the day translated from the kingdome of darknes into his meruellous light So as the righteous soule needes no taper or torch-light at his feast specially if we remeÌ„ber what company is therefore First there is the comforter the bright and glorious spirit which makes him that is spirituall to discerne all things 1. Cor. 2.15 There is also God the Father in companie who is Pater luminum the Father of Light Iames 1.17 and Christ Iesus who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Light of the world the day-spring from on high a Light to bee reuealed to the Gentiles and the glorie of his people Israell 4 As for the last circumstance of Musicke the good conscience hath inough euery string of his heart sounds out a pleasant melody pleasing in the cares of Almighty God himselfe First God playes on the heart strings of his children Vt sila cordaram sic corda filioram tangit and moues them easily then they sound forth his prayse in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs making melody in their hearts vnto God at which Musicke the enuious diuell ftaÌ„ds without the dore like the elder brother in the Parable fretting and discontent at the noyse hee heares within Secondly the very afflictions here endured as they are musicke to a good conscience according to that of Prudencius Tormenta carcer vngulae stridenque flammis c. All kind of tortures are pleasant to a Christian Thy rodde sayeth Dauid comforts mee So likewise do they serue as so many musicall iustruments to prayse God withall as it was sayd of Romanus the Martyr Tot ecce laudant ora quet sunt vuinera That all his gaping woundes were so many mouthes to celebrate Gods glory And as their suffering so their prayers teares are sweeter musicke in the eares of God then Spheares or the harmony of Angels Especially the repentant teares of a sad soule are an excellent Musicke in voyces that is heard as hie as heauen So God tels Manasses Thou hast wept before me and I haue heard it it seemes the Angels heare it too for it is sayde of them that they reioyce at a weeping sinners conuersion And yet here is not all For it is not onely a feast but a continuall feast The royall feast of Assuerus in Est 1. lasted but a 100. 80. dayes but this is euerlasting A good conscience then holds out in all weathers which made Pindar call it the sweet nurse of a mans old age The comfort of prophane worldlings like a torrent soone runnes it selfe drie and away but the godly mans peace is like a perpetuall spring hee growes and goes on in grace Therefore in Ezechiel onely the stayres of the Temple were left vnnumbered vnmeasured intimating that the ascension to God grace and so to his glory is endlesse Therefore Gods mercy his grace are stiled a rich grace a great mercy a superabundant grace a lasting mercy better then all conserues and preserues of which the Poet sayeth Inamarescunt epulae sine fine petitae They will grow bitter if common but this is as sweet and tender and delicate to a man in his age as in his youth nay sweeter and sweeter like that wine in Iohn 2. best at last So that the good mans feast beginnes at all-All-Saints at our sanctity and holines here and lasts till the great generall Purification till our bodies be deputed of all earthly drosse our foules of sinne that is till wee arriue at Heauen It is true the godly mans condition in respect of death is all one with the wicked hee must die but when death like a Voyder comes to take away hee doth not then rise from his banquet discontent as the wicked soule Vitaque cum gemita fugie indignata sub vmbras with noyse and murmuring but he departs Cedit vticonuiua satur like a full guest satissied to sleepe to rest till supper For so death to a man that hath this feast of a good conscience is but a Feast of slumber till supper time till hee come to that Marriage Supper of the Lambe spoken of in Reu. 19.9 Where for plenty and variety of meate and drinke he shal be better then before for it is saide in Gods presence is fulnes of ioy and at his right hand are pleasures for euermore psalm 16.11 where for his Banquet of grace he shall haue one of glorie for the fruits of the spirit heere he shall there feed on the fruits of the Tree of life which beares 12. manner of fruits Reuel 22.2 And for Light he shall need none there neither Sunne nor Moone to lighten that holy Citie For the glory of God doth lighten it the Lambe is the light of it And for company beside manâ—… that shal come from the East from the west and shall sit down at table with Abrah Isack Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Mat. 8.11 a huge nuÌ„ber in Reu 7 9. which no man can nuÌ„ber of all nations kindreds which shal stand before the Lamb clothed with long white robes palmes in their hands and besides the fellowship of Saints and Angels the soule shall there enioy her olde company of the Glorious blessed Trinitie and then shall see GOD not any longer in aenigmatè but see him face to face know euen as shee is knowne As also she shall still retaine her ancient attendants of the blessed Angells our blessed Sauiour telleth vs he wil wayt vpon vs. In the Saturnals saith Macrobius masters serue their seruaÌ„ts at this high baÌ„quet our Lord M. Cor. Ies wil gyrd himself be our seruitour And lastly for Musicke All the Angels shall loudly sound their Clarions The Prophets shal bring their harpes of gold and Iuory And the glorious army of Martyrs shall bring their trumpets of siluer all the whole Quire Chorus of heauen shall sing Huleluiah that song of 3. parts Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Saboath Amen blessing glory wisdome and thanksgiuing and honor power be vnto our God for euer and ouer Amen In a word to resolue this speculation into vse practise Let vs learne not to loue the world or the vaine profit foolish pleasures of this life we see there is no true mirth no sound ioy to be found in theÌ„ let therfore vain worldlings pamper fill theÌ„selues with such painted food and so obtaine perhaps a painted tombe or a partial flourishing Epitaph after death But let vs labour for the meate that perisheth not the food that lasteth euer as graces abundance of content namely a good conscience which is both a feast in this life and a preparatiue to a banquet in the life to come Amen Gloria Deo in Excelsis FINIS
out of his experience beganne many Psalmes with prayer and ends them with thanksgiuing And the blessed Virgine My Soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirite hath reioyced in God my Sauiour And Saint Paul is exemplum exemplorum all his speech of himselfe is but a comment on this Text and a large exposition of this point in hand Hee confesseth it Our reioysing is this the testimony of our conscience and in the 2. Cor. 7.4 I ouerflow exceedingly I abound with all ioy amidst our tribulations and that it is the generall condition of all Gods seruants Saint Peter tels vs where he sayeth that though they see him not yet beleeuing reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious This might easily be proued by shewing that such men haue all the true grounds foundations of ioy and contentment As first that they haue remission of sinnes in Christ and secondly adoption to become the Sonnes of God and in the thirde place haue â—ight and title to Heauen but t is Horaces counsell quaedam dicenda remittere not to amasse and heape vp all that might be said to any one point and therfore we come to the last part namely the fitting and applying of this resemblance heere vrged by Solomon wherin following the former Method I will first present to your consideration howe the wicked conscience is no Feast or if one not a continuall one and next that the good Conscience is one and secondly a continuall one A good Conscience is a continuall Feast First wicked men haue no feast For such men haue lost all tast of good and heauenly things They doe not relish or sauour the things that bee of God saith the Apostle as we see Swine neglect pasture and eat draffe So these men banquet but t' is with poyson like Tereus feast or rather t' is Scilicornium a funerall Feast for such a man as S. Paul speaks of a widow that liues in the pleasure of sinne is dead while he liues Their food breeds onely winde and froath and inflation no perfect or pure blood So that wee mistake iudging such a man full because Rich t is true he hath enough his bellyful but t' is with wind Eccles 5.16 or else theyr eating procures a corrosion and convulsion priuie gripings and qualmes stitches and aches wormes and distortion of the stotion of the stomacke that they cannot sleepe or take rest vpon it The satietie of the Rich will not suffer him to sleepe Or if hee doe hee shall spue soone after it as Iob saith hee hath deuoured substance and shall vomite it for God shall draw it out of his bellie Iob. 20. Or if it settle and stay with him then it inflames his soule and hart-burnes him For a practised sinner is saide to haue his soule singed and seared his Conscience burnt with an hotte yron 1. Tim. 4.2 or lastly as poyson if it kill not presently breakes out in tumors and byles so his wickednes doth occasion diseases and his bones are full of the sinne of his Youth Iob 20.11 and as he goeth on in vers 12. Though wickednes be sweet in his mouth and though he hide it vnder his tongue and keepe it like a delicate Epicure in the midst of his palate yet his meat in his bowels is turned it is the gall of Aspes within him And this is theyr viandes their cates theyr delicates of which Dauid desires to eate no part Psalm 141. If wee desire to knowe what they drinke at such a feast Iob tells vs they drinke iniquity like water Iob 15.16 and their wine the scripture saith is the wine of astonishment or else a certaine kind of compounded stuffe that Dauid speaks of ps 75.8 In the haÌ„d of the Lord ther is a cup it is red wine it is full mixt and hee powres out of the same Surely all the wicked of the earth shal wring out drink therof and in Psalm 11. he describes their burnt wine which seemes the very same that the Deuils drinke in hell God will raine snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shal be the portion of their cuppe As for the companie of these men what can it be but a noyse and sette of Diuells for Satan returning saith our Sauiour returning and finding such mens hearts like houses swept and garnished prepared for him enters with seuen worse then himselfe and the ende of that man is worse then the beginning It is not strange then that prophane and lewde men will fancie and conceite themselues the onely flourishing people vpon earth when wee see that their very banquetting stuffe is but gall poyson theyr drinke vengeance and their companie Diuells But let vs grant them that their seeming mirth and iollity they liue in may be tearmed a feast which is their portion vpon earth all they can looke for yet alasse it is not a continuall feast but exceeding fleet and momentanie Euen in laughter the heart is sorrowfull at that very instant They banquet as theeues in a caue or a wood alwayes in feare Esay tels vs that the Harpe the Violl the Tabret Pipe are in their feasts Esay 5.12 But this will not hold for hee addes in ver 14 Therefore Hell hath enlarged her selfe and opened her mouth wâ—de And their pompe and he that reioyceth shall descend into it So soone they are gone They breake off as it were in the middest of their meale and sinke into hel Nor can the damned soule thinke to take it out when hee comes there Indeed as hee in his life time made a feast of his soule to the Diuell and drest it for him to make his Helship merry for as the good Angels reioyce at a sinners conuersion so wee must thinke the Diuels mirth is his rebellion So now Sathan to bee quiet with him prepares him a feast a blacke banquet onely two dishes weeping serued in for the first course and gnashing of teeth for the second It is true it shall bee a continuall feast but worse to him then any feast for he shall bee so farre from receyuing pleasure in it that hee shall howle roare out with Diues for some drinke to his hote meate euen for a drop of water to coole his tongue And this for the first part of the comparison The second is that the goodman hath in his conscience a feast and not so onely but a continuall Feast First hee hath a Feast for a godly man like that vngodly one in the Gospell fares deliciously euery day keepes a spirituall Christmas alwayes drinkes deepe in the Wine-sellar as it seemes by the Spouse in Canticles 2.4.5 Hee brought mee into the Wine-seller and loue was his banner ouer mee Stay mee with flaggons and comfort me with apples for I am sicke of loue So it is in that song of the blessed Virgin Hee filles the hungry with good things fils them giues them enough feasts them Like a noble Lord God with his proper gifts and graces And in examining
reconciled to God an estate neither befalling the prowde Pharisee swolne and pufft vp with a false conception tympany a deceiuable confidence and ouer-weening of his owne righteousnes nor the dull and stony sinner who drunk with sinnes sweetnes is made insensible and remains seemingly vndisquieted In summe t' is nothing else but that inward integritie of the heart whereof S. Paule speaking sayes The ende and complement of the Law is Charitie in a pure heart with faith vnfained 1. Tim. 1.5 And presently after Vers 19. differencing it from a meer vnderstanding he saith Some haue made a shipwracke of Faith by forsaking a good Conscience Wherein saith Caluin hee shewes it to be a liuely ardor of seruing God with the entire affection of his soule and a sincere endeuour to liue godly and honestly among men respecting properly and precisely God as the maine ende and obiect therof but lesse principally men because the effects and fruits of it extend euen to them also This thus opened brings vs I hope some light to finde and see what an euill Conscience is which is whatsoeuer the former is not A remembrance of an ill-led-life ioyned with feare of punishment or a grieuous and racking motion of the soule mixt with knowledge and sight of her owne wickednes and by consequence with a foresight of her owne miserie But in handling the next part of the Text we shall obtaine a manifolde discouerie of them both and be made to descry aswell the comfortable nature of the one as the poore and wretched condition of the other Come wee then to that which I called the maine intendment of Solomon or the generall Doctrine hence obserueable The first part whereof is that there is no peace to the wicked as God speakes by Esay No ioy no comfort in an ill soule And the second That the good man is the onely merrie man aliue For so much is veiled and couered here vnder these words A continuall Feast 3 For the first as Saint Paul speakes of the good man that he is afflicted yet alwayes merrie So Solomon of the wicked iust contrary euen in laughter the heart is sorrowfull Pro. 14.13 The world then it seemes is cousened and gulled with showes and shadowes and outward semblances thinking such a man sicke that is in perfect health esteeming an other in great iollity of an able lusty body when t' is but a languishing carkasse For the full worldling sets out and paints and struts like a huge Colossus of gold peraduenture or Iuory without but stuft with clay and stones within all their happinesse affoording no more comfort then for a theefe to be hanged on a painted Gallowes Therefore Seneca calls it Foelicitatem bracteatam capsulam totam gilded felicity all couer and shell and barke straw without graine or gilded sheathes with leaden weapons nor yet so merely T' is not a froath or winde or emptinesse but a burning a corrosion a sting a poyson a secret malignity withall For so Solomon implyes where speaking of all outward things hee sayeth They are not onely vanity but vexation of the spirite So that worldlings may complaine of all earthly matters as Agarnemnon doth of honour in the Tragedy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T 's sweet in show and semblance a farre off but it sads a man at heart when it comes The maine reason whereof is that of Senecaes because all folly and vanity laborat fastidió sui growes in the end weary of it selfe Et maximam sui veneni partem bibit drinkes vp the greater part of her owne poyson occasioned by a gnawn wormeaten a wicked guilty conscience For as the Cruciaeries in Rome bore that Crosse which should afterwards beare them so God hath layde this conscience as a crosse on euery sinnefull wretch wherein hee suffers before before time of his full and final suffering A thing which the Heathens felt and discouered Sua quemque fraus suus terror maximè vexat sayeth Tullie Each mans owne fraud and his owne affrightment most disquiets him and those Furies sayeth hee doe anguish and pursue wicked men not with burning firebrands as wee see in Tragedies sed angore conscientiae but with the trouble of their conscience And Seneca most diuinely Nihil prod st inclusam habere conscientiam patemus Deo Quid quaeris quid machinaris quid abscondis custos tuus te sequitur Quid locum abdictum legis arbitros remoues Putas tibi contigisse vt oculos ouium effugias To what end sayeth he Doth a sinner chuse secresie or solitarinesse Demens quid prodest non habere conscium cum habes conscientiam Madman what auayles to haue no witnesse of thy wickednesse thou hauing a conscience which is a thousand witnesses A thing which euery sinner would shunne and cannot whose state is therefore resembled to the stricken Beare which running per syluas saltusque through woods and groues yet still haeret lateri laethalis arundo the deadly arrow sticks still in her side so runnes and rowles the perplexed sinner like Lucans Beare Se rotat in vulnus secum fugientem circuit hastam though hee wheele and turne round as the Wiseman sayth Impij ambulant in circuitu yet the Speare that wounded him fals not out Such men sayeth Plutarch are like men sea-sicke who being in the shippe thinke they should doe better in the boate and thence backe againe to the shippe nihil agunt c. They doe nothing sayeth he nothing to any purpose so long as their choler remaines in the stomacke So the Sinner no shift of place no change of ayre relieues him being dogged and tended on by Erynnis Conscientiae the Hellish Hagge or fury of his conscience that euer-gaping Cerberus that euer-waking blood hound eyther barking eager and so disturbs his rest which is bad enough or if it chance to sleepe it is farre worse if it wakes it makes him like a mad-man when it sleepes a Lethargique dull and senselesse if it speake a thousand wild Chymaeraes and winged furies and spirting serpents ride vpon the tongue of it but when it is dumbe it casts him into a stony deadnes which is an estate so damnable as we are wont to expresse it by resemblance to a Patient on whom Physicke works not or that seeles not himselfe sicke when both Physitians and friends know him desperate Ti 's Austines Quid miserius misero non miserante seipsum What more miserable then a wretch not to take compassion on himselfe Nor can it bee thought a pleasure for a sinner that his soule is growne ouer with a filme or cataract that he becomes obdurate seared and remorselesse and so secure like Ionas vnder hatches a sleepe for such a sleepe of the conscience is but a dogges sleepe as God tolde Cain in Gen. 4. If thou doest ill Sinne lyes at the dore lyes like a dogge at the dore vpon a sodaine to rise and plucke out his throat Tandemista tranquilitas tempestas est saith Saint
Ierome This seeming calme proues in the end a most cruell storme as a wheele seemes not at all to moue when it is whirled about with greatest violence Which if we would haue proued or exemplified beside prophane stories and dayly tryall the scripture is plenteous in furnishing vs with examples and testimonies Iosephs brethren Gen. 50.15 It may be hee will hate vs and pay vs againe the euill wee did him A fuller example is Herod in Mat. 14. who when Christ came to offer mercy out of the hell of his hart imagined Iohn Baptist had bin risen again to take vengeance So the Scribes and Pharisees in that iudgement of our Sauiour concerning the woman taken in adultery accused of their owne conscience went out one by one Iohn 8.9 The same sting it was made Baltazers countenance change and his ioyntes to bee loosed and his knees to knocke one against onother Dan. 5.6 So when Paul disputed of righteousnesse and temperance and the iudgement to come the Text sayeth Foelix trembled Act. 24.26 The time would fayle mee to speake of Adam of Saul of Iudas and sixe hundred more for it is in all wicked soules eyther the first part of hell a fire that burnes and consumes speedily or the second part a worme that closely frets and eates away and rots the soule and shall neuer die saith Esay 66 24. Such a man is like him the Apostle speakes of Tit. 3.11 Who is damned of himselfe his owne Iudge witnes hangman at least findes himselfe guiltie and nothing remaines but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and a violent fire Heb. 10.27 2 The second branch of the doctrine and that which is here exprest is that how euer the worlde rashly conceit good mens estate wretched and tempestuous yet they are the onely merry men aliue It is thought religion duls their wits daunts their spirits as if mirth and mischiefe euer met together But the Heathens haue beene able to tell vs that all blisse lyes not in a giddy lightnes There is sayeth Statius hilaris cum pondere virtus Vertue with mirth and weight in it and Tully could say Non hilaritate modo nec lascinia nec ioco comite lenitatis sed saepe etiam tristes firmitate constantiâ sunt beati Men many times seeming sad are blessed in the firmenesse and constancy of their temper For the true Christian man though hee runne still away yet his ioyes are deeper then the rushing noyse of shallow worldlings as Claudius speakes of Nilus Lene fluit sed cunctis omnibus exit vtilior nullas confessus murmure vireis though it shew no strength in his murmure and ratling yet it is more vsefull then other riuers This is true of a good conscience in the generall because it is in euery disease a Physition in strife a Lawyer in doubt a Preacher in griese a counsellor in sinne a confessor like a sweet persume at once taking away the noysome smell and leauing a sweet sauour for it or like the Vnicorns horne in water driuing poyson out of any estate This we shall in like maner find true if we take into our consideration those things which most afflict and trauell men in this life and wherewith the best men are oftentimes shaken and disturbed and theit evennes interrupted and en combred which be SIN and Affliction For we shall finde that which Iuvenal speakes of vertue Semita tranquillae per virtutem patet vnica vitae applyable more fitly to a good conscience that the way out of the forenamed difficulties and the path to arriue at quietnes is no other And for SIN first the dayly wrastlings combates against those reliques of sin are best known to them that haue experienced them Such will cry out in the bitternes of their soules with S. Paul I feele another law in my members rebelling against the law of my flesh and leading mee captiue into the law of sinne O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this body of death Rom. 7.23.24 Now a good conscience doth not onely preserue men from committing some sinne as Pride and enuy that Saw of the soule and paine of the damned and so works a peacefull innocency that way but it likewise cleares him from the guilt and horror of all sinne For first it is a procurer at least a fast friend to a bolde liuelie faith in God So the Author to the Hebrewes Heb. 10.22 Let vs draw neare in assurance of our faith with a true heart sprinckled in our hearts from an euill conscience and then in the next place it makes a man confident to come with boldnes to the throne of grace for if our heart condemn vs not then haue we confidence towards God 1. Iohn 3.21 In which regard Dauid ftiles God the God of his prayse the God of his righteousnes and the Apostle cals integrity of life and a good conscience arma institiae armour of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left 2. Cor. 6.7 which preserues him safe from all assaults and snares and temptations of the diuell nay the righteous man gaines by euery such attempt of Sathan Doemones tentando nobis coronas fabricant euery temptation anoyded as it is a Crown to a man so it is a curse to his enemy And Origen imagined that it should increase the tormentors punishment In the meane time the righteous soule lyes couered vnder his buckler of Faith like little Teucer vnder the shield of Aiax secure from danger Nay Sin indeed hath now no further power to endamage him for as the spirite of God becomming his bosome friend doth like a new Hercules kill that rauening vulture which tyres vpon the liuer of his poore soule and when hee is in greatest anguish that he prayes and sighes and grones then that prayes for him sighes grones for him with such sighes such groanes so oppressed as they cannot bee expressed Rom. 8.26 So Christ Iesus his sauiour and mighty Redeemer hath pulled out the sting of it the poyson and virulency and malignity is taken away by him For the strength of sin is the Law now such men sayth the Apostle are no longer vnder the Law but vnder grace And therefore Saint Iohn is bold to say of such a man Hee doeth no sinne nor can doe none a strange speech yet most true hee cannot sinne fearefully finally with the whole sway and bent of his minde and affections or doeth no sinne which shall bee imputed to him or layde to his charge as Saint Paul Rom. 8.33.34 where hee seemes to giue out a generall callenge against all commers to doe their worst to vrge the vtmost they can T' is c. saith he Who is that man so hardy as dare tax the children of God Who shal lay anything to the charge of Gods elect It is God that iustifies who shall condemne c. So that in such men sinne though it remaine yet it doth not raigne there but is onely like a languishing