greatest torment to those that have had their wills most in the world the more their conscience is silenced and violenced in this world the more vocal it shall be at the hour of death and the day of judgement Therefore judge who are the most miserable men in the world although they have never so much regard in the world besides those that have consciences but will not suffer them to work but with sensuality within them and by pleasing flattering speech of those without them they keep it down and take order that neither conscience within nor none other without shall disturbe them if they do they shall be served as Ahab dealt with Micaia These men that are thus at peace in sinful courses of all men they are most miserable they enjoy their pleasure here for a little time but their conscience shall torment them for ever and shall say to them as Reuben said to his Brethren I told you this before but you would not hearken to me and now you shall be tormented Conscience is an evil beast it makes a man rise against himself therefore of all men those that be disordered in their courses that neglect conscience and neglect the means of salvation that should awaken conscience they are the most miserable for the longer they go on the more they sink in sin and the more they sink in sin the more they sink in terrour of conscience if not now yet they shall hereafter If we desire therefore to have joy and comfort at all times let us labour to have a good conscience that may witnesse well And therefore let us every day keep an audite within doors every day cast up our accounts every day draw the blood of Christ over our accounts every day beg forgivenesse of sins and the Spirit of Christ to lead us that so we may keep account every day that we may make our reckonings even every day that we may have the lesse to do in the time of sicknesse in the time of temptation and in the time of death when we have discharged our Consciences before by keeping session at home in our own hearts This should be the daily practice of a Christian and then he may lay himself down in peace He that sleeps with a conscience defiled is as he that sleeps among wild beasts among adders and toades that if his eyes were open to see them he would be out of his wits He that sleeps without a good conscience he is an unadvised man God may make his bed his grave he may smite him suddenly therefore let us every day labour to have a good conscience that so we may have matter of perpetual joy A good conscience especially is an Evangelicall conscience for a legall good conscience none have that is such a conscience as acquits a man that he hath obeyed the law in all things exactly A legall compleat good conscience none have except in some particular fact there is a good Conscience in fact As the Heathen could excuse themselves they were thus and thus and God ministreth much joy in that But an Evangelical good Conscience is that we must trust to that is such a Conscience that though it knowes it self guilty of sin yet it knowes that Christ hath shed his blood for sinners and such a Conscience as by meanes of faith is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and is cleared from the accusations of sin There is an Evangelicall Conscience when by faith wrought by the Spirit of God in the hearing of the Gospell we lay hold upon the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ. And such is the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ that it pacifieth the conscience which nothing else in the world will doe the conscience without a full obedience it will alway stagger And that is the reason that Conscience confounds and confutes the Popish way of salvation by works c. Because the conscience alway staggers and feares I have not done works enough I have not done them well enough those that I have done they have been corrupt and mixed and therefore I dare not bring them to the Judgement-seat of God to plead them meritorious Therefore they do well to hold uncertainty of salvation because holding merit they must needs be uncertaiu of their salvation A true Christian is certain of his salvation because his conscience layes hold on the blood of Christ because the obedience whereby he claimes heaven is a superabundant obedience it is the satisfaction of Christ as the Apostle saith in that excellent place Heb. 9. 24. The blood of Christ which offered himself by the eternall Spirit that is by the God-head shall cleanse your consciences from dead works to serve the living God The blood of Christ that offered himself his humane nature by his divine to God as a sacrifice it shall purge your consciences from dead works The blood of Christ that is the Sacrifice the obedience of Christ in offering himself fully pacified God and answered the punishment which we should have indured for he was our surety The blood of Christ speaks better then the blood of Abel It speaks better then our sins Our sins cry vengeance but the blood of Christ cries mercy The blood of Christ out-cries our sins the guilty conscience for sin cries Guiltie guiltie hell Damnation wrath and anguish but the blood of Christ cries I say mercy because it was shed by our surety in our behalf his obedience is a full satisfaction to God Now the way to have a good conscience is upon the accusations of an evill conscience by the law to come to Christ our surety and to get our consciences sprinked by faith in his blood to get a perswasion that he shed his blood for us and upon that to labour to be purged by the Spirit There are two purgers the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and the Spirit of Christ from the stain of sin and upon that comes a compleat good conscience being justified by the blood of Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore Christ came not by blood alone or by water alone but by water and blood by blood in justification by water in sanctification and holinesse of life Why do we alleadge this now for the Sacrament We speak of a good conscience which is a continual feast How comes a good conscience to be such a continual feast An Evangelicall conscience is a feast indeed because it feeds on a higher feast it feeds on Christ he is the Passeover Lambe as the Apostle applies it 1. Cor. 5. he is the Passeover slain for us and there is represented in the Sacrament his body broken and his blood poured out for our sins he came to feast us and we shall feast with him Hereupon if we bring repentance for our sins past and faith whereby we are incorporate into Christ then our consciences speak peace and as it is in 1 Pet. 5. the conscience makes a
despight of the world that will beare the cross of Christ For the other as their jollity increaseth in the world so their crosses and troubles shall increase As it is said Revel 18. 17. of mysticall Babylon the Church of Rome that hath flourished in the world a great while and sate as a Queen and blessed her self As she gloried herself and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her So it is true of every wicked man that is in an evill course and will be and as the Scripture phrase is blesseth himself in an evil course they shall be sure of the curse of God and not of comfort for in what proportion they have delighted themselves in this world in sin in that proportion they shall have torment of conscience if conscience be awaked in this world and in that proportion they shall have torment in the world to come As sin is growing so rods are growing for them wicked men saith St. Paul they grow worse and worse the more they sin the more they may they sink in rebellion and the more they sink in rebellion the more they sink in the state of damnation they fill up the measure of their sins and treasure up the wrath of God against the day of wrath Whosoever thou art that livest in a sinfull course and wilt do so in spight of Gods Ordinance in spight of the motions of the spirit that hast the good motions of the spirit knocking at thy soule and yet wilt rather refuse comfort then take comfort together with direction go on still in this thy wicked course but remember as thy comforts increase in this world so thy torment is increasing And here is the disproportion between Gods children and others they have their sufferings first and their comfort afterward but others have their pleasure first and their torment after theirs are for a time but others for ever Thus we see what we may comfortably observe from this that comforts increase as crosses increase A Word of the fourth and last point How comes this to pass that as our afflictions abound so our consolations abound They abound by Chrst saith the Apostle God the Father he is the God of comfort the Holy-Ghost is the Comforter but how comes this to pass that we that are not the Objects of comfort but of confusion should have God the Father to be the God of comfort and the Holy-Ghost to be our comforter Oh it is that Jesus Christ the great peace-maker hath satisfied God and procured the Holy-Ghost for the holy-Ghost is procured by the satisfaction and death of Christ and he was sent after the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Therefore Christ is called the consolation of Israel and those that waited for Christ waited for the consolation of Israel All comfort is hid in Christ he is the store-house of comfort we have it through him and by him and in him For that God is the Father of comfort it is because Christ is our Mediatour and Intercessour in Heaven that the Holy-Ghost is the comforter it is because Christ sent him and the comforts of the holy-Ghost are fetched from Christ from the death of Christ or the ascention of Christ from some argument from Christ. Whatsoever comforteth the soule the Holy-Ghost doth it by fetching some argument from Christ from his satisfaction from his worth from his intercession in Heaven something in Christ it is So Christ by his Spirit doth comfort and the reasons fetched by the Spirit are from Christ therefore it is by Christ. What is the reason that a Christian soule doth not feare God as a consuming fire but can look upon him with comfort It is because God hath received satisfaction by Christ. What is the reason that a Christian soule feares not Hell but thinks of it with comfort Christ hath conquered Hell and Satan What is the reason that a Christian feares not death Christ by death hath overcome death and him that had the power of death the Devill Christ is mine saith the Christian soule therefore I do not feare it but think of it with comfort because a Christian is more then a Conquerour over all these What is the reason that a Christian is not afraid of his corruptions and sins He knows that God for Christs sake will pardon them and that the remainder of his corruptions will worke to his humiliation and to his good All shall work for the best to them that love God What is the reason that there is not any thing in the world but it is comfortable to a Christian When he thinks of God he thinks of him as a Father of comfort when he thinks of the Holy-Ghost he thinks of him as a spirit of comfort when he thinks of Angels he thinks of them as his attendants when he thinks of Heaven he thinks of it as of his inheritance he thinks of Saints as a communion whereof he is partaker whence is all this By Christ who hath made God our Father the holy-Ghost our Comforter who hath made Angels ours Saints ours heaven ours earth ours Devils ours death ours all ours in issue For God being turned in love to us all is turned our crosses are no curses now but comforts and the bitterest crosses yield the sweetst comforts All this is by Christ that hath turned the course of things and hid blessings in the greatest crosses that ever were And this he did in himself before he doth it in us for did not his greatest crosses tend to his greatest glory who ever in the world was abased as our head Christ Jesus was that made him crie My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee All the Creatures in the world would have sunk under the sufferings that Christ indured what abasement to the abasement of Christ and what glorie to the glorie of Christ Phil 2. He humbled himself to the death of the cross wherefore God gave him a name above all names that at the name of Jesus euery knee should bow both of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth Now as it was in our head his greatest abasement ushered in his greatest glorie so it shall be in us our greatest crosses are before our greatest comforts he is our President he is the exemplarie cause as well as the efficient working cause it is by Christ all this that consolations abound in us it was performed first in him and shall be by him by his Spirit to the end of the world The use that we are to make of this is that in all our sufferings before we come to Heaven we should look to Christ he hath turned all things let us study Christ and fetch comfort from him our flesh was abased in him our flesh is glorified in him now in Heaven in his person And so it must be in our own persons our flesh must be abased and then as he is glorious in Heaven so shall we be in our selves That very
take away my sincerity saith he you would make me an hypocrite and thus and thus but my conscience tells me I am otherwise therefore you shall not take away my innocency from me And in Job 31. 35. Behold it is my desire that the Almighty would answer me and that my adversaries would write a Book against me I would take it upon my shoulder I would take it as a crown unto me Here was the force of a good conscience in Jobs troubles that if his adversaries should write a book against him yet he would bind it as a crown about him And so David in all imputations this was his joy when they laid things to his charge that he had never done he takes this for his joy the comfort of his conscience So St. Paul he retires to his conscience and being raised up with the worthinesse of a good conscience he despiseth all imputations whatsoever he sets Conscience up as a flag of defiance to all false slanders and imputations that were laid against him as we see in the storie of the Acts and in this place and others saith he in one place I passe not for mans sentence I passe not for mans day man hath his day man will have his Judgment-seat and will get upon the Bench and judge me that I am such and such I care not for mans day there is another Judgement-seat that I looke unto and to the testimony of my Conscience My rejoycing is the witnesse of my Conscience Holie men have cause to retire to their own Consciences when they would rejoyce against false imputations so holy Saint Austin what saith he to a Donatist that wronged him in his reputation Think of Austin what you please as long as my Conscience accuseth me not with God I will give you leave to think what you will If so be that a mans Conscience cleares him he cares not a whit for reports because a good man looks more to Conscience then to fame therefore if Conscience tell him truth though fame lie he cares not much for he squares not his life by report but by Conscience Indeed he lookes to a good name but that is in the last place For a good man lookes first to God who is above conscience and then he lookes to Conscience which is under God and then in the third place he lookes to report amongst men And if God and his Conscience excuse him though men accuse him and lay imputations upon him this or that he passeth little for mans judgment so the witness of conscience it comforts in all imputations whatsoever Again it comforts in sicknesse Ezechias was sick what doth he retire unto Remember Lord how I have walked uprightly before thee he goes to his Conscience In sicknesse when a man can eate nothing a good Conscience is a continuall feast In sorrow it is a Musician A good Conscience doth not onely Counsell and advise but it is a Musician to delight It is a Physitian to heal It is the best Cordiall the best Physick all other are Physitians of no value Comforts of no value If a mans Conscience be wounded if it be not quieted by faith in the blood of Christ if he have not the Spirit to witnesse the forgivenesse of his sins and to sanctifie and inable him to lead a good life all is to no purpose if there be an evill Conscience the unsound body while it is sick it is in a kind of hell already Again take a man in any crosse whatsoever a good conscience doth bear out the Crosse it bears a man up alway because a good Conscience being a witnesse with God it raiseth a man obove all earthly things whatsoever there is no Earthly discouragement that can dismay a good Conscience because there is a kind of Divinitie in Conscience put in by God and it witnesseth together with God so that in all crosses it comforts So likewise in losses in want in want of friends in want of comforts in want of liberty what doth the witnesse of a good Conscience in all these In want of friends it is a friend indeed it is an inward friend a near friend to us Put the case that a man have never a friend in the world yet he hath God and his own conscience where there is a good conscience there is God and his holy Spirit alway In want of liberty in want of outward comforts he hath the comfort of a good conscience A man on his death-bed he sees he wants all outward comforts but he hath a good conscience And so in want of libertie when a man is restrained his heart is at liberty A wicked man that hath a bad conscience is imprisoned in his own Heart though he have never such libertie though he be a Monarch a bad Conscience imprisons him at home he is in fetters his thoughts make him afraid of Thunder afraid of every thing afraid of himself and though there be no body else to awe him yet his conscience awes him Where there is a conscience under the guilt of sin unrepented there is the greatest liberty in the world there is restraint for Conscience is the worst prison Where there is a good conscience there is an inward inlargement A good man in the greatest restraint hath liberty Paul and Silas Act. 16. in the dungeon in the hell of the dungeon in the worst place of the dungeon in the stocks and at the worst time of the day of the naturall day I mean at midnight and in the worst usage when they were misused and whipped with all they had all the discouragements that could be and yet they sang at midnight these blessed men Paul and Silas because their hearts were enlarged there was a Paradise in the very Dungeon As where the King is there is his Court so it is where God is God in the prison in the noysom dungeon by his Spirit so enlarged their hearts that they sang at midnight Where as if conscience be ill if it were in Paradise Conscience would fear as we see in Adam Saint Paul in prison was better then Adam in Paradise when he had offended God Adam had outward comforts enough but when he had sinned his conscience made him afraid of him from whom he should have all comfort it made him afraid of God and hide himself among the leaves alas a poore shift We see then conscience doth witnesse and the witness of it when it is good doth cause the soul to glory and rejoyce not onely in positive ills in slanders and crosses but in losses in want of friends in want of comforts in want of liberty And so for the time to come in evills threatned a good conscience is bold It feares no ill tidings Psalme 112. My heart is fixed my heart is fixed saith David wicked men are like the trees of the forrest Isay 7. Wicked Ahaz his heart did tremble and shake as the leaves with the wind The noise of fear
naturall to man much more to the spirit of a man For if a man know what is in himself naturally his own wit and understanding which is alway with him bred up with him much more he knowes by his spirit the things that are adventitious that come from without him that is the work of Grace If a man by a reflect knowledge know what naturally is in him in what part he hath it and how he exerciseth it if he know and remember what he hath done and the manner of it whether well or ill then he may know the work of the Spirit that comes from without him that works a change in him We say of light that it discovers it self and all other things so the soule it is lightsome and therefore knowes it self and knowes other things The Spirit of God is much more lightsome where it is it discovers it self and lighteneth the soule it discovereth the party in whom it is As the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have the Spirit whereby we know the things that we receive of God It not onely worketh in us but it teacheth us what it hath wrought Therefore a Christian knowes that he is in the state of grace he knowes his virtues and his disposition except it be in the time of temptation and upon those grounds named before Therefore we should labour to know our estate to examine our selves whether we be in the faith or no except we be reprobates and cast awayes as the Apostle speakes A Christan should aime at this to understand his own estate in grace upon good grounds But it may be objected how can we know our estate in Grace our virtues are so imperfect our abilities are so weak and feeble I answer the ground of judging aright of our estate it is not worthiness or perfection but sincerity We must not look for perfection For that makes the Papists to teach that there may be doubting because they look to false grounds but we must look to the ground in the covenant of grace to grace it self and not to the measure Where there is truth and sincerity there is the condition of the covenant of grace and there is a ground for a man to build his estate in grace on The perfect righteousnesse of Christ is that that gives us title to heaven but to know that we have right in that title is the simplicity and sincerity in our walking in our conversation as the Apostle saith here This is our reoycing c. Therefore Christians when they are set upon by temptations of their own misdoubting hearts and by Satan they must not go to the great measure of grace that is in others that they have not so much as others and therefore they have none nor to the great measure of grace that they want themselves but to the truth of their grace the truth of their desires and endeavours the truth of their affections Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren This should stir us up to have a good conscience that we may rejoyce Why should we labour that we may rejoyce Why what is our life without joy and what is joy without a good conscience What is our life with out joy without joy we can do nothing we are like an instrument out of tune an instrument out of tune it yiels but harsh musick Without joy we are as a member out of joynt we can do nothing well without joy and a good conscience which is the ground of joy A man without joy is a palsie-member that moves it self unfitly and uncomely he goes not about things as he should A good conscience breeds joy and comfort it inables a man to do all things comely in the sight of God and comfortably to himself it makes him go chearfully through his businesse A good Conscience is a continuall feast without joy we cannot suffer afflictions we cannot die well without it Simeon died comfortably because he died in peace when he had imbraced Christ in his heart and in his armes Without joy and the ground of joy we can neither do nor suffer any thing Therefore in Psalme 51. David when he had lost the peace and comfort of a good conscience he prayes for the free Spirit of God Alas till God had enlarged his heart with the sense of a good conscience in the pardon of his sins and given him the power of his Spirit to lead a better life for the time to come his spirit was not free before he could not praise God with a large spirit he wanted freedom of spirit his conscience was bound his lips were sealed up Open my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise His heart was bound and therefore he prayes to have it inlarged Restore to me thy joy and salvation intimating that we cannot have a free spirit without joy and we cannot have joy without a good conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ in the pardon of our sins If it be so that we cannot do any thing nor suffer any thing as we should that we cannot praise God that we cannot live nor die without joy and the ground of it the testimony of a good conscience let us labour then that conscience may witnesse well unto us Especially considering that an ill conscience it is the worst thing in the world there is no friend so good as a good conscience there is no foe so ill as a bad conscience it makes us either Kings or slaves A man that hath a good conscience that witnesseth well for him it raiseth his heart in a Princely manner above all things in the world a man that hath a bad conscience though he be a Monarch it makes him a slave a bad conscience imbitters all things in the world to him though they be never so comfortable in themselves What is so comfortable as the presence of God What is so comfortable as the light yet a bad conscience that will not be ruled it hates the light and hates the presence of God as we see Adam when he had sinned he fled from God A bad conscience cannot joy in the middest of joy it is like a goutie foot or a goutie toe covered with a velvet shoe alas what doth it ease it what doth glorious apparel ease the diseased body nothing at all the ill is within there the arrow sticks And so in the comforts of the Word if the conscience be bad we that are the messengers of comfort we may apply comfort to you but if there be one within that saith thus it is true but I regarded not the Word before I regarded not the checks of conscience conscience will speak more terrour then we can speak peace And after long and wilful rebellion conscience will admit of no comfort for the most part Regard it therefore in time labour in time that it may witnesse well An ill conscience when it should be most
comforted then it is most terrible at the hour of death we should have most comfort if we had any wisdom when earthly comforts shall be taken from us and at the day of judgment then an ill conscience look where it will it hath matter of terrour If it look up there is the Judge armed with vengeance if it look beneath there is hell ready to swallow it if it look on the one side there is the divell accusing and helping conscience if it look round about there is heaven and earth and all on a fire and within there is a hell where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear at that time O let us labour to have a good conscience and to exercise the reflect power of conscience in this world that is let us examine our selves admonish our selves judge our selves condemn our selves do all in our selves Let us keep court at home first let us keep the assizes there and then we shall have comfort at the great assizes Therefore God out of his love hath put conscience into the soule that we might keep a court at home Let conscience therefore do its worst now let it accuse let it judge and when it hath judged let it smite us and do execution upon us that having judged our selves we may not be condemned with the world If we suffer not conscience to have its full work now it will have it one day a sleepy conscience will not alway sleep if we do not suffer conscience to awake here it will awaken in hell where there is no remedy Therefore give conscience leave to speak what it will perhaps it will tell thee a tale in thine ear which thou wouldest be loath to hear it will pursue thee with terrours like a blood-hound and will not suffer thee to rest therefore as a bankrupt thou art loath to look in thy books because there is nothing but matter of terrour This is but a folly for at the last conscience will do its duty it will awaken either here or in hell Therefore we are to hope the best of them that have their consciences opened here there is hope that they will make their peace with God that they will agree with their adversary while they are in the way If thou suffer conscience to be sleepy and drowsie till it be awaked in hell wo unto thee for then thy estate is determined of it will be a barren repentance Now thy repentance may be fruitful it may force theeto make thy peace with God dost thou think it will alway be thus with thee Thou besottest thy conscience with sensualitie and sayest Go thy way and come another time as he said to St. Paul I will tell thee this peace will prove a tempest in the end Conscience of all things in the world deserves the greatest reverence more then any Monarch in the world for it is above all men it is next unto God and yet what do many men regard the honour 〈◊〉 their friends more then conscience that inward friend that shall accompany them to heaven that will go with them to death and to judgement and make them lift up their heads with joy when other friends cannot help them but must needs leave them in death Now for a man to follow the humours of men to follow the multitude and to stain conscience what a foolish wretch is he though such men think themselves never so wise it is the greatest folly in the world to stain conscience to please any man because conscience is above all men Again those that follow their own humours their own dispositions and are carried away with their own lusts it is a folly and madnesse for the time will come that that which their covetous base lust hath carried them to that shall be taken away as honours riches pleasures which is the fuel of that lust which makes them now neglect conscience all shall be taken away in sicknesse or in the time of despair when conscience shall be awaked Now what folly is it to please thy own lust which thou should'st mortifie and subdue and to displease conscience thy best friend and then when thy lust is fully satisfied all that hath been fuel to it that hath fed it shall be taken away at the hour of death or some special judgement and conscience shall be awaked and shall torment thee for giving liberty to thy base lusts and to thy self And those eyes of thy soul that thy offence delighted to shut up there shall some punishment come either in this life or in that to come that shall open those eyes As Adams eyes were opened after his sin why were they not open before he had such a strong desire to the apple he did not regard them but his punishment afterward opened those eyes which his inordinate desire shut So it shall be with every sinner therefore regard no man in the world more then thy conscience Regard nothing no pleasure no profit more then conscience reverence it more then any thing in the world Happie is that man that carries with him a good conscience that can witnesse that he hath said nor done nothing that may vex or grieve conscience if it be otherwise whatsoever a man gains he loseth in conscience and there is no comparison between those two One crack one flaw in conscience will prove more disadvantagious then the rest will be profitable Thou must cast up the rest again they are sweet bits downward but they shall be gravel in the belly We think when we have gained any thing when we have done any thing we shall hear no more of it as David said to Joab when he set him to make away Uriah Let not this trouble thee So let not this ill gain let not this ill speech or this ill carriage trouble thee thou shalt hear no more of this We take order to stop and silence conscience thinking never to hear more of it oh but remember conscience will have its work and the longer we defer the witnesse and work of conscience the more it will terrifie and accuse us afterward Therefore of all men be they never so great they are most miserable that follow their wills and their lusts most that never have any outward check or inward check of conscience but drown it with sensual pleasures As Charles the 9 th who at night when conscience hath the fittest time to work a man being retired then he would have his singing boyes after he had betreyed them in that horrible Massacre after which he never had peace and quiet And as Saul sent for Davids Harpe when the evil spirit was upon him So wicked men they look for forreign helps but it will not be for the greatest men with their forreign helps are most miserable The reason is because the more they sink in rebellion and sin against conscience the more they sink in terrours it shall be the
them and makes them grow more afterward and recover their former backwardnesse A true Christian is alway on the mending hand An hypocrite growes worse and worse alway till he be uncased altogether and turned into hell These and such like considerations may stirre us up to labour to have a conversation in simplicity and godly sincerity Now how shall we come to carry our selves in sincerity that we may have comfort in all estates That we may carry our selves in sincerity First we must get a change of heart our nature must be changed for by nature a man aimes at himself in all things and not at God A man makes himself his last end he makes something in the world either profits or pleasures c. the term that he looks unto therefore there must be a change of heart a man must be a good man or else he cannot be a sincere man Such as we are such our actions will be therefore we cannot be sincere till we have our hearts changed No man can aim at Gods glory but he that hath felt Gods love in himself therefore as a particular branch of that labour to get assurance of the love of God in Jesus Christ for how can we endeavour to please him unlesse we love him and how can we love him unlesse we be perswaded that he loves us in Christ Therefore let us stablish our hearts more and more in the Evidences of his love to us and then knowing that he loves us we shall love him and labour to please him in all things These are grounds that must be laid before we can be sincere to get assurance of Gods love to us in the pardon of our sins Our conscience must be purged from dead works to serve the living God as the Apostle saith that is we cannot serve God to our comfort till our consciences are sprinkled with the blood of Christ which assures us of the pardon of our sins Therefore saith Zachary We are redeemed that we might serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse before him all the dayes of our life So that unlesse a man be redeemed he cannot serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse before him all the daies of his life that is he cannot serve God in sincerity For who will labour to please his enemy Therefore the Papists maintain hypocrisie when they say we ought not to be perswaded of the love of God for then we ought to be hypocrites for how shall we seek him with the losse of favour and of credit and of life it self if we know not that his favour will stand us in stead if we lose these things for him Again that we may be sincere let us labour to mortifie all our earthly affections to the world for how can we be sincere when we seek for honours and pleasures and riches and not for better things Therefore we must know that there is more good to be had in truth in a down-right Christian profession then in all worldly good whatsoever And if we be hypocrites in our profession there is more ill in that then in any thing in the world This will make us sincere when we can be perswaded that we shall get better things by being sincere in Religion then the world can give us or take away from us For why are men insincere and false-hearted Because they think not Religion to be the true good they think it is better to have riches then to have a good mind these things therefore must be mortified and a man must know that the life of a Christian is incomparably the best life though it be with losse of liberty yea with the losse of life it self Simon Magus grew to false affections in Religion because he thought to have profit by it So the Pharisees they had naughty hearts and therefore they had no good by Religion No man can profit by Religion so long as his heart is naught so long as there is some Idol in his heart A good Christian had rather have a large heart to serve God and rather grow in the Image of God to be like him then to grow in any thing in the world and that makes him sincere out of a good judgment because Christian excellency is the best excellency incomparably For he knowes well what all else will be ere long what will all do good riches honours friends what good will they do in the hour of death There is nothing but grace and the expression of it in the whole conversation that will comfort us therefore he undervalues all things in the world to sincerity and a good conscience Again that we may have our conversation in sincerity let us labour in every thing we do to approve our selves to the eye of God We see the Scripture every where shewes that this hath made Gods Children consciencious in all their courses even when they might have sinned not only securely but with advantage What kept Joseph from committing folly with his Mistresse Shall I do this and sin against God Gen. 39. And so Job in chap 31. he shewes what awed and kept him from ill doing in vers 3. Doth not he see my wayes and account all my steps this was it that kept him in awe So the Church of God Psal. 44. being in great distresse they kept themselves from Idolatry and from the contagion of the times wherein they lived upon what ground you shall see in vers 21. If we had done thus and thus shall not God search it out for he knowes the very secrets of the heart So a Christian being perswaded of the eye of God upon him it makes him sincere The eye of God being Ten thousand times brighter then the Sun he being light it self he made the heart and he knowes all the turnings of the heart The consideration of this will make us sincere in our closets in our very thoughts for they all lie naked and open to his view What is the reason that men practise secret villainy secret wickednesse and give themselves to speculative filthinesse because they are atheists they forget that they are in the eye of God who sees the plots and projects of their hearts and the nets that they have laid for their brethren Therefore David brings them in saying Tush God sees us not And that is the reason they are unconscionable in their desires in their hearts in their secret thoughts It is from a hidden Atheisme For if we did consider that the eye of God sees us in all our intents and actions and sees us in what manner we do all and to what end that he sees every action with the circumstances the aimes and ends if the heart did well ponder this it would prevent a great deal of evil Conscience is the witnesse of our conversation a witnesse that will keep us from offending If there were a witnesse by and that witnesse were a great person a Judge c. it would keep us in our
hearts and wayes and presently to apply the balme of comfort the promise of pardon take the present when we have searched the wound to get pardon and forgivenesse daily as we sin daily Christ bids us ask it daily This will make us fit for comfort by discerning the estate of our souls and the remainders of corruption That which sharpens appetite and makes the balme of God to be sweet indeed is the sence of and the keeping open of our wound a daily search into our wants and weaknesses a daily fresh sight of the body of sin in us and experience how it is fruitful in ill thoughts and desires and actions this will drive us to a necessity of daily comfort And certainly a fresh sight of our corruptions it is never without some fresh comfort We see St. Paul Rom. 7. he sets himself to this work to complain of his indisposition by reason of sin in him and how doth he end that sight and search into his own estate he ends in a triumphing manner Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus After he had complained Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this bodie of death There can be no danger in a deep search into our waies and hearts if this be laid as a ground before that there is more supplie and heavenly comfort in God and the promises of God then there can be ill in our souls then the more ill we find in our selves the more we are disposed to fetch grounds of comfort from God And together with this searching of our souls and asking daily pardon let us for the time to come renew our covenant with God that we may have the comfort of a good conscience to get pardon for our sins past and renew our resolutions for the time to come And withall that we may use an orderly course of comfort let us every day feed on Christ the food of life let us every day feed upon something in Christ consider the death of Christ the satisfaction he hath made by his death his intercession in Heaven his blood runs afresh that we may every day feed on it We may run every day into new offences against the law to new neglect of duty into new crosses let us feed upon Christ he came into the World to save sinners to make us happie with peace of conscience here and with Glorie afterward Let us feed on Christ daily as the bodie is fed with cordialls so this feeds and comforts and strengthens the soul. This is to live by faith to lead our lives by faith to feed on Christ every day And likewise if we will keep our souls in a perpetual temper of comfort let us every day meditate of some prerogatives of Christians that may raise our souls Let us single out some or other As for example that excellent prerogative to be the Sons of God What love saith the Apostle that we of Rebels and Traitors in Christ should be made the sons of God That of slaves we should be made Servants of servants sons of sons heires and of heires fellow-heires with Christ what prerogative is this that God should give his Son to mak us that were Rebels sons heires and fellow heires with Christ And to consider what follows upon this liberty that we have from the curse of the Law to goe to God boldly to go to the throne of Grace through Christ our elder brother by prayer to think of eternall life as our inheritance to think of God above as our Father Let us think of our prerogatives of Religion adoption and justification c. Upon necessity we are driven to it if we consider the grievances of this world together with our corruptions our corruptions and afflictions and temptations and desertions one thing or other will drive us to go out of our selves for comfort to feed on the benefits by Christ. And consider what he hath done it is for us the execution of his office and all for us what he is what he did what he suffered what procured all is for us The soul delighting it self in these prerogatives it will keep the soul in a perpetuall estate of comfort Therefore the Scripture sets forth Christ by all terms that may be comfortable he is the door to let us in He is the way the truth and the life the water and the bread c. In sinne he is our righteousness in death he is our life in our ignorance he is our way in spirituall hunger and thirst he is the bread and water of life he is all in all And if we cannot think of some prerogative of Christianity then think of some promise as I said before think of the Covenant of Grace there is a spring of comfort in that that God in Christ is our God to death and for ever and that promise I speak of that All things shall work for the best Let us every day think of these things and suggest them to our owne souls that our souls may be affected with them and digest them that our souls and they may be one as it were And every day stirre up our hearts to be thankfull a thankfull heart can never want comfort for it cannot be done without some comfort and chearefulness and when God receives any praise and glory he answers it with comfort a thankfull heart is alway comfortable And let us stirre up our hearts to be fruitfull in the holy actions the reward of a fruitfull life is a comfortable life besides Heaven God alway in this life gives a present reward to any good action it is rewarded with peace of conscience Besides it is a good foundation against the evil day every good action as the Apostle sayth to Timothie it layes up a good foundation The more good we do the more we are assured that our faith is not hypocritical but sound and good and will hold out in the time of tryall It will be a good foundation that we have had evidence before that we have a sound and fruitful faith What do wicked men carelesse sinful creatures that go on in a course of prophanenesse and blasphemie c they lay a ground of despaire a ground of discomfort to be swallowed up in the evil day then conscience will be awaked at the last and Satan will be ready to joyn with conscience and conscience will seal all the accusations that Satan layes against them and where is the poor soul then As it is with them so on the contrary the Christian soul that doth good besides the present comfort of a good conscience it layes a good foundation against the time to come for in the worst times it can reason with it self my faith is not fruitlesse I am not an hypocrite though the fruits of it be weak and mixed with corruptions yet there is truth in them this will comfort us when nothing
he intends mischief when he pretends he would be a worshipper of Christ and so Absalom he pretends he had a vow to make when he intends murther a dissimulation pretending good when there is an intention of ill before So there is a dissimulation in the project for the present which comes from this doubling when men carrie things fairly outwardly to those with whom they live and yet notwithstanding have false and treacherous hearts As Judas had all the while he conversed with Christ he covered his ill with good pretexts a care for the poor c. So after when the ill is done what a world of doubling is there to cover ill to extenuate it and excuses and translations This is the simplicitie that reigns among men where there is no strength of grace where there is want of simplicitie there is this dissembling And with dissimulation there is simulation that is when we make our selves sometimes worse then we are when we are better then we seeme to be sometimes that wins on us too then we carrie not our selvee simply For if we were good we would be good every where But a man that useth simulation if he be in evill company he fashioneth himself to the company he speaks that which his Conscience checks him for he carries himself vainly and lightly he holds correspondence with the company So that by dissimulation and simulation there is a fault committed against simplicitie which yields the Testimony of a good conscience It is a base fault this simulation which we think to be a lesser fault then the other which is dissimulation for whom do we serve are we not the sons of God are we not the sons of our heavenly Father the sons of the great King and for us to carrie our selves not to be such as we are in the middest of the wicked world it is a great want of discretion Saint Paul would discover who he was even before the bar David would speak of Gods righteous testimonies even before Princes and not be ashamed And this is that which Christ saith He that is ashamed of me before men of him will I be ashamed before my heavenly Father Let us take heed of dissimulation and simulation which are opposite to this simplicity Again this simplicity is opposite to curiosity and finenesse And thus the Apostle both in his calling and conversation St. Paul conversed in simplicity as a Christian and as an Apostle As an Apostle he was not over-curious in words he reproveth those foolish vain glorious spirits that were so among the Corinthians He delivered the Word plainly and plainnesse is best in handling the Word of God for who will enamell a precious stone we use to enamell that that hath not a native excellencie in it self but that which hath an excellencie from something without True Religion hath this with it alway that it is simple because it hath state enough of its own The whore of Babylon hath need of a gilded cup and pictures and what not to set her out but the true Religion is in Simplicity Christ himself when he was born he was laid in a Cratch he was simple in his carriage and his speeches It was a common speech in ancient time when the Chalices were gold the Priests were wood In Religion finenesse and curiosity carrie suspition of falsehood with them Those that overmuch affect finenesse of speech they are either deceived or will deceive That which is not native and comes not from within it will deceive Some falsehoods carrie a better colour then some truths because men set their wits on work to set some colour upon falsehood alway And here take notice of the duty of Ministers that they should utter divine truth in the native simplicity of it Saint Paul as a Minister delivered the plain Word plainly And as a Christian in our common course of life as we should take heed of doubling so of too much curiosity for too much curiosity in diet or apparell it implies too much care of these things which hinders our care of better things as our Savour Christ saith to Martha Martha thou art troubled about many things The soul is finite and cannot be set about many things at once therefore when there is overmuch curiosity in smaller things it implies little or no care in the main What is morethen for decency of place it argues carelessenesse in the main Therefore the Apostle labouring to take off that he bids women that they should not be decked with Gold and broydered haire c. But to look to the hidden man of the heart And therefore Christ took off Martha from outward things because he knew it could not be without the neglect of better things Seriousness in heavenly things it carries a carelessenesse in other things And a Christian cannot chuse but discover a minde that is not earthly and vain when he is a true believer he regards other things as poore petty things that are not worthy estimation A Christian when he hath fixed his end to be like to God to be simple as God is he still drawes toward his end and therefore he moderates his carriage in all things What is unnecessarie he leaves out his end is to be like God and like Christ with whom he shall live hereafter Now the best things are the most simple as the Heavens the Sun and the stars c. There is diversitie but no contrariety there is diversity in the magnitude of the stars but they are of the same nature so in a Christian there are many Graces but they are not contrary one to another So that a Christian hath his maine care for better things he cares not for the world nor the things thereof and therefore he accounts them in comparison of better things as nothing and that is the reason that he is carelesse and negligent of those things that he did formerly regard as having better things to take up his thoughts We see then that simplicitie as it is opposed to doubling so it is opposed to finenesse and curiosity And usually where there is a finenesse and curiosity there is hypocrisy for it is not for nought when men affect any thing Affectation usually is a strain above nature when a man will do that which he is not disposed to by nature but for some forced end it is hypocrisy So the Corinthian teachers argued the falsenesse of their hearts by the finenesse of their teaching they had another aime then to please God and convert souls Usually affectation to the world is joyned with hypocrisie towards God Again this simplicity is contrary to that corruption in Popery namely equivocation what simplicity is that when they speak one thing and mean another when there is a mentall reservation and such a reservation that if that were set downe that is reserved it were absurd Or else there may be a reservation a man may reserve his meaning A man may not speake
can this be a grief to the Minister and not for the damnation of their soules together And they shall find it a heavy and bitter thing to grieve the Spirit of God in others as well as they wound their own conscience both are joyned together What a happinesse is this that the more a man is interessed in the good of another man the more glory if he be a meanes of any good in him he shall have good and you shall have glory The best things in nature are communicative and diffusive the Sun gives light to the whole world so the best man is most fruitful and communicative he labours to gain all men by his acquaintance He knowes this that he is not for himself he is reedeemed for the honour of Christ And then he knows that anothers good will be my glory it will increase my glory and be the object of my glory On the contrary we see a company of wretched despicable creatures let their outward estate be as glorious as it will but I speak of them as Christian eyes judge and esteem of them that draw others on to the same course with them if they be blasphemers themselves they glory to make others so if they be given to sensuality they labour to make others sottish as themselves if they be given to filthinesse they draw others to communion with themselves Well will these people be much for their rejoycing in the day of the Lord think you what will they do when they think of others such as they have neglected altogether that God gave them charge of The very thought of them instead of making them rejoyce it will make them astonished I betrayed his soul he was my friend or my servant I let him live in such sins Good neglected will torment us hereafter But then ill infused by example and by word I poysoned him suppose I have repented my self but perhaps the person that I have drawn to communion in my sin hath not repented what a torment will this consideration be Good neglected will be matter of torment much more evil infused poyson infused When we shall see at the day of Judgment instead of a company that we have gained to God and been a meanes to further their salvation we shall see a company that we have infected with our ill example and our evil perswasions this will be in hell an increase of torment One will curse another and say You brought me hither The father will curse the sonne To get riches for you I crackt my conscience and lost my soul And the sonne shall curse the father By your riches that you lost me I lived a base and sensual life whereas perhaps I might have trusted to my good endeavours otherwise so here shall be cursing The friend shall curse his friend You might have told me of this you strengthened me in evil courses As it will be our glory when we shall see such and such as God hath used as instruments to do good unto so it will be a torment indeed to think Such and such I neglected and betrayed such and such I corrupted I beseech you therefore take heed of it And would you have matter of joy in this world that should joy you when nothing else will joy you as Saine Paul was in affliction oft what comforted Saint Paul First his own conscience that he was a good Christian an heir of heaven a good Apostle but when he wanted joy what would he do when he had no liberty but was imprisoned when he had nothing then he considered How hath Christ dignified me to do good to others this honouring of him to do this it comforted him more then all his imprisonment and abasement and reproaches could discourage him the conceit that God did use him as an honourable instrument for his honour and service to do good to others So the testimony of our Conscience that God hath used us to do good to others not onely to make me to gain heaven but to be an instrument to gain others this will comfort us in the world come what will This should stirre up those that have to deal with the soules of others not only Ministers but all others that have any committed to them that they should labour to make them good to work upon them for the good of their soules that they may have them as matter and objects of their joy at that day If they do not as I said when they are presented to them as persons whom they have neglected and betrayed negligently for want of instruction and reformation of their lives and as persons whom they have infected with their ill example which is worse alas what matter of horrour will they be They will not say of them as S. Paul saith here You are my joy and my crown and my glory but they will be matter of horrour these be they that I havs betrayed and neglected and infected and brought to hell to this cursed condition with my self It will be an increase of the torments of hell at that day all those whom we have hurt any kind of way But what shall it be then of those that have opposed goodnesse that have not only betrayed others by neglect but have maligned good where they have seen it what will become of them that are so far from making others good that they have despighted the Image of God in others and have exercised their bitternesse upon Christ in his members and Ministers To adde one thing more What! these Corinthians that had so many abuses and such weaknesses were they the matter of S. Paul's joy Yes why therefore people must take heed how they leave Churches that have corruptions in them Schisme oft-times is a greater fault then the fault upon which they pretend separation the things for which they pretend a rent are not so great a fault in the Church as the want of Charity in them to do so If Saint Paul would have taken occasion to leave them what good occasion had he alas how many corruptions had they in doctrine and in manners too but yet notwithstanding as ill as they were he saw what good was in them and looked not to the evil he knew that God would perfect the good things that were in them and saith he notwithstanding all their infirmities I see you were ready to reform when I wrote an Epistle to you therefore I doubt not but you will be our rejoycing In the day of the Lord Jesus This is the time it must be taken inclusively I am your rejoycing and you are mine to the day of the Lord Jesus and in the day of the Lord so he means here It is laid as a ground here That Jesus Christ hath a Day It is his day by way of eminency and excellency Jesus Christ hath many dayes two especially The day of his first coming and the day of his second coming The first coming of Christ was the
even in the hour of death Again in the second place to make an Use of examination I beseech you examine your selves whether you find this stablishing in your hearts or no whether your hearts be thus settled or no by the Spirit of God For beloved it is worth the labour and paines to get this grace and to be assured that you have it stablishing in Christ is most necessary and we stand in need of a great deal of spirituall strength Do we know what times may come If dangerous times come if we be not stablished what will become of us Oh it is a happy estate a Christian that is stablished in the sound knowledge and faith of Christ I beseech you therefore consider of it To give you an evidence or two whereby you may discern whether your hearts be settled and stablished A man hath the grace of stablishing and confirmation when it is upon the Word when God doth stablish him upon the promises And then again by the effect of it A man is stablished by the Spirit of God when his temptations are great and his strength little to resist and yet notwithstanding he prevailes Satan is strong if we prevail against Satans temptations we are stablished God is strong too strong for us if we can break through the clouds when he seems an enemy as Job Though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Here is a prevailing a stablished faith In great afflictions when clouds are between us and God when we have faith that will breake through those clouds and see God through them shining in Christ here is a strong a stablished faith because here is mighty temptations and oppositions The strength is known by the strength of the opposition and the weaknesse of the party In the times of Martyrdome there was fire and fagot and the frownes of cruel persons who were the persons that suffered Children women old men sometimes all weak Children a weak age women a weak sex old men a withered melancholy dry age fearfull of constitution But when the Spirit of God was so strong in young ones in weak women in old withered men as to enable them to endure the torment of fire to enable them to endure threatnings and whatsoever as we see Heb. 11. here was a mighty work in weak men A man may know here is stablishing grace because except there were somewhat above nature where were a man in such a case Then a man may know especially that there is stablishing grace when he sees somewhat above nature prevailing over the temptation and confirming the weak nature of man that is the best evidence we have of Gods stablishing grace sometimes them that are stronger at some times are weaker at other times but as I said before that is to teach them that they have their strength from God Again if your hearts be soundly bottomed and founded and grounded on Christ and the promises of God in him then you will be freed at least from all victory and thraldome to base fears and to base cares and base sorrowes and base passions A man that hath no settled being on Christ he is tossed up and down with every passion he is full of fears and cares for the world which distract the soul upon every occasion full of unseasonable and needlesse sorrowes and griefs which vex and perplex the soul continually Oh how he fears for the time to come what shall become of me if such a thing happen how shall I be able to live in such a time c If he were settled upon God in Christ that he were his Father if he were stablished upon the promises of God in Christ I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Feare not little flock it is the Fathers will to give you the Kingdome and Why do you feare O you of little Faith and He that provides for the birds of the Aire for the Sparrowes for the Lillies of the field for the poorest creature will he not much more for you If I say we were thus stablished upon Christ and the promises there would be no disquietnesse those feares and griefs that usually perplex and inthrall the minds of men but where there are these distracting cares and vexing sorrowes and needlesse feares it argues a heart unsettled though perhaps there may be some faith notwithstanding Let us often examin our selves in this particular how it is with us when such thoughts arise what if trouble should come what if change and alteration should come He that hath truly settled his heart will say If they do come I am fixed I know whom I have believed I know I am a member of Christ an Heir of Heaven that God is reconciled to me in his Son I know God hath taken me out of the condition I was in by nature and hath advanced me to a better condition then I can have in the world and when the world shall be turned upside down I know when all things fail I shall stand He that his heart can answer him thus is firm A good man saith the Psalmist Psal. 1 12. 7. shall not be afraid of evill tydings why his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord and again in Verse 8. his heart is stablished therefore he shall not be afraid If our hearts be established then we shall not be afraid of evill tydings nor afraid of wars nor of troubles nor of losse of friends nor of losse of favours or the like A righteous man is afraid of no evill he that hath his heart stablished in Christ and that hath peace of Conscience wrought by the Spirit of God in the promises his heart is fixed in all alterations and changes he hath somewhat that is unchangeable even when he ceaseth to be in this world he hath a perpetual eternall being in Christ if he die he goes to Heaven he hath his being there where he enjoyes a more near communion with Christ then he can have in this world So that all is on the bettering hand to him that is stablished in Christ for it is not an act of one day to be stablished in Christ God doth it more and more till death and then comes a perfect consummation of this stablishing we shall be for ever with the Lord saith the Apostle A man then that is stablished in Christ he is fixed he is built on a rock come what can come he is not afraid Alas others that are not so they are as wicked Ahaz in Esay 7. he was boisterous out of trouble but in trouble he was as fearfull his heart shook as the leaves of the forrest as the leaves of the forrest when the wind comes they are shaken because they are not seemely knit to the tree because they have no stability All those whose hearts are not firmly settled in the knowledge of Christ and the excellent prerogatives that come by him when troubles come they are as the leaves of the Forrest or as you