lost and now is become altogether Evil. Every imagination of mans heart is onely evil continually Gen. 6. 5. And now mans evil Conscience showeth itself to be so two ways First In the defect of Trouble Secondly In the excess of Trouble First In the defect of Trouble When Sinners have upon them a Stoical Apathy a Spirit of slumber upon them as that they have no remorse at all in their Hearts they have no trouble for Sins past but have a setled purpose and resolution to continue in Sin Such a Conscience is called a seared Conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. such a Conscience had they of whom the Apostle speaks Ephes 4. 19. that were past feeling and gave themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Such a Conscience had Pharaoh such a Conscience had Ahab that sold himself to work wickedness Such as these have a Brow of Brass they know no shame Zep. 3. 5. Secondly An evil Conscience showeth itself to be so in the excess of Trouble When wicked men wanting Prayer and Repentance and Faith and Hope and the Pardon of Sin and the Inhabitation of the Spirit and the comfort of the Scriptures which should be supports to them are troubled above measure for that their Life is a burden to them In the Morning they wish that it were Night in the Night they wish it were Morning They are like the rageing Sea that continually casts up Mire and Foam this was the condition of Cain Judas and Spira Object Why but you will say Why should wicked men be thus descriminated and distinguished from others as being restless and unquiet Are not the best of men by the voice of Gods Word Law and Gospel and by the voice of Judgments and by the Acts of Conscience informing warning correcting and judicial in a perplexed Estate also Heman complains of troubles and terrours Psal 88. he was sensible of Gods fierce wrath of an overwhelming wrath a cutting killing and surrounding wrath v. 3 6 7 15 16. Yet Heman was one of the wisest men next after Solomon 1 Kings 4. 31. The condition of Job was like that of Heman he thought that God wrote bitter things against him Job 13. 24 26. He was scared with Dreams and terrified with Visions so that his Soul chose strangling and death rather than life Job 7. 14 15 20. He thought himself to be set up as a mark to shoot at he was a burden to himself he went mourning without the Sun Job 30. 28. Yet Job was a great and good man As for his greatness he was supposed to be the King of the Edomites and as for his goodness he was one that feared God and eschewed evil Job 1. David complains Psal 38. 6. I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long I am feeble and sore broken I have roared for the very disquietness of my heart Yet David was a man famous in his Generation for Piety and Holiness he was a man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13. 14. He is called the man of God Nehemiah 12. 36. Amiable and Delectable before God and Man So his name David signifieth Now for Answer to this We must note that the Troubles of Job Heman and David were Troubles not in the Conscience onely but also in the Affections and this occasioned a Godly sorrow as being an effect of Grace And they had the Use and Exercise of Prayer and Faith in the midst of their Distresses Job 42. 4. Psal 88. 1 2. Psal 19. 12. Psal 51. 9. 1 Sam. 24. 5. 2 Sam. 24. 10. So that the Issue of all their Troubles was glorious After an Eseck and a Sitnah there was a Rehaboth Gen. 26. 20 21 22. after the Wind Earthquake and Fire there came a still Voice 1 Kings 10. 11 12. after an Hectick Health after an Eclipse clear Light Sequitur post nubula Phoebus After Showers Sun-shine after a Wandering in the Wilderness a Canaans Rest They had secret Supports in their greatest Extremities and at the last had an answer of Peace and Comfort But the Troubles of Cain and Judas were no whit the Troubles of Affections but of Conscience onely and where there is a trouble of Conscience onely it is to be looked upon onely as a judicial Act of God upon the Conscience and it is not to be looked upon as an Effect of Grace but as a part of the Wages of Sin The Subject of Conscience is the Soul The Object of Conscience is Sin Now where the Conscience onely is awakened and enlightened by a common illumination so as to see Sin it is then in a condition to accuse and condemn and vex the Sinner That trouble in the Conscience which is onely a judicial Act consisting in Sense and Accusation God in Judgment brings upon the Transgressour When Instruction Direction Councels Cautions Threatnings and Checks do not keep men from sinning then God doth after Sin awaken the Conscience to accuse for Sinning and then the Soul is filled with bitterness and then the terrours of Hell do shake and confound the Soul Men so tormented long after Death and if it come not they search after it more than treasures and rejoyce when they can find the Grave Conscience works upon Sin and Sin frets and vexeth the Soul so that Conscience becomes as a Worm that never dieth Isai 66. 24. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop Prov. 12. 15. By the sorrow of the heart the Spirit is broken Prov. 15. 13. Such an one is as one bruised between the Wall and the Door Nulla gravior poena poenâ conscientiae said Isiodorus There is no punishment more grievous than the punishment of a guilty Conscience The Rack and Wheel are and Vri virgis ferroque necari Burning and Scourging and all those bloudy cruelties invented by the Heathen Persecutors are short of this A wounded spirit who can bear Prov. 18. 14. Juvenal describes the sad estate of such men thus Cur tamen hos tu Evasisse putes quos diri conscia facti Mens habet attonitos surdo verbere caedit Occulto quatiente animo tortore flagellum They that are guilty of foul Facts are affrighted in their Conscience they are scourged and beaten with unknown blows Their Conscience like an Executioner whips bites and torments them an evil Conscience sits as a Judge and it is call'd in as a Witness nay more an evil Conscience is Judex Testis Carcer Tortor Judicat Accusat Damnat An evil Conscience is a Judge a Witness a Prison an Executioner it keeps Sessions within it self it accuseth judgeth and condemneth An evil Conscience is a plague which you can neither fugere nor fugare it is an Evil which a Sinner can neither flee nor fly from Cain put himself upon the building of a City to remove the troubles of his mind but that would not do it Gen. 4. 17. Belshazzar thought by his Cups to remove the trouble of his Spirit but
to its own darkness and unbelief like Saul falls upon its own Sword and becomes its own Executioner The wicked fleeth when none pursueth The wicked in this respect are like Sheep of which it is said that when they run they are afraid of the sound of their own Feet Sin doth beget a dejection of Spirit and fearful Terrours After Herod had murdered John in the Prison he was perplext his mind was much about John for when he heard of the great Miracles that were wrought by Christ he cryed out That it was John Baptist risen from the dead Mat. 14. 1. Upon the commission of Sin there follows a Spirit of bondage unto Fear so that sinners are in a condition as if they were fettered and shut up in Prison They are full of anguish vexation and terrour they are afraid to come near God and afraid that God will never come near them in Mercy they are afraid to die and afraid of Gods wrath revealed from Heaven against their Sins they are afraid of what they have done against God and afraid of what God may do against them Nicephorus Phocas the Greek Emperour and Pausanius the Lacedemonian King having done foul facts were tired with a continual vexation of Spirit always afraid of Heavens vengeance These troubles of perplexed Souls are not Fabulous things and we have the Word of God for it There is no peace to the wicked saith my God in the Text. And these words are several times repeated in this Prophesie And Verba toties inculcata vera sunt viva sunt plana sunt sana sunt Words often repeated are true and lively sound and plain Fifthly Consider the happy estate of those who are at peace with God and at peace within themselves First They are related to God as to a Father they are related to a Wise Powerful and Merciful God they are assured of Gods care over them and of his providence and goodness toward them they have the light of Gods Countenance shining upon them they are sensible of Gods favour and of his loving kindness which is better than Life itself Secondly They have an interest in Christ who is the Brightness of his Fathers Glory they are ingrafted into Christ and incorporated into that Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head they have an interest in the Merits of Christ and in all the Fruits and Effects of his Death and Bloodshed and in him they have a Spiritual Title to all the things of the World Thirdly They have a right to all the rich promises in Scripture both of Grace and Glory Fourthly They see all their Sins charged upon Christ laid upon his Shoulders and pardoned as to themselves they see all their Sins so remitted as that they are not afrighted neither by the magnitude nor multitude of their Sins besides all this they are not afraid of the Faces of men though rich honourable and powerful they fear not the Sons of Anak nor the Gammodims in the Towers they are not afraid of reproaches nor losses either of Goods Friends or Children they are not afraid of want either of Food or Raiment though there should be no Flocks nor Herds in the Fields or Stalls yet they can rejoyce in the God of their Salvation they are not afraid of Banishment into a Wilderness or into a strange Land they are not afraid of Imprisonment they can look upon a Prison as a Pallace and upon a Chain as an Ornament and upon Bondage itself as Liberty they are not afraid of Wars nor of Famine nor of Sickness nor Death itself the excellency of this Peace is such and the benefits and comforts of it are so many and great as they cannot be throughly known The peace of God passeth all understanding Now you will say We are convinced that it is our Duty to seek after a Peace of Conscience within our selves But how shall we obtain it The means are there First Resist the Devil Secondly Keep at a distance from Sin Thirdly Set about Repentance Fourthly Hearken diligently to the Gospel I. Resist the Devil Whose work it is to tempt to Sin and then to accuse for Sin and then to tempt to Desparation When Christ resisted the Devil he departed for a season Luke 4. 14. And do you resist the devil and he will flee from you James 4. 7. II. Keep at a distance from Sin Pliny 10. Lib. 67. Epistle writes thus of the Christians of the Primitive Times Stato die ante lucem convenire se Sacramento obstringere nè furta nè latrocinia ne adulteria committerent By break of the day they met together and bound themselves by an Oath against the Sins of Adultery Theft and Rapine Let your resolution be the same against all Sin as being that that hath made a variance between God and you and a disturbance in your Souls If iniquity be in thine hand put it far away then thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear Job 11. 14 15. III. Set about Repentance They who sow in tears shall reap in joy Broken hearts shall be bound up The spirits of the contrite shall be revived The weary and heavy laden shall rest There is a promise of comfort to penitential mourners Mat. 5. 4. That woman who was a notorious Sinner when she stood at Christs feet weeping and washing his feet with tears was forgiven and comforted Comfort doth not follow Repentance as a Natural effect Repentance doth not discharge us from the guilt of Sin as an Act of ours but as it is a work of Grace and as a means appointed by God for that end IV. Hearken diligently to the Gospel The Gospel is called Glad Tidings It is a gospel of peace Rom. 10. 15. A word of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5. 19. Ministers of the Gospel are like Noah's Dove which brought him an Olive branch a Token of Peace Ministers are Ambassadours for Christ It is a term borrowed by the Apostle from Princes Courts and applyed to Ministers by a decent Analogie Ministers being as Ambassadours who are Messengers from Princes Courts to offer Peace The Scriptures which are the Subject and the Substance of Ministers Preaching are the Word of God who is a God of all Consolation and being fitly applyed are likely to revive and refresh fainting and fearful Spirits Here you will finde promises of comfort and examples of those who have found comfort Here you will find God merciful and gracious forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin Here you will find that Gods Mercies hold proportion with his Power and that they are not to be limited by the bounds of your weak understandings And know that as it is Blasphemy to limit Gods Power so it is Blasphemy to limit his Goodness The Scriptures will tell you that God is a Father of Mercies a God that revives the Spirits of the humble and the Heart of the contrite ones that he is nigh to them who are of a broken Heart and saveth such as be of a
The blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel Heb. 12. 24. The blood of Abel cryeth for vengeance Gen. 4. 10. Mat. 23. 35. But the Lord Christ cryeth with a loud voice as with the voice of a mighty Angel my Blood for the undeserving my Blood for the ill-deserving my Blood for sinners for the worst of sinners for the chiefest of sinners my Blood for all blood my Blood for the Sins of the World nay and for a World of Sins Well might the Apostle call this Blood precious Blood 1 Pet. 1. 19. It is precious Blood in itself as being the Blood of the Son of God it is precious in its Effects Whereas other blood calls for Revenge this Blood calls for Grace for Mercy for Pardon for Reconciliation for Acceptation and Salvation We are justified by his blood Rom. 5. 9. and upon this follows our peace with God Rom. 5. 1. We are washed also and made white by this blood Revel 7. 14. Now the sence and experience of the purity of heart and a reformed life layeth before us a ground of peace and comfort Being washed and sanctified by this Blood we have a good a pure and a clear Conscience in the testimony whereof we may rejoyce and take comfort 2 Cor. 1. 12. We read of Themistocles that when he went to to make Peace with a Prince he carried the Princes Son in his Arms. And if you will make Peace with God who is the King of Kings you must carry Christ a long with you who is the Son of God and the Prince of Peace If you can with old Simeon get Christ in your arms you may sing a Requiem as he did When you are thus at Peace with God and within your selves I would advise you to two things First To be thankful Secondly To beware of Apostasie I. Be thankful It is fit you should be so Beneficium and Officium must go together every one that is servatus should be servus Praise is comely for the Upright The fire was kept burning continually upon the Altar to shew us our constant Duty in this respect God requires thankfulness for the least Mercy Gather up the fragments that nothing be lost said Christ John 6. 12. We must be thankful for the least Blessing much more should we be thankful for so great a Mercy as this Hath the Lord Christ spoken comfortably to you in a Wilderness Hath the Lord Christ been to you as the Shadow of a Rock to a Traveller in a weary Land Are you brought out of a Dungeon into a Pallace out of Darkness into Light out of the Shadow of Death into the Land of the Living O then set up David's Resolution Psal 30. 11 12. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing thou hast put off my sack-cloath and girded me with gladness to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee and not be silent O Lord my God I will give thanks unto thee for ever And elsewere saith he I will be glad and rejoyce in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble thou hast known my soul in adversity Oh how great is thy goodness How amiable are thy tabernacles How great are thy works I will triumph in the work of thy hands Psal 90. 4. Are you now delivered from the trouble and misery of a Wounded Conscience Is that confusion formerly in your Souls now rectified Are you now under the assurances of Faith Is God in your Hearts Is Heaven in your Eyes Is joy in your countenances O then let the comfort thereof enlarge your Soul like an Angel let it put wings upon your Soul like a Cherub and let it set your Soul on fire like a Seraphim with holy zeal of Gods glory and the good of others With holy David be telling others what God hath done for your Soul spread forth the sweet odours of praise be daily offering up the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving II. Beware of Apostasie and back-Sliding Psal 85. 8. The Lord will speak peace to his people and to his saints but let them not return again to folly After you have received Christ into your Hearts to revive and refresh you let not then your carriage toward Christ be like the carriage of the Jews toward Christ after they had received him into Jerusalem Mat. 21. At his entrance they received him as their King v. 5. They spread their garments in the way they cut down branches and strewed them in the way And the multitude that went before and that followed after cried Hosanna to the Son of David Hosanna in the highest But the Scene was quickly changed they received him as their King afterward they would have no other King but Caesar Here they cried Hosanna Hosanna afterward away with him away with him crucifie him crucifie him as if they would have had him twice crucified Here they spread garments in his way afterward they cast lots for his garment Here they cut down branches to spread before him and afterward they prepared a Cross and a Crown of Thorns for him O let not your carriage be such toward Christ after a reception of Peace and Comfort from him When you are got into Wisdoms ways which are ways of pleasantness take heed that you do not then start a side lake a broken Bow Say then concerning Christ as Jacob did concerning the Angel I will not let thee go Let Christ be written in your Hearts with Golden Letters as it was said of Ignatius Let Christ be written in your Hearts with indelible Letters that neither temptations nor tortures may blot it out Keep close to Christ in all humility and reverence in all duties and by all means keep up communion with him be no longer as a barren Wilderness to him lest he be again as a Land of Darkness to you Grieve not the Spirit of Christ which is the Cause of all Grace and Comfort Resist not the gracious motions of the Spirit of Christ by carnal delights or by sinful practises Let his Spirit have a full work Let it be seen that the Spirit of Christ reigns in you in that you will do nothing contrary to it Spiritus Christi ita nos tractat sicut à nobis tractatur The Spirit of Christ will handle you as you handle it If you again grieve the Spirit of Christ by resisting the Holy motions of it He may again vex your Spirits in with-holding the comfortable influences of it And therefore have an high esteem of Christ delight in him and please him by your obedience in the course of your life By this means you may be like Saint Anthony the Monk of whom it is said that he always appeared of a cheerful countenance By this means you may be at peace with the creatures at agreement with the stone of the wall and beasts of the Fields so that you may safely walk by the Lion and tread upon the Basilisk Hereby you may find inward Peace in your Hearts and Consciences and may be established in your combate against the terrours of Sin and the temptations of Satan and may be possessed with such quietness of mind as may make you in a time of mourning and suffering for Righteousness to rejoyce not onely in the promise but in the possession of such a Peace internal as may end in a Peace eternal in the Heavens which is no less than the Felicity of the Saints in Heaven and the Glory of the blessed Angels who having no jarring principles among them remain for ever in Love and Peace FINIS