as yet to be raised vp so the sugered consolations may for a while over heale the Conscience and abate some present griefe but so as afterward the smart may be the sorer the griefe may growe the greater Heereof ensueth this effect that comfort seemeth to cure for a while but for the wante of wisedome in the right discovering of the cause men minister one medicine for another and so for want of skill the latter fit grindeth them sorer than the former Some there are that without all precepts and practise will be their owne Phisitions and these so soone as the fitte commeth vpon them thinke it best to chastise chase away their sorrowe by drinking at Tavernes by minstrilsie in merry companies by purgeing melancholies in taking phisick all which may seeme to weare away the paines for a while but yet after it biteth more deeplie when the burning feaver of their spirites shaketh them with the second recourse and for that they were not before trulie searched purged seared and launced it comes to passe that the second relapse is the more dangerous To come to our purpose we must knowe that all griefes are either confused or distinct and sure it is that the mind is appalled either for some cause knowne to vs as certaine or for something vnknowne to vs and vncertaine to them which are troubled with such blinde griefes whereof they can see no reason As oft it hapneth to Gods children in secreet election who either neuer knowe God or else had but a generall knowledge of him I answere that as I deny not phisick to be ministred if in any parte it proceede of a naturall cause so I require the word especiallie to shewe the principall and originall cause to beginne in the soule I do the rather because I would haue wisedome both in the considering the state of the bodie if need so require and in looking chieflie to the soule which fewe thinke on If a man troubled in Conscience come to a Minister it may be he will look all to the soule and nothing to the bodie If he come to a Phisition he onlie considereth of the bodie and neglecteth the soule For my part I woulde neither haue the Phisitions counsell seuered nor the Ministers labour neglected because the soule and bodie dwelling together it is convenient that as the soule should be cured by the word by praier by fasting by threatning or by comforting so the body should be brought into some temperature by phisick by purging by dyet by restoring by musick and such other like meanes provided alwaies that it be done so in the feare of God and wisedome of his spirite as we think not by these ordinarie meanes to smother and smoke out our troble but as purposing to vse them as preparatiues wherby both our souls and bodies may be made more capable of the spirituall meanes to follow after As wee require these thinges to be the matters of our ministerie in such a perplexitie so we would wish the persons ministring to be men learned and of sound judgment wise and of godly experience meek and of most loving spirits for when the troubled patient shall be well perswaded of our knowledge discretion and therewithall shall perceiue vs to come in loving and tender affection I think an entrance is made and all prejudice taken away so as we may more freely worke vpon that conscience First bring them to the sight of sinne as to some cause of their trouble wherein we must labour to put away al confusion and blindnes of sorrowe by wisedome to bring the parties wounded to some certaine object and matter of their troble and so draw out of them the confession of some speciall secreet and severall sinnes I say secreete and severall sinnes because I knowe howe that many through a palpable blindenes or disordered discerning of sinne talke nothing so much as of sinne and yet either they cannot descrie severall sinnes or they will not be brought to acknowledge their secreet sins whereof the one proceedeth of the ignorance of the Lawe of God the other of selfe-loue which maketh vs loth even in our trauell of minde to shame our selues Now that confession of particular sins is requisite it may appeare by the 32. Psalme wherein being a Psalme of instruction concerning the forgiuenes of sinnes the Prophet by his owne experience teacheth vs that he could finde no reliefe of his sicknes vntill hee had remembred and made confession of his sinnes What shall we think of the Prophet of God which taught so wonderfully by the word and by the spirit and did not see his sins before be it far from vs rather let vs knowe that he had not severally and particularlie ripped vppe his sinnes before the Lord in a severall confessing of them which though the Lord knowes farre better than wee our selues yet such kind of sacrifice is more acceptable to him Nowe in this trouble the persons humbled cannot come to this particular sight of sinne in themselues It is good to vse the helpe of others to whome they may offer their hearts to bee gaged and searched and their liues to be examined more deeplie by hearing the several articles of the Law laid open before them whereby they may square the whole course of their actions For as we said before the grossest hypocrite will generally complaine of sinne and yet deale with them in particular pointes of the particular precepts and proue them in the applying of things to bee done or vndone to them to their owne conscience and we shall see many of these poore souls tossed to and fore nowe fleeting in joyes nowe plunged in sorrowes not able to distinguish one sin from another Now when we shall see the wound of the spirit to arise of any certaine and knowne sinne it is either for some sinne already committed wherein wee lie or else for some sin yet not committed but whereunto wee are tempted For the former it pleased God often to bring old sinnes to minde when we haue not throughly repented of them before so as it nowe representing them to vs a fresh we may fall into a more misliking of them and yet herein is not al to mislike our selues for some particulars although it bee good to be occupied about some speciall sin for as it is not sufficient for the avoiding of hypocrisie to see sin generally so it is not ynough to eschew the damnablenes of the heart ever to bee purring in every particular and to be forgetfull of the great and generall sins and lette vs learne by the particulars to passe to the generalls When any such one sinne doth pursue the rest not onely therein but say thus rather vnto thy selfe O Lord is this our sinne so grieuous and doth my God punish this one so sorely howe great should be my punishment if thou shouldest O Lord so deale with me for all my other sinnes Let vs labour to haue a sence both of particular and generall
their wittie devises and head-strong attemptes so as without hope of remedy they were hampered in pensiuenes and sorrow of mind then being not able to turne themselues vnder so heauy a burden they shrink down and by violent death would ridde themselues of that disquietnes and impatiencie of their troubled mindes But let vs come neerer and whether we behold the Papistes or the familie of Loue or the common sort of Christians we shal see they will passe quietly through many afflictions whether for that they haue a spirit of slumbering and numnesse cast on them whether because they haue branned themselues through som sensles blockishnes as men hewen out of hard oaks or grauen out of marble stones I knowe not but yet when the Lord shall let lose the cord of their conscience and shall set before their faces their sinnes committed see what fearfull ends they haue so whilest some of them by hanging themselues some by casting themselues into the water some by cutting their owne throates haue ridde themselues out of their intollerable griefes Now wherein is the difference that some die so sensleslie and some dispatch them so violentlie Surely the one feeling no sinne depart like brutish hoggs the other sure charged with sin depart like barking dogs But let vs come to the children of God who haue in some degrees felt this troble of minde and it will appeare both in the members and in the heade of all burthens to be a thing most intollerable to suffer a wounded conscience and to begin with let vs set in the first ranke Iob that man of God commended vnto vs by the holy Ghost for a mirrour of patience who although for his riches he was the welthiest man in the land of VZ and for his authoritie might haue made afraide a great multitude whose substance was the greatest of all the men of the East yet when the Sabeans came violently and tooke away all his cattell when the fyre of God from heauen burnt vp his sheep his servants when the Caldeans had taken away his Camels when a greate winde smote downe his house vpon his children although indeede he rent his garments which was not so much for impatiencie as to shewe that he was not vnsensible in these euills yet it is said that he worshipped blessed the name of the Lord saying Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither Howbeit beholde when at the strong conference of his comfortlesse friendes his minde began to be agasht which was not so in all his former tryall when his Conscience began to bee troubled when he sawe the Lord fasten in him sharp arrowes and to set him vp as a Butt to shoot at when he thought God caused him to possesse the sinnes of his youth this glorious patterne of patience could not beare his griefe he was heauie and so may commend to all the image of a wounded spirite that shall come after Dauid a man chosen according to the Lords owne heart Ezeckiah a pure worshipper of God and a carefull restorer of true Religion Ieremiah the Prophet of the Lord sanctified and ordained to that office before he was formed in his mothers wombe were rare and singular in the graces of God yet when they felt this wounde pearcing them with grief of hart they wer as Sparrows mourning as Cranes chattering as Pellicanes casting out fearful cries they thoght themselues as in the graue they wished to haue dwelt solitarie they were as bottels parched in the smoke they were as Doues mourning not able without sighes grones to vtter their wordes their hartes claue to the dust their tongues to the roofe of their mouth but aboue all if these were not sufficient to perswade vs in this doctrine there remaineth one example whome wee affirme to be the perfite annotomie of an afflicted mind that is the Lord and Saviour of vs all Christ Iesus the Image of the Father the heade of the bodie the mirrour of all graces the wisedome righteousnes holines and redemption of all Saints who sustained the crosse even from his youth vpwarde besides povertie basenes and hunger did willingly vndergo that great trouble of contempt and reproch and that among them where he should haue had a right deserued honour in respect of the doctrine that hee taught them and in regard of the manifold miracles wrought among them as the healing of the sicke the giuing sight to the blinde and restoring life to the dead this vnkindnes neverthelesse did not so much stick into him but at what time hee was set as a sacrifice for all when hee was to beare our infirmities and carie our sorrowes at what time hee was plagued smitten of God humbled and wounded 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 hee praieth O Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me but how praied hee even with sweating howe sweated he even drops of blood how often praied he three times when ended his agonie not till hee was deade what said he being ready to depart My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee was this for his humane death as some haue imagined no wee wicked men haue died without complaint whose patience then might haue seemed to exceede his it was his suffering in his humane spirite which encountered with the wrath of God his God-heade suppressing it for a while hee suffered many torments in his bodie but much more heavilie did the wrath of God lie vpon his soule if this consideration of an afflicted spirite in these examples doth not sufficiently shew what a grieuous thing it is to suffer a wounded conscience let vs proceed with the comparing of this with other euils which falleth into the nature of man there is no sicknesse but phisick prouideth it a remedie there is no sore but Chirurgerie wil afforde a salue freindship helpeth povertie there is no impresonment but there is hope of libertie sute and favour recouereth a man from banishment authoritie and time weareth away reproch But what phisick cureth what chirurgerie salveth what riches ransome what countenance beareth out what authoritie asswageth what salue delayeth a troubled conscience All these banded togeather in league though they would conspyre a confederacie cannot help this our distres of a troubled or vnquyet mynde And yet this one comfort of a quyet mynd doth wonderfullie cure and comfortablie aswage all other griefes whatsoeuer For if our assistance wer as an host of armed souldiers if our friends were the Princes and all the governours of the earth if our possessions were as large as betwene the east and the west if our meat were as Manna from heaven if our apparell were as costelie as the Ephod of Aaron if euerie day were as glorious as the day of Christs resurrection yet our mindes beeing appalled with the
sorts man or woman â—â— what complexion soever they are of what knowledge to discerne sinne of what degree in committing sin of what age authoritie wealth estate or condition soever they are It is good to mark that there be many who are more troâ—â—led for the vexation and disquietnes of their minde being distempered than for the vilenes and horriblenes of their â—â—nne committed who are wounded more with feare of shame with feare of being madde or with the feare of running out of their wittes than with the conscience of sinne which thing if wee finde in them it is our parte to travell with them that they may make a lesse matter of the outward shame more conscience of the inward sinne neither must we herein forget to make a distinction betwene our speaches vsed to the humbled in the very time of their extreame agonie burning ague of their troubles and those speaches which we vse then the fit being past because the former requireth more consolation lesse exhortation than the other and the latter wold haue vs more abundant in admonishing and more sparing in comforting when wee may wisely admonish them to beware of sinne which so procureth their own woe in this brething time It is also expedient to exhort them that for some season vntill they shall finde greater power in regeneration they would tye themselues to some holy orders godly vowes that thereby they either may be furthered in mortifying some speciall sin which for that they could finde no power against it did most greue them or strenthened in some speciall grace the want whereof did also wounde them but before we launch deep into the sea of particular temptations and begin to sound the dangerous passages of natural corruptions and originall sinne the troublesome froth whereof doth almost ouerwhelme many poore Pilgrimes It shall be good to giue this caution that both in these and in the former trobles men would be stil admonished patientlie to bear with a wounded spirit albeit it falleth out so that they be somewhat pettish seeing the holy Ghost speaketh so favorably of them saying a wounded spirit who can bear it And surely our practise in other things by the law of equitie may vrge this at our handes For if men by the light of reason can see it to be a dutie convenient not frivolouslie to travell but meekly to suffer wisely to put vp vnadvised speaches of a man distempered in braine by reson of some burning ague or other vehement sicknes We may easily gather even by this rule of reason not so severely to sensure the impatient speaches of him who by reason of some parching feavour of the spirit is disquiered in mind and hath all the veines of his hart as it were in a spirituall agonie vexed wherefore both vnsavorie of godly wisedome vncharitable for want of Christian loue are their murmuring obtractations which say What is the godly man Is this hee that is trobled for his sins why see how pettish he is nothing can please him no body can satisfie him Consider O man if thou canst bear with a frail body that thou must much more bear with a fraill mind consider that this his pettishnes doth more wound him to the hart than any injurie thou couldest pearce him with and therefore seeing he afflicteth his own soule for it thou must not adde any thing to his afflictions and to exasperate his smart considder that it is a blessed thing mercifullie to bethink vs of the state of the needy and that to rub a fresh wound and to straine a bleeding sore is nothing else but that which Iobs friendes did to bring a newe torment where there is no neede of it If the wise Father rather doeth pittie than rebuke his child when by reason of sicknes the appetite is not easilie pleased so if wee purpose to do any good with an afflicted mind we must not be austere in reprehending every infirmitie but patient in considering of it as tender frailtie neither do I speake this to nourish pettishnes in any but wold haue them to labour for patience and to seeke for peace which though they finde not at the first yet by praier they must wait on the Lord and say Lord because there is mercie with thee that thou maiest bee feared I will wayte vpon thee as the eye of the servant waiteth vpon the eye of his master I will condemne my selfe of follie and say O my soule why art thou so heavy vvhy art thou so cast downe within me still trust in the Lord for he is thy helpe and thy salvation FINIS Heb. 13. 14 Genes 15. 13. 14. Deut. 29. 14. 15. Mal. 3. 16. Luk. 52. 35 Deut. 32. â— Col. 1. 27. Mat. 28. 18.
abounde others carried away with the loue of riches and fearfull to fall into povertie will not stick to rise early to take sleepe lately to fare hardly to travell and tyre their fleshe in labour by Land and by Sea in faire and fowle weather by rockes and by sands from farre and from neere but to fall into spirituall decay to avoide the pouertie of Conscience noe man taketh such paines as though salvation and peace in mind were a thing not worth the labouring for some ambitiouslie hunting after honour and not easilie digesting reproach behaue themselues neither sluggishly nor sleepily but are actiue in every attempt by loue and by counsell by prudence prowesse by wit and by practise by labour and learning by caring diligence to become famous and to shun a civill reproch yet to be glorious in the sight of God and his Angels to fall before the heavens and in the presence of the Almightie to be covered with shame and confusion of conscience wee make none account as they who neuer vse means to obtaine the one nor avoid the occasions which may bring the other others vnwilling to come within the daunger of the Lawe that they may escape imprisonment of the body or confiscation of goods will be painfull in penall statutes skilfull in every branch of the civill lawes and especially will labour to keep themselues from treasons murther fellonies and such like offences of life and death yet when the Lord God threatneth the losse both of soule bodie the attaching of our souls the confiscating of our consciences the banishing vs from heauen the hanging of vs in hell the suspending of our salvation the adjudging of vs to condemnation for the breach of his commandements no man searcheth his eternall Lawe no man careth for the Gospell neither the sentence of an everlasting devorcement from the Lord neither the covenant of reconciliation is esteemed of vs. And to reache out our complainte one degree farther beholde the more wee seeke outward pleasures and to auoide the inward trouble of mind the more we hast and runne into it and we speed to plunge our selues in a wounded spirit before we be aware who posteth more to become riche who hopeth lesse to become poore than the Marchant man who adventureth greater treasures who hazardeth his goods who putteth in jeopardie his life and yet suddenly hee rusheth vpon the rock of hardnes of heart or else is swallowed vp of the gulfe of a dispairing mind from which happilie he cannot be redeemed with a ship-full of golde Wofull proofe hath confirmed howe some men whollie set vpon pleasure such as could not away to bee sadde and hedged vp alwaies of godly sorrowe haue had their troubles made snares vnto them and even their excesse of pleasure hath brought excesse of sorrowe and whilest they laboured to put the euil day farre from them they haue vsed such follies as haue bene the bitter and most speedy hangmen of their sorrowfull Consciences There be some of an other sorte who never dreaming of a troubled mind haue had their hearts set on nothing but howe they might get some great fame renown and therefore haue slipt into such dangerous attempts foule flatteries as they haue not onely lost the peace of their Consciences but also fallen most deeply into shame which they sought to shun Nowe as the peace of Conscience and joy of mind is such a treasure as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor the tongue cannot expresse but passeth all vnderstanding so the wounded spirit is such as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor the tongue vttered it but passeth all vnderstanding and as they onely knowe 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 But let vs shew what way is to be vsed to keep vs from this wound of spirit it is the vse of Phisick as to cure vs from diseases when wee are fallen into them so to preserue vs from sicknesses before it hath taken holde of vs so it is the power of the word as to aswage the trouble of Conscience when it doeth once presse vs so to prevent it before it hath overtaken vs. It is a chiefe point of worldly wisedome not to tary for the vse of phisick till we be deadly sick but to be acquainted with Gods mercifull preservatiues 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 if wee condemne them of follie who will not as well labour to keepe themselues out of debt as to pay the debt when we owe it so it is a madnes not to be as circumspect to avoid al occasions which may bring trouble of minde vpon vs as we would be provident to enter every good way which may drawe vs out of this trouble when wee haue once entered into it these remedies preservatiue are first the searching of our sinnes and then the examining of our faith the examining of our sinne is either the due acknowledging of our sinnes or the sence and feeling of them the acknowledging of sin is either of those that be past whether we haue repented of them or of those that are present whether we are truly greued for them Thirdly of those secreet corruptions to come whether we are reverently afraid of them concerning sins past we must call to mind the sinnes done of old in our youth in our middle age and in our old age that we judging of our selues may not be judged of the Lord that accusing our selues Sathan haue no occasion to accuse vs and throwing downe our selues before the Lord he may lift vs vp for many going quietly away and sleeping securelie in their sleeues notwithstanding the sinnes of their youth and neglecting to make conscience of their sins done long agoe sodainly haue fallen into such horrour of mind that the violent remembrance of all their sinnes sure charging they haue beene overwhelmed this examination doth then rightly proceed when it is reached to the errours of this life and to the sinnes of our youth because many even from their childe-hood by a civill righteous life hauing escaped grosse sins wherewith the world culd never charge them haue notwithstanding caried the burthen of more secreet sins done in their youth David Psalm 25. 7. prayeth the Lord not to Remember the sinnes of his youth Iob the man of God confesseth that the Lord writing bitter thinges against him made him to possesse the iniquities of his youth what shall wee think that David or Iob were giuen to notorious wickednesse in their youth no but they knew they were subject to youthfull wantonnes and vntamednes of affections which though it did not burst out yet it made them lesse careful to glorifie God
their enemies with more gredie violence to praye vpon them with which kinde of stratagems our adversarie the Devill beeing well acquainted with often practiseth this pollicie if he seeth vs without all feare too quietly to rest in our selues he thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger because our assistance is the weaker Againe if hee discrieth in vs a cowardlie feare and fainting of heart before wee once begin to joyne battell with him he wil set vpon our moderate feare and as villanouslie as suddenly stabbe vs to the heart and make a present spoile of vs common practise doth further teach vs that when wee can heare the worde without all trembling at Gods judgements when wee can pray without all feare before the Majestie of God when wee can come to the Discipline of the Church without al reverence of the ordinance of the Lord al in vaine Again let vs heare with too much trembling and we shall learne nothing let vs pray with too servile a feare and our woorshipping of God will bee without all comfort vncheerful Thus if we neither lessen sin that is indeede neither make sin of that which is not sin in trueth it is good to proceed to this threefold examination to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our afflictions because many will be found in this ripenes of knowledge and barrannes of conscience to speak and dispute of all these things very skilfully which flickring in the circumference of the braine not setling at the heart do seale vp a more just sentence of condemnation against them To help this evill with we must meditate deeply vpon the law and Gospell togither with the appertenances of them both that finding our selues far from Gods blessing and seeing our selues neere to the curses due vnto the breakers of the lawe we may raise vppe some sence of sin in our selues yet herein we must not stay but go forward for whereas many by the diligent viewe of the law haue come to the sense of sin in themselues and saw their own condemnation yet because they labored not to see their guiltinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ they plunged in a bottomles sea of sorrowes others having passed those degrees hitherto made these steps to avoid the wound of Conscience haue come short of the mark who besides the sense of sinnes pardoned by the deth of Christ felt not the vertue of his passion crucifying sin in them but saw that with remission of sins was not joined mortification of sin feared that there was no forgiuenes for them but stil languishing with sorrow they thought their soules to stand charged with their former guiltinesse yea and which more is for that such men haue not truly bin instructed nor surely haue bene grounded in the doctrine of Christ his death and resurrection that is for that they sawe not aswell power flowing from his death to sley sinne in them as vertue to pardone sin in them for that they felte not aswell strength vnto sanctification striving from the rising again of Christ as they were perswaded of justification righteousnes therein They haue lyen still bleeding at the heart in such sort that the wound of griefe could hardly or neuer be stopped and stanched wherfore let vs strengthen our weake soules with this sevenfold coard of consolation against these bitter assaults let vs first labour to know sinne then to sorrow for sinne after to feele our sinnes in Christ forgiven farther to looke for power to crucifie the same then to lay holde on Iustification by his Resurrection and lastly hope for strength to proceede from thence to further vs in sanctification and holines of life even vnto the end And thus much briefly for that second thing which we matched in companie with the examination of sinne euen vnto the triall of faith both which rightly vsed shall in some measure fafegarde vs from the trouble of afflicted mindes Now let vs hasten to the third part of our division to shew how Gods children being fallen into this wounde of spirit may be helped out of it which God willing we also wil performe after we haue answered a necessary objection which in this former part might seeme to encounter against vs There is no man but will graunt that David Iacob and others of the saints of God had a sight of their sinnes a sorrow for their sinnes a tast of their remission of sinne and yet how commeth it to passe that these men were so trobled in mind To this I answer that their trouble so befel them either for failing in some of those former things or else they were rather afflicted for the triall of their faith than for the persecuting of sin in them and therfore be it alwaies provided that we think not every conflict of conscience continually chiefly to be for the pursuing of our sins but sometime principally for the scoring of sin as we may see in Iob wherevpon let all men be admonished when as they see good men thus humbled in minde to laye their handes on their mouthes from saying Surely these men are but Hypocrites doubtles these men be great sinners the Lord hath found out their iniquitie the Lord hath discovered their hypocrisie for good reason there is that such silence should be vsed for that the Lord may aswell make triall of their faith as take punishment on their sinnes for if such afflictions should alwaies chieflie be sent for sinne then it should followe that all others as they exceeded them in sinne should also exceed them in that punishment of sinne but nowe comming to the salving of this sore I shal seeme very strange in my cure and so much the more to be wondred at by howe much in manner of proceeding I differ from the most sort of men herein I am not ignorant that many visiting of afflicted consciences cry still Oh! comfort them oh speake joyfull things vnto them yea there be some and that of the learned who in such cases are full of those and such like speeches Why are you so heavy my brother why are you so cast downe my sister be of good cheere take it not so grievouslie what is there that you should feare God is mercifull Christ is a Saviour these be speeches of loue indeed but they often do the poore souls as much good herein as if they should powre colde water in their bosomes when as without farther searching of their sores they may aswell minister a malady as a medicine For as all nutriture and carnall medecines are not good for every sicke person especiallie when the body needeth a strong purgation then to minister matter restoratiue And as all incarnatiue medicines may for a time stay the paine of the patient but afterwardes the griefe becommeth more grievous So comfortable applying of Gods promises are not so profitable for every one that is humbled especially when their soules are rather to be cast farther down than
sinnes lest in time our grief passe away without any fruit whilest that not being displeased with one sinne aswell as with another we either look to such specially and generally Concerning those sins whereunto we are tempted as when a man is noted to think blasphemouslie of God the Father or to doubt whether there is a Christ or no or to imagine groslie of the holy Ghost or to deny God or to doubt of the Trinitie or to be moved to adulterie or such like In all which temptations hee feeleth the spirit oft checking him for them so as he knoweth not in this case what to doe that on the one side he dares not listen willinglie to such feareful monstrous temptations and on the other side he feareth lest then by long sute he might fal into them or at least for that hee seeth not howe to be delivered from them I suppose these motions are not so much to be disputed with as we by them are to bee provoked to a more instant and extraordinary zeale of prayer Surely these are dangerous temptations and therefore are not to be kept close with our nature which easily will incline vnto but particularly are to be confessed of vs for the Deuill will come sometimes to thee to keep thee still in a general acknowledging of sinne and vrge thee on this manner Surely thou must do this sinne thou seest thou canst haue no ease vntill thou hast consented thou art ordained to it the reason why thou art tempted is because thou doest not thus take thy pleasure go to deny 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 of the one hand and for shame of disclosing temptations on the other hand many men haue pyned away and almost haue bene overcome by them If we should disclose this saith these men what woulde people say of vs they would count vs Atheists they would think vs the wickedst men in the world Well for instructions and consolations let vs learne herein that these kinde of temptations are either corrections for some sinnes past or punishment for some sinne present or forwarner of some sinnes to come Wee shall see many tempted to adulterie who no doubt can not be brought to commit it and because they repented not of it it came to them againe that in their youth they haue committed it the like may be observed in these gluttony and in other temptations which are not so much seen to vs presently to overcome vs as to put vs in mind that sometimes heretofore we hauing bene overcome with them shuld now repent for them Sometimes a man shal ly in some sins whereof when hee will not be admonished neither by the publick and privat meanes even then some other strange temptation shall fall vpon him differing from that wherein he presently lyeth to admonish him of that other sin As when a worldling shall be tempted to adulterie a thing which hee hath no desire to doe yet it is to make him to look to his worldlines when he hath so strong and so through a liking whereat if he wil not be awaked he may suddainly fal into that to and so by the punishment of God in punishing one sin with another both his sinnes vnto his shame shall be laid open and one sinne shall make known another Sometime also it commeth to passe that one shall be tempted with such a sinne as neither heretofore nor presently he hath given any liking or intertainement vnto and yet the Lord by it may forewarne him howe he may fal into it hereafter as also to shewe that he hath stoode all his former life rather by the grace of God than by the strength of flesh and blood Wherefore when thou art mooved to doubt of God of Christ of the word of justification do not so much stand wondring at these strange temptations as think with thy selfe that it is the mercy of God by them to cause thee better to discerne of those temptations in others When thou shalt haue observed with feare and trembling howe they may make their first entire into a mans hart howe they gather strength howe they agree with our corrupt nature in what degrees they come vnto some growth how the spirit of God doth resist them what be the meanes best to prevaile against them and thus if thou make thy profit by them thou shalt so wonderfully search and descrie by severall veines the body age strength of these temptations in others by an holy experience which God hath taught thee in others that besides that thou shalt lay foorth mens secreete corruptions as if thou were in their bosomes thou shalt be able by the seede of sorrowe in thy selfe to beget an vnspeakable joy in others who in time may be tempted as thou nowe art Thus moreover and besides that such is the efficacie of sinne that they who nowe are no Papistes Heretikes Adulterers or Theeues may for their secure contemning foolish passing over of these temptations sent vnto them sodainly shortly after fall into them because they would not seeme to make some vse of them nor confesse before the Lord both their pronenes and worthinesse to fall into them But if we will humble our selues in such temptations and learne by them meekly to discerne the corruptions of our heart we shall not onely deliver our selues presently from peril but be further inabled to assist others hereafter in the like danger but some will oppose against these things which wee haue delivered Do you think it is a remedie to cast downe them that are already humbled this is rather to be a butcher than a builder of a mans conscience to whome I answer that I desire Preachers to be builders and not butchers and it is a thing generally to apply and another thing particularlie to lay the medicine vnto the wound It is good to begin the sore by the viniger of the Law and after to supply it with the oyle of the Gospell both which must be done in wisedome vsing them to some in greter to some in lesser measure For as some hauing nothing but a decay of nature and no naturall humour neede rather restoratiue than purging medicines so rather some troubled for some spiritual wants than for grosse sinnes need not so much the sharpe threatnings of the Lawe as the sweete promises of the Gospell But if the body through some extraordinarie repletion hath gotten some gret surfet not so much to the weakning of nature as to the thretning of imminent death and therfore doth rather require some strong purgation than comfortable and cordiall medicines Then the soule brought to deaths doore with extraordinarie sinne is rather to be boared and pearced with the denounce of God his judgement than otherwise but because we would deale more plainly and lesse confusedly it is good in our accesse to an afflicted conscience to lay these two grounds