that the authoritie of Magistrates is secondarie and secondarie obedience is to be given unto them The Papists speak blasphemie in saying their Pope can make laws under pain of damnation to be kept Our Saviour Christ maketh this a propertie onely of God Fear not him that can kill the bodie and there is all that he can do but fear him who can cast both bodie and soul into hell I say unto you Fear him Luke 12.4 As if he had said Men can reach no further then the bodie and their punishments can go no further then the death of the bodie 2. This teacheth us what to do if men should command any thing which is unlawfull for us to perform Suppose there should be any such humane commands as are repugnant to Gods In this case ye see we must obey God rather then men nay suffer losse of goods losse of libertie yea losse of life rather then obey the commandments of men in case they be contrarie to the commandments of God Ye may reade a lamentable example in Ephraim They were utterly destroyed for obeying their King rather then their God The King commanded to worship the calves and to go unto Bethel and not to Jerusalem to worship they yielded to his commandment and did so O thought they We shall displease the King if we do not For this sinne of theirs they were broken in judgement Hos 5.11 Ephraim is destroyed and broken in judgement because he willingly walked after the commandment Beloved Gods commandment is sovereigne and the supreme binder of conscience Whatever commandment is repugnant to Gods word wo to us if we do it nay though it be to save our goods or our lives It is true we must give to Cesar the things that are Cesars but so as withall we must be sure to give to God the things that are Gods 3. This comforteth Gods people against the calumnies and slanders of wicked and ungodly men that upbraid them for their obedience to God O say they Ye are irregular and despisers of authoritie I say this is comfort to the godly that God is able to bear them out in obeying him rather then men Gods word is the supreme binder of conscience and therefore whatever men think of such they are absolutely bound to obey God If men command us against the word of God we know their authoritie is the ordinance of God and therefore if they go beyond that they do not bind us in conscience If God had not bound us in conscience to him others might have taken it ill if we should not obey them but now what cause have others to think ill of us What folly were it in us to seek to please men and to displease God If we were at libertie then we might choose whom we would obey but now we are bound unto God and must be obedient unto God whatever men command to the contrarie let us do it therefore with chearfulnesse By this we shew our submission to God by this we satisfie conscience which being bound unto God doth continually urge us to obey him Why should we omit part of the exactnesse of our obedience which the word of God doth require We have more to do then ever we shall be able to perform we should therefore be carefull to do all that we may By our obedience to God in this kind we convince the conscience of others of our uprightnesse towards God Though through the overruling dominion of their lusts and passions they rage at us and their mouthes speak evil of us yet we may have an evidence in their consciences within which may testifie for us their consciences will whisper within them Surely they do well to please God rather then men their consciences will be on our side though their actions and tongues be against us We have a notable example of this Acts 4.15 16. When the rulers of the Jews had threatned the Apostles and had reviled them with many bitter words and had bidden them go aside for a while then they concluded among themselves Surely an evident signe is done by them and we cannot deny it So that their consciences acquitted them for good men So when the wicked of this world have spoken evil of the wayes of the righteous and blasphemed the holy name after which they are named yet when they are alone and their consciences at counsel within themselves then they conclude Indeed they do well Thus their consciences give a good evidence of us and accuse them for not doing the like And thus much shall suffice to be spoken of other mens binding of conscience II. We may bind our own consciences II. We our selves may bind our own consciences And that is by those vows and promises which we make to God of any thing lawfull and in our power Those vows and promises which we make unto God according to the warrant of his word they do bind our conscience They are our own before we have made them as Ananias and Sapphira their gift was their own before they vowed it to the church While it remained was it not thine own and when it was sold was it not in thine own power Acts 5.4 We need not vow unlesse we will but after we have vowed our vows are Gods bonds and do bind the conscience to the performance of them Nay we lie unto God as the text saith they did if we do not stand to the performance of them But it may be demanded What vows are they which are unlawfull and do not bind conscience I answer 1. Such as we make of things impossible and beyond our power These are unlawfull and do not bind conscience 2. Such as we make of things unlawfull when we vow to do that which is contrarie to Gods law such as Davids was when he vowed the destruction of Nabals familie This doth not bind conscience nay we are bound in conscience to break it 3. Such as though they be of things lawfull and possible yet we want freedome in the performance of them as for a wife or a servant or a child to make a vow when their relation to such as are over them will not suffer them to perform it This bindeth not conscience Nothing bindeth conscience but that which hath Gods seal upon it but this hath not Gods seal on it and therefore it doth not bind conscience indeed it bindeth us in conscience to repent of it 4. Such as though they be lawfull and profitable and in our own freedome yet if there fall a greater consequence before the time of performance we are not bound in conscience to perform them as if a man upon the receit of some mercie should in testimonie of his thankfulnesse vow a hundred pounds to good uses in the mean time his estate so decayeth as that he shall undo himself and his familie if he perform it this is so great a consequence and contingently hapned that it freeth his conscience from performing
great comfort and of judgement with joy So could not Felix Beloved this is a strong signe of a false peace when some points of Gods word lay us slat and bereave us of our hold Ye shall have many say O they have such peace and they have such a good conscience as quiet as can be and as heartwhole as can be By and by a sound searching point cometh and ransacketh them to the quick and they are gone I confesse they go and get some untempered morter or other and dawb up their consciences again but they are gone for the time This is a strong signe of a rotten peace But a child of God can heare any point heare of death of judgement of any thing contained in the word with delight and comfort It is true he may be amazed thereat but he is glad at heart that he heareth it and will make use of it be it mercy or judgement Sweet or bitter points all are welcome to him even the bitterest points are sweet to him because God and he are at peace and therefore he knoweth there is no news from God but it is good IV. If our peace of conscience be good it will heal that base fearfulnesse which is in many who dare not be in the dark dare not go through a church-yard in the night Some will quake at the very shaking of a leaf as the wicked in Job which is nothing but a guiltie conscience I grant this fearfulnesse is naturall to some yet I say the true peace of conscience will cure it I do not say this is a reciprocall signe of true peace of conscience for many wicked men may be bold enough but I say true peace of conscience will cure this immoderate fearfulnesse in the godly But here two questions are to be asked I. Whether every true child of God that hath true peace of conscience can think of death with comfort and be desirous to die Answ 1. Peace of conscience doth not take away naturall fear It is the nature of every living creature to be very fearfull of death The Philosopher calleth death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fearfullest thing of all fearfull things Bildad calleth it the king of terrours Nature loveth its own preservation and therefore feareth the destruction of it Peace of conscience doth not take away all this fear 2. Besides peace of conscience doth not take away alwayes all degrees of slavish fear of death The reason is because peace of conscience may be weak mixed with much troubles of conscience For as faith may be very imperfect so peace of conscience may be in some very imperfect Good old Hilarion was very fearfull to die He cried out to his soul when he lay on his death-bed O my soul hast thou served Christ these fourescore years and art thou now afraid to die Again a mans love may be very imperfect Perfect love indeed casteth out fear but imperfect love doth not Hezekiah had peace of conscience Remember Lord saith he I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Mark He had the peace of a good conscience his conscience told him he had a sincere heart and that his wayes pleased God yet he was afraid to die I do not think it was onely because he had no issue though that might be some reason of it 3. When a child of God is afraid to die it is not so much for love of this life as out of a desire to be better prepared This made David cry out O spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more And so Job Let me alone that I may take comfort a little before I go whence I shall not return These good men were then something unwilling to die They might have many reasons most likely this was one That they might be better prepared and more fit and ready for their departure 4. Some of Gods people as these Job and David at other times I say some of Gods people have such marvellous peace with God as that if it were Gods will they had much rather die then live I desire to be dissolved saith Paul and to be with Christ which is farre better It may be in regard of the church or the care of their children and charge God hath laid on them they could be content to remain still in the body neverthelesse they account their state after death much better and were it put to them whether to die or to live longer here they would choose death rather of the twain Nay Elias requested for himself that he might die It is enough Lord take away my life Not that they love death it self for death is evil in its own nature contrary to nature a badge of sinne but for the love they have to and the assurance they have of eternall life after death 5. Nay there is no child of God but may truly be said to love death and to love the day of judgement and the appearing of Christ Jesus Divines use to put this as a signe of Gods children Nay the Apostle maketh this as a propertie of Gods children to love Christs appearing I have fought a good fight saith Paul I have finished my course There he telleth us of his own peace and then he telleth us of his reward From henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me in that day and not to me onely but to them also that love his appearing that is to all his children For all the children of God love the appearing of Jesus Christ to judgement Though all do not desire it with the same strength of faith yet all desire it with faith They believe that Christ hath destroyed him that hath the power of death which is the devil they believe Christ hath taken away deaths sting which is sinne and swallowed death up in victory and may all say Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Neither do they so much question this as their faith to believe it saying Lord help our unbelief 6. Gods children have good reason to do so and to check their own hearts whenever they do otherwise Whenever any disturst cometh they should check it down again whenever any fear ariseth they should say What I fear death which is a thing so precious Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Is death precious and shall I be so vain as to fear it Thus ye see an answer to the first question Whether every child of God that hath true peace of conscience can be desirous to die II. Quest Whether a wicked man that hath no peace of conscience may not be desirous to die too Answ 1. The horrour of conscience may make a wicked man desirous to die He may have so much horrour of conscience as that he may think
support us in all dangers It maketh us happie nay there is no happines without it It will make us with quietnesse contentednesse of spirit undergo whatever it shall please God to lay upon us How can they want comfort that have this It is a spring of comfort within them This will remain with us when all other comforts will forsake us When friends fail and estate faileth when credit and health and strength and all fail then a good conscience if we have it will speak peace to us yea and it will effect it in us comfort us and fasten comfort upon us Friends may speak words of comfort and peace to us but it may be we are not able to receive it the minister may preach peace but it may be we are not able to take it But a good conscience speaketh peace and effecteth it it doth not onely speak it but it putteth it into our hearts It proppeth us up in all miseries in sicknesses yea in death it self A good conscience then maketh us hold up our heads when all the world shall be confounded A good conscience will bear us out against the King of terrours It is onely a good conscience that can look death in the face and say O death where is thy sting thanks be to God who giveth us victorie through our Lord Jesus Christ. Yea at the day of judgement when the whole world shall be burning before us when the great men of the world who go in silks and scarlet and broidered hair shall fear and shiver as a reed shaken with the wind this will make us with boldnesse undergo the terrour of it This will make us happie in all our distresses When crosses pelt us and sicknesse paineth us and death attatcheth us we are happie men What if we have the tokens of Gods wrath upon our bodies so we have the marks of his love upon our souls What outward calamitie soever happeneth to us yet if we have this good conscience we are happie O then let us laboâ—r to get it by faith and a holy life If we would be safe in the floud-time in the day of Gods wrath we must be busie now about the ark we must provide beforehand for it Nothing but this ark will save us in the deluge of Gods anger It is in vain to trouble our selves about other things Jubal was a merrie man he made pipes and organes Jabal built tents others planted vineyards but Noah provided his ark Many desire comfort in sicknesse in death but they do not provide for it before-hand They look after their sports or businesses in the world but this ark is neglected this good conscience without which all mens labour is vain Be they what they will be in never so much credit and esteem they are yet most miserable when troubles and afflictions come on them as one day they shall and shall not tarrie then all their comforts will forsake them When death looketh them in the face then their hearts die within them How full of pride and haughtinesse soever they were before yet when they come to die if their consciences be awaked they will with Saul fall down to heare the name of death and no spirits be left in them Nay if we want a good conscience when we lie on our deathbeds and desire good people to pray for us Good sir I beseech you let me have the benefit of your prayers to God for me Alas if thou hast not a good conscience all the prayers under heaven will not help thee See Heb. 13.18 Brethren pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience Mark The Apostle telleth them they may pray for him with comfort because he had a good conscience As if he had said If we had not a good conscience it were in vain for you to pray for us If ever God heare the prayers made for us we must have a good conscience Those that have not this good conscience shall never enter into the kingdome of heaven Though they had Moses Daniel and Job to pray for them yet all their prayers could not help them in the time of their distresse The bond of conscience NOw we must look back unto the foure propositions which at the beginning I observed in the text I am upon 1. That there is in every man a conscience 2. That the light which directeth conscience is knowledge 3. That the bond which bindeth conscience is Gods law 4. That the office of conscience is to bear witnesse to accuse or excuse I have in the handling of these a little altered the method and spake of the two first and the last Now followeth the third and that is consciences bond which is Gods law which shew the work of the law written in their hearts c. It is onely the work of Gods law that it beareth witnesse of that it accuseth or excuseth for The law of God is consciences bond Neverthelesse we must here distinguish The bonds of conscience are either primarie and supreme or secondarie and relative 1. The primarie and supreme bond of conscience is onely Gods word and law that onely is the supreme bond of conscience There is one lawgiver who is able to save or to destroy who art thou that judgest another that is There is but one supreme lawgiver to bind the consciences of men and that is God And the reason is given Because it is God onely who is able to save and to destroy As if he had said God onely hath power over life and death either to save a man for ever or destroy a man for ever and to judge a man according to all that he hath done and therefore he onely can make laws to bind the consciences of men 2. Now the secondarie or relative bond of conscience is when others who have authoritie from God bind conscience to this or that I call this a relative bond because it is onely in relation to the authoritie of God For though men cannot challenge any doings or omissions contrarie to their law to be sinnes yet if they have authoritie from God to command any thing then they become beams and parts of Gods law and do by virtue of that bind a mans conscience This relative bond of conscience is twofold First other men may bind our consciences as magistrates and masters and parents who though they cannot bind conscience as they are men yet when they have authoritie from God their commands have Gods seals upon them and do bind I say in relation to Gods law which biddeth us obey them Rom. 13.5 Ye must needs be subject not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake The Apostle there speaketh of Magistrates and he telleth us that their laws bind our consciences in relation to Gods and therefore we must be subject unto them for conscience sake Thus others may bind our consciences Secondly we our selves may bind our own consciences and that is by vows which we