to sinne we should be willing to ride or goe or be at charges nay we should be willing to deny our selves to lay downe our names and goods and friends and respects and all that we have at Christs foot and blesse God that gives us such a price in our hands But now to have a dead heart to this what a horrible thing is it though we doe take the opportunity yet to goe about it as though we were sorry that God hath given it unto us This is meere folly as Solomon sayes wherefore is there a price in the hand of a foole to get wisdome seeing he hath no heart to it Prov. 17. 16. But I will not repeat any more you see now that a dead Christian is as good as no Christian at all I shewed you the reasons of this point but I will let them passe I come now to the uses And first this is for the reproof of the deadnesse that is now among us the Lord may say to us as he did unto Sardis I know thy workes thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead for notwithstanding the great means of life that the Lord hath placed among us O how does deadnesse of heart reigne we are like them the Prophets speakes of that drew nigh to God with their mouth and honoured him with their lips but their heart was far from him Matth. 15. 8. they had no heart to his holy worship So it is with most of us we draw nigh to God with our outward man but our heart is farre from him no heart to prayer no heart to the word we heare it peradventure but no heart to it at all how ordinarily doe we come to Gods house but heartlesnes hath dominion over the most of us the doctrine of the Gospell does not quicken up our hearts we deale with it as Phinehas his wife did with her Sonne when the women about her told her she had a Sonne the text sayes she did not regard it So what little regard have we of the Gospell of God! I stretched out my hands and no man would regard Prov. 1. tell us of our damned estate by nature how cursed we are from the wombe what infinite need we have to be sensible of it we know it but how dead is our knowledge of it it does not stirre up our hearts to consider of it neither does it prick us so much as the pricking of a pin tell us of the the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ his precious bloud his passion and merits whose heart is enlivened and quickened up by them nay our soules are hardly moved at all at the hearing of them Tell us of the Kingdome of heaven the marriage Supper of the lamb his Oxen and his fatlings O they are all ready come Sirs come to the marriage we are even as they in the parable they made light of it Matth. 22. 5. these things are made as if they were of no moment as if they were light matters they finde poore entertainement at our hands what little irk somnesse do we feele in sinne what little dejectednesse of heart what little remorse of conscience nay few know by experience what humiliation meanes we can confesse in our prayers how vile we are and how unworthy and how wretched and sinnefull but as though these were words of course our hearts are so dead that there is little or no relenting at it we can say we are undone if God doe not heare us our prayers are all nothing except they be with faith and life and yet who strives to awaken and rowze up himselfe we can say O how are we beholding to God for life for health for his daily good providence for his patience his bounty and we can say it is not the bare naming of his Blessings before him that is counted thanksgiving without being affected with his infinite goodnesse and yet who does unseignedly labour to be affected with them from day to day no body of us dares deny but that we should set the Lord alwayes before us tthat he may be at our right hand and yet who hath the heart to provoke this hereunto The devill may be of their right hand not God for all the pains that they take to have him there So that dead-heartednes is a common evill now a dayes as Christ saies of the last times Because iniquity shall abound The love of many shall waxe Cold Matth 24. 12. so it is now because iniquity abounds the most are prophane and dissolute and licentious and loose therefore many that profession love to Jesus Christ their love does grow cold and dead no life heardly at all no signe that they are alive from the dead if they doe beleeve after a manner there 's all they doe not live in Jesus Christ if they have any hope of mercy or heaven that 's all they have it is not a lively hope that may quicken them up in Gods holy wayes if they doe see their sinnes there 's the utmost it is a dead sight that does not excite them up unto strictnesse and precisenesse of living if they doe follow good and godly duties alas there be few that doe so but if they doe goe so farre it is cleane without heart and life as though any thing would serve Gods turne well enough what a horrible thing i' st when a dead Christian is as good as no Christian all No matter how many Christians we have alas none of us are true but such as are alive from the dead Secondly is it so that a dead Christian is even as good as no Christian at all then learne hence my Brethren what a dangerous thing it is to be a dead hearted Christian First all that we doe with a dead heart 't is as good as nothing as Paul sayes of love had we all faith and all knowledge yet if we have not love we are nothing 1 Cor. 13. 2. Whatsoever we doe if we doe not doe it out of love all 's nothing so I may say of life whatsoever good duty we doe if we doe not doe it with life it is but a dead worke and therefore it is no more then nothing when the prophet David would doe good duties so as to doe them to good purpose indeed you shall see how he labours against a dead heart Quicken me after thy loving kindnesse so shall I keepe the Testimony of thy mouth Psal 119. 88. so we may say too Lord quicken me after thy loving kindnesse so shall I preach so shall I heare so shall I doe thy holy will so shall I goe up and downe doing good now as long as a man does it with a dead heart it is even all one as if a man had not done it at all a dead man is no man as the Apostle sayes God quickens the dead and calls things that are not marke dead things are no things so dead workes are no workes as Solomon sayes There is
unto the Angell of the Church in Sardis write these things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres THese words contain the Description of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom this Epistle is sent unto the Church in Sardis and in particular to the Minister there who is here called the Angell of the Church in that place And the description does instance in two royalties of our Saviour Jesus Christ First That hee hath the seven Spirits of God that is he hath the Holy Ghost and all his spirituall graces in his hands to give to whomsoever hee pleases for the quickning of them and the sanctifying of them that if any of his members want spirit or any spirituall good hee hath it for them These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God This wee handled the last day Now wee proceed to the second Royalty of our Lord Jesus Christ That hee hath the seven Starres hee speaks of the seven Churches of Asia Christ hath all their Ministers in his hands and hee calls them starres First because the starres doe direct It s a great help when Mariners can see a starre in a dark night When Paul and they that sailed with him could see neither Sun nor Starre the company were without all hope of comming safe to Land Act. 27. 20. they knew not what to doe when there was not a starre to bee seen The starres serve for direction in the night So good Ministers are for direction unto people they serve to direct people to Christ Like the starre in the East When the Wisemen saw the starre they rejoyced with exceeding great joy Matth. 2. 10. that starre directed them to Christ it went before them all the way and shewed them where to finde Christ so a poore soule rejoyces to finde a godly Minister O thinks hee he is a starre to direct mee to Christ Secondly Because the starres doe shine so good Ministers doe shine forth and hold out a light to give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Yee are the light of the world sayes Christ Matth. 5. 14. when a man sits in a dark house hee cannot see to doe any thing but if one come and open a window or a casement and letteth in light now hee may see to goe about his businesse so Beloved people that dwell in dark Parishes where no sound Ministery of the Word is they know not what to doe to bee saved they erre they wander they grope they stumble and fall they see not how to bee godly and happy for evermore But when a faithfull Minister comes now light is let in and those that have a minde to goe to Heaven now they may see the way thither so that in this sense too Ministers are starres Thirdly Because starres have influence upon these inferiours bodies as God sayes of the Pleiades and Orion which are a company of starres in the heavenly Orbe Canst thou binde the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion Job 38. 31. the starres have influences into things here below The Pleiades open the earth they make herbes and flowres grow the spring is when they arise once Trees begin to sprout and the plants do waxe green Orion it produces cold the Winter comes when that shews it self the starres have a great influence into sublunary bodies so it is with Ministers Bad Ministers are like the starres of Orion they serve to coole peoples hearts and dead them to all goodnesse But good Ministers are as the starres of Pleiades no soule can have any minde in him to that which is good but they doe exceedingly help and further they quicken the heart they warme and fructisie the soules of Gods Elect. Againe the Starres doe hang high so the Ministers of Christ are set high they hang high that all the people may have the benefit of their glistering Zachany calls them the Prophets of the most High And thou childe shalt bee called the Prophet of the most High Luk. 1. 76. But I have handled this Point in effect when I spake of Ministers being Angels and therefore I will omit it now Thus yee see the Ministers are starres Now hee calls them seven because hee speaks of seven Congregations Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea Seven Churches seven Congregations and every one had their severall stars Whence wee see that every Parish should have a particular faithfull Minister Paul appointed Titus to ordain Elders in every City Tit. 1. 5. The Apostles ordained Pastours and Elders in every Church Act. 14. 23. So it was in the time of the Law as the Text sayes Moses of old time hath in every City them that Preach being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day Act. 15. 21. The Reason is first because those Towns that have not a faithfull Ministery in it generally doe all perish I doe not deny but some soules in such blinde places may come otherwise to bee converted and saved but generally they perish for ever that live in such places as the Evangelist sayes of Galile True they had sorry Priests but they had not a faithfull Ministery sayes hee The people sate there in the region and shadow of death Matth. 4. 16. that is till they had a better Ministery they were in a damnable estate So that it is a pitifull thing when any Town or Parish are without a faithfull Ministery no starre of Heaven shining among them Secondly because when people have no faithfull Minister of their own generally they care not for removing of their dwelling neither will they goe a mile or two for the meanes they content themselves with what fare they have at home though it starve them to death Like the people under the false Prophets they liked them well enough My people love to have it so Jer. 5. 31. Nay they love such prophets better than them that would deale plainly with them Nay there bee many that when they have a faithfull Minister at home will bee sneaking out to a drunken Minister abroad they would rather live under such a one Thirdly Another Reason why every Church should have its particular Starre every congregation had need of a faithfull Ministery of their own Because if there be any godly Soule or any one that desires the salvation of his Soule and lives under a blinde guide hee cannot goe out without giving very great offence it will bee thought a giddinesse and a flighting of their own Minister at home now if every Parish had a sound Ministery in it this would not bee When people came out of every Parish round about unto John they had no Pastour of their own but they came flocking unto John no question but this bred heart-burning against John I and ill-will against those
know all thy workes i I know them to be all starke naught Some thinke this is an allusion to the Minister of Sardis his name who they say was called Zosing that is Living Thou hast a name that thou livest but the truth is thou art dead whether that be so or no I know not but this is the meaning of the words that both the Minister and the Church seemed to be alive towards God hee to be a very good and godly Minister and they very good and godly hearers they were all professors they were all very devout and forward in all their duties of Religion to see to Thou hast a name that thou livest By name is meant a meere name as wee see by the clause following and art dead for when a man is dead the name to live must needs be a meere Name First a Name in regard of themselves they tooke themselves to be alive as Paul had a name to live before his conversion while yet hee was a Pharisee hee had then a name to live I was alive without the Law once Rom. 7. 9. That is I had a name to live then I taking my selfe to be alive I thought verily in those dayes that I had true Grace true Faith and true Hope and true Love and the true feare of God before my eyes So this Church had a name to live they thought themselves to be alive Secondly a name in regard of other godly Churches others in the judgement of Charity conceived they were alive as the Scribes the Pharisees our Saviour Christ told them they had a name to live Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for yee are like unto whited Sepulchers which indeed appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones Matthew 23. 27. that is yee seeme to be alive yee have a name to live but indeed yee are dead They had such a great name to live that our Saviour Christ had much a doe to keepe his owne Disciples from over-weening of them beware of them sayes hee q. d. what ever yee may thinke they have a meere Name to live Thirdly a name among poore ignorant and simple people yee know there be abundant of poore simple people that are led away with shewes that know not what true Religion is nay may be hate it but yet they are led away with the shew of it now they that seeme to be religious they are the onely Men and Women with such they are held for the only good people in a Country they are admired poore silly people take them for their Ghostly Fathers if they can have but their Prayers they thinke their Prayers can do much when they are sick they love a life to have such by their bedsides they give them a great deale of comfort like Absulom that comforted the people that came to him O your matters are good so the Apostle shewes that they that had a sorme of godlinesse had a name to live among a company of poore silly people 2 Tim. 3. 5. 6. Fourthly a name among the persecutors of Religion and so they are persecuted too among them that live indeed for mockers take them to be of the same number So Alexander the Coppersmith had a name a great while and the enemies of goodnesse persecuted him even as Paul so Demas for a time had a name and was persecuted as well as the Apostle till afterwards hee was weary and forsooke him This is one of your Precisians this is one of you purer people this is one of them that call themselves the people of God These are the people of the Lord Ezek. 36. 20. as a Bat hath a name to be a Mouse and so the Birds persecute it and cannot abide it Now the point of Doctrine is this that it is a horrible thing to rest in a meere name of being Religious it is the argument that Christ uses to prove that Sardis workes were all starke naught because they had a meere name to live so when the Lord would declare how the Jewes were growne to be starke naught hee layes this to their charge that they had onely a name to bee his people They call themselves of the holy City and stay themselves upon the God of Israel the Lord of Hosts is his name Isaiah 48. 2. that is they got themselves a name to bee his people and there was all they had not the thing it selfe but they tooke the name thus hee proved them to bee starke naught The reasons are first because this is to be farthest off from Religion religion is a reall thing and therefore he that rests in having the name of it is farthest off from it as Christ sayes of Nathaniel Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile Ioh. 1. 47. so when a man is religious indeed humble indeed feares God indeed this is religion when a man is freed indeed from his sinnes and from the power of them this is religion if the Sonne shall make you free ye shall be free indeed Joh. 8. 36. Now when a man hath only the name he is farthest off from this Religion is a reall solid and a substantiall thing as Iohn sayes my little children let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth 1 Joh. 3. 18. what though a man have the name to love God and goodnesse how farre is this off from doing of it indeed a man may goe for one that is converted but he is converted that is converted indeed so he is godly that is godly indeed the name is nothing where the thing is wanting all religion is in deed to believe indeed to deny a mans selfe every day indeed to be sensible of God indeed in all ones waies not to say ones prayers but to pray indeed to give God thankes indeed to worship him indeed as Paul sayes when a man can say God is in us indeede 1 Corinthians 14. 25. when a man hath onely the name this is a meere fancy and conceit Secondly it is a very blasphemy to get the name for good people when wee are not good people indeed the reason is this Religion hath an inward dependance upon God it unites a man to God it hath an internall relation unto God it puts a man in a propriety with God that God is his God that hee is borne of God it puts the very Name of God upon a man now if a man take the name with out the thing it must neede bee a very blasphemy as hee sayes I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Iewes and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan Revelations 2. 9. as if a man should say hee were of the blood royall yee know the blood royall hath such a dependance on the Crowne that that man that should say hee were of the blood royall and is not hee must needes blaspheme the King So beloved Religion hath a neere dependance on God
was Sauls judgement of him Thus the Saints have a nick name put on them the World thinkes they are Hypocrites and that they have sinister ends in what they doe and whereas they make such a shew it is but in Hypocrisy that they may deceive and that they may have a Name for Religious people so that the World would faine put downe the having of a Name But that is a Devillish use wee must not make such a use of this point No the Lord does not finde fault with Sardis for having of a Name that they lived but that they had this Name when as they were dead if they had beene alive the Name to be alive had beene well well then what use must wee make of this point The First Use then is this to shew the misery of the Church of Rome which hath a Name to live and in their owne judgement and a great part of Christendome is the onely true Church but in the judgement of God it is dead and therefore starke naught some say its a body full of diseases and whose throat is cut but yet the heart pants and life is therein But the truth is it s starke dead and hath no manner of spirituall life What though they have the Sacrament of Baptisme so had Edom circumcision and yet they were never counted a Church of God And what 's a Seale to a blanke what though they have the Scriptures among them and the Articles of our Creede that does not make a Church for Ptolomy and all Aegypt had the Bible and yet that did not make them a Church if the Scriptures might have their owne sense it were another matter but they oterturne it with their exposition and make it in their sense to be a fardell of Doctrine of Divels and what though Antichrist bee said to sit in the Temple of God yet his Body is a Synagogue of Satan There is no life in that Church But to come neerer to our selves This may bee said of them of our Churches too and of our Congregations they have onely a Name to live though wee might live well enough for wee have the Doctrine of Life in many places yet in regard of our conversations for the most part wee may say it is but onely a Name For how does sinne reigne among us everywhere Coveteousnesse Profanesse fulnesse of Bread Lust Security as it were in Noahs time deadnesse of heart Formality now where such sinnes doe abound there the power of godlinesse must needs bee away generally our Assemblies content themselves with an outward profession if they goe so farre they have but a Name to live True wee are a Church so was Sardis though shee had hardly any thing but a Name yet shee was a Church as Saint John shewes washed in the Bloud of Jesus Christ Revelations 1. 4 5. for they had a few Names that were so but the body had onely a bare name so it is with us wee are not nullifyed from being a Church for God hath his chosen among us though they bee very few here one and there one that live indeede and in truth yet the Bodies and Bulkes of our Congregations have onely a Name if that no Discipline no good Order no thorough Reformation nay Cages of uncleane Birds nay such as professe better then the multitude little better then titular and morall Christians Nay are not all things almost growne to bee a sole Name What is the Preaching almost but the bare Name of Preaching For conversion of Soules where is it the pulling people out of the Kingdome of Satan where it it a thousand Sermons may be and hardly one wrought upon wee may be sayd to be fishermen but it is turned only into a name for when doe we catch any So for hearing of the Word True it is very common and yet not so common as it ought to bee for many care little whether they heare or no. But that that is there 's hardly ought left but the Name for who heares with trembling who mingles his hearing with faith who drinkes the Word as the Earth doth the Raine who does what hee heares without which all hearing is no better then an empty Name So for comming to the Sacrament is not that made a name too setting a side the Name of a Sacrament now and then what have wee else who feeds upon Jesus Christ who comes to the increasing of his Faith who hath Faith at all that it may bee increased Who comes to it with preparednesse who sits at the Lords Table with a Wedding Garment who goes away nourished up any more unto eternall Life without the which all our Sacraments are but naturall things So for holy Conference unlesse it bee the Name of it what is there of the thing it selfe left may bee a few cursory words of goodnesse before wee part but no quickning of one another up no exhorting of one another no comforting of one another or admonishing one another nay wee are growne to bee ashamed of these duties and for Prayer but that wee take Cushions and fall downe on our Knees and say a company of Confessions and Petitions there is little else done Come wee to the Graces of Gods Holy Spirit without the which a man is Dead in trespasses and in sins c. as Faith Repentance peace of Conscience and Love c. Secondly another use is of terror against us doe wee thinke that the Lord will endure this at our hands Hee hath endured it too too long but Hee will not suffer it alwayes Hee hath a Spirituall thunder-clappe that Hee lets slye against this sinne The vile person shall bee no more called liberall nor the Churle bee said to bee bountifull Isaiah 32. 5. That is the Lord will unmaske all such persons Hee will plucke of all their Names and they shall have a Name fit for their natures and Hee will doe this First in their owne Consciences if wee will not bee awakened to bee as wee have a Name to bee the LORD will make our owne Consciences to call us Reprobates as wee are and then what will our Name doe us good when our owne Consciences shall tell us wee are naught and condemne us in our Bosomes what shall wee bee the better for our Neighbours judging well of us Our Neighbours may bee thinke wee Pray well what a poore thing is this when Conscience shall say no our Neighbours may hope wee stand upon good ground when Conscience shall say no Men call us godly and Conscience shall say nay but yee are not What a shame was it to the Iewes when they were convicted by their owne Consciences Joh. 8. 9. It is not the Name of joy and holinesse that will give their Consciences true Peace no no Conscience knowes another name is sit for us Unbeliefe and Ungodlinesse and Hardnesse of Heart Secondly againe Hee will doe it in the judgement of others if wee rest in a Name the Lord will
Joh. 1. 4. in him we live and move and have our being and therefore it is a great sinne not to be thankfull to him for our naturall life David blesses God for his naturall life very often life is a very great blessing a poor thing that hath life a living dog is better then a dead Lyon A man will give skinne for skinne and all that he hath for his life I am sure many of us may be very glad of life for if it were gone now we should be in hell and therefore we had need to make much of our naturall life yea every houre of it least we dye before we be converted and brought home to God But this is not the life that we doe speake of we speak of spirituall life and God is the author of that more especially when a man is alive towards God he is the onely cause of it He spiritually moveth our hearts by the holy Ghost and begets us againe after a strange and an inessable manner by joyning his spirit to our spirits his minde to our mindes and his will to our willes he revives all the powers of the soule with his presence and therefore this life is called the life of God which the world are strangers to and aliens from being alienated from the life of God Eph. 4. 18. so likewise it is called the life of Iesus 2 Cor. 4. 11. He onely is the author of it Thus ye see the efficient cause of it Secondly the Instrumentall cause of this life is true faith this is the ligament that couples this life and a man together that now he is said to be a living man ye know God is the onely living God they that are not united unto him remaine in the congregation of the dead now faith unites a man unto him faith is the having of him He that hath the Sonne hath life and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life 1 Joh 5. 12. when a man cleaves unto God by a true and lively faith this man hath life as Moses sayes That thou mayst love the Lord thy God and that thou mayst obey his voyce and that thou mayst cleave unto him for he is thy life Deut. 30. 20. Though a man hath not that strong faith that some have whereby he hath a cleare evidence of Gods love and favour in Jesus Christ though a man have not this faith yet if he have a faith of adherence and cleaving unto God this man is a living Christian this man is joyned unto the true life This is the true God and even life and therefore whosoever cleaves to him hath life if he will not away from him he will still seeke him still pray unto him still make him his refuge though he have no feelings that is not it if a man will never give over seeking of God He beleeves God is the fountaine of all life and peace and grace and comfort and Gods way is the onely way he beleeves himselfe is a cursed wretch in himselfe and that all hope is in Christ now if this man have such a faith whereby he adheres though with never so much weaknesse this man is a live This is the faith whereby a Christian lives as Paul sayes the life that I live I live by the faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2. 20. Thus ye see the Instrumentall cause of it Thirdly now for the parts of it The parts of it are three The first part is the life of Justification ye know every man by nature is a dead man as a malefactour that hath committed an offence that is death by mans Law we say he is a dead man so we have all offended God from the womb which is death by Gods Law and therefore we are dead men now when God hath justified a man freely by his grace when God hath given him a pardon in Christ Jesus now he is a live man and therefore Justification as ye heard is called Iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. now beloved this life is not in the man that does live but in Christ that he lives by this life supposeth no life in this party no it lookes upon him as a dead man in himself But God counts him alive in Jesus Christ as the Apostles sayes Christ is our life Col. 3. 4. q d this life is not in us but in Christ so that this life denominats aman alive as Christ denominated the demosel alive that was yet dead The Damosell is not dead sayes he Matth. 9. 24. ye know the Damosell was dead at that time when Christ said so and yet he said she was not dead because he had life for her she had life in him now when he raised her up then she had life in her too And so I come to the second part of this life and that is the life of Sanctification and this life is in him that doth live for though he were dead before to all goodnesse and holinesse and alive unto sinne yet now he is made dead unto sinne and alive unto God as the Apostle speakes likewise also reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. this life is called the life of grace and new obedience when a man is quickened up to all the wayes of God you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. and this is the quickening that I would faine open to you The third part of this life is the life of joy and comfort ye know when a mans eyes are opened to see his sinnes and his damned estate by reason of them the Law comes and that kils him his very heart dyeth in him now when God propounds to him a Saviour and causes him to beleeve in him this revives his heart againe this yeelds him some joy and comfort so that true joy is a life too we may see this in the Children of God let their joyes and comforts be all gone this makes them all amort this makes them very heavy and sad as if they had no life at all in them as the Church sayes Wilt thou not revive us againe that thy people may rejoyce in thee Psal 85. 6. Now my brethren all this is onely by way of preface to come then to the question what is it to be a quickened Christian a Christian that hath not onely a name to live but is dead dead towards God dead to all good duties no But is quickened up to them I answer that as death is taken in a metaphoricall sense when we say such a one is dead to God dead to the holy ordinances of God we doe not meane properly dead as if he were naturally dead and had no soule in his body but we take it in metaphoricall sense so is life here to be taken too namely for the activenesse of a thing when a thing is not active we use to say it is dead as
that it makes a man to doe his freely to accuse himselfe The just man first accuseth himselfe Prov. 18. 17. So it is in the Greek and the Latin Hast thou such a Conscience as this this is a lively Conscience when thy Conscience does not onely doe its duty to accuse thee for every sinne that thou dost but it makes thee to doe thine freely to accuse thy selfe before God a wicked Conscience may accuse I but it does not mak the man to do his duty he does not freely accuse himselfe it is onely forced in him it is with Coaction and Compulsion But it s free in Gods Children when Daniel went to confesse his sinnes before God the Text says he set himself to do it I set my face unto the Lord God Dan. 9. 3. that is his Conscience did not onely doe its duty in this thing but it made him to doe his Thirdly when it does not onely Condemne one for sinne for so the wicked have condemning Consciences as the Apostles says if our heart condemne us 1 John 3 20. that is if we be wicked as Paul sayes Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Tit. 3. 11. that is he is a very wicked Creature so that a wicked mans Conscience does Condemne But I meane when the Conscience does not onely condemne one for sinne it does not onely doe its owne duty in this thing but it makes the man to doe his it makes him trample upon himselfe as a damned wretch in himselfe to save God a labour as the Apostles speakes if we would judge our selves we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11. 31. when Conscience makes a man freely to accept of damnation thou shalt accept of thy punishment then I will remember my Covenant Levit 26. 41. 42. when it makes thee lay thy Neck on the block Lord the worst place in hell is too good for me I have often told you a story in the acts and monuments of the Church when Edward the first one of the Kings of England was a hunting and one of the standers by had displeased him the King rid after him with a drawne sword for to stab him the man runne away for his life the King rid over hedge and ditch to overtake him and when the man saw he had no way to escape he fell downe and held up his throat to the King if it please your Majesty here is my throat The King melting towards him shewed him mercy So when Conscience makes thee say Lord here is my throat here is my soule if it please thee thou maist send Satan to take it and carry it to hell with him Thou hast no way to escape therefore offer thy selfe unto God may be thy Conscience does Condemne thee alas that is not it thy Conscience does not its duty with any life till it make thee doe thine doest thou freely Condemne thy selfe accept of thy punishment lay thy head on the block does thy soule lye groveling before God this is a live Conscience Fourthly when it does not onely pull a man a dayes from sinne and Iniquity so it may doe with the wicked and the ungodly they feele many pulles every day and may be their Conscience makes them leave many particular sinnes though that 's very rare as the times now be but when the Conscience pulles a man forth of every knowne sinne when it so does its duty in this kinde that it makes thee to doe thine when thou pullest thy selfe withall detestation and loathing out of pride out of security out of unbelief out of heardnesse of heart out of formality and all this is a lively Conscience as Iob sayes my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job 27. 6. that is as my heart does its duty towards me so it shall make me doe mine I will yeeld to mine owne Conscience in every thing whatsoever sinne it tels me off I will be sure to set my selfe against it it shall not lie heaving at me and I never stirre then it would reproach me but it shall never reproach me so long as I live These are the lively acts of Conscience about sinne The lively effects whereof are foure The first is a penitent shame that ever a man should sin against God when Conscience does thus as ye have heard then it produces this effect that the man is ashamed before God as the Apostle sayes what fruit have you of those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 21. people are apt to be ashamed before men Diodorus Cronus when Stilpo askt him a ridiculous question and he could not answer him he was so ashamed that he fell downe starke dead he thought it was such a disgrace to be nonplust But if Conscience were alive and did doe its duty indeed it would make us ashamed for our sinnes before God Ezra was ashamed before God for the sinnes of the people I blush sayes he to lift up mine eyes unto thee when a man is Ignorant of God in Jesus Christ this should be a shame I speake this to your shame 1 Cor. 15. 34. that is if there be any grace in your hearts certainely ye will be ashamed that ye should have no more knowledge of God I say when the Conscience is alive against sinne it makes a man ashamed before God It shewes him his nakednesse before heaven it propounds God before his eyes seeing all his uncleanenesse and so it makes him ashamed before him doest thou Count it a disgrace to doe evill a disgrace to offend God a confusion of face to doe iniquity though it be never so secret Canst thou not looke upon thy unworthy dealings with God but it makes thee ashamed in his sight this is the effect of a living Conscience Secondly another effect is penitent griefe and compunction of heart ye may see this effect in the new converts they were prickt in their hearts Act. 2. 37. when their Conscience began to be alive to smite them for their sinnes to accuse them and Condemne them it grieved them exceedingly it went to the quick it was like a Dagger in their heart it prickt them it made them mourn for all that they had done True a naturall Conscience produces griefe ther 's nere a wretch but if his Conscience be awakened to Check him and accuse him and condemne him it will make him to grieve for his sinnes But this is onely legall and surly Now when the Conscience is alive to doe its duty as to make the man to doe his now it makes him grieve out of love to God out of love to grace and goodnesse now he grieves because he hath broken those Commandements that he loves he loves to obey God O it is the unfeigned desire of his soule to obey him and therefore he grieves that he hath done the Contrary Thirdly another effect is penitent feare It makes a man afraid to sin against God againe as the Apostle