conscience follow him and when he hopes to stand rectus in Curia upright in Judgment he shall Conscience witnessing against him be condemned Goes he down to Hell the place of torments yet thither also will Conscience follow him there it will lodg in his bosom and be a Chest-worm that will never leave gnawing What else is that worm our Saviour speaks of when he says Mark 9. 44. v. Where speaking of Hell their worm dyeth not but Conscience The Poets have a fiction concerning 〈◊〉 a Gyant mentioned by Ovid in the fourth book of his Metamorphosis that Jupiter striking him dead for his attempting to ravish Latona the Mother of Apollo and Diana he was sent to Hell where he was adjudged to have a Vâ—lture to feed upon his Liver that ever grew again with the Moon Conscience is like Tâ—â—yâ—â— his vulture and is ever a gnawing upon wicked mens inwards many times in the ruffe of all their jollity here and in another World for ever hereafter In Hell also Conscience is that fire that never goes out Mark 9. 44. v. No length of time can wear out Conscience in this life and no space of Eternity can wear it out in another life It was conscience that made Joseph's Brethren to remember the cruel usage of him twenty years after in Egypt Conscience Janus-like hath its double aspect it is not content to glance only at what is to come but it also looks back to what is past it brings to remembrance every one of the sinners violations of God's Laws I remember my fault this day said Pharoah's Butler Gen. 41. 9. v. his conscience brought it to his memory when as he had forgotten it And so does the Conscience of many a man many years after that they have done a wickedness their conscience brings it to their memory and perplexes them So it did Nero after he had killed his Mother and Wives So it did Otho after he had slain Galba and Piso So it did Herod the great after he had caused his Wife Mariamne to be put to deatâ— So it did Theodoricus King of the Gothes after he had murthered Symmacus and Boetius his son in Law So it did our Richard the Third after he had murthered his two innocent Nephews And so it did Judg Morgan who gave the sentence of Condemnation against the Lady Jane Gray shortly after he condemned her fell mad and in his raving cryed out continually to have the Lady Jane taken away from him and so ended his life Verily that man who hath an ill conscience especially if God have opened the mouth thereof to check and condemn him as it did those before mentioned what ever his estate may be in an outward respect though he should possess as much as any ever did of these Temporal good things yet is he to use some Similitudes borrowed from a famous Preacher but like him that is worshiped in the street with Cap and Knee but assoon as he stept within doors is cursed and rated by a scolding Wife Or like him that is lodged in a bed of Ivory covered with cloth of Gold but all his bones within are broken Or like a book of Tragedies bound up in Velvet all fair without but all black within the leaves are gold but the lines are blood But what is all the rack the horror and torment of Conscience in this life though it be an hell upon earth to that everlasting and immortal sting of Conscience in Hell when in Hell to all Eternity the sinner must undergo the lashes of conscience Conscience making him for ever to remember his sins committed in this life It is and will be Conscience that will be the sinners remembrancer of his sins against God in another life Though Saul kill himself yet he cannot kill his Conscience Though Judas and Achitophel hang themselves yet they cannot hang their Consciences Though men murder themselâ—es as not being able to bear the checks and rackings of conscience here yet they cannot free themselves from the everlasting gnawings of conscience hereafter As the reasonable Soul of Man is immortal so conscience also is immortal There is not a person upon the face of the Earth that we must always live with upon Earth but with his Conscience a man is always to live with Therefore the Egyptians in their Hieroglyphicks expressed an ill Conscience by a Mill which always grinds the Soul with the remembrance of evil things past When we dye as one observes we must leave all books behind not a book of St. Augustine's St. Basil's or any other no not the Bible that book of books can we carry along with us but the book of Conscience that we must carry with us that will lye open before us for ever that will hiss like a Snake in the bosom of Impenitent ones for ever that will trouble them for evermore that will put them for ever in mind of two tormenting things First that through their sins they are deprived of all the good things of Eternity the which they might with timely labor and pains have obtained Secondly that they are mancipated and bound to everlasting torments which by labouring for Eternal good things whiles they lived they might have avoided And from hence will be engendered a two-fold grief which with extream bitterness will gnaw and bite like a worm the hearts of those miserable ones for ever These things being first considered we may easily find out who is the good man and also who will be the Eternally happy man The good man is the man of a good Conscience the man that endeavoreth to keep a good conscience without which no man truly believeth 1 Tim. 1. 19. v. Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwrack It is a note that one hath upon these words A good conscience is as it were a Chest wherein the doctrine of Faith is to be kept safe which will quickly be lost if this Chest be once broken For God will give over to errors and heresies such as cast away conscience of walking after God's word Such a good man as we now speak of was St. Paul Act. 24. 16. v. And herein do I exercise my self to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards Man Well may he pass for a good man amongst all men that endeavors neither to offend God nor Man And that can when calumniated take up St. Paul his protestation Act. 23. 1. v. I have lived in all good Conscience before God until this day as if he had said however I am calumniated and by some accused of profanation yet I can appeal to God that I have lived in all good conscience And this makes me merry at heart when otherwise their calumnies would sadden my heart For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation
stood the first Martyr in stead in the storm of his Lapidation and upheld good Jobs heart in an evil day and made him bear so bravely the ruine of a great Estate without repining 2. Eternal good things will stand a Christian in stead and do him good when he lyes upon a sick and dying bed A great part of a Christian's wisdom lies herein always to keep death in his thoughts and what ever escapeth his thoughts not to let death escape them â—â— says God himself Deut. 32. 29. v. O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end Memento mori is a motto which some carry in their Rings that is the motto which every Christian should have engraven upon their hearts never to lay aside the thoughts of death The youngest have reason to keep Death in their thoughts as well as the oldest the day of death comes on a pace towards both young and old No sooner does any one begin to live but so soon does he also begin to dye Very careful were the ancients herein As some now will have their Coffins made in their lives time so would they have their Graves King Asa made himself a Sepulcher in his life-time 2 Chron. 16. 14. v. in the City of David So did Joseph of Arimathea John 19. 41. v. Some Heathens would walk among the Graves to put them in mind of death Some have had their Graves before their gates some had a dead Man's Skul presented at their Tables some have had cups made of dead mens skuls to drink out of The Romans of old used to put a Sergeant in the triumphant Chariot of their Generals to keep the triumphing Conqueror within the bounds of moderation and sobriety of spirit and make him even then to have death in his thoughts by crying to him Memento te esse â—ortalem Remember that thou art a mortal man Philip of Macedon directed his Page every morning â—o call at his chamber door with this morning salutaâ—ion Memento mori Remember Death If Heathens were thus careful to keep death always in their thoughts shall not Christians that believe the Doctrine of Eternal life have serious thoughts of Death Thoughts of death would make Christians to labor for such things as will stand them in stead at death As the thoughts of a Famine in Egypt made the Egyptian King to provide for that which would do Egypt good and stand it in stead in the time of the Famine Or as the Governor of some great Fort expecting a Seige will provide for what will do the Garrison good in a Seige that they may not then fear the beseigers that the greatest enemy that comes may not be a terror to them Death is called the King of terrors Job 18. 14. v. Heathens called it The most fearful of all fearful things Hence t is that the hearts of miserable men empty of Eternal good things are kept in straitness and bondage Heb. 2. 15. Through the fear of death all their life-time are subject to bondage some have been so afraid of death that they have commanded their servants not to name death in their hearing O Death that is as I said called the King of terrors is a terrible sight to all Even the godly themselves have a natural fear of death Because they have as all creatures a natural desire of self-preservation and this natural fear being concreated with Man in the state of innocency is not sinful And also because sometimes because their faith is weak and little little Faith will cause great fear Matth. 14. Why art thou fearful O thou of little faith But none more fearful of death then they who have made no provision for Eternâ—â—y that have contented themselves with an Heaven here and never labored for any thing of hereafter But having an intrest in Eternal good things then will sweeten the bitterness of death as the tree did sweeten the waters of Marah Exod. 15. 25. v. this will make a Christian not to be afraid of death At death to have God with us a good Conscience within us and to see Heaven and all those Eternal good things laid up in Heaven before us will do us good and stand us in stead then It was that which comforted David Psal 23. 4. v. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil And he renders his reason why he will not be afraid For thou art with me And as for a good Conscience that is a continual feast but it hath the sweetest relish at death When a man at that time is become like old Barzillai through age and debility 2 Sam. 19. 35. v. his senses of seeing tasting and hearing fail him yet even at that time the relish of a good Conscience will most refresh him I pass to the third viz. To see Heaven before us and might here referr the Reader to what I have said of that with the rest before but let me tell thee Christian such a sight as this will make a dying man look upon death with a smiling aspect it will make him welcom death I remember what I have read of Mandanius a famous Gymnosophist to whom Alexander sent Messengers willing him to come to the Feast of the Son of Jupiter meaning Alexander himself declaring also that according to his obedience he should be rewarded and if he refused he should be put to death The Philosopher first denying him to be Jupiter's Son answered the Messengers that for his gifts he esteemeâ— them worth nothing seeing his own Countrey could furnish him with necessaries and as for Death he did not fear it but wish it rather in that it was a change to a more happy estate So far did meer Philosophy carry men in the opinion of Felicity that death was not to be feared in that to good Men it was the way to Felicity a truth that a Christian may rely upon on better and more certain grounds then a Heathen can It made Seneca imbrace death saying as he bled to death Scalpello aperitur ad illam magnam libertatem via his death made but way to a greater liberty so does the good Man death it makes a way for that which is far better then any thing the world affords And should it trouble a Christian then to yield to death Suppose a Man's Landlord should turn him out of his house that he and his wife and children must lodg in the Streets would he not willingly submit to that person that would remove him out of his present habitation that possibly is but some smoaky hole a dark low and old Cottage and compassed about with bad neighbors into a lightsom large lofty lasting house and where he were sure to have good Neighborhood Would it not do such a one good to think of the exchange he is to make would it not make him willing to remove such an house will stand him in stead indeed And is not the
â—â—all arise first And then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord Wherefore comfort one another with these words 1 Thes 4. 16 17 18. v. I have done with the two first Reasons confirming this truth That the great labor and pains of every Christian ought chiefly to be imployed not about perishing but Eternal good things First because God comâ—ands it and the very obeying of his commands goes not without a blessing not to name any temporal blessings we have here in hand or promised unto oâ—edience t is sufficient that we obtain a future happyness and glory with all those Eternal good things of Heaven And t is said of Jesus Christ Heb. 5. 9. v. He became the author of Eternal salvation unto all them that obey him Secondly because Eternal good things are the best of good things things of the greatest usefulness and necessity to us in order to our Eternal happyness It is of absolute necessity that we should be made gracious as we would be made glorious that we should be interested in God as we would be made happy with God that we should be vnited unto Christ as we would be saved by Christ that we be sanctified by the spirit as we would dwell with the Spirit that we keep a good Conscience as we would escape everlasting horror of an evil Conscience These make a man a good man and assure him of Heaven and they do a man good and chear him in his way to Heaven I now pass on to a third Reason â— Because Eternal good things are lasting good things other good things are perishing good things and this is the third Reason why our Labor and pains ought chiefly to be imployed not about perishing but Eternal good things all other good things perish in the using they are fading good things things that endure but for a season 2 Cor. 4. 18. say they should endure for a very long season what were that season to Eternity unto which they will not indure Those in the Hebrews were contented to part with any thing that indured but for a season so they might have an induring substance things that were but for a season would not content them only things that would indure to everlasting Those things only are lasting that are for everlasting It is truâ— what Divine Seneca says Inter peritura vivimus The things of this world we live amongst are all perishing and decaying dayly things that never subsist but pass along with the head-long and precipitate river of time The greatest things of esteem in the world are naturally of themselves perishing and decaying and without suffering any exterior violence would of themselves soon come to an end but there are also many unthought of accidencies and extraordinary violencies which force Nature out of her course and raises storms in the Sea of this world by which such things that men dote upon below suffer Shipwrack As the fairest flower withers of it self yet it is also very oft withered by some storm or other or pluckt from the root by some hand Take the most exact and resplendent beauty that is a face never so beautyful or amiable for colour and favor a body most comly for feature and shape like that of Absolom's who from top to toe had no blemish a skin as white as the Lilly and embroidered over with purple veins yet this beauty how soon will it lose its lustre and be withered and rivelled with age and at last be turned into a rotten carcass which the worms and dust will devour Nay often before Old age or Death it is blasted by some other cause by the violence of a Fever or infection of the Small-Pox it is rendered an ugly spectacle to behold nay a little Sorrow will melt it and consume it Psal 39. 11. v. The strongest and most sumptuous Cities or Palaces will decay with continuance of time but are also ruined many times by the violence of Fire or Earthquakes To give some Instances hereof And first what wasâ— hath been made by fire a judgment seen with your own eyes upon the Nineteenth of April 1667. besides other Forreign and Domestick Ruins caused by this furious Element which hath somtimes ridden triumph through the Streets of greatest Cities as though it disdained all resistance untill either the whole or greatest parts thereof have been turned into Ashes and laid in their Rubbish I 'le pass by that great Fire at Constantinople 1633. where t is said 7000 Houses to have been on fire at once And that Fire in Germany in the time of the late Warrs there where a Reverend Divine of this Nation accompanying of an Ambassador affirmed that his own eyes told at one time the number of Twenty and six Villages and Towns all burning at once round about one City And I will little more then hint to you what ruine Nebuzaradan caused by fire in Jerusalem when he burnt with fire Solomon's house that was thirteen years under the hands of no small company of Workmen and also the Temple there built by Solomon for the Lord being the work of Seven years and overlaid with pure Gold and all the houses of Jerusalem and all the houses of the great Men burnt he with fire Jer. 52. 13. v. Who can but even weep to remember that dreadful Fire in London September the 2. 3. 4. in the Year 1666. where there were about 13000. houses burnt what an heavy spectacle was there then seen to see the flaming of so many houses at once the consuming of so much substance the desolation of so many dwellings and to behold the labor of many a Father Grand-father and great Grand-father suddenly converted into Smoak and Rubbish Sit transit gloria Mundi How many but two hours before this fire begun possibly were promising themselves to live merrily and comfortably thâ—y did not many of them fear that themselves or children should ever be destitute of an habitation they then injoying convenient houses and those well furnished and themselves well stockt to make good their promisâ—s and to escape miseries but in a few hours saw all these Temporal good things flying away from them upon the wings of a windy Flame and flying away as an Eagle towards Heaven as Solomon hath it Pro. 23. 5. v. One little flake or sparke of fire turning all into Rubbish suddenly and making rich Men to become poor and poor men to become Beggars How many upon the first day of September were well furnished with all things but before the fifth day were spoiled of all and sent to the Fountain for their best Cellar to the ground for their bed to anothers cuâ—bard for their bread and to their friends wardrobe for their cloaths It would be even endless to undertake to recite how many stately Cities and sumptuous Fabricks this untameable Element hath turned into Ashes yet let
be our Judg he that redeemed regenerated sanctified and justified us is to be our Judg he that hath loved us he that hath interceded for us with the Father he that hath united us to himself and hath made us one with himself is to be our Judg. And will not Jesus Christ now stand his people in good stead see Rom. 8. 1. v. Such shall never be judged to condemnation For there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Jesus Christ who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit they shall then hear no other proclamations but of blessings peace and glory no other sentence but of absolution Christ hath verily told us John 5. 24. v. Verily verily I say unto you He that heareth my Word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life John 3. 36. v. He that believeth in the Son hath Eternal life Hath Eternal life how 1. In promissis in promises thereof 1 Joh. 5. 25. v. And this is the promise that he hath promised us Eternal life 2. In principijs in the beginnings of it Eternal life is begâ—n here John 17. 3. v. And this is life Eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent This is life Eternal that is T is the beginning of life Eternal the full injoyment of which life is hereafter to be had 3. In primitijs in the earnests first fruits and handsel of it in those clusters of grapes and bunches of figgs those graces of Christ's spirit they are called by Saint Paul Rom. 8. 23. v. The first fruits of the Spirit 4. In capite Christ as a believer's head already injoys it and so a believer hath it in a begun possession Upon Earth Christ was his surety to answer the penalty of his sin and in Heaven he is now his advocate to take seisin and possession of Eternal life So that Jesus Christ then will not sentence them to Eternal death who are so many ways interested in Eternal life he will not cast any of his members nor any branches growing in him into Eternal fire none of these shall be made everlasting fuel for Eternal flames But yet this should not incourage any one in the way of Licentious living no the thoughts of the day of Judgment should call upon every one to keep a good Conscience and to walk unblamably all the days of their lives both before God and Man This is a duty that St. Paul lays down from this doctrine of the day of Judgment Act. 24. 15 16. v. First the Apostle lays down the Doctrine of Christ's coming to Judgment That there shall be a Resurrection both of the Dead both of the just of the unjust as if he had said All men shall appear at Christ's Tribunal in the last day And what follows Herein do I exercise my self to keep a good Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards Man The thoughts of this that the just must arise and be judged by Jesus Christ as well as the unjust this was an inducement upon St. Paul's heart that he should labor to keep his Conscience void of all offence both towards God and Men. Unto this of St. Paul let me add another place out of St. Peter The Apostle having shewed That the day of the Lord will come as a theif in the night in the which the Heavens will pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt 2 Pet. 3. 10. v. addeth in the 11. v. Seeing you look for such things as these and that all these things shall be dissolved What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and Godlyness The Apostle here would infer from Christ's appearing in Judgment and the dissolution of the Heavens and all things at the last day That they should be â—areful to spend their days in all manner of Piety and to keep their Consciences free from Sin St. Augustine tells of himself that as long as his Conscience was gnawed with the guilt of some youthful lust he was once insnared with the very hearing of the day of Judgment was even an Hell to him Conscience will then go with men to Judgment but they who have their hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience will hold up their heads in judgment and not fear when the rest of the world shall be full of fear nay when the whole world shall be in an aproar and shall see the Earth flaming the Heavens melting the Judg arrayed with Majesty and attended with all his holy Angels sitting on his Throne of Glory like the fiery flame Dan. 7. 9. v. and all souls fetched from Heaven and Hell to be re-united to their bodies when dreadful souls must leave their place of terror and once more to be re-united to their stinking Carions to receive a greater condemnation and blessed souls now in their place of happiness once more to be re-united to their then refined and glorified bodys to receive Eternal glorification Happy we if here we find our souls changed by Grace in Covenant with God united to Christ and do exercise our selves to have always a good Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Man Then may I say as St. John does 1 John 3. 2. Now we are the sons of God but it doth not appear yet what we shall be but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Read those words of the same Apostle in the former Chapter 1 Joh. 2. 28. v. And now little children abide in him In Christ your dear and ever blessed Saviour that when he shall appear in Judgment ye may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming Fear thou not O Christian who hast labored for and possessed thy self of Eternal good things which are the Best of good things such things that will make thee good and do thee good when all Temporal good things will do thee no good But go thou thy way until the end be for thou shalt rest and stand in the lot at the end of the days Dan 12. 13. v. Go on in the way and course of thy life that yet remaineth be contented whatever condition thou beest cast into prepare for thâ— end of thy life so that thou mayst end it comfortably and go to thy g 〈…〉 e in peace and stand up at the general r 〈…〉 ecâ—ion of the Dead when Christ shall come to Juâ—gment in thy lot of Coelestial Inheritances and heavenly glory prepared and allotted to thee and all laborious Christians at the end of the world for the days of Eternity For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the Dead in Christ