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A67215
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The heavenly guide to true peace of conscience Wherein is observed in a most plaine and comfortable manner, 1. What conscience is. 2. What a miserable thing an evill conscience is. 3. What an happinesse a good conscience is. 4. How the estate of conscience is truly discerned. 5. The meanes to procure a good conscience. By H.V.V.I.
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Walker, Henry, Ironmonger.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing W376B; ESTC R219913
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4,118
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10
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THE HEAVENLY GVIDE TO TRVE PEACE OF CONSCIENCE Wherein is observed in a most plaine and Comfortable manner 1. What Conscience is 2. What a miserable thing an evill Conscience is 3. What an happinesse a good Conscience is 4. How the estate of Conscience is truly discerned 5. The meanes to procure a good Conscience By H. V. V. I. 1 PET. 3. 21. The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Iesus Christ Printed at London by Tho. Harper 1641. The heavenly guide to the true peace of Conscience I. What Conscience is COnscience is the Act of a reasonable creature apprehending the revealed will of God takes notice of his owne actions and compasses it with the rule of Gods Word and so passeth sentence upon himselfe 1. I say Conscience is the act of a reasonable creature not of a beast or any creature save onely such who are endued with reason because creatures without reason are not capable to serve God in any other way then they doe In which service notwithstanding the evils they are incident unto doe yet serve God in their kinde But man who is a reasonable creature hath a conscience which by sin is defiled and being purged by the blood of Christ is brought by the eternall Spirit from dead workes to serve the living God Conscience doth exceedingly raise up the joyes both of Saints and Angels in Heaven and increaseth the horror of the Divels and damned in hell 2 Conscience is an act of apprehending the revealed will of God it is not of the apprehension of mans will it is not having an eye to profit or pleasure or favour no Conscience is an act proceeding from the revealed will of God which being fully comforted with the assurance of the pardon of sin from God is fully satisfied We cannot begin to looke into the conscience till we look up to God 3. Conscience takes notice of a mans owne actions It is not the applause which others give a man it is not the commendations of companions it is not any thing taken upon trust from men but the taking notice of a mans owne actions bearing witnesse in the holy Ghost This ariseth from Conscience 4. Conscience compares a mans actions with the rule of Gods word to looke how others live to have an eye to mans esteeme to looke no further then outward carnall respects this ariseth not from Conscience But the renouncing even the secrets of dishonesty by bringing of the conscience to the manifestation of the truth this doth truly arise from the Conscience 5. Conscience passeth censure upon it selfe It is not the stilling of the thoughts that arise by musicke dancing and such like vanities it is not the slender looking on a mans life and presently looking off againe and passing by it with an undaunted courage as if a man would outface heaven this conclusion is not of conscience no it is then of conscience when it shewes the worke of the Law written in the heart the conscience also bearing witnesse and the thoughts the meane while passing censure that is either accusing or excusing II. What a miserable thing an evill Conscience is There is no misery can exceed the misery of an evill Conscience both in respect of wants that attend thereon as also the woes belonging thereto first in respect of the wants that attend on an evill conscience it is miserable as may appeare both by the present wants thereof as also by its unprovidednesse for the time to come The present wants that attend an evill conscience makes a miserable conscience and that is alwayes effected either by being seared up with hardnesse and fensing it selfe against the breathings and workings of Gods Spirit so that it will not bow nor bend nor yeeld to come to triall in truth but peremptorily persisteth in its owne way and will not be controlled or else it becomes so fearfull that it casteth a man into utter desparation so that it is as impossible for such a man or woman to looke up to God with comfort as for a blinde man to behold the Sunne Hence it hath come to passe that some have been so farre perplexed in this sad condition that they have been so confident that they should bee damned in hell that though the Lords Ministers have come after a most sweet and heavenly manner with an olive branch of peace in their mouthes yet still they have cast off all nothing could yeeld them any comfort nothing but hell nothing but damnation could appeare before their eyes So likewise also an evill Conscience is miserable in the future for it is unprovided for the time to come For such is the misery of an evill conscience that when it stands at the Barre of Gods judgement before whose tribunall we must all appeare then will torments of an evill conscience bee the greatest plague of all this is the hottest cole in hell fire even a defiled conscience full of unbeliefe and horror and not able to behold any thing with comfort but the Divels the damned nay the very Saints nay more God himselfe is terrible for their conscience to behold Secondly the woes of an evill conscience makes a man exceeding miserable and these woes are both temporall and eternall Temporall woes incident hereunto are feares that arise from a polluted Conscience feares of sicknesse feares of the plague feares of death feares where no feare is still meets with them often in the way Oh! thou that fearest the judgement so why doest thou not feare to sinne Why doest thou not trust in God These feares and troubles and doubts arise from thy want of faith Thou hast a polluted conscience and therefore thou art loth to come to triall to have thy defiled conscience come to a triall before God this is a terrible misery therefore labour to come out of it Those eternall woes that lye upon a polluted and evill conscience in case it bee not purified and brought to beleeving are even such as the Divels themselves are plagued with eternall torments in hell where is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth plagues upon plagues torments and woes and miseries for ever never to have end Thus may you see briefly the misery of an evill conscience III. What an happinesse a good Conscience is The comforts of a good Conscience are exceeding great And that may appeare First by the communion it hath with Gods Spirit Secondly by the union it hath with Christ Thirdly by the unity it hath with God through Christ Fourthly by the promises of eternall life First the happinesse and comfort of a good Conscience is great by the communion it hath with Gods Spirit insomuch that is there any weaknesse in us the Spirit strengthens us Doe infirmities hang upon us the Spirit helps us Doe wee not know
how to pray to God for something to doe us good The Spirit will pray for us Are wee weary with prayer The Spirit will groan for us Here is an happinesse here is a comfort beyond and above all the glories in the world Secondly the happinesse and comforts are great also that the conscience findes in its union with Christ by which union the soule is knit to Christ and Christ is united to the soule and both made one as Christ is one with God the Father and man who is naturally by sin the heire of hell is made by Christ a joynt heire of heaven a sonne of God a member of Christ by a glorious union with him Thirdly great is the comfort of a good Conscience by reason of the unity it hath with God through Christ insomuch that were all the Divels in hell pleading against him before Gods Tribunall they could not keep him from laying claime to the promises of God the greatest crosse in the world is not able to over-whelme him with unbeliefe but still hee is enabled through the power of the holy Ghost to hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience Fourthly the comfort is also great yea unspeakeable is the comfort that ariseth to a good conscience through the beholding of the promises of eternall life by which a man layes claime to heaven as an heire to his owne inheritance and therefore is not drawne away with the vanities of the world which perish nor through feare is overcome nor led to delight in folly or to deny his God but going on from grace to grace through faith and patience passeth his dayes till he inherit the promise of eternall life IV. How the estate of the Conscience is truly discerned The Conscience may discover to man his estate and condition either First under the crosse or secondly in the middest of pleasure or earthly glory or thirdly under the promises Fourthly under Satans temptations Lastly by the effect of the working of Gods Spirit upon the conscience First the estate of Conscience may bee discerned under the crosse when affliction comes upon a man a good conscience may bee discerned from an evill conscience as followeth An evill conscience in trouble and under the crosse doth not set a man forward to seeke to God in the chiefest place but to some temporall meanes which naturall reason teacheth whereby the heart is fixed upon the creature as if there were no helpe but even by what ariseth from carnall reason whereupon the minde comes to bee troubled and the heart discouraged untill such time that fleshly reason doth perceive a redresse begin But on the contrary a good conscience is fortified with patience and faith under the greatest crosse patience to endure with meeknes as concerning every present meanes sutable through Gods blessing to the present condition faith to beleeve undoubtedly THE REPORT Of the Bishop of Canterburies Dreame for an advertisement to all proud Lordly persecuting unpreaching oppressing tyrannizing Prelates who suppresse the Preaching and progresse of the Gospell IT is reported of his Arch-grace of Canterbury that when he was a poore Scholler in Oxford hee dreamed that he should be a Bishop then Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and a great persecuter of Gods Ministers and people which we see all verified and that at last he sunke downe into Hell whereupon he awaked and then and since oft related this dreame enough to have terrified and awaked his Lordship if true Oh that a man had but a view of Hell saith Father Latimer in his Sermons he should see on one side of it a row of unpreaching Prelates in their square Caps I warrant you as farre as betweene this and Dover And no marvell since they have so hated dispised and blasphemed both the word of God the true Preachers and lovers thereof driving away and silencing Gods faithfull Ministers and setting up in their roomes and places Doct. Ignorance Domine Drunkard Sir William Wild-oates that hunteth after Whores and such also as can play dissembling Hypocrites whereby the Devils empire of darknesse exceedingly flourisheth lest faithfull Preaching should roote it out But the Churches hope is that God in his good time will now in this happie Parliament-time heare the prayers of the people of this Land every where put up That the Seas of those Lordly Prelates Pope-successors Tyrants Persecuters of Christ c. shall bee Nidos eorum ubique destruendos or else put to some better uses FINIS Heb. 9. 14. Heb. 10. 2. Rom. 9. 1. 2 Cor. 5. 11. Rom. 2. 15 1. 1 Tim. 4. â— 2. Tit. 1. 15. 1. Eccl. 12. 5. 2. Matth. 25. 41. Rom. 8. 26. Joh. 17. 22. 1 Tim. 3. 9. Heb. 6. 12. 1 Sam. 16. 15. 2 Thess. 1. 4. vers. 7