The souls looking-glasse lively representing its estate before God: with a treatise of conscience; wherein the definitions and distinctions thereof are unfolded, and severall cases resolved: by that reverend and faithfull minister of the Word, William Fenner, B.D. sometimes fellow of Pembroke-hall in Cambridge, and late parson of Rochford in Essex.

Vses.

[Vse 1] 1. BY this we see what a miserable thing it is to have such a troubled conscience. It is the greatest misery that can be: it is even a hell to men here upon earth: it is like a dismall ghost to terrifie the soul: it is like a burning furnace in the bosome: it ma∣keth the life bitter. In a word, the spi∣rit of man is not able to bear it: The spi∣rit

of man will sustein its infirmities: but ••a wounded spirit who can bear? As long as a mans spirit is sound, it will bear any thing. Some have born agues, fevers, stones, colicks, convulsions, rackings, torturings: as long as a mans spirit is sound he is able to bear any of them, all of them: but a wounded spirit who can bear? Never was there man that was able to bear a wounded spirit. We may see by many of Gods children how heavy it is: David rored with the an∣guish of it: a strange phrase. He man was ready even to runne out of his wits with it: While I suffer thy terrours, saith ••he, I am distracted, Psal. 88.15. Moses putteth himself into the number; We are even consumed by thine anger, Psal. 90.7. Ethan complaineth that it was like a burning fever: How long, O Lord, wilt thou hide thy face? for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? Psal. 89.46. If it be thus with Gods children, what may we think of the wicked? If we could search into the bosomes of some wicked men who are enemies to God, then we might see and understand

the true weight and burden of this troubled conscience. Cain crieth out of more then he can bear. Judas thought to find more ease in hell then in his own heart: So terrible was the torture of his troubled conscience, that he murder∣ed himself, thinking verily that hell could not be worse.

[Vse 2] 2. See here what an infinite mise∣ry every sinner shall one day be in. Though he be not troubled with this harpye for the present, though he be not yet gastered with this furious hag; yet the day will come when he shall: I say, the time will come when all ye that are wicked shall be haunted with this hellish agony of a troubled conscience; either here before ye die, or when ye die, or at furthest when your souls are departed out of your bodies: This is unavoydable to all that live and conti∣nue in sinne. Though for a while ye live in mirth and pleasure and securitie, and conscience letteth you alone; though like Nabal to day ye feast and make merry; yet there is a conscience with∣in you, an Abigail which to morrow

will tell you of it, and then your hearts will die within you and be like stones, as cold and as heavie as a stone within you. As Samuel met with Saul, Be∣cause thou hast forsaken the Lord, the Lord also hath forsaken thee: so conscience will find you out. However for a while ye slight and neglect it, or else perhaps suppresse it, yet it will find you out, as Eliah did Ahab, and then ye will say as he did, Hast thou found me, O mine ene∣my? yea, I have found thee: Thou hast sold thy self to work wickednesse in the sight of the Lord: thou hast been a pro∣fane beast, thou hast run against heaven, and against God and Christ; and thy life hath been full of rebellions, &c. now I have found thee out. The day will come when thy conscience shall be like Jobs messenger. Ye know what news the messengers brought Job; first news of one great evil, and then of another greater, and then of a third worst of all; cattel and goods taken away, servants dead, sonnes and daughters dead, I one∣ly am left alive to tell thee: So, I say, the time will come when conscience shall

thus report, Thy pleasures are dead; thy profits are dead; thy comforts are dead; thy heart is dead; thy soul is cursed, and must die for ever: and I onely am left alive to tell thee: And then he shall crie our, Cursed was I that ever I was born: and cursed be the womb that bare me, and the paps that gave me suck. Then shalt thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy bodie are consumed, and thy con∣science shall say, How have I hated in∣struction, and my heart despised reproof? I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor enclined mine ears to them that in∣structed me. Such dolefull messages conscience will bring in one day; and then it shall hisse like a snake in thy bo∣some, Know now that for all these things thou shalt come to judgement. And so thy conscience shall bray thee like a fool in a mortar, as it were with a pestill, and it shall pounce thee and beat thee and distresse thee for evermore. This is the moth that getteth into the cloth, and doth eat it: When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquitie, thou makest his beautie to consume away like as when a

moth fretteth a garment. This will make thy face gather blacknesse, and thy spi∣rit be overwhelmed for evermore.

I must adde another use yet: For all this is the law: and untill ye be in Christ ye are all under the law, the curse of it, the rigour of it: And we are bound to tell you how ye shall find it if ye do not submit to the righte∣ousnesse of Christ. But though we do preach the law, yet we do preach it in the hand of a mediatour, saith Paul, Gal. 8.19. a terrible killing law, but yet in a mercifull hand, in the hand of a medi∣atour, to drive us to seek for mercie: and therefore

[Vse 3] The third use shall be, to call upon you to be humbled, and to see that there is no living for you in your sinnes. Go and stoop to Christ Jesus, who onely can purge your guiltie con∣sciences by his bloud. I beseech you, consider, ye who yet abide in your sinfull estates and are yet in the flesh: I beseech you, consider what the event will one day be. If ye will not look out, your consciences will find you out

at the last, and then wo be to you. Your consciences will make all things grievous and bitter to you, even those things which in themselves are most sweet and good: When ye heare of heaven, of mercie, of the bloud of Christ, these will but encrease your miserie: conscience will say, You have no part in them. When you heare the word, any promise or comfortable pas∣sage in it, your conscience will say, Yea, this is my miserie, I have no share in these things. This will be a hell unto you, and will torment you before your time. This will also make all outward good things bitter unto you: When you see wife and children and friends, then con∣science will whisper and say, I shall not have these long: ere long I shall have none but damned companie. When you see your goods, estates, and the like, con∣science will mutter, Alas, ere long I shall be in a place where a drop of water shall not be afforded me to cool my tongue. When you see the light and other com∣fortable objects, O wo is me; I shall shortly be in a place where I shall see no∣thing

but darknesse, utter and everlasting darknesse. Conscience will make your afflictions intolerable, your sicknesse in∣tolerable, your death-bed intolerable, the face of death intolerable. I beseech you, brethren, consider these things, you that have not felt a troubled conscience untill this houre. Ye hardly know yet what it is: ye will know it to your sor∣row, if you do not consider it. There is a phrase in Ezek. 30.24. where God saith he will make Pharaoh grone with the gronings of a man deadly wounded: So it will be with you, if you will not hearken and submit to Jesus Christ: conscience will make you grone with fearfull grones; O wo is me, I am undone, without hope, without remedie. Consider this therefore, and be wise, before the things which concern your peace be hidden from you.

And let me the rather exhort you to this in regard of the danger of the times. The Lords wrath is gone out, and his judgements do flie through the earth, and his plagues do fall on every side of us: What will your guiltie con∣sciences

do now? oh you can never en∣dure them. Ye had need of purged con∣sciences now, lest ye be quite comfort∣lesse in the day of visitation. How mi∣serable is their case who want the peace of conscience in the time of di∣stresse? When troubles and afflictions are without, then how grievous is it to want peace and comfort within? When Gods mortall arrows are in your bodies, then to have the arrow of his wrath sticking in your souls, this will adde sorrow to sorrow, and make your estate much more uncomfortable and unsupportable. Beloved, peace of conscience is good at all times; but it is most precious when calamities fall on us: Then to have the peace of a good conscience that may bring us good news from heaven, that all is well with∣in, all peace there, this is such peace as all the world cannot give nor sell nor buy. Never more need of the peace of conscience then now. As one said of the books of faith, There be abundance of books written of faith: buy them all up, saith he; ye will need every one of them

ere long: So may I say of whatever may forward the peace of conscience; Buy it, purchase it, get it, as much peace as you can possible: ye will have need of it all ere long. Take heed of trou∣bling your consciences or clogging them with guilt, lest the Lord cast you off, and lest ye be hardned, and so ye perish from the right way. Do not think thus, O we are believers, and have no need of such threatnings. He who is certain of his salvation knoweth as∣suredly he should be damned if he should go on in sinne without repen∣tance; This If is true enough; If the righteous forsake his righteousnesse, all his former righteousnesse shall be forgotten. And, Wo is me, saith Paul, if I preach not the gospel. In the state of innocencie there was use of threatnings: so is there now in the state of grace. The Lord threatned Adam in innocencie, If thou eat thereof thou shalt die the death. Job was awed by threatnings not to lift up his hand against the fatherlesse; for, saith he, destruction from God was a ter∣rour to me. My flesh, saith David, trem∣bleth

for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgements. Let us have grace, saith the Apostle, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Why? for our God is a consuming fire. For be it that Gods children (that is, all believers) shall never fall finally away; yet this threatning is one of Christs instruments whereby he keep∣eth them from falling: and they also may tast of much bitternesse if they grow indulgent to their corruptions. O therefore take heed of this curse, that your consciences may not dog you with the guilt of sinne and the appre∣hension of Gods wrath. You will ne∣ver be able to bear it, much lesse in the time of affliction. O it is good being in a drie house when a great tempest is up: and it is safe being in a good har∣bour when a storm beateth hard. A good conscience is good at all times; but O how sweet then! When Jonah fell into affliction, the want of peace in his conscience made him look upon his affliction as upon hell, as though he had been in the belly of hell: They who

follow lying vanities, forsake their own mercies, saith he. Mark; his conscience dogged him with his fleeing from God, and forsaking his own mercies. Ye see he was miserably distressed by it till the Lord did deliver him. Be cha∣rie then of conscience, and get it pur∣ged, that it may speak peace to you in trouble.

Notes

• Prov. 18.14.
• 1. Sam. 25.37.
• 1 Sam. 15.26.
• 1. Kings 21.20.
• Psal. 39.11.
• Exhor∣tation.
• M. M.
• Ezek. 18.26.
• 1. Cor. 9.16
• Job 31.23
• Psal. 119.120.
• Heb. 12.28.