Act. 23.1 I have in all good conscience walked before God which 1 Tim. 3.9 is called Act. 24.16 a pure conscience And by our Saviour in the Parable of the seed it s called a good and an honest heart which is expressed by a Religious and honest conversation In this sense it is here taken 3. Holding or Having 3. What is meant by Holding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having is the word but being of the Present Tense it implies a continued Act and so is well rendered by Holding first get it and have it then hold it yea more significantly Tit. 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holding fast the faithful word according to doctrine c. 4. The next word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having put away 4. Put away which signifies an act not of ignorance or infirmity but knowingly and willingly to refuse or reject the dictates of conscience repellentes repelling or rejecting the verdict of it The same word is used Act. 7.27 Act. 13.46 Put it from you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of the man that quarrelled with Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he thrust him away It imports a kind of violence offered to conscience by walking contrary to it 5. The last word considerable is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. Made shipwrack have made shipwrack a Metaphor taken as I said from Mariners or Seafaring men who when the Ship is broken or sunk lose the Merchandize therein contained So that Faith or the Truth of the Gospel is the Merchandize a good Conscience is the Ship Faith is the Jewel a good conscience is the Cabinet Faith is the Treasure a good conscience is the Chest or Treasury If the Ship Cabinet Chest miscarry the Merchandize Iewel Treasure cannot be safe The full sense and sum is this 3. The sum of words If thou O Timothy wilt war a good warfare or fulfill thy Seafare with comfort and commendation Hold fast Faith that is the Truth of the Gospel but especially hold fast a good conscience which is the Ship or Cabinet for that being lost or put away the Faith will be lost inevitably as the sad and lamentable example of some Himeneus and Alexander doth manifest who having put a good conscience away concerning the Faith have made Shipwrack The words being thus explained hold out unto us The Observation made good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrs in locum this observation which I shall deliver in Chrysostomes words upon the place A corrupt and a culpable life breeds a corrupt judgement an unsound heart makes an unsound head if a man put away a good conscience he will soon make Shipwrack of the Faith As the conscience cannot be good unless the Faith be pure so the Faith cannot be safe unless the conscience be good Without knowledge the minde is not good Prov. 19.2 A corrupt judgement makes a corrupt life or conscience and a corrupt conscience will soon corrupt the Faith which was thus we shall make good 1. From Scripture 1. By parallel places of Scripture we have the like in a lesser degree in this very Chapter vers 5 6 7. The end of the commandment is Love out of a pure heart good conscience and faith unfained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which pure heart good conscience c. some having swerved from have turned to vain janglings The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Metaphor taken from Archers who mistake their aime and so miss the mark The meaning is some desiring to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctors or teachers of the Law not levelling or aiming at purity of heart and a good conscience c. they have begun to decline from the Truth being turned to vain janglings What is that Fables and endless or useless genealogies which breeds questions rather then Godly edifying which is by faith vers 4. These vain disputations as they take men off from practical Truths so they do by little and little corrupt the truth To the like purpose the Apostle prescribes this as a preservative of the Faith chap. 3.9 to his Deacons Holding the mystery of the Faith in a pure Conscience Pure faith will not abide but in a pure conscience as the Doves a cleanly creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will not abide but in a clean house And on the contrary see 1 Tim. 6.5 these two go together Men of corrupt minds that is conscience destitute or deprived of the truth He had said before vers 3. If any man teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholsome words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness In the 4 and 5 verses he gives the reason of that corrupting the Faith partly his pride he is puffed up partly his ignorance acquired perhaps he knoweth nothing but dotes about questions and partly yea chiefly He is a man of a corrupt mind and therefore justly deprived of the knowledge of the truth The very like expression is in 2 Tim. 3.8 speaking of seducers of themselves and others that lead captive simple women he shewes the reason of both They seduce others whom such as have lost or never had a good conscience Simple women laden with sins and led about with divers lusts They are themselves seduced upon the same ground men of corrupt mindes then follows reprobate concerning the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men that have lost their judgement concerning the Truth of the Gospel And vers 13. he sayes Evil men and seducers wax worse and worse not onely in life but also in judgement for so it follows deceiving and being deceived 1 Tim. 6.5 Supposing that gain is godliness through covetousness First their life corrupts their judgement and their judgement again corrupts their life It s strange to consider how far a mans judgement may be corrupted by a bad conscience and wicked conversation Take but one place Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart there is no God How comes it to pass that a man should be so grosly corrupted in so clear a principle The works of God proclaim a God Rom. 1.19 That which may be known of God c. How come men to think there is no God the reason follows Corrupt are they and become abhominable in their doings c. This is rendred as a reason why the Prophets and Priests corrupted the Law of God Zeph. 3.4 Her Prophets are light and treacherous persons her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have done violence to The Law More might be added but these may suffice for instances We shall now manifest it further 2. By Reasons How comes it to pass 2. By Reasons that the corruption of the heart or life hath such influence to corrupt the head or judgement in the plain Truthes of the Gospel Take these 1. Sinful lusts allowed and lived in hinder spiritual light and saving knowledge Lusts are like scales upon the eyes 1. Sinful lusts hinder spiritual light
That a corrupt heart makes a corrupt head An unsound heart makes an unsound judgement Let us now proceed to the Application 5. Application Use 1. To shew the Depravation of our Nature 1. Take notice of the miserable and lamentable Depravation of our nature since our first Father affected too much knowledge to be like God knowing good and evil We are now our own worst enemies and our corruptions begins at our selves It is a question yet no great question Whither Adams understanding or his affections were first corrupted This is certain that both wayes now we are subject to corruption Sometimes the head corrupts the heart A corrupt judgement corrupts the affections Without sound knowledge the minde is not good Prov. 19.2 Sometimes the heart affections or conscience corrupt the judgement As it is in nature there is a mutual influx or influence of the head upon the stomack by distillations of ill humors and of the stomack upon the head by ascension of ill somes or vapors and both wayes the health of the body is endangered So is it in the soul a corrupt head or an ill principled judgement corrupts the heart and life evil doctrines as evil words corrupt good manners like Gangrens that eat and fret away the vitals of Religion and the power of Godliness The Apostle was speaking of some that were infected with this cursed principle That there should be no resurrection What influence would this doctrine have upon the heart and life See vers 32. Let us eat and drink for to morrow we dye and there an end of us and all Be not deceived sayes he evil communications evil doctrinal principles corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15.33 The judgement thus corrupted corrupts the heart and life And contrarily a corrupt heart or life corrupts the head some evil practises sophisticate the judgement and both wayes the health and salvation of the soul is hazarded Use 2. To manifest the Reason of the prevalence of of errors at all times 2. We may cease to wonder for we see the reason why seducers prevail so much upon people and why the Church in all times hath been pestered with so much error and false opinions The hearts and lives of men corrupt their heads and judgements Not to look too far back into the Primitive times see it of latter dayes in the prevalence of Popery upon the world The Apostle foretold it should come to pass in the last dayes 1 Tim. 4.1 The spirit speaketh evidently that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and shall give heed no errors and doctrines of divels which speak lies through hypocrisie What 's the occasion of it Having their consciences seared with an hote iron Their consciences were scorched and seared with grose sins and then they corrupted the faith to heal them whole again So 2 Thess 2.10 Because they received not the love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusion that they should believe a lye vers 12. They believed not the truth Why because they had pleasure in unrighteousness We wondered of late times to see so many not simple people onely but learned Clerks and Rabbies to turn Pâ—pists Arminians Cosin-germanes of Papists we needed not if we had considered that their hearts were gone to Rome before and now their heads followed after Were they well examined many of them it would be found they first put away a good conscience before they made shipwrack of the Faith their hearts betrayed their heads Many of them were it s known they were covetous ambitious voluptuous and Popery hath baits of all sorts to catch them that great Harlot and mother of fornications hath a golden cup full of preferments profits pleasures and this made mens heads drunk and giddy to embrace the grossest errors obsurdities for truths Look upon these present times and see what defection from the Faith there is and what sad Apostacy from the old received Truths is to be found amongst us and that not of the common ignorant multitude though they are a daily prâ—y to seducers but of old professors who had not onely knowledge in the word as they thought but also a form of godliness in the worst times Our Church of England I mean the professing party in it seemed to me not long ago as a fair great looking glass wherein was represented one onely Image a sweet unanimity and uniformity in judgement and affections But now Oh pitty it s like the same glass broken into many pieces and every one presenting a several Image in so many sects and factions almost as men What may be the matter Truely I think mens hearts have betrayed their heads They had a form and but a form of Godliness denying the power thereof allowing themselves in some open or secret corruption and now justly delivered over to self-pleasing and self-deceiving errors Have you not seen in Summer time upon a tree an Apple or a Pear red and yellow-ripe afore all its fellows Come next morning and you find it on the ground What was the matter Why there was a worm as opening you find at the Core which sucking up all the moysture hastaned the outward ripening and drew away that very sap that should have preserved it on the tree So is it with many professors that in outward shews outrun many times sincere and honest hearted Coristians making a more glorious shew of knowledge and practise then other of their neighbors the stony ground brought forth fruit immediately the good ground with patience but there 's a worme of some lust within that eats out the heart of Religion hypocrisie hastening on to ripeness of profession and then they fall off from the Faith to error It were easie to instance in almost all the present errors and heterodoxe opinions of the times they are oftentimes entertained upon this very ground because they comply with and favor some open or secret lust The Apostle speaking of some novel opinions of those Primitive times so early they began calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profane as well as vain bablings 2 Tim. 2.16 and sayes they grow to more ungodliness Mark it they suppose and finde profane and ungodly hearts and make them more profane and ungodly hearts that intertain them Do we not see the open looseness of many formerly professing hypocrites as the event discovers Do we not wonder at such and such zealous professors turned not onely erroneous in their judgements but loose and far more licentious in their lives since they fell to these new opinions Take but some few instances of taking opinions which in their very nature are suitable to some mens corruptions I told you heretofore of Hymeneus and Philetus who fell into a gross error Saying that the Resurrection was past already 2 Tim. 2.17 18. And the doctrine took exceedingly Whose words fretted like a Gangrene and overturned and subverted the faith of some And have not we the same errors revived now of
Church There must be heresies that these that are approved may be known The men that shall be discovered are largely described 2 Tim. 3.1 Lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud c. lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God Yet vers 5. Having a form or figure of godliness but denying the power thereof There are many already faln away to believe lies and strong delusions upon those corrupt practises and assure your selves you that are such will not be long after them if God put not a stop to the seducers of the times Let no man say Am I a dogge that I should fall to such gross opinions such horrid blasphemies such Ranting practises Assure thy self thy corrupt heart will easily corrupt thy head If men be openly vitious or secretly hypocritical and withhold the truth in unrighteousness it is not more ordinary 2 Thess 2.11 12. then just with God to give them up to believe a lie that all they may be damned that believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness And they that cannot endure sound doctrine the old wholesome truths because it suites not with their lusts 2 Tim. 4.3 4. it is just with God that as they turn their ears from the truth so they shall be given unto fables That any secret or open hypocrites are not yet seduced they may thank the providence of God that hath preserved them from the opportunities of Temptations Heb. 3.12 and not their own strength An evil heart of unbelief will cause men to depart from the living God Look to it Christians that you be sincere and keep a good conscience if not these are winnowing and discovering times you will ere long I dare be your Prophet you will ere long make shipwrack of the faith Avolent quantum volent paleae istae levis fidei c. I le say no more of this but in Tertullians words Let the chaff flye away as much as it will the wheat will be the more in the floor of God and we shall be the fitter for a Reformation Use 4. A caution to people whom they trust in matters of Religion Mat. 7.16 4. This may serve for Caution a fair warning to people to take heed whom they trust in matters of Faith and Religion Beloved sayes Saint John 1 Joh. 4.1 believe not every spirit but try the spirits whither they are of God for many false spirits are gone out into the world How shall we try them By their fruits you shall know them Take heed of crediting too much those men those Teachers whom you see loose and corrupt in their lives and given over to Liberty or rather licentiousness It s twenty to one they are or will be unsound in their Judgements who are unsound in their practise at least in that particular wherein they allow themselves Will any man ask the advice or rest upon the Judgement of a Covetous man concerning Vsury Or of a voluptuous man concerning Temperance and chastity Or of a Libertine concerning strictness of conversation c. Nay it is just with God when Teachers are corrupted in their lives in any one of those or the like lusts to give them up to errors in judgement to blind their own eyes and so let them be blind leaders of the blind It s true indeed sometimes false Prophets come in sheeps clothing the greatest seducers and Hereticks have been men visible of very strict lives that its hard for people to discover them without very serious observation Yet a diligent watchful eye may do much The Scribes and Pharisees had a very devout and Saint-like profession But yet our Saviour both discerned and discovered them by a more spiritual sin if I may so call it that is by their pride They prayed fasted gave alms devoutly frequently charitably but all to be seen of men pride and popularity was their lust and corruption And this was very visible in the Ancient Hereticks very proud and scornful Thus they say Augustine the Monke that was sent over into England was discovered by the advice of an holy Hermite not to be a man of God And this vice is visible to half an eye in many of our new Teachers and many of their followers they are a proud and scornful generation undervaluing and trampling upon the reputation of the most not onely learned but pious and Godly Ministers of the former and present times I say no more By their fruits you shall know them Take heed whom you trust 5. The last Use shall be for Exhortation to all Use 5. Exhortation to all both Ministers and people To be careful to hearken to the Apostles charge to Timothy To hold Faith and a good Conscience together and as we desire or intend not to make shipwrack of the Faith so to see that we keep a good Conscience As you tender the preservation of the Jewel look well to the Cabinet the better heart the better head For the more profitable pressing home of this Doctrine give me leave to enlarge my self a little First by a more particular d scovery of some special corruptiâ—ns which experimentally Shipwrack the Faith Secondly by urging some special motives to people and Ministers Thirdly by prescribing some directions to preserve from Apostacy 1. The special corruptions By discovering some special corruptions as 1. Covetousness that most endanger the Faith to corrupt our Judgements are these 1. Covetousness nothing worse to corrupt the Faith then an heart exercised with covetousness as the Apostle Peter speaks and notes it for one of the vices of false Teachers 2 Pet. 2.1 3. Through covetousness shall they with fained words make merchandize of you with 14 15. Which forsaking the right way have gone astray following the way of Balaam which loved the wages of unrighteousness So Saint Paul expresly The love of money is the root of all evil which while some have lusted after they have erred concerning the Faith 1 Tâ—m 6.10 So he describes those Cretian seducers Tit. 1.10 11. There are many disobedient and vain talkers and deceivers which subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre sake And therefore he prescribed this as one necessary qualification both of his Bishop or Presbyter for both are one vers 5. with 7. and also of his Deacon that they be not given to filthy lucre not covetous 1 Tim. 2.3 to this end that he may hold fast the faithful word Tit. 1.9 Implying that if he be such he would soon corrupt the Faith The holding of the Faith may cost him the loss of all his estate Will a covetous heart suffer that The Prophet Jeremy saw the experience of this in his time Jer. 6.13 14. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness and from the Prophet to the Priest every one dealeth falsly Wherein In the Faith so it follows They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people
knowledge or his heart with holiness Why this required That he may hold the mystery of the Faith in a pure conscience vers 9. Because wine is a mocker Prov. 20.1 that is a deceiver and takes away the heart that is his wisdom If you will see how far look Hos 4.11 12. Whoredome another sin of the voluptuous and wine and new wine takes away the heart that is the underderstanding to run into the grossest and most unreasonable Idolatry My people ask counsel at their stocks and their staffe declareth unto them for the spirit of whordome hath caused them to erre and they have gone a whoring from under their God That 's a famous place to this purpose Isa 28.7 But also they have erred through wine and through strong drink are out of the way the Priest and the Prophet have erred through strong drink they are swallowed up of wine they are out of the way through strong drink they erre in vision they stumble in judgement See also Isa 56.10 12. Her watchmen are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumbe dogs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber Come ye say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant I will conclude this with one place more an instance of an idle Non-resident Prophet or Minister Zech. 11.17 Wo to the idle shepherd that hath eyes and sees not c. that leaves the flock The unconscionable Minister that for his ease pleasure and idleness neglects his Ministry and people What shall be his punishment The sword shall he upon his arme and upon his right eye his arme shall be clean dryed up and his right eye shall be utterly darkened Experience of former times verifies this 4. Timerousness 4. Timerâ—usness and fearfulness in corrupt and persecuting times often betrayes the judgement unto compliance at least with the errors of the times There were some false Apostles that preached for Circumcision and the observation of the Law of Moses together with the Gospel telling the people that unless they were circumcised they could not be saved Act. 15. This was a very gross perverting and corrupting of the Gospel of Christ What was it that thus mislead and seduced them partly to please and comply with others of that way and opinion but chiefly their fearfulness to suffer for the truth of the Gospel So the Apostle resolves it Gal. 6.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh that is to please and not offend the Jews strictly cleaving to their old Law and Religion they constrain you to be circumcised onely least they should suffer persecution for the Cross of Christ The same did in part betray Peter and Barnabas into dissimulation of the truth that they did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keep the right path of the truth of the Gospel Gal. 2.14 the reason is given vers 12. For before that certaine came from James he and Barnabas did eat with the Gentiles but when they were come he withdrew and separated himself fearing mark that fearing them of the circumcision Fear of men wil betray mens judgements into error How many in the Primitive times turned Arrians for fear of that persecution under the Arrian Bishops and Emperors How many in the Marian times turned to be Papists for fear of persecution And in the later times How many turned aside to Arminian doctrine and Popish superstitions partly for favor and preferment and partly for fear of the frowns and displeasure of some in higher places To shut up this As any lust allowed and lived in with the loss of a good conscience will corrupt the Judgement So especially these four instanced in covetousness ambition voluptuousness Timerousness Against all which let me leave this to your serious consideration It is the opinion and Judgement of many learned judicious and Godly Divines Rev. 11. that the Witnesses spoken of in the Revelation are not yet but are shortly to be slain and that then Antichrist will once more for a time prevail over the Reformed Churches with the hottest persecution that ever the Churches felt which if it come to pass as God forbid for we are not fitted for sufferings let all our loose professors and Protestants at large who allow themselves to live in their open or secret lusts and all those who are covetous ambitious voluptuous timerous in special know that they will without more grace from God as surely turn Papists as now they profess Protestant Their hearts will betray their heads Their wrack of conscience now will then shipwrack the Faith That 's the first 2. In the second place I shall press home 2. The motiveâ— the exhortation of the Apostle here Hold faith and a good conscience in the words of Solomon Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence or as the original hath it Above all keeping keep thy heart thy conscience Deer Christians let it be your greatest study not to keep your estates honors liberties lives but your hearts and consciences upon the reason implyed in the text because that 's the onely way to keep the Faith I shall not go far for motives having store in and about the text onely for methods sake I shall divide them into a double stream betwixt you the people of God and us Ministers 1. To the people of God and indeed to all above all keeping keeping your hearts and consciences pure 1. To all the people of God by 4 things I shall follow the Metaphor of the text which speaks of a Shipwrack Here four particulars 1. From the richness of the merchandize or Jewel 1. The richness of the merchandize the Faith wherewith your Ship your conscience is loaden and betrusted It is the Faith that is as you heard the Truth the Truth of the Gospel the Faith once and but once delivered to the Saints Jude vers 3 which he exhorts all Prov. 23.23 earnestly to contend for To the same purpose Solomon the wisest of meer men cryes Buy the truth but sell it not Buy it at any price as he the pearl Mat. 13. but sell it at no price one ray of this Faith this Truth is more worth then all the world See Prov. 3.13 14 other merchandize cannot but this will certainly make you for ever Happy Hear what wisdom it self sayes Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandize thereof is better then the merchandize of silver and the gain thereof then fine gold She is more precious then Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her Length of dayes are in her right hand in her left riches and honor her wayes are wayes of pleaâ—â—ntness and all her paths are peace She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her and happy is every one that
retaineth her How careful are your merchants of the meanest commodities if but Corn or Coals c. to see them safe shipped in a good ship much more if loaden with precious merchandize Silk and Velvets Silver and Gold and precious stones would any wise man trust these in a rotten leaking Ship The application is easily made Faith is this Jewel your consciences are the Ship if you desire to bring your Treasure safe to land have a care of the Ship your conscience that it be sound and safe If you put away a good conscience you must needs make shipwrack of the Faith this incomparable Jewel That 's the first consideration 2. The Ship it self is next considerable A good ship is long in making 2. The goodness of the ship a good conscience great pains and costs in rearing and rigging of it and the use and comfort of it in a long and hard Seafare is of great concernment as a bad one fills with great fears A good conscience which is here compared to the Ship is a thing long in making and cost much to make it good The blood of Christ to purge it from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 much pains and labor to keep it good Act. 24.16 Herein I exercise my self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men And for the use of it in this our Seafare where we meet with storms and pyrates and shelves and rocks c. nothing more safe and comfortable then a good conscience good with the goodness of integrity that will keep it good with the goodness of tranquility A good conscience is a continual feast Prov. 15.15 And our Apostle who was literally in perils by Sea as well as by land 2 Cor. 11.26 and was often tossed with the tempests of persecution from the knowledge of the goodness of his ship could sing in a storm as if he had been in Noahs Ark This is our rejoycing the Testimony of our conscience that in simplicity godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1.12 The Psalmist sings it out Ps 119.165 Great is the peace which they have who love thy law and nothing shall offend them or they shall have no stumbling blocks as the original bears it Nothing shall offend them is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more is meant then spoken they are much pleased delighted ravished with the peace of a good conscience But who would venture to Sea in a torn crackt weather-beaten ship having neither Sails nor Anchor nor ballast There is no worse hell on earth then an ill conscience especially in troublous and suffering times Witness Judas Spira c. It is reported of some that have run through all the Sects to the very Ranters that they lye under the horrors of hell roaring and crying there is no mercy for them I could wish they that first lead them out of the way might be sensible of this wrong Have a care therefore of this Ship that is of so great concernment 3. The passenger or Pilot of the ship 3. The worth of the passenger the soul is of special consideration to commend yea command the looking well to the Ship who is either sav'd or lost with it If the Ship and Merchandize miscarry the person in it is in danger of perishing with them He that is careless of a good conscience doth not onely loose his Merchandize the Faith but himself also even his own soul That 's a dreadful place 2 Pet. 2.1 3. False teachers shall privily bring in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them as some now do and bring upon themselves swift destruction Whose judgement now of a long time lingreth not and their damnation slumbreth not In the next verse to my text there are a couple of Apostates Himeneus and Alexander delivered unto Satan by a censure of excommunication that they might learn not to blaspheme The Church for want of a settled government hath not now this power but God does it immediately or mediately mediately by some Instruments of Satan It 's reported and by some confessed that by sorceries and potions and such like Satan hath really and actually had possession of them immediately God does it by giving men up to their own lusts which is worse then if delivered into the actual possession of Satan That place speaks the very terrors of hell to men that have put away a good conscience 2 Thess 2.10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that all they might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Therefore for the passengers sake your own souls sake look well to the ship to keep a good conscience lose one and lose both 4. The sad examples of shipwrack in others 4. The sad and lamentable examples of shipwracks that are before our eyes and upon record goodly ships and richly laden that have miscarryed in sight of the Haven Here are two in the next verse of whom is Himeneus and Alexander and 2 Tim. 2. Philetus and Demas cap. 4.10 anciently and thousands more upon our own shore lye wreckt and broken to pieces who have not onely split the ship a good conscience but made shipwrack of the Faith and are themselves drowning in the Sea of perdition if God be not the more merciful to them Let these be as so many Seamarks to us all to cry Hold faith and above all if you will hold the Faith get and keep a good conscience But some concern 2. To the Ministers of God 2. The Ministers of God who represent and succeed Timothy in his office as Pilots of the Church It concerns them above others to hold Faith and a good conscience together especially to hold the latter if they intend to hold the former I shall propound but these considerations to perswade to it very briefly 1. The heart is very deceitful 1. How easie a thing it is for our hearts to deceive us if not diligently examined and observed we may strongly believe we have a good conscience when it is clean otherwise Paul himself sometimes was cheated by his own heart I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth Act. 26.9 He thought it conscience but it was persecution His conscience was mislead to maintain his old way with persecution of the professors of the Gospel There is a way sayes Solomon that seems right unto a man but the end thereof are the wayes of death Prov. 16.25 There are many wayes which may seem to us to be the wayes of Christ which are in a more general notion the wayes of Antichrist There may be coloured covetousness as the Apostle calls it or secret ambition pride 1
Thess 2.5 popularity at the heart which may incline the judgement to some plausible and advantageous errors of the times Look well there to our consciences there may lodge in them some deceivable lust which may deceive our judgement into error Mark how Paul searches and sifts his heart The testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you wards 2 Cor. 1.12 And again chap. 4.2 Having renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God That 's one 2. The Apostle gives this charge to Timothy 2. They by parts and place are able to do much good or hurt not so much as a Christian or private man as a preacher of the Gospel his place and parts called for more vigilance to get and keep a good conscience Great parts of learning and eminence of place as a leader in warfare or a Pilot in Seafare if the heart be unsound may enable men to do the more hurt by propagating by defending and colouring over errors with a shew of truth The greatest Hereticks have been very learned subtile men able to dispute their errors and so to subvert the Faith of others So we noted above That the Heterodox Teachers were acute disputers 1 Tim. 6.4 5. And elsewhere he sayes As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses by their inchantments imitating the miracles of Moses so do these seducers resist the truth men of corupt minds reprobate concerning the faith 2 Tim. 3.8 Simon Magus by the opinion of his parts and greatness drew multitudes of people after him Act. 8.9 10. Hence the Apostle gives that caution Col. 2.8 Beware least any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men 3. Thâ—y if bad anderring may carry many with them to hell 3. Ministers of all others had need to look to their hearts and heads because if they mislead themselves they are able by their Authority and favour with the people to mislead many with them into hell They are called Guides Leaders Pilots as we said at first if those miscarry they carry with them thousands into destruction The Scribes and Pharisees made many proselytes making them two fold more the children of hell then themselves Those two men named after the text Hymeneus and Alexander as also Philetus 2 Tim. 2.17 18. who had made shipwrack of the Faith Their word did eat like a canker saying that the resurrection was past already and overthrew the faith of some Those Cretian seducers subverted whole houses Tit. 1.11 The venerable esteem of many seeming Saint like Hereticks of old carryed many thousands with them into Heresie And so they do now their followers having their persons in admiration for their seeming holiness have gone after them blindfold as not thinking it possible that such pious men coul err or lead others into errors The leaders of my people cause them to err and they that are lead of them are destroyed was once a complaint and may be our caution The words are rendred by Tremelius thus Doctores populi mei Isa 9.16 sunt seductores The leaders of my people are seducers But in the Original the words are more emphatical They that bless my people are seducers See Isa 3.12 and they that are blessed by them are destroyed They by their flatteries pronounced the people blessed in their erroneous and destroying wayes notwithstanding the threats of ruin to them by the true Prophets of God and when they thought themselves blessed in a blessed state they and their Prophets were swallowed up in a common destruction Wo to the seduced but tiwice and twenty times wo to the seducer he that brings in damnable errors to deceive and destroy others he brings upon himself swift destruction His fire shall be so much hotter in hell as he hath more disciples after him as so many faggots to incense the flame Let Ministers then look well to the Faith to keep it sound and if they will keep and hold the Faith above all keepings keep a good conscience 3. A word of direction to all and I have done 3. Directions to preserve from this shipwrack How we may preserve our selves from the Apostasie of the times and prevent this common shipwrack of the Faith There are as hath been hinted three things that do betray men into error in these times ignorance pride and hypocrisie the contrary to these are the preservatives of the Faith knowledge humility sincerity of each a word and but a word 1. Sound and well grounded knowledge of the truth 1. A skillful Pilot sound knowledge An ignorant and unskillful Pilot will easily endanger the ship You heard before who they are that are commonly the prey of seducers unlearned and unstable souls sayes Saint Peter 2 Pet. 3.16 therefore unstable because unlearned They are children says Paul that are carryed away with every winde of doctrine Eph. 4.14 and simple women that are led captive by seducers 2 Tim. 3.6 untaught unprincipled people never catechized in the fundamentals of Religion Hence that of the Apostle Col. 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdome and Col. 2.2 He prayes for them that their hearts may be comforted or strengthened unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ A superficial notional knowledge is easily shaken it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the full assurance of understanding that comes to an acknowledgement of the Mystery of God not the hystory only an ignorant soul among seducers is like a ship at Sea without a skilfull Pilote 2. Knowledge alone is not sufficient knowledge puffs up 2. Store of Ballast true humility sayes the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.1 But there must be the Grace of Humility as ballast to poise the ship It 's pride you heard that carries men into error pride of parts of gifts c. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble The meek will he guid in judgement the meek will he teach his way Psal 25.9 It is not more ordinary then just with God to give proud men over to their self-delusions He delights to bâ—fool those who are wise in their own eyes They set their wisdom against Gods and he sets his wisdom against them and blinds them with their own wisdome Whatever parts or gifts or abilites men have let them labor the more to be humble and lye low He that in a blustring wind lyes on the ground is safe whereas he that sets himself upon the house top or on a pinnacle is in danger to be blown down and to break his neck In a word a man of much knowledge without Humility is like a ship at Sea with full sails but without ballast every gust of wind is ready to overturn it or run it upon a rock 3. A stronge Anchor sincerity 3. Sincerity is the chief that secures all unrighteousness of heart that 's the good conscience in the text is like the Anchor to a ship that stayes it in a storm So the Psalmist prayed Let uprightness and integrity preserve me Psal 25.21 the reason is added for I wait on thee When the truth is much obscured by Hereticks that he cannot see his way there 's a promise Vnto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness Psal 112.4 God hath promised all blessings to the upright See Psal 25.12 Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose they are his delight Prov. 11.20 The high way of the upright is to depart from evil he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul Prov. 16.17 He that walketh in his upuprightness feareth the Lord but he that is perverse in his wayes dispiseth him Prov. 14.2 And how just is it with God to despise that man that feareth not God but is perverse and hypocritical in his wayes of all men God hates an hypocrite and will one time or other uncase him Hence it is observable that many weake Christians for knowledge but sincere and upright in heart persevere and outstand all the errors of the times when many of great knowledge and learning and parts but open or secret hypocrites do Apostate from the truth Above all then get a sincere and upright heart to walk up to your knowledge that will keep both the Faith and your selves I shall allude to the Apostles words 1 Cor. 13. vers ult There are these three preservatives of â—he Faith knowledge humility sincerity but the chiefest of these is sincerity This is that good conscience in the text made good by sound and saving knowledge much bettered by humility and preserved in both those by sincerity Let it be it every one of our prayer Oh let my heart be sound in thy Statutes that I be not ashamed Psal 119. vers 80. And Oh that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes then shall not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandements vers 5 6. And I shall conclude with my prayer too Do good O Lord to those that are good and to them that are upright in their hearts As for such as turn aside unto their crooked wayes the Lord will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity but peace shall be upon Israel Amen FINIS