his Wine to wash cleanse and search it if defiled his Oyl to mollifie supple and heal it if bruised festered This is the first and great Experiment to be used The second is like unto it namely this 2. The Spirit of Christ to get and seek the Spirit of Christ which is the next principal ingredient in or efficient of a good Conscience It is the Spirit of God with our Spirit that makes the good Conscience In this sense we may allow that of Origen That Conscience is another Spirit in the soul therefore the Apostle saith of his Conscience that it did bear him Rom. 9. 1. witnesse in the Holy Ghost The single Testimonie of natural Conscience is not much to be regarded in many cases but when Conscience is cleared by the Spirit and seconded with the Spirit the Testimony of these two is great and weighty the Spirit of God witnessing thus to our spirit is the clearest Testimony of Rom. 8. 16. of our Adoption and Salvation which thy Conscience alone is not to be credited in for what could the light of our body the eye see and discern if it were not for the light of the Heaven the Sun we should have a continuall Night So without the Spirit the light of God what can Conscience our light see and discern of the things of God Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 10 11 12. that God doth reveal unto his servants the deep mysteries of the Gospel by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him So the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we may know the things which are freely given to us of Cod c. So that wheresoever the spirit of God is there is the good Conscience where it is wanting Conscience cannot be good Where the naturall enlivening Spirit is absent or departed there is no life or vegetation or sense or reason or motion but all death darkness coldnesse c. So where the enlivening Spirit of Grace is wanting to the soul there is no life sense motion comfort but all is dead within and all the works are but dead works But where the Spirit is there is life there is light there is liberty and there is purity there is peace and there is grace there is comfort and there is Conscience there is indeed all 2 Subservient means The subservient means are thirteen whereof the first six direct us what to do the other seven what to avoid First of all those subservient means next to Christ Jesus himself and his Spirit which are the principal Faith is to be sought to 1. Faith make thee a good Conscience Thefore how often do we find faith and good Conscience joyned This next to the bloud of Christ and the purifying water of the Spirit hath the greatest cleansing virtue Act. 15. 9. Christ hath given faith for this end to purifie the heart Where faith is pure the Conscience is pure this makes the good and mends the bad Conscience Faith and good Conscience are made one for the other as the woman and the man to be fellow-helpers each to other Faith is Consciences Keeper Conscience again is Faiths These two like Jonathan and his Armour-bearer may discomfit a whole Hoste 1 Sam. 14. of Philistins when they keep together nothing is hard for them to undertake or like Saul and Jonathan lovely in life and undivided in death Faith and good Conscience do many a good office each for other and are forced to unite in a league offensive and defensive In an offensive league as Simeon and Judah Jud. 1. 3. the one must help the other to expell the Canaanites out of his Coast first and then proceed to expell them out of the others Coasts after Good Conscience helps to expel the Canaanites of fear distrust and despair out of Faiths coasts and to slay Sheshai Ahiman and Talmai these Jud. 1. 10 three sons of Anak and faith again layes to his helping hand to expel the Canaanites of fear guilt deadnesse dulnesse erroneousnesse and Scrupulousnesse out of Consciences coasts And in a defensive league they are joyned as David said to Abiathar Abide with me fear not so saith Faith to Conscience Abide with me Conscience for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me thou shalt be in safety 1 Sam. 22. 23. Faith is the white Alabaster-box in which Consciences pretious Oyntment is put Faith is the bottle into which the wine of good Conscience is poured So again Conscience doth as much for Faith Faith is the light good Conscience is Faiths lanthorn the lanthorn shews forth the light within the lanthorn defends the light from winds and weather without that it be not blown out Conscience holds forth the light of Faith to be seen of men Conscience defends faith that it be not put out Faith is the Apple or sight of the eye Conscience is the eye-lid no eye-lid can see or doth it profit the body at all without the sight within nor can the eye see long if it have not the eye-lids to defend it from Sun dust smoak and the like annoyances and to keep the sight clear So what is Conscience without Faith but a blind and blundering Conscience And what is Faith without Conscience but as a naked weak raw sore eye A three-fold faith necessary to good conscience 1 Justifiing Faith Now this Faith that makes and keeps a good Conscience is three-fold First Justifying Faith there must be apprehending and applying the bloud of Christ Act. 15. 9. This is principally necessary to be sought this fides quâ creditur is the fides qua vivitur the fides quae creditur is not sufficient without this Secondly Doctrinal faith this is the faith 2 Doctrinal Faith here spoken of Hold faith and a good Conscience that is the sound Orthodox faith contend for it continue in it From this Hymenaeus and Alexander swerved and then left the plain path of good Conscience Say not any man is sound in faith and of a good Quam tu secretus es Deus solits magnus lege infatigabili spargens paenale â—caecitates super illicitas cupiditaâ—eâ— Aug. Conf. l. 1. Conscience who is unsound in Judgement and opinions Corrupt opinions breed corrupt Consciences and corruption in morals usually follows the corruption in intellectuals Here begins commonly the first step backward to all Apostacy and the first step forward to all impiety It is a sad story of the Emperour Valens who while he was among the Orthodox had gained much Glory in the Church he had stood firme in the time of Julian the Apostate together with his Brother Valentinian chusing rather to lay down all his Military Honours and imployments than
〈◊〉 Callidus qui dexteritate ingenii valet ad quidlibet agendum versipellis veteratorius ut Callidus a callendo quod omnis generâ—dolos calleat Mr. Leigh When Jacobs sons and the Shechemites sought to out-vye and over reach each other in wyles of policy they both shut out sincerity After that distaste given they came to terms of amity seemingly a Personall Treaty there was many complements passed and fair Religious pretences were held forth Jacobs sons pretended much to conscience they might not inter-marry with uncircumcised persons but intended rapine murther revenge and so possessed themselves of their houses and estates The Shechemites again held them as fair with pretences of love desire to incorporate and unite and to turn to their Religion but intended only the enriching and advantaging themselves Here was craft and policy on both sides sincerity on neither it prospered accordingly The Shechemites which was the shame and mischief of it were over-witted by the sons of Jacob and were put to the sword while they were sore they gaping after others states lost their own first and their lives withall Jacobs sons carrying home the plunder meet at home with their Fathers curse You have made Religion stinke said the sincere and plain-hearted old man You have made me weak stained my glory made Gen. 34. 30 me to be abhorred Cursed be that wrath it was cruell cursed be such policy it is Hellish Into such secrets let not my soul come It is a notable saying of Bildad Job 18. 7. The counsell of the wicked shall cast him down or cast him out it casts him out of all out of credit out of trust out of state out of office out of comfort out of grace and out of Heaven at last Luâ—her was wont to say There were three things that would destroy Religion and remove the Gospel 1. Forgetfulness of the benefits received by the Gospel 2. Generall security which is so much prevailing 3. Worldly wisdom Sapientia mundi quae vult omnia redigere in ordinem publicam tranquillitatem impiis consiliis mederi which must over-rule all and prefer publick safety before sincerity Lastly would you know your own sincerity observe this rule and you cannot mistake Note 10 1. What is the principle you Act from 2. What the rule you Act by 3. What the end you Act to and aym at The sincere Christian makes God his Alpha and Omega his Beginning and End and middle his first and last and all saith of him through him and for him are all things to him be all glory Rom. 11. 36. 1. Minde what is the Originall and principle Mat. 6. 1. 2 5. you move from A Pharisee may pray but not for devotion but ostentation therefore it must be in the corner of the streets not in a corner of the house he may give an alms but not without a Trumpet blown another doth the one in Faith out of Piety the other out of charity some preach Christ purely and sincerely out of love to gain souls to Christ some also preach out of envy and strife Phil. 1. 15 16. to make a stir in the Church and gain applause and get hearers to themselves and to pull on more affliction to Pauls bands that is to create more contempt to the Ministery under sufficient contempt already Saul confessed I 1 Sam. 15. 24. 2 Sam. 12. 13. Mar. 1. 24 25. Mat. 16. 16 17. have sinned but it was forced it was feigned David cryed out I have sinned it was free not forced it was true not feigned he was accepted pardoned and loosed Saul was rejected cast off and bound Satan saith to Christ Thou art the Son of God and is rebuked as accursed Peter saith the same and is commended and proclaimed blessed 2. Observe what is the rule you constantly walk by The godly make the Word and Commandment of God their Rule So Josiah 2 King 22. 2. He did what was right in the figbt of the Lord walked in all the ways of David his Father and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left Come commodity or discommodity he keeps on his way the sun may be as soon diverted in his course as he willingly deviate from his Rule but an unsound man still casts an eye on his own interest and therefore follows not God fully and the word exactly but with a salvo ever and a reserve Thus it is said of three Kings of Judah succeeding each other they all did what was right in the sight of the Lord yet never a good one among them Jotham did what was right in the sight of the Lord as did Vzziah his father 2 Chron. 27. 2. Vzziah did the like did what was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that Amaziah his father did 2 Chr. 26. 4. And looke now what Amaziah the Grandfather was he did what was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart 2 Chr. 25. 2. Jehu did well a great while but at last fell off Howbeit he took not heed to walk in the law of the Lord with all his heart he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam 2 King 10. 31. Jeroboam himself went along with God while their way lay together but when the way parted and Gods honour lay one way his imaginary honour and security lay another he then discovers himself and takes his leave of God and will rather forgo all his interest in God and Heaven and eternity then hazard his interest in the Crown He sins and made all Israel sin When you see two men travelling together and a Spaniell following you know not whose he is till they part then he leaveth the one and follows his master alone it was for his masters sake he went at all with the other no tryall while our way and Gods lie together their parting tryes our sincerity 3. Observe the end you aym at God is the Christians end and his glory his aym the hypocrite makes himself his own end and so Zach. 7. 5. 6 himself his own God He eats to himself drinks to himself fasteth to himself and still hath that property of the empty vine he beareth fruit to himself Hos 10. 1. You never finde an hypocrite without a designe what ever his actions are he hath a designe as his end and himself is the ultimate and great design The sincere man is the man who is engaged to no designe in the world but one h. e. Gods honour and here you finde him intent sedulous and immovable and he is still tender of any dis-service done to God as those officious informers Ezra 4. 14. were of their masters and upon the same account we have our maintenance say they from the Kings palace are salted with the salt of the palace the Original hath it therefore it is not meet for us to see the Kings dishonour therefore we have sent to certifie the King We are the Kings creatures say they
Christs head is his glory good conscience sets the crowne on faiths head is faiths glory For though there be two great preheminences which faith hath above Conscience the same that the man hath above the woman 1. That the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man hoc est taken out of man so faith is not out of conscience but conscience out of faith 2. Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man Nor was faith created for consciences use but conscience for faiths Yet he concludes v. 11. Neverthelesse neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord So neither is faith without good conscience nor can good conscience be without faith in the Lord For the Relation is Reciprocall and the dependance and benefit mutuall ver 12. For as the woman is of the man so is the man also by the woman but all things originarily and primarily of God So also here it is as good conscience is of faith so faith is by good conscience but both of God for mutuall comfort and delight And from this couple the Church is propagated and increased to this day These two as Leah and Rachel build up the house of Israel faith bearing children to the Church on good consciences knees and good conscience bringing up those children which faith hath borne at her breasts as Ruth brought forth children for the comfort of Naomi and Naomi brought up those children for the ease of Ruth Hold Faith and you are sure of a good Conscience CHAP. VI. Of a pure Conscience THe second good conscience is the Pure The Conscience of purity Conscience The fine Linnen clean and white Rev. 19. 8. is the righteousnesse of Saints and the Lambes wifes ornament The pure cleane and undesiled conscience is the inherent and internall righteousnesse of the Saints and the Ornament of the Christian Of this good conscience the Apostle speaketh often to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 5. The pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned put together and 3. 9. Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. I serve God from my forefathers with a pure conscience The former goodnesse of conscience by meanes of faith makes the conscience good before God the justified conscience This of purity makes it good before men the sanctified and renewed conscience that was by the blood of Christ this is by the Spirit and Grace of Christ Of this wee have spoken somewhat already chap. 2. therefore shall need to say the lesse here Blessed are these pure in heart they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. And 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope of seeing God as he is must purifie himselfe as God is pure God is a God of pure eyes and cannot Good conscience is of Hab. 1. 13. pure eyes and must not behold iniquity Great are the comforts benefits and priviledges of this pure conscience and high are the promises made to it With whom will God shew himselfe pure but to and with the pure And to the froward he will shew himselfe Psal 18. 26. Lev. 26. 23 24. as froward To them that walk contrary to him he will walke contrary to them Who is he that shall ascend the hill of the Lord Or who shall stand in his holy place He that hath the cleane Psalme 24. 3 4 5. hands and the pure heart who hath not lift up his soule unto vanity This is the man who shall receive the Blessing of the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his salvation In the pure water thy face may be seen which cannot in muddy water In a pure conscience Gods face is to be seene no where else in earth and by none in heaven but by the pure in heart This is the Mountaine of transfiguration where Mar. 9. 1 2. alone the Kingdom of God is seene coming with power This is the only Isle Patmos where Rev. 1. are the Revelations and Visions of the Sonne of man Here is Gods Booke with seven Seales unsealed This is the Sanctum Sanctorum beyond that in Solomons Temple all overlaid with pure Gold in which God doth dwell sit upon a Mercy-Seat and make known his minde giving answers whensoever consulted with and enquired after herein The pure conscience is the Heart after Gods heart who is all for purenesse he loveth Righteousnesse and hateth all uncleannesse No Sacrifice in which was any Blemish or Spot Psal 11. 7. 45. 7. was to be offered no Sacrifice with Leaven no Priests sonne might come neere to Officiate Lev. 1. 3 10 Lev. 2. 11. Lev. 21. 18. in whom was any blemish no High Priest presume to sacrifice in any legall uncleannesse on him But his standing Rule is I will be sanctified in them that draw neere to me Lev. 10 3. None were to come in to the Persian King but such as were first purified and had passed through twelve whole moneths in a course of purification Esth 2. 12. What manner of persons ought they to be then that shall come before God either to waite on the Ministery or to partake of Ordinances And what measure of Purification should we come addressed withall Now this Purification is that of Conscience especially Heb. 9. 14. and 10 22. Therefore wash thy heart O Jerusalem that thou Jâ—r â— 14. Mat. 23. 26. mayest be saved Let not vaine thoughts lodge in thee Purge the inside of the cup and platter O Pharisee that thy outside may be cleane also But in these dayes there is much of Liberty little of Purity of Conscience Shall we call them pure with the bag of deceitfull weights and with the wicked Ballances as the Prophet Micah saith Micah 6 10 11. Are there yet the Treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked and the scant measure which is abominable and shall these be counted pure There is a Generation indeed pure in their own eyes who are yet not washed from their filthinesse There is such a Generation O how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids lifted up Prov. 30. 12 13. speaking too lively of such a generation as ours is Shall we say such have any thing of conscience or grace in them who can live loosely speak scurrilously and scoffe at purity holinesse strictnesse and all piety Where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare if onely the pure in heart are blessed Take heed then of all impurity and defilement by any allowed sinne whatsoever weakneth Purity wasteth Peace Conscience is the Temple of God whosoever defileth this 1 Cor. 3. 17 Temple destroyes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is and him will God destroy The craâ—â—â—r flaw in the Bell not so much lesseneth the soundnesse as marreth the sound of the Bell. How few good Consciences are there then in these impure and licentious dayes to be found when purity and strictnesse is exploded as a badge of
on thee ere he hath done for his eyes put out and will destroy thee though he perish with thee Peccatum susurrans will prove Peccatum exclamans the witnesses might be slaine but did soon rise againe and up to heaven they went to accuse the world of Irreligion and Impiety Rev. 11. 2. To such as are haunted and fâ—â—â—owed with that griesly and ghastly fury of an evill accusing gnawing and corroding Conscience no wolfe on the breast like this no worm in the inwards like this torment it never lies quiet it s ever gnawing and corroding as no phrenfie so outragious as the roaring and raging Conscience It is like the raging Sea which cannot rest Esay 57. 21. No winds abroad cause an Earthquake but what wind is inclosed in the bowels of the earth no outward pressures can so torment as this inward horror the wind within causeth the Gollick paines not all the winds blustering about our ears but that little wind though it make no noise that is shut up in the bowels and pent up that wrings and tortures the body what are all the paines of body to the gripes and gnawing and wringings of an accusing disquieted Conscience This is the heart that continually meditates Terror to it self there is no darkenesse Paena autem vehemens multo saevior illis quas Caeditius gravis invenit Rhadamantus nocte dieque suum gestare in pectore Testem Ju. 1 Tim. 5. 24. 2 Sam. 13. 13. 1 King 2. 44. Gen. 42. 22 or shadow of death like his blacknesse of darkenesse He flies from the Iron weapon and the bow of steele shall strike him thorow The glistering sword cometh out of his gall all darkenesse is hid in hir secret place a fire not blowne shall consume him Job 20. 24 25 26. His sins have now found him out and are going before him to judgement whither he himself shall shortly follow I whither shall I go saith he to his offended Conscience where shall I leave my sin and shame and Conscience againe replies thou knowest all the evill that thy heart is privy too as Solomon said to Shemei nay saith Conscience you would not hear me as Reuben said to his brethren did I not speak to you and tell you then you must take what follows you have troubled Conscience and Conscience will trouble thee Men make light of the checks and admonitions of Conscience while they are in pursuit of sin and amidst their prosperity but when distress and anguish comes to take hold of them how do they cry out Oh Conscience Conscience Oh that I had hearkened to Conscience as it said of Rich Craesus who glorying in his wealth Solon told him that no man could reckon himself happy till he saw his end Craesus regarded not till being overcome by Cyrus and condemned to be burnt to death then he remembred what Solon had said to him and in the fire he cryed out Oh Solon Solon being asked what he meant he told them now he thought of Solons words and found them true and repented that he had made no more use of them when time was 3. It speaks terror to such as have an unwakened unsensible and sleepy Conscience no Lethargie so dangerous and near to death Gelidae est quasi mortis imago The Lethargick sleepy stupid Conscience is the most hopelesse Conscience that can be The dumb deaf silent speechlesse bedrid Conscience is the most desperate disease in the world The Physitian cures the Lethargy by a feaver if he can cast his patient into one and let me tell thee it is better God should cast thee into a hot burning feaver of Conscience by any affliction or horror whatsoever then that thou shouldest go sleeping and snoring to Hell It is not a more certaine token of death approaching to the body when you see speech gone eyes set in the head breath failing feeling lost pulse stopping excrements coming away unawares that such a one is drawing on to his Grave Then when you see the eyes of Conscience set feeling gone checks cease Heart-smiting done all Sins perpetrated yet the Soul lies wallowing in his noysome Excrements that such a Soul is drawing on to the Chambers of Hell The body of the former sleeps but his 2. Pet. 2. 3. Death slacks not the Soul of the latter sleeps too But his Judgement and Damnation slumbers not but is hastening upon him 4. It speaks Terror again to such as are already fallen or are entring into that disease called by Divines Vastatio Conscientiae the wasting or Consumption of Conscience the worst Consumption Such a Disease as the Phisitian meddles with none so bad This if not very timely prevented and stayed turns ever into one of those two desperat and incurable Diseases thou wilt either be stricken with a cold benumming Palsie or Lethargie and so be half dead while thou art alive or into a raging and desperate Phrensy it turns which will make thee be half in Hell while thou art alive The one was Nabals disease who was stricken with it that he became as cold hard and livelesse as a stone and was no better than a breathing Clot and so he died and is much like that Plague threatned Zach. 14. 12. where the flesh rots and consumes upon their feet while they stand their eyes consume away in their holes and their tongues in their mouthes so that they have neither sight nor tast nor speech nor motion yet living Death it self were to be chosen before such a Life The other was Joram's disease whom God smote in his Bowels with an incurable disease of which he lay in great extreamity for two years space and at last his very Bowels 2. Chron. 21. 19. fell out by reason of his sicknesse day by day and so he died in great horrour of whom may be said as was said to Maximinus that Tyrant and bloudy Persecutor when swarms of Lice did Gender in his diseased putrified body dayly did crawl about him that no Physitian could endure to come near him divers of them being slain because for the filthy stink they could not endure his presence others slain because they could find no means to cure him one of the Physitians then spake plainly to him and told him Nec est humanus iste Morbus nec medicis curatur It is not a naturall disease but a Divine stroke of Gods hand it is past the Physitians skill to deal with it CHAP. XXIII Of the Vse of Consolation ANd here we cannot but Proclaim the Happiness and commend the Wisdome of those blessed Souls that in this crooked and perverse Generation have made the better part their Choise and Care viz. to get and keep the good Conscience that Conscience void of offence before God and men that have preferred Purity of Conscience before Liberty and have studied Vprightnesse while others have studied Policy and fleshly wisdome These are like the few Names in Sardis who had not defiled their Garments
upon the soul A man well bred at first looks upon sin as importable once overtaken sin is not now importable but onely Primo importabile processu temporis grave paulo post leve postea placet dulce est Ad extremum quod erat impossibile ad faciendum est impossibile ad continendum Bern. de cons c. 3. Ex voluntate perversa facta est consuetudo dum consuetudini non resistitur facta est necessitas Aug. Conf. l. 8. heavy next time sin is not heavy at all but easie a while after not easie onely but light next time sweet and pleasant afterwards custome becomes another nature and what was importable at first to be committed is impossible at last to be avoided And Austin tels us a story of his mother who by sipping a little wine at first when she filled the cup came by degrees to be a tipling Gossip and to take her whole cups at last Qui modica spernit paulatim decidit he saith upon it Despise small sins and thou art gone Ad illum modicum quotidiana modica addendo in eam consuetudinem lapsa erat ut propè iam plenos mero caliculos inhianter hauriret Conf. lib. 9. 2. Take heed again of adventuring upon one greater sinfull act I say any one sinfull act deliberately presuming upon Gods Remission and thy own Repentance saying I shall have peace though I do this Such one act may for ever shut Conscience out of doors taking away the life and sense of it and ever after shut thee out of Consciences doors taking from thee its former peace It was but one deliberate act of sin that threw the Angels to all Eternity out of Heaven and chained them up in everlasting chains of darknesse That one sin deliberately committed by our first Parents against an expresse Precept cast them out of Paradise and caused the Cherubim and flaming sword to be set at the gate for ever denying any recovery re-entry See what became of Judas when he had once projected in his heart that prodigious act of murder and treason and was resolved to make good his bloudy engagement to the Priests He is now at present with Christ and his Disciples yet intendeth anon to be with the High-Priests He takes the Sop from Christ now and resolves the same hand shall take the High-Priests money too He hath a bag that can hold all that Christ can give and Satan offer Oh Lucifer how art thou fallen Oh Judas how art thou running headlong to destruction Judas what if Christ should disclaim thee for ever as he did for a son of perdition All those which thou gavest me have Joh. 17. I kept hut that one which is lost Judas what if thou shouldest be given over to Satan that thou shalt never repent Judas what if God should give thee over that though thou repent thou shalt not be received to mercy that thou and thy money and thy repentance perish together and God swear in his wrath that thou shalt never enter into his Rest The like you may see in Ananias and Sapphira who having deliberately concluded to try the Spirit of God in the Apostles never were called to Repentance after But when Peter had rebuked them with their sin Why hath Satan filled your heart they died in their sin 3. Take heed of living under or following after a loose and cold man-pleasing Ministery which preacheth liberty not strictnesse of Conscience which soweth pillows under thine Arm-holes and layeth feather-beds under thy feet to tread upon cries Peace Peace so that none departeth from his sinfull way The voice of a faithfull Preacher Esa 40. 3. Esa 58. 1. Ecc. 12. 11. is the voice of a Cryer His sound the sound of a Trumpet his words like sharp nails and piercing Goads his preaching is heart-pricking his dividing the Text and Doctrine the Heb. 4. 12 13. dividing of the Spirit and Marrow and cutting down the Back-bone and he layes all open This is the best Ministery that which is sharper than the two-edged sword and discovers the thoughts of the heart and makes the man quake and tremble and fall down before the word and cry out God is here of a truth Our blessed Saviour who had the Tongue of the learned to speak the word Esay 50. 4. Esa 49. 2. Psal 45. 2. Rev. 1. 14. Mal. 3. 2. Es 11. 4. in season to him that was weary was also as a polished shaft and his mouth as a sharp sword He who had grace poured into his lips and spake so as never man did his eyes were as a flame of fire and his comming into his Temple none was able to abide He was as a Refiners fire and the Fullers soap and with the breath of his lips he did slay the wicked The Prophets of old the Apostles in their time and all Godly Ministers since have been sons of Thunder their work hath been to fall roundly upon Conscience They have applyed all their engines to batter downe or take in this strong hold for Christ They have laid siege to the disobedient and refractory Conscience sought to Block it up to take away all provisions from it to force it to yeeld and call out for mercy They have surrounded Jericho's high walls day after day sounding with their Trumpets till they have fallen downe flat to the ground that Joshuah might enter as a Conqueror They still sought by loud and uncessant Alarums to startle the secure Conscience to awaken the sleepy to burne the seared to terrifie the obdurate And the only care they had was to comfort the afflicted to Josh 6 22. Heb. 11 31 quiet the troubled to strengthen the weake Conscience And to rescue one beleeving Rahab from perishing among thousands of them that beleeved not These were the weapons of the old ministeriall Warfare These the Stratagemes of Christ and his servants to undermine and blow up Satans Kingdom and to pressemen into the Kingdome of Heaven But this Age will not endure this kinde of preaching no more then the Israelites could indure the shrill sound of the Trumpet sounding loudder and louder and that terrible fire and Heb. 12. 19 20 that voice of words which they desired they might heare no more off We must have no legall teaching we Soft and Effaeminate Rehoboam must have young and complying Counsellors of his owne humour The Samaritan must not come with his Wine to search and cleanse and wash but onely with his gentle Oyle to heale and comfort Physitians of no value Say not this is to preach Christ Jesus free Grace the Kingdome of Heaven Gospell Promises Priviledges Is the Son of peace there Are thy hearers Loaden Weary Luk. 4. 18 Pricked Wounded Bruised Sick When the Gospell Commission was first opened the instructions were to preach the Gospel Es 61. 1. 2. to the poore to heale the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives recovering of sight to the blind to
set at liberty them that are bruised to proclaim the acceptable yeare of the Lord. And withall to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God But it is noted of them that blessed the people they caused them to erre and they who were so blessed were destroyed Christ commanded repentance to be preached and Es 9. 16. then remission of sinnes to be promised And Lu 24. 47 Acts 20. Paul tells us all his Doctrine was bound up in two Chapters The first repentance towards God The second faith in Jesus Christ But Luther tells us he observed two sorts Theologus Crucis dicit id quod res est Theologus gloriae dicit malum bonum bonum malum of Divines in his time there was one the poore Divine whom he called Theologus Crucis the Divine for the Cross he saith Luther preacheth plainly and tells men how things stand The other Divine is Theologus Gloriae the Divine for the Crowne for preferment Praise The Glorious Divine This saith he is a dangerous and unsound Divine he calls evill good and darknesse light And Luthers prayer was that God would deliver his Church from such glorious A theologo gloriae pastore contentioso â—nutilibus questionibus liberet suam Ecclesiam Dominus Luther Divines The men of thy peace said Obadiah v. 7. Have deceived thee and prevailed against thee they of thy bread have laid a wound under thee c. See therefore if thou wishest well to thy soul whom thou must chuse for thy minister him that is most faithfull most powerfull whose fan is in his hand who is a conscience-convincing a Conscience-scouring and searching man such a one is like to be well skilled in the art of curing and comforting Conscience who seekes to discover the diseases and maladyes of Conscience Affect that ministry then that speaketh more to thy heart then to thy fancy that preacheth more to thy Conscience then thy concupiscence and whose Preaching driveth more at Purity then Liberty But in these dayes how few are found who at all stand upon the ministry of the Word what it is whether Preaching or non-Preaching whether sound or unsound Preaching Heretofore the question was Where dwels the Seer Now a dayes if any be to make a remove and to change his 1 Sam. 9. 9 18. dwelling They make Lots choice enquiring what the Earth is for their Cattle not Gen. 13. 10 what the Ayre is for their Soules and so prefer a Sodom before a Canaan or doe as the Num. 32. 4. 5. Reubenites who because of their Cattle and little ones desired to sit downe on the other side of Jordan though they were further off from the Tabernacle and Temple preferring a Bashan before Jerusalem And if any doe at all regard the Preaching Minister yet how doe they then for the most part make choice of that Ministery that will prophecie to them of Peace and speake smooth things In the first dayes of the Gospell when Christ was new borne there were some Mat. 2. Christian-Gentiles the wise men who that they might finde our Saviour observed diligently the direction of that moving Star of Heaven which went before them and when that not seene enquired for further directions from the standing Stars on Earth the Scriptures they followed both and so were conducted to the place where Christ was whom they found saw and worshipped But now in these last dayes of the Gospel wee have some whom we may call Gentile-Christians who neither regard the moving Stars the Ministers or the standing fixed Stars the Scriptures But without both these Rev. 2. 1. finde out new wayes and follow strange new lights as those who when the Son of man was to be betrayed into the hands of men followed a false Apostle with Lanthorns Torches Fire-brands and weapons as if they meant not to worship but apprehend Christ The former did finde these lost Christ They did honour these put him to open shame they Deify These Crucifie him they Adore these Destroy him They opened their Treasures and give him all they had these strip Christ of all he hath They usherd him into his Kingdome and into the hearts of the Godly these drive him out of the world they prefer'd an Infant obscure Christ before a King before Herod these prefer before a Grown Known and a now famous Messias an Infamous flagitious Barabas About a seven yeares agoe both Parliament and people came in the language of Act. 16. 9. Macedonia to the Godly Ministers come over and helpe us and then they were received Jam. 5. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Joh. Baptist among the Jewes or S. Paul among the Galathians as an Angell of God or as he and Barnabas at Act. 14 12 Lycaonia once one was Jupiter another Mercury The double honour was then thought but due There is since a sad change som where that the same men should be looked upon as the chiefe troublers of Israel now made a spectacle to the world Angels 1 Cor. 4. 9 11 12 13. and Men esteemed rather disesteemed as the off scouring of all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is well enough The disciple is no worse yet then his master nor the servant then his Lord. Yet if dust might speak to dust and the Thistle in Labonon say any thing at all to the Cedar in Lebanon I would say that there seemes to me to be more danger to the men of this Generation from the silent dust of the feet of the despised Godly ministers who Jer. 17. 16 neither fight nor threaten nor yet desire the evill day then from all the armed hands and enraged hearts of the most desperate malignants which though they breath out slaughter and cruelty have been but like the Es 7 4 smoaking Tayles of easily quenched fire-brands 4 Take great heed to him whom thou makest thy bosome freind know him well and Oh nimis inimica amicitia Aug. know him to be good Mans wisedome is not seen in any one thing more then in making choice of his company and friend Ill acquaintance hath undone many The instance in the Text tells us how one sinner destroyes much good One corrupt man corrupts another Hymenaeus and Alexander coupled Vvaque livorem conspecta ducit ab uvâ. together They had one infected the other Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2. 17. Phygellus and Hermogenes More ill couples still Alexander it is likely marred Hymenaeus Hymenaeus marres Philetus and so comes the Gangrene Gen. 7. 2 to spread Evill persons and seducers as Noabs unclean Beasts go together in couples Simeon Levi brethren in evill Ananias and Sapphira conspire together Amnon had never accomplished his bestial unclean Lust if he had not had the head of Jehonadab to set him in the way Jehonadab was a very subtle man it 2 Sam 13. 3 is said Oh come not into the way of the sinner nor enter