Treatise of Conscience Wherein Divers Secrets are Discovered

CHAP. I.

What Conscience is, and how it differis from knowledge.

B Lissed is he (say is the Apostle Paul) that condemneth not him self in that thing whilk he alloweth: For he that doubtis, is condemnit gif he eat, because he eatis not of faith: And whatsoever is not of faith, is sin. In thir words the Apostle countis him blessed, that is not condemnit nor accusit be his awin Conscience, in that thing whilk he dost. On the other pairt, he countis the man condemnit, that doubtis whidder that thing be gude or evil whilk he dost: And he subjoynis the ressoun, because (say is he) it is not done in faith, that is to say, the doer thairof is not certified be his Conscience that he dost well: For all that is not of faith, that is to say, all that proceidis not of ane vpricht Conscience, is sin. Now, seeing that this point of Conscience, is of so great importance, it is verry necessary that we know what Conscience is. It wald appear be the phrase of speaking, whilke men are accustomed to use, that Conscience were a certain substance, and substantial pairt of man, that subsistis be the self: Bot leist ony suld be dissaifit heirin; it is to be understand, that Conscience is na mair a substance, nor the thocht, the ressoun, or the memory; bot is only a function or office of the saul, like as they are: For man consistis only of twa substantial pairtis, to wit, the soul, and the body: All the rest of the pairtis of man are bot accidentis, even qualiteis and offices of the body, and of the soul. Conscience then, is a perfect knowledge, or a suir perswasioun in the hairt of man, that his thochtis, words, or deidis, ar gude, or that they ar evil. Therefore like as that office of the saul, whereby man dost think, imagine and apprehend things, is called the thocht, or the mind: And that functioun whereby he discussis, and decernis of the things consauit, is called reason or judgment: And that office of the saul whereby the things apprehendit, and discussed, ar conseruit and keipit, is called the memory: Euin swa, that functioun and office of the saul whereby man is certified that he hes done, said, or thocht that whilk is gude, or that whilk is evil, is called, Conscience.

Now the difference betwix Knawledg and Conscience, may be this: First, knowledge is mair general, nor Conscience: For knowledge may be extendit to all things that fallis under the understanding, alsweill spiritual, as temporal and warldly things, and to the effairis of other men. Bot Conscience is a particular knawledg whilk every man hes of himself, and that only of the thochtis, words and deids, whilk he hes committit, whether they be gude or evil. As for example: I know what the commandementis of God ar, whilk he hes geuin us to keep, This cannot as yet be called Conscience, for it is only a naked knowledge whait na deed is done: Bot when I know that I have brokin thir Commaundementis whilk God hes geuin me, their arrysis Conscience, ye ane evil Conscience, that is to say, ane evil knowledge of myself through the deed that I haif done: Again I knaw it repenteth me, that I haif violat the commandment of God, and that I belief that Jesus Christ hes satisfy it for my offense: Heir arrysis the testimony of a gude Conscience. Siklike, I knaw sum men that hes committit grievous sinnis: That hes nothing to do with my Conscience, for it is ane other manis deed: Bot when I knaw that I haif committit ane heinous offense myself; that twichis my Conscience. Again, I knaw, and am certainly perswadit, that Abraham wes a faithful man and familiar with GOD: Nevertheless, this knawledg cannot be called Conscience: Bot gif I would deny that, whilk I knaw, & whairof I am certainly perswadit, in sa doing, I suld haif ane evil Conscience: For in a word, their mon be ever a deed done, a word spoken, or a thocht consaifit, annixit, and joynit with the knowledge, to make it arrise in Conscience. The other difference whilk I mark betwix knowledge, and Conscience, is; that manis knowledge is mair certain, nor his Conscience sometime is: For that whilk man knawis, he either comprehendis it with his outward senses, or vnderstandis the causes thairof; either else hes ane sufficient authority and warrant for him, that it is swa: Bot at sometime he may haif ane evil Conscience, where he hes na sufficient warrant for him, save on lie a suir perswasioun, and estimatioun within himself, of that thing whilk is falls. As for example: he that estemis it vnlauchfull to cit of every kind of meit indifferently at all times; Gif he notwithstanding, make na difference in eating of every kind of meat at all times; he man haif ane evil Conscience; because he dost that thing whilk he estemis to be wrang in his heart, and in sa doing sinneth: Neuertheles, he can haif na sufficient warrand for him, to esteem it vnlauchfull to eight of every kind of meat indifferently at all times, seeing it is falls of itself. To conclude, that whilk the Lord is to lay to manis charge, and whairof man is astrictit to rander account at the latter day of judgment, it fallis all under Conscience: For then every manis Conscience, sall beir him witness, what he hes done, said, thocht, or beleifit, whether it be gude, or evil, and how secreit soever it be, it sal be disclosed that day, when the counsels of all harts sal be maid open and manifest.

CHAP. II.

How the word Conscience, is diversely taken: and of the divers sortes of Consciences.

WE haif declared heirtofoir, that Conscience, is a function or office of the soul, even a knowledge, or suir perswasioun, whilke man hes with himself, that the thing is ather gude or evil whilk he dost, whilk he hes done, or is of intentioun to do: As the significatioun and pith of the word itself doth import: For the latin word, Conscientia, (from the whilk the word, Conscience cummis) is composed of the Preposition, cnm, whilk signify is in our language, with, & Scientia, whilk signifies Science, or Knawledge; as gif we wald say, the knawledg whilk man hes inwartly with himself, of all his actiounis, words, and cogitations: Bot to mak the sound of the word mair agreeable, the Prepositioun cum, is changit into con, be a little mutation of the letters: whilk is a thing very frequent in the composition of words in the Latin tongue. This is the proper signification and original of the word Conscience. Nevertheless, the Conscience of man, is not only taken for the knawledg, and suir persuasion whilk he hes with himself, as a function and office of the soul: But also, is oftymes taken for the soul it self: as may appear be the phrases, and figurative kind of speaking, whilke men are accustomit to use. As when we say, a peaceable Conscience, a remording or a biting Conscience, a wounded Conscience, a senseless Conscience and without feeling, a troubled, afflicted, and tormented Conscience. It is evident, that these Epitheits and titles, are not sa proper to Conscience, (whilke is but a knawledg, & ane office of the saul) as they ar to the saul itself: Therefore, to the effect that everything may have the awin proper & mayest convenient name, I wald rather say, that through the testimony of man's Conscience, that is, by the inward knowledge of that whilk he hes done, ather gude or evil, the soul is made peaceabill, is made to haif remors, is woundit or tormentit: Nor, to attribute such styllis unto the Conscience. Bot forasmeikle, as the former kind of speich is commonly vsit in the scriptures, and that the offices of the spirit are oftymes taken, by a borrow it kind of speich, for the sprit it self: I will also attribute thir titles and stylis, baith to the Conscience, and to the Saul indifferently, as they are commonly vsit: For I esteem it shall be very easy, be that difference whilk we haif already made, to understand what may be properly spoken of the soul whilk is a substance; and of the Conscience whilk is na substance, but only a function or work of the soul wrocht in man.

Our chief division then of Conscience, shall be this: when the deide whilk man hes done is gude of it self, his knoledge is also gude, & heir arrysis a gude and vpricht Conscience. One the other pairt, when the deide done is evil, the knowledge and Conscience is likewise evil: In such sort, that of the gude and righteous deide, proceidis the gude and vpricht Conscience: and of the wickit and evil deed, proceidis the corruptit and evil Conscience: And under thir twa sortis of Consciences, gude, and evil, all the rest of the sortis are comprehendit: To wit, a peaceable Conscience, a remording or a biting Conscience, a cauterized or a senseless Conscience, a wounded Conscience, and a troublit or tormentit Conscience: Of the whilkis speces and kinds, we are particularly to entreat: And first of a gude Conscience, and the diverse kinds thairof.

CHAP. III.

Of a gude Conscience, and the diverse kinds thairof.

THe Conscience of man may be called gude and vpricht, three manner of wayis; First, when he eschewis that whilk is evil of itself, ather upon knowledge, or upon a suir persuasion that the thing is evil whilk he eschewis. Secondly, when he followis that whilk is gude and richteous of it self, ather knowing assuredly, or being certainly perswadit in his hairt, that the thing is gude and richteous whilk he dost. Thirdly, when he ather dost, or leiffis the thing undone that is indifferent of it self, that is to say, neither gude nor evil; and that vpoun knowledge, or upon a suir perswasioun that the self same thing is indifferent whilk he dost, or leiffiis undone. But where man, ather eschewis that whilke is evil, or indifferent of itself: ather else follow is that whilk is richteous, or indifferent, upon ignorance, or upon accident: Thair can be na testimony of a gud Conscience their: For that whilk is done upon ignorance, is opponit unto that whilk is done upon knowledge, whairupon Conscience mon proceide. In such sort, that to mak the testimony of manis Conscience, gude, baith the deed whilk he dost mon be gude of it self, or at the leist indifferent, & the doer thairof mon ather knaw perfytlie, or haif a suir persuasion in his heart that the thing is gude or at leist, indifferent whilk he dost. The difference whilk I make betwixt knowledge, and a suir persuasion, is this: that knawledg is groundit upon a suir authority, and warrand▪ out of the word of God: and that suir persuasion, is only a constant opinioun consauit in manis hairt, that a thing is sa, or not sa, without ony certain warrand: Bot foralsmeikle, as man's Conscience can nather beir witness with him, nor aganis him, but according to man's awin knowledge and under standing: he suld beware that he lippin not over meikle in the testimony of his awin Conscience: For albeit, all that man dost aganis his awin Conscience be sin: Neuertheles, all that is done according to Conscience, is not gude and without sin: In respect that man's Conscience, will oftymes certefie him, that the deed whilk he dost, is gude of it self, when it is evil: And be the contrair, that the deed whilk he hes done is evil of itself, when it is gude and richteous. As for example the Iewis when they crucify it our Savior Jesus Christ, were perswadit in their Conscience, that they had not crucified the Son of God; and yet they were dissaifit: Sicklyk, na doubt but some of the Papists are certefy it be their awin Conscience, that they do well in making their supplications unto the sauls of the saints departit; and yet they are dissauit be their Conscience. Heirfoir, seeing the testemonie of man's Conscience, is oftymes dissauabill and falls: In the things, whereby the doing, or not doing of thame, may follow sin; he aucht to haif his warrand out of the word of God, and not to confide in the testimony of his Conscience. Notwithstanding, in things indifferent; as to marry, or leif unmarried: to wear costly apparel on the Sabbath day, or not to wear it: to use, or not to use moderate exercitioun of the body; or til eat meat with weschen or vnweschin hands: In doing of thir and siklike things, a suir persuasion of thame, that they ar things indifferent, is sufficient to saif man from sin, without ony farther warrant: But he that doubtis whether he haif done well or evil in following, or eschewing ony thing, albeit the thing be indifferent of itself, yet he sinnis: because he hes na testimony nor assurance of his Conscience for that whilk he dost, whilk every man aucht to haif in all his actions.

As concerning the nature and qualities of a gude Conscience; It will be peaceabill, it will sometimes have remorse, & sometimes it will be woundit & troublit. Mans Conscience may be called peaceabill, twa manner of wayis: The ane is, when his Conscience giffis him rest, and accusis him not, but allowis and apprevis all that he dost, as well done. This kind of peace is not only proper to the gude Conscience, and well doer, but also to the evil Conscience and evil doer: For he that committis wickitnes ather upon ignorance, or upon a persuasion that he dost well; or he that hes the heart hardened, and is not mouit nor troublit with the evil whilk he dost; that man (I say) will haif sum time peace of Conscience for a time: although in the end, the accusation and torment of his Conscience will be horrible and great. In consideration whereof, it wald be diligently marked, that man's Conscience. dost not always accuse, nor trouble him, sa sone as the sin and wickitnes is committit: Na, na, he will have inward peace of mind for a time, his Conscience will flatter him, the eyes of his mind will be blindit, and his heart will be shut up: during the whilke time his Conscience will be peaceabill, he will haif inward rest of the mind, and lief in careless security: Bot when the lord begins to chop, to appeall the Conscience, & to open the eyes of the hairt, that man may see the vglines of his awin sin: Then begins the Conscience to accuse, to condemn, and to torment man with terribil prickis, with fearful terrors, and intolerable pain. Therefore, when this kind of peace proceidis from knowledge, that is, when man hes asuir warrand of the word of God for that whilk he dost, then is it gude, and the Conscience vpricht: But where it lacketh that warrand of God's word, it is dangerous, & not to be lipnit in: For as I haif said, the wickit man's Conscience will flatter him, and bear him false witness, whereby he will haif peace and rest for a time. The other kind of peace is, when after great trouble of the spreit and Conscience, through the sicht of man's sin▪ and of the wrath of God aganis sin; man obtainis inward peace and rest of his Conscience, by apprehending mercy through Jesus Christ, and by the assurance whilk the spreit of God gives to the spreit of man, that his sins ar forgiven him. This is the true peace of Conscience, and is only proper to the chosen children of God.

Mairouer, the gude Conscience will remord and bite: that is to say, it will ofttimes call to remembrance the sins, whilk man hes committit, and will accuse, and prick him with an inward pain thairfoir: This remorse and biting, is also a quality that is common, baith to the gude and evil Conscience: Bot the difference betwixt the remorse of the godly and of the wickit, is notable and great: For that remorse whilk the godly hath, bringis a godly dolour with it for the sin committit, makes man to seek the remedy of the inward prick and pain whilk he hes, even to humble himself before his God by earnest repentance, and fervent prayer, whereby he finds relief and comfort: But the wickit man, albeit he have the remorse and pain of his Conscience: Nevertheless, he is not mouit with ony godly sorrow, neither seiks he the remedy for the pain, nor ressauis ony relief or comfort from above. Heirfore I mon say, that the remorse and biting, is the quality of a gude Conscience: I say not, that the deed is gude, whilk makes man to have remorse of Conscience, for that is sin: But I say, that to have remorse of Conscience for the sin, it is gude, and is proper to the children of God: For, without remorse their can be no repentance: And seeing that the fragility of man's nature is so great, that he cannot abstain from sin so long as he is in this life, ye the mayest just & vpricht man fallis oftymes every day; and the estait of a true Christians life, is but a continual falling and arrysing: It is mayest necessary that the Conscience of man be exercisit with a frequent remorse: For as I have said, without it, repentance can not be, & it makes man to seek the remedy, and to find relief and heavenly consolatioun.

Finally, the gude Conscience will be sometime wounded, and troubled: and whereby? even by the commemoration and consideration of the sins whilke man hes committed: Ʒe not only the conscience, but also the spreit and soul, and all the functions thairof, and the hail estait of the richteous man, by the sicht of sin will be sair vexit and troublit. But meikill mair the spreit and soul of the wickit man, through the sicht of sin will be tormentit, considdering that the same turnis in the end, to his utter confusion: Quhairas the trouble of the richteous soul shall be turned into glaidnes, and redound to eternal salvation: But of this trouble of the spreit and Conscience, we sall heirefter entreat mair at large.

CHAP. IIII.

Of ane evil Conscience, the diverse kinds, and qualities thairof.

LIke as of well doing, arysis the testimony of a gude Conscience: even sa of evil doing, arysis ane evil Conscience: For look where sin, in any form is committed; either in thocht, word or deed; whether sa it be wittingly, on ignorance, on rashness, or on set purpose: Of force their mon be ane evil Conscience, ane evil knowledge their: And as their is degrees of sins; even sa is there degrees of Consciences: For the fewar, and of less weight the sins be, the better is the Conscience of him that committeth them: And the main number, or mair grievous the sin be, the worse is the Conscience, of the committar. Now, of the sins whereby the Conscience of man is woundit and made evil: There is a sin whilk may be committed aganis knowledge: A sin according to knowledge, and a sin done upon ignorance. Al thir three kinds of sins are accessory, and annexit to ane evil Conscience. As to the first, when man knawis, or is suirly perswadit with himself, what is wrang, and yet dost it: And what is richt, and yet leifis it undone; he then sinnis aganis his awin knowledge: and this is a high degree of sin; and the worst kind of Conscience, whilk is guilty of willful error: In such sort, that albeit the deed be gude, or indifferent of it self, If man esteem, and be perswadit in his hairt that it is evil, and yet dost it: It is evil to him, and in doing thairof he sinnis and offendis: For all that is done aganis knowledge, or aganis the thinking and persuasion of the hairt, is sin. The second sort of sin is, whilk is not done directly aganis knowledge, but rather according to knowledge, and yet it is sin; and at length producis ever the testimony of ane evil Conscience: As when man dost that whilk is evil of it self, upon a false trust and persuasion that he dost well: or when he dost that whilk is unjust, upon a gude intentioun, to the effect that gude may come of it. This is also ane evil Conscience, whilk flatters man in his awin sin: And thou (O man) that vsis such a form of doing, thy Conscience whilk flatters thee now, sall ane day accuse and condemn thee for leaning sa meikil to thy awin waik wit and deceauable opinion. Bot you will object and say, that thy Conscience mouis thee so to do, being suirly perswadit in thy hairt, of thy well doing; Indeed I yield unto thee, that in doing the things whilk are gude, or at the leist indifferent of them selves, a sure persuasion that thou dost na wrong, may be a sufficient warrant to thee: But in those things whereby the doing or omitting of them, the Majesty of God may be offended, thy vain persuasions and false witness of thy flattering Conscience, can be no defense nor warrant unto the: For in all things whilk may import sin, thou aucht to have the authority of the word, & command of God for thy warrant. Siklike wilt thou (O foolish man) do evil that gude may come of it? I pray thee tell me, where hes thou such a commandment given thee of God? or thinks thou, that thou mayest transgress the ordinance of the most high, either by doing that whilk he hes forbidden thee to do, or by leaving that undone whilk he hes commandit thee to do; & then cloke thy sin with thy intention, by saying, that thou did all for the best, that thy purpose and intention was gude, and that man is judged according to his intention? Na, na, thy intention sall be na releuant defense unto thee, in that respect: For thou perverts that gude sentence. I grant, where thy intention agreis with the will of God, when thou intends, and endeavors thyself to please God, and to keep his Commandments: The Lord, for his sone Jesus Christ's sake, will accept thy gude intention, and be well pleased with the gude affection of thy heart, albeit (throw thy awin fragility, or other external impediments) thou never execute nor perform thy intentioun. But where thy actions are repugnant to the ordinance of God, of necessity thy zeal mon be blind, & thy intention evil, how gude soever it appeir in thine awin eyes: neither sal it serve for a lawful excuse unto thee, but for a point of dittay to condemn thee, in the day of the Lord's richteous judgment: For when the Lord sal lay down his Law, as a rule before thee, sall open the blinded eyes of thy heart, & appeal thy Conscience: Thou sall then know, and confess, that the Lord suld be served according to his holy statutes & commandments, and not according to thy foolish brain and conceits, nor yet after the traditions of men. The thread sort of sin, whereby the Conscience of man is damnifyit & hurt, is nether committit aganis knowledge, nor yet upon a persuasion and pretence of weil doing: But is done on mere stupidity and ignorance. As when man either is in doubt, whether the thing be gude or evil, that he dost: ather else is altogidder negligent and careless what he dost; nocht taking heed, nor trying whether his actions be just, or unjust. Heir it wald appear, that this kind of sin can nocht touch the Conscience: In respect, that Conscience is a knowledge of a deed done; but ignorance is opponit to knowledge; and therefore cannot concern, nor corrupt the Conscience. The truth is, that all kind of sin infects the Conscience and soul of man: And seeing that all iniquity done upon ignorance, is sin: For neither ignorance negligence, rashness, nor waiknes, can be a just defense and excuse to sin: Thairfore, it mon follow, that sin committit upon ignorance, corrupts and infects the soul and Conscience. Mairouer, albeit the wicked man will be sumtime careless, and ignorant of the quality of his deeds, whether they be gude or evil, and sa will have peace of Conscience for a season: Nevertheless, he cannot be ignorant what he hes done, at the time when the fact is committed: Yea, although he were baith forgetful what he had done, and ignorant of the quality of the deed: yet when it sall please the Lord to knock at the door of his Conscience, and to illuminate his dull understanding: he sal then baith have his deids recent in memory, & sall clearly understand, that they ar evil and wicked, whairvpon his awin Conscience sall beir witness against him. Heirfore, to sin upon ignorance, It is a dangerous thing. For we aucht neither to be ignorant, nor to doubt of the quality of our actiouns; but suld have assurance of our Consciences for all that we do; & our Consciences the assurance of God's word: The whilk assurance all men may have, that delights to be exercised in the Law of the Lord: For this is mayest certain, that there is nothing whilk may serve to the salvation of man, but it is reviled by the word of God, and set down in the scriptures: And all that the Lord hath commanded us to do, is gude and richteous: All that he hes defendit, and forbidden, is evil and wicked: And all that is not inhibit and forbidden be the word of God, may be saifly done without sin or offense: providing, that man do it upon knowledge, & doubt not of his awin doing. Thus then we see, that by these diverse kinds of sins, the Conscience, and soul of man is infected and corrupted: And by the sicht & consideration thairof, is grievously wounded; whairvpon there arrysis a great remors, and trouble, in the spreit and Conscience: For when it pleaseth the Lord to let man see the vglines of his own sin, his Conscience then begins to accuse him, and to byte like a worm, inwardly in the heart: and for that cause is called, a biting or remording Conscience: The whilk remorse, gnawing, and biting, is perpetual in the wicked, that hes not the grace to seek the remedy, as it was in Cain: But in the children of God it is temporal only, and is cured and taken away with blenks of heavenly comfort. Again, the perversed Conscience that is opponit unto this, is not moved with remorse, for any wickedness that man can commit: But as the flesh is persed and burnt up with the cautaire whilk the Chirurgien dost apply, and is thereby made senseless and without feeling: Euin sa the Conscience is infected with sin, and yet hes na sense nor feeling thairof: and therefore it is called, a cauterized, brunt up, or senseless Conscience. This proceidis from ane obdured, obstinate, and hardened heart; whilk continues in this obstinacy and blindness, ay & whill the Lord in his fearful judgment, begins to strike the saul and Conscience with terrible terrors and torment: The form and manner whairof, we have next (be the grace of God) to declare.

CHAP. V.

Of the troubled spirit and conscience, and how it differs from melancholy, from other natural diseases, and warldly sorrowis.

THe Spirit of man, and every function of the spirit (either the imagination, the reasoun, the judgment, or the memory) may be divers & sindrie ways damnified and troubled: Some time by natural sickness and diseases, sometime by natural melancholy and evil disposition of the body, sometime by contracted melancholy, whilk man apprehendeth through sorrow and care of warldly things, sometime by the exterior leision of the partes of the head, whilk are called, the seats of these functions: And sometime through sudden and extreme fear, love, joy, or other sicklyke passions of the mind. Al the whilk things, are observed by the mediciners and chirurgiens, & in their warkis ar aboundantlie set forth. Yea sometime the Lord by his immediate power, will abstract the judgment, the memory, or other offices of the spirit, & will strike man with frenzy, with madness, or forgetfulness; & restore them again at his pleasure. But the trouble of man's Conscience, is far different from any of these troubles: whilk is observed for the mayest pairt, to arrise after this manner. When it pleisis the Lord at any time, to show his angry face, and to rebuke man for sin, incontinent man is stricken with sudden fear and trembling, and begins to call to remembrance what sins he hes committit, and whairin he hes offendit his God: Ʒea, the Lord will object his sins clearly before his eyes, albeit they have been never sa lang buried & forgot with man: Quhilk when he remembers, seeth the vglines thairof; is accusit by his awin Conscience, & feillis the fierce wrath of God kindled against him for his sin; his spirit and Conscience is marvellouslie troubled, and is suddenlie oppressed, with extreme pain and torment: In such sort, that the trouble of the spirit will ofttimes redound to the body, and trouble the whole estate of man; as though he were takin with sum agony, or sharp fevar. It is true, that every man whom the Lord so visits, will not be alike sore troubled and tormented; But sum in a higher, sum in a lower degrie, according to the modificatioun of the Lord: But he that hes the feeling of his awin sin, and of the wrath of God aganis his sin, in the highest degrie; that man sall see nothing but the angry face of God, burning like a consuming fire against him, and sal think na other thing, but that the Lord in his just judgment hes castin him away, out from his presence & kingdom: Quhilk of all torments, that man can suffer in this life, is the gretest. This kind of trouble that proceids from the Conscience, seemis sa strange & difficil to natural and warldly men, that they can hardly consaue it, but takes it ever up wrang: and estiems those persons that are so troubled, either to be furious, lunatic, or fantastic: either else to have taken sum apprehension, melancholy, or vain conceit: Ʒea, not only appeirs it hard unto them, but also to the very Children of God, unless they have either had some taisting of it them selves, or else have been well instructed therein, by such as hes had the lively experience thairof: As it is na wonder that flesh and blood understand it not: For it is a great mystery, and a wonderful wark of the mayest high, whilk by natural reason, can not be comprehended. But as I have said before, the difference betwix the trouble of the conscience, & other troubles, is notable and great. For the diseases before rehearsed are natural; the disease of the Conscience, supernatural. The natural diseases proceids from the evil constitution and disposition of man's body, and his warldly sorrow, and wanrest from the solicitude & care whilk he hes of warldly things: But the wanrest and anxiety of the conscience, proceids from the sicht & consideration of man's sin. Mairouer, we see that the natural diseases of the body may be cured, by using of natural remedies: sickness may be healed, by the application of salutaire medicaments: The melancholious humors may be purged, and the body brought to a gude temperature and constitution: But all the Physicians, and all the natural medicine under heaven, can na mair remeid the woundit conscience, nor corporal meat and drink can nourish the saul; or naked words can satisfy the hunger & thirst of the body. Siklike, the displesure and sorrow whilk man contracts, either through the loss, or through the care and desire of earthly things; will either, through tract of time vanish away, where things lost cannot be recovered; or be turned into joy and contentment, when he obtaineth the things that he disired; whether sa it be riches, promotion, or victory over his enemies: But all the riches, honor, and pleasures of the world, will never relieve the pain of a tormented conscience; (unless it before a very short space) while inward comfort be given of the comforter, the holy Ghost. I deny not but that the Lord will sometime use outward affliction, as a means whereby he will cause man to call his sins to remembrance, & consequently, will make his awin conscience to condemn and torment him: But the saule and conscience being once deeply woundit; na wordly consolation, nor earthly remedy can avail: while the spirit of God work first inwardly in the heart. Farther, it is to be understand, that not only the wicked and reprobate are accustomed to have this trouble & prick of conscience: But also the very chosen children of God, yea his dearest servants hes ever been, and yet are, mayest subject to the feiling of their awin sin and weakness: Quhairby they will be sometimes reduced to such extremity, that their faith will be altogether smored for a season, & they brocht to the very brink, and bordour of desperation. Notwithstanding, all their sufferings, in the end redounds to their eternal joy and salvation: Quhair by the contrair, the troubles of the wicked, turnis at last to their utter wrack and confusion: For albeit the Lord, to try & to humble his awin, & to let them knaw their awin infirmities, will sumty me hide his face for a little season, and cover them as it wer, with a cloud: during the whilk space, they will be in greit anguish & perplexity, overshadowed with heaviness & darkness, like the Moon eclipsed, & private of the licht of the Sun: Nevertheless, in the middes of their miseries, he will edge by the cloud, and show thame blenks of mercy, of comfort, and of licht: and at last will turn his loving countenance again, and drive away all the darkness, and heaviness of their sauls, and illuminate them with eternal licht, and gladness. To conclude, I will say this meikle farther, That there is nane whom the Lord hes predestinat to salvation, whilk sal not, at sum time of their life, be troubled, and tormented in some measure (though not all equally) in their soul & conscience, through the sicht of their awin sin: For this is certain, that we cannot enter into the kingdom of God, except we first suffer, and abide trial: It is not possible, that we can be exalted with everlasting exaltation, except we be first casten down and brocht low: It is not possible, that we can be partakers of eternal glory and gladness in the heaven with Christ, unless we be first participant of pain with Christ, and feill with him, in some measure, the torments of hell in our sauls and Consciences. Thairfore, let every ane of us make us for it, and prepare our selves for the day of trial and temptation: Let us turn in time to God, by earnest repentance, and amendment of life, before he strike us in his judgment: Let us always flee sin, and follow richteousnes, that in the day of trial the accusation of our Conscience may be the less fearful: And above all things, let us apprehend Jesus Christ crucified for our sin, with a true and a lively faith: For if we once constantly believe that; we may be assured, that how low soever we be brocht, howe extreme soever our pain and torment be, yet the issue thairof shall be happy, & our deliverance joiful.

CHAP. VI.

The marks whereby the woundit conscience may be knawin.

QVhair the saul & Conscience is wounded and oppressed, through the sicht of sin, and through the feeling of God's wrath against man for sin; there is na quietness nor contentment there: For, howe can there be any rest, or delectation, where man hes a feiling of God's wrath kindled aganis him, and is persuaded in his heart, that he is out of the favor of God? Na, na, sa lang as he is in that estate, there is nothing for him but wanrest, nothing but fear, sorrow, languishing, weariness, heaviness, darkness, & pain, baith within, and without. In such sort, that if there were not intermissioun, at some time, of the torment, the body were not able to sustain it: For the saul and the body being joined together by a perfect union, The vexation of the saul extendis to the body, whilk hes a compassion and a suffering together with the soul. Quhairvpon it followis, that he wha is troubled in spirit and Conscience, will be bereft of all natural rest, though vtherwaies he be hail baith in body and spirit, and that nature use all the right offices; yet the Conscience being wounded, the trouble thairof, sall bereif man the nichts sleep: his slumbrings will be short, and encumbered with ugly dreams: his waiknings will be triste, & his body commoved with heit and beitting, as though he were in a fiever: and his sins will come oft in mind, whilk on na wise he can eschew, nor forget. Siklike, the meat and drink will be loathsome unto him: neither will he delight meikil in any warldly pleasure: But all earthly recreation will be mair fashious, nor delectable unto him: Ʒea it will appear to himself, that all the creatures of God are animate, as it were, and conspired against him. Nevertheless, the inclination and behavior of the wicked man, being visited by the hand of God, will be far different from the behavior of the godly: For the wicked man will be mair sorrowful for his awin wanrest, and pain, nor for his sin, whereby he hes offendit the majesty of God. He will also blame the instrumental causes of his trouble, mair nor himself: and will seek unlawful means to be releifed of his pain; sometime laboring to delait it out of his mind, by giving himself to warldly pleasures, and using of wanton and riotous company: sometime by revenging himself on them whom he estiems to be the instrumental causes of his trouble: and sometime by consulting with sorcerers, and seeking responces of unclean sprits. To be short, he hes ever a looking back to the world; and if he get any relief of his pain, incontinent he returnis to his former impiety, like a sow to the puddle, and heaps sin upon sin, whereby his conscience is mair and mair wounded, and his pain thereafter incresed: Quhil at the last, he fallis in utter despair; and ather puts violent hands in himself, as Judas did; or else is perpetually tormented with the worm of his conscience, as Cain was, during his whole life time. By the contrair, the Child of God, when he feels the correctioun of his Maker, and is accused by his awin conscience, he is immediately taken with a godly sorrow for his sin, and hes a seeking to God for mercy and relief. Notwithstanding, he will find in himself a great inconstancy, & waiknes: For some time he will be ouerset with sadness, and in ane instant will be changed, whairof he cannot render a reason, but as the spirit mouis him: Sometyme, he will be fervent in prayer, sometime cold and remitted: Sometime, he will pray formally and weil, sometime informally, being interrupted with tears, or with wavering thochts: yea, sometime he will be sa confused, that he cannot pray, but will utter his passions with groans, with sichis, & with sobbes. Attoure, he will have ane earnest desire to hear the word of God preached, or red; and will think it marvelous comfortable and sweet: and when he hears any part thereof that touchis him self, whether sa it be the description of his misery, or the gracious promises, & mercies of the Lord rehearsed; he will rejoice exceidingly, and partly for joy of the gudnes of God, and partly for grief of his awin fall, and unthankfulness towards his Creator; he will oftymes burst out with tears in abundance. Besides this, the wounded conscience may not abide to hear any cursed or profane speaking: or to hear the name of God in any ways blasphemed, meikil les will he do it himself, For he is taken with a great fear to offend the majesty of God, having already felt the stroke of his hand. Siklike, the leist offense whilk he can commit, will appear to him to be of gret gravity & weight: For like as the wound of the body will be sa sair, that the patient can scarselie suffer anything to touch it: Even so, the woundit conscience is sa waik that the lest unseemly word, wrang luke, or wavering thocht whilk man can use, will hurt and trouble it, and make it to remord. Finally, when the oppressed conscience gets any blenk of comfort, or release of his pain; he will spring for joy, and think that he sal never again be moved with such perturbation: Bot sa sone as the Lord turnis away his face, new trouble and doubtings will arrise again, as though he had never received comfort. And that whilk is admirable, & a wonderful wark of God's spirit; at sometime the remembrance of a sin, or of a deed done, will sa trouble man, that he cannot be comforted: And at ane other time the commemoration and sicht of that same sin, will na mair move him, nor gif it had never been committed. This appearantly proceedis in the wicked, from a hardened and obdured heart: But in the faithful, from the assurance of the holy spirit, that the sin is forgiven, and that mercy is granted through Jesus Christ.

This meikle I thocht necessary to write, concerning the discovery of a wounded Conscience: To the effect, that the disease being discovered, the remedy may be the mair easily found out, and skilfullie applied to the same.

CHAP. VII.

The remedy of the troubled spirit and Conscience.

ART thou troubled (O man or woman) in thy spirit and Conscience? Then I wald exhort thee, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to enter into this meditation and thinking with thyself. I perceive the Lord is mindful of me, & hes visited me: For I feel myself inwardly touched: The Lord knocks at the door of my Conscience▪ but what his will is, or what wark he is to wark in me, I knawe not: howsoever it be, this is doubtless the day of temptation, and the time of my trial: so that my estate is dangerous: For I knaw, that the sprit and image of Satan will strive in me; aganis the sprit & image of God: and if I hearken not to the Lord's cal, but yield unto the sprit of Satan, I am but lost. Thairfore, I beseik the Lord to be on my side, and to assist me with his holy spreit in this perrellous battle, that I may stand fast, and submit myself wholly to his holy will. This done, prepare thyself for the trial, by fasting and abstinence, from the sensual lusts of the flesh: For thairby thou sal be meikle eased of thy pain, and sal baith be better disposed to serve thy God, and be made a mair meet subject to the spreit of God to wark in. Being humbled & prepared, first of all clenge thy heart & Conscience: For, gif thou present thyself before the Lord with a polluted heart, and corrupted Conscience; Al that you can do or say, will be but abomination unto him; and he will nather regard thy prayers, nor accept any service at thy hands; But will rather be a consuming fire ready to destroy thee. Thairfore, let the manner of thy clenging be this: Enter in sharp trial and examination of thy life and conversation, from thy youth up: Cal to remembrance what kind of vice or vices hes greatest dominion in thee; and what offenses thou hes committed from time to time, either against God or thy Neighbor: This do, not only at a time, but at divers and sundry times: For thou wilt remember at ane time, that whilk thou cannot do at ane other: Quhilk if thou examine narrowly, not flattering thyself, I doubt not, but thou sal find thy sins ugly enough, and of ane huge number: Ʒea, it may be, that the memory and consideration of them humble thee very far, and make thee baith to abhor them, & thy self, that suld have committed such abominations. Having now ryppit up thy sin, whilk is the fountain of all thy misery; thou hes next to turn thee with thy hail heart to the Lord, seeking help and relief at his hands, wha is only able to deliver thee. But howe sal I turn (may thou say) to the Lord? for I knaw not the way. Surely, the lord hes taught the way, how a sinner sall turn unto him: To wit, even by earnest & unfeigned repentance; and by a true and lively faith in the mercies of God, through the death of Jesus Christ. As to the form of thy repentance, let it be this: Cast down thyself on thy face and knees before thy God, & with a broken heart; First, confess thy sins freely unto him, without hypocrisy, howe secreit or abhominable soever they be: For if thou dissemble, or mean to hide anything fra him, that knawis the leist hirne of thy heart; thy labor is all in vain; and thou but provokes his indignation mair and mair against thee. Secondly, thou mon be sorrowful in thy heart for thy sin: For except thou be displeased with thyself, that thou hes offended thy gude God; think not that thy offenses sal be forgiven: neither sal it suffice to say, that it repenteth thee of the evil whilk thou hes done; unless thou rew in very deed: For the Lord that is the searcher of the heart, knawis what thou dost think, albeit thy sayings be never sa gud. Thairfore, beware that thou use na dissimulation with him, leist for thine hypocrisy he confound thee. Thirdly, amend thy life in times cumming, by abstaining not only from the sins, whairvnto thou hes been mayest addicted: But also, from all other kind of sin: and, be doing that whilk is gude and acceptable in the sicht of the Lord: For, this is the fruit of repentance. So, that he whilk says he repents, and amends not his life in some measure, but continues in his former wickedness; he is a liar, and the spreit of God is not in him. But foralsmeikle as all sin, is either committed aganis God only, and the first table of his Law: either else aganis man, and the second table: Thou aucht diligently to mark baith the ane and the other, that is mayest ryfe in thee, & that sorest pricks thy Conscience. Al sin is aganis God, but all sin is not aganis man: Thou may also offend God by thine evil thocht, because he knawis thy thocht: But be thy thocht man cannot be offended, because he knawis it not. If then thy sin be aganis God only, thou hes God only to satisfy, by acknowledging thy sin, by sorrowing for thy sin, by imploring mercy for thy sin, and by refraining thyself thereafter from that sin. But if thou have sinned aganis man, by offending him in word or deed; either in body, goods, or name: In that cace, thou mon baith crave pardon at the hands of God, and travel by all means possible to be reconciled with man: Ʒea, except thou first endevoure thyself, sa far as in thee lyis, to satisfy man whom thou hes sa offended; assure thyself, that God will not be satisfied in the▪ Hes thou made a godly vow to the Lord, whilk thou hes not performed? Performe thy godly vow (if it be possible) unto him: Hes thou made a lawful promise unto man, whilk thou hes not keeped? Fulfil thy promise if it be possible, albeit it be to thy loss. Be not ashamed to address thyself to him, whom thou hes offended, although he be thy inferior, & crave pardon of him for thine offense: And look what satisfactioun he can justly crave of thee, either in words, in gudes, or other kind of deed; See thou be willing to make it, according to thy power: That thou may obtain peace of Conscience; & that the cries of the oppressed saul whilk sustains bitterness & wrong, ascend not to the Lord, and procure his vengeance against thee. Farther, whasoeuer hes offended thee, thou mon forgive thame their offenses freely: That the Lord may also forgive thee thine offenses: But gif thou forgive not men their trespasses, Jesus Christ certifies thee, that thy heavenly Father will na mair forgive thee thy trespasses. Finally, thou mon renounce thy corrupted affections, & every thing that withhalds thee from God, howe dear and precious soever it be in thine eyes: Root out thy vices, ane by ane out of thy heart, whilk hes had sa lang dominion over thee: And in everything do that whilk thou knawis to be the will of God: Setting aside thine awin will, and removing all warldly respects, and impediments whatsoever; howe vnapeirand, or far repugnant soever it be, to the natural inclination of thy heart: That the Lord may be weil pleased with thee, and that thou may have the testimony of a gude Conscience. O! But these are hard sayings to flesh and blood, and here sal arise a strong battle within thee, when thou art this ways tried with the renunciation of thy awin will, and affectiouns; and urged to do that whilk is contrary to thy manly heart: For oftymes will thou think with thyself: Sall I forgive him, that hes done me such wrang, and craveth na pardon of me? Sal I suffer this of him? Sal I not be revenged of this injury, and on him with whom I am sa far behind? Siklike, when it cometh to the renuncing of the affections of thy heart, whilk thou hes followed & served sa lang; and of that domestic Idole, whilk thou and every man hes erected in the heart: whether sa it be, the lusts and pleasures of the flesh, warldly honors and vain glory, covetousness of warldly gudes, the desire of revenge, or other whatsumeuer vice, whairunto thou art chiefly bound in servitude: That conflict (I say) will be felon, and that departing difficil: For the spreit of the devil, and the natural corruption of thine awin heart, will strive michtelie aganis the spreit of God, and the regenerate part of thy saul, if any be: Swa that thou sal make many shifts and excuses to satisfy thy a win will and appetite, to fulfill the desire of thy heart, and to retain that Idole, whilk like a bond-slave, thou serves and adores. Yea, the young riche man, whom Christ bad sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and follow him; made never greater mourning, nor the natural man will make to quite his Idol, the strongest affection of his heart, whairvnto he is thrall: For the devil was never lother to come out of the person whom he possesseth, nor natural vices will be to come out of man's heart, where they have once taken deep root. Bot thou, O man that art inwardly touched! may knawe whairon it stands: either mon thou forgive man, and remit the revenge to God (to whom vengeance apertaineth) and to his lieutenants whom he hes appointed to execute justice upon earth: or else look not to be forgiven of thy heavenly Father, nor to be relieved of thy present trouble. In like manner, either mon thou renounce all thy wicked affections whatsumeuer, and reform thame, in some measure: or else renounce thy part of the kingdom of heaven. This meikle concerning the turning to God, by repentance and amendment of life▪ next followis, the turning to God by faith.

Hes thou tried thy warks, and turned to God by earnest repentance, and with a resolute mind to amend thy life in times coming? Now try likewaies thy faith, & take diligent heed, whether it be waik, wavering, and full of doubting or not: & whether it agrees with the true, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith, or not: and where thou finds it deficient in any of these points, turn with speid to the Lord, and embrace him with a true and a lively faith: For without faith, all thy repentance, and all thy gude warks cannot avail a whit; but ar like a filthy menstrous clout in the sicht of the Lord. There is many men that will take heed to their warks, and will fly from vice and vnrichteousnes; whilk takes na tent to the nature of their faith, and to their zeal, and fervency in the true service & worshipping of God; whilk is a matter of greater consequence. But it is not thy warks can make thee free from sin, nor from hell: It is by faith thou mon be justified; and through thy belief thou mon be saved. Yea, but what sal I believe (would thou say) that I may be saved? Even this thou hes to believe. First, that the God of heaven, whilk wes worshipped in Israel, is the only true God, the Almichtie, and eternal father, wha hes created all the world, and by his divine power, governs the same, and all things therein contained. Secondly, thou mon believe that this same God, according to his promise made to our Fathers, hes sent his only Son Jesus Christ, down from heaven into this world, to take away the sins of mankind, whairin all wer shot up through the disobedience of our first progenitor Adam: Quhilk, as a gracious Savior became a natural man, and by his death and obedience, hes made the reconciliation betwixt God and us, and hes redeemed us from the hell whairvnto all were condemned. Believe that in him the Lord is well pleased, and with thee for his sake: That he hes made a full and sufficient recompense for all thy sins bypast & to come: that he is risen again from death, and by his resurrection hes overcome the same, and the sting thairof, whilk is sin, the devil, and hell the recompense of sin. Believe that he is ascended again to the heaven, and there sits at the richt hand of his Father, making intercession to him for thee, and all that believes in his death; and that he sal yet come again from heaven to judge the world, & sal raise thee to everlasting life. Thirdly, thou mon believe, that after the ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; the Comforter, the holy Ghost and spreit of God, wes sent down from the Father and the Sone into this world; To rule, to preserve, to instruct, to strenthen, to comfort, to renew and sanctify by his michtie power, all the chosen children of God (whilk is his holy and universal Kirk) ay and whill Jesus Christ come again to finish all things. If thou apprehend these three persons and ane God with a true faith; & believe all their warks, their precepts, & promises whilk are set down in the Scriptures; as also the doctrine of their Prophets, Apostles, Pastors, and ministers: Thou may certify thyself, that though thy sins were never sa heinous and detestable, they sall be freely remitted, and never laid to thy charge; That thou art ane whom the Lord hes predestinate to eternal salvation; & that all thy present pain sal be converted in everlasting pleasure. But thou may justly object unto me, that thou can nather use such a form of repentance: nor yet can find such strenth of faith in thyself, as is here required. Indeed it is true, that nather faith, nor repentance are at thy taking: nor yet can be given thee by any creature: but mon proceed from the michtie working of God's spirit in thy heart. Thairfore, thou mon prostrate thy self before the Lord, and by earnest and diligent prayer, crave them incessantlie at his hands, wha hes only power to give them. Show him in thy prayer that thou art miserable; that without his help thou art but lost, that thou can do na gud thing, except he give thee grace, that thou art there reddy to obey his will, and inquire of him, what he wald have thee to do; burding him with his merciful promises; remember him of his wonted mercies, and warks of old; but cheiflie of the sufferings and satisfaction of his Son Jesus christ, to whais richteousnes thou mon cleave; and in his name, and for his sake, mon crave mercy, grace, patience, strength, increase of faith, and relief of thy pain, according to his gude pleasure, at the bountiful hands of God. Oh, but here is all the difficulty, wilt thou say, I am sa troubled and dejected, that I cannot pray. Surelie, I grant that the oppressed spirit, will be sometimes brocht to such extremity, that it can neither believe, repent, pray, nor meditate: But like a brute beast, will remain for a season, altogether stupifact and confused. Therefore when thou art in that perplexity, abide pacientlie the Lord's will & leisure; for their is na remeid but patience, while the Lord drive away the darkness of thy mind; seeing that obscurity will not tarry lang: and at leist, sa far as is possible, have the eye of thy heart direct towards the Lord, and thy thocht carried up to the heaven; have a desire to pray, and utter thy intention with sighs: For the Lord that is a spirit knawis what thy spirit wald, albeit there be nothing uttered in words. And when thou gets a blenk of licht, and release of thy pain, have refuge hastelie to the Mediator Jesus Christ, wha hes bidden such as are weary and laden come to him and he will ease them: Pour out thy complaints & supplications before him, and beseech him to make mediation to his Father for thee whom he hes redeemed with his blood, to appease his Fathers wrath, and to present thee faultless unto him. Father, least thou be over far casten down with the remembrance and sicht of thy sin; have not thine eyes always fixed upon the vglines of thy sin: but rather upon the infinite mercies of God, whilk exceids thy sin in greatness. Remember likewaies, his merciful promises, and mercy shown to his servants, that hes been in the like eestate, that thou art now in: And if thou can remember that the Lord hes shown mercy at any time on thee before, by delivering thee out of danger or trouble: Then thou may be suirly persuaded that he will show mercy on thee again: for the mercy of God is without repentance. Heirfore, if thou continue after this manner, in fasting, in prayer, in purging & circumcising thy heart and conscience, in suffering patiently the Lord's rod & correction, & in hope daily waiting for his deliverance: Thair is na question, but thou sal see a blessed issue of thy trouble: For thou sal resaue the holy Ghost whilk sal redress thy falts, cure thy misery; illuminate thy understanding, sanctify thy saul and make thee a new man, far above thy expectation. Bot foralsmeikle as the rest and wanrest of the spirit & conscience consists meikle in the daily exercise & conversatioun of man: I will also breiflie set down what y ^t suld eschew, & how thou suld be exercised during the time of the trouble and wanrest of thy Conscience.

CHAP. VIII.

What things man aucht chiefly to eschew, and whairin he suld be exercised during the wanrest and trouble of his conscience.

WAld thou not have thy Conscience to bite, to accuse, nor to trouble thee? Then give na matter to thy Conscience, whairupon it may bite, or accuse thee, and be not the cause of thine awin trouble. The matter or subject whilk baith makes the Conscience to bite, & disquiets the spirit of man, is sin. Thairfore, to pacify and acquiet thy sprit and Conscience; thou suld flee sin and follow richteousnes, whilke brings peace and quietness with it. And albeit, it be impossible to man, sa lang as he is in this tabernacle of flesh, to be altogether without sin, and to abstain from doing evil: seeing the whole course of this life is but a continual falling, and a rising. Nevertheless, the regenerate man, is not oft seen to fall in the public and notorious sins, whilk are manifest to the world; But will be unreprovable, & upright in the sight of men; neither will sin have dominion, or the upper hand in him. Herefore, thou aucht at all times, but principally now in this the time of thy inward trouble, and of the Lord's visitation, to take diligent heed to thy ways: and at least to eschew all occasions of evil, whereby thy weak Conscience may be wounded, on the other part, thou aucht to use all convenient means, whereby thou may be stirred up to serve God, and to follow righteousness, that the wound of thy infirm conscience may be healed. First then beware, that during the time of thy vexation, thou use no worldly means to put away the memory, and sicht of thy sins; and to cause thee to forget them: As by drinking, banqueting, daunsing, singing sporting▪ or by hanting the riotous company or wanton and merry men: For in so doing, thou lulles thyself a sleep, & like as the Serpent stops her ear with her tail, least she should hear the voice of the inchaunter: So stops thou thine ear, that thou shouldest not hear the Lord calling, and knocking at the door of thy Conscience; least by his holy spirit he should enter in, and convert thee. Beware thou seek any vnlauchfull means to relieve thee of thy pain, and to content thy mind: as by witch-craft, by taking of thy warldly and fleshly pleasures, or by revenging on thine enemies: Considdering, that this sal at length augment thy pain, albeit it seem pleasant for a season, and sall prolong thy trouble: Because thou seeks not to God, that is seeking thee; but turns thy back upon him, & seeks help where it is not to be found. Beware thou continue not in thy wonted vice and wickedness, heaping sin upon sin, without regard what thou dost, or taking up of thyself from thy ungodly course: For then in contemptible manner thou despisest the Lord's correction, & will not be reformed by his discipline, but takes a plain banner aganis him, & kindles his fierce wrath more and more agains thee, in such sort, that thou sall at the last bring thyself to utter desperation. Beware thou revile not thy estate, and form of thy trouble rashly to every man: neither crave thou the advise, and counsel of natural & worldly men; meikle less, follow thou their opinion in the matter of the trouble and disease of thy Conscience: For then thou dost no otherways, nor if thou would crave the consultation of a jurisconsult, in the matter of thy health: or advise thy process with a medicinar. There is neither help, nor true comfort to be found that way, in respect the natural and unregenerate man; yea the unregenerate part of the regenerate man (for there is no perfect regeneration in this life) is altogether blind in spiritual things, & will ever give a counsel direct contrary to the will and spirit of God. Mairover, bridle and refrain thy tongue, that unruly member, as with a bit, from lying, slandering, backbyting, mocking, railling, upbraiding, and cursed speaking: For thereby thy Conscience may be grievously wounded. And for as much as the world is full of temptations, and stumbling blocks, whereon man is daily in danger to fall: Therefore I would wish thee, so long as thy Conscience is diseased, not to entangle nor meddle thy self much with worldly business: but to abstract thy mind from the solicitude of temporal affairs; and to withdraw thy self from the society of the profane multitude: to the effect, that being free from all outward perturbation, thou may be the better disposed to serve thy God, to give thyself to contemplation, and to be exercised in all spiritual and godly exercitions. Let then thy daily exercise, during the disease of thy Conscience, be this: If thou can read, give thyself to the lecture of comfortable books composed by learned and godly men; and to the reading of the holy Scriptures: But in special revolve diligently the books of Genesis & Exodus, the history of Job, the Psalms of David, the Evangel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew and John, the Acts of the Apostles, and their Epistles. Where thou shall find singular comfort in the wonderful works, and divine providence of the Lord in delivering and preserving of his people; in his healthsome instructions & gracious promises made unto them; and in his exceeding great mercy, and loving kindness towards his servaunts, whilk have been in the like estate, that thou art now in. The company whilk thou frequents, let it be of godly, wise, and learned men; of whose conference thou may receive instruction and consolation. And if thou would communicate thy secreit vexation to any man; or would be resolved of anything whereof thou art in doubt. Addresse thee to some notable servant of God, approved in life and knowledge, to whom the Lord hath committed the dispensation of his word: To him disclose thy mind, & seek resolution of him, in those things whilk concerns thy Conscience, and well of thy soull. Haunt the Kirk; for it is the house of God: Haunt the Assemblies of the faithful convened to serve the Lord: And give diligent ear to the preaching of his holy word: Nevertheless, while the darkness of thy mind be driven away, while thy heart and Conscience, be purified, and that by some measure of faith thou apprehend remission of thy sins, and salvation through the death of Jesus Christ; I would not counsel thee to present thy self to the holy Communion, and supper of the Lord Jesus. Delight in solitair meditations of the wonderful works, the mighty power, the infinite mercy, and divine providence of God; in delivering, governing, comforting, and preserving his Kirk, and the members thereof, from the beginning of the world. Rehearse & meditate likewise, on the office, life, and sufferings of our Savior Jesus Christ. Remember the strange miracles wrought by him, his notable doctrine, his gracious advertisements, of tribulation and persecution to come, his own coming again, and his comfortable promises made unto all them that believes in him, and looks for his returning. Call to remembrance his patience, tender love, humility, and meekness, whereof thou should learn and labor to be a follower. Be ever cleansing thy heart, and rypping out the latent vice, & heritable corruption that lurks within thee: that thou may be a meet receptacle, and temple of the holy Ghost: For where the heart is polluted, and the Conscience defiled, the spirit of God can make no residence nor dwelling. Reconcile thyself, so far as is possible, with all men: Expell all malice, hatred, and envy. Be not a revenger of thine own cause: For thereby thou sall renew and ranckle the wound of thy conscience: but remit the vengeance thereof to God, & crave justice of the Magistrate. Try and examine thyself, how thou profits in knowledge, faith, and amendment of life, by the reading & hearing of God's word. Reduce in memory what dangers of body, of soul, or oflosing thy goods, thou hes ben in, during the course of thy life, and how the Lord hes delivered and preserved thee. Siklike, cal to mind what good gifts of the body, of the spirit, or of other temporal things, thy God hes bestowed on thee: Be thankful to him therefore, and thereupon thou may take assurance, that considering the constancy of the Lord, he will never leave thee altogether destitute of help; but will ever have mercy and compassion on thee, as he hes had in times preceiding. Be always occupied in well doing and exercise the works of righteousness: visit the sick, comfort the sorrowful, support the poor and needy, defend the poor oppressed, treat peace and concord among neighbors and brethren: Instruct the ignorant in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Finally, let all thy actions, thy words, and cogitations tend to the glory of God, to charity and meekness. And every night, when thou goest to bed, or being in thy bed, take count of thyself how thou hast bestowed that day: If thou hes been well exercised, praise God for it, and travel to continue: If thou hes been evil occupied, sleep not while thou repent, and crave God mercy for thy offenses: Take purpose to do better the next day, and endeavor thyself to amend, take new resolution to reform thy ways, and aspire daily by the grace of God, to a greater perfection. But above all things, be diligent in fasting and prayer: Pray continually; for thereby all good things are obtained: Pray in the Morning, in the Euening, at mid-day, & at all times when the spirit movis thee: yea, chiefly in the night when others are at rest, arise (if the commodity may serve) or secretly in thy bed enter in familiar and earnest conference with thy God. And when thou finds a coldness & sluggishness in thyself to pray, and to worship God: The commemoration and remembrance of the woonderful works and mercies of God, of thy deliverance out of thy former troubles, and of his manifold benefits bestowed on thee (which thou for that same purpose, should collect and keep for a memorial in write.) The memory, I say, of these things, shall kindle and inflame thy spirit to be fervent in prayer, & zealous in the service of thy Creator. And albeit this form of living may perchance appear austere, painful, & tedious to thee in the beginning: (though nothing suld seem painful or fasheous to thee, considering thy dangerous estate, & the importance of the matter itself, whilk concerns thy salvation & damnation) Nevertheless, by frequent custom, thou shalt find it most easy, comfortable, and sweet: For, like as thou hes now a sicht & sore feling of thy sin, & of God's wrath kindled against thee for thy sin: So sall thou doubtless in short time, by this thy godly behavior, get a sicht & feling of thy regeneration & newness of life, of the remission of thy sin, & of the favor & mercy of God through the intercession of the mediator Jesus christ. Whereby thou sall obtain peace of Consciēce, with such contentment, & gladness as cannot be expressed. And seeing prayer is the chief part of the true service and worshipping of God; and the principal mean & way, whereby we ought to seek to him, to obtain all good things at his hands: Herfore I have also set down here to thee, a form of prayer to be vsit, during the time of the trouble of thy Conscience, whilk thou may read and consider, and thereafter collect thereof so much as agrees with thy present estate & may serve to thy purpose.

CHAP. IX.

A Prayer to be said by such, as are troubled in spirit & conscience, through sight of their sins.

IVst, dreadful, almighty, merciful, & everliuing God! Who by thine all seeing spirit, seest the deeds, hears the words, & knows the secret thochts of all hearts: Behold me poor wretch, in thy mercy, here on the face of this low earth, prostrat before thine holy & high throne. Alas! I confess Lord, that I am not worthy to lift up my face to heaven, nor to receive any comfort or good thing of thy hands: For I have sinned, alas! I have sinned aganis thee, I have broken thy statutes, I have abused thy clemency & benefits, I have committit abomination, & followitthe affections and lusts of mine own heart. Wherefore, thou hast now, Lord, afflicted me, and that most justly: Thou hast made mine own Conscience to accuse, & torment me: my soul is vehemently vexed, and heavy unto death, my heart is faint through anguish, and my flesh consumes and pines for fear of the stroke of thy hand. Thou art angry, O Lord? thou art angry: but who is able to abide thy fierce wrath? Thou knowest that man is but a vain thing, his life is like a vapor, or a shadow which vanisheth away in an instant, and the imaginations of his heart are evil and wicked. I am but dust, & like the flower of the field which withers and decays suddenly; I cannot abide the heat of thine anger. It is true, Lord, that I am inexcusable, and sinful out of measure; but mercy belongs unto thee; let thy mercy therefore abound, and appear infinite in forgiving me many sins, I turn me unto thee, O Lord, turn thee again unto me; I seek thy face, hide not thy favorable face from me; but let the bright blenks of thy loving countenance shine on me: For thou knowest, it repenteth me of the evil which I have done, and that I trust in thee: But, Lord supply my deficient repentance, and help my unbelief: For my repentance is imperfect, and my faith is weak. None can come to thee, unless thou draw them; nor can believe while they be converted by thy spirit: Draw me therefore unto thee, and I shall come; convert me, and I shall be converted. O Lord, Thou knowest the dolour & sorrow of my heart for my sin, thou seest my misery and trouble: Day and night I mourn and I lament, my face is all bedewed with tears, and my soul werieth of my life: I am a monster to them that beholds me, and mine acquaintance wonders at my misery. There is no help in man, neither doth any worldly consolation avail me. No Man, nor Angel is able to relieve me, but thou only: without thy help, Lord, I am but lost for ever. But when did you ever reject the heavy heart, & the oppressed Conscience whilk did seek to thee with continuance? Thou delights not in the death of sinners but would have all men to repent, and be saved: Thou art slow to anger and ready to forgive: Thy wrath is consaued in the morning and forgot in the evening: Thy mercy exceeds my sins, and all things in greatness; and there is no end with thy compassion. Let not then, O Lord, thy mercy be shut up in displeasure; be not angry with me forever, neither correct me anymore in thy wrath: For I am no more in thy hands, nor the potshard is in the hands of the potter: But remember thy wonted mercies, and works of old shown to thy servants Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, to Moses, David; and to thy people Israel: Remember the death and obedience of thy dear son Jesus Christ; remember the anguish of his heart, when he prayed unto thee, that night he was betrayed; & his cries on the cross, when he cried unto thee, My God, my God! why hes thou forsaken me? Was it not for my sin, O Lord, that he suffered these things? Loose not then thy poor servant whom thou hes so dearlie bought with the blood of thy Lamb: Behold him, Lord, sitting at thy right hand, & let thy wrath be apesed with me, in regarding his humble countenance: Have not respect to my deservings, & unworthiness; but unto his death and obedience: Impute his righteousness unto me, & let his justice, be made my justice; for he hes redemit me: yea, for thine own mercies sake, & merits of thine only Son, my savior, cast my sins behind thy back, remember my iniquities no more, and have pity on my distress & misery. Behold, Lord, I am here, what is thy will with me? what sal I do? what course sall I take? how sal behave myself in this my trouble, & during the whole pilgrimage of my life? Make answer unto me: for I will not leave crying unto thee. Yea, though thou suld kill me, yet will I not depart from thee, but will still trust in thee. My whole desire is to please thee, show me thy will, therefore, & enlarge my heart, that I may obey thy voice, & fulfill thy commandments. O my God! Raise me up in thy mercy, as thou hast casten me down in thy justice: let me see thy salvation and deliverance from the bondage of Satan, of sin, and of mine own concupiscence. I thirst for thy mercy and grace, O Lord, as the dry ground dost for the running waters: Redresse my faults therefore, let them be freely forgiven, as though they had never been committed: And as thou hes given me a feeling of my sin, and of thine indignation against sin: So give me a sure persuasion of the remission of my sin, and a feeling of thy favor, without the whilk I cannot live. Driue away the darkness of my mind; Let all these troublesome cogitations, vain fear, incredulity and mistrust depart from me: Settle and pacify my perturbed spirit, bind up my wounded Conscience, heal my contrite & broken heart, restore my courage and my strength, restore me to that joy whilk I was wont to find in thee. And if it be thy pleasure, Lord, remove thy scourge from me: for I have felt enough thy hand: mitigate my pain, & let me see the issue of my troubles, that I may be able to bear them: yet, not as I will Lord, but as thou wilt: If thy glory may be advanced through my sufferings; or thy power made perfect through my infirmity and weakness; let me suffer whatsoever pleaseth thee: Try me, as the gold & as the silver, whilk is purified in the furnace, while I be made a meet temple of thy holy spirit, and be well prepared for thy kingdom. Always according to thy promise & faithfulness, tempt me not above that whilk I am able to bear: For thou knowest I am weak, and am but flesh. Give me therefore patience, strenth, and constancy with the trial, that I may suffer, resist, overcum, & inherit all things. Let thy constant and good spirit rest in me, O Lord, that I may stand steadfast unto the end of this battle; that I fret not with myself, after the manner of the wicked, nor cast off thy cross through impatiency: but that I may adhere firmly unto thee, humbly submit myself to thy will, patiently wait and watch for thy coming and deliverance, and be hartilie well content with thy good pleasure, whatsoever cross or afflictioun it shall please thee to lay on me: For thou knowest what is good for me, thou hes all power in heaven, and in earth, thou hes a continual care and love towards thy chosen Children, thou art constant, and true in thy promises, and thy mercy and loving kindness endures forever. I will always wait on thee (my God) I will suffer thy stripes & correction: for I have deserved them. I render myself unto thee; I give me over, soul & body, in thy hands; I submit me all wholly to thy will; rule, & use the work of thy hands, as seems good in thine eyes: For I am thy servant: yea, whether I be in prosperity, or adversity; in wealth, or in poverty; in estimation, or disesteemed; in joy, or in heaviness; in pleasure, or in pain; in health, or in sickness; whether I live or die, I am always thine, thy servant, & work of thine own hands. Grant me therefore, O Lord, only thy loving countenance, thy blessing, thy favor, and thy grace; and then I sall have enough; they shall be sufficient for me; that is all that I crave: For thou sall make my heart more joyful thereby, nor they whilk possesseth great kingdoms. O loving father, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, and perform that work whilk thou hes begun in me, to thy glory to my comfort and salvatioun; that I may praise thee, & thy dear son Jesus Christ, in whose name, & for whose sake I crave these things at thy bountiful hands, as he hes taught and commanded me. To thee through him, be all honor & glory, in heaven and in earth, forever. Amen.

O holy Lamb, and only son of the everliving God! The light of the world, and redeemer of mankind; (my sweet Savior Jesus Christ) I come unto thee, as unto my only stay and refuge, weary, & laden with sorrow, and with sin, and sore thirsting for thy grace & mercy. Therefore, according to thy promise, ease me of my burden; and give me of the water of life to drink, whereby my thirst may be quenched forever. Thou hast promised likewise, O Lord, to be with us unto the end of the world: Be with me then, as thou hes promised, now in my extreme trouble, and urgent necessity: For I am thine, & I trust in thee. Behold (my God) I have gone long astray, like a lost sheep, my sins hes almost deceived me; For through the multitude thereof, I have provoked & kindled the wrath of thy Father against me▪ Wherefore I am brought wondrous low, and am reduced to great extremity: my soul is woe and sore grieved, that I have offendit his Majesty: but thou art able to raise me out of the dust, & to reconcile thy Father with me: For thou art his anointed: He hes sent thee to bind up the broken hearted, to preach liberty to the captives, to preach good tidings to the poor, the recovering of sight to the blind, the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, to comfort them that morne, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of gladness, for the spirit of heaviness. O gracious Savior! thou came not in the world to save the righteous, but to bring sinners to repentance, whereof I am one of the greatest: Raise me up therefore O my God, be thy mighty hand, wash away my sins with thy precious blood, make me white, as the snow and wool, cloth me with thy righteousness, pacify the wrath of thy father conceived aganis me for those sins, for the whilk thou hes already made full satisfaction. Stand betwixt him and me that his burning ire consume me not: O gracious mediator! make intercession to his divine Majesty for me: present me faltles unto him: And let the comforter comfort me, & put me in remembrance of all things; that through his governance I may be safely conducted through all the perrels and temptations of this world, to thy celestial kingdom, there to glorify thee, the father, and the holy spirit, in eternal unity, with all kind of praise, and exaltation forever. Amen. Make hast, O Lord, and tarry not; that having obtained new experience of thy mercy, I may declare the same to my brethren, that others through my example may fly sin, & they whilk are likewise dejected, may learn to seek help, and comfort in their trouble, where it is to be found; even at thy hands, O Lord, to thy perpetual glory, to the comfort of thy Kirk, and overthrow of the kingdom of Satan.

CHAP. X.

What comfort they may have, that are afflicted in Spirit and Conscience.

FOr so much as it is impossible to man, or Angel, by any reason, persuasion, or consolation; to comfort that person from whom the Lord hes hid his favorable face: while it please his majesty to turn again his loving countenance, & to work a sure persuasion of his favor inwardly in the heart, by the operation of his holy spirit. Nevertheless, the ordinary means and citation of the gracious promises of the Lord, whereby man may receive comfort in trouble, ought not to be contemned: Bot by the contrary, we suld have refuge in all our afflictions thereunto, being left to us by God to that effect: For comfort must proceed from faith, & faith must come through the hearing of the word, and promises of God sounded, whilk the holy Ghost thereafter makes to work in the heart. Therefore, the sweet comfort that thou may receive (O man! that art afflicted in spirit and Conscience ) is greter nor I am able to express; whereof, a part is this. First for confirmation of thy faith, thou may know by extraordinary experience, that there is a divine power, even a God that rules the hearts of all men; and that the same God among all his creatures, is mindful of thee. Secondly, It is a manifest token, that thou art beloved of God, when he chastises, & rebukes thee: For, whom the Lord loves (saith the Apostle) he chastises, & scourgeth every Son that he receives: When he corrects thee, he offers himself unto thee, as unto his Son; and doth it for thy profit, that thou may be partaker of his holiness. Thirdly, It is not possible, that thou can be exalted to Christ's kingdom, except thou be first assaulted with temptation, except thou be casten down, and have a lively feling of thine own sin and wretchedness: Thou cannot be victorious, unless thou fight; & thou cannot obtain a crown of victory, unless thou be victorious. But if thou suffer with Christ, thou sal also reign with him: and if thou resist & overcome temptation, as he did, thou sal be sure also to sit with him in his throne, as he sits with his Father in his throne. Fourthly, albeit thou be in great perplexity, thou suld not think that the Lord hes forsaken thee, or is wrath with thee: For the Lord is not at all times angry with his children, when he appears to them to be angry, & when they have a feling of the lack of his favor: Neither doth he always chastise them for their sins: but is accustomed at some time, to hide his face from them for a little season; to let them know their own weakness, and wretchedness, to work patience in them, to acquaint them with his Discipline, and to let them know how miserable their estate is, when his favorable face is hid from them. Fifthly, There is a time, at the whilk the Lord makes intimation to all his chosen children, of their election and salvation, by sending them his holy spirit, by whom they are baptized, and regenerate to amendment of life: And commonly before this calling and receiving of the holy Ghost, there goes a great trouble of the mind, a dejection, and a terrible fear; that it wald seem to man, that God had forsaken him, and casten him away; where by the contrary, he is drawing him to him, and knocking to have entry in his heart by his holy spirit. What sal I recount the gracious & comfortable promises of the Lord, to his afflicted members, that are touched with a feeling of their own sin, and misery? He saith, by the mouth of the Prophet; That as a Father hes compassion on his Children; so hes he compassion on them that fear him: And though a woman suld forget the son of her womb, yet will he not forget his elect. For a little while (saith the Lord to his people) have I forsaken thee, but with great compassion will I gather thee: For a moment, in mine anger, I hid my face from thee for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee. The Lord (saith David ) is near unto them that are of a contrite heart, and will save such as be afflicted in spirit. And again, The sacrifices of God, are a contrite spirit: a contrite, and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not reject & despise. Mairover, saith not our savior Jesus Christ, that he came not to save the righteous, but to bring sinners to repentance? The Son of Man (saith he) came to save that whilk was lost: hes he not also commandit such as ar weary & laden, to come to him, promising that he will ease them? and such as are thirsty to come to him, and he will give them of the water of life to drink, whilk sal spring up into ever lasting life? yea, certainly his very office is & for that effect was he sent in the world by his father; to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, & to set at liberty them that are in prison. Farther, dost not the Lord assure us, that so soon as ever a sinner sal repent him of his sins, from the bottom of his heart; he will put away his wickedness out of his remembrance? And speking to his people be the mouth of his prophet, he saith wash you, make you clean; take away the evil of your works from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment, releue the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and defend the widow: Come then, and let us reason together (saith the Lord) Though your sins were as crimson, they shall be made white as snow: Though they were red, like scarlet, they shall be as wool. Besides this, he hes commandit us by the mouth of the Psalmist, saying, Call on me in the day of thy trouble, so will I deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Are not these also the undoubted words of our savior speaking to his Disciples? Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever ye sal ask the Father in my name, he will give it you: ask, and ye sal receive, that your joy may be made full. What more gracious & comfortable promises can the heart of man wish, nor these? Or what greter assurance wald thou have of the mercy and compassion of the Lord, toward penitent sinners, nor this whilk he gives thee in express terms, with his own mouth? whereof one jot sal not fail: for he cannot lie. But I know thou wilt have recourse to predestination, to the secret election, & reprobation of God, and is persuaded with thyself, that thou art one of them whom God hes forsaken & casten away. O fool! whilk certifies thyself (to thine own damnation) of that whilk is hid, not only to man on earth, but also to the very Angels in heaven: For whom hes the Lord admitted on his secreit counsel to know them▪ whom he hes chosen, or them whom he hes forsaken? Nay, nay, that knowledge is reserved only to himself. Therefore, albeit thy affliction be never so great, thy sins never so heinous, thy repentance & amendment never so small, and thy faith never so weak: yet, neither thou, nor any mortal man can conclude, absolutely, that thou art reprobate, and forsaken of God. My reason is this, Because it is unknown to thee, or to any man, when it may plese God to call thee to repentance, when he will instrengthen thy faith, and consequently forgive thy sins, and bring thee to his kingdom. Why art thou then discouraged, and dispaired of thy salvation for the bitterness of thine afflictioun, for the multitude, and gravity of thy sins, for the slackness of thine amendment, or weakness of thy faith; considdering, that none of these tokens can import the necessity of thy reprobation? For thou knawis, that affliction hes ever ben most proper to the children of God, from the beginning of the world. As to the number & weight of thy sins, They can be no hindrance to the mercy of God: In respect, that where it pleaseth the Lord to show mercy, it is no more difficil to him to remit innumerable sins, of whatsoever gravity and weight; nor to forgive the least offense that man can commit: The whole generation of mankind, was shut up in sin, and was sinful out of measure: But of the free mercy of God, the sins of the world were taken away, by the death of Jesus Christ: In such sort, that all that repents them of their sins, and believes in him the savior, sal obtain free remission of all their sins whatsoever. Now, as concerning thy repentance & amendment of life; art thou dismayed, & dispaired of thy salvation, because thou cannot abstain from sin, nor attain to a perfect uprightness? Surely thou hes na just occasion: For no flesh can be without sin, nor attain to a perfection in this life. The most vpricht man (saith Solomon ) falls every day seven times; & the very Angels ar not without spot in the sight of the everliving God. Knowest thou not, that man cannot be justified by the works of the Law? Na, doubtless, if the Lord will enter in judgment with man, & deal with him according to the precise rule of his law; no flesh suld be saved: For albeit the law of God be set before us, as a rule whereunto we suld apply and confer all our actions: yet are we not anymore under the law, but in the estate of grace through the coming of Jesus Christ. And albeit the children of God have his law deeply imprinted in their harts, & likes well to keep the same: yet sall they not be counted righteous for fulfilling thereof, as though they had deserved everlasting life, seeing no man ever fulfilled the Law: But because they believe, that they are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who hath accomplished the law in all points, and hes merited all good things of his Father for us: Therefore, the Children of God sall be justified, and receive eternal life. If then thou be sory, that thou cannot amend thy life, if thou have ane earnest, desire, and bent intention to do good, and eschew evil, joined with a true faith in Jesus christ: assure thyself, that the spirit of God works that in thee, & that it sal be impute unto thee for righteousness, & that the Lord in his own appointed time sall make that desire, and intention to be effectual, bringing forth good works to amendment of life. What canst thou say farther? that thou art daily relapse in public sins, from the whilk thou cannot refrain; and that neither thy sorrow therefore, nor thy desire to abstain, are any thing earnest & notable. Indeed, if so be thou art in an evil cace for the present. Nevertheless, there is yet no cause here of desperation: Forasmuch as none can truly repent while they be called of the lord to repentance. No man can come to me, (saith our savior) except the Father that sent me, draw him. Seeing then, repentance is not the gift of man, but of God; & that thou knowest not the time, when it sall please the Lord to call and convert thee: Thou ought in no wise to despair, but to live continually in gude hope, daily attending thy calling and conversion. Hes thou not heard the Parable of the laborers in the Vineyard, That he whilk came at the last hour of the day, received equal wages, with him that came in the morning? whereby our savior signifies unto us, that there is no time of man's life at the whilk the Lord will not cal & convert man unto him. I have heard of some men, whilk at the latter hour on their deathbed, being put in remembrance of their god, by the assistants; hes burst forth with horrible blasphemies against God, and uttered words of plain desperation. But in ane instant, through the singular mercy of God, & fervent prayer of the assistants, was converted to the Lord, by lamenting carefully such blasphemies, by making manifest declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ, and giving all lively signs of their election, departed plesantly, & in a happy estate to the sight of men. When Paul wasted the Kirk of Christ, & persecuted his Saints, both men and women, to the death; who wald have thoght but that he had been a reprobate, & a fagot prepared for hell? Nevertheless, he was called to repentance, & was made a chosen vessel of the Lord. Who wald have said, but that Peter had been the son of perdition, and that there could be no salvation for him; when after he was called to be one of the disciples of Jesus christ, had been sa long conversant with him, had heard his doctrine, seen his miracles, & confessed that he was the very Christ of God: For all this, he denied him thrice on a night? Notwithstanding, he came to repentance that same night, was accepted of the Lord, & made a notable Apostle, & Preacher of the Evangel of Jesus Christ, both to the Jews & Gentiles. Finally, who wald not have thought, but the Gentills had been forsaken of God, & predestinat to eternal damnation, whilk baith misknew God, and committit all kind of abomination under heven? Yet the Lord forgot all their iniquities, and of his infinite mercy brought them to the knowledge of him, of his Son Christ Jesus, & called them to be partakers of his caelestiall kingdom. Have we not also seen in our days, men of mayest disolute & licentious lives, whilk afterward being converted & sanctified by the spirit of God, hes become notable & profitable members of the Kirk of Jesus Christ? Heirfoir, albeit such as leads a life repugnant to the Law of the Lord, may be justly counted reprobates with this restriction, except they turn to God by repentance: nevertheless, let no man condemn absolutely, either himself, or his neighbor before his death: because there is nothing in any man, but corruption & sin, til he be sanctified, and regenerate by the spirit of God; the time whereof none knows but God only: for as the wind blows where it listeth, so is every man that is borne of the spirit. I come now to thy faith, whilk because thou finds it weak, and full of doubting, thou art dispaird of thy salvation. Indeed the truth is, that no man can be saved unless he believe: But if all were condemned whose faith is weak, & doubtful; I pray thee then tell me who suld be saved? when the Disciples of Jesus Christ inquired of him, why they could not cast the Devil out of the Lunatik person; he answered, because of their unbelief: and declared to them, that if their faith had been as meikill as a grain of mustard seed, they suld remove mountains, & that nothing suld be impossible to them. Farther, albeit our Savior had ofttimes instructed his Disciples and forewarned them with his own mouth, that he wald rise again on the 3. day after his death. Nevertheless, when Mary Magdalene told them of his resurrection, & that he had apeared to her, they believed it not: Thereafter, he appeared to two of themselves, whilk show it to the remnant, but they beleuit it not: yea, after he had shawin himself to the eleven in Galilee, yet some of them were in doubt and believed not. If this weakness of faith then, & doubting was in the disciples of Christ, who notwithstanding shall sit on twelve throans, & judge the twelve tribes of Israel, when the Lord shall sit on the throne of his Majesty: What cause hes thou, O nauchtie man! to be dispaired of thy salvation, although thy faith be weak, and full of doubts? Certainly, if thy faith continued as weak as the faith of the Disciple Thomas, whilk wald not believe the resurrection of Jesus, while he put his finger in the wound of his hands, and of his side; thou might think that thou were in an evil cace: But seeing Thomas after he had seen Christ believed, & was blessed; Blessed art thou if thou believe in him, whilk saw him never. What sal I speak of the waknes, dullness, & ignorance of man? The haill Apostles after the ascension of Jesus Christ, For all their reading of the scriptures, and doctrine whilk they had heard of his mouth; were ignorant of the calling of the Gentiles, & knew not that the Evangel suld be preached to them, till it was first showed to Peter in a vision, whilk thereafter declarit the mistery & circumstances thereof to the rest, being assembled at Ierusalē. O! But thou will say, I feel no spunk of faith in me, I feel the wrath of God kindled aganis me, and a strong persuasion that he hes forsaken me. Thir ar hard sayings: but I have already shown thee the cause of this thy persuasion; To wit, because the Lord hes hid his face from thee for a little while; to humble thee, to try thy patience, & to let thee know how miserable thy estate wald be, if thou were altogether destitute of his favor. But I pray thee, remember, what thou believed before thou entered in this trouble, before the Lord hid his face from thee: and have not respect what thou believes now, but what thou beleeuedst then. And if at any time of thy life thou believed assuredly, that Jesus christ hes suffered death for thy redemption: thou may certify thyself, that the Lord sal turn his loving count nance towards thee, & that then thou sal receive that same faith again in greater measure. Mairover, it is to be understand, that man's election, & reprobation ar not ruled according to man's own Imagination: For who lives in greater security, (in their own conceit) who brags faster of their faith, and persuades themselves more of God's favor, nor the most profane, and godless livers? Will they not boldly & confidently say, that they dout nothing of their salvation, but thinks to be as high in heven, as any other? When nevertheless they are running a course direct contrary to the ordinance of God. The Jews spake hardly to Christ & said, that they were not borne of fornication, but had a father, whilk was God. But Jesus answered them, that if God had been their father, they would have loved him, who proceeded from God: Quhilk seeing they did not; he declarit unto them, that they were of their father the devil. By the contrary, there is none that hes a greater feling of their own sin, ar sorer troubled with temptations, & doubtings (as thou art presently now) nor the dearest servants of God. Example of David, Hezekiah, Job, the Prophets and Apostles, and a number of notable men in these our days, whereof the particulars were long in this plaice, to allege. Wherefore, gird up thy loins, like a man, & comfort thyself in these things: ground & repose thyself in the merciful promises of God, and merits of his Son Jesus Christ: And not on thine own fantasies, & vain imaginations. And if thou wald be counted the Son of God, submit thee willingly to his correction: If thou would receive a crown of glory, fight valiantly, & be victorious: If thou would receive the holy Ghost, cleanse thy heart, & be lowly minded: If thou would be exalted forever to reign with Christ on his throne, be content to be cast down, & patiently to suffer with him: For by these degrees of necessity thou mon pass & ascend to the highest heuens. Stand fast then, watch, & have patience, yet a little while, and thou sall see great things: For albeit no chastesing seemeth joyous, but grievous for the present, yet afterward it brings the quiet fruit of righteousness to them, whilk are thereby exercised. After Winter, comes summer, peace after war, gladness after sorrow, & after the tempest comes the fair wether: The Lord will not threat & rebuke continually, nor keep his anger forever, but is near unto them that are of a broken heart. He will come, he will come with speed, strang, merciful, & gracious, his holy name be praised, through his son Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

CHAP. XI.

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

AL men that are in trouble or in pain, wald gladly understand when their pain & trouble suld take an end: And in special, they that hes an inward trouble of the mind, that hes a pain in their soul & Conscience, and a feling of God's wrath, burning aganis them, that are mayest desirous to have that feid reconciled, and to know how long their pain & trouble will endure. All men (I say) wald hear of comfort & relief: but few hes regard howe long they have rebelled agains God, how long they have followit the affections of their own heart, and hes refusit to be reformed by God's 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 pain suld continue as long, as thou hes continued in thy sin and rebellions? But it is with a merciful party thou hes to do, whilk is slow to anger, & ready to forgive; whose clemency I would exhort thee not to abuse, but to comfort thyself in it: For he is also just in his judgments; and it is a fearful thing to fall in his hands. He hes shown thee himself, when he will forget thine iniquities; to wit, even then, when thou turns to him by earnest & unfeigned repentance: But as to the time, when the inward pain of thy Conscience sall cease, and thou receive peace thereof, It is unknown to man: yea, it is als uncertain when the Lord will remove his scourge & punishment, as it is uncertain when he will lay it on: For it is to be marked, that the chastisement is not always removed so soon as the sin is remitted: but for the singular well and profit of the offender, will continue to work patience in him, & to serve as a bridle to refrain him from falling in the like offenses; while the Lord have sufficiently purified him from such corruption. When David committed adultery & murder, by taking the wife of Uriah, and causing him self to be slain; upon his repentance, the Prophet Nathā said to him, that the Lord had put away his sin, & that he suld not die: Nevertheless, because by that deed, he had despised the Lord, and caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme; he declarit unto him, that the sword suld never depart from his house; & that the child that was borne in adultery to him suld surely dy. But to return to the point of the matter whilk we have in hand: I have heard of sundry persons, whilk hes ben disquieted in spirit & Conscience, some for a year, some for two, some for three years, and some longer: (though not continually tormented, but by certain intervalls of time) & at length hes obtained inward quietness and rest. But of the day & hour knawis no man. The man of God, David saith, that he was weary of crying, that his throat was dry, and that his eyes were blinded with looking for the Lord's deliverance: If then he suffered so long, thou suld not dispair albeit thine affliction appear longsome, but rather suld be content to suffer with the elect vessel of god. Always thou may comfort thyself in this; that the lower thou be brought, the greter thy torment be, & the longer it continue; apparently, when the relief comes, thy comfort and exaltation shall be the mair notabil & gret. Bot what matter is it, when thy deliverance be, if thou haif certification of gods spirit, that it shall be; and that upon thy true repentance thy sins ar remitted & forgiven? Considering, that all the pain whilk thou can suffer in this life, is not worthy of that glory whilk the Lord hes prepared for all them that loves him. Prescribe not therefore any time of thy deliverance, neither think that the Lord is slow: for he hes his own appointit time for all things; and when thou art farthest casten down, & hes given over all hope of warldly help, & reposis on thy God only, then is the Lord nearest unto thee, to comfort and deliver thee. Now as to the manner & form how the trouble of man's conscience passis away, and true peace enters in; It is observed in some persons to be this: There will preceid & go before, an earnest repentance of the evil past, & a fervent desire to amend, & do well: Man will be heavily displesit with him self for his foul deffections, & will take a determinat resolution to reform his life, & to do that whilk is pleasant in the sight of God; In such sort, that through fervency and grief, he will feel an extreme dolor, & will weep bitterly: Yea, he that before could never wring out a tear, nor be perfectly moved for his sin; when the spirit of God enters in & pearsis the heart, he sal be lively touched, sair grieved, & sal not be able to contain himself, nor to refrain from weeping. Nixt after such perturbation, will follow a calmnes & quietness of the mind; & suddenly will arise a sure persuasion in the heart of the favor of God, and of the remission of sins: whilk sall bring with it an exceeding great gladness and reviuing of the spirit. Man will then begin to banish all vain fear & superstition in his doings; & with greter confidence will use a Christian liberty in doing of things lawful to be done; his fear will be no more servile, but childish: For he will not then fear the Lord, as the servant fears his awful master, or as the criminal person fears the terribil judge: But as the Son fears to offend his loving father; so will he (being inflamed with love and fervent zeall) fear to offend the Majesty of his good God. Farther, he will cum with a greter assurance to the Lord, in making his supplications: and will not be moved with such vain cogitations & doubtings; as he was, when his Conscience was weak & wounded. To be short, he will be mair constant nor of before, & will have a certain contentment & rejoicing in all his actions, joined with the testimony of a gud and peaceable Conscience: yea, having obtained this inward tranquility & peace, man will think himself so strong and sure, that he sall never be troubled again, with the like accusation & terror of his Conscience. But leist any suld be deceived in this point; It is to be understand, that so soon as ever it sall please the Lord to turn away his favorable face, to show his angry countenance, and to menace man for sin, so soon sal new terrors & torment of the spirit and Conscience arise again. The chosen vessel of God, King David, said in his prosperity, I sal never be moved: but thou Lord (saith he) didst hide thy face, & I was troubled. Therefore when thou hes received heavenly 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, whilk makes a man to forget his sin altogether. The Lord cures his elect by temptation, and comfort. And Job saith, that the Lord dost visit man every morning, and tries him every moment. I know a notable Preacher of God's word (whom I doubt not but God hes ordained for his kingdom) who being sum time sore afflicted in Conscience, at last obtained comfort, & had inward peace for the space of many years. Nevertheless, at the pleasure of the Lord, he was visited again of new; and divers & sundry times wald be for the space of a Moneth or two, grievously troubled: Of this same man, while he was yet in good estate, I inquired, how he reposed in the night: I will take reasonable good rest (saith he) If God make us not to remember the faults whilk we have committed in our youth: Yea, surely, when it pleasis the Lord at any time, to present man's sins before him, in their vgliest form, & therewithal to perce the heart; albeit man thocht himself in never so great security, and confidit never sa meikil in his own constancy, & strength: yet the sight thereof sal ever trouble him, after an extraordinar manner. Heirfore, my dear brother, when new trouble arisis, and when thou feelest a want of the favor of God; be not dismayed nor despaired: For it is no new thing; 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. Seeing then, that the whole course of a Christians life, is but a continual battle, a continual falling by sin, and rising by repentance: And that the Lord will not suffer the Consciences of his servaunts to be long vnexercised: I will now show thee my opinion, howe thou suld behave thyself, having (after long trouble) obtained comfort, and peace of Conscience, and while thy spirit is yet at rest.

CHAP. XII.

How man ought to behave himself having obtained peace of Conscience, after his internal trouble.

LIke as all good things are received at the hands of God, by fervent and diligent prayer: Even so, by thankfulness, the benefits received, ar kept & retained. Hes thou obtained comfort and peace of Conscience at the bountiful hands of thy God? Then, if thou wald retain it, & have it to continue with the, see thou be thankful to thy God for the same. But such is the fragility & corruption of man's nature, that in whatsoever estate he be, he cannot contain himself long within bounds. For get he a blast of adversity, then is he dejected over law, & falls ofttimes in mistrust: Get he a blenk of prosperity, then is he incontinent exalted over high, & falls shortly in a careless security. Heirfore, I wald admonish thee to behave thyself, as the skillful & expert Skipper dost, whilk during the time of the tempest, is ever on foot, & busilie exercised; and in the greatest calm is ever looking & preparing for a storm to come: Even so thou, In adversity behave thyself patiently, constantly, & confidently; Again, in prosperity, behave thyself warely, humbly, & thankfully. But specially now, having obtained comfort from above, & peace of conscience, I wald exhort thee to take diligent heed to thy behavior, and to be on this manner exercised. First of all, without delay, retire thee to thy chamber, or to the house of prayer; and with all humility of heart, prostrate thyself before the Lord, acknowledge thy deliverance to have proceeded from him, and rander all hearty thanks to him therefore. Sing psalms and songs of praise cheerfully to the Lord: whereof, thou may find great plenty among the Psalms of David, agreing with thy cace: as in special, the 23. 24. 40. 91. 103. psalms, & a great number of others. Yea, not only praise him thyself alone, but also stir up & exhort others to magnify him with thee. Advaunce his glory in thy words, thy writs, and thy deeds; and abhor those things whilk may derogate, or be hinderfull thereunto. Hide not his goodness shown and reveilled unto thee; but declare his mercy and loving kindness to the members of his Kirk, & assemblies of them that fear him. Farther, dedicate thyself all wholly to thy God, and henceforth vow thyself, and thy service unto him, & defend his cause, and the cause of his servants: And for confirmation of thy faith, and of the league betwixt the Lord and thee; go to his supper, the holy communion, renew the testament of our Lord Jesus Cstrist, by the participation of those seals and testimonies whilk declaris his death and body broken for us. Mairover▪ look what is set down in the eight chapter of this treatise for reformation of thy life, repeat the same in this place, and apply it to thy present estate. Specially, anent the diligent trial, how thou profits in religion & taking nightly a sharp count, how thou hes employ it the day preceiding. Examin oft & narrowly, if thou have gotten any dominion over any of thy unruly affections; and if thou have dauntoned or reformed them in any measure, think well that thou hes obtained a gret victory. In all thy affairs, & enterprises whatsoever, either of gret or of small importance, crave counsel at the mouth of God in thy prayers, what thou suld do; crave his assistance, that it would please his majesty, to direct and teache thee the right way: For the way of man is not in himself, neither is it in man to walk and to direct his steps: And whatsoever succes or effect thy proceedings take, albeit it be never so far aganis thy heart, yet hold thee content and thank the Lord it: For he seeth farther nor thou dost, he knawis that whilk thou knawis not, and will turn all things about to the best, for them that loves him. Hunt not after worldly things; neither care thou meikill for them: But as the Lord Jesus hes commanded, seek first the kingdom of God, & his righteosnes (which is amendment of life) and then sall these worldly things be sufficiently ministered unto thee. Respect not thine own commodity in serving God; neither make thy dependence on him, in hope of a temporal reward: But respect chiefly his glory, let thy service tend always to please him, & that in hope of an everlasting recompense. Think not that thou art placed by God here upon earth, to live at liberty, to enjoy thy pleasures, or to make long residence: but only to serve him, looking for nothing in this life, but for affliction, & that as a pilgrim & stranger thou art to pass away suddenly home to thine own country, there to give account to thy Lord and maker, how thou hes bestowed thy time here upon earth, & how thou hes obeyed his holy will & commandments. If the Lord bestow his temporal benefits on thee, or grant thee any repose & contentment in this life, be thankful to him therefore, & use his gifts to his glory: Nevertheless, let not thy heart nor affection be fixed upon earthly things: but let ever thy mind be carried upward, let thy chief delight, thy hope, thy rejoicing, felicity, & comfort, be in the merciful promises of God, in the merits of Jesus chirst, & in the joys of the eternal life to cum. Fly sin, as a contagious pest, and in all thy actions, remember well that the Lord is ever present in spirit, who sees thy deeds, hears thy words, & knawis all thy secret thoughts; His Angels also, whom he hath given charge over thee; albeit thou see them not yet they both hear & see thee and thy proceedings; before whom thou suld be ashamed to do, or say any unseemly thing. Finally, for conclusion of this tretise, besides all the precepts before rehearsed: there is yet a thing whereof I wald admonish thee; whilk in the mercies of God, I beseech thee to remark, and exactly to carry away: having obtained peace of Conscience, while thy spirit is yet at rest, take pen & ink, and speedily write up, for a memorial, the time & manner of thy trouble, and of thy deliverance; yea, whether thou can write or not, imprint it deeply in thy heart & memory; and for all the days of thy life, let it serve thee for these uses. First, so oft as ever thou reads it, or calls it to remembrance, let it serve as a perpetual lesson, to learn thee to be thankful to thy God. Secondly, let it serve, as a perpetual bridle, to refrain thee from sin, & offending the majesty of god: Certifying thyself that if thou be ingrate, or delight in wickedness, the Lord hes ever the same wand above thy head, wherewith he will scourge thee again mair viuely, & will make thy own Conscience a bourior to torment thee. Thirdly, where ever it shall please the Lord to cast thee again in the like trouble, then collect this document, and comfort: Assure thyself, that if thou seek to him with all thy heart & with continuance; as he delivered thee of before, so will he deliver thee again at all times thereafter, unto the end of thy life: For the mercy of God is without repentance.

Now, my dear brother, let not this be thy behavior, & exercise, for a day, or for a short time only: but see thou continue therein during all the days of thy life: In respect, the reprobate & wicked man, sumtime for fear of the Lord's judgments, sumtime to be releved of his present pain and trouble, sumtime to get his intention accomplished, or upon other worldly respects, will have good motions, & will begin a good course: but so soon as the Lord dost avert his plague, so soon as he is eased of his pain, or comes to his intent; so soon returns he to his former impiety, & upon light occasions falls suddenly and shamefully back. Be thou not therefore like to him, but as a good soldier of the Lord, endure and persevere constantly unto the end, that thou may be saved and inherit all things. Watch, pray, & meditate the law of the Lord, that in the evil day of his visitation, thou may get rest, when the pit is digged for the wicked: and that at the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus, thou may be found a good & faithful servant, & receive an incorruptible crown of glory in his everlasting kingdom, where thou sal dwell with the Angels, & glorified bodies, lauding & praising the almighty father, the son, & the holy ghost forever. Amen.

CHAP. XIII.

A form of praise, and prayer to be used, by them whilk are delivered from the vexation of the Spirit and Conscience.

O Loving, gracious, and bountiful Father! I render all praise unto thee, for thy manifold mercies shown on me thy poor servant; whilk are more in number nor I am able to recount. Behold, thou hes not taken me away in my sin, but hes spared me long, & at last hes given me a sicht of my sins, a lively sorrow in my heart for the same, a fervent desire to abstain from doing evil, and to do that whilk is pleasant in thy sight: Blessed be thy name for that hope, & sight of mercy & salvation, whilk thou hes given me in the death of thy Son Jesus Christ: Praise be unto thee, in that it hes pleased thee also to have chastised me with the rod of thy fatherly correction: For thereby, thou hes tamed, & humbled me, being insolent and unruly: Thou hes thereby let me know mine own weakness, & unworthiness, and thy justice & mercy: Thou hes drawn me unto thee, as it were, by force, & wald not suffer me to persevere in wickedness: Thou succoured me when I was led captive with my own affections, and was transported with the vanities of the world: Thou hes drawn out fervent prayers▪ sighs, & sobs from my heart, and tears from mine eyes, for my sin, whilk I could never have done of myself, without the motion of thy holy spirit; And thou vouchsafest from time to time, to hearken to my prayers, and to grant my requests. Thou hes brought me from the door of death, and brink of despair, to the whilk I was near: Thou hes brought me out of the dark cloud of ignorance and heaviness, wherewith I was overshadowed: and didst ministrate wonderful means to comfort me, and to bring me to the knowledge of thy truth, in the days of my trouble, and ignorance: Thou hes cast me down, thou hes raised me up; thou hes tried me like the silver in the fournace; thou hes eased my pain; thou hes exercised my Conscience; thou hes trained me up in thy discipline: and hes made me partaker of thy holy Sacraments institute by thy son our Lord Jesus, as sure seals and testimonies of thy love, & of my adoption & salvation. These benefits, O heavenly Father! and all other good things▪ I acknowledge me to have received, and to receive daily of thy only goodness, & bountiful hand: for the whilk I render unto thee, that whilk thou hes also given me; even my heart, my soul, my affection, and my strength, with all thanks: For lo! they appertain justly unto thee, the fountain of all goodness, and original of my being: I dedicate my life, & service to thee, and will vow myself thy servant forever.

But now, my God, I still remain in great danger, & distress; and unless thou preserve me, I am but lost; unless thou uphold me, I am not able to stand: For so long as I am in this tabernacle, I am but poor, weak, ignorant, impacient, & imperfit: So long as I am in this veil of misery, I am daily assalted within, & without, with manifold temptations; with the intisements of the world, with the snares of the devil, with the injuries of men, and raging of mine own concupiscence: If thou take thy good gifts frame; I sal stand up poor, naked, & miserabil: If thou take thy spirit & grace from me I sal then doutles fall suddenly, & be a pray to my enemies foresaids. Have mercy on me therefore (O Lord) for Jesus Christ thy dear sons sake; & let me not be overcum, nor drawn from thee with the trifles, and enticements of the world; by the power & subtlety of Satan; by the fellowship, or provocation of men; nor by the vnrulines of my corrupted affections. But as thou hes wrocht that great work of my redemption, by the death of thine only son, so work likewise, & accomplish the work of my regeneration, by the virtue of thy holy spirit. By the mighty operation of the comforter, make my heart new within me; my stubborn, and polluted heart, pierce it, purge it, mollify it, enlarge it, frame and fashion it to thy holy will: Crucify the old man, quicken the new man; bridle, & mortify my sinful lusts and natural affections, that they be not inordinate nor excessive; but make them always obedient & subject to my spirit, & my spirit to thy spirit. Let thy word & will, be a precise rule to all my deeds, my words, my thoughts, my appetites, & desires. Let me be daily renewed, comforted, instructed, instrenthened, preserved, and governed by the spirit of truth, till I come to the full perfection; and albeit Lord, I cannot be altogether without sin, so long as I am clad with flesh and blood; yet, let not sin reign, nor have the upper, hand in me; but so oft as I fall by sin, als oft raise thou me up again by repentance: sanctify my soul, good Lord, my wit, & memory, that I may be always occupied in thy service: purify, & bless my body and members, whilk ar defiled with the works of the flesh, that I may be a meet and well prepared temple of the holy Ghost: Bless likewise, & prosper, according to thy good pleasure, mine enterprises, proceedings, and works of my hands, that it may go well with me. Dresse my affairs, and put them in good order: Preserue me always, that I attempt nothing repugnant to thy holy will; let thy will, be my will (my God) And whatsoever succes my proceedings take; whatsoever cross or affliction it sal please thy majesty to lay on me; make me hartilie well content therewith. For thou knawis what is good for me. As concerning temporal benefits, I crave them only in such number and measure as seemeth good in thine eyes: Give me those things whilk thy wisdom knows to be most expedient for me: seeing thou knowest whereof I have need. Always, Lord, let me not lack the thing without the whilk I cannot serve thee: but grant me thy blessing, thy favor, & thy grace, and then I sall have enough.

Arm me, O heavenly Father! with spiritual armor, in this great conflict, and high temptations: Give me a true, lively, and justifying faith, whereby, I may stand steadfast in all assaults, & quench the fiery darts of Satan: Imprint thy true fear in my heart, and let me be replenished with thy fervent love: Give me patience, and long suffering, unto the end of the battle; humility and meekness, give me a humble heart, and a lowly mind, a forgiving heart, a penitent heart for my sin; a pliable heart, will, and mind, to thy voice, thy word, and thy will; and a thankful heart for thy benefits; Lord, let them never slide out of my mind. Give me sobernes, temperance, constancy, truth, uprightness, contentment of mind, peace of Conscience, charity & love towards all men for thy sake: That I be not only a hearer, reader, and vnderstander of thy word; but also, a keeper and practiser of thy word and commandments.

These things, I crave of thee, my God, in the name of thy son Jesus christ: For so he hes commanded me to do, promising, that thou wilt grant my petitions for his sake. But, Lord, my mouth is not able to express, my heart to understand, nor my thocht abil to conceive the hundredth part of those things, whereof I have need and ought to do. Heirfore, let the comforter, teach me, & put me in remembrance of all things, as thy dear son hes promised; that both in prosperity, & adversity I may behave myself as one of thy good soldiers & faithful servants, to the end of my course and race. Be thou ever my strong rock, my buckler, & my shield; and then though the world suld turn upside down; yet sall I be in perpetual security. Be on my side, and neither man, nor the devil shall be able to overthrow me. Give me everlasting life, O Lord! that after this life be ended, I may dwell with thee in thy kingdom, beholding thy glorious face, magnifying, and praising thee, thy Lamb Jesus Christ, and the Comforter thy holy Spirit; together with thy chosen children, & armies of thy bright Angels, forever, and ever, world without end.