follow the example of all sufferings Jesus Christ who being 1 Pet. 2. 21 22 23. reviled reviled not again when he suffered be threatened not but committed his cause to him who judgeth righteously yet had he done no evil neither was any guile found in his mouth 6. Lastly be sure thou commit thy self to God when thou art suffering according to the will of God in well doing so is the Apostles rule 1 Pet. 4. 19. Suffering times had not need bee sinning times he will never make good Martyr that is not a good Saint first The Israelites were warned not to go Ex. 2. 22. out of their doors but to be within at their Sacrifice when the Destroyer was abroad Daniel was within at his Prayers when the Inquisitors came to apprehend him Many cautions are to be kept in suffering times and many ingredients must be in our sufferings that they may be comfortable sufferings 1. It is not poena but causa was said of old Cum boni malique pariter afflicti sunt non ideo ipsi distincti non sunt quia distinctum non est quod utrique perpessi sunt manet enim dissimilitudo passorum etiam in similitudine passionum licet sub eodem tormento non est idem virtus vitium Aug. de Civit. Dei l. 1. c. 8. that is true but not enough 2. I may say it is not poena and causa too that makes a Martyr but conscientia 3. Nor is it every conscientia but conscientia Dei 4. Nor is it poena causa conscientia but vita that makes the Martyr 5. But poena causa conscientia vita patientia aut modus patiendi makes the compleat Martyr A good cause a good conscience a good life a good death a good matter to suffer for a good manner to suffer in make the happie sufferer and the honourable Martyr Thus much of the Passive or suffering Conscience CHAP. XIIII Of the last Good Conscience the Conscience of Charitie THus are we come to speak of the last of Of the conscience of charity those ten particular good Consciences which we propounded at first that is the Conscience of Charity which I have reserved this last place for not because it is of the last or least worth but because the world hath put it in the last place if so be yet it hath left it any place at all This is that which the Apostle speaks of 1 Tim. 1. 5. As the end and perfection of the Law and Gospel too Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and faith unfaigned Whereever you see truth of Charity question not there the truth of Conscience The more of Charity the more of Conscience And the now totall want almost of this in the world argues the generall want of good Conscience in this Iron Age of the world These are the daies foretold by our Saviour wherein all iniquity doth abound Mat. 24. 12 and vice increase because Conscience doth decrease and Charity wax cold The world was never more full of knowledg nor emptie of Charitie 1 Cor. 8. 1. All have that knowledg which puffs up few that charity which should build up and while Conscience in most men calls for freedom Charity is by all left bound But it is by this badge of Charity that you may know a Disciple of Christ better then by the Joh. 13. 35 Language of a Galilean Now this Charity is twofold Charity of two kinds Externall or Civill Ecclesiasticall or Spirituall and Christian And this Externall Charity is threefold respecting three sorts of persons 1 Poore 2 Neighbours 3 Enemies 1. To the poore is to be shewed the love or Outward or civil and that first to the poor charity of beneficence To the neighbour and friend a love of benevolence and to the enemie a love of forgiveness Tranquilla Conscientia est omnibus dulcis nulli gravis utens amico ad gratiam inimico ad patientiam cunctis ad benevolentiam quibus potest ad beneficentiam Bernard de Consc 1. To the poore is to be shewed the charity of beneficence and well-doing This kinde of charity is the worlds grand Benefactor the poores great Almoner the widows Treasurer the Orphans Guardian the oppressed mans Patron This lendeth eyes to the blinde feet to the lame deals out bread to the hungry clothing to the naked maketh the widows heart sing for joy and brings upon the Donour the blessing of him who was ready to perish How did Zacheus shew the truth of the work of grace upon his Conscience but by those first-fruits of his charity Behold Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor Luk. 19. 8. How did Job vindicate his conscientiousness and sincerity against all his friends detracting calumnies Job 30. 12 13 14 15 16. but by such unquestionable demonstrations of his charity I delivered the poor that cried the fatherless and him that had no helper The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I made the widows heart to sing for joy I was eyes to the blinde and feet was I to the lame I was a father to the poor c. Religious Obadiah left it to Elias to judge of his sincerity and whether he truly feared God or no 1 Kin. 18. 13. Was it not told my Lord what I did when Jezabel slew the Prophets of the Lord how I hid an hundred men of the Lords Prophets and sed them by fifty in a cave with bread and water Nehemiah that matchlesse pattern of a self-denying Magistrate had much comfort in relating what oppressions he had removed and what ease he had procured to his Country how chargeable others had been how charitable he not so much as ever requiring the Governours bread nor his ordinary allowance but had at his own charge redeemed many Captives relieved many impoverished and when he hath done concludeth to the comfort of his Conscience Nehem. 5. 19. Think upon me my God for good according to all that I have done for this people To be short it is one of the good mans Characters Psal 112. 5. That he is mercifull and giveth and of the good womans That she stretcheth out her hand to the poor and in her heart and mouth is the law of kindness Prov. 31. 20 26. Abraham and Lot so famous of old for faith and piety were persons as eminent for their charity liberality and hospitality What should I speak of the Alms of Cornelius who hath a compleat description of a godâ—y man applied to him That he was a devout man one that feared God with all his house who gave much Almes to the People and prayed to God alway These Alms of his are said to come into remembrance with God Acts 10. 2 4. Yea Every liberall soul deviseth liberall things and by liberall things shall he stand Isai 32. 8. When the Instruments of the Churle are evil he deviseth wicked devices
and love death Good Conscience is the Prov. 8. 39. charge we travell with whatever danger we may meet with in our way we must run or fight or die or fly for it rather then deliver up such a charge Good Conscience is the Ship in which we embarque and adventure all we have Credit State Libertie Life and Soul too as Noab put all into one Bottome all his Familie all the Catholike Church and the Reserve of the whole world and all was safe This Vessel or Man of war must never be yeelded up but rather we must sink and perish in the defense of it Good Conscience is our strong Fort which we must upon no terms capitulate to deliver up to the enemie but chuse rather to die upon the ground Secondly look upon Timothie as a Minister and this doth further inform us That a good Conscience is the good Ministers great Charge This charge I commit to thee Son Timothie to hold Faith and a good Conscience These are Arma Ministri The Ministers weapons The Minister must be a man of Conscience and for Conscience wholly This is the floore he must daily purge This the garden which he must dress and keep The living stone which he must hew and polish to make Temples for Christ of This the Sanctum Sanctorum into which the Gospel-Minister must daily enter Faith and good Conscience are his principall weapons he must be most expert in and exercising at both in Person and Pulpit This is to preach the whole counsell of God to preach Faith in God and Conscience in men To say that Conscience is a Dutie is too little it is the Summe of all Duties To call good Conscience a Grace is too little it is the Summe of all Graces It is Totum Dei The whole Command of God It is Totum homi is The whole Dutie of man Good Conscience is the Contents of the whole Bible and all the Scripture bound up in a small Volume Will you hear in one word the summe of all Keep Faith and a good Conscience This is the whole dutie of man The summe of the first Table is Epitomized in one word Love God with all thy heart Of the second in another word Love thy Neighbour as thy self But the summe of both Tables of the Law and all duties of the Gospel is reduced to this one word Conscience Hast thou Conscience Thou dost fulfill the first hast thou Conscience Thou wilt fulfill the second Thou O man of God look well to thy Charge thy own and thy Peoples Conscience Herein must thou daily exercise thy self as a workman who needeth not to bee ashamed to keep thy self pure and to keep thy peoples Conscience without offense to God and man warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1. 28. The Heathen Priests and Aruspices were to be skilfull in the Entrails of the beasts and by inspection into the Sacrifices they were wont to make their observations The Gospel Minister his Inspection must be into the inwards of his flock The best Christian is he who is most versed in his own Conscience and the best Minister is he who is best acquainted and hath most to do in his peoples Consciences Bernard hath an excellent saying of Conscience Vnicuique suus est Libellus Conscientia propter hunc Libellum omnes alii libri inventi sunt Every mans Conscience is his own Book and Bible and for this little Books sake all the good Books in the world yea the Bible it self were written All Divines Sermons All Divines writings treat of this Book And whatsoever Books are in the world if they no way tend to this end to inform or direct or satisfie or better Conscience it were better that the world wanted all those books How happie were it in these times if Conscience was preached more and Controversies less Whatever is the man that preacheth Conscience would be the matter preached and spoken off whatever be the Auditorie Conscience would be the Argument whatever the Occasion Conscience the Subject of the Discourse whatever be the Text Conscience would be the Doctrine handled whatever the Doctrine Conscience would be the Vse whatever the Companie Conscience would bee the Conference Else I am bold to say whatever be the Preacher or Hearer or Text or Doctrine or Reason or Vse or Conference nothing is spoken fit for the Preacher or pertinent to the Matter or Auditorie or Occasion or Text or Doctrine or Vse or Companie Conscience is the Lay-mans onely Book he can read no other It is the Ministers Concordance which he must peruse and studie most He is not a Preacher that is not well verst in this This little Book is like that little Book given to the two Prophets Ezekiel in the third of Ezek. v. 3. and St John Revel 10. 9 10. which both are commanded to eat and to receive inwardly into their bellie not into their mouth or head or hand Son of man cause thy bellie to eat and fill thy Qui legem Dei recte interpretantur referunt eam ad rectum finem seu scopum qui est charitas ex puro coâ—de conscientia bona fide non simulata at isti doctores non referunt legem ad hunc sinem sed ab istis commemoratis rebus tanquam à sâ—â—po aberrant ergo non rectè legem interpretantur sed ad vaniloquentiam deflectunt bowels with this Roll which I give thee But with this difference that to the godly and faithfull Minister it is like Ezekiels Roll as Honey for sweetness but to an unsound and man-pleaâ—ing Minister it is like John's Book Sweet in the mouth to discourse of Bitter in the bellie displeasing when it comes to practise This is the mark we should aim at saith Piscator upon that place 1 Tim. 1. 5 6. The end of the commandment is charitie out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfained which some having swerved from have turned a side unto vain jangling That is the right interpreting of the Scripture when we referre all to this end to promote Charitie and Puritie and Faith and Conscience to leave these is to miss the mark and to become Janglers not Preachers Thirdly this informes us in particular how it comes that so many daily break in Citie and Countrey making shipwrack of Credit of States and Families the matter is they were broken at home first in their Consciences then they must needs break abroad Break Conscience and thou art broken none thrive after it This makes the worst bankrupts it makes a man to be out of Credit with God and in his own heart A moth or worm in Conscience is commonly followed with a moth and worm in the estate The inheritance hastily gotten is as soon wasted From the hire of an harlot if it came to the hire of an harlot it returns Micah 1. 7.
Christs head is his glory good conscience sets the crowne on faiths head is faiths glory For though there be two great preheminences which faith hath above Conscience the same that the man hath above the woman 1. That the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man hoc est taken out of man so faith is not out of conscience but conscience out of faith 2. Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man Nor was faith created for consciences use but conscience for faiths Yet he concludes v. 11. Neverthelesse neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord So neither is faith without good conscience nor can good conscience be without faith in the Lord For the Relation is Reciprocall and the dependance and benefit mutuall ver 12. For as the woman is of the man so is the man also by the woman but all things originarily and primarily of God So also here it is as good conscience is of faith so faith is by good conscience but both of God for mutuall comfort and delight And from this couple the Church is propagated and increased to this day These two as Leah and Rachel build up the house of Israel faith bearing children to the Church on good consciences knees and good conscience bringing up those children which faith hath borne at her breasts as Ruth brought forth children for the comfort of Naomi and Naomi brought up those children for the ease of Ruth Hold Faith and you are sure of a good Conscience CHAP. VI. Of a pure Conscience THe second good conscience is the Pure The Conscience of purity Conscience The fine Linnen clean and white Rev. 19. 8. is the righteousnesse of Saints and the Lambes wifes ornament The pure cleane and undesiled conscience is the inherent and internall righteousnesse of the Saints and the Ornament of the Christian Of this good conscience the Apostle speaketh often to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 5. The pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned put together and 3. 9. Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience 2 Tim. 1. 3. I serve God from my forefathers with a pure conscience The former goodnesse of conscience by meanes of faith makes the conscience good before God the justified conscience This of purity makes it good before men the sanctified and renewed conscience that was by the blood of Christ this is by the Spirit and Grace of Christ Of this wee have spoken somewhat already chap. 2. therefore shall need to say the lesse here Blessed are these pure in heart they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. And 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope of seeing God as he is must purifie himselfe as God is pure God is a God of pure eyes and cannot Good conscience is of Hab. 1. 13. pure eyes and must not behold iniquity Great are the comforts benefits and priviledges of this pure conscience and high are the promises made to it With whom will God shew himselfe pure but to and with the pure And to the froward he will shew himselfe Psal 18. 26. Lev. 26. 23 24. as froward To them that walk contrary to him he will walke contrary to them Who is he that shall ascend the hill of the Lord Or who shall stand in his holy place He that hath the cleane Psalme 24. 3 4 5. hands and the pure heart who hath not lift up his soule unto vanity This is the man who shall receive the Blessing of the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his salvation In the pure water thy face may be seen which cannot in muddy water In a pure conscience Gods face is to be seene no where else in earth and by none in heaven but by the pure in heart This is the Mountaine of transfiguration where Mar. 9. 1 2. alone the Kingdom of God is seene coming with power This is the only Isle Patmos where Rev. 1. are the Revelations and Visions of the Sonne of man Here is Gods Booke with seven Seales unsealed This is the Sanctum Sanctorum beyond that in Solomons Temple all overlaid with pure Gold in which God doth dwell sit upon a Mercy-Seat and make known his minde giving answers whensoever consulted with and enquired after herein The pure conscience is the Heart after Gods heart who is all for purenesse he loveth Righteousnesse and hateth all uncleannesse No Sacrifice in which was any Blemish or Spot Psal 11. 7. 45. 7. was to be offered no Sacrifice with Leaven no Priests sonne might come neere to Officiate Lev. 1. 3 10 Lev. 2. 11. Lev. 21. 18. in whom was any blemish no High Priest presume to sacrifice in any legall uncleannesse on him But his standing Rule is I will be sanctified in them that draw neere to me Lev. 10 3. None were to come in to the Persian King but such as were first purified and had passed through twelve whole moneths in a course of purification Esth 2. 12. What manner of persons ought they to be then that shall come before God either to waite on the Ministery or to partake of Ordinances And what measure of Purification should we come addressed withall Now this Purification is that of Conscience especially Heb. 9. 14. and 10 22. Therefore wash thy heart O Jerusalem that thou Jâ—r â— 14. Mat. 23. 26. mayest be saved Let not vaine thoughts lodge in thee Purge the inside of the cup and platter O Pharisee that thy outside may be cleane also But in these dayes there is much of Liberty little of Purity of Conscience Shall we call them pure with the bag of deceitfull weights and with the wicked Ballances as the Prophet Micah saith Micah 6 10 11. Are there yet the Treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked and the scant measure which is abominable and shall these be counted pure There is a Generation indeed pure in their own eyes who are yet not washed from their filthinesse There is such a Generation O how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids lifted up Prov. 30. 12 13. speaking too lively of such a generation as ours is Shall we say such have any thing of conscience or grace in them who can live loosely speak scurrilously and scoffe at purity holinesse strictnesse and all piety Where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare if onely the pure in heart are blessed Take heed then of all impurity and defilement by any allowed sinne whatsoever weakneth Purity wasteth Peace Conscience is the Temple of God whosoever defileth this 1 Cor. 3. 17 Temple destroyes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is and him will God destroy The craâ—â—â—r flaw in the Bell not so much lesseneth the soundnesse as marreth the sound of the Bell. How few good Consciences are there then in these impure and licentious dayes to be found when purity and strictnesse is exploded as a badge of
a carnall legall abject and low spirit and boldnesse loosenesse frollicknesse accounted Gospell-like walking and the onely proofe of our Redemption and the best Plerophory But know the grace of God teacheth us another Lesson It Tit. 2. 12 13. teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world The righteous God loveth righteousnesse Psal 11. 7. And with the pure God the Holy One of Israel nothing is approved but purity This is his Image this his Superscription Nothing but this is Gods and to be rendered to God The Kings Coyne hath his Image within as well as his Superscription without the Ring the Christian must have his Image within or it is in vaine to subscribe our selves and to be surnamed by the Es 41. 5. name of Israel The right faith of the Gospell is purifying faith Acts 15. 9. Gospel hope is purifying hope 1 Joh. 3. 3 True love pure love 1 Pet. 1. 23. Our Religion must be pure Jam. 1. 27. Hearts pure Jam. 4. 8. Mindes pure 2 Pet. 3. 1. Wayes pure Psal 119. 1. Hands pure Psal 24. 4. Prayer pure Job 16. 7. Incense pure Malac. 1. 11. Indeed all must be pure King Soloâ—â—â— had not a Vessell in either of his houses that at Jerusalem or that of the Forrest of Lebanon but was all of pure Gold he would be served in no other 1 Kin. 10. 21. God will have no other Vessell in either of his Houses that of Jerusalem the Church Triumphant or this Countrey-house as I may call it in the Forrest of Lebanon the Church Militant but what is of pure Gold of beaten tryed and refined Gold Silver was nothing esteemed in the dayes of Solomon Civility and externall Morality is too meane for God too base to enter Heaven The Kings Coyne I said before hath his Image on it it hath first his Image on the one side and then the Kings Armes or the Kingdomes Armes on the other Such is the right Christian he hath this Image and Effigies of God Purity and Righteousnesse stamped on the one side of his conscience and the Kings Armes or the Kingdom of Heavens Armes on the other Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost The Kingdome of God saith the Apostle or if I may so call them the Effigies and Armes of the Kingdom is Righteousnesse and Peace Joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. It is observed that the floore of Solomons 1 Ki. 6. 30. Temple was overlaid with Gold both within and without that is to say both the Sanctum Sanctorum and the Atrium sacerdotum the Court of the Priests as it is called 2 Chron. 4. 9. Although the Great Court called the Atrium Populi were not so So it is the minde and will of God that not onely those holy glorified Saints that are within the Vayle of the Sanctum Sanctorum and the Church Triumphant but all those within his true Church distinguished from the world should have the same purity and holinesse although not the same measure Purity is the floore and paving of both Militant and Triumphant Church CHAP. VII Of the sincere Conscience NExt to pure conscience comes the sincere being much alike often taken promiscuously one for the other but though they may never be divided and parted may thus be distinguished Pure is opposed to what is filthy defiled uncleane profane impure Sincere Purity and integrity how they differ is opposed to false deceitfull counterfeit hypocriticall imaginary Every sincere man is really pure and endeavours so to be found but every pure-seeming person is not sincere nor doth intend so to be Sincerity is the glory of purity and of conscience and of every person grace or action It must be sincere faith if any 1 Tim. 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith unfaigned Sincere love if any 1. to Christ Eph. 6. 24. Grace to all them that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. If to men Rom. 12. 9. Let love be without dissimulation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good Hezekiah whatever he did he did in his integrity and with all his heart and so he prospered 2 Chron. 31. 21. The sincere is ever a good conscience no sooner sincere but presently good no longer good then can be called sincere Sincerity is the soundnesse health and right constitution of conscience Sincerity here is all our Gen. 6. 9. Job 1. 1. perfection Noah Job and others were called perfect in their generations onely because upright and sincere Sincerity is Earths highest perfection we cannot go higher Innocency was Paradises purity is Heavens Of this conscience Paul speaks 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. In which words foure things are very remarkable 1. What is the best temper and complexion of conscience 2. What the clearest markes and best proofes to evidence it 3. What is the worst disease and most destructive enemy to it 4. What is the fruit and benefit of it 1. The temper of the best conscience is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 godly sincerity or as the words are The sincerity of God in all our conversings with men 2. The clearest markes of this sincerity are naked and downright simplicity simplicity of God as it is called and the grace of God 3. The most common but dangerous enemy to conscience which is ever the bane and death of sincerity is fleshly wisdome in sincerity not in fleshly wisdome the more of that the lesse of this Not in fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God nothing so opposite to Gods grace as humane and carnall wisdom if the one increaseth the other ever decreaseth 4. But the fourth thing is the benefit of such a constitution and freedome from this distemper which is above all expression It maintaines the soule in a plight of rejoycing and in a state of glory as it were amidst many pressures when the outward man was ouerburdened sentenced to death and despairing of life and of all outward reliefe vers 8. Wee were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life but we had the sentence of death in our selves c. yet there as in another place 2 Cor. 6. 10. he saith As sorrowing yet alway rejoycing As dying yet behold we live Blessed be a good God and well fare a good conscience for it It makes such an alteration that like the night starres when all day light is off the Heaven Quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leigh Crit. Sacr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illae res proprie dicuntur quae suum duntaxat nativum colorem praesertim album retinent nullo alio admisto ut lilia lana candida farina sincera est quae non est fermento corrupta Zanch. then do these appeare so
his Wine to wash cleanse and search it if defiled his Oyl to mollifie supple and heal it if bruised festered This is the first and great Experiment to be used The second is like unto it namely this 2. The Spirit of Christ to get and seek the Spirit of Christ which is the next principal ingredient in or efficient of a good Conscience It is the Spirit of God with our Spirit that makes the good Conscience In this sense we may allow that of Origen That Conscience is another Spirit in the soul therefore the Apostle saith of his Conscience that it did bear him Rom. 9. 1. witnesse in the Holy Ghost The single Testimonie of natural Conscience is not much to be regarded in many cases but when Conscience is cleared by the Spirit and seconded with the Spirit the Testimony of these two is great and weighty the Spirit of God witnessing thus to our spirit is the clearest Testimony of Rom. 8. 16. of our Adoption and Salvation which thy Conscience alone is not to be credited in for what could the light of our body the eye see and discern if it were not for the light of the Heaven the Sun we should have a continuall Night So without the Spirit the light of God what can Conscience our light see and discern of the things of God Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 10 11 12. that God doth reveal unto his servants the deep mysteries of the Gospel by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him So the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we may know the things which are freely given to us of Cod c. So that wheresoever the spirit of God is there is the good Conscience where it is wanting Conscience cannot be good Where the naturall enlivening Spirit is absent or departed there is no life or vegetation or sense or reason or motion but all death darkness coldnesse c. So where the enlivening Spirit of Grace is wanting to the soul there is no life sense motion comfort but all is dead within and all the works are but dead works But where the Spirit is there is life there is light there is liberty and there is purity there is peace and there is grace there is comfort and there is Conscience there is indeed all 2 Subservient means The subservient means are thirteen whereof the first six direct us what to do the other seven what to avoid First of all those subservient means next to Christ Jesus himself and his Spirit which are the principal Faith is to be sought to 1. Faith make thee a good Conscience Thefore how often do we find faith and good Conscience joyned This next to the bloud of Christ and the purifying water of the Spirit hath the greatest cleansing virtue Act. 15. 9. Christ hath given faith for this end to purifie the heart Where faith is pure the Conscience is pure this makes the good and mends the bad Conscience Faith and good Conscience are made one for the other as the woman and the man to be fellow-helpers each to other Faith is Consciences Keeper Conscience again is Faiths These two like Jonathan and his Armour-bearer may discomfit a whole Hoste 1 Sam. 14. of Philistins when they keep together nothing is hard for them to undertake or like Saul and Jonathan lovely in life and undivided in death Faith and good Conscience do many a good office each for other and are forced to unite in a league offensive and defensive In an offensive league as Simeon and Judah Jud. 1. 3. the one must help the other to expell the Canaanites out of his Coast first and then proceed to expell them out of the others Coasts after Good Conscience helps to expel the Canaanites of fear distrust and despair out of Faiths coasts and to slay Sheshai Ahiman and Talmai these Jud. 1. 10 three sons of Anak and faith again layes to his helping hand to expel the Canaanites of fear guilt deadnesse dulnesse erroneousnesse and Scrupulousnesse out of Consciences coasts And in a defensive league they are joyned as David said to Abiathar Abide with me fear not so saith Faith to Conscience Abide with me Conscience for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me thou shalt be in safety 1 Sam. 22. 23. Faith is the white Alabaster-box in which Consciences pretious Oyntment is put Faith is the bottle into which the wine of good Conscience is poured So again Conscience doth as much for Faith Faith is the light good Conscience is Faiths lanthorn the lanthorn shews forth the light within the lanthorn defends the light from winds and weather without that it be not blown out Conscience holds forth the light of Faith to be seen of men Conscience defends faith that it be not put out Faith is the Apple or sight of the eye Conscience is the eye-lid no eye-lid can see or doth it profit the body at all without the sight within nor can the eye see long if it have not the eye-lids to defend it from Sun dust smoak and the like annoyances and to keep the sight clear So what is Conscience without Faith but a blind and blundering Conscience And what is Faith without Conscience but as a naked weak raw sore eye A three-fold faith necessary to good conscience 1 Justifiing Faith Now this Faith that makes and keeps a good Conscience is three-fold First Justifying Faith there must be apprehending and applying the bloud of Christ Act. 15. 9. This is principally necessary to be sought this fides quâ creditur is the fides qua vivitur the fides quae creditur is not sufficient without this Secondly Doctrinal faith this is the faith 2 Doctrinal Faith here spoken of Hold faith and a good Conscience that is the sound Orthodox faith contend for it continue in it From this Hymenaeus and Alexander swerved and then left the plain path of good Conscience Say not any man is sound in faith and of a good Quam tu secretus es Deus solits magnus lege infatigabili spargens paenale â—caecitates super illicitas cupiditaâ—eâ— Aug. Conf. l. 1. Conscience who is unsound in Judgement and opinions Corrupt opinions breed corrupt Consciences and corruption in morals usually follows the corruption in intellectuals Here begins commonly the first step backward to all Apostacy and the first step forward to all impiety It is a sad story of the Emperour Valens who while he was among the Orthodox had gained much Glory in the Church he had stood firme in the time of Julian the Apostate together with his Brother Valentinian chusing rather to lay down all his Military Honours and imployments than
deluded and inchanted with Endoxius an Arrian Bishop he soon cooled in his affections and so staggered in his judgement that they could not tell what to make of him he was neither Fish nor Flesh neither Arrian not Christian But after he fell wholly from his Religion and gave toleration to all manner of Religions to every Nation his own Religion Judaism Paganism all Idolatrous and whatsoever wicked practises were permitted freely onely to preach and professe the Apostolick doctrine prohibited a bitter Persecutor he proved and at last renouncing God to the Oracle he went to enquire of the Devil who should be his Successor 2. To draw to an end The other part of the Exhortation concerns the Minister particularly The Text being a charge or exhortation from a Minister to a Minister from Paul to Timothy to hold Faith and a good Conscience Which the Minister must make good 1. Personally 2. Doctrinally He must be a man of Conscience for his person a man for Conscience in his doctrine 1. In his personal carriage he must be Conscientious that he may be an exemplary pattern to his flock If he be thus a Burning light he shall also be a Shining light to others The Minister must strive to excel others in every spiritual gift in this especially A City set on a hill cannot be hid He must so walk that they may see the law in his steps as well as in his lips He is to be as the Sun the light of the inferiour world is therefore to move regularly steadily uniformly that the Dials and Clocks below may be set right when they go along with this Sun It is said that nothing cuts the Diamond but the Diamond I am sure none is so fit to work upon the Conscience of a man as the man of Conscience The ministers lips then must disperse knowledge to the People but his heart must retain Conscience to himself This little volume Conscience he must be exactly read in whatsoever other volumes he be a stranger to whatsoever language he be defective in he must be well acquainted with that of Conscience It was an excellent speech that of Jerome Discamus in terra quorum Ad Paulin. scientiá nobis perseveret in Caelo Those things are worth learning on Earth the knowledge whereof will be of use in Heaven A saying which famous Paraeus ever had in his mouth and caused to be written in the publike Schooles where he read his Divinity Lectures Learned Beza tels us what was Calvins counsell Cum te 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non vulgari donatum esse videam quâ saepe ad moximos decipiendos viros abusus est Satanas velim te diligenter cavere nè te ullis inanibus arguti is irretias usually to younger Divines in whom he saw any pregnancy of parts to take heed of abstruse Questions and unnecessary controversies lest they should be catched and insnared in the Toyles of wit and so prove unhappy instruments of Satan to pervert others And he further reports he had given the same counsell to himself which he had observed to his dying day and did exceedingly blesse God for The want of observing this counsel was the utter undoing of that Conradus Vorstius a man otherwise of much acumen who carried away with the fleetnesse of his wit and the nicenesse of his spirit after he had read Socinus and such other corrupt writings became a pernicious corrupter of the younger Students who were his hearers and an occasion of much mischief to the Church And since that I am speaking to the Minister I desire to speak two words apart to two sorts of persons that are now in the Ministery The first is to our younger Timothies who as they are to be the Successors of our 1 A particular Exhortation to Timothy elder Pauls when they die so are they their hopes and delights while they are alive To these we can say nothing but good Watch you in all things stand fast quit you like men be strong despise afflictions for the Gospel Look well to the Charge of God the Charge of Faith and of a good Conscience Take heed to your selves and your doctrine Avoid prophane jangling vain bablings oppositions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 21. 1 Pet. 2. ult 1 Pet. 5. 4. of science Pseudo science Study to shew your selves men of God approved workmen that need not to be ashamed Your work and charge is great but your promised assistance greater your reward and crown is greatest I mean not from men but from the hand of the Arch-bishop and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he is called in the day of his great visitation Remember that famous Apophthegm of Mr. Perkins which he wrote in the frontis-piece of all his books Minister verbi es hoc age Thou art a Minister of the word mind thy businesse well Be sure to hold fast the form of sound words as being wel nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine wherin you have made so great a pro-proficiency Read over over your Directory Pauls Epistles to Timothy and Titus It is the Jesuites instruction to their younger Preachers when they have to do with some persons as Princes and great ones to instill Principles into them quae liberiorem reddunt Conscientiam Abominate ye such policie and compliance as greatest impiety In freer and looser times let your principles be the stricter not the slacker It is the reproach of some Lawyers that it may be said of them they have venalem linguam a tongue to set to sale Take heed that it be not said of any Divine that he hath linguam mercinariam animam venalem a tongue to be hired and a soul to be sold Though you may be younger men for Cum ad edificium arbusta succidimus ut prius viriditatis humor exsiccari debeat expectamus ne si eis recentibus fabricae pondus imponatur ea ipsa curvarentur confracta citius corruant quae immaturè in altum levata videbantur Cur non in hominibus ad animarum curas admitiendis custoditur quod in Lignis Greg. l. 4. ep 95. yeares seek to grow past Neophytes and younger plants which may be easily plucked up by the roots from the ground they stand upon or be bent and bowed by any hand as they stand Gregory very elegantly warneth concerning such as are young and tender Plants That they be not like green unseasoned Timber which if put into a piece of building will warp and bow and break that no weight may be laid upon them Secondly here I must crave leave to give 2. To Hymenaeus and Alexander an Item to Hymenaeus and Alexander who of late Disciples are now become all on the sudden above their Masters more than ordinary Ministers who not sent yet run not being called yet they go and having Jer. 23. 21. left the Anvile and the Forge have taken the sacred Hammer in hand Is
the two prisoners dreams Pharaoh made it good Hic crucem sceleris precium tulit alter honores Gen. 41. 13. It came to passe saith the Butler to Pharaoh as he interpreted to us so it was me he restored to mine office him he hanged Joseph is then said to hang the one and restore the other because he foretold it so and it fell out accordingly so conscience is said to absolve and condemn because according to the sentence of this lower Court and Judicatory of conscience usually is the last sentence of that highest Court in Heaven If my conscience Job 31. 35. 36. clear me let my adversary write a Book and Libell against me I shall wear it as a Isa 50. 8. Crown my witness is at hand and he is near 1 Sam. 2. 25 that justifieth me But if my conscience Libell against me who shall Apologize for me If a Quamquam humana sub tersugiem judicia judicium propriae conscientiae fugere non valeo Bernard man sin against another the Judge shall judge them but if a man be condemned by himself who shall be his Dayes-man I may flie mans judgement seat or stop the Judges mouth but I cannot escape the Bar nor stop the mouth of my own conscience Prima est haec ultio quod se Judice nemo nocens absolvitur Improba quamvis Gratia fallacis Praetoris vicerit Vrnam Juven Sat. 13. I might adde to these four named Offices of Consciences registeriall office conscience a fifth his Registerial Office for conscience is the great Register and Recorder of Vbicunque vado conscientia mea â—â—e non deserit sed prae sâ—ns ad sâ—sâ—it quicquid facio scribit Bernard the world It is to every man his private Notary or Secretary keeping notes or records of all his Acts and Deeds Hence it hath his name Synteresis given it Conscience hath the Pen of a ready writer and takes in short hand and in an illegible character from thy mouth as fast as thou speakest yea from thy heart what thou contrivest consciences writing at present is not legible as that which is written with the juyce of a Lemmon is not to be read by Day-light but against the fire by night you may read it so consciences writing will be read by fire light of distress or in that day when Heaven and earth are on fire then shall this book be opened and the Cypher be discovered Conscience is the poorest mans Historiographer who hath no Chronicler to write his Story Every mans Acts both first and last are written in the Apocryphal Book of conscience The sin of Judah is written with the pen of iron and with the point of a Diamond it is graven upon the Table of their heart Jer. 17. 1. It is not the lot of every mean man to have his Acts and memory perpetuated it is the honour of Kings and sometimes of some other more eminent persons of David it is said 1 Chro. 29. 29. Now the rest of the Acts of David the King first and last behold they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer and in the book of Nathan the Prophet and in the Book of Gad the Seer But of every man of whatsoever quality it may be said the rest of his Acts though they be not mentioned in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings yet first and last they are all written in the book of the Chronicles of conscience by Syneidesis the Seer and Synteresis the Recorder Now to draw to a conclusion conscience I said was then a good conscience when it doth discharge all his forenamed Offices A Magistrate a Minister a Judge a Witness is then good when each of them is good in his proper place and function and indeed that every one is in truth which he is in discharge of his particular Calling Then is conscience good when it doth officiate well and doth the part of a Minister of a Magistrate of a Witnesse and of a Judge In these four tespects I may say of conscience Ipsa indicat ipsa imperat ipsa observat ipsa judicat as Bernard excellently Ipsa testis ipsa judex ipsa tortor ipsa carcer Ipsa accusat Lib. de consc cap. 9. ipsa judicat ipsa punit ipsa damnat A good conscience is a good Minister a good Magistrate a good Witness a good Judge the best of friends but an ill conscience is an observer of thee will be an informer against thee and both thine adversary and accuser and witness and Judge and Jaylor and Executioner and Tormentor too the worst of enemies Hence flow five Corollaries or conclusions Corollary 1. Conscience is to perform his two first Offices viz. of a Minister to inform and direct and of a King to command and prescribe before a work is to be done or when in fieri Conscience should call in Understanding and Faith to advise with and herein imitate God who Gen. 1. 26. intending to Create Man propounds his Action propounds his End and propounds his Model Let us make man in our Image after our likenesse and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the ayre and over the cattell and over all the earth c. So should we say Let me upon deliberation do such an Act after such a manner to such an end This is to Act according to conscience and consequently according to God Corollary 2. When a work or action is already done In facto esse conscience is to discharge his two last Offices of a witness and of a Judge to accuse or excuse to approve or reprove and so to passe sentence Thus did God after every dayes work finished he reviewed his worke and saw with much content and fulness of approbation it was good And at last Gen. 1. 31. God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good So should we review all our actions before we passe from them to new businesses Let thine eyes look right on and let thine eye-lids look strait before thee Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established Prov. 4. 25 26. There you have these two rules in the well learning and practising whereof lies the chiefest businesse of Practical conscience Coroll 3. When a man goes wilfully against the two first Acts or Offices of Conscience viz. Ministerall Regall he commits the highest sin and draws on the greatest guilt Maxima violatio Conscientiae maximum peccatum Ames What made the sin of the lapsed Angels unpardonable but because they went against a full and clear light of a fully informed conscience and divinely irradiated understanding Their sin had many ingredients of that sin against the holy Ghost in it being committed against clear light much received grace with full consent of will having much of malice in it therefore no wonder it became unpardonable And whence is it that the sin against the
eat the Kings salt have our salary from the King therefore we must be true to our trust Much more saith the godly heart I have my dependance wholly on God I am thy very Creature the work of thy hands I am salted with the salt of the Sanctuary I eat the Lords bread wear his given clothes breath in his ayre dwell in his Tenement he gives me lodging living breath being and all I have I must be true to his interest I must not be silent at or unsensible of his dishonour All mine are thine said our Saviour and thine are mine Any hypocrite will say and make good the latter all thine are mine all wil consent to Joh. 17. 10 take away Tuum but sincerity takes away Meum not Tuum between God and him All mine is Gods saith he as to subordinate all to him improve all for him All Gods is mine as to be solicitous for his things as for my own yea above my own not his are mine to be subservient and subordinate to my ends as the hypocrite saith Da mihi fallere Lord let me make use of thy Name and Honour and Cause and Interest and Servants and Scriptures to build my own house and so attain my own ends But saith he all mine is thine Lord serve thy self of me and mine all my parts studies interests abilities designes ayms are for thee and for thy service Thus in all your actions if you would have comfort in them you must consider with what conscience you do them so much of conscience as is in your actions so much of comfort and so much of sincerity so much of conscience and so much regard to your principles to your rule to your end so much you may conclude of sincerity And so much of this most excellent conscience the conscience of sincerity CHAP. VIII Of the inoffensive Conscience Of the inoffensive conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tum activè tum passivè potest significare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut nec ipsi scandalizent quempiam nec scandalizentur à quopiam Paraens in 1 Cor. 10. 32. In eandem sententiam Eras Cor. à Lap. tam inoffensus quā non offendens Bez. passivè Phi. 1. 10. activè 1 Cor. 10. 32 THe fourth good Conscience we are to speak of is the inoffensive conscience of which the Apostle shewed how much reckoning he made when he said Act. 24. 16. Herein do I exercise my self to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man This is a conscience necessary to be sought especially in these times This inoffensiveness is twofold implying that we avoid 1. Giving any offence 2. Taking any offence 1. The inoffensive conscience must avoid giving offence for this is alway evil and sinfull though offence be often taken without sin yet never given without sin Our Saviour took offence at Peter Mat. 16. 23. Thus God is offended every day When it is only our fault to give the offence but Gods holiness and perfection to take the offence This giving offence may be either To God or To man Act. 24. 16. 1. We must chiefly take heed of giving offence to God This is the principall care of a conscientious person I exercise my self to have 1. Inoffensive conscience gives no offence to God alway a conscience void of offence to God What were it if we did so carry our selves that all men should speak well of us and that we were as much in the worlds books for amiablenes and in offensiveness as ever were Titus or Trajan or any other yet we begin at the wrong end if we did not study more to be without offence before God It is meet to be said to God I have borne chastisement I will not offend said Elihu Job 34. 31 32. That which I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do no more Object But who can say he lives without offence-giving to God For in many things we sin all Jam. 3. 2. Who knoweth how oft he doth offend c. Psal 19. Answ None liveth indeed without sin yet some are without offence Because 1. This inoffensive person striveth to prevent offences he keepeth himself he takes up purposes Psal 17. 3. 1 Jo. 5. 18. I am purposed that my mouth shall not offend said David He hath integrity in his purposes ever although he may fall short in performances sometimes 2. He is counted inoffensive because for what is past what was an offence to God is now an offence to him if in any thing God was displeased with him before he is now displeased with himself for it what was a burden to God before is now his burden Ephraim was ashamed and confounded Jer. 31. 19. Job did abhor himself Job 42. 6. The truly penitent do ever loath themselves Eze. 6. 9. 36. 31. Now when our sin begins to be matter of offence to us it ceaseth to be matter of offence to God when it becomes the object of our indignation 2 Cor. 7. 11. it is no more matter of provocation to God In this respect the penitent is accounted without offence 3. When for time to come he is carefull to break off his sin by Repentance and saith as before Job 34. 31 32. I will offend no more that which I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do no more This is the highest inoffensiveness we can here attain unto Job 40. 4. 5. Behold I am vile saith Job to God what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no further When a man hath throughly smarted with godly sorrow for sin and saith I will venture no further for a world what fruit have I now of all my former vile ways but shame I will turn from all my sins and become a new man this man is accounted a non-offender Ro. 6. 21 all his sins shall be no more so much as mentioned to him But he shall live in his righteousness wherein he now walketh Ezek. 18. 21 22. 4. He is said to live without offence to God who resolveth rather to offend all the world passively then to offend God actively If they be offended let them be offended saith he If they take offence it is their sin not mine so that God be not offended Am I to perswade men or God said the Apostle Gal. 1. 10. Or must I seek to please men If I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ Inoffensive Conscience saith I would if I could please both God and man I would not offend either I would please all offend none by my good will But if it must be so whether it be better in the sight of God to please God or man whether worse to offend God or man judge ye All the Prophetical Apostolical and Ecclesiastical Histories are full of examples in this
2. 2 3 4. but now are cloven tongues and cloven hearts too Their cloven Tongues spake the same things to diverse Nations that they might unite gather congregate and Head all into Christ to make a Mystical Bodie and a Citie compact together the joy of the whole earth We speak in one Language diverse things whereby we divide scatter loose and Est jam serpentum major concordia Juv. Sat. 15. disgregate and thereby endanger more the setting up of a new and literal Babel in England then the pulling down of the old and Mystical Babylon in Italy That we may sadly complain that the world was never so wofully and universally divided since the dayes of old Peleg as now Gen 10. 25 Their cloven Tongues were set on fire from heaven and spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our fire is taken from Elias harth Luk. 9. 54. or Joshuah's Censer My Lord Moses forbid them if not Num. 11. 28. Jam. 3. 6. lower as James saith set on fire of hel There the winde filled onely the house but the holy Ghost filled their hearts Act. 2. 4. Here the winde fills the head and heart and the fire the house But did our Saviour pray that we might all be Perfect in one as hee and the Father are One and shall we imagine our Perfection Joh. 17. 21 22 23. lies in division Shall we not suffer this Praier to take place any where but in Heaven Is it the Perfection and glorie of the Church Triumphant to be One and Harmonious and is it our perfection to be ever militant and jarring When all prophecie and speak the same thing the ignorant man comes in is convinced and crieth out God is in you of a truth 1 Cor. 14. 25. But when all speak with differing and divers tongues the ignorant and unsettled man goes out and cries They are mad as it is ver 23. Nor are we to wonder that God hath such a Controversie with his People in this land and hath poured out such a Viall of contempt upon them breaking us with breach upon breach We may read our sin in the judgement we can impute it to nothing more then to our unnecessarie and unkinde Controversies among our selves whereby we have cast contempt upon his truth and made breach upon breach in his Church When the father sees such a wrangling and froward disposition in his children that they are still Quarrelling he takes them all in hand and gives them enough of fighting till they see their folly It hath been many times observed by godly Ecclesiasticall Writers that when the Christians have abused Peace Libertie and Fulness of Gospel Blessings to unkinde Contentions one with another and to wantonness in Opinions and carriages God hath raised up some enemie to scourge and still them Cyprian gives Cyprian lib. 4. ep 4. this for the reason why God let loose that bloudie Decius to be so bitter a persecutor Patrimonio lucro studentes superbiam sectantes amulationi â—c dissensioni vacantes simplicitatis fidei negligentes seculo verbis solis non factis renuncianâ—es unusquisque sibi placentes omnibus displicentes Vapulamus itaque ut meremur Confessores non tenent disciplinom Quosdam insolenter extollit Confessionis suae tumida Jactatio c. and waster of the Christians as hee was God is righteous saith he that our flocks are scattered and all spoiled by this persecution Our sins have procured all Jesus Christ obeyed the will of his Father but we obey it not We minde saith he our pride and profit we studie divisions and differences we contemne faith simplicitie and plain dealing we disclaime the world in words but not in our deeds Every one will please himself none careth to please other May not the same and worse be said of this Generation and the Professours in it It is very observable that of all the Places where Israel provoked and offended God The waters of strife were the most famous for greatest provocation therefore had that name given them There were two such Places the one in Rephidim the other in Kadesh Exod. 17. 7 Num. 20. 13 Psal 95. 8. Deut. 33. 8. Both were called Meribah and both Massah All waters of Bitterness are Provoking and Tempting waters There all offended They chode with Moses and he as meek as he was chode with them at the latter They strow one with another and all strove with the Lord Numb 20. 13. Here it was that God was angrie with Moses here did this holy mortified Saint speak unadvisedly in his Passion Hear now ye Rebels The worst word that ever he spake which cost him dear even kept him and Aaron from entering Canaan How many chiding Meribahs have we drunk of Bitter waters which have been unto God wrath-provoking Massahs even Moses and Aaron have not been free from too much faultiness Tertullian saith In the Primitive times the Heathens were wont to say with indignation See how these Christians love one another they are readie to die one for another But is it not a just scandal now to them that are without to see the contrarie who may say Behold how these Christians hate and maligne one another how they bite devoure and seek to destroy one another But to draw to an end of this complaint and Subject We may take up the words of Job in his Parable speaking of wisdom and with a sad and sorrowfull Allusion apply it to our good Conscience of Charitie Where is saith he and where is again the place of wisdom and where is understanding to be found Job 28. 12 20. So may we say Where is Charitie to bee found and where is the place of this good Conscience Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it to be found saith hee in the land of the living It cannot be valued with the gold The price thereof is above Rubies England may say It is not in me Professours must say It is not in us Our children may say they have heard the fame thereof Our selves may say We have seen the Departure and Funeralls of it which we have traced leaving us as the Glorie of the Lord departed by degrees from the Sanctum Sanctorum into the wilderness at last Ezek. 11. 23. That we may Ezek. 9. 3. 10. 18. 11. 23. crie out in the words of Elisha when he saw the last of his Master Elijah or that King who came to see Elisha and found him sick upon his bed and readie now to leave the world Oh my father my father the Charets of Israel and the horsmen thereof So may wee 2 Ki. 2. 12. 13. 14. say Oh my mother my mother the Leah and Rachel of Israel the nurse and breasts the beautie and strength of Israel We have parted with the Power and Spirit of Elias and the Presence of the Prophet and have onely caught up a Mantle How sad is it that this Holy fire should bee wanting in the
adde drunkenness to thirst Deut. 29. 19 No observation among all the Proverbs is more often verified then that of Every mans way being good in his own eyes when the end thereof proves the way of death Prov. 14. 12. and 16. 25. Yea there be many that live and die in this condition and go away without any horrour and roaring of Conscience whom the world calls blessed saying they die like lambs having no bands in death nor trouble upon Psal 73. 4. Conscience Whenas they die rather like Salomons oxe who goes to the slaughter or the fool who goes to the stocks when neither is aware Prov. 7. 22. Or if you will have them die like lambs like Jeremie's Lambs they die Jer. 51. 38 39. They are drunken with delusions and sleep a perpetual sleep before they die therefore they rejoyce and are secure but I will bring them like lambs to the slaughter c. saith the Lord And they shall not awake till they are awakened in hell It is given to him to be in safetie for a little while saith Job and he resteth in it but they shall be cut off as the tops of the ears of corn These Job 24. 24 persons die so securely not because the sting of sin is taken out which were their happiness but because the sting of Conscience is taken out which is their miserie This is therefore a dangerous quiet Conscience Let me rather die the most dreadful death of the righteous then the most hopeful and easie death of the wicked Happier a thousand times to be fetcht away in an instant in Elias his fierie 2 Ki. 2. 11. charet and in a whirlwinde into heaven then to have Nabals lingring fit of the stone and to 1 Sam. 25. 37 38. lie ten daies before his death as if he had been asleep When these are interred wee may as well say Stone to Stone as Earth to Earth and Dust to Dust There is another ill quiet Conscience still 4. The hardened conscience which is the hardened Conscience This treasures up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2. 4 5. The hypocrites in heart heap up Job 36. 13. wrath they cry not when God smiteth Then this there is not a greater plague on Earth or Judgement in hell It is a sin that hath as much miserie and a miserie that hath as much sin in it as can be imagined Now there is a six-fold hardness of Conscience A six-fold hardness as you may observe so many several expressions in the Storie of Pharoah's heart-hardness 1. There is a natural hardness and insensibleness 1. Naturall hardness in Conscience which is part of the sin and punishment of Original sin which is in all alike This is that heart of stone which is in all till by Regeneration it be changed into an heart of flesh This made Paul say he Ezek. 36. 25. was alive once without the Law Rom 7. 9. His heart had then this hardness on it he saw no such sinfulness in sin as afterward therefore did he apprehend no danger Thus Pharoahs heart was at first before ever Moses came It might be said Pharoahs heart was hard by natural and original hardness 2. There is an attracted and acquired hardness 2. Attracted voluntarie hardness Acquired by the crebrous and iterated acts of sin which by degrees by the latent deceitfulness in it and the secret curse of God upon it withall brings the soul over to a dedolencie and unsensibleness therefore doth the Apostle warn some Heb. 3. 13. To exhort one another daily least the heart be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin And he doth report of others Ephes 4. 17 18 19. who by walking in the vanitie of their minde had the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindeness or hardness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over to laseiviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Where you have the steps by which the poor soul goes down to hell and the blinde winding-stairs by which you are going down to the chambers of death if you take not heed 1. The first step is vanitie of minde Therein we commonly think there is little hurt Thought is free Phancie will be working c. So long as we do no evil or speak not vainly what would you have us do Remember that vanitie of minde is the first step to Hell 2. The second step is Darkness of understanding which ever follows upon vanitie of minde and this darkness of understanding leads you to the third step Alienation in affection from the life of God having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God Alienated actively on their part they loathing God a sinfull alienation And alienated passively and on God's part His soul abhorring them Zech. 11. 8. a Judicial alienation 4. This alienation leadeth to more darkness still and Excaecation stricken with blindeness of ignorance One sin begets another in infinitum Darkness of Understanding caused heart-alienation from God That again produceth ignorance alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them 5. This ignorance leads next step to hardness not naturall and simple but double and judicial because of the hardness of their heart 6. This hardness carries you on next step to insensibleness who being past feeling 7. Insensibleness brings on Desperateness being past feeling they have Given themselves over Here you may give them over for lost when they come once to this seventh step to give themselves or sell 1 King 21. 25. themselves as Ahab did to work wickedness Here is their love of sin they give themselves over to it when nothing is to be gotten by it 8. This desperateness leads to brutishness and turns a man into a beast They give themselves over to lasciviousness They have 2 Pet. 2. 14 Jer. 5. 8. Rom. 13. 13. Phil. 3. 19. 2 Pet. 2. 12 Eyes full of adulterie and are like fed horses in the morning neighing after their neighbours wife their life is chambering and wantonness their bellie their god their end destruction like beasts they live like beasts they die which are made to be taken and destroied 9. This brutishness leades to laboriousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the working of uncleanness They will labour as a horse in a mill to commit iniquitie They draw sin with cords and iniquitie with cart-ropes Isai 5. 18. As in a gracious heart love of God puts upon any labour for God so love of sin makes men drudges to their lusts and to the Devil 10. This laboriousness next step carries them to unsatiableness which is the next step to Hell They gave themselves over to work all uncleanness nothing comes amiss to them so it bee uncleanness All uncleanness Rom. 1. 23 25. in sinful though natural acts and in more sinful unnatural acts of
They ever who take more care to get great States then good Consciences do but consult shame to their Honours and ruine to their Houses They are like the foolish woman who puls down her house with her own hands Wo to him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong That vâ—eth his neighbours work without wages That saith I will build me a wide house and large chambers and cutteth him out windows and Jer. 22. 13 14 15 16. it is ceiled with Cedar and painted with Vermilion Shalt thou reign because thou closest thy self in Cedar Did not thy father eat and drink and do Judgement and Justice and then it was well with him Was not this to know me saith the Lord How many Examples do we see continually before our eyes of them who gather riches and not by right who are taken from them in the midst of their dayes and in the end die like fooles Jer. 17. 11. Jeroboam would never be beholden to Conscience or Pietie to secure his State and Crown Policie should do it but did not his State-designes become a sin and a curse to the whole house of Jeroboam to root them out of the Land Ahab must not scruple the way of getting Naboths Vineyard to get it was the thing but did he joy it The Prophet meets him with a cold Gratulation Hast thou killd and also taken possession where the dogs licked the bloud of Naboth the dogs shall lick thy bloud also Did Achan thrive any better with his stolne wedge of gold Or Gehazi with his two bags of silver of two Talents The Consumption in Conscience breeds ordinarily a consumption in the state This maketh the furrowes in the field cry out and the stone in the wall and the beam out of the timber answer Wo to him who addeth house to house field to field and pound to pound till they are alone Doth not this leave great houses without inhabitant and fair houses without any to dwell in them This makes all fly at last the beam from the timber the timber from the wall the wall from the house the house from the name and the name it self from the face of the earth His sentence is Write this man childless a man that shall not prosper all his dayes for his heart and Jer. 22. 30. his eyes are onely for covetousness and oppression and violence to do it Whoâ—e Grand-childe doth the third Generation call happie in that Patrimonie dearly purchased by the expense of his Ancestors good Conscience what house stands long that is founded on the ruines of integritie and righteousness whoso gathereth by labour increaseth whoso by indirect courses undoeth himself It is godliness which is the great gain it is the name and memoriall of the godly which shall be blessed it is the posteritie of the righteous which alone is happie Godliness hath the Promise of this life also as well as of that to come Noahs Ark we know was not onely the Preserver of the Church but of the whole Universe So shall we finde good Conscience not onely the best Keeper of the Soul but of the State Trust this thou maist with all that thou â—rt worth 4. This discovers yet a worse decaie then that of temporall States the Ground of that Decaie in Grace whence it is that there are so many broken Professours bankrupts in Religion and decaied Apostates in the Church Hymeneus and Alexander this broke their backs They were men sometimes of as good account and great esteem as any other men in all that rich and mightie Citie Ephesus forward men very likely to make eminent Ones in time They let fall puritie and strictness of Conscience then were corrupted then corrupt others then denie Fundamentals then broach blasphemies then turn Persecutors then were as a Pest and Gangrene to the Church then out of Communion thereof they are cast and at last miserably they ended When good Conscience once departs the unclean spirit comes in and takes possession brings in seven unclean spirits into a house formerly emptie swept and garnished they dwell and stay there till the last state of that man is worse then the first Break once these Old Bottles of good Conscience and all the wine of Grace and Comfort runs out all is marred the man is a lost man From prophane and vain babbling men proceed at last to Highest ungodliness as the Apostles Advertisement is uâ—on the lapse and downfall of these miserable seducers 2 Tim. 2 16 17. 5. This doth also clearly demonstrate That by Apostolical Rules and the Primitive Discipline Toleration is not to be granted nor Church-Fellowship allowed to men who are of loose and profligate Consciences and corrupt opinions they who cease to be members of Christ and act for Satan are to have no longer Com-membership with the Church but are to be delivered up to Satan as we see in the Text. Notice is to be given of them and of their Errors to the Church their mouthes to be stopped their Companie to be avoided and the godly warned to beware of them 2 Tim. 4. 15. 6. This resolves us how the world comes to swarm with foul and pestilent opinions this chief stone is laid aside by the most of unskilfull builders Wood hay and stubble is brought in to litter the Church in stead of gold silver and precious stones 1 Cor. 3. The first decaie is commonly here still Hymeneus and Alexander laying aside Conscience as legal and servile and Old-Testament ware become soon tainted with noisom opinions at last come up to open blasphemies and professed detestation of Paul God doth expose unconscionable Christians to errors in Faith Dr Twisse Zech. 11. 10 14 15. and all such like sound Teachers God in his just judgement smites such Teachers in their right eye and in their right hand they are corrupt both in judgement and practice and become no better then idol-Teachers coming before God with the idols of their hearts and laying stumbling blocks of iniquitie before the peoples face And indeed whensoever the Teacher layes by the Staffe of Beautie Faith and breaketh the Staffe of Bands Good Conscience what hath he left to take but the instruments of a foolish shepherd some absurd and dangerous opinions which drown men in perdition and errour while they speak high sounding swelling words of vanitie 2 Pet. 2. 18 19. and promise others Libertie themselves are the captive servants of all corruption 7. This informs us whence it ordinarily ariseth that many have lost that former Peace and those sweet Soul-Comforts they have sometimes had they have lost or wounded their Conscience The Lamp being broken the Oile is lost and the light goes out of it self Men little minde this but here is the common bane of all They are excellent Observations of Learned Ames Med. Theol. lib. 1. cap. 30. Prouâ— fides Conscientia vigent aut languent in hominibus si◠〈◊〉 certituâ—o augâ—tuâ— aut dimiâ—â—â—â—ur
Ceâ—titudo Salâ—tis non eâ—t ab aliis neque alias perâ—ipitur niâ— ab iis qui unaâ—um fide â—â—tinent boâ—am Conscientiâ—m idque dwn eam retinent sine graviore aliquo vulnere quod à peccatis iis infertur quae vastare solent Conscientiam Dr Ames in this respect Look saith he how much thy Faith and good Conscience do rise or fall so is thy Comfort and Assurance of Salvation more or less Therefore saith he Assurance of Salvation is neither had by other men nor by any other manner then by those who together with Faith do keep a goâ—d Conscience and that onely while they keep Conscience from any greater wound which is usually given by those sins which do waste and make havock of Conscience And at last he concludes Qui igitur sine ulla fidei Resipiscentiae sensu aut cuâ—â certò sperant Salutem praesumendo sperant sperando pereunt Whosoever without care had of Faith Repentance and good Conscience persuade themselves they have Assurance of Salvation that Perswasion is their Presumption and that Presumption will be their Perdition Conscience doth not use to collogue and flatter any man it will tell every man his own If you make it sad it will make you as sad And if you be found to it what you should not wonder not if you finde that to you what you would not who can make me glad but the same who was made sorrie by me said the Apostle in another case 2 Cor. 2. 2. When thou hast put away Puritie of Conscience wonder not if thou wantest Peace of Conscience The Bell when cracked loseth not onely his former soundness but the pleasantness of his former sound The crackt Conscience makes but harsh musick What man could exspect a song of the Lord in a Babylon of sin There was no voice of Bridegroom or Bride or sound of Harp to be heard any more Revel 18. 23. But the Harpers and Singers are onely to be found upon Mount Sion Revel 14. 1 2. 8. This informs us whence it is that many come to die so Tragically despairingly and to make such fearfull ends They have like Zimri set their own house of Conscience afire and now must perish in it Some have attempted to make away themselves some have done it as Saul Judas and Abithophel some have accursed themselves as Spira some have blasphemed God as Cain and they mentioned Revel 16. 11. All fruits of this shipwrack of Conscience All these fierie and devouring flames break out of the AEtna of a sulphurie and hellish Conscience Maxima violatio Conscientiae maximum peccatum Ames The more thou doest wound another mans Conscience thou dost offend against Charitie and therefore dost the more wound Christ 1 Cor. 8. 12. The more thou woundest and grievest thy own Conscience thou offendest against Pietie and therefore thou sinnest against and grievest the holy Ghost Paul while a Pharisee had done worse acts then Judas he had been a raging Persecutor a desperate blasphemer of Christ a compeller of others to blaspheme he had his hand in the bloud of holy Martyrs Judas did none of these hideous Acts yet Paul saved Judas damned Paul found mercie because what he did he did ignorantly in unbelief he had never gone 1 Tim. 1. 13 against the light of his own Conscience Therefore he said Act. 23. 1. he had walked in all good Conscience before God to that day The like 2 Tim. 1. 3. I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure Conscience But as for Judas he could have no cloak for his sin he went fully against the clear light of his own Conscience therefore he had the more sin and the more horrour The consumption of Conscience doth not onely bring the outward state into a consumption that such die beggers or bankrupts but it as usually brings the inward man into fits of Convulsions which are hardly cured and at last they die in one of those fits in great horrour When Conscience hath been often fretted and grated upon by known and allowed sins at length it breeds an Vlcer in Conscience which is the most tormenting disease in the world beyond any Vlcer in Bowels or Bladder These live and die in great extremities of Miserie The stroke at Conscience is the stroke at the fift Rib the fatall and deadly stroke 9. Lastly it informs us whence it is that some have arrived at the highest pitch of impietie to commit that sin of sins that sin against the holy Ghost It is ever first by muzzling and snubbing their Conscience and afterwards intreating it worse wasting worrying and stabbing of it No other way of coming up to this incurable disease and unpardonable state but by violation of Conscience Keep this fierie sword in thy hand The Word of God turning every way in the door of Conscience and the Tree of Life is guarded The Gate of Paradise kept no danger of committing the sin against the holy Ghost But on the other side when thou dost cross the Line and swim through and over and beyond thy Conscience then is the Gulf fixed and the Gate of Hell shut that there is no coming thence for them that would as no coming thither but over this Gulf. CHAP. XX. Of the second Application of the Point by way of Lamentation THe second Use is of Lamentation And it may 1. Be a Generall Lamentation carrying a Wo in the mouth of it for the Generall want of Good Consciences in this age And I may justly make it as large as that of our Saviour Matth. 18. 7. Wo to the world saith he because of offences All the world is faultie in this kinde more or less So may we say Wo to the world because of ill Consciences All the world in generall and most called Christians in particular herein being blame-worthy Run to and fro into the Cities of Israel and in the streets of Jerusalem Jer. 5. 1. and enquire and see if you can finde a man of Conscience in this Generation We may change Job's Quaere Vbinam invenienda est sapientia Job 28. 12 20. ubinam est locus Intelligentiae Where is wisdom to be found and where is the place of understanding into ubinam invenienda est Conscientia ubinam est Locus Integritatis where is Conscience to be found and what is the Place of Integritie The best of men that make Enquirie after her complain that shee is not seen so much abroad as she was wont to be The most of men say that shee is either departed or drawing on toward her departure And prophane ones say that Conscience was hanged many a day ago indeed my Text tells us that shee was drowned long ago and perished in shipwrack but they are much mistaken to say it was good Conscience for it was the ill Conscience that perished The Good Conscience fears neither the Gallowes nor Hell it is the best Preservative against both But sad it
the great State The godly man saith there is no such necessity for me to have two eyes or two hands there is no necessity of preserving my credit of securing my state of providing for my family no such necessity of gathering riches to live honoured and so dye wealthy but there is an absolute necessity lyes upon me to fly hell save my soul lay hold on eternall life and to this end to get a good conscience If I have but a good conscience left me faith the Christian I have enough while I have that I can want nothing I may be counted poor yet am truly rich I may be looked upon as outwardly sorrowing but behold I am alway rejoycing as dying but I live 2 Cor. 6. Austin said of some Christians Amiserunt omnia quae habebant nunquid fidem nunquid pietatem nunquid interioris hominis bona qui est ante Deum dives de civ Dei l. 1. c. 10. as unknown yet well known as a deceiver yet true as having nothing yet possessing all things I may have dirt cast upon my face good conscience will wipe all off 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil they may be ashamed who falsly accuse your good conversation in Christ I may lye under great pressures even to despair of help or life good conscience supports me and makes all light 2 Cor. 1. 12. I may have my credit blasted yet repaired againe as Joseph had State ruined yet restored againe as Job had life lost yet found againe as Christ Jesus promised but if conscience be lost I am a lost man The world may with their lightning as the Philosopher saith Consume the scabbard but not at all peirce the sword destroy and split the caske but not spill the liquor or wine in it yet how sad it is that the getting and using conscience is so much among the most of men neglected Every one observeth his rule and way Si curtatus in aequali Ton sore capillos Vel si Toga dissidet impar Horat. Vide Domine quomodo diligenter observent filii bominum pacta literarum syllabarum accepta à prioribus locutoribus à te acceptvae terna pacta perpetuae salutis negligant Conf. l. 1. c. 18. of living but the Christian Every Artificer studieth to be exact in his kind the Taylor hath his measure or his patternes the Carpenter heweth and Squareth his timber the Mason his stone by rule he maketh his wall by Line and Plummet must not the Christian observe his measure his patterne his rule and line The welbred Gentleman is ashamed to be seene abroad in an undecent habit if he be not drest from Top to Toe in the best fashion he thinkes he is not like himselfe And is not the Christian to observe his fashion and demenour Austin did observe and bewaile this exceeding Pathetically the Grammarian observeth his Rules of speaking given him by his master and shall not we observe our Rules of doing given us by God himself the Grammarian or Orator observes his Construction his Pronounciation will not say Inter hominibus for inter homines will not lose you a Letter nor an accent nor an aspiration saith he which is no Letter he will not commit such a Verball fault as to say Ominem for Hominem yet saith he he that will not against the Rules of Grammer the Precepts of his Schoolemaster pronounce Ominem for hominem dare against the Rules of Divinity and precept of God Hate a man odisse Hominem Yea saith he you may observe the Eloquent Orator or Lawyer is more carefull of his words when pleading against his Adversary and is more afraid to speake one word improperly then to aggravate his charge without all charity and Conscience Vigilantissimè Cavet ne Per linguae Errorem dicat inter hominibus et ne per mentis furorem hominem auferat ex hominibus non eavet yea he confesseth and bewaileth it as one of his owne sins when he was a young Scholler that he did abhor Barbarous Solaecisines and Incongruities of speech more then absurdities and incongruities in his actions But let all men know wheresoever Conscience is wanting or not attended there is yet no Grace nor shall there ever be glory First there is yet no Grace at all in that heart the first lesson and the A. B. C. of a Christian is Make Conscience The first thing that God doth worke in that mighty change from nature to Grace and Translation from death to life is the new heart He begins ever with Conscience He a wakens it he softens it enlightneth it enliveneth it He cleanseth it he Sanctifieth it Ezek. 36. 25 26. He dwelleth in it The first worke of Grace is the Donation of a new heart and the change of a stone into flesh The sense of Externall feeling is the first Indication of the life of nature this sense of Internall feeling is the first and best discoverie of the life of Grace He that hath not his Conscience sprinkled purged quickned renewed and of a new impression is not at all of God yet nor belongeth to him Because he neither hath his Image nor his Superscription Therefore neither shall he ever have Glory which is the second thing Secondly where is yet no Good Conscience There shall be no Glory As in the New Creature where God worketh Grace he begins with Conscience as was said before So in the new Covenant where God promiseth Glory he begins with Conscience also This is the Covenant of grace when God promiseth to blot sinnes out of his booke of Remembrance He giveth unto man a New Conscience for a Book of Remembrance unto duty and obedience Heb. 8. 10. 11. 12. This is the Covenant I will make with the house of Israel I will put my lawes into their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not teach every man his Neighbor and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest for I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more In which words the Lord alludeth to what he did to his people Israel when he made the old Ceremoniall Covenant with them He spake to them gave them his mind in writing delivered them the two Tables containing the Tenor and duties of the Covenants these Tables were to be layd up in the Arke God will do much more now he will speake to the heart write the law in new Tables fleshly Tables of the heart and keepe them there as in the Arke And there they shall be for a continuall monitor remembrance that they shall need the lesse of outward teaching and humane Laws they having an inward Directer and Admonisher and a Divine Law within God will pardon no mans sinnes which is
the other which make the able Divine or eminent Christian 1. The Book of Scripture 2. The Book of Providence or Experience 3. The Book of Conscience These three I say must be studied diligently and compared Read any of the three alone it profits not Read any two of them without the third thou wilt be imperfect 1. Scripture knowledge alone without Experience and Conscience makes not a Christian 2 ly Providence and Experience alone without Scripture and Conscience 3 ly Conscience alone without the other two No nor yet as I said any two of them without the third 1. Not Scripture and Experience without Conscience 2. Not Experience and Conscience without Scripture 3. Not Scripture and Conscience without Experience Conscience is one of the chiefest volumes thou must read then and self Examination is a Christians great Task Therefore saith Bernard Seek to be well acquainted with thy self Enter into thy self Run through thy self yet stay in thy self Begin with thy self end with thy self but Nulla scientia melior illa quâ homo novit seipsum relinque ergo caetera teipsum aiscute per te curre in te consiste A te incipiat cogitatio tua in te finiatur nec frustra in alia distendaris te neglecto postea Si nondum dignus es intrare Tabernaculum primum quâ fronte praesumis ingredi secundum id est Sanctum Sanctorum Ber. de Int. domo cap. 65. Enter into this first Tabernacle every day if thou wouldest enter the Sanctum Sanctorum once in the end of the year that is of thy life leave not thy self As therefore the Orator said of Tully I may say of Conscience Ille se plurimum profecisse sciat cui Conscientia valde placuerit That man may know he hath made a good proficiency who is more and more delighted in Conscience Let each Christian therefore try and consider what an one he is for Conscience I say not for knowledge and profession All have knowledge all make profession But how far doth a little Conscience go among a great many Professours The number of the Rom. 9. 27. Children of Israel is as the sand on the Sea shore yet how small a remnant saved There are threescore Queens fourscore Concubines Virgins without number yet my Dove my Vndefiled is but one the onely one of her Mother she is the choise one of her that bare her The Daughters saw and blessed her the Queens and Concubines and they praised her Cant. 6. 8 9. There were never more Saints and never fewer Saints said one truly Never more Nominal and fewer Real Never more Saints and lesse Sanctity And never more talk of Conscience heard and lesse of Conscience seen We can discourse and dispute better than our Fathers they could and did live better Liberty hath like Reuben climbed up into his Mother Conscience's bed and there hath defiled it therefore loseth the Preheminence and Birth-right and shall not excell And as for Purity Charity Tendernesse Inoffensivenesse Sincerity and the like we have sent them afar off as Abraham did the Children of the Concubines But if these things were in us and did abound we should not be so barren and frigid and unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ as we are whereas for lack of these things men are blind and doting about questions to no profit but to the corrupting of the Speaker and subverting of the Hearers As we are wont to say of a Scholler going to the Vniversitie if he do not as well profit Qui proficit in Dectina deficit in moribus non profitit seâ deficit in his Ethicks in his Behaviour and Morals as he doth in his Logick or in Arts and Tongues he doth not profit but lose So may we well say of the Professor if he profit not as much in Conscience as in bare Science and Opinions his Proficiency is but a Deficiency Who doth not look upon the Toad as a hatefull creature although it have a Pearle in his head because it is full of Poyson within and all speckled without what is that man to be valued who hath a Pearle of knowledge in his brain if another had it but his inward parts are very wickednesse he swels with poysonous Pride within and his life spotted abroad But here is the difference you shall alway find between the knowledg of an Hyppocrite and the true Christian The Hypocrites knowledge is like the light of the increasing Moon which increaseth in Light and bignesse onely not at all in Heat But the light of the true Christian is like the rising Sun in the morning or the Vernal Sunne in the Spring where light and heat are conjoyned the darknesse and coldnesse of the night is lessened the heat of the day is increased The Moon grows lighter and lighter and bigger and bigger but not hotter and hotter Her Plenilunium or full is as cold as her Wane But the rising Sun we all see doth not onely go higher and higher but growes hotter and hotter The Hypocrite hath onely an increase in knowledge in his Plenilunium and full he hath no heat in Conscience and affections to be discerned the true Christian hath both light and heat increasing alike together There is a four-fold knowledge in the world a knowledge of Speculation which is the hypocrites knowledge a knowledge joined with dislike and disobedience which is the knowledge of the Devils a knowledg joyned with delectation and complacency which is the Angels knowledge And the knowledge joyned with Conscience and good affections which is the Christians The hypocrite with all his swelling knowledge is like those children which have the Rickets whose head indeed growes bigger than another childs but their strength lesse they fall into an Atrophy they thrive not but pine away and die So the hypocrites head is unproportionable to his other parts he is swollen big with notions and opinions but thrives not in substantial graces and grows not strong in Faith and Conscience Look therefore every one to his Conscience and hereby know thy state look well that if thou hast not yet got a good Conscience thou mayest seek to get one if thou hast then seek to hold and keep it if thou hast lost it seek to recover it if it be evil get it amended if ignorant get it informed if erring get it rectified if dead quickened if hard softened if asleep awakened if corrupt purified if unquiet pacified CHAP. XXV The Vse of Exhortation NOw are we come to the last use which is Hortatory which I might make twofold First for Dehortation Secondly of Exhortation But I would now hasten to an end First for Dehortation let me charge thee in the Name of God and upon thy Soul to take heed of an ill Conscience what ever other evils thou mayest lie under Pray with Austin Deliver me Lord from the evill man I mean my self and deliver me from an evill Conscience I mean my own With Agur pray Remove
the Rev. 11. 14. second woe is past to make way for the third the greatest woe that cometh quickly i. e. immediately upon it Many wicked escape the first woe in life but as it befel them that scaped the sword of 1 King 19. 17. Hazael there were two other worse swords of Jehu and Elisha that should dispatch them after The sword of Hazael may spare the wicked in this life but then the sword of Jehu meets with them at death and again the sword of Elisha at the day of judgement He may flee from the iron sword but then Job 20. 22. the how of steel shal strike him thorough Or as Amos hath it He may fly from a Lion in life Am. 5. 19. and a Bear meet him at death and the Serpent bite him at the day of judgement This yet hath an end though it be long first at the day of judgement the second woe ends but a greater succeeds If a man live Eccl. 11. 8. many years saith Solomon and rejoice in them all yet let him remember the dayes of darknesse that they are many The dayes of darknesse that is in hell are many and long dayes they be from thy death to the end of the world is but one day and there are many more after which are longer a thousand years is but as one day and every one of those dayes are as a thousand years yet are there many of them more than ten thousands of such dayes there are for they are without number But the third woe payes for all which is at 3 Woe at the day of Judgment the day of judgement then shall all the Cataracts of wrath be set open and all the vials of wrath filled and emptied out upon the heads of the wicked Then shall the Lord rain fire and brimstone from the Lord out of Heaven Then shall the sealed book of Conscience be unclasped and out of thy own mouth and heart and book shalt thou be judged Then shall both Earth and Sea and Hell and Death deliver up all their dead but not to be annibilated that they would account an unspeakable mercy but only to be Arraigned tryed sentenced Then shall Death and Hell be cast again into the lake of fire which is the second and eternall death Then shall a Hell in Conscience be cast into a Hell of despair and an Hell of guilt into an Hell of pain But of this third woe it is no where said the third woe is past Life ends and with it the first woe The world ends and with it the second woe But Etermity ends not therefore the third woe never ends Hence the judgement of that day is called Eternal Judgement Heb. 6. 2. and the destruction of the wicked an everlasting Destruction 2. Thess 1. 9. The first woc may be a sad one yet it cannot be long because life is short The second woe is more sad because more long but though long it is it is not for ever The third is the sad and killing woe because it is both long and endlesse There is the great Gulfe fixed that there is no comming over As the first woe leaves a man the second woe finde him as the second leaves him the third finds him but the third never leaves Look how Life leaves Death finds as Death leaves Judgement finds as Judgement leaves Eternity finds But this Eternity leaves not his place to any other Eternity is a pit which hath no bottome it is a large bottome that can never be unravelled it is a Center which hath no circumference no measure of times or number of Ages can fathom or reckon the length of it It hath ever a beginning of his dayes hath never an end of his years when Time shall be no more Eternity is but beginning It is a long and perpetuall night which shall never have a morning to succeed it Now to all Eternity thy evill Conscience shall accompany thee and fill thy heart with new tortures of Grief and fear and wrath and bitternesse and despair But this third woe must never have an end Means The means to be used to the getting and keeping of good Conscience are Principal and they two Subservient and they many The Principal means and without which 1. The Blood of Christ all the rest are insufficient are two First to get the bloud of Christ sprinkled on the Conscience by the hand of faith As David said of Goliah's sword There is none to that give it 1 Sam. 21. 9. me So may we say of this bloud This purgeth the Conscience from all dead works that it may serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. All duties gifts observances Performances nothing to this Other things may make the out-side clean before men the bloud of Christ is that alone which maketh the Conscience clean before God that there is now no more Conscience of sin as to the guilt and spot of it So Heb. 10. 29. The bloud of the Covenant is that whereby the beleever is sanctified Whatsoever other means are used courses are taken as by confession contrition satisfaction reading praying fasting building Alms-houses or the like they are no more without this to the commending of the Conscience unto God or taking away sin from the Conscience than Adams Fig-leaves to take away the shame of his nakednesse or the washing of Pilates hands in fair water to cleanse his soul from the foul sin of Bioud-guiltinesse He should have washed his heart in the bloud of Christ than had he been free from all his sins and not his hands in water that he might be free from the bloud of Christ His bloud is that Zach. 13. 1. Fountain opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse This bloud of Christ we should pray pathetically and fervently as the Jewes did passionately and furiously that it may be upon us and on our Children not on our heads but on our hearts not to be charged upon us but sprinkled on us not by Vulnera Christi eivitates refugii Sanguis Christi sons Bethlehemi Joh. 6. 53. 54. way of imputation but of expiation The wounds of Christ are our City of Refuge said one And the bloud of Christ is the well of Bethlehem which we should long for and break through an host of difficulties to come unto Except we drink this bloud we have no life in us But who so eateth his flesh and drinketh his bloud hath eternal life and Christ promiseth to raise him up at the last day Fly then to this City of refuge and escape the Avenger Sprinkle this blood on thy Door-posts and escape the Destroyer Look up to this Brazen Serpent and be cured of all stings of Conscience from the fiery Serpent Cast in this Jonah and the raging Sea is calmed both of Gods displeasure and Consciences disturbance Go to this Samaritan for his Wine and Oyle to thy wounded Conscience