in battell-array to fight with those strong subtile sedulous Goliahs which come out to upbraid Gods little Champion They I meane the Divell and his Agents viz the world and the flesh will not only rage but raigne not only assault but take your soules captive at their will Therefore as you love your owne soules and the welfare of them unto all eternity Get unto you the whole armour of God Eph. 6. 13. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Give no faire Quarter unto foule tempations make up speedily every Breach between God and your owne consciences and let not conscience loose its Tendernesse but shun every evill and the appearance of it 6. Let thy life be the life of faith Saith Paul the life that we now live in the flesh we live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave himselfe for us Keep fresh the sense of his love and alwaies acknowledge a continuall need of his Bloud Spirit and Intercession and how much you are beholding and ingaged unto him Labour to draw and derive from Christ by the powerfull attractive force of faith spirituall ability sufficient for every dayes worke Act your faith dayly in the promises of grace and strength Go unto Christ still for his wisdome to counsell you for his righteoussness to cover you for strength to resist temptations for the shoulder that must beare our Crosses for ability to performe all duties as duties 7. Resolve with david Ps 101. that you will not know a wicked person i.e. approve of him If out of your families have not fellowship with them but reprove them if in your families let them not abide within your doores but remove him or her as persons most infectious and dangerous We have sins enough and too too many of our owne therefore let us not encrease them by a base connivency at others mens sins Especially avoid that generation of men whose grand designe it is to undermine the Gospell to ruine the Ministry and to robb them of that maintenance which is due unto them by the law of God and by the Law of Nature and by the law of Nations These croaking frogges have overspread our Aegypt so that they have made it stinke with their damnable Opinions devilish practises They creep into houses and lead aside silly women 2 Tim. 3.11 and by their faire speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.18 And shall if it were possible deceive the very elect Mark 13.22 8. Affect a faithfull and powerfull Minister who doth carefully look both to himselfe and his Doctrine Adscribe neither too much nor too little to your Teachers Neither despise them nor deify them as the manner of some is Esteeme him not as a principle Author but as a subordinate Actor not as a Lord but a Steward not as a Master but a Minister and yet account him more then an ordinary Servant even a man of God A servant of the most high God that sheweth you the way of Salvation Look on him not only as a Seer but Over-seer a Steward of Gods high secrets a messenger of the Lord of Hostes by whose Embassage peace is concluded and reconciliation ministerially made up between God and man He is Gods mouth to you by preaching and your mouth to God by praying On that in speciall place standeth before God and ministreth to him upon earth as the Angels do it in heaven Woodnots Aphorisms 1. Cens. p. 42. The Jewes say that he that dieth in the displeasure of his Rabbi shall never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come i.e. of his teacher that hath the charge of his soule Therefore take heed you fall not out with your Teacher whome the most wise God hath thought fit to make your Pastor forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Deut. 12.19 Doe not desire such a Teacher as thou mayest rule him but such as may rule you Magistrates are chosen to governe the people not the people to governe them So Ministers you are not to command them but obey them Therefore obey them that have the Rule over you Heb. 13.17 And submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with Joy and not with greife I beseech you in the bowels of Christ let Death and Judgement possesse your most serious thoughts waite for the one and provide for the other Dye daiely with Paul and you shall dye well Have thine end ever in thine eye and sweeten the bitter cup of Death by a dayly preparation Get your tackling all in readinesse that you may faile over the Sea of mortall miseries in safety and security to the Port of happinesse You shall all of you ere long lye gasping for death on your dying beds and there lye grappling with the King of feares attended with Terrors Therefore as you love your soules let the whole course of your lives be a conscionable preparative to dye comfortably Look on every day as your last So live that you may say with David Though I walke through the Valley of the shaddow of death I will not feare Oh that you would be wise and consider your latter end before you go downe to the chambers of death whence you shall never returne Would you dye willingly would you dye well Then get a part in Christ a Title to him an Interest in him Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure So live that you may not be ashamed to die So number your dayes that you may apply your hearts to true wisdome So cast up your Accounts that you may give them up with joy and not with greife Judge your selves for your daiely Deviations and you shall not be judged condemne your selves and you shall not be condemned 10 Lastly Let this little Book be in your hands heads and hearts Let a good conscience be written on your soules with Characters indelible never to be razed out so that when death shall appeare thou mayest be able to say I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day Now whereas dull spirits are more quickned by Examples then Precepts This place hath had a great advantage above other places adjacent Mr. John Southmead who is now a glorious Saint in heaven and his Soule made happy with the Spirits of just men made perfect You know he was an old Disciple and served his Master faithfully in his generation for many yeares zealously striving for the inlargment of the Kingdome of Christ and demolishing the Kingdome of Satan A great Curb he was to prophanesse witnesse his great paines and travell in overthrowing those Heathenish sports and pastimes which were too common even upon the Lords day God made him the Instrument to abolish Wakes Revells Maypoles and May-games with their Apurtenances Fidlers and superfluous Ale-houses not only in
them both namely a conscience truely parified and truly pacified Meanes Now followes the meanes both to purify and pacify conscience 1. For the purifying of conscience it is the part of every one professing Christ to consider that his conscience naturally is defiled Tit. 1.15 and that there is a necessity of taking off this defilement if we would be saved namely the ignorance error and hardnesse of conscience wherewith it is polluted The principall meanes are two 1. The first means to effect it Principall meanes is the bloud of Christ by this bloud we must have our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience Heb. 10.22 9.14 This is a singular way to have our Consciences purged from dead works to serve the living God 2. Meanes is the Spirit of Christ This is that mundifying water mentioned Ezek. 36.25 I will sprinkle cleane water upon you and ye shall be cleant from all your filthinesse These two Christs bloud and Christs spirit will cleanse the foulest sinner and the most defiledst conscience Paul writing unto the Corinthians tells them what filthy creatures they were 1 Cor. 6.9.10 namely Fornicators Idolaters effeminate abusers of themselves with mankind Theeves Covetous Drunkards Railers Extortioners and then shewed them by what meanes they were cured and cleansed namely by the blood and spirit of Christ v. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God This is the refiners fire and fullers sope Mal. 3.2 this is that hysope which will make us as white as snow yea more white then snow Ps 51.7 Other meanes there are which though not comparable to the first yet as subservient are likewise requisite to this purifying of Conscience namely the Word Faith Repentance Lesse principal meanes 1. The Word Now are ye cleane saith Christ through the word that I have spoken unto you John 15.3 That is to say the word accompanied with the power of my Spirit 2. So Faith is of a cleansing nature it will purge the heart and cleanse the conversation Act. 15.9 3. And as for repentance we find that when Judah had defiled her selfe with sin God calls her to repentance as a way of cleansing Wash ye make you cleane put away the evill of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evill learne to do well and then though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow Is 1.16 Thus you see how a defiled conscience may be purified 2. Next followes how conscience may be pacified Consider first of all what it is that troubles conscience Meanes It must be one of these three either sin or Sathan or Gods anger It was sin that so troubled Paul the law in his members that warred against the law of his mind that so disquieted him that it made him to cry out Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me 2. It was Sathan that winnowed Peter and withstood Jehoshus 3. Gods anger that so molested David as to make him cry out Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure there is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger Therefore unto such as are troubled with the sight of their sin the assaults of Sathan or sence of Gods displeasure if their consciences be unquiet because of these either one or all be carefull in the use of such meanes as God hath ordained for pacifying conscience Now that I may not be tedious remember what were the meanes to purifie conscience and thou shalt find the very same meanes will pacify conscience I told thee before that the bloud of Christ and the Spirit of Christ as principall 2. The word faith and repentance as lesse principall These would make a defiled conscience to become pure So now I must tell thee againe to make thy conscience quiet thou must have 1. The bloud of Christ Paul tels us that Christ by the bloud of his Crosse Col. 2.20 i. e. by his bloudy oblation made upon the crosse hath made peace and reconciled all things Now rightly to understand this Text you must know that by sin heaven and earth were set at variance and the creatures in them but by Christ there is unity set not only betwixt God and man but also betwixt men and the Angels that are in heaven as also the creatures that are upon the earth now if Christs bloud be such a Catholicon to take off all enmity beween God and man between men and Angels in heaven men and creatures on earth and to make peace then let us acknowledge it an excellent means to pacify conscience This was typified in the bloud of the Pascall lamb where this bloud was sprinkled upon any door-post there was peace and security against the destroyer So where the bloud of Christ is sprinkled upon the soule their conscience is at peace and hath security against all the remaining guilt and corruption of sin the rage of Sathan danger of Gods displeasure This bloud givves the soule all boldnesse to enter in into the holiest of all by a new and living way Heb. 10.19 and gives us assurance before God 2. Meanes to pacify conscience is the spirit of Christ As his bloud is the procuring cause so his spirit the producing cause For this cause Christ and the holy Ghost are called by one and the same name because their end and businesse is the same namely to procure peace to the soule They both are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Advocates Christ is our Advocate and and the spirit is Gods Advocate Christ is our Advocate to the father to procure us peace The spirit againe is Gods advocate to us to produce peace As the one prevailes with God for granting peace so the other prevailes with us to entertaine peace See this cleared in 1 Joh 2.1 If any man sin we have a Paraclete with the father Jesus Christ the righteous Here Christ is our advocate againe Joh. 14.16 I will pray the father and he shall give you another Paraclete In this place the holy Ghost is Gods advocate so you plainly see how the bloud and spirit of Christ must make up this true and full peace Now for the causes or meanes lesse principall and subservient as the word faith repentance First the word it is a word of reconciliation and pacification Thus Peter to Cornelius and his company tells them ye know saith he the word which God hath sent to the children of Israel Act. 10.36 preaching peace by Jesus Christ which is Lord of all Now as the Scripture in generall may be said to be a word of peace so more especially the Gospell This is called the word of peace The Author of it the Prince of peace The minister the Messenger of peace Rom. 10.15 and his preaching the gospell the ministry of reconcitiation 2
It is in every part or faculty of the soule 1. It hath the understanding for its Throne and Pallace where it is cheifly resident and keepeth a compleate Court in the whole soule commonly called forum conscientiae and there as a Judge sits determining and prescribing absolving and condemning de jure 2. It s in the memory and there it acteth as Register or Recorder readily minding and recording witnessing and testifying de facto 3. It s in the will and affections and there Conscience carries it selfe like a Jaylour or Executioner rendring rewarding plaguing and punishing every one sine respectu without partiality The 4 th thing in the definition of conscience is determination Conscience determineth what is good what evill what is to be done what not to be done and so excites or diswades accordingly If conscience say this must be done then must we do it for conscience sake If conscience tells us it is evill Rom. 13.5 then must we forbeare for conscience sake i.e. out of an holy feare of God whereby our conscience may be preserved pure before him 5. The rule by which conscience acteth namely the light of Gods law I do not say by the light of the word Gospell or written Law but more largely by the light of Gods law I meane the law of Nature written in mans heart before the word was written or Gospell revealed For as man had a conscience from the beginning so he had light from the beginning to regulate conscience which was the law of Nature written in his heart Rom. 2.15 6. The last thing in the desinition of conscience is her acting or working upon the light received which is twofold either acquitting or condemning when by her light she determines what is done that it is good or evill she accordingly doth excuse or accuse Rom. 2.15 And thus have you conscience in generall defined and explained Having shewed you what conscience is and in whom namely in the reasonable Creature now in so much as every man hath reason I may safely conclude that every man hath conscience The point of Doctrine is clearly this Doct. There is in every man a power or faculty called Conscience 1. That there is in man a conscience let our Apostle cleare up this truth in himselfe how often doth he call and appeale unto conscience upon all occasions when he was convented before the Coūsell greiveous things charged upō him he appeals to conscience Men and Brethren I have lived saith he in all good Conscience before God untill this day Againe when Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite Paul on the mouth Act. 23.1.2 and Tertullus with all his Rhetoricke before Foelix besmeares him calling him a pestilent fellow a mover of sedition a maintainer of the sect of the Pharisees a polluter of the Temple and what not He hath no way to cast off all this filth but by flying unto conscience shewing his enimies how far and free he was from these base aspersions that it was his constant practice to keep a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Act. 24.16 And that you may not think it to be Pauls peculiar but common to others with him we approve our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 Ob. Though good men have a conscience yet wicked men have not A. It is an usuall saying indeed amongst men here when they meet with such as are very hard in their dealings or very vitious in living to say this man hath no Conscience But you must understand their meaning when they say he hath no conscience they meane no good conscience or no working conscience Be you therefore assured that there is a Conscience in every man and woman be they good or bad not only in Paul but also in Pilate not only in John but likewise in Judas John 8.9 Rom. 2.15 The accursed Jewes wicked Pharisees and Heathenish Idolaters will all acknowledge the being and working of Conscience in them To hold therefore that some men have no Conscience is both dishonourable to God and injurious to man 1. A dishonour to God as if he had given man not a perfect but imperfect soule defective in its principall power or faculty we confesse that the body of man being generated may be maimed wanting a part or member Gen. 2.7 as an eye an eare a hand or foot Anima infundendo creatur creando infunditur Tho Aqu. 2. d. 3. q. 1.4.1 because it comes mediately from man but as for the foule being created and infused by God this cannot be defective but compleat in all this powers and faculties and therefore a great dishonour to God to question his workmanship as men do if they deny man to have a conscience Anima humana non eseminis traduce propagatur sed immediatè à Deo creatur which is a speciall power or faculty in the soule 2. An injury to man 1. Deny man conscience you deny him reason and so confound him with a beast but grant him a conscience and you grant him reason and set him in his proper place as a Lord or master over beasts Ps 8.7 2. Againe deny him Conscience you deny him a Soule one of his Essentials and so confound his manhood which were a great injury to him We acknowledge sin hath brought us to a great losse but not to such a losse as to loose our being we have by Adams sin lost our innocency but not our essence our Excellency but not our existence our soule is defiled not annìhilated our powers depraved not destroyed man is man still hath body and soule partes members powers and faculties all good quoad bonum naturale all naught quoad bonum morale The truth then still stands cleare that there is in every man a power or faculty called Conscience 2. The Reasons why God hath planted this power of conscience in man are two 1. R. To shew his Justice that he will judge righteously God commands judges here on earth to execute righteous judgment Deut. 1.16 to proceed secundum allegata probata to do nothing but upon good evidence and witnesse Now shall not the Judge of all the world do right God hath therefore set this power in man that when God comes to judge him he may have sufficient evidence in himselfe his owne Conscience witnessing for him or against him before Gods Tribunall For God will not condemne without a witnesse 2. R. Is to shew his mercy unto man He knowes man is very fraile labilis memoriae apt to forget his God and to forget himselfe Sometimes he goes forth and forgets to pray unto God for protection and direction sometimes he returnes home and neglects his duty of praise to God for his preservation therefore God hath placed in him this power of conscience as a remembrancer unto him Againe sometimes mens Passions are very high as in Jonah Jonah 4.9 who is
conscience then consider the workings of conscience in others what makes Adam to run into the thicket sarah to stand behind the Tent door Jonah to lurke downe in the side of the ship Cain to feare a mortall blow from every man he meets 1 King 20 1 King 22 25. and Benhadad and Zedekiah to be a terror unto themselves and to run from chamber to chamber to hide themselves It was their conscience and nothing but conscience accusing and testifying unto God against them Againe consider how is it that when God is pleased to give out unto us a notable signe of is power and majesty as in thunder and lightning that the very sound of the one and the very sight of the other though these be but from Naturall causes should make a Barbarian a contemner of God to shake and tremble Againe whence is it that there is a Religions Adoration and propension to the worship of a Deity even in those Heathens themselves who sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the unknown God There being no nation under heaven that does not do divine worship to some thing or other and in it to God as they conceive So that they worship many of them but stocks and stones and some particular piece of nature as the Sun Moone or Stars knowing that there is somewhat to whom worship belongs Therefore according to the ordinary naturall light that is in all men there is a God Oh therefore blush and bewaile thy damnable Atheisme Consider well these things know and understand see and say verily there is a God that judgeth the earth thus far of conscience in generall Having spoken of the faculty namely conscience we now proceed unto the Qualitie namely a good conscience Had Paul onely said I have or I am assured I have a conscience he had said no more then a Reprobate or Devill might have said But in that he saith he hath a good conscience and that he is fully perswaded of the same in this he goes beyond all reprobates and Devils who neither have nor ever shall have such a bosome friend within them We must now distinguish conscience into two species namely good and evill 1. Honestè bona pacatè bona A good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 Holding faith and a good Conscience This good Conscience is sometimes quiet sometimes unquiet 2. Vitiosè mala molestè mala Bern Ames An evill Conscience Heb. 10.22 having our hearts sprinkled from an evill Conscience This is likewise peaceable or turbulent Now how these two do differ both in their peace and their trouble I shall hereafter shew you I am now to speak of the first namely a good conscience and more especially of Pauls good Conscience 1. What a good conscience is I answer 1. A good conscience is a Conscience rightly informed and principled by the word so that it can truly judge and determine evill to be evill and good to be good 2. By a good conscience I understand a conscience sanctified by the holy Spirit of God whereby we are incited to good and diswaded from evill and doth readily excuse us for doing well but accuse us for doing evill 3. By Pauls good conscience in the Text I understand a conscience both purified and pacifyed by the blood and spirit of Christ so that upon a true sight and sorrow for sin and a full perswasion of the remission of the same in and for Christ he enjoyed that peace which passeth all understanding Phil 4.7 2 Cor. 1.12 i. e. a true spirituall and incomprehensible rest and quietnesse of mind wrought by Gods spirit in his heart and so preserving him from terror anxiety and trouble But to draw unto some profitable point of Doctrine you heare Paul glorying in a good conscience not as his peculiar as if he only were the man thus blessed of God but doth acknowledge the like mercy to be shewed by God unto others and therefore mentioning those that laboured with him in the Gospell speaketh in the plurall number we are assured we have a good conscience So that we may safely conlude that as all men have a conscience so there are some that have a good conscience Some there are who have not only a Conscience but also a good Conscience Of this some I find Noah a just man and perfect in his generation Gen. 6.9 and one that walked with God i. e. sincerely in his profession of Religion without hypocrisy Moses the meekest on the earth Numb 12.3 one that despised the vaine and vanishing honour riches pleasures of the world choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God Heb. 11.25 then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Job a none-such none like him on the earth Job 1. so perfect so upright that feared God and eschewed evill David a man after Gods owne heart Nathaniel a true Israelite indeed in whom is no guile i. e. a man of simple integrity 1 John Paul a continuall practitioner of a good Conscience making it his daiely practice to keep a conscience void of offence both towards God towards man Act. 24.16 Thus might I tire you out with a long Catalogue of blessed Saints who lived in all good conscience from their conversion unto their dissolution Act. 23.1 Q. How came these to have a good conscience seeing all by nature have their consciences defiled A. 1. They had the bloud of Christ applied unto their consciences whereby they were purged from the impurity of dead workes Heb. 9.14 it being the fountaine for sin and for uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 in which poor loathsome leperous soules wash and are cleansed they were put into this poole of Bethesda and came out cleane being made white in the blood of the Lamb. 2. They had the righteousnesse of Christ imputed unto them whereby they were discharged from the debt of sin all hand-writings of accusations being cancel'd and they esteemed holy and unblameable in the sight of God Rom. 5.1 Not for any thing wrought in them and done by them but for Christs sake alone Not by imputing faith it selfe or any other Evangelicall obedience but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ as their righteousnesse received and rested on by faith 3. They by diligence in Christian watchfulnesse do maintaine their Covenant with God and if casually by any slip they seemed to break the peace they were carefull to renue their Covenant by true humiliation and reformation earnestly doing their first works and redeeming their former negligence with double diligence Rev. 2.5 2. Q. Whether a man may not have a good conscience yet the same to be very unquiet and much troubled Answ You must know that there is a 4 fold conscience 1. Good and quiet Purifyed and pacifyed which rests in a sweet feeling of the mercies of God in Christ Such a conscience had Paul that testifyed unto him that in simplicity and Godly sincerity he had his