Treatise of Conscience Wherein Divers Secrets are Discovered, Title page – To the reader
Ane TREATISE OF CONSCIENCE.
QVHAIRIN DIvers secreits concerning that subiect, are discovered, as may appeare, in the Table following.
AT EDINBVRGH. PRINTED BY Robert Walde-graue Printer to the Kings Maiestie. 1594.
Cum privilegio Regali.
THE TABLE
Chap. 1 QVhat Conscience is, and how it differs from knawledge
2 How the word, Conscience, is diversly taken, and of the divers sottes of Consciences
3 Of a gude Conscience, and the divers kindes thereof.
4 Of ane euill Conscience, and the divers kindes and qualities thairof.
5 Of the troubled spirit and Conscience, and how it differs from melancholie, from vther naturall diseases, & worldly sorrowis.
6 The markis quhairby, the wounded Conscience may bee knawne.
7 The remedy of a troubled spirit and Conscience.
8 Quhat things man aucht cheiflie till eschewe, and quhairin he should bee exercised, during the wanrest aud trouble of his Conscience.
9 A prayer to be said be sik as are troubled in spirit and Conscience, through the sight of their sinnes.
10 Quhat comfort thay may hauehave, that are afflicted in spirit and Conscience.
11 How long the trouble of the Conscience may continue, how peace enters in, and how long it may remaine.
12 How man aucht to behaue himselfe, hauing obtained peace of Conscience, after his internall trouble.
13 A forme of praise and praier, to be vsed, be them quhilk are delivered from vexation of the spirit and Conscience.
TO THE CHRISTIAN REIder, ane Epistle generall.
I Will vse na vther Epistle Dedicatorie of thir my litle treatises (gude Christian Reidar) saue onelyonly this vntounto thee, to quhais knawledge thay sall come: neither do I seek ony praise, thanks or recompense of men, for ony thing that I hauehave done. The only thing that I craue for my labour, is, that the praise & glory heirof may be giuen vntounto God, and that the commoditie may redound to the members of his Kirk. Now, to declair schortly the circumstances, and occasion of my writing: the trueth is, that being in great affliction, and assaulted with many temptations, (as the godly ever runnes to God in time of trouble) I took purpose to compose somewhat to his glory, and to the comfort & edification of gude men. And the subject quhilk I chused wes, how to resist the temptations of pouertie, sicknes, schame, and sorrowes of this lyfe: Siklyke, of the felicitie of the life to come, and certaine discourses in praise of the merciemercy, justice, power, and providence of God. Al these I conceived, first by a general notion, and for helping of my memory, I set them downe in writ, in maner of a table, or memoriall: ever awayting the occasion quhen, and how I micht followe them forth in order, as I had devised. But I was so hindred and drawne away with warldly affaires, that mair nor the space of half a ȝeir, I came but litle speid in my interprised wark Quhill at last, in the ȝeir 1592. it pleased God to visite me with a Feuer alterne, quhilk vulgarly wee call the Excesse, In sik sorte, that all warldly cares and impediments were remooued, and my mind altogether setled on the seruice of my God. Neuertheles, my infirmitie was so great, that during the time of my sicknes (quhilk lasted thre Moneths) I wes vnable to compose or write any thing: saue only at sometime to read the Scripturs, or cause them to be redde to me: Alwaies, being viuely touched with the Lords rod, It brocht forth gud effects in me: For thereby I was farre humbled, and not without great feeling baith of mine awin sinn, and of Gods merciemercy: my cheif exercise wes to meditate on the lawe of the Lord, and to clenge my defiled heart. But sa sone as the Feuer began to slaik, and I to convalesse▪ sa soone did I search out my memoriall, and put my hand to the pen, earnestly prosecuting my interrupted warke. And beginning at the resistance of temptations, I thocht thay micht all be commodiously comprehendit vnderunder a generall treatise of affliction: quhilk by reason I had laitly before tasted: It micht appear that by gods grace I micht write the more feelingly thereof. Hauing then accomplished the first treatise, I proceeded without delay to the second: And in the meane season, while I wes in hand thairwith: behold, I contracted ane vther heauie disease: even a swelling, and a defluction of a putrified humor in my legges, and vther partes of my bodie (quhilk commonly followis that kind of Fever) So that I was thereby made vnable for ony trauell: But for the maist part, and by reason of the cold supervenient winter, I was tyed to the bed, mair nor the space of sax Moneths. This made baith my self, and the time mair proper for the accomplishing of the wark begunne: For I was grim, and brocht wondrous lowe with paine in my flesh: And being seperat from the companie of men, my delectation for the maist part wes, to bee occupied in contemplation, in composing, and serving of my God. So hauing finished the second treatise, I proceid it to the discourses or praises: And last, for coronation of my litle wark, to the effect that the inward trouble of the minde might be alsweill discouered, and resisted, as the externall troubles of the warld, I beganne a treatise of Conscience: all the quhilk treatises, it pleased the Lord to prosper and accomplish in the waik hands of his seruant, as thou may see in halfe a ȝeirs space: quhilk being out-runne, the extremitie of my paine did cease, & the Lord from day to day restored me: In sik sorte, that appearantly, he had casten me on the bed, to the effect, that he micht warke this his wark in me: Nowe as to the treatise of affliction, it may perhaps appeir, through the multitude and prolixitie of egressions, to be lesse methodicall nor the rest: But I hope gif you marke it narrowly, and richtly discerne the digressions, from the lineal point of the treatise, as they are set downe in the Argument thereof, thou sall find it not without coherence, and the amplification not without profite. The treatises of praise, and of the lise to come, are a large field: by reason quhairof many thinges may bee eiked thairto. But the treatise of Conscience, because it is devided in Chapters, I esteeme it to be of best methode, and maist solide doctrine. Finally, I wil assure thee, that I neuer entred to meditate on this my little warke, nor put my hand to the pen, without earnest invocation on the Name of the Lord, for the assistance of his spirite, That I micht vtter the wordes of knowledge, and of trueth, to his glory, and to the comfort of my brethren. Therefore, that I may end, as I beganne, whatsoeuer comfort or instructioun thou receiue (my Brother) of these treatises, giuegive the praise thereof only to the Lord, and to his vndefiled Lambe Christ Iesus, seing to them, all glory justly apperteinis for euer. God graunt you may be na lesse mooued in the reiding, nor I was in the writing of these treatises: the grace and peace of our Lord Iesus Christ bee with thy spirite. Amen. At my chamber the 26. of September. 1593.
By me, a louing Brother of al them that loues the second comming of the Lord Iesus. A. Hume.