rz8 eft fweet comfort. accompanied with the accufa.tion offinne. Amanmay be ficke, reproched, impoueri- flied, imprifoned, and banifhed ; and yet in allchefe haue a cleere confcience ; his owne heart tellinghim that there is nofpecial caufe of thefecroffes in him, batthat he may fuller them forthe tryallof hisfaith , or for righteoufneffe fake andwell doing. But when the fpiritis wounded, thereis ftill a guiltineffeof finite, andwhen amans fpiritis troubléd,he fufpeEteth allhiswaves, hefeareth all hisfnnes, heknoweshotwhat finneto beginwith; itbreeder fach burlyburlies inhim, that when it is day bee wifheth for night; when it is night bee would haueit day : hismeate cloth notnourifh him; hisdreames are fearefull to him, his fleepeoftimesf'orfaketh him : if he fpeakethyhee islittle eafed : if bee keepeth fs- lence, heboyleth in difquietneffeof heart ; thelightdothnot comfort him,the darknelfe cloth terrifie him. Toprofecute our comparifons; where all otherenilles are the moretolerable,becaufe theybe temporal(, andpurfuevs buttodeath : this not being cured, endeth not ip death, but becommetheternall. Forcorn theheathenmen thought that death was the end ofall miferie : the perfwafion whereof made them (being in forcemiferie) to make an endeof themfelues,and batten their owne death ; as Satan Both snake many now adaies to do, who are-ignorantof thehels, which is a place of farre greater paynes then any they can fuffer in this world whatfoeuer :fora tormented confcience,ifbefore it was begun, is now continued ; orif it was not before, now beginneth, and neuer endeth worldwithout end. For,though trueitis,that fickneffe, pouertie,imprifonment or banifhinent haue ended Ynbeleeuerr theirtearmeindeath ; yeta wounded heart whichwas temporali inthis life, is noweter- byviolent nail afterthis life ; thatwhich before death was in hope recouerable, is afterdeath made deathsdo not good and vnrecouerable. It is thereforetoconfider ? ifeuen in this life thefor endbat begin g theirtormentt. ment of confcience be fo fearefull ; how much more grieuous is it to fuftaine it in hell, where that is infinite,which hereisfinite: where that is vnmeafurable, whichhere is mea- furable; where is thefea offorow, whereof this is but a drop ; where is the flame of that fire, whereof this is leffe thena fparke s But to fhutvp this argument : Some there haue beene who throughout alltheirlife time, haue beenefree fromall other troubles, fo as;eitherthey felt themnot atall, or elfe in very finallmeafure, andby thatmeanes neuerknewwhat outward troublemeant. As for example,Comemen therehaue beene, who for fickneffe neuerknew thehead-ach : for ponertie, neuer knewwlsat wantmeant;. wiso for difcredit, were neuer euill fpokenof 5. whoeuer put farrefrom themthe cal dayof the Lord ; whomadea league with deathas itwere, and a couenant with hell; whothought they couldcrucifie curry croffe, rather thencomevnder any croffe : yetthey could neuer efcapea wounded confcience, either in this life, or inthe life to come. True it is , that Godschildren by faith and repentance do oftenefcape it, but thewicked,and fuch as are borne vnto it, asto theirfure inheritance, the morethey flse from it, themore it purfueth them. Ifwe haue tranfgreffed the Ciuill Atormented (awes, the Iudge bybribes may bee corrupted; if a man haue committed Mine capital( to-seoe tan offence, by flying his Conntriehemay efcapetheMagiflrates hands but ourconfèiences ie from tellingvs that we havefinned againit God, what bribe ihallwe offer? or whitherIhall we flies whither (hall we gofrom his fpirit ? or whither fhallwego from hisprefence? If wee afcend into heauen,is not lie there ? If we lie dowse inhell, is henot there? If weflieto the vemoft partsof thefea,is lienot therealfo?Tliere needetb noapparitorto fummon vs, diere needes noBayly arraunt tofetch vs, thereneedes no accufertogiue in againft vs ; fin will aereftvs, and iyethat the doore, our owne confcienceswill impannell a weft agamft vs,ourowne hearts will giue infufficient euidence, and our owneiniquitiên will pleade guiltie to our ownefaces. Thuswe feebothby the experienceof them that haue foffered thewound of the fpirit,andby thecomparingof itwithOther evils, what a weight moil grieuous, and burthen intolerable it is to haue a tormentedconfcience. Thefetond Now letvs thew howwe maypreuent , and hywhat meanesGods children falling into partof thefirlt Mine degrees of it ( for if it rage in extrcmitie , it isan mill molt dangerous) mayfafcly diaafion. and quietly be dehuuered fromit And here a Tuft complaint is tobe taken vp, and itisa wonderrobemarked (if wemay wonderat Gods workes) thatwe fee manyfocarefull agd
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=