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A61865 Conscience the best friend upon earth: or, The happy effects of keeping a good conscience Very useful for this age. By Henry Stubbes, Minister of the Gospel. Stubbes, Henry, 1606?-1678. 1677 (1677) Wing S6029C; ESTC R222100 33,441 135

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lips but do neither mourn for it nor hate it nor turn from it with their Hearts Some pray for that they would not have Some hear the Word but will not do it Some love in word and tongue but not in deed and in truth Some fashion themselves according to this world yet would not be thought to be of the world Some Dedicate and Devote their Children to God to the service of that one God who is Father Son and Holy Ghost and when they have so done they alienate them from his service to the service of the World Flesh and Devil breeding them np in Idleness Pride and Wantonness Never or never to any purpose minding them of their Baptis●al Covenant and Engagements to be ●holy and only the Lords Some neglect relative Duty as thou Conscience knowest very well Are not some Husbands bitter to ●heir Wives and some Wives disobedient to their Husbands Do not some Parents provoke their Children to wrath and do not some Children dishonour their Parents Do not some Masters deny that which is just and equal to their Servants and are not some Servants unfaithful to their Masters Dost thou not know all this to be true Conscience Doubtless thou doest and doubtless thou doest often nip and twinge them for it But good Conscience make them feel make them smart let them not go on in peace disturb them hannt them continually tell them their own and take a fit time and season for it My Reader does frequently or some●imes at least hear Sermons Sermons of the necessity of the New-birth Faith Repentance Holiness Take this opportunity Conscience of telling him the truth Say to him Hearest thou what the Preacher sayes hath he not clearly proved the necessity of New birth Faith Repentance Holiness unto Life Eternal What wilt thou do Man Woman Thou art not New-born thou hast not believed nor repented thou art not Holy Sure thou canst not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Joh. 3. 3. Sure thou must be Damned Mat. 16. 16. Sure thou must perish Luke 13. 3. Thou canst not see the Lord to thy comfort in that unholy Estate thou art now in Heb. 12. 14. My Reader prayes constantly or sometimes at least and sayes Lord give me a better Heart a new Heart a clean Heart a soft Heart a single Heart Lord write thy Law in my Heart plant thy Fear in my Heart put thy Spirit into me cause me to walk in thy Statutes Now Conscience tell h●● the truth say to him Thou drawest ●igh to God with thy lips but thy Heart is far from him Thy Lip doth ask these things of God but thy Heart does not desire them thou art well enough satisfied and contented though thou be denied My Reader is sometimes busy in his Calling Conscience go to him and say O how busy thou art for back and belly what provision makest thou for thy soul My Reader is sometimes at a Feast or at his own Table go to him Conscience and say O how sweet this meat is to thy taste when shall the Word of God and the meat indeed and the drink indeed be as sweet My Reader is sometimes in a Tavern Ale-house or Coffee-house Conscience when he has done his necessary business there go to him and say Is not thy Family or Closet a fitter●place for thee to be in Sometimes he is walking in the fields Conscience go to him and ask him what ●e is meditating on and put him in mind of Isaac's practice Gen. 24. 6. My Reader is sometimes sick go ●t him Conscience and say This is th● just hand of God upon thee and bi● him take his Bible and read Jer. 4. 18 Sometimes my Reader takes Physick go to him Conscience and say to him When wilt thou be at so much cost for thy soul when wilt thou spare so much time from thy business for thy soul when wilt thou keep thy Chamber a day or two for thy souls health Possibly my Reader has lately been recovered out of a dangerous fit of sickness go to him Conscience and put him in mind of ●is sick●bed prayers and purposes and say to him Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee Conscience have but a very little patience more and I have done Some of my Readers thou knowest have lain under the meanes of Grace a long time Vnconverted would I could perswade thee 〈◊〉 force them to read Heb. 6. 7 8. Jer. ● 29. Ezek. 24. 13 14. Mat. 23. 37 38. Luke 19. 41 42. 2 Cor. 13. 5. and not let them be quiet until they have mused a while on each Conscience I am in care and fear about my Readers lest that dreadful Message be sent to them that once was sent to Israel of old Isa. 6. 9 10. with Rom. 11. 18. I beseech thee Conscience suffer them not to eat drink or sleep in quiet until they have fixed their thoughts a while on this Message after the reading of it Conscience I am out of hopes of my Readers welfare unless thou be the more vigilant a●●gent and faithful in doing thy office Wherefore I beseech you nay I charge you as once Paul charged Timothy 2 Tim. 4. 1. before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom preach the Word to my Reader be instant in season out of season Reprove Rebuke Exhort him and continue thy speech to him as once Paul did to his Hearers Acts 20. 7. until midnight rather then fail of prevailing with him There are a few other Scriptures which I desire my Reader might peruse viz. 1 Sam. 2. 25. 2 Chro. 25. 16. Pro. 29. 1. But Conscience if thou wilt not by earnest and continual urging compel him he will not bestow the time nor take the paines to do it In hope thou wilt be faithful to my Reader I shall add no more save only the promise of my prayers that thou mayst be so SERMON I. JOB 26. 7. My Righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my Heart shall not reproach me so long as I live MY Righteousness I hold fast His Friends would have robb'd him of it would have persuaded him out of it would have argued and disputed him out of it but you shall not do it saith Job I stand up in the defence of it I hold it fast I will not let it go● Say what you will do what you can I will maintain my Integrity I am not an Hypocrite as you would have me think I am I am not an unrighteous man as you would speak me to be and as you would have me take my self to be no my Righteousness I will hold fast I will not let it go pull while you will I will hold it fast Take we up the like Resolution there are some that pretend to be friends pretend friendship and kindness but act the part of Job's friends here Oh how many are there that would spoil us of our
time to smite with the fift and to give correction and then there will be no enduring of it as it was with David when his Heart smote him Psal. 69. 7. If shame covered Davids Face when men reproached him Oh what shame will cover our Faces when Conscience shall reproach us Reproach hath broken my heart saith he and I am full of heaviness I looked for some to take pity but there was none and for comforters but I found none Ver. 20. This will be your case and your complaint when Conscience shall reproach you Reproach hath broken my heart They gave me Gall for meat and Vinegar to drink saith he Ver. 21. Conscience will give Gall and Vinegar to us unless some course be taken for the quieting of it if you make it not your care so to live that Conscience may not reproach you To be able to say For Gods sake I have born reproach Psal. 69. 7. will be a comfort but if for our Lusts sake we bear reproach what a Torment will that be When Conscience shall say This is for the sake of that proud Lust this is for the sake of that drunken Lust that wanton Lust of thine this is for that Passion of thine that froward and fretful Spirit of thine when Conscience shall say This is for the sake of such a Lust which thou didst indulge and kept as a sweet morsel under thy tongue notwithstanding the persuasions of all Gods Ministers to the contrary how wilt thou be able to bear it Vse 2. Of Exhortation Take care that Conscience may not have occasion to reproach you while you live The Reasons before mentioned may serve as Motives The unavoidableness and intolerableness of these reproaches of Conscience these are Motives enough to engage us to take all care that Conscience may not reproach us Let it be your care to have a Conscience void of offence Prov. 15. 15. 2 Cor. 1. 12. and then Conscience instead of accusing will excuse instead of condemning it will acquit you If you hearken to the voice of Conscience informed and guided by the Word of God it will be a continual feast unto you Prov. 15. 15. and your daily rejoycing This is our rejoycing saith the Apostle 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 When a man hath Conscience on his side this will be a Cordial in any condition whatsoever in a Prison a Cordial in a Dungeon a Cordial in a strange Country and a Cordial in the worst of sufferings that we 〈◊〉 meet with Keep Conscience void of offence and so live that Conscience may not reproach you and all will be well How may we so live you will say that Conscience may not reproach us while we live or if we have so lived that Conscience hath had cause to reproach us how may we get those reproaches wiped off and get Conscience quiet again That I shall reserve for another opportunity SERMON III. JOB 27. 6. My Righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my Heart shall not reproach me so long as I live HAving already shewed you what Conscience is and about what it is imployed and how it is imployed and given you several reasons why we should make it our great care so to live that Conscience may not reproach us while we live and having made some Use of the Doctrine I now come to resolve two questions or cases 1. The first is how may we so live walk and act and carry our selves that Conscience may have no cause to reproach us another day 2. If we have so lived so walked so acted and so carryed our selves that Conscience hath had just cause to reproach us and doth reproach us what is to be done that the reproaches of Conscience may be wiped off that Conscience may be quiet and cease to accuse and condemn cease to vex and torment These are the two cases I am to answer Case 1. How may we so live walk act and carry our selves that Conscience may have no cause to reproach us You see that Job did so live and carry himself that though his friends did reproach him his Conscience did not reproach him though his friends did charge him yet his Conscience did discharge him though his friends did condemne him yet his Conscience did acquit him He did so live that he was able to maintain his Integrity and Uprightness and doubtless it is not a thing impossible but we do not set to it we do not set about it in earnest If we be Christians indeed and not almost Christians we might so live as Conscience might have no just cause to reproach us O Sirs Relations may reproach us Wives may reproach Husbands and Husbands reproach Wives Children may reproach Parents and Servants reproach their Masters and one Neighbour reproach another but it is possible so to live that Conscience all this while may be at peace and not reproach us Possibly you may be ready to think and say within your selves Would we could tell how we might so live pray let us have some directions how we may so live that Conscience may not reproach us But before I give counsel should not I know of you whether you will follow it And in case you will not follow it why should I give it Ask your selves therefore if the Minister shall give us no other counsel then what God himself giveth us should not I follow it Sirs if I give you any other counsel then what God in his holy Word doth give you I would intreat you not to follow it nay if you set it at naught I shall not be offended Consider what Jethro said to Moses Exod. 18. 23. If thou shalt do this thing and God command thee so so say I Therefore consider whether God say as I say whether God command you so if so pray take heed how you do set at naught the Counsel of God Now the first Direction which I shall give you is this Direction I. Set God always before you And this will be a means so to live that Conscience may not reproach you Assure your selves there is no time wherein Gods Back is turned no time wherein Gods Eye is not upon you if you can find a time when God is absent you may take your liberty and do what you list You know of what force the Masters presence is among the Servants of what force the Parents presence is among the Children to restrain them of what force the presence of a Minister or a grave serious and holy Christian is to restrain People from what otherwise they would take liberty to do Sure Gods Presence should be of greater force to restrain us if we did but live in the Apprehension thereof O if we could but set God always before us what manner of persons should we be in all holy Conv●rsation all holy cogitation and