working of Gods holy spirit it shal also minister comfort vnto your trobled mind Therfore my dear sister to conclude I beseech you to be instaÌ„t with our merciful God by harty praier for the spirit of wisdome knowledge humblenes meeknes sobriety repentance which euen the best of Gods Children haue great neede of because our sins continuallie prouokes the Lord our God to be angrie with vs but let vs beare his fatherly corrections acknowledge our faults with bitter tears and sorrowfull sighes not doubting but so hee will be mercifull vnto vs in Christ To whome with the Father and the holy spirit be all glory honour praise and everlasting thanks for euermore Amen Your wel-willer in the Lord Christ R. W. A SVVEET AND COMFORTABLE SERMON FOR A TROVbled Conscience PROV 18. 14. The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded spirit vvho canne beare it THIS Scripture is not onely woorthie to be grauen in steele with the point of an Adamant and in letters of golde but also to bee written and registred by the finger of Gods spirit in the tables of the hearte which sentence brieflie speaketh thus much vnto vs that what trouble soever befalleth a man his mind vnapalled he will indifferently beare it out But if the spirite of a man be once troubled and dismaied he cannot tell how to be deliuered And no marvell for if the minde of man be that fountaine of comforte which ministers comfort to him in all other troubles and if it become comfortlesse what shall comfort it if it be voide of help where shall 〈◊〉 be helped If the eye which is the light of the bodie be darknes how great is that darknes If the salt which sauoreth all things be vnsauorie for what is it good If the minde which sustaineth all troubles be troubled how intollerable is that trouble To shewe this the better wee will first declare howe great a punishment of God this wounde of Conscience is Secondly we will teach how this trouble of mind may be avoided Lastly we will set downe how Gods children falling in some measure into this affliction of spirit may be recouered out of it For the first the griefe of this maladie is seene either by some due consideration of the persones that haue felt it or by some wise comparison made betweene this griefe of minde and other outward griefes incident to a man The persons in whome we may consider this wounde of spirite are either meerlie naturall men or such as be renewed by the spirite of God the men meerly naturall are either the heathen such as never knewe God in Christ or carnall professors such as haue not protested Christianitie aright If we looke among the Heathen howe many of them haue willingly gone vnder povertie and haue bene content to vnburden themselues of all worldly tresures how haue some of them whilest their minds were vnapalled suffered imprisonment exile and extreame tortures of bodie rather than they woulde betraye their Cuntries c. How many of them haue devoured many injuries and born outward troubles with some ease and with no resistance whilest their minds were at libertie and yet look not to the â—â—â—nest but to the best and most excellent men among them even their wise Philosophers sweet Oratours and exquisite Poets who in bearing and forbearing they thought the chiefest point of vertue to consist and yet yee shall see when once some great distresse of mind did wound them some would make an end of it by preparing a cup of deadlie poyson some would violently and voluntarilie run on their enemies pykes some would throwe downe themselues from high mountaines some woulde not stick to stabbe most monstrouslie their own bodies with daggers or such like instruments of death All which men woulde seeme to haue great courage in sustaining many harmes so long as their minds were not ouer maistered but when that devine and supreame essence which they acknowledged did by his power crosse and ouerturne
their enemies with more gredie violence to praye vpon them with which kinde of stratagems our adversarie the Devill beeing well acquainted with often practiseth this pollicie if he seeth vs without all feare too quietly to rest in our selues he thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger because our assistance is the weaker Againe if hee discrieth in vs a cowardlie feare and fainting of heart before wee once begin to joyne battell with him he wil set vpon our moderate feare and as villanouslie as suddenly stabbe vs to the heart and make a present spoile of vs common practise doth further teach vs that when wee can heare the worde without all trembling at Gods judgements when wee can pray without all feare before the Majestie of God when wee can come to the Discipline of the Church without al reverence of the ordinance of the Lord al in vaine Again let vs heare with too much trembling and we shall learne nothing let vs pray with too servile a feare and our woorshipping of God will bee without all comfort vncheerful Thus if we neither lessen sin that is indeede neither make sin of that which is not sin in trueth it is good to proceed to this threefold examination to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our afflictions because many will be found in this ripenes of knowledge and barrannes of conscience to speak and dispute of all these things very skilfully which flickring in the circumference of the braine not setling at the heart do seale vp a more just sentence of condemnation against them To help this evill with we must meditate deeply vpon the law and Gospell togither with the appertenances of them both that finding our selues far from Gods blessing and seeing our selues neere to the curses due vnto the breakers of the lawe we may raise vppe some sence of sin in our selues yet herein we must not stay but go forward for whereas many by the diligent viewe of the law haue come to the sense of sin in themselues and saw their own condemnation yet because they labored not to see their guiltinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ they plunged in a bottomles sea of sorrowes others having passed those degrees hitherto made these steps to avoid the wound of Conscience haue come short of the mark who besides the sense of sinnes pardoned by the deth of Christ felt not the vertue of his passion crucifying sin in them but saw that with remission of sins was not joined mortification of sin feared that there was no forgiuenes for them but stil languishing with sorrow they thought their soules to stand charged with their former guiltinesse yea and which more is for that such men haue not truly bin instructed nor surely haue bene grounded in the doctrine of Christ his death and resurrection that is for that they sawe not aswell power flowing from his death to sley sinne in them as vertue to pardone sin in them for that they felte not aswell strength vnto sanctification striving from the rising again of Christ as they were perswaded of justification righteousnes therein They haue lyen still bleeding at the heart in such sort that the wound of griefe could hardly or neuer be stopped and stanched wherfore let vs strengthen our weake soules with this sevenfold coard of consolation against these bitter assaults let vs first labour to know sinne then to sorrow for sinne after to feele our sinnes in Christ forgiven farther 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 holines of life even vnto the end And thus much briefly for that second thing which we matched in companie with the examination of sinne euen vnto the triall of faith both which rightly vsed shall in some measure fafegarde vs from the trouble of afflicted mindes Now let vs hasten to the third part of our division to shew how Gods children being fallen into this wounde of spirit may be helped out of it which God willing we also wil performe after we haue answered a necessary objection which in this former part might seeme to encounter against vs There is no man but will graunt that David Iacob and others of the saints of God had a sight of their sinnes a sorrow for their sinnes a tast of their remission of sinne and yet how commeth it to passe that these men were so trobled in mind To this I answer that their trouble so befel them either for failing in some of those former things or else they were rather afflicted for the triall of their faith than for the persecuting of sin in them and therfore be it alwaies provided that we think not every conflict of conscience continually chiefly to be for the pursuing of our sins but sometime principally for the scoring of sin as we may see in Iob wherevpon let all men be admonished when as they see good men thus humbled in minde to laye their handes on their mouthes from saying Surely these men are but Hypocrites doubtles these men be great sinners the Lord hath found out their iniquitie the Lord hath discovered their hypocrisie for good reason there is that such silence should be vsed for that the Lord may aswell make triall of their faith as take punishment on their sinnes for if such afflictions should alwaies chieflie be sent for sinne then it should followe that all others as they exceeded them in sinne should also exceed them in that punishment of sinne but nowe comming to the salving of this sore I shal seeme very strange in my cure and so much the more to be wondred at by howe much in manner of proceeding I differ from the most sort of men herein I am not ignorant that many visiting of afflicted consciences cry still Oh! comfort them oh speake joyfull things vnto them yea there be some and that of the learned who in such cases are full of those and such like speeches Why are you so heavy my brother why are you so cast downe my sister be of good cheere take it not so grievouslie what is there that you should feare God is mercifull Christ is a Saviour these be speeches of loue indeed but they often do the poore souls as much good herein as if they should powre colde water in their bosomes when as without farther searching of their sores they may aswell minister a malady as a medicine For as all nutriture and carnall medecines are not good for every sicke person especiallie when the body needeth a strong purgation then to minister matter restoratiue And as all incarnatiue medicines may for a time stay the paine of the patient but afterwardes the griefe becommeth more grievous So comfortable applying of Gods promises are not so profitable for every one that is humbled especially when their soules are rather to be cast farther down than