the closet of our hearts where all our accounts doe lie it is also that looking-glasse or rather that very eye of our soul whereby shee seeth her selfe and her whole estate and without which shee runneth on blindely into a thousand inconveniences stumbling at every step being in continuall perill of some deadly mischiefe And indeed the very end why man came into the world was to glorifie God and serve him by meditating on his word if then wee perform not that service for which wee were created wee never shall receive that reward which is promised unto that service It is true wicked men build their hope of eternall felicitie on a sandy foundation but this their hope shall at last make them ashamed Rom. 5. 4. for when their earthy tabernacle shall fall the fall thereof shall be great great I say Matth. 7. 27. in respect of the change that they shall see great for the horrour they shall conceive great for the misery they shall suffer great for the unspeakable joyes of heaven they shall lose and great for the eternall and unsupportable pains in hell they shall fall into every way great else the mouth of the Lord would not have spoken it This is the wofull estate of the wicked who desire not the knowledge of God in his word So now wee know or may know that living ill wee cannot die well and consequently not be saved and wee know or at least ought to know that many are damned for their sinnes and wee know and cannot chuse but know that shortly wee must die and receive the wages of our sinnes if unrepented of namely eternall death which is both intolerable and eternall at which time ignorance shall excuse none Wherefore sith God manifesteth himselfe unto us more cleerly and apparently in the Scriptures then any other way let us with heavenly devotion seek him in them as the Spouse did her Beloved among the lilies of the field and wee shall be Cant. 6. 2. sure to finde him whom our soule loveth looking upon us with a ravishing countenance even with eyes of delight and let us with the ears of humble attention listen to him in his word in which wee shall hear him speaking to us not in an high hyperbolicall straine but according to our capacitie and yet again with such stupendious majestie that the wisest heathen Philosopher could never fathome and therefore must of necessitie admire the secret and wonderfull wisdome of him who hath vouchsafed to deliver in such familiar termes that which they with greatest scrutinie could never dive into Hence that gratulation of our Saviour Father I thank thee that thou hast hid these things Matth. 11. 25. from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Hence also is it that the Scriptures are called d Ezek. 47. 3 4 5. waters wherein the lamb may wade and the elephant may swim In them is e Heb. 5. 12 13. milk for babes and strong meat for men of riper yeers and in Jer. 2. 13. them God manifesteth himself in all his essentiall attributes and properties O let us draw with joy Isa 12. 3. waters out of these wels of salvation The attributes and properties of God mentioned in the Scriptures are divers I shall only observe four 1. His Wisdome this is profitable to direct us unto him and by it wee also may grow prudent and wise unto salvation Wisdom saith the Preacher Eccles 8. 1. maketh the face to shine and not the face alone but the whole man shall be beautified with heavenly wisdome and this heavenly wisdome is found in the Scriptures onely therefore it is called f 1 Cor. 2. 7. hidden wisdome wisdome that g Prov. 1. 7. gives instruction this the h 1 Cor. 1. 20 21. world understandeth not it is a i Job 28. 17. jewell of inestimable worth 2. His Justice as in punishing the wicked so in rewarding the godly and although some are grown so cunning that they can blinde and deceive the eye of mortall man yet the all-seeing eye of Almighty God will finde them out and his hand will punish them David knew full well that God observed him at all times and places when hee saith O Lord thou hast searched and known mee thou Psalm 139. 1. ad 14. knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising thou understandest my thoughts long before Thou compassest my path c. And as God espieth all our wayes so will hee judge us according to all our works hee will bring to judgement every secret thing O Eccles 12. 14. that men would lay to heart that hee that seeth in Matth. 6. 4. secret will reward openly But although God can make all things as naked and open to the eye of the world as they are to his own eye witnesse the many private murthers secret adulteries c. yet some are so exceeding vile in their wayes as if there were neither God to judge them nor Satan to accuse them nor Hell to torment them It is a shame saith Saint Paul even to speake of those things which are done of them in private yet although a Christian in modestie is ashamed to speak they themselves blush not impudently to act The shew Isa 3. 9. of their countenance doth witnesse against them they declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not woe unto them for they have rewarded evill unto themselves The consideration of this me thinks should make all even incorrigible sinners cease to sin any more sith Truth it selfe who cannot lie hath spoken it that nothing is secret that shall not be manifest nor Luke 8. 17. any thing hid that shall not be knowne and come abroad 3. His Mercy is manifested in the Scriptures not a Prophet not a Chapter scarce a Verse but some wayes or other reflects on his Mercy yea the whole earth is full of his mercy In him Mercy Psal 119. 64. Psal 85. 10. and Truth are met together Righteousnesse and Peace have kissed each other His Mercy reacheth to the Psal 57. 10. heavens and his Truth unto the clouds Hee is plenteous in shewing mercy it is his nature and propertie Of this his Mercy the stiffe-necked and incorrigible sinner hath no share it is onely extended to Gods afflicted ones such as tremble at his Isa 66. 2. word Build upon this In whom there is no fear and knowledge of God to them there shall be no mercy extended from God It is one of his rich jewels which hee will not bestow on swine who never look up unto him yea who would undervalue it and trample it under their feet 4. His Providence is manifested in the Scriptures The eyes of all look unto him and hee giveth Ps 145. 15 16. them their meat in due season Hee openeth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing Job recounting the Providence of
God but it is according to their capacitie and strength not according to the divine Substance for that is incomprehensible And S. Austin saith that it is one Epist 12. a◠Paulin. thing to see and another thing to comprehend the whole by seeing when as nothing of the whole is concealed but all is seen round about in every part thereof Again If that Citie which is above be so glorious as Saint John speaks the wall is of Jasper the Citie Rev. 21. 18 c. it selfe of pure gold like unto cleare glasse that it needeth not the Sunne or Moon to shine in it c. how glorious then is the Lord God whose glory is the light thereof As then a man may be upon the sea and yet not exactly know the full breadth and depth of the sea even so the Angels themselves although they are in heaven and see God really in his glory yet cannot they fully comprehend either the Ludovic Gratanensis lib. 1. duc peccat depth of his Majestie or the altitude of his Eternitie The divine Essence is of that perfect beauty and of that excellent glory that man is not able to comprehend the fulnesse of Gods Majestie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No man saith Saint John hath 1 John 4. 12. 1 Tim. 6. 16. seen God at any time Hee onely saith S. Paul hath immortalitie and dwels in light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen or can see So holy Job Loe he goeth by me and I see him not hee Job 9 11. 23. 8 9. passeth on also but I perceive it not Behold I goe forward but hee is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him On the left hand where hee doth work but I cannot behold him hee hideth himselfe on the right that I cannot see him Verily saith the Prophet Isa 45. 15. Isaiah thou art a God that hidest thy selfe O God of Israel the Saviour Deus ubique praesens est attamen Greg. in Hom. in Ezek. vix inveniri potest stantem sequimur at apprehendere non valemus Hee is above us and below us before us and behinde us on either side of us yea within us yet we can neither see him nor feel him Per molem corporis nusquam est per incircumscriptam Idem substantiam nusquam deest Hee is above us by his power ruling us hee is below us by his sustentation relieving us hee is without us by his greatnesse environing us and he is within us by his Spirit piercing the very secrets of our hearts For the Essence of God consisteth not of members as doth an humane body nor of affections as doth the soul of man and although members as hands eyes ears feet c. yea and passions of the minde as anger jealousie patience c. are divers times ascribed to God in his word yet are these termes ascribed to him none otherwise then by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the weaknesse of our capacitie for his perfection admits not of the least weaknesse or perturbation Simonides the Poet being demanded by Hiero the Tyrant what God was craved a day to deliberate and not being then able to define the true Nature and Essence of God hee craved two daies more that time being past and himselfe yet unresolved hee craved four dayes still doubling his number and being demanded the reason hereof hee answered that the more he studied and dived into that abysse the lesse able was hee to define what God was so incomprehensible is Gods Essence In a word whatsoever can be said of God cannot fully expresse his infinite Immensity Cujus Greg. in Moral ergo gloriae non sufficit obstupescens conscientia quomodo sufficiet loquens lingua If then the astonished conscience of man cannot sufficiently conceive the Majestie of God how then can his tongue expresse it O! then admire the length breadth heighth and depth of this Deitie whose length is Eternitie whose breadth is Charity whose heighth is Majestie and whose depth is Wisdome Qui amat ut Bern. in considerat Dei Charitas novit ut Veritas sedet ut Aequitas dominatur ut Majostas c. Who loves as cordially as Charity knoweth all things judicially as Verity judgeth uprightly as Equity rules royally as Majestie governs potently as Principalitie protects impregnably as Safety works mightily as Power helps readily as Pietie and is manifested as the Sun in his splendour gloriously His power is inexplicable Hug. Card. lib. 1. de clav ani his goodnesse incomprehensible his wisdome ineffable and his definition is alwayes to be praised by his holy ones Thus much for the excellency of Gods glorious Majestie appearing which cannot be seen by our bodily eye The second cause of mans not seeing God is his infirmity in beholding and this is twofold Either 1. Through the guilt of sin Or 2. Through the frailty of his flesh 1. Through the guilt of sin When God appeared Exod. 3. 6. to Moses Moses hid his face because hee knew himselfe to be a sinfull man The guilt of sin makes a man conscious to himselfe and afraid to look even an earthly Judge in the face much more to behold so glorious a Majestie as is the divine Essence thus Adam went and hid himselfe Gen. 3. 8. when he had transgressed by eating the forbidden fruit And if when the voice of God walked in Note the cool of the day hee hid himselfe oh how would hee have trembled if God had come in the heat of the day When Christ was transfigured upon the Mount and his face did shine like the Mark 9. 6. Sun and his raiment was white as the light Peter and the other Apostles were afraid and knew not what to say So also when Peter saw the Majestie of his Master in that great draught of fishes he falls down at Jesus his feet and saith Depart from mee O Luk. 5. 8. Lord for I am a sinfull man Oh then sith horrour of conscience in regard of sin makes men afraid of the face of God that men would remember that his eyes are upon the Job 34. 21 22. wayes of man and hee seeth all his goings There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves As also that nothing terrifies the conscience so much as doth the guilt of sin which is the mother of fear Conscience is that book in which all our sins are registred Et Cassiod lib. 4. Epist 8. quid acquiri putatur ubi mala conscientia praedicatur aut in qua parte possit homo proficere si innocentiam probatus fuerit amisisse What can be gained where conscience preacheth terrour or what can a man plead for himself if guilt of sin tortures and terrifies A sinfull guilty conscience cannot endure to behold so infinite a Presence but soon shall be swallowed up with
of faith in a pure conscience To conclude this point Happy is hee who when God speaketh to his conscience by the ministery of the word whether it be for peace or for warre receiveth it with an honest and good heart and is ready to say as once David did to Abigail when she met him Blessed 1 Sam. 25. 32. be the Lord God of Israel which hath sent thee this day to meet mee and blessed be thine advice so they Blessed be the Lord who hath sent thee this day to speak home to my conscience and blessed be thine instructions which make mee to look back to him from whom I was like a prodigall estrayed Thus much concerning Gods manifesting himselfe to the conscience by the ministery of the word Secondly God manifesteth himself to man by the checks of conscience after sin committed and thus both to the godly and to the wicked First to the godly What was it that made Adam hide himself from the presence of God but the Gen. 3. 8. check of his conscience for the guilt of his sin in eating the forbidden fruit The check of conscience is called the smiting of the heart so we reade that when David had cut off the skirt of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24. 5. his heart smote him that is his conscience checkt him The like smiting David had after his 2 Sam. 24. 10. numbring of the people And to this end doth God reprove man by the check of his own conscience even to awaken him from sin lest hee sleep the sleep unto death The Prophet complains that there was no rest in his bones by reason of his sins untill Psal 32. 3. his heart was purged from sin hee could feel no rest within his soule for conscience is a part of the understanding determining all actions either with or against it either accuseth man for good omitted or evill committed or else excuseth him in assurance that his person is accepted as righteous before God Secondly to the wicked For there is none so notoriously wicked in committing any villany but hee hath sometimes a sting wounding his conscience and telling him of a supreme and just revenger sometimes his heart smites him and humbles him though but for a time and though not for effectuall conversion yet some gripings there are such as Cain Ahab Belshazzar and Herod had these I say lasted but for a time for the Preacher observeth that because sentence against an evill work Eccles 8. 11. is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to doe evill Yet in all both in good and bad Conscience will doe her duty for shee is like the poise of a clock which being wound up sets all the wheeles a going even so Conscience being wound up by the hand of Gods justice sets all the members on work makes the tongue confesse the eyes weep the heart throb the knees smite one against another the fist strikes upon the brest no part but acts its part And now Beloved judge when the conscience of a man findes that shee hath to deale with an angry God Job 13. 26. one that writes as Job complaines bitter things against Psal 139. 7. her and that shee knowes not where to betake her selfe for to flee from his presence shee cannot how shee is perplexed especially if she cannot feele God reconciled unto her and herself unto God No marvell that David mourned through the disquietnesse of his heart saying to God Thou Psal 30. 7. hiddest thy face and I was troubled To a deep sense Matth. 26. 75. of misery was Peter brought after hee had denyed his Lord and forswore his Christ till his Master looking back upon him brought to his remembrance his by-past sin then went he out and wept bitterly And to such a sense of restlesnesse was Judas Matt. 27. 3 4 5. brought after hee had betrayed his Master though hee found not the like comfort as the others did On some the horrour of conscience works repentance unto salvation whereas it drives others to the gulfe of despaire Certes it was not without divine providence that the very heathen termed the terrours of a wicked conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the searcher out and punisher of sin sometimes called Furiae the furies of hell or worm of conscience sometimes also called Intemperiae the tortures of the minde and sometimes per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eumenides the daughter of Acheron and Nox that is Hell and Darknesse hereby Qâ—â—d minimè sinâ— benignae insinuating the wofull bitternesse and extreme horrour wherewith the wicked are perplexed And if the heathen stiled them by such horrid termes how should we dread to harbour in us such snakes And our Saviour tels us of an unquenchable fire so also of a never-dying worm such a worm there is of conscience and it is so called because as a worme lyeth eating and gnawing that wood in which shee abideth so the worm of conscience lying within us gripeth and tormenteth us by bringing to our memories all the causes of present and future calamities as our wilfull negligences whereby wee lost our first enjoyed felicities at every of which considerations she giveth us a deadly griping as also all our occasions offered to escape those miseries in which wee are now plunged adde to these all those opportunities for redeeming that glory which we have now hazzarded as also how ungraciously wee have quenched the good motions of Gods holy Spirit by which wee might have been reclaimed adde further how vain those worldly trifles are which we have too eagerly followed and lastly how wee our selves are become worldly fooles and others spiritually wise whereas we dream'd otherwise From whence wee may observe that A secure sinner is an enemy unto himselfe for if there be no fulnesse of joy but in the presence of God then certes in a wofull condition are they who wallowing in their sins against the curb of conscience deprive themselves of this happinesse Thus you see that an accusing conscience manifesteth a Deity and that the law of God is written Rom. 2. 15. in the hearts of men You see also that both good and bad have sometimes these checks of conscience which like that voice mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah calleth to them saying This is the way Isa 3. 21. walk in it when they turn to the right hand or when they turn to the left pointing out another way then what they formerly trod awry in to which voice of conscience if men will listen and obey then shall it goe well with them for they shall not onely know that there is a God but they shall in some measure see him and be acquainted with him but if they shall harden their hearts and labour to quench the good spirit of God which at that time 1 Thess 5. 19. Revel 3. 20. knocks at the door of their hearts and seeks admission for
their salvation then are they guilty of their own damnation Wouldest thou O man then know whether thou art a childe of God or not know then that there is a conscience First Good yet not quiet and this is in the godly when they are restlesse in themselves for sins as yet unrepented of Thus was it with that kingly Prophet David after his committing of murther and adultery how doth hee in perplexitie of his soul being awakened by the Prophet Nathan cry out that God would according to the multitude Psal 51. 1. of his tender mercies blot out his transgressions c. So also when God had laid his hand heavie upon him how doth hee mourn There is no soundnesse Psal 38. 3 4. in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any peace in my bones by reason of my sin For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavie burden they are too heavie for mee The sicknesse of his body put him in minde of the sin of his soule that which hee did endure did put him in minde of what hee did deserve which galled his conscience with the remembrance of his particular slips and failings both by omission and commission Secondly There is a conscience quiet yet not good and this is in the wicked as namely when after sin committed their hearts remain still obdurate cauterized senselesse they sleep so soundly in sin that they never feele the sting of conscience wounding them they are so delighted in sin that they never regard when they sin nor how they sin nor against whom they sin nor before whom they sin The shew of their countenance doth Isa 3. 9. testifie against them they declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not therefore wo to their souls for they have rewarded evill unto themselves S. Paul excellently decyphereth them They have their understanding Eph. 4. 18 19. darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their heart Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse Thirdly There is a conscience both good and quiet and this is proper onely to the elect namely when God speaks peace to their soules by assuring them of the free pardon of all their sinnes and the Spirit of God testifies to their spirits that they are the sonnes of God and shall be made partakers of life everlasting in the heavenly Canaan Fourthly There is a conscience neither good nor quiet and this accompanieth onely the reprobate namely when through sense of sin horrour of conscience and Gods wrathfull yet just indignation such a dreadfull trembling seizeth on them that they know not where to betake themselves From this perplexity no incorrigible sinner can exempt himselfe neither Kings nor great Rev. 6. 15. ad finem men nor rich men nor mighty men nor bond nor free men According to these observations examine thou thy selfe and thou shalt easily finde whether thou belongest to God or not And if thy conscience hath wounded thee so that thou canst without any flattery assure thy selfe that thou hast throughly repented thee of all those sins which like Zecharia's talent of lead on the mouth of the ephah Zech. 5. 7 8. pressed thee even to the pit of hell and that thou findest God to be a reconciled God to thee in the face of his Son then is thy condition happy and the brightnesse of Gods countenance hath shined upon thee otherwise if thou wert never sensible of thy sins nor hast yeelded to the checks of conscience then is it an evident signe that if ever thou didst confesse thy sins yet it was but a meer orall confession hypocritically performed and so thy condition is most miserable And now Beloved conceive within your selves what an horrour it is to have an accusing and tormenting conscience alwayes pursuing a sinner nay not onely pursuing him but alwayes harbouring in his brest like an Erynnis quae indagatrix est gravissimorum flagitiorum which is the Inquisitor and hunter out of the grossest crimes to be his bosome companion and yet alwayes pleading guiltie so that the sinner shall not know where to repose himselfe for feare the very shaking of a leafe shall make him to tremble and be at his wits end Such a comrade had that fratricide Cain after hee had spilt his brothers bloud when he said Behold thou hast driven mee out this day from the face Gen. 4. 14. of the earth and from thy face shall I be hid and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth and it shall come to passe that every one that findeth mee shall slay mee The sting of death is sin saith Saint Paul yea and the sting of conscience is sin also which so overwhelms some with an horrible dread that they flee when none pursueth It is the nature of sin to Pro. 28. 1. pursue the sinner and a wounded conscience who can Prov. 18. 4. beare Moses told the Israelites that they should be sure that if they sinned against the Lord their sin would finde them out and Evill pursueth the sinner Numb 32. 23 Pro. 13. 21. saith Solomon Now although God speaketh thus to the conscience of the wicked yea although the sting of conscience doth as it were make their ears to tingle 1 Sam. 3. 11. 2 King 21. 12. as the Lord speaks although it awakens them by sounding an alarm of Gods judgements in their ears yet veternum excutere nolunt they will not be roused from their sottishnesse but with Solomons fool A little more sleep a little more slumber Pro. 6. 10. a little longer basking in sin till at last that grim sergeant Death arrests them and layes them in the prison of the grave there to remain till the great and generall Assizes This evidently appeares in that they labour to quiet and appease the gnawings of this worm of conscience then whose bite nothing smarts more then whose sting nothing galls more and then whose torment nothing frets more and yet they fain would hush and still it that it may not affright and appall them But conscience will not be corrupted but as shee keeps a true register of all sins so shee gives in a true evidence against all sinnes Doe the wicked what they can God hath said that their worm shall never die and that no peace shall Mark 9. 44. Isa 57. 20. be to the wicked but they shall be like the raging sea whose waters cast up mire and dirt Adde to these inward torments of the conscience those outward plagues by which God shall Psal 2. 5. vexe them in his sore displeasure and by which at last they shall be enforced to confesse him just whom willingly they would not acknowledge to be at all Wherefore Beloved labour to gain a quiet yet a tender conscience which as it is a continuall feast so it is a