The Souls Looking Glass 2, Title page – Table of contents
The Souls Looking-glaſſe, lively repreſenting its Eſtate before God: with A Treatiſe Of Conſcience; wherein the definitions and diſtinctions thereof are unfolded, and ſeverall Caſes reſolved: By that reverend and faithfull Miniſter of the Word, WILLIAM FENNER, B. D. ſometimes Fellow of Pembroke-hall in Cambridge, and late Parſon of Rochford in Eſſex.
ACTS 24.16.
I exerciſe my ſelf to have alwayes a conſcience void of offenſe toward God and toward men.
CAMBRIDGE: Printed by Roger Daniel, Printer to the Univerſitie; for John Rothwell at the Sunne in Pauls church-yard. 1640.
To the RIGHT HONORABLE ROBERT Earle of Warwicke.
THe late wife of the deceaſed, in thankfull acknowledgment of your Lordſhips many favours to her deare husband, humbly preſents this ſmall treatiſe.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
IT was the ſaying of Solon, That there were many good laws made, but there wanted one law to make us put all thoſe laws in execution: The like may be ſaid concerning the books that are written now a dayes,Ille verè Scripturas legit qui verba vertit in opera. There are many good books written, but there wanteth one book to make us to put thoſe good books in practice. Such a book were worth writing, and worth reading. And I know no reaſon but that this book (if the Spirit of God write it in our hearts) may have this happie effect: For it is a book that will teach us how to get into the State of grace, and how to get and keep a good Conſcience. And whoſoever readeth a book with a good conſcience will make conſcience to practice what he readeth: For a good conſcience is, as Ariſtotle ſaith of Juſtice,*foreign. a Synopſis and Epitome of all virtues: It is a*foreign, à ſanandis omnibus morbis. Panacea to cure all ſoul-diſeaſes: It is*foreign. a medicine to digeſt all book-ſurfetting.
There are foure ſorts of Conſciences: Some bad and unquiet, ſome bad and quiet, ſome good and unquiet, ſome good and quiet. For a conſcience to be bad and quiet is the worſt temper that can be: Better have a bad unquiet then a bad and quiet conſcience: better have a tormenting Tophet in the ſoul then a fools paradiſe: The beſt frame of Conſcience is the good and quiet conſcience: This is a*Laetitia bonae conſcientiae paradiſus eſt animarum, gaudium angelorum, hortus deliciarum, ager benedictionis, templum Solomonis, aula Dei, habitaeculum Spiritûs ſancti, Bernard. Paradiſe upon earth, * a preguſtation and prelibation of heaven,*foreign. a manſion for the Trinitie to dwell in. Now this enſuing treatiſe will teach us how to purchaſe this precious jewel of a good and quiet conſcience. A treatiſe very neceſſary in theſe unconſcionable dayes, wherein moſt people make no conſcience to ſinne againſt conſcience; and ſome have ſinned ſo long againſt conſcience as that they have loſt all conſcience of ſinne. As*Multi Christianum nomen ad judicium habent non ad remedium. S. Auguſtine ſaith of the name of a Chriſtian, ſo may I ſay of conſcience, Multi conſcientiam habent, non ad remedium ſed ad judicium, Many have a conſcience for their condemnation and not for their ſalvation. Conſcience*Domus animae, Guil. Pariſienſ. it is the houſe of the ſoul: But this houſe lieth waſte and is much ruinated and decayed in theſe times, wherein*Dum tempora ſuperiora cum noſtris comparo, dicere conſuevi plus▪ illos conſcientiae minus habuiſſe; nos contrà, ſcientiae plus, conſcientiae minus habere, Beza. never more ſcience but never leſſe conſcience. Conſcience*Praejudicium judicii, Tertull. it is a private judgement-day before the publick day of judgement: And it is an ill preſage that moſt people will never ſtand upright in the court of heaven, becauſe they ſtand accuſed and condemned in the court of conſcience. Conſcience is Gods preacher in our boſomes: And it is a most certain rule; That that man that will not regard the preacher in his boſome will never regard the preacher in the pulpit. And the reaſon why the preacher in the pulpit doth no more good, is becauſe the preacher in the boſome is ſo much deſpiſed and neglected. And therefore I doubt not but this book (theſe motives conſidered) will be very acceptable to all thoſe that have or deſire to have a good and quiet conſcience. For as*Ʋnicui que liber eſt propria conſcientia; & ad hunc librum diſcutiendum & emendandum omnes alii invenli ſunt. S. Bernard moſt excellently ſaith, Every mans conſcience is his book; and all books are written to diſcover and amend the errours of the book of conſcience. Let thoſe that reade this book of conſcience look into the book of their own conſcience, and amend all the faults of that book by this book.
The Reverend Authour of this book was a Miniſter very conſcientious, and one that had a great abilitie given him by God to preach unto and work upon the conſciences of people, to awaken the ſleepie conſcience, to inform the erroneous conſcience, to ſettle the doubtfull conſcience, and to comfort the wounded conſcience: his ſermons were all dipt in conſcience: And therefore a ſubject of Conſcience muſt needs be welcome from ſuch a preacher. It is true that this birth is Poſthumum opus, and cometh out after the death of the Authour: But I hope it will be the more pleaſing, to revive the memory of him whoſe life and labours were deſervedly pretious in the eſteem of Gods people. And if conſcience, though for a while blind, and dumbe, and ſeared, and put out of all office, will notwithſtanding at laſt be put into office, and made to ſee, ſpeak and feel to the utter deſtruction of an impenitent ſinner; why may not a diſcourſe of Conſcience, though long ago preached, be ſuffered to revive and live for the ſalvation of thoſe that ſhall have grace to reade it aright? eſpecially conſidering that theſe ſermons were perfected by himſelf in his lifetime?
Much I could ſay in commendation of this worthie Divine, both in regard of his unweariſome pains in preaching, conſuming his own bodie to ſave the ſouls of others,Praelucendo pereo. as alſo of his learning and exemplarie pietie: but I forbear. All that I will ſay is this; They that fully knew him did love and reverence him: and if any did diſeſteem him, it was becauſe they did not fully know him. He is now a ſhining ſtarre in the firmament of heaven. And there are hundreds of people that will bleſſe God to all eternity for his pains. He needeth not our praiſes, but our imitation.
All that I deſire from you that reade this ſhort treatiſe is this; That ye would either get a good conſcience by the reading of this book, or bring a good conſcience to the reading of it. Labour to make an addition to the heavenly joyes of this faithfull ſervant of God by making this book a means to bring thy ſoul to thoſe heavenly joyes which are at Gods right hand for evermore: which are joyes unſpeakable and glorious, ſo great that,*Tanta eſt dulcedo coeleſtis gaudii, ut ſi una guttula difflueret in infernum, totam amaritudinem inferni abſorberet. as S. Auguſtine ſaith, If one drop of the joyes of heaven ſhould fall into hell, it would ſwallow up all the bitterneſſe of Hell. And that God would make you heirs of this joy, is the prayer
of your ſoul-friend Edm. C.
An Enquiry after a mans eſtate before God. Coloſſ. 4.8.
WHat a mans eſtate before God is pag. 1
Miniſters are to enquire after the eſtate of their people pag. 4
Every man is either in an eſtate of grace or ſinne pag. 11
This eſtate may be known pag. 16
Why every man ought to enquire after his own eſtate pag. 20
Means whereby a man may come to know what eſtate he is in pag. 23
Impediments which hinder this knowledge pag. 27
Motives to be diligent in this enquirie pag. 29
2. A treatiſe of Conſcience. Rom. 2.15.
WHat conſcience is pag. 31
I. Propoſition.
There is in every man a conſcience pag. 33
Why the Lord did plant a conſcience in every man pag. 36
II. Propoſition.
The light that conſcience acts by is knowledge
1. of Gods law;
2. of our ſelves.
pag. 41
The great neceſsity of knowledge pag. 43
III. Propoſition.
The office of conſcience is to bear witneſſe, accuſing or excuſing pag. 49
1. Foure properties of this witneſſe-bearing It is
1. Supreme pag. 51
2. Impartiall pag. 52
3. Faithfull pag. 53
4. Privie pag. 55
2. The parts of this witneſſe-bearing:
I. Its ſingle witneſsing
1. What we have done pag. 57
2. What we intend to do pag. 58
3. What is the bent of our hearts ibid.
II. Its judiciall bearing witneſſe pag. 64
1. About things to be done or omitted: Where are conſidered
1. Its Office,
1. To judge pag. 68
2. To counſel pag. 69
2. Its Adjuncts: It is either
1. Illightned pag. 76
2. Erroneous pag. 78
3. Doubting pag. 85
4. Scrupulous pag. 88
5. Faithfull pag. 95. or
6. Vnfaithfull pag. 104
2. About things alreadie done or omitted: and here alſo
1. Its Office is,
1. To approve pag. 116
2. To abſolve pag. 117
3. To miſlike pag. 119
4. To condemne pag. 121
2. Its Affections: It is either
1. Tender pag. 125
2. Sleepie pag. 126
3. Benumbed pag. 127. or
4. Seared pag. 128
From all theſe proceed two other Adjuncts;
I. A quiet conſcience: concerning which is conſidered
1. What it is pag. 132
2. How that in the godly differeth from that in the wicked pag. 137
3. How to know whether we have it or no pag. 152
Where is handled;
Whether a child of God may fear death, and how farre pag. 159
Whether a wicked man may be deſirous to die, and in what caſes pag. 164
The great benefit of peace of conſcience pag. 167
II. An unquiet conſcience
What it is, and the cauſes of it pag. 173
The degrees of it pag. 178
The difference of it in the godly and in the wicked pag. 184
How a man may keep peace of conſcience pag. 200
How it dependeth upon obedience pag. 205
What manner of obedience that is which peace of conſcience dependeth upon? pag. 211
What a man muſt do to be freed from a burdened and troubled conſcience pag. 215
As conſcience beareth witneſſe of our actions ſo of our perſons pag. 222
It can and doth inform every man what eſtate he is in pag. 223
How it doth this pag. 229
When it doth this pag. 232
Why many nevertheleſſe are deluded about their eſtate pag. 239
What a good conſcience ſoundly renewed is pag. 247
What a weak and infirm good conſcience is pag. 256
IV. Propoſition.
The bond of conſcience is the law of God pag. 267
1. The Primarie and ſupreme, is Gods word pag. 270
Gods law bindeth the conſciences of the regenerate pag. 281
2. The Secondarie and relative;
others, or
ourſelves pag. 296
1. Others may bind our conſciences, as Magiſtrates, Superiours; and how farre pag. 297
2. We may bind our own conſciences by lawfull vows and promiſes pag. 314
What vows are unlawfull and not binding pag. 315
Of the vow made to God in baptiſme, how great it is, and how much to be regarded pag. 318