like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure saith the Apostle A thousand wiles hath the Divell to corrupt our simplicity and he is more laborious about this then about any designe against the soule of man The divell is not so laborious to make a breach upon a mans faith or patience or the like as upon a mans sincerity because he knowes that every breach made upon this is a stab to the heart which wil kill the soule for ever if God do not admirably cure it If labour will accomplish this designe the divell will not neglect that he goes about seeking whom he may devoure If terrours and affrightments will accomplish this designe the Divell will roare like a Lyon against a mans soule as if he would teare him to pieces and suddenly throw him into that bottomelesse pit without all redemption If flattery will be more prevalent then terrour to bring about this designe the divell will transforme himselfe into an Angell of light and promise us all the Kingdomes of the World to winde us about to him 2 And as the divell is laborious about this designe so he hath many Apostate children such as have lost that good that they seemed to have and these as their father being more like their father then any of all his children beside labour tooth and naile not onely passively by example but actively by promises and threatnings especially in these last daies to turne aside soules from simplicity in doctrine and manners and by their divellish craft have turned away many so that many have made shipwracke of faith and a good conscience and are gone in the way of Balaam the sonne of Bosor that arch hypocrit studying and labouring to mischieve Gods people for preferments and honours in the world speaking lies in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with an hot iron And therefore 't is but needfull and seasonable that I exhort you to looke to your spirits and take heed of these bitter rootes that ye be not defiled by them Remember what God saith by the Prophet Ezekiel When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse which he hath done and committeth iniquity all the righteousnesse which he hath done shall not be mentioned but in his trespasse which he hath trespassed and in his sinne which he hath sinned in that shall he die Ezek. 18.24 And if once you wax weary of well doing and decline sincere walking all thy former integrity shall not so much as once be mentioned to thy comfort but to thy terrour often shall it be by way of upbraiding mentioned to thy conscience here and to the aggravation of thy condemnation hereafter as one that hast tasted of the powers of the world to come of the sweetnesse of the spirit of grace and yet after this hast grieved opposed and done despight against it Having therefore put your hand to the plough looke not backe having begun in the spirit doe not end in the flesh having begun to order your conversation sincerely and uprightly so continue unto the death what ever you undergoe in life All afflictions for righteousnesse sake shall be tollerable comfortable and at last augment your crowne They shall be tollerable when at height for no triall shall be above your strength God is faithfull by whom you are tempted who will with the temptation shew a way to escape 2 They shall not onely be tollerable but they shall be also comfortable when at the very height For as the afflictions of Christ abound in you so shall your consolations abound by Christ as the Apostle saith The prereception of bitters makes sweets the sweeter 3 Finally they shall be profitable to augment your crowne of glory in the life to come Blessed are ye when persecuted for righteousnesse sake for great shall be your reward in heaven saith Christ And this reward shall come quickly which addes to the worth and excellency of it Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me wherefore hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne Revel 3.11 FINIS 2 COR. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards THâ—… second proposition now in order to be handled is this That conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of a mans conversation Pauls conscience gave testimony with him that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had behaved himselfe in preaching and living in life and doctrine as a faithfull Minister of Christ ought to doe So likewise his conscience bore witnesse with him concerning his sincere and holy desires towards his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience also bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe were accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.1 Iobs conscience also gave testimony concerning his integrity Let me be weighed in an even ballance that God may know mine integrity By this and many such like expressions of his 't is most plaine that his conscience could give testimony concerning his conversation what it was whether good or bad Davids conscience did the like Thou O Lord shalt judge the people judge me O Lord according to my righteousnesse according to mine integrity that is in me Psal 7.8 A large induction of particulars to this purpose might easily be made but I rather take another way to confirme this point The truth of this point I conceive will be better confirmed and opened by setting before you what conscience is and then you will plainely see what conscience can doe and doth doe in the soule of man Conscience is better felt then defined for ought that I can yet finde among the learned Conscience is a part of the understanding in all reasonable creatures determining of their particular actions either with them or against them say some Conscience is a reflection of the soule upon it selfe say others Conscience say I is a naturall power which the soule of man hath above all unreasonable creatures to compare his waies by some rule and according as his waies agree or disagree with that rule so answerably to beare witnesse with or against him First conscience say I is a naturall power c. My meaning is conscience is an ability wherewith God indowed the soule of man by creation as with other gifts and abilities for his comfort it he walked well for his terrour if he walked ill We may not imagine that conscience came not into the world untill after Adams fall this were to suppose Adam in Paradise to be a man without conscience Conscience indeed as an accuser and condemner came not into the world untill after Adams fall but conscience as
of men Thus to order a mans conversation is to live sensually and not sincerely and therefore conscience gives testimony against this man and not with him and so consequently checks and curbs this joy and not causeth it conscience dampes this mirth much by griping the spirit now and then in the midst of laughter Spirituall joy is the soules rejoycing in God as reconciled in Christ Spirituall joy is the soules rejoycing in God c. Divine joy is therefore called spirituall because the subject of it is a spirit and the object of it is a spirit and all the manifestations of it spirituall The subject of divine joy is the spirit of man Divine joy doth not take onely the eare or the eye or the taste or the smell as carnall joy doth but the heart Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord Psal 105.3 The heart is broken for sinne and this is made to rejoyce in Gods mercy as a pardoner of sinne the same bones which are broken are made to rejoyce Make me to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thout hast broken may rejoyce Psal 51.8 Davids heart was so overcharged with sorrow that his bones were ready to breake in his body and in this he desired some divine refreshing that so all things out of order might be quieted and composed againe As sorrow is no sorrow unlesse it take the heart so joy is no joy unlesse it warme the Spirit And therefore saith David My soule shall be joyfull in the Lord it shall rejoyce in his salvation Psal 35.9 God doth honour that in man with joy with which man honours him by obedience now the soule of the upright obeyes God My Soule hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 19.167 and therefore God made Davids soule to rejoyce I delight to doe thy will O God yea thy Law is within my heart Psal 40.8 The Law of God was within Davids heart and therefore the joy of God was within his heart too Hypocrits doe not with their soules keepe Gods testimonies their righteousnesse is like Ephraims an outside righteousnesse that vanisheth and so answerably God giveth them an outside superficiall joy that soone vanisheth and perisheth They doe not set their hearts aright to obey God as David useth the expression Psal 78.8 and therefore God doth not tune and set their joy aright so that it jarres at the best their spirits and their faces are not alwaies merry together in the midst of laughter their hearts gripe them Divine joy takes the spirit of man wholly and oft-times immediately Divine joy takes the spirit of man wholly when at lowest A dram a sparkle the least measure of divine joy that can be thought of revives and makes glad the whole Spirit of man as a drop of strong water warmes the whole heart Hence 't is that David when he had but a drop of divine joy distilled into his heart as 't is but a drop of this heavenly liquor that our weake giddy soules can beare whilst here below presently he breakes out as a man warmed all over I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marvellous workes Psal 9.1 The like phrase you shall finde David often speaking in David found his whole heart warmed by those sparkles of divine joy which God strooke in his darke dolorous heart and this fetcht life in him still when ready to faint and swoon and then all he returned to God againe which he gave him God warmed his whole heart with joy and he returned his whole heart to God in thankesgiving Divine joy warmes all that is within and all that is without soule and body and sets both at worke to praise God Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name Psal 103.1 All that was within David was warmed with divine joy and therefore all that was within him he would have should returne thankes and praise unto the Lord. Elsewhere he cals upon all without him And my soule shall be joyfull in the Lord it shall rejoyce in his salvation this is for all within him then in the next verse saith he All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee Psal 35.9,10 Divine joy warmes all that is within a man and all that is without it warmes Spirit flesh and bones the whole man and sets all on fire to praise the Lord. As divine joy takes the Spirit wholly so it oft-times seises upon the Spirit immediately breaking forth in the heart as lightning without any certaine knowne medium by which to come into the soule David doth darkly hint this where he saith Rejoyce the soule of thy servant for unto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule Psal 86.4 Thou needest not this to speake in or that creature to worke by to revive a drooping Spirit as if the Psalmist had said thou canst put joy and gladnesse into the sad soule of man by thine owne immediate worke as well as if forty Ministers were imployed this I beleeve that none without thee can rejoyce me but thou without any other canst doe it and therefore unto thee doe I lift up my soule Sometimes God doth worke by secondary meanes and inferiour instruments to rejoyce the soules of mourning sinners as David would have comforted Hanun by his messengers at other times he will make use of none but his owne Spirit to beare witnesse with our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God and walke before him as obedient children and so rejoyces the soules of his people in troubles Thus did God rejoyce the soule of Paul and Timothy in their troubles and sorrowes by the Almighty worke of his Spirit he assured their spirits that they were his and that their waies were pleasing to him which made them thus to speake in the midst of miseries Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. Secondly divine joy is called spirituall because the object of it is a spirit The object of divine joy is God who is a Spirit saith John Divine joy hath God for its immediate object and all other good things as beames of this Sunne as streams from this fountaine as mediat objects comming from and relating to God God alone is the object of divine joy Most true 't is that God hath alwaies in his right hand Heaven and in his left hand earth to wit all the Kingdomes of this world to bestow upon whom he will but had he neither or would he part with neither to any beside himselfe but keepe all in his owne hand yet an upright man would joy in him and desire no better object to let out his affections upon Although the Figge tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the vines the labour of the Olives shall faile and the
field shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cut off from the folds and there be no herd in the stalles yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation saith the Prophet Hab. 3.17,18 Habakkuk will rise in judgement against a thousand thousand soules which would never judge God worthy to be lookt after muchlesse delighted in if he had not Corne and Wine Heaven and Earth to bestow upon his favorits This text I conceive is a plaine testimony that God alone is the object of divine joy that is not God as very wealthy and very bountifull but as very holy and an absolute compleat being above all things beside him This was Pauls joy to wit in God alone as he whom his conscience told him he served sincerely though weakely Upright men eye the divine rule in their rejoycing as well as in all other things Now the divine rule of joy is that it should be bounded and terminated in God Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous Psal 97.12 This rule is repeated againe and againe in Scripture to note how apt we are to rejoyce in creatures and sinnes which are worse then any creatures and not in God as also to note how strictly God lookes at this that we should make him onely the object of our joy and all other good things as beames of this Sunne as blessings from his hand and so consequently to rejoyce still as long as we have communion with God and our consciences witnessing with us that we sincerely serve him though we have nothing else in the world beside him as Paul and Timothy did For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. Thirdly divine joy is called spirituall because all the manifestations of it are spirituall They that have this joy in their hearts do not let their tongues sing ribaldry and vanity such as flesh and blood delights in but they sing in the waies of the Lord Psal 138.5 That is they rejoyce in divine things to be thinking and speaking of and walking in the waies of the Lord. 'T was Pauls and Timothies matter of joy that they could walke sincerely in the waies of the Lord and this they humbly gloried in Such as have the joy of the Lord in their hearts their tongues speake and sing in such a manner that God is extolled and magnified according to one attribute or another which is making melody to God as the Apostle termes it As here in my text the Apostles so expressed divine joy that the power and goodnesse of the Lord were magnified that he could and would give internall comfort to those that did sincerely though weakely serve him when all externall comforts failed Divine joy doth not as carnall joy transport men into drunkards whore-masters wantons libertines and so turne them out of the waies of the Lord but raises their spirits to a higher pitch of love to God and so makes them walke more strictly and chearfully in the waies of God Divine joy makes a man rejoyce and worke righteousnesse and not rejoyce and worke wickednesse Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse Isa 64.5 Paul Timothy thus rejoyced that they could worke righteousnesse that they could order their conversation sincerely though by many handled injuriously For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God wee have had our conversation in the world c. 2 Divine joy is the soules rejoycing in God as reconciled in Christ Divine joy as man upon earth is the subject of it hath God in Christ for its object that is God as reconciled in Christ for otherwise God is an enemy and no man rejoyceth in an enemy And not onely so but we also rejoyce in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement Rom. 5.11 We cannot joy immediately in God as Adam could because of our sinne in Adam which made God angry with us we must now have some to interpose betweene God and us in whom is made up what is wanting in us and so Gods anger against us appeased and therefore 't is that the Apostle thus speakes in the person of the godly we joy in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement This is sweetly set forth also unto us under metaphoricall termes by the Prophet Isaiah I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soule shall be joyfull in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse as a Bride-groome decketh himselfe with ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her selfe with Jewels Isa 61.10 God as cloathing us with the garments of salvation and as covering us with a robe of righteousnesse is the object of joy to fallen man and thus we know he doth in Christ God freely reveales an infinite love to man in Christ and this begets love to him and joy in him He washed away all our sinnes in Christs blood covers all our wants with Christs righteousnesse subjects his Sonne to suffer what we had deserved and to merit for us all that from which we were justly excluded to wit communion with God and eternall life This love God sheads abroad in the heart of man and this makes man love God and joy in him God out of Christ is no other but a condemner of man conscience so apprehending God is no other but a tormentour of man and man betweene both these is in no other but Hell and there is no joy in Hell God in Christ reconciles man to himselfe and then God joyes in man and man in God The blood of Christ makes peace betweene God and man and betweene man and his conscience and makes God acquit and conscience acquit God to speake peace though man be not perfect conscience to speake peace though man walke weakely yet whilst sincerely and this makes divine ioy in the heart in the midst of all troubles naturall or accidentall For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world c. You have had a briefe hint now by what hath beene said what that joy is which the testimony of conscience brings to the soule to wit a conciliatory joy as I may fitly call it A joy of peace and friendship betweene God and man and betweene man and himselfe to wit conscience Conscience tels that man which walkes sincerely that he for his part is at peace with him and that God is the like though men and divels be at variance with him and that he shall have favours spirituall and temporall here and eternally hereafter say and
doe all his enemies what they can and this makes the heart of man leape within him in the midst of troubles as the babe in Elizabeths wombe when she heard the salutation of Mary Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Having shewed you in what troubles the testimony of conscience will give joy and what joy 't is that conscience causeth in the soule I will in the next place shew you the ground of the point why the testimony of conscience concerning a mans simplicity must needs cause joy in the midst of troubles This testimony of conscience is attended with a glorious power as the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the glorious power of him saith the originall that is of the holy Ghost which makes the testimony so strong and so transcendently comfortable that troubles and sorrows for sincerity sake though never so great cannot possibly over-beare the heart Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse 1 Col. 11. There is a glorious power attending the testimony of conscience extended to upright soules in times of great troubles for uprightnesse sake which strengthens them with all might so that all burdens cannot depresse them unto all patience and long suffering so that they will never be weary and out of breath with bearing and to doe all this with joyfulnesse so that no outward hardship can utterly exhaust joy out of their spirits Now the testimony of conscience concerning our simplicity and sincerity being attended with this glorious power in times of trouble as Peter saith 't is the spirit of glory and of God rests upon such it must needs keepe up the dolorous spirit of man and make him rejoyce in the greatest troubles Paul and Timothy doubtlesse found this glorious power attending the testimony of their conscience strengthning them with all might unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse which made them thus to say For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Secondly the testimony of conscience concerning mans simplicity and sincerity must needs rejoyce a man in the midst of all troubles because conscience now minds a man that he walkes in the midst of all enemies and troubles just as Christ did There was no guile found in Christs mouth though he was put to it againe and againe Whatever he underwent from his Father from the divell and his children yet still he walked sincerely and faultered not in the least kind for the greatest advantage though he was proffered all the kingdomes in the world to doe it Now when conscience tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath had his conversation in the world it doth at once tell him that he hath walked in this world just as Christ did As he was so art thou in this world O my soule which cannot but rejoyce the heart in the midst of the sharpest afflictions for Christs sake Thy Saviour O my soule though God yet was called a divell nay Beelzebub the prince of divels though temperate yet called a drunkard and Wine-bibber and companion to Publicans and Harlots though a man without guile yet called a deceiver though innocent yet scoffed imprisoned condemned and executed as a malefactour 'T is just thus with thee O my soule thou art studious to walke uprightly and yet censured for an hypocrit thou labourest to be better then any and yet the world judges thee to be worse then any thou labourest more for humility and love then for all the wealth in the World and yet the World judges thee to be fuller of pride and malice then any man thou dost not blow a Trumpet when thou givest almes but hidest from thy left hand what thy right hand doth and therefore the world thinks that thy religion towards God is without mercy towards man thou thinkest no evill to others but labourest to doe good to all and yet all almost thinke evill or speake evill or doe evill against thee In this O my soule thou art not alone 't was the condition of thy Saviour therefore mourne not O my soule but rejoyce according to the divine rule that thou art made like him Thus the testimony of conscience concerning a mans sincerity brings in matter of comfort and joy to the soule of man in the midst of troubles and makes it smile when under heavy burthens of cruelty Lastly it must needs be that the testimony of conscience concerning the simplicity of a mans conversation should minister joy in the midst of troubles because such plainely see their interest in the divine word of consolation Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Psal 32.11 Conscience now tels me that I am upright in heart and that in simplicity and uprightnesse I have had my conversation in the world and so consequently that joy here as well as hereafter belongs to me Out of this reasoning betweene conscience and the divine word of consolation joy will breake forth in the soule first or last lade an upright man with what burthens you will Rejoyce all ye that are upright in heart saith God thou art upright in heart saith conscience to a sincere soule and conscience will not stay here but will presse upon the soule to apply his owne mercies why then dost not thou rejoyce Dost thou thinke it a small matter to disobey a command of God This pressing language of conscience will make a sincere soule strive hard and pray hard to reioyce in afflictions for Christs sake according to the divine rule which prayer God will heare and bring the upright foule at last to say in the midst of troubles with these champions in my text For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Having given you the point and the grounds of it a word or two I would speake by way of application to you that are unsound and then a word more to you that are sincere and so conclude this point This doctrine may in the first place serve to unfold a riddle to you that are unsound Possibly you may wonder to see a man goe reioycing to prison and to fire and fagot especially when censured by learned men for such and such a malefactour you it may be thinke of such a man as he of Paul that he is mad and merry without cause as bedlams are or else that he laughs from the teeth outward as he that would put a good face upon an ill matter No
fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the World and more abundantly to you-wards These words are the Apostles divine narration of their happy condition in misery And they containe two principall things usefull for all men to be well acquainted withall to wit true joy and the true ground of this desirable grace which the Apostle here makes sincerity and that testimony which conscience gives thereof to the Soule For our rejoycing is this what why the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity that is in integrity and uprightnesse not with fleshly wisedome that is not with humane policy and eloquence as men proudly depending upon our owne parts and subtilly seeking our owne ends in our preaching and living but by the grace of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in the grace of God saith the originall that is in the strength and assistance of God which is a speciall fruit of his grace and favour We have had our conversation in the World that is we have carried our selves in life and doctrine amongst all and more aboundantly to you-wards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but specially amongst you saith the Originall Divine joy is set forth unto us in this Text according to its proper subject and according to its proper rise The proper subject of divine joy is the righteous man as the Psalmist frequently notes And this man is made the subject of Divine joy in my Text For our reioycing c. that is we which are sincere hypocrits have nothing to doe with divine joy Their joy is suiteable to their spirits deceit-full that which will flee from them and not stand by them as this joy of the Apostles did when trials come For our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boasting is this so the word in the originall strictly taken signifies Divine boasting notes divine joy in the conspicuous act thereof It notes joy as it hath strongly seized upon the heart within and it notes joy as it hath strongly seised upon the tongue and face and hands without so that it is all one as if the Apostle had said the cause of our strong and open rejoycing is this What That they had made provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it No divine joy hath not such a Diabolicall rise The proper rise of divine joy is the testimony of a pure conscience concerning the uprightnesse of a mans conversation and this was the rise of Pauls and Timothies joy in affliction Their conscience bore witnesse with them that in integrity and uprightnesse not in flattery policie and subtilty they had preached and lived amongst all men as those that depended upon the strength and aid of Christin everything and not upon any abilities of their owne though they were endowed with greater humane gifts then any the false Apostles had Thus they carried themselves in a plaine downright faithfull way where ever they came to publish the Gospell of Christ but specially amongst the Corinthians To other Churches Paul used a more insinuating way of preaching but to this Church of the Corinthians all plainnesse and homelinesse sparing no expressions that might fully set forth their wicked waies and throughly awaken their drousie consciences as hereafter in due place God willing I shall shew unto you The Church of the Corinthians of all the Churches which Paul or other of the Apostles had planted was most loose every way and therefore Paul did not content himselfe with hints overtures and wrap up bitter Pils in sugred glib-goe-down words but with all godly boldnesse and plainnesse beyond what he did to other Churches he reproved them for and upbraided them with their wickednesse which is that he would have us apprehend in this last clause of my Text. But specially amongst you Doctrinae deductie Severall propositions are to be noted in this verse thus opened as first this That in simplicity and godly sincerity we ought to have our conversation in this World This truth is plainly intimated by the Apostle for he rejoyced that he had so ordered his conversation as Christ required not flattering and fauning with fleshly wisedome in his preaching to sooth men in their sinnes and to bring about his owne ends as false Apostles did but faithfully reproving every vice sparing no plainenesse of speech to such as otherwise would not be brought to see and bewaile their sinnes Whether this way of preaching were pleasing or displeasing to the World whether it brought honour or disgrace to himselfe from the world he heeded not whilst he knew 't was suitable walking to the Will of God Doct. 2. A second proposition is this That conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of a mans conversation This truth is also plainely intimated in that the Apostle makes the testimony of his conscience concerning his integrity the ground of his joy For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome which had beene hypocriticall but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the World c. Doct. 3. A third proposition is this That consciousnesse to our selves of the simplicity and sineerity of our conversation will yield us joy in the midst of troubles This truth is also intimated by the Apostle for in the midst of all his troubles and miseries he rejoyed in this that his conscience could beare witnesse with him that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had ordered his conversation in this world Doct. 4. A fourth and last point observable is this That there be speciall times and occasions for the declaration of sincerity which ought to be observed and answerably to declare and shew our selves in our places This truth is also plainly set forth unto us in the Text for Paul and Timothy thus carried themselves in their places toward the Church of Corinth which became very openly and grossely wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but specially amongst you They had declared sincerity and uprightnesse in their ministry amongst other Churches by a faithfull reproving of them as occasion required but no Church so scandalously carried themselves as this Church and therefore this Church needed above all others to be more throughly dealth withall which the Apostles as sincere men considered and answerably carryed themselves Doct. 1. I begin with the first of these to wit That in simplicity and godly sincority we ought to have our conversation in this World Paul could not justly have joyed in the simplicity and sincerity of his conversation had not his conscience told him that so to walke was to walke as Christ had commanded him Christs charge to his Apostles when he sent them forth was that they should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simple as Doves Mat. 10.16 that they should teach men to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them Mat. 28.20 now Pauls conscience and Timothies both
work of God upon the soule that it makes a man laborious to do every divine thing exact according to that divine manner which God in hiâ— word prescribes 'T is not thus with an hypocrite he is lead by customes and makes it a matter of conscience not to swerve from these how incongruous so ever to the word of God Or els he is fearefully given over to a careless Spirit to doe divine things as hits he cares not how any way or no way all is one Or else he is desperatly pinned to his owne will being wiser in his owne eyes then ten men that give a reason Thus thus he will walke say all the world what they will is it not thus with you If you tell me that yet you hold out weight by the ballance of the sanctuarie I am glad yet possibly you may be one graine too light Are ye laborious to doe all Gods will that God may have all the glory due to his name Do ye not sacrifice to your owne ners and take the glory to your selves of your labours like Herod When men applaud you is not this to you as the rubbing of a Parrat upon the head very pleasing and that which makes you hugge your selves within your owne thoughts Is not this great Babell which I have built Could such a thing have beene done if I had not done it Or could any man have done it so well as I Looke in upon your spirits before but specially after divine duties and see whether you doe not seeke your selves in them more then the glory of Christ Doe ye not give almes to be accounted liberall men and that the poore may applaud you for good men and good house-keepers Doe ye not blow a Trumpet when you give almes that is so distribute your charity as may be most advantagious to your owne repute in the world Do ye not let your left hand know still what your right hand doth Are ye not dampt in your designes of charity and bounty when 't is to goe forth in such a way as if it were cast upon waters or into the bottome of a Well where no eye can see nor no tongue speake of your good workes nor no likely'ud of the least returne Doe ye not looke for much observance from such to whom you doe much And repent of your kindnesse when men doe not answere it in thankfulnesse Doe ye eye Christs command and out of love to him give upon all just occasions as unto him Are those that are religious tendered and succoured by you in their bonds and miseries as if you were bound with them according to the divine rule Doe ye not in prayer more looke at words and expressions then to your spirits Doe ye not pray in the market-places That is so pray that others may observe you and blaze abroad that you are very devout persons Are ye not industrious to pray well as you call it in publike and carelesse and perfunctory when you pray in private Are ye not more constant a great deale in the performance of publike then in the performance of private prayers where there is no observer nor applauder but God which sees and heares in secret Doe ye not after prayer hug your owne gifts and admire your apt expressions dexterity of utterance and to thinke much that you have no more thankes given you for your paines and that those that joyned with you were no more affected Doe ye not pin your spirits to your owne acute studied formes and praiers in print boasting of things made ready to your hand as the Apostle speakes and scoffe at the spirit of grace and supplication Zech. 12.10 Doe ye not preach your selves and not Christ and more looke at words then matter to please men then to please God Doe ye labour to approve your selves to every mans conscience or to every mans fancie Doe ye not put plaine truths into abstruse termes a new coat upon old divinitie and strive to soare in drie Metaphysicall straines above your owne and others apprehension Doe ye not build hay and stubble upon the true foundation the opinions of Fathers and Schoolemen and the tenents of proud time-servers whom God hath given over to a Spirit of delusion to believe lies because they received not the truth in the love of it Doe ye aime at conviction conversion or ostentation in your preaching Doth it not almost make you sicke like Ahab that your claborate Sermons in places of eminent note have not yet brought you to a fat living Doe ye not preach Christ out of envie as the Apostle speakes to bring about your wicked designes and to vend your malicious spirits against the godly Doe ye not wrest the word of Christ to confirme your time-serving tenents to maintaine your voluptuous loitering life And if so is this in simplicity and godly sincerity to have your conversation in the world To you that by what hath beene said see that you are yet unsound at heart that you doe not in simplicity and godly sincerity order your conversation in this world I have three things to say Labour to be affected with your unsoundnesse Then judge your selves that you may never be judged of the Lord And then begge the cure of your foule disease First labour to be affected with your unsoundnesse This is the killing mischiefe of hypocrisie that it is hard and difficult throughly to be found out and truely to be bewailed Hypocrisie is vitium latens vitium transfigurans vitium adulans vitium obdurans a hidden a transforming a flattering and a hardening vice 1 'T is a hidden vice The heart is deceitfull and desperately wicked who can know it saith the Prophet The spirit of a man may know the things of a man but deceit and guile this lurkes and skulkes in such hidden corners of the heart that the spirit of man does not know it And hence it is that multitudes thinke themselves very sincere which yet are very unsound A man may discerne drunkennesse swearing and whoring in himselfe and yet all this while be utterly unable to see the hypocrisie of his spirit and hence 't is that you shall have drunkards swearers and whore-masters to confesse these vices and yet plead for the goodnesse of their hearts and meanings too 2 When the unsoundnesse of the heart is discovered by the word and spirit of God then hypocrisie becomes vitium transfigurans a transforming vice The heart strives now to put faire glosses upon foule matters to put a beautifull vizzard upon the uglie face of sinne and to appeare in the eye of awakened conscience quite of another colour or at least nothing so uglie as the word of God would make it to be 3 If this will not stop the mouth of complaining conscience then it becomes vitium adulans a flattering vice The heart tells conscience now that 't is true things are bad but God is very good he is not extreame to marke what is
an accuser acquiter and comforter was in Adam before his fall As long as Adam obeyed the commandement of God there was no cause that conscience should accuse him but as soone as he disobeyed Gods commandement conscience flew in his face as appeares by his flying from the face of God Which plainely shewes us this truth that conscience was in Adam before his fall but did not begin to accuse ' til Adam began to sin Secondly conscience say I is a naturall power which the joule of man hath c. Now whether this power be in the understanding onely or partly in the understanding and partly in the will I finde controverted amongst the learned My opinion I here humbly lay downe but I undertake not to state and determine the controversie This power we speak of I conceive to be a reflect act of the practicke understanding onely transcendently seconded by the power of the holy Ghost Saint Iohn confirmes the first that it is a reflect act of the practicke understanding onely where speaking of this power in the soule saith And hereby we doe know that we know him if we keepe his Commandements 1 Iohn 2.3 That is as if Iohn had said We doe view our waies by the word of God which is an act onely of the understanding and finding them to be in some measure levell with that holy rule we have this comfortable reflection backe upon our soules that our faith is not a fancy but a faith which worketh by love and so sincere and saving which reflection is no other as I conceive but an act of the understanding collecting a divine conclusion from divine premises He that keepeth Gods Commandements knoweth God savingly that he may safely conclude but I doe keepe the Commandements of God this I know for I have viewed the Commandements of God and my life by them and therefore I know that is I am assured that I truely and savingly know God which is no other but that power in the soule which we call conscience The Apostle Saint Paul I conceive confirmes the second that it is a reflect act of the understanding transcendently seconded by the holy Ghost where he saith My conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost Rom. 9.1 That is my conscience transcendantly seconded and assisted by the holy Ghost doth strongly testifie to my soule that I am full of bowels towards my kinsmen after the flesh and could doe any thing or suffer any thing for their good The order according to which the holy Ghost strikes in with conscience is this The understanding makes a double proposition one grounded in the word of God the other in the heart of man as thus He that keepeth the Commandements of God truely loves God this proposition is grounded in the word of God but I doe keepe the Commandements of God this is grounded in the heart of man And then drawes a conclusion from both therefore I doe truely love God This conclusion whilst holy and drawne from divine premises to wit the word of God and the grace of God in the heart of man the Spirit of God strikes in with the soule in making this conclusion and assists the weake soule so that he concludes thus with strong confidence that he truely loves God and not onely secretly assistes but seconds and saies the same thing to man that his owne spirit doth Then is fulfilled that of the Apostle the Spirit beares witnesse with our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God If the premisses be corrupt which the understanding makes for the minde makes propositions suitable to the light that is in it from which to argue the goodnesse or badnesse of man then the Divell that lying spirit strikes in and seconds the soule in that corrupt conclusion which he collects from corrupt principles concerning himselfe So that now the deluded soule is peremptory and wiser then ten men that give a reason in these is fulfilled that of the Apostle Their minds and consciences being defiled Thirdly I affirme conscience to be a naturall power which the soule of man hath above all unreasonable creatures c. Bruite beasts have no conscience and yet they better serve God in their kind then many of us which have conscience Bruit beasts want reason and therefore are not capable subjects of conscience and yet against reason and against conscience man ofttimes does worse then a beast Fourthly conscience say I is a naturall power which the soule of man hath above all unreasonable creatures to compare his waies by some rule and according as his waies agree or disagree with that rule so answerably to bear witnesse with or against him By the former part of this description is shewed unto us what conscience is according to its being in the soule It is a naturall power c. By the latter part of this description is shewed unto us what conscience is according to its office in the soule The office of conscience according to the description here given consists in two things First conscience compares a mans waies by some rule Secondly Conscience beares witnesse with or against a man according as a mans waies agree or disagree with that rule First say I conscience compares a mans waies by some rule If the understanding be enlightened with the truth to wit the word of God then conscience compares the waies of man by a perfect rule to wit the word of God But if the understanding be inlightned with naturall and morall principles onely then conscience compares a mans waies according to these principles only and so by an imperfect rule For 't is my judgment with submission to better that conscience in every man followes that light which the understanding holds up unto it This I know that a man may and often doth goe against conscience but conscience goes not against that light which the understanding holds up unto it A man may outwardly say this or that contrary to the light of his understanding but conscience inwardly speakes at the same time according to that light I will further cleare this unto you by an apt example Paul you know zealously persecuted the Church of God and his conscience for ought that I can finde never checkt him but doubtlesse rather acquitted him for it I meane as long as he remained unconverted And the reason I thinke is sufficiently rendred where 't is said that he did it ignorantly That is according to that light which his understanding held up unto him he thought he did God good service in sheading the blood of his Saints which me thinkes makes manifest what I say that conscience still followes the light of the understanding The Apostle Paul persecuted the Church of God and yet obtained mercie because saith the text he did it ignorantly hee did out of conscience as I may say shead the blood of the Saints But now the most men have received the knowledge of the truth therefore if now men persecute the Saints of
God either in heart tongue or hand they goe against knowledge so consequently against conscience for conscience followes the light of the understanding and so comes neere the committing of the unpardonable sin to the committers of which God hath said there shall be no mercy shewed either in this world or in the world to come Here I would have you observe this for the further clearing of what hath beene said That the word of God is the rule by which conscience compares the waies of men so far-forth as the understanding is enlightened by the word of God and no further So far-forth as the understanding is ignorant of the word of God so far-forth conscience is silent As long as St. Paul knew not lust to be a sinne conscience never accused him for lust as a sin And this surely is one reason why many shun the preaching of the word of God and the studie thereof least by encreasing knowledge they should increase griefe as Salomon saith least by this meanes they should come to the knowledge of their sinnes and so conscience pull them by the throat for them Of such as these the Apostle Saint Peter speakes where he saith Of this they are willingly ignorant that by the word of God the Heavens were of old and the earth and the world that then was perished 2 Pet. 3.3,4,5 That is they did purposely doe as much as in them lay to put out that light which was in their understandings which told them that he which at first made the heavens by his word and did by his word destroy them with water would one day againe destroy them with fire and brimstone this they did labour to keepe themselves ignorant of that so they might without checke of conscience goe on in their sinnes To such as these I may truely say with the Apostle If our Gospell be hid it is hid unto those which perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.3,4 He that keepes himselfe in ignorance that his conscience may let him goe on quietly in wickednesse loves to goe to hell without controle Thou that canst not indure that thy conscience should reprove thee secretly 't is no wonder that thou canst not endure that thy minister should reprove thee publikely Thou that canst not endure that thy conscience should reprove thee for sinne now must endure whether thou wilt or no conscience to torment thee for thy sin hereafter The second thing that I would have you to observe is this That conscience doth compare all a mans wayes with the rule of the word so far-forth as the understanding is enlightned with the word All that light which the understanding hath received from the word of God conscience takes it and makes it a rule by which he measures all a mans waies thoughts words and deeds to trie what agreement or disagreement there is betweene them and the rule That conscience compares the thoughts of men by the word of God so farre forth as the understanding is inlightned by the word as well as words and deeds is manifest by the language of the Apostle where he speakes of the Gentiles on this wise Which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witnesse their thoughts the mean while accusing or excusing one another Rom. 2.15 Divine light so far-forth as it shines into the hearts of heathens conscience makes use of it as a rule by which to examine their very thoughts and so answerably to accuse or excuse them as their thoughts are found to agree or disagree with the rule Saint Paul likewise in the ninth to the Rom. at the first verse confirmes this truth I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe separate from Christ for my kins-folk in the flesh Saint Paul here tels us that his conscience did beare him witnesse that his thoughts and desires were thus and thus sincere respecting his brethren which conscience will never doe before he hath leavelled a mans thoughts and desires by the word of God and found them to be so by consequence then it is manifest that conscience compares a mans thoughts by the rule as well as his words and deeds Conscience keepes court in the heart and therefore can and doth observe our thoughts as well as our words and deeds Conscience keepes a Court of justice in the heart and sits upon the life and death of the soule which is ten thousand times more precious then the body and therfore will not sift this and that and let other things goe which the word condemnes as well and as plainely as it doth any thing else The word of God you know condemnes evill thoughts as well as evill words and not onely grosse evill thoughts as thoughts of murder adultery and the like but vaine idle thoughts and therefore conscience can doe no lesse as Gods Vicegerent in this lower circuit but examine these as well as words and deeds by the rule of Gods word to see how farre they agree to or disagree from it Which worke when conscience hath exactly done then it beares witnesse with or against a man answerably as a mans waies agree or disagree with this rule which is the last clause in the description of conscience and comes now according to order and method to be a little opened Conscience when he hath compared a mans waies by the rule and exactly found out how they agree with or disagree from it the next thing he doth is he beares witnesse with or against a man This clause I adde in the description of conscience because 't is a divine power placed in the soule of man to be as it were a judge betweene God and man Conscience takes notice of things together with God and compares them by the rule together with God and then pronounceth sentence with or against man for God First I say conscience takes notice of things together with God and hence it is say the learned that this power in the soule is called conscience Scire say they is said of him which knowes one thing alone so as none else knowes it with him Conscire is said of three or foure which know some secret together Conscience therefore must needs signifie a combination of two at the least in the knowledge of some secret thing Now this combination cannot be betweene man and man for man doth not know the secrets of my heart no further then as I reveale them to him this combination neither cannot be betweene man and Angels for they doe not know the secrets of my heart together with thy selfe This combination then must needs be between God and man God knowes all our
villany in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbours wives and have spoken lying words in my Name which I have not commanded them even I know and am a witnesse saith the Lord Jer. 29.23 By this we see that God the Father sees our sinnes and is a witnesse but because he will not be a witnesse in his own cause he will have two sufficient witnesses besides himselfe to wit Christ and conscience both very true The Divell would willingly be a witnesse against man as an evill spirit that knowes much by man but does not know so much as the Spirit of man which is in him and therefore not a sufficient witnesse But if that evill Spirit did know as much by man as mans owne evill spirit which is in him yet being corrupt he would prove a false witnesse against man a Knight of the Post and sweare any thing against man to bring as great misery upon him as is upon himselfe if he might be admitted for a witnesse such is his divellish hatred and malice to all beings better then his owne but therefore God will not admit of him as a witnesse for or against a man Two true witnesses will God have one without a man and another within him one in heaven and another in earth to wit Christ and conscience Behold I have given him for a witnesse to the People saith God the Father of Christ Isa 55.4 And this witnesse is in Heaven saith Iob Behold my witnesse is in Heaven Job 16.19 Not so in heaven that he is not also in earth or as if he were ignorant of any thing done in earth for then he could not be a sufficient witnesse Iob speakes of Christ according to his speciall place of residence and that is in heaven but Christ hath a Country house here below in our hearts where he hath one abiding continually that is equall to himselfe that tels him all to wit his spirit so that Christ is as competent a witnesse as conscience that sits as Register still in the heart and never stirres out of his place These two witnesses do as that man was commanded to doe which had a sheepe committed to his trust and the sheepe torne in pieces by wild beasts he was to bring some of that which was left some horne or hoofe or any part else that was left for a witnesse of the truth thereof Exod. 22.13 Thus Christ and conscience bring before God the soule those precepts which were by God committed to man to be kept and which he hath suffered his unruly heart to breake to pieces my meaning is so lively doe these two witnesses set before the sinner the breach of every precept according to every circumstance as ever any party under the Law could set before the owner the tearing in pieces of his cattell by the limmes and pieces thereof And this being done divine sentence is given and the soule must needs be silent being so legally handled and Angels and Saints be forc'd to breake forth and say Rightéous art thou O God in all thy waies and holy in all thy works Lastly God hath given this power to conscience to give testimony concerning mans simplicity or hypocrisie that so God at the great day may dispatch a great deale of weighty businesse speedily And I will come neere to you to judgement and I will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and false swearers saith the Lord Mal. 3.5 What the Lord then spake respecting a particular judgement the same will be Gods proceeding with all at the great day The bookes shall be opened Christs booke and the booke of conscience and so in a moment in the twinkling of an eye that is very speedily all things shall be cleare to Judge and malefactour without troubling Juries and other witnesses as we doe here which would make a long worke at that great assize and all persons be judged sent to their place and so righteously judged that not one shall open his mouth to complaine Now this could not possibly be a work speedily done if God had not given this power to conscience to reflect and give testimony and to be instead of better then a thousand witnesses beside and all debating pro and con betweene them The wisedome of God is here to be admired for he hath made such a witnesse to give testimony with Christ for or against a man every way so fit that nothing in the world can be judged so fit Christ we must all confesse to be very sit to be Gods Delegate because he came out of the bosome of God and knows exactly all his Lawes which he hath given man to observe which Angels doe not and man is a party and therefore both unfit But the holy Ghost cannot be judged fit to be mans Delegate because one with the Father and Sonne and so a party in the cause And as for Angels they know not neither the proposed rule exactly nor the aberrations of the Delinquent and as for men they are parties in the cause and so would juggle together and sweare one for another or at least as one flesh and bone with foolish pity spoile a City as we say that is they would speake flattering and halting and so over-turne justice at last after a great deale of doe with them Now to prevent all this danger toile and stirre God hath created such a power within man as to observe all things done by man and no lesse one with man then Christ is with the Father and therefore as inexceptible a Delegate for man on the one side as Christ is for God on the other side And these two of an instant without all disturbance distraction or turmoile give in exact evidence concerning mans integrity or hypocrisie and so speedily without all clamour sentence and execution and all is finished and the Judge of all the world does more weighty businesse in a moment and farre better then all the Judges in this world could do in the age of the world Having thus given you the point and the grounds of it let us see in the next place how usefull this may be unto us all Hath God given power to conscience to give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of mans waies Why then let us all take heed how we order our conversation in this world Give leave to your soules to thinke nothing speake nothing nor doe nothing but what you would have written downe and delivered into the Judge of all the world at the great day When we know a tale-teller is neare us we are very carefull what we say or doe Why we have alwaies a tell-truth in our bosomes where ever we goe or whatsoever we doe who will tell all to the Judge of all the world that we thinke speake or doe and therefore let us watch over our thoughts words and deeds and so thinke and so speake and so doe as those that looke to have the comfortable
testimony of conscience with them at the great day of account That in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Under the old covenant God had a Tabernacle of witnesse which was the inner Court where the Arke was in which the Law was to give testimony against the Israelites when they did evill So God hath now under the new covenant a Tabernacle of witnesse and this is the inner Court to wit the heart where conscience is to give testimony against us when we transgresse And therefore let us set a watch upon our hearts and tongues and hands and intreat God with David to hold up our goings in his pathes that our foot-steps slip not Psal 17.5 I note this because I see multitudes live as if there were neither conscience nor God nor Divell Heaven nor Hell The speech of the Prophet of old may I sitly here make use of Men were then so audaciously wicked that the very shew of their countenance did testifie against them they declared their sinnes as Sodome and hid them not Woe unto their soule saith God they have rewarded evill unto themselves Isa 3.9 Thus may I say of multitudes amongst us now The very shew of their countenance doth testifie against them The wanton eye the fiery eye the drousie walling eye the burly Malmsey nose the painted face Anticke postures gestures and fashions doe all as Iobs wrinkles in his face testifie against thousands that they little lay to heart this doctrine That conscience can speake and tell all their doings to God Proud Hamans time-serving Doegs drunken Nabals whorish Iesabels scoffing Ishmaels declare their sinnes as Sodome and hide them not and as for conscience turne him off with a glasse of Sacke and a Play-house But let me say to these wretches with the Prophet Woe unto their soules for they have rewarded evill unto themselves You have made a long blacke bloody bill for conscience to open against you the last day of this Terme to wit at death which shall be tried the first day of the next Terme to wit as soone as you are out of the body and then will conscience give testimony so strongly against you that if you would give ten thousand Rivers of Oyle nay if you would give the fruit of your bodie for the sinne of your soule it shall doe no good the cause shall goe against you and sentence shall be past upon you and then shall you know by woefull experience the meaning of that place Rom. 2.5 But after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Wherefore three things I would give in counsell to you all seeing conscience can give testimony concerning the simplicity or hypocrisie of mans waies suspend him not sleight not his language but give diligent attention to what he saith Let us not stop the mouth of conscience seeing he can speake and tell us what we are Many there are that labour to stop the mouth of conscience when he tels them plainely of their sinnes and to destroy that divine power which conscience hath to speake in them and to them The Apostle Peter gives us a hint of these where he saith Scoffers shall come in the last time and shall say where is the promise of his comming For this saith he they are willingly ignorant of that by the world of God the Heaveni were of old 2 Pet. 3.5 When conscience told those scoffers that would live in their sinnes and scoffed at the day of judgement saying where is the promise of his comming that God made the world by his word and drowned it quickly by his Word when it was overspread with wilfull wickednesse and therefore you have like cause to looke for like swift misery for as much as you are so wilfully and desperately wicked This sharpe and plaine language of conscience they could not indure and therefore willingly laboured to darken this divine light and to silence this faithfull House-Chaplaine Thus 't is with many sinners now Conscience now and then delivers stinging language to their soules for such and such sinnes and then they set to lift this faithfull Monitor out of his place and because they cannot possibly doe this being so immediately inducted by God they strive to gagge his mouth and kill him by running wilfully into wickednesse against all checkes and reproofes of conscience and friends as men desperately resigning up their soules to the divell because God will not humour and satisfie them in their owne waies and so ship wracke faith conscience soule and all for ever That which oft-times followes upon this is selfe-stabbing selfe-drowning selfe-hanging selfe-poysoning and the like This is crying wickednesse and incurable wickednesse 'T is crying wickednesse to strive to gagge and kill conscience 'T is Dei-cidium to murder God Conscience is no other but Gods Vicegerent in the soule or rather Gods judiciary presence in the soule So farre forth therefore as a man wilfully doth injury to this he doth commit high treason against the King of Heaven 'T is to stab the Judge of all the world as he sits upon the Bench speaking Law and Justice which very nature abhorres as desperatly divellish And 't is incurable wickednesse for 't is to destroy the first medium of conversion by which the holy Ghost workes in man to gagge and kill conscience The first thing that the Spirit of God doth when he come to convert a sinner is to convince his conscience and to make that sting him for his sinnes and then stirre him up to long after and to seeke for Christ and then gives faith in Christ and so saves the sinner Now he that strives to silence conscience undermines his owne salvation in the very foundation and first stone thereof He doth wilfully and wickedly prevent his owne soule of all the good that God doth in this way to bring sinners home to himselfe Thou doest little consider O desperate wretch what great wickednesse thou committest that strivest to gagge and kill conscience Thou committest double murther in a spirituall sense which is murther of the highest kind thou doest murther God and thine owne soule And therefore I beseech you all to take heed of this practice Seeing God hath given conscience ability and parts to speake let him speake freely though he speake never so sharply and plainely and doe not check him 2 Nay doe not sleight him which is the next thing I would a little presse upon you A man that can speake and speake to good purpose though he be an enemy we so farre honour him as to let him speake out fully what he hath to say and not turn away the eare from him give but this honour to conscience Many deale with conscience as Felix did with Paul he willingly heard Paul a while concerning the faith of Christ but when he came to reason of righteousnesse temperance and judgement to come
the troubles they underwent For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world I think the Psalmist points at this truth too where he saith Vnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse c. Psal 112.4 By the darknesse I conceive he meanes troubles and injuries from wicked men which because they are more vehement then many other troubles are the mercies of the wicked being cruelties the Psalmist else-where calls them the sorrows of hell as here he calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the darknesse now in this darknesse though the darknesse that is very sharpe misery yet there ariseth light in it by light I conceive is here meant comfort and joy from conscience giving testimony concerning their uprightnesse as attended with the spirit of glory and of God as Peter calls the holy Spirit of consolation If you conceive not this Scripture plaine enough to consent with my Text read Davids language in the seventh Psal 10,11 My defence is of God which saveth the upright in heart God judgeth the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day As if David had said This is my comfort in the midst of all the troubles and feares I am in that my conscience tells me my conversation in the world hath beene lead according to the dictate of an upright heart no way injurious to these sonnes of Belial which labour to be every way injurious to me and therefore I am sure that God which is alwaies a defence unto the upright will be a defence unto me God considers the waies of the upright and smiles upon their soules to their great consolation when the world frownes this I sinde by experience but rotten wretches God is continually angry with and this he will first or last I am sure make them to know with a witnesse Salomon likewise consents to this as a truth to wit That the testimony of conscience concerning the simplicity of mans conversation will yeeld him joy in the midst of troubles as we may collect from his language Prov. 15.23 A man hath joy saith he by the answer of his mouth When a man upon every occasion speakes sincerely conscience within cheares and comforts a man whatsoever followes upon plaine dealing to the outward man 'T is me thinkes as if Salomon had said Let a man speake sincerely upon all occasions and he shall be sure to finde his conscience comfort him in the midst of all troubles that may follow upon it Troubles are either naturall or accidentall Naturall troubles I call such as man is borne unto by reason of sin By the fall of Adam man is horne to troubles as the sparkes slie upward Iob 5.7 to troubles in body in soule in husband in wife in children in servants in kindred in friends in substance in all things that are given man for his good To the just as well as unjust come troubles in all these onely here is the difference consciousnesse of simplicity and sincerity sweetens all those to the godly whereas the wicked must swallow them in their full bitternesse That conscience which tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath had his conversation in the world will also tell him that all troubles in the flesh shall worke together for the good of his Spirit and that God will give strength to beare them and a seasonable deliverance out of them and this sweetens these bitters That conscience which tells a man that in simplicity and godly sincerity he hath ordered his conversation in the world will tell him also that 't is a wise and gracious Father that doth thus and thus afflict him yea conscience now and then shewes the soule the bright beames of Gods smiling countenance that he may see that 't is indeed a reconciled father which doth afflict and this like Jonathans honey revives much and fetches life in swooning fits under great troubles That conscience which told Iob that he was sincere told him also in the midst of all his troubles that his Redeemer lived and he should see him with his fleshly eyes moreover it told him that when God had tryed him that she should come forth as gold This sugared his bitter potion and sweetned every bitter drugge he took The like may be said of David his conscience told him that he was upright and this conscience told him also that God was his God Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God and I will exalt thee Psal 118.28 and that God would light his candle and enlighten his darknesse * Ps 18.28 that is turne all his sorrowes into joy and his troubles into advantages and this made every burthen easie Thus we see that consciousnesse to our selves of the simplicity of our course yeelds comfort in all troubles for sinnes sake which I call naturall troubles Troubles caused by religion and religious walking which I call accidentall troubles because by accident not of its proper nature religion exasperates wicked men against us these I conceive my text principally points at and as for all these though the fiercest kind of troubles and therefore called by David the sorrowes of hell yet if a Christian hath but the voice of conscience with him that he hath walked simply sincerely in the world this will keepe his head above water though these waves be never so tempestuous this will make a man sing in a dungeon at midnight as Paul and Silas did this will make a man smile in fiery flames as many of the Martyrs did this will make a man alwaies rejoyce in the midst of all sorrowes as sorrowfull yet alwaies rejoycing 2 Cor. 6.10 Sorrowfull alwaies were the Apostles of Christ such hard usage they alwaies met withall from the world for the Gospels sake and yet in the midst of all joyfull because of that sweet peace which their consciences spoke unto them that they were not such as the world judged them to be but were simple and sincere in life and doctrine and so this Scripture sounds the same in sense and substance with my text For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world You have seene now in what troubles the testimony of conscience concerning a mans simplicity will rejoyce a Christian I will in the next place shew you what rejocying 'tis that the testimony of conscience will yeeld a man in trouble Joy is either sensuall or spirituall Sensuall joy is a meere and naked joy in the creature so farre as it pleaseth the senses Of this joy speakes Solomon where he saith that he with-held his heart from no joy Eccl. 2.10 That is any thing that might delight any sense he got to him he had men singers and women singers and all the delights of the sonnes
no doe not iudge so uncharitably it may be this man hath meat to eate which ye know not of It may be he hath his conscience testifying within that he hath walked in all uprightnesse and is not such a one as the world hath censured him to be and this makes him reioyce in the midst of all troubles 'T was wonderfull to Nebuchadnezzar to see the three children walke in the fiery furnace as if they had been walking in his stately walkes because he was not aware that they haâ—… such a divine comfortable companion as they had So 't is wonderfull to blind worldlings to see men so chearfull in suffering for trifles in religion as they call them and the reason is because they know not that divine comforter conscience which is continually within them unto them a feast This is to walke sincerely to be tender to obey all Gods will and this conscience tels the soule in the midst of all the troubles he undergoes from men of corrupt minds and large consciences and this language of conscience being attended with the glorious power of the holy Ghost as a comforter this soule cannot but reioyce though bleeding upon a Pillory groaning upon a Racke dying upon a Crosse and condemned by wise men for a foole in standing out in such small matters Secondly as this doctrine tells you blinde soules the reason why some are so chearfull under great troubles for small things so it tels you that are a little more growne in hypocrisie and wickednesse that your designe against the godly is frustrate The maine designe of the divell and his children in all the troubles he puts them to is to deprive them of all ioy and comfort to make their being upon earth hell which is a place without all consolation Now this they can never doe for as much as they cannot deprive them of the peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost which goe hand in hand in an upright heart True it is if all the ioy of the godly did consist in outward things as wicked mens ioy doth then possibly they might serve the godly as God will one day serve them to wit utterly strip them of all consolation but the least part of an upright mans ioy consists in externall things his prime ioy is within from conscience and the holy Ghost which keepe company alwaies with it and these two all the wicked men upon earth nor all the Divels in Hell cannot suspend muchlesse silence from speaking comfort to an upright heart Conscience will still say this within that he which so walkes as before mentioned is upright when men and divels without say that he is an hypocrit a dissembler and not worthy to live And the Holy Ghost will still second this language of conscience by speaking over the same againe in such glorious expressions and with such sweetned words will the spirit of God beare witnesse with the spirit of man that doe what you will to this man he will still notwithstanding all rejoyce Cast him into prison nay cast him into a dungeon a dirty dungeon as Jeremies was nay cast him into a fiery Furnace into a fiery Furnace heat seven times-hotter then ordinary Give his backe to the smiters and his cheeks to them that plucke off the haire as the Prophet speakes Isa 50.6 doe what you will to him yet you will never deprive him of his joy As long as breath is in his nostrils conscience will comfort him and when this is gone by thy cruelty he will be in fulnesse of joy and in the fuller by how much the more cruelty thou hast inflicted on him The joy of conscience is proportioned to what we suffer for conscience as the afflictions of Christ abound in us so shall our joyes both here and hereafter And therefore doe not breake your sleepe and your braines to plot mischiefe against the upright for they will have more joy in suffering cruelty then you can have in inflicting it You doe but lessen your owne joy to encrease theirs The more terrible you are unto them the more shall the testimony of conscience be attended with a glorious Spirit of consolation which will make them rejoyce and be exceeding glad under all that you can inflict and this will exceedingly vex you Thirdly this doctrine will acquaint you with this truth That if consciousnes of sincerity will lessen and sweeten troubles by giving joy to the upright in the midst of them consciousnesse of hypocrisie and unsoundnesse must needs imbitter all troubles and make them more pressing and piercing upon you that are halters and time-servers this was that which Iobs friends drove at in all their discourses with him to bring him to sorrow doubly and trebly for as much as all his outward miseries were attended as they conceived with inward rottennesse intimating and that truly that it must be so and will be so with all hypocrits when conscience is once throughly awakened to tell them of their unsoundnesse under afflictions What a terrible sting will this be to a man in poverty when his conscience shall tell him Thou hast shuffled and shifted basely to get wealth and yet by all thy unjust waies thou canst skarce keepe a cue above a begger This blunt language of conscience will be such an addition of sorrow to poverty as will exceed the pressure of poverty when at greatest What a sting will this be to a man in disgrace when his conscience shall tell him Thou hast beene a time-server one that hast studied to humour and please men more then God that thou mightest get honour and keepe honour in the world and yet for all thy dog-like fauning and flattering thou stinkest in the nostrils of all and art cast unto the dung-hill as unsavory salt What a sting will this be to a man in sicknesse and death when his conscience shall tell him that he hath beene but an out-side Christian all the daies of his life a man zealous about humane inventions and bodily exercises to give God the outside and carelesse to worship God in spirit and truth this close language of conscience will paine a man more then any sicknesse or death can doe This was that which stung Balaam worse then death that his conscience told him he had beene but an hypocrit all his life This made Judas hang himselfe after he had sold his master for money for as much as his conscience told him then strongly that he had beene but an hypocriticall follower of Christ from the first to the last And thus would every rotten wretch doe or worse in every little trouble if God should not admirably step in and restraine and hinder so terrible is the sting of conscience when it testifies against a man and such deepe additions of griefe it bringeth to the soule in every calamity Sharpe arrowes and coales of Iuniper conscience shooteth and kindleth in the soule of man in every trouble when it testifieth against him as the
Psalmist useth the expressions in relation to the hypocrit the man concerning whom I here treat of Psal 120.4 Wherefore I would exhort all you that are unsound at heart to beg upright hearts at the hands of God that you may walke uprightly and so have the testimony of conscience with you to rejoyce you in all your troubles You labour by hooke and by crooke to get wealth to stand by you and to comfort you in troubles and this will prove gravell in your bellies to torture you as Salomon affirmeth so farre will it be from comforting you in troubles The testimony of conscience concerning your sincerity is better then all the wealth in the world to stand by you and to revive you in troubles You flatter and faune turne and wind shuffle and shift to get great men to be your friends to stand by you and to comfort you in troubles and alasse their favour is a vapour as unconstant as the wind Walke sincerely and conscience will be a faithfull friend for you to the death yea after death in judgement If thou hadst the favour of all the Princes in the world yet could not they procure for thee a dram of comfort in sicknes in death or in judgment conscience in all these times can and will procure for thee not onely drams but flaggons of consolation if thou walke sincerely Conscience is an incomparable friend or foe in sicknesse death and judgement The blindnesse and folly of man above all other creatures is much to be wondred at he hunts after things which are not as Salomon saith to be comforters to him and takes no paines to procure that which will indeed be stable and abiding comfort to him in all states Riches and honours and friends all the things of this life they are called by Solomon things that are not because they are not such things as the blind heart of man conceives them to be he thinkes they are sufficient to make him happy and they are not so The least fit of sicknesse will non-plus all these things for reviving the soule Vaine man like that foole thinkes that he hath comfort enough for many yeares that is for all his life when he hath great revenews in the world and therefore sings a requiem to his soule as if there needed no other thing to the tranquillity of the Spirit throughout a mans life but wordly things and alasse these things are not abiding but still upon the wing ready to flee from us and if they were abiding yet they are not satisfying and therefore Solomon calls them vanity and vexation to the Spirit Conscience is a lasting friend and a substantiall friend to the spirit of man A friend that hath such waters of life which will revive the soule in the greatest extremities and he is a fountaine made by God that will never wax dry So that the soule as long as she keepes her selfe sincere shall never be without a spring of joy boiling up day and night within her And this joy is not a low prised commodity a thing little worth 't is called in Scripture a joy of the Lord such a joy of God as is the strength of man When the Levits had opened the Law unto the people their consciences were awakened and smote them so that they wept saith the text and weakened and unfitted themselves for the duties of the day and therefore the Levits were faine to comfort them that conscience might take hold on something to worke joy in them which is the strength of the soule unto the duty of thanksgiving which was the speciall worke of that day As an accusing condemning conscience secretly consumes spirits and strength of soule and body and when attended onely with a legall spirit begets such a horrid griefe in the heart of man as unfits for the highest and noblest service of God So an acquitting conscience doth exhilarate and revive the soule and as being attended with an evangelicall spirit begets such a joy in the heart as tunes strengthens it unto all divine duties especially unto thankesgiving which is the highest hardest divine lesson that can be played upon the heart of fallen man but makes the sweetest melody in the eares of God of all divine lessons committed to man to learne If thou then wouldst be a sweet singer in Israel a man apt and able to that which God most loves walke so that conscience may still be an acquitter within thee if this accuse and condemne thee 't will put every string in thy heart out of tune consume thy spirits make thy living a continuall dying yet death undesirable Secondly divine joy is called in Scripture an exceeding joy I am exceeding jayfull in all our tribulations saith Paul 2 Cor. 7.4 The joy which conscience gives to an upright man in all tribulations for uprightnesse sake is an exceeding joy a joy that doth farre more take content and delight the soule then any other joy can doe so the Apostle explaines this clause by that which goes before it in the same verse I am filled with comfort saith he I am exceeding joyfull in all our tribulations Conscience gives such a joy to the soule in tribulations that sils the soule with comfort which is more then all the sweets and delights of this world can doe The delights of this life they doe not reach the soule of man they reach no further then the externall senses so farre are they from filling the soule with comfort and yet they doe not fill nor satisfie these neither for the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing nor the nose with smelling nor the tongue with tasting nor the hand with handling 'T is but a tyring and not a satisfying joy that all outward things bring to the outward senses That joy which onely the externall senses bring into the soule Salomon calls madnesse as not worthy of the name of joy because it reaches not the spirit of man as rationall but as meerely sensitive The joy which conscience brings into the soule doth not barely reach the soule but it filles it and satisfies it My soule shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse my mouth shall praise thee with joy full lips when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate upon thee in the night watches Psal 63.5.6 If thou wilt live all thy daies with the joy of a bruit with a meere sensuall outside spiritlesse vaine vexing joy then thou needs not take paines to order thy conversation sincerely to get thy conscience to testifie w th thee but if thou wouldst live all thy daies in the joy of a man that beares the Image of God then must thou strive so to walke that conscience may beare witnes that thou art sincere The Scripture doth not stay here but calls divine joy everlasting which is an attribute so high that it leads us necessarily to the originall to wit God who is everlasting As hell is a place of everlasting
sorrowes are the strongest The sorrowes of hell compassed me saith the Psalmist To turne aside from uprightnesse and holinesse was the practice of the evill angels for whom hell was first founded and therefore God doth borrow some sorrowes from thence to punish such sinnes in his children which carry a neere similitude to their sinne that similes vitio may be similes supplicio like in sinne may be like in punishment The sorrowes which God inflicts upon revolters for similitude sake are called the sorrowes of hell The sorrowes of hell God distributeth in anger as Job saith How oft is tho candle of the wicked put out and oft commeth their destruction upon them God â—istributeth sorrowes in his anger Ioh. 21.17 So the sorrowes which God distributeth to his people when they turne aside from their sincere walking are from God as with an angry frowning visard upon his face as if he were indeed very angry as indeed he is with the sinne though not with the person of the godly for he hates sinne in all with a perfect hatred The sorrowes which God will distribute to thee by accusing conscience when thou haltest shall be such as in which thou shalt see nothing but the angry face of God and this will make thee tremble sorrow as the Lord speakes of the Babylonians Jer. 51.29 as the very damned in hell doe as one that feeleth the very sorrowes of hell to compasse thee God looking angerly upon the earth it trembleth saith the Psalmist Psal 104.32 The earth is the vastest and gravest body under Heaven and therefore least apt to shaking the foundations of it were laid by Gods owne immediat hand and yet if God doe but looke angerly upon this firme stable body so transcendantly founded it trembleth how much more then needs must man which is but a little dust of that grave vast body shake and tremble when God as an angry God lookes upon him Secondly the sorrowes of hell are such as principally torture the spirit The fire which we make can onely burne and torture the bodies of men because this onely of man is materiall Igris socalis iâ—… material â—on â—…quit Phâ—loâ—…phâ—… immaterials as the soules of men are our fire cannot fasten upon but that strange fire which God hath kindled in hell for all that disobey him burnes the soules of men though immateriall substances Nay so strange is that fire that it burnes these immateriall substances most fiercely as being the most sinfull part of man for 't is onely sinne that pitches and defiles the soule and makes it combustible which otherwise would never burne if all the fiery artists of hell did blow the bellowes Now just such is that fire which conscience kindles upon the breach of integrity to wit a fire that principally tortures the spirit of man a fire that burnes inwardly and consumes the marrow of the bones and drinkes up the spirits The arrowes which conscience shootes in upon a man upon the breach of sincerity are such as pierce principally the spirit As long as Iob was patient under Gods hand he felt the arrowes of the Almighty onely without him as I may say to wit in his body in his children and substance but when he brake out and cursed his day he presently complaines that he felt the arrowes of God within him that the poison of them did drinke up his spirits Iob 6.4 All that which before he felt without was nothing to that which he now felt within upon his spirit as the torments which damned wretches shall suffer in their bodies are nothing to those which shall continually flee up and downe within their soules So David after he had made breaches in his integrity God filled his loines with loathsome diseases but this was nothing to speake of God made things strike into his heart and then he roared I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart David felt paines gather about his heart and then he cries out The heart is the marke that God principally aimes at when a Christian hath turned aside from his upright course other outward parts he may hit and deepely wound but this is but to make holes into the heart where the seat of unsoundnesse that principally offends him is The fire which conscience kindles it may flash forth into the eyes and tongue and hands and make a man looke fearefully speake desperately and doe bloodily against the body but the heate of the fire is principally within in the furnace in the spirit 't is but some sparkles and flashes onely that you see come forth at the lower holes of the Furnace which you behold in the eyes words and deeds of such men Thirdly the sorrowes of hell are torturing but yet not such as utterly consume and end the soule The fire which we make let it fasten on never so hard a thing yet it will consume it in length of time But that strange fire that God hath kindled in hell for all that disobey him though it burne with the greatest fiercenesse that can be conceived yet it never consumes the soules of those that are now burned in it no nor yet the bodies that shall hereafter be burned in it Damned soules are ever burning and yet never burned ever a consuming and yet never consumed and this addes infinitely to the misery of the damned Even such is that sire which conscience kindles in the soule of man upon the breach of integrity 'T is a fire that will burne and torture the soule day and night but never consume it He-man complaines that this fire burnt so fiercely in his soule that it distracted his spirit but yet did not end his spirit While I suffer thy terrour I am distracted Psal 88.15 The terrours that conscience kindles in the spirit will racke the spirit rend and teare limme from limme faculty from faculty and make the spirit mad with horrour and anguish but yet for all this not put a period to the spirit he shall be as susceptive and as sensible of tortures to day as yester-day and to-morrow as to day and next weeke as this weeke next yeere as this yeere the last day of his life as the first day they begun if God doe not admirably intercept Conscience hangs the soule in chaines alive upon the breach of integrity and there lets the soule beate himselfe bite and gnaw himself but yet cannot when he would end himselfe and this makes every torture double O that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for Why what Iob dost thou long for Why even that it would please God to destroy me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off No Iob your spirit has hanged but a while 't is not dead yet and therefore it shall not be cut down The things that Jobs soule refused to touch were made by conscience his daily sorrowfull meate and this Gall and
Wormwood fretted his guts but did not strangle and end him conscience forc'd him every day and every night to drinke a new draught that kept his Spirit in continuall torture and yet he could not get his soule out of this body nor have it consumed in The terrours that conscience kindles they are so terrible that they will make a man wish for death nay inflict death upon himselfe and all to put an end unto them and yet all will not doe because these tortures fasten upon the Spirit but destroy not the Spirit Finall the sorrowes of hell they are such as are not in the least measure pittied by God Though the damned in hell be tormented with sulfurous flames which is a very fierce fire and though they cry and roare howle and yell shrich and gnash the teeth continually and all this in the hearing of God continually which would stirre nay turne the bowels of any man to heare but a moment yet it stirres not God a jot though he hath heard these dolorous cries so many hundred yeares to give them the least good word or good looke So that sorrow which conscience raises in the soule upon the breach of sincerity God seemes not to pitty in the least measure for a long time Though the spirit of man be rackt tortured and affrighted even unto distraction yet God will not so much as afford a good looke to the soule Though he pray and fast and consume himselfe with fasting yet not any beame of light and love that the revolting soule shall see in the countenance of God to take hold on and to comfort himselfe by Hence 't is that the Psalmist complains of God and his mercy as cleane gone Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more is his mercy cleane gone for ever doth his promise faile for evermore Psal 77.7,8 Nay many times God serves back-sliding Christians as he served the Israelites of old to wit increases their sorrow when they are in earnest suit for release and comfort so farre he is from pittying of them and as Ioseph carried himselfe to his brethren instead of pittying them in their want he spake affrightingly to them and told them that they were spies and so put them in feare of the losse of their lives Just thus for a time doth God usually carry himselfe to revolting Christians he is so farre from pittying them notwithstanding all their prayers that he calls them dogges and speakes roughly to them and puts them in feare of the losse of their best lives and seemes resolved to proceed against them as his enemies begge and cry as long as they will Job points at this where he saith Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thin-enemy Iob 13.24 And is not this hell indeed to be in soule misery and to have no compassion from God To be pittied and condoled by a mans friend though he be not able to helpe him we take it as a great mercy and moderation of misery Iob would so have accounted it But when such as we take for friends doe not onely forbeare to pitty but set themselves against us in our misery and adde to our afflictions this makes misery unspeakeably miserable and a lively Embleme of Hell indeed But I goe no further this way Secondly as the sorrow which conscience causeth upon the breach of sincerity is unspeakeable strong no other in a manner but the torments of hell so 't is oft times unspeakable sudden As the Wind raises hideous stormes and tempests at Sea on a sudden that endangers the drowning of all So conscience when once the soule hath turned aside to crooked waies oft times of a sudden raises hideous storms and tempests in the soule which addes exceedingly to the torture Horrour and terrour breaking forth suddenly affrights more by farre then if it came with warning The fire that conscience kindles in the soule is like the setting a fire of Gun-powder very sudden as 't is very fierce After once a breach is made upon sincerity conscience laies traines of wild-fire and blowes up all a mans joy on an instant and sets on fire the soule and then lets in legions of such spirits whose dwelling is onely in fire to keep Garrison against all promises of good to this soule and then the soule becomes like Tashur feare round about the face of God terrible the face of friends terrible the thought of sicknesse death and the thought of death hell and the thought of hell as at the doore and unavoidable As the Arrowes which God will shoot against the enemies of his Church shall goe forth as lightening Zech. 9.14 so the Arrowes which God shootes by conscience against such as turne aside to evill waies they goe forth oft-times as lightâ—ings very sudden very swift Sometimes when a sinner like Belshazzar is in the very act of sinne conscience writes downe a mans doome in his heart and in such legible letters that the sinner cannot choose but read and tremble When a sinner is taking pleasure in unrighteousnesse of a sudden conscience breaks forth into thundring and lightning in the soule and the sinner is as one descending quicke into hell And immediately while he yet spake the Cocke crew and the Lord look'd backe upon Peter saith the text Luke 22.60 On a sudden while Peter was in the very act of denying a cocke crew within to wit conscience that made Peters spirit die within him Once and twise Peter denied Christ and Christ did not awaken conscience and set him at him to pull him by the throat but the third time immediately while he yet spake conscience like a Lyon ranne upon his soule and made him beleeve that hee would be a tormentour to him as he is to the damned before the time Sometime conscience may let a man alone after he is turned aside from sincere walking but if the soule still goe on of a sudden conscience will break forth into thundering and lightning so fiercely as he did in Peters soule on whom if Christ had not look'd backe Peter would have gone neere to have served himselfe as Iudas after he had betrayed his Master To conclude all This I am sure O sincere soule that as conscience will make thee know to thy comfort that 't is a sweet thing faithfully and sincerely to serve God so conscience will make thee know to thy griefe that it is an evill and a bitter thing to turne away from the good way of the Lord. Having therefore now set good and evill before thee make a wise choyce Chuse rather to undergoe any thing that man or divell can invent that thou maist still enjoy the peace and joy of a good conscience then to have the greatest honour this world will afford and shipwracke sincerity and so lie liable to the lash of an evill conscience FINIS 2 COR. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not