A Treasury of Divine Raptures, Epigrams · Epigrams C · Epigram 295 – Epigram 321
294. On Conſcience.
THe Conſcience was ever, and is ſtill
The fountain of all actions, good or ill;
And all the actings, whether foul or fair,
Of men, are as their Conſciences are.
Conſcience goes with us' where …'re we go,
To bear record of whatſoe're we do.
Conſcience is Gods Vice-Roy in the Soul,
And all are liable to its controul.
Conſcience is Chriſts Vicar in mans heart,
It keeps Court there, and acts the Judges part.
Its verdict can be by no pow'r repeal'd,
Its ſtroaks are wounds that never can be heal'd:
It's the Souls Anchor, boldneſs it maintains
In judgment, and is of unwearied pains.
Conſcience is moſt like God, it is ſupreme,
But under God this Jewel, O eſteem
For its great worth, as rareſt next to Chriſt;
It is our Patron, our Apologiſt;
It is impartial; active, and ſincere,
Gods Regiſter in'us; his Harbinger
For to prepare his way; this is beſide
Mans faithful Surety, Treaſurer and Guide.
The evidence of a good Conſcience will
Find with the judge of hearts acceptance ſtill;
Good Conſcience is the only Ark that can
Ding down the Dagons of all deeds prophane.
A Conſcience unſtain'd with bluſhing crimes,
Holds out in all changes of States and Times.
Mount Sion and good Conſcience abide
For ever, and tentations can deride.
A Conſcience that is kept free from blame,
Laughs at the falſe reports of long-tongu'd fame.
Good Conſcience will ſpeak within, when all
The doors are ſhut to ev'ry vocal call.
When riches, husband, wife, parents, friends, breath,
Life, patience, firm hope, aſſured faith
Have left us; a good Conſcience is ſo faſt
A friend, that it ſticks to us till the laſt.
A right good Conſcience term this we may,
To live therein until our dying day.
Good Conſcience ſtill keeps Holy-day, is bent
To feaſting ev'ry day; there is no Lent,
No Faſting-days that interrupt this Feaſt,
But ſtill the chear is more and more encreas'd.
Who keeps his Conſcience from offences clear,
That man keeps Hil'ry Term throughout the year
But he that ſhip wracks a good Conſcience ſhall
Let in great riches, but the Devil withal.
Good Conſcience, as Davids Inſtrument,
Drives away th'evil Spirit of diſcontent.
Good Conſcience can ſuck content divine,
From bitt'reſt drugs, turn Marah into Wine.
Can ſweetly ſmile, ev'n in afflictions ſharp,
This made Pauls Priſons-ſongs, tun'd Davids harp.
It is a Paradiſe with pleaſures fraught,
All our beſt duties are without it naught.
It's to the Caſtle of the Heart a Wall
Of Braſs: it is a Chriſtians coat of Mail,
How many do for want of it miſcarry!
It is a cordial Electuary:
And very many good ingredients go
Therein, Meat, Drink, Sleep, Eaſe, Refreſhment too.
Good Conſcience on God it ſafe can roul;
'Tis Aquavitae to the ſwouning ſoul.
A Conſcience that from wickedneſs is pure,
Can in the Cannons mouth repoſe ſecure.
No ſuch proviſion 'gainſt an evil day,
As a good Conſcience; this is they ſay
A conſtant Feaſt; who hath a Conſcience good,
Fares well although he have no other Food.
A ſincere heart will not do any thing
'Gainſt Conſcience, is bold in ſuffering;
But ah! fearful of ſin, ſuch as upright
would walk, muſt have God always in their ſight.
¶ A Conſcience that is pure and free from crimes
Procures a peaceful calm in ſtormy Times.
O if the ſhip of a good Conſcience crack,
How ſoon the Merchandize of Faith will wrack.
There Conſcience bears very little ſway,
If any, where coyn bringeth in his plea.
Learning that is good, Conſcience without
Is but a ring of Gold in a Swines ſnout.
Conſcience, as the Bee, doth hony bring
To good men, and to ill puts forth a ſting.
To Conſciences dictates hearken to,
And whatſoe're thou doubteſt, never do.
To keep thy Conſcience pure, O ſpare no coſt,
All is loſt, if the Conſcience be loſt;
'Tis true, I muſt confeſs the beſt reward
That the World can good Conſcience afford,
Are ſtones and ſtroaks; if Paul will not reſiſt
His Conſcience, then Ananias fiſt
Shall be about his ears, but neither force
Nor fraud, can from the Truth a Saint divorce.
A wicked conſcience loves a dark Cell;
A deſp'rate Conſcience is a leſſer hell:
The wounded Conſcience can find no reſt
But in Chriſt only, by true faith poſſeſt.
Many woes by mans ſpir't ſuſtained are;
But oh, who can a wounded ſpirit bear!
Though God will not damn thoſe whom he loves well
Yet he may in this life ſend them to Hell;
A Conſcience that is erroneous, is
A Jack-a-Lantern leading men amiſs.
The Conſcience of a ſinner is defil'd,
And hence no wonder if it be beguild:
Sometimes the Conſcience of a man is dumb,
And as a ſilenc'd Preacher doth become;
'Twill not tell men of ſin, a Conſcience dead,
Feels no ſin; being ſo accuſtomed
To ſinning; he that hath an heart impure,
May oft be ſafe, but ne're can be ſecure.
Conſcience hardned in ſome great ſin, makes
No ſtop in ſin till ruine overtakes.
Conſcience as a Lyon ſlumber may,
When it awakes, it roars and tears the prey,
As Satan did the man which was poſſeſt;
'Tis like a Vulture gnawing at the Breſt.
It is Gods Bloud-hound that purſues a man,
And will be at his heels, do what he can.
'Tis ſad when it is either dumb or dead,
Or by erroneous principles miſled.
The calm of Conſcience will prove a ſtorm
One day; the guilty conſcience is a worm,
An ever-living worm, unapt to tire
With biting, in the never-dying fire.
Oh the weight! oh the load of the leaſt ſin,
When Conſcience doth to be awake begin!
Conſc'ence Gods Eccho is ſo ſhrill ſometimes,
And clamorous againſt enormous crimes,
That ſinners do not love to hear its noiſe,
But ſilence it; the Mandrakes fatal voyce
Is not ſo dreadful to the captiv'd ear,
As that to ſinners. Guilt ingenders fear:
If maintain comfort in thy ſoul thou wilt,
Preſerve it from the obſtructions of guilt,
Which naturally breeds diſquiet ſtill;
Firſt Conſcience is pure, then peaceable.
¶ Thou canſt ſo long as thou haſt peace with ſin,
Have no true peace of conſcience within.
295. On Conſecration.
JEſus Chriſt was conſecrated,
To be our King, Prieſt, and Prophet;
We are by him reinſtated,
Ranſomed from Sin and Tophet.
Come let us fall down before him,
And with reverence adore him.
296. On Conſent.
COnſent in will to what the judgment likes
Facilitates an action: Paul thus ſpeaks Rom. 7. 16.
I conſent to the Law that it is good,
And therefore by him it was not withſtood;
A Saint conſents to Gods commands, therefore
They are not grievous; Sinners evermore
Are under force, terrour of Conſcience
Hales them to duty, not its excellence;
Such are like Slaves unto the Gally chain'd,
That are (whether they will or no) conſtrain'd.
To work, but godly men like Subjects free,
Yield to their Princes Laws; they love to be
Forward in loyalty, and will confeſs
Their equity and reaſonableneſs.
Saints find in Gods commands ſo much content,
As draweth forth conſent, and this conſent
Both eaſie and familiar made them hath,
Conſent is a concomitant of Faith;
The Saint conſents to have Chriſt, and to have
Him upon his own terms to rule, to ſave.
He makes it not his talk to pick and chooſe,
But with whole Chriſt doth freely cloſe,
For better for worſe; he ſees there lies
Beauty and glory in Chriſts opprobries.
Purely for love, he loveth Chriſt for Chriſt;
Without whom Heaven given by the High'ſt
As no ſufficient dowry for a Saint,
A Saint conſents without the leaſt conſtraint.
Chriſts beauty and ſweet diſpoſition draws
The Will to yield obedience to his Laws.
The Will (which as the Maſter-wheel) doth carry
The whole ſoul with it, as Sts. conſents to marry
With Chriſt (repleniſhed with Graces ſtore)
On this condition, never to part more.
He will part freely with his life, but not
With Chriſt; indeed Death when it ſlips the knot
Between the ſoul and body, it conjoyns
The Soul and Chriſt more ſure; a Saint reſigns
By way of Deed of Gift the intereſt
That he hath in himſelf, wholly to Chriſt.
His own name, his own will he yields to loſe,
And will be wholly at Chriſt's wiſe diſpoſe.
Chriſt hath the beſt and pureſt of his love,
Which nothing ſhall be able to remove.
That eaſie is which with conſent is done,
The Match between Chriſt and the Soul goes on,
With cheerfulneſs ſhe giving her conſent,
Nor ſhall ſhe e're have cauſe for to repent.
Lord I aſent, and give my conſent to
Thy ſacred Laws: but ah! I cannot do
What they command; yet wholly I reſign
My ſelf to thee, O be thou wholly mine.
297. On Conſequents.
1.
FAith animates our duties and our graces;
It is the vital Art'rie of the ſoul;
Faith purifies the heart, and from it chaſes
Nat'ral corruption, which makes it foul.
Faith works out Pride, hypocriſie, ſelf-love,
And conſecrates the heart to God above.
2.
Faith is a grace that pacifies the heart,
A gentle Dove that in its mouth doth bear
The Olive-branch of Peace. Faith doth impart
Strength to the Soul; by Faith we Victors are.
Faith is a fruitful grace, good Works are ſeen
As hand-maids ſtill attending on this Queen.
3.
Faith believes, as if it did Works reſiſt,
And worketh as if it did not believe.
Faith is that Spouſe-like grace which marries Chriſt,
And good Works are the children wch recieve
Their birth from Faith; 'tis therefore no diſgrace
To good Works, to give Faith the higheſt place.
298. On Conſideration.
1.
COnſideration is the root of all
Noble deſigns, by her we attain to
The end of all our hopes, when others fall;
To haſty raſh attempts, ſhe is a foe.
¶ On thy ways much conſideration ſpend,
Firſt what they are, and whether next they tend.
2.
The Pilot on his compaſs ſtill doth like,
And by that means doth many dangers ſhun.
The Merchant his affairs with his Count-book
Adviſeth, elſe he might be ſoon undone.
Conſideration is ſo neceſſary,
That all eſtates without it will miſcarry.
3.
Gods Word & Works doth furniſh us with choice
Of matter for to ſpend our thoughts upon;
Yea ev'ry action (for they have a voice)
Summons us to conſideration.
Be well acquainted with thy ſelf and ſtate,
What thou art in thy ſelf, O ruminate.
4.
Th'art duſt and aſhes, within thee doth dwell
Much wickedneſs; above thee thou mayſt ſee
A juſt offended God, below thee Hell;
Againſt thee Sin and Satan; before thee
Vain fancy-tickling pleaſure, and behind
Thee certain death; recall theſe things to mind.
5.
Conſider three things paſt; omitted good,
Committed evil, and amitted time.
Conſider three things preſent; Lifes ſwift flood,
Salvation work is hard, to Heav'n few climb.
Conſider three things; Future Death, Doom, Hell,
And walk with God, ſo ſhalt thou with him dwell
209. On a Oonſiſtory.
COonſcience is Gods Conſiſtory,
And his leſſer Throne of Glory.
300. On Conſolation.
1.
CHriſt is call'd the conſolation
Of his people Iſrael,
He that hath him hath Salvation,
And ſhall ever with him dwell;
By his Beams the Saints ſhall ſhine,
And be as he is, Divine.
2.
Chriſtleſs ſouls are comfortleſs,
Woful is their miſery,
How can ſuch as theſe poſſeſs
Comfort, when they come to die,
They're in debt, no ſurety have,
Sick, no Phyſitian to ſave.
3.
All our comforts here below
Are but weak, but ſuch are ſtrong
Which do from the Spirit flow,
And to Saints alone belong.
Thoſe are feculent, theſe pure;
Thoſe decay, but theſe endure.
301. On Conſonants.
ASk without Vowels, Conſonants are dumb;
So, without Graces, Men as Bruits become.
302. On a Conſort.
WHat conſort's there when Conſorts live in ſtrife?
O what a Jewel is a loving wife!
O what a bleſſed harmony is there,
When man and wife do ſerve the Lord with fear!
303. On Conſpiracy.
SAmpſons Foxes were agreed
To conſume the Corn with fire;
Satan and his curſed ſeed,
Do againſt the Church conſpire
And her overthrow endeavour,
But ſhe ſhall abide for ever.
304. On a Conſtable.
COnſtable mind your charge, the Drunkard reels
About the ſtreets, go lay him by the heels.
Who ſin corrects, he mercifully deals.
305. On Conſtancy.
THe Motto of a Chriſtian ſhould be that
Of Queen Elizabeth, in ev'ry ſtate
Always the ſame, not lift up, by renown
When lifted up; nor caſt down, when caſt down.
A conſtant minded man is free from care,
And ſorrow-ending death he doth not fear,
Ariſtides amidſt the various fates
And changes that befel th' Athenian States
In his time, did always the ſame abide,
For honour never puff▪d him up with pride;
Nor adverſe things could ever make him vent
The leaſt of paſſion or diſcontent.
He us'd to ſay, Good Citizens alone
Rejoyce in what they have well ſaid and done.
Demoſthenes, rather than he would prove
A changeling, loſt his life—We may not move
Nor ſhrink one jot from our profeſſion.
Dan'el leaves not his God, though he be ſhewn
The Lion; the three children ſtill ſtood faſt,
When into the oft-heated Furnace caſt.
However like the lower Orb there's none,
But have a nat'ral motion of our own,
From good to ill; let's let the pow'r above us,
The all-wiſe God, from ev'l to good to move us,
Who ever is the ſame; we muſt endeavour
To be like him, ſo ſhall we live for ever.
¶ Better it were never to have begun,
Than not continue till the race be run.
¶ Vain is alas, the running of that ſoul,
Who faints before he cometh to the Goal.
Not to go forward in Gods way, is to
Go backward; many begin well, but few
End ſo; it tendeth to perfection▪
To conſummate what we have well begun;
Lifes crown is given to ſuch as perſevere,
As good never a whit, as ne're the near.
306. On Conſtellation.
'Tis not the influx of a Conſtellation,
But ſin that bringeth ruine to a Nation.
307. On Conſtitution.
SOme men of ſuch a conſtitution are,
That for their ſins they cannot ſhed a tear:
But let no Saint be thereat diſcontent
The Veſſel may be full, though it wants vent.
308. On Conſtraint.
SInners compell'd do yield, the gracious Saint
Obeys God out of love, not by conſtraint.
309. On Conſtruction.
WIthout addition or deduction,
Things may admit a good Conſtruction.
310. On a Conſul.
ROmes Conſuls honourable things did do,
God grant our Counſellours may do ſo too.
311. On Conſultation.
WHen we would get what really is good,
We muſt not take advice from fleſh and blood.
312. On a Conſumption.
A Man may have his body plump and whole,
Yet a Conſumptive, a diſeaſed ſoul.
313. On Conſummation.
AS Glory is the conſummation
Of Grace, ſo Grace is Glory here begun.
314. On Contact.
THe Loadſtone by a vertual contact
Draws Ir'n to it. Gods Spir't doth attract
Us by a ſupernat'ral inſtinct
T'himſelf, to Chriſt by faith our hearts are link't
315. On Contagion.
SIn infects all the powers of the ſoul,
And members of the body; puts the whole
Man out of order: if Chriſt bathe us in
His blood, that frees us from the plague of ſin.
316. On Containing.
GOd is immenſe in ev'ry place remaining,
Contain'd of nothing, yet all things containing
317. On Contemplation.
FElicity, the Stagarite aſſign'd
To the high contemplation of the mind;
By contemplation the Souls pow'rs are preſt
To act upon (this moſt perfect object) Reſt.
The Nurſery of Piety it is,
St. Herom ſtiled it his Paradiſe;
It's a friend to the Graces, contemplation
Helps very much to water the Plantation:
A Treaſury it is, where all the Graces
Are locked up, this a Proſpective-Glaſs is,
By which the Saints ſee things not to be ſeen
By mortal eyes; this Portal lets us in
To glory, and puts us in heav'n before
Our times, King Davids thought were evermore,
Travelling towards the Jeruſalem
Above, which made him things below contemn:
A devout Soul in contemplation,
Is never leſs alone; then when alone
By good deſires, in the beſt company,
Even with his God and Saints it loves to be.
318. On Contempt.
THe world with all it's pleaſures, profits, glory,
Is tranſitory:
And it gives no content to them that prize it,
Let's then deſpiſe it;
And uſe it ſo, as though we us'd it not;
Envy doth blot
Fair honours credit, ſwelling Titles are
Dreams in career:
Riches have wings, but for a while they ſtay,
Then flee away,
Pleaſures alas! how quickly do they fade
When grief invade!
My Soul, there's nothing that deſerves thy love
But God above:
O run to him, and ſtrive to be poſſeſt
Of him, ſo ſhalt thou be for ever bleſt.
319. On Contending for Heaven.
ANd does there then remain a glorious Reſt
For Saints? O let us zealouſly conteſt
For it againſt all oppoſitions,
We muſt paſs thorough Thornes to ſit on Thrones,
We er'e we reign, three Regiments muſt rout,
The fleſh, and Devil within, the world without.
By giving battel to them in the way,
Heav'n is for triumph, but it's now a day
Of battail, let's fight the good fight of Faith,
There's no ceſſation of Arms till death.
320. On Contention.
COntention ſprings from pride, & it makes way
For trouble; Wild-fire like it will not ſtay,
But runs and leaps ſo furiouſly about,
That nothing elſe, but bloud can quench it out.
Tis woful dwelling with debateful men,
Whoſe Soul hate peace, nurs'd in Erynays Den;
Our Petty foggers Satans fire-brands,
Do more hurt to the Commons of the Land,
Then Sampſons Foxes with fire-brands ty'd to
Their tail, to the Philiſtians corn could do.
Contention hinders much the growth of grace,
He who is in the Gall of bitterneſs,
Cannot parturiat, no nor inherit
The pleaſing fruits of the peace-loving ſpirit,
A froward heart is like to Pathmos Iſle,
No Herb of grace will grow upon that ſoil,
Can good ſeed ſprout and flouriſh in a ground,
Where Thorns and Briars do ſo much abound?
Till ſtrife be by ſome Antidote expell'd,
The choiceſt food no nutriment can yield.