THis Scripture is not onely worthy to be grauen in steele with the penne of an Ada­mant, and to bee written in letters of golde; but also to be laide vp registred by the finger of God his spirit in the tables of our hearts. Which sentence briefly speaketh thus much vnto vs, that what trouble befal­leth a man (his minde being vnappalled) hee will indifferentlie beare it out; but if the spi­rit [Page 2] of a man be once troubled and disma [...]ed, hee cannot tell how to be deliuered. And no maruell; for if the minde of man be the fountaine of consolation, which ministreth comfort vnto him in all other troubles; if that become comfortlesse, what shall com­fort it? If it be voyde of helpe, when shall it bee helped? If the eye which is the light of the bodie be darkenesse, how great is that darkenesse? If the salt which [...]auo­reth all thinges be vnsauorie, for what is it good? If the minde which sustaineth all troubles be troubled, how intollerable is that trouble? To shew this the better, I wil first de­clare howe greate a punishment of God this wounde of conscience is: Secondly I will teach how this trouble of minde may be preuented and auoyded: Lastly I will set downe how Gods children faling in some measure into this affliction of [...]pirite, may bee recouered out of it.

For the first, the grieuousnesse of this mal­ladie is seene, eyther by some due considera­tion of the persons that haue felt it; or by some wise comparison made betweene this griefe of minde, and other outward griefes incident vnto a man.

The persons in whome we may consider this wounde of spirit, are eyther meerely na­turall men, or such as bee renued by the spi­rit [Page 3] of God: The men meerely naturall are either the Heathen such as neuer knew God in Christ, or carnall professors, such as haue not professed Christianitie aright. If wee looke among the Hearhen, how many of them haue willingly gone vnder pouertie, and haue beene content to vnburden them­selues of all worldly treasures? How haue some of them (whilest their mindes were vnappalled) suffered imprisonment, exile, and extreame tortures of bodie; rather than they would betray their Countries? Howe many of them haue deuoured many iniu­ries, and borne outwarde troubles, with some ease and with no resistance, whilest their mindes were at libertie? And yet looke not into the meanest, but the best and most excellent men among them, euen their wise Philosophers, sweete Orators, and exqui­site Poets; who in bearing and forbearing thought the chiefest pointe of vertue to con­sist; and yee shall see, when once some great distresse of minde did wounde them, some would make an ende of it by preparing a Cup of deadly poyson; some would violent­lye and voluntarily runne on the enemies pikes: some woulde throwe downe them­selues from hie Mountaines; some woulde not sticke to stabbe most monstrously their owne bodies with Daggers, or such [Page 4] like instruments of death: all which men would seeme to haue great courage in sustai­ning many harmes, so long as their mindes were not ouermastred. But when their di­uine and supreame Essence (which they accknowledged to be God) did by his pow­er crosse & ouerturne their witty deuises and headstrong attempts, so as without hope of remedie they were hampered in pensiuenes and sorrow of minde: then not being able to turne themselues vnder so heauie a bur­then, they shrunke downe, and by violent death would ridde themselues of that disqui­etnes & impatience of their troubled minds.

But let vs come neerer; and whether wee behold the Papists, or the familie of loue, or the common sort of Christians, wee shall see they will passe quietly through many af­flictions, whether for that they haue a spirite of slumbering and numbnes cast vppon them; or whether because they haue braw­ned themselues through some sencelesse blockishnes as men hewen out of hard Oaks, or grauen out of marble stones I know not: But yet when the lord shal let loose the corde of their consciences, and shall set before their faces their sinnes committed; see what fearefull endes they haue, whilest some of them by hanging themselues, some by casting themselues into the water, some [Page 5] by cutting their own throats haue rid them­selues out of these intollerable griefes. Now wherein is the difference that some die so sencelesly, and some dispatch themselues so violently? Surely the one feeling no sinne, depart like brutish swine; the other surchar­ged with sinne, die like barking Dogs.

But let vs come to the children of God, who haue in some degree felt this wounde of minde; and it will appeare both in the members and in the heade, of all burthens to bee a thing most intollerable to sustaine a wounded conscience. And to beginne with, let vs set in the first ranke Iob, Iob. that man of God commended vnto vs by the holy Ghost for a myrrour of patience; who although for his riches hee was the wel­thiest man in the land of Huz; for his autho­ritie, might haue made afraid a great mul­titude; and for his substance was the grea­test of all the men in the East: Yet when the Shabeans came violently and tooke away his cattell; when the fier of God falling from heauen, burnt vp his sheepe and his seruants; when the Caldeans had taken away his Camels; when a greate winde smote downe his house vppon his children; al­though indeede hee rent his garmentes, which was not so much for impatience, as to shewe that he was not senceles in these [Page 6] euils: Yet it is saide that hee worshipping blessed the name of the Lorde, saying: Naked came I out of my mothers wombe, and naked shall I returne thither: The Lorde gi­ueth and the Lorde taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lorde.

But beholde when at the strange confe­rence of his comfortlesse friendes, his minde beganne to be agast, which was not so in all his former tryall, when his conscience began to be troubled, when he sawe the Lord fasten in him sharpe arrowes, and to set him vp as a Butte to shoote at; when hee thought God caused him to possesse the sinnes of his youth, this glorious patterne of patience coulde not beare his griefe: he was heauye, and nowe may commende, the Image of a wounded spirite, to all that come after. Dauid, Dauid. a man chosen according to the Lordes owne heart: Ezekiah, Ezekiah. a pure worshipper of God, and carefull restorer of true Religion; Ieremiah, Ieremiah. the Prophet of the Lorde, sanctified and or­dained to that Office before hee was for­med in his mothers wombe, were rare and singular in the graces and fauour of God: yet when they felt this wounde pearcing them with griefe of heart, they were as Sparrowes mourning, as Cranes chattering, as as pel­licans casting out fearefull cries, they thought themselues as in the graue, they [Page 7] wished to haue dwelt solitary; they were as bottels parched in the smoke, they were as Doues mourning, not able without sighes and grones to vtter their wordes, their hearts cloue to the dust, and their tongues to the roofe of their mouthes.

But aboue all; (if these were not not suffi­cient to perswade vs in this doctrine) there remaineth one example, whome we affirme to be the perfect anatomie of an afflicted minde. This is the Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ the Image of the father, Christ Iesus. the heade of the bodie, the myrrour of all graces, the wisedome, righteousnes, holines, and re­demption of all the Saints, who sustained the Crosse euen from his youth vpward: and besides pouertie, basenes, hunger, did wil­lingly goe vnder the greate trouble of con­tempt and reproch, and that among them where he should haue had a right deserued honour, in respect of the doctrine he taught them, and in regard of the manifolde myra­cles be wrought among them; as the hea­ling of the sicke, the giuing sight to the blind, the restoring of life to the dead: This vnkind­nes neuertheles, did not so much strike into him. But at what time hee was set as a Sacri­fice for al, whē he was to beare our infirmities & carry our sorrowes, at what time hee was plagued & smitten of God, humbled & woun­ded [Page 8] for our transgressions, when hee should be broken for our iniquities, and the chastise­ment of our peace was vpon him; then he cried out; My soule is heauie euen vnto the death: Then he prayeth, Lord if it he possi­ble, let this Cup passe from mee: But howe praieth hee? euen with sweating; how swea­teth hee? euen droppes of blood; how long praieth hee? Three times; when endes his agonie? not vntill he was dead; What said hee beeing readie to depart? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee.

Was this for his humane death, as some haue imagined? No no, wicked men haue died withthout complaint, whose patience then might seeme to exceede his; it was his suffering in his humane Spirite, which incountred with the wrath of God, his God­head suppressing it selfe for a while: he suffe­red indeede many tormentes in bodie, but much more heuily did the wrath of God lie vpon his soule.

If this consideration of an afflicted spirit in these examples doe not sufficiently shew what a grieuous thing it is to sustaine a wounded conscience: Let vs proceede to the comparing of this with other euils, which fal into the nature of man. There is no sicknes but Phisicke prouideth for it a remedy, there is no fore but Chirurgery wil afford it a salue; [Page 9] Friendship helpeth pouertie; There is noe im­prisonment, but there is hope of libertie; Suite and fauour recouer a man from banishment; Authoritie and time weare away reproch: But what Phisicke cureth? what Chirurgerie salueth? what riches ransometh? what counte­nance beareth out? what authoritie asswa­geth? what fauour relieueth a troubled Con­science? All these banded together in league, (though they would conspire a confederacy) cannot help this one distresse of a troubled minde; And yet this one comfort of a quiet minde doth wonderfully cure, and comforta­bly asswage al other griefes whatsoeuer. For if our assistance were as an host of armed sol­diers; If our frinds where the Princes and the Gouernours of the earth; If our possessions were as large as betweene the East and the west; If our meate were as Manna from hea­uen; If our apparrell were as costly as the E­phod of Aaron; If euery day were as glorious as the day of Christs resurrection; yet if our mindes bee appalled with the iudgements of God, these thinges would little comfort vs. Let experience speake; If a troubled minde impareth not health, drieth not vp the blood, wasteth not the marrowe, pineth not away the flesh, consumeth not the bones, if it ma­keth not all pleasures painfull, and shortneth not the life; surely no wisdome can councell [Page 10] it, no counsell can aduise it, no aduise can as­wage it, no asswagement can cure it, no eloquence can perswade it, no power can ouer­come it, no Scepter wil affray it, nor inchaun­ter can charme it. And yet on the contrary, if a man languish in sicknes, so his hart be whole, and is perswaded of the health of his soule, his sicknes doth not grieue him: If a man bee reproched, so he be p [...]ecious in the sight of God and his Angels, what losse hath hee? If a man be banished, and yet doubteth not that heauen is his Country, and that hee is a Citizen among the Saints, it doth not ap­pall him: If a man be in trouble, and find­eth peace of conscience, hee will quietly di­gest his trouble. But if the minde be trou­bled, who dareth meete with the wrath of the Lorde of Hoasts? who can put to silence the voice of desperation? who will step out and make agreement with the hells to spare vs; who dare make a couenant with the Diuell, that hee woulde not lay claime vnto vs? If then a good Conscience hel­peth all euills, and all other benefits in this life, in themselues cannot help a troubled cō ­science; we se it true in proofe; which here is in prouerbe; The spirit of a man will susteine his infirmitie: But a wounded Spirit, Who can beare it?

Againe, in all other afflictions we may [Page 11] haue some comfort against sinne; this is euer accompanied with the accusation of sinne. A man may be sicke, reproched, impoue­rished, imprisoned, and banished; and yet in all these haue a cleare conscience; his owne heart telling him that there is noe speciall cause of these crosses in him, but that he may suffer them for the triall of his faith, or for righteousnes sake and well doing. But when the spirit is wounded, there is stil a guiltines of sin, and when a mans spirit is troubled, he suspecteth all his waies, he feareth al his sins, he knowes not what sinne to begin with; it breeds such hurly burlyes in him, that when it is day he wisheth for night; when itis night he would haue it day, his meat doth not no­rish him; his dreames are fearefull to him, his sleepe oftimes forsaketh him; If he speaketh, he is little eased; if he keepeth silence, hee boileth in disquietnes of heart; the light doth not cōfort him, the darkenes doth terify him.

To prosecute our comparisons; where al other euils are the more tolerable, because they be temporal, & pursue vs but to death: this not being cured endeth not in death, but becommeth eternall. For euen the hea­then men thought that death was the end of all misery: the perswasion whereof made them (beeing in some misery) to make an ende of themselues, and hasten their [Page 12] owne death; as Sathan doth make many now a daies to doe, who are ignorant of the hell, which is a place of farre greater paines than any they can suffer in this worlde whatsoe­uer. Howebeit a tormented conscience, if before it was begun, is now continued; or if it was not before, now beginneth and ne­uer endeth world without ende. For though true it is, that sicknes, pouerty, imprisonmēt or banishmēt haue ended their term in death; yet a woūded hart which was tēporal in this life, is nowe eternall after this life: that which be­fore death was in hope recouerable, is after death made vncurable & vnrecouerable. It is good therefore to consider, if euen in this life the torment of conscience be so fearefull; how much more grieuous it is to susteine it in hell, where that is infinite, which here is finit; where that is vnmesurable, which here is mesurable: where is the sea of sorow, wher­of this is but a drop, where is the flame of that fire, wherof this is lesse then a sparke.

But to shut vp this argument: Some there haue beene who through out all their life time, haue been free from all other troubles, so as either they felt them not at all, or else in very small measure, and by that meanes neuer knewe what outward trouble meant. As for example, some men there haue beene, who for sicknesse neuer knewe there heade­ach; [Page 13] for pouertie, neuer knewe what want meant; who for discredite, were neuer e­uill spoken of; who euer put farre from them the euill daye of the Lorde; who made a league with death as it were, & a couenant with hell; who thought they could crucifie e­uery crosse, rather thā come vnderany crosse: yet they could neuer escape a wounded con­science, either in this life, or in the life to come. True it is, that Gods Children by faith & repentance do often escape it, but the wic­ked, and such as are borne vnto it, as to their sure inheritance; the more they flie from it, the more it pursueth them. If we haue trans­gressed the Ciuil Lawes, the Iudge by bribes may be corrupted; if a man haue committed some capitall offence, by flying his Country he may escape the Magistrates handes: but our consciences telling vs that we haue sin­ned against God; what bribe shall we offer? or whether shall wee flie? whether shall wee goe from his spirit? or whether shall we goe from his presence? If we ascend into heauen, is not he there? If wee lie downe in hell is hee not there? If we flie to the vtmost parts of the sea, is he not there also? There needeth no apparitor to summon vs, there needes no Bayly arraunt to fetch vs; there needes noe accuser to giue in against vs: sinne will arrest vs, and lieth at the Doore, our owne Consci­ence [Page 14] will impannell a Quest against vs; our owne heartes will giue in sufficient Eui­dence, and our owne iniquitie will plead vs to be guiltie to our owne faces.

Thus we se both by the experience of thē that haue suffered the wound of the spirit, and by the comparinge of it with other euils, what a waight most grieuous and burden in­tollerable it is to haue a tormented consci­ence.

Now let vs shew how we may preuent; & by what meanes Gods children falling into some degrees of it, The se­cōde part of the first diuision. (for if it rage in extremity it is an euill vnrecouerable) may safely and quietly be deliuered from it. And here a iust complaint is to be taken vp, & it is a wonder to be marked (if we may wonder at Gods works) that we se many so carefull & watch­full to auoide o [...]her troubles, and so few or none take any paines to escape the trouble of minde which is so grieuous. We se men lo­uing health and loathing sicknes, in diet tem­perat, in sleepe moderate, in Phisicke expert, skilful to purge, & to auoide such corrupt hu­mors, which in time may breed (though pre­sently they do not bring forth) some dāgerous sicknes: yet to auoid the diseases of the soule, no man abateth his sleep, no man abridgeth his diet, no man prepareth Phisicke for it; no man knoweth when to be ful, and when to [Page 15] be emptie; how to want and how to abound. Others carried away with the loue of riches, & very [...]ly to fall into pouerty; will not sticke to rise early, to take sleep lately, to fare hard­ly, to teare & taw their flesh in labour by land & by water, in faire & foule wether, by rocks and by sands, from farre and from neare: and yet to fall into Spirituall decaies, to auoid the pouertie of conscience no man taketh such paines; as though saluation and peace of minde, were not a thing worthy the labouring for. Some ambitiously hunting af­ter honor, & not easily digesting reproaches, behaue themselues neither sluggishly nor sleepely; but are actiue in euery attempt, by loue & by counsell, by prudence & prowesse, by wit & by practise, by labor & learning by cūning, & diligence to become famous, & to shun a ciuill reproach: yet to bee glo­rious in the sight of God and his Angelles, to fall before the heauens, and in the presence of the Almightie to bee couered with shame and confusion of Conscience, we make none account, as they, who neyther vse any means to obtaine the one, nor auoide those occasions which may bring the other.

Others vnwilling to come within the reach and daunger of the Lawe, that they may escape imprisonment of bo­dye, or confiscation of goodes; will [Page 16] be painefull in penall statutes, skilfull in eue­ry branch of the ciuill law, and especially wil labour to keepe themselues from treasons, murthers, fellonies, and such like offences deseruing the punishment of death: yet whē the Lord God threatneth the seazure both of soule and body, the attaching of our spi­rits, the confiscating of our consciences, the banishing of vs from heauen, the hanging of vs in hell, the suspending of our saluation, the adiudging of vs to condemnation for the breach of his Cōmaundements no man sear­cheth his eternall Lawe; noe man careth for the Gospell: neither the sentence of euer­lasting diuorsement from the Lord, neither the couenant of reconciliation is esteemed of vs.

And to reach our Complaint one degree father. Behold, the more we seek outward pleasures and to auoide the inward trouble of minde, the more we hast and runne into it; & suddainely plunge our selues in a won­ded spirite ere we be aware. VVho posteth more to become rich who hopeth lesse to be come poore than the marchant man? who aduentureth great treasures, who hazardeth his goods, who putteth in ieoperdie his life; and yet sodenly he either rusheth vpon the rocke of hardnesse of heart, or else is swallowed vp of the gulph of a desparing minde: [Page 17] from which afterwards he cannot be deliue­red with a ship ful of golde. Woful profe hath confirmed, how some men (wholly set on pleasures, such as could not away to be sad, and hedged vp alwaies of godly sorrow) haue had their tables made snares; and euen their excesse of pleasures, hath brought excesse of sorrowes: and whilest they laboured to put the euill day farre from them; they haue vsed such follies as haue beene the most bit­ter and speedie hang-men of their fearefull and trembling consciences.

There be some of another sort, who neuer dreaming of a troubled minde, haue had their harts set on nothing but howe they might get some greate fame and renowme; and therefore haue slipt into such vaine glo­rious attempts, and foule flatteries, as they haue not only lost the peace of their Consci­ences, but also fallen most deepely into re­prochfull shame, which they sought to shunne.

Now as the peace of conscience and ioye of minde is such a treasure, as the eye hath not seene, the eare hath not heard, nor the tongue expressed; but passeth all vnderstanding. So the wounded spirit is such as the eye hath not seene it, the eare hath not heard it, nor the tongue vttered, but passeth all vnderstanding. And as they onely knowe [Page 18] what the peace of minde meaneth, that feele it; so they alone can in trueth speake of a troubled minde, that haue tasted of it by experience.

Bet let vs shew what way is to be vsed to keepe vs from this wounde of the Spi­rit. How we may be preserued from the wound of Consci­ence. It is the vse of Phisicke, as to cure vs of diseases when wee are falne into them; so to preserue vs from sicknes before it hath taken holde of vs: it is the power of the worde, as to asswage the trouble of Con­science, when it doth once presse vs; so to preuent it before it hath ouertaken vs. It is a chiefe point of worldly wisdome not to tarry for the vse of Phisicke vntill we bee deadly sicke; but to be acquainted with GODS mercifull preseruations to de­fend vs from it; likewise it is a chiefe polli­cie of a godly Christian, not onely to seeke comfort when the agonie is vpon him, but also to vse all good helpes to meet [...] with it before it comes. And wee con­demne them of folly, who will not as well laboure to keepe themselues out of debt, as to pay the debt when they owe it: so it is a madnes not to bee as circum­spect to auoide all occasions, which maye bringe trouble of minde vppon vs; as wee woulde bee prouident to enter euery good waye which may drawe vs out of this [Page 19] trouble, when we haue once entred into it.

The remedies preseruatiue; are first the searching of our sinnes, & then the exami­ning of our faith.

The serching of our sinnes, is either the due acknowledging of our sinnes, or the true sense and feeling of our sinnes. The acknowledging of our sinnes, is eyther of those that bee past, whether wee haue vnfeinedly repented vs of them: or of those which bee present, whether wee be truelye greeued for them.

Thirdly of those secret corruptions, which in the course of our life are likely to come, whether wee are reuerently afraide of them and resolue to suppresse them with all our indeuour.

Concerning sinnes past, we must call to minde the sinnes done of old, in our youth, in our middle age, in our olde age; that we iudging our selues may not be iudged of the Lorde; that accusing of our selues, Sathan haue noe occasion to accuse vs; and throwing downe our selues before the Lord, he may lift vs vp. For many going quietly awaie, and sleeping in carnall securitie (not withstand-the sinnes of their youth) and neglecting to make conscience of their sinnes done long agoe; sodainely haue falne into such horrour o [...] minde, that (the violent remembrance of [Page 20] all their sinnes surcharging them) they haue beene ouerwhelmed.

This Examination dooth then rightly pro­ceede, when it is reacheth to the errors of this life, & to the sinnes of our youth; be­cause many men (euen from their childhood, by a ciuill righteous life) hauing escaped grose sinnes, wherewith the world could neuer charge them, haue notwithstanding ca­ried the burthen of their secret, sinnes done in their youth. Dauid (Psal. 25.7.) prayeth the Lord, not to remember the sinnes of his youth; Iob (23.6. the man of God) con­fesseth that the Lord writinge bitter things against him made him to possesse the ini­quities of his youth. What, shall we thinke that Dauid or Iob were giuen to notorious wickednes in their youth? No, they knew they were subiect to youthfull wantonnes and vnstaiednes of their affections; which though it did not burst out, yet it made them lesse carefull to glorifie GOD; which loosenes the way to leaudnes; which weak­nes, the waie to strange vanities; which wantonnesse, the way to open wickednes, is euen in the best of Gods Children in the daies of their youth: which being afterwards in the time of their regeneration, brought (as it were) to iudgement, and laide before their consciences, doth cause them to repent.

[Page 21]But here is a thing to be blushed at, which maketh mens eares to tingle when they heare it; that many men (farre noe doubt from this true repentance) can largely in­deed discourse of the things done in their youth; but in such a brauerie, with such boastings, and pleasing of themselues in the remembrance of them; as besides that they prouoke others to sinne in the like, and set themselues a flatte Backe-byas against Re­pentance and this Christian examination; they seeme to renewe the decayed colours of their olde sinnes, with the fresh suite of their second pleasures therein. But a­las what pleasure haue they in those things, whereof they haue noe profit? what profit haue they those thinges whereof they shoulde bee ashamed? Nether in this streine can wee forget the madnes of them, who may seeme to steppe one degree farther to­wardes this examination of sinne than did the former; by thinking that the leauing of sinne, and repenting of sinne is all one. Against these both daily experience and the word of God doth sufficiently declame. Io­sep [...]s brethren ( Iacob his sonnes) who de­uised euill against their brother, put him into the pit, and solde him vnto strangers; did cease from this crueltie: but yet they are not read to haue remembered their sins [Page 22] with any remorce, vntill thirteene yeares af­ter the sinne was committed; as wee may see in the processe of the Historie. Dauid had left his sinnes of murther and adulterie (as thinking all quiet and well) the space of a whole yeare; after which time (being admonished by the Prophet Nathan) he repented of it. And experience hath tried in many that haue had some working of God in them, that though they left their sinnes many yeares agoe, yet because they repen­ted not truely for them, they haue rebound­ed vp on them with terrible sights & fea­full visions, to humble them, and to bring them to serious examination of them, be­ing done and left long since. Examples whereof wee neede not fetch from farre, seeing so many preachers as are acquainted with fearefull spirits will giue witnes hereof. The fruite of which amazed mindes for sins alreadie left, is ours, to beware of sinnes which are to come: And that other mens harmes may teach vs blessed wisdome, let vs labour not onely to leaue sinne, which one may doe for profite, for feare, for praise, or for werisomnes; but also to repent of it for conscience sake.

This Examination of our sinnes past, must bee partly of those that we committed bee­fore our calling, & partly of those which were [Page 23] done after our calling. Euery man (especially hauing his reason reformed by the worde of God) will graunt an examination of the life, before our true knowledge of God in Christ, to be most needfull: But it may be some wil thinke that wee neede not be so precise in the searching of those sinnes, which were after our knowledge. But seeing of all other sins these bite sorest, and pierce deepest, for that they are agrauated with all the mercies of God going before, and Sinne is then most sinfull, when after we knowe the truth, after wee haue beene deliuered from sinne, after wee haue beene inlightened with the grace of God, wee haue falne into it: I thinke that an examination most specially ought to be had of these sinnes. Wherefore to ite­rate our former examples in a new matter, as we may see the former kinde of examin­ing of our sinnes before our calling, in the sons of Iacob; so we haue a patterne of the lat­ter in the practise of the Prophet Dauid, who at the hearing of his sin was so troubled in his spirit, that he could not rest in the Prophets speach telling him his sin was forgiuē him, but still was disquieted, as one vtterly forsaken of God & could find no cōfort of Gods spirit in him. For as it fareth oftē with sores, it cōmeth to passe in sins we are loth to haue our woūds often grated vpon, we cannot so wel away to [Page 24] haue our sores rifled, seared, and lanced; but fed with healing salues: so we are hardlye brought to haue our consciences grounde, or our sinnes ransacked, sifted, searched, & ripped vp; but would still haue them plaist­ered with sweete promises, and bathed in the mercies of God: whereas it is farre safer before incarnatiue and healing Medicines, to vse corrosiue and mundifying waters, without which though some sores may seeme to close and skinne vp a pace, yet they proue worse, and being rotten still at the coare; they haue aboue a thin skin, & vnderneath deade flesh. In like manner, wee woulde cloake, we would hide and couer our sinnes, as it weare with a Curtaine; but it is more sounde Chirurgery to pricke and pierce our Consciences with the burning yron of the Lawe, and to cleanse the wounde of the Soule by sharpe threate­nings, least that a skinne pulled ouer the Conscience for a while, wee leaue the rottten corruption, vncured vnderneath; and so we bee constrained to crye out of our sinnes openly. As it is a folly then to disemble our soares whilest they bee curable, and after to make them know­en when they bee growen vncurable; so it is as greate folly to dissemble our sinnes [Page 25] whilest they may be remedied, and so after be constrained with shame to blaze them abroade when thy are remedilesse. But of this by the way, because wee shall more largely touch it in the last part to come.

It is sufficient to commit sinne before knowledge, but after some good light of the spirit to sinne, breedeth eyther hardnes of heart, or a troubled spirite; both which wee shall auoyde, if in trueth we be carefull to watch ouer our affections, and beware that after our deliuerie we fall not into sinne gaine.

Seuerall men subiect to seuerall sinnes, haue their seuerall checkes in their con­ciences: some are ouercome with wrath, and yet after the moodie fit they can tell that the wrath of man doth not ac­complish the righteousnesse of God; some are subiect to lust, and afterwardes they say, it profiteth them nothing. Some are giuen to a continuall course of vanitie, who notwith­standing can say, that mans l [...]fe hath another ende, some slip deepely into worldlinesse, and yet they bee often wakened with most terrible checkes of conscience. VVell, bles­sed are they whose heartes be truely grieued; and let them beware that make [...]aliance with sinne: for either hardnesse of heart will ouertake them, or a troubled coscience will [Page 26] confound them. Wherfore it comes to passe, that many spending their bodies on lust, la­ment that euer they so abused their strength; many giuen too much to the pleasure of this life, had griefe come vpon them, to re­member how they haue spent Gods graces, lauished his good giftes, and mispent their time; or else, if they haue not this griefe, they fall into voluptuousnes & draw such a thicke skinne vpon their heartes, as will cause the strongest denouncings of Gods iudgements to rebound, bee they driuen on neuer so hard. And sure it is the sinne of this worlde, that men beeing controled in their conscien­ces, whilest they are a praying, and feele a se­crete charge laid against them, to beware of guile in buying & selling; eyther haue these cheekes lesse and lesse, and so they grow to be prophane; or else afterward they are won­derfully wounded, that they haue beene so worldly, so greadely pursuing earthly things; so coldly procuring heauenly things. Thus euen our priuy thoughtes (not profited by) are breeders of farther trouble.

Now the remedie against this trouble is, willingly and wittingly not to cherish sin, Remedie. to wish that the minister should touch our most priuie and secret sinnes, to be glad priuate­ly to be admonished, to profite by our ene­mies when they doe reproach vs: and rather [Page 27] to desire (in such a case) to be humbled than to suffer our selues to be flattered. This trying of our selues must yet strech it selfe farther, not only to the committing of euill, but also to the omitting of good. As when (after some good working and feeling of the spirite,) we begin to fight and conflict with our own con­sciences saing; though I must pray, I must haue time also to prouide for my familie; if I goe so to heare the worde of God, surely I shall bee in danger to loose this profite; if I thus at­tend vpon the exercises of religion, I shall be cut short in the vse of my pleasures. Where­fore it shall be good to search our heartes, not onely in the carelesse not vsing of the meanes; but also in the negligent watching ouer the fruites of the meanes: saying to our selues in this manner; I haue heard a Ser­mon, but (alas) without anie feeling or working vpon my affections; I haue beene praying, but with no power of the spi­rite; I haue receiued the Sacrament, but without those ioyes glorious and vnspeakea­ble, which I was woont to taste of. I saw the Discipline of the Church executed, but without anie feare of sinne at all in my selfe, or compassion to the member censured.

And heere I dare from my owne ob­seruation assuredlye affirme, that out­ward [Page 28] sinnes haue not beene at some times so grieuous to Gods children; as that they haue sometimes vsed the meanes with little reuerence and with lesse fruite. And no mar­uel, we shall see many men at some times, not so much grieued for their sicknesse it selfe, as for that that they haue either willingly negle­cted the meanes which might haue preserued their health, or that they haue abused the Phi­sicke that might haue restored their health to them againe: in like manner (I say) it fareth with them, who eyther vnreuerentlie haue refused the meanes, which shoulde keepe their soules from surfetting: or else vnthank­fully haue abused those helpes, which might haue recouered them againe. From hence it commeth, that some men are as much grieued for not vsing their good giftes to the benefit of Gods Church, as others are trou­bled for pestering the Church with vnprofi­table corruptions; or as we shall see a rich man sometimes as much humbled for not gi­uing money to the poore, which hee might haue done; as for heaping vp riches falselie, which hee ought not to haue done. And thus, many (hauing receiued good giftes and gra­ces from the Lord) are seasoned and sanctifi­ed by afflictions; whereby they are taught to put their giftes in vre, and to offer their seruice to Christ: and others are forced to [Page 29] hide their giftes, which cannot bee without some decay of Gods glory, without offence to the weake, without the losse of many soules, which otherwise might be wonne to the gospell, and without strengthening the hande of the aduersarie to slaunder our darke and dumbe profession. All which thinges will in the ende bring terrour of minde: be­cause if the Lord cannot worke vpon vs by taking away goods, friendes, credit, wife, children, or such like, to bring vs to Re­pentance; he will surely whippe our naked consciences, he will enter euen into our ve­ry entrailes, and pierce our secret boweles.

As wee must examine our selues thus for sinnes of time past, and present, so must we vse this practise in sinne to come: and this is very needefull. For were it so, that our life and conuersation were such, as nei­ther before not after our calling, man could iustly accuse it: Yet the hidden corruption of our nature, may threaten some haynous downefall in time to come. Which hath made men of very good report and conuer­sation to hang downe their heades, and feare their secret hypocrisie, as that which may breake foorth to the shame of all their for­mer life, in time to come.

But because we forgatte to speake of them, that in the examining of their liues past, are [Page 30] much grieued for the want of sinceritie, and for priuie vaineglorie in themselues; let vs before we go to the searching of our heartes in sinne to come, speake somewhat of this. Men troubled for this priuie pride are eyther touched, or not touched. If the veyle of sinne was so great in them, that it hid Christ from them; it is the good will of God, that by this sight of their most secret sinnes they should come to see the righteousnes that is in Christ Iesus; and so they shall the better be kept from being Iusticiarie Pharises. For when being a long time well brought vp, and leading a ciuill life, the Diuell woulde per­swade vs of some inherent righteousnes in vs; It is the wisedome of our God to touch vs with the conscience of most hidden cor­ruptions, as also to certifie and make know­en vnto vs, that euen for our birth there was a secret seede of sinne in vs, which (without the Lord watching ouer vs) woulde surely haue broken forth to his dishonour.

As for them which haue had some woor­king in them, and yet are often plunged with sore distresses this trouble commeth to them for two especiall causes, eyther for some hy­pocrisie, that they did more in showe than in truth; wherfore the Lord bringeth thē back againe to see their corrupt proceedinges, and that they may knowe all their religion [Page 31] to be but hypocrisie, & all their righteousnes to bee but vnrighteousnes: or for the abusing of their knowledge, in that they made it but a maske to iuggle in, & that they made their af­fections to fight with their own iudgements. We must remedy this, by not thinking of our selues aboue that which is meete, and by la­bouring to embrace the truth in trueth. And heere let vs note, that many of Gods Childrē accuse themselues of hypocrisie, when indeed they offend not in it for the most righteous persons are their own greatest accusers. And yet the accusation doth iustlye arise from some fault on their partes: for though they haue done things in trueth, yet be­cause with trueth they labored not to see their secret corruptions, in some other mat­ters, they sustain this trouble of mind. So that there is nothing harder thā to sist & serch our harts to the bottom, whether we respect our sins past or our sins present, whether we looke to our priuy pride, hidden wants, or secret cor­ruptions. And to returne from whence we digressed, to the examinatiō of our harts, in sins to come: Returne to sins to comes. let vs obserue that in Gods children there is such a iealousy, as they trēble at the very first motions & quake at the least occasiō of sinne, although because vice wil sit in resi­dence very neere vnto vertue, there may be in them sometime too much scru­pulousnes [Page 32] This feare causeth the dearest of the Saintes of God to reason on this sorte; O Lord, I see now manye excellent in gifts, and constant in profession for a longe time, whose end hath not answered their beginnings, whose deathes were not like to their liues. This is true, whether wee looke into the word or into the world: and it is a thing that may much humble vs. For though we may remember what we haue beene, and knowe what we are; yet who can tell what may come vnto him heere­after.

Oh that the serious meditation heereof would dwell long vpon our consciences: that with an holy iealozie wee might pre­uent the sinne that is to come. But alas, there bee some venture some knights, which thinke it no masterie to offer themselues to masking, minstrelsie and dauncing, nor to runne into quarrells, braules and contenti­ons, as though they had their eares, their eyes, their hands and their feete in their own power, and at commaundement to vse and gouerne as themselues list.

Howbeit, GODS Children better fen­ced with his grace, than those bold buxzards are afraide of these occasions: as knowing full well, that their eyes maye soone bee prouoked to lust, their eares may quickly li­sten [Page 33] vnto vnchast delightes, their handes may sodainly strike a deadly blow, and their feete may easily be snared in carnall plea­sures.

Beware O man, bee circum [...]pect O wo­man that thou prostitute not thy selfe to too much libertie: for although in comming to such lasciuious and contentious places thou diddest purpose none euill; yet for thy ven­tring without warrant, thou maist bee ouer thy shoes in sinne, and plunged in some wicked attempt ouer head and eares, ere thou beest aware. And because vice is so confine vnto vertue, beware also of supersti­tion: for still the enemie laboureth either to make thee too hardy in sinne, or else he will cause thee to be too fearefull and superstiti­tious; eyther hee will puffe thee vp with pre­sumption, or assault thee with desperation. To these tentations our nature is very plia­ble: first to presumption, as may appeare by our common speech; tush, the Preacher is but a man as I am, I am sure he hath infirmities as others haue; wee are no Angels, our na­ture is corrupt, we are but flesh, I am sure you would not haue vs Gods. Thus the Di­uell commeth to tempt; but he apparrelleth himselfe in another sute when hee commeth to accuse: and then of a [...]lie he makes an Elephant, of the verie smallest pricke of [Page 34] a pin, a gloabe of the whole earth: of a mo­ale hill a mountain [...]: and presseth silly soules with feares and terrours, that they knowe not how to winde out themselues. If hee cannot bring them to make no conscience where they should make conscience, hee will labour to bring them to make conscience where they neede make no conscience. He careth not whether thou wilt be remisse or superstitious, so thou be one of them. If he cannot get you to follow the Epicurisme of the world, as Libertines in diet and appar­rell; hee will make you so precise as to think it a hainous sinne, to eate one bit of meate, or to weare one ragge of cloath more than for necessitie. How needfull there [...]ore it is to saile which an euen course, we may coniecture by other thinges which will bewray the corruption of our nature.

In the time of a plague we shall see some will be so bold, that without any lawfull cal­ling or godly warrant, they will rush into places infected; and then falling sicke, their conscience prickes them for their tempting of God by an vnaduised boldnes, in the how­er of their death.

Others plunged as deepely in a quite contrarie extremitie, are too fearfull when they doe but heare of the sickenesse; and [Page 35] for verie feare haue beene brought to deaths doore, onely by imagining themselues to haue beene infected, when they haue beene most free, who ofteneimes haue euen di­ed, and that without any naturall cause that euer coulde be knowen, but onely through immoderate feare▪ and the iudge­ment of God comming vppon them for their infidelity and vnbeliefe. Thus it is with vs in Christianitie, in that as well the op­pressing our selues with too much feare to be ouercome, as the carnall securitie, in not fearing to bee ouercome, may bring sinne vppon vs. God his children must la­bour for a measure, and that must be sought for in the word, which will teach them how they shall neyther decline on the right hand, nor on the left; but will guide them in the narrowe way, showing in euerie thinge what is the vertue, what is the vice; what is the meane, what is the extreame.

Among many Examples, let vs consider of zeale, Zeale. a most precious vertue in Christi­anitie, so long as it is free from the extremi­ties. Otherwise if we be colde in zeale, it is a sinne on the left hande: if wee bee zea­lous without knowledge, it is preposte­rous, and becommeth a sinne on the right hand.

[Page 36]But can wee not come to some perfection? No, if you vnderstand it for an absolute vn­spottednes; albeit to that perfection which the Scripture taketh for soundnesse, trueth, and sinceritie of heart, which is voyde of carelesse remissnes, wee may come. Nei­ther doth the Lord deale with vs a [...]ter our sinnes, nor reward vs after our iniquities: in whose eies the most glorious actions of men, are but as waters flowing purely from the Conduit, but defiled by passing through a filthy chanell: Wherefore although wee haue our imperfections, let vs not seeke to be more righteous than we can be; saying for euerie errour of this life, Oh, I am none of God his sonnes, I am none of his daugh­ters: for I cannot finde that perfection in me which is to be required: But let vs com­fort our selues in the trueth of our heartes, and singlenes of our de [...]ires to serue God, be­cause he is God; and so wee shall bee ac­cepted of God.

I speake this to this ende, that poore soules might haue comfort, and knowe that is they abhorr sin as sin, if they examine thēselues for it, if they grone vnder it, if they mislike them­selues for it, if they feare to fall into it; the Lord will not pursue them with the rigor of his lawe, but will giue them the sweetnesse of his promises; they are no more vnder the [Page 37] [...]urse, but vnder grace.

But further to inforce our Exhortation, to auoyde too scrupulous a feare, which hinde­reth the true examination of our heartes: let vs think that it happeneth in the spiritual con­flict as in ciuill wars. Wee reade that manie Cities lying in great securitie, haue sodainely both beene assaulted and ouerthrowen; as also, how some Countries (too much negli­gen [...]e in the meanes) through an excessiue fearefullnes, haue incouraged their enemies with more greedie violence to pray vppon them. With which kinde of stratagems our aduersary the diuell beeing well acquain­ted; doth often practise this pollicie. If hee see vs without all feare too quietly to rest in our selues, hee thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger, because our resi­stance is the weaker. Againe, if he discri­eth in vs a cowardly feare and fainting of heart, before wee once beginne to ioyne bat­taile with him; hee will set vpon our immo­derate feare, & as villainously as sodenly stab vs to the heart, & make a present spoyle of vs.

Common practise doth farther teach vs, that when we can heare the word without all trembling at God his iudgements, when wee can pray without all feare before the Ma­iestie of God, when wee can come to the Discipline of the Church without [Page 38] all reuerence of the ordinance of the Lord; all is in vaine. Againe, let vs heare with too much trembling, and wee shall learne nothing; let vs pray with too seruile a feare, and our worshipping of God will be without all comfort and vnchearfull. Thus if we nei­ther lessen sinne, that is sinne indeede; ney­ther make sinne of that which is not sinne in trueth, it is good to proceede to this three­folde examination and to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our affections, because many will be found in this ripenes of know­ledge and barrennes of conscience, to speake, dispute and declame of al these thinges verie skilfully, which flickring in the circumfe­rence of the braine, and not sitting at the ground of the heart, doe seale vp a more iust sentence of condemnation against them. To helpe this euill with, we must meditate deep­lier of the Law and of the Gospell, together with the appurtenances of them both, that finding our selues farre from Gods blessings promised to the keepers of the law, and seeing our selues nere to the curses due to the brea­kers of the Law, we may raise vp some sense of sinne in our selues. Yet herein we must not stay our foote, but giue a farther stride: for whereas many by a diligent view of the law, haue come to the sense of sinne in themselues, and saw plainly their owne condemnation: [Page 39] yet because they labored not to se their guil­tinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ, they plunged themselues into a bot­tomlesse sea of sorrowes. Others hauing pas­sed these degrees, & hitherto made these steps to auoyd the wounde of Conscience; haue come also too short, and missed of the marke: when because besides the sence of sinnes par­doned by the death of Christ, they felt not al­so the vertue of his passion crucifying sinne in them, but saw that with the remission of sinne was not ioined the mortification of sin; they feared that there was no forgiunesse for them, but still languishing with sorrow, they thought themselues to stand charged with their former guiltines. Yea and which is more for that such men haue not truely beene instructed, nor surely haue beene grounded in the doctrine of Christes death and resur­rection; that is for that they sawe not as well power flowing from his death to slay sinne in them, as vertue to pardon sinne in them; for that they felt not as well strength to San­ctification, streaming from the rising againe of Christ, as they were perswaded of iustifi­cation and righteousnes therein: They haue lyne still bleeding at the heart, in such sort, as the wound of griefe coulde hardly or neuer bee staide and staunched. Wherefore let vs strengthen our weake soules with this [Page 40] sixe-fold coarde of consolation, against these bitter assaultes. Let vs first labour to know sinne, then to sorrow for sinne, after to feele 1 our sinnes in Christ forgiuen, further to looke 2 3 for power to crucifie the same, then to lay 4 holde on iustification by his resurrection; 5 and lastly, hope for strength to proceede 6 from thence, to further vs in sanctification and holinesse of life, euen vnto the ende. And thus much briefly for the second thing which we matched in company with the examination of sinne, euen the triall of faith: both which rightly vsed, shall in some mea­sure sauegard vs from the trouble of an afflic­ted minde.

Now let vs hasten to the third parte of our deuision; The third part of the first deuision. to shew howe Gods children beeing fallen into this wounde of spirite may be helped out of it: which (God wil­ling) wee will also performe, after we haue answered a necessarie obiection; which (in the former part) might seeme to encoun­ter against vs. There is no man but will grant, that Dauid, Iob, and others of the Saintes of God, had a sight of their sins, a sorrow for their sinnes, and a taste of the re­mission of their sinnes: how then commeth it to passe, that these men were so troubled in minde? To this I answere, that their trou­ble so befell them, either for failing in some [Page 41] of these former things; or els they were rather afflicted for triall of their faith, than for pu­nishing of sinne in them. And therefore be it alwaies prouided, that wee thinke not e­uery conflict of Conscience, continuallye and chiefely to bee for the pursuing of our sinnes: but sometimes and principally, that it commeth for the triall of our faith: and yet secondarily, or lesse principally, for the scourging of sinne, as we may see in Iob.

Whereuppon let all men be admonished, when they see good men thus humbled & throwne downe in minde, to lay their handes on their mouthes from saying; Sure­ly these men are but hypocrites, doubtlesse these men be great sinners, the Lord hath founde out their hypocrisie. For good rea­son there is, that such silence should be vsed: for that the Lorde may as well make trial of their faith, as take punishment on their sins. For if such affliction should alwaies and chiefely be sent for sinne, then it should fol­low that all others as they exceeded them in sinne, should also exceede them in the punishment of sinne.

But now comming to the saluing of this soare, Salue of this sore. I shall seeme very strange in my cure: and so much the more bee wondered at, by how much in manner of proceeding I dif­fer from the most sort of men herein. I am [...] [Page 44] to vs and vncertaine.

To them which are troubled with such blinde griefes, whereof they can see no rea­son, as often it happeneth to Gods Chil­dren in secret prouidence, vvho either ne­uer knew God, or else had but a generall knowledge of him: I answere, that as I de­nie not Phisicke to be ministered, if it in part proceede from a naturall cause; so I require the word especially to shewe the principall and originall cause to beginne in the soule. And this I doe the rather, be­cause I would haue wisdome both in con­sidering the state of the bodie if neede so require; and in looking chiefely to the [...]oule, which so fewe thinke of. If a man troubled in Conscience come to a Mi­nister, it may be he will looke all to the soule and nothing to the bodie; if hee come to a Phisition, hee onely considereth of the bodie, and neglecteth the soule. For my part, I would neuer haue the Phisitions counsell seuered, nor the Ministers laboure neglected; because the soule and bodie dwelling together, it is conuenient, that as the soule should be cured by the word, by prayer, by fasting, by threatening, or by comforting; so the bodie also shoulde bee brought into some temperature, by Phy­sicke, by purging, by dyet, by restoring, [Page 45] by musicke, and by such like meanes; pro­uiding alwaies that it bee done so in the feare of God, and wisdome of his spirite, as we thinke not by these ordinarie meanes to smoother or smoke out our troubles; but as purposing to vse them as preparatiues, wher­by both our soules and bodies may be made more capable of the spirituall meanes to follow after.

As we require these thinges to bee the matter of our Ministerie in such a perplexi­tie; so we woulde wishe the persons mini­string to be men learned and of sounde iudgement, wise, and of Godly experience, meeke and of most louing spirites. For when the troubled patient shall be well per­swaded of our knowledge and discretion, & there with all shall perceiue vs to come in tender and louing affection, I thinke an en­terance is made, and all preiudice is taken avvay, so as wee may the more freely worke vppon the Conscience; first bringing them to the sight of sinne, as to some cause of their trouble. Heerein wee must labour to put awaye all confusion and blindenesse of sorrrowe, endeuoring by wisdome to bring the parties wounded to some certaine ob­iect & matter of their trouble; and so draw out of them the confession of some seuerall especiall, and secret, sinne; I say seuerall & [Page 46] secret sinne, because I know, how many (through a palpable blindnes or disordered discerning of sinne) talke nothing so much as of sinne; and yet they eyther can not dis­cry seuerall sinnes, or they will not be brought to acknowledge their secrete sinnes: wherof the one proceedeth of the ignorance of the Lawe of God, and the other of selfe loue, which maketh vs loath euen in our trauell of minde▪ to shame our selues.

Now that the confession of particular sins is requisite, it may appeare by the two and thirtieth Psalme, Psal. 32. wherein (beeing a Psalme of instruction, concerning the forgiuenesse of sinnes) the Prophet (by his owne expe­rience) teacheth vs, that hee could finde no reliefe of his sicknes, vntill hee had remem­bred, and made confession of his sinnes.

What? shall we thinke that the Prophet of God (taught so wonderfully by the worde and by the spirite) did not see his sinnes before? Be it farre from vs. Rather let vs know that he had not seuerally and perticularly ripped vp his sinnes before the Lorde, in a seuerall confession of them. Which though the Lorde knoweth farre better than wee our selues: yet such kinde of sacrifice is most acceptable vnto him.

Now if in this trouble the person hum­bled can not come to the perticular sight [Page 47] of sinne in themselues; it is good to vse the helpe of others vnto whome they may of­fer their heartes to bee gaged and search­ed, and their liues to bee examined more deepely, by hearing the seuerall Articles of the lawe laide open before them; where­by they may trye the whole course of their actions. For (as we saide before) the gros­est hypocrites will generally complaine of sinne; and yet deale with them in perticu­lar pointes of the perticular precepts, and prooue them in the applying of thinges to bee doone or not doone to their owne con­sciences; and wee shall see many of these poore soules tossed too and fro, now flo­ting in ioyes, now plunged in sorrowes, not able to distinguish one sin from another.

Now when wee shall see the wound of the spirit to arise of any certaine and known sinne, it is either for some sin alreadie cōmit­ted, wherein we lie; or els for some sin as yet not cōmitted, but whereunto we are tempted. For the former: It pleaseth God oftentimes to bring old sins to minde, when we had not tho­roughly repented of them before; that so (as it were) represēting thē to vs afresh, we might fal into a more misliking of thē. And yet here­in is not all, to mislike our selues for some perticulars, although it bee good to bee occupied about some especiall [Page 48] sins: for as it is not sufficient for the auoiding of hypocrisie, to see sinne generally: so it is not enough to escheue the deceiueablenesse of the heart, euer to be poring busilie in one particuler, and to be forgetfull of our great and generall sinnes. But let vs learne by the particulers to passe to the generalls. When any such one sinne then doth pursue thee, rest not onely therein, but say thus rather to thy selfe; Oh Lord, is this one sinne so grieuous? and doth my God pu­nish this one sinne so sorelie? Howe greate then should be my punishment, if thou shoul­dest (O Lord) so deale with mee for all my other sinnes.

Let vs labour to haue a sense both of gene­rall and of particular sinnes, least in time our griefe passe away without fruite; whilest that not being displeased as well with one sinne, as with another; we either looke to superficially to generall, and not to particu­lars; or else too superstitiously obserue par­ticulers and not the generals.

Concerning those sinnes whereunto we are tempted; as when a man is mooued to thinke blasphemously of God the father, o [...] to doubt wether there bee a Christ or no, or to imagine grosely of the holy Ghost, or to deny GOD, or to doubt of the Trini­tie; or to be mooued to murther, aduouterie, [Page 49] or such like: in which temptations hee fee­leth Gods spirit to cheke him for them, so as he knoweth not in this case what to doe, for that on the one side he dares not listen willingly to these fearefull and monstrous temptations; and on the other side, he fea­reth least in time by long, sute he might fall into them, or at the least for that hee seeth not how to be deliuered from them: I sup­pose these motions are not so much to bee disputed with, as we by them are to be pro­uoked to more instant and extraordinary zeale of praier.

Surely these are daungerous temptations, and therefore are not to be kept close; which our nature will easily encline vnto: but per­ticularly are to bee confessed of vs. For the Diuell will come sometime to thee, to keepe thee still in a generall acknowledgeing of sin, and vrge thee on this manner; Surely thou must needes doe this sinne, thou seest thou canst haue no ease, vntill thou hast consented, thou art ordained to it: the reason why thou art thus incessantly tempted, is because thou doest not thus take thy pleasure. Goe too, denie God, beleeue not his word: it is but a pollicie to keepe men in awe; Religion is no such matter as men make it. Thus for feare of yeelding on the one hand, and for shame of disclosing the tentations on the [Page 50] other hande; many men haue pined away, & almost haue beene ouercome by them. If we should disclose this (say these men) what would people say of vs? They would count vs Atheists, they would thinke vs the wick­edst men in the worlde. Well for our in­struction and consolation herein; Let vs learne that these kindes of tentations, are ei­ther corrections for some sinnes past, or pu­nishmēts for some sin present, or forwarners of some sin to come. We shal see many tempted to adultery, who (no doubt) cannot bee brought to commit it; & yet because in their youth they haue committed it, and not re­pented of it, it comes to them againe. The like may bee obserued in theft, in glut­tony, and in other tentations, which are not so much sent vnto vs, presently to ouer­come vs, as to put vs in minde, that some time heretofore we hauing bene ouer come with them, should now repent for them. Sōe time a man shall lie in some sinne, whereof when he will not bee admonished, neither by the publicke nor priuate meanes, and then some other strange tentation shall fall vpon him, differing from that wherein hee presently lieth, to admonish him of that o­ther sinne. As when a worldling shal be tēp­ted to adultery, a thing which he hath noe desire to doe; yet it is to make him looke to [Page 51] his worldlines, whereof he hath so strong & through a lyking: Whereat if then he will not bee awaked, he may sodainely fall into that too, and so by the punishment of GOD, in punishing one sinne with ano­ther, both his sinnes shall bee to his greate shame laide open, and one sinne shall make knowne another. Sometime also it com­meth to passe, that one shall bee tempted with such a sinne, as neither heretofore, nor presently he hath giuen any liking or enter­tainement vnto; and yet the Lord by it may forewarne him how he may fall into it here­after, as also to shew that hee hath stoode al his former life, rather by the grace of God than by the strength of flesh and bloode. Wherefore when thou art moued to doubt of God, of Christ, of the word, or of iustifica­tion, do not so much stand wondring at these strange tentations, as thinke with thy selfe that it is the mercy of God by them, to cause thee better to discerne of those tentations in others: when thou shalt haue obserued with feare and trembling how they make their first entrie into a mans heart, how they gather strength, how they agree with our corrupt nature, in what degrees they come to some growth, how the spirit of God doth resist them, what bee the meanes best to preuaile against them. And [Page 52] thus if thou make thy profite by them, thou shalt so wonderfully search and descrie by se­uerall veines, the body, age and sleight to of these tentations in others, by an holy expe­rience which God hath taught thee in o­thers, that besides that thou shalt lay forth mens secrete corruptions, as if thou wast in their bosomes; thou shalt be able also by the seede of sorrowe in thy selfe, to begette an vnspeakeable ioy in others, who in time may bee tempted as thou now art.

Thinke moreouer and besides, that such is the efficacie of sinne, that they who are now noe Papistes, Heretiques, Adulterers, or Theeues, may for their secure contem­ning and foolish passing ouer of these tenta­tions sent vnto them, sodainely, shortly af­ter fall into them; because they woulde not seeke to make some vse of them, nor con­fesse before the Lord both their pronenesse & worthinesse to fall into them. But if wee will humble our selues in such tentations, and learne by them meekely to discerne the cor­ruptions of our hearts, we shall not onely per­sently deliuer our selues from perill, but bee also further enabled to assist others her­after, in the l [...]ke danger.

But some will oppose against these things which wee haue deliuered: Doe you thinke it a remedie to cast downe them that are al­ready [Page 53] humbled? This is rather to bee a Butcher than a builder of a mans conscience. To whome I answeere, that I desire Preachers to bee Builders, and not But­chers; and it is one thinge generally to ap­ply, and another perticularly to lay the me­dicine vnto the wound▪ it is good to begin with searching first, and to purge the sore by the vineger of the Lawe, and after to supple it with the oyle of the Gospel. Both which must bee done in wisedome, vsing them to some in greater, to some in lesser measure. For as some hauing nothing but a decay of nature, and no mortall humor, neede rather restoratiue, than purging me­dicines: So some rather troubled for some spirituall wants, than for grosser sinnes, neede not so much the sharpe threatnings of the Lawe, as the sweete promises of the Gospell. But if the bodie, through some extraordinarie repletion hath gotten some greate surfet, not so much to the weakening of nature, as to the threatning of imminent death, and therefore requi­reth rather some stronge purgation, than comfortable and cordiall medicines: then the soule brought almost to deathes doore with some extraordinary sinne, is rather to be boared and pierced with the denouncing of Gods iudgements than otherwise. But be­cause [Page 54] we would deale more plainely & lesse confusedly, it is good in our accesse to affli­cted consciences, to lay these two grounds. First, we must perswade the persons hum­bled, that their sins are pardonable and their sores curable: And after, that this visitation is not so much a signe of Gods wrath and anger, as a seale of his mercie and fauoure, in that it is not either blind or barren, but plentifull in good effects, and fruitefull in Godly issues. The former how needfull it is, the experience of so many almost as haue bin throwne downe, is a sufficient witnes; who haue had this as a tagge tyed to their tenta­tions that neuer any were so plagued as they, none euer had the like temptations. The Lord will surelie make an end of thē in some strange and vnknowne tentation. Wherein they are notvnlike vnto men fallen into some dangerous disease, who thinking to be with­out the fadome of the Phisitians skill, and not to be within the compasse of things recou [...] ­rable, adde a second and sorer griefe vnto their former.

Wherefore as these men seeme to be halfe healed, when any man of knowledge can be brought, who by experience hath cured the like maladie in like degrees in others: So, then the sorrowfull soules are not a little by hope refreshed and strengthned to loke for [Page 55] some ease, when they see none other tentati­on to haue ouertaken them, than such as ha­uing fallen into the nature of man, haue foūd mercie at the handes of God, that he might bee feared. This ground worke framed; it is good to build vp and repaire the decayed ioy of the minde, partly by the Law, to make a preparatiue for these ioyes; if the minde not truely humbled, is not fit truely to be com­forted: and partly by the gospell, if the con­science kindly throwne downe, is become a fit subiect to aply the sweet promises of God in Iesus Christ vnto it. And here again, to ans­were them that denie the law wholly, or at all to bee vsed, when we would breed com­fort in one: I demand whether if it be neces­sary to maintaine the righteousnes of Christ, it be not also as necessary to preserue the righteousnes of the Law? Seing the righteous­nes of the Law, of vs not fulfilled, wil draw vs vnto the righteousnes of Christ to vs impu­ted: And sith the righteousnes of Christ to vs imputed, is neuer throughly & truly estee­med, vntill we se the righteousnes of the law of vs to be vnperformed. Again if our Sauiour Christ did foreshew his Disciples, that the first work of the holy Ghost at his cōming, should be to conuict the world of sinne, to make men knowe, that without Iesus Christ their is nothing but sinne, and then, that he should [Page 56] rebuke the world of righteousnesse, that they might see how Christ dyed not for his owne sinne, but for the sinnes of others: I see not why it should not be verie conueni­ent, first to lay open the righteousnes of the lawe, that men may see their sinnes; and then the righteousnes of Christ; that men may see their sins discharged in him. Besids, where the Lord saith by his Prophet. At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent of his sins from the bottome of his heart, I will put all his wickednes out of my remembrance: it may wel be gathered that there must be a soūd sorrow for sin goe before; and then true ioy of sinnes pardoned, may the more frely by vertue of his promise be both hoped for, & loked for after­ward. Moreouer, seeing all the promises of God in the gospel are cōmended vnto vs vn­der the title and tenor of restoring sight to the blinde, hearing to the deafe, strength to the Lame, health to the Sicke, and life to the Deade; it is manifest, not on­lye that there is noe disease of the soule which Christ cannot heale: but also that wee must first finde our selues blinde, deafe, dumbe, lame, sicke and deade, before hee will meddle with vs; because they that are whole neede not the Phisiti­on, and hee came to call sinners, not the Righteous to repentance. Now, to [Page 57] doe this in wisedome, by neither pressing the conscience too seuerely, nor releasing the conscience more vnaduisedly, it shalbe a safe way, to vse the well tempered speech of the Apostle to the sorcerer; Repent, that if it be possible, thy sinne may be forgiuen thee. Where hee doth not wholly discourage him, because it may bee his sinne may be pardo­ned; neither yet too boldly incourage him, in that without repentance, he sheweth it alto­gether impossible to be pardoned.

And that we be not too preposterous in our consolations, let vs bee warned by the blasphemous speech of that detestable Arian, who of late yeares was put to death at Norwich. This hellish heretique, a little before he should be executed, An Arian executed at Nor­wich. afforded a fewe whorish teares asking whether hee might bee saued in Christ or no? When one tolde him, that if he truely repented, he should surely not perish: he brake out most mon­strously into this speech: Nay, is your Christ so easily to be intreated indeede, as you say? Then I defie him, and care not for him. Oh how good a thing had it beene not to haue cast this precious stone to this swine? Oh how safe had it beene to haue dealt more bit­terlie, and to haue dwelt more vehementlie on the conscience of this caytife?

Now to attaine some discretion in curing [Page 58] this wounded spirite, wee must learne wise­ly to iudge, both of the person afflicted, and of the nature of his affliction. First, we may note whether it be a man or a woman, be­cause we may vrge more fearfully the vse of the law to a man, as beeing the stronger ves­sell. And as Sathan knewe the woman to be most easie and frameable to be wrought vp­on, at his first temptation: so is hee not ig­norant that shee is the weaker partye to su­staine any temptation nowe. Then let vs con­sider, whether they that are thus humbled haue knowledge or no? Because, if they haue no knowledge they thinke trouble of minde to be so strange a thing, as neuer anie before had it: if they haue knowledge, then Sathan is readie to accuse them of the sinne against the holy Ghost, as though euery sinne done against knowledge, were a sinne of pre­sumption. Further, we are to enquire, howe strong or weake they are, that if they be sorely stricken we cease to humble thē any further, if they be not sufficiently wounded then to touch thē with some deeper sense of sin. Also we must be circumspect, to finde out whether by nature they are more fearful & melancho­ly or no: As also, whether they be vsuall sinners, or haue falne once of infirmity; that so vpon their disposition & inclinatiō we may builde our speeches the better. To these it is [Page 59] good to adde the consideration of the persons age, estate & ability: as if the party be troubled for worldlines, whether he be not a great hous­holder: if he complaine of vncleannes, whether he be not a yoong man & vnmaried: if he be hūbled with couetousnes, whether he be not old: because diuers countries, callings, ages, conditions & estates of men, haue their diuers & peculiar sinnes, which we must rightly dis­cerne. Howbeit of what sex soeuer they are men or women, of what complexion soeuer the are, of what knowledge to discerne sin, of what degree of commiting sinne; of what age, authority, wealth, estate, or condition so­euer they are, it is good to marke that there be many, who are more troubled for the vex­ation and disquietnes of their minde beeing distempered, then for the vilenes and horrible­nes of their sinne committed; who are woun­ded more with the feare of shame, with the feare of beeing mad, or with the feare of run­ning out of their wittes, than with the consci­ence of sinne. Which thing if we find in them, it is our part to trauell with them, that they make a lesse matter of the outward shame, & more conscience of the inward sinne. Ney­ther must we here forget to make a distinctiō between our speeches vsed to the hūbled in the very time of their extream agony & burning a gue of their trobles, & those speches which we [Page 60] vse to them the fit beeing past; because the one and former requireth more consolation and lesse exhortation, the other and latter would haue vs more aboundant in admonish­ing, and more sparing in comforting, when we may wisely admonish them to beware of sinne, which so procured their owne woe. In this breathing time, it is also expedient to exhort them, that for some season vntill they shall finde greater power of regeneration, they would tye them­selues to some holy orders, and godly vowes, whereby they may either be furthered in mor­tifying some speciall sinne; which for that they coulde finde no power against it, did most grieue them, or strengthened in some special grace, the want wherof did also wound them.

But before we launch deeper into this sea of particular tentations, and beginne to founde the dangerous passages of naturall corruption, and originall sinne, the trouble­some froath whereof, doth almost ouer­whelme many poore pilgrims it; shall be good to giue this caution, that both in these and in the former troubles, men woulde be still againe admonished, patiently to beare with a wounded spirit, albeit it fall out so, that they be somewhat pettish, seeing the holy Ghost speaketh so fauourably of them, saying: [Page 61] A wounded Spirit who can beare? And surely our practise in other thinges, by the lawe of equitie, may vrge this at our handes. For if men by the light of reason can see it to bee a duetie conuenient, not furiously to controle, but meekely to suffer, and wisely to put vp the vnaduised speeches of a man distemper­ed in braine, by reason of some burning a­gue, or such like violent and vehement sick­nes: we may easily gather euen by the same rule of reason, not so seuerely to censure the impatient speeches of him, who by reason of some parching Feuer of the spirit, is disquie­ted in all partes of his minde, and hath all the veynes of his heart (as it were in a spirituall agony) vexed. Wherfore both vnsauory for want of godly wisedome, and vncharitable for want of Christian loue, are their murmu­ring obtrectations which say, what? Is this the godly man? Is this hee that is so troubled for his sinnes? Why! see how pettish he is, nothing can please him: no bodie can satis­fie him. Consider, O man, if thou canst beare with a fraile body, that thou must much more beare with a fraile minde. Consider O man that this his pettishnes doth more wound him to the heart, than any iniury thou couldest presse him with. And therefore seeing he afflicteth his owne soule for it, thou needest not adde any thing to his afflic­tion, [Page 62] and to exasperate his grieuous smart. Consider that it is a blessed thing mercifully to bethinke vs of the estate of the needy, and that to rub a fresh wound, & to streine a blee­ding sore, is nothing else, but with Iobs friends to bring a new torment, wher there is no need of it. If the wise father doth rather pittie than rebuke his childe, when by reason of sicknes the appetite is not easily pleased: euen so, if we purpose to doe any good with an af­flicted minde, we must not be austere in re­prehending euery infirmity, but pitifull in considering of it tender frailtie. Neither do I speake this to nourish pettishnesse in any, but would haue them to labour for patience, and to seeke for peace, which though they finde not at the first, yet by prayer they must waite on the Lord, and say; Lorde, because there is mercie that thou maist be feared: I will waite vpon thee, as the eye of the seruant waiteth vpon the hand of his Master. I will condemne my selfe of folly, and say, Oh my soule, why art thou so heauy? Why art thou so cast downe with­in mee? Still trust in the Lorde, for he is thy health and thy saluation.

IN all afflictions Gods children must looke vnto the ende: They are to desire to profite by them, and in them to seeke the way of perfect cō ­fort and consolation: which that they may finde, they must know that the afflicti­ons of the godly last but a while; they serue them but for salues and medicines; the ende of them is alwaies happy. In them they are not onely preserued, and purified from many sinnes: but also much beautified with the I­mage of Iesus Christ, who is the eldest Sonne in the house of God. Againe the crosse of true Christians is the sweete and amiable call of God vnto repentance, in that he putteth vs in minde thereby to bethinke vs of our debts: because we are giuen to thinke the daie of payment is yet farre of; yea we fall a sleepe vntill our turne be ended, and whilest God lengtheneth our daies waiting for our repen­tance, we neuer thinke of our sinnes vntill the houre come wherein we perish with shame. The best meeting then with the Lordes visitation, is without delay and in syncerity to pray for our sinnes to be pardo­ned. For therefore doth the Lord oftentimes [Page 64] shackle vs the more with the chaines of his chastisements, because we are more carefull to be vnburthened of our sicknes, then to be freed from our sinne: which wee the rather are loath to confesse, because we would not be espied, to be in the wrath of God. O­thers there bee that nearing of their sinnes in the time of their afflictions, will acknowledge indeede their infirmities to be the mother of such a broode: yet they haue no true remorse to restraine themselues from sinne, because they haue but a confused con­ceite thereof, and though their ship be ne­uer so much tossed and turmoyled, yet thinke they not that God holdeth the sterne. These men if God beare with them, do as it were settle in their lees, and are as it were so­ked in their sinnes. For prosperitie is a drun­kennes, to cast our selues into a dead sleepe, and when the Lord setteth vs alone, we cease not to sooth vp our selues, bearing our selues in hand, that we are in Gods fauour, and that he loueth vs, because he scourgeth vs not. And thus retchles we are whilest we measure Gods loue according to our sence and humor. Wherin we be wray our ignorance of the exercise of the crosse, in that affliction is the mother of humilitie, humilitie breedeth repentance, & repentance obtaineth mercy. Some also there are who vsually whilest the [Page 65] fearefull iudgement of God is before their eies, eyther in themselues or in others, haue a fewe glancing motions, and starting co­gitations of their sinnes and of Christ his pas­sion: yet at all other times their mindes are so clasped vp from thinking of temptations, & their hearts so locked vp from foreseeing or forethinking of iudgments, that they feele no godly sorrow. They mocke the mourning daies of the elect, as of them that be of a me­lancholy nature; they make a sport of sin, as little remembring the sting which will either pricke them to the hart blood most fearfully in the houre of death, or meete thē with gry­ping agonies in the day of their visitatiō more speedily. But happely they thinke they haue giuen good testimony & word of their repen­tance and remembrance of God, when they giue one deepe sigh and away, and passe ouer Gods heauy indignatiō as ouer burning coals. So that whilest the Lord in prosperity affor­deth large peniworthes of his loue vnto them, they dally with his Maiesty, and make a sport of his mercy. All which imperfections may be better corrected, if in our deepest rest with a reuerente & humble feare of gods iudgmēts, we did waite for the day of our tryall, & pre­pare our selues to the lords visitations, as they who by the writing of their owne conscience do acknowledge themselues by iust title to be fosterers therof: for the feeling of Gods mer­cy [Page 66] must come from the sight of our misery by sinne; which being pardoned, we shall soone haue our infirmities heled. Wherfore let vs first learne to cleanse our soules from sin, and then to sustaine the sores of our body. Sure it is that if we haue suffered our hearts to be harrowed with the rake of Gods iudgements, (as occa­sion from the Lord hath bene giuen) that we are become soft & well exercised in the feare of God: we shall come to the feeling of our sins, the sence wherof; if it bring as it were a sicknes to the body & a corsey to the soule, it is an vndoubted earnest of our regeneration, & happy are we if we find our selues so disea­sed and troubled with our sinnes, that we can hardly (being in the skirmish & agony) make any difference between the motions to any euil, & the consent vnto the same: for often­times euil motions do so possesse the soules of gods children, sucking down so strongly in thē that though they weepe, pray, and meditate (which be the last meanes & remedies to ease & cure them) yet though they feele them with irksomenes & loathsomenes, as we feele sick­nes in our bodies: yet those motions will be continually in them without diminishing, the delight onely excepted. Wherefore for our comfort herein, we are not to martyre our selues with disquietnes of minde, because we are so pestered, thronged with wicked moti­ons and assaultes, but rather let vs quiet our [Page 67] selues, and not suffer our selues to be hindred with sicknes either of body or mind: by means wherof we should become more vnprofitable to our selues, & the whole church of God. For the godly shall not be so freed from sinne, but that they shalbe assalted with euill motions, suspitions, delusious, vaine fan ti [...]s & imagi­nations; the body of sin shall neuer be frō vs so long as we liue. For the scome therof is al­most continually boyling & wallopping in vs, foming out such filthy froth & stinking sauor into our mindes, that it is not only detestable to the minde regenerate and renewed by the spirit of God, but also it would make abashed the very naturall man, to looke into so loath­some a stye of sin, & sink hole of iniquity. Yea it maketh vs often to quaile, & if it were pos­sible, it would corrupt the very part regene­rate. For mighty is the power, & raging is the strength of sin: Neither for all this must we cease to sorrowe for our sins, nor dispaire on the other side, although our sorrow bee but small. For if we be sorrowfull for the hardnes of our hearts, if we can be grieued for that we are no more grieued for our sins, if we can but sigh and groone because we feele our iniqui­ties; it is so much a greater comfort vnto vs, as it is a greater testimony that our heartes are not altogether hardened: so that if we feele [...]orrowe indeede, although wee weepe [Page 68] not, yet we may gather comfort, considering that this sorrow is for sinne with a loue and hunger after righteousnes: yea if our assaults be distrust, pride, arrogancy, ambition, en­uie, concupiscence, as who [...]e as the fyre in the furnace all our daies, and though Sathan lay­eth out oyle in great measure & out of mea­sure, that it is the wonderfull mercy of the Lorde that we stand; and though our pray­ers be dull and full of wearisomenes, if the striuing and strayning of our selues to good­nesse be so hard, that we knowe not whether we striue for feare of punishment or for loue of so good a Father: yet if we feele this in our selues that we would faine loue the Lord, and be better, and beeing wearied and tyred with our sinnes, long gladly to enioye the peace of righteousnes, and desire to please God in a simple obedience of faith; then let vs comfort our selues; there is no time to late to repent in. For he commeth quickly to Christ (although in the hou [...]e of death) that commeth willingly, and in a desire of a better life: howsoeuer sinne and Sathan at that time would especially perswade him. For as the humming Bee hauing lost her sting in an o­ther, doth still notwithstanding make a fear­full and grieuous noyse by her often buz­zing about vs, but is nothing able to hurt vs: so sin & death, hauing lost their stings in Christ [Page 69] Iesus, do not cease at all, euen in the height of the parching heat of our consciences, to make a murmuring: and with furious stormes of temptations to terrifie vs and our conscien­ces, albeit they can neuer sting vs. Wherfore if Sathan charge our consciences with sin (if we can feele the things a little before mentio­ned, in our consciences) let vs bid him, not tell vs what we haue beene, but what we woulde be. For such we are by imputation as we be in affection, and he is now no sinner, who for the loue he beareth to righteousnes, would be no sinner. Such as we be in desire and purpose, such we be in reckoning and account with God, who giueth that true desire and holy purpose to none but to his children whom he iustifieth. Neyther vndoubtedly can the gil­tines of sinne breake the peace of our consci­ence, seeing it is the worke of an other who hath commended vs as righteous before God, and saued vs. It must indeed be confessed, that our owne works wil do nothing in the matter of iustification, which from Christ, & in Christ is freely giuen vnto vs: it must be granted that in our selues we are weaker then that we can resist the least sinne, so farre of is it, that we can encounter with the law, sinne, death, hell and Sathan: and yet in Christ we are more then conquerers ouer them all. When the law ac­cuseth thee because thou hast not obserued it; [Page 70] send it to Christ & say, there is a man that hath fulfilled the law: to him I cleaue, he hath ful­filled it for me, and hath giuen the fulfilling of it vnto mee; I haue nothing to do with thee, I haue another law which striketh thee down, euen the law of liberty which through Christ hath set me free. For my conscience which henceforth serueth the law of grace, is a glori­ous prince to triumph ouer thee. If sin come and would haue thee by the throat, send it to Christ, & say, as much as thou maist do against him, so much right thou shalt haue against me. For I am in him, & he in me: wherfore (O sin) I am righteous through my Christ, which is a condemning sin, to condemne thee which art a condemned sinner. If death creepe vpon thee & attempt to deuoure thee, say vnto it, Christ hath ouercome thee, & opened to me the gates of euerlasting life: thou wouldest haue killed him, with the sting of sin, but the same being of no force, thy purpose (O death) hath failed, and he being my life, is be­come thy death. If Sathan sommon thee to answer for thy debts, send him also to Christ and say, that the wife is not suable, but the hus­band: enter thine action against Christ mine husband, and he will make thee a sufficient answere: who then shall condemne vs? or what iudge shall daunt vs? syth God is our iudge and accquited vs? and Christ was con­demned, [Page 71] & iustifieth vs? he is our iudge that willeth not the death of a sinner; he is our man of law who to excuse vs, suffered himselfe to be accused for vs. O gluttonous hell where is thy defence? O cruell sin, where is thy tyran­nous power? O rauening death where is thy bloody sting? O roaring Lion, why doest thou freete and foame? Christ my lawe fighteth a­gainst thee O lawe, and is my liberty. Sinne against thee O sinne, and is my righteousnes: Christ against thee O diuell, and is my sauiour? Death against thee O death & is my life. Thou diddest desire to paue my way to the burning lake of damned soules: but contrarie to thy will, thou art constrained to lift vp the ladder wherby I must ascend into the new Ie­rusalem. Wherfore if we shal finde our selues forsaken of God, so as we perceiue nothing but matter of dispaire, let vs still hold our owne; & in the certainty of our faith stay our selues, sith Christ is giuen vs of God that he might ex­tinguish sin, triumph ouer the law, vanquish death, ouercome the diuell, and destroy hell, for our onely comfort and consolation. But peraduenture some will say, my faith is weake and colde, and my conscience is as a [...]laming lampe and burning furnace: I feare the Lorde will still pursue mee with his wrath­full indignation: Thou doest well to feare, but feare and sinne not.

[Page 72]For feare which subdueth the securitie of the flesh, is in all most requisite, in that the wea­ker we are in our selues, the stronger we are in God. But that feare is dangerous, which hin­dereth the certainty of faith, in that it incou­rageth our enemy more fearcely to set vpō vs; when we (comming into the campe) will cast away our armour especially which should de­fend vs. Comfort thy selfe, the Lord will not quench the smoking flaxe, nor breake the brused reede, he looketh not on the quanti­tie but on the qualitie of our faith. For as a good mother doth not reiect hir childe be­cause through some infirmitie it is weake, feeble and not able to go alone, but rather doth pitie and supporte it least peraduenture it should fal, & recompenseth that with more motherly affection, which in her child is wan­ting by occasion: in like manner the Lorde God our most gracious father doth not cast vs off, because through our imperfections we are vnable or afraide to drawe neerer to the throne of grace; but rather pitieth vs, and seing vs a farre of desirous to come vnto him, meeteth vs by the way, & by grace & strength of his owne hand, directeth our steps vnto his kingdom. And as he which freely purposeth to giue a wedge of gold, will not withdrawe his gift because the hand of him that should re­ceiue it, is weak, troubled with the gout, palsy, [Page 73] or leaprosie, so that by any meanes, though in greate weakenes, he be able to holde it: euen so the Lorde purposing in free mercie to bestowe on vs an immortall weight of glory, will not depriue vs of it, though many filthy blemishes haue poluted and weakened or faith, so that in any small mea­sure we be able to take holde of his promi­ses▪ neither are we [...]o loke on our faith which the Gospell hath called vs vnto, be­cause we neuer beleeue as we ought; but ra­ther on that which the Gospell offereth & giueth, that is on Gods mercy and peace in Christ: in whose lappe if we can lay our heads with Saint Iohn, then we are in felicitie, se­curitie, and perfect quietnes. Contrariwise there be some, who (notwithstanding that a tormented conscience is a stinging Serpent, that it were much better that all the creaturs rose vp against vs, euery one bringnig their bane; then once to come before the dreadful face of God) are so blockish that they are wholy resolued into hardnes. If they bee pricked with sicknes, they crye alas; if they be pinched with pouertie thy can complaine: but as for the torment of minde they cānot skil of it: And euē to talke of abrused, cōtrite & broken hart, is a strange lāguage. For profe whereof our consciences are rocked aslepe so that not one amongest a thousand know­eth [Page 74] what it is to be pressed and harrowed with the rake of Gods iudgements. But blessed are they that to their owne saluati­on feele this in their bodies, whilest sinne may be both punished and purged. For though God spare vs for a time, yet we know what he keepeth for our end. Wherefore it is the best for vs to runne to the Lord in this life with a troubled minde, least we tarry till the Lord haue locked vs vp with the heauie fetters of desperation, when he shall som­mon vs to the barre of his iudgement, in the sight of his Angels, and impannelling the great inquest of his Saintes against vs, shall denounce our fearefull and finall sentence of eternall condemnation, for we see many that haue beene carelesse and haue made good cheare all their life long, yea, and when men haue laboured to make them feele the iudgements of God, they haue turned all to mockery, but whose iolytie the Lorde hath so abated when they drawe towardes death, that in steade of resting and sporting (whereunto they had bene giuen) they haue felt the terrour of death, hell, and damnati­on, and lapping vp their ioyes in finall des­peration, haue forced out cursinges a­gainst their filthie pleasures. Wherefore if wee in the tempest of our temptations will saile a right course, neither shrinking [Page 75] nor slipping into the gulfe of desperation, neither battering our barke against the rocke of presumption; Let vs in a con­trite spiri [...]e cry vnto the Lorde: Haue mer­cy vpon mee, heale my soule for I haue sin­ned against thee, forgiue all mine iniqui­ties, and heale all mine infirmities. Thou healest those that are broken in hearte and byndest vp their soares: why art thou cast downe my soule, and why art thou disquie­ted within mee, waite on God, for I will yet giue him thanks, he is my present helpe, & my God. Yet my soule keepe thou silence before God, of him commeth my saluation, he is my strength, therefore I shall not much be moued, his mightines is enough to giue me courage, yea and shalbe euen when I am forlorne, I knowe that the diminishing of my body, goods, friendes, or any other thing is a calling of me, to that which neuer shall diminish nor decay, I beleeue that my Lord and my God allureth me daly thither; that I might not doubt that when my body is laide in the graue, and there consumed as it were to nothing, yet notwithstanding my soule resting in the bosome of the Lord, shall returne vnto me and shall rise to glo­ry: euen as it (resting in this life, in the mer­cies of Christ) did rise to grace verely I see, & that with ioy, that my flesh must go to decay [Page 76] for looke what freshnes soeuer was in it, it di­minished day by day. And I neede not goe farre to seeke for death, for I feele not so smale an infirmitie in my bodie, but the same is vnto me a messenger of dissolution. Yet for all this I shall see my God, and when I am couered in the belly of the graue with mouldes, I am assured, that he will reach me his hande to lift me vp againe to the beautie of his inheritance: so that this smale cottage and shed of leaues, being brought to the graue, shall be caried into an incor­ruptible tabernacle. Thus communing with our owne harts, and being still in the peace of a good conscience, concerning our outward sufferings, we shall finde that the Lord by his fatherly and louing chastismēts, intendeth nothing more then to proue our obedience, as good reason it is that he should, and to confirme our faith, as also is most ne­cessarie. Howbeit still as I saide, he vseth a fatherly correction, that is, in mercy, mea­sure, and iudgement. For as he striketh vs downe in anger for our sinnes with the one hande, so he raiseth vs vp againe in loue for our saluation with the other hand. For al­beit his corrections be wearisome woundes to flesh and bloude, yet are they soueraine medicines to the soule and conscience, es­pecially when the Lorde giueth vs that priui­uiledge [Page 77] of his children, that by his holy spirite he doth ouermaister vs, least that finally we should be his Iudge, and he not ours. And for this cause the Lord is often times prouo­ked to put on (as it were) a contrary face, & to locke vs vp in a prison of aduersitie, to re­straine vs from the libertie of our sinnes, which Sathan faine would make vs violently to rush into. And surely though the wisdome of the flesh perswadeth vs that nothing is better then to be spared and not to be espied when the Lord calleth vs to reckoning; yet the spirit shewing our desperate estate, with­out the syre of affliction, and boulter of ad­uersitie, teacheth vs that we cannot of all the blessings of God sufficiently esteeme this, being the mother of humilitie, and nource of true repentance. Againe, the Lorde fitteth vs often by inward temptations and out­warde crosses, to flitte vs from the stake of securitie and vntowardnes to good workes; least in time we should loose the experience of our knowledge and faith in Christ, and seeke some easier kinde of life for flesh & bloud. Neither can we truely repent, vntill by some crosse we know this world to be a place of sorrowe, and not of mirth and delight. For so long as we make our prosperitie a bul­warke to beate downe all harmes, we are to looke for aduersitie to beate downe the [Page 78] high saile of our proude hearts, whereby we gadde after our owne lustes, and leaue the anchor of peace, which is our trust in God. Let vs learn [...] then, when the world begin­neth to fauour vs, and we haue as it were an hundreth thousand soldiers, to beare vs vp; not to be secure; for there is nothing more ea­sie for a man, then for to make him selfe be­leeue that he shall alwaies continue in happy estate, and thinke he shall die in the nest. But we must be as birds on a bough, to remoue at Gods pleasure, and that without resistance when the Lord shall visite vs. And because we are giuen to much to thinke that wee haue the things in our owne right, which we houlde of the free goodnes of God: wee are taught in affliction how hainous vn­thankfulnes it were to binde the Lord con­tinually to intertaine vs in this life at so full Charge and cost, without respect of his free & vndeserued giftes: or to holde plee against, and sue him as it were by an obligation, at whose handes we ought to begge daily; and at whose gate we receiue all our maintei­nance: or to make a rent charge of all that which he giueth of his hee liberalitie. Thus in the end wee make a chalendge of owner­shippe of Gods giftes, and make accompt to haue their companie to the graue, where­by wee prouoke the Lord often to prooue to [Page 79] our faces, that all that wee haue is but lent and borrowed. Let vs then haue such an eye to euery blow, that whensoeuer the Lord shall lay any crosse vpon vs, wee bee rea­dy to receiue it & to yeelde vp our bonds vn­to him, the condition whereof is, that wee be readie to remooue whensoeuer he plea­seth, knowing that Gods prouidence for­ceth vs alwaies to the best, and as most may make for the hastening of our soules to our euerlasting inheritance. Let vs learne not to reckē without our host, & that we hold our prosperitie of the Lord not in [...]ee simple, but as tenants at will, that is, from day to day, resigning to God the soueraignetie of reuoking vs when it pleaseth him. Thus it becommeth the Lord to change our estate that wee be come not snatled in the giftes of prosperitie, and become so folish as not to keepe on our way to the heauenly life. Our natural inclination is to forget that we are on earth as pilgrimes; to leape vp into the clouds; and to promise vnto our selues the whole course of our liues to be in prosperitie; and so long as God letteth vs alone at our ease, we take our selues (as it were) to be petty Gods. But when we see our selues shut vp, and know not what will be the end of our misery, finde­ing our selues to be intertained in this life but as iorney men, waged for the present day, but [Page 80] not knowing what will become of vs the day following: we desire to take our [...]est in the bosome of Gods prouidence, and so much we strike our sailes the lower, when the Lord proclameth warre with our secure prosperitie: which perswadeth vs that we shall liue for euer, and driueth vs from bethinking vs of our miseries and frail [...]i [...]s. Wherefore let vs cut out our prosperitie by the patterne of humilitie, and in our best estate, putte our selues in readinesse to suffer aduersitie, and whē we are well, to looke for worse, & keepe a good watch when God handleth vs most gently, that in abounding we may foresee our wants, in health our sicknes, and in pro­speritie our calamitie: concerning things of this life the faithfull are to stande in a doubt, that that which they holde with one hande, may be taken away with the other. Wee must not thinke that we shall euer be shut vp in a mewe, so that we should see noe crosse: but we must lay open our selues to receaue stripes from the Lord, knowing that our least cryes will stay his greatest scourges. Let vs loue to bee assaulted, but not vnmea­surably because God will assist vs. Let vs looke to fal, but on our knees, because Gods hand doth hold vs vp. Let vs looke to bee humbled but in mercy, because the Lord sustaineth vs, and as we are as [...]ured where [Page 81] misery hemmeth vs about on euery side, to haue an ou [...]-gate in euery danger▪ so it is our part continually to confesse before the Lord, that wee euer giue new occasions that hee should follow vs with newe punishmentes▪ and that our sinnes doe often shake of the wings of Gods mercy, vnder the which we haue beene long comforted. For Gods children acknowledge themselues without ceasing, that God hath rodd [...]s in a readi­nes (though they see noe present euill) to beat them from their sinnes: and bende all their care, how they may rather suff [...]r ad [...]ersitie to Gods glory, then to steepe securely in prosperitie vnto their owne pleasure. Now when the Lord doth, as it were holde vs on the racke for these causes before named, we must pray vnto him, that (howsoeuer he kee­peth vs in the presse) wee may haue a brea­thing while to consider our daies spent in pleasure, and to examine our vnthankfulnes, which shutteth vp the doore of Gods mer­cy from vs. And because our afflictions are the sorer when they come the nearer to the soule, we may with our selues con­clude to hold on the way of our thorough- [...]aire and though wee see nothing but thornes of temptations, and bryers of euill affe [...]ions, so as wee must bee faine to leape ouer hedges, rockes, and ditches; yet must [Page 82] we not cease to continue in Gods seruice. For if that were not, what triall and examina­tion of our faith should there bee, weare wee as in a faire medowe that wee might runne on a longe by the water side in a shade, and that there might be nothing but pleasure and ioy all our life time: who could vant that he had serued God with good affection? But when GOD doth send vs things cleane contrary to our de­sires, that we must bee faine one while to enter into a quagmire, and another while to march vpon ragged rocks & stones; then wee shall haue the vse of a well ex­excised minde in prayer, in repentance, and in contempt of this life. And why doeth the Lorde some time suffer vs to pyne away, and to languishe in continu­ance of griefe, seeinge that hee coulde cleane ridde vs at the first, doubtlesse to this end, that wee might confesse his mercy more freely, and bite of his iust­stice more sharpely. Let vs now learne to holde all the passions of impacientie in bondage, both by comparing our e­uils which the wonderfull mercies of GOD, and our smale sufferings with the intollerable conflictes of our fore­fathers [Page 83] For there is noe greater cause of our desparing vnder the crosse, then when Sathan perswadeth vs: that ne­uer any were handled so roughlye, or els woulde beare vs in hande, that al­though GOD afflicted the faithfull that haue beene before vs, yet they were not so weake as wee. But let vs remem­ber that GOD hath so pinched his seruantes, euen them whome hee loued, and whose welfare was deare and pre­cious in his fight, and hath often brought them to such extremities, as they were not able to looke vp any more, not wist how to speake nor how to houlde their peace. Wherefore least our infirmities shoulde ouermaister vs, and when temp­tations are fierce vppon vs, wee knowe not where to become: Let vs call too minde the Saintes of God, who were constrained with sighes and grones to stoup vnder the hande of GOD; whose martyrs and tormented children ought to bee our looking glasses, to the ende that by them wee may learne, that according as GOD dealeth forth the giftes of the Spirite, thereafter doth hee sende greater af­flictions; both to make thē the more estemed, [Page 84] and also to cast vp a more plentifull fruite of their faith. How did God deale with Abra­ham, Abraham not a common man, but rather an An­gell, the tenth part of whose sufferings would make a stout heart to quaile. How was Da­uid the seruant of God, Dauid. exercised in Gods schole, who felt all Gods dar [...]s, and had all his arrowes shot at him. Thus it is requi­site that Gods graces shoulde not b [...] idle in his children, but set on worke by afflicti­ons, whereby they may be knowne in due time and place. How did God play the Lion wi [...]h Ezechias, Ezechias. who (as with pawes & teeth) brused and crushed his bones; not that wee may accuse God of crue [...]tie, but that wee may see with what anguish the Lorde doth some times exercise his children, and with what patience he doth arme them: who notwithstanding his vehement trialles, doe stay them selues vpon God, accusing themselues (Mat. 7.9) I will beare the wrath of the Lord, because I haue sinned against him: and ex [...]using the Lord with all humblenes with Dauid ( Psal. 114) I know O Lord that thy Iudgements are right, and that thou hast afflicted me iustly &c. It is much auaileable to mortification and Christian patience also, to occupie our heartes in the house of mour­ning euen in our greatest banquetting, and to betake our selues vnto some serious medi­tation [Page 85] of aduersi [...]ie, when present pleasures would most deu [...]rce vs from the remēbrance thereof. So though wee haue much in pos­session, wee shall haue little in affection & when God doth most aduance vs, we shall feare our wantes of humilitie: and [...]hen esp [...]cially be ransacking our infirmities, when the Lord for ou [...] triall enricheth vs most with his benefits. For if the Lord God by multi­plying his mercies increaseth our account; we are often to suspect, to call to iudgement, and to arraine our selues for the vsing of Gods creatures; who often giueth that in iudge­ment, which he might deny vs in mercy and often wayneth vs from some things in his loue, which hee might giue vnto vs in his anger.