〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I do not speak this with my mouth and my conscience gives me the lye but Conscience speaks the same thing and joint with me in the testimony 2 Cor. 12. This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the World but more especially to you-ward c. Conscience brings his carriage towards them to the rule and judges of it to agree and to be consonant thereunto and therefore gives testimony within him and into this Court the spirit of God commonly comes to assist conscience to pronounce the sentence For conscience is defiled and so over-awed and bribed and blinded by lust that it cannot many times pronounce a right sentence till the Spirit of God comes into the Court and acts Conscience and causeth it to judge aright of his estate and and wayes also and therefore Rom. 9.1 My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost doth witness with Conscience and Conscience in the power of the Spirit does witness to the man so in a wicked man it is a Spirit of bondage that is does cause Conscience to witness bondage which else by reason of the self love and self flattery that is in the man it will never do and in a godly man it witnesseth grace and adoption which of it self it can never do and therefore the spirit is a witness in Heaven and in earth also even in a renewed Conscience the spirit does 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We come now to give the reasons or the grounds of the point which will be best done by answering these Questions First As inordinate love unto a mans self has been the great cause of all a mans sins 2 Tim. 3.2 So it is self loathing that is the cause of all a mans Torment a man shall be a burden to himself Job 7.20 A terror to himself Jer. 20 4. As by self love they have corrupted themselves so by self loathing they shall torment themselves for ever and so the Lord will take the same way in punishing that they have taken in sinning That the sin that a man hath here taken most pleasure in shal hereafter be to him the matter of his his greatest torment as we see it here immediately as soon as God does awaken the Conscience there is no sin so dreadful to a man as his darling and he fears nothing like that which he has most loved and desired so it will be hereafter in a mans punishment also as nothing was so loved admired and deifi'd as himself so there shall be nothing that he shall loath and abhor like himself for ever and answerable to a mans self love so will his self loathing be for Revel 8.8 so much pleasure so much torment No sin wil will pierce Herods heart like to his rodias And there is no sin that a man spares more here than his darling and there is none will be more cruel to them hereafter and as a worm feed upon their hearts and eat up their inward man for ever and so it is in it self also as there is nothing they have loved more and spared more here they have wholly been cruel unto others but unto themselves sparing they shall not be so hereafter but above all others they shall be cruel to themselves for ever Quest 2d Secondly Seeing God will torment a man by himself why is the main of a mans torment in his Conscience above all other faculties It is true that as every faculty hath been filled with the fruits of all unrighteousness so every faculty shall be a Vessel filled with wrath but above all others why the Worm in the Conscience Answ First Because it is the spirit of the man and that wherein his main strengh lyes Prov. 18.14 Secondly Because it is the tenderest part of the soul it 's resembled to the eye Matth. 7.3 And therefore most sensible it is capable of more torment than any other of the faculties and powers of the soul what soever Thirdly There the Lord will inflict the punishment where the sin mainly is now of all the faculties of the soul there is none so defiled as the Conscience Tit. 1.15 For the guilt of all the sins of the whole soul is there Jer. 17.1 Heb. 9.4 There are the Treasures of sin therefore there wil the Lord power out the Treasures of wrath c. Quest 3. Thirdly But if the Lord will torment the Conscience why doth not the torment rest there But he will make that the instrument to torment the whole man Why shall that do it rather than the wil or affections c. But the torment of the whole soul must come in by the Conscience this is the Flood gate or as I may call it the Funnel of wrath Answ First Because God has given unto Conscience he greatest honour in the soul and has exalted it above all other powers and abilities of the soul whatsoever The main of the Image of God was stampt upon it at first if we judge by the renewing of it for the great effect of redemption is there Heb. 9.14 And of renovation also Ephes 4 23. It is called the Spirit of the mind 1 Thes 5.23 The Spirit Pro. 18.14 It is to be referred ad illam partem que nobilissima est Calv And therefore the main work of Sanctification lies in the Conscience a pure Conscience Now the Image of God in Sanctification is renewed therefore where this Image is most renewed there it was most planted for we are renewed according to the Image of him that created us And the main thing that God respeâ—â—s in all Ordinances Heb. 9 8. is to make the man perfect according to his Conscience and that is Conscientiam puram pacatam râ—ddere to pacifie it and purifie it this is the perfection of the Conscience and the perfection of the Conscience is the perfection of the man Now that which was the great glory of the soul that shall be the shame of it God will turn a mans glory into shame and that which should have been his perfection that shall become his torment for ever Secondly Conscience has the greatest Office and power and authority in the soul it is Gods Vicegerent every man is as it were a petty Kingdome and as God has set Princes upon earth in their several Kingdomes so he has in the man also and he has committed unto Conscience the whole Law of God and the whole duty of man and Conscience is that in joyns it upon all the faculties and that sees it executed Rom. 13 5. You must be subject that is not only ratione externae coactionis but internae obligationis Conscience is subject unto none but God but the whole soul is put in subjection unto the Conscienceâ— and let men the greatest upon earth command yet if Coscience gives it non plaeet it is no law in the man it shall never be obeyed Dan.
3.17 be it known unto thee O King we will not serve thy gods c. Acts 1.20 We cannot but speak a necessity is laid upon me I must preach c. Jer. 20 9. The Word was in him as fire he could not forbear it is the impulse of Conscience that was the cause there is a double necessity Externa interna c. Now according unto this order and subordination of the faculties so shall the torment be Conscience is subject to none but God therefore the spirit of bondage shall come into the Conscience and trouble that and this shall torment the whole man and as God does usually set up Governours and they become Instruments of wrath over the kingdoms where they dwell if they be good they are a special blessing they are the breath of our Nostrils the stay of our Tribes the Chariots and Horsemen but if they be wicked they ruine the kingdom Psal 75.3 Saul had even destroyed the Nation they are ravening Lyons and evening Wolves Zeph. 3.3 So it is in the government of the inward man if the Conscience be good it s the greatest blessing and if evil the greatest curse for as none has the Power the Authority and the Opportunity to undo a people like those that have the Rule over them so it is with the Conscience there is nothing hath that Authority and Oppertunity to undo a man like it because it is alwayes with him where soever he goes and therefore 〈◊〉 Mala domestica Austine compare an evil Wife and an evil Conscience because they are both intolerablâ— burdensome evils a continual droping none have the Opertunity 〈◊〉 Torment like these Thirdly Conscience here has 〈◊〉 great hand in corrupting the whoâ— man and therefore it is no wondeâ— if hereafter it should have the greâ— hand in Tormenting him First Here Conscience is blinâ— and does not shew a man what is 〈◊〉 Duty and so many men Sin igâ—rantly for want of an inlightneâ— Conscience when the eye of 〈◊〉 man is darkned Math. 6. Hoâ— great is that darkness Secondly Conscience is dead a spirit of slumber is upon it that though it know things to be evil yet it stirs not against them or if it does it is but faintly but a good Conscience exerciseth Authority over the whole man and smites him when ever he does evil as 1 Sam. 24.17 Thirdly it is erroneous and carries men unto evil violently under a pretence of good a zeal not according to knowledg Joh. 16.2 For zeal persecuting the Church Tantus eram Saulus â—hat he thought him worthy of eternal death that descented from the Authority of his Religion in any thing it is from a deceived heart an erroneous Conscience Fourthly Conscience will be bribed by Lust takes in carnal reason and corrupt principles and will be satisfied in them Rom 1. imprisons truths in unrighteousness 1 Tim. 4.2 And it is insensible of any thing and it is just with God that that Officer in the man that had the great hand in corrupting should also have the great hand in tormenting the whole man Quest 4. Fourthly Why is not Conscience a Worm here as well as hereafter in Hell First Because Conscience cannot work of it self unless the Spirit of God awaken it c. Secondly Here is the working time of Conscience its suffering time shall be hereafter Here Conscience has great workes to do and great talents to imploy Heb. 13.18 The charge of the whole Life lies upon the Conscience and the Lord haâ— here a great house 2 Tim. 2.20 Understand it of the World or of the Church yet he has in it Vessek of Honour and some to Dishonour Now Why does God suspend the torment of the Devils It is because Christ has much work for them to do and they would have no pleasure in Sin if their Torments were fuller so it is with wicked men also and therefore the Lord has appointed a working time for Conscience to perform its viatory office and he has a pointed a suffering time for Conscience allo and he will not Torment them before that time Thirdly Hereby the Lord does exalt his own patience and long suffering so much the more for Sin being an infinite evil and a man that is but dust to provoke God to his Face and to do it the rather because God forbears them and sin the more because God forbears them and because of his patience because sentence is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set to do evil now that God should bear with much patience and long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction and that the Lord should not stretch forth his own hand against them but that he should also suspend the working of their one Consciences and should not let loose the reins upon them which would bring them down in the midst of their galantry as Belshazer Felix Judas c. And that God should keep a hand upon their Consciences and withhold their own thoughts from flying upon them it does wonderfully set forth the patience of God The Lord knows how to reserve the wicked to the day of wrath Fourthly Many things here which stop the mouth of Conscience shall hereafter be removed and then Conscience will speak The Worm of Conscience is to the Soul as they say the disease of the Wolf is to the Body If it be fed with something from without will eat the less inwardly but take away all supplies from without and it destroys inwardly as all the good things of this Life will be gone and then the Soul turns in upon it self and will be its own Tormentor foâ— ever Rev. 20.12 And I saw thâ— dead small and great stand before God and the Books were openedâ— and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the Deaâ— were judged out of those things whicâ— were written in the Books according to their works It is an allusion to the day of judgment That 's granted by all The books opened are First the book of the Law and Gospel Secondly of Gods Omnisciency Thirdly of his Decre Fourthly the book of Conscience All those ancient Records that lay hid as Colours in the dark Rom. 2.15.16 or as something that is written with the juice of a Lemon you may read it when you bring it to the fire but not till then But we will now set forth those Tormenting acts of Conscience hereafter which shall be as the gnawings of this never dying worm but before we come to speak unto them perticularly it 's necessary that these four things be premised First That after this Life the Spirit of God shall come into the Conscience of a wicked man as a spirit of bondage fully for ever Conscience is but a subordinate power and acts allways with reference to a higher Law as a rule and a higher power as a Judge it is Regnum sub graviore Regno And therefore it never works by it self
alone but it doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.14.15 Rom 1. as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hence it is that the same thing hath such different effects upon the spirits of men There were many in the company of Belshazar when the hand-wrighting apeared Dan. 5.5.6 and yet none that we read of was affected with it but the King and it was not the hand-wrighting that troubled him but at the same time the spirit of God did come into his Conscience and his own thoughts troubled him stir'd up and acted his Conscience and they sudenly terrisie him as the word doth here signify And â—rov 18.14 We reaâ— of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sad anâ— troubled broaken and tender spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And who has power over the spirits of a man It is subject unto none but God and the spirit of God and therefore none is able to wound the spirit of a man no more then they can command it without the spirit of God come in with it Therefore one man is moved by a threatning and another man is not one man is pricked in his heart and the other feels it not It is as tâ—e spirit of God doth come into the Conscience of men Now as there is a twofold Covenant so there is a twofold Spirit That is in respect of the double effect that the spirit of God works upon the spirits of men for every man hath the spirit of God working in him answerable to the Covenant under which he stands Christ having the administration of both Covenants the Covenant of grace and the Covenant of works and the spirit of Christ being the Prorex of Christ in the administration of all things in his kingdom the spirit that accompanies the first Covenant and works in all that are under it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.15 2 Tim. 1.7 But the spirit that acompanies the Covenant of grace and works in all those whose Covenant is changed is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.45 2 Cor. 3.17 And the liberty or the bondage of a mans spirit lies mainly in his Conscience The spirit of God coming in to a mans Conscience gives him boldness and a manuduction into the presence of God the boldness of a man that has a spirit of adoption Job 2 it makes him lift up his face in the presence of God and the spirit coming into a mans heart as a spirit of Bondage it casts upon a man chains of darkness Jude 6. Heb. 2.15 Now As here in this life the spirit of God as a spirit of Sonship and Adoption comes into the soul but by degrees and we do but receive the first fruits Rom. 8.23 The earnest Ephes 9.4 All is but as a spark to the Fire a drop to the Ocean and the spirit of God works and withdraws it self and the man is diserted so now the coming of the spirit of God into the Conscience is but a pledge and the first fruits of wrath which now a man receives but in the first fruits in a weak measure and with much intermission We have our well and our ill dayes c. And men have their deversions notwithstanding the pangs of their Consciences Caine can build Cities to drown the cry of Conscience but hereafter as the spirit of God in Heaven shall be perfectly a spirit of Adoption so in Hell it shall be perfectly a spirit of Bondage and Fear and that without intermission or interception for ever Secondly After this Life Conscience shall be perfectly inlightned and perfectly awakened There are two great evils that hinder the working of Conscience in this Life First A blindness and that both sinful and penal Luk 19.11 They would not know the things of their peace in the day of their peace therefore they were now hid from their eyes and so men go hoodwinckt to Hell and fall into distruction ere they apprehend their danger Mal. 3.8 Will a man rob God c. And they say wherein have we rob'd thee Isa 26.11 The hand of the Lord is lifted up but they will not see and Isa 5.20 They call evil good and good evil put darkness for light and light for darkness and they Math. 6.7 Did think they had prayed well when they babled much for they did expect to be heard for it and so there is a great deal of blindness that does sease upon men Judicially Rom. 11.7 Secondly There is also a spirit of stumber Isa 29.10 The word in the Hebrew is the same that is used of Adam when God took out a rib from him Gen. 2.21 Let God threaten judgment and terrour out of his word and the man awakes not but is in a deep sleep still But there are some spiritual Judgments that are also eternal a man being forsaken of God and God leaving him to the willful wickedness of his own spirit But there are some that are but temporal and only for the time of this Life God gives men over to Atheism and the Fool says there is no God But though there are Atheists here there are no Atheists in Hell God gives men over to blindness here that they will not see that sin is so great an evil and the wrath of God is so dreadful as it is But they shall see and the blindness of their minds shall be done away and they shall be awakned and the spirit of slumber removed and Conscience shall never sleep again Thirdly All the faculties of the soul shall be inlarged here they are streightned by sin and are of a narrow capacity and it is little either joy or sorrow that they are capable of also Conscience renewed is capable of a little Grace there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a measure a pitch to which they come and that is but little before they be translated to Glory it is but a taste that the Lord is gracious it is but the first fruits of the spirit but after this life all the faculties shall be inlarged that they shall be made vessels prepared for Glory So wicked men Cain and Judas they are capable of a little wrath here as a man cannot see God and live he is not capable of the glory of Heaven so neither is a man capable of the torments of Hell and live a child is capable of more wrath in Hell then the wickedest man that ever was whilest he lived here therefore they shall be vessels fitted for destruction c. And hence it is that men cannot call to mind the offers of grace and opertunities neglected rejected motions the duties omited the sins commited Sermons heard the truths that were offered to be disposed the several checks of a mans own Conscience and the several admonitions of friends reproaches of enemies c. A man cannot conceive how it should be but then our faculties shall be inlarged and we shall put off our houses of Clay by which the soul is streightened and it shall be conversant
the whole man body and soul for to keep one member or to please one pleasant gainfull darling Lust In the torments of hell there are two parts First something Privative a privation of all good whatsoever might make them happy and something Positive an addition of whatever might make them miserable The first is expressed by Christ depart from me ye cursed Mat. 25.41 The Positive part of the torments of hell are set forth in these words where their worm dyeth not wherein we may observe First the torment of the Creature from God 2dly From himself something principal and something accidental that from God which is the principal part of heâ—l torment is the fire the less principal the worm In the words therefore is discribed the positive part of the torments of hell First that which is Essential and principal the Fire Secondly That which is less Principal the Worm Thirdly The eternity of them both the fire is never quenched nor the Worm never dies I will take them as they lye in the Text and begin first with that which is less principal the Worm their worm never dyes Here we may note two things First the torment it self a Worm Secondly the particularity of the torment Their Worm Every man shall have his own Worm The words are taken out of Isa 66.24 The Lord had promised the glorious deliverance of the Church and had threatned the utter destruction of his enemies and when they were destroyed the Saints should look upon them and triumph over them the Saints shall have dominion over them in the morning and they shall go forth in their contemplation and consider not only their present outward condition and misery but their eternal condition Their Worm never dyes and their fire is not quenched to all Eternity and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh To begin with the Torment it self it 's a Worm which is not to be understood literally but metaphorically of something that holds some resemblance and some analogy to it Now a Worm in Scripture is put to resemble two things First something that is despicable and to be contemned fear not thou worm Jacob Secondly something that is tormenting and continually vexing and so it 's in this place here the Phylosophers tell us Nihil est in intellectu c. And therefore the Lord is pleased to help our understandings to express spiritual things by earthly similitudes and resemblances as Christ saith of the Misteries of the Gospel he could not speak them as they were but by earthly things that is in respect of the manner of delivery though the things were in themselves spiritual and if the Lord do it by things that men have experience of in this life how much more the things that are reserved for the World to come as the joys of Heaven by all good things the torments of hell by all evill things Whatever is most terrible to sence and most tormenting as Fire Brimstone darkness and a Worm which are only to help our understanding in those things which both pass fear and knowledge as after death it is set forth as a thing dreadfull to nature to have worms breed out of a man and feed upon him Job 24.20 as Job speaks The Worms shall feed sweetly on him he shall be no more remembred c. And the greatest persons that have lain upon beds of Ivory and have had Tapistry for their covering must say unto the worms ye are my sisters the Moth eats them as a garment and the Worm devours them as wooll c. Now to have these bodies that have been cloathed sumptuously and fed delicately to be cloathed with worms and to become their food is sad and even dismal to nature after a mans dissolution But if these worms should breed in a man and feed upon him whilst he were alive it would be much more terrible as it was a torment invented by a Tyrant to keep a man in a Coffin and feed him till by his own filth he breed worms and these worms devoured his flesh and he dyed by them The judgement that came upon Herod by the immediate stroak of an Angel Acts 12.23 and the same judgement is said to be inflicted upon Maximinus the Emperor that his body putrify'd bred worms continually Now this is a fearfull thing and dreadfull to nature to come upon the body but what will it be for a worm to be gnawing upon the soul for ever For in respect of that fire in Hell our fire here is but a painted fire it 's true also in reference to the Worm therein This being a Metaphorical expression let us come to open it a little what it is and wherein the resemblance doth consist This Worm is generally to be understood of the furious reflection of the soul upon it self in consideration of it's by past life neglected opportunities and it 's present hopeless and unrecoverable condition and so the tormenting acts of Conscience upon the man are resembled by the Worm and the resemblance lies in two things First a Worm is bred out of the putrifaction of the subject in which it is now in the conscience of men there is much corruption the conscience is as it were the sink where all the evil in a man is there is first much of the filthiness and defilement of sin in the conscience Tit. 1.15 Their conscience is defiled Mat. 23.27 like whited Sepulchres outwardly fair but inwardly full of rottenness and all uncleannesse they may easily breed worms Heb. 9.14 Secondly All the guilt of sin in the soul settles upon the conscience and it needs purging for all the works done by an unregenerate man are dead works because they proceed from a dead nature and because they all tend unto death and though these things be the work of the whole soul and every faculty yet the guilt of them all is laid upon the conscience and if there be so much filthiness and putrifaction both of guilt and defilement in the conscience it is no wonder if it breed a worm as all other putrifactions do and this being the worst it is not strange if it breed the worst and the most devouring Worm Secondly It doth alwayes gnaw upon the subject in which it is bred and so it is with this Worm it is alwayes feeding upon the soul and that for ever For it is with a mans spirit as with mill-stones when there is nothing else it grindes it self c. Now God will stop the current of all the creatures after this life Luke 16.25 There shall be nothing from without for the spirit of a man to feed upon and then it will turn in upon it self for ever Here most of the acts of a mans soul are direâ—â— upon objects without him there are few reflexe acts man will not turn in upon himself But then a mans acts shall be full of reflection upon himself for ever Now this furious reflection of the
soul upon it self it 's own filthiness and wilfull folly What fair offers and opportunities he has had and neglected what fair hopes he had conceived and they are vanished and how all the pleasures of sin and the promises of Satan have deceived him as a Brook that passeth by and this will gnaw upon the soul with remediless and unconceivable torment for ever this is the Worm that never dyes and truly there is no consideration in the World will work upon the hearts of men if this dreadfull one does not That a man that lives and dyes in sin in a sinfull state shall be tormented for ever with fire that shall never be quenched and this nevever dying Worm shall gnaw upon him to all Eternity with remediless and unconceivable torments for ever This is the Worm that never dyes After this life a wicked mans own Conscience shall be his tormenter Doctrine The Worm dyes not it will be a great instrument that God will use in a mans destruction There are Four things to be spoken to in the Explication First to shew what Conscience is which is here resembled to a Worm Secondly To prove that this Conscience shall be a mans tormenter Thirdly To give the grounds and the reasons of it Fourthly To set forth some of those acts that Conscience as a Worm shall put forth the manner of the working of it in the gnawings of a Worm and then come to the Application Quest 1. First What is Conscience Answ It is an ability in the understanding to judge of a mans self his Estate and Actions according to the rule that God hath prescribed Here observe First It is an ability in the understanding for I make it not as some do a distinct faculty therefore it is in no Creatures but those that are reasonable Men and Angels other Creatures are directed to an end and they work by a rule thereunto but they neither know their end nor their rule neither are they able to reflect upon their actions whether they have done good or evil and therefore no Creature can sin but a reasonable Creature for sin must be a transgression of a Rule which a man doth or ought to know and to walk answerable unto and therefore it is made a proper act of a man Isa 46.8 Remember this and shew your selves men Secondly Conscience must have a rule indeed the Scripture doth require that men should walk according to their consciences and do as their Conscience doth dictate unto them Rom. 13.5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but for Conscience sake ye must be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when Conscience requires one thing and Lust another and the man receives not the rule of Conscience but of Lust he doth then imprison the truth in unrighteousness where the Dictates of Conscience are called the truth Rom. 1.18 though it be but of a natural Conscience But yet here men mistake for Conscience is but regula regulata not the highest rule for it must it self have a Rule to judge by Gal 6.16 and he that doth not go by rule and hath no higher rule to regulate his Conscience and yet doth by his Conscience regulate his Actions Conscience being defiled Pit 1.15 He doth walk with God at a venture Lev. 26.21 And this rule of Conscience is the whole revealed wil of God whether ex principiis naturae or scripturae whatever God requires of a man as duty whether by his word or by his works and Conscience knows no other rule but the will of God revealed because it is subjected unto no other God only can command the Conscience and bind the Conscience because he only can judge the Conscience Now the understanding having nothing else but a principal of nature for it's rule we call that a natural Couscience and they that have the word of God for their rule or any special work of illumination from the Holy Ghost whether it be common or saving we call this an inlightned Conscience answerable unto the rule that it has to judge by either of mens states or wayes Thirdly The chief act of Conscience and that which is only proper and essential to it is to judge of the man according to this rule and to pronounce a sentence upon him whether good or evil and hence is the accusing and the excusing power of Conscience Rom. 2.14 15. if Conscience judge of an action to answer the rule then it excuseth and if that be different from the rule then it accuseth and therefore 't is said Joh. 8.9 They are consinced of their own Consciences that is their Consciences laid their acts to the rule and did tell them that they did not agree to it and they could not deny it and therefore went their way and therefore Conscience is alwayes in Scripture called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a knowing and judging of one thing with another a knowing and judging of a mans state or actions with the rule 2 Cor. 4.2 we approve our selves to every mans conscience says the Apostle in the sight of God and that is all our aim we seek not to approve our selves to your lusts your fancies we may sometime in our Ministerie reprove sin that you are not willing to leave and press to duty that you are not willing to practice we may cross your affections and provoke your lusts but yet we know that we have something within you that takes our part and doth approve the Doctrine that we teach and the duties that we practice all the while so that the main of Conscience lyes in judging or applying an action to the rule and pronouncing a sentence accordingly So that in 1 Cor. 11.31 Judge your selves c. and Isa 5.3 Judge I pray between me and my Vineyard So that Conscience is an ability in a man having a rule given him to reflect upon his actions and state and â—udge whether it agree with the rule that is given to it or no. 4thly That which is subjected to the judgement of Conscience is a mans state and wayes the whole man To judge other men is not properly our work either their actions or states unless we are called by special Office thereunto for thou judgest another mans servant he stands and falls to his own Master But a mans whole self is subjected to the judgement of Conscience First Conscience judges of a mans state 1 Joh. 3.20 If thy heart condemn thee or do not condemn thee and Jam. 1.24 The Word doth shew a man what manner of man he is and in what state he stands towards God whether he be one of the wise or foolish Virgins or builders whether he build upon a Rock or the Sand. Now consciscience takes this rule and lays a mans state to it and tels the man this is my condition Secondly Conscience judges of mens actions Rom. 9.1 I speak the truth I lye not my Conscience bearing me witness 〈◊〉
no more about these streightned objects but about the vast things of Eternity for ever The things of Eternity pass knowledg and pass fear 1 Cor. 13.12 This life in grace is but childhood to Heaven the faculties and abilities of our souls are streightned so this life in sin and misery is but childhood unto Hell for there shall the soul be inlarged for God has made the soul capable of greater joyes and greater sorrows greater blessings and greater sufferings then there are in this Life and he would never have prepared such vessels either for wrath or glory but that he means to fill them and this inlargement shall be by degrees as he will fill them by degrees and as grace inlarges and prepares the heart for glory Col. 1.12 so does sin inlarge and prepare the heart for wrath and therefore they are said Rom. 9.23 To be vessels fited for distruction as well as prepared for glory c. Fourthly After this Life all comfortable affections and actings of the soul shall have an end There be some acts of soul that are comforting and cheering and there are some acts that are afflicting and tormenting the comforting acts are in refference to good things either present or to come if present the soul loves them and rejoyceth in them and if absent the soul loves them desires them and hopes for them and all these do cheer the soul and in the exercise of these the life of the soul comes in but after this Life all good things of this Life in present fruition or future reversion shall have an end From the creatures all good things at Death shall take their leave they are but this worlds goods and for all good things from God there shall be none for they shall have Judgment without mercy pure and utter darkness there shall not be a beam of light or the hope of any good thing for the soul to live upon unto Eternity for if a man were to lye in Hell a million of years and were to expect then a release his soul would live but being swallowed up in eternity of misery without hope the soul dyes These affections shall still remain in the soul but because they have no object therefore shall never be exercised as fear and sorrow are in the Saints in Heaven but never are exercised because there is no object upon which it should be exercised Therefore in Hell there never shall be an act of love or joy or hope more to eternity the hope of the wicked is as the giving up of the Ghost he breaths it out with his last breath and he shall never hope more for ever and there are in the soul some tormenting and afflicting acts in reference unto evil things present or to come if it be present there is sorrow and if to come fear and if it be looked upon as an insuportable and inseparable no way to escape it there is dispair for ever Now seeing there shall be the absence of all good at present and in hope and the presence of all evil and a mans condition under it helpless and hopeless therefore after this life to ungodly men all comforting acts of soul shall cease and all the tormenting acts shall take place and act in their full power and vigour for ever Now let us come to the particulars wherein Conscience doth apear to be a worm after this life manely There is a four fold act of Conscience and in every one of them it does hereafter become a worm First There is an act of Accusation Secondly of Conviction Thirdly of Condemnation Fourthly of Execution The torments that follow the soul after all these and in these does this furious reflection of the soul upon it self consist First An act of accusation Rom. 2.15 Conscience accusing and excusing and this consists in two things First A reviewing and reflecting upon the rule that a man did and should have walked in Secondly Upon the unanswerableness of a mans wayes unto this rule and so Conscience shall charge upon a man all the errours of his way for an accusation does suppose and lay down a Law and then charges a man with the breach thereof there is a double book of Conscience the first is a book of precepts and rules secondly a book of practises First For the book of rules and precepts there shall be manifested three things after this life First There are many rules of duty that we are ignorant of and so there are many sins of ignorance committed that men know not to be a sin because they are unacquainted with the rule of duty for we know in part and prophecy in part 1 Cor. 13. There is a vail upon the hearts of men in many things that they know not what they do Now to this end the book of Law and Gospel shall be opened and thereby a mans Duty discovered and Conscience inlightned in those things which here it never knew Rom. 2.16 for he will judge the secrets of all men according unto my Gospel c. Secondly There are several sins commited out of errour and mistake and upon false rules The Lord will bring forth and discover unto a man all these false and erroneous principles by which he has been led in his whole course John 16.2 1 Cor. 2.8 had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory Rom. 10.2 they have a zeal but not according to knowledg many things they did from an erroneous Conscience now all these false principles that mislead a man in his wayes shall be brought forth also and the falshood of them discovered Thirdly There are many true principles which Conscience does receive here from the word and the ministery thereof which are called truth Rom. 1.18 Who withhold the truth in unrighteousness All these rules in their authority holiness and equity shall be set before a man and how all of them were required of man for his good Thus the book of precepts being opened and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Conscience inlarged now follow the opening of the second book and that is that of practises First Conscience does charge upon a man sins of ignorance this thou hast done through ignorance of such a rule as Paul knew not Lust to be a sin before that the Commandment said thou shalt not Lust and then thy ignorance shall be discovered unto thee before men and angels and that with all thy means and opertunities of knowledg you to whom the Lord wrote the great things of his Law that had the Scriptures in your own Language and freedom and liberty to use them you that had all manner of helps publickly and privately preaching and writing wherein men do transcribere aias you that dwelt in the valley of Vision and yet of these things you are wilfully ignorant and in the things you know not in them you have corrupted your selves now they that counted it matter of shame to be instructed by a
there will be a time when judgment shall rejoyce over mercy for ever and it is much easier to change the seasons of the year that it shall not be summer and winter in its season rather then the seasons of the attributes of God for the curse is dying thou shalt dye Secondly No hope of mitigation or ease thy honours shall do thee no good it shall not descend after thee nor thy Riches shall not profit in the day of wrath Pro. 11.4 there is nothing but Righteousness can then avail thou shalt carry nothing with thee to bribe the flames or corrupt thy tormenters and not a drop of water Luke 16. not the smallest mitigation to eternity and this is properly the death of the soul loosing the soul Mat. 16.26 for so long the soul will live as long as there is hope but hope defer'd makes the heart sick and hope perished makes the heart dye the consideration of eternity swallows up a created understanding to be punished with eternal destruction depart into everlasting fire this is astonishment and dreadful amazement there shall be perfect fear for a man shall receive the spirit of bondage perfectly which is 2 Kin. 1.7 a spirit of fear we see it in the Devils Mat. 8.29 though they are in torment for the present yet there is a time of greater torment which they expect and that which they know they are reserved for and this they continually fear Luke 8.28 Here is the Dev. is prayer I beseech thee torment me not before the time c. so Dives though in torment yet he desires that his brethren may not come into the same place not that there is any charity in Hell for the Devil would have all men damn'd with himself and our natural affections shall cease in Hell but only fear of worse to come still remains Here in this life ungodly men are fearless and they seem to mock at fear as Job speaks c. but there is a time when their fear shall come Pro. 1.26 I will mock when their fear comes for it will come upon them as an armed man and the Lord will pour out upon them a trembling heart Deu◠28.65 and fear shall be on very side they shall be full of terrible apprehensions and so become Magor Missabib Jer. 20.3 4 Isa 13.8 their faces shall be as flames which denotes the variety of sad impressions upon them they shall change and be as tremulous as a flame Secondly The terrours of God shall set themselves in array against a man Job 6.4 and we know the terrour of the Lord how dreadful it is when he shall stir up all his wrath and thou shalt pay the uttermost farthing and he will recover all that glory upon thee by thy suffering that he has lost by thy sinning Thirdly Men may say but though I know not what God can inflict because it shall be his wrath put forth in the power of it though I know not what God can do yet I know what I can suffer but the Lord will surely inlarge the faculties and thou shalt be in a continual terrour that thou knowest not what the Lord will inlarge thee to suffer for thou art a vessel of wrath and therefore 't is said Psal 90.11 even according to thy fear so is thy wrath c. Fourthly Hence shall follow a distraction and madness Psal 88.15 while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted and also blasphemy I wish I were above God sayes Spira and a desire of annihilation wishing that he had never been Job 7.14 his soul chose strangling rather Judas does dispatch himself to be rid of his fears the wicked shall rise to judgment but they shall not be able to stand in judgment saith Spira this I know and it torments me with pangs unutterable and yet there is nothing that I desire more than that I might come unto that place where I might know the worst of my torment and so be freed from the fear of worse to come Nay fear doth anticipate our evils beforehand and thereby a man may even bring upon himself an eternity of torments at once in the fear of it the creature knows not the terror of the Lord unless it be discover'd to him my sufferings are great but my fears are endless and makes a man to suffer even an eternity of torments at once First Vse Seeing that Conscience shal be a mans tormentor at the last and that the Worm is bred from the putrefaction and corruption that is it the Conscience it should be a seasonable exhortation to get your Conscience purged that there may be nothing within you to breed this Worm 2 Tim. 1.3 We read of a pure or a purged Conscience and 〈◊〉 this be done thou needest not to fear for there will be nothing in thee fo◠this Worm to feed upon And here it will be good to consider First By nature thy Conscience i◠defiled for as upon the whole So◠defilement came by sin so Conscience having a special hand in the sin its defilement came specially upon the Conscience Secondly Tit. 1.15 Every sin committe◠adds unto this defilement as Mark 7.20.21 And this defiles the man there is not a vain thought in thy heart a vain word in thy mouth a sinful glance of thine eye Heb. 9.19 but it adds unto thy defilement for Jer. 17.1 It is Conscience that receives all and registers all all dead works lye there this is the Tophet or the Golgotha in the man all the filthiness of his life is there laid up as in a treasure for wrath and vengeance against the day of the revelation of the just judgment of God Jer. 2.22 Thirdly There is no power in nature to purge the Conscience for thou art dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2.1 And what can be more sutable to dead works should a man fast and pray could he fill the air with sighs and weep even to the brim it would add to his defilement because all the works of nature are dead works and their very prayers are turned into sin and their sacrifices are an abomination and that which adds unto his defilement can never cleanse it Fourthly If Conscience be not purged here it will never be purged hereafter Here indeed there is a plaister that will kill this Worm but if it out live the time of this life it is immortal it will never dye peccatum viatorum deleri potest Aquin. damnatorum non potest c. The Lord will say I would have purged you but you would not be purged therefore you shall never be purged from your iniquity for ever Fifthly There is but one medicine in the world will do it and if you miss of that you will dye in your sins and lye down with your Consciences full of the sins of your youth you may fly to prayer and preaching and think to have it done by these but it will never be there is but
are as truly subordinate unto your good as they are unto Gods glory 〈◊〉 and the end of all is to take away the sin and to purge the Conscience that is defiled by sin and to perfect holiness in the fear of God Sixthly The blood of Christ doth purge their Consciences as it is now sprinkled in Heaven before the mercy Seat by the interception of Christ for there were under the Law two things that did perfect the sacrifice the offering of it the killing of it and the carrying the blood into the most holy place and sprinkling it upon the mercy Seat and the sacrifice was not perfect until both were done and the blood was to remain before the mercy Seat so the Lord Jesus has offer'd himself a sacrifice but his blood is sprinkled still upon us and remains and it is a speaking blood it speaks better things then the blood of Abel now it doth speak to us continually for the end of his blood and what is it but that we may be cleansed he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie us to himself Tit. 2.14 c. and the cry of this blood still in Heaven is sanctifie them by thy truth keep them from the evil of the world father keep through thy own name them that thou hast given me c. But how shall I know my Conscience is purged by the blood of Christ c. First The more a mans Conscience is afflicted with the spiritual rising of lust and he loaths himself for it as Paul for the Law of his members warring against the Law of his mind and Job I have seen thee and therefore I abhor my self Secondly The more ready a man is to deny himself for God in any service and his Conscience puts him forth to the uttermost in it as Paul I am willing to spend my self or to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus and Abraham rose up early to obey the command of God even to sacrifice his only son for the more the glory of God and his commands do sway with a man the more cause he has to be assured that the blood of sprinkling has passed upon him c. Thirdly The more a mans Conscience keeps down h is lust in the presence of the object of it as Boaz the woman lay at his feet and yet his lust did not rise and as Job to make a Covenant with his eyes and not look upon a Maid not have eyes full of adultery a godly man may be tempted to sin it may be in the absence of the object but if it be present and lust have all the advantages that can be and yet it cannot prevail it s an argument of a pure Conscience and try all these with reference unto your darling lust for answerable as the Conscience is purged with respect unto that so it is unto all other sins whatsoever It will serve for exhortation unto all men to keep their Consciences pure Vse 2 being once cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and this was the Apostle Pauls labour and his dayly exercise Acts 24.16 in this I exercise my self to to keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Conscience void of offence before God and all men Now we have formerly heard that as there be two things in sin so there is a double defilement of the Conscience there is a guilt and a pollution and a mans Conscience can never be a good Conscience a pure Conscience without a stumbling block unless it be kept pure in both these and here I would speak of a pure Conscience according to the Apostles distinction First before God Secondly before men And first in reference unto the guilt of sin and a Conscience polluted therewith and this is a heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.22 that is an accusing and a condemning Conscience 1 John 3.21 if our hearts condemn us not that is if they have the guilt of no sin lye upon them for which they draw us before the judgment Seat of Christ and pass upon us the sentence of condemnation and so Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 this is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our Conversation in the world and more especially towards you and 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self it was a small thing to him to be judged of by man or in mans day for men have their day of judgment also as God has his and the reason why he doth despise the judgment of all men is this that he was conscious to himself of nothing wherein he had misbehaved himself in his Apostleship towards them many weaknesses there were which he owned in himself but yet the guilt of none of them did stick upon his Conscience and yet he refers himself unto the judgment of God who knows more then a mans Conscience can know by a mans self c. and this was the great care of Job that his heart might not reproach him all his dayes Job 27.6 In respect of God there is a two-fold good Conscience in regard of guilt one in truth and the other in shew and appearance only First There is a natural Conscience that may have a great shew of goodness in it not having the guilt of sin rising in it but may with a great deal of boldness appear before God and may lift up a mans face before him and yet this not be a Conscience truly good as we see in the Heathen Rom. 2.16 their thoughts do excuse as well as acâ—use and that in the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men c. therefore there is the guilt of some sins that Conscience will acquit a man from and will speak for him in the presence of the Lord and so some do apply that speech of Paul as Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God even unto this day it is conceived by some as Cajetan c. that it is spoken in reference unto all his dayes even those also before his Conversion in which he did never sin against his Conscience and therefore he saith bona Conscientia non bono opere for he thought that he did God good service in all that he did as Luther did say of himself Nec ita eram glacies frigus sicut Eccius alii qui propter ventrem Papam defendere videbantur sed ego rem seriam agebam ut qui diem extremum horribiliter timui salvus fieri ex intimis medullis cupiebam And the goodness of a mans Conscience in not witnessing guilt is but a seeming goodness it is sometimes from a mans uprightness and good intention in a particular act wherein though he doth ill yet he doth mean well and think also that he doth well as it is the manner of many a misled and deluded soul as Gen. 20.5.6 Abimelech answered God in the integrity of my heart and the