we must not be austere in reprehending euery infirmity but pitifull in considering of it tender frailtie Neither do I speake this to nourish pettishnesse in any but would haue them to labour for patience and to seeke for peace which though they finde not at the first yet by prayer they must waite on the Lord and say Lorde because there is mercie that thou maist be feared I will waite vpon thee as the eye of the seruant waiteth vpon the hand of his Master I will condemne my selfe of folly and say Oh my soule why art thou so heauy Why art thou so cast downe within mee Still trust in the Lorde for he is thy health and thy saluation FINIS Another shorte Treatise belonging to the Comfort of an afflicted Conscience IN all afflictions Gods children must looke vnto the ende They are to desire to profite by them and in them to seeke the way of perfect coÌ„fort and consolation which that they may finde they must know that the afflictions of the godly last but a while they serue them but for salues and medicines the ende of them is alwaies happy In them they are not onely preserued and purified from many sinnes but also much beautified with the Image of Iesus Christ who is the eldest Sonne in the house of God Againe the crosse of true Christians is the sweete and amiable call of God vnto repentance in that he putteth vs in minde thereby to bethinke vs of our debts because we are giuen to thinke the daie of payment is yet farre of yea we fall a sleepe vntill our turne be ended and whilest God lengtheneth our daies waiting for our repentance we neuer thinke of our sinnes vntill the houre come wherein we perish with shame The best meeting then with the Lordes visitation is without delay and in syncerity to pray for our sinnes to be pardoned For therefore doth the Lord oftentimes shackle vs the more with the chaines of his chastisements because we are more carefull to be vnburthened of our sicknes then to be freed from our sinne which wee the rather are loath to confesse because we would not be espied to be in the wrath of God Others there bee that nearing of their sinnes in the time of their afflictions will acknowledge indeede their infirmities to be the mother of such a broode yet they haue no true remorse to restraine themselues from sinne because they haue but a confused conceite thereof and though their ship be neuer so much tossed and turmoyled yet thinke they not that God holdeth the sterne These men if God beare with them do as it were settle in their lees and are as it were soked in their sinnes For prosperitie is a drunkennes to cast our selues into a dead sleepe and when the Lord setteth vs alone we cease not to sooth vp our selues bearing our selues in hand that we are in Gods fauour and that he loueth vs because he scourgeth vs not And thus retchles we are whilest we measure Gods loue according to our sence and humor Wherin we be wray our ignorance of the exercise of the crosse in that affliction is the mother of humilitie humilitie breedeth repentance repentance obtaineth mercy Some also there are who vsually whilest the fearefull iudgement of God is before their eies eyther in themselues or in others haue a fewe glancing motions and starting cogitations of their sinnes and of Christ his passion yet at all other times their mindes are so clasped vp from thinking of temptations their hearts so locked vp from foreseeing or forethinking of iudgments that they feele no godly sorrow They mocke the mourning daies of the elect as of them that be of a melancholy nature they make a sport of sin as little remembring the sting which will either pricke them to the hart blood most fearfully in the houre of death or meete theÌ„ with gryping agonies in the day of their visitatioÌ„ more speedily But happely they thinke they haue giuen good testimony word of their repentance and remembrance of God when they giue one deepe sigh and away and passe ouer Gods heauy indignatioÌ„ as ouer burning coals So that whilest the Lord in prosperity affordeth large peniworthes of his loue vnto them they dally with his Maiesty and make a sport of his mercy All which imperfections may be better corrected if in our deepest rest with a reuerente humble feare of gods iudgmeÌ„ts we did waite for the day of our tryall prepare our selues to the lords visitations as they who by the writing of their owne conscience do acknowledge themselues by iust title to be fosterers therof for the feeling of Gods mercy must come from the sight of our misery by sinne which being pardoned we shall soone haue our infirmities heled Wherfore let vs first learne to cleanse our soules from sin and then to sustaine the sores of our body Sure it is that if we haue suffered our hearts to be harrowed with the rake of Gods iudgements as occasion from the Lord hath bene giuen that we are become soft well exercised in the feare of God we shall come to the feeling of our sins the sence wherof if it bring as it were a sicknes to the body a corsey to the soule it is an vndoubted earnest of our regeneration happy are we if we find our selues so diseased and troubled with our sinnes that we can hardly being in the skirmish agony make any difference between the motions to any euil the consent vnto the same for oftentimes euil motions do so possesse the soules of gods children sucking down so strongly in theÌ„ that though they weepe pray and meditate which be the last meanes remedies to ease cure them yet though they feele them with irksomenes loathsomenes as we feele sicknes in our bodies yet those motions will be continually in them without diminishing the delight onely excepted Wherefore for our comfort herein we are not to martyre our selues with disquietnes of minde because we are so pestered thronged with wicked motions and assaultes but rather let vs quiet our selues and not suffer our selues to be hindred with sicknes either of body or mind by means wherof we should become more vnprofitable to our selues the whole church of God For the godly shall not be so freed from sinne but that they shalbe assalted with euill motions suspitions delusious vaine fan tiâ—â—â—s imaginations the body of sin shall neuer be froÌ„ vs so long as we liue For the scome therof is almost continually boyling wallopping in vs foming out such filthy froth stinking sauor into our mindes that it is not only detestable to the minde regenerate and renewed by the spirit of God but also it would make abashed the very naturall man to looke into so loathsome a stye of sin sink hole of iniquity Yea it maketh vs often to quaile if it were possible it would corrupt the very part regenerate For mighty is the power
raging is the strength of sin Neither for all this must we cease to sorrowe for our sins nor dispaire on the other side although our sorrow bee but small For if we be sorrowfull for the hardnes of our hearts if we can be grieued for that we are no more grieued for our sins if we can but sigh and groone because we feele our iniquities it is so much a greater comfort vnto vs as it is a greater testimony that our heartes are not altogether hardened so that if we feele â—orrowe indeede although wee weepe not yet we may gather comfort considering that this sorrow is for sinne with a loue and hunger after righteousnes yea if our assaults be distrust pride arrogancy ambition enuie concupiscence as whoâ—e as the fyre in the furnace all our daies and though Sathan layeth out oyle in great measure out of measure that it is the wonderfull mercy of the Lorde that we stand and though our prayers be dull and full of wearisomenes if the striuing and strayning of our selues to goodnesse be so hard that we knowe not whether we striue for feare of punishment or for loue of so good a Father yet if we feele this in our selues that we would faine loue the Lord and be better and beeing wearied and tyred with our sinnes long gladly to enioye the peace of righteousnes and desire to please God in a simple obedience of faith then let vs comfort our selues there is no time to late to repent in For he commeth quickly to Christ although in the houâ—e of death that commeth willingly and in a desire of a better life howsoeuer sinne and Sathan at that time would especially perswade him For as the humming Bee hauing lost her sting in an other doth still notwithstanding make a fearfull and grieuous noyse by her often buzzing about vs but is nothing able to hurt vs so sin death hauing lost their stings in Christ Iesus do not cease at all euen in the height of the parching heat of our consciences to make a murmuring and with furious stormes of temptations to terrifie vs and our consciences albeit they can neuer sting vs. Wherfore if Sathan charge our consciences with sin if we can feele the things a little before mentioned in our consciences let vs bid him not tell vs what we haue beene but what we woulde be For such we are by imputation as we be in affection and he is now no sinner who for the loue he beareth to righteousnes would be no sinner Such as we be in desire and purpose such we be in reckoning and account with God who giueth that true desire and holy purpose to none but to his children whom he iustifieth Neyther vndoubtedly can the giltines of sinne breake the peace of our conscience seeing it is the worke of an other who hath commended vs as righteous before God and saued vs. It must indeed be confessed that our owne works wil do nothing in the matter of iustification which from Christ in Christ is freely giuen vnto vs it must be granted that in our selues we are weaker then that we can resist the least sinne so farre of is it that we can encounter with the law sinne death hell and Sathan and yet in Christ we are more then conquerers ouer them all When the law accuseth thee because thou hast not obserued it send it to Christ say there is a man that hath fulfilled the law to him I cleaue he hath fulfilled it for me and hath giuen the fulfilling of it vnto mee I haue nothing to do with thee I haue another law which striketh thee down euen the law of liberty which through Christ hath set me free For my conscience which henceforth serueth the law of grace is a glorious prince to triumph ouer thee If sin come and would haue thee by the throat send it to Christ say as much as thou maist do against him so much right thou shalt haue against me For I am in him he in me wherfore O sin I am righteous through my Christ which is a condemning sin to condemne thee which art a condemned sinner If death creepe vpon thee attempt to deuoure thee say vnto it Christ hath ouercome thee opened to me the gates of euerlasting life thou wouldest haue killed him with the sting of sin but the same being of no force thy purpose O death hath failed and he being my life is become thy death If Sathan sommon thee to answer for thy debts send him also to Christ and say that the wife is not suable but the husband enter thine action against Christ mine husband and he will make thee a sufficient answere who then shall condemne vs or what iudge shall daunt vs syth God is our iudge and accquited vs and Christ was condemned iustifieth vs he is our iudge that willeth not the death of a sinner he is our man of law who to excuse vs suffered himselfe to be accused for vs. O gluttonous hell where is thy defence O cruell sin where is thy tyrannous power O rauening death where is thy bloody sting O roaring Lion why doest thou freete and foame Christ my lawe fighteth against thee O lawe and is my liberty Sinne against thee O sinne and is my righteousnes Christ against thee O diuell and is my sauiour Death against thee O death is my life Thou diddest desire to paue my way to the burning lake of damned soules but contrarie to thy will thou art constrained to lift vp the ladder wherby I must ascend into the new Ierusalem Wherfore if we shal finde our selues forsaken of God so as we perceiue nothing but matter of dispaire let vs still hold our owne in the certainty of our faith stay our selues sith Christ is giuen vs of God that he might extinguish sin triumph ouer the law vanquish death ouercome the diuell and destroy hell for our onely comfort and consolation But peraduenture some will say my faith is weake and colde and my conscience is as a â—laming lampe and burning furnace I feare the Lorde will still pursue mee with his wrathfull indignation Thou doest well to feare but feare and sinne not For feare which subdueth the securitie of the flesh is in all most requisite in that the weaker we are in our selues the stronger we are in God But that feare is dangerous which hindereth the certainty of faith in that it incourageth our enemy more fearcely to set vpoÌ„ vs when we comming into the campe will cast away our armour especially which should defend vs. Comfort thy selfe the Lord will not quench the smoking flaxe nor breake the brused reede he looketh not on the quantitie but on the qualitie of our faith For as a good mother doth not reiect hir childe because through some infirmitie it is weake feeble and not able to go alone but rather doth pitie and supporte it least peraduenture it should fal recompenseth that with more motherly affection
owne condemnation yet because they labored not to se their guiltinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ they plunged themselues into a bottomlesse sea of sorrowes Others hauing passed these degrees hitherto made these steps to auoyd the wounde of Conscience haue come also too short and missed of the marke when because besides the sence of sinnes pardoned by the death of Christ they felt not also the vertue of his passion crucifying sinne in them but saw that with the remission of sinne was not ioined the mortification of sin they feared that there was no forgiunesse for them but still languishing with sorrow they thought themselues to stand charged with their former guiltines Yea and which is more for that such men haue not truely beene instructed nor surely haue beene grounded in the doctrine of Christes death and resurrection that is for that they sawe not as well power flowing from his death to slay sinne in them as vertue to pardon sinne in them for that they felt not as well strength to Sanctification streaming from the rising againe of Christ as they were perswaded of iustification and righteousnes therein They haue lyne still bleeding at the heart in such sort as the wound of griefe coulde hardly or neuer bee staide and staunched Wherefore let vs strengthen our weake soules with this sixe-fold coarde of consolation against these bitter assaultes Let vs first labour to know sinne then to sorrow for sinne after to feele our sinnes in Christ forgiuen further 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 holinesse of life euen vnto the ende And thus much briefly for the second thing which we matched in company with the examination of sinne euen the triall of faith both which rightly vsed shall in some measure sauegard vs from the trouble of an afflicted minde Now let vs hasten to the third parte of our deuision to shew howe Gods children beeing fallen into this wounde of spirite may be helped out of it which God willing wee will also performe after we haue answered a necessarie obiection which in the former part might seeme to encounter against vs. There is no man but will grant that Dauid Iob and others of the Saintes of God had a sight of their sins a sorrow for their sinnes and a taste of the remission of their sinnes how then commeth it to passe that these men were so troubled in minde To this I answere that their trouble so befell them either for failing in some of these former things or els they were rather afflicted for triall of their faith than for punishing of sinne in them And therefore be it alwaies prouided that wee thinke not euery conflict of Conscience continuallye and chiefely to bee for the pursuing of our sinnes but sometimes and principally that it commeth for the triall of our faith and yet secondarily or lesse principally for the scourging of sinne as we may see in Iob. Whereuppon let all men be admonished when they see good men thus humbled throwne downe in minde to lay their handes on their mouthes from saying Surely these men are but hypocrites doubtlesse these men be great sinners the Lord hath founde out their hypocrisie For good reason there is that such silence should be vsed for that the Lorde may as well make trial of their faith as take punishment on their sins For if such affliction should alwaies and chiefely be sent for sinne then it should follow that all others as they exceeded them in sinne should also exceede them in the punishment of sinne But now comming to the saluing of this soare I shall seeme very strange in my cure and so much the more bee wondered at by how much in manner of proceeding I differ from the most sort of men herein I am to vs and vncertaine To them which are troubled with such blinde griefes whereof they can see no reason as often it happeneth to Gods Children in secret prouidence vvho either neuer knew God or else had but a generall knowledge of him I answere that as I denie not Phisicke to be ministered if it in part proceede from a naturall cause so I require the word especially to shewe the principall and originall cause to beginne in the soule And this I doe the rather because I would haue wisdome both in considering the state of the bodie if neede so require and in looking chiefely to the â—oule which so fewe thinke of If a man troubled in Conscience come to a Minister it may be he will looke all to the soule and nothing to the bodie if hee come to a Phisition hee onely considereth of the bodie and neglecteth the soule For my part I would neuer haue the Phisitions counsell seuered nor the Ministers laboure neglected because the soule and bodie dwelling together it is conuenient that as the soule should be cured by the word by prayer by fasting by threatening or by comforting so the bodie also shoulde bee brought into some temperature by Physicke by purging by dyet by restoring by musicke and by such like meanes prouiding alwaies that it bee done so in the feare of God and wisdome of his spirite as we thinke not by these ordinarie meanes to smoother or smoke out our troubles but as purposing to vse them as preparatiues wherby both our soules and bodies may be made more capable of the spirituall meanes to follow after As we require these thinges to bee the matter of our Ministerie in such a perplexitie so we woulde wishe the persons ministring to be men learned and of sounde iudgement wise and of Godly experience meeke and of most louing spirites For when the troubled patient shall be well perswaded of our knowledge and discretion there with all shall perceiue vs to come in tender and louing affection I thinke an enterance is made and all preiudice is taken avvay so as wee may the more freely worke vppon the Conscience first bringing them to the sight of sinne as to some cause of their trouble Heerein wee must labour to put awaye all confusion and blindenesse of sorrrowe endeuoring by wisdome to bring the parties wounded to some certaine obiect matter of their trouble and so draw out of them the confession of some seuerall especiall and secret sinne I say seuerall secret sinne because I know how many through a palpable blindnes or disordered discerning of sinne talke nothing so much as of sinne and yet they eyther can not discry seuerall sinnes or they will not be brought to acknowledge their secrete sinnes wherof the one proceedeth of the ignorance of the Lawe of God and the other of selfe loue which maketh vs loath euen in our trauell of minde to shame our selues Now that the confession of particular sins is requisite it may appeare by the two and thirtieth Psalme wherein beeing a Psalme of
starte for the best Wee had reason to say for our selues courage to defend our selues against all them that did deale with vs but now the spirite draweth vs into the presence of God it letteth vs see that we haue to doe with God and that our strength is weakenesse in respect of him Then doth our harte beginne to fayle vs then doe wee lay our handes on our mouthes and dare not answere nay then doe wee quickly take vp our crosse because the Lord himselfe hath done it Beholde here how the spirit worketh beholde how sinne is corrupted and who so can beholde here this in himselfe may assuredly say that the spirit of God is in him that it is not in vaine within him nay that it is mightie and liuely in operation in his heart The third note and effect is the bringing on forwarde of this worke vnto iustification for when the spirite hath brought vs thus farre then doth it beginne to open vnto vs a doore vnto the graces and fauour of God it doth put into our mindes that there is mercie with God and therefore stirreth vs vp to seeke mercie at his handes afterwarde it doth let vs see how Christ suffered to take away the sinnes of the worlde that in the righteousnesse of Christ wee may looke to be iustified before God And this it doth not let vs see only but doth effectually worke a sure perswasion of it in our heartes and confirmeth the same by two notable effectes The first is a ioy most vnspeakeable and glorious wherewith our hearts must needs be wholly taken vp and rauished when wee see our selues by the righteousnes of Christ of the free mercy and grace of God redeemed from death deliuered from hell and freede from the fearefull condemnation of the wicked The second is the peace of conscience which indeede passeth all vnderstanding While sinne and the guilt of sinne remained there was no peace nor rest no quietnesse to be founde but feare within terrours without and troubles on euery side But when sinne is once nailed to the crosse of Christ when the guilt of sinne is taken out of our consciences and the puninshment thereof farre remoued then must needes ensue great peace for our accusers dare not proceed against vs our sinnes are forgiuen vs and God is at one with vs and for this we haue the warrant and testimonie of the spirit Can flesh and bloode perswade vs of it can any creature assure vs how God is affected towardes vs no doublesse And therefore where this ioy and peace is there must needes be the holy ghost the author and worker of the same for as no man knoweth what is in man but the spirit of man which is in him so none knoweth the will of God but the spirit of God and therefore it is the spirit of God that must certifie our hearres and spirites of the same And hereof there doth arise that which wee take as the fourth note when we finde it in our selues to wit The life and nemblenes that is in vs to doe good for when a man doth finde fauoure from God for the forgiuenesse of sinnes then the loue of God constraineth him that ioy which hee conceiueth inforceth him and putteth life into him for the performance of those thinges which are pleasing vnto God then hee beginneth to finde himselfe not onely reclamed from euill but also applyed and framed to that which is good then is his vnderstanding inlyghtened to see into the mysteries of godlinesse and into that great worke of his redemption and into whatsoeuer concerneth the sauing health of his soule then is his iudgement reformed and he is made able to iudge betweene false religion and trewe betweene the workes of the fleshe and of the spirit betwene that which is good and that which is euill and displeasing in the sight of God Then are his affections in some good measure altered his desire is set not vpon earthly but vpon heauenly thinges his ioyes are not in the eaâ—th but in the heauens his anger is wasted and spent not vpon his owne priuae cause and quarrels but vpon his owne sinnes and vpon whatsoeuer hindereth the glory of his God This is the life of God in him thus he liueth that hath receiued the spirite and thus he leadeth his life continually for they that haue receiued the spirite are led by the spirit and do liue accordingly bringing forth the fruites of the spirite But this hath weakenes ioyned with it and men through frailtie may sone fal and therefore their life is sayde To be hid in Christ because in full and perfect manner it doth not appeare Therefore if notwithstanding these frailties and falles wee will know whether wee still retaine the spirite of God wee must search our selues and trye our hearts by these rules First if when through frailtie wee haue fallen for who is hee that falleth not We will then know whether by our fall we haue lost the spirite of God or no let vs see what liking or mislykinge wee haue of sinne for it after our fall wee doe holde our former hatred of sinne and the oftenner wee fall the more thorough and deadly hatred wee conceiue against sinne vndoubtedly that frailetie hath not as yet depriued vs of the spirite Secondly come and see how it standeth with thy sorrow for so long as thy sorrow encreaseth for thy sinnes it cannot bee thought that sinne and the fleshe haue ouercome and vtterly quenched the spirite in thee Thirdly try thy care and if thou grone in a godly care both how thou mayst bee able to wage battaile against sinne in the plaine fielde and how thou mayst preuente sinne in all his pollicies thou hast a further assurance that sinne although it be as great as Goliah yet it hath not hitherto preuailed against thy poore and little Dauid I say against those fewe and small graces which the good spirite of God hath bestowed vppon thee but the last is most certaine and that is this When thou art carefull to redeem that which by thy fall thou hast lost hast a care to runne so much faster forwarde by how much more thou hast beene letted by thy fall then it doth appeare that the spirite is in thee yea liuely and mighty in operation and such as shall neuer be taken from the vntill the day of Christ. Thus may wee in some good and competent measure try and prooue whether wee haue the spirite of GOD or noe for where these fruits are to bee founde there is also the spirite of GOD. For further confirmation whereof wee may note the manner of speach where hee saith Quenche not the spirite Wee doe commonly vse to say the fire is quenched when the light and heate thereof is taken away and indeede nothing can properly be saide to be quenched but the fire Now whereas the Apostle saith Quench not the spirite he giueth vs to vnderstande that the spirite is in some respect like vnto
greater fire will breede Here siluer streames shall quench thy boyling heat And hony dewes thy hungrie stomacke fill Heere sweete Repose with Comfort shall intreate Thy wounded breast to cure with busy skill Hence fetch thy ransome howsoeuer great A mine of treasures are in this faire hill From whose hye top thy scaled eies may see A glorious light that shall enlighten thee The streames are bloud the dew is bread froÌ„ heaueÌ„ The Rest and Comfort are coelestiall ioyes The ransome from the crosse was freely giuen The light is faith which darknes all destroyes THrise happy man that guides his steps so euen As his pure light no gloomy darke annoyes His ransom'd soule aeternall ioyes shall win When timelye death shall blessed life begin H. C. A MOST SVVEET Comfort for an afflicted Conscience It is thus written Prouerbâ— 18.14 The Spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie But a wounded Spirite who can beare it THis Scripture is not onely worthy to be grauen in steele with the penne of an Adamant and to bee written in letters of golde but also to be laide vp registred by the finger of God his spirit in the tables of our hearts Which sentence briefly speaketh thus much vnto vs that what trouble befalleth a man his minde being vnappalled hee will indifferentlie beare it out but if the spirit of a man be once troubled and dismaâ—ed hee cannot tell how to be deliuered And no maruell for if the minde of man be the fountaine of consolation which ministreth comfort vnto him in all other troubles if that become comfortlesse what shall comfort it If it be voyde of helpe when shall it bee helped If the eye which is the light of the bodie be darkenesse how great is that darkenesse If the salt which â—auoreth all thinges be vnsauorie for what is it good If the minde which sustaineth all troubles be troubled how intollerable is that trouble To shew this the better I wil first declare howe greate a punishment of God this wounde of conscience is Secondly I will teach how this trouble of minde may be preuented and auoyded Lastly I will set downe how Gods children faling in some measure into this affliction of â—pirite may bee recouered out of it For the first the grieuousnesse of this malladie is seene eyther by some due consideration of the persons that haue felt it or by some wise comparison made betweene this griefe of minde and other outward griefes incident vnto a man The persons in whome we may consider this wounde of spirit are eyther meerely naturall men or such as bee renued by the spirit of God The men meerely naturall are either the Heathen such as neuer knew God in Christ or carnall professors such as haue not professed Christianitie aright If wee looke among the Hearhen how many of them haue willingly gone vnder pouertie and haue beene content to vnburden themselues of all worldly treasures How haue some of them whilest their mindes were vnappalled suffered imprisonment exile and extreame tortures of bodie rather than they would betray their Countries Howe many of them haue deuoured many iniuries and borne outwarde troubles with some ease and with no resistance whilest their mindes were at libertie And yet looke not into the meanest but the best and most excellent men among them euen their wise Philosophers sweete Orators and exquisite Poets who in bearing and forbearing thought the chiefest pointe of vertue to consist and yee shall see when once some great distresse of minde did wounde them some would make an ende of it by preparing a Cup of deadly poyson some would violentlye and voluntarily runne on the enemies pikes some woulde throwe downe themselues from hie Mountaines some woulde not sticke to stabbe most monstrously their owne bodies with Daggers or such like instruments of death all which men would seeme to haue great courage in sustaining many harmes so long as their mindes were not ouermastred But when their diuine and supreame Essence which they accknowledged to be God did by his power crosse ouerturne their witty deuises and headstrong attempts so as without hope of remedie they were hampered in pensiuenes and sorrow of minde then not being able to turne themselues vnder so heauie a burthen they shrunke downe and by violent death would ridde themselues of that disquietnes impatience of their troubled minds But let vs come neerer and whether wee behold the Papists or the familie of loue or the common sort of Christians wee shall see they will passe quietly through many afflictions whether for that they haue a spirite of slumbering and numbnes cast vppon them or whether because they haue brawned themselues through some sencelesse blockishnes as men hewen out of hard Oaks or grauen out of marble stones I know not But yet when the lord shal let loose the corde of their consciences and shall set before their faces their sinnes committed see what fearefull endes they haue whilest some of them by hanging themselues some by casting themselues into the water some by cutting their own throats haue rid themselues out of these intollerable griefes Now wherein is the difference that some die so sencelesly and some dispatch themselues so violently Surely the one feeling no sinne depart like brutish swine the other surcharged with sinne die like barking Dogs But let vs come to the children of God who haue in some degree felt this wounde of minde and it will appeare both in the members and in the heade of all burthens to bee a thing most intollerable to sustaine a wounded conscience And to beginne with let vs set in the first ranke Iob that man of God commended vnto vs by the holy Ghost for a myrrour of patience who although for his riches hee was the welthiest man in the land of Huz for his authoritie might haue made afraid a great multitude and for his substance was the greatest of all the men in the East Yet when the Shabeans came violently and tooke away his cattell when the fier of God falling from heauen burnt vp his sheepe and his seruants when the Caldeans had taken away his Camels when a greate winde smote downe his house vppon his children although indeede hee rent his garmentes which was not so much for impatience as to shewe that he was not senceles in these euils Yet it is saide that hee worshipping blessed the name of the Lorde saying Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither The Lorde giueth and the Lorde taketh away blessed be the name of the Lorde But beholde when at the strange conference of his comfortlesse friendes his minde beganne to be agast which was not so in all his former tryall when his conscience began to be troubled when he sawe the Lord fasten in him sharpe arrowes and to set him vp as a Butte to shoote at when hee thought God caused him to possesse the sinnes of his youth this glorious patterne of patience coulde not beare his
griefe he was heauye and nowe may commende the Image of a wounded spirite to all that come after Dauid a man chosen according to the Lordes owne heart Ezekiah a pure worshipper of God and carefull restorer of true Religion Ieremiah the Prophet of the Lorde sanctified and ordained to that Office before hee was formed in his mothers wombe were rare and singular in the graces and fauour of God yet when they felt this wounde pearcing them with griefe of heart they were as Sparrowes mourning as Cranes chattering as as pellicans casting out fearefull cries they thought themselues as in the graue they wished to haue dwelt solitary they were as bottels parched in the smoke they were as Doues mourning not able without sighes and grones to vtter their wordes their hearts cloue to the dust and their tongues to the roofe of their mouthes But aboue all if these were not not sufficient to perswade vs in this doctrine there remaineth one example whome we affirme to be the perfect anatomie of an afflicted minde This is the Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ the Image of the father the heade of the bodie the myrrour of all graces the wisedome righteousnes holines and redemption of all the Saints who sustained the Crosse euen from his youth vpward and besides pouertie basenes hunger did willingly goe vnder the greate trouble of contempt and reproch and that among them where he should haue had a right deserued honour in respect of the doctrine he taught them and in regard of the manifolde myracles be wrought among them as the healing of the sicke the giuing sight to the blind the restoring of life to the dead This vnkindnes neuertheles did not so much strike into him But at what time hee was set as a Sacrifice for al wheÌ„ he was to beare our infirmities carry our sorrowes at what time hee was plagued smitten of God humbled wounded for our transgressions when hee should be broken for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was vpon him then he cried out My soule is heauie euen vnto the death Then he prayeth Lord if it he possible let this Cup passe from mee But howe praieth hee euen with sweating how sweateth hee euen droppes of blood how long praieth hee Three times when endes his agonie not vntill he was dead What said hee beeing readie to depart My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Was this for his humane death as some haue imagined No no wicked men haue died withthout complaint whose patience then might seeme to exceede his it was his suffering in his humane Spirite which incountred with the wrath of God his Godhead suppressing it selfe for a while he suffered indeede many tormentes in bodie but much more heuily did the wrath of God lie vpon his soule If this consideration of an afflicted spirit in these examples doe not sufficiently shew what a grieuous thing it is to sustaine a wounded conscience Let vs proceede to the comparing of this with other euils which fal into the nature of man There is no sicknes but Phisicke prouideth for it a remedy there is no fore but Chirurgery wil afford it a salue Friendship helpeth pouertie There is noe imprisonment but there is hope of libertie Suite and fauour recouer a man from banishment Authoritie and time weare away reproch But what Phisicke cureth what Chirurgerie salueth what riches ransometh what countenance beareth out what authoritie asswageth what fauour relieueth a troubled Conscience All these banded together in league though they would conspire a confederacy cannot help this one distresse of a troubled minde And yet this one comfort of a quiet minde doth wonderfully cure and comfortably asswage al other griefes whatsoeuer For if our assistance were as an host of armed soldiers If our frinds where the Princes and the Gouernours of the earth If our possessions were as large as betweene the East and the west If our meate were as Manna from heauen If our apparrell were as costly as the Ephod of Aaron If euery day were as glorious as the day of Christs resurrection yet if our mindes bee appalled with the iudgements of God these thinges would little comfort vs. Let experience speake If a troubled minde impareth not health drieth not vp the blood wasteth not the marrowe pineth not away the flesh consumeth not the bones if it maketh not all pleasures painfull and shortneth not the life surely no wisdome can councell it no counsell can aduise it no aduise can aswage it no asswagement can cure it no eloquence can perswade it no power can ouercome it no Scepter wil affray it nor inchaunter can charme it And yet on the contrary if a man languish in sicknes so his hart be whole and is perswaded of the health of his soule his sicknes doth not grieue him If a man bee reproched so he be pâ—ecious in the sight of God and his Angels what losse hath hee If a man be banished and yet doubteth not that heauen is his Country and that hee is a Citizen among the Saints it doth not appall him If a man be in trouble and findeth peace of conscience hee will quietly digest his trouble But if the minde be troubled who dareth meete with the wrath of the Lorde of Hoasts who can put to silence the voice of desperation who will step out and make agreement with the hells to spare vs who dare make a couenant with the Diuell that hee woulde not lay claime vnto vs If then a good Conscience helpeth all euills and all other benefits in this life in themselues cannot help a troubled coÌ„science we se it true in proofe which here is in prouerbe The spirit of a man will susteine his infirmitie But a wounded Spirit Who can beare it Againe in all other afflictions we may haue some comfort against sinne this is euer accompanied with the accusation of sinne A man may be sicke reproched impouerished imprisoned and banished and yet in all these haue a cleare conscience his owne heart telling him that there is noe speciall cause of these crosses in him but that he may suffer them for the triall of his faith or for righteousnes sake and well doing But when the spirit is wounded there is stil a guiltines of sin and when a mans spirit is troubled he suspecteth all his waies he feareth al his sins he knowes not what sinne to begin with it breeds such hurly burlyes in him that when it is day he wisheth for night when itis night he would haue it day his meat doth not norish him his dreames are fearefull to him his sleepe oftimes forsaketh him If he speaketh he is little eased if he keepeth silence hee boileth in disquietnes of heart the light doth not coÌ„fort him the darkenes doth terify him To prosecute our comparisons where al other euils are the more tolerable because they be temporal pursue vs but to death this not being cured endeth not in death
pleasures such as could not away to be sad and hedged vp alwaies of godly sorrow haue had their tables made snares and euen their excesse of pleasures hath brought excesse of sorrowes and whilest they laboured to put the euill day farre from them they haue vsed such follies as haue beene the most bitter and speedie hang-men of their fearefull and trembling consciences There be some of another sort who neuer dreaming of a troubled minde haue had their harts set on nothing but howe they might get some greate fame and renowme and therefore haue slipt into such vaine glorious attempts and foule flatteries as they haue not only lost the peace of their Consciences but also fallen most deepely into reprochfull shame which they sought to shunne Now as the peace of conscience and ioye of minde is such a treasure as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor the tongue expressed but passeth all vnderstanding So the wounded spirit is such as the eye hath not seene it the eare hath not heard it nor the tongue vttered 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 Bet let vs shew what way is to be vsed to keepe vs from this wounde of the Spirit It is the vse of Phisicke as to cure vs of diseases when wee are falne into them so to preserue vs from sicknes before it hath taken holde of vs it is the power of the worde as to asswage the trouble of Conscience when it doth once presse vs so to preuent it before it hath ouertaken vs. It is a chiefe point of worldly wisdome not to tarry for the vse of Phisicke vntill we bee deadly sicke but to be acquainted with GODS mercifull preseruations 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 meetâ— with it before it comes And wee condemne them of folly who will not as well laboure to keepe themselues out of debt as to pay the debt when they owe it so it is a madnes not to bee as circumspect to auoide all occasions which maye bringe trouble of minde vppon vs as wee woulde bee prouident to enter euery good waye which may drawe vs out of this trouble when we haue once entred into it The remedies preseruatiue are first the searching of our sinnes then the examining of our faith The serching of our sinnes is either the due acknowledging of our sinnes or the true sense and feeling of our sinnes The acknowledging of our sinnes is eyther of those that bee past whether wee haue vnfeinedly repented vs of them or of those which bee present whether wee be truelye greeued for them Thirdly of those secret corruptions which in the course of our life are likely to come whether wee are reuerently afraide of them and resolue to suppresse them with all our indeuour Concerning sinnes past we must call to minde the sinnes done of old in our youth in our middle age in our olde age that we iudging our selues may not be iudged of the Lorde that accusing of our selues Sathan haue noe occasion to accuse vs and throwing downe our selues before the Lord he may lift vs vp For many going quietly awaie and sleeping in carnall securitie not withstand-the sinnes of their youth and neglecting to make conscience of their sinnes done long agoe sodainely haue falne into such horrour oâ— minde that the violent remembrance of all their sinnes surcharging them they haue beene ouerwhelmed This Examination dooth then rightly proceede when it is reacheth to the errors of this life to the sinnes of our youth because many men euen from their childhood by a ciuill righteous life hauing escaped grose sinnes wherewith the world could neuer charge them haue notwithstanding caried the burthen of their secret sinnes done in their youth Dauid Psal. 25.7 prayeth the Lord not to remember the sinnes of his youth Iob 23.6 the man of God confesseth that the Lord writinge bitter things against him made him to possesse the iniquities of his youth What shall we thinke that Dauid or Iob were giuen to notorious wickednes in their youth No they knew they were subiect to youthfull wantonnes and vnstaiednes of their affections which though it did not burst out yet it made them lesse carefull to glorifie GOD which loosenes the way to leaudnes which weaknes the waie to strange vanities which wantonnesse the way to open wickednes is euen in the best of Gods Children in the daies of their youth which being afterwards in the time of their regeneration brought as it were to iudgement and laide before their consciences doth cause them to repent But here is a thing to be blushed at which maketh mens eares to tingle when they heare it that many men farre noe doubt from this true repentance can largely indeed discourse of the things done in their youth but in such a brauerie with such boastings and pleasing of themselues in the remembrance of them as besides that they prouoke others to sinne in the like and set themselues a flatte Backe-byas against Repentance and this Christian examination they seeme to renewe the decayed colours of their olde sinnes with the fresh suite of their second pleasures therein But alas what pleasure haue they in those things whereof they haue noe profit what profit haue they those thinges whereof they shoulde bee ashamed Nether in this streine can wee forget the madnes of them who may seeme to steppe one degree farther towardes this examination of sinne than did the former by thinking that the leauing of sinne and repenting of sinne is all one Against these both daily experience and the word of God doth sufficiently declame Iosepâ—s brethren Iacob his sonnes who deuised euill against their brother put him into the pit and solde him vnto strangers did cease from this crueltie but yet they are not read to haue remembered their sins with any remorce vntill thirteene yeares after the sinne was committed as wee may see in the processe of the Historie Dauid had left his sinnes of murther and adulterie as thinking all quiet and well the space of a whole yeare after which time being admonished by the Prophet Nathan he repented of it And experience hath tried in many that haue had some working of God in them that though they left their sinnes many yeares agoe yet because they repented not truely for them they haue rebounded vp on them with terrible sights feafull visions to humble them and to bring them to serious examination of them being done and left long since Examples whereof wee neede not fetch from farre seeing so many preachers as are acquainted with fearefull spirits will giue witnes hereof The fruite of which amazed mindes for sins alreadie left is ours to beware
of sinnes which are to come And that other mens harmes may teach vs blessed wisdome let vs labour not onely to leaue sinne which one may doe for profite for feare for praise or for werisomnes but also to repent of it for conscience sake This Examination of our sinnes past must bee partly of those that we committed beefore our calling partly of those which were done after our calling Euery man especially hauing his reason reformed by the worde of God will graunt an examination of the life before our true knowledge of God in Christ to be most needfull But it may be some wil thinke that wee neede not be so precise in the searching of those sinnes which were after our knowledge But seeing of all other sins these bite sorest and pierce deepest for that they are agrauated with all the mercies of God going before and Sinne is then most sinfull when after we knowe the truth after wee haue beene deliuered from sinne after wee haue beene inlightened with the grace of God wee haue falne into it I thinke that an examination most specially ought to be had of these sinnes Wherefore to iterate our former examples in a new matter as we may see the former kinde of examining of our sinnes before our calling in the sons of Iacob so we haue a patterne of the latter in the practise of the Prophet Dauid who at the hearing of his sin was so troubled in his spirit that he could not rest in the Prophets speach telling him his sin was forgiueÌ„ him but still was disquieted as one vtterly forsaken of God could find no coÌ„fort of Gods spirit in him For as it fareth ofteÌ„ with sores it coÌ„meth to passe in sins we are loth to haue our wouÌ„ds often grated vpon we cannot so wel away to haue our sores rifled seared and lanced but fed with healing salues so we are hardlye brought to haue our consciences grounde or our sinnes ransacked sifted searched ripped vp but would still haue them plaistered with sweete promises and bathed in the mercies of God whereas it is farre safer before incarnatiue and healing Medicines to vse corrosiue and mundifying waters without which though some sores may seeme to close and skinne vp a pace yet they proue worse and being rotten still at the coare they haue aboue a thin skin vnderneath deade flesh In like manner wee woulde cloake we would hide and couer our sinnes as it weare with a Curtaine but it is more sounde Chirurgery to pricke and pierce our Consciences with the burning yron of the Lawe and to cleanse the wounde of the Soule by sharpe threatenings least that a skinne pulled ouer the Conscience for a while wee leaue the rottten corruption vncured vnderneath and so we bee constrained to crye out of our sinnes openly As it is a folly then to disemble our soares whilest they bee curable and after to make them knowen when they bee growen vncurable so it is as greate folly to dissemble our sinnes whilest they may be remedied and so after be constrained with shame to blaze them abroade when thy are remedilesse But of this by the way because wee shall more largely touch it in the last part to come It is sufficient to commit sinne before knowledge but after some good light of the spirit to sinne breedeth eyther hardnes of heart or a troubled spirite both which wee shall auoyde if in trueth we be carefull to watch ouer our affections and beware that after our deliuerie we fall not into sinne gaine Seuerall men subiect to seuerall sinnes haue their seuerall checkes in their conciences some are ouercome with wrath and yet after the moodie fit they can tell that the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God some are subiect to lust and afterwardes they say it profiteth them nothing Some are giuen to a continuall course of vanitie who notwithstanding can say that mans lâ—fe hath another ende some slip deepely into worldlinesse and yet they bee often wakened with most terrible checkes of conscience VVell blessed are they whose heartes be truely grieued and let them beware that make â—aliance with sinne for either hardnesse of heart will ouertake them or a troubled coscience will confound them Wherfore it comes to passe that many spending their bodies on lust lament that euer they so abused their strength many giuen too much to the pleasure of this life had griefe come vpon them to remember how they haue spent Gods graces lauished his good giftes and mispent their time or else if they haue not this griefe they fall into voluptuousnes draw such a thicke skinne vpon their heartes as will cause the strongest denouncings of Gods iudgements to rebound bee they driuen on neuer so hard And sure it is the sinne of this worlde that men beeing controled in their consciences whilest they are a praying and feele a secrete charge laid against them to beware of guile in buying selling eyther haue these cheekes lesse and lesse and so they grow to be prophane or else afterward they are wonderfully wounded that they haue beene so worldly so greadely pursuing earthly things so coldly procuring heauenly things Thus euen our priuy thoughtes not profited by are breeders of farther trouble Now the remedie against this trouble is willingly and wittingly not to cherish sin to wish that the minister should touch our most priuie and secret sinnes to be glad priuately to be admonished to profite by our enemies when they doe reproach vs and rather to desire in such a case to be humbled than to suffer our selues to be flattered This trying of our selues must yet strech it selfe farther not only to the committing of euill but also to the omitting of good As when after some good working and feeling of the spirite we begin to fight and conflict with our own consciences saing though I must pray I must haue time also to prouide for my familie if I goe so to heare the worde of God surely I shall bee in danger to loose this profite if I thus attend vpon the exercises of religion I shall be cut short in the vse of my pleasures Wherefore it shall be good to search our heartes not onely in the carelesse not vsing of the meanes but also in the negligent watching ouer the fruites of the meanes saying to our selues in this manner I haue heard a Sermon but alas without anie feeling or working vpon my affections I haue beene praying but with no power of the spirite I haue receiued the Sacrament but without those ioyes glorious and vnspeakeable which I was woont to taste of I saw the Discipline of the Church executed but without anie feare of sinne at all in my selfe or compassion to the member censured And heere I dare from my owne obseruation assuredlye affirme that outward sinnes haue not beene at some times so grieuous to Gods children as that they haue sometimes vsed the meanes with little reuerence and with lesse fruite And
no maruel we shall see many men at some times not so much grieued for their sicknesse it selfe as for that that they haue either willingly neglected the meanes which might haue preserued their health or that they haue abused the Phisicke that might haue restored their health to them againe in like manner I say it fareth with them who eyther vnreuerentlie haue refused the meanes which shoulde keepe their soules from surfetting or else vnthankfully haue abused those helpes which might haue recouered them againe From hence it commeth that some men are as much grieued for not vsing their good giftes to the benefit of Gods Church as others are troubled for pestering the Church with vnprofitable corruptions or as we shall see a rich man sometimes as much humbled for not giuing money to the poore which hee might haue done as for heaping vp riches falselie which hee ought not to haue done And thus many hauing receiued good giftes and graces from the Lord are seasoned and sanctified by afflictions whereby they are taught to put their giftes in vre and to offer their seruice to Christ and others are forced to hide their giftes which cannot bee without some decay of Gods glory without offence to the weake without the losse of many soules which otherwise might be wonne to the gospell and without strengthening the hande of the aduersarie to slaunder our darke and dumbe profession All which thinges will in the ende bring terrour of minde because if the Lord cannot worke vpon vs by taking away goods friendes credit wife children or such like to bring vs to Repentance he will surely whippe our naked consciences he will enter euen into our very entrailes and pierce our secret boweles As wee must examine our selues thus for sinnes of time past and present so must we vse this practise in sinne to come and this is very needefull For were it so that our life and conuersation were such as neither before not after our calling man could iustly accuse it Yet the hidden corruption of our nature may threaten some haynous downefall in time to come Which hath made men of very good report and conuersation to hang downe their heades and feare their secret hypocrisie as that which may breake foorth to the shame of all their former life in time to come But because we forgatte to speake of them that in the examining of their liues past are much grieued for the want of sinceritie and for priuie vaineglorie in themselues let vs before we go to the searching of our heartes in sinne to come speake somewhat of this Men troubled for this priuie pride are eyther touched or not touched If the veyle of sinne was so great in them that it hid Christ from them it is the good will of God that by this sight of their most secret sinnes they should come to see the righteousnes that is in Christ Iesus and so they shall the better be kept from being Iusticiarie Pharises For when being a long time well brought vp and leading a ciuill life the Diuell woulde perswade vs of some inherent righteousnes in vs It is the wisedome of our God to touch vs with the conscience of most hidden corruptions as also to certifie and make knowen vnto vs that euen for our birth there was a secret seede of sinne in vs which without the Lord watching ouer vs woulde surely haue broken forth to his dishonour As for them which haue had some woorking in them and yet are often plunged with sore distresses this trouble commeth to them for two especiall causes eyther for some hypocrisie that they did more in showe than in truth wherfore the Lord bringeth theÌ„ back againe to see their corrupt proceedinges and that they may knowe all their religion to be but hypocrisie all their righteousnes to bee but vnrighteousnes or for the abusing of their knowledge in that they made it but a maske to iuggle in that they made their affections to fight with their own iudgements We must remedy this by not thinking of our selues aboue that which is meete and by labouring to embrace the truth in trueth And heere let vs note that many of Gods ChildreÌ„ accuse themselues of hypocrisie when indeed they offend not in it for the most righteous persons are their own greatest accusers And yet the accusation doth iustlye arise from some fault on their partes for though they haue done things in trueth yet because with trueth they labored not to see their secret corruptions in some other matters they sustain this trouble of mind So that there is nothing harder thaÌ„ to sist serch our harts to the bottom whether we respect our sins past or our sins present whether we looke to our priuy pride hidden wants or secret corruptions And to returne from whence we digressed to the examinatioÌ„ of our harts in sins to come let vs obserue that in Gods children there is such a iealousy as they treÌ„ble at the very first motions quake at the least occasioÌ„ of sinne although because vice wil sit in residence very neere vnto vertue there may be in them sometime too much scrupulousnes This feare causeth the dearest of the Saintes of God to reason on this sorte O Lord I see now manye excellent in gifts and constant in profession for a longe time whose end hath not answered their beginnings whose deathes were not like to their liues This is true whether wee looke into the word or into the world and it is a thing that may much humble vs. For though we may remember what we haue beene and knowe what we are yet who can tell what may come vnto him heereafter Oh that the serious meditation heereof would dwell long vpon our consciences that with an holy iealozie wee might preuent the sinne that is to come But alas there bee some venture some knights which thinke it no masterie to offer themselues to masking minstrelsie and dauncing nor to runne into quarrells braules and contentions as though they had their eares their eyes their hands and their feete in their own power and at commaundement to vse and gouerne as themselues list Howbeit GODS Children better fenced with his grace than those bold buxzards are afraide of these occasions as knowing full well that their eyes maye soone bee prouoked to lust their eares may quickly listen vnto vnchast delightes their handes may sodainly strike a deadly blow and their feete may easily be snared in carnall pleasures Beware O man bee circumâ—pect O woman that thou prostitute not thy selfe to too much libertie for although in comming to such lasciuious and contentious places thou diddest purpose none euill yet for thy ventring without warrant thou maist bee ouer thy shoes in sinne and plunged in some wicked attempt ouer head and eares ere thou beest aware And because vice is so confine vnto vertue beware also of superstition for still the enemie laboureth either to make thee too hardy in sinne or else he will cause
thee to be too fearefull and superstititious eyther hee will puffe thee vp with presumption or assault thee with desperation To these tentations our nature is very pliable first to presumption as may appeare by our common speech tush the Preacher is but a man as I am I am sure he hath infirmities as others haue wee are no Angels our nature is corrupt we are but flesh I am sure you would not haue vs Gods Thus the Diuell commeth to tempt but he apparrelleth himselfe in another sute when hee commeth to accuse and then of a â—lie he makes an Elephant of the verie smallest pricke of a pin a gloabe of the whole earth of a moale hill a mountainâ— and presseth silly soules with feares and terrours that they knowe not how to winde out themselues If hee cannot bring them to make no conscience where they should make conscience hee will labour to bring them to make conscience where they neede make no conscience He careth not whether thou wilt be remisse or superstitious so thou be one of them If he cannot get you to follow the Epicurisme of the world as Libertines in diet and apparrell hee will make you so precise as to think it a hainous sinne to eate one bit of meate or to weare one ragge of cloath more than for necessitie How needfull thereâ—ore it is to saile which an euen course we may coniecture by other thinges which will bewray the corruption of our nature In the time of a plague we shall see some will be so bold that without any lawfull calling or godly warrant they will rush into places infected and then falling sicke their conscience prickes them for their tempting of God by an vnaduised boldnes in the hower of their death Others plunged as deepely in a quite contrarie extremitie are too fearfull when they doe but heare of the sickenesse and for verie feare haue beene brought to deaths doore onely by imagining themselues to haue beene infected when they haue beene most free who ofteneimes haue euen died and that without any naturall cause that euer coulde be knowen but onely through immoderate feare and the iudgement of God comming vppon them for their infidelity and vnbeliefe Thus it is with vs in Christianitie in that as well the oppressing our selues with too much feare to be ouercome as the carnall securitie in not fearing to bee ouercome may bring sinne vppon vs. God his children must labour for a measure and that must be sought for in the word which will teach them how they shall neyther decline on the right hand nor on the left but will guide them in the narrowe way showing in euerie thinge what is the vertue what is the vice what is the meane what is the extreame Among many Examples let vs consider of zeale a most precious vertue in Christianitie so long as it is free from the extremities Otherwise if we be colde in zeale it is a sinne on the left hande if wee bee zealous without knowledge it is preposterous and becommeth a sinne on the right hand But can wee not come to some perfection No if you vnderstand it for an absolute vnspottednes albeit to that perfection which the Scripture taketh for soundnesse trueth and sinceritie of heart which is voyde of carelesse remissnes wee may come Neither doth the Lord deale with vs aâ—ter our sinnes nor reward vs after our iniquities in whose eies the most glorious actions of men are but as waters flowing purely from the Conduit but defiled by passing through a filthy chanell Wherefore although wee haue our imperfections let vs not seeke to be more righteous than we can be saying for euerie errour of this life Oh I am none of God his sonnes I am none of his daughters for I cannot finde that perfection in me which is to be required But let vs comfort our selues in the trueth of our heartes and singlenes of our deâ—ires to serue God because he is God and so wee shall bee accepted of God I speake this to this ende that poore soules might haue comfort and knowe that is they abhorr sin as sin if they examine theÌ„selues for it if they grone vnder it if they mislike themselues for it if they feare to fall into it the Lord will not pursue them with the rigor of his lawe but will giue them the sweetnesse of his promises they are no more vnder the â—urse but vnder grace But further to inforce our Exhortation to auoyde too scrupulous a feare which hindereth the true examination of our heartes let vs think that it happeneth in the spiritual conflict as in ciuill wars Wee reade that manie Cities lying in great securitie haue sodainely both beene assaulted and ouerthrowen as also how some Countries too much negligenâ—e in the meanes through an excessiue fearefullnes haue incouraged their enemies with more greedie violence to pray vppon them With which kinde of stratagems our aduersary the diuell beeing well acquainted doth often practise this pollicie If hee see vs without all feare too quietly to rest in our selues hee thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger because our resistance is the weaker Againe if he discrieth in vs a cowardly feare and fainting of heart before wee once beginne to ioyne battaile with him hee will set vpon our immoderate feare as villainously as sodenly stab vs to the heart make a present spoyle of vs. Common practise doth farther teach vs that when we can heare the word without all trembling at God his iudgements when wee can pray without all feare before the Maiestie of God when wee can come to the Discipline of the Church without all reuerence of the ordinance of the Lord all is in vaine Againe let vs heare with too much trembling and wee shall learne nothing let vs pray with too seruile a feare and our worshipping of God will be without all comfort and vnchearfull Thus if we neither lessen sinne that is sinne indeede neyther make sinne of that which is not sinne in trueth it is good to proceede to this threefolde examination and to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our affections because many will be found in this ripenes of knowledge and barrennes of conscience to speake dispute and declame of al these thinges verie skilfully which flickring in the circumference of the braine and not sitting at the ground of the heart doe seale vp a more iust sentence of condemnation against them To helpe this euill with we must meditate deeplier of the Law and of the Gospell together with the appurtenances of them both that finding our selues farre from Gods blessings promised to the keepers of the law and seeing our selues nere to the curses due to the breakers of the Law we may raise vp some sense of sinne in our selues Yet herein we must not stay our foote but giue a farther stride for whereas many by a diligent view of the law haue come to the sense of sinne in themselues and saw plainly their
instruction concerning the forgiuenesse of sinnes the Prophet by his owne experience teacheth vs that hee could finde no reliefe of his sicknes vntill hee had remembred and made confession of his sinnes What shall we thinke that the Prophet of God taught so wonderfully by the worde and by the spirite did not see his sinnes before Be it farre from vs. Rather let vs know that he had not seuerally and perticularly ripped vp his sinnes before the Lorde in a seuerall confession of them Which though the Lorde knoweth farre better than wee our selues yet such kinde of sacrifice is most acceptable vnto him Now if in this trouble the person humbled can not come to the perticular sight of sinne in themselues it is good to vse the helpe of others vnto whome they may offer their heartes to bee gaged and searched and their liues to bee examined more deepely by hearing the seuerall Articles of the lawe laide open before them whereby they may trye the whole course of their actions For as we saide before the grosest hypocrites will generally complaine of sinne and yet deale with them in perticular pointes of the perticular precepts and prooue them in the applying of thinges to bee doone or not doone to their owne consciences and wee shall see many of these poore soules tossed too and fro now floting in ioyes now plunged in sorrowes not able to distinguish one sin from another Now when wee shall see the wound of the spirit to arise of any certaine and known sinne it is either for some sin alreadie cōmitted wherein we lie or els for some sin as yet not cōmitted but whereunto we are tempted For the former It pleaseth God oftentimes to bring old sins to minde when we had not thoroughly repented of them before that so as it were represēting thē to vs afresh we might fal into a more misliking of thē And yet herein is not all to mislike our selues for some perticulars although it bee good to bee occupied about some especiall sins for as it is not sufficient for the auoiding of hypocrisie to see sinne generally so it is not enough to escheue the deceiueablenesse of the heart euer to be poring busilie in one particuler and to be forgetfull of our great and generall sinnes But let vs learne by the particulers to passe to the generalls When any such one sinne then doth pursue thee rest not onely therein but say thus rather to thy selfe Oh Lord is this one sinne so grieuous and doth my God punish this one sinne so sorelie Howe greate then should be my punishment if thou shouldest O Lord so deale with mee for all my other sinnes Let vs labour to haue a sense both of generall and of particular sinnes least in time our griefe passe away without fruite whilest that not being displeased as well with one sinne as with another we either looke to superficially to generall and not to particulars or else too superstitiously obserue particulers and not the generals Concerning those sinnes whereunto we are tempted as when a man is mooued to thinke blasphemously of God the father o◠to doubt wether there bee a Christ or no or to imagine grosely of the holy Ghost or to deny GOD or to doubt of the Trinitie or to be mooued to murther aduouterie or such like in which temptations hee feeleth Gods spirit to cheke him for them so as he knoweth not in this case what to doe for that on the one side he dares not listen willingly to these fearefull and monstrous temptations and on the other side he feareth least in time by long sute he might fall into them or at the least for that hee seeth not how to be deliuered from them I suppose these motions are not so much to bee disputed with as we by them are to be prouoked to more instant and extraordinary zeale of praier Surely these are daungerous temptations and therefore are not to be kept close which our nature will easily encline vnto but perticularly are to bee confessed of vs. For the Diuell will come sometime to thee to keepe thee still in a generall acknowledgeing of sin and vrge thee on this manner Surely thou must needes doe this sinne thou seest thou canst haue no ease vntill thou hast consented thou art ordained to it the reason why thou art thus incessantly tempted is because thou doest not thus take thy pleasure Goe too denie 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 on the one hand and for shame of disclosing the tentations on the other hande many men haue pined away almost haue beene ouercome by them If we should disclose this say these men what would people say of vs They would count vs Atheists they would thinke vs the wickedst men in the worlde Well for our instruction and consolation herein Let vs learne that these kindes of tentations are either corrections for some sinnes past or punishmēts for some sin present or forwarners of some sin to come We shal see many tempted to adultery who no doubt cannot bee brought to commit it yet because in their youth they haue committed it and not repented of it it comes to them againe The like may bee obserued in theft in gluttony and in other tentations which are not so much sent vnto vs presently to ouercome vs as to put vs in minde that some time heretofore we hauing bene ouer come with them should now repent for them Sōe time a man shall lie in some sinne whereof when he will not bee admonished neither by the publicke nor priuate meanes and then some other strange tentation shall fall vpon him differing from that wherein hee presently lieth to admonish him of that other sinne As when a worldling shal be tēpted to adultery a thing which he hath noe desire to doe yet it is to make him looke to his worldlines whereof he hath so strong through a lyking Whereat if then he will not bee awaked he may sodainely fall into that too and so by the punishment of GOD in punishing one sinne with another both his sinnes shall bee to his greate shame laide open and one sinne shall make knowne another Sometime also it commeth to passe that one shall bee tempted with such a sinne as neither heretofore nor presently he hath giuen any liking or entertainement vnto and yet the Lord by it may forewarne him how he may fall into it hereafter as also to shew that hee hath stoode al his former life rather by the grace of God than by the strength of flesh and bloode Wherefore when thou art moued to doubt of God of Christ of the word or of iustification do not so much stand wondring at these strange tentations as thinke with thy selfe that it is the mercy of God by them to cause thee better to discerne of those tentations in others when thou shalt haue obserued with
feare and trembling how they make their first entrie into a mans heart how they gather strength how they agree with our corrupt nature in what degrees they come to some growth how the spirit of God doth resist them what bee the meanes best to preuaile against them And thus if thou make thy profite by them thou shalt so wonderfully search and descrie by seuerall veines the body age and sleight to of these tentations in others by an holy experience which God hath taught thee in others that besides that thou shalt lay forth mens secrete corruptions as if thou wast in their bosomes thou shalt be able also by the seede of sorrowe in thy selfe to begette an vnspeakeable ioy in others who in time may bee tempted as thou now art Thinke moreouer and besides that such is the efficacie of sinne that they who are now noe Papistes Heretiques Adulterers or Theeues may for their secure contemning and foolish passing ouer of these tentations sent vnto them sodainely shortly after fall into them because they woulde not seeke to make some vse of them nor confesse before the Lord both their pronenesse worthinesse to fall into them But if wee will humble our selues in such tentations and learne by them meekely to discerne the corruptions of our hearts we shall not onely persently deliuer our selues from perill but bee also further enabled to assist others herafter in the lâ—ke danger But some will oppose against these things which wee haue deliuered Doe you thinke it a remedie to cast downe them that are already humbled This is rather to bee a Butcher than a builder of a mans conscience To whome I answeere that I desire Preachers to bee Builders and not Butchers and it is one thinge generally to apply and another perticularly to lay the medicine vnto the wound it is good to begin with searching first and to purge the sore by the vineger of the Lawe and after to supple it with the oyle of the Gospel Both which must bee done in wisedome vsing them to some in greater to some in lesser measure For as some hauing nothing but a decay of nature and no mortall humor neede rather restoratiue than purging medicines So some rather troubled for some spirituall wants than for grosser sinnes neede not so much the sharpe threatnings of the Lawe as the sweete promises of the Gospell But if the bodie through some extraordinarie repletion hath gotten some greate surfet not so much to the weakening of nature as to the threatning of imminent death and therefore requireth rather some stronge purgation than comfortable and cordiall medicines then the soule brought almost to deathes doore with some extraordinary sinne is rather to be boared and pierced with the denouncing of Gods iudgements than otherwise But because we would deale more plainely lesse confusedly it is good in our accesse to afflicted consciences to lay these two grounds First we must perswade the persons humbled that their sins are pardonable and their sores curable And after that this visitation is not so much a signe of Gods wrath and anger as a seale of his mercie and fauoure in that it is not either blind or barren but plentifull in good effects and fruitefull in Godly issues The former how needfull it is the experience of so many almost as haue bin throwne downe is a sufficient witnes who haue had this as a tagge tyed to their tentations that neuer any were so plagued as they none euer had the like temptations The Lord will surelie make an end of theÌ„ in some strange and vnknowne tentation Wherein they are notvnlike vnto men fallen into some dangerous disease who thinking to be without the fadome of the Phisitians skill and not to be within the compasse of things recouâ—rable adde a second and sorer griefe vnto their former Wherefore as these men seeme to be halfe healed when any man of knowledge can be brought who by experience hath cured the like maladie in like degrees in others So then the sorrowfull soules are not a little by hope refreshed and strengthned to loke for some ease when they see none other tentation to haue ouertaken them than such as hauing fallen into the nature of man haue fouÌ„d mercie at the handes of God that he might bee feared This ground worke framed it is good to build vp and repaire the decayed ioy of the minde partly by the Law to make a preparatiue for these ioyes if the minde not truely humbled is not fit truely to be comforted and partly by the gospell if the conscience kindly throwne downe is become a fit subiect to aply the sweet promises of God in Iesus Christ vnto it And here again to answere them that denie the law wholly or at all to bee vsed when we would breed comfort in one I demand whether if it be necessary to maintaine the righteousnes of Christ it be not also as necessary to preserue the righteousnes of the Law Seing the righteousnes of the Law of vs not fulfilled wil draw vs vnto the righteousnes of Christ to vs imputed And sith the righteousnes of Christ to vs imputed is neuer throughly truly esteemed vntill we se the righteousnes of the law of vs to be vnperformed Again if our Sauiour Christ did foreshew his Disciples that the first work of the holy Ghost at his coÌ„ming should be to conuict the world of sinne to make men knowe that without Iesus Christ their is nothing but sinne and then that he should rebuke the world of righteousnesse that they might see how Christ dyed not for his owne sinne but for the sinnes of others I see not why it should not be verie conuenient first to lay open the righteousnes of the lawe that men may see their sinnes and then the righteousnes of Christ that men may see their sins discharged in him Besids where the Lord saith by his Prophet At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent of his sins from the bottome of his heart I will put all his wickednes out of my remembrance it may wel be gathered that there must be a souÌ„d sorrow for sin goe before and then true ioy of sinnes pardoned may the more frely by vertue of his promise be both hoped for loked for afterward Moreouer seeing all the promises of God in the gospel are coÌ„mended vnto vs vnder the title and tenor of restoring sight to the blinde hearing to the deafe strength to the Lame health to the Sicke and life to the Deade it is manifest not onlye that there is noe disease of the soule which Christ cannot heale but also that wee must first finde our selues blinde deafe dumbe lame sicke and deade before hee will meddle with vs because they that are whole neede not the Phisition and hee came to call sinners not the Righteous to repentance Now to doe this in wisedome by neither pressing the conscience too seuerely nor releasing the conscience more vnaduisedly it shalbe a safe way to vse the well
tempered speech of the Apostle to the sorcerer Repent that if it be possible thy sinne may be forgiuen thee Where hee doth not wholly discourage him because it may bee his sinne may be pardoned neither yet too boldly incourage him in that without repentance he sheweth it altogether impossible to be pardoned And that we be not too preposterous in our consolations let vs bee warned by the blasphemous speech of that detestable Arian who of late yeares was put to death at Norwich This hellish heretique a little before he should be executed afforded a fewe whorish teares asking whether hee might bee saued in Christ or no When one tolde him that if he truely repented he should surely not perish he brake out most monstrously into this speech Nay is your Christ so easily to be intreated indeede as you say Then I defie him and care not for him Oh how good a thing had it beene not to haue cast this precious stone to this swine Oh how safe had it beene to haue dealt more bitterlie and to haue dwelt more vehementlie on the conscience of this caytife Now to attaine some discretion in curing this wounded spirite wee must learne wisely to iudge both of the person afflicted and of the nature of his affliction First we may note whether it be a man or a woman because we may vrge more fearfully the vse of the law to a man as beeing the stronger vessell And as Sathan knewe the woman to be most easie and frameable to be wrought vpon at his first temptation so is hee not ignorant that shee is the weaker partye to sustaine any temptation nowe Then let vs consider whether they that are thus humbled haue knowledge or no Because if they haue no knowledge they thinke trouble of minde to be so strange a thing as neuer anie before had it if they haue knowledge then Sathan is readie to accuse them of the sinne against the holy Ghost as though euery sinne done against knowledge were a sinne of presumption Further we are to enquire howe strong or weake they are that if they be sorely stricken we cease to humble thē any further if they be not sufficiently wounded then to touch thē with some deeper sense of sin Also we must be circumspect to finde out whether by nature they are more fearful melancholy or no As also whether they be vsuall sinners or haue falne once of infirmity that so vpon their disposition inclinatiō we may builde our speeches the better To these it is good to adde the consideration of the persons age estate ability as if the party be troubled for worldlines whether he be not a great housholder if he complaine of vncleannes whether he be not a yoong man vnmaried if he be hūbled with couetousnes whether he be not old because diuers countries callings ages conditions estates of men haue their diuers peculiar sinnes which we must rightly discerne Howbeit of what sex soeuer they are men or women of what complexion soeuer the are of what knowledge to discerne sin of what degree of commiting sinne of what age authority wealth estate or condition soeuer they are it is good to marke that there be many who are more troubled for the vexation and disquietnes of their minde beeing distempered then for the vilenes and horriblenes of their sinne committed who are wounded more with the feare of shame with the feare of beeing mad or with the feare of running out of their wittes than with the conscience of sinne Which thing if we find in them it is our part to trauell with them that they make a lesse matter of the outward shame more conscience of the inward sinne Neyther must we here forget to make a distinctiō between our speeches vsed to the hūbled in the very time of their extream agony burning a gue of their trobles those speches which we vse to them the fit beeing past because the one and former requireth more consolation and lesse exhortation the other and latter would haue vs more aboundant in admonishing and more sparing in comforting when we may wisely admonish them to beware of sinne which so procured their owne woe In this breathing time it is also expedient to exhort them that for some season vntill they shall finde greater power of regeneration they would tye themselues to some holy orders and godly vowes whereby they may either be furthered in mortifying some speciall sinne which for that they coulde finde no power against it did most grieue them or strengthened in some special grace the want wherof did also wound them But before we launch deeper into this sea of particular tentations and beginne to founde the dangerous passages of naturall corruption and originall sinne the troublesome froath whereof doth almost ouerwhelme many poore pilgrims it shall be good to giue this caution that both in these and in the former troubles men woulde be still againe admonished patiently to beare with a wounded spirit albeit it fall out so that they be somewhat pettish seeing the holy Ghost speaketh so fauourably of them saying A wounded Spirit who can beare And surely our practise in other thinges by the lawe of equitie may vrge this at our handes For if men by the light of reason can see it to bee a duetie conuenient not furiously to controle but meekely to suffer and wisely to put vp the vnaduised speeches of a man distempered in braine by reason of some burning ague or such like violent and vehement sicknes we may easily gather euen by the same rule of reason not so seuerely to censure the impatient speeches of him who by reason of some parching Feuer of the spirit is disquieted in all partes of his minde and hath all the veynes of his heart as it were in a spirituall agony vexed Wherfore both vnsauory for want of godly wisedome and vncharitable for want of Christian loue are their murmuring obtrectations which say what Is this the godly man Is this hee that is so troubled for his sinnes Why see how pettish he is nothing can please him no bodie can satisfie him Consider O man if thou canst beare with a fraile body that thou must much more beare with a fraile minde Consider O man that this his pettishnes doth more wound him to the heart than any iniury thou couldest presse him with And therefore seeing he afflicteth his owne soule for it thou needest not adde any thing to his affliction and to exasperate his grieuous smart Consider that it is a blessed thing mercifully to bethinke vs of the estate of the needy and that to rub a fresh wound to streine a bleeding sore is nothing else but with Iobs friends to bring a new torment wher there is no need of it If the wise father doth rather pittie than rebuke his childe when by reason of sicknes the appetite is not easily pleased euen so if we purpose to doe any good with an afflicted minde
which in her child is wanting by occasion in like manner the Lorde God our most gracious father doth not cast vs off because through our imperfections we are vnable or afraide to drawe neerer to the throne of grace but rather pitieth vs and seing vs a farre of desirous to come vnto him meeteth vs by the way by grace strength of his owne hand directeth our steps vnto his kingdom And as he which freely purposeth to giue a wedge of gold will not withdrawe his gift because the hand of him that should receiue it is weak troubled with the gout palsy or leaprosie so that by any meanes though in greate weakenes he be able to holde it euen so the Lorde purposing in free mercie to bestowe on vs an immortall weight of glory will not depriue vs of it though many filthy blemishes haue poluted and weakened or faith so that in any small measure we be able to take holde of his promises neither are we â—o loke on our faith which the Gospell hath called vs vnto because we neuer beleeue as we ought but rather on that which the Gospell offereth giueth that is on Gods mercy and peace in Christ in whose lappe if we can lay our heads with Saint Iohn then we are in felicitie securitie and perfect quietnes Contrariwise there be some who notwithstanding that a tormented conscience is a stinging Serpent that it were much better that all the creaturs rose vp against vs euery one bringnig their bane then once to come before the dreadful face of God are so blockish that they are wholy resolued into hardnes If they bee pricked with sicknes they crye alas if they be pinched with pouertie thy can complaine but as for the torment of minde they caÌ„not skil of it And eueÌ„ to talke of abrused coÌ„trite broken hart is a strange laÌ„guage For profe whereof our consciences are rocked aslepe so that not one amongest a thousand knoweth what it is to be pressed and harrowed with the rake of Gods iudgements But blessed are they that to their owne saluation feele this in their bodies whilest sinne may be both punished and purged For though God spare vs for a time yet we know what he keepeth for our end Wherefore it is the best for vs to runne to the Lord in this life with a troubled minde least we tarry till the Lord haue locked vs vp with the heauie fetters of desperation when he shall sommon vs to the barre of his iudgement in the sight of his Angels and impannelling the great inquest of his Saintes against vs shall denounce our fearefull and finall sentence of eternall condemnation for we see many that haue beene carelesse and haue made good cheare all their life long yea and when men haue laboured to make them feele the iudgements of God they haue turned all to mockery but whose iolytie the Lorde hath so abated when they drawe towardes death that in steade of resting and sporting whereunto they had bene giuen they haue felt the terrour of death hell and damnation and lapping vp their ioyes in finall desperation haue forced out cursinges against their filthie pleasures Wherefore if wee in the tempest of our temptations will saile a right course neither shrinking nor slipping into the gulfe of desperation neither battering our barke against the rocke of presumption Let vs in a contrite spiriâ—e cry vnto the Lorde Haue mercy vpon mee heale my soule for I haue sinned against thee forgiue all mine iniquities and heale all mine infirmities Thou healest those that are broken in hearte and byndest vp their soares why art thou cast downe my soule and why art thou disquieted within mee waite on God for I will yet giue him thanks he is my present helpe my God Yet my soule keepe thou silence before God of him commeth my saluation he is my strength therefore I shall not much be moued his mightines is enough to giue me courage yea and shalbe euen when I am forlorne I knowe that the diminishing of my body goods friendes or any other thing is a calling of me to that which neuer shall diminish nor decay I beleeue that my Lord and my God allureth me daly thither that I might not doubt that when my body is laide in the graue and there consumed as it were to nothing yet notwithstanding my soule resting in the bosome of the Lord shall returne vnto me and shall rise to glory euen as it resting in this life in the mercies of Christ did rise to grace verely I see that with ioy that my flesh must go to decay for looke what freshnes soeuer was in it it diminished day by day And I neede not goe farre to seeke for death for I feele not so smale an infirmitie in my bodie but the same is vnto me a messenger of dissolution Yet for all this I shall see my God and when I am couered in the belly of the graue with mouldes I am assured that he will reach me his hande to lift me vp againe to the beautie of his inheritance so that this smale cottage and shed of leaues being brought to the graue shall be caried into an incorruptible tabernacle Thus communing with our owne harts and being still in the peace of a good conscience concerning our outward sufferings we shall finde that the Lord by his fatherly and louing chastismeÌ„ts intendeth nothing more then to proue our obedience as good reason it is that he should and to confirme our faith as also is most necessarie Howbeit still as I saide he vseth a fatherly correction that is in mercy measure and iudgement For as he striketh vs downe in anger for our sinnes with the one hande so he raiseth vs vp againe in loue for our saluation with the other hand For albeit his corrections be wearisome woundes to flesh and bloude yet are they soueraine medicines to the soule and conscience especially when the Lorde giueth vs that priuiuiledge of his children that by his holy spirite he doth ouermaister vs least that finally we should be his Iudge and he not ours And for this cause the Lord is often times prouoked to put on as it were a contrary face to locke vs vp in a prison of aduersitie to restraine vs from the libertie of our sinnes which Sathan faine would make vs violently to rush into And surely though the wisdome of the flesh perswadeth vs that nothing is better then to be spared and not to be espied when the Lord calleth vs to reckoning yet the spirit shewing our desperate estate without the syre of affliction and boulter of aduersitie teacheth vs that we cannot of all the blessings of God sufficiently esteeme this being the mother of humilitie and nource of true repentance Againe the Lorde fitteth vs often by inward temptations and outwarde crosses to flitte vs from the stake of securitie and vntowardnes to good workes least in time we should loose the experience of our knowledge and faith in
make no more application the holy annointing which you haue receiued will bring the old mercies of God vpon others and vppon your owne soule vnto remembrance and leade you into all truth which shall bee requisite for your saluation Put your trust in the Lord and be you assured beleeue his ministers you shall prosper The Lord Iesus came not to breake the brused reede nor to quench the smoaking flaxe his grace shall bee euer more sufficient for you and his vertue shal vnto the end manifest it selfe in your weakenes Now therfore I beseech him to preserue your body soule spirit vnto his most glorious appearing Faithfull is he that hath called you promised who wil also performe it Amen From my house in London in Warwicke lane Anno 1591. Feb. 24. Yours in Iesus Christ as he haâ—h beene Richard Greenham A letter consolatory written to a friende afflicted in Conscience for sinne Grace and peace in Iesus Christ. MY very good and louing friend in the Lord Iesus I vnderstand by M. H. who ofte trauelleth into those parts that you require of mee letters of comfort for reliefe of your afflicted and distressed conscience Wherein I could bee glad to performe any deutie that is within the compasse of my poore abilitie But your best and soundest comfort as I take it lieth in those that haue them selues bene exercised with that triall who from the comforts of Christ that haue abounded in them are best able to comfort those that are in like sort afflicted by the hand of God Agine I haue written vnto you many times of this argument If my letters remaine with you they may alwaies speake for mee that which I am able to say to that point If you require more then I haue written before this then were it reason you should sende mee my former letters that I might knowe where to begin that which remaineth My leasure is not great as you knowe and there is nothing whereinto I enter more vnwillingly then into this labour of writing Yet that you may vnderstand that I haue not altogether forgotten your ould loue towardes me nor haue suffered mine affection towards you vtterly to decaye I will indeauour at once as briefelye as I may to remember vnto you so far as I can call to minde the summe of all that I haue written vnto you heretofore The question as I take it that that lieth in controuersie betweene your coÌ„science and the enimie is of the assurance of your saluation Wherein I would haue you first to consider what is or at any time past hath beene the testimony of the Spirit of God vnto your spirit and then I doubt not but either from present sence of the same spirit of God crying in your heart Abba Father or from the remeÌ„brance of the daies of old wherin you had a coÌ„fortable assurance of Gods fauor you shal be able to repel the force of this temptation coÌ„sidering that the holy Ghost caÌ„notly that God whom he loueth vnto the end he loueth because his gifts calling as the Apostle saith are such as whereof he doth not nor caÌ„not repeÌ„t him TheÌ„ coÌ„sider the nature of faith which how weak vnperfect soeuer it be it caÌ„not be denied eueÌ„ by Sathan himselfe to be faith according to that which is saide I beleeue Lord helpe thou my vnbeliefe And if you haue faith euen as a graine of mustard seede c. that Faith apprehendeth Christ Iesus in whome there is all sufficiency of saluation and in whome wee are compleat so that whatsoeuer scruple ariseth from our selues or is inforced of the enimie from any imperfection that is in vs it neede not at all to dismay vs because wee saue not our selues but are saued by him who is made vnto vs from God wisdome righteousnes sanctification and redemption that who so glorieth should glorie in him And in deede there is no surer refuge when the enimie distresseth vs then renouncing our selues to professe the onely name of Christ Iesus who died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification For if the enemie shall say wee haue sinned our answere is Christ hath died for vs yea is risen againe yea is ascended into heauen c. If he say we want the righteousnes of the law we must answere Christ hath fulfilled the lawe that wee by him might be made the righteousnes of God If hee say wee are in nature corrupt and therefore both vnworthy and vnfit for the kingdome of heauen we must answere him with the wordes of Christ himselfe for there sakes haue I sanctified my selfe Fynally whatsoeuer shalbe obiected against vs by the enimie our answere must bee that in Christ all the promises of God are yea and in him they are Amen That all fulnes dwelleth in him and that in him wee are perfected so that wee may boldly say with Saint Paul there is no damnation to those which are in Christ Iesus If Sathan his importunitie and impudencie will not thus bee answered we must ende all disputation with him by our selues and send him vnto Christ who amongst other parts of his office towardes vs performeth also this for vs both before his heauenly father and against all our aduersaries that he is our aduocate to pleade and defende our cause which yet is not so much ours as his owne because the question is not of our merits or satisfactions which we freely renounce but of the merite of his obedience and of the value of his death vnto the saluation of those that beleeue in him So shall wee at once stoppe vp the mouth of the enimie when refusing to pleade our own cause we referre our selues vnto Christ whome wee knowe to bee the wisdome of God and able to answere all that can possibly be obiected against vs. For seeing Sathan is a wrangling and subtill sophister it is our furest and safest dispatch to break of all dispute with him and to send him thither where he may receiue his best answere and we neede not to doubt but he that hath answered the iustice of God and canceled the obligation that was against vs before his heauenly father will easily defeate whatsoeuer the olde serpent our accuser the Deuill is able to alledge against vs. But if wee cannot so auoide his assault but needes we must enter the combat with him let vs take vnto our selues that courage that becommeth the souldiors of Christ and in the name of the Lorde Iesus manfully oppose our selues knowing that hee which hath brought vs into the battell will both saue vs and deliuer vs out of all dangers Then if the enimie shall say that wee haue no faith and therefore haue no interest in Christ we may answere that our beleeuing dependeth not vpon his testimony it is enough that our selues doe know and feele by the grace of God that wee doe beleeue As for him we doe the rather perswade
Lorde woulde not take away his holy spirite from him howe can these two stande together first to pray that a new spirite may be created in him and then that the spirite of God may not be taken from him Surely the spirite it selfe was still in him and therfore he prayeth that it may not be taken froÌ„ him but the graces gracious working of the spirite they were deade and gone and therefore hee prayeth that they may bee renewed in him By this then we see that the very chiefe graces of the spirite may be quenched euen in the most godly when they fall into sinne But yet that no libertie may be taken hereby let vs a litle consider what griefe and punishment they procure to themselues that do by any means loose the graces of the spirite First of all we must know that though the spirite of God cannot be goâ—ten by our labour yet it causeth vs much labour and we must vndergoe much trauell and suffer much trouble before the spirite of God do take possession of vs now when the graces of the spirite are lost all this our labour seemeth to bee lost and what griefe is it to see the whole labour and trauaile of a man to vanish and come to nothing Secondly when a man receiueth the spirit of GOD and by the same spirite is assured that his sinne is forgiuen him and that hee is in the fauour of GOD there doth arise in his hearte a great ioy in the holy Ghost a ioy I say that is vnspeakeable and glorious and this ioy is lost and gone when the graces of Gods spirite are gone with how greate griefe and woe they know that in any measure haue tasted of it Againe when the graces of the spirite are choaked in men then they haue no hart to doe good they haue no affection to goodnesse but all is gone and they are made for the time as it were an vnprofitable burthen of the earth What griefe can be greater then this What sorrow can sinke more deepe then that a good man should be cleane withholden from doing good Moreouer it is sure that when the giftes of the spirit are in this sorte gone then hee that was most righteous before may soone fall into greate sinnes yea and which is more they shall also suffer the reproch of their sinnes For this is a part of the couenant that GOD made with his That though he will not take his mercies vtterly from them yet he will visite their sinnes with the rodde and their iniquities with scouâ—ges and what griefe this is the example of Gods children may shew vs what griefe was it to Noah become a laughing stocke to his owne sonne what heartbreaking to Dauid by his owne son to be thrust froÌ„ his kingdome so grieuous were those punishments laid vpon them that if without anye respect of hell or heauen we coulde consider of them wee had rather want all the pleasures of sinne which they enioyed then wee woulde beare the reproch and feele the paine which they suffered Last of all when the graces of the spirite of GOD are once decayed they can neuer be repaired and recouered but with much sorrowe and greate daunger for it cannot but breede much sorowe of hearte to remember his former sinnes to examine and see the greatnesse of them to apply Gods iudgements to them and to prouoke himselfe to sorrowe for them This is as it were to goe thorough the pikes and through a purgatorie in this present life and yet this must bee done before wee can recouer Gods graces againe Againe it is a very dangerous thing for in such cases men are brought as it were with Ionas into the bottome of the sea and as Dauid saith into the deepe waters so that all the surges and waues doe passe and flow ouer him Now wee know what danger it is for a man to bee thrust ouer heade and ears into the deepe waters and therefore they that are in such a case are in great danger wherefore all these things considered the losse of all our labour the losse of all true ioye the vnfitnesse to doe good the readinesse to sinne the griefe and danger that ensueth thereof will or at the least wise may cause vs to bee ware how wee quench the spirit And this is the vse of the Doctrine in humblinge of of vs which also doth furthermore serue to comfort vs knowing that we may suffer a greate decay of GODS graces yet by the rodde or by the worde of GOD or by both they shall bee renewed in vs againe And thus much of this commaundement that the Apostle giueth here that wee shoulde not quench the spirite FINIS The Seconde Sermon preached by M Richard Greenham It is thus written Acts 2. Vers. 37.38 37 Now when they heard it they were pricked in their hearts and said vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe 38 Then Peter saide vnto them amende your liues and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes c. IN this portion of the holy booke of God is set down to vs an effecte or rather a fruite of Peter his sermon which hee made for the answering of the sclanderous reports of the Iewes at what time they saw the wonderfull giftes of GOD sent downe vpon the Apostles In which sermon the Apostle had pricked their consciences whith shewing them their sinnes telling them of a suretie that their iniquities was the cause of Christ his death whereby a certaine care began to be wrought in them insomuch that being thus troubled they enquired and saide men and brethren what shall we doe whereupon afterward followed the second Sermon of Peter wherein he exhorteth theÌ„ to coÌ„tinue in their repeÌ„tance teacheth vs that if our sorrowe be good we must go forward therin Further he sheweth theÌ„ to this end that they must beleeue that beleuing they may be baptised that being baptised they might receiue the gifte of the holy Ghost Lastly it is manifest how they hearing that sermon first receiued the doctrine and after perseuered in the practise of the same Briefely therefore three thinges are here to bee noted First the fruite of the former Sermon of Peter contained in these wordes Now when they hearde it c. Scondely the summe of a new Sermon of Peter in these worde Then Peter saide vnto them amende your liues c. Thirdly is set downe the fruite of their obedience In the former part of this Chapter wee may knowe the wonderfull workes of GOD that the Apostles who were neuer brought vp in scholes speake with diuers tongues which when the multitude hearde some are saide to maruaile and to be astonied some mocked them and saide They are full of new wine But when Peter with greate boldenesse of spirite had in this Sermon which hee made set the truth of God against their false accusations and had preached against their
sinnes then they lefte of mocking were pricked in their harts Where first we may note the power of Gods word which onely is able to touch our consciences for sinne For neither the diuersitie of tongues nor other giftes of the holy Ghost coulde pricke their â—eartes as being able onely to cast them into an admiration What more forcible thinge then to cause a goâ—ly sorrow theÌ„ to haue our conscience pricked What so able to pricke our conscience as the worde of GOD Indeede many feele sorrowe and are inwardly pricked but because therewith is not ioyned the power of Gods word They be either sencelesâ—e as blocks or in their feeling they are murmurers This commeth vnto vs by the dignitie of GOD his worde in that no wonders from heauen no miracles on earth can touch our heartes and worke in vs any fruite without the same For though the Lorde shoulde shewe vnto vs al the wonders from heauen which he shewed on the olde worlde and on Sodome although hee shoulde lay all the plagues vpon vs which he laide on Pharaoh and on the Aegyptians without the word of God we should be as vnprofitable beholders as euer were the Sodomites should become as hardeharted as euer were Pharaoh the Aegyptians so that no iudgement from heauen no trouble from earth can humble vs noe blessing from aboue no benefite from beneath can profite vs vntil the worde of GOD commeth which teacheth the olde way to forsake it the newe way to enter into it and the perfecte way to continue in it And thus much for the generall scope of this doctrine Now more particularly we may obserue in this first part three things First the power of the worde to pricke our conscience Secondly that this pricke must not cause in vs a more rebelling againste the worde or ministers thereof but rather a greater reuerence to them both Thirdly such prickes must prepare vs to a greater desire to profit For the first wee must knowe that this is the beginning of repentance and this is the enteâ—ie to godlines euen to conceiue a sorrow for our sinnes and so bee wounded with a feeling of our euils For as long as men are secure it is not possible that they should seriously apply their minde vnto doctrine neither without the knowledge and feeling of our sinnes can wee hartily longe for Christ. To this agree the lawe the Prophets and the Apostles The lawe because in all their sacrifices wherein Christ was prefigured was manifested also vnder darke signes the contrition of hart and acknowledging their vnworthinesse The Prophets as Dauid and Esay Dauid in the fourth psalme and fiâ—t verse â—ayeth Tremble and sinne not where the Prophet sheweth that this is an effectuall thing to trew repentance to quake and tremble for feare of Gods iudgements That wee may then truly examine our selues wee must feare and humble our selues because before trouble terrour and quaking at the iudgementes of GOD we will neuer be brought to offer our selues to Christ alone In the Psal. 51. Vers. 18.19 the Prophet like wise sheweth that no sacrifice is acceptable to God without a contrite heart that is neither prayer neither almes-giuing neitheir praise or thanksgiuing vnlesse we bringing an humble and contrite spirit with vs cast our selues downe before his iudgement seate and sue for mercy in Christ. And here marke that he saith the sacrifices of God are a troubled spirit c. where he vsing the plurall number sheweth that the sacrifices of repentance which must not be one but many are humblenes of spirite and contrition of hearte For the affliction of the soule contrition of the minde doe so cast vs downe wounded with our sinnes humbled with a feeling of Gods wrath as that it maketh vs to acknowledge that we are nothing of our selues and to seeke for our saluation wholly at the mercie of God Noe maruaile then if by this means we being confounded and ashamed of our selues and staying our selues on the only promises of God doe confesse our owne nakednes and wreatchednes why the Prophet should say that the Lord is pleased with this sacrifice as with the sacrifice of sacrifices The Prophet Esai cap 40. V. 6.7.8 saith All flesh is grasse the beautie therof as the flower of grasse the grasse withereth the flower falleth when the breath of the Lord falleth vpon it where the Prophet painting out man in his proper couliers and driuing him to seeke our saluation not in himselfe but in Christ describeth the outward part of man to be as grasse and by the flower of grasse he sheweth his gifts of minde being vnregenerate as wisdoÌ„e memorie knowledge and vnderstaÌ„ding So that when Gods spirit doth but breath on vs all our wisdome all our knowledge riches and authoritie fall before the presence of the Lord of hosts neither can we remaine but only by the word of God whereby wee are borne againe Wherefore the considering meditating of our traÌ„sitory estate driuâ—th vs to a contrition humblenes of spirit Besides the Lord God saith Esai whom the heauens cannot containe nor the earth hold wil come and dwell with a lowly poore and troubled spirit and which standeth in awe of his word God doth not accept our sacrifices which are offered without trembling at his word no more then if we should kill a man choke a dog or offer swines flesh which was counted an abhominable thing among the Iews or praise the thing that is vnright Lastly to this accordeth the Gospel and the Apostles Our sauiour Christ Mat. 9.13 saith I came not to cal the righteous but sinners to repentance not euerie sinner but that sinner which condeÌ„neth sinne in him is weary and laden with his sinnes Mat. 11.28 Mat. 21.32 our Sauiour Christ preferreth the harlotts Publicans before the Pharises for they being pricked for their sins conuicted did sorrow heard Iohn preaching vnto them So then Christ giueth reliefe to those that want righteousnes to theÌ„ that feele themselues sinners ease to them which are burthened lightto them which are in darknes life to them which are dead saluation to them which condeÌ„ne theÌ„selues 1. Cor. 14. the Apostle declareth how the Corrinthians were moued with straÌ„ge tongues but yet had not in admiration the word Besides he sheweth by comparing the gifte of tongues prophecying together that if an Infidell or vnlearned man should come and heare them speake with strange tongues he would say they were out of the witts but if he should heare them speake the word of god plainly he wold be rebuked of all meÌ„ iudged of all men so the secrete of his heart shold be mad manifest he wold fal down on his and worshippe God and say plainely when he feeleth his sinnes they rifle mine hearte they shewe my secret sinnes doubtlesse this is Gods doing God is in them I will follow this religion Wherefore in this appeareth the power of the
worde in that it citeth and sommoneth our consciences before the tribunall of God and woundeth vs with a liuely feeling of Gods iudgement that he who before thorough securitie did despise sounde doctrine may now be constreained to giue the glory vnto God This appeareth more plainely Heb. 4.12 where it is saide that the word of God is liuelie mâ—ghty in operation and sharper then any two edged sword it pearceth thought froÌ„ thought all holinesse shall seme hypocrisie all our righteousnes shall seeme as a defiled cloath we shall finde with Paul that in vs that is in our flesh dwelleth no righteousnes For mens consciences are coulde neither are they touched and displeased with their euils so long as they be in ignorance but when the worde of God pearceth into the vttermost corners of their consciences and telleth them that they haue to doe with the Lorde they are thoroughlye touched and beginne to feare and entering into themselues examining their conscience they come to the knowledge of that which before they had forgotten We can neuer bee offered to God without his spirite Iohn 16.8 For he reprooueth the world of sinne and awaketh our consciences that those sins which before were hid should be made manifest Dauid did lye an whole yeâ—re without this pricke of conscience and thought that all was well vntill Nathan came neither did he finde comfort of conscience vntill he had thus beene pricked Iosephes brethren were thirteene yeares and neuer remembred their sinnes vntill after such time the Lorde laide it before them The Prophet Dauid Psal. 32 which he intituled a Psalme of instruction concerning the free remission of sinnes â—eacheth how wee shall finde the same For many perswade themselues that their sinnes are forgiuen when they be not He also sheweth that vntill trouble of minde did driue him to GOD he founde no comfort Manâ—sses which did eate the breade of sorrow and did drinke the water of griefe vntill he had lamented and sorrowed felt no rest nor peace The woman of Samaria Iohn 4. was pleasant and iested with our Sauiour Christ vntill hir sinnes were opened and then shee beganne to answere with more reuerence For vntill shee was willed to call hir husbande shee thought all was safe but after that he had tolde hir that shee had plaide the adulteresse shee acknowledged him that hee was a Prophet Wherefore wee may see by this which hath beene spoken that the word of God onely pricketh our consciences as plainly may here appeare by the Iewes who cared not for the Apostles nor made any conscience vntill their hearts were pricked In the second place we must note that they were rightly pricked For many often times are pricked which kicke against the pricke and hauing their consciences galled by the word they murmur eyther against the preacher of the word or against the word itselfe Here then is the difference betweene the godly and the wicked the one is pricked and is made more carefull in a godly conscience the other more hardened then before But this is a godly sorrowe when we loue the man that rebuketh vs and reuerence the word the more being by it reprooued in our conscience Doe we loue him then that rebuketh vs then we heare profitably Let vs examine our selues in this sort I see God hath wounded me by him he is the instrument whereby God doth humble me I will therfore loue him Contrary if we be often touched amende not we are in danger of Gods wrath Many indeed are pricked with pouerty many with sicknes some with other like afflictioÌ„s but few with their sins which is the cause of their pouerty sicknes and other afflictions Let vs then learne a willingnesse to offer our selues to be taught and to be pricked for sinne as these men were The wicked also are pricked somtimes for sinne but it is rather for feare of punishment then for conscience to displease God as were Caine and Iudas Some men are pricked and to put away their sorrow they will goe sleepe they will go play they will goe sport they wil get to merie company and passe away the time and so as they terme it they will purge driue away the rage of melancholy they neuer goe to any Preacher to aske of the Lord or at the mouth of his spirite They neuer respect to prayer nor seeke any comforte in the word of GOD. But to put away sorrow on this sort is to call it againe and to feele it more freshly either in the hower of death or in hell Contrariwise if our sorrow doth driue vs to praier or to the worde of God it is good As for the wicked and prophaine worldlinges though as the wise man saith Ecclesiact 11. hee spende all his daies without any euill yet his darknes wilbe greater then the light his sorrowe greater then his pleasure his losse greater then his gaine his trouble greater then his vanitie in hell Let vs not then so carnally shake off this godly sorrow For the worde will send vs often an vnquiet spirite that wee may seeke to be quiet in Christ. To examine our selues herein Haue wee heard the worde of God were we pricked by it then haue wee profited haue we not been pricked thereby then as yet are we not a sacrifice for the Lord. For as was saide before Christ comforteth them that are troubled he helpeth them that doubt he caseth them which are in distresse he setteth their feete in the way of peace and gladnes that haue long beene in darkenes and sorrow Haue ye not beene sorrowfull will ye learne a salue for this sore be sorrowfull that ye were not sorrowfull be pricked in your hearts because you were not more pricked Haue we heard the word Let vs examin our selues if our knowledge be the beter If our affectioÌ„s be the holier As hauing heard the expositioÌ„ of the law of God do we feare God do we know how to loue God do we pray to God do we worship God in our soules in our bodies more carfully in greater coÌ„science theÌ„ we haue don hertofore Are we not now as profaine carelesse stil in giuing the right worship to the true God as before we were to superstitious in seruing Angels SaÌ„ts other false Gods nether sorrowing for our idolatry nor careing for true religioÌ„ haue we not blasphemed profaned the name of god in vnreuereÌ„t hearing his word in vnprofitable talking of his works abusing his owne maiesty with swearing and cursing as much as we euer did before Haue we kept holie the saboth or haue we not prophaned it by open neglect of the worde by playing sporting drinking and other vanities doe we not still send forth our seruantes to dispatch our busines on that day as if it were the market day when they may do such thinges most lawfully Are not parentes hous-holders and gouernours as slacke in prouoking obedience and children seruantes and subiectes as flow
in yeelding obedience as euer they were parents in the meane time not seeing that children therefore rebell against theÌ„ because they rebell against God nor hous-holders perceiue that seruants doe not their dueties to them because they doe not their duety to God Are we lesse wrathfull and more mercifull are we lesse riotous and filthy defilers of our flesh and are we more sober chast and holy are we lesse giuen to oppression to hard dealing one with another and more iust righteous and carefull to maintaine the good estate of our brethren Are we not backbiters slaunderers or sowers of discord causers of contention â—mong our neighbours beeing farre off from mainteyning loue vnited and the good name of our brethren The cause why we cannot see further into these things is because we flatter our selues and because we compaire our selues with our selues with others but not with the rule of Gods word Let vs then learne to accuse our selues and to iudge our owne consciences For if God see vs condemne ourselues he will not condemne vs if we accuse our selues God will not suffer Sathan to accuse vs if we iudge our selues God will acquite vs from the fearefull iudgment to come if we be displeased for our sins God will be pleased in Christ his righteousnesse On the contrary whilest we lie in our sinnes we lie in our owne blood if we iudge not our selues God will both iudge vs and be reuenged of our sinne he wil set our house on fire he will send enemies he will sende earthquakes he will sende famines to make vs to consume our goods he will make friends foes he will sende sicknes and sorenes vpon our bodies a troubled spirit into our soules he will send vs an ill name thus will he bring plague vpon plague vntill we repent come to a feeling of our sinnes And why doth God all this because we wil not come to iudge our selues For this cause saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 11.30 that is because we iudge not our selues many are weake sicke among you many sleepe 31. for if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged 32. but when we are iudged we are chastined of the Lord that we shoulde not be condemned with the worlde Likewise the Prophet Psal. 89. 30.31.32.33 But if his children forsake my lawe and walke not in my iudgments if they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandementes Then will I visite their transgression with the sword and their iniquitie with strokes yet my louing kindnes will I not take from him neyther will I falsifie my trueth For as a father withdraweth from his child sometimes his loue whippeth him with the rod of correction so the Lord dealeth often with his children scourgeth their naked conscience God doth iudge his here but his enemies will he iudge in the world to come if we be not punished here the punishment wil be as a thunderbolt in the day of iudgmeÌ„t Hast thou bene afflicted not profited will not a litle crosse serue thee a greater shall come to thee will not a few troubles turne thee to God then many shall come vpon thee If a man be not troubled for sin here it is the way to hell if he be troubled here it is the way to heauen And as they which haue not bene troubled hauing had a little ioy shall haue eternall paine so they which here haue had a little paine shall after haue euerlasting ioye They that are corrected and haue profited by it are afflicted of the Lord in mercy but they that be vexed and amende not receiue a token of Gods further wrath Wherefore we must not looke to feele comforte in the remission of sinnes vnlesse we also haue sorrowe for committing our sinnes For neuer any of gods children were comforted throughly but they were first humbled for their sinne lawfully To the working of which humiliation wee must remember Gods iudgements shewed on others hath God destroyed the whole world for sinne and can he not or will he not destroy thee for sinne hath he ouerthrowen whole nations and will he suffer thee to lie still in thy sinnes See how full Hell is alreadie and yet daily we runne headlong thither Consider also how great thy sinne was that could not be cleansed but by the bloode of Iesus Christ Oh how soule was that sinne that nothing else could wash it but Christ his hart blood oh how great was our guiltines that were ransomed by such a price How greate was the sore that needed such a salue howe deepe was the wound that needed such a medicine O louing kindnes and vnspeakeable loue towards vs Shall Christ be slaine for our sinnes and we not slaye sinne in our selues Shall Christ die for our sinnes and sinne as yet is not dead in vs Shall Christ be crucified for vs and will we not crucifie sinne in our selues Shall Christ haue his hearte pricked with a speare and shall not we haue our harts pricked with sorrow This is the true vse and meditating of Christ his passion We are wont to defy the Iewes for accusing Christ we spit at Iudas for betraying Christ and we condemne Pilate for condemning Christ but we are much more to be at defiance with our sinnes which accused him before the iudgement seat of God we are to accuse our selues who haue and daily doe betray him we must condemne our selues whose sinnes haue condemned him But if neither the iudgements of God hell nor the crosse of Christ can moue vs then let vs examine our selues how we can reioyce in Christ. It followeth to speake of the counsell of Peter Repent as if he should say I know your heartes are pricked how be it I will shewe you how it is the pollicy of the Diuell to make these good motions quickly to waxe dry in you he will stay you from perseuering you must therfore endeuoure to continue in this godly sorrow The Apostle saw that this sorrow which as Paule witnesseth is not to be repented of was well begunne in them but in continuing his sermon still to that effect he sheweth that our sorrow must be also continuall Many sorrow as hath beene shewed but in a worldly sorrowing which bringeth eternal death not in a godly griefe which bringeth repentance Wherfore we are to note that repentance beginneth in vs continueth and endeth with sorrow Now if it might be it were expedient to shew what repentance is In one word Repentance is not a bare leauing of sinne but an vtter condemning and misliking of that sinne which we haue left For though we haue left it yet Sathan may make vs to sorrow for it many yeares after yea euen at the point of death ' Dauid had left his sinne but it caused him to sorrow an whole yeare after Iosephs brethren had forsaken and almost forgotten their sinne yet it troubled them and grieued them thirteene yeares after Our pricking of heart therfore must be continued and
pride and hautinesse of minde which is a priuie euill and hardly will be beaten into the head of them that are infected therwith But sure it is that we wold neuer be so grieued for the losse of a thing if we did not too much desire it and too immoderately vse it whilst wee had it Iohn 12 42. Which sinne of haughtines the Lord seeing in his children that they are more humbled with the losseof worldly credit then with the sence of their sinnes and the losse of their glory â—ee striketh them with the wante of that thing which is most precious vnto them because they made no conscience of that honor which is most precious vnto him Wherefore this is the best remedie rather to be grieued that we feele not our sinnes to be pardoned with God then that we are knowne to be sinners amongst men and that we be ready to shame our selues that God may haue the glory acknowledging shame and confusion and the whole hell of temptations to be due vnto vs and glory praise compassion to be only the Lords For this is a speciall marke of the child of God by temptations rightly humbled when he is ready to shame himselfe for his sin that he may glorifie God in his mercy 3 Vnto one that thought himselfe to haue â—inned against the holy Ghost he saide Sathans temptations follow our affections For if we lightly account of sinne he bleares our eyes still with Gods mercies if we beginne to make a conscience of sinne he loadeth vs with the iudgements of God being as ready now to aggrauate the sinne more then it is in it selfe as before he woulde extenuate it to make it seeme lesse then it was Howbeit said he to the man thus afflicted I will saye vnto you as Samuel saide to the people after they had confessed themselues to haue sinned against God with a great sinne True it is said Samuel not flattering them in their iniquities Ye haue sinned greatly notwithstanding if ye will feare the Lord and serue him and heare his voice and not disobey the word of the Lorde ye shall follow the Lord your God But if ye will not obey the voyce of the Lorde but disobeye the Lordes mouth then shall the hand of the Lord be vpon you 1. Sam. 12.14 So I will not lessen your sine but I say you haue sinned with a great sinnne before the Lord in that you made a mocke of the worde which you knew yet if you turne to the Lord in feare and serue him your sinne is remissible howsoeuer Sathan chargeth your conscence that you haue done euill against your owne knowledge For although euery sinne against the holy Ghost is against a mans conscience knowledge yet euery sinne against our knowledge and conscience is not against the holy Ghost For then Dauid and Peter had sinned against the holy Ghost for they sinned after the holy Ghost was come vpon them which is not true as may appeare by their godly repentance ensuing Some sins are against knowledge but of humane frailty some are against knowledge of a rebellious obstinacy These last are the persecutions of the spirit of God as he is the power of God Those first are not so precisely against the holy ghost but against God the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost the one which may be repented of is remissible the other which is without repentance is irremissible wherfore in that you quake and are affraid least this sin be in you would reioice in God if it were not in you If you purpose to leaue your former sins in trueth henceforth turne vnto the Lord I dare assure you that as yet you are free from this sinne 4 Vnto one afflicted in mind he gaue this coÌ„fort First if you haue knowledge be thankful for it desire the lord to giue you faith if you haue faith which vndoubtedly you may haue though not rightly discerning your selfe you presently perceiue it not you must wait on the Lord for feeling of it And though it may be you shal tarry the lords leasure long yet surely he wil giue it you in time In the meane time assure your self that the greatest faith is when there is least feeling Because it is easy for euery one in glorious feelings ioies vnspeakable to beleue but when a man feeling no sensible coÌ„fort in the Lord can notwithstanding beleeue in the Lord by saith wait on him this mans faith is very great 5 He gaue this aduise to one against the deadnes of the mind that ouertaketh the godly first search the cause whether it be for some euill thing done or for some good thing not done so leauing some means of saluatioÌ„ vnused whether for some sin seene but not repented of or some sin repented of but not souÌ„dly or for vnthankfulnes Secondly vse the remedy please not your selfe in it but rouse vp your selfe as froÌ„ a sluÌ„ber which willingly you would shake from you cal to mind the special greatest mercy of God vse the means Thirdlie in the meanes offer your selfe to God waiting â—umbly patiently for the time of deliuerance neither esteming to much or to little of your afflictions 6 To one that coÌ„plained of the hardnes of his hart he said You must wait for coÌ„fort know that you can now no more iudge of your selfe than a man sleeping can iudge of thinges which he did waking or a man wandring in the darke can discerne of bright colours For as the one may whilest he was waking doe exccellent things and yet nowe neyther himselfe knoweth of them nor any other can espie them in him the other may be enuironed with fresh and flourishing colours yet for want of light can haue no vse of his eies nor pleasure in the obiects so you haue done great good things whilst god gaue you a waking heart to put them in practise and the light of his spirit to discerne his graces in you though now you haue neyther the sight nor sence of them And this is the thing that deceiueth and disquieteth many they look for that discerning of theÌ„selues wheÌ„ the graces of God are more cold which they had when gods spirit wrought in the swetest fullest measure in them And because there is some intermission of the work of their new birth they thinke there is a â—lat amission in theÌ„ of the spirit of God But as it is a token of a mind to presumpteous infatuated in time of a dead security to perswade our selues still of that safety in hauing those graces which somtimes we had so it is a signe of a minde abiect too much dispairing to thinke that because we haue not in present feelings these ioyes glorious vnspeakable which we haue had therfore we neuer had theÌ„ heretofore or that we shall neuer haue theÌ„ again hereafter 8 He saide to a godly Christian much inuaying against our vnbeleefe I doe not now suspect
must goe to the principall that is God in whose handes are both the entrance and the issues of our sufferings Secondly we must search our selues how farre either reason is vnreformed or affections vnrenewed knowing that the deuill himselfe can neuer hurt vs vntill we haue hurt our selues and in what measure our reason is corrupt or our affections disordered in that measure are we weak either to be ouer come of men or of Sathan and in what measure our reason is sound and our affections â—incere in that measure we remaine inuincible 16 Some afflicted consciences aâ—ter some deliuerances look no more to be deliuered for they thinke as God is most liberal so we must not weary or make tedious his bountifull dealing with vs. But the Lord hath many deliuerances in store which it is as impossible to waste as it is that the Lorde himselfe should be lessened he will make an end of his owne worke in vs for his owne glory which as he hath appointed to be endlesse in our deliuerances so the means thereunto are also endlesse Yea when wee seeme as it were in a whirlepit and to be caried by a violent streame of troubles we know not whither are constrained oft to diue plunge downe the waters of affliction running ouer our heade yet the Lord will recouer vs and set our feete in a steadie â—laâ—e If wee be cast downe so wee can but sâ—raule vp againe if we be resisted of Saâ—han so we can but kicke against him if we can but open our lippes and accuse his malice before the Lord there is found hope of comfort to bee founde of him FINIS Faultes escaped Page 111. lin 22. reade his assaults the same is oftentimes assalied and shaken yet by the grace of God it is such c. pag 114 l 111 20 he read as he p. 115 li 10. word â—eade grace 28 that read the. pag. 117 l. 6 in face read in the face p 134 l 10 it read heare it p 135 l 3 be reade by Iob. Dauid Ezekiah Ieremiah Christ Iesus The secoÌ„de part of the first diuision How we may be preserued from the wound of Conscience Remedie Returne to sins to comes Zeale The third part of the first deuision Salue of this sore Psal. 32. An Arian executed at Norwich Abraham Dauid Ezechias 1. Cor. 10.13 Esa. 63 15. vers â— Esa. 59.10 Esa. 38.14 Psal. 51.10 Esay 28.15 Esay 63 Hebr. 13. Rom. â— 2. Co. 12.9 Psal 5.12 vers 14. vers 13. Psal. 51. Esa 64.12 Esay 11.6 Leuit. 5.45.6.23 Leuit. 5.45.15.6.2 NuÌ„ 15.28 Exod. 24.6.7 Esay 1.10.11 vers 18. Esa. 31.6 Esa. 63.10 Esay 63.9 Ier. 31.18.20 Psal. 50.5.22 Psal. 89.30 1. Ioh. 2 2 1. Cor. 1.6 7 1. Cor. 3.15.2.3 1. Cor. 10.9.13 Psal. 19.13 Cor. 1 4 5 The testimony of the spirit The nature of faith Mar. 9 24 Mat. 17.2 Col. 2.10 1. Cor. 1 30. Rom. 4.25 Rom. 8.34 Rom. 5.19 2. Cor. 5.21 Ioh. 17.19 2 Cor. 1.20 Colo. 1. â—9 Rom. 8 1 Iohn 2 1. Whether we haue faith or not Iohn 8 44 25. Gen. 3. Mar. 2 24 Act. 16 18 Math. â— Iohn 5. Iob. 29.2 Iam. 5. Iob. Faith proued by the fruits Psal. 77.6 Psal. 119 Iob. 31. Rom. 8.4 Rom 8.10 Iohn 15. â— Rom. 7.17 Rom. 6.2 Loathing of this life c. Phil. 1.21 Comfort from the exercise of pietie The hearing of the word Praier Praising of God Sacraments Iob. 29.3 Psal. 77.6 12. Rom. 8.16 Rom. 11.29 Iohn 13.1 1. Pet. 5.9 1. Ioh 5.4 Ephe 6 16 Comfort from the benefits of this life Rom. 8.28 â—at 18.18 Esay Iac. 5 15 Luke 7 41 Iob. 20.23 2. Sam. 12.13 Iob. 33.23 Ephe. 3.18 Apoc. 7.18 14 13. Against the doubt of electioÌ„ Deut. 29.29 Iob. 31. Phil. 2.13 Luk. 23.42 Phil. 3.11 Phil. 2 12 2 Pet. 1 10. The secoÌ„d Question Psal. 45. Esa. 40.6.7 8. Esa. 66. Mat. 9 11. Heb. 4.12 Iohn 16 8 2 Sam 2. Reg. Worldly shame Sinne agaâ—nst the holy ghost