The Wounded Conscience Cured, Title page – To the reader
The VVounded CONSCIENCE cured, the weak one ſtrengthned, and the doubting ſatisfied. By way of Anſwer to Doctor Fearne. Where the main point is rightly ſtated, and Objections throughly anſwered for the good of thoſe who are willing not to be deceived. By WILLIAM BRIDGE, Preacher of Gods Word.
1 TIM. 1. 19. Holding faith and a good conſcience, which ſome having put away; and concerning faith, have made ſhipwrack. Give unto Caeſar the things that are Caeſars, and unto God the things that are Gods.
IT is Ordered this 30 day of January, 1642. by the Committee of the Houſe of Commons in Parliament, concerning Printing, that this Anſwer to Dr. Fearnes Book be printed.
John White.
The ſecond Edition, corrected and amended. Whereunto are added three Sermons of the ſame Author; 1. Of Courage, preached to the Voluntiers. 2. Of ſtoppage in Gods mercies to England, with their remedies. 3. A preparation for ſuffering in theſe plundering times.
London, Printed for BENJAMIN ALLEN, and are to be ſold at his ſhop in Popes-head Alley. 1642.
THis Treatiſe was once before travelling abroad into the world, till it came unto the Author, who could not look upon it without much indignation, to ſee how that, and in it himſelf alſo was ſo much wronged and abuſed; being ſo perverted and miſplaced (beſides other Errata) in the printing, that it was nothing like the Book that was intended; ſo falſly, and ſo contrary to his meaning, that the Author may truly ſay as Martial to one:
Quem recitas meus eſt, O Fidentine libellus,
Sed male dum recitas incipit eſſe tuus.
O Fidentine, a Book of mine
Thou printed'ſt with my will:
And yet not mine, but it is thine,
Becauſe its printed ill.
Much wrong and damage accrued to many by it; but ſuch be the times, that all ſuffer in one thing or other, and ſo this may be the more eaſily born. Its now corrected, and much amended, by the care and induſtry of a friend, who deſires to commend the Book unto thy view, and ſerious thoughts upon it.
To the Reader.
IT is Gods wont to warn before he ſmite a people, thereby walking himſelf after his own rule, Deut. 20. 10, 13. who would have no City to be deſtroyed till peace hath firſt been offered to it; the ſword of the Lord is ever drawn, his bow bent, his arows prepared, his inſtruments of death made ready, his cup mingled, yet he doth not uſe to powre down his plagues, untill he have rained a ſhowre of merciemercy before them, he doth not ſurpriſe men at unawares, God never diſcharges his murthering peeces, till he have firſt diſcharged his warning ones, pax domini Luke 10. peace to this houſe was ſounded at every doore where the Apoſtles came. All Ages and Nations will bear witneſſe to this truth, the old world, Sodom, Pharaoh, &c. but no Nation or Age can better ſubſcribe to Gods goodneſſe, and fair dealing in this then we, who have been warned ſometimes by prodigious ſignes, as by the appearance of that wonderfull Comet An. 1618. as importing ſome ſtrange changes which we have ſeen and heard ſince, and as if its laſt influence might ſeem to end in this Iſland; vvhen it blazed over England, it was ſeen no more, And Herlicius Stargardenſis (a noted Astrologer) held, that its influence was like to continue between twenty and thirty years: ſometimes by his Miniſters, by his adminiſtration of Juſtice, and dealing with other Nations; how long hath the ſword walked circuit in Cermany, and in Ireland? ſometimes by leſſer and lighter judgements; how long hath the plague continued in this Citie without intermiſſion? ſometime by taking many godly out of the world, and the removing many others out of the Kingdom, who were wont to ſtand in the gap; ſometime by a generall withdrawing himſelf, pulling down his hangings, not aſſiſting his ordinances, &c. And unleſſe we will wilfully ſhut our eyes, how hath the goodneſſe, patience, bounty, mercifull, and powerfull dealings of God towards us, and for us of late, been as an hand put forth to leade us home unto him? to cauſe us to meet him, and take warning that we might prevent theſe wasting calamities that are gathered together in a black cloud, as though they meant to empty themſelves in a ſhowre of blood upon our heads? But we are ſo far from taking warning, that we ſtudy to haſten our own ruine, almoſt every one inſtead of bringing his bucket of water to quench the fire that is already flaming about our ears, bring their bellowes in their hands to blow up theſe coals of diſſention in all places, ſo that now not onelyonly is there a Kingdome divided, but the head and the members divided, and the members among themſelves, Cities and Townes divided, yea families divided, Parents againſt children, brother againſt brether, and familiar friends become bitter enemies one to another, the moſt ſure ſymptome and preſage of a fearfull deſolation to fall upon all, unleſſe ſome ſpeedie remedy be applyed to this deſperate diſeaſe, and the great God himſelfe become our Phiſitian and heale our diſtempers. I ſhall deſire to commend theſe two Sermons to thy ſerious conſideration; in the one thou ſhalt ſee there is a ſtoppage made of Gods mercies (who was coming to heal us but we would not be healed) the cauſes are diſcovered, and the remedies preſcribed, that could we ſo go to work to open theſe ſtoppings, and bring God again into the way of his mercies; could we ſee our ſins removed, and God returned, I might then truly ſay that there would be yet hope for England. The other Sermon is a preparative to bear that croſſe that ſo many have already on their backs, viz. of being turned out of all our earthly comforts; a ſad calamity indeed, but now too uſuall, and when ſo many of our neighbours houſes are on fire, why ſhould we think to eſcape ſcotfree, that are as deep in ſin as they? being therefore forewarn'd, let us be for… arm'd, and get into God and his favor, as that one neceſſary thing for us all to look after, as the onelyonly means to keepe us from ſinking unedr the waves that flow in upon all, eſpecially on Gods people; experience ſhewing, that if we vvill live in the power of godlineſſe, and not walk in the ſame exceſſe of riot with the world, we ſhall make our ſelves a prey, and had need to have our helmets on to latch the blowes that fall upon us, and reſolve to ſit looſe from the world, that we may ſuffer the ſpoyling of our goods with joy, and bo able to ſay with that noble Spartan; who being told of the death of his children, Anſwered; I know well they were all begot mortall. 2. That his goods were confiſcate, I knew what was but for mine uſe, was not mine. 3. That his honor was gone, I knew no glory could be everlaſting on this miſerable earth. 4. That his ſentence was to dye, that is nothing, Nature hath given the like ſentence both of my condemners and of me; Now ſhould we get a ſtocke of faith and learn how to uſe it, to live by it when our lands, our ſtocks, our trades, our friends, our wit, our ſhifts (as the ordinary means of our livelihood) ſhall faile us. That we may live not onelyonly above our fears, and troubles, and doubts, but above the world, above our ſelves, in God and in Chriſt, in whom vve may ſee ſupply to all our vvants, ſatisfaction to all our deſires, and have recompenſe for all our loſſes, and every thing that may make for our good and welfare; light in our darkneſſe, life in our death, ſtrength in our weakneſſe, riches in our poverty, and comfort our ſelves, that we ſerve a Maſter that will one day right all our wrongs, reckoning the injuries that be done to his, as done to himſelfe; ſo that we ſhould not think much to part with our Country, our Children, our Poſſeſſions, our life if the world will take them from us, for Chriſt and his Goſpels ſake. All theſe, and much better than theſe ſhall be reſtored to us one day, and vve may ſay thus to our ſelves; yet I am not miſerable ſo long as my Redeemer is happy, he lives, and I ſhall live vvith him, men may take from me my goods, but they cannot rob me of my grace, they may baniſh me from my Countrey, but not from Heaven, take from me my life; but not my happines; no, my faith, my heaven, my ſoul, my happines is in his keeping, that will ſafely preſerve them for me, and me for them. But I fear I have held thee too long in the porch, I ſhall now open thee the door and let thee in, praying God to make thoſe leſſons as profitable to thee, as the Authors deſire vvas they might both in his preaching them, and his vvillingneſſe to have them publiſhed for publike good.
I. A.