a conscience 23 Why the Lord did plant a conscience in every man 25 II. Proposition The light that conscience acts by is knowledge 1. of Gods law 28 The light that conscience acts by is knowledge 2. of our selves 28 The great necessity of knowledge 29 III. Proposition The office of conscience is to bear witnesse accusing or excusing 33 1. Foure properties of this witnesse-bearing It is 1. Supreme 34 2. Impartiall 35 3. Faithfull 36 4. Privie 37 2. The parts of this witnesse-bearing I. It s single witnessing 1. What we have done 38 2. What we intend to do ibid. 3. What is the bent of our hearts ibid. II. It s judiciall bearing witnesse 42 1. About things to be done or omitted Where are considered 1. It s Office 1. To judge 45 2. To counsel 46 2. Its Adjuncts It is either 1. Illightned 51 2. Erroneus 56 3. Doubting 52 4. Scrupulous 58 5. Faithfull 63. or 6. Unfaithfull 69 2. About things alreadie done or omitted and here also 1. It is Office is 1. To approve 77 2. To absolve 78 3. To mislike 79 4. To condemne 80 2. Its Affections It is either 1. Tender 83 2. Sleepie ibid. 3. Benumbed 84 or 4. Seared 85 From all thâ—se proceed two other Adjuncts I. A quiet conscience concerning which is considered 1. What it is 87 2. How that in the godly differeth from that in the wicked 90 3. How to know whether we have it or no 100 Where is handled Whether a child of God may fear death and how farre 105 Whether a wicked man may be desirous to die and in what cases 108 The great benefit of peace of conscience 110 II. An unquiet conscience What it is and the causes of it 114 The degrees of it 117 The difference of it in the Godly and in the wicked 121 How a man may keep peace of conscience 131 How it dependeth upon obedience 135 What manner of obedience that is which peace of conscience dependeth upon 139 What a man must do to be freed from a burdened and troubled conscience 141 As conscience beareth witnesse of our actions so of our persons 146 It can and doth inform every man what estate he is in 147 How it doth this 150 When it doth this 153 Why many neverthelesse are deluded about their estate 157 What a good conscience soundly renewed is 162 What a weak and infirm good conscience is 168 IV. Proposition The bond of conscience is the law of God 175 1. The Primarie and supreme is Gods word 177 Gods law bindeth the consciences of the regenerate 184 2. The Secondarie and relative others or our selves 194 1. Others may bind our conscience as Magistrates Superiours and how farre ibid. 2. We may bind our own consciences by lawfull vows and promises 207 What vows are unlawfull and not binding ibid. Of the vow made to God in baptisme how great it is and how much to be regarded 209 An Enquiry after a mans Estate before God COLOSS. 4.8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he may know your estate and comfort your hearts THE estate of a man before God is the relation that he standeth in unto God as God is the free fountain of all spirituall life and salvation and the determiner of mens everlasting conditions either in heaven or in hell So that when we question about a mans estate we question Whether he be in Christ or not Whether he have true grace yea or no Whether he be one of Gods children or no or whether he be yet no better then a reprobate There be three things to be considered in this definition of every mans estate First it is a relation unto God not as a man is in himself it may be rich it may be poore in the world but I speak here as he is in relation towards God Whether he be rich towards God yea or no. I do not speak as a man is in regard of others it may be he is a father or a sonne a master or a servant a king or a subject but in relation to God Whether Gods sevant or no Gods child or no. Salute Apelles saith Paul and he telleth us in what estate Apelles was in before God namely in an estate of approbation approved in Christ And the same Apostle speaketh on the contrary of the unconverted Gentiles that they were strangers from the life of God Ephes 4 18. Secondly As it is a relation unto God so it is a standing relation That wherein he standeth towards God that is a mans estate before God There is a difference between one that doth sin and one that is in the state of sinne A child of God may sinne but he is not in a state of sinne you cannot call him a wicked man So also there is difference between one that doeth some good actions and one that is in a good estate A carnall man may do some good things but he is not in a good estate The estate of a man is a standing thing it is the relation that he standeth in towards God Thirdly It is the relation that a man standeth in towards God as he is the free fountain of spirituall life and salvation It is not every standing relation towards God For a man may be considered in relation to God as a Creatour and so the heavens and the earth and the very brute beasts stand in relation to God as they are his creatures but they have not this estate that we speak of which is a relation to God as the free giver of spirituall life and salvation He is free he may choose whether he will give it or no. Now this is a mans estate the relation he standeth in unto God Whether the Lord hath given him his saving grace yea or no spirituall life in Christ Jesus yea or no title to heaven and salvation yea or no this is the meaning when we speak of a mans estate It is said of Sodom They were sinners before God that is they were in a bad estate a state of sinne It is said of Zachary and Elisabeth They were both righteous before God that is they were both in a very good state All Christians believe that there is a God It behoveth every one now to consider in what estate he standeth to his God This is a great question that we which are ministers ought to demand of our people to know their estates First because we are shepherds and are bound to look well how it standeth with our flock If we do not labour to know your estates we can never look well to your souls Consider that place in the Proverbs Be diligent to know the state of thy flock and look well to thy herds Where the wise man first requireth that we should look well to our flocks and then directeth us in the manner how viz. by being diligent to know their estate how it standeth with them Secondly we are Gods
made way now to a treatise of conscience which will shew us what estate we are in before God I desire to handle it common-place-wise And first I will tell you in brief what the conscience of every man is I say of every man For Angels and devils have a conscience too ye may see it in the speech of the Angel to John when John would have worshipped him I am thy fellow-servant saith he see thou do it not Mark He had a conscience that could say I am a servant and therefore must not take worship to me So for the devils When our Saviour bade them come forth of the possessed they say Art thou come to torment us before our time See they had a conscience that told them there would be a time when they should be further tormented But I am not to speak of such consciences but of the conscience of man Now the conscience of man is the judgement of man upon himself as he is subject to Gods judgement Divines use to expresse it 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 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 ensuing treatise Rom. 2.15 1. That there is in every man a conscience Their consciences bearing them witnesse Every one of them had a conscience bearing them witnesse 2. That the light which conscience is directed to work by is knowledge written in their hearts 3. That the bond that bindeth a mans conscience is Gods law which shew the effect of the law written in their hearts 4. That the office and duty of conscience is to bear witnesse either with our selves or against our selves accusing or excusing our selves or actions bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing or excusing one another I begin with the first Proposition I. There is in every man a conscience THere was a conscience in all these heathen in the text their consciences bearing them witnesse There was a conscience in the Scribes and Pharisees being convicted of their own consciences There is a conscience in good men as in Paul Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience There is a conscience in wicked men 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 a conscience Indeed we use to say Such an one hath no conscience but 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 tvventy years before yet they could not vvear it out 2. No violence nor force is able to suppresse conscience but that one day or other it will shew it self What made Judas go and carry back the money that he betrayed our Saviour for and also to cry out I have sinned but conscience No question but he laboured to suppresse it but he could not 3. No greatnesse nor power is able to stifle conscience but that it will one day like a band-dog flie in a sinners face What made Pharaoh crie out I am wicked but conscience He vvas a great King and yet he vvas not able to over-povver conscience 4. No musick mirth or jovializing can charm conscience but it vvill play the devil to a vvretched soul for all that What vvas the evil spirit of melancholy 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 vvorm 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 vvill appear and shevv plainly that it vvas present vvith them every moment of their lives and privie to all their thoughts and all their vvayes and set before them all the things that they have done Be men never so secure and senselesse and seared for the present conscience vvill break out either first or last Either here or in hell it vvill appear to every man That he hath and ever had a conscience Novv the reasons vvhy the Lord did plant a conscience in every man living are 1. Because the Lord is a very righteous Judge And as he commandeth earthly judges not to judge vvithout vvitnesse so he himself vvill not judge vvithout vvitnesse 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 mercifull We are vvonderous forgetfull and mindlesse of God and of our ovvn souls and have need to be quickned up to our duties therefore the Lord hath given every one of us a conscience to be a continuall monitour Sometime vve forget to pray and then conscience putteth us in mind to go to God sometime vve are dull in the duty and conscience is as a prick to quicken us Sometime our passions are distempered and then conscience checketh and commandeth us to bridle them We should never be kept in any order if it vvere not for conscience Therefore hath the Lord in mercy given us a conscience The first use is to condemne that diabolical proverb common among men Conscience is hanged a great while ago No no Achitophel may hang himself but he cannot hang his conscience Saul may kill himself but conscience cannot be killed It is a worm that never dieth As the reasonable soul of man is immortall so conscience also is immortall Secondly this condemneth such as go about to suppresse conscience Their conscience maketh them melancholick and lumpish now and
then and they go about to shake it off Alas why do ye go about that which is utterly impossible Ye may suppresse it for a while and gagge it for a while but ye can never shake it off Conscience sticketh so close that a man may as soon shake off himself as his conscience And indeed his conscience is himself Let a man examine himself that is his conscience Judge in your selves that is Judge in your consciences Thirdly this confuteth that drunken opinion That conscience is nothing but a present fit of melancholy No It causeth it may be the present melancholick fit but it is not it Conscience is a standing power in a man that is evermore with him and will evermore judge him and condemne him if he be guiltie before God It will be with him when his dumpish fit is over Let him laugh and be merry yet conscience lies at the bottome of all and will spoyl all the mirth Let the drunkard be never so joviall I will not believe but conscience in the midst of that drunken mirth causeth some sadnesse within and telleth him this is a very wicked life Let the carnall hypocrite daub up the matter with good duties and good prayers and good hopes I cannot believe but there is a conscience lieth at the bottome and telleth him he is rotten for all this You may see this in Cain He had been at a good duty sacrificing to the Lord but his countenance fell when he had done conscience did lie at the bottome and did tell him God did not accept him Conscience is with evil men at church at sermon at sacrament and telleth them secretly that they are not the persons to whom the blessing of these ordinances belong Lastly this may be for exhortation to the godly That they would consider this that they have ever a conscience within them and that therefore they would labour alwayes to keep it void of offence which was Pauls exercise Acts 24.16 Take head you offend not your consciences in duties of piety towards God in your prayings hearings c. no nor in your callings eatings drinkings liberties recreations Look alwayes to your consciences that you offend them not because they are ever with you When two live ever together they had need not offend one another else there will be no quiet You and your consciences must ever live together if ye offend them ye are like to have very ill lives Better live with a curst scold then live with an offended conscience ye had better offend the whole world then offend conscience There are none whom ye are alwayes to live with but conscience ye are alwayes to live with Ye are not alwayes to live with your husbands nor alwayes with your wives nor alwayes with your parents or masters there is a time when you must part but conscience and you will never part Therefore labour to keep it void of offence And thus much of the first proposition There is in every man a conscience Proposition II. The light that conscience acteth by is knowledge THis knowledge is twofold 1. Of Gods law 2. Of our selves 1. The knowledge of Gods law To know Gods will what is good what is bad whaâ— God commandeth what he forbiddeth Every man under heaven hath this law of God in some measure writ in his conscience I confesse Gods children onely know Gods law to purpose as it is a light to guide them in the way oâ— salvation but all the world have some measure of knowledge whereby they may gather thaâ— there is a God and that he ought to be worshipped and obeyed and that he hath poweâ— over life and death All the world have knowledge in some measure what is good and what is not what is to be done and what not what is according to conscience and what not All the world have this knowledge in some measure I do not say enough for salvation but enough to make them inexcusable before God for not following that light and not living according to that knowledge which they have If there were not some light in this behalf some knowledge of the law of God in every man conscience could do nothing 2. Knowledge of our selves This also is the light that conscience acteth by There is in every man some measure of knowledge of himself according to the measure of knowledge that he hath of Gods law Our consciences look backward and forward forward to Gods law and backward on our selves Whether we be such as Gods law requireth yea or no. First ye may find this in good men This light did the conscience of David go by I was upright before God saith his conscience and I kept my self from mine own iniquitie His conscience had a light whereby he knew what he did Secondly ye shall find this in wicked men This light the conscience of Achan went by I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done These are the two lights that every mans conscience goes by It hath light in some measure to know the law of God what he should do and what he should not do and it hath light in some measure to know himself what he hath done or not done whether he hath done as he should yea or no. Now these two lights are necessary as thus I prove First the knowledge of Gods law is necessary For else conscience cannot work A drunkard might be drunk every day in the yeare and yet conscience could not trouble him nor condemne him of sinne unlesse he knew the law That God hath forbid drunkennesse And so the swearer And so evil words and bad thoughts conscience cannot accuse for unlesse there be so much light as to know they are forbidden And therefore Divines do all say that the Synteresis is necessarie to the exercise of conscience The Synteresis is this When a man keeps in his mind the knowledge of the things conteined in Gods law namely That we must obey God honour our parents not commit adultery not kill not steal not lie not covet c. Unlesse the knowledge of these be kept in mind conscience cannot work And therefore when we would stirre a mans conscience we appeal to his knowledge Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God As if he had said Your own consciences may condemne you to the pit of hell if ye be unrighteous because your Synteresis can tell you that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God This is the reason why we say that there is a naturall conscience and there is an illuminated conscience because some have no light but onely the light of nature some have besides the light of Gods word which sheweth that which nature sheweth and much more clearly and teacheth many things more which nature cannot teach And hence the conscience of the illightned condemneth for such things as the naturall
will conscience bring forth and testifie what they were Heare the Apostle in that day God shall judge the secrets of men c. The most hidden things conscience shall bring to light and Christ shall judge them 3. Conscience beareth witnesse of the bent and frame of our hearts what we affect most and love most and rejoyce and delight in most and desire most and grieve for most what our affections runne upon most whether upon God or the world whether upon heaven or the things of this life Conscience bare witnesse to David that his delight was in the law of the Lord that God was his portion that Gods statutes were his counsellours Conscience bare witnesse to the false teachers in Christs time that they affected vain glory and the praise of men more then the praise of God Conscience bare witnesse to Demas that notwithstanding his fair profession his heart was set upon the world Conscience bare witnesse to Jehu that for all his seeming zeal his heart was not upright But it may be objected How can this be The heart is deceitfull above all things who can know it Who can know it That is Who else can know it but a man himself None under God can know the heart of man but a mans own conscience the spirit of man that is in him I confesse a man may be ignorant of some secret and particular deceit in his heart but who knoweth not the generall standing of his own heart or may know the chief bent of his own soul David in a particular deceit was ignorant I said in my prosperitie I shall never be moved never distrust God more never be disquieted in my mind more He was deceived in that particular but he knew very well the generall and chief bent of his heart that it was truly set upon God and upon holinesse 2. It is true many men take it that their hearts are set upon God when they are not but what is the reason Not because they do not or may not know the contrary that they love the world most but because they will not know it they are unwilling to believe it they are loth to have any bad conceit of themselves So that when Jeremy saith The heart is deceitfull above all things who can know it his meaning is What carnall man can abide to know the worst of himself 3. It is not because they know it not but because they will not heare the testimony of conscience but when it telleth them truly how the case is with them they gather all the rotten and broken pieces of arguments together to stop the mouth of conscience and to perswade themselves to think well of themselves 4. Men seem not to know their own hearts not because they do not know what they are but because they are ignorant of Gods law whereby they should judge of themselves They know their hearts are set on the world and that the bent and frame of their affections are placed on earthly things but they hope an under-affection to God will be accepted to love God in the second place will serve the turn They know they are carnall but they hope such carnality may be in a man and yet he be right Yea but a mans heart may say on the contrary side that he loveth the world more then he loveth God when he doth not how then doth conscience bear right witnesse I answer This ariseth either from the strength of corruption and weaknesse of grace We look into our selves and see our corruptions violent and our love to God small and so we are deceived not seeing the radicall power of this love of God which in regard of its virtue is stronger then the other As a fool if he should feel hot water would conclude that there is no cold at all in it whereas there is radicall cold in that water such as will expell all that heat in a little space Or else this ariseth from anguish of spirit which so disturbeth the mind that it cannot see its own condition nor be capable of the comforts belonging unto it as it was with the Israelites Exod. 6.9 otherwise doubtlesse we may know our own hearts and when our conscience beareth witnesse its witnesse is right I. Use of reproof to those who stand out against the witnesse of their conscience and like hard-hearted felons plead still Not guiltie though never so much evidence come against them though conscience oft tell them this they have done thus they do such they are Oh stop not your eares against conscience stand not out against it but believe its testimony and make use of it to repent of the evil it accuseth of while mercy may be had before God himself cometh and joyneth with conscience to condemne for ever II. It serveth for singular encouragement to all to abound in good works Conscience will bear witnesse of them all to our unspeakable comfort in the time of afflictions yea at death and judgement Job felt it a sweet thing to have conscience give in testimony of his integrity and uprightnesse When his friends proved miserable comforters and God himself seemed to write bitter things against him yet his conscience witnessed that he had been eyes to the blind and feet to the lame he had fed the hungry and clothed the naked and comforted the fatheâ—lesse There is not a good thing that ever we do but conscience will afford us the sweetnesse and comfort of it in our toubles Remember O Lord saith Hezekiah that I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart We have spoken of consciences single bearing witnesse Now followeth its judiciall bearing witnesse which is when it passeth sentence upon on the morall of our actions whether they be good or evil whether blessed or cursed This is performed by a Logicall discourse by way of reasoning on this manner The word saith Whoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adulterie in his heart That is the synteresis Now the assumption But I have had wanton eyes and lustfull lookings after a woman That is the single bearing witnesse of conscience Therefore I have committed adultery in my heart That is the judiciary sentence of conscience which it passeth on a mans self So again Whosoever crucifieth the flesh with the affections and lusts he is in Christ But saith conscience I crucifie the flesh with its affections and lusts Therefore I am in Christ Though there be not the form of this discourse in our consciences yet there is the force of it for when conscience doth judicially witnesse against any man or for any man it doth it by the word and proceedeth in the way which is propounded The use of this is First for comfort to the godly who may hence gather the assurance of their salvation from the rule of Gods word and the witnesse of their conscience that they walk by this rule The word
support us in all dangers It maketh us happie nay there is no happines without it It will make us with quietnesse contentednesse of spirit undergo whatever it shall please God to lay upon us How can they want comfort that have this It is a spring of comfort within them This will remain with us when all other comforts will forsake us When friends fail and estate faileth when credit and health and strength and all fail then a good conscience if we have it will speak peace to us yea and it will effect it in us comfort us and fasten comfort upon us Friends may speak words of comfort and peace to us but it may be we are not able to receive it the minister may preach peace but it may be we are not able to take it But a good conscience speaketh peace and effecteth it it doth not onely speak it but it putteth it into our hearts It proppeth us up in all miseries in sicknesses yea in death it self A good conscience then maketh us hold up our heads when all the world shall be confounded A good conscience will bear us out against the King of terrours It is onely a good conscience that can look death in the face and say O death where is thy sting thanks be to God who giveth us victorie through our Lord Jesus Christ. Yea at the day of judgement when the whole world shall be burning before us when the great men of the world who go in silks and scarlet and broidered hair shall fear and shiver as a reed shaken with the wind this will make us with boldnesse undergo the terrour of it This will make us happie in all our distresses When crosses pelt us and sicknesse paineth us and death attatcheth us we are happie men What if we have the tokens of Gods wrath upon our bodies so we have the marks of his love upon our souls What outward calamitie soever happeneth to us yet if we have this good conscience we are happie O then let us laboâ—r to get it by faith and a holy life If we would be safe in the floud-time in the day of Gods wrath we must be busie now about the ark we must provide beforehand for it Nothing but this ark will save us in the deluge of Gods anger It is in vain to trouble our selves about other things Jubal was a merrie man he made pipes and organes Jabal built tents others planted vineyards but Noah provided his ark Many desire comfort in sicknesse in death but they do not provide for it before-hand They look after their sports or businesses in the world but this ark is neglected this good conscience without which all mens labour is vain Be they what they will be in never so much credit and esteem they are yet most miserable when troubles and afflictions come on them as one day they shall and shall not tarrie then all their comforts will forsake them When death looketh them in the face then their hearts die within them How full of pride and haughtinesse soever they were before yet when they come to die if their consciences be awaked they will with Saul fall down to heare the name of death and no spirits be left in them Nay if we want a good conscience when we lie on our deathbeds and desire good people to pray for us Good sir I beseech you let me have the benefit of your prayers to God for me Alas if thou hast not a good conscience all the prayers under heaven will not help thee See Heb. 13.18 Brethren pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience Mark The Apostle telleth them they may pray for him with comfort because he had a good conscience As if he had said If we had not a good conscience it were in vain for you to pray for us If ever God heare the prayers made for us we must have a good conscience Those that have not this good conscience shall never enter into the kingdome of heaven Though they had Moses Daniel and Job to pray for them yet all their prayers could not help them in the time of their distresse The bond of conscience NOw we must look back unto the foure propositions which at the beginning I observed in the text I am upon 1. That there is in every man a conscience 2. That the light which directeth conscience is knowledge 3. That the bond which bindeth conscience is Gods law 4. That the office of conscience is to bear witnesse to accuse or excuse I have in the handling of these a little altered the method and spake of the two first and the last Now followeth the third and that is consciences bond which is Gods law which shew the work of the law written in their hearts c. It is onely the work of Gods law that it beareth witnesse of that it accuseth or excuseth for The law of God is consciences bond Neverthelesse we must here distinguish The bonds of conscience are either primarie and 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 lawgiver who is able to save or to destroy who art thou that judgest another that is There is but one supreme lawgiver 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 virtue 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
bringeth forth deadnesse earthlinesse impatience evil conversation c these are corrupt fruits and signes of a very bad estate 2. Ye may know what estates ye are in by your inclinations and dispositions from whence these actions proceed Are your hearts inclined heavenward and God-ward as Davids are ye bent to holinesse and self-deniall c. as a bow is bent to shoot the arrow This is a signe of a good estate as 1. Chron. 22.19 there is speech of setting the heart to seek God Ye know when a man will do a thing indeed we say he is set on 't It may be ye do some good duties make some fair offers of seeking God but are your hearts set on 't or are they set on the world and inclined earth-vvard The inclinations of every creature in the vvorld do ever shevv vvhat the creature is Hovv do vve knovv that a stone is heavy Because it inclineth dovvnvvard Hovv do vve knovv a man is cholerick Because he is inclined unto vvrath So a mans estate may be knovvn by his constant inclination either to good or evil 3. One may knovv vvhat estate he is in by that reflexive act which is proper onely to man There is an act in mans soul vve call it a reflex act vvhich no creature hath but onely man vvhereby he can perceive vvhat himself is and doeth When a man thinketh or speaketh he can reflect upon himself and perceive vvhat he thinketh or speaketh vvhen he prayeth he can reflect upon his ovvn heart and perceive hovv it carrieth it self all along in his prayers I say no creature in the vvorld hath in it this reflexive act but onely man The fire burneth but it cannot reflect upon its ovvn burning Oculus non videt se videre The eye seeth but it doth not see that it doth see that is That creature doth not perceive vvhat it doeth vvhen it seeth But every man hath this reflexive act in him vvhereby he is privie to vvhat himself thinketh doeth is None knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man that is in him This is the reason vvhy some knovv not vvhat estate they are in because they choke their ovvn spirit and hoodwink their consciences Thine ovvn heart knovveth hovv it is vvith thee and vvould faithfully tell thee if thou vvouldst enquire of it and hearken unto it Search vvith Gods candle and thou mayst easily find vvhat is in thee The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly 4. Ye may knovv vvhat estate ye are in by a certain kind of feeling As there is a kind of bodily feeling vvhereby every man knovveth the estate of his body whether he be sick or in health so there is a spirituall feeling The tvvo disciples did feel their hearts burn Paul did feel a great combat in him betvveen the flesh and the spirit So if men be covetous and vvorldly they may feel it Yet indeed some men be past feeling Their case is the vvorse because they cannot feel hovv bad it is But for the most they may easily feel what their estate is The third use is to shevv you the impediments that hinder this knovvledge If you vvould attein to knovv vvhat estate you are in then remove the impediments vvhich are 1. Vain thoughts Men vvho are in a state of sinne and vvrath yet have many vain thoughts lodging within them keeping them from knowing it God is mercifull and Christ died for sinners and There be worse sinners then they why should they think so ill of themselves and they may be better all in good time These vain thoughts hoodvvink their eyes that they cannot see their estate nor resolve that it is so dangerous as indeed it is O Jerusalem wash thy heart from wickednesse how long shall these vain thoughts lodge within thee They were in a very bad estate and yet they had such vain thoughts that they could not see it 2. Presumption is another impediment Men pray and heare and do other good duties and so take all to be well without serious examining This was the case of the Laodicean people They thought they had that in them which they had not and that their estate was good when it was nothing so 3 Another let are the Cares of this life Whereby the heart is so occupied that it doth not find time to search its own estate Therefore our Saviour saith Take heed that your hearts be not overcharged with the cares of this life lest that day come upon you unawares intimating that these cares are great lets from considering our estates 4. Another let is an Evil conscience which affrighteth a man so soon as he beginneth to stirre and maketh him afraid to go on to look soundly into his estate He that doeth evil hateth the light 5. Another let is Ignorance There is none that understandeth none that seâ—keth after God Mark they did not seek in what case they stood before God because they did not understand 6. Another let is Spirituall sloth and sluggishnesse of heart Men cannot endure to take pains with their own hearts till they have made out a true judgement in what case they are They begin and quickly give over and so for want of diligence and pains-taking make nothing sure The last use is for exhortation That all men would bestirre themselves and set in earnest upon this enquirie That we may every one know in what state we stand 1. Consider this is an enquiry about our souls We enquire about our outward man about the estate of our bodyes and vvorldly affairs c. oh let us not neglect this main enquiry Am I in Christ yea or no Am I a new creature yea or no Doth my soul live to God or no 2. Consider this is a question about our everlasting estate We can never have comfort untill we have put this out of question and therefore this is a question which all questions must give way unto If ye be not in Christ ye had need lay aside all and look about it onely Hovv can men eat drink sleep c. sith the wrath of God abideth upon all unbelievers Methinks our souls should take no content do nothing else but faint after Christ untill we know our interest in him I say again This is the grand enquiry that businesse which all businesses must give place unto Oh the sloth of our souls Let us in time awake and rouse them up and never rest untill we know our own estate to be good before God that so our hearts may have comfort and that with God A Treatise of Conscience ROM 2.15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing them witnesse and their thoughts in the mean while accusing or else excusing one another I Have shewed you That every man is in an estate before God And that hath
conscience never stirreth about Secondly the knowledge of our selves is needfull else conscience cannot act neither Though we know what Gods law requireth and what not what is good and what not yet unlesse we know whether we go with it or against it conscience cannot accuse nor excuse As for example A close hypocrite he knoweth well enough that the Lord hath condemned hypocrisie and that hypocrites must have their portion in hell yet if he do not know himself to be an hypocrite his conscience can never condemne him for being one And therefore both these knowledges are necessary as vvell the knovvledge of a mans self as of Gods lavv Many vvho had a hand in crucifying our Saviour sinned grievously yet they sinned not against knovvledge because they knevv not vvhat they did Father forgive them they know not what they do Thirdly It is a contradiction to say a blind conscience in act The conscience cannot be blind and yet actually condemne Indeed the conscience it self may be blind but it can never act and be blind If it truly accuse or excuse it must have some light It is true it may erroneously excuse or accuse and yet have no true light Seeming light is enough to do that seeming knovvledge is enough to make conscience erroneously excuse As they vvho killed the Apostles their consciences excused them and told them they did God good service they seemed to knovv it vvas good service to God and therefore their consciences excused them c. Thus ye see that the light that conscience vvorketh by is knovvledge The use of this point is first to let us see the infinite necessity of knovvledge As good have no conscience at all as conscience vvithout knowledge for it cannot act and perform its office This is the reason vvhy so many thousands go on in their sinnes vvithout repentance because being ignorant they have no conscience to prick them thereunto as Jer. 8.6 No man repenteth him of his wickednesse saying What have I done Why vvhat vvas the reason that conscience did not prick them and say This thou hast done and that Thus ye have rebelled c The text answereth in the next verse My people know not the judgement of the Lord. The stork knoweth her time and the turtle and the swallow but my people do not know their duties Another use is to exhort us that we would labour to perfect the light of conscience that it may be able to guide us and direct us unto heaven Our conscience hath knowledge enough by the light of nature to make us inexcusable and to clear the justice of God though he should damne us for ever but there must be a greater light then that that must guide us to heaven O let us pray to Christ the true light to set up this light in us that we may never be at a losse in our way to happinesse never step out of the right path but our conscience may be able to put us in again never go slowly but our conscience may spurre us on faster that our conscience may not be like the snuff of a candle in a socket that flameth up now and then and then is dark again and again it flameth out and is dark again A man may see his book by it but he cannot see to reade he may see his pen and ink by it but he cannot see to write a woman may see her needle and cloth by it but she cannot see to work so it is with some mens consciences Their light is so dimme that they can see the duties but they cannot see to do them they can see the commandments of God but they cannot see to obey them O labour to perfect the light of your consciences that ye may see to walk by them And thus 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 them was this The bond that bindeth conscience is Gods law But I will now a little alter the method and make the other which was propounded last to be the third in the handling and it is this Proposition III. The office of Conscience is to bear witnesse to accuse or excuse COnscience is put into this office by God himself It is Gods officer Not onely his register-book that shall be opened at the day of judgement wherein is set down our thoughts words and deeds but it is a preacher also to tell us our duty both towards God and towards man yea it is a powerfull preacher it exhorteth urgeth provoketh yea the most powerfull preacher that can be it will cause the stoutest and stubbornest heart under heaven to quake now and then it will never let us alone till it have brought us either to God or to the devil Conscience is joyned in commission with Gods own 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 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 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 condemne us yet if our own consciences do not we need not fear And so on the contrary if conscience do condemne us it will be small comfort though all the world flatter and commend and excuse us It is a supreme witnesse Though all the Angels in heaven should come and bear witnesse their witnesse is not so uncontrollable as conscience is There is no appealing from the witnesse of conscience we must â—e tried by it If conscience do accâ—se and condemne us the Lord onely is greater then our conscience 1. John 3.20 and will give judgement with it when it doth its office And if our conscience
saith He that hungreth and thirsteth after righteousnesse shall be filled He that doeth these things shall never fall c. Get the rule of your hearts and lives to meet and ye have what ye desire O what infinite mercy is this to all godly souls that the Lord hath planted this conscience in their bosomes that they need not go farre for their comfort their own consciences and the rule may preach it to them Secondly The wicked on the other side if they continue as they are may hence gather arguments for their own damnation If the rule and conscience might be heard they would speak bitter things against them and give a fearfull sentence on them It may be they can smother their consciences now for a time but they will one day reade them a fearfull lecture I speak not now onely of those who drown their consciences in their cups and fear their consciences by their grosse sinnes but of those who would seem godly and perform good duties but with hypocriticall hearts and carnall minds O that they would heare but conscience argue a little in this manner To be carnally minded is death that is is an evident signe of a man that is in the state of death and damnation But saith conscience I am carnally minded or we are carnally minded Therefore we have an argument about us of death and damnation And so also for all other sinnes There is not a wicked man under heaven but he may argue out of his own miserable estate by his conscience or he might if it were awaked as one day it will be Thirdly this may serve for instruction No matter what opinions men have of us in the world The question is What is the judgement of our own consciences upon us It may be thou art taken for a man of great knowledge and a forward man in godlinesse it may be the godly dare not judge otherwise of thee but the question is What is the judgement of conscience Doth not thy conscience tell thee thou art but a proud fool conceited of thy knowledge and lovest to heare thy self talk And so for thy performance of good duties what testimony doth conscience give of the manner of doing of them The testimoniall of conscience is above all testimonials in the world all the good opinions of the world are not worth a rush without this If conscienâ—â— can say that in our wayes we seek to please God and allow not our selves in any evil vvay this testimony is full and satisfactory and onely this Yet further concerning this judiciall vvitnesse of conscience It is either about things to be done or omitted or things already done or omitted The judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things to be done or omitted is double 1. To judge out of Gods lavv vvhether it be good or evil 2 To counsel out of our ovvn judgements either to do it or forbear it according as the nature of the action is If it be good conscience vvill counsel us to do it if bad to forbear it The judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things already done is fourefold 1. To approve 2. To absolve 3. To mislike 4. To condemne I begin vvith the first the judiciall vvitnesse of conscience about things to be done or omitted vvhere I shall consider first the Office of conscience in this behalf viz. 1. To judge 2. To counsel and then the Adjuncts of conscience in discharging this office 1. Conscience judgeth of the thing to be done vvhether it be good or evil lavvfull or unlavvfull As vve trie the vveight of gold by a pair of balances so conscience trieth all our actions by Gods vvord It is the oracle of God As the Jevvs vvent to Gods oracle to enquire of the Lord so our conscience is Gods oracle to enquire of and to determine of things whether they be good or evil It is a judge in the bosome When the question in Corinth was whether women should be uncovered when they pray the Apostle sendeth them to conscience for judgement Judge in your selves saith he whether it be comely or no that is Put it to the judgement of your own consciences So say the disciples to the Jews Whether it be better to obey God or man judge ye Put it to your own consciences Thus ye see it is the office of conscience to judge of an action to be done whether it be good or bad lawfull or unlawfull 2. The second office of conscience is to counsel for the doing of that which is good and forbearing of that which is evil This is that faithfull friend in our bosome that voyce within us and behind us saying This is the way walk in it Mark the words there ye see these two offices of conscience This is the way there is the judgement of conscience and walk in it there is the counsel of conscience Nay conscience doth not onely give good counsel but if it have leave it will bring arguments to perswade to follow it it will tell us the thing is well-pleasing to God of good report that which will bring peace to our hearts And so on the contrary if it be evil conscience will counsell us to forbear yea bring arguments to disswade O do it not it will tend to the dishonour of God and be offensive to others and wound our souls c. It was conscience that withheld David from killing Saul and prest him from it by a strong argument O he is the Lords Anointed It was conscience that withheld Joseph from yielding to the enticings of his mistresse and yielded him an argument to disswade him from it How shall I do this great wickednesse and so sinne against God It was conscience that disswaded Nehemiah from flying Should such a man as I flie And if one argument will not serve conscience will use more The use of this may be first for Instruction Hence we learn that naturall men may have a conscience urging to good and restraining from evil There is no man so evil or ignorant but he hath naturally some light with him by which conscience is set on work to advise and to counsel and to say This is very good do it This is very sinfull forbear it This therefore is no signe of grace in any man to have his conscience calling upon him to do good or disswading him from evil The very heathen had so according to their light yea and in many of them it was forcible to restrain them from many sinnes which they were inclined unto And so may many men be put upon many good duties not for any love or liking of that which is good but because they would please and satisfie conscience which otherwise will not suffer them to be quiet It was conscience that kept Abimelech from defiling Sarah and yet a carnall man Here then a question may be asked Whether a mere naturall man can avoid sinne for conscience sake I
answer That this expression for conscience sake may be taken two wayes either 1. for conscience of the commandment of God and love to it and so none but Gods children do obey for conscience sake and so it is meant when Paul speaketh of being subject for conscience sake and Peter speaketh of suffering wrong for conscience sake Or secondly for conscience sake that is when conscience it self inforced by scar compelleth one to do a thing or not to do it As we say My conscience will not suffer me Thus carnall men come to church for conscience sake and pray for conscience sake c. that is Their conscience driveth them to these duties and will not be quiet without they perform them Secondly Sith a mere naturall man may have a conscience stirring him up to good as well as the truly godly it will not be amisse to give you the difference The difference is in three things 1. A godly mans conscience siniteth him and stirreth him very kindly so that he melteth before God When David had numbred the people the text saith his heart smote him The word signifieth it smote him kindly gave him a loving blow made him spread forth himself before God A wicked mans conscience giveth him a dead blow a churlish and sullen blow 2. A godly mans conscience stirreth him reciprocally He stirreth up his conscience and his conscience stirreth up him he speaketh to his conscience and his conscience speaketh to him The stirring is reciprocall Commune with your hearts What hast thou done O my soul Thus and thus have I done saith the soul Whereas a wicked mans conscience speaketh to him but he cannot endure to speak to his conscience his conscience stirreth him but he hath no will to stirre his conscience nay he doth all he can to keep it quiet But the godly as his conscience smiteth him so he smiteth upon his conscience I smote upon my thigh saith Ephraim The godly when conscience stirreth them they stirre it and provoke it to speak out all it hath to say Commune with your own heart and be still They are still to give it full audience and call upon it to speak on What hast thou more to say Conscience 3. A godly mans conscience stirreth him to good and he is resolved to go to the utmost of what conscience stirreth him unto that with Job his conscience may not reproch him all his dayes for not following it Whereas it is otherwise with the wicked 3. The third use is this Seeing conscience is appointed by God to be our guide and our counsellour it should be our practice in every thing we do to ask counsel of conscience whether we were best do it or no. I say that conscience is Gods oracle Whatsoever we are to do we should as David enquire of Gods oracle May I go this way to work or shall I take an other course Heare counsel and receive instruction saith Salomon that thou mayst be wise at thy latter end Conscience is a faithfull counsellour heare it It is the great mercie of God that thou hast such a privie counsel Thou canst go no where but it is about thee to advise thee Therefore as Rehoboam said to his green heads What counsel give you so say thou to thy conscience What advise givest thou Conscience in this case my carnall friends counsel me thus and thus mine own carnall heart and lusts would have me go this way but Conscience what counsel givest thou 4. The fourth use is to reprove the custome of most men who with Ahab refuse the counsel of that one true wholesome prophet and have foure hundred other counsellours who will give counsel as they would have it They regard not this good Michaiah they slight the counsel of conscience their lusts and their carnall reason and flesh and bloud are their counsellours The counsel of conscience they say is not good at this time as he said of Achitophels They will heare conscience at another time but not now But take heed for if you reject the counsel of conscience it is because the Lord hath a purpose to destroy you The Adjuncts of conscience which shew themselves in the discharge of this dutie of judging and counselling THe adjuncts are of two sorts 1. such as respect consciences abilitie to discharge its duty 2. such as accompanie conscience in the discharge thereof Of the former sort are foure 1. An illightened conscience 2. An erroneous conscience 3. A doubting conscience 4. A scrupulous conscience Of the latter sort are two 1. A faithfull conscience 2. An unfaithfull conscience First the illightened conscience is such a conscience as is in it self rightly informed by Gods law and doth direct and judge aright in matters both concerning our generall and particular calling both towards God and towards man And this illightened conscience is a great blessing of God 1. because it is the proper effect of the law of God 2. because it is a very great advantage to a man in the whole course of his life when a mans conscience is illightened to direct him in every case what he is to do If an illightened conscience be so great a blessing then be thankfull to God for it if ye have it and use it as a blessing Some have it and use it not as a blessing The devils have it as a curse many vvicked men have it as a curse It maketh their sinnes the greater Like as a colour the more light shineth upon it the greater it is green is more green and white is more white and red more red c. So it is with sinne the more light thy conscience hath the greater is thy sinne thy drunkennesse is more heinous and thy swearing and the like by how much committed against more light Oh therefore make use of the light of thy conscience as David did Thy word is a lump unto my feet and a light unto my paths What follovveth I have sworn and I will perform it to keep thy righteous judgements Mark when his conscience was illightened he bound himself to follow the directions thereof 2. Is an illightened conscience such a blessing O labour to get it be not without it for a vvorld Thou wert better walk blindfold over narrovv bridges and planks better vvalk in the dark through a place full of downfalls and marlpits then walk without a conscience illightened He who walketh in the darknesse knoweth not whither he goeth John 12.35 O labour therefore to get a conscience illightened It is true a man may have an illightened conscience and yet go to hell but this is most certain without an illightened conscience a man cannot go to heaven And if thy conscience be something illightened yet labour for more light It will prevent many a stumble save thee from many a knock Thou knovvest not vvhat case thou mayst be in vvhat difficult straits thou mayest be put unto
if thou hast not light in thy conscience to direct thee what wilt thou do II. An erroneous conscience SEcondly an erroneous conscience is vvhen conscience not understanding Gods lavv or misapplying it doth judge amisse and direct amisse So Josephs conscience for a while was in an errour when Mary was found vvith child 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 informed him There is a question here raised by Divines and it is Whether we ought to follow conscience erring or no A question very necessary to be handled partly because of mens ignorance in this kind and partly because of the frequency of the case I answer thus First vve must not obey conscience erring or counselling to that vvhich is evil For our errour of conscience doth not make the transgression of the lavv to be no sinne though an erroneous conscience lead us to transgresse it 1. Because the lavv of God is above conscience and therefore the commandment of Gods lavv standeth in full force though conscience command contrary to it Suppose a man should think in his conscience he might not take an oath though never so lawfully called thereunto by the magistrate and in never so necessary a case when as the word of God commandeth us to swear in truth in righteousnesse and in judgement I must follow the commandment of God rather then conscience because Gods law is above conscience 2. Because if I follovv my conscience vvhen it is in an errour I offend not onely against Gods lavv but I offend also my conscience For though for the present while conscience is erroneous it doth not take offense yet vvhen it cometh to see its ovvn errour then it will Therefore this is our first ansvver We must not obey conscience erring or counselling to that which is evil If our conscience should counsel us to tell a lie to help our neighbour that is evil and against Gods lavv and therefore if in doing it vve do obey conscience vve sinne Secondly vve answer That an erroneous conscience vvhatever it commandeth though the lavv of God commandeth the clean contrary yet vve cannot disobey it vvithout sinne For this is a constant rule We alwayes sinne vvhen vve disobey conscience If conscience erre not then in disobeying it vve sinne double against the law and against conscience if conscience do erre and vve disobey it vve sinne too for though vve do not sinne against the lavv yet vve sinne against conscience and so against the lavv too not as though vve vvere bound to obey conscience vvhen it erreth and yet vve sinne if vve disobey it Thirdly Albeit it be alvvayes a sinne to disobey conscience though it erre yet it is not alvvayes a sinne to obey conscience when it erreth Let us consider three propositions and you shall see vvhat I mean First If conscience think that to be commanded which is absolutely forbidden or that to be forbidden vvhich is expressely commanded then vve sinne vvhich side soever we take As if an ignorant man thinks in his conscience that he is bound to pray to Saints departed which thing the Lord hath expressely forbidden if this man do pray unto Saints he sinneth because the Lord hath expressely forbid him to do it if he do not pray unto Saints he sinneth too because his conscience telleth him he is commanded to pray unto them The second proposition is this If conscience hold a thing indifferent 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 oâ—ght 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 The use of this is I. To let us see vvhat a sacred sovereigne thing a mans conscience is It is alvvayes a sinne to disobey conscience vvhether it erre or no as it is alvvayes 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 invvard and our inseparable guide vve can never come by any direction but by conscience vve 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 vve break a commandment through the loyns of a sinne vvhen vve go against conscience Ajax light upon a beast and slevv it his conscience thought verily it vvas a man Kill it not saith conscience it is a man he goeth against his conscience and killeth it His conscience here vvas in an errour yet he as truly guilty of murder before God as if he had indeed slain a man because he slevv a man through the loyns of this beast His bloudy mind looked at a man and smote at a man and slevv a man So vvhen 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 alvvayes a sinne to go against it erre or not erre and if it be a sinne to go against conscience vvhen it erreth vvhat a sinne is it to go against it vvhen it doth not erre II. This may serve for a vvord of exhortation to exhort men to bevvare lest they sinne against conscience especially vvhen conscience is in the right Conscience is as Gods face in a man when conscience looketh on thee the Lord looketh on thee It is true the Lord looketh on thee alvvayes but thou mayest see the Lords looking upon thee vvhen conscience looketh on thee And therefore thou never sinnest against conscience but thou provokest the Lord to his face vvhen not onely God seeth thee but thou seest him Thy conscience shevveth thee the Lord it presenteth God before thine eyes commanding or forbidding Wilt thou do the evil now Wilt thou omit the good duty now When conscience findeth fault thou dost novv provoke the Lord to his face If it be such a sinne to sinne against conscience in an errour it is much more a sinne to sinne against conscience it being in the right Thus much of a conscience erring III. A doubting conscience A Doubting conscience is such a conscience as so hangeth in suspense that it knoweth not which way
conscience 2. It is a large conscience 3. It is a remisse conscience 1. A silent conscience that conscience which knoweth how to judge how to counsel how to direct yet is silent and saith nothing is an unfaithfull conscience that knoweth what duties we ow to God and man yet putteth us not upon them nor is importunate for the performance of them and so for sinnes what we ought not to do telleth not of the evil disswadeth not from it urgeth not arguments to cause forbearance this is an unfaithfull conscience It is like to a sleepy carelesse coachman who giveth the horses the rains and letteth them runne whither they will So this unfaithfull conscience leaveth the rains on a mans neck and letteth him runne whither he will into any danger any mischief that he may do evil with both hands Do ye not think Ahabs conscience was fast asleep which let him sell himself to work wickednesse and so Manasseh's conscience 2. A large conscience vvhich maketh conscience it may be of some great duties but taketh liberty in other vvhich it counteth lesser Thus Doâ—g's conscience would not suffer him to break his vow to depart on the sabbath day but yet it suffered him to accuse David Jehu's conscience made him zealous in Gods cause against the house of Ahab and the priests of Baal but it suffered him to maintain 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 vvhich 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 that is though it doth counsel and direct yet it doth it with such coldnesse and 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 idle excuse As when conscience telleth 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 it 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 Now conscience being remisse and cold it is easily 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 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 and love of this present world 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 unfaithfull 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 the mouth of your conscience when it calleth upon you to do what the word requireth It must needs be dangerous and 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 you ye like not that your consciences should be too clamorous 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 thing 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 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 up to repentance and obedience and therefore they are in a miserable case that want this great help But what are the causes why mens consciences be so evil and unfaithfull 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 It is impossible conscience should be faithfull where it is not illightened and hence it cometh to passe that conscience is so negligent and unfaithfull because we have been so carelesse of informing it Thy conscience must needs be silent as long as thou art ignorant Ignorance is soon put to
is great If I have not given my bread to the hungry or if I have rejoyced at the misery of mine enemie then let it be thus and thus to me His conscience absolved him as clear of those sinnes Nay the conscience of a child of God doth not onely absolve him from the guilt of those sinnes which he never committed but also from the guilt of those sinnes which he hath committed against God or against man It can tell him he hath truly repented and truly been humbled and truly got pardon Ye know David had committed divers sinnes yet when he had humbled his soul before God and obtained pardon his conscience telleth him as much and absolveth him Psal 103.3 Blesse the Lord O my soul c. who forgiveth all thy sinnes Nay though a child of God have many infirmities dayly and hourly yet his conscience doth absolve him It is no more I that do it saith his conscience but sinne that dwelleth in me If I distrust it is no more I for I fight against it If I be overtaken by any weaknesse it is no more I for I laboured against it and do bewail it III. A misliking conscience THe third part of consciences office in things done is to mislike if we have done ill There be imperfections in the best obedience of Gods dearest servants What I do I allow not saith Paul His conscience misliked something done by him But that mislike of conscience which now I speak of is of things that are ill done that is not done in truth and sincerity Thus it is in all that are not renewed by the holy Ghost The office of their conscience indeed is to mislike what they do When they have prayed their conscience can mislike it and say I have not prayed with a heavenly mind a holy heart When they have been at a Sacrament conscience can truly mislike it and say I have not been a fit guest at Christs table c. When they are crossed and tempted their consciences truly mislike their carriage and say I do not fight and resist but readily and willingly yield to every invitation to evil Do ye not think that Jeroboams conscience misliked his altering Gods worship his innovating religion his making Israel to sinne do not ye think his conscience misliked him for these things Do not ye think that Nabals conscience misliked his griping and Doegs conscience misliked his slandering and Pashurs conscience misliked his opposing and misusing Jeremie and the old prophets conscience misliked his lying Who would have thought but Balaam said well Whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speak and I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord to do lesse or more no not for Balaks house full of gold who vvould have thought but that this was well said yet his own conscience could not choose but mislike it being not spoken in sinceritie Many a man hath gone for a Christian twentie or thirtie years and every one liketh him and yet it 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 if we have done evil and contrarie to Gods law Conscience hath an office not onely to mislike us but also to condemne us nay it will hasten more to condemne us then God We see it in Adam When Adam had sinned his conscience condemned him before God did he knew he was naked that he had made his soul shamefully naked his conscience condemned him for an apostate before the Lord came to passe sentence upon him Nay it condemneth us oftner then God God will condemne a sinner but once for all viz. at the last day but conscience condemneth him many thousand times before that Many men and women who do seem godly in the worlds eyes God knoweth how many of them have condemning consciences in their bosomes for all their civilities and formalities and crying God mercie and patched up hopes many who would say that man were uncharitable who should condemne 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 who is said to be condemned of himself 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 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 condemne all the rest and their own consciences shall condemne 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 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
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 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 Before his translation he received this testimony that he pleased God 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 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 our heart be upright and stand generally bent to the Lords will yet if we be guiltie of some particular sinne this will hinder the quiet of our conscience Therefore saith Paul I know nothing by my self that is nothing to accuse me no corruption no root of unbelief reigning in him Infirmities he had many and frailties he had many and he knew them but be knew nothing to accuse him Whatever was amisse in him his conscience told him he used 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 sins yet our consciences may have quiet if we can be truly assured of Gods love and favour in the pardon of them 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 Who so 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 This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience saith Paul The comfortable testimony 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 die 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 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 in the godly Must not copper needs differ from gold And we who are the Lords messengers must teach you the difference They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane Now the question is this Wherein lieth the difference between the quiet conscience
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 continuance 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 aâ—â— 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 themselves 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 our 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 Great peace have they which love thy law nothing shall offend them saith David nothing shall offend them or take away their peace it is an eternall and everlasting peace Thus you have seen how the true and false peace of conscience differ But here cometh a question to be answered it is this Have all Gods 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 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 sinnes sinnes against conscience can break the peace of conscience and as it is possible for the children of God to live without these so it is possible for them alwayes to have peace yea they may have daily 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 Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace saith Eliphas 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 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 Lâ—ght is sown for the rightâ—ous 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 possibility of having it they go in such paths as wherein they shall never know peace 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 legacy which he bequeathed to his Church 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
great comfort and of judgement with joy So could not Felix Beloved this is a strong signe of a false peace when some points of Gods word lay us slat and bereave us of our hold Ye shall have many say O they have such peace and they have such a good conscience as quiet as can be and as heartwhole as can be By and by a sound searching point cometh and ransacketh them to the quick and they are gone I confesse they go and get some untempered morter or other and dawb up their consciences again but they are gone for the time This is a strong signe of a rotten peace But a child of God can heare any point heare of death of judgement of any thing contained in the word with delight and comfort It is true he may be amazed thereat but he is glad at heart that he heareth it and will make use of it be it mercy or judgement Sweet or bitter points all are welcome to him even the bitterest points are sweet to him because God and he are at peace and therefore he knoweth there is no news from God but it is good IV. If our peace of conscience be good it will heal that base fearfulnesse which is in many who dare not be in the dark dare not go through a church-yard in the night Some will quake at the very shaking of a leaf as the wicked in Job which is nothing but a guiltie conscience I grant this fearfulnesse is naturall to some yet I say the true peace of conscience will cure it I do not say this is a reciprocall signe of true peace of conscience for many wicked men may be bold enough but I say true peace of conscience will cure this immoderate fearfulnesse in the godly But here two questions are to be asked I. Whether every true child of God that hath true peace of conscience can think of death with comfort and be desirous to die Answ 1. Peace of conscience doth not take away naturall fear It is the nature of every living creature to be very fearfull of death The Philosopher calleth death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fearfullest thing of all fearfull things Bildad calleth it the king of terrours Nature loveth its own preservation and therefore feareth the destruction of it Peace of conscience doth not take away all this fear 2. Besides peace of conscience doth not take away alwayes all degrees of slavish fear of death The reason is because peace of conscience may be weak mixed with much troubles of conscience For as faith may be very imperfect so peace of conscience may be in some very imperfect Good old Hilarion was very fearfull to die He cried out to his soul when he lay on his death-bed O my soul hast thou served Christ these fourescore years and art thou now afraid to die Again a mans love may be very imperfect Perfect love indeed casteth out fear but imperfect love doth not Hezekiah had peace of conscience Remember Lord saith he I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Mark He had the peace of a good conscience his conscience told him he had a sincere heart and that his wayes pleased God yet he was afraid to die I do not think it was onely because he had no issue though that might be some reason of it 3. When a child of God is afraid to die it is not so much for love of this life as out of a desire to be better prepared This made David cry out O spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more And so Job Let me alone that I may take comfort a little before I go whence I shall not return These good men were then something unwilling to die They might have many reasons most likely this was one That they might be better prepared and more fit and ready for their departure 4. Some of Gods people as these Job and David at other times I say some of Gods people have such marvellous peace with God as that if it were Gods will they had much rather die then live I desire to be dissolved saith Paul and to be with Christ which is farre better It may be in regard of the church or the care of their children and charge God hath laid on them they could be content to remain still in the body neverthelesse they account their state after death much better and were it put to them whether to die or to live longer here they would choose death rather of the twain Nay Elias requested for himself that he might die It is enough Lord take away my life Not that they love death it self for death is evil in its own nature contrary to nature a badge of sinne but for the love they have to and the assurance they have of eternall life after death 5. Nay there is no child of God but may truly be said to love death and to love the day of judgement and the appearing of Christ Jesus Divines use to put this as a signe of Gods children Nay the Apostle maketh this as a propertie of Gods children to love Christs appearing I have fought a good fight saith Paul I have finished my course There he telleth us of his own peace and then he telleth us of his reward From henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me in that day and not to me onely but to them also that love his appearing that is to all his children For all the children of God love the appearing of Jesus Christ to judgement Though all do not desire it with the same strength of faith yet all desire it with faith They believe that Christ hath destroyed him that hath the power of death which is the devil they believe Christ hath taken away deaths sting which is sinne and swallowed death up in victory and may all say Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Neither do they so much question this as their faith to believe it saying Lord help our unbelief 6. Gods children have good reason to do so and to check their own hearts whenever they do otherwise Whenever any disturst cometh they should check it down again whenever any fear ariseth they should say What I fear death which is a thing so precious Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Is death precious and shall I be so vain as to fear it Thus ye see an answer to the first question Whether every child of God that hath true peace of conscience can be desirous to die II. Quest Whether a wicked man that hath no peace of conscience may not be desirous to die too Answ 1. The horrour of conscience may make a wicked man desirous to die He may have so much horrour of conscience as that he may think
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 saith his conscience I count it a very sâ—all 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 Menaâ—der 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 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 maintain 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 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 maintain 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 wisdome 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 prize 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 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 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 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 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 to fall upon them and the hills to cover them 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 consciences feel it this is another cause of the trouble of conscience 3. A third cause of the trouble of conscience is the fear of death and of hell When we know we have offended Gods law and we know also what our sinnes do deserve namely death and judgement aad damnation for ever this doth most trouble and disquiet conscience when it fastneth on the apprehension of it The Apostle calleth it 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 not at all support it this must needs also trouble conscience 5. 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 I have sinned I am a reprobate past hope c. When such thoughts as these fasten on 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 sinne 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
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 Ye have received of us 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 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 endeavours 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 infirmities also it will not be at peace Christ bare our very infirmities therefore we must be humbled for them 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 They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there is no peace And so they do more hurt then good Like a chirurgion that skinneth the wound before he giveth searching salves to kill the matter of it afterwards it breaketh out worse and it is a hundred to one but it will cost the patient his life So it is with many men A man cannot rore a little for his sinnes I have been a sinner and what shall I do I have been a beast c. But O say they believe man Christ died for thee and the promise is to thee and God will pardon thee Thus they heal him slightly with Peace peace and it may be there is no peace to him yet he had need to be searched more deeply they skinne the wound and it is a thousand to one but it loseth the mans soul by giving a cordiall where a corrosive was necessarie And therefore great reason that this question should be answered If a man have a burdened troubled conscience what must such a man do to be freed from it I answer 1. Let him take heed that he meddle not too much with the secret will of God
1. For the first That every mans conscience may inform him what estate he is in whether good or bad I speak especially of such as live under the light of the Gospel of Christ There are two rules the one is Gods word which pointeth out both estates and the other is every mans conscience which is privy to the frame and standing of every mans own heart and which of these estates his estate is conscience is privy to this I will instance in some sorts of men 1. The Jews who contented themselves with formality they sacrificed they offered they payed their tithes they did that which Moses commanded them for the letter of it now ye shall see their conscience could tell them that they were not perfect nor upright with God All their duties and formalities and gifts and sacrifices could not make them that did the service perfect as perteining to the conscience Heb. 9.9 Mark Their consciences could say they were not upright for all this As they were not upright so their conscience could tell them they were not upright 2. Another instance we have in the Scribes and Pharisees When they would have condemned the woman taken in adultery their own conscience was privy that they were sinners themselves John 18.9 So also it is with a child of God His conscience is able to inform him that he is a child of God and that he doth truly serve God I thank God saith Paul whom I serve with a pure conscience His conscience told him he was a true servant of God and that he was Gods whose I am saith he So Davids conscience I am thine save me for I have sought thy commandments So the church My beloved is mine and I am his Ye see then how conscience can inform and tell us what estate we are in whether we be godly or carnall whether our conversation be in heaven or on earth whether we be in Christ or out of him The spirit of man knoweth what is in him It is easie to know what our great thoughts of heart are upon what our greatest purposes and projects and studies be whether about God or the world the spirit of a man must needs know it And therefore every man may draw out from conscience a true conclusion how it is with him The reasons are these 1. The first is taken from the nature of conscience The nature of conscience is such that it must needs be able to know what is with a man Now his welldoings or his illdoings are with him he was with himself when he did them When thou art proud or impatient or carelesse in any duty thou art with thy self when thou art so All thy illdoings are with thee and therefore thy conscience must needs know what thou art Our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them Take a curser and as Solomon saith Thine own heart knoweth that thou hast used to curse others So it is with a godly soul Thine obedience is with thee and thy self-deniall is with thee and thy care to walk before God all is with thee and therefore thou must needs know it This is the nature of conscience It is privy to what is with one 2. The second reason is taken from the equity of Gods judgements on the wicked The Lord he will judge none to hell but his conscience shall confesse he was one that walked in the way to hell and death Ye may reade it in the man that had not on the wedding-garment When Christ did charge him with his not having on a wedding-garment and did condemne him to utter darknesse the text saith he was speechlesse that is his conscience confessed that Christs judgement was just I have not on a wedding-garment saith his conscience and it is my fault that I have none and I am rightly condemned Thus his conscience did know it otherwise he could not have been speechlesse in his own desense As Festus told Agrippa that he answered the Priests It is not the manner of the Romanes to deliver any man to dye before that he who is accused have his accusers face to face and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him So may I say that the great Judge of quick and dead will not judge any man to hell but he will have his accusers face to face and if he can answer for himself he may Now if conscience be not privy to what estate soever a wicked man is in his conscience could never accuse him face to face at the last day nor justifie the Lord Jesus and make the sinner stand speechlesse before God He might answer Lord I do not know any such thing as is laid to my charge I am not convinced that the case is thus and thus with me that I am in such an estate as I am accused of No wicked man shall be able to say thus Therefore conscience can inform a man in what estate he is 3. The third reason is taken from the Lords manner of judging the godly He will judge them and absolve them secundùm allegata probata as we say according to the word and their own consciences Ye may see the true form of judgement which the Lord will go by Matth. 25. Where the Lord convinceth the whole world who were righteous and who not who to be judged to punishment and who to life for ever at last he concludeth The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternall As if he had said Your consciences 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 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 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 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
they were convicted of their consciences their consciences dealt honestly with them and told them the truth that they were wicked sinners themselves This is the naturall goodnesse in conscience 2. A renewed good conscience I call it a renewed good conscience because when a man is renewed all the man is renewed all his mind and the spirit of it is renewed Ephes 4.23 That ye may be renewed in the spirit of your mind If the man be renewed all the mind must be renewed and therefore the conscience must be renewed too for the mind and the conscience ever go together nay conscience is mainly seated in the mind and therefore if the mind be renewed so is the conscience and if the mind be defiled so is the conscience To them that are defiled is nothing pure but their minds and consciences are defiled Mark When they are defiled they are defiled together so when they are washed and renewed they are washed and renewed together Now this renewed conscience is either perfect or defective 1. Perfect I mean not perfect in every degree of goodnesse For so no mans conscience in the world is perfect But I mean perfect in 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 weak conscience which is apt to be polluted and defiled again 1. Cor. 8.7 Their conscience being weak is defiled This is a defective good conscience a conscience renewed but imperfectly renewed I. To a good conscience that is soundly renewed five things are necessary 1. Knowledge of Gods will and that which doth follow the true knowledge of his will namely true humiliation and fear By nature the conscience is blind and sturdy and venturous and therefore it is necessary that it should be illightened to understand the will of God and to presse it and again it is necessary that the heart should be humbled or else it will not stoop to Gods will and it is necessary also that this holy fear should fall upon the heart that it may not dare to transgresse S t Peter being to speak of a good conscience premiseth all these as necessarie thereunto First he adviseth that Christians have knowledge to be able to give a reason of the hope that is in them and then that they should have meeknesse and fear for to do it with meeknesse and fear saith he having a good conscience Mark Knowledge and meeknesse and fear are required to make a good conscience without them the conscience cannot be good By nature we are all blind and stubborn and fearlesse of sinning and therefore till we be cured of these evils our consciences cannot be good 2. The second thing is a watchfulnesse and warfare against sinne This 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 and dead and unclean and therefore we must get us tender and pure hearts if we would have good renewed consciences The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned 1. Tim. 1.5 See how the Apostle compoundeth them together a pure heart and a good conscience We must get our hearts purged and 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 partly beholding to them and partly to Christs bloud For it is wholly and onely beholding to Christs bloud for its goodnesse his bloud is the onely price of it But my meaning is this That though Christs bloud be the one onely cause of redemption yet in the application of redemption the Lord useth all those forenamed graces while he applieth it to the conscience Therefore this now I adde The washing of Christs bloud this is chiefly required to the goodnesse of conscience We have two places of Scripture to prove it The one Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ purge your consciences from dead works It is that onely can do it The other text is 1. Pet. 3.21 The answer of a 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 powerfull upon us then conscience becometh good 5. The fifth is quietnesse By nature nothing is so fierce and violent if it be once awaked as conscience is O it is unspeakably furious Thus is conscience by nature and therefore it can never be good untill we get it appeased with the assurance of the pardon of our sinnes and so true peace and comfort established in it This is the reason why the Scripture joyneth a good conscience and faith so often together as 1. Tim. 3.9 Holding the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience It cannot be a pure or good conscience if faith be not held in it As long as the conscience is not underpropped by faith the conscience must needs be in a wildernesse Perhaps my sinnes are imputed unto me perhaps they are pardoned Perhaps they are covered perhaps not As long as the conscience lieth under these uncertainties it cannot be firm and soundly 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 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
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 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 and violating of it is that which maketh conscience clear or guilty before God This is it which maketh a man a debtour 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 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 i. I am bound in conscience by Gods word so to do This is that which layeth a kind of enforcement upon men 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 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 and he onely and therefore he onely can bind our consciences When the Lord doth command or forbid the conscience is privy that God seeth it and therefore now it is bound The word of God is quick and powerfull 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 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 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 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 sinne against Bathsheba and murder that was a sinne against Uriah 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 God for conscience is onely subject to his power he onely hath power over conscience 3. Because conscience is Gods book Now no creature can adde to Gods book or diminish from it Ye may remember that dreadfull anathema at the end of Gods book If any man shall adde to this book God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in this book And if any man shall diminish from this book God shall take away his part out of the book of life Now conscience is also Gods book wherein his law is written Nay conscience is called Gods law For it is said that when the Gentiles which have not the law do the things conteined in the law they having not the law are a law unto themselves that is Their conscience is Gods law unto them Like as the Bible conteineth Gods law for us Christians so did their consciences contein the law of God to them yea to us Christians much rather For we are not to let Gods law be written onely in our Bibles but we must get it written in our consciences our consciences are to be Gods books wherein his laws are to be written And therefore if it be a sinne to adde a new law in the materiall book to bind men then it must needs be a sinne for any creature to put a new law into conscience which is the spirituall book of God It is God onely who can write laws in this book his book is above all the laws in the world and none but God can put in and put out and therefore none but he can bind conscience I sâ—eak still of this absolute and supreme bond of conscience For Magistrates may bind relatively but not as they are theâ—r laws but by the law of God before made Thus ye see the necessity of this truth That Gods law is the absolute and supreme bond of conscience Uses 1. This serveth to direct Ministers how to convince the consciences of their people If Ministers desire to work upon their hearers they must speak to the conscience they must shew them Gods authority that it is Gods will and Gods command Tell conscience never
so much that we should do thus or thus upon other grounds and inducements it starteth not at that except it be convinced by the word of God that it is Gods will the commandment of the great God of heaven the God of the spirits of all flesh who will look for our obedience This maketh conscience to startle this affecteth it and bindeth it S t Paul when he said that he approved himself and his preaching to mens consciences what followeth If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish c. As if he had said This maketh all the world to startle except they be reprobates and men delivered over to Satan It is easie to see what ministerie affecteth most and doeth the most good in the hearts of the people namely that which bringeth the clearest voice of Gods Spirit calling to obedience and binding the conscience They can heare with ease and great pleasure the sermons of those whose doctrines are stuffed with humane discourses Learning and policie never pierce conscience Nay let carnall preachers preach never so much against peoples sinnes they can make a sport of it though they heare their sinnes with humane learning declaimed against When the preacher doth not clearly preach the Lords voyce though he rip up sinne yet if it be not in the demonstration of the Spirit of God and shewing his clear authority the heart will not be affected Conscience knoweth when it is bound and when it is but dallied and jested with And therefore if Ministers desire to have their ministerie work upon the hearts of their people they must shew them Gods authority and confirm it by his word and let them see that it is the commandment of the Lord that which will one day judge them Let him know saith Paul that the things that I write are the commandments of the Lord. It is the Lord of heaven and earth that biddeth thee yield and commandeth thee to give over thy base lusts It is he in whose hands thy breath is thou hadst best be obedient I tell thee thy conscience observeth it and if thou wilt not obey it will rore like the roring of the sea one day against thee and sting thee like a scorpion The things that thou hearest know thou that they are the commandments of God and if thou disobey thou dost disobey not men but God 2. Is it so that the word of God onely is the supreme bond of conscience Then this teacheth us to have an eye to Gods word in that which we do if we would satisfie conscience I say have an eye to Gods word not onely to do that which it may be is in Gods word conscience counteth that to be nothing but to have an eye to Gods word Conscience will not be satisfied with any obedience that we do if we have not an eye to Gods word Whatever we have an eye to besides conscience knoweth it is nothing if in all we have not an eye to the commandment of God Though we do obey it conscience looketh upon it as if we did not obey it It is onely Gods commandment and authoritie that bindeth conscience and therefore nothing satisfieth conscience unlesse we have an eye unto that If we do not aim at Gods will in doing what we do conscience counteth our obedience as no obedience at all As for example Ye that are husbands ye love your wives but is it because God commandeth it It may be ye love them because they love you or because your affections are to them Alas this is nothing Pagans and reprobates can do so But do ye aim at the doing of Gods will who commandeth you O say you The Lord doth command me I do it What of that Do ye look at his commandment when ye do it If not be humbled and know ye must get grace to do so or ye are not obedient to God neither will conscience set it down for obedience Ye that are servants ye serve your masters but do ye aim at Gods will thus O the Lord hath commanded me to be faithfull and painfull in my service Doth your soul look to this It may be ye serve them because they are kind and because they pay you your wages and the like This is nothing to conscience conscience looketh at the commandment of God and if your souls do not aim at the commandment of God it will not satisfie conscience Ye that are neighbours it may be ye love one another and be friends one with another but doth your soul look at Gods commandment is it because God hath commanded us to love one another People seldome aim at God in these cases They are friends with their neighbours why Their neighbours are friends with them But they 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 glorie 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 and his word that doth bind it and it will never give a discharge except your hearts look at him 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 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 Every 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 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 The Lord hath deliverd 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 condemne yet their conscience needeth not fear it because they are in Christ There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus 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 condemne 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 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 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 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 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 â—atalogue 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 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 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 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 S t 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 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 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 S t Peter Luke 5.8 His conscience did accuse him of sinne 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 1.72 Thus ye see the law of God bindeth the conscience of all the regenerate This is the third Use 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 praeceptis 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 Gregorie the second undertook to free subjects from being bound in their consciences to keep their oaths 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 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 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 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 you 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 If thou beest unworthy to day there is righteousnesse for thee to day if unworthy worthy 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 1. Others may bind our consciences 1. Others may bind our consciences namely when they have authority conferred upon them from God and 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 argue a seared conscience in the commander and therefore none but a seared conscience can think it is bound by it 1. Tim. 4.2 3. 2. The commandments of Magistrates lose their power of binding the conscience when they command things that are unlawfull in themselves and contrary to the word of God In this case they do not bind conscience because Gods seal is not on them We have an example of this in the three blessed children Who when the king commanded them to worship the image that he had set up they did not conceive themselves bound in conscience to obey they would rather suffer torment then obey it So also Daniel when he was commanded not to ask any petition of God for thirty dayes space but onely of the king Daniel did not conceive himself bound in conscience nay he chose rather to be cast into the den of lions then obey In this case the answer of the Apostles is necessary who when they were commanded not to preach any more in the name of the Lord Jesus thus they answered Whether it be right in the sight of God to obey men rather then God judge ye 3. When mens laws and commands overthrow the libertie of Christianitie that Christian libertie which Christ hath purchased for us then they lose their power of binding the conscience But here I must tell you of a caution viz. That this libertie may be considered in a double respect 1. In regard of it self the libertie it self 2. In regard of the exercise or use of this libertie Now there is a very great difference between these two considerations as there is a great difference between a mans having a sword and a mans wearing a sword The Magistrate may restrain a man from wearing a sword at such or such a time though he do not take his sword from him so there is difference between the having our libertie and the using our libertie There is a libertie purchased for Gods children whereby all things are become lawfull unto them All things are lawfull unto me saith Paul 1. Cor. 6.12 and there is nothing evil in it self he speaketh of indifferent things Gods children are freed from the observation of meats and drinks and times and garments Now whatsoever commandment is made by the Magistrate contrarie to this libertie doth not bind conscience for nothing can bind conscience when Christ doth loose it Yet there may be a restraint of the use of this libertie as for example the Magistrate may command us to
forbear some kinds of meats at some certain times and so also for garments and the like namely when the doctrine about meats and drinks and garments is pure And therefore in such a case the command of the Magistrate bindeth the conscience otherwise not 4. When they command things indifferent to be absolutely necessarie to make them idolatrous or superstitious then in this case they are unlawfull and bind not the conscience to obey them But when are they idolatrous I answer 1. When they are commanded either as absolutely necessarie to Christianitie to the very being of religion and the worship of God and with as much necessitie as holinesse it self then hey are made superstitious and idolatrous And in this case the caveat of S t John is strongly to be kept Babes keep your selves from idolâ—s 2. When they are commanded as things meritorious as pleasing to God for themselves and to merit of him then they are idolatrous 3. When they are commanded for the substantiall perfection of religion as though religion were imperfect without them then they are made idolatrous and lose their virtue of binding the conscience But all such commands of things that are indifferent which are commanded without respect to make them idolatrous they may be obeyed This is our second conclusion 3. Conclusion 3. Those laws and commandments of Magistrates which want the authoritie of Gods law to confirm them and therefore bind not the conscience ought not to be disobeyed for all that with scandal or contempt and by unreverent slighting or despising the Magistrate or his laws He must be acknowledged a Magistrate under God for all that 1. Tim. 2.1 2. I exhort that supplications be made for Kings and those that are in authoritie He speaketh there of heathen Kings yet he calleth them Kings and saith they have authoritie and we ought to pray for them and therefore how much more when Kings and Magistrates subscribe to Christian religion Nay though they command that which is utterly unlawfull we must not rise up against them for if we do we rise up against God We must obey them one way or other either actively or passively When they command that which is lawfull for us to do we must obey them by doing when they command that which is unlawfull for us to do and threaten punishment then we cannot actively obey them by doing because they command against God yet we must passively obey by suffering and submitting to their penalties because the Lord hath given them authority over us This is our third conclusion 4. Conclusion 4. Those laws of Magistrates which by Gods law do not bind conscience do yet in matter of scandal bind us to obedience If the Magistrate shall command any thing beyond his power to command yet not unlawfull for us to do though such a command do not bind to obedience in case of conscience yet in case of scandal it doth Thus Christ was content to pay tribute though he needed not to have done it The children saith he are free neverthelesse lest he should offend the Magistrate he did pay it I will put an example of another nature In a private wrong though we are not expressely bound to it yet rather then scandalously to contend conscience doth bind us to yield Needed Abraham to have condescended so farre unto Lot as to let him take his choice before him No rather then scandal of religion should arise ye may reade that he did it Thus I have briefly made it manifest how farre the commands of the Magistrate do not bind conscience and how farre they do Objections 1. But it may be objected Conscience hath onely relation to God I answer It is true as the supreme and absolute binder of conscience but it hath a relation also unto men in the second place inasmuch as God putteth upon men such terms as conscience hath relation to Acts 24.16 Herein I have alwayes endevoured my self to have alwayes a clear conscience both towards God and towards men Mark Conscience hath relation to both For though it have its main relation to God and his word yet in him it hath relation unto men 2. Again it may be replied The Magistrates do not undertake nor can they to meddle with mens invisible spirits for they are not able to see whether the spirit of man be obedient or no and therefore 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 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. The conscience feeleth this and so it cometh to be bound 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 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 and 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 and safetie of the commonwealth and so a sinne Uses 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 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 and 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 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 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 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 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
corruptions as these So also when there was want of love and unitie and affection between one another among the Ephesians S t Paul telleth them of their Baptisme O saith he There is one God one faith one baptisme As if he should say This is contrarie to your baptisme Ye were all baptized with one baptisme and do not ye live in peace and is there not unitie of spirit one with another among you What and were all baptized with one baptisme Beloved ye never do that which is not good but ye go clean contrarie to your Baptisme What were ye baptized into Christ and do thus baptized into Christ and pray thus baptized into Christ and heare the word of Christ thus serve God no better then thus Your Baptisme bindeth you in conscience against every sinne and every evil way O let us take it to heart and consider it FINIS Ille verè Scripturas legit qui verba vertit in opera * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à sanandis omnibus morbis * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Laetitia bonae consciâ—ntiae paradisus est animâ—rum gâ—udium angelorum hortus deliciarum ager benedictionis templâ—m Solâ—mâ—mâ— aula Dei habitaculum Spiritús sancti Bernard * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Multi Christianum nomen ad judicium habene non ad remedium Domus animae Guil. Parisiens * Dum tempora superiora cum nostris comparo dicere consuevi plus illos conscientiae scientiae minus babuisse nos contrà scientiae plus conscientiae minus habere Beza * Prejudicium judicii Tertull. * Unicuique liber est propria conscientia ad hunc librum discutiendum emendandum omnes alii invenli sunt Praelucendo pereo * Tanta est dulcedo coelestiâ— gaudii ut si una guttula difflueret in infernum totam amaritudinem inferni absorboret What a mans estate before God is Rom. 16 1â— Ephes 4.18 Gen. 13.13 Luke 1.6 Observ Ministers are to enquire after the estate of their people Reasons 1. Prov. 27.23 1. Thess 3.5 3. Philip 2.19 Col. 4.8 Vses 1. Instruct Jer. 8.12 2. Reproof Isai 30.10 3. Exhortation 1. Observ Acts 8.23 Rom. 16.7 Matth. 25.32 2. Prop. Eâ—eâ—â—ion maâ— be kâ—own Shrewd signes of it That a man may know his estate proved Reasons 1. 1. John 3.8 1. John 3.3 II. Exod. 9.27 Psal 86.2 III. Matth. 3.7 8 Eph. 2.3 Phil. 3.17 1. Cor. 1.26 3. Vse 1. Of Instruction It is every mans duty to enquire after his estate Maâ—tâ— 15.14 Reasons 2. Cor. 13.5 Rom. 5.1 Joâ— 22.21 1. Cor. 11.28 Lam. 3 40. Gaâ— 6.4 Vse 2. Of Direction Means to know what estate we are in Matth. 7.17 Psal 119.112 1. Cor. 2.11 Prov. 20 27. Luke 24.32 Eph. 4.19 Vse 3. Impediments Jer. 4.14 Rev. 3.17 Luke 21.34 John 3.20 Rom. 3.11 Vse 4. Of Exhortation What Conscience is Rev. 19.10 Matth. 8.29 1. Cor. 11.31 Foure Propositions 1. There is in every man a conscience John 8.9 2. Cor. 1.12 Tit. 1.15 Reasons 1. 2. Vse 1. Mar. 9.44 Vse 2. 1. Cor. 11.28 verse 13. Vse 3. Prov. 14.13 Gen. 4.5 Vse 4. II. proposition Psal 18.23 Josh 7.20 1. Cor. 6.9 Luke 23.34 John 16.2 Vse 1. Vse 2. III. Proposition The office of Conscience is to bear witnesse Rom. 9.5 Foure Properties of Conscience 1. Joâ—n 2.4 Job 13.3 Vse Of Consciences single bearing witnesse Gen. 41.9 Judg. 1.7 Rom. 2.16 Psal 119.77 Ob. 1. Jer. 17.9 Answ Psal 30.6 Ob. 2. Answ Vse 1 Vse 2. Isai 38 3. 2. The judicâ—all bearing witnesse of conscience Vse 1. Matth. 5.6 1. Pâ—t 1.01 Vâ—e 2. Vse 3. 2. Cor. 1.12 1. Conscience judgeth 1. Cor. 11.13 2. Conscience counselleth Isai 30.21 1. Sam. 24.10 Nehem. 6.11 Vse 1. Object Answ Rom. 13.5 1. Pâ—t 2.19 Vse 2. 1 Sam. 24.10 Psal 4.4 Jer. 31.19 Job 27.6 Vse 3. 1. Sam. 23.2 Prov. 19.20 Vse 4. The adjuncts of conscience 1. An illightened conscience Vse 1. Psal 119.105 Vse 2. 2. An erroneous conscience Matth. 1 19. Quest Answ 2. 3. Vse 1. Vse 2. Isa 65.3 3. A doubting conscience Rom. 14.23 Rule 1. Rule 2. Rule 3. 4 A scrupulous conscience Quest. Answ Deut. 13.1 2 3 4. Vse 1. Vse 2. Prov. 29.1 Means to get knowledge 1. Psal 119 73. 2. Psal 25.9 3. Vse 3. Antonius Vse 4. 1. John 3.21 Matth. 5.23 5. A faithfull conscience Prov. 20.6 Properties 1. It is watchfull Psal 119.39 1. Cor. 9.22 2. Pet. 1.12 2. It is severe Luke 16.10 3. It is importunate Acts 20.22 Psal 132.4 Vse 1. Exod. 35.21 Vse 2. Cant. 6.12 13. Vse 3. John 15.14 Vse 4. Maxima violaâ—io consciâ—nâ—iae â—st maximepecâ—atum 1. Sam. 13.12 6. An unfaithfull conscience Properties thereof 1. It is silent Mâ—â—h 7.3 â— It is large 2. Kings 10. â—â— 3. It is remisse Deut. 29.19 Vse 2. Kings 7.9 Quest. Answ 1. Pet. 2.15 Fâ—â—d 10.29 Rom. 9.1 2. Tim. 4.7 8 1. Joâ—n 3.14 Luke 2.29 1. Sam. 12.3 Rom. 7.15 Gen 3.7 Tit. 3.11 Use 1. Rom. 2.15 Vse 2. 1. A tender conscience 1. Sam. 24 5â— 1. Sam. 6.19 Numb 15.32 36. 2. A sleepy conscience Matth. 11.28 3. A benumbed conscience Rom. 1.32 4. A seared conscience Use 1. Kings 18.12 Hâ—b 11.5 Dieâ—nte scripturâ inquit ille Acts 23.1 1. Cor. 4.4 Heb. 10.2 Prov. 1.33 2. Coâ— 1.12 Job 21.23 Ezek. 44.23 Isai 57.19 vers 21. Heb. 10 22. Rom. 5.1 Rom. 15.13 Gal. 5.22 1. Thess 5.23 Psal 119.165 Job 7.20 Job 22.21 Col. 3.15 Psal 29.11 Psal 97.11 Isai 59.8 John 14.27 Psal 35.8 â— Pet. 5.14 Gal. 5.22 Prov. 7.14 Job 15.21 Job 18.14 1. Joâ—n 4.18 2. Kings 20.3 Psal 39.13 Job 10.20 21. Phil. 1.23 1. Kings 19.4 2. Tim. 4.8 Heb. 2.14 1. Cor. 15.56 57. Psal 116.15 Matth. 27.5 2. Sam. 17.22 Jon. 4.3 1. Cor. 16.10 Psal 119.103 1. Cor. 4.3 4. Exhortation Mal. 2.6 What it is Lev. 5.4 Gen. 42.21 Psal 51.3 Psal 51.4 Psal 80.4 Desperatio est homicida animae Aug. Desperate est in infernum descendere Isià Eâ—ek 24.23 Gen. 4.13 2. Sam. 15.26 Exod. 8.15 Psal 88.1 Vse 1. Prov. 18.14 Vse 2. 1. Sam 25.37 1. Sam. 15.16 1. Kings 21.20 Psal 39.11 Vse 3. Exhortation M.M. Ezek. 18.26 1. Cor. 9.16 Job 31.23 Psal 119.120 Heb. 12.28 Rom. 14.22 Answ 2 Answ 3. Zech. 13.1 Object Sol. Answ 4. Psal 28.6 Dub. Sol. 2. Cor. 1.12 1. John 2.29 1. John 4.13 1. John 3.14 Gal. 6.16 Ephes 6.15 1. Thess 4.1 2. Cor. 5.9 Matth. â— 17 Jer. 8.11 Rev. 22.17 Isai 30.18 Psal 123.2 Prov. 20 22. 1. Every mans conscience may inform him in what state he is 2. Tim. 1 3â— Isai 59.12 Eccles 7.22 Matth. 22.12 Acts 25.16 2. How conscience doth this Psal 119.6 Prov 11 18. Rom. 8.6 Rom. 8.13 John 3.18 Rom. 6.11 3. When conscience doth this Acts 24.25 Conscience interlineth Act 2â— 25. Acts 27.23 Rom. 1.9 Conscience choketh Num. 12.4 Jer. 4.18 4 Why many are deluded about their estate Reas 2. Reas 3. Isai 66.24 Job 9.11 â— Cor. 4.2 Rom. 13.5 Acts 23. â— Concerning a good conscience John 8.9 Tit. 1.15 A firm conscience 1. Pet. 3.15 16. An infirm conscience Rom. 14.21 Rom. 14.10 Rom. 14.14 Rom. 14.15 1. Cor. 8.9 10 11. Use 1. 2. Rom. 14.13 3. Heb. 10 2â— 1. Cor. 15.55 57. Gen. 4.20 1. Sam. 28.20 The bond of conscience is Gods law Jam. 4 12. The law of God the prime bond of conscience Rom. 1.14 Acts 20.22 1. Cor. 9 1â— Acts 4.20 Reasons Heb. 4.12 vers 13. 1. Cor. 10.27 Psal 51.4 Rev. 22.18 19. Rom. 2.14 Use 1. 2. Cor. 4.2 â— Cor. 14.37 Use 2. Use 3. From what Christians are freed Rom. 6.14 Rom. 7.6 Rom. 8.1 Antiâ—â—misâ—â— Psal 2.1 2 3 Arguments That Gods laâ— bindeth the conscience of the regenerate Arg. 1. Luke 17.10 Rom. 3.31 Arg. 2. 1. John 3.4 Jam. 2.11 Arg. 3. Arg. 4. Use 4. Azorius the Jesuite reports it Psal 119.89 Prov. 29.1 Dan. 9.24 Dan. 3.16 Dan. 6.16 Rom. 14.14 1. John 5.21 Matth. 17. â—7 Obj. 1. Answ Obj. 2. Answ 1. Pet. 2.13 Obj. 3. Answ Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. 1. Sam. 25.22 Num. 30.3 Judges 11.30 Eccles. 5.5 Baptisme Acts 18.25 Matth. â—1 25 Matth. 11.11 Rom. 6.4 1. Cor. 1.13 Gal. 3.27 Ephes 4.5