stand out against it when it is importunate Maxima violatio conscientiae est maximè peccatum The greatest standing out against conscience is the greatest sinne it is a sinne which cometh nearest that against the holy â—host which accompanied with some other adjuncts is the greatest standing out against conscience There is no sinne that doth more harden the heart then to do evil when conscience is importuâ—ate to disswade from it This sinne â—as the cause why Saul was rejected of â—od I forced my self saith he 1. Sam. 13.12 He forâ—â—d his conscience his conscience was â—â—portunate to have him stay accordâ—â—g to the commandment of God but 〈◊〉 forced himself to the contrary I â—â—nfesse if conscience be importunate â—o the utmost as it is with Gods chilâ—â—en men cannot with any force put it zealous in Gods cause against the house of Ahab and the priests of Baal 2. Kings 10.29 but it suffered him to maintein the high places which Jeroboam had set up Thus Gamaliel's conscience made him speak well for Paul and yet continue it seemeth in much other evil This conscience will restrain from great staring sinnes or from such sinnes as the man hath no naturall propensity unto but others which seem of a lower nature or which are suitable to a mans particular desires these conscience will swallow without remorse As civil people that cannot swallow down couzenage and injustice and yet neglect of prayer and other religious duties never troubleth them And so some professours who cannot omit hearing sermons and talking of religion and yet can rest without the power thereof 3. It is remisse 3. It is remisse that is though it doth counsel and direct yet it doth it with such coldnesse remissenesse that it is easily answered and put off Thus it was with David It cannot be thought but his conscience said Plot not against Vriah's life But he would and so conscience let him do it This conscience will be answered with every slight and â—dle excuse As when conscience telâ—eth one Your wayes are not good I wish you to repent and make your peace with God it may be the man answereth Yea so I mean to do but I cannot yet intend it when I have dispatched such and such businesse then I will do it If conscience speak again Yea but you were best to do it now True saith he I know it I know it If God would give me repentance I would repent It is his gift of my self I cannot do it Or when it telleth him of family-duties it may be he answereth I have no leisure so long as I go to God by my self I hope it will serve turn Or when it telleth him of his wickednesse â—t may be he answereth Many worse then I have found mercy and I hope so shall I. This is the conscience that letteth a mans heart say I shall have peace Deut. 29.19 Now â—onscience being remisse and cold it is â—asily put off and answered with these idle and foolish excuses or with some other pretenses like these and so letteth the man go and live as before This conscience is like Eli which said Ye do not well my sonnes but exercised no severity to cause them to do otherwise Vse By this we see the dangerous estate of those men who have such a conscience There be many who live in many sinnes in carnall courses some in company-keeping and drunkennesse some in hatred and variance some in chambering and wantonnesse some in covetousnesse love of this present worldâ— your consciences no question can say Ye should do well to be more godly to look more after Christ and after heaven and ye should do well to get the truth of saving grace yet it may be they say nothing or nothing to the purpose in this behalf Therefore is these mens case so dangerous because their consciences are so silent and so remisse They have lost the most sovereigne remedy namely conscience Conscience is the most sovereigne means under God and his holy Spirit to work repentance in men that can be and is it not dangerous to have it prove traiterous and unfaithful What good can the ministerie of the word do unto you when every idle and false excuse or pretense which the wisdome of the flesh can devise can stop â—he mouth of your conscience when it â—alleth upon you to do what the word â—equireth It must needs be dangerous â—nd so much the more because it is so pleasing unto you ye take delight in such silent and large and remisse unfaithfull consciences ye love not to have your consciences too busie with â—ou ye like not that your consciences â—hould be too clamourous and importunate with you ye would have them not too rigid and vehement against your sinnes It fareth with you as with many young men who have sold themselves unto folly and think none their friends but parasites that flatter them or those who connive and wink at their folly but such friends will soon prove foes and so will such moderate and quiet consciences It is a dangerous â—hing to have such a silent conscience to want the chief means under God of doing a man good It was conscience that told the lepers 2. Kings 7.9 We do not well to hold our peace It was conscience that never would let the prodigall sonne be quiet till he returned to his father and said unto him I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne It is conscience that is the most powerfull means under God to quicken a man upâ—â— to repentance and obedience and therefore they are in a miserable case that want this great help Quest But what are the causes why mens consciences be so evil and unfaithfull Answ The causes hereof are chiefly these foure 1. Ignorance is one cause why a mans conscience is unfaithfull when we do not labour to have conscience throughly illightened and informed Who are more carelesse and negligent of their duties both to God and man who can with more freedome lye steal covet sinne c. then those that are ignorant of the law of God They know not that they do so much hurt to their own souls as they do An ignorant mind hath alwayes an evil conscience â—t is impossible conscience should be â—â—ithfull where it is not illightened and â—ence it cometh to passe that conscience iâ— so negligent and unfaithfull because â—e have been so carelesse of informing 〈◊〉 Thy conscience must needs be silent 〈◊〉 long as thou art ignorant 1. Pet. 2.15 Ignorance 〈◊〉 soon put to silence 2. A second cause is often slighting of conscience It may be conscience speaketh not or but coldly and remissely because when it hath advised and câ—unselled and admonished thou hast neglected it and disregarded it from time to time Though it judge and counsel yet thou wilt not listen Like Cassandra the prophetesse who though her predictions were
not onely absolve him from thâ— guilt of those sinnes which he neveâ— committed but also from the guilt oâ— those sinnes which he hath committeâ— against God or against man It can telâ— him he hath truly repented and trulâ— been humbled and truly got pardon Ye know David had committed diveâ— sinnes yet when he had humbled 〈◊〉 soul before God and obteined pardoâ— his conscience telleth him as much anâ— absolveth him Psal 103.3 Blesse tâ—â— Lord O my soul c. who forgiveth 〈◊〉 thy sinnes Nay though a child of Goâ— have many infirmities dayly and houâ—ly yet his conscience doth absolâ—â— him It is no more I that do it saith 〈◊〉 conscience but sinne that dwelleth in 〈◊〉 If I distrust it is no more I for I fight â—gainst it if I be overtaken by any weakâ—esse it is no more I for I laboured against 〈◊〉 and do bewail it III. A misliking conscience THe third part of consciences office in things done is to mislike if we â—ave done ill There be imperfections in the best obedience of Gods dearest servants What I do I allow not Rom. 7.15 saith â—aul His conscience misliked some â—â—ing done by him But that mislike of â—onscience which now I speak of is of â—â—ings that are ill done that is not done in truth and sinceritie Thus it is 〈◊〉 all that are not renewed by the holy Ghost The office of their conscience â—â—deed is to mislike what they do When they have prayed their consciâ—â—ce can mislike it and say I have not â—ayed with a heavenly mind a holy heart When they have been at a Sacrament â—onscience can truly mislike it and say â— have not been a fit guest at Christs taâ—â—e c. When they are crossed and â—empted their consciences truly mislike their carriage and say I do not fight and resist but readily and willingly yield tâ— every invitation to evil Do ye noâ— think that Jeroboams conscience misliked his altering Gods worship hiâ— innovating religion his making Israeâ— to sinne do not ye think his consciencâ— misliked him for these things Do noâ— ye think that Nabals conscience misliked his griping and Doegs conscience misliked his slandering and Pashurs conscience misliked his opposinâ— and misusing Jeremie and the old prophets conscience misliked his lying Who would have thought but Balaaâ— said well Whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speak and I cannoâ— go beyond the commandment of the Lorâ— to do lesse or more no not for Balaâ—â— house full of gold who would havâ— thought but that this was well said yet his own conscience could noâ— choose but mislike it being not spokeâ— in sinceritie Many a man hath gooâ— for a Christian twentie or thirtie years and every one liketh him and yet iâ— may be his conscience hath disliked him all the while IV. A condemning conscience THe fourth part of consciences office in this behalf is to condemne â—f we have done evil and contrarie to Gods law Conscience hath an office â—ot onely to mislike us but also to conâ—emne us nay it will hasten more to â—ondemne us then God We see it in Adam Gen. 3.7 When Adam had sinned his â—onscience condemned him before God did he knew he was naked that 〈◊〉 had made his soul shamefully naked â—â—s conscience condemned him for an â—â—ostate before the Lord came to passe â—â—ntence upon him Nay it condemnâ—th us oftner then God God will condemne a sinner but once for all viz. 〈◊〉 the last day but conscience conâ—â—mneth him many thousand times beâ—â—re that Many men and women who 〈◊〉 seem godly in the worlds eyes God â—â—oweth how many of them have conâ—â—mning consciences in their bosomes 〈◊〉 all their civilities and formalities â—â—d crying God mercie and patchedâ—â— hopes many who would say that man were uncharitable who should condemn them for such and such who it may be find conscience within so uncharitable and saying plainly Ye are so like the conscience of Pauls heretick Tit. 3.11 who is said to be condemned of himself Vse 1 I. This serveth for the praise of the justice of God That he may be just when he judgeth the Lord needeth no other witnesse against us but our own consciences they make way for the just judgement of God Ye may see this in this portion of Scripture which we have in hand Rom. 2.15 wherein is shewed both that God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world vers 16. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men according to my Gospel and then in the verse going before the Apostle sheweth that now in the mean while every mans conscience maketh way for this just judgement of God their conscience bearing witnesse and their thoughts in the mean time accusing or excusing one another At the last day every man shall be judged according to his conscience a child of God according to his a carnall man according to his The Lord shall absolve all his children and their own consciences shall absolve them The Lord shall condemn all the rest and their own consciences shall condemn them This is the book that every mans life is set down in Every passage of conversation both of the godly and the wicked is recorded dayly in this book And according to what is written therein will the Lord judge every soul at the last day as Rev. 20.12 The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the book according to their works The Apostle there speaketh prophetically and putteth the past time for the future they were judged that is they shall be judged So that ye see that by the judgement of conscience way is made for the just judgement of God Vse 2 II. This should be a means to keep us from sinne and to keep us in a holy life for according to our works so will be the evidences of our consciences whether they be good or evil We had need to take heed what we write in our consciences for according to what is written there so shall we be judged Therefore if any sinne standeth upon record in our consciences we had need get it blotted out by the bloud of Christ Repent be humbled beg for pardon rest not till thou seest this debt-book conscience crossed and thy sinnes stand there cancelled and discharged THus I have shewed you the offices of conscience about things heretofore done Now let me shew you the affections of conscience in the discharge of these offices Ye have heard that conscience hath foure offices in things heretofore done 1. an office to approve 2. an office to absolve 3. an office to dislike 4. an office to condemne The two former when we have done well and lived well then the office of conscience is to approve and absolve The two latter when we have done ill and lived ill then the office of conscience is to mislike and to condemne Now followeth the affections of conscience in the discharge of these offices and they are
peace also If we know once that God loveth us then we may set our hearts at rest As long as we doubt of his love our conscience can never have true peace And therefore if we would maintein true peace of conscience let us labour to be assured of Gods love Answ 3 Thirdly We must use the exercise of faith in applying the bloud of Christ we must labour to purge and cleanse our consciences with it If we find that we have sinned we must runne presently to the bloud of Christ to wash away our sinne We must not let the wound fester or exulcerate but presently get it healed As there is a fountain of sinne â—n us so there is a fountain of mercie â—n Christ Zech. 13.1 set open for Judah and Jerusalem and for every poore soul to wash â—n As we sinne dayly so he justifieth dayly and we must dayly go to him for â—t As every day we runne into new debts so the Lords prayer teacheth us every day to beg forgivenesse We must every day eye the brazen serpent Justification is an ever-running fountain and therefore we cannot look to have all the water at once A fountain ever runneth anew so justification ever floweth anew and we must go to it Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec O let us sue out every day a dayly pardon of course Let us not sleep one night without a new pardon Better sleep in a house full of adders and venemous beasts then sleep in one sin O then be sure with the day to clear the sinnes of the day Then shall our conscience have true peace Object But how if I have relapsed what shall I do then Sol. I answer Every man that falleth doth not fall on all foure as we use to say he doth not fall quite There be degrees of falling As in a sick man though he be ill yet he is not by and by dead some life remaineth still which will look out towards health again so there is so much life in justification as to recover thee again Be constant therefore in this course Ever go to Christ ever wash in this fountain ever bring thy soul hither to be cleansed and then thy conscience ever shall have peace Answ 4 Fourthly If we would maintein our peace then let us labour to be constant in obedience to Jesus Christ Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the word of God perfected and hereby know we that we are in him 1. John 2.5 Mark Hereby our conscience may tell us that we are right and speak peace to us if we keep his word II. Question How the peace of our conscience doth depend upon our care and our obedience The reason why I raise this question is this Because as our justification is onely in Christ so our peace is onely in him how then doth the peace of our conscience depend on obedience The place of scripture that occasioneth the doubt is 1. Pet. 3.21 The answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ It is by Christ how dependeth it then on our obedience Answ 1. A good conscience doth not depend upon our obedience as the principall cause of it but upon justification which we have by Christ if we be in him Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Ye see then that our peace is grounded upon our justification as the principall cause of it If we should seek for peace from our works and obedience alas they are sinfull and defective there is no peace to be found in them Our conscience would be troubled at our best duties at our weaknesse in prayer our frailties in hearing our slips in every holy service There is nothing we do but our conscience might find fault with it and pick a hole in it and therefore we had need to flie unto Christ for true peace No wonder then that Papists have not true peace but professedly say that every man must doubt and no man can be sure of his salvation They must needs doubt indeed who trust to their own works which can never bring true peace The conscience must ever be quarrelling and finding of fault and be without peace if we trust to the best works So that this is the first answer All true peace dependeth upon justification by faith in Christ as the principall cause Secondly We answer That our peace dependeth upon our obedience in this sort that we can have no peace except we be given to obedience Those men that can sinne and yet be at peace were never justified in their lives A child of God when he sinneth as for example if he should be tempted to lie or to omit a good dutie which he knoweth he is bound to perform yet this would much trouble his conscience his soul would be ashamed his heart perplexed he would not know how to look the Lord in the face I have sinned what shall I do unto hee O thou preserver of men When David had sinned against God Psal 38.6 I am troubled saith he and I go mourning all the day long And therefore peace of conscience doth depend thus farre on obedience as that a man cannot have peace â—nlesse he be obedient and take heed of sinne and labour in all things to be upâ—ight before God Now if you ask me But how doth our peace depend upon our obedience I answer Dub. Sol. It dependeth upon obedience as the removing cause It removeth that which would hinder our peace Sinne would interrupt our peace now obedience removeth sinne To this purpose the Apostle speaketh 1. John 3.18 19. My little children let us not love in word and in tongue but in deed and in truth For hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before God Hereby we shall assure our consciences that we are in him if we take heed of hypocrisie If we love in truth and be obedient in truth we shall thereby remove all our doubts and our fears our troubles and perplexities of conscience So that peace doth depend on obedience as the removing cause It removeth that which otherwise would hinder peace This is the first Again our peace of conscience dependeth upon our obedience as the witnessing cause of it Obedience is one of the witnesses of true peace it witnesseth that we have peace with God 2. Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing even the testimonie of our conscience that in simplicitie and godly sinceritie we have had our conversation in the world See here it is the witnessing cause of it Paul had peace of conscience his conscience was able to make him rejoyce How Because it gave testimony that his conversation was godly and simple and gracious Though we be in Christ yet we can have no peace unlesse holy obedience doth witnesse the same Obedience is not the cause of the peace of our consciences before God
but it is the cause of our perceiving the same We know we have peace by reason of our obedience 1. John 2.29 We know that every one that doeth righteousnesse is born of God We know we are passed from death to life 1. John 3.14 1. John 4.13 because we love the brethren Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us by the spirit that he hath given us Mark we come to know it by obedience and by the fruits of obedience Take away obedience we can never know peace They that walk by this rule Gal. 6.16 peace shall be upon them and upon the Israel of God saith the Apostle Thirdly our peace of conscience dependeth on our obedience as the confirming cause Christ confirmeth our peace to us by making us walk close to him and obedient unto him Paul sheweth how it preserveth peace as a shoe preserveth the foot ye know if we should walk without shoes barefoot our feet would be in danger of pricking and hurting So doth obedience to the Gospel preserve our peace Stand Ephes 6.15 saith the Apostle having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace Mark he compareth it to a shoe which he would have us shod with and then it will be the Gospel of peace to us and our peace shall be in safety Fourthly our peace dependeth upon our obedience not onely as a signe of true peace nor onely as a guard to it but as a thing pleasing to God without the which we displease God For though God be pleased with his children alwayes in Christ yet he is not pleased that any in Christ should be disobedient to him 1. Thess 4.1 Ye have received of â—â— how ye ought to walk and to please God saith the Apostle When Gods children walk in obedience that is pleasing unto God So that peace of conscience doth greatly depend on obedience For otherwise conscience will be troubled O I do not please God This is displeasing unto God and This doth provoke God Not as though there were any such perfection in our obedience that can satisfie any tittle of Gods law but because when our persons are pleasing to God in Jesus Christ then our obedience to God is pleasing too in Jesus Christ and conscience will say it Thus much shall suffice for answer to the second question III. Question What manner of obedience it is that peace of conscience dependeth upon The reason of this question is this Because it should seem there is no such obedience in this life as any peace of conscience should depend on Doth not James say In many things we sinne all Doth not our Saviour say When ye have done all that ye can say We are unprofitable servants If our conscience can still say that we are unprofitable and that we do sinne in every thing that we do yea in many things in all the duties we go about if our consciences can say thus How can any peace depend upon obedience What obedience do you mean that peace of conscience dependeth upon I answer 1. Absolute perfection in obedience is not required unto evangelicall peace For if it were no man could have peace no not Paul nor Abraham nor any of the holiest of Gods children and therefore absolute perfection is not required If we say we have not sinned we make Christ a liar and his word is not in us 1. John 1.10 Our conscience can still say we have sinned and it can still say our obedience is imperfect A halting leg can never go perfectly A Jacob is called he that halteth and every godly soul halteth Though he do not halt between two as wicked people do yet he halteth in following after God What purblind eye can see perfectly or thick eare heare perfectly He that hath these imperfections of body can neither go nor see nor heare perfectly So the best of Gods children have imperfections of heart and spirit and mind their faith is imperfect their love is imperfect and therefore their obedience must needs be imperfect But absolute perfection is not required to true peace of conscience and therefore this doth not hinder it 2. Though absolute perfection be not required to peace yet such obedience is required as may be acceptable to God So saith the Apostle 2. Cor. 5.9 We labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him Such obedience we must shew as may be accepted of him or we cannot have true peace If our endevours be not acceptable our conscience will quickly heare of it and tell us so If we pray coldly or heare unprofitably or live loosely if we do not do that which is acceptable to God our consciences will soon complain Nay though we do do the duties if we do not do them in an acceptable manner conscience will have matter against us still 3. This acceptablenesse of obedience lieth in this when our obedience is sincere universall and totall and proceeding from the spirit of Christ Jesus dwelling in us The Apostle giveth it this phrase When we walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.4 That is our fulfilling the law when Christ hath fulfilled the law for us and maketh us sincerely to walk by it not after the flesh but after the Spirit when we do not favour our selves in one lust nor suffer our selves in any beloved sinne but whatever it be that is evil our conscience can say we truly do hate it and labour to avoid it whatever it be that is commanded us be it never so contrary to our nature yet our conscience can say we sincerely set our selves to do it So walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit this is sincerity of obedience and this is required unto peace 4. This sincerity of obedience maketh us to bewail our very infirmities and to be humbled for them not onely to be humbled for greater sinnes but also to be humbled for our infirmities If we be not soundly humbled for our very infirmities also they will hinder the peace of our conscience We can have no peace except our conscience can witnesse that our infirmities do humble us and drive us to Christ and cause us to sue out a pardon If conscience have not a pardon sealed for infirâ—ities also it will not be at peace Christ bare our very infirmities Matth. 8.17 therefore we must be humbled for them Matth. 8.17 and go to him for pardon of them too or conscience will not be at peace Thus I have answered also this third question IV. Question How if a man have a burdened and troubled conscience what must he do to be freed from it The reason of this question is this Because men are ignorant about it When men are troubled in conscience and burdened a little that way presently they daub all with peace and go a wrong way to work This course the Lord doth complain of in the false prophets who preached too much peace
spirituall goodnesse left in the other faculties of the soul so neither in conscience But the naturall goodnesse which I mean is nothing else but the veracity of conscience whereby it is inforced according to the knowledge it hath to tell the truth Thus every wicked man hath a good conscience Their conscience is good in that sense their conscience hath this naturall goodnesse that it telleth them the truth how it is with them Nay it is essentiall to conscience to be good in this sense It is the essentiall property of conscience to speak according to its knowledge It is the best faculty a wicked man hath it is better then his mind or heart or will There is more goodnesse in a wicked mans conscience then in any other of the powers of his soul His conscience speaketh more for God then himself doth and standeth more for God then himself will Not but that as all the powers of the soul are desperately corrupted by sinne so conscience is desperately corrupted as well as any of them but I speak of the essentiall goodnesse of it which can never be lost The deâ—ls in hell have not lost the goodnesse â— their essence Nay their essence is â—etter then the essence of Gods Saints â—â—eir essence must be good because that â— God 's creature nay better then any â—ans essence because the Lord made â—â—em a degree above man And as man â— a degree above beasts so angels are degree above man so conscience is a â—egree above other powers of the soul â— its naturall goodnesse That consciâ—ce hath such a naturall goodnesse in it â—e it in those cursed Scribes and Phariâ—es hypocrites who brought the woâ—an taken in adultery to Christ Their â—onscience was good John 8.9 they were convictâ—â— of their consciences their conscienâ—es dealt honestly with them and told â—hem the truth that they were wicked â—â—nners themselves This is the naturall â—oodnesse in conscience 2. A renewed good conscience I â—ll it a renewed good conscience beâ—ause when a man is renewed all the â—an is renewed all his mind and the â—pirit of it is renewed Ephes 4.23 That ye may be renewed in the spirit of you mind If the man be renewed all thâ— mind must be renewed and therefoâ—â— the conscience must be renewed too for the mind and the conscience ever gâ— together nay conscience is mainly seated in the mind and therefore if thâ— mind be renewed so is the conscience and if the mind be defiled so is the conscience Tit. 1.15 To them that are defiled is nothing pure but their minds aâ— consciences are defiled Mark When theâ— are defiled they are defiled together so when they are washed and renewed they are washed and renewed together Now this renewed conscience is eitheâ— perfect or defective 1. Perfect I meaâ— not perfect in every degree of goodnesse For so no mans conscience in thâ— world is perfect But I mean perfect iâ— every part and condition of goodnesse 2. A defective good renewed conscience is that which faileth in some conditions of goodnesse We call it a weâ— conscience which is apt to be polluteâ— and defiled again 1. Cor. 8.7 Their conscience being weak is defiled This is a defective good conscience a conscience â—ewed but imperfectly renewed I. To a good conscience A firm conscience that is â—ndly renewed five things are necesâ—â—â—y â— Knowledge of Gods will and â—t which doth follow the true knowâ—â—â—ge of his will namely true humiliaâ— and fear By nature the conscience â—lind and sturdy and venturous and â—â—â—refore it is necessary that it should be â—ghtened to understand the will of â—d and to presse it and again it is neâ—â—â—sary that the heart should be humâ—d or else it will not stoop to Gods â—l and it is necessary also that this â—y fear should fall upon the heart â—t it may not dare to transgresse Stâ—â—â—ter being to speak of a good consciâ—â—ce premiseth all these as necessarie â—â—â—reunto First he adviseth that Chriâ—â—â—â—ns have knowledge to be able to give â—â—ason of the hope that is in them and â—n that they should have meeknesse and 〈◊〉 for to do it 1. Pet. 3.15 16. with meeknesse and â— saith he having a good conscience â—â—rk Knowledge and meeknesse and fear are required to make a good conscience without them the consciencâ— cannot be good By nature we are alâ— blind and stubborn and fearlesse of sinning and therefore till we be cured oâ— these evils our consciences cannot be good 2. The second thing is a watchfulnesse and warfare against sinne Thiâ— is required too to a renewed good conscience By nature we are drowsie and carelesse and secure and do not stand upon our guard to wage warre against our lusts and the desires of our flesh and so long our consciences can never be good and therefore this spirituall watchfulnesse and mainteining warre against sinne is required to the having a good conscience That thou maist warre a good warrefare saith Paul to Timothie having faith and a good conscience 1. Tim. 1.18 19. Some who seemed to have a good conscience because they did not maintein this holy warfare against sinne and the flesh they have lost it Therefore this is another requisite required to a good conscience 3. The third is tendernesse of conscience By nature our hearts are seared â—nd dead and unclean and therefore we must get us tender and pure hearts â—f we would have good renewed consciences The end of the commandment is â—ove out of a pure heart and good conscience â—nd faith unfeigned 1. Tim. 1.5 See â—ow the Apostle compoundeth them â—ogether a pure heart and a good consciâ—nce We must get our hearts purged â—nd quickened that they may be sensible of the least evil and then our consciences will be good and be as a bridle to hold us from evil A hard heart and a good conscience can never stand together 4. The fourth is the cleannesse of conscience by the washing of Christs bloud This is the main and the principall of all Yea indeed the bloud of Christ is the sole and onely cause of a good conscience I would not be mistaken I named indeed other causes Knowledge and Humbling and a holy Fear a Combat against sinne and Tendernesse but I do not mean as though a good conscience were part beholding to them and partly to Chriâ—â— bloud For it is wholly and onely bâ—holding to Christs bloud for its gooâ—nesse his bloud is the onely price of â— But my meaning is this That thougâ— Christs bloud be the one onely cause â— redemption yet in the application of râ—demption the Lord useth all those foâ—â— named graces while he applieth it â— the conscience Therefore this now 〈◊〉 adde The washing of Christs blouâ— this is chiefly required to the goodnesâ—â— of conscience We have two places oâ— Scripture to prove it The one Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud â— Christ purge your consciences from deaâ— works It is that onely can do it Thâ—
The Souls Looking-glasse lively representing its Estate before God with A Treatise Of Conscience wherein the definitions and distinctions thereof are unfolded and severall Cases resolved By that reverend and faithfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B. D. sometimes Fellow of Pembroke-hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex ACTS 24.16 I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men CAMBRIDGE Printed by Roger Daniel Printer to the Universitie for John Rothwell at the Sunne in Pauls church-yard 1640. To the RIGHT HONORABLE ROBERT Earle of Warwicke THe late wife of the deceased in thankfull acknowledgment of your Lordships many favours to her deare husband humbly presents this small treatise To the Christian Reader IT was the saying of Solon That there were many good laws made but there wanted one law to make us put all those laws in execution The like may be said concerning the books that are written now a dayes Ille verè Scripturas legit qui verba vertit in opera There are many good books written but there wanteth one book to make us to put those good books in practice Such a book were worth writing and worth reading And I know no reason but that this book if the Spirit of God write it in our hearts may have this happie effect For it is a book that will teach us how to get into the State of grace and how to get and keep a good Conscience And whosoever readeth a book with a good conscience will make conscience to practice what he readeth For a good conscience is as Aristotle saith of Justice * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Synopsis and Epitome of all virtues It is a * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à sanandis omnibus morbis Panacea to cure all soul-diseases It is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a medicine to digest all book-surfetting There are foure sorts of Consciences Some bad and unquiet some bad and quiet some good and unquiet some good and quiet For a conscience to be bad and quiet is the worst temper that can be Better have a bad unquiet then a bad and quiet conscience better have a tormenting Tophet in the soul then a fools paradise The best frame of Conscience is the good and quiet conscience This is a * Laetitia bonae conscientiae paradisus est animarum gaudium angelorum hortus deliciarum ager benedictionis templum Solomonis aula Dei habitaeculum Spiritûs sancti Bernard Paradise upon earth * a pregustation and prelibation of heaven * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mansion for the Trinitie to dwell in Now this ensuing treatise will teach us how to purchase this precious jewel of a good and quiet conscience A treatise very necessary in these unconscionable dayes wherein most people make no conscience to sinne against conscience and some have sinned so long against conscience as that they have lost all conscience of sinne As * Multi Christianum nomen ad judicium habent non ad remedium S. Augustine saith of the name of a Christian so may I say of conscience Multi conscientiam habent non ad remedium sed ad judicium Many have a conscience for their condemnation and not for their salvation Conscience * Domus animae Guil. Parisiens it is the house of the soul But this house lieth waste and is much ruinated and decayed in these times wherein * Dum tempora superiora cum nostris comparo dicere consuevi plus illos conscientiae minus habuisse nos contrà scientiae plus conscientiae minus habere Beza never more science but never lesse conscience Conscience * Praejudicium judicii Tertull it is a private judgement-day before the publick day of judgement And it is an ill presage that most people will never stand upright in the court of heaven because they stand accused and condemned in the court of conscience Conscience is Gods preacher in our bosomes And it is a most certain rule That that man that will not regard the preacher in his bosome will never regard the preacher in the pulpit And the reason why the preacher in the pulpit doth no more good is because the preacher in the bosome is so much despised and neglected And therefore I doubt not but this book these motives considered will be very acceptable to all those that have or desire to have a good and quiet conscience For as * Vnicuique liber est propria conscientia ad hunc librum discutiendum emendandum omnes alii invenli sunt S. Bernard most excellently saith Every mans conscience is his book and all books are written to discover and amend the errours of the book of conscience Let those that reade this book of conscience look into the book of their own conscience and amend all the faults of that book by this book The Reverend Authour of this book was a Minister very conscientious and one that had a great abilitie given him by God to preach unto and work upon the consciences of people to awaken the sleepie conscience to inform the erroneous conscience to settle the doubtfull conscience and to comfort the wounded conscience his sermons were all dipt in conscience And therefore a subject of Conscience must needs be welcome from such a preacher It is true that this birth is Posthumum opus and cometh out after the death of the Authour But I hope it will be the more pleasing to revive the memory of him whose life and labours were deservedly pretious in the esteem of Gods people And if conscience though for a while blind and dumbe and seared and put out of all office will notwithstanding at last be put into office and made to see speak and feel to the utter destruction of an impenitent sinner why may not a discourse of Conscience though long ago preached be suffered to revive and live for the salvation of those that shall have grace to reade it aright especially considering that these sermons were perfected by himself in his life-time Much I could say in commendation of this worthie Divine both in regard of his unwearisome pains in preaching consuming his own bodie to save the souls of others Praelucendo pereo as also of his learning and exemplarie pietie but I forbear All that I will say is this They that fully knew him did love and reverence him and if any did disesteem him it was because they did not fully know him He is now a shining starre in the firmament of heaven And there are hundreds of people that will blesse God to all eternity for his pains He needeth not our praises but our imitation All that I desire from you that reade this short treatise is this That ye would either get a good conscience by the reading of this book or bring a good conscience to the reading of it Labour to make an addition to the heavenly joyes
light but onely the light of nature some have besides the light of â—s word which sheweth that which â—re sheweth and much more clearly â—eacheth many things more which â—e cannot teach And hence the â—cience of the illightned condemâ—â— for such things as the naturall conâ—â—ce never stirreth about â—econdly the knowledge of our â—â—lves is needfull else conscience canâ—â—t neither Though we know what â—s law requireth and what not â—t is good and what not yet unâ— we know whether we go with it 〈◊〉 against it conscience cannot accuse nor excuse As for example A close hypocrite he knoweth wel enough that the Lord hath condemned hypocrisie and that hypocrites must have their â—â—tion in hell yet if he do not know â—â—self to be an hypocrite his consciâ—â—â—e can never condemn him for being â—e And therefore both these knowâ—â—â—ges are necessary as well the knowâ—â—â—ge of a mans self as of Gods law â—any who had a hand in crucifying our â—â—viour sinned grievously yet they sinned not against knowledge becaâ— they knew not what they did Luke 23.34 Fathâ— forgive them they know not what they 〈◊〉 Thirdly It is a contradiction to 〈◊〉 a blind conscience in act The consâ—â—ence cannot be blind and yet actualâ— condemn Indeed the conscience it sâ— may be blind but it can never act and 〈◊〉 blind If it truly accuse or excuse must have some light It is true it maâ— erroneously excuse or accuse and yâ— have no true light Seeming light 〈◊〉 enough to do that seeming knowledgâ— is enough to make conscience erroneously excuse As they who killed thâ— Apostles John 16.2 their consciences excuseâ— them and told them they did Goâ— good service they seemed to know iâ— was good service to God and thereforâ— their consciences excused them c Thus ye see that the light that conscience workerh by is knowledge Vse 1 The use of this point is first to leâ— us see the infinite necessity of knowledge As good have no conscience aâ— all as conscience without knowledge for it cannot act and perform its office â—is is the reason why so many thouâ—ds go on in their sinnes without reâ—tance because being ignorant they â—e no conscience to prick them thereâ—o as Jer. 8.6 No man repenteth him â—his wickednesse saying What have I â—e Why what was the reason that â—nscience did not prick them and say â—is thou hast done and that Thus ye â—e rebelled c The text answereth 〈◊〉 the next verse My people know not 〈◊〉 judgement of the Lord. The stork â—weth her time and the turtle and the â—llow but my people do not know their â—ies Vse 2 Another use is to exhort us that we would labour to perfect the light of â—onscience that it may be able to guide 〈◊〉 and direct us unto heaven Our conâ—â—ience hath knowledge enough by the â—ght of nature to make us inexcusable â—nd to clear the justice of God though â—e should damne us for ever but there â—ust be a greater light then that that â—ust guide us to heaven O let us â—ray to Christ the true light to set up â—his light in us that we may never be at a losse in our way to happinesse nâ—ver step out of the right path but oâ— conscience may be able to put us in â—gain never go slowly but our consâ—â—ence may spurre us on faster that oâ— conscience may not be like the sâ—â— of a candle in a socket that flameth 〈◊〉 now and then and then is dark agaâ— and again it flameth out and is dark â—gain A man may see his book by iâ— but he cannot see to reade he may seâ— his pen and ink by it but he cannot seâ— to write a woman may see her needâ— and cloth by it but she cannot see tâ— work so it is with some mens consciences Their light is so dimme thaâ— they can see the duties but they cannoâ— see to do them they can see the commandments of God but they cannoâ— see to obey them O labour to perfecâ— the light of your consciences that yeâ— may see to walk by them And thuâ— much also of the second proposition The light that conscience acteth by is knowledge Now I should come to the third proposition which as I first propounded â—hem was this The bond that bindeth conscience is Gods law But I will now a little â—ter the method and make the other â—hich was propounded last to be the â—ird in the handling and it is this Proposition III. â—he office of Conscience is to bear witnesse to accuse or excuse COnscience is put into this office by God himself It is Gods officer III. Proposition The office of Conscience is to bear witnesse â—ot onely his register-book that shall 〈◊〉 opened at the day of judgement â—herein is set down our thoughts words and deeds but it is a preacher also to tell us our duty both towards â—od and towards man yea it is a â—â—werfull preacher it exhorteth urâ—th provoketh yea the most powerâ—ll preacher that can be it will cause â—e stoutest and stubbornest heart unâ—r heaven to quake now and then it â—ill never let us alone till it have â—ought us either to God or to the deâ— Conscience is joyned in comâ—ission with Gods owne spirit to be an instructour unto us in the way we should walk so that the spirit and it are resisted or obeyed together grieved or delighted together We cannot sinne against conscience but we sinne also against Gods spirit we cannot check our own consciences but we check and quench the holy spirit of God The office of conscience to our selves is Rom. 9.1 to bear witnesse My conscience beareth me witnesse saith Paul Conscience is alwayes ready to do this office if it shall at any time be invited unto it For conscience looketh sometimes for inviting sometimes it will not bear witnesse unlesse we invite it and call upon it so to do But there will come a time when it will do it and must do it and shall do it namely at death or at judgement then it will bear witnesse whether men invite it or no. Now it may be suppressed and silenced and kept under from witnessing but then it must bear witnesse and shall either excusing or accusing acquitting or condemning when God shall judge the secrets of mens hearts as the Apostle speaketh The properties that are given unto conscience in the discharge of its office are foure Foure Properties of Conscience 1. It is supreme 2. It is impartiall 3. It is faithfull 4. It is privie 1. It is supreme It hath highest authoritie it is the most uncontrollable and ablest witnesse that can be the greatest weightiest witnesse in the world better then ten thousand witnesses Though all the world do condemn us yet if our own conscience do not we need not fear And so on the contrary if conscience do condemn us it will be small comfort though all the world flatter and commend and excuse us It is a supreme witnesse Though
thee what wilt thou do II. An erroneous conscience SEcondly an erroneous conscience is 2. An erroneous conscience when conscience not understanding Gods law or misapplying it doth judge amisse and direct amisse So Josephs conscience for a while was in an errour when Mary was found with child Matth. 1.19 His conscience informed him that he must either make her a publick example or put her away privily Here his conscience erred about this particular untill the Angel had better informâ—d him There is a question Quest here raiâ—ed by Divines and it is Whether we â—ught to follow conscience erring or â—o A question very necessary to be â—andled partly because of mens ignoâ—â—nce in this kind and partly because of â—â—e frequency of the case I answer â—â—us Ans 1 First we must not obey conscience â—â—ing or counselling to that which is â—â—l For our errour of conscience doth â—t make the transgression of the law 〈◊〉 be no sinne though an erroneous â—â—nscience lead us to transgresse it Because the law of God is above conscience and therefore the comâ—andment of Gods law standeth in full â—â—rce though conscience command â—â—ntrary to it Suppose a man should â—â—ink in his conscience he might not â—â—ke an oath though never so lawfully â—â—lled thereunto by the magistrate and 〈◊〉 never so necessary a case when as the â—ord of God commandeth us to swear 〈◊〉 truth in righteousnesse and in judgeâ—ent I must follow the commandment different to do or not to do which yet is not indifferent but absolutely commanded then it is alwayes a sinne not to do it but it is no sinne to do it The third proposition is this If conscience hold a thing necessarie which God hath left indifferent as if a man in conscience thought that he ought to pray foure times a day which thing yet God hath left indifferent in this he is bound to obey conscience though it erre And it is no sinne to obey conscience thus erring though it be a sinne in conscience thus to erre Vse 1 The use of this is I. to let us see what a sacred sovereigne thing a mans conscience is It is alwayes a sinne to disobey conscience whether it erre or no as it is alwayes a sinne to disobey God A man can never go against his conscience but he sinneth 1. Because conscience is our guide It is our inward and our inseparable guide we can never come by any direction but by conscience we can never let in the commandment of God but onely by conscience and therefore the Lord hath made it a very sovereigne thing 2. Because we break a commandment through the loyns of a sinne when we go against conscience Ajax light upon a beast and slew it his conscience thought verily it was a man Kill it not saith conscience it is a man he goeth against his conscience and killeth it His conscience here was in an errour yet he as truly guilty of murder before God as if he had indeed slain a man because he slew a man through the loyns of this beast His bloudy mind looked at a man and smote at a man and slew a man So when conscience is erroneous and thinketh this is a commandment of God it is not so but he thinketh it so in his conscience if he do contrary he breaketh a commandment though it be none because the errour of his conscience made it one to him Was not Herod truly guilty of the murder of Christ He thought in his conscience that Christ had been among the infants slain at Bethlehem Thus conscience is a sovereigne thing It is alwayes a sinne to go against it erre or not erre and if it be a sinne to go against one doubteth of the lawfulnesse of playing at cards and dice he is sure it is no sinne not to play but whether he may lawfully play he doubteth in this case he is bound not to play So when one doubteth whether it be a sinne not to call his familie together every day to prayer Gods ministers tell him he must or he sinneth I doubt of that saith he Do you so but you are sure it is no sinne to do it Therefore you are bound to do it because you are bound to decline the doubtfull part and take that which is certain And so of all other the like particulars Rule 2 2. When conscience doubteth on both sides which is the sinne and which not then a man ought to do that which is most void of offense As for example Say an Anabaptist amongst us doubteth whether it be a sinne in him to bring his child to church to be baptized or a sinne to refuse here his rule is That that which is most void of offense and most agreeable to brotherly unity and concord is to be taken the balance hanging otherwise even and the arguments to urge both the one or the other seeming of like weight then this must be put into the scale and resolve the doubt Rule 3 3. It is lawfull to do some things when yet our conscience doubteth of the lawfulnesse of them For we must consider there are two kinds of doubting there is a speculative doubting and there is a practicall doubting Speculative doubting is to doubt of the lawfulnesse of the thing it self to be done Practicall doubting is to doubt of the lawfulnesse of the doing of it Now this latter is not alwayes a sinne but the other is As for example If a servant be commanded of his master to attend on him on the Lords day he knoweth not what his businesse should be and perhaps doubteth it is not of such moment as to be done on that day yet he hath no reason to deny his attendance in this case though he doubt of the lawfulnesse of the thing done yet he need not doubt of the doing of it because he knoweth not what the businesse is and hath no reason whereby he is able to doubts and scruples whether he is right or no especially in matters of greatest moment It is a great misery to have our consciences blind which should be our guides and which it is a sinne to disobey This is the reason why St Paul doth so often speak I would not have you ignorant 1. Cor. 10.1 and 11.3 It is a very great misery that ones conscience should be ignorant what to do what to hold what to follow I say it is a lamentable miserie that many who have followed the directions of conscience should by it be led to death and damnation to do things contrary to Gods word What a misery was it for the Jews to have zeal and not according to knowledge c. Vse 2 II. This should teach us to use the means truly to inform conscience Without knowledge the heart is not good Prov. 29.1 that is it is most profane There be three means to get knowledge Means to get knowledge 1. Let us pray unto God that he would opeâ— our understandings that as
foure 1. A tender conscience 2. A sleepie conscience 3. A benumbed conscience 4. A seared conscience First a tender conscience 1. A tender conscience that is a conscience touched with the least sin â—nd checking us for the least sinne as for vain thoughts exorbitant passions â—dle words and the like 1. Sam. 24 5. Such was Davids conscience which smote him for â—utting off the lap of Sauls garment Such was Zaccheus his conscience which troubled him for supposed sins â—f I have wronged any man saith he He â—id not know but his conscience was so â—ender that it made him carefull of Ifs. This tender conscience is a singular blessing of God And if we desire to â—ttein unto it we must labour to see the â—diousnesse of sinne yea the malignity â—nd exceeding evil there is in the least â—inne this will make us tender of it Secondly we must labour to mourn for very sinne though it seem little this â—lso will keep our consciences tender And we have great cause to prise a tender conscience What got the Bethshemites by not being tender in conscience They looked into the Ark and because they durst venture upon it thâ— Lord smote fifty thousand of them aâ— once 1. Sam. 6.19 Numb 15.32 36. What got the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath for not being tender in conscience He was stoned tâ— death Conscience should tender thâ— least commandment of God and so bâ— tender of the committing the least sinâ— This conscience is a great blessing The second affection of consciencâ— is sleepinesse A sleepy conscience 2. A sleepy conscience iâ— not so quick in smiting us as it ought either it checks not or else with sucâ— faintnesse that it worketh not upon us it maketh us never the more watchfulâ— against sinne This we see by many whâ— can commit such sinnes without trouble or disquiet as would bring others on their knees and make theâ— walk heavily long after This sleepâ— conscience is very dangerous it maketh men as ready to fall into the same sinneâ— tomorrow as to day and next day as tomorrow it letteth them see their faults but amendeth none because this is such a conscience as doth not cause men to feel the burden of their sinnes A man can never come to Christ as long as he hath a sleepy conscience because it doth not cause sinne to be burdenâ—ome They who have this conscience â—an sleep for all it and eat and drink and â—e merry for all it Now a man can neâ—er come to Christ that is not burdenâ—d with his sinne that he cannot bear 〈◊〉 cannot be quiet for it cannot sleep â—or it then Christ calleth him Come unâ—o me Matth. 11.28 all ye that are weary and heavy laâ—en and I will ease you A benumbed conscience that is 3. A benumbed conscience â—â—ch a conscience as is in a deep sleep This differs from the former in degree You know there is a lesse sleep and â—ere is a greater sleep There is a lesse â—eep when onely the outward senses â—â—e bound and there is a sleep when â—â—e inward senses are bound too Now benumbed conscience is a conscience â—hat is in a deep sleep Preach to it it â—ourneth not cry to it it listeneth not This is a benumbed conscience Nor the greatnesse of sinne nor the wrath of God denounced against it can move it Men can know themselves guilty of such and such sinnes and yet not lay them to heart conscience never telleth them about it Thus the Apostle speaketh of those who knew thâ— judgement of God Rom. 1.32 that they which commiâ— such things are worthy of death yet noâ— onely do the same but have pleasure iâ— them that do them Their conscienceâ— though informed and in some measure knowing the evil of their courses and the severitie of Gods judgement yet leâ— them go on still and not onely commiâ— the evil themselves but delight to seâ— others as bad as themselves Such arâ— our swearers and drunkards and company-keepers c. This is a verâ— wretched conscience the Lord deliveâ— us from it 4. A seared conscience Fourthly a seared conscience thaâ— is such a conscience as speaketh not 〈◊〉 jote seared with a hot iron as the Apostles phrase is 1. Tim. 4.2 a sense lesse conscience a past-feeling conscience when men can swallow down sinne like drink oathes contempt of God his word and worship mockage of Gods servants hating to be reformed such as sin without any remorse This kind of conscience is in foure sorts of men 1. In dissolute and profligate persons who like common strumpets have their souls lie open to every sinne that cometh by 2. In obstinate sinners such as like Ahab have sold themselves to work wickednesse in the sight of the Lord. 3. In scoffers and jeerers who speak evil of them who runne not in the same excesse of riot with themselves and nickname the godly 4. In Apostates and backsliders who speak lies through hypocrisie and have fallen from the profession of the truth All these men have a conscience seared with a red-hot iron This is a great judgement of God greater then this there cannot â—e No outward judgement that can fall upon us is like unto it not the plague nor shame nor beggery no nor any curse besides hell it self is equall to it By this the onely means under God of repentance is taken away Such may come to repent but it is a thousand to one if ever they do It is like a grave-stone lying upon their consciences which keepeth them under untill the day of judgement at which time God will awaken their consciences and then they will be more furious in tormenting then the very devils themselves Vse Ye that are not yet fallen upon this wretched conscience I beseech you take heed that ye never do But ye will aske me How may we avoid it Avoid it alas ye may avoid it if ye be carefull for conscience never seareth it self If ever it be seared it is ye your selves that do fear it Indeed the mind of man may blind its own self and the heart of man may corrupt its ownself and the affections of man may defile their own selves but conscience never corrupteth it self never seareth it self But you will say What must I do to avoid this searing of conscience First listen to conscience well that whatever it saith to thee from God thou maist do it This was the course of the Psalmist I will hearken what the Lord God will say in me so some translate it Heare then and listen what the Lord God will say in thee what thy conscience illightened saith in thee and do it Secondly whenever this conscience is quick follow it Nothing more seareth conscience then suffering quickneings to die Blow the coles if they do but smoke As the Apostle saith quench not the Spirit so quench not conscience I have hitherto shewed you that every man hath a conscience and the
reasons why God hath given us a conscience the light that it acteth by the offices of it and the affections of it Now from all these proceed two other adjuncts of conscience 1. A quiet conscience 2. An unquiet conscience A quiet conscience COncerning a quiet conscience three things are to be considered 1. What a quiet conscience is 2. How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked 3. The examination whether we have this quiet conscience or no. I. For the first What a quiet conscience is It is that which neither doth nor can accuse us but giveth an honourable testimony of us in the course of our lives and conversations ever since we were regenerate I put that in too for 1. we do not begin to live till we be regenerate and 2. we can never have a true quiet conscience till then Such a quiet conscience had good Obadiah 1. Kings 18.12 I fear the Lord from my youth saith his conscience This was a very honourable testimony that his conscience gave him Such a quiet conscience had Enoch Heb. 11.5 Before his translation he received this testimony that he pleased God Dicente scripturâ inquit ille Haymo saith this testimony was the testimony of scripture Gen. 5.24 where it is said that he walked with God This is true but this is not all The text saith not there was such a testimony given of him but he had it and that before his translation but the testimony of Moses was after his translation Therefore it was the testimony of his conscience that bore witnesse within that he pleased God So that this is a quiet conscience which neither doth nor can accuse us but giveth an honourable testimony of us in the whole course of our life and conversation Now to such a quiet conscience there be three things necessary 1. Uprightnesse 2. Puritie 3. Assurance of Gods love and favour First uprightnesse is when a man is obedient indeed Many will be obedient but they are not obedient indeed not humbled indeed not reformed indeed What it is to be obedient indeed ye may see Exod. 23.22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voyce and do all that I shall speak c. Mark that is obedience indeed when we do all that God speaketh and are obedient in all things This is an upright conscience when the heart is bent to obedience in all things An example we meet with in Paul Acts 23.1 I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day His conscience could not accuse him of any root of wickednesse and corruption allowed and cherished in him That is an upright conscience Hast thou such a conscience as this My conscience can truly bear witnesse there is no sinne I favour my self in allow my self in but condemne all strive against all Thus David proveth that his conscience was upright If I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayer The regarding of any iniquity will not stand with uprightnesse A second thing required to a true quiet conscience is puritie Though ouâ— heart be upright and stand generally bent to do the Lords will yet if we be guiltie of some particular sinne this will hinder the quiet of our conscience Therefore saith Paul 1. Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self that is no thing to acoâ— me no corruption no root of unbeliâ—â— reigning in him Infirmities he haâ— many and frailties he had many and hâ— knew them but he knew nothing 〈◊〉 accuse him Whatever was amisse iâ— him his conscience told him he useâ— all holy means against it If thy conscience can truly say thus also of thee then hast thou a truly quiet conscience Thirdly Assurance of Gods love favour and pardon Though we have fallen into great sinnes yet our consciences may have quiet if we can be truly assured of Gods love and favour in the pardon of them Heb. 10.2 The Apostle proveth that the sacrifices of the law could not purge away sinne but onely Christs bloud can do it His argument to prove it is this Because those sacrifices could not free a man from having conscience of sinne they could not purge the conscience but Christs bloud can After assurance of pardon in Christs bloud conscience can no more condemne for sinne how many or how great soever the sinnes were which have been committed These are the three things required to a true quiet conscience Furthermore a quiet conscience implieth two things 1. A calmnesse of spirit 2. A chearfull merry and comfortable heart These two I mean when I speak of a quiet conscience 1. A calmnesse of spirit or a quietnesse of mind not troubled with the burden of sinne nor the wrath of God nor terrified with the judgements due unto sinne This quietnesse and calmnesse of spirit is promised to all them that truly hearken unto Christ and obey him Prov. 1.33 Whoso hearkeneth to me shall be quiet from fear of evil 2. A chearfull merry and joyfull heart When our conscience giveth a comfortable testimonie of us it cannot but make our hearts joyfull 2. Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing the testimonie of our conscience saith Paul The comfortable testimonie which his conscience gave of him made him to rejoyce A wicked man cannot truly rejoyce no though he be merrie and joviall and laugh yet his carnall estate is a snare he can have no true joy but the righteous sing and rejoyce Prov. 29.6 No mirth like the mirth of a good conscience All other joy is but outside painted seeming joy That is onely true joy that is rooted in the comfortable testimonie of an upright good conscience which telleth a man his peace is made with God and that whether he be in sicknesse or in health God loveth him whether he live or die he is the Lords Thus ye see what a quiet conscience is How a quiet conscience in the godly differeth from the quiet conscience that is in the wicked THe second thing propounded to be considered about a quiet conscience is How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked 1. I confesse that the wicked seem to have a very quiet conscience Many thousands of carnall people seem to live and the in quiet Look into alehouses lewd houses into all places who so merrie and brisk and heart-whole as they say as they who have no saving grace Job 21.23 Yet 2. this quiet conscience in them must needs differ from the quiet conscience of the children of God Certainly the Lord will not give the childrens bread unto dogs neither will he smile upon their souls neither doth he pardon the sinnes nor accept the persons of the ungodly And therefore if they have a quiet conscience it must needs differ from that iâ— the godly Must not copper needs differ from gold And we who are the Lords messengers must teach you the difference Ezek. 44.23 They shall teach my people thâ—
abroad do disquiet us how comfortable is it to have something at home to chear us so when troubles and afflictions without turmoil and vex us and adde sorrow to sorrow then to have peace within the peace of conscience to allay all and quiet all what a happinesse is this When sicknesse and death cometh what will a good conscience be worth then Sure more then all the world besides If one had all the world he would then give it for a peaceable conscience Nay what think ye of judgement and the tribunal of Christ Do but think what a good conscience will be worth then When Paul was accused and hardly thought of by some of the Corinthians this was his comfort I know nothing by my self 1. Cor. 4.3 4. saith his conscience I count it a very small thing to be judged of you Nay he goeth further His conscience telleth him he hath the Lord Jesus who justifieth him to judge him he hath a sweeter Judge then his own conscience even his Saviour to judge him O there is no created comfort in the world like the comfort of a peaceable conscience The heathen Menander could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscience is a little pettie god We may not give it such a big title but this is most certain The conscience is Gods echo of peace to the soul in life in death in judgement it is unspeakable comfort Is there any then that want this Exhortation Let them above all things labour to get it It is more worth then all things else Whatever we neglect let us not neglect this It is safer to neglect bodie health means maintenance friends and all that ever we have in the world then to neglect this The more we have the worse it is for us if we have not this Had we all this worlds good it is like a stone in a serpents head or a toads head or a pearl in an oyster not our perfection but our disease Again you who have a peaceable conscience 1. Labour to maintein it Be often in communion with God be not strangers to him the light of whose countenance is the peace of your souls It is the walking with God that breedeth true peace and preserveth it It is said of Levi Mal. 2.6 that he walked with God in peace O let us stirre up our selves to walk close with God that so we may have peace No sweet peace but in so doing 2. We must take heed we do not trouble nor disquiet it that we do not resist it or offer violence unto it by committing sinne against the peace of it but endeavour to maintein the peace of it by obeying the voyce of it Get the fear of God which is wisdome and to depart from evil which is true understanding All her paths are peace Prov. 3.17 We cannot walk in any one path of true wisedome but we shall find in it peace There is peace in humilitie and peace in charity and peace in godlinesse and peace in obedience c. Break any of these things and ye break the peace Ye heare what an admirable thing the peace of conscience is O then if ye have it make much of it nay if ye have it ye will for certain make much of it The very having of it will teach you the worth of it and learn you to prise it and make you above all things unwilling to leave it And thus much of the first viz. a quiet conscience An unquiet conscience I Have already handled a quiet conscience I come now to speak of a troubled and unquiet conscience Concerning which I shall shew you three things 1. What it is 2. The degrees of it 3. The difference of the trouble that may be in a good and that may be in a bad conscience I. What a troubled conscience is What it is It is a conscience accusing for sinne and affrighting with apprehensions of Gods wrath And here I would have you consider two things 1. What are the causes of it 2. Wherein it consisteth First The causes of it are these five 1. The guilt of sinne When a man hath done evil and his conscience doth know it then doth the conscience crie guiltie Lev. 5.4 when he knoweth it saith the text then he shall be guilty This is it which woundeth and pierceth conscience this is the sad voyce of conscience Like Judas I have sinned in betraying the innocent bloud Like Cain My sinne is greater then can be forgiven So the brethren of Joseph Gen. 42.21 We are guilty say they concerning our brother It is like the head of an arrow sticking in the flesh or like a dreadfull object continually presenting it self before our eyes My sinne is ever before me Psal 51.3 saith David When we have transgressed Gods law and our conscience can cry guiltie when the guilt of sinne lieth upon conscience this is one cause of the trouble of it 2. Another cause is the apprehension of Gods wrath for sinne When knowing that we have sinned and offended God we apprehend his wrath in our minds and behold the revenging eye of his justice against us This is a very grievous thing so terrible that no man or angel is able to abide it As we see the kings and potentates the mighty men of the earth call for the mountains â—o fall upon them and the hills to cover â—hem from the wrath of God Rev. 6.15 16. When we have incurred Gods displeasure and our consciences see it when his anger resteth upon us and our â—onsciences feel it this is another cause of the trouble of conscience 3. A third cause of the trouble of â—onscience is the fear of death and of â—ell When we know we have offended Gods law and we know also what our sinnes do deserve namely death and â—udgement and damnation for ever â—his doth most trouble and disquiet conscience when it fastneth on the apprehension of it The Apostle calleth â—t a fearfull looking for of judgement When conscience looketh for nothing else but for hell and damnation this must needs trouble conscience 4. Another cause is privative want of supportance when God doth withhold from conscience the help of his Spirit Ye know the Spirit can inable conscience to undergo all its troubles the Spirit can prompt it with mercies and the promises of God and hold it up but when the Lord bereaveth the conscience of this help and doth noâ— at all support it this must needs also trouble conscience V. When God doth fasten on the conscience such thoughts as may affright and terrifie it as thus God doth not love me Christ will not own me 〈◊〉 have sinned I am a reprobate past hope c. When such thoughts as these fasten oâ— the conscience it cannot choose then but be troubled Thus I have shewed you what are the causes of the trouble of conscience Secondly This trouble of conscience consisteth in two things First in want of comfort It cannot apply to
it self neither the promises of this life nor of that which is to come Conscience crieth This belongeth not to me This mercy this comfort is not my portion Secondly In a terrour and anguish of mind from these three heads 1. From the guilt of sin 2. From the apprehension of Gods wrath 3. From fear of death and of judgement This is the three-stringed whip wherewith conscience is lashed These ye shall find upon the conscience of Adam and Eve when they had sinned against God Their conscience was whipped 1. With the guilt of sinne they saw they were naked Gen. 3.7 2. With the apprehension of Gods wrath they hid themselves from the presence of God verse 8. 3. With the fear of some vengeance which they began to look for I was afraid saith Adam verse 10. This three-stringed whip ye may see also was upon the conscience of Cain after he had slain his brother His conscience was whipt 1. With the guilt of sinne My sinne is greater â—hen can be forgiven 2. With the apprehension of Gods wrath From thy face O Lord am I hid 3. With the expectation of death and of judgement It shall come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Thus I have shewed you what a troubled conscience is The degrees of a troubled conscience II. THe next thing I promised to shew is the degrees of a troubled conscience A troubled conscience hath divers degrees For some conscience are more troubled then other some 1. The first degree is such a degree as may be in Gods children and this ariseth not so much from the apprehension of Gods wrath as from the guilt of sinne Their consciences grieve anâ— are troubled to think that they have sinned and offended the Lord God Thuâ— we see David could not be at quiet Although Nathan had told him from Goâ— that his sinne was forgiven yet his conscience still troubled him Psal 51.4 Against the onely have I sinned and done this evil iâ— thy sight saith he I grant the consciences of Gods children are troubled aâ— the apprehension of Gods anger but then it is his fatherly anger not the anger of an enemy Though for a sâ—â— they may seem to apprehend that too yet mostly it is for that they have provoked their loving Father to anger against them A father may be angry with his child out of love and so the Lord may be with his dear children The Lord was angry with me too saith Moses Deut. 1.37 O let not my Lord be angry saith Abraham the father of the faithfull O God of hosts Psal 80.4 how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth saith the Psalmist Sometimes â—he Lord is angry with the prayers of his people but it is in love because he would have them pray better and obey better and look to their standing â—etter Now the consciences of Gods â—eople are very much troubled when â—he Lord is thus angry with them 2. The second degree of trouble of â—onscience is such as is in the wicked â—nd yet not altogether without hope The conscience is troubled but yet so â—s it conceiveth hope God is merciâ—ull and Christ died for poore sinners â—c Thus many a wicked man is trouâ—led and affrighted in conscience not â—or sinne but for the wrath of God against it yet he conceiveth for the present that the sinne is pardonable and may be forgiven Christ may forgive God may pardon It is indeed but a poore ground of hope comfort upon possibilities but yet this lightneth the trouble in the mean time and it may be within a while shaketh it quite off Like the wicked Jews Isa 57.10 who were worried and wearied most grievously yet they said not There is no hope There may be much horrour and disquiet in these consciences for a time but there is a higher degree yet a worse troubled conscience then this 3. The third degree of a troubled conscience is when it is for the present altogether hopelesse such a conscience as is swallowed up in despair when men thinking of their manifold sinnes of the direfull wrath of God of the dreadfull torments of hell for everâ— their consciences make them despair of all hope or possibilitie of avoyding this bringing such thoughts as these Whaâ— a deal of time have I spent in sinne wherein I might have made my peace with God anâ— have prevented all this What a great and omnipotent God have I offended What an infinite Judge have I provoked who is able to revenge himself on me and who will be my foe to eternitie conscience also bringing in thoughts of the torments and unsufferable pains to be endured in hell and such swallow up in despair without all hope for the present or the future Like the wicked man which Eliphaz speaketh of Desperatio est homicida animae Aug. He believeth not that he shall return out of darknesse Job 15.22 So these have no hope of escaping expect to perish as Spira O saith he I envy Cain and Judas I vvould I vvere in their cases They are damned but I shall be vvorse for evermore Now though to these all hopes be gone for the present yet some of these troubled consciences scramble up again with vain hopes and some do not Cain got â—p again it should seem but Judas did not Those that never get up again eiâ—her 1. they live in intolerable horrour and vexation of spirit Desperare est in infernum descendere Isid as if they had a devil in them to put them to anguish and often being weary of their lives do make away themselves and so leap quick into hell or else 2. they runne desperately into all abominable courses Their consciences telling them there is nothing to be expected but damnation they give themselves desperately to commit sinne with greedinesse saying with them in Jeremie There is no hope therefore we will wall after our owne devises Jer. 18.12 Or else 3. they grow senselesse of it They see they are wrong but they are not sensible of it It may be they pray and reade and heare but their consciences secretly whisper All is to no purpose Conscience eateth and eateth like a worm and they pine away in their iniquities Ezek. 4.23 as thâ— prophet speaketh A kind of sorroâ— they have but they cannot mourn â— kind of sad dolour but they cannoâ— weep Ye shall not mone nor weep bâ—â— pine away in your sinnes saith the text I confesse there be more presumers iâ— the world who promise themselves that all shall be well with them but yet there be despairers too and very many whose consciences are troubled with secret despair though it may be not apparently to others Now the causes of these despairing consciences are these 1. The greatnesse of sinne when the heart thinketh secretly thus Certainly the Lord cannot find in his heart to forgive me As it was with Cain When he had lived in earthly-mindednesse and then in formality
of conscience are either primarie supreme or secondarie and relative 1. The primarie and supreme bond of conscience is onely Gods word and law that onely is the supreme bond of conscience There is one law-giver Jam. 4.12 who is able to save or to destroy who art thou that judgest another that is There is but one supreme law-giver to bind the consciences of men and that is God And the reason is given Because it is God onely who is able to save and to destroy As if he had said God onely hath power over life and death either to save a man for ever or destroy a man for ever and to judge a man according to all that he hath done and therefore he onely can make laws to bind the consciences of men 2. Now the secondarie or relative bond of conscience is when others who have authoritie from God bind conscience to this or that I call this a relative bond because it is onely in relation to the authoritie of God For though men cannot challenge any doings or omissions contrarie to their law to be sinnes yet if they have authoritie from God to command any thing then they become beams and parts of Gods law and do by vertue of that bind a mans conscience This relative bond of conscience is twofold First other men may bind our consciences as magistrates and masters and parents who though they cannot bind conscience as they are men yet when they have authoritie from God their commands have Gods seals upon them and do bind I say in relation to Gods law which biddeth us obey them Rom. 13.5 Ye must needs be subject not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake The Apostle there speaketh of Magistrates and he telleth us that their laws bind our consciences in relation to Gods and therefore we must be subject unto them for conscience sake Thus others may bind our consciences Secondly we our selves may bind our own consciences and that is by vows which we make unto God or by our promises which we lawfully make unto men The vows which we freely make unto God these bind conscience to keep them Numb 30.4 the vow of a woman is called the bond wherewith she hath bound her soul Mark she bindeth her soul and her conscience with it So the promises which we lawfully make unto men these also bind conscience For though before we promise it was in our own power yet when we have promised we have bound our own consciences to the performance because there is Gods seal upon it Gods law commandeth us to be true of our words These are relative bonds bonds onely in relation to Gods law Gods law is still the supreme bond of conscience I will handle that first The law of God the prime bond of conscience I. The law of God whereby he willeth and commandeth and forbiddeth this or that in his word this is the main bond of conscience When this bindeth it nothing else can loose it and contrary if this loose it nothing else can bind it It so bindeth conscience as the observing or violating of it is that which maketh conscience clear or guilty before God This is it which maketh a man a debtour Rom. 1.14 I am a debtour saith Paul both to the Grecians and to the Barbarians that is I am bound in conscience by Gods command to preach the Gospel unto both This is it that denominateth a man to be bound Acts 20.22 I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem that is I knowing it to be Gods will am bound in conscience to go This is that which layeth a necessity upon a man A necessity is laid upon me to preach 1. Cor. 9.16 i. I am bound in conscience by Gods word so to do This is that which layeth a kind of enforcement upon men Acts 4.20 We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard that is If we should not our consciences would flie in our faces We are bound by Gods will to do so and our consciences lay a charge upon us that we cannot go against it The onely will and word of almighty God is that which supremely bindeth conscience 1. Because God onely knoweth the heart he seeth our thoughts Reasons and he onely can reach to the secrets of our spirits and therefore he onely can bind our conscience For who else can tell whether we make conscience of a thing yea or no perhaps we do perhaps we do not Nor man nor angel can tell certainly but God knoweth certainly â—nd he onely and therefore he onely â—an bind our consciences When the Lord doth command or forbid the conscience is privy that God seeth it and herefore now it is bound The word of God is quick and powerfull Heb. 4.12 it pierceth even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart This bindeth a mans thoughts and intentions he cannot be free in these things and the reason is given by the Apostle vers 13. All things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do As if he had said We are conscious of Gods all-seeing power he seeth our hearts and our thoughts and all that is in us and therefore his word doth bind us yea it bindeth all our secrets we cannot think a vain thought but our conscience will crie guiltie before God because our conscience doth know that God knoweth all Besides the conscience cannot fear any law but onely Gods law Ye know when conscience is once in a doubt it is fearfull and beginneth to ask questions with it self May I do this or may I not do it 1. Cor. 10.27 asking no questions for conscience sake The conscience when it doubteth useth to ask questions Now this supposeth the lawgiver to be able to see it otherwise the conscience would not be thus afraid if it were onely the commandment of a creature that could not search the heart So that here ye see one reason why Gods law is the supreme bond of conscience Because no eye can see it but Gods 2. Because God onely hath power over conscience It is his commandment onely that maketh any thing sinne or not sinne unto us Augustine defineth sinne to be A thought or word or deed or lust against the commandment of God Psal 51.4 Against thee against thee onely have I sinned saith David He saith he had sinned onely against God Why you will say he sinned also against man Did not he commit adulterie that was a sin against Bathsheba and murder that was a sin against Vriah True he sinned against man relatively in relation to the commandment which saith Thou shalt not injure thy neighbour but primarily and principally the sinne was against God Conscience is like the kings servant whom none can arrest or attach without leave from the king so no man can bind conscience without leave had from
do not trouble their thoughts to aim at Gods commandment in it Let me tell you Conscience will not count this obedience For conscience feeleth no bond but Gods word and if ye do not look at that it is no obedience with conscience conscience will never acquit you or absolve you for this it accounteth of this obedience as no obedience at all See 1. Cor. 10.25 and so forward There the Apostle handling that question of conscience at last concludeth Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God vers 31. Let your hearts look at that and aim at that in whatsoever ye do still look at God all is lost with conscience else Though ye eat never so soberly and drink never so moderately pray never so duly conscience counteth it all nothing if ye do not look at God It is God onely his word that doth bind it and it will never give a discharge except your hearts look at him Vse 3 3. This serveth to confute our Antinomists such as say the law of God bindeth not the conscience of the regenerate Ye see here that the law of God bindeth the conscience and therefore if the regenerate have any conscience at all as certainly they have the best conscience of all men then it must needs bind their conscience From what Christians are freed We confesse the conscience of the regenerate is freed from many things by Christ First it is freed from the yoke and bondage of the ceremoniall law Gal. 5.1 Stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled with the yoke of bondage Everie mans conscience is freed from that yoke of the ceremoniall law because it ended in Christ Secondly the conscience of the regenerate is freed from seeking justification by the deeds of the law Indeed the first covenant was by the works of the law He that doeth them shall live in them But the second covenant speaketh better things He that believeth shall be saved It is true if God had not sent his Sonne we must have sought justification by the works of the law Though it were impossible to find it by reason of our sinnes yet conscience was bound that way But now that Christ Jesus hath sealed up a new covenant in his own bloud conscience is freed from that former Rom. 3.28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law For though justifying faith never be without the sincere doing of the law yet the deeds of the law have no influence into justification Conscience is freed from seeking justification thereby Thirdly the conscience of the regenerate is freed from the rigour of the law They are bound in conscience to use the law as a rule of their life and in sinceritie to obey it but are not bound by the gospel to the rigour of it that they are freed from Rom. 6.14 and so they are not under the law but under grace I grant that all carnall people who are yet out of Christ do all lie under the rigour of the law and as long as they submit not to Jesus Christ nor get into him they are bound in conscience to keep it though they cannot They cannot sinne in one tittle but conscience will condemne them before God They shall be condemned for every vain thought for every idle word for every the least sinne for every the least lust for any the least omission of good They lie under the rigour of the law and they are bound in conscience to keep it and they shall be countable for every transgression because they are under the law But the conscience of the regenerate is free from this rigour because they are under grace and therefore they are delivered from the law Rom. 7.6 The Lord hath delivered them by the body of Christ and therefore they are not bound by the gospel to all that obedience that the law in rigour requireth Fourthly the conscience of the regenerate is freed from the curse of the morall law For though the law doth condemn yet their conscience needeth not fear it because they are in Christ There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 which walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Indeed those that are not regenerate not ingraffed into Christ they are still in the mouth of the gunshot the law doth condemn them and they have no shelter and their conscience is bound by it and they shall find one day that by it their conscience will condemne them to hell It may be now for the present their conscience is quiet and they choke it and so it letteth them alone yet they are condemned in conscience and one day they shall find it But the regenerate are by Christ freed in conscience from all this condemnation Thus farre we grant But the Antinomists Antinomists and I know not what Marcionites would have more They cannot abide to heare that a regenerate person is bound to any sincere obedience to Gods law as the rule of their life They crie out against the morall law as once the Babylonians did against Jerusalem Down with it down with it even to the ground O ye do not preach Christ if ye talk of the law Beloved these are drunken opinions fitter to be preached among drunkards and Epicures and monsters then among the peculiar ones of God The law of God doth bind the conscience of all the people of God so that they are bound to make it a rule of life Nay the Scripture calleth it Christs bond whereby he bindeth his people to him Psal 2.1 2 3. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying Let us break their bonds and cast away their cords from us Tush we will not be tied by his laws nor be so precisely strait-laced with such commandments as these Here the laws of the Lord are called bonds and cords Gods people are bound to him by them But the wicked they stand out and refuse to be bound Now if the law be called a bond I pray what bond is it but of conscience It is not a bond like a prisoners fetters to be put about their legs This is a spirituall bond that bindeth the conscience But let me prove it to you by arguments There be sundrie arguments to prove it Arguments That Gods law bindeth the conscience of the regenerate Arg. 1 First That which hath power to say to the conscience of the regenerate This is thy dutie and this must be done that bindeth the conscience But the law of God hath power to say thus to the conscience This is your dutie Who can tell better then Christ When ye have done all these things that are commanded you Luke 17.10 say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our dutie to do Mark He speaketh
of Gods law things commanded now the law is nothing else but a catalogue of those things that God hath commanded us When ye have done all these things saith our Saviour know it is your dutie Here ye see the law hath power to say to the conscience This is your dutie But ye will object We are under faith and do ye tell us of law I answer as Chrysostome answereth out of Paul Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law See how the Apostle doth abhorre this thought God forbid saith he As if he had said Farre be it from me to teach such an abominable doctrine No no we establish the law Heare what Christ saith himself Think not that I am come to destroy the law I am not come to destroy but to fulfill it O thought some If we believe in Christ then we hope we shall have done with the law No no saith Christ ye shall as soon pull the heavens and the earth out of their place as disannull one tittle of the law Arg. 2 Secondly That which hath this authoritie that the breach of it is a sinne bindeth conscience but the law hath this authoritie that neither regenerate nor unregenerate can transgresse it but they sinne therefore the law bindeth their consciences For the regenerate and all are bound in conscience to take heed of sinne 1. John 3.4 Whosoever committeth sinne transgresseth also the law David was a regenerate man yet when he had defiled Bathsheba I have sinned saith he Joseph was a regenerate man yet confesseth if he should transgresse the Lords commandment he should sinne How shall I do this great wickednesse and so sinne against God But ye will object This is old testament What of that I hope you will not take up the old damned heresie again of the Cerdonians and Cainites and Apellites and Manichees and Severians and other such cursed hereticks condemned by the Church of God Their heresie was To hedge out the regenerate from the old testament And St Augustine proved it against them That the morall law of God was ever the rule of obedience and shall so continue with the gospel to the end of the world and every transgression thereof is sinne The breach of the ceremoniall law was a sinne once but now it is not because once it bound the conscience now it doth not But the breach of the morall law is still sinne therefore still it bindeth the conscience Do ye not remember what St James saith now under the Gospel he presseth it yet on mens consciences He that said Jam. 2.11 Do not commit adultery said also Do not kill Now though thou commit no adultery yet if thou kill thou art become a transgressour of the law And though ye may call it a law of liberty in what sense ye please yet he telleth you Ye had best look to your words and deeds for ye must be judged by this law of liberty So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty Arg. 3 Thirdly That which being observed doth cause the conscience of the regenerate to excuse and being transgressed to accuse that bindeth their conscience For what else do you make binding of conscience but this But the law of God being observed doth cause the conscience to excuse being transgressed to accuse In many things we sinne all saith the Apostle Mark Our consciences do accuse us as we do sinne in many things so our consciences do accuse us when we do so I am a sinfull man saith St Peter Luke 5.8 His conscience did accuse him of sinne Arg. 4 Fourthly That which is the condition of Gods covenant of grace bindeth the conscience yea of the regenerate but sincere obedience to Gods law is a condition of Gods covenant of grace See Luke 1.72 To remember his holy covenant and the oath that he sware that he would give us That being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Mark Sincere and universall obedience is a condition of the covenant of grace not onely for a manifestation to our selves that we are truly justified as these upstart patritians do hold but it is the condition of the covenant of grace Every covenant hath its conditions annexed and therefore it is called the book of the covenant Exod. 24.7 the words of the covenant Exod. 34.28 the tables of the covenant Deut. 9.11 The reason is this Because when a covenant is made the conditions are put into a book or a table and expressed in words Onely here is the difference between the first covenant of works and the second covenant of grace Both have conditions but here I say is the difference In the one grace giveth the covenant and grace giveth the condition of the covenant but a condition is annexed though Now hence we may argue and none but enemies to the Gospel can denie it If the covenant of grace do bind a mans conscience then certainly the condition of the covenant bindeth a mans conscience too But the covenant of grace bindeth the conscience of the regenerate and therefore the condition of it bindeth If you ask What is this to obedience the answer is That obedience is the condition of the covenant of grace as the forenamed Scripture expresseth Luke 〈◊〉 72. Thus ye see the law of God bindeth the conscience of all the regenerate This is the third use Vse 4 4. Hath the word of God supreme power to bind conscience Then hence we may learn that no creature can dispense with it nor free conscience from guilt when a man transgresseth the word What a damned usurpation is it in the Pope to offer to dispense The Canonists say he may dispense de praceptis veteris novi testamenti They are their own words he may dispense with the commandments of the old and new testament He dispensed with king Henry the eighth and undertook to free his conscience from guilt though he married his own brothers wife Azorius the Jesuite reports it Gregorie the second undertook to free subjects from being bound in their consciences to keep their oathes of allegeance to Leo the Emperour O these are damned aspirings and they plainly declare him to be Antichrist who exalteth himself in this manner The word of God is the supreme binder of conscience And therefore not all the Angels in heaven can dispense with one idle word Psal 119.89 For ever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven Gods word is settled for ever in heaven and therefore ye may assoon remove the heaven from its place as one tittle of the word from binding conscience Doth the word say thus or thus thou hadst best do it If thou wilt not all the whole world cannot help thee thy conscience will condemne thee at the day of judgement without remedie Hath the word
how do their laws bind us in conscience The Magistrate onely looketh at the bodie mens thoughts and affections and consciences are naked onely to God It is true Answ the Magistrate doth not undertake but onely to bind the outward man neverthelesse the conscience of the subject feeleth it self to be bound to obedience under pain of sinning against God who giveth this generall precept Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake to the King c. 1. Pet. 2.13 The conscience feeleth this and so it cometh to be bound Obj. 3 3. Again it may be replied The conscience is not bound but onely by way of religion If I make conscience of a thing then I make a matter of religion of it but what religion is there in the commandments of Magistrates suppose the Magistrate commandeth us to get our armour in readinesse to mend our high-wayes to moderate expenses at nuptials or the like these are civil things and not religious and therefore how can they bind conscience We make conscience onely of religion and the worship of God â—nsw Such laws do not bind conscience under the name of religion but under the name of civil discipline And again though they do not bind conscience per se and immediately yet they do per aliud and as subjoyned to an higher law For though the breach of such laws be onely a civil fault in it self yet in another respect it may be a morall sinne if the powers that are ordained of God be neglected and disobeyed And therefore though the conscience do not regard civil laws as they are civil neither do we make conscience of them as they are civil yet as they are made by the minister of God backed by his authoritie which the Lord hath set on them so they do take hold of conscience and not to perform them is contrarie to justice and charitie and the profit safetie of the commonwealth and so a sinne Vses Vse 1 1. This confuteth the Anabaptists who denie that any obedience is to be given to the secular power Ye see here that the laws of Magistrates have Gods seal upon them and therefore we must yield obedience unto them for they bind in conscience Again this confuteth the Papists who teach that their Popes laws and commandments are of supreme authoritie and require equall submission of spirit with Gods laws and also that the omission of them is death and damnation Our doctrine and religion goeth between both For we teach that Gods authoritie is onely supreme and that he onely can make laws under pain of death and damnation and that the authoritie of Magistrates is secondarie and secondarie obedience is to be given unto them The Papists speak blasphemie in saying their Pope can make laws under pain of damnation to be kept Our Saviour Christ maketh this a propertie onely of God Fear not him that can kill the bodie and there is all that he can do but fear him who can cast both bodie and soul into hell I say unto you Fear him Luke 12.4 As if he had said Men can reach no further then the bodie and their punishments can go no further then the death of the bodie Vse 2 2. This teacheth us what to do if men should command any thing which is unlawfull for us to perform Suppose there should be any such humane commands as are repugnant to Gods In this case ye see we must obey God rather then men nay suffer losse of goods losse of libertie yea losse of life rather then obey the commandments of men in case they be contrarie to the commandments of God Ye may reade a lamentable example in Ephraim They were utterly destroyed for obeying their King rather then their God The King commanded to worship the calves and to go unto Bethel not to Jerusalem to worship they yielded to his commandment and did so O thought they We shall displease the King if we do not For this sinne of theirs they were broken in judgement Hos 5.11 Ephraim is destroyed and broken in judgement because he willingly walked after the commandment Beloved Gods commandment is sovereigne and the supreme binder of conscience Whatever commandment is repugnant to Gods word wo to us if we do it nay though it be to save our goods or our lives It is true we must give to Cesar the things that are Cesars but so as withall we must be sure to give to God the things that are Gods Vse 3 3. This comforteth Gods people against the calumnies and slanders of wicked and ungodly men that upbraid them for their obedience to God O say they Ye are irregular and despisers of authoritie I say this is comfort to the godly that God is able to bear them out in obeying him rather then men Gods word is the supreme binder of conscience and therefore whatever men think of such they are absolutely bound to obey God If men command us against the word of God we know their authoritie is the ordinance of God and therefore if they go beyond that they do not bind us in conscience If God had not bound us in conscience to him others might have taken it ill if we should not obey them but now what cause have others to think ill of us What folly were it in us to seek to please men and to displease God If we were at libertie then we might choose whom we would obey but now we are bound unto God and must be obedient unto God whatever men command to the contrarie let us do it therefore with chearfulnesse By this we shew our submission to God by this we satisfie conscience which being bound unto God doth continually urge us to obey him Why should we omit part of the exactnesse of our obedience which the word of God doth require We have more to do then ever we shall be able to perform we should therefore be carefull to do all that we may By our obedience to God in this kind we convince the conscience of others of our uprightnesse towards God Though through the overruling dominion of their lusts and passions they rage at us and their mouthes speak evil of us yet we may have an evidence in their consciences within which may testifie for us their consciences will whisper within them Surely they do well to please God rather then men their consciences will be on our side though their actions and tongues be against us We have a notable example of this Acts 4.15 16. When the rulers of the Jews had threatned the Apostles and had reviled them with many bitter words and had bidden them go aside for a while then they concluded among themselves Surely an evident signe is done by them and we cannot deny it So that their consciences acquitted them for good men So when the wicked of this world have spoken evil of the wayes of the righteous and blasphemed the holy name after which they are named yet
own estate before God I do not mean Whether he be in the state of election or reprobation but he may know Whether he be in the state of salvation or damnation that is Whether he be in the way that leadeth to heaven oâ— hell Whether he be in such a case thaâ— if he die now he shall be saved or noâ— saved Every man may thus know in what estate he is Reasons I 1. Because the word of God sheweth a man this 1. John 3.8 As for example He thaâ— committeth sinne is of the devil Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in that liveth in sinne in a very bad estate 1. John 3.3 So on the contrary He that hath this hope purgeth himself Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in who purgeth himself he is in very good estate in a state of true hope in Christ And so 1. Cor. 6.10 the Apostle nameth divers who are not â—n the state of salvation but of damnaâ—ion if they die in such case they canâ—ot inherit the kingdome of heaven So â—hat if a man will but search the word â—nd believe that God doth say true he may know his estate Reasons II 2. Without this knowledge a man â—annot have an accusing or an excusing â—onscience in respect of his estate but â—en may have yea many men have a â—onscience accusing them of being in a â—ery bad estate and many men have â—n excusing conscience that plainly â—oth witnesse that they are in a very â—ood and gracious estate Exod. 9.27 I and my peoâ—le are wicked saith Pharaoh His conâ—cience did accuse him of being in a bad â—tate I am holy saith David Psal 86.2 I am thy â—rvant His conscience told him he â—as in the state of grace So that ye â—eed not go farre to know what estate â—ou are in there is that in your boâ—ome that can decide the matter Reasons III 3. Men cannot desire nor flie from an unknown estate But men are commanded to flie from a bad estate and seek out a good one Therefore they may know the one and the other Matth. 3.7 8. O generation of vipers who hath warned you to flie from the wrath to come Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance saith John to the Pharisees He supposeth these men might easily know that they were in a very bad estate or else how could he say thus unto them Before I come to the Uses let us consider these three things 1. That every man living is born in a very bad estate We all know it well but oh that we would consider it Eph. 2.3 We are all by nature children of wrath Now here lieth the question When did we change our estates We are in the same state of damnation wherein we were born except we are come out of it I say here lieth the question Whether we are come ouâ— of it or no whether we have mended our estate 2. Consider that the greatest part oâ— the world never mend their estates But as they were born in a cursed estate â—o they live and die in it And I speak â—ot this of heathen onely but alas â—ow many in the visible church do so â—ow many were there in the church of Philippi whom the Apostle could not â—hink of without weeping when he â—onsidered in what estate they were Phil. 3.17 So â—n the church of Corinth 1. Cor. 1.26 not many wise not many rich not many noble â—alled but commonly the meanest in â—he eye of the world were in the best eâ—â—ate towards God Nay more then so Many of them who seek to get into a â—ood estate misse of it and perish See â—uke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait â—te Mark it 's a strait gate and letteth â—ut few in for many shall seek to enter in â—ad shall not be able Here and there a few â—en where the constant ministery is 3. Consider that it is a marvellous â—â—rd thing to passe from state unto â—â—ate from a bad to a good estate There 〈◊〉 a very vast gulf between the state of â—nne and the state of grace and it is â—arvellous hard to passe it These â—hings premised the uses follow estate they were in a state of justification from the knowledge thereof they had peace We are bound to get truâ— peace to our consciences Oh what â— lamentable maze are we in till our consciences have peace and this they cannot have untill we are fully acquainteâ— in what case we stand before God Job 22.21 Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace 3. Thirdly we can never be fit foâ— any duty of Gods worship as long aâ— we know not what estate we are inâ— We can never be fit for any holy duty to heare pray receive the sacrament Let a man examine himself 1. Cor. 11.28 and so let him eat c. First he must examine in whaâ— estate he is before he can be fit for thaâ— high service Lam. 3.40 So for repentance Leâ— us search and try our wayes and turne gain to the Lord first find our selves iâ— an ill estate and then return So foâ— joy It is a duty to rejoyce in thâ— Lord But we are never fit for rejoycing till we have proved what estate wâ— are in Gal. 6.4 Let every man prove his ouâ— work so shall he have rejoycing We caâ— never be fit for any duty until we know â—n what estate we are in because every duty varieth according as the estate of every man is To instance in prayer He that is not in the state of grace must â—ray one way and he that is in the â—tate of salvation must pray another way the one that he may be converted and brought home to God the other that he may be strengthened and encreased in grace And so for the duty of hearing c. The second use is for direction Vse 2. Of Direction Means to know what estate we are in to let us understand by what means we may know what estate we are in There be foure means to know this 1. By our outward and inward actions I do not say by our outward actions For a man may be in the state of hypocrisie and yet his outward actions may be good Neither do I say by our inward actions alone For a man may be in the state of self-deceit and yet say his heart is good and his meaning and mind good But I say by them both put together Our Saviour setteth it out by a tree Matth. 7.17 Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit So if the hearâ— bringeth forth the fruit of righteousnesse joy in good things patience meeknesse gentlenesse love obedience godly conversation c. these evidence a good estate but if the heart bringeth forth deadnesse earthlinesse impatience evil conversation c. these are corrupt fruits and signes of a very bad estate 2. Ye
estate before God And that hath made way now to a treatise of conâ—cience which will shew us what estate â—e are in before God I desire to handle common-place-wise And first I will â—â—l you in brief what the conscience of â—ery man is I say of every man For â—ngels and devils have a conscience â—o ye may see it in the speech of the â—ngel to John when John would have â—orshipped him Rev. 19.10 I am thy fellow-serâ—ant saith he see thou do it not Mark He had a conscience that could say I am a servant and therefore must not taâ—â— worship to me So for the devils Wheâ— our Saviour bade them come forth oâ— the possessed Matth. 8.29 they say Art thou comâ— to torment us before our time See theâ— had a conscience that told them therâ— would be a time when they should bâ— further tormented But I am not tâ— speak of such consciences but of thâ— conscience of man Now the conscience of man is the judgement of maâ— upon himself as he is subject to God judgement Divines use to expresse iâ— in this Syllogisme He that truly believeth in Christ shall be saved My conscience telleth me this is Gods word But I believe truly in Christ My conscience telleth me this also Therefore I shall be saved And so also on the contrary side So that conscience is a mans true judgement of himself 1. Cor. 11.31 If we would judge our selves that is If we would bring our selves before the tribunal of conscience to receive its judgement Foure propositions are conteined in that portion of Scripture which I have chosen to make the subject of this ensuâ—ng treatise Rom. 2.15 1. Foure Propositions That there is in every man a conscience Their consciences bearing them â—itnesse Every one of them had a â—onscience bearing them witnesse 2. That the light which conscience directed to work by is knowledge written in their hearts 3. That the bond that bindeth a mans conscience is Gods law which â—hew the effect of the law written in their â—â—arts 4. That the office and duty of conâ—â—â—ence is to bear witnesse either with our selves or against our selves accusing or excusing our selves or actions bearing witnesse and their thoughts acâ—using or excusing one another I begin â—ith the first Proposition I. There is in every man a conscience THere was a conscience in all these heathen in the text 1. There is in every man a conscience their consciences â—ring them witnesse There was a conscience in the Scribes and Pharisees John 8.9 being convicted of their own consciences There is a conscience in good men as in Paul 2. Cor. 1.12 Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience There is a conscience in wicked men Tit. 1.15 their mind and conscience is defiled As it is impossible the fire should be without heat so it is impossible that any man should be without â— conscience Indeed we use to say Such an one hath no conscience buâ— our meaning is that he hath no good conscience But every one hath a conscience either good or bad The Lord engraved conscience in man when he created him at first True it is since the fall of man conscience is miserably corrupted but man can never put it off Conscience continueth for ever in every man whether he be in earth or heaven or hell The most base and devilish profanelings in the world have a conscience Let them choke it or smother it as much as they can let them whore it or game it or drink it away as much as they are able for their hearts yet conscience will continue in spite of their teeth 1. No length of time can wear this conscience out What made Josephs brethren to remember the cruel usage they shewed him but conscience It was about twenty years before yet â—hey could not wear it out 2. No violence nor force is able to â—uppresse conscience but that one day â—â—r other it will shew it self What made Judas go and carry back the money that he betrayed our Saviour for â—nd also to cry out I have sinned but conscience No question but he laâ—oured to suppresse it but he could â—ot 3. No greatnesse nor power is able do stifle conscience but that it will one â—ay like a band-dog flie in a sinners face What made Pharaoh crie out I am â—icked but conscience He was a great King and yet he was not able to overâ—ower conscience 4. No musick mirth or jovializing â—an charm conscience but it will play â—he devil to a wretched soul for all â—hat What was the evil spirit of meâ—ancholy that came upon Saul but conscience He thought to allay it with instruments of musick but it still came again 5. Death it self is not able to part conscience from a sinner What is that worm that shall never die but onely conscience and in hell conscience is as that fire that never goeth out I confesse some seem to have lost conscience quite They can omit good duties as though they had no conscience at all they can deferre repentance and turning to God as though they had no more conscience then a beast but one day conscience will appear and shew plainly that it was present with them every moment of their lives and privie to all their thoughts and all their wayes and set before them all the things that they have done Be men never so secure and senselesse and seared for the present conscience will break out either first or last Either here or in hell it will appear to every man That he hath and ever had a conscience Reasons Now the reasons why the Lord did plant a conscience in every man living are 1. Because the Lord is a very righâ—ous Judge And as he commandeth â—rthly judges not to judge without â—itnesse so he himself will not judge â—ithout witnes and therefore he planteth a conscience in every one to bring in evidence for him or against him at Gods tribunall 2. Because the Lord is very merciâ—â—ll We are wonderous forgetfull and â—ndlesse of God and of our own souls and have need to be quickned up to our duties therefore the Lord hath â—iven every one of us a conscience to â—â—e a continuall monitour Sometime â—e forget to pray and then conscience â—â—tteth us in mind to go to God someâ—â—me we are dull in the duty and conâ—â—â—ence is as a prick to quicken us someâ—ne our passions are distempered and â—en conscience checketh commandâ—â—h us to bridle them We should neâ—r be kept in any order if it were not â—r conscience Therefore hath the â—ord in mercy given us a conscience Vse 1 The first use is to condemn that diabolical proverb common among men Conscience is hanged a great while ago No no Achitophel may hang himself buâ— he cannot hang his conscience Saâ— may kill himself but conscience cannoâ— be killed Mar 9.44 It is a worm that never dieth As the reasonable soul of man
he hath given us consciences to guide us so also he would give our guides eyes that they may be able to direct us aright The truth is it is God onely that can soundly illighten our consciences and therefore let us pray unto him to do it All our studying and reading and hearing and conferring will never be able to do it it is onely in the power of him who made us to do it Psal 119.73 Thy hands have made and fashioned me O give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments He who made our consciences he onely can give them this heavenly light of â—rue knowledge and right understanding and therefore let us seek earnestly to him for it 2. We must seek it in humility alwayes suspecting our own knowledge We are not too confidently and presumptuously to trust to our â—wn judgement and despise or neglect â—he judgement of others Psal 25.9 The humble â—od will teach Pride and self-conceitedâ—esse blindeth exceedingly 3. We must â—eek with sobriety alwayes contenting â—ur selves with that knowledge which â—s most necessarie and not be curious aâ—out vain and idle-braind questions or solicitous to answer every objection ty offendeth conscience and conscience will keep a grudge a long time and will give many a secret wound deading the heart to duty making faith and confidence in God dull we cannot pray with courage nor come before God with boldnesse If our hearts condemn us not we have confidence saith John 1. John 3.21 An erroneous conscience will defile you a doubting conscience distract you a scrupulous conscience unsettle you but above all other an illightened conscience if it have any thing against you will exceedingly disable you this stabbeth at the heart your confidence towards God Go then and labour to purge conscience else conscience will hinder you whether you pray or heare or receive the Sacrament c. it will deprive you of comfort Matth 5.23 If thou bring thâ— gift to the altar and there remembrest thaâ— thy brother hath ought against thee leavâ— there thy gift before the altar first go anâ— be reconciled to thy brother and then comâ— and offer thy gift The case is greater anâ— more dangerous when conscience hatâ— something against us there is no offering will be accepted untill conscience be satisfied If thou shouldest be about to pray and conscience should stand up against thee as an adversary and tell thee thou hast been vain and loose and carnall all this day thou hast not set thy self to keep close to God this day thou hast fallen into this and that sinne this day thou art not fit to pray till thou hast reconciled thy self to conscience Alas thy conscience will secretly undermine all thy praying First â—herefore reconcile conscience by humâ—ling thy self and breaking thy heart and resolving I have sinned I will do no more When conscience can say thy sorrow and repentance and resolution for new obedience is sincere then thou â—â—rt fit to pray but not before So whatâ—ver other duty thou goest about be â—ure to reconcile conscience else all will miscarry V. A faithfull conscience THus I have expounded the adjuncts of conscience which shew themselves in the discharge of its duty every motion and inclination to evil it is awake to see when evil is conceived to tell us of it to oppose it and to disswade us from it like a watchman on the top of a tower alwayes awake to see when any danger approcheth It is Gods minister with eyes on every side to espie seasons of good and stirre up to make use of them and of evil and give warning to avoid them 2. As a faithfull conscience is watchfull so also it is rigid and severe 2. It is severe In every cause it delivereth its judgement nothing can escape its sentence it will not favour our lusts in any particular If there be any opportunity of duty to God or man it maketh us to heare of it though it be such a duty as none other will call upon us for or it may be dare not put us in mind of as of love and care and help towards inferiours yet conscience will It titheth mint and cumine and will tell us of the least duty And so on the other side it will not swallow the least sinne As it will not swallow a camel Luke 16.10 so it will strain at â—gnat A faithfull conscience is faithfull in the least If David sinne but in the lap of a garment conscience smiteth him for it It made Abraham so precise to a thread or a shoe-latchet he would not take so much as that of the king of Sodom It made Moses strict to a very hoof It made Paul find fault with the Corinthians about their hair It made Augustine condemn himself for an apple 3. As a faithfull conscience is watchfull and severe so also it is importunate 3. It is importunate 〈◊〉 all its counsels It doth not onely deliver its judgement but doth with importunitie urge the following of its counsel It will have no nay but will be obeyed It leadeth us bound in the Spirit to do it as Paul said Acts 20.22 I go bound 〈◊〉 the spirit See how importunate this â—â—ithfull conscience was with the Psalâ—ist I will not give sleep to mine eyes Psal 132.4 nor â—â—mber to mine eye-lids untill I find out a â—â—ace for the Lord. It will not take any â—â—y say we what we will say we be â—â—epie say we be busie say we be loth â—â—d full of excuses it will be importuâ—â—te and that with vehemencie It will omitting good or committing evil will not let thee slumber and sleep in securitie but continually joggeth and awaketh thee Hath he given thee a severe a precise conscience that will not favour thee in the least evil It is a most comfortable signe that the Lord meaneth well unto thy soul Vse 3 III. Labour to be a friend unto conscience that it may continue faithfull unto thee True friends will deal faithfully and plainly one with another and will be importunate to do one anotheâ— good Conscience will not deal thus with thee unlesse thou be a friend unto conscience Now then are we friends unto conscience when we do what conscience requireth As our Saviour said to the Disciples John 15.14 Ye are my friends if yâ—â— do whatever I command you So I may say of conscience For conscience if iâ— be truly illightened will command nothing but what Christ commandeth Iâ— we deal so in our constant course with conscience be willing to hearken to it and be ruled by it then if we be out oâ— the way now and then conscience will be true to us and be importunate with us for our good Vse 4 IV. Be sure thou stand not out aâ—ainst conscience when once it is imâ—ortunate It is a great sinne to stand â—ut against conscience though it be not â—mportunate but it is a sinne a thousand â—â—mes greater to
difference between the holy and the profane Now the question is this Where in lieth the difference between the quiâ— conscience of the righteous and thâ— quiet conscience of the wicked Answ The difference between them lieth iâ— foure things 1. In the thing it self 2. In the cause 3. In the effect 4. Iâ— the continuance I. In the thing it self The quiet conscience in the godly is double not onely apparentiall and nominall but reaâ— and substantiall It is quiet and quiâ— too Isai 57.19 peace and peace too I create tâ— fruit of the lips peace peace Marâ— peace and peace too peace in appearance and peace in truth and substance also But the peace and quiet of consciencâ— which the wicked have is not such peace It is peace and no peace peace â—n appearance but no peace in truth Their god is the god of this world â—nd he perswadeth them they have peace But my God saith the prophet â—peaketh otherwise vers 21. There is no peace to â—he wicked saith my God They talk of a good conscience sometimes and boast they have a good conscience but the â—ruth is they cannot have true peace within for saith the prophet the wickâ—d is like the troubled sea which cannot â—est whose waters cast up mire and dirt So doth a wicked mans conscience seâ—retly cast up mire and dirt in his face His peace can onely be outward and apparentiall II. There is a difference in the cause The quiet of a good conscience ariseth â—rom one cause and the quiet of a bad â—onscience ariseth from another 1. The quiet of a good conscience â—riseth from a distinct knowledge of the word of God and of the precepts and promises conteined in it But the quiet of an evil conscience ariseth from ignorance When men know not Goâ— nor his holy word which should binâ— conscience they fear nothing becausâ— they see nothing they know not thâ— danger of sinne Like a blind maâ— standing before the mouth of a cannon he feareth no danger because hâ— seeth none so carnall men fear not because they know not what cause theâ— have to fear Their very prayers thâ— they make are an abomination to Goâ— and they know it not their good duties they do are all like cockatrices egâ— and they know it not they know noâ— that they are in the bond of iniquitie iâ— the snare of the devil Their conscienceâ— are quiet because they know not whaâ— cause they have to be otherwise Thiâ— is one difference The quiet and peacâ— of a good conscience ariseth from lighâ— and from knowledge the quiet anâ— peace of an evil conscience from darknesse and ignorance Heb. 10.22 2. The quiet of a good consciencâ— ariseth from a due examination of ouâ—selves by the word and purging of ouâ— consciences Conscience never can beâ— good without purging and sprinkling â—o nor without a due examination the â—uiet of a good conscience ariseth from â—is Whereas the quiet of a wicked â—ans conscience ariseth from want of â—is He never examineth his consciâ—ce but letteth it sleep till God awake â— with horrour I say a wicked mans â—onscience sleepeth and that maketh it â—uiet and he is not troubled nor moâ—sted with it Like a baillif or sergeant â—â—llen asleep by the way the desperate â—btour whom he lieth in wait for may â—sse by him then and find him very â—iet and not to offer to arrest him â—r like a curst dog fallen asleep a â—anger may passe by him then and not 〈◊〉 meddled with Such like is this quiet â—il conscience 3. The quiet of a good conscience â—iseth from a good ground from the â—ork of Gods Spirit from true saving â—ace from righteousnesse Rom. 14.17 â—e reade of righteousnesse and peace â—rue peace of conscience ariseth from â—ghteousnesse Whereas the false peace â—f the wicked ariseth onely from vain hopes and conceits They are not guilâ— of such and such great sinnes or Thâ— are not so bad as some others As the Phâ—risee's conscience was quiet why â— God I thank thee I am not as other mâ—â— are no drunkard extortioner nor liâ— this publicane Or perhaps from thiâ— ground their peace ariseth The Lorâ— is very mercifull and The Lord Jesâ—â— died for sinners Or perhaps this iâ— their plea They are good comers to churcâ— They have prayers in their families Thâ— have been professours of Christ Jesus 〈◊〉 many yeares From hence they dreaâ— of peace upon false grounds when â— the way of peace they have not knowâ— When conscience shall be awaked theâ— it will tell them how they have by flatery deceived their own souls and thaâ— having no true righteousnesse they could have no true peace 4. The quiet of a good consciencâ— ariseth from tendernesse and from life Therefore the Apostle joyneth together life and peace Rom. 8.6 Truâ— peace of conscience ariseth from life â— whereas the quiet of a wicked conscience ariseth from searednesse and beâ—mbednesse and deadnesse when men â—eing past feeling of sinne are not trouâ—ed at the committing of it Thus ye â—e the second thing wherein the diffeâ—nce lieth namely in the cause III. They differ in the effect First â—he effect of the quiet of a good conâ—cience is comfort and rejoycing Rom. 5.1 Beâ—â—g justified by faith we have peace with â—od through our Lord Jesus Christ What followeth By whom we have acâ—sse by faith rejoycing c. Mark The â—eace of conscience bringeth forth reâ—ycing And so in other places peace â—nd joy are joyned together Rom. 15.13 Gal. 5.22 But the â—vil conscience though quiet wanteth his rejoycing If carnall men had no â—ore mirth then what the quiet and â—eace of their consciences doth help â—hem to they would not be so merrie â—s most of them be Secondly Anoâ—her effect of true peace of conscience â— It sanctifieth the soul it purgeth the â—eart purifieth the life and reformeth â—he whole man It is the instrument whereby God sanctifieth his people more and more 1. Thess 5.23 The God of peace sanctifie you wholly Observe the title which the Apostle there giveth unto God when he sanctifieth his people he calleth him the God of peace he sanctifieth his people by peace It maketh them think thus We must not do thus or thus as others do we shall lose the peace of our conscience if we do This maketh them strive against sinne denie their own wills and carnall appetites If I should not do so I should have no peace This peace sanctifieth But the peace which carnall men seem to have doth not sanctifie the soul they are never the more holy for the same Again another effect of the peace of a good conscience is to put life into us in the performance of good duties it maketh us with gladnesse and delight perform the duties of our generall and particular callings But the false peace of an evil conscience suffereth the wicked to be dead and dull to good duties The true peace keepeth our hearts and our minds We should
lose our minds in the things of this life but this peace doth keep them upon God we should lose our hearts upon our profits and pleasures and affairs in the world but the peace of conscience doth keep them upon heaven Phil. 4.7 The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds This doth the peace and quiet of a good conscience but the quiet of a wicked mans conscience doth not do thus it keepeth not his mind in this manner but it is upon earthly things for all that IV. They differ in respect of duration and continuauce The quiet of a good conscience is settled and grounded in the godly it never faileth them nor forsaketh them the other peace is fading Let a feeling sermon come and rifle carnall men it taketh away their peace from them their consciences then flie in their faces and then they see they are not right Let losse of outward things come light upon them or any other affliction it taketh their peace from them conscience then breaketh out upon them and sheweth them how they have deceived them selves with false peace especially at their death then an evil conscience that hath been quiet before in stead of comforting will affright and amaze them But if we have the quiet of a good conscience it will make us heare the word with comfort and not be troubled and disquieted by a searching sermon or the threatnings of Gods judgements Nay if we be in trouble this will quiet us if in affliction this will comfort us It will endure all ouâ— life and be present at our death then especially it will shew it self a friend unto us in standing by us to chear and refresh us Psal 119.165 Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offeâ—â— them saith David nothing shall offend them or take away their peace it is anâ— eternall and everlasting peace Thâ— you have seen how the true and false peace of conscience differ But here cometh a question to 〈◊〉 answered and it is this Have all God children this peace of conscience I dare say some of you look for this question and long to have it answered I answer therefore No they have it not alwayes Job seemed one while not to have it I have sinned Job 7.20 saith his conscience what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men David seemed one while not to have it Mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavie burden they are too heavie for me Psal 38.4 His sinnes lay heavie upon his conscience for a fit Hezekiah one while seemed not to have it Behold for peace I had great bitternesse And therefore I say the children of God have it not alwayes But let me tell you They might have it alwayes 1. It is possible they should have it alwayes Their sinnes of ignorance and infirmitie do not break the peace of their consciences cannot for if they could then no man should have true peace of conscience at any time Nothing but willing and witting sins sinnes against conscience can break the peace of conscience as it is possible for the children of God to live without these so it is possible for them alwaies to have peace yea they may have dayly more and more peace 2. As it is possible for the children of God alwayes to have peace so they are commanded to keep their peace alwayes and it is their own fault if at any time they lose it Job 22.21 Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace saith Eliphas Col. 3.15 So Let the peace of God rule in your hearts unto which ye are called We are not onely commanded to have peace in our hearts but also that it may rule there that no corruption perk over it to hinder it we are called to this peace and commanded to have it and therefore as it is a sinne in the common-wealth when one breaketh the peace so it is a sinne in the spirit to break the peace of conscience we are all bound to the peace 3. If the children of God have it not alwayes then they feel the want of it and in the want of that comfort nothing else will comfort them It is not all the peace and prosperitie of the world that can comfort their hearts as long as they have not this peace not all the mirth in the world can content them untill they enjoy this peace again the peace and quiet of a good conscience they faint for it and long after it they can have no strength without it Psal 29.11 The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace It is not so with corrupt hearts they can be without peace and yet never faint they can eat and drink for all that and sleep and be merry for all that yea and go about their profits and their earthly businesses as roundly as ever for all that But the children of God if they want the peace of conscience they have no strength to do any thing almost they faint till they have it again 4. The godly alwayes have the seeds of it in them Light is sown for the righteous Psal 97.11 and gladnesse for the upright in heart Mark it is sown in their hearts and it will spring up at one time or other to chear them and to comfort them As it is with the wicked they may seem now and then to have true peace but they have the seeds of horrour alwayes in them which will sprout forth at last and then they shall find the worm of an evil conscience again so on the contrarie side the godly may seem now and then to have no peace but yet they have alwayes the seeds of true peace in them which will in time shew themselves and solace their souls for ever 5. They never want peace as the wicked do want it The wicked want it and have no possibilitie of having it they go in such paths as wherein they shall never know peace Isai 59.8 such paths as will never lead them unto it still their conscience is able to say they are not right they are carnall and not spirituall they know no true peace of conscience neither can they But the children of God walk in such wayes as will bring them to true peace of conscience ere they have done By this ye see what a good and quiet conscience is It cannot be but that all must like it and wish O that we had it Beloved let us labour to get it and the assurance of it No blessing under heaven is like it It is a heaven upon earth Happie are they who can shew they have it and miserable are they who have it not Dulce nomen pacis Sweet and pleasant is the very name of peace especially of the peace of a good conscience If ye have it no misery can make you miserable and if ye have it not no happinesse can make
you happie It is Christs legacie which he bequeathed to his Church John 14.27 Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you It is glorious and honourable Beest thou never so mean in the world thou art glorious if thou hast this peace beest thou never so despised and disgraced among men thou hast honour enough if thou hast this peace Rom. 2.10 To every one that doth good glory honour and peace Mark how it is accompanied namely with glory and honour But shame and confusion and dishonour is upon all them that have it not III. Examination Whether we have a quiet conscience COncerning a quiet conscience I propounded three things 1. What it is 2. How it differeth from that quiet conscience that is in the wicked 3. The examination whether we have this quiet conscience yea or no. The two former we have handled already namely What a quiet conscience is and How it differeth from that quiet conscience which is in the wicked Let us passe on now unto the third namely to an examination of our selves whether we have a true quiet conscience yea or no. A quiet good conscience is such a marvellous blessing that it cannot possibly be but we must like it and wish O that we had it Let us then examine our selves and see whether we have it or no. Many have peace and quietnesse as hath been shewed alreadie arising from false grounds they have peace of conscience because they know not what belongeth to trouble of conscience or if they know that a little as some of the wicked do yet they do not consider that sorrow which one day will burst in upon them and sink them utterly Let us trie then our peace by these notes I. If the quiet of our consciences be good it is such as we have carefully sought for at the mercies of God in the bloud of Jesus Christ when being pinched with the burden of our sinnes we did fly to the promises of God â—o seek comfort to the bloud of Christ to find ease and to get assurance â—f Gods favour If our peace come not â—his way it is naught and we were betâ—er to be without it then have it It may be we speak peace to our selves â—ut doth the Lord speak peace to our â—onsciences Psal 85.8 I will heare what the Lord â—ill speak for he shall speak peace to his â—â—ople and to his saints but let them not â—rn again to folly for that will break 〈◊〉 their peace O go to God then and â—eare whether he speaketh peace to â—our consciences whether it be God in Christ reconciling the world to himself â—at speaketh it to you It is not true â—eace without we have sought for it at â—e throne of grace without it be peace 〈◊〉 Gods making Now the Lord speakâ—h peace to his people who come to â—m for peace three wayes 1. He â—peaketh peace to them by his word â—his speaking is thus When the word â—romiseth peace to those who walk by such a rule and they walk by that rule then Gods word speaketh peace to their souls The rule is set down Gal. 6.15 In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature and theâ— followeth As many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them 2. God speaketh peace to his peoplâ— in their consciences This speaking iâ— thus When the conscience can say â— am in Christ I am engraffed into Christ then the Lord speaketh peace by thâ— conscience 1. Pet. 5.14 peace be with you all that 〈◊〉 in Christ Jesus so also when the coâ—science can say I hunger after righteoâ—nesse I truly mourn for sinne I desiâ— in all my wayes to please God Thirdly God speaketh peace by his Spirit Thâ— speaking is thus When the word hatâ— spoken peace by the promise and whâ— the conscience speaketh I am thus aâ— thus qualified and therefore I have peâ— then the Spirit of God cometh in aâ— witnesseth Yea you say right peace bâ—longeth unto you indeed and I say Aâ—â— to it When the Spirit of God doâ— say thus then the Lord speaketh peace â—o the soul Gal. 5.22 The fruit of the Spirit is â—ve joy peace Peace is the fruit of â—e Spirit it speaketh it to the soul â—reedeth it in the soul Now beloved â—xamine your selves Is your peace of â—is stamp do ye seek it of God and â—et it in the bloud of Christ Jesus do 〈◊〉 get it by the word and by your true-â—eaking conscience and by the holy â—irit of God If ye get it on this wise â—en it is true peace of conscience inâ—ed If ye get it by your own vain â—pes and by your good meanings c. â—s peace will not hold alwayes when â—ur consciences come to be awaked â—ur peace will all vanish away and be 〈◊〉 more This is the first note to try â—d examine your selves by II. If our quiet and peace of conâ—ence be good it is accompanied â—th such a life as is agreeable to the â—ll of God it avoydeth sinne as the â—ng that disturbeth the peace How â—n any man have true peace of consciâ—ce when his life doth not please God â—t provoketh his wrath against him It cannot be that he should have truâ— peace who in his heart doth regarâ— sinne There is no peace to the wickeâ— saith my God No where ever truâ— peace of conscience doth inhabit 〈◊〉 dwelleth with godlinesse of life and unblameablenesse of conversation as thâ— Apostle Peter joyneth them togetheâ— 2. Pet. 3.14 Wherefore beloved seenâ— ye look for such things be diligent thâ— ye may be found of him in peace withoâ— spot and blamelesse Mark the words In peace without spot and blamelesse 〈◊〉 ever we would be found in true peacâ— we must live without spot and blamelesse A wicked mans conscience maâ— seem to have peace and tell him he haâ— served God Prov. 7.14 This day I have paid 〈◊〉 vowes saith the conscience of the whoâ—â— but this is a rotten and deceitfull peacâ— True peace of conscience is ever accoâ—panied with such a kind of life as is â—greeable to the will of God in his woâ— III. If our peace be good it wâ— make us endure to heare any point 〈◊〉 Gods word with joy and delight 〈◊〉 wicked heart can heare points of mercâ— and comfort with joy so long his peace â—steth Every man that calleth upon the â—ame of the Lord shall be saved If we conâ—sse our sins God is just to forgive us our â—ns If any man sin we have an Advocate â—ith the Father Jesus Christ the righteâ—s Whoever shall confesse that Jesus 〈◊〉 the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him â—d he in God Such points as these a â—icked heart can reade with delight â—hough if they were truly opened and â—pounded they would yield him cold â—mfort yet he can heare them with â—light in the lump But if a searchâ—g point or some terrible point coâ—eth he is afraid to heare that
and then in discontent and in hatred and then in hardnesse of heart the Lord rebuked him and yet his heart was so hard that still he went on in evil then he murdered his brother and lastly he despaireth Gen. 4.13 My sinnes are greater saith his conscience then can be forgiven He thought God could not find in his heart to forgive him So when men sinne and sinne and the Lord doth rebuke them and yet they do sinne and their consciences do check them and yet they go on at last they come to have secret despairs in their heart that God now will not look towards them whereas if yet they had a mind to stoop to Jesus Christ they might be forgiven 2. A second cause of despairing is multitude of temptations Indeed the godly should not be so apt to think themselves forsaken of God by reason of temptations as sometimes they are they should rather count it joy as James speaketh chap. 1.2 But yet many of the wicked despair finally by this means Because they do so often fall into temptations therefore they conclude they are forsaken of God 3. Ignorance of Gods word When the guiltinesse of sin meeteth with minds not instructed in the doctrine of free grace and reconciliation by Christ this is a cause of despair 4. So also inured custome of sinning is another cause When men are often quickned and grow dead again then quickned again for a fit and then hardned again in the end they fall to despair These and the like are the causes of despairing consciences And thus I have shewed also the second thing propounded to be handled namely the sundry degrees of troubled consciences III. The third thing is the difference between the troubled conscience in the godly and in the wicked The consciences of Gods children may be troubled and are many times and the consciences of the wicked they are troubled too now the question is How do they differ I answer 1. That trouble in the conscience of wicked men is accompanied with impenitency and sometimes with blasphemy I would I were able to resist God saith Francis Spira like those in the Revelation who blasphemed God because of their torments Sometimes it is accompanied with cursings as Isai 8.21 sometimes with infinite murmuring But in Gods children it is not so When their conscience is troubled they justifie God and clear God and give him the glory of all and submit under his hand and subdue their hearts unto him as David in his trouble did not fret and murmure against God but saith he If God have no pleasure in me lo 2. Sam. 15.26 here I am let him do with me what seemeth him good So that the trouble of conscience in the children of God and in the wicked doth much differ in this first respect 2. The trouble of conscience in the wicked ariseth onely from the apprehension of Gods wrath and fear of judgement for sinne not for the sinne it self and from the love of holinesse But that in Gods children ariseth chiefly for sinne and the want of the apprehension of Gods love unto them How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever how long wilt thou hide thy face from me Psal 13.1 Mark whence the trouble of the Psalmist came This was his trouble that God did hide his face 3. Trouble of conscience in the wicked never maketh them part with sinne never breedeth a hatred of sin in them but that in Gods children doth True it is that a wicked mans troubled conscience may make him vomit up his sin like a dog that vomiteth up his troublesome meat but he doth not vomit up his stomach to that meat for when the trouble is over he returneth to his vomit again So a carnall man returneth to his deadnesse of heart again and to his securitie again when the trouble is over Pharaoh whilest his conscience was troubled at the sense of Gods judgements O then saith he I have sinned I pray Moses let me have your prayers and I will let you go If the children of Israel could have packed up and departed while this trouble had lasted they might have been gone But when he saw there was respite Exod. 8.15 he hardned his heart again Mark His trouble of conscience did not make him part with his sinne But that in Gods children doth 4. That in the wicked driveth them from God They have little heart to come unto him They see nothing but wrath and they rather go about to seek ease in other things then to seek his favour as Saul sought ease in musick and Cain in building castles and cities and Judas in a desperate course Their trouble fetcheth them not to God But the trouble in Gods children worketh otherwise In the midst of trouble of conscience they rest upon God as Heman crieth Psal 88.1 O Lord God of my salvation in the midst of the troubles of his soul The eyes of Gods children are still towards heaven they think still they should have some help from God They pray and cry and though God seemeth to neglect them yet they cannot give over They will not be beaten off from waiting on God when he will speak comfort to them 5. That trouble that is in the wicked maketh their heart sullen but that in the godly melteth their heart My soul is like melting wax saith David in his troubles of conscience His soul melted before God and was even poured out before him Psal 22.13 This is a kindly working Thus ye see the difference Vses Vse 1 1. BY this we see what a miserable thing it is to have such a troubled conscience It is the greatest misery that can be it is even a hell to men here upon earth it is like a dismall ghost to terrifie the soul it is like a burning furnace in the bosome it maketh the life bitter In a word the spirit of man is not able to bear it The spirit of man will sustein its infirmities Prov. 18.14 but â—a wounded spirit who can bear As long as a mans spirit is sound it will bear any thing Some have born agues fevers stones colicks convulsions rackings torturings as long as a mans spirit is sound he is able to bear any of them all of them but a wounded spirit who can bear Never was there man that was able to bear a wounded spirit We may see by many of Gods children how heavy it is David rored with the anguish of it a strange phrase He man was ready even to runne out of his wits with it While I suffer thy terrours saith â—he I am distracted Psal 88.15 Moses putteth himself into the number We are even consumed by thine anger Psal 90.7 Ethan complaineth that it was like a burning fever How long O Lord wilt thou hide thy face for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire Psal 89.46 If it be thus with Gods children what may we think of the wicked If we could search into the bosomes
can say ye are wicked ye did not feed nor clothe nor visit me Go your wayes to hell So for the righteous Your consciences can say ye are righteous Go ye to heaven Thus the Lord will do Now this could not be if conscience could not inform every one that is godly that he is so If conscience could not witnesse what estate they are in this could not be Thus ye see the truth of the first thing II. The second thing that I promised to shew you is How conscience doth this 2. How conscience doth this Ye have heard that it is able to inform every one what estate he is in before God Now it followeth to consider how conscience doth it This it doth by comparing the word of God with our hearts and our hearts with the word As for example Psal 119.6 They who have respect to all Gods commandments shall never be ashamed saith the word But saith conscience I desire to know all my dutie to God and man and to perform all that I know and therefore I shall not be ashamed Prov. 11.18 To him that soweth righteousnesse shall be a sure reward saith the word But saith conscience I plough up my nature and all the fallow-ground of my heart and I sow righteousnesse and therefore to me shall be a sure reward So To be spiritually minded is life and peace saith the word But saith conscience I am spiritually minded my mind is set upon things that are spirituall therefore I have life and peace So conscience also judgeth of the state of sinne Rom. 8.6 Those that live after the flesh shall die saith the word But saith conscience my life is led after the flesh and the lusts of it therefore I shall die Rom. 8.13 He that believeth not is condemned already saith the word But saith conscience I do not believe therefore I am in the state of condemnation The word saith John 3.18 A good tree bringeth forth good fruit and a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit But saith conscience My works and my courses are corrupt and naught therefore so is my heart Thus ye see that conscience doth it by reasoning And this conscience can very well do 1. Because conscience hath a very good judgement It is a very wise and judicious facultie in the soul of man Some make it an act of judgement We do not take it so It is not an act of judgement but it is a reflexive facultie of the soul having a very good judgement Whether it be right to obey you rather then God judge ye saith Peter Acts 4.19 appealing to their own consciences to judge in the point So that conscience is a facultie of a good judgement Now if it be judicious it must needs be able to reason and to argue about our estates and find out whether they be good or no. It is the judgement of man that is able to argue and able to hold an argument We thus judge saith the Apostle that if one died for all then are all dead 2. Cor. 5.14 Mark His proposition he would prove was That all the believers in Christ are dead to themselves and alive unto God Now ye may see how his judgement maketh here an argument If Christ died for them all then they are all dead but Christ died for them all therefore they are all dead Judgement is able to make arguments and therefore if conscience be a reflexive facultie that hath a very good judgement it must needs be able to frame arguments and so make out what our estates are 2. Because there is naturall logick in every mans conscience It can frame syllogismes thus As many as be led by the spirit of God are the sonnes of God saith the word But saith a godly mans conscience I am led by Gods spirit and I am carefull to follow the leading of Gods holy spirit therefore I am one of Gods sonnes And so on the other side Ye will say How can a countrey-mans conscience make syllogismes It is onely for scholars and such as have studied logick in the schools to make syllogismes I answer It is true Artificiall logick is onely among scholars But there is naturall logick in conscience which doth not stand upon forms The godly people at Rome were never brought up at Universitie yet the Apostle telleth them they had logick enough to argue themselves to be dead unto sinne and alive unto God through Christ Rom. 6.11 Likewise also saith he reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exercise so much logick in your selves Like good logicians prove your selves to be dead unto sinne and alive to God So that ye see there is naturall logick in conscience and therefore conscience is able to frame arguments about our estate and to inform us what it is 3. When conscience doth this III. The third thing I propounded to consider is When conscience doth â—his This is a very necessarie point â—nd indeed so they are all but this â—ore especially I have shewed that â—onscience is able to inform us what â—state we are in whether of grace or â—ature but when doth it perform this â— answer I need not so much speak of â—he godly because they do mark â—onscience But let me speak of such â—s are foolish disobedient serving diâ—ers lusts who never had yet the washâ—ng of regeneration nor the renewing â—f the holy Ghost I answer about â—hem 1. Their conscience must needs â—ave a time when to do it I do rememâ—er my faults this day saith Pharaohs â—utler Gen. 41.9 His conscience did â—nform him and there was a time when â—is conscience did inform him 2. Conâ—cience would choose a time by it self â— would inform a wicked man solemnâ—y and punctually of his rotten and curâ—ed estate he is in I say it would have â— solemn time by it self for this if it â—ould have it but a wicked man taketh â—n order with his conscience that it â—hall not tell him solemnly how it is with him neither will he find a time tâ— suffer it As it was with Felix Wheâ— his conscience began to grumble against him when Paul had told him â— righteousnesse and of judgement hâ— trembled his conscience began to stirre and would then have solemnly deaâ— with him indeed but he shuffled it oâ— and would not find time Acts 24.25 Go thy way â— this time saith he to Paul I will heaâ— thee at a more convenient time And â— he said to his conscience too Conscience would take a solemn and set timâ— to inform men what their estates anâ— but men will not suffer them anâ— therefore conscience is fain to takâ— such sudden times as it can get Yâ— will ask What times be they I answer First when conscience interlineth Conscience interlineth As for example in the heaâ—ing of the word While men are hearing the word it
other text is 1. Pet. 3.21 The answer of 〈◊〉 good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ Where the Apostle first giveth this title to a renewed conscience to be called a good conscience Secondly he nameth the cause that maketh it to be good the power of Christs resurrection When the resurrection of Christ Jesus is powerfulâ— upon us then conscience becometh good 5. The fifth is quietnesse By nature â—othing is so fierce and violent if it be â—nce awaked as conscience is O it is â—nspeakably furious Thus is consciâ—nce by nature and therefore it can neâ—er be good untill we get it appeased with the assurance of the pardon of our â—innes and so true peace and comfort â—stablished in it This is the reason why â—he Scripture joyneth a good consciâ—nce and faith so often together as â— Tim. 3.9 Holding the mysterie of faith â—n a pure conscience It cannot be a pure or good conscience if faith be not held â—n it As long as the conscience is not â—nderpropped by faith the conscience must needs be in a wildernesse Perhaps my sinnes are imputed unto me perhaps â—hey are pardoned Perhaps they are coverâ—d perhaps not As long as the conscience lieth under these uncertainties it cannot be firm and foundly good indeed therefore we must labour for assurance of pardon by faith Thus much of a good renewed conscience that is perfectly and soundly renewed An infirm conscience II. Secondly There is a good conscience renewed but not soundly renewed very much as yet defective and imperfect The former conscience is called conscientia firma a firm conscience This is called conscientia infirma an infirm conscience Rom. 15.1 We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak This infirm conscience is a good conscience too and renewed but cumbred with sundry imperfections which in processe of time by growth in grace are for the most part conquered in the godly True faith is required unto this For the Apostle calleth such an one a brother in Christ one that hath this infirm conscience Rom. 14.21 It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth And we must not set such an one at nought Tush what care I for him I know I may lawfully do thus and this is my Christian liberty and shall I lose it for him because of his conscience Nay saith the Apostle Rom. 14.10 Why dost thou set at nought thy brother Mark The Apostle counteth such an one a Christian brother and not to be set at nought and therefore this is a good conscience too differing as much as white from black from such consciences as are weak through superstition of mind and through pride of heart because they will not be otherwise or through affected ignorance because they love not to be better informed These weak consciences are wicked I speak not of these I speak of a good conscience a conscience renewed but renewed imperfectly having yet sundry defects and imperfections The imperfections of it are 1. Imperfection of knowledge It doth not yet soundly and clearly understand what is lawfull and what is pure and what is by Christian liberty indifferent Paul saith Rom. 14.14 I know and am perswaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of it self but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean to him it is unclean He speaketh of things that are indifferent The Apostle had knowledge but there were others who did not know this O I may not eat this meat I may not play at bowls or use any other recreation I should sinne if I should c. This is one weaknesse in this kind of conscience weaknesse of knowledge 2. The second imperfection is to be grieved where it needeth not be grieved As when it seeth other do that which it self through mistake doth judge to be evil it is apt to be grieved and troubled to see it Rom. 14.15 If thy brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not charitably It may be thou thinkest it lawfull to eat such meat but he thinketh otherwise and so is grieved to see thee eat This is another imperfection in this conscience to be grieved and offended without just cause 3. A third imperfection is in judgement It is apt to judge and condemn another mans liberty 1. Cor. 10.29 Why is my liberty judged of another mans conscience He speaketh of a weak conscience It is apt to be judging and condemning my liberty saith he but why so This is a fault and an imperfection indeed O such an one sinneth he doeth so and so yet it may be the thing is not unlawfull but a weak conscience is apt so to judge it and to condemn him that doeth it Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth Rom. 14.3 4. A fourth imperfection is this A weak conscience is apt to be misled So the Apostle intimateth Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block unto them that are weak for if any man see thee who hast knowledge sit at meat in the idoles temple shall not the conscience of him that is weak be emboldned to eat those things which are offered to idoles and through thy knowledge shall thy weak brother perish for whom Christ died 1. Cor. 8.9 10 11. Where ye see that weak consciences are apt to be misled The reason is this Because when they see others whom they know to be more learned and judicious then themselves to do so and so that may soon tempt them to do it though their conscience be against it Vse 1 The first use is this If any have weak consciences let them labour to strengthen them Ye see what imperfections are in a weak conscience how apt it is to be offended and to judge other mens liberty how prone to misleading therefore let every good soul labour to be strengthened Vse 2 The second use is this Those that be strong must be carefull that they offend not the weak Though they do believe such and such Christian liberties they have yet if they know the use of them will offend their weak brother they should be carefull to abstein Rom. 14.13 Let no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way Vse 3 Thirdly if it be such a sinne to sinne against the conscience of the weak then what a sinne is it to sinne against the conscience of all that are godly whether weak ones or strong ones Ye who walk after the flesh and can have disorders in your families and vanity in your mouths and apparent corruptions in your lives Ye who can drink and be drunken and keep company and prophane the Lords dayes ye offend the consciences of all that are godly it is a grief to their souls to see it Let me tell you It is a sinne to be wicked
convinced thee of thy sinnes and made thy conscience say I am a sinner and am guiltie before God I tell thee then Thy conscience is bound and all the world cannot loose it But hast thou been humbled and emptied of thy self and doth the word pronounce pardon of thy sinnes in Christs name that thy conscience can say The Lord speaketh peace to my soul I tell thee Thou art loosed and nor hell nor devil nor sinne nor flesh nor any thing can bind thee Ye may see the power of Gods word in that speech of our Saviour Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven Matth. 18.18 That is My word which ye preach is of that nature that if that loose your conscience it is loosed indeed and nothing can bind it if that do bind it it is bound soundly indeed and nothing can loose it O this is a terrour to the wicked Doth the word of God say Prov. 29.1 He that hardneth his neck being often rebuked shall suddenly be destroyed and cannot be cured O fear and tremble ye that harden your necks against the reproofs of the Almightie his word bindeth over your consciences to Christs barre Doth the word say Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge If thou beest such an one thy conscience is bound with this word and it will apply it to the soul before the tribunal-seat of Christ Doth the word crie out against any of thy courses thy conscience is bound as with chains and it is not all thy vain hopes and excuses can loose thee Again this is comfort to the godly Gods word is the supreme binder of conscience O ye blessed of the Lord the word of God tieth such a fast knot to your comforts that all hell cannot open it with their teeth The word of the Lord Jesus is with your who hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth Yea but sayest thou My sinnes are against me What then mark what the word saith We have an Advocate with the Father Thy conscience is bound to believe that Yea but I have a very naughtie heart and I cannot tell what to do with it Mark what the word saith Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved This bindeth thy conscience But I offend dayly Mark still what the word saith Christ bringeth in everlasting righteousnesse Dan. 9.24 If thou beest unworthy to day there is righteousnesse for thee to day if unworthy to morrow there is righteousnesse for thee to morrow if unworthy for ever there is righteousnesse for thee for ever This is Gods word and thy portion this bindeth thy conscience to lay hold on it But I have abundantly sinned What saith Christs word I will abundantly pardon O what comfort is this to every poore soul which the Lord Jesus hath humbled His word is the supreme binder of conscience above the law above justice above threatnings above all the world besides His promising word is the supreme binder of thy conscience if thou beest one of Christs And therefore fear not onely believe and be thankfull and give glory to God This is the childrens bread no stranger can intermeddle with it The secondary bond of conscience YE have heard that the bonds of conscience are of two sorts First there is a supreme bond of conscience and that is Gods word of which I have already spoken Secondly there is a relative bond of conscience which bindeth conscience indeed but it is onely in relation to Gods word because Gods word putteth authority upon it And this latter is also of two sorts 1. Others may bind conscience 2. We our selves may bind our own consciences I. Others may bind our consciences I. Others may bind our consciences namely when they have authority conferred upon them from God so their laws and commands receive vigour and force from Gods laws Thus the laws and commands of Magistrates bind the conscience of People of Parents bind the conscience of Children of Masters bind the conscience of Servants For though they do not bind conscience as they are the commandments of men yet having Gods seal and authority upon them they do I will set down some conclusions whereby ye may know how farre the laws and commandments of others bind or not bind conscience 1. Conclusion 1. Magistrates have power to command us Let every soul be subject to the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God Rom. 13.1 That chapter doth most clearly prove this conclusion unto us Out of the first part of the chapter we learn 1. That Magistrates have power and authority to make laws and to establish orders among men and therefore they are called powers 2. We learn that these laws of Magistrates receive strength and force from the law of God For the powers that be are ordained of God saith the text 3. Those laws made by the Magistrate and confirmed by God have power to bind conscience vers 5. Wherefore we must be subject not onely because of wrath but also for conscience sake And the violating of them is sinne When their authority is confirmed by God we cannot resist them but we resist the ordinance of God saith the Apostle nay we may pull condemnation upon us if we do They that resist shall receive to themselves condemnation vers 2. So that this first conclusion telleth us what laws of men are to be obeyed viz. 1. Such as do virtually flow from Gods word though not expressely commanded in it 2. Such as are good and wholesome and profitable for the common-wealth These though they are not particularly commanded in Gods word yet are they by virtue of it injoyned and therefore to neglect them and be disobedient unto them is to neglect and be disobedient to God Again so farre onely are they to be obeyed so farre onely I say as they virtually do flow from Gods word for so farre onely they receive force from Gods law This is the first conclusion 2. Conclusion 2. The commandments of Magistrates and those that are in authoritie lose their power of binding the conscience in foure cases 1. When they command that which though in it self it be not simply and absolutely sinfull and unlawfull yet it doth put us upon a necessity of sinning As for example If a Magistrate command single life to all Ministers this thing is not in it self simply unlawfull for it is lawfull to marry and it is lawfull not to marry yet this commandment is unlawfull because it would put Ministers upon a necessity of sinning The reason is because all have not this power And therefore such a commandment as this would not bind conscience For the conscience cannot be bound to impurity or an apparent danger of impurity and therefore though the thing be not simply unlawfull yet the commandment is simply unlawfull and doth not bind conscience The Apostle maketh such a commandment to
when they are alone and their consciences at counsel within themselves then they conclude Indeed they do well Thus their consciences give a good evidence of us and accuse them for not doing the like And thus much shall suffice to be spoken of other mens binding of conscience II. We may bind our own consciences II. We our selves may bind our own consciences And that is by those vows and promises which we make to God of any thing lawfull and in our power Those vows and promises which we make unto God according to the warrant of his word they do bind our conscience They are our own before we have made them as Ananias and Sapphira their gift was their own before they vowed it to the church While it remained was it not thine own and when it was sold was it not in thine own power Acts 5.4 We need not vow unlesse we will but after we have vowed our vows are Gods bonds and do bind the conscience to the performance of them Nay we lie unto God as the text saith they did if we do not stand to the performance of them But it may be demanded What vows are they which are unlawfull and do not bind conscience I answer 1. Such as we make of things impossible and beyond our power These are unlawfull and do not bind conscience 2. Such as we make of things unlawfull when we vow to do that which is contrarie to Gods law such as Davids was when he vowed the destruction of Nabals familie 1. Sam. 25.22 This doth not bind conscience nay we are bound in conscience to break it 3. Such as though they be of things lawfull and possible yet we want freedome in the performance of them as for a wife or a servant or a child to make a vow when their relation to such as are over them will not suffer them to perform it Numb 30.3 This bindeth not conscience Nothing bindeth conscience but that which hath Gods seal upon it but this hath not Gods seal on it and therefore it doth not bind conscience indeed it bindeth us in conscience to repent of it 4. Such as though they be lawfull and profitable and in our own freedome yet if there fall a greater consequence before the time of performance we are not bound in conscience to perform them as if a man upon the receit of some mercie should in testimonie of his thankfulnesse vow a hundred pounds to good uses in the mean time his estate so decayeth as that he shall undo himself and his familie if he perform it this is so great a consequence and contingently hapned that it freeth his conscience from performing what he had vowed Or if a man should promise marriage to a woman and before the time of nuptials she be found unchast this is a farre greater consequence and he is not bound in conscience to marry her These kinds of vows do not bind in conscience But all other do bind us 1. Vse We may learn from hence never to vow but with good judgement and counsel For either we must keep our promise or not If we must that is a signe it is good and therefore had need of deliberation If we must not keep it then it is a signe of rashnesse and inconsideratenesse and besides it may prove scandalous and offensive to them to whom we make it and also to them that shall heare of it And therefore it requireth good judgement and advise to vow What a rash vow was that of good Jephthah Judges 11.30 If thou wilt deliver Ammon into my hand whatsoever meeteth me I will offer it for a burnt-offering How if a dog had first met him what a sin had it been How if his daughter what a thing had that been And indeed it proved to be his daughter Vows without judgement do but increase our sinnes and aggravate our transgressions against God 2. Vse This teacheth us to keep our good vows whatsoever they be that we make Indeed it is hard to keep a good yea it is hard to make a good vow in that manner as we should It requireth a great deal of faith and self-deniall and humilitie and strength of resolution But when we have made it our sinne is the greater if we do not then keep it â—cles 5.5 Better it is not to vow then that thou shouldst vow and not pay Hast thou vowed a vow then deferre not to pay it God hath no pleasure in fools As if the holy Ghost had said It is the part of a fool to vow before he consider and be absolutely resolved to perform to be off and on with the Lord God of hosts The Lord hath no pleasure in fools Therefore pay all thy good vows and be humbled for thy rash vows But we are fallen into bad times when truth and equitie is perished from among men Every one is a deceitfull bow yea the best almost is a briar Nothing so common as vows and promises but few make conscience of performing them Nay men are carelesse of their grand vow which they have made unto God in their baptisme â—aptisme O this is a very fearfull sinne Ye have all made a vow unto God in your baptisme that ye would live otherwise then ye do and ye make no conscience to keep it Baptisme is a very weightie thing If there were no other thing to bind you to holinesse and obedience and faith but onely the vow ye entred into in your baptisme did ye consider what a vow it is it would move you alone It is said of Apollos that he was fervent in spirit though he knew nothing but the baptisme of John Acts 18.25 Apollos considered what a vow he had made unto God in his baptisme that though he knew nothing else it made him zealous for God Baptisme is a very great binder of conscience It bindeth a man to believe and to go out of himself and to submit to Jesus Christ The wicked Pharisees saw this to be true Matth. 21.25 If we shall say that Johns baptisme was from heaven he will say Why did ye not then believe Beloved was not your baptisme from heaven was it not an ordinance of God and did ye not solemnly then vow unto God Why then do ye not believe why do ye not denie your selves your works your wayes and take up Christs crosse As Christ saith of John Baptist Among them that are born of women there hath not been a greater then John the Baptist Matth. 11.11 so may I say of bonds and of vows and covenants Among all the vows and covenants that ever were made there hath not been a greater then this of Baptisme And therefore ye had best look to the performing of what ye then vowed If ye do not ye are grievous breakers of covenant with God which sinne will surely stand against you for evil It is most certain that Baptisme doth greatly bind us in conscience to walk answerably to