The last conflicts and death of Mr. Thomas Peacock, bachelor of divinity, and fellow…The last conflicts and death of Mr. Thomas Peacock, batchelour of divinity, and fellow…

Of those former doubts we afterwards heard not a word from him. Upon the Sabbath-day he desired to be alone: after noon he was fearfully troubled. In his countenance appeared evident tokens of a sorrowful mind, born up with a weak body; his spirit was wounded, Satan had foiled him. Those his terrible wrestlings with tentations, ⟨p. 8⟩gripes of conscience, and restless terrors, none can understand, (much less express) but he which felt them. Satan had winnowed him, and showed him nothing but chaff. His tender conscience was gored with the fiery darts of the Devil, pointed with the edge of sin, and sense of Gods heavy wrath. As through a false glass, the dazzled eye of his astonished and amazed soul, could see nothing but hideously appearing sin, and the terrible image of death and damnation. He had drunk deeply of the cup of the dregs of Hell. His adversary had represented unto him his once most gracious God, now as a most severe Judge displeased, angry, ⟨p. 9⟩and chiding with him; yea yielding him up into his claws: that so by this deadly stratagem, he might take from him all hope of help that way, and so not only stop the sensible flowing of Gods grace, and cut the chains of Gods love, whereby he had tied him, and would draw him after him, but finally break his Christian heart. Oh that you had seen, or that we that were present had had eyes to have seen his seeming forlorn soul. What with barkings of conscience, and with the too heavy burden of sin, waves of fearful thoughts, blustering blasts, and surging storms of Gods heavy displeasure, he was ⟨p. 10⟩tossed, turmoiled, dashed against the rocks of despair, and more then in danger of his souls shipwreck: happy were we if neither through frowardness, nor blindness of judgement, we did inconsiderately pass by, or profanely deride Gods judgements, by thinking that they either happen casually, or by forgetting of them suddenly. If we could but rightly discern it, we should find nothing more profitable, then to have the Image of this gracious (though now afflicted) soul in our hearts. Hereby we may see that the righteous being scarcely saved, there is no place for the wicked and ungodly to appear. And truly we may think that God sent it even for our sake, that we (with whom it is too usual to dally with the Lord) might know ⟨p. 11⟩