which he thought so good had such bad success and he found himself vanquished by Antonius he Repented of his Vertue and cryed out O Vertue I Served thee as a real thing but thou art onely an empty Name c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Te colui Virtus ut rem ast tu nomen it ane â—s But be you more fixed and better settled and whatever you lose keep a good Conscience And that you may do thus follow these Directions 1. Vigorously maintain the Combat against Corruption Onely sin can harm the Conscience and therefore strive against it Abstain from Fleshly Lusts for these War against your Souls 1 Pet. 2. 11. Have a special Eye to in dwelling sin for that 's a worse Enemy by far than Satan set upon the work of Mortification in good earnest hide the Word in your hearts that it may Antidote you against sin Derive Vertue from Christ Crucified to Crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts of it and call in the aid of the Spirit against the deeds of the Body Conscience will be kept in greater purity and Peace the weaker sin is and the more it is an underling 2. Sit loose from the World If Galeacius Caracciolus had loved his Honour and great Estate in Italy he would not have kept his Conscience undefiled from Rome's pollutions The Apostle Paul whose Conscience was good professes that he Gloried in the Cross of Jesus Christ by whom the World was Crucified to him and he unto the World Gal. 6. 14. He looked upon the VVorld as a grand Imposter he saw no Form nor Comeliness in it that he should desire it nay he perceived how sin had brought a Curse upon it no wonder if he slighted it You cannot Serve God and Mammon You must cast the VVorld out of your Affections presently and consent to let it go out of your Possession too when called to part withit if you would keep a good Conscience 3. Study the Vanity of Men and be not afraid of them The fear of Man bringeth a Snare says Solomon Fear of the Papists made Spira wound his Conscience and brought him into a fearful Case Cease ye therefore from Man whose breath is in his Nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Isa 2. ult Be not afraid of the terror of your adversaries neither be troubled but Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts in your hearts let him be your fear and let him be your dread if you would secure your Consciences 4. Pray much to be upheld Commit the keeping of your Souls unto God in well doing for he is Faithful Beg that he would never leave you nor forsake you but keep you by his Mighty Power unto Salvation It is not in vain to seek unto him for he is of Power to establish you Rom. 16. 25. He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the Presence of his Glory with exceeding Joy Jude 24. 5. Hold fast Faith that you may keep a good Conscience firmly believe that Life and Immortality which is brought to light by the Gospel and then by patient continuance in well doing you will seek for it The Lord grant unto you the Spirit of wisdom and Revelation the eyes of your Understanding being enlightned that you may more thorowly and certainly know what is the hope of your Calling and what the Riches of the Glory of that Inheritance which is above this will be a strong inducement to keep Conscience and heart and Conversation and all clean that you may grow more and more meet for that Inheritance You see the way to keep a good Conscience which was the fourth word of Advice 5. You that have a good Conscience be not Acted onely by Conscience but let Love d constrain you also to Obedience 'T is said of Titus That he accepted the Exhortation but was more forward of his own accord 2 Cor. 8. 17. Heed your Consciences telling you of your Duty but let your hearts be forward b Qui legem dat amantibâ—s Major lex a mor est sibi Boetius of their own accord to perform your Duty The high mettal'd courser does not stand in need of whip or spur loosen the reins he will run swiftly because he does delight in running Oh let your hearts be enlarged by love to the Lord and delight in your duty and then you will run the wayes of his Commands and so running you will at length obtain the prize Thus have I handled at large the second Doctrine To have a good Conscience should be every one 's greatest care This is the point I principally intended to prosecute I shall be very brief in those which do remain Doct. 3. The third Doctrine is this A good Conscience will make men set themselves as before God continually I have lived says the Apostle in good Conscience before God Hark unto David Psal 119. 168. All my wayes are before thee and Psal 16. 8. I have the Lord alwayes before me Job speaks after the same manner chap. 31. 4. Doth not God see my wayes and count all my steps And Elijah speaking of the Lord of hosts adds before whom I stand 1 King 18. 15. These men had a great sense of God upon their Spirits so should we and a good Conscience will still be putting us in mind in whose presence we continually are In the handling of this Doctrine I shall first prove that we are alwaies before God Secondly how we are to look upon God when we set our selves before him Thirdly what it is thus to set our selves before God Fourthly why a good Conscience will make us to do thus And fifthly Apply In the first place I am to prove that we are alwaies before God There are several degrees of the presence of God the highest degree of all is his presence with Christs humane Nature a second degree is his presence with the Angels and triumphant Saints in his Kingdom and Glory by whom he is seen face to face a third degree is his presence vouchsafed unto his Saints Militant on Earth whereby they are quickned strengthned and abundantly incouraged But besides all this there is a general presence of God whereby he fills both Heaven and Earth so that nothing can be hid from him Jer. 23. 24. Can any bide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Three things are here to be remarked 1. God is so every where present as that he perfectly knows what is in us and done by us He does possesse our very Reins searches our very hearts all the hidden things of darkness will one day be brought to light and the Counsels of mens hearts be made manifest 1 Cor. 4. 5. Though good works are done never so secretly God sees and will reward them openly though wicked works are done never so closely he sees and they shall be openly punished 2. God is so
things willing to live honestly Such a Conscience is well instructed in that lesson Tit. 2. 11. 12. For the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly and Righteously and Godly in this present world In the handling of this Doctrine I shall first shew how a good Conscience is concerned in the Life and Conversation Secondly Instance in several kinds of Actions that a good Conscience has an influence upon Lastly Conclude with the Application In the first place I am to shew how a good Conscience is concerned in the Life and Conversation This will appear in these following particulars 1. There is no action but Conscience is to examine Every action is a step one way or other and Conscience is to see which way every step has a tendency whether upward towards the Hill of the Lord or downward towards the lake of Fire There is no action but Conscience will be wounded with it if it be a work of darkness and Conscience may reap satisfaction from it if it be a work of Righteousness 2. Conscience if good will not admit of loose principles It will not argue licentiously from the Righteousness of Christ which alone is imputed to us for our justification that therefore there is no necessity of inherent Holyness It will not argue from the superabundant Grace of God that therefore we may safely continue in sin Rom. 6. 15 16. What then shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid Know ye not that to whom ye yeild your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom you obey whether of sin unto Death or obedience unto Righteousness A good Conscience will not argue from the falls of Saints recorded in Scripture that we may venture to fall as they did but contrarily concludes since such eminent Saints have fallen it does concern us to look to our standing and not to be high minded but fear Finally it does not argue because Gods Covenant is Everlasting and his love unchangeable that therefore we may live as we list but on the contrary it tells us that because the Lords love is so great and unchangeable he is to be loved the more by us and followed more fully and more willingly obeyed 3. Conscience if good will not abuse Christian liberty The nature of this is not to be mistaken 't is not a liberty to make provision for the Flesh nor to walk after the course of the World nor to mispend your precious time nor to omit or do the work of the Lord negligently They that take such a liberty take that which God never gave them and by this liberty they become slaves and vassals to the Devil who employes and leads them captive at his pleasure But Christian liberty lies in being free from the bondage of Corruption from the Curse of the Law and the Power of Darkness and in having freedom of accesse to God through Christ and in being enlarged by the Spirit to run the wayes of his Commandements Christian liberty is an holy thing A good Conscience therefore is the more watchful lest we go beyond the bounds of Christian liberty and venture upon what is unlawful or use lawful things unlawfully for so 't is possible nay usual licitis perire even in these things to perish To Eat to Drink to Buy to Sell to Plant to Build to Marry and to be given in Marriage were none of them in themselves unlawful yet when the old world and Sodom were thus employed and these things were only minded and spiritual things neglected a Flood came and swept away the one and Fire and Brimstone did destroy the other Luk. 17. 26 27 28 29. 4. A good Conscience looks well to the Principles of our Obedience That it springs from a renewed nature for unless we are made good Trees how can we bring forth good Fruit that it proceeds from Faith for by Faith we must believe what we do to be according to the will of God and by Faith we must desire strength from our Lord Jesus to do that will which is discovered to us Our Obedience also must flow from love 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. The love of Christ constraineth us to love not unto our selves but unto him that died for us Love is the first and great Command and that which makes us to yeild obedience to all the rest And we must be acted by Fear as well as Love a childlike reverence and awe of God how circumspectly will it make us walk Job feared God and eschewed evil Finally our Obedience must spring from gratitude and a sense of our obligation to serve the Lord who hath so loaded us with innumerable benefits All the mercies and deliverances which God did work for and extend to Israel were to induce them to observe his Statutes and to keep his Laws Psal 105. 45. 5. A good Conscience has a regard unto the matter of our actions That this be agreeable unto the Word of God This word is the rule we are to walk by that peace and mercy may be upon us There is a word which God will do his word of Promise he will accomplish his word of Threatning he will execute and his word of Prophecy he will fulfill There is a word which he will have us to do and that 's the word of Precept A good Conscience respects the precepts of the Law the sum of which is to Love the Lord with all our Heart and Soul and Mind and Strength and our Neighbour as our Selves Mat. 22. 37. 39. This Law is not made void but establish'd by Faith even in the Covenant of Grace the Lord promises to write this Law in our Hearts and sayes he will put his spirit within us to cause us to walk in his Statutes and to observe his Judgements and do them The Gospel has precepts also as well as the Law which a good Conscience knowes are to be obeyed And if we will indeed obey the Gospel we must believe on Jesus we must repent from dead works we must live by Faith we must give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure we must love our Brethren as love is a new command and enjoyned upon a new motive namely the great love of Christ We must engage in all the Ordinances and Institutions of our Lord Jesus finally we must hold fast our profession without wavering whatever troubles upon that score do overtake us 6. A good Conscience Eyes the Manner of our Obedience That it be out of choice David did chuse the way of the Lords Precepts he considered these precepts esteemed them concerning all things to be right and preferred them before all the False and destructive wayes of sin Obedience must not only be out of choice but it must be universal in regard of the object all the commands be respected and in regard of the Subject the whole man must
that there is but an hairs breadth between them and Death between them and Hell and inform them that 't is possible even for the most Profane to be saved if they come and submit to the Lord Jesus and break off their sins by Righteousness 3. O Conscience speak unto the Civilized sinners that trust in their own Righteousness Tell them that the Prophet counted his Righteousnesses as filthy Rags Isa 64. 6. And ask them how they dare to trust in theirs Convince them that 't is not enough to escape the more scandalous wickednesses for the Pharisee was not an Extortioner nor Vnjust nor an Adulterer he Fasted and Prayed and gave Tithes of all that he Possessed and yet all this could not Justifie him Tell them that they are not so whole but they need Christ the Physitian and must needs die without him as well as others Tell them that their very Hearts must be renewed and taken off from sin and the Creature and turned unto God else they must of Necessity perish 4. Speak O Conscience unto Hypocritical Professors tell them that that which is highly esteemed among Men is abomination many times in the sight of God Say to them in the words of the Apostle and be sure to speak home Gal. 6. 7 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man Soweth that shall he also Reap He that soweth unto the Flesh shall of the Flesh Reap Corruption Tell them that their Secret sins their secret Intemperance and Uncleanness and Dishonest dealing is set in the Light of Gods Countenance and though they may shut their own Eyes and not see God yet they cannot shut Gods Eyes nor hinder him from seeing them Tell them that Hypocrisie is most hateful and that as Hell is prepared for the Devil and his Angels so in a special manner for the Hypocrite and the Unbeliever 5. O Conscience speak unto the Rich in this world and tell them how hard 't is for them to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and as long as they love the World and desire it more than Communion with God 't is utterly impossible Bid them to think of the Rich Man in the Gospel that went from a great Estate and from a full Table and a brave House and sumptuous Fare unto a place of Torment Put them in mind that the Love of Money is the root of all evil and that wealth has proved unto Millions onely like a weight to sink them into Destruction and perdition Bid them mind a Treasure in Heaven which is infinitely better than Gold and Silver which are Corruptible 6. Speak O Conscience to the Poor and tell them 't will be sad for them to be miserable in both Worlds 't will be sad to receive evil things here and ten thousand times worse hereafter Bid them take heed of Lying and Stealing and trusting in any sinful course for a Livelihood but perswade them to seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness that all other things which are needful may be added to them Mat. 6. 33. Charge them to be Poor in Spirit to be contented with their Condition without murmuring against God or envying at those who have more than themselves and above all things to endeovour that they may be rich towards God Rich in Faith and then they will be Heirs of the Kingdom which the Lord has promised to them that Love him James 2. 5. 7. O Conscience speak unto Traders of all sorts tell them that false Weights and Measures and Balances are an abomination in the sight of God When they are about to Cheat give them a check and assure them that an Estate gotten by fraud is attended with a Curse Be with them in their Shops and at the Exchange observe how they Buy and Sell and examine all their gains bid them to mete the same measure unto others that they would have mete unto themselves and to do as they would be done unto Mat. 7. 12. Tell them that 't is the height of Madness to venture the losing of their Souls for a pound or for a shilling or for Six-pence unjustly gained since Christ who knew the value of Souls says that a Soul is more worth than the World and all the Wealth of it put together 8. Speak O Conscience unto Back-sliders tell them that it had been better for them never to have known the way of Truth and Righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered to them 2 Pet. 2. 21. Call them Dogs for returning to their Vomit and Swine for wallowing again in their former Mire Tell them that where there was but one unclean Spirit before they are likely to be possessed with seven now and the latter end will be worse with them than the beginning 9. O Conscience speak unto them that are truly humbled for sin and are willing to have Christ upon any terms and tell them that God is rich in Mercy ready to forgive freely the Debt of many thousand Talents These are the Sons of Peace and therefore let thy Peace and thy Lords Peace come and abide upon them (m) Futurae beatudinis non est certius testimonium quam bona conscientia mundus enim volubilitate circumvoletur ploret ridea pereat transeat nunquam conscientia mercessit Bernard lib. de Conscen c. 4. Those that mourn for their Iniquities and hate every false way and are desirous to be washed and Sanctified by the Spirit of Christ as well as Justified and reconciled by his Blood oh be sure to comfort them tell them that the Lord will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax untill he send forth Judgment unto Victory Mat. 12. 20. Bid them not to be cast down not to be disquieted but to hope in the Lord and praise him who is so nigh to them that are of broken Heart and saveth such as be of a contrite Spirit 10. Lastly O Conscience speak one word to the Preacher himself and speak effectually Thou that Teachest others be sure to Teach and Learn thy self Practice not the sins thou cryest out against neglect not the Duties thou urgest others to perform Be not like those who dig in Mines and enrich others but are poor themselves Or like that Statue in Greece which shewed the way to Thebes and Athens but it self stirred not Oh take heed lest after thou hast Preached Christ and Conscience unto others thou thy self be found a cast-away FINIS A Poem out of Mr. George Herbert Called Longing pag. 142 143 144 145. WIth sick and Famisht Eyes With doubling Knees and weary Bones To thee my cries To thee my groans To thee my sighs my Tears ascend No end My Throat my Soul is hoarse My heart is wither'd like a ground Which thou dost curse My thoughts turn round And make me giddy Lord I fall Yet call From thee all pity flows Mothers are kind because thou art And dost dispose To them apart Their Infants them and they suck thee More free Bowels of pity hear Lord of my Soul love of my mind Bow down thine ear Let not the wind Scatter my words and in the same Thy Name Look on my sorrows round Mark well my Furnace O what flames What heats abound What griefs what shames Consider Lord Lord bow thine ear And hear Lord Jesu thou didst bow Thy dying head upon the Tree O be not now More dead to me Lord hear Shall he that made the ear Not hear Behold thy dust doth stir It moves it creeps it aims at thee Wilt thou deferr To succour me Thy pile of dust wherein each crumb Says Come To thee help appertains Hast thou left all things to their course And laid the reins Upon the horse Is all lockt hath a sinners plea No key Indeed the World 's thy book Where all things have their leaf assign'd Yet a meek look Hath interlin'd Thy board is full yet humble guests Find nests Thou tarriest while I die And fall to nothing thou dost reign And rule on high While I remain In bitter grief yet I am I stil'd Thy child Lord didst thou leave thy throne Not to relieve how can it be That thou art grown Thus hard to me Were sin alive good cause there were To bear But now both sin is dead And all thy promises live and bide That wants his head These speak and chide And in thy bosome pour my tears As theirs Lord JESU heal my heart Which hath been broken now so long That ev'ry part Hath got a tongue Thy beggers grow rid them away To day My love my sweetness hear By these thy feet at which my heart Lies all the year Pluck out thy dart And heal my troubled brest which cries Which dyes
qualitate depositi Sic sic in domo propriâ à propriâ familiâ habeo accusatores testes judices tortores Bernard Meditat. devot cap. 13. pag. mihi 1060. My sins I am not able to conceal because where ever I go my Conscience is continually with me and carries with it what I have put in it whether it be good or evil It keeps for me living it will restore to me dying what I have delivered to be kept by it If I do evil Conscience is present if I seem to do good and am lifted up with Pride Conscience is present It accompanies me all my Life long 't will follow me after Death and will be my inseparable either Glory or Confusion according to the Quality of what it has Observed in me Thus thus in my own House in my own Soul I have Accusers Witnesses Judges Tormentors if I dare to give way unto Iniquity 4. Though Conscience may seem to be quite banished and for the present does no more its Office than if there were no such thing yet this Exiled and Banished thing will at last return or to speak more properly this Conscience that was imagined to be in a dead sleep or altogether careless will shew that it has been too much present with the guilty all along These six particulars are here to be Observed 1. Some great Affliction may awaken Conscience When the Widow with whom Elijah sojourned her Son fell sick and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him her Conscience was exceedingly startled and she said to Elijah What have I to do with thee O thou Man of God art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my Son 1 Kings 17. 17 18. The Locusts which were so very grievous that came over all the Land of Egypt extorted a Confession from Pharaoh's Conscience though his Heart was before hardned He called for Moses and Aaron in haste and said I have sinned against the Lord and against you now therefore forgive I pray thee my sin this once and intreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me this Death onely Exod. 10. 16 17. How does Affliction give new Eyes and make sin appear in other colours than before it seemed to have When the Body of a sinner is first struck with a Disease and the mind apprehends this Sickness may prove deadly and that now being Arrested the sinner must quickly appear before the Judgment-seat Ohthen what a commotion is there in the Soul and how fierce and clamourous is the Conscience which before was deeply silent 2. Conscience may awake after a fall into some scandalous sin When the long covered Hypocrisie is detected and the sly sinner which waxed worse and worse and yet was secure at length does commit some sin that the World crys shame on Oh then Conscience may joyn in with the VVorlds clamors (r) Non aurem solam percutit iracundia criminantis verùm etiam conscientiam mordet veritas criminis August l. 3. contra lit Petilian Tom. 7. and tell him that now his sin has found him out and that Heaven has revealed his iniquity and that because he has despised God he has been suffered to do that which has made himself to be lightly esteemed 3. Conscience may awake at the hearing of a powerful Sermon The messengers of the Lord are commanded to lift up their Voices like a Trumpet and the design is to startle Conscience and that sinners may be made sensible of and to know their Transgressions Isaiah 58. 1. God speaks thus to the Prophet Ezekiel chap. 6. 11. Smite with thine hand and stamp with thy foot and say Alas for all the evil abominations of the House of Israel These gestures this earnestness and crying out of abominations is used to affect the Hearts which before were stupid And truly the VVord of God has oftentimes taken impression even upon those whose Souls were more than ordinarily senseless The Apostles hearers were mockers and yet the VVord being set home they were prickt at the Heart and said Men and Brethren what shall we do Act. 2. 37. Now when the VVord does awaken the Conscience there is more ground to hope that God has a design to work a saving change and that the troubles of Spirit are but as it were the pangs which fore-run the new Birth 4. Conscience may awake when Death is within view I grant indeed that 't is too common for the ungodly to dy stupid and that there may be no bands in their death Psal 73. but yet experience shews that the approach of death does also fill many ungodly ones with horrour and amazement What made Balaam to cry out let me dye the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Num. 23. 10. Surely he had pre-apprehensions how terrible a thing 't is for the ungodly to dye When nature is almost spent and the earthly Tabernacle is tottering and falling to the ground when Physicians are at a losse and friends stand by weeping and 't is whispered in the room Alas he cannot live many hours to an end Ah then Conscience may wake in terrible fright and the sinner may be confounded and as death comes with its sting so it may prove indeed the King of terrours 5. To be sure at judgment Conscience will be awaked thoroughly though sinners possibly may look death yet they cannot look the Judge in the face without being daunted He will strike terrour into the Hearts of those sinners that were most obstinate and unbelieving VVe read that at the great day the Books will be opened Rev. 20. 12. The Book of Scripture will be opened for by that every one must be judged The Word that I have spoken sayes Christ the same shall judge at the last day The book of Conscience will also be opened and what things are found written there will be taken notice of and must be answered for No Conscience at that day can be stupid The Heavens passing away with a great noise and the Elements melting with fervent heat and the Earth and the works therein being all in a flame every unjustified and unsanctified sinners Heart will smite him and as the Judge will condemn him so he will be condemned by his own Conscience Chrysostome (s) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Epist ad Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 advises every one to look into his own Conscience presently and to be strict in self-searching that he may not be condemned with the world for 't is a dreadful Tribunal which all must appear before and the trial of every one will be thorow and impartial 6. Conscience will be with the ungodly in Hell to all Eternity Could we go down indeed to the gates of Hell and have some discourse with the damned there and ask them concerning their Consciences they would answer that a great part of Hell lyes there and that they feel within
persons Conscience has no more reason to fear the greatest than the poorest Can the greatest man punish his Conscience for being plain with him He may indeed wound it more and more but this will in the end onely increase his own smart and anguish Prophets and Ministers have not accesse unto some nor an opportunity to tell them of their misdoings and if they have and do discharge their duty they may suffer for it John the Baptist was sent to Prison for reproving Herod and afterwards his life was taken away But though Herod was no more troubled and rebuked by John yet his own Conscience does fearlesly and impartially deal with him and therefore when he heard of the fame of Jesus he cries out John is risen from the Dead which shews that his Conscience flew in his face about him 3. Conscience accuses of high matters of such crimes the least of which deserves damnation There is nothing which Conscience does accuse of but sin and sin is the Transgression of a Law and that Law is the Law of God and this God is an infinite Majesty and therefore sin does merit an infinite punishment Though Papists call some sins venial and make but light of them yet a serious Conscience looks upon every sin as justly deserving Eternal condemnation the Apostle speaks indefinitely concerning sin without excepting any The Wages of Sin is Death Rom. 6. ult and by Death he means Eternal Death for 't is opposed unto the gift of God which is Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Among Men there are indeed some petty faults which a Malefactor is not so afraid when accused of but how pale does he look when Felony or Murther or Treason is laid to his charge alas the Gallows the Gibbet Hanging Drawing Quartering he now fears Conscience brings in an indictement against the sinner for nothing but what is damnable for every sin against the great God is so in its own Nature And if every sin makes the Soul liable to the vengeance of Eternal fire how may the sinner be amazed when all his iniquities are set in order before him 4. Conscience accuses a man to himself Luther tells us concerning a certain Cardinal that was wont to say Conscientia est mala bestia quae facit hominem stare contra seipsum Conscience is an evil Beast for it makes a man to stand against himself When Conscience is our accuser our accuser is within us and we can go no where without this accuser A man by this means becomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a self-punisher These self accusations do break a mans spirit they imbitter all Temporal comforts and Oh! how bitter then do they make affliction 5. Conscience in its accusations lets us understand that God understands better then it self what it layes to our charge The Apostle tells us that God is greater than our Hearts and knows all things 1 John 3 20. This Text plainly informs us that God knows by us more than we know Many sins slip out of Our memories but none out of Gods Hos 7. 2. They consider not in their Hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them round they are all before my face When Conscience is awakened and we are beset round with our own doings this causes the perplexity that they are all before Gods face he remembers all though we are not able to number half of them Moses cryes out We are consumed by thine anger by thy wrath are we troubled Thou hast set our inquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy Countenance Psal 90. 7. 8. 6. Conscience is many times incessant and not to be silenced in its accusations Augustine (h) Qui malas habent uxores domus suas intrare nolunt ad forum exeunt gaudent coepit hora esse quâ intraturi sunt ad domum suam contristantur Intraturi sunt ad taedia ad murmura ad amaritudines ad eversiones Si ergo miseri sunt qui cùm redeunt ad parietes suos timent quantò miseriores qui ad conscientiam redire nolunt ne litibus peccatorum evertantur Vt possis libens redire ad cor tuum illud munda Aufer cupiditatem sordes aufer labem avaritiae malas cogitationes odia non dico adversus amicum sed etiam adversus inimicum aufer ista omnia Intra cor tuum gaudebis Aug. in Enarrat in Psal 33. pag. mihi 237 238. compares a clamorous Conscience to a brawling Woman whose Tongue being set on fire of Hell never lies still but is continually shooting forth bitter words Now Solomon tells us 'T is better to dwell in the corner of a house top than with such a Woman in a wide house Prov. 25. 24. nay 'T is better to dwell in the Wilderness than with a contentious and angry Woman Prov. 21. 19. But how much more intolerable are the reproaches of an enraged Conscience Flashes of Hell fire do issue as it were out of the mouth of it it is continually bringing guilt unto remembrance and speaking of those Flames unto which this guilt does render the Soul that sins obnoxious and liable Thus the witness of Conscience is an accusation upon doing evil and such an accusation as may very much be dreaded 2. The witnesse of Conscience is an Apology upon doing well It will bear witnesse for those that are sincere when they walk before God in Truth and with a perfect Heart It must indeed be granted that in many things all even the very best do offend Jam. 3. 2. But conscience takes notice of the bent and desire of the Soul to please the Lord and how burthensome and bewailed infirmities are Conscience will excuse and defend if there be a will to do good though evil at the same time be present as it was with the Apostle himself Rom. 7. 21. Conscience having looked into the Gospel understands that God does not deal with Believers according to the terms of the Covenant of Works which had a promise of Life only upon condition of perfect obedience but Death was threatned upon the least transgression No no they are not now under the Law but under Grace and in the new Covenant sincerity is accounted and accepted as our perfection before God through Christ Jesus Now Consciences excusing or defending is of great force and weight 'T is not to be checkt by the reproaches of men nor by the accuser of the Brethren 1. Conscience excusing us is not to be checkt by the reproaches of Men. How eager as I hinted before were Jobs friends in their censures and accusations They thought his Religion was but a meer shew and that he had used the Form of Godliness onely as a cover for his wickedness and injustice Heark how he speaks to them Job 19. 2 3. How long will ye vex my Soul and break me in pieces with words these ten times have ye reproached me you are not ashamed
thy Rebuke O God of Jacob the stout Hearted are spoyled none of the men of Might have found their Hands Thou even thou art to be feared who may stand in thy sight when once thou art Angry 3. That Conscience may be awakened consider seriously that you are alwayes under the Eye and Power of God so that he can do with you what he pleases You cannot hide your selves from him nor defend your selves against him Though you dig into Hell thence can his hand take you though you could climb up to Heaven and make your nest among the Starrs yet thence he can bring you down Amos 9. 2. Your breath is in His hand dare you to provoke him and he can take it out of your Nostrils without asking you leave or giving you the least warning You have no Lease of your Lives but are Tenants at will in these Cottages of Clay the Lord can turn you out and require your Souls at your hands at his own pleasure God has most Sovereign Power he is the onely absolute Monarch because all others are subject to himself VVhom he will he Kills whom he will he keeps alive whom he will he sets up whom he will he puts down whom he will he saves and whom and when he will he can destroy for ever He does according to his pleasure in the Army of Heaven and among the Inhabitants of the Earth and none can stay his hand or say to him What dost thou Dan. 4. 35. Surely 't is not safe by thy stupidness of Conscience any longer to engage this God against thee 4. Firmly Believe that 't is not more certain thou art a sinner than 't is certain that the Lord of Heaven is displeased with Thee Thee in particular Thou that hast an hard Heart and a senseless Conscience I am to tell thee heavy Tidings Gods Soul does hate Thee and he is Angry with thee every day If God should permit one of thy Old Companions in Wickedness to rise from the Dead to tell thee that his wrath abides upon thee and that thou art making haste unto the place of Torment would not this startle thee Or if an Angel from Heaven should meet thee with a Flaming Sword in his Hand and tell thee the way that thou takest is perverse before God and naming thy Name John Thomas Richard should say plainly that the Lord is thine Enemy how would this affect thee VVhy the Word tells thee this and that is a more sure word of Prophecy How expresly is it said Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with him Upon the wicked God shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the Portion of their Cup Psal 11. 6. 5. Look upon God as the Lord of Hosts that thy Conscience may shrink and be afraid Many Legions of Angels are at his Service his beck commands them they are his Ministers to do his pleasure Psal 103. 21. And these Angels do so excell in strength that one of them was able to destroy in one Night an hundred fourscore and five thousand of the Assyrian Army Isa 37. 36. All the Devils in Hell God can Employ and they are very forward to be the Instruments of his Wrath and Revenge upon the workers of Iniquity The Men of the Earth are at his Command and he can stir up their Spirits and bring whole Armies of them against the People of his Indignation The Beasts of the Field the Fowls of the Air nay the most inconsiderable Creatures he can make terrible so as to tame the proudest of his Adversaries Those Locusts spoken of by Joel when God does Marshal them into an Army how terrible are they Like the noise of Chariots on the tops of Mountains shall they leap like the noise of a Flame of Fire that devoureth the stubble as a strong People set in Battel array before their face the People shall be much pained all Faces shall gather blackness Joel 2. 5 6. The Fire and Hail Snow and Vapour and Stormy Winds fulfill Gods Word The Thunder and the Lightnings say unto him Here we are being ready to consume the Rebellious against him The Lord is very terrible in himself oh dreadful to have an Omnipotent Enemy But when besides his own Power he has so great an Host at Command how should sinners tremble before him 6. Look back and see what Security has brought upon others Stupidness of Conscience has been the fore-runner of the most astonishing Judgments that ever were inflicted Read the Story of the old World and the Drowning of it Was it not terrible when all the Fountains of the great Deep were broken up and the Windows of Heaven were opened and the Rain was upon the Earth for forty Days and forty Nights together Gen. 7. 11 12 Oh what crying and what climbing was there to avoid that Deluge but all in vain the VVaters prevailed exceedingly fifteen Cubits above the highest Mountains and all flesh dyed that moved upon the Earth Fowl Cattel Beast Creeping thing and every Man But Security went before this Flood that swept all away They Eat they Drank they Planted they Builded they Married and were given in Marriage even to the Day that Noah entred into the Ark. The like sottishness and unsensibleness was in Sodom and Gomorrah before the Lord Rained Fire and Brimstone bringing Hell out of Heaven for their signal overthrow who had been sinners before the Lord exceedingly Like sins will have like ends and if thy Conscience is stupid as the Sodomites were thou mayst be destroyed suddenly and signally as they were 7. That Conscience may be awakened consider how unlikely 't is that Divine Patience should last much longer towards you Do not think that his patience towards his Enemies will be like his Mercy towards his Children and endure for ever You have found him long-suffering 't is Foolish presumption to think he will be ever suffering Laesa Patientia fit furor Abused Patience may quickly become Fury Hippolytus (b) Magne regnator Deûm Tam lentus audis scelera tà m lentus vide◠Ec quando saevâ fulmina emittes manu Si nunc serenum est Seneca in the Tragedy when his Mother-in-Law made an Incestuous motion to him wondred at the patience of Heaven and that she was not presently struck dead with a Thunder-bolt It may be Matter of great Admiration that stupid sinners have been spared all this while Oh let them not reckon that they shall be still spared though they continue in their provocations Sottish and Senseless sinner the Devil who temps thee to sin would fain drag thee to Hell immediately but 't is that God whom thou offendest that hinders him and exercises forbearance to see if at length thou wilt be led to Repentance But if thou art stupid still God may quickly suffer Satan to have his will upon thee and which is worse cause his own wrathful Vengeance to take hold on thee Dost thou think that the Spirit
of this Judge at that day be Every mouth shall be stopt and every sinner speechlesse Oh then the Evil of sin will be made Manifest and how Righteous 't is for the Lord to Sentence the Wicked unto Everlasting Fire Whom He Condemns every one will Condemn and they shall not choose but Condemn themselves 4. After the Judge has past Sentence he will be inexorable no Cryes no Tears will prevail with him to Repeal it Those that then are Condemned can never be Justified can never be saved Oh what is that Misery which is Extream as to the Measure and as to the Duration of it Everlasting 5. Thou in Particular must give Account of thy self unto this Judge All must appear before the Judgement seat of Christ and that All includes thee Every one of us must give account of himself to God Rom. 14. 12. And Oh secure sinner if all must be judged according to their Works begin now to tremble that thy works have been all so bad what kind of Sentence is likely to be past upon thee Is thy Worldliness and Uncleanness and neglect of God and Christ and Duty and thy stupidness of Conscience notwithstanding all this likely to be rewarded with Heaven No no that which is thy due and thy due shall be given thee is everlasting Destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his Power 10. Take some encouragement that 't is not too late to awake as yet though Conscience hitherto has slept securely Thy Glasse is not yet run thy Sun is not yet set thy Day is not yet ended there may be possibly an Inch of thy Span of time remaining Oh sleep no longer but up and be doing thy main business When the ship was drowning the Marriners come to Jonah with a just rebuke What meanest thou O sleeper Jon. 1. 6. When Souls are sinking and when sinners are damning there is much more reason to say to Conscience what meanest Oh Sleeper Awake before it be quite too late Call upon God to awaken you throughly he can make the sleepy nay the dead to hear his voice Joh. 5. 25. Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live So much be spoken and Lord make what has been spoken Effectual to awaken secure Consciences In the second place I am to shew how wounded and awakened Consciences may be Cured and Comforted And here it will be needfull first to shew you some mistakes about trouble of Conscience which are very common Secondly to discover when Conscience is troubled after a right manner Thirdly how Comfort is to be applied in that trouble For the first of these namely the mistakes about trouble of Conscience they are these following 1. That is not right trouble of Conscience which is onely the product of and lasts no longer than Affliction When Pharoah was under the smart of the Rod he cryed out I have sinned but this was not real trouble for sin for as soon as ever the Rod is taken off Pharoah is as resolved to sin as ever The mettal while the Fire burns is Liquid and you may cast it into any form but take away the Fire and it becomes hard as ever Such kind of mettall are many hearts while in the Furnace of Affliction how melted and tender do they seem but when taken out of that Furnace then they quickly cool and become perhaps more obdurate than before Who would have thought though so indeed it was that the Israelites who when God slew them did seek him and returned and enquired early after him and remembred that he was their Redeemer and their Rock should all this while onely flatter him with their Lips and that their Hearts should not be right with him nor stedfast in his Covenant 2. That is not right trouble of Conscience which is onely sorrow after the world (*) Tristitia mundi est quum propter terrenas afflictiones animos despondent luctu opprimuntur tristitia autem secundum Deum quae Deum respicit dum unicam miseriam ducunt excidisse à Dei gratiâ ac timore judicii ejus perculsi peccata sua lugent Calvin this kind of sorrow is so far from having a promise of life made to it that the Apostle affirms it works death 2 Cor. 7. 10. There is a great sorrow in thy Heart and it appears in thy very looks but what is the cause of it If hard times trouble thee but an hard Heart is no affliction if crosses and losses in the World perplex thee but the losse of thy Soul is not at all feared neither is there any care taken to prevent it if thy poverty in the World do grieve thee but thou dost not sorrow at all because destitute of the true Riches how canst thou call any of this a right trouble The Israelites did weep and Howl but the cause was they wanted Corn and Wine and so they had but these things in Plenty they could be well contented to live without God Hos 7. 13 14. Every pensive sinner is not penitent nor fit to be comforted their very pensiveness is a very great sin as long as sin is not but only worldly crosses the cause of it 3. That is not right trouble of Conscience where there is onely a slavish fear of punishment but love to sin does still remain in strength Where there is slavish fear and no more there is an hatred of God and a secret wish to get from under his Power the slave you know hates his Master and wishes he might be at liberty and never see or serve him more there is also an hatred of the Commands of God and a repining and murmuring at the strictness of them Sin is dear as ever a grief there is because of those threats which terrifie and hinder the free commission of it If such a Soul might have its wish It should not be Oh that I might be turned to God and that my wayes were directed to keep his Statutes but it should be Oh that I might have liberty to do as I list and that there were no such thing as the Word and Will of God to be observed where such a Spirit is which the Heart-searching God perfectly understands abstaining from the outward act of sin signifies not much The Merchant in a Storm cannot be said to hate his goods because he flings them overboard he is sorry because driven to such a strait and when he comes ashore wishes as much for his goods as ever 4. That is not right trouble of Conscience which Sinners being impatient under do fly for Comfort to the Creatures If thou art indeed wounded the same hand that gave the wound must bind it up I wound and I heal says God Deut. 32. 39. If sensual delights if Sports and Pastimes if carnal Company if immersing thy self in worldly business can divert
ebbing or flowing of any Humour in the Body Load is laid on by the Spirit of God and the burthen presses continually untill the Comforter take it off The Psalmist says that his sore ran in the Night and ceased not Psal 77. 2. So Psal 38. 6. I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long 5. Melancholy makes a Man to fear every thing almost though there be no just ground of fear VVhen he goes to Bed he fears he shall die in his sleep and not Live till Morning Though in never so good a Trade he fears that God will blast him in his Estate and that he shall fall into extream poverty Melancholy persons are tortured with a fear of being Distracted and running stark Mad many times and then they think what a sad spectacle they shall be when they are in Bedlam and if Professors how much Religion will be Reproached upon their Account Many times they fear the appearing of the Devil in some terrible shape and that thereby they shall be frighted out of their wits 'T is ordinary for them to have sad fore-boding thoughts of ill to themselves as that some grievous Calamity is not far off from them or theirs and that their lives will be very short and within a little while they shall be in another VVorld They can hardly hear of any that have Hang'd or Drown'd themselves but they fear (g) Quos malè habet hic morbus tristes sunt solitarii formidulosi pertinaces phantasias quasdam sibi faciunt quae nec sunt nec esse possunt falsa multa imaginantur timent non metuenda sine causâ moerent animumque macerant they shall do the like one time or other I might spend a whole day in naming the fears of these sorrowful souls And if Fear have Torment as the Apostle speaks 1 John 4. 18. How tormenting is Melancholy that is so full of Fear But a troubled Conscience eyes and fears the Wrath of an Almighty God and that principally Psal 88. 7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves Selah And v. 16 17. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me thy terrors have cut me off they came round about me daily like water they compassed me about together 'T is not Poverty Disgrace Death that is so much dreaded but a Jealous and highly provoked God is terrible and therefore when the Lord promises to revive such Consciences he says he will cease to be Angry and to contend Isa 57. 16. For I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wrath lest the Spirit fail before me and the Souls which I have made 6. In Melancholy there are strange hurryings in the Heart 't is snatched and carried away and some amazing thoughts are upon a sudden injected about Spiritual things but there is no Scripture-ground alledged for them Some under this Distemper will cry out they are meer Hypocrites and as if they had look'd into the black Book of Gods Reprobation will peremptorily say their Names have been written there from everlasting Others will cry out that the day of Grace is past and gone and that God has sworn concerning them in his wrath that they shall never enter into his Rest Now as the God of Heaven does walk upon the Wings of the Wind so Satan the God of this World does walk upon these Melancholick winds mixes himself with them and terrifies the Soul with the fear of Damnation And oh with what astonishment does a poor Melancholick Creature think of being damned everlastingly Many times Satan tells them that the longer they Live they will but fill the Vial fuller of wrath and but add more fewel to that Fire which must be their Portion for ever and hereupon follow temptations to self-murther and upon all convenient Occasions when they are alone by Water or see a Rope or a Knife Do it Do it is violently urged in upon them But if you ask these Melancholy souls why they conclude themselves Hypocrites and Reprobates not one Scripture can they produce to prove it VVhereas on the other side in trouble of Conscience the Conviction is plainly grounded on the word of God The awakened VVorldling hears his Covetousness called Idolatry the awakened VVhore-monger perceives evidently that no unclean Person shall inherit the Kingdom of God The awakened Swearer reads that his Oaths will make him fall into condemnation They believe those threats and know that they are guilty therefore they are Afflicted and look out after a Remedy and cry to be turned from their Iniquities and Reconciled unto God 7. In Melancholy Druggs are profitable gentle Remedies for violent are by no means to be used (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hippocrates Aphor. may be blessed to give ease But as for trouble of Conscience Hei mihi quod nullis dolor est Medicabilis Herbis Alas no Herbs can here at all avail The whole Colledge of Physitians would be here at a loss VVhen the Italian Doctors came to Visit Spira in his distress He spake these words Alas poor Men how far wide are you Do you think that this Disease is to be Cured by Potions Believe me there must be another manner of Medicine It is neither Plaisters nor Drugs that can help a fainting Soul cast down with the sense of sin and the wrath of God 'T is onely Christ that must be the Physitian and the Gospel the Soul-Antidote But here I must add that where the trouble is mixt partly from Melancholy and partly from a wounded Conscience proper Physick and especially a well-ordered Diet and Exercise must be used for the one as the blood of Christ is the alone sutable Remedy for the other 8. Melancholy alone never alienates the Heart from sin Several that Labour under this distemper in their lucid intervals will be as vain as any nay sometimes they have strange and strong inclinations to Uncleanness and too much yield unto them they will most Prodigally mispend their time which is much more precious than Gold that perishes and exceedingly give way to sensuality and the pretence is their Melancholy VVhen in their doleful fits they have been afraid of Hell and have concluded they should be damned as certainly as either Cain or Judas yet when that fit of Melancholy is over how will they yield unto Temptation they are as proud as before as passionate and worldly as ever and none of this troubles them This Malady also does mightily indispose them to Duty it makes the Heart like a stock or stone Indeed this blockishness where there is Grace is a burthen but in others not so Duty onely is a Burthen not their indisposition to it But now trouble of Conscience if right helps much to break that League between the Soul and Corruptions it causes great tenderness and fear of sin and very much incites to Prayer and other Holy Duties which God has Commanded and wherein Communion with
him is to be enjoyed 'T was said of Persecuting Saul as soon as the Lord had struck him to the ground and he was prickt in his heart Behold he Prayeth Acts 9. 11. When the Waters that is troubles came into David's Soul when he was sinking in the deep Mire where there was no standing how earnestly does he cry out Save me O God! Nay he did cry till his Throat was dryed and though his eyes failed yet he waited for the Lord Psal 69. 1 2 3. Having thus spoken of the mistakes about trouble of Conscience I am in the Second place to discover when Conscience is troubled after a right manner so as that it may be proper to apply Comfort from the Gospel This right trouble I shall set forth in these particulars 1. Some special sin perhaps more hainous than Ordinary is usually at first Discovered and charged home by the Spirit upon the Conscience The Apostle Paul before his Conversion was Riding to Damascus but the Lord met him in the way and the first sin he was charged with was that of Persecuting the Church of Christ Acts 9. 3 4. As he journied and came near Damascus suddenly their shined round about him a Light from Heaven and he fell to the Earth and heard a Voice saying unto him Saul Saul why Persecutest thou me Those Jews that were awakened by Peter's Sermon were charged with taking Christ and Crucifying and slaying him with wicked hands Acts 2. 23. Thus the Woman of Samaria who had had five Husbands is told of her Living in Whoredome with a man that was not her Husband John 4. 18. Thus commonly the work begins some more grosse sin as lying swearing drunkenness self-pollution or the like is discovered and that is like a dart shot in the Conscience causing a great deal of trouble and cannot easily be shaken off (i) Haeret lateri lethalis arundo Virgil. Aeâ—ead 4. 2. After one sin is discovered and Conscience begins to be perplexed innumerable other transgressions are brought to remembrance Just as when a debtor is arrested by one Creditor all the others are ready to come upon him The Eye of Conscience being truly opened to see one sin presently is able to discern thousands David after his being awakened by the Prophet Nathan looks first upon his filthiness and blood guiltiness but a great many other sins also stared him in the Face Therefore as a man beset by all together he cryes out for the pardon of all Psal 51. 9. Hide thy face from my sins blot out all my Transgressions Oh how did his iniquities swarm about him and sting him when he said Psal 40. 12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about my iniquities have taken hold upon me that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of my Head therefore my Heart faileth me 3. Where right trouble of Conscience is the impure streams are traced up to the fountain and the Corruption of Nature is acknowledged and bewailed Contrite David lookt thus farr Psal 51. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me And the Apostle Paul took notice of that evil which was present with him which was so great an impediment unto his doing of good Rom. 7. How can we be rightly humbled till this Corruption of Nature be seen but when we perceive that Satan is not principally to be blamed for our wickednesses but our own selves and that what does defile us does not come from below but from within this will make us to be filled with the greater self abhorrency Every man is Tempted says the Apostle James when he is drawn away of his own Lust and inticed chap. 1. 14. Evil Thoughts Adulteries Murthers and such like Abominations Christ tells us proceed out of our own Hearts Math. 15. 19. Oh this does exceedingly afflict the Soul which is rightly troubled that all those thousands of sins which have been committed are but the offspring of a corrupted Heart and Nature and not one is to be laid at any other door 4. The Conscience when rightly troubled is convinced of that sin of Vnbelief and the great Evil that is in it 'T is the work of the Spirit to convince the World of Sin and Unbelief is especially discovered John 16. 8 9. When the Comforter is come he will reprove the World of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment of Sin because they Believe not on Me. Not believing in Christ is a great sin in it self and it binds all the sinners other iniquities fast upon him (k) Hoc peccatum non crediderunt in me quasi solum sit praecaeteris posuit quia hoc manente caetera detinentur hoc discedente caetera remittuntur Augustin Tract 95. in Johan pag. mihi 474. Tom. 9. for there is no other way to receive Remission of sins but by Believing in the Lord Jesus Him only hath God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. 'T is a damning thing to transgresse the Law but to be deaf to the Gospel and to reject Christ is a great deal worse for this is to sin against a Remedy and to slight an offer of Life and Peace How Glorious is God in his dear Son how does his Wisdome and Power and Grace and Love and Righteousness and Truth shine forth in him now notwithstanding all this to be offended at Christ not to Reverence the Son not to receive him though he offers benefits of inestimable value this must needs encrease guilt and heighten wrath exceedingly If a Prince should after his subjects had played the Rebels and he had them at his Mercy offer a pardon to them and they should refuse it and chuse rather to continue rebels still their not accepting the Princes Clemency would incense him more to their destruction than their forgoing Rebellion We are ready to pity Tantalus l who as Homer sayes was thus punished he stood in a lake with Water up to his chin but when ever he stoopt to quench his thirst with the water it presently sunk away from him Brave Fruit also is said to grow just over his Head but when he stretched out his hand to take it the Wind did carry it away from him But now let us suppose that the water might have been drunk and Tantalus would not have stoopt a little for it and that Fruit might have been eaten but though it grew within his reach he would not have been at the pains to have stretched forth his hand to pluckt it Who would have pitied i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Odys 11. pag. mihi 321. Tantalus then every one would have blamed his folly in not taking what was brought so neer to him This is the case of the Unbeliever the Word is nigh him Rom. 10. 8. Christ is
A HEAVEN or HELL UPON EARTH OR A DISCOURSE CONCERNING Conscience By Nathanael Vincent M. A. Minister of the GOSPEL Acts 24. 16. Herein do I Exercise my self to have a Conscience void of Offence towards God and towards Man Multi quaerunt Scientiam pauci Conscientiam si vero tanto studio sollicitudine quaereretur Conscientia quanto quaeritur secularis vana scientia citiùs apprehenderetur utiliùs retineretur Bernard de Interior dom cap. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierocl in Pythag. aur Carm. pag. mihi 213. 214. London Printed for Thomas Parkhurst at the Three Bibles and Crown at the Lower end of Cheap-side 1676. TO THE Much Honoured Sir Nathanael Herne Henry Ashurst Sen. Esq Mr. Abr. D'olins Merchant John Gould Esq Mr. Kiffin Merchant Grace Mercy and Peace be Multiplyed Honoured Sirs IF a Wish might be Granted to hear the Apostle Paul in the Pulpit one would be ready to Wish again that Christ or Conscience might be the Subject of his Sermon Were He to Preach how would he set forth Christ who is the Beloved Son of God! the brightness of his Fathers Glory who is Adored by all the Angels and deserves to be the Desire of all Nations How plainly and impartially would he deal with Conscience examining searching and reproving it and thereby commend himself to it in the sight of God One (a) Vnicuique Liber est sùa Conscientia ad hunc Librum discutiendum emendandum omnes alii inventi sunt Bernard De Interior Dom. Cap. 28. of the Fathers calls Conscience a Book and Affirms that other Books were invented that the Errata in this might be Corrected The Scriptures themselves were given by Inspiration of God to this End that the Evils of Conscience might be Discovered and the Man of God made Perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works 'T is therefore a bad World because Conscience seems to be Exiled and Banished out of it Conscience has in these Days lost its Power and does not Exercise that Authority which by right it should as Gods Vicegerent here below But Mens Wills and Lusts have got the head so that neither God is feared nor Man regarded And for their own Souls they are least of all concerned If it be a sad Sight to see Beggars on Horse-back and Princes Walking as Servants upon the Earth much more is it to be Lamented that Mens Corruptions which ought to be held in perpetual Restraint should sway and Command all and Conscience the mean while be slighted stifled stupified and kept under which as a Prince should be Obeyed in every thing and from God give Laws to the whole Man What One said of a good Magistrate may be applyed unto a good Conscience that (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is a Benefactor and Friend to Mankind 'T will never be well with us till this have a Resurrection This is the way to obtain a Blessing from God the way to have Prosperity Trade Reputation and which is more than any than all these the Honour and Credit of the Christian Religion revived which has sunk in the esteem of many because so little of Conscience has appeared in those who have Professed it That thus it may be is the end both of this Book and of its Author And I have Dedicated it unto you Honoured Sirs who are of different Perswasions to shew that great Respect I unfeignedly bear unto you All and because Persons of all Perswasions have need to study the Subject here Treated of How many bad Consciences are there of every Opinion And if all of every Opinion would but look well to their Consciences and be so self-denying as to lay aside their Passions and their Interests This would be one of the most probable means to bring all to a better Agreement They are the Carnal and Hypocritical of every Party who endeavour to make breaches wider that are the Quarrellers and Disputers The truly Conscientious abhor Contention the sincere are very inclinable unto Peace I shall add no more but Conclude this my Address to you with an earnest Wish that All of every Perswasion may imitate You All in regard of Conscientiousness Moderation and Wisdom And 't is not a Complement to tell you that in thus Wishing I Wish well to the whole Nation and to the Churches of Christ in it Your most Humble Servant for Jesus sake Nathanael Vincent An ADDRESSE TO THE Conscience of the READER Conscience MY Expectation is greater from Thee than from any thing in the Reader besides I make no question but what I have written being opposite unto the sinfull and corrupt Inclinations of men will also be displeasing to their Humour but I have hope that Thou wilt side with me 'T is easie to convince Thee that Sin is to the prejudice of the whole Man that a Redeemer is to be prized by Sinners who are under the worst kind of Bondage and that Holiness is for men's Honour and Interest and Safety 'T is easie to convince Thee that those Pleasures and Advantages which are offer'd in Temptation are inconsiderable and that 't is the heighth of Folly to yield unto the Tempter to forsake an All-sufficient God to hazard an immortal Soul and venture the enduring of Eternal Misery for the sake of those Profits and Delights which are so mixed and unsatisfactory while enjoyed and which can continue at longest but a very short season And since it is most certainly thus O Conscience keep not silence produce the Word of God and there shew how the Lord has given thee a Negative Voice and allows nothing to be done that may defile or wound thee Protest loudly and peremptorily against all Sin call Heaven and Earth to witness and God himself unto thine assistance Vigorously oppose the Enemy of Mankind who hath his Name Apollyon because he endeavours to destroy all Bestirre thy self and joyn with Me in endeavouring to hinder the everlasting Ruine of every Reader who shall take this Book into his hand My design is not to turn People to a Party but to turn them unto God that which I preach up is Faith in our Lord Jesus and Purity in Heart and Conversation And surely such a design Thou canst not but approve such a Doctrine Thou must needs grant is faithful sound and consequently worthy of all Acceptation O Conscience I am pleading for God! that He who is so Great and Good may be obeyed and that the Sons of Men would submit their Wills to His And this is a thing but very equal since their Wills are corrupt and foolish and strongly inclin'd unto what is mischievous to themselves but His is wise and gracious and never commands any thing but what is really for the Profit of him that is to yield Obedience I am likewise O Conscience pleading for Thee that Thou mayst be allowed the free Exercise of thy Authority and Power and mayest be hearkened to whenever thou dost declaim against Sin and
that you make your selves strange unto me and yet notwithstanding all as long as his Conscience did clear him his confidence is not shaken and he says the Righteous surely including himself shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger Job 17. 9. 2. Consciences excusing us is not to be checkt by Satan the Accuser of the Brethren As Job's Friends did censure him so Satan accused him of Mercenariness and selfishness in his Religion Doth Job fear God for nought But put forth thy hand now and touch what he hath and he will curse thee to thy Face These were the words of Satan Job 1. 9. 11. But instead of this when all was taken away Job blesses the Lord nay when his Bone and Flesh were touched he says Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil Job 2. 10. Job's sincerity is proved and approved is evident to himself and Satan who 't is likely enough was busie to disturb him is demonstrated to be a Lyar. As the Devil does hide the faults of the profane and secure from their eyes so he is continually objecting to the sincere their failings and imperfections by his good will he would have us see no sin at all or nothing else but sin and from the remainders of Corruption he is bold to call the Saints Hypocrites though these remainders are never so much their burthen But if Conscience does give testimony that they delight in the Law of God after the inward Man and that the evil in themselves they hate and desire to be delivered from the Body of sin and Death Notwithstanding Satan's slanders they give thanks to God because there is now no condemnation to them being in Christ Jesus Rom. 7. latter end compared with Rom. 8. the beginning So much for this Office of Conscience which is bearing witness both by way of Accusing and Excusing 5. It follows in the Definition that 't is the Office of Conscience to Judge that is to acquit or to condemn us Judging lies in these two things in absolving and condemning The Judge if Righteous does acquit the Innocent does condemn the guilty Now condemning and not condemning or absolving are both ascribed unto Conscience by the Apostle 1 John 3. 20 21. For if our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things beloved if our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God There is a kind of a Tribunal erected in the Soul of Man and after Conscience has brought in Evidence and Acted the part of a Witness then it Acts the part of a Judge and passes Sentence which is two-fold A Sentence of Absolution a Sentence of Condemnation 1. Conscience as a Judge passes a Sentence of Absolution and if being rightly informed Conscience grounds its Sentence upon Scripture we may conclude that what it looses on Earth is loosed in Heaven When Conscience does declare to the true believer that he is justified by his Faith and has Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ it says no more than what God himself has plainly spoken Rom. 5. 1. When it declares unto humbled and penitent Souls who are humbled because they have sinned and perverted that which is right and see that it has not profited them and who also confess and are willing to forsake their Iniquities when it declares unto such that Mercy and abundant Pardon belongs to them truly there is plain and sufficient warrant from Scripture for this Declaration To be absolved in the Court of Conscience is matter of great consolation and if Conscience draw its conclusions from Scripture-premises it may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong consolation such as has a firm basis and Foundation When Conscience does absolve much is contained in this Sentence it pronounces us free from punishment and also sentences a reward unto us it shuts Hell and opens Heaven for a reward and the greatest that can be conceived nay how great cannot be at present conceived is surely though freely promised unto them that are sincere Believers 'T is indeed a reward of Grace not of Debt but because of Grace therefore the more sure Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it is of Faith that it might be by Grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the Seed Conscience in Judging does Act as Gods Vice-gerent He himself will Judge at last as it if it have light and purity does Judge at present And those who are now acquitted in the Court of Conscience shall be also absolved at the great Tribunal The Apostle having said We have known and believed the Love that God hath to us presently speaks concerning boldness in the day of Judgment 1 John 4. 16 17. 2. Conscience as a Judge passes a Sentence of Condemnation (i) Exemplo quodcunque malo committitur ipsi Displicet authori prima est haec ultio quod se Judicè ne mo nocens absolvitur Juvenal Satyr 13. and this Sentence is passed upon the Impenitent the Hypocrites and the Unbelievers and because the Scripture does condemn these we may truly say that what Conscience binds on Earth is bound in Heaven I grant indeed that if Conscience should pass Sentence according to the Law of works every Child of Adam the Holy Child Jesus excepted would be condemned Hark what that Man after Gods own heart said Psal 130. 3. If thou Lord shouldst mark Iniquity O Lord who shall stand And Psal 143. 2. Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified His Conscience saw so much and God saw a great deal more of sin that in strictness of Law and Justice it told him he was a condemned Man But by the Law of Grace they who turn from sin and believe in Christ are acquitted But as for those who will not come to Christ that they may have Life but preferr their fleshly and worldly Lusts and those things wherewith these lusts are gratified before the Lord of Life and Glory as they are condemned by the Law of Works so likewise by the Law of Grace Conscience therefore doing its Office passes a dreadful Sentence upon them and tells them that the wrath of God abides on them John 3. ult But here 't will be needful to note a difference between Consciences condemning a sinner now and the Lords condemning him hereafter that Sentence which Christ will pronounce at the last day will be peremptory unalterable therefore that Judgment is called Eternal Judgment Heb. 6. 2. There is no appeal from that Tribunal no reversing of the Sentence but those that are then condemned Go they must and that immediately into everlasting punishment as the Righteous on the other hand into Life Eternal Mat. 25. ult But when Conscience does at present condemn a sinner it does not preclude and shut up the door of hope against him its Sentence of condemnation is but conditional in case
assurance of understanding Col. 2. 2. Conscience which is good is certain both of the mysteries of Faith and the duties of Religion and entertains the one and urges unto the doing of the other This certainty is opposed unto dubiousness when the Conscience through infirmity and weakness is at a loss and knowes not what to do in some cases Just as a man Travelling meets with two ways and knows not which is the right when he turns to the right hand he doubts and so turns to the left and when he turns to the left Hand he doubts whether that will bring him to his journies end and so is ready to turn back to the right again Saints themselves may thus be in doubt sometimes but this is no part of the goodnesse of their Conscience but an Argument onely of their weakness And in this case as the Lord is earnestly to be sought to make their way plain before them So they are to follow the Footsteps of the Flock and in those doubtful matters to observe which way the Holiest and best both of Ministers and Saints do go and to accompany them When the Spouse sayes Teâ—l me O thou whom my Soul loves where thou feedest where thou makest thy Flocks to rest at Noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the Flocks of thy Companions Christ answers If thou would'st know O thou fairest among Women go thy way forth by the footsteps of the Flock and feed thy Kids beside the Shepherds Tents Cant. 1. 7 8. and So Prov. 2. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the Righteous Misapprehend me not I do not make this a general rule that we are in all things to follow good men But where the Conscience doubts on both hands and is afraid it sins which side soever it takes In this case the Footsteps of the Flock are to be minded and we must keep close to the Shepherds Tents and being humble and teachable this weaknesse and dubiousness may be cured and the Lord may bless means of instruction to make us see that plainly which before we were in the dark about 4. The knowledge of a Conscience is satisfying in opposition unto scrupulousnesse As wisdome is profitable so also delightful Prov. 2. 10. When wisdom enters into thy Heart and Knowledge is pleasant to thy Soul As there is great contentment when the will embraces and enjoys good so there is great satisfaction when the understanding and Conscience have found out and do entertain Truth But on the other hand scrupulousness is very tormenting These scruples are things which arise from weak and sometimes from no ground at all and the Lord does permit Believers themselves to be exercised with them to correct former sins against Conscience and also to try their present tenderness In Melancholy persons these scruples are most frequent and in them whose knowledge is but small A scurpulous Conscience differs from a doubting in that a doubting is afraid on both hands a scrupulous is satisfied on one part but is sollicitous and full of fear in reference to the other He had a scrupulous Conscience that did question the lawfulness of eating all things but he was satisfied concerning eating Herbs Rom. 14. 2. Now this scrupulousness is really a fault as well as a vexation of Conscience and therefore by well weighing of things and diligent looking into the word and not making more sins than the word declares to be so and by understanding better our Christian liberty we should endeavour to be rid of our needless scruples These scruples if we take not heed will be so much attended to as that weightier matters may be neglected they will make the service of the Lord lesse comfortable and Satan will get advantage to represent his yoak as the more heavy and burthensome But when Conscience is freed from these 't is just as if a stone should be taken out of our shooe (y) Conscientia scrupulosa nomen habet à scrupo qui est lapillus in calceo hominem laedens in incessu impediens Bald. de Consc l. 1. c. 10. with greater ease and chearfulness we shall go nay Run in the way of Gods Commandments 5. The knowledge of a good Conscience is operative and incites to practice That passage of our Lord is deeply engraven upon a good and honest heart Joh. 13. 17. If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them Barely to know will not make us happy nay 't will make us more miserable because more inexcusable Though a good Conscience eyes the obedience and sufferings of Christ and there is an hope of acceptation and pardon only upon that account yet because by Faith the Law is not made void but established therefore it urges obedience to the Law The Covenant of Grace having first said Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved in a qualified sence also sayes Do this and Live Sincere obedience is required or else Life will never be obtained Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandements that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the City The Light of a good Conscience urges to the casting off the works of Darknesse and to walk circumspectly and to do this without delay As the Egyptians when their first-born were destroyed hastned the Israelites to be gone for said they we be all Dead men So Conscience hastens us to part with such a deadly thing as sin and bids us not delay to keep Gods Righteous Judgements You see what kind of knowledge is that of a good Conscience but here the great enquiry will be how may Conscience be well informed and this kind of knowledge obtained 1. That Conscience may be well informed the Scripture must be well searched Holy men of old digged in this Mine for knowledge and found their labour well bestowed The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul the Testimony of the Lord is Sure making Wise the simple Psal 19. 7 There is more of God revealed and made known in a leaf of the Bible than in the whole Book of Nature Horace does commend Homer the Writer of the Trojan War upon this account Qui quid sit pulchrum quid turpe quid utile quid non Pleniùs meliùs Chrysippo Crantore dixit Because he tells best of all what is Fair and Lovely and what is Foul and Filthy what is Profitable and what is Hurtful But what are Homers Writings compared with the Holy Scripture This this does most fully inform the Conscience what is good and what is evill and what will do us good and what will be evil and injurious to us The Scripture must be searched we must look beyond the surface Truth sometimes lies deep therefore Solomon uses that expression Prov. 2. 4. 5. If thou seekest her as Silver and searchest for her as for hid Treasures then
Palace and being there his sinful fear discovers it self he denies his Master to secure himself he denies him thrice and that with a Curse and Oath that he never knew him verse 74. See what became of all his Confidence A tender Conscience is always accompanied with self-diffidence and causes us upon this score to keep far off from what is evil God putteth no trust in his Servants yea his Angels he chargeth with folly surely then we have Reason to distrust our selves Enter not into the way of the Wicked says Solomon go not in the path of Evil Men avoid it pass not by it turn from it and pass away Prov. 4. 14 15. All Occasions of sin are heedfully to be avoided Tender Conscienced Joseph as he hearkned not to his Mistress so he cared not to be with her Gen. 39. 10. He thought it was not good to come too neer that fire so a naughty Woman is set forth Prov. 6. 27. for fear at last he might catch some heat 4. A tender Conscience if it suspect any thing to be sin it will forbear till satisfied 'T is better a great deal not to go to the utmost bounds of Christian liberty then to go beyond it better an indifferent thing should be abstained from as unlawful than that which is really unlawful should be ventured upon as if it were indifferent The Israleites when newly planted in Canaan were so tender that when they did but suspect that the Reubenites and Gadites and half Tribe of Manasseh had built an alter for Burnt-Offerings they they presently come out against them for as there is but one Mediator so there was to be but one Altar for Burnt-Offerings namely That which was made by Gods own appointment Josh 22. This unsatisfiedness concerning some things which yet we cannot peremptorily pronounce to be sinful is I grant an argument of infirmity and weakness in the Conscience but truly 't is bonum signum ex malâ causâ a good sign from a bad cause it argues a true fear of sin when not only all known sin but that which is suspected to be so is eschewed A tender Conscience is not bold and venturous 't is afraid of Errours in Judgement as well as wickedness in practise As Malice and VVickedness is compared unto leaven 1 Cor. 5. 8. so likewise errour and false Doctrine Mat. 16 12. Then understood they how that he bad them beware not of the leaven of Bread but of the Doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadduces Since Errour is like unto Leaven is of an insinuating and spreading Nature and Christ himself sayes Beware no wonder if a tender Conscience be cautious and flies from those who publish divers and strange Doctrines 'T was a notable saying of Augustine (f) Quae est enim peior mors animae quam libertas erroris omnes pacem quam omnis doctus indoctus intelligit praeponendam esse discordiae diligamus teneamus unitatem Hoc jubent Imperatores quod jubet Christus quia cum bonum jubent per illos non jubet nisi Christus Aug. Epist 166 ad Donat. That the liberty of Errour is the Souls death 5. A tender Conscience takes notice of Gods anger while it hangs in the threatnings and before that anger break forth urges unto deep humilation Thus Josiahs heart was tender and he did humble himself before God when he heard his words denounced against Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof and did rend his Clothes and wept before the Lord 2 Chron. 34. 27. A tender Conscience is not satisfied unless contrition be true such as God calls by that Name and such as he has promised reviving to Esaiah 57. 15. 't is not satisfied unless the Heart be rent as well as the Garment and be broken off from sin as well as broken for it Oh how will a tender Conscience bring sins to Remembrance t will lay on load and not spare to this end that Christ may be prized who alone can give rest David cryes out Innumerable evils have compassed me about my Iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of my Head therefore my Heart faileth me Psal 40. 12. and then he adds ver 13. Be pleased O Lord to deliver me O Lord make hast to help me 6. A tender Conscience is afraid of casting any of Gods Commands behind the back but presses a respect unto all the Lords precepts David was truly tender when he said I esteem all thy Commandements concerning all things to be right Oh that my ways were directed that I might keep thy Statues then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandements Psal 119. 5 6. 128. 'T is said concerning Zachary and Elizabeth that they were both Righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless Luke 1. 5 6. A tender Conscience bids us eye such copies as these and write after them No Ordinance of Gods institution but God is ready to own it and to be found in it if he be sought in a due order and therefore no Ordinance is to be neglected To live in the omission of any duty which God has Commanded is to cut off a golden pipe whereby Grace may be conveyed to us and herein we do not consult our own good You see how the tenderness of Conscience discovers it self But the great question will be How may Conscience be made thus tender surely a question needful to be resolved For tender Consciences where are they to be found stupidness of Soul is an Epedimicall malady 't is the disease of the Age and the nearer the world approaches to its end the more is this Disease likely to prevail For such a security will go before the burning of the World at the last day as went before the drowning of it in the dayes of Noah The profane among us have so much lost that they laugh at tenderness of Conscience Multitudes of professors their Consciences can swallow almost any thing they can live in pleasures and care about the World more then about the better part they can fulfil their fleshly lusts and yet Conscience is so wretchedly blind and dumb that at present it does not disquiet them Nay the Wise Virgins themselves slumber Believers many of them have lost their first tenderness and therefore more then we are aware of are concerned in this question How may a Conscience be made tender I answer 1. Study better the Nature of Sin I will boldly say that a stupid Conscience knows not what sin is if once 't were understood it could not possibly be made light of All that are hardned in sin are deceived by it Therefore the Apostle gives that caution Heb. 3. 13. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin As God is an incomprehensible good so sin is an incomprehensible evil
(g) Philosophers have measured mountains Fathom'd the depth of Seas of States and Kings Walkt with a staff to heaven traced fountains But there are two vast spacious things The which to measure it doth more behove Yet few there are that sound them Sin and Love Hebert Agony pag. 29. No Creature can fully understand it onely God who knows how good himself is knows how evil sin is which is directly opposite and contrary to him But though we cannot sound the bottom of this evil no more then we can dig to the Earths Centre yet much is discovered by the VVord of God Sin is worse then the Devil for it made him a Devil Take sin from the Devil he will be a glorious Angel if sin get into a glorious Angel 't wil turn him into a Devil presently Sin will make us like the Devil if we go on in it and bring us into the same state of unalterable misery But let us view sin a little with relation to God 'T is a daring of his Power and Presence a bold challenging of the Almighty to do his worst 'T is an affront of his Majesty a casting off of his Authority Let us break his bands asunder and cast away his cords from us Psal 2. 3. 'T is a robbing him of his Glory which is so dear to him and which he is so unwilling to give to another 'T is a slighting of his Goodness which is so vast and large that it should attract the Love and Hearts of all and which alone can satisfie and be beatifical to the Soul of Man 'T is an injury to his Justice contrary to his Holiness denies his Truth makes him a Liar for neither Promises nor Threatnings are believed Nay Sin strikes at the very Being of God for if hating our Brother be murthering of him Ah! what is hatred of God to be called No wonder that the Lord is so angry at sin and turns those that will by no means turn from it into Hell and makes them for ever to bewail their Rebellion against him If Sin were but rightly understood Conscience would be tender of offending we should not dare to be so venturous upon so great an evil Would you grieve for sin cry out What have I done would you be tender and afraid to sin when tempted say What am I about to do how much shall I do against God how much shall I wrong my own Soul 2. That Conscience may be tender see him that is invisible Moses did thus by the eye of Faith and this made him so tender that he refused to be called the son of Pharoahs Daughter he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt and chose rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin which are but for a season Heb. 11. 24. 27. The thoughts of God do disturb the stupid Conscience therefore wicked men care not to speak or hear or think of him But Believers endeavour to imitate David who said I have set the Lord alwayes before me and this makes and keeps Conscience very tender Look up often to God and the frequent viewing of him will encrease both Fear and Love David having studied well the Omni-presence of God and perceived that in every place God was perpetually by him he desires to have his heart and thoughts searched and tried and every wicked way in him discovered and Conscience is so tender that he dares and cares to go in no way but the way that is everlasting Psal 139. 23 24. See God in every ordinance then Conscience will tell you he is jealous about his worship that he is a Great King and hath said Cursed be the deceiver who having a male in his flock voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing Mal. 1. 14. See God in every providence then Conscience will tell you that mercies are not to be abused nor consumed upon your lusts and that afflictions are sent to take away your Sin See God in every Temptation how easily then will Conscience silence the Tempter by telling him 't is not safe to provoke the Lord to his very face 't is not wisdom to forfeit his Favour to incurr his Anger for such poor things as Satan offers his greatest offers are but poor and oh how far does the Lord outbid him 3. That Conscience may be tender Bewail the stupidness of it and cry to have it cured Follow God with restless importunity Lord enlighten my eyes and awaken my Conscience lest I sleep the sleep of death He will be angry with you if you should think that you can cure your selves of this malady you cannot please this Physician better than to make use of him You have great encouragement to seek unto him for he has expresly said A new Heart will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the Heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give you an Heart of flesh Ezek. 36. 26. The stone in the heart and the stupidness of the Conscience are diseases near a kin nay the one does include the other a stony Heart implies a senseless Conscience and an Heart of flesh a Tender-conscience Hope in this word of Promise He is faithful that has made it Never any yet have found the Lord backward to heal that were indeed weary of their Distempers 4. That Conscience may be tender Eye the examples of Saints whose tenderness in Scripture is commended How tender was Joseph though his Mistress tempted him and he a Servant though he was a young man and Single though opportunity offered it self and there was a great probability of secrecy in reference to his Master though he was likely to be accused of an attempt to Ravish if he did not consent to commit Adultery and hereby his Masters rage might endanger his life Yet Conscience was so tender that he did not dare to do so great a wickedness O Joseph though thou hadst a beautiful outside yet thy inside thy Heart was much more amiable How tender was Job there was none like him in the Earth he feared God and eschewed evil and throughout chap. 31. you may read with what care and Conscience he Eschewed it He was so watchful against uncleanness that he made a Covenant with his eyes he was so just that he did not despise the cause of his own Servants He was so Merciful that he carried himself like a Father to the Poor and like a guide and Husband to the Widdow He was so free from revenge that he rejoyced not at the destruction of him that hated him neither did he lift up himself when evil found him Unto these Scripture instances I shall add another concerning one of the Fathers k He that writes the life of Anselmn relates this passage and ushers it in with this Preface My Conscience bears me witness that I lye not He feared nothing in the World more than
open does not mince or extenuate but aggravate Iniquity It can appeal to God concerning its unwillingness to conceal any of his Enemies for Mens Lusts are Gods Enemies and their own too and it can challenge Satan to Name a sin which 't is not ready to acknowledge 2. When the Conscience is pure every sin is hated Hatred is never better placed than upon sin Our Brother is not to be hated nay we are forbid to hate our Enemy but sin we may hate without sparing David tells us that through Gods Precepts he got Vnderstanding therefore he hated every false way Psal 119. 104. By the Word his Conscience was Informed and Sanctified and this Universal Hatred of sin followed Hatred is an Affection which aims at Destruction and when 't is high 't is against the whole kind Thus Haman hated Mordecai and thought it scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone but sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole Kingdom of Ahasuerus even the People of Mordecai Esth 3. 6. The pure Conscience strikes at the whole kind of sin (k) Est intentio Odii nocere nec cessat in laesione peccati sed in exterminio verè poenitens juratus est in mortem peccatorum Guil. Parisiensi De Rhetor. divin c. 23. where-ever 't is whether in the Mind in the Will in the Affections in Word in the Actions What Moses speaks concerning Idolatry it does apply unto all sin Deut. 7. 26. Thou shalt utterly detest it and thou shalt utterly abhor it for it is a cursed thing 3. When the Conscience is pure The whole Image of God is desired and that the Soul may be like unto him in all things wherein 't is its Duty to resemble him What the Moral Philosophers say concerning the Mortal Vertues that they are inter se concatenatae that they are linked together holds certainly true concerning those Graces which are wrought by the Spirit of God they are so linked together that you cannot have one in truth but you must have all in some measure This is a sweet Truth to a pure Conscience for all Grace is longed after Therefore Christ's fulness is eyed and prized and application is made to him that out of that fulness we may receive and Grace for Grace John 1. 16. That is that we may receive Graces answerable to those Graces which Christ has received of his Father for us Thus the Wax does receive Character for Character from the Seal and the Child Member for Member from the Father though not of the same bigness and proportion The pure Conscience is not double minded 't is not partly for God and partly for Mammon partly for Christ and partly for Satan But this is the desire that the God of all Grace would work every Grace in Truth and make all Grace more and more to abound 4. When the Conscience is pure the Mystery of Faith is held fast The Apostle joyns Faith and a good Conscience together 1 Tim. 1. 19. Holding Faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning Faith have made ship-wrack And 1 Tim. 3. 9. Holding the Mystery of the Faith in a pure Conscience Whoever are truly purified do prize the Gospel and the Mysteries of it they admire the contrivance of Mans Redemption by Christ Jesus and are perswaded since his Blood is the Blood of God that 't is sufficient to purchase lost Souls and to purchase the lost Inheritance The Mystery of Regeneration they are acquainted with and the absolute Necessity of it And though Justification by the Imputed Righteousness of Christ be Argued against as absurd by deluded Papists and their wretched followers though the work of the Spirit in renewing changing of the Heart be derided by Profane Wits nay by some that would be accounted Masters in Israel A pure Conscience notwithstanding retains these Mysteries Thus the Church of Pergamus though they dwelt where Satans Seat was yet they held fast Christs Name and did not deny his Faith and that even in those days wherein the Faithful Martyr Antipas was slain among them Rev. 2. 13. 5. Where Conscience is pure God is Served in sincerity and there is a willingness to live honestly The Apostle tells us that he Served God from his Fore-Fathers with a pure Conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. he did not Preach a new God but the same which Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets were the Servants of This God he Served with a perfect Heart and with a willing Mind his Conscience did bear him witness that his very Soul was engaged in the Lords Work and that he was very well pleased both with his Master and with that business which his Master had Employed him in and they were not his own things but the things of his Lord which were sought by him And as a pure Conscience engages to the Service of God so to the living honestly Heb. 13. 18. We trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Where such a Conscience is that of the Apostle is heeded Rom. 13. 12 13. The night is far spent the day is at hand that is the present time which is compared to the night because most are asleep in it and much wickedness lies hid and is not yet disclosed the present time is far spent is almost come to an end and the day is at Hand that is the day of Judgement when all secrets will be brought to Light Let us therefore cast off the works of Darkness and let us put on the Armour of Light let us walk honestly as in the day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in strife and Envying and make no Provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof 6. VVhere Conscience is pure a greater measure of Holiness is aspired unto and endeavoured after Though sin does remain in a sanctified Heart yet does it not remain quietly Conscience deals hardly with it as Sarah did with Hagar Abrahams Egyptian Concubine and is not satisfied till 't is turned out of doors though Grace is incompleat yet compleatness is desired the promises of Sanctification are lookt upon as very great and precious and they are pleaded that the Divine Nature may more and more be partaken of by them the Corruption that is in the world through lust more fully escaped A pure Conscience will not suffer us to rest in that Grace which is already attained but causes us to presse towards the mark and to cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of the Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. But now it is to be inquired How Conscience may be made thus pure unto which I answer 1. The Word of God is like a fire to purifie Jer. 23. 29. Is not my Word like Fire saith the Lord and like an Hammer that breaketh the Rock in pieces the word is compared to an Hammer because as the hammer does
called the Prince of the Power of the Air the Spirit which worketh in the Children of Disobedience If you make nothing of disobeying the Word of God if you walk according to the course of this world and fulfill the desires of the flesh and the carnal mind Eph. 2. 2 3. 't is a sign that Satan does command you and your peace is far from being true 3. That peace of Conscience is false where there is a walking after the imagination of the evil heart Those words do sound like Thunder Dreadfully rattling in the air Deut. 29. 19 20. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoake against that man and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven The heart of man is foolish deceitful wicked desperately wicked 't is a very sore judgment to be given up to our own hearts lusts and to be suffered to walk after our own counsels Sinners need not other enemies they are forward enough to go astray of their own accord and to ruine themselves let them follow their own hearts and they will infallibly come to Hell in the conclusion If any therefore do walk in the way of their hearts and please and gratifie their own sinfull affections and say they shall have peace they speak without book without Gods book I am sure 4. That peace of Conscience is false where the soul is intoxicated with sensuall Delights and Pleasures Thus the rich man was at peace whose ground brought forth plentifully who resolved to pull down his barns and to build greater that he might bestow all his Fruits and his Goods and since there were Goods sufficient for many years he was clearly for taking his Ease for Eating and Drinking and making merry Luk. 12. 16. 19. One great cause of Sodoms security was their giving themselves over unto sensuallity Whoredom and Gluttony and Drunkenness do take away the heart such consider no more than if they were brutes nay they come short of brutes even the most stupid of them Isa 1. 3. The Ox knoweth his Owner and the Ass his Masters Crib but Israel doth not know my People doth not consider Sensual Pleasures as also Worldly cares do overcharge the heart so that there is no trouble or concernedness about eternity and while they dream not of any such thing the day of the Lord does come on them like a snare Luk. 21. 34 35. And take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this Life and so that day come upon you unawares for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole Earth 5. That peace of Conscience is false which is built upon present dispensations of Providence Sinners are apt to argue wrong both from prosperity and from adversity that their state is good and so put a cheat upon their own Souls Some are perswaded that because the Lord loads them with external blessings this is a certain sign of his love But the Holy Ghost informs us that the ungodly prosper in the World and increase in Riches that they are not in trouble like other men that they have more than Heart could wish Psal 73. 12. Daniel tells us that even Kingdoms are given to the basest of men Dan. 4. 17. Luther said concerning the (u) Turcicum imperium quantum est nihil est nisi panis mica quam dives pater familias projicit canibus Luther Tom. 2. in Gen. in cap. 21. Turkish Empire that it was but a morsel cast unto a Dog And if whole Kingdoms are given to the ungodly who can argue himself a Saint and loved of God from his worldly enjoyments 't is not the having of the World but sitting loose from it looking upon our selves as Strangers and Pilgrims in it and improving it for God that will argue we are indeed his Children On the other side some are perswaded because afflicted at present that it will be well with them in the Life to come But wicked men may also be afflicted God does distribute sorrows to them in his Anger so that they are as stubble before the Wind and as chaffe which the storm carrieth away Job 21. 17 18. 'T is not then our being corrected that will prove us Children but our receiving of Correction and being humbled and reformed by it though never so often in the furnace if we are not at all Refined we are but Reprobate Silver 6. That Peace of Conscience is false which is built upon External profession and Priviledges Thus of old many because they were called Jews did rest in the Law made their boast of God though at the same time they did break the Law and dishonoured God by their presumptuous Transgressions Rom. 2. 17. 23. Many now a dayes are called Christians and beguile themselves with an empty name It will not advantage any to name the name of Christ if they will not depart from iniquity to call him Lord Lord if they are resolved still to rebell against him They had great Peace and confidence who said Lord Lord we have Eat and Drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our Streets And yet both their peace and confidence were without ground the door is shut against them they are excluded from the Kingdom for they were notwithstanding all their Profession workers of iniquity Luke 13. 26 27. By such a profession iniquity has the greater aggravation w he is most inexcusably ungodly who has most of the form but nothing of the Power of Godliness 7. That peace of Conscience is false that is built upon External Righteousnesse and escaping the more grosse pollutions of the World The Apostle Paul before his Conversion was touching the Righteousness of the Law blameless Phil. 3. 6. that is his Conversation was so agreeable to the letter of the Law and so free from any foul and scandalous sin that men could not blame him But though he was thus blameless yet he was graceless and though he thought himself to be alive and his state to be good and safe yet he was deceived as he found afterwards That Pharisee had a false peace who said God I thank thee I am not as other * Nos vero quid respondere pro nobis possumus tenemus Symbolum evertimus confitemur munus salutis pariter negamus Ac per hoc ubi est Christianit as nostra qui ad hoc tantummodo Sacramentum salutis accipimus ut majore postea praevaricationis scelere peccâ—mus Salvian De Gub. Dei l. 5. pag. mihi 195 men are Extortioners unjust Adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in
withdraw his anger the proudest helpers must stoop under him Job 9. 13. 3. A despairing Conscience remembers sin and those threatnings that are denounced against it and is overwhelmed Oh the mountains of guilt which it does behold and these are high trespasses are grown up unto the Heavens and then it applies all the Curses all the evils that it reads in the Book of God unto it self there is a roll opened before it written within and without with Lamentations and Mourning and Wo to allude to that place Ezek. 2. ult Wherever the despairing sinner goes he is dog'd and followed with Legions of sins and Conscience is still tormenting it self with such sad thoughts How shall all these be answered for How shall that vengeance be undergone which so many iniquities and so heinous do deserve 4. A Despairing Conscience looks upon Christ and the Gospel and is more than ordinarily tormented to think there is help for others but for it self none to be found It calls to mind that once the door was open and the sinner was invited to come in but refused but now concludes the door is shut eternally once the Spirit strived but being resisted is departed for good and all so as never to return again Once sayes the despairing soul I had a day of Grace but I did not know it I did not improve it but now am overtaken by an Everlasting Night and shall never see day more The Prince of Peace the Gospel of Peace are hid from me the hopes of Peace are quite gone I have outdone the very Devils themselves and may expect if it be possible to be more miserable they never refused one offer of Mercy but I thousands they never slighted a pardon but I have slighted it and was unwilling to be reconciled to God they never rejected a Redeemer but I have rejected him and preferr'd vanity nay sin which is of such a damnable Nature before the only Saviour 5. A despairing Conscience remembers Death and Judgement and Eternity and then there is even a Roaring out for Anguish something like unto the yellings of those that actually are in the burning lake Ah how shall I bear the wrath of the Almighty when all of it shall be stirr'd up What ease can I expect in Everlasting Flames How shall I bear the society of the Devil and his Angels How shall I endure to be tormented for ever in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb Rev. 14. 10. 'T is not more certain I must dye than 't is certain I must be judged 't is not more certain I must be judged than 't is certain I must be damned 't is not more certain I must be damned than 't is certain that my damnation will be Everlasting This is the Language of a despairing sinner and since to despair is to be upon such a wrack how are they to be reproved that sin against Conscience which has a tendency to despair 6. They are to be reproved who go about to wound and to ensnare the Consciences of Others How careful was the Apostle not to cast a snare upon the Corinthians 1 Cor. 7. 35. nor to enjoyn that as necessary where the Lord had not imposed a necessity and a little after he sticks not to say that they who sin against the Brethren and wound their weak Conscience do sin against Christ 1 Cor. 8. 12. And if I am not by an imprudent use of my Christian liberty to embolden another to venture upon sin against Conscience surely much lesse may I do this either by constraint or by perswasion If it argue want of Love and be a great sin to impair the Estate to blemish the reputation to hurt the body of my Brother how much worse than all this is it to wound his Conscience Those who have no mercy to the Souls of Others surely have little to their Own and they will make bold with their own Consciences who have no care no tenderness in reference to the Consciences of their Brethren Several sorts of persons are here concerned as being injurious to others Consciences 1. False Prophets are injurious to the Consciences of others These do speak perverse things to draw away Disciples after them the Apostle deals very sharply with these he calls them Dogs and bids us beware of them Phil. 3. 2. Beware of Dogs beware of evil workers No wonder that Paul stiles them Dogs since Christ before had call'd them Wolves nay ravening Wolves False Prophets especially strike at Conscience and endeavour to mis-inform That and if once they can prevail so as to make the Conscience put darkness for light and light for darkness a lye for Truth and Truth for a Lye how may souls be carried away truly so far at length as to fall into damnable Heresies and also into grosse impieties and wickedness Those deceived and deceiving ones spoken of 2 Pet. 2. They walked in the lusts of Vncleanness they counted it pleasure to Riot their Eyes were full of Adultery and could not cease from sin their Heart was exercised with Covetous practices and while they talked of Liberty they were themselves the Servants of Corruption 2. Dawbers with untempered Mortar are concerned Conscience is little beholding to them for they heal the wound of it slightly crying Peace Peace where there is no Peace Jer. 6. 14. How miserable is the condition of unfaithful Ministers and likewise of those Souls that belong to their charge The Watchman that gives not warning the Blood of Souls indeed will lye upon his Head but this implies that such Souls do also perisâ— Ezek. 33. 7 8. O Son of Man I have set thee a Watchman unto the House of Israel therefore thou shalt Hear the Word at my Mouth and shalt warn them from me When I say to the wicked man thou shalt surely dye if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way that wicked man shall dye in his iniquity but his Blood will I require at thine hand If an unskilful Physician has need of a new Church-yard what shall be said of an unskilful or unfaithful Preacher I will not affirm he has need of a new Hell but I am sure he will help very much to fill the Old one Those that make the way to Heaven broad and easie and regeneration needless and the Death of Christ an encouragement to continue in sin and the Mercy of God so large that 't will put up any thing and will certainly be extended unto any that cry Lord have mercy upon us These are Dawbers enemies to Conscience they build a Wall that shall be rent with a stormy wind in fury and brought down to the ground and they shall be consumed in the midst of it Ezek. 13. 13. 14. 3. All enticers unto Wickedness are cruel Enemies to the Consciences of others If there be a Devil incarnate he is such an one whose businesse is to tempt those to sin whom he has to deal with
When any perswade you to intemperance to uncleanness to injustice or any other iniquity they do in effect perswade you to make deep wounds and gashes in your own Spirits to wrong your own Souls and to go along with them towards the lake that burns and burns for ever with Fire and Brimstone Oh the cruelty of those that stir up others to sin Oh the folly of them that are prevailed with by these wretched and evil instruments of the Prince of Darkness I have done with that first Use by way of reproof VSE II. Shall be of Direction And here I am to shew first how secure Consciences may be awakened and wounded and secondly how wounded Consciences may be cured and comforted 1. How secure Consciences may be awakened Though there is many a bad Spirit which does prevail at this day yet none does more prevail than the Spirit of Slumber closed Eyes drowsie Souls senseless Hearts are every where to be met with Though so much hath been spoken though so much has been done though so much has been felt and suffered in order unto our awakening yet whose Conscience is indeed starled Prophets have been full of Power by the Spirit of the Lord and of Judgment and of might to declare unto evil doers their Transgression and their sin Mic. 3. 8. Calamity and Judgments have been strange unwonted and extraordinary and it might have been thought that such a Plague and Flames as have raged in London would hardly have left one secure sinner but all would have learned to fear that God who is so Righteous and who knows how to take a course with them that provoke him unto jealousie But alas like Pharoah of old upon the least respite the generality of sinners do harden their Hearts and their Consciences sleep sounder than ever Now in order unto your being awakened follow these directions 1. Think of that Great and Glorious Majesty which by sin is affronted and which all the sin that is in the World is committed against He is the blessed and only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he is clothed with Honour and with Majesty and covers himself with light as with a Garment the Heaven is his Throne the Earth is his Foot-stool the whole world in comparison with him is but as the Bucket and the small dust upon the Balance and all the Nations of the Earth before him are as nothing and vanity Isa 40. 15. 17. The greater the person is that is affronted that affront is the greater crime God is the highest and greatest of all Oh how vile and hainous a thing is it to sin against him Sinner would'st thou have thy Conscience awakened believe seriously that There is a God Oh what work would this Truth make were it but firmly credited That famous Bruce of Scotland who (a) Robertus Brusius Vir genere virtute nobilis Majestate vultûs vener abilis qui plura animarum millia Christo lucrifecit cujus anima si ullius mortalium absit verbo invidia sedet in coelestibus gained many thousands of Souls to Christ was wont to say I think it a great matter to believe that there is a God And not only believe that God is but that he is so Glorious as his word proclaims him this may make thee tremble Now no sin in the World can be committed wherein this God is not concerned Those sins against Man are more against God than against man therefore David after he had murthered Vriah and defiled Bathsheba looks beyond these as high as God himself and cryes out against thee thee only have I sinned and done this Evil in thy sight Psal 51. 4. He takes notice how God was struck at in that injury he had done to his Neighbour and is wholly swallowed up in that consideration and this helped very much his awakening and contrition To how many thousands of Millions do all thy sins amount and there is not one of them but has been an act of Rebellion against the †Altare Damascenum Lord of Heaven if this were pondered it might cool thy Courage and trouble thy Conscience 2. Think how dreadful the Power of this God and his wrath being joyned together must needs prove in Scripture these two are joyned and both together are engaged against the ungodly Ezra 8. 22. The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him but his Power and his Wrath is against all them that forsake him If wrath be without Power 't is contemptible if Power be without wrath it may not be at all hurtful but when Wrath and Power meet they may well be trembled at The Wrath of a King is as the Roaring of a Lyon as the messengers of Death What then is the Anger of God this wrath to shew the heat and greatness of it is likened unto Fire and it burns worse than any other Fire for it burns to Hell it self Deut. 52. 32. A Fire is kindled in mine Anger and it shall burn to the lowest Hell And if you would understand the Power of this Anger know that there is no withstanding it and Oh how dismall are the effects of it in both Worlds This Anger of God has brought upon sinners Cursing and Vexation and Rebuke and has made them quickly to perish because of the Wickedness of their doings it has smitten them with a Consumption and a Fever and an Inflammation and Extreme Burning with the Pestilence and Sword and Blasting and Mildew and has made the Heaven over Sinners Heads like Brass and the Earth under their Feet like Iron It has made them when they went out one way against their Enemies to be smitten and to flee seven wayes before them and their carcasses to become meat to the Fowls of the Air and the Beasts of the Earth This Anger of God has stricken the ungodly with madness and blindness and astonishment of Heart So that life has been a burthen no rest or ease at all could be found so that in the morning they have said would God it were Evening and in the Evening would God it were morning because of the fear and trembling of their Hearts the failing of their Eyes and the sorrow of their Minds All this is spoken of at large Deut. 28. But these are not all nor the most heavy effects of Divine displeasure Indeed we are safe from mans Anger after Death we cannot feel or be concerned at what Man can do when we are in the Grave There the Wicked cease from troubling there the weary be at rest there the Prisoners rest together they hear not the voice of the oppressor Job 3. 17. 18. But Gods Anger will follow after us into the other World and then will be found most heavy That Wrath to come is most of all amazing for then as it will be intollerable to be born so 't wil be impossible to be appeased Consider all this and be affrighted and say with the Psalmist At
nigh him the Bread and Water of life is brought to his very mouth but he will taste of neither though he so much needs both and may have both freely The Conscience therefore is troubled for unbelief for the sinners rejecting Christ in times past that when such great Salvation was offered it should be neglected and that the Lord Jesus should stand so long and knock so often at the door but it was kept shut and barr'd against him Oh 't were just sayes the sinner for Christ to go away and never to give so much as one knock at my Heart again and now I see my Need of his Salvation utterly to deny that Salvation to me 5. When the Conscience is rightly troubled The Anger of the Lord and the Curse of his Law are a very great burthen Sin has been committed Commands Holy Just and Good have been transgressed and Christ who alone can appease Divine Anger satifie for transgression and Mediate a Peace has been contemned well therefore may the Sinner be afraid How great and how fierce is this wrath of the Almighty there is never a single sin but makes the sinner liable to the Curse of the Law and how Cursed a wretch do iniquities ten thousand times ten thousand many times told render him every transgression makes the Lord Angry to how great an height then is that anger by Millions of transgressions raised The awakened sinner sees the Lord whetting his glittering Sword and his hand taking hold of vengeance hereupon fear does come upon him and pain as of a Woman in travel How scalding are the Drops of the Lords wrath what then are the full showers If God run upon any like a Gyant they must needs be broken with breach upon breach I dare not say that the anger of the Lord does lye alike heavy upon all awakened Consciences and truly humbled Souls nor that these terrors of Soul are equal in all that are brought home to Christ Though all humbled sinners are made with Ephraim to bemoan themselves yet some are made to bemoan themselves much longer and much louder than others Levi taken from the Receipt of Custom and Lydia felt not that we read of such Agonies and Terrors of Conscience as Persecuting Saul and the trembling Gaoler All the vessels of Mercy are not of the same temper and that which cannot abide the Fire 't is sufficient that as under the Old Law it passe through the Water Numb 31 23. As to these Legal terrors I would say these five things 1. These terrors in themselves are a punishment and therefore not to be desired in so great a degree we are not to be fond of them though when they are upon us we must desire support under them and that they may prosper unto the end whereunto they are appointed namely to wean us from our lusts and drive us out of our selves unto the Lord Jesus 2. These Terrors being a Punishment surely are not saving Grace Reprobates have had them in a great measure O Judas thou hadst an Hell upon Earth by Reason of legal Horror before thou wentest to thy appointed place and 't is possible to exceed in regard of these Therefore the Apostle takes care in reference to the incestuous Corinthian that he should not be swallowed up with over much sorrow 2 Cor. 2. 7. 3. Barely from these Terrors of the Law none can conclude that they shall certainly be joined to the Lord Jesus They are not alwayes fore-runners of Faith but sometimes they issue in despair and sometimes they wear off and sinners become more hardened and confirmed in their wickedness Thus it was with Pharaoh notwithstanding all his trouble and fear at some times of the Lords anger 4. Those that complain for want of these legal Terrors are really under them in a more remisse degree for those who are perplexed with doubts and fears about their Eternal state and think because they never were sufficiently troubled that they never yet closed with Christ what are these afraid of but Gods anger and his Curse which by sin has been deserved 5. Do not go about to direct or Counsell the Spirit of the Lord. If he bring thee home by a more gentle way give thee a sight of thy Remedy as soon almost as of thy sin misery thou hast the more cause to be thankful but withal to be the more vigilant and watchful for if wrath has not lain so hard upon thee thou wilt be the more subject to make bold with sin afterward and art not likely to be so fearful to incurre Divine displeasure for the future 6. Where the Conscience is rightly troubled the sinner is filled with grief and shame because of ' its iniquities God complains of the Children of Israel that they were Impudent and hard hearted Ezek. 3. 7. But the troubled Soul is confounded before God the humbled sinner thinks thus that if the World did know all the sins which he has been guilty of he should be ready to wish himself out of the World but Gods knowledge signifies more than if All Creatures were acquainted with his abominations I do not wonder at that expression Jer. 3. ult We lye down in our own shame and our confusion covereth us How foul does sin make us how unlike to God! how monstrously to resemble the unclean Spirit what high and horrible ingratitude is there in sin is this the requital for all the Lords goodness is this the return for millions of mercies shame upon this grows great and sorrow goes hand in hand with it We read that a voice was heard upon the high places weeping and supplication of the Children of Israel for they have perverted their way and they have forgotten the Lord their God Jer. 3. 21. Behold O Lord sayes the Church for I am in distresse my bowels are troubled my heart is turned within me why what ails her I have grievously rebelled this made her sighes many and her Heart faint Lam. 2. 20 22. Sin does best deserve sorrow because 't is so great an evil and there is such encouragement in Scripture here to spend our grief And the troubled Soul gives sin the greatest share and is sorry after all that 't is so little sorry Heark to one of our English Poets †Herbert pag. 158. Grief O who will give me tears Come all you springs Dwell in my head and eyes come Clouds and rain My grief hath need of all the watry things That Nature hath produc'd Let every vein Suck up a River to supply mine eyes My weary weeping eyes too dry for me Vnless they get new conduits new supplies To bear them out and with my state agree What are two shallow fords two little spouts Of a less World The greater is but small A narrow Cupboard for my griefs and doubts Which want provision in the midst of all Verses ye are too fine a thing too wise For my rough sorrows cease be dumb and mute Give up your
feet and run into mine eyes And keep your measures for some Lovers lute Whose grief allows him Musick and a rhyme For mine excludes both measure tune and time Alas my God! 7. Where Conscience is rightly troubled the sinner accuses and condemns himself He holds up his Hand at Gods Bar and crys Guilty of his own accord Satan my hold his Tongue for one that 's troubled in Spirit is forward enough to be his own Accuser We say commonly in Humane Courts of Judicature Nemo tenetur accusare seipsum No Man is bound to accuse himself But 't is otherwise in the Court of Conscience Here 't is a known Rule Accuse thy self and confess thy Crime that thou mayst be pardoned 1 John 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness How large have broken hearts been in acknowledging their Offences and the aggravations of them they have not spared to speak and to tell all they knew against themselves they have called themselves Rebellious Revolters VVicked Foolish Ignorant Beasts before God all this has shewed how they have disliked and abhorred themselves And as they have accused so they have been forward to pass a Judgment and to condemn themselves VVhen the Jews Crucified Christ they accused him cryed out against him as a Deceiver and condemned him to that Ignominious Death Troubled souls deal thus with the Flesh and its Lusts and Affections They accuse the Flesh as being enmity against God they cry out that they have been deceived by the Flesh and they condemn the Lusts of it to be Crucified and slain and further say because the Flesh has been pleased and served they themselves deserve to be everlastingly condemned In the greatest severities they cry out the Lord is Righteous nay if he should inflict the Vengeance of eternal flames upon them they grant his ways would be but very equal 8. VVhere Conscience is rightly troubled the sinner despairs in himself 'T is a great sin to despair of Mercy and Salvation but to despair of saving our selves by any strength or worth of our own this is but needful The awakened Conscience sees that our own wisdom is insufficient to guide us in the way Everlasting that our own Righteousness has innumerable defects in it and dares not lean upon it VVhen Daniel had done his very best he dares not trust in it Chap. 9. 18. We do not present our Supplications before thee for our Righteousnesses but for thy great Mercies as if he should say our Righteousnesses are imperfect and small they are not the ground of our hope but our expectation is from thy great Mercies 'T is a true saying of Luther (m) Nunquam tantum operum potest inveniâ—i ut conscientiam reddar pacatam sed semper desiderat plura imò in illis ipsis quae secit peccata invenit Luther in Epist. ad Gal. c. 4. That Conscience can never be satisfied with our own VVorks and Righteousness for it still desires and wants more and finds a great deal amiss in what has been done already If we were to be Justified by our own VVorks an enlightned and troubled Conscience would be like the Horse-leaches Daughter and still cry Give Give and could never be satisfied The sinner that is truly troubled despairs also in his own Srength as well as VVisdom and Righteousness He sees that he has no Power to believe that he cannot come to the Lord Jesus unless drawn to him by the Father He cannot beget himself in a Spiritual sence no more than he was able to do it in a Natural Fletcher does well set forth this in these Verses †Christs victory pag. 50. Who is it sees not that he nothing is But he that nothing sees What weaker breast Since Adam's Armour fail'd dares warrant his That made by God of all the Creatures best Strait made himself the worst of all the rest If any Strength we have it is to ill But all the good is Gods both Power and Will The dead man cannot rise though he himself may kill 9. VVhere Conscience is rightly troubled this trouble does begin to estrange and wean the heart from sin The sinner sees evidently that he has been grossely mistaken in his Lusts and wofully deceived by them They promised him pleasure but have paid him in Gall and VVormwood they promised him profit but have undone him he has none of the true and enduring Riches and his Soul is in great danger of being lost for ever hereupon he is not so fond of them as before His Love abates and begins to be turned into aversation and Hatred He says I have sinned and perverted that which is right and it has not profited me Job 33. 27. nay insteed of profiting it has been exceedingly Mischievous and now sin begins to be lookt upon with an ill eye VVhen Ephraim perceived that his Idols could not help him nay provoked the Lord unto Jealousie and Anger against him he flings them away to the Bats and to the Moles as things unworthy to be VVorshipt or so much as look on and says What have I to do any more with Idols Hos 14. 8. Then trouble does work kindly when sin it self is disliked and the soul with an indignation and detestation crys out what have I to do any more with so great an evil 10. When Conscience is rightly troubled the sinner is very inquisitive to understand what he must do to be saved Thus the Gaoler Acts 16. 29 30. came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said Sirs what must I do to be saved So Acts 2. 37. Now when they heard this they were prickt in their heart and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do And Saul as soon as throughly awakened is at the same enquiry Acts 9. 6. And he trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do The Question is no longer Who will shew us any of the Worlds good The Question is no longer What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be cloathed But the main enquiry is What course must be taken to have sin covered Gods anger removed the immortal and precious Soul saved That is delivered from everlasting burnings and brought to an incorruptible Inheritance These are the chief Matters which all should mind and truly they who think it not worth the while to enquire about Salvation 't is a sign they have not set so much as one step in the way to it but all their days their feet have been going down to Death and Hell 11. VVhere Conscience is rightly troubled the sinners heart will consent to any Conditions and terms of Peace and Reconciliation with God There is a Beam of Spiritual Light which shines into his Soul so that he sees all things after another manner to what he did formerly He
they are in will be a bad End God made known his Power and got himself a Name in the destruction of Pharaoh who was a bitter Enemy unto Israel Doct. 6. Those that are truely Conscientious love their Enemies and wish them no worse than if they were their Brethren This is the sixth and last Doctrine Paul said Men and Brethren The Reasons of this Doctrine are these 1. The Command is express and plain to love Enemies Mat. 5. 44. But I say to you love your Enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you 2. Those who now have a good Conscience were once Enemies and yet they were loved though now the Children of God yet there was a time that they were the Children of wrath even as others Eph. 2. 3. Though now they have obtained Mercy yet there was a time wherein they had not obtained mercy They should compassionate Enemies since Divine Compassion was shewed to them even when they were Enemies 3. Enemies may be converted and become Friends to God and to his People Stephen had a Love to his Enemies when Stoning him to death and prayes for them his Prayer was heard and Saul that was consenting to his death was afterwards converted and became an Apostle and laboured more abundantly than all the Apostles to spread the Gospel of Christ Jesus 4. When Enemies are loved there is great Peace and Sweetness in such a temper this is a great Evidence of Sincerity and the Heart is emptied of that Malice Envy Revenge which are greatly torturing as well as very sinfull 5. To Love Enemies makes us very like unto our Heavenly Father for he is kind unto the unthankfull and to the evil he makes his Sun to shine upon the evil and upon the good and sends Rain upon the just and upon the unjust Mat. 5. 45. The Use that I shall make of this Doctrine shall be in these three particulars 1. If the Conscientious love their Enemies surely they will much more love their Brethren How much is Love called for in the Gospel what Motives are used to perswade to it 'T is the Mark upon the Sheep of Christ that they love one another and He that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him 1 Joh. 4. 16. 2. Because so little love we may conclude there is but little Conscience (†) Pigri mortui miseri eritis si nihil a metis Amate sed quid amatis indete Amor Dei amor proximi Charitas dicitur amor mundi amor hujus saeculi Cupiditas dicitur cupiditas refraenetur charitas exicetur charitas bene oper antis dat ei spem bonae conscientiae Augustin Tom. 8. Enarrat in Psal 31. pag. mihi 188. 186. Love is grown cold and therefore surely Iniquity does abound and Conscience is grown dead 3. To revive Conscience is the way to Vnity and Peace 'T is sad to see the Members of Christ at variance among themselves While one cryes out I am of Paul and another I of Apollo and another I of Cephas 't is a sign they are all carnal and walk as men 1 Cor. 3. 3 4. 't is a sign there is little of Conscience Conscience if good is an Enemy to Strife and Division 't is against perverse Disputing and that Pride and Passion and Selfishness with which those Disputes are managed A good Conscience charges them in whom it is as they will approve themselves Subjects of the Prince of Peace and Children of the God of Peace and make it evident that they understand the Gospel of Peace that they take care to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace Eph. 4. 3. The Conclusion THus have I finished all the Doctrines which I raised from the words of my Text. I hope I have not been all this while beating the Air or Plowing upon a Rock and losing my Labour My Hearts desire and Prayer to God for this whole Congregation is that they may be Awakened Converted Built up and Saved I have spoken many words to you Now I shall address my self unto Conscience within you and desire it to speak all my words over again Satan be dumb and tempt no more Or if he will not be dumb be you deaf to his Temptations Be silent O thou Flesh and perswade no more unto that which is unto the Souls Ruine But let Conscience be heard in what it speaks in the Name and from the Word of God O Conscience rouze up thy self understand thy Power know thy Office lift up thy Voyce and do thy Duty Tell this Congregation thou hast something to say to every Mothers Child of them and command them to hear thee or else threaten to Reproach them in Hell for ever for their refusing to hearken 1. Then speak unto the Ignorant Cause a dreadful sound in their Ears (l) Hic consentiamus mala facinora conscientia flagellari multos fortuna liberat poenâ metu neminem quia infixa nobis ejus rei aversatio est quam natura damnavit ideo nanquam fides latendi fit etiam latentibus quia coarguit illos conscientia ipsos sibi ostendit Seneca Epist 97. Tell them that their danger is greater because they do not apprehend their danger and that if they are Ignorant of God and Christ they have none of that Knowledge which is Life Eternal John 17. 3. Say How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and Fools hate Wisdom Turn you at my Reproof and use the means to obtain Understanding and especially ask it of God that he may pour out his Spirit unto you and make known his Words unto you Prov. 1. 22 23. Tell the Ignorant that the Devil is the Ruler of the darkness of this World and therefore those that are in darkness are under the Devils power bid them look unto Christ Jesus for Light and for Redemption that they may be rescued out of Satans hand and made free indeed 2. Speak O Conscience to the Profane tell them that 't is not more certain that God is Holy than that he is their Enemy they Declare themselves open Rebels against the great and glorious Majesty of Heaven and Earth And he has threatned to break such with a Rod of Iron and to dash them in pieces like a Potters Vessel Psal 2. 9. Tell the Notorious Drunkards and Swearers and Whore-mongers and Sabbath-breakers that their sins at last will find them out that wickedness will be found and felt to burn as the fire and that God must needs be infinitely too hard for all that harden themselves against him Oh call unto these Frantick self-destroying sinners to stop presently lest the very next step be into the bottomless Pit of woe out of which there can be no Recovery Roar in the Ears of those Ranting Roaring Fellows and let them not Eat or Drink or Sleep much less sin in quiet for thee tell them