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A40653
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The cause and cure of a vvounded conscience by Tho. Fuller ...
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Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing F2414; ESTC R1315
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44,277
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188
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prayer shall be that whilst I stand by and am â—…ilent Gods Spirit which is free from any fault and full of all perfection would be pleased to repeat in thy heart the selfe-same answers I have given to your objections And then what was weak shallow and unsatisfying as it came from my mouth shall and will be full powerfull and satisfactorie as re-inforced in thee by Gods Spirit XII Dialogue Meanes to be used by wounded Consciences for the recovering of comfort Tim. ARe there any usefull meanes to be prescribed whereby wounded Consciences may recover comfort the sooner Phil. Yes there are Tim. But now adayes some condemne all using of meanes let Grace alone say they fully and freely to do its own worke and thereby mans mind will in due time return to a good temper of its owâ—… accord This is the most spirituall serving of God whilst using of meanes makes but Dunces and Trewants in Christs Schoole Phil. What they pretend spirituall wil prove aiâ—…ry and empty making lewd and lazie Christians Meanes may and must be used with these cautions 1. That they be of Gods appointment in his word and not of mans meere invention 2. That we stil remember they are but means and not the main For to account of helps more then helpes is the high-way to make them hindrances Lastly that none rely barely on the deed done which conceit will undoe him that did it especially if any opinion of merit be fixed therein Tim. What is the first meanes I must use for I re-assume to personate a wounded conscience Phil. Constantly pray to God that in his due time he would speake peace unto thee Tim. My prayers are better omitted then performed They are so weak they will but bring the greater punishment upon me and involve me within the * Prophets curse to those that doe the worke of the Lord negligently Phil. Prayers negligently performed draw a curse but not prayers weakly performed The former is when one can do better and will not the latter is when one would do better but alas he cannot And such failings as they are his sinnes so they are his sorrows also Pray therefore faintly that thou maist pray fervently pray weakly that thou mayest pray strongly Tim. But in the Law they were forbidden to offer to God any lame * sacrifice and such are my prayers Phil. 1. Observe a great difference betwixt the materiall Sacrifice under the Law and spiritual Sacrifices the calves of the lips under the Gospell The former were to be free from all blemish because they did typifie and resemble Christ himselfe The latter not figuratively representing Christ but heartily presented unto him must be as good as may be gotten though many imperfections will cleave to our best performances which by Gods mercy are forgiven 2. Know that that in Scripture is accounted lame which is counterfeit and dissembling in which sense * Hypocrites are properly called halters and therefore if thy prayer though never so weake be sound and sincere it is acceptable with God Tim. What other counsell do you prescribe me Phil. Be diligent in reading the word of God wherein all comfort is conteined say not that thou art dumpish and undisposed to read but remember how travellers must eat against their stomach their journey will digest it and though their Palate find no pleasure for the present their whole body will feele strength for the future Thou hast a great journey to go a wounded conscience is farre to travell to find comfort and though weary shall be welcome at his journeys end and therefore must feed on Gods word even against his own dull disposition and shall afterwards reap benefit thereby Tim. Proceed in your appointing of wholsome dyet for my wounded conscience to observe Phil. Avoid solitarinesse land associate thy selfe with pious and godly company O the blessed fruits thereof Such as want skill or boldnesse to begin or set a Psalme may competently follow tune in consort with others Many houses in London have so weak walls and are of so slight and slâ—…nder building that were they set alone in the fields probably they would not stand an houre which now ranged in streets receive support in them selves and mutually returne it to others So mayst thou in good society not only be reserved from much mischiefe but also be strengthened and confirmed in many godly exercises which solely thou couldest not perform Tim. What else must I do Phil. Be industrious in thy calling I presse this the more because some erroneously conceive that a wounded conscience cancels all Indentures of service and gives them during their affliction a dispensation to be idle The inhabitants of the Bishoprick of * Durham pleaded a priviledge that King Edward the first had no power although on necessary occasion to presse them to go out of the Country because forsooth they termed themselves Haly-worke-folke only to be used in defending the holy Shrine of S. Cuthbert Let none in like manner pretend that during the agony of a wounded conscience they are to have no other imployment then to sit moping to brood their Melancholly or else only to attend their devotions whereas a good way to divert or asswage their pain within is to take paines without in their vocation I am confident that happy minute which shall put a period to thy misery shall not find thee idle but employed as ever some secret good is accrewing to such who are diligent in their calling Tim. But though wounded consciences are not to be freed from all worke are they not to be favoured in their worke Phil. Yes verily Here let me be the Advocate to such Parents and Masters who have Sonnes Servants or others under their authority afflicted with wounded Consciences O doe not with the Egyptian task-masters exact of them the full tale of their bricke O spare a little till they have recovered some strength Unreasonablâ—… that maimed men should passe on equall duty with such Souldiers as are sound Tim. How must I dispose my selfe on the Lords day Phil. Avoid all servile work and expend it only in such actions as tend to the sanctifying thereof God the great Landlord of all time hath let out six daâ—…s in the weeke to man to farme them the Seaventh day he reserveth as Demeanes in his owne hand If therefore we would have quiet possession comfortable use of what God hath leased out to us let us not incroach on his Demeanes Some Popish * people make a superstitious Almanacke of the Sunday by the fairenesse or foulenesse thereof guessing of the weather all the weeke after But I dare boldly say that from our well or ill spending of the Lords Day a probable conjecture may be made how the following weeke will be imployed Yea I conceive we are bound as matters now stand in England to a stricter observation of the Lords Day then ever before That a time was due to Gods Service no Christian in our
Kingdome ever did deny That the same was weekly dispersed in the Lords Day Holy dayes Wednesdayes Fridayes Saturdayes some have earnestly maintained Seeing therefore all the last are generally neglected the former must be more strictly observed it being otherwise impious that our devotion having a narrower channell should also carry a shallower streame Tim. What other means must I use for expedition of comfort to my wounded Conscience Phil. Confesse * that sinne or sinnes which most perplexes thee to some Godly Minister who by absolution may pronounce and apply pardon unto thee Tim. This confession is but a device of Divines thereby to skrne themselves into other mens secrets so to mold and manage them with more ease to their owne profit Phil. God forbid they should have any other designe but your safety and therefore choose your confessour where you please to your owne contentment so that you may finde ease fetch it where you may it is not our credit but your cure we stand upon Tim. But such confession hath beene counted rather arack for Sound then a remedy for wounded Consciences Phil. It proveth so as abused in the Romish Church requiring an enumeration of all mortall sinnes therein supposing an error that some sinnes are not mortall and imposing an impossibility that all can be reckoned up Thus the conscience is tortured because it can never tread firmly feeling no bottome being still uncertain of Confession and so of Absolution whether or no he hath acknowledged all his sinnes But where this ordinance is commended as convenient not commanded as necessary left free not forced in cases of extremity soveraigne use may be made and hath been found thereof neither Mâ—…gistrate nor Minister carrying the Sword or the Keyes in vaine Tim. But Sir I expected some rare inventions from you for curing wounded consciences whereas 〈◊〉 your receipts hitherto are old stale usuall common and ordinary there is nothing new in any of them Phil. I answer First if a wounded conscience had been a 〈◊〉 disease never heard of in Gods Word before this time 〈◊〉 perchance we must have been forced to find out new remedies But it is an old Malady and therefore old Physick is best applyed unto it Secondly the Receipts indeed are old because prescribed by him who is the * Ancient of dayes But the older the better because warranted by experience to be effectuall Gods ordinances are like the cloathes * of the Children of Israel during our wandring in the wildernesse of this world they never wax old so as to have their vertue in operation abated or decayed Thirdly whereas you call them common would to God they were so and as generally practiced as they are usually prescribed Lastly know we meddle not with curious heads which are pleased with new-fangled rarities but with wounded consciences who love solid comfort Suppose our Receipts ordinary and obvious If * Naaman counts the cure too cheap and easie none will pitty him if still he be pained with his leprosie Tim. But your receipts are too loose and large not fitted and appropriated to my malady alone For all these Pray reade keep good company be diligent in thy calling observe the Sabbath confesse thy sinnes c. may as well be prescribed to one guilty of presumption as to me ready to despaire Phil. It doth not follow that our physick is not proper for one because it may be profitable for both Tim. But Despaire and Presumption being contrary diseases flowing from contrary causes must have contrary cures Phil. Though they flow immediately from contrary caufes yet originally from the common fountaine of naturall corruption And therefore such meanes as I have propounded tending towards the mortifying of our corrupt nature may generally though not equally be usefull to humble the presuming and comfort the despairing But to cut off cavills in the next Dialogue wee 'l come closely to peculiar counsells unto thee XIII Dialogue Foure wholsome counsells for a wounded Conscience to practice Tim. PErforme your promise which is the first counsell you commend unto me Phil. Take heed of ever renounceing thy filiall interest in God though thy sinnes deserve that he should disclaime his Paternall relation to thee The Prodigall * returning to his Father did not say I am not thy sonne but I am no more worthy to be called thy sonne Beware of bastardizing thy selfe being as much as Satan desires and more then he hopes to obtaine Otherwise thy folly would give him more then his fury could get Tim. I conceive this a need full câ—…tion Phil. It will appeare so if we consider what the * Apostle saith that we wrestle with principalities and powers Now wrestlers in the Olympian games were naked and anointed with oile to make them slick and glibbery so to afford no hold-fast to such as strove with them Let us not gratifie the Devill with this advantage against our selves at any time to disclaime our Sonne-ship in God If the Devill catcheth us at this lock he will throw us flat and hazard the breaking of our necks with finall despair Oh no! Still keep this point a Prodigal sonne I am but a sonne no bastard A lost sheepe but a sheepe no goate An unprofitable servant but Gods servant and not absolute slave to Sathan Tim. Proceed to your second counsell Phil. Give credit to what grave and godly persons conceive of thy condition rather then what thy own fear an incompetent Judge may suggest unto thee A seared Conscience thinks better of it selfe a wounded worse then it ought The former may account all sinne a sport the latter all sport a sin Melancholy men when sick are ready to conceit any cold to be the cough of the Lungs and an ordinary Pustle no lesse then the plague sore So wounded consciences conceive sinnes of infirmity to be of presumption sins of ignorance to be of knowledge apprehending their case more dangerous then it is indeed Tim. But it seemeth unreasonable that I should rather trust anothers saying then my own sense of my selfe Phil. Every man is best judge of his own selfe if he be his own selfe but during the swound of a wounded conscience I deny thee to be come to thy own selfe whilst thine eyes are blubbering and a teare hangs before thy sight thou canst not see things clearely and truly because looking through a double medium of aire and water so whilst this cloud of pensivenes is pendent before the eyes of thy soule thy estate is erroneously represented unto thee Tim. What is your third counsell Phil. In thy agony of a troubled conscience alwayes look upwards unto a gracious God to keep thy soule steady for looking downward on thy selfe thou shalt find nothing but what will encrease thy feare infinite sinnes good deeds few and imperfect It is not thy Faith but Gods faithfulnesse thou must relie upon casting thine eyes downwards on thy selfe to behold the great distance betwixt what thou deservest and what thou