think to accomplish their ends by cutting down and destroying the Scriptures truly God will not bear it but that Word shall be armed against them that they have despised and shall certainly overtake them Zac. 1.6 It may lye upon the ground for a while in the esteem of men but God will cause it again to arise and all the strength of flesh shall fall before it for it is this word that plants kingdomes and plucks them up and God will certainly call this nation to an account for his Word that has been abused by it and turned behind our backs c. Thirdly How should a man keep his judgment pure that his principles be not corrupted First Get a humble and a self denying heart There are two great causes of a mans turning unto errour in the Scripture one is pride and a design to be some body in matter of knowledg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Si. Magus and therefore Col. 2. They be men puffed up by their fleshly Lusts superbia est mater haereseus una est intentio omnibus haereticis captare de singularitate scientiae Bern. And the other is thereby to compass some worldly end some worldly Lust Rom. 16.19 They serve not God but their own Bellies now that man that seeks the truth of God for the truths sake and neither to gain honour by it before men nor to compass any other worldly end he will not easily be biassed and led away by the errours of the times and if he should be mistaken in any thing we may hope that the truth will be revealed to him in time though we may see him turn aside for the present Secondly Get thy heart filled with the love of the truth and thou wilt not be easily carried from it for the word being received in a good and honest heart Luk. 8.15 it doth abide there and holds out and brings forth fruit with patience Alexander was a companion with the Apostle in his tribulation and sufferings and suffered great persecution for the truth of God and yet proved a Heretick a bitter enemy unto the Gospel a blasphemer and what was the reason Because he had not an honest heart nor an inward love unto the Word that he did teach and profess he put away a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.20 and he did cherish himself in some known sin and therefore he did make shipwrack of the Faith 2 Thes they were given up to believe that lye because they received not the truth in the love of it if we make truth but matter of talk we shall never be able to stand fast in it or profess it if perfecution arise for the word sake or if false Doctrine be spread we shall be taken with it for it is not Learning but Love that makes a man constant unto the Truth the greatest Schollars have fallen from it and have denyed the truth and the weakest have stood to it and professed it in the time when it was persecuted and it is because the one did know much but the other did love much they had claimed it as their inheritance and therefore no wonder they stood for it but other men concern themselves for it but as Lawyers do other mens evidences and therefore they care not greatly which way the Cause goes when it comes to a hearing and debate for they have their Fee before hand for their labour so it is easie to loose that out of a mans head that he never had in his heart nor never cared to have c. Thirdly Get your hearts well grounded in the principles of Religiligion the doctrine that is according to godliness and stick to that there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 6.17 a patern of wholesome words 2 Tim. 1.13 and let the foundation be throughly laid lay some truths for granted do not question all things for if so it 's no wonder if a man deny all things or if he ever believe and receive any thing Acts 20.30 there shall arise of your own selves men speaking perverse things to draw away Desciples after them c. But I commend you to God and the word of his grace 2 Pet. 2.1 2. they shall bring in damnable heresies and many shall follow their pernicious wayes but be mindfull of the words of the Prophets and Apostles give heed to them as to a light shining in a dark place and keep close to the Ministry thereof Ephes 4.11 he hath given some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangilists and some Pastures and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ c. that henceforth we should not be as children Cant. 1.7 if we would not turn aside to the flocks of the companions go forth and feed thy Kids beside the shepherds tents c. which I fear is no small ground of the design of Satan in decrying the Scriptures and Ministry at this day Fourthly Take heed of affecting curiosities in Religion and to dote upon questions that minister strife and not edifying for by these many men are seduced and subverted indeed there is no truth of God but is precious and things revealed belong to us and our children and whatever things are written are written for our learning and we should desire to be filled with all the knowledge of his Will Col. 1.9 but yet there is a desire of knowledge that is dangerous even in the things of God First when neglecting the great things and they that are necessary all our enquiries run out into niceties and lesser things 1 Pet. 2.1 2. as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby and John 16.12 I have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now they will do you harm they will do you more harm then good because you are not capable to receive them Rom 14.1 we read that a man weak in the faith is not to be admited into doubtfull disputations and therefore he should not thrust himself into doubtfull disputations Secondly when men desire knowledge in the general that is only for knowledge sake and not that he may be perfect throughly furnished to every good work c. it is the doctrine that is according to godliness that we should desire and if the end of any thing in Religion be in knowledge only and it rests there thou wilt easily be corrupted for knowledge is the bait with which thou wilt be taken Col. ◠if it be but a show of wisdom only which does not lead to practise it will come to nothing for the end of the truths of God being revealed to us is not for our talking but doing not for the showing forth of mens parts but their graces and vertues Fifthly Receive nothing of Religion upon credit and the authority of man be he never so learned and never so
soul upon it self it 's own filthiness and wilfull folly What fair offers and opportunities he has had and neglected what fair hopes he had conceived and they are vanished and how all the pleasures of sin and the promises of Satan have deceived him as a Brook that passeth by and this will gnaw upon the soul with remediless and unconceivable torment for ever this is the Worm that never dyes and truly there is no consideration in the World will work upon the hearts of men if this dreadfull one does not That a man that lives and dyes in sin in a sinfull state shall be tormented for ever with fire that shall never be quenched and this nevever dying Worm shall gnaw upon him to all Eternity with remediless and unconceivable torments for ever This is the Worm that never dyes After this life a wicked mans own Conscience shall be his tormenter Doctrine The Worm dyes not it will be a great instrument that God will use in a mans destruction There are Four things to be spoken to in the Explication First to shew what Conscience is which is here resembled to a Worm Secondly To prove that this Conscience shall be a mans tormenter Thirdly To give the grounds and the reasons of it Fourthly To set forth some of those acts that Conscience as a Worm shall put forth the manner of the working of it in the gnawings of a Worm and then come to the Application Quest 1. First What is Conscience Answ It is an ability in the understanding to judge of a mans self his Estate and Actions according to the rule that God hath prescribed Here observe First It is an ability in the understanding for I make it not as some do a distinct faculty therefore it is in no Creatures but those that are reasonable Men and Angels other Creatures are directed to an end and they work by a rule thereunto but they neither know their end nor their rule neither are they able to reflect upon their actions whether they have done good or evil and therefore no Creature can sin but a reasonable Creature for sin must be a transgression of a Rule which a man doth or ought to know and to walk answerable unto and therefore it is made a proper act of a man Isa 46.8 Remember this and shew your selves men Secondly Conscience must have a rule indeed the Scripture doth require that men should walk according to their consciences and do as their Conscience doth dictate unto them Rom. 13.5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but for Conscience sake ye must be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when Conscience requires one thing and Lust another and the man receives not the rule of Conscience but of Lust he doth then imprison the truth in unrighteousness where the Dictates of Conscience are called the truth Rom. 1.18 though it be but of a natural Conscience But yet here men mistake for Conscience is but regula regulata not the highest rule for it must it self have a Rule to judge by Gal 6.16 and he that doth not go by rule and hath no higher rule to regulate his Conscience and yet doth by his Conscience regulate his Actions Conscience being defiled Pit 1.15 He doth walk with God at a venture Lev. 26.21 And this rule of Conscience is the whole revealed wil of God whether ex principiis naturae or scripturae whatever God requires of a man as duty whether by his word or by his works and Conscience knows no other rule but the will of God revealed because it is subjected unto no other God only can command the Conscience and bind the Conscience because he only can judge the Conscience Now the understanding having nothing else but a principal of nature for it's rule we call that a natural Couscience and they that have the word of God for their rule or any special work of illumination from the Holy Ghost whether it be common or saving we call this an inlightned Conscience answerable unto the rule that it has to judge by either of mens states or wayes Thirdly The chief act of Conscience and that which is only proper and essential to it is to judge of the man according to this rule and to pronounce a sentence upon him whether good or evil and hence is the accusing and the excusing power of Conscience Rom. 2.14 15. if Conscience judge of an action to answer the rule then it excuseth and if that be different from the rule then it accuseth and therefore 't is said Joh. 8.9 They are consinced of their own Consciences that is their Consciences laid their acts to the rule and did tell them that they did not agree to it and they could not deny it and therefore went their way and therefore Conscience is alwayes in Scripture called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a knowing and judging of one thing with another a knowing and judging of a mans state or actions with the rule 2 Cor. 4.2 we approve our selves to every mans conscience says the Apostle in the sight of God and that is all our aim we seek not to approve our selves to your lusts your fancies we may sometime in our Ministerie reprove sin that you are not willing to leave and press to duty that you are not willing to practice we may cross your affections and provoke your lusts but yet we know that we have something within you that takes our part and doth approve the Doctrine that we teach and the duties that we practice all the while so that the main of Conscience lyes in judging or applying an action to the rule and pronouncing a sentence accordingly So that in 1 Cor. 11.31 Judge your selves c. and Isa 5.3 Judge I pray between me and my Vineyard So that Conscience is an ability in a man having a rule given him to reflect upon his actions and state and â—udge whether it agree with the rule that is given to it or no. 4thly That which is subjected to the judgement of Conscience is a mans state and wayes the whole man To judge other men is not properly our work either their actions or states unless we are called by special Office thereunto for thou judgest another mans servant he stands and falls to his own Master But a mans whole self is subjected to the judgement of Conscience First Conscience judges of a mans state 1 Joh. 3.20 If thy heart condemn thee or do not condemn thee and Jam. 1.24 The Word doth shew a man what manner of man he is and in what state he stands towards God whether he be one of the wise or foolish Virgins or builders whether he build upon a Rock or the Sand. Now consciscience takes this rule and lays a mans state to it and tels the man this is my condition Secondly Conscience judges of mens actions Rom. 9.1 I speak the truth I lye not my Conscience bearing me witness 〈◊〉
there will be a time when judgment shall rejoyce over mercy for ever and it is much easier to change the seasons of the year that it shall not be summer and winter in its season rather then the seasons of the attributes of God for the curse is dying thou shalt dye Secondly No hope of mitigation or ease thy honours shall do thee no good it shall not descend after thee nor thy Riches shall not profit in the day of wrath Pro. 11.4 there is nothing but Righteousness can then avail thou shalt carry nothing with thee to bribe the flames or corrupt thy tormenters and not a drop of water Luke 16. not the smallest mitigation to eternity and this is properly the death of the soul loosing the soul Mat. 16.26 for so long the soul will live as long as there is hope but hope defer'd makes the heart sick and hope perished makes the heart dye the consideration of eternity swallows up a created understanding to be punished with eternal destruction depart into everlasting fire this is astonishment and dreadful amazement there shall be perfect fear for a man shall receive the spirit of bondage perfectly which is 2 Kin. 1.7 a spirit of fear we see it in the Devils Mat. 8.29 though they are in torment for the present yet there is a time of greater torment which they expect and that which they know they are reserved for and this they continually fear Luke 8.28 Here is the Dev. is prayer I beseech thee torment me not before the time c. so Dives though in torment yet he desires that his brethren may not come into the same place not that there is any charity in Hell for the Devil would have all men damn'd with himself and our natural affections shall cease in Hell but only fear of worse to come still remains Here in this life ungodly men are fearless and they seem to mock at fear as Job speaks c. but there is a time when their fear shall come Pro. 1.26 I will mock when their fear comes for it will come upon them as an armed man and the Lord will pour out upon them a trembling heart Deu◠28.65 and fear shall be on very side they shall be full of terrible apprehensions and so become Magor Missabib Jer. 20.3 4 Isa 13.8 their faces shall be as flames which denotes the variety of sad impressions upon them they shall change and be as tremulous as a flame Secondly The terrours of God shall set themselves in array against a man Job 6.4 and we know the terrour of the Lord how dreadful it is when he shall stir up all his wrath and thou shalt pay the uttermost farthing and he will recover all that glory upon thee by thy suffering that he has lost by thy sinning Thirdly Men may say but though I know not what God can inflict because it shall be his wrath put forth in the power of it though I know not what God can do yet I know what I can suffer but the Lord will surely inlarge the faculties and thou shalt be in a continual terrour that thou knowest not what the Lord will inlarge thee to suffer for thou art a vessel of wrath and therefore 't is said Psal 90.11 even according to thy fear so is thy wrath c. Fourthly Hence shall follow a distraction and madness Psal 88.15 while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted and also blasphemy I wish I were above God sayes Spira and a desire of annihilation wishing that he had never been Job 7.14 his soul chose strangling rather Judas does dispatch himself to be rid of his fears the wicked shall rise to judgment but they shall not be able to stand in judgment saith Spira this I know and it torments me with pangs unutterable and yet there is nothing that I desire more than that I might come unto that place where I might know the worst of my torment and so be freed from the fear of worse to come Nay fear doth anticipate our evils beforehand and thereby a man may even bring upon himself an eternity of torments at once in the fear of it the creature knows not the terror of the Lord unless it be discover'd to him my sufferings are great but my fears are endless and makes a man to suffer even an eternity of torments at once First Vse Seeing that Conscience shal be a mans tormentor at the last and that the Worm is bred from the putrefaction and corruption that is it the Conscience it should be a seasonable exhortation to get your Conscience purged that there may be nothing within you to breed this Worm 2 Tim. 1.3 We read of a pure or a purged Conscience and 〈◊〉 this be done thou needest not to fear for there will be nothing in thee fo◠this Worm to feed upon And here it will be good to consider First By nature thy Conscience i◠defiled for as upon the whole So◠defilement came by sin so Conscience having a special hand in the sin its defilement came specially upon the Conscience Secondly Tit. 1.15 Every sin committe◠adds unto this defilement as Mark 7.20.21 And this defiles the man there is not a vain thought in thy heart a vain word in thy mouth a sinful glance of thine eye Heb. 9.19 but it adds unto thy defilement for Jer. 17.1 It is Conscience that receives all and registers all all dead works lye there this is the Tophet or the Golgotha in the man all the filthiness of his life is there laid up as in a treasure for wrath and vengeance against the day of the revelation of the just judgment of God Jer. 2.22 Thirdly There is no power in nature to purge the Conscience for thou art dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2.1 And what can be more sutable to dead works should a man fast and pray could he fill the air with sighs and weep even to the brim it would add to his defilement because all the works of nature are dead works and their very prayers are turned into sin and their sacrifices are an abomination and that which adds unto his defilement can never cleanse it Fourthly If Conscience be not purged here it will never be purged hereafter Here indeed there is a plaister that will kill this Worm but if it out live the time of this life it is immortal it will never dye peccatum viatorum deleri potest Aquin. damnatorum non potest c. The Lord will say I would have purged you but you would not be purged therefore you shall never be purged from your iniquity for ever Fifthly There is but one medicine in the world will do it and if you miss of that you will dye in your sins and lye down with your Consciences full of the sins of your youth you may fly to prayer and preaching and think to have it done by these but it will never be there is but
are as truly subordinate unto your good as they are unto Gods glory 〈◊〉 and the end of all is to take away the sin and to purge the Conscience that is defiled by sin and to perfect holiness in the fear of God Sixthly The blood of Christ doth purge their Consciences as it is now sprinkled in Heaven before the mercy Seat by the interception of Christ for there were under the Law two things that did perfect the sacrifice the offering of it the killing of it and the carrying the blood into the most holy place and sprinkling it upon the mercy Seat and the sacrifice was not perfect until both were done and the blood was to remain before the mercy Seat so the Lord Jesus has offer'd himself a sacrifice but his blood is sprinkled still upon us and remains and it is a speaking blood it speaks better things then the blood of Abel now it doth speak to us continually for the end of his blood and what is it but that we may be cleansed he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie us to himself Tit. 2.14 c. and the cry of this blood still in Heaven is sanctifie them by thy truth keep them from the evil of the world father keep through thy own name them that thou hast given me c. But how shall I know my Conscience is purged by the blood of Christ c. First The more a mans Conscience is afflicted with the spiritual rising of lust and he loaths himself for it as Paul for the Law of his members warring against the Law of his mind and Job I have seen thee and therefore I abhor my self Secondly The more ready a man is to deny himself for God in any service and his Conscience puts him forth to the uttermost in it as Paul I am willing to spend my self or to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus and Abraham rose up early to obey the command of God even to sacrifice his only son for the more the glory of God and his commands do sway with a man the more cause he has to be assured that the blood of sprinkling has passed upon him c. Thirdly The more a mans Conscience keeps down h is lust in the presence of the object of it as Boaz the woman lay at his feet and yet his lust did not rise and as Job to make a Covenant with his eyes and not look upon a Maid not have eyes full of adultery a godly man may be tempted to sin it may be in the absence of the object but if it be present and lust have all the advantages that can be and yet it cannot prevail it s an argument of a pure Conscience and try all these with reference unto your darling lust for answerable as the Conscience is purged with respect unto that so it is unto all other sins whatsoever It will serve for exhortation unto all men to keep their Consciences pure Vse 2 being once cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and this was the Apostle Pauls labour and his dayly exercise Acts 24.16 in this I exercise my self to to keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Conscience void of offence before God and all men Now we have formerly heard that as there be two things in sin so there is a double defilement of the Conscience there is a guilt and a pollution and a mans Conscience can never be a good Conscience a pure Conscience without a stumbling block unless it be kept pure in both these and here I would speak of a pure Conscience according to the Apostles distinction First before God Secondly before men And first in reference unto the guilt of sin and a Conscience polluted therewith and this is a heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.22 that is an accusing and a condemning Conscience 1 John 3.21 if our hearts condemn us not that is if they have the guilt of no sin lye upon them for which they draw us before the judgment Seat of Christ and pass upon us the sentence of condemnation and so Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 this is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our Conversation in the world and more especially towards you and 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self it was a small thing to him to be judged of by man or in mans day for men have their day of judgment also as God has his and the reason why he doth despise the judgment of all men is this that he was conscious to himself of nothing wherein he had misbehaved himself in his Apostleship towards them many weaknesses there were which he owned in himself but yet the guilt of none of them did stick upon his Conscience and yet he refers himself unto the judgment of God who knows more then a mans Conscience can know by a mans self c. and this was the great care of Job that his heart might not reproach him all his dayes Job 27.6 In respect of God there is a two-fold good Conscience in regard of guilt one in truth and the other in shew and appearance only First There is a natural Conscience that may have a great shew of goodness in it not having the guilt of sin rising in it but may with a great deal of boldness appear before God and may lift up a mans face before him and yet this not be a Conscience truly good as we see in the Heathen Rom. 2.16 their thoughts do excuse as well as acâ—use and that in the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men c. therefore there is the guilt of some sins that Conscience will acquit a man from and will speak for him in the presence of the Lord and so some do apply that speech of Paul as Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God even unto this day it is conceived by some as Cajetan c. that it is spoken in reference unto all his dayes even those also before his Conversion in which he did never sin against his Conscience and therefore he saith bona Conscientia non bono opere for he thought that he did God good service in all that he did as Luther did say of himself Nec ita eram glacies frigus sicut Eccius alii qui propter ventrem Papam defendere videbantur sed ego rem seriam agebam ut qui diem extremum horribiliter timui salvus fieri ex intimis medullis cupiebam And the goodness of a mans Conscience in not witnessing guilt is but a seeming goodness it is sometimes from a mans uprightness and good intention in a particular act wherein though he doth ill yet he doth mean well and think also that he doth well as it is the manner of many a misled and deluded soul as Gen. 20.5.6 Abimelech answered God in the integrity of my heart and the
do conceive much rather the meaning to be as I sin every day and thereby do daily contract a new guilt so grant that I may have the righteousness of Christ imputed unto me every day and a penitent heart given me that thereby I may have the qualifications that God requires unto pardon and my iniquities be blotted out For though I conceive it a truth that justification as far as it respects a mans state is done at once and is perfect in instanti that a man is but once justified that is put unto a state of pardon and righteousness and acceptation as soon as made one with Christ yet I conceive the pardon of sin to be a continued act that as a man doth sin daily so he has an actual pardon daily by the imputation of Christ's righteousness unto him anew The sacrifice indeed was offered but once and never to be repeated but the imputation of it is continued to the end of the World and the application of it is the act of every day and therefore some say that God does give us the same things over and over again daily as we sin daily and stand in daily need of it as he doth the Sun it had as much light in it the first day it was made as it hath now and God has not given us a new Sun but the same daily shines so it is with the imputation of Christs obedience who is the Son of Righteousness So that though a man be for his state once for all put into a state of justification yet remission of sins is an act that is continued daily and shall never be perfected till sin shall be done away and till the soul shall cease to say Lord forgive us our trespasses and then God shall cease forgiving but while the Saints do sin so long there is a daily remission upon a daily repentance and a renewed application So if a man sins daily and would have the guilt of his sins taken off his Conscience it must be by a daily confession a daily repentance and humiliation a daily application of the righteousness of Christ and therein by prayer seeking unto God for pardon daily for I know no other means to take the guilt of sin off the Conscience These things I speak partly to awaken the people of God that are justified freely by grace that they might not dare to pass a day in a way of sinning and that they may not dare to lye down with any sin unrepented of also and partly that those abominable and dangerous doctrines that are now abroad in the world to turn the grace of God and the promises of the Gospel into wantoness may be avoided when men say all our sins are pardoned allready and therefore though we may have sin in our conversation yet we have none in our Conscience God sees no iniquity in his people and he loves them in Christ and therefore loves them never the worse for all their sins c. And therefore they need not pray for pardon for they have it already but onely they must believe that they are pardoned and must believe that they need not repent for all is done away in Christ and it is onely for persons that are unregenerate to repent for sin and to ask pardon but for them that are in Christ their sins are pardoned c But let me tell you and the Lord will make you know that as you sin every day and contract a new guilt so there is no way to get this guilt taken off thy Conscience but by a daily repentance for it and a daily application of the righteousness of Christ that thy sins may be blotted out from the presence of the Lord for though thou be washed yet thou hast daily need to wash thy feet There is nothing that the heart of man is more willing and ready to shift off then the duty of repentance though as Tertullian saith he was nulle rei nisi penitentiae natus and yet it is with men as Luther says of himself there was no word that he did hate and abhor so much as that word Repent it is that the heart of man goes against and you have most need to be exhorted to it Thirdly There is another way to keep the Conscience pure from the guilt of sin and that is for a man to get assurance of Gods favour the light of his countenance and to walk in it all day long Psal 89.15 Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound They shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance When a man hath the witnesses either of blood and water which are more remote and the spirit of God speaks in them and in all ordinances of the Gospel or else when a man has a more immediate testimony from the spirit of God the Lord saying to his soul be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee the Lord sends his spirit that speaks to the soul as the prophet Nathan to David God hath taken away thy sin and this is Gods speaking to the soul pardon and peace which is the portion of many of the Saints when a mans soul draws near to the grave and his life to the destroyers and the Lord comes in and says deliver his soul from death for I have found a ransome and truly there are souls that do walk in the light of Gods countenance all the day long and their souls are as the upper Region quiet and are allways Calme though sin they do yet they speedily repent and humble their souls for it and their peace is never interrupted nor the light of Gods Countenance taken from them but they receive of his pardoning mercy dayly and dayly bear witness to it that their sins are done away and so their Consciences are never clogged with them But as soon as God withdraws the light of his countenance from any poor soul by and by the guilt of sin ariseth and Conscience is terrified and there is a thick cloud over spreads the whole soul and a mans heart is like unto a troubled Sea that cannot rest see what restless tossings David was in while his sin lay upon his Conscience and God hid his face day and night they are so heavy upon me that all the night long I make my bed to swim with my tears oh take me not out of thy presence will the Lord cast off for ever and his mercy is it clean gone will he be gracious no more Thus a man that would have a clear Conscience in respect of guilt must make it his business to walk in the light of Gods Countenance all the day Having thus far seen how a man may keep a Conscience pure from the guilt of sin Let us now come to the second how a mans Conscience may be preserved pure from the defilement and the pollution of sin And here we are to consider that there are two things in Conscience and answerable unto them there is a
for the loss of them at any time as Judas sought oppertunity to betray Christ Prov. 7. and the Harlot is glad of the opportunity The good man is gene fromhome and has taken a Sum of moneywith him and will not return till thetime appointed come let us take ourfill of Love and Joseph's Mistress when none of the men of the house were within and Judas when the Oyntment was poured out he was sorry for the wast that he lost such an opportunity and Gehazy my Master has let him go with all those fine things but as the Lord lives I will go and get something of him and what did he get but a foul disease c. Eightly When much means are used to keep men from sin and they avail not but men do break through all and will commit sin when men have been often admonished Pro. 29.1 and often afflicted Pro. 29.1 God will hedge up their way with thornes and yet they will follow after their Lovers Hos 2.6 God doth take many courses to make sin difficult unto a man a hedge of thornes and yet the man follows after it still Pro. 13.19 Balaam a man would have thought Gods forbidding him first and then the difficulties that lay in his way should have hindred him and though he would still be trying to displease God yet still God held a hand upon his Conscience nevertheless Balaam ran greedily after the wayes of unrighteousness when men cannot endure to be reproved Asa was a godly man yet his Conscience was in an evil frame he could not bear a reproof nay when men wait and lay snares for him that reproves in the gate c. It is a sign of a seared Conscience c. Ninthly When men grow impudent and shameless in evil for there is a shame that doth keep men from some sins some kind of awe and respects before men Gen. 15.16 but there is a fullness of sin and impudency and obstinacy makes it up when men have a Whores forehead that cannot blush they are not ashamed of sin nay they glory in their shame and speak of it with rejoycing pudet non esse impudentem the unjust know no shame Lastly When men are not affected with and not afraid of spiritual judgments it 's the highest and the greatest wrath that can befall a man vae illis ad quorum peccata connivet Deus Luther Ephraim is joyned to Idols Let him alone why should they be smiten any more they will revolt more and more I will not punish your daughters when they commit adultery saies the Lord non parcit propitius parcit iratus Aust O servum illum beatum Tertul. cui deus dignatur irasci The last sentence of the Church is Anathama Maranatha and so it is here also Now there is nothing the people of God are more affected with then spiritual judgment to be given up to a hard heart to a blind mind and a spirit of slumber they are troubled at nothing more wounds upon a mans estate or his name lyes not so heavy upon his spirit nay he would chuse all outward evils rather this is a strange and terrible work of God in judgment pouring out upon a man a spirit of a deep sleep and for men not to be troubled that they are not troubled it is an argument of a very polluted Conscience 1 Cor. Durum est quod seipsum non exhorret Bern. Secondly Now to give some rules how a man should do to keep a good Conscience in all things First Set a high price upon a good Conscience as being the excellency of the man which will bear up a man against all evils that men or devils can do to him 2 Cor. 1.12 says the Apostle this is our rejoycing that in godly simplicity we have had our conversation in the world and 't is this that gives a man boldness in the presence of God if our hearts condem us not we have boldness in his sight a man that has a good Conscience shall lift up his face without spot even before God a good Conscience it is a continual feast it cheers a man in the worst times and his Conscience can never be freed from guilt that is not in desire at least freed from defilement for Christ came by water and by bloud and upon our Consciences he sprinkles bloud and sprinkles upon them clean water also Secondly Come to the Laver repent dayly judg your selves dayly and apply the blood of Christ which can onely purge the Conscience and do it dayly for the longer any sin lyes upon the Conscience the more unclean that Conscience is it is compaired unto a Fountain that doth dayly work out the mud Mâ—t. 12.15 and doth not let it rest there at all but immediately works against it to a renewed Conscience all sin is as a mote in the eye and a beam he can have no quiet till it be out but sin in a natural Conscience it is not burthensome though men add iniquity to iniquity can easily slip into sin without any remorse whereas we are not to give place to the Devil no not one hour Peter after he had sin'd straightway he went out and wept bitterly Oh! when any sin lies upon the Conscience be sure that it will defile thee more therefore make hast and work it out this delay of purging the Conscience is an evil may be found in the best men it cost David broken bones and great perplexity thefore we should be the more careful to come to the Laver of regeneration Thirdly Do not despise the checks of Conscience but mind that Light within you when it reproves for fins either of omission or commission do not turn the deaf ear Davids heart smote him and he took notice of it and Christ himself my reins chasten me to instruct me in the Psal 16.7 night season c. For let me tell you that any motion of a mans Conscience slighted it is thereby defiled for it speaks in the name of God and not any word of God nor any admonition of Conscience should we pass by without regard for Conscience is in the place of God in the man Fourthly Let it be your constant desire and your dayly exercise to live honestly in all things according to that of the Apostle Heb. 13.18 And truly therein the goodness of a mans Conscience is seen and Acts 24.16 In this I exercise my self to have always a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Satan doth cast defilement into the Conscience dayly and therefore there is nothing that a man should be imployed in more then to keep a good Conscience dayly in all things and truly it is the great shame of many that will take upon them the name of Religion yet are defective in this in a great measure that it may be said of them they do not labour in all things to keep a good Conscience Fisthly Take
heed of some special sins that above others do most defile the Conscience though indeed all sins defile the Conscience but some sins are of a more bewitching and a more defiling nature then others as First Secret sins will provoke God to give thee up to the judgment of a defiled Conscience as he did Judas because he was a Devil Secondly Idolatry Take heed of hankering after that abomination either to worship an Idol a false god or the true God in a false manner and it is this last that you are most in danger of therefore let it not be said of any of you you know not what you worship but be able to say we know what we worship and how we worship God in spirit and truth and do not set up mans post by Gods post away with all traditious and inventions of men in the worship of God If you would keep Gods presence observe his order let all be done according to the pattern to the Law and to the Testament c. Else God may in just judgment send us strong delusions to believe lies which I fear is like to befall many of this nation who have not received the truth in ths love of it Thirdly Take heed of drunkenness and Whoredome Hos 14.12 Whoredome and Wine and new Wine Prov 2.19 take away thy heart none that go unto her return again neither take they hold of the paths of Life c. Flee fornication and be not drunk with Wine there is a woe to the drunkards c. Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge These sins besot men c. Lastly Be much in a secret judging of your selves and in a private examination Hag. 1.7 the Lord saith consider your ways and set your hearts upon them and turn in upon your actions and overlook them again bring them to the Light prove your selves and judge your selves and do it often there is a daily judicatory to be erected a cultus conscientiae which a man should be busied about every day Matt. 25.7 Then all those Virgins arose and trimmed their lamps the wise as well as the foolish c. Ego de terrenis negotiis simpliciter accipio Calv. Whilest men are in this World there is a daily defilement that will cleave unto them a squallor there will be something out of order that there must be a daily and a continual triming the wise as well as the foolish Virgins must be found in it and truely if a man neglects it but a while and keeps not a constant course in it a man shall find a strange averseness in his spirit thereunto all his life after for the way to sin's defilement is mainly by insensibleness a man is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and walks with God at a venture and truely if Satan brings a man to that once he hath prevailed very farr and will exceedingly defile the man We have spoken of keeping a good Conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 towards God let us now come to consider also what it is for a man to keep a good Conscience towards man for both these must go together he must keep a good Conscience in all things as was hinted formerly and be holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a dead fly spoils the whole Box of Oyntment and a good Conscience is like to the eye it hates motes and they disquiet it as well as beams It 's an errour in the common sort of men to think all Religion lyes in their just and upright carriage towards men as the Pharisees did and to such I say doth your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the cribes and Pharisees if not you shall never enter into the Kingdom of God c. Indeed there is a civil honesty a sweet and an ingenious carriage towards men that is very lovely and these are commonly called the worlds Saints and indeed they have nothing amongst them appears so pleasing Mar. 10.21 Christ loved the young man and yet peculiar Grace he had none for he was under the reigning power of covetousness and therefore there was something in him that was more general for which Christ loved him he had restraining grace and a sweet outward carriage that even the spirit of God had wrought in him habent filii concubinarum sua munera c. and yet Christ said to him for all these accomplishments one thing thou lackest c. and if thou walk never so uprightly before men that thou be esteemed the worlds Saint and thou couldest bring a testimony of thy good behaviour from all the ingenious men of thy age yet without an inward work of grace and regeneration and a heart inlivened by a spirit of faith so that all these works flow from union with Christ and from a principle of love wrought in thee to God truly all that thou dost is abominable to God in non renatis non solum peccata sed bona opera sunt mortalia for fides est caput bonorum operum and if that be wanting all of it is but nature improved and new dressed and so can never please God semen naturae non consurgit in fructum gratiae for a mans duties do proceed from the same principles that his sins do and there must be a renewing in the spirit of his mind before God accepts any service of him And there are some men do turn to the other extream and they say that all obedience is mainly towards God and therefore they are much in prayer and hearing and run from Ordinance to Ordinance and they do speak much also of keeping a good Conscience before God but yet they are negligent and loose in their carriages towards men they are as censorious and unjust and deceitfull busie-bodies in other mens matters proud boasters false accusers whisperers c. Yet these men would pass for Saints and think themselves in the highest form of professors Now this is a sure rule a pure Conscience though he cannot keep all the commandments of God yet he has a respect unto them all as Psal 119.6 with a care to walk answerable unto them and there is none that he doth wholly neglect as the word in the Hebrew signifies that man therefore whose profession for God is never so high and talkes never so much of having a good heart to Gods word and would be accounted in his religious duties even Angelical he prays much hears much fasts much c. Yet if he practise it not in his particular place in his relations in his shop in his dealings with a man I shall strongly suspect that man of hallowness and hypocrisie how ever he may tip his Tongue like a Saint yet he may boldly be reckoned amongst the sinners and such are spots in our feasts c. Now To stir you up to this Duty of keeping a good Conscience towards men let me exhort you to observe these particulars First Take special care of the souls that are committed to your
God and the greatest can do no more then kill the body as the life of the Soul comes from God only so does the death of the Soul also for he only is the father of spirits and the Lord loves variety in his dominion over us he will for a time govern by the Creatures and comfort by the Creatures and afflict by them but hereafter he will then govern by himself immediately and comfort and afflict by himself immediately the one in this life and the other in the life to come First Vse This informes us that there are certain men that are children of wrath knowing the terror of the Lord we would perswade you to fly from the wrath to come for it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Here first I will shew you who the persons are that be the children of wrath Secondly what we would perswade them to if the Spirit of God joyn with us therein First Who they are and unto whom this use is directed that there are some children of wrath is plain Isa 10.6 The people of my wrath that is appointed to wrath and Isa 34.5 a sword is bathed in Heaven which doth express the decree and purpose of wrath it is upon the people of his curse now if this be true of temporal wrath how much more of eternal wrath which the Apostle saith is the condition of all men by nature even of the elect of God as well as of others before they are converted Ephes 2.3 We by nature were dead in trespasses and sins as well as others and children of wrath now they are said to be the children of it because they were born to it and it is their inheritance all that ever they must look for men appointed to it as a child of death is a man deserving death and appointed thereunto and as the Saints are called the children of light so are these also children of wrath so if you would ask for whom is this wrath and who according to the rules of the word are under it it is every man that is in a state of nature and a state of unregenerasy But how should a man know who it is that is in a state of nature surely a man may know if he will but behold his face in the Glass of the Word and discerne what manner of person he is James 1.24 There is a judgment that passeth upon the eternal states of men in the Word of God 1 Cor. 14.25 Ezek. 20 The man is judged of all and the secrets of his heart are made manifest and he saith that God is in you of a truth a man looking into the Word may discerne what his estate is Now first they are children of wrath that are children of disobedience Col. 3.6 for these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience John He that is born of God sinneth not non operatur peccatum he that committeth sin is the servant of sin and he that commits sin is of the Devil that is that lives and lyes in any known way of sinning that he doth reserve unto himself a sweet Morsell that he cannot cast out that the comfort of his life comes in by he eats the bread of wickedness and drinks the Wine of violence he feeds upon huskes and upon ashes Isa 44.20 over whom sin has dominion and it reigns in their mortal body and they obey it in the lust thereof and take care to make provision for 't thou art yet in my sins and not only sins of commission but sins of omission for such also this fire is prepared Depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire Mat. 25 prepared for the Devil an his Angels for I was hungry and ye gave me no meat it is not you took away my meat and naked and ye robbed me of my cloathing I was amongst you and ye put me into prison but ye did not visit me and Minister unto me c. So that even sins of omission also prove an unregenerate state and will make a man lyable unto this wrath at the coming of the Lord. Secondly The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Rom. 1. who withhold the truthin unrighteousness When men are convinced that such things are duties and will acknowledge them and that such things are sins and yet for some worldly ends and base respects will not forbear to practise them as many of the Pharisees were convinced that Christ was the Messiah and yet for fear of the Jews durst not confess him Joh. 12.42 that go on in sin against their own light and convictions from day to day and against many warnings and admonissions and his own remembrances of the dealings of God both with himself and others that have been engaged in sinfull courses and truly this fire will not burn hotter upon any sort of sinners in the world then they that sin against light and in this manner do withhold the truth in unrighteousness Thirdly They are asted by no other spirit but the spirit of this world for there is a double spirit that men are acted by in all their actions the Spirit of God acts some men and the spirit of the world acts others they that are regenerate have received the Spirit of Christ and where the spirit of Christ is there are all the fruits of the Spirit and the inward man is in some measure conformed unto Christ whereas other men are acted by no other rules but the custom of the world for worldly ends that look no higher then the things of this life and the things that are seen whereas a man that is regenerate has received another spirit that acts him by another rule for he is led by the Spirit and unto a higher end he looks upon the things that are not seen Fourthly 2 Cor. 4. In this are the children of God manifest and the children of the Devil he that doth not righteousness is not of God and he that loves not his brother verse the 14. We know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren now when a mans heart is imbittered against the Saints of the most high he doth wish evil to them and if any evil doth befall them he rejoyceth and at least if he can do no more he will inwardly please himself that they are brought low it 's an argument that thou art one of the Serpents seed and thy envy is both thy sin and thy Plague as it is the Devils I will put enmity sayes God between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman the enmity is put into the Devils Curse and if thou didst love him that did beget thou wouldst love them that are begotten of him and thou that dost hate the Image of God wheresoever it is and the more thou dost see of the Image of God in the man the more thou