Treatise of Conscience Wherein Divers Secrets are Discovered, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
How man ought to behaue himselfe hauing obtained peace of Conscience, after his internall trouble.
LIke as all good things are receiued at the hands of God, by fervent and diligent praier: Even so, by thankfulnes, 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 retaine it, & hauehave it to continue with the, see thou be thankful to thy God for the same. But such is the fragilitie & corruption of mans nature, that in whatsoever estate he be, hee can not containe himself long within bounds. For get he a blast of adversitie, then is he dejected over lawe, & falls oftimes in mistrust: Get he a blenk of prosperitie, then is he incontinent exalted over high, & fals shortly in a careles securitie. Heirfore, I wald admonish thee to behaue thy selfe, as the skilful & expert Skipper dois, quhilk during the time of the tempest, is ever on foot, & busilie exercised; and in the greatest calme is ever looking & preparing for a storme to come: Even so thou, In adversitie behaue thy self patiently, constantly, & confidently; Againe, in prosperitie, behaue thy self warely, humbly, & thankfully. But specialy nowe, hauing obtained comfort from aboue, & peace of conscience, I wald exhort thee to take diligent heed to thy behavior, and to be on this maner exercised. First of all, without delay, retire thee to thy chamber, or to the house of praier;Mat. 21. 13 and with all humilitie of hart, prostrate thy self before the Lord, acknowledge thy deliverance to hauehave proceeded from him, and rander all harty thanks to him therfore. Sing psalms and songs of praise cheerfully to the Lord: whereof, thou may finde great plentie among the Psalms of David, agreing with thy cace: as in speciall, the 23. 24. 40. 91. 103. psalmes, & a great number of others. Yea, not onelyonly praise him thy selfe alone, but also stir vp & exhort others to magnifie him with thee. Advaunce his glory in thy words, thy writs, and thy deedes; and abhor those things quhilk may derogate, or be hinderfull therevnto. Hide not his goodnes shewen and reveilled vntounto thee; but declare his merciemercy and loving kindnes to the members of his Kirk, & assemblies of them that feare him. Farther, dedicate thy self al whollie to thy God,Psal. 119. 106. and henceforth vowe thy selfe, and thy service vntounto 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 Iesus Cstrist, by the participation of those seales and testimonies quhilk declaris his death and body broken for vsus. 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 hauehave gotten any dominion over any of thy vnruly affections; and if thou hauehave dauntoned or reformed them in any measure, think well that thou hes obtained a gret victory. In al thy affaires, & interprises whatsoever, either of gret or of smal importance, craue counsell at the mouth of God in thy praiers, what thou suld do; craue his asistance, that it would please his majestie, to direct and teache thee the right way:lere. 10. 23 For the way of man is not in himselfe, neither is it in man to walk and to direct his steps: And whatsoever succes or effect thy procedings tak, albeit it bee never so far aganis thy heart, yet hold thee content and thank the Lord it: For he seeth farther nor thou dois, hee knawis that quhilk thou knawis not, and will turne all things about to the best, for them that loues him. Hunt not after worldly things; neither care thou meikill for them: But as the Lord Iesus hes commanded, seek first the kingdome of God,Mat. 6. 33. & his righteosnes (which is amendment of life) and then sall these worldly things be sufficiently ministred vntounto thee. Respect not thine owne commoditie in serving God; neither make thy dependance on him, in hope of a temporall rewarde: But respect cheifly his glory, let thy service tend alwaies to please him, & that in hope of an everlasting recompense. Thinke not that thou art placed by God here vponupon earth, to liue at libertie, to enjoy thy plesures, or to make long residence: but only to serue him, looking for nothing in this life, but for affliction,Ioh. 16. 33. & that as a pilgrim & stranger thou art to passe away suddenly home to thine own cuntry, there to giuegive acount to thy Lord and maker, how thou hes bestowed thy time here vponupon earth, & how thou hes obeied his holy wil & commandements. If the Lord bestow his temporal benefits on thee, or grant thee any repose & contentment in this life, be thankful to him therefore, & vse his gifts to his glory: Nevertheles, let not thy heart nor affection be fixed vponupon earthly things: but let euer thy minde be caried vpwarde, let thy chief delight, thy hope, thy rejoycing, felicitie, & comfort, be in the merciful promises of God, in the merits of Iesus chirst, & in the joyes of the eternal life to cum. Flie sin, as a contagious pest, and in al thy actions, remember weill that the Lord is ever present in spirit, who sees thy deeds, hears thy words, & knawis al thy secret thoghts; His Angels also, whome hee hath giuen charge over thee;Psal. 34. 7 & 91. 11. albeit thou see them not yet they both hear & see thee and thy procedings; before whome thou suld be ashamed to do,Heb. 1. 14. or say any vnseemely thing. Finally, for conclusion of this tretise, besides all the precepts before rehearsed: there is yet a thing wherof I wald admonish thee; quhilk in the mercies of God, I beseech thee to remark, and exactly to cary away: having obtained peace of Conscience, whil thy spirit is yet at rest, take pen & ink, and spedily write vp, for a memoriall, the time & maner 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 daies of thy life, let it serue thee for these vses. First, so oft as ever thou reades it, or calls it to remembrance, let it serue as a perpetuall lesson, to learne thee to be thankful to thy God. Secondly, let it serue, as a perpetual bridle, to refrain thee from sin, & offending the majestie of god: Certifying thy self that if thou be ingrate, or delight in wickednes, the Lord hes ever the same wand aboue thy head, wherwith he wil scourge thee againe mair viuely, & wil make thy own Conscience a bourior to torment thee. Thirdly, where ever it shall please the Lord to cast thee againe in the like trouble, then collect this document, and comfort: Assure thy selfe, that if thou seek to him with al thy heart & with continuance; as he delivered thee of before, so wil he deliver thee again at al times thereafter, vntounto the end of thy life: For the merciemercy of God is without repentance.Rom. 11. 29
Now, my deare brother, let not this be thy behaviour, & exercise, for a day, or for a short time onelyonly: but see thou continue therein during all the daies of thy life: In respect, the reprobat & wicked man, sumtime for feare of the Lords judgements, sumtime to be releved of his present paine and trouble, sumtime to get his intention accomplished, or vponupon other worldly respects, will hauehave good motions, & wil begin a good course: but so soon as the Lord dois avert his plague, so soone as he is eased of his paine, or comes to his intent; so soon returns he to his former impietie, & vponupon light occasions falles suddenly and shamefully back. Be thou not therfore like to him, but as a good soldier of the Lord, endure and persevere constantly vntounto the end,Mat. 23. 13 that thou may be saved and inherit all things.Reve. 21. 7 Watch,Psa. 94. 13 pray, & meditate the lawe of the Lord, that in the evill day of his visitation, thou may get rest, when the pit is digged for the wicked: and that at the glorious comming of our Lord Iesus,Mat. 25. 21 thou may be found a good & faithfull servant,1. Pet 5. 4 & receiue an incorruptible crown of glory in his everlasting kingdom, where thou sal dwell with the Angels, & glorified bodies, lauding & praising the almightie father, the sonne, & the holy ghost for ever. Amen.