not far behind, whilest in their ordinary Sermons they speak so much of election, predestination, reprobation, ab æterno, subtraction of grace, præterition, voluntary permission, &c. by what signs and tokens they shall discern and try themselves, whether they be God's true children elect, an sint reprobi, prædestinati, &c. with such scrupulous points, they still aggravate sin, thunder out God's judgements without respect, intempestively rail at and pronounce them damned in all auditories, for giving so much to sports and honest recreations, making every smal fault and thing indifferent an irremissible offence, they so rent, tear and wound men's consciences, that they are almost mad, and at their wits ends.

"These bitter potions (saith Erasmus) are still in their mouths, nothing but gall and horror, and a mad noyse, they make all their auditors desperate:" many are wounded by this means, and they commonly that are most devout and precise, have been formerly presumptuous, and certain of their salvation; they that have tender consciences, that follow sermons, frequent lectures, that have indeed least cause, they are most apt to mistake, and fall into these miseries. I have heard some complain of Parson's Resolution, and other books of like nature (good otherwise) they are too tragical, too much dejecting men, aggravating offences: great care and choice, much discretion is required in this kinde.

The last and greatest cause of this malady, is our own conscience, sense of our sins, and God's anger justly deserved, a guilty conscience for some foul offence formerly committed,

Or:

O miser Oreste, quid morbi te perdit?"

"Conscientia, Sum enim mihi conscius de malis perpetratis." "A good conscience is a continual feast," but a galled conscience is as great a torment as can possibly happen, a still baking oven, (so Pierius in his Hieroglyph. compares it) another hell. Our conscience, which is a great ledgier book, wherein are written all our offences, a register to lay them up, (which those g Egyptians in their Hieroglyphicks expressed by a mill, as well for the continuance, as for the torture of it) grinds our souls with the remembrance of some precedent sins, makes us reflect upon, accuse and condemn our own selves. h Sin lies at door," &c. I know there be many other causes assigned by Zanchius, Musculus, and the rest; as incredulity, infidelity,

i

*Eu

f Deo futuro judicio, de damnatione horrendum crepunt, & amaras illas potiones in ore semper habent, ut multos inde in desperationem cogant. ripides.

Pierius:

Gen. 4.

19. Causes Musculus makes.

presump

presumption, ignorance, blindness, ingratitude, discontent, those five grand miseries in Aristotle, Ignominy, need, sickness, enmity, death, &c. but this of conscience is the greatest, Instar ulceris corpus jugiter percellens: This scrupulous conscience (as Peter Forestus calls it) which tortures so many, that either out of a deep apprehension of their unworthiness, and consideration of their own dissolute life, "accuse themselves and aggravate every small offence, when there is no such cause, misdoubting in the mean time God's mercies, they fall into these inconveniences." The Poet call them "Furies Dire, but it is the conscience alone which is a thousand wit. nesses to accuse us,

"* Nocte dieq; suum gestant in pectore testem."

n

A continual testor to give in evidence, to empanel a Jury to examine us, to cry guilty, a persecutor with hue and cry to follow, an apparitor to summon us, a bailiffe to carry us, 2 Serjeant to arrest, an Attourney to plead against us, a gaolour to torment, a Judge to condemn, still accusing, denouncing, torturing and molesting. And as the statue of Juno in that holy city neer Euphrates in +Assyria will look still towards you, sit where you will in her temple, she stares full upon you, if you go by, she follows with her eye, in all sites, places, conventicles, actions, our conscience will be still ready to accuse us. After many pleasant daies, and fortunate adventures, merry tides, this conscience at last doth arrest us. Well he may escape temporal punishment, bribe a corrupt judge, and avoid the censure of law, and flourish for a time; "for" who ever saw (saith Chrysostome) a covetous man troubled in minde when he is telling of his money, an adulterer mourn with his mistris in his arms? we are then drunk with pleasure, and perceive nothing:" yet as the prodigal Son had dainty fare, sweet musick at first, merry company, jovial entertainment, but a cruel reckoning in the end, as bitter as wormwood, a fearful visitation commonly follows. And the divel that then told thee that it was a light sin, or no sin at all, now aggravates on the other side, and telleth thee, that it is a most irremissible offence, as he did by Cain and Judas, to bring them to despaire; every small circumstance before neglected and con

Plutarch. Alios misere castigat plena scrupulis conscientia, nodum in scirpo quærunt, & ubi nulla causa subest misericordiæ divinæ diffidentes, se orco destinant. Cœlius lib. 6. * Juvenal. + Lucian de dea Syria. Si adstiteris, te aspicit; si transeas, visu te sequitur. a Prima hæc est ultio, quod se Judice nemo nocens absolvitur, improba quamvis gratia fallacis prætoris vicerit urnam. Juvenal. Quis unquam vidit avarum ringi, dum lucrum adest, adulterum dum potitur voto, lugere in perpetrando scelere? voluptate sumus ebrii, proinde non sentimus, &c.

temned,

temned, will now amplifie it self, rise up in judgement and accuse, the dust of their shooes, dumb creatures, as to Lucian's tyrant, lectus & candela, the bed and candle did bear witness, to torment their souls for their sins past. Tragical examples in this kinde are too familiar and common: Adrian, Galba, Nero, Otho, Vitellius, Caracalla, were in such horror of conscience for their offences committed, murders, rapes, extortions, injuries, that they were weary of their lives, and could get no body to kill them *Kennetus, King of Scotland, when he bad murdered his Nephew Malcome, King Duffe's son, Prince of Cumberland, and with counterfeit tears and protestations dissembled the matter a long time, "fat last his conscience accused him, his unquiet soul could not rest day or night, he was terrified with fearful dreams, visions, and so miserably tormented all his life." It is strange to read what Comínæus hath written of Lewis the 11. that French King, of Charles the 8. of Alphonsus King of Naples, in the fury of his passion how he came into Sicily, and what pranks he plaid. Guicciardine, a man most unapt to believe lyes, relates how that Ferdinand his father's ghost who before had died for grief, came and told him, that he could not resist the French King, he thought every man cried France, France; the reason of it (saith Cominæus) was because he was a vile tyrant, a murderer, an oppressour of his subjects, he bought up all commodities, and sold them at his own price, sold Abbies to Jews and Falkoners; both Ferdinand his father, and he himself never made conscience of any committed sin; and to conclude, saith he, it was impossible to do worse then they did. Why was Pausanias the Spartan Tyrant, Nero, Otho, Galba, so persecuted with spirits in every house they came, but for their murders which they had committed? Why doth the divel haunt many men's houses after their deaths, appear to them living, and take possession of their habitations, as it were, of their pallaces, but because of their several villanies? why had Richard the 3. such fearful dreams, saith Polydor, but for his frequent murders? Why was Herod so tortured in his mind? because he had made away Mariamne his wife. Why was Theodoricus the King of the Gothes so suspitious, and so affrighted with a fish head alone, but that he had murdered Symmachus, and Boethius his son in law, those worthy Romans? Cælius lib. 27. cap. 22. See more in Plutarch, in his tract De his qui sero à Numine puniuntur, and in his book De tranquil

*Buchanan. lib. 6. Hist. Scot.

+Animus conscientia sceleris inquietus, nullum admisit gaudium, sed semper vexatus noctu & interdiu per somnum visis horrore plenis pertremefactus, &c. De bello Neapol. de locis infestis, part. 1. cap. 2. Nero's mother was still in his eyes.

4 Thireus

་

litate animi, &c. Yea, and sometimes GOD himself hath a hand in it, to shew his power, humiliate, exercise, and to try their faith, (divine temptation, Perkins cals it, Cas. cons. lib. 1. cap. 8. sect. 1.) to punish them for their sins. God the avenger, as David terms him, ultor a tergo Deus, his wrath is apprehended of a guilty soul, as by Saul and Judas, which the Poets expressed by Adrastia, or Nemesis:...

Assequitur Nemesisq; virûm vestigia servat, 'Ne male quid facias."

And she is, as Ammianus lib. 14 describes her, "the Queen of causes, and moderator of things," now she puls down the proud, now she rears and encourageth those that are good; he gives instance in his Eusebius; Nicephorus lib. 10. cap. 35. eccles. hist. in Maximinus and Julian. Fearful examples of God's just judgement, wrath and vengeance, are to be found in all histories, of some that have been eaten to death with Rats and Mice, as Popelius the second King of Poland, ann. 830. his wife and children; the like story is of Hatto, Archbishop of Mentz, Ann. 969, so devoured by, these vermine, which howsoever Serrarius the Jesuite Mogunt. rerum lib. 4. cap. 5. impugne by 22 arguments, Tritemius, Munster, Magdeburgenses, and others relate for a truth. Such another example I finde in Geraldus Cambrensis Itin. Cam. lib. 2. cap. 2. and where not?

many

And yet for all these terrors of conscience, affrighting punishments which are so frequent, or whatsoever else may cause or aggravate this fearful malady in other religions, I see no reason at all why a Papist at any time should despaire, or be troubled for his sins; for let him be never so dissolute a catiffe, so notorious a villain, so monstrous a sinner, out of that treasure of Indulgences and merits of which the Pope is dispensator, he may have free pardon and plenary remission of all his sins. There be so many general pardons for ages to come, 40000. years to come, so many Jubilies, so frequent gaol-deliveries out of Purgatory for all souls, now living, or after dissolution of the body, so many particular Masses daily said in several Churches, so many Altars consecrated to this purpose, that if a man have either mony or friends, or will take any paines to come to such an Altar, hear a Mass, say so many Pater-nosters, undergo such and such penance, he cannot do amiss, it is impossible his mind should be troubled, or he have any scruple to molest him. Besides that Taxa Camera Apostolice, which

Psal. 44 1.. apprimit, &c. Magde.

Regina causarum & arbitra rerum, nunc erectas cervices Alex. Gaguinus catal, reg. Pol. Cosmog. Munster. &

D

was

was first published to get money in the daies of Leo Decimus,' that sharking Pope, and since divulged to the same ends, sets down such easie rates and dispensations for all offences, for perjury, murder, incest, adultery, &c. for so many grosses or dollers (able to invite any man to-sin, and provoke him to of fend, me thinks, that otherwise would not) such comfortable remission, so gentle and parable a pardon, so ready at hand, with so smal cost and suit obtained, that I cannot see how he that hath any friends amongst them (as I say) or money in his purse, or will at least to ease himself, can any way miscarry or be misaffected, how he should be desperate, in danger of damnation, or troubled in minde. Their ghostly fathers can so readily apply remedies, so cunningly string and unstring, winde and unwinde their devotions, play upon their consciences with plausible speeches and terrible threats, for their best advantage settle and remove, erect with such facility and deject, let in and out, that I cannot perceive how any man amongst them! should much or often labour of this disease, or finally miscarry.. The causes above named must more frequently therefore take hold in others.

SUBSECT. IV.

Symptomes of Despaire, Fear, Sorow, Suspition, Anxiety, Horror of conscience, fearful dreams and visions.

S Shoomakers do when they bring home shooes, still cry,"

A Leather is dearer and dearer; may I justly say of those

melancholy Symptomes: these of despaire are most violent, tragical and grievous, far beyond the rest, not to be expressed but negatively, as it is privation of all happiness, not to be endured; "for a wounded spirit who can bear it?" Prov. 18. 19. What therefore Timanthes did in his picture of Iphigenia, now ready to be sacrificed, when he had painted Chalcas mourning, Ulysses sad, but most sorrowful Menelaus; and shewed all his art in expressing a variety of affections, he covered the maid's father, Agamemnon's head with a vail, and left it to every spectator to conceive what he would himself; for that true passion and sorrow in summo gradu, such as his was, could not by any art be deciphred.. What he did in his pie ture, I will do in describing the Symptomes of Despaire; imagine what thou canst, fear, sorrow, furies, grief, pain, terfor, anger, dismal, gastly, tedious, irksome; &c. it is not suffi

*Plinius cap. 10. 1. 35. Consumptis affectibus, Agamemnonis caput velavit, ut omnes quem possent, maximum mærorem in virginis vaja Rajend