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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	work_n	work_v	worm_n	22	3	9.4765	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41128	The souls looking-glasse, lively representing its estate before God with a treatise of conscience : wherein the definitions and distinctions thereof are unfolded, and severall cases resolved / by ... William Fenner ...	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.	1643 (1643)	Wing F700; ESTC R477	127,214	226

certainly hell cannot be worse Hell is infinitely worse but he may not think so Thus Judas was desirous to die when he went and hanged himself Thus many in despair do make away themselves I confesse some in despair may be fearfull to die as Cain was fearfull to die it was fear of death made him speak thus unto God It shall come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Gen. 4.14 The reason was because though he were in despair yet he was not so sensible of his horrour as Judas was for Cain could go and build for all this and train up his children in musick and the like for all this but Judas was in a case more sensible of his misery 2. Dolour of pain may make a wicked man desire to die Thus it was with Saul Saul had received his deaths wound and was in most grievous pain he could not die presently neither could he live but lying in very great pain between both desired the Amalekite to stand upon him and slay him 2. Sam. 10.9 though Osiander think the Amalekite lyed unto David to curry favour with him but Josephus and others think he spake the truth Sure it is that many wicked wretches having no peace of conscience to sweeten and allay their torments have been desirous to die nay some have hastened their own death 3. Malecontentednesse shame and disappointment of their aims may also make wicked men desirous to die and if death come not soon enough of it self to dispatch away themselves with cruel self-murder Thus it was with Achitophel when he saw his counsel was not followed he haltered himself He had no peace of conscience to comfort him against all his dumps and discontents and therefore he was desirous to die 4. Wicked men being vexed at something for the present may seem to be desirous to die and yet if death should come indeed they would be of another mind and be content death should be further off Nay Jonas that strange man of a good man O for a fit he would be dying yea that he would Lord take my life from me for it is better for me to die then to live I suppose if God had taken him at his word he could have wished his words had been in again But thus it is often in the mouthes of wicked people I would I were dead and I would I were out of the world not for any peace of conscience they have nor for any desire of death but onely for a momentany pang If they were to die indeed they would be loth enough to it Like the man in the Fable who being wearied with his burden of sticks lay down and called for Death but when Death came indeed to take him and said What shall I do man thou calledst me I pray thee said he help me up with my burden of sticks When he was to die indeed then he would rather have his own wearisome burden It is but a fable but this is the fashion of many 5. When wicked men are desirous to die indeed sometimes not out of discontent or any such like reason yet it cannot be out of any true peace of conscience They may go away like lambs as we say but it is in a fools paradise It may be whilest they lived they thought to go to heaven but when they dy then all their thoughts perish as the Psalmist speaketh in another case To return therefore where we left O beloved is there any of you that want the peace of a good conscience and do ye know what you want what a great benefit and blessing That ye may see this and fully know it and by knowing it earnestly desire it consider First that it is the very head of all comforts A worthy Divine calleth it Abrahams bosome to the soul Ye know what a blessing it was unto Lazarus to be taken from his fores into Abrahams bosome The peace of a good conscience is like this bosome of Abraham Who would not gladly lie in it Such a man who hath it can never look upon another mans comfort but a good conscience will say Yea and I have my comfort too When Paul was commending of Timothie see how his own conscience spake of himself at the same time He worketh the work of the Lord as I also do Mark his conscience would be putting in comfort for himself Doth Timothie work the Lords work yea and so do I too saith his conscience It is Musculus his observation upon the place Secondly A quiet conscience maketh a man to tast the sweetnesse of things heavenly and spirituall It maketh the word to be to him as to David Sweeter then hony yea then the hony-combe I have not departed from thy judgements O Lord saith he thus saith his conscience now what followeth next How sweet are thy words unto my tast yea sweeter then hony unto my mouth A good conscience maketh a man tast sweetnesse in prayer when his conscience telleth him he prayeth aright It maketh him tast sweetnesse in a Sabbath when his conscience telleth him he sanctifieth it aright so also in the sacrament when his conscience can witnesse he receiveth aright What is the reason so few of you tast sweetnesse in these things The reason is this Because ye have not the peace of a good conscience It would find sweetnesse in every good dutie in every good word and work Thirdly A good quiet conscience maketh a man tast sweetnesse in all outward things in meat in drink in sleep in the company of friends it putteth a Better upon a very morsel Prov. 17.1 Brown bread and a good conscience there is a Better upon it then upon all the costly fare of the wealthie without it Bernard calleth a good conscience a soft pillow Another calleth it a dear bosome friend Solomon calleth it a continuall feast It maketh a man tast sweetnesse in every outward thing The healthy man onely can take pleasure in recreations walks meats sports and the like they yield no comfort to those that are bedrid or sick or half-dead But when the conscience is at peace the soul is all in good health and so all things are enjoyed with sweetnesse and comfort Fourthly It sweetneth evils to a man as troubles crosses sorrows afflictions If a man have true peace in his conscience it comforteth him in them all When things abroad do disquiet us how comfortable is it to have something at home to chear us so when troubles and afflictions without turmoil and vex us and adde sorrow to sorrow then to have peace within the peace of conscience to allay all and quiet all what a happinesse is this When sicknesse and death cometh what will a good conscience be worth then Sure more then all the world besides If one had all the world he would then give it for a peaceable conscience Nay what think ye of judgement and the tribunal of Christ Do but think what a good

made way now to a treatise of conscience which will shew us what estate we are in before God I desire to handle it common-place-wise And first I will tell you in brief what the conscience of every man is I say of every man For Angels and devils have a conscience too ye may see it in the speech of the Angel to John when John would have worshipped him I am thy fellow-servant saith he see thou do it not Mark He had a conscience that could say I am a servant and therefore must not take worship to me So for the devils When our Saviour bade them come forth of the possessed they say Art thou come to torment us before our time See they had a conscience that told them there would be a time when they should be further tormented But I am not to speak of such consciences but of the conscience of man Now the conscience of man is the judgement of man upon himself as he is subject to Gods judgement Divines use to expresse it in this Syllogisme He that truly believeth in Christ shall be saved My conscience telleth me this is Gods word But I believe truly in Christ My conscience telleth me this also Therefore I shall be saved And so also on the contrary side So that conscience is a mans true judgement of himself If we would judge our selves that is If we would bring our selves before the tribunal of conscience to receive its judgement Foure propositions are conteined in that portion of Scripture which I have chosen to make the subject of this ensuing treatise Rom. 2.15 1. That there is in every man a conscience Their consciences bearing them witnesse Every one of them had a conscience bearing them witnesse 2. That the light which conscience is directed to work by is knowledge written in their hearts 3. That the bond that bindeth a mans conscience is Gods law which shew the effect of the law written in their hearts 4. That the office and duty of conscience is to bear witnesse either with our selves or against our selves accusing or excusing our selves or actions bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing or excusing one another I begin with the first Proposition I. There is in every man a conscience THere was a conscience in all these heathen in the text their consciences bearing them witnesse There was a conscience in the Scribes and Pharisees being convicted of their own consciences There is a conscience in good men as in Paul Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience There is a conscience in wicked men their mind and conscience is defiled As it is impossible the fire should be without heat so it is impossible that any man should be without a conscience Indeed we use to say Such an one hath no conscience but our meaning is that he hath no good conscience But every one hath a conscience either good or bad The Lord engraved conscience in man when he created him at first True it is since the fall of man conscience is miserably corrupted but man can never put it off Conscience continueth for ever in every man whether he be in earth or heaven or hell The most base and devilish profanelings in the world have a conscience Let them choke it or smother it as much as they can let them whore it or game it or drink it away as much as they are able for their hearts yet conscience will continue in spite of their teeth 1. No length of time can wear this conscience out What made Josephs brethren to remember the cruel usage they shewed him but conscience It was about tvventy years before yet they could not vvear it out 2. No violence nor force is able to suppresse conscience but that one day or other it will shew it self What made Judas go and carry back the money that he betrayed our Saviour for and also to cry out I have sinned but conscience No question but he laboured to suppresse it but he could not 3. No greatnesse nor power is able to stifle conscience but that it will one day like a band-dog flie in a sinners face What made Pharaoh crie out I am wicked but conscience He vvas a great King and yet he vvas not able to over-povver conscience 4. No musick mirth or jovializing can charm conscience but it vvill play the devil to a vvretched soul for all that What vvas the evil spirit of melancholy that came upon Saul but conscience He thought to allay it with instruments of musick but it still came again 5. Death it self is not able to part conscience from a sinner What is that vvorm that shall never die but onely conscience and in hell conscience is as that fire that never goeth out I confesse some seem to have lost conscience quite They can omit good duties as though they had no conscience at all they can deferre repentance and turning to God as though they had no more conscience then a beast but one day conscience vvill appear and shevv plainly that it vvas present vvith them every moment of their lives and privie to all their thoughts and all their vvayes and set before them all the things that they have done Be men never so secure and senselesse and seared for the present conscience vvill break out either first or last Either here or in hell it vvill appear to every man That he hath and ever had a conscience Novv the reasons vvhy the Lord did plant a conscience in every man living are 1. Because the Lord is a very righteous Judge And as he commandeth earthly judges not to judge vvithout vvitnesse so he himself vvill not judge vvithout vvitnesse and therefore he planteth a conscience in every one to bring in evidence for him or against him at Gods tribunall 2. Because the Lord is very mercifull We are vvonderous forgetfull and mindlesse of God and of our ovvn souls and have need to be quickned up to our duties therefore the Lord hath given every one of us a conscience to be a continuall monitour Sometime vve forget to pray and then conscience putteth us in mind to go to God sometime vve are dull in the duty and conscience is as a prick to quicken us Sometime our passions are distempered and then conscience checketh and commandeth us to bridle them We should never be kept in any order if it vvere not for conscience Therefore hath the Lord in mercy given us a conscience The first use is to condemne that diabolical proverb common among men Conscience is hanged a great while ago No no Achitophel may hang himself but he cannot hang his conscience Saul may kill himself but conscience cannot be killed It is a worm that never dieth As the reasonable soul of man is immortall so conscience also is immortall Secondly this condemneth such as go about to suppresse conscience Their conscience maketh them melancholick and lumpish now and