answer That this expression for conscience sake may be taken two wayes either 1. for conscience of the commandment of God and love to it and so none but Gods children do obey for conscience sake and so it is meant when Paul speaketh of being subject for conscience sake and Peter speaketh of suffering wrong for conscience sake Or secondly for conscience sake that is when conscience it self inforced by scar compelleth one to do a thing or not to do it As we say My conscience will not suffer me Thus carnall men come to church for conscience sake and pray for conscience sake c. that is Their conscience driveth them to these duties and will not be quiet without they perform them Secondly Sith a mere naturall man may have a conscience stirring him up to good as well as the truly godly it will not be amisse to give you the difference The difference is in three things 1. A godly mans conscience siniteth him and stirreth him very kindly so that he melteth before God When David had numbred the people the text saith his heart smote him The word signifieth it smote him kindly gave him a loving blow made him spread forth himself before God A wicked mans conscience giveth him a dead blow a churlish and sullen blow 2. A godly mans conscience stirreth him reciprocally He stirreth up his conscience and his conscience stirreth up him he speaketh to his conscience and his conscience speaketh to him The stirring is reciprocall Commune with your hearts What hast thou done O my soul Thus and thus have I done saith the soul Whereas a wicked mans conscience speaketh to him but he cannot endure to speak to his conscience his conscience stirreth him but he hath no will to stirre his conscience nay he doth all he can to keep it quiet But the godly as his conscience smiteth him so he smiteth upon his conscience I smote upon my thigh saith Ephraim The godly when conscience stirreth them they stirre it and provoke it to speak out all it hath to say Commune with your own heart and be still They are still to give it full audience and call upon it to speak on What hast thou more to say Conscience 3. A godly mans conscience stirreth him to good and he is resolved to go to the utmost of what conscience stirreth him unto that with Job his conscience may not reproch him all his dayes for not following it Whereas it is otherwise with the wicked 3. The third use is this Seeing conscience is appointed by God to be our guide and our counsellour it should be our practice in every thing we do to ask counsel of conscience whether we were best do it or no. I say that conscience is Gods oracle Whatsoever we are to do we should as David enquire of Gods oracle May I go this way to work or shall I take an other course Heare counsel and receive instruction saith Salomon that thou mayst be wise at thy latter end Conscience is a faithfull counsellour heare it It is the great mercie of God that thou hast such a privie counsel Thou canst go no where but it is about thee to advise thee Therefore as Rehoboam said to his green heads What counsel give you so say thou to thy conscience What advise givest thou Conscience in this case my carnall friends counsel me thus and thus mine own carnall heart and lusts would have me go this way but Conscience what counsel givest thou 4. The fourth use is to reprove the custome of most men who with Ahab refuse the counsel of that one true wholesome prophet and have foure hundred other counsellours who will give counsel as they would have it They regard not this good Michaiah they slight the counsel of conscience their lusts and their carnall reason and flesh and bloud are their counsellours The counsel of conscience they say is not good at this time as he said of Achitophels They will heare conscience at another time but not now But take heed for if you reject the counsel of conscience it is because the Lord hath a purpose to destroy you The Adjuncts of conscience which shew themselves in the discharge of this dutie of judging and counselling THe adjuncts are of two sorts 1. such as respect consciences abilitie to discharge its duty 2. such as accompanie conscience in the discharge thereof Of the former sort are foure 1. An illightened conscience 2. An erroneous conscience 3. A doubting conscience 4. A scrupulous conscience Of the latter sort are two 1. A faithfull conscience 2. An unfaithfull conscience First the illightened conscience is such a conscience as is in it self rightly informed by Gods law and doth direct and judge aright in matters both concerning our generall and particular calling both towards God and towards man And this illightened conscience is a great blessing of God 1. because it is the proper effect of the law of God 2. because it is a very great advantage to a man in the whole course of his life when a mans conscience is illightened to direct him in every case what he is to do If an illightened conscience be so great a blessing then be thankfull to God for it if ye have it and use it as a blessing Some have it and use it not as a blessing The devils have it as a curse many vvicked men have it as a curse It maketh their sinnes the greater Like as a colour the more light shineth upon it the greater it is green is more green and white is more white and red more red c. So it is with sinne the more light thy conscience hath the greater is thy sinne thy drunkennesse is more heinous and thy swearing and the like by how much committed against more light Oh therefore make use of the light of thy conscience as David did Thy word is a lump unto my feet and a light unto my paths What follovveth I have sworn and I will perform it to keep thy righteous judgements Mark when his conscience was illightened he bound himself to follow the directions thereof 2. Is an illightened conscience such a blessing O labour to get it be not without it for a vvorld Thou wert better walk blindfold over narrovv bridges and planks better vvalk in the dark through a place full of downfalls and marlpits then walk without a conscience illightened He who walketh in the darknesse knoweth not whither he goeth John 12.35 O labour therefore to get a conscience illightened It is true a man may have an illightened conscience and yet go to hell but this is most certain without an illightened conscience a man cannot go to heaven And if thy conscience be something illightened yet labour for more light It will prevent many a stumble save thee from many a knock Thou knovvest not vvhat case thou mayst be in vvhat difficult straits thou mayest be put unto
will conscience bring forth and testifie what they were Heare the Apostle in that day God shall judge the secrets of men c. The most hidden things conscience shall bring to light and Christ shall judge them 3. Conscience beareth witnesse of the bent and frame of our hearts what we affect most and love most and rejoyce and delight in most and desire most and grieve for most what our affections runne upon most whether upon God or the world whether upon heaven or the things of this life Conscience bare witnesse to David that his delight was in the law of the Lord that God was his portion that Gods statutes were his counsellours Conscience bare witnesse to the false teachers in Christs time that they affected vain glory and the praise of men more then the praise of God Conscience bare witnesse to Demas that notwithstanding his fair profession his heart was set upon the world Conscience bare witnesse to Jehu that for all his seeming zeal his heart was not upright But it may be objected How can this be The heart is deceitfull above all things who can know it Who can know it That is Who else can know it but a man himself None under God can know the heart of man but a mans own conscience the spirit of man that is in him I confesse a man may be ignorant of some secret and particular deceit in his heart but who knoweth not the generall standing of his own heart or may know the chief bent of his own soul David in a particular deceit was ignorant I said in my prosperitie I shall never be moved never distrust God more never be disquieted in my mind more He was deceived in that particular but he knew very well the generall and chief bent of his heart that it was truly set upon God and upon holinesse 2. It is true many men take it that their hearts are set upon God when they are not but what is the reason Not because they do not or may not know the contrary that they love the world most but because they will not know it they are unwilling to believe it they are loth to have any bad conceit of themselves So that when Jeremy saith The heart is deceitfull above all things who can know it his meaning is What carnall man can abide to know the worst of himself 3. It is not because they know it not but because they will not heare the testimony of conscience but when it telleth them truly how the case is with them they gather all the rotten and broken pieces of arguments together to stop the mouth of conscience and to perswade themselves to think well of themselves 4. Men seem not to know their own hearts not because they do not know what they are but because they are ignorant of Gods law whereby they should judge of themselves They know their hearts are set on the world and that the bent and frame of their affections are placed on earthly things but they hope an under-affection to God will be accepted to love God in the second place will serve the turn They know they are carnall but they hope such carnality may be in a man and yet he be right Yea but a mans heart may say on the contrary side that he loveth the world more then he loveth God when he doth not how then doth conscience bear right witnesse I answer This ariseth either from the strength of corruption and weaknesse of grace We look into our selves and see our corruptions violent and our love to God small and so we are deceived not seeing the radicall power of this love of God which in regard of its virtue is stronger then the other As a fool if he should feel hot water would conclude that there is no cold at all in it whereas there is radicall cold in that water such as will expell all that heat in a little space Or else this ariseth from anguish of spirit which so disturbeth the mind that it cannot see its own condition nor be capable of the comforts belonging unto it as it was with the Israelites Exod. 6.9 otherwise doubtlesse we may know our own hearts and when our conscience beareth witnesse its witnesse is right I. Use of reproof to those who stand out against the witnesse of their conscience and like hard-hearted felons plead still Not guiltie though never so much evidence come against them though conscience oft tell them this they have done thus they do such they are Oh stop not your eares against conscience stand not out against it but believe its testimony and make use of it to repent of the evil it accuseth of while mercy may be had before God himself cometh and joyneth with conscience to condemne for ever II. It serveth for singular encouragement to all to abound in good works Conscience will bear witnesse of them all to our unspeakable comfort in the time of afflictions yea at death and judgement Job felt it a sweet thing to have conscience give in testimony of his integrity and uprightnesse When his friends proved miserable comforters and God himself seemed to write bitter things against him yet his conscience witnessed that he had been eyes to the blind and feet to the lame he had fed the hungry and clothed the naked and comforted the fatheâ—lesse There is not a good thing that ever we do but conscience will afford us the sweetnesse and comfort of it in our toubles Remember O Lord saith Hezekiah that I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart We have spoken of consciences single bearing witnesse Now followeth its judiciall bearing witnesse which is when it passeth sentence upon on the morall of our actions whether they be good or evil whether blessed or cursed This is performed by a Logicall discourse by way of reasoning on this manner The word saith Whoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adulterie in his heart That is the synteresis Now the assumption But I have had wanton eyes and lustfull lookings after a woman That is the single bearing witnesse of conscience Therefore I have committed adultery in my heart That is the judiciary sentence of conscience which it passeth on a mans self So again Whosoever crucifieth the flesh with the affections and lusts he is in Christ But saith conscience I crucifie the flesh with its affections and lusts Therefore I am in Christ Though there be not the form of this discourse in our consciences yet there is the force of it for when conscience doth judicially witnesse against any man or for any man it doth it by the word and proceedeth in the way which is propounded The use of this is First for comfort to the godly who may hence gather the assurance of their salvation from the rule of Gods word and the witnesse of their conscience that they walk by this rule The word
them and of evil and give warning to avoid them 2. As a faithfull conscience is watchfull so also it is rigid and severe In every cause it delivereth its judgement nothing can escape its sentence it will not favour our lusts in any particular If there be any opportunity of duty to God or man it maketh us to heare of it though it be such a duty as none other will call upon us for or it may be dare not put us in mind of as of love and care and help towards inferiours yet conscience will It titheth mint and cumine and will tell us of the least duty And so on the other side it will not swallow the least sinne As it will not swallow a camel so it will strain at a gâ—at A faithfull conscience is faithfull in the least If David sinne but in the lap of a garment conscience smiteth him for it It made Abraham so precise to a thread or a shoe-latchet he would not take so much as that of the king of Sodom It made Moses strict to a very hoof It made Paul find fault with the Corinthians about their hair It made Augustine condemne himself for an apple 3. As a faithfull conscience is watchfull and severe so also it is importunate in all its counsels It doth not onely deliver its judgement but doth with importunitie urge the following of its counsel It will have no nay but will be obeyed Iâ— leadeth us bound in the spirit to do it as Paul said I go bound in the spirit See how importunate this faithfull conscience was with the Psalmist I will not give sleep to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eye-lids untill I find out a place for the Lord. It will not take any nay say we whaâ— we will say we be sleepie say we be busie say we be loth and full of excuses it will be importunate and that with vehemencie It will follow a man if he will not heare it with a hue and crie of inward checks It will sometime promise sometimes threaten urge us with hope fear danger c. As we would be saved we must dâ— this As we would escape the wrath to come we must forbear that Thus importunate is a faithfull conscience I. We see here what a great blessing it is to have such a faithfull conscience such a faithfull friend in our bosome which will be carefull to tell us of all our dutie and perswade us to it and of every evil and disswade us from it It will not flatter us in any thing but tell us plainly This ye should do This ye should not do It regardeth not what pleaseth us but what is good for us that it looketh to and that it perswadeth to and that it urgeth O what a blessing is this This blessing had those willing Israelites who gave so freely and largely towards the building of the tabernacle The text saith that their heart stirred them up and their spirit made them willing Mark their heart that is their conscience stirred them up Ye have bracelets offer them saith conscience Ye have ear-rings and jewels c. part with them too saith conscience to further this pious work in hand Their spirit made them willing their faithfull friend in their bosome conscience overcame them with arguments and strong perswasions This is a great blessing to have such a faithfull conscience It will make a man part with all his lusts pride self-love covetousnesse carnall delights for Gods glorie and our own true good II. It is a signe that God meaneth well to that man to whom he hath given a faithfull conscience O this is an Angel keeper indeed Did not Christ mean well to his Church in the Canticles when he gave her such a conscience as carried her on wheels unto him Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib Return return O Shulamite return return Return return saith conscience and again Return return Hath the Lord given thee such an importunate conscience as will have no nay will not let thee alone in omitting good or committing evil will not let thee slumber and sleep in securitie but continually joggeth and awaketh thee Hath he given thee a severe a precise conscience that will not favour thee in the least evil It is a most comfortable signe that the Lord meaneth well unto thy soul III. Labour to be a friend unto conscience that it may continue faithfull unto thee True friends will deal faithfully and plainly one with another and will be importunate to do one another good Conscience will not deal thus with thee unlesse thou be a friend unto conscience Now then are we friends unto conscience when we do what conscience requireth As our Saviour said to the Disciples Ye are my friends if ye do whatever I command you So I may say of conscience For conscience if it be truly illightned will command nothing but what Christ commandeth If we deal so in our constant course with conscience be willing to hearken to it and be ruled by it then if we be out of the way now and then conscience will be true to us and be importunate with us for our good IV. Be sure thou stand not out against conscience when once it is importunate It is a great sinne to stand out against conscience though it be not importunate but it is a sinne a thousand times greater to stand out against it when it is importunate The greatest standing out against conscience is the greatest sinne it is a sinne which cometh nearest that against the holy Ghost which accompanied with some other adjuncts is the greatest standing out against conscience There is no sinne that doth more harden the heart then to do evil when conscience is importunate to disswade from it This sinne was the cause why Saul was rejected of God I forced my self saith he He forced his conscience his conscience was importunate to have him stay according to the commandment of God but he forced himself to the contrary I confesse if conscience be importunate to the utmost as it is with Gods children men cannot with any force put it by it will have no nay Sometimes it is so with the wicked in some particular thing but often conscience in them is importunate and yet will suffer it self to be born down Now to bear conscience down is a very high sinne and exceedingly hardeneth the heart therefore take heed of it VI. An Vnfaithfull conscience THus I have handled a faithfull conscience The second affection now followeth which is an Unfaithfull conscience I do not mean such an one as is overtaken with evil for the best conscience hath its failings but such a conscience as so giveth in that it suffereth a man to forsake God and to serve the devil and his own lusts This is an unfaithfull conscience and it also hath three properties 1. It is a silent
two latter when we have done ill and lived ill then the office of conscience is to mislike and to condemne Now followeth the affections of conscience in the discharge of these offices and they are foure 1. A tender conscience 2. A sleepie conscience 3. A benumbed conscience 4. A seared conscience First a tender conscience that is a conscience touched with the least sinne and checking us for the least sinne as for vain thoughts exorbitant passions idle words and the like Such was Davids conscience which smote him for cutting off the lap of Sauls garment Such was Zaccheus his conscience which troubled him for supposed sinnes If I have wronged any man saith he He did not know but his conscience was so tender that it made him carefull of Ifs. This tender conscience is a singular blessing of God And if we desire to attain unto it we must labour to see the odiousnesse of sinne yea the malignity and exceeding evil there is in the least sinne this will make us tender of it Secondly we must labour to mourn for every sinne though it seem little this also will keep our consciences tender And we have great cause to prize a tender conscience What got the Bethshemites by not being tender in conscience They looked into the Ark and because they durst venture upon it the Lord smote fifty thousand of them at once What got the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath for not being tender in conscience He was stoned to death Conscience should tender the least commandment of God and so be tender of the committing the least sinne This conscience is a great blessing The second affection of conscience is sleepinesse A sleepy conscience is not so quick in smiting us as it ought either it checks not or else with such faintnesse that it worketh not upon us it maketh us never the more watchfull against sinne This we see by many who can commit such sinnes without trouble or disquiet as would bring others on their knees and make them walk heavily long after This sleepy conscience is very dangerous it maketh men as ready to fall into the same sinnes to morrow as to day and next day as to morrow it letteth them see their faults but amendeth none because this is such a conscience as doth not cause men to feel the burden of their sinnes A man can never come to Christ as long as he hath a sleepy conscience because it doth not cause sinne to be burdensome They who have this conscience can sleep for all it and eat and drink and be merry for all it Now a man can never come to Christ that is not burdened with his sinne that he cannot bear it cannot be quiet for it cannot sleep for it then Christ calleth him Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you A benumbed conscience that is such a conscience as is in a deep sleep This differs from the former in degree You know there is a lesse sleep and there is a greater sleep There is a lesse sleep when onely the outward senses are bound and there is a sleep when the inward senses are bound too Now a benumbed conscience is a conscience that is in a deep sleep Preach to it it mourneth not cry to it it listeneth not This is a benumbed conscience Nor the greatnesse of sinne nor the wrath of God denounced against it can move it Men can know themselves guilty of such and such sinnes and yet not lay them to heart conscience never telleth them about it Thus the Apostle speaketh of those who knew the judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death yet not onely do the same but have pleasure in them that do them Their consciences though informed and in some measure knowing the evil of their courses and the severitie of Gods judgement yet let them go on still and not onely commit the evil themselves but delight to see others as bad as themselves Such are our swearers and drunkards and company-keepers c. This is a very wretched conscience the Lord deliver us from it Fourthly a seared conscience that is such a conscience as speaketh not a jote seared with a hot iron as the Apostles phrase is 1. Tim. 4.2 a senselesse conscience a past-feeling conscience when men can swallow down sinne like drink oathes contempt of God his word and worship mockage of Gods servants hating to be reformed such as sinne without any remorse This kind of conscience is in foure sorts of men 1. In dissolute and profligate persons who like common strumpets have their souls lie open to every sinne that cometh by 2. In obstinate sinners such as like Ahab have sold themselves to work wickednesse in the sight of the Lord. 3. In scoffers and jeerers who speak evil of them who runne not in the same excesse of riot with themselves and nickname the godly 4. In Apostates and backsliders who speak lies through hypocrisie and have fallen from the profession of the truth All these men have a conscience seared with a red-hot iron This is a great judgement of God greater then this there cannot be No outward judgement that can fall upon us is like unto it not the plague nor shame nor beggery no nor any curse besides hell it self is equall to it By this the onely means under God of repentance is taken away Such may come to repent but it is a thousand to one if ever they do It is like a gravestone lying upon their consciences which keepeth them under untill the day of judgement at which time God will awaken their consciences and then they will be more furious in tormenting then the very devils themselves Ye that are not yet fallen upon this wretched conscience I beseech you take heed that ye never do But ye will ask me How may we avoid it Avoid it alas ye may avoid it if ye be carefull for conscience never seareth it self If ever it be seared it is ye your selves that do fear it Indeed the mind of man may blind its own self and the heart of man may corrupt its own self and the affections of man may defile their own selves but conscience never corrupteth it self never seareth it self But you will say What must I do to avoid this searing of conscience First listen to conscience well that whatever it saith to thee from God thou maist do it This was the course of the Psalmist I will hearken what the Lord God will say in me so some translate it Heare then and listen what the Lord God will say in thee what thy conscience illightened saith in thee and do it Secondly whenever this conscience is quick follow it Nothing more seareth conscience then suffering quicknings to die Blow the coles if they do but smoke As the Apostle saith Quench not the Spirit so quench not conscience I have hitherto shewed you that every
man hath a conscience and the reasons why God hath given us a conscience the light that it acteth by the offices of it and the affections of it Now from all these proceed two other adjuncts of conscience 1. A quiet conscience 2. An unquiet conscience A quiet conscience COncerning a quiet conscience three things are to be considered 1. What a quiet conscience is 2. How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked 3. The examination whether we have this quiet conscience or no. I. For the first What a quiet conscience is It is that which neither doth nor can accuse us but giveth an honourable testimony of us in the course of our lives and conversations ever since we were regenerate I put that in too for 1. we do not begin to live till we be regenerate and 2. we can never have a true quiet conscience till then Such a quiet conscience had good Obadiah I fear the Lord from my youth saith his conscience This was a very honourable testimony that his conscience gave him Such a quiet conscience had Enoch Before his translation he received this testimony that he pleased God Haymo saith this testimony was the testimony of Scripture Gen. 5.24 where it is said that he walked with God This is true but this is not all The text saith not there was such a testimony given of him but he had it and that before his translation but the testimony of Moses was after his translation Therefore it was the testimony of his conscience that bore witnesse within that he pleased God So that this is a quiet conscience which neither doth nor can accuse us but giveth an honourable testimony of us in the whole course of our life and conversation Now to such a quiet conscience there be three things necessary 1. Uprightnesse 2. Puritie 3. Assurance of Gods love and favour First uprightnesse is when a man is obedient indeed Many will be obedient but they are not obedient indeed not humbled indeed not reformed indeed What it is to be obedient indeed ye may see Exod. 23.22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voyce and do all that I shall speak c. Mark that is obedience indeed when we do all that God speaketh and are obedient in all things This is an upright conscience when the heart is bent to obedience in all things An example we meet with in Paul I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day His conscience could not accuse him of any root of wickednesse and corruption allowed and cherished in him That is an upright conscience Hast thou such a conscience as this My conscience can truly bear witnesse there is no sinne I favour my self in allow my self in but condemne all strive against all Thus David proveth that his conscience was upright If I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayer The regarding of any iniquity will not stand with uprightnesse A second thing required to a true quiet conscience is puritie Though our heart be upright and stand generally bent to the Lords will yet if we be guiltie of some particular sinne this will hinder the quiet of our conscience Therefore saith Paul I know nothing by my self that is nothing to accuse me no corruption no root of unbelief reigning in him Infirmities he had many and frailties he had many and he knew them but be knew nothing to accuse him Whatever was amisse in him his conscience told him he used all holy means against it If thy conscience can truly say thus also of thee then hast thou a truly quiet conscience Thirdly Assurance of Gods love favour and pardon Though we have fallen into great sins yet our consciences may have quiet if we can be truly assured of Gods love and favour in the pardon of them The Apostle proveth that the sacrifices of the law could not purge away sinne but onely Christs bloud can do it His argument to prove it is this Because those sacrifices could not free a man from having conscience of sinne they could not purge the conscience but Christs bloud can After assurance of pardon in Christs bloud conscience can no more condemne for sinne how many or how great soever the sinnes were which have been committed These are the three things required to a true quiet conscience Furthermore a quiet conscience implieth two things 1. A calmnesse of spirit 2. A chearfull merry and comfortable heart These two I mean when I speak of a quiet conscience 1. A calmnesse of spirit or a quietnesse of mind not troubled with the burden of sinne nor the wrath of God nor terrified with the judgements due unto sinne This quietnesse and calmnesse of spirit is promised to all them that truly hearken unto Christ and obey him Who so hearkeneth to me shall be quiet from fear of evil 2. A chearfull merry and joyfull heart When our conscience giveth a comfortable testimonie of us it cannot but make our hearts joyfull This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience saith Paul The comfortable testimony which his conscience gave of him made him to rejoyce A wicked man cannot truly rejoyce no though he be merrie and joviall and laugh yet his carnall estate is a snare he can have no true joy but the righteous sing and rejoyce Prov. 29.6 No mirth like the mirth of a good conscience All other joy is but outside painted seeming joy That is onely true joy that is rooted in the comfortable testimonie of an upright good conscience which telleth a man his peace is made with God and that whether he be in sicknesse or in health God loveth him whether he live or die he is the Lords Thus ye see what a quiet conscience is How a quiet conscience in the godly differeth from the quiet conscience that is in the wicked THe second thing propounded to be considered about a quiet conscience is How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked 1. I confesse that the wicked seem to have a very quiet conscience Many thousands of carnall people seem to live and die in quiet Look into alehouses lewd houses into all places who so merrie and brisk and heart-whole as they say as they who have no saving grace Yet 2. this quiet conscience in them must needs differ from the quiet conscience of the children of God Certainly the Lord will not give the childrens bread unto dogs neither will he smile upon their souls neither doth he pardon the sinnes nor accept the persons of the ungodly And therefore if they have a quiet conscience it must needs differ from that in the godly Must not copper needs differ from gold And we who are the Lords messengers must teach you the difference They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane Now the question is this Wherein lieth the difference between the quiet conscience
should not be so apt to think themselves forsaken of God by reason of temptations as sometimes they are they should rather count it joy as James speaketh chap. 1.2 But yet many of the wicked despair finally by this means Because they do so often fall into temptations therefore they conclude they are forsaken of God 3. Ignorance of Gods word When the guiltinesse of sinne meeteth with minds not instructed in the doctrine of free grace and reconciliation by Christ this is a cause of despair 4. So also inured custome of sinning is another cause When men are often quickned and grow dead again then quickned again for a fit and then hardned again in the end they fall to despair These and the like are the causes of despairing consciences And thus I have shewed also the second thing propounded to be handled namely the sundry degrees of troubled consciences III. The third thing is the difference between the troubled conscience in the godly and in the wicked The consciences of Gods children may be troubled and are many times and the consciences of the wicked they are troubled too now the question is How do they differ I answer 1. That trouble in the conscience of wicked men is accompanied with impenitency and sometimes with blasphemy I would I were able to resist God saith Francis Spira like those in the Revelation who blasphemed God because of their torments Sometimes it is accompanied with cursings as Isai 8.21 sometimes with infinite murmuring But in Gods children it is not so When their conscience is troubled they justifie God and clear God and give him the glory of all and submit under his hand and subdue their hearts unto him as David in his trouble did not fret and murmure against God but saith he If God have no pleasure in me lo here I am let him do with me what seemeth him good So that the trouble of conscience in the children of God and in the wicked doth much differ in this first respect 2. The trouble of conscience in the wicked ariseth onely from the apprehension of Gods wrath and fear of judgement for sinne not for the sinne it self and from the love of holinesse But that in Gods children ariseth chiefly for sinne and the want of the apprehension of Gods love unto them How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever how long wilt thou hide thy face from me Psal 13.1 Mark whence the trouble of the Psalmist came This was his trouble that God did hide his face 3. Trouble of conscience in the wicked never maketh them part with sinne never breedeth a hatred of sinne in them but that in Gods children doth True it is that a wicked mans troubled conscience may make him vomit up his sinne like a dog that vomiteth up his troublesome meat but he doth not vomit up his stomach to that meat for when the trouble is over he returneth to his vomit again So a carnall man returneth to his deadnesse of heart again and to his securitie again when the trouble is over Pharaoh whilest his conscience was troubled at the sense of Gods judgements O then saith he I have sinned I pray Moses let me have your prayers and I will let you go If the children of Israel could have packed up and departed while this trouble had lasted they might have been gone But when he saw there was respite he hardned his heart again Mark His trouble of conscience did not make him part with his sinne But that in Gods children doth 4. That in the wicked driveth them from God They have little heart to come unto him They see nothing but wrath and they rather go about to seek ease in other things then to seek his favour as Saul sought ease in musick and Cain in building castles and cities and Judas in a desperate course Their trouble fetcheth them not to God But the trouble in Gods children worketh otherwise In the midst of trouble of conscience they rest upon God as Heman crieth O Lord God of my salvation in the midst of the troubles of his soul The eyes of Gods children are still towards heaven they think still they should have some help from God They pray and cry and though God seemeth to neglect them yet they cannot give over They will not be beaten off from waiting on God when he will speak comfort to them 5. That trouble that is in the wicked maketh their heart sullen but that in the godly melteth their heart My soul is like melting wax saith David in his troubles of conscience His soul melted before God and was even poured out before him Psal 22.13 This is a kindly working Thus ye see the difference Vses 1. BY this we see what a miserable thing it is to have such a troubled conscience It is the greatest misery that can be it is even a hell to men here upon earth it is like a dismall ghost to terrifie the soul it is like a burning furnace in the bosome it maketh the life bitter In a word the spirit of man is not able to bear it The spirit of man will sustein its infirmities but a wounded spirit who can bear As long as a mans spirit is sound it will bear any thing Some have born agues fevers stones colicks convulsions rackings torturings as long as a mans spirit is sound he is able to bear any of them all of them but a wounded spirit who can bear Never was there man that was able to bear a wounded spirit We may see by many of Gods children how heavy it is David rored with the anguish of it a strange phrase Heman was ready even to runne out of his wits with it While I suffer thy terrours saith he I am distracted Psal 88.15 Moses putteth himself into the number We are even consumed by thine anger Psal 90.7 Ethan complaineth that it was like a burning fever How long O Lord wilt thou hide thy face for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire Psal 89.46 If it be thus with Gods children what may we think of the wicked If we could search into the bosomes of some wicked men who are enemies to God then we might see and understand the true weight and burden of this troubled conscience Cain crieth out of more then he can bear Judas thought to find more ease in hell then in his own heart So terrible was the torture of his troubled conscience that he murdered himself thinking verily that hell could not be worse 2. See here what an infinite misery every sinner shall one day be in Though he be not troubled with this harpye for the present though he be not yet gastered with this furious hag yet the day will come when he shall I say the time will come when all ye that are wicked shall be haunted with this hellish agony of a troubled conscience either here before ye die or when ye die or at the furthest when your souls are
every day eye the brazen serpent Justification is an ever-running fountain and therefore we cannot look to have all the water at once A fountain ever runneth anew so justification ever floweth anew and we must go to it Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec O let us sue out every day a dayly pardon of course Let us not sleep one night without a new pardon Better sleep in a house full of adders and venemous beasts then sleep in one sinne O then be sure with the day to clear the sinnes of the day Then shall our conscience have true peace But how if I have relapsed what shall I do then I answer Every man that falleth doth not fall on all foure as we use to say he doth not fall quite There be degrees of falling As in a sick man though he be ill yet he is not by and by dead some life remaineth still which will look out towards health again so there is so much life in justification as to recover thee again Be constant therefore in this course Ever go to Christ ever wash in this fountain ever bring thy soul hither to be cleansed and then thy conscience ever shall have peace Fourthly If we would maintein our peace then let us labour to be constant in obedience to Jesus Christ Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the word of God perfected and hereby know we that we are in him 1. John 2. 5. Mark Hereby our conscience may tell us that we are right and speak peace to us if we keep his word II. Question How the peace of conscience doth depend upon our care and our obedience The reason why I raise this question is this Because as our justification is onely in Christ so our peace is onely in him how then doth the peace of our conscience depend on obedience The place of Scripture that occasioneth the doubt is 1. Pet. 3.21 The answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is by Christ how dependeth it then on our obedience Answ 1. A good conscience doth not depend upon our obedience as the principall cause of it but upon justification which we have by Christ if we be in him Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Ye see then that our peace is grounded upon our justification as the principall cause of it If we should seek for peace from our works and obedience alas they are sinfull and defective there is no peace to be found in them Our conscience would be troubled at our best duties at our weaknesse in prayer our frailties in hearing our slips in every holy service There is nothing we do but our conscience might find fault with it and pick a hole in it and therefore we had need to flie unto Christ for true peace No wonder then that Papists have not true peace but professedly say that every man must doubt and no man can be sure of his salvation They must needs doubt indeed who trust to their own works which can never bring true peace The conscience must ever be quarrelling and finding of fault and be without peace if we trust to the best works So that this is the first answer All true peace dependeth upon justification by faith in Christ as the principall cause Secondly We answer That our peace dependeth upon our obedience in this sort that we can have no peace except we be given to obedience Those men that can sinne and yet be at peace were never justified in their lives A child of God when he sinneth as for example if he should be tempted to lie or to omit a good dutie which he knoweth he is bound to perform yet this would much trouble his conscience his soul would be ashamed his heart perplexed he would not know how to look the Lord in the face I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men When David had sinned against God I am troubled saith he and I go mourning all the day long And therefore peace of conscience doth depend thus farre on obedience as that a man cannot have peace unlesse he be obedient and take heed of sinne and labour in all things to be upright before God Now if you ask me But how doth our peace depend upon our obedience I answer It dependeth upon obedience as the removing cause It removeth that which would hinder our peace Sinne would interrupt our peace now obedience removeth sinne To this purpose the Apostle speaketh 1. John 3.18 19. My little children let us not love in word and in tongue but in deed and in truth For hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before God Hereby we shall assure our consciences that we are in him if we take heed of hypocrisie If we love in truth and be obedient in truth we shall thereby remove all our doubts and our fears our troubles and perplexities of conscience So that peace doth depend on obedience as the removing cause It removeth that which otherwise would hinder peace This is the first Again our peace of conscience dependeth upon our obedience as the witnessing cause of it Obedience is one of the witnesses of true peace it witnesseth that we have peace with God This is our rejoycing even the testimony of our conscience that in simplicitie and godly sinceritie we have had our conversation in the world See here it is the witnessing cause of it Paul had peace of conscience his conscience was able to make him rejoyce How Because it gave testimony that his conversation was godly and simple and gracious Though we be in Christ yet we can have no peace unlesse holy obedience doth witnesse the same Obedience is not the cause of the peace of our consciences before God but it is the cause of our perceiving the same We know we have peace by reason of our obedience We know that every one that doeth righteousnesse is born of God We know we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us by the spirit that he hath given us Mark we come to know it by obedience and by the fruits of obedience Take away obedience we can never know peace They that walk by this rule peace shall be upon them and upon the Israel of God saith the Apostle Thirdly our peace of conscience dependeth on our obedience as the confirming cause Christ confirmeth our peace to us by making us walk close to him and obedient unto him Paul sheweth how it preserveth peace as a shoe preserveth the foot ye know if we should walk without shoes barefoot our feet would be in danger of pricking and hurting So doth obedience to the Gospel preserve our peace Stand saith the Apostle having your feet shod with the preparation
he is in a good estate 1. For the first That there is an estate that every one is in either of grace or sin See this in Simon Magus I perceive saith S. Peter thou art in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity See he telleth him what estate he was in viz. a very bad estate in a desperate and damnable condition In this state of sin and misery are all they that are not renewed by Christ Jesus And for the other see an example Rom. 16.7 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord The text there telleth us what estate he was in a very good estate He was a man in Christ a choise man that is a man in the state of grace and salvation In this estate are all they that are called and sanctified and made new creatures unto God Every man is in one of the two estates there is no middle estate which is neither the one nor the other but in one of these two are all the whole world The reason is 1. From everlasting the world was divided onely into two ranks either Elect or Reprobates 2. Here in this life the world is divided onely into two companies either Godly or Ungodlie 3. At the day of judgement the Lord will divide the whole world onely into two sorts either Sheep or Goats II. For the second proposition This estate may be known Especially every man may come to the knowledge of his own estate before God I do not say that every man may know whether he be elect or reprobate yet this I say too That a godly soul may know that it is elected to life The Apostle exhorteth all that are godly to give diligence to make their election sure 2. Pet. 1.10 He that atteineth to that faith which the Apostle calleth the faith of Gods elect Titus 1.1 and receiveth the word of God as Paul saith the Thessalonians did and thence concludeth they were chosen of God 1. Thess 1.4 5. he may attein to much assurance of his election But though a godly man may know he is elected of God yet for reprobation the case is not alike 1. Because ungodlinesse is not alwayes joyned with perseverance 2. Besides God hath many reasons why he doth not reveal mens reprobation unto them They would then be outragious in evil desperate in wickednesse there could be no order or government in humane life Besides that the form of Christs administration of his kingdome could not be so as it now is for Christ hath bid his ministers preach the Gospel to every creature to whole parishes and towns and except none Christ will not tell his ministers which be reprobates and which not that they may preach unto all and labour to work upon every soul and there is none in a parish but the minister must look upon him as one who may be saved Christ will not tell his people which be reprobates that they may look upon every one as one that may be wonne to the faith for any thing they know Christ will not tell the reprobates themselves that they are reprobates that every one of them may come to the use of the means How do they know but they may find grace yea and the Lord doth seriously call them and it is their fault if they obey not It is Gods infinite mercy that election which is such a comfortable point may be revealed to Gods children and that reprobation which is so intolerable and bitter is not revealed to the reprobate Neverthelesse let me adde That some particular men have known their own reprobation as Cain and Judas c. And there be shrewd signes of it I do not speak it as though I meant to perswade any man that he is one but onely that he may take heed of them 1. Malicing the known truth is a very shrewd signe As when men know that godlinesse is pleasing to God and yet they hate a man for it when men know the minister is commanded to rebuke sinne and yet they will spite him for so doing this is a very shrewd signe Paul persecuted the truth but yet saith he I obteined mercy because I did it ignorantly 1. Tim. 1.13 intimating that if he had done it against knowledge he had been in danger to have found no mercy And therefore ye that mock and hate those wayes which God hath commanded I beseech you take heed lest ye sin unpardonably 2. Absolute apostasie is a shrewd signe too of reprobation When men have been very forward in the profession of the truth and fall totally away and prove miserably profane as the Apostle sheweth Heb. 6.6 3. Finall impenitency This is an infallible signe of reprobation when a man liveth in sin dieth in sin goeth away without repentance Luke 13.3 Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish There be many of us have stood out long in impenitency let us take heed lest if we stay any longer we fall upon this great evil I return to the point A man may come to the knowledge of his own estate before God I do not mean Whether he be in the state of election or reprobation but he may know Whether he be in the state of salvation or damnation that is Whether he be in the way that leadeth to heaven or hell Whether he be in such a case that if he die now he shall be saved or not saved Every man may thus know in what estate he is Because the word of God sheweth a man this As for example He that committeth sinne is of the devil Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in that liveth in sinne in a very bad estate So on the contrary He that hath this hope purgeth himself Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in who purgeth himself he is in a very good estate in a state of true hope in Christ And so 1. Cor. 6.10 the Apostle nameth divers who are not in the state of salvation but of damnation if they die in such case they cannot inherit the kingdome of heaven So that if a man will but search the word and believe that God doth say true he may know his estate 2. Without this knowledge a man cannot have an accusing or an excusing conscience in respect of his estate but men may have yea many men have a conscience accusing them of being in a very bad estate and many men have an excusing conscience that plainly doth witnesse that they are in a very good and gracious estate I and my people are wicked saith Pharaoh His conscience did accuse him of being in a bad estate I am holy saith David I am thy servant His conscience told him he was in the state of grace So that ye need not go farre to know what estate you are in there is that in your bosome that can decide the matter 3. Men cannot desire nor flie fâ— o an unknown estate
then and they go about to shake it off Alas why do ye go about that which is utterly impossible Ye may suppresse it for a while and gagge it for a while but ye can never shake it off Conscience sticketh so close that a man may as soon shake off himself as his conscience And indeed his conscience is himself Let a man examine himself that is his conscience Judge in your selves that is Judge in your consciences Thirdly this confuteth that drunken opinion That conscience is nothing but a present fit of melancholy No It causeth it may be the present melancholick fit but it is not it Conscience is a standing power in a man that is evermore with him and will evermore judge him and condemne him if he be guiltie before God It will be with him when his dumpish fit is over Let him laugh and be merry yet conscience lies at the bottome of all and will spoyl all the mirth Let the drunkard be never so joviall I will not believe but conscience in the midst of that drunken mirth causeth some sadnesse within and telleth him this is a very wicked life Let the carnall hypocrite daub up the matter with good duties and good prayers and good hopes I cannot believe but there is a conscience lieth at the bottome and telleth him he is rotten for all this You may see this in Cain He had been at a good duty sacrificing to the Lord but his countenance fell when he had done conscience did lie at the bottome and did tell him God did not accept him Conscience is with evil men at church at sermon at sacrament and telleth them secretly that they are not the persons to whom the blessing of these ordinances belong Lastly this may be for exhortation to the godly That they would consider this that they have ever a conscience within them and that therefore they would labour alwayes to keep it void of offence which was Pauls exercise Acts 24.16 Take head you offend not your consciences in duties of piety towards God in your prayings hearings c. no nor in your callings eatings drinkings liberties recreations Look alwayes to your consciences that you offend them not because they are ever with you When two live ever together they had need not offend one another else there will be no quiet You and your consciences must ever live together if ye offend them ye are like to have very ill lives Better live with a curst scold then live with an offended conscience ye had better offend the whole world then offend conscience There are none whom ye are alwayes to live with but conscience ye are alwayes to live with Ye are not alwayes to live with your husbands nor alwayes with your wives nor alwayes with your parents or masters there is a time when you must part but conscience and you will never part Therefore labour to keep it void of offence And thus much of the first proposition There is in every man a conscience Proposition II. The light that conscience acteth by is knowledge THis knowledge is twofold 1. Of Gods law 2. Of our selves 1. The knowledge of Gods law To know Gods will what is good what is bad whaâ— God commandeth what he forbiddeth Every man under heaven hath this law of God in some measure writ in his conscience I confesse Gods children onely know Gods law to purpose as it is a light to guide them in the way oâ— salvation but all the world have some measure of knowledge whereby they may gather thaâ— there is a God and that he ought to be worshipped and obeyed and that he hath poweâ— over life and death All the world have knowledge in some measure what is good and what is not what is to be done and what not what is according to conscience and what not All the world have this knowledge in some measure I do not say enough for salvation but enough to make them inexcusable before God for not following that light and not living according to that knowledge which they have If there were not some light in this behalf some knowledge of the law of God in every man conscience could do nothing 2. Knowledge of our selves This also is the light that conscience acteth by There is in every man some measure of knowledge of himself according to the measure of knowledge that he hath of Gods law Our consciences look backward and forward forward to Gods law and backward on our selves Whether we be such as Gods law requireth yea or no. First ye may find this in good men This light did the conscience of David go by I was upright before God saith his conscience and I kept my self from mine own iniquitie His conscience had a light whereby he knew what he did Secondly ye shall find this in wicked men This light the conscience of Achan went by I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done These are the two lights that every mans conscience goes by It hath light in some measure to know the law of God what he should do and what he should not do and it hath light in some measure to know himself what he hath done or not done whether he hath done as he should yea or no. Now these two lights are necessary as thus I prove First the knowledge of Gods law is necessary For else conscience cannot work A drunkard might be drunk every day in the yeare and yet conscience could not trouble him nor condemne him of sinne unlesse he knew the law That God hath forbid drunkennesse And so the swearer And so evil words and bad thoughts conscience cannot accuse for unlesse there be so much light as to know they are forbidden And therefore Divines do all say that the Synteresis is necessarie to the exercise of conscience The Synteresis is this When a man keeps in his mind the knowledge of the things conteined in Gods law namely That we must obey God honour our parents not commit adultery not kill not steal not lie not covet c. Unlesse the knowledge of these be kept in mind conscience cannot work And therefore when we would stirre a mans conscience we appeal to his knowledge Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God As if he had said Your own consciences may condemne you to the pit of hell if ye be unrighteous because your Synteresis can tell you that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God This is the reason why we say that there is a naturall conscience and there is an illuminated conscience because some have no light but onely the light of nature some have besides the light of Gods word which sheweth that which nature sheweth and much more clearly and teacheth many things more which nature cannot teach And hence the conscience of the illightned condemneth for such things as the naturall
saith He that hungreth and thirsteth after righteousnesse shall be filled He that doeth these things shall never fall c. Get the rule of your hearts and lives to meet and ye have what ye desire O what infinite mercy is this to all godly souls that the Lord hath planted this conscience in their bosomes that they need not go farre for their comfort their own consciences and the rule may preach it to them Secondly The wicked on the other side if they continue as they are may hence gather arguments for their own damnation If the rule and conscience might be heard they would speak bitter things against them and give a fearfull sentence on them It may be they can smother their consciences now for a time but they will one day reade them a fearfull lecture I speak not now onely of those who drown their consciences in their cups and fear their consciences by their grosse sinnes but of those who would seem godly and perform good duties but with hypocriticall hearts and carnall minds O that they would heare but conscience argue a little in this manner To be carnally minded is death that is is an evident signe of a man that is in the state of death and damnation But saith conscience I am carnally minded or we are carnally minded Therefore we have an argument about us of death and damnation And so also for all other sinnes There is not a wicked man under heaven but he may argue out of his own miserable estate by his conscience or he might if it were awaked as one day it will be Thirdly this may serve for instruction No matter what opinions men have of us in the world The question is What is the judgement of our own consciences upon us It may be thou art taken for a man of great knowledge and a forward man in godlinesse it may be the godly dare not judge otherwise of thee but the question is What is the judgement of conscience Doth not thy conscience tell thee thou art but a proud fool conceited of thy knowledge and lovest to heare thy self talk And so for thy performance of good duties what testimony doth conscience give of the manner of doing of them The testimoniall of conscience is above all testimonials in the world all the good opinions of the world are not worth a rush without this If conscienâ—â— can say that in our wayes we seek to please God and allow not our selves in any evil vvay this testimony is full and satisfactory and onely this Yet further concerning this judiciall vvitnesse of conscience It is either about things to be done or omitted or things already done or omitted The judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things to be done or omitted is double 1. To judge out of Gods lavv vvhether it be good or evil 2 To counsel out of our ovvn judgements either to do it or forbear it according as the nature of the action is If it be good conscience vvill counsel us to do it if bad to forbear it The judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things already done is fourefold 1. To approve 2. To absolve 3. To mislike 4. To condemne I begin vvith the first the judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things to be done or omitted vvhere I shall consider first the Office of conscience in this behalf viz. 1. To judge 2. To counsel and then the Adjuncts of conscience in discharging this office 1. Conscience judgeth of the thing to be done vvhether it be good or evil lavvfull or unlavvfull As vve trie the vveight of gold by a pair of balances so conscience trieth all our actions by Gods vvord It is the oracle of God As the Jevvs vvent to Gods oracle to enquire of the Lord so our conscience is Gods oracle to enquire of and to determine of things whether they be good or evil It is a judge in the bosome When the question in Corinth was whether women should be uncovered when they pray the Apostle sendeth them to conscience for judgement Judge in your selves saith he whether it be comely or no that is Put it to the judgement of your own consciences So say the disciples to the Jews Whether it be better to obey God or man judge ye Put it to your own consciences Thus ye see it is the office of conscience to judge of an action to be done whether it be good or bad lawfull or unlawfull 2. The second office of conscience is to counsel for the doing of that which is good and forbearing of that which is evil This is that faithfull friend in our bosome that voyce within us and behind us saying This is the way walk in it Mark the words there ye see these two offices of conscience This is the way there is the judgement of conscience and walk in it there is the counsel of conscience Nay conscience doth not onely give good counsel but if it have leave it will bring arguments to perswade to follow it it will tell us the thing is well-pleasing to God of good report that which will bring peace to our hearts And so on the contrary if it be evil conscience will counsell us to forbear yea bring arguments to disswade O do it not it will tend to the dishonour of God and be offensive to others and wound our souls c. It was conscience that withheld David from killing Saul and prest him from it by a strong argument O he is the Lords Anointed It was conscience that withheld Joseph from yielding to the enticings of his mistresse and yielded him an argument to disswade him from it How shall I do this great wickednesse and so sinne against God It was conscience that disswaded Nehemiah from flying Should such a man as I flie And if one argument will not serve conscience will use more The use of this may be first for Instruction Hence we learn that naturall men may have a conscience urging to good and restraining from evil There is no man so evil or ignorant but he hath naturally some light with him by which conscience is set on work to advise and to counsel and to say This is very good do it This is very sinfull forbear it This therefore is no signe of grace in any man to have his conscience calling upon him to do good or disswading him from evil The very heathen had so according to their light yea and in many of them it was forcible to restrain them from many sinnes which they were inclined unto And so may many men be put upon many good duties not for any love or liking of that which is good but because they would please and satisfie conscience which otherwise will not suffer them to be quiet It was conscience that kept Abimelech from defiling Sarah and yet a carnall man Here then a question may be asked Whether a mere naturall man can avoid sinne for conscience sake I
if thou hast not light in thy conscience to direct thee what wilt thou do II. An erroneous conscience SEcondly an erroneous conscience is vvhen conscience not understanding Gods lavv or misapplying it doth judge amisse and direct amisse So Josephs conscience for a while was in an errour when Mary was found vvith child His conscience informed him that he must either make her a publick example or put her away privily Here his conscience erred about this particular untill the Angel had better informed him There is a question here raised by Divines and it is Whether we ought to follow conscience erring or no A question very necessary to be handled partly because of mens ignorance in this kind and partly because of the frequency of the case I answer thus First vve must not obey conscience erring or counselling to that vvhich is evil For our errour of conscience doth not make the transgression of the lavv to be no sinne though an erroneous conscience lead us to transgresse it 1. Because the lavv of God is above conscience and therefore the commandment of Gods lavv standeth in full force though conscience command contrary to it Suppose a man should think in his conscience he might not take an oath though never so lawfully called thereunto by the magistrate and in never so necessary a case when as the word of God commandeth us to swear in truth in righteousnesse and in judgement I must follow the commandment of God rather then conscience because Gods law is above conscience 2. Because if I follovv my conscience vvhen it is in an errour I offend not onely against Gods lavv but I offend also my conscience For though for the present while conscience is erroneous it doth not take offense yet vvhen it cometh to see its ovvn errour then it will Therefore this is our first ansvver We must not obey conscience erring or counselling to that which is evil If our conscience should counsel us to tell a lie to help our neighbour that is evil and against Gods lavv and therefore if in doing it vve do obey conscience vve sinne Secondly vve answer That an erroneous conscience vvhatever it commandeth though the lavv of God commandeth the clean contrary yet vve cannot disobey it vvithout sinne For this is a constant rule We alwayes sinne vvhen vve disobey conscience If conscience erre not then in disobeying it vve sinne double against the law and against conscience if conscience do erre and vve disobey it vve sinne too for though vve do not sinne against the lavv yet vve sinne against conscience and so against the lavv too not as though vve vvere bound to obey conscience vvhen it erreth and yet vve sinne if vve disobey it Thirdly Albeit it be alvvayes a sinne to disobey conscience though it erre yet it is not alvvayes a sinne to obey conscience when it erreth Let us consider three propositions and you shall see vvhat I mean First If conscience think that to be commanded which is absolutely forbidden or that to be forbidden vvhich is expressely commanded then vve sinne vvhich side soever we take As if an ignorant man thinks in his conscience that he is bound to pray to Saints departed which thing the Lord hath expressely forbidden if this man do pray unto Saints he sinneth because the Lord hath expressely forbid him to do it if he do not pray unto Saints he sinneth too because his conscience telleth him he is commanded to pray unto them The second proposition is this If conscience hold a thing indifferent to do or not to do which yet is not indifferent but absolutely commanded then it is alwayes a sinne not to do it but it is no sinne to do it The third proposition is this If conscience hold a thing necessarie which God hath left indifferent as if a man in conscience thought that he oâ—ght to pray foure times a day which thing yet God hath left indifferent in this he is bound to obey conscience though it erre And it is no sinne to obey conscience thus erring though it be a sinne in conscience thus to erre The use of this is I. To let us see vvhat a sacred sovereigne thing a mans conscience is It is alvvayes a sinne to disobey conscience vvhether it erre or no as it is alvvayes a sinne to disobey God A man can never go against his conscience but he sinneth 1. Because conscience is our guide It is our invvard and our inseparable guide vve can never come by any direction but by conscience vve can never let in the commandment of God but onely by conscience and therefore the Lord hath made it a very sovereigne thing 2. Because vve break a commandment through the loyns of a sinne vvhen vve go against conscience Ajax light upon a beast and slevv it his conscience thought verily it vvas a man Kill it not saith conscience it is a man he goeth against his conscience and killeth it His conscience here vvas in an errour yet he as truly guilty of murder before God as if he had indeed slain a man because he slevv a man through the loyns of this beast His bloudy mind looked at a man and smote at a man and slevv a man So vvhen conscience is erroneous and thinketh this is a commandment of God it is not so but he thinketh it so in his conscience if he do contrary he breaketh a commandment though it be none because the errour of his conscience made it one to him Was not Herod truly guilty of the murder of Christ He thought in his conscience that Christ had been among the infants slain at Bethlehem Thus conscience is a sovereigne thing It is alvvayes a sinne to go against it erre or not erre and if it be a sinne to go against conscience vvhen it erreth vvhat a sinne is it to go against it vvhen it doth not erre II. This may serve for a vvord of exhortation to exhort men to bevvare lest they sinne against conscience especially vvhen conscience is in the right Conscience is as Gods face in a man when conscience looketh on thee the Lord looketh on thee It is true the Lord looketh on thee alvvayes but thou mayest see the Lords looking upon thee vvhen conscience looketh on thee And therefore thou never sinnest against conscience but thou provokest the Lord to his face vvhen not onely God seeth thee but thou seest him Thy conscience shevveth thee the Lord it presenteth God before thine eyes commanding or forbidding Wilt thou do the evil now Wilt thou omit the good duty now When conscience findeth fault thou dost novv provoke the Lord to his face If it be such a sinne to sinne against conscience in an errour it is much more a sinne to sinne against conscience it being in the right Thus much of a conscience erring III. A doubting conscience A Doubting conscience is such a conscience as so hangeth in suspense that it knoweth not which way
humble God will teach Pride and self-conceitednesse blindeth exceedingly 3. We must seek with sobriety alwayes contenting our selves with that knowledge which is most necessary and not be curious about vain and idle-brained questions or solicitous to answer every objection that shall be raised up against the truth A lover of the truth should not be ready to entertain all objections against it and never be settled till he can answer all that can be cast in which will be never It is not expected that there should be in every man such a ripenesse of judgement and such a measure of illumination as that he should be able to dispute with the most learned or answer every objection that can be raised But we must with that good Martyr say Though I cannot dispute for Christ I can die for him We must be content with our measure to be wise unto sobriety III. Those godly souls that have weak consciences must use them very gently Scrupulosi non sunt rigidè tractandi Those that are scrupulous are not to be handled rigidly When a mote is in the eye it is not boistrously to be dealt withall that will make it worse The eye is a tender part and so is the conscience Again we must take heed of offending weak consciences It may be thou knovvest thine ovvn liberty that thou mayst do this or that but thy brother is vveak and he doth not knovv it to be lavvfull O take heed of giving offense Consider the Apostles vvords 1. Cor. 8.12 When ye sinne against your brethren and wound their weak consciences ye sinne against Christ Consider also the practice of the Apostle and the resolution that he had If meat offend my brother I will eat no flesh while the world standeth vers 13. It is a grievous offense to offend the conscience of the vveak and therefore bevvare of it They are very unchristian speeches I know mine own liberty If others be offended what care I Why should I prejudice my self for them It is true another mans conscience cannot abbridge me of my liberty but yet I in charity ought to suspend the act of my liberty vvhen I knovv the using it vvill give offense to the vveak IV. To admonish our selves if conscience be so tender a thing to be carefull that we offend not our own consciences Conscience is quickly offended but it is not so soon pacified Every notorious step into evil or neglect in duty offendeth conscience and conscience will keep a grudge a long time and vvill give many a secret wound deading the heart to duty making faith and confidence in God dull we cannot pray with courage nor come before God with boldnesse If our hearts condemne us not we have confidence saith John An erroneous conscience will defile you a doubting conscience distract you a scrupulous conscience unsettle you but above all other an illightened conscience if it have any thing against you will exceedingly disable you this stabbeth at the heart your confidence towards God Go then and labour to purge conscience else conscience will hinder you whether you pray or heare or receive the Sacrament c. it will deprive you of comfort If thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the altar first go and be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift The case is greater and more dangerous when conscience hath something against us there is no offering will be accepted untill conscience be satisfied If thou shouldst be about to pray and conscience should stand up against thee as an adversary and tell thee thou hast been vain and loose and carnall all this day thou hast not set thy self to keep close to God this day thou hast fallen into this and that sinne this day thou art not fit to pray till thou hast reconciled thy self to conscience Alas thy conscience will secretly undermine all thy praying First therefore reconcile conscience by humbling thy self and breaking thy heart and resolving I have sinned I will do no more When conscience can say thy sorrow and repentance and resolution for new obedience is sincere then thou art fit to pray but not before So whatever other duty thou goest about be sure to reconcile conscience else all will miscarry V. A faithfull conscience THus I have expounded the adjuncts of conscience which shew themselves in the discharge of its duty namely such as respect consciences ability to the doing of it Which as ye have heard are foure 1. an illightened conscience 2. an erroneous conscience 3. a doubting conscience 4. a scrupulous conscience Now followeth those which do accompany it in the doing of its duty And they are two 1. a faithfull conscience 2. an unfaithfull conscience A faithfull conscience is that which doth alwayes advise and counsel aright when need is This is a very rare conscience It is rare to find a conscience every way faithfull For to say the truth conscience is alwayes faithfull in it self for it knoweth not how to deal deceitfully with any man but yet I may say as Solomon A faithfull man who can find so A faithfull conscience who can find It is a very rare thing Not for any deceit that is in conscience it self but because men commonly would have it unfaithfull therefore a conscience that will not let men make it unfaithfull though they would such a conscience I call a faithfull conscience and I say it is rare But such a conscience there is and it hath three properties 1. It is watchfull 2. It is rigid and severe 3. It is importunate 1. A faithfull conscience is watchfull alwayes awake to apprehend every opportunity of doing and receiving good or resisting evil As when there is an opportunity to pray to heare to shew mercie a faithfull conscience will remember us of it and put us upon it as also when there is any opportunity of quickning and edifying our selves or others It was a watchfull conscience that made David say I will never forget thy precepts that is I will never omit any opportunity to remember them to do them It was a watchfull conscience that made Paul say I became all things to all men that by all means I might save some that is by taking all opportunities and advantages to do good It was a watchfull conscience that made Peter say I will not be negligent to put you alwayes in remembrance of these things that is I will neglect no opportunity Again a watchfull conscience taketh notice of every motion and inclination to evil it is awake to see when evil is conceived to tell us of it to oppose it and to disswade us from it like a watchman on the top of a tower alwayes awake to see when any danger approcheth It is Gods minister with eyes on every side to espie seasons of good and stirre up to make use of
conscience 2. It is a large conscience 3. It is a remisse conscience 1. A silent conscience that conscience which knoweth how to judge how to counsel how to direct yet is silent and saith nothing is an unfaithfull conscience that knoweth what duties we ow to God and man yet putteth us not upon them nor is importunate for the performance of them and so for sinnes what we ought not to do telleth not of the evil disswadeth not from it urgeth not arguments to cause forbearance this is an unfaithfull conscience It is like to a sleepy carelesse coachman who giveth the horses the rains and letteth them runne whither they will So this unfaithfull conscience leaveth the rains on a mans neck and letteth him runne whither he will into any danger any mischief that he may do evil with both hands Do ye not think Ahabs conscience was fast asleep which let him sell himself to work wickednesse and so Manasseh's conscience 2. A large conscience vvhich maketh conscience it may be of some great duties but taketh liberty in other vvhich it counteth lesser Thus Doâ—g's conscience would not suffer him to break his vow to depart on the sabbath day but yet it suffered him to accuse David Jehu's conscience made him zealous in Gods cause against the house of Ahab and the priests of Baal but it suffered him to maintain the high places which Jeroboam had set up Thus Gamaliel's conscience made him speak well for Paul and yet continue it seemeth in much other evil This conscience will restrain from great staring sinnes or from such sinnes as the man hath no naturall propensity unto but others which seem of a lower nature or vvhich are suitable to a mans particular desires these conscience will swallow without remorse As civil people that cannot swallow down couzenage and injustice and yet neglect of prayer and other religious duties never troubleth them And so some professours who cannot omit hearing sermons and talking of religion and yet can rest without the power thereof 3. It is remisse that is though it doth counsel and direct yet it doth it with such coldnesse and remissenesse that it is easily answered and put off Thus it was with David It cannot be thought but his conscience said Plot not against Vriah's life But he would and so conscience let him do it This conscience will be answered with every slight and idle excuse As when conscience telleth one Your wayes are not good I wish you to repent and make your peace with God it may be the man answereth Yea so I mean to do but I cannot yet intend it when I have dispatched such and such businesse then I will do it If conscience speak again Yea but you were best to do it now True saith he I know it I know it If God would give me repentance I would repent It is his gift of my self I cannot do it Or when it telleth him of family-duties it may be he answereth I have no leisure so long as I go to God by my self I hope it will serve turn Or when it telleth him of his wickednesse it may be he answereth Many worse then I have found mercy and I hope so shall I. This is the conscience that letteth a mans heart say I shall have peace Now conscience being remisse and cold it is easily put off and answered with these idle and foolish excuses or with some other pretenses like these and so letteth the man go and live as before This conscience is like Eli which said Ye do not well my sonnes but exercised no severity to cause them to do otherwise By this we see the dangerous estate of those men who have such a conscience There be many who live in many sinnes in carnall courses some in company-keeping and drunkennesse some in hatred and variance some in chambering and wantonnesse some in covetousnesse and love of this present world your consciences no question can say Ye should do well to be more godly to look more after Christ and after heaven and ye should do well to get the truth of saving grace yet it may be they say nothing or nothing to the purpose in this behalf Therefore is these mens case so dangerous because their consciences are so silent and so remisse They have lost the most sovereigne remedy namely conscience Conscience is the most sovereigne means under God and his holy Spirit to work repentance in men that can be and is it not dangerous to have it prove traiterous and unfaithfull What good can the ministerie of the word do unto you when every idle and false excuse or pretense which the wisdome of the flesh can devise can stop the mouth of your conscience when it calleth upon you to do what the word requireth It must needs be dangerous and so much the more because it is so pleasing unto you ye take delight in such silent and large and remisse unfaithfull consciences ye love not to have your consciences too busie with you ye like not that your consciences should be too clamorous and importunate with you ye would have them not too rigid and vehement against your sinnes It fareth with you as with many young men who have sold themselves unto folly and think none their friends but parasites that flatter them or those who connive and wink at their folly but such friends will soon prove foes and so will such moderate and quiet consciences It is a dangerous thing to have such a silent conscience to want the chief means under God of doing a man good It was conscience that told the lepers We do not well to hold our peace It was conscience that never would let the prodigall sonne be quiet till he returned to his father and said unto him I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne It is conscience that is the most powerfull means under God to quicken a man up to repentance and obedience and therefore they are in a miserable case that want this great help But what are the causes why mens consciences be so evil and unfaithfull The causes hereof are chiefly these foure 1. Ignorance is one cause why a mans conscience is unfaithfull when we do not labour to have conscience throughly illightened and informed Who are more carelesse and negligent of their duties both to God and man who can with more freedome lye steal covet sinne c. then those that are ignorant of the law of God They know not that they do so much hurt to their own souls as they do An ignorant mind hath alwayes an evil conscience It is impossible conscience should be faithfull where it is not illightened and hence it cometh to passe that conscience is so negligent and unfaithfull because we have been so carelesse of informing it Thy conscience must needs be silent as long as thou art ignorant Ignorance is soon put to
is great If I have not given my bread to the hungry or if I have rejoyced at the misery of mine enemie then let it be thus and thus to me His conscience absolved him as clear of those sinnes Nay the conscience of a child of God doth not onely absolve him from the guilt of those sinnes which he never committed but also from the guilt of those sinnes which he hath committed against God or against man It can tell him he hath truly repented and truly been humbled and truly got pardon Ye know David had committed divers sinnes yet when he had humbled his soul before God and obtained pardon his conscience telleth him as much and absolveth him Psal 103.3 Blesse the Lord O my soul c. who forgiveth all thy sinnes Nay though a child of God have many infirmities dayly and hourly yet his conscience doth absolve him It is no more I that do it saith his conscience but sinne that dwelleth in me If I distrust it is no more I for I fight against it If I be overtaken by any weaknesse it is no more I for I laboured against it and do bewail it III. A misliking conscience THe third part of consciences office in things done is to mislike if we have done ill There be imperfections in the best obedience of Gods dearest servants What I do I allow not saith Paul His conscience misliked something done by him But that mislike of conscience which now I speak of is of things that are ill done that is not done in truth and sincerity Thus it is in all that are not renewed by the holy Ghost The office of their conscience indeed is to mislike what they do When they have prayed their conscience can mislike it and say I have not prayed with a heavenly mind a holy heart When they have been at a Sacrament conscience can truly mislike it and say I have not been a fit guest at Christs table c. When they are crossed and tempted their consciences truly mislike their carriage and say I do not fight and resist but readily and willingly yield to every invitation to evil Do ye not think that Jeroboams conscience misliked his altering Gods worship his innovating religion his making Israel to sinne do not ye think his conscience misliked him for these things Do not ye think that Nabals conscience misliked his griping and Doegs conscience misliked his slandering and Pashurs conscience misliked his opposing and misusing Jeremie and the old prophets conscience misliked his lying Who would have thought but Balaam said well Whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speak and I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord to do lesse or more no not for Balaks house full of gold who vvould have thought but that this was well said yet his own conscience could not choose but mislike it being not spoken in sinceritie Many a man hath gone for a Christian twentie or thirtie years and every one liketh him and yet it may be his conscience hath disliked him all the while IV. A condemning conscience THe fourth part of consciences office in this behalf is to condemne if we have done evil and contrarie to Gods law Conscience hath an office not onely to mislike us but also to condemne us nay it will hasten more to condemne us then God We see it in Adam When Adam had sinned his conscience condemned him before God did he knew he was naked that he had made his soul shamefully naked his conscience condemned him for an apostate before the Lord came to passe sentence upon him Nay it condemneth us oftner then God God will condemne a sinner but once for all viz. at the last day but conscience condemneth him many thousand times before that Many men and women who do seem godly in the worlds eyes God knoweth how many of them have condemning consciences in their bosomes for all their civilities and formalities and crying God mercie and patched up hopes many who would say that man were uncharitable who should condemne them for such and such who it may be find conscience within so uncharitable and saying plainly Ye are so like the conscience of Pauls heretick who is said to be condemned of himself I. This serveth for the praise of the justice of God That he may be just when he judgeth the Lord needeth no other witnesse against us but our own consciences they make way for the just judgement of God Ye may see this in this portion of Scripture which we have in hand wherein is shewed both that God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world vers 16. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men according to my Gospel and then in the verse going before the Apostle sheweth that now in the mean while every mans conscience maketh way for this just judgement of God their conscience bearing witnesse and their thoughts in the mean time accusing or excusing one another At the last day every man shall be judged according to his conscience a child of God according to his a carnall man according to his The Lord shall absolve all his children and their own consciences shall absolve them The Lord shall condemne all the rest and their own consciences shall condemne them This is the book that every mans life is set down in Every passage of conversation both of the godly and the wicked is recorded dayly in this book And according to what is written therein will the Lord judge every soul at the last day as Rev. 20.12 The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the book according to their works The Apostle there speaketh prophetically and putteth the past time for the future they were judged that is they shall be judged So that ye see that by the judgement of conscience way is made for the just judgement of God II. This should be a means to keep us from sinne and to keep us in a holy life for according to our works so will be the evidences of our consciences whether they be good or evil We had need to take heed what we write in our consciences for according to what is written there so shall we be judged Therefore if any sinne standeth upon record in our consciences we had need get it blotted out by the bloud of Christ Repent be humbled beg for pardon rest not till thou seest this debt-book conscience crossed and thy sinnes stand there cancelled and discharged THus I have shewed you the offices of conscience about things heretofore done Now let me shew you the affections of conscience in the discharge of these offices Ye have heard that conscience hath foure offices in things heretofore done 1. an office to approve 2. an office to absolve 3. an office to dislike 4. an office to condemne The two former when we have done well and lived well then the office of conscience is to approve and absolve The
upon heaven Phil. 4.7 The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds This doth the peace and quiet of a good conscience but the quiet of a wicked mans conscience doth not do thus it keepeth not his mind in this manner but it is upon earthly things for all that IV. They differ in respect of duration and continuance The quiet of a good conscience is settled and grounded in the godly it never faileth them nor forsaketh them the other peace is fading Let a feeling sermon come and rifle carnall men it taketh away their peace from them their consciences then flie in their faces and then they see they are not right Let losse of outward things come aâ—â— light upon them or any other affliction it taketh their peace from them conscience then breaketh out upon them and sheweth them how they have deceived themselves with false peace especially at their death then an evil conscience that hath been quiet before in stead of comforting will affright and amaze them But if we have the quiet of a good conscience it will make us heare the word with comfort and not be troubled and disquieted by a searching sermon or the threatnings of Gods judgements Nay if we be in trouble this will quiet us if in affliction this will comfort us It will endure all our life and be present at our death then especially it will shew it self a friend unto us in standing by us to chear and refresh us Great peace have they which love thy law nothing shall offend them saith David nothing shall offend them or take away their peace it is an eternall and everlasting peace Thus you have seen how the true and false peace of conscience differ But here cometh a question to be answered it is this Have all Gods children this peace of conscience I dare say some of you look for this question and long to have it answered I answer therefore No they have it not alwayes Job seemed one while not to have it I have sinned saith his conscience what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men David seemed one while not to have it Mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavie burden they are too heavie for me Psal 38.4 His sinnes lay heavie upon his conscience for a fit Hezekiah one while seemed not to have it Behold for peace I had great bitternesse And therefore I say the children of God have it not alwayes But let me tell you They might have it alwayes 1. It is possible they should have it alwayes Their sinnes of ignorance and infirmitie do not break the peace of their consciences cannot for if they could then no man should have true peace of conscience at any time Nothing but willing and witting sinnes sinnes against conscience can break the peace of conscience and as it is possible for the children of God to live without these so it is possible for them alwayes to have peace yea they may have daily more and more peace 2. As it is possible for the children of God alwayes to have peace so they are commanded to keep their peace alwayes and it is their own fault if at any time they lose it Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace saith Eliphas So Let the peace of God rule in your hearts unto which ye are called We are not onely commanded to have peace in our hearts but also that it may rule there that no corruption perk over it to hinder it we are called to this peace and commanded to have it and therefore as it is a sinne in the common-wealth when one breaketh the peace so it is a sinne in the spirit to break the peace of conscience we are all bound to the peace 3. If the children of God have it not alwayes then they feel the want of it and in the want of that comfort nothing else will comfort them It is not all the peace and prosperitie of the world that can comfort their hearts as long as they have not this peace not all the mirth in the world can content them untill they enjoy this peace again the peace and quiet of a good conscience they faint for it and long after it they can have no strength without it The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace It is not so with corrupt hearts they can be without peace and yet never faint they can eat and drink for all that and sleep and be merry for all that yea and go about their profits and their earthly businesses as roundly as ever for all that But the children of God if they want the peace of conscience they have no strength to do any thing almost they faint till they have it again 4. The godly alwayes have the seeds of it in them Lâ—ght is sown for the rightâ—ous and gladnesse for the upright in heart Mark it is sown in their hearts and it will spring up at one time or other to chear them and to comfort them As it is with the wicked they may seem now and then to have true peace but they have the seeds of horrour alwayes in them which will sprout forth at last and then they shall find the worm of an evil conscience again so on the contrarie side the godly may seem now and then to have no peace but yet they have alwayes the seeds of true peace in them which will in time shew themselves and solace their souls for ever 5. They never want peace as the wicked do want it The wicked want it and have no possibility of having it they go in such paths as wherein they shall never know peace such paths as will never lead them unto it still their conscience is able to say they are not right they are carnall and not spirituall they know no true peace of conscience neither can they But the children of God walk in such wayes as will bring them to true peace of conscience ere they have done By this ye see what a good and quiet conscience is It cannot be but that all must like it and wish O that we had it Beloved let us labour to get it and the assurance of it No blessing under heaven is like it It is a heaven upon earth Happie are they who can shew they have it and miserable are they who have it not Dulce nomen pacis Sweet and pleasant is the very name of peace especially of the peace of a good conscience If ye have it no misery can make you miserable and if ye have it not no happinesse can make you happie It is Christs legacy which he bequeathed to his Church Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you It is glorious and honourable Beest thou never so mean in the world thou art glorious if thou hast this peace beest thou never so despised and disgraced among
certainly hell cannot be worse Hell is infinitely worse but he may not think so Thus Judas was desirous to die when he went and hanged himself Thus many in despair do make away themselves I confesse some in despair may be fearfull to die as Cain was fearfull to die it was fear of death made him speak thus unto God It shall come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Gen. 4.14 The reason was because though he were in despair yet he was not so sensible of his horrour as Judas was for Cain could go and build for all this and train up his children in musick and the like for all this but Judas was in a case more sensible of his misery 2. Dolour of pain may make a wicked man desire to die Thus it was with Saul Saul had received his deaths wound and was in most grievous pain he could not die presently neither could he live but lying in very great pain between both desired the Amalekite to stand upon him and slay him 2. Sam. 10.9 though Osiander think the Amalekite lyed unto David to curry favour with him but Josephus and others think he spake the truth Sure it is that many wicked wretches having no peace of conscience to sweeten and allay their torments have been desirous to die nay some have hastened their own death 3. Malecontentednesse shame and disappointment of their aims may also make wicked men desirous to die and if death come not soon enough of it self to dispatch away themselves with cruel self-murder Thus it was with Achitophel when he saw his counsel was not followed he haltered himself He had no peace of conscience to comfort him against all his dumps and discontents and therefore he was desirous to die 4. Wicked men being vexed at something for the present may seem to be desirous to die and yet if death should come indeed they would be of another mind and be content death should be further off Nay Jonas that strange man of a good man O for a fit he would be dying yea that he would Lord take my life from me for it is better for me to die then to live I suppose if God had taken him at his word he could have wished his words had been in again But thus it is often in the mouthes of wicked people I would I were dead and I would I were out of the world not for any peace of conscience they have nor for any desire of death but onely for a momentany pang If they were to die indeed they would be loth enough to it Like the man in the Fable who being wearied with his burden of sticks lay down and called for Death but when Death came indeed to take him and said What shall I do man thou calledst me I pray thee said he help me up with my burden of sticks When he was to die indeed then he would rather have his own wearisome burden It is but a fable but this is the fashion of many 5. When wicked men are desirous to die indeed sometimes not out of discontent or any such like reason yet it cannot be out of any true peace of conscience They may go away like lambs as we say but it is in a fools paradise It may be whilest they lived they thought to go to heaven but when they dy then all their thoughts perish as the Psalmist speaketh in another case To return therefore where we left O beloved is there any of you that want the peace of a good conscience and do ye know what you want what a great benefit and blessing That ye may see this and fully know it and by knowing it earnestly desire it consider First that it is the very head of all comforts A worthy Divine calleth it Abrahams bosome to the soul Ye know what a blessing it was unto Lazarus to be taken from his fores into Abrahams bosome The peace of a good conscience is like this bosome of Abraham Who would not gladly lie in it Such a man who hath it can never look upon another mans comfort but a good conscience will say Yea and I have my comfort too When Paul was commending of Timothie see how his own conscience spake of himself at the same time He worketh the work of the Lord as I also do Mark his conscience would be putting in comfort for himself Doth Timothie work the Lords work yea and so do I too saith his conscience It is Musculus his observation upon the place Secondly A quiet conscience maketh a man to tast the sweetnesse of things heavenly and spirituall It maketh the word to be to him as to David Sweeter then hony yea then the hony-combe I have not departed from thy judgements O Lord saith he thus saith his conscience now what followeth next How sweet are thy words unto my tast yea sweeter then hony unto my mouth A good conscience maketh a man tast sweetnesse in prayer when his conscience telleth him he prayeth aright It maketh him tast sweetnesse in a Sabbath when his conscience telleth him he sanctifieth it aright so also in the sacrament when his conscience can witnesse he receiveth aright What is the reason so few of you tast sweetnesse in these things The reason is this Because ye have not the peace of a good conscience It would find sweetnesse in every good dutie in every good word and work Thirdly A good quiet conscience maketh a man tast sweetnesse in all outward things in meat in drink in sleep in the company of friends it putteth a Better upon a very morsel Prov. 17.1 Brown bread and a good conscience there is a Better upon it then upon all the costly fare of the wealthie without it Bernard calleth a good conscience a soft pillow Another calleth it a dear bosome friend Solomon calleth it a continuall feast It maketh a man tast sweetnesse in every outward thing The healthy man onely can take pleasure in recreations walks meats sports and the like they yield no comfort to those that are bedrid or sick or half-dead But when the conscience is at peace the soul is all in good health and so all things are enjoyed with sweetnesse and comfort Fourthly It sweetneth evils to a man as troubles crosses sorrows afflictions If a man have true peace in his conscience it comforteth him in them all When things abroad do disquiet us how comfortable is it to have something at home to chear us so when troubles and afflictions without turmoil and vex us and adde sorrow to sorrow then to have peace within the peace of conscience to allay all and quiet all what a happinesse is this When sicknesse and death cometh what will a good conscience be worth then Sure more then all the world besides If one had all the world he would then give it for a peaceable conscience Nay what think ye of judgement and the tribunal of Christ Do but think what a good
conscience will be worth then When Paul was accused and hardly thought of by some of the Corinthians this was his comfort I know nothing by my self saith his conscience I count it a very sâ—all thing to be judged of you Nay he goeth further His conscience telleth him he hath the Lord Jesus who justifieth him to judge him he hath a sweeter Judge then his own conscience even his Saviour to judge him O there is no created comfort in the world like the comfort of a peaceable conscience The heathen Menaâ—der could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscience is a little pettie god We may not give it such a big title but this is most certain The conscience is Gods echo of peace to the soul in life in death in judgement it is unspeakable comfort Is there any then that want this Let them above all things labour to get it It is more worth then all things else Whatever we neglect let us not neglect this It is safer to neglect bodie health means maintenance friends and all that ever we have in the world then to neglect this The more we have the worse it is for us if we have not this Had we all this worlds good it is like a stone in a serpents head or a toads head or a pearl in an oyster not our perfection but our disease Again you who have a peaceable conscience 1. Labour to maintain it Be often in communion with God be not strangers to him the light of whose countenance is the peace of your souls It is the walking with God that breedeth true peace and preserveth it It is said of Levi that he walked with God in peace O let us stirre up our selves to walk close with God that so we may have peace No sweet peace but in so doing 2. We must take heed we do not trouble nor disquiet it that we do not resist it or offer violence unto it by committing sinne against the peace of it but endeavour to maintain the peace of it by obeying the voyce of it Get the fear of God which is wisdome and to depart from evil which is true understanding All her paths are peace Prov. 3 17. We cannot walk in any one path of true wisdome but we shall find in it peace There is peace in humilitie and peace in charity and peace in godlinesse and peace in obedience c. Break any of these things and ye break the peace Ye heare what an admirable thing the peace of conscience is O then if ye have it make much of it nay if ye have it ye will for certain make much of it The very having of it will teach you the worth of it and learn you to prize it and make you above all things unwilling to leave it And thus much of the first viz. a quiet conscience An unquiet conscience I Have already handled a quiet conscience I come now to speak of a troubled and unquiet conscience Concerning which I shall shew you three things 1. What it is 2. The degrees of it 3. The difference of the trouble that may be in a good and that may be in a bad conscience I. What a troubled conscience is It is a conscience accusing for sinne and affrighting with apprehensions of Gods wrath And here I would have you consider two things 1. What are the causes of it 2. Wherein it consisteth First The causes of it are these five 1. The guilt of sinne When a man hath done evil and his conscience doth know it then doth the conscience crie guiltie when he knoweth it saith the text then he shall be guilty This is it which woundeth and pierceth conscience this is the sad voyce of conscience Like Judas I have sinned in betraying the innocent bloud Like Cain My sinne is greater then can be forgiven So the brethren of Joseph We are guilty say they concerning our brother It is like the head of an arrow sticking in the flesh or like a dreadfull object continually presenting it self before our eyes My sinne is ever before me saith David When we have transgressed Gods law and our conscience can cry guiltie when the guilt of sinne lieth upon conscience this is one cause of the trouble of it 2. Another cause is the apprehension of Gods wrath for sinne When knowing that we have sinned and offended God we apprehend his wrath in our minds and behold the revenging eye of his justice against us This is a very grievous thing so terrible that no man or angel is able to abide it As we see the kings and potentates the mighty men of the earth call for the mountains to fall upon them and the hills to cover them from the wrath of God Rev. 6.15 16. When we have incurred Gods displeasure and our consciences see it when his anger resteth upon us and our consciences feel it this is another cause of the trouble of conscience 3. A third cause of the trouble of conscience is the fear of death and of hell When we know we have offended Gods law and we know also what our sinnes do deserve namely death and judgement aad damnation for ever this doth most trouble and disquiet conscience when it fastneth on the apprehension of it The Apostle calleth it a fearfull looking for of judgement When conscience looketh for nothing else but for hell and damnation this must needs trouble conscience 4. Another cause is privative want of supportance when God doth withhold from conscience the help of his Spirit Ye know the Spirit can inable conscience to undergo all its troubles the Spirit can prompt it with mercies and the promises of God and hold it up but when the Lord bereaveth the conscience of this help and doth not at all support it this must needs also trouble conscience 5. When God doth fasten on the conscience such thoughts as may affright and terrifie it as thus God doth not love me Christ will not own me I have sinned I am a reprobate past hope c. When such thoughts as these fasten on the conscience it cannot choose then but be troubled Thus I have shewed you what are the causes of the trouble of conscience Secondly This trouble of conscience consisteth in two things First in want of comfort It cannot apply to it self neither the promises of this life nor of that which is to come Conscience crieth This belongeth not to me This mercy this comfort is not my portion Secondly In a terrour and anguish of mind from these three heads 1. From the guilt of sinne 2. From the apprehension of Gods wrath 3. From fear of death and of judgement This is the three-stringed whip wherewith conscience is lashed These ye shall find upon the conscience of Adam and Eve when they had sinned against God Their conscience was whipped 1. With the guilt of sinne they saw they were naked Gen. 3.7 2. With the apprehension of Gods wrath they hid themselves from the
presence of God vers 8. 3. With the fear of some vengeance which they began to look for I was afraid saith Adam verse 10. This three-stringed whip ye may see also was upon the conscience of Cain after he had slain his brother His conscience was whipt 1. With the guilt of sinne My sinne is greater then can be forgiven 2. With the apprehension of Gods wrath From thy face O Lord am I hid 3. With the expectation of death and of judgement It shall come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Thus I have shewed you what a troubled conscience is The degrees of a troubled conscience II. THe next thing I promised to shew is the degrees of a troubled conscience A troubled conscience hath divers degrees For some consciences are more troubled then other some 1. The first degree is such a degree as may be in Gods children and this ariseth not so much from the apprehension of Gods wrath as from the guilt of sinne Their consciences grieve and are troubled to think that they have sinned and offended the Lord God Thus we see David could not be at quiet Although Nathan had told him from God that his sinne was forgiven yet his conscience still troubled him Against thee onely have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight saith he I grant the consciences of Gods children are troubled at the apprehension of Gods anger but then it is his fatherly anger not the anger of an enemy Though for a fit they may seem to apprehend thâ—â— too yet mostly it is for that they have provoked their loving Father to anger against them A father may be angry with his child out of love and so the Lord may be with his dear children The Lord was angry with me too saith Moses Deut. 1.37 O let not my Lord be angry saith Abraham the father of the faithfull O God of hosts how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth saith the Psalmist Sometimes the Lord is angry with the prayers of his people but it is in love because he would have them pray better and obey better and look to their standing better Now the consciences of Gods people are very much troubled when the Lord is thus angry with them 2. The second degree of trouble of conscience is such as is in the wicked and yet not altogether without hope The conscience is troubled but yet so as it conceiveth hope God is mercifull and Christ died for poore sinners c. Thus many a wicked man is troubled and affrighted in conscience nor for sinne but for the wrath of God against it yet he conceiveth for the present that the sinne is pardonable and may be forgiven Christ may forgive God may pardon It is indeed but a poore ground of hope and comfort upon possibilities but yet this lightneth the trouble in the mean time and it may be within a while shaketh it quite off Like the wicked Jews Isa 57.10 who were worried and wearied most grievously yet they said not There is no hope There may be much horrour and disquiet in these consciences for a time but therâ— is a higher degree yet a worse troubled conscience 〈◊〉 this 3. The third degree of a troubled conscience is when it is for the present altogether hopelesse such a conscience as is swallowed up in despair when men thinking of their manifold sinnes of the direfull wrath of God of the dreadfull torments of hell for ever their consciences make them despair of all hope or possibilitie of avoiding this bringing such thoughts as these What a deal of time have I spent in sinne wherein I might have made my peace with God and have prevented all this What a great and omnipotent God have I offended What an infinite Judge have I provoked who is able to revenge himself on me and who will be my foe to eternitie conscience also bringing in thoughts of the torments and unsufferable pains to be endured in hell and such swallow up in despair without all hope for the present or the future Like the wicked man which Eliphaz speaketh of He believeth not that he shall return out of darknesse Job 15.22 So these have no hope of escaping expect to perish as Spira O saith he I envy Cain and Judas I would I were in their cases They are damned but I shall be worse for evermore Now though to these all hopes be gone for the present yet some of these troubled consciences scramble up again with vain hopes and some do not Cain got up again it should seem but Judas did not Those that never get up again either 1. they live in intolerable horrour and vexation of spirit as if they had a devil in them to put them to anguish and often being weary of their lives do make away themselves and so leap quick into hell or else 2. they runne desperately into all abominable courses Their consciences telling them there is nothing to be expected but damnation they give themselves desperately to commit sinne with greedinesse saying with them in Jeremie There is no hope therefore we will walk after our own devises Jer. 18.12 Or else 3. they grow senselesse of it They see they are wrong but they are not sensible of it It may be they pray and reade and heare but their consciences secretly whisper All is to no purpose Conscience eateth and eateth like a worm and they pine away in their iniquities as the prophet speaketh A kind of sorrow they have but they cannot mourn a kind of sad dolour but they cannot weep Ye shall not mone nor weep but pine away in your sinnes saith the text I confesse there be more presumers in the world who promise themselves that all shall be well with them but yet there be despairers too and very many whose consciences are troubled with secret despair though it may be not apparently to others Now the causes of these despairing consciences are these 1. The greatnesse of sinne when the heart thinketh secretly thus Certainly the Lord cannot find in his heart to forgive me As it was with Cain When he had lived in earthly-mindednesse and then in formality and then in discontent and in hatred and then in hardnesse of heart the Lord rebuked him and yet his heart was so hard that still he went on in evil then he murdered his brother and lastly he despaireth My sinnes are greater saith his conscience then can be forgiven He thought God could not find in his heart to forgive him So when men sinne and sinne and the Lord doth rebuke them and yet they do sinne and their consciences do check them and yet they go on at last they come to have secret despairs in their heart that God now will not look towards them whereas if yet they had a mind to stoop to Jesus Christ they might be forgiven 2. A second cause of despairing is multitude of temptations Indeed the godly
1. For the first That every mans conscience may inform him what estate he is in whether good or bad I speak especially of such as live under the light of the Gospel of Christ There are two rules the one is Gods word which pointeth out both estates and the other is every mans conscience which is privy to the frame and standing of every mans own heart and which of these estates his estate is conscience is privy to this I will instance in some sorts of men 1. The Jews who contented themselves with formality they sacrificed they offered they payed their tithes they did that which Moses commanded them for the letter of it now ye shall see their conscience could tell them that they were not perfect nor upright with God All their duties and formalities and gifts and sacrifices could not make them that did the service perfect as perteining to the conscience Heb. 9.9 Mark Their consciences could say they were not upright for all this As they were not upright so their conscience could tell them they were not upright 2. Another instance we have in the Scribes and Pharisees When they would have condemned the woman taken in adultery their own conscience was privy that they were sinners themselves John 18.9 So also it is with a child of God His conscience is able to inform him that he is a child of God and that he doth truly serve God I thank God saith Paul whom I serve with a pure conscience His conscience told him he was a true servant of God and that he was Gods whose I am saith he So Davids conscience I am thine save me for I have sought thy commandments So the church My beloved is mine and I am his Ye see then how conscience can inform and tell us what estate we are in whether we be godly or carnall whether our conversation be in heaven or on earth whether we be in Christ or out of him The spirit of man knoweth what is in him It is easie to know what our great thoughts of heart are upon what our greatest purposes and projects and studies be whether about God or the world the spirit of a man must needs know it And therefore every man may draw out from conscience a true conclusion how it is with him The reasons are these 1. The first is taken from the nature of conscience The nature of conscience is such that it must needs be able to know what is with a man Now his welldoings or his illdoings are with him he was with himself when he did them When thou art proud or impatient or carelesse in any duty thou art with thy self when thou art so All thy illdoings are with thee and therefore thy conscience must needs know what thou art Our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them Take a curser and as Solomon saith Thine own heart knoweth that thou hast used to curse others So it is with a godly soul Thine obedience is with thee and thy self-deniall is with thee and thy care to walk before God all is with thee and therefore thou must needs know it This is the nature of conscience It is privy to what is with one 2. The second reason is taken from the equity of Gods judgements on the wicked The Lord he will judge none to hell but his conscience shall confesse he was one that walked in the way to hell and death Ye may reade it in the man that had not on the wedding-garment When Christ did charge him with his not having on a wedding-garment and did condemne him to utter darknesse the text saith he was speechlesse that is his conscience confessed that Christs judgement was just I have not on a wedding-garment saith his conscience and it is my fault that I have none and I am rightly condemned Thus his conscience did know it otherwise he could not have been speechlesse in his own desense As Festus told Agrippa that he answered the Priests It is not the manner of the Romanes to deliver any man to dye before that he who is accused have his accusers face to face and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him So may I say that the great Judge of quick and dead will not judge any man to hell but he will have his accusers face to face and if he can answer for himself he may Now if conscience be not privy to what estate soever a wicked man is in his conscience could never accuse him face to face at the last day nor justifie the Lord Jesus and make the sinner stand speechlesse before God He might answer Lord I do not know any such thing as is laid to my charge I am not convinced that the case is thus and thus with me that I am in such an estate as I am accused of No wicked man shall be able to say thus Therefore conscience can inform a man in what estate he is 3. The third reason is taken from the Lords manner of judging the godly He will judge them and absolve them secundùm allegata probata as we say according to the word and their own consciences Ye may see the true form of judgement which the Lord will go by Matth. 25. Where the Lord convinceth the whole world who were righteous and who not who to be judged to punishment and who to life for ever at last he concludeth The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternall As if he had said Your consciences can say ye are wicked ye did not feed nor clothe nor visit me Go your wayes to hell So for the righteous Your consciences can say ye are righteous Go ye to heaven Thus the Lord will do Now this could not be if conscience could not inform every one that is godly that he is so If conscience could not witnesse what estate they are in this could not be Thus ye see the truth of the first thing II. The second thing that I promised to shew you is How conscience doth this Ye have heard that it is able to inform every one what estate he is in before God Now it followeth to consider How conscience doth it This it doth by comparing the word of God with our hearts and our hearts with the word As for example They who have respect to all Gods commandments shall never be ashamed saith the word But saith conscience I desire to know all my dutie to God and man and to perform all that I know and therefore I shall not be ashamed To him that soweth righteousnesse shall be a sure reward saith the word But saith conscience I plough up my nature and all the fallow-ground of my heart and I sow righteousnesse and therefore to me shall be a sure reward So To be spiritually minded is life and peace saith the word But saith conscience I am spiritually minded my mind is
heare such and such a sinne reproved condemned And this is my sinne saith conscience when ye heare these and these graces commended And I never had these saith conscience when ye heare these and these marks of a carnall estate And these or some of these are in me saith conscience do not your consciences interline in this manner As Paul was speaking to the shipmen concerning God his conscience did sweetly interline thus There stood by me this night an Angel of God whose I am saith his conscience And as he was writing to the Romanes God is my witnesse saith he whom I serve in my spirit But do not your consciences interline otherwise with you If they do I beseech you consider it Your consciences do then truly inform you of your rotten estates listen to them Secondly when conscience falleth a choking As for example in prayer a wicked man prayeth But I do not pray right saith his conscience I humbly beseech thee O Lord Nay but I do not beseech humbly saith his conscience I desire to be sanctified purged from my sins Nay but I do not hunger after any such thing saith conscience I do not confesse my sinnes right nor beg for grace right Do your consciences choke you thus Now your consciences inform you of your estates Peradventure ye hardly perceive this choking at all It is done in a moment and it presently ceaseth because ye are not willing to heare it and therefore it may be conscience doth it by sudden flashes It is said the Lord spake suddenly to Moses so often conscience speaketh suddenly to men a word and away As David saith of the wicked God shall shoot an arrow at them and they shall be wounded on a sudden So conscience shooteth a quick arrow and it woundeth men in the twinkling of an eye and it is gone Lord have mercy upon us said one But I should not say so vainly and in ordinary talk saith conscience I do not hate this man for his holinesse and strictnesse But you do saith conscience And so when men are defending evil by arguments But this is false saith conscience Thus conscience choketh on a sudden and is gone I confesse generally the men of the world mark not these things They are such sudden sparklings of conscience that men for the most part do not heed them But these are Gods witnesses and men shall know one day they were truly informed of their estates by these instantaneous Items of conscience Thirdly when conscience shooteth like a stitch in a mans side As for example Sometimes when men are about their callinâ—s and their wordly businesse then cometh conscience like a sudden stitch in ones side and giveth them a twitch O how worldly am I saith conscience Shall I never get this worldly-mindednes cured Many times conscience speaketh while men are working or playing or eating or buying or selling Fourthly so likewise when conscience commenteth upon the judgements of God Let an adulterer fall sick Yea this is for mine adulterie saith his conscience Let a company-keeper be in want of outward things Yea this is my drunkennesse saith conscience This is my wickednesse my way my doings which have procured me these things this ague this poverty this shame this discomfort Thus I have shewed you how conscience doth inform the wicked of their wretched estate and when it doth it It remaineth now that I speak something of the fourth point IV. How cometh it to passe then that so many thousands mistake and are ignorant and deluded about their estates The reason of this doubt is this Seeing conscience is able to inform every one what his estate is whether it be blessed or cursed and seeing also that conscience doth it and doth it by argument and hath its time when it doth it a man now would wonder that any should be ignorant of his estate when his own conscience doth tell him how it is with him For answer I will explain unto you two things 1. The reasons why men are mistaken 2. The reasons why they are mistaken though conscience inform them First They build upon false grounds which are not in Gods word Some are so foolish that they build upon outward things as health peace prosperitie successe and the like They prosper and all things go well with them and therefore sure God is at peace with them This is not so but they think so though Some again build upon grounds which men of corrupt minds do give them or which they take from the common opinion of most thinking that to be faith and repentance which the most take so to be or which a teacher fit for their palate taketh so to be On the contrarie side weak Christians oftentimes mistake themselves by judging their estates to be bad because God letteth them be poore and mean comfortlesse in the world Therefore they conclude God is angrie with them or that they are not that which they seem to themselves to be because they are so crossed in all outward things This is the first reason of errour in this kind 2. A second reason is the not-right understanding of Gods word As when men judge of themselves by such places of Scripture as were not inteÌ„ded to be rules to be of use to such ends as they apply them as Whosoever calleth upon the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10.13 Hence the wicked may falsely conclude I call upon the Lord and I pray unto him therefore I shall be saved And so on the contrarie a weak Christian who findeth not in himself those degrees of grace which some places of Scripture seem to require concludeth from thence against himself Therefore I have no grace at all This is a second cause of mistaking 3. A third cause is the not trying and examining our own hearts Some are loth to trouble themselves about it They are loth to think so bad of themselves as that they are in such a course as wherein God will not love them Nay they cannot endure that others should discover their hearts unto them They had as lieve they should shew them the pit of hell as shew them themselves They look to some common gifts and graces that are in them such gifts and graces may be in a reprobate but they will not think so as illumination knowledge the gift of prayer of temperance c. These they look to and these they speak of though they have reigning lusts within in their hearts As Jehu Come see my zeal saith he 2. Kings 10.16 He doth not say Come see my pride and hypocrisie but my zeal Jehu looked at his zeal and so thought he was right So on the contrarie weak Christians may sometimes look onely at their sinnes and infirmities and take no notice of Gods graces that are in them so may mistake their own selves conclude amisse of their estates Thus I have shewed you the reasons why men are mistaken about their
estates Now I will shew you the reasons why men are mistaken though conscience do tell them 1. Because the speeches of conscience in the wicked many times yea most times are low speeches The gnawings of conscience whereby they are told they are in a bad and a damned estate are like the gnawings of a very little worm that a man can hardly feel Where their worm dieth not The word in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a very little worm that breedeth in scarlet that a man can very hardly see or perceive so men sometimes do hardly see or perceive the condemning and gnawing of conscience Again conscience biteth suddenly as I told you it giveth a little nip and away Like a sparrow that flieth by it flieth so fast by a mans eye that he can scarce tell whether it be a sparrow or no So it is not easily perceived whether it be a condemning conscience or no it giveth such sudden nips and away that men seldome take notice Beloved there is never a wicked man under heaven unlesse he be delivered up absolutely to a reprobate sense but hath a thousand of these sudden momentany nips every day in the yeare Had he the heart to observe them but be hath not he might see his wretched estate to trouble him and provoke him to Christ and to be converted that God might heal him I say had he a heart he might see it but these nips are so secret and sudden that he doth not So likewise it is with the godly in regard of true comfort Their conscience suddenly flasheth in comfort and they many times do not observe it As Job speaketh of God Lo he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also and I perceive him not So doth the Lord go by his children in the sudden flashes of comfort in their conscience but many times they see him not perceive him not 2. Because the devil blindeth mens eyes therefore they do not see what their consciences do shew them Ye may reade this of the wicked people in Corinth S t Paul saith he commended himself and the Gospel to every mans conscience in the sight of God that is He did so preach and so live that every mans conscience could not choose but say Certainly Paul preacheth the truth and Paul liveth right and we must live as he speaketh and doeth He made their consciences say thus and to tell them they were not right if they did not But mark what followeth Some did not see this Why The god of this world saith he hath blinded their eyes So the god of this world blindeth the eyes of the wicked that what their consciences shew them they do not see it nor observe it So for Gods people Though they be in a good and a blessed estate and their consciences can say it yet Satan oftentimes hindereth them that they do not perceive their own comfort 3. Men do not love conscience We should love conscience better then the dearest friend we have under heaven We would do much for a friends sake but we should do a thousand times more for conscience sake Obey Magistrates for conscience sake suffer disgrace reproches any thing for conscience sake It is better then all the friends in the world But the wicked they do not love conscience let conscience speak they care not to heare it They will heare friends but they will not heare conscience Let their lusts call and their profits and pleasures call for this and that thing they heare all but they love not to heare conscience Nay many wicked men are angry to heare talk of it When Paul had made mention of conscience Ananias commanded he should be smitten Men and brethren saith Paul I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day Smite him on the mouth saith the high Priest Ananias He was angry to heare him talk of a good conscience This is most certain men do not love conscience nor to be curbed by conscience nor informed by conscience They had as lieve see the devil as that their consciences should inform them of their estates and tell them thus and thus they are They are told rightly and yet they are mistaken because they do not love to heare conscience of that theme Of a good and bad conscience YE have heard concerning the witnesse-bearing of conscience about our estates The next thing to be spoken of is that welknown distinction of a Good and a Bad conscience This distinction we reade of in Scripture Concerning a good conscience see Heb. 13.18 We trust we have a good conscience Concerning a bad conscience see Heb. 10.22 Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience There be both the members of the distinction Of them both briefly and in order and first of a good conscience The goodnesse of conscience is twofold naturall and renewed 1. The naturall goodnesse of conscience consisteth in those reliques of goodnesse which it reteineth since the creation Ye know man depraved and corrupted his conscience by his fall yet there be some reliques left as reason and knowledge and reflexion I do not mean reliques of any spirituall goodnesse in conscience For as there is no spirituall goodnesse left in the other faculties of the soul so neither in conscience But the naturall goodnesse which I mean is nothing else but the veracity of conscience whereby it is inforced according to the knowledge it hath to tell the truth Thus every wicked man hath a good conscience Their conscience is good in that sense their conscience hath this naturall goodnesse that it telleth them the truth how it is with them Nay it is essentiall to conscience to be good in this sense It is the essentiall property of conscience to speak according to its knowledge It is the best faculty a wicked man hath it is better then his mind or heart or will There is more goodnesse in a wicked mans conscience then in any other of the powers of his soul His conscience speaketh more for God then himself doth and standeth more for God then himself will Not but that as all the powers of the soul are desperately corrupted by sinne so conscience is desperately corrupted as well as any of them but I speak of the essentiall goodnesse of it which can never be lost The devils in hell have not lost the goodnesse of their essence Nay their essence is better then the essence of Gods Saints their essence must be good because that is Gods creature nay better then any mans essence because the Lord made them a degree above man And as man is a degree above beasts so angels are a degree above man so conscience is a degree above other powers of the soul in its naturall goodnesse That conscience hath such a naturall goodnesse in it see it in those cursed Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites who brought the woman taken in adultery to Christ Their conscience was good
morall law is still sinne therefore still it bindeth the conscience Do ye not remember what St James saith now under the Gospel he presseth it yet on mens consciences He that said Do not commit adultery said also Do not kill Now though thou commit no adultery yet if thou kill thou art become a transgressour of the law And though ye may call it a law of liberty in what sense ye please yet he telleth you Ye had best look to your words and deeds for ye must be judged by this law of liberty So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty Thirdly That which being observed doth cause the conscience of the regenerate to excuse and being transgressed to accuse that bindeth their conscience For what else do you make binding of conscience but this But the law of God being observed doth cause the conscience to excuse being transgressed to accuse In many things we sinne all saith the Apostle Mark Our consciences do accuse us as we do sinne in many things so our consciences do accuse us when we do so I am a sinfull man saith S t Peter Luke 5.8 His conscience did accuse him of sinne Fourthly That which is the condition of Gods covenant of grace bindeth the conscience yea of the regenerate but sincere obedience to Gods law is a condition of Gods covenant of grace See Luke 1.72 To remember his holy covenant and the oath that he sware that he would give us That being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Mark Sincere and universall obedience is a condition of the covenant of grace not onely for a manifestation to our selves that we are truly justified as these upstart patritians do hold but it is the condition of the covenant of grace Every covenant hath its conditions annexed and therefore it is called the book of the covenant Exod. 24.7 the words of the covenant Exod. 34.28 the tables of the covenant Deut. 9.11 The reason is this Because when a covenant is made the conditions are put into a book or a table and expressed in words Onely here is the difference between the first covenant of works and the second covenant of grace Both have conditions but here I say is the difference In the one grace giveth the covenant and grace giveth the condition of the covenant but a condition is annexed though Now hence we may argue and none but enemies to the Gospel can denie it If the covenant of grace do bind a mans conscience then certainly the condition of the covenant bindeth a mans conscience too But the covenant of grace bindeth the conscience of the regenerate and therefore the condition of it bindeth If you ask What is this to obedience the answer is That obedience is the condition of the covenant of grace as the forenamed Scripture expresseth Luke 1.72 Thus ye see the law of God bindeth the conscience of all the regenerate This is the third Use 4. Hath the word of God supreme power to bind conscience Then hence we may learn that no creature can dispense with it nor free conscience from guilt when a man transgresseth the word What a damned usurpation is it in the Pope to offer to dispense The Canonists say he may dispense de praeceptis veteris novi testamenti They are their own words he may dispense with the commandments of the old and new testament He dispensed with king Henry the eighth and undertook to free his conscience from guilt though he married his own brothers wife Gregorie the second undertook to free subjects from being bound in their consciences to keep their oaths of allegeance to Leo the Emperour O these are damned aspirings and they plainly declare him to be Antichrist who exalteth himself in this manner The word of God is the supreme binder of conscience And therefore not all the Angels in heaven can dispense with one idle word For ever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven Gods word is settled for ever in heaven and therefore ye may assoon remove the heaven from its place as one tittle of the word from binding conscience Doth the word say thus or thus thou hadst best do it If thou wilt not all the whole world cannot help thee thy conscience will condemne thee at the day of judgement without remedie Hath the word convinced thee of thy sinnes and made thy conscience say I am a sinner and am guiltie before God I tell thee then Thy conscience is bound and all the world cannot loose it But hast thou been humbled and emptied of thy self and doth the word pronounce pardon of thy sinnes in Christs name that thy conscience can say The Lord speaketh peace to my soul I tell thee Thou art loosed and nor hell nor devil nor sinne nor flesh nor any thing can bind thee Ye may see the power of Gods word in that speech of our Saviour Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven Matth. 18.18 That is My word which ye preach is of that nature that if that loose your conscience it is loosed indeed and nothing can bind it if that do bind it it is bound soundly indeed and nothing can loose it O this is a terrour to the wicked Doth the word of God say He that hardneth his neck being often rebuked shall suddenly be destroyed and cannot be cured O fear and tremble ye that harden your necks against the reproofs of the Almightie his word bindeth over your consciences to Christs barre Doth the word say Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge If thou beest such an one thy conscience is bound with this word and it will apply it to the soul before the tribunal-seat of Christ Doth the word crie out against any of thy courses thy conscience is bound as with chains and it is not all thy vain hopes and excuses can loose thee Again this is comfort to the godly Gods word is the supreme binder of conscience O ye blessed of the Lord the word of God tieth such a fast knot to your comforts that all hell cannot open it with their teeth The word of the Lord Jesus is with you who hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth Yea but sayest thou My sinnes are against me What then mark what the word saith We have an Advocate with the Father Thy conscience is bound to believe that Yea but I have a very naughtie heart and I cannot tell what to do with it Mark what the word saith Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved This bindeth thy conscience But I offend dayly Mark still what the word saith Christ bringeth in everlasting righteousnesse If thou beest unworthy to day there is righteousnesse for thee to day if unworthy worthy to morrow there is righteousnesse
that the authoritie of Magistrates is secondarie and secondarie obedience is to be given unto them The Papists speak blasphemie in saying their Pope can make laws under pain of damnation to be kept Our Saviour Christ maketh this a propertie onely of God Fear not him that can kill the bodie and there is all that he can do but fear him who can cast both bodie and soul into hell I say unto you Fear him Luke 12.4 As if he had said Men can reach no further then the bodie and their punishments can go no further then the death of the bodie 2. This teacheth us what to do if men should command any thing which is unlawfull for us to perform Suppose there should be any such humane commands as are repugnant to Gods In this case ye see we must obey God rather then men nay suffer losse of goods losse of libertie yea losse of life rather then obey the commandments of men in case they be contrarie to the commandments of God Ye may reade a lamentable example in Ephraim They were utterly destroyed for obeying their King rather then their God The King commanded to worship the calves and to go unto Bethel and not to Jerusalem to worship they yielded to his commandment and did so O thought they We shall displease the King if we do not For this sinne of theirs they were broken in judgement Hos 5.11 Ephraim is destroyed and broken in judgement because he willingly walked after the commandment Beloved Gods commandment is sovereigne and the supreme binder of conscience Whatever commandment is repugnant to Gods word wo to us if we do it nay though it be to save our goods or our lives It is true we must give to Cesar the things that are Cesars but so as withall we must be sure to give to God the things that are Gods 3. This comforteth Gods people against the calumnies and slanders of wicked and ungodly men that upbraid them for their obedience to God O say they Ye are irregular and despisers of authoritie I say this is comfort to the godly that God is able to bear them out in obeying him rather then men Gods word is the supreme binder of conscience and therefore whatever men think of such they are absolutely bound to obey God If men command us against the word of God we know their authoritie is the ordinance of God and therefore if they go beyond that they do not bind us in conscience If God had not bound us in conscience to him others might have taken it ill if we should not obey them but now what cause have others to think ill of us What folly were it in us to seek to please men and to displease God If we were at libertie then we might choose whom we would obey but now we are bound unto God and must be obedient unto God whatever men command to the contrarie let us do it therefore with chearfulnesse By this we shew our submission to God by this we satisfie conscience which being bound unto God doth continually urge us to obey him Why should we omit part of the exactnesse of our obedience which the word of God doth require We have more to do then ever we shall be able to perform we should therefore be carefull to do all that we may By our obedience to God in this kind we convince the conscience of others of our uprightnesse towards God Though through the overruling dominion of their lusts and passions they rage at us and their mouthes speak evil of us yet we may have an evidence in their consciences within which may testifie for us their consciences will whisper within them Surely they do well to please God rather then men their consciences will be on our side though their actions and tongues be against us We have a notable example of this Acts 4.15 16. When the rulers of the Jews had threatned the Apostles and had reviled them with many bitter words and had bidden them go aside for a while then they concluded among themselves Surely an evident signe is done by them and we cannot deny it So that their consciences acquitted them for good men So when the wicked of this world have spoken evil of the wayes of the righteous and blasphemed the holy name after which they are named yet when they are alone and their consciences at counsel within themselves then they conclude Indeed they do well Thus their consciences give a good evidence of us and accuse them for not doing the like And thus much shall suffice to be spoken of other mens binding of conscience II. We may bind our own consciences II. We our selves may bind our own consciences And that is by those vows and promises which we make to God of any thing lawfull and in our power Those vows and promises which we make unto God according to the warrant of his word they do bind our conscience They are our own before we have made them as Ananias and Sapphira their gift was their own before they vowed it to the church While it remained was it not thine own and when it was sold was it not in thine own power Acts 5.4 We need not vow unlesse we will but after we have vowed our vows are Gods bonds and do bind the conscience to the performance of them Nay we lie unto God as the text saith they did if we do not stand to the performance of them But it may be demanded What vows are they which are unlawfull and do not bind conscience I answer 1. Such as we make of things impossible and beyond our power These are unlawfull and do not bind conscience 2. Such as we make of things unlawfull when we vow to do that which is contrarie to Gods law such as Davids was when he vowed the destruction of Nabals familie This doth not bind conscience nay we are bound in conscience to break it 3. Such as though they be of things lawfull and possible yet we want freedome in the performance of them as for a wife or a servant or a child to make a vow when their relation to such as are over them will not suffer them to perform it This bindeth not conscience Nothing bindeth conscience but that which hath Gods seal upon it but this hath not Gods seal on it and therefore it doth not bind conscience indeed it bindeth us in conscience to repent of it 4. Such as though they be lawfull and profitable and in our own freedome yet if there fall a greater consequence before the time of performance we are not bound in conscience to perform them as if a man upon the receit of some mercie should in testimonie of his thankfulnesse vow a hundred pounds to good uses in the mean time his estate so decayeth as that he shall undo himself and his familie if he perform it this is so great a consequence and contingently hapned that it freeth his conscience from performing