of men Thus to order a mans conversation is to live sensually and not sincerely and therefore conscience gives testimony against this man and not with him and so consequently checks and curbs this joy and not causeth it conscience dampes this mirth much by griping the spirit now and then in the midst of laughter Spirituall joy is the soules rejoycing in God as reconciled in Christ Spirituall joy is the soules rejoycing in God c. Divine joy is therefore called spirituall because the subject of it is a spirit and the object of it is a spirit and all the manifestations of it spirituall The subject of divine joy is the spirit of man Divine joy doth not take onely the eare or the eye or the taste or the smell as carnall joy doth but the heart Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord Psal 105.3 The heart is broken for sinne and this is made to rejoyce in Gods mercy as a pardoner of sinne the same bones which are broken are made to rejoyce Make me to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thout hast broken may rejoyce Psal 51.8 Davids heart was so overcharged with sorrow that his bones were ready to breake in his body and in this he desired some divine refreshing that so all things out of order might be quieted and composed againe As sorrow is no sorrow unlesse it take the heart so joy is no joy unlesse it warme the Spirit And therefore saith David My soule shall be joyfull in the Lord it shall rejoyce in his salvation Psal 35.9 God doth honour that in man with joy with which man honours him by obedience now the soule of the upright obeyes God My Soule hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 19.167 and therefore God made Davids soule to rejoyce I delight to doe thy will O God yea thy Law is within my heart Psal 40.8 The Law of God was within Davids heart and therefore the joy of God was within his heart too Hypocrits doe not with their soules keepe Gods testimonies their righteousnesse is like Ephraims an outside righteousnesse that vanisheth and so answerably God giveth them an outside superficiall joy that soone vanisheth and perisheth They doe not set their hearts aright to obey God as David useth the expression Psal 78.8 and therefore God doth not tune and set their joy aright so that it jarres at the best their spirits and their faces are not alwaies merry together in the midst of laughter their hearts gripe them Divine joy takes the spirit of man wholly and oft-times immediately Divine joy takes the spirit of man wholly when at lowest A dram a sparkle the least measure of divine joy that can be thought of revives and makes glad the whole Spirit of man as a drop of strong water warmes the whole heart Hence 't is that David when he had but a drop of divine joy distilled into his heart as 't is but a drop of this heavenly liquor that our weake giddy soules can beare whilst here below presently he breakes out as a man warmed all over I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marvellous workes Psal 9.1 The like phrase you shall finde David often speaking in David found his whole heart warmed by those sparkles of divine joy which God strooke in his darke dolorous heart and this fetcht life in him still when ready to faint and swoon and then all he returned to God againe which he gave him God warmed his whole heart with joy and he returned his whole heart to God in thankesgiving Divine joy warmes all that is within and all that is without soule and body and sets both at worke to praise God Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name Psal 103.1 All that was within David was warmed with divine joy and therefore all that was within him he would have should returne thankes and praise unto the Lord. Elsewhere he cals upon all without him And my soule shall be joyfull in the Lord it shall rejoyce in his salvation this is for all within him then in the next verse saith he All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee Psal 35.9,10 Divine joy warmes all that is within a man and all that is without it warmes Spirit flesh and bones the whole man and sets all on fire to praise the Lord. As divine joy takes the Spirit wholly so it oft-times seises upon the Spirit immediately breaking forth in the heart as lightning without any certaine knowne medium by which to come into the soule David doth darkly hint this where he saith Rejoyce the soule of thy servant for unto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule Psal 86.4 Thou needest not this to speake in or that creature to worke by to revive a drooping Spirit as if the Psalmist had said thou canst put joy and gladnesse into the sad soule of man by thine owne immediate worke as well as if forty Ministers were imployed this I beleeve that none without thee can rejoyce me but thou without any other canst doe it and therefore unto thee doe I lift up my soule Sometimes God doth worke by secondary meanes and inferiour instruments to rejoyce the soules of mourning sinners as David would have comforted Hanun by his messengers at other times he will make use of none but his owne Spirit to beare witnesse with our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God and walke before him as obedient children and so rejoyces the soules of his people in troubles Thus did God rejoyce the soule of Paul and Timothy in their troubles and sorrowes by the Almighty worke of his Spirit he assured their spirits that they were his and that their waies were pleasing to him which made them thus to speake in the midst of miseries Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. Secondly divine joy is called spirituall because the object of it is a spirit The object of divine joy is God who is a Spirit saith John Divine joy hath God for its immediate object and all other good things as beames of this Sunne as streams from this fountaine as mediat objects comming from and relating to God God alone is the object of divine joy Most true 't is that God hath alwaies in his right hand Heaven and in his left hand earth to wit all the Kingdomes of this world to bestow upon whom he will but had he neither or would he part with neither to any beside himselfe but keepe all in his owne hand yet an upright man would joy in him and desire no better object to let out his affections upon Although the Figge tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the vines the labour of the Olives shall faile and the
them such taskes of doing or suffering that shall stretch every veine in their bodies and convince all beholders yea the divell and all his children that they are sincere and make them confesse with Saul that they are more righteous then themselves As there be some starres which by divine institution are invisible to us others visible to declare the glory of God and to be of use for man So those stars which God hath placed in the lesser world to wit the soule of man some of them God would have to be as it were invisible to the world God would have a Christian modestly humbly to conceale as much as may be many gifts but others againe God would they should declare them as much as may be to his glory and the good of others as love and sincerity that they may sparkle in the eyes of all the world as glorious beames of the divine Image Now man being too backward to this worke voluntarily God makes and fits occasions and times for the very purpose that shall sitt a man throughly and sound his heart to the bottome and turn-his inside outward and so declare his sincerity or hypocrisie to all the world As God knowes who are his so he will have the divell and his children to know also who are his that they may walke as selfe-condemned wretches as Saul did for persecuting of them Now to effect this this is the thing God does viz he makes bitter pills for his children to swallow heavie burthens for his children to beare such as no unsound heart would touch with one of his fingers he heates Furnaces seven times hotter then ordinary and throwes his children into them one thing or other God so orders that shall put his people to it to see what mettle they be made of that shall anatomise every string in their hearts so that the Divell and all his children to their conviction and torment shall read sincerity written in their hearts with capitall letters 2 The second reason why God in the course of his providence brings about speciall occasions for the declaration of sincerity is that his owne glory may thereby be greatly advanced Speciall cures they winne a name to a Physitian more then the ordinary cures of seven yeeres practice likewise speciall victories win their prime agents more honour then all the ordinary warfare of their whole life So God by carrying his people through speciall occasions of triall magnifies the glory of his power wisedome and love more then a thousand ordinary passages of his providence towards them What a name for power God wonne to himselfe in the heart of Daniel and the three children for enabling them with such courage to stop the mouthes of Lyons and to quench the violence of fire to expose themselves to the mercy of Lyons and fire rather then to wrong their consciences This doubtlesse made them more to sing of the power and goodnesse of the Lord then all the passages of his providence towards them in the whole course of their lives before Some skilfull Physitians will make their men swallow this or that strong poison that they may shew their skill before multitudes in curing of them to winne them a name So God he puts his people to great plunges oft times that he may winne them a name for ever in their hearts and in the hearts of all beholders for wisedome power and mercy in carrying them sweetly thorough all without making shipwracke of faith and a good conscience This know that 't is Gods great worke in this world to advance his owne Name and to make it great to the ends of the earth now amongst the many notable waies he hath to magnifie his Name this is one and not the meanest to wit to put his people upon speciall occasions of the triall of their sincerity and by these such an art hath God to advance his owne honour that he winnes a world of hearts to himselfe at once that will be so many living Trumpets to sound forth the praise of his greatnesse and goodnesse from generation to generation Thirdly God by his providence brings about speciall occasions for the tryall of sincerity to adde to the torture of the divell and his children Great trials of the godly put the divell and his children in hope of their utter ruine When Haman had prevailed so farre as to get a bloody decree against the Jewes he then joyed exceedingly as one that promised himselfe their utter ruine now God stepping in betweene and on a sudden turning this triall of Mordecai's to his advantage and to Hamans disadvantage to his honour and Hamans disgrace no man can tell nor hardly conceive how this added to Hamans torture God hath admirable waies to make wicked men gnash their teeth before they come to Hell and amongst the many admirable waies which God hath for this end this is not one of the meanest to put the wicked into a kind of hope of having their will upon the godly by giving the godly in part for trials sake into their hands and then on a sudden snatching them farther out of their power then ever they were before and making them engins of the downfall of the wicked This hath made many a proud malicious wretch hang himselfe stabbe himselfe poison himselfe to wish himselfe any where so he were but out of the sight and talke of them that feare God Lastly God in the course of his providence brings about speciall occasions for the triall and discovery of sincerity that so the joy of the upright may be augmented in this life and in the life to come Speciall trials of sincerity sincerely gone through they procure joy unspeakable and full of glory in this life and they worke about joy unconceivable and full of glory in the life to come There is joy in this life for the godly and joy unspeakable and full of glory So there is a reward in Heaven for the godly and a great reward as Christ useth the epithete Math. 5.12 Now unspeakable joy God gives to them that undergoe unspeakable trials of their integrity he gives full flaggons of consolation to such as have beene soarely shot at as the expression is used concerning Ioseph Gen. 49.23 yet have kept faithfull to their God So the great reward in heaven is kept for them that undergoe great trials on earth and yet hold fast their integrity As Princes have their waies to advance men to great honour honourably to wit by putting them upon some notable hard and difficult service and if they acquit themselves well and faithfully in it then to conferre great honour upon them not otherwise So the King of Kings he hath his honourable waies to advance meane Christians to great spirituall dignities here and hereafter and amongst many others this is one namely to put them upon speciall trials and difficult taskes and services that shall put every nerve and sinew to it and discharging themselves well and
his sword in the bowels of his brethren nay he knew not his father nor mother no nor the children of his loynes that he might declare his sincere love to the glory of God when opportunity was offered Thinke on Gideon who threw downe the Altar of his father that he might declare his sincere love to God when he called him hereunto Thinke on Asa's dethroning his mother and stamping her idols to pouder 2 Chron. 15.16 And on Salomons denying the request of his good mother Bathsheba when she requested a bad thing to wit Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah which was given to lie in Davids bosome in his old age to keepe him warme and to cherish him All these worthies were not swayed by foolish pitty but looked over all relations to obey the will of God and to declare their sincere love to him upon all occasions offered Wherefore The second and last use of this doctrine shall be fore exhortation Seeing there be speciall times and occasions for the delcaration of sincerity and that many have broken thorough all impediments to take hold of them let us also strive thus to doe Two things I would exhort you to to observe such times and secondly to take fast hold of them Seeing there be speciall times for the declaration of sincerity let us give all diligence to observe when they are by God offered to us Shut not your eyes against such times nor through ignorance and carelessenesse over-looke such times Quest But how should I know speciall times and occasions for the declaration of sincerity Answ I answer by these three things First by the dependancy of Gods glory and thine owne eternall good upon times occasions and actions If the glory of God and thine owne eternall good depend much upon the doing or suffering of this or that thing so depend that if not performed both Gods glory and thine owne peace fall to the ground this is a speciall time and occasion for the declaration of sincerity and therefore observe it Secondly by strong internall motions and movings to this or that duty together with the hand of God externally in a speciall manner by mercies and corrections seconding 'T is said you know that the spirit of the Lord moved Sampson at times in the campe of Dan. That is God after a speciall manner stirred him up now and then to that great worke of fighting with the Philistins to which he had assigned him So likewise now the Spirit of God doth at times move mens hearts after a powerfull and speciall manner to this duty or that to the mortification of this lust or that and seconds this strong internall motion by such mercies and corrections as may most suitably tend to further this motion and spurre on backward man to the performance of this duty This is a speciall time for the declaration of sincerity observe it Balaam doubtlesse had speciall motions and internall stirrings not to goe about to curse Israel and the Angell of the Lord without seconding to hinder him and yet for all this sword within and sword without he would on You that will doe as he did must looke to fare as he did So on the other hand Mordecai doubtlesse had strong internall motions and stirrings to labour for the good of the Jewes and the downefall of proud Haman and the providence of God externally after a speciall manner seconding which he observed and answerably moved in this golden opportunity and so wonne much honour to God to himselfe and good to his Church Thirdly by the word of God The word of God is so full and perfect that it plainely sets before every man that studies it what is of weight to be done and what is of moment not to be done It sets forth things to be done or not to be done with all the circumstances about them which makes them of more speciall consequence or lesse So that if a man looke upon an action or occasion by the word of God he shall presently be able to see of what consequence the thing is and how answerably he is to move in and about it whether with more or lesse care and diligence Hence 't is that Christ willed those which he urged to imbrace him to search the Scriptures concerning him intimating that there they should see of what consequence this worke was of imbracing Christ and following him Secondly as I would have you to take notice so I would have you to take hold of speciall times and occasions for the declaration of sincerity When you have espied these golden opportunities fasten upon them Quest But how should I take hold of these golden opportunities aright I answer the taking hold of these golden opportunities aright consists in these three things viz That a man when such times are brought about to him by the providence of God set himself first speedily and secondly thoroughly to answer them and thirdly that he goe about all in the strength of Christ First a man that would take hold aright of speciall times and occasions for the declaration of sincerity must be speedy in this worke Time we say tarries for no man And opportunity is the extract and quintessence of time and farre more gliding Opportunity let slip possibly a man may have never such another though he should live an hundred yeares Hence 't is that Christ speakes so dolefully to Ierusalem which had slipt her opportunity O Ierusalem Ierusalem if thou hadst knowne in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes Secondly as you must set your selves speedily so you must set your selves throughly to this worke if you would take hold of these golden opportunities aright That is you must set your selves to declare sincerity answerable to the occasions and speciall opportunitie which God offereth For this is to take hold of these precious opportunities aright to wit whē speciall occasions for the declaration of sincerity present themselves after a speciall manner to declare our sincerity in them When a speciall occasion of this kinde was offered to Paul by Peters Judaizing you know with what courage and spirit Paul declared himselfe answerable to the occasion To whom I gave place not for a moment Whom I withstood to the face for he was to be blamed Gal 2. And Moses likewise though a very meeke quiet and patient spirited man yet when a speciall occasion for the declaration of his sincerity was offered by Aaron and the peoples making a Calte with what a Lyon-like courage did he shew himselfe And old Ely because he did not set himselfe thus to declare his sincerity when his sons of provoked God to wit answerable to that speciall occasion offered you know what construction God made of his mild cold carriage in that urgent waighty matter betweene God and his sonnes Thirdly a man that would declare sincerity aright in all occasions offered thereunto must set about this worke in the strength of
A Divine Discovery OF SINCERITY According to its proper and peculiar nature very profitable for an sorts of persons to peruse First preached and now published for the good of Gods Church in generall By NICHOLAS LOCKYER Master of Arts. PSAL. 78.37 For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in hiâ— covenant PSAL. 119.80 Let my heart be sound in thy sâ—…tutes that I be not ashamed LONDON Printed by E. G. for Iohn Rotwell at the Sunne in Pauls Church-yard 1640. TO THE VERTVOVS LADY BRIDGET LYDDELL My much Honoured Aunt Grace and peace be multiplied by Jesus Christ MAdam 'T is Gods command to Abraham and in him to us That we should walk before him and be perfect Absolute perfection God doth not there meane but intentionall which is when we desire and endeavour with David to have all our waies conformed to all Gods Statutes Intentionall perfection is no other but sincere walking and what this is this tract now humbly presented to your Ladyship will plainely make knowne unto you A sincere heart is a heart after Gods owne heart which of all jewells which the Gentry and Nobility weare is the most resplendent in the breast and bosome to be worne The richest jeweller Christ proffers this pearle of great price without money or money-worth and the multitude sleight it as a low prised thing not worth the seeking after but your Ladyship hath otherwise learned Christ Many things Madam may be convenient but one is necessarie to wit a sincere heart The acquiring of this is the worke of our whole life the setting forth of this in its nature and lustre is the worke of Christs Ministers the least and unworthiest of all which is your Nephew which hath in this tract done something to this effect from which if your Ladyship shall reape an increase of good to that sweete stocke you have I shall humbly blesse God To whose blessing I commend your selfe and worthy Family this worke and the unworthy Authour Your much obliged Nephew NICHOLAS LOCKYER To the Christian Reader CHristian Reader Two things should be the principall matter of thy study Christ and thine owne heart The latter to know thine owne misery the former to know Gods rich mercy and how thou mayst be made partaker of it So deceitfull is the heart of man naturally that he thinkes himselfe rich and increased in goods and knowes not that he is poore and blind miserable wretched and naked And untill this deceit and unsoundnesse be discovered men will never seeke out for Christ which is that Gold tried in the fire which indeed makes poore man rich and that white rayment Iohn speakes of which indeed makes naked man comely and covers all his deformity from the all-seeing eye of him which is perfect purity The true knowledge of thine owne heart this little tract will helpe thee to by the blessing of God if thou seriously peruse it and humbly seeke to him who is the searcher and discoverer of all hearts to go along with thee in the reading of it Which when once thou hast gotten thou wilt be capable of the saving knowledge of Christ and restlesse till thou hast obtained it And this when acquired will resolve thy doubting comfort thy mourning and stablish thy staggering soule 't will give thee peace and joy unspeakablo here and bring thee to glory and joy incomprehensible hereafter To which the Lord bring thee and me Nicholas Lockyer A Table of the chiefe heads handled in this Tract I. Proposition THat in simplicity and godly sincerity we ought to have our conversation in this world p. 10 The various acceptation of the word Simplicity p. 10 11 Sincerity distinguished into Morall and Theologicall p. 11 What Morall sincerity is p. 11 12 What godly sincerity is p. 13 14 c. Why we ought in simplicity and godly sincerity to have our conversation in this world p. 33 34 c. The application of this first Doctrine We should examine our selves by the description of sincerity whether we walke as Paul did to wit sincerely in this hypocriticall age p. 40 41 c. What we should doe if upon examination we finde our selves hypocrites p. 34 The cheating properties of hypocrisie p. 54 55 c. Considerations to move the heart to be deeply and duely affected with hypocrisie p. 57 58 c. Holy instructions to such as upon examination finde themselves to be as Paul in this present world to wit sincere I. To be humble p 60 II. To hold fast our integrity p. 61 62 The severall waies which there are within us and without as to corrupt us from that simplicity which is in Christ p. 61 62 63 c. Sweet encouragements to persevere in our sincere conversation what ever miseries we meet withall p. 65 66 II. Proposition That conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of a mans conversation p. 67 68 What conscience is p. 69 70 c. The grounds why God hath given this power to conscience to give testimony concerning the simpicity or hypocrisie of a mans conversation p. 87 88 c. The application of this second point p. 95 Seeing conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of our conversation we ought all to take heed how we order our conversation p. 96 97 Multitudes live as if there were no conscience God nor Divell the dreadfull condition of such p. 97 98 Conscience should not be suspended 99 100 'T is crying wickednesse and 't is incurable wickednesse to offer violence to conscience p. 101 We should not sleight conscience in his place p. 102 103 God will account the sleighting of conscience a contempt of his prime Court of Iustice here below and those that sit chiefe there p. 104 What secret soule mischiefe comes by sleighting conscience p. 105 We ought diligently to hearken to the voice of conscience and why p. 105 106 We ought to take consciences part with or against our selves p. 107 108 III. Proposition That consciousnesse to our selves of the simplicity and sincerity of our conversation will yeeld us joy in the midst of troubles p. 111 112 Troubles distinguished into naturall and accidentall p. 114 What naturall troubles are and how sweetned by conscience p. 114 115 What accidentall troubles are and how conscience makes a man rejoyce in the midst of them p. 116 117 Joy distinguished into sensuall and spirituall p. 118 What sensuall joy is ibid. What spirituall joy is p 118 119 120 c. Why divine joy is called spirituall p. 119 120 121 c. What joy 't is that conscience causeth in troubles to him that walketh sincerely p. 130 131 The grounds why the testimony of conscience concerning a mans simplicity must needs cause joy in the midst of troubles p. 131 132 c. The application of this third point p. 137 This Doctrine unfolds a riddle to blind worldlings which wonder to see a man go rejoycing to prison p. 137 This Doctrine
God either in heart tongue or hand they goe against knowledge so consequently against conscience for conscience followes the light of the understanding and so comes neere the committing of the unpardonable sin to the committers of which God hath said there shall be no mercy shewed either in this world or in the world to come Here I would have you observe this for the further clearing of what hath beene said That the word of God is the rule by which conscience compares the waies of men so far-forth as the understanding is enlightened by the word of God and no further So far-forth as the understanding is ignorant of the word of God so far-forth conscience is silent As long as St. Paul knew not lust to be a sinne conscience never accused him for lust as a sin And this surely is one reason why many shun the preaching of the word of God and the studie thereof least by encreasing knowledge they should increase griefe as Salomon saith least by this meanes they should come to the knowledge of their sinnes and so conscience pull them by the throat for them Of such as these the Apostle Saint Peter speakes where he saith Of this they are willingly ignorant that by the word of God the Heavens were of old and the earth and the world that then was perished 2 Pet. 3.3,4,5 That is they did purposely doe as much as in them lay to put out that light which was in their understandings which told them that he which at first made the heavens by his word and did by his word destroy them with water would one day againe destroy them with fire and brimstone this they did labour to keepe themselves ignorant of that so they might without checke of conscience goe on in their sinnes To such as these I may truely say with the Apostle If our Gospell be hid it is hid unto those which perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.3,4 He that keepes himselfe in ignorance that his conscience may let him goe on quietly in wickednesse loves to goe to hell without controle Thou that canst not indure that thy conscience should reprove thee secretly 't is no wonder that thou canst not endure that thy minister should reprove thee publikely Thou that canst not endure that thy conscience should reprove thee for sinne now must endure whether thou wilt or no conscience to torment thee for thy sin hereafter The second thing that I would have you to observe is this That conscience doth compare all a mans wayes with the rule of the word so far-forth as the understanding is enlightned with the word All that light which the understanding hath received from the word of God conscience takes it and makes it a rule by which he measures all a mans waies thoughts words and deeds to trie what agreement or disagreement there is betweene them and the rule That conscience compares the thoughts of men by the word of God so farre forth as the understanding is inlightned by the word as well as words and deeds is manifest by the language of the Apostle where he speakes of the Gentiles on this wise Which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witnesse their thoughts the mean while accusing or excusing one another Rom. 2.15 Divine light so far-forth as it shines into the hearts of heathens conscience makes use of it as a rule by which to examine their very thoughts and so answerably to accuse or excuse them as their thoughts are found to agree or disagree with the rule Saint Paul likewise in the ninth to the Rom. at the first verse confirmes this truth I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe separate from Christ for my kins-folk in the flesh Saint Paul here tels us that his conscience did beare him witnesse that his thoughts and desires were thus and thus sincere respecting his brethren which conscience will never doe before he hath leavelled a mans thoughts and desires by the word of God and found them to be so by consequence then it is manifest that conscience compares a mans thoughts by the rule as well as his words and deeds Conscience keepes court in the heart and therefore can and doth observe our thoughts as well as our words and deeds Conscience keepes a Court of justice in the heart and sits upon the life and death of the soule which is ten thousand times more precious then the body and therfore will not sift this and that and let other things goe which the word condemnes as well and as plainely as it doth any thing else The word of God you know condemnes evill thoughts as well as evill words and not onely grosse evill thoughts as thoughts of murder adultery and the like but vaine idle thoughts and therefore conscience can doe no lesse as Gods Vicegerent in this lower circuit but examine these as well as words and deeds by the rule of Gods word to see how farre they agree to or disagree from it Which worke when conscience hath exactly done then it beares witnesse with or against a man answerably as a mans waies agree or disagree with this rule which is the last clause in the description of conscience and comes now according to order and method to be a little opened Conscience when he hath compared a mans waies by the rule and exactly found out how they agree with or disagree from it the next thing he doth is he beares witnesse with or against a man This clause I adde in the description of conscience because 't is a divine power placed in the soule of man to be as it were a judge betweene God and man Conscience takes notice of things together with God and compares them by the rule together with God and then pronounceth sentence with or against man for God First I say conscience takes notice of things together with God and hence it is say the learned that this power in the soule is called conscience Scire say they is said of him which knowes one thing alone so as none else knowes it with him Conscire is said of three or foure which know some secret together Conscience therefore must needs signifie a combination of two at the least in the knowledge of some secret thing Now this combination cannot be betweene man and man for man doth not know the secrets of my heart no further then as I reveale them to him this combination neither cannot be betweene man and Angels for they doe not know the secrets of my heart together with thy selfe This combination then must needs be between God and man God knowes all our
doe all his enemies what they can and this makes the heart of man leape within him in the midst of troubles as the babe in Elizabeths wombe when she heard the salutation of Mary Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Having shewed you in what troubles the testimony of conscience will give joy and what joy 't is that conscience causeth in the soule I will in the next place shew you the ground of the point why the testimony of conscience concerning a mans simplicity must needs cause joy in the midst of troubles This testimony of conscience is attended with a glorious power as the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the glorious power of him saith the originall that is of the holy Ghost which makes the testimony so strong and so transcendently comfortable that troubles and sorrows for sincerity sake though never so great cannot possibly over-beare the heart Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse 1 Col. 11. There is a glorious power attending the testimony of conscience extended to upright soules in times of great troubles for uprightnesse sake which strengthens them with all might so that all burdens cannot depresse them unto all patience and long suffering so that they will never be weary and out of breath with bearing and to doe all this with joyfulnesse so that no outward hardship can utterly exhaust joy out of their spirits Now the testimony of conscience concerning our simplicity and sincerity being attended with this glorious power in times of trouble as Peter saith 't is the spirit of glory and of God rests upon such it must needs keepe up the dolorous spirit of man and make him rejoyce in the greatest troubles Paul and Timothy doubtlesse found this glorious power attending the testimony of their conscience strengthning them with all might unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse which made them thus to say For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Secondly the testimony of conscience concerning mans simplicity and sincerity must needs rejoyce a man in the midst of all troubles because conscience now minds a man that he walkes in the midst of all enemies and troubles just as Christ did There was no guile found in Christs mouth though he was put to it againe and againe Whatever he underwent from his Father from the divell and his children yet still he walked sincerely and faultered not in the least kind for the greatest advantage though he was proffered all the kingdomes in the world to doe it Now when conscience tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath had his conversation in the world it doth at once tell him that he hath walked in this world just as Christ did As he was so art thou in this world O my soule which cannot but rejoyce the heart in the midst of the sharpest afflictions for Christs sake Thy Saviour O my soule though God yet was called a divell nay Beelzebub the prince of divels though temperate yet called a drunkard and Wine-bibber and companion to Publicans and Harlots though a man without guile yet called a deceiver though innocent yet scoffed imprisoned condemned and executed as a malefactour 'T is just thus with thee O my soule thou art studious to walke uprightly and yet censured for an hypocrit thou labourest to be better then any and yet the world judges thee to be worse then any thou labourest more for humility and love then for all the wealth in the World and yet the World judges thee to be fuller of pride and malice then any man thou dost not blow a Trumpet when thou givest almes but hidest from thy left hand what thy right hand doth and therefore the world thinks that thy religion towards God is without mercy towards man thou thinkest no evill to others but labourest to doe good to all and yet all almost thinke evill or speake evill or doe evill against thee In this O my soule thou art not alone 't was the condition of thy Saviour therefore mourne not O my soule but rejoyce according to the divine rule that thou art made like him Thus the testimony of conscience concerning a mans sincerity brings in matter of comfort and joy to the soule of man in the midst of troubles and makes it smile when under heavy burthens of cruelty Lastly it must needs be that the testimony of conscience concerning the simplicity of a mans conversation should minister joy in the midst of troubles because such plainely see their interest in the divine word of consolation Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Psal 32.11 Conscience now tels me that I am upright in heart and that in simplicity and uprightnesse I have had my conversation in the world and so consequently that joy here as well as hereafter belongs to me Out of this reasoning betweene conscience and the divine word of consolation joy will breake forth in the soule first or last lade an upright man with what burthens you will Rejoyce all ye that are upright in heart saith God thou art upright in heart saith conscience to a sincere soule and conscience will not stay here but will presse upon the soule to apply his owne mercies why then dost not thou rejoyce Dost thou thinke it a small matter to disobey a command of God This pressing language of conscience will make a sincere soule strive hard and pray hard to reioyce in afflictions for Christs sake according to the divine rule which prayer God will heare and bring the upright foule at last to say in the midst of troubles with these champions in my text For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Having given you the point and the grounds of it a word or two I would speake by way of application to you that are unsound and then a word more to you that are sincere and so conclude this point This doctrine may in the first place serve to unfold a riddle to you that are unsound Possibly you may wonder to see a man goe reioycing to prison and to fire and fagot especially when censured by learned men for such and such a malefactour you it may be thinke of such a man as he of Paul that he is mad and merry without cause as bedlams are or else that he laughs from the teeth outward as he that would put a good face upon an ill matter No
Wormwood fretted his guts but did not strangle and end him conscience forc'd him every day and every night to drinke a new draught that kept his Spirit in continuall torture and yet he could not get his soule out of this body nor have it consumed in The terrours that conscience kindles they are so terrible that they will make a man wish for death nay inflict death upon himselfe and all to put an end unto them and yet all will not doe because these tortures fasten upon the Spirit but destroy not the Spirit Finall the sorrowes of hell they are such as are not in the least measure pittied by God Though the damned in hell be tormented with sulfurous flames which is a very fierce fire and though they cry and roare howle and yell shrich and gnash the teeth continually and all this in the hearing of God continually which would stirre nay turne the bowels of any man to heare but a moment yet it stirres not God a jot though he hath heard these dolorous cries so many hundred yeares to give them the least good word or good looke So that sorrow which conscience raises in the soule upon the breach of sincerity God seemes not to pitty in the least measure for a long time Though the spirit of man be rackt tortured and affrighted even unto distraction yet God will not so much as afford a good looke to the soule Though he pray and fast and consume himselfe with fasting yet not any beame of light and love that the revolting soule shall see in the countenance of God to take hold on and to comfort himselfe by Hence 't is that the Psalmist complains of God and his mercy as cleane gone Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more is his mercy cleane gone for ever doth his promise faile for evermore Psal 77.7,8 Nay many times God serves back-sliding Christians as he served the Israelites of old to wit increases their sorrow when they are in earnest suit for release and comfort so farre he is from pittying of them and as Ioseph carried himselfe to his brethren instead of pittying them in their want he spake affrightingly to them and told them that they were spies and so put them in feare of the losse of their lives Just thus for a time doth God usually carry himselfe to revolting Christians he is so farre from pittying them notwithstanding all their prayers that he calls them dogges and speakes roughly to them and puts them in feare of the losse of their best lives and seemes resolved to proceed against them as his enemies begge and cry as long as they will Job points at this where he saith Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thin-enemy Iob 13.24 And is not this hell indeed to be in soule misery and to have no compassion from God To be pittied and condoled by a mans friend though he be not able to helpe him we take it as a great mercy and moderation of misery Iob would so have accounted it But when such as we take for friends doe not onely forbeare to pitty but set themselves against us in our misery and adde to our afflictions this makes misery unspeakeably miserable and a lively Embleme of Hell indeed But I goe no further this way Secondly as the sorrow which conscience causeth upon the breach of sincerity is unspeakeable strong no other in a manner but the torments of hell so 't is oft times unspeakable sudden As the Wind raises hideous stormes and tempests at Sea on a sudden that endangers the drowning of all So conscience when once the soule hath turned aside to crooked waies oft times of a sudden raises hideous storms and tempests in the soule which addes exceedingly to the torture Horrour and terrour breaking forth suddenly affrights more by farre then if it came with warning The fire that conscience kindles in the soule is like the setting a fire of Gun-powder very sudden as 't is very fierce After once a breach is made upon sincerity conscience laies traines of wild-fire and blowes up all a mans joy on an instant and sets on fire the soule and then lets in legions of such spirits whose dwelling is onely in fire to keep Garrison against all promises of good to this soule and then the soule becomes like Tashur feare round about the face of God terrible the face of friends terrible the thought of sicknesse death and the thought of death hell and the thought of hell as at the doore and unavoidable As the Arrowes which God will shoot against the enemies of his Church shall goe forth as lightening Zech. 9.14 so the Arrowes which God shootes by conscience against such as turne aside to evill waies they goe forth oft-times as lightâ—ings very sudden very swift Sometimes when a sinner like Belshazzar is in the very act of sinne conscience writes downe a mans doome in his heart and in such legible letters that the sinner cannot choose but read and tremble When a sinner is taking pleasure in unrighteousnesse of a sudden conscience breaks forth into thundring and lightning in the soule and the sinner is as one descending quicke into hell And immediately while he yet spake the Cocke crew and the Lord look'd backe upon Peter saith the text Luke 22.60 On a sudden while Peter was in the very act of denying a cocke crew within to wit conscience that made Peters spirit die within him Once and twise Peter denied Christ and Christ did not awaken conscience and set him at him to pull him by the throat but the third time immediately while he yet spake conscience like a Lyon ranne upon his soule and made him beleeve that hee would be a tormentour to him as he is to the damned before the time Sometime conscience may let a man alone after he is turned aside from sincere walking but if the soule still goe on of a sudden conscience will break forth into thundering and lightning so fiercely as he did in Peters soule on whom if Christ had not look'd backe Peter would have gone neere to have served himselfe as Iudas after he had betrayed his Master To conclude all This I am sure O sincere soule that as conscience will make thee know to thy comfort that 't is a sweet thing faithfully and sincerely to serve God so conscience will make thee know to thy griefe that it is an evill and a bitter thing to turne away from the good way of the Lord. Having therefore now set good and evill before thee make a wise choyce Chuse rather to undergoe any thing that man or divell can invent that thou maist still enjoy the peace and joy of a good conscience then to have the greatest honour this world will afford and shipwracke sincerity and so lie liable to the lash of an evill conscience FINIS 2 COR. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not
work of God upon the soule that it makes a man laborious to do every divine thing exact according to that divine manner which God in hiâ— word prescribes 'T is not thus with an hypocrite he is lead by customes and makes it a matter of conscience not to swerve from these how incongruous so ever to the word of God Or els he is fearefully given over to a careless Spirit to doe divine things as hits he cares not how any way or no way all is one Or else he is desperatly pinned to his owne will being wiser in his owne eyes then ten men that give a reason Thus thus he will walke say all the world what they will is it not thus with you If you tell me that yet you hold out weight by the ballance of the sanctuarie I am glad yet possibly you may be one graine too light Are ye laborious to doe all Gods will that God may have all the glory due to his name Do ye not sacrifice to your owne ners and take the glory to your selves of your labours like Herod When men applaud you is not this to you as the rubbing of a Parrat upon the head very pleasing and that which makes you hugge your selves within your owne thoughts Is not this great Babell which I have built Could such a thing have beene done if I had not done it Or could any man have done it so well as I Looke in upon your spirits before but specially after divine duties and see whether you doe not seeke your selves in them more then the glory of Christ Doe ye not give almes to be accounted liberall men and that the poore may applaud you for good men and good house-keepers Doe ye not blow a Trumpet when you give almes that is so distribute your charity as may be most advantagious to your owne repute in the world Do ye not let your left hand know still what your right hand doth Are ye not dampt in your designes of charity and bounty when 't is to goe forth in such a way as if it were cast upon waters or into the bottome of a Well where no eye can see nor no tongue speake of your good workes nor no likely'ud of the least returne Doe ye not looke for much observance from such to whom you doe much And repent of your kindnesse when men doe not answere it in thankfulnesse Doe ye eye Christs command and out of love to him give upon all just occasions as unto him Are those that are religious tendered and succoured by you in their bonds and miseries as if you were bound with them according to the divine rule Doe ye not in prayer more looke at words and expressions then to your spirits Doe ye not pray in the market-places That is so pray that others may observe you and blaze abroad that you are very devout persons Are ye not industrious to pray well as you call it in publike and carelesse and perfunctory when you pray in private Are ye not more constant a great deale in the performance of publike then in the performance of private prayers where there is no observer nor applauder but God which sees and heares in secret Doe ye not after prayer hug your owne gifts and admire your apt expressions dexterity of utterance and to thinke much that you have no more thankes given you for your paines and that those that joyned with you were no more affected Doe ye not pin your spirits to your owne acute studied formes and praiers in print boasting of things made ready to your hand as the Apostle speakes and scoffe at the spirit of grace and supplication Zech. 12.10 Doe ye not preach your selves and not Christ and more looke at words then matter to please men then to please God Doe ye labour to approve your selves to every mans conscience or to every mans fancie Doe ye not put plaine truths into abstruse termes a new coat upon old divinitie and strive to soare in drie Metaphysicall straines above your owne and others apprehension Doe ye not build hay and stubble upon the true foundation the opinions of Fathers and Schoolemen and the tenents of proud time-servers whom God hath given over to a Spirit of delusion to believe lies because they received not the truth in the love of it Doe ye aime at conviction conversion or ostentation in your preaching Doth it not almost make you sicke like Ahab that your claborate Sermons in places of eminent note have not yet brought you to a fat living Doe ye not preach Christ out of envie as the Apostle speakes to bring about your wicked designes and to vend your malicious spirits against the godly Doe ye not wrest the word of Christ to confirme your time-serving tenents to maintaine your voluptuous loitering life And if so is this in simplicity and godly sincerity to have your conversation in the world To you that by what hath beene said see that you are yet unsound at heart that you doe not in simplicity and godly sincerity order your conversation in this world I have three things to say Labour to be affected with your unsoundnesse Then judge your selves that you may never be judged of the Lord And then begge the cure of your foule disease First labour to be affected with your unsoundnesse This is the killing mischiefe of hypocrisie that it is hard and difficult throughly to be found out and truely to be bewailed Hypocrisie is vitium latens vitium transfigurans vitium adulans vitium obdurans a hidden a transforming a flattering and a hardening vice 1 'T is a hidden vice The heart is deceitfull and desperately wicked who can know it saith the Prophet The spirit of a man may know the things of a man but deceit and guile this lurkes and skulkes in such hidden corners of the heart that the spirit of man does not know it And hence it is that multitudes thinke themselves very sincere which yet are very unsound A man may discerne drunkennesse swearing and whoring in himselfe and yet all this while be utterly unable to see the hypocrisie of his spirit and hence 't is that you shall have drunkards swearers and whore-masters to confesse these vices and yet plead for the goodnesse of their hearts and meanings too 2 When the unsoundnesse of the heart is discovered by the word and spirit of God then hypocrisie becomes vitium transfigurans a transforming vice The heart strives now to put faire glosses upon foule matters to put a beautifull vizzard upon the uglie face of sinne and to appeare in the eye of awakened conscience quite of another colour or at least nothing so uglie as the word of God would make it to be 3 If this will not stop the mouth of complaining conscience then it becomes vitium adulans a flattering vice The heart tells conscience now that 't is true things are bad but God is very good he is not extreame to marke what is
done amisse a thousand worse persons have found mercy and are gone to Heaven and therefore thou needst not so much trouble thy selfe O my soule He that beleeves makes not hast 't is time enough yet to amend all that is amisse and to be as good as the best 4 All this while that it is a hidden vice a transforming vice a flattering vice 't is a hardning vice All the while hypocrisie lies hid and after it is discovered and shifts and flatters it insensibly hardens so that whilst deceiving the soule is miserably deceived and then becomes past feeling conscience being seared with an hot iron that is God utterly leaving conscience to doe any office any longer for him in checking such a shifting shuffling sinner in his sinfull way And when this worke is done upon any soule you may leave tolling and ring out for he is dead and gone for ever Now because hypocrisie is of such a shuffling subtile nature as this 't is very hard for a man to become truely sensible of it and throughly affected with it and therefore I exhort you which are convinced by what was formerly delivered of your unsoundnesse first to labour to be truely sensible of it and deepely affected with it 'T is a vice that of all vices puts you into the furthest unlikenesse to God and the neerest likenesse to the divell It puts you into the furthest dissimilitude to God of all vices for God is most upright saith Isaiah Thou most upright doest weigh the path of the just Isai 26.7 God is most upright and an hypocrit of all men least upright and therefore an hypocrite of all men is least like God and yet most like the divell of whom I may say as the Lord of the Leviathan He is King faith God of all the children of pride So is the divell King of all the children of hypocrisie As 't is said of God that he is most upright so it may be said of the divell that he is most guilefull an arch hypocrit and therefore guilefull persons are most like the divell and the more guilefull the more like and hence is Elimas who was full of all subtilty by way of eminencie called the child of the divell by Saint Paul who knew well how aptly to stile hypocrits 'T is a vice that turnes man into a divell and God into fury fiercer then the divell for the divell is but Gods creature and therefore though his fury be unexpressible by us yet it is finite in it selfe but Gods fury against hypocrits is infinite and therefore you shall finde him spending a whole chapter in breathing out woes against hypocrits and therefore hell as the most suitable place and the greatest torments in hell as the most suitable thing to an infinit fury is reserved as a peculiar portion for hypocrits Were infinitnesse communicable and by a finite creature susceptible no lesse then infinite fury should hypocrits burne in When thou hast by such considerations as these brought thy spirit to be truely affected with thy unsoundnesse then judge thy selfe for it that thou maist not be judged of the Lord. Judge thy selfe as one most injurious to Christ and his glory of all men Judge thy selfe as a Traitour to the King of Kings as one that hast craftily conspired with the divell and thine owne heart to keepe out Christ from ruling and raigning in thee as one that hast subtily betrayed the honour of God in every action thou hast performed seeking thy selfe under pretence of seeking him Judge thy selfe as a cheater that hast beene cunning to deceive the godly and thine owne poore soule Judge thy selfe as a selfe-soule-murtherer that hast craftily baffled thine owne conscience that Gods word might not convert and turne thee from thine ungodly course and so save thy precious soule Judge thy selfe as a Iudas that kissest Christ bowest and cringest to Christ and yet betraiest and crucifiest Christ In a word judge thy selfe as a right hand of the divell by which he hath done a great deale of mischiefe judge thy selfe as a capitall offender as a sinner of all sinners the chiefe and then beg pardon And intreat God to cure the foule disease of thy heart Tell him how long this disease hath beene upon thee and what a loathsome creature ' tath made thee and what a prime vitall part 't is fastened upon and how neere perishing thou art and how 't is past the cure of all other Physicions and Surgeons and that there is but one way with thee speedily if thou hast not remedy forthwith from him and that thou hast nothing of thine owne to satisfie him for the cure of it but hast a friend Christ that will pay all Remember this to begge him who fashioneth all mens hearts alike to mend thy bad heart with a new one according to his promise Onely a new heart is an upright heart and this God hath promised to give and this thou must urge and believe and waite and this way shalt thou be healed helped and saved To you which upon examination finde that you do in simplicity and godly sincerity order your conversation in this world I have onely this to say you doe no more then you ought and therefore there is no place for boasting 'T is our beauty in Gods eye to be vile in our owne eyes what ever our parts and endeavours be Thy uprightnesse of integrity comes farre short of that uprightnesse of perfection in which thou wast created and therefore when thou hast done all that thou canst yet say that thou art an unprofitable servant a man that comes farre short of what thou shouldst be and of what once thou wast But that which I would rather stand on a little is this Thou that walkest sincerely doest no more then thou oughtst and therefore goe on The Apostles exhortation to the Hebrewes shall be mine to you Looke diligently least any man faile of the grace of God least any root of â—…ternesse springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled Heb. 12.15 We have that within us and that without us which will corrupt our simplicity and turne us aside from our sincere conversation if we doe not watch over our selves 1 Where simplicity is hypocrisie is not wholly extir pated some remainders of this foule evill are in the best heart and these rootes of bitternesse if you be not still labouring to grub up they will quickly over-grow sincerity and all good in the heart And as we have that within us which will quickly seduce us from that simplicity which is in Christ so we have that without us too which will do the like if we be not very watchfull to wit the divell and his children The divell is an arch Apostate himselfe and he labours might and maine to make all the sons of men to fall from grace and goodnesse as he hath done that so every one may be as neere like himselfe in sinne and misery as may be He goes about