thoughts There cannot be a thought hid from thee saith Job of God Iob 42.2 And he knowes all our words and deeds all things are naked before him with whom we have to doe And man also by a gift from God knowes together with God his thoughts words and deeds and compares them by the rule together with God and then beares witnesse with or against himselfe to God and this gift we therefore call con-science Here note this That conscience beares witnesse with or against a man no farther then his waies agree or disagree with the word of God There can be no bribing of conscience to speak better or worse of any man to God then his waies deserve Conscience beares witnesse against a man when having compared the waies of man by the word of God he findes them to disagree from it But here possibly some of you may say Doth any mans conscience beare witnesse against himselfe against his owne land-Lord in whose house he dwels To this I answer yes The Apostle confirmes this where he saith If our hearts condemne us God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things 1 Iohn 3.20 If our hearts condemne us c. Conscience will give testimony and sentence against the very wombe that beares him if wicked and so far-forth as he knowes it to be wicked Conscience cannot now give an exact testimony nor an exact sentence against a sinner because the understanding holds not up unto it an exact light We know but in part though God know all things and knowing but in part conscience yet can doe his office but in part but what he does is faithfull and righteous according to the light which the understanding holds up unto him But hereafter when we shal all appeare before the judgement seate of Christ Christ will by his Almighty power set up a glorious light in every mans understanding so that they shall know all things done in the body whether good or evill as completely as Christ himselfe and then conscience will speake as plaine and as broad as Christ himselfe and hence 't is that men shall stand silent before the Judge of all the world The testimony which conscience gives against a man now is very audible so audible that it causeth the merriest heart in the midst of laughter to be sadde It will make the stoutest sinner stoop his heart to ake and shake within him and his countenance to gather blacknesse But at the great day it will make every sinner in Belshazzars case worse when he saw the hand-writing in the wall It will make sinners at their wits end to wish for mountaines to fall upon them and cover them or dispatch them utterly Conscience beares witnesse with a man when having compared his waies by the rule he findes that they agree therewith So audible and so sensible is the testimony that conscience gives now with a man that it makes him to rejoyce in the midst of all outward troubles and hardships For our rejoycing is this saith Paul and Timothy in the midst of all their outward troubles the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and goâ—ly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conveâ—sation in the World Conscience spake so loud and so plain and so comfortable in giving testimony with them concerning their integrity that they understood well what he said and were more comforted by this still testimony within then if hundreds without had given testimony with them to their adversaries and said they were upright men But much more audible and comfortable will the testimony of conscience with a man be at the great day but I let that alone till then At presert I hope you see enough by this description of conscience to confirme the truth in hand to wit That conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of a mans conversation Now the reasons why God hath given unto conscience this power are these First That man might have some thing within him to comfort or terrifie him when all things without faile Secondly That Gods proceedings with man may be by man confessed to be just Lastly That God at the great day may dispatch a great deale of weighty businesse speedily First God hath given this power to conscience to give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie or mans conversation That so man might have something within him to comfort or terrifie him when all things without him faile If a man walke sincerely conscience will be a comfort to him when father mother husband wife wealth and all friends faile him And this comfort will be a continuall feast in famine continuall honour in disgrace continuall wealth in poverty continuall liberty in bonds continuall peace in warre continuall health in sicknesse continuall ease under every burthen This was meate to eate to Paul and Timothy which the world knew not of Nay this was transcendent consolation in the midst of troubles to Paul and Timothy which the beleeving Corinthians dreamt not of and therefore 't is that they thus wrote to them Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that we have sincerely ordered our conversation in the world As if they had said thus Though we have lost many comforts yet we have not lost all we have something within us which is a continuall comfort to us in the midst of all the sorrowes and miseries which we meet withall and that is the peace of a good conscience And if man walk not sincerely conscience is by divine appointment to be an accuser condemner and in part an executioner of torture upon the delinquent in this life This worme shall gnaw within when things are carryed smooth without This dog shall bite and teare within when all are afraid to barke without This blood-hound shall dogge the sinner let him goe with Cain into the Land of Nod into what place he will or to what imployment he will so that proud man shall feele something within for his wickednesse when he feeles nothing without Secondly God hath given this power to conscience to give testimony concerning the simplicity or unsoundnes of mans conversation That so all Gods proceedings with man both here and hereafter may be confessed to be just One witnesse said God shall not testifie against any person to cause him to die Deut. 35.30 Two witnesses God accounted sufficient to vindicate every act of justice amongst men but under two God would not allow judicature against any man that so judgement might be cleare the Judge confessed to be righteous and the malefactour silent God the great Judge of all the world keeps himselfe to this rule in his proceedings of judicature against man Two witnesses will God have against every malefactour to wit Christ and conscience God doth immediately see all things done by man and is a witnesse himselfe to all that he commits in the body as we may guesse by his owne words Because they have committed
which had beene such strength and power to him as to make his way perfect that is sincere and so capable of deliverance from his insulting enemies God is my strength and power and he maketh my way perfect David would not appropriate the praise of his upright and innocent conversation to himselfe as if he by his own wisdome strength and goodnesse had made his way perfect and upright he had through experience of the rottennesse of his owne heart and his aptnesse to declare it if God had not beene a speciall strength and aide unto him in his conversation and therefore doth he so humbly and imitably say God is my strength and power and he maketh my way perfect 2 Sam. 22.33 he inabled me so to walke as to be capable of the accomplishment of his promises of defence against and victory over ungodly men and no wisedome strength or goodnesse of his owne Thus let us humbly doe when we feele our hearts leape within us as rejoyced by the secret testimony of conscience concerning the integrity of our carriage in this or that matter of weight and triall that we were put upon Thou wast my wisedome strength and power O God to guide and enable me to walke uprightly in such and such hazardous matters my heart is deceitfull and full of base feare and if thou hadst not stood up as a mighty God in my weake spirit I had beene over-borne with fleshly feares and selfe-respects to the wounding of my integrity and thy Gospell and glory blessed be thy name that didst enable me to looke over all by ends to thy glory and to acquit my selfe at the time of triall answerable to my upright purpose and resolution 't is of thee to will and to doe good and unto thee I give all the glory This is the good way to have God stand by us still and so mightily to guide us in all our waies that we shall keepe faith and a good conscience to our grave and so consequently our joy which is the life of our lives This was upright Iobs sweet carriage as we may guesse by his language Though I were perfect yet would I not know my soule I would despise my life If I were for holinesse as just men made perfect in glory yet whilst a soule so holy is in a body so diseased I could not take any pleasure in my life Thus to interpret these words is to give us a hint and more that Job was extreamely overgone with impatience under Gods hand which is the worst that can be said upon this place I thinke there may be hinted this unto us if the other be the maine scope that Job saw all the integrity and uprightnesse he had or possibly could be had was from God and that he had no reason to boast and magnifie himselfe what ever his endowments were Lastly if you finde by comfortable experience the truth of my doctrine your sincerity causeth joy and rejoycing in our soules then hang upon God for perseverance in a sincere way that your joy may abide and still more and more increase as the light of the Sunne unto the perfect day You have tasted of the sweetnesse of a sincere way and therefore you should zelously follow God to keepe you on in it as long as breath is in your nostrils that you may never loose your grapes your first-fruits of the holy Land your taste of heaven untill you come to the full fruition of it 'T was Davids prayer often and let it be yours though he were sincere that God would make his heart sound in his statutes There is much rottennesse in the best heart and this will breake forth in a mans life to the dishonour of God and the wounding of his conscience and robbing of his joy if he be not still with David hanging upon God by prayer for more and more uprightnesse and for further and further cleansing of an unsound heart Things that are apt to bend and become crooked we are every foote rectifying and straightning them and labouring to strengthen them so that they may abide straight and so be still fit for use and service You know to what to apply this if I should not tell you to the heart of man Flattery or violence will turne you aside from your sincere walking if you doe not humbly seeke God still with David to make your heart sound in his statutes and to be still with you to uphold your steps in his paths You will ship wracke conscience and all the peace and joy you have by it quickely as Peter did if you grow confident of your owne strength and doe not feare alwaies and depend upon your God for ability to doe every thing uprightly And therefore leane not to your owne understanding as Salomon said to his sonne nor to any parts else you have to steere your conversation if you would maintaine the integrity and uprightnesse of it but renounce all in your selves and begge God to make you runne and not be weary and to deliver you from backsliding in heart and life to make you faithfull to the death and to give you at last the crowne of life This counsell that you may carefully follow thinke on these two or three things The peace and joy of a good conscience is better then the greatest preferment in the world and the losse of it is worse then the losse of thy life in the cruel'st way that man can invent Thou wilt loose a little heaven and create within thy heart a little hell which will last till the marrow of thy bones be consumed and thy moisture turned into the drought of sommer in the day that thou turnest aside from thy sincere course and setst conscience against thee The joy of an acquitting conscience is unspeakable and full of glory and so the sorrow of an accusing condemning conscience is unspeakable and full of terrour 'T is sorrow unspeakeable strong What God said to the woman after she had turned aside from the upright way of the Lord that may I say of all the seed of the woman when once they turn aside from their upright conversation Vnto the woman God said I will greatly multiply thy sorrow Gen. 3.16 Sorrow multiplied is to have sorrow upon sorrow as Paul useth the expression to the Philippians Phil. 2.27 As in child-bearing there is pang upon pang and these returnes of pangs grow still stronger and stronger till the wombe be discharged of her burthen so say I to you in the day that you turne aside from upright walking God will greatly multiply your sorrow you shall have sorrow upon sorrow pang upon pang by an accusing conscience and these pangs shall still be stronger and stronger till you have humbled your soules throughly for your halting and got your consciences sprinkled with the blood of Christ The sorrowes which God distributeth to his when they turne aside from sincere walking they are sorrowes fetcht from hell and those sorrowes of all
them such taskes of doing or suffering that shall stretch every veine in their bodies and convince all beholders yea the divell and all his children that they are sincere and make them confesse with Saul that they are more righteous then themselves As there be some starres which by divine institution are invisible to us others visible to declare the glory of God and to be of use for man So those stars which God hath placed in the lesser world to wit the soule of man some of them God would have to be as it were invisible to the world God would have a Christian modestly humbly to conceale as much as may be many gifts but others againe God would they should declare them as much as may be to his glory and the good of others as love and sincerity that they may sparkle in the eyes of all the world as glorious beames of the divine Image Now man being too backward to this worke voluntarily God makes and fits occasions and times for the very purpose that shall sitt a man throughly and sound his heart to the bottome and turn-his inside outward and so declare his sincerity or hypocrisie to all the world As God knowes who are his so he will have the divell and his children to know also who are his that they may walke as selfe-condemned wretches as Saul did for persecuting of them Now to effect this this is the thing God does viz he makes bitter pills for his children to swallow heavie burthens for his children to beare such as no unsound heart would touch with one of his fingers he heates Furnaces seven times hotter then ordinary and throwes his children into them one thing or other God so orders that shall put his people to it to see what mettle they be made of that shall anatomise every string in their hearts so that the Divell and all his children to their conviction and torment shall read sincerity written in their hearts with capitall letters 2 The second reason why God in the course of his providence brings about speciall occasions for the declaration of sincerity is that his owne glory may thereby be greatly advanced Speciall cures they winne a name to a Physitian more then the ordinary cures of seven yeeres practice likewise speciall victories win their prime agents more honour then all the ordinary warfare of their whole life So God by carrying his people through speciall occasions of triall magnifies the glory of his power wisedome and love more then a thousand ordinary passages of his providence towards them What a name for power God wonne to himselfe in the heart of Daniel and the three children for enabling them with such courage to stop the mouthes of Lyons and to quench the violence of fire to expose themselves to the mercy of Lyons and fire rather then to wrong their consciences This doubtlesse made them more to sing of the power and goodnesse of the Lord then all the passages of his providence towards them in the whole course of their lives before Some skilfull Physitians will make their men swallow this or that strong poison that they may shew their skill before multitudes in curing of them to winne them a name So God he puts his people to great plunges oft times that he may winne them a name for ever in their hearts and in the hearts of all beholders for wisedome power and mercy in carrying them sweetly thorough all without making shipwracke of faith and a good conscience This know that 't is Gods great worke in this world to advance his owne Name and to make it great to the ends of the earth now amongst the many notable waies he hath to magnifie his Name this is one and not the meanest to wit to put his people upon speciall occasions of the triall of their sincerity and by these such an art hath God to advance his owne honour that he winnes a world of hearts to himselfe at once that will be so many living Trumpets to sound forth the praise of his greatnesse and goodnesse from generation to generation Thirdly God by his providence brings about speciall occasions for the tryall of sincerity to adde to the torture of the divell and his children Great trials of the godly put the divell and his children in hope of their utter ruine When Haman had prevailed so farre as to get a bloody decree against the Jewes he then joyed exceedingly as one that promised himselfe their utter ruine now God stepping in betweene and on a sudden turning this triall of Mordecai's to his advantage and to Hamans disadvantage to his honour and Hamans disgrace no man can tell nor hardly conceive how this added to Hamans torture God hath admirable waies to make wicked men gnash their teeth before they come to Hell and amongst the many admirable waies which God hath for this end this is not one of the meanest to put the wicked into a kind of hope of having their will upon the godly by giving the godly in part for trials sake into their hands and then on a sudden snatching them farther out of their power then ever they were before and making them engins of the downfall of the wicked This hath made many a proud malicious wretch hang himselfe stabbe himselfe poison himselfe to wish himselfe any where so he were but out of the sight and talke of them that feare God Lastly God in the course of his providence brings about speciall occasions for the triall and discovery of sincerity that so the joy of the upright may be augmented in this life and in the life to come Speciall trials of sincerity sincerely gone through they procure joy unspeakable and full of glory in this life and they worke about joy unconceivable and full of glory in the life to come There is joy in this life for the godly and joy unspeakable and full of glory So there is a reward in Heaven for the godly and a great reward as Christ useth the epithete Math. 5.12 Now unspeakable joy God gives to them that undergoe unspeakable trials of their integrity he gives full flaggons of consolation to such as have beene soarely shot at as the expression is used concerning Ioseph Gen. 49.23 yet have kept faithfull to their God So the great reward in heaven is kept for them that undergoe great trials on earth and yet hold fast their integrity As Princes have their waies to advance men to great honour honourably to wit by putting them upon some notable hard and difficult service and if they acquit themselves well and faithfully in it then to conferre great honour upon them not otherwise So the King of Kings he hath his honourable waies to advance meane Christians to great spirituall dignities here and hereafter and amongst many others this is one namely to put them upon speciall trials and difficult taskes and services that shall put every nerve and sinew to it and discharging themselves well and
like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure saith the Apostle A thousand wiles hath the Divell to corrupt our simplicity and he is more laborious about this then about any designe against the soule of man The divell is not so laborious to make a breach upon a mans faith or patience or the like as upon a mans sincerity because he knowes that every breach made upon this is a stab to the heart which wil kill the soule for ever if God do not admirably cure it If labour will accomplish this designe the divell will not neglect that he goes about seeking whom he may devoure If terrours and affrightments will accomplish this designe the Divell will roare like a Lyon against a mans soule as if he would teare him to pieces and suddenly throw him into that bottomelesse pit without all redemption If flattery will be more prevalent then terrour to bring about this designe the divell will transforme himselfe into an Angell of light and promise us all the Kingdomes of the World to winde us about to him 2 And as the divell is laborious about this designe so he hath many Apostate children such as have lost that good that they seemed to have and these as their father being more like their father then any of all his children beside labour tooth and naile not onely passively by example but actively by promises and threatnings especially in these last daies to turne aside soules from simplicity in doctrine and manners and by their divellish craft have turned away many so that many have made shipwracke of faith and a good conscience and are gone in the way of Balaam the sonne of Bosor that arch hypocrit studying and labouring to mischieve Gods people for preferments and honours in the world speaking lies in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with an hot iron And therefore 't is but needfull and seasonable that I exhort you to looke to your spirits and take heed of these bitter rootes that ye be not defiled by them Remember what God saith by the Prophet Ezekiel When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse which he hath done and committeth iniquity all the righteousnesse which he hath done shall not be mentioned but in his trespasse which he hath trespassed and in his sinne which he hath sinned in that shall he die Ezek. 18.24 And if once you wax weary of well doing and decline sincere walking all thy former integrity shall not so much as once be mentioned to thy comfort but to thy terrour often shall it be by way of upbraiding mentioned to thy conscience here and to the aggravation of thy condemnation hereafter as one that hast tasted of the powers of the world to come of the sweetnesse of the spirit of grace and yet after this hast grieved opposed and done despight against it Having therefore put your hand to the plough looke not backe having begun in the spirit doe not end in the flesh having begun to order your conversation sincerely and uprightly so continue unto the death what ever you undergoe in life All afflictions for righteousnesse sake shall be tollerable comfortable and at last augment your crowne They shall be tollerable when at height for no triall shall be above your strength God is faithfull by whom you are tempted who will with the temptation shew a way to escape 2 They shall not onely be tollerable but they shall be also comfortable when at the very height For as the afflictions of Christ abound in you so shall your consolations abound by Christ as the Apostle saith The prereception of bitters makes sweets the sweeter 3 Finally they shall be profitable to augment your crowne of glory in the life to come Blessed are ye when persecuted for righteousnesse sake for great shall be your reward in heaven saith Christ And this reward shall come quickly which addes to the worth and excellency of it Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me wherefore hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne Revel 3.11 FINIS 2 COR. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards THâ—… second proposition now in order to be handled is this That conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of a mans conversation Pauls conscience gave testimony with him that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had behaved himselfe in preaching and living in life and doctrine as a faithfull Minister of Christ ought to doe So likewise his conscience bore witnesse with him concerning his sincere and holy desires towards his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience also bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe were accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.1 Iobs conscience also gave testimony concerning his integrity Let me be weighed in an even ballance that God may know mine integrity By this and many such like expressions of his 't is most plaine that his conscience could give testimony concerning his conversation what it was whether good or bad Davids conscience did the like Thou O Lord shalt judge the people judge me O Lord according to my righteousnesse according to mine integrity that is in me Psal 7.8 A large induction of particulars to this purpose might easily be made but I rather take another way to confirme this point The truth of this point I conceive will be better confirmed and opened by setting before you what conscience is and then you will plainely see what conscience can doe and doth doe in the soule of man Conscience is better felt then defined for ought that I can yet finde among the learned Conscience is a part of the understanding in all reasonable creatures determining of their particular actions either with them or against them say some Conscience is a reflection of the soule upon it selfe say others Conscience say I is a naturall power which the soule of man hath above all unreasonable creatures to compare his waies by some rule and according as his waies agree or disagree with that rule so answerably to beare witnesse with or against him First conscience say I is a naturall power c. My meaning is conscience is an ability wherewith God indowed the soule of man by creation as with other gifts and abilities for his comfort it he walked well for his terrour if he walked ill We may not imagine that conscience came not into the world untill after Adams fall this were to suppose Adam in Paradise to be a man without conscience Conscience indeed as an accuser and condemner came not into the world untill after Adams fall but conscience as
an accuser acquiter and comforter was in Adam before his fall As long as Adam obeyed the commandement of God there was no cause that conscience should accuse him but as soone as he disobeyed Gods commandement conscience flew in his face as appeares by his flying from the face of God Which plainely shewes us this truth that conscience was in Adam before his fall but did not begin to accuse ' til Adam began to sin Secondly conscience say I is a naturall power which the joule of man hath c. Now whether this power be in the understanding onely or partly in the understanding and partly in the will I finde controverted amongst the learned My opinion I here humbly lay downe but I undertake not to state and determine the controversie This power we speak of I conceive to be a reflect act of the practicke understanding onely transcendently seconded by the power of the holy Ghost Saint Iohn confirmes the first that it is a reflect act of the practicke understanding onely where speaking of this power in the soule saith And hereby we doe know that we know him if we keepe his Commandements 1 Iohn 2.3 That is as if Iohn had said We doe view our waies by the word of God which is an act onely of the understanding and finding them to be in some measure levell with that holy rule we have this comfortable reflection backe upon our soules that our faith is not a fancy but a faith which worketh by love and so sincere and saving which reflection is no other as I conceive but an act of the understanding collecting a divine conclusion from divine premises He that keepeth Gods Commandements knoweth God savingly that he may safely conclude but I doe keepe the Commandements of God this I know for I have viewed the Commandements of God and my life by them and therefore I know that is I am assured that I truely and savingly know God which is no other but that power in the soule which we call conscience The Apostle Saint Paul I conceive confirmes the second that it is a reflect act of the understanding transcendently seconded by the holy Ghost where he saith My conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost Rom. 9.1 That is my conscience transcendantly seconded and assisted by the holy Ghost doth strongly testifie to my soule that I am full of bowels towards my kinsmen after the flesh and could doe any thing or suffer any thing for their good The order according to which the holy Ghost strikes in with conscience is this The understanding makes a double proposition one grounded in the word of God the other in the heart of man as thus He that keepeth the Commandements of God truely loves God this proposition is grounded in the word of God but I doe keepe the Commandements of God this is grounded in the heart of man And then drawes a conclusion from both therefore I doe truely love God This conclusion whilst holy and drawne from divine premises to wit the word of God and the grace of God in the heart of man the Spirit of God strikes in with the soule in making this conclusion and assists the weake soule so that he concludes thus with strong confidence that he truely loves God and not onely secretly assistes but seconds and saies the same thing to man that his owne spirit doth Then is fulfilled that of the Apostle the Spirit beares witnesse with our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God If the premisses be corrupt which the understanding makes for the minde makes propositions suitable to the light that is in it from which to argue the goodnesse or badnesse of man then the Divell that lying spirit strikes in and seconds the soule in that corrupt conclusion which he collects from corrupt principles concerning himselfe So that now the deluded soule is peremptory and wiser then ten men that give a reason in these is fulfilled that of the Apostle Their minds and consciences being defiled Thirdly I affirme conscience to be a naturall power which the soule of man hath above all unreasonable creatures c. Bruite beasts have no conscience and yet they better serve God in their kind then many of us which have conscience Bruit beasts want reason and therefore are not capable subjects of conscience and yet against reason and against conscience man ofttimes does worse then a beast Fourthly conscience say I is a naturall power which the soule of man hath above all unreasonable creatures to compare his waies by some rule and according as his waies agree or disagree with that rule so answerably to bear witnesse with or against him By the former part of this description is shewed unto us what conscience is according to its being in the soule It is a naturall power c. By the latter part of this description is shewed unto us what conscience is according to its office in the soule The office of conscience according to the description here given consists in two things First conscience compares a mans waies by some rule Secondly Conscience beares witnesse with or against a man according as a mans waies agree or disagree with that rule First say I conscience compares a mans waies by some rule If the understanding be enlightened with the truth to wit the word of God then conscience compares the waies of man by a perfect rule to wit the word of God But if the understanding be inlightned with naturall and morall principles onely then conscience compares a mans waies according to these principles only and so by an imperfect rule For 't is my judgment with submission to better that conscience in every man followes that light which the understanding holds up unto it This I know that a man may and often doth goe against conscience but conscience goes not against that light which the understanding holds up unto it A man may outwardly say this or that contrary to the light of his understanding but conscience inwardly speakes at the same time according to that light I will further cleare this unto you by an apt example Paul you know zealously persecuted the Church of God and his conscience for ought that I can finde never checkt him but doubtlesse rather acquitted him for it I meane as long as he remained unconverted And the reason I thinke is sufficiently rendred where 't is said that he did it ignorantly That is according to that light which his understanding held up unto him he thought he did God good service in sheading the blood of his Saints which me thinkes makes manifest what I say that conscience still followes the light of the understanding The Apostle Paul persecuted the Church of God and yet obtained mercie because saith the text he did it ignorantly hee did out of conscience as I may say shead the blood of the Saints But now the most men have received the knowledge of the truth therefore if now men persecute the Saints of
testimony of conscience with them at the great day of account That in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Under the old covenant God had a Tabernacle of witnesse which was the inner Court where the Arke was in which the Law was to give testimony against the Israelites when they did evill So God hath now under the new covenant a Tabernacle of witnesse and this is the inner Court to wit the heart where conscience is to give testimony against us when we transgresse And therefore let us set a watch upon our hearts and tongues and hands and intreat God with David to hold up our goings in his pathes that our foot-steps slip not Psal 17.5 I note this because I see multitudes live as if there were neither conscience nor God nor Divell Heaven nor Hell The speech of the Prophet of old may I sitly here make use of Men were then so audaciously wicked that the very shew of their countenance did testifie against them they declared their sinnes as Sodome and hid them not Woe unto their soule saith God they have rewarded evill unto themselves Isa 3.9 Thus may I say of multitudes amongst us now The very shew of their countenance doth testifie against them The wanton eye the fiery eye the drousie walling eye the burly Malmsey nose the painted face Anticke postures gestures and fashions doe all as Iobs wrinkles in his face testifie against thousands that they little lay to heart this doctrine That conscience can speake and tell all their doings to God Proud Hamans time-serving Doegs drunken Nabals whorish Iesabels scoffing Ishmaels declare their sinnes as Sodome and hide them not and as for conscience turne him off with a glasse of Sacke and a Play-house But let me say to these wretches with the Prophet Woe unto their soules for they have rewarded evill unto themselves You have made a long blacke bloody bill for conscience to open against you the last day of this Terme to wit at death which shall be tried the first day of the next Terme to wit as soone as you are out of the body and then will conscience give testimony so strongly against you that if you would give ten thousand Rivers of Oyle nay if you would give the fruit of your bodie for the sinne of your soule it shall doe no good the cause shall goe against you and sentence shall be past upon you and then shall you know by woefull experience the meaning of that place Rom. 2.5 But after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Wherefore three things I would give in counsell to you all seeing conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of mans waies suspend him not sleight not his language but give diligent attention to what he saith Let us not stop the mouth of conscience seeing he can speake and tell us what we are Many there are that labour to stop the mouth of conscience when he tels them plainely of their sinnes and to destroy that divine power which conscience hath to speake in them and to them The Apostle Peter gives us a hint of these where he saith Scoffers shall come in the last time and shall say where is the promise of his comming For this saith he they are willingly ignorant of that by the world of God the Heaveni were of old 2 Pet. 3.5 When conscience told those scoffers that would live in their sinnes and scoffed at the day of judgement saying where is the promise of his comming that God made the world by his word and drowned it quickly by his Word when it was overspread with wilfull wickednesse and therefore you have like cause to looke for like swift misery for as much as you are so wilfully and desperately wicked This sharpe and plaine language of conscience they could not indure and therefore willingly laboured to darken this divine light and to silence this faithfull House-Chaplaine Thus 't is with many sinners now Conscience now and then delivers stinging language to their soules for such and such sinnes and then they set to lift this faithfull Monitor out of his place and because they cannot possibly doe this being so immediately inducted by God they strive to gagge his mouth and kill him by running wilfully into wickednesse against all checkes and reproofes of conscience and friends as men desperately resigning up their soules to the divell because God will not humour and satisfie them in their owne waies and so ship wracke faith conscience soule and all for ever That which oft-times followes upon this is selfe-stabbing selfe-drowning selfe-hanging selfe-poysoning and the like This is crying wickednesse and incurable wickednesse 'T is crying wickednesse to strive to gagge and kill conscience 'T is Dei-cidium to murder God Conscience is no other but Gods Vicegerent in the soule or rather Gods judiciary presence in the soule So farre forth therefore as a man wilfully doth injury to this he doth commit high treason against the King of Heaven 'T is to stab the Judge of all the world as he sits upon the Bench speaking Law and Justice which very nature abhorres as desperatly divellish And 't is incurable wickednesse for 't is to destroy the first medium of conversion by which the holy Ghost workes in man to gagge and kill conscience The first thing that the Spirit of God doth when he come to convert a sinner is to convince his conscience and to make that sting him for his sinnes and then stirre him up to long after and to seeke for Christ and then gives faith in Christ and so saves the sinner Now he that strives to silence conscience undermines his owne salvation in the very foundation and first stone thereof He doth wilfully and wickedly prevent his owne soule of all the good that God doth in this way to bring sinners home to himselfe Thou doest little consider O desperate wretch what great wickednesse thou committest that strivest to gagge and kill conscience Thou committest double murther in a spirituall sense which is murther of the highest kind thou doest murther God and thine owne soule And therefore I beseech you all to take heed of this practice Seeing God hath given conscience ability and parts to speake let him speake freely though he speake never so sharply and plainely and doe not check him 2 Nay doe not sleight him which is the next thing I would a little presse upon you A man that can speake and speake to good purpose though he be an enemy we so farre honour him as to let him speake out fully what he hath to say and not turn away the eare from him give but this honour to conscience Many deale with conscience as Felix did with Paul he willingly heard Paul a while concerning the faith of Christ but when he came to reason of righteousnesse temperance and judgement to come
the troubles they underwent For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world I think the Psalmist points at this truth too where he saith Vnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse c. Psal 112.4 By the darknesse I conceive he meanes troubles and injuries from wicked men which because they are more vehement then many other troubles are the mercies of the wicked being cruelties the Psalmist else-where calls them the sorrows of hell as here he calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the darknesse now in this darknesse though the darknesse that is very sharpe misery yet there ariseth light in it by light I conceive is here meant comfort and joy from conscience giving testimony concerning their uprightnesse as attended with the spirit of glory and of God as Peter calls the holy Spirit of consolation If you conceive not this Scripture plaine enough to consent with my Text read Davids language in the seventh Psal 10,11 My defence is of God which saveth the upright in heart God judgeth the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day As if David had said This is my comfort in the midst of all the troubles and feares I am in that my conscience tells me my conversation in the world hath beene lead according to the dictate of an upright heart no way injurious to these sonnes of Belial which labour to be every way injurious to me and therefore I am sure that God which is alwaies a defence unto the upright will be a defence unto me God considers the waies of the upright and smiles upon their soules to their great consolation when the world frownes this I sinde by experience but rotten wretches God is continually angry with and this he will first or last I am sure make them to know with a witnesse Salomon likewise consents to this as a truth to wit That the testimony of conscience concerning the simplicity of mans conversation will yeeld him joy in the midst of troubles as we may collect from his language Prov. 15.23 A man hath joy saith he by the answer of his mouth When a man upon every occasion speakes sincerely conscience within cheares and comforts a man whatsoever followes upon plaine dealing to the outward man 'T is me thinkes as if Salomon had said Let a man speake sincerely upon all occasions and he shall be sure to finde his conscience comfort him in the midst of all troubles that may follow upon it Troubles are either naturall or accidentall Naturall troubles I call such as man is borne unto by reason of sin By the fall of Adam man is horne to troubles as the sparkes slie upward Iob 5.7 to troubles in body in soule in husband in wife in children in servants in kindred in friends in substance in all things that are given man for his good To the just as well as unjust come troubles in all these onely here is the difference consciousnesse of simplicity and sincerity sweetens all those to the godly whereas the wicked must swallow them in their full bitternesse That conscience which tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath had his conversation in the world will also tell him that all troubles in the flesh shall worke together for the good of his Spirit and that God will give strength to beare them and a seasonable deliverance out of them and this sweetens these bitters That conscience which tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath ordered his conversation in the world will tell him also that 't is a wise and gracious Father that doth thus and thus afflict him yea conscience now and then shewes the soule the bright beames of Gods smiling countenance that he may see that 't is indeed a reconciled father which doth afflict and this like Jonathans honey revives much and fetches life in swooning fits under great troubles That conscience which told Iob that he was sincere told him also in the midst of all his troubles that his Redeemer lived and he should see him with his fleshly eyes moreover it told him that when God had tryed him that she should come forth as gold This sugared his bitter potion and sweetned every bitter drugge he took The like may be said of David his conscience told him that he was upright and this conscience told him also that God was his God Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God and I will exalt thee Psal 118.28 and that God would light his candle and enlighten his darknesse * Ps 18.28 that is turne all his sorrowes into joy and his troubles into advantages and this made every burthen easie Thus we see that consciousnesse to our selves of the simplicity of our course yeelds comfort in all troubles for sinnes sake which I call naturall troubles Troubles caused by religion and religious walking which I call accidentall troubles because by accident not of its proper nature religion exasperates wicked men against us these I conceive my text principally points at and as for all these though the fiercest kind of troubles and therefore called by David the sorrowes of hell yet if a Christian hath but the voice of conscience with him that he hath walked simply sincerely in the world this will keepe his head above water though these waves be never so tempestuous this will make a man sing in a dungeon at midnight as Paul and Silas did this will make a man smile in fiery flames as many of the Martyrs did this will make a man alwaies rejoyce in the midst of all sorrowes as sorrowfull yet alwaies rejoycing 2 Cor. 6.10 Sorrowfull alwaies were the Apostles of Christ such hard usage they alwaies met withall from the world for the Gospels sake and yet in the midst of all joyfull because of that sweet peace which their consciences spoke unto them that they were not such as the world judged them to be but were simple and sincere in life and doctrine and so this Scripture sounds the same in sense and substance with my text For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world You have seene now in what troubles the testimony of conscience concerning a mans simplicity will rejoyce a Christian I will in the next place shew you what rejocying 'tis that the testimony of conscience will yeeld a man in trouble Joy is either sensuall or spirituall Sensuall joy is a meere and naked joy in the creature so farre as it pleaseth the senses Of this joy speakes Solomon where he saith that he with-held his heart from no joy Eccl. 2.10 That is any thing that might delight any sense he got to him he had men singers and women singers and all the delights of the sonnes
field shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cut off from the folds and there be no herd in the stalles yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation saith the Prophet Hab. 3.17,18 Habakkuk will rise in judgement against a thousand thousand soules which would never judge God worthy to be lookt after muchlesse delighted in if he had not Corne and Wine Heaven and Earth to bestow upon his favorits This text I conceive is a plaine testimony that God alone is the object of divine joy that is not God as very wealthy and very bountifull but as very holy and an absolute compleat being above all things beside him This was Pauls joy to wit in God alone as he whom his conscience told him he served sincerely though weakely Upright men eye the divine rule in their rejoycing as well as in all other things Now the divine rule of joy is that it should be bounded and terminated in God Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous Psal 97.12 This rule is repeated againe and againe in Scripture to note how apt we are to rejoyce in creatures and sinnes which are worse then any creatures and not in God as also to note how strictly God lookes at this that we should make him onely the object of our joy and all other good things as beames of this Sunne as blessings from his hand and so consequently to rejoyce still as long as we have communion with God and our consciences witnessing with us that we sincerely serve him though we have nothing else in the world beside him as Paul and Timothy did For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. Thirdly divine joy is called spirituall because all the manifestations of it are spirituall They that have this joy in their hearts do not let their tongues sing ribaldry and vanity such as flesh and blood delights in but they sing in the waies of the Lord Psal 138.5 That is they rejoyce in divine things to be thinking and speaking of and walking in the waies of the Lord. 'T was Pauls and Timothies matter of joy that they could walke sincerely in the waies of the Lord and this they humbly gloried in Such as have the joy of the Lord in their hearts their tongues speake and sing in such a manner that God is extolled and magnified according to one attribute or another which is making melody to God as the Apostle termes it As here in my text the Apostles so expressed divine joy that the power and goodnesse of the Lord were magnified that he could and would give internall comfort to those that did sincerely though weakely serve him when all externall comforts failed Divine joy doth not as carnall joy transport men into drunkards whore-masters wantons libertines and so turne them out of the waies of the Lord but raises their spirits to a higher pitch of love to God and so makes them walke more strictly and chearfully in the waies of God Divine joy makes a man rejoyce and worke righteousnesse and not rejoyce and worke wickednesse Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse Isa 64.5 Paul Timothy thus rejoyced that they could worke righteousnesse that they could order their conversation sincerely though by many handled injuriously For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God wee have had our conversation in the world c. 2 Divine joy is the soules rejoycing in God as reconciled in Christ Divine joy as man upon earth is the subject of it hath God in Christ for its object that is God as reconciled in Christ for otherwise God is an enemy and no man rejoyceth in an enemy And not onely so but we also rejoyce in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement Rom. 5.11 We cannot joy immediately in God as Adam could because of our sinne in Adam which made God angry with us we must now have some to interpose betweene God and us in whom is made up what is wanting in us and so Gods anger against us appeased and therefore 't is that the Apostle thus speakes in the person of the godly we joy in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement This is sweetly set forth also unto us under metaphoricall termes by the Prophet Isaiah I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soule shall be joyfull in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse as a Bride-groome decketh himselfe with ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her selfe with Jewels Isa 61.10 God as cloathing us with the garments of salvation and as covering us with a robe of righteousnesse is the object of joy to fallen man and thus we know he doth in Christ God freely reveales an infinite love to man in Christ and this begets love to him and joy in him He washed away all our sinnes in Christs blood covers all our wants with Christs righteousnesse subjects his Sonne to suffer what we had deserved and to merit for us all that from which we were justly excluded to wit communion with God and eternall life This love God sheads abroad in the heart of man and this makes man love God and joy in him God out of Christ is no other but a condemner of man conscience so apprehending God is no other but a tormentour of man and man betweene both these is in no other but Hell and there is no joy in Hell God in Christ reconciles man to himselfe and then God joyes in man and man in God The blood of Christ makes peace betweene God and man and betweene man and his conscience and makes God acquit and conscience acquit God to speake peace though man be not perfect conscience to speake peace though man walke weakely yet whilst sincerely and this makes divine ioy in the heart in the midst of all troubles naturall or accidentall For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. You have had a briefe hint now by what hath beene said what that joy is which the testimony of conscience brings to the soule to wit a conciliatory joy as I may fitly call it A joy of peace and friendship betweene God and man and betweene man and himselfe to wit conscience Conscience tels that man which walkes sincerely that he for his part is at peace with him and that God is the like though men and divels be at variance with him and that he shall have favours spirituall and temporall here and eternally hereafter say and
Wormwood fretted his guts but did not strangle and end him conscience forc'd him every day and every night to drinke a new draught that kept his Spirit in continuall torture and yet he could not get his soule out of this body nor have it consumed in The terrours that conscience kindles they are so terrible that they will make a man wish for death nay inflict death upon himselfe and all to put an end unto them and yet all will not doe because these tortures fasten upon the Spirit but destroy not the Spirit Finall the sorrowes of hell they are such as are not in the least measure pittied by God Though the damned in hell be tormented with sulfurous flames which is a very fierce fire and though they cry and roare howle and yell shrich and gnash the teeth continually and all this in the hearing of God continually which would stirre nay turne the bowels of any man to heare but a moment yet it stirres not God a jot though he hath heard these dolorous cries so many hundred yeares to give them the least good word or good looke So that sorrow which conscience raises in the soule upon the breach of sincerity God seemes not to pitty in the least measure for a long time Though the spirit of man be rackt tortured and affrighted even unto distraction yet God will not so much as afford a good looke to the soule Though he pray and fast and consume himselfe with fasting yet not any beame of light and love that the revolting soule shall see in the countenance of God to take hold on and to comfort himselfe by Hence 't is that the Psalmist complains of God and his mercy as cleane gone Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more is his mercy cleane gone for ever doth his promise faile for evermore Psal 77.7,8 Nay many times God serves back-sliding Christians as he served the Israelites of old to wit increases their sorrow when they are in earnest suit for release and comfort so farre he is from pittying of them and as Ioseph carried himselfe to his brethren instead of pittying them in their want he spake affrightingly to them and told them that they were spies and so put them in feare of the losse of their lives Just thus for a time doth God usually carry himselfe to revolting Christians he is so farre from pittying them notwithstanding all their prayers that he calls them dogges and speakes roughly to them and puts them in feare of the losse of their best lives and seemes resolved to proceed against them as his enemies begge and cry as long as they will Job points at this where he saith Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thin-enemy Iob 13.24 And is not this hell indeed to be in soule misery and to have no compassion from God To be pittied and condoled by a mans friend though he be not able to helpe him we take it as a great mercy and moderation of misery Iob would so have accounted it But when such as we take for friends doe not onely forbeare to pitty but set themselves against us in our misery and adde to our afflictions this makes misery unspeakeably miserable and a lively Embleme of Hell indeed But I goe no further this way Secondly as the sorrow which conscience causeth upon the breach of sincerity is unspeakeable strong no other in a manner but the torments of hell so 't is oft times unspeakable sudden As the Wind raises hideous stormes and tempests at Sea on a sudden that endangers the drowning of all So conscience when once the soule hath turned aside to crooked waies oft times of a sudden raises hideous storms and tempests in the soule which addes exceedingly to the torture Horrour and terrour breaking forth suddenly affrights more by farre then if it came with warning The fire that conscience kindles in the soule is like the setting a fire of Gun-powder very sudden as 't is very fierce After once a breach is made upon sincerity conscience laies traines of wild-fire and blowes up all a mans joy on an instant and sets on fire the soule and then lets in legions of such spirits whose dwelling is onely in fire to keep Garrison against all promises of good to this soule and then the soule becomes like Tashur feare round about the face of God terrible the face of friends terrible the thought of sicknesse death and the thought of death hell and the thought of hell as at the doore and unavoidable As the Arrowes which God will shoot against the enemies of his Church shall goe forth as lightening Zech. 9.14 so the Arrowes which God shootes by conscience against such as turne aside to evill waies they goe forth oft-times as lightâ—ings very sudden very swift Sometimes when a sinner like Belshazzar is in the very act of sinne conscience writes downe a mans doome in his heart and in such legible letters that the sinner cannot choose but read and tremble When a sinner is taking pleasure in unrighteousnesse of a sudden conscience breaks forth into thundring and lightning in the soule and the sinner is as one descending quicke into hell And immediately while he yet spake the Cocke crew and the Lord look'd backe upon Peter saith the text Luke 22.60 On a sudden while Peter was in the very act of denying a cocke crew within to wit conscience that made Peters spirit die within him Once and twise Peter denied Christ and Christ did not awaken conscience and set him at him to pull him by the throat but the third time immediately while he yet spake conscience like a Lyon ranne upon his soule and made him beleeve that hee would be a tormentour to him as he is to the damned before the time Sometime conscience may let a man alone after he is turned aside from sincere walking but if the soule still goe on of a sudden conscience will break forth into thundering and lightning so fiercely as he did in Peters soule on whom if Christ had not look'd backe Peter would have gone neere to have served himselfe as Iudas after he had betrayed his Master To conclude all This I am sure O sincere soule that as conscience will make thee know to thy comfort that 't is a sweet thing faithfully and sincerely to serve God so conscience will make thee know to thy griefe that it is an evill and a bitter thing to turne away from the good way of the Lord. Having therefore now set good and evill before thee make a wise choyce Chuse rather to undergoe any thing that man or divell can invent that thou maist still enjoy the peace and joy of a good conscience then to have the greatest honour this world will afford and shipwracke sincerity and so lie liable to the lash of an evill conscience FINIS 2 COR. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not
doe all his enemies what they can and this makes the heart of man leape within him in the midst of troubles as the babe in Elizabeths wombe when she heard the salutation of Mary Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Having shewed you in what troubles the testimony of conscience will give joy and what joy 't is that conscience causeth in the soule I will in the next place shew you the ground of the point why the testimony of conscience concerning a mans simplicity must needs cause joy in the midst of troubles This testimony of conscience is attended with a glorious power as the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the glorious power of him saith the originall that is of the holy Ghost which makes the testimony so strong and so transcendently comfortable that troubles and sorrows for sincerity sake though never so great cannot possibly over-beare the heart Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse 1 Col. 11. There is a glorious power attending the testimony of conscience extended to upright soules in times of great troubles for uprightnesse sake which strengthens them with all might so that all burdens cannot depresse them unto all patience and long suffering so that they will never be weary and out of breath with bearing and to doe all this with joyfulnesse so that no outward hardship can utterly exhaust joy out of their spirits Now the testimony of conscience concerning our simplicity and sincerity being attended with this glorious power in times of trouble as Peter saith 't is the spirit of glory and of God rests upon such it must needs keepe up the dolorous spirit of man and make him rejoyce in the greatest troubles Paul and Timothy doubtlesse found this glorious power attending the testimony of their conscience strengthning them with all might unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse which made them thus to say For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Secondly the testimony of conscience concerning mans simplicity and sincerity must needs rejoyce a man in the midst of all troubles because conscience now minds a man that he walkes in the midst of all enemies and troubles just as Christ did There was no guile found in Christs mouth though he was put to it againe and againe Whatever he underwent from his Father from the divell and his children yet still he walked sincerely and faultered not in the least kind for the greatest advantage though he was proffered all the kingdomes in the world to doe it Now when conscience tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath had his conversation in the world it doth at once tell him that he hath walked in this world just as Christ did As he was so art thou in this world O my soule which cannot but rejoyce the heart in the midst of the sharpest afflictions for Christs sake Thy Saviour O my soule though God yet was called a divell nay Beelzebub the prince of divels though temperate yet called a drunkard and Wine-bibber and companion to Publicans and Harlots though a man without guile yet called a deceiver though innocent yet scoffed imprisoned condemned and executed as a malefactour 'T is just thus with thee O my soule thou art studious to walke uprightly and yet censured for an hypocrit thou labourest to be better then any and yet the world judges thee to be worse then any thou labourest more for humility and love then for all the wealth in the World and yet the World judges thee to be fuller of pride and malice then any man thou dost not blow a Trumpet when thou givest almes but hidest from thy left hand what thy right hand doth and therefore the world thinks that thy religion towards God is without mercy towards man thou thinkest no evill to others but labourest to doe good to all and yet all almost thinke evill or speake evill or doe evill against thee In this O my soule thou art not alone 't was the condition of thy Saviour therefore mourne not O my soule but rejoyce according to the divine rule that thou art made like him Thus the testimony of conscience concerning a mans sincerity brings in matter of comfort and joy to the soule of man in the midst of troubles and makes it smile when under heavy burthens of cruelty Lastly it must needs be that the testimony of conscience concerning the simplicity of a mans conversation should minister joy in the midst of troubles because such plainely see their interest in the divine word of consolation Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Psal 32.11 Conscience now tels me that I am upright in heart and that in simplicity and uprightnesse I have had my conversation in the world and so consequently that joy here as well as hereafter belongs to me Out of this reasoning betweene conscience and the divine word of consolation joy will breake forth in the soule first or last lade an upright man with what burthens you will Rejoyce all ye that are upright in heart saith God thou art upright in heart saith conscience to a sincere soule and conscience will not stay here but will presse upon the soule to apply his owne mercies why then dost not thou rejoyce Dost thou thinke it a small matter to disobey a command of God This pressing language of conscience will make a sincere soule strive hard and pray hard to reioyce in afflictions for Christs sake according to the divine rule which prayer God will heare and bring the upright foule at last to say in the midst of troubles with these champions in my text For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Having given you the point and the grounds of it a word or two I would speake by way of application to you that are unsound and then a word more to you that are sincere and so conclude this point This doctrine may in the first place serve to unfold a riddle to you that are unsound Possibly you may wonder to see a man goe reioycing to prison and to fire and fagot especially when censured by learned men for such and such a malefactour you it may be thinke of such a man as he of Paul that he is mad and merry without cause as bedlams are or else that he laughs from the teeth outward as he that would put a good face upon an ill matter No
no doe not iudge so uncharitably it may be this man hath meat to eate which ye know not of It may be he hath his conscience testifying within that he hath walked in all uprightnesse and is not such a one as the world hath censured him to be and this makes him reioyce in the midst of all troubles 'T was wonderfull to Nebuchadnezzar to see the three children walke in the fiery furnace as if they had been walking in his stately walkes because he was not aware that they haâ—… such a divine comfortable companion as they had So 't is wonderfull to blind worldlings to see men so chearfull in suffering for trifles in religion as they call them and the reason is because they know not that divine comforter conscience which is continually within them unto them a feast This is to walke sincerely to be tender to obey all Gods will and this conscience tels the soule in the midst of all the troubles he undergoes from men of corrupt minds and large consciences and this language of conscience being attended with the glorious power of the holy Ghost as a comforter this soule cannot but reioyce though bleeding upon a Pillory groaning upon a Racke dying upon a Crosse and condemned by wise men for a foole in standing out in such small matters Secondly as this doctrine tells you blinde soules the reason why some are so chearfull under great troubles for small things so it tels you that are a little more growne in hypocrisie and wickednesse that your designe against the godly is frustrate The maine designe of the divell and his children in all the troubles he puts them to is to deprive them of all ioy and comfort to make their being upon earth hell which is a place without all consolation Now this they can never doe for as much as they cannot deprive them of the peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost which goe hand in hand in an upright heart True it is if all the ioy of the godly did consist in outward things as wicked mens ioy doth then possibly they might serve the godly as God will one day serve them to wit utterly strip them of all consolation but the least part of an upright mans ioy consists in externall things his prime ioy is within from conscience and the holy Ghost which keepe company alwaies with it and these two all the wicked men upon earth nor all the Divels in Hell cannot suspend muchlesse silence from speaking comfort to an upright heart Conscience will still say this within that he which so walkes as before mentioned is upright when men and divels without say that he is an hypocrit a dissembler and not worthy to live And the Holy Ghost will still second this language of conscience by speaking over the same againe in such glorious expressions and with such sweetned words will the spirit of God beare witnesse with the spirit of man that doe what you will to this man he will still notwithstanding all rejoyce Cast him into prison nay cast him into a dungeon a dirty dungeon as Jeremies was nay cast him into a fiery Furnace into a fiery Furnace heat seven times-hotter then ordinary Give his backe to the smiters and his cheeks to them that plucke off the haire as the Prophet speakes Isa 50.6 doe what you will to him yet you will never deprive him of his joy As long as breath is in his nostrils conscience will comfort him and when this is gone by thy cruelty he will be in fulnesse of joy and in the fuller by how much the more cruelty thou hast inflicted on him The joy of conscience is proportioned to what we suffer for conscience as the afflictions of Christ abound in us so shall our joyes both here and hereafter And therefore doe not breake your sleepe and your braines to plot mischiefe against the upright for they will have more joy in suffering cruelty then you can have in inflicting it You doe but lessen your owne joy to encrease theirs The more terrible you are unto them the more shall the testimony of conscience be attended with a glorious Spirit of consolation which will make them rejoyce and be exceeding glad under all that you can inflict and this will exceedingly vex you Thirdly this doctrine will acquaint you with this truth That if consciousnes of sincerity will lessen and sweeten troubles by giving joy to the upright in the midst of them consciousnesse of hypocrisie and unsoundnesse must needs imbitter all troubles and make them more pressing and piercing upon you that are halters and time-servers this was that which Iobs friends drove at in all their discourses with him to bring him to sorrow doubly and trebly for as much as all his outward miseries were attended as they conceived with inward rottennesse intimating and that truly that it must be so and will be so with all hypocrits when conscience is once throughly awakened to tell them of their unsoundnesse under afflictions What a terrible sting will this be to a man in poverty when his conscience shall tell him Thou hast shuffled and shifted basely to get wealth and yet by all thy unjust waies thou canst skarce keepe a cue above a begger This blunt language of conscience will be such an addition of sorrow to poverty as will exceed the pressure of poverty when at greatest What a sting will this be to a man in disgrace when his conscience shall tell him Thou hast beene a time-server one that hast studied to humour and please men more then God that thou mightest get honour and keepe honour in the world and yet for all thy dog-like fauning and flattering thou stinkest in the nostrils of all and art cast unto the dung-hill as unsavory salt What a sting will this be to a man in sicknesse and death when his conscience shall tell him that he hath beene but an out-side Christian all the daies of his life a man zealous about humane inventions and bodily exercises to give God the outside and carelesse to worship God in spirit and truth this close language of conscience will paine a man more then any sicknesse or death can doe This was that which stung Balaam worse then death that his conscience told him he had beene but an hypocrit all his life This made Judas hang himselfe after he had sold his master for money for as much as his conscience told him then strongly that he had beene but an hypocriticall follower of Christ from the first to the last And thus would every rotten wretch doe or worse in every little trouble if God should not admirably step in and restraine and hinder so terrible is the sting of conscience when it testifies against a man and such deepe additions of griefe it bringeth to the soule in every calamity Sharpe arrowes and coales of Iuniper conscience shooteth and kindleth in the soule of man in every trouble when it testifieth against him as the