z76 Conffience. z'beftateof thediueliwillheatafourüaceforvs: yea hewill rather thenhewouldleefevs,giuewages manbefore tovs,ashe didtoiudas. Hereofit is, that fo longaswehaue nofenfeoffrnne,wecancate and drinke and lleepe quietly, butwhen oncewe make confcienceof finne, then comes iron. ble and vexation ofmmde,which worldly minded men would maruell at : Butthey areat peace with the diuell ; for werethey not at peace,theyfhould beput out ofhisferuice.But doth not the Lordfay, Thewicked haveno peace ? Efa.57. Trueitis, they haueno peace withGod and with theirown confciences, albeittheyhaue great peace withthetlefh, the ,, Thepeateof world, and thediuell. Thepeace of the wicked is like anharneffevnoccupied, toa vine. thenuked. yardneuer ftirred,toa groundneuerploughed : they are neuerfurbifhed withcroffes;but n°"' ruff vpon the walles; yetfar betterwere itfor them tobe difquieted,and baize their fallow hearts broken and rentvp. The holy Ghoft faith, that the Sift man fhallbaue peace atthe Pfa1.37.37. laft : So that there is afirft peace, and that is atruce for a fewdayes : and there is another note. peaceat thelaft,which followeth our warre,and this brings glorie and immortality. Saul would needsbanepeacewith nsen,and therefore brake peacewith God ; butafterwardhe loft hispeace withGod andmen:The leveesrefufed peacewith Chrift,tohauepeace with the Romans';but when theyhadMaine Chrift, they loft their peace withGod and the Ro- mansalfo.Whereforelet vslabourfor thatpeacewhich paffethvnderftanding,and for that euerlaftingpeace. 6 We cannot fodainly and effeetuallyworke vpona mans confcience, vnleffe God permit vs fometimetodwell vpon his confcience. To be ieatous 7 Aman (hall neuer bebrought tobe jealousotter his owncorrupt affebtion,vntillthe oseroúr"se Lord had, ftricken hisconfciencewith fomefeareof hismaieftie,which difpellethall wic- corrupt aff'edíi- kedimaginations. on. g We muttfpeciallybewareoffins againff knowledge andconfcience: foras ofail the parts of the body nothing is fo fubieEt to hurtas theeye; fonothing is fooner wounded ttTbeeyeand than. theconfeience:itwill notabideany.pricking,the leaft thruffor violenceWill impaire confricare it; it is atender place,and is verytenderneffe felfe. Thelearned Phyfitionsfay, thereisa tender. thingthat is hard like a web in theeye,wherewiththe eyebeingaffefited,euen itofall parts Schirrus o- being oltfenfible,is made molt vnlenfible. Such achingmaybe in theconfcience, fo if pil4 thatonce thishard skin beouerfprcd the confcience,tisatplacewhichofali otiser soit own Schirrhofis nature isinoft tender,groweth to bemolthard ; and thathardnesprouechtobemore hard conícienrir. than the bardnesofPharaoh; and their effateis worfe thaniftheyhadnetier knowneGod, jia °Chi °3shr meane'if theyhaue once had a poffeffion ofgood things, andafter: loofeit, they haue dened. arindeontheir eye, and of allmen they . fee thefeaft: for ifthey loofe their tenderneffe, and harden theinfelues, thenGod hardeneth them too, and that isa fearefuliobdura- tion. 9 . TheLord doth not fo feuerelypnnifh particular defects, but a generallfallinginto fiñne ; notfmaller infrmities,butgroffer prefumptions : forthe particular finbtingeth not Whatj :nne , wrath, but thelyingin the fnne,andnot repentingofit,bringeth wrath:whichdrawingin bringrvvrath. other fumes,withalldravvethalfo Godsdifpleafure.So that one fin maybefaid tobe fpared andalfopunrlhed: fpared, ifbeingadmonifned -webe humbled, asDauidby Nathan,z. Sam. rz. iehofephátbyIehuz.Chron.r9.2. becaufe in this we feeke not todraw in other finnes,but tobe rid ofthis one punifhment: wherenotwithftandingall mercifulladmoni- tions,aad f overthreatnings, we!till he infume, and tie finneto finne, and fo makea way -toGods iudgementto fallon vs: Whereforewemay comfort ourfelues for particularfins, Note: fothat in thegenerali tourie of our lifewelabourtruly topleafeGod. For asalouingghuf- i. Simile. band clothnottake awayhisloue from his wife, though infotneparticuiarsofher obedi- ence and dutie fhe fau nets, fo longas fhekeepeth her loue chaff and true tohim : fo thelo- uingkindnefle of the Lordwill not tali offhis children for fameparticular weakneffeor frailriein Ipeciallcominandenaents, fo longasinfncere louetohismaiettie, wefeeketo obeyhim. CHAP,
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