Many are called, few are chosen. Not every one that saith Lord. Fear not little flock. He that stands, let him take heed lest he fall. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. That night two shall be in a bed, one received, the other left. Straight is the way that leads to heaven, and few there are that enter therein.

The parable of the seed and of the sower, some fell on barren ground, some was choaked. Whom he hath predestinated he hath chosen. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. Non est volentis nec currentis, sed miserentis Dei.

These and the like places terrifie the souls of many; election, predestination, reprobation, preposterously conceived offend divers, with a deal of foolish presumption, curiosity, needless speculation, contemplation, sollicitude, wherein they trouble and pusle themselves about those questions of grace, free-will, perseverance, Gods secrets; they will know more than is revealed by God in his word, humane capacity, or ignorance can apprehend, and so importunate enquiry after that which is revealed;

mysteries, ceremonies observation of Sabbaths, laws, duties, &c. with many such which the Casuists discuss, and Schoolmen broach, which divers mistake, misconstrue, misapply to themselves, to their own undoing, and so fall into this gulf. They doubt of their Election, how they shall know it, by what signs. And so far forth, saith Luther, with such nice points, torture and crucifie themselves, that they are almost mad, and all they get by it is this, they lay open a gap to the Divel by Desperation to carry them to hell;

but the greatest harm of all proceeds from those thundering Ministers, a most frequent cause they are of this malady: and do more harm in the Church (saith Erasmus) then they that flatter; great danger on both sides, the one lulls them asleep in carnal security, the other drives them to despaire.

Whereas S. Bernard well adviseth, We should not meddle with the one without the other, nor speak of judgement without mercy; the one alone brings Desperation, the other security.

But these men are wholly for judgement, of a rigid disposition themselves, there is no mercy with them, no salvation, no balsome for their diseased souls, they can speak of nothing but reprobation, hell fire, and damnation, as they did Luke 11. 46. lade men with burdens grievous to be born, which they themselves touch not with a finger.

’Tis familiar with our Papists to terrifie mens souls with purgatory, tales, visions, apparitions, to daunt even the most generous spirits, to require charity, as Brentius observes, of others, bounty, meekness, love, patience, when they themselves breath nought but lust, envy, covetousness.

They teach others to fast, give alms, do penance, and crucifie their minde with superstitious observations, bread and water, hair-clothes, whips, and the like, when they themselves have all the dainties the world can afford, lie on a down bed with a Curtezan in their armes: Heu quantum patimur pro Christo, as he said, what a cruel tyranny is this, so to insult over and terrifie mens souls!

Our indiscreet Pastors many of them come not far behind, whilest in their ordinary Sermons they speak so much of election, predestination, reprobation ab æterno, subtraction of grace, præterition, voluntary permission, &c. by what signs and tokens they shall discern and try themselves, whether they be Gods true children elect, an sint reprobi, prædestinati, &c.

with such scrupulous points, they still aggravate sin, thunder out Gods judgements without respect, intempestively rail at and pronounce them damned in all auditories, for giving so much to sports and honest recreations, making every smal fault and thing indifferent an irremissible offence, they so rent, tear and wound mens consciences, that they are almost mad, and at their wits ends.

These bitter potions (saith Erasmus) are still in their mouths, nothing but gall and horror, and a mad noyse, they make all their auditors desperate:

many are wounded by this means, and they commonly that are most devout and precise, have been formerly presumptuous, and certain of their salvation; they that have tender consciences, that follow sermons, frequent lectures, that have indeed least cause, they are most apt to mistake, and fall into these miseries.

I have heard some complain of Parsons Resolution, and other books of like nature (good otherwise) they are too tragical, too much dejecting men, aggravating offences; great care and choice, much discretion is required in this kinde.

The last and greatest cause of this malady, is our own conscience, sense of our sins, and Gods anger justly deserved, a guilty conscience for some foul offence formerly committed,

—— O miser Oreste, quid morbi te perdit? Or: Conscientia, Sum enim mihi conscius de malis perpetratis.

A good conscience is a continual feast, but a galled conscience is as great a torment as can possibly happen, a still baking oven, (so Pierius in his Hieroglyph. compares it) another hell.

Our conscience, which is a great ledgier book, wherein are written all our offences, a register to lay them up, (which those Ægyptians in their Hieroglyphicks expressed by a mill, as well for the continuance, as for the torture of it) grinds our souls with the remembrance of some precedent sins, makes us reflect upon, accuse and condemn our own selves. Sin lies at door, &c.

I know there be many other causes assigned by Zanchius, Musculus, and the rest; as incredulity, infidelity, presumption, ignorance, blindness, ingratitude, discontent, those five grand miseries in Aristotle, Ignominy, need, sickness, enmity, death, &c. but this of conscience is the greatest, Instar ulceris corpus jugiter percellens:

This scrupulous conscience (as Peter Forestus calls it) which tortures so many, that either out of a deep apprehension of their unworthiness, and consideration of their own dissolute life, accuse themselves and aggravate every small offence, when there is no such cause, misdoubting in the mean time Gods mercies, they fall into these inconveniences.

The Poets call them Furies, Diræ, but it is the conscience alone which is a thousand witnesses to accuse us,

Nocte dieq; suum gestant in pectore testem.

A continual testor to give in evidence; to empanel a Jury to examine us, to cry guilty, a persecutor with hue and cry to follow, an apparitor to summon us, a bayliffe to carry us, a Serjeant to arrest, an Attourney to plead against us, a gaolour to torment, a Judge to condemn, still accusing, denouncing, torturing and molesting.

And as the statue of Juno in that holy city neer Euphrates in Assyria will look still towards you, sit where you will in her temple, she stares full upon you, if you go by, she follows with her eye, in all sites, places, conventicles, actions, our conscience will be still ready to accuse us.

After many pleasant daies, and fortunate adventures, merry tides; this conscience at last doth arrest us. Well he may escape temporal punishment, bribe a corrupt judge, and avoid the censure of law, and flourish for a time;

for who ever saw (saith Chrysostome) a covetous man troubled in minde when he is telling of his money, an adulterer mourn with his mistris in his arms? we are then drunk with pleasure, and perceive nothing:

yet as the prodigal Son had dainty fare, sweet musick at first, merry company, jovial entertainment, but a cruel reckoning in the end, as bitter as wormwood, a fearful visitation commonly follows. And the divel that then told thee that it was a light sin, or no sin at all, now aggravates on the other side, and telleth thee, that it is a most irremissible offence, as he did by Cain and Judas, to bring them to despaire;

every small circumstance before neglected and contemned, will now amplifie it self, rise up in judgement and accuse, the dust of their shooes, dumb creatures, as to Lucians tyrant, lectus & candela the bed and candle did bear witness, to torment their souls for their sins past.

Tragical examples in this kinde are too familiar and common: Adrian, Galba, Nero, Otho, Vitellius, Caracalla, were in such horror of conscience for their offences committed, murders, rapes, extortions, injuries, that they were weary of their lives, and could get no body to kill them.