in battell-array to fight with those strong subtile sedulous Goliahs which come out to upbraid Gods little Champion They I meane the Divell and his Agents viz the world and the flesh will not only rage but raigne not only assault but take your soules captive at their will Therefore as you love your owne soules and the welfare of them unto all eternity Get unto you the whole armour of God Eph. 6. 13. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Give no faire Quarter unto foule tempations make up speedily every Breach between God and your owne consciences and let not conscience loose its Tendernesse but shun every evill and the appearance of it 6. Let thy life be the life of faith Saith Paul the life that we now live in the flesh we live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave himselfe for us Keep fresh the sense of his love and alwaies acknowledge a continuall need of his Bloud Spirit and Intercession and how much you are beholding and ingaged unto him Labour to draw and derive from Christ by the powerfull attractive force of faith spirituall ability sufficient for every dayes worke Act your faith dayly in the promises of grace and strength Go unto Christ still for his wisdome to counsell you for his righteoussness to cover you for strength to resist temptations for the shoulder that must beare our Crosses for ability to performe all duties as duties 7. Resolve with david Ps 101. that you will not know a wicked person i.e. approve of him If out of your families have not fellowship with them but reprove them if in your families let them not abide within your doores but remove him or her as persons most infectious and dangerous We have sins enough and too too many of our owne therefore let us not encrease them by a base connivency at others mens sins Especially avoid that generation of men whose grand designe it is to undermine the Gospell to ruine the Ministry and to robb them of that maintenance which is due unto them by the law of God and by the Law of Nature and by the law of Nations These croaking frogges have overspread our Aegypt so that they have made it stinke with their damnable Opinions devilish practises They creep into houses and lead aside silly women 2 Tim. 3.11 and by their faire speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.18 And shall if it were possible deceive the very elect Mark 13.22 8. Affect a faithfull and powerfull Minister who doth carefully look both to himselfe and his Doctrine Adscribe neither too much nor too little to your Teachers Neither despise them nor deify them as the manner of some is Esteeme him not as a principle Author but as a subordinate Actor not as a Lord but a Steward not as a Master but a Minister and yet account him more then an ordinary Servant even a man of God A servant of the most high God that sheweth you the way of Salvation Look on him not only as a Seer but Over-seer a Steward of Gods high secrets a messenger of the Lord of Hostes by whose Embassage peace is concluded and reconciliation ministerially made up between God and man He is Gods mouth to you by preaching and your mouth to God by praying On that in speciall place standeth before God and ministreth to him upon earth as the Angels do it in heaven Woodnots Aphorisms 1. Cens. p. 42. The Jewes say that he that dieth in the displeasure of his Rabbi shall never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come i.e. of his teacher that hath the charge of his soule Therefore take heed you fall not out with your Teacher whome the most wise God hath thought fit to make your Pastor forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Deut. 12.19 Doe not desire such a Teacher as thou mayest rule him but such as may rule you Magistrates are chosen to governe the people not the people to governe them So Ministers you are not to command them but obey them Therefore obey them that have the Rule over you Heb. 13.17 And submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with Joy and not with greife I beseech you in the bowels of Christ let Death and Judgement possesse your most serious thoughts waite for the one and provide for the other Dye daiely with Paul and you shall dye well Have thine end ever in thine eye and sweeten the bitter cup of Death by a dayly preparation Get your tackling all in readinesse that you may faile over the Sea of mortall miseries in safety and security to the Port of happinesse You shall all of you ere long lye gasping for death on your dying beds and there lye grappling with the King of feares attended with Terrors Therefore as you love your soules let the whole course of your lives be a conscionable preparative to dye comfortably Look on every day as your last So live that you may say with David Though I walke through the Valley of the shaddow of death I will not feare Oh that you would be wise and consider your latter end before you go downe to the chambers of death whence you shall never returne Would you dye willingly would you dye well Then get a part in Christ a Title to him an Interest in him Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure So live that you may not be ashamed to die So number your dayes that you may apply your hearts to true wisdome So cast up your Accounts that you may give them up with joy and not with greife Judge your selves for your daiely Deviations and you shall not be judged condemne your selves and you shall not be condemned 10 Lastly Let this little Book be in your hands heads and hearts Let a good conscience be written on your soules with Characters indelible never to be razed out so that when death shall appeare thou mayest be able to say I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day Now whereas dull spirits are more quickned by Examples then Precepts This place hath had a great advantage above other places adjacent Mr. John Southmead who is now a glorious Saint in heaven and his Soule made happy with the Spirits of just men made perfect You know he was an old Disciple and served his Master faithfully in his generation for many yeares zealously striving for the inlargment of the Kingdome of Christ and demolishing the Kingdome of Satan A great Curb he was to prophanesse witnesse his great paines and travell in overthrowing those Heathenish sports and pastimes which were too common even upon the Lords day God made him the Instrument to abolish Wakes Revells Maypoles and May-games with their Apurtenances Fidlers and superfluous Ale-houses not only in
ready to quarrell with God and to fall out with him as if he had greatly wronged him God saith unto him doest thou well to be angry yea saith he I do well to be angry even unto death His words are very high words of a passionate spirit blinded with anger rather then with any expresse rebellion Very needfull therefore is it that such should have conscience as a Controuler to check them Againe others their Affections are disorderly placed on wrong objects likeing those whom they should dislike and loving those whom they should loath such was the blind Affection of Jehoshaphat to Ahab I am saith he as thou art 2 Chron. 18 3. 2 Chron. 19.2 my people as thy people its needfull therefore that conscience say to such as Jehn to Iehoshaphat shouldst then love them that hate the Lord Lastly many mens appetites are very wanton wholsome meates and drinkes content them not their meates must be mixed with hurtfull condiments and their drinke with noxious ingredients therefore it is very requisite that conscience play the Monitor and advise them not to looke on the wine when it sparkles Prov. 23.30 31. nor to seeke after mixt wine though it goe downe pleasantly yet at last it will bite like a Serpent and hurt like a Cockatrice And thus you see how just and how mercifull God is to plant such a power as conscience within us Vse 1 Is there such a power or faculty as conscience in every man then let every man learne to magnify his maker not barely for being his Creature but for being such a Creature as none is like him First look upon thy meanest part namely thy body view that well and thou shalt see such an exellency in it that no visible creature is comparable unto mans body If we look unto our first Creation we find them very excellent creatures 1. God made them with consultation and deliberation Gen. 1.26 let us make man His advice argueth a worke of great weight and moment and this word of plurality us intimates the Trinity (a) Galen though a meere Naturalist when he saw the admirable frame and structure of mans body was so taken with it that he could not but adiudge the honour of an Hymne to the wise Creator of it and mindes us of the mysterie of the three persons in one Godhead God the father seemeth to speak as communicating by way of consultation with God the Son and God the holy Ghost in the worke of Creation 2. The wonderfull endowments of the body in beauty strength nimblenesse activity without deformity or mortality 3. All other bodies made for the good of mans body the heavenly to give light unto it the earthly bodies to nourish cherish and comfort it Againe if we consider the recreation or regeneration of our bodies we find them more excellent 1. Purchased by Christs bloud 1 Cor. 6.20 2. Sanctified by Christs spirit 1 Cor. 6.19 3. Assumed by Christs person Phil. 2.7 When he took our nature he took our body and was made like unto us in all things sin only excepted so that we are as neer to Christ as our bodies to our soules Having thus viewed our meanest part namely the body let us in the next place consider our best part namely our soule What the soule is The soule of man is a spirit distinct invisible immortall infused by God 1. A spirit Thus much the Originall word declareth as in John 11. 33. and John 12. 27. we find soule and spirit promiscuously used by our Saviour my soule is troubled my spirit is troubled 2. A distinct spirit because it hath its being not only in the body but also out of the body Eccl. 12.7 as it had its time of entrance into the body so its time of returne out As it is in us so it can be without us and will be after us 3. Invisible Because no more to be seen then an Angel or God himselfe 4. An immortall spirit Eccl. 12.7 And Christ tells us that men may kill our bodies but not our soules which made Anaxzarchus bold to speak unto his Tormentors who did beat him with clubs laye on my Sachel meaning his body you cannot hurt Anaxzarchus meaning his soule 5. A spirit infused by God Gen. 2.7 How Adam came by his soule we all know namely by inspiration but as for our owne soules we are at a great stand Some think by participation (b) Chrysippus de natur â. lib. 3. as one Candle lighteth another Some thinke by generation (c) Tertullian l. de anim â ch 5. that a man begets a man compleat Others say it is by infusion (d) Thom. Aquin. 1 q. 75.6 1 m. by a peculiar inspiration when the child is first quickened in the womb Much is imagined little concluded concerning this question (e) St. Austin hath writ 4 bookes of the originall of the soule in which he leaveth this question undecided And his second booke of Retractions doth witnesse that he continued in that doubt unto his death cap. 56. and no marvell for who knoweth the way of the spirit Eccl. 11.5 The Scripture seems to warrant the last opinion calling God the Creator of the Spirit Zach. 12.1 The giver of the Spirit Eccl. 12.7 The Father of our spirits Heb. 12.9 It is not without consideration if God by a peculiar elegy and stile is called the father of spirits that he might be opposed to the father of the flesh for if the soule be by traduction then those that are the fathers of the flesh would also be the fathers of the spirits neither would God by this title be distinguished from the father of the flesh if he wrought alike in both and did not forme mens soules otherwise then their bodies So then consider well your bodies soules and you may safely conclude that of all the creatures that ever God made there is more to be seen of God in man then in them all and in man much in his body more in his soule but most of all in his conscience as one saith this smelleth more of God then the heavens the Sun the Stars or all the glorious things of the earth gold precious stones Rubies or sweetest herbs roses or lillies Oh how should we magnifie our maker Ps 139.14 and with David say I will praise thee O Lord for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy workes and that my soule knoweth right well Object Ob. Our conscience were at first very pure and excellent but now like our selves they are most sinfull yea our Soules and Consciences are defiled Tit. 1.15 therefore nothing worthy praise in them Answ A. It s very true that our consciences which were pure and excellent at first are by Adam's sin become defiled and uncleane But let me tell you there is no part power or faculty in the whole man that retaines so much of its excellency in it as conscience doth though the
whole soule were defiled and every part and power depraved yet conscience had so much life left in it as with Iobs messengers to tell sad tydings of mans great losse There remaines in it scintilla rectae rationis a little spark to shew what great light hath been extinguisht but now this also through affected blindnesse and wilfull malice is so smothered and suffocated through a daiely custome of sinning that I may say of conscience in many as the Psalmist of an Idol it hath an eye and cannot see an eare and cannot heare a mouth and cannot speak Thus stands the cause whith many a hardned sinner The eye of their conscience is as the eye of a mole which serves only to decore the body but not to guide the way Their eares but as the eares of an Addar wilfully stopt at the best counsell that the messenger of Christ can bring unto it and the mouth of it as the mouth of a viper that sucks in and sends out nothing but poison and poisonous expressions Yet notwithstanding the naturall Conscience will hold an excellency beyond all other powers faculties in the soule So that thy Maker still deserveth praise from thee Use 2 Have all a conscience then let all acknowledge it and not dare to conceale what God hath given them It s very dangerous to hide any Talent that God gives us in a Napkin Luk. 19. what God bestowes on man man is to imploy and use it to the honour of him that gives it therefore let conscience appeare in a conscientious walking before him be holy to thy God Tit. 1.12 upright to thy neighbour and sober in thy selfe walke so circumspectly in thy place and calling that all may say thou art a man of conscience But woe unto us we sojourne in Mesech our habitations are in Kedar we live among such as are enimies to conscience yea open and professed enimies unto it yea the very naming of conscience is very hatefull unto them aske them where their conscience is and they will desperately answer what tell you me of conscience Conscience say they was hanged long ago But let me tell thee thou wretched Belialist that saiest that conscience is hang'd wast thou the Hangman If so then know God will be avenged on thee for this cruell act he will one day revive conscience and then assure thy selfe thy conscience will hang thee But hear me thou foolish man that thus talkest of hanging conscience thou speakest not only prophanely but most ignorantly thinkest thou it is in the power of any man to hang conscience know thou it is impossible the worke is too hard for all the hangmen in the world The Hangman may hang thee as he did Haman or thou mayest hang thy selfe as did Judas but neither he nor thou art able to offer such violence to conscience Wer'st thou to live as long as Methusalem it will outlive thee go where thou wilt it will go with thee nec fugere nec fugare poteris go up to Heaven or go downe to Hell 't will never leave thee nor forsake thee Againe I find some who are so maliciously bent against conscience that they resolve if they cannot hang conscience they will beat out her teeth and pluck out her tongue so that she shall neither bite nor barke if the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life if all the pleasures of sin will do it they will surely effect it They will call for the harp with Saul for their Cup with Nabal and their Harlot with Herod and all to drowne the cryes and complaints of conscience but let me tell such that thus labour to make conscience dumb possible it is that by a long custome in sin or greedy practice of it men may prevaile so far as to silence her for the present so that she shall not speak but know this though you keep conscience from speaking yet not from writing she will act the part of a Recorder and Register put downe exactly every daies deviations and aberrations and when shee sees her time will produce her Bill and read it aloud making thine eares to tingle now a lie and then an oath this time drunkennesse that time uncleanesse such a day thou tookest away thy Brothers goods by oppression and theevery another day his good name by slaunder and calumny In fine the Bill will be so bigg so black that thou wilt not be able to endure to heare it read And then thy conscience whom thou hast thus wronged will be avenged for all her wrongs and act the part of a Judge a Jaylour and a Tormentour and joine with her God in that black and most just sentence take him bind him hand and foot and cast him into utter darknesse where there shall be nothing but weeping wailing gnashing of teeth and that for ever Oh consider this ye that abuse Conscience lest she teare you in pieces when none shall deliver you 3. Use of Conviction unto all Atheisticall persons that dare say with their tongue or in their heart there is no God Tell me thou Atheist hast thou a conscience in thee and yet no God over thee how can this be if thou wilt suffer thy selfe to be lead by common reason thou then wilt be forced to say there is a God Consider the operation of thy conscience if it be not seared and thou shalt find that upon some grosse sin it will be a witnesse and give testimony against thee but to whom to men or Angels that cannot be for they cannot heare the voice of conscience nor receive consciences testimony neither can they see what is in the heart of man It remains therefore that there is a spirituall substance most wise most holy most mighty that sees knows all things to whom conscience beares record and that is God himselfe Let Atheists bark against this as long as they will they have that in them that will convince them of the truth of the Godhead will they nill they either in life or death Let the dreaming Atheist consider the great affliction that that severe Governesse of the life of man brings upon their soules by affrighting horrors of Conscience by puzzeling and befooling them in the free use of their Reason by curbing them in their naturall and kindly injoyments in the life present and making bitter all the pleasures and contentment of it by some checks of Conscience by anxious cares and disquieting feares concerning their state in the life to come Besides those ineffable agonies of mind dampes and deadnesse of spirit that they sometimes undergoe so that to be buried quick were lesse torture by far then such dark heart-sinking privations of all the joyes of life And they cannot chuse did they not shut their eyes against the light but see that there is a superintendent principle over nature which is all one as to confesse that there is a God If thou be not convinced by the working of thine owne
as Ten. So conscience may be past feeling Ephes 4 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remorselesse Stupid like a member that is benumm'd and hath no sense in it as the word signifies like a dead man that feeles not the heaviest Burden that is laid on him But when it is awakned Oh that Infinite unexpressable torments that will surround thy pretious soule At thy Right hand thy sins will be accusing thee At thy Left hand Infinite Devills expecting thee Vnder thee the fulnesse of hell burning Above thee an Angry Judg and within thee hty Conscience tormenting So that to live will be a torment to dye will be an Hell Yea God himselfe will rowse it up if not by his word as he did Ahabs Conscience or by his rod as he did Pharaohs yet by his terrible presence when thou shalt stand before his Tribunall then shalt thou call unto the mountaines to fall upon thee and the Hills to cover thee from the presence of the Lord Yea then shall thy conscience like a vulture gnaw upon thy heart and like a Scorpion sting thy very soule and that rigorouslie without Commsseration constantly without intermission and continually without cessation then shalt thou feele that worme that never dyeth and that fire that never goeth out Oh therefore do not content thy selfe which a false peace but labour for the peace which God approveth give no rest to thine eyes or slumber unto thine eye lids before thou hast gotten a good conscience namely A Conscience both purified and pacified by the bloud and spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 6.11 3. Use for Comfort to such as have tried and upon a truetryall have found themselves to be enriched with this precious Iewel namely a good conscience let such magnifie God say the Lord hath dealt most bountifullie with me praised be his great Name for his uuspeakable gift Elkanah could say to Hannah that he was better unto her then ten sonnes But thy good conscience may truly say to the that she is better then ten thousand sonnes then a world of earthlie freinds for under God and his Christ conscience is the friend of friends the truest sweetest constanst and most faithfull friend 1. The truest Friend which will deale most truly with thee earthly Frinds come short both in reproofes and comforts they doe what they do by halfe speak a little to thy face but more behind thy back and many times deale untruly with thee when thou doest good they will say thou doest evill and when thou doest evill They will say well done but thy good conscience will not do so will not daub with untempered morter nor call good evill nor evill good but will deal very plainly with thee accusing thee when thou doest ill and so excusing thee when thou doest well 2. The sweetest friend Phil. 4. that will make thee ever merry and alwaies rejoyce to laugh under the whip to sing in the stocks to joy even then when thy goods are spoyled yea in the sharpe tryalls to rejoyce that thou art accounted worthy to suffer for Christ and to Compleat thy Joy thy Conscience will feast thee nor once or twise but every day it will be a continuall feast unto thee 3. The constanst friend In time of distresse when carnall friends fayle thee this will abide with thee Art thou in disgrace which men hated traduced accused condemned do the Abjects mock thee the drunkards make songs upon thee do Beliaste charge thee with lies and Falsities doth Tertullus withall his Art render thee an odious and pestilent fellow Againe do thy own friends account thee an hypocrite as Iobs friends did him and the world value thee as the filth and of-scouring of all things Job 16.19 yet comfort thy selfe in this that thy testimony is on high and thy witnesse in heaven yea thy witnesse is on earth in thine owne conscience say with Job not with standing all their spite and lies against me I will hold fast my righteousnesse and will not let it go Job 27.6 my conscience shal not reproach me whilst I live 4. The faithfull'st friend that will help at a pinch and when thou art in greatest need Job tells us that he had friends but they were unfaithfull They deceived him as a brook deceiveth the wearie and thirstie Traveller he comes unto it in Summer to quench his thirst and then behold it is dried up againe he seeks unto it in the Winter season and then behold it is frozen so that he is still disappointed of his hope Thus deale my unfaithfull friends with me saith Job when I have most need of their help then they faile me Job 6.15 Solomon compares such to a broken Tooth Prov. 25.19 and a foot out of joynt which will surely deceive such as trust unto them for when they go to eate their tooth will hinder them or when to walke their foot will paine them and so to be of no use or profit unto them But a good Conscience is no such false friend no thou mayest trust unto it in the greatest pressures in times of disgrace poverty sicknesse death and judgment when all forsake thee then will thy conscience like a faithfull Jonathan stand by thee Ruth 1.17 Ruth's resolution to stick to Naomi in all changes was more then ordinary to tell her that nothing but death should part them But here behold a better freind death shall not part thee and thy Conscience she will be with thee in sicknesse and in health in life and death in judgment and before Gods Tribunall Therefore rejoice and let thy God be ever magnified 4. Use is to exhort all such as have not this Heartejewell of a good conscience to labour above all things for the enjoyment of it This is that unum necessarium though generally neglected Every man voluntarily of himselfe desires a good Wife good Children good Servants good Cloathes good houses yea all good but as for a good conscience which is worth all and without which all these outward blessings will be but so many curses unto us yet alas how carelesse are most in the getting of the one how earnest and laborious in the other Let me therefore advise you in the first place to labour for a good conscience so shall all these outward blessings be sweetned unto you Now that you may not be deceived in this rich commodity I will briefly shew you what it is A good conscience is a conscience both purified and pacisied What a good Conscience is mistake me not I deny not but that Conscience may be good if only purified but it cannot be well compleated except it be also pacified for without this latter there is many a sad soule so troubled that they will not beleive they have what indeed they have viz. a good Conscience They are so far from Pauls assurance of a good conscience that they rather beleive their consciences to be very evill and defiled Therefore strive to get
Cor. 5.18 yea as one saith it is Gods proclamation and our Charter of peace containing the largest concessions of peace It is Gods act of oblivion and his act of indemnity Scheffeeld on conse p. 42. 2. Meanes of pacifying conscience is faith As the conscience cannot speak peace with Gods allowance before it be purged so not peace after it is purged without faith This is a grace that will doe both i. e. purify and pacify 1. That faith will purify is cleer Act. 15.9 Faith purgeth the heart and cleanseth the conversation 2. That it will also pacify this appeares Rom. 5.1 Being justifyed by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ Peace is the daughter of faith This is that Dove that brings an Olive branch of peace in its mouth aed presents God a pacified and reconciled father unto us O how sweet is that peace which faith breeds It is a Christians heaven upon earth A bunch of Grapes that growes on the true Vine joy in life peace at death prosperity in adversity staffe in affliction ankere in desperation therefore Christ calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Anticipation of heaven 3. The third and last subservient meanes is Repentance The Apostle tells us our consciences must be purged from dead workes Heb. 9.14 and we must have repentance from dead workes We must still acknowledge that it is the bloud of Christ that must purge our consciences from dead workes and so worke peace yet know this that this peace is not wrought in our apprehension neither do we feele this faith without further act Therefore to our faith must be joined repentance though not making of our peace yet for the feeling of this peace Let us now then breifly enumerate the causes principle and lesse principle 1. Christs bloud procuring 2. Christs spirit producing 3. His word proclaiming 4. Faith assuming 5. Repentance declaring and evidencing All these in their order not in a way of coordination but in a way of subordination do effect the sweet peace of conscience which passeth all understanding Phil. 4.7 And is the sweetest companion that ever accompanied man in this vale of mortality Hitherto of the goodnesse of Conscience and how it becomes good namely by the bloud and spirit of Christ whereby it is both purified and pacified In the next place I must commend unto you these 3 things as specially to be minded and endeavoured by you 1. Having of Conscience 2. Holding of Conscience 3. Well using of Conscience 1. First let it be your speciall care to have this good conscience and that you may have it take these few directions 1. Be senseable of the want of it albeit naturally we are all destitute of this jewell yet very few complaine for want of it Some are pure in their owne eyes Prov. 30.12 yet were never purged from their filthinesse their consciences as defiled as ever Others openly profane and wicked that adde drunkennesse to thirst yet when a curse is pronounced against them they will blesse themselves saying we shall have peace I must say to such they are whole need not the Physician Thele are not as yet in a capacity of receiving this blessing Therefore I advise you first to see the filthinesse of your consciences how defiled with ignorance error and hardinesse and having seen it with the leper confesse it and say Master I am uncleane I am uncleane when thy disease is knowne the cure is halfe wrought Tit. 1.15 therefore I say by all meanes to see how thy soule and conscience is defiled 2. Seek out an able Physician that can cure thee thinke not to find him here on earth thou must go to heaven for him it is God that first made thy conscience and he alone it is that can remake it and therefore addresse thy selfe unto him humbly and faithfully acknowledging his power and in the lepers phrase expresse the desire of thy heart and say Master if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane And to quicken thee in this I will say unto thee as the Disciples unto the blind man go he calleth thee Mark 10.49 1. Christs invitation Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you All ye that more and more feel the burden of sin and can find no way to remove it come you all to me and I will ease you of your burden of sin past Ps 32.1 and free you from servitude of it hereafter Sin shall not have dominion over you Rom. 6.14 Therefore as blind Bartimeus when Christ called him forthwith cast off his garment rose up and went to Christ so thou who hast an evill conscience make no delay shake off all impediments and run to Christ the true Phisitian and he will heale thee of thy disease and give thee a pure and peaceable conscience There is water enough in Iordan there is balme enopugh in Gilead to poure into your wounds And there is a Phisitian there too and desires thee to come and will heale thee without money or moneyes worth T is but looking on this brazen serpent and be whole 2. Motive His promise is to cure thee he hath said he will give thee on heart put a new spirit into thee take away thy stony heart out of thy flesh Ezek. 11.18 19. and give thee an heart of flesh Now what is this lesse then to cure thy soule and conscience therefore thou mayest boldly go unto the Lord plead the covenant between God and thee tell him thou hast it to shew under his hand and so hold him to his promise Lord thou hast said thou wilt give me a new heart a new conscience therefore Lord create in me a new heart and renew a pure conscience within me let old things be done away and let all things become new 3. Direction is to observe what thy Phisitian shall advise thee his directions are plainly set downe in his large Phisick book namely the book of Scriptures there thou shalt find what thy disease is the nature and symptomes of it the meanes to cure it also what diet thou must keep in the time of thy disease to be freed from it and what diet afterwards to prevent a relapse Take heed therefore when thy great Phisitian hath advised thee what meanes to use to take off this leprousy from thy soule Doe not slight it as Naaman did Elisha's advice about the leprousy of his body when he advised him to wash in Jordan and be cured the text saith he was wroth 2 King 5.9.10 preferring his owne waters of Abanah and Pharpar rivers of Damascus as better then all the waters of Israel Take heed bee not wiser then thy Doctor credas medico ut valeas follow his directions and thou shalt be healed Eate and live wash and be cleane Thus far by way of preparative proceed we now unto the Physick it selfe in which we find many simples compounded as Naturals and Spirituals added 1. We
with the worst tit 1.15 yea my very soule and conscience was defiled But blessed by my good God that hath striken Covenant with me in my blessed Saviour Christ Jesus Ezek. 11.19 hath put into me a new Spirit given me a heart of flesh and hath changed this defiled conscience Heb. 9.14 into a pure conscience a conscience both purified and pacified by the bloud and spirit of Christ Col. 1.20 My greatest foe is now become my greatest friend a most true friend that will not flatter me but deale plainly with me a most sweet freind that will comfort me in the saddest and darkest times and seasons yea a friend that will make me to laugh under the whip Sing when my feet are in the stocks and rejoyce when I fall into many Temptations In a word a most constant friend that will never leave me nor forsake me neither in this life nor in the life to come Death may part Naomi and Ruth David and Jonathan but death shall never parte thee and thy conscience she will be with the in reproach and povertie in sicknesse and distresse in prison and restraint in lyfe in death in Judgment and before Gods Tribunall Oh therefore relate thy happie and blessed change unto others that so thou and they may unanimously prayse God Soe shall thy God be magnified and thine owne thankfull heart reallie and faithfull expressed 2 Use to such as have a good conscience to be such a friend unto them that they would be very Carefull to deale friendly with this friend It is Solomons Advise Prov. 18.24 That he that hath friends must deale friendly and that there is a friend that sticketh closer then a Brother Now conscience is this close friend let Father Mother Husband Wife Child and Neigbour all leave thee This friend will never leave thee nor forsake thee as I told thee formerly Oh therefore deale friendly with thy Conscience give not the least offence unto her but remember she is very tender and will be senble of the least wrong or injury done unto her The Injurie of a friend doth stick closer then the wrong of an Enimie David could say had it been an Enimie that had done me this wrong I could have borne it but it was thou my friend Ps 41.9 yea my familiar friend we tooke sweet counsell Ps 55.13 Take heed therefore do neither disuse conscience nor misuse conscience 1 I say doe not disuse consciene by estraunging thy selfe from her and refusing her Advise and counsell 2 Doe not misuse her 1 Some by making her a cloak for any erroneous opinion or sinfull practice as too to many doe in these our daies who dare to set Gods Image and Supscription upon their owne base coine Are there not many amongst us who impudently and blasphemously affirme that their Mission Message Doctrine and Spirit are all of God They will tell you they are sent of God the Doctrine they teach is the mind and will of God The Spirit by which they teach Is 8.20 it is the Spirit of God But come you to the law and to the testimonie consult the word of God and you shall find there is no light in them They are very Traytors to the King of heaven abusing his Image and Superscription read but the 23 of Jer. and 13 of Ezek. and you shall find that notwithstanding their great Braggs they are but grosse impostours and seducers God tels them He never sent them never spake unto them calls them Dreamers whose Doctrine is but chaffe and their Spirit is not Gods Spirit but their own proud lying and deluding spirit 2. Others make conscience a Cloak for ungodly practices that they may the more clossely oppresse defraud and injure others to the satisfying of their ambitious lusts and Covetous desires such were the Scribs Pharisees of old of whom our Saviour gives us a Caveat that wee beware of them and then describes them that people might the better know them They are men saith Christ that carrie a great shew of Pyetie and holinesse they pray Math. 23.14 yea make long prayers and performe other godlie exercises Luk. 20.46 and all this they doe not syncerely but hypocritically that they may the more easily devoure widdowes houses and consume their estates who entertaine them and doubtles many such there are amongst us at this time who have very faire pretences for most foule practices as Jezabel had who was never more zealous in prayer and fasting then when she intended to to take away the life and livelihood of innocent Naboth now what are these but great abusers of Conscience 3. To these I may Adde a third sort who having abused conscience by some ungodly Art of whordome drunkennesse blasphemy or the like will call for mercy and so be friends It is reported of Lewes the eleventh King of France that he wore in his Hat a Crucifix and when at any time he had blasphemed God or acted any wickednesse He would presently take downe his Crucifix and Kisse it and then he had thought he had made satisfaction for all wrongs even so is it amongst us There are many when they have done any thing against their conscience thinke it enough to Kisse Conscience and cry God have mercy and all is well but let me tell such they are enimies to conscience and let them be assured that at last they will find Conscience an enimie to them yea their greatest enimie Not only a witnesse But their Judge and Tormentor Use of Exhortatiō unto all to be very carefull how they deale with Conscience not to dare to injure it in the least degree conscience I must tell you is verie tender soone sensible of the least wrong if therefore you will hold friendship with her you must resolve to be tender also and that with an holy tendernesse I say an holy tendernesse and the rather because there is too much tendernesse in the world which is very hatefull unto a good Conscience 1. Some are very ready for the practice of sin Unholy Tendernesse but they are so tender as they cannot endure the least touch of reproofe for sin They are like those whole bodies being full of boyles and botches cry out unto such as come neer them Oh do not touch me and all because of the soares and and the ulcers they beare about them Thus is it which many a wicked man and woman who having many ulcers of sin running upon them will not indure their Christian friends nor yet their faithful ministers and Teachers but cry out like those in Isaiah who said to the seers see not to the prophets prephesie not unto us right things but speak smooth things Is 30.10 prophesy deceit They cannot indure to heare the truth of God but a lie not to have Gods Judgmēts threatned but themselves to be slattered though it turne unto their owne ruine Such tender persons were Amaziah the prince 2