Ane treatise of conscience Quhairin divers secreits concerning that subiect, are discovered, as may appeare, in the table following.

CHAP. XI.

How long the trouble of the Conscience may continue, how peace enters in, and how long it may remaine.

AL men that are in troble or in pain, wald gladly vnderstand when their paine & trouble suld take an end: And in speciall, they that hes an inward trouble of the mind, that hes a paine in their soul & Conscience, and a feling of Gods wrath, burning aganis them, that are maist desi∣rous to haue that feid reconciled, and to know how long their paine & troble will indure. All men (I say) wald hear of com∣fort & releefe: but fewe hes regard howe long they haue rebelled agains God, how long they haue followit the affections of

their own heart, and hes refusit to be re∣formed by Gods holy word & discipline. Were it not then good reason, O man! that the Lord punished thee as long, as he hes suffered thee? and that thy paine suld continue as long, as thou hes continued in thy sin and rebellions? But it is with a mercifull partie thou hes to do, quhilk is slow to anger, & redie to forgiue; whose clemencie I would exhort thee not to a∣buse, but to comfort thy self in it: For he is also just in his judgements;* 1.1 and it is a fearefull thing to fall in his hands. He hes shewen thee himselfe, when he wil forget thine iniquities; to wit, even then, when thou turns to him by earnest & vnfained repentance: But as to the time, when the inward paine of thy Conscience sall cease, and thou receiue peace thereof, It is vn∣knowne to man: yea, it is als vncertaine when the Lord will remoue his scourge & punishment, as it is vncertain when he will lay it on: For it is to be marked, that the chastisement is not alwaies removed so soone as the sin is remitted: but for the

singular weill and profit of the offender, wil continue to work patience in him, & to serue as a bridle to refraine him from falling in the like offences; while the Lord haue sufficiently purified him from such corruption.* 1.2 When David committed a∣dultery & murther, by taking the wife of Vriah, and causing him selfe to be slaine; vpon his repentance, the Prophet Nathā saide to him, that the Lord had put away his sin, & that he suld not die: Neverthe∣les, because by that deed, he had despised the Lord, and caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme; he declarit vnto him, that the sword suld never depart from his house; & that the child that was borne in adulterie to him suld surely dy. But to re∣turn to the point of the matter quhilk we haue in hand: I haue heard of sundry per∣sons, quhilk hes ben disquieted in spirit & Conscience, some for a year, some for two, some for three yeares, and some longer: (though not continually tormented, but by certain intervalls of time) & at length hes obtained inwarde quietnes and rest.

But of the day & houre knawis no man.* 1.3 The man of God, Dauid saith, that he was wearie of crying, that his throat was dry, and that his eies were blinded with look∣ing for the Lords deliverance: If then he suffered so long, thou suld not dispair al∣beit thine affliction appeare longsome, but rather suld be content to suffer with the elect vessel of god. Alwaies thou may comfort thy selfe in this; that the lower thou be brought, the greter thy torment be, & the longer it continue; apparantly, when the releif comes, thy comfort and exaltation salbe the mair notabil & gret. Bot what matter is it, when thy delive∣rance be, if thou haif certification of gods spirit, that it salbe; and that vpon thy true repentance thy sins ar remitted & forgi∣uen?* 1.4 Considering, that al the pain quhilk thou can suffer in this life, is not worthy of that glory quhilk the Lord hes prepa∣red for al them that loues him. Prescribe not therfore any time of thy deliverance, neither think that the Lord is slow: for he hes his own appointit time for al things;

and when thou art farthest casten down, & hes given over al hope of warldly help, & reposis on thy God only, then is the Lord neerest vnto thee, to comfort and deliuer thee. Now as to the maner & forme how the trouble of mans conscience passis away, and true peace enters in; It is obserued in som persons to be this: There wil preceid & go before, an earnest repentance of the evil past, & a fervent desire to amend, & do wel: Man wil be heavily displesit with him selfe for his foul deffections, & wil tak a de¦terminat resolution to reforme his life, & to do that quhilk is plesant in the sight of God; In sik sort, that throgh fervencie and grief, he wil feel an extreame dolor, & wil weep bitterly: Yea, he that before could never wring out a tear, nor be perfitly mo∣ued for his sin; when the spirit of God en∣ters in & pearsis the heart, he sal be liuely touched, sair grieued, & sal not be able to containe himself, nor to refrain from wee∣ping. Nixt after sik perturbation, will fol∣lowe a calmnes & quietnes of the mind; & suddenly wil arise a sure perswasion in the

heart of the favour of God, and of the re∣mission of sins: quhilk sall bring with it an exceeding great gladnes and reviuing of the spirit. Man wil then begin to banish all vaine feare & superstition in his doings; & with greter confidence will vse a christian libertie in doing of thinges lawefull to be done; his feare will be no more servile, but childish: For he wil not then fear the Lord, as the servant fears his awful master, or as the criminal person fears the terribil judg: But as the Son feares to offend his loving father; so wil he (being inflamed with loue and fervent zeall) feare to offend the Ma∣jestie of his good God. Farther, he wil cum with a greter assurance to the Lord, in ma¦king his supplications: and wil not be mo∣ued with such vaine cogitations & doub∣tings; as he was, when his Conscience was weak & wounded. To be short, hee will be mair constant nor of before, & wil haue a certain contentment & rejoicing in al his actions, joined with the testimony of a gud and peaceable Conscience: yea, hauing ob∣tained this inwarde tranquilitie & peace,

man wil think himselfe so strong and sure, that he sall never be troubled againe, with the like accusation & terrour of his Consci∣ence. But leist any suld be deceived in this point; It is to be vnderstand, that so soone as ever it sall please the Lord to turn away his favorable face, to shew his angry coun¦tenance, and to menace man for sinne, so soone sal newe terrours & torment of the spirit and Conscience arise again. The cho∣sen vessell of God,* 1.5 King David, saide in his prosperitie, I sal never be moved: but thou Lord (saith he) didst hide thy face, & I was troubled. Therefore when thou hes recei∣ued hevenly consolation, look not to keep it at thy pleasure: For temptation ceaseth not any long time, neither is that comfort laudable, but to be feared, quhilk makes a man to forget his sin altogither. The Lord cures his elect by temptation, and com∣fort. And Iob saith,* 1.6 that the Lord dois vi∣site man every morning, and tries him every moment. I knowe a notable Prea∣cher of Gods worde (whome I doubt not but God hes ordained for his kingdome)

who being sum time sore afflicted in Con∣science, at last obtained comfort, & had in∣ward peace for the space of many yeares. Nevertheles, at the plesure of the Lord, he was visited again of new; and divers & sun∣drie times wald be for the space of a Mo∣neth or two, grievously troubled: Of this same man, while he was yet in good estat, I inquired, how he reposed in the night: I wil take reasonable good rest (saith he) If God make vs not to remember the faults quhilk wee haue committed in our youth: Yea, surely, when it pleasis the Lord at any time, to present mans sinns before him, in their vgliest form, & therewithall to perce the heart; albeit man thocht himself in ne∣ver so great securitie, and confidit never sa meikil in his own constancie, & strength: yet the sight thereof sal ever trouble him, after an extraordinar maner. Heirfore, my dear brother, when new trouble arisis, and when thou feelest a want of the favour of God; be not dismaied nor despaired: For it is no new thing;* 1.7 but a thing costomable to the dearest servants of God. The spirit of

God goes and comes at his pleasure, but will never abandon his Elect altogether. Seing then, that the whol course of a chri∣stians life, is but a continuall battel, a con∣tinuall falling by sin, and rising by repen∣tance: And that the Lord will not suffer the Consciences of his servaunts to be long vnexercised: I wil now shew thee my opi∣nion, howe thou suld behaue thy selfe, ha∣uing (after long troble) obtained comfort, and peace of Conscience, and while thy spi∣rit is yet at rest.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Heb. 10. 31
• * 1.2

  2. Sam. 12. 10. 14.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 119. 82. 148. & 69. 3.
• * 1.4

  Ro. 8. 18.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 30. 6
• * 1.6

  Iob. 7. 18.
• * 1.7

  Iohn. 3. 9.