mens and of those that are suitable to their dispositions interests or examples and those that are against them They seem to judge of the actions by the persons and not of the persons by the actions Though he be himself a sensualist a worldling drowned in Ambition and Pride whose heart is turned away from God and utterly strange to the mysterie of Regeneration and a heavenly life yet all this is scarce discerned by him and is little troublesome and less odious then the failings of another whose heart and life is devoted unto God The different opinions or modes and circumstances of worship in another that truly feareth God is matter of their severer censures and reproach then their own omissions and aversness and enmity to holiness and the dominion of their deadly sins It seems to them more intolerable for another to pray without a Book then for themselves to pray without any serious belief or love or holy desire without any feeling of their sins or misery or wants that is to pray with the lips without a heart to pray to God without God even without the knowledge or love of God and to pray without prayers It seemed to the Hypocritical Pharisees a greater crime in Christ and his Disciples to violate their Traditions in not washing before they eat to break the Ceremonious rest of their Sabbath by healing the diseased or plucking ears of corn then in themselves to hate and persecute the true believers and worshippers of God and to kill the Lord of life himself They censured the Samaritans for not worshipping at Jerusalem but censured not themselves for not worshipping God that is a Spirit in Spirit and in Truth Which makes me remember the course of their successors the Ceremonious Papists that condemn others for Hereticks and fry them in the flames for not believing that Bread is no Bread and Wine is no Wine and that Bread is to be adored as God and that the souls of dead men know the hearts of all that pray to them in the world at once and that the Pope is the Vice-Christ and Soveraign of all the Christians in the world and for reading the Scriptures and praying in a known tongue when they forbid it and for not observing a world of Ceremonies when all this enmity to Reason Piety Charity Humanity all their Religious Tyranny Hypocrisie and Cruelty do seem but holy zeal and laudable in themselves To lie dissemble forswear depose and murder Princes is a smaller matter to them when the Pope dispenseth with it and when it tends to the advantage of their faction which they call the Church then to eat flesh on Friday or in Lent to neglect the Mass or Images or Crossing c. And it makes me remember Bishop Halls Description of An Hypocrite He turneth all gnats into Camells and cares not to undo the world for a circumstance Flesh on Friday is more abominable to him then his neighbours bed He abhors more not to uncover at the name of Jesus then to swear by name of God c. It seems that Prelats were guilty of this in Bernards dayes who saith Praelati nostri calicem linquunt Camelum deglutiunt dum majora permittentes minora discutiunt Optimi rerum aestimatores qui magnum in minimis parvam aut nullam in maximis adhibent diligentiam i. e. Our Prelats strain at a gnat and swallow a Camel while permitting greater matters they discuss or sift the less Excellent estimators of things indeed that in the smallest matters imploy great diligence but in the greatest little or none at all And the cause of all this partiality is that Men are unacquainted with themselves They love and cherish the same corruptions in themselves which they should hate and reprehend in others And saith Hierom Quomodo potest praeses Ecclesiae auferre malum de medio ejus qui in delictum simile corruerit aut qua libertate corripere peccantem potest cum tacitus ipse sibi respondeat eadem se admisisse quae corripit i. e. How can a Prelat of the Church reform the evil that is in it that rusheth into the like offence Or with what freedom can he rebuke a sinner when his conscience secretly tells him that he hath himself committed the same faults which he reproveth Would men but first be acquainted with themselves and pass an impartial judgement on the affections and actions that are nearest them and that most concern them they would be more competent and more compassionate Judges of their brethren that are now so hardly used by them It s excellent advice that Austin gives us Quum aliquem reprehendere nos necessitas coegerit cogitemus utrum tale sit vitium quod nunquam habuimus tunc cogitemus nos homines esse habere potuisse vel quod tale habuimus jam non habemus tunc memoria tangat communis fragilitatis ut illam correctionem non odium sed misericordia praecedat Sin autem invenerimus nos in eodem vitio esse non objurgemus sed ingemiscamus ad aequaliter deponendum invitemus i. e. When necessity constraineth us to reprove any one let us think whether it be such a vice as we never had our selves and then let us think that we are men and might have had it Or if we once had such but have not now then let the remembrance of common frailty touch us that compassion and not hatred may lead the way to our reproof But if we find that we have the same vice our selves let us not chide but groan and move or desire that we may both equally lay it by 5. It shews how little men know themselves when they must needs be the Rule to all other men as far as they are able to command it and that in the matters that mens salvation dependeth on and in the smallest tender disputable points and even in those things where themselves are most unfit to judge In every controverted point of doctrine though such as others have much better studied then themselves he that hath strength to suppress all those that differ from him must ordinarily be the umpire so is it even in the modes and circumstances of Worship Perhaps Christ may have the honour to be called the King of the Church and the Scripture have the honour to be called his Laws but indeed it is they â—hat would be the Lords themselves and 〈◊〉 is their Wills and Words that must be the â—aws and this under pretence of subâ—erving Christ and interpreting his Laws â—hen they have talkt the utmost for Counâ—ils Fathers Church Tradition it is â—hemselves that indeed must be all these â—or nothing but their own conceits and Wills must go for the sense of Decrees or Canons Fathers or Tradition Even they â—hat hate the power and serious practice of Religion would fain be the Rule of Reliâ—ion to all others And they that never â—new what it was to worship God in Spiâ—it and
as to resist a temptation when it comes though it offer them but the most inconsiderable trifle or the most sordid and unmanly lust Do they know themselves that are prying into unrevealed things and will be wise in matters of Theology above what is written that dare set their shallow brains and dark unfurnished understandings against the infallible word of God and question the truth of it because it fuiteth not with their lame and carnall apprehensions or because they cannot reconcile what seemeth to them to be contradiction nor answer the objection of every bold and ignorant infidell In a word when God must not be God unless he please them nor his word be true unless it be all within the reach of them that never imployed the time and study to understand it as they do to understand the Books that teach them Languages Arts and Sciences and treat of lower things And when Scripture truth must be called in question as oft as an ignorant eye shall read it or an unlearned graceless person misunderstand it when Offenders that should bewail and reform their own transgressions of the Law shall turn their accusations against the Law and call it too precise or strict and believe and practise no more then stands with their obedience to the Law of sin and will quarrell with God when they should humbly learn and carefully obey him and despise a life of holy obedience in stead of practising it and in effect behave themselves as if they were fitter to Rule themselves and the world then God is and as if it were not God but they that should give the Law and be the Judge and God were the Subject and man were God Do you think that sinfull creeping worms that stand so near the Grave and Hell do know themselves when they think or speak or live at such rates and according to such unreasonable arrogancie Do they know themselves that reproach their brethren for humane frailties and difference of opinion in modes and circumstances and errors smaller then their own And that by calling all men Hereticks Sectaries or Shismaticks that differ from them do tempt men to turn Infidells or Papists and to take us all for such as we account each other And that instead of Receiving the weak in faith whom God receiveth will rather cast out the faithfullest Laborers and cut off Christs living members from his Church then forbear the imposing of unnecessary things I dare say were it not for unacquaintedness with our brethren and our selves we should put those in our bosomes as the beloved of the Lord that now we load with censures and titles of reproach and the restoring of our charity would be the restoring of our Vnity If blind men would make Lawes for the banishment of all that cannot read the smallest characters you would say they had forgot themselves Nay when men turne Papists or Separatists and fly from our Churches to shun those that perhaps are better then themselves and to get far enough from the smaller faults of others while they carry with them far greater of their own when people are apter to accuse the Church then themselves and say the Church is unworthy of their Communion rather then that they are unworthy the communion of the the Church and think no room in the house of God is clean and good enough for them while they overlook their owne uncleanness when men endure an hundred Calumnies to be spoken of their brethren better then a plain reprehension to themselves as if their persons only would render their actions justifyable and the reprover culpable Judge whether these men are well acquainted with themselves What should we go further in the search when in all ages and countries of the world the Unmercifullness of the Rich the Murmuring of the poor the hard usage by Superiors the disobedience of inferiors the commotions of the state the wars and rebellions that disquiet the world the cruelty covered with pretenses of Religion the unthankfullness for Mercyes the murmuring under afflictions too openly declare that most men have little knowledge of themselves To conclude when we see that none are more self-accusing and complaining then the most sincere and none more self-justifying and confident then the ungodly careless souls that none walk more heavily then many of the heirs of life and none are merrier then many that must lie in Hell for ever that all that a Minister can say will not convince many upright ones of their integrity nor any skill or industry or interest suffice to convince most wicked men that they are wicked nor if our lives lay on it we cannot make them see the necessity of Conversion nor know their misery till feeling tell them it is now too late when so many walke sadly and lamentingly to Heaven and so many goe fearlesly and Presumptuously to Hell and will not believe it till they are there by all this judge what work self-ignorance maketh in the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is many a mans Motto that is a stranger to himself As the house may be dark within that hath the sign of the sun hanging at the door Multi humilitatis umbram pauci veritatem sectantur saith Hieron A blind man may commend the sun and dispute of Light A man may discourse of a country that he knoweth not It s easy to say Men should know themselves and out of the Book or brain to speak of the matters of the Heart But indeed to know ourselves as men as sinners as Christians is a Work of greater difficulty and such as few are well acquainted with Shall I go a little further in the discovery of it 1. Whence is it that most are so unhumbled so great and good in their own esteem so strange to true contrition and self-abhorrence but that they are voluntary strangers to themselves To loath themselves for sin to be little in their own eyes to come to Christ as little children is the case of all that know themselves aright Ezek. 20.43 6.9 Math. 18.3 4. 1. Sam. 15.17 And Christ made himself of no reputation but took upon him the form of a servant and set us pattern of the most wonderfull humiliation that ever was performed to convince us of the necessity of it that have sin to humble us when he had none Phil. 2.6 7 8 9. Learn of me for I am meek and lowly Matthew 11.28 And one would think it were a lesson easily learnt by such as we that carry about us within and without so much sensible matter of humiliation Saith Augustin de Verb. Dei Discite à me non mundum fabricare non cuncta visibilia invisibilia creare non miracula facere et mortuos suscitare sed quoniam mitis sum humilis corde Had Christ bid us learn of him to make a world to raise the dead and work miracles the lesson had been strange but to be Meek and lowly is so suitable to our low
have we not prophesied in thy name 〈◊〉 in thy name have cast out devils and in 〈◊〉 name done many wonderful works 〈◊〉 whom Christ will profeâ—s I nevor knew 〈◊〉 Depart from me ye that work iniquity â—atth 7.22 23. When many shall come â—â—om the East and Wâ—st and shall sit down â—â—th Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the â—ingdom of heaven but the children 〈◊〉 the Kingdom shall be cast out into â—â—ter darkness there shall be weeping 〈◊〉 gnashing of teeth Matth. 8.11 12. â—haâ— a difference will appear between those â—â—at now converse together and sit here in 〈◊〉 same seats between whom the world â—at judgeth by the â—ut side discerns but â—â—tle or no difference When those things â—â—all be executed that are written in Matth. â— and 2 Thes 1. O what a difference will then appear when of those that we in the same Church the same house 〈◊〉 same shop the same bed One shall be takâ— and the other left and the felicity that 〈◊〉 hid in the seed of Grace shall shine 〈◊〉 to the astonishment of the world in 〈◊〉 fulness of eternal Glory I know Preachers are ordinarily 〈◊〉 that thus difference between the Godly 〈◊〉 ungodly the very names of difference 〈◊〉 matter of scorn to guilty souls because thâ— imply the matter of their terror I haâ— oft noted this with admiration in the suâ—â—cess of Christs own doctrine upon 〈◊〉 Jews Luk. 4.18 19 22. when he had preached the Gospel as that he had 〈◊〉 testimony of the multitude that wonder at the gracious words that proceeded out his mouth yet some were cavilling 〈◊〉 believed not and v. 25 26 27. he saiâ— I tell you of a truth many widows were 〈◊〉 Israel in the days of Elias when the Heaâ—â— was shut up three years c. But 〈◊〉 none of them was Elias sent save unto Sâ—â—repta a City of Sidon to a woman that 〈◊〉 a widow And many lepers were in Israâ—â— in the time of EIizeus the prophet 〈◊〉 none of them was cleansed saving Naamâ—â— the Syrian But how was this differenc◠〈◊〉 doctrine of Christ entertained by the 〈◊〉 It is said v. 28.29 All they in the â—â—agogue when they heard these things were â—â—lled with wrath and rose up and thrust 〈◊〉 out of the City and led him to the brow 〈◊〉 the hill whereon their City was built that â—hey might might cast him down headlong â—ead it and consider what moved these â—â—en to so much rage against Christ himself or preaching this doctrine which restrainâ—d the fruit of the Gospel to a few and â—â—en you will not wonder if those preachâ—rs that imitate Christ in this be used no â—etter then their Master But let Ministers know that this is their â—uty to shew every man himself his deeds â—nd state as indeed they are And let Christians choose and love such Ministers Choose not the Glass that makes you fairâ—st but which is truest and representeth you to your selves as God accounteth you whether he do it with more eloquence or less with smoother or with rougher language hear him if you may that will best acquaint you with the truth of your condition and choose not those that speak not to the heart 2. And when you have heard the best the clearest the most searching Preacher do not think that now you can do all the rest of work your selves and that you have further need of help But make use their more particular personal advicâ— not needlesly but in these followâ—â—â— cases 1. In case that after your most diligeâ—â— self examination you are yet at uncertainâ—â— and doubt whether you are truly sanctifiâ—â— or not The setling of your states for 〈◊〉 eternity and the well-grounding of yoâ—â— Hopes and Comforts is a matter of suâ—â— unspeakable moment as that you shouâ—â— not remain in careless negligent unceâ—â—tainty while God hath provided you 〈◊〉 further means that may be used for assâ—â—rance Yea if you were not troubled wiâ—â— doubting yet if you have opportunity 〈◊〉 opening your Evidences to a judicioâ—â— faithful Minister or friend I think it may 〈◊〉 worth your labour for the Confirmation 〈◊〉 the peace and comforts which you haâ—â— You cannot make too sure of everlastinâ— Happiness 2. And not only in the first setling 〈◊〉 your Peace but also when any notablâ— assault or dangerous temptation shall afâ—terward shake it which you cannoâ— overcome without assistance it is seasoâ—â—able to betake your selves to the Physiâ—ion 3. And also in case of any dangerous â—aâ—se or declining that hath brought you â—â—to a state of darkness The sick and â—â—unded must have help They are not â—ufficient for themselves 4. Also in case of any particular corruâ—tion or temptation your particular sinful â—nclinations may cauteâ—ously be opened to a faithful Guide that by his prudent and lively counsel you may be strengthened If you say To what end do Ministers preach to me and why do I hear them opening the natures of Grace and of Hypocrisie if I cannot judge of my self by the doctrine which they preach I answer 1. You may and must judge your selves by the publike common helps as far as you are able But a personal applying help added unto this is a further advantage And humility should teach you not to think better of your understandings then there is cause nor to think you are so wise as to need but one help when God hath provided you two or that you need but the lesser when he hath provided you a greater And doth not your own experience convince you Do you not find that after the best publiâ—â— preaching you are yet in doubt and at loss about your spiritual state and therâ—â—fore that you have need of further help 2. I further answer you There is 〈◊〉 great a diversity of particular circumstance in the cases of particular persons thaâ— a great deal of help is necessary to most tâ— pass a right judgement when they do unâ—derstand both the Law and the fact Wiâ—â— you think it enough that you have the statutes of the Land and the Law-books to judge of all your own cases by Or wilâ— you not think that you have also need oâ— the Counsel of the wisest Lawyer iâ— your weightiest cases to help you to judge of your cause by the particular application of the Law to it So in Physick who is so foolish as to think that by the help of the most learned Book or approved Receipts he is able to be his own Physicion without any more particular advice You must be long in studying Law or Physick before you can understand them so well as those that have made them the study and business of their lives It is not having or reading a Book only or hearing a Lecture of them that can make you as understanding as the masters of the Profession and also to have all passages at hand that must be observed in the judging of your Cause So is it in matters of the soul When you have heard much
fruits of sin and of the wrath of God and endless misery How few such true and faithful friends have they and what wonder when it is a carnal inducement that draweth men to follow them It it is their wealth and honour and their power to do men good or hurt in outward things that makes their friends They are attended by these flies and wasps because they carry the honeypot which they love And God saith to his followers Love not the world nor the things that are in the world If any man Love the world the Love of the Father is not in him 1 Joh. 2.15 And it is for Love of worldly things even the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and pride of life c. which are not of the Father but of the world 1 Joh. 2.16 it is for these that great men have their friends and followers for the most part And therefore it is plain that the worst sort of men are ordinarilâ— their friends For those are the worâ—â— men that have not the Love of the Fatheâ— in them but are the friends of the world and therefore the enemies of God Jamâ— 4.4 And the best though fit to be theiâ— truest friends are seldom their followers as knowing that the attractive of thâ— sensual world is a shaddow unfit to deceivâ— those that are acquainted with its vanityâ— and a snare unfit to take those that havâ— observed how Satan laies and baits the trapâ— and how they have sped that have been taken in it A despised Christ that hath the words of eternal life is much more followed by men that have the heavenly relish Such gracious souls whose appetites are not corrupted by the creature and their sicknesses have more mind to flock after a spiritual and powerful messenger of Christ that talkes to them of his Kingdom and the Righteousness thereof which they first seek then to gape after the preferment and vain glory of prosperity Christ that despised the offer of all the Kingdoms and Glory of the world Mat 4.8 9. doth teach his followers to despise them Seeing then the ordinary attendants of 〈◊〉 prosperous are the worst of men that 〈◊〉 themselves and are purveying for the â—â—sh what wonder if they be flatterers â—hat have neither skill nor will to speak â—â—at unpleasing language of reproof that â—â—ould make the prosperous know themselves Oh how seldom or never do they hear â—hat the poor can hear from every mouth â—f a man of low degree be wicked or offend its enemy dare tell him of it and his friend dare tell him of it and his angry neighbour â— companion will be sure to tell him of it and they dare tell him frequently till he amend and tell him plainly and set it home But if great ones be as bad and â—â—ed more help as having more temptation yet alas they may sin and sin again and perish for any body that will deal faithfully with their souls except some faithful Minister of Christ whose plainess is taken but for a thing of course And usually even Ministers themselves are some of them so unfaithful and some so fearful and some so prudently cautelous that such persons have no such help from them to know themselves as the poorer sort of people have If we deal freely with them and set it home it will be well taken if it offend yet offence may easily be born as bringing no ill consequents to our Ministery but if we deal so with the great oneâ— of the world what outcries would it raise and by what names should we and ouâ— preaching be called If it were not for feaâ— lest some malicious hearers would misunderstand me and misapply my words aâ— spoken of those that we are bound to honour and as tending to diminish the reputation of any of our superiors which 〈◊〉 detest I should have shewed you all this in Scripture instances When Haman could not bear the omission one mans obeysance what wonder if such cannot bear to be spoken to as indeed they are Not only an Ahab hateth one faithful plain Michaiah because he prophesieth not good of him but evil 1 King 22.8 but Asa that destroyed Idolatry can imprison the Prophet that reproveth him for his sin 2 Chron. 16.10 I will not tell you of the words that were spoken to Amos by the Priest of Bethel Amos 7.10 11 12 13. or to the Prophet 2 Chron. 25.15 16. lest malice mis-interpret and mis-report me For it is none of my intent to fix on any particular persons but to tell you in general the lamentable disadvantage that the great and prosperous have as to the knowledge of themselves how little plain dealing they have and how hardly most of them can bear it though yet I doubt not but it is born and loved by those that have true grace and that if David sin he can endure to hear from Nathan Thou art the man and this shall befall thee and an Eli can bear the prophesie of Samuel and say It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good 1 Sam. 2.27 3.17 18. and an Hezekiah can say Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken 2 King 20.19 and Josiah can bear the threatnings of Huldah 2 Chron. 34. 2 King 22. And it is a double honour in persons that have so great temptations to love the plain discoveries of their sin But a Joash will slay even Zechariah the son of Jehoiadah that set him up and a Herod that hath so much religion as to fear John as knowing that he was a just man and an holy and to observe or save him and when he heard him to do many things and hear him gladly had yet so much love to his fleshly lust and so little power to resist a flatterer as that he could sell both the head of John and his own soul for so pittiful a price as this Mar. 6.20 25 27 28. So true is that of Christ himself Joh. 3.20 21. For every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved or discovered But he that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God And indeed there is none that more opposeth Micaiah then Zedekiah as being concerned for the honour of his flattering prophesie to bring plain dealing into disgrace It is he that smiteth him and saith which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee 1 King 22.24 As Plutarch compareth the flaterer to a painter that having made a picture of Cocks which was very bad he bid his boyes be sure to keep the living Cocks out of sight lest their appearance should shew the faultiness of his picture so saith Plutarch doth the flatterer do what he can to keep away plain-dealing faithful friends lest his fraud and falshood should be detected by them But saith Solomon Prov. 28.23 He that rebuketh a man afterward
our sermons Yea how oft doth the medicine irritate the disease So that a poor wretch that is under the wrath of God and knoweth not when he is gone out of the assembly whether the justice of heaven will not take vengeance on him before he come hither again yet cannot abide to hear of this but with Ahab hateth the Preacher that prophesieth evil of him be it never so true It is pride that leadeth up that armie of corruptions that here strive against the light of truth that is sent to convince and convert the guilty And is a man like to be saved by the word while he hateth it and bends his thoughts and passions all against it Dir. 1. HE therefore that will ever know himself must first let in so much of the light as may take down his arrogancy and bring him as a little child to the school of Christ First know what thou art as Man and then know what thou art as a sinner and sentenced by God that so thou mayst come to know what thou art as one that is under the hopes and duties of the Redeemed When thy proud heart rebelleth against conviction remember with whom thou hast to do Will God speak submissively to thee for fear of offending thee will he cry thee mercy for handling thee so roughly as to tell thee thou art yet the child of wrath Is he afraid to talke to thee of death or of damnation Will he recall his threatnings and repent him of the severity of his laws because such worms are angry with them or will not believe them Perhaps thou mayst make a false hearted frightful man-pleasing Minister to change his strain of plainer dealing and become thy flatterer or be silent But will God be silenced will he stoop to thee and bend or stretch his word to humor thee O no he will one day tell thee what thou arâ— with another voice then this of a mortal and despised man and in another manner then preachers tell it thee If thou canst frown the Preacher out of the pulpit or out of his fidelity to God and thee yet canst thou not frown God out of heaven He will speak to thee more terribly then the terriblest preacher that ever thou heardst And if thy Pride shall rise up and tell him that he doth thee wrong how quickly will thy mouth be stopped and thou be forced to confess thy guilt Rom. 3.5 6 19. O stoop man to the humbling word of grace or God will make thee stoop to the words and strokes of wrath Fear him that will make the proudest fear before he hath done with them Judged thou must be by thy self to self-abasing and conversion or by God to desolation and confusion And canst thou easier bear Gods judgement then thy own Stoop foolish self-deluding dust Stoop sinful wretch and know thy misery If thou stand it out a little longer an undiscerned blow will bring thee down and thou shalt not see the hand that strikes thee till thou art humbled to the grave and hell O how absurd yet pittiful a sight is it to see poor sinners brave it out against the humbling message of the Lord as if they could make good their cause againg him and scorn to know that they are going to Hell till they are there And then will Pride preserve them from the knowledge of it It is shameful folly to be Proud and obstinate where a man knoweth beforehand that he must submit at last and is not able to stand it out 2. THE second Intrinsecal Impediment to self-acquaintance is an unresonable tenderness of our selves when an inordinate Love of ease and quietness of mind doth prevail with us to hold fast all that thus quieteth us at the present without regard of due provision for the time to come In this there is a mixture of unreasonableness and self-love It is indeed the very brutish disposition A beast will not willingly be dieted for his future health Let him have at present what he loveth and you please him though you feed him for the slaughter for he hath not reason to foresee what followeth An ox must be bound and cast and held down by force if you will shooe him though it be to the keeping of his feet from hurt or if you will pull out a thorn or do any thing for his good that hurteth him at the present you please not your horse by letting him blood though you save his life by it Fleshly-minded men have thus bruitified themselves so that they judge of things by present feeling and have not Reason and Faith to look before them and judge of things by what they tend to even by the good or hurt that will follow in the end It is a very terrible troublesome thing for a man that is unregerate unjustified and unreconciled to God to know it For a man that hath any feeling left to find himself in a state of condemnation This is to stir up all the terrors of his soul and cast him into perplexing fears and disquietments of mind so that he cannot eat or drink or sleep in quietness but the troublesome thoughts of sin and everlasting wrath torment him And the inconsiderable man that judgeth of things by present feeling will not endure this and therefore must needs have the windows shut and the light removed that sheweth him these perplexing sights As most men hate those that speak against them be the matter never so true so they cannot endure those thoughts that do accuse them nor to have a reprover so neer them even in their own breasts A Conscience within them to preach to them night and day not one hour in a week but where-ever they go and whatever they are doing to be so neer so constant so precise and so sâ—vere and terrible a Preacher as usually a newly enlightened and awakened conscience is this seemeth intolerable to them And whatever come of it this Preacher must be silenced as turbulent and vexatious and one that would make them Melancholy or mad And this is the condemnation of these miserable souls that light is come into the world and they loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil For every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved Joh. 3.19 20. And thus while men are so tender of themselves that they will do nothing that troubleth or hurteth them at the present they venture upon all the miseries that they are forewarned of Dir. 2. BE not unreasonably tender of a little disturbance at the present nor unbelievingly careless of the misery to come Cannot you endure to know your sin and misery and yet can you endure to bear it will you go to Hell for fear of knowing that you are in the way Must you not know it with everlasting woe and vengeance when you come thither if by knowing your danger you prevent not your coming thither Is it easier to bear