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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	wound_n	46	3	7.4120	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

of the Gospel of peace Mark he compareth it to a shoe which he would have us shod with and then it will be the Gospel of peace to us and our peace shall be in safety Fourthly our peace dependeth upon our obedience not onely as a signe of true peace nor onely as a guard to it but as a thing pleasing to God without the which we displease God For though God be pleased with his children alwayes in Christ yet he is not pleased that any in Christ should be disobedient to him Ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God saith the Apostle When Gods children walk in obedience that is pleasing unto God So that peace of conscience doth greatly depend on obedience For otherwise conscience will be troubled O I do not please God This is displeasing unto God and This doth provoke God Not as though there were any such perfection in our obedience that can satisfie any tittle of Gods law but because when our persons are pleasing to God in Jesus Christ then our obedience to God is pleasing too in Jesus Christ and conscience will say it Thus much shall suffice for answer to the second question III. Question What manner of obedience it is that peace of conscience dependeth upon The reason of this question is this Because it should seem there is no such obedience in this life as any peace of conscience should depend on Doth not James say In many things we sinne all Doth not our Saviour say When ye have done all that ye can say We are unprofitable servants If our conscience can still say that we are unprofitable and that we do sinne in every thing that we do yea in many things in all the duties we go about if our consciences can say thus How can any peace depend upon obedience What obedience do you mean that peace of conscience dependeth upon I answer 1. Absolute perfection in obedience is not required unto evangelicall peace For if it were no man could have peace no not Paul nor Abraham nor any of the holiest of Gods children and therefore absolute perfection is not required If we say we have not sinned we make Christ a liar and his word is not in us 1. John 1.10 Our conscience can still say we have sinned and it can still say our obedience is imperfect A halting leg can never go perfectly A Jacob is called he that halteth and every godly soul halteth Though he do not halt between two as wicked people do yet he halteth in following after God What purblind eye can see perfectly or thick eare heare perfectly He that hath these imperfections of body can neither go nor see nor heare perfectly So the best of Gods children have imperfections of heart and spirit and mind their faith is imperfect their love is imperfect and therefore their obedience must needs be imperfect But absolute perfection is not required to true peace of conscience and therefore this doth not hinder it 2. Though absolute perfection be not required to peace yet such obedience is required as may be acceptable to God So saith the Apostle We labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him Such obedience we must shew as may be accepted of him or we cannot have true peace If our endeavours be not acceptable our conscience will quickly heare of it and tell us so If we pray coldly or heare unprofitably or live loosely if we do not do that which is acceptable to God our consciences will soon complain Nay though we do do the duties if we do not do them in an acceptable manner conscience will have matter against us still 3. This acceptablenesse of obedience lieth in this when our obedience is sincere universall and totall and proceeding from the spirit of Christ Jesus dwelling in us The Apostle giveth it this phrase When we walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.4 That is our fulfilling the law when Christ hath fulfilled the law for us and maketh us sincerely to walk by it not after the flesh but after the Spirit when we do not favour our selves in one lust nor suffer our selves in any beloved sinne but whatever it be that is evil our conscience can say we truly do hate it and labour to avoid it whatever it be that is commanded us be it never so contrary to our nature yet our conscience can say we sincerely set our selves to do it So walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit this is sincerity of obedience and this is required unto peace 4. This sincerity of obedience maketh us to bewail our very infirmities and to be humbled for them not onely to be humbled for greater sinnes but also to be humbled for our infirmities If we be not soundly humbled for our very infirmities also they will hinder the peace of our conscience We can have no peace except our conscience can witnesse that our infirmities do humble us and drive us to Christ and cause us to sue out a pardon If conscience have not a pardon sealed for infirmities also it will not be at peace Christ bare our very infirmities therefore we must be humbled for them and go to him for pardon of them too or conscience will not be at peace Thus I have answered also this third question IV. Question How if a man have a burdened and troubled conscience what must he do to be freed from it The reason of this question is this Because men are ignorant about it When men are troubled in conscience and burdened a little that way presently they daub all with peace and go a wrong way to work This course the Lord doth complain of in the false prophets who preached too much peace They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there is no peace And so they do more hurt then good Like a chirurgion that skinneth the wound before he giveth searching salves to kill the matter of it afterwards it breaketh out worse and it is a hundred to one but it will cost the patient his life So it is with many men A man cannot rore a little for his sinnes I have been a sinner and what shall I do I have been a beast c. But O say they believe man Christ died for thee and the promise is to thee and God will pardon thee Thus they heal him slightly with Peace peace and it may be there is no peace to him yet he had need to be searched more deeply they skinne the wound and it is a thousand to one but it loseth the mans soul by giving a cordiall where a corrosive was necessarie And therefore great reason that this question should be answered If a man have a burdened troubled conscience what must such a man do to be freed from it I answer 1. Let him take heed that he meddle not too much with the secret will of God