Paramythion two treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, writtenParamythion tvvo treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, written

Thus we see both by the experience of them that have suffered the wound of the spirit, and by the comparing of it with other evils, what a weight most grievous and burden intolerable it is to have a tormented conscience.

Thus we se both by the experience of thē that haue suffered the wound of the spirit, and by the comparinge of it with other euils, what a waight most grieuous and burden intollerable it is to haue a tormented conscience.

Now let us show how we may prevent; & by what means Gods children falling into some degrees of it,¹ (for if it rage in extremity it is an evil unrecoverable) may safely and quietly be delivered from it. And here a just complaint is to be taken up, & it is a wonder to be marked (if we may wonder at Gods works) that we see many so careful & watchful to avoid o•her troubles, and so few or none take any pains to escape the trouble of mind which is so grievous. We see men loving health and loathing sickness, in diet temperate, in sleep moderate, in Physic expert, skilful to purge, & to avoid such corrupt humours, which in time may breed (though presently they do not bring forth) some dangerous sickness: yet to avoid the diseases of the soul, no man abateth his sleep, no man abridgeth his diet, no man prepareth Physic for it; no man knoweth when to be full, and when to ⟨p. 15⟩be empty; how to want and how to abound. Others carried away with the love of riches, & very •ly to fall into poverty; will not stick to rise early, to take sleep lately, to fare hardly, to tear & taw their flesh in labour by land & by water, in fair & foul weather, by rocks and by sands, from far and from near: and yet to fall into Spiritual decays, to avoid the poverty of conscience no man taketh such pains; as though salvation and peace of mind, were not a thing worthy the labouring for. Some ambitiously hunting after honour, & not easily digesting reproaches, behave themselves neither sluggishly nor sleepily; but are active in every attempt, by love & by counsel, by prudence & prowess, by wit & by practise, by labour & learning by cunning, & diligence to become famous, & to shun a civill reproach: yet to be glorious in the sight of God and his Angels, to fall before the heavens, and in the presence of the Almighty to be covered with shame and confusion of Conscience, we make none account, as they, who neither use any means to obtain the one, nor avoid those occasions which may bring the other.