name of a person of an euill Conscience prefixed before a booke of good Conscience I desired a Patron sutable to my subiect I presume the very subiect shall make the Treatise welcome to you Be you pleased to affoord your acceptaÌ„ce as I will affoord you my poore prayers that the Lord who hath already set vpon your head the crowne of the elders Childrens Children Prou. 17. 6. and one crowne of glory here Pro. 16. 31. on earth Age found in the wayes of righteousnes would also in his due time giue you that incorruptible crowne of righteousnesse and eternall glory in the heavens which that righteous Iudge shall giue to you and to all those that in the waies of a good Conscience waite for the blessed appearance of the Lord Iesus Your Worships in all Christian observance IER DYKE The Contents of this TREATISE The Text containes three Maine heads 1. Maine head Pauls Protestation of a good Conscience where fiue things considered 1. What Conscience is 2. What a good Conscience is It is good with a two-fold goodnesse 1. With the goodnesse of Integritie this Integritie is threefold 1. When being rightly principled by the Word it sincerely iudges and determines of good evill 2. When it doth excuse for good and accuse for evill 3. When it vrges to good and restraines from evill 2. With the goodnes of Tranquilitie Peace Here three sorts of Conscience discouered not to be good viz. 1. The Ignorant Conscience 2. The Secure Conscience 3. The Seared Conscience 3. The meanes of getting and keeping a good Conscience 1. To get and keepe the Conscience good peaceably or with the goodnesse of peace three things required 1. Faith in Christs bloud 2. Repentance from dead works 3. The Conscionable exercise of Prayer 2. To get and keepe the Conscience Good with the goodnesse of Integritie and to haue it vprightly good fiue things required viz. 1. Walking before God 2. Framing ones Course by the Rule of the Word 3. Frequent examination of the Conscience 4. Hearkning to the voice of ConscieÌ„ce 5. In cases of questionable nature to take the surest and the safest side 4. The markes and notes of a good Conscience and they be seauen 1. To make Conscience of all sinnes and duties 2. To make Conscience of small sinnes and duties 3. To affect a Ministry that speakes to the Conscience 4. To doe dutie and avoide sinne for Conscience sake 5. Holy Boldnesse 6. To suffer for Conscience 7. Constancie and Perseuerance in Good 5. The Motiues to a good Conscience and they are fiue 1. The incomparable Comfort and Benefit of it in all such Times and Cases as all other Comforts fayle a man and wherein a man stands most in neede of Comfort These Cases or Times are fiâ—e 1. The Time and Case of Disgrace and Reproach 2. The Time of Common feare and Common Calamitie 3. The Time of Sickenesse or other crosses 4. The Time of Death 5. The Time and day of Iudgement 2. That a good Conscience is 1. A Feast for 1. Contentment and satisfaction 2. Ioy and Mirth 3. Societie 2. Better then a feast for 1. The Continuance 2. Independencie 3. Vniuersalitie 3. Without a good Conscience all our best duties are naught 4. It is the Ship and Arke of Faith 5. The misery of an euill one 1. In this world in respect of 1. Feare 2. Perplexity 3. Torment 2. In the world to come 2. Maine Head Ananias his insolent Iniunction Whereout is observed 1. What is the respect a good Conscience findes in the world 2. The impetuous Iniustice of the enemies of good Conscience 3. Who commonly be the bitterest Enemies of good Conscience 4. That Vsurpers are Smiters 5. What is a said forerunner of a Nations Ruine 3. Maine Head Pauls Answer and Contestation Whereout is observed 1. That Christian Patience muzzles not a good Conscience from pleading it own Innocency 2. The severitie of Gods Iudgements vpon the enemies and smiters of good Conscience 3. The equitie of Gods administration in his execution of Justice A Table of the severall Chapters of this Treatise Chapter I. The Introduction to the Discourse following Folio 1 Chapter II. Conscience Described 10 Chapter III. A good Conscience what it is False ones discouered 24 Chapter IV. Peace of Conscience how gotten 43 Chapter V. Integrity of Conscience how procured 56 Chapter VI. Two further meanes to procure Integritie of Conscience 69 Chapter VII Two markes of a good Conscience 86 Chapter VIII Three other Notes of a good Conscience 106 Chapter IX The two last Notes of a good Conscience 121 Chapter X. The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the case of Disgrace and Reproach 150 Chapter XI The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience in the times of common feares and calamities and in the times of sickenesse and other personall evils 171 Chapter XII The comfort and benefit of a good Conscience at the dayes of Death and Iudgement 192 Chapter XIII A second Motiue to a good conscience That is a continuall Feast 210 Chapter XIV A third and fourth Motiue to a good Conscience 235 Chapter XV. The last Motiue to a good Conscience viz. The miserie of an euill one 250 Chapter XVI The portion and respect that a good Conscience findes in the world 272 Chapter XVII The impetuous Iniustice and malice of the Aduersaries of a good Conscience 286 Chapter XVIII The severitie of Gods Iustice vpon the enemies of good Conscience and the vsuall equitie of Gods Administration in his executions of Iustice 299 GOOD CONSCIENCE ACTS 23. 1. And Paul earnestly beholding the Councell said Men and brethren I haue liued in all good Conscience vntill this day 2 And the high Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth 3. Then said Paul vnto him God shall smite thee thou whited wall CHAP. I. The Introduction to the Discourse following THere is no complaint so general as this that the world is Naught His experience is short and slender which will not iustifie the truth of this Complaint And what thinke we may the Cause be of the generall wickednes of our Times Surely nothing makes Ill Times but Ill men and nothing makes Hâ—minum sunt ista noÌ„ Temporum Senec. ep 98 Ill Men but Ill Consciences Ill Conscience is the source the fountaine froÌ„ whence come all Iniquities which make Times heere so ill How well should he deserue that could amend Ill times There is a course if it would be taken that would doe the deed and so cease the common Complaint Elishaes course must be taken in the healing of the waters of Iericho They say of their waters as wee of our Times The water is naught and the ground barren 2. King 2. 19. What course now takes Elisha for the healing of the waters He went out vnto the spring of the waters and cast the Salt in there ver 21. So the waters were healed vers 22.
GOOD Conscience OR A TREATISE SHEWING THE Nature Meanes Marks Benefit and Necessitie thereof By IER DYKE Minister of Gods Word at Epping in Essex The second Edition Corrected Luke 10. 42. One thing is necessary August de verb. dom serm 18. Vniversa inutiliter habet qui vnum illud quo vniversis vtatur non habet LONDON Printed for ROBERT MILBOVRNE and are to be sold at his Shop at the great South-dore of Pauls 1626. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVL Sr. FRANCIS BARRINGTON Knight and Baronet a Patron and patterne of Pietie and Good Conscience RIGHT WORSIPFVâ—L THat which the Apostle Paul speakes of a mans desire of the office of a Bishop may bee truely spoken of euery one who desires to gaine men to the loue of a good CoÌ„science that he desires a worthy work Yea it is the work which is ought to be made the scope drift of the worthy worke of the Ministry And therefore it is that he that desires the calling of the Ministry desires a worthy work because of this worthy worke of bringing men to good Conscience A worke at which all worke and bookes should specially ayme Conscience is a Vnicuique liber est pro pria conscientia et ad hunc libruÌ„ discutienduÌ„ et emendaÌ„dum omnes alii inventi sunt Bern. de Cons booke one of those bookes that shall bee opened at the last day and to which men shall bee put and by which they shall be iudged Therefore to the directing informing and amending of this booke should all other bookes specially tend Yea Salomon seems to call men off from all other bookes and studies to the study of this so necessary a point the keeping of a good Conscience Eccl. 1212 13. Of making many bookes saith hee ther is no end much study is a wearines of the flesh Let vs heare the coÌ„clusioÌ„ of the whole matter Feare God and keep his CoÌ„mandements for this is the whole duty of man As if his advise tended to this to neglect all studies in coÌ„parison of that study which aymes at the getting and keeping of a good Conscience It would be exceeding happy with vs if this study were more in request amongst vs. Wee seeme to liue in those dayes fore-told by the Prophet wherein the earth Isa 11. 9. should be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. We are blessed that liue in so cleare a Sun-shine of Gods truth but yet the griefe is that through our owne default our Sun-shine is but like the winter light all light little or no heate and we make no other vse of our light but onely to see by not to walke and worke by In the first re-entrance of the Gospell amongst Antiqua sapientia nihil aliud quaÌ„ facienda vitâ—da praecepit et tunc longe meliores erant viri Postquam docti prodierunt bons desunt Sim plex enim illa et aperta virtue tâ— obscuram et solerteÌ„ scientiaÌ„ versa est docemurque disputare non vivire Sence epist. 96. vs how devout holy zealous and men renowned for Conscience were our Martyres and our first Planters Preachers and professors of Religion They had not generally the knowledge and learning the world now hath nor the world now the Conscience they then had There be now better Schollars there were then better Men they were as excellent for Devotion as our Times are for Disputation It is an excellent sight to see such Christians as were the Romans Full of goodnesse filled Rom. 15. 14 with all Knowledge It is pitty that ever so louely a payre should bee sundred Yet if they be parted it is best being without that which with most safetie may be spared A good Conscience is sure to doe well though it want the accomplishment of Learning and greater measures of Knowledge and Vnderstanding But take Learning from a good Conscience and it is but a Ring of gold in a Swines snout or that which is worse A thorne in a Drunkards Prou. 26. 9 hand Learning is to bee highly apprized Riches Honours and all other earthly blessings are vile to it But yet though it take place of all other things yet must it giue good Conscience the wall and vpper-hand as that which is farre before it in worth vse and necessity As Salomon of wisdom so may it be said of good Conscience Shee is more precious then Prou. 3 15. Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Gold and Rubies cannot so enrich a man as good Conscience doth and yet alas the blindnesse of men how willing are they in this case with a wilfull pouertie Not Rubies but handfulls of Barley morsels of Bread and Crusts are preferred before the invaluable treasure of a good Conscience After the many worthy endeavours therefore of so many as haue bin before me in this work of laboring men to a good Conscience I haue adventured also to lend my weak strength to the same worke If one or two witnesses prevaile not yet who knowes what an whole clowd may doe Though Eliah and Elisha be the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel yet the Footmen doe their seruice in the Battell and Apollos may without offence water where Paul hath planted Now these my poore endeavours such as they are I am bold to publish vnder your Worshipfull name and to put them forth vnder your Patronage entreating you to countenance that in a Treatise which you haue so long countenanced in the practise None so fit to bee a Patron of a Treatise of good conscience as he that hath beene a religious both professor and protector of the Practise thereof To haue a Naile fastned in a sure place the Antiquitie Isa 22. 23. of a long standing Name and Family to bee hewen out of the Quarry of the best Stocks of Parentage to haue faire Lines a faire lot in outward possessioÌ„s to bee blessed with a fruitefull Vine and Oliue plants fairely growne planted round about a man all these are to bee helde high honours and great fauours from the God of heauen And with all these hath the Lord honoured your selfe But yet your greatest honour that hath given lustre to all the rest hath beene your loue to the Truth Religion and a good Conscience Augustine repented him that hee attributed more to Mallius Theodorus Dâ—splicit autem illic quod Mallio Theodoro ad quem librum ipsum scripsi quaÌ„vis docto et Christiano viro plus tribui quam deberem Aug. Retrlib 1. cap. 2. to whom he wrot a booke then he should haue done though otherwise he were a Learned and Christian man A man may easily ouershoote himselfe in the commendation of a good man especially if a great man It shall suffice therefore to haue said so little and that to this ende that hereby the World may knowe the reason of my choice of your Patronage of this Treatise It would haue beene an incongruity to haue had the
thou mayst bee sure thou shalt not sinne As for example There bee diverse games and recreations whose lawfulnesse are questioned yet much may be said for them and possibly they may haue the iudgement of diverse reuerend learned men for their lawfulnesse Now what shall a man doe in this case Take the sure side If I vse them it is possible I may sinne it may be they are not sinfull yet I am not so sure of it that I shall not sin if I vse them as I am sure I shall not sinne if I doe not vse them I am sure that not to vse such sports breakes none of Gods commandements a man may be bold to build vpon that Hee that liues by this rule shall keepe his Conscience from many a flawe Hee Tutiores igitur viuimus si totum Deo damus Non autem nos illi ex parte nobis ex parte committimus Aug. de dono perseu cap. 6. that sayles amongst rocks it is possible he may escape splitting but he is not so sure to keepe his vessell safe and whole as he that sayles in a cleare sea where no rocks are at all It is good in matter of life and practice to doe as Augustine speakes in case of doctrine We liue more safely saith he if wee attribute all wholly to God and do not commit our selues partly to God and partly to our selues In doctrines it is good to hold the safest side wherein there can be no danger yea Bellarmine himselfe after his long dispute for iustification by merit comes to this at last That by reason of the vncertainty Propter incertitudinem propriae Iustitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia benignitate reponere Bellar de Iustific lib. 5. cap. 7. of our owne righteousnesse and the danger of vaine-glory it is the most safe way to repose our whole confidence in the mercy and goodnes of God alone Which way soeuer Bellarmine is gone himselfe or any of his religion I thinke common reason will teach a man so much wisdome to goe the safest way to heaven and that the safest way is the best way The Lord that would haue vs make our calling and election sure 2. Pet. 1. 10. would not haue vs put so great a matter as the saluation of our soules vpon Bellarmines hazard and confessed vncertainty of our owne righteousnes Now as in case of doctrine so in case of practice it is great wisedome and a great meanes of keeping a good Conscience to do that wherin we may Tutiores vinere and to take to that which Tutissimum est to follow that which is safest and to take to that side which is the surest and the freest from danger CHAP. VII Two markes of a good Conscience THus wee see how a good Conscience may be had it followes wee consider how it may bee knowne and be discerned to be had The markes and notes by which a good Conscience may be knowne are seven 1. This in the text In all good Conscience 1. Nore of good conscience Conscience in all things It is a good note of a good conscience when a man makes conscience of all things all duties all sins There bee that haue naturall Consciences principled by some generall grounds of nature and it may bee so farre as these rules carry them may make some Conscience but their principles comming short they must needs also come as short of a good Conscience I haue liued sayes Paul here in all good Conscience and Heb. 13. 18. Wee trust wee haue a good Conscience in all things It is a good Conscience when a mans life all his life is a life of Conscience when in all his life and the whole tenour thereof he makes Conscience of all that God commands and forbids Psalm 119. 6. Then shall I not bee ashamed what breeds shame but euill conscience when I haue respect vnto all thy commandements When all are respected there is no shame because where all are respected there is good Conscience and where good Conscience is there is no shame That argued Davids good Conscience Psal 119. 101. I haue refrayned my feet from every evill way Try mens Consciences by this and it will discouer a great deale of evill Conscience in the world Many a morall man makes Conscience of doing his neighbour the least wrong hee will not wring or pinch any man payes euery man his owne deales fairely and squarely in his commerce there is no man can say blacke is his eye you shall haue him thanke God that he hath as good a Conscience as the best These are good things and such things as men ought to make Conscience of but yet here is not enough to make a good Conscience A good Conscience must be all good Conscience or it is no good Conscience Now indeed these men may haue good Consciences before men but my text tels vs that wee must liue in all good Conscience before God And Paul ioynes them two together Act. 24. 13. And herein doe I exercise my selfe to haue a good Conscience voyde of offence towards God towards men Now be it that these haue good Conscience before men yet what haue they before God Alas they are miserably ignorant in the things of God no Cōsciences to acquaint themselues with his truth no conscience of prayer in their families of reading the Scriptures no conscience of an oath and as little of the Sabbath and the private duties thereof How farre are these from good conscience Others againe seeme to make conscience of their duties before God but in the meane time no Conscience of duties of Iustice in the second Table make no conscience of oppression racking rents covetousnes over-reaching c. these are no better consciences then the former neither are good because they liue not in all good Conscience Thus may a man discover the naughtie Consciences of most Iehu seemes wondrons zealous for the Lord and seemes to be a man of a singular good conscience in the demolishing the Temple of Baal and putting to death his Priests I but if Iehu make Conscience of letting Baals Temple stand why doth he not as well make Cōscience of letting Ieroboams Calues stand If Iehu had had a good conscience he would as ill haue brookt Ieroboams as Iezebels Idolatry he would haue purged the Land of all Idols Herod seemes to make some Conscience of an oath Mark 6. 26. For his oathes sake he would not reiect her It is ioy of him that he is a man of so good Conscience I but in the meane time why makes he no Conscience of Incest and Murther Hee feares and makes Conscience to breake an vnlawfull oath but makes no Conscience to cut an holy Prophets throate Who would not haue thought Saul to haue beene a man of a very good Conscience see how like a man of good Conscience he speakes 1. Sam. 14. 34. Sinne not against the
delicious fare hee might haue had but the reversions of Lazarus boord Lazarus may not come to his feast no nor yet to his fragments neither will Lazarus condition permit him to feast it as the glutton did but yet this feast of a good Conscience Lazarus may make as well as he and can and doth keepe it whilest the glutton feeles many an hunger-biting gripe What an excellent feast is this aboue all other feasts wherein the russet hath as much priviledge as the velvet the begger as the King the poore tenant as the rich Landlord The rich Landlord often so feedes vpon and eates vp his poore tenant by oppression that the tenant is kept low enough for feasting It is well with him if he haue food he had not need thinke of feasting But loe now the excellent feast of a good Conscience Here may the tenant keepe as good cheere as the Landlord yea and it may be may feast whilest the rich Landlord is readie to sterue for want of this provision Now then all this considered what a Motiue should it be to make vs in loue with a good Conscience How powerfully should this perswade vs thereto When God would perswade men to come to the ioyes of heaven he vses no other argument then this to invite them to a feast as in that Parable Luk. 14. Behold here is the same argument â—o mooue you to bee in loue with a gooâ— Conscience behold the Lord invites you â—o a feast and to a feast where â—e shal haue sufficiency without want or loathing where ye shall haue wine â—â—rth musick and good Company to â—he full The twelue dayes feast of the Nativitie how is it longed for before hand and how welcommed when it is come And what may the reason be But onely because it is a feasting time This is counted a blessed good Time And why a blessed good Time As Christ was a blessed good man and the Prophet that should come into the world and therefore should be made a King because he had fed filled their bellies Ioh. 6. So the most make that a blessed time not for the memoriall of Christs Incarnation but because of the loaues Christ shall be a King and because of the feast the Time is blessed Well then is the world so desirous and so glad of feasting Are feasting Times such blessed Times Loe then I invite you to a feast to a blessed good feast indeed that will make you blessed and truly happy Not to a feast of twelue dayes but to a feast thâ—t lasts all the twelue moneths of the yeere to a continuing and a continuall feast How glad are many when they may goe to a feast Loe a way to make feasts for your selues What a credit is it counted in the world for a man to keepe a good and a great house to keep feasting and open house for all commers during the Feastivitie of the twelue dayes Would we haue this credit of good house-keeping not for twelue dayes but for all the yeere long Get good Consciences keepe good Consciences There is no such good houfe-keeper as is the good Conscience-keeper for a good Conscience is a feast a continuall feast There is nothing that men desire more then to liue merrily and how many stumble at Religion and keeping of a good Conscience vnder an idle conceit that it is the way to marre all their mirth and to make a man lumpish melancholly Doe not beleeue the divell do not beleeue his lying agents It is a profane Proverbe that Spiritus Calviniaâ—us est spiritus melancholicus A good Conscience is a feast a feast with all dainties musicke and wine Can a man be melancholly at a feast at so ioyfull and so sweet a feast Doth feasting make men melancholly or make men merry Make men weepe or laugh If a man should cry downe feasting with this argument That it makes men melancholly would not all men laugh him to scorne And why then should a man feare melancholly more from a good Conscience then from a feast There is none liues so merry a life as he that keepes a good Conscience he is every day at a feast he is alwayes banquetting Yea the worst dishes of this feast even those at the lower end of the Table are better then the most choyce rarities of other feasts The very teares that a good coÌ„science sheds haue more ioy and pleasure in them then the worlds greatest ioyes And if the teares of a good conscience be such what is the mirth laughter of it If weeping be so sweet what is singing If the courser dishes be so daintie what are the best services Would we then liue merrily and passe our dayes Iocundly indeed Get a good Conscience and thou keepest a continuall feast that continuall feast will keepe thee in coutinuall mirth and continuall ioy Yea though thou be in affliction and vnder crosses so as thy dayes vnto the world may seeme exceedingly evill yet shalt thou liue merrily as at a feast Yea this is the scope of that Scripture All the dayes of the afflicted are evill namely in the eye and iudgement of the world but a good Conscience namely to the afflicted is a continuall feast A good conscience feasts then and turnes fasting dayes into feasting dayes A good conscience feasts a man in his poverty in his sicknesse in the prison and cheeres vp a man with many a dainty bit The wine of this feast makes them forget all their sorrow Now then that we would be so wise as to hearken to Gods invitation to this feast Let vs keepe the feast with the bread of sincerity and truth 1 Cor. 5. 8. Take heed now that we put not off God as these did Luk. 14. invited to the feast with the excuses of Farmes Oxen and the like So doe many vrge them to the keeping of a good Conscience their answer is If they should be so precise how shall they liue they shall haue but poore takings if they take such a course I pray haue mee excused I must liue Thus they answer as many good husbands when invited to frequent feastings doe No beleeue me it will not hold out if I goe every day a feasting I may go one day a begging I must follow my businesse and let feasting goe And so say men here But take heed of putting off God thus The time will come that thou wouldest giue all thine Oxen to haue but the scraps crums of this feast and thou shalt not haue them God will serue thee as he did them Luk. 14. 24. None of those men which were bidden shâ—ll taste of my supper Those that care not to kepe the feast of a good Conscience shall never come to Gods feast in heauen If you refuse to come to this feast now God will at the last day thrust you our of doores when you will bee pressing and crowding in and shall say to you Get you hence yee despisers of a good Conscience
23. Iesus answered him If I haue spoken evill beare witnesse of the evill but if well why smitest thou me And yet his precept and practice doe not interferre nor crosse shinnes For though by his precept he forbids vs to retaliate or recompence iniury with iniury out of the heate of a vindictiue spirit yet by his practice he warrants vs in cases of iniurie to make a manifestation both of our own innocency and others iniustice Religion bindes no man to be a Traitor to his owne innocency and the iustice of his cause and by silence to abet others iniustice With a good Conscience may a man speake so long as he speaks as Paul did before Festus Acts 26. 25. The words of truth and sobernesse So a man answer truely soberly without tackes of gall and impatient touches of revenge Christ and Religion say to man convented and iniuriously proceeded against as Agryppa did to Paul Acts 26. 1. Thou art permitted to speake for thy selfe This in generall more particularly in this Denunciation Consider the iudgement denounced that is this God shall smite thee From which we may obserue two things First Doct. 1 See Gods iudgements and the severity of his iustice against the enemies of a good Conscience and his faithfull servants Ananias smites Paul and for his good Conscience and what gets hee by it God will smite him and giue him as good as he brings God will smite smiters Ananias smites Paul and God wil smite Ananias yea and God did smite Ananias for hee was afterwards slaine by Manaimus one of Captaines of the Iewes It is a dangerous thing not to smite when God commands 1 King 20. 35. 36. He that would not smite a Prophet when God commanded was smitten with an heauy iudgement It is no lesse dangerous to smite when God forbids smiting God hath an heauy hand for those that are so light fingred and hee will giue them blow for blow that will be smiting his for a good Conscience Touch not my annoynted nor doe my Prophets no harme Psal 105. 15. Hee that touches them touches the apple of Gods eye Zach. 2. 8. So hee that smites them smites the apple of his eye The eye is a tender place and sensible of a little blow God will not take a blow on the eye nor beare a blow on his face at the hands of the proudest enemies of them all and though we must turne the other cheeke rather then smite againe yet the Lord to whom vengeance belongs will take no blowes at their hands but if they will be smiting they shall bee sure to heare of him to their cost You finde Exod. 2. 11. an Egyptian smiting an Israelite It becomes none better then Egyptians to be smiting Israelites Moses spies an Egyptian smiting of an Hebrew What gets the Egyptian in the end See verse 12. God stirs vp the spirit of Moses to smite him and to slay him Thus will God teach Egyptians to be medling Pashur smites Ieremy Ier. 20. 2. What got he by it The heavy stroake of Gods hand vpon himselfe and all his friends vers 3. 4. 5. 6. Herod was a smiter too Acts 12. 1. 2. Hee stretched forth his hands to vexe certaine of the Church and he killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword And what became of him in the ende See ver 23. The Angell of the Lord smote him and he was eaten vp of wormes and he gaue vp the Ghost It is said of Ionas his gourd that a worme smote it and it withered Ion. 4. That was much that a worm should so soon smite the gourd But when men will bee smiting Gods people and his Prophets for a good Conscience and when Herod will be so busie as to smite Apostles God can send not onely an Angell one of his most glorious creatures but even a base worme even one of the weakest creatures to smite Herod and eate him both Ieroboam stretches forth his arme against the Prophet 1. King 13. and his arme withers he doth but threaten to smite and God smites him How much more when Herod stretches forth his hands to vexe the Church to smite Gods Ministers will God not onely wither them but smite him as Sampson smote the Philistims hippe and thigh and make them a rotten and a stinking spectacle to all malicious smiters to the worlds end Thus is that true which the Prophet implyes in that speech Esa 27. 6. Hath hee smitten him as hee smote his smiter Marke then Gods dealing he vses to smite smiters Neither is this true onely of smiters with the fist and with the sword but it is also true of those smiters Ierem. 18. 18. Come and let vs smite him with the tongue Euen such smiters will God smite also as we may see there verse 21 22. 23. Thus God met with Nabal David sends for reliefe to him vpon his festival day and he instead of an almes falls a rayling on him and calls him in effect a Rogue a Vagabond and a runne-away Thus he smote David with his tongue What followes See vers 38. And it came to passe abouâ— ten dayes after that the Lord smote Nabal And how smote he him That he dyed So Zach. 14. 12. Their tongue shall consume away in their mouth What might the reason be of that iudgment Because happily many that cannot or dare not fight with their hands for feare of the law yet fight against Gods Ministers and his servants with their tongues Well God hath a plague to smite such smiters Though they smite but with the tongue yet God wil smite them giue them their portion with the rest of the adversaries of the Church And if God will not spare such smiters how much lesse will hee spare such as smite with the sword Vse 1 Terrour to all smiters eyther with hand or tongue Smite on goe on in your malicions courses doe so but yet know that there is a smiter in heauen that will meet with you Had Zimri peace who slew his Master So said Iezabel to Iehu and so may it bee said in this case Search the Scriptures search the Histories of the Church Had euer any smiter peace which lifted vp either hand or tongue against any of the Lords people Did smiters euer scape scot-free Had they any cause to brag in the end Had they euer any cause to brag of the last blow Did Herod prosper that smote Iames with the sword Did Ananias prosper that smot Paul Did the Egyptian prosper that smote the Hebrew Did Doeg prosper who was a tongue-smiter as well as an hand-smiter Psal 52. Oh consider this you that dare lift vp your hands and tongues against a good Conscience be afraid of Gods smiting hand tremble to meddle in this kind Learne to hold your hands and tongues vnlesse ye long to feele Gods smiting hand Especially take heed of smiting Gods Ministers in any kinde Deut. 33. 11. Levi hath a strange blessing Blesse Lord his substance