A Treatife of Confczence. ed men defiróus to die, and ,if death come not Coon enough of it I Pelf, to dispatch away themfelves with cruel felf murder. Thus it pp was with Achitophel: when he law his counfel was not follow- . sam, I7, ed he haltered himfeli : He had no peace of confcience to com- z z. fort him againft all his dumps and difcontents ; and therefore he was defirous to die, 4. Wicked men, being vexed at forne- thing for the prefent, may kern to be defirous to die ; and yet if death fhould come indeed, they should be of another mind, and be content death Ihould be further off. Nay, Jonas ( that ftrange man ofa good man) O for a fit he would be dying yea Jon.4.3 that he would, Lord take my life from me : for it is better for me to die then to live. I fuppofe if God had taken hi at his word,. he could have wifhed his words had been in again.1 ut thus it is often in the mouthes of wicked people; 1 would I were dead; and, I would 1 were out of the world: not for any peace of con - fcience they have, nor for any defire of death, but onely for a momentany pang. If they were to die indeed, theywould be loth enough to it, Like the man in theFable : who being wea- ried with his burden of fhka, lay down and called for death; brat when death came indeed to take him, and laid, twhar ¡hail l c4 e, man? thon calleflme : I pray thee, Card he, help me top with r»y burden ofticks. When he was co die indeed, then he would ra- ther have his own weaiifome burden, It is beat a fable ;. but this is the falhion of many . 5, When wicked men are defirous to die indeed fometimes not out of dilcontent or any Inch like rea- fon, yetieeannot be out of any true peace of confcience : They may go away like lambs, as we fay ; but it is in a fools paradife, Ir may be whileft they lived they thought to go to heaven but when they dy, then all their thoughts perifh, as the Pfalmift speak - eth in another cafe. To return therefore where we left ; O beloved, is there any of you that want the peace of a good confcience ? and do ye know what you want? what a great benefit and blelling? Tiaat ye may fee this, and fully know it, and by knowing ittearneltly defre it, confider, l irft, that it is the very head of all comforts. A worthy Di- v ine 79
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=