of chief regard and the acts of the outward only required as a help to our serving God in the Spirit Phil. 3.3 3. Carelesness in Duties is the high way to Atheism For every formall and sleight Prayer doth harden the heart and make way for contempt of God Men that have made bold with God in duty and it succeeds well with them their awe of God is lessened and the lively sense of his Glory and Majesty abated till it be quite lost by degrees they out-grow all feelings and tenderness of conscience every time you come to God sleightly you lose ground by coming till at length you look upon Worship as a meer Custome or something done for fashions sake Secondly Particularly 1. It is an affront to God and a kind of mockery we wrong his Omnisciency as if he saw not the heart and could not tell man his thought It is Gods Essential glory in Worship to be acknowledged an all-seeing Spirit and accordingly to be worshipped in spirit and in truth Joh. 4.24 Thoughts are as audible with him as words therefore when you prattle words do not make conscience of thoughts you do not worship him as a spirit We wrong his Majesty when we speak to him in Prayer and do not give heed to what we say surely we are not to prattle like Jayes or Parrots words without affection and feeling or to chatter like Cranes or be like Ephraim whom the Prophet calls a silly Dove without an heart A mean man taketh it ill when you have business to talk with him about and your minds are elsewhere you would all judge it to be an affront to the Majesty of God if a man should send his cloaths stuffed with straw or a Puppet dressed up instead of himself into the Assemblies of Gods people and think this should supply his personal presence yet our cloaths stuffed with straw or an Image dressed up instead of us such as * 1 Sam. 19.12 13. Michol put into Davids bed would be less offensive to God than our bodies without our souls the absence of the spirit is the absence of the more noble part We pretend to speak to God and do not hear our selves nor can give any account of what we pray for or rather let me give you Chrysostom's Comparison A man would have been thought to have prophaned the mysteries of the Levitical Worship if instead of * Chrys Hom. 74. in Mat. sweet incense he should put into the Censer Sulpher or Brimstone or mingle the one with the other Surely our Prayers should be set forth as Incense Psal 141.2 And do not we affront God to his face that mingle so many vain sinfull proud filthy blasphemous thoughts What is this but to mingle Sulpher with our incense Again when God speaketh to us and knocks at the heart and there is none within to hear him is it not an affront to his Majesty Put it in a Temporal Case if a great person should talk to us and we should neglect him and entertain our selves with his servants he would take it as a despight and contempt done to him The Great God of heaven and earth doth often call you together to speak to you Now if you think so slightly of his speeches as not to attend but set your minds adrift to be carried hither and thither with every wave where is that reverence you owe to him It is a wrong to his goodness and the comforts of his holy presence for in effect you say that you do not find that sweetness in God which you expect and therefore are weary of hâ—s company before your business be over with him it is said of the Israelites when they were going for Canaan that in their hearts they turned back again into Aegypt Acts 7.39 They had mo e mind to be in Aegypt than under Moses Government and their thoughts ever ran upon the flesh-pots and belly chear they enjoyed there we are offended with their impatience and murmurings and the affronts they put upon their Guides and do not we even the same and worse in our careless manner of worshipping When God hath brought us into his presence we do in effect say give us the world again this is better entertainment for our thoughts than God and holy things if Christians would but interpret their actions they would be ashamed of them is any thing more worthy to be thought of than God The Israelites hearts were upon Aegypt in the Wilderness and our hearts are upon the World nay every toy even when we are at the Throne of grace and conversing with him who is the Center of our rest and the fountain of our blessedness 2. It grieveth the Spirit of God he is grieved with our vain thoughts as well as our scandalous actions other sins may shame us more but these are a grief to the Spirit because they are conceived in the heart which is his Presence Chamber and place of special residence and he is most grieved with these vain thoughts which haunt us in the time of our special addresses to God because his peculiar operations are hindered and the heart is set open to Gods adversary in Gods presence and the World and Satan are suffered to interpose in the very time of the reign of grace then when it should be in solio in its royalty commanding all our faculties to serve it this is to steal away the soul from under Christs own arm as a Captain of a Garrison is troubled when the enemies come to prey under the very walls in the face of all his forces and strength So certainly it is a grief to the spirit when our lusts have power to disturb us in holy duties and the heart is taken up with unclean glances and worldly thoughts then when we present our selves before the Lord God looks upon his peoples sins as aggravated because committed in his own house Jer. 23.11 In my house I have found their wickedness What is this but to dare God to his very face Solomon saith * Pro. 20.8 A King sitting upon his throne scattereth away evil with his eyes They are bold men that dare break the Laws when a Magistrate in upon the Throne and actually exercising judgment against Offenders so it argueth much impudence that when we come to deal with God as sitting upon the Throne and observing and looking upon us that we can yet lend our hearts to our lusts and suffer every vain thought to divert us There is more of modesty though little of sincerity in them that say to their lusts as Abraham to his Servants * Gen. 12.5 Tarry here while I go yonder and Worship or as they say the Serpent layeth aside her poyson when she goeth to drink When a man goeth to God he should leave his lusts behind him not for a while and with an intent to entertain them again but for ever However this argueth some reverence of God and sense of the weight of
and my plodding thoughts of both o Estius in loc v. 3. Thou compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my wayes q. d. thou fannest and winnowest me i. e. thou discussest and triest me to the utmost p Ainsw in loc v. 4. For there is not a word in my tongue but loe O Lord thou knowest it altogether q. d. I cannot speak a word though never so secret obscure or subtile but thou knowest what and why and with what mind 't was uttered q Tâ—â—inus in lâ—c v. 5. Thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me q. d. Thou keepest me within the compass of thy knowledge like a man that will not let his servant go out of his sight I cannot break away from thee v. 6. Such knowledge is too wonderfull for me it is high I cannot attain unto it q. d. The knowledge of thy great and glorious Majesty and Infinitenesse is utterly past all humane comprehension v. 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I slee from thy presence q d. Whither can I flee from thee whose Essence Presence and Power is every where v 8. If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there if I make my bed in Hell behold thou art there q. d. There 's no height above thee there 's no depth below r Nulla altitudo te altior nul uÌ„ profundum te profundius Hieron in loc thee v. 9. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea q. d. If I had wings to fly as swift as the morning light s Aurora solis pâ—aenuncia momento totum hemisphaerium pervadit Menoch in loc from the east to the west that I could in a moment get to the furthest parts of the world v. 10. Even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me q.d. Thence shall thy hand lead me back and hold me fast like a fugitive t Deducat tenebit ut solent teneri fugitivi Sa. v. 11. If I say surely the darkness shall cover me even the night shall be light about me q d. Though darkness hinders mans sight it doth not thine In a word look which way you will there 's no hiding place from God For his eyes are upon the wayes of man and be seeth all his goings there u Job 34.21 22. is no darkness nor shadow of dâ—ath where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Therefore Christians do nothing but what you are willing God should take notice of and judge in your selves whether this be not the way to have a good and quiet Conscience IV. Be serious and frequent in the examination of your heart and life This is so necessary to the getting keeping of a right peaceable Conscience that 't is impossible to have either without it There are some duties and graces like those parts of the body that may supply the defect of other parts or like some drugs in Physick which when they can't be had some of the like nature may serve but this is like those the defect whereof nothing else can supply The Heathens have grop't out this rule by the Gloworm light of nature Pythagoras gives it as a precept a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pytha. aur praec n. 42. p 9. and Seneca backs it by examples b Somnus quà m tranquillus altus ac liber cum aut laudatus est animus aut admoritus speculator sui censorque sâ—cretus cognoscit de moribus suis utâ—r hac potestate quotidie apud me causam dico Cum sublatum è conspectu lumen est conticuit uxor moris jam mei conscia totum diem mâ—cum serutor facta ac dicta mea remetior nihil mihi ipse abscondo nihil transeo quare enim quicquaem ex erroribus meis timeam cum possim dicere vide ne istud amplius facias nunc tibi ignosco c. Senec. deira l. 3. c. 36 p. 599. of Sextius who every night before he composed himself to sleep ask'd himself what evill hast thou this day healed what vice hast thou resisted wherein art thou better O how sweet is that sleep which followes such a recognition of himself who made every night a scrutiny into the words and deeds of the whole day he would neither pass by nor hide any thing from himself he so ript up his faults that he would not pardon them to himself without a self-charge not to repeat them Have you gon thus far certainly my Brethren not to out-strip them is inexcusable It is a shame c Pemble p. 514. to see the carelesnesse of most that are better acquainted with any thing then themselves there are many that know the Histories of a thousand years past and yet cannot tell you the particulars of their own lives Men well acquainted with the mysteries of Arts and Nature but utterly ignorant of the secrets of their own Souls How few are there amongst us that can say with David d Psal 119.59 I have thought on my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Nay we have a thousand matters to think on all the day long the night too the week the year but who questions with his own heart what am I what do I how live I is the course I follow good and lawfull is that which I omit my duty or not Is God my friend Am I his what hope have I of Heaven Say I die to morrow to day this very hour where is my assurance I shall be saved what Apologie can I make against the accusations of Satan and my Conscience will Christ be mine Advocate when I shall stand in judgement Have I grace or have I none do I grow in grace or do I decay Am I better this year then I was the last what sins have I conquered now that held me in combate then what graces have I obtained now that I had not then Christians do you do thus If you do that is not enough unlesse you do it frequently daily Every Evening ere you sleep review e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Basil T. 2. p. 514. your câ—rriage in the day what you have done or spoke or thought that is but â—o much as indecent Whether your hearts have been intent upon Religion and indifferent to the world Briefly have speciall care of two portions f Crocius Synt p. 1212. ex aliis of your time viz. Morning and Evening the morning to fore-think what ought to be done and the evening to examine whether you have done what you ought V. Be much in Prayer g Psal 1â—9 4 in all manner of h Ephes 6.18 prayer but especially in secret i Matth. 6.6 prayer Do not non-suit your selves by the love of sin and you shall certainly be heard when you pray for Grace k Heb. 4.16 believe it Christian 't
they run away from it and will not endure to hear it by diversions and yet they can sooner turn their souls out of their bodies then Conscience out of their Souls yea amongst all these indignities it 's as fresh and active as if it were not thus abused it doth but watch it's opportunity when it will be heard when 't will make that which was done perhaps 40 years ago as if it had been but yesterday What ayles the great Emperours of the world h Insigne visum est earum Caesaris literaruÌ„ initium nam his verbis exorsus est Quid scribam vobis P. C. aut quomodo scribam aut quid omnino non scribaÌ„ hoc tempore Dii me deaeque pejus perdant quà m perire quotidie sentio si sâ—io Adeò facinora atque flagitia sua ipsi quoque in supplicium verterant Tiberium non fortuna non solitudines protegebant Tacitus Annal. l. 6. c. 6. page 146. that cause their terrour in the land of the living what ayls them to tremble with inward contrition is it a vain fear why then do they not shake it off is it the fear of men No they are above humane punishments Is it the fear of shame no the sin perhaps was secret at least man knows not the inward consternation of their spirits What 's the matter O they are haunted by the fury of their own Consciences Would wicked men but blab the gripes they sometimes feel even then when they out-face a Ministeriall or friendly reproof there would need no more to be said to evidence that a Conscience you will have which will first or last do its office 2. Your own Conscience will be your best friend or your greatest enemy of any creature unto eternity There 's i Vide Bern. de inter dom c. 22. p. 1070. no greater riches no greater pleasure no greater safety then a good Conscience Let the pressures of the body the hurry of the world the affrightments of Satan be never so great they can't reach the Conscience A good Conscience singularly chears the dying body joyfully accompanies unto God the departed Soulâ— triumphingly presents both Soul and Body unto the desired Tribunal There 's no more profitable means nor surer testimony nor eminent Conveyor of eternal happiness then a good Conscience And on the contrary there is no greater torment then of an evill Conscience though its gentler checks may be disregarded it s louder clamours will make you tremble O Sirs what will you do when Conscience shall upbraid you with your abuse of mercies incorrigiblenesse under judgements contempt of Christ and hatred of holiness you can't now endure to hear what Conscience hath to say how will you endure it unto eternity if one that killed his own Father k Parricidium vindicaturi Pelusii pro flagitij dignitate nulluÌ„ hactenus torturae ingenium per duxerunt non culeum non vivicomburium saevius quid cogitarunt piae scilicet matris naturae ferulaÌ„ conscientiam ad summae attrocitatis exemplum docti novam saevitiam didicerunt parricidam sancientes triduo cogi spectare occisi cadaver ut sic puniretur enormissimo omnium supplicio admonitione facinoris Jo Eâ—s Nieâ—â—â—berg de art vol. l. 2. pag. 156. could not in some Egytians account be more cruelly punished then by being compell'd to behold the murthered body for three dayes what a torment will it be to be forc't to behold every sin with every aggravation unto eternity here in bodily sickness there 's some intervalls to revive the Spirits but hereafter there will not be a moments intermission of unexpressible horrour unto eternity The Conscience shall roar under infinite wrath and the sinner shall be kept from annihilation under it by infinite power 1 Cor. 15.34 Thus I have in a weak manner performed my promise in speaking to severall kindes of Consciences with remedies and rules which laid together will I think amount to sufficient instructions How we may be universally and exactly conscientious viz. 1. Get your Consciences awakened from their natural Lethargy 1. 2. Preserve them tender from acquired searednesse m Heb. 3.13 3. Rectifie their errours as you would get cure of blindness n Eph. 4.18 4. Resolve their doubts as you would a claime to your lands o Rom. 14.5 5. Break from your scruples as from theeves on the road p Isa 35.3 4. 6. Lay your head in Christs bosom to cure your trembling q Isa 40.11 And then for the 7. integrity and 8. quiet of your Consciences Observe the rules proposed as punctually as you would Physitians bills in a tedious sickness 1. Avoid sinning as you would a train of gun-powder r Job 18.15 2. Be as quick in your repentance as in the cure of a Pleurisie s Zeph. 2.2 3. Live under the apprehended presence of the jealous God t Ezek. 11.5 4. Examine you hearts as Princes sift out treason u Lam. 3.40 5. Pray for sutable grace as starving persons cry for food w Psa 143.7 8 6. Let euery action be as an arrow shot at a mark x 1 Cor. 10.31 7. Think of God as of a wise Physitian y Job 40.2 8. Be as vile in your own esteem as you are in the eyes of a captious enemy z Eph. 3.8 9. Live upon Christ as the Child in the womb lives upon the Mother a Gal. 2.20 10. Love God as near as possibly you can as God loves you b Psalm 18.1 2 But if these rules though thus contracted be too many and too long to be allwayes remembred that you may not be overcharged with that which should never be forgotten I shall commend to you some Spiritually chymicall extractions and if I might so express it Spirits of directions that may be to your Souls in your pilgrimage towards Heaven as your Ship-provisions in a Sea-voyage generally sufficient when others cannot be had Plainly practise these memorialls of direction in all your conscientious walking I. Consult duty not events There 's nothing in the world for us to do but to mind our duty Curious speculations c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem Alexandr Strom. lib. 6. p. 664. that tend not to holiness may be reckoned among your superfluities but mis-giving predictions of what may or will befall you in the discharge of your duty may be reckoned among your grosser iniquities and to venture upon sin to avoid danger is to sinke the Ship for fear of Pirats and must be reckoned amongst your greatest follies your worst of sins Is not their reason questionless their Conscience is dangerously distempered that practically argue this way of duty may probably procure mans displeasure and therefore to prevent that I 'le take the course which will certainly procure Gods displeasure Besides by-wayes will not lead you to the place you aime at d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 471. 466. but on the contrary keep your
them for Spies v. 9. rejects their defence v. 12. renews and out of their own mouths reinforceth his Charge and suspition of them v. 14. threatens to commit them v. 15 16. commits them v. 17. puts Bonds upon one of them till the rest should quit and clear themselves and him of suspition v. 19 20. This is their cold and sad welcom and entertainment 2. The consequent of this their hard and distressfull usage and entreatment and that is trouble of mind horrour and perplexity of spirit And they said one to another c. The words then are the Holy Ghosts Report of the Case of the sons of Jacob their being spiritually trouble by way of Conviction or Judgement in their own which also is the Lord's Court of Conscience Wherein we observe the I. Actors Registers Accusers Witnesses Judge Tormentors themselves II. Processe in judging themselves Wherein 1. Self-accusation of the cause of their trouble their sin with the utmost aggravations viz. 1. In general We are guilty 2. In particular of Envy Wrong against a Brother whom in bitterness we saw without pity and were deaf to his intreaties Obstinate to the admonition of Reuben and abiding therein 2. In self condemnation Therefore is this distress come and his bloud required III. Execution Wherein 1. The smart by inward terrour and consternation their heart misgiving them is deeply affected and that makes them very abrupt Yea verily i. e. Alas what shall we do 2. The circumstance of the time when couched in And. 1. In general many years after the offence was done 2. In special now that they were outwardly in an afflicted condition Doct. 1. Every man hath a Conscience within himself 2. The guilt of sin turns a mans Conscience i. e. himself against himself 3. Conscience is apt to be very sensible when 't is awakened not only of sin but particular sins and the particular circumstances and degrees thereof to the utmost and charge all upon a mans self not upon Gods Decrees or Providence nor upon the Devil or evil Company c. 4. Envy unnatural affection cruelty deafnesse to the intreaties of the distressed obstinacy against warning and admonition continuance in sin without repentance c. are very hainous and dangerous 5. The accusations and condemnations of Conscience are terrible or cause terrour beyond all expression 6. There is a time when God will call over sins that are past and charge them upon the Conscience 7. Inward trouble of mind sometimes yea usually comes upon the people of God when they are outwardly in some distresse I shall speak of the two last and in them something of all the other saving the fourth containing the particular matter of Fact viz. cruelty and bloud which I shall not meddle withall These then are the two Doctrines 1. There is a time when God will call over past sins with horrour c. 2. This time of inwâ—rd horrour fals in with outward trouble Doct. 1. There is a time when God will call over sins that are past without repentance and charge them upon the Conscience with horrour Here 's the Case The sons of Jacob had formerly trespassed against God in the matter of their Brother And they said c. now and not till now that we read of is the guilt and horrour of it reflected upon their Consciences In sinne the act passes the guilt and consequent remains Sin is like some poyson which may be taken at one time and work at another it may be seven years after 'T was now more then seven and seven years that the poyson of this sin began to work 'T is true of Family sins Hos 1.4 National sins Ezek. 4.4 5. Lam. 5.7 Personal sins as here And that 's the Case 1. Not only of the wicked as in the case of Cain Gen. 4.7 If thou doest ill sin lies at the door to shut out Mercies and let in Judgements and that as a fell Mâ—stiff or a sleeping Lion ready to take thee by the throat whenever the Lord awakens guilt in the Conscience 2. But also of the Godly Psal 19.12 25.7 Job 13.26 Thou makest me to possesse the sins of my youth Reas 1. From God 1. God remembers all Amos 8.7 As I live saith the Lord Reas I will forget none of their works 1 Sam. 15.2 I remember what Amaleck did c. God hath three Books 1. Of Prescience wherein he writes down our names and his purposes concerning us The Arminians deny that Book 2. Of Providence wherein he writes down our names and all his care over us The Epicure and Atheist deny this as also the former 3. Of Postscience or remembrance wherein he writes down our names and all the particulars of our carriage towards him 1. Whether they be good no act of Piety or Charity not a cup of cold water from the Spring of Love not a drop of tears from the Spring of Godly sorrow not a sigh from the bottom of a broken heart but it s taken notice of botled recorded Mal. 3.16 Or 2. Bad not a wicked thought a malicious scoff or wicked action word motion but God marks it and sets it down in the Book of his remembrance Psal 50.21 Reas 2 2. God need not reflect or look back for he hath all things present before him that ever were are or are to come viz. 1. In Speculo decreti 2. In Causis particularibus Gods Knowledge called fore-knowledge and remembrance in respect of us and the things known is as his being altogether in puncto aeternitatis There is not in God first and second of time and cause no was and is to come but all is There is not with God beginning succession and end but his name is I Am and so is knowledge as himself yesterday to day and the same for ever 2 Pet. 3.8 The knowledge of men is as of one standing on the shore where some ships are past and out of sight one way others to come and out of sight another way others in sight right over against him but the Knowledge of God as of one on the top of an high Mountain where with one view all things are present Heb. 4.13 Reas 3 3. God also seals up our iniquities as in a bag Job 14.17 as the Clerk of the Sizes seals up the Indictments for the next Circuit nay God himself will bag them and seal them up with his own hand and signet Deut. 32.34 God speaking of the provocations of his People saith he Is not this laid up in store wtih me and sealed among my treasure So strict and earnest is God for security as we say Sure bind sure find What more sure and safe then that which God himself layes up in Bag and Cabinet and seals among his Jewels As when God makes up his Jewels of Mercy he will remember them Mal. 3.17 So when he casts up his treasures of wrath he will remember them Reas 4 4. Gods Truth engages him in this case his Word